Tech
Hashtag Trending – Snowden back in the news; Ontario’s $100K bid for new talent; Fortnite hits Apple with Epic ad – IT World Canada
Donald Trump says he is considering pardoning whistleblower Edward Snowden, Ontario makes a bid for Silicon Valley talent, and Fortnite throws a counterpunch at Apple.
It’s all the tech news that’s popular right now. Welcome to Hashtag Trending! It’s Monday, August 17, and I’m your host Alex Coop.
U.S. President Donald Trump’s latest distraction comes in the form of a sudden decision to potentially pardon the former government contractor who illegally leaked classified documents exposing the National Security Agency’s gathering of American phone records in 2013. Back then, Trump called Edward Snowden a “traitor” who should be executed. There’s a tweet to prove it. There’s always a Tweet. Trump first signalled a change in heart about Snowden in an interview with the New York Post last week.
Ontario’s tech industry is enticing workers to move to Canada through a $100,000 billboard campaign in Silicon Valley. Nine billboards along Highway 101 ask “What if my visa gets cancelled?” and “What if I lose my job and health insurance?” The billboard campaign, led by Canadian tech group Communitech, comes after U.S. President Donald Trump announced the suspension of some work visas. Canadian tech companies are seeing the U.S. visa ban as an opportunity to welcome new talent, CBC News reports.
And lastly, we’re dipping our toes into the world of video games for a moment, because Fortnite creator Epic Games is swinging back at Apple for removing the massively popular game from its app store in a legal battle over payments. Epic Games’ Nineteen Eighty-Fortnite commercial, a parody of one of Apple’s most iconic ads, “1984,” is turning heads and garnering applause from marketers. Here’s the backstory: Epic is suing Apple and Google after the two companies removed Fortnite from their app stores. Epic had introduced a “payment gateway” offering discounts on in-app purchases if customers paid the game maker directly. Apple and Google claim the move violates their respective app stores’ terms.
That’s all the tech news that’s trending right now. Hashtag Trending is a part of the ITWC Podcast network. Add us to your Alexa Flash Briefing or your Google Home daily briefing.
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Tech
Meta Expands VR Operating System to Third-Party Hardware Makers – MacRumors
Facebook parent company Meta today announced the upcoming expansion of Meta Horizon OS, a virtual and augmented reality operating system that will be available to third-party hardware manufacturers that want to design their own headsets.
Right now, Meta sells the Quest line of headsets, but the company wants to provide the software for third-party VR and AR products in the future, much like Microsoft offers Windows for all manner of third-party PCs.
Meta Horizon OS is the mixed reality operating system that Meta created for its own Quest headsets, and it has support for eye, face, hand, and body tracking along with passthrough, spatial anchors, scene understanding, and other features. There is a “social layer” that will allow the identities, avatars, and friends of users to move between virtual spaces on different devices.
According to Meta, multiple companies are working on devices that will use Meta Horizon OS. ASUS ROG is developing a performance gaming headset and Lenovo is working on mixed reality devices for productivity, learning, and entertainment. Meta says that it is also creating a limited edition version of Meta Quest in partnership with Xbox.
With the expansion of Meta Horizon OS to third-party hardware manufacturers, Meta is making it easier for any developer to ship VR software on the platform by removing barriers between the Horizon Store and App Lab.
By creating an operating system that can be used by other hardware manufacturers, Meta is inserting itself into the growing AR/VR ecosystem and creating opportunities for it to outpace Apple in mixed reality development. Apple launched the Vision Pro headset earlier this year, but software is lacking given the high price and limited distribution of the device.
According to a report from earlier today, interest in the Vision Pro is already waning at Apple’s retail locations with fewer people requesting demos.
Tech
Brian's Randoms from Sea Otter 2024 – Pinkbike.com
There have been more launches in the past two weeks than any other two-week period I can remember since I started sweeping floors at Freedom Bike Shop back in 2001. Yes, that means I’m very old. It also means that after several years of delayed product releases, some brands have finally cleared out enough inventory to share what they’ve been working on.
The Pinkbike team came down to Sea Otter this year with mixed expectations, and there were definitely some weird vibes. Everyone is concerned for the remaining Kona employees, and more than one brand expressed that their plan is to #surviveto2025. But overall we loved catching up with everyone, the weather was great, and somehow there was even more gear to cover. The industry might be going through a tough time, but ultimately riding bikes is still ridiculously fun and bike tech is as interesting as ever.
And on that note, here are a few of the random things that caught my eye during the show.
OutsideBrendan works smarter not harder, and dog Bubbie(?) is awesome.
I mistakenly thought it was a garage project kind of thing, but it’s a real brand with a promo video and everything.
And with that, it’s time to face my expense report. Until next year, Sea Otter!
Tech
We tried these three beauty products this week. Here are our thoughts – Vancouver Sun
Reviews and recommendations are unbiased and products are independently selected. Postmedia may earn an affiliate commission from purchases made through links on this page.
Article content
Skin Caviar Eye Lift Serum
They say: A luxury serum that firms, smooths and lifts the eye area. The dual-chamber product features the Swiss skin-care brand’s Cellular Complex to ‘restore youthfulness to the eye contour,’ along with a blend of caviar components.
We say: Our tester applied one pump of this serum to the eye area daily. Gently dabbed onto skin, the serum gave an instant boost of hydration. The liquid-serum formula was lightweight and non-sticky, providing an easy base for any additional skin-care or makeup products. With use, our tester reported fine lines and firmness were noticeably improved.
Article content
$760 | Holt Renfrew, holtrenfrew.com
Marc Anthony
Strictly Curls Curl Envy Leave-In Conditioner
They say: A leave-in hair conditioner formulated for curly hair. Boasting strand-smoothing ingredients such as avocado oil, Vitamin E and shea butter, the spray can be used on course, fine, thick or thin curls to promote softness, fight frizz and lock in hydration.
We say: Our tester spritzed this conditioner on her ultra-curly, frizz prone coif. The spray format makes application easy and mess-free. Used both as a de-tangler on freshly washed hair and as a curl pick-me-up in between washes, she found it left curls looking formed, smooth and not stiff.
$12.97 | Mass retailers, walmart.ca
Ghlee
Lip Balm
They say: A nourishing lip balm that features antioxidant-rich ghee, along with mango seed butter and Vitamin E to hydrate lips. Available in Original, Rose, Chai, Mango-Papaya and Mint.
We say: This lip balm gives a dose of smoothing hydration with one swipe. Our tester loved the rose iteration, which boasted the scent of a fresh bloom. It’s the kind of balm you keep reaching for in your bag, she reports.
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