Fallout’s Pip-Boy: Deluxe Edition connects to your phone and works for real

Remember when Bethesda released a limited edition real world version of the Pip-Boy wearable from its Fallout 4 game? Now it’s taken that to another level with one that actually works with your phone too. Vault dwellers rejoice.

The Pip-Boy: Deluxe Edition, unlike the model released last year, can actually connect to your phone via Bluetooth to work for real. The last model was more of a shell that held your phone. This Pip-Boy has its own screen, hardware and software built-in so that it can operate with or without your smartphone or tablet. Plus it looks identical to the RoboCo Industries’ Pip-Boy Model 3000 Mk IV.

The Pip-Boy: Deluxe Edition will allow you to take calls, view contacts, set alarms, read text messages and even displays Fallout screens like data readouts for Status, Special and Perks screens from the game. On top of that the holotape slot is actually a USB drive and the device is even able to play audio files. All this stuff can be controlled using the actual knobs and dials which work just like the model in the game. The Pip-Boy also comes with a stand that doubles as a charging base and more powerful speakers.

The Pip-Boy: Deluxe Edition will be available to pre-order now with a release date set for 11 November. There is a $350 price that’s been announced but Bethesda has said it will only be producing 5000 models, so if you want one you’d better be quick.

READ: Fallout 4 first impressions review

Get premier IT certification with CompTIA A+ IT Support Technician 2016 Certification Training

If a company’s servers go down, so too does its livelihood–particularly if it’s a tech corporation.

So there’s no overstating the importance of high-level IT support personnel in an organization, with IT maintenance and support requirements evolving at an astounding pace with today’s technology.

If you’re an aspiring IT professional, a world of resources and training awaits in the CompTIA A+ IT Support Technician 2016 Certification Training offer, preparing you to conquer the upgraded premiere IT Professional Certification Exam and step into a lucrative career as an IT Support Technician. Pick it up today for just £33.86 ($49) from Pocket-lint Deals.

CompTIA certifications are among the most valuable industry certifications, and are often mandatory for many entry-level IT jobs and roles at Fortune 500 companies. Other in-demand CompTIA certifications, such as Network+ and Security+, build on the information taught in the CompTIA A+ 900 Series certifications. With this training, you’ll learn the methods on providing optimal IT service, exploring computer components, RAM types, networking devices, and much more.

All levels of skill and experience are welcome, and with 24/7 access to course materials, you can learn at your own pace and advance when you’re confident in your own understanding of the materials. Start down the path to becoming a certified IT Support Technician with the CompTIA A+ IT Support Technician 2016 Certification Training offer, just £33.86 ($49) from Pocket-lint Deals.

It’s available for a limited time only, so grab the deal soon before time runs out.

Expert dictation and creation with Dragon for Mac, V5 (50 per cent off)

Can you talk faster than you can type? Most likely.

Now you can save time, and lessen typing strain with Dragon 5 for Mac, which lets you dictate commands to do everything from send emails to create spreadsheets. And with speech recognition that’s 15 per cent more accurate than with the previous version, Dragon is a bigger steal than ever–now a full 50 per cent off from Pocket-lint Deals.

Dragon 5 for Mac can sharply increase your productivity, allowing you to customize words for the terms you use every day, insert frequently used text or graphics, and create command shortcuts for repetitive tasks. Enjoy a fully customizable experience as you sharpen speed and accuracy through dictation, allowing you to work smarter and faster. You can even connect to the newly released Dragon Anywhere mobile app for iOS or Android, putting you in command of document creation, editing and sharing wherever you may be.

A potentially enormous efficiency upgrade awaits with Dragon 5’s many capabilities, including audio playback for easy proofreading and additional microphone options, including supported Bluetooth microphones for headset-free usage. Execute documentation faster than ever before, and utilize a robust set of tools to enhance your experience. Simply read your text aloud, and watch Dragon work its magic with whatever your project may be.

Take a break from the keyboard with Dragon 5 for Mac, now available for just £70.09 ($99) from Pocket-lint Deals.

MacBook Pro OLED concept drawings will make you want the rumoured feature more than ever

Apple’s developer conference, WWDC, is predominantly known for updating developers on the latest progress in the company’s range of operating systems from iOS to OS X.

This year, rumours are flying around that the company will announce an update to its MacBook Pro range of laptops.

If rumours are to be believed, Apple is reportedly ditching the function keys in favour of a new OLED display touch bar that can be adapted and changed to suit your needs at any given time.

While the rumourmill has generated nothing but speculation and hearsay at the moment, that hasn’t stopped serial Apple concept designer Martin Hajek creating some stunning 3D renders of what he thinks such a laptop would look like.

Martin Hajek

Hajek isn’t shy of using his spare time to envision how yet to be announced Apple products could be designed turning his craft to Apple TV mocks ups, iPhone 7 mock ups, and other Apple devices over the years.

For his MacBook Pro with OLED display concept, Hajek sees Apple using the addition screen on the keyboard above the standard keys to mirror some elements of the OS 10 X menu bar at the top of the screen.

The touchscreen display would be able to give you access to media controls, battery information, search buttons, time and date, as well as, info like download times, or just being the function keys they all ready are.

It’s all conjecturer of course, but if the Apple new Macbook Pro looks even anywhere near as good, we are sure it would encourage many to reach for their credit card.

NASA aims to predict dust storms on Mars

If NASA is going to send people to Mars, it needs to predict the planet’s weather. You don’t want to land in the middle of a ferocious storm that wipes out your entire mission. Thankfully, the space agency just took a step toward making that happen. It’s now detecting patterns in large regional dust storms by studying high-altitude (16 miles) temperature data from its orbiters. As dusty air tends to be much hotter at those heights, it’s easy to tell when a giant regional storm is flaring up — you just look for hot patches and their effects on the wind.

There’s still a lot more to understand at this stage. Also, the findings don’t apply to either local storms (which don’t have much impact on the high Martian sky) or all-encompassing global storms. If NASA can refine its techniques, though, it could tell future explorers both where to land and when to take cover.

Source: NASA, Geophysical Research Letters

Some Dish subscribers will miss NBA and NHL playoff games

There’s bad news for some folks hoping to catch the NBA or NHL finals today. The Tribune network, which owns WGN and affiliates for FOX, CBS and other networks, is no longer available on Dish. As usual with such disputes (which often involve Dish), the reason for the blackout is money. Tribune says that Dish “refuses to reach an agreement based on fair-market value” for its stations, while Dish says “Tribune is demanding an unreasonable rate increase for channels that are available for free over the air.”

Both sides have dueling press releases to sway the public to their respective arguments. Interestingly, each claims to have offered stop-gap contracts to keep Tribune stations on their air. “Dish offered a short-term contract extension … [that] would ensure that Tribune was made whole at the new rates for the period of an contract extension,” says Dish. Meanwhile, Tribune says that “we want to keep servicing our local communities and we have repeatedly offered Dish a lengthy extension to continue negotiations — unfortunately, Dish rejected these offers.”

Interestingly, each side claims to have offered stop-gap contracts to keep Tribune stations on their air.

Tribune says that Dish subscribers in Indianapolis, Richmond, Memphis and several other markets missed last night’s Tony awards. Subscribers in Scranton/Wilkes Barre, New Orleans and Quad Cities will miss Game 5 of the NBA finals, while folks in Des Moines and Oklahoma City will lose game 5 of the Stanley Cup finals. Baseball fans in New York and Chicago will miss Mets/Yankees and Cubs/White Sox games.

As Variety points out, media companies like Tribune are increasingly relying on cable fees since the internet has cut into ad rates. However, Dish is also taking a big risk by pulling important content from sports-crazy local markets. When Time Warner pulled the plug on CBS several years ago over a contract dispute, it lost 117,000 customers in three months.

Source: Tribune, Dish

India is building a monsoon-predicting supercomputer

In India, monsoons are big business. If the country has a healthy rainy season, its agricultural industry thrives and helps account for a fifth of the total value of its goods and services. It’s vitally important for meteorologists to predict when those rains will come, so instead of utilizing numerical or statistical predictions — which once failed to predict India’s biggest drought in 40 years in 2009 — the country is spending $60 million on a supercomputer that could give farmers the advance notice they need to plant crops and increase yields.

Reuters reports that while government representatives won’t say who will provide the new supercomputer, it will be 10 times faster than India’s existing supercomputer, supplied by IBM. Once operational, the machine will generate 3D weather models of India’s 29 states with help from data collected by balloons, planes and satellites.

Government scientists hope to have the supercomputer ready before monsoon season next year, which typically lasts between June and September and provides the country with 80 percent of its total annual rainfall. As one of the biggest producers of many fresh fruits and vegetables, but also rice and wheat, the machine could boost India’s farming output by up to 15 percent, justifying the cost of the new supercomputer in just one season.

Via: Popular Mechanics

Source: Reuters

Concept Imagines What a ‘Deep Blue’ or ‘Dark Blue’ iPhone 7 Could Look Like

Following rumors that Apple is prepping a “Deep Blue” or “Dark Blue” color option to replace the Space Gray color for the upcoming iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus, designer Martin Hajek has created some renderings imagining what such handsets might look like.

Hajek’s renderings reflect myriad rumors pointing towards only minor changes for the 2016 iPhone. When it comes to size and thickness, the iPhone 7 is expected to be almost identical to the iPhone 6s, with some minor antenna band changes.

Apple is likely to remove the headphone jack in the iPhone 7, but whether or not the space will be filled with a second speaker is contested. Some rumors suggest dual speakers for stereo audio, but others say the iPhone 7 will continue to sport a single speaker.

Another design change rumored for the iPhone 7 includes repositioned antenna bands, with the removal of the bands that span across the back of the device. Inside, the iPhone 7 is expected to have an A10 processor and 2GB RAM.

Hajek’s iPhone 7 Plus rendering shows the inclusion of a much-rumored dual-lens camera with a protruding, pill-shaped enclosure, as opposed to two separate circular camera openings depicted in some other online renderings.

Apple’s iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus are expected to launch in September this year.

MacRumors also recently featured some impressive renderings by Hajek of what a next-generation MacBook Pro might look like, complete with rumored OLED touch panel replacing the top row of function keys on the keyboard.

Make sure to check out Hajek’s website for the full selection of iPhone 7 concept images.

Related Roundup: iPhone 7
Tag: Concepts
Discuss this article in our forums