Send app to 131
Then change your imei no
send it again
change and send till u re satisfied
Sunday, June 7, 2015
Tuesday, September 2, 2014
HTC (M8)s With Microsoft
HTC, which in recent years spurned Windows Phone for
Android, on Tuesday returned to the Microsoft fold with the
launch of a Windows Phone version of its flagship HTC One
(M8) smartphone.
The HTC One (M8) for Windows debuted as a Verizon
Wireless network exclusive. The two-year contract price at
Verizon Wireless is $200. AT&T also will carry the phone, but
it hasn't said when that will be.
Helping Hands?
HTC has been flailing in the market for years, and it has
predicted that Q3 will be yet another losing quarter. That will
be the company's 12th consecutive quarter of declining
revenue on an annual basis.
Microsoft's mobile division isn't doing too well either; its Q2
shipment of 7.4 million Windows Phone devices was 9.4
percent down year over year, IDC reported.
So, is the partnership a case of two ailing giants propping
each other up as they hobble along?
"Microsoft's leaning on HTC, and in return they're getting
another real great flagship device," Ramon Llamas, a
research manager at IDC, told TechNewsWorld. "Microsoft
earlier this year announced partnerships with a number of
companies that specialize in entry-level devices in emerging
markets, so this fills a gap for them."
Tech Specs for the HTC One (M8) for
Windows
By all accounts, the HTC One (M8) for Windows is identical to
the recently unveiled Android version, except for the OS.
Windows Phone is not just a skin on top of Android on this
device; it is the core OS, and that might prove to be a plus.
For example, the HTC BlinkFeed feature is integrated into
the Windows Phone Live Tile layout.
BlinkFeed is one of the features of the Android version of
the HTC One (M8) that's included in the Windows version.
Other features in the Android version that also show up in
Windows: HTC BoomSound; Duo Camera with UltraPixel;
Video Highlights; a 5 MP wide-angle front-facing camera; and
support for the HTC Dot View case.
The device runs Windows Phone 8.1 Update. It comes with
Cortana, the Windows Phone personal digital assistant.
Apps Corner sandboxes apps and folders into a protected
area so the HTC One (M8) for Windows can be used as a
point-of-sale device without exposing personal information.
The HTC One (M8) "is one of the best phones on spec in the
market, but it has been overshadowed by Samsung's
offering," Rob Enderle, principal analyst at the Enderle
Group, told TechNewsWorld. "Samsung can afford to spend
far more on marketing. Microsoft will help market this
phone, and HTC needs all the help they can get."
App Store Issues
Apps are critical for mobile devices, and the Windows App
Store is riddled with malware, according to How-To-Geek.
"I'm a Windows Phone user myself and haven't run into this,
but that's largely because I know what apps I want and don't
go exploring often any more," Enderle remarked.
The problem "could likely be the result of too much focus on
volume and not enough focus on quality," he said.
Microsoft has been scrambling to increase the number of
apps it offers to catch up to Apple and Google.
A Lifeline for HTC
In any event, Microsoft's support might help HTC get back on
its feet.
"Perhaps we're seeing Phase One of HTC having a broader
relationship with Microsoft, meaning the licensing of
Windows 8 going to zero dollars for devices that have 8-inch
or smaller displays," Jeff Orr, a senior practice director at
ABI Research, told TechNewsWorld. "That might offer an
opportunity for HTC to get back into the tablets game again."
Further, the HTC One (M8) for Windows "did not require HTC
to rebuild its hardware; it's more of an OS and software
implementation issue, and perhaps that's an opportunity for
HTC to be unique," he speculated. "It could develop one
hardware product that lets it load the OS of choice by
partner or relationship."
For example, AT&T and Verizon have different requirements,
Orr pointed out, and HTC might develop one product that
meets the requirements of both carriers.
Digital Clone: You Won't Be Able to Live Without One
A digital clone could operate at
machine speed and make decisions
without bias -- using the same values
you'd use. Think of starting the day
not with hundreds of emails but
maybe just one that required your
personal involvement. Imagine
having a system that would respond
as you would to all of them and then
summarize what it did. Having an
assistant on steroids could massively
simplify your life.
ManageEngine OpManager, a powerful NMS for
monitoring your network, physical & virtual (VMware/
HyperV) servers & other IT devices. Deploy and start
monitoring in less than an hour. Trusted by over a million
admins world-wide. Try it for free.
By Rob Enderle
09/01/14 7:24 AM PT
A very interesting book just hit the market. Written by
Martine Rothblatt -- apparently she is America's top paid
female CEO -- its title is Virtually Human: The Promise -- and
the Peril -- of Digital Immortality. The subject is digital
clones, and Rothblatt goes into depth about what they are,
when they are coming, and the likelihood they eventually
will have equal human rights.
The premise is fascinating, and I now can foresee a future
when we won't be able to survive successfully without one --
and that future is coming damned fast. I'll explain, and then
close with my product of the week: an amazing new set of
headphones from Plantronics.
A Digital Clone
It's interesting thinking about this. As you might
recall, a few years back there was a lot of talk about
creating biological clones and the need for huge
bans preventing the practice for any reason except,
possibly, organ harvesting. I think people were
scared that these things would become monsters or
some such.
The thing is, if you were to print a 3D copy of
yourself, it basically would be a vegetable that was
good only for organ harvesting, because it would
be an adult without any skills -- couldn't walk, talk,
feed itself, comprehend, etc. Even if you taught it
all of those things, it wouldn't be you, which I think was kind
of the goal -- to create a form of immortality by creating
copies of yourself.
Granted, if you could transplant the brain, then having a
brand new body every 20 years until your brain failed could
be a superset of plastic surgery. It might slow down
dementia, but eventually you'd have to deal with the brain
problem. Otherwise, you'd just be a demented person with a
young body.
A digital clone is an electronic copy of your personality.
Virtually Human describes how one of the first digital clones
was created and interacted with.
A digital clone wouldn't be built as you were built. It
wouldn't come into existence biologically and then duplicate
every one of your experiences, interactions and learning
moments. Instead, it would be created to emulate you and
to learn largely by observing or being programmed to act as
you now do. Strangely, the end result would be far more
likely to be a match than if you tried the impossible task of
growing it as you were grown.
Advantages of a Digital Clone
One of the big advantages of a digital clone would be that
since it would exist in a computer, it wouldn't have
hormones. It wouldn't have the animalistic parts of the brain
that often drive humans to be inconsistent -- to do what, in
hindsight, are stupid things, because of emotions. One of the
interesting things is that without those aspects, it isn't a
perfect clone either, so the more stable it is in relation to
you, the less like you the clone is -- the less it actually is a
clone.
A digital clone could operate at machine speed and make
decisions without bias -- but using the same values you'd
use. Think of starting the day not with hundreds of emails
but maybe just one that required your personal
involvement. Imagine having a system that would respond
as you would to all of them and then, in a page, summarize
what it did.
Think of a system that could scan most all of the Web in real
time and just let you know about the stuff, regardless of
where it was, that you'd really be interested in -- as if you'd
looked at everything personally. It would learn about
everything from the cool product you didn't know you really
wanted to a cure for an illness that might otherwise kill you.
Having a clone that could operate like an assistant on
steroids -- but with your value system -- could massively
simplify your life and turn your work week from what it is to
just a few hours. Granted, at some point, you kind of
wonder whether the company might just start paying you for
those few hours, so there is a reason to be concerned-- but
then you could have more than one clone, and you might
have hundreds of jobs and a total income that could be far
greater then you could earn today.
Hmm. Rather than living a simple life, we could all become
CEOs -- at least, the most successful among us -- of
thousands of digital clones of us. For some reason, I'm now
recalling the old Twilight Zone episode, The Brain Center at
Whipples, and it isn't a pleasant memory.
Wrapping Up: The Future
The 8088 -- the processor often credited with creating the
modern computing world -- just had its 40th anniversary.
I've been asked what I think the next 40 years will bring. My
answer is a blend of human and digital components with the
home -- a result that benefits the human race, rather than
catastrophically replacing it.
In other words, I hope that digital clones will make the world
a better place for us -- not that the world will be a better
place because we aren't around anymore. That's something
to ponder.
Product of the Week: Plantronics Backbeat Pro
I like listening to music -- I like it a lot.
However, most of the good headphones
ask you to choose between whether they
are wireless or noise-canceling, and to
pick from a selection of bright candy
colors that make you look like a lollypop.
Even when I was young, I didn't like
wearing extremely bright colors, because I thought they
made me look goofy.
That is why I fell in love with Plantronics new Backbeat Pro
headphones. First, they are black, so they look elegant
rather than designed for a 10-year-old. Second, they have
both active noise cancellation and wireless capability. Third,
they have 21 hours of battery life with everything turned on.
Fourth, they use NFC for setup -- which means if you have an
NFC phone, and I do, you touch the headphones to the
phone and they automatically pair. Fifth, the controls are
intuitive. I didn't have to open the instruction book to find
anything -- often I have to do that these days just to find the
damn on-switch. Finally, they sound fantastic.
Plantronics Backbeat Pro
You'd think it would be easy to create a product like this, but
apparently it isn't, because this is the first set of headphones
I've had that didn't have at least one substantial thing I
hated about it. That alone would be reason to make this my
product of the week, but I really love these headphones,
which actually is why Plantronics Backbeat Pro is my product
of the week.
Rob Enderle i
machine speed and make decisions
without bias -- using the same values
you'd use. Think of starting the day
not with hundreds of emails but
maybe just one that required your
personal involvement. Imagine
having a system that would respond
as you would to all of them and then
summarize what it did. Having an
assistant on steroids could massively
simplify your life.
ManageEngine OpManager, a powerful NMS for
monitoring your network, physical & virtual (VMware/
HyperV) servers & other IT devices. Deploy and start
monitoring in less than an hour. Trusted by over a million
admins world-wide. Try it for free.
By Rob Enderle
09/01/14 7:24 AM PT
A very interesting book just hit the market. Written by
Martine Rothblatt -- apparently she is America's top paid
female CEO -- its title is Virtually Human: The Promise -- and
the Peril -- of Digital Immortality. The subject is digital
clones, and Rothblatt goes into depth about what they are,
when they are coming, and the likelihood they eventually
will have equal human rights.
The premise is fascinating, and I now can foresee a future
when we won't be able to survive successfully without one --
and that future is coming damned fast. I'll explain, and then
close with my product of the week: an amazing new set of
headphones from Plantronics.
A Digital Clone
It's interesting thinking about this. As you might
recall, a few years back there was a lot of talk about
creating biological clones and the need for huge
bans preventing the practice for any reason except,
possibly, organ harvesting. I think people were
scared that these things would become monsters or
some such.
The thing is, if you were to print a 3D copy of
yourself, it basically would be a vegetable that was
good only for organ harvesting, because it would
be an adult without any skills -- couldn't walk, talk,
feed itself, comprehend, etc. Even if you taught it
all of those things, it wouldn't be you, which I think was kind
of the goal -- to create a form of immortality by creating
copies of yourself.
Granted, if you could transplant the brain, then having a
brand new body every 20 years until your brain failed could
be a superset of plastic surgery. It might slow down
dementia, but eventually you'd have to deal with the brain
problem. Otherwise, you'd just be a demented person with a
young body.
A digital clone is an electronic copy of your personality.
Virtually Human describes how one of the first digital clones
was created and interacted with.
A digital clone wouldn't be built as you were built. It
wouldn't come into existence biologically and then duplicate
every one of your experiences, interactions and learning
moments. Instead, it would be created to emulate you and
to learn largely by observing or being programmed to act as
you now do. Strangely, the end result would be far more
likely to be a match than if you tried the impossible task of
growing it as you were grown.
Advantages of a Digital Clone
One of the big advantages of a digital clone would be that
since it would exist in a computer, it wouldn't have
hormones. It wouldn't have the animalistic parts of the brain
that often drive humans to be inconsistent -- to do what, in
hindsight, are stupid things, because of emotions. One of the
interesting things is that without those aspects, it isn't a
perfect clone either, so the more stable it is in relation to
you, the less like you the clone is -- the less it actually is a
clone.
A digital clone could operate at machine speed and make
decisions without bias -- but using the same values you'd
use. Think of starting the day not with hundreds of emails
but maybe just one that required your personal
involvement. Imagine having a system that would respond
as you would to all of them and then, in a page, summarize
what it did.
Think of a system that could scan most all of the Web in real
time and just let you know about the stuff, regardless of
where it was, that you'd really be interested in -- as if you'd
looked at everything personally. It would learn about
everything from the cool product you didn't know you really
wanted to a cure for an illness that might otherwise kill you.
Having a clone that could operate like an assistant on
steroids -- but with your value system -- could massively
simplify your life and turn your work week from what it is to
just a few hours. Granted, at some point, you kind of
wonder whether the company might just start paying you for
those few hours, so there is a reason to be concerned-- but
then you could have more than one clone, and you might
have hundreds of jobs and a total income that could be far
greater then you could earn today.
Hmm. Rather than living a simple life, we could all become
CEOs -- at least, the most successful among us -- of
thousands of digital clones of us. For some reason, I'm now
recalling the old Twilight Zone episode, The Brain Center at
Whipples, and it isn't a pleasant memory.
Wrapping Up: The Future
The 8088 -- the processor often credited with creating the
modern computing world -- just had its 40th anniversary.
I've been asked what I think the next 40 years will bring. My
answer is a blend of human and digital components with the
home -- a result that benefits the human race, rather than
catastrophically replacing it.
In other words, I hope that digital clones will make the world
a better place for us -- not that the world will be a better
place because we aren't around anymore. That's something
to ponder.
Product of the Week: Plantronics Backbeat Pro
I like listening to music -- I like it a lot.
However, most of the good headphones
ask you to choose between whether they
are wireless or noise-canceling, and to
pick from a selection of bright candy
colors that make you look like a lollypop.
Even when I was young, I didn't like
wearing extremely bright colors, because I thought they
made me look goofy.
That is why I fell in love with Plantronics new Backbeat Pro
headphones. First, they are black, so they look elegant
rather than designed for a 10-year-old. Second, they have
both active noise cancellation and wireless capability. Third,
they have 21 hours of battery life with everything turned on.
Fourth, they use NFC for setup -- which means if you have an
NFC phone, and I do, you touch the headphones to the
phone and they automatically pair. Fifth, the controls are
intuitive. I didn't have to open the instruction book to find
anything -- often I have to do that these days just to find the
damn on-switch. Finally, they sound fantastic.
Plantronics Backbeat Pro
You'd think it would be easy to create a product like this, but
apparently it isn't, because this is the first set of headphones
I've had that didn't have at least one substantial thing I
hated about it. That alone would be reason to make this my
product of the week, but I really love these headphones,
which actually is why Plantronics Backbeat Pro is my product
of the week.
Rob Enderle i
Leap Motion Gets Your Hands in the Game
sensors to the controller on the headset, giving users a real
time view of the environment.
The API expands the tracking space to any direction the user
is facing.
Its field of view exceeds that of existing VR displays so users
can track their hands before they come into their field of
vision -- effectively expanding their peripheral vision with
the headset on.
The mount, which lets devs attach and remove the Leap
Motion controller from a VR headset, is available from the
company online for US$20.
Virtual Love
The API "closes the gap between Oculus Rift and
Project Morpheus, and now Oculus reaches parity
with, if not surpasses, what Sony is able to do with
Morpheus," said Lewis Ward, research director for
gaming at IDC.
Until now, the Morpheus VR headset let users know
where their hands were, whereas Oculus did not.
"It's essential that if you're going to do an
immersive VR experience, you have your hands in
there and being represented in real time," Ward
told TechNewsWorld.
More Fun for Gamers
Doing away with the need for a handheld controller is a big
boost for gamers, Eric Smith, an analyst at Strategy Analytics,
told TechNewsWorld.
"One of the main challenges VR faces is the same that 3D TV
faces -- there's a lot of bulky equipment you have to put on
to use it," Smith said.
"Imagine being able to grab onto a virtual object with no
intermediary," Smith mused. "Things as simple as opening a
door -- very mundane, but it's those very realistic
experiences in VR that allow you to lose yourself when
you're in those games."
Green Fields for Devs
The API "lets Oculus developers bring natural hand motions
into the game," Ward pointed out. "It opens up the
possibility for manipulating these virtual worlds to a much
greater extent than having to hold a controller."
"There's some enthusiasm among developers for creating
whole new experiences from an entirely new perspective,"
Smith remarked. "This changes the game for developers."
VR "is a green field for developers," he added. "They're able
to put their stamp on something that's coming to the fore
now."
Other Uses, Other Places
It's not just gamers and game devs who will get a kick out of
advances in the VR industry such as Leap's new API.
"This type of imaging will probably go further than gaming,"
Susan Schreiner, an analyst at C4 Trends, told
TechNewsWorld. "There are real implications for this in
medicine, health and certain types of businesses."
The Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai is the first in
the United States to use a virtual reality simulator for
training.
Harley Witt last year put together a prototype mirrored
reality game that combined Oculus Rift with Leap Motion.
The Leap Motion controller was combined with the Oculus
Rift and Google Maps and demoed at Google I/O 2013.
Enthusiast Lucas Sicialano integrated Oculus Rift with
Google's Street View database, to provide an immersive
experience.
"We're now into this 3D world in so many different ways that
I don't know what the permutations of this will be,"
Schreiner said. "This is going to be an evolutionary type of
technology."
time view of the environment.
The API expands the tracking space to any direction the user
is facing.
Its field of view exceeds that of existing VR displays so users
can track their hands before they come into their field of
vision -- effectively expanding their peripheral vision with
the headset on.
The mount, which lets devs attach and remove the Leap
Motion controller from a VR headset, is available from the
company online for US$20.
Virtual Love
The API "closes the gap between Oculus Rift and
Project Morpheus, and now Oculus reaches parity
with, if not surpasses, what Sony is able to do with
Morpheus," said Lewis Ward, research director for
gaming at IDC.
Until now, the Morpheus VR headset let users know
where their hands were, whereas Oculus did not.
"It's essential that if you're going to do an
immersive VR experience, you have your hands in
there and being represented in real time," Ward
told TechNewsWorld.
More Fun for Gamers
Doing away with the need for a handheld controller is a big
boost for gamers, Eric Smith, an analyst at Strategy Analytics,
told TechNewsWorld.
"One of the main challenges VR faces is the same that 3D TV
faces -- there's a lot of bulky equipment you have to put on
to use it," Smith said.
"Imagine being able to grab onto a virtual object with no
intermediary," Smith mused. "Things as simple as opening a
door -- very mundane, but it's those very realistic
experiences in VR that allow you to lose yourself when
you're in those games."
Green Fields for Devs
The API "lets Oculus developers bring natural hand motions
into the game," Ward pointed out. "It opens up the
possibility for manipulating these virtual worlds to a much
greater extent than having to hold a controller."
"There's some enthusiasm among developers for creating
whole new experiences from an entirely new perspective,"
Smith remarked. "This changes the game for developers."
VR "is a green field for developers," he added. "They're able
to put their stamp on something that's coming to the fore
now."
Other Uses, Other Places
It's not just gamers and game devs who will get a kick out of
advances in the VR industry such as Leap's new API.
"This type of imaging will probably go further than gaming,"
Susan Schreiner, an analyst at C4 Trends, told
TechNewsWorld. "There are real implications for this in
medicine, health and certain types of businesses."
The Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai is the first in
the United States to use a virtual reality simulator for
training.
Harley Witt last year put together a prototype mirrored
reality game that combined Oculus Rift with Leap Motion.
The Leap Motion controller was combined with the Oculus
Rift and Google Maps and demoed at Google I/O 2013.
Enthusiast Lucas Sicialano integrated Oculus Rift with
Google's Street View database, to provide an immersive
experience.
"We're now into this 3D world in so many different ways that
I don't know what the permutations of this will be,"
Schreiner said. "This is going to be an evolutionary type of
technology."
Leap Motion Gets Your Hands in the Game
sensors to the controller on the headset, giving users a real
time view of the environment.
The API expands the tracking space to any direction the user
is facing.
Its field of view exceeds that of existing VR displays so users
can track their hands before they come into their field of
vision -- effectively expanding their peripheral vision with
the headset on.
The mount, which lets devs attach and remove the Leap
Motion controller from a VR headset, is available from the
company online for US$20.
Virtual Love
The API "closes the gap between Oculus Rift and
Project Morpheus, and now Oculus reaches parity
with, if not surpasses, what Sony is able to do with
Morpheus," said Lewis Ward, research director for
gaming at IDC.
Until now, the Morpheus VR headset let users know
where their hands were, whereas Oculus did not.
"It's essential that if you're going to do an
immersive VR experience, you have your hands in
there and being represented in real time," Ward
told TechNewsWorld.
More Fun for Gamers
Doing away with the need for a handheld controller is a big
boost for gamers, Eric Smith, an analyst at Strategy Analytics,
told TechNewsWorld.
"One of the main challenges VR faces is the same that 3D TV
faces -- there's a lot of bulky equipment you have to put on
to use it," Smith said.
"Imagine being able to grab onto a virtual object with no
intermediary," Smith mused. "Things as simple as opening a
door -- very mundane, but it's those very realistic
experiences in VR that allow you to lose yourself when
you're in those games."
Green Fields for Devs
The API "lets Oculus developers bring natural hand motions
into the game," Ward pointed out. "It opens up the
possibility for manipulating these virtual worlds to a much
greater extent than having to hold a controller."
"There's some enthusiasm among developers for creating
whole new experiences from an entirely new perspective,"
Smith remarked. "This changes the game for developers."
VR "is a green field for developers," he added. "They're able
to put their stamp on something that's coming to the fore
now."
Other Uses, Other Places
It's not just gamers and game devs who will get a kick out of
advances in the VR industry such as Leap's new API.
"This type of imaging will probably go further than gaming,"
Susan Schreiner, an analyst at C4 Trends, told
TechNewsWorld. "There are real implications for this in
medicine, health and certain types of businesses."
The Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai is the first in
the United States to use a virtual reality simulator for
training.
Harley Witt last year put together a prototype mirrored
reality game that combined Oculus Rift with Leap Motion.
The Leap Motion controller was combined with the Oculus
Rift and Google Maps and demoed at Google I/O 2013.
Enthusiast Lucas Sicialano integrated Oculus Rift with
Google's Street View database, to provide an immersive
experience.
"We're now into this 3D world in so many different ways that
I don't know what the permutations of this will be,"
Schreiner said. "This is going to be an evolutionary type of
technology."
time view of the environment.
The API expands the tracking space to any direction the user
is facing.
Its field of view exceeds that of existing VR displays so users
can track their hands before they come into their field of
vision -- effectively expanding their peripheral vision with
the headset on.
The mount, which lets devs attach and remove the Leap
Motion controller from a VR headset, is available from the
company online for US$20.
Virtual Love
The API "closes the gap between Oculus Rift and
Project Morpheus, and now Oculus reaches parity
with, if not surpasses, what Sony is able to do with
Morpheus," said Lewis Ward, research director for
gaming at IDC.
Until now, the Morpheus VR headset let users know
where their hands were, whereas Oculus did not.
"It's essential that if you're going to do an
immersive VR experience, you have your hands in
there and being represented in real time," Ward
told TechNewsWorld.
More Fun for Gamers
Doing away with the need for a handheld controller is a big
boost for gamers, Eric Smith, an analyst at Strategy Analytics,
told TechNewsWorld.
"One of the main challenges VR faces is the same that 3D TV
faces -- there's a lot of bulky equipment you have to put on
to use it," Smith said.
"Imagine being able to grab onto a virtual object with no
intermediary," Smith mused. "Things as simple as opening a
door -- very mundane, but it's those very realistic
experiences in VR that allow you to lose yourself when
you're in those games."
Green Fields for Devs
The API "lets Oculus developers bring natural hand motions
into the game," Ward pointed out. "It opens up the
possibility for manipulating these virtual worlds to a much
greater extent than having to hold a controller."
"There's some enthusiasm among developers for creating
whole new experiences from an entirely new perspective,"
Smith remarked. "This changes the game for developers."
VR "is a green field for developers," he added. "They're able
to put their stamp on something that's coming to the fore
now."
Other Uses, Other Places
It's not just gamers and game devs who will get a kick out of
advances in the VR industry such as Leap's new API.
"This type of imaging will probably go further than gaming,"
Susan Schreiner, an analyst at C4 Trends, told
TechNewsWorld. "There are real implications for this in
medicine, health and certain types of businesses."
The Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai is the first in
the United States to use a virtual reality simulator for
training.
Harley Witt last year put together a prototype mirrored
reality game that combined Oculus Rift with Leap Motion.
The Leap Motion controller was combined with the Oculus
Rift and Google Maps and demoed at Google I/O 2013.
Enthusiast Lucas Sicialano integrated Oculus Rift with
Google's Street View database, to provide an immersive
experience.
"We're now into this 3D world in so many different ways that
I don't know what the permutations of this will be,"
Schreiner said. "This is going to be an evolutionary type of
technology."
Leap Motion Gets Your Hands in the Game
sensors to the controller on the headset, giving users a real
time view of the environment.
The API expands the tracking space to any direction the user
is facing.
Its field of view exceeds that of existing VR displays so users
can track their hands before they come into their field of
vision -- effectively expanding their peripheral vision with
the headset on.
The mount, which lets devs attach and remove the Leap
Motion controller from a VR headset, is available from the
company online for US$20.
Virtual Love
The API "closes the gap between Oculus Rift and
Project Morpheus, and now Oculus reaches parity
with, if not surpasses, what Sony is able to do with
Morpheus," said Lewis Ward, research director for
gaming at IDC.
Until now, the Morpheus VR headset let users know
where their hands were, whereas Oculus did not.
"It's essential that if you're going to do an
immersive VR experience, you have your hands in
there and being represented in real time," Ward
told TechNewsWorld.
More Fun for Gamers
Doing away with the need for a handheld controller is a big
boost for gamers, Eric Smith, an analyst at Strategy Analytics,
told TechNewsWorld.
"One of the main challenges VR faces is the same that 3D TV
faces -- there's a lot of bulky equipment you have to put on
to use it," Smith said.
"Imagine being able to grab onto a virtual object with no
intermediary," Smith mused. "Things as simple as opening a
door -- very mundane, but it's those very realistic
experiences in VR that allow you to lose yourself when
you're in those games."
Green Fields for Devs
The API "lets Oculus developers bring natural hand motions
into the game," Ward pointed out. "It opens up the
possibility for manipulating these virtual worlds to a much
greater extent than having to hold a controller."
"There's some enthusiasm among developers for creating
whole new experiences from an entirely new perspective,"
Smith remarked. "This changes the game for developers."
VR "is a green field for developers," he added. "They're able
to put their stamp on something that's coming to the fore
now."
Other Uses, Other Places
It's not just gamers and game devs who will get a kick out of
advances in the VR industry such as Leap's new API.
"This type of imaging will probably go further than gaming,"
Susan Schreiner, an analyst at C4 Trends, told
TechNewsWorld. "There are real implications for this in
medicine, health and certain types of businesses."
The Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai is the first in
the United States to use a virtual reality simulator for
training.
Harley Witt last year put together a prototype mirrored
reality game that combined Oculus Rift with Leap Motion.
The Leap Motion controller was combined with the Oculus
Rift and Google Maps and demoed at Google I/O 2013.
Enthusiast Lucas Sicialano integrated Oculus Rift with
Google's Street View database, to provide an immersive
experience.
"We're now into this 3D world in so many different ways that
I don't know what the permutations of this will be,"
Schreiner said. "This is going to be an evolutionary type of
technology."
time view of the environment.
The API expands the tracking space to any direction the user
is facing.
Its field of view exceeds that of existing VR displays so users
can track their hands before they come into their field of
vision -- effectively expanding their peripheral vision with
the headset on.
The mount, which lets devs attach and remove the Leap
Motion controller from a VR headset, is available from the
company online for US$20.
Virtual Love
The API "closes the gap between Oculus Rift and
Project Morpheus, and now Oculus reaches parity
with, if not surpasses, what Sony is able to do with
Morpheus," said Lewis Ward, research director for
gaming at IDC.
Until now, the Morpheus VR headset let users know
where their hands were, whereas Oculus did not.
"It's essential that if you're going to do an
immersive VR experience, you have your hands in
there and being represented in real time," Ward
told TechNewsWorld.
More Fun for Gamers
Doing away with the need for a handheld controller is a big
boost for gamers, Eric Smith, an analyst at Strategy Analytics,
told TechNewsWorld.
"One of the main challenges VR faces is the same that 3D TV
faces -- there's a lot of bulky equipment you have to put on
to use it," Smith said.
"Imagine being able to grab onto a virtual object with no
intermediary," Smith mused. "Things as simple as opening a
door -- very mundane, but it's those very realistic
experiences in VR that allow you to lose yourself when
you're in those games."
Green Fields for Devs
The API "lets Oculus developers bring natural hand motions
into the game," Ward pointed out. "It opens up the
possibility for manipulating these virtual worlds to a much
greater extent than having to hold a controller."
"There's some enthusiasm among developers for creating
whole new experiences from an entirely new perspective,"
Smith remarked. "This changes the game for developers."
VR "is a green field for developers," he added. "They're able
to put their stamp on something that's coming to the fore
now."
Other Uses, Other Places
It's not just gamers and game devs who will get a kick out of
advances in the VR industry such as Leap's new API.
"This type of imaging will probably go further than gaming,"
Susan Schreiner, an analyst at C4 Trends, told
TechNewsWorld. "There are real implications for this in
medicine, health and certain types of businesses."
The Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai is the first in
the United States to use a virtual reality simulator for
training.
Harley Witt last year put together a prototype mirrored
reality game that combined Oculus Rift with Leap Motion.
The Leap Motion controller was combined with the Oculus
Rift and Google Maps and demoed at Google I/O 2013.
Enthusiast Lucas Sicialano integrated Oculus Rift with
Google's Street View database, to provide an immersive
experience.
"We're now into this 3D world in so many different ways that
I don't know what the permutations of this will be,"
Schreiner said. "This is going to be an evolutionary type of
technology."
WOW!!! Finally…BBM Now On Lumia Smartphones
For so long, many have waited for BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) on the
Lumia smartphone collection…. and, it is finally here! So, Lumians get
to the Windows Store on your phone to download the BBM Beta app for
free.
Microsoft Mobile made the announcement on Friday, 1st August, that
users could now download the BBM app on their smartphones.
But hold on… the app is only available for Lumia smartphone running
on Windows Phone 8 and Windows Phone 8.1 operating system.
Continue…
To download the app is quite easy;
go to the Windows Store on these Lumia smartphones, search for
‘Blackberry Messenger’ or ‘BBM Beta’ app, click on install to
download.
The app has also been tailored for Microsoft’s Live Tile user interface,
and users will find three sections in BBM – Chats, Contacts and Feeds –
which can be accessed by swiping through the app.
Lumia smartphone collection…. and, it is finally here! So, Lumians get
to the Windows Store on your phone to download the BBM Beta app for
free.
Microsoft Mobile made the announcement on Friday, 1st August, that
users could now download the BBM app on their smartphones.
But hold on… the app is only available for Lumia smartphone running
on Windows Phone 8 and Windows Phone 8.1 operating system.
Continue…
To download the app is quite easy;
go to the Windows Store on these Lumia smartphones, search for
‘Blackberry Messenger’ or ‘BBM Beta’ app, click on install to
download.
The app has also been tailored for Microsoft’s Live Tile user interface,
and users will find three sections in BBM – Chats, Contacts and Feeds –
which can be accessed by swiping through the app.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)