Seagate

Seagate reveals limited-edition Xbox Halo drive!

Seagate are releasing a limited edition Seagate Game Drive for Xbox Halo: Master Chief Limited Edition! Teaming up with 343 Industries Seagate announced the latest addition to it’s popular line of storage for gamers – Game Drive for Xbox Halo: Master Chief Limited Edition. 

Seagate are looking to celebrate the legendary Master chief and the legendary limited edition Game Drive. It features a design that celebrates the Master Chief John-117. A limited Master Chief vinyl die-cut sticker set also comes in the box for fans to collect. It is available in 2TB and 5TB varieties. 

Gamers can begin their Halo journey as the Seagate Game Drive is compatible and will be immediately recognised! All by the full family of Xbox Devices, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S consoles. It will be easily installed in under 2 minutes. It’s USB 3.2 Gen 1 bus powered and will not need a seperate power cord to play. Users can play legacy games and archive next generation games on the Game Drive which can store more than 502 downloaded games.  

The drive is available only in limited quantities next week and the Game Drive for Xbox Halo: Master Chief Limited-Edition retails for £79.99 (2TB) and £139.99 (5TB).

Purchase your own HDD here!

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Playstation 5

The Playstation 5 is almost here and it brings a whole host of improvements. Such as ridiculously quick loading times with an ultra speed SSD. Deeper immersion with improved haptic feedback and adaptive triggers and 3D audio!

Thanks to a brand new custom CPU, GPU and SSD with intergrated I/O, the Playstation console has been re-written, with near instant load times for installed PS5 games. Allowing developers to create even more expansive and immersive environments like we’ve never seen before. Not only that there is incredible graphics on the PS5 thanks to ray tracing. Which will bring a new level of realism as rays of light are individually simulated. Therefore creating a true to life shadow and reflections in PS5 games.

Games are played in 4K and up to 12ofps on compatible games with support for 120Hz on 4K Displays. There will be, on supported PS5 games rich,vibrant and lifelike colours on the graphics. Furthermore with those lucky enough to have an 8K tv, the PS5 is compatible with 8K displays through the HDMI 2.1 port!

Playstation 5 Flavours

There are two different versions of the PS5, a regular PS5 with a disc drive an a digital only version of the same console. Which is exactly the same, it just has no disc drive.

Both consoles offer backwards compatibility both through the disc and downloaded PS4 games. They will both offer game boost, which will improve current PS4 and PS VR games. Providing faster and smoother frame rates as well as improved graphics if the developer chooses to. PS4 disc based games and digital based games will both be able to be upgraded to PS5 their counterparts if the developers allow. Lastly both consoles will also allow for PS VR intergration. Connect your PS VR to the PS5 to enjoy VR supported games. You’ll need a Playstation Camera and a Playstation Camera Adaptor which you can request from Sony here.

PS PLUS COLLECTION

On release date (12th and 19th November) you will be able to play a selection of generation-defining PS4 games. If you are a PS Plus member at no extra cost!

Here are the games available in the PlayStation Plus Collection.

From Worldwide Studios:

  • Bloodborne
  • Days Gone
  • Detroit: Become Human
  • God of War
  • Infamous Second Son
  • Ratchet and Clank
  • The Last Guardian
  • The Last of Us Remastered
  • Until Dawn
  • Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End

From third-party publishers and developers:

  • Batman: Arkham Knight
  • Battlefield 1
  • Call of Duty: Black Ops III – Zombies Chronicles Edition
  • Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy
  • Fallout 4
  • Final Fantasy XV Royal Edition
  • Monster Hunter: World
  • Mortal Kombat X
  • Persona 5
  • Resident Evil 7 biohazard

The PlayStation Plus Collection will be an added benefit to the existing PS4 benefits that PlayStation Plus members receive for a single subscription price – no additional membership fee required. Once you redeem a game from the PlayStation Plus Collection, you can keep the games for as long as you are an active PlayStation Plus member. PS4 games redeemed from the PlayStation Plus Collection and played on the PS5 console will see benefits such as increased loading speed and improved or more stable frame rates with PS5’s Game Boost.

Playstation 5 – Immersion

One of Sony’s killer moves is the new DualSense controller. Which promises to bring a new deeper gaming experience with haptic feedback and adaptive triggers!

The new controller will enhance haptic feedback to make it feel as though you are in the game by allowing you to feel the effects and impact of your ingame actions through dynamic sensory feedback. This is enhanced even further with adaptive triggers. Which will allow for dynamic resistance levels which simulate the physical impact of in-game activities in select games. Such as pulling a trigger on a gun or pushing down a spring.

This is improved even further with 3D Audio technology (only available in headphones) you will be able to feel where the sound is coming from. In any direction! With compatible headphones you will come alive with Tempest 3D AudioTech!

Playstation 5: Entertainment

The PS5 is also a fantastic entertainment hub, watch Ultra 4K Blu-Ray discs on the PS5 (excludes PS5 Digital Edition) and stream 4K entertainment with supported apps on a 4K TV!

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One More Thing

Apple’s One More Thing: Everything Announced

Apple have announced their new ARM-based Mac Processor during it’s One More Thing event. It’s called the M1 and is a 5nm system on a chip (SoC). It features an 8-core CPU and an 8 GPU core. Apple are claiming that the chip will deliver the best performance per watt compared to any processor on the market. The CPU cores are divided up into four high-performance and four efficiency cores. The former delivers industry leading performance in single threaded workloads in the CPU. While all four performance cores can work alongside one another for a boost in multi-threaded performances.

Contextually the current A14 SoC features a six-core design with two high performance cores at its disposal. Additionally the A14, much like the M1 includes the 16 core Neural Engine that cna complete 11 trillion operations per second.

Performance

Apple says that the M1 can deliver up to 2x the performance to that of a PC within a Macbook Air. Graphically the M1 delivers the best performance of any integrated GPU on the market, Apple claims. On board there is built in support for Thunderbolt 4, PCI Express Gen 4 and NVMe storage. The M1 will also allow for universal memory architecture, dedicated engines for encoding and decoding media. Also your data will be safe due to a secure enclave.

The M1 chip also allows for better performance and energy gains. With up to 15hrs of web surfing on the new Macbook Air and 18 hours of video playback on a single charge. Comparatively the the intel powered model will offer 11 and 12 hrs of battery time on the same test modes. Whilst the new M1 chip will bring Apple’s laptops instantly wake from sleep mode.

Apps

Apple have also stated that the first party apps (Final Cut, Logic) will take advantage of the M1 with improved performance. For example Final Cut is said to be six times faster on the M1 than on x86 processors. Furthermore Adobe and other developers will update their apps to take advantage of the M1 later this year. While before this upgrade, new Macs will ship with Rosetta 2. This will help translate existing x86 apps so that they can run on M1 Macs.

One More Thing: Macbook Air

To take advantage of the new M1, Apple announced a brand new line up of hardware starting with the Macbook Air. The Macbook Air features an 8-Core CPU which performs up to 3.5x faster than the previous generation. The 8-Core GPU graphics are up to 5x faster than previous generation. Games will be more immersive and graphics intensive games will run at higher frame rates.

ML (Machine Learning) workloads are up to 9x faster. Apps that use ML based features like face recognition or object detection will work at a fraction of the time too. The M1 chips storage and the latest flash tech will deliver up to 2x faster SSD performance. previewing images and importing files will be much faster! With Apple claiming that the M1 is faster than 98% of PC laptops sold in the past year!

The Macbook Air will also run fanless thanks to the power efficiency of the M1, remaining silent! The Macbook Air will feature up to 15 hours of wireless web browsing and up to 18 hours of video playback. Therefore becoming the longest battery life ever on a MacBook Air.

When compared to the previous generation, the M1-powered MacBook Air can:

  • Export a project for the web with iMovie up to 3x faster.
  • Integrate 3D effects into video in Final Cut Pro up to 5x faster.
  • For the first time, play back and edit multiple streams of full-quality, 4K ProRes video in Final Cut Pro without dropping a frame.
  • Export photos from Lightroom up to twice as fast.
  • Use ML-based features like Smart Conform in Final Cut Pro to intelligently frame a clip up to 4.3x faster.
  • Watch more movies and TV shows with up to 18 hours of battery life, the longest ever on MacBook Air.
  • Extend FaceTime and other video calls for up to twice as long on a single charge.

Other features include Apple’s latest image signal processor in the M1 chip. This will help improve the camera image quality. There will be better noise reduction, greater dynamic range, and improved auto white balance and ML-enhanced face detection so users look their best during video calls.

Furthermore there will be P3 wide colour improvements for even an even more vibrant true to life Retina display. In terms osf privacy the Secure Enclave in the M1 and working alongside Big Sur will help to deliver incredible security features with Touch ID. Wifi 6 will help to deliver faster wireless performance. While 2 Thunderbolt ports and USB 4 support will help support for a wide range of peripherals.
The new Macbook Air helps to redefine the notebook and will start at £999!

One More Thing: 13″ Macbook Pro

The 13″ Macbook Pro is the most popular notebook from Apple. Many people use it at Uni and most professionals use it creatively.

With the M1 and Big Sur, the most popular notebook will get even more powerful. The 8-Core CPU when paired alongside the Macbook Pro’s active cooling system is up to 2.8x faster than the previous generation.

Allowing for quicker times transcoding video, editing high res photos and editing 4K video! The 8-Core GPU is 5x faster and will allow for super smooth graphics performance whether they are designing a game or a new product. Furthermore the M1 is up to 3x faster than the best selling Windows laptop in it’s class! ML is up to 11x faster and for on device ML tasks that use the Neural Engine, the 13 inch Macbook Pro is the fastest pro notebook!

The battery life is great too with up to 17hours of web browsing time and 20hours of video playback. The brand new Macbook Pro delivers up to 2x the battery life of previous generation and the longest battery life on a Mac ever!

When compared to the previous generation, the M1-powered 13-inch MacBook Pro can:

  • Build code in Xcode up to 2.8x faster.
  • Render a complex 3D title in Final Cut Pro up to 5.9x faster.
  • Fluidly design intricate game scenes in Unity Editor up to 3.5x faster.
  • Perform ML tasks in Create ML up to 11x faster.
  • Separate out beats, instrumentals, and vocal tracks from a recording in real time in djay Pro AI, thanks to the amazing performance of the Neural Engine.
  • Play back full-quality, 8K ProRes video in DaVinci Resolve without dropping a single frame.
  • Compile four times as much code on a single charge, thanks to the game-changing performance per watt of the M1 chip.

Furthermore other features include studio quality mics for super clear recordings and calls. Apple’s latest camera ISP in the M1 will help to give sharper images and more detail in the shadows and highlights on video calls. It will also much like the Macbook Air will provide best in class security thanks to the Secure Enclanve in the M1 and Touch ID. The Macbook Air features two Thunderbolt ports with USB 4 support to connect to many different devices, such as Apple’s Pro Display XDR in full 6K resolution.

The new Macbook Pro starts at £1299

One More Thing: Mac Mini

Mac Mini is Apple’s most versatile computer and with the M1 it is now even better! Packing a huge amount of performance and features into the small design.

M1 brings the 8-Core CPU with up to 3x faster performance to that of the previous Mac Mini. Dramatically accelerating demanding workloads, from compiling million lines of code to building enormous multitrack music projects. An 8-Core GPU will deliver up to a massive 6x increase in graphics performance. Allowing Mac Mini to tackle performance intensive tasks like complex 3D rendering with ease!

ML workloads take a huge performance improvement with up to 15x performance increase over the previous Mac Mini. The Mac Mini when compared to the best selling Windows desktop in it’s price range delivers up to 5x faster performance!

When compared to the previous generation, the M1-powered Mac mini can:

  • Compile code in Xcode up to 3x faster.
  • Play a graphics-intensive game like “Shadow of the Tomb Raider” with up to 4x higher frame rates.
  • Render a complex timeline in Final Cut Pro up to 6x faster.
  • Take music production to new levels by using up to 3x as many real-time plug-ins in Logic Pro.
  • Magically increase the resolution of a photo in Pixelmator Pro up to 15x faster.
  • Utilize ML frameworks like TensorFlow or Create ML, now accelerated by the M1 chip.

Mac mini also features an advanced thermal design to sustain its breakthrough performance while staying cool and quiet, support for up to two displays including Apple’s Pro Display XDR in full 6K resolution, and Wi-Fi 6 for faster wireless performance and the Secure Enclave in M1 for best-in-class security.

Mac Mini starts at £699

(Engadget / Apple)

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Casetify UV Sanitiser – How dirty is your phone?

That’s a good question, especially during a global pandemic! Many of us don’t clean our phones on a monthly basis, let alone a weekly or even daily basis. So it would be interesting to know how dirty is your phone and how can you clean it? Well the Casetify UV Sanitiser can help with that!

The Casetify UV Sanitizer will disinfect germs that live on your phones surface, which is perfect for those concerned about germs in the current world that we live in. Better yet Casetify are sending medical responders, essential supplies and food to communities that are in need. That’s awesome! Let’s all work together to make an impact!

The Casetify UV Sanitiser is a high efficiency UV Sanitiser that will help to kill germs that live on your smartphone. Via the 6 mercury free UV Lamps inside. So, not only is it helping to keep you safe it is helping to keep the environment safe! Note: Please be aware that this product is not proven to kill coronavirus. The UV Sanitizer disinfect germs, but we do not currently have a way to test its effectiveness against COVID-19 yet. See Casetify’s FAQ Page for more. 

Instructions

To use the Casetify UV Sanitiser simply:

1. Connect USB cable to product type-C interface. The circular button stays on for 8 hours.

2. Sterilization: Place your device flat into the box so it can close securely. The circular indicator light (not a bue dot indicator) flashes for 3 minutes until sterilization is complete.

3. Wireless Charging: Put the wireless supporting devices inside the sanitizer. Close the lid and press the blue button. The blue dot light will be on to indicate that the wireless charging is activated. The phone screen must face up.

Note:

– If the circular button is pressed for 3-5 sec, a 15-min intensive sanitization would be activated (blue circular button light continuously flashes).

 

Casetify UV Sanitiser

  • Kills 99.9% of Germs
  • Wireless Charging
  • Fits all Smartphones
  • Spacious
  • Radiant Free
  • Mercury Free
  • USB Type C Power InPut
  • Safe Materials
  • Model = Wireless UV sanitizer box
  • Feature = UV Sanitizing 5W Wireless charge
  • Material = ABS
  • Power input = 5V/2A
  • Size = 245 x134 x60mm
  • Interior Size = 220 x 115 x 35mm
  • No. of bulbs = 6 x 2mw
  • UV wavelength = 260-280nm
  • UV life = 10000 hours
  • Sanitizing time = 3 mins
  • Type-C Cable = 1.5M

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XBOX SERIES X

The Xbox Series X is almost upon us and we got the chance to give it an unboxing, firstly we have to say that the console is a thing of beauty! It’s a radical new design and is built to stand up but it can also be laid down flat. Though personally we think it looks best standing up!

There is lots to shout about about the new Xbox, for example, most importantly though, the Xbox Series X is the most powerful Xbox console to date! With 4K true gaming at up to 120 frames per second and 8K HDR (High Dynamic Range) Capabilities.

Optimised for Xbox Series X

Some games will be optimised for Xbox Series X and will come with the “Optimized for Series X” logo on the box.

What the icon means is that the game will include incredible load times and frame rates of up to 120 frames per second, giving players a much steadier framerate. All of these games will have been built natively using special Xbox Series X|S development environment. This also includes games that have been rebuilt specifically for the Xbox Series X|S. It means that the developers have gone that little extra mile to make sure that every aspect of the Xbox Series X|S has been utilised to give you the best experience available to you, no matter what Xbox you play on.

Being optimised also means that the console will be using the custom processor and Variable Rate Shading and hardware-accelerated DirectX Raytracing. Which will give players a more dynamic and realistic environment to play in. It means that you will get true to life lighting in your worlds and accurate reflections on things like walls and water, in real time too!

Load times will also be vastly decreased on optimised games as it will use the SSD and software, to help loading both in and out of games.

For a full list of ‘Optimized for Xbox Series X|S’ titles please click here!

Power

The Xbox Series X truly is POWERFUL. Inside the system is 12 teraflops of processing power, which is housed in the system on a chip (SOC) will work with AMD’s Zen 2 and RDNA 2 architectures to create worlds that are truly out of this world and hyper realistic. Therefore helping to create those true to life lighting environments. Helping to recreate shadows, lighting and accurate reflections.

Audio

The audio is just as important as the visuals and Microsoft haven’t forgotten either. The system will have 3D Spatial Audio. 3D Spatial Audio is the next evolution of audio tech and it uses advanced algorithms to create a world within your living room. It will make you feel like you are at the center of your game. Furthermore the console supports a wide range of audio technologies, including, Dolby Digital 5.1, DTS 5.1, Dolby True HD with Atmos and up to 7.1 Linear PCM!

Speed

Games on the Xbox Series X load incredibly quick and are VASTLY improved over the previous generation. This is mainly thanks to the Xbox Series X’s usage of SSDs.

Games are also able to be continued where you left off no matter what you are doing, this is very very impressive. As it doesn’t even matter if you load up another game! Microsoft are calling this ‘Quick Resume’ and we cannot wait to give it a go for ourselves soon!

Storage

The console itself comes with 1TB of on board storage. However, we’re sure that many of you will want more storage for more of your games. Well, there is an official expansion card available, which will be sold separately. The 1TB Seagate Storage Expansion Card for Xbox Series X|S. It will plug into the rear of the console via a dedicated slot. It will provide the additional storage and will perform at the same rate as if it were an onboard SSD!

Backwards Compatibility

The Xbox Series X is backwards compatible with all four generations of game consoles. Your Xbox One gaming accessories will work as will your backwards compatible games. Services like Xbox Game Pass will also work with the Xbox Series X. Backwards Compatible games will benefit from the increased power of the newer console. As it will be able to run with steadier framerates, faster load times, improved resolution and visuals.

Controller

The controller is very similar to the original controller on the Xbox One, bar a few core changes. It uses USB – C instead of micro USB’s for charging. 

A dedicated share button on the middle of the controller, between the thumb sticks. This will make it much easier to share videos and images. 

A brand new ‘hybrid’ d-pad that is inspired by the Xbox Elite Controller Series 2. Which will make controlling games a lot more precise and easier. It is designed for responsive play as the D-Pad has a dish shape to hold your thumb comfortably. 

The size is slightly changed to accommodate more people, for example there is new textured shoulder triggers, which, much like the original Xbox One are rumble enabled! 

Furthermore on this new controller the Xbox Series X will use Dynamic Latency Input. This reduces the usual 8ms! Perfect for those who like first person shooters!

Xbox Series X Full Stats

  • CPU: 8x Cores @ 3.8 GHz (3.66 GHz w/ SMT) Custom Zen 2 CPU
  • GPU: 12 TFLOPS, 52 CUs @ 1.825 GHz Custom RDNA 2 GPU
  • Die Size: 360.45 mm
  • Process: 7nm Enhanced
  • Memory: 16 GB GDDR6 w/ 320mb bus
  • Memory Bandwidth: 10GB @ 560 GB/s, 6GB @ 336 GB/s
  • Internal Storage: 1 TB Custom NVME SSD
  • I/O Throughput: 2.4 GB/s (Raw), 4.8 GB/s (Compressed, with custom hardware decompression block)
  • Expandable Storage: 1 TB Expansion Card (matches internal storage exactly)
  • External Storage: USB 3.2 External HDD Support
  • Optical Drive: 4K UHD Blu-Ray Drive
  • Performance Target: 4K @ 60 FPS, Up to 120 FPS

Final Take…

So there we have it, the lowdown on the Xbox Series X. We’re very impressed and we cannot wait to put it through its paces!

Keep an eye on our YouTube channel for more videos about the Xbox Series X!

Pre-Order an Xbox by clicking here!

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Next Gen

Next Gen: Our Top 10 Games

The next gen consoles are nearly upon us, it’s been a long time with the current generation of consoles too. 7 years to be exact! That’s the longest lifespan between generations to date and there has been plenty of iterations of both the playstation 4 & Xbox One. From Xbox One to Xbox One S to Xbox One X. From the Playstation 4, to the Playstation 4 Slim to Playstation 4 Pro. There certainly has been lots of fun on all the consoles.

But now it’s time for a new set of consoles to come out, ones to lead us into the next generation of gaming, the PS5 and the Xbox Series X. The PS5 is HUGE and the Xbox Series X has an unusual shape. But that’s what makes this new generation great and we for one am chomping at the bit to get our hands on the latest and greatest games.

So we’d thought we’d give you a run down of what’s to come from the gaming behemoths that are Playstation 5 and Xbox Series X

Here are our Top 10 games that we are most looking forward to on the next gen!

Next Gen – Halo Infinite – Xbox

We just had to kick off this list with Halo Infinite.

A brand new Halo game has to come out on a new Xbox console right? That’s like law!

We got shown loads during an Xbox event this past summer. The killer title will be coming to the new Xbox Series X but will also be released on the entire Xbox Family of Devices. So one would expect it to be released on the current gen  too & It’s also slated to come out on Windows PC’s

Halo Infinite is built on a brand new engine, Slipspace, the trailer looks really cool and according to Chris Lee, studio head on Halo Infinite, will “mark the beginning of a new chapter and challenge for the Chief, but it will also respect and continue threads that led to this point.”

Halo Infinite was due to come out around release but it’s been pushed back to 2021. There were plenty of meme’s online about how Halo looked and that could have been one of the contributing factors for the delay, but whe’ll never know for sure.

Chris Lee stated on the delay:

“We have made the difficult decision to shift our release to 2021 to ensure the team has adequate time to deliver a Halo game experience that meets our vision,”

“The decision to shift our release is the result of multiple factors that have contributed to development challenges, including the ongoing COVID-related impacts affecting us all this year. I want to acknowledge the hard work from our team at 343 Industries, who have remained committed to making a great game and finding solutions to development challenges. However, it is not sustainable for the well-being of our team or the overall success of the game to ship it this holiday.”

Spiderman Miles Morales – PS5

We LOVED the original Spiderman when it came out on the PS4 and when we heard about Spider-Man Miles Morales we were very very excited indeed. Though we were confused about what it actually was, was it a sequel, was it DLC, was it a standalone title? All those questions have now been answered as it’s been announced that it’s a half sequel. Think Uncharted: Lost Legacy kind of sequel, a 1.5 type of game if you will.

However, we’re very excited and intrigued as to how the new console will tackle Spiderman and New York. How will the new PS5 SSD takle fast travelling across New York City? How will the PS5 Dual Sense controller enhance the feel of the game and story? Who knows, what we do know is we cannot wait to get our teeth into it when it drops in November!

Next Gen – God of War: Ragnarok – PS5

In the grand scheme of things, we saw nothing about God Of War: Ragnarok. All we saw at the end of the PS5 price reveal event was a very short teaser. But that was more than enough. We’re so excited for this. Based off previous God Of War games, a next gen version of Kratos has got us all frothing at the mouth for more.

Ragnorak is set after the events of the God Of War reboot that came out in 2018 and continues the path that Kratos has set for himself up in the frozen north.

The game is set to come out in 2021.

Avowed – Xbox

Avowed is brand new and is from Obsidian Entertainment. This is the same studio that’s behind The Outer Worlds and Fallout New Vegas, so you know that it’s going to be good!

Avowed is another First Person RPG, that will bring with it many epic memorable adventures and characters. As you’d expect from an Obsidian Entertainment title, veering on the little bit silly side too.

You are based on a planet called Eora, there is a much darker tone than what we are usually used too from an Obsidian game but there’s lots of magical abilities and you get quite a gnarly sword too. You’re going to need it because you’ll be facing some pretty big monsters judging by the trailer. WOWZERS!

Next Gen Fable – Xbox

Much rumoured title Fable is coming back. Yes the loved franchise is due to come out on Xbox Series X, Windows 10 and Game Pass at some point in the future.We know nothing about this one since the trailer was very short. But we do know it’s coming and it keeps the much loved fantastical creatures and lush environments.

 

Forza Motorsport / Gran Turismo 7 – Xbox

No generation is complete without it’s trophy racing game, so that’s why we’ve included two games on this one. Forza Motorsport and Gran Turismo 7

Forza Motorsport is getting somewhat of a soft reboot, as you’ll notice there is no number scheme this time around. It will run at 4K and at 6

0fps, it focuses on delivering a dynamic racing game. There is no release date as of yet, though it will release on Xbox Series X, PC and Game Pass! As with most Forza games, it looks beautiful and we fully expect the gameplay to match!

Like Forza Motorsport there is no release date for Gran Turismo 7 but we have had a look at what Gran Tursimo 7 looks like when it does drop. It too looks beautiful and we did get to see some gameplay footage of it too. Polyphony Digital are working on its next-gen vision for the legendary racing sim and we cannot wait!  Did you know that Gran Turismo 6 came out way back in 2013!

 

The Medium – Xbox

Layers of Fear and Blair Witch Devs Bloober are taking this on and it’s very spooky.

Silent Hill’s composer Akira Yamaoka is taking on the soundtrack, so yes, prepare to play this game with a spare pair of pants nearby.

You play the game over two different worlds, a real one and a spirit realm.

The story involves child murder, with Marianne, your character, visiting an abandoned hotel resort and you try and unravel bad things that happened in the past.

*shudder* ooooh sorry about that a cold shiver just went down my spine.

Oddworld: Soulstorm – PS5

Abe is back in Oddworld: Soulstorm.

The next gen game in the Oddworld series is a remake. Oddworld: Soulstorm is a remake of Oddworld: Abe Exodus. It’s the perfect game for people brand new to the series and it’s perfect for those familiar with the series to get a feel for the next gen version of Abe.

Soulstorm follows Abe who has worked himself from worker bee to leader of an uprising of his fellow Mudokens, Mudokens, that’s what the creature of Abe is, against their exploitive capitalist overlords, the Glukkons.

Project Athia – PS5

Project Athia is from the guys over at Square Enix, the developers behind the Final Fantasy Franchise. It’s set in a beautiful world, full of large structures, massive creatures and dragons. Above all else it looks beautiful.Judging from the trailer it looks like the game will be a large scale action adventure game. Where your character has to use magic and Tomb Raider style traversing elements across large scale environments.

We don’t know what’s going on or what the story is but we’re interested!

Stray – PS5

This one certainly caught our eye when the trailer dropped as it wasn’t until you got half way through the trailer that we thought. You’re playing a cat! But it doesn’t seem like a cat sim type game at all. We’re in some sort of robot like post apocalyptic world where everyone is a robot and the only living thing left is a cat?

Indie developer Annapurna Interactive have created Stray, a futuristic title based around you, a cat. The trailer isn’t too clear from what you have to do, but it seems as though you’ll be navigating a Mad Max, Blade Runner type combo environment where there isn’t a lot of living things around. We still don’t know what to do in this game but again we’re interested.

Notable Mentions For Not Upgrading To Next Gen Just Yet

There are some amazing games that are currently out on this generations consoles & that are due to come out, so while there is no rush to upgrade to the latest consoles just yet, there are a bunch of games that are upgradeable once you do decide to jump into the new generation. Now, the upgrades do vary between game to game, but, the type of upgrades that you can expect are polished graphics, increased frame rates and shorter load times!

Some of the PS5 Upgradeable Games are:

  • Cyberpunk 2077
  • Fortnite
  • Fifa 21
  • Marvel’s Avengers
  • Assassin’s Creed Valhalla
  • Witcher 3
  • Doom Eternal
  • Destiny 2
  • Watch Dogs Legion
  • Ghost of Tsushima

Some of the Xbox Series X Upgradeable Games are:

  • Cyberpunk 2077
  • Fortnite
  • Assassin’s Creed Valhalla
  • Dirt 5
  • Fifa 21
  • Destiny 2
  • Gears 5
  • Sea Of Thieves
  • Forza Horizon 4
  • Yakuza: Like a Dragon

So there we have it 10 games to look forward to on next gen consoles. We’re not fanboys here at How To Kill An Hour, so there’s no allegiances here. We just love games and we like to kill many hours on them, regardless of what console they’re on. Come on guys it’s 2020, can’t we just all get along? You’re all missing out on great games if you are completely dismiss each other’s favoured console!

I for one am looking forward to Halo Infinite and God Of War: Ragnarok!

What next gen games are you looking forward to?

Let us know via the comments below!

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Goodwood

Goodwood: The electrical cars of Goodwood.

We recently headed over to Goodwood Festival of Speed to check out some amazing vehicle machinery from Ford! They recently demonstrated their latest car prowess to a global virtual audience. Highlighting the potential of their newest production and prototype vehicles. Including debuts for the Mustang Mach-E 1400 and the Ford Puma ST!

“This is a really exciting time for Ford Performance. We are exploring how electrification can bring a whole new level of fun with projects like Mustang Mach-E 1400, and at the same time we are delivering for new customers with Puma ST the accessible, everyday performance that is the core of what we do,” Stefan Muenzinger, Ford Performance manager, Europe. 

Mustang Mach-E 1400

The Mustang Mach – E delivers a targeted peak power of more than 1,400 PS! Therefore embodying the extremes of an all electric performance vehicle. It was recently shown off for the first time at the Goodwood Circuit in Chichester, UK. Demonstrated perfectly by Vaughn Gittin JR. The RTR Vehicles founder, motorsports champion and all round professional fun-haver!

The Mustang Mach-E 1400 is the ultimate example of the type of power that an all electric powertrain vehicle can create. This super powerful vehicle is the result of 10,000 hours of collaboration by both the Ford Performance team and the RTR Vehicles team. While the Mustang Mach-E 1400 is aimed at bridging the gap between what an electric vehicle can do and what customers tend to believe it can do. Especially after seeing the drifting capabilities of the prototype model that was driven by Vaughn Gittin Jr!

Mustang Mach-E 1400 uses 7 motors to deliver 1,419 PS, with a single driveshaft connecting them to differentials that have a huge range of adjustability to set the car up for everything from drifting to high-speed track racing.

Rear-Wheel drive, all wheel drive and even front wheel drive configurations are all possible on this vehicle. While the power delivery can be split evenly between both the front and rear of the vehicle. Also the power can be completely at one side or the other side of the vehicle! Downforce is targeted at more than 1,000 kg at 257 km/h (160 mph).

“Getting behind the wheel of this car has completely changed my perspective on what power and torque can be,”

This experience is like nothing you’ve ever imagined, except for maybe a magnetic roller coaster.” Vaughn Gittin Jr

Ford Puma ST

The amazing Ford Puma ST is the first Ford Performance SUV in Europe. It is enhanced with sophisiticated Sports Technologies too. A unique in segment limited slip differential (LSD) option, a patented force vectoring springs and selectable Drive Modes from Eco to Track.

The Puma ST is as capable on a track as it is on the road and raises the bar for compact SUV driving whilst delivering the best in class uncompromised load space.

The engine is 200 PS 1.5L EcoBoost Engine and delivers 0-62mph in a ridiculous 6.7 seconds. Whilst it also comes with a performance-optimised chassis which features a rear twistbeam with 50 per cent more torsional stiffness than the standard Puma, 25 per cent faster steering and brake diameters increased by up to 17 per cent. Specially-developed Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tyres also help deliver an agile driving experience.

The Puma ST comes in Mean Green and also comes with performance body styling and optimised aerodynamics including a Ford Performance embossed splitter to increase front end downforce by 80%, which leads to greater stability and traction.

Whilst the Ford Puma ST has incredible performance credentials! The ST Variant continues to deliver practicality, such as the Ford MegaBox storage solution beneath the boot floor.

“Our number one priority was that the Puma ST had to be as exhilarating and capable as every ST model, without sacrificing any of Puma’s practicality,” Muenzinger

Fiesta ERX

There was more than just 1 electric car shown off at Goodwood. The STARD Ford Fiesta ERX was also on show. Helping to demonstrate the potential of an all electric propulsion vehicle across a range of motorsport disciplines.

The Fiesta ERX is a fully electric rally car! It’s based on the Fiesta ST and was developed my rally and racing specialists STARD, to meet FIA World Rallycross Championship’s Projekt ERX regulations.

It is a technological beast with 3 electric motors prododucing more than 600 PS and more than 1,000 Nm of torque combined. This is all sent to the wheels via a 4 wheel drive system and 2-speed transmissions at each axle for a 0-62mph acceleration speed of an astonishing 1.8 seconds! Whilst the top speed is 149mph, the vehicle complies with world RX regulations. The Fiesta ERX is available to buy in race-ready form.

Three electric motors produce more than 600 PS and more than 1,000 Nm of torque combined. Sent to the wheels via a four-wheel drive system and two-speed transmissions at each axle for 0‑100 km/h (0-62 mph) acceleration in an astonishing 1.8 seconds, and a top speed of 240 km/h (149 mph). Complying with World RX regulations, the Fiesta ERX is available to buy in race-ready form.

Ford GT

Finally, the legendary Ford GT supercar returns to Goodwood. Helping to deliver high speeed excitement in the Michelin Supercar run. It was driven by former Ford GR Le Mans 24 Hours Racer Richard Westbrook. (That’s Marcus as in the picture!)

The road-going Ford GT features a lightweight carbon fibre and aluminium chassis, carbon fibre body panels. With active aerodynamics and a twin-turbocharged V6 EcoBoost engine! Which delivers 655 PS and 750 Nm of torque for a top speed of 347 km/h (216 mph).

 

 

 

 

(Ford)

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All iPhone 12’s Compared

iPhone 12: 12 Things To Look Forward To

So, it’s that time of year again and by that we mean it’s iPhone season. Yes, it may be a little late because of the big C word which may make this years iPhone’s lifespan shorter, but that remains to be seen.What we do know is that, the iPhone 12 is almost here and we are very much looking forward to giving them a spin for ourselves. But why are we excited we hear you ask, well there’s plenty of reasons. 12 Big Juicy reasons to be excited in fact. So here are 12 reasons to look forward to the iPhone 12 –

Sit down, strap in and grab some popcorn because this is extensive:

5G

5G is the most notable feature in Apple’s new lineup of iPhones.

5G is standard in Apple’s new line up. It will be available in all of the models, that’s the iPhone 12, iPhone 12 Mini, iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max.

5G is the next generation of Phone connectivity and the successor to current standard 4G.

5G brings incredible speeds to the iPhone and where possible will allow for up to 4GB’s per second of download speed. Improved video streaming, improved upload speeds, more responsive gaming and real time interactivity are also great benefits for 5G.

One smart feature of the new iPhone lineup is the ability to smartly switch between the slower speed of 4G and the faster speed of 5G on the fly. For example if you are using Twitter, the phone will reduce the speed to 4G to save data and battery life. While if you are streaming 4K on Netflix, the phone will upgrade your signal to 5G to give you a better experience.

Camera

Both the iPhone 12 and 12 Mini come with 2 cameras each.

However, the main camera has changed. It still has 12 megapixels but the lens now has a 7 element display and a larger f/1.6 aperture. Therefore allowing 27% more light to hit the sensor compared to the 11. This will mean less noise, brighter imagery in low light.

Also available on these models is a 2nd 12MP f/2.4 ultra wide camera with a 120 degree field of view. This camera has a 5 element lens to it. The focal length is equivalent to 13mm.

Apple’s Deep Fusion technology can now be used on either camera as opposed to the main. Night mode will be available on both the ultra wide and front TrueDepth camera. There is also a new night mode time-lapse feature. The ability to shoot in HDR video with Dolby Vision at 30fps. Apple’s Smart HDR3 feature is also available to use.

On the iPhone 12 Pro and 12 Pro Max there is still 3 cameras, however like the regular iPhone 12’s these have been improved.

The iPhone 12 Pro still uses the same f/2.0 telephoto lens though you can now use Deep Fusion with it. The 12 Pro has LiDAR which we’ll get on to in just a moment. It also has the same main and ultra wide cameras that is found in the iPhone 12.

It has 2x optical zoom and 10x digital zoom which is thanks to the 52mm equivalent telephoto lens. You can also shoot HDR video with Dolby vision. Though unlike the iPhone 12, the iPhone 12 Pro can shoot at 60fps instead of 30fps.

iPhone 12 Pro Max Camera

This is where the real difference comes in!

The 12 Pro Max’s 12MP f/1.6 aperture wide camera now has a 47% larger sensor. This will help to improve low light photography by 87%. The main camera also has sensor shift optical image stabilisation. This will allow for the sensor to move inside the camera to offset any movement. This should help to make more stable photos and videos.

The iPhone 12 Pro Max has a 2.5x optical zoom compared to 2x. This is thanks to an equivalent 65mm focal length lens, however, the aperture is slightly slower at f2.2

The LiDAR sensor and ultra wide camera is exactly the same as found on the iPhone 12 and 12 Pro. While you can digitally zoom up to 12x instead of 10x. You can also shoot in Dolby Vision HDR at 60FPS much like the 12 Pro.

LiDAR

Apple have introduced LiDAR into their smartphones, though only limited to the Pro line up. The iPhone 12 Pro and the iPhone 12 Pro Max. A LiDAR scanner will help to improve the AR capabilities of these devices. LiDar is a ‘Time of flight sensor’ which measures how long it takes for light to bounce off of objects in a room and return to the sensor.

This information is then used by the phone to judge the depth of each point that is measured. As a result, more accurate augmented reality experiences will be both faster and more accurate than ever before. As the LiDAR sensor will essentially scan a room and create an accurate 3D map for these Augmented reality experiences.

Apple says that the LiDAR sensor in the iPhone 12 Pro and 12 Pro Max will allow for instant AR. You can also utilise LiDAR to autofocus in low light up to 6x as faster and even take night mode portrait selfies!

Apple ProRAW

There’s even more tech coming to the iPhone’s cameras this year. Though this particular feature is limited to the iPhone 12 Pro and 12 Pro Max. RAW. Specifically Apple ProRAW.

Coming later this year, Apple ProRAW is a brand new photo format from Apple. It is said to offer photographers the combination of computational photography smart technology and the ease of use and flexibility of raw editing.

As we all know RAW photos have this incredible flexibility to them and you can edit a lot with a RAW photo. So, when you shoot in RAW you will lose the benefits of Apple’s smart features such as Deep Fusion and Smart HDR 3. With Apple ProRAW you’ll be able to get both the RAW editing ability and the smart features.

This brand new image processing will combine multiple steps of processing and create a new file and all this is done by the CPU, GPY, ISP and Neural Engine and without any shutter delay! You will now get full control over colour, detail, dynamic range and get the flexibility of RAW, editing it all right from within the camera app, though there will be an API which allows developers to build ProRAW capture into their own apps.

The A14 Bionic Chip

A new phone means a new smart chip.The iPhone 12 will now ship with the A14 Bionic, a successor to the A13 Bionic chip which is found in the current iPhone line up. While the A13 is still comfortably one of the fastest chips ever in a smartphone, the A14 goes one step further and becomes even quicker.

The A14 brings improvements to the camera, the neural engine, which is the portion of the A14 which handles all the smart tech such as Artificial intelligence and this has been expanded up to 8 cores to 12.

So basically your phone will now be even quicker to complete tasks whilst getting more intelligent too. Better yet it does all this whilst using less power, so that means better battery life.

New Design

There is a brand new design for the latest models of iPhone, all across the models. That’s iPhone 12, iPhone 12 Mini, iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max. Gone are the rounded edges and the squared off, sharp edges are back from the iPhone 4 days.

iPhone 4 still remains one of the best designs of a smartphone, people have been clamouring for this design to come back and their prayers have been answered.

The antennas placement have been improved since the controversy of the original design lead to Apple having to release a special case for them. So you can rest easy on that part.

However, there is a slight change between the models. The iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Mini are made out of aluminium. Whilst the iPhone 12 Pro and 12 Pro Max are made out of stainless steel.

MagSafe

Magsafe is coming to iPhone, in a rather genius way too!

On the new iPhones there is a special array of magnets that help align the new iPhones to Apple’s new MagSafe Brand of Chargers or a 3rd Party MagSafe compatible charger. Think Apple Watch style magnets but for iPhone. It will also charge much faster at 15W instead of 7.5W, but again, you’ll have to use the MagSafe Brand of chargers or the 3rd Party MagSafe compatible charger.

Not only does it help to align your iPhone 12 to a wireless charger (Seriously why hasn’t anyone thought of this before) it can also help connect an array of brand new accessories to the iPhone. Apple showed off one example whereby the iPhone 12 slotted into a case via magnets and then connected a credit card wallet to that via magnets. Easily and securely. Worry not too as the magnets are shielded and protect your credit cards!

Colours

Who doesn’t love a bit of colour in their life eh?

There are a range of brand new bright and exciting colours coming to the iPhone 12 and 12 Mini.

It will be available in blue, green, black, white and PRODUCT Red.

Whilst the 12 Pro and 12 Pro Max will remain distinctly professional and sleek and come in Silver, Graphite, Gold and a brand new colour, Pacific Blue.

We have to say that the Gold one looks very very good!

Super Retina XDR OLED panels

For the first time ever, the brand new line up of iPhone models will come with OLED screens!

The line up will come with Super Retina XDR OLED Panels and feature an edge to edge design. Though the notch is still there. There is no difference in display between the regular 12 models and the 12 Pro models either.

The 5.4” display has a resolution of 2430 x 1080 with 476 pixels per inch and the 6.1 inch iPhone 12 has a resolution of 2532 x 1170 with 460 pixels per inch. While the 12 Pro models have a 2532 x 1170 resolution with 460 pixels per inch and the 12 Pro Max has a resolution of 2778 x 1284 pixel resolution with 458 pixels per inch.

They also come with HDR support with 1200 nits peak brightness.

What this basically means is that the screens will provide wide colour range for vivid true to life colours, true tone to match the colour temperature of the display to the lighting that’s around you for a natural viewing experience.

Ceramic Shield

Say hello to a brand new screen for this years iPhone. I know we already spoke about Apple’s introduction of OLED to the new line up.

But Ceramic Shield is the glass. Ceramic Shield is a brand new stand out feature that apple says is “tougher than any smartphone glass”. With it being four times as greater resistance to damage from drops”

We’re eagerly awaiting YouTubers testing that one! Apple worked with glass ceramic manufacturer Corning as glass ceramic is tough and lightweight.

Whether or not the ceramic glass can withstand the general public’s wear and tear or people’s disregard for their stuff remains to be seen, but I for one am really excited for this new tech! Will we see an era of phones that doesn’t mean we have to apply screen protectors?

The iPhone Mini

…and finally we’d like to give a special shout out to the iPhone 12 Mini. As we spoke earlier on in this video we loved the size and shape of the iPhone 4. Well, Apple brought this back with the iPhone SE and they’re taking things to the next level with the iPhone 12 Mini.

The iPhone 12 Mini still has all the same technology that’s built into it’s bigger brother of the iPhone 12. It is vastly different to the iPhone 12 Pro models but that’s in a different league entirely.

The only difference between the iPhone 12 and 12 Mini is screen size. The iPhone 12 is 6.1” and the 12 Mini is 5.4”

Other than that it’s still a great phone. Smaller doesn’t necessarily mean worse.

If you loved the iPhone 4 and want to step into the latest technology, why not pick up the iPhone 12 Mini, it’s a great size and perfect for those that enjoy small phones that you can easily type with on one hand!

Conclusion

So there you have it, 12 big juicy reasons to be excited for this years iPhone.

To re-cap, it comes in 4 flavours,

  • iPhone 12
  • iPhone 12 Mini
  • iPhone 12 Pro
  • iPhone 12 Pro Max

iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro will be available to pre-order on Friday October 16th and available to pick up the following week on Friday October 23rd. Priced at £799 and £999 respectively.

While, iPhone 12 Mini and iPhone 12 Pro Max will be available to pre-order on Friday November 6th and pick up will be available on the following week on Friday November 13th. Priced at £699 and £1099 respectively.

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Everything announced at Apple’s iPhone 12 October Event

It’s a brand new year and what does that mean? Brand new iPhones! Apple today (October 13th 2020) announced a whole host of new tech. Including the iPhone 12! Check below for more info on these amazing announcements from Apple this year!

iPhone 12 & iPhone 12 mini

The iPhone 12

Apple have announced a bunch of brand new phones, the iPhone 12 is replacing last years iPhone 11 and there’s lots to talk about! However, the iPhone 12 keeps the same 6.1″ screen size as found on the current XR and 11. But there is OLED in it’s more affordable iPhones. It comes with squared off edges much like the latest iPad Air and iPad Pro.

While the screen size is the same the iPhone 12 is thinner and has smaller bezels and weighs less than the 11. This is due to the OLED display! The screen resolution has improved over the iPhone 11 to 2532 x 1170. This works out to 460 pixels per inch. Which is a huge upgrade over the 11. There is also a brand new glass used on the iPhone 12 and Apple are calling it the “Ceramic Shield” . This is via a partnership with Corning. This improvement helps to make the screen 4x as much drop resistant the the 11.

5G

iPhone 12 has 5G connectivity and will use the “sub-6” spectrum which is more widely deployed.  The iPhone 12 uses the A14 Bionic chip which was announced at last months iPad Air event. It combines 6 CPU cores (two high performance and four lower performing for better energy efficiency) and four GPU cores. The A14 is built on the 5nm fabrication process. This means it is more densely packed with transistors. So the A14 has 11.8 billion transistors up from 8.5 billion on the A13. What does this all mean for you and I? Well, it means that the A14 will be about 15% faster than the A13 using less power. So faster computing power and better battery life.

Cameras

The iPhone 12 has a new standard wide camera with a f/1.6 aperture and a 7 element lens, alongside the same ultra wide camera that was in the 11. The standard camera now has a 27% improvement in low light over the iPhone 11. While on the video the larger aperture will allow for more detail in low light. Furthermore there is a brand new night mode time lapse.

Detailed more below, the iPhone 12 has wireless charging and brand new magnetic sensors to connect to accessories. Think MagSafe but for iPhone. You can connect a credit card case that snaps to the back of the ohone for example! There is also a dual charger that will charge both the iPhone and Apple Watch at the same time!

The iPhone 12 will cost $799 at launch with 64GB of storage; 128GB and 256GB models are also available. It is available in black, white, red, green and blue. It goes on pre-order this Friday (16th October), and will be available to pick up on the following Friday (23rd October).

(Engadget)

The iPhone Mini

For those who love small phones, you are going to love the iPhone 12 Mini! It has a 5.4″ OLED display, while being a much larger screen than the 4.7 inch display on the 2020 iPhone SE. Apple are claiming that this is the smallest 5G phone in the world!

The iPhone 12 Mini has the new A14 Bionic Chipset, which is faster than the A13 Bionic by 15% and it consumes 30% less power! It also comes with the same rear camera system. Which is the 12MP primary camera with a f/1.6 aperture lens, which performs at 27% better in low light conditions than the previous generation!

It also has Apple’s new “Ceramic Shield” tech, which is 4x as drop resistant than the iPhone 11. The Mini also has IP68 water and dust resistant and also comes with 5G connectivity!

Starting at $699 and will be available in blue, green, black, white and Product Red. Pre-orders begin on Friday (16th Oct) and will be available on Nov 13th.

The iPhone 12 mini will start at $699, and will be available in five colors: blue, green, black, white and (Product) Red. Pre-orders open on Friday, November 6th, with general availability beginning on November 13th.

(Endgadget)

iPhone 12 Pro & iPhone 12 Pro Max

The iPhone 12 Pro and Pro Max feature a brand new flat edge design, bigger screens, stainless steel case designs and LiDAR sensors. Plus there’s 5G connectivity!

Much like the regular iPhone 12, the iPhone 12 Pro and Pro Max feature 3 cameras, 12MP wide angle lens, 12MP ultrawide angle lens and a telephoto lens. The Pro Max has a slightly different step up in the camera department with a 47-percent larger sensor” with 1.7μm pixels for improved low-light performance. However, both models still include the notch.

Apple’s Deep Fusion will tap into the A14 Bionic processor’s capabilities for photo processing, helping to make the colours pop! You can now shoot in RAW, with the introduction of Apple ProRAW. This is a brand new file format which helps give you more flexibility editing. Much like RAW formats. You can now shoot video in HDR Dolby Vision content right from the iPhone 12 Pro and Pro Max!

The larger screens are also apparent but the form factor remains the same. iPhone 12 Pro is up from 5.8″ to 6.1″ and the iPhone 12 Pro Max is up from 6.5″ to 6.7″. Both displays have “Super Retina XDR” technology and support HDR and Dolby Vision. Furthermore they also support the same screen tech as the other models with Apple’s Ceramic Shield technology. While these models also include the MagSafe accessory tech!

Also announced was a LiDAR sensor to the Pro models. This adds depth mapping technology 3D augmented reality mapping. It will help with delivering better autofocusing in low light for example.

iPhone 12 Pro starts at $999 with 128GB of storage, while the iPhone 12 Pro Max starts at $1,099.

The iPhone 12 Pro is available for preorder this Friday, October 16th, and will ship on October 23rd.

iPhone 12 Pro Max is available for preorder on Friday, November 6th, and will ship from Friday November 13th.

Both models are available in Silver, Graphite, Gold and Pacific Blue.

iPhone MagSafe

For those who knew of the trusty MagSafe on Macbooks you’ll be pleased to hear that MagSafe is now on iPhone! Apple have unveiled a new charger that will power noth your iPhone and Apple Watch!

This new device will connect to the back of your iPhone, connecting magnetically on the right spot of the back of the iPhone. Much like it currently does on the Apple Watch.

MagSafe supports wireless charging and will be releasing a bunch of new charging and everyday phone accessories to go with it. For example a magnetic leather wallet that will snap on to the back of your iPhone. Complete with credit card holders. Or a phone pocket that will recognise when it has been slipped into it and adjust the screen to peep through a little window. The DuoCharger will also connect your phone and watch at the same time!

(Gizmodo)

HomePod mini

Apple have unveiled the HomePod Mini it’s a smaller version of the larger HomePod that’s apart of the HomePod family. It can use Siri to get things done, control a smart home and is very small! At just 9.5cm tall it is packed with tons of tech and is available in space grey or white for £99! HomePod mini can play all of your music from Apple Music, Radio Stations from iHeartRadio, radio.com or TuneIn. Plus it will soon be able to play music from Pandora or Amazon Music! Connect multiple HomePod Mini speakers together to stream anything in perfect sync. Furthermore place two HomePod Mini speakers in a single room and they can connect as a stereo pair! Creating a soundstage of filling, rich and enveloping sound!

Audio

So, to do this there is an Apple S5 chip inside the HomePod Mini. It uses advanced software to analyse the characteristics of the music that is playing. While doing so it will apply complex tuning models to optimise the loudness, adjust the dynamic range and control the movement of the drive and passive radiators. The full range driver is very powerful and enables deep bass and crisp high frequencies alongside the force cancelling passive radiators!

The same acoustic principles that are used in the HomePod are also present in the HomePod Mini. It will feature an Apple designed acoustic waveguide to direct the flow of the sound down and out towards the bottom of the speaker for an immersive 360 degree audio experience. Therefore the speaker can be placed anywhere in a room and you will always hear a consistent sound. A 3 microphone array will always listen for “Hey Siri” and a 4th microphone will help to isolate the sound coming from the speaker to help improve voice detection when music is playing.

Siri

Siri can identify who is speaking and tailor the music and podcasts to their preferences, it will also respond to personal requests! Such as accessing messages, reminders notes and calendar appointments. Even taking and making phone calls! Siri can also provide a quick snapshot of the day, all they have to do is ask “What’s my update?”

Apple Devices

HomePod Mini will work effortlessly with other Apple devices, such as pick up a call, listen to music on a Mac or take the sound from an Apple TV to the next level! Handoff is getting a little upgrade and customers can simply move their iPhone to a HomePod Mini to seamlessly hand off their music without pausing it! Furthermore there will be, available later on in the year, visual, audible and haptic effects when sound is transferred from one device to the other. Personalised suggestions will also appear on iPhone when next to HomePod Mini and instant controls are available without having to unlock!

SmartHome

HomePod Mini will also control smart home accessories with simple voice commands. Such as turning off lights, changing temperature or locking a door. Intercom is brand new and will offer a quick and easy way for family members to connect at home. One person can send an intercom message from one HomePod to another, all throughout the home! The voice will automatically play on the designated HomePod speaker. Intercom will work on iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, AirPods, and CarPlay, so everyone will get your message!

Additional Features

  • Siri Shortcuts created on iPhone and iPad are accessible on HomePod mini, so users can ask Siri on HomePod mini to start a pot of coffee, control a robot vacuum, add milk to the grocery list, and more.
  • Ambient sounds, including rain, a fireplace, a stream, and more, offer the perfect background noise to focus, relax, or fall asleep. Siri can set a sleep timer so the sounds automatically stop playing.
  • Find My helps locate a misplaced iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Mac, or Apple Watch by playing a sound to pinpoint its location.
  • Web search results from HomePod mini can be sent directly to the user’s iPhone for easy viewing.
  • Music alarms let users wake up to a favourite song, playlist, or radio station from Apple Music.

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