Feral Announces ‘F1 2016’ Coming to Mac on April 6 for $49.99

Feral Interactive announced today that F1 2016 is coming to the Mac on April 6 and has been refined using Apple’s new graphics API, Metal.

F1 2016 is Codemasters’ official game for the 2016 FIA Formula One World Championship and features extensive online multiplayer game modes that allow players to compete against up to 21 rivals on any of the 21 Grand Prix circuits.

“It’s been three years since a new F1 game graced the Mac and a lot has happened since then,” said David Stephen, managing director of Feral. “F1 2016 is a massive step forward for the franchise, greatly improving upon the fastest and most thrilling on-track racing experience in gaming.”

At the heart of the game is an all-new career mode that Feral is calling the most immersive, in-depth mode ever featured in the franchise, and lets players pursue legendary status in the sport over up to ten back to back Formula One seasons.

The game includes the iconic Safety Car and Virtual Safety Car, the paddock, key figures from the world of F1 and all the drivers, teams and circuits. Players can also experience the height of the pre-race tension and feel the pressure of the all-important start with the introduction of the Formation Lap and manual starts.

The minimum system requirements for F1 2016 are a 2.8GHz Intel Core i5 processor running macOS 10.12.4, 8GB of RAM and a 2GB NVIDIA 680, AMD R9 280M, Intel Iris 540 or better. The recommended system requirements are a 3.3GHz Intel Core i7 processor running macOS 10.12.4, 16GB of RAM and a 4GB AMD R9 395X or better.

F1 2016 will be available through the Feral Store and Steam for $59.99 (£39.99) and available on the Mac App Store for $49.99 (£48.99). The game is also for pre-order on Feral’s official store.
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Facebook Testing ‘Rocket Ship’ Mobile Feed With Recommended, Local Content

Signs of Facebook’s silent testing of new features for its mobile app appear to be continuing apace, after some users noticed a rocket ship-shaped icon appearing at the bottom of their news feed.

(Image from iOS app via Wired)
The icon has been appearing from time to time at the bottom of the iOS app’s main news feed icon and displays a different type of feed made up of posts, articles, photos, and videos from sources users haven’t followed, like Facebook Pages or posts from news media organizations, for example.

A lot of the content that shows up in the rocket feed appears to be sourced locally, suggesting the feature may rely on live location information. Some posts have been spotted that are directly relevant to users’ interests, such as content from pages that are similar to those users have liked, so it’s possible the content stream is being selectively weighted by algorithms based on likes, friends, and groups.

(Image from Android app via Stan Schroeder/Mashable)
It’s unclear if the feature will ever get an official rollout to all mobile users – Facebook has a habit of trialing features just to see if they prove popular among a select few. Last month, the company began testing “Facebook Stories”, a Snapchat feature clone that lets users post a time-limited photo or video at the top of the Facebook app.

Tag: Facebook
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U.K. drone owners are causing a multitude of complaints

Why it matters to you

While the vast majority of drone owners fly their machines responsibly, it seems there are a growing number doing just the opposite.

The last couple of years has seen drone ownership skyrocket around the world, with growing sales coming off the back of increased affordability. Folks across the pond in the U.K. have clearly bought into the technology, though new figures suggest a marked increase in complaints about the way the remotely controlled flying machines are being used.

Obtained by the Press Association following a recent Freedom of Information request, the police data shows drone-related complaints hit 3,456 in 2016, nearly triple that of the 1,237 complaints logged a year earlier. And in 2014, when drone ownership numbers were relatively small, a mere 283 complaints were made.

The data included a broad range of incidents, from neighbors complaining that others were using drones to spy on them in their back yards, to reported near-misses with passenger jets flying close to major airports, with 59 such cases brought to the attention of the authorities in the last 12 months alone.

Some of the incidents described criminals using the camera-equipped machines to “scope out” properties ahead of a potential burglary, while others have been attempting — and in some cases succeeding — to fly contraband to prison inmates.

One guy threatened to shoot down a drone with an air rifle, while another complained that his neighbor was flying one of the machines “just to annoy him.”

Commenting on the data, David Dunn of Birmingham University told the Associated Press that the technology was impacting privacy in a big way.

“Previously you had a hedge, you had a wall and you could do whatever you wanted in your garden without people disturbing you. That has changed because of drones,” Dunn said.

He added that burglars are “using them to fly behind properties to see if the lights are on, to see what sort of French windows they have or whether there are windows open” before deciding whether to enter a property.

More: Canada tightens the rules on recreational drone use

Lawmakers are currently considering whether to implement a registration scheme forcing all U.K.-based drone owners to add their machine and personal details to a national database, similar to the one launched by the Federal Aviation Administration at the end of 2015. It’s believed such a scheme would encourage more responsible flying while helping the authorities to identify an owner in the event of a complaint or serious incident.

This delivery drone lands in the street before driving right to your doorstep

Why it matters to you

Large-scale drone delivery services are still some way away, but engineers are continuing to explore different designs for when such services eventually take off.

Sure, drone delivery may one day take off in a big way, but until advances in technology satisfy those who set the rules for flight safety, that day is still a ways off.

In the meantime, a number of tech firms have been developing wheel-based robots for deliveries to your door, with Domino’s just last week announcing plans to use such a machine for pizza delivery.

But little has been said about how a robot like this would see off ne’er-do-wells who might try to kidnap it for a free meal after spotting it trundling along the street. After all, we all remember what happened to poor ol’ hitchBot when he was out and about by himself.

In an apparent effort to combine the speed and security of aerial drones with the convenience of a true doorstep delivery service, California-based Advanced Tactics (AT) has announced that it recently completed the successful test of the Panther, a rugged-looking contraption that’s both a drone and an autonomous robot that can move along the ground. Besides taking packages right to the door, the system also offers the deliverer more options as it can land close to the customer’s yard if it happens to be inaccessible because of trees or other obstacles.

“It’s believed this is the first successful test of its kind,” AT said in a release, adding that the Panther “can land with a 5-pound package and safely drive up to the door with no propellers turning to deliver a package to the doorstep of a customer.” The mention of “no propellers turning” is a reference to the Panther’s safety features, after all, a paying customer would be pretty put out if they accidentally got their fingers sliced off when they went to grab their delivery. And anyway, the company is planning to house those propellors inside cages, providing extra reassurance in case anyone’s close by when it takes off.

AT said that “the combination of Vertical Take-Off and Landing (VTOL) flight with off-road driving capabilities in a package delivery drone make the Panther … unlike anything else previously seen.” The hexacopter can lift packages weighing up to 15 pounds and can be fitted with not only cameras but also a robotic arm to lift the consignment onto a doorstep, or straight into a waiting customer’s hand. There’s even talk of adding a video screen so the recipient can interact with delivery personnel back at base of desired.

But the Panther’s versatility comes at a price, with its hefty 44-pound weight limiting its flight time to no more than 10 minutes.

More: Watch this UPS truck launch a drone on a delivery run

The Panther, which has been in development for several years (check out last year’s demo video above), recently went on sale in the U.S. with a $2,500 price tag until April 5, after which hobbyists will have to pay a wallet-busting $8,000. But if any delivery firms are interested in the Panther, they may have a long wait putting it into service as current FAA rules prevent drones from being used as commercial delivery vehicles.

However, the wait for friendlier regulations at least gives AT time to develop and refine its technology to create a more affordable, more powerful machine that offers a new take on the idea of drone-based deliveries.

The ‘Lyra’ integrates lighting and security into a commuter bike

Why it matters to you

Sure, there are lighting options and GPS trackers aplenty, but these come built into the bike itself.

Two things are always high on the list of any serious cyclist: safety on the streets, and security of the bike itself.

San Francisco-based bike specialist Mission Bicycle has focused on both areas with its latest design, which is currently looking for backing on Kickstarter.

The Lyra is a stylish two-wheeler that incorporates an array of LED lighting to make you highly visible on the road, while the lightweight steel frame includes a GPS tracking device to help you track down your bike if it gets stolen or if you simply can’t remember where you parked it.

But more on those LEDs, first.

Mission Bicycle founder Zachary Rosen said his team designed the lighting feature “in an integrated way that doesn’t have extra flourishes or gimmicks or anything like that, it’s there to serve a purpose.” That purpose is, of course, to get you seen on the streets at night, giving approaching motorists and other road users ample time to safely respond to your presence.

We like the way the front lights are built into the forks of the bike, creating an eye-catching spread of light across the ground, thereby increasing your visibility. Rear lighting, meanwhile, comes in the form of a series of red LEDs built into the back of the seat stem, with two modes of lighting offered — super-bright and energy saving.

Speaking of power, the lighting system runs off a battery that lives in the head tube. When it’s running low, you simply remove it from the tube and charge it using the USB cable. Mission Bicycle says that testing shows the battery is good for around 20 half-hour night rides, equivalent to “about a month’s worth of commutes home from work.”

Now, while you’ll want a decent lock to reduce the chances of your precious bike going walkabout, the Lyra’s built-in GPS tracking device means you can keep tabs on the location of your bike around the clock. Each time the bike begins or ends a journey, it’ll ping its GPS location directly to the Lyra’s smartphone app so you’ll know exactly where it is at any given moment.

More: Digital Trends’ pick of the best biking gear for commuters

A Lyra prototype has already been built and tested, and Mission Bicycle hopes to start delivering its latest design — available in both single speed and 8-speed options — to U.S.-based Kickstarter backers in the fall of this year. Prices start at $1,000, but you’d better hit the project page quick if you want to snag an early-bird deal.

Where to buy the Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus in the UK

Pre-ordering the Galaxy S8 can bag you a new phone eight days before the street date.

The Samsung Galaxy S8 has been officially announced, and it’s available to pre-order now around the world. In the UK, all the major mobile operators are ranging the S8 and S8+, and both Samsung and Carphone Warehouse are offering the phone unlocked and SIM-free. As usual, there’s a wide range of on-contract plans available depending on your choice of carrier and service plan.

Let’s take a look at each of the major online options for pre-ordering a Galaxy S8 in the UK.

On contract

Carphone Warehouse

As usual, Carphone Warehouse is offering both Galaxy S8 models, in both color variants, on a wide range of different network options. Contracts with O2, Vodafone, EE and Carphone’s own iD network are available, with the cheaptest monthly plan being a £35.99, 2GB bundle on EE, with an upfront payment of £199.99. (For the S8+, that rises to £329.99).

For data-hungry users, Carphone offers a 24GB plan on Vodafone for £42 per month, with £169.99 upfront, for either device.

Pre-order customers at Carphone Warehouse can bag a free Samsung Level Box speaker worth £99.

See Galaxy S8 at Carphone Warehouse

See Galaxy S8+ at Carphone Warehouse

EE

EE has both phones available in black and grey, with upfront prices starting at £9.99 when you pay £60.99 per month for the Galaxy S8, or £65.99 for the S8+. Both models are available with EE’s “Official Samsung Pack,” for a extra £88 upfront (£97.99 total), which includes a £20 case voucher, Samsung’s new wireless charging pad, and a spare charging cable.

EE also offers a free 64GB Samsung microSD card for all GS8 buyers on choose one of its “Max” plans.

See at EE

Vodafone

Vodafone is offering both handsets in both colors, with the cheapest monthly plans starting at £32 per month (with a hefty £300 upfront charge) for 500MB for the base model S8. Voda’s data-heavy 24GB plan is available for £47 per month (£30 upfront) with the S8, and £52 per month (£50 upfront) for the S8+. And both can be maxed out to 30GB for an additional £6 per month.

Like other operators, Vodafone customers can score an S8 up to eight days ahead of the street date if they pre-order.

See Galaxy S8 at Vodafone

See Galaxy S8+ at Vodafone

O2

O2 has both phones available to order, with upfront prices starting at £9.99 (£55 per month for the Galaxy S8, £60 for the S8+.) As usual, O2’s price plans can be tweaked depending on your data requirements, whether you’d prefer to pay more upfront or monthly.

Data bundles come in between 1GB and 50GB, with O2’s most capacious GS8 bundle on offer for £86 per month when you pay £69.99 upfront. For the GS8, that rises to £87 per month and £79.99 upfront.

To sweeten the deal, O2 is throwing in a JBL Flip 4 speaker worth £119 for all Galaxy S8 pre-order customers.

See Galaxy S8 at O2

See Galaxy S8+ at O2

Three

Three has both phones in both colors, with on-contract prices for the GS8 starting at £35 per month on the carrier’s 500MB “Essentials” plan, which costs £35 per month and £99 upfront.

Three has a number of finite data buckets up to 12GB, and the Unlimited “All You Can Eat” plan is offered with both models too — prices start at £50 per month (£99 upfront) for the GS8, and £69 per month (£79 upfront) for the GS8 Plus.

See Galaxy S8 at Three

See Galaxy S8+ at Three

Unlocked

Samsung UK

It doesn’t get much simpler than ordering a GS8 or GS8+ unlocked direct from the manufacturer, Samsung has both phones available in ‘midnight black’ and ‘orchid grey’ colors with free shipping. The regular 5.8-inch Galaxy S8 will set you back £689. Stepping up to the 6.2-inch S8+ costs £779.

See at Samsung

Carphone Warehouse

Carphone’s SIM-free prices mirror Samsung’s — £689 for the S8, £779 for the S8+, with the same two color options available for both phones.

See at Carphone Warehouse

Unlocked Mobiles

Independent retailer Unlocked Mobiles has both Galaxy S8 models available at a slight discount compared to the standard price — £674.89 for the regular S8, or £764.98 for the S8+.

See Galaxy S8 at Unlocked Mobiles

See Galaxy S8+ at Unlocked Mobiles

If you’re picking up a Galaxy S8 or S8+ today, be sure to hit the comments and let us know which one you’re buying!

Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8+

• Galaxy S8 and S8+ hands-on preview!
• Galaxy S8 and S8+ specs
• Everything you need to know about the Galaxy S8’s cameras
• Get to know Samsung Bixby
• Join our Galaxy S8 forums

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Full HTC Ocean details leak; pressure sensitive Edge Sensors and 3D audio recording revealed

Preview materials for the HTC U, currently code named Ocean, have leaked online courtesy of Android Headlines.

They give us our best look yet at what to expect from HTC’s 201 flagship device, including some innovative new gesture-controlled features that build upon previously rumoured details.

Chief among those new features is something called ‘Edge Sensors’. We’ve already seen rumours suggesting the HTC Ocean would have touch-sensitive zones around the outside, but the preview materials by suggesting you will be able to squeeze the sides of the phone with varying amounts of pressure to carry out certain functions.

• HTC U ‘Ocean’: What’s the story on HTC’s next flagship?

It’s suggested a short squeeze of the sides while the phone is sleeping and the display is off would enable certain gestures, while a long press will activate others. Android Headlines says gestures can include opening the camera, launching Google Assistant, launching HTC Sense Companion or even activate a Wi-Fi hotspot.

HTC has also appeared to add three different levels of sensitivity, to help make sure you don’t activate certain functions without meaning to.

Details surrounding the camera on the HTC U “Ocean” have been few and far between up until now. However, both Weibo and Venture Beat have suggested it will come with the same, or similar cameras as the Google Pixel, also made by HTC. That would mean a 12-megapixel rear camera and 16MP front-facing with UltraPixels.

The preview materials don’t actually refer to megapixels, but instead refer to various features that should result in good quality photos. The HTC U is said to come with HDR+, with real-time live preview functionality. That means you’ll be able to see what your photo will look like, before you press the shutter button.

3D audio recording will also be possible thanks to four microphones placed around the device, and this will be the default option when taking videos. A second, high-resolution audio mode has also been teased, which claims to “bring a full range of lossless sound to the recording”.

HTC’s BoomSound speakers should make a return to deliver high-quality audio output from front-facing speakers, but the 3.5mm headphone port looks set to get the axe, in favour of USB Type-C audio instead. HTC will supply the U with its own USB-C headset.

To make sure you get the best possible sound from that headset, HTC has implemented a feature called HTC USonic, that claims to measure your specific ear canal in a matter of seconds, and adjust the audio accordingly. The USonic feature should also adjust to filter out any background ambient noise, for specific situations, such as commuting to work. And because it only takes a few seconds to adjust, you can easily go from one profile at home, to a different one on-the-go.

It also looks like the HTC U could follow a similar path as the Samsung Galaxy S8 and offer some PC functionality thanks to a feature called HTC Sense Link PC Client. It suggests you’ll be able to copy and paste content between the phone and your PC or laptop, as well as view notifications, although it doesn’t say if you’ll be able to interact with them from your computer.

• HTC might reveal HTC U flagship with ‘touch-sensitive frame’ in April

Elsewhere, specs are said be Android Nougat 7.1 out-the-box, a Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 processor and 64GB storage with 4GB RAM and 128GB storage with 6GB RAM. The 3,000mAh battery should come with Quick Charge 3.0 technology and the 5.5-inch WQHD display will have a Gorilla Glass 5 coating. 

On paper, then, the HTC U is shaping up to be a highly capable device with some interesting features. We’re still no closer to knowing when it will be released though, although recent rumours are suggesting an April reveal for a May release.

Scientists discover shortcut for turning grass into plane fuel

It takes millions of years for natural processes to convert plants into gasoline, but researchers at Ghent University have figured out how to do it much faster. By pre-treating grass to make it break down quicker, and then adding Clostridium bacteria similar to that found in your gut, they produced decane, one of the main ingredients of gasoline and jet fuel. While decane is a polluting fuel, commercial jets will need it for at least the next few decades, and the researchers believe their process is efficient enough to make it commercially feasible.

For their system to work, the scientists first treated the grass with a compound that broke it down and made it easier for bacteria to digest. They then treated it with an enriched Clostridium bacteria from the family that makes up the good bacteria in your gut, rather than the one that kills you. Fermentation much like that used for beer produced lactic acid and its derivatives, and further treatment yielded caproic acids. With further processing, that was converted into decane, a primary ingredient of gasoline and jet fuel.

As mentioned, decane and similar products aren’t very clean fuels (they produce CO2 when burned), but they still have a much higher energy density than, say, lithium batteries. As such, be the main fuel used in aviation for the foreseeable future, as jet planes need to be relatively light to get aloft.

For now, the process can only yield a few drops of biofuel, but the researchers claim the process is already relatively efficient, and with some more work, could possibly be made commercially feasible. Unlike corn, grass grows pretty much anywhere, so the ability to convert it into fuel on the cheap would be a huge step.

Source: Frontiers

Imagination Tech Shares Plunge as Apple Ends Deal With British Firm

Shares in Imagination Technologies plunged by nearly 70 percent on Monday, after Apple informed the British firm that it plans to stop using its graphics technology in Apple consumer devices in up to two years’ time.

Imagination said Apple had made the decision because the tech giant was developing its own independent graphics processing chips, which would reduce its reliance on the company.

The news delivers a major blow to Imagination Technologies, which traditionally provides the PowerVR graphics architecture found in Apple’s full range of iOS devices and receives a small royalty on every sale, which amounts to up to half of the British firm’s revenue.

In a press release posted on the company’s website, Imagination said it doubted that Apple could go it alone without violating Imagination’ patents, intellectual property and confidential information.

Apple has used Imagination’s technology and intellectual property for many years. It has formed the basis of Graphics Processor Units (“GPUs”) in Apple’s phones, tablets, iPods, TVs and watches. Apple has asserted that it has been working on a separate, independent graphics design in order to control its products and will be reducing its future reliance on Imagination’s technology.

Apple has not presented any evidence to substantiate its assertion that it will no longer require Imagination’s technology, without violating Imagination’s patents, intellectual property and confidential information. This evidence has been requested by Imagination but Apple has declined to provide it.

The firm said that Apple’s notification had triggered talks on alternative commercial arrangements for the current license and royalty agreement.

Apple has been a licensee and stakeholder in the company since at least 2008, and became a key investor in mid-2009 after raising its stake in the firm to 10 percent. Apple paid Imagination license fees and royalties totaling 60.7 million pounds for the year to end-April 2016 and is expected to pay about 65 million pounds for this year, Imagination said.

Late last year it was reported Apple was in “advanced talks” to acquire Imagination Tech after the British chip maker announced job cuts. Despite confirming the talks, Apple subsequently decided not to make a buyout offer, but several Imagination employees were recruited by Apple as part of its efforts to build an in-house graphics team.

Tag: Imagination Technologies
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Latest SoundCloud App Update Adds Google Chromecast Support

SoundCloud has added support for Google Chromecast in the latest update to its iOS app, almost two years after support for the feature arrived on the Android version.

After updating the SoundCloud app, users of the music streaming service will also be able to cast songs from SoundCloud Go+, the company’s paid subscription plan, to their TV and speakers.

Now users with a SoundCloud Go+ subscription can stream their complete catalog through Google Chromecast. We also enabled shared playback, so multiple users can control what’s playing. Finally, we upgraded both of the mobile apps and the receiver to provide a consistent and streamlined experience.

Whenever a song is played over Chromecast, SoundCloud offers up song and album suggestions for adding to the currently streamed track list.

A SoundCloud Go budget tier costs $4.99 per month, and includes access to over 120 million tracks, offline listening and no ads. SoundCloud+ costs $9.99, and includes access to a wider selection of 150 million songs and excludes previews from the library. Non-paying listeners can still listen to tracks with ads, but can’t download songs for offline listening.

The SoundCloud app is a free download for iPhone and iPad available from the App Store. [Direct Link]

Tag: SoundCloud
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