‘Dear Angelica’ from Oculus shows the power of VR illustration

Illustration is an unusual choice for a virtual reality experience. After all, when you can build and render fully-realized 3D worlds, relying on drawings alone almost feels like a step back. But that didn’t stop Oculus from pursuing a bold new animated style for its next short, Dear Angelica. In fact, the company had to build a new VR tool (Quill, its VR drawing software) to make the film. The end result is a truly unique short — one that shows that virtual reality can be immersive even when you’re basically looking at static images. It’s premiering at the Sundance Film Festival and will be made freely available to Rift owners today.

Dear Angelica centers on a young girl (voiced by Mae Whitman), who’s coping with the death of her film star mother (Geena Davis). As she revisits memories of watching her mother’s films, they’re drawn out in front of you. It’s all gorgeously rendered, with a wondrous sense of scale. In many ways, watching Dear Angelica is like stepping into an interactive motion comic; there’s some wonderful illustration talent at work, but it’s also buoyed by a bit of movement and changing camera perspectives.

While the film isn’t very long, you can pause and step through a scene at any point. And since there’s sometimes a lot to take in — I sometimes found myself spinning around trying to capture every detail of more epic scenes — it’ll likely reward repeated viewings. It’s clear that Oculus spent a lot of time crafting Dear Angelica. Art director Wesley Allsbrook painted the entire experience on his own. And the voice work by Whitman (who narrates the bulk of the film) and Davis is genuinely moving. Rounding out the entire experience is some fantastic sound design, which makes the relatively small-scale short feel like a Hollywood blockbuster at times.

Looking ahead, I hope Oculus can take the concept of VR illustration further to give us a fully animated experience. Dear Angelica is a tremendous accomplishment, especially since Allsbrook drew it on his own, but it would be intriguing to see what an even larger team can do. As an aficionado of animated films, I’d love to step into the equivalent of a traditional Disney or Miyazaki movie at some point.

As the third VR short from Oculus Story Studio, Dear Angelica feels like a more focused effort. It’s not trying to wow you like their first short, Lost, or relying on a fun cartoon animal to spark your interest, as Oculus did with Henry. At its core, Dear Angelica is a simple story of loss and grief, it’s just told in a completely new way.

Tim Cook Cashes in $3.6 Million in Stock as Respected Analyst Gives Him Passing Grades

Apple CEO Tim Cook sold 30,000 shares of Apple stock this week, valued at $3.6 million based on the company’s stock price of $120 at the time of the transactions, according to a U.S. Securities and Exchanges Commission disclosure. The shares were sold as scheduled pursuant to Cook’s predetermined trading plan.

Cook retains 1,009,809 company shares worth over $121 million based on Apple’s current stock price following the sale.

A recent SEC filing revealed Cook was paid $8.7 million in 2016, which is $1.5 million less than he was paid in 2015. The decrease stems from Apple failing to meet its own target performance goals for both net sales and operating income in 2016, resulting in senior executives receiving only 89.5% of their cash incentives.

However, upon reaching his fifth anniversary as Apple CEO last year, Cook cashed in nearly $137 million in previously-awarded stock bonuses tied to both his tenure and Apple’s performance under his leadership. Accordingly, after bonuses, Cook actually earned roughly $145 million last year, his biggest payout yet.

Yesterday, Apple analyst Neil Cybart opined that Cook and his inner circle are “doing what needs to be done in order to maintain Apple’s relevancy,” but he noted “there is room for improvement.” He called out sporadic Mac and iPad updates, and slow progress with Siri, as two blemishes among others in its product strategy.

In attempt to add a bit of relative context to this subjective grading:

• Product Strategy: A-
• Product Pipeline/R&D: A
• Operations: B-
• Marketing/Storytelling: C+
• Culture: B+
• Public Face: A+
• Financials: B

In related shareholder news, the world’s largest asset manager BlackRock has increased its stake in Apple and now holds 6.1% of outstanding shares in the company, up from 5.7% a year ago. Its 322,683,504 shares are valued at over $38.7 billion based on Apple’s current stock price.

Tags: Tim Cook, AAPL, SEC, Above Avalon
Discuss this article in our forums

Amazon adds virtual Dash buttons to its website

It’s already extremely easy to purchase stuff from Amazon’s website, but now you won’t even have to search for every day items you tend to re-order. Amazon has launched digital versions of its Dash buttons and has added them to its homepage, according to Recode. The digital Dash buttons, which enable one-click buying, reportedly started popping up on Amazon.com and on its app’s home screen on Thursday night. Amazon will auto-generate buttons for your most recent purchases, but a spokesperson told Recode that you can also create your own. So long as you’re a Prime member, you can use the new “Add to your Dash buttons” option that’s now in all eligible products’ pages.

[Image credit: Recode]

The spokesperson said the company decided to launch virtual Dash buttons due to the physical version’s popularity. These have the potential to be an even bigger hit because they’re free, whereas the physical buttons cost $5 each. But it all depends on whether people choose to use them instead of just shopping the regular way when they’re already on the e-commerce giant’s website or app.

Source: Recode

PlayStation VR now supports 360-degree YouTube videos

PSVR is still a young whippersnapper in the virtual reality world, striving for parity — and in games, superiority — with the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive. Today it’s taken another step forward with support for 360-degree videos on YouTube. That means you can boot up anything on the platform, including a New York Times ‘Daily 360’ video, and move your head to change the perspective. You’re stuck in one place, of course, but the experience is still fairly immersive, especially in comparison to the desktop YouTube experience (dragging around with your cursor isn’t much fun).

We’ve seen glimpses of this functionality before. A handful of early PSVR owners received the update last December, but said the quality of the service was poor. That’s because the videos were capped at 1080p and had to be stretched to accommodate the headset’s 100-degree field of view. We’re hoping that Sony and Google have worked out the kinks — a huge library of immersive 360 videos would make PSVR a more useful and attractive proposition. If nothing else, it’ll tide us over while developers work on new VR games, like the much anticipated Resident Evil 7.

Source: PlayStation Blog

Uber Agrees to $20M Settlement After Claim it Falsely Advertised High Income to ‘Entice’ Potential Drivers

The Federal Trade Commission recently filed a complaint against popular ride-hailing app Uber for posting inflated yearly wages on various job-seeking websites, which “enticed numerous consumers to become Uber drivers” under false pretenses, according to the FTC. Uber isn’t fighting the allegations placed against it, and has instead this week quickly agreed to a settlement deal in the way of paying $20 million as equitable relief to the FTC.

As reported by BuzzFeed News, the FTC’s complaint explains that from May 2014 through August 2015 Uber published a statement on its website which included various annual earning rates for its drivers. In the post the company mentioned that for UberX drivers the “median income is more than $90,000/year/driver in New York and more than $74,000/year/driver in San Francisco.”

According to the FTC, the truth is that the median income is $29,000 less than Uber claimed in New York, and $21,000 less in San Francisco, specifically when looking at hours locked to a standard 40-hour work week. In total, less than 10 percent of drivers in New York and San Francisco have reached Uber’s $90,000 and $74,000 yearly income claim, respectively.

“To induce individuals to become Uber Drivers, Uber has advertised and marketed the earning potential of its Drivers on Craigslist, its company website, and other advertising and marketing media. Uber has publicized high annual and hourly earnings to entice consumers to become Uber Drivers. However, once Drivers have begun to receive their paychecks, Drivers have discovered their actual earnings were substantially less than Uber has claimed.”

The complaint specifically mentions a collection of job postings published by Uber in cities across the United States, all backing Uber’s inflated earnings rate that the FTC sees as a false tactic to get drivers onto the service.

Uber also has “made numerous claims” regarding the cheap cost and unlimited mileage of its Vehicle Solutions Program, which lets drivers buy or lease a car they can use to drive for Uber. According to the FTC’s complaint, the company “has had no basis with which to make these claims,” saying that Uber has had zero oversight or even monitored the terms and conditions of any driver entering into the Vehicle Solutions Program.

“Further, Drivers in Uber’s Vehicle Solutions Program – which has connected Drivers with subprime auto companies and dealers – have in many instances received worse than industry average rates, made payments for hundreds of dollars more per month than advertised, and entered into leases imposing costs for mileage.”

Uber CEO Travis Kalanick has acknowledged the FTC’s complaint in the settlement agreement, and a company spokesperson said the following in a statement:

“We’re pleased to have reached an agreement with the FTC,” an Uber spokesperson said in a statement. “We’ve made many improvements to the driver experience over the last year and will continue to focus on ensuring that Uber is the best option for anyone looking to earn money on their own schedule.”

The ride-hailing company has hit a few rocky patches over the past few months, most recently hearing concerns from users after an update introduced background GPS tracking that follows a rider up to five minutes after their trip ends and even if the app is closed. A company spokeswoman told BuzzFeed News in December that one of the biggest advantages of the five minute tracking update is that it “could also help customer service representatives investigate complaints or safety issues” raised by users following a ride.

Tag: Uber
Discuss this article in our forums

Tips for surviving Inauguration Weekend

Okay, so we’re doing this.

America is inaugurating its 45th President this weekend, and that means a number of important things. People have traveled from all over the U.S. to experience the event, either in support or in protest, and historically that influx of people means a dramatic increase in strain on the cellular networks. Each of the major carriers claim to have beefed up their service in preparation, but there’s a lot more to the Internet than just that connection. In a situation where anything can happen and likely everything you’re imagining will happen to some degree, it’s important to be prepared.

Here are some quick tips for getting through Inauguration weekend with your sanity, and hopefully also your phone, intact.

If you’re in Washington DC

Whether you’re a DC native or you’ve travelled in from far away, there are some tools you’re going to want handy.

Amazon Prime Now is your friend

Before you head out to any of the events this weekend, make sure you have everything you need for a safe trip. Multiple payment methods on hand, a direct walking path to and from the event so you don’t get lost, and a good rugged case for your phone. If you’re not the phone case type, or you’re rocking a slim folio, upgrade immediately. You’re going to be surrounded by hundreds of people with arms that aren’t likely to know exactly where you are holding your phone to get that perfect video. Fortunately, Prime Now works well in DC, so you can have a case or a glass screen protector delivered to you before you head out.

Check out Amazon Prime Now

Don’t rely on Wi-Fi

Someone else’s wireless network is not your friend this weekend. It’s way too easy to walk around with the equipment necessary to create hotspots built specifically for snooping your data and stealing your passwords. Crowded events like this are an incredibly common way to have your data stolen and your credit cards used before you even know what happened. Stay on your cellular network, unless you’re using a service like Project Fi that secures your connection with a safe VPN.

Record, don’t broadcast

As much fun as Facebook Live and Periscope can be, don’t bother trying them this weekend. Your network connection is never going to be good enough to establish a high quality stream surrounded by all of these people with their phones trying to rapid fire tweets from the events in DC. If you want to capture something, record it through normal photos and video. If you’re concerned about losing that recording, turn on Google Photos and set it to automatically back up photos and video so you can access it from anywhere later.

There are so many apps

The volume of information at your disposal for these events in incredible, but here’s a quick list of apps you’ll want installed on your phone to help you through the event.

• Twitter: The Trump Inaugural account on Twitter is going to keep you updated and includes quick glances at details like where the entrances and exits are.

• DC Metro and Bus: Navigating Washington DC without a map of the mass transit system can be a little intimidating, so keep this handy.

• Uber: You could also skip the mass transit system in DC and just go Uber, though at the peak of traffic it’s likely surge pricing will be in effect.

• Mobile Justice: DC: The ACLU app for DC makes it easy to record and report events that aren’t exactly legal.

• Trusted Contacts: Make sure people know where you are. Check in regularly, and stay safe.

If you’re catching the events from elsewhere

Whether you’re interested in viewing the festivities or avoiding them entirely, there are some tools for you.

YouTube Live Stream

The Inauguration and its partner events will be live streamed on YouTube, which means it can be casted to your television with a Chromecast and you can watch all weekend.

Twitter Filters

Not interested in the opinions of others this weekend? Filter them out with Open Tweet Filter. It only works on the web, so you’re on your own if you open the app on your phone, but this will either keep the Inauguration out of your feed entirely or keep you completely focused on the events at hand.

Go find something to do

Quoting Patton Oswalt:

Leave your TV tuned to a channel like Turner Classic Movies or National Geographic or any channel that will have zero inaugural coverage. Then turn off your phone. Then shut down your computer.
And then — IF you can afford it — go find a struggling theater company and pay to see whatever play they’re putting on. Or a struggling art gallery or music club or museum. Leave ’em money and see what they’re about.

Go see an indie film that’s got stellar reviews and no audience. Or a new restaurant or other small business that needs friends and customers. Download a new band. Go to an independent bookstore and buy something from a small press. Go to an open mike. Or see any comedian. Tip your barista or barkeep a little extra.

In other words, do all of the cultural and aesthetic things that Trump thinks are worthless. Make a whole big chunk of existence suddenly spike in importance. And then keep doing that, if you can.

Above all, be safe!

How to change the default launcher on the Huawei Mate 9 and EMUI 5.0

How do I get rid of the launcher on my EMUI 5.0 phone? Easily!

The Huawei Mate 9 comes with its own pretty good launcher — though it helps to add an app drawer — but if you prefer something different, as many people do, it’s easy to change.

The phone ships with EMUI 5.0, which is a big update over what shipped on older Huawei devices, but there are still too many menus. In particular, it’s still too difficult to change the default launcher. But with these steps, you can do it in a snap.

Note: This guide was made using the Huawei Mate 9, but it will apply to all phones running EMUI 5.0, including the Honor 8.

How to change the default launcher on the Huawei Mate 9 and other EMUI 5.0 devices

Swipe down on the notification shade at the top of the screen.
Tap Settings (cog) icon on the far right.

Tap Search bar at the top of the menu.

Type “def” into the search bar until Default app settings appears. Tap on it.
Tap Launcher at the top of the menu.
Choose your new launcher and accept changes.

That’s it! Now you can swap easily between launchers, be it Huawei’s default one or something a little more interesting, like Nova Launcher or Action Launcher 3.

The best Android launchers

Huawei Mate 9

• Huawei Mate 9 review
• Huawei Mate 9 specs
• Where to buy the Mate 9 in the U.S.
• Porsche Design Mate 9 unboxing
• All Huawei Mate 9 news
• Join the discussion in the forums

Jet.com
Amazon

Photo editing app Meitu says it needs permissions for analytics, denies selling user data

Meitu details why it needs all those permissions.

Chinese photo editing app Meitu made landfall in the U.S. recently, with the free app shooting up the Play Store rankings over the course of the week. The app adds anime-style filters to photos, and the final results end up being equal parts wonderful and weird.

The app has been popular in China and Hong Kong for several years now, but its entry into the U.S. was fraught with privacy issues. The app asks for twenty-three permissions in total, which include access to your phone’s device ID, storage, Wi-Fi, network settings, local IP, location details, carrier information, the ability to run at startup, and more.

In a statement to the media, Meitu said that it collects all that data to optimize the app’s performance, and get a better understanding of how customers engage with its ads. The company denied that it sells any of the user data it collects, going into further detail as to why it needs so many permissions.

Meitu said that as its services are based out of China, tracking services provided by the Play Store and App Store are blocked. To counter this, it uses a combination of third-party and in-house analytics tools that ensure the “user data tracked is consistent.” The user data is sent back to China securely through “multilayer encryption to servers equipped with advanced firewall and IDS, IPS protection to block external attacks.”

Meitu also went into detail over the permissions it requires:

• MAC address/IMEI number: In some cases, Meitu cannot get both info at the same time and in some cases different devices even have the same IMEI number, so we combine these two details into one unique ID to track user devices.
• LAN IP address is used to prevent business fraud.
• SIM card country code is used for a rough location detection.
• GPS and network location are used for detecting countries and regions for Geo-based operation and advertisement placement.
• Phone carrier info is used as a standard tracking channel for analytics, just like the other third-party analytics tools(e.g., Flurry).
• RUN_AT_START: because the Google service (including GCM) is not available in mainland China, Meitu uses a third-party push notification service called Getui (www.getui.com).

That’s certainly a lot to put up with for a photo filter app. If you’re satisfied with Meitu’s explanation, the app is available for free from the Play Store.

Fujifilm GFX 50S preview: Medium format made easy

When Fujifilm announced at Photokina 2016 it was to launch a mirrorless medium format camera – that is, a camera with a sensor larger than even a pro-spec DSLR – there was explosive excitement.

The company hasn’t been mucking around either, for the GFX 50S’s quick turnaround has been quite astonishing: it’ll hit the shelves on 23 February 2017, priced £6,199 body-only, as a final production camera.

We know what you’re thinking: “six grand?!”. But that’s a small price for what is a big deal – it undercuts Pentax, Hasselblad, et al, in this specialist market – and the viewfinder is included in the box, adding further value for money.

A full month ahead of release date we got to test out the GFX 50S in a variety of settings. And we’re already convinced that it’s medium format made easy. Maybe you don’t want that full-frame DSLR any more after all.

Fuji GFX 50S preview: New beginnings

• 51.4-megapixels (sensor measures 43.8 x 32.9mm)
• New Fujinon GF lenses (G-mount)
• Weighs 825g body-only (sub-1.2kg with lens)
• Built-in 2.36m-dot tilt-angle LCD touchscreen
• 3.69m-dot electronic viewfinder included

The most striking thing about the GFX 50S is how small it is. Well, how small it is for a medium format camera anyway. The body alone is just 825g, making it lighter than some pro DSLR cameras. For something that’s sturdy and weather-sealed, that’s quite an achievement.

Pocket-lint

Older medium format systems tend to be rather rigid in their arrangement, with features like waist-level finders a staple. The GFX offers a tilt-angle LCD screen to make looking down on the camera easy, which even offers touchscreen functionality to further ease.

We were surprised that a camera such as this offers touchscreen. Fuji doesn’t even put that in its X100F high-end compact camera. However, whereas plenty of touch-controlled cameras are too easy to accidentally adjust, the GFX 50S needs to be firmly addressed before touch will register. A proper tap on the screen will see the focus point move though.

Not that everyone will use touch. And that’s where the included electronic viewfinder comes into the equation. It slips onto of the camera with ease and given the size and weight it feels just like using a mirrorless system camera or DSLR really. The 3.69m-dot resolution is huge, so things look excellent. And if you don’t want it attached, simply take it off.

Pocket-lint

Interestingly Fuji has excluded the EVF-TL1 adapter from the box, which enables the viewfinder to be rotated any which way. It’s ideal for top-down view for portrait orientation work, or as a top-down 90-degree vertical for landscape work. Thing is, the adapter costs £579. Ouch. That’s one expensive hinge.

Fuji GFX 50S preview: What lenses are there?

• Three launch lenses, six by end of 2017
• Fujinon GF 63mm f/2.8 R WR
• Fujinon GF 32-64mm f/4 R LM WR
• Fujinon GF 120mm f/4 R LM OIS WR Macro
• H-mount adapter for Super EBC Fujinon HC lenses

Part of the GFX’s scale is thanks to the new G-mount lens system, which accepts the new Fujinon GF lens range. The flange back distance is short (26.7mm) which helps keep the overall body size down.

Pocket-lint

At launch lenses aren’t particularly plentiful – there’s a 63mm f/2.8, 32-64mm f/4 and 120mm f/4, all of which are weather sealed – but Fuji promises an additional three optics by the end of 2017. Plus, with the H-mount adapter available to buy to use select Fujinon HC lenses (part of the GX645 film system) there’s additional scope. Lenses have 0.85x magnification to equate to their 35mm equivalent, so the 63mm is around a 54mm equivalent (the ideal standard lens).

We used all three lenses and found the 63mm was every bit as quick as it needed to be; the 120mm was a little slow to focus and would sometimes not quite lock-on; while the 32-64mm zoom worked well and had a solid motion to its zoom movement. All the lenses have aperture control rings or you can set them to “C” which allows for front thumbwheel aperture control – which feels like using a DSLR than a typically beastly medium format.

Fuji GFX 50S preview: What’s it like to use?

• 425 point contrast-detection autofocus system
• Manual, continue and single autofocus switch
• Dedicated ISO and shutter speed dials
• 1/4000th sec max; 125x shutter sync; 1/16,000th sec electronic shutter
• 1.28-inch sub LCD display

As we’ve eluded to, the GFX makes medium format easy. As this is a mirrorless camera the rear screen display and viewfinder show an accurate preview, including white balance and in-camera effects – there are film, sharpness, contrast and all manner of other real-time adjustments – with minimal black-out affecting use.

Pocket-lint

The sheer number of autofocus points is impressive too: there are 425 of them when miniaturised from the standard 117-point setting. Compared to Hasselblads of old that’s heaps more control, with the focus spread wide across the sensor for even focus adjustment to the outer edges of the frame. It’s reasonably quick, too, just don’t expect the very best continuous AF from a contrast-detection setup.

If you don’t want to use the touchscreen controls then the focus lever on the rear of the camera is well positioned for quick adjustment. This little joystick resembles what you’ll find on Fuji’s other cameras, such as the X-Pro2 and X-T2, which gives a familiar family feel and avoids excessive menu digging.

The dedicated ISO sensitivity and shutter speed dials, in combination with the lens aperture ring, also make for a traditional control method. It’s easy to quickly adjust, or lock these dials into place as you please using the individual locks. There’s no exposure compensation dial, though, which is a bit of a shame.

Pocket-lint

On the shutter dial you’ll notice the 125x speed, which is the maximum sync possible with the GFX 50S. No surprise as the focal-plane shutter would otherwise get in the way of an exposure. But you can be clever with leaf-shutter lenses – if you can find any HC lenses! – and sync at up to 1/800th sec for that true “medium format special” of a darkened background. We didn’t get a chance to explore that, but know certain photographers will see it as an essential.

Fuji GFX 50S preview: How good is image quality?

• 51.4-megapixels (sensor measures 43.8 x 32.9mm)
• Range of crop formats: from 6:17 to 5:4 and more
• ISO 100-12,800 sensitivity
• Dual SD card slots
• 4K 30p video

Medium format is all about resolution and depth-of-field control. The huge sensor inside the GFX 50S hits 50-million pixels, making it the highest-resolution sensor ever from the company. Sure, it’s made by Sony, but it’s entirely specified by Fuji for the optimum quality.

Pocket-lint

And the quality really is astounding. We shot a model, Charlotte, on an old staircase at Althorp House, Northants, and the precision detail in the eyelashes, skin texture and hair is quite incredible. We were shooting at f/8.0, though, to avoid the depth of field being too exaggerated.

That’s the thing with medium format: if you want to be ultra precise an operate at f/2.8 (using the 64mm only for now) then you can. The potential for melty backgrounds is huge, but be slightly off and it’ll ruin your images.

The quality isn’t just astounding because of the lenses, the sensor is mighty capable. The wide ISO sensitivity range holds up well even at higher sensitivities: we went off piste from the photo shoot to snap some antique vases in a low-lit room and at ISO 12,800 they still look exceptional.

Pocket-lint

Most are going to be using the staple low ISO sensitivities where possible, of course, but that you can handheld shoot at ISO 1600 with zero fear of disruptive colour or image noise is a great thing. That never used to be the case with Hasselblad medium format cameras, so Fuji has found that leap pad point to entice in not only studio photographers, but those working in the field too.

We do think a tilt-shift lens and a much wider-angle optic will be the signed and sealed deal for architectural photographers though. But that should be in the bag by the end of the year.

First Impressions

Medium format might be specialist, but Fuji has made it easy and accessible in the GFX 50S. The camera avoids fussy features, comes fully equipped straight out of the box and, pending a conclusive lens line-up, stands a strong change of drawing some photographers away from full-frame DSLR.

Sure, its £6,199 price point is far from small, but it’s a game-changing price in terms of the medium format world. All without cutting any corners and delivering exceptional quality. The GFX 50S is one unexpected and special camera indeed.

Seat Leon Cupra review: Simmering rather than on-the-boil hot hatch

Seat launched the first-generation Leon in 1998. Sportier than the VW Golf, and cheaper than the Audi A3 (with which it shared much), it married the best qualities of both and the car reached its zenith as the range-topping Cupra R performance model.

That car used the 221bhp, high-output version of a 1.8-litre turbo petrol engine, which was otherwise reserved for the Audi TT – giving it a distinct sales point over the then contemporary and somewhat lackadaisical Golf Mk IV GTI. As Seat might say, it had a certain level of “auto emocion” (the firm’s tag line).

Fast-forward to 2016 and the Leon continues to share its underpinnings with the contemporary Golf, A3 and Skoda Octavia. But in 2016, what is its selling point?

Seat Leon Cupra review: By the numbers competition

The Leon Cupra we’re testing here comes with 286bhp (290 in rounded, European PS) – and that figure will shortly be upgraded to 300bhp. In 2016, the internal competition is slightly different though. You can get a Golf that out-powers the Seat, in the form of the 300 PS R model. So why buy a Leon Cupra?

Pocket-lint

Price, for a start. Comparing to Volkswagen, for the £28,380 a 5-door Cupra costs, you’ll only be able to afford a Golf GTI – which, even in its new 265bhp Clubsport format, has less horsepower than the Leon. Want to get into an equivalent horsepower Golf, and you’ll need £32,340 for that 5-door Golf R.

Sure, the Golf R comes with a few more horsepower and four-wheel drive – but the Leon Cupra counters with standard-fit variable rate dampers, which many critics say you need to fit to the Golf to make it come alive.

Seat Leon Cupra review: A step down?

So has Seat saved the money and skimped compared to its in-house VW rival? If there’s anywhere you’ll notice the difference in the Leon before turning the key, it’s in the cabin.

This isn’t an unpleasant interior – and the big, figure-hugging Seats in contrast white and grey Alcantara certainly lift the gloom – but the doors and dashboard are a 50-shades-of-grey colour scheme and rather cliff-like in design.

Pocket-lint

And it’s not just in the look or feel: the Seat’s interior is slightly de-contented, so where for instance the door pockets in a Golf or Octavia are flock-lined, in the Leon they’re just hard plastic, leaving your keys to rattle and move around.

On the positive side, the driver’s seat goes low, the steering wheel is small and covered in nice-to-hold perforated leather, and there are a few flashes of sportyness in the Cupra flag that adorns the steering wheel, gear stick and rev counter. Oh and the door handles are cool – they pivot around their centre axis – meaning that as you pull them at one end the other disappears.

The Leon is pretty average space-wise for this type of car – your kids won’t complain in the back, the boot’s not as small as a Ford Focus nor as big as an Octavia – but is generally comfortable, including an adjustable driving position to suit most body shapes and sizes.

Which is kind of the point of hot hatches like this: you get all the performance of a sports car, with none of the compromises. You can bring the family along for fun.

Seat Leon Cupra review: Twist and shout

And fun you will have. Twist the key – the Leon still has an old-fashioned ignition slot, all the better for it – and the 2.0 TSi engine chunters into life with a brief flare and rasp from the exhaust.

Pocket-lint

The gearshift of the 6-speed manual box in our test car was precise, a little notchy when cold but soon gets slicker. The Cupra is available with Seat’s DSG auto box and if you’re going to do a lot of town driving or are the sort of person who likes playing racing driver with steering wheel paddles, we’d recommend it. It’s very smooth on up- and down-shifts once off the line and would make the Cupra very easy to drive when you’re commuting or on long runs. The 6-speed box is no hardship though, and gives this car a nice, old-school analogue feel.

The Leon Cupra also comes as standard with a mechanical, limited-slip differential. This helps the front end of the car feel much more keyed into the tarmac than a Golf GTi, which only has an electronic differential. It works when you turn into a corner, apply the power and then it balances power to the wheel with most grip and literally drags you round the bend.

It feels fantastic – a little un-nerving to the un-initiated, because the wheel at times tugs in your hands – but get used to it. As a result the Cupra will cover ground at a devastating pace…

Seat Leon Cupra review: A sunny day special

Well, it will most of the time. Where you’ll notice the difference between the Leon and more expensive Golf R, is when the weather is wet or cold. In a British winter, the Golf’s all-wheel drive system comes into its own for getting what’s ultimately a lot of power down onto the road. It feels less frenetic and more secure.

Pocket-lint

The Leon, on the other hand, with almost the same power, but only the front wheels driving, will still spin its wheels with surprising regularity when it’s wet or slimy on the road surface.

This means you have to more actively manage the way you drive than in the all-wheel-drive VW. In the Golf, you just belt the accelerator to get away from the line and off it goes. In the Leon, if it’s wet you’ll need to modulate your input until you’ve hooked second gear more often than not. Whether you consider this a bad thing is open to debate. The Leon’s less brain-out, and arguably harder work – but that means it can feel more involving than the Golf, too.

When the weather’s dry, the Leon is a hoot and will keep up with almost anything on a twisty road. One key advantage the Seat has are those special dampers we mentioned. These can vary how firm (soft) the damping is and means that even on rough roads the firm ride is calm and controlled. It doesn’t ever get crashy despite the 19-inch alloy wheels of our test car.

All the while, the engine never fails to deliver. It feels good for every one of its 290 horsepower. Bury the throttle anywhere in the rev range and it goes like a train.

The Seat is much less peaky than, say, the Peugeot 308 GTi and makes a better noise too – that exhaust rasp dialling up when you select the Cupra option in the drive mode selector. It’ll also return mid-to-late 30s for miles per gallon on the motorway, where the Leon is quite and refined – the exhaust settles down so it doesn’t become tedious like a Ford Focus RS’s might on a long trip.

Pocket-lint

It just lacks that last 10 per cent of real excitement. The Leon was never anything other than fast and reasonable fun, but it didn’t have us grinning from ear to ear like a Focus RS does.

And in a British winter we felt the Golf R would be a better companion for covering ground quickly and securely. There may be an answer to this issue lurking in the extensions to the Cupra range though: Seat has until recently offered Cupra Black and Cupra Sub-8 model packs, which add bucket Seats, different tyres and are generally designed to sharpen up the drive. The Sub-8 model refers to the Cupra’s class-leading, sub-8-minute Nürburgring lap record.

However, at the time of publication Seat is in the midst of issuing a small update to the Leon range, so we’ll have to wait and see if these packs are continued in the updated model or not. If they are, and you want maximum Leon fun, we’d suggest giving them a try.

Seat Leon Cupra review: A family affair

In the equipment stakes, the Leon gives you easy-to-use sat nav as standard, running through a standard 5.8-inch touchscreen display, which you can upgrade to an 8-inch unit at extra cost.

Pocket-lint

The display is mounted high-up in the dashboard and is easy to see. It works just like the (exact same) system in the VW and Skoda sister models. It can take a minute to boot up, but the hard shortcut buttons down the side mean it’s easy to jump between radio, navigation, media and car info and you can fiddle with the drive modes (throttle response, damper settings, steering weight, exhaust noise) via a button on the console or via this touchscreen.

Apple CarPlay and Android Auto also come as standard through the Seat Appconnect system, or you can Mirrorlink your Android phone. The fact Seat offers this as standard might sway your towards the Leon over some of the equivalent VW, Audi and Skoda products in which you’re made to pay extra.

Overall, we find the tech on-board easy to get on with. It’s representative of the easy-to-live-with Leon approach.

Verdict

In a world where there is a multitude of choice in the hot hatch world, it can be easy to overlook the Leon Cupra. But its underpinnings are close to best-in-class, its pedigree is strong and it’s good value for money.

As a no-nonsense, non-offensive kind of car that won’t irritate you or the family it’s easy to recommend. But it’s for perhaps this reason that when the Leon left us after its week, it didn’t live in the memory. On reflection, it lacks the certain “auto emocion” that cars like the Renault Megane RS, BMW M140i and even Peugeot 308 GTi have. They each have their qualities that irritate too, but at times truly come alive.

So whether the Leon Cupra is ultimately for you will depend on how you want, or like, your hot hatchbacks. It’s a very good car – fun to drive and a decent all-rounder – just one without a selling point quite as clear as it once was. As a result the Cupra doesn’t excite to quite the same levels as some of the competition.