UI
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TiVo's Bolt Vox DVR jumps into the future with voice control
Stop us if you've heard this one before: TiVo is updating its Bolt DVR lineup with a new remote, a new UI and a new name. The TiVo Bolt Vox (and TiVo Mini Vox) are easy to spot thanks to the remote's new bright blue button that is the key to the extra characters in their name. Following a trail blazed by many other media setups lately (Amazon, Apple, Comcast, Roku -- just to name a few) voice control is a central feature of the new hardware. TiVo has had universal search across platforms including broadcast television, cable TV and streaming for quite a while, but it's not just adding a microphone.
Designing the technology of ‘Blade Runner 2049’
This article contains spoilers for 'Blade Runner 2049' There's a scene in Blade Runner 2049 that takes place in a morgue. K, an android "replicant" played by Ryan Gosling, waits patiently while a member of the Los Angeles Police Department inspects a skeleton. The technician sits at a machine with a dial, twisting it back and forth to move an overhead camera. There are two screens, positioned vertically, that show the bony remains with a light turquoise tinge. Only parts of the image are in focus, however. The rest is fuzzy and indistinct, as if someone smudged the lens and never bothered to wipe it clean. Before leaving the room, K asks if he can take a closer look. The blade runner -- someone whose task it is to hunt older replicants -- dances over the controls, hunting for a clue. As he zooms in, the screen changes in a circular motion, as if a series of lenses or projector slides are falling into place. Before long, K finds what he's looking for: A serial code, suggesting the skeleton was a replicant built by the now defunct Tyrell Corporation. Throughout the movie, K visits a laboratory where artificial memories are made; an LAPD facility where replicant code, or DNA, is stored on vast pieces of ticker tape; and a vault, deep inside the headquarters of a private company, that stores the results of replicant detection 'Voight-Kampff' tests. In each scene, technology or machinery is used as a plot device to push the larger narrative forward. Almost all of these screens were crafted, at least in part, by a company called Territory Studios.
Google is reportedly testing a long overdue UI update for Calendar
Google Calendar might finally be getting a much needed update. The Next Web is reporting that some users' Calendars have a whole new user interface that's seemingly based on Google's Material Design language. Some of those with access to the redesigned desktop version have been posting to Reddit, providing screenshots of the UI and information about its functionality.
Facebook makes Messenger easier to use for social butterflies
First it added stickers, then it was games. Now, Facebook's latest Messenger update simply aims to make the popular app even easier to use. Starting today, the chat service is getting a bit of a makeover, introducing a few subtle tweaks to Messenger's home screen in a bid to make it more user-friendly. The service is now split into three tabs, letting users instantly access their messages, see which friends are 'Active now' and lastly, go straight into their favorite Groups. As well as this top level organization, the update also introduces a new bottom bar, which has tabs for home, calls, camera, people and games. A red dot next to one of these tabs will indicate that someone's tried to reach you, meaning that users on the go can easily see who's communicating with them through Messenger, and by which method. Given all the new features Facebook has crammed into Messenger recently, this much needed tidier UI is definitely a welcome addition.
Recommended Reading: AI and the future of music
We Are the Robots: Is the Future of Music Artificial? Jack Needham, FACT Artificial intelligence is invading more of our lives by the day and it's going to work making music as well. FACT takes a look at the use of robots for creative exploits and if we as a collective audience are ready for AI to compose our tunes.
Using Tinder's swipe UI isn't always a good idea
Thanks to Tinder, swiping left or right on the photo of a potential hookup quickly became a common user interface element. But a new startup is reminding us that swiping right isn't appropriate for every kind of app -- say, an adoption app. Adoptly wants to modernize adoption by letting prospective parents set up a profile, filter potential adoptable children by age, race, gender and a few other characteristics -- and then let parents swipe right or left to express interest (or a lack thereof). Indeed, the company's slogan is "parenthood is just a swipe away."
Comcast's new 'Gateway' will manage your smart home
Comcast already dominates many people's living rooms, and now it's looking to expand its reach to the rest of your house. Today at CES, the company announced it will release a series of Gateway smart-home hubs throughout the year. In particular, as you might expect, these hubs will allow Comcast's Xfinity customers to manage the menagerie of Internet of Things devices that inhabit the modern home.
Microsoft updates Beam streaming to better compete with Twitch
Microsoft is getting its newly-acquired Beam livestreaming service ready for Xbox and Windows with a big new update rolling out today in beta. Beam's low-latency tech lets you rapidly interact with your favorite streamers, and even play along, compared to the more passive Twitch experience. It's improved the already-quick latency by five times, increased the max bitrate to 10 Mbps and now supports 60 FPS render speeds at up to 2,560 x 1,440 resolution.
Amazon's new Fire TV Stick comes with an Alexa remote for $40
Amazon's next take on the Fire TV Stick looks pretty much the same as before, but it brings along some useful upgrades to keep it current. The biggest difference? It now includes an Alexa-enabled remote at the same $40 price. It also packs in a faster quad-core processor (compared to a dual-core chip before) which Amazon claims is 30 percent faster than its predecessor, as well as speedier 802.11ac WiFi. Mostly, it seems like Amazon is trying to keep the Fire TV Stick more competitive with Roku's excellent $50 streaming stick.
YouTube's app for the big screen is being updated today
YouTube may have originated on the desktop (more than a decade ago!), but now mobile and the living room are two of its most important platforms. The latter is receiving an update today: Game consoles, streaming devices like Roku, smart TVs and of course the Chromecast will all get a small but important change. Now, when you load up YouTube, you'll be presented with a variety of different content tabs right at the top of the interface. It's now much easier to flip through topics like sports, news, comedy, music, entertainment and so forth.
Google tests a cleaner look for Search
Google has begun to test a new Material Design layout for its desktop search results. The company introduced Material Design in 2014 at its annual I/O conference during its Android Lollipop unveil, promising to spread the new grid-based look across Android, Chrome OS and the web. It's... taken a while to get there, and arguably the most important of Google's web properties -- YouTube and Search - still haven't made the switch. Last month, Google began testing a fresh look for its video streaming site, and now, we're beginning to see that familiar grid of floating cards show up in google.com search results.
iTunes update delivers 'simpler design' with modest changes
Apple is still trying to figure out how to improve the usability of iTunes. Today, the company released an update that tweaked the interface a bit, adding a sidebar and media selection tool that make navigating through libraries a bit easier. That sidebar menu is the biggest and most useful change, bringing back a UI feature from older versions of the app. From there, you can easily edit playlists, drag and drop songs to build playlists and hide or expand parts of the menu.
Meet the firm designing futuristic UI for Iron Man and Samsung
Remember Tony Stark's glass smartphone and transparent coffee table in the Iron Man movies? Or how about that gorgeous statue rendering of the Avengers in action at the end of Age of Ultron? You've got one company to thank for those sequences: Perception, a New York City-based visual design firm. It's carved out a unique spot building forward-thinking design concepts for films and major tech companies, including the likes of Samsung, Microsoft and Ford. Perception's work makes it clear we've moved on from the days when interface design was merely an afterthought for movies, and when few tech companies brought cinematic depth and emotion to their products. Now, there's a sort of virtuous cycle of design, where movies lift from tech, and tech companies find inspiration in films.
The interfaces that bridge the human-machine divide
First it was toggle switches. And then keyboards, the mouse and other standard interface devices gave us control of computers and the digital world. From the tangible, to hands-free and beyond, the ways in which we control digital systems are expanding. We've collected just a few of the interesting products and concepts that are breaching the two-dimensional world of computing and merging it with our physical reality. [Image: Jinha Lee / MIT Media Lab]
Netflix's TV apps get their first major update since 2013
While Netflix has focused on rolling out more original content to more countries over the last couple of years, we haven't seen as many updates to its software as we used to. Last week the streaming video service said it would start optimizing its mobile apps, but first up is a tweak for the TV apps you probably use more often. Netflix says this is the first major change its TV apps have had since the new look rolled out in late 2013, and it will start or resume video as soon as you select a title, while keeping the info on the screen (check after the break for a GIF showing how it works). An earnings report earlier this year mentioned bringing video "forward" in the TV experience, and this seems to be a part of that plan, delivering what Netflix says is a more cinematic experience.
Wild UI concept uses paper to interact with projected displays
A simple table can be a profound tool for collaboration, so it's particularly disappointing that we haven't yet solved the puzzle of how to effectively digitize that experience. Microsoft's original Surface table was cool, but expensive, and newer options like Lenovo's Horizon PC still haven't taken off. But Tokyo-based design firm Takram has one idea that might help us achieve interactive digital tables (and other surfaces): Just use paper. Last year it developed a concept called "On the Fly Paper" for Intel's Collaboration Center in Japan, which uses an infrared sensor and specially formatted pieces of paper to manipulate a projected computer display. Basically, the paper acts as an input device: As soon as you place it on the table, the projected image changes both on the table and the paper itself. You can also manipulate things by moving the paper around and covering physical holes. What's truly remarkable is that your interactions with it register almost as quickly as a touch screen. Check out a brief demonstration below.
He made Tom Cruise 'forget the mouse.' Now it's our turn.
In a way, John Underkoffler's like Hollywood's own Wizard of Oz. He's the man behind the curtain responsible for infusing blockbuster fantasy with real-world tech. He created the futuristic UI in Minority Report, worked on the timeline for Hulk's transformation and found a Soviet fusion reactor to blow up Stark Industries in Iron Man. He also recently received the Cooper Hewitt National Design Award for his work as an interface designer both in films and in the real world.
Guild Wars 2 player redesigns ANet's UI
A Guild Wars 2 player who goes by the name of Amax on the official forums has redesigned the game's UI to correct "some flaws in the game's user experience." Changes include the character panel, the guild tab, the LFG panel, the story journal, and the addition of a lore journal. You can peruse a 28-page PDF complete with design notes and logic or check out a JPG screenshot showing off the concept just past the break.
The design of Windows 10: a consistent look across all devices
We knew that Microsoft was planning to tuck that Modern UI inside the resurrected Start Menu for Windows 10, and today, the company provided more details on the next installment's aesthetics. When the update arrives, there will be a version that's designed specifically for devices that are smaller than eight inches in size. This means that the look and feel of the desktop and larger tablets will carry over, and universal apps will allow for seamless transitions from mobile to office sessions. Apps like PowerPoint and Word carry a similar look in mobile versions, and features, like a list of recently opened files, sync across phones, slates and desktop machines. The goal here is an easy-to-use cross-device experience that's accessible anywhere, and consistent aesthetics will certainly help.
EVE Evolved: Rebuilding EVE's corporation tools
The MMO genre is defined by the online interactions of thousands of players, and nowhere is that more apparent than in the single-shard sandbox of EVE Online. While it's possible to play EVE solo, it's the players who make most of the game's meaningful content, and it's only in your emergent interactions with other players that I think the game truly comes to life. Some time ago, I wrote about the importance of CCP supporting EVE's power players, the corporation owners, fleet commanders, and event organisers who give the rest of us something fun to do. Now it looks like CCP is starting to deliver that support, with developers currently looking at updating EVE's archaic corp management tools. CCP Punkturis recently asked corporation owners for a list of the most annoying "little things" they'd like to see fixed with the corporation management interface and was instead flooded with requests for big features and complete overhauls. Developers later confirmed on The o7 Show that at least one highly requested big feature is definitely on its way: CEOs will soon be able to switch off friendly-fire between corp members. The threat of corporate infiltrators attacking corp members has been a massive barrier preventing corps from recruiting new players, so its removal is good news for everyone (except spies). So now that corporation management is finally back on the drawing board, what other features do corp owners need? In this edition of EVE Evolved, I look at a few ideas for corporation tools and features that would make EVE a better place for everyone.
