Microsoft Word for Office 365

Google Project Stream aims to let you play a major video game release in Chrome

Streaming is big these days, with streaming video and streaming music services becoming the main ways that many people consume content. Now Google wants to try its hand at streaming video games.

Project Stream is now official. Google has announced a test of its new service that aims to stream video games through the Google Chrome browser on a desktop or laptop computer. Starting October 5th, participants will be able to play the new game Assassin's Creed Odyssey for free for the duration of the Project Stream test.

There are a limited number of spaces available for the Project Stream test. The service is aimed at homes with an internet connection of at least 25Mbps, and you must be at least 17 years old and live in the U.S. to participate. You'll also need Google and Ubisoft accounts.

In the video at the top of this post, you can see a video of Project Stream in action. It shows Assassin's Creed Odyssey being streamed and played at 1080p resolution at 60 frames per second.

Project Stream sounds like an interesting service. With traditional video games, you need to either buy a physical disc and put that into your console or download a game digitally, which can be tens of gigabytes in size and take quite a long time to download. Plus, PC gaming can often require you to have a powerful computer to get good-looking graphics. Project Stream aims to change all that, letting you stream a new, AAA-tier game with high-quality graphics to your web browser. It's a great idea, and we're looking forward to seeing how well it works for testers.

Are you going to apply for the Project Stream test?

Google

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Nikon AF-S 500mm f/5.6E PF ED VR

Long-focal-length prime telephoto lenses are typically big and bulky affairs, with the optics demanding large pieces of glass. This in turn usually means you'll be restricted to using them on a monopod, as they're just too heavy to hand-hold, while you'll often see photographers lugging such lenses over their shoulders, as they're a pain to transport. 

They're not cheap either, so why go to all that effort? It's because, ultimately, these lenses deliver stunning image quality with fast maximum apertures, especially if you're earning a living from taking pictures. 

But what if you could get a lens that's less than half the weight – and price – of one of these monster telephotos, and all you had to sacrifice was a stop difference in the maximum aperture available? Step forward the Nikon AF-S 500mm f/5.6E PF ED VR. 

Features

• Phase Fresnel (PF) lens element
• 4-stop Vibration Reduction (VR) system
• Electromagnetic diaphragm 

The AF-S 500mm f/5.6E PF ED is considerably smaller and lighter than Nikon's pricier AF-S 500mm f/4E FL ED VR, weighing in at just 1,460g, compared to 3,090g, and measuring 237mm in length, compared to 387mm. Nikon has managed to achieve this reduction in bulk by using a Phase Fresnel (PF) lens element.

What's so special about the Phase Fresnel (PF) element? Developed by Nikon, it effectively compensates for chromatic aberration utilizing the photo diffraction phenomenon. Compared to typical lenses, which employ an optical system using the photorefractive phenomenon, this allows lens designers to create lenses with fewer elements.

We first saw this lens technology element in the AF-S 300mm f/4E PF ED VR lens back in 2015. Weighing in at 755g, that optic was incredibly small and lightweight considering its focal length.

The inclusion of a Phase Fresnel lens element in the AF-S 500mm f/5.6E PF ED V means its optical path is pretty streamlined for a telephoto prime, with 19 elements in 11 groups, which includes three extra-low dispersion (ED) elements to keep chromatic aberration in check. The front element also has a fluorine coating to repel water, dust and dirt. 

The lens features an electromagnetic diaphragm (hence the 'E' designation) that’s designed to provide highly accurate control of the lens’s rounded nine aperture blades, to ensure more consistent exposures during continuous shooting. 

Build quality and handling

• Easy to shoot with handheld
• Sport VR mode delivers stable viewfinder image
• Focusing is fast and swift 

As you'd expect, build quality is very good, with a decent-sized rubberized manual focus ring, while the lens balances really nicely on the Nikon D850 we tested it with. There's a detachable tripod collar, but we found the lens was so light that we could shoot with it in a similar way to how we would with a 70-200mm f/2.8, thanks to the similar weight – that's something that just isn't possible with the much larger f/4 version of the lens.

The AF-S 500mm f/5.6E PF ED VR's 4-stop image stabilization system works well – the lens sports a dedicated VR switch on the side of the barrel with settings for Off, Normal and Sport modes, the latter of which is designed to deliver a stable viewfinder image when shooting high-speed movement. 

When used on the D850, focusing was both fast and quiet, while there's also a useful Memory Recall function that lets you store a focus distance for repeated use. The minimum focus distance is also good at 3m – better than the f/4's 3.6m. 

There's really not much to dislike here, but if we were being really picky we'd have liked to have seen a carbon lens hood supplied, rather than a more typical plastic bayonet design.

Performance

• Great sharpness and contrast
• Vignetting well controlled
• Hard to see signs of flare and fringing

It's no good having a lightweight lens if the optics don't deliver the goods, and the AF-S 500mm f/5.6E PF ED VR impresses here as well. Sharpness and contrast are very good even with the lens wide open at f/5.6, while vignetting is well controlled throughout the aperture range.

The lens might 'only' have a maximum aperture of f/5.6, but it's possible to get some really nice de-focused backgrounds in images when shooting wide open. Flare was also kept well in check, while we struggled to find any signs of chromatic aberration. A top-notch performance all round. 

Verdict

The compact design Nikon has managed to engineer for the AF-S 500mm f/5.6E PF ED VR is really impressive, but perhaps equally as impressive is the fact that image quality hasn't been compromised. 

The extra stop of light afforded by the AF-S 500mm f/4E FL ED VR will appeal to some, but if you're shooting with one of Nikon's latest full-frame DSLRs, cranking up the ISO by a stop to achieve the same shutter speed with the AF-S 500mm f/5.6E PF ED VR isn't that big of a deal. 

Factor in the handling advantages, and if you shoot wildlife, nature or sports on a Nikon DSLR, the AF-S 500mm f/5.6E PF ED VR is a fantastic lens to have in your camera bag. 

• Best Nikon lenses: 10 high-end optics for full-frame Nikon DSLRs

from TechRadar: Technology reviews https://ift.tt/2y4A3q7

HP Spectre Folio

HP has promised to “reinvent the PC” with its latest 2-in-1 laptop: the HP Spectre Folio. This device takes a cue from Microsoft’s Surface line of products, building its hardware directly into the pure leather folio – get it? – case the surrounds it.

The result is an absolutely beautiful, convertible 2-in-1 laptop, with power efficient, yet capable and long-lasting, components, that’s giving us trouble sussing out just who it’s for. Mid-level executives might go wild for this laptop, but will anyone else, like students and digital artists or just general users?

Unfortunately, we don’t have an answer for that based on just a short time with this device, but something tells us deeper inspection won’t produce a crystal clear answer either.

Pricing and availability

HP is asking for $1,299 (about £999, AU$1,799) for the entry-level version of Spectre Folio. This gets you an Intel Core i5-8200Y fanless processor, 8GB of DDR3 memory and a 256GB M.2 SSD. This all drives a 13.3-inch Full HD (1,920 x 1,080), WLED touchscreen behind Corning Gorilla Glass.

From there, HP wants $1,499 (£1,499, about AU$2,000) for the model housing a Core i7-8500Y processor with an LTE modem attached for wireless connectivity anywhere. Of course, this will require an additional data plan from a phone carrier, but Sprint is offering six months free with the purchase of this Spectre Folio model in the US.

This puts the HP Spectre Folio closely in line with the foremost flagship laptops, like the 12-inch MacBook and Surface Pro (if you go all-in for the keyboard cover). And, you’re getting everything in one package, with the stylus included.

Design and display

HP crafted the Spectre Folio from an entirely different standpoint than it's used for its previous flagship laptops and tablets. Most notably, the Folio design started with, well, the folio piece. The Spectre Folio is built directly into a piece of genuine leather – that’s right, the keyboard cover is included and cannot be detached, as it’s part of the device.

The brown leather certainly feels pleasant to the touch, and will help immensely in keeping the device in one place on otherwise slippery surfaces, like glass, marble or granite. Of course, this isn’t simply a laptop that’s bound in leather… it’s a 2-in-1 laptop that’s bound in leather.

This device features a semi-detachable keyboard that appears to connect over Bluetooth with the main system. Behind the screen is a seam in the folio case that allows the device to transform into new use modes. Pull the screen toward the touchpad and stop just before it for a convenient way to watch movies and videos.

Pull the screen even further toward the device’s base, and it will rest on top of the keyboard for a pure tablet mode. We have to say, this is definitely the ideal way of presenting a tablet mode within a convertible 2-in-1 laptop design, but getting there is the dodgy part.

In our first moments with the Spectre Folio, we opened the laptop from a completely closed position only to have the display go a little wild on its hinge. It appears that using this laptop as intended will require some adaptation on your part.

Once you open the leather lid, you’re met with a gorgeous display that produces vibrant colors with its WLED backlighting and wide-enough viewing angles with IPS technology inside. The included stylus feels substantial and, in tandem with the display, produces an excellent drawing experience.

The keyboard you’re met with looks fantastic, but we find it to be a little squishy on the key press, but plenty punchy on the way back to its resting state. On the other hand, it’s well spaced and smartly laid out.

That makes both the keyboard and touchpad a mixed bag, as we find tracking and clicking on the Spectre Folio touchpad to be just fine. However, tracking with your thumb resting on the bottom of the touchpad for clicking – something many a laptop user does – doesn’t seem to work.

Considering you’re stuck with these two input methods if you decide to pick up this bad boy, it might be best to try this laptop out at a local retailer before plunking down the kingly sum it commands.

In terms of connectivity and other design features, the Spectre Folio employs two Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) ports, one straight USB-C 3.1 port and Windows Hello biometric login through an infrared webcam. Plus, a headphone jack remains.

Performance

Naturally, we’re not about to judge this device on performance we’ve yet to fully test, but let’s discuss what HP is putting out purely based on previous experience. First off, the Spectre Folio is a fanless device, meaning its processor is low-power enough so as to not require fans inside to cool it.

This already speaks volumes as to what the Folio is capable of: expect performance similar to that of a 12-inch MacBook, frankly. With that in mind, don’t expect to get through serious video or photo editing on this device – or hardcore data crunching – without some hemming and hawing.

However, raw power clearly isn’t HP’s aim here, but rather versatility and longevity. For that reason, HP used the majority of the space beneath the keyboard for battery cells, custom designing a motherboard with Intel to make the necessary room.

The result, as HP claims, is up to 17 hours and 15 minutes of mixed use on the Core i5 model, and up to 13 hours and 45 minutes of mixed use on the Core i7 version. We’ve never seen anything close to these numbers on an Intel Y Series system, so we’re excited to put it to the test in a full review.

Even if the battery numbers don’t add up, this device can charge from zero to 50% juice in just 30 minutes using one of its three USB-C ports, which should alleviate much of users’ battery woes when on the go.

Early verdict

All told, we’re very much on the fence about the HP Spectre Folio. Going into this reveal, we were told that HP is reinventing the PC – with a hashtag and everything. However, what we’ve just seen and handled may be beautiful and elegant, but it’s not reinventing anything.

We’ve even seen this design approach to 2-in-1 laptops before, and we weren’t exactly big fans of it then. This is clearly the most advanced application of such a design to date, but in our early time with it, we didn’t find it to be silky smooth in execution. This may be on account of a learning curve, but it nevertheless makes for a mixed first impression.

This is another one of those high-end, 2-in-1 laptops that we’re having difficulty sussing out a target audience for. Here’s hoping that a full review sheds some light on these necessary questions.

from TechRadar: Technology reviews https://ift.tt/2P2UDhR

Details on LG V40 ThinQ's five cameras leak

LG has pretty much confirmed that its new V40 ThinQ will have five cameras, the company hasn't given us any information on the features of those cameras. Today we're getting a bit more info on the V40's quintet of cameras.

According to a new leak from Evan Blass, the LG V40 ThinQ's triple rear camera setup will include standard, super wide angle, and telephoto zoom lenses. The two front-facing cameras are said to be standard and wide angle sensors.

About those five cameras on the LG V40 ThinQ... pic.twitter.com/DzC9aJnlFT

— Evan Blass (@evleaks) October 1, 2018

LG's V series of phones have always placed a focus on camera performance, and it looks like one of the highlights of the V40 ThinQ will be its five cameras, giving you a sensor for every situation. Now we have to wait to see just how well those five cameras perform. The good news is that the LG V40 ThinQ will be announced on October 3rd, so we don't have long to wait. 

LG

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Chromecast Ultra

Chromecast Ultra

Google Maps gaining new commute features and built-in music controls

Google Maps is gaining new features to make your commute easier.

First up, Google is adding a Commute tab to Google Maps to give you easy access to live traffic and transit info related to your commute. You can see if there are accidents or delays and you can get alternate routes to skip the congestion. Android users can get notifications about commute delays as they happen, too.

Also coming to Google Maps is support for mixed-mode commutes. This one's for folks who use more than one transpiration method to get to work, like driving a car then riding a bus. You'll get information on when to leave for each part of your commute, like if there's a traffic delay and when the next train departs.

Additionally, transit riders in 80 regions around the globe are gaining the ability to see where their bus or train is in real time. This feature is even better in Sydney, Australia, as Google has partnered with Transport New South Wales to show you exactly how full your bus or train is.

The final new commute-focused feature coming to Google Maps is integrated music controls. Spotify, Apple Music, and Google Play Music are available within Google Maps so that you can play, pause, and move between tracks without having to jump between apps.

These new features are rolling out globally on Android and iOS this week.

Google

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