Codemasters snaps up ‘Driveclub’ developer Evolution Studios

It was a sad day when Sony decided to drop Evolution Studios from its pantheon of first-party video game developers. Following the announcement, it was unclear what would become of the company best known for creating Driveclub and the MotorStorm franchise. Well, now we have an answer. Codemasters, another racing specialist in the UK, will be picking up the company on April 25th. It’ll create something of an independent super-studio, with Mick Hocking, co-founder of Evolution, taking on the role of VP Product Development at Codemasters.

It’s unlikely that Evolution will work on another Driveclub or MotorStorm game. Those franchises are owned by Sony, meaning the studio will probably move on to something new. That could be its own project, or something co-developed with the rest of Codemasters, which have flourished through the GRID, DIRT and F1 franchises. Whatever it makes next, there’s every chance it will be multi-platform, given that the team is no longer funded by Sony. That means, potentially, more racing titles on Xbox One, PC and, perhaps, whatever Nintendo is cooking up next.

Source: Codemasters

Apple Watch Shipments Expected to Decline 25% in 2016 Despite Apple Watch 2 Launch

Apple Watch shipments will decline more than 25 percent year-over-year in comparison to 2015, according to a new research note issued by KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. The wearable device sold an estimated 10.6 million units in eight months last year, but Kuo predicts that even with the launch of the Apple Watch 2, and a full twelve months of sales, the device’s shipments will still come in at less than 7.5 million units in 2016.

The analyst describes an “immature wearable device market” and a few key lacking features of the first-generation Apple Watch — iPhone independency, no killer app, limited battery life, etc. — that will contribute to its overall sales decline prior to the launch of the second-generation version. Kuo believes that the Apple Watch 2 will enter mass production in the third quarter of 2016, in line with a fall launch alongside the iPhone 7, so its overall contribution to shipping numbers for the year is predicted to be limited.

Kuo’s note also predicts some of the features of the next version of the Apple Watch, which is expected to adopt the same upgrade cycle as the iPhone. In essence, 2016’s Apple Watch 2 will see some under-the-hood spec improvements and possibly minor form factor changes, while fans will have to wait until 2017 for a massively redesigned wearable from Apple. The similar design is one of Kuo’s biggest reasons for declining Apple Watch shipments in 2016, despite even the uptick in sales the device could have during the holiday season.

The recent KGI Securities research note directly conflicts with a report from less-reliable Apple analyst Brian White, released last Friday, that predicted the Apple Watch 2 will not only launch in two to three months, but adopt a 40 percent slimmer case design. That launch window would put a reveal by Apple at WWDC in June with a launch following a few weeks later.

In either launch scenario, the Apple Watch 2 is rumored to have a bevy of feature improvements over its predecessor, including a FaceTime video camera, an expansion of its Wi-Fi capabilities, and new model tiers. Rumored casings of the next iteration of the device could possibly even incorporate new materials such as titanium, tungsten, palladium or platinum.

Related Roundups: Apple Watch, watchOS 2
Tags: KGI Securities, Ming-Chi Kuo
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Google drops free Fiber in Kansas City

Google Fiber is now available in Kansas City on a selection of monthly plans, as opposed to the one-time payment for construction and free connectivity thereafter. Now, as noted by Recode, the company will offer its service for free to economically underserved communities while everyone else can pay out $50 a month without signing a contract.

It’s likely Google has altered its pricing model for Fiber to attract more customers. The substantial installation fee turned off potential customers, but this new monthly fee could entice those who seek faster connectivity without having to take out a loan to afford the installation. The $50 a month will bump those on the free 5Mbps up to 100Mbps.

Those who reside in Kansas City will have until May 19 to switch to the new plan in order to continue using Fiber. Should you require even more from the web, there’s a $70 a month option for a gigabit connection.

HTC 10 spotted in leaked video ahead of April 12 launch

The HTC 10 is set to be announced tomorrow, but already we’re seeing a early look thanks to a newly leaked promotional video. The handset featured in this video matches what we’ve seen in previous leaks, so it’s certainly plausible this is the phone that will be featured during HTC’s announcement tomorrow.

The video (found via The Verge) also sees HTC dropping the “One M” branding from of its flagship smartphone, as widely rumored. Leaked specifications point to a 5.15-inch QHD display, a Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 processor, an Adreno 530 graphics chip, 4GB of RAM, a 12MP camera and a USB Type-C connection.

We expect to have more details to share with you tomorrow. In the meantime, hit the comments and let us know if you’re excited for the HTC 10?

LG on track for its most profitable quarter in nearly two years

LG has announced its earnings guidance for Q1 2016, forecasting an operating profit of 505 billion won ($440.7 million), up from 305.2 billion won ($266 million) a year earlier. The 65.5% increase in profits marks LG’s best-ever quarter since Q2 2014, and the uptick is largely driven by falling television panel prices.

Year-on-year sales are estimated to be down by 4.5%, with overall revenues at 13.3 trillion won ($11.4 billion). LG will disclose its earnings in full in late April, which is when we’ll have more details on how individual business units are performing.

Remix OS 2.0 is now available for Nexus 9 and 10 tablets with PC features

Jide has announced that Remix OS 2.0 is now available for Nexus 9 and Nexus 10 tablets. What makes the ROMs with version 2.0 of the OS interesting for owners is the included multi-window support, which is slated to arrive on Android later this year. If you happen to be in the camp of those who simply cannot wait for said new feature, Remix OS 2.0 may well be your solution.

The OS is powered by Android 5.1.1, but there are numerous enhancements and features added to improve the overall user experience. You can expect to see some features available in the Android for PC release in these Nexus packages. We’re talking resizeable windows, file manager, notification panel, and even a taskbar.

You can download both the Nexus 9 and Nexus 10 ROMs from the official Jide website. Flashing guides are also available.

• Download Remix OS for Nexus 9
• Download Remix OS for Nexus 10

Game of Thrones season 6: When is it on and how can I watch it?

Game of Thrones season 6 is nearly upon us and after months of speculation (and harassment for Kit Harrington) we will finally find out if Jon Snow is really dead.

HBO returned to its native US for the world premiere this year (having hosted last year’s in the moat of the Tower of London), and the cast, other celebrities and revered guests got to see the season opener, The Red Woman. It took place on 10 April but hopefully, attendees will remain reasonably tight-lipped until the show airs for the rest of us, in order to avoid spoilers.

Certainly you’ll find the following completely spoiler-free (bar the trailer we include below, which you can skip if you want). We simply want to let you know when and where you can watch the first and subsequent episodes of Game of Thrones season 6 for yourself.

When does Game of Thrones season 6 start?

The first episode, The Red Woman, airs on HBO in the US at 9pm ET on 24 April. Sky has announced that it will simulcast it on Sky Atlantic, having done so with the debut of season 4 a couple of years ago.

That means UK fans can watch the show at 2am on 25 April.

For those who wouldn’t rather get some sleep and watch it the day after, Sky will also show it at 9pm on Sky Atlantic later that day.

Where can I watch Game of Thrones season 6?

Considering that each subsequent season of Game of Thrones has broken records for the amount of pirate downloads, we suspect you’ll see episodes in standard and high definition (720p and 1080p) available on torrent sites soon after they air.

However, if you rightfully refuse to head down the less salubrious stealy web route, you might be wondering where else you can see the show.

So we list several ways to do just that. And it’s all above board.

HBO, HBO Go and HBO Now

As HBO makes the show it’s only obvious that it will screen it in the US. That means it will be available on the channel’s subscription services – the main HBO channel for TV viewers, through the HBO Go apps and platforms for existing HBO subscribers, or HBO Now for those who don’t pay for the main channel.

It will screen the first episode at 9pm ET on 24 April. Naturally, all of its on demand services will then offer the show as catch-up content.

A HBO subscription is generally offered as a premium service through cable providers in the States, costing around $15 a month to add to an existing package.

HBO Go is a free service for subscribers to the TV channel.

HBO Now is an alternative for those who don’t have cable TV but still want access to the channel. It also costs around $15 a month. There are HBO Now apps for a wide array of devices, including iOS, Android, Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Chromecast, Android TV and Roku.

Sky+ and Sky Q

Sky exclusively screens HBO content in the UK, so has the rights to show Game of Thrones season 6, albeit with adverts. The US screening is ad-free.

It has announced that it will be simulcasting the show on Sky Atlantic with the first HBO screening, so you can watch it at 2am on 25 April. All following episodes will then be screened in their normal time slot of 9pm on the channel the day after the US airing.

The show airs each Sunday on HBO so will appear on Sky Atlantic on Mondays.

That means that Sky+ and Sky Q subscribers will be able to watch them live, record them (with series link) or catch up with each episode on demand, as long as they have their set-top-box connected to the internet.

A Sky+ subscription starts at £30 a month, which includes Sky Atlantic, while a Sky Q subscription starts at £44 a month.

READ: What is Sky Q, how much does it cost and how can I get it?

NOW TV

With a £6.99 a month NOW TV Entertainment Pass you can watch Sky Atlantic live alongside a range of other channels, Sky and otherwise. That means you can watch The Red Woman as part of the simulcast or it airs in its normal slot.

However, you can also watch it on demand on the service. And NOW TV catch-up is devoid of adverts, save for a few dedicated stings, so you can jump straight into a mostly uninterrupted version.

NOW TV can be viewed through a dedicated NOW TV box, available for £14.99 or £24.99 with a three month Entertainment Pass, Roku media streaming boxes or online through a browser. Apps are also available for iOS, Android, PS3, Xbox 360, PS4, Xbox One, YouView and select LG Smart TVs. You can also use the NOW TV app on a smartphone or tablet to play the show through a Google Chromecast.

READ: New Now TV Box (2015) arrives, we get watching the latest movies, TV and sport

One additional benefit to NOW TV is, like general Sky TV, you can catch up with any of the previous series of Game of Thrones ahead of season 6’s debut.

Sky Go and Sky Q apps

Sky Go will also offer the show on catch-up (preceded by a minute of adverts) or live, and you don’t necessarily need a Sky subscription to access the app for iOS, select Android devices, PS4, PS3, Xbox One and Xbox 360. Or watch it online through a PC or Mac.

Technically you can subscribe to Sky Go if you’re not an existing Sky customer. From £15 a month you can have access to the broadcaster’s entertainment channels through Sky Go, which includes Sky Atlantic, on a laptop, desktop computer, smartphone or tablet. However, at £6.99 a month, NOW TV is a better option and is available on all the same devices and more.

Where Sky Go comes into its own is if you have a parent or friend with a Sky subscription and they have no interest in registering their free Sky Go accounts on mobile devices. You could ask if they would let you use one of the device slots instead (you can register up to two devices on one account). They might even let you take up a device slot for the duration of Game of Thrones season 5 and you can deregister it after.

Alternatively, if they subscribe to Sky Go Extra or you upgrade them to Sky Go Extra for £5 a month, you can take one of four device slots.

One issue with this method is that the iPhone and iPad app won’t allow AirPlay mirroring or direct connection to get the pictures onto a TV. In this case, you really do get what you paid for.

The new Sky Q app works similarly to the above, but cannot be subscribed to separately. It is for Sky Q subscribers only.

READ: Which is the best movie streaming service in the UK? Netflix vs Amazon Prime vs Now TV and more

Porsche 718 Boxster first drive: 20 years on, it’s still boxing clever

Can you believe the Porsche Boxster is 20 years old? No, we can’t either. But back when the Spice Girls were miming Wannabe on Top of the Pops and kids were losing their minds over games of POGs, the Boxster was waiting in the wings, preparing itself to utterly dominate the sports car market and make Porsche a big wad of cash in the process.

Today, the mid-engined two-seater is still regarded as the benchmark roadster, a car that all other cars want to be like. A machine that rival engineers revere due to its seemingly unending levels of grip and grin-inducing performance that somehow manages to remain attainable if not completely affordable.

Now, a new generation of Boxster lives among us, and it boasts a fancy new name (that’s the 718 bit), revised styling and – brace yourselves – a choice of either a 2.0-litre or 2.5-litre four-cylinder boxer engine. Yeah, we said four-cylinder and the simple act of typing that made us feel almost as weird as when we heard these updated powerplants fire up for the first time – but more of that later.

Porsche 718 Boxster: The emperor’s new clothes

It might not look like it but only the boot lid, windscreen and convertible hood are shared with the previous generation car. Everything else has been tweaked, stiffened and reshaped to ensure the 718, whose name is a nod to some very successful Porsche racecars of the 1950s and 60s, performs better than its predecessor.

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Stylistic changes are subtle but they don’t go unnoticed. The front end is wider, with larger cooling air intakes, while the nose hosts piercing new Bi-Xenon headlights with integrated LED daytime running lamps. Customers will also be able to specify optional four-point running lights similar to those found on the Panamera and Macan SUV.

The general theme of steroid-based enhancement continues into the side profile, where more bulbous wheel arches, larger air inlet panels behind the doors and mirrors with aerodynamic cut-outs reside. It’s most definitely a Boxster, but stand it next to the first-generation model and it looks like The Mountain is conversing with Stephen Merchant.

At the back, new clear glass taillights sit on a widened rear-end and large Porsche 3D lettering cuts an imposing figure on the panel beneath the electronic spoiler, which automatically raises and lowers at speeds of around 75mph to aid downforce.

The overall package certainly turns heads – but fans of the previous model’s sharp yet understated looks might say all of the added loveliness is a little fussy.

Porsche 718 Boxster: The great cylinder debate

Let’s deal with the elephant in the room before we continue. Porsche has decided to do away with the glorious, naturally-aspirated 2.7 or 3.4-litre flat-six cylinder engines found in the outgoing model and replace them with either 2.0 or 2.5-litre turbocharged flat-four variants in the standard Boxster or S model, which start at £41,739 or £50,695 respectively.

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The result is increased performance – horsepower is up 35bhp in each model and the standard 2.0-litre gains 100Nm of torque over its predecessor – while fuel economy is up by around 5mpg in both cars.

Harmful CO2 emissions have also been reduced, with the more powerful S model now belches out just 184g/km, which sees it drop four vehicle excise duty bands and will save customers over £250 in tax every year.

Porsche engineers are extremely pleased with the results and they claim this is the best performing Boxster to date, with the new S variant lapping the Nurburgring 16-seconds faster than the vehicle it replaces.

That’s good news, right? Yes, the gains in performance are tangible, with the extra torque especially noticeable during over-taking manoeuvres, and reducing the burden on the taxpayer is welcome news, but these engines just aren’t as characterful as the units they replace.

That epic howl from the 3.4-litre flat-six at full chat has been replaced by a deep burble that gets harsher and more gravelly as the power surges. On idle, the engines sound lumpy and off-beat, plus they produce a monotonous drone at motorway speeds that can get a little tiresome.

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Some people have said it sounds a bit like the old Subaru ‘boxer’ engines when pootling around town and others have likened it to a slightly beefier Toyota GT86 under hard acceleration. But whatever the comparison, it’s just not as aurally impeccable as the old units.

This won’t matter to those seeking pure performance gains, but the appeal of a soft-top roadster is to be able to enjoy the engine note on a sunny day. Sure, the 718 still pops and bangs with Porsche’s sports exhaust added to the options list but it doesn’t quite make hairs stand on end.

Porsche 718 Boxster: Speedy by nature

Climb into the low-slung body, settle into the cossetting sports seats, insert the stubby key into the ignition and slot the beautifully mechanical manual gear shifter into first. Pile on the revs, dump the surprisingly heavy clutch and prepare to rocket from standstill to 60mph in 4.9-seconds in the standard model, or 4.4 seconds in the more powerful S. Opt for the ludicrously quick-shifting PDK automatic transmission and you can expect to shave 0.2 of a second off those times.

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The 718 is unmistakably a Porsche. The revisions to the chassis, including strengthening the rear subframe for improved lateral rigidity and revised tuning of vibration dampers, means it handles better than ever. This is one seriously sweet car to drive.

The steering has also been stolen from the 911 Turbo, meaning the electromechanical set-up is 10 per cent faster than before for more precise handling and better feedback. The standard steel brakes are so strong, it makes the carbon ceramic option seem a little pointless; the Porsche Stability Management (PSM) system now features a PSM Sport mode that allows for a little bit of slip and slide without causing pants to be stained.

The 718 is phenomenal on both road and track and both engines are equally adept at causing spontaneous whoops of delight, while the car remains comfortable and practical enough (it has two boots, after all) to use every day or tackle longer road trips.

This Boxster may have shed its distinctive engine note but it hasn’t lost any of the handling and performance charms that won it so many fans in the first place.

Porsche 718 Boxster preview: Bristles with tech

To sate the technological appetite of modern buyers, the German marque has added its Porsche Communication Management (PCM) system as standard on all cars.

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This means punters can now enjoy hands-free Bluetooth calls, a 110W audio system and the ability to tether a smartphone for access to msuic on the go at no extra cost. But before you go thinking Porsche has made its options list less tempting, we must remind you that a shedload of extra niceties can be thrown in – for wallet-burning fees, of course.

For example, navigation costs a staggering £1,052 – but at least it features an improved display and voice control to make it easier to input destinations. Customers can also go mad and add TV tuners, a Burmester surround sound system, digital radio and Apple CarPlay – but it all comes at a cost.

First Impressions

The Porsche 718 Boxster remains a phenomenally capable car and its performance attributes, external styling and interior quality only improve with every generation.

However, a large question mark hangs over the new range of engines. Performance is blistering and the added torque is immediately apparent from behind the wheel, while feedback from the controls is still as good as ever, but it is very difficult to ignore the rough and displeasing sound emanating from behind the driver’s head.

It may seem like a minor point, but for some that will most certainly tarnish the experience. Which is a shame, because the Boxster is still by far the best car in its class.

Become a Java wizard with this 10-course programming bootcamp

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Private Internet Access VPN keeps your data secure, unlocks unlimited streaming content

We’d all like to think that a Wi-Fi password is all it takes to ensure online security.

But in today’s hacker-heavy world, that’s a recipe for disaster: your unprotected activity is prime hacking material for legions of digital criminals. Protect your online data with a 2-year subscription to the highly-rated Private Internet Access VPN, available for just £42.13 ($59.95) on Pocket-lint Deals.

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