Experience IRL Moments Virtually
Catching a game or enjoying a summer concert with friends can now be more accessible with the help of Oculus and their parent company, Facebook. Thanks to the new app “Venues,” by Mike LeBeau, people from around the world can attend live events with their friends and even meet new people along the way. Venues (which is compatible with Oculus Go and Gear VR) makes it easier to connect with other individuals and puts you closer to the action without compromising the quality of entertainment. It lets you experience IRL moments virtually and is pushing social virtual reality into new territories. If you’re late to the VR party and want to experience a live event with friends or solo, Oculus has released a summer lineup with a variety of events.
Apple Updates
The wait is finally over; Apple has unveiled their plans to make group Facetime a reality! This is almost better than discovering in middle school that you could talk to two friends on the phone at once to discuss the gossip of the day. However, we will have to wait a little longer to FaceTime thirty-one of our closests friends at the same time because this update is scheduled for release in September.
In the meantime, we can focus on what truly matters… new emojis! 157 to be exact. This week, Business Insider broke the news of the latest emojis coming to our screens. Lobster, cupcakes, superheroes, bagels, toilet paper, kangaroos, llamas, and red-haired people are amongst some of the new additions. Make sure to update your emoji keyboard so you can visually explain how burnt you really are after a weekend of fun in the sun.
Facebook Axes Trending Section
The right side of your newsfeed will never be the same. Facebook announced recently that they are removing the Trending section to make room for new user experiences. This decision came after research revealed that consumers found this feature to be less and less useful over time. Trending first made its way to the right column of our screen in 2014 to help people discover news topics that were trending across the Facebook community.
When one door closes, another one opens. In light of Trending being removed (R.I.P), Facebook wasted no time in adding another feature to ease our pain. Messenger now has added polls to the app. Instead of the daunting “I don’t know – where do you want to eat?” convos we all endure, leave it up to a vote by offering a poll with a list of suggestions. Did Facebook just solve one of the most complicated questions to answer amongst friends and couples? Wow, thank you Zuckerberg.
Clip of the Week:
Lifeguard drones are now providing help to swimmers who face the risk of drowning in open waters. These drones are able to drop floatation devices to those in need until a lifeguard arrives.
Lifeguard drones are now saving humans from drowning pic.twitter.com/7N5V6jOdU0
— Business Insider (@businessinsider) June 4, 2018