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‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ director is rebooting ‘Starsky and Hutch’ for TV http://ift.tt/2vkJEGT James Gunn has a hit superhero film series under his belt, and now he is looking to add a TV series by revamping a classic. The Guardians of the Galaxy writer and director is working on a Starsky and Hutch reboot for Sony Pictures Television, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The reboot is a family affair, as Gunn is set to write the script with his brother Brian Gunn and cousin Mark Gunn. They are all attached to executive produce alongside Original Film’s Neal Moritz and Pavun Shetty. On top of those duties, James Gunn may serve as the director as well; whether or not he does reportedly depends on his availability. The Gunns have a classic show to use as inspiration. Created by William Blinn, Starsky and Hutch premiered in April 1975 on ABC and ran for four seasons before being canceled in 1979. Throughout its run, it followed David Starsky (Paul Michael Glaser) and Kenneth Hutchinson (David Soul), two police detectives solving crimes in a fictional Southern California city. Their work involved a lot of speeding around town in unique cars and going undercover — with varying degrees of success. Although the new reboot will be the first revamped Starksy and Hutch series, the show has inspired other adaptations. In 2003, Empire Interactive published a video game based on the cop duo. The following year, Starsky and Hutch the film hit theaters, with Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson in the lead roles and Snoop Dogg playing their informant Huggy Bear, a role played by Antonio Fargas in the original series. The film brought in more than $170.2 million worldwide, according to Box Office Mojo. Gunn has proven himself at the box office but we will have to see if he can re-create that success with TV ratings. The project is still in the early stages, but his involvement does make it more interesting to us. He is the latest film director to get involved with a TV reboot. Last week, it was reported that Back to the Future helmer Robert Zemeckis is working on a live-action version of The Jetsons for ABC.
Digital Trends via Digital Trends http://ift.tt/2p4eJdC August 24, 2017 at 04:42PM
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2018 Toyota Camry: Models, specs, pictures, prices, and news http://ift.tt/2itGuyk With our continued obsession with SUVs, crossovers, and trucks, the best-selling car in America has to be special. Toyota’s Camry has slotted in at that top rank for the past 15 years, coming in just ahead of the Toyota Corolla and the Honda Civic in 2016. In this first year of the Camry’s eighth generation, the 2018 Toyota Camry bumps up the horsepower, fuel economy, and technology compared to previous generations. The new Camry is produced at a Georgetown, Kentucky plant. Cars.com named the Camry the “Most American Made” car. The Camry is also the first American-built Toyota to use the global conglomerate’s Toyota New Global Architecture (TNGA). The basic concept of TNGA is to use common platforms (the parts you don’t see) with several models, which in theory allows greater engineering emphasis on the each model’s unique features (the parts you do see). For example, the 2018 Camry, Avalon, and Highlander are all built on Toyota’s D platform. Camry has a redesigned exteriors for 2018 that attempt to move away from the vanilla 4-door sedan look common to many car lines. The “sporty” Camry models — the SE and XSE — have mesh grilles and what appear to be large air scoops on each side at the front bumper line. Toyota describes the look as “catamaran-inspired.” The front end on L model Camrys — the L, LE, and XLE — have horizontal trim pieces for a more refined, sophisticated look. 2018 Toyota Camry Engines and TransmissionsCamrys have all new engines and a new transmission for 2018. L, LE, XLE, SE, and XSE Camrys have a 2.5-liter 4-cylinder twin-cam, 16-valve aluminum alloy engine. In L, LE, XLE, and SE trims, this engine produces 203 hp and 184-pound-feet of torque. The XSE gets a small boost to 206 hp and 186 lb-ft with the same engine. The XLE V6 and XSE V6 have a new 3.5-liter twin-cam, 24-valve six-cylinder that makes 301 hp and 267 lb-ft. The three Camry Hybrid models — the Hybrid LE, Hybrid SE, and Hybrid XLE — have an electronically controlled Continuously Variable Transmission (ECV/T) paired with a hybrid 2.5-liter 4-cylinder engine and an electric motor. The gas engine produces 176 hp and 163 lb-ft. The electric motor produces 118 hp and 149 lb-ft. When both motors are used the net is 208 hp. The non-hybrid models all use Toyota’s new Direct Shift 8-Speed electronically controlled automatic transmission. All conventional and hybrid 2018 Camrys except the conventionally powered L, LE, and SE have multiple efficiency modes. Push a button to select Sport mode for greater accelerator response, ECO mode for throttle input moderation for better fuel efficiency, and Normal mode for a balance of performance and economy. 2018 Toyota Camry TechAll 2018 Camrys have Toyota’s Safety Sense P (TSS-P) driver assist bundle which includes Pre-Collision System with Pedestrian Detection, Lane Departure Alert with Steering Assist, Automatic High Beams, and Dynamic Radar Cruise Control. Optional assistance features include Blind Spot Monitor with Rear Cross-Traffic Alert, Bird’s Eye View Camera with Perimeter Scan, Intelligent Clearance Sonar, and a customizable 10-inch color Head-Up Display that shows selected data on the lower part of the windshield. Assist feature availability varies by model. All Camrys have a multi-function display in the driver’s dashboard, ranging from 4.2 to 7 inches diagonal measure depending on model or option packages. All cars also have 7-inch or 8-inch multimedia touchscreen displays with navigation and an app suite. Toyota’s optional Remote Connect smartphone app system can help you find your car, monitor guest drivers (“guest” meaning anyone other than the person who controls the app), or adjust the interior temperature when you’re not in the car. Which Toyota Camry is best for you?Because Toyota offers so many Camry models, picking the right car could seem daunting, but the first steps are easy. First, decide if you want gas or hybrid gas/electric power. With that decision made, next choose whether you prefer the S models for the sportier look or the L models for their more elegant look. Once you’ve made those two decisions you can jump into one of the three groupings below to differentiate further based on comfort, convenience, and style choices. 2018 Camry L, LE, XLE, XLE V6The L’s are Toyota’s non-sporty-looking Camry models. Realizing that the sportiness of the S models is mostly in appearance with slight more in-your-face design touches, the Camry L models have a more restrained look that may appeal to you more. The four L models are the Camry L (starting price $23,495), LE ($24,000), XLE ($28,450), and XLE V6 ($34,400). If you choose the XLE V6 version, the difference doesn’t end with the larger engine. The V6 model includes more comfort and convenience features in the base price than the 4-cylinder powered XLE. The 2018 Camry L is the least expensive model in the full Camry lineup, but don’t think for a second the L is a stripped down car. Bi-LED headlights with auto on/off, LED daytime running lights and taillights, and solar energy absorbing glass and a noise-reducing windshield are all standard. AC, an integrated backup camera with projected path, 4.2-inch TFT multi-information display, and the Toyota Safety Sense-P are also included. Power windows and door locks, rear window defogger, and an LED illuminated glove compartment all to come with the base price. The Camry L is the only model with a 14.5-gallon fuel tank. The Camry L also has the Entune 3.0 audio with navigation and an app suite including a 7-inch touchscreen, AM/FM, MP3/WMA, Siri Eyes Free and Google Voice controls and more. When you start counting the included safety systems, with everything from whiplash lessening seats to smart stop technology, the base package is pretty impressive. There are no factory option packages for the Camry L. The 2018 Camry LE adds 17-inch alloy wheels and larger tires, a power driver’s seat, 60/40 split fold-down rear seat, an overhead console with map lights, sunglasses storage, and an anti-theft alarm system. The LE also opens the door for a power moonroof, blind spot monitor with rear cross traffic alert, and upgraded convenience and audio packages. Moving up a step in luxury from the LE, the 2018 Camry XLE brings it on big time. In addition to the L and LE features, the XLE includes 18-inch chrome alloy wheels and larger tires, LED headlights, dual-zone automatic AC, a backup camera with dynamic grid lines, and a 7-inch multi-information display. The XLE also includes leather seats, full-speed dynamic radar cruise control, a 10-inch HUD, a smart key system for doors, trunk, with push button start, wood interior trim, and even more factory options including a panoramic glass roof. For more power and standard cool features, the 2018 Camry XLE V6 tops this portion of the model lineup. The Camry XLE V6 includes as standard the panoramic glass roof with power tilt/slide moonroof, Qi wireless smartphone charging, Homelink universal transceiver, and textured metal interior trim. The standard audio system for the XLE V6 mode (and the XSE V6) is upgraded with an 8-inch touch screen and a long list of music and information services including standard Wi-Fi to support up to five devices in the car.
2018 Toyota Camry SE, XSE, XSE V6If you prefer a sporty looking vehicle, even if the performance doesn’t match the appearance, the Camry S models have the more distinctive design elements in the Camry lineup. With increasing levels of comfort and convenience features, the 2018 Toyota Camry S lineup includes the SE ($25,200 starting price), XSE ($29,000), and XSE V6 ($34,950). Note that, unlike the L models, there is no Camry S — the least equipped sportier Camry is the SE. As with the XLE V6, if you choose the XSE V6 version, the difference doesn’t end with the larger engine. The V6 model includes more comfort and convenience features in the base price than the 4-cylinder powered XSE. The 2018 Camry SE has the same functional, comfort, and convenience features as the LE, but adds a black grille with a mesh insert, color-keyed side rocker panels and rear spoiler, a single exhaust with dual chrome tips, and 18-inch black alloy wheels with wider 45 series tires. The SE has Toyota’s Sport SofTex material on the front seats and embossed mesh interior trim. Move up to the 2018 Camry XSE and you’ll find smoke-tinted LED headlights and taillights, color-keyed mirrors and door handles, and dual exhaust with quad chrome tips. XSE’s also have 19-inch black allow wheels with 40 series tires, and the same raft of upgraded features in the XLE. The XSE also gets 3 more horsepower from the same 4-cylinder engine shared by the other conventional gas models. The 2018 Camry XSE V6 is most sporty and luxurious in the lineup. In addition to its 301-hp V6 engine, the XSE V6 includes the panoramic glass roof with power tilt/slide moonroof, Qi wireless charging, and the 10-inch HUD with a wide range of customizable settings for info displayed on the windshield.
2018 Toyota Camry Hybrid LE, SE, XLEThe 2018 Camry Hybrids let you choose either LE or SE styling although if you decide to bump up to the top-of-the-hybrid lineup, the single style option is the more elegant or restrained XLE look. The 2018 Camry Hybrids include the Hybrid LE ($27,800 starting price), Hybrid SE ($29,500), and the Hybrid XLE ($32,250). All Camry Hybrids have a 13-gallon fuel tank. The 2018 Camry Hybrid LE is the lowest priced in the hybrid lineup and also the most fuel efficient with a 52 mpg city/highway combined rating. Unique among the 2018 Camry Hybrids, the LE has a sealed 259-volt lithium-ion battery. The Hybrid LE has 16-inch steel wheels and cloth upholstery. Unlike the conventional LE which comes standard with front air conditioning, all hybrids have dual-zone AC. All hybrids including the LE model also have full-speed range dynamic radar cruise control. Otherwise, the Hybrid LE features are the same as the conventional LE model. The sportier-looking 2018 Camry Hybrid SE has 18-inch black alloy wheels, sport-tuned shock absorbers, a 244.8-volt sealed nickel-metal hydride traction battery, and SportSofTex upholstery. Combined fuel economy is rated 46 mpg. The most luxurious in the hybrid lineup, the 2018 Camry Hybrid XLE, has chrome alloy 18-inch wheels, leather upholstery, plus the full range of driver assist, comfort, and convenience features in the conventionally-powered Camry XLE.
Digital Trends via Digital Trends http://ift.tt/2p4eJdC August 24, 2017 at 04:42PM
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LG’s ProBeam UST and MiniBeam projectors can turn a room into a cinema http://ift.tt/2vkznKv Projectors are normally big, bulky, and require plenty of space to set up. Once they are installed, it’s usually permanent. But LG’s newly unveiled pair of projectors, the ProBeam UST and MiniBeam, are built to make installation simple, and portable setups possible. The first of the two, the ProBeam UST is an ultra short-throw laser projector. Short-throw projectors differ from the usual projectors you find, in that they are placed near the display surface rather of being placed at the back of the room or being installed in the ceiling. The ProBeam UST requires only 4.7 inches of space between it and the screen or wall to display up to a 100-inch full-HD 1080p resolution picture, with a brightness of up to 1,500 lumens and a 150,000:1 contrast ratio. Short-throw projectors also have the benefit of being flexible to place when compared with normal projector models. The ProBeam UST does not require its own stand, and can instead be placed on any furniture already present in your room. Plus, it features a corner keystone for adjusting the picture to correct horizontal and vertical distortion. Since the ProBeam UST sits directly in front of the screen, you will not have to worry about shadows being cast by objects that wander into the projector’s path. Enhancing that flexibility is the included Bluetooth connectivity for pairing up wireless speakers or headphones. The ProBeam UST is also equipped with LG’s webOS Smart TV operating system, enabling users to watch content on streaming apps like Netflix, Hulu, and YouTube. The second of the pair, the LG MiniBeam is a compact portable projector that aims to give users more control over their setup. To achieve full portability, the MiniBeam is powered by a rechargeable 9000mAh battery. LG claims the battery will last up to four hours on its own. The projector’s single USB Type-C port serves multiple functions, allowing playback from connected laptops, smartphones, or tablets, and also serving as the charging port. We are curious to see how this work in practice, but at the very least being able to use the device with only a single cable is an enticing prospect when compared to the multiple cords usually needed for a projector. Setting up projectors can be finicky and require a certain level of precision to avoid distortion. To that end, LG designed the MiniBeam with a multi-angle projection feature. With this, the MiniBeam can be titled up to 70 degrees for projecting onto a wall or screen. While LG has us intrigued by the ProBeam UST and MiniBeam’s features, we will need to wait a bit longer before getting our hands on them. Pricing and availability for both devices will be detailed later this year.
Digital Trends via Digital Trends http://ift.tt/2p4eJdC August 24, 2017 at 04:21PM
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Tiny acoustic antennas could help make brain implants a reality http://ift.tt/2wCHS8j Researchers at Northeastern University have made a major advance in developing significantly smaller antennas, hundreds of times tinier than currently existing versions. The development is significant because, in a world in which virtually every piece of portable wireless communications technology has shrunk over time, antennas have stubbornly remained the same size. “Current antennas are limited to large sizes, which are hard for many applications like bio-implantable, bio-injectable, and bio-ingestible antennas,” Nian Sun, a professor of electrical and computer engineering at Northeastern, told Digital Trends. The antennas described by Sun and his colleagues are based on an entirely different design principle to the traditional ones currently used. Traditional antennas receive and transmit large electromagnetic waves, and have to remain a certain size to function with electromagnetic radiation. Northeastern’s new antennas, on the other hand, are designed for acoustic resonance, which have a wavelength thousands of times smaller than electromagnetic waves. The team has so far developed two types of acoustic antenna. The first has a circular membrane and is used for frequencies in the gigahertz range — including those frequencies used for Wi-Fi. The other acoustic antenna has a rectangular membrane for megahertz frequencies, typically used for TV and radio. Each antenna measures under a millimeter and both could be placed together on one chip. In tests, the new acoustic antennas have been shown to work better than traditional antennas in certain contexts. Some of the potential applications for the new acoustic antennas include shrinking the size of technologies ranging from smartphones to satellites, which rely on antennas for communication. However, the really exciting possible uses involve incorporating antennas into technologies that are not yet in mass-market existence — opening up the possibility of ingestible antennas, brain implants, and the like. As to what’s next for the project? “Further improving the acoustic antenna performance, and applying them to wireless communication systems,” Sun said. He acknowledges that the present models are still a proof-of-concept rather than a finished product but the researchers are optimistic about what is next. “We are in the process of commercializing these antennas now,” Sun said. A paper describing the research was recently published in the journal Nature Communications.
Digital Trends via Digital Trends http://ift.tt/2p4eJdC August 24, 2017 at 04:21PM
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Elon Musk's Boring Company Will Tunnel Under LA http://ift.tt/2w90ERt Elon Musk is more than a bit busy building Model 3s, launching rockets, and saving the world from the AI apocalypse, but that isn't keeping him from digging in to his holy mole-iest venture yet: a mildly mystifying scheme to find a faster, cheaper way of boring tunnels, and using it to destroy traffic. As cool as that sounds, Silicon Valley's version of Tony Stark hasn't said much about his mysterious Boring Company, which now employs six people and shares office space with SpaceX in Hawthorne, California. Just what are its goals? How does he expect to disrupt tunneling? And when will LA traffic ever improve? Musk still isn't talking, but documents the Boring Company provided to the city of Hawthorne, and comments employees made to the city council, provide a few tidbits. Those clues provide a clearer picture of what Musk is up to. Good thing, too, because the Hawthorne city council just gave the Boring Company permission to begin digging a 1.6-mile tunnel so it can test its technology. Which, by the way, doesn't seem terribly innovative so far. The Boring CompanyFor those who've been too busy ordering a Tesla Model 3 or watching SpaceX launches to keep up with Musk's latest Big Idea: The Boring Company launched in January, less than a month after Musk tweeted a complain about Los Angeles traffic and pledged to "build a tunnel boring machine and just start digging." He envisions a transportation Upside Down that duplicates LA's maze of highways underground. But wait. It gets weirder. A series of tunnels—30 or even 40 levels of them--could shuttle individual cars on electric skates at more than 120 mph. Need to travel beyond the city? No problem. Elon's got a plan for that too. He's proposed a 200-mile tunnel connecting New York and Washington, DC, via hyperloop. (You remember hyperloop, yeah? That's Musk's plan to whisk people hither and yon in tubes at something like the speed of sound.) To make this happen at cost and speed commensurate with his taste for disruption, Musk must first conquer tunneling. Like the stodgy space and auto industries, boring seems ripe for revolution. Digging any tunnel of consequence takes years, costs millions, and requires navigating labyrinthine bureaucracies. Seemingly minor problems can prove debilitating: When Seattle's boring machine, Big Bertha, unexpectedly hit a lead pipe and damaged its cutting blades, it spent two years stranded underground. Musk thinks he can do it faster and cheaper than anyone else—including, presumably, this guy—by tweaking the tools and engineering. So he bought a used boring machine, named it Godot (the man sure does hate waiting), and dug a test trench 160 feet long and 16 feet deep in the SpaceX parking garage. Pleased by those results and eager to hone his skills, Musk wants to keep going beyond SpaceX property and into, or rather under, the city of Hawthorne. Now the city council has given it the go-ahead, after a vote of four to one. (There are still more a few more papers to sign before work on the tunnel can begin, including permits from state departments of transportation and labor.) The Test TunnelThe Boring Company's plan calls for extending that tunnel 1.6 miles to a point somewhere beneath 120th Street. The company insists the five-month construction process won't interrupt traffic, and says locals won't even know there's work going on because the tunnel will be 22 to 44 feet beneath the surface of the road. "We won't have construction crews walking down the street, we won’t have any trucks or excavators working in those areas," says Brett Horton, SpaceX's head of construction. "Everything that we’re doing is underground." (He said a number of SpaceX employees work for the Boring Company part-time.) The tunnel will be a relatively trim 13.5 feet in diameter, just wide enough to test the electric skate—which appears to be the main point of digging this hole to begin with. "The test tunnel project would involve SpaceX engineers repeatedly testing personal vehicle types suitable for placement on the skates; refinement of the design and technology; and general data collection on performance, durability, and application," the Boring Company wrote in documents submitted to the city council. The company assured city leaders that no humans will travel through this tunnel or ride on the electric skates that will zip through it (though that sounds like a blast). It didn't explain why that testing must happen underground, and company officials declined to comment for this article. Open QuestionsEven less clear is what this tunnel has to do with Musk's plan to ratchet up boring speeds. "We haven’t reinvented tunneling," Horton told the council members. "We’re using a proven machine that was used in the Bay Area for a sewer project. We’re using proven technology and proven means and methods in terms of construction. Everything we’re doing has been done before.” Documents submitted to the council suggest Godot will bore 3 inches per minute, or 60 feet per day—no faster than the industry standard. Instead, the company seems to consider this a big experiment, an opportunity to learn the tunnel boring biz, test a few hypotheses, and explore how it might make good on Musk's pledge to increase tunneling speeds by a factor of 14. Folks who already understand how tunneling works express skepticism. "What does Musk think, we’re all idiots?" says Gary Brierley, who has been designing and managing the construction of tunnels and other projects in the LA area for 50 years. "He thinks people who have been doing this all their lives wouldn’t improve this if they could?" Brierley says running the actual machine is only one part of a huge process that simply takes time: constructing tunnel support walls behind the machine's cuts, hauling soil to the surface, monitoring deformation or damage as construction moves along. And that all comes after filing reports, obtaining permits, hiring contractors, and tending to the myriad other bureaucratic hassles that so rarely yield to promises of innovation and disruption. "It’s all interesting what he’s doing," Brierley says. "It’s not a bad thing that people are talking about tunnels." And, to be fair to Musk, he has hushed critics who said he couldn't launch his own rockets or build a successful startup automaker. Digital Trends via Feed: All Latest http://ift.tt/2uc60ci August 24, 2017 at 04:21PM
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Razer attacks the Xbox One Elite Controller with its vicious Wolverine Ultimate http://ift.tt/2g9qUqW While using a controller to play games on Windows 10 may seem like blasphemy to many die-hard PC gamers, they’re still useful for titles that don’t need precision controls, like No Man’s Sky and Mass Effect: Andromeda. Xbox One controllers work just fine on Windows 10, but if you’re looking for a bit more oomph in your PC or console gaming, then Razer’s new Wolverine Ultimate controller might just be your ticket to gaming glory. According to Razer, its new gamepad can adapt itself to any gameplay style due to interchangeable parts. That includes a set of two different D-Pads, and another set of swappable thumbsticks with different shapes and heights. There are also six triggers and buttons that can be mapped via Razer’s free Synapse software on PC, and the upcoming Razer Synapse app on the Xbox Marketplace. What’s interesting with the Wolverine Ultimate is that it supports the Razer Chroma illumination platform. The device includes an RGB strip running along a small area on the face of the controller, and across the front. The strip supports 16.8 million colors along with various cool lighting effects such as Spectrum, Wave, Breathing, and several others. “The Razer Wolverine Ultimate will be the first console product to support the Razer Chroma SDK, allowing developers to integrate advanced lighting capabilities for Xbox One games, and console controllers for next level gaming immersion,” Razer says. Based on product images, the Wolverine Ultimate is a wired device with a removable, braided USB cable. It includes four extra buttons on the bottom (M3 to M6), and two added buttons between the trigger sets (M1, M2). The controller’s face adds four buttons for muting the sound of a connected headset (via the built-in 3.5mm audio jack), muting the microphone, synchronizing profiles, and remapping button commands. As for other features, this premium controller includes a hair-trigger mode that reduces the response time of the left and right triggers, allowing them to activate faster. There are trigger stop switches as well that shorten their overall travel distance. The action buttons are based on tactile switches that provide a slight “clicky” feel so that you know your action is recognized. Finally, the controller ships with non-slip rubber grips, a carrying case, and a 10-foot braided fiber connector with a MicroUSB connector. It’s very similar in nature to the Razer Wildcat controller for Xbox One, but ditches the Wildcat’s Razer Green/Black theme for a completely black design. The Wolverine Ultimate also packs a few additional buttons, and appears to be more ergonomic in shape so it feels comfortable in your hands during long gaming sessions. The Razer Wolverine Ultimate will arrive in North America sometime during September for a hefty price of $160. It’s slightly more expensive than the $150 wireless Elite Controller for the Xbox One, which has a few less buttons, no integrated media buttons, and no cool RGB illumination.
Digital Trends via Digital Trends http://ift.tt/2p4eJdC August 24, 2017 at 03:45PM
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Logitech G433 review http://ift.tt/2w255PJ We often criticize gaming headsets for their cheesy designs, but we’d always rather have something that sounds good first, and looks good second. After all, gaming headsets are designed for communicating with teammates and exploring the virtual world, not the real one, and few people will likely see them anyway. However, Logitech seems to have flipped these priorities with the G433. While the exterior design is fit to compete with the latest from Beats, as we discovered in our Logitech G433 gaming headset review, the company may have put a little too much effort into looks, and not enough into performance. Out of the boxAfter slipping off the box’s outer shell, the magnetized lid unfolds to reveal the G433 resting in a shell of molded plastic. The first impression is a strong one: The headphones are sleek and minimalist in design, cloaked in a single shade of black in matte across the headband, and mesh along the earcups. Removing the headset uncovers a small collection of accessories, including USB and 3.5mm cables, instructions, a detachable mic piece, and even an extra pair of earpads with a suede fabric instead of mesh. Also inside is a circular soft-zipper case for toting the G433 around. SetupDepending on your system of choice, you’ll plug in either the USB cable (for PC or PlayStation 4), or the 3.5mm cable to connect to an Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, 3DS, or mobile device. If you’re using a PC you’ll need to download drivers from Logitech’s website to enable 7.1 surround sound — otherwise you’ll be good to go for stereo listening. Features and designAs we’ve alluded to, we really like the G433’s look. The succinct, single-color design is disrupted only by the stylized Logitech “G” on the earcups and headband, and unlike the decals for most gaming headsets, they’re tastefully designed for a pinch of visual flair. The attractive design makes sense considering Logitech is marketing the G433 as a pair of cans that easily transforms from a gaming headset to your daily headphones for music.
Bill Roberson/Digital Trends
Bill Roberson/Digital Trends
Bill Roberson/Digital Trends
Bill Roberson/Digital Trends
To make a quick transition from gaming to listening, the G433’s removable mic attaches easily via one of two 3.5mm jacks on the left earcup. The mic arm is highly articulate – more so than many other headsets we’ve reviewed – and stays put, making it easy to find an optimal spot. The G433 includes every wired connection option you could want, though it falls just short of the plug-and-play nature of the Cloud Revolver S, whose USB virtual surround card can be used with both PC and PS4. The G433’s virtual surround, on the other hand, can only be used with PC, but since it’s a wired headset it can be used in stereo mode with PC, Xbox One, PS4, Nintendo Switch, and iOS or Android mobile devices. While we love the look, putting the G433 on is a different story. The clamping pressure is fairly severe for the first few hours, and even after breaking them in, they’re not very comfortable. This is largely due to the mesh fabric covering earpads. It’s stiff and scratchy, especially after longer gaming sessions. The second pair of suede earpads feels better, but only marginally so. Like the band, both sets of pads eventually break in, but we still never found them as comfortable as even the G433’s predecessor the G533, which is surprising considering it uses a similar mesh covering for the pads. That said, we do appreciate the G433’s lightweight construction, clamping force and scratchy fabric notwithstanding. Despite these gripes, the G433 do have some positives. We especially appreciate the inclusion of a few more accessories than you’d normally get with a headset. It’s not much, mind, but the soft carrying case and (cables) is a modest improvement from the standard components included with most headsets. Finally, while the unit we tested was black, we also appreciate the availability of multiple colors, including blue, red, and blue/black camo. PerformanceWe won’t bury the lead here – the G433 are not the greatest sounding headset. With gaming headsets, a strong seal around the ears is important for keeping your gameplay in, and outside noises out. The G433 have very poor sound isolation. In fact, when we put them on, we weren’t sure if they were open or closed backed, it’s that noticeable. We first gave this headset a go while playing the recent Destiny 2 beta and the recently released Final Fantasy XII: Zodiac Age. The G433 suffers from a distinct lack of bass, which left both games feeling gutless. Gun shots in Destiny 2 – arguably one of the primary highpoints of the series’ gameplay – sounded tame compared to the way sound in beefier headsets like the Cloud Revolver S or the Sennheiser GSP 350. In Final Fantasy XII, a game largely defined by its masterful orchestral soundtrack from composers Hitoshi Sakimoto and Hayato Matsuo, the music lacked texture and fullness, coming across as hollow. Elsewhere in the mix, we noticed the upper register getting a bit muddy, and at higher volumes there was some distortion. Compared to the G433’s more expensive wireless predecessor, the G533, this is a noticeable step down both in terms of sound quality and comfort. One could argue that the G433 being $50 cheaper than its older sibling is a point in its favor, but other $100 headsets like the Arctis 5 offer better quality, and even the Astro A10, which is just $60, outperforms the G433 — especially in terms of sound isolation. The G433 does have one redeeming feature when it comes to audio quality: Virtual 7.1 surround sound. Though virtual 7.1 has become common among most serious gaming headsets out there, you’ll often have to cough up $150 or more to get it. As usual, we opted for a multiplayer shooter to test out the G433’s surround sound accuracy, specifically Overwatch. It worked well enough, making for more accurate sound staging, but we wouldn’t call it a massive improvement simply because the general sound quality is just passible. Logitech G433 Compared ToThe final piece of performance critique is the mic. In testing, we found the G433’s mic to be decent quality compared to similar headsets – that is to say, it’s good, not great. It does have an edge over the mics on other headsets thanks to the G433’s mic being so articulate, so easy to find the perfect position, and once you’ve found it, it won’t budge. But that’s about it. Warranty informationAccording to Logitech’s support site, the company offers a two year limited hardware warranty for the G433. Our TakeIn the end, this headset is mostly just “okay.” The best feature is the way it looks, but that’s immediately undermined by the way it feels. On the one hand, the variety of color options and small batch of accessories makes for a decent $100 option. But in many ways, it lags behind even less expensive models, specifically the Astro A10 and Arctis 3. Is there a better alternative? As mentioned above, $50 more lands the G533, which is more comfortable, sounds far better, and is wireless (though only compatible with PC or PS4). For something wired at the same price point, the Arctis 5 does everything the G433 does, but better, and with the added benefit of offering the best virtual surround software available. If you’re looking for something cheaper, the $80 Arctis 3 or the $60 Astro A10 are great alternatives, too. How long will it last? Logitech has clearly put most of its focus into the G433’s looks rather than performance. While that makes it much more enticing to take on the road, you’ll easily find a reason to leave these behind once you put on something more comfortable and better sounding. Should you buy it? No. On paper, this is a great headset; in execution, it’s only passible. The only reason we could recommend it is because of how good it looks and how light it feels when wearing it. But for serious gamers, there are better options out there.
Digital Trends via Digital Trends http://ift.tt/2p4eJdC August 24, 2017 at 03:45PM
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How Terminator 2: Judgment Day Changed the Blockbuster Game http://ift.tt/2vkul0w When Terminator 2: Judgment Day was released, it was a blockbuster to end all other blockbusters—the most expensive movie of all time that actually lived up to its price tag. It was the kind of movie that, if it was made today, would have been the subject of thousands upon thousands of bullshit internet articles that could’ve totally changed how audiences perceived it. But in 1991, years before the internet, hot takes, or trailer breakdowns, James Cameron’s highly-anticipated sequel used a mix of secrecy and surprise to slyly set the tone for blockbusters years down the road. It was a movie that could only be made in that time, but looked ahead to what would come as well. That story starts with a phone call that James Cameron got from producer Andrew Vajna in the spring of 1990, explaining that Vajna now owned the rights to the Terminator series and wanted a sequel to be released July 3, 1991. Cameron soon called co-writer William Wisher, a high school buddy who helped him write the first film. Wisher knew the world just as well as anyone and said Cameron’s phone call to him went something like this: “He said ‘There’s some good news and some bad news. The good news is Terminator 2 is greenlit. The bad news is we’re already behind schedule.’” In the first film, Cameron had killed his main villain—the Terminator played by Arnold Schwarzenegger—which backed them into a narrative corner. They couldn’t just bring back the same guy. Instead of worrying about that, though, Wisher explained they began by brainstorming with the character who was still alive, Sarah Connor (played by Linda Hamilton). “We figured, since she’s probably running around telling everybody that the world is going to come to an end, and preparing for it knowing that her son’s going to have to become the leader of the human resistance, that she would very likely have been put in a mental institution,” Wisher explained. Advertisement Advertisement From that one decision, the other pieces of the story started to fall into place. If Sarah Connor was in a mental institution, where would her son John be? He’d be in foster care. And if you want to really change things, Arnold can’t be a bad guy again. He has to be the good guy. It was an idea that really opened things up for Wisher and Cameron, but they were very worried about it. “We were a little nervous initially about taking Arnold, who’d been the world’s greatest villain, according to some lists at the time, and breaking that,” Wisher said. “So we spoke to Arnold, told him what we wanted to do, and he was on board. And we just started the car and hit the highway.” But what kind of villain could stand up to Schwarzenegger? Again, the idea came from looking at the facts. “If Arnold is the hardest form of technology, to the max, then the opposite of that would be a soft technology,” Wisher said. “So in the T-1000 we thought, number one, should be more of a human-sized bad guy, and number two, it should be the opposite kind of technology. And those two things very quickly lead to the T-1000 as we wrote him as he was portrayed in the film.” Advertisement With all the major pieces in place, Cameron and Wisher finished the entire script for Terminator 2 in six and a half weeks, which is insane considering how well it all works (and that in 2017, James Cameron has been working on Avatar sequels for about six and a half years). Once the script was done, co-producer Stephanie Austin, who was working at the film’s production company, Carolco, came on board. She recalls going to Cameron’s office, stifled by the blazing California heat, and reading the script in a conference room. That’s because the script was not allowed to leave the building—a precursor for what was, at the time, an unprecedented level of security. “People were shocked at the level of confidentiality and secrecy that went on during that production,” Austin said. “I’m not sure about other films but everybody thought we were crazy. Every script was coded and watermarked. In fact, today, I’m sitting here in my office staring at a shredder that I had in my office [back then] that I used to shred every single script that ever was issued, because of the need, even then, for secrecy.” Advertisement Practices like that are commonplace today. But, in the early 1990s, they were almost unheard of. Austin credits Cameron with the change. Advertisement “We were all onboard because it was unusual,” she said. “And until the trailer came out, nobody really understood how you could make a sequel to The Terminator because of the way the first one ended. So there was a lot of secrecy, a lot of confidentiality, and a real need to keep that under wraps until we could make the big reveal.” That big reveal didn’t happen in the media either. Austin explains it wasn’t until audiences first got a glimpse at the teaser trailer that the ideas behind the movie were revealed—specifically that Terminators could be mass produced.
“That concept of explaining how the Terminator could return was really pivotal,” she said. “But even back then, it wasn’t as pervasive a need to satisfy that fan base and be hyperaware of it. You just didn’t have the communication capabilities back then. There was nothing like the way the internet works today.” Advertisement Wisher agrees that he never really felt the weight of any expectations, from fans or the studio, when making the movie. Advertisement “We were kind of left alone and there was no outside pressure other than delivering,” he said. “Nobody was telling us, ‘Oh, it should be this and it should be that.’ We decided what we wanted it to be and everyone said, ‘Sounds good to me.’ And I’m not saying there wasn’t pressure. There’s always pressure. It was a very expensive film for its time. The most expensive film at that time. But honestly, you can’t work and think about that. You just work.” Leading up to the release of the film, that budget—the first film to ever cost more than $100 million—was the big story. However, Wisher suggested while that was a story in the press, it was never an issue behind the scenes. “We knew early on that they were willing to spend a ton of money on this. And we knew we were allowed to broaden the scope of things,” he said. “But I don’t recall us saying, ‘We can’t do that, that’s going to cost too much money.’ I don’t remember that ever, ever happening.” Advertisement With that freedom, and a massive budget, came the question of how the liquid metal T-1000—clearly inspired by what Cameron had done on his previous film, The Abyss--was going to work. Austin explained she figured that uncertainty into the filming schedule. Advertisement “We had to come up with how we could frontload all the scenes that had the visual effects in them so that we could start those in process,” Austin said. “So, like the T-1000 effect, that had to be frontloaded because it was experimental.” The task of making the T-1000 fell to George Lucas’ Industrial Light and Magic. And though the team would eventually win an Oscar for the effects, there were moments where it almost wasn’t technically possible to complete the work. “Nobody knew how long it would take to render all these things,” Austin said “The joke we had is we had every computer in Silicon Valley on render time. The render capacity needs of this film were just really astonishing, and people don’t realize back then you didn’t have that kind of capacity. “ Advertisement Of course, it all worked out. The film made its July 3, 1991 release date, enjoyed a massive opening weekend, and became the highest-grossing film of the year by almost $40 million. However, something that feels completely alien today is that both the writer and producer agree there was never any discussion of continuing the franchise beyond part two. Advertisement “When we sat down to do Terminator 2, we approached it as ‘This is going to be it,’” Wisher said. “‘We’re finishing the story we’re telling and we’re done.’ Having said that, and working this business, you always know that if someone wants to make a third or a fourth or a fifth, they can and they will. But we just didn’t put our heads there.” “I don’t remember having any conversations about it, because, frankly, we had a deadline that was almost undoable,” Austin added. “I’m not exaggerating, we had 24-hour, seven-day shifts in post-production. [There was] this kind of unbelievable pressure to meet this release date which had been fixed almost a year ahead of release time.” That changed, however, when Terminator 2 had its first big, public screening. “There was a standing ovation that went on for about 12 minutes,” Austin said. “People were really experiencing this visceral, emotional thrill from watching this film. So we looked at each other and said, ‘Maybe there’s more to this.’ But I don’t think that really developed until we took a breath and looked back.” Advertisement Advertisement Take a breath and look back at Terminator 2 now and it still holds up—the story and the effects, as well as the emotion. Both onscreen and behind the scenes, it’s a fascinating blend of how filmmaking used to be and what it would soon become. Terminator 2: Judgement Day 3D is in theaters August 25. Digital Trends via Gizmodo http://gizmodo.com August 24, 2017 at 03:45PM
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Easy come, easy go: Daily Stormer briefly reappears on Dreamhost before being banned again http://ift.tt/2xwi226 The Daily Stormer, a white supremacist website that has become a sort of football to be kicked around in the current controversy around hate speech, was briefly reinstated on DreamHost earlier today. Very briefly. The site apparently appeared under the domain punishedstormer.com around the time we noted that it had been largely forced to rely on Tor for hosting purposes. Only a few minutes afterwards, however, DreamHost was subjected to an extended distributed denial-of-service attack taking down many of its services. At first the motive behind this attack was unclear; there are, unfortunately for DreamHost, many reasons people might try to take it down. Supporters of the Daily Stormer’s “right” to be hosted there may have attacked in order to punish the service for its earlier ban. Opponents of the Daily Stormer may have attacked it because it had decided to re-host the site. And to muddy the waters further, it all took place while DreamHost representatives were at a Justice Department hearing regarding a recent subpoena for visitors to an anti-Trump website. Could it be that? Fortunately DreamHost has said that at least the last option is off the table. The attacks “would not seem to be related” to the DoJ hearing, a representative told TechCrunch. “At this point it looks like one of our customer sites was targeted.” The other part of the puzzle comes from Andrew Anglin, who runs the Daily Stormer. On Gab, the social network recently removed from both Google and Apple’s app stores for hate speech, Anglin posted an email ostensibly from DreamHost informing him of a new ban. Another terms of service violation was claimed, this time for “activity which causes service interruptions to either DreamHost’s network/servers or any outside network.” Anglin characterized the email this way:
However, in a follow-up email, DreamHost (again in an email quoted by Anglin) gave a different reason for the ban: “The opening of multiple accounts of service plans in order to bypass any restrictions or overage charges set forth by DreamHost.” In other words, if you get kicked off, you can’t just start a new account and try again with the same website and content that got you kicked off in the first place. We’re waiting on DreamHost’s full analysis of what happened today, and will update this post as soon as we get it. Featured Image: Sergey Nivens/Shutterstock (IMAGE HAS BEEN MODIFIED)Digital Trends via TechCrunch https://techcrunch.com August 24, 2017 at 03:32PM Italians Have Been Getting Blitzed on Wine for a Very Long Time http://ift.tt/2xwSIJi When we think about wine in Italian history, we think of the booze-soaked bacchanalias of ancient Rome. But it turns out that Italians were using wine to get their drunk on long before that, as evidenced by an exciting new discovery of the region’s oldest vino near a Copper Age site in Sicily. It’s a spicy meatball indeed. In a study published in Microchemical Journal, the researchers describe their big find: a jar dating back to the early 4th millennium BCE. After chemically testing the piece of pottery, the team found traces of tartaric acid, which is one of the main acids in wine. Its salts—called tartrates—were also found in the jug. Archaeologists have previously posited that Italian wine production started around the Middle Bronze Age, or 1300-1100 BCE. In 2015, researchers at the University of Caligari found 3,000-year-old Vernaccia and Malvasia grape seeds in Sardinia, proving Italian wine production has been around for an incredibly long time. To this day, it’s one of the top wine producers in the world in a neck-and-neck competition with France. Last year, it produced 1.5 billion gallons of wine, according to CBS News. Advertisement While we know that there’s nothing like a nice vintage, maybe Bronze Age-era wine would be a bit too full-bodied. But to my fellow Italian-Americans (and Italians all over the world), I say salute! Digital Trends via Gizmodo http://gizmodo.com August 24, 2017 at 03:27PM |
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