Facebook has handed over virtual reality illustration and animation tool Quill to Iñigo Quilez, the developer who created the app. Quilez has formed a company called Smoothstep and rebranded the tool as Quill by Smoothstep, which is now on the Oculus Store.
The original Quill app will be removed from the Oculus Store on October 18th. It'll still work for those who downloaded it, but Oculus won't support the app any longer. Users will need to manually upload creators to Oculus Media Studio manually rather than through Quill as well.
Facebook says Quill content shared on Oculus Media Studio or Oculus TV will still be available on Oculus for now. The Quill Theater app will remain on the store — it will be renamed as VR Animation Player next month. The Oculus team also noted that Smoothstep has open sourced both Quill Theater’s IMM immersive content distribution file format (IMM) and an IMM player.
Quilez built the first version of Quill during a 2015 hackathon to aid production on Oculus Story Studio's VR short, Dear Angelica. The film was the first to be hand-painted completely inside of a VR environment. Other filmmakers have adopted Quill, with works createdusing the tool being screened at major film festivals such as Sundance and Venice.
Some major companies are expected to enter or push deeper into the VR and mixed reality space in the coming years, such as Apple and Sony. As such, developers of VR creation tools such as Quill have a big opportunity for growth in the medium term.
Boston Dynamics’ Spot has found itself a new job, and thankfully this time it doesn’t involve a potential battlefield role. Hyundai has started testing the robot at a Kia manufacturing plant in South Korea where it will be one of the tools the company uses to ensure the facility is safe for workers. The pilot represents the first public collaboration between the two companies since Hyundai acquired a majority stake in Boston Dynamics this past June.
You’ll notice the Spot featured in the video Hyundai released looks different from the robot we’ve seen in past clips. That’s because the automaker’s Robotics Lab outfitted it with what is essentially a backpack that features a host of enhancements, including a thermal camera, LiDAR and more powerful computing resources for handling additional AI tasks. The “AI Processing Service Unit” allows Spot to detect people, monitor temperatures and check for fire hazards. Additionally, a secure webpage allows factory personnel to monitor the robot remotely, and take over control if they want to inspect an area of the facility more closely.
According to Hyundai, the pilot will help it assess the effectiveness of Spot as a late-night security patrol robot before it goes on to deploy it at additional industrial sites. Automation, manufacturing and construction applications align with what the automaker said was its grand plan for Boston Dynamics when it bought the company.
When Google launched Android 11 at the end of last summer, it added a feature that automatically resets app permissions. If you don’t use an app after several months, the OS can revoke some of the permissions that the application asked you to grant when you first installed it. It’s a handy feature that’s unfortunately only available on a relatively small number of devices due to the fact most Android manufacturers only support their devices with platform updates for a couple of years. Thankfully, that’s about to change.
Starting in December 2021, Google will begin rolling out that functionality to all devices running Android 6 (Marshmallow) and above, the company announced today in a developer update. The feature will come courtesy of a Google Play services update the company will roll out to “billions” of devices. Once you have the new software installed on your device, apps that target Android 11 or higher will have the feature enabled by default. For those apps that were built for older versions of the OS, you’ll have the option to enable it manually.
This is one of those small quality-of-life updates that most Android users should be able to appreciate since it can be easy to forget all the permissions you may have granted to an app when you first installed it.
While Apple announced new iPhones and iPads this week, a bunch of its existing gadgets remain discounted. The AirPods Pro are close to an all-time low at $180 and the iPad Air is still at the best price we've seen it — only $500 for the base model. You can also still get $100 off the MacBook Air M1 and the Mac Mini M1, so regardless of your computer-style preference, there are discounted options available. Also, Google's Pixel 4 has dropped to a new low of $379 and Amazon includes a free Samsung SmartTag when you buy the $150 Galaxy Buds 2. Here are the best tech deals from this week that you can still get today.
AirPods Pro
Billy Steele / Engadget
Apple's AirPods Pro are down to $180, or $70 off their normal price. These remain Apple's best sounding earbuds and we gave them a score of 87 for their comfortable fit, improved audio, good ANC and wireless charging.
The latest 10.2-inch iPad and the iPad mini just went up for pre-order this week and Walmart has both for a bit less — the base iPad is $299 instead of $329 and the iPad mini is $459 instead of $500. Both tablets have been updated with better processors, a 12MP front camera with support for Center Stage and now a minimum of 64GB of storage.
Apple's iPad Air is $100 off right now, bringing it down to $500. All five colors are on sale at Amazon. thanks to automatically applied coupons, although with various shipping times. We gave the Air a score of 90 for its speedy performance and WiFi, healthy battery life and support for the second-gen Apple Pencil.
Apple's MacBook Air M1 is back down to an all-time low of $850 thanks to an automatically applied coupon. It earned a score of 94 from us for its stellar performance, attractive, fanless design and its comfortable keyboard and trackpad.
Apple's Mac Mini M1 returned to its all-time-low price of $600 thanks to a sale and an automatically applied coupon. You're getting all of the performance boosts provided by the M1 chipset in a compact desktop package. This is a good machine to get if you have an older desktop that needs replacing, but you don't want to spend a ton of money.
One of our favorite internal drives, the Crucial MX500 SSD, is on sale for $85 right now, or $15 off its normal price. That's also a record-low, making now a good time to pick up some extra space if you know your machine is reaching its limits. This drive has read speeds of up to 560 MB/s, sequential write speeds of up to 510 MB/s, AES-256 bit hardware encryption and integrated power loss immunity.
Amazon has a bundle that includes the Galaxy Buds 2 and a SmartTag Bluetooth tracker for $150, so you're essentially getting the SmartTag for free. The Buds 2 are solid budget earbuds that earned a score of 84 from us for their improved sound quality, adjustable ambient sound mode, comfortable design and wireless charging.
Amazon has the Galaxy Note 20 series for up to $400 off right now, so you can grab a Note 20 for $750 and a Note 20 Ultra for $900. These are some of the most premium handsets Samsung has made as of late, and they are good options if you're not sold on foldables and you like the versatility that the S Pen provides.
Google's Pixel 4 smartphone is down to a new low of $379 at B&H Photo. We believe the launch of the Pixel 6 to be right around the corner, so you may want to wait if you want the latest phone from Google. However, the Pixel 4 remains a solid handset — we liked its speedy performance, lovely display and stellar camera experience.
Through September 18, Omaze is giving away another $20,000 to build your ultimate gaming PC. This sweepstakes is free to enter, but funds donated with purchased entries will benefit Schools on Wheels, an organization that provides free tutoring and mentoring services to children experiencing homelessness across Southern California.
Through December 8, you can enter to win four-day passes to San Diego Comic-Con 2022. Along with the passes, you'll get access to a special preview night, reserved seating in Hall H, a personal concierge, a private tour of the Comic-Con Museum, dinner in Balboa Park and tickets to the "Night at the Comic-Con Museum" event. It's free to enter, but funds from this sweepstakes will go to the San Diego Comic Convention.
The 8-quart Instant Pot Duo Plus is on sale for $100 thanks to a $20 coupon you can clip on the product page. This multicooker has nine functions including slow cook, rice cooker, yogurt maker, steamer, sauté pan, sterilizer and more, and its large capacity allows it to make more than enough food for big families or parties.
Dyson slashed $100 off its Pure Cool Link DP01 purifying desk fan, bringing it down to $300. This would be a good addition to a home office because it removes 99.97% of pollutants and allergens, oscillates up to 70 degrees, has a Night Mode if you decide to use it in your bedroom while you're sleeping and it can be controlled with its included remote or via Dyson's companion app.
WarnerMedia pulled HBO Max from Amazon Prime Video Channels this week, but it's hoping to entice fans to subscribe directly with a new offer. Through September 26, new and returning HBO Max subscribers can get six months of the service for 50 percent off, which comes out to $7.49 per month. You just have to pay for six months up front and you'll get a great deal on the ad-free service.
ThermoWorks knocked 40 percent off its tiny ThermoPop instant-read thermometer, bringing it down to $21. This is a limited-time sale, so we're not sure how long they'll be around for this discounted price. The Pop is a budget alternative to ThermoWorks' more expensive thermometers and we like its cute, splash-proof design, rotating display and speedy temperature reads.
One of our recommended VPNs is running a decent sale on a two-year subscription. You can sign up for NordVPN for $99 for the first two years, which comes out to $49.50 per year, and get three additional months of access for free. We like NordVPN for its speed, its no-logs policy, the thousands of servers it has to choose from and that one account supports up to six connected devices.
Pre-orders have only just opened for Apple's latest lineup of products, but you can already find some discounts on the hardware. Along with a price cut on the base iPad, Walmart is offering some savings on the new iPad mini. The 64GB WiFi-only option is $40 off at $459, while the retailer has dropped the price of the 256GB variant by $50 to $599. Walmart isn't offering any price reductions on the 5G iPad mini, though — the 64GB version costs $649.
It's the first new iPad mini in two and a half years, and Apple has given the tablet a major overhaul. It runs on the A15 Bionic chip (the same SoC as in iPhone 13), with Apple promising a big jump in performance compared with the fifth-gen iPad mini. The 8.3-inch screen runs closer to the edge of the device, and there's no more physical home button. The Touch ID sensor is now built into the power button.
The volume buttons are now at the top to make space for an Apple Pencil 2 that you can attach magnetically to the side. The Lightning port is a thing of the past on iPad mini, with Apple switching to a USB-C port. The cameras have been upgraded, and there's support for Apple's Center Stage feature, which keeps you in the center of the frame during video calls. Walmart says it will ship the tablet by September 24th if you pre-order now.
Crucial's storage devices are reliable options if you're looking for an internal drive to give your laptop or desktop extra space. One of our favorites, the Crucial MX500 SSD, has dropped to a record low on Amazon right now — only $85 for a 1TB model. You can snag a 2TB model for less, too, as it's down to $189. This is the first time since January that we've seen such a good price on this model, so now's the time to pick one up if you can tell your machine is reaching its storage limit.
This is a 3D NAND SATA drive with a standard 2.5-inch design, so it should fit into most computers, and it has speedy sequential read speeds of up to 560 MB/s and sequential write speeds of up to 510 MB/s. As far as security goes, it has AES-256 bit hardware encryption plus integrated power loss immunity, which should protect your data even if you lose power in the middle of a work session.
While Amazon isn't having a formal storage sale, there are a number of other SSDs available on discount right now. Crucial's BX500 internal SSD in 480GB is on sale for $47 and the Crucial X8 portable SSD in 2TB is down to $220. The X8 is a handy drive that would work well for college students, photographers and others who need a lot of digital space with them at all times, and it's fast with read speeds up to 1050 MB/s. Two notable Samsung internal drives are on sale as well: the Samsung 970 EVO Plus SSD in 2TB is half off, bringing it down to $250, and the Samsung 980 Pro in 2TB is down to $362.
Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.
So Apple really called it the iPhone 13. This week, Cherlynn and Devindra chat about Apple’s latest announcements, and why the iPhone 13 is more like an iPhone 12S. Also, they discuss why the revamped iPad Mini is the most intriguing new Apple gadget this year. (Hold off on getting a new iPad Air for now, folks.)
Listen below, or subscribe on your podcast app of choice. If you've got suggestions or topics you'd like covered on the show, be sure to email us or drop a note in the comments! And be sure to check out our other podcasts, the Morning After and Engadget News!
Credits Hosts: Cherlynn Low and Devindra Hardawar Producer: Ben Ellman Livestream producers: Julio Barrientos,Luke Brooks Graphics artists: Luke Brooks, Kyle Maack Music: Dale North and Terrence O'Brien
Chromecasts and other devices powered by Google TV might give users access to free television channels in the future. According to Protocol, Google has been in talks with free, ad-supported streaming television providers about the possibility of adding their channels to its smart TV platform. Those channels typically have a similar feel to traditional TV, and its shows will be interrupted by commercial breaks.
Protocol says Chromecast users might be able to browse live channels available to them through a dedicated menu similar to YouTube TV's. Meanwhile, smart TVs powered by the platform might show the free channels alongside other over-the-air programming that can be accessed with an antenna. The publication says that's similar to how companies like Samsung present free TV offerings on their own platforms. Samsung's free TV service has become so popular, other companies (including Roku and Amazon) started giving their customers access to hundreds of free channels, as well.
The addition of linear programming to Google TV could help make Chromecasts and smart TVs powered by the operating system a more enticing option for cord-cutters. Google could officially launch free streaming channels as soon as this fall, though it could also wait to announce the feature until its smart TV partners are also ready to do so next year. Protocol also says that while it's unclear what channels are making their way to the platform at this point, Google will likely strike deals that will give it access to "dozens of free channels" all at once.
OnePlus started using camera tech from Hasselblad in its latest flagship smartphones, the OnePlus 9 and OnePlus 9 Pro. It'll be some time before we see the full impact of that partnership in the form custom camera hardware. In the meantime, OnePlus is looking to bring more of a Hasselblad feel to its current phones. The latest software update for the 9-series handsets, which OnePlus has started rolling out, includes a setting that aims to replicate the look of Hasselblad's XPan film cameras.
The Xpan Mode includes an aspect ratio of 65:21 and a very wide mode with two focal lengths (30mm and 45mm). The image preview has the frame lines that you'd see through the lens of an XPan camera, OnePlus says, and after you take a shot, you can see an animation of negative film developing. There are two film simulation effects too — color and black and white — with Hasselblad working with OnePlus to create the latter.
The update looks to improve the phones' camera systems in other ways. OnePlus says it has updated the memory optimization solution and shortened the time it takes to launch the camera app by up to half. The company says it has reduced lag in previews and fixed over-sharpening in various auto mode situations. It also claims to have improved dynamic range in low-light conditions and bolstered the success rate when it comes to shooting moving objects, while reducing noise and optimizing HDR frame retrieving algorithms for some scenes.
OnePlus says the update includes some other improvements for OnePlus 9 and OnePlus 9 Pro, including wireless charging optimization and the latest Android security patch. The latest firmware also addresses some known issues and improves stability.
It's that time of year again when the latest iPhones hit shelves, prompting many to wonder if they should take the plunge into iOS for the first time, or upgrade to a new handset. Apple announced four new iPhones this week at its hardware event, mirroring the last year's offerings. The new iPhone 13 and 13 mini feature smaller notches at the top of their touchscreens, the new A15 Bionic processor and longer battery lives. The higher-end iPhone 13 Pro and Pro Max smartphones have fancy finishes, 120Hz Super Retina XDR displays, and improved cameras along with the A15 Bionic chipset and better battery lives. Here's how to order the iPhone 13 series and the iPhone 13 Pro series.
iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 mini
Apple
The iPhone 13 and 13 mini will be available for pre-order starting at 5am PT (8am ET) on September 17 and will be widely available on September 24. The iPhone 13 starts at $799 while the iPhone 13 mini starts at $699.
Apple focused on refining the iPhone 13 series this year, trickling down some advanced features from last year's Pro line to the standard models. Both the iPhone 13 and 13 mini have a nearly identical design to last year's iPhone 12s, but they have a 20-percent small notch at the top and screens that are 28-percent brighter. Screen sizes have remained the same, too, measuring 6.1-inches on the iPhone 13 and 5.4-inches on the 13 mini. Apple managed to pack larger batteries in both handsets, so iPhone 13 users will get about 2.5 hours of extra use when compared to the iPhone 12, while iPhone 13 mini users will get about 1.5 extra hours.
Inside both smartphones is the new A15 Bionic chipset and neural engine and Apple promises 50-percent better performance than the competition. The cameras have been upgraded as well: the dual system has a new wide camera sensor and lens along with the sensor-shift optical image stabilization system that we saw on the iPhone 12 Pro Max last year. Both the iPhone 13 and the 13 mini support expanded 5G as well, which will be available on 200 carriers in 60 countries by the end of this year.
As far as configurations go, the iPhone 13 and 13 mini are both available in 128GB, 256GB and 512GB storage capacities. Apple has a new lineup of colors as well: pink, blue, midnight, starlight and Product Red.
iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max
Apple
The iPhone 13 Pro and Pro Max will be available for pre-order starting at 5am PT (8am ET) on September 17 and will be widely available on September 24. The iPhone 13 Pro starts at $999 and the iPhone 13 Pro Max will start at $1,099.
It's all about the screens and the cameras for these smartphones. While screen sizes haven't changed, both the iPhone 13 Pro and Pro Max have new Super Retina XDR displays with ProMotion, 1,000 nits of brightness and refresh rates up to 120Hz. We first saw this technology on the latest 12.9-inch iPad Pro, and now it's been brought down to the higher-end iPhones.
The triple-rear camera system also got a big boost this year. It now features a new 77mm telephoto camera with 3x optical zoom, along with a new ultra wide camera that has a f/1.8 aperture and autofocus. The primary "wide" camera is the largest Apple has even put in an iPhone and it features a f/1.5 aperture and 1.9-micron pixels. Apple also made it possible to shoot at up to 6x optical zoom, enabling macro photography, and it added new features like Cinematic Mode for videos, which uses machine learning to get things like better focus, better low-light performance, Time-lapse and Slo-mo video and more.
Inside the Pros is the A15 Bionic chipset with a 16-core neural engine, which Apple says will help the iPhones run 50 percent faster than the competition. The company also touts the handsets' enhanced durability and battery life. The iPhone 13 Pro series includes a surgical-grade stainless steel band and finishes that are resistant to abrasions and corrosions, and the lineup is IP68 water-resistant. As far as battery life goes, the iPhone 13 Pro should last 1.5 hours more than the iPhone 12 Pro and the iPhone 13 Pro Max will last up to 2.5 hours longer than its predecessor.
As for configurations, the iPhone 13 Pro and Pro Max come in 128GB, 256GB, 512GB and 1TB storage capacities and both are available in four colors: sierra blue, silver, gold and graphite.
