Tablets and smartphones have multiple uses: as gaming devices, navigational tools, digital book readers, note-taking slates, and more. As such, the way they’re handled varies with need – while holding them by the bevel may be okay for one scenario, another may require a solid grip on the back. While there are different stands and
Being a Netflix subscriber is almost like being cursed — sure, you have access to untold troves of streaming TV shows and films, but how do you choose what to watch? The burden of choice weighs heavily on the indecisive Netflix user, trapping them in a labyrinth of enticing categories, familiar recommendations and episode backlogs. Admit it, you don’t know jack about picking out a good flick, which is exactly why Netflix created Max, a comedic recommendation engine that gamifies movie night with quick choices, mini games and quirky humor.
Netflix Vice President of Product Innovation Todd Yellin caught up with us at E3 earlier this month to give us a brief demo of the upcoming feature. Yellin parked us in front of a PS3 to demonstrate, pointing out that our screen’s topmost category had been replaced by a larger banner. “My mother wanted me to be a lawyer,” the Play Max prompt reads. “But my dream is to help you find great stuff to watch.” Quirky. Yellin tells us that this is one of several boiler plates the streaming menu provides to lure users into trying Max. A cheeky button beneath the dialogue encourage us to “live our dreams” and give the content recommendation game a spin. Sure, why not?
When we got hands-on with the Windows 8.1 preview earlier this week, it was on a Surface Pro — i.e., an x86 system running full Windows. Until today, though, we hadn’t had a chance to try the software on a device running Windows RT. Well, fortunately for us, Microsoft has a row full of freshly updated Surface RT units on display here at Build, so we took the opportunity poke around a little. As you’d expect, Windows RT 8.1 has all the trappings of the full Windows version, including an always-there Start button and new apps like Food & Drink and Health & Fitness. What’s sort of interesting is that you can boot to the desktop here as well, just as you would on Windows 8.1. (We say “interesting” because, well, how urgently do you need the desktop on RT anyway?) The desktop also still comes with Office apps pinned to the Taskbar, in case you were wondering.
Performance seems much the same as before, particularly because we were handling last year’s Surface RT, which still ships with a Tegra 3 SoC. Browsing and loading tabs in IE11 feels snappy but then again, IE11 was supposed to be a tick faster than IE10. Overall, navigating the OS can still feel slightly sluggish, but the build we tried is at least stable. Other than that, it looks like we’ll have to wait for some new ARM chips before we can revisit performance in Windows RT. We’ll also be back to take a look at the forthcoming RT Outlook app, which we haven’t seen yet. Until then, don’t expect us to write another 4,000 words on the subject.
Gallery: Windows 8.1 RT Preview hands-on
Windows 8.1 is, Microsoft claims, the culmination of listening to feedback around Windows 8 and finessing the features users have been most demanding or vocal about. The original version shook up long-standing PC fans, with its Live Tile interface and marginalization of the traditional desktop, but there’s more of an attempt to merge the two
Sony’s brilliant RX100 and RX1 advanced point-and-shoots will live to see another day. Instead of replacing these two well-received pocket cams, the company has opted to expand the upper end of its Cyber-shot lineup, adding two very compelling new models. First up is the RX1R, a full-frame compact that’ll retail for $2,799, the same price last year’s model still commands today. In fact, it’s nearly identical to 2012’s flavor, with the exception of a redesigned sensor, which drops the optical low-pass filter in the interest of sharper captures. Of course, without that component, the camera is susceptible to moire and false color issues, so the RX1R is a better fit for landscape photographers than portrait shooters or photojournalists. It also sports Triluminous Color output through the HDMI port, for enhanced visuals on select HDTVs.
The vast majority of shooters are going to be much more excited about the Cyber-shot RX100M2, though. This “Mark II” variant of the RX100 borrows a few features from Sony’s NEX line, which is never a bad thing. Looking at the camera, you’ll first notice the 3-inch 1.3M-dot tiltable LCD, which can flip 84 degrees upward and 45 degrees downward. There’s also a Multi Interface Shoe for adding on accessories like a microphone, OLED EVF or external flash. Additionally, the USB port is now a Multi Interface Terminal, so it’ll work with the RM-VPR1 remote, and Sony added WiFi, NFC, and Triluminous Color output through the HDMI connector. On the imaging front, there’s a brand new 1-inch BSI CMOS sensor, boosting sensitivity to the tune of one full stop (we’re told ISO 3200 shots are comparable to ISO 1600 on the RX100). The top sensitivity also jumps from ISO 6400 to 12,800, which is pretty fantastic for a point-and-shoot.
As with the RX1, you’ll still be able to snag the RX100 for some time to come. And for many photographers, last year’s model may be the best pick — the RX100M2, while a bit more feature-packed, retails for a $100 more than its predecessor, with a $750 MSRP. The RX1R, however, maintains the same pricing as the RX1, at $2,799. Both cameras, which you can check out now in the hands-on gallery below, are expected in stores by the middle of July.
Think small tablets and Apple’s iPad mini and Google’s Nexus 7 probably come to mind, but Acer is also hoping its Iconia W3 Windows 8 slate will make the grade. Running a full version of Windows 8 – and, soon enough, Windows 8.1 – on an 8.1-inch capacitive touchscreen, the compact tablet is designed to
Integrated with NVIDIA’s upcoming handheld gaming device SHIELD, Parrot’s AR.Drone 2.0 brings on a rather unique set of abilities. Here with the final release iteration of SHIELD, we’ve gotten the opportunity to take the AR.Drone 2.0 out for a spin – again. While we’ve seen this device combo in action before, and even got the
The launch of NVIDIA’s SHIELD device has been done in a rather unique way – one in which we’ve seen and actually played with the device several times before we’ve gotten a review unit for final testing purposes. Now that we’ve got the final hardware in the house, and now that it’s in it’s final
This week NVIDIA has made a rather important decision regarding the launch of their first Android handheld device SHIELD. Instead of shipping at the original announcement date (that was today, mind you), SHIELD has gotten a bit of a push forward to July in favor of a solid launch. The reason for this change is
Mazda is on a roll with its KODO design, and latest to get the “Soul of Motion” treatment is the new Mazda3. Historically the best seller in the Japanese company’s line-up, and now in its third generation, the 2014 Mazda3 picks up where the sharply swoopy Mazda6 sedan left off, with a more aggressive grille,
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