Apple Announces New MacBook Air With 13-Inch Retina Display and Touch ID

Apple in New York today announced an update to the MacBook Air, which includes a Retina Display, two Thunderbolt 3 ports, and one headphone jack. Apple says every part of MacBook Air has been redesigned and reengineered for the new generation, centering around the new Retina Display.

The new MacBook Air has 50 percent smaller bezels, a 13-inch display, 4x the resolution with over four million pixels, and 48 percent more color. This version of the MacBook Air also includes a Touch ID sensor embedded in the keyboard.

More information to follow…

Tag: October 2018 event
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Computers will soon outsmart us. Does that make an A.I. rebellion inevitable?

The question, “Will Computers Revolt?” is really many different questions rolled into one. Will computers become the dominant intelligence on the planet and will they take our place? What does being “dominant” mean? Will computers and humans be in conflict? Will that conflict be violent? Will intelligent computers take jobs and resources from humans?

Will Computers Revolt? Preparing for the Future of Artificial Intelligence By Charles J Simon

Most AI experts agree that computers will eventually exceed humans in thinking ability.  But then, even more questions arise. When will it happen? What would it be like to ‘exceed humans in thinking ability’? Will computer intelligence be just like human intelligence—only faster? Or will it be radically different?

Although today’s AI systems have remarkable abilities, they are not “thinking” in any general sense of the word.  Accordingly, we now use the terms AGI (Artificial General Intelligence), Strong AI, True AI, and others to differentiate the idea of true thinking from today’s AI systems which have tremendous capabilities but more limited scope.

With the coming of AGI, many new risks will emerge but before exploring these, let’s consider how far in the future this is likely to happen.

When Will AGI Happen?

Sooner than you think!  Why don’t we already have AGI? Two issues hold us back:

Creating the computational power needed for AGI
Knowing what software to write for AGI

AI experts have come up with differing estimates of the computational power of the human brain and predictions of increasing computational power of CPUs. The lines eventually cross at a “singularity” (coined by Ray Kurzweil) with CPUs exceeding brains in terms of brute-force computation in ten years, or twenty, or half a century, depending on the underlying assumptions.

But this may be the wrong question. We all know that lightning-fast searches on a properly-indexed database can produce results a million- or billion-fold faster than the brute-force approach. What portion of AGI will be amenable to this type of software efficiency?

A Double Standard?

As computers become the world’s dominant thinkers, we humans should heed these lessons and try not to be the cause of conflict. We won’t be a valuable food or energy source for the computers and (hopefully) we won’t be trophies. But what if the computers perceive that we are a serious risk to them? Or simply an inconvenience? This could be a result of human overpopulation, ongoing wars, global warming, pollution, dwindling fossil fuels—all the same problems which we can see we need to solve whether or not there is a risk of antagonizing our silicon counterparts.

Consider the steps taken to reduce the Chinese population. While many believe that the rules imposed by the Chinese government on its people were draconian, they were accepted by many as necessary at the time. If identical rules were imposed on the human race as a whole by a future race of thinking computers, they could well be considered equivalent to genocide.

Consider also the possibility of an acute energy crisis. If some future government makes energy rationing decisions which result in the deaths of many people, these would certainly be considered very “hard choices.” If thinking computers made identical choices, these could be considered acts of war—especially if thinking machines always arranged sufficient energy for themselves (just as a human government would).

I contend that it would be best for us to address these human problems ourselves rather than awaiting solutions from AGIs whose values may not coincide with our own. When faced with the prospect of solving these global problems ourselves or having machines implement solutions for us (potentially much more unpleasant solutions), we can only hope that the human race will rise to the occasion. In the event that concern about AGI drives us to solve these problems, we could think of them as having a positive impact on the planet.

Boston Dynamics’ robots already exhibit the fluid motion and coordination which we humans get from our cerebellum’s 56 billion neurons—65% of our brain’s computational capacity. And robots accomplish this with a few CPUs—not because the CPUs exceed the computational power of 56 billion neurons but because designers of robotic software know about physics, forces, and feedback and can write software more efficiently than the trial-and-error/learning approach used by your brain.

The nut of the argument is that brains aren’t very efficient computational devices—they get the job done but there are better/faster ways to approach AGI software which developers can use. We may already have computers with enough power for AGI but we don’t know it yet — which brings us to the second question.

Most people look at the limitations of today’s AI systems as evidence that AGI is a long way off.  I beg to differ. AI has most of AGI’s needed pieces already in play, they just don’t work together very well—yet. While the Jeopardy!-playing Watson is an amazing achievement, it is unrealistic to expect that it would ever manifest “understanding” or common sense at a human level. You understand coffee because you’ve seen it, poured it, spilled it, scalded yourself with it, and on and on. Watson has “read” about coffee. You and Watson could not have equivalent understanding of coffee (or anything else) because Watson hasn’t had an equivalent real-world experience. For true understanding, Watson-scale abilities need to be married to sensory and interactive robotic systems in order for common sense to emerge. We’ll need to incorporate object and knowledge representation, pattern-recognition, goal-oriented learning, and other aspects of AI in order to achieve AGI. These pieces already exist in various forms and AGI might all come together in as little as ten years—much sooner than most think.

With this shortened timeframe in mind, it’s time for serious thinking about what an AGI system might be like, what concerns we should have, and how we should prepare ourselves. We humans will necessarily lose our position as “biggest thinker” on the planet, but we have full control over the types of machines which will take over that position. We also have control over the process—be it peaceful or otherwise.

Ken Jennings and Brad Rutter compete against ‘Watson’

Scenario 1: The “Peaceful Coexistence” Scenario

This is the first of four possible scenarios considering the conflicts which might arise between computers and humans.  It is useful to consider the questions of “What causes conflicts amongst humans?” and “Will these causes of conflict also exist between computers and people?”

Thinking machines will be interested in their own energy sources, their own “reproductive” factories, and their own ability to progress in their own direction.

Most human conflicts are caused by instinctive human needs and concerns. If one “tribe” (country, clan, religion) is not getting the resources or expansion which it needs (deserves, wants, can get) it may be willing to go to war with its neighboring tribe to get them. Within the tribe each individual needs to establish a personal status in the “pecking order” and is willing to compete to establish a better position. We are all concerned about providing for ourselves, our mates and our families and are often willing to sacrifice short-term comfort for the long-term future of ourselves and our offspring, even if this creates conflict today.

These sources of conflict among humans seem inappropriate as sources of conflict with machines. Thinking machines won’t be interested in our food, our mates, or our standard of living. They will be interested in their own energy sources, their own “reproductive” factories, and their own ability to progress in their own direction. To the extent that resources or “pecking order” are sources of conflict, thinking machines are more likely to compete amongst each other than they are to compete against the human population.

Sophia, a robot created by Dr. David Hanson, founder and CEO of Hanson Robotics.

In the long term, following this scenario, mankind’s problems will be brought under control via computerized decisions. AGI computers will arrange solutions for overpopulation, famine, disease, and war, and these issues will become obsolete. Computers will help us initially because that will be their basic programming and later because they will see that it is in their own interest to have a stable, peaceful human population. Computers will manage all the technology, exploration, and advancement.

Scenario 2: The “Mad-Machine” Scenario

There is a popular science fiction scenario of a machine which becomes self-aware and attacks its creators when they threaten to disconnect it. This isn’t a realistic scenario for several reasons. Humans come into conflict because we are territorial, possessive, greedy and a host of other reasons which would not be valuable to an AGI.  Even our innate self-preservation instincts are not necessary for an AGI. We will strive to make AGIs which are pleasant, entertaining, agreeable, we won’t be able to sell them otherwise. And even when AGIs begin to program their own future AGI generations they will pass on these traits…just as we try to pass our own values to our children.

Universal Pictures

But let’s consider some conflicts between humans and other species. Gorillas are approaching extinction as they are hunted as trophies. Rhinos as an aphrodisiac. Wolves were hunted because they were “pests”. At the other end of the life-form size spectrum, the smallpox virus is virtually extinct (and we are proud of this accomplishment) because it was a serious risk to human life. We need to take steps to ensure that we aren’t trophies, pests, or parasites.

A Rogue Computer?

Couldn’t we Just Turn it Off?

The common fictional scenario is that we should “pull the plug” on some aberrant machine. Consider instead that the thinking part of a robot or other AGI isn’t on your desktop but is in the cloud. AGIs will be running in server farms in remote locations distributed across numerous servers. They will initially be built to take advantage of the existing server infrastructure and this infrastructure has be designed with reliability and redundancy in mind. Without a specific “Off” switch programmed in, it could be quite difficult to defeat all the safeguards which were designed keep our financial and other systems running through any calamity. While an “Off” switch seems like a good idea, we can only hope that it will be a programming priority.

Adapted from the book, Will Computers Revolt? Preparing for the Future of Artificial Intelligence. By Charles J Simon, Available on Amazon, Oct 30, 2018.

But suppose there is a machine which misbehaves? Whether such a machine occurs by accident or by nefarious human intent (see below), such systems would be also dangerous to other AGIs. Accordingly, AGIs will be motivated to eliminate such systems. With the cooperation of the machine population, such individual machines can be weeded out of the environment and the prospect of such elimination would act as a deterrent against such behavior.

Would AGIs start a nuclear war? In this case, the interests of people and AGIs are the same—a full-scale war would be disastrous for all. To look for the really dangerous situations, we need to consider instances where the objectives of humans and AGIs diverge. Issues of disease, famine, and drought have a devastating impact on the human populations while AGIs might just not care.

If thinking machines begin building their own civilization, individual misbehaving machines will be a greater threat to their civilization than to ours. Just as we take steps to remove criminals from our society, future machines will likewise eliminate their own—and they will be able to do it faster and more effectively than any human vs. machine conflict would.

Scenario 3: The “Mad-Man” Scenario

What if the first owners of powerful AGI systems use them as tools to “take over the world”? What if an individual despot gets control of an AGI system?

This is a more dangerous scenario than the previous. We will be able to program the motivations of our AGIs but we can’t control the motivations of the people or corporations that initially create them. Will such systems be considered tools to create immense profits or to gain political control? While science fiction usually presents pictures of armed conflict, I believe that the greater threat comes from our computers’ ability to sway opinion or manipulate markets. We have already seen efforts to sway elections through social media and AGI systems will make this vastly more effective. We already have markets at the mercy of programmed trading—AGI will amplify this issue as well.

We will be able to program the motivations of our AGIs but we can’t control the motivations of the people or corporations that initially create them.

The good news is that the window of opportunity for such a concern is fairly short, only within the first few AGI generations. During that period, people will have direct control over AGIs and they will do our bidding. Once AGI advances beyond this phase, they will be measuring their actions against their own common good. When faced with demands from humans to perform some activity with a long-term downside, properly-programmed AGIs will simply refuse.

Scenario 4: The “Mad-Mankind” Scenario

Today, we humans are the dominant intelligence and many of us are not comfortable with the idea of that dominance slipping away. Will we rise up as a species and attempt to overthrow the machines? Will individual “freedom fighters” attack the machines? Perhaps.

Art from Simon Stålenhag’s Electric State Simon Stålenhag

Historically, leaders have been able to convince populations that their problems are caused by some other group—Jews, Blacks, Illegal immigrants, etc.—and convince the population to take steps to eliminate the “cause” of their problems. Such a process may take place with AGI and robots as well: “We’re losing jobs!” “They are taking over!” “I don’t want my daughter to marry one!” But the rising tide of technology will improve the lives of people too, and few of us would be willing to turn back the clock.

Will there be individuals who attempt to subvert computers? Of course—just as there are today with hackers and virus-writers. In the long term their efforts are troublesome but generally futile. The people who own or control the computers will respond (as those in power do today) and the computers themselves will be “inconvenienced”. Eventually, the rebels will move on to other targets and leave the indestructible computer intelligence alone.

Conclusion

So will computers revolt? Yes, in the sense that they will become the dominant intelligence on our planet—the technological juggernaut is already under way. It is also likely that if we do not solve our multiple pending calamities (overpopulation, pollution, global warming, dwindling resources), thinking machines will solve them for us with actions which could appear warlike but are actually the direct consequences of our own inaction. As in the quip from Neil deGrasse Tyson: “Time to behave, so when Artificial Intelligence becomes our overlord, we’ve reduced the reasons for it to exterminate us all.”

All the preceding scenarios are predicated on the implementation of appropriate safeguards. I expect groups such as the Future of Life Institute to be vocal and effective in directing AGI development into safer territory. I am not advocating that everything will be rosy, full speed ahead. But with an understanding of how AGI will work, we can predict future pitfalls and it will be possible to avoid them.

Editors’ Recommendations

• If A.I. doesn’t replace your job, it may make it much more pleasant
• Robots can peer pressure kids, but don’t think for a second that we’re immune
• Can Aibo replace Fido? I fostered Sony’s robot dog for a week to find out
• A.I. can do almost anything now, but here are 6 things machines still suck at
• Spirit animals: 9 revolutionary robots inspired by real-world creatures

Best lens covers for your Oculus Go

While the Oculus Go is a great device for entertainment and playing some games, it’s going to spend most of its time on a shelf or not in use. Lens covers protect your headset from dust, sun damage, and other issues that can arise from leaving it unprotected. These lens covers will keep your device looking its best and also help prevent scuffs and other damage.

Good Fit

Geekria Stretchable VR Lens Cover

This cover stretches to create a snug fit around your headset. It’s inexpensive and can also be purchased with a wall mount to make a complete storage solution. It’s also a generic cover with some wiggle room so you can use it for other headsets if you decide to get a different cover on this list for your Oculus Go in the future.

$8 at Amazon

Best Budget

Universal VR Headset Cover

This is just a simple cotton cover that slides over your headset. It’s the cheapest entry on this list and an easy way to protect your device without breaking the bank. It fits around the side of your device where the lenses are and looks better on the Oculus Go than many generic covers because it isn’t baggy when covering the device.

$5 at VRCover

Most decorative

Snakebyte Storage Stand

This storage stand will look great on a shelf and also cover your headset’s lenses. It’s a great way to spruce up a shelf or desk while also keeping your Oculus Go in good shape. If you want to add a touch of class to your office or create a professional look for your VR room, having a few of these stands for each of your headsets is a great choice.

$30 at Amazon

Make your own

3D-printable cover by Chimaera

This 3D-printable cover fits snuggly onto the inside of your headset and has a hook to keep your Oculus Go controller in place. It’s custom-designed to fit perfectly into the Oculus Go and has an attractive logo across it. The only downside is that you need to print it yourself, which costs extra.

Free at Thingiverse

Lens covers are the type of accessory that’s easy to forget about, but they make a difference when it comes to protecting your hardware. These options are an inexpensive way to protect your Oculus Go from esthetic damage and from sun damage.

While any of these lens covers will work for the Oculus Go, I recommend making your own using the plans on Thingiverse. You can get access to 3D printers at some libraries or pay to have people make models for you. The 3D printable lens cover is custom-built for the Oculus Go and also helps you keep track of your motion controller.

Here’s how you can add extra storage to your NVIDIA Shield TV

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With the 500GB NVIDIA Shield TV Pro being discontinued and phased out, that leaves the standard 16GB NVIDIA Shield TV as the go-to Android TV streaming box. The bad news is that all that built-in storage is gone! The good news is you’re able to mount a USB drive as internal storage, and it’s really easy to do!

Products used in this guide

• Amazon: SanDisk Ultra Fit 128GB USB 3.0 Flash Drive ($31)
• Amazon: NVIDIA Shield TV ($199)

How to do the thing

Plug USB flash drive into an open USB port on the Shield.
From your Shield home screen go to the Settings.

Scroll down to Storage & reset

You should see the USB drive listed as removable storage. Click on the USB drive.

Select Erase and format as device storage.

Confirm Erase and then OK to start the formatting process.

• Formatting could take several minutes depending on the size of the drive

You must choose between formatting as removable storage or as internal storage. Removable storage allows you to load it up with files transferred from your PC, whereas mounting the drive as internal storage means you’ll expand your Shield’s storage for apps and internal data, so choose wisely.

We’ve listed our top pick below, but check out our roundup of the best external drives for the NVIDIA Shield.

Our top equipment picks

To expand your NVIDIA Shield TV’s storage, you’ll need a USB storage device (either a flash drive or a microSD with a USB adapter) and we’d recommend something that won’t get in the way.

Barely there

SanDisk Ultra Fit USB 3.0 Flash Drive

$31 at Amazon

Great value for 128GB of storage

This is the perfect flash drive for expanding the storage of your NVIDIA Shield TV because you can plug it in the back, mount it, and forget it’s there. It won’t get in the way of the other USB port and you’ll be able to download plenty of apps and media. Don’t need that much storage? SanDisk has smaller storage options available in the same compact form factor.

Don’t own a Shield?

The 16GB NVIDIA Shield TV is currently being offered with a gaming controller and a free Amazon Echo Dot (3rd gen) for just $199.

NVIDIA Shield TV Gaming Edition + Amazon Echo Dot (3rd gen)

$199 at Amazon

This is a great deal on the best Android TV box you can buy. Expand the 16GB of storage with the SanDisk drive and you’re good to go!

Find lost items with your voice with an Echo Dot and Tile tracker bundle

Attach Tile to your possessions and you’ll always be able to find them — just by asking.

If you are forgetful or regularly misplace things, you might want to invest in some Tile Bluetooth trackers and attach them to your valuables. Right now, Amazon is offering discounted bundles which include 4 Tiles along with its newest Echo Dot. The pairing may be odd at first glance, but if you do happen to misplace your items, you can simply ask Alexa to help locate them.

You can get the Echo Dot with a 4-Pack Tile Combo — comprised of 2 Tile Mate and 2 Tile Slim — for $69.99. That’s a saving of $50 off the full price if bought separately. Tile Mate is perfect for clipping to a keyring and Tile Slim is ideal for sliding into a wallet or purse. There’s also a bundle with 4 Tile Mate for $59.99. If you’re willing wait 1-3 months for it to ship, you can lock that price in now. Considering that the new Echo Dot sells for $50 on its own, you really can’t go wrong with either bundle here.

You can also use your Tile trackers with the free apps for iOS and Android.

See at Amazon

Every game included with PlayStation Classic

PlayStation just gave us the full list!

When Sony first announced the PlayStation Classic, they told us it would come pre-loaded with 20 games from the PlayStation archives.

We’ve broken down the full list below!

Final Fantasy VII

Often touted as not only the greatest Final Fantasy game ever but one of the best games ever written, Final Fantasy VII is an excellent choice to have on the PlayStation Classic.

Featuring the adventures of Cloud Strife and the most awesome sword in any video game, Final Fantasy VII is a classic turn-based RPG where your team takes on the evil forces of the Shinra corporation to free the planet from their evil machinations. While the graphics are pretty subpar, even for the original PlayStation, the storytelling and gameplay more than make up for it.

Tekken 3

I was always a fan of Super Street Fighter on the Super Nintendo, but games like Tekken and Virtua fighter brought so much more to the genre. With a camera that pans around and, for its day, pretty fighting animations, Tekken 3 was one of the best fighting games before the PlayStation 2 came along.

Ridge Racer Type 4

I’m not really sure why they chose Ridge Racer when they could have had Gran Tourismo 1, but there is still a lot of nostalgia around R4. While graphically it is nowhere near as good as Gran Tourismo, the gameplay is undeniably fun and fast-paced.

Jumping Flash!

From what I can gather Jumping Flash! is what happens when you give the inventors of Wolfenstein 3D magic mushrooms. It’s a psychedelic first-person shooter with crazy jetpacks and bright colors and noises. One level has you jumping up and down on a shark while you shoot it. Very bizarre.

While I know very little, I have seen many a tweet excited to play this again, so I guess Sony knows what it’s doing including it on the PlayStation Classic.

Wild Arms

Wild Arms is another game that flew under my radar as a kid, but boy does it look cool. Set in the wild west of the planet Filgaia, Wild Arms was one of the first RPGs to include 3D rendered battle scenes and was really ahead of its time graphically.

While researching for this article, not only did I find that Wild Arms exists, but that it spawned sequels, anime, and manga, all the while being almost unknown here in the States and Europe. Japan though, went crazy for the western themes making it a fan favorite there..

Cool Boarders 2

Cool Boarders, while not being as amazing as the Tony Hawk games, was a fun mix of tricks and cool outfits. The game was basically a racing game; you raced downhill on a snowboard completing tricks to boost your score.

It was a fun, distracting game that was the precursor to games like SSX Tricky, which really showed what snowboarding games could do.

Battle Arena Toshinden

Essentially Tekken with weapons, Battle Arena Toshinden played on the now tried-and-tested formula of beat-em-up and gave us a glimpse of what Soulcalibur would one day become.

It feels a little redundant to have two fighting games on the PlayStation Classic when space is at a premium, but enough people must have enjoyed it to make it worth Sony’s time.

Destruction Derby

Destruction Derby was one of the first racing games I remember actually enjoying. Instead of sedately driving around a track, you crashed and careened into other racers as you went.

It also had its own battle royale mode way before Fortnite where you could smash other cars and even see the damage on your vehicle— a big improvement on most racing games where your car was always pristine.

Grand Theft Auto

Before everything went 3D, there were some amazing games that you just knew were going to be special for years to come. Grand Theft Auto has, of course, spawned many sequels, each one better than the last, but watching the original again makes me realize how different it was.

Using a top-down view of the city, you raced through streets stealing cars and killing people on a whim. It was the same meaningless violence you see in the later games while feeling more comical and fun. I think I prefer that.

Intelligent Qube

Known as Kurushi in Japan, Intelligent Qube is another one of those games that didn’t see wide renown in the rest of the world. It’s an interesting puzzle game that requires some skill and has a beautiful soundtrack, but I still don’t see why it is on the Classic.

There were a lot of amazing games on the original PlayStation; Intelligent Qube was not one of them.

Metal Gear Solid

Now we are getting to the good stuff. Announced at E3 in 1997, Metal Gear Solid was and still is an instant classic. The stealth mechanic that it introduced has been used by countless games since and it continues to be one of my favorite games.

Also, we got to hear tsomeone say “SNAAAAAKE” hundreds of times as you died over and over again, so that’s a bonus.

Mr. Driller

Mr. Driller by Namco is one of those extremely Japanese games that oozes strange imagery and bouncy, upbeat sound effects. The premise is fairly simple: you have to dig through multi-colored blocks to reach the bottom of the cave. The more combos you can do, the more points you score. Simple and fun.

Oddworld: Abe’s Odyssey

I remember thinking at the time that Oddworld was released how graphically sophisticated it was compared to other games of its day, and looking back now I stand by that. The side-scrolling gameplay has lovely 3D elements that really make the game stand out.

Of course, the storyline and cute factor of Abe’s Odyssey cannot be ignored and explains why it’s here on the Classic.

Rayman

I think we all know why Rayman is on the PlayStation Classic lineup. It has been a Sony staple ever since this first console, and its classic platforming and crazy storyline make it the perfect choice for the 20 games on the PlayStation Classic.

I look forward to seeing all the speed runs of this that will no doubt show up on Twitch.

Resident Evil: Directors Cut

Resident Evil is a gaming phenomenon. There is no doubt that the series is one of the most beloved around and the horror gaming genre would be poorer for it not existing. The suspense, violence, and jump-scares all combined to make a masterpiece.

I really did hate not being able to shoot and move though, that was frustrating.

Super Puzzle Fighter II

A bizarre mix of Street Fighter, Gems from Sega, and Tetris, Super Puzzle Fighter was a fun two player game where you had to clear gems to defeat your opponent. The more gems you cleared, the more you added to their side and your little character in the middle would do special maneuvers that looked like Street Fighter.

It was a fun little game, but is it worthy of being one of 20 games on a $99 Console? I’m not really sure.

Syphon Filter

Syphon Filter is the perfect mix of stealth and action. Taking a lot of cues from Metal Gear Solid, but upping the gun and run quotient, Syphon filter had some really special mechanics, like night vision scopes, that was used by Splinter Cell in later games, and the ability to dodge and roll made a big difference to gun play.

This is a great addition to the PlayStation Classic and I look forward to playing it again.

Revelations: Persona

Another game that I have never seen, Revelations: Persona is a JRPG that has a huge fan base and has spurned many sequels. The game appears to take elements from Final Fantasy while exploring some more esoteric themes and utilizing a battle and character building system using assorted cards.

Twisted Metal

An insane mix of Destruction Derby and the movie Death Race, Twisted Metal is a fast paced racing game where you get to not only smash into other cars, but blow them up using assorted weapons in a battle arena setting.

There were plenty of game modes to keep you busy in Twisted Metal, and the frantic nature of the game made it a fantastic distraction for 20 or 30 minutes.

Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six

The final game in the PlayStation Classics line up is a favorite of mine. Based on the Rainbow Six book, you play as an elite anti-terrorist task force seeking to eliminate threats before they get too far.

The gameplay of Rainbow Six is still fairly unique, and has been used by its predecesors to great effect. Having a team you can stack commands to is a joy when playing these kinds of games as it adds a level of realisim and tactics rarely seen in video games of this age.

Tell us what they missed

So there we have it, the full list. Has this made you more excited for the PlayStation Classic or are you upset that there are games missing that you wanted to see? cough- Tony Hawk -cough. Let us know in the comments.

Retro gold

PlayStation Classic

$99 pre-order at Best Buy

An instant classic in the making

The PlayStation Classic is first retro console from Sony and could be a huge hit for them. As long as the quality of the games is high, and I’m sure it will be it will be worth the pre-order price.

From the forums: Should you buy the OnePlus 6T or Pixel 3 XL?

OnePlus’s latest gives the Pixel 3 XL a run for its money.

Yesterday at an event in New York City, OnePlus formally unveiled the OnePlus 6T. With a starting price of just $549 for the base model with 128GB of storage and 6GB of RAM, the 6T delivers a true flagship smartphone experience for hundreds of dollars less than what’s being asked for Samsung and Google’s latest handsets.

The Pixel 3 XL was just released earlier this month and is easily one of the best smartphones you can buy right now. However, for $350 more than the OnePlus 6T, is it worth the extra cash?

Here’s what the Android Central forum community has to say.

MooMooPrincess
10-29-2018 11:21 AM

“

The pixel 3 will still have the better camera. But all cameras these days are so similar it’s not funny. There’s a better resolution on the 3xl, with a smaller screen.

I personally will probably grab a 6t. 549 for 6gb of ram and 128 storage is insane. Only con I can see is warranty support and one plus data breeches they’ve had.

Reply

digitalbreak
10-29-2018 11:29 AM

“

It’s hard to beat the Pixel low light camera smarts. If that’s not a deciding factor then 6T may be a choice to consider.

Reply

Delnic
10-29-2018 04:04 PM

“

I think that the higher price of the pixel is not justified.
Ok, the pixel cam is the best, but the 6t is as good (and even better sometime) on others specs

Reply

bhatech
10-29-2018 09:23 PM

“

6T is a great choice if you don’t care about best camera, platform update and monthly security updates. OnePlus does have faster platform updates compared to others and they said they will do bi monthly security updates so not very bad. One thing I think they regressed is that gimmicky in-display fingerprint over the traditional fingerprint. Hearing on AC podcast and others looks like a…

Reply

What do you think? Should you buy the OnePlus 6T or Pixel 3 XL?

Join the conversation in the forums!

OnePlus 6T and OnePlus 6

• OnePlus 6T review
• Latest OnePlus 6T news
• OnePlus 6 vs. OnePlus 5T: How much changes in six months?
• Join the discussion in the forums

Screen-to-body ratio Samsung Galaxy S10 gaat er flink op vooruit

De Screen-to-body ratio is een getal dat iets zegt hoeveel van de voorzijde uit scherm bestaat. Hoe hoger het getal, hoe meer scherm en hoe minder schermrand. De race naar 100% is ingezet en Samsung zou voor de Galaxy S10 zelfs mikken op 93,4% terwijl de S9 nog blijft steken op 85,4%. Een flinke verbetering dus.

Er zijn voor Samsung verschillende manieren om de ‘screen-to-body ratio’ te verhogen. Ze passen immers in tegenstelling tot sommige andere fabrikanten nog altijd een rand boven en onder het scherm toe. Natuurlijk is die door de jaren heen kleiner geworden maar echt tegen de rand aan zit hij nog altijd niet. Probleem blijft dan waar laat je de selfiecamera. Vele anderen hebben dat probleem opgelost door hem in een notch te plaatsen; een inkeping in het scherm. Samsung wil die route voor de S10 niet bewandelen dus komt het met iets anders.

De selfiecamera zal mogelijk in het scherm zitten zo blijkt uit bovenstaande afbeelding. Samsung speelt al langer met het idee en introduceert deze opstelling mogelijk al met de Galaxy A8s. Hierdoor zouden de randen flink dunner kunnen worden waarna een flink hogere screen-to-body ratio behaald kan worden. Verwacht daarmee ook een andere schermverhouding tenzij de Galaxy S10 een stukje breder wordt. Het scherm van de Samsung Galaxy S10 wordt nog altijd ingeschat op 5,8 inch terwijl de grotere S10 Plus mogelijk naar 6,44 inch gaat.

Grotere batterij

Het grotere scherm van de S10 Plus geeft zorgen over de accuduur. Het scherm is namelijk de grootste batterijverbruiker. Om dat op te lossen overweegt Samsung een grotere 4000 mAh batterij in de Plus-uitvoering, een bijna 15% verhoging. Samsung was de laatste jaren erg terughoudend in het vergroten van de batterij na de perikelen met de Note 7. We hopen dat deze grotere batterij niet ten koste is gegaan van de koptelefoonaansluiting. Andere fabrikanten laten die steeds vaker weg.

Ontvang een e-mail wanneer de Galaxy S10 verkrijgbaar is

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Ontvang een e-mail wanneer de Galaxy S10+ verkrijgbaar is

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Apple Store Down Ahead of Today’s Event in New York City

Apple has taken down its online store ahead of today’s event in New York, scheduled to begin 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, Howard Gilman Opera House.

Apple’s October event will focus on products not introduced at the iPhone-centric event in September. On that occasion, Apple failed to take down its sitemap XML leading up to the event, resulting in a raft of major leaks ahead of the keynote. That’s not the case this time around.

We’re still awaiting multiple product refreshes before the end of 2018, including updates to several Mac models and the iPad Pro, which are likely to see a debut at the event.

2018 iPad Pro models are expected to adopt an iPhone X-style design with no Home button, slimmer bezels, and a TrueDepth camera system that will enable Face ID for biometric authentication. We could also see a redesigned Apple Pencil with new gesture and swipe features.

Along with new iPad Pro models, we’re also expecting refreshes to the MacBook line. Refreshed 12-inch MacBooks are said to be in the works, and according to rumors, Apple has developed a low-cost notebook with a Retina display that could be positioned as an updated MacBook Air.

The Mac mini, which has not been updated for 1,475 days, is expected to be refreshed for the first time since 2014. We don’t know a lot about what to expect for the Mac mini update, but upgraded internals and faster processors are certain.

Apple typically streams the event live on its website and on Apple TV, but for those who are unable to watch, MacRumors will be providing full event coverage both on MacRumors.com and through our MacRumorsLive Twitter account.

Readers who can’t follow the event live and are interested in avoiding all of the announcements until Apple’s posts the full video online can bookmark this page, where we’ll post a spoiler-free link once it’s up.

Tag: October 2018 event
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WeTransfer Relaunches Mobile File-Sharing App as ‘Collect’

File sharing service WeTransfer today announced a new version of its mobile app called Collect, billed as “the best way to organize ideas”.

The file-sharing app has been redesigned to enable users to build ideas together in a visual way, allowing multiple people to add photos, videos, articles, notes, songs, and links to one unified place.

Users can save any type of media to boards, which can then be edited collaboratively and shared with others. The new app also features instructive illustrations that walk users through all of the app’s features for collecting, sharing, and collaborating.

Essentially, Collect offers the ability to quickly collect and share content in a visual way, while also allowing users to share a quick link to a single large file. Gordon Willoughby, CEO of WeTransfer, offered these comments:

“Collect by WeTransfer solidifies our evolution from a simple file-sharing service to a wider set of beautifully obvious digital tools that encourage creation and collaboration. Following our recent acquisition of Paper & Paste, this couldn’t be a better time to introduce the Collect experience to a wider group of users and build on our commitment to creating products that make sharing ideas effortless.”

Founded in 2009 and pitched as a file sharing service for the creative community, WeTransfer’s products are now used by over 50 million people each month.

Collect by WeTransfer is a free download for iPhone and iPad, available on the App Store. [Direct Link]
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