TECH

Translate Languages With C-FACE Mask

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The COVID-19 pandemic has forced many people and businesses to put more of a focus on cleanliness, and just as important, companies are taking innovation and technology to another level in terms of preserving health and well-being.

The C-Face Mask allows you to talk in multiple languages as well as being able to clean and purify the air you breathe. The mask is designed by Japan-based Donut Robotics and is made to fit on top of a standard face mask. In addition to translating multiple languages and purifying air, the C-Face mask can also connect to your smartphone, opening up even more smart features.

Sony To Produce “Ready For PlayStation 5” TVs

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Sony has just announced a lineup of BRAVIA TVs dubbed “Ready For PlayStation 5.” As the name suggests, these TVs will be equipped for the upcoming PlayStation 5.

Sony

The upcoming releases from Sony will include the XH90 4K HDR and ZH8 8K HDR Full Array LED models. The TVs are built to deliver an immersive gaming experience with the XH90 displaying gameplay images of up to 4K and the ZH8 will produce up to 8K resolution.

In order to play games on the PS5 with low latency, each television will boast a BRAVIA Game Mode. This allows the player to use a wireless controller to wake both the TV and PS5 and control their PS5 using just the TV remote.

The “Ready For PlayStation 5” TVs and PS5 consoles are scheduled to release Holiday 2020. Check out the Sony website for more info.

Kobe Bryant Joins Damian Lillard And Zion Williamson As NBA 2K21 Cover Athletes

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NBA 2K21’s release is right around the corner with Damian Lillard as the cover athlete for current gen systems like Xbox One and PS4. Next gen systems like PS5 and Xbox Series X will have the no. 1 pick Zion Williamson as their cover athlete.

The unveiling of cover athletes doesn’t just stop at Dame and Zion, however, because the creators of the game have just announced a special NBA 2K21: Mamba Forever Edition game featuring none other than Hall of Famer Kobe Bryant.

Kobe Bryant will also be the cover athlete for next gen versions of 2K21. Fans have petitioned vehemently to have Kobe Bryant as the next athlete to be featured on the cover ever since his untimely death with some fans even creating their own version of the 2K21 cover.

Will never forget the first time we ever met in 2010. Your passion. RIP legend, we will do our best to celebrate your immeasurable legacy.

Ronnie Singh aka Ronnie 2K, NBA 2K digital marketing director

NBA 2K21 hits shelves September 4 for current gen and this holiday for next gen.

‘Pokémon Go’ To Donate $5 Million USD Minimum From Go Fest 2020 Ticket Sales

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In an effort to stand against racism, Pokémon Go developer Niantic has just announced that it will donate a minimum of $5 million USD from its Pokémon Go Fest ticket sales this year to the Black Lives Matter movement.

Niantic head John Hanke states via Twitter and the company’s blog, that “Half of the proceeds donated will be used to fund new projects from Black gaming and AR creators that can live on the Niantic platform, with the ultimate goal of increasing content that represents a more diverse view on the world.” “The other half will go to U.S. nonprofit organizations that are helping local communities rebuild.”

Hanke also relayed that the company will also commit to apprenticeships that could lead to permanent positions, allyship training, scholarships and other employee efforts.

Lastly, a separate $100,000 USD will be donated by Niantic as well as matching employee contributions to the Marsha P. Johnson Institute to support the Black trans community. “We are committed to this cause, these initiatives don’t end with an announcement,” Hanke wrote.

The work to follow through will require years of effort to yield the impact we seek. The heart of Niantic is our community of players. It is imperative that we stand up to support our Black Trainers, Agents, and Wizards. We aim to be a force of change committed to the long road ahead of rebuilding a more just and fair system where all are welcomed, valued, and have a fair chance at success.

John Hanke

Apple Releases Colorful Powerbeats Pros To Celebrate “10 Days of FaZe”

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In honor of FaZe Clan‘s 10th anniversary, Apple Powerbeats Pro celebrates the occasion with “10 Days of FaZe.” As part of the celebration, there will be a new set of Powerbeats Pro earphones in an array of colors.

The collection will arrive in colors of Spring Yellow, Cloud Pink, Lava Red and Glacier Blue. This news follows up the release of the team’s red tiger camo BE@RBRICK and there will also be a giveaway-only limited FaZe Clan x Beats Clan Pill+.

These colorful earphones are expected to release on June 9.

SpaceX Is The First Private Company To Send Humans To Space

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SpaceX has successfully launched humans into orbit, becoming the first private firm to do so. With the Kennedy Space Center in Florida serving as the launch destination, the Falcon 9-powered Crew Dragon SpaceX capsule had NASA astronauts Robert (Bob) Behnken and Douglas Hurley all set for send-off.

This launch signifies the first time in nearly a decade that astronauts from America have traveled to space. What made the event even more impactful was when both Bob Behnken and Douglas Hurley revealed that they would rename the piloted space capsule to the “Endeavour” capsule. The original Space Shuttle Endeavour had its final mission in May of 2011 and was also the shuttle in which both Bob Behnken and Douglas Hurley took their first flights to space in.

The “Endeavour” capsule is expected to dock with the Internation Space Station on May 31, 10:29 a.m. EDT.

Google Provides $1,000 USD Allowance to Employees Working From Home

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Google will be providing its employees who are required to work from home, due to the coronavirus pandemic, $1,000 allowance. Google and Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai made the announcement in a blog post. There is a strong possibility that employees will be working from home for the rest of the year.

Our campuses are designed to enable collaboration and community—in fact, some of our greatest innovations were the result of chance encounters in the office—and it’s clear this is something many of us don’t want to lose

Sundar Pichai

Google’s plan is to start letting smaller groups of employees return to campus, functioning at 10% capacity and 30% by September.

Jay Leno Test Drives The Tesla Cybertruck With Elon Musk

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CNBC has just released a teaser video of an upcoming episode of Jay Leno’s Garage. The three minute video shows Leno cruising around town with Elon Musk in the Tesla Cybertruck. Musk, riding shotgun, was asked about the bulletproof glass and whether or not the Cybertruck they were in was close to the look of the actual model being released.

Catch the full episode on May 27 at 10:00 p.m. EDT.

Apple iOS 13.5 Details Including Face ID Updates And New COVID-19 Proximity Feature

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Almost anywhere you go nowadays, you see everyone wearing a face mask. Not seeing a full face seems to be the new normal… along with washing your hands 3,475 times a day. Apple, staying ahead of this debacle of 2020, has been working on an update that will make using the Face ID easier to use while wearing a mask.

This break-thru comes courtesy of it’s iOS 13.5 update. Apple plans to release the iOS 13.5 and iPad 13.5 GM to developers while the public can expect a release soon.

The way this update works is Face ID will recognize when someone is wearing a mask and will bypass that function in favor of the passcode screen. Users should keep in mind that the Face ID tool will not unlock the phone until they have removed their mask, thus making for a speedy process to access the passcode on their device. The feature will also work with any program requiring a password on your Apple device as well, including the App Store, App Books, iTunes etc.

A bit of exciting news to go along with the update is Apple’s COVID-19 exposure notification API. The way this works is when two people are in close range of each other, their Bluetooth will detect it and send an anonymous identifier. Another important note is if an individual is diagnosed with COVID-19, their device will create a list of everybody that they’ve been in contact with and send it to the cloud. The second individual’s phone will receive a list of everyone that has tested positive in their area and will be prompted to contact health professionals if a match occurs.

Check back as new details develop.

Facebook Has Now Purchased Giphy

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Via Facebook, the social media platform has bought .GIF website Giphy for an estimated $400 million USD as reported by Axios. Plans are to fully integrate the service into programs under Facebook’s umbrella like Instagram.

Axios reports, that Facebook and Giphy were already in talks before the COVID pandemic.

We’ve used GIPHY’s API for years, not just in Instagram, but in the Facebook app, Messenger and WhatsApp.

Facebook Rep

Good news for all loyal GIPHY users is the platform is still expected to function independent of Facebook. More importantly, branding and all aspects of the .GIF uploading functions and community features will not be altered.