Inflame: Internet united over lack of female characters in Assassin's Creed Unity
Inflame
Gaming event E3 is always good for a controversy in which people on the internet take things too far and millions of people's feelings get hurt, and this year's was a cracker.An unfortunate Ubisoft developer commented upon the lack of a female option in the latest Assassin's Creed game, suggesting that the decision to offer four blokes and zero ladies for players to choose from in a multiplayer mode was a simple cost-cutting measure and not a sign that Ubisoft hates all women of all ages.
As ever, things were taken out of context a little for dramatic effect. The poor developer actually meant that the cost of creating the characters would double, not the cost of the entire game. Same with the time it'd take.
But that didn't stop literally everyone in the entire world furiously typing out an opinion and pressing "post" before even checking the spelling of the obscenities, as the contentious issue of "women in games" raised its head once again.
Throw them in and see if they float
Over on Polygon, reader Schadrach stirred things up right from the off, asking: "So every narrative must now require that the sex of the protagonist is irrelevant? Or only that the protagonist must not be required to be male unless it's a set protagonist?"That too-obvious bit of thinking was swiftly dealt with by Alder, who responded with the extremely sensible explanation: "Well, no, but unfortunately the games industry is so unwilling to include female protagonists that gender-agnostic roles where you create the character are 99% of the way that women get to see themselves represented in the modern games industry. If there genuinely was space for all sorts of stories in games, this would be less of a problem."
Commenter Cyruss thinks there's the danger it could descend into meaningless tokenism, though, saying: "I'm all for better representation of women in games, but it has to have its place not just 'thrown in there' for the sake of throwing them in."
Man invents woman
On the Independent, several high-brow history lessons were offered as a way of further criticising Ubisoft for not including females, with Doxydejour telling us: "Women were actively involved in the French Revolution. A quick two second Google search will find you hundreds of academic papers discussing their contribution. Ubisoft's excuses ring hollow as past AC animators have poo-pooed the workload argument, and they've had women in the past so this 'next generation' game really does feel like a step back."Not to be outdone in a historical argument, Flora91161 put her historical knowledge to good use too, adding: "Yep, one of those women, Marie-Anne Charlotte de Corday d'Armont actually assassinated (real life female assassin here) Jean-Paul Merat who was a Jacobin leader and was responsible for the Revolution's more violent course it had taken. So there is no time period excuse, especially when there was a real life example of a female assassin."
"The real excuse here is just pure laziness, that is all," she finished with. Although the Ubisoft man said the real excuse was actually time and money. If someone was told to make a woman character they'd have done it, as it would've been their job.
Why isn't there a male Wonder Woman?
On The Register, reader Jeremy 3 voiced the thoughts of the everyday man, saying: "No-one ever wanted a female Mario or female Sonic. The guy sounds reasonable, they wanted a female character but realised the costs… simple. Does anyone really think we live in a world where someone at a game company decided to scrap a female player because they are sexist? Sounds like the media were looking for something to get upset about."John Bailey sounds like he knows what he's talking about, quashing the whole costs-too-much argument with: "Female meshes abound. Add an extra mesh option with the same animation rigs, and job done. Near zero costs. In fact, the modelling for a single building probably would cost more."
He also suggests how to do the voice work for free, saying Ubisoft should: "Hire some out of work actor to do the voice acting, and job done."
More relevant issues
On Kotaku, reader Klmekaro is braced for more of this sort of thing in future. He, or perhaps even she if the budget permitted, said: "It makes me a little sad that this is going to be the tin can people beat on for the next few years when there are many more relevant issues in the gaming industry."To which pretty much everyone replied. Damien Tobin summarised the responses the most precisely, with: "It makes me a little sad that representation for half the human race is considered a 'tin drum' unworthy of attention."
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E3 2014 Exclusive: Xbox exec Yusuf Mehdi discusses the many battle lines with PlayStation
Microsoft and Sony are ever at odds, but even as both companies' consoles become more advanced the differences between the Xbox One and PS4 are slowly dwindling.
Take Microsoft's recent decision to liberate its entertainment apps from behind the Xbox Live Gold paywall, or Sony locking online multiplayer behind PlayStation Plus, both of which bring the services closer in line.
Then there's Sony's announcement at E3 2014 that it will begin to dabble in original, live PlayStation content with an adaptation of the comic book Powers, which echoes one of Microsoft's current strategies.
We asked Xbox Chief Marketing and Strategy Officer Yusuf Mehdi about competing with Sony on multiple fronts and making decisions that cater to fans, and you can read an excerpt from our chat below.
'Superheroes in their own right'
TechRadar: What's the current vision for original content on Xbox now that competition from Sony and from other services is heating up?Yusuf Mehdi: One of the things that's great about some of these games is they're really incredible stories. Halo is probably the key one. Halo is a universe, literally, in the sense of the story of it, the characters are iconic, they're superheroes in their own right.
Bungie's greatest strength is world-building.
It really is. And 343 is carrying it forward. The opportunity to tell the story across a variety of mediums, obviously in a triple-A game but also through a television series or through a movie - I think that is a thing that the entertainment industry has known for a long time, and the game industry is really starting to step into now with both feet.
You're going to see us continue to pioneer a lot in content that is focused on our gaming audience and what they like, which is different from the mass public. Whether it's some of the sports, like we've done some stuff with Every Street United or for the World Cup we're getting a lot of content prepared, or it's something deeper like [Halo] Nightfall. You'll see a lot from us in that area.
Content that's not directly related to gaming?
It will be related to the gamer. It may not be related to gaming. That's our focus.
With PS4 multiplayer locked behind PlayStation Plus and you guys releasing your entertainment apps from behind the Xbox Live Gold paywall it seems these two services are becoming more and more similar. Are the changes you've made to Xbox Live more in response to competition or to giving fans what they want?
It was more a response to the fans, and it was even more a response just to drive usage. It wasn't even like it was the most hotly asked-for feature. It was more, you know, in the spirit of really showing up as a champion for our fans.
We look at all these areas of "Where are there pain points and what can we do?" and I think one of the ones people said was "Why are you charging for some of these services when I can get them on any device?"
And I'm already paying for Netflix, I'm already paying for Amazon Prime, for HBO …
Right. I mean, history-wise I think we were the first game console to put Netflix on the system. We kind of put the whole concept on the map. And we did a lot of special work to make that happen and the make the experience great.
So back then it made sense. "OK, well this is a special thing we've worked to get together." Now because they're more commonly accessible, we saw feedback and we said let's just make it free for everybody. And hopefully that will drive usage. That was really the decision process.
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Windows Phone 8.1 fans can soon jump on wearables bandwagon with FitBit app
The manufacturers of smartphone-aided wearable fitness trackers have been totally pre-occupied with catering for iOS and Android users so, but that's about to change.
The maker of the FitBit wristbands has confirmed it is working on a Windows Phone 8.1 application, which can pair up with the devices like the Fitbit Flex, Fitbit Force and Fitbit One.
The confirmation came, via WPCentral, on the company's forums with a short and sweet statement: "Fitbit is developing an application for Windows Phone 8.1. Thank you for all your feedback and support!"
FitBit did not reveal any release dates or specifics, but it would be neat to see those real-time updates sit within one of the Windows Phone Live Tiles on the homescreen.
De facto choice
The launch of an app would make FitBit the de facto choice for Windows Phone-toting fitness enthusiasts seeing as the Nike Fuelband SE, Jawbone UP and Fitbug Orb are all incompatible.Maybe that is one of the reasons why Microsoft is seemingly hellbent on creating its own platform agnostic wrist accessory?
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Apple pledges to boost encryption when iCloud emails go between other providers
Apple's iCloud email service is currently one of the few that does not encrypt messages when they're exchanged with other providers. However, that is about to change.
An NPR report on Friday revealed that Apple encrypts messages when they travel to other iCloud (or @me.com and @mac.com accounts), but not when they're going to/coming from Outlook or Gmail, etc.
"Apple encrypts e-mail from its customers to iCloud. However, Apple is one of the few global email providers based in the U.S. that is not encrypting any of its customers' email in transit between providers. After we published, the company told us this would soon change.
"This affects users of me.com and mac.com email addresses," the NPR report pointed out.
Coming soon
Apple responded to the report by assuring the news service to confirm it is indeed working on encrypting mail between other providers, rather than simply safeguarding the security of iCloud to iCloud mail.Apple said "soon" but didn't offer any specific timeline for the security boost.
- Apple has challenged Google Drive and Dropbox with iCloud drive. Details here.
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Xbox One July update will unlock Achievements in Snap mode
As Microsoft's Xbox One console moves ever closer to achieving the company's vision, the monthly Xbox One updates seem to be getting less significant.
However, the forthcoming July update still has some intriguing features for gamers, per Xbox Live's Larry Hyrb (aka Major Nelson).
The headlining boost will be the addition of achievements in Snap mode, meaning players can see how they're progressing towards goals in real time, with the one's they're closest to unlocking at the top. Gamers can also move which achievements they care about most to the top of the list.
The addition, previewed at E3 and shown in the video below, is a boon for those Xbox Urban Achievers who 'went out there and achieved anyway.'
Kinect-less
In addition, Microsoft is also introducing the contingencies for the first generation of gamers buying the Xbox One without the Kinect peripheral.From July, when users double tap the home button, they'll see the Snap menu and will be able to move between apps. For users with a Kinect, they're able to say 'Xbox Snap' in order to switch.
There's also social improvements, with gamers able to like clips and notes that pop up in the second screen Smartglass app.
No news yet on exactly when the update will drop.
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Twitter now allows you to embed tweets within tweets on iOS and Android
Twitter is experimenting with a brand new feature for users of its iOS and Android apps - the ability to embed tweets within their tweets.
The embedding tool, which could become an alternative to retweeting or straight-up quoting tweets, can be enabled by copying the link to a tweet you wish to embed and pasting it within the tweet you're composing.
From there you must click the individual tweet itself in order to see the embedded tweet. Oh, and it doesn't work on the web either.
It may not be entirely straightforward, but the result is the tweet appearing below your own a la a photo, video, vine or web-link preview, rather than a URL link to the update.
Rethinking retweeting
Twitter often tries out new features on a selection of its users before rolling it out to the full crowd, so it's far from certain it'll become a standard feature, however there are many good arguments for introducing it.For example, you'll often see users retweet a post, only to follow it up with an "re: that last RT..." tweet, or quote a tweet only to have very few characters left to add their own comment.
This feature, perhaps simplified with an embed option alongside retweet and quote, would solve both of those problems.
According to The Next Web, the feature is available as part of the latest update on iTunes and Android.
Opinion: Twitter's new mute feature is for chumps
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Samsung Galaxy Tab S set to celebrate its independence on July 4
Samsung's Galaxy Tab S models have gone up for pre-order in the UK.
The impressive 10.5-inch and 8.4-inch tablets, announced last Thursday, will start shipping from PC World and Currys from July 4, with in-store availability slated for the next day.
The pre-order page lists the smaller Galaxy Tab S 8.4 as £329 (16GB), while the 16GB Galaxy Tab S 10.4 will be £419.
Perhaps significantly, that's more expensive than the start prices for Apple's iPad mini 2 with Retina Display (£319) and the iPad Air, which starts at £399.
Tempting?
However, Samsung will be confident that its Android 4.4 KitKat line-up will tempt consumers away from Apple's offerings, thanks to their super sleek design and bleeding edge specs.The were revealed to the world on Thursday as Samsung's brightest, lightest and thinnest tablets yet. The 10.5-inch device is just 6.6mm thick and 469g.
Both tablets will arrive with Super AMOLED 2560 x 1440 adaptive displays which can adjust themselves depending on the lighting in the room, while they're also 40 per cent less reflective. Both tablets come with Exynos 5 octo-core processors, 3GB of RAM.
In our early verdict on the Galaxy Tab S range, TechRadar's Gareth Beavis wrote: "The Tab S duo is definitely one of the strongest Samsung has ever put out, and I can imagine myself getting giddy at the prospect of using the simply stunning screen on a long-haul flight to indulge in a beautiful movie marathon.
But unless the price comes in a lot lower than the competition, then the design elements, combined with the slightly cumbersome overlay, might put off those people that were thinking of straying from the Apple, Sony, Google or Amazon flocks."
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In Depth: Best Google alternatives: the tech you need to live without the Big G
Best Google alternatives
The news that Google is buying Skynet - sorry, Skybox - is just the latest piece of the search giant's world domination plan.It's in hardware and home automation, wearables and web ads, maps and military robotics, and we're rapidly reaching the point where the list of what Google doesn't do is shorter than the list of the things it does do.
But what if you don't love, like or even trust Google? Is it the Vogon of tech, bellowing RESISTANCE IS USELESS and threatening to recite dreadful poetry? Maybe not but here's steps you can do to get the big G out of your life.
PCs, phones and TVs
The first step to a Google-free world is to bin any Google hardware. That means anything Android as well as Chromebooks, Chromeboxes and Chromecasts and any Google TVs you might have hanging around. In the unlikely event that you have a Nexus Q media streamer, that has to go too.
That leaves you with several hardware options, most of them from other giant corporations and most of them costing more than Google's offerings: MacBooks or Windows laptops over Chromebooks, iMacs or Windows desktops over Chromeboxes, iOS or Windows Phone over Android.
Those aren't the only options, though. There's always Linux for your PC OS or ZTE's Open, which is Firefox-powered, and Amazon's Kindle Fire devices and incoming smartphones use forked Android - which means they're Google-free. Ubuntu smartphones are due this year, and there's always BlackBerry.
There are plenty of Chromecast alternatives too. There's the Apple TV, of course, Now TV (if you're in the UK) and the Roku Streaming Stick, and if you have a console you can do the video on demand thing on that too - especially now that Microsoft has made TV and video apps available to everyone on Xbox, not just Xbox Live Gold subscribers.
Wearables and home automation
Replacing Google Glass is a tricky one, but there are several possibilities including the Meta Pro, Vuzix M100 Smart Glasses.
Incoming Android Wear devices such as Moto's exciting Moto 360 would be disqualified, but Samsung's Galaxy Gears make it thanks to their use of Samsung's own Tizen OS. We're not entirely sold on Samsung's wearables but given the choice between products you can buy and products you can't, the shipping Gears win the battle for your wrist.
Fancy a Nest thermostat without the Googles? Honeywell has you covered, as does British Gas (Hive), Insteon and Tado.
Online and apps
The Chrome browser has to go - Firefox and Opera are our favourite alternatives - as does Google as your browser's default for search: Bing isn't half bad, but we prefer the privacy-protecting DuckDuckGo - as does Apple, which will offer it as an option in its next OSes.
You'll need to install ad blocking software too, as Google's DoubleClick ad network appears on stacks of big-name sites.
Gmail, Google Docs and Google Drive are no-nos but there's alternatives aplenty. Apple offers iCloud, Microsoft outlook.com and OneDrive, and there are plenty of third party options such as DropBox for storage and Zoho for documents.
Of course you wouldn't be able to use Google+ either but there's always Facebook or, er, MySpace. If you only use Google+ for the Hangouts, Skype's the app for you, and if you're a Blogger fan you could switch to Tumblr.
Music, movies and books
Google's Play store and service have no shortage of rivals. For apps there are manufacturer-specific app stores from Apple, Microsoft, Nokia, BlackBerry and so on. \For music there's Amazon MP3, iTunes, 7Digital, play.com and for streaming, Spotify, iTunes Match, Xbox Music, Deezer, Blinkbox Music, Napster, Rdio and many, many more.
For movies there's Amazon Prime Instant Video, Netflix and various UK-based FilmFlex-powered services such as EE Film, Virgin Media Online Movies and Film4oD as well as the aforementioned Amazons, iTunes and supermarket sites.
Last but not least there's books, which are delivered particularly well by Amazon's Kindle app and Apple's iBooks.
Replacing YouTube is a trickier task. There's always Vimeo, but it feels a little more corporate than its rival and doesn't have the same reach. Vine is shorter and we haven't seen a Flickr video in years.
If you're a content producer for video, music or clips of skateboarding cats, skipping YouTube is likely to hurt you in the wallet.
Maps
Giving up Google Maps needn't be a wrench: Nokia's excellent here.com offers all the satellite, 3D and Street View goodness you could ever ask for, and its points of interest database appears to be much more accurate than Apple's.
Bing Maps' Birds Eye View is particularly nifty too, although Bing wasn't as good at finding local points of interest. Or you could buy a stand-alone sat-nav. Remember them?
Moonshots
You might think that there's no obvious alternative to Google's autonomous cars or its faintly frightening Boston Dynamics robot division, but there is if you're willing to wait a bit.
Volvo has been experimenting with self-driving cars for years, Nissan reckons it'll have autonomous vehicles by 2020 and Oxford university has demonstrated a self-driving system that might cost as little as £100 in the UK.
As for the terminators, there are rivals to Petman and Big Dog: the annual DARPA Robotics Challenge features a wide range of competitors who are doing their very best to make our SF nightmares come true - and firms such as Samsung and Qinetiq have been making military robots for years.
Is tech still great without Google?
In most cases the answer is yes: whether it's replacing Google search with DuckDuckGo, going Here instead of there for maps or embracing alternative sources of apps, downloads or streaming, it's quite possible to replace Google sites and services without feeling much or any pain. The big exception, of course, is Android: if Android users had wanted iPhones, Windows Phones or BlackBerries they'd have bought them.There's another issue to think about, which is why you would want to dump Google in the first place. Is it because of its tax arrangements? Amazon, Microsoft and Apple are hardly saints in that department. Privacy concerns? Jumping to Facebook because of that would be rather like jumping from the frying pan into a frying pan full of bombs. General disquiet that Google is rapidly becoming Skynet, or at least B&N from Pixar's Wall-E? That appears to be every tech giant's ultimate aim.
If your ultimate concern is ethical rather than technological, the only way to quit Google with a clear conscience is to embrace open source and indie tools instead.
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Roundup: Best of TechRadar Pro: Intel's Devil's Canyon, Shadow IT, World Cup tech and Windows XP
Shadow IT: what it is, and how you should deal with it
With new technologies, trends like BYOD, and the consumerisation of enterprise IT all creeping into the office, businesses can face an uphill task maintaining control of their systems and what their employees are using them for.
One expression related to these changes is 'shadow IT'. We spoke to Perry Gale, VP of workflow specialist Nintex, to find out what this meant and how organisations can manage the challenge it poses. Continue reading...
Intel Devil's Canyon: what you need to know about the latest Core processors
Intel has announced its latest high-end processors to the world.
Codenamed Devil's Canyon (Intel's codenames are getting better), we first heard of this chip series back in March, but we're only now allowed to talk about the details. And the key detail is that this is Intel's first 22nm chip to be clocked at 4GHz across all four cores – more on that shortly.
Essentially though, this isn't a new generation of technology – it's the refresh of the Haswell fourth-generation Core processors which we saw launched a year ago – most of the parts will have minor performance bumps over their Haswell equivalents – they still use the same 22nm 3D Tri-gate transistor design. Continue reading...
2014 World Cup in Brazil: how is it being powered?
An event the size of the World Cup now requires colossal technical support to sustain the weight of digital consumption both inside and outside the host nation, with events in Brazil about to be beamed right around the world.
One of the organisations sweating over the technological infrastructure in South America is Unisys; an official IT partner for this summer's tournament. Before the action got underway, we spoke to the company's strategic programs director for Brazil, Italo Cocentino, who gave us the inside track on providing IT solutions at the World Cup. Continue reading...
How do we bring more women into IT?
With women still so woefully underrepresented in the IT sector, BCS, the Chartered Institute for IT, is now working in partnership with educators, industry and government to boost female participation in technology and engineering.
Gillian Anrold, who chairs BCS Women, explained to TechRadar Pro why this is important and why we need more females getting on board from a young age. Continue reading...
Still using Windows XP? Time to move, fast!
On 8 April 2014, Microsoft ended support for Windows XP. This means that at this point, unless you have a limited (and expensive) extended support contract agreed with Microsoft, your business is no longer protected against emerging vulnerabilities in XP and potential exploits.
What's more, XP is officially an obsolete system for which fewer and fewer business critical applications will either be updated or supported. And staff members, who have probably been enjoying the benefits of Windows 7 at home for a few years, will think any business still running XP is living in the Stone Age.
If you are still running Windows XP then all of these security, functionality, and perception issues add up to one conclusion: You should migrate now, without delay. Continue reading...
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Hands-on review: Updated: Alienware Steam Machine review
Alienware Alpha Steam Machine at E3 2014
The Alienware Steam Machine finally has a name: Alpha. But more importantly, the Dell-based company has also finalized specs on the Steam Box.The small 7x7x2-inch console's price will start at $549 (about £327, AU$588). Base specs include an Intel Core i3 Haswell based processor, 4GB DDR3 1600MHz memory, custom-built NVIDIA Maxwell based GPU, with 2GB of dedicated GDDR5 high-speed memory, dual-band Wireless-AC 1x1 with Bluetooth 4.0, HDMI In and HDMI Out for uncompressed 8 channel audio & support for 4k content, two USB 3.0 ports, two USB 2.0 ports, 500GB SATA 3 HDD and Windows 8.1 64-bit.
The Alienware Alpha can also be configured with an Intel Core i5 or an i7 Haswell based processor, 8GB DDR3 1600MHz dual-channel memory, dual-band Wireless-AC 2x2 with Bluetooth 4.0 and 1TB and 2TB SATA 3 HDD. Pricing on higher specced machines will be announced at a later date.
Though Valve delayed Steam OS and the Steam Controller, to 2015, Alienware Alpha will still release later this year around the holiday season.
UI still incomplete
During E3 2014, Alienware had working Alphas on hand and I stopped by to finally play on the machine.That doesn't mean Alpha is ready just yet though. I was shown an early version of the Windows 8.1 based UI where the console uses Steam Big Picture to pull up your library of games. Since it's still being worked on, I wasn't allowed to photograph any images of the UI.
You won't see Windows when you boot up, unless you really want to in which case the Metro interface is accessible from the settings. If you're feeling particularly adventurous, you can also install the current version of the Linux-based SteamOS.
The Alienware UI I saw was simple, straightforward and branded with the company's familiar logo. The rep said it was set up to be "console-like" and "easy to navigate" which it definitely was.
It also reminded me of a semi-dynamic Blu-Ray movie menu where you can scroll left or right to pick an option. The background changed with each choice - which Alienware reps said could be changed to whatever image you want much like a desktop background.
Currently the only menu choices are Settings, Steam - which takes you to Steam Big Picture - and Launcher.
The Launcher option is still being tested out and doesn't have a specific feature yet. So far, the Alienware team is throwing around ideas like turning it into a Uplay launcher, or even opening apps like Netflix. Neither of these concepts are finalized but that's the general form we can expect Launcher to take later.
So how's it play?
Two of the games being demoed were Gauntlet and Broforce where the reps chose the latter to play with me. Though extremely fun, the 2D side-scroller is not the most graphically demanding game out there.However, the reps were determined to show off another side of the Steam Machine: "the experience, versatility and affordability of PC gaming in the living room." In this case, the ability to hook up multiple controllers via HDMI in and out to then hook up to another console, a set-top box or PC allowing the "versatility" mentioned.
Though shipping with a 360 controller, Alienware previously told us that the machine will be compatible with a variety of gamepads. You'll even be able to connect different ones for simultaneous gameplay.
For what it's worth, the game did play smoothly for the three of us. I was told that the Alpha can indeed play at 1080p, 60 fps but didn't have demos on hand to show me. The rep mentioned that during testing, BioShock Infinite and Tomb Raider were played at the highest settings.
The final product is still being future-proofed for upcoming titles and Alienware plans on a direct launch of Alpha with no beta launch.
Early Verdict
I'm disappointed I didn't get to really see the 1080p, 60 fps in action but I expect Alienware will have the Alpha out again, a bit more ready for PAX Prime considering the reps told me we'll hear more about an improved UI post-Comic-Con.The pricing is still a bit steep but Alienware seems confident that its target demographic won't be the high-end PC gaming enthusiast. Rather, it'll be the console gamer who wants the larger PC gaming library and next-next gen graphics … I'm not sure how far this optimism will take sales though, considering the Alpha Steam Machine is already in the same pricing family as the PS4 and Xbox One - therefore, making it pretty unappealing to gamers in all camps.
Alienware's possible draw for the PC gaming crowd is the allowance of customization that Valve previously touted. With the exception of the "specially made" Nvidia Maxwell GPU, the RAM, SSD and CPU can be replaced and upgraded without restrictions - if it all fits within the box, of course.
But then again, you could just always upgrade your PC.
In spite of my doubts, I'm still anxious to see how well the Alienware Alpha really plays, and how Steam Machines in general will fit into the PC/console gaming paradigm. Is the Steam Box the ultimate white flag bridging the two sides? Or will it simply flop miserably at everything?
We'll find out when the Alpha launches later this year, though in the meantime we're bound to have a few more hands ons in between.
Alienware Steam Machine at CES 2014
Alienware went through eight revisions over two years in collaboration with Valve before the gaming PC vendor came to its final Steam Machine. That's how serious Alienware claims to be about Valve's hardware initiative, and it shows in the design.This Steam box is more subdued than most of Alienware rigs, with the only lighting on the all-black box being on its glossy face. Naturally, the Alienware logo glows, but so does Valve's logo, which appears in a triangular cut into the bottom-left corner of the device. At the moment, the Alienware logo is a hard button that changes the lighting from blue to green to red and so on.
Up front, the unit houses two standard USB ports. Around back, Alienware kept the I/O simple, with just two USB 3.0 ports, Ethernet and HDMI-out below two large vent outputs. (Intake lines the bottom edges of the unit.) Up top, the unit is coated in a soft touch finish.
Honestly, after eight revisions, I would expect something more radical, but Alienware's Steam Machine is right up there with the PS4 in terms of size and style. The company doesn't dance around that it borrowed heavily from its X51 mini gaming PC design in crafting its version. Smart move.
How will it play?
While the company brought just a mockup to CES 2014, I'm told that the design is final. If the show were a month later, Alienware would have a working model to show, a Dell (Alienware's parent company) representative told me. Instead, Alienware had an X51 running Steam OS to give an idea of how the final Steam Machine would operate.
I played a few incredibly clumsy minutes of Metro: Last Light in 1080p with the latest version of Valve's Steam Controller, and the machine had no frame rate or screen tearing issues whatsoever. According to a Dell rep, the entry-level Steam Machine will play Metro: Last Light in 1080p locked at 30 frames per second. I just wouldn't expect very high settings.
If anything, this instills confidence that the Linux-based Steam OS doesn't harm the performance of Windows games ported over. For one, Linux is an inherently lightweight kernel. And two: There is a minimal amount of background processes running on Steam OS, giving the CPU, GPU and RAM more to offer your games.
Sparking another console war
Alienware claims that its Steam Machines will house even more powerful hardware than the latest X51 models; all three configurations (good, better and best) will house Intel processors and Nvidia GPUs. More importantly, the company claims that its entry-level model will be "competitively priced" against the Xbox One and PS4.
Considering many of the console-priced Steam Machines are running Intel's integrated Iris Pro graphics on Haswell chips, that could be a boon for Alienware's offering. And if the final living room units will be even more powerful than the latest X51 models, I expect an even better showing by the final units.
But it's only companies like Alienware that seem concerned with Microsoft and Sony regarding their Steam boxes. Valve doesn't have as much of a stake in whether the Steam Machines succeed as its partners. If the Steam Machines initiative falls flat, then tough luck for Alienware and its competitors.
Valve has more users on Steam (65 million as of October 2013) than there are Xbox One and PS4 players combined, and it will be that way for some time. Companies like Alienware can't say the same, but they're banking on Valve's vision as a means to compete.
Early verdict
Alienware's Steam Machine is a gorgeous piece of hardware – something that would fit right in with your other game consoles or cable box in the entertainment center. While the company was only prepared to show a mockup unit, it's somewhat comforting to be told that the entry level model should be able to play one of the most demanding PC games around locked at 30 fps and 1080p.Like all Steam Machines, the hardware is the easy part. There's nothing stopping them from beating the consoles at their own game in terms of raw performance. (Perhaps even at competitive prices.) However, Valve – not to mention the vendors – have plenty of work to do elsewhere.
It's up to Valve to convince more game developers that Steam OS truly is the future of living room gaming, and that the audience will be there. At the same time, the hardware manufacturers face an uphill battle of showing the entrenched console gaming audience why their alternatives are more ideal. One cannot happen without the other.
Being primarily a console gamer these days that sees the value of Steam and hardware upgrades, I might want to see an Alienware Steam Machine under my TV. But how many more are out there like me? Alienware and its competitors' success seems to depend on hypotheticals like this. For most, it will be tough to make a $499 (at least) purchase based on what ifs.
There were thirteen Steam Machines on show at CES 2014. See them all in our video roundup below:
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E3 2014: Top five things missing from E3 2014
With E3 over, we realized there was a lot to love and a lot to hate, and not everything we wanted showed up to wow us this year.
There were definitely games we had fun playing like Evolve, Dragon Age Inquisition and Battlefield Hardline, plus there's Sony's PlayStation TV to look forward to in the fall, but there are still a few things that could have made the show much more satisfying.
Take a gander at our list below for things we wished were at E3 2014, or check out our video for the quick version.
Here's hoping next year will be a bigger, blockbuster year filled with all those delayed games - and maybe, just maybe more new hardware.
1. Aren't there 15 Steam Machines?
Well, we finally played on an actual Steam Machine - Alienware's Alpha Steam Machine. However, it's still technically not finished and the Steam Controller, along with the final version of SteamOS, are still delayed until 2015.But it was good enough to play on, so where the heck are the others?!
Last we checked, there were 13 official Steam Boxes, and then Asus recently announced two more making it a total of 15. With that many outed, there has got to be at least more than one working prototype ... right? Or are they all just empty, pretty boxes? Are we going to see another Oculus Rift scenario where we'll have to wait years to actually get one?
2. Microsoft, let's get real with virtual reality
So there's Oculus Rift. Then there's Sony's Project Morpheus. Where's Microsoft's VR device? OK, to be fair, it's been hinted at before. But then again, it could all just be meaningless bones thrown out to content the mob.E3 had a general lack of virtual reality buzz compared to GDC 2014 but that doesn't mean interest has waned. New games and demos are constantly being released, more crazy VR contraptions are popping out and yet, it all has remained silent on the Microsoft VR front.
Maybe the team is pulling an Apple iWatch moment and biding its time to see what does best, then will come out of the woodwork to seize all of the glory on the failed prototypes before it.
Or maybe it's just going to stick with the Kinect.
3. Fallout 4, where you at?
Oh Bethesda. We love your games. We love Skyrim. We're OK with Elder Scrolls Online. The Evil Within looks decent despite being last-gen. Battlecry has potential.But everyone's clamoring for some Fallout 4. We were kind of hoping there would be an "OMG NO WAY" moment at E3 and that it would be the announcement or tease of Fallout 4. Yet nothing of the sort happened.
Maybe next year?
4. A Wii U price drop, please and thanks
We all know Nintendo is a favorite. It's the epitome of childhood and right up there with all things classic, complete with the old-timey nostalgic feels.But you'd be a fool to not see that the company is tanking. For all its secrecy and high-horse mentality with its games, Nintendo needs a serious economic boost.
It's E3 Digital Event was certainly polarizing and had people either crazy excited or feeling deflated. Some good games were actually revealed (and some we don't even care about to remember but alas, that happened for all the press conferences, honestly) though what we wanted to see most was a Wii U price drop.
From our perspective, the small selection of interesting games and lack of platforms to play them on means the current and expensive hardware price needs to change.
5. Stop being a square, Square Enix
Last year's Sony' press conference promised another Kingdom Hearts. Square Enix did not deliver. There was also no word on a new Final Fantasy.There were a lot of missing games and these were simply a few more that we really wished had some sort of showing during E3.
Bonus missing item:
Still no Half-Life 3.
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Hands-on review: E3 2014: Turtle Beach Ear Force Elite 800
Headset manufacturers don't always tell you the truth. Well, it's almost the truth, but not quite. Want an example? Take 360-degree sound.
You see, most headsets use simulated 7.1 surround sound with either DTS- or Dolby-powered processing to simulate the experience of seven channels of audio. Because a headset only has two drivers (left and right earcup), simulation is really almost the only way to get surround sound while using a two driver system.
That's all well and good, but for the most part true-7.1 systems are angled producing sound above and below your ears giving you a more accurate experience in line with the sound designer's intentions. Until now, that's never been possible in a headset. Enter the Ear Force Elite 800 headset for PlayStation 3 and PS4.
360+-degree audio
By simulating different planes (higher, lower, and at-ear-level), the latest headset from Turtle Beach can actually attempt to go toe-to-toe with higher-end audio setups. During my demo of Wolfenstein: The New Order, I got a chance to use the set to gun my way through a beach level in the game.While the explosive-laden battlefield wasn't the best place to hear the finer levels of details, I could differentiate between the planes of sound. Perhaps under quieter circumstances, like, say, in a Blu-ray, this will be a bit more pronounced, but for now it's functional.
A lot has changed since the brand's initial launch on new-gen consoles. Their first PS4 and Xbox One headsets suffered from subdued audio that really provided little to no bass. Plus, at least in the Xbox One's case, weren't truly wireless.
The Elite 800 was both completely wireless - thanks to a USB dongle that plugged into the front of the PS4 - and, believe it or not, overwhelmingly loud. There's no volume issue here. The Elite 800 can output the level of sound new-gen console gamers have been craving.
Design and price
At $299.95 (UK£189, about AU$321), this set isn't exactly cheap. But the robust feature set like the downloadable Turtle Beach app that lets you choose between different presets and custom make your own,and sturdy build quality just about justify the price tag.The Elite 800 does a lot right with its design too. Reduced padding on the bridge reduces the overall weight from previous models while keeping a comfortable, snug grip on your head. Pleather earcups provided passive noise cancellation, while software inside the headset added a relatively powerful active cancellation component.
Controls built into the headset can be accessed via the faceplate-facing side and, once you get accustomed to what they all are, the faceplate can even be exchanged for one of the dozen, franchise-exclusive sets available on the company's website.
There's not much to complain about here, and with a 15-hour battery it's not like you'll run out of juice before getting experience it all.
Early verdict
While $300 is a lot to spend on a wireless gaming headset, the Elite 800 could potentially be the best of the bunch. The possibility of including a tournament-quality audio mix-amp should finally challenge Astro's hold on the hardcore scene, and additional planes of sound should make finding enemy players in first-person shooters a breeze.
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Microsoft's Cortana might one day lend a hand on iOS and Android
Considering its very name is taken from the Microsoft-exclusive game series Halo, it's no surprise the virtual personal assistant Cortana currently lives exclusively on Windows Phone.
But Microsoft is considering migrating her to iOS and Android as well, according to GeekWire.
"It's a bit of a head scratcher for us right now," Windows Phone Group Program Manager Marcus Ash said at the SMX Advanced Search Marketing expo on June 12.
If nothing else, his comment indicates that Cortana's expansion to other platforms is an ongoing conversation at Microsoft.
Home sweet home
In addition to Ash's quotes, statements made by Applications and Services Group Program Manager Rob Chambers were also referenced by Search Engine Land.According to the site, Ash said they're "actively talking about" Cortana on iOS and Android, and the duo even reportedly went further than that, discussing Cortana on desktop PCs, Cortana in vehicles, and more.
There are hurdles in that iOS and Android users might not want Cortana, as they already have Siri and Google Now, respectively.
And Cortana might not have access to many of the features on those platforms, including users' personal data, that it uses on Windows Phone.
But Microsoft already overcame whatever hurdles may have existed in bringing Bing and Office to rivals' platforms, and it's nice to know it's considering doing the same with Cortana.
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E3 2014 Exclusive: Kinect will always be integral to Xbox One, says Xbox's marketing chief
It didn't take long after the Xbox One launched - less than a year, in fact - before Microsoft announced a cheaper SKU with no Kinect.
Luckily they did so shortly before E3 2014, giving us the opportunity to ask Xbox Chief Marketing and Strategy Officer Yusuf Mehdi about the change.
It may seem like Microsoft is burning users who bought the XB1 with Kinect included, not to mention developers like Harmonix, whose games require the sensor, but Mehdi promised that Kinect will remain integral to the console.
Keep reading for an excerpt from our Q&A with the Xbox exec.
Shake, shake, shake señora
TechRadar: Is Kinect going to continue to be an integral part of the Xbox One experience?Yusuf Mehdi: Yeah, I think Kinect is going to continue to be integral. Kinect operates at three levels. It's kind of a system service, so voice/gesture controls, you can manage your television experience or your game experience, where it's, you know, "Xbox, go to Titanfall," "Turn on," "Turn off," all that. The second one is for dedicated games that really are Kinect-based, so Fantasia, Dance Central, Kinect Sports Rivals.
And then the third would be the broader set of games that take advantage of Kinect features when it makes sense, like in Dead Rising, you can shake your body to shake off the zombies, you can with your voice say "fire arrows" and you can command your troops [in Ryse: Son of Rome] - different abilities like that.
So it works at three levels. That continues, and we keep making improvements, perfections, and the progress on Kinect v2 has been pretty huge. If you look at it, a billion voice commands alone since launch. Over a billion. Very different from what we had in Kinect v1. And it's a system where it trains, it gets better, the voice gets better with more uses.
The other part is the reason we un-bundled it, and it was a tough decision because we have all of our game publishers, and there was a question of, well, do you lose dev innovation because people can't rely on it being there, versus if we have a new opening price point that's $100 cheaper, can you get a lot more people to come to the Xbox One?
And in the end we decided that the latter was the best thing to get, to focus on the customer and to broaden the audience for the developers.
TR: What was the feedback like from those companies, especially developers that rely on Kinect, like Harmonix?
YM: For people like Harmonix, I mean, they definitely would like to have a Kinect in every box. That makes it easier for us collectively to have Dance Central really pop. And that was tough. That's a tougher one. But with the broader set of game publishers and game developers, they all said this is the right call, to broaden the audience. And so, "Way to go!" and, "We're going to get behind and support you."
TR: Are new apps still required to support Kinect?
YM: Well, the way we've architected the system service is that it's very easy to write it so that the consumer can power it with their voice and Kinect, and if not then there's a controller option or a remote option.
TR: But Kinect will still be integrated with everything?
YM: Yeah. All that will still be in the platform. None of that has changed.
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Spammed by LinkedIn emails? Justice will be served
LinkedIn has become a joke in the tech world for constantly sending unwarranted emails to accept invitations and paid accounts. Now, the joke is on the company as it finds itself in legal hot water and stands accused of spamming even more users outside of its network.
Reuters reports that Judge Lucy Koh found LinkedIn guilty of violating users' external emails accounts and stealing contacts from their address books.
With this information in tow, LinkedIn allegedly spammed email contacts in users' address books in an attempt to attract more customers to sign up for accounts.
According to the 39-page decision, LinkedIn was still acting within its boundaries to send an initial "endorsement email" to recruit users contacts to join the service. However, the social media company overstepped its privacy policy by sending repeat messages vying for more members to join the LinkedIn network.
Fair justice
In her decision, Koh shamed the act of sending multiple messages, noting it could "injure users' reputations by allowing contacts to think that the users are the types of people who spam their contacts or are unable to take the hint that their contacts do not want to join their LinkedIn network."As repentance for LinkedIn's actions, Koh's decision also allows customers to pursue a lawsuit against the company for violating a California unfair competition law and users' right of publicity.
The latter protects individuals' names from being used without permission for commercial purposes, such as advertising LinkedIn memberships.
In the future LinkedIn may face a class action lawsuit for damages caused by the company's implied email harvesting and improper marketing.
Previously Koh ruled that Gmail users could purse a lawsuit against Google for its email scanning practices, which the company allegedly used to generate targeted advertisements.
- Protect yourself from email spam with the best antivirus
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Hands-on review: Updated: Project Morpheus
E3 2014 hands on update
Nick Pino is the author of this section of the review, and his experience is based on two demos given at E3 2014.E3 came and went for Sony's Project Morpheus. It's still unfinished by Sony's standards and, though it both looked and felt ready to go, the team claims there's more work to be done.
Unlike Hugh, I haven't spent much time in the world of VR. I've seen the demos and reactions of participants dozens of times, but nothing could prepare me for the real thing.
It's immersive. With headphones on and the visor engulfing 95% of my visual space (the product didn't create a perfect seal with the bridge of my nose, likely due to my glasses), it's far more engaging than I had originally believed.
I had two tech demos at this year's E3 and each was more impressive than the last.
Morpheus Castle part deux
As Hugh explained, the castle is a battle simulation that has the player moving PS Move controllers to "reach" out and pick up medieval weaponry.By pressing the back triggers you'll curl your fingers into a fist, extend them rapidly and you'll throw a punch. Because the PS Camera can track your position in a room, you'll be able to walk a few feet forwards and backwards - but not very far left or right.
You're asked to punch a hanging dummy. Complete the task and you're rewarded with your first weapon, a sword. I held the trigger on the back of the Move and I was able to cast the sword in huge arches, eventually lopped off the poor dummy's arms, legs and head.
This was a smooth, seamless experience and gave me hope that the Star Wars game we've always dreamed of - the one where lightsaber duels are not only plausible, but an enjoyable part of the game - are within arm's reach. (See what I did there?)
Next I grabbed a mace that, when extended, felt the force of gravity and hung low on its chain. I swing it a few times to get some momentum going and before long was using it to dismember a newly furnished foe.
After which was a crossbow demo, the least exciting part of my experience. I didn't need to hold down a button in the back this time and was only required to press the trigger when I had lined up a shot. The arrow tended to curve down and, while realistic, it felt a little unfulfilling in a so-far, so-good demo.
Last and far from least was the dragon. Yes, a dragon.
It landed in front of me, forcing me to look up to see how truly massive the winged beast was. It provided a real sense of scale and, in someone prone to spells of anxiety, actually triggered a fairly noticeable emotional response. It roared, and immediately proceeded to lunge before the screen faded to black.
Street Luge
As I said, I'm not well-versed in this whole VR business. You can imagine my face, then, when I heard I was going to be shooting down a hill, skirting around (and under) incoming traffic.Where Morpheus Castle represented pure fantasy as only a faux-holodeck experience could provide, the Street Luge stood out for its ability to make me cringe, wince, yelp and ultimately feel like I was on a roller coaster without the intense wind and bodily sensations.
It started slow, allowing me to get used to the controls - lean left to drift left, lean right to go right. Then came my first car. I dodged left and, in doing so, earned a small speed boost. There was a timer ticking in the corner of my screen that I hadn't noticed before; this was one of virtual reality's first time trials.
More cars came and went as I slowly became comfortable balancing the hardware that was secured around my head and the bodily sensations I was starting to feel. I could look straight up at the clouds and left and right over the mountainside. If I hadn't been sharing the road with sedans and semi-trucks this would've been a relatively zen-like experience. Alas.
The crowning moment came when, unable to dodge left or right, I slid unscathed between an truck's wheels and looked up into its undercarriage. When I did eventually crash, however, the screen briefly flashed red before I slowed down some - there were no gruesome, Tomb-Raider-getting-impaled-on-a-tree-branch moments here.
I crossed the finish line with two minutes and thirty two seconds on the clock. Not bad for my first downhill run.
Alternate early verdict
For those that can appreciate VR, the Morpheus is an outstandingly impressive piece of technology. It's seamless with very little screen-tearing and the 1080p screen is bursting with color and energy. And, though it didn't fit perfectly with my glasses on, the adjustable straps that held the system in place should work well for most head shapes.I found the demos to be light years behind the games on Sony's core system in terms of sheer graphical prowess - edges were rough and objects seemed a little less than their HD display. This will likely be remedied when the product is closer to launch, but for now I don't think you'll have to worry about any uncanny valley effect.
Still, it's impressive tech that proves Sony can not only compete with Oculus, but that there are aspects where Sony's technology may eventually win out. Until both systems hit shelves, however, the world can only wait with baited breath as we wait for our chance at the 21st century iteration of the holodeck.
Our first impression of Morpheus
When the creator of Oculus Rift told us that he didn't think consoles were fit for virtual reality, I wondered if he might have a point. But as is the way with VR, seeing is believing, and having taken Morpheus for a spin there's no longer a doubt in my mind: virtual reality on the PS4 is going to be amazing.Morpheus is in prototype right now. Sony told us that the final product will probably be quite different in both look and specs, but the current headset looks pretty damn slick nonetheless.
It certainly feels more "finished" than Oculus; not only does the main eyepiece look like a polished product, there's a dynamic plastic headstrap to boot. Getting it to fit wasn't too difficult and the headset felt secure enough for the purposes of the demo.
However it does feel like the weight balance needs addressing, and Sony will want to relocate some of those wires that I kept almost chewing on.
Morpheus hits the ground running with a 1080p display - some of you will never know the nausea that an SD screen with lag can induce. We asked Sony if its God of Dreams might end up in 4K however it didn't sound promising. As it is, Morpheus is satisfyingly crisp, but I did notice the occasional jaggedly-rendered object and felt the odd frame rate stutter. It's the same stuff we've seen with Oculus.
Morepheus's 90-degree field of vision does lose out to Oculus's 110 degrees but this is hardly noticeable - and likely to change come the final product.
Lost in space
The first game I tried was space simulator Eve: Valkyrie. Already a fan of Strike Suit Zero on the Oculus Rift, I was reasonably prepared for what was about to come.Hurtling through space, admiring the view of giant ships as you pass under them, dodging your way through asteroid fields - this is exactly the kind of stuff we all dreamed about when we were younger.
And even though I'd experienced space in VR before, there were a couple of barrel rolls that sent my stomach spinning.
It's clear that some people are more prone to feeling physically affected by VR than others, but the clarity and low latency of Morpheus in its current state mean the risks of nausea are low. I felt ok during my 10 minutes with Eve, but like I said, there were a couple of hairy moments.
Beyond the sea
But as great as space was, it was exploring the ocean depths that really set the pulse racing. The Deep, Sony's second demo, was a perfect tease at what's possible when you wed VR and horror.The game begins with you in a diving cage, floating near the surface of the ocean. What was different about this experience was that I was standing up so the game needed to account for this. Sure enough, when I squatted down I noticed my virtual legs bent at the same time, a feat made possible by the motion tracking.
It's these little touches that help make the experience that bit more immersive. As I sunk further down to the ocean depths, it became clear that I'd made an enemy among the aquatic wildlife as a shark began circling my cage.
The Deep wasn't a very interactive experience. I could look around me was holding a flare fun that would move with my real hands thanks to the motion-enabled Dualshock 4, however there were a couple of moments where I "broke" the connection between my real hands and my virtual ones.
As it turned out, the flare gun was about as effective as a bacon sandwich when the shark started ripping into the cage. But it was fantastic way to experience VR, especially with the lack of any form of HUD.
It was just me, under water, face to face with Jaws. And for a couple of brief moments it was absolutely terrifying.
The final demo was called Morpheus Castle, a smack-'em-up that served to demonstrate how Move can be used so brilliantly with Morpheus. You may have forgotten about Sony's Wiimote rival, but these glowy sticks may be about to have a serious comeback.
I was able to use the triggers on the Move controller to grasp things. It felt natural to hold a sword in my hand with the remote and the motion tracking was superbly accurate.
But as with the flare gun in The Deep, there was occasionally a disconnect between my virtual and real hands. There are clearly some technical boundaries when it comes to body motion with VR, and making them harder to break will be key to immersion.
Like the Playstation camera and the Dualshock 4's tracking blue light, Move suddenly makes a lot more sense with Morpheus. Sony's master plan is coming together.
Early verdict
The most frustrating thing about VR right now is trying to convey it with words. You really do have to see Project Morpheus (and, indeed, Oculus Rift) to believe it.There's still work to be done - some jagged objects, an occasionally-stuttering frame rate, a more comfortable headset - but Sony is clearly determined to iron these out before it comes to market.
When that might be is hard to say. But take Morpheus for a spin and I guarantee you'll be as excited as I am for what virtual reality will offer. This is the missing piece of the PS4 puzzle, and it's a big one.
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The Phone Show: Why iOS 8 has implications beyond the average smartphone user
In addition to giving us a pretty good idea of what we can expect from the iPhone 6 and iWatch later this year, the official unveiling of iOS 8 confirmed that Apple has bigger things in mind when it comes to the future of its tech.
The duo of Healthkit and the Health app are one example of this. With perceivable benefits for the medical world and backed up by actual medical professionals, Apple's real-time health monitoring smarts prove that smartphone tech has potential to reach far beyond the average consumer.
Of course, iOS 8 isn't all about how Apple plans to save the world. Elsewhere, the latest update brings much-needed tweaks to areas in which the company has been sorely lacking, as well going big on "continuity": Apple's vision of bringing iPhone, iPad and Mac together in sweet, sweet harmony.
Fresh from "Dub Dub" DC 2014, Gareth Beavis and John "BM" McCann sit down in this week's Phone Show to take a closer look at iOS 8, and the picture it paints of Apple in 2014 and beyond.
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Breaking Bad's Aaron Paul has been switching on people's Xbox Ones
Got an Xbox One? You might want to turn off Kinect if you don't fancy any interruptions - Breaking Bad star Aaron Paul has been switching on people's consoles without permission.
A new Xbox One advert aims to show off the console's voice-controlled functionality, with Paul saying "Xbox on" to boot up the console.
But funnily enough, some Xbox One owners are reporting that their consoles have obediently come alive on Paul's command.
We've already heard about Xboxers trolling one another by yelling commands like "Xbox turn off" during online play, causing their opponents' consoles to power down.
Twitter user Tom Neal wrote: "@xbox your new TV advert is annoying the hell outta me. Aaron Paul keeps turning my console..."
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Party of two: Priceline acquires OpenTable for $2.6 billion
Priceline has agreed to acquire OpenTable for $2.6 billion (£1.5 billion, AUD$2.77 billion). The acquisition will enable Priceline to add restaurant bookings to its existing services, which include hotel, flight and car reservations.
OpenTable processes more than 180 million reservations annually for more than 31,000 restaurants. More than 125 million users have made a reservation through OpenTable on a mobile device. The San Francisco-based company generated $190 million (£112 million, AUD$202 million) in revenue and $33.4 million (£19.6 million, AUD$35.5 million) in profit last year.
The aforementioned numbers will be added to Priceline's existing business, which generates more than one million hotel reservations per day across 480,000 properties in more than 200 countries. Priceline generated $6.8 billion (£4 billion, AUD$7.25 billion) in revenue and $1.9 billion (£1.12 billion, AUD$2.02 billion) in profit in 2013.
By joining forces, the two companies will make it easier for consumers to reserve every aspect of their vacation experience through one single application.
So what happens to OpenTable?
The deal is expected to close during the third quarter of 2014. OpenTable will continue to be led by its management team and it will operate as a separate business.Priceline acquired competitor Kayak for $1.6 billion (£1.12 billion, AUD$1.72 billion) in 2012.
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Video: Getting hands on with the Samsung Galaxy Tab S
Samsung has launched what it reckons is its answer to the iPad Air: the super-slim Galaxy Tab S.
The company's latest slate was unveiled at a special launch event in New York and comes in both 10.5 and 8.4-inch variants, each packing an 8-core Exynos 5 CPU with 3GB RAM.
With a 2560 x 1600 display and measuring just 6.6mm in the waist, Samsung hopes it will give Apple something to think about when it hits stores in the coming days.
Check out our hands-on video below for a rundown of the key specs and features of the Galaxy Tab S, and stay tuned for our full review.
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Blip: Other than Virtual Boy flashbacks, what did Miyamoto see in the Oculus Rift?
Remember the Virtual Boy, Nintendo's ill-fated attempt at virtual reality? We can tell you one person who would definitely rather forget it: Shigeru Miyamoto.
But the Mario creator decided it was time to to face virtual reality once again, and strapped on an Oculus Rift at this year's E3 to see what all the fuss was about.
Thing is, no none said what Miyamoto was playing or what he thought of it. What was running through his mind during those few moments?
Oculus VR founder Palmer Luckey has already said he'd love to see Pokemon in VR. But if any Nintendo franchise is going to get the treatment, it surely has to be F-Zero. Or Starfox. Or Metroid Prime. Heck, we'll take Dr. Mario.
Mamma mia!
It's a-blips!- Guy playing Counterstrike with a steering wheel is somehow not the worst player
- Beats co-founder tells Apple its earbuds suck
- This virtual Game Boy for the Oculus Rift lets you play while you play
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Apple's enhanced iPad Smart Cover takes cues from HTC and Samsung
A patent for a new type of iPad Smart Cover from Apple has been published, and some of the features detailed in the listing sound a little familiar.
The patent appeared at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, and depicts a case which has a matrix of LEDs to signal various notifications as well as a cut-out section, allowing you to view a portion of the iPad's screen.
These plans differ vastly from Apple's current offering of iPad covers, which don't feature any electronic components or ability to view any of the screen when closed.
Taking a closer look at that matrix display we can't help but be reminded of the Dot View case that HTC launched alongside the One M8 earlier this year to alert users to particular notifications and weather updates.
In Apple's Smart Cover it appears a series of LEDs are built into it, rather than using the screen of the tablet, and are capable of displaying various snippets of information.
Samsung take note
That's not the only trick this iPad cover could have up its sleeve though, with a possible translucent panel giving you a peek at the screen below.In the same way we've seen the Samsung S View and LG Quick Circle cases show a portion of specially tailored display, Apple's answer appears to do the same thing with information relocated to the smaller area.
While this all sounds rather copy-cat from Apple it's worth noting that this patent was originally filed in 2012, so it's certainly not a knee-jerk reaction from the Cupertino firm.
Will we ever see this smarter iPad Smart Cover hit the market? Well that's difficult to say, but we wouldn't be surprised is Apple decided to innovate in this area.
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Week in Tech: Week in Tech: Microsoft fights Sony for E3 crown, Amazon fights Spotify for your ears
E3 isn't short for Extremely Exciting Electronics, but it should be: the annual Electronic Entertainment Expo is where we get to find out just what fun Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo have lined up for gamers in the coming months.
We've also got the skinny on Samsung's new tablet, discovered Amazon's plans for music streaming, spotted a secret Facebook app and looked at what appears to be the iPhone 6. It's the Week in Tech!
E3: the giants battle it out
The playground chants of "my dad's better than your dad" are back, but instead of dads they're about games consoles: at E3 we saw the Xbox One and PS4 face each other in the playground, yell a bit and give each other dead legs and Chinese burns.Microsoft showed off all the Halos for Xbox One alongside a new Tomb Raider and - yes! - a new Crackdown, while Sony showed us a white PS4, Little Big Planet 3, Uncharted 4 and - yes! - legendarily brilliant adventure Grim Fandango, remastered and re-released to delight a new generation of gamers.
Sony also introduced what our Scott Alexander described as "the most important product of E3 2014": the PlayStation TV. Imagine an Apple TV that plays games, a world-class console that's cheaper than anything else on the market. It could be a game-changer.
E3: The Goomba, the bad and the ugly
Nintendo "is the tortoise to Micro-Sony's hare," Nick Pino says. It's a shy tortoise too: unlike its rivals, it didn't bother with an elaborate press event at E3, preferring something much more low-key. It's got a brand new game to talk about, the steampunk/strategy S.T.E.A.M., it's launching Skylanders-style figures and it's bringing Mii support to the upcoming Super Smash Bros on Wii U and 3DS.Amazon gets into the groove
These days you're nobody until you have a streaming music service, and Amazon's the latest big hitter to go all streamy: its Prime Music service offers a relatively titchy 1 million tracks to US Prime customers and works on PC, Mac, iOS and Android. It'll no doubt work on the Amazon phone we expect to see next week too.Keeping a Tab on Samsung
Samsung has unveiled not one, but two Galaxy Tab S tablets: one with an 8.4-inch screen and one with a 10.5-incher. And those screens aren't ordinary LCDs, either. They're Super AMOLEDs, which means they're bright enough to give you a tan. Samsung's ads pronounce AMOLED as "ahm-led", says our mobile expert Gareth Beavis. "That's going to get annoying," he predicts.The tablets are extremely thin, very light and available in Dazzling White and Titanium Bronze with US price tags of $399 and $499, and we've got the most in-depth review you can possibly imagine. Beavis's verdict? "My legs hurt."
Oh snap! Facebook's Slingshot slips out
What's white and invisible? That app! No sooner had Facebook's Snapchat rival Slingshot appeared on the App Store than it disappeared again. The reason? Facebook had launched it by accident. An official release is coming soon.Ain't nuttin' but a G Pad thang
Here's a different kind of three-G: three new G Pads, courtesy of LG. The tablets were "unleashed" - now there's an exciting word - this week in three different sizes: seven inches, eight inches and 10.1 inches. The little one is for "optimum mobility", the big one for "delivering a media-focused experience" and the in-between one for swatting wasps or something.Has Lin leaked the iPhone 6?
Remember Jimmy Lin, the Taiwanese driving and movie star who was waving an iPhone 5C about before it was actually launched? He's at it again, and this time he appears to have an iPhone 6. As John McCann explains, as Lin's previous leak was spot on, "hopes are high that he's managed to repeat the trick this year."
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Damien Demolder: Why digital technology will never murder the humble optical filter
The idea of filtering light before it enters the camera has been around for almost as long as photography itself. In the beginning there was no need for diffusers or soft-focus filters, as the lenses of the day were quite soft enough thank you. Things changed when black and white emulsions were developed that were sensitive to blue and green light, instead of just blue, and suddenly there were creative benefits to interrupting the light path with a sheet of coloured glass to control the recorded effect.
As we developed colour films and emulsions the desire to filter really took off, and as colour film reached the general population, and photography as a hobby came to the masses, filters became a major part of the required kit. However, they multiplied in number at a rampant pace, like bacteria in a warm, moist petri dish, and we saw the production of both quite useful and quite useless filters.
Good taste takes a back seat
In the 70s and 80s there was a massive boom, and we were provided with everything from painted rainbows, star bursts and prism effects with which to decorate our images. While some filters were undeniably useful, others led enthusiasts unwittingly to commit quite serious crimes against photography and good taste, buoyed on a wave of mists, speed streaks and apocalyptic colour graduations.Unlike the desire to have heavily filtered images, the actual physical filters themselves never faded away. Photographers who owned a camera bag in those heady days will have been left with the hangover of a collection of glass and plastic that they no longer use – but continue to store.
Glass v software
You might justifiably assume that the world has all the filters it is ever going to need, but filter companies such as Lee and Tiffin continue to exist and remain healthy. Despite the prevalence of imaging software that allows almost anything to be done to a photograph, there are some effects that it is better to record at the time of shooting, and others that are impossible to enact digitally after the event.The anti-reflective properties of the polariser, for example, can only be hinted at in software. And the light-stopping characteristics of the neutral density filter create physical changes to the moving parts of a scene that look revolting when software blur is applied in their place.
You might also think that every type of filter that needs to be invented has been, and that filter engineers spend their days twiddling their collective thumbs or fork-lifting old stock into the recycling. Amazingly though, as photography advances, and new trends emerge, there are new issues to correct, new effects to create and thus a need for new filters. Who owned a 10 stop neutral density filter just five years ago? Hardly anyone, and yet now these are the most sought after filters on the market.
Spawned from this craze is yet another type of optical filter, which we will all obviously need to buy.
New fashions/new filters
Tiffin has identified that during the long exposures enjoyed by the multitude of landscape photographers who require long blurred clouds and milky seas, rivers and waterfalls, digital cameras get an overdose of infrared radiation that can record in the picture. Most imaging sensors are sensitive to IR light by some degree or other (IR sensitivity varies by brand and model), and ND filters don't stop it from entering the lens – so while visible light is squeaking through at a snail's pace, IR radiation is streaming onto the sensor, building those deep red/magenta microwaved casts you'll see if you type '10 Stop ND filter' into Google Images. It also goes some way to explain why so much of this type of work is shown in black and white.So if you thought that optical filters – those bits of expensive glass that we stick in front of our lenses – were murdered and buried by the power of modern software, think again. Progress and change means we may need filters more, not less!
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