Facebook wants to make the most out of its $2 billion purchase of Oculus VR, makers of the Oculus Rift headset, and rumors point to the social network sitting down with Hollywood execs, hoping to persuade them to produce media content specifically designed for the futuristic device. These “Oculus Experiences,” would accompany major film releases, and could be interactive games, documentaries, or similar complementary features.
We’re pleased to hear neither Facebook nor Hollywood wants us to watch an entire film while wearing the headset, at least… not yet. According to reports, plans haven’t been finalized yet, and Facebook is still shopping the idea around to studios. It certainly seems Facebook wants to use the Oculus Rift for more than just gaming, and this is an intriguing new direction for Oculus – and Facebook.
It’s well-known in tech circles that if you want to buy one of the very best smartphones without a contract, you’re not going to get much change back from $500. But what if you want something really basic, that still plays music and video, while also doing most of the usual phone stuff too – how much does that cost these days? If you choose the new Nokia 130, the price is just $25.
Yes, it’s just a feature phone, not a smartyphone, so don’t expect it to run Android. But it will play music for 46 hours, and video for 16 hours on a single battery charge. It won’t win any beauty contents, and it does have a keypad like it’s 2002, but for 25 bucks, it’s very difficult to complain about its ancient looks. Plus, if you squint, the back of the phone looks a bit like Nokia’s much flashier Lumia smartphones.
Nokia’s 130 phone will go on sale before the end of the year, and you’ll only need to skip Starbucks for a few days to afford one.
Do watching your shaky-cam GoPro videos turn your friends a bit green? If so, then they’ll be happy to hear Microsoft engineers are developing a technology which will smooth the footage out, and help them keep their lunch down during a highlight reel of your last daredevil bike ride.
It’s called Hyperlapse, and it’s an evolution of those speeded up, first-person videos made popular by GoPro equipment. Using a complex algorithm to build a 3D map, the software renders, blends and stitches together selected frames from your video, and the end result is so ultra-smooth, your friends will assume you were floating in mid-air when it was shot.
Hyperlapse isn’t available just yet, but the team says they’re hard at working incorporating it into a new app, so we may not have to wait much longer to enjoy your epic faceplant.
