Ten nuggets of knowledge to take away for the weekend, including an Irish start-up has recreates Apollo 11 moon landing in VR, Apple Beats coming in June, and an interview with HTC vice-president Peter Frølund.
1. Apollo 11 moon landing to be brought to life as an Oculus VR experience
An innovative gaming start-up may have created what could be a best-seller this Christmas – the Apollo 11 moon landing through the lens of a virtual reality (VR) headset.
Immersive VR Education, a tech start-up supported by Waterford Institute of Technology’s TSSG (Telecommunications Software and Systems Group), has confirmed the virtual reality experience will be brought to market in time for Christmas.
Immersive VR Education’s CEO Dave Whelan told delegates at the recent TSSG industry day that they are on the verge of huge change in education and says the reaction from schools to their virtual reality headset game has been astounding.
The VR experience works on Oculus Rift and demos can be viewed on Mac and Windows.
2. Apple to launch Beats music service at WWDC in June
Apple’s Beats music subscription service will be launched in June at its annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) shindig. The upcoming “Spring Forward” reveal will focus chiefly on the new Apple Watch.
3. PCH and Alexander McQueen create an all-singing, all-dancing digital fashion magazine
It’s not the Harry Potter newspaper but it’s the next best thing – Liam Casey’s PCH has worked with Alexander McQueen and AnOther Magazine to create a moving magazine cover with built-in audio.
4. The Interview: Peter Frølund, vice-president, HTC
It’s all about craftsmanship, said HTC vice-president Peter Frølund. That’s the defining trend of 2015 when it comes to the latest smartphones on show at Mobile World Congress and he said HTC exemplifies this trend.
5. Breaking the atmospheric ceiling: 6 women who made history in space (part 1)
While names like Yuri Gagarin, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin are household names, not many of space’s pioneering women get mentioned in the same way. We pay tribute to six of those women, over two parts.
6. The Interview: Dr Ken Washington, VP of research and advanced engineering, Ford
The technology is advancing at such a rate that self-driving cars will be possible in the next 10 years, Dr Ken Washington, VP of research and advanced engineering at Ford told Siliconrepublic.com.
7. Twitter opens up big data cauldron – advertisers to be given access to 1,000 audiences
Twitter has taken a creative twist to big data by creating a new big data service using 1,000 partner audiences that allow potential advertisers to target ads based on more specific signals.
8. Northern Trust delivers 300 new jobs bonanza for Limerick
Limerick is to receive 300 new jobs over the next three years through an expansion by financial services player Northern Trust.
9. Shazam to add object recognition to next identification app
Music identification app Shazam has announced plans to develop its software’s scope to include objects.
10. US proposes ways to protect its air traffic control from cyberattacks
The US government accountability office (GOA) has found the country’s air traffic control system could do with a bit of cybersecurity, listing ways to improve its defences.
Food with tablet image via Shutterstock
