Valve, the company behind PC gaming platform Steam, has revealed a new console to rival Nintendo, Xbox and PlayStation. In an unusual move, Valve has also announced further hardware – its Steam Frame virtual reality (VR) headset. The device is entirely wireless – and it described it as a "streaming-first" device – but it is also itself a PC running SteamOS.
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cd679n9lnx5o
Google says that it’s softening its plan to require every Android developer — even outside of the Play Store — to verify their identity, a move which critics warned could kill sideloading for good. The company now says it’s developing a workflow to allow “experienced users” to install apps from unverified developers. Google is also working on a new developer account type for students and hobbyists, which won’t have to go through “full verification requirements,” but will only allow app installs on “a limited number of devices.”
https://www.theverge.com/news/819835/google-android-sideloading-experienced-users-developer-verification
Apple’s latest limited-edition accessory is a crossbody cloth strap designed to fit every iPhone. Apple calls this pleated, cloth accessory a "singular 3D-knitted construction." The sock element where you place your phone can be stretched, allowing you to put in other small everyday items.
https://www.pcmag.com/news/apples-new-iphone-accessory-is-part-sock-part-crossbody-strap
Apple is rumored to be removing the Dynamic Island cutout, replacing it with an under-display camera. In other words, Apple might be going with a clean, all-screen look for its display.
https://mashable.com/article/apple-kills-dymanic-island-under-display-camera?test_uuid=04wb5avZVbBe1OWK6996faM&test_variant=a
After Meta shut Spark at the start of the year and Adobe retired Aero this week, it seemed there was a space for a simple no-code app for creating augmented reality (AR) experiences and effects. Right on cue, along comes Trace looking to fill the gap. Described by its developers as the “Canva of AR”, the iPad and iPhone app is intended to allow people to create high-fidelity location-based AR experiences without code and without needing specialist knowledge.
https://www.creativebloq.com/3d/vr-ar/a-new-canva-of-ar-aims-to-let-anyone-design-ar-experiences
Nintendo has released an official Nintendo Store app, allowing more fans to access the eShop on iPhone, iPad, and Android devices. Five years after exclusively launching in Japan as the “My Nintendo” app, Nintendo has now expanded the iOS and Android experience under a new name to other regions, including the US, UK, Canada, and most of Europe.
https://www.theverge.com/news/814054/nintendo-store-app-ios-android-games-shop
After teasing its development last year, Foursquare co-founder Dennis Crowley has now launched BeeBot: an AI-powered social app for iPhones that talks to you about what’s happening nearby. In his blog announcement, Crowley says BeeBot behaves like a “personalized radio DJ” that provides location-based audio updates through your headphones, telling you about what friends are up to, local news, and events occurring in the neighborhood as you walk around. “Audio updates are meant to be short and sweet (a few sentences here and there), tailored to your interests and your social graph, and designed to both inspire and inform you,” Crowley says in the announcement. “The vibe we’re going for is more ‘Waze meets Gossip Girl,’ and less ‘Wikipedia in your ears.’”
https://www.theverge.com/news/815328/beebot-app-foursquare-founder-ai-audio-updates