If you’re still upset at missing out on the Destiny beta then you now have a chance to get involved for free, and without need any kind of code. Although it didn’t originally seem to be part of the plan Bungie opened up the beta to everyone at midnight on Thursday.
Destiny Beta news was announced on Bungie’s blog and although it doesn’t specifically say anything about when the free access ends it’s implied that you’ll be able to keep playing all the way through to the end of the beta on Sunday morning.
Bungie has not said how long the public beta will run for, but those who participate in their stress test on July 26 and July 27 will receive a a special reward that will can be claimed once the full game launches.
Nations of the world will be sending their most talented athletes to Tokyo in 2020 for the Olympic Games – but if Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe gets his way, they might also be pitting robots against each other.
He said a robot Olympics would be a good way to show off advances in the field of robotics around the world.
“In 2020, I would like to gather all of the world’s robots and aim to hold an Olympics where they compete in technical skills,” Mr Abe said.
However, the US military has a robotics challenge in which robots battle to complete eight jobs, such as opening a valve or climbing a ladder.
In March, a Swiss robotics laboratory announced the country will host an international competition in 2016 for athletes who use prosthetics and other mechanical aids.
Mr Abe is trying to jump-start his country’s economy and robotics could be one of its key drivers.He has created a task force to outline ways for Japan to triple the size of the industry to 2.4tn yen (£14tn).
He added: “We want to make robots a major pillar of our economic growth strategy.We would like to set up a council on making a robotic revolution a reality in order to aid Japan’s growth.”
As for machines with more pragmatic uses, both Hitachi and Toshiba have unveiled robots capable of helping engineers work in radioactive environments like the Fukushima nuclear plant. Meanwhile, Japanese engineers at Wakata are also conducting tests with a small robot named ‘Kirobo,’ who is operating on the International Space Station as scientists experiment with developing an effective companion for lonely people.
Sony’s upcoming flagship smartphone, which is purportedly named as Xperia Z3, will will have a 5.15-inch display with full HD resolution, EVLeaks has claimed. It further added that the smartphone will be powered by a quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 mobile chipset.
Judging from the pictures and those leaked previously, not a lot has changed in the looks department either.
Earlier this weeks @evleaks claimed the Z3 would have a 5.15-inch 1080p HD display, just like the Z2. He also hinted it would rock a 2.4GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 processor, a marginal improvement on the 2.3GHz quad-core Snapdragon 800 within its predecessor, 3 GB RAM and Android 4.4.4 KitKat operating system.
The Xperia Z3 barely brings anything new to the tablet when compared to the Xperia Z2. However, the subtle difference lies in the fact that the Xperia Z2 runs the Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 MSM8974AB while the Xperia Z3 is expected to arrive with Snapdragon 801 MSM8974AC mobile chipset. The difference lies in the fact that Adreno 330 GPU has been slightly overclocked to deliver marginally better results.
Apart from that, the Xperia Z3 will have 20.7 megapixel camera at the back and 2.1 megapixel camera in the front. There are no details on whether Z3 also will be water and dust proof.
Today, it’s introduced the lowest-priced Windows Phone to date, the Lumia 530, delivering middle-of-the-road specs for €85 ($114,Rs 6,900).The Lumia 530 and Lumia 530 Dual SIM will be available starting August in select markets.
Both the new Lumia handsets run Windows Phone 8.1 with Lumia Cyan update and support firmware over-the-air (FOTA) updates. The Lumia 530 and Lumia 530 Dual SIM come with identical specifications, except that the latter supports dual-SIM functionality.
The Lumia 530 comes with 4-inch FWVGA (480×854 pixels) LCD display that offers pixel density of 246ppi. It is powered by a 1.2GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 200 alongside 512MB of RAM. It sports a 5-megapixel fixed focus rear camera and also comes preloaded with digital camera add-ons such as Bing vision, Nokia Camera, and Nokia Glam Me.
The new Lumia smartphones includes 4GB of inbuilt storage which is further expandable up to 128GB via microSD card. The Lumia 530 and Lumia 530 Dual SIM, much like other Lumia handsets, come with 15GB free OneDrive cloud storage space. The smartphones measure 119.7×62.3×11.7mm and weigh 128 grams.
The Lumia 530 packs a 1430mAh battery which is rated to deliver up to 10 hours of talk time and up to 528 hours of standby time. The smartphone comes with GPRS/ EDGE, 3G, Wi-Fi (802.11 b/g/n), Bluetooth (4.0), GPS and Micro-USB connectivity options. Notably, both the handsets support Micro-SIMs.
Microsoft, alongside the Lumia 530 and Lumia 530 Dual SIM, also unveiled the Bang mini speaker by Coloudpriced at EUR 19 (roughly Rs. 1,500), which will be available in coming weeks.
Both the handsets will be available in Bright Orange, Bright Green, Dark Grey, and White colour variants. Further, the Lumia 530 and Lumia 530 Dual SIM sport changeable shells.
The Chinese smartphone and tablet manufacturer has launched two other smartphones in the India, the Xiaomi Redmi 1S and Xiaomi Redmi Note. The Redmi 1S has been priced at Rs. 6,999, while the Redmi Note has been priced at Rs. 9,999.
As for availability, Xiaomi, also referred to as ‘China’s Apple‘, said the smartphones are ‘coming soon’, with the Redmi 1S scheduled for an early August arrival, and Redmi Note for a late August entry into the Indian market.
Xiaomi’s Redmi Note isn’t a new flagship phone from the Chinese company. Rather it’s an affordable dual-SIM device powered byMediaTek’s octa-core processor that’s under $160, £95, or AU$170.
While you’d expect Xiaomi would have had to make a bunch of compromises to hit such a low price, the Redmi Note is surprisingly packed full of useful features, including a 13-megapixel camera and a5.5-inch IPS 720p display. The only thing lacking is it still runs Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean, but the custom MIUI skin does a good job of helping to hide the fact.
The Redmi Note is the company’s phablet offering, and features a 5.5-inch 720×1280 pixel IPS-LCD display with an approximate pixel density of 267ppi. Featuring dual-SIM support with dual standby, the Xiaomi Redmi Note is powered by a 1.7GHz octa-core MediaTek MTK6592 SoC, coupled with Mali-450MP4 GPU and 2GB of RAM.
It features a 13-megapxiel rear autofocus camera with LED flash, as well as a 5-megapixel rear-facing camera. It comes with 8GB of built-in storage along with microSD card expandability (up to 32GB). Connectivity options on the Redmi Note include GPRS/ EDGE, 3G, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n with Direct and hotspot, Bluetooth 4.0, Micro-USB with OTG, and GPS/ A-GPS.
The Redmi Note features a 3100mAh battery, weighs 199 grams, and has dimensions of 154×78.7×9.5 mm.
The Redmi Note is currently only available in Asia (China, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore, and Taiwan) but you can get it online from third-party retailers. It will cost HKD$1,239 ($159) in Hong Kong, RM509 ($157) in Malaysia, and S$199 ($154) in Singapore. Those prices convert to around £95 or AU$170.
The Good
The Xiaomi Redmi Note has a vibrant display, a sharp camera, dual-SIM capability, and an easy-to-understand interface. Even unlocked it’s quite affordable.
The Redmi Note runs the aging Android Jelly Bean OS, and the glossy plastic back feels oily after prolonged use. There’s also no 4G LTE.
The Bottom Line
The Xiaomi Redmi Note delivers a great display and satisfying performance at a low price, but skip it if you crave the most cutting-edge smartphone features.
An 18.4-inch laptop, however, is a relative ghost. When a notebook gets to be so large it requires a rolling luggage bag to haul around (and costs as much as a downpayment for an apartment) it better be something truly special. The Alienware 18 is just that – for $4,166 (about £2,434, AU$4,443), that is.
Featuring dual Nvidia GeForce GTX 880M GPUs – Nvidia’s most powerful mobile graphics chips – and a blazing fast Intel Core i7 processor, the Alienware 18 is the muscle car of mobile gaming rigs fitted with two turbochargers.
This 18.4-inch beast scored a makeover since the Alienware 18x released two years ago. The Dell-owned company has moved away from gaming platforms that look like trapezoids and instead has adopted a more angular look with rounded edges.
The new look is modern, accented with sleeker lights, and much more pleasing to look at from the front than the automotive grill aesthetic from years past. Rather, the new design resembles a space ship – in fact, a curious onlooker commented the machine looked like just that while I took photos for this review.
On top of the updated looks, the Alienware 18 has a few other premium niceties, including an aluminum-clad lid and magnesium alloy base. The interior of the laptop is also lined entirely with a soft-touch rubbery material, a comfortable place to rest your wrists for extended gaming sessions.
Won’t find a single misaligned panel on the laptop even with all the intricate body lines integrated into the laptop’s body armor design.
Around the back of the laptop are two massive exhaust vents. Flip over the laptop and you’ll find over a third of the Alienware 18′s footprint isn’t a plain old panel but an expanse of mesh for the laptop’s three intake fans.
Failure to launch
While the Alienware 18′s dual GPU setup lends it unprecedented amounts of gaming horsepower, it does not come with the option switched on by default. At first, the laptop performed struggled to run the latest games at max settings with only one GPU. Luckily, after a quick peek at the Nvidia control panel and a few clicks later, everything was fixed. It’s an easily correctable problem, but one that new owners should be mindful of when they pull their rig out of the box.
Another thing users will have to check under the hood is the touchpad’s gesture controls. For some unknown reason, scrolling also comes disable, but not two fingered pinching or rotating. It’s an odd quirk, and it’s unfortunate, because the Alienware 18 sports one of the best touchpads you can ask for on a laptop.
Spec Sheet
CPU: 2.9GHz Intel Core i7-4910MQ (quad-core, 8MB cache, up to 3.9GHz with Turbo Boost)
The Alienware 18 lives up to its legend and tallies up an amazing 8,323 points in the 3DMark Fire Strike test. This is hardly a fair fight, but these marks are more than double that of the AMD-equipped Alienware 17, which only scored 4,727 points with its Radeon HD R9 M290X chip. The EON17-S put up a bit more of fight, scoring 5,444 points with its single GTX 880M GPU.
It’s also clear that the higher-clock-speed CPU gives the Alienware 18 an extra edge. Alienware’s big kahuna completed the Cinebench benchmark with a stellar performance, thanks to its Core i7-4910MQ chip. By comparison, the Intel Core i7-4700MQ tucked inside the smaller Alienware only tallied up 627 cb, and the i7-4810MQ-equipped EON17-S fared just slightly better with marks of 684 cb.
Having 16GB of video ram split between two video cards in a laptop is bonkers. But can’t say that it does not produce results. Normally, have to spend the first couple of minutes playing any game tuning it for the right balance between fidelity and frame rate. With the Alienware 18,feels confident setting everything to “ultra”. It’s liberating to that know your machine can run almost everything at a full clip, and it better for the scratch.
The Alienware 18 is a statement of high-performance inside and out, with looks that are unique to Alienware’s line of machines. There’s no way that this rig will be ever mistaken for an oversized workstation or regular laptop. Yes, some of the lights and extra plastic are a bit superfluous, but I must hand it to Alienware for its meticulous craftsmanship.
We disliked
Though there are plenty of things to commend the Alienware 18 for, it isn’t perfect. Gamers want to buy a high-end laptop because it will work straight out of the box, and the 18-incher fails in this regard.Have to dive into the settings to enable SLI, a key feature and main reason for buying a machine such as this in the first place. Annoyances also extend to the screen and touchpad. After a week with the machine, could feel Alienware’s inputs could use a bit more polish.
The laptop’s gargantuan size also makes it nearly impossible to carry without a special-made backpack. After dragging the unit around in a duffel bag.It’s power needs also make it practically unusable for anything other gaming. Beyond the short battery life, the gaming machine’s equally massive power brick requires large amounts of voltage, enough to cause sparks to shoot out of every outlet I plugged it into. This is the definitive desktop replacement laptop. (Outside of bringing it to LAN parties and gaming competitions.) And it costs over four grand – that cannot be overstated.
Microsoft has now offered information regarding updates starting from July 21 for their next-gen Xbox One console. Until now, the company has kept all its promises and has made a solid effort to work on user feedback.
The team behind the console have been shipping out heavy updates with each passing month, adding significant features and ensuring that users are being given exactly what they want.
The updates are the result of info feedback received from Xbox Feedback, a platform Microsoft launched in June by which Xbox users can send complaints, suggestions and recommendations directly to the people with the power to change things.
These changes include improvements to friends, activity feed, Xbox SmartGlass, notifications and more.
The last Xbox One update added helpful features like the ability to snap the achievements pane and do more with the controller’s Xbox button.
The forthcoming update focuses on social features, expanding the console’s activity feed with a new single-column interface with more content and sharing options. This will make the feed more Facebook-like, with “likes” for other players’ posts and a personal feed for every profile.
In addition, the update will add a new friends area on the Xbox One’s home screen for select users. The new panel will show current activities, trending games and a leaderboard. The feature is being previewed for now and will roll out in full at a later time.
Additionally, users will now see the last time a friend was online.
The update will also let users purchase Xbox Live content from the SmartGlass app or Xbox.com that will automatically begin downloading if your console is set to receive automatic updates.
You’ll now receive notifications when your controllers’ batteries are low, though you’ll also be able to turn off notifications entirely during video playback.
And finally this update adds 3D Blu-ray playback for all users, as well as OneGuide for users in Brazil, Mexico, Austria and Ireland.
Expanded Friends area on Home: Right from Home, see what’s going on with your friends. Stay up-to-date with their current activity, the top trending games your friends are playing, and a leaderboard to see who has been working the hardest on their Gamerscore. We’re doing an extended preview on this, rolling it into the early access preview this month to a subset of our preview audience so we can refine it until it’s ready for the entire Xbox One market.
Mobile purchase: One of the most requested features on Xbox Feedback. Using Xbox SmartGlass or on Xbox.com, you can remotely purchase games and Add-on content. No more waiting to begin downloading when you get home – if your console is set to automatically take updates, your console will begin downloading your purchase.
Low battery notification: You asked for it, now a notification will pop up when your controller battery is getting low.
Disable notifications during video: Adding the ability to turn off notifications based feedback we heard from you.
Enabling 3D Blu-ray: An update to the Blu-ray player app will enable 3D Blu-ray functionality on Xbox One.
Last seen time in Friends list: Direct from Xbox Feedback, the friends list will now show how long it’s been since a friend has been online. For example, “Last seen 20m ago: Forza Motorsport 5.”
Activity feed updates: We’re adding new ways for you to interact with friends in the activity feed. The interface will change to a single column scrolling list that is longer and includes more content. We’ll add the ability to post text to your feed, and to “like” and comment on feed items. You can share game clips and anything else in the feed with friends either publically (to your activity feed) or privately (as an attachment to a message). You’ll also be notified when anyone likes, comments on or shares your items. Each user will get a personal feed on their profile, so you can see what specific friends have been up to. And, with SmartGlass, you can see what your friends have shared to their activity feed and “like” specific posts (additional activity feed support coming in future SmartGlass updates).
Apple’s upcoming iPhone 6 will make use of a lightning-quick 2GHz dual-core A8 chip, according to a post by Chinese site Cnbeta.
iPhone’s have been using dual-core chips for a while, despite Android competitors rocking quad-core processors with octa-core CPU’s just over the horizon.
Chinese site cnBeta.com reports that Apple’s new A8 processor, which we’re expecting to see in the iPhone 6, will once again be dual-core, but while the current A7 chip is clocked at 1.3GHz, the A8 will apparently be 2GHz or more.
Apple’s hardware has never felt lacking in power but a speed increase that big could give it a noticeable boost, though other reports suggest that Apple is focussingmore on efficiency and battery life than increased power, so it remains to be seen how much of a performance increase it will really lead to, if it’s even true.
Display
The iPhone 6 is likely to have a bigger display, with some reports suggesting that Apple could launch two iPhones with bigger screen sizes, measuring 4.7 inches and 5.5 inches. The device is also expected to sport a sharper display made of sapphire glassand a slimmer design with curved edges.
Smaller than ever
As well as being faster the new chip will apparently be manufactured using the20nm process, making it smaller than the 28nm A7 chips. That in turn means that the electrons have less distance to travel, which should both improve its performance and save energy.
It’s also reported, unsurprisingly, that Apple will be sticking with 64-bit architecture.
On paper this will still leave it trailing behind Android and Windows Phone, but what the iPhone lacks in raw power it’s always seemed to make up for in its marriage of hardware and software.
A near £100,000 / $150,000 supercar tuned for fuel efficiency and sporting a mere three-cylinder engine? The all new BMW i8 is surely proof that the modern obsession with emission has finally driven the car industry round the twist.
As it turns out, the BMW i8 is one of the most brilliantly resolved cars driven all year – maybe even years when you consider just how complex it is.
Firstly, the BMW i8 is… complicated. The basics, if you can call them that, start with a hybrid aluminium, thermoplastic and carbon fibre structure. Carbon makes up the core passenger ‘life cell’ and roof, plastics most of the body panels and aluminium the front and rear subframes plus the door skins.
Then there’s the power train. First up is a three cylinder turbocharged petrol engine mated to a six-speed automatic gearbox giving out 231hp. An electric motor that adds a further 131hp courtesy of a 5kW lithium battery position through the spine of the car.
Factor in the modest 1,560kg kerb weight (well, it’s modest for a such a complex car) and the result is performance roughly on a par with BMWs outgoing M3 super sports saloon / sedan. So the zero to 62mph sprint is despatched in 4.4 seconds, top speed is limited to 155mph.
Chassis-wise, the i8 boasts electronic, multi-mode adaptive dampers.
The i8 is good for a staggering 49g/km and 134.5mpg. These are incredible numbers for any combustion car. But for a slinky supercar they’re borderline baffling.
For the record, BMW claims the i8 has a pure electric range of up to 23 miles and will do 75mpg maximum on batteries alone.
There’s brake energy regeneration at both axles and the combustion engine can also charge the batteries.
Three basic driving modes are available ranging from pure-electric mode through standard and Sport which an additional EcoPro mode that can be applied for added efficiency.
If that’s not enough to get your head round, selecting the modes is pretty complicated. Start the car up and you’re in standard mode. Knock the gear selector left and you’re in Sport. But you need to press separate buttons on the centre console to enable pure-electric mode or EcoPro.
Two things hit you right away when you sit inside the i8. First is the light, airy futuristic overall feel of the cabin. It’s a very pleasant place to spend time, even if the super-wide sill (complete with exposed carbon weave) will be bit of a hurdle for some potential customers.
Then there’s the broader in-car gadgetry. BMW’s iDrive with ConnectedDrive multimedia is, in our opinion, as good as it gets.
It’s not much changed for the i8 bar some addition features in the nav to help locate charging stations. But that’s fine by us.
The on-screen menus are gorgeous thanks to the high-res 8.8-inch display and the mix of usability and functionality is bang on. There’s good smartphone integration, nav with real-time traffic data, streaming media and handy extras like Google-Send-Car. Nice.
Flow. If there’s a single word that captures the i8′s driving experience, that’s it.
The i8 isn’t the most visceral, mechanical or conventionally involving car in traditional sports car style. Instead, it has a delightful balance, a deft gait and fabulous way of flowing down a great road.
It’s a beautifully tuned and resolved car, full stop, and it’s even more impressive when you consider how much stuff is going on in the background with brake regen and multiple power sources.
As for how it sounds, insinuations that the i8 sounds like a flat-six Porsche engine at full chat are a bit of an exaggeration. The off-beat thrum (digitally enhanced through the car’s cabin speakers) certainly has character. But it’s not ultimately as sophisticated and exciting as a true six-cylinder engine.
The six-speed automatic gearbox with paddle shifts also works well enough. But it’s not as sharp, not as electrifying as the best dual-clutch boxes now available.
Finally, you’d be surprised just how well the i8 goes on pure electric power. 75mph might not sound that quick, but you can cover ground surprisingly quickly without dipping into combustion power.
Efficiency and emissions
First, some bad news. Drive the i8 very hard and the result will be mpg down in the mid 20s. In hands the average was a little over 24mpg, starting with a full battery charge and tank.
But that is an absolute worst case scenario. A brief stint of of more miserly driving towards the end of our run suggests that a real-world rate nearer 60mpg will be possible.
Driven hard, it will beat a car like the R8 handily but still dip into figures that don’t look great on paper.
But you get to decide. You have both options – drive carefully and get genuinely good mpg or tear it up and pay the price at the pumps.
If there’s a caveat to all this, it’s that the numbers are achieved at least in part courtesy of that grid-charged lithium battery pack and so don’t take into account any emissions created via charging.
But that’s to judge it by irrelevant, outdated metrics. The BMW i8 feels like a car for another age. Suddenly other performance cars seem uncompromising, dated and anachronistic.
In the i8, you feel like part of the solution, not part of the problem. It’s the thinking man’s supercar and a staggering all-round achievement.
The BMW i8 is available today from £95,845 in the UK including the government grant for electric vehicles and$135,700 in the USA.
The story started with a video about an alien invasion and the recruiting of famous football (soccer) players from all around the globe. More recently a video also detailed the Galaxy 11 Team’s training for an upcoming match against a powerful alien race to determine the fate of the Earth.
Samsung has finally released the second half of the last #Galaxy11 soccer-focused ad campaign, more than a month after showing the first half between a fine selection of soccer stars – most of whom you may have already seen playing at the recently ended World Cup in Brazil – and a race of aliens who happen to love soccer so much that they’re ready to fight battles with other races (us, specifically) on the soccer playing field. However, the ad showing the second half of the game is just as terrible as the first one.
It’s not clear why Samsung waited so long to release the ad – maybe it wanted the World Cup to be over – but the new commercial still features digitally rendered soccer stars that use digitally rendered impressive skills, alongside Samsung Galaxy S5 and Gear devices, to beat the aliens. (Obviously humans always win in such promo videos, so we’re not exactly spoiling the ending here),Galaxy11.
Comparatively, the first Galaxy11 ads were a lot more interesting, featuring the actual soccer stars chosen to fight the aliens. But it looks like, no matter how much Samsung would be willing to spend on marketing and advertising Galaxy devices, it still wasn’t able to use footage of the actual players in action in these final videos, unlike in previous commercials.
