Published
Comments None
Categories |

This week, Apple has announced new earphones, Twitter has announced it’s not taking political ads (while Facebook takes fire for continuing to run them), and some thoughts about Call of Duty: Modern Warfare. To start, new Ring connected lights and cameras are battery powered.

New Ring products take advantage of battery – and solar – power

One of the things that makes LED lighting so advantageous is its efficiency. What used to require a hardwired connection to the electrical grid in your house can now be powered by a few batteries that will last you weeks or months.

Case in point is the new Ring Floodlight Battery ($70) that only requires four “D” cell batteries to power it.

In my home, there’s only one external electrical outlet. Needless to say, I’ve got quite the collection of extension cords. I can’t have those cables running all over the yard, of course, so I’ve never been able to have a good floodlight aiming at the dark corners of our backyard, where the racoons and skunks must be getting up to no good.

In less than five minutes, I had the Floodlight Battery up and running. It’s got a motion sensor attached to it, and I’ve got control over the sensitivity. I can even use my smartphone to control things.

In August, Ring also announced a bunch of other battery-powered outdoor LED lighting solutions, all of which can be motion activated. These include a Spotlight ($55), for illuminating areas for which a floodlight is too much, Pathlights ($40), for use along walkways and sidewalks, and Steplights ($35), which are great for stairs.

And by connecting them to a Ring Bridge ($70) I’m able to use any of them as a trigger for other Ring devices. I can set different zones in which I can assign devices, so when the Floodlight in the backyard detects movement, all of the other lights in the backyard turn on.

The other devices that can be triggered by these motion sensors are the new security cameras announced at the end of September by Amazon, which owns Ring.

All of the new security cameras have night vision functionality and support two-way voice, so if you’re looking in on an area of your house from the office, you can shout at the dog through the camera to get off the couch.

The Ring Indoor Cam ($80) is meant for indoor use, but the third-generation Ring Stick Up Cam is designed to be used anywhere. It comes in two configurations: Battery ($130) and a solar unit ($199). They are all available now.

AirPods Pro are in-ear and come with noise cancellation

Apple announced on Monday the release of AirPods Pro, a new set of earbuds for iOS devices that introduce active noise cancellation and a “Transparency” mode.

The active noise cancellation means that the AirPods Pro can adjust to the environment to provide a quieter listening experience. Transparency is an optional feature that allows me to allow some environmental sound to my ears. Perfect when I’m on a subway in an unfamiliar city and need to be listening to the announcements.

The AirPods Pro automatically sync to your iOS devices when you bring them near, and you can share an audio signal with a friend who is using a supported iPhone or iPad.

They provide between three and four and a half hours of use on a charge, depending on how you use them, and they come in a wireless charging case that gives three or four full charges to the earbuds.

One other thing that makes the AirPods Pro different from previous models is the design. These are in-ear, so they embed in the ear canal with silicone ear tips.

As someone who’s never been able to use AirPods before – they simply fall out – this is a very exciting evolution. I can’t wait to try them.

Available today, Apple’s new AirPods Pro are priced at $329.

The state of political ads on Twitter and Facebook

Twitter co-founder and CEO Jack Dorsey announced today that the platform would no longer accept political advertising.

“This isn’t about free expression,” Dorsey posted. “This is about paying for reach.” Which is an important distinction.

One of the messages in the thread seems to be a direct dig at Facebook: “For instance, it‘s not credible for us to say: ‘We’re working hard to stop people from gaming our systems to spread misleading info, buuut if someone pays us to target and force people to see their political ad…well…they can say whatever they want!’,” he writes.

In the past couple of weeks, Facebook has been under fire for doing exactly that.

A story from the Star and Buzzfeed reported on how an American website was able to distribute content that had been repeatedly deemed false by news organizations, including by one of Facebook’s own fact-checking partners.

This is because Facebook has decided that poltiical ads should not be prohibitted from make false statements. (But then bans Adriel Hampton from running ads even after he registered as a candidate for governor of California so that he could run false ads in an effort to call attention to Facebook’s policy).

Twitter’s Dorsey also calls for more regulation of political ads, beyond the transparency requirements that are now in place.

Ads in support of voter registration will be exempted from the new Twitter policy, which takes effect on November 22.

The question now is: Who decides what qualifies as a political ad?

Latest Call of Duty introduces new approach to Modern Warfare

I admit I skipped the last Call of Duty game, last year’s Black Ops 4, because the developers at Treyarch decided to make it multiplayer only. Without a single-player campaign, I didn’t have much to think about.

And above all else, the Call of Duty games have always made me think. I’ve been thinking a lot about this year’s release, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare.

Don’t confuse the 2019 title with Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, also developed by Infinity Ward but released in 2007. The two games share more than just a name. They both got me thinking and they both brought something new to Call of Duty.

Available now – for PS4, Windows, and Xbox One – Modern Warfare has a single-player campaign with a narrative that is dark and troubling and, to be honest, manipulative.

This new Modern Warfare was designed to bring some realism to the experience of modern combat. Which means that you may find yourself in deadly fights with civilians around, and confronted by child soldiers who may be trying to kill you.

What will you do? In truth, whatever the game needs you to do in order to further the story, which is where the manipulation comes in. Call of Duty is full of messages, political and otherwise, and in Modern Warfare those are about what is required by special operatives in order to protect western civilization.

The game plays out like a movie with breathtaking pacing, moving slowly and deliberately and then punctuated with frightening action sequences in which you’ll feel barely in control, even if you’re a skilled with first-person shooter games.

In terms of multplayer, Modern Warfare has all of the modes that have been tuned over the years to deliver what fans expect. Deathmatch, Domination, and Headquarters are here, but the new thing is the best thing.

It’s called Gunfight and it pits teams of two against each other in close quarters. It’s heart-pounding and when your partner goes down, you really feel like there’s no-one left who can help you.

Modern Warfare also capitalizes on the recent relaxing of platforms that allows for cross-platform play, so if you’re on a PC you can still play with a friend who’s on a console.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare is nerve wracking whether you’re playing through the narrative or engaged in PVP. You’ll be thinking about the actions the game is leading you to and what that all means.

And you’ll be thinking about how you’re going to get through it.

Published
Comments None
Categories |

This week on The Shift with Drex, I talked with guest host Shane Hewitt about why the iPhone 11 is the best smartphone for most people, what makes UAG iPhone cases so good, changes in the electric vehicle manufacturing business, details on Google Stadia launching on November 19, and a look at Plants vs Zombies: Battle for Neighborville.

Published
Comments None
Categories |

This week, why I think the iPhone 11 is the best smartphone for most people, the case I’m using on my iPhone 11, the latest developments in the world of electric vehicle manufacturing, the launch of Google Stadia approaches, and a look at the shooter game, Plants vs Zombies: Battle for the Neighborville.

Apple iPhone 11 is the best mobile device for most people

Of all the features that Apple has introduced to their iPhones over the years, the one I love most is Face ID. There’s nothing else that makes using my mobile so simple and easy, and it’s become so convenient that there are some tasks I prefer to do on my iPhone because I can accomplish them by simply looking at the screen.

When I need to make a payment, I can use Face ID. When I need to put a book on hold at the library, I can use Face ID. If I want to purchase media, I can use Face ID.

Some of this is enabled by my adoption of 1Password as a password manager. The software, which saves my data in a cloud-based vault and syncs it across all my devices, has been configured to unlock with Face ID.

All of the latest iPhone models are equipped with Face ID, and while the iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max are premium handsets, I’m using the iPhone 11 and think it’s the best option for most people.

You get most of the same features in the iPhone 11 as in the more expensive models, but most people are unlikely to miss many of them. The iPhone 11 screen is crisp and bright, even though it’s not the “Super Retina XDR” screen of the other two devices, and you’re sacrificing a telephoto camera lens, but the photographic capability of the iPhone 11 is still among the best you can get.

You also get a device that is sized in between the other two, with a 6.1” screen, and the iPhone 11 is cheaper, starting at $979 (compared to $1379 for the iPhone 11 Pro and $1519 for the iPhone Pro Max). To top it off, you get a battery that will last you the entire day.

When you do the math, the iPhone 11 gives you the best bang for your buck.

UAG iPhone cases are tops

The protective cases that Apple has to go with the new line of iPhones are clear. The idea, I suspect, is that customers are going to want to show off the nice new colours the devices are available in.

But the damn things are smooth and slippery. I couldn’t wait to find an alternative for the iPhone 11 I’m using.

I settled on Urban Armor Gear (UAG), which has a few different styles available for the entire range of iPhone 11s, including the Pro and Pro +. The Pathfinder case I’m using has a nice, tactical look to it, and it gives me some much needed grip on my iPhone.

These cases are light, provide solid protection against drops, and they won’t get in the way of wireless charging.

UAG iPhone cases range in price from $54 to $80.

What’s going on in the world of electric vehicles?

While the electrification of transportation continues, we’re witnessing the growing pains of the nascent industry.

Municipalities are struggling with how to manage communal bikes and scooters, consumers are trying to work out the logistics of owning electric cars, and companies looking to make money off the industry are experiencing their own trials.

Dyson, the British company known for vacuums and fans, has scrapped its EV project, according to reports.

I was curious to know what a Dyson would have looked like. This is a company with expertise in digital motors, batteries, and fluid dynamics, all of which are critical to electric vehicle design. But founder James Dyson told employees that there was, “no longer see a way to make it commercially viable.”

The viability of Faraday Future, meanwhile, has been threatened because of the knock-on consequences of business decisions made by its founder, Jia Yueting, who filed for bankruptcy protection earlier this month.

The company appointed a new CEO, a former BMW executive, to run the company in September, and sales of EVs are up across the board.

For now, it’s all up to the investors, who need to pour money into these companies with hopes they’ll see a return.

Google Stadia begins on November 19

Next month, Google’s video game service will launch in Canada, the U.S., and select other countries. Google Stadia is the comapny’s cloud video gaming service that promises to deliver console-quality gaming through a broadband connection and without a significant hardware outlay.

The Founder’s Edition, which was made available for presale back in June when Stadia was first announced, is sold out and has been replaced with a Premiere Edition pre-order for the same price of $129 CAN.

The preorder bundles a controller, a Chromecast Ultra, and a three-month subscription.

While Stadia’s service is assumed to be up and running on November 19, gamers looking to try out the service will need the hardware to do so, and depending on when a pre-order is received, consumers may or may not get their equipment on November 19.

Sometime in 2020, Stadia is expected to enable gameplay through the Chrome browser and with apps developed for mobile devices.

Battle for Neighborville continues with fun and funny shooter action pitting plants against zombies

In wide release as of last week, after a surprise announcement at the beginning of September, Plants vs Zombies: Battle for Neighborville is the third shooter game from PopCap Vancouver (Electronic Arts) in the goofy world that pits animated garden creatures against cartoonish undead ghouls.

My son, Owen, now nine, started playing Garden Warfare about two years ago. It was the perfect, PG environment for him to learn the standard shooter game controls. He upgraded to Garden Warfare 2 about a year ago, and ever since has been asking me on a monthly basis when Garden Warfare 3 was going to be released.

While different in name, Battle for Neighborville is the next generation Garden Warfare. The mechanics are mostly the same but there are new characters to unlock and new environments and maps to explore. The graphics appear to have been bumped up a bit on our Xbox One (the game is also available on PS4 and Windows), too.

The writing continues to be clever and irreverant, too.

There are six different multiplayer modes in Neighborville, including Turf Takeover and Team Vanquish, favourites from Garden Warfare, and the new four-versus-four Battle Arena. On the consoles, all of the multiplayer modes are playable either online or split-screen co-op.

There’s also Ops mode, where you defend against waves of increasingly difficult enemies, and the free roaming areas where you can just enjoy the friendly, neighborville battles against computer-controlled enemies.

And on top of all are the unlockable characters, including new ones like Night Cap (plant) and 80s Action Hero (zombie), and the ability to improve and customize them.

My concern with Battle for Neighborville is that it requires a persistent online connection, and players will need an EA account in order to play. There doesn’t seem to be a way to allow guests or family members to play otherwise, and for a game like this that is the perfect entry point for kids to learn how to play shooter games, this feels like an oversight.

Owen is pleased with the new game. He’d mostly exhausted the add-ons and unlockables from the previous two PvZ shooters, so Battle for Neighborville was perfectly timed for him.

And his comfort with the controller and the systems of the game have made it easier for him to explore other games and know that he’s going to be able to find out what they are like without worrying about what his hands are doing.

Which means more fun for both of us.

Plants vs Zombies: Battle for Neighborville is available now for PS4, Windows, and Xbox One. It costs about $50.

← Older Newer →