MIT Demos Wireless Connection for VR Headsets

The same technology that powers full-body scanners in airport security checkpoints could one day untether virtual reality (VR) headsets. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) has devised a way to wirelessly connect VR headsets to the PCs.

This is all achieved with the use of a newly developed millimeter wave transmissions. In addition to powering Nude-o-Scopes (the affectionate name frequent flyers have bestowed on the TSA's scanners) these high-frequency radio waves also show promise for detecting cancer and delivering fast Internet.

MIT says its VR prototype uses the millimeter waves to enable untethered communication at a rate of multiple Gbps, or billions of bits per second. They have been able to successfully run it on a HTC Vive, but the technique should work on any high-end VR headset, including the Oculus Rift.

"The ability to use a cordless headset really deepens the immersive experience of virtual reality and opens up a range of other applications," said MIT Professor, Dina Katabi. "While millimeter wave transmissions can replace the cord between the headset and computer, they still rely on a separate device that must be plugged into the headset.

That device, which MIT calls MoVR, contains an array of two directional antennas about half the size of a credit card. They focus the millimeter waves so that there's always a line of sight between the headset and a separate receiver connected to the PC. If it's ever put into production, the researchers say the MoVR equipment could be smaller, perhaps smartphone-sized.

As is, Intel, Qualcomm, Oculus, and many others are already working on standalone VR headsets that offer the same power as today's generation without requiring a PC at all. Thus, even if the MIT research is innovative, it might be obsolete before it is ever produced.

10 Ways To Become A Spotify Power User

Of all the many music- streaming services you can now get on your computer or mobile, one of the first and still the best is Spotify. Easy to use and featuring music from (almost) any artist you can think of – The Beatles recently had their back catalogue added! – whether you’re looking to stick to the free version or become a premium user, you’ll find that lurking underneath its deceptively simple exterior is a fully functioning and feature-packed music player.

The object of this workshop is to help you get the most from Spotify by highlighting some of the features that you may not have come across. From adding lyrics to your music, to swapping playback between devices in the blink of an eye, we’ll take you from being a Spotify newbie to a pro user.

1. All things being equal

Spotify comes with a built-in equaliser for mobile, so you can tweak settings for individual tracks – just head to Settings. The equaliser is different for iOS and Android devices, and, although the computer version of Spotify doesn’t come with this built-in, you can download a plug-in like Equalify Pro.

2. Play your music offline

The majority of Spotify members use the software on mobile devices, which is great if you’re linked to a Wi-Fi connection, but will eat up your data allowance if you’re out and about. If you sign up for the premium edition for £9.99/$9.99 a month, you can download entire albums and playlists to your device and listen to them offline.

3. Discover new music

A new feature introduced last year, Discover Weekly, is a smart playlist that’s automatically updated every Monday just for you. Smart is definitely the key word here, as Spotify has employed algorithms to check other people’s playlists and match them with yours to add a series of recommendations it think you will like. The results are impressive – you’ll find the Discover Weekly playlist at the top of your Playlists on the left sidebar.

4. Get a higher bit rate

Hardcore audiophiles looking to get the highest sound quality will also want to upgrade to the premium service. While freemium users have a choice of bit rate between 96kbps to 160kbps for most tracks – depending on the device they’re using and their internet connection – if you subscribe then you can crank this up to an ear-pleasing 320kbps. Just go to Settings and select Streaming Quality from the menu options.

5. Touchy feely

Tapping and holding down on album artwork does a couple of things, depending on what system you’re running Spotify on. For Android it brings up a list of options (including adding a track or album to a playlist, or heading directly to the artist’s page), while on iOS you
will get something called Touch Preview, where it instantly plays the song or playlist when you press on the album art – Touch Preview will be heading to Android soon.

6. Spotify on the web

There are many ways you can listen to your Spotify library, including via a browser, which is useful for when you’re at work or want to play your music on a friend’s computer. Just head to play.spotify.com/browse, sign in and then click on Your Music to access your library remotely.

7. Swap between devices

One of Spotify’s neater features is the ability to swap playback on any devices that are logged into your Spotify account. Say you’re playing music on your phone while you’re out, and when you get back you want to swap to your computer or a compatible speaker or TV, all you have to do is tap on Devices Available at the bottom of the Spotify screen, pick a different one from the list available and the song will continue playback on the new device.

8. Add lyrics to your songs

Eagle-eyed types will probably have spotted the Lyrics button at the bottom of the desktop version of Spotify, so all you have to do is tap on this for the lyrics to scroll through as the song plays. Although it’s not automatically included with the mobile version, you can download the Musixmatch app to do the job for you.

9. Import your music library

If you want to play all your music via Spotify and bypass iTunes altogether (or whatever other music software you play your music through on your computer) then it’s easy enough, much easier than you might think. On the sidebar on the left, click on Local Files under Your Music and you can then scroll through and play any music stored on your computer – Spotify Premium members can also import their tracks too.

10. Share the love

Although sharing and collaborating on playlists is easy enough, sometimes you’re listening to a specific song (maybe one you’ve just discovered) and want to share it with a specific person. Easy! Go to Options > Share > Send to… and you’re given a range of choices to send a direct link to the song that’s currently playing – via SMS, email, WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, and so on.

How to spot fake iOS and Android Apps

The New York Times and New York Post discovered hundreds of counterfeit shopping apps in Apple's App Store. This is also a problem we have seen in Google's Play store. While some of these apps will display annoying banner ads, others could have more serious consequences.

Some apps may contain malware that could steal personal information. Scammers could also benefit from unsuspecting customers entering credit card information in these bogus apps.

Here are a few tips to help you identify the real apps from the fake ones:

Check to see who published the app. Be careful, though, scammers will use similar names; such was the case for Overstock.com (real) and Overstock Inc (fake).
Check the reviews in Apple's App Store and Google's Play store. A real app will likely have thousands of (hopefully positive) reviews, while a fake one will likely have zero.
Look at the publish date. A fake app will have a recent publish date, while the a real one will have an "updated on" date. For example, that fake Overstock app was only published on October 26 of this year.

Check for spelling mistakes in the title or description. Many of these apps come out of China. Take extra caution if it looks like English isn't the developers' first language.
Beware of apps that promise shopping discounts. Sound too good to be true? It probably is.
When in doubt, visit a store's website in your browser and look for an icon or button that reads "Get our app." This will take you to the App Store or Google Play store where you can download the correct app.

Facebook Chat 'Rooms' Return in Messenger

Facebook Rooms, the social network's semi-anonymous messaging service, is back—sort of.

Going forward though, those in Australia and Canada will have access to Rooms inside Facebook Messenger.

Rooms is designed as an outlet for people to talk about interests their friends may not share with other like-minded individuals, Facebook Messenger Product Manager, Drew Moxon, told Australia's Courier-Mail.

"Group chats today are focused on people you know—friends and family—and what we've found by talking to users is there's a lot of need for conversations about specific topics," Moxon said. "This will be for topic-based conversations and so people can talk with others they may not know."

If this sounds familiar, Facebook initially released a standalone Rooms app for Apple iOS in the US in October 2014, allowing users to chat anonymously about various topics. However, social-networking app Room, which claimed to be the "first mobile application that enables you to create and join mini private" chat rooms, accused Facebook of stealing its idea.

Ultimately, Facebook pulled the plug on its Creative Labs department, known for producing products like Rooms, Riff, and Slingshot, in December 2015 and, subsequently, ended that experiment.

That all changes now as Rooms is back in the fold, albeit inside Facebook's popular Messenger service. Users will be able to create public rooms to chat about the economy, Toronto Maple Leaves, or an election, for example. They could even create private rooms to talk about films, the environment, or typography, the Courier-Mail reported.

It could also come in handy when organizing large events like protests and rallies or sending out alerts, TechCrunch pointed out.

Facebook did not immediately respond to PCMag's request for comment.

Apple addresses ‘Touch Disease’ with reduced cost repair for iPhone 6 Plus

Many an iPhone 6 Plus has been struck down by the scourge known as “Touch Disease,” but Apple has not acknowledged the problem was systematic or widespread — until now. In what we have to imagine is as close to a mea culpa as Apple is likely to offer, iPhone 6 Plus devices exhibiting flickering displays and touchscreen issues are eligible for a reduced-price repair.

Apple is careful to note that this problem mainly appears “after being dropped multiple times on a hard surface and then incurring further stress,” though iFixit suggested that the problem could also be due to the phone’s infamous tendency to bend. Either way, some force must be exerted on the phone, resulting reliably in a critical touchscreen component being damaged or unseated — and that makes it, like it or not, at least partially a user-caused issue. Apple declining to call it a design flaw or manufacturing defect seems to be a point of pride on their part.

Phones with Touch Disease will be repaired for $149, and if you previously had it repaired or replaced for similar symptoms — which might have cost you upwards of $300 — Apple will reimburse you the difference.
iFixit pointed out in an email to TechCrunch that this price is about what third-party repairers have charged in the past to fix the issue, and considering refurbished phones are subject to the same problem, the 90-day warranty is rather short.

Notably, the program is only for the iPhone 6 Plus, and although a similar problem has been seen on the 6, we can probably trust Apple’s numbers and say this was primarily an issue with the Plus.

It certainly took long enough: It’s been more than two years since the 6 Plus was announced, and Apple never addressed the Touch Disease issue, despite it being quite common — and despite quietly reinforcing the next generation of iPhones to prevent the problem (the one they didn’t publicly acknowledge) from occurring again.

In fact, it was long enough that a lawsuit was filed alleging that Apple knew the problem existed and failed to provide adequate support to affected users. I contacted the law firm leading that suit to see if the repair program affects it in any way, and will update this post if I hear back.

Better late than never, though, and covering previous repairs is generous by Apple standards. Drop by an Apple store or authorized dealer, or talk to tech support to get your afflicted iPhone 6 Plus back in action.

Google Play Music Serves Up Tunes with Machine Learning

Google Play Music is getting a make-over. Music lovers can now tap into 'richer' recommendations along with a fresh user interface and offline playlists. Using machine learning, Play Music can create unique experiences based on individual listeners' taste, location, and activity.

Even the current weather is taken into account.

"We'll deliver personalized music based on where you are and why you're listening," Google Play Music Product Manager, Elias Roman, wrote in a blogpost.

"Relaxing at home, powering through at work, commuting, flying, exploring new cities, heading out on the town, and everything in between," he said. "Your workout music is front and center as you walk into the gym, a sunset soundtracks appears just as the sky goes pink, and tunes for focusing turn up at the library."

Meanwhile, subscribers will also have access to music, even when there's no service. "As long as you remember to charge your smartphone, you'll have your favorite tunes, even if you forgot to download them ahead of time," Roman wrote.

Users will also notice a new look: the revamped Google Play Music homescreen features favorite playlists, latest releases, and more tunes from popular artists—at the right time and place for you.

The new experience is rolling out now to Google Android, Apple iOS, and Web subscribers in 62 countries. If you're not already enrolled, try free unlimited access for 30 days; individual plans are US$9.99 per month, while up to six people can share a family plan for US$14.99 per month.

Google in July 2014 acquired streaming music service Songza, whose proprietary algorithms prompt users to play music for a specific time of day, activity, or mood. Co-founded by Roman nearly a decade ago, the Internet radio program officially shuttered in January as the company merged into Google Music.

Amazon Ordered to Refund Kids' In-App Purchases

Amazon must offer refunds to parents whose children made in-app purchases on Amazon devices without their permission, a federal judge recently ordered at the conclusion of an on-going civil trial.

A US District Court in Seattle issued the order in a case that the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) brought against Amazon in 2014. The order requires Amazon to set up a claims process beginning early next year to alert parents of their eligibility for refunds, Reuters reported.

The court rejected the FTC's request for a US$26.5 million lump-sum payout, though it did agree with Amazon that that amount might have taken into account unauthorised purchases that children did not unwittingly made.

The original FTC complaint cited internal communications from Amazon employees when in-app purchases had first been introduced in December 2011. They wrote that the lack of a password requirement is "clearly causing problems for a large percentage of our customers."

The company first required passwords for purchases over US$20 in March 2012 and the Amazon Appstore now requires passwords for all in-app purchases.​​​

An Amazon spokesperson did not immediately respond to PCMag's request for comment on the ruling, now the latest of several court decisions that have required Amazon's rivals to reimburse similar purchases.

In 2014, Google agreed to refund up to US$19 million to customers whose children accidentally racked up in-app purchase charges via their Android devices. It later removed the word "free" from any app that included in-app purchases.

Facebook in July settled a class-action lawsuit covering users who made any kind of purchase through their Facebook accounts between February 2008 and March 2015. They can now request refunds for purchases they believe are unauthorised.