Google will make one and share design guidelines with other manufacturers

Still, the new headsets will be much cheaper than high-end VR systems like the Rift and the Vive..There will also be a wireless motion controller - functioning like a fishing rod, a steering wheel or a pointer – to permit more-sophisticated VR experiences.Furthermore, Daydream won’t work with Apple’s iPhones, whereas Google Cardboard headsets do.Where Google’s system advances over other smartphone headsets is in its motion controller.Higher-end systems offer more, including full position tracking on the Vive.Daydream headsets will work with a range of phone brands. Sophisticated systems such as Facebook’s Oculus Rift and the HTC Vive are expensive, limiting their appeal to gamers and other tech enthusiasts. As you walk around a room, images on the headset change to reflect your new perspective. Those cost several hundred dollars, not including a powerful personal computer with fast-enough graphics. Google’s controller will be able to sense motion, so you can swing it like a tennis racket when playing a tennis game in VR. Alternatively, cheaper VR headsets that tap the power of smartphones are typically tied to one manufacturer’s phones, such as Samsung’s or LG’s. After all, no one wants to be stuck with VR’s equivalent of Betamax video recorders after the world has moved to VHS.On Thursday, Google offered more details on its plans to develop a range of VR headsets that promise to be more comfortable and durable than its ultra-cheap Cardboard headset. Google will make one and share design guidelines with other manufacturers. Because these phones don’t exist yet, Daydream will need time to grow, says Jan Dawson, chief analyst at Jackdaw Research.On the other hand, these headsets are cheap enough that consumers aren’t taking a huge financial risk, certainly nothing near what it takes to commit to a Rift, Vive or Sony’s upcoming PlayStation VR, says Ian Fogg, head of the mobile analyst group at IHS.
Gartner analyst Brian Blau says he believes the Daydream-powered devices could prove to be a “thorn in the side” of both Samsung and Oculus, which teamed up to make a similar VR headset , called Gear VR, late last year. Cardboard and Gear VR don’t offer much control beyond pushing a button on the headset as sanitarywares you move your head. Existing phones won’t have the right hardware, and cheaper ‘N’ phones won’t either, so you might have to spend a few hundred dollars more for a top-of-the-line model.And while some people might be buying VR games and apps that won’t work with a future, competing system, Fogg says these are cheap, too - priced like a phone app, along the lines of a few dollars. The price difference gives you better materials - not cardboard - and a strap to keep your hands free. It’s a matter of adding sensors and good-enough screens, among other things.Google says at least eight manufacturers, including Samsung, HTC, and Huawei, will make compatible phones this fall.The introduction of yet another VR system might create more confusion and persuade some people to wait.Smartphone-based VR is more like a 360-degree movie in 3-D.Though no price was announced, the Daydream headsets will be more expensive than Cardboard, likely in the ballpark of Samsung’s $100 Gear VR.Here’s a look at challenges that come with the opportunities:You’ll need a higher-end phone running the upcoming ‘N’’ version of Android.Upcoming virtual-reality headsets based on Google’s new Daydream VR system could give more people a taste of VR and make better games and applications affordable.But there are hurdles, including a need to buy a new Android phone - no iPhones. Moving around won’t change the perspective. By contrast, Google sells Cardboard for as little as $15, and many brands, including The New York Times, give them away as part of promotions.It’s the difference between climbing Mount Everest by gripping virtual ladders, or watching someone with a 360-degree camera do it. You’re meant to watch it sitting down at the same spot.

Mr Nephew looked every which way in the auditorium like an alert black

Some people turn up for concerts during the season with the agenda that might  exclude listening to music, as I observed during my trips to several sabhas. At Mylapore Fine Arts, a couple of  well bred and fed men trooped in and sat by my side. The younger one in jeans and T shirt with the legend YALE on it had the kind of sheen that an American climate and style of living laminate as gratis. His companion, past sixty looked an authentic Mylaporean and cheerfully avuncular.As the violinist invoked the musical devatas with his sa-pa-sa drones, Mr Nephew looked every which way in the auditorium like an alert black cat commando at the side of a Z category VVIP. Mr Uncle inclined his shiny dome towards the young man. “That one the tall girl in the third row on the left in turquoise  green sari, with a jasmine chaplet  adoring her hair. She is Ranjani, your doting mother has shortlisted for you. Have a good look,  sunny.”Sonny  didn’t require any further goading as he began directing his unencumbered line of vision towards the green sari, unmindful of the musician beginning to sing a varnam with verve. “It is Ranjani,”   declared the mama  in a voice that would carry to my ears. “Yep, you told me that. Her name is Ranjani.”  “I meant the raga of the varnam,”  mama shot back, ticking him off. The young man shrugged his shoulder. “Gawd!  do they name ragas after the girls?”More info about the Ranjani,  the girl followed. I rose from my seat and  moved towards Narada Gana Sabha, my next port of call.The canteen was packed like salt biscuits in an economy  pack with 10 per cent extra. Ashoka halwa, their piece de resistance nestling in paper cups, was before many patrons,  glistening in all its ghee anointed glory, ready to slide effortlessly down the votaries throats. The young China wholesale Shower Curtain man at the adjacent table spooned a sample into his mouth, tilted his head backwards and critically evaluated it like  a wine  expert.
His companion a middle aged lady watching him  closely, smiled nosing the scent of approval from him. Soon, crisp piping hot Javvarisi vadai followed which the two shared at one per head. “Good, Amma,” the young man gave his stamp of approval. “Don’t be in a hurry,  Vasu,” the mother said. “Let us try other sabha canteens as well before we come to a decision. The wedding is six months away, anyway.”As they were waiting for their onion rava, a red kurtha and cream trousers hailed them from a distance.  When Vasu waved his hand, he came close.  “We are doing sabha hopping,” said the lady, “rather sabha canteen hopping to sample the caterers’ products. You know Vasu’s father. My God! He has the sharpest Thanjavur tongue this side of Kaveri. We are on our mission to recommend to our sambandhi the best caterer to do the honours at Vasu’s wedding in May.”I joined the queue at the donor’s entrance at the Music Academy nodding at the regulars. Two ladies giving an impression that a French perfumery was not far away were standing ahead of me. The senior, obviously the elder’s sister,  looked very much married, the younger one in a dream of red silk churidar perhaps not. “You missed Sudha’s concert the other day. Her sari was a vision,” said he senior, and gave a graphic account of the colour, border, palav  combination and the effect of stage lights on the silken sheen. “I think I can locate that one for you at Nalli,  Sundari or Pothys. You can earmark it for the reception if you fancy it. For a second choice, you can see what Sudha will be wearing in today’s concert and her sparkling jewelry, the choker, rings and kudai jimikki.”The bride-to-be smiled, wondering what was in store when the curtain in the auditorium went up to  reveal the singer in all her bedecked glory. “But d’you think I will be able to have a good look sitting rows away from the dais?” she asked.The elder sister grinned. “I thought of that. Look here,” she said, producing from her handbag a sleek pair of powerful binoculars.— J. S. Raghavan is a bilingual humour writer.

That was always going to give me more of an opportunity to get picked

Australia all-rounder set to make comeback in the shortest format against India. Sydney: Conceding that the T20 call up against India came as a "pleasant surprise", Australian all-rounder Shane Watson on Monday said his familiarity with Indian cricket through IPL helped him in reviving his faltering international career.After being dropped from the ODI side post last year's series against England, Watson had nearly given up hope on his international career, concentrating more on domestic T20 cricket like the Big Bash League (BBL). The 34-year-old batting all-rounder believes his performance for Sydney Thunder turned the tide in his favour."Yes, it came as a pleasant surprise to me. In the end it just came down to doing well for Sydney Thunder in BBL and whatever happened from there from the Aussie side of things, because after being dropped from the ODI side I knew my international days are nearly over, so nice to get that surprise and get the call from Rod Marsh yesterday," he told reporters here.Asked whether he is eyeing the upcoming ICC World T20 in India, Watson said, "Yes, no doubt, that would be the next goal for sure. Being played in India and we haven't played incredibly well there in the previous few tournaments. It really comes down to me playing well for the Thunder this week in the finals if we are able to get through depending on the result. So just enjoying the moment before those days get done."Watson's international career took off after being part of the Shane Warne-led Rajasthan Royals side which won the inaugural IPL edition in 2008. Since then he has been with the Rajasthan side till it was suspended this time around.Watson admits that the IPL stint has played a big part in his return, especially before the T20 World Cup."It's nice to know that I have had lot of experience in India. Playing in the IPL and having some success as well.
That was always going to give me more of an opportunity to get picked but it comes down to performance, so lucky to have performed over the last couple of games," he said.Having represented Australia in 190 ODIs, scoring 5757 runs and bagging 168 wickets, Watson is not too worried about his international future."No, I am not worrying about that after having been picked for the T20 team. Having not being picked for the Aussie one-dayers, I have closed that chapter in my cricket career. Still got plenty of cricket to be China Grab bars Manufacturers played, my cricket in all the world leagues and playing for different franchises," he replied to a query when asked whether he was also eyeing an ODI return.Watson stressed that age is just a number to him."Look it feels nice to be the old guys in the side, though I do not feel as old at 34. But I think it's old nowadays with the amount of cricket played. It's nice to know that I can still contribute like I have for the last three-four games for Thunder," he said.Watson also credited Thunder teammate and South African great Jacques Kallis for bringing about a huge improvement in his batting skill."Just working on getting back to my best, didn't matter in what format, more so getting back to my best batting wise, especially. Lucky to have one of the best batters to have played the game, Jacques Kallis, who helped me out over the last month. Just worked on a couple of new things and he has had an incredible impact on my batting," he said."He is one whom I have idiolised growing up and enjoyed seeing him bat. So knowing him and playing alongside him has been a huge privilege," Watson said.Australian pacer Shaun Tait is also one of the surprise call ups in the T20 squad and Watson opined that the 32-year-old pacer's comeback is well deserved."I faced two balls. One was a very fast bouncer the other one I nicked off," Watson said."Shaun Tait's an X-factor. He always has been and it's great to see him back around the Aussie team. I still believe he has a lot to offer."Watson is confident that the Aussies are well equipped to lift the World T20 title in India."We have certainly got the calibre of players to be able to win the T20 World up. But the format is fickle and you have to be absolutely at your best because performance from one player in the opposition can see you lose the game," he said.

They have played eight times since 2008 Agnieszka has lost

Novak Djokovic hammered an off-key Kei Nishikori and Roger Federer put on a masterclass against Tomas Berdych as they set up a dream semi-final at the Australian Open on Tuesday.Defending champion Djokovic recovered strongly from his five-set struggle against Gilles Simon as he ousted Nishikori 6-3, 6-2, 6-4, after Federer swept aside Berdych 7-6 (7/4), 6-2, 6-4.Djokovic is seeking his 11th Grand Slam title while Federer, 34, is looking to extend his record tally to 18 — and both will want to take charge of their head-to-head, which is locked at 22-22.“It’s always a great challenge to play Roger,” Djokovic said of Thursday’s semi-final. “You don’t need to spend any words on his achievements, what he’s done for the sport.”Both players will have a close eye on Wednesday’s quarter-finals pitting Andy Murray against David Ferrer and Milos Raonic against Gael Monfils.Thursday’s semi-final promises to be a test of Djokovic’s continued dominance of men’s tennis, after his achievement in losing only one Grand Slam match last season.In a sign of the pair’s hold on men’s tennis, Federer is into his 39th Grand Slam semi-final while Djokovic has 29. China adjustable bath and shower chair factory They were both on court for little over two hours on Tuesday.Earlier, Federer reached his 12th Australian Open semi-final in 13 years with a clinical straight-sets win over Berdych in two hours, 16 minutes.“It means a lot. It’s part of the reason why I’m still playing. I feel like I’m competitive at the top. I can beat all the guys on tour,” Federer said.
It’s nice now that in the last three Slams that I’ve been as consistent as I have been.”Serena shrugs off food poisoning to thump SharapovaSerena Williams beat Maria Sharapova for an 18th straight time despite a bout of food poisoning on Tuesday to set up the semi-final against Agnieszka Radwanska, who has never won against the dominant American.The six-time Melbourne Park champion heaped more misery on her long-time rival 6-4, 6-1, with the Russian fifth seed stretching her demoralising winless run against the American great to 12 years.With Sharapova again swatted aside, the 34-year-old world number one, gunning to match Steffi Graf’s Open-era Grand Slam record of 22 titles, now has the composed Pole in her sights.The signs are not good for Radwanska, despite her convincing 6-1, 6-3 win over Spanish 10th seed Carla Suarez on Rod Laver Arena. While her record against Williams is not yet on the scale of Sharapova, it is still dismal. They have played eight times since 2008 Agnieszka has lost the lot, taking just one set along the way.Sania vs Paes in mixed doubles QFsSania Mirza set up a clash with Leander Paes in the mixed doubles after both the Indians made the quarter-finals with their respective partners. Sania and Ivan Dodig of Croatia beat Kazakh-Pakistani duo of Yaroslava Shvedova and Aisam-ul Haq Qureshi 7-5, 6-2 to meet Paes and Martina Hingis in the quarters.Paes and Hingis hammered the American-Dutch pair of Sloane Stephens and Jean-Julien Rojer 6-1, 6-2.In the women’s doubles, Sania and Hingis defeated the German-American combine of Anna-Lena Groenefeld and Coco Vandeweghe 6-2, 4-6, 6-1.

Johnson brought an end to the turmoil with his decisive election victory

Britain on Friday ends almost half a century of integration with its closest neighbours and leaves the European Union, starting a new but still uncertain chapter in its long history.At the clocks strike 11:00 pm midnight in Brussels (2300 GMT)  Britain becomes the first country to leave the 28-member bloc and goes it alone for the first time since 1973.Prime Minister Boris Johnson has backed Brexit since the 2016 referendum vote to leave that triggered bitterness and division but he has promised to lead the country to a bright new future.Official celebrations will be muted out of respect for half the population who wanted to stay in the EU and who remain fearful of what lies ahead."Our job as the government, my job, is to bring this country together and take us forward," Johnson said in a statement to mark the historic occasion.He added: "This is not an end but a beginning. This is the moment when the Shower Curtain Rods factory dawn breaks and the curtain goes up on a new act."Nothing will immediately feel different thanks to a transition period negotiated as part of an EU-UK exit deal, which was ratified only this week.Britons will be able to work in and trade freely with EU nations until December 31, and vice versa, although the UK will no longer be represented in the blocs institutions.But legally, Britain is out with no easy way back.And while the exit terms have been agreed, Britain must still strike a deal on future relations with the EU, its largest trading partner.Divided country Getting this far has been a traumatic process.Despite Britains resistance to many EU projects over the years it refused to join the single currency or the Schengen free travel area the 2016 vote to leave was a huge shock.It unleashed political chaos in London, sparking years of bitter arguments that paralysed parliament and forced the resignations of two prime ministers.Johnson brought an end to the turmoil with his decisive election victory last month, which gave him the parliamentary majority to ratify the Brexit deal.But Britons remain as divided as they were nearly four years ago, when 52 percent voted to leave but 48 percent voted to remain in the EU.Johnson himself is a polarising figure but he has emphasised unity and is avoiding any major celebrations that might exacerbate divisions.
He will first host a special cabinet meeting in the northeastern English city of Sunderland, which was the first to declare for Brexit in the 2016 vote.At 10:00 pm, he will broadcast an address to the nation, and then host a reception for staff at his 10 Downing Street office.A light show will also be held outside No 10, while millions of commemorative 50 pence coins are being minted to mark the occasion.On them is the message: "Peace, prosperity and friendship with all nations."By contrast Nigel Farage, the Brexit Party leader who has spent decades campaigning to leave the EU, is planning a large rally in nearby Parliament Square.He gave a triumphant speech on Wednesday, his last day as a member of the European Parliament, waving Union Jack flags and declaring that Britain was "never coming back".But afterwards, many MEPs bade Britain an emotional goodbye and broke into a chorus of the traditional Scottish song of farewell, "Auld Lang Syne".Brussels Grand-Place was on Thursday lit in red, white and blue. Trade talks loom British eurosceptics have campaigned for decades to free their country from what they see as an overly bureaucratic and unaccountable institution.Johnson has promised to leave the EUs single market and customs union, giving Britain the freedom to forge trade deals around the world.But exactly how that will work -- and at what cost to firms that depend on EU business -- remains to be seen.The EU divorce deal resolved the issue of Londons debts, the rights of EU expatriates, the status of Northern Ireland and the transition period.But Johnson has given himself just 11 months -- to the end of the transition -- to negotiate a new EU partnership, covering everything from trade to security cooperation.He will set out his plans in a speech early next week but Brussels has already warned he must either limit his ambitions or ask for more time.Johnson also wants a trade deal with the United States, where President Donald Trump is a huge supporter of Brexit.Secretary of State Mike Pompeo hailed the potential opportunities during a visit to London on Thursday, saying: "You will see the enormous benefits that accrued to both of our nations as a result of this.