Here are a few of the stories I’ve found interesting over the last few days, including a new VR headset that I don’t understand the point of, a video card no one can buy, a speaker that floats, The Apple Watch Series 7, and Captain Kirk going to space.
HTC’s New VR Headset Searches for a Market
Companies keep trying to make VR happen. To date, VR has remained an expensive niche geared mostly towards gaming applications. VR headsets are also bulky and relatively heavy, which limits their appeal. HTC is trying to make VR appeal to a different user with the Vive Flow. The Vive Flow is a $650 VR headset that is small and light enough to wear like normal glasses, not needing a giant head strap. The Vive Flow should not be confused with regular glasses, however. It still looks very much like VR goggles on your face. The Vive Flow is lightweight because it doesn’t come with its own power. Users need to purchase an HTC branded battery for $100, or use USB C power of some kind.
The Vive Flow is aimed at people who don’t play games, with the primary apps being video apps, mediation apps, and a therapeutic service MyndVR. HTC is aiming this at an older audience, and the hope is that it is small and portable enough to gain a user base.
I…. don’t see a market for this device. Not at this price.
https://www.theverge.com/2021/10/14/22713276/htc-vive-flow-vr-headset-launch-price-hands-on
CRTC Provides $43.4 Million for High Speed Internet in Nunavik
The digital divide is real, especially for rural and remote communities, where high speed internet is either very expensive or non-existent. The CRTC is providing funding to complete a project that began in 2018 to provide high speed internet to Nunavik, which includes an under sea cable from Quebec. Providing reliable internet to more people is always good, especially for remote communities. This is great to see.
Apple Watch Series 7 Reviews
Apple Watch Series 7 reviews have hit, and the general consensus seems to be that the only real improvements to the Series 6 is a slightly larger screen and faster charging. But for Apple users, the Apple Watch is almost the only option for a smartwatch, except for maybe the Fitbit Sense, so anyone looking at a smartwatch for their iPhone will be looking here.
https://www.cnet.com/tech/mobile/apple-watch-7-review-a-slightly-better-smartwatch-than-last-year/
Captain Kirk Goes to Space
William Shatner was part of the crew that went to space on the Blue Origin New Shepard spaceship this week. The sub orbital flight experienced a few minutes of weightlessness while crossing the barrier of space before safely returning to Earth. William Shatner, who played Captain James T. Krik on Star Trek, became the oldest person to reach space at 90, even if it was just for a few minutes.
There Is A New Video Card That No One Can Buy
AMD’s RX 6600 is a mid range video card aimed at 1080p PC gaming which by all accounts it does very well. The retail price would be $330USD. But the year is 2021 and graphics cards do not actually exist at their retail price. Already on launch day these cards are going for twice that price, because we can’t have nice things.
https://pcper.com/2021/10/amd-radeon-rx-6600-review-xfx-swft-210-tested/
Bose’s New Bluetooth Speaker Floats
The Soundlink Flex is the newest Bluetooth speaker from Bose. The speaker looks pretty nice, and floats in water, should you wish to take it to a pool. It looks nice enough for those in the market for a Bluetooth speaker, and the Bose name should help in a world where portable speakers are a dime a dozen.
https://www.engadget.com/bose-soundlink-flex-portable-bluetooth-speaker-rugged-160442384.html
Facebook Begins Rolling Out Encrypted Backups for WhatsApp
WhatsApp messages have been encrypted for years, but there has always been a pretty large asterisk there. Chat backups, which is an optional feature, has never been encrypted. For most users, this isn’t a huge deal. But WhatsApp is very popular in parts of the world where government tracking and spying on citizens is a real thing. Encrypted chat backups gives people ways of saving conversations without fear that those backups could be accessed by bad actors, be they government or not.
https://www.theverge.com/2021/10/14/22726803/facebook-whatsapp-end-to-end-encrypted-backups