Author: Stuff writer

Pictures of what appears to be a Sony Xperia Z3 and Z3 Compact have leaked online, sporting the same ‘OmniBalance’ design we’ve come to expect from Sony’s rectangular glass-clad flagships. The photos, courtesy of Chinese site Digi-Wo, show off a larger device which it believes is the Xperia Z3. It’s said to pack in a Snapdragon 801 or 805 processor and we expect spec fiends will be keeping their fingers crossed for the latter, more powerful version of Qualcomm’s processors. 3GB of RAM and an expected 20.7MP camera also make up the rumoured specs, but nothing’s concrete at this early…

You might not trust an artificial intelligence to drive your car (or spaceship) just yet, but what could possibly go wrong with putting one in charge of your kitchen? IBM has teamed up with US cooking magazine Bon Appétit to give its Watson AI full rein of your razor-sharp knives, high-speed blenders, blow torches, microwave radiation and gas hobs. Bon Appétit is looking for beta testers for a new ‘cognitive cooking’ app called Chef Watson that generates millions of possible ingredient combinations, choosing dishes that it thinks will “surprise and delight the human palate”. And definitely not poison you, or…

An LG phone with clear signs of G3 DNA has leaked in China, and all signs point towards it being the upcoming LG G3 Mini. Except it’s called the Beat. Naming aside (we expect the moniker to change to Mini), we’re looking at a 5in 720p screen, a Snapdragon 400 quad-core processor, 2GB of RAM, an 8MP camera and a smaller 2,540mAh battery. Its 5in screen isn’t as miniature as its name suggests, making it barely bigger than the G2’s 5.2in screen, and it’s substantially larger than the Sony Xperia Z1 Compact’s 4.3in offering. Its 720p resolution is a long…

Most Android phone and tablet manufacturers like to put their own spin on the interface and bundle in specific apps, so it’s difficult to have a consistent experience across devices. That won’t be the case with Android Wear, Android TV, or Android Auto, claims Google. The company’s engineering director, David Burke, tells Ars Technica that Google will take a stronger position of control with devices featuring Android Wear, TV, or Auto operating systems. “The UI is more part of the product in this case,” says Burke, using the example of Android TV. “We want to just have a very consistent…

There will be a time in the not-so distant future when we won’t have to spare a single thought for driving. Cars will become robotised Google taxis and we’ll be able to enjoy a particularly taxing Candy Crush Saga session on the monotonous slog to visit the in-laws. Hyundai hasn’t quite unveiled the self-driving car – but the upcoming Genesis saloon has the next best thing; it will not only alert drivers to near-by speed cameras but also gently apply the brakes should you fail to heed the bleeping warnings. The new Genesis uses GPS to locate the speed cameras…

The final reveal might be a long way off, but Google’s taken another step closer to launching its Lego-like modular smartphone. At its I/O conference in San Francisco the tech titan gave attendees an early sneak peek at a working prototype of Project Ara, showing off progress in its development over the past few months, following on from its announcement in February. Project Ara head Paul Eremenko whipped out the prototype during a breakout session at the I/O, and flashed the Android bootup screen. Attendees were understandably ecstatic. One step a time Sadly, the phone didn’t manage to fully boot…

A Google-owned robotics company is withdrawing an award-winning rescue robot from a military competition to concentrate on getting it ready for sale. Schaft Inc’s bio-inspired HRP-2 robot walks on two legs and uses cutting edge liquid-cooled motors to power its movement and sophisticated hand grippers. In December’s Darpa Robotics Challenge, the HRP-2 wiped the floor with rivals from MIT, NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory and Carnegie Mellon University in a series of tests from turning off a valve and opening doors to removing debris and driving an ATV. According to IEEE Spectrum, Schaft has announced that it would not be competing…

When the Pentagon wrote a blank cheque for the Global Positioning System in 1973, it wanted the technology to guide its nuclear missiles with pinpoint precision, steer warships in the dead of night, aid search and rescue efforts, and track nuclear detonations around the world. American generals probably didn’t envisage helping lazy businessmen to be punctual by never having to reset their watches. Luckily, Swiss watch start-up VCXO has filled that critical niche, with the OX One wristwatch. Although it looks like a traditional timepiece, and contains a high-end mechanical movement to give it a classy tick, the One also…

At WWDC this year, Apple revealed that the Photos app on iOS will makes its way to OS X Yosemite in early 2015 with photo editing and cross-platform syncing features in tow. What we didn’t know then is that Apple intends to axe Aperture as a result. The professional Mac photo editing and management software will cease to be a growing concern for Apple, a spokesperson told TechCrunch: “With the introduction of the new Photos app and iCloud Photo Library, enabling you to safely store all of your photos in iCloud and access them from anywhere, there will be no…

Nikon has announced its new prosumer DSLR, the D810 – and claims it offers the highest image quality in the company’s history. An updated edition of the D800 and D800E (both of which will be retired from Nikon’s range), the D810 offers a full-frame 36.3MP CMOS sensor and new EXPEED 4 image processing engine that allows it to capture images at up to 51200 ISO – something that, on paper, should make it capable of astounding low-light performance. The D810 can also capture 1080p video at up to 60fps, allows full range ISO adjustment for video and features an input…