Falcon Northwest FragBox (2016) review – CNET
The Good The Falcon Northwest FragBox can fit two brand-new graphics cards into an very compact chassis, and configurations are incredibly flexible. Performance, as expected, is outstanding.
The Bad Even basic configurations are expensive, and just adding a single paint color to the box drives up the price quickly. The tightly packed interior makes it hard for tinkerers to swap components as easily as in bigger desktops.
The Bottom Line The Falcon Northwest FragBox can be configured anywhere from pricey to super-expensive, but making a big investment in this expertly assembled compact gaming desktop is a way to future-proof against the next generation of VR and 4K gaming.
Configure at Falcon Northwest.
The FragBox by Falcon Northwest is a gaming desktop you could say we’ve had some experience with. This compact powerhouse has reinvented itself over and over again, and the latest version is packed with new components for an unmatched virtual-reality experience, in a chassis that’s about a small as any Oculus Rift- or HTC Vive-ready desktop gets.
Before this, the most recent full review of a FragBox is from 2013, when it featured a fourth-gen Intel Core i7 CPU, the Nvidia GeForce GTX 780 GPU, and Windows 8. The oldest review I could find on CNET was from 2003, when the FragBox, in an earlier version of its toaster-like case, ran a Pentium 4 CPU, an Nvidia GTX 5600 GPU, and Windows XP.
View full gallery Sarah Tew/CNET
That’s all to say, this company and this compact gaming desktop line have been around for a while. When we slotted the latest FragBox into our roundup of gaming PCs equipped with Nvidia’s newest GeForce GTX 1080 graphics cards, it stood out in a couple of ways. It was obviously the smallest, although the Alienware Aurora and Acer Predator G1 are fairly compact as well, but it also squeezed two new full-size video cards into its cozy case. Most PC makers dare only do that with a larger chassis that has plenty of room for fans and airflow (after all, liquid cooling can only do so much on its own).
But if you peer through the vent holes on top of the case, you will indeed see not one, but two new Nvidia GeForce GTX 1080 cards, packed tightly together. It’s a feat of expert system building and cable bundling, and what’s more, even under heavy use the aluminum exterior never gets very hot (although it’s definitely on the high side of warm). The system fans, while audible at times, don’t have that loud hurricane effect that some gaming systems do.
New York: don’t use your Galaxy Note 7 on the subway
Samsung just can’t catch a break. On top of aviation regulators and safety officials warning against using pre-recall versions of the Galaxy Note 7, New York’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority now says that Note 7 owners are “urged” against using or charging their phone on buses and trains. You should turn it off before entering the station, the MTA says. This isn’t a formal ban, but it’s safe to say that you’ll be a persona non grata if the Authority catches you using the fire-prone handset on the subway.
There haven’t been any reported fires on MTA rides. This is really more of a precautionary measure than anything. However, it illustrates the increasing fear surrounding the Note 7. Despite the relatively low number of fires, institutions don’t want to take any chances — they’d rather issue blanket warnings (or in some cases, bans) than risk an incident on their home turf.
MTA customers are urged not to use or charge their #Samsung Galaxy Note 7 mobile device on trains and buses.
— MTA (@MTA) September 13, 2016
Via: Tom’s Guide
Source: MTA (Twitter 1), (2), (3)
Sony will have an Ultra HD Blu-ray player — next year
The PS4 Pro is launching with 4K streaming and only a standard 1080p Blu-ray disc player, but Sony is ready to announce its first Ultra HD Blu-ray device. The UBP-X1000ES will ship in the spring of 2017, however, even then it will be tough to get one since Sony says it will be exclusively available through custom installers at first. The player is ready for “virtually any optical disk format” as well as Atmos and DTS:X audio tracks. From the sounds of things, it will be similar to Panasonic’s $699 DMP-UB900, although we can only guess at the price since it has not been announced yet (if you have to ask…).
Still, if you’re really ready to dive into the highest quality video (and given the tastes of people who pay attention to the CEDIA custom installer show where it’s being announced, you probably do) it also has a new high-end projector. The VPL-VW675ES continues the tradition of Sony’s SXRD projector technology, and will support not only the latest 4K HDR content, but is one of the first devices to support Hybrid-Log Gamma HDR. That will allow content to be compatible with both standard def and HDR-capable technology, but it’s not widely available or supported yet.
Projector fans should note that it’s capable of up to 1,800 lumens of brightness and a claimed 350,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio. It will be available in November 2016 for a mere $14,999.99. Otherwise, check out the latest additions to Sony’s ES receiver line, which will be ready to deliver high-end audio and video in spring 2017.
STR-ZA5000ES (current model), $2,799.99 msrp, 9 x 130w, 11ch Decode, HDMI (6/2), Dolby Atmos/DTS:X, HDR/HDCP2.2, 8 port switch (2 POE), Pre out, Aluminum panel, Crestron Connected, Supporting ihiji
STR-ZA3100ES (new in 2017), $1,699.99 msrp, 7 x 110w, 9ch + Phantom 2ch Decode, HDMI (6/2), Dolby Atmos/DTS:X, HDR/HDCP2.2, 8 port switch (2 POE), Pre out, Crestron Connected, Supporting ihiji
STR-ZA2100ES (new in 2017), $1399.99, 7 x 105w, 9ch + Phantom 2ch Decode, HDMI (6/2), Dolby Atmos/DTS:X, HDR/HDCP2.2, 1 Ethernet, Crestron Connected, Supporting ihiji
STR-ZA1100ES (new in 2017), $999.99 msrp, 7 x 100w, 7ch + Phantom 2ch Decode, HDMI (5/2), Dolby Atmos/DTS:X, HDR/HDCP2.2, 1 Ethernet, Crestron Connected, Supporting ihiji
STR-ZA810ES (new in 2017), $799.99 msrp, 7 x 100w, 7ch + Phantom 2ch Decode, HDMI (6/2), Dolby Atmos/DTS:X, HDR/HDCP2.2, 1 Ethernet
Source: Sony
How to Use the New Control Center in iOS 10
Although iOS 10 brings with it a few subtle visual and mechanical changes, some of its alterations to the most-used iPhone software features will probably be pretty easy to spot. One of those is the new Control Center, which has not only received a cosmetic upgrade, but has gotten a few new added abilities as well.
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The Control Center, in essence, is no longer a single card stocked with all of the expected iOS features you’ve become used to seeing (like the flashlight, calculator, and timer) — it’s now a sliding collection of three panels. The first is a basic launchpad of settings like Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, the second is dedicated to Apple Music, and the third houses your favorite accessories from Apple’s new HomeKit-focused app “Home.”
Control Center in iOS 9 (left) and iOS 10 (right)
Some of these shuffled-around buttons can make Control Center in iOS 10 a bit discombobulating when you first bring it up, so follow this guide to get a general impression of how to use Control Center, and how to find your favorite features that may not be where they were before.
Navigating Control Center in iOS 10
From anywhere in iOS 10 (including the main lock screen), swipe up from the bottom of the iPhone to bring up Control Center. The landing tab of Control Center mirrors a lot of the features from iOS 9 and prior versions of iOS, because it’s there you’ll find Airplane Mode, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Do Not Disturb, and Portrait Orientation Lock buttons lined up along the top of the tab, all sitting above the brightness toggle.
The second row of buttons brings the first major Control Center change in iOS 10: two medium-sized squares for AirPlay Mirroring and AirDrop, whose locations have been flipped this time around. AirPlay Mirroring lets you mirror your iPhone screen on a connected Apple TV, while the AirDrop button lets you toggle between “Receiving Off,” “Contacts Only,” and “Everyone” for Apple’s media sharing tool.
Night Shift has its own dedicated row, so you can enable or disable the feature before its scheduled on/off times — in iOS 9 it was a small icon between timer and calculator. Lastly, at the bottom of the first Control Center tray, you’ll find the Flashlight, Timer, Calculator, and Camera, unchanged from iOS 9. New, however, are 3D Touch shortcuts for each app: the Flashlight can change intensity, Timer includes common interval options, Calculator lets you copy the last result, and Camera has multiple picture options.
Controlling Music
While in the first panel of Control Center, swipe left to switch over to the Apple Music panel. With the iOS 10 update, Apple has moved music playback and volume controls into its own separate panel. The change will undoubtedly be a hassle for many iOS users who listen to music regularly, but with a dedicated section of Control Center a few of the controls have been enlarged and a new feature has been added.
After starting a song in Apple Music, the new panel will come alive with the currently playing track, name of the artist and album, and scrub controls to jump to any section of the song. You can tap on any of these text readouts, and even the album artwork, to jump into the full Apple Music app. In addition to basic play, pause, rewind, and fast-forward buttons, and a volume toggle, Apple has introduced a new broadcast feature in Control Center as well.
The button is located all the way at the bottom of the Apple Music section, and should default to “iPhone,” so tap on it to see a list of potential devices you can connect to in order to expand the listening capabilities of the current track to a larger group. These devices could include any Bluetooth speaker within range that you’ve already set up via Settings, or a 3rd or 4th generation Apple TV. Choose whichever output you prefer to transfer playback to, and you can reset the iPhone as default by returning to Control Center, or simply powering down the connected device.
Controlling Home
If you plan on using Apple’s new HomeKit app “Home,” the third panel of Control Center should prove useful. Once synced up with any compatible HomeKit accessories in the main app, you can swipe left twice from the Control Center launchpad to gain a few basic controls over your smart light bulbs, thermostat, and more.
Before you get started in Control Center, make sure you have your accessories installed in Home. On the main screen in the app, tap “Edit” in the top right corner to rearrange your favorite accessories, the top nine of which will appear in Control Center. You can follow the same process to prioritize your favorite scenes to activate in Control Center.
Within its section of Control Center, Home’s actions are straightforward: you can tap each accessory to either turn it on or off, depending on its current state. More useful is a clever 3D Touch gesture that brings up a brightness toggle that allows for incremental percentage control of a connected lightbulb such as Hue, for example. Tap “Color” at the bottom of this screen to dive into a dynamic color wheel to pick six preset color options, or edit one to jump into a rainbow color selector to truly customize your lights within Control Center.
A “Temperature” wheel further lets you choose from brighter blue light or softer orange light. Although not automatic, this option is similar to Night Shift, letting you generate softer light at night to encourage better sleep. You can tap any empty space in these 3D Touch menus to return to Control Center.
To get a glimpse of your favorite scenes — which are grouped collections of HomeKit accessories — tap the “Scenes” button in the top right of Control Center’s third panel. Here you’ll see your top eight favorite scenes, which offer similar on/off controls for each scene, but without any expanded 3D Touch support. Tap “Accessories” to return to the favorite accessories tab.
iOS 10 is full of new features that you’ll find when you start playing around with the software update. Keep checking back with MacRumors for more helpful how-tos on everything from creating and sending handwritten text messages to avoiding tolls in Apple Maps to using lyrics in Apple Music and more.
Related Roundup: iOS 10
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Settings to change right away on iOS 10 – CNET
iOS 10: 7 settings to change when you upgrade
Just downloaded iOS 10? Here are seven settings you can change right now to maximize your privacy and customize your iPhone.
by Lexy Savvides
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iOS 10 brings plenty of new features and interface tweaks to improve the performance of your device. But there are some settings you may want to change right off the bat.
Stop tracking your location
Like previous versions of the operating system, iOS 10 keeps track of your frequently visited locations.
If you already turned this setting off in an older version of iOS this should carry over. To stop your phone tracking frequent locations go to Settings > Privacy > Location Services > System Services > Frequent Locations and turn the toggle off.
Directly underneath the list of tracked locations click the Clear History button to delete existing records.
Restore touch to unlock
Don’t like having to press the home button to unlock the phone? Switch back to touch to unlock by going to Settings > General > Accessibility > Home Button then toggle on “Rest finger to open.”
Limit the lock screen
iOS 10 shows a lot of information on the lock screen that you may want to hide from prying eyes. Prevent other people replying to messages and using Siri from the lock screen by going to Settings > Touch ID & Passcode. Scroll to “Allow access when locked.”
From here, toggle off reply with message, Siri and any other relevant options. If you would rather get rid of the widget screen altogether, which appears when you swipe right from the lock screen, toggle off Today View.
Disable raise to wake
If you have a newer iPhone with an M9 motion coprocessor such as the iPhone 6S and 6S Plus, you have the option to use the raise to wake feature. This shows you notifications on the lock screen when you lift up the phone. If you don’t want the screen to turn on everytime you move the phone, go to Settings > Display and brightness > Raise to Wake.
Messages
iOS 10 lets you turn on individual iMessage read receipts. Go into a message thread and tap the i icon next to the contact name. Toggle on or off send read receipts.
To conserve data, send lower quality images by going to Settings > Messages > Low quality image mode.
Magnify
The camera can be used as a magnifier so you can get a closer look at text, objects or even people. Go to General > Accessibility and Magnifier. Triple click the home button in camera to zoom, no pinching with digital zoom required.
For more iOS 10 tips and tricks, make sure to check out our complete guide.
YouTube HDR: What’s the story?
It’s been nine months since Google-owned YouTube announced it would soon support HDR content.
With HDR-compatible televisions bursting onto the market, and several other media companies (such as Netflix and Amazon) announcing they too would support HDR content, many consumers are likely wondering what’s going on with YouTube and when they’ll be able to watch funny cat clips in HDR. Here’s everything we know about YouTube’s HDR plans, including what HDR means.
YouTube HDR: When will HDR be available?
YouTube at CES 2016 in January said it planned to support the latest innovation in video: HDR (or high dynamic range). Robery Kyncl, the company’s chief business officer, quietly revealed the news during on-stage discussion about 360-degree video experiences, which YouTube also supports, with GoPro’s CEO, Nick Woodman, and Chris Milk, the CEO of VRSE, a virtual-reality studio.
In fact, YouTube told TechCrunch that it already showcased YouTube in HDR 4K on CES’s show floor, displaying videos from NASA and Karmin on the latest TV sets from Samsung, LG, and Hisense. Unfortunately, since January, YouTube hasn’t done anything else in regards to HDR. It hasn’t announced when support will roll out, and as of September, it doesn’t appear to offer any HDR content.
YouTube HDR: What does HDR mean?
As we mentioned already, HDR stands for high dynamic range. The technology basically improves video image quality by expanding contrast ratio and colour palette. The result is a more realistic and natural image with richer colours, brighter whites, deeper blacks, and plenty of detail for dark, shadowy scenes. The format is informally considered the next step beyond HD TV.
Keep in mind HDR is sometimes branded differently. For instance, an alternative HDR standard is called Dolby Vision. One of the things that makes Dolby Vision different is that it’s designed as an end-to-end HDR process. Pocket-lint has an in-depth guide that details everything you need to know about HDR and the different standards available, including their technical specs:
- What is HDR, what TVs support HDR, and what HDR content can I watch?
YouTube HDR: What types of HDR content can you watch?
On YouTube, you’ll presumably be able to watch HDR content from YouTube creators who made HDR videos using HDR-capable cameras (just like you can do now with 4K videos and 360-degree videos from YouTube creators), and you may be able to rent HDR movies from YouTube, although the company has not confirmed whether this type of offering will be included with HDR support.
Currently, several HDR 4K movies are available in the market, including Fury, Men in Black 3, After Earth, and so on.
YouTube HDR: How will you find HDR videos on YouTube?
It’s unclear how YouTube will designate which videos are HDR. It’s also unclear how you will be able to find them. We assume you’ll be able to select HDR from an app/site-wide search filter or settings toggle on clips (just like you can do for 4K videos, 3D videos, 360-degree videos, etc).
Keep in mind Netflix, which supports HDR, doesn’t make it clear which TV shows and movies are available in HDR, but it has already started showing HDR content, with the show Marco Polo, for instance.
YouTube HDR: What do you need to watch HDR?
You can only watch HDR on a HDR-compatible TV/display. Vizio, Sony, Samsung, Panasonic, LG, TCL, Hisense, and every other TV manufacturer you can think of now sell HDR TV sets. The new PS4 Pro can also output HDR video. During Sony’s September event, the console maker announced both YouTube and Netflix are making new apps that will play HDR videos on all PS4 models.
Want to know more?
Check out Pocket-lint’s YouTube and HDR hubs for the latest news.
Adblock Plus’ ad network is off to a rough start
When Adblock Plus unveiled its own ad network in a bid to make money from toned-down ads, it raised more than a few eyebrows… including those of its supposed ad partners. While the company said that its Acceptable Ads Platform would supply ads from Google and AppNexus, it turns out that it was merely relying on a go-between company (ComboTag) to get those ads. It hadn’t asked the underlying ad providers about a deal — and now, they want out. Both Google and AppNexus are ending their associations with ComboTag, leaving Adblock Plus without much of a leg to stand on.
Google’s senior VP for ads, Sridhar Ramaswamy, says that his company was caught off-guard by the Adblock Plus announcement. It’s “uncomfortable” watching Adblock Plus transition from purely blocking ads to pushing them, he says, and it would be preferable if the industry simply created less intrusive ads that people didn’t want to block. In a statement to Business Insider, a Google spokesperson added that it had “no knowledge of, or involvement in” the deal between ComboTag and Adblock Plus’ parent company Eyeo. When we reached out to Google ourselves, it outlined in no uncertain terms that “this is not a business we want to be part of.” You can read the full statement below.
“We were surprised by the announcement and learned of it when we were contacted by press. We have no involvement in their program and this is not a business we want to be part of. We are moving to terminate ComboTag’s AdX account. Ad blocking is a symptom of bad ads online and that’s why we believe the industry needs to align around a standard–backed by data and insights from conversations with real consumers–for what constitutes a better ads experience online.”
AppNexus isn’t being diplomatic, either. It’s not only severing ties with Adblock Plus, but insists that it doesn’t work with companies so “fundamentally harmful” to the ad business. Adblock effectively sets up “toll booths on a public road,” taking ad money that should be going straight to the publishers.
Both an Adblock Plus spokesperson and ComboTag CEO Guy Tytunovich insisted in statements that the program would still include Google and AppNexus ads. However, it’s not clear that either was aware of the planned departures at the time they issued those statements. They’ll likely have to change their tune before long — they can’t force Google or AppNexus to supply ads for a program they view as shady.
Source: Business Insider, Ad Age
Samsung guarantees its latest SUHD TVs won’t suffer burn-in
If the constant fear of screen burn-in was keeping you from making a big television purchase, then Samsung’s new guarantee might make you reconsider. The electronics giant announced today that it is providing a lifetime guarantee against the dreaded screen burn-in for all of its 2016 SUHD Quantum Dot TVs. Should your brand-new, ultra high-def, HDR+ set suffer burn-in (from “normal consumer use,” of course) Samsung will replace it for free.
For the uninitiated, “burn-in” happens when a TV is left showing a single image or scene for an extended period of time, leaving the image permanently “burned” into the screen. It is commonly associated with older Plasma and OLED sets, but LCD panels can be prone to it as well.
The guarantee covers all Samsung’s “8” or “9” series SUHD Quantum dot sets sold in the US and proud new owners of those panels will want to be sure to properly register there purchase with Samsung. And while you’re at it, you might want to return that new Samsung phone as well.
Source: BusinessWire
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