A new Xbox One is soon to come with a Windows 10 upgrade. Microsoft announced a redesign to the Xbox One dashboard that promises fast, easy-to-use experience. The Xbox One Experience will be available to members of the preview program over the course of this week.
Participants of the preview will get to test out the console so as to provide a feedback to the Xbox team on the Xbox One’s new UI, which is still “a work-in-progress”. Here’s an eight-minute video of Microsoft’s Larry Hryb and Richard Irvine of the Xbox engineer team providing a detailed look at the consoles new design.
Some of the major features of this new UI are a cleaner home page, faster access to essential apps such as Friends, Parties, Messages and Notifications, and an emphasis on vertical placement. It also appears that Microsoft is moving away from the tiled interface that was introduced with the Xbox One.
Another major feature is Cortana. Microsoft’s Kinect system will get a big upgrade which will provide a whole new experience of gaming where you can start a party and invite friends or record videos all without lifting a finger. So you can say “Hey Cortana, record the last minute and share it to my activity feed” and she will publish a game clip straight away. However, it appears you will need to have a Kinect in order to let Cortana to work.
For existing Xbox One owners, the new update will be available sometime in November.
We’ve been giving out rumours and hints about Google’s dual Nexus smartphones that will be unveiled on the 29th of September. We also know that one will be by LG and the other by Huawei. Now, we have reports by Droid Life who confirm that the LG device will be called the Nexus 5X while the Huawei will be Nexus 6P.
The LG device is rumoured to have a 5.2-inch display while the Huawei device will sport a 5.7 inch screen. Other features include a Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 octa-core chipset, with 3 GB of RAM for the Huawei Nexus 6P, while the LG device will feature a Snapdragon 808 hexa-core processor with 3 GB of RAM.
Google will also release the latest Android 6.0 Marshmallow and a 2nd Gen Chromecast. Whether or not the new Nexus names will stick till the end of the month is anyone’s guess. Follow this space for more updates on the Google event.
The invitations are out. Google has sent out invitations for the much speculated 29 September event, which is now a fact. Judging by the line “some tasty new treats and much s’more”, Google plans on showcasing some sweet goodies.
Earlier leaks hinted at the launch of two new Nexus flagships running on Android 6.0 Marshmallow. One will be produced by LG and the other by Huawei. While there are no details on what other devices Google plans to unveil at the event, reports suggest that Google may just come out with a successor to Chromecast, the media streaming device, which is said to include some new features such as customizable feeds on the home screen, improved Wi-Fi performance, and a new feature called ‘Fast Play.
Seeing that Apple and Amazon debuted new devices for the TV this month, Google could also have something along this line up their sleeves. At this point, anything is possible. The event will begin at 12PM ET / 9AM PT on September 29th. Follow this space for more on the event.
By now most iPhone and iPad users must have updated their device to the new iOS 9. With the update users would have also found some changes and features that are brand new.
We recently spoke about a few of the more visible changes that came with the new update. Today, we’ll look at some other new hidden additions that you might not have noticed as yet.
Drag and select multiple pictures
Now, before you start thinking that the multiple select option already existed, we are not denying that. But now with the iOS 9, users can select multiple photos from within the Photos app more easily. After you tap on “Select” you can hold and drag around your finger to select as many photos as you wish without having to select every photo individually. Along with this is the ability to hide multiple photos at once.
Siri can now recognize your voice
If you like to command Siri from a distance when your iPhone or iPad is on charge then you can enable the Allow “Hey Siri” option in General > Siri settings. However, this is not the new feature we’re talking about. Now, when you newly activate “Hey Siri” on iOS 9, you’ll be taken through a couple of steps which requires you to speak aloud a few sentences so that Siri can recognize your voice. Once you’ve finished the steps, Siri will now be able to recognize you and will respond to your voice when you say “Hey Siri”.
Siri has a new audio wave
Not only has Siri become smarter, but it’s groovier as well. The audio wave that shows up when you talk to Siri is now a lot more colorful and way cooler than the simple, old white colored waves. This little change does a lot more for the aesthetics of Siri rather than functionality. It’s simply a fashion change for Siri and we’re loving the new look.
Quickly call and message people via Proactive
Have you tried swiping right on your Home screen yet? You’ll find a new Siri Suggestions page with a search bar on top. Siri has indeed become more useful than ever. Type the name in the bar and you’ll find multiple options such as message, call, or mail for that person. This is also a neat way of finding emails of the person without having to search for it in the Mail app. Siri suggests just about everything you would want to find.
Hidden iCloud Drive app
You can now have an iCloud Drive icon on your home screen. The setting is switched off by default at first, so you’ll have to enable it by going to Settings > iCloud > iCloud Drive and turning on the “Show on Home Screen” option.
Silence Siri using Ringer (mute button)
If you don’t want Siri to talk and would rather just read the info text on screen, you have the option of muting it by simply flipping the Ringer switch. To activate it, you need to go to Setting > General > Siri, click on Voice Feedback and switch from “Always” to “Control with Ringer Switch”.
Quick Reply for almost all apps
You can now Quick Reply for most third-party messaging apps. Earlier you could only Quick Reply for Mail and stock messenger, but now you can pull on the notification you’ve received from mostly any third-party app (including Twitter) and the option to quickly reply will be available.
Larger multi tasking screen
When you double click the Home button, you’ll find that all your active apps are larger and more easily readable, taking up a good amount of screen space so that you can see what’s showing on the app without having to open it. It’s the little things that make life easier.
Audio app suggestions
When you plug in your headphone into the jack, you’ll notice that the music player opens up automatically in your lock screen or suggests the audio app you are most likely to use in the bottom left. The suggestion is not only based on the app you use most but also takes factors such as location into account.
Search through Settings
If you have a particular setting in mind that you want to change, you don’t have to look through the entire Settings app. There is now a search bar on top of Settings where you can type in a particular query (e.g. “Mail”) and everything matching that query will appear in a list below.
Wi-Fi Assist
Another helpful addition is the Wi-Fi Assist option that is enabled by default once you update your device to iOS 9. This feature is for situations where your mobile data may be more powerful than your Wi-Fi. When enabled the feature will switch you to mobile data if your Wi-Fi connection shows some trouble.
Along with our previous post on iOS 9, we’ve covered quite a few new hidden features, and yet the latest update offers a whole lot more. Keep exploring and tell us what new feature you’ve discovered in the comments below.
2015 is almost coming to a close and the year has already seen the release of some pretty amazing console games that were highly anticipated such as Batman: Arkham Knight, Mortal Kombat X, Metal Gear Solid V, and many more. But the year isn’t over and there are a few more expected in the next few months and in the first quarter of 2016. We’ve decided to list out some of them for all you gaming nerds out there that you may want to pre-order right away.
Call of Duty: Black Ops III
We can never get tired of Call of Duty, can we? The Black Ops segment of the franchise introduced a science fiction turn in Black Ops II that features a future warfare setting with robots and futuristic technology with a separate zombie story line as well. Black Ops III, much like its predecessor, will be set in a “dark, twisted future”. On April 26th 2015, the first teaser for the game was released and it was also revealed that the zombie mode will return. The game is set to release on November 6th on Windows, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, and Xbox One. However, pre-orders for Black Ops III are yet to begin.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=58Pspqx0XGs
Halo 5: Guardians
Another popular first-person shooter franchise, Halo, is set to release its newest game on October 27th. Halo 5: Guardians is a sequel to Halo 4. The game will be released for the Xbox One and Producer Josh Holmes stated that the game’s engine employs a “new progressive resolution system that allows us to dynamically scale the resolution at which we render the game” to guarantee it maintains a frame rate of 60 FPS.
Some of you Halo fans may also be interested to know that a Halo television series is being produced by Steven Speilberg and is set to air along with the release of Halo 5: Guardians. The game will also see returning fan-favorite Nathan Fillion as Edward Buck from Halo 3: ODST. You can spot him in the opening scene below.
Fallout 4
Another post-apocalyptic game, the popular Fallout franchise will come out with its fifth installment, Fallout 4 for PC, PlayStation, and Xbox One on November 10, 2015. Fallout 4 will be an open-world, first-or third-person role-playing game. And with its non-linear gameplay, players can roam about as they please.
The game takes place 200 years after a war over resources that ended in a nuclear holocaust in 2077. The protagonist emerges 200 years later from an underground bunker known as the Vault 111.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GE2BkLqMef4
Star Wars Battlefront
The Star Wars hype is getting bigger and louder as we lead up to the release of The Force Awakens. EA Dice is all set to release Star Wars Battlefront on November 17 on Xbox One, and PlayStation 4, with no news yet for Windows.
Players will traverse planets from Star Wars that include Hoth, Tatooine, and Endor. Players will get to choose to control either the Rebel Alliance soldiers or the Imperial Stormtrooper. And the most exciting news comes in the form of playable characters that include Darth Vader, Luke Skywalker and Bobba Fett, as well as non-playable characters like R2-D2 and C3PO. Time to embrace your inner Jedi or Dark Side.
Assassin’s Creed Syndicate
The ninth installment to the Assassin’s Creed franchise, the game will take place in 1868 Industrial London where twins Jacob and Evie, who serve as the new protagonists, arrive to find it controlled by Templars. The story will see famous figures such as Charles Dickens and Charles Darwin aiding the twins crusade against the Templars. Assassin’s Creed Syndicate will release on October 23 for PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. The trailer shows Jacob as the leader of the ‘Rooks’ out to take down the Templar establishment in London.
Tom Clancy’s: The Division
The Tom Clancy series is back with The Division. This third-person shooter game is set in mid-crisis New York where the player will have to investigate the source of a virus. The game features a dynamic, time based weather system that will allow players to use it to their advantage. The game is scheduled to release on the 31st of December for PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
Uncharted 4: Nathan Drake Collection
When it comes to Uncharted 4 : A Thief’s End, Perhaps no game (except for Arkham Knight) has been as highly anticipated as this one. Popular adventurer Nathan Drake will be back with long-time friend and fan-favorite, Victor Sullivan for Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End and it is all set to blow you away.
The game is set three years after the events of Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception and will see Nathan. now retired and settled with wife Elena Fisher, back in globe-trotting action to help his older brother Sam. The game was set to release this year but has now been pushed to March 2016. Pre-orders will begin soon so PlayStation 4 gamers may want save up for it. If you haven’t played the previous Uncharted games yet, you can find Nathan Drake Collection for PlayStation 4 on pre-order.
FIFA 16
Another year, another FIFA game. But we’re not complaining. This will be the 23rd game in the FIFA series and will be available on the PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Android and iOS. This years game will introduce female footballers for the first time. The 12 women’s national teams are Australia, Canada, Brazil, England, China, France, Germany, Italy, Mexico, Spain, Sweden, and the United States. Watch cover boy Messi do his thing along with some of your favorite players in the trailer below.
Gaming nerds with powerful smartphones need a good game or two that fully showcases what their phones are capable of. The games we’re talking about are the console-like high-definition games that are heavy, processor-consuming, and feature kickass visuals.
Give your Pac-Man 256 and Crossy Road a break and let your smartphone shift into overdrive with these high-definition games.
Walking Dead: The Game
Are you a fan of The Walking Dead TV show or the comics? Well, you don’t have to be to enjoy this 5 episode zombie apocalyptic game. Yes, the game is set in the same fictional world as the comics, but the characters are mostly new. There’s plenty of zombie killing and gore if you’re thirsty for blood. The story keeps you hooked and the game hinges on the choices that you make. The graphics are pretty great and the zombies are clear enough to put some genuine fear in your movements.
The 1st Season is free but you’ll have to pay via in-app purchase for season 2-5. Download it here for Android and here for iOS.
Implosion – Never Lose Hope
Implosion is an all out hack-and-slash action game developed by Rayark Games. The game has impressive graphics and control systems and works well within the limitations of the hardware to give you something exciting.
In the game, you wear a mech-suit with a number of weapons at your disposal, travelling through a post-apocalyptic wasteland. The game is simple enough: slash and dash your way through mutant armies and monsters. Honestly, do you need anything more? The game is free for Android users, but iOS users will have to shell out Rs. 620 for it.
Brothers in Arms 3: Sons of War
This is Call of Duty for your mobile. Brothers in Arms is your traditional war game with loads of gun fight. Released in December 2014, The 3rd game in the series is set during World War II that sees you shooting, stabbing, and blasting your way through the Nazis. The levels are small and just right for those who want to be able to stop and get back to work.
If you’re in for a simple, shoot and kill video game that boasts of a pretty neat sound design then you should definitely download Brothers in Arms 3. Click here for Android users and here for iOS.
Gangster Vegas
Now this is the Grand Theft Auto for the mobile. Gangster Vegas released in 2013 and is still among the top downloaded games today. The game is set in Las Vegas and the story is set around Jason Maloe, a mixed martial arts fighter. The game employs many of the elements from popular driving games, third-person shooters and features a GTA-like “open world” gameplay.
Let it be known that Grand Theft Auto is also available for the mobile for Rs. 300. So, if you want a free solution to your ‘gangsta’ needs, you can download Gangster Vegas here for Android and here for iOS.
Leo’s Fortune
Okay, we’ve saved the best for the last. Leo’s Fortune is a super fun ride and beautifully crafted for your smartphone. This highly rated Swedish game features a mustachioed “fluff ball” and his goal is to recover stolen treasure in the form of gold coins. The player guides Leopold and slides him through various platform levels. The game is not free and costs around Rs. 300 but this one is guaranteed to deliver on the ultimate fun quotient.
We’d recommend you to go for Leo’s Fortune just to be able to slide Leo left and right, which is really fun and the game’s graphics is one of its highlights. If you’re still a little skeptical about this game, you can read the reviews on the App Store and Google Play and decide whether its worth your money.
Have more games you think, will blow your mind? Let us know in the comments below.
Few months back, a Japanese robot successfully removed a wisdom tooth of a 55 year old man in a local clinic in Tokyo. The robot, who is rightly nicknamed “Al Dente”, removed the tooth without any inconvenience to the patient.
The robot is part of a Japanese program that is looking to substitute 30% of Japan’s dentists with robots by the year 2030. “We knew the software is perfect, we knew Al Dente has all the capabilities to maintain such a delicate mission but from this, to completing a successful wisdom tooth removal… I mean, there were moments I felt pity for that man on the dentist chair. It’s good to know that our experiment had a happy end, knowing from previous tests that much more blood could have been spilled there,” said Ishaki Morakuni, one of the developers in the program.
This program is finding strong reactions from certain parts of the world who are concerned that the idea of robots such as “Al Dente” substituting humans could lead to the disappearance of the profession itself. “This is our job of which we’re very proud,” said a spokesman of a small group in France. “We don’t like the idea of them (robots – O.N.) coming and taking our place. People must understand that even if robots can pull put an aching tooth, they will not be there to tell us jokes or calm us down when blood is pouring down like a river.”
Planning to buy a cheap, affordable phone right now but don’t know where to start looking? We’ve made a list of 5 phones under Rs. 10,000 that you can look up.
Xiomi Redmi 2 Prime
The Redmi 2 Prime is a simple, elegant looking phone that packs a lot at at a very low cost. The phone is powered by a 64-bit Cortex-A53 processor and 2 GB RAM with 1.2GHz MSM8916 Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 processor, Adreno 306 GPU, with 16GB internal memory that is expandable to 32GB.
It has a 4.7 inch HD IPS Display with 1280 x 720 pixels resolution and 312 ppi pixel density and an 8-megapixel primary camera and 2-megapixel front. The takeaway of this phone is its 2200mAh lithium-polymer battery that will provide you with enough for your daily needs. It also comes with the latest Quick Charge technology that will speed up your charge by 30%. If these are the features you’re looking for, you can purchase it from Flipkart, Amazon, and Snapdeal for Rs. 6999.
Lenovo A6000 Plus
The Lenovo A6000 Plus is a loud phone that comes with twin Dolby-Digit Plus speakers and boasts of crisp, clear sounds. So if you’re looking for a phone that provides the best clarity for music, videos, and games, then this is the phone for you.
The A6000 Plus is powered by a 64-bit quad core Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 processor, Adreno 306 GPU and has a 2300mAh battery that should last about 13 hours on 3G. It has a 5-inch, IPS capacitive touchscreen display with 1280 x 720 pixels resolution.
The phone runs on Android v4.4.4 KitKat, with 2GB RAM and 16 GB internal memory expandable up to 32GB. The Lenovo A6000 Plus is available on Flipkart for Rs. 7499
Moto G 2nd Gen
This is one of the most popular low budget phones currently out there. The 2nd gen Moto G has a large 5-inch screen and has a great build that is comfortable to hold with dual speakers on the front that provide great sound quality.
The 8-megapixel camera in the Moto G 2nd gen is an improvement over its predecessor. It features a Quad-core 1.2GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 processor, and runs on Android v4.4.4 KitKat that can be updated to Android 5.0 Lollipop. The phone’s 2070mAh battery will last you a whole day on medium screen brightness. The Moto G 2nd Gen is available on Flipkart for Rs. 9999.
Karbonn Titanium Mach five
At Rs. 5999, the Karbonn Titanium Machfive offers an impressive 2 GB RAM and 16 GB internal storage. The phone has a 5-inch HD capacitive touchscreen display with 1280 x 720 pixels resolution, an 8-megapixel rear camera and 5-megapixel front with LED flash.
The Machfive is powered by a 1.3GHz quad-core Mediatek processor with Mali 400 GPU. The phone has an impressive 2200mAH lithium-ion battery. Perhaps the best feature of the phone is the front camera with LED that is a sure winner for selfie lovers. You can find the phone here.
Yu Yureka Plus
Yureka Plus is the third smartphone in the Yu series after Yureka and Yuphoria. The Yureka Plus comes with a Full HD display and is powered by a 64-bit Octa Core Qualcomm Snapdragon 615 processor, 2 GB RAM and 16 GB internal storage, which means the phone can handle its games quite well, though, issues of heating may arise like it did with the Yureka and may dran considerable amount of battery life.
Other features include a 13-megapixel primary camera and 5-megapixel front, 2500mAH lithium-ion battery, and is available in Moonstone Grey and Alabaster White. The phone runs on Android v5.0 Lollipop and is available on Amazon for Rs. 8999.
Remember that there are a lot more smartphones out there that are available under Rs. 10,000. This list is just to get you started. Once you have an idea of what you’re looking for, you can explore away. If you have any more suggestions for phones under Rs.10,000, leave them in the comments below.
iOS 9 is finally out, and those of you who haven’t updated your iPhones and iPads yet can do so while we tell you some of the neat new features of the latest operating system.
New icons
Whenever we do an update it’s obvious our eyes are going to search for something new from the get go. While the iOS 9 is mostly the same as the iOS 8 in terms of the look of it, users will find three brand new icons in their home screen (Well, two actually and one revamped). The two new default apps are called Find iPhone and Find Friends. Both these apps were already available for download in the App Store. Find Friends/iPhone is pretty useful if you want to know if a friend is nearby for a cup of coffee, or if you’ve suffered a mini heart-attack from losing your iPhone.
The Passbook has been renamed as Wallet, which is a cleaner name and suits that fact that the app can now store all your credit cards, reward cards and membership cards.
A back button
The iOS 9 has plenty of new features that are hidden away from the usual ones. Once you start using your device as you normally would, you’ll find subtle changes and additions in your iPhone that really make a difference to your usability.
Take for instance the new back button that appears on the top-left corner of your screen when you switch from one app to another. And if you open a link from your Mail that takes you to Safari, the back button will appear that will take you back to Mail. Now you won’t have to double-click the Home button every time you want to go back to the previous app.
New Low Power Mode
This is perhaps one of the best new features Apple could have provided. The new Battery settings comes with The Low Power Mode which promises to give you an additional 3 hours of battery life, if you find yourself on really low power and still need the phone to stay alive for a few more hours.
The Low Power Mode disables background app refresh, automatic downloads, mail fetch and visual effects to give you as much extra battery life as it possibly can. Battery information will be displayed in the Notification Center for the iOS device and the Apple Watch.
Changes to the shift key
Apple has made another subtle but much needed change to the keyboard. You can actually see the capitalized letters when you turn on the caps lock. The letters change to upper case when ‘shift’ is on and change back to lower case when ‘shift’ is turned off.
New Notes app
Notes has undergone some major changes. You now have the feature to add Photos to your notes, make a checklist, and draw and doodle using your fingers. The Notes app also allows you to embed websites, photos, maps, and more without having to leave the app.
You can take a photo from within the Notes app as well. Finally, you can arrange the items attached to your notes with the new Attachment Browser.
These are but a few of the subtle and not-so-subtle changes that come with the new iOS 9. Other features also include split-screen multitasking and picture-in-picture for the iPad, a new and improved Siri, with a Proactive feature when you swipe right on the homescreen, transit directions in Maps, new search bar in Settings, and much more. Though some of these features are yet to work well in India.
What are your favorite updates from the new iOS 9? Let us know in the comments below.
Those of you who were up-to-date with the Apple event that took place last week will remember that the new iOS 9 update is scheduled for a September 16 release, which is today. The update is compatible for all current iPhones and iPads.
However, before you press that ‘Download and Install’ button, here are a few things you can do to prepare your phone for the update.
Check Compatibility
Before you get too excited, you should check whether you iPhone is compatible for an iOS 9 update. This is especially the case for those who are using really old Apple devices (we’re talking almost ancient). The new iOS 9 is compatible devices as old as the iPhone 4s, iPad 2, and 5th generation iPod touch, but will not work for the iPhone 4.
Free up some storage
The new iOS 9 comes as a huge relief for 16 GB users as it will take up only 1.3 GB of space compared to iOS 8’s massive 4.58 GB. We can almost here the cries of joy over this news. However, before you can enjoy all that extra free space chances are that you’ve already filled up your 16 GB device to the brim. Any update requires some free space, so now would be a good time to delete some of the really old apps that you no longer use. You can press and hold on an icon till it does its little jig and then tap the X on the upper left to delete it, or you can go to the Usage option in Settings to find out which app is taking the most space and delete it from there.
Back-up your data
There’s always that hint of fear when you go for a new update. Sometimes due to some bugs, your device may crash a lot like it did with iOS 8 in its initial months, or you may find that some of your data missing. Hence, we suggest you back-up your data using either iCloud or iTunes to be on the safe side.
If you’re backing up using iCloud simply go to Settings > iCloud > Storage & Backup and toggle iCloud Backup to ON and finally tap on Back Up Now.
If you wish to back up using iTunes simply open iTunes and go to File > Devices > Transfer Purchases and once that is done go to File > Devices > Back Up.
Clean up your media
The iOS 8 recently introduced the Apple Music in which you can stream unlimited music for a monthly subscription. Those who have subscribed to it most likely stream all their music freeing up a lot of space. However, those who still have a lot of music or videos saved to their devices should take some time out and delete the ones you no longer listen to or watch.
Once you’ve sufficiently freed up your space, you can go ahead and download the new iOS 9. Wait for your Settings app to show a little red circle on the top-right corner sometime today, and update away.
Some new information on the planned HTC One A9 (Hima Aero) release has emerged. According to latest leaks by @evleaks, the mid-range smartphone is set to have a Qualcomm Snapdragon 617 chipset.
We had earlier mentioned about rumors about HTC’s ‘dual-flagship’ launch on the 29th of September, and had revealed rumored specs on both the HTC One A9 and the HTC Butterfly 3. New rumors on the HTC One A9 specs, however, seem to suggest that the smartphone will most likely battle the OnePlus 2 and Zenfone 2 rather than Samsung and Apple.
Earlier in the month some big specs were floating about suggesting that the HTC One A9 will feature a 5.5-inch QuadHD display, MediaTek Helio 10-core X20 processor, and 4GB of RAM. While some remain true as of today, new rumors suggest that the smartphone will now have a 5-inch FHD AMOLED display, and 2GB of RAM instead.
Other features leaked by Blass include 16GB of expandable storage, 13-megapixel camera (4 UltraPixel front), 2150mAh battery, a fingerprint sensor, and a metal design. It is also revealed by @LlabTooFer that the phone will run on Android 6.0 Marshmallow OS with custom UI Sense v7.0 out-of-the-box.
With the launch rumored to be pushed to November, we’ll have to wait and see if HTC can bounce back with its mid-range smartphone. Follow this space for more on the HTC event.
The Force is getting stronger as we approach December for the release of Star Wars: The Force Awakens. And we know just how unbearable the wait can be during the final months; there is a special kind of excitement to watch a Star Wars movie on the big screen in our time.
To keep the excitement going, Disney has released a ton of Star Wars: The Force Awakens merchandise. You can now play Star Wars: Uprising, a diablo-like mobile RPG that is set between the events of The Return of the Jedi and The Force Awakens. You’ll find many moments in the game where the story intersects with the main universe.
Players will return to Hoth to see what is left of the planet post-Return of the Jedi. Players will find a ravaged wasteland, that is filled with scavengers, Wampas, ruins of the Echo base an the Rebellion/Empire’s shattered vehicle (Star Wars fanatics will understand every bit of that). Playable characters include the Smuggler, Bounty Hunter, Rebel Guerrilla, Diplomat, Gambler. However, you won’t get to be Jedi and wield your own lightsaber. Sigh.
Yet there is plenty of action in this game for both fans and non-fans alike. The story will keep you engaged make you reminisce scenes from the original trilogy. While we’re not sure how much of The Force Awakens is in this game, it does provide some new details of the environment that well may be featured in the upcoming movie.
While the story has fun, humorous moments, the gameplay itself is quite repetitive, which is surely to bore players after a little while. Also, those who want the really cool skills and upgrades to do some serious galactic damage will have to buy them using Chromium (the currency in Uprising), which has to be purchased using real money.
Star Wars: Uprising is a game that works like many RPGs before. You won’t find much novelty in terms of gameplay, but for fans who could do with some wise-ass smugglers and droid-blasting, and yes, Jabba the Hutt, too, before the release of the The Force Awakens can pass some time with this game and relive the memories. To download the game, click here for Android and here for iOS.
In an earlier post we had mentioned that Google is planning to launch two new Nexus phones on the 29th of September – LG Nexus 5X and Huawei Nexus. New leaks have been found ahead of the Google event that reveal a few key specs of the Huawei Nexus. The phone codenamed ‘Huawei Angler’ was found to have passed through the GeekBench benchmark software.
As the image shows, the Huawei Nexus will sport the Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 chipset, with 3 GB of RAM, and will run on Android 6.0 Marshmallow. The new OS will debut along with the Nexus smartphones on the 29th.
Other rumours that have surfaced on the Huawei Nexus in the past suggest that the phone will either have a 5.5 or 5.7 inch screen, with either 1080p or QHD display. The phone is also rumoured to have a USB Type-C port and a fingerprint scanner. We’ll have to wait for the 29th to see how many of these rumors are true. Follow this space for more on the Google event.
Apple’s new iPhones – iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus – were revealed last week. Pre-orders for the new models have already begun in the United States and other regions. However, due to some technical issues the shipping of the iPhone 6s Plus is likely to be delayed by 3-4 weeks.
Reports suggest that the delay is due to issues with the backlight hardware of iPhone 6s Plus. Japanese supplier Minebea, which produces the backlight for the iPhone 6s Plus, is having issues related to supply. According to a note by KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo to investors, Apple will hand over the order of the backlight to its other suppliers, Radiant, which will see orders upto 4-5 million units in September.
“To accelerate availability, we believe Apple has been transferring substantial 6s Plus backlight module orders to Radiant. As such, we estimate the company’s iPhone 6s Plus backlight module orders to increase by 70-80 percent to 4-5mn units in September, boosting its order allocation from 35-45 percent to 70-80 percent,”
Apple is looking to top the pre-orders of last year’s first-weekend record that sold over 10 million iPhone units. Apple is expected to have 1.5-2 million iPhone 6s Plus units ready to be shipped on 25 September, according to Kuo’s note.
What happens if you send something up in a weather balloon and instead of it coming back down like you expect it to, it gets lost somewhere in a desert 80 kilometers away from you?
This is exactly what happened to a group of Arizona-based students who wanted to see what their GoPro camera could capture when attached to a weather balloon and sent it high up to the edge of space. No doubt their intention was on seeing something spectacular when the camera returned back.
The preparation for it was all planned well as the video below shows. The team spent months testing parachutes, calculating wind trajectories, custom 3D printing their GoPro case, and a spacecraft. The launch took place in June of 2013 on a clear day. They released the balloon which slowly went up capturing the Grand Canyon from afar. It went to an altitude of 30 kilometres and an hour and a half later, the balloon exploded leaving the camera to plummet down to the ground.
Till here everything went according to plan, however, the package’s return to earth didn’t go down as smoothly. Due to GPS and data coverage difficulties, the package could not be tracked after it had landed.
“We planned our June 2013 launch at a specific time and place such that the phone was projected to land in an area with cell coverage. The problem was that the coverage map we were relying on (looking at you, AT&T) was not accurate, so the phone never got signal as it came back to Earth, and we never heard from it….
The phone landed ~50 miles [80 km] away from the launch point, from what I recall. It’s a really far distance considering there’s hardly any roads over there!”
The device was found two years later by an employee of AT&T who was hiking in the desert. She identified the SIM card and returned the camera to its owners. The package had landed approximately 80 kilometers away from the launch site.
The whole affair may not have gone as planned, but the video shows some amazing footage on its way up, and a really cool slow motion capture of the balloon exploding into tiny bits.
