Beat Saber is widely considered a good option for exercise in VR between the frantic arm waving, crouches and dodges, and Beat Games wants to capitalize on that. The studio’s former CEO and now game musician Jaroslav Beck recently released “FitBeat,” a free official song that’s designed to give you a workout. It’ll sound familiar if you’re used to the brand of EDM that you frequently hear in the game, but the activities are clearly meant to tax your body in addition to your usual gaming reflexes.
The track is available through Oculus (of course), PlayStation VR and Steam, and it works in One Saber and 360-degree modes in addition to the usual two-saber gameplay. This won’t replace a full-on exercise routine, clearly, but it might not have to. After all, you probably can’t go to the gym (or fully replicate it) during the pandemic. This gives you an incentive to stay fit while you stay home, even if you normally dread the idea of a gym trip.
The push for ever-smaller chips has been running into more and more obstacles, including the very limits of silicon — while optical connections would allow for denser, speedier processors by eliminating heat and energy issues, silicon is lousy at emitting light. Or rather, it was. Eindhoven University of Technology researchers have developed what they say is the first silicon alloy that can emit light. The breakthrough is a mix of silicon and germanium in a hexagonal structure that allows a band gap (and thus emitting light).
Scientists have been pursuing this for about 50 years, the university said, and a team created hexagonal silicon back in 2015. However, they couldn’t get the result to emit light until now, when they reduced the number of impurities and defects.
Tesla’s Model 3 has shipped from the start with a camera pointing at the cabin, but it has gone unused ever since. What’s it for? You won’t have to wonder much longer. Elon Musk has confirmed that the camera is there to support Tesla’s eventual robo-taxi plans. Since you won’t be in the car yourself when it’s picking up rides, the camera will provide video evidence if passengers trash the interior.
A pair of sleuths have also captured pictures of what the camera sees, and it unsurprisingly provides a clear, wide-angle view of the seating.
Google’s Pixel 4 is already seeing the kind of steep discounts you’d normally expect toward the end of a smartphone’s lifecycle. Best Buy is selling the flagship phone for $450 with same-day activation, or a sizeable $350 off the usual price. The larger Pixel 4 XL, meanwhile, has dropped a similar amount to $550. You’ll have to pay an extra $50 if you’d rather not activate with a carrier, but that matches the still quite large discount you’ll find at the Google Store.
Best Buy hasn’t said how long the sale will last, but Google’s promo runs through May 9th.
Apple and Google shared a fair amount about their COVID-19 contact tracing plans with their joint announcement, but they still left some gaps. However, Apple has been willing to fill in a few of the blanks in a follow-up with The Verge. The company is aware of the limitations of Bluetooth and that tracing apps can factor in the duration of proximity into alerts to reduce the chances of false alarms. It may only warn you when you’ve been within proximity of a COVID-19 patient for a substantial amount of time. You may get an alert if there was an infected person on the same bus, for example, but not if someone happened to be walking by on the street.
The tech firm also provided more details of how the tracing API will work. When the feature is integrated at the operating system level, you’ll have to opt in to the API before it will start sending and receiving Bluetooth signals. And if you don’t have a supporting healthcare app right at that moment, you’ll still get the last 14 days of proximity events once you install that app.
Now that you’re likely staying at home during the COVID-19 pandemic, you might not be as inclined to watch live Instagram feeds on your phone… and now, you don’t have to. Users (including Engadget) have noticed that Instagram Live streams recently became viewable on the web. The experience is familiar and supports two-person streams, but takes advantage of the extra screen space to keep comments separate from the video — you won’t have to deal with half the feed being obscured by text.
We’ve asked Instagram if it can share more details of the rollout.
Apple and Google have said they’re working together on COVID-19 contact tracing, and that might just include collaboration with specific healthcare providers. The Timessources claim the two tech companies are working with the UK’s National Health Service on an app to trace people who’ve come close to those infected with the new coronavirus. Like the companies have publicly discussed, it would use Bluetooth to alert you about possible contact and urge you to get tested.
Ministers ordered the creation of the app, according to the tipsters. Combined with much wider testing, the feature would be key to lifting some of the strictest lockdown measures in late May.
LG isn’t just hoping that a brand new design language will woo you to its next smartphone — it thinks the name will, too. The company has revealed that its curved-edge premium phone will be named Velvet to convey its “smoothness and premium softness.” Whether or not that badge has its intended effect, it’ll represent a significant break for a company that has insisted on numeric naming schemes for the past several years.
The switch in naming strategy reflects LG’s goals for the phone and, ultimately, the company as a whole. Its mobile division has been struggling for a long time, in part because its phones have relied on novelty features like hands-free control or modules to stand out. With Velvet, it’s clearly hoping that memorable designs and the names to match will improve the company’s fortunes.
The coronavirus doesn’t care how famous you are or how much money you make, it’s an equal opportunity infector. That’s why some of the richest and most famous footballers on the planet have joined forces for your entertainment. They’re participating in EA’s FIFA 20 charity gaming tournament, the “Stay and Play Cup” which aims to raise a million dollars to help the COVID-19 recovery effort. Now let’s see if their thumbs are as nimble as their feet.
Engadget
With ISPs across the country already feeling the strain of an entire nation Netflix-and-chilling, Google has plans to stress networks even further through the magic of game streaming. The company announced last week that both new and existing Stadia subscribers will receive a two months of free service, even if you haven’t bought Google’s hardware bundle.
Boston Globe via Getty Images
If you (quite rightly) don’t trust Zoom for your video conferencing needs, Google has stepped up and is offering its Meet service — you used to know it as hangouts — for free until the end of the summer. Now your video call with Nana won’t be interrupted by porn vids… unless that’s what you’re into.
Engadget
Following HBO’s lead from last week, Apple has announced that it will lower the paywall around a number of its original shows including Little America, Servant, For All Mankind, Ghostwriter, and The Elephant Queen. There’s no word on how long they’ll be free so get to binge watching. Not like you have anywhere to go.
Engadget
One company that noticeably has not made a portion of its library available without charge is Disney+. It’s not like Disney is hurting for income. Sure, ESPN+ has cratered what with the lack of sports and all, but the streaming service now boasts 50 million subscribers less than half a year after launch. And you’re telling me that they can’t at least hook us up with some Brave Little Toaster in our time of need? Then again, Disney holds more sway than the UN at this point so I guess it can generally do what it wants.
You can’t visit an IKEA store right now due to the pandemic, but you won’t be missing out on the company’s connected devices as a result. Shoppers on Reddit and 9to5Mac have noticed that IKEA has started selling its FYRTUR smart blinds online in the US several months after they were initially limited to in-person customers. They start at $129 for a 23×76 3/4” blind and scale up to $179 if you need a 48×76 3/4” model, though check carefully — not every size is available to ship as we write this. You’ll also need the $35 TRADFRI gateway if you’re going to take advantage of Alexa, Google Assistant or HomeKit.
The FYRTUR is a blackout blind in IKEA’s signature minimalist style, and runs wirelessly on battery. You can control them manually, but the real allure comes from controlling them through either IKEA’s app or your voice assistant of choice. Ideally, you can wake up to natural light in the morning (or wind down at night) without having to leave your bed.
