The launch of the Android 11 beta had already been delayed after Google I/O was canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic, and now it’s getting pushed back again. A virtual launch event for the start of the beta release was scheduled for Wednesday, but Google has postponed it noting that “now is not the time to celebrate.”
The Xbox team heard the suggestion that games on their platform might not take advantage of new-gen features to provide a new experience, and Xbox Games Marketing exec Aaron Greenberg tweeted “Generations of games that play on latest HW taking advantage of next-gen innovation offering more choice, value & variety than any console launch ever. All our Studios titles launch into Game Pass & you get those next-gen game upgrades for free.” That follows Phil Spencer’s December blog post that said: “Building on our compatibility promise, with Xbox Series X we’re also investing in consumer-friendly pathways to game ownership across generations. Leading the way with our first-party titles including Halo Infinite in 2020, we’re committed to ensuring that games from Xbox Game Studios support cross-generation entitlements and that your Achievements and game saves are shared across devices.”
Xbox believes in generations. Generations of games that play on latest HW taking advantage of next-gen innovation offering more choice, value & variety than any console launch ever. All our Studios titles launch into Game Pass & you get those next-gen game upgrades for free.
— Aaron Greenberg 🙅🏼♂️❎ (@aarongreenberg) May 29, 2020
Highlighting its “generations” of compatible titles and Smart Delivery setup that will download the right version for your hardware in comparison to Sony’s still-murky plans for compatibility is especially timely. Eurogamer reports Sony has told PS4 developers that all games submitted after July 13th must be PS5 compatible, with all the same features available that players experience on PS4.
It’s pretty light for a console battle, although it could get more interesting once we see some real next-gen exclusive games, find out how much these boxes will cost, or even get the slightest glimpse at the PlayStation 5. The PS5 is pushing the DualSense controller as a major differentiating factor, and we’d hope it’s a bit more relevant to gameplay than the DualShock 4 touchpad has been. Of course, Xbox can’t really talk there — many of those Kinects that shipped with every Xbox One launch console never saw much use either.
There’s no word on what may have caused the failure, but as Chris Bergin of NasaSpaceFlight.com notes, they already have the SN5 build ready to test. For now, you can check out video and sound captured from the explosion, and check back tomorrow to see the Demo-2 launch of Crew Dragon — which has already been flight tested and uses designs with a track record far longer than this new vehicle — scheduled for 3:22 PM ET.
But the words didn’t just appear on Twitter. As with other Trump tweets, it was also cross-posted to Trump’s Facebook and Instagram account. Facebook, though, has not taken any action on the posts, despite also having rules against glorifying violence.
That may not be particularly surprising given that Facebook also opted to do nothing about Trump’s earlier posts on election fraud, which Twitter fact-checked for being “potentially misleading.” Facebook does not fact check posts from politicians.
That’s despite the fact that it has similar rules, prohibiting posts that could lead to voter suppression and policies against glorifying violence. But the company has so far been reluctant to apply those standards to politicians, especially Trump. It doesn’t seem these latest posts have done much to move the needle. Facebook didn’t respond to requests for comment.
This Tweet violates our policies regarding the glorification of violence based on the historical context of the last line, its connection to violence, and the risk it could inspire similar actions today. https://t.co/sl4wupRfNH
For years, Twitter and Facebook were both criticized for giving Trump free rein to post content that would otherwise break the companies’ rules in the name of the public interest. The words of Trump and other politicians, the thinking went, were newsworthy and thus exempt from the same policies that might govern the average troll.
But while Twitter has now shown a willingness to place some checks on the president’s words, Facebook has not. The same words that Twitter labeled, appear on his Facebook and Instagram pages, without any fact-checks or warning labels.
Just one day earlier, Zuckerberg appeared to criticize Twitter’s decision to fact check the president. “I believe strongly that Facebook shouldn’t be the arbiter of truth of everything that people say online,” he said. “I think in general private companies, or especially these platform companies, shouldn’t be in the position of doing that.”
But Trump’s latest tweets present a different issue entirely. As BuzzFeed reporter Ryan Mac pointed out Friday morning, hiding a post because it promotes violence is a decidedly different issue than a company playing “arbiter of truth.” In this case, there are no facts in question: just one company’s interpretation of the president’s words.
And while Twitter has opted to interpret those words as policy-breaking and worthy of some restriction, Facebook has chosen to say and do nothing.
Tetris Effect, like the legendary original Tetris it was based on, can put players into a “flow state:” a period of great concentration where distractions melt away and you become entirely absorbed in the task at hand.” Researchers have measured mental benefits from flow state, and from Tetris, specifically. A study from Oxford University and the Karolinska Institute in Sweden found that playing Tetris after a traumatic event could create a dissociative state that could help prevent formation of memories that would lead to PTSD.
Tetris Effect ups the ante on flow state by creating a synthesia of music, animations and gameplay. Hydelic seemed to keep this in mind as he composed the soundtrack. “I set the theme for the sound and music as elements that enhance your immersive experience or soothe, calm, and make you relax,” he said. Perhaps the Tetris Effect music is just what the doctor ordered for these stress-laden times.
The eight manufacturers selected to produce VITAL stretch from Connecticut to California and from Minnesota to Texas. JPL did not say when the device might be ready for use.
NASA/JPL-Caltech
Next, JPL is evaluating international manufacturers from countries including Brazil, India, Malaysia and Mexico. Those manufactures will also receive free licensing through Caltech.
“The VITAL team is very excited to see their technology licensed,” said Leon Alkalai, a member of the VITAL leadership team. “Our hope is to have this technology reach across the world and provide an additional source of solutions to deal with the on-going COVID-19 crisis.”
JPL is also testing a modified design which uses compressed air and could be used by a greater range of hospitals. That design has been submitted for a FDA EUA and is currently under review.
Since the pandemic began, several companies have proposed novel ventilator designs. We’ve seen concepts from Dyson, Fitbit, NVIDIA’s chief scientist and Tesla, as well as an adapter by Formlabs. But it has become clear that pivoting to manufacture ventilators is challenging. JPL and Caltech clearly feel these eight companies are up to the task, and with any luck VITAL will be available soon.
But here’s the thing: These missteps won’t matter in the long run. This isn’t a Quibi situation, a fundamentally flawed service that has no place in the current media landscape. HBO Max is everything HBO already offered, plus exclusive shows and films from the Warner library. It’s also the only place you can stream Friends, South Parkand Studio Ghibli titles in the US. (Netflix nabbed Ghibli rights elsewhere, excluding Canada and Japan.) Even if you’re not obsessed with HBO’s shows, there’s a wealth of content that makes a Max subscription worthwhile.
You can think of HBO Max as WarnerMedia’s $4 billion bet on the future. It’s a unified streaming platform that does away with the confusing need for separate apps. (Previously, cable subscribers used HBO Go while digital-only customers used Now.) Instead of just competing with other premium networks like Showtime, HBO Max is taking aim at Disney+, Netflix and Hulu. And based on its existing content alone — including cinephile-friendly Turner Classic Movies and geek-friendly Crunchyroll anime — HBO Max is better poised than Apple TV+ to be a major streaming player.
That’s a good thing for AT&T, as it needs to prove that its $85 billion Time Warner acquisition was actually a success. But there’s still plenty of work ahead. For one, WarnerMedia needs to add Roku and Fire TV support as soon as possible. (Roku representatives wouldn’t comment when asked about HBO Max.) It also needs 4K and HDR support, both of which are major quality advantages for Disney+ and Netflix. Lastly, HBO Max needs to be broadly available to every cable subscriber. Currently, it supports major providers like Charter, Verizon, Optimum and Cox.
In the long run, HBO Max needs to step up its original content even further to justify the high $14.99 monthly cost. (For reference, Disney+ starts at $7 a month, while Netflix’s standard monthly plan costs $13.) It’s launching with six originals, like the romantic comedy Love Life and an Elmo talk show, but none of it is exactly “must watch TV.” TheFriends reunion could have been a big draw at launch, but that was delayed because of the COVID-19 epidemic.
WarnerMedia had previously planned to launch 50 original shows during the first year, but it’s unclear if that will actually happen. At this point, the service is banking heavily on HBO’s already strong original lineup. But the network is still trying to find its next Game of Thrones, and its more limited selection of shows can’t compete with the deluge of Netflix offerings.
To be clear, I’m not excusing HBO Max’s messy launch. WarnerMedia deserves all of the criticism it’s getting, and it could have avoided plenty of headaches by securing partnerships ahead of time, and reaching out to its customers more. But the real story of HBO Max lies ahead, in a future where every media company will need a marquee service to stay relevant.
We hope you wren’t leaning on Amazon’s Echo Look for fashion advice — you’ll have to find an alternative soon. Amazon has confirmed to Voicebot.ai (via TechCrunch) that that it’s shutting down Echo Look functionality on July 24th. Simply put, the company no longer feels the Look is necessary given recent changes. Now that Style by Alexa features have found their way into Alexa devices and the Amazon Shopping app, “it’s time to wind down” the Look, a spokesperson said. You can read the complete statement below.
You aren’t completely stranded if the smart camera was a mainstay of your morning routine. Android Centralnotes that Amazon is notifying at least some Look owners that they can get a free Echo Show 5 if they add the connected display to their cart and use the code ECHOLOOK20 by September 24th. It’s not clear if every customer is getting that offer, so don’t be surprised if it doesn’t work.
The Jabra Elite 75t and Elite Active 75t already offered high-quality audio at a palatable price, but the latest update for these true wireless earbuds adds customization options that make them even better. The update, available now, adds MySound and MyControls features to Jabra’s Sound+ app.
Jabra’s MySound is a function within the Sound+ app that customizes the audio output based on your hearing. The app runs you through a simple hearing test for each ear, asking you to tap the icon when you hear a tone. Based on the frequencies and volumes you can recognize, the app creates a personalized sound profile. This technology is a product of Jabra’s collaboration with sister company GN Hearing, a major player in the development of hearing aids for decades.
Google is still determined to reel in Stadia customers by lavishing subscribers with free games. The internet giant has revealed that Stadia Pro members will get six bonus games in June, or twice as many as usual. These are titles you might recognize, too, including The Elder Scrolls Online (on June 16th), the time-based action puzzler Superhot, Panzer Dragoon Remake, Get Packed, Little Nightmares and Power Rangers: Battle for the Grid.
The additions come soon after major updates to web-based game streaming, including support for 1440p gameplay and wireless Stadia Controllers when you’re using Chrome. The surfeit of free games and the enhanced functionality won’t necessarily convince you to try Stadia if you weren’t already enamored with the concept. They might tip the balance if you were already curious, though, and they may help Google keep customers who were might otherwise leave.
