Entries by Nicole Batac (11985)

Tuesday
Jun052018

Sony updates RX100 compact camera line with long zoom lens-equipped RX100 VI

Sony’s RX100 series is known for being an extra capable line of point-and-shoot cameras. The latest model will appeal for users who want amazing shots of really far away objects. The Sony RX100 VI comes with a longer optically stabilized ZEISS Vario-Sonnar T 24-200 f/2.8-4.5 8.3x zoom lens. While it’s slower than the f/1.8-2.8 T lens of the previous generation, Sony thinks the extra range, four additional stops of speed, and better specs will make up for it.

A lot of the other specs remain the same, you still get a 1-inch sensor with 20-megapixel resolution, 315 phase-detect autofocus points, up to 24fps shooting speed, high-speed filming of up to 960fps, and 4K video recording with full pixel readout a.k.a. no cropping. This time, though, the camera gets HDR video support using Sony’s Hybrid Log-Gamma (HLG picture profile). Eye-tracking is better with up to double the performance. The RX100 VI still has a flippable 2.35 million dot OLED viewfinder but this time it’s a touchscreen display. Unfortunately, there’s still no mic port to be seen. But if you’re just looking for a point-and-shoot with great zoom capability (and you have the budget for it), the Sony RX100 VI retails for $1,600 and will start shipping next month.

Monday
Jun042018

ASUS ROG outs its first gaming smartphone

Text and photos by Nicole Batac

ASUS’s gaming brand Republic of Gamers just unveiled its first-ever gaming smartphone, taking on the likes of Razer and heating up this new niche segment. It seems like a no-brainer that the Taiwanese company set out to create its own gaming phone but what took them this long? According to ASUS, they wanted to make sure they weren’t just building a smartphone that was simply called a gaming phone but didn’t have any unique features to truly make it a gaming phone. What they set out to do with the ROG Phone is provide four key things: lag-free performance, efficient cooling, blur-free and stunning visuals, and gaming-centric handling.

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Sunday
Jun032018

Microsoft Xbox One will soon reportedly support Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant

It seems there will be more assistant options coming to the Microsoft Xbox One soon, if rumours are to be believed. Windows Central reports that upcoming versions of Xbox One dashboard will add support for both Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant. This’ll be available through a skill on both platforms. At the moment, Cortana is the only supported digital assistant on the Xbox One through the Kinect accessory or a headset. This rumoured addition could mean that you might be able to control your console through them. But it isn’t clear what features will be supported or if you’ll still need the aforementioned accessories for it to work. We’re banking on the idea that you wouldn’t need it.

Amazon recently brought on board Microsoft Xbox veteran Albert Penello to “help figure out how to grow Alexa/Echo presence in gaming.” If this integration is true, then that means the platform is a step closer to making that happen. Microsoft and Amazon are already working to integrate Alexa and Cortana on all Windows 10 PCs.

Source: The Verge

Saturday
Jun022018

Canadian Reviewer Weekly Roundup 5/27-6/2