Sony has sold 50 million PlayStation 4s
After surpassing 40 million sales back in May, Sony has now sold 50 million PlayStation 4s. That figure includes PS4, PS4 Pro and the new slim version of the console, and represents sales to customers, rather than shipments to stores.
The 50 million milestone took just over three years for Sony to reach. For comparison, the PlayStation 3 was on sale for four and a half years before Sony had shipped the same number.
Software sales have also been fairly strong. Sony says that, as of December 4th, it’s sold 369.6 million games across retail and digital downloads. That means that roughly seven games have been purchased for every one console.
As Sony’s announcement gives only a grouped figure for console sales, it’s impossible to know exactly how many of the 10 million PS4s sold since May were the “Pro” edition. Similarly, there have been absolutely no firm figures for PlayStation VR sales. The headset came out back in October, and at the time SCEE president Jim Ryan said launch sales were expected to be “many hundreds of thousands.” Analytics firm SuperData projects that total sales of the headset in 2016 will be less than 750,000.
Microsoft stopped reporting figures some time ago. The launch of the smaller Xbox One S has revitalized sales somewhat, with the Xbox One outselling Sony’s console for several months in a row this year. Third-party estimates suggest that Microsoft has sold between 25-30 million Xbox Ones, giving Sony close to a two-to-one sales lead.
An app update turns this smart pen into a 3D scanner
A smartpen that could already digitally measure pretty much anything will soon also be able to scan objects in 3D. Developed by Instrumments, a company made up of former Misfit creators, the impressive 01 pen will be getting a new app, adding the 3D functionality next Spring. This Pro App will enable users to roll the 01 pen over 3D objects, capturing contours and wirelessly logging and sharing the 3D data.
The update will come as a welcome relief for 3D artists, as it looks to make the long and painful process of modeling 3D objects significantly easier.
Alongside this new technology, the company has announced a variation on its 01 pen scanner, the 01Go. $50 cheaper than the 01, the 01Go works in the same way but does away with the pen functionality, making it a noticeably smaller and more portable scanner. Releasing on March 1st 2017, the 01Go is normally priced at $99, but is now available on their Indiegogo for $79 for a limited time.
The 01 launched in November for $149, thanks to Instrumments’ successful Indiegogo campaign, and is shipping now to early backers. While you can just purchase the 01 and 01Go from Instrumments website, backing the device on Indiegogo is the better option, granting you five-year free access to the Pro app. The Lite app will be available to everyone for free starting December 10 on both the Google Play store and the App Store. If you make the plunge, however, you can expect to part with extra cash for accessories like sleeves, ink, lead refills, and batteries, which are also available from Instrumments website.
Source: InstruMMents
Nicki Minaj’s new game could make you a rap star
It’s hard to believe anyone that’s not a Kardashian, a Jenner or a Ramsay can successfully make a game about their careers, but Nicki Minaj’s new app actually sounds like fun. Collaborating with Glu Mobile, which also made the Kim Kardashian, Kylie and Kendall Jenner and Gordon Ramsay games, Minaj made The Empire, a game which focuses on rap music, and actually lets players create their own songs. In addition, you can record your own voice (rapping your own words) into the app, and Minaj herself (or her minions, anyway) will select the best few to showcase on her social media accounts. The Empire is now available on iOS and Android, and from my few days playing a beta preview, it seems like more than just another celebrity game.
Unlike other celebrity apps, such as the Kylie and Kendall Jenner game, that simply let you style your own character and interact with the predetermined storyline, The Empire also offers you an outlet for creativity. You get to create your own rap lyrics and record yourself singing your words over what Glu says are “studio-quality custom beats.”
Those who aren’t as confident or eloquent can choose, like I did, to use a template and fill out some keywords, Mad Libs style. The app offers some word options to fill in the blanks with, but you can also enter your own. I wouldn’t call the songs created with this method inspired, but at least they sort of rhyme. And they can turn out pretty wacky, which adds to the fun of the game. You can choose to go straight to rap mode to avoid the hassle of going through the game’s plot, or stick around for the drama in Story Mode.
The story part of the The Empire largely follows the style of others in the category: you’re a nobody, who, by some miraculous stroke of luck, befriends the titular celebrity. She takes you under her wing, helping you record your first single and giving you tips on how to promote it. The goal is to earn song sales and grow your number of fans. All the while, the game tries to inculcate values; in the Jenner game, it was the importance of friendship, while in The Empire, it’s the power of believing in yourself.
The game’s graphics have a very distinctive style that’s fiercely reminiscent of street art. Characters are boldly colored and wear hip, urban outfits, which is appropos for the Queens, New York neighborhood you start out in. As a New Yorker, I found that setting one of the most endearing things about Minaj’s game, compared to the LA backdrop of the Kylie and Kendall app. That’s obviously a matter of preference, though.
The thing I enjoyed the most during my time with The Empire is its soundtrack. I normally disable background music in my games, but because this app pipes in Minaj’s own tunes, such as Starships or Pound the Alarm, leaving the sound on was surprisingly enjoyable. Of course, that’s mostly because I already like Minaj’s music, but players of this game are likely going to be her fans anyway. The app also offers chatrooms for you to meet other Minaj fans in, who could eventually develop into an audience for the songs you create.
Whether anyone will actually become a breakout rap star because of Nicki Minaj: The Empire is not yet clear, but if Minaj keeps to her promise of showcasing the best rapper of the app each month, she may really find some talent among her fans. That potential exposure is solid motivation for aspiring rappers to start sharing their works in the app (although ownership of your tracks isn’t quite clear); it’s like American Idol on a smaller but easier-to-access stage. And if the thrill of potential stardom isn’t fun enough for you, then perhaps the sly anaconda jokes will have to do.
Google launches VR tour of New York’s festive store windows
You can now visit New York’s elaborate department store holiday window displays without fighting a billion other tourists. Google’s “Window Wonderland” app lets you visit Barney’s, Saks Fifth Avenue, Bloomingdale’s and 15 other stores. The company says it created a new technique to stitch hundreds of high-res photos into “rich, lifelike panoramas.” Viewed on a Daydream or other VR headset, “you can even be surrounded by the sounds and sights of the city streets, taking in the storefront view alongside other onlookers,” Google says.
Some highlights are Lord & Taylor’s “Enchanted Forest” with ice skating bunnies and fishing raccoons, a weirdly unseasonable jungle theme from Bergdorf Goodman, Bloomingdales’ glowing chandeliers and a slightly nightmarish Christmas candy-inspired couture theme from Saks Fifth Avenue. Barney’s, meanwhile has installations from South Park creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker, and another from visual artist Nick cave around race and gender in sculpture. Both are in support of the #LovePeaceJoyProject charity campaign.
You can listen to audio guides from window designers and learn how they built the intricate, detailed contraptions featured in the displays. And in the spirit of the season, Google is trying to make money by pointing you to a special “shopping gift window” section of the app. To check it out, hit the website, and if you’re on a smartphone, tap the VR button to view it on a headset.
iPhone Assembler Foxconn in Early Talks to Expand U.S. Operations
Apple manufacturing partner Foxconn is in preliminary stages to build a collection of assembly plants within the United States (via Reuters), potentially fulfilling President-elect Donald Trump’s wish that Apple would move the majority of its manufacturing to the U.S. instead of overseas.
Foxconn decided to make a statement about its U.S. expansion after details of the move were picked up and shared by CNBC yesterday. The news alleged that Foxconn would be investing $7 billion into its U.S. expansion and aiming for the creation of 50,000 jobs within the country, all in the next four years. Foxconn simply stated that more details will come after its talks with “the relevant U.S. officials” are over.
Image via CNBC
“While the scope of the potential investment has not been determined, we will announce the details of any plans following the completion of direct discussions between our leadership and the relevant US officials,” the Foxconn statement said.
In the meetings with Donald Trump, Japan’s SoftBank also looked towards U.S. expansion and pledged $50 billion in its investment stateside, along with 50,000 new jobs of its own, “a move the U.S. President-elect claimed was a direct result of his election win.” In a call made to Trump by Apple CEO Tim Cook, Trump mentioned to the CEO that one of his goals and future achievements would be to “get Apple to build a big plant in the United States,” by offering the company incentives and “a very large tax cut” to do so.
Cook was said to have remained neutral on the subject by saying “I understand that” in response to Trump, while Foxconn chairman Terry Gou is said to be less enthusiastic about the idea due to inevitably higher production costs compared to China. Cook explained one of the major reasons Apple’s manufacturing is so heavily centered in China is due to the country’s large number of individuals with the required “vocational kind of skills.”
China put an enormous focus on manufacturing. In what we would call, you and I would call vocational kind of skills. The U.S., over time, began to stop having as many vocational kind of skills. I mean, you can take every tool and die maker in the United States and probably put them in a room that we’re currently sitting in. In China, you would have to have multiple football fields.
Foxconn does have manufacturing facilities on a very small scale in the U.S., in Virginia and Indiana, along with logistic locations in California and Texas. Apple has a comparably limited facility in Austin, Texas which manufactures the company’s Mac Pro.
Note: Due to the political nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Politics, Religion, Social Issues forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.
Tag: Foxconn
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HP Launches 4K ENVY Display With USB-C for New MacBook Pro
HP today launched its 27-inch ENVY display with 4K Ultra HD resolution and a built-in USB-C port for charging the new MacBook Pro, 12-inch MacBook, or most other USB-C devices at up to 60 watts over a single cable.
The IPS LED-backlit display features a clean design with a micro-edge bezel, matte black rear panel, and a thin aluminum stand. The base can be detached for VESA wall or arm mounting, but a bracket is not included.
The display has a 60Hz refresh rate and supports AMD FreeSync, designed to eliminate stuttering and tearing in games and videos by locking the refresh rate to the framerate of the graphics card.
Tech specs:
• 27-inch IPS LED display with ultra-wide 178° angle viewing
• 4K Ultra HD resolution (3,840×2,160 pixels)
• 16:9 aspect ratio with 142 PPI
• 60Hz refresh rate
• 99% sRGB color gamut
• Typical brightness of 350 cd/m2
• Built-in ports: 1 USB-C, 1 DisplayPort 1.2, 1 HDMI 2.0, 1 HDMI 1.4
• USB-C Power Delivery up to 60 watts
• AMD FreeSync
• VESA mounting
Included in the box:
• A/C power cable
• USB-C cable
• DisplayPort cable
• HDMI cable
HP’s new ENVY 27 Display is available on HP.com and at select retailers in the United States for $499 starting today. The price point is about $200 cheaper than some competing USB-C displays, such as the LG 27UD88 and Lenovo ThinkVision X1, but features and connectivity vary.
One display that may be a better buy in the near term is LG’s and Apple’s new UltraFine 4K display. While it has a smaller 21.5-inch screen, the UltraFine has true 4K resolution (4,096×2,304), built-in speakers, 3 additional USB-C ports, higher 500 cd/m2 brightness, and a wider DCI-P3 color gamut.
LG’s UltraFine 4K display is $524—only $25 extra—until December 31. Afterwards, its price returns to $699.95, which will make it a less attractive option compared to HP’s ENVY 27 display, although still worth consideration.
Related Roundup: MacBook Pro
Tags: USB-C, HP, 4K displays
Buyer’s Guide: MacBook Pro (Buy Now)
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‘myLINGO’ iOS App Lets Users Listen to Spanish Audio Tracks in Real Time at the Movies
A new app called myLINGO lets Spanish-speaking users listen to studio-recorded dubs of the most popular movies while they’re in theaters, thanks to backing from studios including Disney, Paramount, and Sony. The app has also obtained “strategic partnerships” with Regal Entertainment Group and Cinemark Theaters within the United States.
myLINGO works by letting users search for the movie they’ll be watching, and then downloading the Spanish audio track to their iPhone, which is recommended to be done at home on Wi-Fi. After that, the app does all the work by listening for the film’s audio through the iPhone’s microphone, and delivering the Spanish version through the user’s headphones “in perfect sync with the film.”
The company noted that the app’s tracks are “studio-sanctioned Spanish versions” of each film available on the app, which were originally created and distributed for international release. The audio translations only play if the app can hear the movie on screen, includes a dark mode that prevents distractions in the theater, and once the movie is over the audio file self-deletes from the iPhone. Right now, myLINGO is only available for Apple’s iPhone.
“Hispanic audiences spent approximately $2.5 billion at the box office in 2015, proving a big incentive for cinemas to cater to this market segment,” said Olenka Polak, co-founder and CEO of myLINGO. “Even so, our research shows that nearly half of all Spanish-dominant Americans avoid going to the movies because films aren’t shown in Spanish. myLINGO addresses that challenge as a partner to both studios and exhibitors, with an innovative way to drive new customers and revenue,” she added.
The app’s business model sets prices on a movie-by-movie basis. Users will have to pay $1.99 for each audio track they wish to listen to at the theater, although a few movies currently in the app — including Disney’s Moana and Marvel’s Doctor Strange — are free “for a limited time.” myLINGO also doesn’t support Bluetooth or any wireless headphones and recommends users remember to bring their wired headphones with them to the movies.
The limit on the app’s use in its current state is placed on the studios supporting it, but there are still popular films out now and coming soon that users will be able to try with myLINGO, including: Moana, Office Christmas Party, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story and Passengers. Other languages are coming down the line, but myLINGO CEO Olenka Polak told Variety that the focus is only on Spanish at this time because “we want a clear marketing message.”
You can download myLINGO on the iOS App Store for free. [Direct Link]
Tag: myLINGO
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Latest Nougat beta for Galaxy S7 and S7 edge renames TouchWiz to Samsung Experience
Third Nougat beta release brings new features, slew of bug fixes.
If you’re enrolled in the Galaxy Beta Program for the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge, it’s time to check your phone for an update. Samsung is rolling out the third Nougat beta version, adding Samsung Pass, the Samsung Note app, an auto brightness button in the Quick Panel, and moving the “Close All” button to the bottom of the recents panel.
Interestingly, the software info section lists the UI as Samsung Experience version 8, so it looks like Samsung is transitioning away from the TouchWiz name for its user interface. We haven’t necessarily seen the TouchWiz branding highlighted in recent times, and with Nougat, the company is moving away from blue-green accents to a more refined layout that features a lot of white elements interspersed with light-blue accent colors.
Samsung notes a few bugs that are yet to be fixed (which were present in the second beta as well), including a delay in the screen switching on after pressing the power button, and Wi-Fi connection issues. Samsung is looking into the problem, and will roll out an update once it finds a solution. The update itself comes in at 528MB, and includes the December 1 security patch.
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Google Duo updated with better camera rotation, major video quality improvements
Duo now works better on slow connections.
Google’s video-calling app Duo has been updated to version 5.0, bringing seamless camera rotation and “major video quality improvements.” Duo technical lead Justin Uberti tweeted that the app will now work better over slower connections, a common problem in emerging markets.
The engineer claimed that Google is putting “massive energy” behind improving Duo’s media quality as well.
Duo 5.0 relnotes (12/5):• Major video quality improvements• Simpler signup flow• Seamless camera rotation• Fix sound not playing issue
— Justin Uberti (@juberti) December 6, 2016
Uberti mentioned that an Allo update is also coming soon. Don’t hold out for SMS integration though.
Chrome for Android now lets you download videos and web pages for offline viewing
You can now take entire web pages offline.
Google has announced that it is rolling out an update to Chrome for Android (55.0.2883.84) that gives you the ability to download videos, music, and entire web pages for offline viewing. You’ll also be able to view and share your downloads without leaving Chrome.
The upcoming build will also highlight misspelled words in text fields, and brings a slew of improvements to the contextual search user interface. Along with the new features, the update contains the usual performance, memory, and stability fixes.
I’m on the Chrome Canary channel (it’s a fun place to be), which has had offline downloads for some time now. Here’s how it works: the update brings a download button to the menu bar (next to the bookmark button), and clicking it when you’re on a web page or viewing a video initiates the download. Once the content is downloaded, you’ll be able to view it without an internet connection. There’s also a dedicated “Downloads” section that lets you view all the media you’ve downloaded.
Google mentions that the update will be available over the coming days, so if you don’t see it just yet, hold tight.
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