Tuesday, July 21, 2020

At long last, you can finally watch Netflix on your Nest smart display


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Chrome OS 84 update is rolling out, highlighting better clarity and focus from Google


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iOS 14: How to Get Cycling Directions in Apple Maps

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Google Maps has featured detailed cycling directions for almost a decade now, and with the arrival of iOS 14, Apple Maps is finally introducing its own.

The steps below show you how to make use of the new cycling directions in Apple's Maps app. If you have an Apple Watch running watchOS 7 or later, you can receive the directions you select right on your wrist, for easy at-a-glance navigation.

Note that at the time of writing, cycling directions in ‌Apple Maps‌ are limited to New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Shanghai, and Beijing.
  1. Launch the Maps app on your iPhone or iPad.
  2. Tap the search field and type a place or address you want to go.
  3. Tap Directions.
    maps
  4. Tap the bicycle icon, second to right in the row of transport options.
  5. You can use the toggles below the suggested directions to avoid hills and/or busy roads.
  6. Tap Go to start the turn-based directions.maps
Before you tap Go, Maps charts any elevation changes along the suggested cycling route and gives the total climb, distance, and the approximate time it takes. ‌Apple Maps‌ may even suggest if you should take a flight of stairs to save time.
This article, "iOS 14: How to Get Cycling Directions in Apple Maps" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Apple Glasses Patent Suggests Any Surface Could Become a Virtual Touch Interface

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It's been increasingly clear that Apple has been working on an AR/VR Headset for the consumer market. Originally expected as early as 2020, the most recent rumors place its release in 2021 or 2022.


But what's been less clear is the exact feature set a pair of AR/VR Apple Glasses will provide. Rumors have been scattered over the functionality with some internal debate about the direction of the unreleased headset -- ranging from an ultra-powerful wearable product vs a more limited accessory to the iPhone.

A newly revealed patent application from Apple uncovered by Appleinsider shows some intriguing research that Apple has been doing into the field as far back as 2016.

In the patent, Apple addresses the question of how someone wearing a pair of ‌Apple Glasses‌ would be able to interact with the mixed virtual/real environment that they are looking at. When using an ‌iPhone‌ or iPad as an AR viewfinder, the user would typically tap on the screen to interact with objects shown on the screen. But when wearing an AR headset, the same task would be cumbersome. Previous attempts at directly interacting with an AR environment required additional hardware such as a glove or finger sensors. Meanwhile, trying to visually detect finger-to-surface contact is not accurate enough to be useful.

Apple describes that they can more elegantly accomplish this task by using infrared heat sensing to detect when a user touches a real world object.
The present disclosure is related to a method and device for detecting a touch between at least part of a first object and at least part of a second object, wherein the at least part of the first object has a different temperature than the at least part of the second object. The method includes providing at least one thermal image of a portion of the second object, determining in at least part of the at least one thermal image a pattern which is indicative of a particular value or range of temperature or a particular value or range of temperature change, and using the determined pattern for detecting a touch between the at least part of the first object and the at least part of the second object.
The method could then allow ‌Apple Glasses‌ to visually project controls onto real world objects and react when they are touched by the user by sensing the heat transfer when touching the object.

As with all patent applications, we can't be certain Apple will incorporate this technology into their future products. But we do believe Apple is planning on releasing an Apple AR/VR headset. Full details can be found in our Apple Glasses roundup.
Related Roundup: Apple Glasses
Tag: patent

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Spotify Introduces Support for Video Podcasts

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Spotify today announced a new video podcast feature for select podcasts, available in all markets where podcasts are supported. With the update, Spotify Premium and free users will be able to watch podcasts that have recorded video on the platform.


Spotify said that at launch, podcasts with video include "Book of Basketball 2.0," "Fantasy Footballers," "The Misfits Podcast," "H3 Podcast," "The Morning Toast," "Higher Learning with Van Lathan & Rachel Lindsay," and "The Rooster Teeth Podcast." More podcasts will gain support as the feature rolls out.

The new feature allows select creators to bring both audio and video content to Spotify, enabling them to connect more meaningfully with their listeners, expand viewership, and deepen audience engagement. It’s a way to enrich the audio experience—for fans and creators alike.


To start watching a video podcast, users simply need to press play on the Spotify desktop or mobile app. Any supported podcast will automatically play and sync with the audio feed. Listeners will also still be able to download the podcast audio to listen on the go, and video podcast audio will still play when multitasking between apps or when locking your device.

In recent years, Spotify and Apple have been competing to build the most popular podcasting platform. According to a recent report from Bloomberg, Apple is now working on creating its own original podcasts to further entice people to use Apple Podcasts.

The new video podcasts on Spotify will begin rolling out today.
Tag: Spotify

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Chrome OS 84 is coming and this update HUGE


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Samsung Galaxy A01 Core with Android 10 Go Edition, 5.3-inch HD+ Display Launched: Price, Features


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