Monthly Archives: September 2015

Hyundai unveils N 2025 Vision Gran Turismo in Frankfurt

Bugatti isn’t the only car manufacturer showing off their Vision Gran Turismo concept at the Frankfurt Motor Show, as Hyundai has just unveiled its impressive contribution. Dubbed the N 2025 Vision Gran Turismo, the Korean car company has cast aside its image as a maker of small, affordable vehicles when coming up with this 872-horsepower supercar. And it looks like Hyundaimight be trying to permanently shed that image, as concept is also serving as a launch of their N high-performance division, which will produce cars for the real world and not just video games.

Read full post here:
https://www.slashgear.com/hyundai-unveils-n-2025-vision-gran-turismo-in-frankfurt-15404737/

Olympus updates OM-D range with feature firmware

This week the folks at Olympus have updated a number of cameras with brand new firmware. This sort of thing isn’t unheard of in the smartphone or tablet universe – in fact it’s expected. In the smart camera environment, on the other hand, it’s still sort of new. Olympus appears to be leading the way with their OM-D lineup with two firmware updates that are bringing on advanced macro shooting and video capabilities for their cameras already out in the field.

Read full post here:
https://www.slashgear.com/olympus-updates-om-d-range-with-feature-firmware-15404736/

Apple is at long last making iOS system apps removable

Apple is looking into ways to empty your junk folder, with CEO Tim Cook confirming that time may be up for the oft-complained about apps that can’t be uninstalled. Software like Stocks and Tips are preinstalled as part of iOS and, unlike third-party apps, you can’t remove them (only bury them in a seldom-visited folder); now, it seems a reprieve is in the pipeline.

Apple does at least recognize there’s a user demand for the feature, Cook told Buzzfeed, though the chief exec argues that there’s more to it than adding a red uninstall cross.

Read full post here:
https://www.slashgear.com/

Ducati Monster 1200 R Goes From Standstill To 60 In 3.2 Seconds

Take a new motorcycle frame, slap on some new parts, throw in a mix of 1299 Panigale and 1200 S components, and crown it with a redesigned Testastretta 11 engine. That’s, pretty much, the simplest way to describe the Ducati Monster 1200 R, the company’s latest motorcycle that, by the way, happens to be the most powerful naked Ducati yet.

How much power? Fitted with a 1,198cc Testastretta 11-degree DS engine twin-cylinder engine, the bike puts out 160 horsepower at 9,250 rpm and a max torque of 97 foot-pounds at 7,750 rpm, allowing it to hit 0 to 60 in as little as 3.2 seconds. That’s more power than the current best naked in the lineup (the 145-hp 1200 S) and even the discontinued Fighter 1098 (155 hp), so this is one scary beast.

Read full post here:
https://www.coolthings.com/ducati-monster-1200-r-naked/

Seaboard Rise MIDI Controller Comes With Squishy Keys That Can Respond To Five Different Actions

Remember the Seaboard GRAND, an electronic keyboard that uses flexible keys instead of standard stiff ones, paving the way for entirely new ways to make music on a keyboard? Yeah, it was awesome, but with 88 keys, it was also cumbersome to carry around. We’re guessing that’s why they decided to build a smaller, more portable version called the Seaboard Rise.

A MIDI controller, it plays just like any MIDI keyboard, except with squishy tubes for keys instead of spring-loaded plastic. Because of the squishy tubes, you’re not limited to merely striking the keys, as they also respond to three-dimensional gesture inputs, allowing you to add slides, glides, presses, and lifts to your repertoire. The keys’ sensitivity are configurable, too, so you can make it detect the lightest tap if you don’t want to exert a lot of energy or require harder presses if you’re a heavy-handed kind of guy.

Read full post here:
https://www.coolthings.com/seaboard-rise-midi-controller/

Helix Folding Bike Boasts 24-Inch Wheels, Compact Folded Size, And Only 20 Pounds Of Weight

Folding bikes have gained a lot of popularity over the last few years, mostly due to the fact that they’re incredibly convenient to store. Sure, they don’t exactly feel like a normal bike (I mean, those little wheels make sure of that), but people are willing to overlook that if it means they can keep the darn bike under a table inside the house. The Helix is a new folding bike that wants to change that.

Read full post here:
https://www.coolthings.com/helix-folding-bike-full-size-wheels/

Apple iPad Pro Supersizes The Tablet For Laptop-Like Productivity

Different people use a tablet for different things. If you’ve always wanted to use the iPad as a substitute for a MacBook, we imagine the Apple iPad Pro is your best bet at getting that done.

The latest addition to Cupertino’s line of tablets, it’s the biggest iPad ever made. Sporting a 12.9-inch display, it’s, practically, a laptop without a keyboard in tow, with enough processing power to actually let you do actual productive work.

Read full post here:
https://www.coolthings.com/apple-ipad-pro-12-inch-tablet/

Heavily-Armored Range Rover Sentinel Can Survive A 33-Pound TNT Blast

There are few people in the world who genuinely need a vehicle as secure as the Range Rover Sentinel. If you can afford the near-half million price tag, though, it will probably be nice to feel like you belong in that exclusive club reserved for dignitaries, VIPs, and criminal masterminds.

Built by Land Rover’s Special Vehicle Operations, it’s a Range Rover Autobiography that’s been fitted with all the requisite elements to render it impervious to a whole array of threats. Whether for driving through warzones, fending off assassination attempts, or just wanting to feel like you’re important enough to travel inside an excessively-secure car, we have no doubt this armored luxury ride should do the trick.

Read full post here:
https://www.coolthings.com/range-rover-sentinel-armored-suv/

Cambridge Audio CXU review

Build

The CXU follows in the footsteps of the CX family with a sleek, premium-quality build and ‘floating’ design. It’s a robust yet elegant chassis. The aluminium finish (in black only) looks smart, and there’s real care given to the way the buttons on the unit feel, and how disc loading tray operates seamlessly with as little noise as possible.

The tray glides open when summoned, and there’s barely a whisper of the machinery whirring inside as the CD or Blu-ray starts playing. The display itself is simple, crisp and clear, with a large font that’s easy to read from afar.

Read full post here:
https://www.whathifi.com/cambridge-audio/cxu/review

Dali Opticon 1 review

Build

Getting our first proper look, we like what we see. They are little, but tidy – ideal if you’ve only a little room with which to play. And beautifully finished, too.

Remove the front grille and you’ll find a mid/bass driver of wood fibre, which is the material Dali uses for its more expensive speakers, and no dust cap. The random structure of the wood fibre, as well as producing a rich sound, stops build-up of internal resonance.

Read full post here:
https://www.whathifi.com/dali/opticon-1/review

Audiolab 8300CD review

Build

We’re not surprised Audiolab’s engineers have taken an evolutionary approach to the development of this new machine. There’s much at stake here. The most obvious change is the softer, more rounded look, though we prefer the crisper lines of the original. There are the usual black and silver finish options.

We also prefer the earlier design’s longer-travel button feel to the small movement clicks of the 8300CD.

Read full post here:
https://www.whathifi.com/audiolab/8300cd/review

Audioquest Nighthawk review

Build and design

The Audioquest Nighthawks are no ordinary headphones. There’s all manner of fancy design going on. Take the earcups – they’re made of ‘Liquid Wood’, a mixture of wood and plant fibre, which is heated, liquefied and processed for injected moulding.

Audioquest claims Liquid Wood has far superior acoustic properties compared to ordinary wood or plastic. And the earcups on each pair will look slightly different, thanks to natural variations in colour, pattern and finish.

Read full post here:
https://www.whathifi.com/audioquest/nighthawk/review

Wharfedale DS-1 review

Sound

They may be small in size, but they produce a thoroughly grown-up sound. The tonal balance is wonderfully even – there are no spiky edges to the treble, nor does the bassline boom or trundle along with undue weight.

As they’re physically small, we’re hardly expecting a huge, expansive spread of sound. However, the dinky DS-1s do go fairly loud when the volume is cranked up.

Read full post here:
https://www.whathifi.com/wharfedale/ds-1/review

Sony STR-DN1060 review

Reliable, easy to get along with and good company, Sony’s £500/ $750 amplifiers are starting to feel like old friends. They’ve been strong favourites of ours at this price, winning our Product of the Year Award for the past two years running.

That’s not to say the competition isn’t snapping at its heels, but the Sony STR-DN1060 arrives on the back of a five-star review for its impressive cheaper sibling, the DN860. Things certainly look positive, but the pressure is on Sony to keep up the pace.

Read full post here:
https://www.whathifi.com/sony/str-dn1060/review

2016 Ford Shelby GT350 Mustang First Drive – Golden Pony

There’s always the lingering fear, when faced with a famous nameplate like Shelby, that the car it’s attached to will be more about branding than performance. I needn’t have worried about the 2016 Shelby GT350 Mustang. Since it first broke cover at the start of the year, I’ve been itching to get behind the wheel of the uber-pony. Happily, neither the GT350 nor its monster GT350R sibling disappoints.

Read full post here:
https://www.slashgear.com/2016-ford-shelby-gt350-mustang-first-drive-golden-pony-14404341/

Toyota patent app highlights flying car dreams

Toyota has filed a patent app for something that is weird, but cool. It’s not often that I can say Toyota has done something cool. The patent app highlights a design for a flying car that looks like the love child of a Prius and the Red Barron’s Fokker DR.1 Triplane. That aircraft is perhaps the best-known layered wing aircraft ever built.

The Toyota patent app shows line art that has four wings stacked on the roof of the car with a tail control surface on the rear. From what we can tell in the line art, the wings would be fitted to some sort of pole on the roof of the car.

Read full post here:
https://www.slashgear.com/toyota-patent-app-highlights-flying-car-dreams-11404179/

Huge 1.3m Dodge Ram recall as FCA woes continue

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) has been dealt yet another blow in the form of vehicle recalls. Following the news about 1.4 million Jeep, Dodge, and Chrysler vehicles getting recalled over the recent infotainment hacking, now comes word that 1.3 million Dodge Ram trucks in the US are getting recalled due to one of several reasons. The remote hacking threat doesn’t play a part this time, but rather the reasons include steering-wheel wiring, bracket welds, and air-bags.

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https://www.slashgear.com/huge-1-3m-dodge-ram-recall-as-fca-woes-continue-11404226/

Linn wraps HiFi audio speakers in Harris Tweed

If you are the sort of music fan who loves to have a HiFi system in your room, but don’t want it to look like a massive monolithic stereo system sitting there Linn’s Series 5 systems may be just the ticket. These HiFi systems cram all the hardware required to make high quality sound and bass inside a speaker enclosure that is then wrapped with fancy Harris Tweed fabric.

Buyers can choose the fabric style they want to cover the speaker. Several models are available including the 530 system that includes a pair of 530 speakers that use Linn Isobarik bass system for big bass form slim speakers. The speakers work with the Akurate network music player to stream your favorite digital music.

Read full post here:
https://www.slashgear.com/linn-wraps-hifi-audio-speakers-in-harris-tweed-11404209/

What you need to know about Apple’s iPhone 6s installment plan

When Apple announced the new iPhone 6s and 6s Plus on Wednesday, it revealed the standard prices available when a user is on a two-year contract with a carrier. However, they also introduced an entirely new way to buy the device: through Apple’s own iPhone Upgrade Program. The system is similar to installed payment plans from carriers, like AT&T’s Next or Sprint’s iPhone Forever; users make monthly payments on the device, and are eligible to upgrade every 12 months.

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https://www.slashgear.com/what-you-need-to-know-about-apples-iphone-6s-installment-plan-11404217/

Apple’s ‘Hey Siri’ recognizes individual voices in iOS 9

Apple’s “Hey Siri” feature will be able to tell if you’re the one summoning her, at least based on a new feature iOS 9.1 beta testers have discovered. The feature allows the “Hey Siri” feature to be set up so that she will “recognize your voice when you” call for her. The reason for this seems obvious (but may not be) — with Siri always listening, it would be possible for anyone to clown around and yell Hey Siri! But, it turns out, she may only respond to your voice.

Read full post here:
https://www.slashgear.com/

VW Microbus tipped to return with EV option

One of the most iconic vehicles that VW has produced in its history is the Microbus. Rumors are circulating that VW is aiming to bring a modern version of that Microbus back to dealerships and that the car will debut next January during CES 2016. VW has produced concepts in the past that were very Microbus in style, most recently as the Bulli concept.

This time rumors suggest that the Microbus that debuts at CES 2016 will be an EV with a range perhaps as high as 200 miles per charge. The source of the rumor says that VW will offer the Microbus in gas and diesel versions as well.

Read full post here:
https://www.slashgear.com/vw-microbus-tipped-to-return-with-ev-option-11404224/

Like it or not, Firefox Suggested Tiles have arrived

Mozilla may be a non-profit organization, but that doesn’t of course mean it’s not interested in raising some cash on the sides. Even if the court of public opinion says otherwise. Months after it launched its contentious Directory Tiles, it has rather silently started pushing its perhaps even more criticized Suggested Tiles feature to the Firefox browser. Unlike the previous Directory Tiles, this one is clearly, and formally, more advertisement centric. But don’t worry, as Mozilla claims it hasn’t made a profit from it. Yet.

Read full post here:
https://www.slashgear.com/

Oppo R7s hits TENAA packing 5.5-inch screen

Back in May Oppo went official with the R7 and R7 Plus smartphones packing a 5-inch and 6-inch screen respectively. Oppo thinks that there is a market for a device that splits that screen size gap neatly down the middle. A new Oppo device has hit TENAA for certifications dubbed the R7s and it packs a 5.5-inch screen.

The 5.5-inch screen on the new smartphone is a full HD resolution AMOLED unit. Other than the screen size, the hardware inside the smartphone is unclear, but is likely to be on par with the other two devices in the R7 series.

Read full post here:
https://www.slashgear.com/oppo-r7s-hits-tenaa-packing-5-5-inch-screen-14404377/

Dodge Charger Pursuit gets 12.1-inch touchscreen

Dodge has taken a page out of Tesla’s interior design book and crammed a giant touchscreen monitor into the dash of its latest version of the Dodge Charger Pursuit. The screen is 12.1-inches and is designed to integrate law enforcement data centers and its Uconnect touchscreen system. Uconnect is intuitive and capable of giving access to vehicle controls and virtually every police computer system out there.

Read full post here:
https://www.slashgear.com/dodge-charger-pursuit-gets-12-1-inch-touchscreen-11404227/

Legacy of the Void will put a close to StarCraft II Nov. 2

All stories must eventually come to an end. This particularly one was 17 years in the making, or so Blizzard recounts. StarCraft II will be getting its third and final expansion that will finally put a close to the ongoing saga of the world’s most famous RTS game. In the Legacy of the Void, players will be the ones that guide the Protoss, through the legendary Artanis and Zeratul, and will determine as well the fate of the universe. And it will all begin on November 10.

Read full post here:
https://www.slashgear.com/legacy-of-the-void-will-put-a-close-to-starcraft-ii-nov-2-14404346/

GoPro on a balloon found after 2 years with stunning Earth shots

The GoPro line of action cameras, especially when paired with drones, have yielded a massive library of photos and videos that would have been otherwise impossible to take using commercial equipment. But when paired with a weather balloon, things get even more dramatic. In 2013, a group of five students from Arizona did just that and launched the GoPro into the atmosphere. Sadly, they lost track of the camera during after its reentry. Good thing they recovered it two years later in good condition because the footage it had stored is truly a sight to behold.

The story of the recovery of the camera is just as amazing as the video and photos it yielded. It started out simple enough when, after four months of preparations, the five friends launched the GoPro attached to a weather balloon to take some shots of Arizona. They used a special smartphone GPS to track the GoPro’s location since, at that time, smartphone GPS were limited to a 60,000 ft range. They projected the GoPro to land at a specific area with cell coverage so that they could use the attached smartphone to locate and retrieve the contraption.

Sadly, the coverage map from AT&T that they used for their model was inaccurate and the balloon landed a good 50 miles or so away from their estimate. At that time, they considered it a lost cause. Somewhat ironically, the camera has chanced upon two years later by an AT&T employee who was hiking near where it landed. Long story short, the GoPro was returned to its owners and yielded the footage that could be seen below.

[su_youtube url=”https://youtu.be/EABQ5psUz70″]Watch the Using Rcpp Syntactic Sugar video.[/su_youtube]

These days, there would probably be more sophisticated equipment available that would ensure that a GoPro would be easily located and retrieved. But such resources were probably not available, not to mention affordable, for five students in 2013 who were simply trying to make a fun project. At least the story had a happy ending, even if it was two years too late.

(slashgear.com)

Cyanogen CEO: Cortana will deeply integrate with Cyanogen OS

Cyanogen CEO Kirk McMaster is known for not mincing words when it comes to trying to overthrow Google’s iron hand over its own product. But now it seems that the startup’s strategy for rivaling, if not ending, Google’s monopoly over Android is to actually get in bed with a rival. Months after it announced a partnership with Microsoft, one that saw Microsoft’s apps pre-installed in its Cyanogen OS, McMaster now claims that it is working with Redmond to integrate Cortana at the OS level instead of just an app on top.

Read full post here:
https://www.slashgear.com/cyanogen-ceo-cortana-will-deeply-integrate-with-cyanogen-os-13404328/

OPPO R7 Plus Review

Even as OPPO gains market share in China and South East Asia, it has a more ambitious target, the U.S.: probably one of the most challenging for any device manufacturer. Competition is fierce, against established and considerably larger brands including Samsung, Apple, and LG. OPPO knows that developing a good product is a must, and the R7 Plus reflects that intent – but is it good enough? Join us as we take a deeper look at the R7 Plus in our full review.

Read full post here:
https://www.techradar.com/reviews/phones/mobile-phones/oppo-r7-plus-1294418/review

Los Angeles to lease fleet of electric and hybrid vehicles

Departments in the city of Los Angeles will be leasing a fleet of both electric and hybrid vehicles, Mayor Eric Garcetti has announced. Under this commitment, the LA Police, Fire, General Services, Water, and Power departments will lease a total of 160 battery-powered electric vehicles. Joining this will be another 128 plug-in hybrids that will be used by the General Services Department and the LADWP.

Read full post here:
https://www.slashgear.com/los-angeles-to-lease-fleet-of-electric-and-hybrid-vehicles-11404250/

Drone operator arrested for flying near LAPD chopper

Flying drones of any type near other aircraft is a big violation of regulations — not to mention extremely and senselessly dangerous. That hasn’t stopped some operators from flying their aerial vehicles in places they shouldn’t (onejust crashed recently at the US Open, for example), and while in the past these instances would usually merely get the operator a conversation with police, they’re increasingly resulting in arrests.

Read full post here:
https://www.slashgear.com/drone-operator-arrested-for-flying-near-lapd-chopper-11404252/