Facebook is working on a new wrist-worn device that uses sensors to detect the electrical motor nerve signals running from your brain to your fingers, allowing it to notice when you move your finger as little as one millimeter. And that could open the door for new ways to interact with virtual reality or augmented reality glasses that doesn’t require you to use voice commands or grand sweeping gestures.
Meanwhile, rumor has it that Apple could unveil its next-gen iPad Pro lineup next month, Google may be bringing a gaming Dashboard to at least some Android phones, NVIDIA’s game streaming service is getting a price hike (for new customers), and Lenovo is bundling a 3-month free trial of Google’s rival game streaming service with some of its laptops.
Here’s a roundup of tech news from around the web.
- Inside Facebook Reality Labs: Wrist-based interaction for the next computing platform [Facebook]
Facebook shows off a prototype wristband that could be used as a virtual reality/augmented reality input device with finger movements as little as 1 millimeter. This opens the door for virtual taps, clicks, swipes, and even high-speed typing. - Apple Nears Launch of New iPads After Stay-At-Home Sales Boost [Bloomberg]
Apple could launch new iPad Pro models as soon as April. Expected to come in 11 and 12.9 inch sizes, they could have faster chips and Thunderbolt connectors. Next-gen entry-level iPad and iPad mini models are expected later this year. - Android 12 DP2: ‘Game dashboard’ to add quick access to recording, YouTube streaming, more [9to5Google]
Android 12 DP2 includes initial code for a work-in-progress “game dashboard” that will allow you to take screenshots, make recordings, stream to YouTube, adjust fps settings, or toggle do-not-disturb while playing games. - GeForce NOW Gets New Priority Memberships and More [NVIDIA]
NVIDIA raises the price of GeForce Now game streaming subscriptions to $10/month or $100/year for new members, but existing subscribers will be grandfathered in at the old prices. ($5/month or $50/year). - Lenovo Becomes First PC Company to Announce Gaming Collaboration with Stadia Pro [Lenovo]
Lenovo is bundling three months of free Stadia Pro cloud gaming with new Legion and IdeaPad gaming laptops. Why you’d need this for gaming hardware is beyond me though, it’d make more sense as a perk for entry-level hardware that can’t handle local gaming. - “Kodi Broke My Addons!” [Kodi]
PSA: If you’ve upgraded to Kodi 19 and your add-ons or skins have stopped working, it’s because the add-on/skin developers haven’t updated them to support Python 3. You can stick with Kodi 18 indefinitely, which uses Python 2, but it’s a security risk. - Google Chrome’s new Live Caption feature rolls out to transcribe speech in videos [xda-developers]
Google’s Live Caption, which debuted on Android phones, is now available in Chrome 89 for desktop users. Available from the accessibility settings, it can automatically generate captions for most English-language audio or video played in the browser.
Keep up on the latest headlines by following Liliputing on Twitter and Facebook.
You can also find the latest news about open source phones by following our sister site Linux Smartphones on Facebook and Twitter.
Another great idea ruined by having to have something looking over your shoulder and judging you (with the preconception that you’re worthy of no respect) every time you use it.