The Augmented World Expo proves AR isn’t ready for prime time, but it’s still pretty cool

Augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) are largely considered to be the next major computing platforms. AR might even one day replace the smartphone as the principle way in how we interact with our digital lives. But we’re not there yet. In fact, we’re a long way off,at least from a consumer perspective.

At the Augmented World Expo (AWE) in Santa Clara, VR and AR companies showed off their latest and greatest products. Despite the numerous gadgets, and the huge growth we’ve seen from AWE since last year, our major takeaway is unfortunately a little pessimistic. It looks like AR isn’t going to hit mainstream audiences for quite some time. But there are plenty of groundbreaking AR and VR technologies that keep the field exciting, many of which made appearances at the show. Let’s take a look.

Kopin’s tiny new VR headset

The point of mixed reality is enhancing what we already have — and that’s not going to happen until display technology is good enough to blend into the real world. That’s to say, ultimately, if your futuristic smart glasses project an image of a chair in front of you, you shouldn’t be able to tell the difference between that chair and one in the real world.

Now, better display technology for AR is more than just a higher resolution — though a higher resolution certainly plays a role. Kopin, a display technology company founded in 1999, is pushing the boundaries in improving the resolution of head-mounted displays, and showed off its latest innovations in its Elf VR headset, which features two 2,048 x 2,048-resolution panels operating at a refresh rate of 120Hz.

That provides visual fidelity well beyond current headsets, but what’s most remarkable is how small the headset is — much smaller than the Oculus Rift or HTC Vive. And while it’s only a reference design for customers who may want to buy Kopin’s display technology, the design offers hope that better-resolution displays are on the way, and could soon be implemented into next-generation headsets.

Massless’ stylus for virtual reality

Massless also debuted its first product at the show — a stylus that connects to a headset and allows the user to draw in 3D space. The goal of the device, which is called the Massless Pen, is ultra-precision — so much so that the company refuses to implement buttons on the pen because of the fact that pressing buttons causes the tip of the pen to move slightly.

“I don’t believe in having buttons on the Pen,” said Massless founder Jack Cohen in an interview with Digital Trends. “We are designing this for precision.”

The Massless Pen can be pre-ordered from the Massless website.

Zappar is democratizing AR

While AR technology is slowly but surely improving, it’s largely still irrelevant to the average consumer. One company, however is hoping to change that by doing for AR what Google Cardboard did for VR. The company is Zappar, and it actually launched on Kickstarter at the end of last year, raking in a hefty $84,356 — far more than its $30,000 funding goal.

ZapBox is an affordable yet effective way to experience AR. The package comes in at $30, and includes a cardboard headset with a slot for your phone’s camera, as well as an attachable lens adapter that basically increases the field-of-view of the camera, which is an important thing to note. It also comes with two controllers built from Cardboard, which the software can recognize as long as the controllers are in the view of the camera.

Obviously you’re not going to get the Microsoft HoloLens in a $30 package, but as we noted in our test of the product last year, it has potential. It will certainly be interesting to see if it can help bring AR into the mainstream. The company is even offering tools to help developers build AR experiences.

“Zapworks has been available for a couple of years now, and that’s the toolset that we’re using in-house to build all of the experiences that we’re demoing,” said Simon Taylor from Zappar in an interview with Digital Trends. “And that allows third-parties to do exactly the same thing. The main reason we built out own platform is because we wanted a single app to be able to explore content from everyone.”

3DiVi is bringing Microsoft Kinect to VR

The Microsoft Kinect was an excellent way to interact with the Xbox, but the applications actually range far wider than just that gaming console. One company is taking the idea of the Kinect, and bringing it to the AR and VR space. That company is 3DiVi, and it has a built-in camera designed for motion tracking, called the VicoVR.

The camera is built largely for VR, and it can offer tracking on par with the HTC Vive, but at around half the price. While 3DiVi has built a range of games and apps for it, the company is also working with developers, and even building systems for medical use.

“We have our own games, but we do have an SDK available. It’s open-source, so if someone is interested in developing they can do that,” said Goretti Campbell, a spokesperson for 3DiVi, in an interview with Digital Trends. “Something else that we’ve done is that we’ve partnered with Everment and we’re doing things with them in the medical field.”

You can buy the VicoVR camera from the VicoVR website, and it comes at $399 for the “Game Edition,” or $499 for the “Maker Edition.”

Conclusions

Augmented reality is a long way off from being consumer-ready, but it’s clear that there’s a lot of work going on behind the scenes. Augmented World Expo is bigger every year — and in five years time it could be a totally different show. Until then, well, we’ll just have to settle for these cool-yet-niche advancements.

The Augmented World Expo proves AR isn’t ready for prime time, but it’s still pretty cool

Augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) are largely considered to be the next major computing platforms. AR might even one day replace the smartphone as the principle way in how we interact with our digital lives. But we’re not there yet. In fact, we’re a long way off,at least from a consumer perspective.

At the Augmented World Expo (AWE) in Santa Clara, VR and AR companies showed off their latest and greatest products. Despite the numerous gadgets, and the huge growth we’ve seen from AWE since last year, our major takeaway is unfortunately a little pessimistic. It looks like AR isn’t going to hit mainstream audiences for quite some time. But there are plenty of groundbreaking AR and VR technologies that keep the field exciting, many of which made appearances at the show. Let’s take a look.

Kopin’s tiny new VR headset

The point of mixed reality is enhancing what we already have — and that’s not going to happen until display technology is good enough to blend into the real world. That’s to say, ultimately, if your futuristic smart glasses project an image of a chair in front of you, you shouldn’t be able to tell the difference between that chair and one in the real world.

Now, better display technology for AR is more than just a higher resolution — though a higher resolution certainly plays a role. Kopin, a display technology company founded in 1999, is pushing the boundaries in improving the resolution of head-mounted displays, and showed off its latest innovations in its Elf VR headset, which features two 2,048 x 2,048-resolution panels operating at a refresh rate of 120Hz.

That provides visual fidelity well beyond current headsets, but what’s most remarkable is how small the headset is — much smaller than the Oculus Rift or HTC Vive. And while it’s only a reference design for customers who may want to buy Kopin’s display technology, the design offers hope that better-resolution displays are on the way, and could soon be implemented into next-generation headsets.

Massless’ stylus for virtual reality

Massless also debuted its first product at the show — a stylus that connects to a headset and allows the user to draw in 3D space. The goal of the device, which is called the Massless Pen, is ultra-precision — so much so that the company refuses to implement buttons on the pen because of the fact that pressing buttons causes the tip of the pen to move slightly.

“I don’t believe in having buttons on the Pen,” said Massless founder Jack Cohen in an interview with Digital Trends. “We are designing this for precision.”

The Massless Pen can be pre-ordered from the Massless website.

Zappar is democratizing AR

While AR technology is slowly but surely improving, it’s largely still irrelevant to the average consumer. One company, however is hoping to change that by doing for AR what Google Cardboard did for VR. The company is Zappar, and it actually launched on Kickstarter at the end of last year, raking in a hefty $84,356 — far more than its $30,000 funding goal.

ZapBox is an affordable yet effective way to experience AR. The package comes in at $30, and includes a cardboard headset with a slot for your phone’s camera, as well as an attachable lens adapter that basically increases the field-of-view of the camera, which is an important thing to note. It also comes with two controllers built from Cardboard, which the software can recognize as long as the controllers are in the view of the camera.

Obviously you’re not going to get the Microsoft HoloLens in a $30 package, but as we noted in our test of the product last year, it has potential. It will certainly be interesting to see if it can help bring AR into the mainstream. The company is even offering tools to help developers build AR experiences.

“Zapworks has been available for a couple of years now, and that’s the toolset that we’re using in-house to build all of the experiences that we’re demoing,” said Simon Taylor from Zappar in an interview with Digital Trends. “And that allows third-parties to do exactly the same thing. The main reason we built out own platform is because we wanted a single app to be able to explore content from everyone.”

3DiVi is bringing Microsoft Kinect to VR

The Microsoft Kinect was an excellent way to interact with the Xbox, but the applications actually range far wider than just that gaming console. One company is taking the idea of the Kinect, and bringing it to the AR and VR space. That company is 3DiVi, and it has a built-in camera designed for motion tracking, called the VicoVR.

The camera is built largely for VR, and it can offer tracking on par with the HTC Vive, but at around half the price. While 3DiVi has built a range of games and apps for it, the company is also working with developers, and even building systems for medical use.

“We have our own games, but we do have an SDK available. It’s open-source, so if someone is interested in developing they can do that,” said Goretti Campbell, a spokesperson for 3DiVi, in an interview with Digital Trends. “Something else that we’ve done is that we’ve partnered with Everment and we’re doing things with them in the medical field.”

You can buy the VicoVR camera from the VicoVR website, and it comes at $399 for the “Game Edition,” or $499 for the “Maker Edition.”

Conclusions

Augmented reality is a long way off from being consumer-ready, but it’s clear that there’s a lot of work going on behind the scenes. Augmented World Expo is bigger every year — and in five years time it could be a totally different show. Until then, well, we’ll just have to settle for these cool-yet-niche advancements.

Xiaomi Mi Pad 3 review

Research Center:
Xiaomi Mi Pad 3

Do tablets still have a place in the world? They’re not the trend they once were, and even Apple — the one company making tablets that sell in any quantity — has dropped the price on its 2017 entry-level iPad model to encourage people to buy or upgrade. At $330, the iPad is an all-around affordable option, but you’ll have to search for an Android tablet if you want something cheaper.

Xiaomi has released a new version of its Mi Pad, called the Mi Pad 3. It’s an iPad Mini-sized device with Xiaomi’s MIUI user interface over the top of Google’s operating system. It’s cheaper than the iPad Mini 4 and the new iPad, at around $270; but you’ll have to import one if you want it in the U.S.

Is it worth the import? No. While there’s nothing horribly wrong with the Mi Pad 3, its small quirks and issues do not justify the $270 price tag, especially when the new iPad is just $60 more. Let’s take a closer look.

This looks familiar

What does the Mi Pad 3 look like? Well, picture an iPad Mini 4 without the Apple branding, and you’re pretty much there. The two are shockingly similar. The 6.9mm thick aluminum body has a flat back with a camera lens in the top right, the corners are smooth and rounded, and the overall dimensions are almost identical. The screen is the same size at 7.9-inches, as is the 2048 x 1536 pixel resolution.

Andy Boxall

Andy Boxall

Andy Boxall

Andy Boxall

There are some differences. The dual speakers are mounted on the back of the tablet, facing away from you when looking at the screen, and the sleep/wake button is on the side of the body, not the top. It doesn’t have a fingerprint sensor, or any physical home button — instead the Mi Pad 3 uses capacitive navigational icons below the screen. We miss the tactility of a physical home button, largely because  the Android keys aren’t especially responsive, and do require very precise taps to operate.

It’s a comfortable device to hold, and those with average or larger hands will have no problem holding it in one hand, thanks to its low weight. The texture on the back is pleasant to touch, but although the Mi Pad 3 is beautifully made, there is a slight flex in the center of the aluminium back panel. It’s not enough to cause concern, but enough to notice when it’s pressed.

There’s little to fault the way the Mi Pad 3 looks, mainly because it’s very close to the established and attractive style of the iPad Mini. It’s not something that overly concerns us — styling it after something hideous would do that — and we find the smaller 7.9-inch tablet size to be convenient, while still being suitably larger than our phone to make using it worthwhile.

Xiaomi Mi Pad 3 Compared To

Apple iPad 9.7

Samsung Galaxy Tab S3

Chuwi Hi12 Windows 10 2-in-1

Dell Venue 8 7000

Nvidia Shield Tablet

Apple iPad Air 2

LG G Pad 7.0

Dell Venue 8 Pro

Apple iPad Mini 2

Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 (8-inch)

Smart Devices SmartQ U7

Barnes & Noble Nook HD+

Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus

Amazon Kindle Fire

Acer Iconia Tab A100

Crisp screen that needs better color calibration

Xiaomi’s Mi Pad 3 has a 7.9-inch, 2048 x 1536 pixel, IPS LCD screen on the front, which is good enough for a 326 pixel-per-inch density, and a wide 178-degree viewing angle. It’s very bright, and we rarely needed to increase the brightness over 50 percent, which is good for battery life.

There’s a reading mode for nighttime use, which lowers the amount of sleep-damaging blue light emitted by the screen. It’s easily activated from the Android notification shade, and adds a yellowish look to the display, but there’s a slider to adjust the degree of intrusion. Dig through the menu and you’ll find an unusual black and white mode, which not only extends the battery life, but does a decent job of reducing eye strain when reading.

The Mi Pad 3’s size really does make it a great video-consuming machine.

The screen’s color and contrast can be tweaked under a separate menu, and we found it was worth taking the time to calibrate. Out of the box, in standard configuration, the whites didn’t appear crisp enough; but things improved when the display was switched to “cool.” Everyone will see it differently, which is why we welcome the chance to tailor the display’s look to our own taste.

Playing HD video from Netflix and Crunchyroll produced great images filled with color, and while we enjoyed the viewing experience, the 4:3 aspect ratio adds black bars to the top and bottom of most videos.  Still, the Mi Pad 3’s size really does make it a great video-consuming machine. It’s not too big that it’s annoying to hold, but is still much more watchable than a 5.5-inch screen on a phone. Text looks excellent — crisp and well-defined — especially when browsing the web and reading ebooks.

The screen looks great, but we have one annoyance. The tablet doesn’t compensate for your palm resting on one side while scrolling with another finger. At first, it’s like the touchscreen isn’t working at all, then you realize it’s because the hand you’re holding the tablet with is also touching the edge of the screen. Remove it, and everything’s fine. Other times, it can activate certain features. It depends on how you’re holding the Mi Pad 3 — so doesn’t happen all the time — but when it does it’s highly irritating.

Fluid software, few tablet-friendly apps

Our Mi Pad 3 came with Android 7.0 Nougat installed, complete with an Android security patch from February, and Xiaomi’s global MIUI version 8.2, so everything is in English. Google Play and associated apps came pre-installed on our imported Mi Pad 3, along with a variety of standard apps including a calendar, a weather app, a calculator, an FM radio, and a browser.

Surprisingly, the tablet offers a slightly different user experience to a Xiaomi phone. Because it’s very smooth, and MIUI is supremely uncluttered, the tablet has a very Apple-like feel to it. The menus aren’t messy and it’s not filled with superfluous apps, making fast, daily use a pleasure. The most obvious additional feature Xiaomi has added is a widget page, viewable by swiping right on the main home screen. The widgets can be altered to your preference, making it a handy and attractively presented shortcut page.

Using Netflix, YouTube, popular games, Google apps, and several big-name social network apps downloaded from the Google Play store provide a tablet-friendly experience, but stray too far from the best known apps, and things aren’t so good. You don’t even have to look that hard either, the Instagram app doesn’t feel like it has been adapted for use on a tablet very well, for example. The more obscure, or dated, your favourite app is, the less likely it’ll look that fantastic on the Mi Pad 3. This isn’t a problem with the device, but a problem with Android on tablets as a whole.

There are other quirks unique to the Mi Pad 3. Even though it runs Android 7.0 Nougat, there’s no split window multi-tasking available with MIUI 8.

Adequate performance

Xiaomi previously used an Intel processor for its Mi Pad tablet, but this time it has chosen a MediaTek chip — the MT8176 — to power its slate, along with 4GB of RAM and 32GB of internal storage space. It’s not a common processor, having been used in few mainstream tablets sold in the U.S. and Europe.

Put through some benchmarking workouts, the scores are uninspiring.

In our general use, the MediaTek chip performed adequately, happily powering games such as Danmaku Unlimited in HD mode, and casual titles like Crossy Road. Graphically-intensive and faster-paced games like Reckless Racing put some strain on the tablet, and slow downs did occur. Put it through some benchmarking workouts, and the scores are uninspiring. AnTuTu returned a score of 74,646, and 3DMark’s Sling Shot Extreme gave it just 749. The Intel Atom-powered Lenovo Yoga Book managed 1,192, for comparison.

Unfortunately, there’s no MicroSD memory expansion, and 32GB of internal memory isn’t very much. Be prepared to slim down movie and music collections stored on the device itself, or stick with streaming services. There is a 3.5mm headphone socket though, and the 6,600mAh battery is charged through a USB Type-C port. We’ve been using the Mi Pad 3 for almost two weeks, and it has needed charging twice, not including the initial charge. Leaving it on standby overnight saw around 7 or 8-percent of the battery disappear.

Mediocre camera

The rear camera on the Mi Pad 3 is packed with 13 megapixels, autofocus, and an f/2.2 aperture. It’s highly unlikely the Mi Pad 3 will ever be someone’s primary camera, and it’s probably a good thing. The pictures it takes are only acceptable, and nothing more. Colors do pop, and plenty of detail is revealed zooming in on close-up images; but it doesn’t have an HDR mode, and overcast skies were washed out. Around the front, there’s a 5-megapixel camera with the same aperture, and it’s good for video calls and selfies.

Warranty, availability, and price

The Xiaomi Mi Pad 3 isn’t sold in the U.S. or Europe, and must be imported through a specialist. Our review Mi Pad 3 was supplied by Geekbuying, a well-known importer of Chinese electronics. At the time of writing it costs $270 with free shipping. The tablet was sent to us with a courier, did attract a small customs charge in the U.K., and arrived securely packaged.

Geekbuying offers a one-year warranty on the products it sells, including tablets, but doesn’t cover them if there has been water damage, mistreatment, or abuse. It’ll repair returned hardware for free within the warranty period, and has a warehouse in California that can be used instead of sending the device back to China. To take advantage of this, a $3 charge has to be paid at checkout during the original purchase. There’s also an English-speaking customer service helpline available.

Our Take

Unlike the company’s smartphones and their lack of wide U.S. network support, the Mi Pad 3 is a premium Xiaomi product everyone can enjoy, and its screen is great for video and reading.

Is there a better alternative?

The Mi Pad 3’s natural competitor is the Apple iPad Mini 4, which is at least $130 more; however, potential tablet buyers should really be looking at the new 2017 9.7-inch iPad, which starts at $330. That’s close enough to the Mi Pad 3’s price to make it attainable, and the iPad has a far more varied catalog of fully tablet-compatible apps that makes it a wiser choice if you’re planning to use the device a lot. We’d strongly recommend the iPad.

If you’d prefer not to buy an Apple product, our favourite Android tablet at the moment is the Galaxy Tab S3, but this is more than twice the price of the Mi Pad 3. Outside of this, the world’s awash with mediocre to average Android tablets, including the $300 Samsung Galaxy Tab A and the Asus ZenPad Z10, or even the $135 Amazon Fire 8. We wouldn’t recommend any of them in particular, and feel the Mi Pad 3 is a more premium device that’s at least on a par with the Galaxy Tab A, provided you’re happy to import one.

How long will it last?

The Mi Pad 3 isn’t water resistant, but the body is well-built and the metal back won’t shatter if it gets accidentally knocked. That said, if you’re planning on handing the Mi pad 3 over to your kids, you may want to find a sturdy child-proof case. Xiaomi isn’t the fastest with supplying Android version updates, as they usually require its UI to be reworked first, which takes time. This does change if you’re happy to use Xiaomi beta releases though, but we doubt everyone will be happy to do so.

Tablets aren’t the same as phones, and rarely need replacing. A three-year old tablet is far more capable than a three-year old smartphone. Many tablet owners just want to play video, browse the web, and check social media accounts. For this, the Mi Pad 3 will last for some time.

Should you buy it?

No. There’s nothing horribly wrong with the pretty, fast, and capable Mi Pad 3, but with Apple offering the new iPad for only $330, there’s not much of a reason to go for the Mi Pad 3. If Apple is a dirty word in your household, then it’s a different story, and the Mi Pad 3 stacks up nicely against the many similar options out there.

Weekly Rewind: Apple’s Siri speaker, solar startups, Charlize Theron’s ‘Atomic Blonde’

A lot can happen in a week when it comes to tech. The constant onslaught of news makes it nigh impossible for mere mortals with real lives to keep track of everything. That’s why we’ve compiled a quick and dirty list of this week’s top 10 tech stories, from what to expect from WWDC to a Tesla-inspired pet carrier — it’s all here.

Apple’s ‘Siri speaker’ may debut as early as next week

It seems as if we’re just a few days away from Apple unveiling a Siri-enabled speaker similar to Amazon’s range of Echo devices and Google’s Home offering.

The Cupertino company has started manufacturing the device, “people familiar with the matter” told Bloomberg this week, and it could be shown off during Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference which kicks off in San Jose, California, on June 5.

However, anyone keen to get their hands on the Siri-controlled smart speaker may have to exercise some patience, as the sources said it won’t be ready to ship until “later in the year.”

Read the full story here.

First clip from Charlize Theron’s ‘Atomic Blonde’ is as brutal as it is beautiful

The first trailer for Charlize Theron’s upcoming film Atomic Blonde did not skimp on the action, so it’s no surprise that the first full clip from the July movie is one long, frantic, and impressively brutal fight sequence.

But if that’s the sort of scene you can appreciate, the clip really is a fantastic thing to behold.

Directed by John Wick co-director David Leitch (who’s also helming the upcoming Deadpool sequel), Atomic Blonde casts Academy Award winner Theron as a secret agent who will use anything at her disposal to complete a mission. The film’s script was penned by Kurt Johnstad (300, Act of Valor), and is based on the graphic novel The Coldest City, created by writer Antony Johnston and illustrator Sam Hart.

Read the full story here.

This Tesla-inspired pet carrier lets your cat seethe in style

Pet carriers are usually more functional than fashionable, but Waul Studio wants to change that. Inspired by a Devon Rex cat named Marvin who looks like a “little alien,” the team decided to make an ergonomic pet carrier that suited him. Waul Studio debuted a carrier that resembles a spaceship on Kickstarter in May, and the campaign quickly exceeded its initial goal.

The futuristic product doesn’t just look unique — it is designed to be more comfortable for both the pet that rides in it and the person who carries it. One of the upgrades animals will appreciate is an interior space that is designed to keep them entertained. Not only can they see outside the clear door, but there is also a built-in toy at the front of the carrier. A swirl-patterned ball in a track, the toy is meant to attract the animal’s attention and maintain it.

Read the full story here.

Amazon’s new retail bookstores have all of the books, but none of the charm

Large book chains like Barnes & Noble have been shutting down bookstores for a decade now, which makes it a peculiar day when a new bookstore opens up in the heart of New York City. Even odder, it’s a physical store from Amazon, the online retailer whose Kindle ebook reader is a prime culprit in bookstore declines in the first place. But Amazon is always up to the task of transforming traditional experiences into opportunities that require you to use technology.

Opening a physical bookstore may seem strange in 2017, but it’s no different than the release of Dash buttons or the opening of Amazon Go and Amazon Fresh food outlets. Amazon isn’t just on the web these days, it’s everywhere. Sadly, it has yet to learn what makes a bookstore great.

Walking into NYC’s first Amazon Books location — the seventh bookstore it has opened nationwide — the 4,000 square foot space is packed with books, but barely feels like a bookstore. Sure, there are rows of books separated by genre, from Young Adult novels to cookbooks; and the space looks big, carrying thousands of titles, but it feels as packed as a train car during rush hour. The maze of bookshelves and extremely tiny seating area leaves no room to hide and zone out with a stack of comics or relax and absorb yourself in the prologue of a new novel.

Read the full story here.

Squeeze more out of your workouts with the best compression gear

While many of the popular shooting sleeves we’ve seen slowly dominate NBA fashion as of late may be purely for aesthetic purposes, there are numerous pieces of compressive clothing on the market that come with actual kinesiological functionality. Compression gear increases blood flow to the muscles and may even minimize lactic acid build up, allowing you to recover faster while minimizing soreness during and after a workout.

Although MIT researchers are already working on the next generation of microbial-enhanced “living clothing” to boost performance, there are plenty of compression garments currently available. From products designed to keep you cool during a workout, to responsive fiber networks designed to aid mobility and joint support, here are seven of our favorite pieces of compression gear.

Read the full story here.

Audi snags the first automated vehicle testing license in New York

Fresh off its announcement at CES 2017 of a self-driving car by 2020, Audi said Wednesday that New York state had approved its application to test autonomous vehicles. The license is for Society of Automobile Engineers (SAE) Level 3 vehicles, which is reserved for cars capable of automated driving at highway speeds if certain conditions are met.

To satisfy New York state regulations, two trained engineers will be in the car at all times, one in the driver’s seat and another in the back. These engineers will monitor the system and ensure the car is operating safely. So far, the company says the company has logged “thousands of miles” in its concept cars without an incident.

Audi is the first automobile manufacturer to win a license to operate autonomous cars in the state, less than a month after Governor Andrew Cuomo announced the state would begin accepting applications. The test period runs through April 1, 2018, but comes with some fairly onerous stipulations to participate.

Read the full story here.

Switzerland’s new ‘air-scrubbing’ plant sucks CO2 out of the atmosphere

A company in Switzerland recently unveiled the world’s first commercial so-called “air-scrubbing” plant designed to capture atmospheric carbon dioxide. At the 2015 Paris climate conference, 195 countries adopted the legally binding global climate deal aimed at limiting the rise in temperature to 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit and air-scrubbing technologies are pivotal to this overall objective.

The first of its kind direct air capture (DAC) unit utilizes 18 Climeworks carbon dioxide collectors on top of a waste utilization plant, KEZO, to filter CO2 from the atmosphere. This concentrated CO2 is then supplied to a greenhouse — located just a quarter mile down the road — where it is used as fertilizer to grow tomatoes and cucumbers. The DAC itself is powered by low-grade waste heat generated by the KEZO complex.

Read the full story here.

Google uses ‘Wonder Woman’ to inspire next generation of female programmers

A recent study co-published by Google and Gallup states that just 48 percent of girls between seventh and 12th grade are “very confident” they could learn computer science, compared to 65 percent of boys.

Clearly there’s an imbalance that has pervaded the field. And although tech companies have made strides in terms of representation, there’s still much work ahead. Even Google, it must be said, has come under fire in recent years for failing to do enough to fix the lack of diversity within its walls — especially where equal pay is concerned. And that brings us to this week.

On Friday, Wonder Woman hits theaters, and Google is using the opportunity to take action.

Read the full story here.

Dragonflies are being genetically engineered into cybernetic drones

Cybernetic insects may sound like something out of dystopian fiction, but they’re being developed in labs around the world. And their uses may be more beneficial than you’d expect. Some researchers have proposed remote-controlled insects for surveillance, while others think they can help sniff out explosives and aid in search and rescue missions.

Up until now, these insects have mainly been controlled by firing electrical impulses through electrodes plugged into the little invertebrate — a technique that’s been effective but clunky and energy hungry.

 Now engineers at Draper and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) at Janelia Farm have begun work on DragonflEye, a project to develop a more sophisticated technique that may usher in an evolution for cybernetic insects.

Read the full story here.

Startup’s solar roof is cheaper, more efficient, and easier to install than Tesla’s solar tiles

The solar roofing competition is heating up, and one company in particular is looking to challenge Tesla head-on. Californian upstart Forward Labs has its own solar roof design, and not only is it cheaper than Tesla’s, but it allegedly installs in half the time as well.

Technologically speaking, Forward Labs’s solar roof is slightly different than Tesla’s. The startup’s innovative design uses monocrystalline solar cells, which have a higher energy density than most other solar products. As such, these solar cells can achieve 19 watts per square foot compared to 11W per square foot for other solar cells.

Aesthetically, the overall design of the Forward Labs roof is notably different from Tesla’s as well. The Tesla roof is designed to mimic the classic rooftop shingle model, with each solar shingle made from three basic layers: a solar cell, a masking film, and a top layer of tempered glass. Conversely, Forward Labs’s design uses a single, fully-integrated standing-seam metal design with a similar tempered glass top layer.

Read the full story here.

Weekly Rewind: Apple’s Siri speaker, solar startups, Charlize Theron’s ‘Atomic Blonde’

A lot can happen in a week when it comes to tech. The constant onslaught of news makes it nigh impossible for mere mortals with real lives to keep track of everything. That’s why we’ve compiled a quick and dirty list of this week’s top 10 tech stories, from what to expect from WWDC to a Tesla-inspired pet carrier — it’s all here.

Apple’s ‘Siri speaker’ may debut as early as next week

It seems as if we’re just a few days away from Apple unveiling a Siri-enabled speaker similar to Amazon’s range of Echo devices and Google’s Home offering.

The Cupertino company has started manufacturing the device, “people familiar with the matter” told Bloomberg this week, and it could be shown off during Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference which kicks off in San Jose, California, on June 5.

However, anyone keen to get their hands on the Siri-controlled smart speaker may have to exercise some patience, as the sources said it won’t be ready to ship until “later in the year.”

Read the full story here.

First clip from Charlize Theron’s ‘Atomic Blonde’ is as brutal as it is beautiful

The first trailer for Charlize Theron’s upcoming film Atomic Blonde did not skimp on the action, so it’s no surprise that the first full clip from the July movie is one long, frantic, and impressively brutal fight sequence.

But if that’s the sort of scene you can appreciate, the clip really is a fantastic thing to behold.

Directed by John Wick co-director David Leitch (who’s also helming the upcoming Deadpool sequel), Atomic Blonde casts Academy Award winner Theron as a secret agent who will use anything at her disposal to complete a mission. The film’s script was penned by Kurt Johnstad (300, Act of Valor), and is based on the graphic novel The Coldest City, created by writer Antony Johnston and illustrator Sam Hart.

Read the full story here.

This Tesla-inspired pet carrier lets your cat seethe in style

Pet carriers are usually more functional than fashionable, but Waul Studio wants to change that. Inspired by a Devon Rex cat named Marvin who looks like a “little alien,” the team decided to make an ergonomic pet carrier that suited him. Waul Studio debuted a carrier that resembles a spaceship on Kickstarter in May, and the campaign quickly exceeded its initial goal.

The futuristic product doesn’t just look unique — it is designed to be more comfortable for both the pet that rides in it and the person who carries it. One of the upgrades animals will appreciate is an interior space that is designed to keep them entertained. Not only can they see outside the clear door, but there is also a built-in toy at the front of the carrier. A swirl-patterned ball in a track, the toy is meant to attract the animal’s attention and maintain it.

Read the full story here.

Amazon’s new retail bookstores have all of the books, but none of the charm

Large book chains like Barnes & Noble have been shutting down bookstores for a decade now, which makes it a peculiar day when a new bookstore opens up in the heart of New York City. Even odder, it’s a physical store from Amazon, the online retailer whose Kindle ebook reader is a prime culprit in bookstore declines in the first place. But Amazon is always up to the task of transforming traditional experiences into opportunities that require you to use technology.

Opening a physical bookstore may seem strange in 2017, but it’s no different than the release of Dash buttons or the opening of Amazon Go and Amazon Fresh food outlets. Amazon isn’t just on the web these days, it’s everywhere. Sadly, it has yet to learn what makes a bookstore great.

Walking into NYC’s first Amazon Books location — the seventh bookstore it has opened nationwide — the 4,000 square foot space is packed with books, but barely feels like a bookstore. Sure, there are rows of books separated by genre, from Young Adult novels to cookbooks; and the space looks big, carrying thousands of titles, but it feels as packed as a train car during rush hour. The maze of bookshelves and extremely tiny seating area leaves no room to hide and zone out with a stack of comics or relax and absorb yourself in the prologue of a new novel.

Read the full story here.

Squeeze more out of your workouts with the best compression gear

While many of the popular shooting sleeves we’ve seen slowly dominate NBA fashion as of late may be purely for aesthetic purposes, there are numerous pieces of compressive clothing on the market that come with actual kinesiological functionality. Compression gear increases blood flow to the muscles and may even minimize lactic acid build up, allowing you to recover faster while minimizing soreness during and after a workout.

Although MIT researchers are already working on the next generation of microbial-enhanced “living clothing” to boost performance, there are plenty of compression garments currently available. From products designed to keep you cool during a workout, to responsive fiber networks designed to aid mobility and joint support, here are seven of our favorite pieces of compression gear.

Read the full story here.

Audi snags the first automated vehicle testing license in New York

Fresh off its announcement at CES 2017 of a self-driving car by 2020, Audi said Wednesday that New York state had approved its application to test autonomous vehicles. The license is for Society of Automobile Engineers (SAE) Level 3 vehicles, which is reserved for cars capable of automated driving at highway speeds if certain conditions are met.

To satisfy New York state regulations, two trained engineers will be in the car at all times, one in the driver’s seat and another in the back. These engineers will monitor the system and ensure the car is operating safely. So far, the company says the company has logged “thousands of miles” in its concept cars without an incident.

Audi is the first automobile manufacturer to win a license to operate autonomous cars in the state, less than a month after Governor Andrew Cuomo announced the state would begin accepting applications. The test period runs through April 1, 2018, but comes with some fairly onerous stipulations to participate.

Read the full story here.

Switzerland’s new ‘air-scrubbing’ plant sucks CO2 out of the atmosphere

A company in Switzerland recently unveiled the world’s first commercial so-called “air-scrubbing” plant designed to capture atmospheric carbon dioxide. At the 2015 Paris climate conference, 195 countries adopted the legally binding global climate deal aimed at limiting the rise in temperature to 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit and air-scrubbing technologies are pivotal to this overall objective.

The first of its kind direct air capture (DAC) unit utilizes 18 Climeworks carbon dioxide collectors on top of a waste utilization plant, KEZO, to filter CO2 from the atmosphere. This concentrated CO2 is then supplied to a greenhouse — located just a quarter mile down the road — where it is used as fertilizer to grow tomatoes and cucumbers. The DAC itself is powered by low-grade waste heat generated by the KEZO complex.

Read the full story here.

Google uses ‘Wonder Woman’ to inspire next generation of female programmers

A recent study co-published by Google and Gallup states that just 48 percent of girls between seventh and 12th grade are “very confident” they could learn computer science, compared to 65 percent of boys.

Clearly there’s an imbalance that has pervaded the field. And although tech companies have made strides in terms of representation, there’s still much work ahead. Even Google, it must be said, has come under fire in recent years for failing to do enough to fix the lack of diversity within its walls — especially where equal pay is concerned. And that brings us to this week.

On Friday, Wonder Woman hits theaters, and Google is using the opportunity to take action.

Read the full story here.

Dragonflies are being genetically engineered into cybernetic drones

Cybernetic insects may sound like something out of dystopian fiction, but they’re being developed in labs around the world. And their uses may be more beneficial than you’d expect. Some researchers have proposed remote-controlled insects for surveillance, while others think they can help sniff out explosives and aid in search and rescue missions.

Up until now, these insects have mainly been controlled by firing electrical impulses through electrodes plugged into the little invertebrate — a technique that’s been effective but clunky and energy hungry.

 Now engineers at Draper and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) at Janelia Farm have begun work on DragonflEye, a project to develop a more sophisticated technique that may usher in an evolution for cybernetic insects.

Read the full story here.

Startup’s solar roof is cheaper, more efficient, and easier to install than Tesla’s solar tiles

The solar roofing competition is heating up, and one company in particular is looking to challenge Tesla head-on. Californian upstart Forward Labs has its own solar roof design, and not only is it cheaper than Tesla’s, but it allegedly installs in half the time as well.

Technologically speaking, Forward Labs’s solar roof is slightly different than Tesla’s. The startup’s innovative design uses monocrystalline solar cells, which have a higher energy density than most other solar products. As such, these solar cells can achieve 19 watts per square foot compared to 11W per square foot for other solar cells.

Aesthetically, the overall design of the Forward Labs roof is notably different from Tesla’s as well. The Tesla roof is designed to mimic the classic rooftop shingle model, with each solar shingle made from three basic layers: a solar cell, a masking film, and a top layer of tempered glass. Conversely, Forward Labs’s design uses a single, fully-integrated standing-seam metal design with a similar tempered glass top layer.

Read the full story here.

Weekly Rewind: Apple’s Siri speaker, solar startups, Charlize Theron’s ‘Atomic Blonde’

A lot can happen in a week when it comes to tech. The constant onslaught of news makes it nigh impossible for mere mortals with real lives to keep track of everything. That’s why we’ve compiled a quick and dirty list of this week’s top 10 tech stories, from what to expect from WWDC to a Tesla-inspired pet carrier — it’s all here.

Apple’s ‘Siri speaker’ may debut as early as next week

It seems as if we’re just a few days away from Apple unveiling a Siri-enabled speaker similar to Amazon’s range of Echo devices and Google’s Home offering.

The Cupertino company has started manufacturing the device, “people familiar with the matter” told Bloomberg this week, and it could be shown off during Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference which kicks off in San Jose, California, on June 5.

However, anyone keen to get their hands on the Siri-controlled smart speaker may have to exercise some patience, as the sources said it won’t be ready to ship until “later in the year.”

Read the full story here.

First clip from Charlize Theron’s ‘Atomic Blonde’ is as brutal as it is beautiful

The first trailer for Charlize Theron’s upcoming film Atomic Blonde did not skimp on the action, so it’s no surprise that the first full clip from the July movie is one long, frantic, and impressively brutal fight sequence.

But if that’s the sort of scene you can appreciate, the clip really is a fantastic thing to behold.

Directed by John Wick co-director David Leitch (who’s also helming the upcoming Deadpool sequel), Atomic Blonde casts Academy Award winner Theron as a secret agent who will use anything at her disposal to complete a mission. The film’s script was penned by Kurt Johnstad (300, Act of Valor), and is based on the graphic novel The Coldest City, created by writer Antony Johnston and illustrator Sam Hart.

Read the full story here.

This Tesla-inspired pet carrier lets your cat seethe in style

Pet carriers are usually more functional than fashionable, but Waul Studio wants to change that. Inspired by a Devon Rex cat named Marvin who looks like a “little alien,” the team decided to make an ergonomic pet carrier that suited him. Waul Studio debuted a carrier that resembles a spaceship on Kickstarter in May, and the campaign quickly exceeded its initial goal.

The futuristic product doesn’t just look unique — it is designed to be more comfortable for both the pet that rides in it and the person who carries it. One of the upgrades animals will appreciate is an interior space that is designed to keep them entertained. Not only can they see outside the clear door, but there is also a built-in toy at the front of the carrier. A swirl-patterned ball in a track, the toy is meant to attract the animal’s attention and maintain it.

Read the full story here.

Amazon’s new retail bookstores have all of the books, but none of the charm

Large book chains like Barnes & Noble have been shutting down bookstores for a decade now, which makes it a peculiar day when a new bookstore opens up in the heart of New York City. Even odder, it’s a physical store from Amazon, the online retailer whose Kindle ebook reader is a prime culprit in bookstore declines in the first place. But Amazon is always up to the task of transforming traditional experiences into opportunities that require you to use technology.

Opening a physical bookstore may seem strange in 2017, but it’s no different than the release of Dash buttons or the opening of Amazon Go and Amazon Fresh food outlets. Amazon isn’t just on the web these days, it’s everywhere. Sadly, it has yet to learn what makes a bookstore great.

Walking into NYC’s first Amazon Books location — the seventh bookstore it has opened nationwide — the 4,000 square foot space is packed with books, but barely feels like a bookstore. Sure, there are rows of books separated by genre, from Young Adult novels to cookbooks; and the space looks big, carrying thousands of titles, but it feels as packed as a train car during rush hour. The maze of bookshelves and extremely tiny seating area leaves no room to hide and zone out with a stack of comics or relax and absorb yourself in the prologue of a new novel.

Read the full story here.

Squeeze more out of your workouts with the best compression gear

While many of the popular shooting sleeves we’ve seen slowly dominate NBA fashion as of late may be purely for aesthetic purposes, there are numerous pieces of compressive clothing on the market that come with actual kinesiological functionality. Compression gear increases blood flow to the muscles and may even minimize lactic acid build up, allowing you to recover faster while minimizing soreness during and after a workout.

Although MIT researchers are already working on the next generation of microbial-enhanced “living clothing” to boost performance, there are plenty of compression garments currently available. From products designed to keep you cool during a workout, to responsive fiber networks designed to aid mobility and joint support, here are seven of our favorite pieces of compression gear.

Read the full story here.

Audi snags the first automated vehicle testing license in New York

Fresh off its announcement at CES 2017 of a self-driving car by 2020, Audi said Wednesday that New York state had approved its application to test autonomous vehicles. The license is for Society of Automobile Engineers (SAE) Level 3 vehicles, which is reserved for cars capable of automated driving at highway speeds if certain conditions are met.

To satisfy New York state regulations, two trained engineers will be in the car at all times, one in the driver’s seat and another in the back. These engineers will monitor the system and ensure the car is operating safely. So far, the company says the company has logged “thousands of miles” in its concept cars without an incident.

Audi is the first automobile manufacturer to win a license to operate autonomous cars in the state, less than a month after Governor Andrew Cuomo announced the state would begin accepting applications. The test period runs through April 1, 2018, but comes with some fairly onerous stipulations to participate.

Read the full story here.

Switzerland’s new ‘air-scrubbing’ plant sucks CO2 out of the atmosphere

A company in Switzerland recently unveiled the world’s first commercial so-called “air-scrubbing” plant designed to capture atmospheric carbon dioxide. At the 2015 Paris climate conference, 195 countries adopted the legally binding global climate deal aimed at limiting the rise in temperature to 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit and air-scrubbing technologies are pivotal to this overall objective.

The first of its kind direct air capture (DAC) unit utilizes 18 Climeworks carbon dioxide collectors on top of a waste utilization plant, KEZO, to filter CO2 from the atmosphere. This concentrated CO2 is then supplied to a greenhouse — located just a quarter mile down the road — where it is used as fertilizer to grow tomatoes and cucumbers. The DAC itself is powered by low-grade waste heat generated by the KEZO complex.

Read the full story here.

Google uses ‘Wonder Woman’ to inspire next generation of female programmers

A recent study co-published by Google and Gallup states that just 48 percent of girls between seventh and 12th grade are “very confident” they could learn computer science, compared to 65 percent of boys.

Clearly there’s an imbalance that has pervaded the field. And although tech companies have made strides in terms of representation, there’s still much work ahead. Even Google, it must be said, has come under fire in recent years for failing to do enough to fix the lack of diversity within its walls — especially where equal pay is concerned. And that brings us to this week.

On Friday, Wonder Woman hits theaters, and Google is using the opportunity to take action.

Read the full story here.

Dragonflies are being genetically engineered into cybernetic drones

Cybernetic insects may sound like something out of dystopian fiction, but they’re being developed in labs around the world. And their uses may be more beneficial than you’d expect. Some researchers have proposed remote-controlled insects for surveillance, while others think they can help sniff out explosives and aid in search and rescue missions.

Up until now, these insects have mainly been controlled by firing electrical impulses through electrodes plugged into the little invertebrate — a technique that’s been effective but clunky and energy hungry.

 Now engineers at Draper and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) at Janelia Farm have begun work on DragonflEye, a project to develop a more sophisticated technique that may usher in an evolution for cybernetic insects.

Read the full story here.

Startup’s solar roof is cheaper, more efficient, and easier to install than Tesla’s solar tiles

The solar roofing competition is heating up, and one company in particular is looking to challenge Tesla head-on. Californian upstart Forward Labs has its own solar roof design, and not only is it cheaper than Tesla’s, but it allegedly installs in half the time as well.

Technologically speaking, Forward Labs’s solar roof is slightly different than Tesla’s. The startup’s innovative design uses monocrystalline solar cells, which have a higher energy density than most other solar products. As such, these solar cells can achieve 19 watts per square foot compared to 11W per square foot for other solar cells.

Aesthetically, the overall design of the Forward Labs roof is notably different from Tesla’s as well. The Tesla roof is designed to mimic the classic rooftop shingle model, with each solar shingle made from three basic layers: a solar cell, a masking film, and a top layer of tempered glass. Conversely, Forward Labs’s design uses a single, fully-integrated standing-seam metal design with a similar tempered glass top layer.

Read the full story here.

Built-in conveyor belt lets BlackBelt 3D printer create objects longer than itself

Why it matters to you

One of the limitations of many 3D printers is an inability to print objects longer than themselves. The BlackBelt 3D Printer uses a built-in conveyer belt to solve that problem.

There are no guarantees on Kickstarter, but when a project comes along that blows through its fundraising target in just 15 minutes, you can at least be assured that it’s stirring up some serious interest.

That’s the case for the so-called BlackBelt 3D Printer, which set out to raise 50,000 euros (around $56,000), and managed to surpass that goal in just a quarter of an hour. The reason for the excitement surrounding it is that the BlackBelt promises users the opportunity to print pieces much longer than itself, thereby allowing makers to take their additive manufacturing fabrication to the next level.

That’s because it incorporates a high-precision conveyor belt as a print platform, which moves horizontally with every new layer that’s printed. The conveyor also means it’s possible to create queues of items, since each one can be shifted off the printing platform after it’s finished. It’s a brilliantly simple idea (at least in conception), but one that makes it possible to create pieces that — for reasons of either volume, dimensions, or both — would otherwise prove extremely challenging.

“We have designed a new type of 3D printer that has some advantages over the existing technology,” creator Stephan Schürmann told Digital Trends. “This machine allows extraordinary, long workpieces, series production, and special geometries without additional support material.”

With its use cases, footprint, stainless steel exterior, and price, everything about the BlackBelt screams “industrial 3D printer,” as opposed to one you’ll want to get for playing around with at home. Still, if you’re looking to kit out your maker space with an innovative new piece of kit, this may well be the one you’re looking for. It can currently be pre-ordered on Kickstarter, where it’ll set you back upwards of 6,500 euros ($7,300), plus shipping. It’ll be winging its way to customers this October.

You can check out more of the technical details about print volume and the like on the printer’s Kickstarter page.

Mindmaze’s system for VR is still learning about how you smile and frown

Why it matters to you

Virtual reality headsets may be enhanced with facial-tracking capabilities late this year to make your experiences more personal.

While Bebop Sensors is serving up gloves to virtual and augmented reality headset makers that track hands and fingers, Mindmaze is working on technology to correctly track facial expressions. Simply called Mask, it sits between the user’s face and the virtual reality headset and will be compatible with the HTC Vive, the Oculus Rift, and Samsung’s Gear VR headsets when it possibly launches at the end of 2017.

Mask is comprised of eight, low-cost electrodes mounted within the foam padding of a VR headset. These electrodes detect the electrical impulses of the face, analyzes them via advanced machine learning, and replicates the facial movements on a virtual avatar. This tech supposedly detects expressions 20 to 30 milliseconds before they even physically appear on your face.

However, Mindmaze will not sell Mask directly to users. Instead, it will be sold to headset makers to implement into their own retail kits. Because Mask is a very low-cost solution, the cost of VR headset kits will not see a dramatic price increase.  The big cost on Mindmaze’s part was creating software that could understand the data generated by those eight electrodes.

According to Mindmaze CEO Tej Tadi, a computer receiving the eight streams of data registers the rise and fall of each signal like an EKG. Thus, MindMaze had to utilize its neurotech expertise to create an algorithm — a set of rules for calculating a problem or situation — to read the data and pull information to form a set of facial expressions.

“When I strapped on the headset to try Mask for myself, even without any calibration, a range of canned expressions that I made were quickly reflected on the face of an avatar that represented me in the virtual world,” reports Ben Lang from Road to VR. “When I smiled, it smiled. When I frowned, it frowned. It was easily the best calibration-free tech that I’ve seen of this sort.”

That is good news coming from a hands-on experience with a prototype. Lang said this model only supported 10 different facial expressions. On top of that, facial movements were sterile, meaning Mask did not render all the small little facial details that make your expressions unique. Eventually, the team will add more facial expressions along with low-key eye tracking to express basic eye movements.

That said, Mask is still in the prototype stage. The model Lang tested tended to render facial expressions incorrectly and had trouble picking up normal blinking. But that is where machine learning comes in: The algorithm will get smarter over time, making for a more “robust” experience as it understands the facial movements of each user.

While all of this sounds like a lot of computing power, Tadi said that the workload is low enough for the system to run on smartphone-based VR headsets. That is due to the electrode/algorithm combo, which is a stark contrast to the camera-based facial tracking approach on PC.

So when will Mask be ready? There is a good chance it will be integrated into VR headsets by the 2017 holiday season or shortly thereafter.

HP Spectre x360 (2017) preview: 15-incher with supermodel looks

While perusing the Microsoft stand at this year’s Computex, we spotted and unmarked HP Spectre 360x 15-inch.

This is an updated version of 2016’s model, and we suspected that there were going to be some worthwhile improvements. We decided to take a closer look: This is a seriously good-looking convertible device. It’s slim at 17.8 mm and weighs an acceptable 1.47kg. The gold trim is a nice touch. Sleek and well-thought out design details draw the eye, and it pulls off an overall air of sophistication.

The membrane keyboard is spaced very well, and the mouspad is trimmed with gold. We couldn’t really test them much, but the brief moments we had were fully satisfactory. The speakers to either side of the keyboard complete a very visually pleasing deck. The 15 inch-screen is 4K touchscreen and it is running on seventh gen Core i7 (U series). The unit on display had 16GB of Ram and 512GD SSD.

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It also had Nvidia 940 MX. Although it is a convertible, we were a bit limited in how much we could play around with the unit, as technically, it was there to showcase some Microsoft software. However, we noted the 360 degree hinges and the movement was fluid on opening and closing. The Spectre has 10-touch pen support, a full SDcard slot — marking it out for creatives.

It also had two USB 3.1 Type-C (one is Thunderbolt enabled apparently), USB 3, and an HDMI port. There’s an audio jack too of course. Although we couldn’t play around with it too much, we did manage to get the floor staff to stop the demo quickly to try out the Bang and Ouflsen audio. The sound that emerged was extremely full and impressive even on a crowded showfloor.

All in all the Spectre 360x struck us a capable and attractive device.

MSI GT83VR Titan preview: Gaming monster with a roar

Computex has very much been about the onslaught of super-slim gaming machines due to the launch of Nvidia’s Max-Q architecture.

However, we spotted a beauty in the desktop replacement category from MSI. The first thing that grabbed our attention was mechanical keyboard, a first in this category. It boasts a switch by Cherry MX Speed Silver, too, and is the Steel Series Engine 3 keyboard.

The top-of-the-range version comes with Nvidia’s GeForce GTX 1080 8 GB GDDR5X SLI (two GPUs running together) and 7th-gen Intel Core i7 CPU. There’s a 2.5 HDD and up to Super Raid 4 (2x NVMe M.2 SSDs by PCIe Gen3 X4 in Raido). It also boasts 64GB DDR4 of memory (4x16GB). The raid allows for speeds of up to 3,300Mbps.

You need some serious cooling tech to keep the thermals under control with these specs and in this case the Titan uses MSI’s proprietary Cooler Boost Titan Technology system, which employs whirlwind blades for 30-per cent increased air pressure on two of the three fans, dual thermal modules for the GPU and CPU and 15 heatpipes.

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The Titan also has a 18.4 inch FHD IPS-level display and 2-megapixel front-facing camera. There are connections for three external 4k UHD displays for a fully immersive gaming experience as well. All of this comes with a fairly impressive weight of 5.5kg.

Unsurprisingly, given the beauty of the design and the specs, it garnered a Best Choice Award at Computex this year as well.