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Apple’s WWDC keynote is set for June 3rd

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Apple has set the dates for this year’s Worldwide Developers Conference. It takes place June 3rd to 7th at San Jose’s McEnery Convention Center, the same venue as the last couple of years. At WWDC, Apple typically gives developers (and everyone else) an early look at upcoming versions of iOS, MacOS X, WatchOS and tvOS. We might also learn a little more about Apple’s services (it’s likely to announce streaming video and news subscription plans this month) or even get a glimpse at new hardware. If you’re interested in attending, you have until March 20th to register for the chance to buy tickets.

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Xbox Live expands to mobile in Microsoft’s big streaming push

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“Game Stack,” as it’s known, leverages Microsoft’s game development platforms to help the industry provide for the streaming generation. Things like the Azure cloud network to keep latency low, Mixer for capturing your best plays, the ubiquitous Havok 3D physics engine, and PlayFab (an Azure-based service that handles the multiplayer backend). More will be revealed at the Game Developers Conference, which is also where Google is expected to announce its rival Project Stream service.

To be clear, the tools aren’t exclusively built for use with Microsoft’s Project xCloud game streaming hub. Though putting Xbox Live on mobiles (and with it Gamertags, achievements, and gameplay stats) lays the foundations for an inevitable streaming world, Game Stack itself is not purely built for streamable games. The toolkit could just as easily be utilized by indie developers working, for instance, on online co-op titles.

Of course, Xbox Live took some baby steps outside of Microsoft’s ecosystem last year. And we first heard rumblings of a toolkit that would offer more substantial Xbox Live integration with iOS, Android, and even Nintendo Switch in February. But now it’s becoming increasingly evident that Microsoft is shifting away from just the Xbox platform, while also trying to get its hooks into mobile gaming. The move to smartphones also pits Xbox Live against gamers’ current cross-platform social app of choice, Discord.

Under Satya Nadella’s leadership, Microsoft has put Azure at the heart of its services model. Now its money-spinning cloud network is set to provide the backbone for Project xCloud . Microsoft has also long boasted that Xbox Live is the “the fastest, most reliable gaming network,” despite tough competition from Sony’s PlayStation Network in recent years. Access to the two, along with the company’s other backend tools, could make for an attractive proposition for developers.

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Samsung imagines full-screen phone with a camera hidden under the display

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The Galaxy S10 was the company’s first phone to include a “hole-punch” cut-out in the display, but Yang says that eventually, the selfie camera will be placed underneath the display itself. While the company hasn’t revealed any timescales for such a device, Yang did say that it “wouldn’t be possible” within the next one to two years.

The company has jumped quickly from notches, to hole-punch, to folding phones, so a total display device is certainly in keeping with Samsung’s bold aspirations. Unfortunately, it’s rarely the first company to get their ambitious ideas to market. However, this isn’t the first time Samsung has discussed this kind of technology — it was mentioned in a presentation given in October last year — so even if we don’t see a full-screen device within the next two years, Samsung has already got the ball rolling.

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Fi’s GPS pet tracker lasts three months between charges

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A long battery life is a boon for any product, obviously, but for a device like this it’s extremely helpful. No-one wants to be messing around with Fido’s collar every few days, and sheer bad luck dictates they’ll manage to escape when it’s on charge. Fi’s collar uses AT&T’s LTE-M low power network to keep going as long as it does. It’s also got a useful lost dog mode, which tells owners and dog walkers straight away if the dog busts out of its permitted area. This comes with a remotely-activated collar light, too, so the dog will be easier to spot at night.

Like Whistle, Fi’s collar requires a subscription to access all of its features, although it’s a bit cheaper than its main competitor: between $1.59 and $1.89 per week, compared to Whistle’s starting price of $6.95 per month. (The device itself, however, is a little pricier — $149 compared to Whistle’s $100). Plus, it looks good. Unlike some other pet tracking devices on the market, Fi’s is sleeker and less obtrusive, so your dog will be as happy wearing it as you are knowing they’re in safe hands. It’s available now at tryfi.com.

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WD brings cheap high-speed NVMe SSD performance to creators

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It’s also three-times faster than WD’s SATA SSD, making it ideal for 4K video editing and storage, according to the company. And now that the likes of NVIDIA and camera-maker RED are starting to introduce 8K editing to the masses, even high-end video producers may want to give it a look. Of course, 4K clips can hog a lot of storage, so it’s handy to have low-cost options when shopping around for an SSD upgrade.

Cheaper still is the new 250GB model, which costs $55. There’s no confirmed release date as yet for the duo. Meanwhile, gamers chasing more storage and higher speeds can turn to WD’s pricier Black 3D NVMe (unveiled last year) which packs a 1TB model with 3,470 MB/s for $280.

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The Morning After: Android Q arrives

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Smaller, but not lesser.Samsung Galaxy S10e review

The Galaxy S10e delivers the essentials of the S10 experience — excellent performance, great cameras and improved software — in a package that feels more manageable, both physically and financially. However, a smaller phone means a smaller battery, and its fingerprint sensor is in an odd location. If you can live with a few compromises, it still packs more than enough power and polish for those unwilling to jump the $1,000 price barrier for a new phone.

Latest and greatest.The Android Q beta is here with a focus on privacy

You can enroll in Google’s beta program if you want to try Android Q now, although this initial version only supports Pixel devices (ranging from the original to the Pixel 3).

One for the road.NASA releases the final panorama that Opportunity took on Mars

This 360-degree photo is composed of 354 images taken by the rover’s Panoramic Camera (Pancam) from May 13th through June 10th. It shows the vehicle’s final resting place in Perseverance Valley located in Endurance Crater’s western rim. The rover lost touch with NASA in June after it reported the approaching storm that ultimately covered its solar panels with dust and rocks.

Respawn wanted a day where potentially interested gamers couldn’t escape ‘Apex.’EA reportedly paid Ninja $1 million to stream ‘Apex Legends’

That was an expensive media blitz.

‘Gemini Man’ stars Will Smith as a hitman on the run from his clone.Paramount is urging theaters to show Ang Lee’s new sci-fi movie at 120 fps

Ang Lee hasn’t given up on high-frame-rate cinema despite the expensive misfire that was Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk. The two-time Oscar winner is shooting his upcoming film, sci-fi assassin thriller Gemini Man, in 3D at 120 frames-per-second (fps) and 4K resolution.

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Google shutters its Spotlight Stories VR studio after six years

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Over the past six years, the team worked on several projects helmed by Oscar-winning directors. One of them was the short film Pearl, which was directed by Patrick Osborne (Disney’s Feast) and became the first VR film to be nominated for an Academy Award.

According to Variety, staff members were given a chance to look for new positions within the company. Those probably didn’t include most of the studio’s artists, though, since they were contractors brought onboard on a per-project basis. Google reportedly invested significant amounts of money into Stories projects over the years, but the company must have decided that its investments haven’t been paying off. Here’s Dufilho’s email in full, as shared by The Hollywood Reporter:

“As many of you know, Google Spotlight Stories is shutting its doors after over six years of making stories and putting them on phones, on screens, in VR, and anywhere else we could get away with it. The opportunity to contribute to story, animation, and tech has been like winning the lottery. You’ve all played a part and I’m so so proud of the work we’ve done together. Congratulations! My deepest gratitude to all of you.”

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MoviePass’ ‘day to day’ leading exec resigns after a few months

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In December MoviePass closed out a turbulent year with new subscription plans for moviegoers and a path to profitability, all with a new exec Khalid Itum taking over day to day operations. Now reports have surfaced that that Itum has resigned, as Business Insider notes that three other managers also left recently, and Variety cites sources claiming Itum had been largely absent in recent weeks. The company confirmed Itum’s departure, as well as other execs jumping from full-time to contracted roles.

With CEO Mitch Lowe apparently retaking a leadership role, the situation is looking as troubled as ever. Just this week, parent company Helios & Matheson Analytics told investors that ” a material weakness relating to subscription management existed” causing it to overstate revenue by several million dollars in the third quarter. That’s because it was counting money from subscriptions that were suspended because the customers hadn’t opted into MoviePass’ new terms. This doesn’t seem like a great revelation for a company already under investigation for possible fraud.

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MIT robot’s flytrap gripper can grab both fragile and heavy objects

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The underlying gripper revolves around a 3D-printed origami structure made out of a plastic that folds on itself at high temperatures. It can effectively adapt to the shape of whatever it’s grabbing without compromising its strength. Vacuum power keeps objects firmly in place, while an airtight skin made from fabric or a rubber balloon gives it a better gripping surface.

As clever as this is, there are still limitations. The shape lends itself best to grabbing round objects like fruit and wine bottles, and preferably solid items. It’ll have problems with flat objects like books, and the suction won’t help when objects have holes. Even so, this could be useful for robots that have to pick up a wide variety of items. A medical robot could grab delicate tissue or the entire patient, while a warehouse robot at an online retailer could easily pick up your order and ready it for delivery.

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Senators want Congressional hacks to be public knowledge

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Senators Ron Wyden of Oregon and Tom Cotton of Arkansas are calling on Senate to provide an annual report on the number of successful hacks of Senate phones and computers. They also want Senate leadership to be notified of any breaches within five days of discovery. As the Senators point out, companies and executive branch agencies are required to disclose breaches, but Congress has no legal obligation to do so.

There’s no question that the government is subject to hacking. According to CNET, former Senate Sergeant at Arms Frank Larkin said in 2016, the Senate’s IT systems blocked more than 273 million connections from more than 54,000 malicious websites. The last time a Congressional computer breach was made public was in 2009, when then-Florida Senator Bill Nelson’s personal computers were hacked. It’s certainly in the public’s best interest to know when Senators’ computers have been hacked, but it’s too soon to tell if Wyden and Cotton’s initiative will find any support.

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