Virtual reality can be a powerful teaching tool, but it's only as good as the content available for the medium. Facebook is looking to grow the availability of content for VR learning as part of its efforts to shift its focus on the metaverse, and it has created a US$150 million fund to achieve that goal. The social network has announced that it's spending that much to reach its VR learning goals over the next three years at its Connect 2021 event. 

Since Facebook is hoping to build a robust ecosystem for learning in the metaverse, it plans to do more than just create immersive educational experiences. Part of the money will go towards training augmented reality and virtual reality creators, so they can make their own experiences. Facebook is working with Unity to teach people the skills necessary to create educational VR content — mainly, it's using Unity's "Create with VR for Educators" tool with Quest 2 devices to teach nonprofits and educational institutions. In addition, it's working with several educational institutions, including historically Black colleges and universities, as well as non-profits to create immersive experiences for them.

Finally, Facebook says it's taking steps towards increasing people's access to educational VR materials. After all, all that work will go to waste if nobody ends up using them to learn new things.

Mark Rabkin, VP of Oculus, said in a statement:

"VR isn’t all fun and games. If you’ve ever traveled the world with Wander, explored Japan with Tokyo Origami, or admired the heavens in Titans of Space PLUS, then you know that VR can be a powerful tool for education as well...A lot of work exists between where we’re at now and where we see the metaverse in the future. We’re excited, and we hope you’ll come with us on the journey."

As part of its broad vision of becoming a metaverse-focused company, Facebook announced Polar, a free iOS app that makes it easy for just about anyone to create AR filters, effects and 3D objects. Think of it like an easy-to-use implementation of the company's Spark AR platform for developers. The goal is to give creators a simple tool to design custom AR effects — perhaps glowing demonic eyes, or 3D text of your personal hashtag or slogan — that they can deploy across the web, or share with their followers.   

The company plans to launch a closed beta program later this year, so it'll likely be a while before it's open to everyone. But if Facebook wants the metaverse to thrive, it'll need to loop in creators to help make some meme-worthy content. Let's just hope there's also a way to pay people for this free labor. 

You can soon use an Oculus Quest 2 headset for VR workouts without it being quite so... grimy. Oculus has previewed an Active Pack for the Quest 2 that will make it easier to use the headset as part of your fitness routine. New grips for the Touch controller should keep them from flying out of your sweaty hands, while an exercise-ready "facial interface" will be easier to wipe down after an intense session.

The Active Pack won't be available until sometime in 2022. Quest 2 fitness apps will get some meaningful updates before then, though. FitXR will get a new fitness studio before the end of 2021, while Player 22 by Rezzil will offer hand-tracked bodyweight exercises in a similar time frame.

Oculus' fitness shift isn't completely surprising. The pandemic led many people to shift their workouts to VR, and not all of those people will return to the gym. If Oculus can pitch the Quest 2 as a fitness tool, it could boost adoption among people who wouldn't have previously considered a VR headset.

Developing...

Since the start of the year, Oculus Quest and Quest 2 owners have had the ability to use Messenger to chat with their Facebook friends. When using the app today, you can type out a message, send pre-written phrases or use voice-to-text to communicate. Soon, you’ll also be able to call your friends. 

At its Connect conference, Facebook announced it plans to bring audio calling to the platform. Later this year, the app will allow you to call contacts on any other Messenger-enabled platform. In the future, it will also allow you to invite your friends to hang out in VR destinations together.

Developing...

Here's what Facebook's metaverse isn't: It's not an alternative world to help us escape from our dystopian reality, a la Snow Crash. It won't require VR or AR glasses (at least, not at first). And, most importantly, it's not something Facebook wants to keep to itself. Instead, as Mark Zuckerberg described to media ahead of today's Facebook Connect conference, the company is betting it'll be the next major computing platform after the rise of smartphones and the mobile web.

After spending the last decade becoming obsessed with our phones and tablets — learning to stare down and scroll practically as a reflex — the Facebook founder thinks we'll be spending more time looking up at the 3D objects floating around us in the digital realm. Or maybe you'll be following a friend's avatar as they wander around your living room as a hologram. It's basically a digital world layered right on top of the real world, or an "embodied internet" as Zuckerberg describes.

Before he got into the weeds for his grand new vision, though, Zuckerberg also preempted criticism about looking into the future now, as the Facebook Papers paint the company as a mismanaged behemoth that constantly prioritizes profit over safety. While acknowledging the seriousness of the issues the company is facing, noting that it'll continue to focus on solving them with "industry-leading" investments, Zuckerberg said: 

Devindra Hardawar/Engadget

"The reality is is that there's always going to be issues and for some people... they may have the view that there's never really a great time to focus on the future... From my perspective, I think that we're here to create things and we believe that we can do this and that technology can make things better. So we think it's important to to push forward."

Given the extent to which Facebook, and Zuckerberg in particular, have proven to be untrustworthy stewards of social technology, it's almost laughable that the company wants us to buy into its future. But, like the rise of photo sharing and group chat apps, Zuckerberg at least has a good sense of what's coming next. And for all of his talk of turning Facebook into a metaverse company, he's adamant that he doesn't want to build a metaverse that's entirely owned by Facebook. He doesn't think other companies will either. Like the mobile web, he thinks every major technology company will contribute something towards the metaverse. He's just hoping to make Facebook a pioneer.

"Instead of looking at a screen, or today, how we look at the Internet, I think in the future you're going to be in the experiences, and I think that's just a qualitatively different experience," Zuckerberg said. It's not quite virtual reality as we think of it, and it's not just augmented reality. But ultimately, he sees the metaverse as something that'll help to deliver more presence for digital social experiences — the sense of being there, instead of just being trapped in a zoom window. And he expects there to be continuity across devices, so you'll be able to start chatting with friends on your phone and seamlessly join them as a hologram when you slip on AR glasses.

Facebook

But, of course, the metaverse won't be built in a day. At Facebook Connect today, the company announced several ways it's moving towards making it more accessible. For one, Facebook will be transforming the Oculus Quest's Home interface into "Horizon Home," a more fully featured environment where you can invite friends and hang out virtually. Eventually, you'll also be able to build and customize your home space. The Venues app is also becoming "Horizon Venues," where it'll continue to serve as Facebook's prime spot for live virtual events. (The company also says NBA games are coming back to Venues in early November.)

The company is also making a major push for developers: its new Presence Platform offers through APIs that'll allow devs to make more inventive VR apps. The Insight SDK will let them take advantage of the Quest 2's cameras to bring the real world into VR; the Interaction SDK opens up the door for more hand-tracking interactions; and the Voice SDK will — you guessed it — let you use your words in more ways.

The Insight SDK, in particular, could reshape what Quest VR experiences could look like. It includes Spatial Anchors, which will let virtual objects persist across sessions in a space. So if you placed a VR pet bunny on your coffee table, it should always be there every time you logged into an app. Additionally, there's a Scene Understanding feature, which can help developers get a better sense of your physical space. A character talking to you in VR could, for example, wander around your living room without bumping into furniture.

Facebook

When it comes to augmented reality, Facebook also has plenty of upgrades in store for its Spark AR platform. For one, it's planning to launch an iOS app called Polar that'll let people design their own AR effects and objects without any coding. It's aimed at creators, who could use it to build unique 3D signage or makeup effects that their followers can apply. More experienced devs will also be able to create Geo-anchored objects, which are tied to specific locations in the real world, as well as AR effects that track your hands and body. They can also try out building group video chats for Messenger, something that'll eventually be supported in other apps.  

Like HoloLens and HTC Vive, Facebook plans to make a bigger push into enterprises with Quest for Business. It's a way for employees to log into Quest 2 headsets with secure work accounts (it's probably not great for your boss to see how often you're playing Beat Saber, after all). Since they're meant for office environments, IT departments will also be able to manage work accounts, specific devices and integrate their own security features. The key is that it's all going to be accessible on consumer-grade Quest 2 headsets, Facebook won't have to make entirely new hardware for work environments.

The company plans to take it slow with Quest for Business. It's currently being tested with a few companies now, and a wider beta is expected to come next year. At this point, Facebook isn't planning to officially roll it out to every company until 2023. Quest for Business will replace the previous Oculus for Business program, which required a special $799 Quest 2 headset.

Facebook already showed off one way remote meetings could be handled better with Horizon Workrooms, and that app is going to get better later this year with customizable workrooms. And when it comes to productivity, the company is also opening up the Oculus Store to 2D apps like Slack, Dropbox, Instagram and Facebook. You'll be able to dive into those apps right from your Horizon Home screen. It's convenient, but it's also a cheeky way to keep you from taking off your headset just to answer a Slack message.

Not everyone would want to spend a whole workday wearing a VR headset, but it's not hard to imagine how future AR glasses could let you dive into Slack and Office apps just about anywhere. They'll just be 2D projections floating around you, things that nobody else would be able to see. That may seem like science fiction today, but 15 years ago, so did the idea of having a touchscreen-enabled supercomputer in your pocket with blazing fast wireless internet. 

As Zuckerberg sees it, the metaverse will ultimately lead to a more natural relationship with technology. "It's not about you spending more time on screens," he told press before making a hasty retreat. "It's about making the time we spend better and I think you know screens can't really convey the full sense of presence."

If you’re a Google Fi subscriber, the next time you phone someone your call may be protected by end-to-end encryption. The MVNO will start rolling out support for the privacy-minded feature to Android phones in the coming weeks. Once it’s available on your device, it will kick in automatically anytime you call another Fi subscriber.

You’ll know you’re about to make an encrypted call thanks to the special audio and visual cues Google has added to the phone app. A lock icon will appear on your screen as you’re about to be connected to your contact, and it will remain on-screen during the call. You’ll also hear a different ring tone when you’re dialing someone who has a compatible device.

If it wasn’t already clear, how much value you will get out of encrypted calling will depend on how many of your friends and family also happen to be Fi subscribers and they’re using Android phones. As things stand, there’s a chance you may never hear the ringtone that indicates your call is secure.

In that way, encrypted calling on Fi is much like RCS was a few years ago. It’s a protocol without support from carriers. If you’re concerned about keeping your calls private, your best bet is to look elsewhere. That said, it’s a nice-to-have and way for Google to differentiate its wireless service. 

Panasonic’s GH5 was such an iconic vlogging camera that Panasonic unveiled two Micro Four Thirds successors to replace it. The $2,500 GH6, due to arrive later this year, has major upgrades like 4K 120p and even 5.7K video. The other is the model I’m reviewing today, the $1,700 GH5 II.

As the name suggests, the GH5 II is more of a refresh, with the same 20-megapixel Micro Four Thirds sensor. However, it has an all-new processor that delivers significant improvements in speed, video quality and AI smarts. Best of all, it’s $300 less than the GH5 was at launch.

The big question is whether it’s worth getting this model, waiting for the GH6, or even purchasing an older GH5 that’s now steeply discounted. To find out, I tested the GH5 II’s new features, video quality, autofocus and more — here’s what I found out.

Body and handling

Steve Dent/Engadget

If you’re already familiar with the GH5, you’ll be very comfortable with the GH5 II — the bodies are nearly identical. That’s a good thing, because it still out-handles many newer cameras, thanks to the excellent grip and logical control positions.

There are a few key changes, though. While the rear display is a little smaller at 3 inches instead of 3.2 inches, it has slightly more resolution and is significantly brighter. That fixes one of the biggest issues with the GH5: its relatively dim display.

The electronic viewfinder (EVF) carries the same 3.68 million dot resolution and .76x magnification, but has double the refresh rate at 120Hz. That makes a noticeable difference in image quality; more so than a resolution bump in my opinion. However, it also drains the battery a touch faster.

Another nice improvement is the addition of USB-C PD compatibility that can charge the battery more quickly. And it comes with a more powerful DMW-BLK22 battery, the same one found in the company’s full-frame S5 camera. While it’s still CIPA-rated for 410 shots like the GH5, it delivers a few more minutes of video recording.

Steve Dent/Engadget

The GH5 II has better menus than the GH5, gaining those introduced on the GH5s. It’s a color coded, tabbed menu system with hints to find the option you’re looking for. It also has the info panel from Panasonic’s pro Varicam models (also available on the GH5s), that show important settings at a glance. Another feature for pro shooters is dual zebra controls that let you check two levels at once, like highlights and skin tones.

As with the GH5, the new model has dual UHS II card slots, but they now support the maximum V90 (300 MB/s) speeds. That’ll ensure stable capture if you’re using the new All-I 4K video settings at up to 400 Mbps, or let the buffer clear faster if you’re snapping photos.

Video performance

There are several subtle, but important changes to the video capabilities of the GH5. A key one is an update to the image stabilization system. It now delivers up to 6.5 EV of shake protection, up by 1.5 EV over the GH5. When working with compatible lenses and using the IS boost mode, it’s designed to provide more steady shots, even if you’re walking or moving.

No in-camera stabilization system is ever going to beat a gimbal. However, the GH5 II does a better job than most mirrorless cameras I’ve tried at smoothing out walking or running, provided you’re reasonably careful. More importantly, it makes handheld camera pans and other motion smoother than the GH5 does. If you need some extra stabilization, there’s an electronic mode that does help, though it crops in slightly.

Another key change is with the autofocus system. In general, continuous autofocus for video is faster and smoother than before, though you’ll still see a tiny bit of hunting or wobble that’s unavoidable with a contrast-detect-only AF system. As before, the system works better at higher frame rates when it has more information to work with.

Steve Dent/Engadget

The GH5 II also brings some AI autofocus smarts that couldn’t be added via firmware to the GH5 because of its relatively old processor. It offers double the face and eye-tracking speeds, and can pick up focus when a face is tilted away from the camera. It can recognize heads and human bodies, making tracking more feasible if a person is turning or moving towards or away from the camera. It adds new animal tracking features that can handle most pets and some types of wildlife, as well.

With these features enabled, it’s easier to keep someone in focus if they or you are moving. Again, this works best at higher frame-rates, but overall, the improved focus hit rates make the camera more practical for vlogging or run-and-gun work, especially for solo operators. Animal tracking is also pretty useful, particularly if pets and/or kids are running around.

Is the GH5’s subject tracking as good as on Canon or especially Sony’s latest mirrorless cameras? No, because both of those brands use phase-detect systems that can nail focus directly without any wobble. Sony’s latest models, particularly the A1 and A7S III, also have uncannily fast tracking capabilities that Panasonic has yet to match. Still, the new model is a big step up from the GH5 and certainly good enough for many types of projects.

Video quality

Steve Dent/Engadget

Video made the GH5 popular, as it was far ahead of the competition for the price when it first arrived. Five years on, it’s getting pretty old, though, so a new processor helped Panasonic boost the GH5 II’s specs in line with what it’s done on full-frame models like the S5.

To that end, the new model now offers 10-bit 4:2:0 4K and C4K (4,096 x 2,160) video at up to 60 fps, rather than just 8-bit video at 60p as before. That makes it better for slow-mo or high frame-rate video if you want to use log or HDR video settings. Like the GH5, it can also handle 6K 30p anamorphic (4,992 x 3,774) with 10-bit, 4:2:0 color settings. And where All-I capture was limited to 24/25 fps on the GH5, the GH II can now do it at up to 30 fps.

Though the GH5 II comes with VLog-L shooting out of the box, it's limited to 12 stops of dynamic range rather than 13 like Panasonic’s BGH1 box camera and other recent models. Panasonic also introduced two new video modes, Cinelike D2 and Cinelike V2, that let you shoot log-like video with less hassle. Those deliver slightly more saturated colors and improved skin tones than the original Cinelike D and V modes.

Like other newer models, the GH5 II shows a red frame around the screen while recording, along with aspect ratio guides and a TikTok-style portrait video mode. With the same sensor, the GH5 II has pretty much the same readout speeds, so as before, rolling shutter is present but well controlled.

Steve Dent/Engadget

The GH5 II can now capture video simultaneously to an external recorder over the HDMI port, unlike the GH5. However, it can’t capture RAW video like the S5, for instance. Hopefully, that and the limited VLog-L dynamic range will be addressed in future firmware updates.

With all those tweaks, the GH5 II delivers sharp video with high levels of color accuracy for demanding work. It handles skin tones well and colors are natural and accurate. Low-light shooting is not its strong point, though, due to the smaller sensor size. For that, you’d be better off with either the GH5s or one of Panasonic’s newer full-frame models.

The new video quality changes are subtle, but could be helpful for certain types of work. Overall, it delivers the video quality everyone liked from the GH5, plus a little more.

Live Streaming

Steve Dent/Engadget

A key new feature for the GH5 II is the ability to broadcast live on the web, either using WiFi or a USB-C. The latter will require a firmware update that essentially allows the GH5 II’s USB-C port to be used as a wired LAN connection, however.

You can either stream to a smartphone via WiFi using the Lumix Sync app, or stream directly over WiFi without the need for a PC or phone. The latter requires you to use the Lumix Network software for PC or Mac to write your streaming settings to an SD card. Since it uses the RTMP/RTMPS standard, it supports YouTube, Facebook and other services. Better still, it supports camera audio as well as video.

Live streaming does require a robust connection, however, as I struggled to maintain a livestream in the countryside with a 16 Mbps connection. You won’t want to use the maximum 1080p 60 fps settings unless you have internet speed well above 16 Mbps.

Photos

With the same sensor as the GH5, the GH5 II delivers much the same image quality and photo shooting specs, including 12 fps burst shooting speeds. Where it has improved, though, is in the autofocus features, particularly with tracking.

The G9 was always a better photo camera than the GH5, as it had a noticeably quicker autofocus system. However, the GH5 II’s new processor means faster AF calculations, so the hit rate with continuous burst shooting is higher. It can also do face and eye tracking more quickly, and as with video, can handle head and body tracking, too.

With those changes, I was able to get more burst action shots in focus than I could with the GH5, whether shooting people, dogs or horses. At the same time, it tends to nail exposure more accurately than the original model.

Image quality is largely along the same lines as video, with low-light capability that gets pretty noisy above ISO 3200 or so, but sharp, color-accurate photos in good light. As before, it’s best not to let your highlights get too blown out as they’re difficult to recover when shooting RAW.

Wrap-up

Steve Dent/Engadget

The GH5 II is a worthy upgrade to the original, bringing enough improvements and new technology to justify its existence. Given that the all-new GH6 model is coming soon as well, it’s clear that Panasonic is still committed to small sensor, video-centric mirrorless cameras.

Video has modestly improved, and it’s better for handheld shooting thanks to the improved stabilization. Autofocus is still a drawback but it’s faster and more reliable than before. It would be nice if it supported RAW external capture, but that’s probably not a dealbreaker for most users. It can handle stills reasonably well, though it’s not the camera’s strong point.

Other cameras have caught up with the GH5 II in terms of video performance, but most, like the Canon R6 ($2,500) and Nikon Z6 II ($2,000) are more expensive. Fujifilm’s $1,700 X-T4 is a better choice if you want a larger sensor and shoot a lot of photos, but it lacks the streaming capabilities. Its biggest rival may be the original GH5 that can now be found for $1,300, if you don’t need the video streaming or other features. In any case, the GH5 II is now the best Micro Four Thirds mirrorless camera for video. At least until the GH6 comes along.

Following months of pressure from employees and workers, Activision Blizzard says it will no longer employ forced arbitration in sexual harassment and discrimination claims. CEO Bobby Kotick announced the policy change in a letter to employees the company shared on Thursday. Kotick said the publisher will also implement a new company-wide zero-tolerance harassment policy. In the future, any employee who is found to have violated the rule will be fired immediately. Additionally, they’ll forfeit any future compensation, including equity awards.

“Our goal is to have the strictest harassment and non-retaliation policies of any employer, and we will continue to examine and tighten our standards to achieve this goal everywhere we do business,” Kotick said.

The executive outlined three other steps Activision Blizzard will take to create a safer and more diverse workplace. Over the next 10 years, it will invest $250 million in programs that create opportunities in tech and gaming for under-represented communities. Additionally, the company to plans to hire more women and non-binary people. According to Kotick, approximately 23 percent of all employees at Activision Blizzard identify as part of those groups. Its goal is to increase that number by 50 percent to more than one-third across the entire company within the next five years. Kotick also promised the company will share annual reports on progress it makes toward pay equity.

Separately, the executive said he has asked Activision Blizzard’s board of directors to reduce his total compensation to $62,500 per year until it feels like he has met the diversity and safety goals outlined above.

Today’s announcement sees Kotick and Activision Blizzard meeting many of the demands employees put before the company when they began protesting its actions in the wake of California’s sexual harassment lawsuit. When employees first staged a walkout in July, they demanded the end of forced arbitration, greater pay transparency and new hiring policies designed to increase representation across the company. “This is a great start, and there’s still work to do,” said Jessica Gonzalez, one of the employees involved with the A Better ABK advocacy group. “We can lead the charge as an industry standard. Victories and still pushing.”

Black Friday has come a few weeks early for Google fans. A bunch of Google devices are on sale today at B&H Photo, including the Nest Audio smart speaker, which is only $60 right now if you go for the chalk or charcoal colors. That's $40 off its normal price and the lowest we've seen in a long time. The second-gen Nest Hub is half off, bringing it down to $50, while the Nest Hub Max is on sale for $180.

If you're an Android user or a Google Assistant fan, you can't go wrong with the Nest Audio as your main smart speaker. It earned a score of 87 from us and we considered it to be a steal at its normal $100 price point. Not only does it have solid sound quality on its own, but two paired together in stereo mode sound even better. We also like its minimalist design and how speedily the Google Assistant responds to commands.

Either of the Nest Hubs on sale would make great additions to your smart home, but which you choose will likely depend on how much you value affordability and sound quality. The second-gen Nest Hub is a great deal at $50 because you're getting a faster device overall, much improved audio quality and new sleep tracking abilities. For the latter, if you put the Nest Hub next to your bed, it'll track how long you've been asleep and even if you snore during the night. And regardless of where it sits in your home, the smart display can show video camera feeds from Nest Cams, so you can see who's at your front door without actually answering it.

As for the Nest Hub Max, it's the better choice if you want a smart display that can also hold its own against some high-end speakers. It includes two front-facing tweeters and a rear-facing woofer and they work together to pump out strong, clear sound. It's not a replacement for a couple of Sonos speakers spread throughout your home, but it's one of the best options if you want one device that can be your main speaker and smart display.

Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.

The Apple TV app has reached its final frontier: your cable provider's set-top box. According to Variety, Comcast used its latest earnings call to reveal that the Apple TV app will be available on Comcast's platforms in the "coming months." Viewers with Xfinity X1 set-tops, Flex streaming hubs, XClass TVs and (in the UK and Europe) Sky Glass sets will have access to Apple TV+, in-app channels (like AMC+ and Showtime) and Apple's usual video purchases and rentals.

In exchange, Comcast is bringing its Xfinity Stream app to Apple TV hardware. The move will let you use the Apple TV device either as a set-top stand in or to watch broadcasts on someone else's TV when you're away.

This may be a more significant expansion than it seems. Apple's streaming video app is available on many smart TVs, dedicated media players and game consoles in addition to the company's own products, but there are many people whose cable box is the smartest device in the living room. This brings Apple TV+ to many people who wouldn't even consider a service if it required a new TV or any device beyond the ones included with their cable subscriptions.