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A new 'Harry Potter' adventure will hit Google's VR platform
One of the first pieces of content to launch on Google's new Daydream mobile VR platform expands on the most popular and fantastical multimedia franchise in modern history. A VR experience built around Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, a new film in the Harry Potter universe, is heading to Daydream. Google only teased the experience on-stage at its "Made by Google" event today, but it dropped one crucial piece of information: Players will be able to use the Daydream controller as a wand in the game.
'Maguss,' the game that definitely isn't 'Harry Potter Go'
It's a little bit complicated," Ondrej Tokar says with a laugh. Tokar is the creator of Maguss, an augmented reality mobile game that transforms players into wizards wandering around a world of spells, potions, duels and fantastical creatures. But let's get one thing absolutely clear: It's not a Harry Potter game. Tokar has to emphasize this fact because his team has already been contacted by someone claiming to represent the Harry Potter brand, asking them to distance Maguss from J. K. Rowling's world, or else. Strangely enough, this is precisely what Tokar wants.
ICYMI: Some robots independently sing, others help babies
try{document.getElementById("aol-cms-player-1").style.display="none";}catch(e){}Today on In Case You Missed It: A new neural network robot in Japan can independently sing and move whenever it wants to. Researchers developed a robotic onesie for babies who may have cerebral palsy that helps make motor skills connections in the brain, giving them a boost in learning to crawl and walk. And Disney and ETH Zurich teamed up to engineer a new way to create 3D prints by thermoforming them one at a time. Finally make sure you watch the video of a gold-plated record playing all the way up to space and back down to earth, on a space-proof turntable. As always, please share any interesting tech or science videos you find by using the #ICYMI hashtag on Twitter for @mskerryd.
'Harry Potter' meets 'Zelda' in a fantasy action game
Mages of Mystralia is a fantastical romp through a mystical world, starring a young woman named Zia who discovers she has powerful magical abilities -- though this isn't necessarily a welcome development. Zia accidentally burns down her house and is forced to flee her homeland, and as she journeys across the countryside she meets other exiled mages who help cultivate her powers. Eventually, it's up to Zia to save Mystralia from certain doom. Mages of Mystralia combines elements from some of the most popular fantasy franchises in recent memory: There's a special, magical child like in Harry Potter, whimsical yet creepy woodland creatures as seen in The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, and a determined, red-headed young warrior like the star of the Disney-Pixar movie Brave. All of this is bundled into a cohesive narrative by a star of Dungeons & Dragons lore, the creator of the Forgotten Realms world, Ed Greenwood.
The magical 'Harry Potter' location clock exists in DIY form
There's a fine line between magic and science, and Redditor tbornottb3 has created a beautiful example of this idea with the "Harry Potter-inspired Family Clock." It's a digital version of the Weasley family's fictional magical location device, which displays when individual family members are at home, work, school, hospital, prison or in mortal peril, among other options. The replica shows "home," "work," "holiday," "mortal peril," "forest" and "on the way."
Illustrated 'Harry Potter' novels come to iBooks
Apple fans are used to getting the latest and greatest before others, from apps all the way through to, uh, U2's latest album. But, they've also had to learn how to be patient, for instance, when it took several years before the Beatles released their back-catalog onto iTunes. That's why it's a red letter day for Harry Potter fans, since Apple has signed an "exclusive" detail with JK Rowling's people. For the first time, the digitally-enhanced versions of the world-famous novels are available on iBooks complete with high-quality illustrations and animations. The texts are still on sale at the official Pottermore website, but should you want to read them on your iPhone or iPad, you can grab each one for $9.99 a pop.
ICYMI: Giant air purifier, true invisibility cloak and more
#fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-798641{display:none;} .cke_show_borders #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-798641, #postcontentcontainer #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-798641{width:570px;display:block;} try{document.getElementById("fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-798641").style.display="none";}catch(e){}Today on In Case You Missed It: A 23-foot tall HEPA filter that looks like a building is running in Rotterdam, costing $1,000 a year to operate while cleaning up to 1 million cubic feet of air per hour. Scientists at UC Berkeley have hit on the tech that could lead to a true Cloak of Invisibility. For the first time, a 3D object has been hidden from visible light, using nanoantenna blocks which are usually found in solar panels. And the fastest human-powered bike on the planet just hit 85 miles per hour at a competition in Nevada.
ICYMI: Real wizard wands, another remote car hack and more
#fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-576421{display:none;} .cke_show_borders #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-576421, #postcontentcontainer #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-576421{width:570px;display:block;} try{document.getElementById("fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-576421").style.display="none";}catch(e){}Today on In Case You Missed It: Another car hacking job, this one by the University of San Diego, is showing just how vulnerable our smart cars can be. And if you're sick of people stealing things off your desk, check out this rubber-band shooting desktop sentry. And most importantly of all, a new Kickstarter is bringing wand dueling to life with a more complicated version of laser tag. And yes, it is the best thing to happen to me this year.
Challenge friends to real-life wizard duels with 'Maguss'
Harry Potter's brand of magic may not exist in the real world, but smartphone applications, electrical engineering and plastic wands sure do. Maguss uses all of these things, plus a badge that acts as a motion-sensing receiver, to bring wizard duels to the physical world. Maguss is on Kickstarter right now, seeking $66,191 to create and ship a kit allowing wannabe wizards to challenge friends to duels in-person and online. Players cast spells by waving the wand in specific motions -- in-person, the motion is picked up by the enemy's badge and smartphone app. Online, players conduct spells at their own badge and the motions are transferred to the rival wizard's app. In either scenario, whoever has the best wandwork wins.
'Harry Potter' comes to Oyster's all-you-can-read book service
If you're the sort of Harry Potter fan who can't help but read the series again and again, Oyster has a treat in store. The all-you-can-read subscription service has teamed up with Pottermore to carry all of the Harry Potter books, including the Hogwarts Library collection. There's even a little treat the first time you start reading -- rather than pick from one of the humdrum standard themes, you choose your favorite Hogwarts house (Slytherin, obviously). You probably don't want to sign up for Oyster's $10 a month service just for the sake of reliving Harry's school years, but it's potentially cheaper than purchasing the series on top of a slew of other books.
Take a virtual tour of Harry Potter's Diagon Alley set on Google Street View
Google has alohomora'd a way for everyone (even muggles) to visit Diagon Alley without the need for magic wands. You can now explore the famous Harry Potter set at Warner Bros. London studio via Street View, and virtually visit its shops like Ollivander's or the garishly colored Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes. It's not the first Street View location within a building -- in fact, Thomas Jefferson's Monticello residence is now open for digital visitors -- but movie sets are a rare treat. This is probably the next best thing for those who want to see Diagon Alley in person but can't fly to London, even though the studio lights and the green screen behind Gringotts could ruin childhoods. Unless, of course, Schmidt, Page and Brin are actually wizards who added those final touches to make a real magical marketplace look fake.
Daily Update for May 17, 2013
It's the TUAW Daily Update, your source for Apple news in a convenient audio format. You'll get all the top Apple stories of the day in three to five minutes for a quick review of what's happening in the Apple world. You can listen to today's Apple stories by clicking the inline player (requires Flash) or the non-Flash link below. To subscribe to the podcast for daily listening through iTunes, click here. No Flash? Click here to listen. Subscribe via RSS
Must See HDTV (September 3rd - 9th)
After college football got its season under way last week, now it's the professional's turn. But the NFL isn't all we have for you, while a light TV schedule is supplemented by a long list of high profile Blu-ray sets arriving this week. Of course, none of them are bigger than the 32-disc Harry Potter collection pictured above, check after the break for some video of what's inside. Look below for the highlights this week, followed after the break by our weekly listing of what to look out for in TV, Blu-ray and videogames. Harry Potter Wizard's Collection Fans of the glasses-wearing kid wizard can invest in the massive Harry Potter Wizard's Collection Blu-ray boxed set this weekend, which arrives packing 31 discs in its collector's edition casing. 3D, never before seen bonus clips, and digital copies -- it's all in there, and all your for the low, low price of $350 or so. Whether or not you're willing to shell out that kind of cash for all eight movies, there's a video look at the set after the break as some of the series' stars take turns unboxing it. ($344.99 on Amazon, September 7th) NFL Our fantasy leagues are drafted, our pick 'em leagues are registered for (you're registered for ours, right?) and the beer is getting cold. It's finally time for the NFL to return to us, and it all starts Wednesday night with kickoff festivities leading up to an NFC East grudge match between the Giants and Cowboys. Of course, that's just a teaser for Sunday's action, and finally the first Monday Night Football of the year next week. It doesn't get better than this. (September 5th, NBC, 8:30PM) 2012 Basketball Hall of Fame For basketball, the Hall of Fame covers both pro and collegiate ranks, and for 2012 it's inducting a class with members like Reggie Miller, Don Nelson, Katrina McClain, Phil Knight, Ralph Sampson, Chet Walker and Jamaal Wilkes. NBA TV is also producing a documentary about Reggie Miller that will air Tuesday night before he joins his sister Cheryl in the hall. The presentation airs Friday night, hoops fans can use it as a crutch between the Olympics / summer league festivities and the regular season which is still several weeks away. (September 7th, NBA TV, 7:30PM)
Sony Reader PRS-T2 up for $130 pre-order at J&R
We first caught sight of Sony's latest reader when it mysteriously swung past the FCC, but now the PRS-T2 has arrived to spill the beans at Park Row's most famous resident. J&R's pre-order page reveals that the 6-inch touchscreen WiFi-only device is packing a 800 x 600 E-Ink display, a battery promising two months life and a built-in stylus. Software options include six dictionaries, Evernote Clearly, Facebook for Reader and a free copy of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. The electronics superstore has the device listed as "coming soon," and when it arrives, will set you back $130 -- but, as its write-up notes, that's the price you pay to avoid being bothered with adverts.
PSA: Entire Harry Potter series now available on Amazon's Kindle Owners' Lending Library
Fancy dipping back into the world of Quidditch and Dumbledore? Or maybe you shunned the whole Pottermania thing until now. Either way, if you own a Kindle, you can finally get up to speed without paying a spellbinding price -- thanks to Amazon's Kindle Owners Lending Library. All seven eBook titles are up for grabs in English, French, Italian, German and Spanish. To get them, there's no need to wave your magic wand, instead just make sure your Prime membership is all paid up, and you're good to go. Magic.
Sony's Wonderbook is PS Move-augmented reading, launches with J.K. Rowling's 'Book of Spells'
If you were wondering what Sony planned next for the PS Move, the answer is apparently... books. Just displayed at its pre-E3 press conference, Wonderbooks will let users turn physical books into the best pop-up adventure of all time. As seen in the presentation, it could project images onto the book, letting users peer own dark tunnels, cast spells or even dodge a flying dragon that escaped from the pages. On the downside, the task looked a bit complicated for the target audience, requiring them to manipulate the book, look at their TV to see the effects and wave a wand with their other hand. There was a bit of a demo fail during the presentation, we'll see if things work more smoothly when we get some hands-on time tomorrow. The first PlayStation 3 Wonderbook title available is by none other than Harry Potter writer JK Rowling, who brings the Book of Spells for muggles to try their hands at Hogwart's best-known incantations. One other book was also mentioned, Diggs Nightcrawler. Check out our liveblog for all of the details. Update: Check after the break for two new trailers from the PlayStation.Blog, one for Wonderbook in general and another specifically for Book of Spells.
Harry Potter e-book loaners coming to your Kindle, if you're Primed
Amazon will never run out of copies of Harry Potter e-books from its Lending Library. Thanks to a new agreement with Pottermore, on June 19th the entire seven-book collection will be among the 140,000 plus you can grab, provided, of course, that you're an Amazon Prime member. If you've forked over the $79 yearly membership fee, you'll have no due date or waiting, and all your highlights and bookmarks will be saved if you need to re-borrow. Unlike your local library, you can only take out one at a time, but at least you won't have to line up behind all the Muggles to get it.
PSA: Pottermore is no longer colloportus, open to muggles and magicians alike
It's been a waitus longissimus, but finally Pottermore has raised the portcullis to the rest of us muggles. You can sign up right now, after which you'll be allocated to your respective Hogwarts house, but it might take a few more days before you're fully initiated into the hallowed halls proper. Just don't tell Voldemort.[Thanks Daniel]
Daily Update for March 27, 2012
It's the TUAW Daily Update, your source for Apple news in a convenient audio format. You'll get all the top Apple stories of the day in three to five minutes for a quick review of what's happening in the Apple world. You can listen to today's Apple stories by clicking the inline player (requires Flash) or the non-Flash link below. To subscribe to the podcast for daily listening through iTunes, click here. No Flash? Click here to listen. Subscribe via RSS
Harry Potter books now available for iPad, other eReaders
It's been a long time coming, but the Harry Potter books are finally available from the Pottermore store in eBook form. This means you can finally put Potter on your iPad! There are also audiobooks available, but the CD's were out long ago and these are just digital downloads. Still, it's very nice to have these in a digital format at last.
