The UK are afraid of those pesky cheaters at school exams and are attempting to prevent cheating, by banning ALL watches. As it’s so hard to tell which is a smartwatch and what isn’t these days. How far tech has come.
An independent commission hired to investigate exam malpractice discovered that it’s just to difficult to tell the difference. Consequently resulting in a sweeping ban for all watches. Regular and the smartwatch. As it’s impractical to do a check on every students watches, just ban them all.
The Independent Commission on Examination Malpractice reports a “very low level of malpractice.” However it states that”a total ban on all types of watches, as well as other internet devices, removes any possibility of candidates having non-sanctioned internet access during exams.”
Schools in the US have already banned the smartwatch and regular watches from exam rooms. But the UK version is a recommendation for the UK’s Office of Qualifications and Exam Regulation. They said that it will work with the commission to implement it’s recommendations and will consider banning all watches from next summer.
The commission state that it’s due to the “sophistication of internet-enabled devices.” The commission are even going as far as monitoring the dark web for sale of exam papers and checking toilets to make sure students haven’t stashed their phones or notes in there.
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You will soon be able to ask an AI patron what burger you’d like at McDonalds. McDonalds have announced that they are buying the voice tech startup Apprente. Why? So they can automate their drive-thru menu. *cue old people moaning that it will cost jobs!* Fast Food AI is on the way!
The Mountain View based company specialise in buidling voice agents which can take orders in a variety of languages and accents. McDonalds have been testing the tech in a number of locations and they hope it will make for “faster, simpler and more accurate order taking” via it’s drive-thrus.
McD Tech Labs
Apprente will be a part of the McD Tech Labs. Which are a new restaurant tech group. The team will become the groups founding members and co-founder Itamar Arel will serve as it’s vice-president.
“McDonald’s commitment to innovation has long inspired our team. It was quite clear from our various engagements that McDonald’s is leading the industry with technology”
“Apprente was borne out of an opportunity to use technology to solve challenging real world problems and we’re thrilled to now apply this to creating personalized experiences for customers and crew.”
Itamar Arel, Ph.D, co-founder of Apprente and Vice President of McD Tech Labs.
There is potential to expand Apprente’s tech into other areas like mobile and kiosk ordering. McDonalds purchase of Apprente is it’s third of 2019. After it acquired Dynamic Yield earlier this year in April. A personalised data startup, which customises it’s drive-thru menus by the weather, time of day, restaurant traffic and trending menu items. They also bought a minority stake in Plexure a New Zealand mobile app tech company. Fast Food AI looks incredible helpful, though at the cost of some jobs, will it create more at other areas of the company?
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A few hints have already pointed towards an AR headset for Apple’s products, however, there now may be clearer evidence. Developer Steven Troughton-Smith has pointed out in a readme within a new release, which explains to employees how they can run AR apps on an iPhone without using the headset. So is Apple’s AR Headset on the way?
9to5Mac’s Guilherme Rambo highlighted (tweet below) how the latest iOS 13 beta drop (Gold Master) and the iOS 13.1 beta releases containt something called Apple’s “StarBoard” system shell to run AR apps as well. Smith suggests that rendering could be done on the iPhone itself and use of an additional gamepad/motion control device.
Apple didn’t mention anything about AR in it’s September event, nor did they mention a new Apple TV or Ultra Wideband location Tags. However, the leftover notes could suggest that it could have been a late scratch. While it could also be something new is in the pipeline.
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First of all, we were very impressed! As TON of new products was announced at this years September Apple Event, including an impressive Apple Watch Series 5 and a brand new PRO line up of iPhones!
September Apple Event, a run down
Apple Arcade
At tonight’s Apple event, they revealed a price and a launch date for it’s subscription based Netflix style gaming service. It launches on the 19th September and will cost $4.99 p/m for a Family plan. Including a Frogger game from Konami, an underwater adventure game called Shinsekai from Capcom and a music based game from AnnaPurna, SayonaraWildheart. – Apple Arcade is US only at the moment, here’s hoping it comes the UK not too soon after launches in the US!
AppleTv+
Apple’s Netflix style film and tv show service, Apple TV+, now has a release date. 1st November 2019. It’s incredibly cheap at $4.99 and will begin streaming in over 100 countries. Nothing was mentioned about non Apple exclusives, so we’re going to assume that’s all that’s going to be available. Tim Cook stated during the keynote that each month new shows will be added to the platform.
Plus if you purchase an iPhone, iPad, Mac or Apple Tv you’ll get a whole year for FREE!
Much like Disney’s service, Apple will be releasing a new episode each week, with 3 episodes being available at launch. While some shows will dump the whole season on you at once.
Apple Watch Series 5 was announced at September’s Apple Event, this time the Apple Watch comes with a brand new “Always On” display.
The screen will never go to sleep, allowing owners to always see the time and if you have fitness complications, see what your fitness stats are. While the screen will dim, it will always be visible. The display will help with power usage too, reducing the refresh rate down from 60hz to 1hz while not being used. The new Apple Watch will also have an ambient light sensor to adjust the brightness to your surroundings.
Features
The Apple Watch Series 5 comes with a built in compass with tools like an altimeter. Cellular owners of the Apple Watch Series 5 will have free emergency calling without needing to be linked to an iPhone. The Apple Watch has a noise meter on it to make sure your hearing isn’t affected. Also announced is a new Research App, where users can opt in to record their health data to be used in things such as the Apple Hearing Study, Apple Heart and Movement Study and Apple Women’s Health Study.
The Aluminium version comes in black, gold, polished metal and will be made out of 100% recycled aluminium. As with other generations of the Apple Watch, it’s also available in Stainless Steel, Titanium and ceramic models.
Prices in the US Start at $399 for regular and $499 for cellular. Series 3 gets a price cut to $199. So expect UK prices to be similar.
Apple Watch Series 5 pre-orders start today and will go on sale on 20th September.
The most popular iPad to date got a slight refresh at the September Apple Event, most notably bumping the screen from 9.2″ to 1o.2″
It comes with iPad OS built in, which means that there’ll be greater support for one handed use, extra gestures and improved support of the Apple Pencil. The new iPad 10.2″ comes equipped with the A10 chipset, improved smart connector for Keyboard Support, 8MP camera, AR support, Picture in Picture support and much like the Apple Watch Series 5, made from 100% recycled aluminium.
$329 so expect pricing in the UK to be about the same. Pre-orders open today and will ship at the end of the month.
The iPhone 11 is here and there is a HUGE focus on cameras. The iPhone 11 comes with a dual camera system, a 12MP 9f/1.8) lens and a 12MP (f/2.8) ultra wide angle lens.
Apple says that this has the capability of the equivalent of a 2x optical zoom out! The camera can also shoot 4k 60 fps on both the back AND front cameras. Including slo-motion on the front camera. Apple even showed off a quirky “slofies” promo video.
Other camera based features include automatic night mode detection, shooting video whilst in photo mode (simply hold the camera shutter down) and a zoom wheel.
Furthermore Apple showed off something called a Semantics Processor and “multiscale tone mapping.” So this means that the camera will be better at focusing on people and not blowing out the highlights. Apple also noted that the portrait mode will be better at taking portrait photos of pets.
Inside the iPhone 11 is the fastest CPU and GPU in any Smartphone the A13 bionic. Also, battery life has also improved by 1hr over the XR. The iPhone 11 also has spacial audio, Dolby Atmos and toughened glass on the front and back.
Prices start at $699 and will be available in purple, white, yellow, green, black and Product (Red)
Pre-Orders start on Friday ready for Sept 20th pick up.
The powerful models to the iPhone 11 were announced at this years Apple Event too. The iPhone 11 Pro and the iPhone 11 Pro Max. Slightly different to the iPhone 11, the Pro models have a “surgical-grade stainless steel” case and matte finish and a lot more power on the insides.
Cameras
For example the iPhone 11 Pro models have an extra wide angle lens to the telephoto and standard camera. Similar to how the telephoto lens zooms in, the wide angle will allow uses to zoom out. Allowing you to capture more of your shot, without needing to step back. Therefore giving users a lot more flexibility and control when taking photos.
A new mode called “Deep Fusion” will take 9 photos across all three cameras, stitch them together, creating a single high quality image. Furthermore the third party app Filmic Pro will allow you to record from multiple cameras at once, including the selfie photo. So you’ll be able to get footage from the front shooter right alongside the rear camera, all at the same time! Much like it’s smaller counterpart. The iPhone Pro versions also have access to the night mode and slow motion features.
Insides
The Pro iPhones are powered by the A13 Bionic Processor, they also have brand new screens. Super Retina OLED screens which have a 2Million to one contrast ratio and have up to 1,200 nits of brightness. Which Apple claim are 15% more energy efficient than ever before. They also have HDR10 support and Dolby Vision. Furthermore they also have Dolby Atmos and Spacial audio much like the normal 11.
Furthermore, battery life has vastly improved over the XS, the 11 Pro will get 4hrs over the XS and the 11 Pro Max gets 5hrs more.
The iPhone 11 Pro starts at $999, the 11 Pro Max $1,099. Pre-orders start on Friday 13th Sept at 1pm BST and they’ll be available for pick up on Sept 20th.
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Marcus has recorded a new #NewPhoneWhoDis and this time round he is joined by Julia Hardy and they are testing the Samsung Galaxy Note10+. This little machine is very very powerful. Samsung are describing it as a computer, gaming console and a professional camera. All in one. It’s also a IP68 rated phone. Water tight!
Power
The Galaxy Note10+ has superfast charging and can charge with 25W of power. Plus it has Wireless Charging on it too. The Galaxy Note10+ has a 4300mAh battery whilst the Note10 has a 3500mAh battery. You can even share the power with the back of the device with the Wireless PowerShare feature. Charge Galaxy Buds or Qi – Compatible devices with it.
The Note10+ comes with 512GB internal storage which is expandable to an extra 1TB with an external microSD card.
256GBINTERNAL
On Galaxy Note10
UP TO512GBINTERNAL
On Galaxy Note10+
On Galaxy Note10+ 5G
TO OVER1TB VIA MICROSD
On Galaxy Note10+
On Galaxy Note10+ 5G
The Galaxy Note10+ can also use two SIM cards at once. How cool is that?! The Galaxy Note10+ offers a Hybrid SIM port, so you can either add an extra SIM card or a microSD card, depending on your needs.
Speed
Rather impressively too the Note 10 and Note 10+ come with SUPER fast RAM!
The Note 10+ has a vapour cooling system, which makes it perfect for gamers. Furthermore the immersive AR combined with the Infinity-O display and Dolby Atmos makes the gaming experience that much more immersive.
Samsung Note10+ Computer Power
Using the Samsung DeX you can use your phone like a computer. Drag and drop files from device to device and make quick edits on the big screen. Even work on the phone whilst connected to the computer via a USB cable.
The Samsung Note 10+ also has the ability to protect your data with hardware backed and multi layered Knox security platform. Furthermore the Facial recognition and Ultrasonic Fingerprint scanner keeps your device super secure. You can also use a PIN, pattern or password.
Camera
The Samsung Note10+ has a POWERFUL camera. There’s 4 cameras in total. 1 on the front and 3 on the rear. Whilst DepthVision is only capable on the Note 10+.
Blur out backgrounds with video bokeh, add special effects in real time and even use the Zoom-in Mic to record the specific sounds that you want.
Shoot hi-motion video that is super smooth too. Without motion sickness. The super powerful camera predicts movement by pulling from a library of over a million frames. All in glorious HDR10+, 4K UHD too! Make multiple edits, insert transitions, change the speed all with the S Pen. This phone really is super powerful. It’s like a computer.
The camera has an Ultra Wide Camera that captures 123 degree field of vision at 16MP. Crop in with the 12MP Wide Angle and get 2x optical zoom on the 12MP telephoto camera.
Wide Angle Camera auto adjusts to the light around it and the F1.5 mode makes darker scenes lighter. Also the F2.4 mode keeps things sharp in bright daylight. Don’t forget Night Mode either! While the selfie camera has been updated for better low light shots.
The phone is smart too, in the sense that it is able to recognise popular subjects and use Local Tone Mapping to adjust settings for the best photo. Even take a 360 degree 3D snap of an object and turn it into an animated GIF!
S Pen
The S Pen has also been redesigned and improved! Navigate, play and pause all with the S Pen. It will match your movements and is able to control your phone with simple gestures. Such as turning it counterclockwise or clockwise to change camera angle or capture a close-crop group shot or the whole scene. Turn the volume up or down by gesturing up or down with the pen! Write like a pen and it will turn into text instantly as well!
Overall this phone is incredible and definitely one we will be using for time to come. It’s just like a computer!
Robot Guards will now take your photo if you attack it. In various places in America robots are roaming about to monitor places such as banks, casinos, malls and hospitals. Earlier this month in Hayward California, a security robot captured video of an alleged attacker before it was knocked over.
Knightscope who make the robots say that they weigh a total of 398lbs. That’s alot! Knightscope tells The Verge that there are 75 robots deployed in 15 different US States, and a report at Vox suggests that they won’t be replacing human guards any time soon. Slack has two robots from Cobalt to help secure it’s offices, but real human guards are still there.
The bots do simple on-duty tasks such as scanning a doorway. While humans need to intervene if it detects some tomfoolery. Futhermore the bots from both Knightscope and Cobalt don’t have any weapons so won’t be able to use force.
They don’t have weapons now but we wouldn’t be surprised if things like tazers and batons where implemented into the robots at some point in the future.
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The walkie talkie feature on Apple Watches has been a well received feature and Apple were looking to bring a similar feature to iPhones! The new technology would have let people send text messages to other iPhones over a 900MHz radio spectrum. A spectrum that is typically used for dispatchers in the utility and manufacturing industry. The new feature would have brought walkie talkie esque abilities to iPhones. Without the need for WIFI of Mobile internet according to The Information.
However, the feature would have been different to the current walkie talkie feature on the Apple Watch. The information reports that Apple and Intel were working together on the project. It would have seen intel chips in future iPhones before it was shelved. Internally it was reportedly known as Project OGRS “ogres”. This would most likely have been in reference to patents which were filed a year ago which eluded to an Off Grid Radio Service.
Why did Apple Shelve it?
Why was it shelved? Well, The Information report says that the the internal champion on the project Rubén Caballero, left Apple earlier on in the year. Coupled with Apple settling with Qualcomm, and Apple’s expected move from Intel modems to Qualcomm put an end to it. Apple going with Qualcomm over Intel was so significant it caused Intel to sell it’s entire smartphone modem business. Which Apple purchased for $1Bn
This feature does sound pretty cool to be fair and maybe we’ll see this type feature in the future. Maybe with that there would be no excuse to not texting back, “I didn’t receive your text” wouldn’t fly.
We have recently been given the Boondoo action camera mount on the Mate X electric bike and it was fantastic! If you are an extreme sports fan and like to get out on your bike for example, in the woods or in the streets and want to capture every moment. The Boondoo action camera mount should definitely be installed on your kit!
It has a whole array of functions to help you capture your best moments. Such as various degrees of tilt and pan movements. Which are easily adjustable too, no tools required!
Design
360 DEGREE PAN FUNCTION
Boondoo has a super easy snap lock system that will help you adjust the angle, without even stopping or slowing down! To pan simply lift the mount with one hand, dislocating the locking gears. Twist the mount to find your new angle, drop it to snap back in place. Easy!
180 DEGREE TILT FUNCTION
Boondoo has a cool tattleproof tilt, which allows you to also find the angle and not have to stop. Simply press the gear-lock button to release the tilt lock, tilt the camera and release! Dotted markers are on the mount to help you pick which angle your in.
Compatibility
Boondoo can be used with GoPro cameras, or any action camera that uses a GoPro mount or adaptor.
Tech Specs
SPECIFICATIONS
Dimensions: 3.6″ x 1.7″ x 1.0″ (92mm x 44mm x 25mm)
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We recently got to have a play on the MATE X bike and, well, it’s a different breed. It’s a BEAST of an e-bike. BIG CHUNKY 4″ tyre, 20″ Wheels, BIG CHUNKY frame and very very fast! Their website states that Big is Beautiful. They’re not wrong at all! They’re right. Very very right!
The MATE X bike is very different to all the other e-bikes that we’ve tested. As as soon as you lay eyes on this machine you can immediately tell just how commanding the bike is. It’s HUGE! The features definitely match is size too. You can go off the regular road and into the beat and track. Thanks to the bigger frame and all terrain wide rim PHAT tires. It’s also built beautifully and comes equipped with a ton of state of the art features and components. The most suprising thing about this beast? It can fold. Yes it can fold. Simply fold the frame and the steam, adjust the seat post and it is done! Furthermore the MATE X will take you wherever you like – up to 75 miles (120 km).
MATE X Quick Features:
COMFORT SADDLE
FRONT & REAR SUSPENSION
7-SPEED GEAR
DISC BRAKES
6-SPEED COMPUTER
1-CLICK FOLDABLE PEDAL
FOLDABLE STERN
The Mate X Bike – The coolest E-Bike
The MATE X bike may look big and chunky but the design is very minimal and has a very very clean look. To complement this look the way that you shift gears is made very simple. They’re built into the grips, so simply twist your wrist to change gear! Not only that the brake levers are easily accessible.
Want to know how fast you are going? How much battery life you have left? How far you’ve travelled? Simply refer to the impressive water and dustproof LCD backlit display on the front of the bike. You can even customise it to your liking! Plus the bike has up to 6 different speeds too. Starting at 0 which gives riders no help at all, moving all the way up to 5 which is full assist. There’s even a built in USB charger! The innovative new speed charger allows for quicker charging, efficient battery consumption!
The Ride
The ride on the MATE X bike is silky smooth too. That’s thanks to the front and rear suspension of the bike. The suspension is very smart as it has an adjustable preload to match the weight of the rider and their riding style. The suspension even has a mechanical lock out for riding smooth roads!
The wide tyres are huge which also help with improved control and handling. The 4″ tyres help reduce the risk of puncture and improves safety on the road. Need to stop safely? The Tektro mecanical disc brakes help with that and only require a single finger to operate, giving the user very strong braking power! Don’t press too hard otherwise you’ll fall off! Ease on that brake!
The bike itself may look big and heavy but it only weighs 50lbs (26kgs), the frame itself is only 6lbs (2.7kg) too! Most of the weight comes from the huge battery:
Powerful battery – 48v of lithium ion battery with built in handle and fuse for easy removal from frame.
48v 14.5 aH model (696Wh) offers assited travel of up to 40-60miles
48v 11Ah (528Wh) offers up to 30miles with full electrical assistance
It has a plug and play wiring system, allowing easy servicing, maintaining, replacement and repair very easy! Even connect lights and other accessories through it!
Ever wondered how cool it would look if navigations to places just appeared right in front of you? Well that’s becoming a reality, kinda. Google is bringing augmented reality walking directions. It will be called Google Maps Live View. It is available on Android and iOS, if you have beta capabilities. We think Google Maps AR version is going to be incredible!
We first blogged on Google Maps AR when it appeared on Google’s Pixel phone’s earlier on this year. It showed real time navigation of Google Maps through your phone’s camera.
Simply hold your phone up next to the streets and your surroundings. It will then display arrows and directions overlaid on top of the camera view. Making it so much easier to get to places.
How To: Google Maps AR
So, Android owners whose devices support ARCore or iPhones which support ARKit will be able to access Google Maps Live View beta this week. You can test Google Maps Live View by:
Searching for a location you want to walk to or tap it on a map
Tap on the directions button at the bottom
Select walking directions at the top of the screen
Tap on the new Live View option at the bottom of the screen
Google is adding a whole host of new features to it’s mapping service. The tech giant want Google to be the place where you plan your trips from start to finish and is adding loads of features, this just seems to be the coolest one yet.
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Boondoo has a super easy snap lock system that will help you adjust the angle, without even stopping or slowing down! To pan simply lift the mount with one hand, dislocating the locking gears. Twist the mount to find your new angle, drop it to snap back in place. Easy!
180 DEGREE TILT FUNCTION
Compatibility
