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SpaceX shows off a highlight reel of Crew Dragon parachute tests
As SpaceX continues its progress toward a Demo-2 launch of its Crew Dragon spacecraft with NASA astronauts aboard the company put together this reel of parachute tests. According to the tag, "SpaceX is returning human spaceflight capabilities to the United States with one of the safest, most advanced systems ever built." I didn't spot a clip from the failed test in April, but that's part of the reason why SpaceX is doing repeated tests from various heights and setups like the one it failed where one of the parachutes was intentionally disabled. It's all to make sure that the system works when it's called upon to provide a safe ocean landing for actual people. Boeing already announced the competing Starliner project has completed a qualification test for its parachute system, although both programs have faced technical issues, like the explosive incident SpaceX recently traced to an oxidizer leak.
'Gears 5' multiplayer test starts July 19th
The Coalition and Microsoft have offered a peek at Gears 5's cooperative Escape mode, but how does its competitive gameplay fare? You might find out very shortly if you're committed to the franchise. The companies are launching a Multiplayer Technical Test for the cover-based shooter that will run for two weekends, July 19th through July 21st and July 26th through July 29th. It'll be available to download for Windows 10 PC and Xbox One owners starting July 17th.
Alphabet's Loon could provide internet in Kenya this year
Alphabet's internet-delivering balloon service, Loon, expects to begin commercial service in Kenya sometime this year. The company just received approval from Kenyan officials to begin flying and testing over the country, and a Loon spokesperson said commercial service could be available in the coming months.
Microsoft starts public tests for 'Halo: Reach' on PC
Halo: Reach is now playable on PC... for a handful of very early adopters. Microsoft and 343 Industries have shared a slew of Master Chief Collection update news, including word that it has started a public test of Reach on Windows PCs that lasts through July 1st. Don't get your hopes up for joining in this round, though. There are less than 1,000 Halo Insiders involved, and they're playing just one campaign mission. The developers plan to invite more people "over time," though, so you can consider this the start of a much larger test experience.
Netflix tests an Instagram-style scrolling feed in its mobile app
One of Netflix's biggest challenges is helping users discover content. To address that, it's testing an Instagram-like scrolling feed that will show trailers, photos and alerts for shows and movies. The feature also encourages users to share those posts on third-party apps.
Spotify experiments with curated podcast playlists
Beginning today, a handful of Spotify users will see curated podcast playlists in their accounts. According to The Verge, the playlists are an experiment to help Spotify understand how it can help users discover new shows. The hand-picked lists will be broken into five categories: comedy, true crime, "geek culture," motivation and mindfulness. The Verge reports the playlists will include a mix of Spotify originals and third-party shows.
NVIDIA certifies another 16 gaming monitors as 'G-Sync Compatible'
Earlier this year, NVIDIA began testing a wide range of gaming monitors to determine which play nicely with its GeForce GPU. Initially, the company tested 400 monitors and said only 12 met its standards. Now, NVIDIA has expanded its list of "G-Sync Compatible" monitors to 28. But, the company tested 503 variable refresh rate (VRR) monitors, meaning the vast majority (94.4 percent) failed.
Watch the OnePlus 7 Pro's pop-up camera lift 49 pounds of cement
If you can get your hands on the OnePlus 7 Pro -- one of two flagship phones released today -- one of the first things you'll notice is that it's done away with the front-facing notch camera. Instead, OnePlus opted for a pop-up camera. And to prove just how durable it is, the company released a video of the camera lifting a 49.2-pound block of cement.
Spotify is testing podcast suggestions for your commute
In the past couple months, Spotify has doubled down on its podcasting efforts. It's invested hundreds of millions and acquired Gimlet, Anchor and Parcast. One thing the company lacks is a way to recommend podcasts to its audiences. But, according to The Verge, that could be changing. An early test shows podcast recommendations alongside personalized music suggestions in a new feature called Your Daily Drive -- hinting that Spotify wants to secure a spot in your commute.
Instagram test visualizes hiding 'Like' counts from viewers
Everyone has their own opinion about what specifically is wrong with social media, but the currency of likes is a commonly-cited issue. The latest grab bag of Instagram test features dug up by Jane Manchun Wong includes a version that doesn't let the audience see how many likes a post gets. The person who posted it still does, but as the app describes it, "We want your followers to focus on what you share, not how many likes your posts get. During this test, only the person who share a post will see the total number of likes it gets." Maybe that would help spread out the love on social media instead of people simply liking what others like, or maybe it wouldn't have much of an impact at all. Instagram confirmed to TechCrunch that it's an internal test the public can't see -- yet. It also didn't hide follower counts, which more commonly measure one's popularity, nor did it appear to impact the way posts are ranked by Instagram's inescapable algorithmic feed. Still, at least we'd never have to hear about the 'most-liked post ever' ever again (even it was ultimately for a good cause).
Get an up-close look at SpaceX's latest Starhopper test
Now that SpaceX started test firings and short "hop" tests on the launch pad at its Boca Chica, Texas site, it's apparently comfortable enough to show off the results. Tonight Elon Musk -- apparently unbothered by an internal investigation or ongoing wrangling with the SEC -- tweeted this two second clip of the snub-nosed "Starhopper" test vehicle that's on a short tether with one of the company's Raptor rocket engines mounted underneath. It's still not much of a trip, but the glimpse from up close is a preview of greater things to come. Eventually we should see test flights with the Phase 2 Starhopper that go much higher, similar to the progression of SpaceX's Grasshopper tests for the Falcon 9 a few years ago. All of this is necessary before we see the real Starship fly, so these small bites will have to do for now.
Twitter's profile preview test makes it easier to spot creeps
Twitter might just make it a little easier to silence unwanted attention from strangers -- or to forge a new friendship. It's testing profile previews in its iOS app that show more about a user without taking you away from your timeline. If you're included in the test, tapping on a user's @ handle in a tweet will show a card with their basic details and give you an option to follow or mute them. You can either return to your usual browsing or view their full profile if you need more details.
SpaceX postpones first Crew Dragon flight until March 2nd
SpaceX and NASA have set a new target date for the Crew Dragon's first test flight: March 2nd. The capsule was supposed to blast off on top of a Falcon 9 rocket and head to the ISS for the first time on January 7th, but the partners rescheduled it twice since then. Neither gave an explanation for the delays -- they're pretty common when it comes to rocket launches, after all -- but Florida Today brought up the possibility that the capsule's first test was affected by the 35-day government shutdown that lasted until January 25th.
Twitter is testing an 'original tweeter' label for threads
Twitter is testing a way to make it easier to spot the person who started a thread. A small percentage of iOS and Android users are seeing an "original tweeter" label. The company said earlier this month that it would publicly test some context and organization features.
Virgin Galactic could soon reach space for the first time
Virgin Galactic is leveling up the SpaceShipTwo's test flights and is planning to burn its rocket motor for durations far longer than it has before. The aerospace company's goal? It wants to reach space for the first time. According to Virgin's announcement, the next phase of the program will have its vehicle (officially called VSS Unity) flying higher and faster than before, with much heavier loads to simulate the weight of passengers it's planning to take on suborbital flights.
Virgin Orbit's rocket completes its first 'captive carry' flight test
Virgin Orbit just edged closer to its goal of launching rockets in mid-air. The company has completed the first "captive carry" test for its LauncherOne rocket, hauling the 70-foot machine under the wing of Cosmic Girl (its Boeing 747 launch aircraft/Jamiroquai reference) as it flew over southern California. The flight wasn't dramatic, but it provided vital data on how well the two vehicles will behave together when the rocket is ready to fire in earnest.
Volocopter will test its autonomous air taxis in Singapore next year
Volocopter is preparing to run inner-city tests of its autonomous air taxis in Singapore, starting in the second half of 2019. The company and the city-state's civil aviation authority are determining the scope of the tests, which Volocopter plans to conclude with public demo flights.
Facebook test lets users add songs to photos and videos
Starting next week, some Facebook users will see the option to add songs to their photo and video posts. The social network first mentioned that it's working on a feature that will allow you to add an appropriate soundtrack to your media posts when it announced Lip Sync Live. That time, though, the option was supposed to be exclusive to Stories -- the platform has decided to expand its scope and will now test the feature on both Stories and News Feed.
Instagram may tidy up captions by hiding hashtags
Instagram appears to be testing a way to add hashtags to a post without having to include them in the caption itself. App researcher Jane Manchun Wong spotted the feature and tweeted a screenshot of an updated interface. In the image, you can see a new "Add Hashtags" section and a screen where you can search for and select hashtags to add to your post. Wong added that it appears, as of now, there is no limit to how many hashtags can be added with the new feature.
Amazon shopping test recommends products based on your likes
Online stores have a common problem: you usually get recommendations based solely on what you've already seen or bought, which isn't much good if you don't know exactly what you're looking for. Amazon is testing a solution that might eliminate that indecisiveness. Its experimental Scout feature recommends products based on little more than like and dislike buttons below product images. If you give the thumbs-up to modern table lamps, you may be shown more cutting-edge designs and fewer vintage models.
