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Mobile-first bank Simple is shutting down
One of the first-ever mobile-first banks is shutting down.
Astronomers find the first known regular pattern of fast radio bursts
Researchers have spotted the first known fast radio bursts with regular rhythm, but it's not clear what's generating them.
Astronomers detect more mystery radio bursts from beyond the Milky Way
Sure enough, astronomers have discovered even more of those mysterious fast radio bursts from outside the Milky Way galaxy. Scientists using the Canadian Hydrogen Intensity Mapping Experiment (CHIME) telescope have detected 13 different radio bursts, including six repeat bursts from the same location in a galaxy 1.5 billion light years away. Each of those bursts represents about 25 million times more energy than the Sun, and they were collected at the lowest frequencies yet (400MHz to 800MHz).
What to keep in mind before switching to a mobile-first bank
The day I got my first-ever paycheck, I scrawled my signature on the back, went to the bank, dropped it off with a kindly teller and left with a deposit slip and a smile on my face. A few years after that, a Canadian financial titan bought my bank and started managing it differently. That made the decision to embrace an upstart, mobile-first bank -- Simple, in this case -- that much easier. I can't pretend that the idea of trusting my money to a startup wasn't a little worrisome, but the appeal of novel features and Silicon Valley speed quickly won me over and I haven't looked back. You might enjoy making the switch too, but before you pull the trigger, here are a few questions to ask yourself.
Canada's new radio telescope starts mapping the universe
On September 7th, an extraordinarily powerful radio telescope in Canada has begun listening to the sounds of the universe. The Canadian Hydrogen Intensity Mapping Experiment or CHIME will help scientists learn more about the history of the cosmos, radio bursts from pulsars and gravitational waves, the ripples in spacetime whose existence were finally confirmed by scientists in 2016.
Amazon Chime is yet another videoconferencing tool
Somehow, in 2017 it's still a chore to collect people for a conference call, much less one with video. Now Amazon is taking on Microsoft/Skype, Cisco and the rest with its new solution, Chime. Aimed squarely towards businesses, Chime comes out of the Amazon Web Services (AWS) side of things, running on the company's servers and promising "frustration-free meetings."
Apple drops its iconic startup chime from the new MacBook Pros
Aside from the ports that didn't make the cut, there's something else that Apple's taken away from its new MacBook Pro family: the startup chime. Yep, it's taken out the F-sharp chord that accompanies the boot-up whir of previous MacBooks, and that's at least partially because the late-2016 MBPs (all three of them), will turn themselves on and boot up when you open them. So while the power button still turns the machine off, there's no need to use it to turn it on.
AVG is crowdfunding a router, but wait for its privacy policy
Antivirus company AVG is taking to Indiegogo to crowdfund a router called Chime that it believes will fix your home's WiFi issues. Solitarily, a Chime is a fairly simple 802.11ac dual-band router. Used together, multiple Chimes can instantly band together and blanket your house in a strong signal by utilizing the same Mesh WiFi systems you'll find in office buildings, malls and airports. It's not the first company to offer Mesh WiFi to consumers -- San Francisco startup Eero's boxes ostensibly do exactly the same thing -- but AVG believes the additional security features offered by Chime will be enough to persuade users to jump aboard.
Ring's video doorbell now works like an old fashioned bell
The great thing about a smartphone-connected doorbell is that you're able to see and talk to the people standing on your porch. Never again will you miss the UPS courier because they've turned up just as you've settled down in the restroom. The downside, of course, is that only people whose mobile device is in their pocket will be alerted to the visitor. That's why the folks at Ring have cooked up a remote speaker that'll compensate for your lack of a doorbell in your hallway. Called the, uh, Ring Chime, the hardware plugs into a standard wall outlet, connects to your home network and away you go. Priced at $19.95, pre-orders for the gear will begin on June 1st, with shipping expected to kick off at some point afterward.
Indie Royale celebrates Oktoberfest with six-game bundle
Indie Royale is back with a new Steam and Desura six-game bundle. The Oktoberfest bundle features Zoe Mode's Chime and all three episodes of Hector: Badge of Carnage by Telltale Games.Smudged Cat Games' The Adventures of Shuggy also makes an appearance in the bundle along with Dangerous High School Girls in Trouble and "story-driven interactive drama" The Witch's Yarn by Mousechief. The Network by AquaFox rounds out the bundle.Those that spend more than $8 on the bundle will also receive two chiptune albums by Savestates, "Calm Your Nerves" and "Chip unDeath." The Oktoberfest bundle is on sale now until Friday, October 5 for its usual "pay the minimum" price, which is currently $5.21.
Chime helps ring in $100,000 in profits for OneBigGame, 96% going to charity
The Save the Children and Starlight Children's Foundations will benefit to the tune of 96% of the sum of $100,000, the majority of which was generated from sales of Chime on Xbox Live Arcade and PC. OneBigGame is a non-profit publisher, partnering with developers and charity organizations to create games whose profits directly aid those in need. The figures were divulged in a press release by OneBigGame, whose director, Martin de Ronde, thanked Chime. "Through games created by famous game developers and development studios, we can now help children in need, which we think is a fantastic mechanism. Needless to say we're grateful to Zoe Mode and their launch game Chime to help realize these results." As for the future, OneBigGame has already announced a partnership with Masaya Matsuura to publish WINTa and Zoe Mode says it looks to "continuing our relationship with OneBigGame." There is also an album in the works featuring composers from Dead Space 2, God of War, Brutal Legend and more.
Sounds like Chime is headed for US PSN, too
Originally developed for Xbox Live Arcade as the first of OneBigGame's for-charity titles, music-based puzzler Chime is one step closer to release on PS3 via PlayStation Network. Already rated by classification boards in Australia and Germany, the game has now received an "E" rating from the ESRB. Now this PS3 version of the game just needs to be, y'know, announced. (Hopefully with Portal's "Still Alive" included.)
Chime charity drive to end Dec. 1, with XBLA update
Sometimes lost in the rabid daze of "good" deals this Black Friday week are genuine opportunities to spend a little money on good causes. If you've been meaning to pick up "that charity game" on XBLA -- and in doing so, donate 100 percent of your 400-point purchase to charities, including Save the Children and Starlight Children's Foundation -- you have until December 1 to do so. Come next Wednesday, Chime's 10-month charity drive will expire, at which point the game will be updated to donate 5 percent of all $5-purchase royalties to publisher OneBigGames, which then passes the donations along to its charity partners. Additionally, the update will remove the game's high-score cap. "Now that this cap has been removed it will finally be possible to discover the best Chime players in the world," game director Brynley Gibson, of developer Zoe Mode, said in an announcement. "This fix has been a long time coming and is absolutely one made for the fans; we hope it tides them over until we can announce our plans for where we are taking Chime next."
Chime hits Steam Sept. 6 with Portal-themed level
Zoë Mode creative director Ste Curran has tweeted some exciting news for PC-owning puzzle game buffs: Chime, the music-driven XBLA block-dropper it created for the OneBigGame charity project, is coming to Steam next month. The game will be available on the service from September 6, and will be up for pre-order there later today. Chime's a great puzzler as-is, but Zoë Mode is adding something extra-special for the PC release: a sixth level themed after Valve's modern classic, Portal, featuring Jonathan Coulton's "Still Alive." As with the XBLA version, 5 percent of the Steam purchase price will go to charity. Sounds like a triumph for everyone.
Cheap Defense Grid, Winterbottom and more on XBLM next week
In addition to officially revealing next week's XBLA offerings, Major Nelson has also laid out Xbox Live Marketplace schedule for the rest of June, including the Deal of the Week, Games on Demand and Avatar Marketplace. The Deal of the Week -- or Deals of the Week, rather -- takes the spotlight, with several decent titles on sale. Darwinia+ will be marked down to 800 points ($10), while Defense Grid, PB Winterbottom, Rocket Riot and Poker Smash will all be marked down to 400 points ($5). Also, the OneBigGame charity project, Chime, will be reduced to a puny 240 points ($3). Meanwhile, both Tomb Raider Underworld and Command & Conquer 3 will hit Games on Demand on June 29, and some Crackdown 2 Avatar items will be released on July 1.
Confirmed: "Not charging" iPad does recharge
When TUAW reader Gregory P. wrote to us yesterday, claiming his "Not charging" iPad was, in fact, charging, I admit I was pretty skeptical. After all, the new iPads have been widely reported to be incompatible with USB hubs and lower-power USB ports. Gregory claimed to have charged up his new iPad even when the device reported that it wasn't charging. Gregory writes that he plugged in his 63% iPad into his Lenovo T61, where it reported itself to be "Not charging." Several hours later, the iPad reported an 87% battery level. As I've been plugging directly into A/C power or using a dedicated onboard port on one of my desktop because of those reports, I decided to give Gregory's suggestion a real world try. Last night, I plugged in my 83% iPad into one of my USB hubs. The unit reported "Not charging", as expected. Regardless, I left it plugged in and revisited it this morning. Sure enough, my battery was completely 100% charged. As Gregory wrote in his letter, "Maybe when it says it's not charging it is just charging slower due to less voltage or something, but it is actually charging!" It worked for me. Results may not be typical, so make sure to chime in below in the comments to let us know if it worked for you too.
X3F TV -- XBLA in Brief: Chime
There's something rather unique on XBLA this week: Coming from non-profit publisher OneBigGame and developer Zoë Mode, Chime is actually a game that benefits children's charities. It's a musical puzzle game reminiscent of Lumines, featuring music from several well-known artists including Moby, Paul Hartnoll of Orbital and Philip Glass. At least 60 percent of the game's 400 ($5) price will go to charity, so you can feel good about picking it up. You can also feel good because Chime is actually a pretty good game. Check it out in the latest XBLA in Brief. Shortcut: Download the trial version of Chime [via Xbox.com] [iTunes] Subscribe to X3F TV directly in iTunes. [Zune] Subscribe to the X3F TV directly. [RSS] Add the X3F TV feed to your RSS aggregator and have the show delivered automatically. [M4V] Download the M4V directly.
This Wednesday: Chime for charity on XBLA
Today's lone Xbox Live Arcade release is Chime, the not-for-profit project from Zoe Mode and OneBigGame. 60 percent of proceeds from the 400 ($5) game will go to Save the Children and Starlight Children's Foundation, so consider it a surprisingly entertaining chance to stop being such a selfish jerk. If you're looking for a pre-purchase glimpse, check out the trailer above or download the demo on Xbox Live. We'd ask you to chime in with your opinions, but that joke's been done. Just now. Shortcut: Add Chime to your download queue [Xbox.com] %Gallery-77193%
'Splosion Man 'splores $5 price point next week
Twisted Pixel's highly combustible Xbox Live Arcade platformer and object of Joystiq adoration, 'Splosion Man, will headline the upcoming Marketplace schedule (as relayed by Major Nelson) with a temporary 50-percent price reduction. After dropping to 400 ($5) for the week of February 1, 'Splosion Man should prove more challenging to blow off than up. Other highlights include Chime, February 3's non-profit Xbox Live Arcade release from Zoe Mode and OneBigGame, the Halo 3 Mythic 2 Map Pack, and the first part of Assassin's Creed 2 downloadable content, "Battle of Forli." Expect a Joystiq review on that closer to its January 28 launch.
Non-profit XBLA game Chime dropping Feb. 3
Between your rampant donations to Child's Play and your support with Haiti recovery efforts, you've been stretching your altruism muscles quite a bit over the past few months. We just hope you're not all charity'd out -- Zoe Mode and OneBigGame's XBLA rhythm title, Chime, is due on February 3. In case you've forgotten, 60 percent of the game's 400 ($5) price tag will go to Save the Children and Starlight Children's Foundation. Best of all, the game actually looks pretty fun! Check out the explanation video above to see the title in action -- it's kind of like Tetris meets Lumines meets the beneficence of the human spirit.
