Sunday, March 8, 2015

IT News Head Lines (Engadget) 3/9/2015





What makes Samsung's mobile VR consumer-ready? Marketing
A consumer release is en route for Gear VR. Hey, alright! If you've been paying attention, you might realize the problem with that first sentence, though. Think for a few minutes, I'll be here. Give up? Well, here's the answer: Unlike Oculus' still-i...

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HTC One M9 preview, Nintendo's indie relationships and other stories you might've missed!
Saturday is here and it's a great time to catch up on all the stories you might have missed this week. We take a look at the recently announced HTC One M9, meet Samsung's Galaxy S6 and S6 edge and dig into Nintendo's complicated relationship with ind...

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Microsoft sues Kyocera over Android phone patents
Microsoft may be taking some steps to make nice with the Android world, but the company is still willing to pick fights when its royalty payments are at stake. The Windows maker has sued Kyocera in the US over claims that Android phones like the Brig...

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'Star Trek Online' honors Leonard Nimoy with in-game Spock statues
With the recent passing of Leonard Nimoy, multiple generations of geeks found themselves at a deep loss. It makes sense then that the folks behind Star Trek Online would erect effigies to immortalize the man perhaps best known for his role as Mr. Spo...

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Here's how you pay with an Apple Watch
Apple was quick to tout payment support on the Apple Watch, but how does it work, really? How easily could a thief go on a shopping spree with your timepiece? Don't worry about waiting until the launch to find out, as the company's Eddy Cue has spill...

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Dreaming of an Apple Car and the inevitable future of 'driving'
Apple changed the way we listen to music and use phones -- so do you really think all of the reports of a so-called Apple Car are really just about it building a car? Even creating an electric vehicle of its own to compete with Tesla doesn't seem bol...

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Xbox One surprises GDC 2015 with new indie games
Not to be outdone by Nintendo's upcoming lineup of digital indie games, Microsoft has a bevy of new titles on their way to Xbox One via the ID@Xbox developer outreach program. Standouts include Shovel Knight, a retro platformer that was one of the ab...

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Five things 'Chappie' gets right, and wrong, about AI
Take Johnny 5 from Short Circuit, add a dash of Wall-E and a bit of badass swagger from RoboCop and you've got Chappie, the star of Neill Blomkamp's latest film. He's the first robot to achieve consciousness in a near future where other, less smart b...

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How serious are you about virtual reality?
The absolute best/worst virtual reality stock photo we could find

Are you prepared to dedicate a room in your house to virtual reality? Perhaps you're a little less crazy than me, but you're okay with a wire running across your living room to a head...

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Recommended Reading: Exploring the vastness of 'No Man's Sky'
Recommended Reading highlights the best long-form writing on technology and more in print and on the web. Some weeks, you'll also find short reviews of books that we think are worth your time. We hope you enjoy the read.






'No Man's Sky' is so Bi...

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The Big Picture: NASA's vintage propaganda poster from 1965
Back when the US was in a race against Russia to send the first humans out there, NASA actively toured schools to spread word about what it does. That traveling unit of NASA employees is called the Spacemobile, and the image above is one of its poste...

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Curiosity rover's arm is suffering short circuits, but it's OK
The Curiosity rover's drilling career is in danger. Its robotic arm has been having sporadic short circuits ever since late February. Its issues started on February 27th, when a surge of current shut down the the rover while it was processing some sa...

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Time Warner Cable's TV app comes to Xbox One
Good news: the TWC TV app is available for the cable company's customers (at least until/unless Comcast swallows it up) to watch TV on their Xbox One. Bad news: For now at least, it's limited to video on-demand only and not live TV -- weird, since it...

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Robotic glove and games help patients regain control of their hands
What's the best way for stroke patients to gain back full control of their hands and arms? If you ask this particular team of University at Hertfordshire researchers, they'll tell you it's with the help of a robotic glove called SCRIPT or Supervised ...

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You could stream Jennifer Lawrence's new movie before it's in theaters
But you probably won't -- we'll explain. Can't wait for the day when you have a real choice on when and where to watch new movies (legally)? A new movie featuring some of Hollywood's hottest stars is actually giving you a taste of that, as Serena is ...

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The gizmo recreating smells in VR looks like a nightmare
Modern virtual reality is pretty adept at tricking your brain into thinking what you're seeing is real, so it seems natural that someone'd try to further that by adding your schnoz to the mix. The guilty party is Feelreal, and it's developed a batter...

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Dive into a sci-fi game anthology full of stars and weird games
Game jams are marathon sessions where game makers put together a game in a short period of time, typically just one or two days. Naturally they're unpredictable -- as likely to conclude in quick interactive jokes as they are substantive games. Someti...

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Daily Roundup: Robot love, the state of VR and more!
What's it like to fall in love with a robot? We share our impressions after spending some time with Nao, a cute toddler-sized robot. Meanwhile, Sony brought an updated version of Project Morpheus to GDC and some of tech's biggest companies joined up ...

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What to expect from Apple's 'spring forward' watch event
Here's a twist: Apple is about to hold an event where you probably know what the main attraction will be. Yes, barring surprises, the March 9th "spring forward" presentation will largely answer the remaining questions about the Apple Watch. However, ...

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WSJ: Google has a small team working on Android for VR
We've already got Android in phones, tablets, TVs and maybe even cars, but according to a new rumor, the next step could be VR headsets (beyond Mattel's View-Master). While smartphones can already provide the brains of a VR unit for Samsung's Gear VR...

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Hold the phone: MWC had more than just handsets
While the term "mobile" has always meant more than just smartphones, this year's Mobile World Congress really highlighted how diverse the category can be. After all, the star of the show was arguably the HTC Vive, and the only mobile-related thing ab...

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Sony's next PS4 update lets you pick up your game where you left off
Sony's PlayStation 4 has been a sales success since its launch and recently crossed 20 million units sold to customers. Of course, now that gamers have one they're expecting new features and Sony might be about to pick up the pace. Posts on NeoGAF an...

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Major CIA overhaul ramps up focus on cyber operations
The CIA is working on a major reorganization, and it's said to be one the largest in the agency's 67-year history. A big piece of the overhaul is a larger focus on operations in cyberspace, leveraging the latest technology in its intelligence gatheri...

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The 11th Annual Engadget Awards: Who will be best in show?
It's a dog-eat-dog world, and the tech industry is no exception. Given the break-neck speed of innovation, today's game changers are tomorrow's dinosaurs. It takes dogged determination to stand out in a crowded market, and as always we're turning to ...

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Better than 'Destiny': Studios now make massive games in just months
It usually takes millions of dollars, a decade and hundreds of developers to create a single massively multiplayer online (MMO) game. This is the standard in the gaming industry. Smaller studios generally don't have the resources to create huge, pers...

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