Weekly Tech Recap - № 353 - Twinmotion+Revit, RIP Stadia, Kindle Scribe, bitcoin not green and mechanical keyboard for Mac
Autodesk and Epic Games team up
© Epic Games.
Autodesk and Epic Games are dreaming stuff up again. This time, they’ve enhanced Autodesk software Revit, used by many architects, engineers, and designers to concept, document and deliver building and infrastructure projects. Revit integrates Epic Games’ Twinmotion to breathe life into plans with real-time 3D rendering using common gaming technologies such as ray tracing, ultrarealistic environmental animations, a huge library of 3D assets to fill the environments, and more. The new tools also integrate VR to take people on digital tours of an incomplete or as yet nonexistent building, for example. Since images are worth a thousand words, the video below will give you an instant grasp of what Twinmotion and Revit’s collaboration has in store. Twinmotion will soon be available at no extra charge to Revit, AEC and Flex subscribers.
⇨ YouTube, “Epic and Autodesk join forces to accelerate real-time experiences.”
⇨ The Verge, Jess Weatherbed, “Gaming tech can be used to walk through buildings before they’re even constructed.”
2022-09-29
Hasta la vista Stadia
Stadia controller. © Alphabet.
Google/Alphabet officially confirmed that it’s shutting down Stadia, its cloud gaming service launched in 2019. Phil Harrison, the company’s general manager, explained in a blog post that as the service hadn’t met with the expected success, the company would pull the plug on Stadia on January 18. Users won’t get short-shrifted, however. Google promises to fully reimburse them for all the Stadia hardware purchased through the Google Store, as well as for all the games and additional content bought from the Stadia store. The payment process will happen automatically without the need to place a refund request. Though games are no longer sold, users can keep playing theirs free of charge until the lights-out date. The company states that the Stadia staff will be folded in other departments.
Ironically, one of the key reasons that Stadia didn’t work out is that users lacked confidence in Google, which has a reputation for suddenly phasing out products. Stadia is Google’s 274th service to get dumped.
⇨ The Verge, Jay Peters, Alex Cranz, “Google is shutting down Stadia.”
2022-09-29
Scribble with Kindle
Kindle Scribe. © Amazon.
Shortly after Amazon updated its entry-level Kindle e-reader, it’s launching Kindle Scribe, a new device that is both a reading and writing (or scribbling) tablet with a pen. As with other last-gen Kindles, the 10.2-inch screen features a 300 ppi screen for crisper characters and 35 LEDs for remarkably uniform front lighting, compared to 25 with the Oasis, 17 with the Paperwhite, and just 4 with the entry-level Kindle. Amazon says Scribe’s battery life lasts twelve weeks based on a half-hour of daily reading, but only three weeks of half-hour daily writing.
Kindle Scribe is priced at 430 CAD (340 USD) for the 16GB model and is currently available for pre-order with delivery on November 30. The most expensive model with 64GB of memory and a “Premium” pen goes for 510 CAD (420 USD). Kindle Scribe competes directly with devices like the ReMarkable 2, which is about the same size but with a mere 226 ppi and costs more (550 CAD, 400 USD).
⇨ Ars Technica, Andrew Cunningham, “Amazon’s $340 Kindle Scribe is its first e-reader with handwriting and pen support.”
2022-09-28
Bitcoin no friend of the environment
© iStock.
While other cryptocurrencies such as ether have successfully pivoted to reduce their carbon footprint, bitcoin still has a long way to go on the path to environmental consciousness. According to a new study published in the journal Scientific Reports, the environmental and social harm that bitcoin inflicts compares to that of notoriously polluting industrial practices such as beef production and crude oil burned as gasoline. Every dollar in Bitcoin market value generates an average of 35 cents in global climate damage. In comparison, gasoline consumption generates 41 cents and cattle production, 33 cents of damage against the dollar. These numbers are estimated “social costs” due to CO2 emissions, and one could argue about the cost calculation methods. Nonetheless, they are a useful metric to compare various production and use impacts. Between 2016 and 2021, researchers estimate that bitcoin’s total climate damage amounted to 12 billion dollars globally, not to mention the mountains of e-waste.
⇨ The Verge, Jess Weatherbed, “Bitcoin’s climate damage is similar to beef and crude oil, says new study.”
2022-09-29
A mechanical keyboard for Mac
MX Mechanical Mini for Mac. © Logitech.
Though most mechanical keyboards out there work with a Mac, not many of them include all the macOS-specific keys. Apple users will be happy to hear that Logitech is offering a Mac version of its wireless MX Mechanical Mini keyboard launched early this year. But this iOS- and iPadOS-compatible keyboard doesn’t feature a numpad. A spokesperson explained to Ars Technica that Mac users prefer working with a mouse and tend for more desk space, which is arguable. Logitech claims that the keyboard’s battery lasts up to fifteen days with backlight on or ten months with it off. The keyboard is now available for 200 CAD (150 USD), which, given there’s no numpad, definitely places it in the high-end category.
⇨ The Verge, Jon Porter, “Logitech announces its first mechanical keyboard specifically for the Mac.”
⇨ Ars Technica, Scharon Harding, “Logitech finally makes a wireless mechanical keyboard with a true Mac layout.”
2022-09-28
