Thursday, May 28, 2015

Google's Project Jacquard wants to put a trackpad on your pants

The ATAP division of Google is known for some the most innovative ideas to come out of Silicon Valley. It's the home of the Project Ara modular phone and Project Tango. So it's no surprise to find that Project Jacquard has a large single piece of fabric with conductive yarn woven in that works like a trackpad. The Jacquard team said that more information about its technology would be revealed at tomorrow's ATAP session, but it already looks promising.

The Jacquard loom can weave regular and conductive fabric into a single piece of textile. On the demo table at I/O, the conductive squares on the larger piece of fabric where used to turn lights on, control a media player, and power two touch-tracking setups that visualized the interaction. The conductive surface uses low-power Wi-Fi to communicate with devices. While the demo was on a flat surface, the additional electronics needed to power and connect the fabric to a device are not quite ready to be sewn into your pants. The team is still working on shrinking those components down to integrate with its loom. But once they do, you might be swiping your next jacket to control smartphone.

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Source: Project Jacquard

Apple's latest purchase is an augmented reality company

Out of all the major technology companies, Apple is yet to reveal its plans for augmented or virtual reality. But still, chances are the Cupertino firm's working on a project (or two) behind closed doors, as signaled by multiple patents that have surfaced over the past few years. To make matters more interesting, Apple has bought Metaio, a startup from Germany that's been focusing on AR since it launched in 2003. "Pioneers in Augmented Reality and Computer Vision," reads a message displayed in large font on Metaio's website.

And if you look at its YouTube channel, you'll also find hundreds of videos about AR, such as demos, tutorials, presentations and more -- including one titled "The Industrial Augmented Reality Revolution," which covers how the technology turns real-world info into virtual objects. We reached out to Apple for confirmation and it said this in an email: "Apple buys smaller technology companies from time to time, and we generally do not discuss our purpose or plans." While vague, that is the company's usual response to any inquiry about its rumored acquisitions

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Source: TechCrunch

Google Photos cuts out Plus to make the app we really wanted

The most striking part of the just released (on the web, iOS and Android) Google Photos is how familiar it feels if you've already been using Photos in Google+, or before that, Picasa. The biggest change I noticed early on is that by separating Photos from its attempt to launch yet another social network, Google is starting focus on stuff that both benefits its users, and that it does well: cloud storage and using information to narrow down searches. Now, it's a perfect fit for how most people use cameras everyday, from the ones in their phones to point-and-shoots (but maybe not your DSLR). With unlimited storage and machine learning that can link photos by the people in them or where they were taken it's ready to make sense of your massive image library.

The tagline is "organized by what matters" and it refers to Photos ability to pull together geotagging information (if available) or just look at your pictures and figure out where they were taken by the landmarks in them. Most importantly, this information is private -- Photos is a private library where you can curate and edit your pictures, and then share as needed. That said, it is creepily good at identifying people (you can turn that off in the settings), even if it doesn't know who they really are. With my photos, it tracked pictures of my nieces as they grew over several years and still identified them accurately. According to the FAQ, it uses "face models" to group similar photos together. Its ability to ID objects wasn't quite as good -- apparently many of my shoes register as cars or buildings, but it was mostly on point.

One element I liked was its ability to create a sharable link to a picture, which you can then go back and kill later without deleting the photo, or just track which links have been created. Of course, it's also ready to share pictures directly to services like Twitter and Facebook (or Google+) without a problem. A Google Now-like "Assistant" feature tips you off when the app is ready to build out a new collection or collage, and even has the familiar cards setup.

Many of the features that were introduced on Google+ are here too, like Auto Awesome that quickly tweaks images to look their best and highlight faces, create animations from a series of successive shots or automatically create Stories from a place or event. By pulling these features out of Google+, it makes them more logical to use even if the friends you'll be sharing them to are on a different service. The usual light photo editing tools are also included, like cropping or adjusting levels.

Upon loading the new Photos app, users have an option to stick with using their Google Drive storage, or moving over to the new service and its promise of unlimited backups. By choosing the bottomless option, you'll be limited to pictures at a maximum size of 16MP, and videos at 1080p, but that should be fine for most. It also implements some compression on your stored pictures, and while I didn't notice any differences, it's worth considering for those more serious about their pictures. If you want full-res backups that stay as RAW or TIFF files, you can use the Google Drive options for more space, like a 1TB service that costs $10 per month. On the other hand, if you're just running out of space on your phone, the app can identify which photos you have backed up to the cloud and offer to delete them locally.

This is hardly the only way to back up your pictures. Apple has its revamped iCloud Photos setup for iOS and Mac, and Flickr recently added machine recognition to its unlimited storage picture service. Others like VSCO Cam are also options for photo editing and organizing. From what I've seen so far, Google has a better mix of tools that's easy to use even for people who are casual about their pictures and works cross platform -- I tried the app on an iPad and it was almost identical to the version on my Android phone. That's not much help if your platform of choice is something else like Windows Phone, but hopefully Google fixes that -- this gets better if it's available in more places.

Bradley Horowitz, Google's VP of Streams, Photos and Sharing says the point is to make its abilities so transparent they sink into the background, and on that front it has succeeded. The new Google Photos isn't just easy to use, it's unobtrusive and most importantly private by default. In our (overly) public, complicated and multifaceted digital lives, that's refreshing.

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Source: Google Blog, Google Photos

Google's Now on Tap makes Android M smartphones so much smarter

In no particular order, Google's invading our living rooms, our extremities, our skies, and - curiously - our Android phones. No, really! By announcing Google Now on Tap during today's I/O keynote, the company's going all-in on the idea that a Google smartphone isn't complete without the full power of the Knowledge Graph baked into it. And you know what? I think they're right. Even after just a few moments messing around with it, I don't ever want to use an Android device that can't do what Now on Tap can.

Before we go any further, know this: You're not going to be able to use this feature just yet. Holding down the home button on a device running the Android M preview yields a sad little pop-up proclaiming these go-anywhere Now information cards aren't in this software build. At first I thought it was because there weren't any updated apps that knew to pass along data to Now when I asked for it, but Google product manager Paige Dunn-Rankin kindly set me straight. App developers don't have to do anything at all; Now parses the information on-screen and tries to surface relevant information like locations, reviews and definitions all on its lonesome. And you know what the crazy part is? Even now, in its nascent, not-even-closed to finish state, it's amazing.

A Quick Look at Google Now on Tap

Yes, you can the bet the demos on stage -- asking what Skrillex's real name was without actually saying his nom de gibberish -- were rehearsed like crazy. Dunn-Rankin's examples were a little more off the cuff, though. While looking up a Miles Davis record on Ebay, she invoked Now with a long press to reveal biographical information and links to his jaunty tunes on Spotify. Pressing and holding the home button while looking at an Instagram photo brought up its Yelp and Foursquare listings, not to mention a read on how far away we were from it. It works great with voice inputs, too, and the ability to infer the context of a situation is seriously impressive -- you can finally speak naturally to Now, and it'll respond naturally with (almost) exactly what you were looking for. Google's been blurring the line between regular Android phones and ones that sort of double as helpful assistants since the days of the 2014 Moto X, which would rouse itself from slumber when you called for it, so today's news is a step we all probably could've foretold.

Naturally, not everyone's as thrilled as I am. Earlier in the day, my colleague Nicole Lee mentioned that the feature would "creep you out even more than before." I completely disagree. Fine, there might be something initially unnerving about a system that tries to anticipate what you want, but mechanically, it's not even close to weird. Google Now just looks at the context of a given situation faster than you can, and provides some very logical jumping off points. It's not scary, it's just scary efficient... though some would agree only a fine line divides the two.

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This foldable drone origamis itself and dissolves when done

MIT recently unveiled -- or rather, unfurled -- an unusual drone specimen. The tiny robot weighs a third of a gram and is just 1.7 cm long. It starts its existence as a flat, paper or polystyrene wafer. When activated with a small heat source, the drone folds itself up into the complex shape you see above and can begin moving (or swimming!) at a rate of 3 cm/sec.

The drone's movement is "powered" by two sets of magnets: a neodymium magnet integrated into the robot itself and another four electromagnetic coils located under the operating surface that attract and repel the onboard magnet as needed. Technically, the magnets cycle on and off at 15 Hz, causing the onboard magnet to rattle in time, driving the asymmetrical feet and moving the robot. When you're done using the drone, simply drop it into an acetone bath and the external structure will completely dissolve, leaving just the magnet behind. The MIT team, led by Shuhei Miyashita, debuted the robot at ICRA 2015 in Seattle yesterday. They hope that future iterations will dissolve entirely as well as be able to fold itself within your body, operate autonomously (doing lord knows what to your gut), then melt away without a trace.

[Image Credit: Evan Ackerman/IEEE Spectrum]

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Source: Spectrum IEEE

Google wants more Chromecast multiplayer games and autoplaying apps

Google has sold 17 million Chromecasts thus far, but it obviously wants to sell more and make the media player more valuable to current users at the same time. The company is releasing a bunch of new APIs that will allow developers to create even better apps, games and experiences. To start with, Mountain View is making it easier for them to tailor second-screen experiences for both iOS and Android. That could lead to more games that use phones as controllers (see above), as well as other types of apps like photo editors that place editing tools on smartphone displays.

Add that to the fact that the company's also simplifying the process of creating multiplayer games, and you can expect more titles that can be navigated using iPhones and Android devices. Finally, Google is providing devs with the API to allow users to queue videos, the same feature already available for YouTube and Netflix on Chromecast. Even better, the second video in line will begin buffering even before the first ends for nonstop, no-downtime video binges.

Don't miss out on all the latest news and updates from Google I/O 2015. Follow along at our events page.

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Source: Google Developers

Google wants you to buy Big Macs with your face

Google may have been the first big tech company to push NFC payments, but it was Apple Pay that got the public excited about buying things with your smartphone. At a Google I/O session for Android Pay, the search giant announced that it was partnering with McDonalds and Papa John's Pizza to launch Hands Free, a payment system that looks suspiciously like the Pay with Square app (later called Square Wallet and discontinued). Customers walk in to a store and say, "I'd like to pay with Google," and the cashier will see a photo of the customer and their name on their point-of-sale system. The service is initially launching in San Francisco in the coming months and those interested can sign up for the beta here. Details about the geofencing payment service are sparse, but it should use cards stored in the upcoming Android Pay.

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Source: Google

iPhones can be Google VR viewers, too

As we walked out of today's Google I/O keynote, we -- and all other keynote attendees -- were handed the second-generation version of Cardboard, Google's low-tech effort at a VR headset. As was announced at the keynote itself, the new Cardboard is designed to fit phones that are 6-inches or larger, which makes sense given the size of Google's own Nexus 6. It's also now much easier to set up; in just three easy steps. Another improvement is that it no longer has the magnetic ring trigger of the original, which apparently didn't work with all phones. Now it has a simple top button that when pressed, activates a lever coated in capacitive tape -- think of it as a cardboard finger touching the phone's screen. This, of course, makes the Cardboard viewer compatible with a lot more phones -- including, yes, the iPhone.

I had the chance to try out the new viewer with both a Nexus 6 and an iPhone 6, and well, it certainly is easy to put together. Just snap out the velcro, fold the pre-scored pieces of cardboard, put in your phone, and voila -- you've got a VR headset. The top button is also far easier to push down, giving it a very ViewMaster feel. As for content, Google also announced the new Cardboard app for iOS today, along with an updated Cardboard SDK for developers to build VR apps for Apple's mobile OS as well. The demo apps for iOS are a little different -- there's an Exhibit app of different museums plus a colorful kaleidoscope -- but the experience is very similar to the one on Android. Images are surprisingly colorful and sharp, though I did experience a bit of lag when transitioning between different screens.

As ever, Cardboard won't have the same fidelity and immersiveness as something like the Oculus Rift or Gear VR -- there's no danger of light leaking through, for example -- but it's pretty great for what is essentially just a piece of cardboard and some lenses. If you want one for yourself, you'll have to either make it yourself from Google's own specs, or get one from Dodocase for around $25. Oh, and that Cardboard app for iOS? It's out already, so go on and try it out if you have an iPhone and that new Cardboard viewer lying around.

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Source: Cardboard (iTunes)

Feds to overhaul program that delivers broadband to the poor

Vulnerable Internet

While 95 percent of American households earning six figures annually have access to broadband internet, just 48 percent of homes making under $25,000 enjoy the same benefit. Thursday, the Federal Communications Commission announced plans to reduce that internet inequality gap by subsidizing the broadband access for America's poorest families. Specifically, the FCC is looking to revamp its existing Lifeline program, which already provides both phone and prepaid wireless service, to now include broadband as well.

"Broadband access is essential to find a job -- more than 80 percent of Fortune 500 job openings are online," FCC chairman Bob Wheeler explained in a blog post. "Americans need broadband to keep a job, as companies increasingly require basic digital literacy skills. We rely on broadband to manage and receive healthcare, and to help our children do their homework."

And while Republican lawmakers like Louisiana Senator David Vitter have railed against the program as "one of the most corrupt federal programs in recent memory" (which subsequently led to comprehensive reforms eliminating waste and fraud in 2012), it should be noted that the program actually began way back in 1985 during the Reagan administration. The program expanded in 2005 to include pre-paid wireless service because, as Wheeler explained, more than half of low-income Americans have had to cancel (or at least suspend) cell service due to financial hardships.

[Image Credit: The AP]

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Via: Yahoo

Source: FCC

'Pillar' is a personality test and much more in video game form

"When people think you're dying, they really, really listen to you instead of just -- "

"Instead of just waiting for their turn to speak."

This scene from Fight Club encapsulates one of the driving ideas behind Pillar, a video game starring a series of characters with disparate personalities and quirks, each given mysterious puzzles to solve. Indie developer Michael Hicks is interested in how people communicate and the unique way every human perceives the world. Pillar distills these broad observations into just a few characters running around a wintry town, searching for a secret artifact. Each character is different, but their goal is the same -- it's a lot like real life. Hicks wants his game to inspire conversations; he isn't looking to start arguments or incite rants. He'd love for people to truly connect with each other and Pillar might make that happen.

"I hope it encourages players to consider other people in real-life conversations, which we rarely do," Hicks says. "If someone says something we don't agree with, the knee-jerk reaction is to argue or superimpose our views. I think the world would be a better place if we tried to understand where other people are coming from and accept them for who they are."

Pillar has roots in the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator assessment, a personality test that rates people based on four dichotomies: deductive, inductive, subjective and objective. Hicks ran into the Myers-Briggs test during a psychology class and was struck by the mechanical way it approached personality traits -- almost like a game would.

"Originally, I made Pillar to express how it felt to be around a girlfriend I had," Hicks says. "It's hard to verbalize, but she was strong at things I was weak at, and I was strong at things she was weak at." Hicks interviewed her and discovered they had two traits in common and two opposite, just as he intuited. "Pillar isn't a perfect reconstruction of the test, but all of the main traits are there somehow," he says.

It started with the test, but Pillar doesn't stop there. Hicks doesn't see Myers-Briggs as the silver bullet of personality analysis -- "It's clearly not a science, but that doesn't mean it has no value," he says. Overall, Hicks has grander thoughts about relativity, morality and the rejection of subtlety in everyday communication. As he discovered with his girlfriend, opposite traits between two people can equalize both parties, but this often requires people to step outside of themselves, recognize their own shortcomings and accept the faults in others.

It's hard to have constructive conversations when we just preach and don't listen to the other person.

"The whole concepts of right and wrong, good and evil -- I think those are horrible things to subscribe to because they separate people and cause conflict," Hicks says. "What I think is 'right' is a reflection of my environment and upbringing; everyone thinks they're right. The game explores the idea that maybe there's a purpose for both extremes we find in life, even things that are detrimental to us. I'm not saying we should be quiet and not speak our mind, but so many do it in a toxic way. It's hard to have constructive conversations when we just preach and don't listen to the other person."

Pillar launched on PlayStation 4 back in February, but Hicks wouldn't be surprised if you haven't heard of it. He "flubbed" the marketing, he says. For one, he didn't receive review codes until a few days after launch. "I should've announced the release date a month or so ahead of time to avoid things like this," he says.

"But I've been happy with the number of people playing so far," Hicks continues. "I have a ways until I'm where I'd like to be but I can't complain. What's cool is there's a steady stream of new people playing even after three months; it's had a very grassroots way of growing so I'm thankful for that."

And Pillar is still growing. It's due to launch on Steam on Friday, May 29, and it's available to play right now on PS4 for $8.

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Sign into Netflix straight from your Google account

You've been able to sign into third-party websites with your Google credentials for years, but now the company is broadening out the places that info can take you. On its Developer Blog, the outfit is talking up its new Identity Platform, a suite of developer tools that let others build "frictionless" entry to name-brand sites. The biggest name on the list of early partners is Netflix, which will now let viewers keep watching on their Android devices without having to re-enter their subscription details.

Essentially, this makes Google one part universal log-in, one part password manager, that can do the same for both websites and newly-downloaded Android apps. The aim of the exercise is to provide a seamless experience, and in another example, if you've browsed Orbitz on your phone, those same searches will instantly be available to you should you switch to the desktop (on Chrome, at least). Oh, and if neither of those names are exciting to you, just wait until Linkedin joins the party, which is expected to happen in the very near future.

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Source: Google

Canadian man gets fined for using his Apple Watch while driving

Now that electronics manufacturers are releasing more and more smartwatch models, you might be wondering what the authorities' stance is on using one while driving. Well, this clears things up a bit for our Canadian readers: a man named Jeffrey Macesin was recently pulled over and fined $120 for using his Apple Watch behind the wheel. Macesin told CTV News Montreal that the watch was inside a bag, and that he was only changing songs on it at that moment, since it was plugged into the car radio. He thought the cop only wanted him to get out of the way when he turned the cruiser's lights on, but the officer obviously thought the device was a cause of distraction.

In the end, he got a ticket under Section 439.1 of the Quebec Highway Safety Code, which states "No person may, while driving a road vehicle, use a handheld device that includes a telephone function." Technically, smartwatches aren't handheld devices, but it has an LCD screen and smartwatch-like features, so they fall within a grey area. A lawyer who specializes in traffic violations, Avi Levy, told CTV News he believes a smartwatch is a Bluetooth device instead of a handheld, and "it has been established in the law that you're allowed to use Bluetooth devices and it doesn't constitute an infraction."

In at least two other locations, New South Wales and Victoria, Australia, cops made it clear in April that if you use a smartwatch while driving, you could face penalties. As for everyone else outside those locations, it's best to ask your local government or law enforcement agencies for now if you want to know your chances of being ticketed. Or, you know, you could just do the smart thing and keep your eyes off your shiny new gadget while driving.

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Source: CTV News Montreal

What sweet treat will the 'M' in 'Android M' stand for?

In no surprise to anyone, Google announced that its next version of Android will be called "M," the natural followup to Lollipop and its other edible mobile operating systems. We won't know for some time what the "M" will stand for and are really hoping it's not something lame like "Mobile." Our team came up with a few suggestions of what the sweet treat might be and invite you to guess which one you think will get the honors. If we got it wrong and you have another idea, tweet it to us (we're @engadget, natch).

What sweet treat will Android's next operating system be named after?

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'3D printing' used to test a 'cure' for type-1 diabetes

diabetic lancet device in hand ...

Researchers are one step closer to reducing the effects of type-1 diabetes after developing a way to implant insulin-generating cells into the pancreas. According to publisher IOP, this method was previously unsuccessful, but has begun to work now that scientists can "3D-print" a structure to protect the cells. Previous attempts to implant these cells, called islets of Langerhans, have been unsuccessful because the body's immune system would attack them as soon as they were injected.

This time around, however, the team embedded the cells into a three-dimensional structure made from a mixture of alginate and gelatin. Another problem, however, was developing a scaffold that could both hold the islets in place and keep them protected while letting blood and insulin pass through. Right now, the project is just some grim-looking petri dishes at the University of Twente, but if the process can be refined, then type-1 diabetics may never again have to suffer the effects of an attack of hypoglycemia.

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Via: Eurekalert

Source: IOP (.PDF)

NHL team projects Nintendo-esque 'Bolts of Steel' game on ice

We've seen 3D projections on basketball courts and arena floors before, but the NHL's Tampa Lightning just took the game up a notch. Before the team's Eastern Conference Finals game on Tuesday, it used the playing surface to project a "Bolts of Steel" (get it, lightning bolts) game simulation inspired by the Nintendo classic Blades of Steel. We surmise they opted for another name not just for copyright purposes, but because the franchise didn't exist until 1992. While the video you'll see after the break is a render/demo, a Deadspin reader caught the thing on tape during the pregame festivities, so you can have a look at was it was like for those in attendance. Perhaps if the Bolts advance to the Stanley Cup Finals, they'll let a couple of fans duke it out for some nachos.

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Via: SB Nation

Source: Tampa Bay Ligthning

Wax Woz is coming to Madame Tussauds in San Francisco

9th annual Southeast Venture Conference and Digital Summit Charlotte

Step inside the Madame Tussauds in San Francisco and you'll find waxworks of Barack Obama, Mark Zuckerberg and other American icons. Steve Jobs is also present, but for many Apple fans there's something amiss about his model. The problem? There's no Steve Wozniak standing alongside him. Following a public competition to decide the next "tech innovator" waxwork, Madame Tussauds has agreed to immortalize the Apple cofounder next to his friend and fellow tech visionary. Woz now needs to visit the museum and conduct a two to three hour sitting, during which 250 measurements will be taken to ensure his model is accurate. Sculpting should take three to four months, and when the finished article is unveiled in the fall, Woz will be there for a quick side-by-side comparison. "I can't wait to see my figure next to Jobs - it'll be just like old times," he says.

[Image Credit: Charlotte Observer via Getty Images]

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Via: techeye

Source: Madame Tussauds

Seattle Symphony uses Kinect to conduct robotic instruments

Microsoft might have scaled back its ambitions for Kinect, but creative modders and developers are still finding ways to put the peripheral to good use. Conductor Ludovic Morlot used the device to control three "kinetic" instruments -- a robotic grand piano, 24-reedhorn sculpture and custom concert chimes -- as part of an intimate Seattle Symphony performance on May 1st. During the 22-minute composition, Morlot could start, stop and control the volume of the instruments with gestures. Making a fist in different places let him select the unusual instruments, while waving the other hand up and down would change the amplification. The system was devised by Trimpin, a kinectic sculptor, sound artist and musician, and will remain in the Benaroya Hall so that visitors can try it for themselves. Microsoft seems to have given up on its second-gen Kinect, but mods like this are a reminder of its untapped potential. Between this concert, a weird musical sandbox and a Nine Inch Nails festival tour, it seems to have a small future in the music industry.

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Source: Kinect for Windows

Android TV will display video apps as regular channels

For Android TV, 2015 could turn out to be a breakout year -- at least that's what Google hopes. But how does the search giant plan to reach those heights? Well, one way is by expanding its home entertainment platform's support for live TV programming, with a new feature called Android Channels.

Developing...

Don't miss out on all the latest news and updates from Google I/O 2015. Follow along at our events page.

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Via: Variety

Google I/O 2015: the numbers you need to know

Didn't fancy sitting through the whole liveblog from this year's Google I/O keynote? We understand. Sometimes you just want to catch they key plays via the post-game show. And that's kinda why Engadget exists, after all. As always with Google's big developer event, there was a lot of ground covered in a relatively short space of time. Fear not, below are the things we think you most need to know.

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DARPA wants you to help with its terrifying schemes... by gaming

If you like playing online games, then you too can help birth some (possibly sinister) software from DARPA. The US Army's slightly insane research division launched its Verigames web portal in late 2013 with five free online games designed to crowdsource coding. How? Like a similar effort that folded AIDS proteins, the games "translate players' actions into program annotations," to kill numerous bugs in systems code, according to DARPA. The first experiment was a success and "produced hundreds of thousands of (code) annotations," so the agency plans to expand the program with five new games.

They're not exactly mindless shooters, though. You'll be tasked to "energize mysterious patterns in a cosmic puzzle machine," "optimize vast networks," and "match quarks in the name of cyber-security," to cite a few examples. If that's your idea of a good time, you can sign up, check out the games here and fire them up in your browser. It's all good fun in the name of science, unless you end up contributing to the rise of some pretty scary machines.

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Source: DARPA

Acer outs three new models of its Liquid Leap wearable

Last month, Acer teased a trio of new wearables in New York City. Today it's making them official. Enter the Liquid Leap Active, Leap Curve and Leap Fit, all designed with fitness, activity tracking and removable bands in mind. The Fit is the only one with a heart rate sensor, though, while the Curve and Active focus on offering features such as a curved display and sleep pattern-monitoring, respectively. Acer's staying mum on pricing and availability right now, but the company did say we'll learn those details at Computex 2015 next week. In the meantime, at least there's some eye candy to hold you over until then.

Liquid Leap Active.

Liquid Leap Curve.

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A taste of something great: five days with NVIDIA's Shield Android TV

A taste of something great: five days with NVIDIA's Shield Android TV

I wanted to watch The West Wing, so I asked for it. I wanted to play Asphalt 8 on my TV, so I downloaded it. I wanted people to see me playing a copy of Street Fighter X Tekken I didn't (strictly speaking) own, so I broadcasted it. All of these little interactions -- some mundane, some seemingly strange -- are what make using NVIDIA's Shield Android TV box such a tantalizing experience. At its very core, it's not all that different from the Nexus Player we saw last year, with an added veneer of NVIDIA gamer-friendliness. It's that extra dose of ambition, though, that makes the Shield the most interesting Android TV box you'll find out there right now. I've had the thing hooked up to my TV for five days and haven't completely put it through its paces yet, but read on for a taste of what it's like having a Shield-powered living room.

We can zip through the broad strokes pretty quickly. With sharp, angular lines and a pulsating green light (I think of it as an eye) etched into its side, the Shield would be downright imposing if it weren't the size of a paperback. Setting up the Shield for the first time? Dead simple. Its back is festooned with connections: three full-size USB ports, one micro-USB, an HDMI-out, a Gigabit Ethernet jack and a slot for a microSD card. That last bit will come in handier for some of you than others, since the Shield comes in two flavors: a $199 version with 16GB of internal storage and a $299 model with 500GB of space. Once everything's connected, you'll be prompted to log in with your Google account, et voilà: you're all set.

If I'm being honest, Android TV hasn't changed all that much since we first saw it last year -- your apps, content and settings are laid out in rows you can navigate with the included Shield controller, but the magic really happens when you thumb the green NVIDIA logo. Once you do that, it's time to search for something, anything using your voice, and that's where Android TV seriously shines. Oscar winners from 1995? Recent movies starring Chiwetel Ejiofor? Game Sack? Shield picked up on every one of those requests with ease and brought up a slew of content cards related to those requests. If anything, it seemed a little more accurate than when we mucked around with the Nexus Player, which would occasionally throw in a few off-the-wall cards for reasons we couldn't quite crack. We have, however, figured out how some errant bits fit into the TV experience.

Remember that "Live Channels" Android TV app that popped up in the Play Store late last year? The one that basically promised to route actual, live television through your tiny Android box? Well, if you hook a TV tuner like the ones made by SiliconDust up to a Shield, the app will become accessible and you'll be treated to a sleek, blue interface showing off what's playing. What's more important, you'll actually be able to watch those shows live -- some people figured out the right tuner would kinda, sorta unlock that functionality on the Nexus Player, but it couldn't properly decode high-definition broadcast video. If you're like me, though, you've got a pricey cable contract and little need for a standalone TV tuner setup.

If we take a step back from there, we're left with my major Shield sticking point: In order to squeeze the most out of the thing, you'll need some extra hardware. The Shield, for instance, is the first Android TV box to support 4K video streaming thanks to working relationships with companies like Netflix. Hook up a Shield to a 4K television, fire up Netflix, and you'll see certain titles highlighted with an UltraHD badge -- one quick click from there and you're watching House of Cards in glorious super-high resolution. (Other UHD content providers, like Amazon, haven't made their stuff available here yet). Thing is, I don't have a 4K television. Most people in the US don't, though we're finally getting to the point where you can buy one without melting your credit card. All the videos I tried in a hotel suite with NVIDIA reps floating around looked gorgeous, but it's not something many of us will be able to immediately appreciate. I don't have one of NVIDIA's GTX-series graphics cards either -- again, like most people -- so the finer points of streaming games straight from my PC to an Android set-top box were lost on me. Even the excellent Shield remote control, which feels really sturdy and has a great microphone, will set you back an extra $50.

I'll be putting those features through the wringer in our full review (coming soon!), but I was still pretty pleased with the out-of-box gaming experience Shield brings to your TV stand. Titles like SoulCalibur, Asphalt 8 and even Doom III ran great on my 47-inch LG thanks to the Tegra X1 chipset and the 256-core Maxwell GPU thrumming away in that angular body. The number of games optimized to run with this sort of horsepower on screens this large is still modest, though graphically intense games like Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance and Half-Life 2: Episode 2 are currently slated for summer launches. At this point, it's honestly hard to say if the Shield has the chops to depose full-blown game consoles, but it's sure as hell trying.

The biggest gaming question mark for me was whether or not I'd be able to use NVIDIA's Grid cloud gaming service, which promises to let you play games powered by remote hardware at full HD and at 60 frames per second. My home router -- a mostly new Apple Airport Extreme -- definitely wasn't one of the models NVIDIA recommended for Grid use. A bit of on-screen griping later, and I still managed to play through several rounds of Street Fighter X Tekken without too many dropped frames, though I spent most of my time laying down Hurricane-Kick-to-Hadouken-to-Dragon-Punch combos on computer opponents. We'll see what happens when we drag other humans into the mix, but I was a little shocked at just how well everything worked considering my subpar setup.

It's been less than a week, but I'm utterly intrigued by this new Shield. The original was a clunky portable that turned out to be a seriously hardy gaming companion. Its successor of sorts wound up being one of our favorite Android tablets. I'm withholding final judgment for just a little while longer, but it feels like the third time for NVIDIA really might be the charm, and that's saying something.

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NVIDIA starts selling its Android TV-powered Shield media hub

NVIDIA Shield

Been jonesing for a very high-powered, Android TV-based media hub? You now have a chance to do something about that craving, as NVIDIA has started selling its Shield set-top box in North America. Pay $199 and you'll get the regular Shield, whose tiny 16GB of storage makes it clear that you'll be streaming a lot of 4K Netflix videos and playing games in the cloud through NVIDIA's GRID service. You'll need to pony up for the $299 Shield Pro to get loads of built-in storage (500GB) for local content, although you'll also get a copy of Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel in the bargain. And don't worry about buying content to get started -- both Shields come with a $30 Google Play gift card and three months of Google Play Music, so you'll have something to do as soon as you've pulled off the shrink wrap.

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Source: NVIDIA

Google Cardboard is coming to iOS

At the I/O developers conference this morning, Google announced that its low-cost VR headset, dubbed Cardboard, is now available for use with the Apple operating system. Since its debut at last year's I/O, the system has only been available for the Android OS.

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Don't miss out on all the latest news and updates from Google I/O 2015. Follow along at our events page.

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Android app makers can experiment with Play Store listings

Google Play Store Developer Pages

Those rumors of Google letting Android app developers experiment with what you see in the Play Store? Yes, they're true. Creators can now conduct tests to see what pricing works best, or whether one icon color is more alluring than others -- you'll only view one of each while the test is ongoing. Also, app makers are getting Developer Pages (shown above) that showcase all of their apps, so you'll have a one-stop shop for everything from your preferred brand. If all goes well, you'll find more Android apps with prices you're willing to pay, and you won't have to scrounge quite so much to get every app you need.

Don't miss out on all the latest news and updates from Google I/O 2015. Follow along at our events page.

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GoPro unveils a 360-degree camera array for VR videos

Now that Google has announced Jump, a new VR technology platform that lets you create and share 3D content, you're probably wondering how you can do exactly that. Well, Google has partnered with GoPro to come up with a solution: a 360-degree camera array built out of 16 GoPros. The circular rig boasts camera syncing, multi-camera control and a super-long battery life so it can stand out there to capture as much crazy 3D footage as you can conjure up. From there, you can just hand over the video to Google's Jump software and it'll process it for you. And, if you like, you can share it with the world so that anyone with a VR headset -- Cardboard or not -- will be able to see it. We're hearing from Google that the 360-degree camera will be seeded out to a few select Youtubers at least initially, but it'll eventually be up for purchase to any and all wannabe VR content creators. Meanwhile, you should check out the video below to see an interactive (use your keyboard or mouse to look all around you) 3D video shot with the GoPro 360-degree camera array.

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Google announces new VR content creation platform and improved Cardboard

Google brought virtual reality to the masses cheaply with Cardboard, a DIY headset announced at last year's I/O conference. Now, the search giant's building upon its 1 million VR viewers with an improved cardboard headset that fits smartphone screens up to 6 inches. It also incorporates a new top-mounted button that replaces the finicky magnetic ring so that Cardboard works with any phone. And, in what's probably the most consumer-friendly move Google's made with the new and improved Cardboard, it takes just three steps to assemble. Google's Clay Bavor, Vp of Product, told IO attendees that they'd be receiving these new DIY VR kits immediately after keynote. The Cardboard SDK now also works with iOS in addition to Android.

Google also announced Jump, its new VR platform for creating and sharing content.

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JXE Streams: Join us for some 'Affordable Space Adventures'

KnapNok Games gets what Richard Branson doesn't. Of course people want to hang out in space, but they definitely don't want to pay top dollar to do it! So rather than drop $200,000 on a Virgin Galactic reservation, why not fire up your Wii U for some Affordable Space Adventures? The game simulates the existential nightmare of getting trapped on a foreign planet as well as makes novel use of the console's unique tablet controller. It's win-win! Join us at 3:30PM ET today for a live tour of the game on JXE Streams.

Tune in right here, at Engadget.com/gaming and on Twitch.tv/Joystiq to catch 90 straight minutes of poor ship piloting and space madness.

Enjoy the streams? Follow us on Twitch.tv/Joystiq to know whenever we go live!

[We're streaming Affordable Space Adventures through an Elgato HD via OBS at 720p.]

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Google Play rolls out kid-friendly discovery tool

Finding kid-friendly content in the clutter of inappropriate digital entertainment is one of the hardest tasks for parents. Google Play will now include a discovery tool that makes it easier for families to find apps, movies, shows and books that are best suited for kids. Google started keeping a tighter check on the apps coming through the Play Store with a rating system earlier this year. The new feature builds on that system for parents to find entertainment that's rated safe for kids. The discovery tool will roll out over the next few weeks.

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Don't miss out on all the latest news and updates from Google I/O 2015. Follow along at our events page.

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Google's Cloud Messaging now sends notifications to iOS devices

Google I/O 2015

Google's Cloud Messaging is no longer just for sending alerts to Android devices or your web browser. The internet giant has announced that the service now pushes notifications to iOS devices as well -- your favorite app can deliver updates to all your gadgets using a single system. The Cloud Messaging update also introduces topics, so an app can ask you about getting only the notifications you care about. A news app can send you notifications about tech and world news, for instance, while skipping entertainment. These features will take a while to filter down to the software you use, but they promise to both keep your hardware in harmony and cut back on some noise.

Don't miss out on all the latest news and updates from Google I/O 2015. Follow along at our events page.

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Source: Google

Google Maps delivers destination info, voice directions while offline

Sometimes you still need navigation and destination info when you're offline. Google is delivering just that with offline Maps. Even when you're not connected (or in airplane mode), the app will still provide information on places in your searches. This means that you can browse hours, reviews and other important details for places like museums and restaurants. What's more, voice-guided turn-by-turn navigation is included as well for maps that you've saved for offline use. Unfortunately, there's no word on when the new tools will arrive other than a vague "later this year."

Don't miss out on all the latest news and updates from Google I/O 2015. Follow along at our events page.

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Google Photos is a storage and editing service for mobile and web

Google is launching a standalone photo- and video-hosting service called Google Photos. This is a "home" and an organizational system for all of your selfies, videos and other pictures, Director of Google Photos Anil Sabharwal announced today at Google I/O.

Rumors of Google's separate photo service hit the 'net earlier in May and we got a peek at a new, non-Google+ Android Photos app just last week.

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Google reveals Now on Tap, its new concierge for Android M

Google's trying to make Now even more subservient to your needs, and has just revealed a new version for Android M called Now on Tap. The new features are designed to instantly help you with whatever you're doing on your smartphone or tablet. For instance if a friend texts you with a dinner invite at a new restaurant, you can ask Now on Tap for help without leaving the app. It'll also create reminders on the fly about your conversations and incorporate Knowledge Graph information into the tool.

In another example, if a pal sends you an email expressing interest in a new movie (Ex Machina, sounds appropriate) you can instantly invoke Now to get ratings, purchase tickets or watch a preview.

Don't miss out on all the latest news and updates from Google I/O 2015. Follow along at our events page.

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Project Brillo is Google's platform for the 'internet of things'

Google wants to be everywhere in your home, not just hiding inside your thermostats and smoke alarms. That's why, as rumored, it's just announced Project Brillo, a super-slim operating system that's designed specifically for devices collectively known as the internet-of-things. If you're feeling a sense of deja vu, don't -- the company has already dipped a toe or two into this market before, with 2011's quietly-abandoned Android@Home project. As expected, Project Brillo is based on Android, but pared down enough to operate on a wide variety of day to day (and traditionally dumb) objects -- doorbells, baby cameras, ovens and so on.

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Don't miss out on all the latest news and updates from Google I/O 2015. Follow along at our events page.

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Google standardizing fingerprint IDs across Android devices

Google's just revealed that it will standardize fingerprint ID security across Android M devices, so that every manufacturer doesn't have to build its own system. What that means is that developers will be able to use an open system that lets you unlock your device, buy with Google Pay, pay at Google's Play store and perform other common functions with your fingerprint. The system will also be bundled as an API in third-party applications. In other words, it'll work much like Apple's fingerprint system already does.

Don't miss out on all the latest news and updates from Google I/O 2015. Follow along at our events page.

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BBC iPlayer comes to the Wii U with GamePad viewing

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These days, it's pretty hard to find anything electronic that doesn't have access to BBC iPlayer already. Nintendo's Wii U is one of the most notable exceptions, but if you've been quietly jonesing for an iPlayer client to hit the quirky console, then jones no more. With zero fanfare marking its launch, BBC iPlayer is now available to download in the Nintendo eShop. The Wii U's GamePad is fully supported, too, so you're not tied to the TV screen if, you know, your tablet's run out of battery.

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Via: MCV, Nintendo Life

Android Pay will arrive with Android M, handle payments via NFC

Google SVP Sundar Pichai may have tipped the company's hand on mobile payments back in Barcelona, but he offered little detail on how the system would work. At I/O 2015, though, the folks in Mountain View served up a wealth of details on the matter, including the announcement that Android Pay would be part of the Android M release. Just like Apple Pay, transactions are sorted via NFC and your actual card number isn't shared with merchants. When it arrives, the system will be employed by over 700,000 retailers like Macy's and many more. It'll also be used for in-app purchases from retailers, so if you're ordering food from Chipotle or paying for an Uber ride, you'll be able to use Android Pay there as well. And yes, web sellers can leverage the system, too.

In terms of security, the payment tech will employ your phone's fingerprint scanner if it has one to pay for items from a MasterCard, Visa, AmEx or Discover card and Google says it's still working on expanding the list of banks that support Android Pay. No mention what'll happen to Google Wallet just yet, but reports surfaced yesterday that it would handle sending money between individuals as the folks in Mountain View completely overhaul Android phone-driven payments. That same report mentioned loyalty programs being lumped into Android Pay, but there haven't been any details on that yet either.

Don't miss out on all the latest news and updates from Google I/O 2015. Follow along at our events page.

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Google's Inbox email app is now open to (almost) everyone

Google Inbox

You no longer have to cajole your friends into giving you an invite to Google's smarter, task-oriented Inbox app. As of today, it's available to everyone with a standard Gmail account -- you just have to grab the Android or iOS app, and you're off to the races. There are a few new features coming along for the ride, too. Inbox now bundles all your trip-related email in one place, and will both show your Google Keep reminders and suggest adding them if someone sends you a to-do list. You also get options to take back outgoing emails, add custom signatures and open reservations directly in apps like Eat24 or HotelTonight. Workers who need Google Apps support won't get to use the normal Inbox app just yet, but Google is opening the early adopter program to anyone who wants to get in.

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Source: Official Gmail Blog, Google Inbox

Google debuts Android M, which is all about 'polish and quality'

Like clockwork, Google lifted the veil on Android M at its I/O developer conference today, an event that's traditionally served as the company's launchpad for its mobile OS updates. No, we don't yet know what the "M" stands for (we'd love to see Android Marzipan), but as usual that's not stopping Google from divulging details. After the bold redesign that was Android Lollipop, M is more focused on refining the entire Android experience. "For [Android] M we've gone back to the basics," said Google SVP Sundar Pichai. "We've really focused on polish and quality, we've literally solved thousands of bugs."

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Don't miss out on all the latest news and updates from Google I/O 2015. Follow along at our events page.

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