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The story behind every Xbox One controller ever made

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The clip walks through ‘common’ controllers based on themes, whether it’s colors, laser-etched patterns or the many game-themed models (did you know the Sea of Thieves pad was inspired by a gem in a shop?). You’ll often know why Microsoft chose a certain material or visual element. However, the real highlights are the rarities. You can see the early zebra-striped gamepads Microsoft sent to developers (above), the company-only units and specially commissioned, not-for-sale models like one built for the late, great Xbox Addict.

It’s partly a sales pitch for the controllers you can actually buy, but it’s also a rare peek inside a world of hardware design that frequently gets short shrift. The timing is also rather apt. The Xbox One is clearly in its twilight season with the Project Scarlett Xbox just a year away — this is a chance for Microsoft and fans to reminisce about the Xbox’s history before the focus shifts to its future.

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Yelp adds personalized search results to its iPhone app

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In the first part of the personalization setup, you’ll be prompted to choose some dietary, lifestyle and accessibility preferences. This isn’t the same as getting in deep and telling the app you love korean food or cocktail bars, though. It gives some high-level options to tell the app that you prefer gluten-free, kosher, vegetarian or vegan restaurants, for example. Yelp will then take these preferences into account across the service, highlighting restaurants that it knows have a good amount of vegan options, if that’s what you need.

“Lifestyle” lets you tell the app whether you’re a homeowner, auto owner, parent or pet owner — this would be used to highlight locations that are pet-friendly, if you want a restaurant that’ll let you bring your dog. Finally, accessibility encompasses places that are wheelchair-friendly as well as spots that offer gender-neutral restrooms.

After those preferences, Yelp asks you to select your favorites from a host of food and drink categories. The labeling is a little odd; you pick from “cuisine” (Chinese, American, Mexican, etc.), “food” (BBQ, burgers, pizza) and “snacks and drinks” (coffee, bakeries, donuts, ice cream). After filling out your food preferences, you do the same for a “things to do” section, which encompasses nightlife, activities (like arcades, beaches and hiking) and shopping and culture. Finally, the “lifestyle” section includes things like hair salons, spas, antiques, home decor and a few others.

Yelp personalization

It’s a lot of things to consider, and some of the sub-categories seem a little unnecessary. Yelp says these lists will keep being updated and tweaked over time, so we’ll see what the categories look like a year from now. The good news is that it’s a simple process to swipe down the grid of icons and tap the ones you’re interested in. Once that’s done, you’ll see those preferences reflected across your Yelp experience.

On the home screen, Yelp’s “nearby and open now” area highlighted Thai, Middle Eastern and Mexican restaurants, all categories I checked off when setting up my profile. Search results for restaurants also highlighted my preferences. For example, one of the top restaurants in the search results had a tag noting it was the most-visited Italian spot in the neighborhood, with Yelp’s new personalization heart reflecting that this was a category I’m interested in.

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The BBC is developing its own voice assistant called ‘Beeb’

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This problem is being tackled by the BBC, which is preparing to launch its own voice assistant. As reported in The Guardian, the BBC has pledged that its upcoming assistant will be able to understand regional British accents.

The “Beeb” voice assistant will not come with its own hardware like an Amazon Echo or a Google Home device. Rather, it will be an additional feature for the BBC website and iPlayer app. The software will also be made available to hardware manufacturers who want to include it in their products.

To train Beeb, the BBC has made use of its own staff, asking employees from around the country to test the software. The corporation has also addressed what it says are the public’s concerns about commercial voice assistants: targeted advertising and security. “People know and trust the BBC,” a spokesperson told The Guardian, “so it will use its role as public service innovator in technology to ensure everyone –- not just the tech-elite –- can benefit from accessing content and new experiences in this new way.”

There is a significant market for smart speakers, with around 20 percent of British households owning such a device according to the report.

The relationship between the BBC and smart speaker manufacturers has been strained, however. The BBC requires that users sign in to their accounts when accessing content such as radio streams on third party devices, so it can collect data about users’ listening habits. This isn’t supported by popular Alexa app TuneIn though, leading to the BBC pulling its radio content from the app last year.

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The Morning After: KFC tries out 'Beyond' faux-chicken

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Hey, good morning! You look fabulous. Even if you're not an esports millionaire (yet), you should still care about your security practices online and offline. We have some tips on how to keep things locked down, plus a look at the new Star Wars trai…

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‘Mario Kart Tour’ comes to Android and iOS on September 25th

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Very little was known about the game before Nintendo gave a few users the chance to test it out in a closed beta. Its Android and iOS pages now include a detailed feature list, as well, such as race courses inspired by iconic real-world cities that rotate every two weeks. The game is free-to-start, which means players will have to decide whether to spend money on microtransactions to unlock features and perhaps even characters.

Those who haven’t written Mario Kart Tour off after reading “microtransactions” may want to follow its official account on Twitter. Nintendo has promised to release more details about the game as its release date approaches.



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Snap makes Lens Studio easier to use for novice creators

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Portrait Particles is a template that allows creators to decorate the area behind a user’s head with customized particles. Face in Video can track faces onto a video, while Countdown creates Lenses that count down to a specific date and add celebratory 3D accessories onto a user’s face like glasses when it arrives. Skeletal will lead to Lenses that track 2D images onto people’s heads, necks, hands and joints. The Hair Color template allows creators to make Lenses that can modify hair color and style. Finally, the Make-up template will make it possible to create Lenses that add augmented reality make-up to users’ faces.

Snap is also giving creators a way to bring 14 more Landmarkers to life. The feature launched with a handful of locations, including Eiffel Tower and Buckingham Palace. Now, the list has been expanded with the addition of Arc de Triomphe (Paris, France), Astronomical Clock (Prague, Czech Republic), Brandenburg Gate (Berlin, Germany), El Castillo (Chichen Itza, Mexico), Galata Tower (Istanbul, Turkey), Gateway of India (Mumbai, India), Leaning Tower of Pisa (Pisa, Italy), Natural History Museum (London, UK), Neues Rathaus (Munich, Germany), Qasr Al-Farid (Mada’in Saleh, Saudi Arabia), Great Sphinx of Giza (Giza, Egypt), Statue of Liberty (US), Taj Mahal (Agra, India) and Tower Bridge (London, UK).

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‘Overwatch’ Switch case raises hopes for a port

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If it’s truly an officially licensed product — and PowerA does sell a bunch of official Switch accessories, including ones with Zelda and Super Mario designs — then that’s a huge hint that Overwatch is dropping for the platform. When that will happen remains a mystery and is something we’ll likely find out if and when Blizzard or Nintendo confirms the news.



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What's on TV this week: 'Control'

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This week Remedy returns with its first new game since Quantum Break, the creepy supernatural shooter Control. Out now on PS4, PC and Xbox One, it has a Metacritic rating of 81 and some intriguing trailers. In less interactive entertainment, Netflix'…

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A new coating could be the key to lighter lithium metal batteries

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The problem with lithium metal batteries is that they frequently develop small, tendril-like protrusions called dendrites. Over time, dendrites can puncture the protective film that separates the positive and negative ends of the battery. And when the two sides start interacting with one another, there’s the potential for a short circuit, which in turn can lead to the entire power cell catching fire.

Now, a team of researchers at Stanford University think they’ve solved that problem. The researchers created a protective coating that significantly limits dendrite growth. With the new film, the team says they were able to build a lithium metal battery that held 85 percent of its original charge after 160 recharge cycles. By contrast, most current lithium metal batteries tend to keep 30 percent of their original charge when they get to the same point in their lifespan.

Any gadget would benefit from a lighter, higher capacity battery, but the tech would be a game-changer for electric vehicles (EVs). As the research team points out, most EVs spend about a quarter of their battery capacity carrying around their power source. With lithium metal batteries, the range of EVs would increase significantly.

Of course, the challenge, like with most new battery technologies, is to get the new tech out of the lab and into the field. Notably, the Stanford team says the protective coating only overcomes “some” of the problems associated with lithium metal batteries. In short, at best it’ll likely still be years before lithium metal batteries make their way to consumer electronics, which is underscored by the fact Stanford first started talking about the potential of the tech in 2015.

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