Google set to open first pop-up stores inside Best Buy locations in Canada

By Gadjo Cardenas Sevilla

Google has released a lot of new hardware, including the impressive Pixel smartphone with the new Assistant software, Google Home, Google Wi-Fi, Daydream View VR headset as well as a bevy of Chromecast devices plus Chromebooks which have become the darling of the educational market.

The best way to get these products into the hands of customers is to properly demonstrate them in a retail store environment. While Google isn't opening its own stores (yet), it's made some moves to have a retail presence to show off all this neat stuff. They had a pop-up store in NYC and coming this month, they will invite Canadian customers to sample first-hand the new products and services that they just launched.

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Dell's Alienware 13 is world's first VR-gaming 13-inch laptop

VR gaming is already here and now we have a powerful 13-inch laptop that can slice through immersive VR landscapes, games and experiences.

The new Alienware 13 gains graphics torque from the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 10-Series family of GPUs allowing gamers to enjoy immersive VR experiences and PC gaming at its highest level of detail. Innovative use of materials makes the new design stronger and more durable than ever before, but also thinner than the previous generation.

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Google opens the door to J.K. Rowling's "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them."

Harry Potter fans can now invoke various spells from their Google devices. Taking place decades before Harry Potter first arrives at Hogwarts, “Fantastic Beasts” follows the adventures of magizoologist Newt Scamander in a whole new era of the wizarding world — New York in 1926.

If you want to try being a wizard, try casting spells on your Android phone: Just say “Ok Google” followed by “Lumos” or “Nox” to turn your flashlight on and off. Try “Silencio” to silence the ringer and notifications. 

You can also explore the world of “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them” with Google Street View. Visit New York in 1926 as brought to life in the film, as well as the real locations today. Fans can visit MACUSA (Magical Congress of the USA); Steen National Bank, where Newt first meets Jacob Kowalski; the underground speakeasy The Blind Pig; and the magical apartment of Tina and Queenie Goldstein, two of the film’s key characters.

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Microsoft set to release VR headset details at December events

There won’t just be one event that’ll detail what we can expect from Microsoft’s virtual reality headsets. There will actually be two WinHEC events to be held on December 8 to 9 and December 14 to 15 where details on the VR headsets for Windows 10 will be talked about. The headsets are designed primarily for hardware manufacturers to showcase what the company plans to do software-wise for Windows Holographic. Microsoft partnered with the likes of HP, Dell, Acer, Lenovo, and ASUS to create VR headsets that will plug into Windows 10 and provide the Windows Holographic shell and experience.

The first round of headsets and devices are expected to ship following the release in March of the Windows 10 Creators Update. These gadgets will debut with prices starting at US$299 and above. These first devices won’t be heavily focused on the mixed reality projections Microsoft is targeting with HoloLens. Instead these will be traditional VR headsets that support six degrees of freedom and inside-out tracking. VR experience will differ from product to product as well since they come with various prices and specs.

Source: The Verge