Daily Tech Headlines – May 30, 2018
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| Daily Tech Headlines – May 30, 2018 | |
| Number | 513 |
| Broadcast Date | MAY 30, 2018 |
| Episode Length | 4:16 |
| Hosts | Tom Merritt |
Oculus launches live VR streaming, Plex adds podcasts and HP’s new gaming laptop.
Headlines
- Plex released a redesign of its Android and iOS apps, adding beta support for podcasts and more personalization options. You can remove default categories from the home screen, and add new categories like On Deck and Continue Watching which can pick up from where you left off on other devices. There are now tabs on the bottom for Movies, Shows, Podcasts, and More.
- HP announced an update to the HP Omen 15 laptop with reduced bezels, 8th-gen Intel quad- and hexa-core processors, up to 32GB of RAM and support for Nvidia's GTX 1070 with Max-Q graphics. It can support 4K gaming at 60Hz. HP also announced the $179 optical mechanical Sequencer Keyboard, the $79 gaming Reactor Mouse and the Mindframe Headset, a gaming headset with internal cooling technology. The Omen 15 arrives July 29 starting at $979.
- Google announced that its Project Fi phone service will now work with the LG G7 ThinQ, LG V35 ThinQ and Moto G6. Previously the SIM Card from Project Fi only had full operation with Pixel phones or the Moto X4.
- Oculus launched the Venues platform for Oculus Go and the Samsung Gear VR. Venues provides access to live streaming VR broadcasts of things like concerts and sports. The first event will be be a live Vance Joy concert at Colorado’s Red Rocks Amphitheater, followed by a Gotham Comedy Live show streamed from New York City. A full slate of events was announced through August 27.
- Chartbeat's latest report indicates direct traffic to websites on mobile is higher than Facebook referred traffic for the first time. Earlier this year, Chartbeat reported referral traffic from Google search is up primarily due to increased mobile traffic. Overall the majority of viewers of websites arrive directly on desktops.
- Qualcomm announced a dedicated chipset for standalone VR and AR headsets. The Snapdragon XR1 can stream 4K 30fps content though it won't support free-moving 6DoF. HTC Vive, Vuzix, Meta and Pico all appeared onstage at the announcement. The XR1 is meant for low-cost low-power headsets.
- Imgur added an unmuted channel which shows video versions of animated GIFs so you can hear sound. Sound is off by default and the videos are limited to 30 seconds. All users can view the videos, while iOS users can post them, with more platforms to be added soon.
- Panasonic said Wednesday it plans to develop automotive batteries that don't use cobalt. The mineral is expensive because of the few places it can be found, principally in the Democratic Republic of Congo. In a meeting with analysts Panasonic's Kenji Tamura said the company has cut down cobalt usage substantially and said zero usage is in the near future. Panasonic supplies batteries to Tesla.
- CNBC reported Tuesday that Microsoft's market valuation passed Alphabet, the owner of Google. At the close of markets Tuesday Microsoft was worth $749 billion and Alphabet $739 billion. Google first passed Microsoft in 2012 and became Alphabet in 2015 and has been larger than Microsoft since. Microsoft's cloud business is credited with powering the rise.
- Preorders for the Atari VCS console opened Wednesday. A “collector’s edition” with a wood-front finish is available for $299, and a black Onyx edition for $199, both through Indiegogo. The console runs Linux comes with 100 classic Atari titles and can play some PC games.
- Intellivision is back with Video Games Live host Tommy Tallarico as President and several original Intellivision designers and executives as well. The revived Intellivision plans to bring back a retro console of its own. A Facebook Q&A begins May 31 and an announcement October 1st.
Links
| Preceded by: "Daily Tech Headlines – May 29, 2018" |
Daily Tech Headlines – May 30, 2018 |
Followed by: "Daily Tech Headlines – May 31, 2018" |