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Oculus rolls out support for multi-user accounts and app sharing
Oculus Quest 2 owners are getting the experimental features first.
Oculus is launching multi-user accounts and app sharing next month
Starting next month, Quest 2 owners will be able to create separate accounts for anybody they’re sharing their VR headset with. Oculus has announced that it’s rolling out multi-user accounts and app sharing, which it says are two of its users’ most requested features. The multi-user feature enables the primary account owner to add up to three secondary accounts on their device, and each one will get personalized game progress and achievements.
Apple brings picture-in-picture and gaming updates to Apple TV
Apple announced a couple key changes for Apple TV at WWDC 2020 today, including updates to gaming and a new picture-in-picture feature.
HomePod update adds multi-user support and music handoffs
Apple just made the HomePod considerably more useful for whole households, albeit somewhat later than expected. It accompanied the release of iOS 13.2 with a corresponding HomePod update that, among other things, introduces promised multi-user support. The smart speaker now recognizes the voices of different people in your home, giving them personalized music access and other user-specific features. This isn't a new concept in the smart speaker world, but it'll be helpful if you'd rather not clutter your partner's Apple Music history with your own selections.
HomePod radio streaming arrives on September 30th
Apple didn't really discuss the HomePod at its iPhone 11 event, but there was still some news that (almost) slipped under the radar. The tech firm quietly updated the HomePod's product page to reveal that the vaunted radio streaming feature will reach the smart speaker on September 30th. TuneIn, iHeartRadio and Radio.com will offer 100,000 global radio stations just by asking Siri. Given that this is considered a staple of other smart speakers, it'll be both welcome and overdue. For other features, though, you'll have to sit tight.
Disney Research develops capacitive touch that detects multiple users through their fingertips (video)
Creating a truly multi-user, multi-touch display is a tricky prospect. How do you know who's who short of turning the screen into one giant fingerprint reader? Chris Harrison, Ivan Poupyrev and Munehiko Sato at Disney Research have suggested in a paper that fingerprinting on a capacitive touchscreen isn't far off -- it's just what we need to fingerprint that matters. Rather than look for physical ridges, the scientists' method sweeps through AC frequencies to find the exact electrical impedances of fingertips in contact with the screen. Different bodies, different clothes and even different shoes give everyone a unique signature that lets the screen identify specific people, even when they each have multiple fingers in play. The researchers propose that the technique would work well in collaborative workspaces, personalized devices and security, but let's not forget that this is Disney we're talking about: it's placing a strong emphasis on the prospects for shared screen gaming without the limitations we know today. While any practical use is still some distance away, it's easy to see future tablets and tables that are designed from the start to encourage a little socializing.
Google wins face-to-unlock for multiple users patent, makes us hungry for Android support
Google has won a face-to-unlock patent that seems to let multiple users share one "computing device." Point your face at the built-in camera, and you'll be allowed access to your personal profile -- and when it's time to move, someone else can do the same to take your place. While there's no connection to a real-world product and relates more to biometric ID than consumer technology, it does tickle hopes that we could see the feature included alongside official multi-user support in a future iteration of Android.
Android 4.1 Jelly Bean proven carrying rough but working code for multi-user support (video)
If there's ever been a persistent gripe among families sharing mobile devices, it's been the absence of multiple user profiles -- hand that iPad or Nexus 7 to Junior and you may have to play a spot-the-differences game when it comes back. Some long overdue testing of previously found code references in Jelly Bean shows that Google, at least, has explored ending that anxiety over who uses the family gadgets. Command-line code in AOSP-based versions of Android 4.1 will let you create a separate guest profile, complete with its own lock screen security, home screen layout and limited settings. To say that the code is unpolished would be an understatement, however. Apps and even some notifications cross over from the main account, which could prove more than a little embarrassing if the hardware is left in the wrong hands. At least it's easy to revert back, as the instructions (and video after the break) show. The real challenge will be waiting to see when -- or really, if -- Google gets to finishing multi-user code and turns that Nexus 7 into the communal tablet we want it to be.
Marketcircle announces Billings Pro, needs beta testers
Marketcircle, the Canadian software firm that brought you Daylite, Daylite Touch, Billings, and Billings Touch has just announced the next generation of their time-tracking and billing solution. Billings Pro takes advantage of many of the features built into other Marketcircle products and takes Billings to a new level as a multi-user application. The new application will include a server piece (like Daylite), a way to use the application offline and then sync to the server (once again built upon Daylite), over-the-air sync (as with Daylite Touch), and Marketcircle's expertise in desktop and mobile user interfaces. The application is still in development, and beta testing won't begin for a few months yet. If you're an existing Billings user and would like to receive consideration as a possible beta tester, fill out this online form and you may hear from Marketcircle in a few months. At this time, no ship date or price has been determined for Billings Pro.
