This week in tech

Facebook brings Uber to messenger

MANILA, Philippines - Facebook continues to make tweaks to the Messenger app and its latest one is all about getting you to where you need to go. The feature is called Transportation and Facebook’s first partner service is Uber.

Facebook says through transportation “you can request a ride from a car service without ever needing to download an extra app or leave a conversation.”

How does it work? From within a conversation, tap the more menu and choose Transportation or can directly search for Uber and tap the car icon to request a ride. You will then receive updates on your driver’s status and can even notify your friends that you’ve called a ride.

The feature is still under testing in certain parts of the U.S.A. but will also make its way to other countries and will be partnered with other transportation apps soon.

Google’s Star Wars lightsaber game

The Force is strong with Google. Star Wars fever is definitely upon us with the latest film about a galaxy far far away hitting the cinemas late last week and Google, like many other brands, was quick to capitalize as it released a game called Lightsaber Escape.

To play, you must first go to the Lightsaber escape website on a desktop or a laptop — https://lightsaber.withgoogle.com/. You will then get a link to visit on mobile. You’ll be asked to “calibrate your phone” holding it up vertically as if it were a lightsaber. From there, you’ll need to use your lightsaber/smartphone and swing away to deflect the blasters fired off by stormtroopers.

We tried it and it’s a fun way of realizing your dreams of becoming a Jedi. Give it a spin and may The Force be with you.

Kojima, playstation announce exclusive partnership

After a fallout with game company Konami, renowned video game developer Hideo Kojima, through his newly formed studio Kojima Productions, will develop its first console game exclusive to the PlayStation 4.

Andrew House, President and Global CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. seemed ecstatic about the partnership.

“Hideo Kojima has been a huge part of that history, and we are therefore delighted that he has chosen to bring his brand new project to life in partnership with PlayStation. We look forward to working with him on an exciting new game and warmly welcome him to the PlayStation family,” said House.

Kojima was Konami for 30 years but a reorganization inside the company appeared to have triggered the less than ideal exit of Kojima from the game company. The 52-year-old Japanese gaming designer was the brains behind popular franchises Metal Gear and Silent Hill.

A USB-C adapter for your macbook

Earlier this year, Apple launched a sleek notebook —  the MacBook. But it left some people scratching their heads asking themselves, “where did all the ports go?” For all its technological advancements (the MacBook is equipped with the Force Touch trackpad), it only has a very lonely USB-C port.

With that being the case, you are unable to charge the notebook while transferring files or connect it to a larger display all at the same time. Hong Kong based manufacturer Minix addresses this with the Neo C.

The Neo C is an adapter that lets your USB-C port extend its capabilities as it has two regular USB-A 3.0, slots for both SD and microSD cards, a Gigabit Ethernet jack, your choice of VGA or HDMI monitor output (supports 4K) and,another USB-C port so you can still to charge your computer while using all these ports.