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The BBC creates a 360-degree virtual reality news bulletin. All you need is a $350 Oculus Rift to see it.

Jun20
by on June 20, 2014 at 10:58 am
Posted In: Around the Web, Insider

The BBC is experimenting with virtual reality news broadcasts, with effervescent presenter Fiona Bruce now viewable in 360-degree video. The downside? You will need a $350 Oculus Rift development kit to see it. And if you do have one, you can look around the whole BBC News studio and production gallery. The BBC is making the virtual reality video footage available to download – which must surely be a first for any broadcaster. At any rate, if you have a Rift you can grab the footage now for PC and Mac. ➤ Virtual reality: the future of TV?

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Roadtrip Mixtape: An experimental app that compiles location-based playlists for your journey

Jun20
by on June 20, 2014 at 9:20 am
Posted In: Apps, Around the Web, Insider

Just this week Spotify revealed it was expanding its Web API, with data from its recent acquisition of The Echo Nest taking a leading role. With that in mind, an interesting little nugget has come to fruition courtesy of music technologist Paul Lamere and the tight-integration between the aforementioned companies. With a little bit of Google Maps thrown in for good measure. Roadtrip Mixtape is a Web app for, well, roadtrips. You enter a starting point, finishing point and hit ‘Play Mixtape’. It’ll then play artists who hail from the places throughout the various legs of your journey, and you…

This story continues at The Next Web

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Google Search for Android lets you search for bands and play their tunes directly in your favorite music-streaming app

Jun20
by on June 20, 2014 at 8:45 am
Posted In: Around the Web, Google, Insider

Google has unveiled an interesting little feature for Google Search on Android, however it’s only available for US-based users at the moment. Whenever you search for artists and bands on Google, not only will you see the usual related background information and photos pop up in the results, you can now open their music directly from one of your installed apps, which at the time of writing includes Rdio, Spotify, iHeartRadio, Google Play Music, TuneIn and YouTube.     As noted already, it’s only available on Android in the US for now, but Google says its “working to expand this feature…

This story continues at The Next Web

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a couple of laughzillas on a blue diamond background

Google Search for Android lets you search for bands and play their music directly in your favorite app

Jun20
by on June 20, 2014 at 8:45 am
Posted In: Around the Web, Google, Insider

Google has unveiled an interesting little feature for Google Search on Android, however it’s only available for US-based users at the moment. Whenever you search for artists and bands on Google, not only will you see the usual related background information and photos pop up in the results, you can now open their music directly from one of your installed apps, which at the time of writing includes Rdio, Spotify, iHeartRadio, Google Play Music, TuneIn and YouTube.     As noted already, it’s only available on Android in the US for now, but Google says its “working to expand this feature…

This story continues at The Next Web

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CloudFlare: Hong Kong democracy movement hit by ‘one of largest DDoS attacks in internet history’

Jun20
by on June 20, 2014 at 8:30 am
Posted In: Around the Web, Asia, hong kong, occupy central

hkg
Occupy Central, a grassroots movement that aims to bring universal suffrage to Hong Kong, has been subject to “one of the largest and most persistent DDoS attacks in the history of the Internet,” according to CloudFlare, the web performance company maintaining its website. Under the current political system, the Chinese government proposes a number of candidates to lead Hong Kong, with the winner voted by the city-state’s 1,200-member Election Committee. China previously pledged to introduce direct-voting for the candidates by 2017, but Occupy Central is campaigning for a one-man one-vote system for electing the shortlist of candidates too, and it is running an unofficial referendum of Hong Kong citizens….

This story continues at The Next Web

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