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Microsoft starts inviting people to try Project xCloud

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When Microsoft announced the public preview, it said players in the US, UK and South Korea would be able to try it out. It’s gradually opening up access to people who signed up for the trial, Xbox chief Phil Spencer said, so don’t be too alarmed if you don’t receive an invitation right away. It’s worth noting the preview doesn’t allow you to stream games from your own Xbox to Android — the trial is currently for cloud-based gaming.



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Faraday Future founder files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy

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In the proposed plan, Yueting will use his ownership stake in the long-troubled, cash-strapped EV startup Faraday Future to create a creditor trust and repay his debts. That’s not a total surprise. Last month, Yueting stepped down as CEO in order to create this trust. According to Faraday Future, the restructuring will not affect the company’s normal business offerings, and in fact, it will help prepare the startup for an IPO.

According to The Verge, Yueting claims he owes somewhere around $3.6 billion to more than 100 creditors — mostly due to LeEco, the tech conglomerate he founded in China. Ninety percent of the people or business Yueting owes money will have to approve the restructuring plan by November 8th. If they do, they will also be agreeing to release Yueting of all personal liability and drop their claims against him.

Yueting is expected to continue working with Faraday Future as Chief Product and User Officer, a role in which he’ll handle product definition, user experience and AI.

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Phonocut will let you make your own vinyl records

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The Phonocut sounds relatively simple to use. Place the company’s blank 10-inch disc (about $10 each) on the platter, connect and play a stereo audio source (such as a computer or phone) and hit the start button. The machine will perform real-time EQ and mastering processing while carving grooves in the vinyl. The end product can have up to around fifteen minutes of music per side and can be played on any turntable. For comparison, this is longer than a 7-inch record, which contains five to seven minutes of music per side, but shorter than a 12-inch LP, which holds 22 minutes per side.

Phonocut

The Phonocut simultaneously sounds like a product that is too good to be true yet also very niche. The records that it cuts aren’t likely to rival those that were produced in a real factory, despite the company’s vague claim of high quality results. With typical vinyl production, a stylus only cuts master discs. These masters are used as stamps to press waveforms onto thousands of blank vinyl pucks. With the Phonocut, a stylus will cut every record, and since it’s a consumer-level device, it won’t be as accurate as industrial equipment. And that’s not to mention how clean the cuts will be; the cutting process could potentially create dust and debris that would damage a turntable’s stylus.

That said, the Phonocut could be a fun purchase for DIY bands, who could create small runs of records. DJs who use vinyl could also print their own sample libraries on-demand. The mix-tape aspect doesn’t seem particularly likely, but compilation records could serve as wedding invitations or gifts for special occasions.

Phonocut will be hitting Kickstarter tomorrow, following in the footsteps of Machina.Pro, who designed the Desktop Record Cutter. Backers pledged over $20,000 to the DRC project, but nothing ever materialized. “This is predominantly due to component quality when bulk ordering from external suppliers,” the company stated in a Kickstart update. “The DRC was viable based on initial quotations, but the parts [at these lower prices] didn’t cut it technically, so everything has to be brought back in-house, raising costs exponentially.” Rather than searching for additional funding, the company gave up and (presumably) refunded its backers. (Some backers have complained online that they did not receive a refund.)

With a $999 asking price and a thus-far undisclosed monetary goal, Phonocut’s chances of being funded might be a stretch, but hopefully it will go into production: Even if the sound quality of the records is underwhelming, the project could prove that there is a market for pro-sumer vinyl cutters. Other companies could iterate on Phonocut’s work and develop more and more accurate machines, similar to how 3D printers have improved over the years.

Images: Phonocut

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Fox Sports is creating exclusive, interactive shows for Facebook Watch

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There’s also good news if you’re a fan of Mexican fútbol, with special weekly Liga MX segments covering the country’s top-tier soccer league. And if you’re the betting sort, the thrice-weekly The People vs. Colin Cowherd lets you vote on which teams will cover the spread while Cowherd offers his feedback on the crowd’s views. you can also expect highlights from NASCAR, Premiere Boxing Champions, Big East basketball and the Professional Bowlers Association.

This and ESPN’s content won’t necessarily make Facebook Watch your go-to space for sports coverage. That’s not entirely the point, mind you. This is an easy way to supplement your viewing if the games themselves aren’t enough — and, of course, a way for TV giants to expand their online presences beyond their own streaming services.

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The Washington Post hopes you’ll read articles on your TV

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Yes, there’s a good chance you won’t care for this app in the slightest. Few people sit down at their TV hoping to read an in-depth report about the latest political scandal. It does offer an alternative if you’d rather not hold your phone or tablet in your hands, though. And if your vision isn’t the greatest, this could be easier on your eyes than squinting at a mobile device. For that matter, it could be better if you know you’re going to read a piece with a video segment — you won’t have to compromise on picture size (or rotate your devices) just to see footage in its full glory.

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Disney is tweeting everything that’s coming to Disney+

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It is impressive just how many titles Disney owns, and it’s worth taking a look at the thread. As you’d expect, there are the classic Disney, Star Wars, Pixar, and Marvel titles — plus remnants of the Fox empire. But the thread is also a reminder that Disney (and Fox) have made some shockingly terrible films, questionable movie posters and a surprising amount of dog movies — The Biscuit Eater, The Shaggy D.A., How Dogs Got Their Shapes, Life is Ruff. Still, there’s a good chance users will see something that they’ll need to watch again — like the Freaky Friday multiverse — and from that point, there’s no looking back.

The thread is both a jog down memory lane and a dangerous rabbit hole, so if you had a lot of work to do today, we recommend waiting to dive in until you have some free time.



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Google Pay will soon work with major public transit cards

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Riders will be able to pay for journeys using their mobile phones, building on existing contactless payment systems found in cities like New York. Cubic hopes this system will reduce costs and make paying for public transport more efficient.

In London, travelers can already purchase transport tickets using Google Pay, either through the Citymapper payment card or by using mobile payments or contactless cards. However, current systems only allow the purchasing of single fares with daily and weekly caps in place to prevent overspending. In theory, the new system should allow the purchase of season tickets as well, by setting up an Oyster travel card within the Google Pay app.

By adding a transit card to Google Pay, users can reload funds and purchase tickets from their mobile device, so they can get rid of the physical card entirely.

Cubic has not specified a full list of which cities will support the new system, but it is likely to be a broad range of locations as its past projects include transportation systems in New York, Vancouver, Sydney, San Diego, Los Angeles, San Fransisco and London.

“Working with Cubic will help us simplify the commute for Google Pay users in several major transit systems — including support for Clipper cards in the San Francisco Bay Area,” said Ambarish Kenghe, director of product management for Google Pay. “Ultimately, our goal is to make riding public transit seamless and convenient for as many people as we can.”

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Get the Mac Pro ‘cheese grater’ look for your Windows PC

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Chapter 2, here we come.
Original ‘Fortnite’ map vanishes in a cataclysmic event

Fortnite‘s original map is no more, at least as far as anyone can tell. The battle royale title’s hyped-up The End event saw a missile launch into the sky and trigger a massive amount of rifts, culminating in a meteor strike that appeared to wipe out the map and suck players into… something. Those that stuck around could play a mini-game in the main game’s stead.

Fortnite Chapter 2 is likely to be a major update to the game, including a brand new map and fresh mechanics, like the addition of boats. We’ll have to wait for the official chapter launch to unravel exactly what has changed.

They could help the EV maker deliver more cars — if it survives scrutiny.
Tesla may open ‘Centers’ to get around pro-dealership laws

Tesla may be planning an end-run around state laws that bar direct car sales and protect dealerships. Electrek sources claim the automaker is planning to open Tesla Centers in major urban areas, which would theoretically avoid legal trouble by focusing on the sale of energy, not cars. These large outlets would offer sales, service and delivery, seven days a week, even in states where blue laws prevent conventional car dealerships from being open on Sundays. While Tesla delivered a record 97,000 cars in the third quarter of 2019, it also had 3,000 cars sitting in inventory. This plan, if accurate, could help there.

Cheese grater faker.
Crowdfunded case will give your Windows PC that Mac Pro look

Do you like the look of Apple’s redesigned Mac Pro but would rather not drop $5,999 on a workstation just to have that cheese-grater-on-steroids casing? You might not have to. Dune Case is close to crowdfunding the Dune Pro, a standard PC case that unsubtly mimics Apple’s airflow-centric design. On the outside, it’s basically a Mac Pro without Apple’s logo — you’ll need to buy a Dice Y sound dampening cover to get the full look, but the stainless steel frame and aluminum enclosure are uncannily similar.

The Dune Pro should reach Kickstarter on October 21st, with pricing and estimated ship times expected by then — and some major questions that need answering. The looming question, of course, is whether or not it’ll survive legal scrutiny. Dune already has another Apple-inspired enclosure in the works, the $199 Dune Case, but it’s based on the 2013 Mac Pro and takes more creative liberties. The Dune Pro is a more… literal translation.

Your foldable phone is getting the red-carpet treatment.
Samsung’s Galaxy Fold Premier Service debuts in the US

If you bought the finally available updated Galaxy Fold, you now have the VIP support the $2,000 device demands. Samsung’s Galaxy Fold Premiere Service has launched in the US, offering all of the foldable-phone’s buyers dedicated video-chat support through the Members app, and if you’re in the right location, in-person tutorials.

The service also includes a discount on the first replacement for the folding screen, lowering it to $149 whether you visit specified service locations or get an expedited mail-in. You might need it, too, given that tests have suggested the inner screen might not last as long as Samsung estimates.

But wait, there’s more…

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Samsung’s Android 10 beta program is now available on the Galaxy S10

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The One UI 2.0 OS features a blend of Samsung’s features like smaller notifications and “enhanced Dark Mode” that adjusts the brightness of images and text at night, along with Android 10 perks like the new Focus Mode.

The app is supposedly available for folks with an unlocked phone or a contract with Sprint or T-Mobile. To find out if you have access, head to the Samsung Members app and check for notifications. If you manage to get it, you’ll be far ahead of Galaxy S9 owners who wanted Android 9 “Pie” last year. That app didn’t hit beta on Samsung devices until November 2018, four months after it was released.

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