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6
May

Samsung Galaxy S7 Active tough phone is real, shown off in pictures


A rugged alternative to the Samsung Galaxy S7 has appeared online in photos following leaks that said it might be incoming. The Samsung Galaxy S7 Active offers a tough rubberised alternative to the flagship smartphone.

Photos of the S7 Active leaked out of Vietnam showing the handset in a camouflaged finish with rubber bumper protection and physical buttons. This is thought to be the result of the AT&T partnership, which started with the Galaxy S4 Active back in 2013. That should mean this handset is aimed at the US market and will feature the necessary chipset to support local networks.

The Galaxy S7 Active reportedly can handle drop, dust and water damage to an IP68 rating, meaning very little need to worry or own a case since that’s about as tough as they come. This is thanks to a rubbersied bumped and polycarbonate build.

The S7 Active will feature decent specs when it hits American shores, including a Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 CPU backed by 4G of LPDDR4 RAM. Other specs are not forthcoming right now but expect more to be revealed as the tough top-end handset arrives in its intended market of the west.

Pricing and release date were not mentioned in the leak.

READ: Samsung Galaxy S7 review: The unsung hero?

6
May

Your Vodafone mobile now works in 40 countries for free


Vodafone has announced that it will be joining Three and Tesco Mobile in offering free roaming to its customers. That means you’ll be able to use your smartphone abroad without paying extra charges.

Roaming charges are due to be scrapped completely in the EU and, if we stay in, that should mean free roaming for all soon. Until then phone companies are cashing in early to look good. Three has been offering its free roaming for the longest and now Voda has joined the party.

Vodafone customers will be able to have unlimited calls, texts, picture messages and their monthly data allowance up to 4GB, all for free when roaming. This applies to Vodafone pay monthly 12 and 24 month Red and Red Value bundle subscribers.

The complete list of countries that this applies to are, deep breath:

Czech Republic, Denmark (inc. Faroe Islands), Estonia, Finland, France (inc. Corsica), French Territories, Germany, Gibraltar, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Isle of Man, Italy (inc. Vatican City), Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, The Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal (inc. Azores & Madeira), Republic of Ireland, Romania, San Marino, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain (inc. Balearic Islands), Sweden, Switzerland and Turkey.

Prices that include roaming start from £18 per month for a 12 month SIM only deal.

READ: Best roaming plans: Which is the cheapest network?

6
May

5 fun Raspberry Pi projects you can do with your kids


Like the BBC Micro in its day, the Raspberry Pi mini-computer is an accessible way to get children and families into the world of computer hardware and coding/programming.

It costs around £30 and is about the size of a credit card. It can be plugged in to a standard monitor, keyboard and mouse, and fitted with an SD or microSD card on the latest Raspberry Pi 3. It enables families to take on all sorts of computing projects from the staggeringly simple to the complex.

There are a range of expansion modules (like the camera expansion) that can be added to the basic setup as well as different operating systems and languages that can be installed.

Raspberry Pi

These can sound complex, but if you know where to start, you and your family can not only enjoy yourselves learning the basics of computing together, you can actually end up with some incredibly useful creations.

Knowing which projects to take on is part of the initial battle, so here are some of our favourite ideas for getting the most out of your Raspberry Pi with the family.

Most, if not all, of the projects use software that comes with the generic operating system Raspberrian, so you shouldn’t need to add much more.

Raspberry Pi projects: Mod Minecraft

While Minecraft is frequently updated on consoles and tablet devices, the YouTube videos children like best often use custom modifications (mods). These add unique extra elements to the game, such as new graphics or gameplay.

Raspberry Pi

It’s not possible to do this on the console or tablet versions but the Minecraft Raspberry Pi Edition has it’s own programming language to let players experiment with their own modifications.

Using the Minecraft Application Programming Interface (API) you can write short programs that change how the game behaves. For example, you can alter how much gravity there is in the game world or how fast players can move.

There are a lot of forums and advice online to get you started.

This Getting Started guide is a good place to begin.

Raspberry Pi projects: Construct a computer

By its nature the Raspberry Pi is a computer you build yourself. By plugging in a set of USB peripherals and installing software called a Linux distribution (which includes Raspian and Pidora) the device becomes more than a novel play-thing.

Once set-up you can install simple word processors, spreadsheets and calculators. The Raspberry Pi is relatively limited in terms of power but is more than capable of completing basic tasks.

There are also some pre-packaged kits that provide not only the Raspberry Pi but the other necessary peripherals and even smart moulded cases. The Kano sets are a good example.

Having children complete assignments on a computer they’ve built themselves adds excitement to the project and offers additional incentives for school work.

Raspberry Pi projects: Build a weather station

One of the benefits of the Raspberry Pi being modular and running a range of different coding languages is that it can take advantage of wider computing projects.

A great project for families is monitoring the weather with your Raspberry Pi. By setting up your device with the Python operating system you can access modules to interact with USB weather stations (like Maplin’s touchscreen product) and collate data of the week’s weather.

This offers learning on a number of levels for children at home or in school. There are also a number of ways to extend the experience. For instance if you add a WiFi module to an older Raspberry Pi or use the one built into the Raspberry Pi 3 you could then send the information to other users to access online.

Raspberry Pi projects: Learn to program games

Children love playing games, but can assume that they are too complicated to make for themselves. However, the combination of setting up a Raspberry Pi device with visual programming languages, such as Scratch (which comes pre-installed as part of the Raspberrian OS), can open the door to children creating as well as playing videogames.

Scratch is a language available on a variety of platforms. You create the logic of your game by dragging and dropping simple elements together. This starts in basic terms but can scale to create complex experiences.

netduinoplusfun

Doing this on the Raspberry Pi enables you to expand the game beyond the screen to control a range of connected lights, motors and speakers via its General-Purpose Input-Output pins.

The combination of creating your own mini-computer and then using it to program games grants children ownership of both the hardware and software. This offers not only a lot of educational benefit but is a lot of fun.

Raspberry Pi projects: Create your own cloud storage

Taking things a step further, the Raspberry Pi can be used to introduce children to the idea of files and where they are stored. A key component of a modern computer, it’s important to consider whether data is on the local device or accessed online.

First you need to add some storage capacity to your Raspberry Pi device, either a high capacity SD or microSD card or USB drive. Once you have formatted the devices ready to store files (ensuring you don’t overwrite any important data), you can remotely access the drives via an SSH command using the Linux operating system on the device. Finally, using the Samba network sharing protocol (which is a free addition) you can setup access and users for the cloud storage.

The icing on the cake can be to then use Nagios server monitoring software to then monitor access to the home network. This teaches the importance of security and how other people can access data if it’s not protected online.

This project requires some careful reading and experimentation beforehand, to gain the sufficient knowledge of the different elements. Handled correctly though, it can introduce children to some advance computing techniques in a simple environment.

Conclusion

Getting the most out of any technology needs a little planning and a lot of parental involvement. The Raspberry Pi offers a great opportunity for a wide range of learning. As we’ve seen here this ranges from hardware to programming or even file protocols. By combining the technology with these fun real world projects families can get more from their investment in these devices.

You can find out more on how to create projects using Raspberry Pi, including in-depth instructions on several of the ideas above, at raspberrypi.org.

At internetmatters.org parents can find all the advice they will need to keep their children safe online. Designed specifically for parents, the site offers a wealth of up-to-date, unbiased information and advice about how to deal with online safety. Parents can learn about the latest issues and technologies, get great tips on how to talk about online safety with their children and get the best advice on dealing with issues and taking action. Created with experts, Internet Matters provides detailed information, but also signposts to best-in-class resources from individual expert organisations. Our goal is to ensure parents can always access the information that they need, in a format that is clear and concise.

6
May

Apple iPhone 7 in pictures: Renders and leaked photos gallery


Following the first reported drop in Apple revenues since 2003, this year, Apple is under pressure to perform. The iPhone 7 could finally see a drastic jump forward as the company tries to impress and pull back sales lost to the Samsung Galaxy S7 and LG G5.

Graphic designers are keen to future gaze into what the next iPhone might look like. So, a number of enterprising men and women keen to show off their design and graphics skills have started drawing what they envisage the iPhone 7 to look like.

Some of the designs are based on the ultimate wish list, while some take their cues from rumours. Others take inspiration from previous products created by Apple, such as the Apple Watch or the iPhone 6S.

Regardless of whether these come to fruition or not, it is impressive to see the work that goes into creating the iPhone 7 concepts. It is ultimately a way for these artists to showcase their work to a wider audience, and wow are some of them good.

Plus who knows, maybe Jony Ive and his team at Apple take this all in and use some of the tweaks and ideas to make a better iPhone in the future.

With renders and leaks coming steadily from the rumour mill we’ll keep you constantly updated right here on what the future iPhone 7 could look like.

Sadly, for us, we suspect that we’ll have to wait until September 2016 to find out whether these iPhone 7 concepts are anywhere near to the real iPhone 7 when it’s eventually announced, but it is still fun to imagine.

Click here to see our gallery of iPhone 7 renders and leaks

6
May

PlayStation 4 review: The go-to for gamers


A lot can change in a few years. This is the third time we’ve sat down and had a good, hard think about the PlayStation 4 since its 2013 launch. Back then the launch line-up was fairly stifled, with clangers like Knack not elevating the console to true new-gen heights. But on the advent of Uncharted 4’s release in 2016, and with PlayStation VR incoming, the PS4 may well hold the console gaming crown; although Xbox One’s Halo series, among other exclusives, ensures the fight is heated between the two gaming front-runners.

Not that it’s all just about games. Consoles aren’t what they used to be: they’re a whole lot more. In the two-and-a-half years since launch we’ve seen a glut of PS4 software updates – the latest v3.5 handles media and cloud storage (latter for subscription-based PlayStation Plus account holders only) – that see Sony’s console closer aligned with Microsoft’s premise than before. It’s not the media hub it could be, but that may be addressed in coming months.

For the PS4 tale has an apparent twist on the horizon. E3, the world’s largest gaming expo, is rumoured to be the platform to reveal the “PS4.5”, AKA Neo, a 4K-capable system with even more core power, RAM and on-board storage. So are we about to witness the first tiered console era – and what does that mean for the PS4 today?

PlayStation 4 review: Design

By now you probably know what the PS4 looks like. It’s a flat prism-looking box with minimal design fuss, measuring 305 x 275 x 53mm. It’s black, or there is a white model now available, and just like the Xbox One, it’s a combination of shiny and matte surfaces.

But very much unlike the XB1 the PS4 isn’t a giant brick-like behemoth – something the also-rumoured-for-E3 Xbox “One.1” may address. There’s more attention to the design in the Sony than the Microsoft console: the PS4’s front, which slopes away backwards, features separate touch-sensitive power and eject buttons, and that PS4 logo, which all looks rather neat.

On the whole the PS4 is quiet when running. Compared to the PlayStation 3 – and we have had both consoles lined up to the left and right of the TV – it’s far quieter, although not silent. However, we have found that it does get a little noisy when tasked with certain things like Remote Play via the PS Vita (more on that feature later). It’s also fairly obsessed with turning itself on in the middle of the night for updates, which can kick-in HDMI passthrough and fire-up the TV too. Somewhere between useful, spooky and funny all at the same time.

Discs slip into the machine in the thin gap that runs across the front, disappearing into the gaming carcass. It looks very Blade Runner, giving little away of the power contained inside. The strip of light that runs in a bright to dim fade across the top glows blue, white, or orange depending on the console’s active state. And we think it looks rather awesome.

PS4 review: Controller & connections

The front of the machine also features two USB sockets, again largely hidden in that gap, for charging the wireless DualShock 4 controller. You’ll want to make sure the charge when on standby option is selected from within the menus, as it isn’t by default.

The DualShock 4 controller is quite a bit bigger than the previous controller for the PS3 – although it doesn’t really look it at first glance – and feels better in the hand. There’s a built-in speaker, a dedicated headphone port for silent gaming (or using a headset), and the all-important touch-sensitive trackpad and motion-tracking light.

We’ve been getting around seven hours from a single charge, and because it’s got a micro USB port you can charge it from other devices in the house if you want. We’ve often had it plugged into new USB plug sockets in the kitchen.

We’ve only got one particular issue with the DualShock 4 controller: it’s £50 if you want to buy a second one. The console can cope with up to four in total – if, of course, you have a spare £150 extra to fork out. We’d imagine it’s a case of asking friends around to bring their own, although most games these days are all about online play.

There’s a single power cable provided that means you can neatly tuck the Sony console under your telly or on your hi-fi rack. You can place it vertically if you’ve got the height for it and there’s a second logo so it still looks cool from its second angle. The Xbox One, meanwhile, is designed to lie flat only and it has a power supply brick – it’s literally almost the same size as one, sometimes referred to as the Xbox One mini – that adds another thing to think about when setting up.

Also around the back the PS4 features an array of connections including HDMI, Ethernet, and a dedicated socket for connecting the PS4 Camera (which is sold as a separate accessory). There’s also an optical output for audio and any remaining part of the rear that doesn’t need to form into some kind of a socket is a vent – that heat has got to go somewhere.

But back to that HDMI port for a moment. It’s HDMI 1.4 which, technically, is capable of delivering 4K (3,840 x 2,160) resolution – you can view 4K stills images right now if you’ve got the right telly to benefit. However, there’s a problem for the more desirable content: the PS4 isn’t HDCP 2.2 compatible, which is the “handshake” standard to confirm content authenticity. Without it you won’t see 4K Netflix, etc, hence the “PS4.5” rumours hotting up: that would likely include HDMI 2.0 for higher frame rate support (it’s 60fps rather than 30fps of the 1.4 standard) and the necessary hardware for 4K content compatibility, we suspect. With the PS4 as it stands it’s all about 1080p content.

PlayStation 4 review: Media and software

At launch the PS4 could do, well, roughly naff all with media. So our trusty PS3 was still the source of catching-up for loads of content.

But the times have changed. The PS4, with its latest software, can handle media via the Media Player app: MP4, MKV, AVI; all kinds of formats aren’t a problem. There are also an array of apps in the TV & Video app – BBC iPlayer, BBC Sport, BBC News, All 4 and more specifically in the UK – that join stalwarts such as Netflix, Amazon Video, Now TV and TV From Sky (for Sky Go users).

However, we’ve found the Media Player to be really fussy with external drives and USB sticks. They have to be exFat or Fat32 formatted (beware Mac users), but even then we’ve never got an individual USB stick to actually work. To be fair we’ve given up because our Plex Media Server works just fine, and that funnels over all the content on our drive that we could want.

It works well, albeit in a slightly haphazard manner. The folder arrangements are scruffy, the visual icons not thought-out like a media-focused player should be. Basically the Xbox One is much better at handling media and always has been. But the PS4 is keen to play catch-up and is doing a pretty decent job too.

If you’re more a physical media person then the PS4 is now as up to speed with that as it can be. DVD and Blu-ray discs, including 3D Blu-ray, can be played, with only 4K Blu-ray disc compatibility lacking (again, “PS4.5” anyone?). Or there’s Sony’s Video and Movie On Demand services for buying and renting content.

PS4 review: Software experience

The general interface of the PS4 is better than the mix of media players and apps, because it cleverly updates based on which apps and games you use/play, providing quick access to the stuff that matters to you. And the stuff that mattered to nobody, i.e. launch app The Playroom, has been ditched entirely.

Wallpapers and background can be interactive too: scroll over a game and, irrelevant of whether the disc is in the machine or not, the PS4 gives you a much deeper dive into what is available for that specific title. It’s like a dedicated hub, with associated content, including related downloadable content (DLC), manuals and even screenshots and videos experienced by your friends all on show.

More detailed settings can be accessed by scrolling upwards on the home screen. But this is largely all the boring information that you’ll rarely look at: messages, settings, friends and so forth. Oh, and that twinkly default background music, you’ll need to dig through here to quickly turn that off before it messes with your brain.

When Microsoft launched the Xbox One its voice-recognition feature was a big deal, one that split the crowd. You can talk to your PS4 too, if you have the Camera accessory with its built-in microphone. It’s not as detailed as the Xbox, but we can’t say we’re particularly enthralled by voice interaction anyway. Just hand us the controller.

PlayStation 4 review: Storage limitations

An ongoing kerfuffle with the PS4 is its 500GB hard disc. Sounds capacious, but it’s not really, especially with some games taking up 60GB or more per install, plus the save files, and space required to download and install updates too.

And we’re not just talking about games downloaded from the Store, as installs are required from disc-based games too. Often a new title will immediately prompt a patch download upon inserting the disc, so you’ll want a good internet connection to crunch through that data at pace.

And after less than nine months that 500GB limit turned into a problem. Two-and-a-half years later and we’ve lost count of the number of games we’ve been forced to delete to make additional space available. We’ve had to venture into the Applications settings and delete game installs on numerous occasions.

There is a solution – but you’ll want to do it on day one. It’s possible to replace the PS4’s hard drive for a larger one yourself. Why Sony doesn’t sell 1TB and 2TB versions of the PS4 yet we don’t know – it feels like an essential that’s absent. We’d recommend a 2TB drive, as explained in the guide below.

READ: How to upgrade your PS4 hard drive to 1TB or more

Which, if you’ve read it, sounds like a fair chunk of work, doesn’t it? Well, it is, but it’s worth it. It’ll cause plenty of jibing from any Xbox One owners though, as external hard drives can be plugged in and removed at will to that console, but no so with the Sony. There’s an argument about stability there, and even aesthetics, but we’d like Sony to be capable on both fronts, not just the DIY approach.

PS4 review: All about the games

On launch day the PS4 had but a handful of worthwhile games available. Ranging from the dire Knack, to the charming Lego Marvel Super Heroes, to supped-up versions of PS3 games such as Call of Duty: Ghosts, it was Resogun and Killzone: Shadow Fall that we thought took pride of place in 2013. It’s worth dipping back into Killzone, as we think it remains a largely underrated title.

But that list sounds almost shameful now, considering what else has graced the system since. There’s The Last of Us: Remastered and Grand Theft Auto 5 which, sure, are reworked PS3 titles, but they’re both incredible classics. And the graphical prowess of the PS4 is the exact way to experience those two, especially if you’ve not played either before.


Naughty Dog / Sony

Where things have got a lot more exciting is in recent times. Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End is just about as close to gaming perfection as we’ve seen from Naughty Dog, and that’s a Sony exclusive. Other exclusives such as Infamous: Second Son and DriveClub also hold some weight, but neither achieve the 5-star smash hit status of, say, love-it-or-hate-it Bloodborne.

READ: Uncharted 4 review: Going out with a bang

If anything, it’s the general quality of third-party games that have come to mark just how worthwhile the PS4 is to buy now. And we’ve seen loads (click for standalone reviews): The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Tom Clancy’s The Division, Watch Dogs, Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain, Far Cry: Primal, Star Wars: Battlefront and more.

If you’re all about exclusives, then the big question is whether the Xbox One’s Halo 5: Guardians, Forza Motorsport 6, Quantum Break or Sunset Overdrive are enough to catch your attention, because they’re all crackers in their own right (well, some would argue the last two aren’t all that).

Ubisoft

However, the PlayStation 4’s extra power sees additional graphical flourishes in many instances. We’ve seen Watch Dogs run in higher resolution on the PS4, more foliage detail in Grand Theft Auto 5, and other examples to show off why the Sony is the gamers’ choice, in a graphical sense.

But does that matter? Not always. We still enjoy playing on the Wii U, because the games are great, even if its technological innards are less capable overall. The games are what it should always be about, and Sony is scrabbling its way to the top in that department with strong third-party support firming a now strong foundation. Its main loss to Microsoft is the delay in Tomb Raider and the rights to Titanfall (the sequel will be cross-platform though).

PlayStation 4 review: Social play and sharing

If you want to play online then you’ll need to sign up for a PlayStation Plus account, which costs £39.99 a year, £11.99 for 90 days, or £5.49 for a monthly trial. It’s essential for games such as The Crew, Destiny and plenty more besides.

In addition to online gaming, PlayStation Plus will open access to select discounts and some free games to download in the PlayStation Store on a month-by-month basis. And that’s across all current PlayStation platforms. You’ll also get 10GB cloud storage too.

You needn’t sign-up to Plus if you want to access the Store and download games, though, or to share your gaming experiences as videos or stills.

At all times the PS4 is recording your progress, so pressing the Share button on the DualShock 4 controller merely captures the last 15 minutes of gaming for you to re-present as a share file on your PlayStation wall or a social network. A 15-minute video is around 800MB, though, which is something to be aware of if you are planning on sharing your gaming experiences a lot. Thankfully you can edit your video before you share it using basic editing options like trim from within the interface. It’s saves you having to automatically upload the last 15 minutes of video including the bit when you died 28 times in a row.

There’s also Share Play. As a PlayStation Plus member you can invite a friend to watch you play, and it’s even possible for them to take over the controls of a game that they don’t own. How about that for a demo experience? Your console, your game, but their experience. It’s like a cloud arcade, with sessions lasting up to an hour.

PS4 review: Remote Play & PlayStation Now

One of the other fun features of the PS4 is that you can play its games away from the console using the PS Vita and most recent Xperia smartphones and tablets. You will, of course, need to buy the additional handheld console, phone or tablet to access the feature, but if you already one or more of them then it’s a great idea to play when the big screen is being used for something else.

READ: What is PS4 Remote Play?


Like cloud gaming services, Remote Play effectively uses screen mirroring to send video of the game or user interface running on the PS4 over your home network to your remote device. It maxes out at 720p rather than the 1080p from the main console, but as it’s often shown on a smaller screen – a much smaller screen if it’s a smartphone or Vita – it still looks crisp and high resolution enough.

After connecting the Vita or smart device to the same PlayStation account you can then access the PS4 at any point. Unlike Apple and its Apple TV mirroring you don’t need to be on the same network, just have a fast connection. The experience is very good with little lag, although when the connection starts to weaken the quality degrades quickly.

Not out and about? Then there’s PlayStation Now, which is a rental-like service to stream classic PS3 games to the PS4. It costs from £2.99 to rent a game. Nice idea, but as it’s focused on games from a generation behind, it has fairly limited appeal. Microsoft offers considerable backwards compatibility with Xbox 360 games on the Xbox One, whereas Sony is asking you to plump up some extra cash instead, as it’s not backwards compatible.

PlayStation 4 review: Camera and PS VR

We mentioned it before: the Sony PlayStation 4 Camera is an optional extra, priced at £45, which works in a similar way to the previous camera on the PS3.

The Camera is a lot better than previous PlayStation efforts through incorporating two cameras that have wide-angle lenses with 85-degree diagonal angle views to can identify the depth of a space more precisely. There’s also a microphone so you can bark orders at the console: “PlayStation: start” and “PlayStation: back”. It’s fun.

Pocket-lint

But the thing the camera will really open-up in the near future is PlayStation VR, which we’ve covered in greater detail (follow the link below). Yep, virtual reality is just around the corner and having used PS VR we think Sony is onto a relatively affordable (£349) winner. Comparatively the likes of HTC Vive or Oculus Rift, while technically superior, need a beefy PC to operate.

READ: PlayStation VR preview: Virtual reality for the gamers

Of all the virtual reality headsets that are coming out this year, PlayStation VR won’t be the most technologically advanced or even be best supported in software terms. But it will be the one that will have the most eyes on – both figuratively and literally. That’s because, rather than aim at a dedicated minority, it is designed for the biggest majority in gaming at present: PS4 fans, who are many and varied.

We’ve always found the Camera to be rather unsightly, large and a bit of a novelty. But VR is what’s most likely to change its popularity.

Verdict

On the approach to its third birthday, the Sony PlayStation 4 finds itself in the esteemed position as new-gen console front-runner. Not necessarily just in terms of numbers, but arguably in terms of quality exclusive games, with Uncharted 4 and Bloodborne notable heavyweights in its corner; countered, of course, by Xbox One’s Halo 5: Guardians and upcoming Gears 4.

With PlayStation VR just around the corner, Sony is also branching out. It almost seems to be out-Nintendoing Nintendo, minus most of the f-ups. That, plus enhanced media operability, sees the PS4 way ahead of where it started, pushing into Microsoft’s territory, and in a very healthy place indeed. If only it came with a more capacious hard drive from the off and backwards compatibility with PS3 titles.

If it’s taken just two-and-a-half years to get from Knack to Uncharted 4 then come 2017 we can only anticipate yet more progress and gaming greats. Of course the rumoured “PS4.5” might address 4K and the PS4’s future in a different way, but until we find out those details (mid-June you can’t come fast enough) the PS4 is one serious console for the gamers. Right now it’s worth buying for Uncharted 4 alone.

6
May

Apple Car autonomous drive testing at land bought for trials


The Apple Car, much like the fabled Apple Television, has been talked about in whispers and rumours for sometime, but this one now looks real. Tim Cook has already teased the project and his company has now bought land to start testing it too.

The Apple Car looks like it will be an autonomous vehicle according to landlord Victor Coleman. He has sorted out Apple with 800,000 square feet that “Apple’s looking to take down for their autonomous cars”, Coleman told the Wall Street Journal.

Of course Apple buying land for testing autonomous driving isn’t the same as it definitely building its own car. Apple could simply be working on in-car software that needs testing in real world scenarios.

According to sources of the Wall Street Journal, Apple is currently working on expanding a team of about 600 employees who are dedicated to this car project.

With Tesla, Google, Uber, Ford, BMW, Mercedes and more all developing driverless cars in the San Francisco Bay area, or near, it makes sense for Apple to get involved.

Tim Cook did tease the car though saying: “Do you remember when you were a kid, and Christmas Eve it was so exciting, you weren’t sure what was going to be downstairs? Well, it’s going to be Christmas Eve for a while.”

READ: Apple Car: What’s the story so far on Project Titan?

6
May

69 well-timed and accidental phone pictures that will make you look twice


Ever since the first camera was added to a phone, we’ve become obsessed with taking pictures of just about everything that moves and a lot of things that don’t.

From selfies to waving a smartphone around at a gig or sporting event, we just can’t get enough of taking pictures in locations and circumstances that we never would if a trip to the developers awaited after.

That isn’t necessarily always a good thing, although some of the best comedy posted online can be attributed to those who can’t leave their phone’s camera alone.

There are those that take pictures with their devices in peculiar situations and have found incredible shots awaiting them. Not necessarily always for the right reason. even look back through their photo libraries afterwards. Hopefully, they had a much of a giggle looking back at their shots as we do now. They are, quite simply, hilarious.

READ: 79 of the worst Photoshop errors ever, you won’t believe your eyes

Call them optical illusions, call them perfectly timed, or even call them unfortunate, each of the pictures in the gallery above are great examples of what can happen when you arm everyone with a camera that they carry with them all the time. We hope you enjoy flicking through the pics as much as we have.

Oh, and be warned, some of them might seem NSFW. They’re not when you look more closely, but your boss might not get that chance.

6
May

Vodafone bundles European roaming into its standard plans


Following Three and Tesco Mobile, Vodafone is now offering inclusive roaming with its Red and Red Value contracts. When you travel abroad, this means you won’t be charged extra for texting, calling or accessing the internet. There are a few caveats, however. While calls and texts are unlimited — so it’s impossible to be charged for them — data will be capped at a predetermined amount. The restriction will vary depending on your plan, but by way of example, an 8GB Red Value bundle will give you 2GB of inclusive data, while a 12GB Red Value plan gives you 4GB of data.

Vodafone has set 4GB as the absolute limit. So unlike Three, it’s impossible to get a plan that includes unlimited “free” data abroad. Instead, the network hopes to win people over with the geographical scale of its new scheme. Vodafone’s inclusive roaming covers 40 nations, including France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands and Cyprus. Three, meanwhile, offers 19 “Feel at Home” destinations at the moment.

The deal has been introduced ahead of new legislation, drawn up by the European Commission, which will scrap EU roaming charges altogether in 2017. A stop-gap measure was introduced last month, limiting the fees that network operators can enforce abroad. Vodafone’s move isn’t too surprising, then — it had to offer such a scheme eventually. By introducing it now, the company can attract subscribers before the summer holidays, fortifying its market share before O2 and Three potentially join forces.

Here are the countries that Vodafone’s inclusive roaming covers: Albania, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Channel Islands (Jersey & Guernsey), Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark (including the Faroe Islands), Estonia, Finland, France (including Corsica), French Territories, Germany, Gibraltar, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Isle of Man, Italy (including Vatican City), Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, The Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal (including Azores & Madeira), Republic of Ireland, Romania, San Marino, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain (including the Balearic Islands), Sweden, Switzerland and Turkey.

Source: Vodafone

6
May

Evernote enhances document scanning and annotation on Android


It’s now much easier to scan documents using Evernote for Android. The app’s latest update adds an automatic mode that determines a document’s size and type the moment you point your camera at it. Evernote even automatically crops and adjusts the resulting image to get the best copy possible. Just like Scannable for iOS, which is a standalone Evernote app, the Android application temporarily keeps scanned documents in a gallery. You can delete anything you don’t want and save everything else to the service, so they don’t take up space on your phone’s gallery.

Any image you load adjusts to the width of the screen for optimal viewing. And if you want to annotate or scribble on it, you can now draw arrows and shapes on the photo, and even type in text. Besides these new features, the update also adds a couple of abilities if you have a Premium account. First is the capability to detect a business card if you’re scanning one and instantly saving its details as a note. Plus, having a Premium account means you can annotate PDF files attached to notes the same way you can annotate images.

Source: Evernote

6
May

Where to buy HTC’s 10 in the UK


A succession of middling flagships has seen HTC’s reputation plummet in recent history, but the company seems to have got its mojo back. The new HTC 10, available in the UK from today, is a classic blend of beauty and raw power. While it doesn’t have the best camera on the market and battery life is distinctly average, HTC has cleaned up its Android skin and included a few attractive extras like hi-res audio support and AirPlay compatibility. If you’ve been waiting for HTC to return to form, then the new 10 will’ve undoubtedly piqued your interest, so join us as we explore the carriers, resellers and retailers that have you covered.

Cheapest contract (with upfront) £43.49 (£60) £38 (£49) £24 (£130) on Voda £15 (£345) on EE £15 (£350) on EE
Cheapest contract (no upfront) £42 on Voda £41 on EE £31 on O2
Unlocked (SIM-free) £569 £536

HTC hasn’t exactly been setting the smartphone world alight these past few years, so it’s understandable that a couple of carriers aren’t willing to put their chips on the table for the company’s latest flagship. O2 and Vodafone have both confirmed they don’t plan to range the device, while EE and Three won’t let you walk out the door without some form of upfront payment. Contract resellers appear to be more lenient, however. Carphone Warehouse has a particularly attractive Vodafone deal for the power user: £42 per month with no upfront payment for unlimited calls, texts, a 6GB data cap and £50 cashback.

It’s fair to say that MVNOs are flat out not interested in the HTC 10 — not on launch day, anyway. You can pick one up on Carphone Warehouse’s iD network (with the £50 cashback offer), but there’s little reason to do that when the reseller has better offers on other networks.

If you’re looking to buy an HTC 10 outright and be done with it — and you may well want to, given the complete lack of pay-as-you-go options — then most retailers ask you to rustle up roughly £570. Clove has the sweetest deal currently at £530, though it doesn’t expect to have stock until a week from now. Buymobiles isn’t far behind with its £536 offer, but the product page is also sporting a pre-order tag at the moment.