The Morning After: 'Minecraft Earth' remakes our world into a blocky AR sandbox
And how to make a foldable screen.
Hey, good morning! You look fabulous.
Welcome to your weekend! Microsoft is hoping that its augmented reality Minecraft game will top Pokémon Go this summer, and did Lenovo really steal a fan-made video to promote a foldable RAZR? Check out some of this week's highlights below, plus a look at how we got all this foldable screen technology in the first place.
How do you build a foldable screen?
In this episode of Upscaled, Chris Schodt is taking a close look at foldable OLEDs. Despite Samsung's Galaxy Fold being delayed, the Huawei Mate X is expected within the next few months, and Xiaomi and Lenovo have both showed off foldable prototypes. We'll examine how OLEDs themselves are constructed, and the materials and engineering behind making a screen you can fold in half.
Google is shutting down the Jump VR platform in June
The tech giant launched Jump back in 2015 to simplify the creation of 360-degree 3D videos using shots and videos captured by compatible camera rigs, which are typically composed of over a dozen action cameras. Now, an email went out to users that said the platform will stop accepting uploads for processing on June 26th, before it starts deleting data two days later.
'Minecraft Earth' makes the world your augmented reality playground
This is Minecraft Earth, a free-to-play version of one of the most popular games ever made, rebuilt around augmented reality for the iPhone and Android. Similar to Pokémon Go, which popularized AR gaming in a massive way, it relies on your smartphone as a window into a virtual world.
Devindra Hardawar tried out an early demo and discovered players will step into life-sized versions of their creations. Also, it's still the same game that has been going on for a decade, just with the hunting and exploring done in the real world. A closed beta will launch this summer on Android and iOS.
Mercedes' all-electric EQC is luxury first, EV second
The EQC 400 4Matic will arrive in US showrooms sometime in 2020, at which point, it will join a growing number of luxury SUVs and crossovers vying for customers in the market for high-end, eco-conscious vehicles. Find out why Roberto Baldwin thinks this is the "uncompromising Mercedes" many of them are looking for.
How to track everything your baby does
Despite reading plenty of parenting books, Devindra Hardawar didn't realize how important data tracking would be when taking care of a newborn. Has her diaper been changed recently? And did she nap enough today? Knowing the answers to these questions is essential for every new mom and dad. Luckily, there are plenty of ways to be a data-conscious parent today, including gadgets, apps and some decidedly old-school methods.
OnePlus 7 Pro review: The first true OnePlus flagship
OnePlus reversed most of its mistakes with the 6T and brought out a surprisingly ambitious OnePlus 7 Pro, packing several rare components that barely anyone else has procured. The result is a device that delivers fantastic mobile cinematic plus gaming experience, and one that's in a well-designed package.
Serious security flaws uncovered in Intel CPUs, as well as Windows 7 & XP
Patch Tuesday was busier than usual, as multiple vulnerabilities were exposed. A potentially "wormable" exploit in Windows that could lead to more WannaCry-style attacks prompted Microsoft to release a patch for older operating systems like 7, XP and Server 2003.
Meanwhile, Intel disclosed four exploits that could target most of its CPUs made since 2011. Whether you're running Windows, macOS, Linux or ChromeOS, you'll want to make sure you have the latest updates installed to ward off Microarchitectural Data Sampling (MDS) attacks like Zombieload.
Gmail's log of all of your purchases pops up in the privacy debate
An awkwardly-designed log page is keeping careful track of every receipt your Gmail account gets. According to Google, it's visible only to you, and information picked up from its email scans is not used to serve ads.
But wait, there's more...
China's Yutu-2 rover finds mysterious minerals on the far side of the moon
Lenovo stole a fan's video to promote the foldable Motorola RAZR
ASUS' ZenFone 6 has a flip-up camera and giant 5,000mAh battery
Sony and Microsoft team up on cloud-based gaming and entertainment
Lenovo launches ThinkReality AR and VR headset for enterprises
Powerbeats Pro review: The best-sounding Beats headphones yet
Denon parent Sound United now owns Pioneer and Onkyo home audio
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