Valve's VR Index Controllers include 87 sensors to track your fingers and hands - PC Gamer

Valve's Index Controllers have a lot of sensors. The second half of its new Valve Index VR system, each controller uses a whopping 87 sensors, including optical, motion, capacitive and force sensors. All the better to detect what each of your fingers is doing, letting you pick up and drop objects, throw things around or even just squeeze without needing to press any buttons. 

According to Valve, not only does the finger tracking promise to increase immersion, it also opens up more ways for players to communicate non-verbally in multiplayer. I like the sound of that especially. I don't want to talk to people, but it would be very handy to be able to make more subtle gestures. And not just rude ones. It'll be interesting to see if they're precise enough for sign language users. 

With the dynamic sensor and pad assignment, finger tracking can be adjusted for different hand sizes, and Valve says the controllers have been designed for long-term comfort. Even the strap looks incredibly comfy. It's adjustable and uses anti-microbial tech fabric, which apparently means that they're more durable and less likely to get smelly if you sweat all over them after leaping around your living room for three hours. You could even stretch it to seven hours, as that's how long a charge should last.

Valve's not yet unveiled the roster of new VR games that will be able to take advantage of their potential, so it's a good thing they're backwards compatible. As well as the sensors, they've got a track button, thumbsticks, triggers and everything else required for VR games with more traditional control schemes. The controllers will also work with first and second generation base stations, just like the headset, as well as the HTC Vive. 

They sound very promising, though the cost means you're going to want to be pretty certain you'll get plenty of use out of them. The Index Controllers will set you back $279/£259 for a pair, or you can get them in a bundle with the headset for $999/£919. 

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https://www.pcgamer.com/valves-vr-index-controllers-include-87-sensors-to-track-your-fingers-and-hands/

2019-04-30 17:00:00Z
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Amazon knocks $300 off Apple's latest iPad Pros, delivering new record low prices - AppleInsider

  Fresh markdows are in this Tuesday at Amazon, with Late 2018 11-inch iPad Pros falling to new record low prices. Save up to $300 instantly while supplies last.

The new, lower prices reflect an additional $25 to $100 discount on select models, with overall prices on the latest iPad Pros starting at $674.99. In addition to savings on tablets, Amazon is also issuing steep price cuts on MacBook Pros and even budget-friendly iPads. For a complete rundown of the latest offers, be sure to check out Amazon's Apple deals page, as well as our own Apple Price Guide, with the latter offering price comparison shopping across top Apple authorized resellers.

Brand-new markdowns

Plus save $125 to $200 on other 11" iPad Pros

12.9" iPad Pros (Late 2018) are also on sale

$999 13" MacBook Pros

Additional Apple Deals

AppleInsider and Apple authorized resellers are also running a handful of additional exclusive promotions this month on Apple hardware that will not only deliver the lowest prices on many of the items, but also throw in discounts on AppleCare, software and accessories. These deals are as follows:

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https://appleinsider.com/articles/19/04/30/amazon-knocks-300-off-apples-latest-ipad-pros-delivering-new-record-low-prices

2019-04-30 14:54:00Z
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Garmin refreshes its line of Forerunner GPS watches with five new models - The Verge

Garmin is updating its line of Forerunner GPS running watches today with an entirely new lineup of watches, ranging from the entry-level $199.99 Forerunner 45 to the $599.99 Forerunner 945, which is meant for professional athletes.

The Forerunner 45 (and 45S, which is a smaller version of the 45) have gotten the biggest visual changes of the lineup. They have the same round watchface as the pricier models in the Forerunner lineup, along with some new tracking features for planning exercises throughout the day and support for Garmin’s Coach function. Like all of Garmin’s Forerunner watches, there’s a built-in heart rate sensor and onboard GPS.

The 245 (and 245 Music, which is the same as the 245, but with the option to locally store up to 500 songs) is an updated version of the 235, and it gets newly added support for stress and sleep tracking, more sports to track, and an updated UI. It also adds a pulse oximeter sensor for even more fitness data.

Lastly, there’s the new Forerunner 945, the $599.99 flagship of the lineup. The 945 adds a pulse oximeter to measure oxygen absorption, Garmin Pay for contactless purchases, and full-color maps for navigating while out running. It can store up to 1,000 songs locally (from compatible services like Spotify or Deezer), and there’s a new tool for analyzing past workout history to improve future training. Garmin promises up to two weeks of battery life in smartwatch mode, up to 36 hours in GPS mode, and up to 10 hours with both GPS and music active.

The Forerunner 45 models will be available later in May. The Forerunner 245, Forerunner 245 Music, and Forerunner 945 are available now.

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https://www.theverge.com/circuitbreaker/2019/4/30/18523783/garmin-forerunner-gps-watches-45-245-945-updates-pulse-running

2019-04-30 15:15:15Z
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Apple Says Aperture Won't Run in Future macOS Versions After Mojave - Mac Rumors

In a new support document, Apple has indicated that its legacy photo editing suite Aperture will not run in future versions of macOS after macOS Mojave. The support document provides users with steps to migrate Aperture libraries to Apple's newer Photos app for Mac or Adobe Lightroom Classic.

Apple ceased development of Aperture in June 2014 and removed the software from the Mac App Store in April 2015 after the launch of the Photos app for Mac. However, the application continues to function on macOS Mojave for users who still have it installed, albeit with some performance limitations.

As part of the transition from 32-bit to 64-bit, certain media files created using older formats or codecs will also be incompatible with future versions of macOS after macOS Mojave. Apple has shared instructions on how to convert incompatible media in iMovie libraries and Final Cut Pro X and Motion projects.

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https://www.macrumors.com/2019/04/30/aperture-wont-run-beyond-macos-mojave/

2019-04-30 12:41:00Z
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The 18000mAh Energizer phone dies an undignified death after funding failure - TechRadar

The Energizer Power Max P18K Pop, an Energizer phone with a massive 18,000mAh battery, has finally finished ringing its death knell, after a wildly unsuccessful Indiegogo campaign saw it receive only 1% of the required funding.

The massive handset was shown off at MWC 2019 in February, and launched on Indiegogo in late March. However it doesn't seem like many people were taken with the Energizer-branded phone – the crowdfunding window is now closed, and the device only ended up raising $15,000 / £11,000, with 11 backers.

Avenir Telecom, who licenses the Energizer name for use on smartphones, set the crowdfunding goal at a whopping $1.2 million / £920,000, and at $599 / £461 for an individual phone, the company would need to ship 2,000 of the handsets to reach the goal.

There were also savings for multi-buy pledges, which seem to be what the few backers chose to fund, so in reality Energizer likely anticipated shipping 2,500 or 3,000 phones. Now, however, it looks like the Energizer Power Max P18K Pop will never see the light of day

Why did the Energizer phone fail?

We've already written an in-depth analysis of why no-one funded the Energizer phone, but to put it simply, there's a very limited audience for a phone the size and weight of a brick.

Despite some pretty intriguing and novel features, like the dual-sensor pop-up camera and the massive battery, we just couldn't see anyone choosing to spend their money on the Energizer Power Max P18K Pop, especially when other great phones exist for the same price.

At the end of the day, the Energizer phone was just a novelty – one with a long, confusing name too.

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https://www.techradar.com/news/the-18000mah-energizer-phone-dies-an-undignified-death-after-funding-failure

2019-04-30 12:04:00Z
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Energizer's giant battery phone reached just 1 percent of its funding goal - Engadget

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Remember the comically enormous phone that Avenir Telecom showed off under the Energizer brand at this year's Mobile World Congress? Its subsequent crowdfunding campaign has crashed and burned, as The Verge points out.

The P18K Pop, as the name suggests, had an 18,000mAh battery (for reference, a typical smartphone has 3,000mAh) and consequently was about the thickness of three iPhones.

The phone got lots of attention and headlines, but as has been proven time and again in tech, those don't necessarily translate to sales. That lesson has come down on Avenir Telecom like a tonne of bricks (or brick-sized phones) now that the phone's crowdfunding page, which ambitiously asked for £927,873 (about $1.2 million), has closed at just 1 percent of its target.

Avenir's Indiegogo page attracted just 11 backers, who contributed a total of £11,602 (about $15,000). The campaign perks ranged from a single P18K handset at £425 ($549) to a three-pack at £1,227 ($1587).

The P18K Pop included a pop-up selfie camera (hence the 'Pop' in the name), which pleasingly made the handset look like an Energizer battery. It also packed a treble rear camera with depth sensor, Android 9.0 Pie and even an FM radio.

The crowdfunding campaign promised the phones would be delivered in October this year, but it appears that won't be happening now. The huge target does suggest it was all a marketing stunt, however: it's hard to believe the company truly believed they could raise over $1 million with a phone that wouldn't fit in a clutch bag, never mind a pocket.

Still, the failure of the phone to raise anything more than eyebrows should be borne in mind next time a survey claims consumers want battery life above all else.

Via: The Verge

Source: Indiegogo

In this article: avenir telecom, crowdfunding, energizer, gadgetry, gadgets, gear, indiegogo, mobile

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https://www.engadget.com/2019/04/30/energizer-p18k-pop-crowdfunding/

2019-04-30 09:50:26Z
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Energizer’s 18,000mAh phone-battery monster is an Indiegogo flop - The Verge

The Energizer name figured prominently at Mobile World Congress this year, courtesy of a prototype Android smartphone that was about an inch thick, consisting mostly of a giant battery. The 18,000mAh Energizer Power Max P18K Pop was a preview of something Avenir Telecom, the company licensing the battery brand’s name for use on phones, wanted to mass-produce and bring to the market by this summer. After that successful MWC debut, the P18K Pop turned up on Indiegogo with an early-bird price of $549, a promised delivery window of October 2019, and an optimistic goal of $1.2 million in total funding.

Today, Avenir’s Indiegogo campaign for the Energizer battery-with-a-phone-in-it concluded with a whimper, having accumulated a scant $15,005 in pledged support. Since the campaign fell 99 percent short of achieving its original goal, and all funding was conditional on it being fully funded, the entire exercise seems to have been for naught. Then again, given how many companies use crowdfunding platforms primarily as marketing levers, there’s a reasonable argument to be made that Avenir Telecom maybe never really believed it would be able to go beyond the prototype stage with its P18K Pop.

The calculus for the company can be read as simply as “let’s do something to grab people’s attention, throw it on Indiegogo with an unlikely funding goal, and only in the event that people go wild over it should we build anything.” People did find the Energizer-branded brick-phone-battery hybrid fun and exciting to gawk at, but when it came time to put money toward turning it into a real product, enthusiasm was evidently far less abundant.

Ah well, at least now we know there are limits to our desires for ever bigger batteries.

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https://www.theverge.com/circuitbreaker/2019/4/30/18522236/energizer-huge-battery-phone-p18k-pro-indiegogo-price-fail

2019-04-30 08:01:03Z
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