Geek News

Using AR to promote movies isn't entirely new. We've already seen official movie tie-in augmented reality apps for Spider-Man: Homecoming and the Jon Hamm vehicle, Marjorie . Now, though, Sony Pictures is taking things a bit farther with Ghostbusters World , a mobile AR game based on the popular film, television and comic book franchise. The title is currently in development with 4:33 Creative Lab and should launch sometime this year on iOS and Android. Sony's announcement comes just as Google released more information on its own official augmented reality toolkit for Android developers, called ARCore 1.0. Similar to Apple's own ARkit , Google's version provides a framework to allow app makers bring virtual objects into the real world via compatible phones. Ghostbusters World will apparently get you out and about, battling and capturing hundreds of ghosts, Pokemon Go -style. The ghosts will come from all the different Ghostbusters media, including films, TV s...

Pretty much everyone can agree that a full understanding of document file types is pretty much rocket science. It’s not clear to anyone except maybe Bill Gates why exactly it’s so difficult to use Microsoft Word to edit a PDF file, and how to go about making changes to said file without routing it through a half-dozen different applications and re-saving it twice as many times. But whether you’re sending information online regarding your voter registration, or submitting a rental application for an apartment, or creating a fraudulent profit-and-loss statement to receive a loan against properties purchased with unreported overseas funds tied to a Russian oligarch, you may come across the need to perform this complex task — like Paul... Continue reading… via The Verge - Tech Posts "http://ift.tt/2BO2MTN"

Netflix appears to be looking to pull in more of that HGTV crowd, as Deadline reports that the streaming service just ordered its first property-focused original series. With a working title of Amazing On The Inside , the show will reportedly feature homes that look ordinary on the outside but have incredible interiors that reflect their owners' passions and identities. Deadline says Netflix has ordered 12 30-minute episodes. It won't be the only home property show on Netflix -- it already hosts series like Reno My Reno , Brojects and Grand Design s -- but it's the first original of this type of show commissioned by the service. The show comes from British production company Barcroft Productions. Netflix also recently announced it would be expanding its slate of animated originals with a new Tiffany Haddish-led series from the team behind Bojack Horseman called Tuca & Bertie . It also just snagged the rights to the Duplass Brothers' next four films. Via: ...

Despite the hype and hoopla surrounding the burgeoning field of quantum computing, the technology is still in its infancy. Just a few years ago, researchers were making headlines with rudimentary machines that housed less than a dozen qubits -- the quantum version of a classical computer's binary bit. At IBM's inaugural Index Developer Conference held in San Francisco this week, the company showed off its latest prototype: a quantum computing rig housing 50 qubits , one of the most advanced machines currently in existence. Quantum computing -- with its ability to calculate and solve algorithms in parallel, at speeds far faster than conventional computers -- promises to revolutionize fields from chemistry and logistics to finance and physics. The thing is, while quantum computing is a technology for the world of tomorrow, it hasn't yet advanced far enough for anyone to know what that world will actually look like. "People aren't going to just wake up in three or...

Today's Deal: Save up to 75% on Dead Island Franchise !* Look for the deals each day on the front page of Steam. Or follow us on twitter or Facebook for instant notifications wherever you are! *Offer ends Sunday at 10AM Pacific Time via Steam RSS News Feed "http://ift.tt/2CFFtIi"

YUMENIKKI -DREAM DIARY- is Now Available on Steam! Yume Nikki has been hailed as one of the greatest (and most controversial) games ever created with RPG Maker. The new YUMENIKKI -DREAM DIARY- is not a remake, but a full reimagining of the original―reconstructed and enhanced using elements and styles of modern indie games. via Steam RSS News Feed "http://ift.tt/2orU851"

HTC has laid off several employees from its US offices, as reported by Digital Trends and independently confirmed by The Verge . The job cuts followed HTC’s president of smartphone and connected devices Chialin Chang’s resignation last week. The Taiwan-based company has laid off a significant but unspecified number of its US-based staff, keeping only HTC Global employees in US offices. According to an anonymous source cited by Digital Trends, the number is between a few dozen to around 100 people. In an emailed statement to The Verg e, HTC says the company will undergo some reorganization, merging its smartphone and virtual reality businesses to reduce operation cost. “We have recently brought our smartphone and VR businesses under common... Continue reading… via The Verge - Tech Posts "http://ift.tt/2BKydhE"

Last year, billionaire Joe Ricketts shut down Gothamist and DNAInfo a week after newsroom employees unionized. Though there was immediate public outcry over the decision, the sites' future has remained bleak and uncertain, but, as Wired reports, they're now getting an unexpected helping hand from some old-school media -- public radio . At least three public radio stations -- New York's WNYC , Washington DC's WAMU and Southern California's KPCC -- will be taking over Gothamist and associated sites like LAist, DCist and DNAInfo, maintaining their archives and adding new content in the near future. Gothamist founders Jake Dobkin and Jen Chung said that the sudden shutdown of the sites last year was unexpected. "We tried to do our best to improve the situation and bring something positive out of it, and we did," Dobkin told Wired . Two anonymous donors have provided funds for the deal, though the amount hasn't been disclosed. Going forward, WNYC will ...

Animals Scientists found a squid graveyard swarming with scavengers. Squid carcasses strewn across the bottom of the Gulf of California may represent just one of many deep-sea graveyards. via Popular Science "http://ift.tt/2HFXpGz"

By Chris Heinonen This post was done in partnership with Wirecutter . When readers choose to buy Wirecutter's independently chosen editorial picks, it may earn affiliate commissions that support its work. Read the full article here . After researching every currently available 4K Blu-ray player, and spending more than 20 hours testing the features and performance of six contenders, we're sure that the Sony UBP-X800 is the best for most people. All the players we tested had indistinguishable 4K disc performance, but the Sony's disc-loading speed, snappy menus, and superior 4K upscaling of DVDs and non-4K Blu-rays set it apart from the pack. Why buy a 4K Blu-ray player If you have a TV that can show off 4K resolution with true HDR and wide color gamut support, 4K Blu-ray discs will outperform any video you've watched at home and look more dynamic and colorful than what you'll see in almost any movie theater. Although the majority of 4K video content comes from ...

Apple is working with local police to remedy a surge in unintentional emergency calls to 911 that are originating from the company’s distribution and repair center in Elk Grove, California. The influx of calls has been ongoing for months, averaging 20 accidental calls a day and totaling over 1,600 since October. 911 dispatchers hear silence and intermittent employee chatter when the calls come in. “We take this seriously and are working with local law enforcement to investigate the cause and ensure this doesn’t continue,” an Apple spokesperson told CBS 13 Sacramento . The company is urgently working to stop further calls and distractions for dispatch employees dealing with real emergencies throughout the day. The Sacramento County... Continue reading… via The Verge - Tech Posts "http://ift.tt/2FpvoSQ"

There’s been little word on Apple’s AirPower wireless charging mat since it was announced alongside the iPhone X and iPhone 8 in September, but a new report from MacOtakara claims that the charging pad will be shipping sometime in the second half of March, via VentureBeat . The AirPower mat differs from most other wireless chargers by offering support for charging up to three different devices at once. (Obviously, Apple envisions that those will be an iPhone, an Apple Watch Series 3, and a pair of AirPods, but in theory, it should support any three devices with Qi charging.) There’s an extra level of software on top of the usual Qi stuff that will add some extra animations when you place your phone down to charge, as well as show charge... Continue reading… via The Verge - Tech Posts "http://ift.tt/2BLbvWx"

Symantec, the software giant behind products like Norton AntiVirus, has severed a partnership with the National Rifle Association after public pressure. “Symantec has stopped its discount program with the National Rifle Association,” a company spokesperson told The Verge in a statement. No other information on the decision was given. A still-available Symantec web page offered discounts on products to NRA members. Since the shooting at a high school last week in Parkland, Florida, pressure has mounted on companies offering similar discounts to NRA members. The parent company behind car rental brands like Enterprise previously dropped their discounts. Continue reading… via The Verge - Tech Posts "http://ift.tt/2GBdFXS"

Discord, a chat platform for gamers, has teamed up with a number of e-sports teams to expand its verified servers program. In other words, now users will be able to tell right away if they’re communicating with an official e-sports team: there will be a gray badge at the top left saying, “Verified.” Discord has verified 20 new servers from pro teams that compete in games like Dota , League of Legends , CS:GO , and Overwatch . Some of these teams include the Overwatch League teams, as well as prominent competitive gaming sides like Team Liquid, Cloud 9, Echo Fox, Team Envyus, and 100 Thieves. The verified servers program hasn’t expanded to individual players and their Discord servers, however, probably because Discord offers a Partners... Continue reading… via The Verge - Tech Posts "http://ift.tt/2FsiXWg"