features
Latest
It takes two: A visual history of dual-camera mobile phones
With the recent launches of the iPhone 7 Plus and the LG V20, the dual-lens smartphone camera is once again a hot topic. Of course, many other companies will want to remind you that they were there first, except some have long since given up on the technology. So what happened? And why isn't this yet a standard feature on all flagship smartphones? For those intrigued, it's worth taking a trip seven years back in time.
Computex 2016: It's a wrap!
Just like that, Computex 2016 has come to an end. As in previous years, the show kicked off with ASUS' big keynote presentation, but this time it wasn't just laptops, tablets and smartphones -- the company also unveiled its first home robot, Zenbo. We met up with Chairman Jonney Shih who gave us an exclusive demo of this $599 machine, so do check out our interview with him. We also saw Intel launch its first 10-core desktop processor geared towards hardcore gamers, followed by yet another exclusive interview -- this time with the company's new consumer head, Navin Shenoy.
ASUS' $599 home robot is smarter than it looks
It goes without saying that ASUS' first home robot, Zenbo, stole the show at this year's Computex. As soon as it rolled onto the stage during the keynote, everyone rushed to the front to get a good look at this cute little fella -- and that was before Chairman Jonney Shih shocked the audience with its surprisingly attractive low price of $599. Apart from its basic capabilities, little else was said about the machine, so we traveled all the way to ASUS' headquarters to meet Shih for a detailed demo. During the process, we managed to pry a little more info out of the exec, including what's inside this mysterious bot, the thinking behind its design and a target launch date around the holiday season.
Up close with the ASUS ZenFone 3 series
Like it does every year at Computex, ASUS announced a bunch of new smartphones that won't break the bank. Only this time, the best-looking device turned out to be the base model: the ZenFone 3. I managed to get some hands-on time with this $249 device and to my surprise, it looks just as good in real life thanks to the spun-metal finish on the back. It also has a more premium feel than its predecessor due to the switch from a plastic body to a combination of metallic frame and 2.5D glass panels. At this price point (with 3GB of RAM and 32GB of storage), there's little to complain about, but it'll take some real-life usage to see if the mid-range Snapdragon 625 will suit your needs.
Hover Camera is a safe and foldable drone that follows you
"Follow me" is an up-and-coming feature on consumer drones, and then you've also got those that are foldable for the sake of portability. Very few devices carry both advantages, but Beijing startup Zero Zero Robotics has already gone further with its Hover Camera. As the name suggests, this drone is mainly for aerial photography and videography, but what makes it even cooler is the fact that its propellers are fully enclosed by a strong carbon fiber frame, thus making it the safest drone we've ever played with. As you can see in our hands-on video after the break, you can literally grab it whenever you like without sacrificing any of your fingers to the drone gods.
LeEco's three new smartphones ditch the headphone jack
We've been hearing rumors about Apple killing the 3.5mm headphone jack on its next major iPhone release, but looks like one Chinese company was keen to beat its American rival in this "race." LeEco, famed for bringing the world's first USB Type-C phones and recently investing in Aston Martin's electric car development, has just announced three new smartphones -- the Le 2, Le 2 Pro and Le Max 2 -- that have ditched the conventional headphone jack in favor of the upcoming USB Type-C digital headphones. Unit now, HTC and JBL's Reflect Aware C was the only one in this new headphone category, so it's fitting that LeEco is also adding two of its own USB-C earpieces -- a pair of in-ears and a pair of noise-cancelling over-ears. These are also the first to be certified by LeEco's very own Continual Digital Lossless Audio standard.
Move It puts a smart mini gym in your room
Eons ago, I used to go to the gym several times a week, but nowadays I can give you hundreds of reasons for why I no longer do so. Meanwhile, my beer belly is slowly engulfing my belt, and that's never a good sign (I really should have joined the Engadget Fitness Challenge). This is pretty much the kind of scenario that Hong Kong's Eggplant Technologies is targeting with its Move It smart fitness apparatus, which has just launched on Indiegogo ahead of its August shipment. In a nutshell, this is a four-in-one compact gym kit that you can leave in one corner of your home, and it comes with a mobile app that not only coaches you, but also lets you meet and challenge other fellow Move It users around the world.
Adobe lets you try new Lightroom features before they're released
Lightroom on the web is handy for using the photo-editing software when you're away from your personal computer. Today, Adobe announced that it's adding a big boost to the web-based software with Technology Previews. This means that Lightroom users will be able to test drive new features before they're widely available on the regular desktop app. The first tool that you'll be able to try is a universal search feature that lets you sort through all of the images synced online through Lightroom mobile, Lightroom on the web and the Lightroom desktop application. More new stuff is on the way, and you'll be able to offer feedback ahead of major feature releases.
Vivo Xplay5 boasts 6GB RAM and a familiar curved screen
If you need an excuse to acquire a new exotic Chinese smartphone, then how about 6GB of RAM? Not only is Vivo's new Xplay5 the first mobile device to announce this spec, but it's also the second non-Samsung device — following the BlackBerry Priv — to pack a screen that's curved on both sides. Judging by its familiar metallic design, you'd easily think that the Xplay5 is the bastard child of the Galaxy S6 Edge (front) and the iPhone (back) after a one night stand in Dongguan (the S7 Edge's chamfer isn't as shiny). Despite the unfortunate similarities, this is still a surprisingly decent product in terms of hardware and specs -- much like how its predecessor, the Xplay3S, managed to wow us a little over two years ago.
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.
HTC Vive to demo a 'very big' breakthrough in VR at CES
Regular folks who are eager to get hold of the HTC Vive would have been bummed by the news that it's been pushed to April 2016, but in return, we'll actually be getting a much improved version. At today's Vive Unbound developers forum in Beijing, CEO Cher Wang teased that two weeks ago, Valve and her team made "a very, very big technological breakthrough" with their virtual reality system, so big that they decided to just skip the original version and ship this new one, albeit missing the Q1 date. "We shouldn't make our users swap their systems later just so we could meet the December shipping date." That said, Wang remained mum on what this upgrade is all about, except that it'll be unveiled at CES early next month.
Facebook pokes at Periscope with live video feature
Facebook rolled out a pair of new features on Thursday that position the social network as a breaking news outlet. The first feature, dubbed Live Video, does just that -- enabling users to post and share live video feeds to the site. It appears to be very similar to Periscope's offering with live viewer counts and rolling comment feeds. It is being trialed right now in the US but only for iPhone users.
Chinese-owned Vertu vows to keep making luxury phones in the UK
It's been a little over a week since Vertu announced that it is now under full ownership of Hong Kong's Godin Holdings. Which, as we found out, is linked to Godin Cyberspace Security Technology -- aka GodinSec from mainland China. This raised two questions: Will Vertu be ditching its "Handmade in England" slogan in favor of the classic "Made in China?" And does Godin intend to make use of its own secure smartphone OS on future Vertu devices? The short answer to both is no, according to the newly appointed CEO Billy Crotty.
We turned on the Nintendo PlayStation: It's real and it works
The "Nintendo PlayStation" is now the stuff of gaming legend, with reportedly only about 200 prototypes ever produced.
DJI Osmo review: A hand-held stabilized camera worthy of its price
Thanks to the rise of small action cameras, camera stabilizers (aka gimbals) are becoming more portable than ever. Amazon has plenty of these coming from random Chinese brands, but most are either poorly designed, or only a partial solution to your problem. For instance, they often lack a handset mount for those who need a live screen. There are also gimbals that use smartphones as the camera, but I've yet to come across one with raving reviews; the current options appear to be more of a nuisance due to their awkward calibration and erratic stabilization. So unless you've tried one and are certain that it works well with your phone, your best bet is to go with a dedicated camera gimbal. In terms of full-featured gimbals, we have only two compelling options so far. The first one is the Aetho's Aeon, which takes a GoPro and has its own display, but it won't arrive until early next year. This leaves us with DJI's latest creation, the Osmo, which we first saw back in January. This device features a 4K camera module similar to the one on the company's flagship drone, the Inspire 1, and it can house your smartphone as a viewfinder on the side. But it isn't just about the hardware, because like the company's drones, the Osmo also has a full-featured companion app for greater versatility. Let's see if this fancy package is worthy of its $649 price.
A robot made me (marginally) better at ping pong
We're back for a rematch. The ping-pong robot has had an upgrade or two, and in Rocky-style, your rival is now your trainer. Yep, the newest demo from Omron (a company better know for its healthcare products), aims to help you play it at table tennis. The entire table has been upgraded into a display, showing the predicted path of the ball, and even where the meatsack player should be hitting it.
Touchy turns you into an over-friendly, clingy human camera
"Hold my hand for ten seconds and I'll take a picture of you." That's what you get to say to people when you're wearing Touchy. The idea's simple: You put on this camera-shaped helmet, and the shutters will keep you blind until you get help from someone by just touching him or her. As a bonus, if you manage to hold onto your new -- and maybe slightly terrified -- friend for ten seconds, the helmet will then automatically take a photo and display it on the back. This is the work of Hong Kong artist Eric Siu, who created Touchy in 2012 as a way to heal social anxiety, though we can't say we were entirely convinced when Siu approached us at CEATEC. That said, we now have a new idea for our Halloween costume.
Hong Kong's iPhone grey market cashes in on the 6s
Whenever a new iPhone launches in Hong Kong, local folks would seize the opportunity to make a quick profit from the grey market. They would get their brand new phones from either Apple or local carriers, and then sell them off to specialists who would later offer bulk orders to mainland Chinese buyers. The quicker they act, the more cash they get. The iPhone 6s and 6s Plus are no exception. This morning, I was the first customer to pick up my 128GB rose gold 6s Plus from a carrier store (the shop assistants even took a photo to mark the occasion), but I quickly sold it for HK$10,000 or about US$1,290 at the Sincere Podium mobile phone mall just around the corner. That's roughly a US$250 profit based on the device's local price, which isn't bad at all.
Huawei's fight to fix its image and conquer the smartphone world
"Man, China gets all the good phones." This is the kind of comment we've been hearing a lot lately. But, very few of those Chinese smartphones make it to Western markets. Besides, some folks remain skeptical of Chinese smartphones -- either due to bad experience in the past or because of fears over spying by the Chinese government. Huawei in particular has taken quite a bit of heat, with the spotlight set on its founder, Ren Zhengfei, who served in the People's Liberation Army until 1983. Yet Ren has explained -- more than once -- that he was just an Engineering Corps officer who helped set up a synthetic fiber factory to tackle the country's clothing shortage, and his team was disbanded soon after completion. But that hasn't satisfied everyone and, as the world's third-largest smartphone maker plus one of the largest telecom equipment vendors, Huawei needs to prove its critics wrong.
Windows 10 Features You Should Know About
At last! Windows 10 has finally arrived and the upgrade is still rolling out to users around the globe. For those of you who are not familiar with Microsoft's latest flagship, there is a few hidden features that can help you get the maximum out of the system. Here are some to get you started:Have fun with the start menuWhen you open the start button for the first time, you'll notice that it's a hybrid of the original menu and Windows 8 apps. The great thing is that you can customise this by dragging programmes and apps from your menu to the side. You can resize the apps and the section by right-clicking on one and changing it to small, medium or large. This is great for those who have bigger screens to work with as most Microsoft apps incorporate large tiles.When you right-click any app in the Start menu, you can pin it to the taskbar or uninstall it directly from your computer. Very handy indeed .Snapping WindowsResizing a window can be done in two ways. The first is drag it to the top of screen and make it full screen, the other is to drag it to the side to take up only half the screen. When a window is snapped to the side, Windows will show you a quick view of the other app that were opened. Click on one and it will fill up whats left of the remaining space.Download offline MapsThis is a useful feature especially for laptops and tablets with it's ability to download maps or update them. From the maps app, click into settings and select 'Download or update, apps'. Here you will be asked which continent and which country you want before downloading it. It will show you the size of the file in advance so that there won't be any surprises.Create virtual desktopsAnother useful feature to Windows 10 is virtual desktops, handy if your primary desktop gets too cluttered and you want to do a bit of spring cleaning thus allowing you to orgainise your windows better.Press the TaskView button at the bottom or press Windows key + Tab to get the same action. This will allow you to make a new desktop or drag an open app to another one.Record video footage Game DVR permits you to record any open app footage, not just games. Click on Windows Key + G to turn it on and bring up a small, floating dashboard. Press and record any footage you want. Your saved videos can be accessed in the Game DVR section of the Xbox app or inside Video > Captures.Take control of notificationsBy going into Settings > Systems > Notifications and actions. Similar to your phone or tablet, you can control notifications for all apps and services. You can also prioritize specific updates by accessing settings found inside the apps themselves.
