engadget – Page 6 – Tech Today w/ Ken May

Vuze camera shoots 3D VR video for under $1,000

You can already get affordable virtual reality cameras , and low-cost 3D cameras have existed for years. However, getting both in one package is another matter — it’s entirely possible to pay a five-digit price if you’re not careful. That’s where HumanEyes’ new Vuze camera (no, not that Vuze ) just might save the day. The UFO-like rig combines eight cameras to capture 3D VR footage for $899, or low enough that you can get one solely to make amateur Google Cardboard videos. It promises to be headache-free, too, between a new seamless image stitching technique and quick, near real-time processing. The gotcha? Vuze won’t ship until August, so you probably won’t be using it to document your summer vacation. It will ship with goggles, a selfie stick and a tripod, though, so you may well have everything you need to shoot and preview the VR footage you were hoping to get. Here’s hoping that this represents the start of a trend: it might not be long before VR creation is practical for just about anyone with a bit of cash and the willingness to dabble in a relatively new format. Source: HumanEyes Technologies

‘Mad Max: Fury Road’ is an Ultra HD Blu-ray launch title

Ultra HD Blu-ray is finally coming in 2016, and while we’ll hear more about its 4K movies this week at CES, Warner Bros. is kicking things off by announcing some of the first movies on the way . Right out of the gate, it’s offering Mad Max: Fury Road , San Andreas, The Lego Movie and Pan . They’re promised for the “initial launch” early this year, although there’s no exact date mentioned. More movies will arrive later this year and Warner says it plans to release over 35 in 2016, although only Man of Steel and Pacific Rim have been named. Standard features are of course 4K resolution and HDR support for more colors and better contrast, while select titles will also feature “immersive audio” Dolby Atmos sound. If you’re skipping discs for streaming or downloading, Warner says it will expand the number of movies available that way as well. Fox announced its Ultra HD Blu-ray plans during IFA last year , stay tuned this week for more news on what 4K content is coming to match all the new TVs. [Image credit: Pictorial Press Ltd / Alamy] Source: Warner Bros. (PRNewswire)

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‘Mad Max: Fury Road’ is an Ultra HD Blu-ray launch title

Windows 95 on a Nintendo 3DS is as strange as you’d think

The trend of putting PC software on wholly impractical devices isn’t stopping with the new year, folks. GBATemp fan Shutterbug2000 has managed to get Windows 95 running on a New Nintendo 3DS XL thanks to both DOSbox emulation and some ingenuity. You won’t be doing a whole lot with this right now — Microsoft wasn’t designing for touchscreens and analog sticks two decades ago — but it really does work on a basic level. It looks more than a little odd, too, between the tiny desktop and the emulator status on the second screen. The real challenge may be to run any meaningful software beyond the operating system. As great as it would be to run classic Windows games on a modern handheld, it could be a long, long while before you’re doing much more than staring at the home screen. Even so, this because-I-can feat is pretty impressive… and it’s probably the closest you’ll ever get to a portable Microsoft gaming system . Via: NeoGAF , Kotaku Source: GBATemp.net

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Windows 95 on a Nintendo 3DS is as strange as you’d think

LG’s 2016 TVs include its first production 8K set

Forget all the hype about 4K at CES last year — this year’s trend is 8K . LG has revealed some of the first details about its 2016 TV lineup, and the highlight is its first production-grade 8K model, the UH9800. The Korean tech giant isn’t saying much about what this 98-inch monster will offer or when it ships, but it’s safe to say that this won’t be an impulse purchase when Sharp’s 8K screen costs about $130, 000. Don’t worry if you’re unwilling to take out a mortgage just to upgrade, as there are plenty of upgraded 4K TVs in the mix. The UH8500 (55 to 75 inches) and UH9500 (55 to 86 inches) series both tout Color Prime Plus, which mixes both filters and LCD phosphors to reach about 90 percent of the Digital Cinema Initiative’s expanded color range. Both these and the lower-end UH7700 (49 to 65 inches) also tout a “True Black” panel that cuts glare and improves contrast, along with a Contrast Maximizer option that… well, does what it says. The UH9500 is your pick if you’re design-conscious, since it has an extremely slim (0.22-inch) body that manages to cram in a relatively powerful Harman/Kardon audio system. All of LG’s newer sets should pack the easier-to-use webOS 3.0 for their interface. It’s not yet known how much you’ll pay for the 4K models, but it won’t be surprising if there’s at least one within your budget given rapidly falling prices. The real question is what Samsung, Sony and others have to offer. LG gets points for announcing early, but you may well see strong alternatives (even among 8K sets) before long. Source: LG Newsroom

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LG’s 2016 TVs include its first production 8K set

‘Final Fantasy XV’ hits the road in 2016

Final Fantasy XV has been in development for what seems like an eternity. But being New Year’s Eve (or Day, depending on where you live), changes are afoot: Final Fantasy XV and its all-dude bro’d-trip will release in 2016. The news comes by way of a Square Enix blog post written by none other than the game’s director, Hajime Tabata. “In development, previous phases required wisdom and strength, ” he writes. “However, moving toward the final phase will focus on effort and willpower.” Sure! He goes on to vow that every developer working on it will work their hardest right to the end. “We will do everything we can do to finish FFXV to create an experience we are incredibly proud of and one that you will enjoy and treasure.” In case you’re feeling celebratory, you could always fire up the demo from earlier this year, or, barring that, watch us do the same in the video below. Source: Square Enix

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‘Final Fantasy XV’ hits the road in 2016

AT&T to ditch most two-year phone contracts on January 8th

AT&T’s long affair with the two-year contract continues to wind down, Engadget has learned. According to an internal document sent to employees this morning, new and existing customers will only be able to get new phones by paying the full price upfront or in installments over time . The move is set to take effect on January 8th, so you’d better act fast if you (for some reason) really want to lock yourself down for a few more years. Just to be perfectly clear, this move applies to all of AT&T’s phones. Once the new year rolls around, even flip phones and non-smartphones with keyboards (what AT&T likes to call “Quick Messaging Devices”) must be bought outright or with an installment plan. What’s less clear is the status of wearables like the Samsung Gear S2 and tablets, which are currently sold (and promoted heavily ) with two-year contracts. It’s also possible (if not likely) that AT&T will keep multi-year contracts around for large corporate accounts, and we’re looking into both situations. AT&T’s vague, highly vetted statement says the change is being made for the sake of “aligning… service offerings with customer and industry trends”. Well, we can’t argue with that. While smaller, scrappier carriers like T-Mobile have already bailed on the multi-year contract model, AT&T has been slower to act. This June, the company stopped offering contracts for smartphones to customers through local dealers and partner retailers like Best Buy and Apple. The option to ink a contract remained for people who bought basic phones or went straight to an AT&T store and asked specifically for a contract extension. The message? Payment plans like AT&T Next were the future. That sentiment was echoed when Verizon stopped pushing two-year contracts a few months later . The thing is, people who had those contracts could keep them and still get subsidized phones if they wanted — an option that won’t be available to AT&T customers. Still have questions? Feel free to refer to the FAQ our tipster friend also provided:

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AT&T to ditch most two-year phone contracts on January 8th

Insider allegedly hacked lottery software in multiple states

If you use insider knowledge for your own gain, it could land you in hot water… especially if you hacked the computers at your job to get the information you need. At least that’s what Eddie Tipton, Multi-State Lottery Association’s former security director, is being accused of . Tipton allegedly used a rootkit — a malicious software that activates when a computer boots up — to know a drawing’s winning numbers in advance. He’d then ask an accomplice to buy the winning ticket and to collect the money afterward. He was already convicted of fraud for tampering the lottery in Iowa, but he allegedly tinkered with more drawings in four states within the course of six years. Authorities believe he may be involved in even more instances of fraud, though. So, they’re now investigating winners in 37 other states that have been using the Multi-State Lottery Association’s computers to draw winning numbers since Tipton joined the organization in 2003. Iowa deputy attorney general Thomas H. Miller said: “It would be pretty naive to believe they are the only four [jackpots involved in the scheme.] If you find one cockroach, you have to assume there are 100 more you haven’t found.” So far, the Colorado, Wisconsin and Oklahoma divisions have already confirmed that they handed out jackpots worth $8 million in all to Tipton and his associates. Authorities first suspected Tipton when a New York lawyer tried to claim a $16.5 million jackpot in 2012 and then withdrew instead of revealing who bought the winning ticket. When they released a surveillance video showing the person who bought the ticket at a gas station, Tipton’s co-workers contacted them to say that the mysterious man looked like him. Source: Chicago Tribune , AP

Apple increases iCloud Music Library limit to 100,000 tracks

Apple has made good on its promise to increase the iCloud Music Library limit to 100, 000 tracks. This was previously set at 25, 000, so the change increases the cap threefold. The move was first teased in June , with Eddy Cue, the company’s SVP of Internet Software and Services, promising it would arrive before the year’s end. Via: The Verge Source: MacRumors

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Apple increases iCloud Music Library limit to 100,000 tracks

USPS will email you images of what’s in your mailbox

We’ve all done it. Take a few minutes to walk to the mailbox only to discover it’s either empty or filled with junk that immediately goes in the trash. The US Postal Service is testing a new tool that will save you a trip if there’s nothing interesting to be found. The feature is called Informed Delivery and it sends up to 10 images a day of what’s in your physical mailbox to your email inbox. Via: The Next Web Source: USPS

Apple game of the year ‘Monument Valley’ is now free on iOS

If you’re looking for a free iOS game, an interesting new option has just opened up. Puzzle-adventure game Monument Valley managed to pull off the hat trick of being fun, zen and beautiful all at the same time — which helped garner it Apple’s Game of the Year and Design awards for 2014. The title, normally $4, is now showing as “free, ” though there’s no word on how long that offer will last. After launching in May last year, it had earned $5.8 million by January 2015, mostly from sales to iOS gamers (creator Ustwo said that only 5 percent of Android sales were paid). Via: @Wario64 (Twitter) Source: iTunes

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Apple game of the year ‘Monument Valley’ is now free on iOS