Pokémon Go goes live in Taiwan, the Philippines, Singapore, and more Asian countries

Developer Niantic Labs has once again expanded the reach of its hugely popular augmented reality game Pokémon Go. It has officially gone live in 15 Asian countries, including Taiwan, the Philippines and Singapore.

Here’s the full list of new countries that can now download and play Pokémon Go:

• Brunei
• Cambodia
• Indonesia
• Laos
• Malaysia
• Philippines
• Singapore
• Thailand
• Vietnam
• Taiwan
• Papua New Guinea
• Fiji
• Solomon Islands
• Federated States of Micronesia
• Palau

Even with this new expansion, Niantic has yet to launch Pokémon Go in several major markets in Asia, including India, China and South Korea.

Pokémon Go

• Join our Pokémon Go forums!
• How to deal with GPS errors in-game
• Which team should you choose?
• How to play without killing your battery
• The Ultimate Pokémon Go Game Guide!
• Listen to the Pokémon Go podcast!

Homido’s V2 headset shows mobile VR doesn’t have to be basic

Virtual Reality’s main players might be household names (or owned by them), but scratch under the surface, and there’s a bustling bevy of lesser-known names jostling for your attention. Usually these fall into two camps, those with quirky features, or deluxe versions of Google Cardboard. Homido’s first headset was more the latter, with the distinction of having its own app hub for VR movies and games, and IPD (Inter Pupil Distance) controls, something even Gear VR doesn’t have. The French company’s back with a new version (called V2) that’s sleeker and compatible with more phones. What makes it interesting is the “family” of accessories that will complement it, including a Kinect-like motion sensor — making Homido’s little slice of virtual reality more than just a bourgeois take on bare-bones VR.

The good news is, the improved V2 costs the same as the original Homido VR headset. The less good news, if you’re on a budget at least, is that the original cost $80. Not the most expensive mobile VR headset, but still a jump if you were looking to get an upgraded cardboard viewer. The new design promises to be more comfortable, with better ventilation and a more premium feel along with an all-important capacitive button (no more pressing play, then quickly shoving the phone in the viewer). It’ll also support large phones including the iPhone 6s Plus.

Homido doesn’t want to just be known as a fancy phone holder, though. It’s Homido Center app might not be quite the same as Samsung’s Gear VR in terms of razzle-dazzle software stores, but it’s a start. Despite not having the influence of the Korean giant, CEO Mathieu Parmentier tells me his goal is to offer the best mobile VR experience possible. “We’re the only company to focus this hard on mobile VR and nothing else, and that’s how we’ll stay. We’re specialists.”

Parmentier also argues that making a headset that works well with many phones is actually more of an accomplishment. “It seems simple, no electronics etc., but actually the challenge is much harder than making a Gear [VR] for three Samsung smartphones, without adjustable IPD.”

The reveal of new accessories for the V2 is proof Parmentier wants to make Homido more of an ecosystem. The new additions include a 360-degree camera ($200), Bluetooth game controllers (Android/iOS costing $40/$60 respectively) and an as-yet-to-be-announced motion sensor. The controllers aren’t all that remarkable, but the addition of a 1080p/30fps VR camera plus app for converting videos into a Facebook or YouTube-friendly format (handy in its own right) would make Homido an easy entry introduction to VR video and photos.

As for the motion sensor, less is known. This would be something of a first for a headset at this price, though. Earlier this year, the company demoed it at MWC, allowing users to interact with games physically — like boxing with your fists. Rumours suggested the sensor might debut alongside the V2, but it looks like this might have been delayed. Once it does arrive, though, this would make Homido an unusually complete, if unconventional little VR ecosystem. That said, only the V2 is available now, everything else will follow “soon.”

Source: Best Buy

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These Steamcrate subscriptions deliver 10 games a month to your inbox (57 per cent off)

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Build apps for the upcoming iOS 10 with this complete development bundle

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Hackers arrested after stealing more than 30 Jeeps in Texas

This article has been updated with comments from FCA.

It seems the news regarding vehicle hacking continues to get worse, especially when it comes to products from Fiat Chrysler Automobiles. Last year, a Jeep Cherokee in St. Louis, Missouri, was wirelessly hacked from Pittsburgh. Nissan had to shut down its Leaf app because of vulnerabilities. Now, a pair of hackers in Houston, Texas, stole more than 30 Jeeps over a six-month period. The two were arrested by police last Friday while attempting to steal another vehicle.
ABC 13 in Houston reports that police had been following Michael Arcee and Jesse Zelay for several months but were unable to catch them in the act until now. The two were using a laptop to connect to and start a vehicle. It’s unclear if the connection was through OBD II or USB or, but FCA says that these thefts were not related to the UConnect remote hacks from last year.

In April, this surveillance video showed the theft of a Jeep Wrangler Unlimited. It was this footage that first led the police to Arcee and Zelay. The police began to follow and record the pair. That investigation eventually led to Friday’s arrest. Both are charged with unauthorized use of a motor vehicle. In addition, Arcee is charged with felon in possession of a weapon and possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance.

According to ABC 13, Homeland Security is investigating more than 100 stolen FCA vehicles that they believe were hacked using similar software. After their theft, the vehicles were brought across the border to Mexico. FCA is currently conducting an internal investigation into the matter.

After this article was posted, the company reached out to Autoblog, stating “FCA US takes the safety and security of its customers seriously and incorporates security features in its vehicles that help to reduce the risk of unauthorized and unlawful access to vehicle systems and wireless communications. FCA US has been cooperating with Houston Police Department since they first started the investigation. This investigation is ongoing and as such, the Company has no further comment.”

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Source: ABC 13

Disney Channel to release 12 original short films online

In an effort to better engage with young audiences, Disney Channel is set to release 12 short-form movies online. The original content is part of a new collection called “Free Period,” which will hit Disney Channel’s website as well as its apps on mobile devices, connected TVs and set-top boxes like the Apple TV. Free Period (also the name of one of the shorts) will have a presence on YouTube too, where movies are rolling out daily now through August 21st. Disney Channel says these short films offer something for every kid, since they include comedy, mystery and more.

Via: Variety

Source: Disney Channel

Torrentz.eu quietly shuts down its torrent search engine

Popular Poland-based torrent meta-search site Torrentz.eu has removed its key functionality, effectively shutting down a major portal for finding pirated material on the web. According to a message on the site, which refers to itself in the past tense: “Torrentz was a free, fast and powerful meta-search engine combining results from dozens of search engines. Torrentz will always love you. Farewell.” A click on the search box currently re-directs to a pop-up ad from Alibaba.

The end of Torrentz comes after the world’s biggest torrent site KickAssTorrents was shut down by the feds in July. The proprietor of KickAssTorrents, 30-year-old Ukrainian Artem Vaulin was arrested in Poland and charged with criminal copyright infringement and money laundering. Vaulin is accused of illegally reproducing and distributing more than $1 billion worth of pirated media. In 2014, the founders of the popular Pirate Bay torrent site were also rounded up and the site struggled to stay online as it was raided several times.

As for Torrentz.eu, the site managed to stay in the game a little longer because it didn’t host torrent links directly — only made it easier to find them elsewhere. As Variety notes, the site was moved to the .eu top-level domain after its .com was seized by the US Department of Homeland Security. The domain is also blocked in the several countries, including the UK.

Torrenting as a means of pirating material may generally be in decline, however. A study by a UK-based antipiracy firm found that most online piracy activity has shifted to streaming sites. And BitTorrent itself has already gone legit.