There’s a mini Master Chief hidden in your Xbox One S

The Xbox One S has been critically revered since its release on 2 August and that might have prompted you to buy one. But did you know that as well as get the most powerful console and 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray player currently available, you also adopted a tiny Master Chief?

During a technical teardown of the new machine, iFixit discovered an Easter egg hidden away inside.

Etched into the optical disc drive bracket are the words “Xbox One” and a small, cartoon Master Chief, the incredibly popular lead of the Halo game franchise.

As there’s a danger that you could invalidate the warranty by pulling apart the machine, the image is more than likely intended as a little surprise for Microsoft’s own technical support team, but you can at least see it in iFixit’s pictures above.

Now you don’t need to hack away at your own swanky new console to see it for yourself.

During its exploration of inside components, iFixit also found a SATA III hard drive rather than SATA II, although it couldn’t determine whether it was using a different interface so that might not have any bearing on performance. It is also a 5400 RPM model rather than 7200 RPM, so technically no quicker in operation.

The site also warns that replacing the drive will definitely render your warranty void. In addition, it isn’t easy to hack a new one to work. However, the Xbox One works well with external USB 3.0 HDDs, which can be used to store games and more, so there’s really not much call to do so.

• How to upgrade your Xbox One storage by 2TB and more: That’s up to 100 additional games
• Xbox One S review: Best console and 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray player out there

Intel scientist teases depth-sensing ‘horn’ for HTC Vive

Intel scientist Dimitri Diakopoulos revealed a sneak peek of an interesting depth sensing camera that attaches to HTC’s Vive headset. “I felt that VR needed a solid unicorn peripheral with six additional cameras,” he tweeted. The device, presumably based on Intel’s RealSense tech, may be designed to track your hands or keep you from bumping into things. He mentioned that each camera weighs 10 grams (0.35 ounces), and said the design maintains the headset’s original balance point.

It looks more like a finished product than a prototype and Diakopoulos said the team “nailed” the design. It’s unknown, however, whether it’ll be for consumers or developers. Both the Oculus Rift and Vive use external motion tracking devices and have pass-through cameras. However neither can track your hands (they both use controllers), and only the Vive has an obstacle detection system that the user must set up. In another tweet, Diakopoulos, added “I predict it’ll be rare to buy any HMD in 2018 without additional vision sensors integrated.”

The original tweets have since been deleted, so the reveal may have been premature, but we’ll apparently hear more about it during the Intel Developer Forum from August 16-18 in San Francisco.

Source: Tom’s Hardware

‘Strava’ Running and Cycling App Updated With Real-Time Safety Feature

The developers of popular running and cycling app Strava have announced a new safety feature for premium members that lets users broadcast their location in real time to friends and family.

The new feature, called Beacon, means runners and cyclists can now share their whereabouts with select contacts, who can then easily locate them if they don’t return from their workout when expected or in the event of an emergency, for example.

“Let’s say it’s 3:30, you said you’d be home at 3:00 and you’re not moving towards home,” said Ethan Hollinshead, Senior Product Manager on Strava’s blog. “That’s a good indication that they should reach out to you and see what’s up. Maybe you stopped for a coffee, or maybe you got a flat tire. Where it’s really designed to help the cyclist or runner is in that peace of mind scenario – to keep people from unnecessarily worrying about you.”

According to Strava, selected contacts don’t need to be users of the app. Rather, the app sends a text message to the contacts that includes a secure web link showing the user’s location on a map, allowing them to track the user’s progress in real time.

Once premium users have updated the app, the Beacon feature will appear in the lower right of the New Run or Ride screen. A tap of the Beacon icon lets users choose up to three safety contacts who will receive their location when they confirm to send the text.

Strava Running and Cycling is a free download available for iPhone and iPad on the App Store. [Direct Link] A premium Strava membership costs $6 per month.

Tag: Strava
Discuss this article in our forums

Apple’s Huge Investment in Didi Chuxing Was Behind Uber China Deal

Over the weekend we reported that Chinese ride-hailing service Didi Chuxing had agreed to acquire the Chinese operations of rival Uber in a deal worth $35 billion.

In a Reuters story filed yesterday, sources close to both companies revealed that Apple’s $1 billion investment in Didi Chuxing was the driving factor in Uber’s decision to agree to the deal, in return for a one-fifth stake in a bigger Didi.

“The Apple investment is one of the factors that influenced the decision,” a person close to the companies told Reuters on condition of anonymity. “Both sides raised enormous amounts of capital. They were probably thinking this was going to escalate to nuclear warfare, which raised the question: do we really want to assure mutual destruction?”

According to the sources, Didi raised far more money than Uber China, which was forced to subsidize its operations in the country using profits it had made in the U.S., Canada, and about 100 cities elsewhere. The company’s relinquishment of its independence in China marks the first failure in Uber’s strategy of outspending its biggest competitors.

In June, Didi secured $7.3 billion in funding from investors including Apple, China Life Insurance Co Ltd, Ant Financial and other new shareholders, giving the company a $28 billion valuation that made it the world’s third highest-valued start-up.

The company says it now has $10.5 billion in available funds, thanks to backing from Chinese Internet giants Alibaba Group Holding and Tencent Holdings.

“Apple’s investment in Didi likely spurred Uber to think harder about doing some kind of deal here,” said Jan Dawson, an Uber analyst at Jackdaw Research. “Uber and Apple have been partners in other markets, so for Apple to side with Didi must have been something of a red flag that things weren’t going to go Uber’s way.”

According to Hans Tung, a managing partner at GGVCapital (which backed Didi), Uber is eager to secure a wider partnership with Apple beyond its current relationships, such as Uber passengers’ use of Apple Pay to pay drivers who use iPhones provided by Uber. Opportunities may open up for such a partnership, said Tung, now that Uber has agreed the deal with Didi.

Tags: China, Uber, Didi Chuxing
Discuss this article in our forums

Intel Recalls ‘Basis Peak’ Activity Tracker Due to Overheating Issues

Intel is recalling its Basis Peak sleep and activity tracking watch due to overheating issues, and says it is shuttering the acquired startup behind the technology “immediately”.

The chip company initially reported the overheating problem in June after some Basis users complained of blistering and burns caused by the wearable device. Intel told its customers not to use the watch until a firmware update was deployed to solve the issue. The update never materialized, however.

“We had hoped to update the software on your watch to address the problem,” the company said in a statement on the Basis website. “Unfortunately, despite our best efforts, we aren’t able to develop such a solution without completely compromising the user experience. As a result, we are asking that you return your Basis Peak watch and authorized accessories for a full refund at your earliest convenience.”

The recall and subsequent closure of Basis Science is a blow for Intel’s ambitions in the wearable tech sector. Intel bought the San Francisco startup in March 2014 in a deal said to be worth more than $100 million. However, Basis failed to exceed its 1 percent share of all smartwatch sales, according to market research firm Canalys.

Basis Peak owners will be able to access their activity data from the watch until the end of the year, according to the company. Further refund information can be found on the support section of the Basis website.

Tag: Intel
Discuss this article in our forums

Pokemon Go Battery Saver mode returning to iPhone, bugs removed

Earlier this week an update for the iOS version of Pokemon Go removed a couple of features that were broken, now one of the them is returning.

The Battery Saver mode, which dimmed the screen when you didn’t hold your phone aloft, is being reinstated. And iPhone users should find it reappear as part of a new update rolling out in a few days.

Battery life has been an issue for Pokemon Go players from the start, with the game sapping charge rapidly. It has prompted some to invest in battery packs, just to keep their gaming sessions rolling on.

Android phone owners still have Battery Saver mode but Niantic pulled the iOS version because it was causing glitches and issues. It seems to have fixed those bugs now, however.

“We have been hearing the feedback loud and clear about the removal of the Battery Saver mode on iOS devices,” it said on the official Pokemon Go Facebook page.

“We had removed this feature as several users were experiencing it to be buggy, but we are fairly confident that a fix for this should roll out within the next several days.”

• Pokemon Go: How to play and other tips and tricks
• Help! Pokemon Go isn’t working: How to fix common Pokemon Go problems
• Can’t get Pokemon Go in your country yet? Here’s how to download it now
• What is Pokemon Go and why is everyone talking about it? 
• Pokemon Go: Best, worst and craziest places people have found Pokemon
• London through the eyes of Pokemon Go
• Pokemon Go top tips: Master the Pokemon mayhem

It has also launched the app in Central and South America, just in time for the Rio Olympics in Brazil. Some competing athletes complained that they couldn’t play the game upon arriving. Now they can.

Niantic has confirmed that it will continue to roll out the title in other countries soon.

Dust-sized wireless sensors could control prosthetics someday

See that minuscule component in the image above? That’s a wireless sensor, and someday, doctors could slip it into our bodies to monitor our organs like a microscopic Fitbit or even to give quadri- and paraplegics the power to control robotic arms or legs. A team of scientists from the University of California, Berkeley have developed an early iteration of the sensor that’s about the size of a grain of rice. Each sensor has a piezoelectric crystal that can convert ultrasound vibrations into energy. It also allows the teensy device to beam back data collected from nerve cells in the brain if it’s used to control bionic limbs.

While the current version, which is only 3 millimeters long with a 1 millimeter cube attached to it, is already tiny, the team plans to shrink it down further. They’re looking to create a version that’s half the width of human hair — they are calling the sensors “neural dust,” after all — using components that can last inside a human body forever. That way, people who need prosthetics won’t have to deal with relatively humongous implantable electrodes that can only last for a year or two.

As team member Ryan Neely said:

“The original goal of the neural dust project was to imagine the next generation of brain-machine interfaces, and to make it a viable clinical technology. If a paraplegic wants to control a computer or a robotic arm, you would just implant this electrode in the brain and it would last essentially a lifetime.”

Besides monitoring organs and controlling prosthetics, the team believes the sensors could also be used to keep an eye on tumors and even on the efficacy of cancer therapies. They also think a version of the sensor could be developed to stimulate nerves and muscles or even to treat disorders like epilepsy. It would most likely take some time before they can develop all these applications, though. They’ve already (successfully) tested the current version on lab rats, but they still have to figure out how to achieve their 50-micron target size.

Via: PopSci

Source: University of California, Berkeley, Neuron

BBC to show the Olympics live in 360-degree video

Watching the Olympics on TV? That’s so 2012, apparently. The BBC is launching an “experimental” service on Friday that will broadcast the action in 360-degree video instead. It’s not a complete replacement — only 100 hours will be shown throughout the tournament. But it’s more than a token gesture, with one live event and a highlights package planned for each day. They’ll be accessible through a new BBC Sport 360 app for iOS, Android and Samsung’s Gear VR headset. Coverage will also be available through BBC Taster, a website for the BBC’s off-the-wall projects.

The live events will include beach volleyball, boxing, basketball and fencing. Both the opening and closing ceremonies, which bookend the tournament on August 5th and August 22nd, will also be broadcast in 360-degree video. Up to four different camera angles will be available during each event, so you can move around the court, ring or stadium to get a better look at what’s happening. The BBC says it’s all possible due to some trials that it held during the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.

If the experiment is successful, it could pave the way for more frequent and extensive VR coverage. The format is unlikely to replace traditional TV viewership — for many people, the Olympics is a time to get people together and watch athletics as a group — but the medium has its advantages, and could appeal to fans who want to feel like they’re in the host city, cheering on their nation’s best from the sidelines.