Super Mario Bros. bags a special place for those born in the 90s. The game will be turning 30 this year, and to celebrate the character’s birthday in style, Nintendo has decided to bring out a whole new type of gameplay for its fans, the Super Mario Maker.
It will give you options to create new levels in four visual styles, SNES Super Mario Bros, Super Mario World, Super Mario Bros 3 and New Super Mario Bros U. You have the option of changing everything, from the background to the block materials and the look and type of enemies. Using all the features like enemies, power-ups, coins, blocks and springboards, you can make a level completely your own. These levels can then be shared with others online. Players will be able to use the game’s trademark mushrooms to convert into other Nintendo figures. Alternative costumes can be unlocked in-game or using Nintendo’s toys-to-life Amibo action figures.
Nintendo showed the extended preview of the tool during the ongoing E3 2015 and explained how the ‘game’ would allow you to create your own levels on the traditional Super Mario 8-bit graphics or in the modern 3D style. The Maker will be available for Wii U users from 11th September onwards.
At the ongoing E3 2015 (Electronic Entertainment Expo), after a good 2-hour showcase of ‘The Last Guardian’, Sony went ahead to show off the trailers of new gaming franchise that will be coming out in the following months.
Here’s a list of the exciting trailers:
The Last Guardian
Horizon Zero Dawn
Hitman
Final Fantasy VII
Dreams
Firewatch
Destiny: The Taken King
Assassin’s Creed: Syndicate
Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End
Star Wars Battlefront
Mad Max – Eye of the Storm
Tom Clancy’s The Division
Dark Souls III
Call of Duty: Black Ops III
Can’t wait to get our hands on these! Other than this, Sony has also announced limited edition retro controllers and headphones.
Keep checking iGyaan for incoming news and updates from the E3 2015.
In the past several days, the Samsung Galaxy Note 5 has managed to gather a lot of attention. We’ve heard several rumours about Samsung’s upcoming flagship’s features, as well as its launch date. Some reports even suggested that we might see the Note 5 as early as July. We finally have a clarity on its launch date.
If the pattern is to be monitored, Samsung has always used the IFA trade show, held in Berlin, as a platform to launch the Galaxy Note series. The first Galaxy Note was released at IFA Berlin 2011, and the Galaxy Note 2 was released in 2012 at the IFA Berlin. Similarly, all the rest of the devices in this range have all been released at their corresponding IFA events. Hence, it’s a logical conclusion to make that Samsung Galaxy Note 5 is getting prepped for the same event, which begins on 4th September this year.
Although the event is two months away, we already have a hazy picture of what’s ahead. As far as the spec rumours go, it is said that the Note 5 will be featuring a 5.9-inch Super AMOLED display with curves on both the edges. An improved version of Samsung’s Exynos 7422 is speculated to administer the computing operations. A latest report also suggests that the Note 4 successor might sport a USB Type-C port. It is said to have a mammoth battery of 4100mAh, which is necessary for a phablet with these specifications. The features might sound exciting, however there is a good reason we recommend you don’t wait to pick up the device at launch.
With its improved features and better specs, the Galaxy Note 5 will definitely be an upgrade from its predecessor. But, we will have to wait and watch how the new high-end phablet appeals to the masses.
At the ongoing E3 event in Los Angeles, along with announcing the release of Street Fighter 5 beta, Sony announced that the 20th anniversary Gold Wireless Headset and DualShock 4 Controller would be coming out in September this year.
Much to the delight of Sony’s early PlayStation gamers, these devices will come in the company’s classic two-tone grey colours.
Behold! The 20th Anniversary DualShock 4 ($64.99) and Gold Wireless Headset ($99.99). Coming this September. pic.twitter.com/dORvfhTzaC
Thanks to the colour choices made by Sony, these gamepads are reminiscent of their old hardware. They may look retro, however both the devices come with top-notch features.
DualShock 4 Controller
Gold Wireless Headset
The controller and the headset are priced at $64.99 (Rs. 4,100) and $99.99 (Rs. 6,400 approx) respectively. Also, the controller is limited to 12,000 units that will be going on sale for in European and Asian countries soon. For now, there is no word about the number of units or the availability of the headset.
The Street Fighter game series is well known to anyone who is remotely interested in gaming. At the ongoing E3 2015 in Los Angeles, Sony has announced that the well-known game will be coming to PlayStation 4. Capcom, the makers of the Street Fighter game series, confirmed during the PlayStation E3 press conference about the game’s public beta on the PlayStation 4 that will be debuting on July 23rd.
Following the leak of the game details back in December 2014, the highlight of the trailer is the addition of two new players: Birdie, the tall British punk rocker with a beak-shaped Mohawk hairstyle and Cammy, the blue-eyed, slender fighter who is now an amnesiac MI6 operative for the British government.
Birdie, who is the newest addition to the Street Fighter game, is one of the few characters that has multiple V-Skills, all of which spin around foods and drinks. Birdie can eat a banana and throw the peel on the floor, which the enemy player will slip on.
Ryu (L) VS Birdie (R)
For his V-Trigger, Birdie eats a hot pepper and enters a powered up state, making all his attacks-particularly his bull charge, even more deadly. In his Critical Art, he wraps up the opponent in chains and uses him or her as a skipping rope.
Cammy, meanwhile, retains many of her iconic moves, such as her Spiral Arrow, Canon Spike, and Canon Strike. Her Spin Knuckle is now her V-Skill.
Apart from this, the new trailer showed that the game will be played in its traditional 2D platform, with rotating camera view. No other details could be deciphered. You will have to pre-order the beta for PS4, and later on for PC as well.
At the ongoing E3 2015 at Los Angeles, Microsoft has announced a ton of goodies for its fans. The company announced hundreds of older Xbox 360 games that will also be compatible with the newer Xbox One console. As a cherry on the cake, Microsoft revealed a new Xbox controller, and it is definitely a beast in its own terms.
Described as the ‘Elite Controller for Elite gamers’, the new Xbox One Elite Wireless Controller has been added with many new features. The analog sticks and directional pad can be swapped out with different grips — concave, convex, textured, or whichever accessory creators come up with.
There are spots on the bottom for paddles, mostly for hardcore racing gamers, and every button can be remapped and reset using a companion smartphone app that will be released for Xbox One and Windows 10. You can even control the sensitivity level of the triggers on the back and analog sticks. The new hair trigger locks for the analog triggers are designed for shooters. It looks like a polished variant of the original controller, with a layer of customisability added to it.
The Elite Wireless Controller comes out in October and is priced at $150 (Rs 9,623 approx.)
Today, the annual video game conference, the E3 (Electronic Entertainment Expo) kicked off at Los Angeles where viewers were allowed to have a sneak peek of upcoming A-Class video games. Among the many trailers shown today was Beatbuddy. Game developer, THREAKS, announced that Beatbuddy: Tale of the Guardians will be coming to three consoles in the coming months: WiiU, Xbox One and the new NVIDIA Shield Android console, which released in the US a couple of weeks ago.
The game will take place across six diverse worlds where you control the little blob as he navigates through the colorful madness. It is like a rhythmic puzzle. The game was initially launched on Steam and iOS for Windows, Mac, iPad and iPhone and sold more than 700,000 copies worldwide. Beatbuddy combines puzzle solving and defeating the enemy by exploring different areas. The game won the Best Youth Game Awards in 2014.
The soundtrack of the game is composed by some of the big names in the music industry such as Austin Wintory, Parov Stelar, Sabre Pulse and the La Rochelle Band. The game is available only on SHEILD devices through the Google Playstore for $5.99 (Rs 361.61). But we will have to wait for the Android console to hit the Indian markets.
You can check out the trailer below. It strongly reminds us of Rayman; what do you guys think?
This year, at the Mobile World Congress held in Barcelona, we saw that Wirless Charging was one of the most talked about subjects. Many big companies such as Samsung, Microsoft and Motorola have been investing heavily in this technology.
So, what is Wireless Charging? As the name suggests, it is the method of charging a device sans a physical wire. This concept is not new. Nikolas Tesla, whose work in the field of electricity and electromagnetism has defined our modern lifestyle, spectacularly demonstrated the possibility of wireless power transfer in 1891, as visualized by the principle of electromagnetism by Michael Faraday 60 years before. The experiment was quite successful, but long distance wireless charging is still not a practical idea. However, Tesla’s research on short distance wireless power transfer became a reality.
It took nearly a century for the technology to find its way in the mainstream industry, but now, this technology has finally emerged into the consumer electronics market.
In 2008, the newly formed Wireless Power Consortium began outlining plans to design the world without wires, of devices that could juice up upon being dropped on charging pads. But, the journey ahead to seek and work out such technology was difficult. Hence, the work began on achieving this.
How does it work?
Wireless charging, also known as ‘Inductive Charging’ is based on the principle of magnetic resonance or Inductive Power Transfer- the process where electricity is transferred between two objects through coils. This process uses an induction coil to create an alternating electromagnetic field from within a charging base station. The second induction coil inside the portable device (namely, smartphones) receives the power from the electromagnetic field and converts it into electricity to charge the battery. The two induction coils are in close range to form an electrical transformer.
This interface was developed by the Wireless Power Consortium for inductive electrical power transfer over 4cm. You just have to place the device on to the power transmission pad, and it charges using resonant inductive coupling. Just plug in the charging dock and place your device on the charging pad. Then, watch your device juice up. It’s that simple. For now, Qi, pronounced as ‘Chee’ is leading in the wireless charging technology.
Asus, HTC, LG, Motorola, Samsung and Huawei are among the few mobile device manufacturers that are working towards the required standard of Qi.
To this end, the industry has set up three groups that are working to standardise wireless charging technologies: the Wireless Power Consortium (WPC) and its Qi standard, the Power Matters Alliance (PMA) and the Alliance for Wireless Power (A4WP).
Advantages
No requirement of a power cord: The first and foremost reason wireless charging is being worked upon is to eliminate the use of wires and cables. Elimination of cables also means less e-wastage.
Portability: It is small. Hence, you can carry it anywhere along with you. It can be used in your car, house or garden.
Ease of access: Wireless charging points are slowly being accepted in different outlets and food joints. For example, a type of wireless charger is being used in some McDonald’s outlets in UK. This device allows multiple devices to charge at the same time.
Environmentally friendly: The growing use of wireless charging technologies reduces CO2 emissions by hundreds of tons each year by eliminating disposable batteries and cords. Your use of a wireless charging device will be contributing to a more sustainable environment by helping to reduce world waste.
Safety: Wireless charging eliminates sparks and debris related to wired contacts.
For now, there are two very important factors that may play foul against wireless power charging:
A risk of radio interference: Emissions from the wireless charger may cause radios and other devices using energy in the same frequency range to malfunction. This is due to the radiation and the signals which cut each other if they are in the same frequency.
Energy consumption: Wireless chargers will always waste more power than their wired versions, and the more flexible adaptive resonance devices will be most at risk of that.
Standardisation would allow the ecosystem for wireless charging to develop and evolve fast. But, it is hard to say about the future of this technology. This technology has just started out and is still in its developing process. But, if it works out successfully on a large scale, people would be able to charge all of their devices wirelessly in restaurants, airports, public spaces, cars and living spaces, freeing them from the burden of carrying their power cords.
It is quite common for people to bump into each other because they are too preoccupied with their smartphones. Another typical scenario, instead of looking left or right before crossing the street, people are steadily studying their mobile screens. Both the cases may lead to unnecessary collisions and can be a cause for serious injury.
Following its success in China, the forward-thinking European country, Belgium, has launched the perfect solution for this problem and is already proving a hit among texting fanatics.
The solution is Text Walking Lanes. Antwerp, Belgium, has given its smartphone users their own designated lanes, where they can walk while texting or looking at their mobiles, without the risk of bumping into someone and dropping their phones. The path is marked as ‘Text Walking Lane’ and is marked with a bright, highly visible white paint.
Dietrich Jehle, professor of emergency medicine at the University at Buffalo, said,
When texting, you’re not as in control with the complex actions of walking. While talking on the phone is a distraction, texting is much more dangerous because you can’t see the path in front of you.
This temporary arrangement was the brainchild of a smartphone company based in the city. They say that a significant number of mobile phone breakage is due to ‘text walking’ collisions. This idea received equal criticism, some welcoming the idea while others wonder to what level of dependency has the human race stooped down to.
Let us try to apply such a change here in India. Our country has the second largest population in the world, and more than half of it owns a mobile phone. Among this is a good amount of people who just duck their heads into their mobile screen. So, yes, the probability of bumping onto another commuter while walking is very high. Because of this reason, Texting Lanes could be welcomed here in India. But, for achieving this, space and infrastructure are imperative factors. With almost 40% of India living in urban cities, is it possible to make space for people to text-and-walk, when there isn’t even enough area demarcated for walking?
Comment and let us know about your thoughts on ‘Texting Lanes’.
Last month, it was speculated that the OnePlus Two, the successor of the highly victorious OnePlus One, would be arriving on 17th April, this year. But, OnePlus ruled out all the rumors of the temporarily titled OnePlus Two and stated that the much-awaited device will make a debut in the third quarter of this year.
According to MyDrivers.com, the company will be launching an event next month, which could possibly be the launch of the next flagship device. The source also claimed that the device would be priced at approximately 1,999 Yuan (Rs 20,644). This might be true, as its predecessor was priced at Rs. 21,999. In any case, the price of the OnePlus Two is just an approximate figure.
Not much is known about the spec details of the expected OnePlus handset, but we got some notable information that points out to its processing capacity. As per the detail leaked by the company CEO Liu Zuohu, OnePlus Two will run on Snapdragon 810 chipset along with 4GB RAM. A 5.5-inch 2K display will improve the viewing experience of the user.
It is highly possible that the OnePlus Two will run on Cyanogen OS, as the differences between Cyanogen and the Chinese smartphone firm have been settled, and the cases have been withdrawn by mutual approval. The addition of Cyanogen on the next OnePlus device might help drive the sales of the handset.
There is still time for the next OnePlus device to come out. In the mean time, you can watch our review on the OnePlus One:
Indian OnePlus fans have been rewarded with a gift from the Chinese electronics start-up. After being roasted for delayed services in providing after-sales assistance on local forums and social media, the company has decided to give its India-based users an added advantage. Today, OnePlus announced to extend the warranty of the One by three months, that are registered to be faulty or having certain issues.
All those devices facing service related issues till date that have faced delays or have been pending for longer than 15 working days in OnePlus’ support centres will be liable for the extended warranty. The warranty period of such devices will automatically extend to three additional months in India. It’s a pretty fair decision as the inconvenience has been on the company’s part. To make things sweeter, the service guarantee is applied to all the future smartphones to come out of OnePlus’ stable.
There is something for every OnePlus One user. All the patrons who got hold of OnePlus One before its Indian release will also be eligible for this service. That covers all the Indian One holders.
The company has cleared in its blog post published today, that the extended warranty service would be applicable to handsets with genuine fault. The blog post reads, “Do note that in case of a disagreement on those applicable to receiving this service, a final call will be taken by OnePlus.”
Besides that, customers can call on the new toll-free customer support number 000 8008 522 008, and give feedback on their services.
With this announcement, OnePlus has not only sustained the existing fan base, but also persuaded a fraction of those who have been speaking foul about the Chinese companies of poor after sales service. Turning the slamming voices to lauds and applauds, OnePlus has captivated even a larger audience to its OnePlus devices, making a huge market for the upcoming OnePlus Two.
A few posts back, we mentioned that Batman: Arkham Knight is one of the most awaited games of 2015. The game first released trailers back in the last months on 2014, which included the much talked-about Batmobile. The last scene of the previous instalment, Batman: Arkham City showed Batman fending off the Scarecrow, who has united Batman’s deadliest foes, namely Poison Ivy, The Penguin, the Riddler, Harley Quinn and Firefly, to kill the Bat. Yes, it almost sounds like Batman Vs The Suicide Squad.
Scarerow may be the main antigonist in the gameplay.
Rocksteady Studios decided to rebrand the ‘first look’ of the game by roping in celebrities and showed their first reactions of the game in their YouTube video. The celebrities are Neil Patrick Harris, Wiz Khalifa, Blake Anderson, Minka Kelly, Kumail Nanjiani, Breckin Meyer, Joe Manganiello, iJustine, Troy Baker and Kevin Conroy. You can watch their reaction below.
As much as we could see in the video, the game features a distinct visual appearance and a full range of high-tech onboard gadgetry. Perhaps, the highlight of the game would be, of course, the Batmobile, the most iconic vehicle in comic history. The Batmobile is designed to be fully drivable throughout the game and is capable of transforming into different modes, from high-speed pursuit mode to military grade battle mode. This vehicle sits at the core of the game and allows players to tear down the streets at unmatched speeds while in pursuit of Gotham’s most formidable villains. This iconic vehicle also expands Batman’s abilities, from navigation and forensics to combat and puzzle solving.
The game is slated to be released on 23rd June 2015. For now, the game would be available only on PlayStation 4 on pre-order. We can’t wait to get our hands on this, can you?
‘Make in India’ is an initiative that was started back in September 2014 by the Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi. The primary objective of this initiative is to create manufacturing firms within India to create more job opportunities and enhance the skills of the people of India across different sectors like automobile, aviation, biotechnology, defence manufacturing, mining, oil and gas, ports, railways, textile and much more. With this initiative, the Government of India hopes to bring in high-quality standards and minimise the impact on the environment.
The scope and potential, the breadth and length of infrastructure and related developments is very huge in India: PM @narendramodi
Many companies are in support of the Make in India campaign. Companies from China like Alibaba and Xiaomi showed their full backing for the project. Alibaba Chairman said, “We are excited about India. We are excited about Make in India and Digital India.” Xiaomi President Lin Bin too, showed his support and stated, “We have some big plans for India. We fully support Make in India.”
In response to the Make in India call, The United Kingdom announced in January, about its campaign to forge collaborations with Indian companies. Dubbed as the ‘Great Collaboration’, it will be the first partnership between UK’s BP Petroleum company and India’s Reliance Industries Limited for developing and producing energy. The UK and the Indian Prime Ministers have already appreciated the financial ties between the two countries.
Many companies have started putting up manufacturing houses in India. Celkon, one of the leading cellphone players, is right now in the planning process of setting up its manufacturing firm in Medchal, Telangana. IT Minister, KT Rama Rao, said the manufacturing business unit will be set up within a few days after June and will begin with four production lines, and will eventually increase its capacity to higher levels.
Celkon Plant in Medchal, Telangana
Similarly, Foxconn Technology, who is one of the world’s largest contract makers of electronic products, is trying to develop 10-12 facilities in India, including factories by 2020. The Taiwan-based tech giant said that the company is in talks to manufacture Apple iPhones in India. This could lower the price on the world’s No.3 smartphone market where the US firm trails Samsung Electronics and local players.
Mercedes-Benz will be doubling its annual capacity in India to 20,000 units, thanks to the Make in India project. India will also be the first market to receive the GLA entry SUV outside of Germany.
“India is one of the focus markets for Mercedes-Benz internationally, and with the addition of a new plant, we are getting future ready,” said company India MD & CEO Eberhard Kern. The plant was inaugurated by Maharastra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis and Union environment minister Prakash Javadekar. With the addition of the GLA SUV to the assembly line, the company now makes six models locally which include C-, E-, S-Class sedans and the ML- and GL-Class SUVs. The CLA entry sedan will be added to the local assembly list later this year while the A- and B-Class models come in after that.
On a smaller scale, Amity scientists have developed a 100% safe, pure and indigenous herbal colours with absolutely no synthetic or harmful additives, in a bid to contribute towards Modi’s ‘Make in India’ initiative. “The herbal colours indigenously produced at Amity, when used extensively in all the industries, will herald a revolution in the country, which is reeling under the pressure of products loaded with synthetic components and chemicals,” said Harsha Kharkwal, faculty at Amity University.
In February 2015, Huawei opened a new research and development (R&D) campus in Bengaluru. It had invested $170 million to establish the research and development centre. In February 2015, Hitachi said it was committed to the initiative. It said that it would raise its employees in India from 10,000 to 13,000, and it would try to boost its revenues from India from ¥100 billion in 2013 to ¥210 billion. It said that an auto component plant will be set up in Chennai in 2016.
This initiative looks very promising. It is understandable that many more companies will join in, soon.This can create a lot of job opportunities here in India and improve the economic well-being of its masses.
Let us see how the campaign shapes up in the future.
You can also follow Make in India YouTube campaign here.
Payday is a cooperative first shooter game developed by Overkill Software and published by 505 Games. This game launched its second edition, namely, Payday 2 Crimewave Edition, for PS4 and Xbox One today.
The game consists of a variety of ‘heists’ that can be carried out by the player, either by choosing AI allies or as a part of a multiplayer game. Heists include robbing banks, rigging an election or drug trafficking. This game mostly emphasises on stealth, from which you can earn bonus points and money on completion.
In PayDay2, you get to pull heists and robbery at a whole new level. New contacts include The Dentist (voiced by Giancarlo Esposito of Breaking Bad) and the Butcher (voiced by Mira Furlon of Lost and Babylon 5 fame). Additional jobs and multi-stage contracts are included with an enormous variety of new weapons like shotguns, sniper rifles and grenade launchers.
The new edition is loaded with DLC packs and content updates like the Big Bank Heist, which is worth for over a year. You can also play as ‘Clover’, the first female heister. Overall, the game is promised with improved frame rate, better texture and 1080p resolution.
The new game also brings in new characters, more masks and a whole new level of customization. The game will be available on all leading retail and e-commerce stores and is priced at Rs 3,499. A perfect game for all players who are looking forward to pulling off their dream crime spree.
In the world of technology, there is no space for redundancy. Technology is getting updated time after time since tech fanatics are always carving out the next great gadget. The major number of brains swell up for innovating and creating such devices. Gadgets are continuously upgraded and tweaked, but some do not turn out as planned.
We will see some of the weirdest patents filed by the biggest tech powerhouses today:
Nokia’s Vibrating Tattoos
In 2011, Nokia signed a patent for the first vibrating tattoo. Yes, a vibrating tattoo that alerts users when their phone is ringing. According to the official patent, the apparatus would be able to detect a magnetic field and transfer a ‘percievable stimulus’ to alert its users about an incoming call, text ot dead battery.
But for some people, getting inked for the sake of technology was too much. People said the device plunges into a ‘creepy territory’. In an era of iPhones and Android devices, what would be the cost of unplugging a permanent tattoo?
Nokia never discussed anything about the tattoo including the potential health risks.
Google Background Advertising
Google, in 2012, signed a patent that would enable the search giant to base advertisements on background noise. According to the patents, Google would install sensors on handsets that would detect temperature, humidity, sound, light or air distribution near a device and ads would be served accordingly.
For example, if you are at the gym and make a call, Google will be able to catch the gym machinery in the background and then serve up adverts for home gym equipment. If it is 30 degrees or more outside, Google will throw in adverts for sun cream, air conditioning units or ice creams.
But it raised the question of privacy. People were not pleased with the idea of Google tracking down their location wherever they went. Although from the use and productivity aspect, this patent was quite useless.
Amazon Airbag
Amazon came up with this idea in 2012 for a protective system for mobile phones. The patent describes a system that utilizes a gadget’s built-in gyroscope, camera, accelerometers and other onboard sensors to decide if the device has entered an airborne state. If it has, the technology will release airbags to decrease potential damage – or possibly even alter the trajectory of its fall by firing jets of air.
But this idea gathered much criticism like ‘What’s next, smartphones with built-in parachutes? Or maybe handsets with wings and propellers?’ and ‘From a logistical point of view, the handset would have to be rather big to hide an airbag.’
There has been no track of progress regarding this airbag. Let’s wait and find out!
Microsoft Remote Control Charging Patent
Imagine a situation where you have to pay more for skipping an ad while watching a movie or watching a sporting event and you have to pay extra for accessing the replay. Luckily, this patent did not fly off as imagined by Microsoft when they filed this patent back in 2004. This wasn’t very welcomed by the masses because these charges would be on top of the base price as a way to boost up profits.
Apple Air Jet Keyboard Patent
It isn’t too hard to imagine a flat keyboard without keys- we don’t really look at our fingers when we type, ourselves. But, it’s still a little hard to imagine actually using one. In 2011, Apple patented a unique keyboard design that uses micro-perforations to shoot air at the user’s fingers upon touch, giving tactile feedback to whoever is. One of the biggest objections about virtual keyboards is the lack of tactile feedback, making it much laborious to touch-type at any speed, with much accuracy.
