Day: November 20, 2019

https://www.engadget.com/2019/11/20/microsoft-gmail-integration-outlook/

Microsoft seems to be testing a new feature that lets users add Google services to their Outlook accounts, as revealed by Twitter user Florian B and reported by The Verge. If available on your account, you should see a pop-up that says, "Add your Google Mail and Calendar to Outlook and easily manage everything in one place." Doing so allows you to switch between your Outlook and Gmail inboxes (though this causes the entire browser tab to refresh) and browse your Drive files. It’s not clear how Google Calendar is integrated into Outlook.

At the moment, you can only select a single Gmail account to sync with Outlook, which could be frustrating since so many people use multiple Gmail addresses. This isn’t the first time the two competitors have joined forces. In 2017, Microsoft added Google Calendar and Contacts functions to its desktop-based version of Outlook 2016. As testing continues, more Outlook users could have the feature applied to their accounts. We’ve reached out to Microsoft for clarification and will update this post if we hear back.

Via: The Verge

Source: Twitter

via Engadget http://www.engadget.com

November 20, 2019 at 12:24PM

https://geekologie.com/2019/11/fascinating-various-visualizations-of-th.php

This is a video consisting of four shorter videos created by planetary scientist Dr. James O’Donoghue depicting the speed of light as viewed 1) traveling around the world, 2) traveling from the earth to moon and back, 3) traveling from earth to the moon and Mars, and 4) traveling from the sun to earth. As you may know, the sun is approximately 8 light minutes away from earth, so if it exploded we wouldn’t see it for 8 minutes, which I, for one, can’t wait for.
Keep going for the video.

Thanks to carey, who agrees it’s not light that’s slow, it’s just the distance between objects in space is so insanely vast.

via Geekologie – Gadgets, Gizmos, and Awesome https://geekologie.com/

November 20, 2019 at 10:03AM

https://www.engadget.com/2019/11/20/apple-16-inch-macbook-pro-lid-angle-sensor/

The 16-inch MacBook Pro still has some mysteries left after its initial teardown. Both MacRumors and iFixit have confirmed the presence of a "lid angle sensor" that appears to replace the usual Hall effect sensor (measuring the magnitude of a magnetic field) used to detect whether the laptop is open or closed. It’s not certain what’s different, but there’s also a magnet in the hinge proper. An Apple support document asks technicians to calibrate the sensor to consider a display repair successful.

We’ve asked Apple if it can elaborate.

The iFixit team has speculated that the sensor might be more sophisticated and track both the frequency and angle of lid openings to help the company diagnose certain problems — say, stress on the display cable. It might have an easier time pinpointing systemic flaws.. However, it’s not clear that’s the case. For now, the one certainty is that Apple has used the 16-inch MacBook Pro as an opportunity to refresh many aspects of its design, not just obvious changes like the screen or cooling.

Source: MacRumors, iFixit

via Engadget http://www.engadget.com

November 20, 2019 at 10:36AM

https://www.engadget.com/2019/11/19/catan-world-explorers-ar-game/

If you’re Niantic and you’re planning a follow-up to augmented reality hits like Pokémon Go and Harry Potter: Wizards Unite, what famous property do you work with next? Apparently, the answer is a hardcore board game. A product page, source code sleuths and TechCrunch tipsters suggest that Niantic is partnering on Catan: World Explorers, an AR title based on the classic colony-building game Settlers of Catan. While the game’s mechanics aren’t completely clear, it looks like it really is an attempt to squeeze Niantic’s basic formula into Catan‘s world of hexagonal grids, road building and resource trading.

Neither Catan‘s creators nor Niantic have officially established their partnership or set a release date, but Niantic’s fingerprints are all over the code. TechCrunch also said it confirmed the cooperation from sources inside Niantic. Catan‘s owners had acknowledged the game’s existence in late October, but not the Niantic connection.

This probably won’t be a runaway hit like some of Niantic’s properties. There are only so many people who are both enthusiastic Catan players and mobile gamers. However, that’s not necessarily the goal. Niantic has been gradually positioning itself as an AR platform in addition to a game studio. It doesn’t have to worry so much about creating dynamite hits of its own as it does convincing others to make games using its technology. Even if Pokémon and Harry Potter eventually fizzle out, Niantic will be happy if it becomes the go-to choice whenever someone wants to make an AR title.

Source: Catan World Explorers, TechCrunch, Reddit

via Engadget http://www.engadget.com

November 19, 2019 at 05:45PM