Category: News

PlayStation Classic, Is It Too Soon?

It appears Sony is looking to cash in on the retro gaming craze. In an announcement earlier, Sony revealed the brand-new PlayStation Classic. Exactly like Nintendo’s retro consoles, the PS Classic is miniature version of the original This will hit stores and online retailers December 3 for $100. Is it too soon? It has been 23 years and 4 iterations since the original system was released.

PlayStation Classic Details

My first thought and reactions were as follows. One, is the disc tray functional? No it is not. That answers questions number two, can I play my original PlayStation cds? No I cannot. Well now I need to know what games are included with this retro mini PlayStation. It will includes games like Final Fantasy VII, Jumping Flash, Ridge Racer Type 4, Tekken 3, and Wild Arms. There’ll be 20 bundled titles in total, but those five are the only ones announced at the moment.

So apparently we won’t be able to download additional games online. Which would have been a huge selling point. Additionally the memory card slots are just for show. Games will save with “virtual” memory cards and you’ll be able to suspend, or freeze, your progress with the system’s Reset button. The Open button will switch games.

he PlayStation Classic costs $99, has 20 games, 2 controllers, and includes an HDMI cable and USB cable, as well as an instruction manual that’s almost a work of art in its industrial simplicity. three major retailers have opened preorders for the PlayStation Classic. You can put your hard-earned dollars down right now and reserve yourself one for when it finally comes out at Walmart, Best Buy and Gamestop. Sorry Amazon…

The Final Thought

Is this too soon or am I just getting old? Im just not getting excited about nostalgia for a next gen system. To me, a classic nintendo guy, the Playstation was the next gen. I don’t like the idea that it is only 20 game and that I have no say in those 20. I do kinda want to play Twisted Metal 1 again but everything else is still available in a best more advanced formatt. Also, and correct me if i’m mistaking, cant my PlayStation 4 play the original Playstation Disc? Why would I need a PlayStation Classic?

September 19, 2018
Feature Roundup: iOS 12 Now Live

The long-awaited update for iOS, iOS 12, has finally arrived! If you haven’t yet, you can download it now. And we highly advise it: it’s awesome! If you’ve already got the update and wondering what new features there are to play with, we’ve got a quick roundup for you. Here’s some of the coolest new features in iOS 12!

iOS 12 Feature Roundup

ARKit 2

The new implementation of augmented reality is all over iOS 12. Namely, ARKit 2, a new developer’s kit, has been activated in this version of iOS. It allows for things like messages and News to even implement AR! It seems Apple is convinced that AR is the future, and they’re really pushing for it to take off.

Photo Features

Photos will now attempt to perform more intelligently, thanks to AI-enhanced technology. Things like examining which shots look best and which look shareable will be sorted by your phone automatically. Also new to this iOS update is the photo search function, allowing you to sort your photos by tons of criteria. Things like date, location and more will be searchable!

Screen Time

A lot of phone makers are starting to make moves that they understand the dangers of tech addiction. After all, everyone could stand to spend less time on their phones. As such, initiatives like Screen Time are great to see! Apple’s Screen Time functionality allows you to monitor your app usage and see what you’re spending the most time on. That’s rather healthy, actually!

You’ll also be able to limit use of certain apps, having the iOS tell you when it’s time to quit. You can even set Do Not Disturb setting for certain times of day, or at certain locations.

Memoji

The new Memoji feature will allow you to create a custom Animoji that looks like you! It’s a fun use of the iPhone X’s Face ID technology. Tracking your face to create the moving emoji is a fun time-waster at worst, and a cute way to communicate at best!

Siri Shortcuts

Siri just got a bit more useful! The Siri Shortcuts feature allows you to program shortcuts into Siri. Creating shortcuts essentially allows Siri to perform a variety of functions from one keyed phrase. Setting up “take me home” could have Siri turn on your music and navigate to home, for instance. This works all the better with Apple’s iHome smart home tech!

September 19, 2018
Introducing the Vision iNext

No, it’s not the newest Apple phone. The Vision iNext is a crazy-looking concept car from BMW that promises to be all-electric. BMW has introduced the concept as a new direction for their “i line” of cars, such as the i3 and i8. This, however, is iNext, and it looks pretty funky. Needless to say, we’re interested in this odd car, but it may not see the light of day. Let’s talk about this cool-looking concept.

Slashgear

Vision iNext: Next Big Thing?

BMW wants the iNext to go into production and be released to mass market by 2021. If it is launched then, it will be the first mass-market BMW with their long-range battery. It will also be the first BMW made with their new vehicle architecture. And, as you can tell from the concept car, that’s an odd architecture indeed.

The very sci-fi looking concept car is sure to change a bit between now and production. As you can see, it has no side mirrors. Instead, it sports side cameras. However, given regulations regarding vehicle safety in the US, it will almost certainly need to add mirrors to the sides. Additionally, the incredibly thin, blue headlights are likely to be made more visible and standardized to make the vehicle easier to see on the road at night.

Interior Design

The interior is exceedingly luxurious, with lush carpets and sleek finish everywhere around. Backseat displays are projected onto surfaces, so you can use everything from books to posters to back-stop the display. The front infotainment system is said to be controlled by smart gesture control, a la the iPhone X. The steering wheel and pedals are also retractable, as the vehicle is intended to have Level 3 self-driving autonomy.

While it’s still a good while before this car goes into production, it’s definitely striking. The futuristic design shows an eye toward what cars may look like in the upcoming decade. If self-driving, autonomous vehicles become plausible and commonplace, we can foresee some huge changes in the world of transportation. BMW’s concept car might seem far-fetched, but they plan to have it hit market by 2021. Can things change that much in 3 years? We’re excited to find out.

September 18, 2018
Coolest Things Apple Showed off at their Gather Round Event

Apple is a big name for a good reason: their products are as much a fashion statement as they are excellent technology. As such, it makes sense that people get excited whenever they announce new products. The Gather Round event, held on Wednesday, was no exception! Apple announced a ton of awesome new things and we’re excited to show you. Today, we’re looking at the coolest things Apple showed off at their Gather Round Event!

Coolest Things Apple Showed off at their Gather Round Event

Products

Apple Watch Series 4

Photo Credit: Business Insider

The Apple Watch Series 4 has been rumored for some time, but now it’s a reality. This newest iteration features a larger screen, thinner body and better haptic feedback. It sports a gorgeous display and a ton of health monitoring features. We’re definitely excited for this one!

iPhone XS

Photo Credit: Apple

The next big announcement was the next entry in the iPhone X family, the iPhone XS. This one is touted as having IP68 water ingress rating, making it more waterproof than the X. It also is said to have stronger glass and better wireless charging capabilities.

iPhone XS Max

Photo Credit: Digital Trends

Another announcement followed, the iPhone XS Max. This model is significantly larger than the X and XS. It has a 6.5 inch display with a great resolution and tons of pixels per inch. Both the iPhone XS and XS Max are sporting A12 Bionic processors, a step up from the A11 found in the iPhone X.

The two phones will be available on September 21^st, and they retail for $999 and $1099 respectively.

iPhone XR

Photo Credit: Apple

The iPhone XR is the other big thing from Apple this year. The XR is the “affordable” iPhone X model, coming in at $749. It also boasts six colors, making it a flashier phone than its big siblings. To cut costs, the phone has a few slightly less impressive specs than the iPhone X. For one, it sports an LCD screen that isn’t as striking as the X’s OLED. Also, it doesn’t offer 3D Touch, instead using long-touch haptic feedback.

Hardware Improvements

A12 Bionic Processor

Photo Credit: The Verge

The A12 Bionic processor that’s shipping in the iPhone XS models is a thing of beauty. It sports a six-core CPU, a four-core GPU and special AI processing power. Heralded as “the smartest chip ever put in a smartphone,” it’s hard to argue with specs like that. This is a chip that is truly futureproofed and ready for AI functionality.

XS and XS Max Camera

Photo Credit: Phone Arena

Another hardware overhaul in the XS line comes via the cameras. The sensor has been made larger in the rear-facing, 12MP camera. The 7MP front-facing camera has received a faster sensor, to boot. The cameras are now supported by Apple’s True Tone flash, making pictures look less washed out. Additional improvements include blur adjustment. Now you can even add Portrait Mode to pictures you’ve already taken! That’s pretty neat.

Faster Face ID, Computational Photography

Photo Credit: OSXDaily

These two updates go hand-in-hand. Apple’s proprietary Face ID is awesome, but it could stand to be a little faster. Apple aims to use the new tech we discussed in their cameras to make Face ID faster and better at recognizing users. Computational photography, aided by the A12 chip, will likely make Face ID even better than before. That’s not to mention how excellent it looks when applied to photographs! The iPhone XS line is shaping up to be one of the smartest smartphones ever.

Other Announcements

iPhone Upgrade Program

Photo Credit: Apple Insider

For those who love to be bleeding edge but don’t want to spend a ton, there’s the iPhone Upgrade Program. Apple announced that there will be a pre-approval process for those looking to upgrade to iPhone XS phones. You can also trade-in your old iPhone or Apple products to get a credit towards the new phone! Every year, you can opt to upgrade by paying off what remains on your old phone. It’s a great program for those who love to stay up-to-date!

iOS 12

Photo Credit: Tech Radar

After being announced in June, iOS 12 entered a very long beta period. However, it’s finally ready for a full release! It hits live servers on September 17^th. If you’re curious, it boasts a ton of performance improvements and Siri updates. It’s a very modern OS, and we’re excited for it to go live. Now we can even use our iPhones as a tape measure! Hooray!

MacOS Mojave

Photo Credit: Mashable

The other big announcement from Apple was that MacOS Mojave will finally go live September 24^th. This new OS includes tons of great updates, including a system-wide Dark Mode and Dynamic Wallpaper. It also will sport more apps from iOS!

September 14, 2018
Get yourself an Intimidator UTV…You Deserve it.

Looking for that new toy?

Feel like treating yourself this year for christmas or just for the heck of it? In need of a new UTV to help things done at work or on the homestead? Take a look at the Intimidator line of Utility Vehicles. The Intimidator UTV’s Company has delivered the pinnacle of small utility vehicles and have seamlessly blended ruggedness with luxury and style. This is just a short bio of the relatively new company, from whom we expect big things: Intimidator, Inc. is owned by Robert and Becky Foster, former co-owners of Bad Boy Mowers. Intimidator offers world-class, American-made, side-by-side 4×4 vehicles with unparalleled strength, power, and performance at an affordable price. The company’s expanding line of products includes the Intimidator Classic, Intimidator Crew Cab, Intimidator Truck Series, Enforcer ATV, and the new GC1K, all built to suit a variety of needs from hauling feed, hunting, or traversing a rocky creek bed!

Bottom line is these things are impressive.

What’s the buzz about?

Intimidator has set out to produce the absolute best quality UTV’s and it all starts with good ol’ American steel and hand welded chassis. The company realized that creating a UTV that can withstand every and any environment this country has to offer is a much needed item. The folks who need a UTV around the house or at work are gonna them through the ringer. Whether your driving to a swampy fishing hole, a deep woods hunting spot, or farming during a Minnesota winter, these UTV’s can withstand it all. They have 5 different fully customizable UTV lines to choose from all depending on what works best for you. Here’s what the company has to say about their Classic Series:

The Intimidator Classic Series was designed for work and play. Key features include premium bench seats with headrests for up to three adult passengers, a full-size bed that can hold up to 1,200 lbs. of cargo, and a towing capacity of up to 2,100 lbs. Intimidator provides different power options to get the job done; from smaller jobs to middle-of-the-road and those requiring extreme power. The Intimidator Classic Series is packed with features that make it one hard-working, American-made machine. Each line has the option to hold a gas, diesel, or electric motor (for all you hunters out there). But drive safe, these bad boys can hit 60 MPH!

Summary

If you have the need and means for this ultimate toy, then I highly recommend treating yourself. But keep in mind, that is exactly what you’ll be doing. Depending on the options and models, the Intimidator UTV can run up $22,000.00. That’s actually more expensive than an older model Ford F-250. But with that price tag, you are getting the best of the best. And the intimidator can go many places and do many things a large truck cannot. Hence its true value. If I get to a point where I can justify one of these babies, you better believe Santa will be bringing me one.

Intimidator UTV Website Link: https://intimidatorutv.com/

September 14, 2018
U.S. Military Chooses New Light Attack War Plane

The New War-Bird

In a Fly-Off to see which plane would become the U.S. Military’s new Light Attack War-Bird, The EMB Super Tucano and the AT-6 Wolverine went head to head to show us what they got. After impressive flying and displaying combat skills, it appears the EMB 314 Super Tucano will win the bid to be the new “Light Attack Aircraft” as of 2019. The Sierra Nevada aircraft company was awarded the $1.5 billion dollar US Contract indefinitely. The company was “awarded a ceiling $1,808,000,000 indefinite-delivery/indefinite quantity contract for potential procurement, sustainment, modifications, ferry, and related equipment for the A-29,”

The warbirds main purpose will be to perform in small, quick, intermediate counter-insurgency mission. This will be to further assist our efforts in Afghanistan, while greatly reducing cost in the aircraft department as the F22 Raptor cost around $339 Million dollars each to produce. The a-29’s will be produced in Jacksonville, FL and at the U.S. Kabul base as well.

What can she do?

According to Air Force Officials: A-29s are turboprop planes armed with one 20mm cannon below the fuselage able to shoot 650 rounds per minute, one 12.7mm machine gun (FN Herstal) under each wing and up to four 7.62mm Dillion Aero M134 Miniguns able to shoot up to 3,000 rounds per minute. Super Tucanos are also equipped with 70mm rockets, air-to-air missiles such as the AIM-9L Sidewinder, air-to-ground weapons such as the AGM-65 Maverick and precision-guided bombs. It can also use a laser rangefinder and laser-guided weapons. The Super Tucano is a highly maneuverable light attack aircraft able to operate in high temperatures and rugged terrain. It is 11.38 meters long and has a wingspan of 11.14 meters; its maximum take-off weight is 5,400 kilograms. The aircraft has a combat radius of 300 nautical miles, can reach speeds up to 367 mph and hits ranges up to 720 nautical miles. It’s main purpose and functions are as follows:

– Basic Surface Attack – Assess impact accuracy using hit/miss criteria of practice/laser-guided bomb, and unguided/guided rockets
– Close Air Support (CAS) – Assess ability to find, fix, track target and engage simulated operational targets while communicating with the Joint Terminal Attack Controller (JTAC)
– Daytime Ground Assault Force (GAF) – assess aircraft endurance, range, ability to communicate with ground forces through unsecure and secure radio and receive tactical updates
– Rescue Escort (RESCORT) – Assess pilot workload to operate with a helicopter, receive area updates and targeting data, employ ballistic, unguided/guided rockets and laser-guided munitions
– Night CAS – Assess pilot workload to find, fix, track, target and engage operational targets

Summary

I think this is a great new way of conserving our military budget and allocating the funds into other much needed areas of the department. Because we have become so advanced and superior with our aircrafts, most of their functions could be considered “overkill” and not necessarily the most efficient. Additionally, I just love the old “Warbird” style aircrafts and glad to see they can still be utilized in this day and age. Would love to get a chance to see one up close!

September 14, 2018
Busch Gardens is Making Changes Pt. 2

Busch Gardens, Tampa Bay

In 1999, Busch Gardens opened its first Wooden Roller Coaster “Gwazi” and it was a massive undertaking. The Lion and Tiger themed ride consisted of two large wooden tracks fighting each other at every twist and turn simulating a wild brawl between a lion and tiger. As a native Floridian, I have ridden this ride many times and it’s still my favorite wooden roller coaster I have had the pleasure of riding. Over the years in the blistering sun, the track and wood took a beating and the ride became very rough to ride and often was inoperable due to needed repairs. The ride also claimed a human life when an elderly rider suffered a fatal heart attack while on the ride. On September 12, 2018 Busch Gardens announced they they would be completely rebuilding Gwazi from scratch and the ride is set to open in 2020.

What to Expect

Busch Gardens General Manager Stewart Clark stated that Gwazi was getting a new look that we “will be hanging on to your seats” Clark promises the once great Gwazi will be returned to its former glory and it will be another great and thrilling attraction to the already great theme park. If I had to guess what they might do is make Gwazi into a Hybrid Steel Coaster which blends smooth steel stracks and a wooden roller coasters base and look. It’s a relatively new concept that allows wooden coasters to easily invert and make all sorts of thrilling movements they could have done before. Six Flags Great America, just opened a Joker themed Hybrid Coaster to a resounding success.

Summary

Busch Gardens Tampa Bay is truly a great and underrated theme park. The company really goes above and beyond in wildlife conservation and treats every animal with the utmost regard. The park is very transparent with how the animals are cared for and enclosed and invite attendees regularly to behind the scene enclosure to see the day to day animal operations. Within the past decade, Busch Gardens is building a great name by adding great new and thrilling rides all while maintaining its dedication to the endangered african wildlife. The best part about the park is it’s usually pretty quiet and no waiting in lines for the rides. Do yourself the favor and book a trip as soon as you can. Have fun!

September 14, 2018
Apple’s A12 Chip: The Breakdown
Apple has announced 3 new iphone at their sept gather round event. Each of these new phones is sport a new processor, Apple’s A12. Apple says “the A12 is a whole new level of intelligence. The A12 Bionic, with our next-generation Neural Engine, delivers incredible performance. It uses real-time machine learning to transform the way you experience photos, gaming, augmented reality, and more.” Lets dive in a find out what we have in store with this next gen processor.

The scoop from the conference on these blazingly revolutionary chips is looking super hot. They said that under the hood, the new iPhone XS models pack Apple’s A12 Bionic CPU, the first commercially available 7nm chip. The processor, which comprises of a four-core CPU, six-core GPU a next-gen eight-core neural engine, promises to deliver a 15 per cent performance boost compared to last year’s A11 chip, 40 per cent lower power consumption and support for real-time machine learning.

Apple’s A12 Bionic and Real Time Machine Learning

What does that mean real time machine learning… In short It can now handle five trillion operations per second, which is a bloody massive hike on the A11 Bionic’s mere 600 billion. Of course, such numbers are meaningless to all but the most dedicated chip nerds, but it has lead to Apple claiming that Apple’s A12 Bionic is the “smartest” smartphone chip ever.

Having such machine learning performance on a device rather than requiring a connection back to a central or cloud-based system could be the motivation to get developers making more apps with AI-capabilities, especially as there are plenty of kits and frameworks to make the integration of machine learning a much easier process

Apple’s A12 Bionic chip follows the 7nm fabrication process. The previous A11 Bionic and Qualcomm’s current Snapdragon 845 CPUs both use 10nm processes. Generally speaking, smaller nodes means you can fit more components onto the same physical space, allowing for faster, more powerful processors.

Apple’s A12 Bionic key features
- CPU: Six cores
- GPU: Four cores
- Neural engine: Eight cores
- Storage support: Up to 512GB addressable storage
- Fabrication node: 7nm
The Final Thought

A Lot of this is gargon and way over our heads. Apple has a nice way of explaining it to the leigh person. Apple says that this means apps will launch apps launch up to 30% faster than they would on an A11-powered iPhone, and overall performance is 50% faster.
September 13, 2018
Series 4 Apple Watch: Quick Recap

Ill be the first to admit when I’m wrong, and I was wrong. I had made an egregious assumption that the gather round event would indicate the Series 4 Apple Watch would be round. IT is not, but we did get a first glimpse at the new the Series 4 Apple Watch. So now that the event has come and gone let’s take a look at what we have with the series 4.

As stated by some info that leaked ahead of the keynote, the watch has a larger screen than what we have used on the first three editions. As a matter of fact it’s 35 percent bigger on the smaller 40mm model and 32 percent larger on the 44mm edition. It’s also thinner, with haptic feedback, a louder speaker, longer battery life, more watch faces, a Mindfulness app and some new build materials: ceramic and sapphire. It ships next week, on September 21st.

ECG

Jeff Williams, Apple’s chief operating officer started us off by saying “We’re thrilled Apple Watch has become an essential part of people’s lives,” . “The completely redesigned Apple Watch Series 4 continues to be an indispensable communication and fitness companion, and now with the addition of groundbreaking features, like fall detection and the first-ever ECG app offered directly to consumers, it also becomes an intelligent guardian for your health.” This is Huge

Here’s how it works. Apple Watch Series 4 enables customers to take an ECG reading right from the wrist using the new ECG app, which takes advantage of the electrodes built into the Digital Crown and new electrical heart rate sensor in the back crystal. With the app, users touch the Digital Crown and after 30 seconds, receive a heart rhythm classification. It can classify if the heart is beating in a normal pattern or whether there are signs of Atrial Fibrillation (AFib), a heart condition that could lead to major health complications. All recordings, their associated classifications and any noted symptoms are stored in the Health app in a PDF that can be shared with physicians.

The Final Thought

It’s quite an upgrade over the previous models. They have seemed to nail the watch down and set it for main stream success. More so then it already has. I love the bigger face, it is what has been missing. While they didn’t mention the smaller 38mm option so if it will be available further is up in the air. The ECG sensor functions could really be a huge step In reducing heart attacks among the population. Having the most used watch in the world set to combat and monitor the number one cause of death could be a monumental change in our society.

September 13, 2018
Biggest Changes in the October Update for Windows 10

As of late, Microsoft has been releasing twice-yearly updates for Windows 10. The ubiquitous operating system last received a major overhaul in April with the previous update. Now, the October Update for Windows 10 is right around the corner and we’re eager to see what it brings. As such, today we’re rounding up the biggest changes coming in the October Update for Windows 10.

Biggest Changes in the October Update for Windows 10

Clipboard History

The first notable change coming is the clipboard history. Accessed by hitting the window key and V at the same time, it holds a list of your recent cut and copied items. This is a big plus for writers and those who often work in word processors. Also coming is a cloud sync for your clipboard, allowing you to copy and paste across Windows devices. Neat! Well, we think. It might be totally superfluous.

SwiftKey Keyboard

If you’re using a Windows tablet or Surface device, you’re going to love this. The SwiftKey keyboard, the fast, responsive Microsoft touchscreen keyboard is getting a big update. Also, prepare to see some pretty crazy designs for dual-screen laptops.

Dark Mode

Microsoft apps, like Word, Excel and PowerPoint, will be able to be run in Dark Mode soon. Much like the changes coming to the new MacOS, the October Update for Windows 10 will include Dark Mode. For those who work at night, or just prefer the softer look of Dark Mode, this is a huge boon. No more blinding yourself with stark white apps with no Dark Mode options!

Less Restarting

You turn on your computer, and you’re in a hurry. There’s a deadline for a project, or you’re rushing to join your friends online for a game. Whatever it may be, you need your computer to boot up quickly. However, you forgot to restart for an update last night. So, congratulations, you get to sit here and watch your PC update for twenty minutes. Microsoft is aiming to alleviate this with “smart update windows.” The system will attempt to learn your pattern so that it knows the safest times to restart for updates without interrupting you.

Screenshot Tool

The Snip and Sketch tool is the newest take on screenshots, courtesy of Microsoft. This tool is not quite a replacement for the Snipping Tool, but it’s being pushed pretty heavily as the way to do screenshots. While the Snip and Sketch tool is useful in some ways, it’s not necessarily better than the Snipping Tool. Pressing prt sc can now be hotkeyed to open the Snip and Sketch, which allows you to draw the area you want to capture

September 13, 2018