Thursday 13 April 2017

The Morning After: Nintendo's game bonanza and the New York Auto Show

Engadget Email Newsletter

It's Thursday, April 13, 2017.

Hey, good morning!

Despite its newly christened console, Nintendo is keeping the 3DS alive with a slew of new games in addition to new Switch titles (that’s what the pudding above is about). Meanwhile, the New York Auto Show shows us a mix of cars we do and do not want, and our Buyer’s Guide gets updated for Spring 2017. You need to buy things, right?

All the Nintendo news fit to post.

Nintendo reveals some Switch games beyond ‘Zelda,’ and the 3DS lives

The latest Nintendo Direct offered relief for the Switch's army of early adopters who have already conquered the shrines and guardians of Breath Of The Wild. Yes, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, ARMS and Splatoon 2 are now firmly in the games release calendar. More surprisingly, the 3DS got a whole batch of new titles coming in the next six months, including Kirby, Pikmin and Monster Hunter titles. The handheld gets a reprieve.

Cars.

Day 1 of the 2017 New York Auto Show

So far, the NY show has seen a number of unveilings, but the most interesting one is Lincoln’s Uber idea for well-heeled customers. Similar to the Dryver app, Lincoln Chauffeur is a ride-hailing system that summons a driver to take customers for a ride in their own car. Meanwhile, Acura squeezed important software updates into the 2018 TLX, Toyota has a road-warrior concept for yuppies, and Genesis has a luxury SUV concept that blends hydrogen and electric power.

Engadget Buyer’s Guide update

Here’s your spring shortlist of technology that’s worth purchasing

The weather is getting warmer, and you’re ready to do some shopping. We’ve reviewed plenty of new gadgets over the long winter, and a select few have made their way into our just-updated buyer’s guide. Whether you’re looking for a slim laptop like Lenovo’s Yoga 910 or noise-cancelling headphones like Sony’s MD1000x, we have some well-reasoned advice to dole out.

It has begun.

Burger King’s latest ad tries to piggyback on Google Assistant

In a move we should’ve seen coming, a new Burger King ad featured an actor yelling out “Ok Google, what is the Whopper burger?” in the hopes that it would activate a viewer’s phone, tablet or speaker to answering with additional info from a carefully curated Wikipedia entry. What actually happened is that the internet exploded with rage before the ad aired on TV, and it appears Google managed to filter the command out so that BK couldn’t get a free assist from its AI-powered service.

For developers, it’s basically a powerful PC.

Microsoft reveals details about its Project Scorpio developer kits

Despite a deep dive into Project Scorpio’s specs, we still don’t know what Microsoft’s evolved Xbox One console will look like. While we wait for more information and details about games supporting it to arrive at E3, the company did open up about why developers will love the refreshed hardware. The dev kit itself looks like an Xbox One S, with vents on the side so they can be stacked. It also has an OLED display built-in to show off a game’s framerate, and a cable to transfer files onto the system quickly. Oh, and it has 24GB of RAM so devs can spend more time testing and less time waiting.

Qualcomm is in the courts a lot.

BlackBerry made more cash from royalties than phones

Between antitrust fines and lawsuits, Qualcomm's patent strategy is already running into trouble... and things just got much worse. The wireless chipset maker has been given a preliminary order to pay BlackBerry $814.9 million in a dispute over royalty payments. The company made a total of $286 million in revenue last quarter -- $814.9 million could cover most of the money it makes in a year.

Vegas gets a flagship gaming venue.

Las Vegas nightclub is turning into an eSports arena

Las Vegas is quickly becoming a hotbed for virtual sports. Allied Esports and Esports Arena have unveiled plans to turn a 30,000 square foot nightclub at the Luxor Hotel and Casino into the Vegas Strip's first permanent eSports venue.

It also has some HoloLens DNA.

Acer's $300 Windows headset bodes well for the future of cheap VR

For Microsoft, the future of computing is not only virtual reality but also "mixed reality," the company's term encapsulating AR and VR experiences. That started with HoloLens, but that costs $3,000. Microsoft has something else in mind for consumers: $300 VR headsets from PC makers like Dell and HP. Finally, we got to actually try one: Acer's Windows 10 headset.

But wait, there's more...

1. Internet giants resist the FCC's relaxed net neutrality rules

2. Hackers could use an app to steal passwords by spying on your phone's motion sensors

3. 'Rick and Morty' enter the VR video game universe on April 20th

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Wednesday 12 April 2017

ECT News Network Weekly Newsletter

ECT News Network Weekly Newsletter: Wednesday -- April 12, 2017

ECT News Network -- Where Business Meets Technology
http://www.ectnews.com
E-Commerce Times | TechNewsWorld
CRM Buyer | LinuxInsider

This Week's Top News Headlines From the E-Commerce Times

Qualcomm Answers Apple's $1B Lawsuit, Files Counterclaims
(Posted 12-Apr-17)
http://www.ecommercetimes.com/story/84453.html

Labor Official Skewers Google Over Gender Pay Discrimination
(Posted 11-Apr-17)
http://www.ecommercetimes.com/story/84449.html

Next Downturn Could Have Silver Lining for IoT
(Posted 07-Apr-17)
http://www.ecommercetimes.com/story/84443.html

Twitch Aims to Get Ahead of Steam
(Posted 06-Apr-17)
http://www.ecommercetimes.com/story/84438.html

This Week's Top News Headlines From TechNewsWorld

Spam Czar Nabbed in Spain May Have Link to Election Tampering
(Posted 12-Apr-17)
http://www.technewsworld.com/story/84451.html

Hackers Blast Emergency Sirens in Dallas
(Posted 11-Apr-17)
http://www.technewsworld.com/story/84447.html

Why VR Is Failing
(Posted 10-Apr-17)
http://www.technewsworld.com/story/84440.html

Google's Fact Check Labeling System Goes Global
(Posted 08-Apr-17)
http://www.technewsworld.com/story/84444.html

Gadget Ogling: Samsung Swings, Plus Live 360 Cameras and Smart Tuners
(Posted 07-Apr-17)
http://www.technewsworld.com/story/84442.html

Microsoft's Project Scorpio Goes to Extremes
(Posted 06-Apr-17)
http://www.technewsworld.com/story/84439.html

This Week's Top News Headlines From CRM Buyer

United Airlines Gives Appalling New Meaning to Customer Service
(Posted 11-Apr-17)
http://www.crmbuyer.com/story/84448.html

Oracle's Strategery
(Posted 10-Apr-17)
http://www.crmbuyer.com/story/84446.html

SugarCRM Adds Enterprise Management to Mobile App
(Posted 06-Apr-17)
http://www.crmbuyer.com/story/84441.html

This Week's Top News Headlines From LinuxInsider

Kingsoft Adds Cloud Support to WPS Office
(Posted 11-Apr-17)
http://www.linuxinsider.com/story/84450.html

Shuttleworth Gives Up Hope for Convergence Breakthrough
(Posted 07-Apr-17)
http://www.linuxinsider.com/story/84445.html

Fatdog64: More Bark Than Bite
(Posted 06-Apr-17)
http://www.linuxinsider.com/story/84433.html

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The Morning After: Making the perfect VR horror ride

Engadget Email Newsletter

It's Wednesday, April 12, 2017.

Hey, good morning!

Nothing makes for morning reading quite like the protracted death of Windows’ black sheep, Vista, the sex doll of the future, and VR horror rides. Something for everyone, we would hope.

Just add talent.

Google's AutoDraw turns your clumsy scribbles into art

You can’t draw, but that’s OK because Google’s AutoDraw can tell what you were trying to get down on paper. Using machine learning, it figures out that your mess of lines and unbalanced circles were an attempt at a car, and replaces it with with a much better-looking version. You can try it out on the web right now.

Definitely NSFW. But you should read and watch it anyway.

RealDoll's first sex robot took me to the uncanny valley

During our editor-in-chief’s four-hour visit to the birthplace of the RealDoll, the frighteningly life-like full-body sex toy, he stared at mounds of silicone vaginas, sheets of detached nipples, headless women hanging from meat hooks, a 2-foot penis and skulls with removable faces that attach like refrigerator magnets. This is where RealDoll is on a mission to create the first realistic sex robot, replete with AI brains.

Derren Brown's Ghost Train gets a terrifying upgrade for 2017.

One theme park's mission to perfect VR horror

We got to preview 'Rise of the Demon,' a revamped version of the Ghost Train that opened last summer. It's based at the UK’s Thorpe Park, a haven for British thrill-seekers, and was designed under the guidance of Derren Brown, a showman and master of psychological manipulation. All told, it's one of the most ambitious VR projects I've ever seen, blending the HTC Vive with immersive theater and intricate ride engineering. Here’s how they did it... minus the spoilers.

Say goodnight to the awkward Windows middle sibling.

Microsoft finally pulls the plug on Vista

The old wives' truism that Windows operating systems alternate between great and skippable editions held true through the 2000s, and nowhere was that more evident than Vista. It appeared between the venerable XP and still-chugging 7 with a new interface that was prematurely rushed to market, and it showed. Ten years after its debut and six years after it stopped selling its commercial versions, Microsoft has stopped supporting the forgotten OS today. It’s time to move on.

Say hello to the new hotness.

The Windows 10 Creators Update is now live

After months of testing, Microsoft has begun the official rollout of its big feature update for Windows 10. Your system should grab it automatically, but there’s also a manual option if you just can’t wait. Added privacy settings, friendlier auto-updates, Beam streaming, Paint 3D and other new features await.

The as-ridiculous-as-it-sounds modern classic is now on Steam.

'Bayonetta' brings heel guns and hair fights to the PC

After years of feverish fan demand, PC gamers can now finally play Bayonetta. Arriving on Steam today with 4K support and advanced graphics options, Sega's critically acclaimed action classic now looks better than ever before. In a bid to entice those who already own the game, Sega will also be giving buyers the Digital Deluxe Edition at no extra cost until April 25th. Now about that Bayonetta 2….

Making a smartwatch sounds fraught with difficulty.

Fitbit is having trouble making a smartwatch

Ever since Fitbit introduced its Blaze fitness watch at CES 2016, there's been talk about the company building a "true" smartwatch. That conversation only intensified when Fitbit bought Pebble; its CEO confirmed such a product was in the works this past January. It looks like the mythical Fitbit watch might not be coming anytime soon, though: reports suggest that the product is plagued with production issues that'll push its launch back to the fall.

You don’t need two action cameras.

GoPro's trade-up program entices users to buy a Hero5

As GoPro tries to get its sales back on track, a for pitch existing owners offers up to $100 off of a new Hero5 camera. Of course, to get the discount, they’ll need to trade in one of its older cameras first.

Here’s more ‘Star Wars’.

'Star Wars Battlefront II' trailer leaks out a few days early

EA promised a trailer for its Star Wars Battlefront sequel on April 15th during its Star Wars Celebration event, but it appears to have popped up online a bit early. The 30-second teaser clip shows "game engine footage," with hints at what we can expect from both its single- and multiplayer experience. It appears that the story mode will have players taking on the role of a young woman fighting on the side of the Empire in a post-Return of the Jedi storyline attempting to "avenge your emperor."

The pair is making a habit of bickering over trademarks.

Swatch's provocative 'Tick different' slogan has Apple riled

We don't know when exactly Apple and Swatch first fell out with each other, but trademark disputes seem to be the stage both have chosen to acknowledge their strained relationship publicly. In the latest example of this, Apple is challenging Swatch's "Tick different" trademark, which features in marketing campaigns for its Bellamy range of simple, analog watches that include NFC for contactless payments. Apple is arguing the phrase is too similar to its now-retired "Think different" slogan. Apple is no doubt hoping to even the score on Swatch, which succeeded in a pointless case last year. The UK Intellectual Property Office denied Apple certain rights to the name "iWatch" after Swatch had complained it was too similar to its existing "iSwatch" trademark

But wait, there's more...

1. Nikon's D7500 DSLR arrives this summer for $1,250

2. The classic Tamagotchi toy is back (in Japan)

3. Google fixes one of Chrome's biggest issues with scroll anchoring

4. Samsung's Bixby AI won't have voice control when the Galaxy S8 launches

5. Canada hid the Konami Code in its commemorative $10 bill launch

Our mailing address is:
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Tuesday 11 April 2017

E-Commerce Minute

E-Commerce Minute: Tuesday -- April 11, 2017

The E-Commerce Times -- E-Business Means Business
http://www.ecommercetimes.com
Part of the ECT News Network

Headline Scan
Labor Official Skewers Google Over Gender Pay Discrimination
Kingsoft Adds Cloud Support to WPS Office
Oracle's Strategery
Next Downturn Could Have Silver Lining for IoT

Today's Story Highlights

Labor Official Skewers Google Over Gender Pay Discrimination

The Department of Labor has found "systemic compensation disparities"
between Google's female employees and their male counterparts, regional
director Janette Wipper said at a hearing in San Francisco. The hearing
was in connection with the department's lawsuit over Google's failure to
hand over detailed compensation data about employees at its Mountain
View, California, headquarters.
http://www.ecommercetimes.com/story/84449.html

Kingsoft Adds Cloud Support to WPS Office

Kingsoft had announced an expansion to its WPS Office suite to include
WPS Cloud. The upgrade enables users to work in a cross-platform office
suite environment with added storage, file roaming and sharing
capabilities. The cloud-enhanced version is available for PCs and mobile
as a fully functional free release and with premium subscriptions. It
runs on Linux, Windows, Mac and Android devices.
http://www.ecommercetimes.com/story/84450.html

Oracle's Strategery

Watching Oracle's cloud strategy roll out has given me renewed respect
for its approach to the market. As a company that has been public for a
long stretch of time, Oracle has displayed all the warmth of an
anaconda. I have friends there, and they are not anacondas, but I hope
they know what I mean. Oracle knows its business and it's making money,
and it does it unabashedly.
http://www.ecommercetimes.com/story/84446.html

Next Downturn Could Have Silver Lining for IoT

Although nearly every research study and industry survey suggests the
Internet of Things market is growing rapidly, plenty of companies are
holding back from pursuing IoT opportunities, for a variety of reasons.
Ironically, the possibility of a long-overdue financial downturn in the
next few years could force executives to put aside their apprehensions
and finally launch new IoT initiatives.
http://www.ecommercetimes.com/story/84443.html

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