New PlayStation 4 Slim controller pictures break into the wild for all to see

A new version of the PlayStation 4 appeared on Monday, dramatically showing off its slim lines when it was listed on Gumtree in the UK, bought by a PlayStation fan, exhibited on Twitter and finally, verified by Eurogamer.

This twisting tale hasn’t quite reached its end, however, as now it is the turn of the controller to break free and show its lines. 

It looks as though the new controller isn’t going to vary too much from the DualShock controller of the PS4, but there’s a change to the light bar, now showing through on the top of the controller.

Originally there was a video of this new controller shared by ZRZ on YouTube but it has since been taken down, although we do at least have an picture of this controller thanks to Engadget.

To verify the new design, @strongmaneighty2 (the fan who bought the original PS4 Slim from Gumtree) has confirmed that this visible bar on the top just looks like a transparent section, allowing the light that shows at the front to be seen on the top too.

@Jed05 I am not sure that it’s an additional light, It looks to be just a slim see through part on the touchpad which lets light through.

— shortman82 (@shortmaneighty2) August 23, 2016

Speculation suggests that this might be for linking-up with PS VR when it launches, or just for extra detail, so games can use the light for other in-game features.

With the number of videos appearing and being taken down, this is all looking more and more likely. We’re expecting the new PS4 Slim to launch on 7 September at PlayStation’s New York event, alongside the PlayStation Neo.

Fox News broke UK broadcasting rules with pro-Brexit views

Ofcom has ruled that Fox News broke the UK’s broadcasting guidelines when it aired a program discussing the EU referendum on the day of the vote. Your World with Neil Cavuto, a show produced in the US, was broadcast in the UK at 9pm on June 23rd, one hour before the polls had closed. During the business and financial news program, Cavuto said:

“We are governed by a bunch of bureaucrats that don’t speak English in a funny place called The Hague, which makes no sense at all, and it tells Britain what to do it takes British money, it doesn’t send much of it back — it’s a very unfair one-way street when you begin to dig into it and the biggest thing of course is that all of this is all a disguise over the immigration issue.”

At 9:55pm, mere minutes before the vote had closed, an additional news item produced the following analysis: “Long term I don’t buy this argument that Britain is going to fall apart. I means there’s no way…this is a very industrious culture they can set their own rules, I don’t know why any Brit — maybe I’m too much of a Yank — why would any Brit want to offshore its sovereignty to Brussels? That makes no sense to me.”

Ofcom received a complaint about the program, which argued that it broke the regulator’s TV code. Under rule 6.4, broadcasters aren’t allowed to discuss or analyse referendum issues while the polls are open. Breaching this point, the argument goes, can directly affect voters’ decisions and the final outcome. It’s the same reason why John Oliver’s Last Week Tonight show — a HBO production licensed by Sky Atlantic in the UK — wasn’t shown until 10:10pm, a short while after the vote had ended.

Fox News defended the program on multiple fronts. The company said it was aired in the UK and the US simultaneously, as the timing coincides with the closing of the US stock market. It helps viewers to “understand market performance that day,” its legal team argued, and was “prepared with a view towards an American audience.” Fox News said its program was not “advocating a particular position on the vote,” but rather discussing the issues “in the context of (their) impact on financial markets.” It later quoted article 10 of the European Convention of Human Rights, which awards people the right to freedom of expression.

Ofcom waved this defence aside, however. “The prohibition in rule 6.4 on discussion and analysis of referendum issues while the polls are open is not qualified in any way — for example by the possibility of a broadcaster justifying the material by the context.” As a result, the regulator agreed with the complainant and ruled that program breached its broadcasting guidelines. As Politico reports, there will be no financial penalty, however frequent offences can give Ofcom the grounds to impose such a fine.

Amazon Working on Echo $5-a-Month Music Streaming Service

Amazon is working on a $5-a-month music subscription service that will be exclusive to owners of the company’s internet-connected Echo speaker.

According to Recode, Amazon is planning to introduce the service in September alongside another music streaming service that costs $10 a month, to compete more directly with the likes of Apple Music and Spotify.

Industry sources say the company has yet to finalize deals with major music labels and publishers. One sticking point is reported to be whether Amazon sells the cheaper Echo-only service for $4 or $5 a month.

The $10-a-month service is said to replicate features common to the streaming market, such as unlimited, ad-free playback and an option to download music for offline listening. The company already offers Amazon Music as part of its Amazon Prime subscription package, but the music catalog is limited compared to streaming services like Tidal and Google Play Music.

The $5-a-month service would be different to discounted subscription models that other companies have tried in the past. Not only will the $5 service be restricted to Echo owners, it won’t be available to use on smartphones, which is what most users of existing streaming services sign up for.

Amazon started shipping the Echo last year and reportedly sold a million units. The company is aiming to sell three million more this year and 10 million in 2017, according to The Information.

Tag: Amazon Echo
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Augmented reality power tool helps anyone craft things

Crafting with CNC mills, routers and other power tools isn’t all that easy, especially if you’re new to it. You’ll frequently want a template, and it’s all too easy to mess up a cut if you haven’t developed a steady hand. Shaper doesn’t think it has to be daunting, though: it’s launching Origin, an augmented reality power cutter. All you need to get started is a set of visual markers (“ShaperTape” in company lingo) that create a map — the handheld will not only show you where to cut on its screen thanks to these markers, but automatically correct your cut or retract the bit if you’re veering off-course. You could be a neophyte and still create something reasonably professional-looking.

The hardware is also more portable and flexible. You’re not confined to the size of a cutting bed (you can make a dining room table if you want), and you can work with materials ranging from wood to plastic. And while Shaper has its own design collection to start from, it can tie into existing design software if you already have a workflow.

Not surprisingly, a digitally-savvy tool like this won’t come cheap. Pre-orders start at 12PM Eastern on August 23rd for $1,500, and that’s for early buyers. Wait until it hits stores and you’ll shell out $2,099. It’s not really for beginners, then, unless you’re well-heeled. However, it might be just the ticket if you feel limited by conventional cutters or are determined to tackle a big project with as few mistakes as possible.

Source: Shaper

Researchers develop cheaper, more flexible smart glass

Thanks to the work of a team of researchers at the University of Texas, Austin’s Cockrell School of Engineering, your next car windshield or apartment window could have an efficient, low-cost way of electronically controlling its tint, while also keeping your heating and cooling bills in check. According to a release from the University of Texas, associate professor Delia Milliron and her team of chemical engineers have invented “a new flexible smart window material” that can lighten or darken with a small electric charge and can easily be applied with a new low-cost, low-temperature process.

The new application process is what actually sets her team’s material apart from existing liquid crystal panels or electrochromic windshields. While they work the same in principle, the new material is an amorphous solid made of chemically condensed niobium oxide, which has a less dense structure than similar materials, making it much more flexible and twice as energy efficient. Unlike traditional coatings which need to be applied to glass surfaces, Milliron’s material can be applied to plastics to keep costs down. While smart windows can be used to created tinted glass on demand or high-tech sunglasses, Milliron believes the new application process could also be used to create other amorphous materials like more efficient supercapacitors in the near future.

Source: University of Texas News

Iraq built a gun-wieding robotic vehicle to take on ISIS

Iraq built an armed robotic vehicle, according to Baghdad Post, and it could be used to take back a town occupied by ISIS. Based on Defense One’s translation of the story, the robot is car-sized and tank-like, equipped with an automatic machine gun and a rocket launcher. It also has four cameras to be able to show operators its field of view, since it’s controlled using a laptop from a kilometer away. That distance means its operators still have to be on the battlefield, but at least they can stay hidden and safe while the machine does its job.

It’s not exactly clear who built this vehicle nicknamed “Alrobot” (that’s Arabic for robot). Baghdad Post credits two brothers for the effort, but it didn’t mention their names and their affiliations. A Twitter user said it was presented at a security and defense exhibit in Baghdad half a year ago, though, and provided a photo of it from the event, as you can see below.

Since details about the robot are scarce, one has to wonder how often Iraq plans to use it and if the country’s government is planning to build more. Elliot Zweig, deputy director of the Middle East Media Research Institute, shed some on the country’s plans for it. He told DefenseOne that the video with Baghdad Post’s story talks about how Iraq will deploy the robot to retake Mosul, a city in Northern Iraq that ISIS occupied in 2014.

@DefTechPat young Iraqis presentation in the security and defence exhibition in Baghdad before 6 months ago pic.twitter.com/eq0HmkDY0L

— Qari Iraqi (@nomorestans) August 19, 2016

Source: DefenseOne, The Baghdad Post