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Hackers make Xbox One's Kinect work on a PC
Microsoft famously said the Xbox One Kinect wouldn't work on a PC, but hackers have already done the trick mere days after the release of the Kinect for Windows v2.0 SDK. As shown in the video below, they managed to rewire a USB 3.0 cable to pair it with a laptop, giving them access to the depth sensor. The pair work at Hyperkin (which happens to sell gaming accessories), and plan to make a retail version of the cable available. Kinect for Windows 2.0 is already up for pre-order, but such a cable could be handy if you can't wait to get one, or don't want to splurge for a redundant Kinect. The Xbox 360's sensor was hacked in a similar way, but the Kinect 2's hardware is far more powerful. On a PC, it could function as a motion capture device or map a 3D environment, to name just a few examples -- far more interesting applications than Just Dance.
Oculus VR explains why mobile virtual reality won't poison the well
With all the talk of high-fidelity virtual reality coming from Oculus VR -- the virtual reality headset company that's now part of Facebook -- it's easy to believe that the only type of VR is PC-based. But that isn't the case! Beyond what we learned recently about Samsung and Oculus working on a VR peripheral that uses your phone, Oculus has been open about working on a mobile software development kit for some time now. Heck, we even spoke with Oculus CTO John Carmack about it last year. "I think you'll see the mobile SDK launch publicly before the consumer Rift comes out," Oculus VP of Product Nate Mitchell told us this week at E3 2014. Beyond Samsung, a handful of developers are "experimenting with some high-end Android devices ... building experiences and seeing what's possible." But here's the issue: Great VR requires serious horsepower. While the current range of flagship Android mobile devices are pretty powerful, they don't hold a candle to even low-end gaming PCs. In so many words, isn't Oculus worried that a subpar, Android-based VR experience could poison the well for the full Oculus Rift coming down the line? If your first experience with VR is a bad one, you may never try it again. "That's a completely fair statement," Mitchell said.
Samsung lets you make apps for Tizen-based TVs that don't exist yet
The open source Tizen platform may only just be making its way on to wristwear, but Samsung has much bigger plans... in a very literal sense. The company is releasing a developer kit that will let you create apps for Tizen-based smart TVs, including software that supports hand gestures, mobile device pairing and voice commands. And unlike some TV development tools, you won't need a real set to try things out; you can replicate many core features from the comfort of your PC.
A Siri-controlled Apple TV may be on the way
Soon you might be able to simply ask your Apple TV to start playing 'House of Cards' rather than fumbling through a series menus. Code found in iOS 7.1's software development kit indicates that Siri is one its way to a new device, likely Apple's set-top box. In the operating system's documentation, the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad are represented by "1" and "2." The most recent files also include a new device indicated by a "3." For our non-developer friends following along at home, that means the digital assistant is headed to a different product. While the 3 could potentially represent something entirely new (like the fabled iWatch), Apple has previously used the number to represent its TV product in code. It's also currently being used in several iOS-based Apple TV apps.
Video Flashback: Steve Jobs and Scott Forstall following the intro of the iOS SDK
When Apple rolled out the App Store in July of 2008, it gave developers the ability to take an already revolutionary device like the iPhone and take it to unforeseen heights. While mobile apps up to that point were often clunky affairs that featured mediocre graphics, poor user interfaces, and relatively limited functionality, the App Store ushered in a wave of polished and innovative apps that forever changed the way we use mobile devices. Looking back, rolling out an App Store seems like a no-brainer, but Steve Jobs, as it turns out, was actually opposed to the idea at first. Recall this excerpt from Walter Isaacson's Steve Jobs biography. Apple board member Art Levinson told Isaacson that he phoned Jobs "half a dozen times to lobby for the potential of the apps," but, according to Isaacson, "Jobs at first quashed the discussion, partly because he felt his team did not have the bandwidth to figure out all the complexities that would be involved in policing third-party app developers." But after months of developers and users alike clamoring for an SDK, not to mention a thriving jailbreak community that was becoming increasingly hard to ignore, Apple had a change of heart. The company finally announced an SDK for iOS at a special media event held on March 6, 2008, about 9 months after the release of the original iPhone. In an interesting look back, the video below shows Steve Jobs, Scott Forstall, and Phil Schiller answering questions during a Q&A session that followed the introduction of the iOS SDK. Funny enough, the App Store that Steve Jobs initially opposed to would quickly become one of the iPhone's main selling points, as evidenced by the ubiquitious "There's an app for that" ad campaign. As it stands now, there are now over 1 million apps on the App Store, with consumers having downloaded over 60 billion apps over the last 5 years and 9 months. So let's just be thankful that Steve Jobs had a change of heart, because imagine life without an App Store, as described by Jobs himself during WWDC 2007. The full Safari engine is inside of iPhone. And so, you can write amazing Web 2.0 and Ajax apps that look exactly and behave exactly like apps on the iPhone. And these apps can integrate perfectly with iPhone services. They can make a call, they can send an email, they can look up a location on Google Maps. And guess what? There's no SDK that you need! You've got everything you need if you know how to write apps using the most modern web standards to write amazing apps for the iPhone today. So developers, we think we've got a very sweet story for you. You can begin building your iPhone apps today.
HTC allows devs to tap into the power of the One's Duo Camera
The HTC One (M8) brought with it a load of new camera features, including its unique Duo Camera setup on its back side. Now, the handset maker is opening up the code that powers the pair in a SDK preview for third-party devs. This means that apps can be designed specifically for the M8's cameras with DualLens and DimensionPlus APIs baked right in. In other words, developers will get their hands on that bokeh-style refocusing and multi-angled shot selection in addition to depth maps from the pair of cameras. Of course, only time will tell how eager app makers are to latch on to HTC's smartphone snapshooting tricks, but at least now they'll have the necessary tools to do so.
Aviary updates iOS app, gives developers new tools
Aviary (free with in-app purchases) has always been an excellent iOS photo editor. On top of that, the company provides an SDK (software development kit) that allows other camera app creators to include the Aviary processing engine in their software. Both the app and SDK have received a major update today. There are more than a few apps that leverage the Aviary tools, and they are also used online at places like Photobucket and Walgreens. The company estimates that 10 billion photos were edited with its tools in the last year. Among the apps using the Aviary tools are Pic Collage, Halftone, Pic Stitch, Muzy and Tango. Revenue for these apps is partly generated by offering prints of photos. The update is of high interest to iPhone camera users, because the new tools will quickly appear in the apps listed above and more that are already in use. Some of the important improvements include 64-bit support for the newest iPhones, new photo editing tools like a text overlay feature with multiple fonts, sliders for brightness, contrast, saturation and warmth in the "Adjust" tool, support for 23 languages and more. The new app frameworks are faster, and allow a great deal of customization. These updates are already in the latest version of Aviary. iPhone photography is really exploding, with many hundreds of high quality apps that help you capture and edit your photos. When I'm out on a landscape shoot, I'm amazed to see so many people have given up point and shoot cameras for iPhones, and they often get great results. Photo software is leaping forward daily, and the Aviary updates will usher in some very welcome improvements in iOS photography.
Red adds wireless camera control module, software development kit
Another Red introduction at NAB is RedLink. This $395 wireless module serves as a bridge between your camera and other wireless devices, letting you use a smartphone, tablet or computer to operate your cam. We caught it in action at NAB today, and the demo iPad app worked well. The wireless module currently only supports single device connections, so if you're operating over WiFi, you'll only be able to control one camera from the app. Networking your devices via Ethernet, however, lets you interact with an unlimited number of Red cameras. Red's releasing an SDK as well, complete with Android, iOS and Windows templates, so it should be no time at all before a variety of compatible apps hit the market. Or, if you're looking for a customized level of control, you can always create your own. The $395 RedLink Bridge ships today.
Amazon Fire TV games work with other Bluetooth controllers
Amazon just revealed its $99 Fire TV game and video streaming device today, and unveiled a $40 Bluetooth game pad to go along with it. As it turns out, developers appear to have the option to make their Amazon Fire TV games compatible with other controllers. "I don't have the full data set, if any is the right term. Generally speaking, it's a Bluetooth controller," Mike Frazzini, VP of Amazon Games told Engadget today when asked about the Fire TV's controller support. "And the same thing vice-versa. Third-party controllers can work on Fire TV as well." According to a mandatory configuration file for all Amazon Fire TV game developers listed on Amazon's site, developers must note if the app "supports a game controller, either the Amazon Fire game controller or a Bluetooth game controller from another manufacturer." While Amazon doesn't confirm official Fire TV support with the game pads, other Bluetooth controllers like Nintendo's Wii Remote and Sony's DualShock 4 could feasibly work with some games if developers so choose. Likewise, while the Amazon Fire TV supports up to seven Bluetooth game controllers simultaneously, software development kit documentation notes that "only four of those controllers are assigned to player numbers." This seemingly caps local multiplayer gaming on Amazon Fire TV at four players at a given moment, which may not be an issue since gaming is more or less a "bonus" for the streaming device.
HTC opens up BlinkFeed, allows apps like Foursquare and Fitbit to push data to your homescreen
Love it or hate it, Sense is growing up. BlinkFeed, the beating tiled heart of the HTC experience is now being opened up to developers through an SDK. That means that third parties will be able to push information to the stream of data that makes up your feed. For example, Fitbit will be able to keep you abreast of how many steps you've taken without you having to go into the app. Oh, and the Fitbit app does harvest movement data from the phone's internal sensors, just like it does on the iPhone 5S, so you don't really need that separate band. HTC announced one other launch partner for the BlinkFeed SDK -- Foursquare. The location-based social network will pop up suggestions for lunch spots while you're out and about. Of course, the company will have to convince other big names to hop on the bandwagon if BlinkFeed is going to really take off.
Spotify shifting focus to web and mobile, ends desktop Apps program
Spotify's been busy lately, what with its new iOS SDK and recent purchase of Echo Nest. As it further shifts its focus toward mobile and the web, the company will stop accepting submissions for its App Finder platform. For those who aren't familiar, Spotify launched an API in 2011 that allowed developers to publish apps inside the desktop client. Moving forward, the streaming giant plans to release several new mobile SDKs and expand its web API with additional features over the next few months. So users should still have access to their favorite Pitchfork lists, just on more devices. But what about apps that have already been published? Spotify says as long as they're using the latest API 1.x framework, they'll remain available. It's important to note, however, that they will only receive critical updates from this point on.
Pocket previews article-saving on Android Wear smartwatches
Earlier this week, Google pulled back the curtain on its Android Wear platform, signaling its intentions to conquer wearables beyond Google Glass. Motorola and LG even announced their own smartwatches based on Google's software, indicating that the ball is already rolling. What's next, beside us getting these devices on our wrists? Seeing what cool features third-party developers will cook up, naturally. Pocket, the read-it-later service that works across devices, is showing off an early software development kit that lets you save links directly from your watch. Pocket's one of the first big companies to jump on board the Android Wear bandwagon, and its prototype takes smartwatch notifications one step beyond "glance and dismiss." Pocket's SDK essentially lets you save notifications -- so if you get an ABC news alert, you can swipe and stash it for reading later. You won't be able to view saved links directly on your watch, though; the prototype is strictly for bookmarking articles and videos. Developers have the option to integrate Pocket's SDK into their own apps, and we imagine plenty of breaking-news apps, not to mention Twitter, will do so. Pocket for Android Wear is still in the early stages, but you'll have to wait until summer to get your hands on an Android Wear watch, anyway.
Crytek unveils $10 per month CryEngine developer subscription plan
Crytek may be known for its Crysis and Far Cry series, but the developer also makes a pretty penny by licensing out its proprietary tech for game development, CryEngine. Crytek will now offer a subscription-based model for the latest version of its engine, charging $9.90 USD/euros per month for each CryEngine licensee. The "Engine as a Service" plan starts in May and won't affect the free, non-commercial software development kit offered by Crytek. Epic Games announced its own subscription model for Unreal Engine 4 yesterday, a plan that amounts to $19 per month plus 5 percent of gross revenue from any commercial product developed with the engine. While Crytek will unveil more details about its subscription plan in the future, its announcement noted that the Engine as a Service version of CryEngine will be "royalty-free." The latest version of CryEngine features Linux support as well as "Physically Based Shading," a Geometry Cache feature to calculate cache-based animations for elements like cloth and fluid dynamics and an image-based lighting system. An alternative to these subscriptions for some independent developers are middleware development tools like GameMaker: Studio and MonoGame. Sony announced PS4 exporting solutions for those pieces of development software yesterday in addition to PS3, Vita and upcoming PS4 solutions for Unity users. [Image: Crytek]
Android lead says wearable developer tools coming in two weeks (updated)
We've got very few details at the moment, but Sundar Pichai is preparing to lead the Android charge into the wearable space. He announced that the company will launch a new wearable SDK for Android at SXSW Interactive. The tools will be available to download in roughly two weeks time and will expand the efforts to put Google's mobile OS on smart watches or fitness bands. Pichai definitely didn't limit Android to those two particular implementations, however. He focused heavily on expanding developers' ability to harvest data from sensors of any kind... so long as they're mounted on your body. He even suggested a future where your jacket is loaded with sensors and powered by Android.
Twitch opens the doors for iOS and Android broadcasting
Video game broadcasting service Twitch announced an expansion of its streaming services to a new branch of gaming platforms today: mobile devices. Players will be able to stream, capture and archive gameplay on both Android and iOS once developers enable the functionality in their games with Twitch's new mobile software development kit. If implemented by developers, users will be able to toy with video capture options for front-facing cameras, audio capture using either internal or external microphones and the ability to archive streams on Twitch and upload them to sharing channels. Other features include the standard high, medium and low quality broadcast settings and integration of Twitch's chat system. The news follows the company's official rebrand in February, at which point it announced that it reached one million active broadcasters per month. Twitch noted in today's announcement that its mobile livestream viewing app has been installed more than 10 million times on Android and iOS. [Image: Twitch.tv]
Twitch takes game broadcasting mobile
Twitch is ready to give your Jetpack Joyride skills the audience they deserve. The outfit has just released a mobile software toolset that will let devs enable live broadcasting, capturing and archiving of your in-game exploits on Android and iOS. With its proposed features (including chat, audio capture and options for finding streams from people playing similar games), the mobile tools essentially mirror what's available on PC and consoles. Even with 10 million installs of Twitch's mobile apps, however, the question that remains is if anyone will actually want to watch you play Threes.
Samsung's new Gear watches are now open to third-party support
Among the many frustrations we had with Samsung's first smartwatch, the Galaxy Gear, was the limited number of apps available for it. While the company offered premium access to select partners, it never came out with a software development kit (SDK) for anyone and everyone to submit their own app. When the Gear 2 was announced earlier this week, Samsung also promised that it would deliver an SDK for its latest series of wearables. At the company's developer keynote at MWC this morning, that's finally changed -- Samsung has announced the "immediate availability" of kits for the Gear 2, Gear 2 Neo and Gear Fit, as well as another SDK for S-Health. There's a bit of a difference between the Gear and the Gear Fit kits, however. The Tizen-based Gear SDK will make it possible for developers to create applications that run on both Gear 2 watches (using both Android apps and web apps), while the Gear Fit version offers an emulator and the ability to control the device from an Android app. We'll continue to update you as we get more information at this morning's keynote. Update: we're not seeing the kits live on the site quite just yet, but Samsung just stated that it'll be available today.
AllCast Android media streamer and Chromecast are friends again now that the SDK is here (updated)
Google's Chromecast has teased seemingly limitless potential since its release last year, but until the Cast SDK came out yesterday most developers couldn't take advantage of it. That includes Koushik Dutta, creator of the AllCast app that we've already seen featuring screen mirroring or streaming music, video and pictures from Android devices to the dongle, but that's all changed. He reports that adding Chromecast support to his existing app (previously limited to streaming with Apple TV, Roku, Xbox, Playstation and other DLNA/AirPlay ready devices) took about 20 minutes in a "trivial" procedure requiring almost no extra code. A video demo of the feature is embedded after the break, and while it loads a little slower than other devices, pushing media from phone to TV is now just a button press away. That bodes well for other apps we'd like to see supporting Chromecast, and hopefully means that tiny button will pop up everywhere soon. As for AllCast, an update with Chromecast support is coming "soon," interested users can grab a free version that works for one minute to try it out, or upgrade to the unlimited premium edition for $4.99. Update: A new version of AllCast, complete with Chromecast support, is now available to download on Google Play.
Daily Roundup: Google's Chromecast SDK, Facebook Paper hands-on and more!
You might say the day is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workday, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Daily Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past 24 hours -- all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.
Google finally opens Chromecast SDK, invites developers to get hackin'
The Chromecast is already a pretty easy sell: It's $35 and brings most of the biggest names in streaming media to your TV with minimal hassle. So, now that Google has opened the SDK to developers, it's pretty much a no-brainer. While there are no specific apps to announce at the moment, it's safe to assume the Play store will be flooded with updates soon enough. The SDK will allow coders to add a cast button to their app or site, be it on Android, iOS or in Chrome. The obvious use is for video apps, but there are plenty of other potential options here as well. If a developer decides to create a "custom receiver application" (rather than use the pre-built one provided by Google), they can put any standard web technologies on the big screen. So expect at least a few games and productivity apps to make the jump to Chromecast as well. Imagine firing up a presentation from Google Drive, displaying it on your 4K TV and controlling it with your phone. Or maybe Sony will build a version of Jeopardy where the board and clues are shown on the TV and your handset acts as the buzzer. Obviously, we're just speculating right now, but if we see those ideas come to fruition, we'll be expecting a nice royalty check. If you're more technically inclined, check out the video overview of the Chromecast SDK after the break.
