Manure just got real with this $300 ‘Farming Sim’ controller
At one point or another, most of us have tried (and normally failed) to tackle a few laps in Gran Turismo or Forza Motorsport with a racing wheel. But have you ever used one to drive a tractor in Farming Simulator 15? Nope, didn’t think so. Peripheral maker Saitek has designed a new, monster accessory that includes a steering wheel (with turn knob), foot pedals and a side console complete with over 25 programmable buttons and a loader stick. It’s designed specifically for Windows and Mac, and the price alone means it’ll only appeal to the most hardcore agriculture enthusiasts: the all-in bundle will set you back $299.99, or you can pay $149.99 for just the side panel or wheel/pedal combo.
The company expects to ship the first units this fall, and Polygon reports that a Farming Simulator Gold 15 bundle, which includes a copy of the game, will be coming to Europe later this year. It’s a kooky peripheral, but after playing with bongo drums, maracas and a dual-stick “vertical tank” cockpit — nothing seems out of the ordinary.
Filed under: Gaming
Via: Polygon
Source: Saitek
‘Shadow Warrior 2’ hits PC, PS4, Xbox One in 2016
The cult classic PC shooter/slasher Shadow Warrior got an over-the-top revamp not long ago and now a sequel is en route from the fine folks at Flying Wild Hog and Devolver Digital. Protagonist Lo Wang isn’t alone again in Shadow Warrior 2 — he’s bringing four-player co-op with him to PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One next year. Over on the PlayStation Blog, Devolver CFO Fork Parker says that the game’s environments are procedurally generated (think Minecraft or No Man’s Sky) and that five years after the first game’s events, humans and demons are living side-by-side. That’s a bit crazier than dogs and cats cohabitating, if you ask me.
We’re checking the game out next week at E3 and if you can’t wait for more info until then, perhaps the video and screenshots below will aid your patience. Oh! And should you need to acquaint yourself with Flying Wild Hog’s previous installment, the PS4 version’s on sale through next week’s trade show.
Watch the new @ShadowWarrior trailer, someone says “wang” and a car gets cut in half. https://t.co/5XgoRL6WEl pic.twitter.com/iOb3cn4tzG
– Fork Parker (@ForkParker) June 11, 2015
Filed under: Gaming, Home Entertainment, HD
Source: Windows Central
AutoExpress: BMW’s futuristic hybrid is getting an engine upgrade
BMW’s futuristic plug-in hybrid is so popular that the company can’t keep up with demand, a problem that’s likely to get much worse next year. Auto Express believes that BMW is about to release a second, high(er) performance version of the i8 with a bigger engine, sportier design and fewer seats for passengers. The biggest difference will be under the hood, where the current 1.5-liter, three-cylinder engine will be ditched in favor of a 2.0-liter turbocharged unit that comes with a fourth cylinder.
The bigger engine is obviously a lot heavier, but the company wants to stay close to the current i8’s 1,485kg waistline. As such, BMW is likely to shave pounds from elsewhere by leaving carbon fiber panels unpainted and ripping out the rear seats. It’s hoped that the right balance of power and deftness will push the whip from the 300 brake horsepower of the current ride to something closer to 450.
When BMW normally makes a souped-up version of one of its cars, it adds an M to the name, but you won’t be ordering a M8 or i8M. The company has promised to keep its eco and performance divisions separate, not to mention that the M8 name has already been reserved for something else. As Car and Driver has reported previously, the M8 is likely to become a petrol-driven supercar that simply uses the i8’s basic design. If you’ve got any ideas on what to call the i8 (Not M), then please do drop ’em in the comments.
[Image Credit: Getty]
Filed under: Transportation
Via: Autoblog
Source: AutoExpress
The Android 5.1 update for the Droid Turbo is still in its testing phase
David Schuster, Senior Director of Software Product Management at Motorola Mobility, has taken to his Google+ page to share a statement on the progress of the long-awaited Android 5.1 update for the Droid Turbo.
Sadly, it’s not good news. The update still isn’t ready for the device and is bang smack in the middle of its testing phase. Things are looking “good”, though, so it shouldn’t be too much longer before the upgrade starts rolling out.
Heres what Mr Schuster had to say:
Hey, I wanted to give a quick update on our progress on the DROID Turbo 5.1 lollipop upgrade since there seems to be A LOT of inaccurate information out there. We are still in the lab test cycle and things are looking good. We have not provided a launch date yet, but I will let you know as soon as the update is available.
So there you have it, folks. The update isn’t quite ready yet, but it should be soon!
Source: Google+
Come comment on this article: The Android 5.1 update for the Droid Turbo is still in its testing phase
Asus hasn’t ruled out taking over struggling HTC
Asus is currently riding a high after announcing that its mobile division turned a profit in May, having sold over 1.5 million smartphones in the month. With the release of its aggressively priced ZenFone 2 in North America, Asus expects the trend to continue and hopes to sell around 2 million handsets in June. As is natural with companies seeing positive results, Asus has given its rivals the once over to see if it is financially viable to expand by taking over a competing company to fuel further growth.
And which company has Asus looked over? None other than its local rival, HTC whose stock has recently plummeted to a record low despite the release of its latest flagship, the One M9. While Asus’ Chairman, Johnny Shih, has commented that the company had not ruled out the possibility of acquiring struggling smartphone maker HTC Corp, it would seem as if the topic is merely a possibility at the present time.
Asus’ Chief Financial Officer, David Chang told Reuters that “Our chairman has chatted about the topic internally. Still, the chances of an actual takeover are not big as Asustek is a company that has depended on organic growth.”
While Asus have downplayed the possibility of a takeover, it’s likely that we will hear more about HTC being the target of a possible takeover seeing as its share price has tanked recently. And strategies such as Project INK probably won’t help HTC’s cause all that much either.
Source: Reuters
Come comment on this article: Asus hasn’t ruled out taking over struggling HTC
Weekend Contest: Win a Nexus 9 from Talk Android!
Why not start your weekend by entering a contest to bring home the Nexus 9? That’s right, this weekend’s contest hosted by Talk Android offers Google’s flagship tablet as the prize. Everyone should be able to experience what stock Android has to offer and the Nexus 9 serves Lollipop flavor at its finest. And, this fall, you can expect to be among the first to receive the Android M software update.
Hit the break to enter.
We will update this post once a winner has been selected, so check here often on June 15. Good luck!
Come comment on this article: Weekend Contest: Win a Nexus 9 from Talk Android!
Samsung’s Tizen is doing better than anticipated in India
The arrival of Samsung’s Tizen OS for smartphones was a rather drawn out process, but its Tizen powered Z1 handset finally landed in the major Indian market back in January. Since then Tizen has exceeded initial industry expectations, grabbing some significant market share in its short time on the shelves.
According to anonymous industry sources, the Samsung Z1 has shifted over 500,000 units in the Indian market since launch, which isn’t bad for 6 months. Samsung had sold 100,000 Z1 smartphones in total back in February. Perhaps even more impressively, the Z1 managed to grab a 23.4 percent market share in Bangladesh during the first quarter of 2015.
Tizen isn’t just reserved for smartphones and wearables, Samsung is also using the OS to power a range of smart home appliances
Despite being powered by Samsung’s personalized OS, this early success is mostly due to the company’s aggressive pricing strategy in the fast growing Asian market. The Z1 launched for just Rs.5,700 ($95 US) in India.
The Z1 was initially supposed to debut in Russia, but this plan was scrapped in favour of the Indian and SE Asian markets, which are growing quickly based on demand for accessible, affordable smartphones. Samsung’s more lightweight Tizen OS has helped the company make the most out of the Z1’s more limited hardware.
Based on this better-than-expected performance, Samsung is apparently preparing a successor to the Z1 (the Z2?), which will launch in Russia, China, Malaysia, and Sri Lanka. Although a launch time frame has not been given.
Samsung is using Tizen for much more than smartphones and wearables.
Tizen isn’t just reserved for smartphones and wearables, Samsung is also using the OS to power a range of smart home appliances, including SUHD TVs, its Q9000 smart air conditioner, and the Chef Collection Refrigerator. The range of products powered by the OS is expected to continue to increase, as Samsung has placed it at the centre of its smart product line-up.
Samsung also appears keen to gather third party developer support for its Tizen platform, as it will be hosting a Tizen Developer Summit India 2015 in Bangalore this July and is also planning a Developer Conference in Shenzhen, China this September. A broader Tizen software development kit is also said to be in the works, which will expand on the SDK designed for Samsung’s wearable products that was unveiled back in March.
Tizen is gradually evolving into a wide-ranging platform for Samsung, and the company clearly has ambitious plans for its spin-off OS. We will likely continue to see Tizen help Samsung branch out into new business segments and it looks like bringing it to emerging markets has worked out quite well.
HTC unveils its Limited Edition Project INK One M9 handset with custom engraving
Back at the end of April, HTC made the announcement that they were going to partner up with British supermodel, Jourdan Dunn, for its INK campaign that seeks to expand the definitions of beauty by offering a limited edition HTC One M9 handset with a custom design engraved on the rear panel.
The metallic silver or gold handsets can be seen in the images above, with the supermodel posing with the gold version. There is a video below if you would like to see more of Jourdan Dunn and her collaboration with celebrity ink designer, Cally-Jo Pothecary, for HTC’s INK Project. When Project INK was first announced, it was intimated that a few designs would be produced, but it would seem that this is the only design available for the moment. No details were available on pricing or availability of the handsets at the time of writing.
It’s unclear just how popular the INK campaign will prove with consumers. The question has to be asked – is this a worthy recipient of HTC’s resources and attention? At a time when its stock price has slumped to record lows, its flagship smartphone hasn’t performed to expectations, and its Chairwoman/CEO Cher Wang has had to apologize to investors for the company’s poor performance? With the release of a flurry of similarly specced devices in recent week, is it possible that HTC has forgotten the steps it took to return to profit after flirting with financial difficulties in previous years? Let’s hope not.
Click here to view the embedded video.
Source: HTC Blog
Come comment on this article: HTC unveils its Limited Edition Project INK One M9 handset with custom engraving
Samsung’s working on a larger variant of the Galaxy S6 Edge
According to a report posted online, Samsung is in the midst of working on an upscaled, curved variant of its current flagship smartphone, which it plans to launch later this year. The handset has been dubbed the Galaxy S6 Edge Plus and is rumored to sport a whopping 5.7-inch display.
In addition to the bigger screen size, the South Korean company is expected to cram a larger battery into the handset too, which should solve many if not all of the juice issues faced by its smaller brother. The new device will run the latest build of Android 5.1.1 Lollipop with the usual TouchWiz user interface plastered over the top.
Unfortunately, that’s all the information we have on the Galaxy S6 Edge Plus for now, but stay tuned as it shouldn’t be too much longer until we have more details.
Source: SamMobile
Come comment on this article: Samsung’s working on a larger variant of the Galaxy S6 Edge
Twitter will remove the 140-character limit for DMs next month
Earlier today, Twitter took to its official blog to announce that it will finally remove the very frustrating 140-character limit on all Direct Messages (DMs) sent through the platform. It will, instead, replace it with a whopping 10,000-character restriction.
This very welcome feature is ready to go live now, but the folks over at Twitter are waiting until next month to start the rollout, in order to give third-party developers a fair chance at optimizing their applications to work with the new character cut off.
If you’d like to find out more about this change, hit the source link below.
Source: Twitter
Come comment on this article: Twitter will remove the 140-character limit for DMs next month
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