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Lotus teases the Type 130, 'the world's first electric British hypercar'
At the 2019 Shanghai Auto Show, Lotus has teased its first new production car in 11 years, the Type 130. The EV is now in advanced development stages and will be the "world's first full electric British hypercar," Lotus said. "Type 130 will be the most dynamically accomplished Lotus in our history," said CEO Phil Popham. "It marks a turning point for our brand and is a showcase of what we are capable of and what is to come from Lotus."
Researchers have built a 1,000-watt 'super laser'
A team of British and Czech researchers have announced that they've constructed and fired a 1000-watt "high peak power laser". It's dubbed the "Bivoj", after a Herculean-like Czech mythical hero. This laser is reportedly ten times more powerful as any other of its kind and should qualify as a new world record holder, according to Martin Divoky a physicist working at HiLASE, the Czech state-owned research facility where the laser was developed. Britain's Central Laser Facility also contributed to the research.
'Great British Bake Off' host stars in a Daydream VR game
Plenty of people were wondering what comedian and actress Sue Perkins would get up to now that she's done hosting The Great British Bake Off, and now we finally have the answer: She's starring in a virtual reality video game for Google's Daydream platform. EarthShape is a game about the first astronaut to leave humanity's home planet on a millennia-long mission to terraform the universe. The StarSeeker, as the astronaut is called, travels the universe planting flowers and cultivating life "through a fun new gameplay mechanic."
Her Majesty's SPIFFING gives British space explouration another shot
Her Majesty's SPIFFING from BillyGoat Entertainment failed to meet its Kickstarter goal last November, but the "quintessentially British" adventure game about Captain Frank Lee English's quest to expand the British empire to the stars is back with a vengeance. If "a vengeance" is what you call a new Kickstarter campaign. "We're so passionate about bringing our jovial space-themed adventure game to the world that we're willing to endure what could of course be nothing more than another humiliating and disappointing experience for everyone involved, not unlike my wedding evening," BillyGoat studio director Will Barr admits in the new pitch video, which you can view after the break. Neither the amount of money BillyGoat is seeking - £30,000 - nor the scope of the game has changed since the last attempt at crowdfunding, but there is a playable demo this time around, so you can get a better idea of just what you're backing. You can download it and see the various backer rewards via the new HM SPIFFING Kickstarter page. BillyGoat's first attempt at crowdfunding HM SPIFFING ended with just shy of £12,000 raised from 338 backers. So far, the new campaign has raised a smidgen more than £11,000 from 329 backers. It has 27 days left to secure the remaining money. If it succeeds, the first episode of HM SPIFFING will release in the second half of 2015 on PC, Mac and Linux.
Cortana won't sound like Cortana on UK Windows Phones
Now that Microsoft is rolling Windows Phone 8.1 out to handsets, users can now start chatting with its new virtual assistant, Cortana. Right now, she's limited to the US, but the Cortana man at Microsoft, Marcus Ash, has tweeted that "barring an unforeseen issue," the UK developer preview will go live in "less than two weeks" and, wait for it, not feature the reassuring tones of Jen Taylor, the original talent behind Halo's Cortana. Like Apple's Siri, Cortana will adopt a British accent when it rolls out, presumably to make owners feel more comfortable when interacting with the digital sidekick. Sure, she'll still take notes, dictate messages and offer up calendar alerts and reminders, she just won't sound like the Cortana you've relied upon during many a gaming session (unless you indulge in a bit of location trickery).
YouTube's 'Trusted Flagger' users have an inside track to get videos removed
Ever notice that little flag icon that underlines YouTube videos? It's part of Google's content reporting system -- clicking it notifies YouTube moderators that the attached video might violate site's community guidelines. The feature has been in place for ages, but it caught some attention last week when the Financial Times reported that British security had been granted special permissions to police YouTube content. Naturally, the online community was concerned: why is a governmental body being allowed to censor online content? Well, it isn't. Google has since explained that UK officials are simply part of YouTube's Trusted Flagger program: 200 or so organizations and individuals (including "fewer than 10" government agencies according to a Wall Street Journal source) with access to advanced flagging tools. These so-called "super flaggers" don't have the ability to manually curate or remove videos, but they can flag up to 20 at once for internal review.
Burnout creators set out to find paradise in new studio
When Criterion Games co-founders Alex Ward and Fiona Sperry both left the developer in January, they revealed plans to open a new studio. That studio is Three Fields Entertainment, and according to recent tweets from Ward, it is seeking talented individuals that are "skilled in at least three fields of creating electronic entertainment." While the British studio's website doesn't offer anything that further explains its mission, Ward added on Twitter that the developer "will make games for all platforms where we can self-publish." Ward and Sperry's departure from the Burnout developer followed an internal decision to downsize Criterion in September 2013. Many of the developers moved to Need for Speed: Rivals developer Ghost Games, while those remaining at Criterion were said to be "hard at work on a new project for next-gen consoles," according to EA. [Image: Three Fields Entertainment]
British Airways' digital billboard identifies planes as they pass overhead (video)
We're no stranger to digital billboards -- Engadget made its own big-screen debut in Times Square back in 2011 -- but British Airways' latest endeavor is unlike any we've seen before. According to The Drum, the new advertisement, installed front and center at London's Piccadilly Circus, uses "custom-built surveillance technology" to track incoming BA aircraft, prompting the screen to display a child pointing directly at the plane as it passes overhead. The adjacent text offers up the flight number and its origin or destination, along with a custom message, such as the lowest fare for that route or the current weather where that plane is headed. The airline's new #lookup campaign is marketing at its best -- see for yourself in the video after the break.
Her Majesty's SPIFFING might be the most British game on Kickstarter
BillyGoat Entertainment is currently seeking funds on Kickstarter to create Her Majesty's SPIFFING:a classic adventure game for PC, Mac and Linux "leaning heavily on national stereotypes for cheap laughs." Hey, we didn't say it! That's straight from the animated mouth of Captain Frank Lee English, eloquent spokesperson for the game's campaign and protagonist of Her Majesty's SPIFFING. This "quintessentially British" adventure game, as described by developer Will Barr, takes place in a future where the Queen of England has decided to expand the British Empire once again; this time, to the stars. The game is being broken up into three episodes, with only the first episode being funded at the minimum Kickstarter goal of £30,000. Episodes two and three are tied to £60,000 and £100,000 stretch goals, respectively. Should the first episode be funded, BillyGoat plans to release by November 2014. The game is also seeking votes on Steam Greenlight as well. Bolly, this game looks British! Pip-pip, cheerio, fish and chips, guv'na!
Wargaming grabs Total Annihilation and Master of Orion IPs
Wargaming has ambitious plans for the company's 15th anniversary this year, starting with the acquisition of two well-known IPs: Total Annihilation and Master of Orion. Master of Orion is an acclaimed 4X sci-fi strategy series that began in 1993, while Total Annihilation was a popular RTS from 1997. CEO Victor Kislyi teased the possibilities that these IP pickups represent: "Total Annihilation and Master of Orion are strategy game classics. Although it's too soon to disclose any details, we are more than willing to give a new lease of life to these games most of us grew up playing. It's exactly where our major focus will be." Beyond that, Wargamming announced that it has opened a new office in Austin, Texas to help smooth the flow of communication and production processes between its teams and studios. The team also announced the inclusion of British planes in World of Warplanes, which you can see in the reveal video after the jump. [Source: Wargaming press release]
Journey, Dishonored and The Room win big with BAFTA game awards
Journey took top honours at this year's BAFTA (British Academy of Film and Television Arts) game awards, with five different gongs going to thatgamecompany for Artistic Achievement, Audio Achievement, Best Online Multiplayer, Best Game Design, and Best Original Music.The Unfinished Swan picked up two awards, for Game Innovation and Debut Game. Dishonored won the award for Best Game in 2013, and iOS tactile puzzler The Room picked up an award for the Best British Game.Valve's Gabe Newell was given an Academy Fellowship award for his storied career, while the "Ones to Watch" award (meant to showcase the best young game dev talent) was given to a game called Starcrossed, made by students working with the Dare to Be Digital competition.
World of Tanks patches in the Royal Tank Corps
Tally-ho, tank drivers! If you've had a stiff upper lip waiting for Wargaming.net to bring to you more British vehicular goodness, then today's the day that Jerry will rue your name! The studio announced that it's pushed World of Tanks' Update 8.1 out of the door, and with it a whole mess of new armored vehicles from the Royal Tank Corps. Update 8.1 introduces 22 new vehicles from the British, including heavy, medium, and light tanks. The British medium and light tanks have an advantage in speed, although they lack the punch of their contemporaries. Players will also find better-looking areas for several of the maps when the game finishes patching. The update is currently available for European players and will make its way to North America tomorrow. You can check out the update trailer after the jump! [Source: Wargaming.net press release]
BFI to digitize 10,000 British films as part of Film Forever investment plan
The British Film Institute plans to digitize and provide easier access to 10,000 British flicks as part of a new £500 million (approximately $800 million) "Film Forever" initiative. In addition to driving growth in the UK industry by investing in education, filmmaking and the like, the institute wants to put a mixture of free and paid content on its website, YouTube and VoD services. A BFIPlayer app will be providing a similar service to Samsung Smart TVs, PCs and mobile devices. Cinemas, DVDs and TV channels will also play host to the films, selected for digital rebirth by a bunch of experts and in part, by the general public. And, in the spirit of digitization, full details of the ambitious Film Forever enterprise (slated to run from 2012-2017) are available in e-brochure format at the source link below.
Researchers develop cell spray to repair hearts, healthy dose of electricity included
Spray-on solutions have found a place in green technology and even in transmitting radio waves, and they're no strangers to medical research, either. Researchers at the British Heart Foundation are working on a bioelectric spray composed of heart cells to help mend that most vital of organs. Because the cells need to be extremely thin to form a sheet of heart tissue, they are passed through a conductive needle that charges them with up to 30,000 volts. Exposing the cells to an electric field turns the solution into small droplets, which in turn form the cardiac sheet. The scientists can also add other types of cells to create "three-dimensional" tissue, which can be grafted onto injured hearts or sprayed onto scar tissue to help patients' tickers pump more strongly. As is so often the case, the next step will be testing the technology on animals, and the project's ultimate goal is to use this spray-on solution rather than making patients wait for donor hearts.
Fire Shadow missile can remain aloft for six hours before obliterating a moving target (video)
If we were making a list of terrifying airborne war machines, this would probably rank near the top. You certainly won't want to be targeted by the Fire Shadow, but from the safety of a web browser, it's impossible not to marvel at the craft's versatility. Manufactured by French developer MBDA, the Fire Shadow missile is designed to strike a stationary or moving object on command. But unlike some other UAVs, this ingenious rig can remain airborne for up to six hours before it's assigned to destroy a large vehicle (and its occupants) from a nearly vertical angle of attack. Tipping the scale at less than 440 pounds (about 200 kilograms), it has a range of approximately 62 miles (100 kilometers) and is described by MBDA as being "low cost." The British Army is said to have taken delivery of the missile in March, and will begin testing in Sweden later this year, but you can see it action today in the demo video after the break.
UK judge forces Apple to state on its site that Samsung didn't copy the iPad
Apple is being forced by a British judge to state explicitly that Samsung didn't copy its iPad design. According to Bloomberg, Judge Colin Birss said that Apple has to post a notice both on its website and several British newspapers and magazines, to help correct the "damaging impression the South Korea-based company was copying Apple's product." The online part will reportedly stay there for six months. Apple lost its case against Samsung in the UK earlier this month, with the same judge awkwardly branding the 10-inch Android tablet "not as cool" as the iPad.
BT kicks off 330Mbps 'FTTP on Demand' trials, reveals pilot locations
Not everyone is apparently in love with British operator BT's green boxes. Still, that isn't stopping the company from serving up its high-fiber diet to those who want to have speedy Internet connections. For its latest project, BT's Openreach division has started offering an "FTTP on Demand" program that provides fiber-to-the-premises at 330Mbps speeds to folks or businesses who order the service. The project will be done in phases at eight locations, starting with High Wycombe, Bristol South and St Agnes, Cornwall in July. Next up is Edinburgh's Waverley exchange in September followed by Watford, Cardiff, Basingstoke and Manchester Central in 2013. Communications providers can decide to cover installation costs by absorbing a one-off charge, having higher monthly fees or passing the whole thing to the consumer. Want to gobble up more info about BT's latest fiber-filled broadband service? Then check out the good, old PR after the break.
Meet Heckerty, well-known British children's story, makes its way to the iPad
Meet Heckerty is a delightful British children's story starring Heckerty, a "zany, 409-year-old, upside-down-on-her-broomstick, green-faced witch," and her sidekick cat Zanzibar. The traditional story has made its way to the iPad with a wonderful adaptation that takes advantage of the interactivity offered by Apple's tablet device. Children can choose to read the book themselves or have the voice of Jan Ziff read the story to them. Each page is filled with at least one tappable element that'll jump, move or make a noise when your child touches it. The storytelling is outstanding and the story is the perfect length for the younger set who can only sit still for a short period of time. My children loved the iPad storybook, and there's little doubt that Meet Heckerty sets a high standard for other children's books to follow. We got a chance to speak to Jan Ziff and Allan Davidson, the husband and wife team that brought the Heckerty series to the iPad. We asked them about their experience in adapting the popular children's story to the iPad and their future plans for the series. You can read the interview below. You can also find out more about Heckerty on her website. The Meet Heckerty app is available from iTunes for 99-cents. At that price, it's a must-have for parents with young children. Q: One the first things I noticed about the book is its excellent storytelling. Can you tell me a little bit more about the Heckerty story and the storyteller behind the app? A: The Heckerty stories do have a "secret sauce" - it's the great British oral storytelling tradition that goes all the way back to The Canterbury Tales through Alice in Wonderland to Beatrix Potter and Winnie the Pooh, and recently to Harry Potter. Ann Rachlin created the Heckerty stories and refined them for many years in her renowned Fun With Music classes in London. Jan really was the original Fun With Music student, along with her two siblings, and often served as a test audience for ideas that were later integrated into Fun With Music, and became part of Ann's many records and books for 2-9 year-olds. That's where Jan learned to combine words with the rhythms of music, which you may not always hear but is definitely part of the what creates Heckerty's magic. And Ann's wonderful storytelling skills made all the difference as we developed and recorded the stories for this series. But to your question - it was in late in 2010 that Ann asked us whether we thought Heckerty could be brought to life on an iPad or iPhone. We loved the idea, did some research, thought about it and decided to do it. It's been a fascinating ride with all kinds of unexpected turns and plot twists but Heckerty's now out the door and everybody that's seen the app so far has loved it, something we've all found tremendously rewarding! Q: Did you use iBooks Author to develop the book? If so, can you summarize your experience with the tool? If not, how did you bring the book from printed pages to digital format? A: No, we didn't use iBooks Author for several reasons - first, it wasn't available when we launched, second, even though iOS was the dominant and most creative platform, it was clear that there would be other competing operating systems and that we'd need to serve them. That's how we ended up using Flash for this project. And Flash turned out to have been a great decision - it let us go straight from the original text and Ann's storytelling to the "living" graphics and child-friendly form factor that distinguish the iPhone and iPad and other mobile devices. We could really bring out the rich interactivity and audio that these devices are so perfectly suited to. From a production and technical perspective, we had to shorten and tweak them so that they'd work well, then let Colin and Dave, our extraordinary programmer and animator team do their magic with the images, design and the audio we had developed -- the collaboration turned into Meet Heckerty and additional stories that are already in production. Q: As someone who now has experience with both traditional and digital media, what do you think of the iPad? Will it replace or complement printed books? A: We think the iPad is arguably the most exciting development in the history of personal computing. From its form factor, the screen resolution and the superb audio in the latest version, the iPad is changing the way stories can be told and the way they are told. Will the iPad and similar devices completely replace the printed book? We don't think so but it will continue to rapidly take over many of the functions that many print products like books, magazines and newspapers have traditionally provided. And the reason is simple, we think - where the iPad offers a substantially better experience, people will naturally gravitate to it, and over time, the capabilities of the iPad will both grow rapidly and the cost will drop dramatically. There will always be people who want a book, who enjoy the smell and the heft of a book, and love to see rows of spines on shelves. And then there are the voracious readers who could never take 12 printed books on vacation with them, but who can easily take an iPad - each sees different benefits in the book experience, each for different reasons. We also believe that the iPad is changing the way stories are told. And that rather than replacing or even complimenting printed books, the iPad and similar devices will have material written and produced for them, bringing the best of the story and leveraging the strength of the device to better tell that story .... that's what we've tried to do with Heckerty. Q: What was your biggest challenge in producing the iPad version of the Heckerty story? Did you have to modify the storyline (make it longer or shorter, for example) to accommodate the digital reading experience? A: We shortened and tightened the story to suit the iPad and how kids use the devices - the most pleasant surprise was how well-suited the Heckerty stories turned out to be for the iPad and iPhone - the biggest challenge on from a story perspective was letting the story's strengths come through and let the iPad make each one a unique experience. Q: Do you have plans to bring additional titles to the iPad? A: Absolutely!! Several stories are already in production - the next one to appear will be "Heckerty Cook" (that's the working title). Let's say that Heckerty's cooking skills and menus leave a lot to be desired ... and her cousins decide to fix the problem. Until you see the story, we'll leave the ingredients of the story to your imagination, but we can tell you that we still break down laughing every time we come to some of the scenes as we work on them! Hopefully, you and your audience will have time to talk about Heckerty again once Heckerty Cook ships!
Activision hires Team 17 founder to start new UK mobile studio
While EA has been bullish as all get out on its mobile and iOS properties, we haven't seen the other big dog in game publishing, Activision, act on the same impulses, despite a few hits with the Call of Duty Zombies games. But here's a first indication that Bobby Kotick and company do have a mobile strategy: They've hired former Team 17 (of Worms fame) Martyn Brown to put together a mobile studio in the UK. There's no word on the studio's name yet, or what they're going to be working on (though presumably, it'll be iOS titles at least, with other mobile platforms on tap in the future). The move is being seen as a vote of confidence by Activision for UK game development, especially since in the past few years that company hasn't been very friendly to its UK game studios, closing them down left and right. I'm very curious to see how this works out -- hopefully, Activision has realized along with EA that iOS development is one of the best parts of the game industry to be in right now.
Rdio inks deal to license UK music, but doesn't offer up a visit date
One of those other music subscription services has inched towards British shores, announcing a licensing deal with PRS for Music, a not-for-profit organization representing around 85,000 songwriters and music publishers. The San Francisco-made music service has already launched across Europe, the US and Brazil, but still remains out of reach for Brits. While it's far from a confirmation of intent, the service might have plans to jump across to the land of royalty, Rich Tea biscuits and RPattz pretty soon.
