Your next Apple Mac keyboard could look like this, with assignable keys

It has been rumoured for a while that Apple will be unveiling a refreshed MacBook Pro before the end of the year, which will feature an OLED strip that can be assigned tasks and keys as you see fit. However, that might not be the only device on the horizon with customisable functionality.

The company is rumoured to be in talks to acquire startup Sonder Design. And any partnership on that front could result in a dynamic keyboard for all Apple computers.

Australian firm Sonder is backed by Foxconn, one of Apple’s main manufacturing suppliers, and builds keyboards where many of the keys are clear with E Ink screens behind them. That means you can assign whatever you want for each key, be that a letter, symbol or even emoticon.

• New MacBook Pro (2016): What’s the story so far?
• MacBook Pro OLED concept photos will make you want the rumoured feature more than ever

Its current concept keyboard even looks like Apple’s own Bluetooth model that is already available for Mac. The Sonder version is also wireless, so can be used on iPad, Android phones and tablets, PC and other Bluetooth devices too.

It is available for pre-order on Sonder’s website for $199 and this rumour could, of course, simply be a way to direct people to its availability. However, considering Apple’s move towards a similar concept on its next flagship laptop, it seems like a logical next step.

Sony PlayStation VR can play Xbox One games… no, really

The PlayStation VR headset was officially released yesterday, Thursday 13 October, and users are generally very positive about its talents. Not only does it give a full-on virtual reality experience that usually costs much more – with headsets like the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive – but it has a healthy launch line-up of games already available.

Remarkably though, there’s one feature even we didn’t realise originally. You can also play Xbox One, Wii U and PC games while wearing the PSVR. Crikey.

As discovered and talked about by Reddit users, PlayStation VR Cinema mode works with any 2D source through HDMI. All you have to do is unplug the HDMI running from the PS4 to the processor unit and plug in another device, such as an Xbox One. You will then get a virtual giant screen showing anything that runs on the rival console.

• Sony PlayStation VR review: Virtual reality for the masses
• Sony PlayStation VR launch line-up: Every game listed and best PSVR games revealed
• Sony PlayStation VR tips and tricks: How to solve PSVR problems and more

The only drawback is that you still need to attach the processor unit to your PS4 too, in order for headset tracking to work, so you’ll need both consoles switched on at the same time. But should you require isolation for your Gears of War 4 gaming session, it’s an ideal way to get it. Technically, you could even game in the privacy of the PSVR while your family watches TV in the same room.

Of course, you can use PlayStation VR Cinema mode with the PlayStation 4 itself too, and even a Sky satellite box or Virgin Media TiVo. It’s amazing what you can discover with a little bit of fiddling.

ICYMI: Relax while a robot takes care of your yard work

Today on In Case You Missed It: Kobi is a yard work robot that is purportedly able to clean leaves, mow the lawn and shovel snow, though the promo video shows it very briefly moving snow only, so stand by for reviews on that rush purchase. Meanwhile UCSF researchers found that infant brains actually move neurons around up to three months after birth, which is not something we’d known before.

The self-driving car experiment out of the University of Oxford wrapped up with a sweet little send-off video. If you’re interested in the LED suit from Red Bull, that video is here. As always, please share any interesting tech or science videos you find by using the #ICYMI hashtag on Twitter for @mskerryd.

Apple Stores Removing Security Tethers From iPhone Display Models

Apple revamped its retail stores last year by removing iPad smart signage and demoting iPod display models to side shelves, and now the company has another move up its sleeves in a push towards simplicity.

iPhone display models docked with only Lightning charging cables in Toronto
Over the past few months, Apple has removed security tethers from iPhone display models at some of its retail stores, including its Yorkdale location in Toronto, Canada and redesigned Regent Street store in London, England.

MacRumors has learned of at least two other stores in the United Kingdom where the security tethers, which activate audible alarms when disconnected, have been removed, and it appears likely the change will be phased in at other locations.

The courageous move effectively allows customers to walk into an Apple retail store, pick up an iPhone display model, and walk out with the device without paying, but Apple evidently feels the untethered experience is worth the risk.

iPhone display models with security tethers (Image: Mirror.co.uk)
As CNET explains, Apple wants customers to be able to hold an iPhone properly, try out cases, and even pocket the device:

Apple says this is to allow people to hold them properly, try cases on them and even see how they feel in your pocket. It’s a bold move, especially given the lack of visible security in the building. We couldn’t spot a single CCTV camera, although any phone taken out of the store will set off an alarm. If not returned, the phones will also be rendered unusable.

The customers who do attempt to steal iPhone display models, if not caught by security or CCTV cameras where installed, will walk away with unusable devices, as Apple will place them into Lost Mode remotely using Find My iPhone.

Apple continues to use security tethers on larger products such as MacBook and iPad display models.

(Thanks, Peter!)

Tag: Apple retail
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Sony Cyber-shot RX100 V preview: Adding quality, speed and accuracy

One glance at the RX100 V and you won’t know whether you’re looking at a new camera, or, pretty much, any of the previous four models. That’s perhaps as much a testament to the design of the RX100 as it is the frequency with which Sony chooses to update this stellar compact camera.

From its first iteration, the RX100 has been causing a buzz and in this latest iteration, the mark V version, this trend will continue. Sony pulls out the stops and claims the new RX100 V has the best image quality in the line’s history, as well as offering more processing power and more accurate autofocus. 

With a price of £1000, and all the previous models of RX100 still available from Sony, choosing your RX100 could be a challenge.

Sony RX100 V preview: Design

Sitting in a compact metal body, the RX100 hasn’t changed much over its life. There have been changes over the past years: a new sensor, new lens, the addition of a pop-up OLED viewfinder, and all have been achieved without moving on from the solid body that the RX100 V offers.

Pocket-lint

The dimensions remain much as they were before, so this is still a pocketable camera, the big sell being that you get a lot of photo power in that compact package. Sony claims that a hefty proportion of buyers are picking the RX100 as a second camera to a changeable lens camera, a back-up or goto device for the enthusiast or professional. 

Weighing 299g with battery and card, it’s solid enough to feel up to the job, light enough to not weigh you down.

The layout puts all the controls at your fingertips, the barrel ring on the front and the dial on the back making it easy to manipulate settings quickly and easily. It’s a design the feels natural and although there’s a lot crammed into this camera, it’s not overwhelming.

That lens on the front offers a 24-70mm (35mm equiv) focal length, with maximum f/1.8 aperture.

• Sony Cyber-shot RX100 IV review: Still the compact to beat

Sony RX100 V preview: Stepping up the performance

Sony has made a number of changes to the RX100 V over the RX100 IV, but in many aspects the specs of these two models are similar. Both have the same 1-in type stacked Exmor RS CMOS sensor.

Pocket-lint

Sony changed the design of the sensor in the RX100 IV to improve the communication and handling of the data it captures by adding a separate signal processing layer and adding DRAM memory on the sensor. The same 21-megpixel sensor is in the mark V camera, again designed to give you speed. 

Sony says this is five times faster than a conventional sensor and it helps power some of the RX100 V’s more advanced features. Making a step-up over the RX100 IV, however is the new front-end LSI (large scale integration) which sits with the Bionz X image processing engine.

Technical terms aside, Sony has lifted the processing power from its flagship a99 II to supercharge the good work already being done by that stacked sensor. The idea is to process data faster and it results in some pretty impressive features.

Pocket-lint

Perhaps the most notable is 24fps shooting for up to 150 shots at a time. It does this without slowing down. Where some camera offer this speed, they noticeably slow the capture rate as the buffer fills. The RX100 V also offers this with continuous focusing, so you can accurately track a subject and there’s minimal blackout between shots. So you basically get to watch the action as you snap it incredibly fast. 

This should appeal to anyone capturing fast moving objects and looking for that perfect shot, without the sort of distortion than some cameras suffer from. The result, hopefully, will be a nice sharp image plucked out of a the action. 

We had the chance to test this fairly heavily with dancers and some fancy dancing paint (on a boombox) when we went hands-on with the RX100 V. The high-speed continuous shooting is just a couple of clicks away, then it will rattle off shots like a minigun.

Pocket-lint

That’s all fun, but there’s one noticeable downside. Once you’ve captured all those photos they then need to be saved to the SD card and this takes some time – even with a fast card. At least you’ll get an indicator showing how that writing is progressing, but be warned, just because you can shoot 24fps, doesn’t mean you’ll always want to! 

Sony is also claiming more accurate autofocusing, with the power meaning that tracking objects is now faster. It uses a hybrid autofocus system, with 315 phase detection points covering 65 per cent of the sensor. There’s a downside here on the 3-inch variable angle display that carries over from the previous RX100 models: there’s no touch.

Pocket-lint

That means that selecting a focus point manually means using controllers, rather than a simple tap of the finger. That said, focusing is fast and crisp from our first impressions.

There’s also high frame rate video for silky-smooth slow-motion video – up to 1000fps – as well as more regular 4K video capture at frame rates up to 50p. This is oversampled, so there’s no pixel binning, which should result in some lovely detailed 4K video.

Of course this is a great camera for more regular shooting too. The maximum aperture runs from f/1.8-2.8 at full zoom, so there’s flexibility for lower light shooting. Sony also tells us that the RX100 V gives cleaner high ISO results than its predecessors too. When it’s all said and done, it appears to be a pretty solid point and shoot camera too.

First Impressions

First impressions of the Sony RX100 V are good, but you’d expect no less from a compact camera that’s commanding a £1000 asking price. This is only £1 more than the RX100 IV (based on Sony’s current website pricing) making this a no brainer: the newer model is the one to pick.

The experience from the limited shooting we’ve done with the RX100 V has been good. ISO noise appears to be well controlled, with clean images in the ISO 1000 range, manual controls are a breeze with the combination of the dials on those camera, as it was previously, and we still marvel at the way the OLED viewfinder has been crammed into the corner.

We will be bringing you a full review of the Sony RX100 V as soon as we can, and we’re expecting stellar performance.

Smart sensor helps you brew the perfect cup of tea

Given the quantity of gadgets specifically designed to brew the perfect coffee, it’s easy to think the tech world hates tea. Thankfully, 42Tea’s new brewing sensor is designed to let people get as snobby about chai as most people do when arguing the merits of Arabica vs. Robusta. The device is a small white cube that, along with a companion app, will hold your hand through the brewing method necessary for specific blends of tea. You’ll still have to make the cucumber sandwiches yourself, unfortunately.

The first stage of the process involves you selecting what blend of tea you’re planning to brew via the smartphone app. Once selected, your phone will tell you how much water to stick into your kettle, but before you hit the on switch, you’ll toss the sensor in, too. The device, which is about the size of a 2×2 Duplo brick, will monitor the water’s temperature and tell you when to deactivate the kettle. Because, fact fans, boiling water is often far too hot for delicate tea leaves.

When the sensor detects that you’ve poured all of the water out of the kettle and into the pot, it’ll set a countdown timer. That’ll tell you how long you’ve got to wait until the brew has properly steeped and you can enjoy your tea like a true connoisseur. According to the company’s Romuald Clermont, the brick should last for three years, with 5-10 brews per week, while replacement batteries can be bought from the company.

42Tea is expected to go on sale towards the end of the year and in Europe it’ll set you back €48. In addition, users can pick up a tea caddy that can hold 50g of tea that comes with a programmable NFC lid. Should you wish, you can simply drop the sensor onto the lid of the caddy and it’ll automatically identify which tea you’re about to brew. In addition, the company is producing a wooden frame that’ll make the brick look nice while sat on your kitchen countertop. No word on how much either of those will cost, at least not yet, but prices should be available in the very near future.

Source: 42Tea