Alpha

Samsung announces a cheaper entry-level Galaxy Book with no OLED

Samsung announced two entry-level Galaxy Book laptops at its Unpacked event: the Galaxy Book and the Galaxy Book Flex2 Alpha. The former will start at around $800 (according to Samsung, that price is subject to change) and will launch in the second half of 2021, whereas the Flex2 Alpha starts at $849 and is available… Read more

Astell & Kern A&futura SE180 player features interchangeable DAC modules

Home News (Image credit: Astell & kern) Astell & Kern, highly decorated maker of premium portable high-resolution audio devices, has just introduced the SE180 portable music player. It is the third model in the company’s A&futura series following the inaugural A&futura SE100 and SE200, both of which gained What Hi-Fi? Awards in 2019 and 2020… Read more

This Raspberry Pi Tricorder is Straight Out of The Alpha Quadrant

We’ve encountered beaucoups of Raspberry Pi cyberdecks over the years and even a few tricorders but this is one of the coolest Pi-based tricorder cyberdecks we’ve come across. It was created by a maker who goes by Himmelen4 and is designed to resemble a TR-560 Tricorder VI standard model from Star Trek: The Next Generation…. Read more

Core wants to be the YouTube of game development, and now anyone can try it

Core, the platform that hopes to help creators build games and players experience them, is launching for free in early access today. It’s available exclusively on the Epic Games Store and already includes over 20,000 free playable games across a wide variety of genres including team-based multiplayer shooters, RPGs, and side-scrollers. Core’s developer, Manticore Games,… Read more

Sony Xperia 1 III is the world’s first phone with a 120Hz 4K OLED screen

Home News (Image credit: Sony Mobile) Sony has launched a full refresh of its Xperia phone range, headed up by the Xperia 1 III (the successor to our favourite phone of 2020) and the Xperia 5 III (the follow-up to the five-star Xperia 5 II). The new third-generation Xperia handsets are virtually identical with almost… Read more

Sony announces the Xperia 1 III and Xperia 5 III with variable telephoto lenses

Sony is announcing two new phones today, the Xperia 1 III and the Xperia 5 III. Both are the latest in Sony’s campaign to redefine the Xperia brand as a kind of sibling to its well-regarded Alpha digital cameras. As such, the camera system is once again the main focus, and Sony specifically is touting… Read more

Cowon Plenue D3

Our Verdict Cowon has added Bluetooth, a volume wheel and a dual DAC to its bijou player – and produced another class leader For Detailed presentation across frequencies Bluetooth connectivity Classy build and finish Against Screen looks a little dated Remember matchbook quotes, those little sayings written on complimentary matchbooks you could pick up in… Read more

LG G1 OLED Evo 4K TV review: OLED has evolved

(Pocket-lint) – With some LCD TV makers – including LG! – making a big song and dance about the introduction of Mini LED backlight technology for 2021, the pressure on mainstream OLED TVs to deliver their own substantial hardware leap that’s been rumbling along for years now has become particularly intense. Just as well, then,… Read more

10 of the best Arcam products of all time

Home Features (Image credit: Future) There must be something in the water in Cambridge, England. Not only did Cambridge Audio emerge from the university city, but so too did another bastion of British hi-fi. Amplification Recording and Cambridge (as it was known originally) was founded back in 1976, the brainchild of John Dawson and Chris… Read more

Xiaomi teases camera with liquid lens on upcoming Mi Mix

Xiaomi’s upcoming Mi Mix handset will include a camera with a liquid lens, the company teased in a pair of Weibo posts today. As its name implies, the lens typically includes a layer of liquid, and the lens’s focus and focal length are changed by applying an electrical voltage. Xiaomi says the lens will allow… Read more

Fnatic React+ Gaming Headset Review: Bargain Surround Sound With Premium Quality

Our Verdict With clear audio, a great microphone and an understated but attractive design, the Fnatic React+ is aimed at eSports gamers, but it’s a great all-around headset for media and working from home too. The bundled USB sound card adds great-sounding 7.1 virtual surround sound to PC gaming, and a 3.5mm jack means you… Read more

Microsoft makes Xbox Party Chat free as part of its Xbox Live free-to-play changes

Microsoft is announcing today that Xbox Party Chat will be free for Xbox owners soon. The software maker has started testing a new Xbox dashboard update with testers today that unlocks Xbox Party Chat, multiplayer in free-to-play games, and the Looking For Groups (LFG) feature. Xbox Party Chat is a surprise addition to Microsoft’s announced… Read more

Rocket League is coming to Android and iOS with a spinoff called Sideswipe

If you have been looking to play Rocket League on the go but don’t own a Nintendo Switch, Psyonix’s massively popular vehicular soccer game is finally coming to mobile devices. The developer announced a new free-to-play version called Sideswipe that will arrive on iOS and Android later this year. Rocket League Sideswipe looks to be… Read more

Dolby Vision gaming arrives on Xbox Series X and S, but there’s a catch

Home News (Image credit: Microsoft) Back in September, Microsoft confirmed that the Xbox Series X and Series S would be the first-ever games consoles to support Dolby Vision, and it now seems that some users are now able to play games in the format, Forbes reports. Series X/S gamers with compatible TVs have noticed that… Read more

Sony Xperia 1 II vs Sony Xperia 1: What’s the difference?

(Pocket-lint) – Sony Mobile revealed the second generation of its flagship Xperia 1 4K smartphone in Febraury 2020. Following the naming structure of the Sony Alpha cameras, the Xperia 1 II offers a very similar design to its predecessor but with a few upgrades. Here’s how the Sony Xperia 1 II and the Sony Xperia 1 compare… Read more