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Samsung puts you on the field with MLB VR videos
Are you a baseball aficionado with a Gear VR headset? You're in for a treat beyond Intel's weekly live games. Samsung and MLB have unveiled plans to release "over 20" virtual reality videos over the course of the league's 2017 season. Some of them will include highlights of key moments, such as All-Star events and division championships, while others will give you close-ups with players and "unrivaled" views of ballparks. Some of these will have supplements, too, such as stats and trivia.
'Rogue One: A Star Wars Story' hits Netflix July 18th
That exclusive deal with Disney that Netflix made back in 2012 started to pay off last fall. We wondered when we might see any Lucasfilm releases at the time, but it looks like the time is ripe for spending some time with Jyn Erso and her band of plucky Rebels. Rogue One is headed to Netflix on July 18th.
Instagram gives social media influencers the benefit of the doubt
The chaos surrounding the cancelled Fyre Festival is a perfect example of how social media influencers can misguide consumers. Instagram users were led to believe they would be rubbing shoulders with supermodels like Kendall Jenner and Bella Hadid in the Bahamas, after both of them heavily promoted the event on their accounts without ever disclosing they were paid to do so. People who spent thousands of dollars to attend eventually realized this was far from reality. Instead, the promised "cultural experience of the decade" left some stranded at airports. This led to a long list of legal problems organizers have had to deal with since the Fyre Festival was shut down on its opening day in May. Celebrities have been getting away with this type of stealth shilling on social networks for years now, but that may be coming to an end soon -- at least on Instagram.
Google Glass adds Bluetooth support for whoever still uses it
Google Glass seemed headed for awkward retirement after the device's most recent update in September 2014 appeared to be its last. But out of nowhere, almost three years later, the augmented reality pioneer is getting its code refreshed with the usual performance boosts and bug fixes -- as well as added Bluetooth support.
Charmin's ‘Van-Go’ is the on-demand toilet NYC deserves
Everybody's favorite cartoon shit bear (slow your roll there, Mike Isaac), is coming to New York City! On June 21st and 22nd, the Charmin toilet paper company is running a promotional event wherein folks will be able to order an on-demand, mobile port-a-potty in select neighborhoods throughout the city, right from their smartphones.
Sony's Koov is a candy-colored coding course for kids
STEM skills are in high demand right now, making toys that teach science and engineering popular with parents hoping to give their kids a leg up in the job market. Products like Hasbro's new robot that teaches coding have joined kits like Lego Mindstorms on store shelves. Now Sony is making its own plunge into STEM education using the Koov robotics kit, with decades of design experience being put to work in the hopes of training the next generation of engineers.
Global coral bleaching event may finally be ending
For the last three years, coral reefs in the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian oceans have been devastated by bleaching due to high ocean temperatures. But now, after looking at satellite and model data, the NOAA says that this terrible event might finally be at an end.
AI film editor can cut scenes in seconds to suit your style
AI has won at Go and done a few other cool things, but so far it's been mighty unimpressive at harder tasks like customers service, Twitter engagement and script writing. However, a new algorithm from researchers at Stanford and Adobe has shown it's pretty damn good at video dialogue editing, something that requires artistry, skill and considerable time. The bot not only removes the drudgery, but can edit clips using multiple film styles to suit the project.
Classic RPG 'Pillars of Eternity' is headed to consoles in August
Fans of classic role-playing games have had a lot to be happy about these past few years. The isometric genre has seen somewhat of a resurgence lately thanks to high-profile crowdfunded games like Wasteland 2 and the Divinity series -- both of which got console ports, no less. That trend continues with the news that Pillars of Eternity will make its way from PC to consoles as well. As the name suggests, Pillars of Eternity: Complete Edition will pack all the expansions and patches from the PC version when it is released August 29th on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.
An iPhone is your only option on Virgin Mobile
It's no secret that American carriers sell a lot of iPhones. Virgin Mobile, however, is taking that to a logical extreme. The Sprint sub-brand has announced that it's the US' first iPhone-only carrier as of June 27th -- if you don't like iOS, you'll have to head elsewhere. In return for the exclusivity, you'll get a fairly good rate as well as some potentially juicy promos.
The Snap Map is another way to stalk your pals in real time
In addition to being the place you share evidence of all the fun you're having and potentially where you land a job with McDonald's, Snapchat also wants to be the app you use to find cool stuff to do. Its latest feature, called the Snap Map, shows collections of public Stories from events around you so you can go straight to the site of that super awesome-looking concert or street fair after seeing posts about it.
Periscope adds a confusing way to support your favorite streamers
While Facebook is currently winning the livestreaming wars, rival Periscope has its fair share of devotees. The Twitter-owned service hosted 200 million broadcasts in 2016 and close to 77 million hours of live video in the first quarter of this year. Some Periscope broadcasters even draw huge crowds (Amanda Oleander, for example, is an LA artist with over 600,000 followers) with hundreds of hearts flooding the screen. Today, Periscope is announcing a new feature that rewards those broadcasters with more than mere likes. It's called Super Hearts, which are essentially fancy hearts that viewers pay for with real money in exchange for attention. But the real benefit is for broadcasters: Those Super Hearts could potentially turn into cold hard cash.
Uber's future is still tied to its founder
It's said that those who don't pay heed to history are forever doomed to repeat it, but Silicon Valley prides itself on its short memory. It tells its denizens that only by unlearning received wisdom can you see clear to remake the world in your own eyes. I wonder if, after another brutal few days at Uber, Travis Kalanick and co. wish they'd had their time over again to study a textbook.
Etsy slashes almost a quarter of its staff in attempt to refocus
Etsy is widely recognized as perhaps the premiere place online to go for handmade goods from sellers big and small. But despite the company's ubiquity and influence, Etsy may have taken on too many projects that aren't relevant to its core business. To that end, CEO Josh Silverman announced this morning that Etsy was laying off 15 percent of its workforce. That's in addition to layoffs that were announced in early May; the total workforce reduction comes in at 22 percent, or about 230 employees.
Pinterest Lens makes fab outfits from clothes you already own
Putting outfits together is fun, but it could also be irritating to do every single day. Something like Cher's virtual wardrobe in Clueless could help -- or Pinterest Lens, which the social network has just upgraded to be a much better stylist. The company says it made major improvements to give its image recognition tool the capability to make outfits based on specific pieces of clothing or accessories you already own. If you have a denim jacket that you don't know what to do with, for instance, you can upload a picture and look at the sample OOTDs Lens shows you. The tool can also recommend new clothes to buy based on what you usually wear.
Google gets closer to building its own city in San Jose
Google has been making major development moves in downtown San Jose and yesterday the City Council agreed to negotiate a sale of 16 parcels of land owned by the city. The deal has been strongly supported by San Jose's mayor and vice mayor but the city's residents have been a bit more hesitant.
Intel puts VR to work for more immersive coverage of the Olympics
Intel is teaming up with the International Olympic Committee on "future experiences" for the Olympics, the chip maker announced today at an event in New York City. The new partnership, which will run through the 2024 games, is set to focus on tech like virtual reality, 5G connectivity and drones. According to Intel CEO Brian Krzanich, the idea is to use these technologies to help athletes, coaches and, of course, fans, including those who will be watching the summer or winter Olympics from home. For example, Krzanich says that Intel is going to set up a 5G network at the 2018 games, while its True VR platform will let fans watch events in 360-degree video.
Dabble in the murderous world of 'Hitman' for free
Since it was announced that publisher Square Enix was selling off Hitman developer IO Interactive, the studio's fate has been uncertain. With last week's news that IO bought the Hitman license, things have been looking up, though. And now, in an effort to get more people playing (and purchasing) its fantastic back-to-basics reboot of the long-running stealth franchise, the newly independent studio is giving it away. Well, a portion of the murderous puzzle game, at least. Specifically, Hitman's the ICA Facility section of the first episode is available for free on Steam, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.
Volvo launches a dedicated performance EV brand
Car manufacturers are focusing more and more on electric cars, and now Volvo is making its EV intentions even clearer. It's announced that Polestar, its performance brand, will become a standalone line focused exclusively on electric cars.
Airbus imagines a faster helicopter with wings
Airbus has showed off a new helicopter concept at the Paris Airshow that could give operators everything they want: speed, versatility and economy. The Racer (rapid and cost-effective rotorcraft) features a main rotor like a regular helicopter, but uses pusher propellers to accelerate it forward and a new "box-wing" system for extra lift. As a result, it'll power along at up to 400 km/h (250 mph) while being able to take off on a dime like a regular chopper.
