Starbreeze and Acer to form Joint Venture for the StarVR Headset

Starbreeze AB and Acer Inc. today signed a letter of intent to form a joint venture for the StarVR Virtual Reality (VR) Head-Mounted Display (HMD). The two companies aim to cooperate on the design, manufacturing, promotion, marketing and sales of the StarVR HMD to the professional- and location-based entertainment market.

“Acer is thrilled to join forces with Starbreeze in bringing the StarVR head-mounted display to the market,” said Jason Chen, Acer Corporate President and CEO. “We are devoting R&D resources across multiple aspects of the VR ecosystem for a coherent and high-quality experience, while just last month Acer announced powerful desktops and notebooks fully-ready for StarVR. Starbreeze and Acer share the same goal of delivering best-in-class VR applications, and we look forward to unlocking new VR possibilities together with this partnership.”

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Alberta government releases app to survey Fort McMurray damage

Using technology in the service of the community, the Alberta government has released an app to help evacuees survey the damage of the wildfire at Fort McMurray that forced over 90,000 from their homes early May.

"Having been through a devastating fire and evacuation myself, I know firsthand how stressful it is to wait for updates on which homes have been lost. We are committed to providing information to you as soon as we can, and these images will help us begin to answer the questions you have about the state of your homes and community," said Municipal Affairs Minister Danielle Larivee.

Technical specialists have been working for several days to improve the quality and resolution of these images in order to provide you with the most accurate information possible. These maps are intended to provide a high-level satellite overview of the status of the city following the wildfires. Structures that appear to be standing should not be considered undamaged. These images should not be used for official damage assessments, determining the status of individual structures, or planning re-entry to the city. The app can be found  here.

Source: CBC.ca

Google aiming to release Android VR specs at Google I/O

Google's going to throw its hat into the VR game and what many are calling Android VR is expected to be part of the Google I/O keynotes. Google, who previously toyed with Virtual Reality by creating the affordable Google Cardboard which can use a smartphone's display and processor to enable various immersive VR experiences, seems to be going one step further.

Android VR will be a standalone VR headset that will be similar but less powerful than the HTC Vive and Oculus Rift. Google has also developed various VR apps and experiences, one of the best I've tried is Tilt Brush which allows VR users to paint in interactive 3D environments. It is said that the Android VR won't require a smartphone and 

GM recalling 473,000 SUV's in US and Canada for brake pedal issues

GM is recalling 473,000 SUV's in the US and Canada. The recall covers certain 2015 and 2016 Chevrolet Silverado HD, GMC Sierra HD and Chevrolet Tahoe police vehicles whose brake pedals can come loose and fail to work properly. More than 46,800 of the recalled vehicles are in Canada.

GM reports that a nut on the brake pedal pivot mechanism can come loose, causing the pedal to loosen and possibly become inoperative. Dealers will inspect the pivot bolts. If they weren't fixed at the factory, dealers will put adhesive on the nut and retighten it. Canadian safety regulators say the problem can cause the brake lights to stay on longer than expected.

Source: CTV News