Kenneth Scott, Author at Argyll Free Press

OnePlus 2 Will Cost Less Than $500, Says CEO

July 8, 2015 By Kenneth Scott Leave a Comment

OnePlus 2 will be releasing this month, and the company’s new product will be one of the most affordable high-end devices available on the market. The Chinese manufacturer has officially announced the specs for their unreleased product, and it’s exactly what we were expecting – borderline jaw-dropping capabilities.

So, before we go into what makes the OnePlus 2 a top-notch device, we should talk a little bit about the pricing. It will cost under $500 – at the current moment we don’t really know how long south the price will go, but rumors have it that it will be between $399, and $449.

The company’s CEO, Pete Lau has taken to Twitter to confirm that indeed the price will be less than what initial rumors said – ” We’ve seen price estimates for the OnePlus 2 upwards of US$500. Honestly, it’s never been about the money.”

The second-generation flagship smartphone from the Chinese-based manufacturer will directly compete with Apple’s, and Samsung’s high-end smartphones, just like TheOne. It will feature the sought after Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 chipset. When OnePlus 2 will be released later this month, it will be the cheapest smartphone holding that model of Qualcomm Snapdragon chipset.

The guys, and girls over at Android Central revealed that the OnePlus 2 will come equipped with 4GB of LPDDR4 RAM – the newest kind of RAM that works perfectly with the Snapdragon chipset, in order to ensure a longer lasting battery life.

Regarding the LPDDR4, the company notes that – ” Why did we choose LPDDR4 for the OnePlus 2? Another notable benefit is lower power consumption for better battery efficiency. That means you’ll be able to use your favorite apps (and more) without draining the battery. With LPDDR4, you get twice the bandwidth performance as the LPDDR3 at the same power consumption profile.”

OnePlus 2 Concept

The official release date is 27th of July, and so far, the OnePlus 2 seems to be a worthy successor to TheOne.

But Apple is yet to announce the release of their new iPhone device, and who knows what’s going to be released until the end of this year that might trump the OnePlus 2.

But besides the awesome specs that it comes with, you can pair the new OnePlus 2 with their new cardboard VR headset.

” This is not just a product; it’s an initiative. We aren’t making any money by offering OnePlus Cardboard. In fact, we are losing money with each one. There will come a day in which we will be able to travel the world and immerse ourselves in amazing things without ever leaving the comfort of our homes. OnePlus Cardboard exists to drive this idea forward.”, a spokesperson for OnePlus has noted.

Only time will tell if their new product line will be as great as their first iteration.

What do you think? Are you going to be a proud owner of the new OnePlus 2? Or are you waiting for a new Samsung, or Apple smartphone?

Source Image: 1, 2, 3, 4

Faster Internet Near, Researchers at Qualcomm Institute Say

June 29, 2015 By Kenneth Scott Leave a Comment

Faster Internet awaits us in the near future, researchers say at Qualcomm Institute say.

At UC San Diego’s Qualcomm Institute, researchers have not only made fiber optic data transmissions faster, but they completely out-done themselves. Researches have increased the power of optical signals almost twenty times of what we currently have.

You shouldn’t be afraid anymore that our fibre optic networks can’t hold all that data being trasnferred, and that the system will overload.

While researching, at one point, the data was being distorted because it travelled so fast, for so long, and researches were needed to use pricey electronic regenerators in order to boost the signal. But they seem to have solved this annoying nuisance.

Nikola Alic, a corresponding author from the Qualcomm Institute at University of California – San Diego had this to say – ” Today’s fibre optic systems are a little like quicksand. With fibre optics, after a certain point, the more power you add to the signal, the more distortion you get, in effect preventing a longer reach.”

Researchers at Qualcomm Institute have managed to send data over a record-breaking 12.000 kilometres through fiber optic without using the expensive electronic regenerators, and the data received wasn’t distorted and could be used without problems.

“Our approach removes this power limit, which in turn extends how far signals can travel in optical fibre without needing a repeater.” Alic has noted.

Why is this possible? Because of advancements in wideband frequency combs that researches have managed to further develop at the Qualcomm Institute.

This new advancements in frequency combs ensure that the signal distortion called Crosstalks that appears once streams of information are bundled together through long distances, can be predicted, and thus, fully reversible, at the receiving end of the fibre optic!

This is great news for those of us stuck in with lousy internet. But a question arises. Are we going to have to pay more for a faster internet, or prices will remain the same?

Image Source: 1, 2, 3

SoftBank Starts Selling The Pepper Robot this Saturday

June 20, 2015 By Kenneth Scott Leave a Comment

SoftBank is launching an adorable Robot named Pepper on June the 20th, which is this Saturday – ASIA only!

SoftBank has partnered with China’s Alibaba, and Foxcon Technology to ensure that on the 20th everyone can acquire Pepper.

Isn’t it a little bit scary that SoftBank’s Pepper can read your body language, and your tone of voice? The 4-foot cute little robot is designed to communicate realistically with its master. This starts to sound as the plot to Steven Spielberg’s 2001 Artificial Intelligence: AI movie.

It can look deep down into your soul using its high-definition cameras, depth sensors and microphones. Here’s hoping to have a meaningful conversation with Pepper – SoftBank states that it enjoys human contact!

The anime-like eyes will follow you around, and will recognize its master in a heartbeat – Pepper moves quite fluid using its 20 motors.

” We think there’s value in a robot that can understand human feelings.” said SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son.

Pepper was primarily used as a greeting robot in phone stores, but someone thought that it could become much more. Pepper can make a great learning or play toy, and its ambitions don’t stop there. It wants to help the elderly with menial everyday tasks, but that may seem like a big stretch. It’s not that strong anyway, and SoftBank states that Pepper should be used to engage with customers if bought by a business, or if it’s acquired by your average Joe, it should be treated as you would treat your own child – a made out of plastic, and metal child.

SoftBank will start manufacturing 1000 Peppers a month, and if it’s a success in Asia it will start to ship, and sell to Europe and the US starting next year. Pepper costs $1600, but you must pay an additional $200 for the service fees – this way SoftBank is ensuring that they will make a profit out of the wee robot.

Hopefully, Pepper won’t have the same fate as Sony’s Aibo. A discontinued robo-dog line that somehow found its niche. Sony isn’t offering support to Aibo, and customers have grown attached to their mechanical pet, but once they break down, there’s no place to go to fix the adopted family member. Customers cared for Aibo as if it were their very own child, only to be taken away from them because Sony doesn’t manufacture the much needed parts. Shame on you Sony!

Here’s a short clip from SoftBank portraying Pepper’s skills of teaching children. What do you think? Too expensive for my taste, but if you have the chance of meddling with Pepper tell us your experience in the comments section below!

Image Source: 1, 2, 3

LG G4 Updates Itself And You Can’t Refuse It!

June 13, 2015 By Kenneth Scott 2 Comments

When a software update is available for your smartphone you get a notification that asks you if you want to download and install it now, or later – maybe even never. LG G4 doesn’t seem to abide by this unwritten rule, and instead it downloads and installs its update without asking you first. Afterwards it resets the phone.

Kinda annoying, isn’t it? Maybe you were in an important phone call, or had to make a call to someone. Maybe you were saving that internet data for something else, but no, not with LG G4 you won’t.

Some LG G4 owners from T Mobile, and AT&T have reported this frustrating issue. It’s not like it’s a mandatory update, and you don’t even know what it fixes. There is little to none info in the release notes – and that just boggles the mind. For all we know, it could plant a tracking program in your device. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves with these conspiracy theories.

Rumours have it that this update patches some issues regarding the touchscreen’s responsiveness, but sources aren’t reliable so this shall remain a mystery until LG officially announces something.

It could close a security exploit, or tackle some other unrelated critical issue that we don’t know about…yet. Either way, this isn’t really the way to go, and LG should at least announce this kind of thing before forcing an update down our throat.

Although I fully appreciate when companies offer support to their devices, having the option to choose between if I want to install and update, or not, should come by default. Don’t like this one little bit.

Engadget associate editor Jon Fingas has reached out to LG, and he’s awaiting a reply – at the moment, there are no signs that this will ever happen.

If you notice that your LG G4 is suddenly updating, be warned that it’s a hefty one ranking up to 174.10MB in size.

This is what the update looks like.

Verizon users shouldn’t worry about this – it’s most likely that the update will come sometime mid-2017. Haha Verizon users.

Hopefully this won’t become a worrying trend, although Microsoft’s Windows 10 will do this exactly same thing – forcing the updates down your throat without having the option to turn them off.

What are your views on this annoying trend? Do you prefer updates to be made without notifying beforehand? Or do your prefer to have the option to choose? Tell us in the comments section below.

Image Source: 1, 2, 3

Valve Starts Shipping HTC’s Vive VR Gear to Developers

June 8, 2015 By Kenneth Scott 2 Comments

Some time ago, we wrote about how Valve has paired with HTC, and they are building a new Virtual Reality headset called Vive, and that they will be shipping their device to a select few developers.

Now, we are happily announcing that Valve has started to ship the VR dev gear, and those of you who were selected – you lucky bastards – should expect a delivery man knocking on your door any day now.

For those of us who haven’t been chosen by the almighty Gaben – me included – the time to meddle with Valve’s VR headset will be later this year. Regular gamers will have the chance of playing with The Vive this Christmas – and it’s going to be one hell of a gift for your geeky loved one.

Valve has confirmed that it has started shipping Vive Developer Edition.

This week, we have started shipping the Vive Developer Editions. This first wave includes a wide range of developers from major movie studios, triple A developers, to small indie teams working on their first title. We will continue to ship to additional developers through the spring and summer.
In the box is a headset, 2 Lighthouse base stations, 2 wireless Steam VR controllers, various cables, instructions, and everything else needed to get started. This will allow developers to target the same system consumers will have in their homes later this year.

If you don’t have the Valve VR gear you can still be an observer. Head down to their community SteamVR Developer Hardware discussion, and take a look at what awesome stuff brilliant minds are coming up with.

At the moment, we don’t know any information regarding its price, nor its availability – but it’s most likely going to ship worldwide. What we do know is that the SteamVR will have its very own Steam Store page filled with virtual reality games, movies, and apps.

It’s a bold move, and Valve’s alliance with HTC may be fruitful to say the least. There isn’t a king yet, and more and more companies are jumping on the virtual reality bandwagon. Take for example Google, who has recently announced that they will be building a VR gear in collaboration with GoPro. Facebook-owned Oculus Rift will be shipping starting early 2016, and Sony’s Project Morpheus is kept under a tight sealed lid.

I’ll happily buy a virtual reality headset, a couple of months after the internet will be filled with peer reviewed devices. FullDive seems like a nifty, and cheap product – and I’m more inclined on buying it, rather than a $400 device on release day.

What about you? Do you fancy this virtual reality trend? Or do you think it will flop miserably?

Image Source: 1, 2, 3

Google’s 3D-scanning Tablet is Now Available for Purchase

May 28, 2015 By Kenneth Scott Leave a Comment

Just on-time with Google’s I/O developer conference, the 3D-scanning tablet has been released for sale – it goes for $512, and everyone can buy it. Just head down to their official store, and order one for yourself.

Named Project Tango, the tablet is designed to map the room, and offer a new 3D experience to its owner – but there’s really no aww factor to it yet.

Be warned that if you buy the 3D-scanning tablet you’ll not get a device that is designed for public consumers, and most certainly it won’t please you. It has no determined functionality, and this model is focused on developers – devs that are tasked to bring order to chaos.

No wonder that Google announced the 3D-scanning tablet is going on sale on the day that their developer conference has started, and has subsequently removed any doubt that a wider retail release is in the works. It will come as no surprise if Project Tango 2 will make it’s début in the next few days.

Even though it has moved further down the line from being a conceptual toy, its main focus still is to please developers. This isn’t to say that you won’t have anything to do with it if you indeed buy the device. It runs Kitkat 4.4, and you can use it as your average tablet, but is it really worth it?

If you look under the hood, the 3D-scanning tablet is more than just a prototype on sale:

NVIDIA quad-core Tegra K1 chip

4GB of RAM

128 GB of internal storage

That’s the oomph! effect that you’re experiencing right now. Those specs wowed us last year too – yeah, in the storage department it doesn’t shine; more so, when you find out that you can’t add a microSD card to expand your storage, but 128 gigs of space is more than enough for the average Joe.

Google’s 3D-scanning tablet sports a beautiful 1080p display – it’s sharp, and offers crisp colours, and textures. Now, being focused for developers, Google didn’t built the device with appeasing the masses in mind, so don’t expect a shockingly awesome design. It features a minimalistic style, that quite suits Project Tango, and it gives it a more futuristic feel to it.

It features one USB 3.0, a micro-HDMI slot, Bluetooth LE, and LTE – availability may depend on which carrier you’re using, so if I were you, I would call them and ask what options I have.

The seven-inch 3D-scanning tablet was built to last, that’s way it packs quite a punch in the performance department. But what about pictures? Can you use it to take photos?

Sure you can, and you’ll amazed at what kind of quality it can output. It has two cameras, and a depth sensor on the back. One of the camera sports a 4-megapixel unit, and is paired with huge two-micron pixels – something on the line of what the UltraPixel sensor in HTC’s one is. It offers high light sensitivity, and faster speeds than your normal camera. Most of you will consider the 4-megapixel unit a deal breaker, and sadly, they won’t read further.

The second unit tracks motion, and offers a 170-degree wide-angle – a fish-eye lens to be more exact.

All of these goodies are encompassed is a slightly chunky looking device, but this may come as a feature to some of us known for being butterfingers. You can easily grip it with one hand, but I highly recommend you do it the right way, and use both of them. Here’s why.

Remember that Project Tango is a 3D-scanning tablet, this means that you can have some fun with its playable demo. If the settings are right, you can turn your room into a dungeon. Explore your hidden cave, as you see fit.

Most likely Google will announce a new iteration soon – more high-tech specs, and probably even a better camera. We’ll keep you updated as soon as any new info leaks from the I/O developer conference. Until then, I leave you with Project Tango’s promo clip.

Image Source: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Did KFC Just Release a Keyboard Tray?

May 19, 2015 By Kenneth Scott Leave a Comment

It really seems like KFC just released a keyboard tray. But how? and why?

It’s an advertising campaign made by a Germany-based KFC restaurant, and by God, if it isn’t the perfect solution to our first world problem.

We’ve all been at least once in our lives to a fast food restaurant – yes, even you hipster vegan; and while we munched on our frozen delicacies we also craved for our other addiction – social media. But how to combine them both? Hipster vegan must know!

KFC seems like it solved this problem, even though it’s an advertising stunt.

The super-thin, rechargeable Bluetooth keyboard can be easily paired with any smartphone and it comes on your tray of food.

The KFC keyboard tray was built by Serviceplan and it’s actually a high-tech product. This cutting edge technology has been around since 2013 thanks to brilliant minds over at UK-based CSR. Take a look down below and how magnificent it is.

Now let’s get back to our favourite fast food chain – not!

Serviceplan claims that the all of the keyboard trays were taken home on day one – “every single one … was taken home.”; and who wouldn’t? They are grease resistant, you can clean them easily, they fold however you like, and you can take them anywhere you want to go. Sure, it has the KFC logo all over it, but nobody’s going to care. Although, maybe if you try to use it while eating at McDonalds you’ll get some nasty looks from the staff.

This isn’t the craziest thing that a fast food chain has ever pulled.

Still talking about KFC, but this time in Japan. Last year, they released a keyboard, mouse and USB stick all in the shapes of fried chicken. Also earrings.

I think I’ll have to take a trip to my local KFC restaurant and put some pressure on them – I really want a foldable keyboard tray. I really do!

Image Source: 1, 2, 3

Ubisoft is Going to Tackle Virtual Reality

May 15, 2015 By Kenneth Scott Leave a Comment

One of the gaming industry’s behemoths, Ubisoft is going to tackle Virtual Reality – but how?

They aren’t planning on releasing a Virtual Reality headset. There are too many headsets planned to be released in 2015, and 2016. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not against having a vast array of headsets to choose from, but I don’t want the market to be over-saturated with them. More products will mean a tougher competition, and in the end the user is the one to profit, but at the moment, we also need to support the developers that are taking a hit, financially, because they don’t really know if their products will sell enough to comp the money that was put into their production.

In time, I’ll be more than happy to see 20 headsets just ready to be bought – but I don’t want the trend of exclusive games, and apps to be on the rise. I don’t want to have to buy 5 different headsets just because apps aren’t universal.

They are planning on releasing VR-compatible video-games.

Now let’s get back to Ubisoft and their big announcement. Yves Guillemot, CEO of Ubisoft, during a conference call with analysts revealed that – ” We believe a lot in virtual reality because we see that it is really giving a chance for gamers to be more immersed in worlds, and we are developing a certain number of games that are going to take advantage of this new possibility.”

Yves Guillemot has also noted that the company is working with different VR creators in order to take advantage of all the opportunities that the marketplace has to offer. Attempting at the same time to ensure that gamers will not suffer from the negative side-effects that come with using VR headsets too much – as you might know by now, a high percentage of users have reported that they get motion sickness, feel nauseous, and get headaches during, and after using VR gear.

Now we just have to wait, and hope that the big guys know what they are doing.

Microsoft and Valve haven’t announced a release date for their Virtual Reality headsets, but we do know that Sony’s Morpheus is going to be available in the first half of 2016, and Facebook-owned Oculus Rift has its consumer launch set for the first quarter of 2016.

Only time will tell if the new technology will be a huge part of our lives, or if it will flop hard.

If they don’t fix the negative side-effects soon then nobody is going to buy them – or at least, it won’t be financially plausible.

Image Source: 1, 2, 3

NASA Wants to Explore Europa With a Robotic Eel

May 12, 2015 By Kenneth Scott Leave a Comment

No, NASA hasn’t gone all cuckoo on us, and they really do have a great point to make on why a robotic eel is just the perfect thing to explore Jupiter’s Europa.

This shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone, considering that NASA wants to explore Saturn’s moon, Titan, with a submarine.

The amphibious worm-like robot that you can see in the picture just down below is actually a rover outfitted specifically for Europa’s icy climes, and it’s quite different from the previously underwater-used robotical fish called Deep-SCINI which was used to discover new species of fish in the deep seas beneath Antarctica.

There aren’t any power outlets on Titan, go figure, so where’s the robotic eel going to take its energy from? Well NASA is looking into implementing a sort of antenna that could harness the power from “locally changing magnetic fields.” – this is slowly starting to become a science-fiction tale.

15 different proposals were awarded $100,000 each in NASA’s phase one of Innovative Advanced Concepts, or for short NIAC. If the concepts prove to work, the second phase will commence, and it will consist of a $500,000 funding for the winner.

Amongst the robotic eel, there are also other toys that dwell in the science-fiction department.

An unmanned pair of gliders that could do the exact same type things as orbital satellites is one to look out of. When stacked, they could work together to keep themselves in Earth’s atmosphere for basically years – and they also cost a ton less than what orbital satellites are made of.

The next piece of gear that has got my attention is ” robotic crawlers, hoppers and soccer-ball style buckey-bots” – I beg your pardon? What? They are inexpensive, and could possibly map locations and look for water and nitrogen. Their creators have decided to name them CRICKET, which stands for Cryogenic Reservoir Inventory by Cost-Effective Kinetically Enhanced Technology.

Please note that all of these new toys have not yet been proven to work properly, and are still in concept phase, but when proof comes out, be sure that you, dear reader, will be amongst the first to know.

What do you think? Will NASA employ a robotic eel to do its bidding? Or CRICKET will reign supreme?

Image Source: 1, 2, 3

Titan Souls – the game that just beats you to the pulp

April 16, 2015 By Kenneth Scott Leave a Comment

Hidetaka Miyazaki, the president of From Software, and the man that brought us Demon Souls, Dark Souls, and Dark Souls 2 has stated that the health bar in a game represents the character’s ” will to live”, and when that health bar is low you try to focus, and against all odds, you feel the need, the adrenaline rush to come out triumphantly.

Developer Acid Nerve first released Titan Souls as a flash game, but with a bit of luck, publisher Devolver Digital stepped in. They ported the game to a new engine that made the graphics cooler, improved performance and ensured that the game runs smoothly – also they added more content.

The original release featured only 4 titans for you to battle, but now the roster is up to 20 – they are also accompanied by a new soundtrack.

Titan Souls is a game that doesn’t give you a health bar, but instead it gives you Achilles’ heel – swap heel with your entire body. One hit and you’re dead.

You have a bow, an arrow, and the ability to roll and run, that’s it. Yes, I said an arrow, as in singular. But don’t despair, once you shoot the arrow, you can press a button and it will come back to you – while retrieving the essential piece of ammo, the only piece of ammo, that you have you can also do damage to Titans.

You require finesse, coordination, and patience – forbearance to analyse thy enemy and strike at the perfect moment is crucial. You need to pay attention to the Titan’s pattern, hold in tight and kill it. Like you, some Titans can be killed with one perfect shot, while others require more scheming, and a lot of deaths on your behalf.

The game won’t tax you as harshly as the Souls franchise. Once you die, you’ll return to the last checkpoint – your punishment consists of running back to the entrance and starting the event.

It seems easy enough – get into the boss fight, walk around, kill the Titan, reap glory. But fortunately it isn’t a boring game. Once you managed to find the perfect recipe to win, and you strike the final blow everything turns to black and white, a single cymbal hit encompasses the moment, the game freezes for a few seconds to let you realize that you did it, you won!

It’s available for Windows on Steam for 14,99 EUR, or if you want the collectors edition that consists of a digital artbook, the world map, full original soundtrack, and desktop wallpapers, it will cost you 19,99 EUR. It’s also available for the PS4, PS Vita, Mac and Linux.

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