The Fortnite Item Shop has updated once again, and players can now hop in and pick up some new gear, including brand new cosmetics, gliders, and other items.
Today’s update brings back a variety of fan-favorite outfits, including the clown-themed Peekaboo and Nite Nite, and the Prickly Patroller cactus outfit. Alongside the three skins come with the Pick Squeak and Prickly Axe accessories, as well as the Splode outfit and Shrapnel accessory.
If you enjoy Fortnite you might want to check out the latest offerings in the shop.
At WWDC 2019, Apple showed off the new version of Watch OS. The big news wasn’t the new watch faces, or new features to the health app it was the few changes to the operating system that will make the biggest difference to using the Apple Watch since it got launced.
Currently, if you want to use an Apple Watch, you need to use an iPhone. This is frustrating if you say wanted to use your Apple Watch with your favourite android phone, because this was not an option.
Now with the new Watch OS beta, Apple has included the Apple App Store directly on the watch. This paves the way for the Apple Watch to be used either completely untethered, or even with any phone of your choice.
Why would Apple consider doing this? Well it is no secret iPhone sales are in decline. Apple has maintained profits by pushing the average price of the iPhone higher and higher. However, this doesn’t stop the decline of sales of the iPhone.
It is no secret that the Apple Watch is the number one selling smart watch world wide, and likely the biggest selling watch period. So with an App Store on the watch, this leaves Apple with an option for people to buy the watch without needing an iPhone and even with the possibility of using it on another platform, like android.
If Apple enabled this, just imagine the exponential increase in sales of the Apple Watch. Who knows the Apple Watch one day could be the actual replacement for the iPhone, or a version of it.
On Monday Apple held its WWDC and apart from all the software announcements, the new Mac Pro was revealed.
The Mac Pro is extremely expensive, and if you need to ask the price, then you cannot afford it.
Fortunately, 9to5mac has reported that both Belkin and Logitech will commit to selling accessories for this new powerhouse. Personally, I don’t blame them as surely the profit margins at this top end price point will be lucrative.
It is no secret that Amazon would like to automate every aspect of its service.
Now Techcrunch reports on the new delivery drone from Amazon. Whilst the tech is pretty impressive, what happens to the loss of jobs when robots replace humans?
Welcome to my review of the Honor 20 Lite. The Honor 20 Lite retails for £249.99.
The Honor 20 Lite is a vibrant looking phone, featuring a dual tone gradient, 3D curved body. Anyone buying this will feel like they’ve bought a far more expensive handset.
Key Features
– 4gb ram, 128gb storage with expandable storage via micro SD cards.
– EMUI 9, Android 9.
– GPU Turbo 2 for improved graphics.
– Kirin 710 chipset , Mali G51 graphics.
– Large 3,400 mah battery.
– 6.21 inch full view ips 1080p display , 90% body ratio.
– New generation eye comfort mode, certified by TuV rheinland.
– Dual 4G sim, ideal for travelling or just having flexibility.
– Price £250.
– Weight 164g.
– Construction is a plastic build.
– Includes a 3.5mmm headphone jack with reasonable headphone audio.
– Micro USB connector still and not the newer USB C.
– Single downward speaker – this sounds reasonable.
In terms of security the phone features both face and fingerprint unlock. One of the neat features is the phone wont unlock when your eyes are closed. Also the face data is stored in secure enclave on your handset.
Cameras
The Honor 20 Lite features a strong camera setup on both the rear and front.
Front Camera
– 32mp front selfie camera, f/2.0, allows you to print selfies to poster size with no loss of detail.
Triple rear cameras
– 24mp f/1.8 Quadra CFA sensor , boosts low light performance , crop or zooming is possible with the high resolution .
– 8mp ultra wide 120 degree wide angle
– 2mp depth sensor
The Honor 20 Lite includes a super night mode , with AI stabilisation. You can also adjust the ISO and shutter speed within this mode. In addition to the portrait mode and standard photo mode, you have time lapse, light painting (star trails, traffic trails and silky water) Pro mode and even more options.
The AI camera is smart enough to recognise 500 scenes and 22 categories. In my testing, I found it better to keep AI on.
The AI beauty mode, supports 3D face recognition, detecting over 100 facial point to optimise facial details, adjusting looks based on gender, age and skin tone. Works with group selfies too. You also have the portrait selfie and lighting effects.
Video Review including camera samples
Conclusion
The Honor 20 Lite a solid budget phone with lots of storage available, which is unusual at this price point. It also comes with lots of camera flexibility.
Useful Links
Latest pricing and more information on Amazon UK Click HERE.
At 7am this morning, my OnePlus 7 Pro received the new firmware OS 9.5.5 which incorporated big updates for the camera.
I waited for this update before releasing my first impressions video to ensure I gave the phone a fair opportunity to fix a few things and improve the camera.
So what do I think of the phone ? And how good is the camera now?
Honor launched its new flagship. It comes with quad camera with a Sony IMX586 48MP Main Camera, featuring the advanced AI Ultra Clarity mode and AIS Super Night mode. The quad camera is also packed with the 16MP Super Wide Angle Camera, 8MP Telephoto Camera, and the 2MP Macro Camera, which allows users to capture wider and closer with Optical Image Stabilisation.
HONOR 20 Series boasts a 6.26″ all-view display with a 91.7% screen-to-body ratio. the industry-leading GPU Turbo 3.0, offering users an enhanced visual and tactile experience, an immersive audio experience through the Virtual 9.1 Surround Sound feature powered by Histen 6.0. This is the first time that this cutting-edge technology is applied to smartphones. The Virtual 9.1 surround sound supports most earphones and packs an in-built dual microphone with noise reduction.
So let’s take a first look at this phone as I went hands on at the official London launch.
Welcome to my review and comparison between the iFi Audio xCAN and xDSD.
Intro – What are they?
xCAN is a dual-mono portable headphone amplifier with up to 1,000mW of power per channel plus it also includes bluetooth. It retails for £299.
xDSD is portable headphone amp DAC that can playback high-quality digital audio file formats. Hi-Res True Native playback for all music formats from MP3 to DSD512, PCM768 and 2xDXD. It retails for £399.
Connections
xCAN – digital SPDIF or via analogue 2.5/3.5mm jack connection. iFi’s S-Balanced technology means that you gain the advantages of a balanced connection even when using an unbalanced one.
xDSD only 3.5mm jack using iFi’s S-Balanced® circuit delivers maximum performance from single-ended and balanced headphones alike. You can connect to Apple devices using the CCK Lightning to USB adapter. The design of the xDSD allows for a secure fit. See video below for more info. The 3.5mm coaxial/TOSLINK combo SPDIF input allows connections to older DAPs and CD players.
Extra Features
xCAN 3D+® opens up your music to give you the spaciousness of a live-concert atmosphere. and XBass Ⅱ® analogue bass correction system corrects headphone/speaker bass response to deliver a more natural sound to the midrange frequencies. xDSD has 3D+ and the original XBass+
xCAN uses the parent company AMR’s Global Master Timing® (GMT)/ Memory Buffer System. solves the problem of digital SPDIF jitter.
xCAN – 18 hours, 12 hours with bluetooth xDSD 10 hours
Power
xCAN upto 1,000mw in balanced at 32 ohms, 6 volts max too (3 volts in s balanced mode/ 600mw) xDSD upto 500mw but at 16 ohms, 270mw at 50 ohms, remember xCAN was 1,000mw at 32 ohms so significantly more powerful. Max voltage 3.8 volts.
Weight
xCAN / xDSD both weigh 127g
Sound Quality
xCAN the extra oomph really make the xCan squeeze every last drop out of your headphones. From my Fiio FA7 and AKG and Sennheiser HD600, all sounded excellent. Excellent bass extension, seperations and more. Genres from dance, classical and jass , rock all handled with aplomb. Like everything, all depends on the quality of the source, but then there is bluetooth. This is a good sounding option, iFi have gone to a lot of trouble to get the best sonically. Not all Bluetooth is made equally. Highly convienant having bluetooth. Having the Xbass and 3D+ really is a godsend too. Some headphones like my AKG really benefit from a slight bass boost.
For an extra £100.
xDSD gives you a decent DAC with good amp but not as powerful as the xCAN. However, partnering both together will bring a big smile on your face.
Of course, if you want a great DAC but extreme power to drive any headphone, iFi Audio have you covered with the micro iDSD Black Label, with a max of 10 volts, 4,000mW of power at 16 ohms. This costs £599, is much bigger but still portable.
Video Review and Comparison
Conclusion
The iFi Audio xCAN is a fantastic portable headphone amplifier and highly recommended. If you need a decent DAC and amp then look no further than the xDSD.
Useful Links
For more information and specs, click on the respective links below.
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