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Techradar

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• How to make a $9 supercomputer
• Project Ara was just kidding about that failed drop test
• What is speaker burn-in?
• Google Photos has gone all Throwback Thursday on us
• Updated: 50 best Android games 2015: our top picks
• You may never run out of battery life with the Samsung Galaxy Note 5 Active
• Review: Olloclip Active
• Hands-on review: Logitech ConferenceCam Connect
• Apple gains ground on Samsung's smartphone market share
• Instagram update makes it too easy to share your location
• Android Wear watch faces get an interactive upgrade
• Mac Tips: GarageBand: How to trim a track
• Android Wear can now translate almost any conversation
• There's nothing compact about this Sony Xperia Z5 Compact leak
• Updated: HBO Now: Everything you need to know about HBO's standalone service
• Microsoft is planning a huge October event for a ton of new devices
• Google Chrome crashes out of latest Windows 10 preview
• BlackBerry Venice release date, news and rumors
• HTC Aero release date, news and rumors
• Updated: Valve Steam Machine release date, news and features

How to make a $9 supercomputer Posted: 20 Aug 2015 06:40 PM PDT How to make a $9 supercomputer The year was 1999, the tech world was in the grip of the 'Y2K bug' and two computer chip makers were going at it, hammer and tongs, in the race to be first to reach the 1GHz mark. By early-March the following year, the first desktop computer to reach the 1GHz milestone had arrived in Australia. It was the 'Select 1000' from US computer company Gateway and at that time, it was state-of-the-art – a 1000MHz AMD Athlon processor, 128MB of memory and 34GB hard drive. It even came with a shiny new 17-inch CRT (TV tube) monitor. The price? A cool $5999. Wind the clock forward 15 years and another new 1GHz computer has made its debut, this time on Kickstarter, called CHIP. In addition to its 1GHz processor, you'll find 512MB of RAM and 4GB of on-board flash. Unlike the Gateway Select, CHIP also packs in 802.11n Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.0 wireless connectivity. Its price also finishes with a '9'. The difference is here, that '9' is the only digit. It's taken 15 years, but a 1GHz computer has now fallen in price from $5999 to just $9. (We're) Allwinners Okay, that might be a stretch considering what that $9 does and doesn't include, but it doesn't lessen the achievement. The popular Raspberry Pi revolutionised low-cost computing in 2012 with its credit-card form factor and US$25 price tag, but CHIP clearly aims to take that to the next level. It's built around the new 1GHz R8 'system on a chip' (SoC) processor from Chinese chipmaker Allwinner and is an updated version of another chip, the single-core A13, made popular in early Android tablets from China's Shenzhen tech district. If you're not familiar with Allwinner, it's the chipmaker Hewlett-Packard has tapped on numerous occasions to power some of its tablets, including the 7- and 8-inch G2 Android models. Like an increasing number of chipmakers, Allwinner gets a good deal of its tech from chip designer ARM, the name behind most smartphones and tablets, Android and iOS. Still, that new R8 chip features a single-core Cortex A8 design that should push CHIP about 30-50% faster than the original Raspberry Pi. What's it for? The Raspberry Pi has been used to teach everything from coding robots to capturing images at the edge of the earth's atmosphere and if anything, CHIP has the potential to be even more versatile. For your $9, CHIP only provides composite-video output to a monitor or TV – the Kickstarter campaign requires you to cough up another $10 to grab a VGA adapter or another $15 for HDMI. But unlike the Raspberry Pi and many copies since, CHIP is modular – on the one hand, you can use the $9 computer to make gadgets faster and more powerful than popular 'Arduino' boards; on the other, plug in a video module and it becomes a fully-fledged Linux computer with wireless internet. CHIP has a series of what are called 'general-purpose input-output' (GPIO) connections to add in your own electronics – sensors, LEDs, even small LCD panels. Other connections allow Lithium-polymer batteries (yes, it will charge those batteries, too). Raspberry Pi also has GPIO points, but use the Pi as a single-function computer to drive a robot or quadcopter and the extra HDMI and Ethernet ports come along for the ride unnecessarily. With CHIP, they don't, reducing its size and cost. But its CHIP's inclusion of 802.11n Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.0 in that $9 that not only makes it more versatile, it'll make CHIP ripe for use in the fast-growing market that combines the power of the internet with the ingenuity and imagination of the 'maker' community. Meet your makers Essentially, CHIP becomes another player in the booming Internet of Things (IoT) market that appeals equally to commercial engineers and home hobbyists or 'makers' alike. But while global companies continue figuring out how to connect everything from cars to washing machines to the internet, the fast-falling cost of this technology means the maker community is equally equipped to churn out extraordinary gadgets. And pretty extraordinary gadgets we've seen – from smart lighting products such as the LIFX wireless LED light bulb, invented by Australian designer Phil Bosua, to Oculus Rift, the 3D head-mount display originally created by 18-year-old Palmer Luckey in his parent's garage. LIFX has since raised over US$13 million in funding, but it's Oculus VR that has become the 'poster child' for home inventors everywhere when it sold in March 2014 to Facebook in a cash and share deal worth a cool US$2 billion. Modern-day Meccano Englishman Frank Hornby's 1901-patented construction set that quickly became Meccano has taught and inspired imaginations for several generations. It's still available today, but the 21st-century digital construction set is the microcontroller, a computer chip with its own small amounts of RAM and flash storage enabling makers to create their own gadgets. Today, Arduino is the central hub of the maker movement, using predominantly low-cost 8-bit microcontroller boards to help teach electronics engineering to a new generation of students, as well as powering everything from robots to 3D printers, quadcopters to wearables of all types. But Arduino is continuing its move into a more-modern 32-bit processing world with the up-coming release of Arduino Zero, a compact board powered by a 72MHz Cortex M0+ microcontroller, originally from ARM – the same 'ARM' designing chips for smartphones, tablets and $9 computers. Still, for single-function 'embedded' applications, you can go a lot cheaper than $9 – tiny microcontroller boards featuring the 8-bit STM8S103 chip sell on eBay for $1.50; easier-to-use Arduino Nano v3.0 boards for around $3. Big-names move in While CHIP and Raspberry Pi have garnered their share of limelight, this growth in the maker/IoT community hasn't escaped the notice of technology giants. Already, global chipmaker Intel has jumped onto the bandwagon with Galileo and Edison microcomputer boards, the latter featuring a new Intel triple-core (dual 500MHz Atom/single 100MHz Quark) processor. Earlier this year, the chip giant announced Curie, a tiny 18-millimetre coat-button sized platform with Intel's first dedicated IoT chip, the 32-bit Quark SE, featuring 80KB of RAM, 384KB of flash storage, Bluetooth, sensors and power draw low enough to run from a coin battery. But in May, Korean heavyweight Samsung decided to join the party, revealing its own ARTIK platform and following in Intel's footsteps to sign up to the Arduino-Certified program. But although it makes its own Exynos chips that power famous products like the Samsung Galaxy S6 smartphone, Samsung isn't wedded to them here. Instead, the smallest of the three ARTIK boards uses tech from yet another chip designer called MIPS Technologies. MIPS started out as a research project at Stanford University in the mid-1980s and developed computer chip technologies that appeared in systems from Silicon Graphics and Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC). ARTIK 1, 5, 10 The ARTIK platform has three members so far – the ARTIK 1, ARTIK 5 and ARTIK 10. The ARTIK 1 runs a dual-core MIPS microAptiv processor, one core clocking at 250MHz, the other 80MHz and is just 12-millimetres square. In that space, you get a 9-axis motion sensor with accelerometer, gyroscope and magnetometer, 1MB of RAM, 4MB of flash storage, support for 800x480-pixel display and Bluetooth Low-Energy (BLE) 4.0. There's even a crypto-engine for securing data. The ARTIK 5 packs a 1GHz dual-core ARM processor with Mali-400 graphics (similar to a Galaxy S2 phone), 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi, 512MB of RAM, 4GB of flash and H.264 video decoding into a board just 29 x 25-millimetres. The top-drawer ARTIK 10 includes Samsung's Octa core chip with 2GB of RAM, 16GB of flash storage and the ability to decode 1080p (full HD) H.264 video at up to 120 frames per second. Aside from how it's received by the maker community, ARTIK will help Samsung achieve its own goals of having all Samsung product connected to the internet by 2020 – everything from air purifiers to ovens. Microsoft joins Arduino But in a sign of just how important the Maker market is becoming, software giant Microsoft has made the Windows 10 operating system heavily focused towards the maker and IoT communities. First, there'll be a free version of Windows 10 IoT Core for the recently-released Raspberry Pi 2. But further, Windows 10 has joined the 'Arduino-certified' program. Microsoft's Arduino play comes in two parts – Windows Virtual Shield for Arduino will allow Arduino makers to patch into the hardware sensors of Windows phones such as the Nokia Lumia 530, and Windows Remote Arduino will enable software coders to add Arduino commands to their universal apps and add external hardware to their projects. In fact, you can get started with it right now - Microsoft has released the open-source libraries to make Windows 10 and Arduino talk to each other and you can download them here. How much is IoT worth? If you're thinking this global interest in all things IoT and 'maker' seems a bit overcooked, Oculus VR's US$2 billion sale is a good counter-argument. But you can be certain the combined might of Intel, Microsoft and Samsung can smell the potential coin to be made from IoT – and the numbers are extraordinary. In April this year, analysts at IDC forecast the market for IoT technology in just the Asia/Pacific region alone, not including Japan, will reach a staggering US$583 billion by 2020, with the number of internet-connected 'things' topping a whopping 8.6 billion. With these numbers, you can only imagine what the US and European markets will be worth. But with this much money in the offing, arguably the greatest surprise is the way these global tech giants are embracing the maker community with catch phrases like 'what will you make?' almost as numerous as IoT chips themselves. Future tech - made by you! Why are they doing it? Because they well know another Oculus Rift could be waiting in the wings. Just as the iPhone killed off the MP3 player market, IoT spells danger and opportunity for established players in almost equal measure. It democratises computer engineering – Oculus Rift showed that anyone with a great idea now has access to the tools, software and hardware to turn that idea into reality. To that end, Samsung is already working with Arduino to get ARTIK supported by the Arduino IDE (integrated development environment), the app most commonly used to code Arduino boards. The Arduino IDE itself is rudimentary by modern standards and not universally loved, but its ease of use has helped it become the rallying point for the major IoT platforms, from Intel Edison and Samsung ARTIK to Arduino and lesser known but highly-regarded platforms like Teensy. During World War II, the codebreakers at MI6's famed Bletchley Park needed an automated way of helping crack German military codes. His superiors thought he was nuts, but after many months, electrical engineer Tommy Flowers developed the world's first all-electronic programmable computer called 'Colossus' in December 1943, made from radio spare parts. He had a second upgraded computer in operation by June 1944 in time for the D-Day Landings. Flowers designed Colossus from scratch, one electronic component at a time. The power of today's microcontrollers not only gives you essentially the same tools corporate engineers play with, the simplified language used by the Arduino IDE means you can make your idea in a fraction of the time it used to take. Making your own tech today is far less 'Colossus' and much more 'modern-day Meccano'. Start your imagination The $9 computer has been made possible by the relentless development of newer, faster, more power-efficient processors. And now Intel, Microsoft and Samsung are all very publicly promoting their toys to hobbyists, makers, STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) students – anyone who has an idea they want to make. But it's not all beer and skittles – there are risks with IoT. Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak thinks the IoT market has all the hallmarks of another tech bubble, not to mention the potential security risk in having so many appliances and gadgets connected to the Internet. But you can still be a maker and forget IoT – not every gadget has to connect to the internet. And the more you understand how technology works – right down to the coding level – the more in control of your tech future you'll be.

Project Ara was just kidding about that failed drop test Posted: 20 Aug 2015 04:41 PM PDT It's been a long week of dribbled information from Project Ara, and today is no exception with another series of tweets. This time, Project Ara took to Twitter to say that it was joking yesterday when it posted "No more electropermanent magnets," along with the hashtag #FailedTheDropTest. The tweet led many to speculate that this is why the handset's launch was delayed until next year. But today, the Project Ara team tweeted: "BTW #FailedTheDropTest was a joke. Didn't fail. We have been configuring a new solution. It's better too. #WorkingOnOurHumor". It now seems that the delay is due to Project Ara not only working on a new solution for how modules connect within the handset, but also due to it tinkering with some of its components as well. Project Ara posted two other tweets today as well, saying that it was also working on a better camera and a better battery life. Either way, we're happy to hear the Project Ara team is working on its humor, too. Check out this old Project Ara prototype in action while we wait for more from Google

What is speaker burn-in? Posted: 20 Aug 2015 04:00 PM PDT What is speaker burn-in? I like to think that my beliefs and preferences, when it comes to the world of audio, are based more on engineering data and attempted objectivity than just hear-say. However, sometimes objectivism – that is, taking measurements and producing data – fails to create consensus on a topic; just because we can measure an effect doesn't mean that we can hear it. A prime example here is speaker 'burn-in.' Burn-in is the belief that the drivers (the parts that make the sound) in speakers and headphones arrive stiff and inflexible from the factory, which makes them sound harsh. It's only after continued use that they loosen up and reach their peak performance. The period of time that it takes for these drivers to reach their intended state is known as the burn-in length, and some high-end manufacturers will even quote recommended burn-in lengths for their speakers. Following this line of thought, this means that those brand new expensive speakers or headphones that you only started using yesterday are but a glimmer of their true selves, and, in order to hear them in their true intended form, you need to pump sound through them for anywhere from 10 to a few hundred hours. Fact or fiction? If you start digging through audio forums (particularly headphone forums), you'll find countless anecdotes that follow the same story arc: a new set of headphones sounded harsh, but after playing white noise (static)/pink noise (fancy static)/audiophile album of choice (Lou Reed) through them for x hours, they opened up/sounded warmer/produced tighter bass/etc. I see this as a tremendous waste of time, and – in the case of speakers – a terrible annoyance. But is it really a tremendous waste of time? Surely if (some) speaker manufacturers recommend it, it must be true, yes? After all, it's not like it's generating them any extra revenue. Unfortunately, it's not so easy to prove or disprove. Miniscule changes Scanning through the literature, I've found a few particularly well-executed tests that have, indeed, found changes in driver properties over a period of burn-in – but the changes are miniscule; so miniscule that only those with well-trained ears are likely to notice a difference, and then only a minor one. This is really important to note: even though burn-in appears to have a physical effect on the drivers, it's not going to have the level of effect that so many forum members purport it to. So, why do people say that it does? Well, I think it comes down to two main reasons: unless someone has two sets of speakers or headphones – one brand new, one already burned in – there's no way for them to compare the two. They instead have to rely on a sonic memory that is days old. It's hard enough comparing two similar sounds separated by seconds, so the idea that someone can definitively say that this new sound is superior to one they heard days ago is quite a stretch. The other reason is that your auditory system (that is, the complex processing machines that convert sound into information interpreted by your brain) will grow used to a set of speakers' or headphones' sonic signature over time. I've had headphones that sounded terrible when I first got them, but grew better (indeed, superb) over time. Burn in, surely! Nope: they were second hand. It's just that my previous headphones were quite bassy, and these were quite bright, and my brain didn't enjoy the change. This won't stop a hoard of believers from filling up forums with anecdotes reinforcing their beliefs. And besides, what's the harm? You only defer your use of the headphones/speakers by a few days, and you may just have a better product at the end of it. Indeed, it looks like there can be no consensus. So, let's take a look at what some of the tests have concluded and allow you to pick your side on this endless debate. What changes? First of all, though, let's examine what happens to drivers as they are first used. The spiders attached to the rear of the cone are usually made of a cloth that is shaped and impregnated with a resin. As the spiders move for the first time, the epoxy cracks and become pliable. The idea is that the epoxy takes time to grow effortlessly pliable, and the sound will suffer until that happens. To a lesser degree, this also goes for the speaker surrounds. Now, before I go too far down the track here, I feel that it's worth pointing out that while headphones are just small speakers with head straps, burn-in doesn't apply to all of them. As noted by Bryan Gardiner in a 2013 article covering headphone burn-in for Wired, the tiny armature drivers used in quality in-ear headphones just don't have the same potential for mechanical change that normal voice coil drivers do. Indeed, as Bryan notes, Shure has been running measurements on the armature drivers in its E1 in-ear monitors since they were first launched in 1997, and the results show that the sonic signature of their test pairs hasn't changed in the nearly 20 years of on-going examination since they first rolled off the production line. So, let's now take a look at some tests completed over the years. Burn-in: Headphones Tyl Herstens at the audio enthusiast publication, Inner Fidelity, decided to see if speaker burn-in exists for a particular set of headphones – AKG's K701 (later rebranded as Q701; the 'Q' is for 'Quincy Jones'), which are notorious for requiring hundreds of hours of burn-in. I really like Tyl's approach to this experiment, as well as his interpretation of the results. Better yet, he took feedback and criticism from his readers, and then integrated it into a second set of tests and measurements (luckily, he had a few sets of headphones to test). Then, finally, he ran a test not based on objective measurement, but on his response to the headphones: a blind listening test. Thorough. Now, while changes in the headphones' sonic signature where objectively measured, they were tiny (the differences being within a range of a half a dB). Most notably, however, differences in the headphones' sonic signatures were able to be consistently detected by Tyl's ears when he ran the blind test between brand new and burned in Q701s – but Tyl himself noted that they were very subtle. So, while he found evidence that burn-in appears to exist, he still believes that most people won't notice any difference due to the burn-in effect alone. To quote: "I think it's important to say that the K701 (and therefore the Q701) are notorious for their need of long break-in. The differences I heard, while evidently fairly obvious to me, were not large. I'm absolutely convinced that, while break-in effects do exist, most people's expressions of headphones "changing dramatically" as a result is mostly their head adjusting and getting used to the sound." Tyl's bevvy of measurements were performed on a set of headphones, but do the rules change for the larger drivers in speakers? Burn-in: Speakers The ever thorough Audioholics site decided to test for speaker burn in way back in 2005, and have a thoroughly documented experiment that includes comprehensive background information – including a sane argument that speaker burn in completes very quickly (tens of seconds), and thus occurs (and completes) at the factory during the testing stages of manufacturing. To quote: "Required break in time for the common spider-diaphragm-surround is typically on the order of 10s of seconds and is a one-off proposition, not requiring repetition. Once broken in, the driver should measure/perform as do its siblings, within usual unit-to-unit parameter tolerances." They ran tests with brand new drivers (as well as broken in ones) mounted in two purpose-built boxes – one vented and one sealed. In both cases, they found that the differences in mechanical compliance (stiffness) measured pre- vs. post-break in were so minor so as to be negated by the influence of the box it was mounted in. Indeed, the article provided the following conclusion: "From the foregoing analyses, it's reasonable to conclude that suspension compliance changes arising as a consequence of initial driver burn in has little effect on the performance of a loudspeaker system." Perhaps the most interesting outcome, however, was that the tests showed that variances in amplitude response between individual drivers of the same model – even drivers pulled from the same manufacturing batch – were actually stronger than pre- vs. post-break in changes. In other words, it's easier to tell the difference between two drivers of the same model, pulled from the same assembly line in the same factory on the same day, than it is to tell the difference between a broken-in driver and a brand-new one. I think this translates to about as negligible effect as you could possibly imagine. Quoting again: "When the test series was run to completion, the resulting amplitude response graphs indicated that an end user would likely encounter larger system-to-system amplitude response differences ( 1.04 dB Spl) owing to normal driver variances than would be encountered breaking in raw drivers." Indeed, if you're not fazed by the reality that even your left and right speakers will exhibit differences in their sonic signatures, how can you believe that differences even smaller in nature could change your perception after breaking them in? Concluding thoughts So, I retain that any differences heard over the first x number of hours of use of your new speakers or headphones aren't actually due to any physical changes in the drivers, but due to your brain adjusting to a new sonic signature. But hey, if you don't mind putting off hearing your new toys for a few days, there's no harm in having them playback some fuzz for a few days – you just might look like a bit of a weirdo in doing so.

Google Photos has gone all Throwback Thursday on us Posted: 20 Aug 2015 03:41 PM PDT Perfect for a Thursday announcement, Google's latest update to its powerful Google Photos app will now let you 'rediscover' moments from your past. On any given day, the opt-in feature will show you photos and videos that you took from the same time during previous years, similar to Facebook's On This Day feature that was launched back in March. "Photos help us reminisce about the things we've done, bringing back events from one, two, or even ten years ago," Google said in its announcement. Of course, the new feature will be private, and if you do choose to turn the feature on, there will be a new card in the Assistant view in the Google Photos app collating an album and collage of the images you took last year. From there you'll be able to share the photos or video through email and social media, or they can remain private for your own viewing. The 'Rediscover this day' feature is available through web and the iOS app, with it set to roll out to Android soon. Here are the pros and cons of Google's new photo service

Updated: 50 best Android games 2015: our top picks Posted: 20 Aug 2015 02:40 PM PDT Best Android games introduction While the 'free-to-play' market has taken a bit of a beating of late due to gamers falling out of love with the use of in-app payments, the world of mobile gaming is still an exciting one. Whether you want games that will last the length of a commute, or want to be lost in a port of GTA where you spend hours mowing down pedestrians and making money out of murder, there is a game on here for you. This constantly updated list is a mixture of free and paid for games, and also that one in between - some in-app payments aren't really that bad. Honest! If by the end you think we have missed something special off of the list, let us know and we will see if it is worthy of inclusion further down the line. 1. Lara Croft: Relic Run (free) Just because it doesn't don the name "Tomb Raider" doesn't mean that this adventure isn't worth plowing through. Similar to Temple Run, Lara Croft: Relic Run has Lara running endlessly through a procedurally-generated world. Players can expect similar gameplay to other endless runners, except there are a few touches here that Tomb Raider fans will dig. Not only is Lara the best-looking endless runner character ever, she can parkour, shoot guns, run along walls and slide down the back of a tyrannosaurus rex. Need we say more? 2. Two Dots (free) Dots was good, but the sequel Two Dots is even better, with more varied challenges, different modes of play, better bonuses, smoother animations and improved visuals. The aim is the same though - connecting coloured dots into squares - and like the best mobile games, Dots Two combines a simple but addictive idea with a lot of polish. 3. The Simpsons Tapped Out (free) EA's game based on the inhabitants of Springfield is surprising in a few ways. It's free, which is quite the thing, plus, although what many would deride as a 'freemium' game, it's more than possible to keep it going in the background, pottering away, slowly unlocking all of its content for free. Free-to-play done right, for once. 4. Angry Birds Space (free) Developer Rovio has done quite a lot of aggressive whoring of the Angry Birds franchise, but this space-based fork of the simplistic physics game series is really worth a try. For one, it introduces some new play concepts, with the planet-based levels requiring different tactics, plus the puzzles generally need a bit more of a thoughtful approach than the chuck-it-and-see of the originals. 5. Badland (free) Has a bit of an 'indie' vibe about it this one, with Badland offering a weird, dark and gloomy world, in which you fly about in control of a… blob thing. Your blob gets bigger and smaller, splits into loads of mini clones, and generally baffles you about what might lie around the next corner. We like a bit of a surprise, and this is full of them. 6. Crazy Taxi City Rush (free) Crazy Taxi City Rush is another free game in which you need to put "free" in big quote marks, as it's packed to bursting with subsequent in-app purchases to unlock features, buy customisations and, in a particularly shameless move, buy petrol for your taxi to continue playing after more than a handful of failed runs. Still, endure the cash-grab and it's a pretty game, one that uses a new, simple, swipe-based control system to allow it all to work surprisingly well on a touchscreen. 7. Monument Valley (£2.49, $3.99, $AU4.90) A very, very pretty game, this. Monument Valley is based around the weird sort of impossible geometric shapes popularised by artist M. C. Escher, with its colourful maps bending and rotating in ways that appear to defy the laws of nature. You walk on walls, flip them, turn them into floors, avoid crows and marvel at how beautiful it all looks. A short game with only 10 multi-layered levels, but a joyful ride. 8. PewPew (free) The developer calls this a "multidirectional shoot 'em up" presumably because describing it as a "Geometry Wars clone" might have got him in a bit of legal trouble. Regardless of its origin, it's a superb shooter with some bizarre game modes and controls that work exceptionally well on touch devices. 9. MC 5: Blackout (£4.99, $6.99,AU$8.99) We get moaned at a lot for putting too many silly, quirky little games about shapes and animals and organising letters of the alphabet in this list. So here's one about men with guns shooting each other in 3D. Modern Combat 5 the latest in Gameloft's mobile homage to grown-up home console FPS franchises, in which you gun about the place alone or in online multiplayer matches. Nice to see Gameloft offering everything in a one-off install here, rather than packing it with in-app purchases. 10. Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft (free) If you're not already familiar with Blizzard's Hearthstone then consider this a warning: it gets very, very addictive. A card game from the makers of World of Warcraft, Hearthstone sees you building decks from won or purchased cards to then battle against friends and strangers. It's a surprisingly complex game that demands meticulous strategy. You can play and enjoy without paying a penny, but there are options to buy booster packs and add-on quests should you want to. 11. Whale Trail Frenzy (free) No one dies of disease in Whale Trail. It's a sweet flying sim, which sees you float about in the clouds having a lovely time, collecting things, boosting and generally being quite happy about it. The cheery vibe is broken a bit when adverts and in-app purchase requests pop up, but it's happy enough before the money men turn up. 12. Thomas Was Alone (£3.99, $5.99, $AUD9.99) One of the PC "indie" world's big name smashes has arrived on Android, with the existential platform game yours to... enjoy. Or at least attempt to understand. You could call Thomas Was Alone a "platform game" if you wanted to be mean and disrespectful, but it's more about offering an atmospheric and thoughtful journey through an abstract world. A bit like a piece of art, but let's not get into that debate here. I'm not being paid by the word. 13. Bad Piggies (free) Angry Birds maker Rovio proves it's not a one-trick bird-pony with this, a bizarre and quirky physics game. You have a toolbox at your disposal, used to build a flying and/or driving machine, which then has to trundle its way through a level. It's silly, but at least attempts to shove out some new ideas. 14. Pocket Planes (free) An extremely clever and enjoyable miniature strategy game that has you taking control of a small airline and attempting to ramp up customer numbers. It starts out with a few simple freight runs before you expand the fleet, open up new routes and generally get a bit panicked about how many people are depending on you for their holidays. 15. Radiant Defense (free) The tower defense genre is heaving on Android, thanks to the poke and press play mechanics being ideally suited to touchscreen play. Radiant Defense is a great example of the simplified strategy concept, presenting its war action in a futuristic neon style that looks awesome on any phone with the grunt to do it justice. 16. Pocket League Story 2 (free) Kariosoft's made a big thing for itself by using its management style of game across various scenarios, with this sporting event being one of the best. You take control of a club, then stress about signings, money, tactics and more. It's slightly robbed of some fun via a desire to use in-app purchases to squeeze money out of players, ironically mirroring the state of the game it takes inspiration from. 17. New Star Soccer (free) A great football management game with a sense of humour. There's some turn-based play, but it's more about bringing together the off-pitch lifestyles of players with the crucial money matters of the football universe. Like Pocket League Story there are some in-app cash demands, so prepare to be badgered for payments after you've progressed some way through. 18. Tiny Thief (free) As accessible as it is charming, Tiny Thief is a perfect fit for mobile, with a simple tap used to both move and interact with objects as you navigate increasingly intricate levels trying to complete objectives (which as the name suggests usually involve stealing things), while staying hidden and solving puzzles. The gameplay might be simple but the humour and imagination should keep a smile on your face for the duration. Better yet, you can play half the game for free...though the remaining levels will cost you. 19. Sonic Dash (free) There is some arguing as to whether this is "free" as it's rammed with in-app purchases, but there's no dispute as to its quality. Sonic's latest mobile game is, appropriately, an endless runner, with the hedgehog jumping left and right to avoid obstacles placed around its familiar green worlds. 20. Cut the Rope: Time Travel (free) The weird little physics game is one of Android's most popular franchises, with this update introducing a few new tricks and weapons. It's the same sort of experience as its earlier chapters, though, with players swinging ropes to throw sweeties around its colourful screens. Masses of levels and a mid-to-high fun level. 21. QuizUp (free) QuizUp is a staggeringly clever online pub quiz app, where you play with random strangers or friends. You can pick from a massive amount of categories, from riddles to sports through to Adventure Time, so you won't be caught out by subjects you don't know. Its simple quiz rounds only take a couple of minutes to get through, plus there's a seamless offline challenge option so you can mentally battle people who then take their turn later. It's loaded with questions and constantly updated with new categories. A real treat. 22. Beach Buggy Blitz (free) Offers something approaching big console quality on Android, in a game rammed with pretty worlds, loads of vehicles, power-ups, upgrades and more, plus the graphics engine can adapt to more powerful hardware and throws in more effects if you're using something with a serious number of cores. There is some level of in-app purchasing on offer, but it's mild and easily avoidable. 23. Voxel Rush (free) A very pretty and minimalist racer, where the usual beach/mountain/lava environments have been binned in favour of bold slabs of colour. It's stylish, motion controlled, ready for multiplayer action and integrates Google Play Game support for solo achievements and leaderboards. 24. Nightbird Trigger X (free) What the developer calls a "point shooting game," Nightbird Trigger X is a one-button pony where your little man has to shoot a point in the screen to progress. But there's stuff in the way. Annoying moving stuff, that means you score less and take longer if you can't find the target with your first bullet. Simple, but free and a little bit original. 25. Re-Volt 2: Multiplayer (free) Old-ish people who played the original Re-Volt race series on the games hardware of yesteryear will be bang up for this, even though it looks a little rough around the edges. Re-Volt 2: Multiplayer is a refresh of the radio-controlled car racer, now updated with multiplayer options for the sociable modern player. Free to download and get going, with only some unlockables masked by an in-app purchase requirement. 26. Spaceteam (free) This is bonkers. Spaceteam uses the Android hardware to the max to build a properly innovative multiplayer-only game, where between two and four players come together to shout exciting space terminology at each other while battling the control panel of an exploding ship. It's very silly, like something that only came out on the Wii in Japan. 27. Toast Time (£1.99, US$2.99, AU$1.28) If it needs pigeon-holing, Toast Time is best described as a combat platform game. Thing is, you're only a toaster, and your weapon is… toast. So it's sort of a toast-based physics simulation as well, with the kickback from the toast knocking the toaster around the screen and requiring constant compensation. Because there's a clock that needs protecting and… it's best you play it. It's good. 28. Ridiculous Fishing (£1.99, US$2.99, AU$3.68) Quite possibly one of the best uses of the mobile phone accelerometer tech there's ever been, this, with motion control sending your fishing line down to the depths of the sea while you avoid fish. Then, on the way up, it's how you catch them. That's when it goes ridiculous, as the fisherman chucks them up in the air -- and you shoot them to bank the money. Silly, but a must play. 29. Super Hexagon (£1.99, US$2.99, AU$3.68) Another mobile classic. Super Hexagon has two controls -- rotate left and rotate right. That's all you need to navigate the endless maze that spins out of the screen, in one of the mobile world's hardest, coolest, best-sounding and most moreish games. We order you to buy it. You literally have to. 30. Threes! (£1.20, US$1.99, AU$2.40) The sort of silly maths game you might've played in your head before mobile phones emerged to absorb all our thought processes, Threes! really does take less than 30 seconds to learn. You bash numbers about until they form multiples of three and disappear. That's it. There are stacks of free clones available, but if you won't spare the price of one massive bar of chocolate to pay for a lovely little game like this that'll amuse you for week, you're part of the problem and deserve to rot in a freemium hell where it costs 50p to do a wee. 31. Minecraft Pocket Edition (£4.99, US$6.99, AU$9.25) The build 'em up phenomenon works brilliantly well on Android, thanks to the creator of the desktop original taking the time to do it justice. It's a slimmed down interface you see here with on-screen buttons, but the basics are all in and the Survival and Creative modes are ready for play -- as is multiplayer mode over Wi-Fi. 32. Heroes of Loot (£1.72, US$1.99, AU$3.30) The entire back catalogue of solo indie creator OrangePixel is worth exploring, but his latest is the best yet. It's a stylish 2D dungeon explorer, with masses of quests, classes and secret areas to unlock. Plus it supports a wide range of Bluetooth controllers, for easier play if you've got a compatible lump of buttoned plastic. 33. Flight Control (£0.60, US$0.99, AU$1.20) An exciting new genre all of its own when it appeared, Flight Control created the world of the top-down air traffic control simulator. Literally three million times more exciting than it sounds, it's played by swiping 2D aeroplanes into runway landing slots, avoiding collisions and scoring for successful landings. Perfectly suited to touchscreen play. 34. Pac-Man Championship Edition (£2.60, US$3.99, AU$5.00) Not just the same old Pac-Man that's been emulated, re-released and cloned for the last 30 years. Pac-Man CE is a fresh reworking of the maze game, with jazzy graphics, scrolling mazes and pumping sounds updating the concept for the kids of today. And the dads of today. Anyone after a really smart puzzle game, in fact. 35. Game Dev Story (£1.60, US$2.50, AU$3.00) The "Story" that started Kairosoft's domination of the simplistic business world sim, Game Dev Story sees you take charge of a software house and attempt to create a smash game. The sweet pixel-art characters then battle with the complexities of design and the stresses of arbitrary internet reviews from people who haven't even played it (ahem), in the pursuit of a money-making smash. 36. Raiden Legacy (£4.45, US$4.99, AU$10.00) Quite possibly the greatest 2D shoot 'em up of all time, the Android conversion of Radien is every bit as impressive as the original. A choice of control schemes, display and difficulty settings make it a little more manageable on touchscreens, plus, seeing as this is the Legacy edition, you get Raiden, Raiden Fighters, Raiden Fighters 2 and Raiden Fighters Jet. 37. Fallout Shelter (free) After making a splash on iOS, Fallout Shelter is now available on Android for all you Wasteland nuts. Create a vault and fill it with post-nuclear-war survivors, expanding your underground property, levelling up your dwellers, and sending them out to explore the surface left behind. 38. Football Manager Handheld 2014 (£6.99, US$9.99, AU$12.00) Explodes through the usual Android game price ceiling by charging £6.99, but, in this case, it's worth it. The full app offers a superb, stats-heavy mobile take on the classic management series, hardly skimping on any minute detail in the transition to mobile. Manage transfers, the media, match days and more in one of the sporting gamers' must-get titles. 39. Canabalt HD (£1.99, US$2.99, AU$3.68) The newer, slightly posher version of the original game, the one that pretty much invented the "endless runner" genre that now clogs up the gaming sections of the app stores of the world. You are a man. You run along rooftops to a techno soundtrack. That's about it, only it's much more enjoyable than it sounds. 40. Another World (£1.70, US$1.99, AU$3.49) The classic 2D puzzle platformer that wowed the simpler folk of the 1990s with the very occasional bit of 3D, has arrived in perfect form on Android. This 20th anniversary edition has the original graphics plus the option of an HD refresh, but what's really about is getting to play one of gaming's most loved classics. On your phone. For a couple of quid. Madness. 41. GTA Vice City (£2.99, US$4.99, AU$5.53) Seem to remember people thought this was quite good. For the price of a pint (if you're somewhere northern) you can own one of the largest and most highly-rated video games of all time, to pop in and out of on your mobile phone. On-screen controls are never going to suit a game like this, but they are at least fully customisable -- so you can get it how you like it. 42. Terraria (£3.14, US$4.99, AU$5.70) Sort of a Minecraft… platform… puzzle 'em up, Terraria players dig and mine and fight their way through randomly generated worlds. Resources make weapons and houses, weapons and houses mean you stay alive, plus there's Wi-Fi multiplayer support that has it nearing parity with the version sold on desktops. 43. Sonic The Hedgehog 2 (£1.99, US$2.99, AU$3.68) Not the easiest thing to play using on-screen buttons, but the fact this exists at all is a marvel. It's also a glorious conversion, with Sega finally taking the time to do the best Sonic justice. It's been remastered into widescreen and supports a wide range of Bluetooth controllers so, even if you don't yet own one, you'll be able to enjoy it fully when you eventually do. 44. Osmos HD (£1.79, US$2.99, AU$3.45) A lovely little ambient puzzle thing, in which you play a cell thing and make it your business to absorb others. The residue you fire out makes you smaller, though, so efficient use of your biological systems is a must. It's a chillout experience more than a game, with the surreal concept joined by some equally relaxing ambient music. A charmer. 45. Colin McRae Rally (£1.49, US$1.99, AU$2.80) Cars. Cars going round corners and sometimes down straight bits. That's what you get here, in this nice looking recreation of the old PlayStation race favourite. On Android, Colin McRae lets users race four cars including Colin's classic Ford Focus, cars you get to smash around 30 separate race stages. Based on the beloved Colin McRae Rally 2.0 from the PS2, you really can't go wrong. 46. Broken Sword: Director's Cut (£3.99, US$4.99, AU$6.58) This cult classic from an earlier wave of the big home consoles has been converted beautifully to Android, capturing the slightly odd and amusing adventure perfectly - and with an interface that really works on today's touchscreens. It's an "indie" game from before there were indie games, silly and with some excellent and challenging puzzles. 47. Worms 2: Armageddon (£2.99, US$4.99, AU$0.99) Very old and very good, the Worms series led the way when it came to making strategy games fun. The comedy combat action is turn-based, with players alternating at having pop shots at each other with their weaponry. This slower pace means it's ideal for online and local multiplayer, as the odd glitch doesn't ruin the experience. 48. Baldur's Gate Enhanced Edition (£6.99, US$9.99, AU$13.99) The strategy titan has a hefty price tag attached to it on Android, but that's OK as the immense challenge it contains is likely to burn for longer than the sun. The first Baldur's game, this faithful reworking of the 1998 classic also includes several of the PC game's post-release expansion packs, just in case the standard 60-hour marathon quest isn't hardcore enough for you. 49. The Wolf Among Us (£9.59, $14.99, around AU$17.99) Telltale has made a name for itself with story-driven episodic games and The Wolf Among Us is one of its best. Essentially a hard boiled fairy tale, you control the big bad wolf as he hunts a murderer through the mean streets of Fabletown. Don't let the fairy tale setting fool you, this is a violent, mature game and it's one where your decisions have consequences, impacting not only what the other characters think of you but also who lives and who dies. Episode One is free but the remaining four will set you back a steep £9.59 / $14.99 / around AU$18. Trust us though, you'll want to see how this story ends. 50. The Banner Saga (£3.49, $4.99, around AU$5.99) Large, deep games are still relatively rare on Android, but you can add one more to the list with The Banner Saga. This Viking-inspired tactical RPG gives you control of over 25 different characters across 7 different classes as you battle your way through beautiful hand drawn environments and make decisions both in and out of combat which affect the story. There's a lot to it, but its turn-based nature means controls are never a problem and you can take it at your own pace.

You may never run out of battery life with the Samsung Galaxy Note 5 Active Posted: 20 Aug 2015 02:31 PM PDT With the Samsung Galaxy Note 5 going on sale in the US Friday, it's only fitting we're already hearing rumors about the next version of the 5.7-inch phone. Word comes from tipsters that the Samsung Galaxy Note 5 Active will arrive on AT&T in November. It'll reportedly be a waterproof device with an IP68 rating, but even better than that will be its power supply. According to PhoneArena's sources, the Note 5 Active will lug a whopping 4,100 mAh battery in its frame. That's well above the Note 5's still-impressive 3,000 mAh juicer as well as pretty much every other phone in the field (the Huawei Ascend Mate 2 has a 4,050 mAh battery). The Galaxy S6 Active saw a sizable jump in battery over the Galaxy S6, so it's not out of reach for the Note 5 Active to see a similar spec boost. Of course the idea with an Active phone is durability, so while we've applauded the Note 5's design improvements over the Note 4, we'll likely see some rougher edges if the Note 5 Active comes to fruition.

Review: Olloclip Active Posted: 20 Aug 2015 01:15 PM PDT Usage and verdict The iPhone has proved itself to be an excellent little pocket camera, but what if you want to do something a bit more adventurous than the usual cat photo or selfie shot? That's where the Olloclip Active comes in to give you a bit more flexibility with both wide-angle and telephoto lenses. Coming in at $99 or £89 (about AU$135), Olloclip says the Active was designed for iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus owners with an active lifestyle. To this end, users can attach the ultra-wide angle lens for the "action camera" look as well as a larger field of view for panoramas. Conversely, flipping the Active lenses around will give you a bit more zoom. Design Just like all of Olloclip's older attachable lenses, the Active is a double-ended accessory that you slip onto your iPhone with the aid of a non-included phone case. While you don't need the special Olloclip case in order to perfectly line up the lenses with the iPhone's camera, the added shell helps keep the Active firmly attached to the handset. The case itself is nice enough, a tinted polycarbonate shell that still lets you see your phone while adding a protective and grippy rubber bumper around the edge. Most of your phone will be safely encased, bear in mind there's a large window left open around the camera lens to accommodate the Active. The only sore omission found on the case is a tripod mount. Without any mounting points, calling these lenses part of Olloclip's Active line feels like a bit of a misnomer, as you can't securely mount your smartphone to the front of a bike, helmet or other sports gear. Aside from mounting a lens in front of the iPhone's rear snapper, the Active is conveniently designed to cover the iPhone's front iSight camera. This allows you to get more people into your selfie shot without relying on a sordid selfie stick. Alternatively, you could use the telephoto end to zoom into your nose hairs – if you so choose. Usage and handling Using the Active lens system is pretty self-explanatory and intuitive. Slot your phone through the middle of the attachment, and you're ready to go. In case the lenses don't seem to be lining up perfectly with the iPhone 6's rear camera, you may need to remove the plastic bumper inserted inside the accessory slot. There's also a few things you should note as to how the different focal lengths will affect your photos. For starters, the telephoto end will essentially magnify your field of view by a factor of 2x, giving you extra reach but at the same time making camera shake more noticeable. Any small movements you make while taking the photo will intensify and possibly leave you with a blurry picture. With the wide-angle lens you'll have to watch where you put your fingers. Because the lens increases your field of view to the point where you can see pretty much anything that's right next to the lens, it's easy to accidentally get your fingers in the shot – depending on how you're holding the phone. Image quality Expect the images you take with the Olloclip Active to look starkly different compared to those shot with a naked iPhone camera. The wide-angle attachment will enlarge your entire field of view, letting you capture a wider scene, like the full height of a skyscraper. However, this expanded frame comes with the consequence of adding plenty of distortion. For example, if you were take a snapshot of a brick wall it, would look almost pregnant with a bulging middle. With portraits of people, this can result in some goofy-looking proportions between giant heads, hands or whatever happens to be closer to the lens. Other than the added distortion, both chromatic aberration (a green and red border that forms along the sharp edges of the subject) and purple fringing (a magenta outline that appears at dark and bright edges) are well controlled. Better yet, there's no significant loss of sharpness or color depth when you throw on the wide-angle lens. The telephoto end of the Active is fairly straight forward and simply gives you 2x zoom on the iPhone. Unfortunately, this added reach noticeably degrades the quality of the images you can take. When in use, you'll notice that your images are a tiny bit softer and lacking the deep contrast the iPhone's default optics usually resolve. Final verdict The Olloclip Active is a fun, simple way of adding a bit more flexibility for your "iPhoneography" habit, but it feels far from refined. While the wide-angle lens adds a bit of silliness through a new perspective to play with, the telephoto end of the Active feels like an afterthought that ends up dragging down the overall package. Compared to other, more fully-featured systems, including Olloclip's own 4-in-1 lens accessory bundle, the Active is overpriced at $99 or £89 (about AU$135). Especially when you consider that this price does not include the cost of Olloclip's practically necessary $29 or £24 (about AU$39) iPhone case. To this end, you might be better off spending your money on a different set of lens accessories from Moment, Photojojo and even the rest of Olloclip's line up. Olloclip Active sample images Olloclip Active wide-angle Olloclip Active telephoto Naked iPhone vs wide-angle vs telephoto

Hands-on review: Logitech ConferenceCam Connect Posted: 20 Aug 2015 01:12 PM PDT The webcam has come a long way over the last 20 years, since Connectix unveiled the black-and-white QuickCam in 1994, a model with a qVGA resolution (that's a quarter of VGA) that cost a hundred bucks at launch. Connectix's webcam business was acquired by Logitech in 1998. While models have improved markedly since then, there are instances where a built-in webcam, of the sort that comes with your laptop or smartphone, simply isn't good enough, especially for a small group of participants. Sometimes, you need something that is not only better qualitatively speaking, but also more flexible and versatile. Enter the ConferenceCam Connect by Logitech, an integrated videoconferencing solution that brings together speakers, HD camera and video output (plus a nifty little remote control). Wires are kept to a strict minimum with a totally wireless scenario entirely possible, using the on-board battery and any form of wireless communication (NFC, Bluetooth or Wi-Fi). Design When the ConferenceCam was presented to the team at TechRadar, almost everyone was surprised by its shape. It looks like a gas canister of some sort, a cylindrical device that's just under 770g, and one that can be comfortably held in the hand. Removing the dockable, magnetising remote control that is attached to the upper part of the ConferenceCam reveals a full HD, tiltable camera with a Zeiss lens, 4X zoom, 90-degree field of view and a mechanical tilt wheel plus touch-capable volume buttons. The remote control itself is powered by a coin battery and allows you to control the volume, zoom in and out, pan, tilt and make/end calls. Two omni-directional full duplex microphones are located in the front and at the back with acoustic echo and noise-cancellation technologies. The lower part of the device is covered with a fabric that hides speakers which deliver 360-degree sound in a six-feet radius. The base contains a circular LED that turns blue when the device is on and when you are in a call, and red when the mic is muted. The top of the device has four touch-sensitive icons – a wireless screen mirror mode, the on/off button, a Bluetooth mode and a videoconferencing mode. At the back, you will find the NFC logo, a Kensington lock slot, a microUSB port, a full HDMI connector and a power socket. Accessories include a power supply unit and a separate USB cable. Specification and usage The ConferenceCam Connect performed admirably in normal office circumstances (i.e. with normal daylight or fluorescent light tubes). The fact that the unit contains the necessary hardware to encode video using H.264 UVC 1.5 with scalable video coding certainly helps. The audio sounded a bit muffled at times but should be more than adequate in most scenarios. As expected, it is compatible with Microsoft Skype for Business, Cisco Jabber and WebEx, and most other business-grade unified communication platforms, we suspect (Google Hangouts, GoToMeeting etc). Connecting it to a Windows 10 PC proved to be a breeze via a USB port. We couldn't however get our white-label smartphone to connect to the videoconferencing solution; the ConferenceCam Connect will, in theory, allow you to wirelessly mirror your tablet or smartphone to an HDMI-equipped monitor using Miracast. Unfortunately, Apple devices are a no-no for now given that they use proprietary AirPlay technology, but you will be able to connect it to a Mac computer. Chromebooks should also work but we haven't tested that. Expect the ConferenceCam to last up to three hours in webcam or mirroring mode and up to 15 hours when using it as an audio device, sans video. Early verdict This webcam is not only solidly built but also easy to use. You will need to consult the 12-page manual though, at least initially to understand the meaning of the icons. At just under £340 at the BT Shop, the ConferenceCam Connect doesn't come cheap but it does fill a nice little niche that has been crying out for a solution that is elegant, sturdy, and offers both good audio and video performance. Overall, it is a great device that suffers from only a few nagging issues. For starters, a 90-degree field of view is poor compared to what some smartphones offer. The Samsung Galaxy S6, for example, has a 120-degree FoV allowing for a large portion of any scene to be displayed. The base could also be wider – because one expects the ConferenceCam Connect to be tethered most of the time, it is likely that wobbly tables combined with clumsy participants mean that the device, which has a rather high centre of gravity, is likely to topple over more frequently than others. A pyramid shape, similar to Logitech's venerable QuickCam Express, would have probably been a better choice, albeit one which isn't as futuristic-looking as a cylindrical tube.

Apple gains ground on Samsung's smartphone market share Posted: 20 Aug 2015 12:21 PM PDT If you use a Samsung smartphone, you might soon be in the minority. Apple is gaining ground on Samsung for global smartphone market share. Despite launching new S6 models this quarter, Samsung's market share decreased to 21.9% compared with 26.2% during the same period in 2014, according to data from Gartner Research. Conversely, Apple's market share increased to 14.6% compared with 12.2% last year. Backed by a strong second quarter, during which iPhone sales increased 36% compared with last year, Apple is poised to gain even more ground after September, the month when it typically introduces new smartphones. The iPhone 6S The latest rumors indicate Apple will unveil the iPhone 6S on September 9 and put the device on sale on September 18. The iPhone 6S is expected to be 4.7 inches, like previous iterations of the iPhone. Apple is also expected to debut a larger 5.5-inch iPhone 6S Plus option to compete with Samsung's large-format Edge and Note devices. Who else? Huawei's influence over the Chinese market increased this quarter. The company's global market share increased to 7.8%, compared with 6% in 2014. Lenovo's market share decreased from 6.6% last year to 5% in 2015. Overall Worldwide smartphone sales increased 13.5% compared with the same quarter last year, with 330 million new devices sold during the four-month period. The best smartphones in the US

Instagram update makes it too easy to share your location Posted: 20 Aug 2015 12:16 PM PDT Instagram's latest update has removed the ability to choose which photos get uploaded to your Photo Map, with all photos now tagged with a location automatically added to your map. The Photo Maps button allowed users to choose which geo-tagged photos, showing at times your exact location, they wanted to add to their maps and which they didn't. This was useful if you took a photo and tagged it, but didn't want to share your exact location on the map because your profile was not set to private, allowing anyone can access your profile, Photo Maps, and potentially, your exact location at any given time. This week's app update has removed the 'Add to Photomap' button, and without giving much of a notice to users, all images tagged with a location will now be automatically added to your map. "On Monday, we made a change to make it easier for people to add location to their photos. As part of this, we removed the option to 'add to Photomap' from the flow'," an Instagram spokesperson told The Next Web, which spotted the change. Instagram's Photomap help page has also been updated to reflect the changes, but what is concerning is that many people may not realize that they'll essentially be giving away their locations automatically now if they tag their photos with a location. Of course, if you want to keep your images tagged, Instagram does let you remove photos from your Photomap, but it's a bit of a lengthy process. You'll need to hop into the map through your profile page, hitting edit and then deselect the images you want removed (there is a Deselect All option). You finish up by selecting Done and Confirm. Instagram web update makes searching for selfies a cinch

Android Wear watch faces get an interactive upgrade Posted: 20 Aug 2015 12:15 PM PDT A new Android Wear update adds official support for interactive watch faces, allowing for even more at-a-glance information for you to digest on your smartwatch. Now, it can really show off its smarts. The update brings with it a whole lot of possibilities for the interactive watch faces of tomorrow. But Google has plenty to choose from right now. Under Armour's interactive watch face, for example, puts fitness info front and center. This will be perfect for folks who use their Android Wear devices mostly for working out, tracking steps and watching the calories burn away. Bits (seen below) is one that's a little more of a practical choice for everyone. It stylishly displays general information like the weather, calendar appointments, the date, e-mails and, of course, the time. Strangely, the name of the update to Android's watch OS is nowhere to be found on the announcement page. It's no ground-shaking discovery, but the name Android Wear "v1.3" appears on the Bits app page. The update is rolling out today, but should be widely available, according to Google, in the coming weeks.

Mac Tips: GarageBand: How to trim a track Posted: 20 Aug 2015 11:45 AM PDT Odds are, one of the first things you'll try to do in GarageBand for Mac is trim a track. Good news: it's super-duper easy, whether you want to chuck a chunk of audio or tweak a clip's starting or stopping point. First, click on the clip you'd like to edit (its frame will lighten to confirm your selection). If you want to cut the clip in two, click and drag the playhead to the spot you'd like to split it at and press Command + T. Voila — one clip becomes two! If one part is trash, highlight it and press the Delete key. Alternatively, you can click and drag the beginning or end of a clip to shorten or lengthen it. Just be sure to pull from the middle of the clip's frame, since pulling from the top corner will loop the clip instead. (Pay attention to the icons your cursor changes to when hovering over those different areas.) And that's it! Now all you need is an amazing song or podcast to edit. Get to work! BONUS TIP: To find the perfect place to trim, it helps to zoom in closer (using the slider in the upper-right corner) for a good look at the waveforms (those squiggly lines that represent a clip's audio content).

Android Wear can now translate almost any conversation Posted: 20 Aug 2015 11:24 AM PDT Android Wear watches are now world-travel ready. The Google-OS running wearables were gifted with Google Translate today via a software update, which also brought interactive watch faces. Now, users can carry on bilingual convos in 44 languages through their wrists, even if they don't have Google Translate on their phones or are away from their devices but connected over Wi-Fi. To use Google Translate on Android Wear, speak into your watch, then flip it to show the translation to your conversation mate. The person will respond in their language, and flipping it back over will show you a translation of what they said in the language you used. There's no need to select which languages to translate: Android Wear will recognize them automatically. Simply tap to start the conversation, and chatter away.

There's nothing compact about this Sony Xperia Z5 Compact leak Posted: 20 Aug 2015 10:05 AM PDT While Sony has yet to announce the Xperia Z5 Compact, it looks like a promo shot has all but officially confirmed the existence of the handset. A Dutch website, TechTastic, says it managed to get the promotional shot, which shows the back of the handset. While it's difficult to verify the image, it does seem to point at a design that is in line with the Xperia Z-branded phones from Sony so far. But bigger than the promo shot, the Dutch website has also seemingly gotten its hands on the Xperia Z5 Compact handset itself. While it hasn't posted a photo of the handset, the site did include the leaked image from ViziLeaks that popped up about a month ago, saying the design of the Xperia Z5 Compact is in line with these images. It adds that the buttons along the side of the phone is placed further down (which can be seen in the promo shot, too), with the rounded power button of previous Xperia Z handsets replaced by a fingerprint scanner. Of course, none of this can be truly confirmed until Sony announces the Xperia Z5 Compact, which is expected to happen next month at IFA 2015, so until then, make sure to have a grain or two of salt. Here's what we want to see at IFA 2015

Updated: HBO Now: Everything you need to know about HBO's standalone service Posted: 20 Aug 2015 10:03 AM PDT HBO Now Update August 20: Apple's exclusivity deal with HBO is decidedly no more. HBO Now has landed on Amazon Fire TV and Amazon Fire TV Stick, expanding beyond Amazon's Fire tablets. The HBO Now app is also available on Chromecast and Google Cast for both iOS and Android devices. Read on for more about HBO Now! Film critic Roger Ebert once said, "We live in a box of space and time. Movies are windows in its walls. They allow us to enter other minds, not simply in the sense of identifying with the characters, although that is an important part of it, but by seeing the world as another person sees it." HBO Now, a new standalone service from Home Box Office, will offer its users just that: a window into the world that many have not seen before today. Starting in April, the service, which cost $14.99 (about £10, AU$20) per month and had a free one-month trial, rolled out to Apple iTunes users with an Apple TV or devices running iOS like the iPhone 6 and iPad. HBO Now will eventually come to other services, we assume, as HBO Go, a streaming service offered by HBO that requires an active cable subscription, is available on Amazon Fire TV devices, Xbox One, PS4, Roku and myriad other set-top devices. Aside from seasons of Game of Thrones and Girls like you might expect, HBO Now offers dozens of movies, a plethora of its best series going back to The Sopranos and several … ahem ... "after dark" skin flicks. We've highlighted the best of the best content below, as well as some pertinent info for what could be the biggest and brightest innovation the network has ever released. HBO Now price HBO Now's pricing is pretty straightforward. The service is available to US customers for $14.99 per month paid via the iTunes Store. New subscribers are given an option for a one-month free trial vis-a-vis your iTunes account. Taking HBO up on the offer isn't without a catch: You're automatically enrolled into the program, which means you'll need to physically unsubscribe at the end of the free month-long trial to stop your card from getting charged. Despite that one shortcoming, there's a lot to like here. Unlike its sister service HBO Go, there's no cable subscription required, nor are you locked into a contract. At launch, HBO Now is limited to the US, unfortunately, but we've reached out to HBO to see if it has any plans to release the service in the UK in the near future. How do I get it? Subscribing to the service is cake. If you own an Apple device, just head to the App Store and download the HBO Now app. From there you'll be prompted to create a new account and start your one month free trial. Apple TV users can mirror these steps on their devices. Android and Fire Tablet owners simply need to go to their respective store fronts and download the HBO Now app. Create an account and viola! You can now watch Game of Thrones to your heart's content. However! If you're a resident of New York City and subscribe to Cablevision, there's actually a third way to get HBO Now by adding it to your basic cable package. If you don't fit into one of those categories, you're out of luck. At least for few months. HBO has more partnerships in the works for the Amazon Fire TV and Chromecast, but it will be some time until we see the service launch on those devices. New content (updated July 2015) July 1, 2015 A.I. Artificial Intelligence Ballers (new episodes) The Brink (new episodes) The Counseler Dawn of the Dead For Your Consideration The Haunted Mansion Inside Man J. Edgar Lone Survivor My Big Fat Greek Wedding Reno 911: Miami Transcendence True Detective Season 2 (new episodes) July 4, 2015 The Book of Life July 8, 2015 7 Days in Hell July 11, 2015 Horrible Bosses 2 July 13, 2015 My Depression: The Up and Down and Up of It July 18, 2015 The Maze Runner July 20, 2015 Packed in a Trunk July 25, 2015 The Drop Best shows on HBO Now Great original programming is HBO's bread and butter. While nearly every show deserves a call out, I feel the following are the best shows on the service. Game of Thrones - Like Winter, you probably knew this one was coming. George R.R. Martin's A Song of Fire and Ice saga has enraptured us season after season with its brutal telling of lords and ladies fighting, conniving and … uh, kissing, to win a horribly uncomfortable looking chair. There are currently four seasons on HBO Now, with a fifth season available starting April 12. The Wire - Shows about cops and robbers were a dime a dozen in the late '90s and early 2000s. It seems like every week there was a new crime drama that either took place in the courthouse or out on the streets where gritty, foul-mouthed badges upheld the law with a sidearm and implacable morals. The Wire is a lot like the old shows, sure, but it improves upon them by giving you truly deep characters on both sides of the law that you wanted to succeed, and some you just can't wait to see bite a bullet. There are five seasons currently available on HBO Now. Silicon Valley - I know what you're thinking, "Nick, how can you recommend Silicon Valley when the show goes out of its way to mention TechCrunch and Engadget, and purposefully leaves out good ol' TechRadar?" Well, that's a good question. But we all make mistakes, and one day the awesome show about the people who run this crazy region will recognize true technology journalism when it sees it. You may as well start watching this excellent show right now, however, as that day could take awhile. There is currently one season on HBO Now with a new season set to debut April 12. Want even more streaming shows? Check out our list of the best online video streaming services, Hulu and Hulu Plus: the latest TV shows and movies to stream, new shows and movies on Amazon Prime Instant Video and list of new shows and movies on Netflix.

Microsoft is planning a huge October event for a ton of new devices Posted: 20 Aug 2015 09:29 AM PDT Microsoft's next raft of consumer gadgets will be unveiled at a mega event later this year. Chinese news site WPDang reports that the Surface Pro 4 and Microsoft Band 2, plus a pair of new Lumia handsets, will form the basis of the October event that will almost certainly see multiple new pieces of hardware. The Surface Pro 4 will be the main focus of the event, which will once again be dubbed the tablet that can replace your laptop and Microsoft is expected to pack it with an ultra powerful Intel Core 'M' chip that will threaten the likes of the Apple MacBook Air. Alongside this, the Lumia 950 and 950 XL can be expected to finally arrive following many months of leaks with both smartphones ready to handle the long-awaited arrival of the Windows 10 Mobile OS. Xbox One slim? That's not all. Further whispers are pointing to a couple of surprises on the hardware front for the event that could indeed mean a slimmer version of the Xbox One and even the long awaited arrival of the Surface Mini. Information on the Band 2 is also incredibly thin on the ground ahead of the event and we can expect to hear more at IFA 2014, where there is an event penciled in for Windows 10-related hardware. Surface Pro 4 release date, news and rumours

Google Chrome crashes out of latest Windows 10 preview Posted: 20 Aug 2015 08:32 AM PDT Windows 10 and Google Chrome aren't playing nice after the latest Insider Build of the OS caused the popular browser to crash. Users have flooded onto the Google help forum and Reddit to vent their frustration at a problem that sees the 64-bit version of Chrome continually crash if it is being run on Windows 10 build 10525, which was only released on Tuesday. The sandbox that Chrome relies on is reportedly "breaking" inside Windows 10 10525, according to Justin Schuh, a Google software engineer, and users can apparently still use the 64-bit version of Chrome by adding "--no-sandbox" (without quotes) to the Chrome Windows shortcut. This does come with the caveat that it disables one of Chrome's best security features. Anyone that doesn't want to risk turning off that important feature can instead revert to the 32-bit version of Chrome that is unaffected by the issue and Google has reacted somewhat abrasively to users continuing to inform it of the problem. Angry Google "We have the problem confirmed and someone is working on it, so additional 'me too' comments are a distraction at this point. Please just star the issue if you want to convey that you are affected, and if we have any questions or need additional feedback we'll post a comment," read a post on the Chromium board. For Microsoft, this is one of the first Windows 10 builds to be issued to Insiders following the release of the OS late last month and Google added in that anyone choosing to download preview builds should expect the "disruptions and workarounds" that are part of the experience. Windows 10 review

BlackBerry Venice release date, news and rumors Posted: 20 Aug 2015 08:32 AM PDT The BlackBerry Venice is more than just another enterprise handset, as it looks like it will arrive running Android, which would make it the first BlackBerry handset to do so. Yet in keeping with the brand's tradition it's got a physical QWERTY keyboard, which is a rarity on Android these days, and with a slide-out design you can keep it hidden when you'd rather stick with a touchscreen. Add to that rumors of some impressively high-end specs and the Venice could be the most exciting BlackBerry phone in years. Here's what we've heard so far. Cut to the chase What is it? BlackBerry's first Android phone When is it out? Probably November 2015 What will it cost? Possibly around £529 / $599 / AU$680 Blackberry Venice release date It looks like we might not have to wait too long for the BlackBerry Venice, as @evleaks reckons it will be landing in the US (and presumably elsewhere) in November - which BlackBerry Venice design Assuming the leaks are accurate we have a pretty good idea about the BlackBerry Venice's design. A render of the phone, shared by @evleaks, shows a fairly plain black design, but with what appears to be a large speaker below the screen. You seemingly pull that down (or the screen up) to reveal a QWERTY keyboard. In fact there's even now a video of that motion in action. The main design flair beyond the slide-out keyboard is that the edges appear slightly curved and the screen even seems to curve down them a bit, kind of like it does on the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge. A GIF posted by @evleaks gives us a better look at the side and back of the phone, with a silvery power button seemingly sitting half way down the left edge, while there's a textured pattern on the back. An photo of the phone itself has also been leaked, showing a similar design, this time with the keyboard tucked away. However these leaks differ from an earlier image supposedly also showing the Venice. That one showed both a physical and onscreen keyboard, but with a squarer design and seemingly no slider mechanism. In fact, it was more like an uglier version of the Passport. We'd say the newer images are more likely to be accurate though, as the design remains consistent across them, while few other leaks match this one. Then again, maybe this is a different handset altogether. BlackBerry Prague anyone? BlackBerry Venice screen Supposedly the BlackBerry Venice has a 5.4-inch QHD curved screen. That large and high-res display is worth getting excited about while curves are still rare enough to be novel - though it remains to be seen whether the Venice will actually add features to use them, or whether they'll just be curved glass. BlackBerry Venice rivals With BlackBerry hardware and Android software the BlackBerry Venice could find itself in a fairly unique position with few direct rivals, especially as QWERTY Android phones are now such a rarity. But it could feel the heat from the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge, which has flagship specs and a similarly curved screen. The Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge+ could pose an even bigger threat, especially as there's a clip-on keyboard accessory for it. The BlackBerry Venice will also have to compete with other BlackBerry handsets, such as the fairly recent BlackBerry Passport and the staunchly traditional BlackBerry Classic. Then there's the LG G4, which doesn't have a keyboard but does have similar specs and a similar screen size and resolution to the BlackBerry Venice, at least, if the rumors we're hearing are accurate. BlackBerry Venice camera and battery We don't know a huge amount about the BlackBerry Venice's camera yet, but there are reports that it will have an 18MP rear snapper with optical image stabilisation. That sounds like quite a high-spec camera and a significant jump over the 13MP BlackBerry Passport. From the images and video we've seen so far it looks as though there's also a camera on the front, as you'd expect, but there's no word on what spec it might be. BlackBerry Venice OS and power The BlackBerry Venice could be a pretty powerful phone, as there's talk of a 1.8GHz hexa-core Snapdragon 808 processor and 3GB of RAM. Those are the same specs as the LG G4. It's the OS that's really exciting though, as rather than running BlackBerry 10 (or any version of BlackBerry OS), it seemingly runs Android, more specifically Android Lollipop going by the Material Design look of the home screen. Many BlackBerry phones already run Android apps via the Amazon App Store, but this would be the first one to actually run Android, complete with access to Google Play if the pictures are to be believed. That may give it more mainstream appeal than other BlackBerry phones and at the very least it gives buyers the choice of whether they'd rather have BlackBerry 10 or Android. In fact, while we've only seen the BlackBerry Venice running Android, there has been some speculation that a BlackBerry 10 version could be released as well. BlackBerry Venice cost We haven't heard any pricing rumors for the BlackBerry Venice yet, but if the specs are to be believed then it won't be cheap. The BlackBerry Passport launched for £529 / $599 / around AU$680, so our best guess is that it will be somewhere in that region. By the time the Venice launches the Phone 6S might be here

HTC Aero release date, news and rumors Posted: 20 Aug 2015 08:00 AM PDT We've already had one HTC flagship this year in the form of the HTC One M9, but we might be about to get another. Not the HTC One M10 - that probably won't be here until early next year - but instead something new and different. We don't know a huge amount about it yet, but the name HTC Aero is being thrown around, and with talk of a QHD screen and a ground-breaking camera, it could be well worth keeping an eye on. Cut to the chase What is it? A new high-end phone from HTC. When is it out? October probably. What will it cost? A lot. A whole lot. HTC Aero release date It looks like the HTC Aero will probably launch sometime in October. Although it was never referred to by name, HTC's CEO Cher Wang stated that a 'hero' device would be released then and that descriptor certainly sounds high-end. HTC Aero design So far we don't know anything about the design of the HTC Aero, if it's the high-end device that it's seemingly shaping up to be though then we'd expect it to have a premium, likely quite stylish build. But whether it will take its cues from the all-metal HTC One M9 or sport a new design remains to be seen. HTC Aero screen While the HTC One M9 has just a 1080p screen it looks like the HTC Aero could push things up to QHD. A source speaking to HTCViet certainly thinks so anyway, claiming that the upcoming handset will have a 1440 x 2560 display, protected by Gorilla Glass 4. Supposedly it will also be 2.5D, which is less exciting than it probably sounds, but means that the edges will curve ever so slightly into the frame, much like they do on the iPhone 6. HTC Aero rivals It's hard to truly get a sense of what sort of phone the HTC Aero will be yet, so predicting its rivals is tricky too. But as a likely high-end late 2015 handset it will have the iPhone 6S and iPhone 6S Plus for company. They could pose a seriously tough challenge for it, though as 'S' models we're not expecting them to stray far from what we saw with the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus. The Sony Xperia Z5 could launch soon too, once again bringing the best of Sony in a smartphone, including waterproofing, a 5.5-inch 1080p screen and a fingerprint scanner if rumors are to be believed. The Aero could potentially also face competition from other HTC handsets, most notably the still-decent HTC One M9, depending on the price. HTC Aero camera and battery We could be in for a real treat with the HTC Aero's camera, as sources speaking to HTCViet claim it's "ground-breaking". They go some way to explaining why, stating that it will have an f/1.9 aperture, which could improve photos in low light conditions. That's something HTC is often good at anyway, but there's always room for improvement. As well as that it will apparently be able to save photos in RAW format, so if you're serious about photography you won't have to compress the images you capture. We're not convinced any of that really sounds ground-breaking, but it is at least promising. HTC Aero OS and power Given that the HTC Aero probably won't launch until October it's possible that it will run Android Marshmallow (which is expected in September) out of the box, overlaid with HTC's Sense interface. There's no word on what will be powering HTC's new phone. Perhaps it will sport a Snapdragon 810 like the HTC One M9, but given the controversy surrounding that chip HTC might opt for something different - could it be the 808 used in the LG G4, or even a new mid-range 600 series? HTC Aero cost There haven't been any leaks or rumors about the price of the HTC Aero, but given that it's shaping up to be a high-end phone we'd expect a high-end price. For reference the HTC One M9 has an RRP of £500/$649/AU$1099, and we doubt the Aero will be any more than that and it could be less as it's not part of HTC's main flagship line - but it's bound to cost many hundreds of pounds/dollars. On a budget? Consider the HTC One M8s.

Updated: Valve Steam Machine release date, news and features Posted: 20 Aug 2015 07:44 AM PDT Every Steam Machine, and the latest Steam Controller Hands on: SteamOS Beta review Once there was a world where PC gaming was at the desk, console gaming was in the living room and never the two shall meet. That's all coming to a close now, as Valve prepares to bring Steam to your HDTV thanks to the Steam Box. If you're unfamiliar with Steam, think of it as iTunes for video games, with a buddy list and chat for joining your friend's games. It started off on Windows PCs, but now has a healthy number of titles for Mac, too. Valve's Steam Machines are set to shake up tradition, bringing PC gaming to the living room TV. They won't actually be built by Valve - third part manufacturers will be putting together their own boxes - but Valve will be injecting them with SteamOS, its currently-in-beta, Linux-based operating system. Valve already took a big step into the living room with Steam's Big Picture mode, but that still required putting a computer in your entertainment center, or running a really long HDMI cable, at the very least. Perhaps because of that, a lot of the phrasing in Valve's SteamOS reveal treats Steam and the SteamOS interchangeably. Still, Valve's goals with Steam Machines and SteamOS are clear: give PC gaming the ease and accessibility that console jockeys already enjoy, and do so in a way that lets OEMs make the hardware and compete. And put Steam right at the center of it, ready to vacuum up the cash like it's the Steam summer sale all year long. Read more: SteamOS: what you need to know The journey from announcement to launch has been long and a tad messy, but at GDC 2015 Valve revealed the final details of its living room plans, which included Machines, the revised controller and its Vive virtual reality headset. Syber, one of Valve's early Steam Machine partners (and a sub-division of CyberPowerPC), got in there early, announcing a slew of new Steam boxes that will be available later this year. That includes a number of different variants: Steam Machine-Mini, Steam Machine-Mercury and Steam Machine-Switch and Steam Machine-X. The Mini will cost you $450 (about £290, AU$575) while the high-end X comes in at $1,400 (about £910, AU$1,780). But during a briefing with Valve we were able to see the full final lineup of Steam Machines that will be arriving in November. Zotac, Maingear, Digital Storm, Materiel.net and Scan Computers all have boxes in the roster, and you can get into more of the specifics of each here. Meet the final Steam Controller. A tricky part of the Steam Machines will be input, and Valve is trying to solve the problem with its own Steam Controller, which is part of the reason the Steam Machines are taking so damn long to arrive. Valve's gamepad has undergone a number of iteration on its journey to launch, but we got to play with the final iteration of it at GDC 2015 - you can read our initial thoughts here. Last year, Valve announced it has taken user feedback into account and decided to take the controller back to the drawing board. "It's generating a ton of useful feedback, and it means we'll be able to make the Controller a lot better," Valve's blog post read. Making sure the controller is absolutely spot-on seems to be a huge priority for Valve, and rightfully so. Hands on with Alienware's Steam Machine at E3 Since Lily Prasuethsut went hands on with the Alpha at E3 2014, she has seen its final user interface in screen shots. Check out here most recent impressions of the Alienware Steam Machine. Alienware went through eight revisions over two years in collaboration with Valve before it came to its final Steam Machine. That's how serious Alienware claims to be about Valve's hardware initiative. Now it seems the Steam Machine with the alien head logo could be one of the first to hit the market. Dell plans on releasing the Alienware Alpha regardless of whether the Steam Machine program goes live this year. And at E3 2014, we got some extra hands on time with the device, now known as Alpha and with finalized specs. Hands on with Valve's Steam Controller at GDC 2014 Valve has almost entirely transformed the face of its Steam Box controller since we last saw it at CES 2014. Now, the company is set on getting the input device to market by holiday 2014, so it can be bundled with every make and model of Steam Box, and sold separately at a "competitive" price point. That said, a few planned features have been put on the back burner, if not tossed out entirely. Regardless, it's still a novel and functional method of control. YouTube : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jc62TasmDsw While it's disappointing to see Valve ditch a unique feature like the controller's touchscreen, the company has a history of going back to the drawing board to much success. When the controller and Steam Machines come out this holiday season, it won't be prying the keyboard and mouse from fingers, it'll be joining them. We go even more in depth on the new changes to Valve's divisive input device in text form. Read all about them in our updated hands on Steam Controller review. The Steam Box is coming. Half-Life 3 confirmed? Hmmm, maybe. At least that's what Counter Strike co-creator Minh Le suggested in an interview with goRGNtv. "I think it's kind of public knowledge, that people know that it is being worked on," Le said. "And so if I were to say that yeah, I've seen some images, like some concept art of it, that wouldn't be big news to be honest." "I guess I could say that I did see something that looked kinda like in the Half-Life universe," said Le. Will Half-Life 3 launch alongside the first wave of Steam Machines? Well it makes sense, though perhaps Portal 3 would be better suited to Valve's virtual reality headset... Steam Box hardware partners unveiled at CES 2014 CES 2014 wasn't really a gaming show, but thanks to the Steam Machines, games dominated the headlines this year. Well, games and Michael Bay's Samsung implosion. Steam Machine: which Steam box should you buy? Before introducing the world to its thirteen official hardware partners, Valve's head honcho Gabe Newell addressed the crowd. It was an informal chat, Newell fielded questions from the crowd and teased that 3 million Xbox One sales still puts Microsoft's console behind Steam's install base. Newell: Dota 2 is "bigger than Monday night football" YouTube : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jB059PiAzMY Then came the prototypes, from behind a literal curtain. PC building moguls such as Alienware, Origin, Maingear, Gigabyte and more were represented. See them all on display in the video below. All the Steam Boxes from CES 2014 YouTube : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0YAf5S4LSJQ What Steam Machines were before and after CES Here's a look into the past at what Steam Machines were shaping up to be in early 2014. Enjoy the extra context of exactly how much the Steam Boxes have changed in the short time since their unveiling. Spoiler: they changed. A lot. (Especially that controller, seen below.) Watch our hands on with Valve's Steam Controller at CES 2014 YouTube : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A5Xbu85r8Tk And now that Valve's Devdays are in full swing, pictures are coming in off Twitter of a controller with a newly redesigned layout, featuring two four-button clusters. Steam Machines debut at CES 2014 To the surprise of many, gaming stole the headlines at CES 2013. Now just a few weeks from CES 2014, it's looking like the same thing will happen all over again, thanks to the Steam Box. Or should we say Steam Boxes? Multiple manufacturers, including iBuyPower and Digital Storm, have given us glimpses of their designs, with the promise of more to come at the show in Vegas early next year. Both manufacturers are well known in the gaming enthusiast space, and we'd be shocked if more companies that specialize in gaming didn't reveal designs over their own. Valve's idea behind making the SteamOS free and open source is to encourage multiple builds to let customers choose the machine that's right for them. Expect serious competition as hardware manufacturers fight to convince the consumer where to spend their Steam Box dollar. The original Steam Machine prototype Valve's Steam Box prototype While Valve seems sets on producing the SteamOS and leaving it to third-party OEMs (original equipment manufacturer) to build the Steam Machines, that hasn't stopped it from producing and distributing its own prototypes. 300 lucky Steam users have been selected as beta testers. They each received a nondescript wooden case housing the new gaming gear, and one of them was kind enough to produce an unboxing video that's garnered hundreds of thousands of views. YouTube : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jXCbdn00pKY Units are shipping with a variety of specifications, ranging from i7 to i3 builds, a variety of Nvidia Geforce graphics cards. This is inline with past comments by Valve CEO Gabe Newell, who has said Steam Machines will builds will go from "good, better, best," with some machines capable of playing games locally, while others will rely on streaming. Steam Box prototypes shipped in 2014 to 300 lucky gamers Valve has come out and said it. "This year we're shipping just 300 of these boxes to Steam users, free of charge, for testing." There are instructions to opt into a beta Valve's Steam Machine page. They're rather simple, and seem designed to confirm that you're active Steam user. Valve has reiterated that while it is making these intial prototypes, multiple manufacturers will be making Steam Boxes of disparate configurations, saying that this will give users a choice, and not force them into a one size must fit all situation. How open will this Steam Box beta be? Very open, it would seem from the FAQ on Valve's site. Questions like can I install another OS, post pictures of the thing online or change the hardware are all answered with a resounding yes. It also goes on to say that users will be able to build their own Steam Boxes, and Valve will providing access to the SteamOS source code. Wait, how will a Linux-based Steam Box play my Windows games? Through streaming, of course! Valve released its in-home streaming service from beta and into the hands of the gamers, meaning you can go play with it right now. The new feature lets you stream games from a Windows PC to either a Steam Machine or another Windows computer. Support for streaming from SteamOS, Linux and Max OSX is coming soon, says Valve. The Nvidia Shield does just that, allowing you to stream a Windows game from your PC to an Android device. Of course, having the Steam Box be dependent on the PC we assume you own is not without its faults. First off, it's tying up that machine, so no one else can use it. Second, you're still caught in the expensive upgrade cycle of PC gaming. Finally, Valve has confirmed that SteamOS won't have a "suspend" function like the PS4 and Xbox One do. In a Github bug report thread, a Valve engineer wrote that Linux's suspend feature is no longer supported in SteamOS. The reason? "Given the state of hardware and software support throughout the graphics stack on Linux we didn't think we could make this reliable." So there will be Steam Boxes, plural? Yes. Valve's open SteamOS will be available to whoever will have it, and they can create whatever sort of machine they like to run. At least Valve hasn't publicized any planned restrictions. It won't be like the PlayStation 4 and the Xbox One, where you have the Sony system and the Microsoft system with their own libraries. Multiple configurations mean competition, which will hopefully drive innovation and keep things affordable. It will also means a lot of different models all claiming to be the best Steam Box for your money, so picking one won't be as simple as deciding if you like Uncharted better than Halo. Hopefully you'll check back with us for some Steam Box reviews when deciding on which model to go for. Wink, wink, nudge, nudge. The first-ever Steam Controller and Valve's vision The Steam Box controller Try as you might with wireless peripherals, the mouse and keyboard just aren't suited to couch gaming. Valve has recognized this, and thus unveiled a controller for use with any and all games on Steam. YouTube : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jyaZHFyoLlg That's right. First-person shooters, simulation games, even precise point-and-click tactical titles will be controllable with this gamepad, according to Valve. They even claim to have, "fooled those older games into thinking they're being played with a keyboard and mouse." Touchpads instead of thumbsticks The general shape of the Steam controller is familiar. Based on the renders on Valve's controller site, it looks a bit bulbous, like an Xbox 360 or (shudder) an Ouya controller. There are some major differences though. First of all, it has dual circular touchpads rather than thumbsticks. You'll pilot them with your thumbs and they're even clickable, but Valve says they're more precise than physical movable sticks. The trackpads will also give haptic feedback. These are the touch vibrations you know from phones like the Galaxy S4. According to Valve, this isn't just for rumble feedback, but it will actually help make controls more precise. How exactly that will work is unclear, but anyone who played StarCraft on the Nintendo 64 knows that controllers need all the help they can get with certain genres. Dead center on the gamepad you'll also have a touchscreen, which seems more advanced than the touchpad on the PS4 or Ouya controller. There's a ton of potential here, giving game designers a space to place a map, inventory screen or even shifting contextual controls. But do I have to use this thing?! Nope, not at all. Valve's site says that you'll be able to use the regular old mouse and keyboard on Steam and the Steam Box, should you want to. Of course, it conceivable that someone could make a game just for the Valve controller, but it doesn't look like there are plans to lock out any traditional input devices. But what will be in the(se) Steam Box(es)? It's hard to say. Because Valve plans to be open with the SteamOS, companies can slap together any sort of compatible configuration they like and put it to market. It will be a lot like Android, where you have devices of varying sizes, internal power and price. Some people theorize that Valve will produce a Nexus-style Steam Box of its own, but that's looking less likely now. We expect to see two, maybe three types of Steam Box. First, a high-end beefy machine capable of running games locally. The second would be a less expensive configuration that relies entirely on streaming for gaming. A third would be somewhere in the middle. Valve has confirmed that, at least for the beta, installing your own OS will be totally copacetic. Music and movies on the Steam Box Now, it looks like these are the sorts of features that are next on the list for the Steam app on Windows. Steam Database has caught some new updates snuck into the latest beta release for the game and software store, largely enabling a host of new application IDs, including films, TV series, videos, plugins and music. Watching football and Netflix are a part of the console experience, and not something that Valve will be leaving out of its Steam Box. On the SteamOS site it says, "We're working with many of the media services you know an love. Soon we will begin bringing them online, allowing you to access your favorite music and video with Steam and SteamOS." Valve doesn't name any names, but we expect the usual suspects to assemble. Netflix, Amazon, Hulu, basically anything you can get at right now on your Xbox 360 right now is almost guaranteed. NFL Sunday Ticket and cable apps like Xfinity seem like a remote possibility, as cable companies and traditional media conglomerates tend to move slowly and cautiously. iTunes is right out, since it never shows up on a device without an Apple logo. The Steam Box will have family sharing and account controls Placing a machine in the living room means everyone in the house is welcome to it. This isn't a personal device like a cell phone or even a tablet; this is something everyone can log into. Of course, the Steam Box is guaranteed to be more nuanced than grandpa's VCR. Valve has made that clear on its site, saying, " Soon, families will have more control over what titles get seen by whom, and more features to allow everyone in the house to get the most out of their Steam libraries." It seems plans are in place for multiple users on a Steam Box. Whether or not those will all be linked to one Steam account is now the question that arises. Having it all on once account might be best, since that way everyone can share all the games the family has purchased, and mom and dad can keep little Johnny from playing GTA V by altering permissions, while still having it on tap for themselves. Of course, moving games between multiple Steam accounts might not even be a big deal. Valve's SteamOS site details plans for a family sharing plan. Valve says, "Family Sharing allows you to take turns playing one another's games while earning your own Steam achievements and saving your individual game progress to the Steam cloud." It's not terribly dissimilar to what Microsoft had planned for the Xbox One. Don't worry Xbox fans, that feature may actually make a comeback. Article originally contributed by Alex Roth

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