Month: May 2018

OnePlus 6: A Great Phone (For the Price)

OnePlus has made something of a name for themselves as makers of cheap alternatives to Samsung and Google phones. The OnePlus 6, their 2018 flagship, is no different. Retailing for a cool $529, and sold unlocked on their website, the OnePlus 6 is a great budget choice for a premium-feeling smartphone.

Top Notch (Or Not)

The newest trend among premium smart phones is the inclusion of a top screen notch. This has been talked to death, and many Android users can’t stand the iPhone-looking notch design. The idea, of course, is to maximize screen size without increasing handset size. However, as the screen takes up most of the front face, normal hardware like the earpiece and the front-facing camera have to go somewhere, thus the notch.

This is an interesting look, but many are not sold on the odd break in the display. These users will be pleased that the OnePlus 6 offers a feature that blackens the screen all around the notch, giving the illusion of a standard phone display. Both modes look great, to me, and I would find neither to be particularly distracting.

OnePlus 6 Eschews Metal Back

OnePlus models predating the 6 all had a unique construction that included a metal back. Many other phone manufacturers have now switched to using a glass back. The glass back decision has largely been in order to facilitate wireless charging. The OnePlus 6 has no support for wireless charging, though. Instead, it seems, OnePlus chose to make their new flagship glass-backed just to look like the competition.

All-glass constructions like this are worrisome, due to their fragility. While most users will have their phones in a protective case, it is still disappointing to see OnePlus ditching their unique design in favor of a more generic appearance.

Some Disappointing Features

The OnePlus 6 is certainly not a perfect phone. The fingerprint reader on the back is tiny. So tiny, in fact, that it is often difficult to get an accurate scan of your finger. This is disappointing, given that fingerprint scanning technology has been standard on smartphones for more than four years now. The other disappointment is the phone’s relative lack of waterproofing: the website says the phone isn’t rated for any submersion.

Bottom Line? It Doesn’t Hurt Your Bottom Line

The most impressive thing about the OnePlus 6 is just how many things it does right, though. It is a snappy, quick phone with a great build (in spite of its glass back and small fingerprint scanner.) Its shortcomings can be forgiven in light of its price. Given that it’s a full $300 cheaper than a lot of its competition, it’s alright to overlook a few minor gripes. If you’re in the market for a great looking phone for a great price and can overlook some small issues, consider the OnePlus 6.

May 23, 2018
Interested in a New Soundbar? Find Out Which One is the Best!

As TV panels get more impressive and their cases get ever thinner, their speakers become less and less impressive. Most new 4K TV panels have pretty laughable sound quality. To remedy this, many turn to soundbars in order to help their shows and movies sound more impressive! If you’re looking to upgrade your living room sound experiences, look no further! We’ll tell you which soundbar is our favorite!

Philips Fidelio B5

If you really like the idea of having a surround sound system but really hate the idea of installing a surround sound system, this is the soundbar for you. The Fidelio B5 has detachable satellite speakers that can be pulled free of the main bar to quickly set up a surround sound experience. This combination of convenience and sound quality is the entire point of soundbars, so the Fidelio certainly gets its niche right.

This one will set you back about $700, though, so it’s definitely a consideration for audiophiles and movie buffs more than casual viewers. If you’re looking for great surround sound and convenient set up, though, you can’t go wrong with the Fidelio B5.

Sony HT-ST5000 Soundbar

Sony’s entry on this list is definitely priced and marketed as a premium product. One solid indicator of that is its support for Dolby Atmos, giving this soundbar way bigger sound that it looks like it could put out. This soundbar puts out some incredible spatial sound, consistently impressing in everything from movie audio to Spotify playlists over Chromecast.

The only thing holding this entry back from being our pick for favorite is its steep price. This one retails for around $1500 dollars, setting it firmly in the “premium item” price range. However, if that price isn’t an issue for you, this is absolutely the best soundbar on the market, no questions asked.

Our Favorite Soundbar: Samsung HW-MS650 Soundbar

While the Sony HT-ST5000 is the most impressive soundbar out there, it’s also impressively expensive. If you’re looking for audio that is nearly as good (and I mean nearly) for a third of the price, this one is for you. Samsung’s entry on this list is jaw-dropping. The balance and bass are also absolutely stunning considering how small the bar is.

This one is a steal: $500 gets you one of the very best soundbars out there. It also supports a ton of inputs and is super easy to set up. If you’re looking for a great soundbar and don’t want to break the bank with Sony, this Samsung is the right one for you.

May 23, 2018
Which is the Best Gaming Headset? Let’s Find Out!

Whether you’re looking to tackle a huge, single-player adventure or help your teammates secure victory in a team-based game, you’re going to want a good sound experience. Some people want headsets for their promise of great, surround-quality sound. Others want them so they can communicate with teammates. In either event, we’ve got a gaming headset list right here to help you pick which one is right for you.

Razor ManO‘War 7.1

This gaming headset doesn’t disappoint. Retailing for $120, this oversized monster delivers huge sound. The massive size of the earcups is really the only drawback, unless you dislike wired headsets. The ManO’War  sports a sleek microphone that is easy to slide back into the headset and has great sound quality. This is an overall fantastic headset, if a little lacking in portability.

Astro Gaming A50

The Astro A50 is pretty expensive, retailing for $300. That price tag comes with a bevy of great features, though! Representing a tremendous step up over the A40, the A50 is the new (now wireless!) flagship gaming headset for Astro. The A50 has fantastic surround sound and sports a handful of equalizer modes to help maximize your sound experience.

The A50 also boasts a unidirectional mic, ideal for picking out your voice from background noise. This helps alleviate a problem many have to turn to push-to-talk self-muting to fix. The headset also has great battery life, and a battery-saving auto-off function!

HyperX Cloud Revolver X

The Revolver X is a great choice based on versatility alone. With great sound performance out of the box and fantastic equalizer levels, the Revolver X is a great pick for users who plan to jump between consoles, PC and whatever else. This headset supports USB, 3.5mm and dual 3.5mm, making it incredibly easy to plug into any device.

The Revolver X is also a beast of a headset, boasting 7.1 surround sound and great mic quality. All of this is a great deal, too, as you can usually snag this headset for $100.

Our Favorite Gaming Headset: SteelSeries Arctis Pro

SteelSeries continues to impress time and again with the Arctis Pro. This headset boasts a killer design, mimicking headphone like Sony or Bose might make, making them a great choice aesthetically. They also sport both wireless USB and 3.5mm wired connection, allowing them to be used on both PC and console.

Whether you meant to use the Arctis Pro for console or PC, though, it sports fantastic sound quality. On PC, you can use SteelSeries proprietary sound control panels to fine-tune your listening experience. Even better, the Arctis Pro is plug-and-play, ready to be used on just about any device right out of the box. This one is easily our favorite gaming headset!

May 23, 2018
Looking for a Weird Game? Here’s the Ten Weirdest Games for iOS

Sometimes you don’t want to play by the rules and do normal stuff. Sometimes you want to let loose and be a little weird. If you’re looking for something delightfully odd and wickedly weird, we’ve got something for you! Check out our list of the top ten weird games to ever release on iOS. Let’s get weird!

10. Bear vs Art

Photo Credit: bearvsart.com

In this odd commentary on gentrification, a bear fights off pretentious millionaires who hang bad art up in tacky galleries. This one is somewhat simple at first glance, featuring grid-based puzzle gameplay. You’ll avoid security guards and motion-sensing lasers, stop art thieves and roll over art critics. It’s pretty silly, and certainly worthy of the title “weird game.” Great for haters of snobby art critics!

9. I Am Bread

Photo Credit: Wikipedia

In this game, you become bread. And as this bread, you will attempt to become toast. As this piece of bread, you have to navigate the unforgiving space of the kitchen in an attempt to make it to the toaster. The catch is, if you fall in the floor, you fail. This one is rather addictive and fun, considering how ridiculous its premise is. If you’ve always wanted to know what it’s like to be bread, this game is for you!

8. Giant Boulder of Death

Photo Credit: Touch, Tap, Play

Have you ever wanted to be a giant boulder and rampage down a mountain? If so, this game will certainly help you live that fantasy. GBOD is an arcade-style autorunning game where you try to wreak as much havoc as possible before you are inevitably stopped. Hunting high scores and challenging your friends via the leaderboards is a fun way to kill some time with this supremely weird game!

7. CATS: Crash Arena Turbo Stars

Photo Credit: Zepto Lab

Ingredients for a weird game: adorable backronym, weird robot-building mechanics, cute cats piloting said robots. Throw them all together and you have a fun robot-building game starring some adorable felines! FCATS features tons of customization options for robots and fun player versus player modes. CATS is a great game for robot enthusiasts, cat people, or both!

6. Office Jerk

Photo Credit: Google Play

Everyone who has worked in an office has wanted to pelt that one annoying guy who works there. This oddly cathartic weird game has you lobbing random stuff at some jerk who works in your office. Or maybe you’re the jerk, since you’re the one tossing all this junk at the dude across from you. In any event, this one is fun, and you’ll probably get some kicks out of breaking his monitor or giving him a big old lump.

5. Robot Unicorn Attack 2

Photo Credit: The Gameological Society

It doesn’t get much weirder than being a robot unicorn. Well, it does: being a robot unicorn while running endlessly and listening to power metal. This one has been around for a while, but it’s still quite fun. And it is still a seriously weird game. Its gameplay consists of running endlessly, avoiding obstacles and being awesome. It’s a very addictive game, with emphasis on setting high scores and beating your best. You can also customize your unicorn and give it upgrades to help set higher scores!

4. Sausage Bomber

Photo Credit: Google Play Store

In this weird game you are tasked with repelling invading forces the only way you know how: by dropping your meat on them. What? I’m serious! You’re equipped with all manner of meat and have to bomb your opponents with it! This game features a ton of missions and a great difficulty curve. This one is made fun by just how much each level challenges you to up your game to progress. It’s also deliciously weird.

3. Booger Boing

Photo Credit: iTunes

First of all, gross. Alright? This game is nasty. You’re trying to navigate boogers around in a nose. Just, yuck, man. This must’ve been made by folks who loved that Garbage Pail Kids thing. Jokes aside, this one is in the same gameplay camp as something like Angry Birds. Featuring gross-but-cute graphics and a happy, upbeat soundtrack, Booger Boing is actually a fun little game. If you can get past just how freaking gross it is.

2. Amateur Surgeon

Photo Credit: Touch, Tap, Play

There are actually four games in this weird game series, and they’re all actually great. Something of a riff on surgeon simulators like Trauma Center, Amateur Surgeon puts you in the role of the titular ill-equipped “doctor.” With levels ranging from seriously gross to hilariously ridiculous, you’ll find a lot to love in this long-running and weird series. As long as you don’t mind performing a ton of dubious procedures on cartoon characters and being seriously grossed-out by some of them.

1. Our Favorite Weird Game: Goat Simulator

Photo Credit: Humble Bundle

Certainly, you’ve heard of this supremely weird game? If not, here’s a quick description. It’s a goat simulator. You live a day in the life of a totally normal goat. Who goes on a destructive rampage through the city. And isn’t beholden to the laws of physics. And has a seriously sticky tongue. Okay, maybe it’s not a totally normal goat. In any case, this game is riotous, weird fun and remains awesome after all this time. If you want a seriously weird and hilarious game to spend a few hours on, look no further than Goat Simulator.

May 23, 2018
Which Companies are Leading the Race for First Driverless Car?

The future of commuting is looking ever more and more like a driverless one. Maybe someday driving cars will be as quaint a pastime as riding horses or hopping in a horse-drawn carriage. However, that reality isn’t upon us yet: there are a number of kinks that need to be worked out of the technology before it has the green light for mass commercial production. Not to mention, there’s the question of affordability and accessibility. So, let’s take a look at the companies leading the pack in the race for first driverless car.

Renault-Nissan Alliance

Nissan’s Japanese cars feature the ProPILOT technology, a software suite that drives for you on the highway. The company plans to roll the feature out in the American market soon, and they plan to further add features to it as they are finalized. Features are meant to be incremental additions until the cars are fully driverless, and the company plans on this being the case by 2020.

While the 2020 deadline may seem a bit soon, Renault-Nissan has faith in their ProPILOT technology. The company claims their driverless features are all nearly ready now. Now, they just need a bit more safety testing to be road-ready.

General Motors

After acquiring Cruise Automation, GM has been full-steam ahead on driverless technology. The company has been championing their Chevy Bolt, an electric driverless car likely to see mass market soon. GM has expressed their desire to test their cars in a wide array of different conditions in order to ensure maximum safety for passengers and other drivers.

GM CEO Mary Barra has been quoted regarding GM’s safety testing saying: “A lot of the conversation has been about, ‘Oh, we have this many miles,’ but it’s not as much about the miles as it is about the experiences that the car learns.” This is in seeming contrast to companies like Waymo. Waymo has dedicated thousands of hours to safety testing, but almost exclusively in sunny and dry regions like Arizona.

Ongoing Focus on Driverless Car Technology: Ford

Ford has been quietly pursuing driverless technology for more than a decade now. In 2005, Ford joined the DARPA Grand Challenge, kicking off their public interest in the burgeoning technology. Ford invested a ton of money in a lidar manufacturer called Velodyne in 2016, and has promised to invest over one billion (!) dollars in an AI company called Argo AI.

Ford’s fleet of autonomous cars has been delivering on the promise of these investments. Ford recently partnered with Lyft, who also plans to use a driverless fleet for their ride-hailing service. All of this points to Ford’s ongoing dedication to pushing forward with driverless tech. Which of these companies will be the first to mass-market with a driverless car? Or will it be another company altogether? Only time will tell.

May 22, 2018
Top 5 Battle Royale Games on iOS

They are taking over the app store as the next big thing in mobile gaming. They are fun, chaotic, and extremely intense. As with any big gaming trend in the app store once something hits big with popularity the market gets flooded with knock offs and wanna-bes’. So here is a look at the Top 5 battle royale games. I think you know 1 and 2 already. All of them are the same premise 100 players are scattered throughout the massive battlefield. Explore the map, collect weapons, take aim, and pull the trigger.

1 PUBG

This is the tops, the alpha, the best PVP royale there is. Though it was not first, fortnite was, PUBG was up and going first and once it was there was no stopping it. The game is based on previous mods that were created by Brendan “PlayerUnknown” Greene for other games using the film Battle Royale for inspiration, and expanded into a standalone game under Greene’s creative direction. Its fun, come find me, callsign: beaunasty

2. Fortnite

Fortnite has recently taking over the top spot in the app store over PUBG in the PVP royale battles. However it is still no. 2 in free games below “love balls”. There is a lot of aspects to this game that should make it number 1 on this list. It’s got way better animation and looks like a lot more fun. It partakes in the unreality of fantasy a bit more for more entertainment. The guns… Did I mention how cool the guns are. Think Ratchet and Klank like guns. You can build structures to defend yourself. Its a lot more immersive and lacks the quick please and excitement of PUBGs simple killem PVP.

3.Knives out

This is the big one in japan. So big in Japan that they raked in 24 million from mobile users last month. This game has the potential to top those Battle Royale game one day. I love most of the features included such as Top kills, Farthest Travel etc. It makes me wanna compete with my friends. Bugs, it has them like Sometimes, shooting during scoping doesnt calibrate well with the aiming. It drops a bit bottom-right. It is also very laggy and has glitches like when I walk it teleports me back to where I was. Sometimes I’ll tap the Trigger and it’ll shoot a half a clip without my finger touching the screen.

4. Rules of Survival

This one lets you have up to three hundred players fight in a battle royale, a type of large-scale last man standing deathmatch where players fight to remain the last alive. Players can choose to enter the match Solo, Duo, a Squad of four people, or a Fireteam of up to five people. In either case, the last person or team left alive wins the match. There are two playable maps in the game: Ghillie (120 players), and the 64 square kilometer Fearless Fiord (300 players)

5.Critical Ops

Just like the rest of list you can pair up with friends or take on complete strangers all over the world. With A 100 player Vs player format and all the trends that have it landing on this list. This one has some very smooth gameplay. All animations are very smooth. Great variety on the skins. Weapons are unique and pretty fantastic. On the positives it’s a fast-paced mobile FPS reminiscent of CS:GO. What has it moving down the list is that there a pretty noticeable latency issues (lag) and very sparse content.

May 22, 2018
GoodBye 14 inch Razer Blade, Hello 15.6 inch
Razer is the hipster king of gaming laptops. For the last 5 years the 14 inch Razer Blade has been the cornerstone of their lineup. That is all going to change now. No longer will Razer be offering the 14 inch super laptop. Instead they will be offering a suped up version in a slimmer 15.6 inch model. Razer is calling it the smallest gaming system in its class. Its packed with an excruciating amount off cool stuff lets take a look.

Design

For starters Razer got rid of the rounded curves of the previous laptops for a more boxy shape. The company also ditched the pair of lines flanking the glowing green Razer emblem. Its a bit more classy look in my opinion. Measuring 14 x 9.3 x 0.68-inches and weighing 4.6 pounds, the Blade is notably larger than its predecessor (4.2 pounds and 13.6 x 9.3 x 0.7 inches). But it’s also slimmer and lighter than a lot of its current competition. As Razer said it, its the smallest gaming system available. Ports, its got em, you can expect a trio of USB 3.1 ports, a Thunderbolt 3 port, mini DisplayPort, HDMI 2.0, a headset jack and a power input.

The Display

This is were its gets cool. The 14-inch variant of the Blade is gone and with it goes those unsightly thick bezels. Razer has shaved the bezels down to 0.19 inches along the sides, allowing the company to squeeze a 15.6-inch panel into a 14-inch chassis. More screen less size for the win. The Razer Blade is available with several screen variants and refresh rates: Full HD with 60Hz, Full HD with 144Hz and a 4K touch panel with 60Hz. The 144Hz, 1080p screen and 4K panels will be individually color calibrated from stock.

The Razer Blade Extras

Of course Razer is gonna back this with there G-ed out Chroma keyboard and killer trackpad. That is just a given. Razer is swapping out the two discrete mouse buttons in favor of a massive precision touchpad. The new touchpad should deliver more accurate gestures and swipes. With the bigger chassis we are getting a bigger battery too. Bonus.

Quick Spec Look
- six-core, 8th Gen 2.2-GHz Intel Core i7-8750H processor,
- 16GB of RAM,
- 256GB PCIe SSD,
- Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 Max-Q GPU with 6GB of VRAM
- 1920 x 1080 (60Hz) display.
The Final Thought

All good things must come to an end, but new begins lead to greatness. From what I’ve seen so far, the 15-inch Blade is a great new start and we should be excited. Growth is always a good sign and as much as Im sad to see the 14 inch go, I love the way it walks away.
May 22, 2018
H1Z1 Open Beta Begins on PS4 (Finally)

The zombie-shooting survival game that metamorphized into a battle royale shooter finally hit PS4 in open beta. If you’ve somehow missed the battle royale craze, it’s a genre of shooting game where a large number of players are airdropped onto a map and fight to see who will be the last man standing. Based on the popular Japanese novel (and then movie) Battle Royale, the genre was first popularized by a game called PlayerUnkown’s Battlegrounds. PUBG was followed by the absurdly popular Fortnite, which is itself a zombie survival game that split off to become a battle royale shooter.

What’s the Hold Up?

If the name H1Z1 sounds familiar, it might be due to the game’s somewhat complex development cycle. Beginning its life as a zombie-themed survival-shooter in the same vein as Left 4 Dead, the game experienced several delays. The game’s popular mode King of the Kill would come to be repurposed as a standalone battle royale game. The original, once called H1Z1, is now called Just Survive and is an entirely different game from this.

Seeking to follow in the footsteps of PUBG and Fortnite, H1Z1 is finally available in Open Beta on the PS4. It’s been on Windows in Early Access for a few months now, but this marks its first console outing. It is slated to receive an Xbox port later this year.

Murderous Mayhem

The controls, which have been described as “sluggish” on PC, have received a bit of a face lift on PS4. Sporting tighter and more responsive controls, the game is as fun as ever with the DualShock 4 controller. This is great news for any concerned that the switch from mouse and keyboard would lead to a worse overall experience for players. The fast-paced action H1Z1 is known for remains intact on PS4.

The game sees groups of 100 players (or more) parachuting to a remote location to fight it out. Your choice of strategy will influence your odds of coming out on top: do you choose to find a big gun and go hunting for players? Or will you lay low with a long-range rifle? Or will you (like me) hide in a building with a shotgun and hope no one finds you? The answers to these questions will shape the ever-unfolding action!

How Does it Stack Up?

Compared to its main competitors, H1Z1 is a fine game. Featuring more realistic graphics like PUBG, but more arcade-style shooting like Fortnite, H1Z1 strikes a great balance. Central to the late-game section of the battle is the presence of numerous vehicles. Teams can often hop in a battle wagon and take off looking to ride down any stragglers, leading to intense, Mad Max-style showdowns. If you like fast-paced and frenetic action, as opposed to the more plodding style of PUBG, this game has you covered.

H1Z1 features a somewhat bare-bones crafting system. While you won’t be building any Fortnite-style bases, you can make bandages and other small supplies. These won’t be making any huge impact on the game, but they’re interesting for those inclined to building.

Will You Come Out on Top in H1Z1?

H1Z1 is available now on PS4 as an open beta. If you think you’ve got what it takes to come out on the top of the heap, go give it a shot! It’s completely free, so you’re a download away from getting into the action!

May 22, 2018
Ten Things You Didn’t Know You Can Do With Your Chromecast!

Your Chromecast is pretty handy. In fact, it’s so handy, it’s probably got a ton of functionality you’re not even familiar with. How is this possible? Well, that’s Google for you: they cram every bit of functionality you can imagine into their products. Without any more delay, let’s dive in: what are the top ten coolest things your Chromecast can do that you don’t know about?

Remote Control

Photo Credit: The Good Guys

If your TV supports HDMI-CEC, you can use your phone to completely replace a TV remote! HDMI-CEC TVs can use a feature that allows them to match the input from their HDMI port. In short, with CEC online, when you start casting, your TV will automatically switch to it. No need to manually adjust the input! This one isn’t game-changing, but it’s a neat little quality of life feature!

Google Slides

Photo Credit: Gtricks

Need to give an impromptu presentation? Google Slides is great for putting presentations together on the fly. Even better, if you don’t have a thumb drive or some other transfer device, or just need to give the presentation from your phone, you can Cast your slideshow.

When you go to “Present,” just select “present on other screen.” Boom, like that, you’re a tech wizard and you’ve got a presentation on your big screen!

Daydreaming

Photo Credit: Amazon

Using a virtual reality headset makes you look pretty silly to onlookers. Since the people in the room with you can’t tell what exactly you’re seeing, you tend to just look like you’re flailing around. If you want to share your VR experience with your friends, though, you can cast from your Daydream View. This way everyone can see the obstacles you’re dodging through your Chromecast. (This works for Gear VR, too!)

Maybe this somewhat alleviates how silly you look with that VR headset on.

Use Your Home Sound System for your Music

Photo Credit: PCMag

If you have an awesome sound bar and really wish you could play your music through it, you can! Just get the Google Play Music app and cast to your Chromecast. If you pay $10 per month for a Play Music subscription you can even play Google’s streaming radio and vast library of artists.

LocalCast

Photo Credit: Shutterstock

Does your new smart TV have no audio out? This isn’t terribly uncommon. But what should you do when you want to watch something on your big screen but not disturb others in the house? Try LocalCast. LocalCast lets you send the image to your Chromecast but keep the audio on your smartphone.

This lets you get the picture quality of your TV but not wake up any sleeping housemates! A really handy functionality of your Chromecast, staying courteous is always a good thing!

CastPad

Photo Credit: Google Play Store

Available on Android devices, CastPad lets you draw in live time on your device and see it reflected on your TV through your Chromecast. The applications for this are pretty obvious at first glance, allowing for tons of fun with doodling. If you like Pictionary but don’t have any paper on hand, CastPad! If you want to have drawing contests with your friends, CastPad!

The possibilities are limited only by your imagination! Go ahead and invite some friends over and have fun drawing!

Watch Your Old DVDs

Photo Credit: Wikipedia

Well, sort of. This one is a bit of a workaround. Using the Disc to Digital service from Vudu, you can stream movies that you own the DVDs of. First you scan the UPC code on the DVD box, then you pay a small fee. It’s about $2 for a standard definition movie and $5 for an HD movie. Once you’ve paid, you can stream the movie to your Chromecast!

This one is great for people interested in de-cluttering their living room. Scanning your DVDs and then having a garage sale can help minimize the amount of physical clutter, which is great for minimalists and digital enthusiasts!

Link with Google Home

Photo Credit: Google Store

This one takes a little bit of setup. If you connect your smart device, Google Home Speaker and Chromecast all to the same wi-fi they can all sync up. Then you go through some quick settings menus and link all three of the devices to each other. Once you’re set up, you can use your Google Home voice commands to fire up things like Netflix.

It might sound like a bit of overly-complicated setup to get going, but once it’s all together it’s super handy! It’s great whether you prefer voice command to remote controls for convenience or just like minimizing coffee table clutter. It also can impress the socks off your house guests when you tell your TV what you want to see, and it happens!

Speaking of Guests…

Photo Credit: Flipkart

If you want your guests to have the option to use your Chromecast, but don’t want them to have to connect to your wi-fi, you might be a little flummoxed. Luckily, your Chromecast has a guest mode! While in guest mode, your Chromecast can receive casts from nearby devices without needing a wi-fi connection.

Our Favorite Off-the-Wall Chromecast Use: Heads-Up Display

Photo Credit: Google Play Store

If you’re looking to get all the information about the world that you need at a glance, you can check out Dashboard Cast. This super-handy functionality turns your TV into a heads-up display with customizable widgets. Want to see the weather, an RSS feed and the stock market? You got it. Want a clock, a news feed, a calendar and a traffic report? You got it.

This one is seriously awesome for its customization and functionality. You’ll feel like Captain Kirk on the bridge of the Enterprise getting status reports on all critical systems. Not to mention just how awesome it is to have all the info you need right at hand when you glance at your display.

May 22, 2018
Companies to Watch in Artificial Intelligence

Artificial intelligence is the future of technology. Because of this, several companies are all vying for supremacy in the race to create the best AI, and the race is only heating up. In the next few years, we’re likely to see tremendous leaps in the functionality and intelligence of AI constructs. So, let’s take a quick look at companies to watch in the field of AI development.

Google

With their ever-advancing Google Assistant tech at the forefront of their brand, Google is prioritizing AI. For instance, take Google’s strong backing of their AI team. Google’s team at Google Brain are performing long-term AI research behind-the-scenes, pushing the envelope in new and exciting ways. The scientific community at large has a great deal of respect for scholarly articles from the team at Google Brain. This illustrates Google’s continued dedication to AI research and development going forward.

Facebook

Yes, that Facebook. The one where you look at funny cat videos and argue with your racist uncle. Facebook’s AI initiative, called FAIR, is comprised of almost all PhD-holding super-scientists, which is kind of impressive. Because of the nature of their employer, FAIR is primarily focused on language-based AI research. Namely, FAIR has released papers related to Turing Testing and question-answering algorithms primarily. This all makes sense, given Facebook’s primary function as a social media platform. So it will be interesting to see what they bring to the table.

Microsoft

The tech giant responsible for Windows wouldn’t have dared sit this race out. Ironically, Microsoft’s own Halo series of video games is where a large number of sci-fi enthusiasts of a certain age first encountered AI. Halo’s AI character Cortana even lent her name to Microsoft’s virtual assistant pre-loaded into Windows. However, younger researchers are not the norm at Microsoft’s AI Research department: it is comprised mostly of highly experienced faculty. This has led to them somewhat missing the boat on the deep learning initiatives found at most other AI research facilities. However, this doesn’t mean anyone should be counting Microsoft out yet!

Artificial Intelligence Company to Watch: Deepmind

Highly respected and for good reason, Deepmind is the preeminent name in AI research at the moment. Largely staffed by Cambridge and Oxford grads, the London-based company maintains a close relationship with the popular tech community. The company’s public image has benefited greatly from their young, vital staff and excellent community-engagement. Papers released by Deepmind are tremendously popular on social sites like Reddit in the sub-communities that follow popular science. For dry, scientific content, this is high praise. Whatever the future of AI, Deepmind is sure to be at the forefront

May 22, 2018