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Dampening the spirits of a lot of Michael Fassbender fans, ‘Steve Jobs’ has bombed at the box-office. Hopes had been incredibly high regarding the movie, and thus, this unexpected blow hits harder.
“‘Steve Jobs’ was too brainy, too cold, and too expensive to make it a success,” says Variety’s Brent Lang.
Nothing sums up the reasons for the failure of the eponymous biopic about Apple’s founder, Steve Jobs than the above statement. Hollywood has proved once again that meaty content is not enough for a film to work.
Fassbender (left) and Jobs (right)
Despite the lack of physical resemblance, Michael Fassbender had fans excited all over the world for his portrayal of the Apple founder. Post evidence of his acting prowess in films like ‘Twelve Years’ A Slave’, there was not much to doubt about his brilliance for an on screen rendition of Steve Jobs.
However, Fassbender still failed to draw as much attention of the mainstream movie-goers as much an actor like Robert Downey Jr., or Leonardo DiCaprio would have. Incidentally, Caprio, along with Christian Bale, were one of the two actors the role of Steve Jobs was first offered to for the movie. When both of them turned it down for various reasons, Fassbender was approached next.
The film shows an insensitive, emotionally abusive protagonist, distanced and detached from his wife and daughter. For all his technological brilliance, the audience clearly did not prefer to root for a character who was a complete jerk to his family. So while Jobs tackled his God-complex, less and less names were added to his fan-list.
‘Steve Jobs’ debuted to a puny $7.3 million, not too far ahead from the $6.7 million of the Ashton Kutcher starrer ‘Jobs’. The former needs to make at least $120 to make up for the investment cost and cash in on a minimum level of expected profits. It has made $10 million so far.
Despite being critically acclaimed, ‘Steve Jobs’ has failed to strike a chord with the audience, primarily because of a dialogue-oriented script and the lack of a more popular name than Michael Fassbender, speculate Hollywood experts.
Audience’s reaction to ‘Steve Jobs’ have further revealed how precariously balanced films are in Hollywood, with absolutely nothing, not even strong scripts and top-drawer performances by the likes of Michael Fassbender and Kate Winslet are a surety of a project doing well. If you have managed to take a look at ‘Steve Jobs’, tell us what you felt in the comments below.
iGyaan is here with a platform for all gamers in the country. With so many gamers, game developers and sellers in India, it is time to build a community dedicated to them.
iGyaan launches ‘Let’s Game’ in collaboration with Motorola for all Indian gamers to come together. Find all other details in the video below.
Subscribe to our channel to follow ‘Let’s Game’ and all that it has to offer. If you have any suggestions about what all ‘Let’s Game’ should be about, the content it should include and any other gaming-related topics that you think it should cover, tell us about them.
Be part of the community, and help it evolve with you.
It seems everyone loves to sue Apple left, right and center these days. And sometimes the lawsuits come from the most unexpected reasons possible. In one such case, a California-based couple has filed a class-action lawsuit accusing Apple for not informing iPhone owners of the potential data charges over Wi-Fi assist. The feature silently uses cellular data when Wi-Fi quality is poor. According to the plaintiffs, this feature has caused over $5 million in data charges to potentially affected customers.
Apple has a tendency to add new features and set defaults without informing users. This is part of Apple’s philosophy of deciding features for users so that they don’t have to, and letting them discover the features on their own, if they can. While most features do not actually dip into your pockets and are quietly working in the background, others can cost you, if you’re not aware of it.
Wi-Fi Assist was added in iOS 9 to ensure that you get seamless internet connectivity at all times. But apparently, the feature does more harm than good, according to some people. The exact damage is not known, yet. The lawsuit doesn’t mention the amount of charges incurred with W-Fi Assist, though the couple believe that it exceeds $5 million. In the off chance that the couple actually do win the lawsuit, this could be potentially problematic for companies like Samsung as well, who have also implemented similar Wi-Fi boosts.
At the launch of its first laptop, Surface Book, Microsoft had claimed it to be a machine twice the speed of the 13-inch MacBook Pro. However, when benchmark tests were carried out by PCWorld and Geekbench 3, these claims were proved incorrect. In terms of CPU benchmarks, the Apple device was slightly faster than the Surface Book.
Having said that, it should also be noted that when it came to the graphic card, some models of the Surface Book are ahead of its Apple counterpart. Additionally, processing tasks that are shared with the GPU also were performed better by Microsoft laptops as compared to Macbook Pro. A reason for this could be the dedicated GPU of Surface Book as opposed to the integrated one of the 13-inch MacBook. But it is the costlier model of the Surface Book, costing around $1700 (about Rs. 1,10,000), which has a dedicated GPU. The one which costs as much as the 13-inch MacBook Pro at $1500 (about Rs. 98,000) is the base Model Surface Book which too has an integrated GPU.
Despite tall claims by Microsoft of its device’s doubled speed, the difference showed up only in a pure graphics test. When running Tomb Raider, the Surface Book achieved 74fps against the 23.6fps of the MacBook. But, once again, this can also be achieved by a GeForce graphics card. It would be interesting to see how the Surface Book fares against the MacBook Pro 15.
3D Touch is the new cool thing in town and everyone wants to have a piece of it. It is indeed true that the touch-sensitive feature has opened up new possibilties in the way your phones works for you. It is also a feature many gaming companies are excited to ‘tap into’. We had earlier reported that Samsung was in talks with Synaptics to bring the 3D Touch feature seen in Apple’s iPhone 6s series into its 2016 flagship Galaxy S7. Samsung plans on calling it ClearForce.
Now, fresh rumours suggest that Samsung is not the only brand looking to incorporate the pressure sensitive feature into its phones. Reports emerging from China tell us that Xiaomi too is interested in having this technology for its future flagship devices. This could be one of the reasons the expected Mi5 announcement has been delayed.
G for Games cited Weibo that said that Xiaomi is working on a 3D Touch-like feature for its upcoming devices. Whether Xiaomi is going solo on this project or is seeking help from Synaptics (as it did with the Mi 4c, which uses Synaptics’ ClearPadS3708 capacitive touch controller) is not yet known. Meanwhile, Synaptic claims that its ClearForce technology will be superior to 3D Touch feature.
ClearForce – What We Know So Far
For those unaware, 3D Touch enables the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus to understand three distinct levels of pressure. This, then, enables new gestures such as Peek and Pop that lets you quickly see inside an app without actually having to open it. Users need to press the screen lightly to get a ‘Peek’ at a photo, email, web page or other content, and if pressed a little deeper, they can ‘Pop’ into the content itself.
ClearForce, on the other hand, is planning to take the feature up a notch. From what we know so far, the ClearForce technology, besides the expected 3D Touch functions, will have the ability to understand the difference between speed scrolling, zoom, gaming, texting and even operate photo editing tools by noting subtle variable pressure on the surface. Some of the new features, according to Synaptics, are as follows:
Line thickness control while drawing (e.g., when writing Chinese characters and creating artwork)
Image editing (brightness, contrast, saturation)
Upper case and symbol selection (to bypass keyboard mode changes)
The rumoured tie-up between Xiaomi and Synaptics is not yet confirmed and we will have to wait and see for more information on that. Synaptics has also mentioned that it plans to work with other OEMs as well. So we could see brands other than Samsung and Xiaomi making use of ClearForce in the months to come.
Technology has always strived to make lives easier by the year. So much so that it requires you to not move an inch and still get work done. As a result, people are becoming lazier by the day. The only trade-off is that you look cooler. So, there’s that. We have come a long way from landlines, to cordless, to mobile phones, and now smartphones.
You know technology has progressed by how things become smaller and lighter. So your gigantic box of a PC has evolved into a laptop. Your laptop then transformed into a tablet. But it’s really not cool enough until you’re able to wear your tech. So now the world is seeing a move towards wearable technology. Enter the smartwatch.
Granted that smartwatches aren’t new. They’ve been around since the 90s if you think about it. The idea today is to have a watch that is more than something that tells you the time. Smartwatches not only work like a phone, but they also come with fitness features that look to get you into shape. They are here to counter what other techs have turned you into.
The Apple Watch is coming to India in November and the Samsung Gear S2 is likely to follow soon. So if you’re in the mood to get into the wearable tech trend, we have some suggestions for smartwatches currently popular in the Indian market.
Sony Smartwatch 3
Sony’s smartwatches so far have been consistent with design.The Smartwatch 2 came out in 2013 and was popular because it worked with all Android 4.0 devices at the time, whereas Samsung’s Galaxy Gear smartwatch worked only with Samsung own Galaxy devices.
The Sony Smartwatch 3 was unveiled at IFA 2014 and comes with a 1.2GHz Quad-core ARM Cortex A7 processor, 512 MB RAM and 4 GB eMMC. One of the main talking points about the Smartwatch 3 is that it comes with built-in GPS connectivity. The sports styling makes it perfect for daily wear. The square design is similar to the Apple Watch and is not too big for your wrists.
The display is a little dull compared to its competitors, but you do get to wirelessly connect it to a headphone for music on the go. You’ll also get a day of battery life, though Sony promises two days. The Android Wear Smartwatch 3 is available on Amazon and Snapdeal for Rs. 15,900 and Rs. 14,585, respectively.
Samsung Gear Live is an Android Wear smartwatch that came out last year. The Gear Live is powered by a 1.2 GHz quad-core CPU with 512 MB RAM and 4 GB storage.The smartwatch has a sleek metal design that makes it one of the more attractive looking devices in the market. And unlike Samsung’s previous smartwatches like the Gear 2, this one works with all Android devices.
You also get features like heart rate monitor, and a 320×320 AMOLED display, which looks crisp and bright indoors. However, there are some cons to the device as well. The charger is hard to use and while Samsung Gear Live has a great display when viewed indoors, the outdoor visibility in the Gear Live is surprisingly quite poor.
Samsung’s Gear Live is priced at Rs. 10,000, which is decent for the features that it provides. You can find the watch on Flipkart.
The Moto 360 was one of the most anticipated devices of 2014. The 360 is for the circular frame of the watch, though it doesn’t quite give you a complete 360-degree viewing due to a small bar at the bottom of the screen.
The watch is made of metal and is dust and water resistant. The size of the watch is something that has seen polarizing responses. While some feel that the watch is too big for the wrists, other who are used to G-Shock-like watches are satisfied with the 360.
The 360 has a 1.5-inch display with Gorilla Glass 3 and 320×290 resolution, which is not exactly the best in the business. It is an Android Wear 1.0 watch and runs on 1 GHz Cortex A8 processor with 512 MB RAM and 4GB storage. The 360 is a great device, and one one of the better smartwatches to go for if you’re willing to shell out Rs. 14,000. The device gives you everything you need from a smartwatch and the traditional circular design looks great. You can find the Moto 360 on Flipkart.
The Alcatel One Touch looks like a poor man’s Moto 360. The circular display, steel casing and flat bottom gives you a Moto 360 feel. The Alcatel, however, is one of the smallest circular smartwatches out there. At 1.2-inches, the watch is very petiit and this may put off some consumers.
Here’s the thing about smartwatches. Big displays can be just as annoying as tiny ones. The problem many brands face is to bring that perfect size to the smartwatch while having all the features and toys intact. Because of its size, the Alcatel loses out on many features, and this in turn brings the price down as well, which makes the watch quite affordable.
The Alcatel One Touch goes for simplicty. This is why the watch runs on the company’s own OS rather than Android Wear. You can work the watch from your iOS or Android device and the companion app is just as simple. You’ll figure out how to work with the watch in less than five minutes. The small watch gives a big battery life that can run for a good 2-3 days based on usage, which is more than any other in this list. The One Touch is priced at Rs. 7,999 on Flipkart.
The only right way to begin any discussion on Artificial Intelligence is with a reference to Isaac Asimov, the sci-fi writer who gave the three laws of robotics, and they are as follows:
A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.
A robot must obey the orders given it by human beings except where such orders would conflict with the First Law.
A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Laws.
Robot and human hands almost touching – 3D render. A modern take on the famous Michelangelo painting in the Sistine Chapel; titled, “The Creation of Adam”.
Asimov’s robots often went ahead to disregard these laws and exercise free will and subjectivity, which more often than not, didn’t end well for the human race. With the take-over of our lives by technology, an apocalyptic vision of the world, often represented in art and media, does not seem too unnatural. TV shows and movies have rampant examples of technology going out of our hands and ceasing to be a means to an end. Instead, it ends up controlling our lives to the point of enslavement. This is precisely what this article would be about as we look at examples of AI in film, TV shows and of course, good old real life.
Her:The film is about a romantic relationship which the protagonist, Theodore Twombly develops with ‘her’, the Artificial Intelligence of a networked computer operating system. OS One, Samantha is brought to life in the film using Scarlett Johansson’s voice. Twombly’s initial reaction to the AI system is calling Samantha “weird,” since she seems “like a person but [she’s] just a voice in a computer.”
Theodore with Samantha at the beach.
The plot unfolds to reveal the development of a deep, romantic bond between the two, with the lack of a corporeal existence of the AI not being a hindrance at all. However, the movie concludes with Samantha ending her virtual romance with Theodore, and falling in love with 641 of the other 8,316 human operators she communicates with.
https://youtu.be/WzV6mXIOVl4
Robert Alpert comments on ‘Her’ and aptly says, “The romantic comedy, the melodrama, draws to a close, and it is the artificial intelligence of Samantha, not Theodore, the “unartificial mind,” who comprehends a state of being beyond perception, not “tethered to time and space,” and passes on to Theodore that not unhappy vision.”
One of the most over-arching questions the film raises about the relationship of humans and AI is -would you be willing to invest yourself in a computer as deeply as Theodore or Amy, because your own species is incapable of providing the sense of companionship you seek? We are given a lonely, melancholic protagonist at the start of the movie, unable to cope with leading a life all by himself. It doesn’t sound too unfamiliar a scenario if we take a look around. So next time you feel distanced from the world, could your answer lie in AI?
When it comes to analysing the line between fact and fiction in terms of Artificial Intelligence, Stephen Wolfram of the Wolfram Alpha fame, which is the main driving force behind AI-like component of Siri on the iPhone, says,
“The mechanics of getting the AI to work—I don’t think that’s the most challenging part. The challenging part is, in a sense: Define the meaningful product…I used to think that there was some sort of magic to brain-like activity, [but] there is no bright line distinction between what is intelligent and what is merely computational.”
People are more than willing to anthropomorphize things around them, even if that requires finding a way to make sentient beings out of metal and steel with minuscule microchips to power all that consciousness within. ‘Her’ shows a man finding solace and peace, and an almost spiritual bond of sorts with a computer – providing the perfect plot for a romantic comedy/ drama. But it raises questions like how far is too far with AI? Ethical debates and discussions on notions of right and wrong have prevailed since time immemorial when it comes to technology. And there is no imminent end to them for now.
Black Mirror:
Black Mirror, created by Charlie Brooker, debuted in 2011 to immense critical acclaim, and with good reason. The show is set against the backdrop of a society very deeply infested by technology, and therefore, its consequent pitfalls. Having said that, feel free to read ahead without the fear of spoilers.
In terms of AI, two of the show’s episodes are of significance. The first episode of the second season, ‘Be Right Back’, takes an interesting but fairly disconcerting take on it. The episode is about Martha and Ash, a couple who has just moved to a new house in the countryside. Ash ends up in a car crash right at the start of the episode, and the show takes the viewer into Martha’s attempts to cope with loneliness, loss and grief post his death. She purchases a build-to-order AI that uses all of Ash’s social media activity to model itself after him.
Martha provides the computer operated system with access to Ash’s pictures, videos and personal emails, who was already a compulsive social media addict and therefore had a large amount of content up online, and finds a fully automated, computerized version of Ash. The AI adopts his voice and mannerisms, and looks like a physically groomed version of Ash, since he only had his best pictures up for display on the internet. The new Ash, however, misses out on small details which social media had failed to record -like a mole or a bodily flaw, reminding Martha that the end of the day she is only play-romancing an anthropomorphic computer.
While you grapple with the ethical and moral implications and the inadvertent emotional entanglements of this situation, Black Mirror takes Artificial Intelligence closer to pure science, and away from the world of fiction in its White Christmas episode, set in a futuristic society where blocking users is no more confined to social media platforms. If a person is blocked by another, they are reduced to a blob of visually indistinct static, incapable of making themselves heard or seen by the person who has blocked them.
Jon Hamm’s character, Matt, works for an Artificial Intelligence company that allows its customers to get an AI modeled after the customers themselves to run and manage their smart-homes. The procedure for each client requires a “cookie” to be surgically implanted in their brain for a few weeks, closely recording their likes and dislikes. The cookie is then removed and set to work running the entire house.
https://youtu.be/2OIkZQJMMBk
The little glitch in this perfect procedure is that the AI, modeled so closely after the host, ends up developing a consciousness of its own. Matt’s job is to make sure the AI surrenders to an existence of enslavement by the host, and he achieves this by reducing the AI to solitary confinement for a period of as long as six months, if need be.
However, time for the AI can be controlled and altered and played around with – thus, six months for the AI are no more than a couple of seconds for Matt in real time. The AI eventually chooses mute surrender instead of torturous loneliness. The show also subverts the sci-fi trope of robots or technology enslaving humans in White Christmas. It is only apt to quote David Holmes in this context when he says,
“But perhaps humans of the future will become so enamored with the convenience offered by robots that we will jettison our sense of humanity in return for this convenience — just like we’ve jettisoned our privacy and security for the tools and platforms of today.”
Pepper -the Humanoid Robot:
Moving away from the realm of TV shows to real life -let’s talk about Pepper. First unveiled in June, 2014, Pepper -the first ever humanoid robot was made available at a price of JPY 198,000 ($1,931 or around Rs. 12,500) at Softbank Mobile stores in February this year.
https://youtu.be/kCFYw8mIqcc
At the expense of your happiness, let it be clarified that Pepper doesn’t do household chores, or posses superpowers. What he can do, however, is converse with you, recognize and respond to your emotions accordingly and move autonomously.
If you’re looking for a practical purpose for this robot, please skip this segment. All that Pepper provides is companionship and communication through the most intuitive interface in robots so far which includes voice, touch and emotions. Pepper is already greeting and interacting with customers in Japan.
Artificial Creativity:
Here’s a look what technology and Artificial Intelligence has to offer in terms of creativity. Let’s begin with music.
The above track is one of the many compositions by Emily Howell, a robot. She is capable of producing numerous such pieces every day and when a blind test was conducted, it showed people could’t tell the difference between her work and that of a human composer.
Next comes writing. Take a look at the passage below:
Or the following paragraph:
“Friona fell 10-8 to Boys Ranch in five innings on Monday at Friona despite racking up seven hits and eight runs. Friona was led by a flawless day at the dish by Hunter Sundre, who went 2-2 against Boys Ranch pitching. Sundre singled in the third inning and tripled in the fourth inning […]”
Yes, they are both pieces produced by bots. But you have possibly already been initiated into the world of literature written by computers if you have used Wikipedia, a website which has about 8.5 percent of its articles written by a bot. CTO of Narrative Science, Kristian Hammond predicts that “more than 90 percent” of news will be written by computers in 15 years.
What began as machines and bots replacing human beings for jobs requiring physical labour has snowballed into a threat of rendering us absolutely obsolete in our creative endeavours as well. The financial and ethical implications of such technology are endless. It seems like facing competition from machines is no more a plot for Hollywood’s hack-writers, but an imminent reality perhaps? Either way, let’s sit back and watch the drama unfold of a world where time and again humans have gone the Frankenstein way, incapable of comprehending and controlling their own ‘monsters’.
The recently launched flagship Nexus phone, the Nexus 6P, will be available in India starting November. The phone has been up for pre-orders on Flipkart and other offline retailers since October 13. The response for the the Nexus 6P has been very positive and Huawei has ensured a smooth supply-demand cycle. The company will send out the smartphones in batches to be delivered across India from the first week of November.
The 6P features a 5.7-inch QHD touchscreen, Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 810 chipset, with 3 GB RAM, a 3450mAh battery, and a USB Type-C port. The camera sports a 12.3MP sensor with laser autofocus, dual-LED flash at the rear and a rather impressive 8MP on the front. This pure Android phone will run on the latest Marshmallow operating system.
The Nexus 6P is priced at Rs. 39,999 for the 32GB, Rs. 42,999 for the 64GB, and Rs. 47,999 for the 128GB variant. The handset is currently out of stock on Flipkart due to overwhelming responses. Have a look at the specs list below to know everything about the Nexus 6P.
Specs
Nexus 6P
Display
5.7-inch QHD Corning Gorilla Glass 4
Resolution
2560 x 1440 pixels, 518 ppi
Processor
Qualcomm Snapdragon octa-core 810 v2.1
GPU
Adreno 430
RAM
3 GB
Storage
32 GB/ 64 GB/ 128 GB
Rear Camera
12.3 MP, laser autofocus, dual-LED flash
Front Camera
8 MP, 720p@30fps
Expandability
N/A
Battery
3450mAh battery
Connectivity
Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n/ac; Wi-Fi MIMO support; Bluetooth 4.0 LE; GSM bands 850/1900; 3G bands; GPS with AGPS; NFC, USB Type-C
The whole world is moving towards wearables. So, it’s only right for Nokia to get into the game as well. The company recently amended its Articles of Association to include consumer wearables. This happens to come around the time when rumours are afloat that Nokia is planning on a smartwatch or bracelet that focuses on health and well being.
You may have heard that Nokia was planning to launch a smartwatch last year that was codenamed ‘Moonraker’ that had many of the aesthetics of the modern Windows phone. However, the project was scrapped after Microsoft took over presumably because Microsoft had its own Band in the work.
Nokia Moonraker
Two years ago, Nokia had filed a patent for a smart wearable that looked more like a bracelet than a watch, with multiple screen for different functions. We are not sure whether Nokia plans to begin working on its past projects again or if it’s looking to work on something entirely different. But the change in the corporation papers shows signs that Nokia is ready to bring out its smartwatch or bracelet soon.
Nokia has a tough challenge ahead if it really is working on consumer wearables. Today, smart wearable is what is getting the tech world pumped, and traditional watchmaking brands like Fossil are also getting into the game. The competition is stiff and Nokia will have to come out with something unique if they want to stand a chance.
HTC unveiled the One A9 a few days ago that brought a whirlwind of criticism for its apparent iPhone rip-off. There is no doubt that the One A9 is basically a slightly cheaper iPhone clone, at least in terms of design. And while HTC knew what it was getting itself into with its newest device, the company’s executive has come out with a statement in defense of the One A9.
A senior HTC executive said that it was in fact Apple who originally copied one of their designs for the iPhone 6. “We’re not copying. We made a unibody metal-clad phone in 2013. It’s Apple that copies us in terms of the antenna design on the back,” said HTC’s North Asia President Jack Tong.
The phone being referred to here is the HTC One M7 that came out a year before the iPhone 6. While it is true that the iPhone 6’s metal unibody design has certain likeliness to the M7, what Apple has done is create a phone that looks uniquely their own, just as HTC did with the M7 to M9 phones. Have a look at 2013’s One M7 below.
The One M7 was truly a beautifully crafted phone. It had a full-metal unibody design with a curved back and dual front-facing speakers. The company continued this design with the M8 and M9 as well, and rightly so. The iPhone 6 did copy some elements from the One M7, there is no denying that. Apple has done it before and will do it again.
It is a fact that companies borrow inspiration from each other almost always. But what doesn’t sit well with the new HTC phone is that the company has not even tried to make something different here. The HTC One A9 looks like the new iPhone 6 and 6s in almost every way.
Apple haters may hate a lot of things about Apple’s products, but there is one thing that moves beyond hate. Music. And Apple haters and loyalists alike love music. There was a time when Apple revolutionized the way we listen to music with the iPod. But early this year saw the end to the classic iPod. To continue its goal to redefine music, Apple launched the Apple Music.
Apple Music is currently an iOS-only music streaming platform that gives you access to millions of songs from the company’s iTunes library. And for a basic monthly subscription, you can listen to unlimited music. This was Apple’s promise, and this is what they have delivered.
The Apple Music is actually quite brilliant. It gives the most popular music streaming platform today (Spotify) a run for its money. The reason being is that Apple Music is personal. Apple has put a lot of thought in the way the music service works for you. From curated playlists that have about 12-15 songs, which is just right, to Beats Radio, and Connect that lets you see what your favorite artist is up to. There is everything a music lover could ask for. But iOS users already know this. So why are we saying it now? It’s because Apple had promised that its music streaming service will come to Android soon as well.
The company said that Apple Music will be available for Android users this fall, which is any time now. Some screenshots published by Mobile Geeks show what Apple Music could look like for Android, and it’s pretty much what you’d expect. All the main features of Apple Music is present. Users will navigate Apple Music by using a slide-out menu accessible through the hamburger icon or via a swipe from the left side.
The For You section that shows curated playlists and artists based on your choice of music and genre, along with New, Beats 1 radio. Connect and My Music are all there. Presumably the My Music will link your phone’s music folder so all your songs are in one place. For iOS users the Apple Music was a natural extension to the Music app.
So, Android users in India will soon have the option to jump on to the Apple Music service. There are already a few music streaming platforms in India like Wynk, Saavn, Gaana and Hungama, that are pretty good. It is likely that Apple will provide a 3-months free trial of Apple Music for Android users as well. So once the app is out, give it a whirl and see if this is the service for you. The monthly subscription for iOS users is Rs. 120 for individuals and Rs. 180 for families. For Android users, the cost is likely to be around the same.
Who doesn’t love pizza right? Thin crust, thick crust, cheese burst and deep dish, we’re all fans. So when avid pizza lovers hear ‘Domino’s’, you most often than not get squeamish responses. An experienced pizza fan would think of Domino’s as the last option because it seems to have lost its A game. This little experiment however, will make you take notice of this old pizza chain.
Domino’s has tried innovative ways to try and get their customers to order pizza. From ordering with the help of a pizza emoji, to even a Siri-like assistant helping you out in their mobile app. They’ve done it all. However, they just went a step further recently, and announced their very own Domino’s Delivery car!
Fondly and officially called the DXP (Domino’s Delivery Expert), it is a custom made car to keep your pizza warm and fresh (Because plastic boxes at the back of motorcycles weren’t good enough.) And if you’re already perplexed by the fact that Domino’s would actually make their own car for just one purpose, it’ll be even more perplexing to know that this project took 3 years to come through, from conception to completion. 3 years. We wonder how many pizzas went cold and delivered till then.
We don’t want to drown with our sarcasm any further, but the DXP is actually designed for long distance deliveries where the food might get lukewarm while unpacking or in transit. This way they can assure the customer that the food will be delivered piping hot. So not such a bad idea right?
The DXP is essentially a Chevrolet Spark with just one seat that is the driver’s. It has storage areas located both in the front and the back along with proper compartments to keep the items still and not moving with all the bumps the car might hit. The fanciest feature, however, is a warming oven placed right behind the drivers seat that fulfils the motive of keep all the food hot and fresh.
The DXP has the capacity to accommodate up to 80 pizzas, along with Domino’s other menu items including salads, wings and 2-liter bottles of soda, according to sources. Basically, it has enough storage to feed a business meeting or a school event or even a largish house party.
Video footage of the car, courtesy of MLive, can be seen below.
Russell Weiner, president of Domino’s USA, stated:
“The Domino’s DXP is the first purpose-built vehicle aimed at revolutionizing pizza delivery,” This innovation allows drivers to do their jobs with greater ease and efficiency, and demonstrates that Domino’s is absolutely fanatical about making perfect deliveries.”
What are other pizza places going to do without this baffling, over efficient, heat inducing, invention? Only time will tell. But it’s safe to say that we in India will still receive hot pizza regardless of a car, on a motorcycle, in 30 minutes. Or free.
The DXP will begin rolling out in select markets over the next three months and no, India isn’t on the list as of now. The first cities to make use of the DXP are Boston, Dallas, Detroit, Houston, New Orleans, Indianapolis, San Diego, and Seattle.
Do you feel like you’re really missing out though? Let us know in the comments below.
As you all know, Google’s Nexus 5X was launched in India on October 13, 2015. We managed to get our hands on the 5X and did a quick unboxing and setup of the device.
The Nexus 5X comes with a 5.2-inch FHD display, USB Type-C which allows almost 4 hours of battery post a 10-minute charging routine, and is available in three colours – Carbon black, Quartz white and Ice blue.
It is further packed with a 2 GB RAM, Qualcomm Snapdragon 808 chipset and OS Android Marshmallow 6.0. On the camera front, the device comes equipped with a 12.3 MP rear camera and a 5 MP selfie camera. The smartphone is capable of capturing 4K and slow-motion videos, making this phone the most advanced multimedia Nexus device to date.
The Nexus 5X is priced at Rs, 31,990 for the 16 GB variant and Rs. 35,990 for the 32 GB variant. We will have a full hands on review of the Nexus 5X soon.
Just when we thought Back to the Future Day couldn’t get any better after the new Hendo Hoverboard news, we find out that Nike has done the impossible! The shoemaking giant has lived up to its name and has finally made the Back to the Future’s self-lacing shoes a reality.
The company had been teasing something big on Twitter a few days ago that got fans all excited. You would be too if you read this tweet.
The tweet was for Micheal J, Fox, who played Marty McFly in Back to the Future. As you all must be knowing by now that October 21, 2015 was celebrated as Back to the Future Day around the world. This is because this is the date to which Marty and Doc Brown travel to in 1989’s Back to the Future II. In the film’s version of 2015, Marty gets a pair of self-lacing Nike Mags sneakers, among other futuristic toys. And yes, they were the coolest kicks in 2015.
On Thursday, Nike made the ‘future’ happen by launching the self-tying shoes in the best way possible: by having Micheal J. Fox try out the first pair. And it was a beautiful sight to see.
Micheal J. Fox was as excited as anyone else about how the ‘future’ has finally arrived, and expressed his joy on Twitter.
The company announced a possible 2016 release for the shoes. The announcement also mentions that the shoes are limited edition models at the present and will first be sold via auction with all the proceeds going to the Michael J. Foundation for Parkinson’s Research some time next year.
“By imagining the future, we create it,” reads the statement from Nike. “Product that comes alive, with on-demand comfort and support when you need, product that senses you and adapts to you is right around the corner.”
Laces on Nike MAG tighten when person slips on shoes, also manually adjustable pic.twitter.com/1l3I9gokGm
It might be a while before these sneakers hit the market, but right now we can simply take pleasure in seeing that the McFly shoes are now a real thing. This is the future, and it looks really good.
3D printers are the next big thing. These devices are touted to bring the industrial age where manufacturing will shift from giant warehouses to homes. The technology has been used to make small tools to houses. 3D printing can truly pave the way to the next generation economy. For those of you still oblivious to this fantastic feat of engineering, we bring you all that you need to know about the technology that might actually change your life.
The 3D printing or additive manufacturing (AM) is a technique by which you can create or recreate a three-dimensional object. The 3D printers are also considered to be industrial robots for their manufacturing aptitude. The technology utilises computer-aided formation of objects by laying successive layers of materials. The materials can vary from plastic to metals like silver, steel, and titanium.
A Chinese company was able to make 10 houses through 3D printing.
What can you do with it?
With AM, you can even create complex objects with intricate moving bits. Designers and engineers have created working electric car models in a duration of just 44 hours. Of course, they used an industrial-sized printer, but the fact remains that this technology could bring manufacturing closer to home and decrease the massive amount of investment that goes into bringing the product from factory to shop. The 3D printing is exceptionally economical as it can create complex parts for machines, cars and even airplanes at a fraction of the cost of conventional processes. The printers can be scaled down and up easily depending on the requirement.
The printers are also capable of creating electronic circuitry so it might only be a matter of time before you can get OTA updates for a new phone altogether. This, coupled with technological experiences gained by developments like Project Ara, would help in creating the next generation eco-friendly devices that are also economical.
Human body organ replacements can also be printed.
The 3D printers are also being used in the health industry. Using biological data, researchers have printed replacement organs for humans. The technology is also being used in food design and has let artists create some cool looking treats.
These printers will come really handy to space travelers. Instead of carrying a massive inventory of spares and tools, they can simply carry a printer on board that will create the spares they need. This will clear more space for human utilisation and make the spacefarers self-sufficient in the long run.
How does it do it?
3D Printers use computer-aided designs to create printable models.
The first step in the process of 3D printing is acquiring the 3D model of the object that you want to print. This can be done manually by using modelling softwares. There has been an influx of a lot of softwares intended to print 3D objects. You can easily get free softwares where you can create rudimentary objects or if you have the stomach for it, you can go for professional softwares like 3ds Max or Autodesk Maya.
There are also a lot of websites that offer predesigned objects that you can download. Websites like Thingiverse have a lot of options to choose from to try out your hand at creating stuff off computer designs right in your homes.
And if that’s still out of your technological proficiency, then the printers itself lets you scan the images that you are trying to recreate. It’s easier than easy with the 3D printing.
Where can I get it?
Printing powerhouse HP has also come up with its Multi Jet Fusion 3D printer.
Presently, the devices cost truly a bomb, but for what they can do, they are a bang for the bucks. Printers like the Makerbot come at a premium price of Rs. 3,50,000, which may actually be cheap for an enterprise segment. You can also get lower-priced models for home usage for just above a lakh rupees, and they will give you great ease in making prototypes. Even big brands have seen the potential of the technology and have started working on their own models, one of the prominent names is HP’s Multi Jet Fusion technology.
The 3D printing revolution is here, and it needs its revolutionaries. Manufacturing science is a great area of study that really require people. If you are an engineering student looking for a field of study, then manufacturing should be it. And if you are a kind of person who likes to create the future, keep your eyes on the 3D printers, they are about to change the world.
