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Aaron Luboff

AskSteve.co.za’s FRIDAY NEWS ROUNDUP

May 21, 2015 By Aaron Luboff In Technology

Sometimes we just don’t get round to covering everything we’d like in the world of TECH, MOTORING AND GAMING. So every Friday we’ll bring you a roundup of the news we just didn’t get round to. Enjoy like mad yo!

LG build the flattest TV you’ll ever stick on your wall LG has unveiled a 55-inch OLED TV prototype measuring only 0.1cm and weighing 1.9Kg. Besides weighing way less than a newborn, the most awesome feature is the magnetic mat it comes with which means you can stick the TV to just about anything. They haven’t said anything about release date or when they’ll incorporate the tech into anything else, but we’re crossing our fingers. We’re thinking a windscreen…no that would be bad.

Britain may be phasing out Diesel Cars This may not apply to us now, but it could be a scary sign of things to come. The UK’s Department for the Environment are looking to pass new laws governing nitrogen dioxide emissions, and many motoring enthusiasts are predicting that diesel cars are going to be a victim. Since nearly all trucks are diesel fuelled, we expect a huge backlash. The legislature is due by the end of the year, so we’ll wait and see and keep you updated.

Need for Speed is being completely rebooted If anything can sum up the current state of gaming, it’s “reboot”. From Tomb Raider to Wolfenstein, everything that had a game out in the last 10 years is being reset and revamped. Need for Speed has just become the new victim of the trend. The next game, due out in spring this year, will just be called Need for Speed. The developers, Ghost Studios, the makers of 2013’s Need for Speed Rivals, claim they are going back to the roots of the franchise with the “urban car scene”. They’ve so far only released this trailer.

High School student took down an entire school district’s internet A teen from Idaho arranged for an attack on his school district’s internet access. He succeeded, causing over 50 schools to lose internet, which stopped them from doing things like payroll and even standardised tests. Some students were in the middle of writing exams and will now be forced to take it again. While the student hasn’t been named, he has been caught by his IP address being traced. If convicted, he’ll have to spend up to six months in jail and will have to pay for the losses that the school’s incurred.

Google’s self-driving Buggies, coming soon

May 19, 2015 By Aaron Luboff In Motoring, Technology

Self-driving cars. We know the techs not fully there yet, but Google have gotten the go-ahead for their self driving cars none-the-less. And it’s Google. They know what they’re doing. Right?

Whatever the readiness, there’s no denying that there’s something sexy about being able to finish that episode of Game Of Thrones during your commute to work.

Google’s new buggy is small, has only two seats and is about 3/4 the size of a regular hatch, and more impressively, Google has built them from the ground up. No more Priuses or Lexus SUVs, Google is now a car manufacturer.

They dertainly don’t look very good, but they’re not supposed to. Rumours have been circling that the cars will be used to provide a service akin to Uber, rather than being able to buy one for yourself.

Since the cars are only in the testing phase, they will need a human driver inside at all times. But, as an indication of their plans, the steering wheel is removable and the brake and accelerator have been attached on specifically for the test cars.

The cars will still run autonomously, but the driver is inside just to make sure no malfunctions happen. All the data gathered from Google’s fleet is being programmed into the buggies, so we doubt anything will happen.

Google currently claims that every accident their fleet has been involved in has been due to human error, so we imagine countries will soon be falling over themselves to give the Google Buggy the go ahead soon. And when asked why would anyone get into a car without a steering wheel, Google is insisting that these new Buggies will surely reduce accidents, cut down traffic congestion, help those with mobility problems and offer many more adaptations.

After you Google.

Zero Energy Table air conditions a room with smart materials instead of electricity

May 19, 2015 By Aaron Luboff In Technology

Electricity usage is such a widespread issue and and one of the biggest power sinks is air conditioning. Whether you’re warming or cooling your home, or your entire office building, the numbers add up. Two designers from Paris however, seem to have come up with a way to help us rely less on AC.

Enter the “Zero Energy Table”, it may look like a normal table, but underneath is a slew of materials that turn the table into a “thermal sponge”. When the room goes above 21 degrees, the material softens to absorb heat. If the temperature drops below the threshold, the material will harden again. The heat that was absorbed is dispersed around the room using the wavy aluminium along the bottom.

The duo behind the table is designer Jean-Sébastien Lagrange and architect and engineer Raphaël Ménard. They claim that in a conference room of 15 people the table is able to reduce up to 30% of air conditioning usage.

There are drawbacks of course: if the temperature never goes above 21 degrees, the table goes back to just being a table. And if it’s extremely hot, the table won’t cool anything down. It’s just a prototype for now, but the team want to release a line of industrial furniture that is designed around saving electricity. They have also mentioned designing a lighting system that can store the heat generated from bulbs.

Sony announces new Xperia C4, another camera that makes #selfies easier

May 13, 2015 By Aaron Luboff In Technology

It seem regardless of our outcries, selfies are here to stay. Sony have made that abundantly clear with the new Xperia C4. The phone is all about taking pictures of yourself and even has a front flash. While the phone isn’t exactly underpowered, it lacks the latest specs that would put it anywhere close to the flagship Xperia Z3.

The C4 has a 5.5 inch screen and 1.7GHz processor. These won’t set the world on fire but casual users (which the C4 is marketed to) should have no problems. The 16 Gigs of memory is also pretty standard, but with MicroSD support for up to 128GB, a little extra cash should quell any problems of running out of space.

The cameras are why we’re here though, and that’s where the C4 becomes a lot less “standard”. At the back is a 13MP camera meant for more traditional picture taking, and the front camera boasts 5MP and even a flash for dark environments. Strap this to a 25mm wide angle lens, and we’re talking awesomeness. The phone has Steady Shot which will keep motion blur to a minimum, and has a number of other augmenting features so your food will look it’s absolute best on Instagram. If you are going to take selfies, this is the way to do it.

Sony hasn’t released any news regarding the price of the C4, but they said the phone will launch in June. We don’t imagine it to be too expensive (we estimate around R6000), but by next month you can take selfies with the best of them.

Apple’s New Macbook. More than just more powerful and thinner.

May 12, 2015 By Aaron Luboff In Technology

After playing with the new Apple Macbook last week, one thing is clear to us: this is a device we NEED to use. Instead of just making it more powerful and thinner, Apple have added in features that make our laptops at home seem a bit under par, like the new keyboard, the force feedback touchpad, and so much more.

First off, Apple have put Intel Core Ms in the new Macbook. The chip is designed to stray between running cool and silent for when you just need to use Word or watch a video online, and pushing for higher performance. While you can’t have 15 programs open while watching a video, we expect the laptop to handle day to day life without breaking a sweat.

One of the big new features Apple won’t stop talking about is the keyboard. Their keyboard used to have a scissors like mechanism under the buttons, which made them pop up slightly. They’ve now changed over to what they call a butterfly mechanism. The buttons are now almost in line with the rest of the device. Apple claimed that if you take a glance, it almost looks like the keyboard isn’t there at all. After messing around with it for a while, we have to agree. Apple have also put LEDs under each button, perfect for working at night.

The other brand new feature is the force-feedback touchpad. Under the pad there is an electromagnet that shifts when it’s clicked. It can sense how hard it is being pressed and Apple have incorporated it into Safari and it’s other programs. For example, if you’re crawling through Wikipedia and find a word you don’t know, you can put the cursor on it and push down harder with your finger. Safari will immediately bring up a dictionary entry for the word.

The battery life has been greatly improved too. Apple have developed all new batteries that look more like cloths than rectangular blocks. They claim that the new design has helped them to squeeze all the power they can out of the device and promise a 9-hour battery life. While we don’t care much for the design of the battery, 9 hours is enticing.

Apple didn’t say much in terms of release date, but they said it will start around R12 000. The Macbook comes in three colours. Gold, Silver and Space Grey. The base model has a 1.1Ghz processor, and the second has a 1.2GHz. While it’s not a huge difference, those who want the best from their laptop will have to consider it. Bear in mind that the new Macbook uses one USB-C drive for charging and for all other accessories. An adaptor for this costs R950. While it’s a shame that we need to fork out more just to plug in a USB drive, it’s a necessary trade off for just how thin the device is.

Get it: R12 000 and up
From: www.myiStore.co.za

What is Microsoft HoloLens and what does it mean for gaming and productivity? #HoloLens

May 6, 2015 By Aaron Luboff In Technology

Microsoft has just announced their new HoloLens. It’s the latest in the growing trend of virtual reality, but instead of just putting the screens closer to your face like the Oculus Rift or Google Glass, the HoleLens is a computer that projects programs and screens literally onto anything and everything around you.

This isn’t CGI. It’s 100% real

The HoloLens uses your hands and your voice to operate; think Kinect but more immersive. You can drag programs, make them smaller or bigger, and even tell them to “follow you”. This will make the window follow behind you while you walk. Have you ever been watching a movie and needed to make coffee? Now instead of pausing, you just take the movie with you and stick it on your fridge.

Constantly updating, with weather motion like rain and waves

Microsoft isn’t just stopping at making your apps more convenient. A big story from last year was Microsoft’s purchase of Minecraft, and now we know why. Microsoft is touting Minecraft HoloLens as the products “killer app”, and watching the segment in the video, we are inclined to agree. The HoloLens will obviously not be limited to one game, and we imagine everything from Angry Birds to Call of Duty will eventually have some HoloLens integration. We just keep imagining that scene from Iron Man 2 takes a holographic basketball and nets it in a basket.

This does not bode well for our Minecraft addictions

The HoloLens is also promising to help productivity. Another segment in the trailer shows a woman designing a motorcycle through HoloLens. She has a holographic model on her desk, and even augments the real life product through the Lens. Since the device is running full Windows 10, the HoloLens will have access to OneDrive, Word and a host of other products you can use when you’re on the clock, and Microsoft maintains that “the HoloLens is as beneficial for productivity as much as tablets.”

No more complaining about your colleague wearing too much makeup

Microsoft hasn’t announced a price for the Hololens yet, but they have said that it will be available “in the same time-frame as Windows 10″. Whether this mean at the end of the year, or just in the time frame of Windows 10’s life cycle is still unknown, but we expect to get more information pretty soon. If we had this in our basement, all we’d want to do is tell people about it.

Tesla’s new Powerwall – For when the Lights Go Out.

May 3, 2015 By Aaron Luboff In Technology

Obviously electricity usage is a huge issue in South Africa. As this article is typed, there’s a good chance the power will go out before it’s even uploaded. Enter Tesla, and while their new Powerwall isn’t exactly in response to our situation, it looks like it can solve our consumption issues as well as making sure our lights don’t go out even when Eskom cuts them.

Tesla has been working with alternative energy sources for a while. Their fully electronic Tesla Roadster is proof of that. Now, they want to make your home self-sustainable, and it sounds promising.

The Powerwall is a huge rechargeable battery, and while it sounds redundant to charge a battery with power in order to save power, it’s about where the power comes from and how it’s distributed that make all the difference. Aside from it’s battery properties, the Powerwall is also an intelligent device with an internet connection and it tracks your usage and disperses the power accordingly. It’s most important feature though is something called “Load Shifting”. The Powerwall will charge when electricity is cheapest (very relevant in current-day South Africa), and power appliances during peak times to save on cost.

The Powerwall can also be charged using solar panels. Tesla theorizes that at certain times, when electricity usage is relatively low, the unit can distribute electricity in a way that your house can run without any of Eskom’s help at all. While it is time dependent, it’s still mouth watering to think about getting a few hours for free.

The Powerwall is set to launch in late winter, so we think between June and September. Tesla hasn’t announced anything regarding international availability, but the Powerwall is available to pre-order from their website now. There are two models. A 7kWH model intended for light power usage set with a R36 000 price-tag, and a 10kWH model intended for full home usage and the price is R42 000.

You’ll notice that this is not cheap and also these prices don’t include a DC-AC inverter that you’ll need or installation costs. Alongside these concerns, there’s the question that researcher Winfried Hoffman, the former CTO of Applied Materials, has raised during his research on the falling costs of battery power. All this leaves us wondering, is this just another early adopter tech that only rich people will be able to afford?

Get it: R36 000 – R42 000
From: www.teslamotors.com/powerwall

LG announces curved-back flagship G4 smartphone

April 29, 2015 By Aaron Luboff In Technology

LG have just announced their brand new flagship phone; the G4. Continuing on the success of the G3, the new model touts the latest and greatest hardware; with lots of emphasis on the brand new 5.5-inch “Quantum Screen”. The phone also has a leather back with actual stitching. There’s also a slight curve that we assume is just there to look nice.

Sporting a Snapdragon 808 processor, we have no doubt the phone will be quick, but time will tell if it can beat the Galaxy S6’s 8-core chip. In terms of battery life, the 3000mAh battery promises to get you through a normal day’s usage, but unlike Samsung and Apple’s flagship, the battery in the G4 is removable. So if you find yourself often needing a mid-day charge, you can buy a better battery or just swap it out with another. On top of the removable back, the G4 has SD card support if the 32GB of on-board memory just isn’t cutting it.

The camera has been greatly improved too. The back camera is 16MP with a bunch of technical mumbo that basically helps take pictures in low light. The front sports an 8MP camera with gesture control for easier selfies. There’s also advanced options like ISO control, aperture and shutter speed.

Like the G3 before it, the lock and volume buttons are on the back. Most people find it pretty jarring at first, but we have G3’s and we can say for sure that once you accustom yourself to it, it’s actually more convenient than the conventional layout. The buttons on the G4 seem to have been enlarged though, perhaps in response to the confusion?

The leather on the back is easily the most interesting design choice of the G4. It’s genuine leather with real stitching; almost making it resemble a car seat. It’s nice to look at and gives the phone an executive vibe, but the leather can scratch and dent, so a cover will be mandatory. If you don’t like the leather (50 Shades flashbacks), you can get a plain plastic cover.

LG have been mum on availability and price of the G4, but we expect to get details pretty soon.

You can check out our review of the G3 here.

New Wireless Battery Makes Charging Your Phone Easier Than Ever

April 28, 2015 By Aaron Luboff In Technology

For most people (definitely us!), a single charge of our phones won’t get us through the day. We walk around, with a big power bank in our back pocket connected to the cellphone in our front. Besides making you look like a tool, it’s just not convenient. Enter Rubix, a Kickstarter project designed to take the cable out of the equation.

Simply dubbed “ON”, the project features a cover, and a power bank which is designed to magnetically snap onto the back of your phone. Coming in at only 13.9mm, it’s small, but it packs 5000mah which, for the non-tech inclined, is a lot of juice. Rubix have also added a power receiver on the bottom for good measure, so you could theoretically snap the battery onto your phone and put them both on a power mat to charge both at once. Finally, if you’re boring, or if you have a sweet Breaking Bad cover already, you could use a USB cable with the pack.

The project launched yesterday and has already made over $5000 and is showing no signs of stopping. Rubix have until the 30th of May to reach their $80 000 goal, but we imagine they’ll hit their stretch goals which will allow for covers of the Galaxy S6, S6 Edge and the iPhone Plus (The iPhone 6 is the only currently planned phone to be compatible).

With only a $10 international shipping cost (about R120) we think it’s worth giving a look. The charger will cost you R830 and a cover will be another R480, but you could nab both for R1200. Sure it’s not cheap, but with wireless charging becoming increasingly popular, it’s a trend we’ll all have to succumb to eventually. Cables are pretty dumb anyway.

Get it: About R1 000
From: www.kickstarter.com/projects/rubixco/on/description

Mecer A801 cheapie tablet probably good for the kids

April 24, 2015 By Aaron Luboff In Technology

8-inch Gorilla glass touchscreen featuring Windows 8.1
UI is a bit clunky and 16GB of RAM isn’t enough
2MP front and rear-facing cameras

The Mecer A801 is a tablet with full Windows capability. This isn’t Windows dumbed down, this is Windows from Metro desktop to programs like Outlook and iTunes. For that, it should be commended, but with only 1GB of RAM, it’s a 2nd screen at best.

At 8-inches, the A801 is perfectly sized to fit in your jacket pocket or your purse. The ports and buttons are easily accessible, and the inclusion of an HDMI port (granted it’s a micro port) is a nice touch. With that being said, it has a single touch button on the front which functions as the start button, and it’s as responsive as a deaf Alzheimer’s patient. At first we thought it was there to show off the Windows logo, but we accidentally brushed a finger on it after a few days and suddenly the start screen booted. It’s possible that it’s just a bug on this particular device, but it’s something to bear in mind.

There’s a reason that companies adapt their software for mobile, mainly because trying to use a computer without a proper mouse and keyboard can be disastrous at times and this isn’t convenient at all when working on a tablet in a coffee shop. While the A801 does put a PC in your hands, opening up miniscule settings like Wi-Fi or volume in the bottom right corner can be frustrating without the help of a mouse arrow. No matter who you are, your fingers are going to be a bit too big.

The A801’s biggest problem though is it’s relatively miniscule 1GB of RAM. Granted this is an entry-level tablet not directly competing with the Samsung Notes of the world, but such little RAM severely limits the programs you can run, and even how many smaller ones you can have open at a time. Where tablets running Android and iOS minimise background applications when you’re not using them, the A801 keeps them running in real time, which takes up a hefty part of the little RAM it has.

The A801 has 16GB of memory for everything and this limits it a bit. While Samsung and Apple get away with this due to apps being small and limiting the files you can keep on your devices, the A801 tries to have it all, but only ends up with 16GB of “it all”. There is a micro SD card slot, but buying the highest available SD card (128GB) will set you back around R1500. That’s more than half the price of the tablet itself, and it’s not a lot of memory for a computer to begin with.

Most of the drawbacks can be ignored when the device is taken for just a tablet. It has front and rear cameras, and the quad-core processor can be impressively fast at times, provided you don’t have that many programs open. It even ships with a micro-USB to USB adapter, so using flash drives or keyboards isn’t a problem.

We may have been hard on the A801, but if you can control what programs you have open, make your peace with the clunky UI and actually believe that it only costs R2 000, it’s actually a great choice for a tablet.

Get It: R2 000
From: http://www.takealot.com/mecer-xpress-8-tablet-3g-wifi/PLID34151989