Last week on my regular segment talking technology, host Shane Foxman and I talked about the two new PlayStation PS4 consoles that were announced by Sony a couple of weeks ago. We also ran down the lineup for this year’s Apple Music Festival in London, England, discussed the movie trailer created by IBM’s Watson artificial intelligence, and marveled at the optical illusion circulating through Facebook feeds.
The following night, I was back with Shane to talk about the official U.S. government-issued recall of the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 handset, and rumours that the battery problem is also affecting other Samsung devices.
This week, an optical illusion posted on Facebook shows the limits of human visual perception, Apple’s Music Festival kicks off next week in London, but you can watch it from anywhere, and IBM’s artificial intelligence is smart enough to make a movie trailer. But first, Sony’s got two new PlayStation 4s on the horizon.
Slimmed down PlayStation 4 hits this week, PlayStation Pro coming in November
Hot on the heels of the release of Microsoft’s Xbox One S, Sony revealed last Wednesday (September 7) that it has two new PlayStation 4 consoles ready to go, with the first, a redesigned and slimmer PS4, arriving this week.
The second edition PS4 is some 30 percent smaller than the original, which was released in November of 2013. Priced at Cdn$380, it has a 500 GB hard drive and a slanted design that resembles the original, but with rounded corners.
Then, on November 10, Sony will release the PS4 Pro. This model is actually bigger than the original, the extra size required by the improved processing capacity the hardware contains and the 1 TB hard drive.
The PS4 Pro, which will cost $500, and has improved central and graphics processing units (CPU, GPU), which is how it will support 4K video and will deliver 1080p high-definition resolution for all games. It will also be able to upscale the video for some sources.
The PS4 Pro will not support 4k Blu-ray discs, however. It can only display 4K video from streaming sources.
All PS4 consoles, including the first model, will be supporting high-dynamic range (HDR) video through a software update.
The 4K and HDR video capabilities assume, of course, that you have a television set that can display such images. As much as the manufacturers wish they were, ultra high-def sets aren’t yet ubiquitous.
And just as all Xbox One games will be playable on any Xbox One console, so too will PS4 games be supported by all consoles, including the original, the slim version, and the PS4 Pro.
PlayStation reveals new controller, camera, headset
In addition to two new consoles, at a press event in New York last week Sony also announced new PS4 peripherals, all of which become available this week.
A new version of the wireless controller, the Dualshock 4, shifts the design so that the light from the front-facing LED also emits from the touch pad. This is more than just a cosmetic adjustment, as changing the colour or intensity of the light can be used by developers to provide information, such as the level of health of a character, to gamers.
The new controller, which carries a price tag of $75, will also be able to be used whlie connected to a console with a USB cable as well as wirelessly using Bluetooth.
Also available this week is a new PS Camera, also priced at $75, which doesn’t bring any new functionality, but sports a cylindrical design.
A new wireless headset, costing $200, uses Sony’s proprietary 3D audio technology to deliver a virtual 7.1 surround sound experience. It can be used with a 3.5 mm audio cable or wirelessly, and is constructed with multiple, hidden, noise-cancelling microphones.
Elton John, Alicia Keys, and Michael Bublé headline the Apple Music Festival
Starting on September 18, and going for 10 nights, is the Apple Music Festival at the Roundhouse in London, England.
Elton John opens the event, and Vancouver crooner Michael Bublé performs on September 28. Also performing are Britney Spears (!), Robbie Williams, and Chance the Rapper.
in the past, anyone could watch the festival through iTunes, but Apple’s now keeping the entertainment exclusive to Apple Music subscribers get to watch and listen to the shows live, and afterwards on-demand.
A subscription costs $10 per month for individuals, or $15 a month for a family sub.
Facebook post perfectly demonstrates human perceptual limits
There’s an optical illusion being passed around Facebook this week.
The post came from professor Akiyoshi Kitaoka who lives in Kyoto and works at Ritsumeikan University, and it’s simply a picture of a grid of grey lines. At the intersection of each line is a black dot.
But most people will only ever see one black dot at a time.
Why? It’s because human eyesight is constructed for pinpoint acuity, not peripheral vision. When you focus your eyesight on a point, your brain is kind of creating what it expects is in your periphery. So if it sees grey lines surrounding where you’re focusing, it’s going to create that picture for you, but it misses all the other black dots that end up “hiding” in the picture.
Some people with better than average peripheral vision can actually see more than one black dot at a time.
Kiaoka cites a research paper published in Perception as the source of the illusion.
The film, a take on Frankenstein that features a creature with artificial intelligence in the role of the monster, stars Kate Mara. And a few weeks prior to being released, a trailer for Morgan hit the Internet that was created by IBM’s Watson computer.
Specifically, Watson was asked to make “the scariest promotional video possible” according to a release. Watson accomplished this the same way any freshman university student would: It watched 100 classic horror movies to understand what makes things scary.
Then the entire Morgan film was loaded into Watson so it could create a trailer. From the press release: “What the research team realized was that Watson had put moments from Morgan into the trailer that other, human editors had not.”
This week, a rundown of everything we learned from Apple today. But first, Samsung is in the lurch with a recall of its flagship handset, the Galaxy Note 7.
Samsung suspends sales of Galaxy Note 7, issues recall
Last week, Samsung stopped selling the Galaxy Note 7 handset, and issued a recall for all existing customers.
The problem? The battery could explode while charging.
Canadians who own the Note 7 can can call 1-800-SAMSUNG to get more information on what they can do, but Samsung is promising to provide a new handset in exchange, and will be able to get a non-exploding Note 7 when the supply is replenished later this month.
The company reported that it had sold more than 1 million handsets since they went on sale on August 19.
Second edition Apple Watch built for activity, fitness
The new Apple Watch, called the Series 2, looks much the same as the first. But its changes are significant.
For one, the new Watch is swimproof, thanks to a 50-metre water resistance rating. It can be used in swimming pools or even the ocean. And it can track laps and lap pace.
A built-in GPS means that cyclists can now more accurately track time spent in the saddle, too.
The aluminium case is joined by a stainless steel case, and will be available to preorder starting at Cdn$489 on Friday, Sept. 9, for shipping in October.
Apple ditches the headphone jack in the new iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus
It’s true. Apple has removed the headphone jack from the new iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus. Intead of the usual white earbud, the new handsets, revealed in a press event today in San Francisco, will come equipped with EarPod, which plug into the Lightning port (also available separately for Cdn$35). An adapter for headphones with a standard 3.5 mm jack will also be included (and available for $10).
Apple’s also selling AirPods for $129, which are wireless headphones with a new, proprietary communications protocol that the company says will deliver better sound and better battery life (up to five hours). The case for the AirPods is a battery pack of sorts that charges the headphones when they are stored.
AirPods are, Apple claims, a breeze to set up, and will automatically connect to any of your Apple devices through your iCloud account. The headphones have a microphone built in for phone calls, and so users can talk to Siri.
The new iPhones also include improved cameras, with a 12-megapixel wide angle camera on the front and a 7-megapixel FaceTime HD camera. The iPhone 7 Plus also has a 12-megapixel telephoto camera.
The home button on the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus has also been redesigned to be responsive to different levels of force.
Pre-orders for the devices begin this Friday (Sept. 9) and they will be available the following Friday. They will be priced starting at $899, and will come in the following configurations:
• Silver, gold, rose gold, matte black in 32 GB, 128 GB, or 256 GB
• Jet black in 128 GB or 256 GB
This week, my take on the new Xbox One S hardware from Microsoft, some tech that’s great for back to school, and some apps to support learning.
Back to school technology
Primary school students in B.C. are getting a new curriculum this year, one that is focused on new ways of teaching and learning, one that leverages what decades of research has proven works best.
It’s still a broad curriculum that includes math and science, creative arts and social sciences, and new things like applied design.
These are things that can be supported by technology.
When it comes to tablets, Apple’s iPad is still the best option available. It comes in a range of sizes and configurations, and being able to use them with Bluetooth keyboards and styli, like the Apple Pencil, makes iPads even more usable.
Sometimes, though, you just need a computer. Lightweight, powerful laptops are good options for students, who have to carry the things around everywhere.
Microsoft’s Surface 4 is a tablet in form, but a computer in function. It comes with a keyboard cover and can also be used with a stylus.
Samsung also has a tablet that is more like a computer. The Galaxy TabPro S
Other slim options that run the Windows operating system include Dell’s XPS 13 and the delightful ZenBook UX360 from ASUS (which also comes in a flip design so you can use it as a tablet if you want).
Some students are able to get by without a computer at all using only a smartphone.
Samsung’s Galaxy Note7, with its oversize screen and built-in stylus, the S Pen, is the best Android option available.
Apple’s now got the oversize iPhone 6S Plus, but next week we’ll find out what the company has in store with the iPhone 7.
And while it’s difficult to justify a printer these days – everything is digtal – the HP Deskjet 3755 is a decent option. It’s only $50 (on sale from the usual $90), you connect to it wirelessly, and you can use it to print papers and photos.
Apps that can help kids learn to code
B.C. is a province of high tech thinkers and companies. There’s also the claim by Premier Clark that all students in kindergarten through Grade 12 will get a chance to learn how to code.
You don’t actually need a computer to learn basic coding skills. In fact, paper and pencils work great for that. And there are some fun board games designed for kids that also teach coding basics.
But when your kids are ready for actual coding, they can start with ScratchJr, which gives children as young as 5 a chance to program their own stories and games.
You might think that Minecraft is nothing more than a video game, but you’re mistaken. Minecraft is a vast suite of tools for engineering, construction, creativity and imagination.
When your kids are fluent in the Minecraft environment, they can start using Tynker to create their own skins and mods for their Minecraft worlds.
Both ScratchJr and Tynker exist for multiple platforms. Apple has adopted Swift Playgrounds to help kids learn to code on iPads. Apple will be releasing the app free this fall.
Two other good apps that support learning are Google Earth and WolframAlpha, both of which are available for computers, smartphones, and tablets. The former is an extraordinary way to explore our planet, while the latter is a browser-based computational system that gives students a way to explore everything about our planet.
Finally, The Elements is a visual presentation of the periodic table of the elements, based on the book by Popular Science magazine’s Theodore Gray. There’s a story for each element, and how the various elements are connected is presented visually.
Xbox One S a sleek, refined console
Nearly three years after Microsoft released the Xbox One next generation console, the company has refined the hardware with the Xbox One S.
Noticeably smaller than the original – 40 percent according to Microsoft – the ghost white S has shed the bulky, cumbersome, inconvenient power supply for an internal solution. That also means that the S is a more efficient machine.
When you set up a new S, it gives you the option of choosing a more energy efficient operating profile, although to do so you will sacrifice the instant-on feature of the console.
The launch edition Xbox One S comes with a 2 TB hard drive, which should be the bare minimum these days. It’s priced at $500. A Halo Collection bundle with a 1 TB hard drive is $450, and gives you all the Halo games, too.
A distressed red model with a 2 TB hard drive is being packaged with Gears of War 4 for $550. It will be released on October 7.
The S comes with the new and improved Xbox controller, which you can personalize using the Xbox Design Lab:“http://www.straight.com/blogra/729796/week-video-games-july-4-2016-xbox-design-lab-steelseries-lego-news”. It does not include the Kinect hands-free controller. If you’ve upgraded you can get an adapter for your Kinect for free directly from Microsoft.
The new console does much more than play games. Like the Xbox One, it streams media, acts as a TV tuner, and also plays DVDs and Blu-ray discs and supports high dynamic range video.
In fact, because the Xbox One S can play 4K UHD Blu-ray videos, it is actually among the cheapest such Blu-ray players on the market.
And you can play games on it, too.
The same games, in fact, that you may already be playing on the original Xbox One. And if you’ve already got that console, you probably don’t need the Xbox One S. While the S is a more powerful machine, you may not notice that power.
Last night, host Ian Power and I talked about Sony’s new Research Award program that is giving out annual grants for up to $150,000 to North American universities, what makes Derek Drouin a gold-medal winning high jumper, and Dyson’s new vacuum, which happens to be a robot.
The Mind Control Division is the intelligence arm of Blaine Kyllo's Solo Corps Creative Incorporated. This department conducts investigations and experiments into media and technology culture.
