Audi A5 Coupé (2016) preview, in pictures: Flexing those German muscles
This is the new Audi A5 Coupé (well, actually you’re feasting your eyes on the sportier S5 Coupé edition). Which, if you squint a little, could be considered as the German brand’s version of the Ford Mustang. With some added pep. An apt arrival year, then, given Ford’s recent imminent push in the UK with its muscle car.
Shown in this sport trim – and complete with all the trimmings, no less; someone went wild in ticking all the options boxes for sure ‘cos it’s full to the brim with tech and details – and dressed in red, this is one coupé that’s hard to ignore given the way it looks.
Audi has been going from strength to strength on the bodywork front of late, with panel creases that are sharper and more angular than, well, any other maker out there. Just look at the A5 Coupé’s dome bonnet and sharp lines that lead from the low-to-the-ground hexagonal honeycomb face.
‘The new Audi’ has designs that are getting more aggressive in their appearance too – in a good way. The A5 Coupé has squat headlamps and a low-to-the-ground front grille that give it a snarling presence, countered by a degree of elegance to the bodywork and overall finish. It’s a tug-of-war between the two, one that’s well balanced.
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Small details such as the chrome-style polished aluminium window-line frames, which give the car a defining shape to the side, are standard for the entry-level A5, not just the S5 Coupé. There’s even a third brake light, tucked under the rear window line (like in the S7). And slight bodywork bulges – described by Audi’s designers as “muscle” – add a subtle shape to the car, when caught from the right angles or under the right light.
The 2016 A5 Coupé is an entirely different beast to its 2007 predecessor. Built on the new MLB Evo platform (as per the A4/S4 models), its wheelbase is 12mm longer than the earlier model, resulting in slightly more space inside – despite the body length remaining similar to the last-generation A5 Coupé.
Inside is a comfy place to be too. All the more if you tick those options boxes. We don’t have a full break-down of what’s available in various packages just yet, or at what level of pricing, but the S5 Coupé we saw came in S Line trim with all the extras: from big-deal features such as the Audi Cockpit driver digital screen, paired with Audi MMI system and 8.3-inch centre-mounted screen, and Bang & Olufsen sound system; to smaller details such as the light-up “S5” panels in the door wells, the interior ambient lighting, and the plush seats with individual electronic adjustment.
Under the hood there are a variety of engine choices. Two TFSI (petrol) and three TDI (diesel) engine options (ranging from 190-286bhp) are available for the A5, with the S5 Coupé also offering up the top-of-the-line V6 TFSI (354bhp). Which to go for will depend on how big your bank balance is, we suspect. Maybe you’re a speed freak, or perhaps you’re keener on economy, in which case the smaller engines will deliver a more appropriate solution. Whichever you choose, each emits lower emissions and has better economy than the last-generation A5 Coupé’s engine options.
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As a 3-door car you might not expect much space in the A5 Coupé’s rear, but at the very back it’s the boot that serves surprisingly well, offering a 465-litre capacity. That small boot hatch certainly is deceptive, then. You can just about fit another two adults in the back seats too (rather than the boot), although it’s a bit of a squeeze.
Back outside for a moment and the A5 Coupé shows off some other smart bodywork: there’s a four-pronged diffuser/bumper to the rear, shaped rake-like and paired (in the S5 Coupé anyway) no less than four exhaust pipes. Ding ding.
First Impressions
A lot can happen in nine years. The new Audi A5 Coupé and S5 Coupé might not leap out as drastically different from their predecessors at first glance, but this is a show of refinement at its best; all those tweaks and bodywork presses result in one top-drawer Coupé. It’ll be on the road from the autumn, with pricing yet to be announced. And we can’t wait to get this German muscle flexing.
‘Rocket League’ keeps adding players and making tons of money
Not many people would have predicted the success of Psyonix’s Rocket League when it first appeared as a free title on PlayStation Plus. But here we are, 11 months later, watching the game continue to go from strength to strength. In an interview with Forbes, the game studio revealed that the vehicular smash-em-up football game has now sold 5 million copies. Add to that a further 5 million DLC purchases across PC, Xbox One and Playstation and the company has earned more than $110 million — not bad for a game that cost just $2 million to build.
Thanks to its free promotion, PlayStation is the most popular Rocket League platform, accounting for 42 percent of the total player base. PC use is climbing, though, with Steam users accounting for 36 percent of players, and Xbox One comes in last with 22 percent. Don’t let that fool you, though, the game didn’t reach Microsoft’s console until February 2016. “Our numbers are actually going up, not down,” Psyonix vice president Jeremy Dunham told Forbes, “which is not very common for a game that’s ten months old.”
Part of the reason for Rocket League’s success (other than that it’s super fun), is that Psyonix has been quick to update the game as it’s grown in popularity. In recent weeks, the company added a basketball mode and then became the first game developer to integrate cross-play between Xbox One and PC. It’s those features that kept bringing 5 million gamers back to the game in April and 15 million players in total since last July.
Source: Forbes
Twitter’s first 360-degree videos will come from the NBA finals
The likes of Facebook and YouTube have been doing 360-degree videos for some time now. During the NBA Finals that begin tonight, Twitter will also offer the more immersive views for the first time. The social network will post pre- and post-game content, but don’t expect to see any in-game highlights. Samsung is sponsoring the videos, which will be shot with its Gear 360 camera.
The NBA Finals 360-degree videos will be exclusive to Twitter and are expected to include warm-ups, teams just before taking the court, the captain’s meeting and any on-court activity after the game. If you want to follow along, the NBA account will be posting all of the footage and you can expect Samsung Mobile ads promoted tweets with the videos to pop up in your timeline as well. Game 1 between the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Golden State Warriors tips off at 9 PM ET tonight.
‘Minecraft’ tops 100 million sales
The Minecraft juggernaut shows no sign of slowing down. Today, developer Mojang announced that the block-building phenomenon has passed 100 million sales across all platforms, including PC, Mac, consoles and mobile. Since the beginning of the year, roughly 53,000 copies have been sold each day around the world. The game keeps people hooked too — more than 40 million people boot up a Minecraft world each month and tinker around with a blocky axe, shovel and sword. Apart from Tetris, few games have come anywhere close to hitting the 100 million mark.
Much of that success can be attributed to the game’s open structure and limitless potential. Players can build anything they imagine, provided its outward-facing geometry is made up of simple, colorful blocks. The focus on creativity is why so many players, young and old, have been drawn to the game and continue to play years after its release. Mojang has supported the game with a steady stream of updates that have added new mechanics, creatures and materials. The game’s flexibility has also made it a smash-hit in the classroom, teaching art, geology, coding and other subjects.
When Microsoft acquired Mojang almost two years ago, many wondered what it had planned for the game. A sequel? Some kind of exclusivity to Xbox, PC and Windows Phone? In fact, none of that has panned out. Minecraft is available on more than platforms than ever before, and there’s been no word of a ‘Minecraft 2.’ Instead, we’ve had a HoloLens version of the game, a spin-off adventure series by Telltale Games and an acquisition of MinecraftEdu, which will soon result in a new, education-focused version of Minecraft. Soon, there will be a version just for China too.
Minecraft’s popularity shows no sign of waning. The game’s strength isn’t a finite story or tremendous graphics — because of this, it has a seemingly timeless appeal that catches new children as they grow old enough to play it. As long as that continues, Minecraft will continue to sell in extraordinary numbers.
Source: Mojang
Sony adds picture-in-picture editing to PS4 Sharefactory app
For a growing number of people, it’s not enough just to play a video game anymore. They also want to record and share their favorite moments, whether as a walkthrough, highlight reel or humorous “let’s play” experience. Sony’s answer to this — Sharefactory, a video editing app for the PlayStation 4 — has now been updated to facilitate more complex videos. The biggest addition is Track 2, formerly the Commentary Track, which now lets you add a second piece of footage from the Capture Gallery. With this, you can show two different clips simultaneously, side-by-side.
That’s useful if you want to show how a particular move or strategy (think Overwatch) will affect different parts of the map. Or how tackling an objective in different ways — a freedom offered in games like Hitman, Deus Ex: Human Revolution and Dishonored — will change your experience.
As part of the update, Sony has also increased the app’s export limit to 60 minutes — useful if you like making “let’s play” videos — and added Chroma-key support, which lets you edit footage shot with a green screen. Sharefactory will never match professional software like Adobe Premiere, but these new features should make it a more competent alternative.
Source: PlayStation Blog
Spotify’s karaoke-style lyrics are gone, for now
If you tried to access Spotify’s lyrics feature recently, you were likely greeted with a “Humming is fun” message instead. That’s because the streaming service ended its partnership with Musixmatch, a company that power the tool with its catalog of song lyrics. Billboard reports that “updates” are on the way, though specifics aren’t mentioned, so there’s no concrete indication when or if the feature will return. Spotify does still offer insight into the meaning of a song’s words, thanks to a separate partnership with Genius.
In a Medium post this week, Musixmatch explained that as of the end of May, its lyrics would no longer be available in the Spotify app. Musixmatch’s library is still available through its own apps for Android, iOS, a Chrome app for YouTube and the web. “We don’t want to run the risk of Musixmatch no longer existing, CEO and Founder Max Ciociola explained. “We would eventually like to offer this experience to third parties, however only if the economic value is recognized.”
Spotify did confirm that the partnership was ending, but didn’t elaborate on any future plans. “It was a great partnership and there is mutual respect between both companies as our business strategies move us each in different directions,” a Spotify spokesperson told Engadget.
Via: Billboard
Source: Musixmatch
Vysor allows you to mirror multiple Android devices
Google developer, Koush, announced an update to his popular device mirroring app Vysor on Thursday that will enable users to share multiple android screens to a PC, Linux or Mac simultaneously and then grant remote access to the device farm. The new “Share All” feature works just like the original Vysor Share: you plug the Android into the computer via a USB cable, install the visor app and activate it to mirror the Android screen to the computer. However, Share All takes that process a step further by allowing the user to link multiple handsets to a computer and then use it as a shared server which multiple people can remotely access.
This could prove a boon for developers. You’d be able to centralize all your various test devices to a single computer and share access to the entire array with the rest of the team.
Source: Google+
ASUS’ $599 home robot is smarter than it looks
It goes without saying that ASUS’ first-ever home robot, Zenbo, stole the show at this year’s Computex. As soon as it rolled onto the stage during the keynote, everyone rushed to the front to get a good look at this cute little fella; and that was before Chairman Jonney Shih shocked the audience with its surprisingly attractive price point of just $599. Apart from its basic capabilities, little else was said about the machine, so we traveled all the way to ASUS’ headquarters to meet Shih for a detailed demo. During the process, we managed to pry a little more info out of the exec, including what’s inside this mysterious bot, the thinking behind its design and a target launch date around the holiday season.
For a robot that is about a meter tall and can move its head, wheel around, recognise people plus objects and do voice interaction, $599 is almost too cheap — that’s in the same league as some of the unlocked flagship smartphones. From what I could see, the BB-8-like machine runs on four wheels (two large rubber-tired ones and two small assistive ones), and it’s able to avoid bumping into objects or falling down the stairs by using an array of sensors around its body. There are also speakers, microphones and apparently a full-day battery tucked somewhere into the bot.
Unlike its spherical body, Zenbo’s face comes in a “paper clip” oval shape to accommodate a 10-inch touchscreen (we think the prototype had a 1080p LCD panel) that’s occupied by a cute animated cartoon face most of the time. You’ll also find a conventional camera and a depth camera — likely similar to the one ASUS made for Softbank’s Pepper — right above the screen, which are for face and object recognition, taking photos and surveillance. There’s a socket at the top left for future accessories, which could include a projector, according to Shih. While there’s no word on what processor is inside, it’s pretty obvious that Zenbo runs on Android — which is great for attracting developers to create apps for Zenbo.
As to how ASUS has managed to set such an affordable price point, again, Shih wasn’t willing to share the details. Instead, he went on to explain the design thinking that strictly focused on the essential features. For one, limbs and fingers would be too costly to make, nor would they be practical given today’s technology — they aren’t precise enough to pick up pills for the elderly, for instance. In Zenbo’s case, the wheels alone are sufficient for surveillance and basic remote assistance purposes.
There’s also a reason for why Zenbo is modeled as a cartoon-like character with a five-year-old personality: A realistic human-like robot would be a bit intimidating plus costly, which isn’t a good idea for a company’s first attempt in entering this market. On the contrary, a kid-like design would appeal to all ages. This is especially important for children, who will treat Zenbo as a playmate and dance with it, watch it act out a story or even try some kid-friendly programming to boost their logical thinking.
The seemingly intuitive voice commands — initiated by saying “hey Zenbo” to the bot — helps as well, and Shih said Zenbo’s natural language processing will only get better over time with machine learning. These make features like screen-sharing remote assistance and screen casting to TV a whole lot easier than digging them up in the menus, which can be challenging for elderly users. But more importantly, they will potentially benefit from Zenbo’s fall detection emergency feature: If a fall is detected by their wearable devices (in this case, a ZenWatch 2), Zenbo will automatically call a designated contact to start a video call and offer remote control via an app, so that said contact can go check on the users.
With just under half a year to go, it’ll be interesting to see what new features Zenbo will get by the time it launches. Regardless, we have a good feeling that this machine will sell like hot cake and make a fun home helper, but whether it’ll arrive on time or stick to the same $599 price point, that’s a whole different story.
Stay on top of all the latest news from Computex 2016 right here.
Tinder to debut transgender-friendly feature next month
Up until now, Tinder’s gender options have been rather, well, binary. It’s either men looking for women or vice versa. However, that’s going to change according to Tinder CEO, Sean Rad. “There’s a transgender community on Tinder and we haven’t done enough to give them a good experience,” Rad told the attendees at the Recode Code Conference on Thursday. To that end, the company will begin rolling out a more flexible system with which people can identify themselves and specify who they’re looking to connect with. Rad did not go into much detail of how the news system will actually work, though he did confirm that the features will be implemented within the next month and a half.
This move comes as the debate surrounding transgender rights picks up. Certainly a percentage of the community will react with anger, disbelief and threats to this policy change — you know, the manufactured rage that is now status quo for the internet. However, trans folks have just as much of a right to online love as anybody else. And given all the crazy shit that cishet people pull on Tinder, looking at you datenappers, maybe that anger is better spent in more productive pursuits.
Source: CNet
With the Gear Fit 2, Samsung tries again at workout wristbands
Samsung’s original Gear Fit was as flawed as it was ambitious, but the market for fitness gadgets is still growing. Of course Samsung was going to try again! That’s where the new $179 Gear Fit 2 comes in: Samsung took the fitness formula it developed two years ago, polished it up a bit and added a few features that have become de rigueur for higher-end workout wearables. You’ll be able to pre-order one starting June 3rd, but join us here for a first look.
First, the broad strokes. The Gear Fit 2 is nearly the same size as the model that came out two years ago; it’s just a little longer and a little wider to accommodate the updated display. That would be the 1.5-inch curved AMOLED screen, which is almost twice as wide as the original to better display your stats. An added bonus of this tweaked design is that the Gear Fit 2 is so, so much more comfortable to wear than its predecessor. Seriously, it’s a night-and-day difference — no small thing on a device you’re supposed to wear 24/7.
There’s a heart rate sensor here too, just like last time, and even in my brief time testing it, the readout seemed a bit more accurate than before. Throw in a dual-core 1GHz Exynos 3250 chipset, 512MB of RAM and a 200mAh battery (rated for three or four days of mixed use) and you have got the foundation for potentially great device.
Meanwhile, the addition of GPS and the ability to automatically recognize and track certain exercises help the Tizen-powered wristband go toe to toe with rivals like the Fitbit Blaze. For those who need some tunes to get them through runs, there’s 4GB of storage inside the band, allowing you to stream saved music to your Bluetooth headphones. Curiously, Samsung inked a deal with Spotify to provide playlists and music curated by athletes because… why not? And if you’re the sort who brags, you can easily share tracked runs to Facebook. Sharing, as it turns out, is a big part of the new Gear Fit experience. Friends and phones contacts who use Samsung’s S Health platform can issue challenges to each other and keep tabs on their progress.
Then there are the plain usability updates. If you ever used the original Gear Fit, you’ll surely remember that sometimes information was displayed vertically on your wrist, and sometimes horizontally. No more of that: The UI is strictly vertical this time around, and while that doesn’t sound like a huge change, it goes a long way in making the Gear Fit 2 feel more refined.
Indeed, refinement is the overarching theme here. Samsung had high hopes for the original Gear Fit but didn’t (or couldn’t) build a device that adequately ticked off all the boxes they laid out. After making wearables like the Gear S2, the company is better prepared to build high-quality Tizen devices. If we’re lucky, that experience will make the Gear Fit 2 more than just a pretty bauble when it launches on June 10th.
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