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Fitness pros on how to give your lockdown workouts a tech upgrade
Home fitness has come a long way since Richard Simmons' "Sweating to the Oldies." Be it expensive Peloton bikes, affordable workout apps or free YouTube videos, there's a plethora of fitness tech to choose from. Now, anyone can keep fit from the comfort of their living room, especially helpful when you're forced to stay home due to a global pandemic. But with so many options available, it's tough to figure out where to start. So we asked several physical trainers and fitness experts on the kind of tech they use to get fit at home, as well as what they recommend for most people.
400,000 new people have joined Folding@Home's fight against COVID-19
The Folding@Home community has turned its attention toward the fight against COVID-19, and it now has massive computational power at its disposal as a result. The distributed computing project is now working with about 470 petaflops of output in its quest to fold proteins, or enough to eclipse the world's top seven supercomputers combined. That's more than twice the 149 petaflops of sustained output from the record-setting Summit supercomputer -- helped in part by the Summit team joining the project over two weeks ago. There's been a roughly 1,200 percent increase in contributors, Folding@Home said, with 400,000 new members in the past two weeks.
Google makes it easier to play Android apps before they've finished loading
After this year's GDC was cancelled because of the coronavirus, tech companies have been making their own games-related announcements independently. Last week Facebook revealed its plans for new and existing Oculus VR titles, now Google's Android and Play teams have announced what they're doing to help developers build and scale their games across Google products.
‘Dreams’ player forced to remove his fan-made Mario assets
Sony's long-awaited Dreams arrived earlier this year, a LittleBigPlanet-esque wonderland in which players can build almost any kind of world they can imagine -- but only if it doesn't infringe on copyright, apparently. According to Dreams content creator @Piece_of_Craft, "a big video game company" has come after him for his use of Nintendo's Super Mario character on the platform.
The Morning After: First impressions of the new MacBook Air
Hey, good morning! You look fabulous. In a week where very few things felt normal, sitting down with a new laptop is one of the most regular things that happened. Our review of Apple's new MacBook Air won't be ready until next week, but even just a few hours is enough time for Editor-in-Chief Dana Wollman to have some opinions about its upgraded new keyboard. Give that a read right here, check out the latest Ghost in the Shell SAC_2045 trailer to see if its new CG-style works and then check out other highlights from this week below. -- Richard
Color Space is a VR coloring book to help you relax
Let's face it: with the COVID-19 pandemic creating chaos, you're probably looking for something, anything to shut out the outside world and help you relax. Thankfully, you might have an option if you happen to have an Oculus VR headset. Lighthaus has released a Color Space coloring book app for the Quest and Rift that has you bringing a dull gray scene to life while you're inside. The more you color, the more it comes to life with animation and sound. It's very simple (you only need one button to control everything), but that's precisely the point -- Lighthaus designed the app as a distraction for patients going through stressful procedures.
Native Instruments' $50 retro synth plug-in is currently free
The '80s had no shortage of massive-sounding synthesizers, but many of them have either gone out to pasture or are prohibitively expensive on the secondhand market. Software companies often try to digitally recreate those synths as affordable plug-ins, though, and to keep musicians busy while they're locked inside, Native Instruments has made its Analog Dreams software -- which usually costs $50 -- free to download. That means anyone with a USB keyboard or controller can work on their Duran Duran covers or an isolation-induced synth pop opus.
Educators can temporarily give Creative Cloud access to distance learners
Students who are stuck at home due to coronavirus concerns don't have as many resources as a school could provide. For example, schools that teach graphics and video skills often have educational licenses for Adobe's Creative Cloud, which are assigned to individual computers, rather than students. In other words, students can't simply open up Photoshop from their own devices. To help educators and learners during school closures, Adobe is allowing IT admins to grant temporary at-home access to its suite of Creative Cloud apps, from now until May 31st.
'World of Warcraft' keeps players indoors with a 100 percent XP bonus
If the world of Azeroth has been the place you've turned to find some time away from all the news about the coronavirus pandemic, Blizzard has something that should make your stay more productive. From now until April 20th, your World of Warcraft character will receive a bonus called "Winds of Wisdom," which will increase the amount of experience they gain by 100 percent. The buff is available to Battle for Azeroth, Legion and Starter Edition players -- alas, no love for those of us grinding it out in World of Warcraft Classic.
Windows 10 UI updates have been spotted in a Microsoft promo video
Windows 10 now has one billion active monthly users -- likely thanks in part to the deprecation of Windows 7 in January. To celebrate the milestone, Microsoft's chief product officer, Panos Panay, shared an Instagram video recounting the various iterations of Windows' UI. The look of Windows 10 could keep evolving, it seems, as some eagle-eyed viewers spotted new types of windows, interfaces, and menus.
Spotify will end support for third-party DJ apps on July 1st
DJing is no longer about two turntables and a fader -- laptops and tablets are essential tools of the trade. Apps like djay help performers beat-match, remix songs and trigger samples, and have the added convenience of cloud-based library integration. However, Spotify -- one of the most popular streaming services -- is pulling support for all third-party DJ apps. It's not clear why the company is longer allowing access to its immense library of music, but Engadget has reached out to hopefully learn more.
Apple MacBook Air (2020) first look: Buy it for the keyboard
Hello from the new MacBook Air. Allow me to answer your first question up front: Yes, the new keyboard is excellent. There's only one problem with it: I've already greased the keys with residue from the peanut butter sandwich I was eating. Work-from-home life, y'all!
NASCAR is replacing canceled races with esports featuring pro drivers
Sports leagues and broadcasters are scrambling to fill the void now that many live competitions are cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and for NASCAR and Fox Sports that means venturing into relatively uncharted territory. They've announced an inaugural eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series that will replace canceled NASCAR races with "simulation-style" esports competitions. These will involve top-tier competitors, too -- you can expect Dale Earnhardt Jr., Bobby Labonte, Kyle Busch and Denny Hamlin among other racers and luminaries from various NASCAR series.
Microsoft's DirectX 12 Ultimate brings ray tracing effects to more games
More efforts are underway to bring ray traced visuals to more of your games. Microsoft has introduced a DirectX 12 Ultimate framework that makes ray tracing and other visual effects both more efficient and more flexible. A new inline ray tracing technique gives more control over the lighting effects that make more sense for certain games, GPU shaders can invoke ray tracing without talking to the CPU and streaming engines can more efficiently load ray tracing shaders as you roam around. Your games won't demand as much from your system as they did before.
Serif discounts Affinity creative apps during the COVID-19 pandemic
Life as a digital creative might be a little easier if you're working from home during the COVID-19 pandemic. Serif is trotting out a number of deals for its Affinity apps to help out artists and photographers (and, of course, encourage them to buy software). Affinity Designer, Photo and Publisher are now free to try for 90 days. There's no requirement to buy, but you'll get a 50 percent discount for both computer and iPad versions of the apps if you'd prefer to purchase them. Both deals end on April 20th.
GameStop will sell 'Doom Eternal' a day early as a 'safety precaution'
Right now, companies are doing their best to navigate an unprecedented global crisis, seeking ways to remain profitable while contributing to the social good. Discord, for example, has relaxed its user limits on streaming. Uber Eats, meanwhile, has waived delivery fees for independent restaurants. Now GameStop has made its efforts known: it will be selling Doom Eternal a day early in a bid to reduce crowding at its stores.
The Morning After: PS5 specs plus MacBook Air and iPad Pro updates
Hey, good morning! You look fabulous. After a lull, new hardware announcements are creeping back in. Sony followed up on Microsoft's Xbox Series X spec reveal with its own numbers-heavy rundown for the PS5. With GDC canceled it came off as a pretty dry spectacle -- I'm not sure why the company teased the stream yesterday. For those looking to scrutinize teraflops and other vital statistics, though, it was everything they'd need. Hours earlier, Apple revealed a new iPad Pro with a 3D-sensing camera and a companion keyboard accessory that adds a trackpad, too. It also had a new MacBook Air with its own much-improved keyboard, while keeping it just under the $1,000 mark. Note there were no splashy press events or gatherings, however. It's a time of digital briefings on teleconference software, where most won't get to touch a device -- at least not immediately. It makes for drier meetings, but that's the new reality for the time being. -- Mat
Ray tracing comes to more games thanks to new software tools
You haven't seen much ray tracing in games due in part to the limited frameworks for it. Outside of Microsoft's DirectX, creators have usually had to lean on proprietary approaches. Soon, though, it might be relatively ubiquitous. The Khronos Group has released "provisional" ray tracing extensions for Vulkan, the open graphics standard effectively replacing OpenGL on multiple platforms. You should see sophisticated reflections, fewer light artifacts and otherwise more natural-looking lighting in titles that support the technology.
Apple's new Air could be the MacBook for everyone
It's been about a year and a half since Apple redesigned the aging MacBook Air. In a lot of ways, that model was a big step forward over its predecessor, with an upgraded display chief among the improvements. But it also came with its fair share of compromises, including a tempermental "butterfly" keyboard and an asking price that put it a little too close to the entry-level 13-inch MacBook Pro. But with today's update, Apple seems to have addressed just about every issue with its flagship consumer laptop -- including the price. After a few years where Apple made multiple mis-steps with both hardware and pricing, it's encouraging to see the company make more customer-friendly decisions.
'Half-Life: Alyx' is proof Valve answers to no one
Valve is like an eccentric billionaire uncle who isn't allowed to babysit any kids in the family. He lives alone in a mountaintop mansion stocked with exotic animals, vintage pinball machines, water slides and homemade potato guns, and strange sounds flow into the valley below at all hours of the night. He disappears for months at a time and returns with suitcases full of loose candy and unmarked pills. It's not that this uncle has ever hurt anyone or done anything illegal -- it's simply clear that really, he could do anything. Valve can do anything. It's unknown just how much money the studio pulls in each year, since it's a private entity and doesn't have to publicly disclose its finances, but estimates of its annual revenue begin at $4 billion. Valve founder Gabe Newell is personally worth $3.5 billion, according to Forbes. The company's main money fountain is Steam, which has been the top PC-gaming platform for more than a decade, with 1 billion registered accounts and an average of 90 million monthly active users.
