Minggu, 12 Januari 2020
AGDQ 2020 Finale Video -
https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMiK2h0dHBzOi8vd3d3LnlvdXR1YmUuY29tL3dhdGNoP3Y9TlZKdFhwamdJVjDSAQA?oc=5
2020-01-12 07:44:47Z
CCAiC05WSnRYcGpnSVYwmAEB
Instagram's Boomerang adds much-needed editing and effects tools - Engadget
Sponsored Links
The rumors of Instagram spicing up Boomerang turned out to be true. It just introduced a host of creative tools, including an (arguably overdue) trimming feature. Much like the trim tool in your phone's video editor, you can decide just where the animation loop starts and stops -- no more re-recording a Boomerang or settling for a less-than-perfect endpoint. There are also three special effects, including SlowMo (half-speed playback), Echo (a motion blur trail effect) and Duo (a glitchy appearance).
As TechCrunch noted, these effects (like some of Instagram's features) aren't strictly new. Snapchat has had some of these effects since 2015, while TikTok has its own share of effects. However, they should give you a much better reason to use Boomerang if you're tired of the same canned animation in your posts and Stories.
đą SlowMo
đŁ Echo
đŻââïž DuoBoomerang has new creative twists that'll make you say yaaassssss. Try them all out today. pic.twitter.com/wp0A71RefL
â Instagram (@instagram) January 10, 2020
https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMiSWh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmVuZ2FkZ2V0LmNvbS8yMDIwLzAxLzEyL2luc3RhZ3JhbS1ib29tZXJhbmctdHJpbW1pbmctZWZmZWN0cy_SAU1odHRwczovL3d3dy5lbmdhZGdldC5jb20vYW1wLzIwMjAvMDEvMTIvaW5zdGFncmFtLWJvb21lcmFuZy10cmltbWluZy1lZmZlY3RzLw?oc=5
2020-01-12 06:00:41Z
52780548622371
Sabtu, 11 Januari 2020
Inside TASBotâs semi-secret, probably legal effort to control the Nintendo Switch - Ars Technica
This weekend, TASBot will finally take its talents into the modern gaming era, showing off expert-level Super Mario Maker 2 gameplay on an actual Switch during the livestreamed Awesome Games Done Quick speedrunning marathon. And this time, the TASBot team is taking pains to make sure no one else can copy its methodâto hopefully avoid Nintendo's potential legal ire in the process.
Flipping the Switch
The effort to let a Linux computer take external control of a Switch game began a bit inadvertently back in 2018, when the TASBot team attempted to partner with the AbleGamers charity. Their goal was to create an Arduino interface that would allow inputs (and pre-recorded input macros) from any controller to be re-mapped into input signals for any console interface.
While that AbleGamers effort eventually fizzled out, it did lead to a generalized Linux-to-Switch controller interface that was published on GitHub. At the same time, other efforts like CommunityController's "Twitch plays Nintendo Switch" were using similar concepts to let a Twitch chat room take control of live Switch gameplay (a la 2014's "Twitch Plays Pokemon" phenomenon).
While these kinds of efforts were fun for random tinkering, they utterly lacked the frame-perfect precision necessary for a successful replay of a pre-recorded, tool-assisted speedrun. "We saw massive inconsistencies," TASBot maintainer Allan "dwangoAC" Cecil told Ars about TASBot testing on the Switch in 2018. "Replay device precision was impossible... TASBot is a player pianoâhe's playing back a predefined sequence of button pressesâbut if he doesn't know when to send those button presses, it'll never work."
By 2019, multiple TASBot team members were working in parallel to try to solve this seemingly intractable Switch timing problem. One branch of effort even tried to insert a "shim layer" onto a hacked Switch console to force the external input timing to line up with the in-game timing, but "we didn't get far because it's against our ethos to modify the console," Cecil said.
At the same time, TASBot team member KNfLrPn was "using the semi-working system to help test [Super Mario Maker 2] tech for other [efforts]," they recently told Ars. "So while doing that I kept trying different things just in case, and eventually found a combination of multiple pieces that worked together [to fix the timing problem]."
Prior to that first successful test in December, there was "about five months on-and-off of trying different approaches, different code, different hardware," KNfLrPn added. "Until it worked, we had no idea if it was possible (and actually suspected that it wasn't)."
Approaching the starting line
Though TASBot has taken the first step to breaking open robotic Switch play, its method still isn't perfect. For one, Cecil says the hardware still isn't precise enough for games that require analog input.
In testing on Breath of the Wild, for instance, the team tried recording a simple input macro of Link jumping off a tower. But Cecil said slight, frame-level differences between the Linux recording and the controller polling rate during playback led to butterfly effect-style chaos, such that "loading the same savestate and playing [the input] back would result in us landing in a different spot, sometimes substantially so." Using digital inputs on a more deterministic game like Super Mario Maker 2 eliminates those problems, Cecil added.
Playing on the Switch also means the TASBot team doesn't have the benefit of recording its inputs on robust, TAS-configured emulators, which allow for easy pausing, editing, and re-recording of frame-perfect input sequences that can create literally superhuman performance. On the Switch, thus far "there aren't any tools to make this fast," Cecil said. "This was done laboriously by hand and isn't easy to replicate."
For this weekend's AGDQ demonstration, KNfLrPn specifically designed a level to take these limitations into account; for each level section, they "include[d] a spot where I could get a consistent starting point (You might see in each part there's some kind of wall I could press against)."
From those safe spots, KNfLrPn said they could "start with a guess on which buttons to press for how long, try it, see what happens, adjust, and iterate over and over" until they reached the next safe spot. By playing a string of successfully recorded sections back from the start, KNfLrPn could then get back to any safe spot to continue the trial-and-error process.
Without the use of emulator tools, recording a few successful minutes of Switch gameplay took "several hours of trial and error, resetting each section and trying something slightly different each time," KNfLrPn said. "It was also 'only' several hours because I specifically designed each section to be easy to reset. Doing it with a 'real' level would be even more tedious."
Secrets and lawyers
Compared to some of our previous explainers on TASBot, you may have noticed I didn't go into detail on the actual method the TASBot team used to solve its Switch timing problem. That's because the solutionâwhich requires a bit of extra video signal analysis hardware that the team is keeping hidden in a literal "black box"âcould lead copycats to unleash utter chaos on some active Switch online leaderboards, including the recently launched Ninji Speedrun competitions on Super Mario Maker 2.
"This has a higher risk of widespread damage because Nintendo has not always been attentive to illegitimate leaderboard entries," Cecil said. "If a troll wanted to, they could make it impossible for a human to obtain the fastest time in the regularly released Ninji speedrun levels."
A TASBot team member (who asked to remain anonymous) went even further. "The knowledge of how to do this can and will affect records on some of the most difficult levels in the game... This tool could allow an individual the ability to trial and error their way through a level, and then release a perfect run to anyone on the Internet that also wishes to 'beat' a level. This would ruin the experience players have, as no one would know if a top record on a level is real or if it was done by a user in a malicious way."
The team's concern for methodological secrecy also mean this is one of the first TASBot projects where the team won't be releasing its source code publicly. That's a decision Cecil says he didn't take lightly. "As the President of the North Bay Linux Users' Group and an advocate for open source software, I always ensure we release what we create as open source and open hardware so others can replicate it," Cecil said. "In this case, doing so is both risky and unwise due to the potential damage to the community... I made this decision after consulting with a diverse range of community members and experts, including paying for a consultation with a lawyer who specializes in video game lawsuits."
(The threat of legal complications has also led the TASBot team to redesign the robot's public-facing shell, which is built off a repurposed NES R.O.B. controller. A new prototype design retains the same general feeling while being distinct enough for independent trademarking by the charity-focused TASBot L3C, Cecil said. The new design is also featured on an exclusive Yetee t-shirt, with proceeds going to the Prevent Cancer Foundation).
Who to tell
Cecil, who works as a security consultant at Bishop Fox, said the team discussed reaching out to Nintendo before publicizing its Switch-control method, but it "chose to not poke the bear." That's in part because controlling the Switch with a robotâusing completely unmodified Switch hardware and software and standard controller input signals through the USB portâdoesn't completely match the usual definition of a "security vulnerability."
"Nintendo has a vulnerability disclosure program, but the methods we're using don't fall under the category of issues that can be reported," Cecil said. "We're using Nintendo's hardware in a fully standards-complaint way and there is no way for them to prevent what we are doing without disabling all external devices. In other words, most companies don't have a big enough imagination to contemplate something so out-of-the-box, and there is no way for them to do anything about it even if we did provide a disclosure. So we have to take other precautions."
Cecil said he and the TASBot team have gone back and forth over whether to even show TASBot controlling the Switch at AGDQ (or last week's similar MAGFast speedrun marathon). Now, though, Cecil says he thinks there are enough precautions in place to "keep low effort script kiddies and copy and paste trolls from ruining the fun for everyone else." AGDQ management initially pulled the Switch demo due to time constraints, Cecil said, but the event recently added it back in as a donation incentive following the standard Super Mario Maker 2 demonstration on Saturday night.
Not everyone is convinced the TASBot team's efforts at operational secrecy will be enough, though. "Lots of 'fake' input devices have been made that have the possibility for [Switch] TASing, but none (that we've seen) have used [that potential]," TASBot team member Britmob said. "Frankly, I'm surprised no one else came up with it. But I don't expect people to be very far behind us, especially if they see if it's possible, regardless of us not disclosing methods.""We will not be discussing the abuse concerns we have during the presentation because we do not want to draw attention to them," Cecil said. "But we do want to be open about the risks we face. Pretending the risks don't exist will not help us.
"We want to continue to show what we consider art at charity events and it's important to us to find the right balance of openness even on content designed for newer consoles," he added. "The TASBot community has become so much larger than anything I could have hoped for or done on my own and I truly feel like I've been given a wonderful opportunity to live beyond myself."
https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMid2h0dHBzOi8vYXJzdGVjaG5pY2EuY29tL2dhbWluZy8yMDIwLzAxL2luc2lkZS10YXNib3RzLXNlbWktc2VjcmV0LXByb2JhYmx5LWxlZ2FsLWVmZm9ydC10by1jb250cm9sLXRoZS1uaW50ZW5kby1zd2l0Y2gv0gF9aHR0cHM6Ly9hcnN0ZWNobmljYS5jb20vZ2FtaW5nLzIwMjAvMDEvaW5zaWRlLXRhc2JvdHMtc2VtaS1zZWNyZXQtcHJvYmFibHktbGVnYWwtZWZmb3J0LXRvLWNvbnRyb2wtdGhlLW5pbnRlbmRvLXN3aXRjaC8_YW1wPTE?oc=5
2020-01-11 12:15:00Z
CBMid2h0dHBzOi8vYXJzdGVjaG5pY2EuY29tL2dhbWluZy8yMDIwLzAxL2luc2lkZS10YXNib3RzLXNlbWktc2VjcmV0LXByb2JhYmx5LWxlZ2FsLWVmZm9ydC10by1jb250cm9sLXRoZS1uaW50ZW5kby1zd2l0Y2gv0gF9aHR0cHM6Ly9hcnN0ZWNobmljYS5jb20vZ2FtaW5nLzIwMjAvMDEvaW5zaWRlLXRhc2JvdHMtc2VtaS1zZWNyZXQtcHJvYmFibHktbGVnYWwtZWZmb3J0LXRvLWNvbnRyb2wtdGhlLW5pbnRlbmRvLXN3aXRjaC8_YW1wPTE
Jumat, 10 Januari 2020
Blurry photo suggests Samsungâs next foldable is âGalaxy Bloom,â S11 to become S20 - Circuit Breaker
Could Samsungâs next foldable phone be named the Galaxy Bloom?
Thatâs what Korean outlet Ajunews is reporting, showing a blurry photo of what it claims is an early marketing image for the Bloom. The outletâs story (which we spotted via SamMobile) says that Samsung told partners at a closed-door meeting at CES that their next foldable is modeled after a makeup compact and intended to appeal to female customers. According to the same report, the upcoming S11 will actually be named the S20.
As ever with such rumors, itâs not possible to completely trust what weâve read, but the report does line up with what weâve previously heard about Samsungâs next foldable and the names of its upcoming flagship smartphones.
A teaser image for the Bloom matches the design of purported leaked handsets, and Koh reportedly told partners that the phone would use foldable glass instead of a plastic polymer for its display â a key spec thatâs also previously been hinted at.
Whatâs new is the name and marketing for the Bloom. Ajunews says Samsung wants the device to appeal to young women, and says its clamshell design is easy to hold in one hand. Samsung Electronics CEO DJ Koh reportedly told one partner: âWe designed Galaxy Bloom with the motif of compact powder from French cosmetics brand LancĂŽme.â
Hardware specs for the Bloom are still mostly a mystery, but Ajunews gives us two new snippets: itâll be able to record 8K video, and a 5G version will be released in South Korea.
Other news from the meeting concerns Samsungâs flagship Galaxy S line. Matching previous reports weâve seen, the companyâs next big smartphone will not be called the S11, as many expected, but the S20, perhaps as a nod to the new decade. Itâll reportedly launch with three variants: a regular device, a lower-spec option, and an âUltraâ version.
Bear in mind these are all still rumors, but we expect to hear much more about the S20 and the Galaxy Bloom at Samsungâs big unpacked event next month on February 11th.
https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMidGh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LnRoZXZlcmdlLmNvbS9jaXJjdWl0YnJlYWtlci8yMDIwLzEvMTAvMjEwNTk3MTMvc2Ftc3VuZy1nYWxheHktZm9sZGFibGUtZm9sZC0yLXJ1bW9yLWxlYWstYmxvb20tczIwLXVsdHJh0gGBAWh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LnRoZXZlcmdlLmNvbS9wbGF0Zm9ybS9hbXAvY2lyY3VpdGJyZWFrZXIvMjAyMC8xLzEwLzIxMDU5NzEzL3NhbXN1bmctZ2FsYXh5LWZvbGRhYmxlLWZvbGQtMi1ydW1vci1sZWFrLWJsb29tLXMyMC11bHRyYQ?oc=5
2020-01-10 11:23:04Z
52780536625746
Samsung's upcoming clamshell foldable phone will be called the Galaxy Bloom - Android Central
A report out of South Korea had claimed late last year that Samsung's next foldable phone is codenamed "Bloom." Now, a new report claims Bloom will actually be the phone's marketing name. Samsung apparentlyy showcased the device to partners and carriers at a secret meeting held at CES 2020 in Las Vegas. During the meeting, Samsung revealed that its upcoming foldable phone will be called the Galaxy Bloom.
The report also includes an image of a presentation slide showing the Galaxy Fold successor with the Bloom name. Unlike the Galaxy Fold, the Galaxy Bloom will have a clamshell design, similar to the new Motorola RAZR. The phone's design is reportedly inspired by French luxury cosmetic brand Lancome's powder compact. When folded, the Galaxy Bloom is claimed to be roughly the same size as a powder compact.
Samsung is also said to have confirmed that the successor to last year's Galaxy S10 will debut as the Galaxy S20. The Galaxy S20 series will also include the Galaxy S20 Plus and Galaxy S20 Ultra models. Both the Galaxy S20 and Galaxy Bloom will support video recording at up to 8K resolution, thanks to their 108MP primary sensor.
Samsung will formally introduce the new Galaxy S20 series phones at its upcoming Unpacked event on February 11. The Galaxy Bloom is also likely to be officially unveiled at the same event in San Francisco.
https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMiZWh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmFuZHJvaWRjZW50cmFsLmNvbS9zYW1zdW5ncy11cGNvbWluZy1jbGFtc2hlbGwtZm9sZGFibGUtcGhvbmUtd2lsbC1iZS1jYWxsZWQtZ2FsYXh5LWJsb29t0gFpaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuYW5kcm9pZGNlbnRyYWwuY29tL3NhbXN1bmdzLXVwY29taW5nLWNsYW1zaGVsbC1mb2xkYWJsZS1waG9uZS13aWxsLWJlLWNhbGxlZC1nYWxheHktYmxvb20_YW1w?oc=5
2020-01-10 07:20:54Z
52780536625746
Samsung Galaxy Bloom name confirmed for incoming foldable flagship - Android Authority
Names of Samsungâs upcoming Galaxy S series and foldable flagship phones have been outed. A Korean media outlet reports that the company held secret meetings with telecom partners on the sidelines of CES 2020. Those who attended these clandestine meetings got to see the unannounced devices. Samsung Mobile chief DJ Koh also apparently confirmed the names of the two upcoming flagships.
First up, the Galaxy S11 series. Turns out, rumors of a rename were real. Koh himself confirmed that the new phones will indeed be called Galaxy S20, Galaxy S20 Plus, and Galaxy S20 Ultra.
He also revealed the name for the new Samsung clamshell foldable smartphone. The device will called Galaxy Bloom instead of the Galaxy Fold 2. The reason behind this name change is unknown, but Koh explained that the phone is inspired by Lancomeâs makeup compacts. Apparently, the company wants to target the new foldable at 20-something women.
AjunewsThe Galaxy Bloom will reportedly have both 4G and 5G variants. Hereâs an image of a presentation slide of the phone which seems to have been shot hastily by one of the attendees.
Ajunews8K videos incoming
Both the Galaxy S20 and Galaxy Bloom smartphones are said to support 8K video recording. Samsung has reportedly worked with Google to make 8K videos mainstream. YouTube is expected to enable 8K video streaming as soon as the products launch on February 11.
This is definitely a positive for Samsung, but thereâs still not a lot of 8K content out there. If a number of 2020 smartphones enable 8K recording, that content gap could be filled out very soon. Guess weâll just have to wait and watch.
While all this information is based on a report of what Samsung announced behind closed doors at CES 2020, itâs quite possibly true. Samsung has held such secret meetings with its partners before and the details revealed in this report are not drastically different from what weâve been hearing till now.
More posts about Samsung
https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMiPmh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmFuZHJvaWRhdXRob3JpdHkuY29tL3NhbXN1bmctZ2FsYXh5LWJsb29tLTEwNzM2NDgv0gFCaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuYW5kcm9pZGF1dGhvcml0eS5jb20vc2Ftc3VuZy1nYWxheHktYmxvb20tMTA3MzY0OC9hbXAv?oc=5
2020-01-10 06:29:12Z
52780536625746
Samsung Galaxy Bloom name confirmed for incoming foldable flagship - Android Authority
Names of Samsungâs upcoming Galaxy S series and foldable flagship phones have been outed. A Korean media outlet reports that the company held secret meetings with telecom partners on the sidelines of CES 2020. Those who attended these clandestine meetings got to see the unannounced devices. Samsung Mobile chief DJ Koh also apparently confirmed the names of the two upcoming flagships.
First up, the Galaxy S11 series. Turns out, rumors of a rename were real. Koh himself confirmed that the new phones will indeed be called Galaxy S20, Galaxy S20 Plus, and Galaxy S20 Ultra.
He also revealed the name for the new Samsung clamshell foldable smartphone. The device will called Galaxy Bloom instead of the Galaxy Fold 2. The reason behind this name change is unknown, but Koh explained that the phone is inspired by Lancomeâs makeup compacts. Apparently, the company wants to target the new foldable at 20-something women.
AjunewsThe Galaxy Bloom will reportedly have both 4G and 5G variants. Hereâs an image of a presentation slide of the phone which seems to have been shot hastily by one of the attendees.
Ajunews8K videos incoming
Both the Galaxy S20 and Galaxy Bloom smartphones are said to support 8K video recording. Samsung has reportedly worked with Google to make 8K videos mainstream. YouTube is expected to enable 8K video streaming as soon as the products launch on February 11.
This is definitely a positive for Samsung, but thereâs still not a lot of 8K content out there. If a number of 2020 smartphones enable 8K recording, that content gap could be filled out very soon. Guess weâll just have to wait and watch.
While all this information is based on a report of what Samsung announced behind closed doors at CES 2020, itâs quite possibly true. Samsung has held such secret meetings with its partners before and the details revealed in this report are not drastically different from what weâve been hearing till now.
More posts about Samsung
https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMiPmh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmFuZHJvaWRhdXRob3JpdHkuY29tL3NhbXN1bmctZ2FsYXh5LWJsb29tLTEwNzM2NDgv0gFCaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuYW5kcm9pZGF1dGhvcml0eS5jb20vc2Ftc3VuZy1nYWxheHktYmxvb20tMTA3MzY0OC9hbXAv?oc=5
2020-01-10 05:43:59Z
52780536625746