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Vudu adds parental control to skip adult scenes

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In addition to the Family Play feature, Vudu is also introducing new ratings and reviews specifically with parents in mind. The company is partnering with Common Sense Media to include commentary on movies and series that will help parents determine if it is appropriate to show to younger viewers. Vudu is also adding a Kids Mode that will provide a more limited selection of shows and films specifically geared toward kids, essentially walling off content that is considered to be more adult oriented. The feature will be available on both Vudu’s free library as well as on rented and purchased titles.

Vudu’s move to position itself as a particularly family-friendly streaming service comes as the platform launches its first family-oriented original series, Mr. Mom. The first two epsiodes of the 11 episode reboot of a John Hughes comedy classic is available starting today, with new batches of episodes dropping every week.

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Pandora’s new desktop app is now available on Windows

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It offers access to all tiers of the service: free, Pandora Plus and Pandora Premium. You can use keyboard shortcuts to control playback and see notifications that detail the artist, song, and album title for whatever you’re currently playing. You can also use the Pandora Modes feature, through which you can customize the kinds of songs you hear on stations.

However, it seems you won’t be able to play podcasts through the app just yet. Podcast support should arrive later.

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Google One plans get thorough automatic backups for Android phones

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If you’re a Google One subscriber, there’s a new perk to your cloud storage service. Starting today, all Google One memberships include automatic phone backups as long as you own an Android device. The feature builds on the operating system’s existing backup functionality, which ensures your texts, contacts and apps are automatically saved to the cloud, to include photos, videos and MMS messages as well. The feature is available to everyone on the same account.

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Steam recommendation engine no longer favors popular titles

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Now, Valve has issued an update to the Steam Store that includes more than a few substantive changes.The update ” features several algorithmic changes and bug fixes in an effort to be more precise and more diverse in how Steam presents tags in the Recommendation Feed, as well as the ‘More Like This’ and the ‘Recommended for You’ sections of the store,” wrote Steam in a blog post announcing the change.

Specifically, popular games will be emphasized less. Steam said users had accused the site’s “Recommended for You” section of being too biased towards popular games and not personalized enough for individual gamers. The company made some tweaks to make its recommendation engine more fair and tested the update on 5 percent of Steam users. The experiment yielded some promising results. Users in the experiment group were 15 percent as likely to click on games in the recommendation section as those in the control group.

Steam said that it’s encouraged by the results and has rolled out the new recommendation engine to all of its users. You can try out the Interactive Recommender tool for yourself.

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Samsung’s artistic The Frame TV is currently on sale for $649

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As always, The Frame’s appeal revolves around a painting-like design whose zero-gap wall mount, customizable appearance and always-on Art Mode help it feel more at home against your wall. While the 43-inch screen makes this better for apartments and bedrooms than suburban living rooms, it otherwise ticks many of the checkboxes for a modern set with 4K, HDR10+ support and four HDMI inputs. If there’s a limitation, it’s that you won’t get newer software features like Apple’s TV app. That won’t be an obstacle for some, though, and it might be a small price to pay for a set so relatively unintrusive.

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Even BMW’s ‘Vantablack’ X6 gets caught by LiDAR

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It’s essentially like looking into the darkness of the universe in its grand expanse of nothingness while contemplating the lifeless hole that has engulfed your soul as you age towards oblivion but with a BMW badge, grille, and headlights. It really is something you have to see for yourself because the car loses all dimension and looks like a silhouette even when the lights in the Coachella-rave-tent inspired room are turned on.

But even blackest black can’t escape the power of lasers. LiDAR outfit Ouster took one of its sensors into the room to see what they could see and caught the vehicle in all its X6 darker-than dark-glory.

The sensor relies on a reflected laser and ambient light to “see” objects, and when you have something this black there’s very little reflectivity. Mark Frichtl, Ouster co-founder and CTO explained his theory why a pigment that just sucks up light was caught on the company’s LiDAR system.

Covering the X6 in Vantablack VBx2 reduces both (laser and Ambient light) of these parameters dramatically. At one-percent total hemispherical reflectance, it’s 10-times less reflective than a typical ‘low-reflectivity’ scenario for specifying maximum ranges for LiDAR.

The Ouster OS1-64 LiDAR sensor is specced at a maximum range of 40 meters for a 10 percent reflective target, so there’s a maximum range of around 22 meters for a target that’s one-percent reflective, like VBx2-coated X6.

In other words, it sees the car, but it needs to be close to it to do so. Fortunately, some parts of the car are very reflective so even at long distances, the Vantablack X6 is visible.

“You’ll also notice that certain parts of the X6 are designed to be extremely reflective, like the license plate and retroreflectors in the headlights and signals. Those parts would be easily picked up at more than 100 meters away. And you can see that in the video, with the license plate being one of the brightest objects in the scene,” Frichtl told Engadget.

Of course, BMW will never sell a car with Vantablack. But if someone decides to spend all their money on a custom paint job, the vehicle will still be detectable by sensors as long as they don’t cover the entire vehicle (including the windshield).

BMw Vantablack X6

LiDAR has become one of the go-to sensors for most automakers to help vehicles see the road, especially for driver’s assistance features. In addition to adding redundancy systems that already have cameras and Radar, LiDAR’s ability to create high definition images from the bouncing of light off surfaces from far distances gives vehicles a more robust piece of data about an object.

This demonstration is further evidence that a suite of sensors on vehicles is always better than just one.

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Watch the trailer for Amazon’s star-studded ‘Modern Love’ series

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Even if the newspaper column stokes your inner-Grinch, the star-studded cast of the Amazon series may force you to take a second look. The show will feature acting talent the likes of Catherine Keener, Dev Patel, Anne Hathaway and Gary Carr. Tiny Fey and John Slattery play a couple in therapy. Andy Garcia and Fleabag’s Andrew Scott also make an appearance. Sharon Horgan (Catastrophe) directs an episode.

The show is executive produced by John Carney (Once, Sing Street). The show is set to premiere on October 18th, and will be a nice change of pace from the stacked selection of horror fare that the streaming service is serving up before Halloween.

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Hulu drops support for Google’s Daydream VR platform

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Variety reported the change and notes that Hulu was one of the original Daydream launch partners. Users could watch Hulu’s entire catalogue, as well as a selection of 360-degree content. But it’s not entirely surprising that Hulu dropped Daydream support. As Variety points out, HBO has removed its HBO Now and HBO Go VR apps from Google Daydream, and even Google discontinued Google Play Movies & TV for the platform.

Daydream launched in 2016, but it failed to catch on. With these partners dropping support and no new partners to speak of, the VR platform’s future is uncertain. Google has been moving away from VR, shifting instead to augmented reality. It recently shuttered its Spotlight Stories VR studio and its Jump VR platform. As a silver lining, Hulu’s VR app is still available on other VR headsets, including PlayStation VR, Oculus Go, Samsung Gear VR and Oculus Rift.

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BMW shows off a fuel-cell version of its X5 SUV

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The X5 BMW showed off is really just a modified gasoline vehicle. BMW’s plan to create a modular platform for its vehicles includes having an option for gas engines, hybrids and pure EVs. Fuel cells currently don’t figure into the automaker’s drivetrain future. But, with its upcoming fleet of altered X5s, it’s at least thinking about an alternative.

That automaker hopes to have fuel cell test vehicles ready by 2022 and available to customers in 2025. Of course, all of this depends not only customer demand but a more robust fuelling infrastructure. No one wants a car or SUV they can’t actually fill up.

bmw

While portions of California and the northeast have filling stations, the rest of the nation is pretty much a dead zone for hydrogen fuel cell vehicles. Meanwhile, electric vehicles can potentially be charged anywhere with a plug. BMW isn’t just going to throw fuel-cell cars into the market willy nilly.

“The BMW Group would start offering fuel cell vehicles for customers in 2025 at the earliest, but the timing very much depends on market requirements and overall conditions,” the company states in their press release.

The benefit of hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles is that the cars spit out water instead of a noxious gas and even though they have electric power plants, they can be refilled as quickly as a gasoline car.

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Save $50 on an ELAC Debut 2.0 center speaker

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Netgear Arlo Q 2-Pack

Netgear

Street price: $262; deal price: $203

This drop to $203 marks the lowest price we’ve seen on a 2-pack of Arlo Q cameras. One Arlo Q typically costs around $130 so this is a nice chance to bundle and save. Currently it’s also the least expensive option available in our guide if you’re interested in monitoring the inside of your home without breaking the bank.

Our versatile pick in our guide to the best WiFi home security camera, the Arlo Q is a long-time recommendation from our guide writers. Wirecutter Staff Writer Racher Cericola wrote, “The Arlo Q has been a pick since we first published this guide, in 2016. It has excellent audio and video quality, as well as motion and sound alerts. However, the Logitech Circle 2 and the Nest Cam deliver a slightly better image quality. The subscription costs for the Arlo are also lower than those of the Logitech or the Nest. If you’re willing to spend money, you can get similar features, such as person detection and even 24/7 recording.”

Nekteck 4-port 72W USB Wall Charger with Type-C 60W Power Delivery

Nekteck

Street price: $30; deal price: $26

Down to $26, this is a solid discount and new low price on this wall charger. This is the first time we’ve seen this option drop below $30, making it even more affordable than our other picks in-guide. At this price, this charger’s USB-C Port and additional USB ports make it a great choice for charging multiple devices at once.

The Nekteck 4-port 72W USB Wall Charger with Type-C 60W Power Delivery was the former top pick in our guide to the best USB-C Macbook and laptop chargers that we still like in our competition section. Wirecutter Senior Staff Writer Nick Guy wrote, “Nekteck’s 4-port 72W USB Wall Charger with Type-C 60W Power Delivery is an excellent charger, with 60-watt speed from the USB-C port and three USB-A ports with a combined 12-watt output. But it is larger and more expensive than the USB-C only version, the Nekteck 60W Type-C Wall Charger, and not everyone will need those USB-A ports while charging their computer or tablet.”

iHome Control WiFi Dual Leak Sensor

iHome

Street price: $29; deal price: $25

Matching the previous low we’ve seen for this smart water-leak detector pick, this drop to $25 may not seem extreme, but it is well worth a second look. The iHome Control WiFi Dual Leak Sensor iSB02 offers two sensors, a loud alarm, integration with other iHome devices, and notifications and remote monitoring, all in a compact package. This versatile, feature packed device is a great option if you’re looking for the best water sensor to protect your home.

Our top pick in our guide to the best smart water-leak detector, the iHome Control Wi-Fi Dual Leak Sensor is the best smart water sensor available. Wirecutter Staff Writer Rachel Cericola wrote, “The iHome Control WiFi Dual Leak Sensor iSB02 packs a lot of features into a compact, inexpensive package. It has two sensors: one on the actual device and another at the tip of a 6-foot probe. This design lets you place the sensors easily and allows you to cover more territory than with models containing only a single sensor. It also includes one of the loudest audible alarms we tested, and it has a quick reaction time and the capability to tie in to smart-home integration with iHome smart plugs and IFTTT. And because it works over WiFi, it doesn’t need a separate hub or smart-home platform, so anyone with a smartphone and a WiFi router can use it.”

ELAC Debut 2.0 C5.2 Center Speaker

Elac

Street price: $200; deal price: $150

Discounted by $50, this is a great discount on this fairly compact center speaker. The ELAC Debut 2.0 speakers are larger and, at this price, more affordable than our top pick, making them great for large rooms or serious home theater enthusiasts who like to crank up the volume. If you’re looking for a center speaker to round out your surround sound system, this may be the one for you.

The ELAC Debut 2.0 C5.2 is the runner-up pick in our guide to the best surround sound speakers for most people. Wirecutter Editor Brent Butterworth wrote, “For hardcore home theater enthusiasts, ELAC’s Debut 2.0 speakers are likely to work better than the Polk Signature Series. For one thing, the speakers in the Debut 2.0 line are generally larger and more robust sounding than those in the Signature Series; the B6.2 bookshelf speaker we used for the front left and right channels is 57 percent larger than the Polk S15, and the C5.2 center channel is 150 percent larger than the Polk S35. Those sizes give the ELAC system better bass performance, which allows it to sound clear and unruffled even when it’s playing very loud, though to get the most out of these speakers you may need a more-powerful-than-average receiver. Also, the Debut 2.0 line includes an optional up-firing Atmos module that can sit atop the main speakers and bounce sound off the ceiling if you want to add a sense of overhead effects.”

Because great deals don’t just happen on Thursday, sign up for our daily deals email and we’ll send you the best deals we find every weekday. Also, deals change all the time, and some of these may have expired. To see an updated list of current deals, please go here.

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