The Morning After: Our verdict on the Meta Quest 3
A bit of mixed reality makes for better VR.
The $500 Meta Quest 3 won’t tempt over as many VR newcomers as the Quest 2, but it’s still a solid step forward for Meta. It has all the upgrades you’d expect (sharper screens and lenses, faster performance), and it also has full-color mixed-reality cameras, so you can use VR apps alongside a view of the real world. Squint a bit, and you can almost see what Apple is aiming for with the Vision Pro.
While there isn’t any face or eye tracking (found on the pricier VRs), Meta ditched the annoying rings from the Quest 2 gamepads. After testing the Quest 3 for a week, Engadget’s Devindra noted it’s the first headset that doesn’t make him feel trapped while using it. Since the real world is easily accessible, it’s simpler to integrate a movie into your life while still acknowledging/ checking in on your real-world environment. Check out our full review.
— Mat Smith
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Apple iPhone 15 review
The most substantial update in years.
Not everyone needs the most expensive high-specced iPhone. This year’s update to the vanilla Apple smartphone brings a lot of bang for your buck. That includes a substantially upgraded camera sensor (12-megapixel up to 48-megapixel), four new pastel-hued colors (even if our reviewer wasn’t a fan, I think they’re gorgeous) and USB-C. With the iPhone 15, Apple offers enough to make this year’s device a worthwhile upgrade — that’s not always the case.
How hackers are using Bluetooth to track police activity
Devices are ‘constantly shouting’ about what cops are up to, hackers said.
Law enforcement uses all sorts of tech to track individuals, but some people are using technology to listen back. Bluetooth devices have a unique 64-bit identifier called a MAC address, and those signals reveal where police are – and even when they activate devices like body cams or Tasers. Modern police kits are overflowing with Bluetooth-enabled tech — even the gun holsters supplied to some cops send a Bluetooth ping when a sidearm is unholstered. Hackers, aware of these signals, can now monitor what local police are up to.
Unity CEO John Riccitiello stepping down, effective immediately
It comes during a backlash over changes to the company’s pricing model.
Unity game developer said John Riccitiello will step down as president and CEO of the company after nine years in leadership, effective immediately. Just a month ago, Unity rolled out some significant concessions to its developer pricing model after widespread backlash over its plan to charge developers for game installations. The upheaval came simultaneously as a series of massive layoffs at the company. Unity expects third-quarter revenue to fall somewhere between $540 million to $550 million — up 67 to 70 percent from last year.
