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• Hands-on review: Updated: Xbox Elite Wireless Controller
• In Depth: Nintendo NX: A closer look at the mystery console
• Sony hints at PlayStation VR price
• Facebook 'dislike button' may be more than a thumbs down
• Updated: Apple Music subscription: How to turn off auto-renewal
• The newest Windows 10 preview build is now available
• This may be the Nintendo NX controller (but we hope not)
• Apple self-driving car not happening? Meeting with the DMV says otherwise
• Review: Updated: Moto X Play
• ON1 announces its next generation photo editing software
• 2015 Ig Nobel prizes: unboiling an egg and turning a chicken into a dinosaur
• Poker players are being spied on by money-making malware
• How to customise your Windows 10 Start Menu
• Liberal or conservative? The way you tweet reflects your political leanings
• Researchers filmed themselves dressed as apes and terrorising humans, for science
• A UK iPhone 6S will cost 28% more than the same American model
• Week in Tech: Week in Tech: Amazon fuels the Fire, Snapchat has a wacky idea
• Windows 10 Build 10540 leaks out
• Xerox strikes back at bootleggers with new printable memory chips
• TechRadar Deals: 10 best laptop deals of the week: September 18th 2015

Hands-on review: Updated: Xbox Elite Wireless Controller Posted: 18 Sep 2015 01:40 PM PDT Update: Mark your calendars, the Xbox Elite Wireless Controller finally has a release date: October 27, 2015. The Xbox Elite Wireless Controller is going to level up the skills of Xbox One and Windows 10 gamers later this year with a better feeling, more complex gamepad. As soon as I wrapped my hands around the E3 2015 prototype, I could tell right away that was meant to be a performance-class take on Microsoft's console-bundled controller. Serious gamers need apply. It has more trigger buttons, configurable inputs, a better grip and a heavier feel. All of this makes it fit for pro-level gamers and anyone who has money to burn on a new controller. It's not for everyone, but the Xbox Elite Wireless Controller is worth the price if you're desperate to push more buttons and push your way up the multiplayer leaderboards. Release date and price There were two downsides to briefly one-upping my play style with the Xbox One Elite Wireless Controller at E3. First, it's not going to be available for another four months. My hands have to revert back to the original gamepad for now. The official release date is October 27, according to the Microsoft Store. The company is being a lot more exact on how much it'll cost. The Xbox Elite Wireless Controller price is $149 (likely £99, AU$199). That's a pretty high price to pay for the almost all-black gamepad. Xbox One Elite Controller buttons Fan-requested features make the Xbox Elite Wireless Controller the best gamepad you can pre-order right now, thanks to new trigger buttons and swappable parts. There are four slots for interchangeable paddles on the back, and all four can be attached and removed without tooling. They're the Apple Watch bands of video game controllers. Both the right and left thumb sticks can also be popped off with ease, giving your fingers the best grip, with (concave), tall (flat) and domed (convex) options. There's a little bit of magnetism holding them in place. The all-metal D-Pad choices works much the same way, with a standard cross design and a faceted plate that fits over top of the controller. Hair triggers tucked away on the underside of the Xbox Elite Controller are another surprise. Flipping these switches halves the press of the right and left shoulder buttons. All of a sudden, accelerating, braking or firing weapons can be done in half of the time in games that use these analog shoulder buttons. Flipping the switch off returns them to their full range of motion. Design and comfort The extra triggers of the Xbox Elite Wireless Controller don't make the new controller more uncomfortable, but they did take me more than a minute to adjust to. That's mostly because the four interchangeable paddles gave me some figurative pause. It's important to know what these new buttons do in each game and how to hold the controller without pressing them. Of course, this is a pro-level gaming controller, so it's designed for the best players who are in need of more buttons at their literal fingertips. Therefore, the adjustment period can't be seen as a con. There's also an Xbox One and Windows 10 app to fine tune the new controller, giving the pedals reason to exist and tweaking the analog sticks' maximum and minimum resistance. This changes the software, but not the resistance of the actual stick hardware. What I found instantly comfortable were the new grips on the underside. The controller handles now have a rubber mold over them with a diamond pattern on back. The top of the controller has a more normal-looking, soft touch paint with a little more grip, so it's not hard to readjust your hands. My thumbs could still easily slide across the top while playing. The face buttons and right and left bumpers haven't changed in size, but they are now colorless. After all, true elite gamers don't need to see yellow, blue, red and green. They just see win. Early verdict There's a lot going on with the Xbox Elite Controller. It has four interchangeable paddles that act as extra, software-customizable triggers and a swappable D-Pad and pair of analog sticks. It's well laid out so that the extra input buttons don't feel like they clutter the look or feel. The rubberized undercoat on the new controller handles may be my favorite feature, and while we haven't reached a point for a full Xbox Elite Wireless Controller review, I can imagine this is an ideal gamepad for sweat-filled gaming marathons. It's easier to hold, and the nearly all-black color scheme is just another way to subtly brag as a gamer. The price is the only thing holding me back from pre-ordering this gamepad. At 150 bucks, it's almost three times the price of the normal Xbox One controller on Amazon. On top of that, for that high price, it doesn't come with the Play & Charge kit battery. Just AA batteries. Really? Microsoft says it does come with a USB cable and a carrying case, so there's that. Xbox Elite Controller is designed for pros and, really, considering how much it costs, that's who should be first in line for the October release date.

In Depth: Nintendo NX: A closer look at the mystery console Posted: 18 Sep 2015 01:35 PM PDT The path to the NeXt Nintendo system Update: A new patent from Nintendo might've shown us what the Nintendo NX's controller could look like. Update #2: Check out the "What we know so far" section below for all the latest news on the Nintendo NX. Original article below... Well, that didn't take long. Less than two-and-a-half years after Nintendo launched the Wii U, the console stalwart has revealed plans for a new console, codenamed Nintendo NX. There's good reason for the expediency: while Sony (and to a lesser extent, Microsoft) can potentially match their earlier successes with their latest batch of consoles, the Wii U will almost definitely go down in history as Nintendo's worst-selling console. Just how dire is Nintendo's need to jump ship on the Wii U? It's currently sitting at around 10 million units sold, and even a new Legend of Zelda game won't likely double system sales to the point where it can match the GameCube's near 22-million sales mark. While the big N has been tight-lipped about what the NX will bring to the market, even going so far as to say more won't be revealed until next year, examining the successes and failures of the Wii U and exploring Nintendo's 30 years of console-publishing history can shed light on what we're to expect from the NX. What we know so far: The Nintendo NX won't run Android It exists, but Iwata said it won't be ready in 2015 Dragon Quest XI could be the NX's first game It's available for pre-order at select retailers Nintendo will still support the Wii U and 3DS after the NX launches Here's what Super Mario looks like on Unreal Engine 4 Zelda on Wii U missed E3 2015 - could skip Wii U entirely The path to the NeXt Nintendo system Nintendo's greatest successes were due to the company taking its biggest risks. Its top-selling portable was the Nintendo DS, a portable console with a second, touch-enabled screen that many scoffed at before it revolutionized handheld gaming. Likewise, the original Wii far outpaced every previous TV-tethered system, and it did so by treading its own path, eschewing the standard controls with a revolutionary motion-controlled setup that some competitors are still attempting to mimic. If Nintendo wants to see the NX succeed it'll need to etch these lessons into memory. Should it follow in the footsteps of the 3DS or Wii U, however, all hope may be lost. The Nintendo 3DS originally stumbled, and Wii U has outright failed is truly differentiating themselves from their direct predecessors. Both assumed that the previous generation's record-breaking install base wanted more of the same, so they both came with extensive backwards compatibility and names that recalled the previous generation. The 3DS only broke out of its funk after drastically dropping its price while also debuting a new Zelda and 3D Mario game. The same might be in-store for the Wii U, though the reveal of the NX means its clock is ticking. How will the NX be different? For the NX, a new control method is in the works after the Wii U's controller/touch-screen hybrid failed to inspire widespread developer support. Nintendo President Satoru Iwata even said as much when first announcing the console, saying it will incorporate a "brand-new concept." When you take into account the other major change Nintendo revealed during that same event (a commitment to develop smartphone games), Nintendo's 25-year-old dual-pronged strategy of leaning on both a portable and home console could come to a close this decade. Even though the 3DS is currently Nintendo's saving grace, developing a games-only portable device is becoming more and more of a risk in this day and age. Ever since the release of the GameCube Nintendo has consistently had the least-powerful system on the market. Given how much stock Sony and Microsoft put into creating cutting-edge tech, that's not likely to change. They've done touchscreens, they've done motion-controls ... heck, Nintendo was doing VR two decades ago, so what's the next possible realm to tackle? With the NX, it's possible Nintendo could create a console-portable hybrid. The Wii U dipped its toe in letting users take their games on the go by letting them play on a Gamepad as long as they were in proximity to a Wii U console. But if Nintendo creates an Xbox One/PS4-level system that you can take on the go, then you're playing with power. What does the NX need to succeed? If I had to pick one thing? Better launch games. The Nintendo DS was the rare exception to the rule that successful Nintendo consoles debut with an all-new Mario or Zelda game (remakes and 2D Mario retreads don't count). Nintendo was smart to hedge its bets and shift development of Twilight Princess to both its old and new hardware, and it could do the same with the NX to maximize exposure of the next Zelda game. Super Mario 64, Super Mario Sunshine, and Super Mario Galaxy were amongst the highest-profile releases for their respective Nintendo consoles, and there's no surer bet to launch a Nintendo console alongside than an all-new Mario game. If a game with a name "Super Mario Universe" debuted the same day as a new Nintendo console, the hordes of lapsed Nintendo fans could likely return to the fold. However, Wii Sports and Wii Fit proved that Nintendo doesn't need to (and perhaps shouldn't) lean on a new IP to become a smash hit if new tech is impressive enough. If Nintendo creates a console-portable hybrid and can come up with a simple concept that encourages players to both take the tech on the go and tether it to a TV, a good pack-in game can offer proof to the casual crowd, while the launch day Mario or Zelda game will capture the hardcore. Nintendo NX price will be a major factor In addition to their unclear identities and unexciting launch slates, high initial price tags were the biggest roadblock for Nintendo's most recent portable and home consoles. For the NX to succeed at launch, it needs to be the cheapest video game hardware on the market, and by a large margin. Whether it's due to creating the next control innovation or breaking tradition by selling hardware at a loss, you can rest assured Nintendo won't bungle launch pricing for a third consecutive console. Nintendo's previous generation of consoles, the DS and Wii, gained traction by launching at $150 and $250 (£99.99 and £179.99) respectively, so whether it's focused on dominating your living room or your public transportation commute, Nintendo knows where the sweet spot lays for pricing its consoles. When will we see it? Given Nintendo's history of teasing, revealing and releasing consoles, a holiday 2016 release for the Nintendo NX is likely. Just look at Nintendo's track record. The Wii U was first teased ahead of E3 2011 and debuted in 2012. The 3DS was first announced in early 2010, a year before it came out. The DS was teased in 2003 and revealed in 2004. The Wii is the rare exception because it was teased at E3 2004, shown for the first time a year later, and released over a year after that. With Nintendo saying they won't speak any further on the NX this year (though that could just be a red herring for a major E3 2015 reveal), one might think this could be another console that takes its time to come to market. But desperate times call for desperate measures. The continually-shrinking portable landscape has led to Nintendo's first major third-party game development, and the Wii U's poor sales performance has likely sped up the NX's timeline. The Wii U's lifespan can't extend another two years with the severe lack of third-party support, so it's not unreasonable to expect this system's lifespan to be cut off at four years. If anything, a 2016 release may finally move Nintendo out of the way of the PlayStation 5 and Next Xbox releases, truly differentiating Nintendo from the masses. And if we've learned anything, Nintendo does best when it separates from the pack.

Sony hints at PlayStation VR price Posted: 18 Sep 2015 12:48 PM PDT While Sony this week renamed it's virtual reality offering from Project Morpheus to an uninspired PlayStation VR, it has also hinted at what the VR system may end up costing as well. Speaking to Bloomberg, Sony Entertainment's CEO Andrew House didn't exactly reveal any firm numbers, but he did say that the PlayStation VR will carry a similar price tag as a new gaming platform when it launches next year. If we go off of Sony's pricing of the PlayStation 4 when it first released in 2013, we could be looking at about US$400 for the PlayStation VR. Of course, it should be noted that this will be on top of having to have a PS4 as well, so the real price for a full Sony VR system would add up to be around the $800 mark. Still, that's something that all other VR headset makers will have to face, as the Oculus Rift, Razer OSVR and HTC Vive will need at least a powerful computer to work well, though Microsoft's HoloLens won't need a PC connection or phone to operate. Launch titles When the PlayStation VR does launch next year, we're likely to see more than at least 10 launch titles. "VR rewrites the rule book on how you can create games," House said. "You're seeing a large amount of interest and work happening among smaller teams, because it's possible to create something in VR that is very simple but still very magical." It's already got 10 playable PlayStation VR titles being shown off at the Tokyo Game Show this week, including Sony's own first person shooter Rigs: Machine Combat League, as well as Final Fantasy XIV from Square Enix. Now, if it would only give us an actual release date to look forward to. Here's what you need to know about Sony's PlayStation VR headset

Facebook 'dislike button' may be more than a thumbs down Posted: 18 Sep 2015 12:15 PM PDT Mark Zuckerburg and company have been a bit ambiguous as to how exactly it will employ a new empathy button, a newly uncovered patent suggests it could be as simple as emojis. Filed on December 23, 2014, the Facebook patent illustrates a small selection of emojis sit alongside Facebook's iconic like button. From the patent illustration, it seems like emoting would open up more options for users to respond with a smiling, dour or other funny faces. Zuckerberg first announced on Tuesday that Facebook would integrate a way for users to express empathy. The Social Network founder explained a dislike button would be too simple and create a culture of up and down voting – not unlike Reddit. Although Facebook has already implemented an emoji-like with stickers, the system is a bit cumbersome with so many options and it requires users to post them in a message. If this patent proves to be more than a concept, a small subset of emoticons could be a faster way of capturing users' reactions to complex topics such as the republican debate or the refuge crisis in Syria. Facebook will begin public testing soon, so we could see a new set of emoji-like options appear next to the usual thumbs up button. You might not like Facebook's new "dislike" button via The Next Web

Updated: Apple Music subscription: How to turn off auto-renewal Posted: 18 Sep 2015 11:35 AM PDT The Apple Music subscription service brings limitless song streaming to the seemingly endless iTunes library. And the first three months are free! But once the trial is over, you're set to auto-renew at monthly charges of $9.99/£9.99/AU$11.99 (individual plan pricing) or $14.99/£14.99/AU$17.99 (family plan pricing). That provides easy, uninterrupted service if you want to continue as a paid subscriber, but what if you don't? Not to worry: you can cancel the auto-renew at any time without affecting your free trial, and it couldn't be easier. On an iPhone or iPad, go to Settings > App and iTunes Stores (iTunes & App Store in iOS 8), and open your Apple ID. Next tap "View Apple ID" and type your Apple ID password to reach the Account Settings screen. Scroll down until you reach Subscriptions, and tap Manage. Here you'll find everything you're subscribed to, from Apple Music to magazines. Tap your Apple Music membership to bring up details about this subscription. Here you can toggle off auto-renew, or subscribe at any time if you decide to do so. On a Mac, open iTunes and click on the silhouette at the upper-right that sits next to the search field. In the little Account window that pops up, select Account Info. Type in your Apple ID password to open the Account Information screen; under the Settings category at the bottom, you'll find Subscriptions. Click Manage in the adjacent column to pull up the Manage Subscriptions screen, which lists Apple Music along with other subscriptions you may have for magazines, HBO Now, etc. Click the Edit link next to your Apple Music subscription, and you'll easily spot the option to turn off auto-renew. And that's it! Now there's no chance you'll be charged at some future date, so you can enjoy your free trial of Apple Music worry-free.

The newest Windows 10 preview build is now available Posted: 18 Sep 2015 11:28 AM PDT Microsoft has unveiled its latest Windows 10 preview build. The new trial version of the operating system, Build 10547, is available for Fast Ring Windows Insiders and will include Start menu enhancements, new Tablet Mode features and interface improvements. Among the many changes available in Build 10547 is a Start menu update that enables you to include a fourth column of medium-sized tiles. This gives you immediate access to more Windows 10 apps and folders without having to click into your applications folder. Improvements to Tablet mode in the new build allow you to snap apps both left and right (rather than only to the left). Additionally, you can swipe down to close an application, similar to how you would swipe up to close an app in iOS. What else? Microsoft has updated its Photos app to simplify how you see your OneDrive and PC folders. Apps like Groove, Mail and Calendar and Maps have also received minor updates. The new build allows you to turn off the Windows background picture in the sign-in screen. You will also notice that the text input panel will expand as you input text in order to provide more viewing space within your document. Bug fixes Microsoft has improved a bug that showed users an error message within the Start menu. Some users reported seeing a notification icon within the Action Center tile even though no notifications were available. This has been corrected. You can now shuffle your backgrounds to appear in a random order rather than being forced to display them in the order they are aligned within your folder. Remaining issues Windows Store apps may not update automatically. This will require you to manually open download updates from within the Windows Store, should you require one. If you try to download the preview build and you see a warning message in your Windows Update folder, disregard this message, Microsoft said, in a statement. The next major Windows 10 update Windows 10 is expected to undergo a major revamp in November. The update will likely include Edge extensions and performance enhancements, and a new universal Messaging app for the desktop, among other updates. The update, which Microsoft is internally calling "Windows 10 Update for November" or "Windows 10 November Update," has been available to Windows Insiders since mid-August. However, Microsoft is continually refining the operating system based on the feedback of its power users, so expect to see updates and preview builds into perpetuity. Read our review of Windows 10

This may be the Nintendo NX controller (but we hope not) Posted: 18 Sep 2015 10:52 AM PDT The Nintendo NX doesn't have an official name, release date or prototype yet, but what it might have according to the latest patent from the Kyoto-based company, is a controller. A NeoGaf user going by the name Disoriented posted pictures from the big N's latest patent filing with the US Patent Office that looks to be either a controller for Nintendo's new system - or, quite possibly - the system itself. The hardware in question has two control sticks and an LED screen similar to the Wii U, but curiously drops two of the face buttons and uses scrollable wheels in lieu of the left and right shoulder buttons. That said, trying to understand any of the patent's legaleze is harder than the jetbike level in Battletoads. Here's an excerpt: "An example operation apparatus includes: a direction input operation section provided on a front surface of a housing of the operation apparatus and at such a position that, in a state where the operation apparatus is held with at least one hand of a user, the direction input operation section is allowed to be operated with a thumb of the hand; and a rotation operation section which is provided on a surface different from the front surface of the housing and at such a position that, in a state where the operation apparatus is held with the hand or the other hand of the user, the rotation operation section is allowed to be operated with an index finger of the hand or the other hand and which is an operation section capable of being rotationally operated." Translation? If you're holding the controller (console?) in front of you in portrait mode, you'll be able to use your index finger to scroll the shoulder buttons to select something on the screen. There's plenty of speculation online about what the new controller can and can't do, or whether it's linked to the NX or a separate system entirely, but the fact that Nintendo is filing patents for new hardware is a good indication of some big announcements from the company in 2016. This is what the next Super Mario should look like on Nintendo NX

Apple self-driving car not happening? Meeting with the DMV says otherwise Posted: 18 Sep 2015 10:13 AM PDT A new report is giving more merit to the rumors that Apple has been working on a self-driving car, suggesting the company's legal team has met with officials from California's DMV. The Guardian has reportedly obtained documents that say Apple's senior legal counsel, Mike Maletic, met with the DMV's deputy director, Bernard Soriano, and the chief of strategic planning, Stephanie Dougherty, as well as deputy director and chief counsel for the DMV, Brian Soublet on August 17. And if there is doubt as to the nature of the meeting - Soriano and Dougherty are co-sponsors of the autonomous car regulation project. But while it looks like Apple is gearing up to begin testing its driver-less cars, we don't anticipate the tech giant will reveal much just yet. Keeping quiet Of course, despite the numerous rumors surrounding the possibility that Apple has been secretly working on its own self-driving cars, the company has so far remained silent. Even Apple CEO Tim Cook kept quiet earlier this week when Stephen Colbert asked him about it on the Late Show. Uber founder Travis Kalanick had come on the show the week before and told him directly that Apple was in fact making it's own self-driving car. "When he was here, he said, you know Apple is working on a driver-less car. So he's already given it away," Colbert said on the show, before asking Cook to tell him about it. "We look at a lot of things along the way, and we just decide to put our energies into a few of those," was all that Cook said in response. But also didn't deny anything when Colbert conspiratorially whispered, "They're doing it." You can check out Colbert's interview with Cook below: YouTube : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zuY0hXkqTWA Everything you need to know about the Apple Car

Review: Updated: Moto X Play Posted: 18 Sep 2015 09:25 AM PDT Introduction and design Motorola clearly wasn't satisfied with one flagship smartphone this year. For 2015 we get two new versions of the Moto X: the Moto X Style, a high-end and slightly higher-priced handset, and the Moto X Play, a phone designed for people on the go but still packed with superior features. As the name suggests, the Moto X Play is designed for adventurous types who need a battery that keeps going as long as they do, and a handset that won't break at the slightest knock. The Moto X Play is available in the UK right now in two storage options: 16GB and 32GB. The phone costs £279 for the 16GB option, and £319 for the 32GB version. For another £40, though, you could buy the Moto X Style – which is a minor hike to get a much better setup. That means that although the Moto X Play boasts slightly better specs than you'd expect for the mid-range price, you'll need to compare it to the Style before deciding if it's good value. So let's find out whether the Moto X Play is worth picking up. Design It's difficult to see where the Moto X Play is meant to fit in Motorola's range of smartphones – and the design only further muddies the waters. The Moto X Play certainly feels more premium than the Moto G, but this version isn't as high-end as some of the phones it aspires to take on, such as the OnePlus 2. Everything about it feels very slightly off, and this is a shame. With just a minor polish to the design, the Moto X Play could have offered a lot more for the money. The phone fits perfectly in the hand, which is an impressive achievement considering it has a 5.5-inch display slapped in the middle – that's toward the higher end of the screen size range, and would have been considered a phablet two years ago. Along the top and bottom are two slim bezels, which both house speakers along with an earpiece at the top and microphone at the bottom. The front-facing camera is somewhat hidden away in the top-right corner, but by minimising the bezels the Moto X Play can offer a compact frame without compromising on screen size. It's the complete opposite of my gripe with the iPhone 6 Plus, which houses the same size screen but is much bigger, with large strips at the top and bottom of the phone. The phone has an arched back – it's 10.9mm thick in the middle but slimmer at the edges – and this enables the phone to sit in the hand more easily. It also enables the phone to appear thinner than it actually is, as well as housing a lot of extra battery power. The edges of the phone have a metal framework, making it feel and look quite premium. The 3.5mm headphone jack sits right in the middle of the top edge, which can feel like an odd placement with some headphone designs. When the phone is in a pocket it can be irritating – I'd rather have it closer to one of the edges, or I'd have to use wireless headphones. Alongside the jack sits the SIM and microSD card drawer, which you can pop out using a small tool. The left edge of the phone is clear of buttons, while the right side houses the power button a third of the way down, with the volume rocker below. The power button features subtle texturing, which makes it easier to find if you're fumbling around and not looking at the phone. Right in the middle on the bottom edge is the microUSB port – it's a shame there's no USB-C support here, because I can see myself scratching the bottom edge trying to slot the connector in. The phone is water resistant, so it can survive the odd splash of water. The problem here is that it's not fully waterproof, as we've come to expect from, say, the Sony Xperia line of flagship phones. There's no point half measures here. If Motorola is suggesting the phone is durable enough for adventurous outdoor types then it doesn't make sense to make the phone only partly resistant to water when it could be fully waterproof. Customization The name of the game with the Moto X Play is customization. You can customise the phone's design via the Moto Maker website, where you can choose from 14 colour backs and seven accent colours along the camera module section on the back and the speaker grills on the front. There's a good variety of colour choices here, but I didn't get the chance to try them out – if I had, I'd have gone for a much more vibrant look than that of the phone you can see in the photos. The problem is you can't do much else – there's only a choice of white or black front colours. It's a nice touch being able to customise the look of your phone, but I don't feel Motorola hasn't gone far enough on the Moto X Play. If you head into the Moto Maker application for the Moto X Style you'll find a choice of materials for the back as well as colours, including wood and leather. With the Moto X Play it feels like you're restricted to paint-by-numbers customisation, rather than being able to 'build' your perfect phone. Display and key features People are shouting about the Moto X Style offering Quad-HD resolution on a cheaper smartphone, and it does look beautiful. The Moto X Play, meanwhile, is still restricted to 1080p resolution. I'd argue that that's not a bad thing, and I'd actually prefer to have this display on the Moto X Play. There's no denying a QHD display is a big bonus when you're watching video, but I really think Full HD is the best option for the Moto X Play. It's a 5.5-inch TFT LCD display with a resolution of 1080 x 1920 pixels, meaning it has 403 pixels per inch. It won't compete with the LG G4 and Samsung Galaxy S6 with their beautiful QHD displays, but if you're just using it to watch the odd video, and when you take price into account, this is the exact screen quality you need. Full HD means less of a drain on the battery. It's bright when you need it to be and it offers good viewing angles in bright light, unlike some other phones in this price bracket. The screen is protected by Gorilla Glass 3. Key features Motorola is aiming the Play at the outgoing person who wants a durable smartphone that isn't going to let them down when they most need it. That's why the phone has a water-repellent coating, which I mentioned briefly earlier. It does mean your phone will be okay if you're caught in a shower – but that's about all. When testing the Moto X Play's water resistance I always felt nervous about pushing it too far, which left me wondering why didn't Motorola go the whole hog. The Moto X Play should have full-blown IP67 water and dust protection. You should be able to jump in a lake with it and happily use it in the rain. I appreciate that incorporating such protection would impact on the design, but having covers on a few ports isn't a great inconvenience if I know my phone will be capable of surviving anything I throw at it. Fast charging is another key feature on the Moto X Play, and it's a big selling point if you're running low on juice. The problem here is that the charger needed to take advantage of fast charging isn't included in the box. I assume this is to do with keeping costs down, but as it's such a major selling point of the phone Motorola should really have stuck one in the box. Interface and performance The last bastion of the stock Android format, Motorola has managed to keep the OS clear from spam in a way that other manufacturers, such as Samsung and HTC, haven't. The Moto X Play comes with the latest version of Android in the form of the 5.1.1 Lollipop on board, meaning you've got all the latest features in place and ready to go. Motorola is quite good at keeping its software up to date too, so Moto X Play users are likely to get the Android 6.0 Marshmallow update and beyond before users of phones from other manufacturers – unless you're on a Nexus device of course. Stock is in my opinion the way forward – I much prefer it to any overlay or design from other Android phone manufacturers. What you do have, though, is Motorola range of apps. These include Connect to track all your devices, Migrate to help switch your devices, and Moto to enable hands-free control when driving. I never find any real use for these apps, and I generally don't even open them on a Motorola phone. I'd rather they weren't preinstalled, so you could just add them if you want them; fortunately you can uninstall them if you want to free up some space. Performance Motorola has made the controversial choice to include a smaller processor in the X Play than in the Moto X Style. The Moto X Play has a Qualcomm Snapdragon 615 octa-core processor, which includes a quad-core 1.7GHz Cortex-A53 and a quad-core 1.0 GHz Cortex A53 alongside an Adreno 405 GPU. It's not the weakest setup we've seen on a smartphone in recent years, but it's nowhere near as strong as that in the Moto X Style – and the difference is noticeable. There was a bit of a lag when I was scrolling through pages with multiple apps open. I found that the camera app in particular took quite a while to launch, but that could also be an issue with the sensor. There's also 2GB of RAM on this phone, which should be fine but feels like a bit of a letdown when you consider that the Style comes with 3GB. Gaming-wise the phone performed quite well, and even after 10 minutes of running Real Racing 3 it hadn't crashed or heated up, as some phones in this price bracket tend to. I ran the Geekbench 3 benchmarking software on the phone a few times, and recorded an average single-core score of 715 and a multi-core score of 2716. We didn't run the test on last year's Moto X, so it's difficult to tell how it compares, but another phone in the same price bracket is the OnePlus 2, which returned a multi-core score of 4795. That's 2000 more than the Moto X Play, although that's little surprise as the OnePlus 2 has an impressive processor inside. The Moto X Play is quite close to the iPhone 6, which scored 2905 – but then Apple phones are quite different offerings. Overall it's a little disappointing to see what the Moto X Play is able to do with its processor, but it will be able to cope with most everyday tasks, and it seems to handle high-end gaming sufficiently as well. Battery and essentials The battery is the real standout feature of the Moto X Play. It comes with a big 3630mAh cell – to put that into perspective, the Moto X Style has to power a 2K display and has a 3000mAh cell inside. It does mean the X Play has to be a little thicker to accommodate the bigger battery, but it's worth it. I found myself getting a consistent day and a bit of use from a full charge, and that's unheard of as I'm such a power-hungry user – generally I'll just about make it to the end of the day, even after putting my phone on charge for a bit midway through. I ran the Nyan Gareth video test on the Moto X Play as well. I turned the display up to full brightness, with full connectivity enabled, and played a 90-minute clip from start to finish. The X Play came out the other side with 85% of its battery left – that's a pretty big deal, and it means you can watch quite a few films without having to worry about taking it back to the wall. I ran the test again at 60% screen brightness, and it came out with 87% of its battery intact. The Moto X Play also supports TurboPower charging, which Motorola claims is the fastest technology of its kind in the world, with a 15-minute charge good for eight hours of battery life. A TurboPower charger isn't included, however, so you'll have to buy one separately – it's a real shame that you can't take advantage of one of the Moto X Play's major features right out of the box. Another disappointment is Motorola's decision not to include wireless charging in the Moto X Play. This is something that's becoming more widely available, with charging on offer in places such as coffee shops and restaurants. Calls and Wi-Fi Phone calls were clear at my end, and everyone I spoke to reported that they could hear me well – even during a conference call to the US. That's likely down to the noise cancellation technology employed in the Moto X Play, with a dedicated mic – it's featured in all the Moto X phones, and works a treat to ensure that light background noise doesn't accompany your voice over the airwaves. The X Play supports all internet connectivity, including LTE 4G – why wouldn't it, it's 2015 – so you can get your super-fast internet without any concerns. If you're not on 4G yet, you'll be able to use your 3G network as well. There's Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, which basically means you're able to connect to any Wi-Fi signal that's available, and you can also turn your phone into a Wi-Fi hotspot at will. I was able to do this without any problems – but hotspot use is going to rinse your internet, so watch out if you're on a limited data contract. Unlike the OnePlus 2 the Moto X Play comes with NFC support, so it'll be compatible with the likes of Android Pay when that finally launches. The phone doesn't come with any specialist security features, so there's no sign of a fingerprint sensor or eye scanner here, which are features some people may miss. The Moto X Style doesn't have these either, and it seems Motorola doesn't have any interest in introducing them – it'll be interesting to see how you can authenticate payments within Android Pay. Camera Cameras are a big deal when it comes to smartphone one-upmanship these days, and Motorola seems to have taken this on board, introducing some big changes for the rear shooter this time around. The Moto X Play features a 21MP sensor that can take photos up to a resolution of 5248 x 3936 with its HDR feature on – it's a big upgrade on the 13MP which still managed to impress on last year's Moto X. I have to admit I was really taken aback by the camera on the Moto X Play. I thought the large sensor was going to prove to be all about the numbers, but it actually delivered exactly what I wanted, whenever I needed it. There's an autofocus mode that works better than I'd expected – at one point I was trying to take photos of a parked van when it started to move, and the camera managed to keep it in focus until it disappeared out of sight. Here it is stood still… Click here for the high-res image. And here it is moving – there's barely any blur at all. Click here for the high-res image. I found that all the pictures I shot were incredibly clear, with excellent detail. Image brightness wasn't particularly great to start with, but after a while I found the control focus and exposure tool, which enables you to decide how light you want images to be. Here's a 'standard' shot… Click here for the high-res image. And the same scene with the brightness turned up... Click here for the high-res image. Images might not be as high quality as from the cameras on the Galaxy S6 or iPhone 6, but bear in mind that this isn't a high-end device. Getting a 20MP sensor on a phone at this price would have been unthinkable two years ago, and it's a big plus for the Moto X Play. The front-facing camera is a 5MP affair, and that's really all you need to know. All the same shooting features are available as for the rear camera, and the quality is good enough to enable your narcissistic tendencies. Images aren't anywhere near as clear as from the rear camera, but they're fine for the odd Snapchat message or Facebook profile update. I do have a bit of a gripe with the camera interface-wise. I kept finding myself tapping the screen to focus on areas, as you do on many smartphone cameras, but on the Moto X Play that's how you take an image. If you're used to using any other focus it'll be infuriating but I find my finger setting a little used to it after a couple of days. To change the setting you can swipe in from the left side or to enter the gallery of previous photos you can swipe right. As for video, here you've got two choices. You can only really record normal video in 1080p at 30fps, which could be a bit of a problem if you're pushed for storage space, and I can't understand why Motorola hasn't included a 720p option. There's also a slow-mo video mode that enbales you to shoot footage at 540p. You'll be presented with a simple interface that enables you to decide which part of the video you want in slow motion by moving two markers, and you can save the clip from there. This does mean you're not able to speed up the video in between and then slow it down again, or choose which speed you'd like for the whole clip, but that's not something you'll necessarily need. Some more camera shots… Click here for the high-res image. Click here for the high-res image. Click here for the high-res image. Click here for the high-res image. Click here for the high-res image. Click here for the high-res image. Media The Moto X Play sports a good pair of front-facing speakers. When I was watching video I was a little taken back at how impressive they were considering it's not a feature Motorola has made a big deal about. The interface within the video app is straightforward, and makes it easy to pause and rewind clips. I was testing the 16GB version of the X Play, and after software is installed you're left with 10.89GB to play with. That's enough space if you're planning to upload films or music, but my average Spotify offline collection is going to take up 4GB straight off, cutting down the available space for pictures. The competition Here's a quick look at the phones the Moto X Play is up against… Moto X Style It's been mentioned already in this review, and the Moto X Style is the true flagship of this generation of Motorola phones. It's got a higher-resolution display and a better processor, and comes with more options for customising the look of your phone. But there are quite a few similarities between the X Style and the X Play – they have the same camera sensor as well as a similar look, and they run the same software setup. The big difference is in the price, with the Moto X Play costing considerably less, but even if price didn't come into it the Moto X Style would be our choice of the two, thanks in large part to that incredible 2K display. Read our hands-on review of the Moto X Style OnePlus 2 Last year's underdog is back. The second release from OnePlus hasn't got the blood pumping as rapidly as the OnePlus One, but it's still offering some premium specs at a cutthroat price. There's a 5.5-inch 1080p screen, similar to the Moto X Play's, but it's also boasting a more powerful Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 chipset, 3GB or 4GB of RAM, and a more premium design and feel than its rivals. It's going to cost about the same as the Moto X Play as well, but the issue is whether you can actually get one – the odd 'invitation' system that OnePlus employs makes it a pain trying to get your hands on one of its phones, so it depends on whether you want to wait, or just dive into the Moto Maker right now. Read our full review of the OnePlus 2 Nexus 6 There's a new Nexus right around the corner, but last year's offering is still an impressive piece of tech – and it was made by Motorola. When you use the Moto X Play you can see similarities between the two phones, especially on the front display. The fact that you've got stock Android running on the phone is a big plus, and it's come down in price a fair bit since it was launched. The big difference between the Nexus 6 and the Moto X Play is the screen size – the Nexus 6 boasts 2K resolution across an almost 6-inch display, making it a much bigger device and not exactly pocket friendly. Read our full review of the Nexus 6 Sony Xperia Z3 Compact This phone is almost a year old now, but it's still the only premium device on the market in a small package. It manages to tick all the boxes the Moto X Play aspires to as well, with a 4.6-inch 720p display on offer, a premium design and a Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 processor. The Z3 also features better water resistance than the Moto X Play, with a IP67 rating meaning you can take it in the bath with you if that's your thing. It's restricted to 16GB of storage, but there's 128GB of microSD support if you want it, and a kick-ass 20.7MP camera to boot. Price-wise it's come down quite a bit in the last year, and now costs about the same as the Moto X Play. Read our full review of the Sony Xperia Z3 Compact here. Verdict We liked The Moto X Play comes with a nice design and feel, and the option to customise the look of your phone is always welcome. It feels like a solid device, feels and substantial in the hand without being too fat. The metal rim around the edge makes the phone look a little more premium than, say, the Moto G, and I quite like the look of the back of the handset. The display is very good too, although it would have been nice to see an upgrade to 2K resolution. The battery is the standout feature, and it's nice to see a company dedicating itself to maximising battery life, and to getting you up and running again quickly after you've run out of juice. Not having the TurboPower feature on other phones will be a big loss for me in the coming weeks – I've all but forgotten how slow some phones can be to charge. Compared to other manufacturers, Motorola has nailed the software experience by keeping things as simple as possible, and if it stays on the ball when it comes to keeping the phone updated then the Moto X Play will be the perfect Android playground. We disliked Customisation on the Moto X Play isn't all it could be, and not having alternative material options is a major letdown. I wasn't expecting a leather option on an 'active lifestyle' phone, but it would have been nice to have different options for the back, even if they're just different versions of the plastic. I really feel that the Moto X Play should be a fully waterproof device. If water resistance is going to be a major selling point then there seems to be little point in not making it entirely waterproof. It also bugs me that Motorola uses the TurboPower charging feature to help sell the Moto X Play, but doesn't include the required charger in the box. The lack of wireless charging may also be an issue for some in the months to come – it's not all that widely available right now, but it's set to become a much bigger deal fairly quickly. It's also a shame that Motorola hasn't included a fingerprint sensor on the phone. I'd expected a fingerprint sensor to enable the Moto X Play to support Android Pay – but the company may have something else up its sleeve to ensure that payments can be authenticated. Final verdict The Moto X Play is clearly an experiment for Motorola – and I'm not sure if it's succeeded in the areas the company was targeting when they were originally looking at the drawing board. It straddles a strange middle ground between Motorola's successful budget Moto G and the impressive Moto X range we've seen before. The Moto X Style takes the high-spec and, well, stylish concept and runs with it, while the Moto X Play takes some elements and lags behind a little. The idea is obviously to offer a slightly cheaper price point for the phone, but I'm not sure the slight drop in price is worthwhile when you can go out and spend a little bit more on a vastly better phone. There's a lot going for the Moto X Play, but not quite enough when you compare it to its more impressive stablemate. It's still a very good smartphone, and it's pretty good value given the spec list, but it feels a bit like a phone that doesn't know quite what it wants to be. Motorola should have gone the whole hog with this phone, and made it a durable masterpiece that offered high-end specs, plus a durable yet customisable design. And it should be waterproof, not 'water resistant' – and ideally blood, sweat and tear-proof too. Read our hands-on review of the Moto X Style.

ON1 announces its next generation photo editing software Posted: 18 Sep 2015 09:09 AM PDT ON1 is launching a new version of its long-running PhotoSuite software in late October but it's already running preview videos showing how the new software will work. This is more than a simple upgrade, though, because ON1 is rebranding PhotoSuite 9.5, its previous product, as 'Photo 10'. Photo 10 works both a standalone image-editing suite and as a set of plug-ins for Photoshop and Lightroom, and what's especially interesting is its evolution over the years from a plug-in suite into an all-in-one image browsing, organizing and editing tool which competes head-on with Corel PaintShop Pro, Serif PhotoPlus and, arguably, Lightroom. The accepted wisdom is that all image-editing centres around an image-editing program with cataloguing tools and filter effects added in – the classic Photoshop model. But it's clear now that many photographers center their lives around their image cataloguing software instead, hence the success of Adobe Lightroom. Or, starting from the other end of the image-editing process, they want tools that give them a library of ready-made effects with the option of working back through the process to make manual changes as necessary. Photoshop might be the best at what it does, but not everybody wants to work that way any more. How ON1 Photo 10 works ON1 has progressively merged its series of separate plug-ins into a more cohesive tool with different modules for browsing your images, enhancing them or adding effects. You can build the effects manually when you know what you want to achieve, or choose preset effects and reverse-engineer them to see how they work. ON1 says it's re-engineered the software from the ground up to be up to 4x faster than before with an updated user interface and improved responsiveness. ON1 has also developed its own 'PhotoVia' mobile synchronization system, which enables you to search, rate and share your photos from an iOS device (Android versions are planned, but not before early 2016). Interestingly, this uses existing cloud services, notably Dropbox and Google Drive, which should make life simpler (and cheaper). The Effects module is where you'll spend much of your time, and this has new preset categories and now incorporates the previously separate B&W module to make all the effects available for black and white images too, including the Dynamic Contrast effect which ON1 says has proved particularly popular. Many preset effects are created using several stacked layers, but it's now possible to mask these as a whole rather than having to modify them individually. The Portrait mode has been improved too – it can now recognise the faces of subjects lying down, and you can select which features to enhance or exclude, such as eyes only, or eyes and mouth, say. A new Export option, available across the suite, offers a choice of resizing and resampling options which include ON1's proprietary Perfect Resize technology. At the heart of the suite, though, is the Browse module, and this is where the biggest changes can be found. Previously, this was a simple folder browser, just like Adobe Bridge, but it now incorporates a 'watch' feature – you can add a favorite folder, or even a whole hard disk, and it will automatically respond to new or modified photos, promising super-fast rendering of thumbnails as you browse. In Photo 10 you will also be able to create Albums and Smart Albums (corresponding to Collections and Smart Collections in Lightroom). Albums will let you gather together images 'virtually' without actually changing their location on your computer, while Smart Albums use search terms to gather together images matching specific search criteria. ON1 is not pitching Photo 10 and its new Browse module as an alternative to Lightroom, but it's clearly an interesting alternative for those whose filing needs are relatively simple and who don't need the complexities of Lightroom's image database management tools. ON1 Photo 10 will be available in both Mac and Windows versions from late October 2016 at an introductory price of US$99.99 (about £64/AU$139) for the full version or US$89.99 (about £58/AU$125) as an uprgade. It's also possible to pre-order, in which case you get three free months of the new ON1 Photo Magazine, 'The Ultimate ON1 Photo 10 Training', 10 in-depth video courses and a 5-user family license. We'll bring you a full review just as soon as the finished version is available. Best photo editing software Best free photo editing software How to use the techradar camera channel

2015 Ig Nobel prizes: unboiling an egg and turning a chicken into a dinosaur Posted: 18 Sep 2015 08:55 AM PDT A machine that can unboil an egg, the discovery that the word "huh?" occurs in every language, and a universal law of urination were just some of the winners of the 2015 Ig Nobel prizes. The Ig Nobels celebrate "improbable research" - scientific discoveries that are unusual, seemingly trivial or just plain weird. Since 1991, they've been awarding prizes to research that "makes people laugh, and then think". The chemistry prize went to a team who partially unboiled an egg using a vortex fluid device - a machine that converts unfolded proteins into folded proteins. The results could be used in the production of cheese and the manufacturing of cancer treatments. The management prize went to a group who found that children who experience (but aren't harmed by) natural disasters tend to take more risks as business leaders. Raghu Rau, who led the team, uses Apple as an example - Steve Jobs supposedly survived a landslide as a child, and took plenty of risks in his tenure as CEO. Pain Index Entomologist Justin Schmidt won the physiology prize for allowing himself to be stung by more than 200 bees in different parts of the body to learn which locations are the most painful. The nostril, upper lip and penis shaft, for the record, hurt the most - while the skull, middle toe tip and upper arm are the least painful. The mathematics prize was won by a team of Austrians who calculated that is was possible for Moulay Ismael the Bloodthirsty, the Sharifian Emperor of Morocco, to have successfully fathered 888 children between the years 1697 and 1727. Finally, the physics prize was won by researchers who established that almost all mammals empty their bladders in about 21 seconds, and the biology prize was given to a South American scientist who attached a stick to the rear of a chicken and observed that it then walked like a dinosaur. You can find a full list of winners, as well as links to their published research, on the Ig Nobel website. Liberal or conservative? The way you tweet reflects your political leanings Image credit: Melanie Cook // CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

Poker players are being spied on by money-making malware Posted: 18 Sep 2015 08:25 AM PDT Two of the world's largest poker sites have been affected by a new piece of malware that allows cheats to prosper. First reported by the Eset Security Blog, the Win32/Spt.Odlanor allows attackers to view cards in the victim's hand and then join the game on PokerStars or Full Tilt Poker in order to fleece the victim of their chips. Victims are infected with the trojan when downloading software from elsewhere and it has been known to masquerade as Daemon Tools or mTorrent. It has also reached systems through various poker-specific programs such as player databases and poker calculators. When the malware has been successfully executed it takes a screenshot of either the PokerStars or Full Tilt Poker client and this are relayed back to the attacker. From here on in screenshots can be obtained that reveal the hand and player ID thus making it very simple to find the exact table the person is playing at because each client allows you to search for tables by player ID. Serial targets Most of the victims are in Eastern Europe, particularly Russia and the Ukraine, and as of September 16 several hundred users have fallen victim to the malware. Poker players are often targeted by cyber criminals and you can go as far back as 2008 to find warnings from one researcher about the threat posed, and PokerStars security product manager Trent Wyatt admitted in last year that poker players are definitely open to cyber crimes. Humans are trying to beat robots at Texas Hold 'em poker

How to customise your Windows 10 Start Menu Posted: 18 Sep 2015 08:00 AM PDT Introduction With Windows 10 finally here, you might be wondering what exciting changes will be in store for you and your PC. Also, will the new system be easy to get used to? The short answer is, we can absolutely guarantee you will be up and running with your new operating system in next to no time. Of course, there's plenty that's different, but Windows 10 is designed to make your computing life easier and even more streamlined than ever before. In this tutorial, we start the journey by looking at the Start menu, and see what has changed with the launch of Windows 10. Let's get Started! 1. Pin an app to the Start Menu We'll begin by adding programs to the new Start menu. If you're familiar with how to do this in Windows 7, it follows exactly the same routine here. Find the app you wish to add, right-click it and select 'Pin to Start'. 2. On the tiles We now have the app's icon pinned to the Start menu as a tile. You can customise your Start menu by resizing and moving the tiles around. Right click one to bring up a drop-down menu. Here you can switch live tiles off or on, resize them and more. 3. Resizing pinned apps Here we'll resize a tile to make it smaller. Apps downloaded from the Windows Store offer more resizing options, while other programs only have the option to go from medium to small. You can drag the tiles into the order that suits you best. 4. Group and title You can also arrange tiles into groups. The groups can be renamed into categories, for example. To do this, move your cursor just above each column group and left-click once, you can now type in a name for the group. 5. All apps With Windows 10 Start Menu comes a slight change in the way you access programs (which is similar to Windows 7) – the All Apps tab at the bottom of the Start Menu brings up a list of everything installed on your computer for quick and easy access. 6. Resize the entire menu If you feel the Start menu is still a little too big, you can resize the entire thing. As you would with a window, move the mouse to the edge of the Start menu and left-click. You can now hold to drag and resize the Start Menu to the size you want. 7. Classic Windows 8 Mode If you really don't want to leave Windows 8 and miss the Tile menu, Microsoft has it covered. Simply click the diagonal arrow in the top right-hand corner of the Start Menu. From now on, this will expand the Start menu across the screen. 8. Enabling Tablet Mode If you have a 2-in-1 tablet, the more desktop-like interface may not be right for you. If you want to change back to a style more akin to Windows 8, click Settings from the Start menu, then go to 'System' and switch on 'Tablet Mode'. For more tips and tricks on Windows 10 like this, buy: Windows 10 Help and Advice Check out our Windows 10 Review

Liberal or conservative? The way you tweet reflects your political leanings Posted: 18 Sep 2015 07:57 AM PDT A study of almost a million tweets sent by over 10,000 Twitter users has revealed intriguing differences between the language used by liberals and conservatives. Researchers from Queen Mary University of London studied tweets sent between 15 and 30 June 2014 by people who followed either the US Republican or Democrat party official Twitter accounts. They found that liberals are more likely to use swear words, but are also more likely than conservatives to express positive emotions and to discuss international news. Conservatives, on the other hand, were more likely to discuss religion - "god" and "psalm" were popular words. I, Me, We and Our Interestingly, Republicans discussed liberal politicians Barack Obama, Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi the most, while Democrats were more likely to discuss Republican politician Dick Cheney. Liberals were also more likely than conservatives to use words like "I" and "me", which conservatives opted for "we" and "our". "Open social media provides a huge amount of data for use in understanding offline behaviour. The way people talk and interact on Twitter can provide a more robust and natural source for analysing behaviour than the traditional experiments and surveys," said Matthew Purver from QMUL, who co-authored the report. "The results closely matched our predictions based on existing understanding of political supporters' psychology. This means we could use Twitter data in future to better understand people's behaviour and personality, while also using psychological research to understand more about Twitter users." A paper describing the results was published in the journal PLOS ONE. Researchers filmed themselves dressed as apes and terrorising humans, for science

Researchers filmed themselves dressed as apes and terrorising humans, for science Posted: 18 Sep 2015 07:07 AM PDT Apes can recognise bits of movies and anticipate them, according to Japanese researchers who filmed themselves wearing King Kong costumes and carrying out attacks on people to prove it. Fumihiro Kano and Satoshi Hirata recorded a pair of short movies. In the first, a character in an ape costume terrorises humans. In the second, a human uses a tool to attack someone in an ape costume. Here's the first movie, the second is embedded a little lower down. YouTube : youtube.com/watch?v=EIkCXJxhfaQ The researchers used laser eye-tracking technology to see if the animals noticed and remembered key moments when the same film was shown on two consecutive days. In tests involving six chimpanzees and six bonobos, the apes looked at the doorway where the ape character was about to enter around three seconds before it appeared. In the second movie, however, the pair tweaked the film slightly before re-showing it to the apes - the positions of the two weapons were swapped. The apes looked at the weapon used in the first showing, not the place it had been in the first showing, indicating that they knew what would happen next. YouTube : youtube.com/watch?v=IztjAbmFu20 "The fact they remembered such details from the previous video was really impressive," Kano told New Scientist, adding that the skill could have developed either in social situations with other apes or to help them recognise impending danger. The next step, he says, is to see whether the apes can understand the plot of a movie. Probably best we don't show them Planet Of The Apes, though, yeah? Details of the pair's experiments were published in Current Biology. This is what a sunset looks like on Pluto

A UK iPhone 6S will cost 28% more than the same American model Posted: 18 Sep 2015 07:07 AM PDT It's no secret that phones generally cost more in the UK than the US, but when you actually compare the cost of buying the iPhone 6S and iPhone 6S Plus outright it's quite surprising how much cheaper it is in the States. Research carried out by Voucherbox found that the cheapest deals for the iPhone 6S and iPhone 6S Plus were all in the US, with the UK featuring in the top three most expensive countries for both models. In the UK, the cheapest deal is 28% more expensive than the cheapest in the US (where it varies in price due to sales tax but in some states has no additional levy at all). Tough luck With the iPhone 6S Plus it's a similar affair with the US prices being 27% cheaper than the ones in the UK. Both these stats were worked out by converting the cheapest prices for 16GB models and taking into account recent exchange rates. The research also claimed that if you've got an original iPhone and live in the UK, it's now worth more than it was at launch, citing the current average second hand price in the UK is £238 and the phone cost £235 at launch. However, this wasn't purchasing the phone outright, rather signing up to get the handset on contract and having to pay a hefty fee up front as well - so it's probably worth holding onto one of these for a while yet if you've still got one kicking around. Our hands-on review of the iPhone 6S

Week in Tech: Week in Tech: Amazon fuels the Fire, Snapchat has a wacky idea Posted: 18 Sep 2015 06:48 AM PDT It's been an interesting week. In the UK new Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn crowdsourced his questions for Prime Minister's Question Time. In the US a 14-year-old boy was arrested for making a digital clock, and then invited to the White House by President Obama. And in Cupertino, a bug so devastating it can't be allowed to escape means the watchOS 2 update didn't happen as planned. It's an OS-updating, Fido-feeding, Ford-finding Week in Tech! Installing 9 saves time Fancy a better battery, a faster phone and sleeker, more beautiful hair? iOS 9 can help with at least two of these things. The update is out now and as Matt Swider says in his in-depth iOS 9 review, it's much better than its predecessor. Only Apple Maps prevents it from being "the perfect update": it's got better Siri, a better keyboard, iPad multitasking and it's compatible with devices going back to the iPhone 4S. Once you've got it, check out our 50 killer tips for iOS 9. There are lots of new goodies for you to try. There's a new version of the Apple Watch OS too – watchOS 2 – but sadly you can't download that just yet: its release has been pulled at the last minute due to an enormous but unspecified bug. Control your Ford with your fingers Are you wearing the future of Fords on your wrist? If you've got an Apple Watch or Android Wear device and a Ford electric or plug-in hybrid, you might be. Ford has updated its MyFord Mobile app for both iOS and Android to bring a whole range of features to your wrist. You can manage the climate control, lock and unlock the car, check its charge status, and even get directions to where you've parked. For now it's limited to the C-Max Energi, Focus Electric and Fusion Energi, but Ford's keen to bring it to more vehicles in the not too distant future. Uber: let's dump drivers Uber, the infamous ride-sharing firm that's not entirely popular among taxi drivers, has a bright idea: self-driving cars doing absolutely everything. Our in-depth look at the technology behind the startup is fascinating enough, but what's really interesting about Uber is the ambition it's bringing to that technology: its goal is "to provide transportation for everyone and everything everywhere" – not just people, but groceries and packages too. It thinks driverless cars will be key to that, and while it's not saying when it expects to transition to self-driving vehicles, it's clear that for Uber it's a case of when, not if. The article's fascinating and a little bit frightening too. Morpheus sleeps with the fishes Bad news! Project Morpheus is no more! Good news! It's been renamed, not killed! The VR system known as Project Morpheus is now the much duller-sounding PlayStation VR. Thrilling it ain't, but it's probably easier to sell. Sony announced the change at this year's Tokyo Game Show alongside a Bloodborne expansion, Everybody's Golf for the PS4 and another Assassin's Creed: Syndicate trailer. We've rounded up the most interesting TGS announcements right here. Snapchat's instant playback is whack Bad news for Snapchat replay fans: replays on Android now cost real cash money if you want to see more than one per day. James Peckham says that's a sign that Snapchat has no idea how to grow: "Flailing its arms in the air, the company has now decided to charge users for one of the apps most limited features," he says. "Even sticking in a quick advert for a film inside my Snapchat window would be better than charging ridiculous money for a feature that should come free." Facebook: would you like a dislike? Facebook is working on a dislike button that means you'll be able to share sadness as well as happiness. As Cameron Faulkner says, "Basically, Facebook doesn't want you to troll people with the new dislike button, but to rather use it to 'express empathy,' as Zuckerberg stated. I feel like I know how this will pan out already." The button hasn't even been launched yet but Matt Swider is already hammering it. "Facebook is playing right into the hands of this snarkiest generation in history, motivating 20 and 30-year-old millennials to downvote posts without ever reading beyond the headline… it spurs a new form of laziness. It's a shallow way to show feeling without ever expressing true empathy." Amazon Echo says: feed fido! In Silicon Valley's ongoing quest to automate everything its parents used to do, Amazon has given petcare firm Petnet a big pile of cash to create products that integrate with Amazon's Echo home hub to feed pets. Petnet's first device is the SmartFeeder, which uses an app to track feeding frequency and how much food is left inside and remind the owner to feed Fido. To think, in the olden days people had to check bowls and remember to put dog food in them. The horror! The Fire rises Amazon also announced a brand new Fire TV box - one that supports 4K streaming. The new box will be rolling out on October 5 and brings a faster processor and improved controller with it. There's also a new Fire TV Stick, but this one is just getting voice commands and won't be getting the same resolution upgrade. Finally, the company announced a new 7-inch Fire tablet that costs an incredibly low £50/$50. However, to subsidise the price, Amazon will give you adverts on the lock screen - unless you pay a little more to get the tablet without them.

Windows 10 Build 10540 leaks out Posted: 18 Sep 2015 06:17 AM PDT Windows 10 Build 10540 has leaked out in a series of images that suggest few changes beyond new icons for some of Microsoft's popular apps. First reported by Microsoft-News.com, the images of the new build fail to show any hugely significant improvements beyond the new icons detailed on one Twitter account that may not even arrive in this build. The new icons include the Calendar, Mail, Photos, and Calculator apps and don't add anything beyond a refreshed look for each of those programs. There is very little else to get excited about and most of the pictures provided by WZor simply show various screens from the new build that aren't any different to the Windows 10 build that came before it. This leak comes hot on the heels of details on Windows 10 Build 10537 being leaked from various unofficial sources. Build 10537 Build 10537 has reputedly added opening and closing animations to Store apps, brought newly revamped icons to the Device Manager part of the OS, and improved the background colour on context menus. Microsoft has been continuing to roll out new Windows 10 builds to its Insider Program members ever since the OS was released to the public at the end of July. Anyone signed up to the program gets to try the very latest features before anyone else and if nothing else if allows them bragging rights. Windows 10 Review

Xerox strikes back at bootleggers with new printable memory chips Posted: 18 Sep 2015 05:21 AM PDT Xerox has debuted a pair of printable memory devices that are geared towards preventing counterfeit products. First reported by phys.org, the Xerox Printed Memory is an extremely secure label that contains up to 36 bits of rewritable memory and is able to store up to 68 billions points of data to hasten the fight against counterfeit products. "Our printed memory products provide a cost efficient, highly secure method of authenticating and verifying information about a product as it moves through various distribution channels or as it is used," said Steve Simpson, Xerox vice president responsible for Xerox Printed Memory. How they're made The product line-up is made up of the aforementioned Xerox Printed Memory and the second offering is the same except that it has added Cryptographic Technology to make things even more secure. Each Xerox Printed Memory with Cryptographic Technology chip is equipped with a unique, encrypted printed code on the memory that can only be read by authorised personnel using a reader that works together with a secure smartphone application. Use cases identified by Xerox for the new memory include making sure pharmaceutical products are safe, securing tax and duty stamps for government agencies and tracking products along the entire supply chain. Very hard to copy The new feature, which is far harder to copy than other anti-counterfeit methods like watermarking, has been developed by Xerox's PARC company that also unveiled a self-destructive memory chip earlier on this week. Xerox first licensed the printed memory technology from Thin Film Electronics ASA in December 2014 and the new chips with be produced at a plant in New York. Meet the chip that beats hackers by exploding into millions of pieces

TechRadar Deals: 10 best laptop deals of the week: September 18th 2015 Posted: 18 Sep 2015 04:45 AM PDT laptop deals Many websites will claim to have the best cheap laptop deals but we strive to bring you the freshest, latest, most up to date offers on laptops every week, on Friday morning. With less than 100 days left till Christmas 2015 and with Cyber Monday and Black Friday in between, the heat is up on retailers and manufacturers to deliver great products on schedule. This week saw the announcement, by Microsoft, of an event that will happen later next month, one where the Surface Pro 4 tablet convertible will be released. The price of the Surface Pro 3 has already started to fall making it a rather attractive proposition for those looking for a 2-in-1 laptop deal. We've rejigged our deals page to make it easier for you to identify your ideal laptop. We've divided the laptop deals below into six broad categories so you can easily jump straight to the ones you're most interested in. If you think that we have missed out on one particularly enticing deal or if you notice that one vendor has changed its price, feel free to leave a note in the comments section. Follow @TRDeals on Twitter for the latest offers 1. Laptop deal of the week Laptop: Asus Essential PU551LA Price: £400 at eBuyer.com If I had to buy a laptop this week for about £400, a figure that reflects the majority of laptop purchases, it would have to be the Asus Essential PU551LA (£400 at Ebuyer). Why? Well, it is the cheapest laptop on the market, by a wide margin, to offer a Core i7 processor. Sure, it is only a dual-core, Haswell-based model but the i7-4510U that powers the PU551LA is still a very capable CPU that will easily cut through most tasks. Asus also claims that this laptop range is more rugged than mainstream laptops to meet the demand of the business users it targets. In addition, it includes a proprietary anti-shock hard drive mechanism that protects the data on the drive should the laptop fall down. Another noteworthy feature is the inclusion of Windows 7 Pro and 8.1 Pro, the more expensive and feature laden versions of Windows 7 and 8.1 respectively, both can also be upgraded, till July 2016 to Windows 10 Pro. As for the rest of the PU551LA, it is fairly understandably modest given the price: 4GB RAM, 500GB HDD, 15.6-inch WXGA matte display, a spill resistant keyboard with a dedicated numeric keypad, a wide range of connectors (including a VGA port) and even a fingerprint reader. Also consider The Medion Akoya E6417 (£429 at Medion) is only a couple of months old. Unlike most laptops in this article, it comes with Windows 10 by default. It is powered by a Broadwell-based Intel Core i3-5157U and while some might frown at the fact that we're shortlisting this laptop, it's worth highlighting that this CPU is as powerful than the i5-5200U that powers a lot of high-end laptops (HP Spectre X360, Dell XPS 13 amongst others). The rest of the configuration consists of a souped-up subsystem, an Iris Graphics 6100 GPU, a 15.6-inch full HD display, 8GB RAM and a 1TB hybrid hard disk drive. The Lenovo G50-45, one of the rare AMD based laptops in this laptop. It sells for £299.95 at John Lewis, a price that includes a £50 cashback that ends next week and a two-year warranty. Under its hood is a AMD A8 application processing unit, the A8-6410, a quad-core model clocked at 2GHz and paired with a Radeon R5 onboard GPU, which should allow you to breeze through most games at low settings. The rest of the specification include a 15.6-inch 1366x768 pixel resolution, 8GB of RAM, a 1TB hard drive and an optical drive. Clearly this is not a laptop for power user but provides with a balanced configuration for the casual user. 2. Chromebook/Netbook deal of the week Laptop: HP Stream 11 Pro Price: £149.98 at cclonline.com The HP Stream 11 Pro is one of the cheapest laptops on the market and while it doesn't carry the Chromebook moniker, this Windows laptop clearly competes with Google's value proposition. At £149.98 at CCL, it offers fantastic value for money especially as it includes 200GB worth of OneDrive storage for 24 months, a freebie worth over £90. The rest of the specification list is not too shabby as well: there's an Intel Celeron N2840 processor, a BayTrail model clocked at 2.16GHz, 2GB of RAM, a 32GB onboard SSD, an 11.6-inch matte display with a 1366x768 pixel resolution and a free upgrade to Windows 10. Other than Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, it also has a HDMI port and two USB ones alongside a card reader. HP even managed to include a trusted platform module (TPM) which provides hardware-based encryption keys and enhances security, in a bid to sell the Stream 11 Pro to an audience beyond just students. It is also adequately equipped for communication purposes. Alongside the TrueVision HD webcam, there's a DTS Studio compatible sound system plus a dual array of microphones with beam forming, echo cancellation and noise depression support: Ideal for those video conferences. Also consider The Asus EeeBook X102BA is a costlier option (£180 at SimplyAsus) but comes with a few outstanding features that pushes it up our consideration list. It is the only laptop in this guide to come with a full, perpetual version of Microsoft Office 2013 (even if it is a Home and Student edition). Sure, if you are buying it for a student, they might as well get the education edition but it's nice to know that you don't have to pay a subscription past the first year. It is only the cheapest new Windows touchscreen laptop on the market although its 10.1-inch, 1280x800 pixel resolution is identical to a lot of Windows tablets on the market. The Lenovo IdeaPad N20 (£146.59 at Amazon) is currently the cheapest Chromebook on the market and one that looks surprisingly good for the price. In fact, we haven't seen any Chromebooks with 4GB of RAM costing less than £200. Yes, the N20 comes with 4GB of RAM but something had to give in and Lenovo actually slashed the storage capacity to 16GB. The rest is fairly standard stuff: An Intel Celeron N2830 processor, Chrome OS, up to eight-hours battery life, an 11.6-inch 1366x768 pixel resolution plus a decent bunch of connections (Wi-Fi, couple of USB ports, HDMI, SD card reader). 3. Gaming laptop deal of the week Laptop: HP Envy 15 Price: £749 at HP.com When it comes to gaming laptops, the CPU takes the backseat, leaving the GPU to shine. And when it comes to the current crop of laptops, Nvidia's GTX family rules the market with AMD nowhere to be seen, unfortunately. HP grabs our coveted gaming deal gong for this week with the ENVY 15-k202na selling direct for £749. You do get a lot for your money; a Broadwell-based Intel Core i7-5500U processor (a dual-core model clocked at 2.4GHz with 4MB cache), 12GB of RAM (yes twelve), a massive 1TB solid state hard drive and a 15.6-inch full HD touchscreen display. The cherry on the cake has to be that Nvidia GTX 850M GPU with a whopping 4GB dedicated GDDR3 (not GDDR5) memory. This GPU is quite similar to the GTX950M. The rest is not too bad as well; one-year subscription to HP Connected Music and a 2.1 speaker configuration (yes, it comes with a subwoofer) to stream your music. There's also three USB 3.0 ports and a HDMI one as well as a GbE connector. Oh and HP saw it fit to include a backlit keyboard, a bright idea, an optical drive and a fingerprint reader to make full use of Windows's Hello feature. Nice! Also consider PC Specialist sells the Optimus VI, a laptop that is about as portable as an Ultrabook but much thicker. For £739 though, you get a lot for your money; there's a quad-core Haswell Intel Core i7 processor, the 4710MQ which is clocked at 2.5GHz and comes with a whopping 6MB of cache. 8GB of RAM, a 1TB hard drive (the traditional model), a full HD matte IPS 13.3-inch display and four USB ports. Then there's the graphics card, a stunning GTX 960M from Nvidia with 2GB GDDR5 dedicated memory; a rather unexpected but welcomed SKU on a laptop of this price. If all you care is the very top end graphics card then the Medion Erazer X7835 is what you should spend your hard earnt cash on, a cool £1199. This is the cheapest laptop with a GTX 980M on the market by a wide margin; it is a beast both in terms of power, specification and size. Quad-core Intel processor (same as the Optimus VI)? Checked, 17.3-inch full HD matte display? Checked, 4GB GDDR5 video card with Optimus technology? Checked. 16GB of RAM, 1TB HDD, 128GB SSD? Checked. Two-year warranty, Dolby Home Theater audio with 2.1 speakers AND a Blu-ray drive? Ticked! 4. Macbook laptop deal of the week Laptop: Macbook 12-inch Gold Price: £944 at PC World The Macbook deal of the week HAS to be the stunning MacBook 12-inch currently on sale at PC World for £944 after a 10% cashback that will end on September 30. More about the cashback scheme here. With up to nine-hour battery life, an Intel Core M processor, 8GB and a 256GB SSD, a full size backlit keyboard and a Force Touch trackpad, it packs a lot of value in a tiny, tiny volume (smaller than an A4 sheet and weighing well under 1Kg). Bear in mind as well that its display has the highest resolution in its category. Also consider If you want to get a MacBook but don't want to pay a full whack, then consider the 11-inch MacBook Air. At just under £590 at Amazon, it packs a powerful punch. Apple opted for the 5th generation, Intel Core i5-5250U dual core processor, one which has a slightly lower base clock speed compared to the popular 5200U but a more powerful graphics HD6000 sub-system. Add in 4GB of memory, a 128GB SSD, an 11.6-inch 1366x768 pixel display and you get something which is, sadly, doesn't have an equivalent in the world of Windows. Got a bit more cash to flush? Then consider the Apple MacBook 13.3-inch Retina Display (£867 at Amazon). It has an older but still capable processor, the Haswell-based Core i5-4278U, one that sports a higher base frequency (2.6GHz) but also a much higher TDP (i.e. more power hungry, more heat to dissipate). It also sports a better graphics chip, the Iris Graphics 5100. The rest of the specification is decent without being ground breaking. Four high capacity ports (USB 3.0 and Thunderbolt 2.0), A 13.3-inch 2560x1600 pixel IPS display, up to nine-hour battery life, 8GB RAM, 128GB SSD, all squeezed in a 1.57Kg chassis. 5. Ultrabook deal of the week Laptop: PC Specialist Lafité Price: £657 at PC Specialist PC Specialist collects another gong with its Lafite, an Ultrabook that wouldn't look out of place in Apple's line up. Its silver aluminium chassis surrounds a chicklet keyboard and a massive touchpad and should help with heat dissipation. At its heart is a dual-core Intel Core i7 processor, the i7-5500U, one that has 4MB cache, a base frequency of 2.4GHz and a TDP of only 15W. Its full HD matte 13.3-inch display is powered by an HD Graphics 5500. With 8GB of RAM and a 240GB SSD from Kingston, it provides with more than enough storage and memory resources for most tasks. Obviously, there's no optical drive which helped PC Specialist keep the weight of the laptop at around 1.6Kg. The rest of the specification includes a quoted 7.5-hour battery life (thanks to a 4-cell 6300mAh battery), 802.11ac and Bluetooth 4.0, a pair of USB ports, HDMI, a card reader and Windows 10. Note that you can swap that for Windows 8.1 or Windows 7 or even remove it altogether in which case, you save £79, worth it if you have a spare copy of Windows somewhere. Even without that option, the Lafite costs a mere £657, which is an absolute bargain for what it offers. Also consider The Asus UX305FA is even cheaper than the Lafite at £584.39 (Nigel Ohara) but is a slightly different beast. It is one of the slimmest 13.3-inch laptop available and uses aluminium extensively which works wonders when it comes to heat dissipation. Asus opted for a Core M-5Y10, a dual-core Broadwell-based processor that is great when it comes to power consumption but may be found lacking if you want up to ramp things up. Still, with a 13.3-inch full HD display (not a touchscreen though), 8GB of RAM and a 128GB SSD, it is a worthy alternative to the Apple MacBook Air, should that one be on your short list as well. If your budget can stretch to £984 (from Amazon), then the Dell XPS 9343 should be on your list. Granted, it is an expensive investment but one which is likely to survive a few years at least; plus it has won TechRadar's coveted editors' choice award as well. There's loads to love about it: a super thin 13.3-inch QHD touchscreen display that boosts nearly 5.8 million pixels. Add in a powerful dual-core Broadwell-based Intel Core i7-5500U, 8GB of RAM, a 256GB SSD, Windows 8 Professional (upgradable to Windows 10 Pro) and no wonder that Dell's flagship Ultrabook is collecting gongs left, right and centre. 6. 2-in-1 convertible laptop deal of the week Laptop: Lenovo Yoga 3 Price: £499.95 at John Lewis Convertible, hybrids or 2-in-1 are a growing category in the laptop segment and the Lenovo Yoga 3 is probably the best value-for-money convertible laptop on the market. Buy it from John Lewis for just under £500 and you get a three-year warranty (ends next week) and a £50 discount. Converting it to a tablet provides you with a slab smaller than an A4 sheet. You can also get it in a stand and a tent mode depending on what you're doing. For roughly half the price of its bigger brother, the Lenovo Yoga 3 Pro, you get the same processor (the Intel Core M-5Y10C), the same amount of memory (8GB), the same number of ports (three USB and a microHDMI) and that signature 360-degree touchscreen display. it is slightly thicker, slightly lighter and has less storage (128GB) and its 11.6-inch IPS screen – which is smaller than the new iPad Pro - can display 1920x1080 pixels. Support for Dolby Home Theater v4, voice recognition, JBL speakers, 802.11ac Wi-Fi, a card reader, the excellent AccuType keyboard and a 6-hour estimated battery life complete the specification list. Shame that it doesn't come with a backlit keyboard. Also consider The Microsoft Surface Pro 3 remains a firm convertible favourite. It is technically a Windows tablet that can dock a keyboard but has been pitched by Microsoft as a genuine laptop replacement product. Amazon sells the Core i5 model for £624; there's a cheaper model but it comes with half the storage and a slower processor. The tablet comes with the stylus but not with the Type Cover keyboard; consider adding another £100 to secure one. The Surface 3 Pro still runs the very capable Haswell-based Core i5-4300U with 4GB of RAM, 128GB SSD, Windows 8.1 Pro and a 12-inch, 2160x1440 pixel resolution. The Toshiba Satellite Click Mini is an interesting option for someone who is looking for an ultra-portable laptop that will be used mostly as a tablet, rather than the other way round. At £190 at Currys, it is fantastic value for money for what it offers, i.e. a lot of things. Other than the one-year subscription to Office 365 Personal, there's a veritable tablet with an 8.9-inch full HD+ display, 2GB of RAM, 32GB onboard storage and an Intel Atom Z3735F. What separates it from the rest of the competition is a removable keyboard that adds a SD card slot, a USB port and another battery that pushes the battery life to 13 hours. Below is a list of the best-selling laptop pages from reputable online retailers where you will be able to find more laptop deals. Laptop deals: quick links Amazon UK - Laptop Store Currys/PCWorld - best selling laptops Ebuyer - laptop top sellers Dabs.com - hot deals on laptops and tablets Tesco - laptop best sellers Argos - laptops and netbooks John Lewis - most popular laptops Saveonlaptops - top 10 laptop deals Laptops Direct - main laptop deals page Very - top selling laptops

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