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Roger Federer can now guide you on Waze in three languages
Roger Federer is the first celebrity voice on Waze to give directions in no less than three languages (French, German and English).
Tesla receives permission to continue working on its German Gigafactory
Work on Tesla's German Gigafactory is back on. The company received permission from the Higher Administrative Court of Berlin-Brandenburg to continue clearing 91 hectares of forest in preparation for its fourth factory, where it plans to build batteries, powertrains and vehicles, starting with the Model Y.
German court says ad-blocking is legal
Germany's supreme court has dismissed a landmark case brought by a publisher looking to destroy ad-blocking services in the country. European behemoth Axel Springer was defeated in its years-long battle with Eyeo, the firm that owns AdBlock Plus. Springer argued that blocking adverts was in violation of competition law, while AdBlock's whitelist strategy was legally dubious.
Google Assistant will speak in four more languages this summer
Google Assistant is getting all the attention so far at the company's annual I/O keynote. It can see, it can (finally) work on your iPhone and, starting this summer, Google Assistant will be able to detect and respond in French, German, Brazilian-Portuguese and Japanese. And that's not all. By the end of the year, the Assistant will also be able to speak Italian, Spanish and Korean.
Google expands mission to make automated translations suck less
What started with Mandarin Chinese is expanding to English; French; German; Japanese; Korean; Portuguese and Turkish, as Google has increased the languages its Neural Machine Translation (NMT) handle. "These represent the native languages of around one-third of the world's population, covering more than 35 percent of all Google Translate queries," according to The Keyword blog. The promise here is that because NMT uses the context of the entire sentence, rather than translating individual words on their own, the results will be more accurate, especially as time goes on, thanks to machine learning. For a comparison of the two methods, check out the GIF embedded below.
ICYMI: Self-building bot, fresh tortillas from pods and more
#fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-484230{display:none;} .cke_show_borders #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-484230, #postcontentcontainer #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-484230{width:570px;display:block;} try{document.getElementById("fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-484230").style.display="none";}catch(e){}Today on In Case You Missed It: MIT's Tangible Media Lab built a shifting interface that can be used to test basic physics and even help seismologists understand the ripple fallout from an earthquake. A Kickstarter device for a tortilla-maker costing $240 irritated us enough to call on the latest environment chart made by a climate scientist. And German researchers built a robot that can build itself and our robot eek factor continues to grow. A drone performed a neat liquid trick over on YouTube and has us excited for the delivery UAVs to come! As always, please share any great tech or science videos you find by using the #ICYMI hashtag on Twitter for @mskerryd.
In the shadow of Gamescom: Germany's game scene struggling to grow up
Germany hosts the world's largest annual gaming convention, Gamescom, which last year drew 340,000 attendees and 635 exhibitors from 40 countries. Gamescom kicks off again this week in Cologne for what is sure to be an even bigger, sardine-packed public weekend. For these few days, it feels like Germany is the place to be for video game developers – and then the show leaves, exhibitors return home, and German studios large and small face the realities of operating in a country still in game development puberty. Germany's video game industry is finding its footing economically and socially, and there's a quiet undercurrent of discontent among developers. Things are getting better – states in Germany offer a handful of programs for studios to find funding, though these trail behind the support seen in countries such as France, Finland, Sweden, Canada, the UK or the Netherlands. "The German government is clearly not doing enough to support our industry," says Timo Ullmann, CEO of Dead Island 2 developer, Yager. "But our local governments – Berlin, Bavaria, Hamburg – are much further ahead of things and have identified our industry as an important partner. However, there is always room for improvement. There are simply not enough projects being run in Germany to support a greater number of studios and developers. And that is what we would need in order to have a more flourishing scene. Eventually we will get there over time, but I am unsure how to fix it."
Do you like watching German-language TV? Then this post's for you.
When we, at Engadget, indulge in the occasional use of the German language, it's usually to fire off Deutschland's version of our favorite four-letter word (hint: it rhymes with sh-high-zuh!). Instead, we're rattling off this mouthful: ProSiebenSat.1 Welt. Gesundheit is right. The German-language TV channel has big news for its US-based fans: a subscription-based streaming service for the web and mobile. Interested parties that can, you know, understand German are welcome to test it free for a week before going all in on those monthly payments of 7.90€ (about $11 USD). It's pretty much your best bet to catch up on the latest episodes of Der letzte Bulle, Ladykracher and Pastewka, one of which we assume has to be the German equivalent of Keeping up with the Kardashians. Don't make that face. We've all watched it at one time or another. Oh, and Bitteschön. [Image credit: Peter Bischoff/Getty Images]
Pocket's read-it-later service adds international flavor with six new languages
Despite how far the internet has come, it hasn't quite conquered the language barrier. The devs behind Pocket know this and have added new languages to hopefully make the delayed-reading app a bit easier to use if English isn't your native tongue. To wit, the application is now available in French, German, Italian, Japanese, Russian and Spanish. Those languages account for some 22 percent of what its users speak and, according to the company, this is just the beginning of its expansion to a broader audience. Only time will tell if that'll include Klingons, though.
EU Connected realms and free character migrations
The realms, they are connecting. CM Takralus on the EU forums posted this update on which realms have been completed and which ones are still scheduled to be connected. This updates the big master list of EU realms. The realms connected this time around were English, French and German language realms, with an emphasis on PvP and RP (and even RP/PVP). The connected realms are: English Realms - Bloodscalp and Emeriss/Agamaggan/Hakkar/Crushridge and Laughing Skull and Shattered Halls/Balnazzar/Ahn'Qiraj/Trollbane/ Talnivarr/Chromaggus/Boulderfist/Daggerspine (PvP) French Realms - Confrerie du Thorium and Les Clairvoyants (RP) German Realms - Mal'Ganis and Echsenkessel/Taerar (PvP), and Der Abyssische Rat and Die Arguswacht/Die Todeskrallen/Das Syndikat (RP/PvP) Takralus also announced the following realms are scheduled to be connected: English Realms - Sunstrider and Shattered Halls/Balnazzar/Ahn'Qiraj/Trollbane/ Talnivarr/Chromaggus/Boulderfist/Daggerspine/Laughing Skull (PvP), Darksorrow and Genjuros (PvP), Moonglade and The Sha'tar (RP) French Realms - Elune and Varimathras (PvE), Marécage de Zangar and Dalaran (PvE) In addition, there are also Free Character Migrations planned for the following realms: Silvermoon to Magtheridon and Azuremyst Kazzak, Outland and Stormscale to Auchindoun
Google voice search on Android and iOS now speaks French, German and Japanese
To date, Google's mobile voice search has been limited to English speakers -- not very convenient if you're looking for coffee in Cologne. Thankfully, its vocabulary is expanding today. The Google Search apps on both Android and iOS now recognize voice commands in French, German and Japanese, and they'll respond in kind. There's no mention of when other languages will be available, but those speaking in supported tongues just have to run Google's latest software to get started.
The Daily Grind: Should governments meddle in MMO business models?
Last year, we wrote about a Japanese government crackdown on free-to-play games that used a gambling-centered crafting mechanic. This past summer, the German high court effectively barred advertising for virtual items sold within free-to-play MMOs (because won't someone think of the children). Like it or not, governments are becoming more and more interested in how games, especially "free-to-play" games, conduct their business. And that makes it our business. Some of us like subs, some prefer buy-to-plays, and some genuinely prefer a la carte free-to-play games. But I'm pretty sure none of us likes exploitative cash shops, even if we'd disagree precisely on which ones those are. And that brings us to today's question: Do you think governments should be deciding what constitutes an exploitative F2P mechanic or microtransaction practice and outlawing its implementation accordingly? Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
Monaco breaking into German stores with collector's edition
The Mole has been quietly polishing his Freedom Spoon, waiting for the opportune moment to strike the walls of every German retailer – and it's almost time. Monaco is getting a PC retail collector's edition in Germany this year from publisher Headup Games, the same company behind German collector's editions of Super Meat Boy, QUBE, The Basement Collection, Terraria, Limbo, Frozen Synapse and SOL Exodus. We spotted a Monaco poster at Headup's Gamescom booth and the publisher said it was working on the German collector's edition, with another company figuring out a UK boxed version. Andy Schatz, Monaco mastermind, said he's excited about launching in the UK and Germany and he hopes to enter more markets later on. Keep your eyes and Freedom Spoons sharp, everyone.
Line for iOS gains browser, themes and three more languages
Line is updating its iOS app with a trio of features designed to keep you nestled to the free messaging service for as long as it can. The biggest addition is an in-app browser, which negates the need to switch over to Safari (etc) when someone shares a link. Users will also discover German, Italian and Portuguese language support, not to mention a choice of themes -- including a tasteful pink version that'll sit well with your smartphone, game console and sports car.
Official Grepolis client coming soon to iOS
I met with the German company Innogames a few years ago at GDC, where the company told me it was eventually planning to bring out some of its browser-based strategy titles to iOS. I haven't heard much from Innogames since, until today: The company has announced that its next mobile title will be a client for Grepolis, one of the most popular games in its lineup. Grepolis is enormously popular overseas, especially among European gamers (the title claims over 20 million registered users), and in addition to Innogames' other mobile-enabled title, Tribal Wars, it should significantly grow the company's audience on iOS. There's already an app from Innogames called the Grepolis Toolbox available on the App Store, but it's really just a companion app for the game, and this upcoming app will be a full client, allowing users to log in and play directly on the iPhone and the iPad. Innogames hasn't announced a release date for the app just yet, but it's scheduled to show the client off during E3, so we can probably expect it to be available on the App Store soon after that.
German railways hope to fight graffiti with thermal imaging drones
Drones aren't just for war, creating airborne logos or patrolling Aussie beaches. If German railway operators have their way, they'd be used to capture graffiti artists, too. Motivated by the high cost of property damage incurred by spray-painting vandals (around 7.6 million euros / $10 million a year), the Deutsche Bahn will soon begin testing miniature helicopter-style drones in the hopes of identifying those responsible. Each remote-controlled chopper is equipped with an infrared sensor capable of thermal imaging and producing high-resolution photos that would be useful to authorities. The tiny aircraft can also fly up to 150 meters (500 feet) and as fast as 33 mph and would cost about 60,000 euros ($77,550) each. The Bahn assured the public that the mini drones will be restricted to highly targeted areas, which should help allay those privacy concerns. [Image Credit: thierry ehrmann, Flickr]
Apple now allowing Paypal payment for Apple Store purchases (in Germany)
German users have noticed one other change from the Apple Store downtime last night, and that is that Apple will now accept Paypal payments through their Apple.com store. You could previously use Paypal as a payment service on the iTunes and Mac App Stores, but you can't (in most places) on the official Apple website. The German store, however, has now implemented Paypal. So German users can now use that extra eBay money to pick up a new accessory or charger cable. Odds are that this is a pilot program over there, and it will likely make its way out to the rest of the world very soon. I just checked, and unfortunately this option isn't yet available on the American Apple.com store. But if German users can use their Paypal accounts to buy Apple products, there's no reason why the rest of us won't eventually get the chance to do the same. [via App Advice]
Assassin's Creed 3 Washington Edition pops up on German sites
A few German websites spotted an Assassin's Creed 3: Washington Edition lurking in a digital hay pile. If legitimate, it'll be a bundle that includes all of the DLC launched so far, along with the game itself, due out on March 28 for PC, PS3 and Xbox 360.The Washington Edition comes with the Hidden Secrets, Battle Hardened and Tyranny of George Washington packs. Hidden Secrets has three extra missions, two costumes for solo play and two characters for multiplayer, while Battle Hardened has three new maps and three fresh multiplayer characters. The Tyranny of George Washington pack comes in three single-player installments, the first of which is out now, and explores an alternate reality where Washington is a power-hungry dictator.The German listings put Assassin's Creed 3: Washington Edition out in Europe on March 28 for Xbox 360, PS3 and PC, for €70 for consoles and €55 for PC. Though the complete Tyranny DLC won't be out by March 28, the Assassin's Creed Season Pass unlocks those installments as they drop.Ubisoft had no comment regarding a potential US launch for the Washington Edition. Previously, the Assassin's Creed Anthology launched in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, and skipped North America.
Continental gets automated vehicle approved for Nevada roads
Google isn't the only outfit puttering around Nevada roads with its hands off the wheel -- German automotive supplier Continental has the state's approval to let the computer take the wheel, too. Earlier this week the Silver State signed off on the German company's safety, employee training, system function and accident reporting plans, granting Continental a testing license and adorning its vehicles with red license plates. It's the very same treatment Mountain View received back in May -- but Continental's cars aren't exactly direct competitors to Google's fare. The company's "highly automated vehicles" are more of an advanced cruise control system than a self driving car -- capable of navigating stop and go traffic on a freeway, for example, but still requiring the driver to take control as their exit draws near. Continental sees the partially autonomous vehicle as a stepping stone to fully automated cars, and plans to offer the partial solution between 2016 and 2020, switching up to fully automated driving systems by 2025. The company hopes refine its testing to meet this goal in Nevada, putting its stereo camera and sensor equipped vehicle through freeway and rush-hour trials in real traffic. The company's ultimate goal, of course, is to eliminate accidents and fatalities on the road. Check out the firm's official PR after the break.
Wunderlist 2 goes native, adds many new features to beautiful, free app
6Wunderkinder's Wunderlist 2 is now available on desktops (as a native app and a web app) and iOS devices to make personal productivity more connected, more social and more informative than ever before. To-do lists are probably the most commonly downloaded and then least-used apps across the App Stores. We all want to be productive and have plenty to do. With the cloud powering our nearly ubiquitous computers and smartphones, it makes sense that software should help us remember what all that stuff is. Several good solutions are available, and odds are that if you have a favorite (2Do is my current app of choice, though honestly nothing is more familiar to me than just a real pad of paper and a pen), you'll stick with it. The developers at 6Wunderkinder, however, want you to use Wunderlist 2, and they've given the experience a full makeover. At its core, Wunderlist 2 is a to-do app. As with most of these, your usage habits depend on (surprise!) you. If you don't use a to-do app to remind you to do things, it's pretty useless no matter how well designed it is. But the question here is this: Is the new Wunderlist sporting enough new features to convince you to give it a try, even if you've dismissed it in the past? Also, is this new version worth a download (the software's free, so the answer is probably yes), if you've got a functioning system in place? Let's browse through the new app and find out. Design The main design goal of a to-do list app should be responsiveness and simplicity. Wunderlist 2 delivers here, as it has done before. The main screen is a list of tasks, which you can easily check off or delete by tapping or swiping. The app's default look is a classy wood panel backing that looks great, though the app also offers several other options. Starring an important item adds more some color. A little flag appears with a star on it, and your item then goes into a special "smart list" where it's more easily accessible. But most of Wunderlist's deeper functionality (which we'll dive into in the next section) is basically hidden. On the front of it, this is a todo list app, and so the main screen simply gives you your to-do items, with no fuss and no muss. I prefer the mobile app's design. On the iPhone, the smaller screen really focuses you down to your tasks, almost insisting that you get to work and check things off. The desktop app is well made, though certain functions are hidden in interesting places. For example, you can access those aforementioned custom backgrounds by clicking on your account name. Also, the app's notification center is accessed by clicking the title bar icon. The desktop version is a little too complicated for what works best as a simple and small app. Cloud functionality is very nice, and I like that I can punch in to-dos on my iPhone and then browse them on the desktop in the larger interface. But again, simplicity is the key here, and I think Wunderlist 2 mobile nails that down better than the desktop version. Otherwise, Wunderlist looks very good. Aside from some new features (which, again, we'll get to in a second), the core app hasn't changed much, I think because 6Wunderkinder knows what works and sticks with it. Like the best productivity software out there, this app is designed to let you do what you want, and get the heck out of your way afterwards. The most notable design feature is that while the original Wunderlist was built on Appcelerator's Titanium framework, these new versions are all completely native, built completely by 6Wunderkinder. That means that while this app may not look all that different, it's running on a completely different platform, and 6Wunderkinder has expressly said that this will make updating the app quicker and much easier. That's nice for users for sure. Functionality Here's where the new version of Wunderlist really earns that "2". There are a host of new features that weren't in the original version. The biggest is a new detail view. By double-clicking (or tapping) on a to-do item, a view moves in from the right that allows you to add lots of detail, like a due date, specific timed reminders, extra subtasks, or a full notes system. This is where much of Wunderlist 2's functionality is hidden. The original version was relatively simple, even as to-do apps go, and the extra details here make the app a very powerful piece of productivity software. The fact that all of this information is synced almost instantly in the cloud makes it even more helpful. You can set up some very complicated tasks and reminders on the desktop, and then browse through them or receive notifications while out and about on your mobile device. These features are of course not new to to-do apps (2Do, for example, has had these functionality for a while), but 6Wunderkinder uses them to elevate Wunderlist 2 from a relatively stripped-down service into something that can grow as you need it. The notes field, for example, can be dragged right out of the desktop window and worked on almost as a separate app. You can pretty much use it for whatever you want. I expect more functionality to be added here over time -- with this version of Wunderlist, 6Wunderkinder has announced that it's canceling its "WunderKit" platform, so my guess is that we'll see some of those ideas implemented here. And speaking of collaboration, it's clear that 6Wunderkinder has big plans for that. The apps don't require a Facebook connection, but that opportunity is placed front and center in all versions, so if you have a lot of chances to share to-do lists with your friends on Facebook, you can do that very easily. Personally, I use to-do apps as a more personal thing, so I'm not really looking for sharing in app like this. But 6Wunderkinder has big ideas about business collaboration in terms of productivity, so I expect a lot of the upcoming updates to be in that area. Finally, the new version also plugs right into Apple's Notification Center, and even includes an "Activity Center" right there in the app. So not only can you keep track of what you're doing, but you can make sure that you're notified whenever a task comes due, or when anyone else wants to share a task or to-do with you. Again, my guess is that 6Wunderkinder plans to grow this functionality in the future. It's already done a lot of work to make sure these lists are all connected up quickly and easily in the cloud, and there are other opportunities here to keep users engaged and productive, especially when working with other people. Conclusion Wunderlist 2 is a beautiful and great app. It's got a host of terrific features for to-do list tracking, and when it comes down to it, this app does let you jump right in and track whatever you want, be that business tasks, parenting duties, or just reminding yourself to grab milk and bread from the supermarket. The original Wunderlist was a simpler affair, and this version ups the ante to a point where some users may be overwhelmed. I don't need a reminder, subtasks and a notes field to just make sure I remember to get my laundry done before the day ends. But all of these changes and additions have clearly been made with an eye towards the majority of users. Just like any good productivity software, Wunderlist 2 does a very good job of scaling, allowing itself to be as simple or as complicated as you want to make it. The price is obviously very reasonable as well. All versions of the app are currently completely free. When you compare that price and all of this functionality to other pro to-do apps, this is pretty much a no brainer. If you want to track todos, Wunderlist 2 is worth a try for sure, and for many people, it's probably exactly the to-do client you want. All of that said, however, Wunderlist still depends on the one thing that all productivity software depends on, and that's your willingness to use it. You can put in all the tasks and notes you want, but if your mind isn't prepared to see what needs doing, you might as well go back to whatever works for you. I like Wunderlist a lot, and it's a great app, but even with this installed and running, sometimes I'll just fall right back on that old pen and paper. Pros Remains simple, but adds a lot of powerful functionality. Complete and total cloud integration -- very fast, very smooth, very impressive. Easily expands to do what you want, from just listing to-dos to tracking major research and projects. Totally free, on all platforms, including iOS, PC, Mac, Android, and even the web. Cons Can be too much; sometimes all you need is a post-it. More social connections and more notifications may not be what you want. Productivity software depends on you using it to be useful. Who is it for? Productivity junkies have probably already downloaded it, and oldsters who prefer analog lists probably don't need it. But anyone looking for a good, multiplatform, cloud-enabled to-do list solution with a shockingly low pricetag should grab this app, especially on iOS.
