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How to watch the 2016 Rio Olympics
The summer Olympics are just a few days away, and whether or not you're a sports fan, chances are you'll want to keep up with everything that happens in Rio de Janeiro. Thankfully, you'll have many options to watch this year's games. But before we tell you how to tune in, you should know the event officially kicks off on August 5th, but certain competitions begin earlier. For instance, soccer (aka football) has games on August 3rd, starting with the women's match between Sweden and South Africa. There's also going to be gymnastics training that day. Whatever your favorite sport may be, NBCUniversal is going to have those of you in the U.S. covered -- even in virtual reality.
Overwatch heroes are getting Olympic-themed makeovers
With the 2016 Olympics just days away, Blizzard is giving its popular multiplayer shooter an unofficial sporting makeover. To coincide with the events in Rio, every one of Overwatch's 22 heroes has been assigned a sport in the "Summer Games" and given a selection of new skins, sprays and other in-game emotes to play with. Reaper is a BMX rider and Winston is a keen volleyball player, but nothing beats Roadhog as a high diver.
Google weaves Olympics highlight videos into your search results
Google is no stranger to providing useful info during Olympic games, but it's kicking things up a notch for Rio. The internet behemoth has teamed up with broadcasters in 60-plus countries (including America Movil, BBC and Japan's NHK) to integrate Olympics highlight videos into both Google search results and YouTube's Watch Cards. It's not the same as watching live, of course, but it could help a lot if work or time zones force you to catch up after the fact.
Wearable tech will be everywhere at this year's Olympics
It's almost time. The 2016 summer Olympics are less than a week away, with the opening ceremony scheduled for August 5th. This year's event, which runs through August 21nd, takes place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, where the organizers have reportedly struggled to prepare for the games. Whether Rio is ready or not, some of the world's best athletes will be there to compete for gold medals in just a few days. Naturally, technology will have a presence at the Olympics. That includes wearables designed to make life easier and safer for Olympians as well as others supposed to help in training. Read on in the gallery below to learn about eight different pieces of gear the athletes will be using.
Olympic athletes are training with brain-altering headphones
Many of the athletes heading to the Rio Olympics are using some form of technology to help them out, but some of them are relying on particularly unusual gear. Halo Neuroscience has revealed that several athletes are using its Halo Sport headphones to (hopefully) improve the effectiveness of their training. The wearable is meant to stimulate your brain's motor cortex into a momentary "hyperplasticity" mode, where it can more effectively build neural connections -- if you're in the thick of resistance training, you may move on to heavier weights that much sooner.
Comcast's Rio portal is a good way to keep up with the Olympics
The Olympics are starting in a little over a month and Comcast has devised a way to watch pretty much every minute of them. Xfinity X1 customers -- roughly half of Comcast's user base -- will have access to a special "Front Row to Rio" portal through which they'll be able to watch live content from both NBC-affiliated networks and internet streams. But that's just the start.
Olympic-themed Apple Watch bands are only available in Rio
To celebrate the Olympic games, the Apple Watch is getting a series of commemorative straps that match the flags of 14 participating countries. GQ got the exclusive, saying that each model will set you back $49, and match the colors of the respective flags, such as the USA, Great Britain and New Zealand. Sprinter Trayvon Bromell (pictured) got his Team USA band a little earlier than everyone else, but it won't be that easy to imitate him. That's because the straps are only going to be sold in one Apple Store -- the Barra da Tijuca location in West Rio de Janeiro through the month of August. Yeah.
Samsung's Galaxy S7 Edge Olympic Edition on sale for $850
If you're more into real-life superheros than fantasy ones, Samsung's Galaxy S7 Edge Olympic Games Limited Edition is now available at Best Buy for $850. Like the Batman Edition, this is a standard Galaxy S7 Edge on the inside, but the outside is another thing. There, you'll find a unique "black onyx" body replete with Olympic colors: A yellow-trimmed fingerprint sensor and speaker, red and green buttons and the iconic rings and camera tinted in blue. It also includes the Rio Olympics 2016 app with schedules, venue info and real-time updates and results.
NBC lays out its streaming plans for Rio 2016
NBC dropped a few more details on its streaming plans for the Summer Olympics, but it's important to first note what won't be streaming live: the Opening Ceremony. The broadcaster revealed that both TV and online will be on one hour broadcast delay (more on the west coast), and justified the decision by saying it wouldn't need to cut any countries out of the intro to fit commercials. As far as the actual sports, they will all be ready for viewing live, on TV or online. If you don't have cable TV you can expect 30 minutes of streaming access on your first visit before being prompted to login, and after that five minutes without logging in (maybe try clearing those cookies).
Samsung made a special edition Galaxy S7 Edge for Olympians
Samsung likes to trot out special editions of its flagship devices from time to time, and it's most recent is heading to the hands of Olympians bound for Rio. The Galaxy S7 Edge Olympic Games Limited Edition (whew!) is complete with the official colors of the event and that iconic interlocked rings logo. Samsung worked with the IOC to provide 12,500 of the devices to athletes so that they'll have a way to communicate while visiting Brazil. The phone is equipped with Samsung's new Rio 2016 mobile app that offers a directory complete with schedule, venue info, results, medal counts and real-time updates.
US rowers will get antimicrobial outfits to survive polluted Rio waters
The Rio Olympic and Paralympic games sound like more of a nightmare every day. After the National Institute of Health announced that they will study American athletes for probable Zika infection, textile engineers at Philadelphia University have made antimicrobial suits to protect US rowers from the sewage-filled water around the South American city. Unfortunately, they might not be a match for an environment with 1.7M times the level of viral presence considered "hazardous."
NIH funds Zika study on US team during Rio Olympics
There's a lot of excitement building for the upcoming Olympic and Paralympic events in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, but also mounting anxiety around the prevalence of Zika in the South American country. The National Institute of Health (NIH) has funded a study to monitor any evidence of the virus in a subset of the US athletic team dispatched to the games. Health officials hope to learn all they can about its infection and duration, as they can do little more to protect the the athletes, coaches and staff than educate them about how best to avoid catching it.
ICYMI: Lung cancer detector and smart tape measure
try{document.getElementById("aol-cms-player-1").style.display="none";}catch(e){}Today on In Case You Missed It: A new device is being tested to detect lung cancer by having patients breathe into it. A new tape measure that syncs to a mobile app can calculate distances by simply running it over an item, or using a laser to calculate height. We are super interested in this AI-written show from PBS, and VR fans might be interested in the news out of the Olympics. As always, please share any interesting tech or science videos you find by using the #ICYMI hashtag on Twitter for @mskerryd.
The Olympics will be shown in VR, but only on Samsung headsets
NBC began outlining its plans for broadcasting Rio 2016 yesterday, but a few more juicy tidbits have now filtered through. The AP (via ABC News) is reporting that around 85 hours of programming will be available to watch in VR, but only if you use Samsung's Gear VR. The brief report claims that the opening and closing ceremonies will get the 360-degree treatment, as will the men's basketball, gymnastics and track and field. Details beyond that brief outline are sketchy, although it's interesting that the footage is provided by a unit of the International Olympic Committee rather than the usual suspects, like NextVR. All of the content will be available on the NBC Sports app, assuming that you've got a Gear VR-compatible smartphone, of course.
NBC: Rio 2016 broadcast is its 'most live Olympics ever'
While NBC has been criticized for years over its use of tape delay, a combination of multiple channels, live streaming and Brazil's favorable time zone (just hour ahead of ET) mean that shouldn't be a problem this summer. For Rio 2016, NBC says this will be its "most live Olympics ever" with 4,500 hours of coverage streaming on NBCOlympics.com and the recently renamed NBC Sports app. Also new this time around is that the NBC Sports app is on connected TV devices (it launched on Roku and Apple TV last year), not just mobile. You will, of course, still need a cable or satellite account to login and view everything, although NBC hasn't revealed all the details on how that will work.
Olympic athletes will sport Visa's new payment ring in Rio
For those making their way to this year's Olympic games in Rio this August, Visa will be the only card accepted at official venues -- a pretty sweet deal for the payment provider. But, rather than be satisfied with exclusive access to the wallets of a half million tourists, the company is using the event to introduce a new ring that will let people pay with a wave of their hand: No phone, wallet or even battery needed.
NBC will air the 2016 Rio Olympics in 4K, HDR and Atmos
NBC has announced that it will make content from this year's Olympic Games available to carriers in 4K and HDR, however there's one little catch. In a setup that will seem familiar for early HDTV adopters who still can't get Sony's "we brought chips... and salsa!" ad out of their heads 12 years later*, 4K UHD footage of the Opening and Closing Ceremonies, swimming, track and field, basketball, the men's soccer final, and judo is coming home on 24 hour tape delay. NBC will provide a downconverted version of the 8K feed Olympic Broadcasting Services and Japan's NHK are experimenting with, to 4K, and present it in HDR with Dolby Atmos surround sound audio. According to NBC Sports president Gary Zenkel, "The Olympics have been a consistent driver of technological advancements, and Rio will be no different."
The US Olympic cycling team is training with smart glasses
When the US cycling team heads to the Olympics in Rio this summer, it'll have an ace up its sleeve: training with smart glasses. Solos has worked with the team to create augmented reality glasses that show vital data in mid-ride (such as cadence and heart rate), making it ideal for athletes looking to push themselves a little harder. It talks to common cycling apps, too, such as MapMyRide, Strava and TrainingPeaks. However, the best part may be the availability -- Solos is running a crowdfunding campaign to get everyday cyclists using the eyewear.
Google Maps takes you inside Rio de Janeiro's Olympic venues
Google Maps adds indoor views of major attractions on the regular. Ahead of this summer's Olympic games in Rio de Janeiro, the company is taking you inside the 25 indoor venues that will host sporting events in a few weeks. There are "enhanced views" of the 12 outdoor venues as well, with maps for these stadiums and arenas showing locations for restrooms, concession stands, info desks and ATMs. Real-time transit info for the Brazilian city was added to Google Maps recently, so if you're traveling to the games, you'll have a familiar guide. If you're not making the trip, you can still scope out where the games will be held from the comforts of home.
The UK wants to make an olympics for eSports
The UK is throwing its weight behind a plan to launch an international sporting event that'll mirror the olympics, but for eSports. The eGames is a tournament backed by the government which will invite players from around the world to compete at various challenges. The successful eAthlete (or eAthletes) will be eligible to win medals, although no prize money will be handed out, much like the real Olympic Games. A handful of countries have already signed up, including Britain, Canada, Brazil and the US, and the first event will take place in Rio de Janeiro during the 2016 Games. The two-day competition will be used as a showcase in the hope of encouraging more players from other countries to sign up.
