Oct 25
Oct 25
Oct 25
Microsoft’s Kinect Bites The Dust
Posted in: Today's Chili
There has been a lot of speculation recently about the future of Microsoft’s Kinect sensor. There haven’t been any rumors or reports recently about a new iteration of the sensor. Many felt that the company was simply going to discontinue the Kinect eventually and that’s precisely what it has done. Microsoft has now decided to discontinue the Kinect for Xbox and PC.
Microsoft confirmed to Co.Design that it has ceased manufacturing for the Kinect motion sensor. What that means is that Microsoft is no longer producing any new units of the Kinect. Retailers are going to sell the remaining stock until they run out.
It wouldn’t be right to call the Kinect a failure. The device did perform well. Microsoft has reportedly sold over 35 million Kinect units since the first was released in 2010. However, it didn’t really gain popularity the way that Microsoft was probably hoping that it would. The Kinect for Xbox 360 was actually the fastest-selling consumer device in 2011, it picked up a Guinness World Record back then.
Microsoft tried to push the sensor with the Xbox One when the console was released in 2014. However, the price point meant that the Xbox One was losing out on sales to the PlayStation 4. This forced Microsoft to eventually unbundle the Kinect from the console. Things didn’t really get better for the Kinect since then.
The product may have met its end but the technology is going to live on. Much of the depth-sensing tech that the Kinect relied on is going to be used by Microsoft to power mixed reality experiences through devices like the HoloLens headset. The same technology is also being used in the new Windows Mixed Reality headsets.
Microsoft’s Kinect Bites The Dust , original content from Ubergizmo. Read our Copyrights and terms of use.
Oct 25
It appears that AT&T is developing a new set-top box that’s going to be powered by Android. It would make sense for the company to develop such a product. It’s going to reduce AT&T’s reliance on third-party hardware to push DirecTV Now via TV hardware. A new FCC filing has been discovered which suggests that AT&T is developing this product.
The FCC filing mentions “”AT&T/DirecTV Wireless 4K OTT Client” as the device name. It’s highly unlikely that this is what the set-top box is going to be called when it eventually arrives in the market.
There aren’t a lot of details available about the specifications of this set-top box at this point in the. The filing does reveal that there’s going to be a voice-enabled remote control with touchpad as well as full access to Google Play.
This makes it seem like the product is going to be quite similar to existing Android-powered set-top boxes so users will be able to stream from Netflix and Hulu just as easily as they will be able to watch live TV using DirecTV Now.
The filing doesn’t reveal when this device is going to be launched and when AT&T is going to release it. With the Consumer Electronics Show 2018 not that far off, it’s possible that AT&T might unveil this set-top box at the event early next year.
AT&T Developing Android-Powered Set-Top Box , original content from Ubergizmo. Read our Copyrights and terms of use.
Oct 25
The rumors concerning a new handset from OnePlus are gradually picking up. OnePlus is expected to launch the OnePlus 5T next month, even though the company hasn’t really dropped any hints to suggest that a new device is coming soon. The much-rumored OnePlus 5T is reportedly going to be launched in November and its specs are also said to include a 20 megapixel dual rear camera.
The OnePlus 5T specs have surfaced online via an AnTuTu benchmark listing. The usual suspects can be seen, they include the new 18:9 aspect ratio bezel-less display, 8GB of RAM, and 128GB of storage. It’s possible that the new handset might drop the 6GB RAM and 64GB storage option.
The listing also reveals that the handset is going to feature a 20 megapixel + 20 megapixel dual rear camera. This would mean that OnePlus is going to upgrade the second sensor from 16 megapixel. The existing OnePlus 5 already features a dual camera system at the back.
There’s also the possibility that the handset is going to be powered by Android 8.0 Oreo out of the box. If that is the case, it’s going to be the first handset from OnePlus to run Oreo at launch.
OnePlus is yet to confirm anything about a new device. If recent reports are to be believed, it’s going to unveil the OnePlus 5T in the coming weeks.
OnePlus 5T Specs Might Include 20 Megapixel Dual Rear Camera , original content from Ubergizmo. Read our Copyrights and terms of use.
Oct 25
The LG V30 has been available for purchase in the United States for quite some time now, however, customers who wanted an unlocked variant had to wait. It wasn’t launched with the carrier-locked models. Customers in the United States can finally pre-order the unlocked LG V30. That doesn’t mean that the wait is going to end soon for them, though. It’s not shipping immediately.
The locked variant of the LG V30 can be purchased from carriers like AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile. Sprint is selling the LG V30+. The company didn’t launch the unlocked variant when this handset was initially made available in the country.
It’s now possible pre-order the unlocked LG V30 in the United States. B&H has started taking pre-orders for this particular variant of the LG flagship. Since it’s a flagship, customers will have to dish out a lot of money.
B&H is selling the unlocked LG V30 for $829.99. Even after paying the amount upfront, it’s not like customers will get their handset in two days. B&H mentions that the unlocked LG V30 is not going to ship until December 5th.
Customers will be able to order it in the Cloud Silver color as that’s the only one B&H has the device available in. The unlocked LG V30 is going to be compatible with all GSM and CDMA carriers in the country so customers can take their device to the carrier of their choice.
Unlocked LG V30 Pre-Orders Open In The U.S. , original content from Ubergizmo. Read our Copyrights and terms of use.
Oct 25
It was reported earlier today by a credible news outlet that Apple had reduced the accuracy of the iPhone X Face ID facial recognition feature in order to meet the demand for the handset. There have been a lot of reports recently suggesting that yield issues related to the Face ID components are going to cause supply issues when the handset is released next month. Apple has now issued a statement saying that the report about a reduction in Face ID recognition is “completely false.”
Bloomberg reported earlier today that Apple had reduced its requirements from suppliers for accuracy levels of Face ID. This was apparently going to help them with yield issues and ease up the production bottleneck.
It’s not common for Apple to set the record straight in response to rumors about its upcoming products. The company has made an exception this time around. It has confirmed in a statement that “The quality and accuracy of Face ID haven’t changed. It continues to be 1 in a million probability of a random person unlocking your iPhone with Face ID.”
Apple’s statement goes on to say that the scribe’s claim that the Face ID accuracy spec has been reduced is completely false and that the company expects Face ID to be the new “gold standard for facial authentication.”
The company’s statement doesn’t mention any production bottlenecks and the possibility of a demand-supply gap. That will become evident on its own when the handset is released on November 3rd.
Apple Says iPhone X Face ID Accuracy Hasn’t Been Reduced , original content from Ubergizmo. Read our Copyrights and terms of use.
Oct 25
The much-awaited PC release of Destiny 2 finally took place yesterday and it seems that the launch hasn’t been without hiccups. According to reports, Destiny 2 PC players are being banned for no apparent reason. This is obviously irking a lot of players who have waited a long time to play this game on their gaming machines. Dozens of Destiny 2 players on PC have reported that they have been banned for no reason.
The problem was initially believed to be the use of third-party software that clashes with the Destiny 2 PC client by inserting code, that’s not something that Bungie allows. Bungie said that this policy is meant to ensure the security of the PC version, to prevent hacking and cheating.
This policy drops the banhammer on some functionality related to game capture and livestreaming of popular gaming apps. Even voice chat apps like Discord and Mumble are not exempt from this. Bungie did say that players should be able to use apps like these alongside Destiny 2 but that the title would block software overlays.
Perhaps the “should” part needs more clarity. Since the game went live on PC yesterday, dozens of players have reported on the developer’s forums and reddit that they have been banned from playing the game for no apparent reason.
On the other hand, some players say that they have been able to use NVIDIA GeForce Experience that uses a screen overlay without being banned. It’s unclear what’s causing this issue because players who don’t have anything else but the game and Battle.net app installed on their machines are being banned as well.
Bungie said earlier today that it’s not blocking players due to third-party software. It even said that “We do block programs from pushing their code into our game. Most overlays work like that. We don’t ban for that tho. That’s internet BS.”
The issue doesn’t seem to have been resolved so far, so to be on the safe side, Destiny 2 players on PC should avoid such apps altogether until there’s a definite explanation for this.
Destiny 2 PC Players Are Still Being Banned Without Reason , original content from Ubergizmo. Read our Copyrights and terms of use.
Oct 25
Mama Cat is one of the many people still doing the work post-Ferguson.
Oct 25
Once again, it’s the “strangest” time of the year.
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