Well, it looks like the higher ups at Facebook have been watching a little too much Ready Player One. At the recently concluded Oculus Connect 6 event, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg revealed Facebook Horizon. Dubbed a ‘social VR platform’, Facebook Horizon is essentially version one of the Oasis from the film, Ready Player One. Horizon seems to be an interconnected world for virtual avatars to meet, play games and more. The app will be coming to the Oculus Quest and the Oculus Rift platform.
In the past we’ve seen various VR spaces such as Second Life and such but nothing on this scale. It looks like you will be able to create an avatar who can then travel through ‘portals’ to various ‘rooms’ where you can play games or hangout with other users. Even though VR has not picked up steam in the mainstream market, this looks like it could push that notion forward. Zuckerberg said, “That’s kind of our bread and butter as a company. We build a lot of the best social experiences for phones and computers, and we want to do this for virtual reality as well.”
Facebook has also announced that Horizon will launch as a closed beta test in 2020. Even though this seems to be a few months away, the future for technology like this seems bright. As of now, VR, as a medium, is still associated with gaming and the like. For the image to change, companies may have to try and market their product as something that is not just for gaming but a social platform for the mainstream.
Who knows what the future holds for this technology but we will be following this story as it progresses.
from Latest Technology News https://ift.tt/2mOySt3
Apple Music for iOS received a minor visual overhaul and a few new features along with Apple’s latest iOS 13 update last week but it appears those changes are, fortunately, not exclusive to Apple users. In the latest stable update, Apple Music for Android has received support for Chromecast, an optional dark theme, and a real-time lyrics readout feature. Users of the app should be able to see the changes appear in the latest version of Apple Music (v3.0.0).
The biggest visual change lies in the Now Playing screen of the Apple Music app. The bottom area now houses three centered icons instead of the previous corner-aligned two. Clicking the first icon during music playback brings up a real-time lyrics readout page. What that means is that the app will synchronise the displayed section of the lyrics with the current position of the song. It will also match the auto-scroll speed with the song’s tempo so you can start singing along to the tune as soon as you hit the button.
Clicking the second icon brings up the familiar Chromecast ‘Cast to’ prompt, which lets you cast music to a Chromecast device of your choice. This feature was until now present in the recent beta versions of Apple Music. This is the first stable version to come with native support for Chromecast. Clicking the third icon brings up a slightly revamped Up Next screen, which contains a list of songs that will be played next along with options to shuffle and repeat.
In addition, Apple Music for Android gets a dark theme that turns on automatically when dark mode is enabled at a system level in Android 10. Of course, it can also be enabled or disabled manually from Settings on older Android versions. According to Apple, the updated Android app also gives users access to “over 100,000 broadcast radio stations from around the world”. You can download Apple Music for Android from here.
from Latest Technology News https://ift.tt/2lT8Wwa
OnePlus is all set to launch two new devices in India at an event today. The smartphone manufacturer will unveil its latest OnePlus 7T handset at the launch and will expand its product portfolio by entering the smart TV segment with the OnePlus TV. Between the company’s drip-feed of official information and multiple leaked reports, there might barely be anything left to know about the two devices, except for their pricing in India. So, here’s how you can watch today’s live stream of the OnePlus launch event and all that we know about the OnePlus 7T and the OnePlus TV.
OnePlus 7T, OnePlus TV launch event live stream
Today’s OnePlus launch event is being hosted in New Delhi and it is slated to commence at 7PM. The company will be broadcasting the live event via its various social media channels but you can watch it directly from the YouTube video embedded below.
OnePlus 7T specs and features
From what we officially know about the OnePlus 7T so far, the handset is shaping up to be an iterative upgrade over the OnePlus 7 series of handsets. As per the officially posted renders of the handset, the upcoming smartphone is equipped with a rear panel that is built out of 4th gen matte-frosted glass. There is a triple rear-camera setup on its back and unlike the OnePlus 7T, it is housed horizontally, in circular camera setup. The front of the phone has not been revealed officially yet but leaked renders hint at a waterdrop notch display design, similar to the OnePlus 7. Its display is also confirmed to feature 90Hz refresh rate and support HDR10+.
The OnePlus 7T is most likely to be powered by the latest Snapdragon 855+ SoC and reports suggest its base variant might pack 8GB RAM. The handset could also be offered in 128GB and 256GB storage variants. Coming to the camera, the handset is reported to come equipped with 48MP+12MP+8MP sensors on the back. On the front, the handset might sport a 16MP sensor that supports EIS.
OnePlus TV specs and features
Details of the OnePlus TV have been announced in bits and pieces. It is official that the TV will not be as inexpensive as Mi TVs as it is aimed at taking on more premium models by brands like Sony and Samsung. The television will feature a 55-inch QLED panel and will come equipped with eight speakers that feature 50W of combined power output. It is equipped with a custom Gamma Color Magic processor, supports Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos. Its remote sports a compact form factor and sports a dedicated button to invoke the Google Assistant.
It is reported that there might be two variants of the OnePlus TV, a high-end QLED model and a more affordable LED variant. In addition, the more expensive version of the TV sports a kevlar finish on the back and there will be an app that enables users to input directly to the TV or change the volume. There might also be support for Amazon’s digital assistant Alexa on the TV since a leaked image of the remote hints at a dedicated Amazon Prime button.
OnePlus 7T, OnePlus TV expected price
While there’s no concrete information on how much the OnePlus 7T will cost but it could be priced around Rs 32,999, which is similar to the OnePlus 7. As for the OnePlus TV, a previously leaked report hints at a hefty price tag of Rs 1.4 lakh but as it was from an unofficial source, we expect you to take it with a grain of salt.
from Latest Technology News https://ift.tt/2mS4yxq
Flipkart revealed some of the deals and discounts it will be offering on smartphones during its sale, ahead of time. The online retailer is hosting its Big Billion Days 2019 sale from September 29 till October 4 and alongside smartphones, it will be offering discounts on televisions, speakers, accessories and more. However, Flipkart has now revealed some of the price cuts it will be offering during the sale, which will commence from September 30 for the smartphone category. Flipkart Plus members will get four hours of early access to the sale and there’s also a 10 percent instant discount for Axis bank credit and debit card users, and ICICI bank credit card users.
Flipkart Big Billion Days Sale smartphone deals
During the Flipkart Big Billion Days Sale, one can expect a slew of devices to receive a considerable price cut. The 2GB/32GB variant of the Realme C2 will receive a discount of Rs 1,000 and will be available for Rs 5,999 while its 3GB RAM version will cost Rs 6,999, down from Rs 8,999. The Redmi Note 7 Pro will also be discounted and available for Rs 10,999, Rs 12,999 and Rs 14,999 for the 4/64GB, 6/64GB and 6/128GB variant. The Vivo Z1 Pro will be available for Rs 12,900 during the sale.
Realme 5 will receive a discount as well and will be available starting at Rs 8,999. The Redmi K20 Pro will be available starting at Rs 19,999 during the sale, while the Redmi Note 7S will be sold for Rs 8,999 for the 3GB RAM version and for Rs 9,999 for the 4GB RAM variant. There will also be a notable discount on the Realme 5 Pro, which will be priced at Rs 13,999 during the sale. The Poco F1 will also be available starting at Rs 14,999 and the 4GB model of the Samsung Galaxy A50 will cost Rs 16,999.
The Flipkart sale might also be a good opportunity for users who are waiting for a price drop on flagship phones. The Google Pixel 3 and 3XL will be available for Rs 42,999, while the Pixel 3a series will be priced at Rs 29,999. The Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus will be up for grabs at Rs 34,999, while the Samsung Galaxy S9 will be available for Rs 29,999. The 4GB Nokia 6.1 Plus will also be available for purchase at Rs 8,999. The Realme 3 Pro will be available for Rs 11,999, while Moto One Vision that sells for Rs 19,999 will be available for Rs 14,999 during the upcoming Flipkart sale.
from Latest Technology News https://ift.tt/2n6it34
