IT News Head Lines (Techradar) 03/09/2015

Updated: Star Wars: Battlefront release date, news and trailers

Release date, consoles and characters

Update: Star Wars Battlefront will get a technical beta on PS4 and Xbox One in early October. The beta will feature the Walker Assault on Hoth map from The Empire Strikes Back and will support matches of up to 40 players.
Also part of the beta will be the survival mission on Tatooine that some gamers got a chance to play at E3, and a completely new mode called Drop Zone. More details on this mode will be coming in the next few weeks, Sony said.
Original article below...
While the original Star Wars Battlefront games had their fans, anticipation for the upcoming reboot has reached fever pitch. It's a combination of factors; a new Star Wars movie is out later in the year, developer Dice has pedigree in this genre with Battlefield, and the latest generation of consoles are finally able to deliver the sort of visuals we've seen in the movies.
Battlefront is set in some of the most iconic locations from the original movies, including Hoth, Endor, and Tatooine, as well as a new location that ties into Episode VII. The game made a big impression when it was playable at E3 this year, winning the Critics' Award for Best Action Game and Best Multiplayer Game. But ahead of the game's launch in November, what do you need to know? Many bothans died to bring us this information.

It's out very soon

Battlefront will be out on November 17, 2015 in North America, November 19, 2015 in Australia and November 20, 2015 in Europe. It'll be hitting PS4, Xbox One and PC.

There won't be a single player mode

Bravely, Star Wars Battlefront is doing away with a traditional single-player campaign. If you don't have an active PlayStation Plus or Xbox Live Gold subscription, then all you're really going to be able to do is play through the game's Missions mode either solo or in split-screen co-op. PC players don't get a split-screen mode, strangely, but at least they can play online for free without the need for a subscription.

You can play it first on Xbox One

EA Access is a service for Xbox One that allows fans of the company (a repeat winner of the "Worst Company in America" award) to play its games ahead of release. EA has said that Star Wars Battlefront will appear on EA Access, although it's not confirmed how far ahead of launch it will happen. If previous releases are anything to go by, then it should be five days before launch, so November 13 2015 seems like a good guess.

You can play as Luke Skywalker, Darth Vader, Boba Fett and more

One of the main draws for Star Wars fans will be the chance to play as iconic Star Wars characters. So far, Luke Skywalker, Darth Vader and Boba Fett have been announced, but EA Community Manager Matthew Everett recently teased that more hero characters are coming. These Hero characters won't be rewarded based on skill like killstreak rewards are in Call of Duty, but instead dropped randomly into the battlefield as tokens.

The pre-order bonus ties into The Force Awakens

Normally, pre-order bonuses offer little incentive for you to actually risk your money before the reviews come out - all too often they're just character skins or gold weapons for multiplayer. However, Battlefront's pre-order bonus is genuinely enticing. If you've seen the recent Star Wars: The Force Awakens trailer (and who hasn't), then you'll have seen that downed Star Destroyer in the desert.
In Star Wars Battlefront, you get to take part in the battle that results in that destroyed ship. It'll arrive in the form of the Battle for Jakku downloadable content, which will be made available to those who pre-order first on December 1st 2015. It will then be opened to everyone for free a week later, on December 8th 2015.

Multiplayer, vehicles and more

There will be split-screen multiplayer

Bucking the recent trend for big games ditching split-screen modes (Battlefield 4 didn't feature it, while Halo 5 will be the first in the series without it), Star Wars Battlefront will thankfully offer split-screen. There will be specific co-op missions in the game that you can play with a friend against enemy AI, and in this mode, you can play with up to two players on one console.
You can also play through these missions multiple times by ramping up the difficulty level. There are some downsides though. The main 40-player multiplayer modes won't be playable in split-screen, and it's only available on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, not PC.
YouTube : www.youtube.com/watch?v=yjqqwZGNHPg

Online multiplayer is 40-players, not 64

One of the big things Dice is known for on the Battlefield series is 64-player battles. Heck, it pretty much invented the 64-player multiplayer shooter with Battlefield 1942 in the early 2000s, at a time when 8- or 16-player was the norm. Star Wars Battlefront 2, released all the way back in 2005, supported 64 players on PC.
Sadly, 64-player battles isn't a tradition that will be continuing with this Battlefront, which will max out at 40 players. Dice producer Craig Mcleod explains in an interview with PC Gamer: "Instead of putting 64 in there and just saying that for a number, and having it be too crowded and being a lesser experience, we've made it the most optimum number it can be."

You can pilot loads of iconic vehicles

We've already seen A-Wings, AT-AT and AT-ST walkers in the Hoth demo from E3, but there will be a lot more Star Wars ships to pilot in the finished game. In the Endor map, for example, you'll be able to jump on speeders, while the Millennium Falcon has even been touted for some of the 40-player skirmishes. There won't be space battles, but there will be a dedicated airborne-combat mode called Fighter Squadron which will pit TIE Fighters vs X-Wings against each other over the canyons. You'll even be able to pilot the Millennium Falcon.

It definitely will not be delayed

Delays to high-profile games are not uncommon, and they're annoying, even if they do often result in a better game. However, Star Wars Battlefront will not be one of those games, at least according to EA chief operating officer Peter Moore. "We would have no compunction, no hesitation whatsoever, that if something was to go wrong with Star Wars Battlefront - if it wasn't right - we would just push it," he told games industry magazine MCV. "But that's not going to happen." So you can go ahead and book November 20, 2015 off work in confidence.
YouTube : www.youtube.com/watch?v=lg_ht2GfQJU

It's an accessible shooter, rather than a hardcore one

From what we've played so far, Battlefront isn't Call of Duty, at least in terms of rewarding only the best players. For example, there are no iron sights in this game, so you have to shoot from the hip, making the action much more frantic. There's a third-person viewpoint for those who are more used to action-adventure games (although first-person view is much more preferable).
You can't customise your weapons to the nth degree with scopes and camouflage. Becoming a hero character is based on finding a token on the battlefield, rather than racking up 20 kills in a row. All of this means that Battlefront is much more accessible to all players, rather than just those who dedicate their life to it.

There's a "Star Card" perk system

Before you go into battle, you have the chance to pick out three different "Star Cards". These can include things like grenades, shields or a jet pack, the latter of which we found was the most fun of all these "perks" to actually use in the game. On the Hoth level that formed the basis of the E3 demo, the "shield" Star Card was particularly useful, as it would provide cover for both you and your teammates from enemy fire and even AT-AT attacks.
YouTube : www.youtube.com/watch?v=QlErxrZcuZw










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System software 3.0 will bring YouTube Gaming to PS4

It's official: Sony's PS4 will be the first console to support Twitch's all-new game streaming rival, YouTube Gaming, as soon as software 3.0 (codenamed: Kenshin) comes out.
Sony made the announcement on the PlayStation Blog Tuesday afternoon in a post that details what features users can look forward to in the next firmware update.
Besides a new game streaming option, PS4's UI will receive a number of enhanced social features like an events hub for notifications on games you play the most, communities, a favorite groups option that lets you join a multi-person party with one step and a new "request to watch gameplay" option that uses Share Play.
Sony didn't have an exact date for the patch to roll out, but did say that anyone accepted as a beta tester in its new testing program will "get to see these features first-hand very soon."

• PAX 2015: Everything you missed from Seattle's big gaming show

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Intel Skylake performance boost will tempt you to upgrade your laptops

Skylake performance

With more than half of the PCs in the world more now five years or older, Intel says that this is the time to upgrade to a new desktop, laptop or tablet. At IFA 2015, Intel officially took the wraps off of its sixth generation processor, known as Skylake, and the company is packing in the performance to tempt owners of older laptops to upgrade.
So how does Skylake compare to CPUs running on systems from five years ago?
"Skylake delivers 2.5 times faster compute performance, 30 times better graphics and three times the battery life," said Kirk Skaugen, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Intel's Client Computing Group.

Compared to laptops from just five years ago, Skylake will have four times faster wake-up times, said Navin Shenoy, Intel Corporate VP and General Manager of Mobility Client Platforms.
There are over a billion PCs that are over three years old, and that's the market that Skaugen and his team are targeting with Skylake.

Intel's best

On mobile, Skylake is a highly scalable architecture, said Schlomit Weiss, VP of Intel's Platform Engineering Group. The architecture can work on 4.5W on tablets running Core M processors to 45W on more advanced laptops, Ultrabooks and mobile workstations. Additionally, Skylake is also found on desktops.

There are three different families of mobile architectures in Skylake's architecture family, with each successive series consuming more power and delivering better performance. The Y-Series is a 4.5W processor that's more commonly known as Intel Core M. This model is found in light laptops, tablets and 2-in-1 systems. The next model is the U-Series, which are the Intel Core i processors used on Ultrabooks. These processors consume just 15W of power. And finally, the more powerful Core i processors used on mobile workstations are found in Intel's H-Series family, which are 45W processors.
These processors are the most efficient that Intel has ever created, Shenoy boasted in a meeting ahead of IFA 2015, stating that Core processors on Skylake use up to 60% and are up to 60% faster compared with a Haswell processor from two years ago. In fact, the processors are eight times more efficient than Intel's best from five years ago, leading to two times better processor performance at just a quarter of the thermal power.
Haswell was succeeded by Broadwell, and Skylake is the followup to Broadwell. In addition to the Skylake family designed for laptops and tablets, Intel also has the H-Series for desktops. On desktops, Skylake provides a 10% boost in processor performance and 20% increase in graphics performance compared to Broadwell, said Gregory Bryant, Corporate VP and General Manager of Intel's Client Computing Group Desktop Client Platforms.

What to expect: graphics and battery life

In addition to processing improvements, the integrated Intel HD 500 graphics also got a boost with Skylake. The Intel HD 500 graphics will let you watch up to ten hours of HD video on a single battery charge. You can also create content, with up to 20% faster 4K video encoding.
For those looking to consume 4K video, Intel HD 500 graphics can drive up to three displays showing 4K videos at 60 frames per second. Gamers will appreciate the 40% better performance when it comes to 3D rendering.
Intel's more advanced graphics, known as Intel Iris, will finally be available on 15W U-Series graphics. Previously, it was available on the H-Series on laptops, and Iris has been a staple on Apple's MacBook Pro series.
Iris will deliver even better performance on Skylake thanks to integrated eDRAM. Systems with Iris graphics won't ship until later this year, and Intel says that Iris Pro will arrive in 2016. Currently, the most mainstream notebook that uses Iris Pro is Apple's 15-inch MacBook Pro. With Intel's timeline, this could mean we won't see a MacBook Pro refresh until 2016 at the earliest.
The biggest news when it comes to graphics, Skaugen claims, is that Iris can deliver up to 80% of the performance of the discrete graphics chips on the market today, which is a significant performance improvement. In fact, Iris on Skylake delivers up to 100 times the graphics performance compared to just a decade ago.
"Intel is going from predictable to incredible," Shenoy said.
These graphics gains may be enough to force Apple to re-think the use of dedicated GPUs on its MacBook Pros, two Intel insiders told techradar.

Business and additional support

Windows support

Skaugen said Intel worked closely with Microsoft to support some of the biggest Windows 10 features on Skylake. Skylake now comes with an audio processor to support dual-array microphones to improve speech recognition when using Cortana, and a dedicated image signal processor helps with RealSense 3D support on Windows Hello.
Intel is positioning its next-generation RealSense cameras not only as a biometric security tool for Windows logins, but for 3D scanning, immersive computing and new user experiences.
The ISP can also be used for even more powerful cameras and graphics work, supporting more cameras, higher resolution sensors and faster video encoding as well. Intel revealed some of these details ahead of IFA at IDF 2015, and you can read our coverage for additional details.
For videos, Skylake supports HEVC and most of the popular video codecs, along with DirectX 12, OpenCL 2.0, OpenGL 4.4 and Vulkan for graphics. It also supports lossless color compression.
The platform supports faster wake from sleep for laptops, support for Thunderbolt and USB-C. There is also support for wireless display (WiDi), wireless docking (WiGig), conference room solutions (Intel Unite) on Skylake, with planned support for wireless charging with Rezence coming towards the end of 2016.

Shifting into faster gear

For users who need even more performance on mobile, Skylake will offer a quad-core architecture on the Core i5 line for the first time for notebooks. Previously, if you want a quad-core laptop, you'll have to upgrade to an Intel Core i7 series processor.
Additionally, gamers will be happy to know that Intel will also bring an overclocking K SKU to laptops. Overclocking can be tuned individually by the user, turned on with software controls or activated with a dedicated hardware overdrive button, Shenoy said.
Mobile workstations users will also benefit in a new addition to the Skylake family. For the first time ever, Intel is making its Xeon architecture on laptops, and Lenovo recently announced its new ThinkPad P Series.

There is also a new technology that will make your computing even more responsive. Intel introduced Speed Shift Technology along with Skylake, which helps the processor and the OS work more cooperatively to handle power management and increase processor frequencies for the right task.
Prior to speed shift, power management was divided between the OS and the processor. But this takes about 30 milliseconds for the processor to tell the OS that a task has happened for the operating system to adjust the frequency. Speed Shift cuts this time to 1ms, making graphics and processing task appear even more responsive to the user. For most common tasks, Skylake will pick the efficient frequency to operate without any OS intervention, and it can go down to just 100MHz.

Businesses will have to wait

Business users looking to upgrade to Skylake may have to wait until 2016 to get the most out of the platform. Enterprise features such as Intel vPro, mobile Xeon, and Iris and Iris Pro integrated graphics won't arrive until late 2015 and into 2016, Shenoy revealed.

Skylake will ship with security features, like Intel Software Guard Extensions and Intel Memory Protection Extensions.
"Intel Software Guard Extensions (Intel SGX) is an Intel Architecture extension designed to increase the security of software through an "inverse sandbox" mechanism," Intel said in a statement. "In this approach, rather than attempting to identify and isolate all the malware on the platform, legitimate software can be sealed inside an enclave and protected from attack by the malware, irrespective of the privilege level of the latter."
It also supports TrueKey for hardened multi-factor authentication.

Are you ready to upgrade your notebook?

Intel claims that we'll see 300 new mobile designs and 200 new desktop designs with Skylake, leading to a total of 500 new systems. Mobile designs include laptops, Ultrabooks, mobile workstations and tablets, while desktop designs include towers, NUCs, mini PCs and all-in-ones.

Read our review of Skylake











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Skylake tablets with Intel Core M will be twice as fast as today's slates

Intel's current Core M processor is an energy efficient chip that brought enough processing power to current laptops and tablets like Apple's MacBook, Dell's Venue 11 Pro 7000 Series and Lenovo's Yoga Pro 3. However, one of the complaints with the M architecture is that for heavy processing tasks, these systems can feel slow, but the tradeoff is that you get better battery life in a thin, fanless design.
With the second generation of Core M processor, Intel promises significantly better performance. Thanks to Skylake's underlying platform, the new Core M systems, which will start shipping in laptops and tablets, can achieve twice the processing performance of today's leading tablets, said Navin Shenoy, Corporate Vice President and General Manager of Intel's Mobility Client Platform, in a meeting ahead of Skylake's unveil at IFA 2015.
Processing power isn't the only thing that gets revamped. Shenoy says that the new Core M comes with "40% gen-on-gen graphics improvements," meaning that graphic performance will be 40% better with Skylake than the current crop of Core M devices.
Yet, despite a huge boost in performance, Intel is still committed to delivering all-day battery life with Skylake's Core M, increasing battery life by an hour. Whereas the current Core M chips can deliver up to nine hours of battery life, Skylake's Core M processors can do 10 hours of computing on a single charge. Core M also supports USB-C so you can use one connector for peripherals, display and charging.

The new Core M family

With the new M, Intel is segmenting the chip based on performance. The Intel Core M3 will be the base model, and Intel will also offer a Core M5 and Core M7 processor, with the M7 SKU offered on high performance, premium fanless tablets and notebooks.
The new Skylake Core M processors will support Intel vPro technology for enterprise use.
When asked if performance differences between various Core M Ultrabooks on the market today forced Intel to create separate models in the lineup, Kirk Skaugen, Senior VP and General Manager of Intel's Client Computing Group, responded only by saying that the company was able to create enough distinction between the M3, M5 and M7 processors to give the chips their own identity, similar to what Intel has done for the Core i3, i5 and i7 processors.

Impressive graphics

Because Core M systems use a fanless design, improving graphics performance was an important decision for Intel as these machines cannot accommodate discrete GPUs.
In highlighting some of the graphics power of Core M, Skaugen and his team showed that Core M can drive up to three displays at 4K UHD resolution playing videos at 60 frames per seecond using the integrated Intel HD 500 graphics.

Focus on 2-in-1s

Intel is honing its focus on 2-in-1 convertible owners with its Core M processor design. In a study, Intel found that half of 2-in-1 owners had considered a tablet, but ultimately went with a 2-in-1 design for its versatility and productivity. Additionally, these buyers will refresh their hardware faster than traditional tablet owners.

The market is also headed in this direction, Shenoy hinted as he flashed a few prototype 2-in-1 designs in a meeting ahead of IFA 2015. In 2013, there were only 25 2-in-1 devices, retailing for an average of $900.
Today, there are over 80 devices on the market utilizing this versatile form factor, and prices have dropped. The average price for a two-in-one is now $650. The diversity of devices and affordability have spurred growth in adoption in this form factor, with a quadrupling of volume of devices shipped.
Additionally, we're also hearing rumors that Apple will adopt the new Core M3 and Core M5 processors in its next MacBook release.

• Read our analysis of the Core M architecture

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Intel wants you to live in its wire-free world next year

If your desk is now overrun with wires running between your laptop's power, HDMI, USB and Thunderbolt port, Intel hopes to bring some relief to your tangled reality in 2016.
Intel will support Rezence wireless charging, said Kirk Skaugen, Senior VP and GM of Intel's Client Computing Group. Unlike more popular competing inductive wireless charging standards, like Qi, Rezence doesn't require you to line up your devices perfectly with the charging plate, Intel executives highlighted as a benefit of the Rezence solution.
The standard will be supported by Intel's Cannonlake and Kaby Lake architectures, and wireless charging will start to appear on systems shipping in the second half of 2016, Skaugen told techradar ahead of Skylake's launch in San Francisco, California. Unfortunately, this means that you'll need new hardware.
The wireless charging will be built into the keyboards of laptops and the keyboard docks of two-in-one convertible systems. In a demo at IDF 2015, Intel executives showed that the charging plate could be mounted under table tops and doesn't require you to embed the plate within the table surface, saving cost. Once electronics, like laptops and smartphones, are placed on the table, charging begins.

Essentially, you'll have one wire connecting the charging plate to your power outlet, but you won't need to plug in your devices to power cords once you have OEMs build in Rezence charging receivers into their devices.

Beginning with Skylake

Wireless charging is the last component of Intel's vision for a world without wires. Skylake will help users shed wires from their devices. Intel's sixth generation architecture will come with support for wireless display, docking and conference room technologies through WiDi, WiGig and Unite, respectively.
We've already begun to see these technologies appear with Broadwell-based systems, but Intel promises that more models will be coming. WiDi will essentially allow users to ditch the HDMI or video output cable on their systems. It will allow you to mirror your laptop's display on a larger monitor without wires. WiGig is an extension of that, and the protocol is currently supported on select Broadwell systems from Dell and HP, Intel executives told techradar at an IDF 2015 demo.

WiGig allows you to connect your USB peripherals and display to a WiGig hub. Once your laptop is within proximity of the hub, it will recognize your peripherals and displays so you don't have to plug these accessories directly into your laptop's ports. Your laptop will recognize USB flash drives, hard drives, keyboard, mouse, printers, monitors and other accessories that are plugged into the WiGig hub. For security, only one laptop can be connected to a WiGig hub at a single time.

The last part of the technology is Intel Unite, which allows you to collaborate and share your screen wirelessly in a conference room. It also allows remote conference participants to share their screens and log into a conference room when they're at a different location.
Through these technologies, Intel hopes to free your laptop from its tethered chains on your desk. There will still be wires, but those wires won't have to be connected to your tablet or laptop. Instead, they'll run through the WiGig docking station or to the Rezence charging plate.

• Read our coverage of IDF 2015.

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Google plans to do away with pop-up app ads

Ever search for something on your phone, click through and then be faced with a pop-up app install ad covering up most of the page?
It's annoying, and sometimes you just want to see the one thing on the page rather than downloading the site's app or searching for a hard to find opaque "X" button.
Sure, sometimes its easy to just press the "No, thanks" button, but Google wants more sites to be mobile friendly and less annoying.
So starting 1 November, Google plans on updating its Mobile Friendly test and demoting sites that have pop-up app install prompts that "hides a significant amount of content on the transition from the search result page".

Not friendly

These pages will be classed as not "mobile friendly," which will push the site down in its search rankings.
"As an alternative to app install interstitials, browsers provide ways to promote an app that are more user-friendly," Google said, pointing at the more mobile-friendly banners that appear on top of a mobile site, which asks users if they want to download an app or not.
"Banners provide a consistent user interface for promoting an app and provide the user with the ability to control their browsing experience."
Thank you, Google. Now, if it could push this new Mobile Friendly test to encompass all pop-up ads in mobile sites, not just ads for apps, mobile internet would be a happier place.

• Have you heard? Google has a new logo

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Hands-on review: IFA 2015: Lenovo IdeaPad Miix 700

If the rumors are true and Microsoft is readying a Surface Pro 4 for October, then Lenovo just beat it to the punch with its own nifty convertible laptop. The Lenovo IdeaPad Miix 700 (starting at $699, £453, AU$979) is a gorgeous 2-in-1 designed for the on-the-go consumer who demands hardware that excels at work and play.
Similar to the Microsoft Surface Pro 3, the Miix 700 features a slim, detachable keyboard cover that can prop itself up via magnets in the tablet's bottom bezel. Although it doesn't come with an Intel Core i processor, the Miix features new sixth-generation Intel Core M (Skylake) processors that pack a lot of battery life into a fully loaded hybrid.
While I wasn't able to run the Miix 700 through our battery of benchmarks, I had a bit of time to touch and feel the new laptop. I'll use this space to run you through the hybrid's exquisite look, feel and specs.

Design

At just 0.35 inches (8.95mm) thick and 11.49 inches (292mm) wide, the Miix 700 is exactly 0.01 inches thinner and slimmer than the Surface Pro 3. Lenovo was also able to best Microsoft's weight, too – the 1.7-pound (780g) laptop is about 0.06 pounds lighter than the Surface Pro 3.
The Miix 700's faux leather detachable keyboard features a silver-colored dual watchband hinge. The hinge is a little creaky to maneuver, though I was viewing a concept model and not a live sample. But it's sturdy enough to give you peace of mind should you grab the device by its open screen rather than as a closed unit.
The keyboard cover is strong enough to protect against minor drops and bumps, but it's light enough that it shouldn't cause you any trouble when attempting to transport it while attached to the tablet. At the device's rear you'll find the kickstand, which tucks away nicely into the device's body. The kickstand spans almost the length of the case and adjusts to allow you to set the height of the display at any angle from 95-135 degrees.

Like the Surface Pro 3, the Miix 700's keyboard cover is super thin and a pleasure to use. It features chiclet style keys, faux leather palm rests and a flat plastic trackpad that are a delight to touch and operate.
The screen is somewhat hampered by a thick border, but it features a full HD+ (FHD+) resolution of 2,160 x 1,440 pixels, the same as the Surface Pro 3. Both laptops feature bright screens that display complex images wonderfully. In a heavily lit room, the Miix 700's screen was able to absorb external light without compromising its own image.

Specs

Unlike the Surface Pro 3, the Miix 700, which can be outfitted at 8GB of RAM, won't utilize Intel Core i processors. Instead, Lenovo opted for the new sixth-generation Intel Core M series of processors. The fanless Core M processors, which come in three types (3, 5 and 7, each stronger than the last) allow the unit to operate without a cooling fan, but don't pack as much power as the Core i series.
For example, the Core M3 runs at a max speed of 2.2GHz with Turbo Boost, while the new Core i3 Skylake processor is expected to have a base frequency of 2.3GHz. Unfortunately, we don't know what the Microsoft Surface Pro 4 will have as a CPU, but the entry-level Surface Pro 3 comes with a fifth-generation Broadwell Core i3 processor that clocks in at 1.5GHz. So, at least when it comes to clock speed, the Miix 700 could be a good deal faster than Microsoft's current flagship hybrid.
Along the edges of the Miix 700 you'll find a nice selection of ports and inputs. Lenovo included a USB 3.0, USB 2.0, Micro HDMI-out, Micro Sim and microSD slot. For those of you keeping score: that's one more USB slot than the Surface Pro 3.

You won't need much additional storage with this tablet-meets-laptop, either. The Miix 700 can be outfitted with 256GB of SSD storage. The Surface Pro 3 can hold 512GB at maximum capacity.
Lenovo bested Microsoft by including an optional 4G LTE modem. The Surface Pro 3 doesn't include a mobile broadband modem, so if you crave portable internet, the Miix 700 is a better investment.
Both Lenovo and Microsoft claim their slates can run on one charge for up to 9 hours, so consider this a wash until we're able to run benchmarks. For reference, we were able to run the Surface Pro 3 for 3 hours and 55 minutes with 10 Google Chrome tabs, Spotify streaming high bitrate audio, TweetDeck and HipChat running.

Stylus issue

The Surface Pro 3 features a nice little loop alongside the detachable keyboard where you can slide in and store your Stylus. Unfortunately, Lenovo went a bit more high-tech with its Stylus holder, instead opting for a plastic attachment that tucks into one of its ports.
Although this is definitely safer and more permanent than the Surface Pro 3's Stylus holder, it compromises the Miix 700's aesthetics. When you're not using the pen, it juts out from the side of the screen, which ruins the cinematic appeal of the gorgeous FHD+ display.
This is a minor point, and one that should not influence your purchase decision, but it's worth mentioning for those of you who plan to rotate between pen, mouse and touch navigation.

Early verdict

At its $699 starting price, the Miix 700, which is scheduled for a November release, will be a more affordable, capable alternative to the Microsoft Surface Pro 3, which starts at $799 (£639, AU$1,189).
It competes head-to-head with the Surface in almost every spec, and even bests it in some areas, including an additional USB port, included keyboard cover and optional 4G LTE.
Although the aesthetic design of the stylus holder is questionable, there's no doubt that the Miix 700 is a venerable contender for best hybrid laptop.











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Opinion: Amazon scored a hit, but it needs more to sink Netflix's battleship

Amazon announced Tuesday that it would offer its Prime members a way to download movies and TV shows to iOS and Android devices for offline viewing, making the service the first and only streaming portal to offer free downloads to its users.
While it's easy to write this off as a small blow in a much larger arms race, the addition of downloadable content is a win for both consumers and Amazon. The etailer's video content service has stayed in a steady second place behind Netflix for the past few years, and clearly it needed to do something to break out.
Necessity is the mother of all innovation (to paraphrase the old proverb), and innovation is what Amazon desperately needs to close the gap between itself and Netflix.
But is this move enough to overtake the streaming behemoth that is Netflix? Does Netflix need to respond in kind?
To answer those questions, we first have to look back at the storied clash between these two media titans.

A clash of streams

In truth, Amazon has always played second fiddle to Netflix. What's interesting, however, is that Netflix wasn't the first of the two services.
While Netflix was still wrapped up in the world of shipping physical media, Amazon launched an unassuming project called Amazon Unbox on September 7, 2006 as a platform to distribute digital content. It would take five years before the service started to look like what we're familiar with today (the service was rebranded to Amazon Prime Instant Video on February 22, 2011), but by virtue of being first, Amazon had a head start on what would become its biggest competitor.
Unfortunately for Amazon, it's not who can launch first but who can do it better. When Netflix did eventually shift from DVDs to digital content in 2007, it did so with reckless abandon. It charged a paltry sum for access to the still-growing library of movies and TV shows. When Netflix started to explode around 2013 thanks to shows like House of Cards and Orange is the New Black, Amazon had a hard time keeping pace.
Netflix now has 62 million paid subscribers, around double the amount of active Amazon Prime Instant Video users and about 20 million more members than Amazon Prime as a whole, according to USA Today.

That leads us to today's announcement. By allowing users to download and keep content for free on their mobile devices, Amazon has once again done something before Netflix.

But...

This means Amazon will have to fight tooth and nail with movie studios and TV networks to secure downloading rights to movies and TV shows and might not have many wins in the beginning. This opens the door for an even more consumer-friendly environment, and for us, that's great.
But what, if anything, does it mean for the larger battle that Amazon is fighting?
Unfortunately for Amazon, it likely means nothing for now.
One trump card, no matter how much attention it gets today, can't win a whole war. And because the disparity in number of users is so great between the services, there's little reason for Netflix to risk potential partnerships over downloading rights.
That's not to say Netflix won't eventually offer a comparable service. If Amazon's ploy proves successful in retaining users and gaining new ones, then Netflix will likely find a way respond with some free download option. But its content distribution formula has worked, and there's no reason, not yet anyway, for Netflix to mess with it.

And not to disparage Amazon's accomplishment, but doesn't the service have larger issues it should be addressing? Like providing more relevant content instead of relying on HBO shows from the early aughts as its only source of must-watch television. How about being the first service to stream new episodes of Fear the Walking Dead or locking down deals with FX for exclusive streaming rights to Archer?
Amazon has made headway in creating quality original programming, but only a small minority of its shows have captured the public's attention as much as Netflix.
I guess the comparison I'm struggling to draw here is that Amazon is indeed a power player in the world of streaming, but instead of improving on its core infrastructure by adding TV shows and movies that people care about and cause them to stick around, it's trying to develop the figurative equivalent of the atom bomb.
At the end of the day who cares if we can download content if all the content available isn't worth watching?











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In Depth: PAX 2015: Everything you missed from Seattle's big gaming show

A packed PAX

Because major names like Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo dominate E3, GamesCom and the Tokyo Game Show, many smaller firms set their sights on the fan-first PAX event to get big news in front of as many eyes as possible.
The news at PAX runs the gamut from eccentric DLC and indie games to quirky announcements for mainstream titles, and the 2015 edition of PAX was no different.
The show wrapped Monday, and before it becomes too distant in the rearview mirror, let's recap the best announcements from PAX 2015.

The first third-party amiibo

A new amiibo reveal is pretty big news in and of itself. With collectors still going crazy for every new figurine, Nintendo has struggled for months with stocking existing figures while simultaneously sending new ones to store shelves and fanning consumer excitement. The venerable company finally introduced a new method of amiibo production that can greatly increase the market. Beginning with Shovel Knight by Yacht Club Games, third-party game creators can now license the figurine technology to produce and distribute their own characters.
While this has the potential to over-saturate the market with amiibo, Nintendo still holds the keys to allowing new licensees. If anything, it may entice indie developers to bring their wares to Wii U in order to take advantage of the potentially lucrative amiibo market.

A powerful new Xbox One bundle

If you're looking for the optimal Xbox One controller and console, Microsoft has a new bundle due this year. Retailing for $500 in the US (sorry, Europe, no news on an Elite system yet), the Xbox One Elite Bundle will include the new professional-grade Elite Controller (which retails for $150/£119 alone) as well as a 1TB hard drive.
In addition to doubling the standard hard drive space, the included storage is a solid state hybrid drive that Microsoft claims will allow the console to boot up "up to 20% faster" than current models. Of course, this being an "Elite" console, the system itself will have a matte finish to showcase the premium nature of the console, too.

Razer Wildcat premium Xbox One controller

Microsoft has touted the high-end features of the Xbox One Elite Controller for some time now; even though it still hasn't landed on store shelves, the improved triggers, new directional pad and customizable thumbsticks have been hyped up so much that it feels like we've had the controller in our hands since E3.
However, come this October, there will be another premium Xbox One controller in the form of the Razer Wildcat. Releasing at the same price point as Microsoft's pad, the Wildcat has high-end features all its own, like four additional buttons (two bumpers and two triggers), as well as the ability to remap any button on the controller to have a different function.
Razer had a bit of a snafu at the EVO fighting game tournament a few months back as its premium fightstick failed during a high-profile match, so hopefully the Wildcat can win back some goodwill as a major-league gaming staple.

A New Hope(fully good headset)

This holiday season is going to be consumed by Star Wars, culminating in the first major motion picture release in the sci-fi franchise due out on December 18.
Before then, however, Star Wars will make a big splash in the gaming realm as Star Wars Battlefront comes to new-gen consoles and PC this November. To complement the major space battles fans will wage online, Turtle Beach is putting out a special edition Sandtrooper headset to match the design of the soldiers in the original Star Wars and will include additional swappable plates on each side of the headset. Due out alongside the game, the headset will sell for $100 in the US, £70 in the UK and $170 in Australia.

Street Fighter V: costumes and collector's edition

With all due respect to fun fighters like Mortal Kombat X and Killer Instinct, the biggest fighting game of the generation (thus far) is just a few months away. To commemorate the occasion, Capcom revealed the contents that will accompany all pre-orders as well as a fanboy-worthy Collector's Edition.
Depending on where you pre-order game, customers will get special "Battle Costumes" for either Ryu, Chun-Li, M. Bison or Cammy. If you choose to pre-purchase a physical version of Capcom's upcoming brawler instead, you might want to consider the Collector's Edition that packs the game disc, a 10-inch Ryu statue, a 48-page hardcover art book, download codes for Street Fighter comics, a soundtrack sampler featuring some of Street Fighter's best songs, and a one-month subscription to Capcom's fighting-focused Twitch channel.

Movies head to the Borderlands

The videogame-to-movie landscape hasn't been pretty between flops like Agent 47 and development-hell mainstays like Peter Jackson's Halo movie. Fortunately, one of the crazier game worlds of late has an actual chance of hitting theaters, thanks to a push from some big names in Hollywood.
Lionsgate Co-chairs Patrick Wachsberger and Rob Friedman announced the acquisition of the Borderlands IP at PAX 2015, and famed superhero movie producer Ari Arad (Iron Man, Spider-Man) has taken on production duties for the film. It's likely to be years before we start to see much of the movie franchise, but with The Hunger Games series wrapping up this year, it's probable that Lionsgate will put a lot of effort into making Borderlands its next future-fantasy (read: potential cash cow) series.

Astro mods modern headsets

What Astro headsets will lack in sci-fi branding this fall they'll make up for with high-end features sure to catch the ear of dedicated online gamers. Astro's new Gaming Mod Kits will add plenty of parts to customize the company's A40 TR headset (and likely many future 'sets) in a variety of ways to match a player's preferences.
The Gaming Mod kit includes a new microphone to isolate the user's voice in noisy environments, ear cushions to block outside noise, speaker tags that enclose the headset and drown out more noise, as well as a leather head strap. Players have long had to decide between closed and open-style headsets, and the new Gaming Mod Kits essentially allow you to switch between the two types with the same headset for about the cost of a new game (though that price is on top of the $150/£119 that the A40 TR commands on its own).

Final Fantasy XV confirmed for '16

It's been a very long wait for Final Fantasy fans who've sought out an all-new single-player epic, but Square Enix assured the world that Final Fantasy XV will come out within the next fifteen months. While the publisher has yet to lock down a date, month or even season for the next mainline Final Fantasy game, Final Fantasy XV is confirmed to release at some point in 2016. With Kingdom Hearts 3 and the Final Fantasy VII remake likely to command the attention of Square Enix and RPG fans beyond next year, knowing that the next new Final Fantasy is at least somewhere on the horizon is nice.

XCOM 2 stays in orbit until 2016

With Microsoft and Sony hyping up 2015 exclusives at every opportunity, PC gamers were hopeful PAX wouldn't leave them wanting. Unfortunately, however, what was the most-anticipated PC-only release of the year won't make contact as originally planned.
Previously slated to release in November this year, XCOM 2 was hit with a slight delay to February 5, 2016. While the 2-3 month push isn't the most severe release date change fans have seen, alien-hunting PC gamers will have a long winter ahead of them. Perhaps it's finally time to try that Ironman run in Enemy Within that you've been putting off for months...

Guild Wars 2 makes the battle free-to-play

While Guild Wars 2 has long eschewed a subscription model in place of selling the core game, NCsoft instituted a major change to the MMORPG's business model to mark GW2's third birthday. If you're curious about Guild Wars 2, there's now no financial barrier to entry as you can download and play the game for free. Those who paid can boast the fact that they have more character slots to explore the breadth of the combat options and have unfettered communication, while new users will have to make do with slightly limited chat options. That is, unless they buy the new Heart of Thorns expansion, which costs more than Guild Wars 2 did. The point, however, is that at least the first taste is free now.











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Review: Updated: LG Watch Urbane

Introduction and display

Update: Google recently announced that iOS phones can now work with Android Wear. The only caveat?
Just four smartwatches can pair up with your iPhone: the Huawei Watch, Asus ZenWatch 2, new Moto 360 and LG Watch Urbane. The second caveat is that only the Urbane is out.
We're currently testing out how well the LG smartwatch works with our iPhones and will update this review shortly. In the meantime, here's how to setup your LG Watch Urbane with iOS devices.
Original review continued below...
Frankly, LG's first smartwatch didn't offer much. Though, its second, the LG G Watch R, has proved to be far superior despite being a bit plasticky. It seems like the third time's a charm for LG, with the LG Watch Urbane looking the sleekest of the bunch.
However, the Urbane is essentially a dressed up G Watch R with nearly identical dimensions and innards.
With more premium materials, the watch is, of course, going to cost more. Though at $349 (£259, AU$459) - the same price of the cheapest Apple Watch - it doesn't seem like LG is asking for too much. Still, you can pick up its predecessor for $100 less and pretty much have the same smartwatch.
You can now get the Watch Urbane for a little less than the original asking price, I found it online for $300, £230 - making it slightly more acceptable.
Pricing aside, the Urbane has a distinct look that's certainly polished, but it's clearly been tailored for a certain demographic. Despite images of women sporting a variation of the Urbane, it looks like this watch was made for businessmen. This isn't a huge problem, of course, but good luck getting women interested in wearing a chunky piece of metal and leather that won't fit right.
The Urbane has the advantage of being the first Android wearable with the latest Lollipop 5.1.1 software. But again, the other smartwatches will get updated soon, meaning there's really nothing special about the latest LG timepiece save for its style.

Display

The LG Watch Urbane sports a 1.3-inch P-OLED display (320 x 320, 245ppi) which matches the LG G Watch R to a tee. The Urbane is also a bit smaller than its rounded rival, the Moto 360, which comes in at 1.56-inches.
Like the G Watch R, the Urbane's screen is lovely to stare at but sometimes looks pixelated, depending on which watch face you plop on the front. I found the Classic face had the most pixelation on the dial. The moons on the Moonphase face also look a little blotchy.

Put it side by side with the Apple Watch and it's the Cupertino firm's timepiece which has the better screen, but on its own you're unlikely to have an issue with resolution.
Direct sunlight is an issue for the Watch Urbane, as it is for the G Watch R, and I did find myself having to cup my hand round the device a few times to see what was on screen. Viewing angles meanwhile are more than acceptable, something is has over the Pebble Steel and Pebble Time.

Design and comfort

Where the G Watch R looks perfect for runners and outdoor enthusiasts, the LG Watch Urbane fits best in the world of suits and the modern day Mad Men types.
The Urbane has a clean, stainless steel body that allows you to change out its 22mm strap, should you wish to switch out the genuine stitched leather for something made of silicone, metal or even a different leather strap.

You can also choose between a rose gold or silver watch body, likely LG's attempt at drawing in a larger pool of potential female watch buyers. However, the material of the Urbane's body will do nothing to hide the fact that it's still gigantic and bound to dangle on slimmer wrists.
Worn with casual/sporty clothing the Watch Urbane can end up looking overly flash, although depending on your style that might be perfect for you.
The Urbane's bezel has been thinned out and slightly flattened, instead of the sporty G Watch R's detailed dial that dipped slightly inward towards the face.

There are no buttons on the body of the Urbane, but a traditional watch crown has been placed on the right. It doesn't do much other than serve as a back button when pushed.
At 45.5 x 52.2 x 10.9mm, the Urbane's dimensions are nearly the same as the G Watch R's dimensions of 46.4 x 53.6 x 9.7mm. However, the Urbane is noticeably heavier at 66.5g compared the the G Watch R's 62g.

Comfort

I wouldn't say the Urbane is entirely uncomfortable for everyone. But, as someone with tiny wrists, it just doesn't fit properly.
Even at the last strap hole, the Urbane remained a sad, colossal mess unsure of where to sit on my arm. I imagine it would be comfortable on more average sized wrists with the stock leather strap. Switching out the bands may help, but I can't help but think that the 1.3-inch display on a small wrist will look ridiculous no matter what.

Interface, apps and fitness

The Android 5.1.1 software installed on the LG Watch Urbane put it above the other Android Wear smartwatches when it first launched - but the update has now made its way to all other watches ensuring the Urbane is back on a even playing field.
An always-on screen isn't a new feature, but 5.1.1 allows you to conserve battery life by displaying a partial watch face with less colors and detailing. Holding your wrist up will switch it back to the main watch face.
My personal favorite is the addition of hands-free gestures. You can flick your wrist toward you or away from you to skip through Google Now cards or dismiss them. It doesn't work as a method of reading through emails by scrolling down, though.

Aside from this downside, the process is seamless and satisfying, especially after using the Apple Watch's extremely annoying system of dismissing notifications one by one.
Another big new feature is Wi-Fi support, which means the smartwatches with built-in Wi-Fi can connect to a network and still receive notifications, send messages and use any apps you want, even if your phone isn't nearby.
However, your phone still needs its own Wi-Fi or LTE connection in order for the watch to work. It's been super handy with the Urbane, not having to worry about having my Android phone with me at all times around the house or office.

The previous Android Wear app interface was a huge, confusing mess, but thankfully it has been de-cluttered. With the new update, all you have to do is tap on the watch face screen or swipe left to see a cleaned up version of your app list. The three most recently used apps stay on top, while the rest are listed alphabetically underneath.

Keep swiping left to find your contacts, and another left-swipe will take you to the voice control screen where you can say "OK Google." A series of options are listed below the voice command to help give you ideas.
Lastly, you'll be able to draw out emoticons. Specifically, doodling an outline or random sketch will make the software determine what you were trying to draw, list out a bunch of options and then let you pick the correct one to send. It's not always perfect, but it works well enough. I tried drawing a bird face, and Android Wear thought I meant pizza, where a smiley face pulled up several different smiley emoticons.

I actually don't really see the point of this feature if you can't send the drawing itself, like Apple's sketchable messages. I do, however, like the variety and ability to send multiple emoticons in one message, compared to the Apple Watch's method of allowing only one emoticon message at a time.

Apps and fitness

Despite the majorly upgraded software, there's still nothing particularly ground breaking pre-installed on Android Wear. There's the standard compatibility with Google's apps: Agenda, Gmail, Play Music, Stopwatch Timer and Flashlight along with Amazon, Find My Phone, LG Pulse and checking your recent calls.

You can browse Amazon by vocally searching for an item, scroll through lists one thing at a time and then either purchase via 1-click buys or add to your wishlist.

Find My Phone calls your missing Android phone, which is pretty neat. LG Pulse keeps track of your heart rate by logging metrics and letting you tag them to differentiate between types of activities. Along with the Fit app, Pulse monitors your steps.
That's about it for stock Urbane and Google fitness apps. You can download more, but a few listed in the Android Wear store strangely don't even show up on the Urbane, so it can be a hit and miss situation.

Specs, compatibility, performance and battery life

The LG Watch Urbane is a timepiece that has all the normal specs you'd expect from an Android Wear device.
The 320 x 320p P-OLED 1.3-inch screen sits on top of a Snapdragon 400 chipset, clocked at 1.2GHz and 1GB of RAM. There's 4GB of onboard storage and the ability to install your own music on there as well for tunes without a phone.
The Urbane infuriatingly still doesn't come with GPS - LG's reasoning for this is that it will kill battery life. But given you'll get about 30 hours of use out of this watch between charges anyway, it seems like daily re-powering is the only way forward here. So, a little extra functionality couldn't hurt.
The heart rate monitor on the back, combined with the barometer and accelerometer inside, make it a good watch to use when walking out and about in the wild. Then again, there are many other devices that are equally as stylish and better suited to the task.
This watch is also only IP67 rated, meaning the Urbane is resistant to dust and water. In regards to the latter, the Urbane should remain operational even if gently submerged in a tank of still tap water at room temperature for about 30 minutes, up to a depth of 1 meter.
And, if you hadn't guessed already, the Urbane is only compatible with Android devices running Android 4.3 and later.

Performance and battery life

Interestingly, while switching between the various watch faces, the Urbane crashed and needed to reboot. I was pretty surprised that this little task could completely stop the watch, but it happened again later on when I was trying different apps.

It's quite possible the software has a few kinks to iron out - which is still disconcerting. But hopefully all the bugs will be squashed before the update hits the other smartwatches. For the time being, the Urbane seems stuck with a couple of crashes here and there.

The Urbane's 410mAh battery is the exact same power pack found inside the LG G Watch R. Both can last far longer than the pitiful Moto 360, but unsurprisingly can't make it as long as the Pebble Steel.
With emails, notifications, downloading apps and the usual testing, my Urbane lasted two days on a single charge - much like the G Watch R. This is slightly longer than the day and a half that my Apple Watch offers.
You'll also find the Urbane requires a familiar magnetic charging cradle. It's basically the same one the G Watch R uses. In fact, you'd think they could be interchangeable, but of course, they're not.

Hands on gallery

Verdict

The LG Watch Urbane is a beautiful timepiece but it's twin, the LG G Watch R is pretty much identical. Knowing this, it's tough to outright recommend the Urbane for anyone other than the fashion obsessed.

We liked

The battery life of the Urbane isn't ideal, but it's far better than most other Android Wear smartwatches. The design of the wearable is also a head turner, with its classic circular face and simple timepiece feel.
The on-board Android 5.1.1 software felt like a huge perk at first thanks to its improved interface and new features, but it's since rolled out to the rest of the Android Wear community.

We disliked

That same elegant design is also a bit irritating on another level - it's far too large. Sure, there are plenty of massive analogue watch faces that we're all used to seeing.
But, if a smartwatch is going to be marketed to both men and women, it would be wise to offer multiple size options, or at least something closer to a middle ground. The Urbane is also the most expensive Android Wear watch to date, but it doesn't exactly stand out from the G Watch R apart from its fancier looks.

Final verdict

The LG Watch Urbane is the watch you should get if you want a premium looking LG G Watch R. You'll basically be breaking out $349 (£259, AU$459) for a smartwatch you could have for $100 less.
Again, there's no doubt that the Urbane is a lovely-looking wearable, but with Lollipop 5.1.1 on all other Android smartwatches, there's not much incentive to pay such a hefty chunk of cash.
That said, if you're looking for a polished equivalent to the Apple Watch, the Urbane isn't a bad Android Wear smartwatch. However, you might be better off waiting for the next LG wearable.
Having made it this far, LG's next could hit the sweet spot with an appealing design, affordable price point and perhaps a killer feature to really stand it out from the wearable crowd.











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The workplace – the next major connected ecosystem

Introduction

Businesses today are busy automating, embracing big data and trying to figure out what the Internet of Things means for them, but what about the workplace? With 'bring your own device' (BYOD) firmly embedded, smart devices and wearables are about to fuel a new focus on smart, intuitive digital services for employees.
Welcome to the office, the next major connected ecosystem, and we're going to explore this brave new world over the following slides…

• How to choose an office printer

Smart apps at work

The first phase of the digitisation of the office is about bringing together existing technologies as smart apps. "We designed a system for a bank in Istanbul that helped the staff plan their day and interact with customers," says Mark Curtis, co-founder and chief client officer at design and innovation consultancy firm Fjord, who describes how the dashboard collates information on meetings, targets and also includes internal communications.
"We built into the system live mapping linked to a live calendar, which automatically detects where the next meeting is, gives traffic alerts, and tells them when to leave – it's an early and relatively simple example of what will soon be possible."
Such data-harvesting apps are possible now, though offices and workplaces are yet to see the emergence of an iconic smart device, such as Nest or Philips Hue smart bulbs in the world of smart homes. However, Curtis says that any technology that takes things off the 'thinking list' is potentially a game-changer.

Wearable cameras and mobile workers

Many of the changes we're on the cusp of will mostly benefit those working away from the office. "The Ca7ch Lightbox is a wearable camera that could change the lives of a lot of field workers," says Curtis, who stresses the role technology has already played in creating a mobilised, independent workforce. "Equipping that workforce with wearable cameras is the kind of thing that has the potential to create different ways of managing people."
One of the biggest issues in the hotel industry is how to get the maximum efficiency from cleaning staff, which is currently hampered by the constant and unpredictable movement of guests. "You can do a lot with wrist wearables," says Curtis, who recommends a smartwatch for this particular task. "It's all about managing productivity, but there's a two-way flow," he says of technology that can track the movements of staff, such as Bluetooth beacons.
"It's difficult to imagine that this isn't going to drive out a great deal of efficiency, but changes like this need to be managed with care. Systems need to be designed with humans in mind – they need to involve staff."

Orwellian overtones

Employers being able to track staff around a workplace has Orwellian overtones, so it will only take-off if staff get big benefits. "When an employee arrives in a location, an app could automatically log them in," says Mike Crooks, Head of Innovation, Mubaloo Innovation Lab.
"The app would know who the user is, it would then trigger the right contextual information, based on who they are and what they need," adds Crooks. "This could then prompt them to follow the right process for their job. The app would give them the right information, helping to assist them and possibly navigate them elsewhere."
Sit down at your desk and you could be sensed, and perhaps automatically logged-in to a system hands-free. "We will see an increasing number of context-aware applications where the internet will combine data from many different data sources," says Martin Gunnarsson, Director Product Strategies at IFS Labs, who gives the example of a field service engineer who needs to service power grid equipment, for whom data can be presented in a much more automated way.
"The GPS can set my location and provide asset information as to where I'm standing," he notes.

Navigating offices - and tracking colleagues

There is another dimension to staff being tracked that could socialise work in clever ways. "We have a client who runs a co-working space called The Factory in Berlin, which has been beacon-ised," says Trevor Longino, Head of PR and Marketing at beacon manufacturer Kontakt.io. "Say I'm at the office to meet Sean and I don't know where he is. With beacons installed, I can see if he's in the building, where he is, and be guided through the office to exactly where he is."
You could even receive an alert when someone arrives at the office, if they want to make themselves 'seen' by the beacons. It would also be possible for an office worker to send a message to everyone sitting near them, perhaps to find out if anyone is going for lunch.

Will Google Glass make a comeback?

A massive failure in the mainstream they may have been, but smart glasses like Google Glass have a huge future in the workplace. "Consumers don't yet see the value in having a screen constantly in your view when out and about," says Gunnarsson. "On the flipside, I have a strong belief in the success of the workplace-centric Google Glass."
Google recently announced that its 'Glass at Work Certified Partners' are enterprise developers including APX, Augmedix, Crowdoptic, GuidiGO and Wearable Intelligence, which should mean hands-free, real-time, context-aware apps for business.
IFS Labs has developed a showcase on Google Glass where a technician can receive work instructions via images in the eyepiece, with audio talking them through actions, such as performing a service on a coffee machine. The maintenance worker can ditch the manuals. "In the future, augmented reality and holograms will allow users to have information presented in a 3D perspective, which will really change and adapt the way we work," says Gunnarsson.
Google Glass may lack acceptability as a wearable device in public, but the augmentation technology at its core will be extremely helpful in some professions.
"We shouldn't write-off Google Glass, it's very broad-minded," says Curtis. "If you look at the advantages of having a feed of data to your eyes, and the layer of voice control that can be applied, it has huge potential as a workforce-enabler for engineers or anyone doing skilled work with small or large objects – and that includes surgeons – who could have their knowledge-base significantly improved by Google Glass."

Making meetings more productive

How about a self-regulating, self-reliant meeting room? "We'll see cheap sensors attached to rooms, equipment, and supplies," says Curtis of creeping office digitisation, "and it could all come together to make meeting more effective." A wearable or phone can be used to unlock a meeting room, of course, but there's much more to it than that. If a system knows where all the people who are coming to a meeting are, who's going to be late, and it can order the correct equipment needed for a meeting, the time efficiency savings are potentially huge.
"Beacons are also being used to help identify when meeting rooms are available, which is especially useful if a room has been booked for over an hour, yet only used for 20 minutes," says Crooks. The opposite works, too – if a meeting is running over time and encroaching on a time when the room is booked, everyone in the meeting room can receive a message telling them to vacate in, say, the next five minutes.
"All offices struggle with unproductive meetings, and using technology to improve their efficiency will provide a route to persuading staff that wearing wearables has a benefit," says Curtis. "This technology will be massive in the next two or three years."











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Stephen Colbert's 'dulcet tones' are all over Waze's latest update

The next time you need Waze's navigating help, you could have Stephen Colbert telling you when to veer right.
From 8 September to 22 September, Stephen Colbert's voice will be joining Waze to give you turn-by-turn directions to help celebrate his new role as the host of The Late Show, which is set to premiere next week.
"For years, I navigated the roadways using a compass, a sextant and the guidance offered by the stars," Colbert said.
"But now I can just listen to my own dulcet tones instructing me on Waze."
Check out Colbert listening to his own Waze directions in the video below:
YouTube : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8VUcWwmEw-w

Navigating the promos

Users will also be able to choose New England Patriots star player Rob Gronkowski and Neil Patrick Harris to help give you ideas, but you'll be facing promotions from these two voice command options as well.
Gronkowski will help you with your directions, but will also tell you the locations of Dunkin' Donuts, while Neil Patrick Harris' voice is on board to promote his new show, Best Time Ever.
This isn't the first time Waze has had celebrity voices on its app with a promotional angle - earlier this year, users could pick Arnold Schwarzenegger to give them turn-by-turn directions part of a promotional campaign for the film Terminator: Genisys.
While some might find it annoying to have promotions thrown at them while being told to turn left or right, it's still a fun way for Waze to bring the voices of your favorite celebrities on to the free app without charging you a premium.
The app itself is also getting a helpful new feature that will remind users to slow down when approaching certain intersections in Boston, Los Angeles, NYC, San Francisco and Washington D.C. that have the greatest incidences of collisions or injuries.

• The incredible tech that will make self-driving cars a reality

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Buying Guide: 10 best mirrorless cameras of 2015

Best mirrorless compact system camera

In the old days, if you were serious about photography you bought a digital SLR. But now CSCs (compact system cameras) offer the advantages of a DSLR, including a big sensor, interchangeable lenses and advanced controls, but in a smaller, lighter body without the mirror mechanism – hency why they're also called mirrorless cameras.
But mirrorless cameras (compact system cameras) come in all kinds of shapes and sizes. Some look like DSLRs, some look like supersized compact cameras. Some have viewfinders and some don't. The fact is that we're all looking for slightly different things, so we've ranked the 10 best compact system cameras you can buy right now based not just on specs, handling and performance, but size, simplicity and value for money too.

1. Olympus OM-D E-M10 II

The brilliant E-M10 II ticks boxes you probably didn't even know about

Sensor size: Micro Four Thirds | Resolution: 16.1Mp | Viewfinder: EVF | Monitor: 3-inch tilting display, 1,037,000 dots | Maximum continuous shooting rate: 8.5fps | Maximum video resolution: 1080p

See more Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark II deals

Compact size, lenses too

Excellent viewfinder

Smaller sensor than some

Pricier than original E-M10

We loved the original E-M10 for its size, versatility and value for money, but the E-M10 II adds features that take it to another level. The old camera's 3-axis image stabilization system has been uprated to the 5-axis system in Olympus's more advanced OM-D cameras, the viewfinder resolution has been practically doubled and the continuous shooting speed, already impressive at 8fps, creeps up to 8.5fps. Some will criticise the smaller Micro Four Thirds sensor format (roughly half the area of APS-C) but the effect on image quality is minor and it means that the lenses are as compact and lightweight as the camera itself. It's small, but it's no toy – the E-M10 II is a properly powerful camera.
Read the full review: Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark II

2. Sony A7 II

Full-frame DSLR-style stunner with 5-axis stabilization built in

Sensor size: Full frame | Resolution: 24.3MP | Viewfinder: EVF | Monitor: 3-inch, 1,228,800 dots | Maximum continuous shooting rate: 5fps | Maximum video resolution: 1080p

See more Sony Alpha A7 II deals

Full frame image quality

Size and handling

Lenses can be bulky

Upstaged somewhat by new A7R II

The A7 II doesn't have the highest-resolution sensor in the A7 range – that's the 42.5Mp A7R II – but its full-frame sensor still has 24 million pixels and, now, built-in stabilization. It's more expensive than the A7 it replaces, but although our lab tests show it has no clear performance advantage over its best APS-C rivals, the Fuji X-T1 and Samsung NX1, the A7 II's full-frame sensor brings a shallower depth of field and a pictorial 'depth' to stills and video that's harder to achieve in a smaller format. The A7 II is an important step in the evolution of full-frame compact system cameras and is supported by a growing collection of pro-quality lenses.
Read the full review: Sony Alpha A7 II

3. Fuji X-T10

The X-T10 upstages the X-T1 with a small drop in features but a big drop in price

Sensor size: APS-C | Resolution: 16.3MP | Viewfinder: EVF | Monitor: 3-inch, 920,800 dots | Maximum continuous shooting rate: 8fps | Maximum video resolution: 1080p

See more Fuji X-T10 deals

Excellent build and design

Value for money

High ISOs are JPEG only

Lacks X-T1's weatherproofing

At first sight the X-T10 looks like a lower-cost alternative to the X-T1, and you might be expecting a whole bunch of compromises as a result. In fact, though, the X-T10 uses the same sensor and Fuji's latest AF technology, which the X-T1 needs a firmware update to match. The X-T10 has a slightly smaller viewfinder image and simplified external controls which don't match the retro appeal of the X-T1's, but apart from that it's hard to see any major benefit to the X-T1 that could justify the big price difference. We love the compact DSLR-style body, the superb Fuji image quality and film simulation modes, and Fuji's growing range of premium lenses.
Read the full review: Fuji X-T10

4. Fuji X-T1

Classic handling, beautiful images – the X-T1 doesn't put a foot wrong

Sensor size: APS-C | Resolution: 16.3MP | Viewfinder: EVF | Monitor: 3-inch tilting display, 1,040,000 dots | Maximum continuous shooting rate: 8fps | Maximum video resolution: 1080p

See more Fuji X-T1 deals

Classic controls

Rugged build

Advanced filters JPEG only

Expensive compared to X-T10

Not so long back the X-T1 was our favourite compact system camera, but things change quickly in the world of cameras, and it's been pushed out of the top spot. Price has proved the X-T1's main enemy – it's a great camera, but the newer Fuji X-T10 is almost as great and much cheaper. The Olympus E-M10 II has come along with its brilliant blend of size, features and value, and competitive pricing means the Sony A7 II is now very good value for those who value performance above all else. The X-T1's external manual controls for shutter speed, lens aperture and ISO setting are still a joy to use and we love the results from its X-Trans sensor, but its rivals are just getting stronger.
Read the full review: Fuji X-T1

5. Olympus OM-D E-M5 II

Amazing features, impressive results, inspired thinking… but not cheap

Sensor size: Micro Four Thirds | Resolution: 16.1MP | Viewfinder: EVF | Monitor: 3-inch articulating display, 1,037,000 dots | Maximum continuous shooting rate: 10fps | Maximum video resolution: 1080p

See more Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark II deals

Innovative 40M high-res mode

Effective 5-axis stabilization

Some fiddly and complex controls

Holding its price a bit too well

The E-M5 II is another technological tour-de-force from Olympus, with a 40Mp High Res mode that produces detail far beyond the sensor's native resolution (though only with static subjects), 5-axis image stabilization for both stills and movies (so it's great for 'run-and-gun' style videography), a fully-articulating touch-screen display and some clever and exciting low-light exposure modes. It's also small and perfectly formed – yet, for an enthusiasts' camera it's not cheap, and the controls can be baffling. It's a similar price to the Fuji X-T1 and faces a similar problem – it's desirable enough, but there's a newer, much cheaper camera in the range (the OM-D E-M10 II) that makes you question the price.
Read the full review: Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark II

6. Panasonic GH4

Is it a stills camera or a 4K video camera? The GH4 is brilliant but conflicted

Sensor size: Micro Four Thirds | Resolution: 16.1MP | Viewfinder: EVF | Monitor: 3-inch tilting screen, 1,036,000 dots | Maximum continuous shooting rate: 12fps | Maximum video resolution: 4K

See more Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH4 deals

4K video and 14fps continuous shooting

Metal chassis

Some fiddly and complex controls

Pro build quality and 200,000-shot shutter life

The GH4 is a terrific, ground-breaking camera and its 4K video capabilities are becoming legendary amongst professional film-makers. It's also a very good stills camera capable of shooting top-quality 16Mp images at up to 12 frames per second. You can even extract really good 8MP stills from 4K video shot at 30fps. But all this processing power makes the GH4 expensive, so unless shooting high-speed action stills and video is your speciality, you could be paying for power you won't use. It's a firm favourite amongst 4K film-makers and early adopters, however, and while prices have fallen since its launch in 2014, its reputation just seems to keep on growing.
Read the full review: Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH4

7. Panasonic G7

If you like the GH4's tech but not its price, try the new G7

Sensor size: Micro Four Thirds | Resolution: 16MP | Viewfinder: Electronic | Monitor: 3-inch articulating screen, 1,040,000 dots | Maximum continuous shooting rate: 8fps | Maximum video resolution: 4K

See more Panasonic Lumix DMC-G7 deals

Excellent OLED viewfinder

4K video and stills mode

Two-year-old sensor

Plasticky build

Panasonic's D-SLR-style G-series cameras are easily overlooked, as the company tends to put its latest technology in its smaller, rectangular GX-series cameras – the new GX8 is the first to use Panasonic's new 20Mp Micro Four Thirds sensor. Nevertheless, they offer a good blend of features, technology, practicality and value. Indeed, the G7 is a pretty good stills camera for the money, but it goes a whole step further, adding in Panasonic's 4K movie capability and the option of grabbing 8Mp stills at a rate of 30fps. Interestingly, though, Panasonic has kept to its 'old' 16Mp sensor for this model, reserving its latest 20Mp sensor for the GX8. And while the G7 looks great on paper, its plasticky construction is a disappointment.
Read the full review: Panasonic Lumix DMC-G7

8. Sony A6000

Sony's top box-shape CSC has an electronic viewfinder and super-fast AF

Sensor size: APS-C | Resolution: 24.3MP | Viewfinder: EVF | Monitor: 3-inch tilting screen, 921,600 dots | Maximum continuous shooting rate: 11fps | Maximum video resolution: 1080p

See more Sony Alpha 6000 deals

Great electronic viewfinder

Fast and sophisticated AF

Frustrating AF set process

No touchscreen

The A6000 is Sony's top APC-S compact system camera and has a 'box' design rather than the D-SLR style of the E-M10 and other enthusiast-orientated compact system cameras. It has an electronic viewfinder, though, mounted in the top corner and some very impressive specs, including a hybrid AF system claimed by Sony to be the fastest in the world when it was launched (February 2014), a 24-megapixel sensor and 11fps continuous shooting. But although the body is compact, the Sony E-mount lenses can be bulky, which affects the overall balance. On the other hand, the A6000 is now on sale at super-competitive prices – this is a high-end compact system camera at an entry-level price and that guarantees it a place in our list.
Read the full review: Sony Alpha 6000

9. Panasonic GX8

Panasonic's flagship CSC has a brand new sensor, but it's pricey

Sensor size: Micro Four Thirds | Resolution: 20.3MP | Viewfinder: Tilting EVF | Monitor: 3-inch tilting screen, 1,040,000 dots | Maximum continuous shooting rate: 8fps | Maximum video resolution: 4K

See more Panasonic GX8 deals

New 20Mp sensor

Mag-alloy build, dust and splash-proof

Larger than the old GX7

Expensive at launch

Panasonic's compact system camera range is pretty confusing. You might expect its DSLR-style G-series cameras to get the best and latest tech, but actually it's the the box-shaped GX8 that's the first to benefit from Panasonic's new 20Mp Micro Four Thirds sensor – this has performed really well in our lab tests, putting it on the same level as a good DSLR. The GX8 also comes with 4K video and the ability to grab 8Mp stills from it (it's like continuous shooting at 30fsp). The rear screen is tilting and so, unusually, is the electronic viewfinder eyepiece. It's a very good camera, but the price is a sticking point, and the Sony A6000 (above) gives you more for your money.
Read the full review: Panasonic GX8

10. Fuji X-M1

Decent entry-level CSC made more attractive by falling prices

Sensor size: APS-C | Resolution: 16.3MP | Viewfinder: No | Monitor: 3-inch tilting display, 921,000 dots | Maximum continuous shooting rate: 5.6fps | Maximum video resolution: 1080p

See more Fuji X-M1 deals

Excellent X-Trans sensor

Smart retro styling

No viewfinder

Limited digital filters

This is the only camera on our list without a viewfinder, and that's because we think they are a near-necessity on any serious camera. However, you can't ignore the XM-1's current rock-bottom price, and you do get a lot for your money. This is the cheapest route into Fuji's X-mount camera system and it uses the same 16Mp X-Trans sensor as the Fuji X-T1 and X-T10. It's also rather neat, with appealing retro styling. The bundled 16-50mm kit lens isn't the best and adds a lot of bulk, but at this price you can forgive a lot. It's quite possible that a Fuji X-M1 replacement is on the way, which could explain the falling prices, so if you like the price it might be wise to get one while you can.
Read the full review: Fuji X-M1

• What camera should I buy?
• Best camera
• Best DSLR

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Hands-on review: IFA 2015: Lenovo Smart Cast Smartphone concept

Hate how small your smartphone screen is? Have you sworn off giant phablets? Lenovo may be in the process of inventing the perfect technology for you.
The Lenovo Smart Cast Smartphone enables you to project images and video onto tabletops and walls. This means you may someday be able to turn any screen on your smartphone into a 10-inch-wide projection.
But the Smart Cast isn't just for passive viewing. The hardware projector sits atop (or beneath) your smartphone and can sense movements via infrared light. This gesture control functionality means you can turn any flat surface into an interactive touchscreen.

Design

The Smart Cast portion of the smartphone is a one-inch tall camera and projector that sits above the smartphone's screen. It directs a bright projection onto the tabletop eight inches in front of the phone, or about 15 inches onto a wall behind the phone.
The phone features a hardware button that initiates the Smart Cast. Once triggered, the button automatically pulls up a folder containing every app that can interact with the Smart Cast. Lenovo has developed approximately 10 apps that work with the Smart Cast, including productivity tools like Email, Messaging, Calculator, Video Player, Browser, as well as games like Fruit Ninja and Sniper.
The Smart Cast rotates about 270-degrees so that you can switch from table view, which projects an image between your body and the smartphone, and wall view, which projects an image from the back of the phone to the wall in front of you. When you rotate the Smart Cast, the phone will detect the twisting action and automatically switch from table to wall view.

Performance

Although white surfaces in dark environments are your best bet for creating bright and vibrant images, the Smart Cast was able to project a healthy image in brighter environments and on dark surfaces. However, you're definitely going to want to play motion-sensitive games in dark rooms so that you don't cause the screen to flicker and flutter, as was the case with a few of the applications I saw demonstrated outside of Lenovo's intended viewing area.
Among the many use cases for the Smart Cast Smartphone is a virtual keyboard that lets you turn your smartphone into a productivity tool. This means you may no longer have to type onto the tiny software keyboard that displays on your phone. I was skeptical about the keyboard's performance, but my keystrokes were immediately recognized by the smartphone and registered on the document in which I was working.
The Piano and Keyboard app projections both produced immediate sound whenever I tapped a key. The Sniper game also created instantaneous sound, but I did notice a bit of lag time between my tap motion and when a shot was fired.

Another issue that I noticed when playing Sniper is that the projection doesn't maintain its form when your hand shakes or moves from side to side. Sniper required me to move my hand horizontally and vertically in order to detect enemies, but whenever I moved my wrist the projection went bonkers. This might be my own fault, as the Lenovo rep who demoed the game had no issue.

Early verdict

Lenovo is definitely onto something here. I'm not sure consumers will appreciate the extra inch added to the top (or bottom) of their smartphone, and Lenovo hasn't perfected the image quality, particularly as it pertains to movement and light spaces.
However, the inch is worth the functionality, and the image issues are true of all projections, from the world's best 4K projectors to your grandfather's slide projector. So you're essentially trading in a few flaws and performance issues in favor of a unique tool that enhances how you experience an already dynamic device.
We still don't know how much the Smart Cast will cost, and we don't really know anything about the phone itself, so it's difficult to determine whether this is something you'll want to run out to buy. But we should all keep an eye out for it, and I'll update my impressions when I get my hands on a completed device closer to its intended June 2016 release date.











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iOS Tips: How to remove a card from Apple Pay

Whether it's because your device has been stolen, you want to get rid of an unused card, or you have some other reason to deactivate an Apple Pay card, iCloud can help you. Apple Pay works with iPhone 6/6 Plus, some iPad models, and Apple Watch to provide easy and convenient payment options when out and about or ordering online through mobile apps, and it's impressively secure. Even so, there are times when you might need to remove those cards, even when your device isn't nearby (such as if you've lost it). Here's how to do it.

How to view Apple Pay cards

To view the cards registered on your Apple Pay-compatible devices, perform these steps:
1. Open iCloud.com in any web browser.
2. Navigate to Settings.
3. Select the device that contains Apple Pay under the "My Devices" section of the Settings page (your registered devices that have Apple Pay enabled have the Apple Pay logo beside the device type).
4. In the window that appears, the "Apple Pay" section will list the last four digits of each card registered on that device.

How to remove Apple Pay cards

To remotely remove your cards from Apple Pay, follow the above steps to see which cards are registered to your Apple Devices, then simply click the "Remove" or "Remove All" buttons underneath the "Apple Pay" section. You'll be prompted to verify you wish to continue doing this. Once you confirm your intentions, iCloud will send the signal to the device to remove those cards. The next time the device connects to the Internet, it will see your intention, and will properly remove those cards from the device.
Of course, if you have your iOS device handy and want to remove the card from Apple Pay directly, simply open passbook, tap on the card you want to get rid of, tap on the "i" info button, then scroll to the bottom of the page and tap Remove Card.











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Mad Max: Fury Road is the biggest movie yet to land on Steam

With the Mad Max game released this week, Steam will also give users the option to stream all the Mad Max movies, including this year's big release, Mad Max: Fury Road.
Steam has so far only carried indie film titles, and before the Mad Max films, Indie Game: The Movie was one of biggest movies available.
It's a massive coup for the Steam platform, with Mad Max: Fury Road to be the biggest film to land in Steam's movie library.
It could also mark the beginning of Steam moving beyond just indie films and adding more major films to its library in the future, whether accompanied by a game or not.
All four Mad Max films are now available for streaming through the Steam store in the US and UK, with Mad Max: Fury Road priced at US$19.99 and £13.99, the same price you'll find through PlayStation and Xbox's stores.
While Steam doesn't give you the opportunity to rent the films, only stream it, you can bundle the films with the Mad Max game, with the option to bundle one film or the four-film anthology.

• With Xbox One, Microsoft is building the Steam Machine Valve can't

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Updated: Halo 5: Guardians release date, news and trailers

Release date, story and performance

Update: A new gorgeous, action packed trailer has been released for Halo 5: Guardians.
It's specifically the opening cinematic showing Spartan Locke and the rest of Fireteam Osiris, including Nathan Fillion, heading out on a mission. For fans of Mass Effect (and practically every video game out there), Jennifer Hale also makes a brief appearance.
Check out the video below and marvel at the glory. We sure are.
YouTube : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=44oJi5w2Wjc&feature=youtu.be
It's been nearly three years since Halo 4 hit the Xbox 360, which was the last time we got to experience the ongoing saga of elite Spartan warrior Master Chief. The only Halo game that Xbox One owners have had in the meantime is Halo: The Master Chief Collection, which pulled together a lot of great single player games, while completely botching the multiplayer part of the package.
Developer 343 Industries is back with the Halo 5: Guardians later this year, which continues the story of Master Chief while introducing a new Spartan in the form of Agent Locke. It appears to be a return to form for the developer, and we can't wait to play the finished game, but what do you need to know before laying down your hard-earned cash?

Release date

Between December 29, 2014 and January 18, 2015, Halo 5's multiplayer was opened up in beta to anyone who bought Halo: The Master Chief Collection. However, the full game will be out on October 27, 2015 exclusively for Xbox One. Not long to go.

There won't be split-screen

For many, the Halo series is synonymous with split-screen multiplayer. Every game in the series to date on Xbox consoles has offered the feature; in Halo 3, you could even hook two consoles up together and play in four-player co-op. It worked so well, in fact, that a lot of Halo fans have only ever played the games in split-screen co-op. So there was a collective outcry from fans when the feature was ditched from Halo 5 Guardians for technical reasons.
So, if you want to play Halo 5: Guardians in co-op, you're gonna need a friend with an Xbox One, a copy of the game, an internet connection and an Xbox Live Gold subscription. Which really sucks.
YouTube : www.youtube.com/watch?v=QwjwJ9Z_XYs

It will run at 60fps

Halo games have always looked great, but on previous Xbox consoles they've always been locked at 30 frames per second. In the meantime, Call of Duty has made 60 frames per second the norm, with the Battlefield series catching up when it moved to Xbox One and PlayStation 4.
Halo is the next major shooter franchise to make the leap with Guardians. It makes a noticeable difference in motion -- Halo 5 is faster and more fluid than previous games in the series. Halo franchise development director Frank O'Connor also recently confirmed that "60fps is the speed you'll move through the universe, not the speed we're updating the frame buff." In other words, it'll be a true 60fps experience.

There are lots of different editions

Like any major video game these days, Halo 5: Guardians comes in plenty of different flavours. The £60 standard edition offers just the game, although retailer Game is offering Spartan Locke Armour & Battle Rifle as pre-order bonuses, if you care about such things. Then there's the £80 Limited Edition, which includes an animated series, a physical model of a guardian, a SteelBook, 14 requisition packs and more. For the serious Halo connoisseur, there's the £200 Limited Collector's Edition, which has an even better statue: a combination of Master Chief and Spartan Locke who can either be posed together or facing each other.
There's been some controversy that there's no physical copy of the game in this version, although developer 343 Industries has said that it's looking at ways it can offer buyers a physical copy of the game if possible. There's also a special Halo edition Xbox One console being rolled out, which comes with a special paint job, a 1TB hard drive, a collector's edition of the game, and even special Halo sound effects.
YouTube : www.youtube.com/watch?v=WCVmI9ATHhw

The story: A new Chief on the block?

(Spoilers for Halo 4 ahead) When Halo 4 ended, Master Chief had been going into a bit of a downward spiral thanks to the loss of his AI partner Cortana. With the Chief in hiding, it's down to another spartan called Agent Locke (the blue-helmeted guy on the cover of the game) to bring him in. Like Halo 2, you'll be playing as two different characters and experiencing the story from these different viewpoints this time around.
While Cortana is most definitely dead, she'll still be appearing in the game in the form of ghostly apparitions to Master Chief. There's also fan speculation over the possibility of another Spartan gone rogue being some sort of villain, as well as the return of the Arbiter to the series. Only time will tell…

HoloLens, Warzone and more

It's bigger than Halo 4

343 Industries did a pretty phenomenal job on Halo 4, especially considering it was a brand new studio taking on one of the most revered series in gaming. However, one of the big complaints from fans was that Halo 4 was just too short - something that the studio has tackled head-on. Halo franchise development director Frank O'Connor confirmed that Halo 5 is a far larger game than the studio's previous title, saying: "The reality is that length is a really weird metric because people play the game so differently. So, I think about things like replayability and scale. It's a much bigger game [than Halo 4]."

Out with armour abilities, in with Spartan abilities

The last few Halo games have featured armour abilities: you'd start each level with the ability to sprint, and then you'd pick up extra abilities like a thruster pack or a holographic decoy. In Halo 5, you can do much more from the off - you can use the thruster pack whenever you want, in addition to vaulting on ledges, dashing, and ground pounding.
You can also sprint, but if you do, your shield doesn't recharge, while you can also slide when you're at full speed. There's a nod to other first person shooters in the new feature "smart scope", which allows you to aim down the weapon's sights for the first time in the series.

Warzone is crazy fun

Halo multiplayer has always been a lot of fun, but Warzone could be the pinnacle of the series' online gameplay to date. It's a 24-player game mode which combines player-vs-player and player-vs-enemy gameplay on maps that are four times the size of previous Halo maps. You start by clearing out your own base of AI-controlled enemies, and then move on to capturing the other bases on the map using a combination of Warthogs, mechs and warplanes.
The AI-based combat means Warzone is really accommodating to new players, while still offering a challenge for those who want to seek out other real players.

There's a HoloLens version of Halo 5

At E3 2015, Microsoft showed off what Halo 5 might look like through its HoloLens augmented reality hardware. The headset puts you right into the world of Halo, specifically one of the game's UNSC ships, allowing you to look out of a window and see troops and dropships taking off outside.
We also stood in a command centre and watched a UNSC officer deliver a mission briefing. This HoloLens experience won't be available with the finished version of Halo 5, but it was an interesting look at where the technology might be going.

There will be microtransactions

Not even the mighty Halo franchise is immune from one of the more annoying trends in videogaming of the last few years: microtransactions. You can earn REQ points by playing Arena or Warzone multiplayer, which can then be spent on REQ Packs. However, if you're lazy or just want a leg up on the competition, you can purchase REQ points by spending real money. The silver lining is that if you do decide to drop your own cash, a portion of the sale will go towards the prize pools available to pro players in the Halo Championship Series.

There will be 15 maps available for free

Halo 5 will ship with 20 multiplayer maps when it launches in October, but like any big multiplayer shooter, there will be new maps coming down the line. Unlike most shooters, though, these maps will all be free. The 15 maps will be released in stages until July 2016, and will all be available for free. 343 Studio head Josh Holmes told Game Informer that he doesn't want to divide users into the "haves and have-nots" and split the player base with premium map packs.











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Google has a new, flatter logo - what do you think?

Not long after announcing the announcement of its new parent company, Alphabet, Google is revealing a brand new logo.
It's not the first time the company has tweaked its look, but it's certainly one of the more dramatic changes - the biggest since 1999, in fact. The new design is a bit more fun, with a softer, flatter look that does away with the serifs.
Google is also replacing the little blue "g" icon on your browser tabs and replacing it with the new four-colour "G".
"We think we've taken the best of Google (simple, uncluttered, colorful, friendly), and recast it not just for the Google of today, but for the Google of the future," reads Google's blog post.
The new logo is already showing up on Google's web search engine, and will soon be adorning all of its products.
YouTube : www.youtube.com/watch?v=olFEpeMwgHk










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Updated: Apple TV 2 release date, price, news and rumors

What will Apple TV 2 look like?

Update: Apple's event is coming up on September 9 and we're expecting the new Apple TV to be making an appearance. Below, we dive into the new features that are rumored to be making their arrival with Apple's next set-top box.
Original story follows:
In the battle royale of set-top boxes that has erupted over the last few years, there's always been one contender who's not afraid to quietly sit on the sidelines and garner attention by being inclusive, sleek and to-the-point, and that's Apple TV.
Now, before you go down into the comments and leave a nasty retort, we know that Apple TV 2 - technically a moniker for the second version of Apple TV - has come and gone.
But Apple bows to no numerical and/or logic system, and Apple TV has yet to see a true sequel, instead receiving iteration after iteration of internal upgrades.

It's been about two years since the last minor change to the system and three since the last major one. Which, for a company that's bound and determined to release a new iPhone every 12 months, seems a little strange that Apple's popular streamer has been MIA since the iPhone 5.
So what's the hold-up? Why hasn't Apple launched a stick to fight the Amazon Fire TV Stick or Roku Streaming Stick? Why hasn't it taken the fight to Roku 3 and Nexus Player by launching a new set-top box based on iOS 8?
Honestly? It's just a matter of time. There are a ton of possibilities with Apple's next streaming system. From a small stick to a 4K streamer, from a TV service like Sling TV to a 40-inch TV, anything and everything is on the table for the future of Apple's must-own A/V accessory.

Cut to the chase
What is it? The next generation of Apple's set-top box, the Apple TV
When is it out? We don't know. Apple hasn't set a release date, or shown it publicly.

Apple TV (fourth generation)

Update: WWDC 2015 came and went without an Apple TV announcement. Disappointing as that was, we're gearing up for one at Apple's September 9 event. It's not all wishful thinking, rumors of Apple's next set-top box are boiling and we're hearing something new quite frequently.
Most recently, we've heard that the new Apple TV will have a completely refreshed user interface and access to the App Store. Also, we've been hearing that it will also include an updated remote control (goodbye, boring aluminum IR remote) that operates over Bluetooth and features a mix of physical buttons and a touchpad.

Inside the remote, Apple looks to be packing in some motion sensors, which would make playing games on the App Store that require tilt easy. Speaking of Bluetooth, we've heard whispers that you might be able to connect any console-style controller made for iOS to the Apple TV if the new remote doesn't do it for you.
We've also heard that it will feature an internal microphone so you can chat with Siri. Yep, Siri is expected to make its couchside debut and we're hearing that the new Apple TV might be fully operable just with your voice.

Next up, live programming. The inclusion of live television in the next iteration of Apple TV has long been rumored. After a series of bumps in the road, it looks like Apple has figured out a way to secure the rights to broadcast local content wherever viewers might be. This feature is likely to be coming, but it could still miss the Apple TV announcement on September 9.
We're pretty smitten with the current price of the Apple TV, but we've heard reports that the new model could be two to three times that amount, as high as $199. With all the newfangled features that are rumored to come to Apple's new set-top box, do you think it will be worth it?

Apple TV (streaming service)

We'd give 2:1 odds that, like its last three iterations, Apple TV 2 is going to be a set-top box. If you're more of a gambler however, we'd say the chances Apple's got an ace up its sleeve in the form of a streaming service are about 10:1.

This possible-but-not-probable scenario was first given life on the web around the same time Sling TV made a splash in the US. The only problem with this plan is that Apple would need a lot of partners - FOX, NBC, ABC, Viacom, etc… - within a short time period.
Possible? Sure. Probable? Not likely.
The potential package in question would have a number of channels you know and love from cable but streamed over your Internet service for a lower monthly cost than traditional vendors like Sky, Virgin, Verizon or Time Warner Cable.
A service like that, exclusive to Apple TV, could be a huge differentiator and killer app for Cupertino. Whether Apple's TV streaming dreams come to fruition - or actually exist at all - however, remains to be seen.

Apple pulls the plug on TV

After 10 years of research and development, Apple has officially stopped working on the fabled Apple television set, according to The Wall Street Journal.
According to a source familiar to the situation, because it was unable to add anything new to the world of flat-panels and 4K Ultra-HD TVs, Apple has thrown in the towel once and for all.
Apple is still expected to release both an updated version of the traditional set-top box as well as an over-the-top streaming service like Sling TV at its World Wide Developers Conference which starts on June 8.

How could have Apple's iTV worked? We have a few ideas.

The history of Apple TV

The history of Apple TV

The first Apple TV launched back in 2006 and stuck out from the crowd by boasting its own hard drive and composite cables to hook up to then-new SD TV sets. It had a measly Intel Crofton Premium M processor and 256MB of DDR2 memory.

Version 2 ditched the internal storage for a better 802.11a/b/g/n Wi-Fi antenna, upgraded Apple A4 processor and favored streaming media over anything stored on physical drives. While some lamented the disappearance of a HDD, some appreciated the Apple TV's smaller size as a result of the change.
Launching in 2012, Apple TV Version 3, the latest version of the Apple TV, didn't offer much of an upgrade over its predecessor. It still streamed media and had a streamlined user-interface based on iOS (at that time it was iOS7). Of course the processor got a bump to the A5 to handle 1080p video and it finally doubled down on RAM to a solid 512MB.

Starting on March 9, 2015, the currently available Apple TV will drop to $69 (about £45, AU$90) and has first-dibs on HBO's new standalone streaming service, HBO Now.

• What about Apple's screen for your wrist? Read our Apple Watch review!

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In Depth: Sony PlayStation 5...what can we expect from PS5 and the next generation?

PS5: what does the future hold for PlayStation 5?

As sure as tick follow tock and night follows day so a Sony PS5 will surely follow the phenomenally successful PS4.
Sony is nothing if not predictable in its console naming conventions...
Here we are talking about the PS5 but there's a couple of new PS4 models on their way this year, and the new CUH-1200 redesign seriously improves the sound and heat generation as well as radically drops the power draw too.
We're also hoping for an eventual PS4 update that offers HDMI 2.0 connections and an Ultra HD Blu-ray drive for 4K playback.
But 4K playing of video content isn't enough for us. Will the PlayStation 5 be capable of letting us game at the latest Ultra HD uber-resolution?
And with so many recent advances - PlayStation Now, pre-loading games, YouTube streaming and PlayStation TV to name but a few - we're thinking hard about the future of black boxes under the television.
Is there even actual PlayStation 5 hardware in the works or are we just looking at Sony TVs shipping with a DualShock 4 from here on in rather than a PS5 console?
A PlayStation 5 will land in some form but what's most interesting is whether it'll be the big component packed box we've grown accustomed to heating our living rooms, a palm sized streaming device or an invisible power ever present on our televisions or even iPhones and iPads.
Gazing back 20 years to the original PlayStation and its successors – yes, you're that old – it's fascinating how little really changed until the internet explosion of the last few years.
Into each generation a whirring box under the TV was born, complete with disc support and a whole bundle of the newest components but it's only now, as we Remote Play content live to our PlayStation Vitas and play seamless online multiplayer in games like Destiny, that it really feels like the future has arrived.
When a PS5 comes a calling, this is the time for things to change. Or is it?

Discs are so 20 years ago

Now that PlayStation Now and streaming capabilities should be the norm by Christmas let alone in five years' time, shouldn't we scrap the disc drive already?
We can hear it from here. Despite the magazine dropping the legendary demo disc in the middle of last year, ex editor of Official PlayStation Magazine, Ben Wilson disagrees.
"Steam on PC has taught us that disc drives are becoming less and less necessary, but I can't see them being phased out completely for a while yet," he says.
"People love their boxed products, and 'experts' have been predicting the 'imminent' demise of the CD for more than 20 years. Remind me how that one has turned out? There will always be those who prefer special editions and sexy packaging to invisible downloads, and it's those guys and girls who'll ensure disc drives live on within gaming in some form."
Looking at the ages of the people investing in technology (that's us remember, and let's be honest, we're not getting any younger) we do still have the desire to buy physical products despite their ready availability online.
But it's not just PlayStation (and better pricing on the PlayStation Store) that needs to evolve here. Our broadband speeds largely still leave much to be desired and a solid online infrastructure will have to be implemented before we depend solely on fibre-optic wires to get our gaming fix.
Adding an extra hurdle to a disc-less world, there's yet another reason why the upcoming preloading feature will be like a gift from the PlayStation gods. Size.
"I'd argue that the ever-expanding size of games would cause significant issues for a digital-only machine," says Matt Pellett, current editor of Official PlayStation Magazine.
"Both in terms of download times and the number of games people could store on their hard drive at any one time."
With the launch of Ultra HD Blu-ray, towards the end of the year, and their 50-100GB capacity, that's the sort of media we'll need our next next-gen games to be shipped on. With such huge game sizes it would be a struggle for all but the most advanced broadband connections to cope with.
Sony is quite likely to want to keep momentum going with the new disc format too and so it wouldn't be a huge surprise to see it wanting to do that with a UHD Blu-ray drive in the next version of the PlayStation.
Whether that's in a PS5 or a 4K update to the PS4 though is still up in the air.

PlayStation Now is the time

In swaggers PlayStation Now to fix all these problems. Game size? No problem. It's all in the cloud.
Choice? In five years or so, Sony could have filled it with every game on their back catalogue. Is this enough? Or could this pose even more problems for the future of PlayStation?
"If we end up in a place where streaming games is the norm, like it has become in the movie/box-set rental market, then the console itself is under threat," says PC Gamer's resident tech expert Dave James. "And if there's no actual console, what do the developers target and what do they develop on and how does Sony make its money?"
So a physical console still seems the most attractive prospect here for Sony. PlayStation Now seems an excellent solution as an additional feature, especially for accessing games from previous generations, saving you blowing the dust off that enormous original PS2 you've not been able to say goodbye to.
Another matter is the thorny issue of cost. If we've shelled out for the newest console, what's the sting for the back catalogue?
"The big talking point of the PlayStation Now Beta has been the price-point," says Pellett.
"Sony needs to get this right in order to be as competitive in the streaming market as it is in the console hardware market. With Sony's library of games and the ability for people to revisit the games they can't play on PS4 – and in some cases can't buy these days – it could become a hugely important part of the PlayStation family."
The suggestion of the PlayStation family here is important. As we know, Sony will be shipping Sony Bravia TVs with PlayStation Now built in but this won't be a replacement for the PS4 or any future consoles.
Too much rests on the power from our home consoles as new tech appears on the horizon. Yes, we're looking at you Project Morpheus.

4K and the VR revolution

Project Morpheus looks like the future. No, really.
The baying for an Oculus Rift consumer version has proved that virtual reality might just have a place in our living rooms after all and Sony's Morpheus announcement came just at the right time. Is the future of PlayStation inside a headset?
"Between PS Now and Project Morpheus, PlayStation 4 is well-placed to evolve dramatically in the years ahead," considers Pellett. "In five years we may well not only be buying our games in a different way, but the types of games we'll be playing in the first place could very well be different to what we're experiencing now."
So more shark based diving experiences then.
It seems clear that, like PlayStation Now, Morpheus is a strong addition to the PlayStation brand but an add-on to the main event which still happens to be that whirring console we can't get rid of. Yet as 4K televisions raise their ugly but oh-so-pretty heads, how can the PlayStation 4 cope with the extra processing power necessary for extra pixel production?

"Given the rapid price drops of 4K TVs, and the likelihood of increased adoption, I think Sony is going to need to produce a PS4K hardware update in the next couple of years to increase the GPU horsepower," says Dave James.
"With both latest-gen consoles battling to play native games at just 1080p there is no chance of them ever being capable of running at a native 4K resolution without a serious change in components.
"Given the processor manufacturer supplying the silicon design for both consoles is constantly iterating on that technology it should be relatively simple for Sony to upgrade the components, and as it will still be an x86-based platform it would be backwards compatible. But whether Sony would want to do that, creating a two-tier PlayStation 4 ecosystem, is tough to say."
A PlayStation 4.5, rather than a 5 almost makes sense, given Sony's clear investment in the development side of things.
"Speaking with different developers it's clear that PS4 has been designed with external studios at heart," explains Pellett.
"I've been assured it's the easiest console to develop for in PlayStation history, which is as good as an open-door invitation for teams to make games for PS4."
This strong investment in the development side of things means Sony clearly doesn't think their box is going anywhere anytime soon. Any successor is going to follow in this parallelogram's footprint.

The evolution of PlayStation

The PS Vita's Remote Play feature already hints at the miracles of new ways we can play but can features such as PlayStation Mobile extend the console experience even further?
And can future PlayStation updates deliver that?
"The thing I most want is to see PlayStation Mobile on iOS," says Ben Wilson. "The issue, of course, is that it would require Sony and Apple to clamber into bed together, which isn't going to occur anytime soon.
"But perhaps by the time PS5 rolls around, and there's even more scope for cross-platform sharing, we will see a way in which you can start a Call Of Duty 21: Robots vs Zombies campaign on console in the morning, continue it on iPad in the afternoon, and compete it on your phone at 2am while the rest of the household snores in unison."
It appears that we can't escape this idea of a home console. As a processing hub, an independent gaming power not necessarily dependent on the internet, a unit to centre our experiences around and plug extra peripherals into and a centre of the PlayStation universe.

Why the PS5 could be the cheapest console ever

First published January 2014
The PlayStation 5, whether you like it or not, will exist in some form or another and chances are it will look less like the future and more like what we already know.
"Look at the evolution of PS3 from launch day to now, and then consider that the PS4 was designed from the ground up to evolve in the years after its release," considers Pellett. "Even with simple updates, the PS4 under my TV today is going to be unrecognisable to the PS4 under my telly in 2019 – despite being the same box."
While 4K TVs, Steam Machines and cool car tech are all well and good, by far the most exciting thing to come out of CES this week is the launch of Sony's PlayStation Now.
It's not only an exciting new gaming service, but also a mesmerising hint at the destiny of the PlayStation brand and the future of gaming in general. This is the beginning of a cosmic shift in the paradigm of gaming, and it's happening right here, right now. Be excited.
In case you missed the announcement, PlayStation Now is at first-sight a simple game-streaming service that will initially enable both the PS4 and PS3 to stream PlayStation 3 games over the internet.
You'll be able to select a game and begin streaming it immediately, meaning absolutely no delay in getting the game up and running. Instantaneous PS3 gaming, no loading times at all. Awesome!

But there's more. Lots more.

Game streaming functionality will later arrive on the PS Vita and, far more excitingly, Bravia TVs. Yep, using a DualShock 3 pad, you'll be able to play full-blown PS3 games, in HD, on your big TV, without the need to own a PlayStation console. Incredible!
But wait. There's still more.
Eventually, PS Now will offer not only PS3 games, but PS1, PS2, PS3 and PS4 games - not only on the PS3, PS4, PS Vita and Bravia TVs, but also on third-party TVs, smartphones and tablets as well. All without needing to own a games console. Wow.
Games will be available to rent on a one-off basis, with unlimited Netflix-style monthly PSN subscriptions a payment model Sony is likely to pursue aggressively.
That's right, the future of gaming lays entirely in software, services and super-fast internet connections and not in expensive black boxes.

What it means for gaming

Play any PlayStation game on any device with a screen. All you need is an internet connection. Amazing.
What this essentially means is that the days of paying $400 for PlayStation hardware are numbered. In fact, it's very possible that the PlayStation 5 (make no mistake, there will still be a PS5) will be a cheap-as-chips $50 set-top box that will do nothing other than stream content from the great PlayStation publishing cloud in the sky.
After all, who would pay excessive prices for a console that does nothing you can't do on your existing tech? Sony has never been able to make money from PlayStation hardware anyway, in fact it generally makes a loss. Woohoo cheap gaming for everyone!
Of course, this has long been mooted as a likely solution for gamers of the future. OnLive has already been streaming games for some time, and when Sony purchased Gaikai and it's game streaming technology in the summer of 2012, the writing was on the wall. But no one really knew what the plan was. Now we do.
So here we are, at the start of 2014 walking into a world where all Sony Bravia TVs could ship with a DualShock controller by default and offer access to every PlayStation game ever made. All you need is a robust connection, and that will certainly be the biggest obstacle to this tech becoming mainstream. That and the fact that PlayStation Now is initially only launching in a closed US trial with no worldwide launch date even hinted at. But it's coming...

The future of gaming

This news might miff some who've has just splurged a wad of cash on a PS4 or Xbox One, but don't worry - this cloud-based future is a way off yet. But it means the audience for games in the near future will be far, far bigger. It means graphics in games will no longer be bottlenecked by years-old console components.
It means more and better PlayStation games. Possibly even cheaper games as developers battle for your game-hours. The possibilities of this future really are endless and they're up for discussion right now. What's certain is that it's great news for gamers like you and me.
The games console is dead. Long live PlayStation.
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