GoPro Karma drone to fly onto the scene on 19 September, could the GoPro 5 catch a lift?
GoPro has confirmed that it will be launching its drone, the GoPro Karma, on the 19 September. The announcement, which comes in the guise of Twitter tease and accompanying YouTube short video, shows a toy VW camper van on a road before a full-sized real VW camper van hurtles towards the camera.
The tag line simply states: “Karma is Coming”.
GoPro Karma release date
Not much is know about the drone from the action cam company, although we’ve been aware of the device since GoPro first announced it was getting into the drone business in December 2015.
As you might expect for GoPro, the GoPro Karma designed specifically to record extreme action footage from the sky and looks to challenge DJI and its phantom range among others for air supremacy.
The company has held back giving any details, specifically a release date apart from “2016”.
GoPro Karma footage
Since December 2015 two teaser videos showing what the drone is capable of have been announced showing both 1080p and 4K footage.
The 4K footage released in February earlier this year, featured free-skier Bobby Brown and a bunch of his friends performing some great stunts, with much of the action shot from the air.
GoPro Karma specifications
GoPro is so far keeping tight lipped on any specifications for the camera on the drone, even pictures of the Karma drone itself.
The three videos so far released suggest incredibly fluid movement and the ability to capture extreme slow motion sections, and given the fierce competition with the likes of DJI one would also presume decent flight controls.
We are expecting further details on the 19 September.
GoPro Hero 5
Of course the company could also be using the 19 September reveal to launch the new GoPro 5 action camera. Rumoured for some time, and expected in the coming weeks, one idea is that the GoPro 5 merely clips on to the Karma rather than having its own camera.
We will keep you posted.
Kawasaki motorcycles will be able to talk to you
It seems like technology is edging us closer and closer to 1980s science fiction. Hoverboards? Got that. Advanced robotics? No problem. What about talking vehicles? Turns out, Kawasaki is working on that. The company is in the early stages of creating a voice controlled artificial intelligence for its motorcycles.
Kawasaki says the project is still in its early stages, but Kawasaki hopes the system, called Kanjo Engine, will imbue its riding machines with a bit of personality. Users will be able to talk to their bikes in natural language to tweak performance and adjust other settings. The system is designed to make some changes on its own too, learning user preferences by monitoring their riding style and behaviour. Neat — particularly if your childhood dream is to solve crimes with a talking motorcycle.
Via: CNET
Source: Kawasaki
Omate Rise 3G smartwatch slaps Amazon Alexa on your wrist
Exactly nine months ago, Omate launched its Rise smartwatch with 3G radio, circular display, carbon fiber bezel and full Android 5.1 (not Android Wear) for a mere $199 (it’ll be $349 when it hits retail next year). If you missed out on it, here’s your chance again. The company is now back on Indiegogo with a new Limited Edition run of another 999 units for the same base price point, and this time, it’ll be bundled with Amazon’s voice assistant, Alexa. While the CoWatch was the absolute first smartwatch to integrate Alexa, the Rise is still the first 3G standalone smartwatch to achieve this. Omate CEO Laurent Le Pen also pointed out that unlike the CoWatch, his product will actually be certified by Amazon by the time it ships in December.
There are no changes in terms of hardware. You’ll still be getting a 1.3-inch, 360 x 360 round LCD, a MediaTek MT2601 chipset (dual-1.2GHz Cortex-A7 CPU, Mali-400 GPU), 512MB of RAM, 4GB of storage, a 580mAh battery and a Nano SIM slot — the first 499 units will come with a free Ting SIM card for the US. The 3.5G HSDPA radio will support either 1900MHz for the US or 2100MHz for elsewhere, and the same ol’ Bluetooth 4.1 plus 802.11b/g/n WiFi are here to stay. As before, the 22mm strap can be easily detached from the splash-resistant (1 ATM) polycarbonate body, should you wish to try other straps to suit your mood.
On the software side, even though the Rise works as a standalone Android device, it can also be set up to receive push notifications from phones running on either iOS 9 or Android 4.4 and above. Just note that the Rise doesn’t come with Google Play services, but it isn’t hard to get that fixed. Of course, the biggest selling point here is Alexa which now has over 2,000 skills from a variety of services such as Lyft, SmartThings, Capital One and Amazon (duh). On top of the usual commands for the likes of media playback, shopping lists, schedules, exchange rates, calculations and weather forecast, one Rise beta tester also linked his smartwatch to his Logitech Harmony hub via IFTTT, thus allowing him to use his voice to turn his entire TV set — including his Hi-Fi, PlayStation and Philips Hue lights — on and off, as shown in the above video.
It’s obviously exciting times for both Omate and Amazon, and as time passes, Alexa will become smarter and more practical. “With Alexa, we are just showing a glimpse of the future,” Le Pen added. But for now, if all goes well, the Rise Limited Edition will start shipping to backers in December.
Source: Indiegogo
Philips’ new OLED TV has built-in, super colorful ambient lighting
If you’ve been waiting your whole life for a TV that offers a 4K resolution, an OLED panel and Philips’ funky Ambilight technology, you’re going to love TP Vision’s newest 55-inch set.
The company is well-known for making Philips-branded TVs, and has gone a step further for its first model by integrating the ambient color-changing technology into the set too.
By using the “Philips Perfect Pixel Ultra HD engine” in combination with OLED pixels that have the ability to completely switch off, TP-Vision says the catchily named 901F delivers deeper, more accurate black levels.
Combine this with the Ambilight back-lighting effect on three sides of the TV and colors should look even more vibrant. It’s also trying to side-step the achilles heel of many slim, Smart TVs by providing a 30W 6.1 sound bar that integrates into the unit.
Keeping it all ticking along nicely, hopefully, is Android for TVs, which offers up the usual Google services and apps that you’d expect from any other Android device.
While TP Vision could win a TV buzzword bingo prize for this announcement, it neglected to say when the set will be released, where it’ll go on sale or how much it will cost.
IFA 2016 warm-up: Pet treats, smartwatches and more
The IFA 2016 show floor doesn’t officially open until tomorrow, but companies didn’t wait to show off their new products in Berlin. Yesterday, ASUS, Acer, Lenovo and Samsung announced a myriad of devices, including phones, smartwatches and hybrid laptops. There will be a lot more to see in the coming days, we’re sure of that. For now, here are some highlights from the event’s kick-off keynotes — and yes, of course we talked about the “Pawbo” pet accessories. Because why wouldn’t we?
We’re live all week from Berlin, Germany, for IFA 2016. Click here to catch up on all the news from the show.
Tim Cook says EU tax ruling is ‘total political crap’
Apple and other giant tech companies have long stashed cash overseas where they’ve paid less taxes on it, but the days of that happening could be numbered. Earlier this week, the EU said that Apple must pay back a whopping $14.5 billion plus interest because of an illegal tax deal between the company and Ireland. Unsurprisingly, Apple is appealing the ruling, and CEO Tim Cook is angry at the way the company’s actions have been characterized.
“It’s total political crap,” Cook said of the EU’s ruling to the Irish news publication Independent. “No one did anything wrong here.” Specifically, Cook denies that Apple paid incredibly low tax rates in Ireland for years, including less than 1 percent in 2014. “They just picked a number from I don’t know where,” Cook explained. “In the year that the Commission says we paid that tax figure, we actually paid $400 million. We believe that makes us the highest taxpayer in Ireland that year.” Cook also pointed out that Apple pays a worldwide total tax rate of 26.1 percent and that the company paid taxes in Ireland at the “statutory rate” of 12.5 percent.
Beyond Apple’s battle with the EU is the question of whether or not any of this money will flow back into the US: Companies like Apple are expected to pay a 35 percent tax rate to the US on overseas profits, but only once they move that money back to America. As noted by The Wall Street Journal, Cook has begun hinting that Apple is getting ready to move some of its vast cash reserves back into the US.
According to the WSJ, Cook told Irish state broadcaster RTE that Apple could repatriate some of its overseas funds in 2017. “We provisioned several billion dollars for the US for payment as soon as we repatriate it, and right now I would forecast that repatriation to occur next year,” Cook said. But he’s also previously said that Apple wouldn’t do this until changes to the US tax code offered a more fair rate, something that apparently Cook expects to happen sooner than later.
Amid all of this financial turmoil, Apple is expected to unveil the next iPhone and Apple Watch next Wednesday. There’s no sense of how long it’ll take for the company to resolve its issues with the EU, but Cook indicated that he hopes to work directly with Ireland to mount the case against having to pay back that money.
Source: Independent.IE, The Wall Street Journal
‘Gears of War 4’ Horde 3.0 trailer has a Run the Jewels twist
Gears of War 4 features Horde 3.0, an updated version of the series’ classic five-player co-op mode, and today fans got the first taste of its gameplay with a bonus helping of hip hop courtesy of Run the Jewels.
First, the gameplay: Horde 3.0 pits five players against swarms of enemies and has new features such as character classes and defensive structures. The new mode offers five character variations (Soldier, Sniper, Scout, Heavy and Engineer) and new enemies like the Swarm and DeeBees. The “Fabricator” is a mobile base that players can deploy anywhere on the map.
And then there’s the music. Run the Jewels debuted a new song from their coming album, Run the Jewels 3, in the Horde 3.0 premiere trailer, and that’s not where this partnership ends. The song is called “Panther Like a Panther” and it kicks off a larger collaboration between Xbox, The Coalition and Run the Jewels.
The group’s website has been taken over by Gears of War 4-branded shirts and sweatshirts. The clothes feature a mash-up of Run the Jewels’ disembodied-hands logo and Gears of War’s famous chainsaw gun, with shirts starting at $28 and sweaters at $65.
Killer Mike and El-P are also going to appear in Gears of War 4 as multiplayer characters, once the game comes out on October 11th.
Horde 3.0 will be playable at PAX West in Seattle, Washington, this weekend, and Run the Jewels will also be hanging around the city. Killer Mike, El-P and Gears of War co-creator Rod Fergusson will be promoting the new game at BAIT from 2PM to 3PM PT on Saturday, September 3rd. That same day, Run the Jewels is set to perform on the main stage at the Bumbershoot Music and Arts festival at 7:20PM in downtown Seattle.
Source: Xbox Wire
Sony’s new e-paper watch actually looks like a timepiece
Earlier this week, Sony introduced its FES Watch U, an e-paper timepiece that it is crowdfunding in Japan. And today, at IFA 2016, we had the chance to see it in person for the first time. As we pointed out before, the FES Watch U is a much more polished version of Sony’s original e-ink watch, which was revealed in 2014. The new wearable features a steel frame, instantly giving it that premium look and feel, as well as sapphire glass on the higher-end model.
It also comes with up to three weeks of battery life and a customizable, always-on face and band. When you combine the fresh design with said functionality, the FES Watch U is undeniably a better product than its predecessor — at least on paper. We say “at least on paper” because Sony didn’t let us try it, so we’ll have to wait to make any final judgements until we do so.
But, if you’re still interested in the Watch U and happen to live in Japan, you have until October 7th to pledge between ¥44,710 and ¥59,940 to try to get one for yourself. That’s between $438 and $587, which may be more than people are willing to pay for this type of watch. Chances are no one will judge you if you do, though.
Audeze crammed audiophile tech inside its in-ear headphones
Audeze knows a thing or two about planar magnetic headphones and the company is taking on a new form factor with its latest release. The iSine 10 and iSine 20 are the company’s first in-ear headphones that employ the aforementioned audio technology. In fact, Audeze says that these audiophile earbuds are the first to offer planar magnetic tech in this style.
If you’re not familiar with the term “planar magnetic,” here’s a brief overview. It’s a method for constructing headphones that uses a thin diaphragm and magnets rather than typical cone drivers. It allows for a wider range of sound with less distortion and more bass response — all things audiophiles are looking for when it comes to headphones and other devices. Typically planar magnetic headphones are big and bulky, but Audeze’s Sine that was announced at CES offers a more comfy fit without a lot of heft. The Sine also costs $449, significantly less than a lot of planar magnetic sets.
For the iSine 10 and iSine 20, the idea is to provide that audiophile sound with the super popular in-ear design. The main difference between the two is impedance: the iSine 10 offers 16 ohms while the iSine has a longer voice coil of 24 ohms. Included in the box is Audeze’s Cipher Lightning cable from the regular Sine that features a 24-bit digital-to-analog converter (DAC) and an amp. Yes, those things are built into the cable itself.
Of course, all of that fancy tech means larger earbuds. The iSine is significantly bigger than your everyday 3.5mm in-ear headphones, so you’ll need to consider how much space they demand in addition to the high-quality sound. Both models come with ear locks in addition to the built-in ear hooks to ensure the bigger earbuds stay in place when you’re using them. The Audeze iSine 10 and iSine 20 ship next month for $400 and $600, respectively.
Play Overwatch for free next weekend
If for whatever reason you still aren’t sold on Overwatch, Blizzard’s popular team-based shooter, you’ll want to clear your schedule for next weekend. Sony announced on Thursday that it will host an Overwatch Free Weekend from September 9th to 12th.
The weekend technically starts September 9 at 11am Pacific. Anybody with a PS4 (and Xbox One) will be able to download and play the 15GB game for free, no login required. You’ll have access to all 22 playable characters and a variety of game styles, be able to level up, grab loot and troll your opponents. If you want to keep the spoils of your online battles once the weekend concludes at 4pm Pacific on the 12th, you’ll need to pick up a copy of Overwatch: Origins Edition.
Source: Playstation Blog
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