Alienware 13 R3 (OLED) review – CNET
The Good The OLED touchscreen is stunning to watch, and the new Nvidia graphics card can handle VR headsets and the latest games with ease.
The Bad With only two full-size USB ports, hooking up VR gear plus a game controller is a hassle. The physical redesign isn’t as extensive as it could be, and this OLED version is very expensive.
The Bottom Line With an OLED touch display, VR-ready graphics, and a reasonably portable 13-inch body, the new Alienware 13 hits almost every item on my gaming laptop wish list.
Visit manufacturer site for details.
Every time I test a new gaming laptop, it reminds me of my long-standing hypothetical wish list for that category. The actual list changes over time as new technologies are introduced, but to date, no one has managed to put together what I’d think of as the ultimate gaming laptop.
If I had to boil that wish list down into an actual collection of bullet points, it might look something like this:
- I want a small, reasonably portable 13-inch body.
- But it has to have decent-or-better graphics for gaming.
- And, of course, VR. Plenty of big 17-inch laptops have VR support for the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive, but that was previously impossible to get in a 13-inch laptop.
- If I was really reaching, I’d say give me an OLED display, the super-clear, super-bright new screens found on only a handful of high-end televisions and laptops.
- And while you’re at it, make it a high-res touch screen.
The new redesigned version of Dell’s Alienware 13 hits all those marks, making it a big leap from previous versions of this laptop. But, while it hits a lot of high points, it also exposes a couple of flaws I hadn’t thought to specify on my list.
View full gallery Sarah Tew/CNET
This is a subtle reworking of the Alienware 13 the company has sold for a few years, with a slimmer body that moves the screen hinge forward a couple of inches, to make room for fan exhaust vents in the rear. It’s a clever way to move the cooling apparatus around while being able to shave a few millimeters from the system’s height.
The other big change is a new treatment for the Alienware logo, its biggest change in the brand’s 20-year history. The Alienware name is now written in a lighter font for a more modern look, and even the iconic alien head is just a bit more streamlined.
View full gallery Sarah Tew/CNET
Even with a slimmer body, this 5-pound system isn’t exactly tiny, especially compared to the latest round of super-slim 13-inch laptops that come in under 3 pounds and around 10mm thick. But it’s still small enough to tote from room to room at home easily, and even go in your laptop bag for occasional trips.
The real highlight here is Nvidia’s new GeForce 1060 graphics card. It’s part of a new generation that can fit in a very wide range of laptops and works with VR. I hooked up my Oculus Rift and every game I tried worked, although the limited port selection gave me some other VR headaches. More on that in a bit.
The GPU jump is enough of a reason to favor this model over the previous Alienware 13 I reviewed earlier this year. Both that system and this one had the same optional high-end OLED display, which is simply stunning to look at. The OLED screens in the Alienware 13, the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga and a handful of other systems are the single most exciting PC hardware development of the year, and once you start using an OLED laptop, it’s hard to go back to anything else. (The Touch Bar on Apple’s new MacBook Pro is also an OLED display.)
View full gallery Sarah Tew/CNET
Despite my overall enthusiasm, the new Alienware 13 has two notable flaws, neither of them fatal, but worth being aware of. One, this high-end OLED configuration is a pricey $2,099 in the US, which includes 16GB of RAM, the 2,560×1,440-pixel OLED display and a 512GB SSD (this revamped Alienware 13 isn’t available in the UK or Australia yet, but that price works out to £1,703 or AU$2,736). You could get a much more powerful gaming desktop or laptop for that price, but nothing nearly as portable.
The least expensive configuration is $1,199 in the US, which amazingly includes the Nvidia 1060 card, making this a very inexpensive VR laptop. But, that version has a low-res 1,366×768 display, so I’d advise you to stay away. There are a couple of in-the-middle configurations worth checking out, but it’s tough to say no to OLED, which starts at $1,799.
Alienware 13
| $2,099 |
| 13-inch, 2,560 x 1,440 OLED touchscreen |
| 2.6GHz Intel Core i7-6700HQ |
| 16GB DDR4 SDRAM 2400MHz |
| Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 |
| 512GB SSD |
| 802.11ac wireless, Bluetooth 4.1 |
| Micorsoft Windows 10 Home (64-bit) |
But, besides the high price, my biggest problem came from the system having only two regular USB ports and two USB-C ports.
Samsung’s W2017 is a high-end flip phone with Snapdragon 820 and 4GB RAM
There is a market for flip phones — particularly in Asian countries — which is why companies like Samsung and LG continue to make them. After rolling out the high-end W2016 in China at the end of last year, Samsung is now looking to unveil the W2017 in the country, a flip phone powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 820.
The clamshell has a pair of 4.2-inch Full HD displays (one on the outside and one on the inside), 4GB of RAM, 64GB storage, microSD slot, 12MP camera with 4K video recording, 5MP front shooter, dual-SIM with LTE, NFC, wireless charging, fingerprint sensor, and a 2300mAh battery.
No mention of an official price, but SamMobile notes that the W2017 could end up costing an astounding ¥20,000 ($2,960). That’s twice as costly as last year’s W2016, which debuted for ¥9,999 ($1,480). Given that the W2016 hasn’t made its way to other markets, it is likely that its successor will be limited to China as well.
Adidas made an ocean plastic shoe you can actually buy
Late last year, Adidas teamed up with Parley, an organization raising awareness against ocean pollution, on a partially 3D-printed shoe made out of up-cycled marine plastic. Then, in 2016, the two firms took that partnership one step further with the limited-edition Adidas x Parley, a running sneaker that also featured materials created from ocean waste. Ultimately, both of these concepts paved the way for what the sportswear giant is announcing today, the UltraBoost Uncaged Parley.
Unlike the Adidas x Parley silhouette, where 100 pairs were given away through an Instagram contest, this one you will actually have a chance to buy for $200 in mid-November. All told, Adidas is making 7,000 pairs of the UltraBoost Uncaged Parley, and the company says it plans to produce at least 1 million pairs using ocean plastic by the end of 2017. It’s yet another sign of Adidas’ willingness to experiment across the board, especially with sustainability innovations and emerging technologies like 3D printing.
This particular model is based on the UltraBoost Uncaged design, one of the brand’s most popular running-meets-lifestyle shoes. The main difference here, however, is that the Parley version features a soft Primeknit upper built with 95 percent ocean plastic. Other parts, such the as shoe laces, heel cap, heel webbing and sock-liner, were also made from materials retrieved by Parley during coastal operations in the Maldives, according to Adidas.
Meanwhile, the midsole is all Adidas’ Boost technology. That’s the same foamy material found on its Yeezys, NMD and UltraBoost, the flagship running sneaker. The company says it had to develop the Uncaged Parley without compromising on performance, adding that the key was to keep every signature element of a running shoe. In other words, if you happen to get lucky with a pair, wear it like you would any other. Don’t let those yarn fibers stop you.
The new Adidas x Parley jerseys for Bayern Munich and Real Madrid.
Now, the Uncaged Parley isn’t the only product stemming from the Adidas-Parley collaboration. Soccer clubs Bayern Munich (Germany) and Real Madrid (Spain) will debut environmental jerseys on November 5th and 26th, respectively. They’re water-based prints and, similar to the UltraBoost Uncaged Parley, made from recycled ocean plastic. Adidas didn’t say how limited these are expected to be, but the price for them is $100 each and they’ll be available on November 4th (Bayern Munich) and the 24th (Real Madrid).
Those of you who purchase one will find an Adidas x Parley label with an NFC chip embedded, which will give you more information about the joint venture. Interestingly, team logos won’t be visible on the shirts, a decision made by both clubs and sponsors to fall in line with Parley’s commitment to the oceans and sustainability.
Eric Liedtke, executive board Member of Adidas Group, tells Engadget the mission goes beyond what Adidas and Parley can do. Instead, it’s an invitation to the entire fashion industry to join the sustainability movement. “We’re inviting or challenging other people to get at the world’s problems,” he says. “We [Adidas and Parley] can’t solve it alone.” While Liedtke says Adidas won’t be working with Nike anytime soon, if ever, Parley would definitely be open to it. And he’s allowed to say that, since he’s on Parley’s Oceans Steering Committee.
Eric Liedtke with Kanye West.
“The industry should turn from being the problem to being the solution,” says Parley Founder Cyrill Gutsch. “We have to invent our way out of this situation, reinvent materials and the business.” Gutsch, who I spoke to after he and Adidas enlisted 19 countries from the United Nations to help them combat ocean pollution, says we as a society have to understand how good at killing we are. He says it starts with finding alternatives to plastic, as well as other toxic materials, and making them usable in products we use every day.
If anything, the up-cycled shoes and football jerseys prove you can have well-designed products that are also environmentally conscious. I had the chance to try on the UltraBoost Uncaged Parleys and, not surprisingly, they felt just as comfortable as the regular pair I own. They also happened to smell like the ocean, but maybe that was my brain playing tricks on me.
Ultimately, Gutsch says the industry needs to act fast before it’s too late. “There’s no Batman or superman coming along,” he says. “If we don’t fix this now, we’re fucked.”
The Morning After: Thursday, November 4, 2016
TGIF.
Before you fall back this weekend, it’s time to take a look at Google’s Assistant-powered Home device, take a spin with GoPro’s drone and find out how Singapore is pushing to be the first “Smart Nation.” Also, undecided (or, more likely, firmly decided) voters can peruse Engadget’s election guide to see where presidential candidates stand on tech issues.
A “living lab” nation-stateInside the Smart Nation initiative pushing Singapore into the digital age
Across this 30-mile-wide island, a network of fiber connections and sensors underpin scientists’ efforts to address the problems of urban living. The “Smart Nation” plan is trying to address pain points, like energy usage, health and transportation, while also accumulating data to fill out a detailed model of Virtual Singapore, where planners can test new projects to see their potential impact. The only problem? Figuring out the potential privacy impact of pulling together all of that information.
Google is in your home, showing you how smart it isReview: Google Home brings its Assistant to your living room
Nathan Ingraham says Google Home is a great way to show off just how smart Google is, but it doesn’t feel like an essential experience yet. That’s mainly because it lags behind Amazon’s Echo in terms of support for third-party services. For now, the Echo might be a smarter buy, but Home is a perfectly viable option for those who use lots of Google services.
Less for drone lovers, more for outdoor moviemakersReview: GoPro’s debut drone, the Karma
As a standalone drone, GoPro’s Karma lacks a lot of the features found on rival fliers. Worse still, the battery life is borderline acceptable. However, the charm with GoPro’s first foray into drones is its ease of use and overall versatility. If you’re invested in the GoPro ecosystem, Karma makes a lot of sense. More serious drone enthusiasts, however, might want to look elsewhere.
Something old, something new …Here are the first games optimized and ready for the PlayStation 4 Pro
It’s a mix of recent titles (“Battlefield 1,” “Bound,” “Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare,” “FIFA 17,” “Hitman,” “Mafia III,” “Rise of the Tomb Raider”) and flagship older hits like “inFamous Second Son,” “Knack,” “Ratchet” and “Clank,” as well as a bunch of PSVR titles.
Mark this down for Turkey DayNFL Films is producing a nine-episode VR series for Google’s Daydream platform
A still-untitled project will offer a 360-degree view of NFL action from the perspectives of players, coaches and fans. It’s coming to the Google Daydream platform, with the first episode debuting Thanksgiving Day, so expect some additional demo content to show the family on your new Pixel.
It is election seasonThe “New York Times” is free to read during the presidential election
Yes, the Gray Lady is opening up those paywall curtains to let readers in for 72 hours of election coverage. Alongside live coverage, the paper will also be Facebook livestreaming on Election Night as well as hosting a call-in show run by the crew of the “Run-Up” podcast.
But wait, there’s more…
- Engadget’s guide to the 2016 presidential election
- The first sex toy on Kickstarter is the Fin
- PlayStation’s official coloring book is here
- Huawei’s Mate 9 is a solid, smart device that optimizes itself to fit your needs
BMW sold 100,000 EVs in 3 years, now turns attention to autonomy
EVs have come a long way in just a few years. Just look at the waves Tesla has made since introducing the Model S in 2012. Nissan just sold its 100,000th Leaf in the US. BMW, too, would have you know that it has been pulling its weight in this grand acceleration of EVs. In fact, the German automaker has also recently hit a major milestone since it first launched battery-powered cars under its i sub-brand. BMW has announced that it has achieved 100,000 plug-in vehicle sales worldwide.
Beginning with the battery electric i3 in November of 2013, BMW went to work building upon the knowledge and experience gained from its field tests with the ActiveE. In the three years since then, BMW has sold over 60,000 examples of the i3. The German automaker points out that those sales figures make the i3 “the most successful electric vehicle in the premium compact segment.” It’s not a very crowded segment, but BMW filled a hole and did it well, so we’ll give them that one. Say it proudly, BMW. And, impressively, the automaker reports that 80 percent of i3 buyers are new to BMW, which means first-time owners and those ever-important conquest sales.
Next came the ultra-desirable i8 plug-in hybrid. The production car looked a lot like the eye-popping concept, which the public appreciated. Demand initially outstripped production, and the car will probably continue to turn heads for some time to come, particularly when the i8 Roadster allows owners to be seen more easily. BMW says it has sold some 10,000 examples of the i8 since its launch in mid-2014.
Additionally, BMW has sold about 30,000 plug-in hybrid versions of its other core products, which now fall under the iPerformance label. Just as EV sales are expected to grow in general, we can expect to BMW’s plug-in sales to gather momentum in the coming years, especially as it increases the number of offerings.
“BMW i remains our spearhead in terms of innovation and it will continue to open up groundbreaking technologies for the BMW Group,” says BMW Chairman of the Board of Management Harald Krüger. “When it comes to electric drivetrains, we’ve already successfully managed to put this technology transfer on the road. The next technological advance we will address is automated driving, where the BMW iNEXT will set a new benchmark.”
Following a Mini Countryman PHEV and the i8 Roadster in 2018, and an all-electric Mini in 2019, BMW has confirmed it will introduce the all-electric X3 in 2020, with another EV due in 2021. We can’t wait to see what’s (i)Next.
Related Video:
Source: BMW
Psychologists figure out the science behind earworms
There’s a scientific reason why you can’t get that one song out of your head, and a team from the American Psychological Association conducted a large scale study to get to the bottom of it. They compared earworms to other songs that became popular at the same time even though they weren’t exactly considered catchy and found out what makes them so sticky. The study’s lead author, Kelly Jakubowski, said those songs share a few common characteristics: they typically have “fast tempo along with a common melodic shape and unusual intervals or repetitions.”
Some of them, for instance, follow a pattern of rising and falling in pitch over and over again, like the opening of Moves Like Jagger. Others repeat more notes than most pop songs, along with unexpected intervals like the chorus of Lady Gaga’s Bad Romance. In fact, Bad Romance was the most frequently named earworm by the subjects in the study, followed by Kylie Minogue’s aptly titled hit Can’t Get You Out Of My Head.
The team says their study does more than just understand what songs have a bigger chance of making it to the top of the charts. By looking into earworms, they’re also understanding how brain networks involved in emotions, memory and spontaneous thoughts behave in different people. They also came up with a few suggestions on how to stop a song from playing on a loop inside your head. You can distract yourself, let it fade naturally on its own… or listen to it in full so you can finally move on.
Source: American Psychological Association
Yuneec Typhoon H review – CNET
The Good The Yuneec Typhoon H offers features that are above its price, such as a 360-degree rotating 4K camera, retractable landing gear and the option to control the drone and camera separately. It has sonar-based object detection, but is also available with Intel Realsense obstacle avoidance. Replacement parts are easy to find, and you can service it yourself for the most part.
The Bad The hexacopter is not sturdy, especially its flimsy camera mount. Controller size and layout are not the most user-friendly. Not as user-friendly as similarly priced models.
The Bottom Line The Yuneec Typhoon H is a well-equipped prosumer camera drone, but its build quality and lackluster user experience keep it off our short list.
When the Yuneec Typhoon H showed up at CES 2016 it stood out from the horde of other flying machines at the gigantic electronics show (the Ehang 184 being a notable exception).
Its six-rotor design and sonar sensors in front for obstacle detection give it the look of a flying insect, while its removable 360-degree rotating gimbal camera and retractable landing gear are things you can only really find on the $2,000 DJI Inspire 1. But the ready-to-fly Typhoon H was just $1,300 when it shipped in April and is currently $1,000 (AU$2,100, £1,000).
To top it all off, the Typhoon H is available in a Pro version for $1,500 (£1,550, AU$3,000) which adds Intel’s Realsense technology for advanced obstacle avoidance and downward-facing optical flow sensors to help you fly it if a GPS connection isn’t available or is lost. (This Intel demo at CES shows just a bit of this system’s capabilities.)
Naturally, I had high expectations for the Typhoon H. I mean, I really like the Inspire 1, but it’s simply not practical for anyone but professionals and enthusiasts with deep pockets. The Typhoon H offers comparable features (so much so DJI filed a lawsuit for patent infringement) in a more compact body and for a whole lot less money. You’re getting a lot more drone for the price of DJI’s top consumer drone, the Phantom 4.
View full gallery Joshua Goldman/CNET
Up, up and aw-hey, come back!
For the first couple flights the Typhoon H performed really well. It handled wind with no issues and everything functioned as promised. There are two modes you can fly in, Angle and Smart. Angle moves the drone in the direction the control stick is pushed relative to the nose of the aircraft. Smart mode move it in the direction the right-hand control stick is pushed relative to the pilot and no matter which way the nose is pointed.
Its Android-based ST16 Ground Station controller is somewhat unwieldy, takes seemingly forever to boot up and is not the most thoughtfully laid out or labeled, but it’s great to have a 7-inch touchscreen built right in so you don’t have to worry about attaching a phone or tablet. All the controls are at your fingertips for both the drone and camera.
Then it happened: While it was hovering in place (during a video shoot), it began to drift. When I went to correct it, the Typhoon H didn’t respond to the controls, and sent itself into a tree. It didn’t hit hard, but it was enough to snap one of its carbon-fiber arms in half and bust the camera mount, though the camera itself was fine.
View full gallery Mark Licea/CNET
Yuneec sent a second drone to test, but honestly, it took me awhile to attempt the retest because I was afraid of a repeat performance. Anyone who’s experienced a flyaway knows how gut-wrenching it is to watch the drone uncontrollably crash or disappear into the distance.
The fact is, though, flyaways happen. It’s not unique to Yuneec and, in fact, on my DJI reviews you’ll probably find at least one commenter asking me to do a web search for “DJI flyaway.” But my Typhoon H problem was not an isolated incident: Yahoo’s David Pogue and Videomaker.com’s review of the Typhoon H point to flyaway problems similar to what I experienced.
Round 2
Out of the box, my second Typhoon performed well again with no issues whatsoever. That lasted two flights.
Valve is testing DualShock 4 support in Steam’s beta channel
If you never quite got the hang of Valve’s weird touch-pad laden game controller, you’re in luck: the company is testing out Steam Configuration support for the DualShock 4. Steam beta client users can now customize every button on the PlayStation 4 gamepad using the same key-mapping interface Valve uses for its own Steam Controller. This makes the more traditional gamepad compatible with every non-VR title in the Steam library — even those without native controller support.
Why choose the PlayStation 4 controller as Steam’s next officially supported gamepad? Well, it turns out the DualShock 4 and the Steam Controller have a lot in common — in addition to having a standard gamepad layout, the DualShock 4 also features a touchpad and gyro sensor that can be mapped to mouse or joystick movement. Properly configured, this means the DS4 can be used to navigate mouse-only menus and implement Splatoon-like tilt controls in first person shooters.
For now, DualShock 4 support is only available in Steam’s beta client, and even then it needs to be activated in a special menu. Still, it’s a great alternative for PC gamers that want more control options, but weren’t interested in learning how to use Valve’s official gamepad.
Source: Valve
Kickstarter’s first sex toy has arrived
Crowdfunded sex toys aren’t new to the scene, but until now, the most well-known crowdfunding site has steered clear of the category. Now, Kickstarter is hosting a campaign for Dame Products’ Fin vibrator. Cofounder Alexandra Fine tells Motherboard that proximity helped it break in, since “Kickstarter is literally around the block from us.” The company is familiar with the process, after launching its Eva vibrator for couples with an $835k campaign on Indiegogo.
Fine and her fellow cofounder Janet Lieberman created the Fin to help “close the pleasure gap” for women by enhancing natural touching. The USB-rechargeable device has a three-speed motor inside and is made of medical-grade silicone. Designed to be “small, simple and powerful,” it can be held between one’s fingers in multiple positions (tips of the fingers, along the palm, back of the fingers).
In contrast to their previous Eva product, Fin’s “hands-on” nature is intended to bring partners closer together, while addressing many women’s need for clitoral stimulation to reach orgasm.
Delivery is estimated to begin in December, and preordering via Kickstarter is available for $60, a discount from the planned $75 retail price.
Via: Motherboard
Source: Fin (Kickstarter), Dame Products
Google slams EU’s antitrust claims against AdSense and Shopping
Back in April, the European Commission started its Google antitrust inquiry looking into Android development. But a few months later it broadened the probe into investigating whether the search giant abused its control of AdSense and comparison shopping results to push its own products over others. Today, Google firmly rejected the allegations as lacking evidence, stating that the EU’s vision of online shopping just doesn’t mesh with reality.
People don’t solely reach merchant sites via searching for products, Google SVP Kent Walker said in a post. That antiquated model isn’t represented in today’s online shopping landscape. Consumers also find particular stores through merchant platforms, social media sites, specialist searches and online ads, to say nothing of online shops reaching consumers directly. On mobile, the most common way for consumers to shop is on dedicated apps.
Where online shopping is concerned, Walker argues that it is among other websites in chasing a bigger, badder wolf: Amazon, which he states is still “by far the largest player in the field.” He rejects the Commission’s claim that consumers don’t go to Amazon to compare product features and prices. Lastly, the EU would prefer Google not use algorithms to choose which merchant ads are relevant to consumers, replacing them instead with price comparison sites. But user activity and feedback has told the search giant that consumers don’t click on them so much as the Google-suggested ads.
While the EU first opened antitrust investigations in November 2010, it only submitted a formal Statement of Objections accusing Google of preferential search results in August 2015. The search giant’s rebuttal then was largely the same as now: “We believe that the SO’s preliminary conclusions are wrong as a matter of fact, law, and economics.”
Google also submitted a response for objections to its AdSense program, and it has until November 11 to respond to the third antitrust complaint regarding preferential Android software development. If found guilty of all three, previous claims suggest that the search giant faces up to $3.5 billion in fines. But a leaked document suggests that punishment for the Android antitrust objections could order Google to stop offering payments and discounts for pre-installing apps and add fines directly pegged to the search giant’s ad revenue.
Via: TechCrunch
Source: Google blog
AIVAnet 