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Oculus unveils Touch, a proprietary Rift controller that makes VR actions more natural

Jun11
by on June 11, 2015 at 5:55 pm
Posted In: Around the Web, Insider

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In addition to an Xbox One controller, Oculus has designed a proprietary controller for the Rift: the Oculus Touch. Touch is a set of handheld controllers that let’s you do what Oculus says comes naturally, which is reach out and interact with your VR environment. Oculus says Touch was developed because of the way people naturally use VR; when users put a headset on for the first time, they tend to reach out with their hands to explore the space around them. Because the Rift won’t scan your hands to find out what you’re trying to do, Touch will let you…

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Some iOS users can now test out ‘experimental’ Twitter features

Jun11
by on June 11, 2015 at 5:38 pm
Posted In: Apps, Around the Web

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For a long while, Twitter users on Android devices have been able to opt-in to its ‘experiments’ program that delivers new features before they become (or indeed, do not become) a part of the main app. Now it seems some iOS users can do the same, according to TechCrunch. A Twitter spokesperson confirmed to TNW that the company has indeed just launched an “iOS Experiments Program.” Users have apparently been seeing a pop-up message inviting them to the ‘Twitter for iOS Experiments Program’. Of course, if you do want to use it, you’ll have to agree to additional terms – such as…

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Oculus unveils the consumer Rift, due Q1 2016

Jun11
by on June 11, 2015 at 5:16 pm
Posted In: Around the Web, Gadgets, Insider

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At its pre-E3 show today, Oculus finally unveiled the consumer version of the Oculus Rift. It’s due to be released in the first quarter of 2016. The new model looks much sleeker and lighter than the development models, and Oculus says it has worked to reduce latency and increase the clarity of the optics. It comes with integrated headphones – which the company says are tuned for VRs binaural audio. These are removable, however, should you prefer to use your own gear. It’s also evolved the form factor to better fit users wearing glasses, as well as being more comfortable…

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Uber just launched a game to help new drivers learn to get around San Francisco

Jun11
by on June 11, 2015 at 4:21 pm
Posted In: Apps, Around the Web, Insider

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Uber wants to help its drivers have a bit more fun on the job. The company has released a game that helps its drivers learn to navigate San Francisco. Called UberDRIVE, the goal is to earn as many points as possible by picking up your passengers via the most efficient routes. The more points, the better cars the player earns, and the more areas of the city they can access. To help drivers be better tour guides, Uber’s also added facts about landmarks and locations, including a trivia mode for an added challenge. It’s not just for new drivers though…

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Facebook open sources Infer: Bug tracking on a massive scale

Jun11
by on June 11, 2015 at 4:00 pm
Posted In: Around the Web, Insider

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Facebook likes to talk about building for scale and moving fast. It did that even before it had more than a billion users around the globe. Now it’s dealing with such huge numbers, it has no choice – every change has to be made quickly and rolled out to around a billion smartphone apps. Clearly, making sure all the code is clean and error-free is of utmost importance, because if it rolls out an update that breaks its app there will be a lot of unhappy people. To help ensure that the most common code errors are caught, it developed a program…

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