New Lego Star Wars sets in the flesh: Minecraft and Ninjago complete the line-up
Having shown off a range of Lego at the London and Nuremberg Toy Fairs in the last few weeks, the brick brand let us take pics and video of the last entries in the 2016 line-up at the New York Toy Fair.
The biggest question mark still left for Lego this year was its Star Wars sets. Although some had been shown previously, Lego had remained tight lipped about two mysterious sets and the character mini-figures that accompanied them.
READ: These are the Lego sets you’ll want in 2016: Nexo Knights, Angry Birds and more
Lego Star Wars: The Freemaker Adventures
In New York, Disney announced its new animated TV series, Lego Star Wars: The Freemaker Adventures. This will debut in the summer on Disney XD in the US (no date currently for UK).
Unsurprisingly then, the Star Wars Lego sets accompanying the series complete Lego Star Wars line-up for the year. Set 75145 offers an Eclipse Fighter, a smaller craft and two mini-figures while the 75147 set includes the larger Star Scavenger ship and four mini-figures.
Interestingly, this means we have two Lego Star Wars projects that extend the main fiction. The Lego Star Wars: The Force Awakens video game will include content between The Return of the Jedi and The Force Awakens, while the Freemaker Adventures joins things up between The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi.
Lego Ninjago
Beyond Star Wars, other sets were more fully shown (and filmable) in New York, including additions to the Lego Ninjago line.
Ninjago will have a strong line-up throughout the year. And while Chima takes a back seat, it goes from strength to strength with more than half an eye on the 2017 Ninjago feature film.
Lego Minecraft
Lego Minecraft returns in 2016 and still struggles to make sense in this context. The iterative nature of a brick toy inspired by a brick-inspired video game means the play value and fun gets a little lost along the way.
This lack of coherence hasn’t stopped it selling well though, and last year it was Lego’s fifth best-selling line. In 2016, we will be getting four more Minecraft sets in March and then The Fortress in September — which includes a headlining Lego Minecraft horse of all things.
Lego Nexo Knights
Nexo Knights offer a more original (and coherent) combination of bricks and screens. In addition to the sets seen previously we got a proper look at the new Ultimate characters in New York – Axl, Lance, General Magmar and Flama. These, together with the large Jestro’s Volcano Base, provide plenty of physical play value backed up by a video game payload when the included shields are scanned into the related tablet app.
Lego City
Finally, the Lego City sets were rounded off with a full 2016 line. This ranges from spring’s Fire and Vehicle sets to summer’s Volcano Explorers and Autumn Airport and Town products. Of particular interest in the Town category is the Fun in the Park set that includes a wheelchair mini-figure for the first time in Lego’s history.
Having the whole of 2016’s Lego line-up in view is a little overwhelming — there’s just so much of it. Beyond this however, it seems that this is a year of consolidation rather than innovation for Lego. Quality remains as high as ever but the lion share of shelf space is given to extending existing ideas rather than creating new ones.
Xiaomi “Mi Week” discounts on the Redmi Note Prime, Mi 4 and Mi 4i
Xiaomi handsets are already a pretty good bargain but the company has just announced additional discounts for its Indian customers on some of its most popular smartphones.
From today, the Redmi Note Prime will be available for Rs. 7,999, down from its original retail price of Rs. 8,499 when the phone launched back in December. The discount will be applied to both the Amazon India and Mi.com retail outlets. The Redmi Note Prime offers up some decent mid-range specifications for its price, including a 5.5-inch 720p display, Snapdragon 410 processor and a 13 megapixel rear camera.
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Xiaomi Mi 4i review: not a f… -
Xiaomi Mi4 Review – a very s…
Furthermore, Xiaomi is holding a “Mi Week” promotional offer on Amazon India, which will run from today until Friday 19th February. As part of the promotion, the company’s flagship Mi 4 and Mi 4i smartphones are both discounted, with prices falling to Rs. 12,999 and Rs. 9,999 respectively. That’s a 13 percent saving on the Mi 4 and a notable 23 percent discount on the Mi 4i.
You can find all of the Mi Week offers by clicking the button below.
Mi Week over at Amazon India
Silk Labs Sense: Not your typical home monitoring camera
As useful as Nest’s Dropcam is, it isn’t the best looking home monitoring camera. Still, there aren’t many of them that do a better job design-wise. Silk Labs, a startup founded by Mozilla’s former CTO, Andreas Gal, sees this as an opportunity to offer something different. Enter Sense, which is similar to Dropcam in functionality but also comes with a few notable differences. For example, it’s said to be smart enough to recognize multiple faces; that can be used to let you know if it thinks a stranger is in your home, or play music based on a particular individual’s taste.
Sense (pictured above) also pairs with third-party hardware, such as Sonos speakers and smart light bulbs, among others. Not surprisingly, you’ll find a built-in microphone and speaker on the back of it, used for voice recognition and more features that may be added in the future. Meanwhile, the Sense’s industrial design is intended to blend with people’s lifestyle, according to Gal. It’s supposed to be “something you’re happy to put in your living room,” he says.
Gal, who left the Firefox team in 2015, told me that Silk Labs’ goal with Sense is to create a whole new Internet of Things platform: “We are not a hardware company,” he says. Instead, Gal hopes the device will drive interest from both developers and manufacturers, especially since Sense and the software powering it are going to be open source. The Kickstarter is launching today, with the product priced at $225.
And Gal doesn’t want you to worry about it being a crowdfunded project, because Silk Labs isn’t financed that way. “Kickstarter is just a way to bring this to people,” he added.
Source: Kickstarter (Silk Labs)
Artists explain how ‘The Witness’ got its special look
As you walk through The Witness, solving puzzles and taking in the island’s natural beauty, you might wonder how it all came together. Did gameplay take precedent, followed by artistic flair? Or were the two developed and balanced simultaneously? To shed a little light, artist Luis Antonio has written a series of blog posts that go into fascinating detail about the game and its development. From specific areas to teaser trailers and posters, it offers a rare look into how Antonia, alongside Eric Anderson and Orsi Spanyol, helped Jonathon Blow develop the look of the game.
A word of warning: Antonia says some of the screenshots and explanations could be considered spoilers for people that haven’t played The Witness yet. “I strongly advise you to the play the game before(hand), since these will inevitably spoil some of the experience.” If you fall into that camp, we recommend reading this particular entry — it’s only about the game’s promotional material and will give you a flavour of what Antonia has put together. Of course, then we suggest you go away, play the game and hurry back. Or just delve in further if you don’t mind a few spoilers. Your call.
Via: Kotaku
Source: The Art of The Witness
Marshmallow update for Sony Xperia Z5, Z4 Tablet, and Z3+ set for March
The official Twitter account for Sony UK has shared a date for when Marshmallow is expected to be released for the Xperia Z5, Z4 Tablet and Z3+. Should the information be accurate, owners of the aforementioned mobile devices can look to see Android 6.0 arrive on March 7.
@FalseNugget it’s set to roll out from March 7th for Xperia Z5 series, Z4 Tablet and Z3+ – we will share confirmed timings when its ready
— Sony Xperia GB (@sonyxperiagb) February 15, 2016
It’s worth noting that this comes from the official Sony UK Twitter account and the exact date, as well as international availability, may be subject to change. That said, it’s at least an indication that the company does indeed plan to release the update sooner rather than later. We’ll keep you all posted should we learn more.
Source: Twitter (Xperia UK), Via: Xperia Blog
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Curvaceous Samsung Galaxy S7 breaks cover in another leak
The Samsung Galaxy S7 is just around the corner, set for an unveiling at the upcoming Samsung Unpacked event — but in the meantime we’re seeing yet another leak of the phone. This time the phone, in black, was unveiled in the flesh from a retailer in Dubai… and then promptly pulled.
Not only were we able to see what is alleged to be the smartphone itself, but the listing (which is no longer live on the Dubizzle website) also sported a shot of what will come as standard in the packaging alongside the S7. These new photos join the growing collection of leaks and rumors, which include official wallpapers and accessories, renders, color options, as well as Gear VR potentially being included.
As with all such leaks and rumors, we caution you to take it with a healthy dose of salt. We’re less than a week away from the expect unveiling of the Galaxy S7, so keep your browser and feeds tuned to Android Central for the latest from the floor at MWC 2016.
Source: Dubizzle (no longer live); Via: PhoneArena
Samsung Galaxy S7
The Galaxy S7 is expected to be announced at Mobile World Congress in late February 2016.
- Complete Galaxy S7 news
- Join our Galaxy S7 forums
- The Galaxy S7 could come in three sizes
- The microSD card slot might return in the GS7
- Fewer megapixels in the GS7 camera might be better
iPhone 7 Said to Expand Use of Single-Chip Electromagnetic Shielding
Apple is working on electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding that will individually shield most of the device’s major chips, helping to maintain the iPhone’s performance as its power and complexity and thus potential for interference increases (via ETNews). The company has used EMI shielding on large portions of the iPhone’s circuit board in the past, and a few individual chips have included their own shielding, but the iPhone 7 will apparently include a broader array of single-chip EMI shields, from radio frequency to wireless LAN and Bluetooth chips.
South Korean manufacturers StatsChipPac and Amkor are both said to be responsible for the production of the EMI shielding process on the iPhone 7 line. The cost of that production is also predicted to increase with the intricacies introduced using the technology.
A production line in Amkor Technology
“As clock signals of digital chips have increased and as diverse functions such as 3D-touch and others have recently added, reduction of electromagnetic waves have emerged as major topic of this industry.” said a representative of this industry. “As other Smartphone businesses might be looking to apply EMI Shield technology to major chips just as Apple did, packaging and other related equipment industries will benefit a lot from this.”
According to the report, Apple decided to use the EMI shielding technology due to its effectiveness in preventing interference in wireless communication. Individual EMI shields can also allow for “more elaborate” and more densely packed circuit boards allowing for smaller devices or larger batteries. Similar EMI shielding was applied to the S1 chip package used in the Apple Watch last year
In regards to the general manufacturing of the next-generation iPhone, today a report stated that Apple has already lined up its partners for both the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus. Foxconn and Wistron are said to be heading up production on the 5.5-inch device, while Foxconn will join Pegatron in fulfilling orders for the 4.7-inch smartphone.
Related Roundup: iPhone 7
Discuss this article in our forums
New Lego Star Wars sets in the flesh: Minecraft and Ninjago complete the line-up
Having shown off a range of Lego at the London and Nuremberg Toy Fairs in the last few weeks, the brick brand let us take pics and video of the last entries in the 2016 line-up at the New York Toy Fair.
The biggest question mark still left for Lego this year was its Star Wars sets. Although some had been shown previously, Lego had remained tight lipped about two mysterious sets and the character mini-figures that accompanied them.
READ: These are the Lego sets you’ll want in 2016: Nexo Knights, Angry Birds and more
Lego Star Wars: The Freemaker Adventures
In New York, Disney announced its new animated TV series, Lego Star Wars: The Freemaker Adventures. This will debut in the summer on Disney XD in the US (no date currently for UK).
Unsurprisingly then, the Star Wars Lego sets accompanying the series complete Lego Star Wars line-up for the year. Set 75145 offers an Eclipse Fighter, a smaller craft and two mini-figures while the 75147 set includes the larger Star Scavenger ship and four mini-figures.
Interestingly, this means we have two Lego Star Wars projects that extend the main fiction. The Lego Star Wars: The Force Awakens video game will include content between The Return of the Jedi and The Force Awakens, while the Freemaker Adventures joins things up between The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi.
Lego Ninjago
Beyond Star Wars, other sets were more fully shown (and filmable) in New York, including additions to the Lego Ninjago line.
Ninjago will have a strong line-up throughout the year. And while Chima takes a back seat, it goes from strength to strength with more than half an eye on the 2017 Ninjago feature film.
Lego Minecraft
Lego Minecraft returns in 2016 and still struggles to make sense in this context. The iterative nature of a brick toy inspired by a brick-inspired video game means the play value and fun gets a little lost along the way.
This lack of coherence hasn’t stopped it selling well though, and last year it was Lego’s fifth best-selling line. In 2016, we will be getting four more Minecraft sets in March and then The Fortress in September — which includes a headlining Lego Minecraft horse of all things.
Lego Nexo Knights
Nexo Knights offer a more original (and coherent) combination of bricks and screens. In addition to the sets seen previously we got a proper look at the new Ultimate characters in New York – Axl, Lance, General Magmar and Flama. These, together with the large Jestro’s Volcano Base, provide plenty of physical play value backed up by a video game payload when the included shields are scanned into the related tablet app.
Lego City
Finally, the Lego City sets were rounded off with a full 2016 line. This ranges from spring’s Fire and Vehicle sets to summer’s Volcano Explorers and Autumn Airport and Town products. Of particular interest in the Town category is the Fun in the Park set that includes a wheelchair mini-figure for the first time in Lego’s history.
Having the whole of 2016’s Lego line-up in view is a little overwhelming — there’s just so much of it. Beyond this however, it seems that this is a year of consolidation rather than innovation for Lego. Quality remains as high as ever but the lion share of shelf space is given to extending existing ideas rather than creating new ones.
iPhone 7 Said to Expand Use of Single-Chip Electromagnetic Shielding
Apple is working on electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding that will individually shield most of the device’s major chips, helping to maintain the iPhone’s performance as its power and complexity and thus potential for interference increases (via ETNews). The company has used EMI shielding on large portions of the iPhone’s circuit board in the past, and a few individual chips have included their own shielding, but the iPhone 7 will apparently include a broader array of single-chip EMI shields, from radio frequency to wireless LAN and Bluetooth chips.
South Korean manufacturers StatsChipPac and Amkor are both said to be responsible for the production of the EMI shielding process on the iPhone 7 line. The cost of that production is also predicted to increase with the intricacies introduced using the technology.
A production line in Amkor Technology
“As clock signals of digital chips have increased and as diverse functions such as 3D-touch and others have recently added, reduction of electromagnetic waves have emerged as major topic of this industry.” said a representative of this industry. “As other Smartphone businesses might be looking to apply EMI Shield technology to major chips just as Apple did, packaging and other related equipment industries will benefit a lot from this.”
According to the report, Apple decided to use the EMI shielding technology due to its effectiveness in preventing interference in wireless communication. Individual EMI shields can also allow for “more elaborate” and more densely packed circuit boards allowing for smaller devices or larger batteries. Similar EMI shielding was applied to the S1 chip package used in the Apple Watch last year
In regards to the general manufacturing of the next-generation iPhone, today a report stated that Apple has already lined up its partners for both the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus. Foxconn and Wistron are said to be heading up production on the 5.5-inch device, while Foxconn will join Pegatron in fulfilling orders for the 4.7-inch smartphone.
Related Roundup: iPhone 7
Discuss this article in our forums
New Lego Star Wars sets in the flesh: Minecraft and Ninjago complete the line-up
Having shown off a range of Lego at the London and Nuremberg Toy Fairs in the last few weeks, the brick brand let us take pics and video of the last entries in the 2016 line-up at the New York Toy Fair.
The biggest question mark still left for Lego this year was its Star Wars sets. Although some had been shown previously, Lego had remained tight lipped about two mysterious sets and the character mini-figures that accompanied them.
READ: These are the Lego sets you’ll want in 2016: Nexo Knights, Angry Birds and more
Lego Star Wars: The Freemaker Adventures
In New York, Disney announced its new animated TV series, Lego Star Wars: The Freemaker Adventures. This will debut in the summer on Disney XD in the US (no date currently for UK).
Unsurprisingly then, the Star Wars Lego sets accompanying the series complete Lego Star Wars line-up for the year. Set 75145 offers an Eclipse Fighter, a smaller craft and two mini-figures while the 75147 set includes the larger Star Scavenger ship and four mini-figures.
Interestingly, this means we have two Lego Star Wars projects that extend the main fiction. The Lego Star Wars: The Force Awakens video game will include content between The Return of the Jedi and The Force Awakens, while the Freemaker Adventures joins things up between The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi.
Lego Ninjago
Beyond Star Wars, other sets were more fully shown (and filmable) in New York, including additions to the Lego Ninjago line.
Ninjago will have a strong line-up throughout the year. And while Chima takes a back seat, it goes from strength to strength with more than half an eye on the 2017 Ninjago feature film.
Lego Minecraft
Lego Minecraft returns in 2016 and still struggles to make sense in this context. The iterative nature of a brick toy inspired by a brick-inspired video game means the play value and fun gets a little lost along the way.
This lack of coherence hasn’t stopped it selling well though, and last year it was Lego’s fifth best-selling line. In 2016, we will be getting four more Minecraft sets in March and then The Fortress in September — which includes a headlining Lego Minecraft horse of all things.
Lego Nexo Knights
Nexo Knights offer a more original (and coherent) combination of bricks and screens. In addition to the sets seen previously we got a proper look at the new Ultimate characters in New York – Axl, Lance, General Magmar and Flama. These, together with the large Jestro’s Volcano Base, provide plenty of physical play value backed up by a video game payload when the included shields are scanned into the related tablet app.
Lego City
Finally, the Lego City sets were rounded off with a full 2016 line. This ranges from spring’s Fire and Vehicle sets to summer’s Volcano Explorers and Autumn Airport and Town products. Of particular interest in the Town category is the Fun in the Park set that includes a wheelchair mini-figure for the first time in Lego’s history.
Having the whole of 2016’s Lego line-up in view is a little overwhelming — there’s just so much of it. Beyond this however, it seems that this is a year of consolidation rather than innovation for Lego. Quality remains as high as ever but the lion share of shelf space is given to extending existing ideas rather than creating new ones.
AIVAnet 