Ben Heck’s soldered Atari 2600

Watch Ben as he tackles the challenge of soldering the main processing chips of an Atari 2600 into a new configuration. In this episode, he’ll Introduce concepts and tricks such as the optimal layout of wiring between chips, what to do with dry joints and how to lay out passive components between pins on a piece of strip board. It’s almost hypnotic. Join The Ben Heck Show team and suggest builds and projects on the element14 community.

Sony stops shipping PlayStation TV in Japan

The days may be numbered for the PlayStation TV (aka PlayStation Vita TV), Sony’s attempt at bringing the Vita experience into your living room. The company has updated the PSTV’s Japanese product page to say that it has stopped shipping the mini console, at least in that country — if you want one, you’ll have to track down whatever’s left on store shelves. We’ve reached out to the company to learn what this means for the ultimate fate of the PSTV in the US and elsewhere, but it’s not looking good when Sony itself isn’t making Vita titles.

If the PSTV is discontinued worldwide, it won’t be surprising. The device has long come across as an awkward compromise. It can only play some Vita games (which aren’t hugely popular as it is), downloadable PS1 titles and Remote Play, and it’s hard to justify as a media hub when other set-tops in its price range are better-suited to the job. Steep price cuts early in its history suggest that few people were enamored with it from the start, for that matter. Given that Sony is doing everything it can to improve its bank balance, the PSTV seems like a logical candidate for the chopping block.

Via: NeoGAF, Game Informer, Polygon

Source: PlayStation Japan (translated)

League CEO Mike Serbinis on making a mobile-focused health and wellness platform

High-level healthcare systems are still clumsy and terrible.

I would consider my healthcare situation relatively tech savvy, for what it is. I don’t have a Google Glass-wielding tech-focused doctor or anything, but it’s not bad. My doctor is cool enough to use an app for making appointments and sending over requests. She emails me test results and will gladly send a text message when the need arises. She’s a rarity in the medical industry, and a lot of that has to do with the massive parts of the healthcare system that don’t actually interoperate. Depending on who your doctor is, your whole medical experience could still be pen and paper in 2016.

Recently I sat down with the CEO of League, a Canadian company focused on bringing healthcare solutions into the smartphone age with their city-by-city program that recently came to the US. Of all the med tech solutions I’ve seen over the last year, this one seems like it’s actually making things easier for the user.

Serbinis started the interview by explaining League is all about simplifying the health and wellness process through technology. Their health and fitness app makes it so there’s a single place to discover medical professionals, schedule and appointment, and pay for services. It’s a benefits system being offered to companies in Seattle right now, set up so you and your employer put money into a League account, and that money gets used for whatever professional you want to use in the League marketplace. Users can rate and review medical professionals in this marketplace, and it all happens through the League app.

Serbinis wants to make sure this doesn’t become a Yelp! for doctors, and is instead a complete solution.

As an alternative to the traditional benefits system, League sounds like a cool idea. The biggest challenge, according to Serbinis, is making all of the individual pieces work together. Making it easy to discover the services that are available hasn’t been a problem, but managing the money and making sure the scheduling system is universal has presented itself as a challenge. In order for everything to work smoothly, the healthcare provider has to also play nice with League’s services. Specifically, Serbinis wants to make sure this doesn’t become a Yelp! for doctors, and is instead a complete solution.

If the 12 companies currently working with League in Seattle — the first US city the company has started working in — are any indication, League is set for significant growth into other US cities this year. From a user’s perspective, League makes a lot of sense. A single place for all of the individual parts needed for healthcare to function sounds a lot nicer than the 3 wildly different apps my relatively modern set up requires to be functional. At the same time, it’s the sort of thing that will undoubtedly be a slow march in order to ensure each solution in each city runs smoothly. Any way you look at it, this is an impressive demonstration of bringing healthcare to the smartphone era.

Apple said to unveil smaller iPhone, iPad models on March 21st

All the hype surrounding Apple’s rumored March event might soon boil to a head. Sources for both Recode and Buzzfeed understand that Apple will hold its shindig on or shortly after March 21st — later than the previously-hinted March 15th date, but timely if you’re celebrating the start of spring. The devices expected at the show haven’t changed, mind you. Tim Cook and crew are reportedly unveiling a revamped 4-inch iPhone (possibly called the iPhone SE), a 9.7-inch iPad Pro and a fresh round of Apple Watch straps. If you’re fond of Apple’s smaller mobile gear, you may have an abundance of choices in the space of a month.

Source: Recode, Buzzfeed News

Zepp and Old Hickory debut bat with integrated swing sensor

Zepp tipped its hand on integrated swing sensors for baseball bats and tennis rackets back at CES. With MLB Spring Training in full swing, now’s as good a time as any to pull the wraps of the finished version. The sports-tracking company teamed up with wood bat manufacturer Old Hickory for the Mike Trout Old Hickory Smart Bat. If you’re unfamiliar, Mr. Trout is one of the best hitters in Major League Baseball over the last few years and a long-time fan (since high school) of Old Hickory’s sticks.

“Introducing a Smart Bat is a big moment for the game,” said Mike Trout. “Having Zepp combined with my signature bat will help give me an edge. I’m always looking to improve my swing and have consistency throughout the season.”

Trout first worked with Zepp back in 2014 to use its 3D Swing Analyzer to track his hitting habits. Last year, the Angels outfielder collaborated with the company on a sensor that fits inside a game-day bat. For the Old Hickory version, the swing sensor is located in the knob of the bat rather than clipping on the end like the previous version. The advantage here is you don’t have a tracker adding length to the end of your bat and the built-in version aims to provide feedback during games, not just in practice sessions. Yes, it’s removable, but you don’t have to take it out to charge it.

What’s more, amateur baseball events by Perfect Game USA and Ripken Baseball have already approved the bat for in-game use. There’s no word on pricing just yet, but if you’re looking to take a few hacks, you’ll be able to do just that this June.

Scientists model a Coronavirus’ infectious bits for the first time

A collaboration of scientists from University of Washington (UW), the Pasteur Institute and the University of Utrecht have harnessed a state-of-the-art microscope and supercomputer to model a coronavirus’ infection mechanism for the first time.

Coronaviruses are really good at infecting the respiratory systems of humans and other mammals. Once inside, these viruses can cause pneumonia (if you’re lucky). The strains that become SARS and MERS have a mortality rate as high as 37 percent. Plus, there is currently no antigen for SARS or MERS, which makes them especially dangerous.

The virus is so effective because of its “transmembrane spike glycoprotein,” which binds to the surfaces of other cells, allowing the virus to enter. This structure is what gives coronaviruses their spiky, crown-like shape and determines what species of animals the virus can target.

The research team leveraged a single particle cryo-electron microscopy technique to model the spike of a coronavirus that infects mice in terrific detail. The team managed a 4 angstrom resolution — about a tenth of a nanometer.

With this new analysis, the team believes they’ve identified a potential weaknesses in the virus’ defenses. Turns out, the spike has a small peptide chain running along it. That peptide helps facilitate the virus’ entry into a cell but could easily be hijacked by a treatment.

“Small molecules or protein scaffolds might eventually be designed to bind to this site,” UW assistant professor of chemistry, David Veesler said in a statement, “to hinder insertion of the fusion peptide into the host cell membrane and to prevent it from undergoing changes conducive to fusion with the host cell. We hope that this might be the case, but much more work needs to be done to see if it is possible.”

Source: UW Health Sciences

HTC announces international Vive pricing — €899 for many countries

A day before $799 preorders go on sale U.S., HTC has announced international pricing information for the consumer version of its Vive virtual reality kit. Depending on the country, price stays close to what we’ll be paying here in the States, or it goes up by a couple hundred dollars or so. And that’s, of course, not counting the high-end PC you’ll need to run Vive in the first place.

Nations in the Eurozone will have to pony up €899.00 — that’s about $991 USD. China, however, will pay the equivalent of $1,056 USD. (European prices include tax.)

HTC also announced that in addition to Fantastic Contraption and Job Simulator, Google’s Tilt Brush 3D drawing app will be included in the pre-order bundle. (If you haven’t seen it, it’s fantastic.)

Source (and more prices): HTC Vive blog

Mobile Nations Weekly: Mobile World Crazy

Back from Barcelona and down to business.

If there’s ever a week that’s guaranteed to be absolutely insane, it’s the week of Mobile World Congress. MWC 2016 was no exception, bringing a huge number of new devices to the mobile party.

Let’s start with Android: we finally got to check out the Samsung Galaxy S7 and its bigger and curvier S7 edge stablemate. As well as the modular metal LG G5. And the quite impressive Xiaomi Mi5. Plus the Sony Xperia X and X Performance and Alcatel Idol 4S.

Not to be left out, Microsoft was on hand at MWC as well, showing off the insane new HP Elite x3, targeted at business users with optional desktop and laptop Continuum docks. Huawei unleashed the powerful Matebook and Alcatel went after entry-level customers with the Alcatel Plus 10. Plus Lenovo’s Yoga 510, 710, and MIIX 310.

Apple’s fight with the FBI continued, and you can expect it to continue for some time across the media, courtrooms, and boardrooms across the world. [Apple filed their formal legal stance on the issue), claiming that the FBI has neither the law nor the U.S. Constitution on their side. We’ll see how this is going to play out, but we expect it’s going to take a very very long time to reach a final resolution.

All that and much much more in this edition of Mobile Nations Weekly!

Android Central — An MWC hangover

This was the week of Mobile World Congress, and that means there’s a lot to talk about here.

Plenty happened at the show itself, from smaller phone announcements to some information coming out of interviews with company representatives, but some of the biggest news just simply coincided with the show, happening at outside venues instead. Samsung unveiled the Galaxy S7 and S7 edge, LG brought out the modular G5 and Xiaomi took the wraps off of its spectacular Mi5.

Here are some of the biggest MWC stories:

• Samsung Galaxy S7 hands-on
• LG G5 hands-on
• Sony Xperia X and X Performance hands-on
• Alcatel Idol 4 and 4S hands-on
• ‘Moto’ brand not going anywhere, exec says
• Intel not backing down from hard fight in Android
• Xiaomi Mi5 hands-on
• Here are Android Central’s Top Picks for MWC!

Believe it or not, there was also some non-MWC news that happened this week:

• Marshmallow rolling out for the NVIDIA Shield Android TV
• What Samsung Pay means for Canadians
• Smartphone security: You are the weakest link
• Hands-on with 360Fly
• Nexus 6P owners: How’s your battery?
• Getting to know USB-C

CrackBerry — Acquisitions

Although Mobile World Congress was light on hardware news for BlackBerry, the company still had plenty to announce including new partnerships, new acquisitions and new company initiatives.

• BlackBerry expands security portfolio with launch of Professional Cybersecurity Services
• BlackBerry reiterates stance on encryption: lawful compliance and no backdoors
• BlackBerry COO Marty Beard talks cross-platform strategy, IoT and more with Mobile World Daily

iMore — No cancerous GovOS for us!

FBI vs. Apple continue to dominate the news cycle this week, with the government hitting the blogs, Apple hitting the courts, and everyone else hitting the web to talk about it.

Meanwhile Apple’s March Event approaches, which means we’re getting close to a new 4-inch iPhone 5se, an iPad Air 3 that might end up being more iPad Pro mini, and plent more.

Come, walk with us!

• #StandWithApple for your chance to win an iPhone!
• Apple says no to GovOS: FBI’s demands conflict with U.S. law and the Constitution
• Pencil’ers rejoice: Apple restoring gesture navigation
• Best password managers for iPhone

Windows Central — Pivot

Microsoft has been busy once again this week releasing Windows 10 build 14271 for both Fast Ring Mobile and PC Insiders on the same day. The company has only done that one other time, but with 2016 upon us and backend changes to OneCore, more updates on both platforms for Insiders is to be expected. Speaking of, production builds of Windows 10 Mobile build .107 is now going out to more phones including the AT&T Lumia 950.

The purchase of Nokia’s mobile division never sat right with Microsoft’s focus as a software company, which is why the acquisition of Xamarin makes so much sense. Xamarin makes very popular cross-development tools for iOS, Android and Windows and Microsoft plans to make Universal Apps truly universal.

Finally, early in the week HP unveiled the Elite x3, which is the most powerful Windows Phone to date. Targeted for enterprise the phone can operate as a mobile, laptop, or desktop device using Continuum. The phone is a remarkable feat of engineering if only because HP has jammed every piece of modern technology into it. The phone should ship by late summer. Read our Elite x3 FAQ to learn more and check out our hands-on video.

• Check out the HP Elite x3 Windows 10 Mobile phone
• Alcatel OneTouch Fierce XL phone giveaway
• Windows Central + Microsoft Gems campaign
• These are Windows Central’s top picks of MWC 2016!
• Review: Far Cry Primal for Xbox One

Quick look: LG G5 vs. LG V10

Two stellar phones, with overlapping specs. No wonder folks are getting so excited.

Without a doubt one of the more … discussed … announcements at Mobile World Congress this year was the LG G5. If you’re only looking at the specs, on paper, it might seem like a slight step backward in a mobile world that’s always going bigger and faster. But get the G5 into your hands, and things change a bit. It’s very nicely designed. That’s not to say there aren’t questions about real-world use — how often will we use the dual rear cameras, for instance.

And, of course, there are the optional modules — one that adds a camera grip, some physical buttons for shooting, and an extended battery; another for high-definition audio.

One of the more vocal questions we’ve heard about all this has come from those who currently own the flagship of LG’s other line — that’d be the V10. So let’s take a quick look.

The biggest difference between the G5 and the V10 is, of course, size. The V10 is a large phone by anyone’s standards. But it’s also a very well-designed large phone, and it feels like a tank. The G5 is a full centimeter shorter. (That’s not a unit of measurement we get to use too often around here.) It’s a little more than a half-centimeter more narrow. The display is a good bit smaller. So for many folks this is going to be a more manageable phone.

The LG V10 and the LG G5 aren’t as different as you might think. But each has its place.

There’s been a lot of hemming and hawing over the smaller battery in the G5. It’s all of 6 percent smaller than the battery on the V10 (and the LG G4, for that matter). Just 6 percent — and in a much smaller size. We’ve got to wait until we get to spend more time on the phone before we can comment on what sort of real-world battery life to expect, but the Snapdragon 820 in the G5 is, on paper anyway, supposed to be even more energy efficient. So maybe it’ll be a wash. Maybe it won’t be. But it’s premature to write off the G5 just because of a 6 percent difference in stock battery capacity.

Other than the size, the display isn’t a big departure from the V10. I didn’t think the V10’s secondary display was perfectly implemented (though it was an interesting idea), and maybe you’d miss it on the G5. On the other hand, the G5 gets an always-on display that’ll give you a little more information all the time, too.

Then there’s the matter of high-definition, 32-bit audio, via a B&O-powered digital-to-analog converter. The V10 does that out of the box (minus the B&O part). It’s built into the phone. The G5 can make use of an optional module that replaces the stock bottom of the phone. The plus side is that the DAC module outputs everything in 32-bit, not just certain apps. And it’s relatively small for what it does. The down side is that we have no idea how much this module is going to cost yet. That’s a big question mark.

Remember that the V10 is the start of a new line for LG, though, with its phones being meant more for content creators. And as such it has full manual control over video recording. The G5 doesn’t. That’s probably not a deal-breaker, but it is a really cool feature we’d love to see expand.

Specs comparison

And we still have a lot of questions about the G5 itself. I’ve not seen anything yet that inherently rules it out. It’s different than the V10. Better? Worse? That’ll be your call.

LG G5

• LG G5 hands-on
• LG G5 complete specs
• LG G5 CAM Plus module
• LG G5 B&O Hi-Fi audio module
• The G5 has an always-on display
• LG G5 keeps the SD card, shuns adoptable storage
• Join the LG G5 discussion

LG V10

• Read our full review
• LG V10, a second opinion
• LG V10 specs
• All the latest LG V10 news
• Join the discussion in our forums
• LG V10 vs. the LG G4

Verizon AT&T T-Mobile Amazon

The After Math: You take the good with the bad

It’s been a week of mixed news for the tech industry. Boston Dynamics and MIT showed off new devices that could radically advance humanity while, at the same time, Sharp spent billions on a company whose employees regularly throw themselves from its roof. Samsung showed off some massive new memory chips even as its lawyers continued their perpetual war with Apple. Worst of all, some genius gave Woody Allen money to make a new movie. Just, ugh.