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Amazon might not have YouTube on Echo anymore, but the devices are coming in several new shapes and sizes. Our three-minute wrap-up video from the big event shows everything you need to know, or you can dive in to check out our impressions of the new Echo speakers (now in regular or tall size), its small-screened Echo Spot or the latest Fire TV device, which puts 4K video streaming in a dongle. Plus, Alexa’s voice commands are coming to new apps like Hulu, and even in cars next year, starting with BMW. Finally, just to get maximum coverage, Amazon even has an Echo device for people who still have a landline phone.
The Apple TV 4K is the streaming box Devindra Hardawar has been waiting for. He still loves its interface, while Apple has slightly tweaked the box’s remote, and it’s competitively pricing 4K movies. All good right? Well, there are a few drawbacks, like overly aggressive video processing, no YouTube 4K and no Dolby Atmos audio.
Hulu adds ’30 Rock,’ ‘Parenthood’ and other NBC shows
30 Rock is the latest battleground in the streaming wars. After spending some time in Netflix’s library, the show is jumping over to Hulu next month, along with a few other NBC shows like Parenthood. The only question now is if that’s enough for you to change your subscription.
Get ready to lose the tiniest USB-C authentication key in the world
Small is secure, right?
The evolution of video-game cyberpunk: ‘Ruiner’ and ‘Tacoma’
“What does it even mean, cyberpunk?” It’s a strange question coming from Magdalena Tomkowicz, the narrative designer of Ruiner, a top-down action game that takes place in an anime-inspired cyberpunk world. The thing is, its creators never intended to create a cyberpunk game. They’re simply products of the 1980s, pulling inspiration from their favorite childhood stories — Alien, Die Hard, Ghost in the Shell — to create something of their own. Ruiner isn’t the only game reinterpreting cyberpunk’s roots.
MIT CSAIL’s origami-bot wears foldable exosuits
MIT CSAIL’s latest fold-up robot is called Primer. It changes shape and function by donning different exoskeletons. It starts the process by moving to the center of the exoskeletons that start as flat sheets. After applying a bit of heat to the sheets, they fold into specific shapes using Primer as a core, turning into a boat, a glider or a wheel.
Wandercraft’s exoskeleton was made to help paraplegics walk
You don’t see fully autonomous exoskeletons that help disabled people to walk because building one is crazy hard. But the founders of a Paris-based startup called Wandercraft are uniquely qualified to do it. Now, after years of development, they’re nearly ready to show it to the public.
