Monday
Nov092015

Toronto and 14 other cities get Google’s VR for students

Now more than ever we wish we were kids still studying in school. Google for Education is bringing its Expeditions Pioneer Program to 15 new cities, including Toronto (which is the first stop for the program in the country). The tech giant partnered with Subaru to bring the program to different schools in the regions they visit. What the schools get are what Google calls Expeditions kit, these include ASUS smartphones, a tablet for the teacher, router, and viewers that turn the phones into virtual reality headsets. The kits either include Mattel’s new View-Master virtual reality viewers or Google Cardboard. Teachers can choose to virtually show their students over 120 places around the world, including Antarctica, Borneo Rainforest, and the Acropolis, to name a few.

The other cities benefitting from the program include the US cities of Alexandria, Baltimore, Cincinnati, Detroit, Indianapolis, Las Vegas, New Orleans, Orlando, Phoenix, Portland, Salt Lake City, and Washington DC. It will also be coming to Denmark and Singapore for the first time.

Source: Google for Education

Monday
Nov092015

Facebook Messenger’s ‘Photo Magic’ feature automates photo sharing with your loved ones

Too lazy to send the shots you took with your friends? A new feature for Facebook Messenger that’s being tested on Android in Australia can scan the shots in your smartphone for you to look for your Facebook friends and then suggest to send these to the people it finds. It makes sharing quite easy but it might not sit well with people who think Facebook is encroaching a bit too much on your privacy yet again by going through your photos.

How it works is once you take a photo (and you have the feature enabled, of course), a notification will pop up to ask you if you want to send the photo to your friend—right from the notification. Facebook Product Manager Lexy Franklin says you will have full control of the feature. You can turn off facial recognition for yourself and disable notifications if you want. It’ll still be up to you how to use the feature once it makes its way here, which it probably would.

Source: TechCrunch | Via: 9to5Mac

Monday
Nov092015

The new Range Rover Evoque Convertible is the top-down SUV you've been waiting for

Convertible SUV's have been around since the earliest Jeeps and I can think of a few Suzuki Samurai models that offered targa tops. The new Range Rover Evoque convertible is another thing altogether. Yes, it has the full list of features expected of any top-tier Range Rover but also showcases a convertible roof that can be deployed in 18 seconds at speeds of up to 48 kph. Check it out here.

Monday
Nov092015

Luxury watchmaker Tag Heuer launches its first smartwatch

Tag Heuer's Connected watch is the company's first smartwatch wearable. Expected to cost US $1,500.00, the Connected watch is backed by Intel and Google and there will be a limited run of 1,000 units. Featuring a Titanium casing, the Tag runs an Atom processor and can accept notifications, alerts and control music as well as run apps. It is integrated with Google Maps and Google Fit for navigation and health tracking.

Customers who but the Connected Watch will have the option to trade it in for a mechanical Tag Heuer in two years by paying an additional $1,500.00. This opens an opportunity for younger smartwatch owners to transition to the luxury timepiece market should they so desire.