Hasta La Gadget!

Photokina is underway in London and the theme of the show is “large.” Unusually for an industry that is trending towards the compact, the cameras on stage at this show sport big sensors, big lenses, and big price tags. But though they may not be for the average shooter, these cameras are impressive pieces of hardware that hint at things to come for the industry as a whole.

The most exciting announcement is perhaps that from Panasonic, which surprised everyone with the S1 and S1R, a pair of not-quite-final full frame cameras that aim to steal a bit of the thunder from Canon and Nikon’s entries into the mirrorless full frame world.

Panasonic’s cameras have generally had impressive video performance, and these are no exception. They’ll shoot 4K at 60 FPS, which in a compact body like that shown is going to be extremely valuable to videographers. Meanwhile the S1R, with 47 megapixels to the S1’s 24, will be optimized for stills. Both will have dual card slots (which Canon and Nikon declined to add to their newest gear), weather sealing, and in-body image stabilization.

The timing and inclusion of so many desired features indicates either that Panasonic was clued in to what photographers wanted all along, or they waited for the other guys to move and then promised the things their competitors wouldn’t or couldn’t. Whatever the case, the S1 and S1R are sure to make a splash, whatever their prices.

Panasonic was also part of an announcement that may have larger long-term implications: a lens mount collaboration with Leica and Sigma aimed at maximum flexibility for the emerging mirrorless full-frame and medium format market. L-mount lenses will work on any of the group’s devices (including the S1 and S1R) and should help promote usage across the board.

Leica, for its part, announced the S3, a new version of its medium format S series that switches over to the L-mount system as well as bumping a few specs. No price yet but if you have to ask, you probably can’t afford it.

Sigma had no camera to show, but announced it would be taking its Foveon sensor tech to full frame and that upcoming bodies would be using the L mount as well.

This Fuji looks small here, but it’s no lightweight. It’s only small in comparison to previous medium format cameras.

Fujifilm made its own push on the medium format front with the new GFX 50R, which sticks a larger than full frame (but smaller than “traditional” medium format) sensor inside an impressively small body. That’s not to say it’s insubstantial: Fuji’s cameras are generally quite hefty, and the 50R is no exception, but it’s much smaller and lighter than its predecessor and, surprisingly, costs $2,000 less at $4,499 for the body.

The theme, as you can see, is big and expensive. But the subtext is that these cameras are not only capable of extraordinary imagery, but they don’t have to be enormous to do it. This combination of versatility with portability is one of the strengths of the latest generation of cameras, and clearly Fuji, Panasonic and Leica are eager to show that it extends to the pro-level, multi-thousand dollar bodies as well as the consumer and enthusiast lineup.

Image credit – Fixje iPhone

As we have seen for most smartphones, with every new generation, there will also be improvements made to battery life. In the case of Apple’s new iPhones, the iPhone Xs and Xs Max, Apple basically touted an extra 30 minutes of battery life that users could squeeze out of their phones.

Unfortunately in a test performed and published by Tom’s Guide (via AppleInsider), that doesn’t really appear to be the case. The test found that Apple’s new iPhones actually performed worse in battery life tests compared to its predecessor, the iPhone X. Based on their tests, the iPhone Xs Max managed 10 hours and 38 minutes of continuous browsing over 4G LTE.

The iPhone Xs managed 9 hours 41 minutes, while the iPhone X actually managed 10 hours and 49 minutes. Granted the difference between the iPhone Xs Max and iPhone X is pretty small, but to have a phone from 2017 beat out this year’s model which is supposed to offer an extra 30 minutes is pretty embarrassing.

The numbers on the iPhone Xs and Xs Max also pale in comparison compared to Android smartphones, like the Samsung Galaxy Note 9 which managed 11 hours and 26 minutes, while the Google Pixel 2 XL managed 12 hours and 9 minutes, while Huawei’s P20 Pro managed an impressive 14 hours and 13 minutes.

Test Finds That iPhone X Beats iPhone Xs, Xs Max In Battery Life , original content from Ubergizmo. Read our Copyrights and terms of use.

The comedian was sentenced to three to 10 years in state prison for the sexual assault of Andrea Constand.

We’ve watched many a nerd solve a Rubik’s Cube in like 4 seconds flat and we’ve also seen our share of robots that can solve it quickly as well. But until now, a Rubik’s Cube has never been able to solve itself. Hell, humans can’t even solve themselves, which is why there are so many buttholes out there. This robotic Rubik’s Cube is filled with electronics and motors making it a puzzle that solves itself. Does this mean it’s alive?

The self-solving cube needs no assistance – aside from a human messing it up before it starts. It was created by hardware hacker “Human Controller.” It can’t solve a puzzle that was pre-scrambled though – it just records the moves a human makes, then undoes them.

Despite the stuff crammed inside that creates the magic, it is the exact same dimensions as the cubes that you and I throw at the wall in frustration.

So how did he squeeze all of the electronics, motors, wiring, and batteries inside? Well, that called for a custom 3D-printed core, but and unique versions of the individual cube sections that can twist and rotate.

It’s pretty weird watching a Rubik’s Cube solve itself. This makes it much smarter than me. It may not be the fastest at solving the puzzle, but this thing IS the puzzle, so you can’t beat that really.

[via IEEE Spectrum via Gizmodo]

There are six outstanding problems that, if solved, will net you a $1 million reward. On Monday, a highly regarded mathematician claimed in a lecture that he has proven perhaps the most famous of these problems, called the Riemann hypothesis. But there’s reason to be skeptical.

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