Sony Pictures will stream live VR with Nokia’s Ozo camera
Nokia made some great smartphone cameras back in the day, but we certainly didn’t expect that to lead to the Ozo, a $60,000, 360-degree 3D virtual reality camera. Now, the Finnish company will provide expertise and Ozo cameras to Sony Pictures, which will use them to create VR content. The studio will also take advantage of the Ozo Live VR broadcast capability “to transport fans to Sony Pictures events that they couldn’t otherwise attend,” the company wrote.
There are other VR rigs out there that can take higher-quality images. And it seems odd that a camera manufacturer with Sony’s professional experience would turn to Nokia, of all companies, for equipment and advice. However, Ozo does offer live VR broadcasting, real-time on-set Oculus Rift VR playback and rapid stitching from the eight cameras. With other systems, it can take ages to patch together multiple videos, meaning producers often have no idea what they shot until much later.
You can also do live 4K VR output, provided you have a powerful Mac or PC. In fact, it produces a signal that broadcasters can send through standard UHD equipment, which end-users can decode with an HTC Vive, Oculus Rift or Gear VR headset. That helps it fit in with Sony’s “established production processes and workflows, and enable the real time capture and broadcast of VR content,” Sony Pictures VP Scot Barbour said in a statement.
Sony will also bundle Nokia’s Ozo player into its Privilege Plus app to “bring unique content straight to fans.” (As a reminder, that’s the streaming video player for Xperia Lounge, which is Sony’s answer to Google Play on Android.) If Sony Pictures can produce some decent content on Ozo, that might finally give users of that not-very-popular app a reason to try it.
Samsung Pay rewards program encourages you to shop
Most mobile payment systems don’t really offer incentives to shop besides convenience, but Samsung wants to dangle a bigger carrot in front of its users. It’s launching a rewards program for Samsung Pay (appropriately, Samsung Rewards) that gives you perks whenever you use the service in the US, whether it’s at retail or online. Much like typical banking card rewards, you earn points with each purchase that can go toward bonuses — other Samsung products, a Visa prepaid card and gift cards for certain stores. You can also enter giveaways, and loyalty tiers reward frequent shoppers with point multipliers.
The company is quick to mention that these rewards come in addition to whatever your cards offer, not in place of them. Also, since many debit cards don’t have points programs, this provides bonuses that you won’t get if you’re normally averse to using credit. Samsung Rewards should be available this week, and it should expand to include everything from Samsung’s website through to S Health. Anyone who signs up before the end of 2016 will receive double the usual points, too.
It’s a clever strategy, and it might be a necessary one. As rapidly as Samsung Pay has grown since it launched, it’s still relatively small next to Apple Pay — the iPhone-centric service had the luxuries of both a year-long head start and Apple’s home turf advantage in brand recognition. This would not only give fence-sitting Galaxy owners a better reason to try Samsung Pay, but existing users a reason to stick with it and leave their physical cards in their wallets.
Source: Samsung Newsroom
Brain implant helps a paralyzed woman communicate at home
A 58-year-old woman left paralyzed by amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease) has now become the first patient to use a brain-computer interface to restore some of her day-to-day functions. The woman was left “almost completely locked-in” after the disease caused her motor neurons to deteriorate to the point where she could only control her eye muscles. While brain implants have been in development for years, this particular patient has become the first to make use of one at home and outside of a research or hospital setting.
The patient, whose treatment is detailed in a new paper in the New England Journal of Medicine, had a device called an electrocorticograph (ECoG) installed directly on her brain. In this case, the ECoG’s electrodes pick up impulses normally associated with moving her right hand and then amplify and transmit those signals using a small device implanted in her chest. A wireless receiver outside her body then converts the signals into data that can be used to control a table computer in front of her. In order to get the whole system working, the patient had to train her brain by playing Pong and whack-a-mole on the tablet, until she eventually could perform a “brain click” just by thinking about moving her right hand.
While the system is still slow — Ars Technica reports it takes her about 20 seconds to click a letter from an on-screen keyboard — the system is constantly being improved to add more useful functions like adjusting her thermostat or turning on the TV. And, for now, the amount of independence this patient now has is a major breakthrough in itself. “I’m more confident and independent now outside,” the woman told New Scientist in an interview. “My dream is to be able to drive my wheelchair.”
Via: Ars Technica
Source: New England Journal of Medicine, New Scientist
Apple Highlights Mac Apps Updated With Support for MacBook Pro Touch Bar
As the new MacBook Pro models with Touch Bar begin arriving to customers, Apple has updated the Mac App Store with a featured section highlighting a selection of Mac apps that have been updated with Touch Bar support.
Apple’s list includes 14 apps that now work with the Touch Bar, like Day One, OmniGraffle 7, PocketCAS, Mail Designer Pro 3, Focus, and 1Password. Some of the apps, like Final Cut Pro and djay Pro, were previously shown off by Apple on stage when the MacBook Pro was announced.
The scope of Touch Bar support varies by app, but in many apps, once-buried settings and frequently used shortcuts are now available in the Touch Bar, allowing users to speed up their workflows. In djay Pro, for example, the Touch Bar can be used for full music manipulation, while in 1Password, it offers options for quickly adding or finding passwords.
One of the chief complaints in MacBook Pro reviews released today was the lack of support by third-party apps, but that should soon improve as developers finish updating their apps with Touch Bar compatibility.
Many apps, including popular titles like Pixelmator, Photoshop, Affinity Design, and Microsoft Office, will be introducing Touch Bar support in the coming weeks.
Related Roundup: MacBook Pro
Buyer’s Guide: MacBook Pro (Buy Now)
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This $15 accessory will transform the look of your Amazon Dot
Accessorize your Echo Dot to fit the decor of every room in your house!
The Amazon Echo Dot allows you to access the power of Amazon’s voice-controlled A.I. assistant Alexa from wherever you are in the room, with all that tech crammed into a package about the size of a hockey puck. And if you end up opting for the black color option, it’ll really look like there’s a hockey puck sitting on your end table. Or your kitchen counter. Or wherever you end up placing them around your house.
Amazon offered the bare minimum of color options — white or black — which is pretty standard for tech products, but not ideal for a product that ideally will fully integrate into the decor of different rooms in your house. You want something with some texture and muted colors to blend in, rather than stand out.
That’s why you definitely need to check out these sweet cases for the second generation of the Amazon Echo Dot. There are two material styles to choose between — leather and fabric — and each have their own aesthetic charm, with unique colors options. The leather options would definitely pair well if you’ve got a leather couch in your living room or den, while the fabric options — available in Charcoal, Indigo, and Sandstone — adds some much needed texture over the smooth plastic housing.
The cases have vents and cutouts so the speakers won’t be muffled at all when installed. To install, simply line up the USB and headphone jack on the Echo Dot with the corresponding cutouts in the case and you’re good to go!
The Echo Dot is affordably priced at $50, meaning you’ll probably end up buying a few to create a network throughout your house. And the cases are also reasonably priced at $15 for the fabric ones, and $20 for the slightly classier leather options. All told, you can buy a more fashionable Echo Dot for $70 or less — still a steal compared to, say, Google Home.
See at Amazon
Samsung’s Black Friday deals start Nov 20: Gear S3, SD cards and more on sale
Samsung’s Black Friday deals are (almost) here.
Black Friday just starts earlier and earlier every year, and as is now the norm Samsung is pre-announcing its deals before the sale even starts. Over at its Black Friday deals page, you’ll find an incredible number of deals across mobile, home entertainment, appliances, accessories and more.
You’ll have to spend a good amount of time going through each of the sections to see the biggest discounts and worth-while deals, but here are a few of the highlights from a mobile perspective:
- Gear S3 (Frontier or Classic) for $299, $50 off
- Gear Fit2 (Large or Small) for $149, $30 off
- Gear VR (2015 model) for $69, $30 off
- Galaxy Tab S2 9.7″ keyboard case for $74, $75 off
- 128GB microSDXC EVO+ card for $57, $32 off
- Level On Wireless headphones for $129, $70 off
Many of the remaining mobile deals offer decent discounts, but for devices we wouldn’t really recommend at this point. For example you can get a certified pre-owned Galaxy Note 3 for $249, a Note 4 for $399 or a Galaxy S6 for $399 — good prices, but for phones that have little or no support life left. You can also get various Tab A and Tab E tablets … which really aren’t great deals considering the high-end year-old Tab S2 line can be found at a discount regularly today.
Don’t buy a certified pre-owned Galaxy Note 3, please.
Outside of mobile, Samsung has a handful of great deals on TVs and home theater components, including several hundred dollars off its high-end TV sets and solid discounts on sound bars and receivers. There are a couple deals on big Bluetooth speakers as well, if that’s your sort of thing.
Samsung’s Black Friday deals officially start on November 20, but each deal has a specific start date that you can take note of — some don’t go live until several days later. Is anyone interested in picking up some of these deals? Let us know in the comments below!
Samsung
Samsung is a massive South Korea-based multinational company that makes some of the best-selling phones, tablets and mobile accessories, but also spans industries such as televisions, appliances and semiconductors (like memory and processors). Samsung is the largest Android device manufacturer worldwide.
- Best Samsung phones
- Samsung Galaxy S7 edge review
- Best microSD card for Android
Games are having performance problems in PlayStation 4 Pro
Your PlayStation 4 Pro isn’t operating at 100% yet.
It looks like Sony’s latest console isn’t exactly living up to its name yet. The PlayStation 4 Pro is supposed to be all about delivering the best possible gaming experience for those who have upgraded to a 4K television, as well as deliver a better PlayStation VR experience. If you go check out a PlayStation 4 Pro demo, you’ll be shown some great examples of how this console can perform under ideal situations, but now that people have them in homes and are actually playing the “enhanced” games, it looks like Sony missed their mark on a few titles.
In some cases, performance actually dips below what the original PlayStation 4 and the new slim PlayStation 4 are capable of. Here’s what you need to know!
Read more at VR Heads!
New MacBook Pro’s Dedicated AMD Graphics Chips Are ‘Significantly’ Faster and Support Dual 5K Displays
Apple dropped Intel’s integrated Iris Pro graphics in favor of dedicated AMD graphics across its entire new 15-inch MacBook Pro lineup, resulting in performance improvements over previous models. Perhaps more interestingly, the switch to AMD provides expanded external display support that desktop users have patiently waited for.
As Andrew Cunningham at Ars Technica explains, AMD’s Polaris-based Radeon Pro 450, Radeon Pro 455, and built-to-order Radeon Pro 460 GPUs in the new 15-inch MacBook Pro support up to six displays, whereas Intel’s integrated GPUs affixed to the logic board can drive a total of three displays.
The expanded support enables the new MacBook Pro to drive two of Apple and LG’s new UltraFine 5K displays at 60Hz simultaneously. Intel’s GPUs can’t because, due to bandwidth limitations of the DisplayPort 1.2 spec, the two 5K displays technically function as four displays. This method is known as Multi-Stream Transport (MST).
When you hook one of LG’s 5K monitors to one of the new MacBook Pros, what you’re actually seeing on the screen is two pictures stitched together to make a single seamless image. This is because the version of the DisplayPort spec supported by Intel’s GPUs and almost all monitors these days—version 1.2—doesn’t have enough bandwidth to drive a 5K display at 60Hz all by itself. […] Apple is actually pushing two DisplayPort 1.2 streams to the monitor over the single Thunderbolt 3 cable.
There’s nothing wrong with this method, except that it cuts down on the number of external displays your computer can support. Intel’s integrated GPUs can drive a total of three displays, but you use up two of those three streams to drive one 5K monitor and one of them to drive the laptop’s internal display. AMD’s GPUs support up to six displays, so you can use two of those connections for one 5K monitor, two of them for the other 5K monitor, one for the laptop’s internal display, and still have one left over for yet another monitor if you really wanted to use one.
Apple could have used Nvidia’s faster Pascal-based GPUs, which support DisplayPort 1.3, but Thunderbolt 3 and most monitors do not support the higher-bandwidth spec yet. In the meantime, Nvidia’s GPUs can only drive up to three displays beyond the main MacBook Pro screen — not enough for dual 5K displays over MST.
Apple will have more flexibility again when DisplayPort 1.3 becomes more common. Those future laptops will be able to drive two 5K screens plus a laptop’s internal screen using just three DisplayPort streams instead of five. For now, though, if pushing two high-end 5K screens at once was a design goal for Apple, AMD was the only way to go.
In terms of performance improvements, Cunningham benchmarked the mid-range 2.7GHz 15-inch MacBook Pro with the Radeon Pro 455 graphics chip to determine just how much faster the notebook truly is compared to the 2016 12-inch MacBook and older MacBook Pros released over the past few years.
He found the Radeon Pro 455 to be a “significant boost” over the built-to-order dedicated GPUs available in the 2012-2015 MacBook Pro models, namely the Nvidia GeForce GTX 650M, Nvidia GeForce GTX 750M, and AMD Radeon R9 M370X respectively, but said the new MacBook Pro remains unsuitable for high-end gaming and VR.
Is it disappointing that Apple didn’t decide to push the envelope a little more? Sure. Is it too bad that performance and power efficiency were apparently sacrificed in the name of external display support? Yes. Are these midrange GPUs in any way inconsistent with any MacBook Pro released in the last decade? No.
Apple officially says the 15-inch MacBook Pro offers up to 130% faster graphics performance, and up to 2.5x more computing power per watt, compared to the previous-generation 15-inch MacBook Pro, but those stats are based on the built-to-order Radeon Pro 460 chip that costs between $100 and $200 extra.
Related Roundup: MacBook Pro
Tags: benchmarks, 5k displays, AMD
Buyer’s Guide: MacBook Pro (Buy Now)
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Best UK Black Friday and Cyber Monday 2016 deals
Some people love shopping in sales, others hate it, but most people love a bargain.
Luckily for those of you who don’t like looking, we are here to help and there is no better time for us to lend a hand than Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Black Friday is on 25 November, Cyber Monday is on 28 November, but the sales have already started.
If you are US-based, you can read the best Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals in our separate feature, while here we are concentrating on the best deals in the UK. Keep checking back as we will update this feature as soon as we hear of anymore deals. Good luck and try not to throw things at any computers or push any humans in the process of getting your bargain.
Hot gadget deals
- Best Black Friday UK TV deals: 4K, HDR, OLED TVs and more
- Black Friday UK laptop deals: the best laptop deals online
- Best Black Friday UK fitness tracker deals: Garmin, Fitbit, Polar and more
- Best Black Friday UK games deals: Amazing PS4, Xbox One and Nintendo deals
Retailers
Amazon.co.uk
Visit Amazon Black Friday deals site
Amazon started Black Friday sales on Monday 14 November, promising a range of lightning deals and longer sales across all sorts of products. For lightning deals you’ll have to be fast, but you can watch forthcoming deals. Amazon is also doing daily deals, with some real bargains to be had.
- Sony 65-inch 4K HDR Android TV, £1299 (save £400) – click here to get this deal
Argos
Visit Argos Black Friday deals site
Argos runs deals all through the year, but Black Friday is a time to get something special. We’re still waiting to here exactly what the company will offer, but there’s a range of deals available already:
- Xbox One 500GB with Quantum Break, £199 (save £50) – click here to get this deal
Boots
Visit the Boots Black Friday deals site
Boots might not be top of your list for the latest electronic, but if you’re after grooming products or something else healthcare related, it’s a good place to start Christmas shopping. We’re still waiting for then full range of Boots deals to made available.
Carphone Warehouse
Visit the Carphone Warehouse Black Friday deals site
Carphone Warehouse has confirmed that it will be offering a range of deals, but is yet to start the sales.
Carphone Warehouse Black Friday starts on 25 November and will run for 24 hours, both in store and online.
Currys/PC World
Visit Currys Black Friday deals site
Currys/PC World offers a range of deals all the time. We’re yet to see exactly what will be highlighted for Black Friday, but we’re being teased with LG and Samsung TVs, Dyson cleaners and HP laptops. Currys tells us that in 2015, it sold 30 TVs a minute on Black Friday.
You can expect the Currys/PC World deals to go live at 6am.
eBay
Visit the eBay Black Friday deals site
eBay is the land of deals for many, be that new from store outlets, or from individuals who have something that you want, but they don’t. There’s a full range of deals available through eBay, and although they currently aren’t positioned as Black Friday deals, it’s always worth looking.
EE
Visit the EE Black Friday site
EE’s Black Friday offering is currently a holding page where you can sign-up for more information, but we’re expecting a full range of deals to be offered as we approach the big sale day.
John Lewis
Visit John Lewis Black Friday deals site
John Lewis has a commitment to be “Never Knowingly Undersold” so, as the site points out, it has to “match competitors’ prices”. The advantage with John Lewis is that it offers aftercare and often guaranteed cover for five years for many products, which is ideal for big gadgets like TVs or laptops.
The John Lewis Black Friday deals will start at midnight on 24 November.
HotUKDeals
Visit HotUKDeals Black Friday deals site
The HotUKDeals site is home to deals all year round but during Black Friday and Cyber Monday they can get white hot. It’s worth popping to the site to see what deals users have found.
HotUKDeals is already listing some companies like Microsoft and Samsung, so there should be tech deals galore.
Game
Visit the Game Black Friday deals site
Game has been pushing a range of offers on consoles and games for some time (we’re tracking best games deals separately), so you can expect some big deals come Black Friday.
Marks & Spencer
Visit the Marks & Spencer Black Friday deals site
Marks & Spencer is also on the Black Friday bandwagon and although there isn’t that much technology on its site. However, it does sell a range of activity trackers and other items, with some great deals on Fitbit in 2015.
Mobiles.co.uk
Visit the mobiles.co.uk Black Friday deals site
Mobiles.co.uk is part of the Dixons Carphone group and a strong competitor when it comes to price. There’s a full range of deals already listed on then site, but Black Friday hasn’t proper kicked off yet.
You can register to be alerted to deals, if you wish.
O2
The O2 Black Friday deals site
In 2015, O2 run two sets of deals on Black Friday. In 2016, however, the company is yet to say much about whether it has any plans. We’ll keep checking for you, just in case they decide to offer some deals.
Tesco
Visit the Tesco Black Friday deals site
Tesco has a countdown time on its dedicated Black Friday site so again, we will have to wait to find out what the supermarket giant will offer. You can see the latest offers however, as well as register as a new customer to make sure you’re ready to go when the clock hits zero.
Tesco Black Friday deals start on 21 November and run through to 1 December. We’ll bring you the best deals when they land.
Three
Visit the Three Black Friday deals site
Three has something planned for Black Friday, promising lots of deals on the big day.
Currently, however, all you can do is sign up for details. Or you can just bookmark this page instead, and save yourself the spam.
Vodafone
Visit the Vodafone Black Friday deals site
Vodafone will be taking part in Black Friday for the third year, with a countdown clock running down to 25 November.
The company is promising great deals on phones and tablets. Not long to wait to see what the big red has in store.
Manufacturers
Dyson
Visit Dyson Black Friday deals site
Dyson, manufacturer of high-end vacuums, lighting, driers and fans will be slashing prices for Black Friday. Currently the company is running a range of deals, so if you want to clean up before Black Friday, then Dyson is there for you.
- Dyson V8 Absolute, £399 (save £100) – click here to get this deal
HTC
Visit the HTC Black Friday deals site
HTC has long been a player in Black Friday and is promising more in 2016. At the moment there are no details, but you can sign-up to be alerted when they go live.
We will be updating the deals across retailers and brands as and when they go live.
Best Black Friday 2016 UK camera deals: DSLR, compact and system camera bargains
Black Friday falls on 25 November this year and will offer a great chance to snap – geddit? – some camera deals at a cut of the normal price.
Ahead of the big day, some retailers are already putting out deals. So whether you’re looking for a compact, compact system or DSLR camera, we’ll be updating this page to bring together the best camera deals for Black Friday through to Cyber Monday 2016.
Argos Black Friday camera deals
Argos may have a lot of older stock going cheap, but there are some particularly eye-catching bargains to be found within. The current best:
- Canon EOS 1300D and 18-55mm lens, £299.99 (save £30) – get this deal here
Jessops Black Friday deals
Jessops is remaining fairly tight-lipped ahead of the big day on 25 November. But it has teased a Nikon promo when buying a Nikon DSLR:
- Free Nikon DSLR accessory kit (worth £50) – get this deal here
Currys PC World Black Friday deals
One of the bigger electronics vendors in the UK, Currys doesn’t have any specific camera deals running right now – there’s a lot of manufacturer cashback promos, as you’ll find anywhere – but does have a big “register your interest” landing page to keep you ahead of the price-cut action.
Calumet Black Friday camera deals
Calumet is known for its high-end photo kit and the site is touting “crazy prices” for its 25 November deal. No more details just yet, but you can sign up now to get deals delivered to your inbox.
Wex Photographic Black Friday deals
There’s not been any word from Wex about specific Black Friday deals, but then this UK independent’s prices are always about as low as they go from a reliable source. Always worth checking out the site before committing to another deal, just so you know you’ve got the best price going.
More Black Friday UK deals
- Best Black Friday UK phone deals: Apple, Samsung, Android phone deals galore
- Best Black Friday UK TV deals: 4K, HDR, OLED TVs and more
- Best Black Friday UK games deals: Amazing PS4, Xbox One and Nintendo deals
- Best Black Friday UK fitness tracker deals: Garmin, Fitbit, Polar and more
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