Back to school gear: Belkin will keep you charged all day long
So you’re all settled into your dorm and find yourself getting into a few routines. Things sure are different now that you’re not at home or school like you were last fall, huh?
Now you find yourself running all over the place, getting into new situations. But, we’re also willing to bet you’re finding that your phone isn’t lasting quite as long as it did last year. Why? You’re probably away from outlets and power sources more often. Not to fear, there are plenty of great companies offering excellent accessories to help keep you juiced up. One such brand we’ve come to love is Belkin.
We’ve recently spent some time checking out a number of products from the current Belkin lineup. Among them are USB Type-C cables, a car adapter, and a power bank. We found that each one of them was designed with care and attention to detail. It’s not hard to screw up a cable or go cheap with quality, but it seems Belkin spent plenty of time on materials. Suffice it to say, we don’t see these fraying or falling apart any time soon.
MIXIT↑ Metallic USB-C to USB-C Charge Cable (Also Known as USB Type C)
USB Type-C is one really cool technology standard. Not only does it allow for super fast transfer speeds, but it can be used across multiple devices for charging, too. And, as if that were not enough, it’s full reversible so you can plug in any way you want.
Belkin’s cable is six feet long so it’s more than enough to get out from behind the outlet tucked under your desk. Moreover, it’s designed with a welded shield to strengthen it; the metallic cable won’t tangle either.
MIXIT↑ 2.0 USB-A to USB-C Charge Cable (Also Known as USB Type-C)
With so many new smartphones moving to USB Type-C as a charging standard, it’s time to start replacing your old microUSB cables. Sorry, they’re just not going to work any more with the hot flagships.
Belkin’s USB-A to USB-C cable, which comes in all sorts of great colors, is the exact cable you want for replacing your old stuff. Don’t throw away the old adapter itself, though, as it’s gonna work with these. Moreover, keep one of these in your backpack so you can plug into a laptop for data transfer.
MIXIT↑ Metallic Power Pack 6600
Whether you walk across campus or drive from course to course, you’re going to find yourself away from a wall charger. Don’t let that time spent in class keep you from charging your phone or tablet. Heck, it has two ports so why not use it to make a new friend this fall?
The Power Pack 6600 offers up enough juice to top off your phone a solid two or three times over. If you’re the kind who only needs to keep things up in the higher percentages, you can use this guy all week long. Plug in every couple of hours and you’re good to go.
Thanks to the four-light LED indicator you’ll always know, within range, how much power is left in the charger. Pick this one up in Rose Gold, Gold, Silver, and Gray options.
USB-C Car Charger + USB-C Cable
Do you have a newer smartphone like the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 or OnePlus 3? What are you doing for a car charger? Did you know there are car chargers with USB-C connections? Yep, and the Belkin model comes with a 4-foot cable to make sure your backseat drivers can charge up their handset.
This 27Watt/3 Amp charger connects to any USB-C device, including smartphones, tablets, and even notebooks. With up to 27 Watts of charging, the unit automatically detects the connected device so it can juice up at the proper speeds; you’re looking at potentially 70% faster charging for smartphones.
The Teclast X98 Plus II Android tablet is a nice media viewing device that won’t break the bank (review)
The Android tablet market is terrible. Apple’s iPad dominates the landscape in the shrinking overall tablet space and it seems that no-one really cares about putting out new tablets besides Samsung. But, there are those of us who still believe in tablets. There are those of us who want a bigger device for media viewing than the 5.7″ one we keep in our pocket. So, where are we to turn for a cost effective alternative to Samsung’s heavily skinned options and the iPad? Turns out that China is the answer.
Gearbest.com wanted to team up on a review and I was instantly attracted to its tablet lineup. Not only do they have a nice lineup of Android tablets, but it also has some interesting options that run both Android and Windows. I selected the Teclast X98 Plus II (pure Android version) to review for its good looks, screen size (9.7″) and nice price (~$130 at the time of writing).
My expectations weren’t high before receiving the device. I have always had this expectation when ordering a no-name (in the west) brand for a cheap price that I’m going to get something not worth even the discount price I’m paying. But, I have to say I was pretty surprised once I put the device through its paces.
Hardware
Let’s begin with internals. The X98 Plus II has an Intel Cherry Trail Z8300 quad-core 1.4GHz processor. The processor is designed to be a power efficient chip used specifically in tablets so it won’t put out too much heat or burn through your battery too quickly. The chip in this specific tablet is clocked at the low end of its capabilities and you should expect performance somewhere in the range of a Snapdragon 801 processor.
2GB of RAM and 32GB (25GB usable) of storage come standard in the tablet, which seems to be about the base requirements these days for smooth performance. Luckily there is also a microSD card slot for expandable storage (up to 128GB). Don’t waste your money on a card any higher than 128GB. Sometimes you can get devices to read cards at a higher advertised capacity, but the Teclast X98 Plus II would not read my Samsung 256GB micro SD card, but had no issues with my SanDisk 32GB card.
In addition to the microSD card port, you also get a headphone jack, micro HDMI port, micro USB port, and DV (5V) inputs. No DV charger came in the box so you’ll be charging up the 8000mAh battery via the micro USB port unless you source your own.
Cameras dot the front and rear of the device but they should not be used for any more than a skype conversation. They’re pretty standard low-end cameras that will make you wish you grabbed your phone out of your pocket to snap a picture rather than using the tablet already in your hands.
The display doesn’t have the highest max brightness in the world but it’s more than good enough for watching YouTube or Netflix on the couch. Viewing angles on the 2048×1536 (260 DPI) panel are fine with almost no color shifting, but where the X98 Plus II is let down is the construction of the display.
Max brightness outside
Due to how its manufactured, the picture looks very far away from the display. Another issue that crops up is that due to the material on top of the screen, you’re going to pick up a ton of marks and scratches. I haven’t tried to be especially gentle or rough with the device in the few weeks that I’ve been using it, but I have a ton of marks and scratches that make viewing the display a real chore if any kind of light is shining on it.
Touch sensitivity is also not up to par with phones and tablets released in the past couple of years. The laggy or missed touches can make for a frustrating time using the tablet.
Software
If you’re into running the newest version of Android, you may want to avoid the Teclast X98 Plus II. But, If you care about just having something to watch media on and browse the web, the included Android 5.1 should do just fine for you. This is a mostly stock build with just a few added applications.
I only count six added applications on top of stock Android here. I’ve disabled Baidu, a Boot Manager, an OTA utility that gives me an error every time I try to use it, and three apps that have Chinese names. Honestly, just ignore or disable them and you basically have a big stock Android 5.1 tablet.
Common sense software additions in the navigation tray
Teclast made the effort to add a couple common sense software additions like adding software buttons in the navigation tray for volume up and down as well as a quick launch for the camera and a menu button. The navigation tray generally has a lot of wasted space in Android tablets so it’s nice to see an OEM adding in nice features like this.
Performance
What kind of real world performance can you expect out of a $130 (at the time of writing) 9.7″ tablet? If you don’t have out of this world expectations, you’re probably going to be happy. I didn’t have high hopes for the X98 Plus II going in, but I came away pleasantly surprised. What you have to remember is that you’re working with hardware that would have been deemed flagship-worthy in 2014.
I used the tablet as a mainly a media consumption device. I was able to stream YouTube at 720p60fps with ease. When I bumped it up to 1080p30fps is when I saw some issues. After every video, YouTube would reload as if it was knocked out of memory while viewing the video. This can be frustrating if you’re going through your subscription list watching multiple videos, but otherwise, it was a pretty good experience.
I did not see much in the way of home screen redraws (which I did expect to happen) but apps were often knocked out of memory and had to reload fresh. I could get some music streaming while looking at facebook or reading Reddit, but nothing much beyond that would stay in memory. This seems par for the course for 2GB of RAM devices in 2016 with the demands apps are putting on the OS and hardware.
If you’re in the market for something that can run huge games, this is not for you. But, if you’re looking for something to play a bunch of media off a microSD card or streamed from YouTube or Netflix, you should be fine.
Conclusion
A premier tablet this is not. What the Teclast X98 Plus II can offer you is some nice performance for the price if you’re willing to make some compromises. We’ve seen the budget phone market explode with cheap, good options and this tablet reminds me of that. It’s not perfect and you’re definitely going to be missing some features of higher end tablets, but this can do a lot of the basics.
The speakers aren’t amazing, but they do get loud enough to listen to your media in your living room. Everyone else on the train will be thankful that it doesn’t get much louder and forces you to use your headphones. I like the build construction and how clicky the buttons are, but the tablet could use some revisions in other places like the durability of the display.
I really have enjoyed my time with the Teclast X98 Plus II because it filled a gap in my device lineup without breaking the bank. Watching and reading on my phone is great for sitting in the passenger seat or in a waiting room, but I do want something a little more substantial when I’m at home on the couch. If you don’t expect top tier performance while looking for something affordable, you could be quite happy with your purchase.
Product link: Teclast X98 Plus II 2 in 1 Android 5.1 Tablet PC
Disclosure:
Gearbest.com provided this tablet for review on AndroidGuys.com without any promise of a positive review. The tablet was used for a period of three weeks between 8/18/2016 until 9/6/2016.
Best Sprint phones
Sprint offers some of the best phones on the market. We’ve rounded them up just for you!
Sprint doesn’t exactly play well with others, so the selection of unlocked phones that you can bring to its network is rather limited. If you are trying to bring your own unlocked phone to Sprint, it’s best to head to the nearest location and ask if your device is compatible.
That being said, it has a relatively decent list of phones that you can buy straight from them, including some of the top Android phones available right now.
We’ve rounded up a quick list of the best they have to offer.
- Samsung Galaxy S7/S7 edge
- HTC 10
- LG G5
- Samsung Galaxy Note 7
Samsung Galaxy S7 and S7 edge
Samsung’s flagships are arguably two of the best phones money can buy at the moment (I say “arguably,” but let’s not fight). With the powerful Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 processor in place, these devices run faster than any Samsung phone ever has.
They feature Quad HD (2560×1440) displays, which are gorgeous and protected by scratch-resistant Gorilla Glass. The edge screen functions may not be incredibly useful on the S7 edge, but the bigger 5.5-inch screen is a perfect blend of being pocketable and large enough to comfortably watch videos on. That being said, the 5.1-inch S7 is pretty much the perfect size.
Unlike the other phones on this list, the Galaxy S7 and S7 edge are waterproof. Gone are the days of reaching out of the shower, drying off your hands, and fervently sending text messages before your precious device is splashed. Take these phones into the shower if you want. They’re good to go in up to 5 feet of water for about 30 minutes. After that, however, all bets are off.
One of the best features of each of these devices is the sizable battery. They’ll both last you at least a full day without needing a charge – depending on your habits, of course. Each model comes with 32GB of storage, but thanks to the microSD card slot that can support up to 200GB, you can expand your memory space at anytime.
If you’re after top-of-the-line Android goodness, look no further.
Check out our reviews of the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge for more!
See Galaxy S7 at Sprint
See Galaxy S7 edge at Sprint
HTC 10
The HTC 10 is HTC’s best phone to date and a current titan among Android phones. With its solidly built aluminum body, gorgeous Quad HD display, and more-than-capable camera, the HTC is value-laden and one of your best options with Sprint.
One of the HTC 10’s best features is its impressive audio capability. It has a front-facing tweeter in the ear piece and a bottom-facing subwoofer, each with its own amp and Dolby-processed sound design. The headphone amp is also impressively powered, delivering crystal clear audio, even at higher volumes.
HTC added adoptable storage to the HTC 10, so you can expand your storage (up to 2TB) and mount it so that it becomes apart of your system for good. Once you pick up your HTC from Sprint, you should check out our roundup of the best microSD cards for the HTC 10.
Sprint sells the HTC 10 in Glacier Silver and only the 32GB version.
See at Sprint
LG G5
LG’s latest, the G5 is an innovative phone with an exceptional camera, great fingerprint sensor, and some very interesting “Friends” in the form of detachable modules that can add certain functions to your phone, like the LG CAM Plus, which adds some physical camera buttons to the phone and an extra 1,200 mAh battery, so that you’re not eating up your main battery while you’re snapping shots.
The battery may have shrunk between the G4 and the G5, but unlike the Galaxy S7, you can just swap out the G5’s battery for a new one, so if you’re going to be out for a day or two with no access to a charger, you can just carry an extra battery with you. If you are near a charger, you’ll be quite pleased with the G5’s USB C port with Quick Charge 3.0 compatibility. You’ll be up and running in no time.
As mentioned, the 16MP rear-facing camera is excellent and there’s even an option 360 degree camera for more fun.
Sprint lets you pick your color, so you have your choice of silver, titan, gold, or pink.
Check out our review for more!
See at Sprint
Samsung Galaxy Note 7
Whether you’re a busy professional or a sensitive college kid, you might find the the Galaxy Note 7’s bigger display to be particularly helpful for your day-to-day. Samsung’s 5.7-inch smartphone features a bright Super AMOLED display and an optional Blue Light filter setting, which makes it easier to read the screen at night. The phone also comes equipped with the latest hardware, as well as a stellar 12-megapixel rear-facing camera, and a stowable pressure-sensitive stylus. You can read more about the Galaxy Note 7 in our review.
Sprint offers the Galaxy Note 7 in Black Onyx, Coral Blue, and Titanium Silver.
Samsung Galaxy Note 7 recall FAQ
Note: Samsung has issued a broad recall for the Galaxy Note 7 due to battery issues. We still recommend the Note 7, but we advise checking with Sprint to ensure that it has received new stock of the phone with batteries from an updated supplier. Follow the link above for more information.
See at Sprint
Police could soon identify you by your hair proteins
Police and archaeologists regularly depend on DNA evidence for identification, but it has a serious flaw. DNA degrades under environmental conditions like heat and light, so it may be useless even if you have a ton of samples. However, Lawrence Livermore researchers have a better way: they’ve established a method of identifying humans based on hair protein markers. The markers are much more resilient than DNA (scientists found markers in remains about 250 years old) while remaining unique, with no one person sharing the same marker count and patterns. You only need a few hairs to get a result, too, and the ultimate goal is to pinpoint someone using a single strand of hair.
Don’t expect it to reach crime labs just yet. Although the current technique is already effective at identifying one person out of a million, that still leaves some room for doubt. The lab wants to pick up to 100 markers that would be enough to single out a person from the Earth’s entire population. And did we mention that the current identification process takes about 2.5 days? Law enforcement would likely want a faster turnaround to catch suspects and identify victims while a case is still fresh.
If Lawrence Livermore can improve the process, it could usher in a new era for investigations. DNA would still be useful, but you’d frequently have an alternative for those moments when genes simply aren’t an option. You’d stand a better chance of identifying a murder victim even if they’ve been left out in the open for decades, and you could easily confirm someone’s lineage through remains dating back multiple generations.
Via: MorningTicker
Source: Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
Apple’s kid-friendly iPad coding app arrives tomorrow
There are lots of initiatives to teach kids how to code, including ventures from Google, Minecraft and even the Star Wars franchise. However, with Swift Playground, Apple is actually prepping kids for a potential career at, well, Apple. The company has announced that the app, based on the Swift language used for iOS, OS X, WatchOS, tvOS and Linux, will arrive alongside iOS 10 tomorrow (September 13th).
As Engadget’s Nicole Lee discovered during a hands-on, it’s actually a nice way way to learn programming. It assumes that kids have zero knowledge, but produces actual Swift code that can be used to develop real apps. At the same time, it’s open-ended — young coders learn in a non-linear way, so enthusiastic kids can skip ahead if they want. It rewards students regardless of the quality of code, but gives extra kudos for well-optimized solutions.
Apple says there are over 100 schools and districts teaching the app this fall in the US, Europe and Africa. Apple will also offer its own “Get Started with Coding” workshops that will show the basics of Swift Playgrounds. It’ll also offer a drop-in hour for folks who want extra help with “challenging puzzles” in the app. If you want to get a head start on your kids (you’re gonna need it), the workshops and drop-in sessions will be available at select stores in the US, Canada, UK, Australia, UAE, Netherlands and Hong Kong.
Titanfall’s mobile debut is a ‘Hearthstone’ with mechs
If I told you Titanfall was coming to smartphones, what kind of game would you envision? A side-scrolling shoot-em-up similar to Metal Slug? A Titan customization tool? Or a portable-friendly strategy game like Advance Wars? Well, I’ve got bad news. Titanfall: Frontline is none of those. It’s a digital card game similar to Hearthstone. But wait! Before you dive back into Blizzard’s tavern, hear Respawn out. The company has teamed up with Nexon, best known for the MMO Maplestory, to build out new cards and mechanics that could feel authentic to the Titanfall universe.
So maybe, just maybe, it’ll be more than an uninspired reskin? Titanfall: Frontline has “hundreds” of pilots, robots and special ability burn cards, which players can accrue and incorporate into their own decks. The game will accommodate different play styles too, so you can choose to rush your opponents with a group of light, nimble pilots, or wear them down with slower, defense-oriented troops. Oh, and of course, you’ll be able to drop a titan onto the field, turning the tide of battle in decisive moments.
Titanfall: Frontline is coming to iOS and Android this fall, no doubt to coincide with the release of Titanfall 2. It’s a common tactic employed by the video game industry — with so many players on mobile, it makes sense to target them first, or simultaneously with a free-to-play title. With their interest piqued, the hope is that they’ll then drop the cash on the premium console experience. Square Enix is making a similar play with Justice Monsters Five, ahead of the release of Final Fantasy XV this November. Titanfall: Frontline is a trickier proposition, however, as the card-dueling genre is so far removed from its adrenaline-fuelled mech shooter origins.
Source: Titanfall Frontline
Instagram lets anyone filter words out of comments
Instagram is making good on its promise to bring word filters to everyone. The photo-centric service has announced that anyone can now filter their comments to keep out abusive (or just plain annoying) feedback. If you’re tired of dealing with harassment or “get more followers” spam, you won’t have to spend ages blocking users or reporting individual comments. It’s just a matter of choosing the right keywords to keep discussions civil.
Co-founder Kevin Systrom is quick to admit that filters and similar user tools “aren’t the only solution.” Ultimately, Instagram itself has to be smarter about banning users and preventing hurtful comments from showing up in the first place. However, this latest move puts a lot of power in your hands — you can set a baseline level of quality that keeps out some offenders without silencing comments altogether.
Source: Instagram
The RetroUSB AVS just replaced my childhood Nintendo
When I was a child, I fought with my brothers. A lot. It was part of being the youngest, and part of being a family. Most of our sibling rivalry died with our youth, but one single, never-ending quarrel outlived our childhood: the Nintendo Entertainment System. My oldest brother and I have been bickering over our original NES for decades. Who really owns it? Me, the guy who scoured garage sales to build our collection of classic games, or him, the firstborn who — by sibling law — is right by default? To this day, we still argue about whose house our childhood console should live in. Today, that war finally ends. I don’t need our old Nintendo anymore. I have the RetroUSB AVS.
Think of the AVS as an unofficial hardware refresh for the original Nintendo Entertainment System. It plays the same games and even uses the original controllers, but everything else is brand-new. Instead of pushing a fuzzy, ugly picture through ancient composite cables, it pipes a crisp, high-definition signal over HDMI. In lieu of a cumbersome AC adapter, the AVS uses a humble USB cable — and can be powered solely by the media port on your HDTV. And, unlike the RetroN 5 or Analogue NT, the AVS is all new hardware: a custom FPGA board programmed to replicate the NES’ original processor. No emulators. No repurposed hardware.
OK, that might sound like splitting hairs. After all, don’t all three of these consoles pipe HD NES games to modern televisions via HDMI? Well, yes — but how they do it varies wildly. The RetroN 5, for instance, is actually a $160 Android device that runs cartridges through an emulator. It’s also widely derided in the gaming community for allegedly stealing code. The Analogue NT is completely legit, and actually uses repurposed Famicom chips to run the games on a mix of old and new hardware — but it’s also a premium device, costing a steep $500. The AVS is something of a happy medium: It’s not made from original parts, but it authentically replicates their functionality without legal ambiguity. At $185, the RetroUSB AVS is comparatively affordable too.
Nostalgia by design
The RetroUSB AVS’ trapezoidal chassis is nothing short of a love letter to the NES’ iconic design. Obviously, the monochromatic color scheme is a nod to the black and gray tones of the original’s case, but it’s the little things that make this homage truly delightful. This includes the shape of the lid that covers the console’s cartridge slot, and “power” and “reset” buttons that look and feel identical to their 1980s inspiration — but the most wonderful (and pointless) details can be seen only when you turn the console over.
Here you can see three trenches leading up to an empty recessed square that represents the original NES’ unused expansion slot, vent placement that mirrors the layout of the original console, and foot pads that look identical to the rubber nubs on my childhood console. All of these design nods are completely unnecessary, and on a part of the device most users will never even bother to look at. Clearly, the designers love the original Nintendo. It shows.
As much as I love how weirdly accurate the AVS’ retro design is, it might be nostalgic to a fault. That cover over the console’s cartridge slot does look exactly like the old NES chamber lid, but it’s a lot longer too. It feels like a compromise, designed to ensure that users can more easily insert and remove games — but opening and closing it feels awkward. I’m constantly worried it’ll bend too far and snap off. With front-loading US region games, it at least feels secure when the lid is closed, but Japanese region Famicom titles use a separate top-loading cartridge slot that forces the door to stay open. It looks weird, and it makes me nervous.
Speaking of games, loading them can be a bit tricky. US titles slide in horizontally, just like on the original, but I never managed to seat a cartridge into the connector on the first try. Wiggling them back and forth a little usually did the job. The connector also holds on to games tightly — removing them was just as much an exercise in wiggling as putting them in. It’s not a deal-breaker, but I do wish changing games were a little easier.
Finally, it’s worth noting that the AVS features four controller ports and a Famicom expansion slot — which enables compatibility for the rare four-player NES game (they do exist!) and for extra controllers compatible with the original Japanese Famicom.
Practically pixel perfect
Playing NES games on the RetroUSB’s console is like putting on prescription glasses for the first time: It brings a blurry, indistinguishable mess of light and color into focus. OK, the original NES isn’t that bad, but the difference between composite cables and 720p over HDMI is startling. Did you know that Mega Man’s sprite actually has white behind its eyes? I didn’t. It always blended in with the character’s pale skin tone. Backgrounds that were once a blurry haze of color now appear as distinct patterns; characters and stages are flush with “new” details and brighter colors. It’s a surreal experience: I’ve been playing these games for 30 years, but now it seems like I’ve never really “seen” them before.
I know what you’re thinking: Can’t I already play NES games in HD through the Nintendo Wii U’s Virtual Console? You can, but they’ll look worse. For some reason, the Wii U’s VC implementation presents classic games in dull, muted colors with a side of blur. I tested Punch-Out!!!, Dr. Mario and a couple of Mega Man games side by side, and the Wii U versions looked worse by every measure. The games are no less fun on the official hardware, but they lack pop and polish compared with how my old cartridges look on the RetroUSB AVS. Here, the AVS does better than even Hyperkin’s RetroN 5 — which looks much sharper than the Virtual Console but tends to have overblown, inaccurate colors.
Best of all, every classic game I own ran perfectly on the AVS — and that’s not something I can say about every NES clone console I’ve come across. Most of these products use NES-on-a-chip solutions that either gets audio wrong or simply won’t play certain games. Paperboy, for instance, isn’t playable on either the Retro Duo or the FC Twin, and both consoles play off-key audio in specific games. Not so with the RetroUSB AVS: Everything I played looked and sounded exactly as it was supposed to. It even got the glitches right, faithfully reproducing minor visual hiccups in Mega Man 3 and Super Mario Bros. 3 that were present on the original hardware.
Of all the devices that play NES games in my house, the RetroUSB AVS is the most accurate, hands down — but that doesn’t mean it’s perfect. When compared directly with my childhood NES, it’s clear that the AVS color palette is just a bit brighter. It’s not overblown or washed out like the colors on the RetroN 5, but it does come across as a bit richer than the original hardware. I noticed it most in Castlevania and Mega Man 3. On the AVS, the bricks of Dracula’s castle have more red in them, and Mega Man’s helmet appears to be a darker shade of blue.
When I asked RetroUSB’s Brian Parker about the difference, he chalked it up to differences in televisions. “NTSC,” he joked. “Never The Same Color.” I’m probably just seeing the difference between a clear digital signal and the fuzzy output of the old console’s composite cables. Even if the colors are wrong, Parker says it’s just part of the console’s NES/RGB lookup table. “Easily changed with a firmware update,” he says. The AVS also outputs only in 720p, but considering it still looks better than the RetroN 5 and Wii U at 1080p, it’s a flaw I’m happy to overlook.
Extra features
If you’re looking for a console to imbue your classic games with fancy graphics filters, instant-save-state features and other bells and whistles, look elsewhere: The AVS keeps things pretty simple. Beyond simply playing classic games in crisp, high definition, this console doesn’t do much. In terms of visual options, the AVS allows users to switch between NTSC and PAL modes, adjust the screen margins (to hide overscan garbage in specific games) and adjust scanline darkness. The console’s controller menu allows you to turn on some basic turbo features and see how many gamepads are connected, but that’s about it.
At the end of the day, there are only two special features that the AVS adds to the vanilla NES experience: built-in cheat codes and an integrated scoreboard. The first is self-explanatory: The AVS automatically recognizes the game in its slot and offers players a short list of the most popular Game Genie codes. The second takes a little more legwork; if the AVS is being powered by a PC or Mac’s USB port, users can download companion software that will keep track of their in-game score while they play and allow them to upload it to an online leaderboard.
Unfortunately, the AVS itself doesn’t make this process clear, presenting users with only a menu that fails to connect to an amorphous server. There are no setup instructions for the scoreboard in the console’s menu or the manuals that came in the box, or even on the product’s website — I had to ask Parker via email. Still, it’s a neat feature if you can get it up and running.
Finally, RetroUSB offers one special feature that no competitor can boast: new NES games. The company has kind of made a name for itself in manufacturing new cartridges for homebrew developers, and it’s neat to see that business cross over here to create a series of “launch titles” that work on both the AVS and the Nintendo’s original hardware. I tried Twelve Seconds, a simple jumping game that challenges you to race to the top of the screen as fast as possible. None of the $45 launch titles seem particularly complex, but there’s definitely a thrill to playing a new NES game after all these years.
Wrap-up
For me, the AVS is the ideal replacement for my original hardware — it plays my cartridge collection perfectly, with better visuals than the original — but it’s not for everybody. Gamers who need modern conveniences like save states and graphic filters will probably rather have a RetroN 5. Folks seeking a nostalgic experience, but who don’t already own a library of classic games will probably be happier with the 30 built-in games that come with Nintendo’s NES Classic. Even hardcore collectors who demand that their games run on original hardware have other options in the expensive Analogue NT Mini or a Hi-Def-NES mod.
If you have a classic game collection, however, and you don’t care for the prestige of original hardware or the allure of added bells and whistles, check out the RetroUSB AVS. It’s probably the best modernized NES experience you can get for under $200.
Curiosity rover sends back stunning pics from Martian mountains
NASA’s Mars Curiosity rover may have taken a little break earlier this summer, but the craft has been back at work and beamed some excellent images back to Earth late last week. Curiosity has been exploring the “Murray Buttes” region of Mount Sharp and send back color photos of what NASA Curiosity Project Scientist Ashwin Vasavada called “[a] road trip through a bit of the American desert Southwest on Mars.” Indeed, these large color photos are evocative of what you might see down in Arizona or New Mexico.
The rover isn’t just trying to collect postcard-worthy images, though. Vasavada said that “studying these buttes up close has given us a better understanding of ancient sand dunes that formed and were buried, chemically changed by groundwater, exhumed and eroded to form the landscape that we see today.” Basically, this up-close view of the buttes is helping NASA understand the history of Mars and how its landscape has changed over time.
While the Curiosity team has only released a handful of images thus far, there are plans to take the photos from the rover’s Mast Camera and build some large mosaics from stitching multiple images together. But even the individual images are worth viewing (you can see them all here). The next move in Curiosity’s journey is to continue going south and higher up Mount Sharp — chances are good we’ll get some spectacular shots from that part of its trip before too long.
Source: NASA
People and EW! launch a joint online video network
Time Inc. has announced that it’s launching PEN, an online video network serving clips and shows from People and Entertainment Weekly. The service is free, supported by advertising and will broadcast more than 300 hours of original programming in the first 12 months of operation. The rest of the on-demand schedule will be filled by an “extensive library” of on-demand clips from Time Inc’s library of shows. PEN arrives tomorrow, September 13th, and will also syndicate shows from other Time Inc. properties, including Time and Sports Illustrated.
PEN is an abbreviation of the People / Entertainment Weekly Network and will basically translate the two’s current video properties to this new network. Variety describes the business as an online-only equivalent to E!, where Time has cut out the cable middleman in favor of pushing its stuff straight to the consumer. As such, the platform will be available in browsers as well as on Fire TV, Apple TV, Chromecast, Roku and Xfinity.
PEN isn’t striving to knock HBO and its kin off its perch, however, and will stick to low-budget reality-style programming. That includes talk shows, red carpet broadcasts and interview shows with actors and TV presenters. In the first week, viewers will be treated to shows such as an interview with Jimmy Kimmel, a documentary about Patrick Dempsey and EW Reunites the Cast of Friday Night Lights.
Variety’s report about PEN breaks out the most interesting nugget about PEN’s birth, which is that the service has around 12 employees. That’s because most of the video shows are actually being created by the staffers at People Magazine and Entertainment Weekly. That way, there’s little-to-no cost actually involved in starting the network because almost all of the assets are already created in house. Which reminds us a little bit of this:
Source: People EW Network (PEN)
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