For the past couple of years, if you wanted to have some VR fun with your phone, Samsung’s Gear VR was pretty much the way to go. But there’s a new major player now in the form of Google’s Daydream View system, which uses the new Pixel phones and an apparently Martha Stewart-approved headset. So, how do the two systems stack up? As you can imagine, we spent many hours and hours testing them both.
Our biggest takeways? Daydream View is fun, comfortable, and the small remote is easy to use and helpful. But, it’s also not perfect. Check out our full review to see if Google’s Daydream is worth the $80 price tag – and you’ll need a new Google Pixel phone as well, which is slightly more expensive.
You’re data is safe, Putin said so
LinkedIn is having a tough time getting traction in Russia after a court there upheld a decision to block the social-slash-business networking company’s website over the storage of Russian citizens’ personal data. It looks like Russia’s cyber cops are suddenly getting serious about a 2014 law that says foreign companies operating in Russia have to store the personal information from Russian users on Russian servers located in Russia. Now, why would that be?
Anyway, Reuters reports that Soviet… er, we mean, Russian officials say they will block LinkedIn’s Russian website beginning later this week. The ruling is a warning shot across the bow of other big internet companies, including Facebook, Google and others that also operate within Russia… at the moment.
Now get out there and record some spectacles with your Spectacles
Snapchat’s… er, Snap Inc’s colorful Spectacle sunglasses, which feature a built-in video camera, hits the streets today in California, right in time for the sun-soaked holiday season. And an unusual product needs an unusual sales strategy, so, fittingly, you’ll be able to snap up a pair of Spectacles from some cycloptic vending machines, one of which has popped up in Venice Beach near Snap Inc.’s headquarters. It’s motion activated and a bit creepy… but in a fun way.
Quick recap: Snap’s Spectacles let you take 10-second video clips using a side-mounted video camera, which you can then then share using your Snapchat account. There’s a little ring of LEDs that light up to let the world know you’re recording video, so it’s a bit more… privacy friendly.
Spectacles cost 130 bucks and like we said, are available today, providing you can track down on of these vending machines, which will apparently be moving around inside major metropolitan areas. We’re pretty sure there will be a way to track them down.
