Far Cry 5: Release date, trailer, screens and everything you need to know

Far Cry 5 is finally official and is set to be the series’ most accomplished outing yet – no mean feat considering the excellence of Far Cry 4.

It is set in the US for the first time, allows you to fly planes and lets you create your own lead character rather than play as a predetermined protagonist.

So what else can you expect for Far Cry 5? We attended a first look briefing to find out more.

• Far Cry 5 revealed, heading to Montana for some good ol’ hillbilly mayhem

What is Far Cry 5?

Far Cry 5 is technically the sixth in the Far Cry series, if you also include the Stone Age-set Far Cry Primal. In fact, if you include the Far Cry: Instincts variants and Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon it’s actually something like the tenth, but we’re not. So there.

Like Far Cry 4, it is an open-world first-person shooter with role-playing elements. We also expect it to feature some crafting elements, with the main trailer showing deer hunting so we’d expect a similar hunting/skinning and making system as in previous games.

Also as in previous games, you can drive and ride vehicles across the mission map. And this time around that includes planes.

Far Cry games have always been dark in tone, but with an underlying wicked sense of humour. We’ve been told to expect the same in Far Cry 5.

Ubisoft

Where is Far Cry 5 set?

For the first time, Far Cry is set on US soil – in the fictional region of Hope County in the Northwestern state of Montana. The official announcement trailer also shows the town of Fall’s End, which seems to be the base of the all-new villains, Joseph Seed and his family.

The Seed family is headed by Joseph, AKA The Father, plus his siblings, Jacob, John and Faith, known collectively as The Heralds. They lead a cult, the Project at Eden’s Gate, and have been recruiting civilians to their deeply religious cause, presumably for a nefarious reason that is yet to be discovered.

The surroundings, from the trailer and background information we’ve been privy to, include forests, mountains and farmlands. There are likely to be several towns and encampments too, if former Far Cry games are anything to go by.

Who do you play in Far Cry 5?

For the first time in the series, you get to choose your lead character. You design the avatar from numerous customisation options, even choosing whether to play a male or female lead.

Once your character has been designed, you start the game as a Junior Deputy of Hope County, assigned to capture Joseph Seed by the US Marshals.

Surprisingly, he comes peacefully but his followers have other ideas. “All Hell breaks loose,” we were told, and you end up kidnapped by the Seeds and the Project at Eden’s Gate cult alongside two of your colleagues. We haven’t yet been told what happens next, but can guess. We doubt the colleagues make it.

Ubisoft

What other characters are there in Far Cry 5?

There are three other main characters we know of so far, who appear to guide you and give you missions in Far Cry 5.

They are each a member of a local resistance, seeking to put an end to the cult and Seed family’s reign for different reasons.

Pastor Jerome has lost his entire flock to the Project at Eden’s Gate, so is willing to take up arms against the cult to get them back.

Local bar owner, Mary May is out to seek revenge for her father. He was killed by the Seeds and her mother and brother were taken.

And plane-owner Nick Rye has also suffered family woe thanks to the group. He is the source for flying vehicles which you will be able to pilot in the game for the first time.

What does Far Cry 5 look like?

We are yet to see actual gameplay, but the vignettes and location shots of Far Cry 5 are photo realistic – they look stunning. We’re especially impressed by the motion capture work on the rendered characters of Pastor Jerome, Mary May and Nick Rye.

Are there co-op and/or multiplayer modes in Far Cry 5?

Ubisoft is yet to reveal multiplayer options for Far Cry 5 but it has told us that the entire single-player campaign can also be played co-operatively.

There will be NPC “Guns for Hire”. And it is confirmed that you will also be able to recruit “Fangs for Hire” animals (bears, cougars and more) like in Far Cry Primal.

There will be a map editor to create all-new playing fields.

Ubisoft

What vehicles can I drive in Far Cry 5?

We can see, in the main announcement trailer, that cars, buggies and quad bikes return, along with boats and big rigs.

As previously mentioned, you will also be able to fly planes. However, we’re not yet sure whether you will also be able to fly a helicopter. One appears in the trailer, so we hope so.

Is there a trailer for Far Cry 5?

There is an announcement trailer for Far Cry 5, which you can see here:

Three character pieces, starring Pastore Jerome, Mary May and Nick Rye are also available:

Prior to these becoming available, there were also a few tiny teaser vignettes released online, which are available to view below:

Far Cry 5 release date and formats

Far Cry 5 will be available for PS4, PS4 Pro, Xbox One, Project Scorpio and PC. It is scheduled for release on 27 February 2018. PS4 owners will get a free skin pack with their purchase.

We are likely to go hands-on with an early build of Far Cry 5 at E3 2017 in June.

Best fans: Keep cool while the heat rises

When the summer months hit the UK, we all start to wonder why we never installed airconditioning as we swelter through those uncomfortable nights. So fans are in fashion again and they always sell out on the high street, so your best bet it to buy online and be ready for the heatwave.

Here are some choice fans you can buy today, so snap one up and save yourself a sleepness sweaty night.

Amazon

Dyson Pure Cool Tower

Buy the Dyson Pure Cool on Amazon UK

This really is the crème de la crème of fans. It’s expensive, sure, but there’s a reason for that. Firstly, the design makes this an attractive and easy to clean addition to your home, unlike a bladed fan. Secondly, it also contains a HEPA filter, so for hayfever or allergy sufferers, you’re not circulating the air that’s going to make your eyes itch or your nose run. Finally, it’s quiet in operation and easy to clean. There’s also a version that adds heat, but it’s cooling that we really need.

Amazon

Quality Prem-I-Air 45cm fan

Buy the Quality Prem-I-Air on Amazon UK

Sometimes you just need to sit back and let the air pour over you. The unfortunately-named Quality Prem-I-Air is big with a 45cm/18-inch diameter and rather brutal, offering plenty of fan power. It’s a simple metal design that will let you change the angle, meaning you can stick it on the floor in the corner of the room, tilt it up so it blows over you on the sofa. Job done, you’re now cool.

Amazon

Honeywell HT900E Turbo Fan

Buy the Honeywell HT900E Turbo Fan on Amazon UK

If you’re after a pretty basic fan that’s not too noisy for your desk, then Honeywell might have the answer. There are few exciting features for this fan, but it can be wall mounted of you want to put it on the wall of your garden or whatever to save space around your desk. This one is only about 30cm in diameter, but does come fully assembled, so it’s ready to go.

Amazon

Swan Retro

Buy the Swan Retro on Amazon UK

The simple elegance of a fan is boosted by the Swan Retro, which comes in a number of different colours – black, blue, red or cream – so you can fit it in with your décor and it’s less of an eyesore. It comes with three speed settings and oscillates too.

Amazon

Honeywell Oscillating Tower

Buy the Honeywell Tower on Amazon UK

One of the appealing things about this Honeywell tower fan is that it comes with a remote control, meaning you don’t have to get out of bed to turn it up, down, or off when you wake up freezing at 5am. It has an LED panel on the top and offers three different modes. The advantage of having a tower over a desk fan is that it’s typically quieter and takes up a lot less floor space.

‘Pokémon Go’ update gives cheaters lousy monsters

With a new update, Pokémon Go cheaters won’t be banned, but instead thrown into a depressing purgatory. As spotted by Reddit’s hardcore Pokémon Go site, Silph Road, Niantic is now “shadowbanning” cheaters by only letting them find humdrum monsters like Pidgey. In a statement, Niantic support said “people who violate the Pokémon Go Terms of Service may have their gameplay affected and may not be able to see all the Pokémon around them.”

For instance, cheaters often use bots that falsify their locations or power scanners to show the locations of the sweetest Pokémon. That way, you can find a Pikachu and catch it from your couch rather than hiking several miles to the local power plant. If Niantic has flagged you as an “illicit” player, however, the best you can probably hope for is a Magikarp.

Silph Road’s mods wrote that “huge numbers of bot accounts were being flagged, though many were still operating normally.” Users have debated why specific accounts were getting the hammer, with one theory being that Niantic is cracking down on accounts trying to access its private servers.

That doesn’t appear to be the only reason, though, and Niantic itself is obviously not saying. “While we cannot discuss the systems implemented, we can confirm that we are constantly refining new ways to ensure the integrity of the game in order to keep it fun and fair for all Trainers,” its statement reads.

Via: TNW

Source: The Silph Road (Reddit), NianticGeorge (Reddit)

Time-bending shooter ‘Superhot VR’ arrives on HTC Vive

Superhot VR didn’t start life as an Oculus Rift game, but it eventually made it to the VR headset. With dual-wielding guns and further tweaks to improve the title for a new interface, it turned into a short-but-sweet slice of virtual reality gaming. Now it’s HTC Vive owners’ turn to slow time, evade bullets, and return them in kind.

At least, officially. More enthusiastic Vive gamers have been able to tap into ReVive, a software workaround that let Steam VR users access to Oculus exclusives like Superhot VR since last year. That said, Github files and a little bit of hard work aren’t for all of us, and the official release on Steam is a good sign for the remaining Vive owners looking for a VR title to tide them over until E3 next month.

The game’s posit is cleverly simple: Time moves forward as you do. It’s arguably more of a puzzle game than shooter, as you plan your movement through levels to avoid getting trapped — and then filled with bullets. Available on Steam now, Superhot VR is launching with an early-bird 20 percent discount (down to $20) through til the start of June.

Via: Techradar

Source: Steam

Oculus Rift officially supports the HTC Vive’s best feature

The Oculus Rift has technically supported room-scale VR since the system’s Touch motion controllers first went on sale last December. But purchasing an additional sensor didn’t guarantee foolproof 3D tracking for greater immersion right off the bat. Oculus labelled the feature “experimental,” alerting early adopters to the likelihood of bugs and other gremlins you might expect from in-development functionality. Six months and several updates later, however, Oculus has decided room-scale support is robust enough in its latest software release that it can ditch the beta tag and be called a bona fide Rift feature.

HTC’s Vive headset supported room-scale VR from the get-go, and Oculus has been playing catch-up for some time now. In its experimental phase, the Rift’s implementation wasn’t exactly user-friendly, leading Oculus to craft a four-part blog series conveying setup advice and educating owners about compatibility issues with older USB standards, among other things. While this may still serve as useful reference material, the notes accompanying the version 1.15 software release state “tracking with three sensors is now fully supported,” meaning there shouldn’t be any major issues getting it up and running.

Via: TechCrunch

Source: Oculus

HTC U11 review

Research Center:
HTC U11

After the disappointing, incremental updates of the One M8 and M9, last year’s HTC 10 showed that the Taiwanese company still has ambitions in the smartphone market. The phone was deservedly popular with reviewers, but sadly failed to ignite public excitement.

This year’s HTC U11 is a much more dramatic departure from past flagships like the HTC 10, switching brushed aluminum for an eye-catching liquid-glass finish wrapped around a powerful, squeezable smartphone that offers tempting features. We think it’s excellent competition against flagships like the LG G6 and the Samsung Galaxy S8 thanks to a stellar camera, and fluid performance. Let’s dive in.

Beautiful, but big

The most noticeable feature of the HTC U11 is its liquid-glass surface. The U11 is one of the shiniest phones we’ve ever handled, and you really do need to see it in person to get an idea of how the refractive minerals baked into the glass change color as you tilt the phone. The eye-catching red U11 changes to gold, the white shows all the colors of the rainbow, and the black has a subtle hint of green. Our silver review unit is more of a light blue, but there is also a darker blue option.

HTC’s glass doesn’t just look good, it also curves slightly –on the front and back — to seamlessly blend into an aluminum frame. It’s very comfortable to hold, and the rear finish feels more like plastic in the hand than glass, because it’s not cold to the touch. The immediately obvious downside to an almost mirrored back is that it picks up grubby fingerprints and smudges. If you want to maintain its good looks, carry a microfiber cloth in your pocket, and be prepared to polish.

The next most visible feature is the U11’s size — this phone is big. The U11 has a 5.5-inch display, but the front has a spacious edges above and below. Even compared to last year’s Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge, which also has a 5.5-inch display, the U11 feels big. Put it next to the impossibly slim Galaxy S8, which packs a larger 5.8-inch display, and the U11 feels monstrous.

It would be fair to say that HTC is not yet onboard with the bezel-less trend, or the new, longer 18:9 screen format that LG introduced with the G6. This could be a difficult obstacle for HTC to overcome, because, unlike Samsung and LG, the company does not have its own display division. From the front, the U11 looks undeniably dated and the S8 and G6 are much easier to manage one-handed

The HTC U11 has a Super LCD 5 screen with a resolution of 2560 x 1440 pixels, which offers a sharp 590 pixels-per-inch. It’s comfortable to read on for long periods, and games and movies look good. The brightness is limited, however, which can be a problem in direct sunlight.

The HTC U11 is silky smooth and lightning fast.

It’s debatable how important the elongated screen and tiny bezels are, but the lack of anything special in this department is certainly a weak point for the U11.

Below the screen there’s a recessed, glass fingerprint sensor. It’s usually fast and responsive, but we did find that it was triggered by our palm accidentally, more often than we’d have liked, and it occasionally took a couple of tries to unlock. The fingerprint sensor is flanked by capacitive touch buttons for back and recent apps. They only light up when pressed and there’s vibration feedback.

Look at the bottom edge and you’ll see that HTC has also made the switch to USB Type-C. You won’t find a 3.5mm audio jack on this phone, but HTC has provided USB Type-C earphones and an adapter in the box.

Lightning fast

Using the HTC U11 is silky smooth and lightning fast. Navigating around, jumping in and out of apps, and gaming are hitch-free. That shouldn’t come as much of a surprise, considering the U11 is packing a Snapdragon 835 backed by 4GB of RAM.

We played Injustice 2, Super Mario Run, and Asphalt Extreme, and didn’t encounter any performance issues at all. This phone is a dream for gaming. The Snapdragon 835 is Qualcomm’s current top of the line and it offers significant performance and efficiency boosts over previous chips. It debuted in the Galaxy S8, but you won’t find it in many other phones just yet — a boon for HTC.

When we ran the benchmarks on our HTC U11, the scores were impressive:

• 3DMark SlingShot Extreme: 3,631
• AnTuTu: 175,748
• Geekbench 4: 1,926 single core; 6,493 multi core

For comparison, the S8 scored 2,052, 155,253, and 1,762 single core, 5,723 multi core in the same tests, respectively, whereas the G6 (which has the older Snapdragon 821) scored 2,102 in 3D Mark, and 135,032 in AnTuTu.

The vast majority of Android phones we’ve owned have exhibited some increased sluggishness over time, so we’ll be interested to see if the U11 slows down. Right now, it’s one of the fastest phones we’ve ever used, and it has more than enough power for most people.

If you’re wondering about storage, the base model offers an ample 64GB with room for expansion via a MicroSD card slot.

Squeeze me

One of the headline features for the HTC U11 is called Edge Sense and it allows you to squeeze the bottom edges of the handset to perform a variety of shortcuts, such as launching the camera, and snapping a photo. You can also configure it to launch Google Assistant or Amazon’s Alexa, turn on Wi-Fi or the flashlight, record your voice, or launch any other app of your choice.

It’s easy to set up and you’re prompted to try it out when you first turn on your U11. There are sensors running down each side of the phone that start below the power button. You can set the force you’re comfortable using, and vibration feedback as well as an onscreen animation will let you know it’s working. If you find you’re activating it accidentally, you can re-calibrate it to require more force.

If you enable advanced mode, you can set one action for a short squeeze and a different one for a squeeze and hold. This takes a little practice to master. By default, one squeeze will launch the camera and you can squeeze again to snap a photo. This may sound like a bit of a gimmick, but it’s actually a step forward towards a button-less phone design. HTC is trying to ease us gently into the idea with Edge Sense, and we expect further developments in this direction if it proves popular.

We had doubts about its usefulness to begin with, but there are situations where Edge Sense works nicely. The default camera launch is a quick shortcut and the ability to squeeze again to capture a photo, coupled with the reflective back, means you can easily use the rear camera for superior selfies. It also works when the U11’s screen, or your hands, are wet.

If you live somewhere cold and use gloves, then we can see Edge Sense coming in handy once more. It’s not an earth-shattering feature, but it’s interesting, and it’s nice to see HTC is still innovating. As smartphones lose the bezels and buttons, we are going to need new ways of interacting with them and squeezing feels like a natural gesture.

Android and Sense UI

The HTC U11 runs Android 7.1.1 with the Sense user interface on top. It’s not too far away from stock Android, and it will be instantly accessible for anyone who has used Android before. HTC is mostly content to employ Google’s suite of apps instead of doubling up with inferior versions of its own, as some Android manufacturers unfortunately still insist on doing.

Sense Companion is better than expected, but it’s not a reason to buy the phone.

Sense Companion is the most noticeable HTC addition here. It’s another AI assistant (which debuted on the HTC U Ultra), but don’t worry, because you can still long press the fingerprint sensor to launch Google Assistant. Sense Companion doesn’t compete as a voice assistant — it’s like a layer on your smartphone that learns by snooping on your activity (if you choose to allow it), and then offers up suggestions you might like.

AI helpers are often of dubious helpfulness, but much depends on what you expect. During our time with the U11, the Sense Companion reminded us to dress for rain when it was wet, it optimized a few apps to boost battery life, and it recommended some nearby eateries for lunch. It also tracks your activity, providing a weekly step count report, highlights points of interest when you’re out and about, and gives you traffic updates that might impact your commute.

It’s more useful than Google Now with preemptive suggestions, because it pops up over apps as a Facebook Messenger-like chat head. It’s better than expected, but it’s not a reason to buy the phone.

Plenty of stamina

With a battery capacity of 3,000mAh — the same size as the battery in the Galaxy S8 — we expected standard day-long performance, but we’ve been pleasantly surprised. The HTC U11 has no trouble lasting past bedtime, even with heavy use.

Much depends on which apps and games you use, signal strength in your area, and a few other factors, but the U11 seems to have good battery life. On average, it lasts more than a day — we ended a day of average use with about 40 percent remaining.

Speaking of charging, the U11 supports Qualcomm’s Quick Charge 3.0 technology. It juices up fast when the battery is low, but then slows down as it approaches capacity. To give an example, this morning it took half an hour to go from 22 percent to 69 percent, but another hour to reach 100 percent.

We’re a little disappointed that there’s no support for wireless charging, like you’ll find in the S8.

Camera is a contender

Everyone wants a great camera in their smartphone, but it has not been a strong point for HTC over the last few years. That may all be about to change with the U11. This is an excellent camera that gets consistently good results in a variety of different environments and conditions. We’ve really enjoyed our time with it so far.

Early indications that HTC might have got the camera right came from news that DxO Mark awarded it a score of 90, the highest score it has ever given a smartphone camera. For reference, the Google Pixel scored 89, the Galaxy S8 scored 88. and the iPhone 7 scored 86.

The HTC U11 has a 12-megapixel main camera with a large f/1.7 aperture, with Optical Image Stabilization, a dual LED flash, and HDR Boost. Photographers will appreciate the Pro mode with RAW format support.

During our testing in auto mode, we found quickly pointing and shooting with the U11 camera resulted in pleasingly great shots more often than not. It’s very fast to focus, captures a real depth of detail with very little noise, and the colors are vibrant, but realistic.

In sunny conditions, most photos turned out great, and low-light performance is equally impressive. There’s inevitably some blooming with bright lights, but the U11 compares favorably with other smartphone cameras. It’s great for close-ups, too, capturing microscopic details with a solid bokeh effect blurring the background.

The front-facing camera is rated at 16 megapixels with an f/2.0 aperture, HDR Boost support, and 1080p video recording. It’s ideal for video calls and capable of capturing detailed selfies, although we preferred the results when we used the squeeze function to snap selfies with the main camera.

Wired for sound

We were glad to find BoomSound speakers in the HTC U11, though the main speaker is bottom facing — we occasionally had to readjust our fingers to avoid covering it up. The volume and quality is good — for a phone – in fact, it’s one of the loudest phones we’ve ever tested. Call quality and clarity is also solid.

HTC U11 Compared To

Nexus 6

HTC One Remix

Huawei Ascend Mate 2

Samsung Galaxy S5 Active

LG G Flex

LG Optimus G Pro

LG Lucid 2

Motorola Droid Razr HD

Sony Xperia P

LG Optimus 4X HD

HTC One S

Samsung Galaxy S II

Motorola Droid Bionic

Motorola Photon 4G

Google Nexus S

The U11 comes with a pair of fairly comfortable USonic earphones with active noise cancellation in the box with your U11. We were really impressed with the noise cancellation. When music plays, it drowns out the vast majority of background sound from your environment. Movies and TV shows are a lot more immersive with the earphones, too.

Price, availability, and warranty

You can pre-order the unlocked HTC U11 now from HTC or Amazon for $650. You can also pick it up from Sprint on a two-year contract at $29 per month. It will start shipping on June 9.

The HTC U11 comes with a standard limited 2-year warranty that covers manufacturing defects and faulty parts or components, but not accidents. The phone is IP67-rated, which is good because you’re not covered for water damage. Sadly, the U11 is not covered by HTC’s Uh-Oh Protection, which offers a free replacement for cracked screens or water damage when you buy your phone directly from HTC.

Our Take

We’re conflicted on the HTC U11 design. The liquid glass finish is gorgeous and the build quality is generally high, but fingerprint smudges quickly spoil it. The U11 also feels big, with an average display that has too much border around it.

Under the hood, the U11 offers unsurpassed speed and fluidity. The camera is one of the best we’ve used, the audio quality is above average, and we’re satisfied with the battery life. Squeezability is in its infancy, but it’s useful at times and points the way to a possible button-free future.

Is there a better alternative?

The most popular Android smartphone right now is the Samsung Galaxy S8 and there’s little doubt it outclasses the U11 in the style department, but it will cost you at least $100 more. The identically priced LG G6 is an even closer competitor. It’s not as powerful as the U11, but it has a great wide-angle lens and that new 18:9 screen format.

If you’re willing to wait, the OnePlus 5 is likely to offer cutting edge specs for a lower price this summer.

How long will it last?

The HTC U11 should comfortably last you two years, maybe three. It has the latest flavor of Android with Google Assistant onboard, and HTC’s president of smartphones, Chialin Chang, has confirmed that the handset will be updated with at least the next two major Android versions.

It also has the cutting-edge Snapdragon 835 inside, which is Qualcomm’s top chip right now. Based on our testing the U11 is powerful enough to satisfy your every whim for the foreseeable future.

Should you buy it?

Yes. If you value substance over style, the HTC U11 is easy to recommend. It’s lightning fast, it delivers compelling audio quality, the camera gets excellent results with no fiddling required, and the battery life is solid. Sense Companion complements Google Assistant and Alexa nicely, and Edge Sense is the innovative cherry on top.

New Acer tablet has quantum dot technology, just like those super-desirable TVs

Why it matters to you

Tablets are awesome for watching movies, so you’d want the best screen possible. Acer’s new model uses the same tech as the best TVs on the market.

If you’ve been looking at a new television recently, you’ve probably come across the phrase “quantum dots,” a technology that enhances the screen’s colors. What you may not know, is you don’t have to buy a TV to enjoy the vibrant joys of quantum dot technology, because Acer has launched a tablet that uses it. It’s the Iconia Tab 10, and here’s what you need to know about it.

Acer’s not giving a massive amount away about the new tablet just yet, having announced it ahead of the Computex 2017 technology show in Taipei, Taiwan, where it will be shown for the first time. The screen almost certainly measures 10 inches, and is an IPS2 LCD panel with Acer’s usual wide viewing angle. We don’t know the resolution yet. The quantum dot technology, according to Acer, gives the display a wider color range with plenty of brightness, deep saturation, and improved color accuracy.

A MediaTek quad-core processor powers Android 7.0 Nougat, which includes a selection of special software tools designed by Acer. Examples include gestures to quickly open an app, a memory and storage cleaner, and guest modes for when you’re handing the tablet over to others.

The body is under 9mm thick, yet still manages to pack in a set of four five-magnet speakers and a special subwoofer, to really make the most of movies and games played on the colorful display. Acer’s MediaMaster visual and audio enhancements let you tune the performance to your liking. Finally, the battery inside will provide up to eight hours of use, and although we can see there’s a camera on the back of the body, the resolution isn’t known.

The Iconia Tab 10 has been announced relatively early. The release is apparently scheduled for October in the United Kingdom, with prices and exact specifications to be confirmed closer to the time. Acer’s also not saying anything about the international availability of the tablet. If quantum dot technology intrigues you, read Digital Trends complete guide on it here.

A ‘parasitic robot’ uses conditioning and LED lights to control a turtle

Why it matters to you

By tapping into animals’ natural instincts, scientists may be able to control their behavior without physically invasive operations.

Scientists at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) have made another cyborg turtle. In March, they developed a system that let people control turtles with their minds by maneuvering a blinder to guide the turtle in a desired direction (turtles apparently hate blinders and will move away from them).

Now, they’ve developed a “parasitic robot” that uses LEDs to steer the turtle in certain directions, reports IEEE Spectrum. The device could be used to develop animal-robot hybrids with the natural benefits of a living organism and the controllability of a machine.

Unlike the human-turtle interface, which relied on a barrier to make the animal move in the opposite direction, KAIST’s new method uses positive reinforcement to encourage the animal. With operant conditioning, the turtles are taught to associate a red LED with food by eating their meals next to LEDs for two weeks.

The robot, which attaches to the turtle’s back, hangs five LEDs in front of its face. As in the comic image of a dog chasing a sausage on a string, the turtle moves towards the shining LED, under the expectation of a reward. When the turtle responds correctly, the robot excretes a gel-type food substance from a syringe.

Turtles are great subjects for such experiments thanks to their good eyesight, strong long-term memory, and hard shell, which functions as a platform for the robot. They’re also amphibious creatures, so if and when this technology is used in the real world situation, the turtle wouldn’t be afraid to swim.

But what real world applications could this device possibly have?

Robots have relatively limited mobility and are prone to break down. Building a robot that can traverse a pile of rubble, for example, is tough. While turtles aren’t the fastest or most mobile animals around, they may still be able to access areas that robots can’t, allowing them to assist in things like search-and-rescue missions.

Just to be clear, the researchers ensured that the animals were cared for under international guidelines for animal well-being.

OnePlus 3T will continue to be on sale in India until ‘later this year’

OnePlus 3T isn’t getting discontinued in India.

OnePlus announced yesterday that it would discontinue the OnePlus 3T in global markets to make way for its 2017 flagship. With the OnePlus 5 slated to launch sometime next month, OnePlus is undoubtedly looking to ramp up production of its upcoming phone.

While the OnePlus 3T won’t be available once the current stock runs out in global markets, Indian customers will be able to pick up both the 64GB and 128GB variants of the handset from Amazon India, OnePlus’ own website, and its retail store in Bangalore until “later this year.”

In a statement, OnePlus said:

The OnePlus 3T (both 64GB and 128GB variants) will continue to be available for purchase in India until later this year. OnePlus products and accessories are available through all three official sales channels, including oneplusstore.in, Amazon.in and the OnePlus Experience Store in Bangalore.

There’s a reason why OnePlus wants to continue selling the OnePlus 3T even after the OnePlus 5 launches in the country, and it has to do with pricing. The OnePlus 5 is rumored with a dual-camera setup at the back, a QHD display, and will be the first phone in India to be powered by the Snapdragon 835. With the OnePlus 3T selling for ₹29,999 ($465), it is clear that the OnePlus 5 will retail at a higher price point.

Pricing alone determines how well a product does in India — and if the OnePlus 5 costs ₹35,000 ($540) or more, there’s a very real possibility that customers wouldn’t be interested in picking up the phone. By making the OnePlus 3T available, the company is providing an alternative. It’s also the reason why India is one of the few markets where you can still pick up the OnePlus 3.

OnePlus didn’t provide a specific timeframe for when sales of the OnePlus 3T will cease in the country, but we’ll let you know once we hear more.

OnePlus 3T and OnePlus 3

• OnePlus 3T review: Rekindling a love story
• OnePlus 3T vs. OnePlus 3: What’s the difference?
• OnePlus 3T specs
• Latest OnePlus 3 news
• Discuss OnePlus 3T and 3 in the forums

OnePlus
Amazon

Hello Motorola: The oldest phone maker plans its grand comeback

Motorola is aggressively trying to court phone buyers with old ideas and new tricks.

By Motorola’s own admission, it wasn’t in a great spot just a year ago. Its third-generation Moto X line hadn’t sold quite as well as previous years despite enormous technical improvements, and the integration into newish owner Lenovo had been hitting some bumps.

Chief among them was how to integrate Motorola’s brand equity and enormous technical mastery into Lenovo’s sprawling worldwide distribution network. Would Motorola be subsumed into Lenovo, leaving just remnants of the world-renowned phone maker, or would Lenovo let Motorola stand on its own, as previous owner Google managed to do.

When the company unveiled its Moto Z lineup last June, consisting of the ultra-thin Moto Z and ultra-strong Moto Z Force, more emphasis was placed on the accompanying modular attachments — Moto Mods, as they’re called — than the phones themselves. Sure, the Moto Z was the first phone in the U.S. to remove the headphone jack, reportedly necessitated by its ultra-slim design, but design aside, the story was more about the platform than the hardware.

The unveiling itself was also new for Motorola, as it was part of Lenovo’s annual Tech World showcase; previous hardware unveilings had been separate, even well after the Chinese company’s acquisition of Motorola from Google in 2014. It seemed likely that, while the Moto brand was to live on in the phones themselves, Motorola as a phone company would slowly disappear, subsumed into its parent company’s market dominance.

But that isn’t happening. According to Jan Huckfeldt, Motorola’s chief marketing officer, Motorola is not only poised for a comeback, but the entire Lenovo smartphone strategy is rallying around the brand, which, he says, is one of the most recognizable in the world.

The Motorola name isn’t going anywhere. In fact, soon it’s all you’ll see.

“A year ago, we weren’t in a good spot,” he tells Android Central during a press briefing in New York in late May. “We didn’t really handle the challenges [of being integrated into a larger company] well.” Despite the success of phones like the Moto G series in countries like Brazil, where Motorola holds over 20% market share, the company lacked a unifying message for all of its smartphones. Was it a Lenovo Moto G? A Motorola Moto Z? Or just a Moto X, no company necessary? In India, for example, Lenovo and Motorola not only sold side by side, but in some areas competed; the Moto E3 Power went up against Lenovo’s Vibe K6, while the more expensive Moto G series stood next to the Lenovo Z2 Plus.

Technology companies are generally comfortable disrupting and cannibalizing their own product lines as long as the sales stay within the company, but Huckfeldt acknowledges that a lack of a unifying message was confusing consumers in a market that was already overwhelmed by choice.

“On average, people consider two brands when shopping for something like a phone. They go in and they have something in mind already.” Motorola, he says, is distinctive and has a heritage that people like. They know the brand, but more than that they have good memories of it — a simpler time, before smartphones and social media and information overload.

So Motorola is going all in on… Motorola. On phones, it’s phasing out the Lenovo name in all countries but India, where the Chinese vendor has significant marketing sway, and it’s no longer going to hide the brand that brought you the RAZR. Don’t worry, Lenovo’s tablets and laptops aren’t going anywhere.

“Where they zig, we’re going to zag.”

Huckfeldt also points out that Motorola is not resting on nostalgia alone; while the current advertising campaigns harken back to the good ol’ days of “Hello Moto,” the assets themselves have been refreshed and made more colorful and aggressive. He notes the industry’s tendency to follow Apple into minimalism; Motorola is pushing back against that, choosing to align itself with what Huckfeldt calls “techcentrics,” the early adopters that lead a brand out of obscurity. Because as much as Motorola has maintained its identifiability, its smartphone share has dwindled in North America as Samsung and LG have become the de facto Android brands.

“Where they zig, we’re going to zag,” he says. “When less is more, we want ‘more is more.’” Huckfeldt believes that, along with better phones themselves, two elements are going to capture people’s attention: the well-regarded “batwing logo,” which like the Motorola name itself has been repurposed with a more flexible, modern aesthetic; and the aforementioned “Hello Moto” pneumonic device, which is not only present in every television commercial but (annoyingly) front and center each time a Moto phone boots up.

Relying on its well-worn brand assets while unifying its product line appears to be working. Motorola has sold more Moto G5s in Latin America than all the previous Moto G versions combined, and had the best first-day sales in India to date.

Some of the marketing efforts haven’t been particularly well received — a most recent ad called The Designers imagines two German designers throwing darts at an iPhone-like phone cutout to decide what to change next — but the message is clear: your phone is probably boring, and Motorola has something exciting.

That something exciting, the Moto Z line, is, a year later, still fairly fresh, though it remains to be seen how the company supports the Mods program in 2017 and beyond. Curiously, Motorola likely knew it was painting itself into a design corner when it committed to support the Moto Mods platform on the current Moto Z line for at least two years, which means we already know the size of the next flagship, for better or worse. And while Motorola has found some success with the Moto Z, boasting sales of two million units between the Z, Z Force and enthusiast favorite, Z Play, those numbers are still quite small even compared to its own far more conservative Moto G lineup.

If rumors and recent announcements are to be believed, Motorola will take steps to further unify the look of its Moto line this year, so a €99 Moto C should be visually indistinguishable from a $699 Moto Z. “We want everyone to immediately recognize a Motorola phone,” says Huckfeldt. He also wants everyone to recognize a Motorola commercial, a Motorola logo and a Motorola soundbite. The idea in 2017, he says, is to overwhelm people with Motorola — to remind phone buyers and technology fans alike that the company is present, innovative, and relentlessly different. That alone isn’t going to sell phones, but it’s true that the Motorola name is considerably more ubiquitous than it has been since it was acquired by Lenovo, and despite significant executive overhaul there are enough people at the top with experience and wherewithal enough to understand what needs to change and what doesn’t.

Even a year in, it’s not clear how history will treat Motorola’s decision to bet the farm on snap-on modules, but what is clear is that the company is already hedging. While nothing has been shared publicly just yet, a leaked slide from what appears to be in internal presentation shows what appears to be the impending launch of a new Moto X, which would sit above the mid-range G line while eschewing the modularity of the Zs. Along with a newly-launched Moto C and rumors of a refreshed Moto E, Motorola could have, by year’s end, a suite of similar-looking, uniformly-branded phones, catering each one for a particular market.

“We wanted to make better use of what we had,” says Huckfeldt, referring to the Motorola name and logo as world-class assets.

“This is a premium brand. People respect it.”