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Astro explains how its headsets will work with the PS5 and Xbox Series X
You won't need to buy a new headset for your Xbox Series X or PS5 if you already have an existing model from Astro Gaming.
German soccer team puts players on your iPhone for AR selfies
Sports teams and broadcasters have been going all-in on high-tech initiatives lately. The NFL was an early adopter, with AR features appearing on Fox Sports broadcasts. The NBA just released an augmented reality mobile hoops game, Samsung has put MLB and the UFC on its Gear VR and ESPN is streaming X Games content to VR headsets as well. German soccer team, FC Bayern Munich, is taking its first AR steps, too, with a new feature in its iOS app that brings team captain Manuel Neuer or forward Arjen Robben into your iPhone for celebrity selfies.
Apple unveils its quad-core A10 Fusion chip
You know how this works: Another iPhone, another entry in Apple's mobile processor lineup. The company just unveiled the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus, which are powered by its new A10 Fusion mobile processor. While last year's A9 was an astounding 70 percent faster than its predecessor, the gains this time are less about speed and more about efficiency. The A10 Fusion is just 40 percent faster than the A9 on the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus, but packs two sets of dual-cores that are designed to handle specific tasks better.
Here's how the iPhone 7 Plus' dual cameras could work
Apple's 2016 iPhone launch event may be just days away, but that isn't stemming the tide of leaks and rumors. KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo (who is frequently, though not always, on the mark with Apple launches) has published a last-minute report claiming very detailed knowledge of Apple's handset plans, including a few tidbits that have remained unclear. He now says he understands how the larger 5.5-inch model's (for sake of reference, the iPhone 7 Plus) long-reported dual rear cameras would work. The two 12-megapixel sensors would reportedly be used for both zoom and "light field camera applications" -- typically, that means after-shot refocusing. This would be at least somewhat similar to the dual-camera setup on the Huawei P9, where you can play with focal points and simulate different apertures. Huawei doesn't offer an enhanced zoom, though.
The HTC Vive isn't limited to perfectly square rooms
I'm not gonna lie: I was jealous when I heard that my colleague Sean Buckley got to play 12 virtual reality games in Seattle last week. (He even moaned about it later.) I got to try "only" four on the Vive Pre at HTC's Taipei headquarters. But that's OK, because in the end I also had a blast -- to the point that I ended up running around the room, high on adrenaline. Not even the zombies in Arizona Sunshine made me do this much exercise. As I sat down to recuperate afterwards, I caught up with one of the key execs on HTC's VR team to learn about the Vive's setup process and what other features are in the works.
Lenovo's latest budget Android tablets focus on high-quality audio
If Samsung's new Galaxy Tabs aren't your cup of tea, Lenovo may have the budget tablets you're looking for. It just unveiled four entry-level Android slates that expand on the sound quality focus we saw in last year's models. The Tab A7-30, A7-50, A8 and A10 all have Dolby audio that should improve your small-screen movie experience. They also have "responsive" (if unnamed) quad-core processors, too. You're mostly choosing devices based on screen sizes. The A7-30 has a basic 7-inch display and optional cellular support, while the A7-50 jumps to HD and throws in a 2-megapixel front camera; move to the A8 and you'll get an 8-inch panel, while the A10 includes (you guessed it) a 10-inch display. Lenovo plans to ship the new Tab A-series worldwide in the second quarter of the year, with UK prices ranging from a frugal £100 ($166) for an A7-30 to a still quite affordable £170 ($283) for an A10. There's no mention of a US launch for the new A-series so far, but we've reached out for more details. We'll let you know if these starter tablets reach American shores.
Lenovo IdeaPad A10 leaks reveal a cheap, convertible Android laptop
If convertible Lenovo PCs like the Yoga 2 Pro are well beyond your price range, we have good news. The company has prematurely uploaded PDF manuals that reveal the IdeaPad A10, a 10.1-inch Android 4.2 laptop with a fold-back display. The device is clearly focused on entry-level users between its quad-core Rockchip processor, 16GB to 32GB of expandable storage and front-facing VGA camera. We don't know the IdeaPad A10's launch details when the company has yet to make an announcement. However, multiple German retail listings suggest that the system could ship within weeks for €250 ($338) -- well below the cost of the cheapest Yoga models. Check out a second image of the A10 after the break.
BlackBerry 10.2 resources suggest A10 smartphone may ship as the Z30
Many rumors surrounding BlackBerry's first big smartphone, the Aristo, have only made references to an A10 model number. However, we're now learning that even the A10 badge may just be a codename. CrackBerry forum member ofutur has found references in pre-release BlackBerry 10.2 code that relabel the phone as the Z30, and CrackBerry editor Bla1ze has uncovered associated tutorial resources that tie images of the device back to the Z30. There's no guarantee that this is the final name, but it's consistent with BlackBerry's use of letters to signify form factors -- the touch-only Z30 could complement the Z10 while leaving room for in-between devices. Let's hope that the company doesn't leave us waiting long for an official answer.
BlackBerry A10 for AT&T flaunts 5-inch screen in latest leak (video)
Looks like Verizon isn't the only carrier that's in line to receive the anticipated BlackBerry A10. In the latest leak from Tinhte.vn, the smartphone is shown off in a hands-on video wearing AT&T branding on the rear. A quick removal of the A10's back cover reinforces the claim of a beefy 2,800mAh battery and 5-inch HD AMOLED display (unlike the LCD panel on the Z10), along with slots for both micro-SIM and microSD cards. Touring the device, micro-USB and micro-HDMI ports are both visible on the phone's left side -- another similarity to the Z10 -- along with BlackBerry's traditional three-button volume rocker on the right, and a both a power button and headphone jack on the phone's top. You can see the comparison between BlackBerry's current flagship and the A10 in the hands-on video, but you'll need to learn Vietnamese to gain much in terms of impressions.
BlackBerry A10 specs reportedly leak, hint at big battery and Verizon model
So far, we've only had furtive glances of the rumored BlackBerry A10 through basic specs and a short video. However, CrackBerry forum member nereuszeer may have given us much more insight by posting what appears to be a presentation slide with most of the A10's details. If accurate, they suggest that the 5-inch, 720p OLED screen wouldn't be the only standout feature -- there's also a much larger 2,800mAh battery and a slightly faster 1.7GHz Snapdragon S4 Pro. The phone wouldn't otherwise represent a big break from the Z10, although the leak hints at both a preloaded instance of BlackBerry 10.2 and a thicker Verizon variant. When the slide reportedly dates back to May, there's a chance the hardware could change before release. Still, don't be surprised if this ultimately represents BlackBerry's fall flagship.
Purported BlackBerry A10 'Aristo' briefly flaunted in video leak
Hot on the heels of the BlackBerry Z10 getting an update to BB 10.1 and price cuts at various retailers, a future model to come out of Waterloo has apparently been leaked. In a video posted to YouTube, accessory maker Vivix gives a brief look at what's purported to be the A10 "Aristo." According to N4BB, the device sports a five-inch touchscreen, dual-core processor with a quad-core GPU and an eight-megapixel camera -- not to mention it matches up with a previously leaked image. Details are sparse beyond all that, but you can at least grab look for yourself in the video after the break. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
AMD rolls out Elite desktop APUs with Splashtop game streaming
AMD has already shown what its mobile Richland APUs can do, and it's now ready to reveal their desktop equivalents' potential. The company's new, full-power A6, A8 and A10 Elite processors are more evolutionary bumps than overhauls, but they still have a few clear advantages over last year's Trinity chips. Along with a bump in Turbo Boosted frequencies to between 4.1GHz and 4.4GHz (3.5GHz to 4.1GHz normally), the updates ship with Radeon HD 8000 video and can handle speedier DDR3-2133 memory (on the A10). Wireless is just as important as it is with the firm's newest mobile processors: the desktop Elites improve streaming games to other devices using Splashtop, with relatively little lag when modern AMD processors are on both ends. As for performance? AMD didn't have the luxury of comparing against Intel's Haswell chips at the time it gave us benchmarks, but it did claim big gains over Ivy Bridge in both general-purpose computing and gaming. A 4.1GHz A10-6800K is up to 3.3 times faster in OpenCL than a 3.2GHz Core i5-3470, and games like Bioshock Infinite are playable at 1080p (if barely) where they're unusable with the HD 3000 graphics of Intel's CPU. Performance boosts over Trinity are a more modest eight to 21 percent, however. If you want to know how well the Elite line fares in the real world, it won't take much effort to find out. AMD is shipping its processors this month, at very frugal prices that range from $69 to $142. %Gallery-190368%
AMD outlines Elite Performance laptop APUs with game-ready Wireless Display
AMD isn't focusing all its attention on its entry-level mobile APUs today: it's also providing details for the faster Richland-based models. The new A6, A8, and A10 mobile variants fall under the Elite Performance badge, and theoretically beat Intel to the punch with up to 71 percent faster 3D graphics than the current Core i5 family. They also muster about 7.5 hours of battery life with web use, or about an hour longer than we saw in the previous generation. The roster includes both regular power (35W) and low-voltage (17W to 25W) APUs, in dual- and quad-core editions. We're more interested in how well the chips play with other devices and software, however. Besides the face and motion gesture recognition that we've seen before, AMD touts a new take on Wireless Display with low enough latency for game sessions, support for 1080p60 video and native Miracast sharing. The Richland upgrade also introduces a new DockPort standard that can feed both USB 3.0 and up to three external DisplayPort screens through one cable. If you like what AMD is pitching, you won't have to wait to try it -- Elite Performance APUs have already been shipping with MSI's GX60 and GX70, and other vendors shouldn't be far behind. %Gallery-189172%
MSI ships AMD Richland A10-based GX70 and GX60 gaming laptops
Just as we knew it would, MSI has formally announced pricing for its newfangled GX70 and GX60 gaming laptops -- the world's first machines to ship with AMD's Richland A10-5750M (2.5GHz - 3.5GHz) within. The 17.3-inch GX70 offers up a 1,920 x 1,080 native display resolution, AMD's Radeon HD 8970M on the graphics front, a 750GB hard drive, 8GB of DDR3 memory, a Blu-ray Disc drive, Bluetooth 4.0 and Killer's E2200 networking technology. You'll also get a SDXC card slot, HDMI 1.4 socket, 720p webcam, a 9-cell battery -- likely good for about 89 seconds of use -- a backlit keyboard and a frame that's 2.17-inches thick and 8.6 pounds. If none of that frightens you, you can plan on parting ways with $1,399.99 to call one your own. The (slightly) more petite GX60 boasts a 15.6-inch panel (still 1080p, though), a 7.7 pound frame and a $1,299.99 price tag. Otherwise, the specifications are essentially identical from its big brother, and both should be shipping any moment now.
AMD unveils Radeon HD 8900M laptop graphics, ships them in MSI's GX70 (eyes-on)
Did you think AMD showed all its mobile GPU cards when it launched the Radeon HD 8000M series in January? Think twice. The company has just unveiled the 8900M series, an adaptation of its Graphics Core Next architecture for desktop replacement-class gaming laptops. To call it a big jump would be an understatement: compared to the 8800M, the flagship 8970M chip doubles the stream processors to 1,280, hikes the clock speed from 725MHz to 850MHz and bumps the memory speed slightly to 1.2GHz. The net effect is about 12 to 54 percent faster game performance than NVIDIA's current mobile speed champion, the GTX 680M, and up to four times the general computing prowess in OpenCL. The 8970M is more than up to the task of powering up to 4K in one screen, and it can handle up to six screens if there are enough ports. We'll see how long AMD's performance reign lasts, although we won't have to wait to try the 8970M -- MSI is launching the GPU inside the new GX70 laptop you see above. We got a brief, hands-off tease of the 17.3-inch GX60 successor at the 8900M's unveiling, and it's clear the graphics are the centerpiece. We saw it driving Crysis 3 very smoothly on one external display while powering 2D on two other screens, albeit through a bulky set of Mini DisplayPort, HDMI and VGA cables. Otherwise, the GX70 is superficially similar to its ancestor with that chunky profile, an unnamed Richland-based AMD A10 processor, Killer networking and a SteelSeries keyboard. More than anything, price should be the clincher: MSI is pricing the GX70 with the new Radeon at $1,100, which amounts to quite the bargain for anyone whose laptop has to double as a primary gaming PC. %Gallery-188363% %Gallery-188362%
MSI ships GX60 gaming laptop to the US, gives us high-end AMD gaming for $1,300
MSI made a reasonable case for AMD-based gaming when it unveiled the GX60 laptop back in September... just not for Americans looking to buy one right away. There's a better argument now that the 15.6-inch portable is shipping to the US this week. The $1,300 asking price isn't quite impulse level, but it's a relative steal for a system whose quad-core, 2.3GHz A10-4600M processor and Radeon HD 7970M should handle modern games without much fuss. The 8GB of RAM, 750GB hard drive, Blu-ray drive, SteelSeries keyboard and Killer networking don't hurt, either. As long as the GX60's 7.7-pound weight isn't too imposing, it might be the ticket to wielding a brag-worthy PC at the next LAN party without having to follow the Intel-owning pack.
AMD Trinity APU overclocked at 7.3 GHz, kept cool with liquid nitrogen
AMD's Trinity APUs have only been in the wild for a few days, but some have already taken on the challenge of pushing the new desktop silicon to its limits. By giving the A10-5800K model 1.956 volts, disabling two of its cores and cooling it with liquid nitrogen, overclockers were able to push the chip to 7.3GHz. Air-cooling and 1.616 volts squeezed out 5.1GHz without sacrificing any cores. If you're a mere mortal who's fresh out of liquid nitrogen (or never had any to begin with), you should be able to comfortably bump CPU performance by roughly 10 percent and GPU speeds by 15 to 17 percent. For the full specs on this particular overclock, hit the source links below.
MSI makes AMD-laden GX60 gaming laptop official with A10 heart, Radeon HD 7970M graphics
We can't say that there's a huge cross-section of buyers who want a gaming laptop but refuse to touch Intel components. Whatever the size, MSI likely has that group sewn up with the official unveiling of the GX60 following a stealth appearance at Computex. The 15.6-inch portable is built as showcase for AMD's latest mobile technology: it revolves around a 2.3GHz, quad-core A10-4600M processor using the Piledriver architecture as well as a Radeon HD 7970M to feed its 1080p screen at full speed. Thankfully, the PC is more than just a marketing vehicle and carries some of the gamer-tuned parts that we've seen in other MSI rigs, such as dual SSDs in a RAID stripe, a low-lag Killer networking chipset and a heavy-duty SteelSeries keyboard. Buying a GX60 may prove to be the real obstacle -- in keeping with most MSI introductions, there's no mention of a price or ship date, and none of the usual suspects have it in stock as of this writing.
Archos MW13 'FamilyPad' opens up to the FCC, bares its 13-inch soul
Archos has already been targeting kids with its Child Pad slate, and now it looks like it's going after mom and pop, too. A recent FCC filing of a slate emblazoned with "Family Pad" shows a large tablet (13.3-inches according to the manual) that will apparently come in other -- hopefully smaller -- sizes. Likewise, there appears to be 8- and 16GB variants, 802.11n wireless, and an Allwinner A10 processor. The Android tablet also has a memory card slot for adding up to another 32GB, as well as a pair of USB ports, HDMI, and front- and rear-facing cameras. This choice of processor suggests it'll be reasonably gentle on the pocket whenever it comes out, which considering it's at the FCC, could be soon.
Droid X360 goes for the KIRF prize, antagonizes Microsoft, Motorola and Sony at the same time (video)
Can we establish a KIRF award for Most Likely to Invite Multiple Lawsuits? If so, Long Xun Software would have to claim the statuette for its Droid X360, at least if it dared set foot in the US. This prime example of keepin' it real fake is even more of a PS Vita clone than the Yinlips YDPG18, but goes the extra mile with a name that's likely to irk Microsoft, Motorola, Verizon and George Lucas all at once. That's even discounting the preloaded emulators for just about every pre-1999 Nintendo, Sega and Sony console. Inside, you'll at least find a device that's reasonably up to snuff: the 5-inch handheld is running Android 4.0 on a 1.5GHz single-core Quanzhi A10 processor, 512MB of RAM, 8GB of built-in space, a 2-megapixel camera at the back and a VGA shooter at the front. If the almost gleeful amount of copyright and trademark violation isn't keeping you from wanting this award-winner, you'll have to ask Long Xun for pricing and availability.
