MakerBot Targets Pros, Teachers With New 3D Printers, Tools

MakerBot's new 3D printers are faster and quieter than their predecessors, and they come with new tools to help teachers use them in the classroom.

The company's new Replicator+ printer is approximately 30 percent faster, has a 25 percent larger build volume, and is 27 percent quieter than the fifth-generation model it replaces. Its smaller cousin, the Replicator Mini+, gets a 10 percent speed boost and is 58 percent less noisy than the Mini Compact.

Eking out noise reductions and performance gains are crucial to boost sales of 3D printers to consumers, since they are slow, noisy, and expensive compared to their ink-and-paper counterparts.

But MakerBot is also going after teachers and design professionals with new apps that walk the user through the entire 3D printer setup process step by step. The MakerBot Print app and the new MakerBot Mobile app can control and monitor multiple 3D printers throughout an office or school.

The company is also launching Thingiverse Education, a lesson plan exchange for 3D printing in the classroom, and a series of step-by-step guides that explain how to finish 3D-printed models once they come out of the printer. The guides include techniques like gluing, sanding, painting, vacuum forming, brass inserts, and silicon molding.

In a statement, MakerBot CEO Jonathan Jaglom said his company has undergone a "cultural shift" over the past year to focus more on the needs of educators and professionals.

Consumers can still buy its printers, of course. MakerBot is offering the Replicator+ at an introductory price of $1,999 and the Replicator Mini+ at $999 until Oct. 31. Regular prices will be set at $2,499 and $1,299.

Razer Protoypes Stolen From CES Booth

Razer's Project Valerie was, hands down, one of the most ambitious concepts at the Consumer Electronics Show this year. It was so cool, in fact, that we here at PCMag named it the Best Concept/Prototype of the show.

Apparently we weren't the only ones impressed with the three-screen laptop. Someone liked it so much that they acquired the buzzed-about prototype with a five-finger discount.

In a Facebook post early Monday, Razer CEO Min-Liang Tan said he'd "just been informed that two of our prototypes were stolen from our booth at CES today." And he's not too happy about it.

"We treat theft/larceny, and if relevant to this case, industrial espionage, very seriously — it is cheating, and cheating doesn't sit well with us," Tan wrote, possibly suggesting a competitor stole the machines. "Penalties for such crimes are grievous and anyone who would do this clearly isn't very smart."

Tan added that Razer has filed "the necessary reports" and is now working with CES management and law enforcement to catch whoever stole the prototypes. He encouraged anyone with information about the theft to reach out to Razer's legal team.

"At Razer, we play hard and we play fair," he wrote. "Our teams worked months on end to conceptualize and develop these units and we pride ourselves in pushing the envelope to deliver the latest and greatest."

Razer's 12K Project Valerie laptop sports two 4K displays, which spread out like wings from the main screen. Even with three screens, Project Valerie is only about as thick as two Razer Blade Pros stacked together, and was able to run a game at full resolution across the three screens. This thing may never end up as a consumer product, but it's cool to dream about

Samsung SSD 960 EVO

When it comes to SSDs, Samsung knows that if isn't ain't broke, don't fix it. The 500GB Samsung SSD 960 EVO ($249.99) is the latest update to the company's highly successful SSD 850 EVO, and is poised to repeat that success thanks to its class-leading performance, endurance, and affordability.

While you wouldn't necessarily call the 960 EVO revolutionary, it does a good job of making existing technologies work well together. It runs on the PCI Express (PCIe) bus and uses the NVMe protocol, meaning it's capable of reaching blistering sequential read speeds of up to 3.2GBps and write speeds of 1.9GBps. That also amounts to about 400 percent more IOPS in random read and write operations than its SATA-based predecessor.

The SSD 960 EVO also utilizes the M.2 form factor, which makes it roughly the size of a stick of gum (22mm wide and 80mm long). It's also available in 250GB ($129) and 1TB ($479) capacities, and all versions feature impressive endurance ratings. (There is, however, no 2TB version; you'll have to step up to the Samsung SSD 960 Pro if you want that.) The 500GB version is rated for 200TB written over the drive's lifetime, while the 250GB version is rated for 25TB and the 1TB version for a sky-high 400TB. While you're unlikely to wear out the 960 EVO in normal usage, one drawback is that Samsung has reduced the length of its warranty to three years, down from the previous five given for the 850 EVO. And because it's an M.2 drive, you'll need a relatively recent desktop or laptop to actually use it.

Specs aside, the 960 EVO slots nicely among Samsung's SSD offerings as an affordable PCIe NVMe drive and an alternative to the pricier SSD 960 Pro line—especially considering that the 960 EVO is only a smidge slower than the 960 Pro.

For more details, check out the Samsung SSD 960 EVO review on our sister site, Computer Shopper.

Apple Car Project Cruises Ahead With Help of Bob Mansfield

Apple's car project is cruising along with the help of someone who knows a thing or two about bringing products to market: Bob Mansfield
The former Apple Senior Vice President of technologies, who stepped down from his post on Cupertino's executive team three years ago, is now "running the company's secret autonomous, electric-vehicle initiative," internally known as "Project Titan," according to The Wall Street Journal, citing unnamed people familiar with the matter.

Mansfield joined Apple in 1999 after Cupertino acquired Raycer Graphics, where he served as vice president of engineering. During his tenure, Mansfield was in charge of the Mac hardware team, iPhone and iPad hardware engineering, and the iPad hardware team.

In June 2012, Mansfield decided to leave the tech game, but two months later, it was announced that Mansfield would remain at Apple, to "work on future products" and report directly to CEO Tim Cook. The following year, he officially exited Cupertino's executive team in favor of a smaller role working on "special projects" like the Apple Watch.

"Until recently, Mr. Mansfield… had all but retreated from the company aside from the occasional visit," the Journal's sources said. "Earlier this month, employees at Apple noticed in the company directory that all the senior managers on the car project were now reporting to Mr. Mansfield."

Meanwhile, don't get too excited about the Apple Car just yet, because word has it the vehicle is still at least five years away. The Information last week reported that Apple has pushed back its expected car launch to 2021. Cupertino was previously aiming for a 2020 launch, though it has yet to even confirm that it's working on a car project, so take release date news with a grain of salt.

What Is HDR (High Dynamic Range) for TVs?

High dynamic range (HDR) video is one of the newest TV feature bullet points. It can push video content past the (now non-existent) limitations to which broadcast and other media standards have adhered to for decades. But adoption could be slow over the next few years because it's a complicated and somewhat esoteric feature. Let us explain.

Standard Dynamic Range

TV contrast is the difference between how dark and bright it can get. Dynamic range describes the extremes in that difference, and how much detail can be shown in between. Essentially, dynamic range is display contrast, and HDR represents broadening that contrast. However, just expanding the range between bright and dark is insufficient to improve a picture's detail. Whether a panel can reach 100 cd/m2 (relatively dim) or 500 cd/m2 (incredibly bright), and whether its black levels are 0.1 (washed out, nearly gray) or 0.005 (incredibly dark), it can ultimately only show so much information based on the signal it's receiving.

Current popular video formats, including broadcast television and Blu-ray discs, are limited by standards built around the physical boundaries presented by older technologies. Black is set to only so black, because as Christopher Guest eloquently wrote, "it could get none more black." Similarly, white could only get so bright within the limitations of display technology. Now, with organic LED (OLED) and local dimming LED backlighting systems on newer LCD panels, that range is increasing. They can reach further extremes, but video formats can't take advantage of it. Only so much information is presented in the signal, and a TV capable of reaching beyond those limits still has to stretch and work with the information present.

What Is HDR?

That's where HDR video comes in. It removes the limitations presented by older video signals and provides information about brightness and color across a much wider range. HDR-capable displays can read that information and show an image built from a wider gamut of color and brightness. Besides the wider range, HDR video simply contains more data to describe more steps in between the extremes. This means that very bright objects and very dark objects on the same screen can be shown very bright and very dark if the display supports it, with all of the necessary steps in between described in the signal and not synthesized by the image processor.

To put it more simply, HDR content on HDR-compatible TVs can get brighter and darker at the same time, and show more shades of gray in between. Similarly, they can produce deeper and more vivid reds, greens, and blues, and show more shades in between. Deep shadows aren't simply black voids; more details can be seen in the darkness, while the picture stays very dark. Bright shots aren't simply sunny, vivid pictures; fine details in the brightest surfaces remain clear. Vivid objects aren't simply saturated; more shades of colors can be seen.

This requires much more data, and like ultra high-definition video, current optical media can't handle it. Blu-ray discs cannot hold HDR information. That will change over the next few years as the UHD Alliance pushes the Ultra HD Blu-ray standard. It's a disc type that can hold more data, and is built to contain 4K video, HDR video, and even object-based surround sound like Dolby Atmos. It could solve all of the distribution problems of 4K and HDR without requiring a very fast Internet connection. Online streaming can also offer 4K and HDR video, but Ultra HD Blu-ray provides a physical and broadly accessible way to get it.

What You'll Need

Don't expect to use these discs with your existing Blu-ray player, though. While they're still called Blu-rays, they use different technology and different encoding standards to stuff all of that information onto the medium, and you'll need an Ultra HD Blu-ray player. They're still pretty rare at the moment, with only a few options currently available, like the pricey Samsung UBD-K8500 and the Microsoft Xbox One Sgame system.

If you don't want to deal with physical media, HDR content is trickling steadily onto streaming services like Netflix and Vudu. Of course, like any 4K content, HDR depends on having a very fast, reliable Internet connection. If your stream can't support it, you won't be able to watch your desired movie or show in HDR even if it is available.

You'll need an HDR-compatible TV, as well. HDR is not 4K. A 4K screen might support HDR, but that doesn't apply to all sets. If your TV doesn't support HDR, it won't take advantage of the additional information in the signal, and the panel isn't calibrated to handle that information even if it was properly read. Even if the TV can handle the signal, it might not produce a particularly better picture (our reviews of HDR-capable TVs include evaluating HDR performance), particularly if it's a less-expensive LED TV. So, if you haven't picked up a 4K television yet, you might want to wait for a good HDR-compatible one that fits your needs in the future. If you have, don't fret; HDR content is even less abundant than 4K video, and we won't see it become widely available for a while.

Types of HDR

HDR isn't quite a universal format, and currently HDR content is split into two groups: HDR10 and Dolby Vision. HDR10 is the standard pushed by the UHD Alliance. It's a technical standard with specific, defined ranges and specifications that must be met for content and displays to qualify as using it. HDR content available on Ultra HD Blu-ray discs are generally HDR10. Televisions that support HDR10 are allowed to display the UHD Alliance's Ultra HD Premium logo.

Dolby Vision is Dolby's own HDR format. While Dolby requires certification for media and screens to say they're Dolby Vision compatible, it's less of a distinct standard than HDR10. Dolby Vision, like HDR10, contains much more information about light and color for each pixel. However, Dolby Vision media is calibrated to fit the profiles of individual Dolby Vision displays to produce the best picture based on each panel or projector's limitations and range. The end result is still a picture that has wider, more varied colors than standard dynamic range video. Dolby Vision-compatible televisions will have the Dolby Vision logo on their packaging.

As for which HDR format is better, it simply isn't clear yet. Both can offer significant improvements over standard dynamic range, and currently both are seeing media and televisions coming out in their respective standards. Like the clash between Blu-ray and HD-DVD when high-definition video became prominent, we'll have to see which format, if either, gets a strong foothold in the market.

Where Is It Now?

Ultra HD Blu-ray discs have been trickling into stores, and major studio releases have been coming out in combination Ultra HD + Blu-ray packs that include films on both Ultra HD and standard Blu-ray discs. It's a welcome stopgap measure as Ultra HD Blu-ray players get adopted, offering an option for consumers to watch movies on regular Blu-ray until they're ready to upgrade. Not every Ultra HD Blu-ray film has HDR content, but HDR releases have prominent HDR logos on the front for easy identification

HDR-capable televisions are still fairly rare, and limited to most manufacturers' high-end lines. The OLED-based LG Signature OLED65B6P stands out as the most prominent HDR television we've tested so far. Other HDR-capable TVs include the 2016 versions of Samsung's SUHD, Sony's XBR, and Vizio's P and Reference lines.

As for streaming, Netflix recently launched HDR support, and you can watch certain releases like Marco Polo in HDR if your television supports it and your Internet connection is fast enough. Vudu also offers HDR films on demand, and we're sure to see support expand in the future.

Canon Gets Serious About Mirrorless With the EOS M5

Canon's mirrorless camera system has failed to impress in testing, as its contrast-based autofocus system is slow and plodding when compared to what Fujifilm, Olympus, Panasonic, and Sony have been able to deliver.

Canon looks to change that with its newest mirrorless, the EOS M5. It's a more serious version of what's come before, leveraging the Dual Pixel AF tech that we've seen in SLRs like the 80D for focus, and includes an in-body EVF.

The M5 looks like a Canon camera should. It's finished in black, with a matching leatherette and the company's iconic logo raised atop the body, just below the pop-up flash. There are plenty of on-body controls, including two top-mounted control dials, a dedicated EV wheel, a rear dial, and a standard Mode dial. In addition to the pop-up flash, you can use a Speedlite flash with the M5.

The rear display is a touch screen. It's mounted on a hinge so you can shoot at waist-level or face it forward for selfies. But, in a design no doubt inspired by the Olympus PEN E-PL7, you'll need to flip the screen down below the camera in order to face it front for selfies

Internally the camera has a 24MP APS-C image sensor powered by a Digic 7 image processor. It can shoot at 7 frames per second with continuous focus and exposure or at 9fps with both locked after the first shot. The sensor covers an ISO 100 through 25600 sensitivity range, and it supports Raw and JPG formats for still as well as 1080p60 video capture. The lack of 4K is the one disappointing aspect of the camera, especially considering that Canon is rolling out a new hybrid stabilization system for movies with the M5. A combination of digital and in-lens stabilization promises to deliver correction on 5 axes for smoother, more natural-looking handheld footage.

If Dual Pixel AF works as well with the M5 as it does with the 80D, it will be a big step forward for the Canon mirrorless system. When I reviewed the 80D, I found that its Live View focus system locked onto targets with ease, and smoothly transitioned from one focus point to another when recording video. Choosing a focus point should be easy as well—you just need to tap on the rear display to tell the M5 where to focus. If you're using the EVF you can still swipe your finger across the LCD to move the focus point around, just as you'd control a cursor with a laptop touchpad.

Wi-Fi and Bluetooth are built-in. Bluetooth keeps the M5 connected to your phone at all times, and it can move images over to your smartphone automatically as they're captured. Wi-Fi is there for faster image transfer, and to allow you to use your phone as a remote control. However, if you don't need to see the Live View feed on your phone, you can opt to use it as a simple wireless shutter release utilizing the Bluetooth connection.

The EOS M5 is going to go on sale in November for $979.99 as a body only. A kit with the EF-M 15-45mm f/3.5-6.3 IS STM will sell for $1,099.00.

Canon is also launching a new EF-M lens. The EF-M 18-150mm f/3.5-6.3 IS STM is going to go on sale in December, priced at $499.99. It will be bundled with the M5 in a kit, also on sale in December, positioned at $1,479.00.

There's also a new lens for the Canon SLR system. The EF 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 IS II USM is an update on the company's budget-friendly full-frame telezoom. It promises to deliver improved image quality and a stronger 4-stop stabilization system. Canon has added a monochrome information LCD to the lens, which can display the set focal length, focus distance, or the amount of handheld camera shake the lens is detecting. The 70-300mm will hit stores in November and is priced at $549.99.

Leaked Photos Show New Size for Nvidia's Shield TV

Nvidia's Shield Android TV streaming box could be getting a smaller cousin, based on new leaked product photos that Android Police posted Monday.

Although the design of the box and the remote control appear identical to the current Shield model, one of the images depicts a much smaller box, with a height about equal to that of the remote. Without context, the images themselves don't reveal all that much—as Android Police notes, they could be an early prototype, or Nvidia could be planning to launch a bigger Shield TV alongside the current one.

An Nvidia spokesperson refused to elaborate, explaining that the company doesn't comment on rumors or unannounced products. What we do know is that the images are very polished and appear ready to be included on a website or in marketing materials. We also know that Nvidia is hosting a keynote address Jan. 4 in Las Vegas, shortly before CES opens. The company says it will be showcasing the latest from the GeForce and Shield product lines at CES.

The Shield TV turned heads when it launched in 2015, complete with a powerful Tegra GPU and an included gamepad to play streaming games. With its launch, the original Shield device became the Shield Portable, and a conventional Android tablet brimming with gaming features was also added to the lineup.

Its streaming box also gives Nvidia a foothold to deliver non-game content to living rooms, including 4K Netflix streaming, which was added earlier this year. PCMag will bring you live coverage from Nvidia's CES announcements, so if you're in the market for a Shield device, stay tuned.

Google to Launch Two Android Wear 2.0 Smartwatches

Google said it wouldn't sell its own in-house smartphones, then it introduced the Pixel. The search giant may be following a similar pattern with its wearables plan: following earlier rumors of a Google-branded Android Wear device, The Verge reported this week that the first Android Wear 2.0devices will launch in the first quarter of 2017, and won't have Google or Pixel branding.

That's according to Jeff Chang, product manager of Android Wear, who told The Verge that the new devices are a collaboration between Google and a third-party manufacturer, similar to Google's partnership with HTC for the original Nexus smartphone.

New innovations in Android Wear 2.0 will include standalone apps that don't require a phone, The Verge reported, as well as support for both Android Pay and Google Assistant, the Amazon Alexa competitor that launched this month on the Google Home.

As with Android smartphones and tablets, not every Android wearable will get the update, because Google is not requiring manufacturers to roll it out, Chang explained. Android fragmentation has been a source of frustration for the company this year, and it was even contemplating shaming phone makers who don't offer updates to the latest Android version.

Chang didn't offer any details on specifications for the first Android Wear 2.0 devices, but he did say that there would be two of them, according to The Verge. That's in line with a rumor that Android Police reported in July: a large, sporty version (codenamed "Angelfish") is expected to include LTE, GPS, and a heart-rate monitor, while a smaller model (known as "Swordfish") will act more as a fitness tracker.

Investing in new wearables isn't a sure bet for Google, both because of the uncertainty of consumer demand as well as stiff competition from Samsung, Apple, and Fitbit, which recently acquired Pebble.

Adorable Kuri Wants to Be Your Friend, Not Your Robot Overlord

LAS VEGAS—Robots used to be the stuff of science fiction. Not so much anymore. At CES, you can even find an entire section of the floor dedicated to them. Even so, robots aren't usually the starring attraction of CES—though Kuri by Mayfield Robotics is doing it's best to challenge that.

I got my first glimpse of Kuri at CES Unveiled and, it's true, my initial interest was based on the robot's cuteness. The design is reminiscent of pop culture's favorite robot personalities: R2-D2, BB-8, Wall-E, and EVE. All simple lines and curves, with the added bonus of cheerful beeps and bloops, Kuri is the exact opposite of the vaguely apocalyptic implications that talk of the Singularity usually brings. A simple pat to Kuri's head was greeted with a robotic chirp, happy eyes, and a warm glow in his LED chest. If you booped Kuri's base, he would stutter back confused, head glancing from side to side, eyes blinking rapidly, as if to suss out what had happened.

These are all expressions and descriptions that you'd find antithetical to a "robot." Even cute robots like Softbank's Pepper or Honda's Asimo are still oddly detached and somewhat unnatural. They're technologically impressive but at the same time, you can't really imagine them being your friend, let alone living in your house with pets and children. So what immediately stood out about Kuri was how easy it was to personify and empathize with him—starting with simple pronouns like "him" or "her" instead of "it."

At a demo, Mayfield Robotics explained that this is all part of the plan. Because Kuri was envisioned as a personal assistant robot, it had to be something that you could relate to and would feel comfortable having in your home every day. So while a lot of the functionality is similar to other smart home devices—streaming feeds of your house, audio, facial and speech recognition, etc.—the building block for Kuri wasn't the technology, but the design. Personality, not specs.

This is evident in the little flourishes Mayfield Robotics has added. When demonstrating Kuri's ability to navigate around a backpack and into a kitchenette, you can see that the robot looks left, as you or I would, before turning. And, instead of smoothly gliding across the floor, Kuri has a little waddle that looks like it jumped straight out of a Pixar film.

If you issue a voice command that Kuri doesn't understand, his chest will light up yellow and he'll shake his head in confusion. If you or a family member walks in the door, Kuri can be programmed to waddle up to you and "smile" at you in greeting. You get the same response when you issue a command, which makes saying "Hey Kuri" infinitely more satisfying than saying "Hey Siri." After spending just 45 minutes with Kuri, it was impossible to walk away without feeling the same kind of affection one might feel for a puppy walking down the street.

It'd be easy for a cynic to look at the $699 price tag and say, "Okay, so what if it's cute? What's the point?" Well, for years Japan has been leading the charge in personal assistant robots. This is partly because as a culture, the Japanese view the future of robots as friendly helpers rather than potential Terminator-esque overlords. In the West, aside from perhaps the Star Wars films, robots have frequently been portrayed as soulless, logic-driven machines that eventually learn to overthrow their imperfect and illogical creators.

And as such, Western robots tend to be impressive from an engineering standpoint like Boston Dynamics's Atlas, but rather impersonal. So for an American-based company to be the creators of Kuri is somewhat of a pleasant surprise. Perhaps even a possible sign that the rise of the robots doesn't have to be quite so ominous.

It's also telling what Kuri doesn't do. When asked how he'd describe Kuri's personality, Mayfield Robotics CEO Mike Beebe said "earnest, curious, and humble." It's simply not in Kuri's programming to get angry, snarky, or spiteful. And when it came to figuring out Kuri's functionality, there were some features that Mayfield decided against including as it wouldn't jibe with Kuri's personality.

It's a little too early to tell whether Kuri will help spark a more Jetsonian future. While you can pre-order Kuri with a deposit of $100, Mayfield Robotics doesn't expect they'll be ready until the holiday season for 2017. It's also hard to judge just how much consumers will be willing to pay for what, at this point in time, is first-adopter novelty technology. But if robot maids, nannies, and companions are in our future, then Kuri's personality-first approach is worth emulating.

Nintendo Switch

Nintendo's newest game system promises to be both a home console like the Wii U and a handheld like the 3DS. The Nintendo Switch can work connected to your HDTV while you play from the couch, or held in your hands as you game on the go, thanks to its modular tablet design and unique Joy-Con controllers. The $299.99 system includes everything you need to play no matter where you are: the core Switch console, the Switch Dock, two Joy-Cons, two Joy-Con Wrist Straps, a Joy-Con Grip, an HDMI cable, and a power adapter.

We spent some time with the Nintendo Switch at a preview event, and have some first impressions. We'll revisit the system to give it a formal score once we get the retail package in PC Labs for in-depth testing. The Switch launches March 3.

The Switch

The Switch itself is a black rectangular tablet with a 6.2-inch, 720p capacitive touch screen. Rails on the left and right allow you to connect the Joy-Cons. A USB-C port rests on the bottom to power the Switch or place it in its dock, and a microSD card slot expands the system's storage past its 32GB internal capacity. The top edge holds a power button and a volume rocker, but the Switch otherwise has no physical controls on its tablet section. A 3.5mm headphone jack and a slot for the game cards, which are similar in size and shape to Nintendo 3DS cards, also rest on the top. A kickstand can be flipped out of the back to let you set the Switch on any flat surface for portable use while using the Joy-Cons or other controllers wirelessly

he screen is the most advanced display Nintendo has put in a handheld device. While the Switch's 720p resolution is hardly impressive compared with the 1080p and Quad HD (2,560 by 1,440) screens of most smartphones and tablets, it has triple the vertical resolution of the Nintendo 3DS' upper screen (400 by 240 effective). The screen is also brighter and more vivid than any Nintendo handheld, and the first to feature capacitive touch.

According to Nintendo, the Switch's battery life will vary between 2.5 and 6 hours, depending on the games you play. This is very short compared with the 3DS, but because the system charges over USB-C you can easily keep it going with portable batteries. Also, when you use it in the Switch Dock while connected to your TV, you can use it indefinitely.

The included Switch Dock is a similarly black and rectangular cradle for the system that both keeps it charged and allows it to be used as a home game console. The back of the dock features an HDMI port for connecting the Switch to a TV, a USB 3.0 port, and an AC adapter port (a USB-C port), behind a plastic door you can close, with cut-outs for neatly running cables out of it. Two more USB 3.0 ports sit on the left side of the dock.

Joy-Cons

The Joy-Cons are the stars of the show, beyond the Switch tablet itself. They're small controllers that can be used wirelessly on their own, mounted on the sides of the Switch to let the system work as a portable system, or connected together in the included Joy-Con Grip as a conventional controller. Each Joy-Con features physical and motion controls, including a unique haptic feature called HD rumble that simulates small objects and a shape-sensing infrared sensor. The Joy-Cons also support NFC, so you can use your Amiibos with games that support them.

Joy-Cons are presented in pairs, though each can be used on their own in games that support them. The left Joy-Con has an analog stick near the top, four circular directional buttons below it, and minus and Capture buttons above and below them. The right Joy-Con has an analog stick near the middle, with circular A/B/X/Y buttons above it, flanked by plus and Home buttons above and below them. The plus and minus buttons function like Start and Select buttons from older Nintendo systems, just like on the Wii U and Wii controllers. The Capture button lets you take screenshots of games you're playing and share them online. Each Joy-Con has a shoulder button and a trigger button on the top, along with a pair of small, recessed shoulder buttons on its respective mounting rail. The rails let you connect the Joy-Con to the Switch, the Joy-Con Grip, or the included Joy-Con Straps, holding the Joy-Con firmly in place with a satisfying click until you press a small physical latch on the back.

The asymmetrical Joy-Cons offer the same controls as a standard Xbox-style gamepad, but the uneven stick placement serves an additional purpose. Because the stick on the left Joy-Con is higher than the direction buttons, the stick on the right Joy-Con is lower than the face buttons, and the direction buttons and face buttons are shaped the same, both Joy-Cons can be used on their own as Super Nintendo-style gamepads. Held horizontally with the rail facing away from you, each Joy-Con lets you play with an analog stick on the left, four face buttons on the right, and left and right shoulder buttons hidden in the rail.

Joy-Con Accessories

If you do use the Joy-Cons individually, you'll probably want to use the included Joy-Con Straps. Each Joy-Con Strap provides a helpful lanyard so your Joy-Con doesn't go flying when you swing your arm, but they're more substantial than simple loops of nylon. The lanyards are connected to plastic shells that click securely onto the rail of each Joy-Con. The shells offer larger, much easier-to-press shoulder buttons than the small shoulder buttons hidden in the Joy-Con rail.

The Joy-Con Grip is a battery pack you slot both Joy-Cons into to have them act like a single conventional gamepad. The Joy-Cons click onto a rectangular battery pack that holds them like a much narrower Switch, and curved plastic grips let you use them in that configuration much more comfortably. The Switch Pro Gamepad is an optional $70 alternative to the Joy-Con Grip, offering all of the same motion sensing and NFC-reading features of the Joy-Cons in a single Xbox controller-shaped package with no rails or switchable components.

Arms

I tried an assortment of Switch games at the preview event. They were demos, some of which won't be released at the system's launch, but they gave a good sense of how the Switch will feel to play in different situations.

Arms is a first-party arcade boxing game that uses both Joy-Cons as motion controllers for the weapons of fantastical fighters with extending arms. You hold a Joy-Con in each hand to control your fighter's respective fist-mounted weapon using punching motions, like in Wii Sports Boxing. Punching with one Joy-Con throws a punch, while punching with both at the same time performs a long-distance grab move. Tilting the Joy-Cons lets you move your fighter in different directions around the ring, and twisting the Joy-Cons puts up your fists to guard against attacks.

It's a fast and frantic game that rewards timing over blindly throwing punches. Like most fighting games, punches, grabs, and blocks work against each other in a rock-paper-scissors system; punches can be blocked, blocks can be grabbed, and grabs can be punched through. Maneuvering around the ring, especially with dashes and jumps using the shoulder buttons on the Joy-Con, add a cat-and-mouse aspect to the action. It was fun to play, if reminiscent of a decade-old Wii game.

1, 2, Switch!

1, 2, Switch! is a quick-draw minigame compilation that evokes the WarioWare games. Pairs of players face off, each equipped with a Joy-Con. They compete in different activities that use the Joy-Cons' motion sensors and force feedback functions. The tasks I tried in the demo included competing in a quick-draw shoot-out, milking a cow, swinging and catching a sword, and counting the number of balls in a box.

The shoot-out and sword-swinging mini games are straightforward. The quick-draw challenge has each player hold their Joy-Con at their side until the game tells them to draw. They then pull their Joy-Cons up to point at each other and pull the shoulder button. The first player to draw and shoot wins. The sensors track the angle of the Joy-Con, meaning you need to bring it level against your opponent or your shots will go into the ground. The sword-swinging mini game is similar but asymmetrical. One player swings their Joy-Con down over their head, while the other must clap their hands with their Joy-Con at the right time. If the clap is timed right, they catch the sword. If not, they're cut down.

The cow-milking mini game has players facing each other and pretending to milk a cow. Each player holds their Joy-Con vertically and must move it up and down while rhythmically pressing the top shoulder button followed by the bottom shoulder button. The faster they can consistently perform this motion, the more they milk. Whoever milks the most milk wins. It's pretty weird.

The ball-counting mini game shows off the Joy-Cons' HD Rumble feature. The force feedback motors in each Joy-Con can simulate the rattling of small objects, and the game has you counting those small objects in your hand as if you were holding a box. The rumble feature really does give the illusion that there are balls rolling around in the Joy-Con, having them bounce against each other in the virtual box as you move it around in your hand. It's an impressive technology demonstration, but not a very interesting game.

Splatoon 2

I also tried an early demo version of Splatoon 2, the sequel to the team-based shooter on the Wii U, on the Switch in the docked configuration with a Switch Pro Controller. The game looks and feels exactly like the original Splatoon, to the point that I couldn't tell a difference beyond the fact that I was playing it on a new game console. It even has the same tilt-based controls. Splatoon was excellent, and even just a port on the Switch to make it handheld is welcome. That said, Nintendo will hopefully add new content to the game for when it comes out this summer, to really make it feel like a sequel.

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe

I played Mario Kart 8 Deluxe on the Switch in the portable configuration, with the Joy-Cons attached to the sides of the system. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is a port of Mario Kart 8 for the Wii U, with all of the DLC content installed and an updated Battle Mode. I played the standard racing mode, and it was just as if I was playing it on the Wii U. It's an improved experience, since the Switch's screen is much higher resolution, brighter, and more colorful than the Wii U gamepad's, and the Switch is designed to be used as a completely standalone handheld system rather than wirelessly tethered to a base console like the Wii U. It shows that there's plenty of opportunity for the Switch to make older game ports feel fresh (like the six-year-old The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, which wasn't at the event) simply by letting you play them on the go.
Online Services

Nintendo is rolling out a new service similar to Xbox Live and PlayStation Network to enable online multiplayer on the Switch. It will be a fee-based service, but online multiplayer will be free through the fall, when additional features like voice chat and online lobbies will be added. Paying users will also get access to a monthly NES or SNES game with online play.

A paid subscription will be required for online multiplayer in the fall, but users who don't pay can still access the Nintendo eShop on the service. Free users will also be able to share screenshots they take using the Joy-Con's Capture button on social networks. Nintendo hasn't yet announced specifics regarding the Capture function, or about the availability of Virtual Console games on the Switch at launch.

Possibly the Best of Both Worlds

The Nintendo Switch is very ambitious and very promising. The idea of a system that offers the full home console experience with the option to play it on the go, with multiple configurations for controls in both situations, is remarkable. We were impressed by what we saw so far, and we're looking forward to taking a closer look when we get the system into the lab. Check the another Reviews And EnJoOYy !!! :D

Al Catel One Touch Fierce 2

The Alcatel OneTouch Fierce 2 offers some decent specs for its low, low, $126 off-contract price. You'll get a Snapdragon 400 processor, Android 4.4, and a 5-inch screen, which outpaces direct competitors like the Kyocera Hydro Life and Motorola Moto E. But a thoroughly uninspiring design and some performance flaws left me less enthused about this smartphone than about other devices which may have slightly less impressive spec sheets.

Physical Design and Call Quality

The OneTouch Fierce 2 is dull, dull, dull. It's 5.55 by 2.83 by 0.39 inches (HWD) and 5.26 ounces, clad entirely in the most generic midnight blue plastic available. It makes absolutely no design statement whatsoever, especially as compared with the lively Nokia Lumia 635 or even the tough-looking Kyocera Hydro Life. The micro USB charging/syncing port on the bottom caused me a little bit of trouble, too, with the USB plug having some difficulty settling in. The 5-inch, 960-by-540 screen seems bland and unsaturated, but that's at least in part because of the relatively low 220ppi pixel density.

Call quality, on the other hand, is very good. Calls sound warm and moderately loud through the earpiece, and the speakerphone is loud enough to use outside without turning the phone around. Transmissions on standard calls lack aggressive noise cancellation, but your voice comes through loud and clear; the same goes for speakerphone transmissions. The phone supports T-Mobile's Wi-Fi calling scheme, as well as T-Mobile's HD Voice

Performance and Multimedia

The OneTouch Fierce 2 shares a 1.2GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 processor with other low-cost phones like the Kyocera Hydro Life, and it shares similar performance with it, as well. I found that the UI had a tendency to stutter from time to time, and the keyboard would sometimes have to catch up with my typing.

Alcatel One Touch decided to gussy up Android 4.4 with some different icons and a custom lock screen, but all the standard features, including Google Now, are present. The relatively minor amount of bloatware includes a compass, file manager, flashlight, movie editor, and notepad, none of which are annoying or take up much storage. There's no word on an Android 5.0 update, but I wouldn't hold out hope.

Lack of internal storage is a real concern, as it is with most phones in this price range. While the Fierce 2 has a microSD memory card slot for media that can handle up to 32GB cards (64GB cards don't work), it only has about 2GB of free storage for apps, which means you'll have to be thoughtful about what you download. I like how it lets you access the card using Mass Storage Mode from your PC, though, without relying on the wobbly MTP protocol like many Android phones.

You're just not going to get any really great cameras down here at this price level. The main 5-megapixel camera on this phone has a tendency towards long exposure times, noise, and blur, and bright backgrounds get blown out even with the help of the apparently entirely theoretical HDR mode. The video mode takes decent 720p videos at 25-30 frames per second. The VGA front-facing camera is dim and smeary, with a tendency towards lens flare. Its video mode is particularly awful, grabbing VGA video at only 13 frames per second indoors and 25 outdoors. Music and video playback are just fine, but the less-saturated screen makes videos a little less compelling than on, say, the Hydro Life.

ConclusionsT-Mobile has a bunch of inexpensive phones in the $100-125 range. While the One Touch Fierce 2 checks some spec-sheet boxes with its 5-inch screen and Android 4.4, I think more people will be pleased either with the Kyocera Hydro Life (as long as they're not big talkers), the LG L90 (which we haven't reviewed yet), or the Nokia Lumia 635 (as long as they're willing to put up with Windows Phone's limited app library). This phone is a lesson in remembering not to take the spec sheets at face value. Some feature lists are a little too good to be true

Vr's Review

Virtual reality is here. Well, it's here in the sense that all of the big names in VR have launched or are very close to launching their VR platforms. Whether it's here for good as an established and widely accepted product category remains to be seen. VR is a fascinating way to put you somewhere else through the power of technology, using a headset and motion tracking to let you look around a virtual space as if you are actually there. It's also been a promising technology for decades that's never truly caught on.

That could change with the current wave of VR. Oculus has released the consumer-ready Rift, HTC and Valve have put out the Steam-friendly Vive, Sony has finally launched the PlayStation VR, Samsung continues to incrementally improve its Gear VR, and Google's getting ready to let its Daydream platform emerge like a butterfly from its Cardboard coccoon. There are a lot of promising headsets across a lot of different price and power spectrums. Let's look at what they cover.

The Big Question: Tethered or Mobile

Modern VR headsets fit under one of two categories: Mobile or tethered. Mobile headsets are shells with lenses into which you place your smartphone. The lenses separate the screen into two images for your eyes, turning your smartphone into a VR device. Mobile headsets like the Samsung Gear VR and the upcoming Google Daydream View are inexpensive at $100 or less, and because all of the processing is done on your phone, you don't need to connect any wires to the headset. However, because phones aren't designed specifically for VR, they can't offer the best picture even with special lenses, and they're notably underpowered compared with PC- or game console-based VR.

Tethered headsets like the Oculus Rift, HTC Vive, and PlayStation VR are physically connected to PCs (or in the case of the PS VR, a PlayStation 4$312.00 at Amazon). The cable makes them a bit unwieldy, but putting all of the actual video processing in a box you don't need to directly strap to your face means your VR experience can be a lot more complex. The use of a dedicated display in the headset instead of your smartphone, as well as the use of built-in motion sensors and an external camera tracker, drastically improves both image fidelity and head tracking.

The trade-off, besides the clunky cables, is the price. The least expensive option is the PS VR at $400, and it requires $60 to $160 in additional accessories on top of that to really work. The Oculus Rift is $600, but it only comes with a simple remote and an Xbox One gamepad; the Oculus Touch controllers are another $200 on top of that. And while the HTC Vive is the most comprehensive package, it's also the most expensive at $800. And that's before you address the processing issue; the Rift and the Vive both need pretty powerful PCs to run, while the PS VR requires a PlayStation 4.

Sony PlayStation VR

Sony's PlayStation VR is our current Editors' Choice for virtual reality, offering the most polished and easy-to-use tethered VR experience with a relatively reasonable price tag. You can only play proprietary titles on it, but a theater mode lets you play any PS4 game as if you were sitting in front of a large screen, and the VR games we've tried have impressed us. Like the Rift, it also requires an additional investment for full functionality; you need a PlayStation Camera$36.95 at Amazon for the headset to work at all, and a PlayStation Move controller bundle for motion controls. Still, for a $400 headset, that means the total is still less than the price of the Rift.

HTC Vive/SteamVR

HTC's Vive is a comprehensive package that includes a headset, two motion controllers, and two base stations for defining a "whole-room" VR area. It's technically impressive, and is the only VR system that tracks your movements in a 10-foot cube instead of from your seat. It also includes a set of motion controllers more advanced than the PlayStation Move. But that $800 price tag is pretty hard to get past, and PC-tethered VR systems like the Vive need plenty of power, with HTC recommending at least an Intel Core i5-4590 CPU and a GeForce GTX 970 GPU

Oculus Rift

The Oculus Rift has become synonymous with VR, even if the brand has lost some of its luster against the HTC Vive and the PlayStation VR. The retail version of Oculus Rift is out, and while it's more expensive than the developer kits were, it's also much more advanced. From a technical standpoint, the headset is nearly identical to the Vive. It costs $200 less than the Vive as well, but it lacks the Vive's whole-room VR, and if you want motion controls you'll need to spend that $200 for the (admittedly excellent) Oculus controllers.

Samsung Gear VR

Samsung's Gear VR is one of the most compellingly polished and accessible VR systems, with a catch. To use the Gear VR, you need a compatible Samsung Galaxy smartphone (currently six devices, including the Galaxy S7$669.99 at T-Mobileand the S7 Edge$789.99 at T-Mobile). This narrows down potential users to people who already own compatible Samsung phones, since buying one just to use with the Gear VR pushes the price to HTC Vive levels. If you already own a phone to go with it, though, the $100 Gear VR features controls built into the headset, a pass-through connector for keeping your phone charged, and is fairly comfortable to wear. Samsung collaborated with Oculus to build the Gear's software ecosystem, which already has a handful of games and apps, including virtual theaters for watching Netflix and other streaming video services

Google Daydream View

Google's new Daydream is similar to Google Cardboard in concept. You still put your phone in an inexpensive headset (the $79 Daydream View), and it functions as your display thanks to a set of lenses that separate the screen into two images. A pairable remote you hold in your hand (similar to the Oculus Remote) controls the action. It's impressive when you can find apps that work with it, but the software library is currently very light and it isn't backward compatible with Google Cardboard apps (though Google is working on that with an SDK update)

Windows 10 VR Headsets

Microsoft just announced partnerships with multiple hardware manufacturers to offer a variety of Windows 10-compatible VR headsets on top of the Vive and Oculus Rift (which have their own software ecosystems with Steam and the Oculus Store). These headsets will use outward-facing sensors for motion sensing, so they won't need external cameras or sensors like the Rift, Vive, and PS VR. Microsoft says the headsets will start at $299, and the confirmed partners include Acer, Asus, Dell, HP, and Lenovo. Specific models and availability have not yet been revealed.

Microsoft has also been working on the HoloLens, an augmented reality headset with a lot of potential. Just keep in mind that AR is not VR