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Discord will soon offer more games and apps inside its chats
Discord just announced that it's releasing a development SDK for people to make games and apps that are directly embedded in chats. The software tool rolls out on March 18.
Google pulls apps that may have harvested data from millions of Android devices
Google has pulled dozens of apps used by millions of users after finding that they covertly harvested data.
Twitch's source code and streamer payment figures have been leaked following hack
Hackers claim to have accessed Twitch and leaked a vast amount of company data, including creator payouts, proprietary code and the "entirety of Twitch.tv."
Ray tracing will come to more games with a new Vulkan SDK
Vulkan's updated software kit should bring ray tracing to more games and apps without depending on DirectX.
Microsoft backs Epic's request to keep using Apple developer tools
Microsoft has filed a statement supporting Epic's concern that Apple might be threatening all Unreal Engine game developers.
Xbox Game Bar's new widgets link to apps like XSplit
Microsoft is upgrading the Xbox Game Bar on PC with new widgets that let you control other apps like XSplit without leaving the game first.
Facebook sues analytics firm that stole user data through third-party apps
Facebook has filed a federal lawsuit against a company called OneAudience, accusing it of stealing the personal information of its users. According to Facebook's announcement, OneAudience paid third-party developers to install a malicious software development kit (SDK) in their apps that allowed it to collect people's data without their knowledge.
Sony lets anyone create remote controls for its cameras
Sony's mirrorless cameras are usually well-regarded, but their support for remote control? Not so much. You've usually had to rely on Sony's own software, making the cameras non-starters for portrait and sports photographers who may need (or just prefer) third-party options to capture images from afar. The company is loosening up, at least. It just released a toolkit, the Camera Remote SDK, that allows any developer to create remote controls for Sony's Alpha camera line. The kit is limited to handling still shots, but should let software and hardware display live previews, change settings and of course take pictures.
Boston Dynamics gives its robot dog a developer SDK
Now that Spot is more clever and polite, Boston Dynamics is ready to set it free. The Softbank-owned robotics company announced that it's making Spot's SDK available to anyone who wants it via GitHub, starting today. The release will allow developers and even non-traditional roboticists "develop custom applications that enable Spot to do useful tasks across a wide range of industries," said Boston Dynamics VP Michael Perry.
Microsoft gets the ball rolling on Surface Duo apps
Microsoft has moved one step closer to making its dual-screen Surface devices a practical reality. The tech giant has released a preview toolkit to help developers make apps for its Android-powered Surface Duo, including Java frameworks and emulation that can handle the two-screen device. This is rough code, to put it mildly, but it should help studios get started on the apps you'll use when the Surface Duo arrives late in the year.
TikTok will let you directly post videos made in other apps (updated)
One of the reasons that TikTok has enjoyed explosive growth is because the app makes it super easy to duet, share and save videos. Unlike other companies, ByteDance -- the owner of TikTok -- actively allows users to download popular creations and share them wider on messaging services and social media. In its bid to make it easier to get their content up on the platform in the first place, the company today announced new tools that lets creators upload videos directly from their favorite editing apps.
Oculus Quest gets gadget-free hand tracking in 2020
Upon taking the stage at the Oculus Connect 6 event in San Jose, CA on Wednesday, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg confirmed hours-old rumors that the Oculus' Touch controllers could soon become obsolete. In their stead, users will be able to interact with their virtual environment using only their hands.
The Galaxy Note 10 S Pen is also a wand that controls your phone
Today, Samsung confirmed a poorly kept secret. The Galaxy Note 10 S Pen will offer gesture controls, or "Air Actions." This goes one step further than the Note 9 S Pen, which acts as a remote control. Now, you'll be able to control the Note 10 (and Note 10+) with a wave of the stylus. The S Pen will allow you to activate shortcuts and perform specific actions by drawing shapes above the screen. As you can with the Galaxy Tab S6, you'll be able to swish-and-flick to switch between front- and rear-facing cameras and toggle through camera modes.
Steam partners can use Valve's network to speed up game traffic
Don't be surprised if the online performance of some Steam games happens to get a boost. Valve has released a software framework that lets Steam partners make use of its network. The move should improve the connection quality (including lower lag), guarantee better support for home routers and protect players against denial of service attacks with anonymized traffic and more resilient systems.
Xbox Live will soon connect players on Android, iOS and Switch
You've had a degree of access to Xbox Live beyond Microsoft's platforms for a while, but usually just to chat with friends or see what they're playing -- deeper hooks are reserved for its own games. Soon, though, that support will become more substantial. A Microsoft session at the upcoming Game Developers Conference (noticed by Avers) mentions that Xbox Live will soon have a cross-platform developer kit that integrates the service into Android, iOS and Switch games. You'd have your achievements, clubs, friends list and "more" while on the move, and could pick up on some experiences where you left off.
NVIDIA and RED bring 8K video editing to the masses
In case you needed another reminder that your 4K TV will soon be obsolete, RED and NVIDIA have unveiled software that will make 8K video editing feasible for more creators. The NVIDIA CUDA-powered REDCODE RAW SDK will enable apps that can play back 8,192 x 4,320 files from RED's Weapon and other cameras at 24 fps with no need for caching or proxies. Best of all, it can run on relatively cheap systems and NVIDIA's consumer gaming graphics cards.
Google winds down support for Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich
If you're still hanging on to a phone running Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, you might want to budget for an upgrade. Google has warned developers that it's deprecating support for Ice Cream Sandwich in upcoming versions of Play Services, the framework that gives Android apps and devices access to key features without requiring full-fledged operating system updates. Existing developer kit elements will continue to work, and individual components may continue to support the OS going forward, but "many" newer toolkit iterations will require at least Android 4.1 Jelly Bean.
Anyone can use NVIDIA's physics simulation engine
NVIDIA isn't just showing off its Titan RTX GPU and some clever AI demos -- it also has big news for anyone interested in more realistic computer physics. The company is releasing its hardware-accelerated PhysX simulation engine as an open source project, making it accessible to virtually everyone. It's a recognition that the technology is useful for more than just convincing game physics, NVIDIA said. PhysX can help with more accurate AI and robotics simulations, including self-driving car technology. You could see vehicles and bots that are better-prepared for real-world conditions.
Alexa is about to hit more Bluetooth headphones and wearables
Alexa connectivity looks set to arrive on a new wave of Bluetooth headphones, smartwatches and other devices after Amazon opened up its Alexa Mobile Accessory Kit. The software development kit was announced in January, and companies including Bose, Jabra and iHome have already committed to using the SDK in their devices.
Here attacks Google Maps with new freemium website plan
When visiting the website for a local restaurant or other small business, you'll likely see Google Maps embedded to show the location. Developers of such sites were recently thrown for a loop, however, when Google announced new, more expensive pricing and demanded a credit card and Google Cloud account for all API access to Maps. To profit from this discord, Here has unveiled a new "freemium" plan that offers many more free "transactions" (page loads) than Google Maps, with no need to provide a credit card.
