Following in the footsteps of The New York Times, popular sports media franchise Sports illustrated has officially hopped aboard the virtual reality bandwagon. This year, the company’s infamous Swimsuit Issue was released alongside new iOS and Android apps, which feature news, photos, video, and a selection of virtual reality clips that users can experience via an accompanying headset.
Available as a free download for both iOS and Android, the “Swimsuit Issue 2016” gives users full access to this year’s photos, while the “Collection” section serves as a library filled with previous models who have graced the magazine past issues. Content from SI’s “Swim Daily” blog will be imported in the Swim Daily section of the app, including photos, news, and updates on what the models have been up to lately.
The “Virtual” section will allow users to use a virtual reality viewer like the Quad Virtual Reality (QVR) Viewer or the Samsung’s Gear VR. Viewers can watch various two- to three-minute clips of models Nina Agdal, Hannah Davis, and Irina Shayk posing freely on the beaches of Dominican Republic. The featured VR clips show the models staring directly at the camera, adding to the intimate feel that virtual reality provides.
The new issue will launch in two versions: a premium edition that includes a pair of QVR Viewers for $9.99 and the regular edition for $7.99. Subscribers can also order a pair of cardboard goggles for $2.49, but SI Group’s creative director Chris Hercik said they can only work with Google Cardboard. “Everybody wants to know what it’s like to be on the Swimsuit photo shoot. It’s the question I get all the time,” said Hercik in the company’s website. The Swimsuit Issue will be available on newsstands February 15th.
Mozilla is giving Firefox’s Smart Window two new tricks. If you haven’t tried it yet, Smart Window is an optional AI mode in Firefox with a built-in chat that helps you get things done while you browse. With this update, it can fill out online forms using details from your tabs and keep an eye on websites for you.
Tired of typing the same details into every form?
The absolutely absurd idea of putting a touchscreen display on a mouse isn't exactly new. Turtle Beach already did it with its Command Series MC7, which features a 2.25-inch control screen. But apparently, even that wasn't ridiculous enough for Arctic Fox Technologies. Its new Super Mouse looks like someone took the chunky old Atari ST mouse, slapped a touchscreen and scroll wheel on it, and called it an upgrade.
The result is a rather unusual-looking mouse that is now on Kickstarter, starting at $199. And as ridiculous as it looks, some of its features are genuinely intriguing.
Apple is less than a day away from launching its highly anticipated OLED MacBook Pro with a touch-sensitive screen. But it appears that the upgrade is going to cost a pretty penny. According to a report by Bloomberg, Apple is reportedly eyeing a starting price of $2,899 for the 14-inch MacBook Pro, while the 16-inch version could start at $3,399 in the US.
"At $2,899, the 14-inch model would mark the highest starting price for a new MacBook Pro model, surpassing the $2,799 Apple charged for a 17-inch version introduced in 2006," says the report. The report claims that Apple is targeting a minimum price hike of $400 for its upcoming redesigned 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models.