Author: Brett Venter

Technology bleeds. Not in the red-and-white-cell sense (yet) but development in one area can spread to another quite easily. Case in point: Motor company Ford has used its so-called ‘lane-keeping’ tech to create a new sort of bed. A bed that can keep each occupant on their own side, thanks to a conveyor belt and a few sensors… in addition to the smarts that keep Ford’s cars in their lanes. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yfSYjbODGUc Ford’s lane-keeping bed keeps partners on their own sides of the bed by revolving around when its pressure sensors detect a little nocturnal encroachment taking place. Rather than facing…

Cast your mind back to recent years and you might recall a little something called Project Ara. This was a modular smartphone project created by Google, the sole remaining bit of the company’s acquisition of Motorola Mobility. You know, before that company was sold to Lenovo. Honestly, we thought that Ara was dead but a pair of new patent filings by Google late last year shows that they haven’t quite given up yet. Two patents for a “Modular Device” device have been unearthed, one of which bears a resemblance to Motorola’s Moto Mods system, or that weird thing LG did…

VR, much like winter, is coming. One of the best things about it is that we’re not really sure what form it’s going to take. Microsoft’s HoloLens is an implementation that we’ve been impressed with from the start, combining the best bits of a full-fat VR system with what Google Glass was supposed to be. And it looks like we’re going to get a look at the sequel in short order. HoloLens 2 should be rearing its head(gear) at this year’s Mobile World Congress.

Samsung’s first Unpacked event for 2019 promises to be a big one. It’s scheduled for 20 February this year, a short while ahead of MWC 2019, and it’s widely expected to contain details about the Galaxy S10. But what’s also coming is Samsung’s new folding smartphone and the company really, really wants you to be aware of that fact. 

In this week’s Light Start we have Kickstarted posters, Fitbits (though work), Google Maps in AR, and rocket engines fresh out the 3D printer.

Stuff had a chance to muck around in the squad-based shooter’s Private Beta over the weekend and this is the information we managed to salvage. Not a fan of long-form reading? The basic notes point to one thing: The Division 2 should be on your radar.

Virtual reality is coming to homes. Or, at least, it’s getting closer than it has at any point in its surprisingly lengthy history. The next arrival may be via computer maker HP, which has a Windows Mixed Reality headset on the way. Codenamed ‘Copper’, the in-development VR hardware has one thing in particular going for it — resolution. Lots and lots of resolution. 

We’ve been expecting it for a while (ever since the Zuck got caught using it without us), and now it’s finally here. Facebook has rolled out the ability to unsend Facebook Messenger messages to everyone using the Messenger app.

It’s really hard these days to keep a secret. When it comes to gaming that statement is extremely true but Electronic Arts and Respawn Entertainment, the studio behind the Titanfall series, almost managed it. Almost. The result is Apex Legends, a new free-to-play entry in the battle royale genre that has dropped on us almost without notice.

You read that headline correctly — Energizer, the company best known for rabbits and batteries (not in that order), will be launching a range of smartphones at Mobile World Congress (MWC). And, unlike companies that just dip their toe into smartphone manufacture, they’re going all-in. How else do you explain the fact that they’re showing off a range of 26 devices at MWC 2019?