Twitter on Monday briefly suspended the account of David Duke, a former leader in the Ku Klux Klan. Twitter users attempting to view Duke’s tweets Monday morning were instead greeted with a message that his account had been suspended. It wasn’t immediately clear what prompted the move, but Duke’s account was reinstated after just a …
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Google doodle tests your knowledge of Komodo dragons
What do you really know about Komodo dragons? That is the question posed by Google, which published an interactive doodle quiz to commemorate the 37th anniversary Monday of Komodo National Park in Indonesia. Don’t worry, this isn’t an episode of “Jeopardy.” (Unless, of course, you have the bad fortune to get caught flat-footed by one of these enormous reptiles.) The …
Read More »I kicked a velociraptor in the face
Now playing: Watch this: Is your body ready for VR arcades? 1:15 It was life or death. Human or dinosaur. I didn’t hesitate. I stuck out my actual, flesh-and-bone human leg, and kicked a virtual dinosaur in the face. It was kind of dumb and kind of exhilarating at the same time. Dumb, because the dino crumpled as soon as …
Read More »Say hi to Snapchat and Specs, your secret AR ‘gateway drug’
Who would have thought that augmented reality‘s best pitch would be puking rainbows and candy-colored camera glasses? Augmented reality — and its more advanced cousin mixed reality — overlay digital information onto the visible world. Typically, this is where I’m supposed to reference Pokemon Go, last year’s mobile gaming phenomenon that popularized AR through the digital monsters that popped up …
Read More »Don’t expect to play Oculus Rift on your Mac anytime soon
Are you a Mac user hoping to experience virtual reality via the Oculus Rift headset? The wait may be longer than you expected. Oculus co-founder Nate Mitchell revealed in an interview with TechCrunch the company has no plans to support Apple computers in the coming months. Mitchell, who uses a MacBook Pro as his daily computer, said Mac support is …
Read More »Ford dreams of driverless vans that can launch delivery drones
I watched the drone ascend the 30 storeys from street level to my apartment balcony. It deposited the box on my table and buzzed right off again. Inside were oranges I needed for a salad I was going to make for my friend Barbara. At least they were supposed to be inside. I couldn’t tell for sure because — just …
Read More »MWC 2017: Everything you missed from the world’s biggest phone show
Now playing: Watch this: Hottest phones unveiled at MWC 2017 2:50 That’s a wrap for another Mobile World Congress. With the exhibit halls in Barcelona cleared out and the press conferences long done, it’s time to look back on the week that was — and what it means for the future of the wireless industry in 2017 and beyond. 1. …
Read More »LG’s latest gadget literally flips its lid
Want a sip of water? With most VR headsets, you’ll need a straw. But LG’s new prototype has a clever solution: the entire visor flips right up. LG is perhaps the biggest, best-known company to totally screw up virtual reality on its first try — take it from us, the LG 360 VR was terrible. But it seems the company …
Read More »Phones will be back in vogue this year, research firm predicts
Good news for the tech giants whose fortunes rise or fall on phone sales: Shipments of smartphones are expected to rebound this year after slow growth in 2016, market researcher IDC said Tuesday. Worldwide smartphone shipments should grow 4.2 percent in 2017 and another 4.4 percent in 2018. That’s an uptick from the 2.5 percent growth rate last year, though …
Read More »Facebook cuts Oculus Rift and Touch prices by $100 each
People are surprisingly willing to try goofy-looking VR headsets. They’re just not ready to buy. Facebook, owner of Oculus VR, is hoping that may change with a new lower price. On Wednesday, the company announced a permanent $100 price cut for each of its $599 Oculus Rift headset and $199 Touch motion controllers. They now cost $499 and $99 respectively, …
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