Author: Stuff writer

Gone are the days when mobile processor launches were mere morsels next to mega-phone unveilings. With Snapdragon’s latest chip iteration said to be slotting its way into a raft of next-gen handsets, how it holds up against Apple’s A9 and Samsung’s Exynos offerings may well determine the internals of your next phablet. Thankfully, on paper at least, the Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 820 looks to be quite the potato-free processor. The big news for multi-tasking mobile users is the 820’s aping of the 810, two times over. Twice as fast, twice as efficient, the new Kyro CPU is penned to deliver rapid…

The phrase ‘Optional Challenge Tomb’ says a lot about Rise of the Tomb Raider. This is what the game chooses to call its puzzle-driven chambers. Is Tomb Raider still a game principally about, err, raiding tombs when it treats its namesake activity like a side salad? One that comes with no croutons and way too much dressing. The Tomb Raider reboot was fresh, it was bold, and it was a damned good game. But some complained that it was a mere shadow of Lara Croft’s original adventure. They were calling out for a return to the grand temples and forgotten…

Despite its appearance, the Lytro Immerge is not, in fact, a futuristic tesla coil super-weapon. It’s completely harmless, for one thing, but it does sound almost as impressive. Like the company’s existing Illum camera, the Immerge uses Light Field technology to simultaneously capture multiple focal points, letting you shift the depth of focus after an image has been captured. The Immerge, however, takes this technology to a whole new level. It’s a pro-grade camera, designed to capture up to full 360°Light Field footage, for use in VR movies and games. The inner workings of the rig system remain a secret…

With Fallout 4 less than a week away, our thoughts are starting to turn to all things cheerily post-apocalyptic: Nuka-Cola, plummy-accented butler robots, and Pip-Boy 3000s. Yes, the iconic wrist-mounted computer is one of the things that makes Fallout, well, Fallout. And while quick-witted (and deep-pocketed) continental US-based fans could get their hands on a pretty amazing replica by pre-ordering the limited collector’s edition of Fallout 4, the rest of us are left bereft – at least officially. There are, of course, other ways to get your hands on fairly convincing Pip-Boy 3000s. People are 3D printing them and selling…

Apple is working on a new 4in iPhone, if the latest rumours are to be believed. KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has stated that the Cupertino tech giant’s smaller 4in handset will be based on an upgraded iPhone 5s with a mass produced metal shell. The upgraded innards will apparently feature Apple’s latest A9 processor (all the better to run iOS 9 with), but 3D Touch will be omitted, saved instead for the larger, more premium iPhone 6s and 6s Plus devices. Kuo also reckons that the smaller iPhone will launch in the first half of next year, which would…

Admit it: every time you encounter a big block of text while installing a program or signing up for an account, you roll your eyes, quickly agree to whatever it says, and move on. Right? But would you pay attention if it were lovingly illustrated? Now’s the time to find out, as artist R. Sikoryak has turned Apple’s iTunes Terms and Conditions into a four-part graphic novel, turning each dull, necessary statement into a comic panel. It’s unabridged, which means the entire chunk of text is covered throughout. Seriously. Novel as the concept is, it’s even more amazing once you…

According to the latest reports form Chinese forum Weibo, Samsung has been suitably impressed with the 23MP IMX300 camera sensor found in the Sony Xperia Z5. So much so, in fact, that it wants to shove it into the Galaxy S7. While Sony currently has exclusive rights to that particular sensor, it’ll be very tempting for it to strike a deal with Samsung, given the number of Galaxy flagships the company shifts. Samsung is also working on its own 20MP ISOCELL sensor too, which, according to rumours, uses a newer RGB colour pattern to improve low light performance. It’s likely…

Last week, a report from the Wall Street Journal claimed that Google planned to effectively merge Chrome OS with Android, with the mobile OS taking lead and powering everything from phones to laptops. Google doesn’t agree with that assessment, calling it “speculation” in a blog post that went up yesterday – but on the other hand, the company doesn’t dismiss the notion that it’s trying to bring Chrome OS and Android together. In fact, it’s effectively confirmed in the second sentence. “While we’ve been working on ways to bring together the best of both operating systems, there’s no plan to phase out…

And now for something a little bit different. Weird, even. This is the Samsung Galaxy View, an 18.4in tablet designed to fill the gap between the TV and the more modestly-sized tablets we all know and love. No, we’re not sure that gap really exists either, but the important thing is that Samsung does. So here we are. BIG IN THE BEDROOM The View’s face is big, as you’d expect, but you probably won’t have anticipated the bizarre arrangement that’s going on round the back. Yes, that back panel really is curved outwards. No, you can’t detach it. Instead, it’s hinged…

Garmin has revealed two new slices of fitness tech designed to keep you looking your very best. Its newly refreshed Vivosmart HR activity tracker now has a built-in optical heart rate sensor which will track your ticker throughout the day which, over time, should let you know just how much fitter (or indeed, unhealthier) you’re getting. Despite monitoring your heart rate 24/7, the new Vivofit HR still promises a decent five day battery life, along with the ability to push smartphone notifications, inactivity alerts, and music controls, straight to your wrist. The new smart scale looks more attractive than a…