Play ‘Star Wars: KotOR 2’ in 5K, on your Mac
So this whole year of Star Wars thing apparently includes dormant video games too, who knew? Despite the fact that the lesser of the two Knights of the Old Republic role-playing games released all the way back in 2004, it recently got a pretty huge update. Now KotOR 2: The Sith Lords is playable on Mac and Linux, available in the Mac App Store, has achievements, widescreen support and will even run in 4K and 5K resolution. If it’s a console-like experience you’re chasing, the game supports controllers too, including PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360 and Xbox One gamepads. The title’s Steam page teases mod support via Steam Workshop and even a “Force special effects” option in the game’s menu. To find out exactly what the latter entails, you’ll likely have to download it for yourself.
[Image credit: theglobalpanorama/Flickr]
Filed under: Gaming, Home Entertainment, HD
Source: Steam
OnePlus 2 passes through China’s TENAA
We are edging ever closer to the launch of the OnePlus 2, so perhaps we shouldn’t be so surprised to see the handset passing through China’s TENAA certification center.
The nice thing about TENAA is that it also gives us a look at the handset. From the images we can see the adoption of a new physical home button, which is presumably where the fingerprint scanner will be housed. Rather than opting for a rear scanner like Huawei has done in the past, a scanner located in the home button is something that we are used to seeing from the likes of Samsung.
On the back we can also spot the new camera module lower down the handset, which, if earlier reports are accurate, appears to feature a laser auto focus system just underneath the lens. LG’s G3 and G4 smartphones make use of laser technology to allow for much faster camera focusing for nearby objects.
Other confirmed OnePlus 2 specifications include a Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 processor, 4GB of LPDDR4 RAM, reversible USB Type-C connection and a 3300mAh battery, at a cost of under $450. The phone is also said to have a 13 megapixel rear camera with f/2.0 aperture.
The OnePlus 2 is expected to launch on July 27th, just five days away, and will be broadcast in virtual reality for those who own a little Google Cardboard or another VR headset. We should know all of the official details in just a few days’ time.
Pentagon confirms Iraq drone crash that surfaced online
There are a lot of hoaxes on the internet, but if you see images of a drone that looks like the one above, lying motionless in the middle of the desert, then you can be sure those aren’t fake. Pentagon has admitted to BuzzFeed that the pictures of a drone crash that recently started circulating on social media websites are real. Those photos were posted on Twitter by Iraqi journalist Steve Ishak, who told the publication that he got them from a follower who, in turn, got them from local villagers in the country’s Samawa province. “We can confirm an MQ-1 crashed on its way to its recovery base in Iraq,” military spokesperson Major Genieve David said, adding that the UAV malfunctioned due to “loss of communication.”
The images themselves corroborate the major’s claim, because it doesn’t seem like the plane was shot down, and the damage it incurred at least looked consistent with a crash. MQ-1 Predator Gray Eagle drones are part of the U.S. Army’s Aviation Modernization Plan, cost around $21 million each and can carry payload, including Hellfire missiles, weighing up to 1,075 pounds. David, who didn’t elaborate on what the broken drone was used for, said the broken UAV wasn’t carrying any weapon. At the moment, Pentagon is working with Iraq to recover the MQ-1’s metallic carcass, even though the drone might never fly again.
A U.S drone crashed in the desert of Samawa province in southern iraq earlier today pic.twitter.com/VbQiCPJFJ6
– Steven Nabil (@stevoiraq) July 21, 2015
NEW photo :The U.S drone that crashed in Samawa province ( near the cement factory) pic.twitter.com/0j93LoE2az
– Steven Nabil (@stevoiraq) July 21, 2015
Filed under: Misc
Source: Steven Nabil (1), (2), Buzzfeed
Sony’s phone arm is working on drones
Sony is teaming up with with a robotics company it’s already invested in, and it’s looking to get on board with that whole drone thing. ZMP (which aims to make the “robot of everything”) develops automated driving technologies — although they’ve stuck to solid ground until now. The collaboration will be called Aerosense — and will launch next month. According to Sony’s announcement the collaboration will bind Sony’s camera, sensor and comms tech with ZMP’s automated driving and robotics knowhow. Sony Mobile will hold the majority share (by a sliver of a percentage), but the team-up’s end result is to develop and make autonomous drones for image capture, connecting all that output to the cloud. Don’t expect to see a branded Sony drone anytime soon, however: it’s looking to business clients, with these eventual drones tasked with “measuring, surveying, observing, and inspecting” sometime next year.
[Image credit: Bloomberg via Getty Images]
Filed under: Cellphones, Misc, Sony
Source: Sony
UK ‘Dronecode’ aims to stop pilots from flying dangerously
If we were to create a list of “top places you shouldn’t fly a drone,” airports would certainly rank high. As the BBC reports, the UK’s Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has recorded six incidents between May 2014 and March 2015 where drones have almost collided with aircraft. In one instance, the wing of an Airbus A320 passed 6 meters below a quadcopter flying near Heathrow airport. To combat the problem and reckless drone flying in general, the CAA has created a “Drone Safety Awareness Day” and a “Dronecode” to better educate pilots. The latter is a streamlined version of its existing UAV rules: keep your drone within sight and less than 400 feet high, stay away from aircraft and airports, and use common sense to keep others safe. They’re worth adhering to, otherwise you risk having your drone confiscated or, at the very least, receiving a good earful from the police.
Filed under: Misc
Source: Civil Aviation Authority
Hey look, it’s the OnePlus 2! OnePlus’ latest smartphone gets the TENAA treatment
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Regulatory bodies are always the best for an early leak, and thanks to China’s version of the FCC, TENAA, we’re getting our first look at the OnePlus 2 from all sides. Despite the low resolution photos, we see the overall design language from the OnePlus One has been preserved, but when we look at the back side, the camera has been repositioned a little lower, and on the front, it appears the OnePlus 2 has sprouted a physical button on the front, no doubt to accommodate a fingerprint scanner. Check out the images below for yourself:
According to the listing itself, the OnePlus 2 should have a 5.5-inch Quad HD display, a Snapdragon 810, 4GB RAM and 32GB storage. The rear camera is 13MP while the front camera is almost as good at 8MP. A sizeable 3,300mAh battery rounds out the formidable specs, though by now, none of the internal specifications are a surprise – though it is good to get a look at the device in all its physical glory. All that’s left to happen is for the OnePlus 2 to be officially announced, which should happen on July 27th.
What do you think about the look of the OnePlus 2? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
Source: Anzhuo.cn via Phone Arena
The post Hey look, it’s the OnePlus 2! OnePlus’ latest smartphone gets the TENAA treatment appeared first on AndroidSPIN.
3D-printed bottle caps will let you know if your milk goes bad
If you’re not a fan on the ol’ smell test to see if milk has spoiled, you might soon be in luck. Researchers from the University of California at Berkley and National Chiao Tung University in Taiwan created a “smart cap” for food storage containers that can detect spoilage. Using 3D-printed electronics, the lids house circuits and passive wireless sensors that are capable of determining if milk or juice has spoiled when it comes in contact with the lid. The components can detect changes in the liquid due to the presence of bacteria and transmit details wirelessly in real time. This means that you could potentially use a mobile app to check the freshness of food before you decide to buy it, for example. The group of engineers sees other uses for the technology too, including so-called smart implants that can relay pressure and drug concentrations to an external device.
[Image credit: Brendon Thorne/Bloomberg via Getty Images]
Filed under: Science
Via: Entrepreneur
Source: Microsystems & Nanoengineering
Our first look at the OnePlus 2 comes from China’s regulator
So far, OnePlus has done a fairly good job of keeping its next smartphone under wraps ahead of the July 27th launch. However, a clear shot of the OnePlus 2 has been revealed by one of the biggest ‘leakers’ out there — Chinese wireless regulator Tenaa. We already knew that the Two would have a (supposedly very fast) fingerprint reader, and that’s clearly shown in the image. Its camera setup looks an awful lot like the LG G4’s, meaning it may have laser focusing and not dual cameras, as had been rumored. Unusually, it’s mounted very low on the back.
OnePlus has already let most of the rest of the specs out of the bag, including the Snapdragon 810 CPU, 4GB RAM, a 3,300mAh battery, 13-megapixel back camera and dual SIMs. It’s clearly clad in the OnePlus One’s “multi-material” back and is expected to have a metal frame. All of that sounds swell, but at what price? The original model sold like (invitation-only) hotcakes thanks to its $300 sticker, but the Two is expected to cost a bit more — luckily, we’ve less than a week to find out.
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile
Via: Engadget.cn
Apple Disables App Store Reviews From Devices Running iOS 9 Beta Software
Apple has quietly changed its App Store policies and is no longer permitting iOS devices running pre-release software to be used to write App Store reviews. When attempting to write a review from a device that has iOS 9 installed, a popup is displayed that tells users reviews can’t be submitted while using beta software.
This is a much needed change that will prevent developers from having their App Store ratings and reviews affected by beta-related problems that are out of their control. As MacStories‘ Federico Vittici pointed out last week, negative App Store reviews left by beta testers have been an unaddressed issue for developers since Apple started providing beta software to public testers.
When beta software is released, some customers fault developers for apps that crash or do not function properly with beta features, leading them to leave negative App Store reviews even though there are months to go until apps need to be ready for the new software.
Following the release of the iOS 9 and OS X El Capitan public betas a week and a half ago, developers began seeing a huge uptick in negative reviews. Many of them took to Twitter to share 1 star reviews that included comments like “Broken with iOS 9.0,” and it appears Apple finally took notice of the issue.
Gotta love 1-star reviews for iOS 9 Beta issues. https://t.co/6lrFn9cP65
— Paul Mayne (@paulmayne) July 11, 2015
While it is no longer possible to write App Store reviews while running iOS 9, it is still possible to leave star ratings. It is not clear exactly when Apple made the change, but with both iOS 9 beta 3 and beta 4, App Store reviews are disabled.
iOS 8.4.1, another pre-release iOS build, does still allow App Store reviews to be left, so it appears that this may be a change that affects only beta software that’s been seeded to the public as part of Apple’s public beta testing program.
Google Maps shows what it knows about everywhere you’ve (ever) been
Google’s Location History feature keeps track of the places your mobile device has been (if you opt-in and turn it on) and now you can look back through that data with “Your Timeline.” Rolling out on the desktop and Android versions of Google Maps, its gives you an easy-to-navigate look at your comings and goings. It also shows what it recorded about how you made those trips (by plane, train, automobile, bike or even walking — how do you think it remembers where you parked?) and displays the Google Photos you took. This data has always been available on the Location History webpage, but now it’s easier to see. Google says the feature is “private and visible only to you,” and you can delete any segments that you’d rather not have recorded — we can’t wait for the first court case that comes up in — or drop in nicknames for frequently visited spots.
For many, it might be too creepy to see just how much data the search giant has and how complete its record is. But for others who were fans of Latitude, use Location sharing on Google+ or need Foursquare’s help just to remember what we they did last night, it looks like the best-organized way to look back at where you’ve been since Google added those pie charts to Maps 5.3 in 2011. If it’s not showing up on your phone yet, Android Police has v9.12 ready to download and check it out.
Filed under: Software, Mobile, Google
Source: Google Maps Blog
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