Drift Tech News

I'm Jess, 23 years old, near London. Making my way into the tech field!

[driftechnews]

Four Months On With the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge

Pretty much as soon as the Samsung S6 line was released to the public, I had to go and grab one for myself.  Four months today, in fact!  For the past year or so before, I had been living on more of a budget, and so settled with a Samsung S4 Mini, which had never quite done what I’d wanted it to.  For starters, it doesn’t have the LED notifications on the front of the phone! But I fell for the S6 Edge on sight.  I’ll admit it: I enjoy quirky phones.  (The LG Curve is another one that I admire for its interesting design, for example.) 

Thing is, the phone’s been out for a good few months now.  Has it lived up to the hype? Has it been worth the price, and most importantly, would I recommend it?  

DESIGN & DISPLAY

I’m a stickler for things looking great, and to me, the Samsung S6 Edge delivers.  Samsung’s choice of plastic, cheap feeling casing for their previous phones never appealed to me, so to hold the S6 in the hand and have the nice feel of glass (Gorilla Glass 4, no less!) and metal instead is a huge improvement.  It’s come at a cost, of course, literally and figuratively: as is fairly common knowledge by now, there’s no SD slot, and no option for a removable battery, either.  This could bother a lot of people, but personally, the 34GB option has been more than enough storage, (and even if it wasn’t, using apps like Dropbox to access the Cloud more than makes up for it) and I never had to switch out the battery on my previous phones, so it hasn’t been a sticking point.

As an aside, I’ve read over and over that the S6 series isn’t waterproofed anymore, but honestly, watch this video and decide for yourself.  At the very least, it could take a shower.  Not that I would try.  But it could.

Of course, the reason I chose the S6 Edge over any other phone when upgrading was the eponymous curved edges on either side of the screen.  Given that the only difference between the normal S6 and the Edge is the curves, it does feel a little gimmicky, but damnit, I fell for it - and I don’t regret a thing.  The screen really pops with the edges, complimenting the Super AMOLED, 1440x2560 pixel display beautifully.  The colours are incredibly gorgeous and bright, and to be honest, even now, I often find myself switching the phone on simply to stare at the screen for a while.  I don’t think I’ll ever stop.  It’s that pretty.

THE EDGE

So, aside from adding a little something extra to the way you can view content on your phone, how have the Edges themselves lived up to their extra price tag over the past four months?

Honest Answer Time: They haven’t.

Here’s the thing: the special functions made for the Edges aren’t that great.  I use People Edge occasionally, and since I love the little things in life, I do get a kick out of dragging the bubbles open when I get a message or missed call from one of my Chosen Contacts.  But even then, I mostly communicate with my friends and family via social media like Facebook Messenger, and People Edge doesn’t interact with those.  Plus, even if I do have a message notification, I normally completely forget People Edge is even there and go through the normal motions of clicking into the Messages app anyway. Overall.... eh.

I have the Night Clock on by default, but I hardly ever use it voluntarily. Thing is, I bought a cover for my Edge which covers up the clock when it’s on, making it pretty useless.  It’s a nice idea, but again - gimmicky.  The same goes for the Information Stream, which would be far more useful if you had any particular say over what actually gets streamed.  The only time I’ve ever used it is when I’ve accidentally swiped down the Edge the right way, which ironically only ever seems to happen when I don’t mean to.  Figures.

I’m that stuck on the aesthetics of the thing that none of these things really matter to me.  I know it certainly will to some, though, and if that’s the case, if you want an S6, go for the standard model.  Your bank balance will thank you.

INTERFACE & FEATURES

I’m not going to go into any particular detail, because you can find that information in any other review of this phone, but here are the basics: the S6 models come loaded with Android Lolipop and a less bogged-down version of Samsung’s Touchwiz.  I’ve never had that much of a problem with Touchwiz as it is, but not having so much bloatware clogging the system up was definitely a nice change.   The themes are fun to play around with, if you like that sort of thing, and are a good way to more personalise your phone as you want.

I recently found Hola Launcher, though, and haven’t looked back to Touchwiz since.  It’s got some great features and additions such as one-handed application access, the ability to hide apps for good and lots of fun screen transition options!   ... Like I said.  Small things.

In terms of Lolipop, there are a few features I really love.  Split screen is one that I don’t use too often, but enjoy knowing that it’s there for if I need it.  The same thing goes for being able to minimise your apps on the screen - that one I use a decent amount.  Sure, they don’t appeal to some people, but I really enjoy having the option.

Now, onto Features.  Or rather, feature; what I really want to talk about is the Fingerprint Sensor, which I have come to know and love over the past few months.  It’s a little tedious setting the thing up, but it’s worth it.  There are hiccups now and then - ‘Make sure that your finger covers the entire Home Key’ and ‘No Match’ are phrases I’ve grown tired of seeing.  Plus, I had an entire month where I had to switch back to a pattern passcode because the phone just wasn’t accepting my fingerprints, which was a real worry.  Eventually I re-entered my prints into the system, and voila!  It worked again.  Which I’m really glad about - it makes me feel a lot more secure overall, and the speed it works at is fantastic.  They’ve nailed it enough that I’m more than good with it.

OTHER STUFF

It’s worth pointing out that this phone is fast.  Fast, and generally seamless - although it wasn’t quite as ‘throw everything you can at it and it’ll still work flawlessly’ as I had expected from watching various reviews.  It gets bogged down like any other phone, and it’s too damn easy for the apps to pile up whilst you’re using it.  But it’s still generally faster than other phones too, which, being of the Vine generation who can’t pay attention to anything for more than 6 seconds, is great for me.

I’m also of the Selfie generation, and am therefore greatly appreciative of two things: the double-click-and-load Camera feature, which is both convenient and speedy, and the wide selfie lens with the option to hold your hand out to take photos.  I love it!  Whenever I take a group selfie with friends, there are always two reactions: ‘Why are you holding your hand out?’, followed by ‘Oooh, that’s awesome!’  Cuz it is.

The photo quality is incredible for a phone, so I couldn’t be happier.  Sure, it’s not DSLR quality, but there are a tonne of different modes you can play around with if you’re camera-savvy to make it seem like a DSLR.   With the S6, you can be sure that you’re carrying around a more than decent camera with you at all times, and to me, that’s really important.  

I won’t load you with camera examples, but here’s a nice one I took today:

Here’s the thing: this review barely breaks the surface of things to talk about when it comes to the Galaxy S6.  The phone is loaded, and I could sit here for a long time talking about it.  It’s safe to say that it’s exceeded my expectations, and it’s likely I’ll end up keeping it beyond my two year contract.  (That said, there’s sure to be something new and shiny that’s come out by then that’ll have caught my eye.)

Was the S6 Edge itself worth the price tag, and what I have to pay per month?  Arguably, no.  For many, it wouldn’t be.  Personally, I love the look and feel of the thing enough that I’m just about okay with it.  I’ve used a normal S6, and honestly?  I wouldn’t switch.

Would I recommend it to others? A big, emphatic YES!! Both the S6 and S6 Edge are incredible phones which really show just how far we’re coming with mobile tech.  I’m hoping that in another 4 months - hell, in another year, I’ll be able to say the same thing, and from where I’m standing now?  I think I will. 

[driftechnews]

In what is likely to be the absolute pinnacle of cool news stories this year, Japan and America are going full-on anime.  That’s right: Giant Mecha Duels have finally arrived.

Remember Kuratas?  They’re the first fully sized, rideable mecha that Suidobashi created and stuck on Amazon for anyone with a million dollars lying around to purchase.  Well, they’ve been challenged by ‘Megabot’, which is, of course, an American company.  They’re only a start-up, so they’re really throwing themselves in at the deep end here; Japan is the pioneer of gigantic battle robots, after all.

In the red corner, you have Megabot’s offering: a hefty 15 foot tall, two-pilot battle mecha, armed with tank-tracks and gigantic paintballs.  Which is just ‘super’ American’, according to Suidobashi’s CEO, Kurata.  He offers a 12 foot, one-pilot mecha armed with a BB Gun - but Kurata doesn’t plan to use it.  He wants a fair fist fight - a ‘melee’ battle, if you will.

It’s still a while before the actual fight gets underway, but it’s sure to be the battle of the century when it comes around!  I’m rooting for Japan.  Go Kuratas!

[driftechnews]

Google’s Project Soli means that soon we might not even have to touch our tech to interact with it.

Incredibly, the Soli team have created a frankly mindblowingly tiny chip containing radars that can track the micro motions of the human hand to allow for virtual interaction.  You could press a ‘button’ by tapping your fingers together, slide your thumb across your hand as a volume slider, use your hand as a trackpad... all made possible via radars.  You can listen to the technical explanation in the video above, and wonder at just how fast technology nowadays is progressing.  Who would have thought that one day soon, trackpads and mice could be replaced by our hands?  

[driftechnews]

Well this is awesome.

When tech like the Hololens is announced, one of the first things I want to know is whether or not the holograms it produces are haptic.  After all, I’ve spent the last few years watching Tony Stark physically interact with his holograms on the big screen, and for me, being given that ability in real life would really mean we’ve entered ‘The Future’.  Mostly though, I’m left a little disappointed.  It’s amazing that we’ve come so far as to even have holograms, but wouldn’t it be just that more amazing to be able to touch them?

That’s exactly what these guys at the University of Bristol are working on.  They’re using ultrasound waves to create shapes that can be touched and moved around in mid-air.  Take a look at the video to learn more!  I really hope this is the beginning of something great.

[driftechnews]

Recently I’ve been reading up on ‘Poken,’ a company that’s designed an NFC device made with the idea of networking and efficient communication in mind.  They’re able to offer a fully integratedevent management system, and with the addition of their innovative hardwarethat compliments these cutting edge features, they’re one of the first companies to do so.

For those who don’t know, NFC (Near Field Communication) is a fancy way of saying ‘wireless digital transfer’.  The concept is simple – touch two NFC-enabled objects together to transfer previously-determined data from one to the other.   NFC and this wireless transfer concept have been around for a number of years already, but have risen in popularity with the increased use of contactless payment and oyster cards.

So how exactly does Poken implement it?

Take a generic conference. There’s going to be lots of different companies interacting with one another, which means the traditional exchanging of business cards.  And normally, that’s about it on the networking front.  With Poken, that all changes.  

At a Poken affiliated event, during registration you’ll receive your Poken device so you can begin networking and collecting digital content.  Once you’re registered, you can access the Poken hub (which is customised to each event) on your mobile device. This platform makes it easier for visitors to plan and manage their time during the event – they can update personal info on their business card (social networks, contact info), schedule meetings, update calendars and print their event agenda.  During the event, when you touch your Poken device to another attendees’, they glow a gentle green, which tells you that your business cards have been successfully transferred.  When you sync your Poken with the hub via the device’s built-in USB, that information is all shown on your own personal timeline.  The device has unlimited storage so you can network to your heart’s content.  It allows attendees to have fun when networking, whilst also knowing that the data they’re collecting is far more valuable than what you can fit onto a paper card.

                                       (The Poken Hub’s Timeline)

It’s some of Poken’s newest features that show their largest technological advancements.  Both visitors and exhibitors can answer just a few questions online in order to be match-made to the people they’d be best meeting with, for example, which saves visitors precious time and effort searching through and trying to decide who they might want to visit.  The portal also allows visitors to arrange meetings with exhibitors whilst at the event.  All this ties up nicely into a personal event agenda which can easily be viewed on the app.

There’s also the ‘green’ factor to take into account.  Let’s go back to that generic conference.   Often, you’ll end up accumulating a huge amount of paper at these events; and that could mean brochures, pamphlets, leaflets… the list goes on.  With Poken, the need for all that paper waste falls dramatically.  You can read all about it here.

As an example, Poken uses Touch Points placed on exhibitor’s stands containing digital content that can be accessed with a simple touch. There are three types: a basic Poken Touch Point, an iBeacon compatible Super Touch Point, and the latest Real Time Touch Point. There are also large scale display walls containing Poken Touch Points that can transfer information about talks and abstracts, and can also be used for surveys and polling – all without the need for paper.

                                           (A Touch Point wall)

One of my favourite Poken features is gamification.  This adds an extra layer to an event-goer’s experience, giving visitors boosted motivation to use their Poken.  For example, at Exponext, visitors could earn points by performing different actions, such as engaging with exhibitors or collecting digital documents.  Depending on how many points they got, guests could potentially win a range of prizes!

So that’s just some of the ways in which attendees can benefit from Poken.  But exhibitors get loads too!   First off, Poken are very customisable, and many companies choose to brand Pokens with their logo.  Here are a few examples:

Aside from the physical device, companies can also use their Poken-provided event manager to customise how attendees see their personal hub, and further push their brand through sponsorship opportunities.

Poken are great for crunching numbers, and for seeing just what event attendees were doing whilst they were attending.  For example, exhibitors can see exactly how many people collected their marketing material and who collected it, allowing for tailored follow-ups.  As such, Poken is a fantastic tool for lead generation.  There are tonnes of different ways for exhibitors to handle data in their Poken hub, almost none of which would previously have been possible without the intuitive NFC technology.

Overall, Poken have created a fantastic one-stop-shop event manager that’s both fun and intuitive for attendees and organisers alike.  Check out www.poken.co.uk for more information!

[driftechnews]

Is the pocket watch coming back in style? Monohm thinks so!

(photo from The Verge)

I'm always one for a quirky modern-day phone, and this so-called 'Runcible' certainly fits the bill!  That's what this is, after all - a new, unique circular smartphone, meant to pay homage to such devices as pocket watches or compasses.  It looks great, using real wood for its outer casing, and comes in many different types to boot - various types of wood, brass and tin are a few examples.  From photos, the screen is looking great, too!  As well as being a smartphone, it doubles as an actual watch, and looks great doing it.  According to The Verge, Monohm are also planning to use the circular screen to its advantage - for example, allowing users to take circular videos and photos.

(photo from Monohm's website)

The Runcible was created with a goal in mind - to lower the overall usage time on your smartphone.  As they state on their website:

"Runcible will never beep, alert, or otherwise interrupt you. The world-class connectivity we all came to expect in the smartphone era (LTE, WiFi, Bluetooth) is there on Runcible when you need it. For the rest of the time, you can keep your head up, your attention on the real world and real people around you, and maintain your sense of wonder about life."

As someone who's completely and utterly ensnared by the digital world of alerts and constant notifications that demand to be checked as and when they arrive, this actually sounds pretty soothing to me!  That said, I'm not sure I could buy one with the intention of actually replacing my smartphone.  The Runcible seems to be more of a niche gadget than a powerhouse smartphone, for my money.  Pricing is yet to be announced, but supposedly, it won't be cheap.  Shame, because I'd love to get my hands on one!

[driftechnews]

The HTC One M9 has been amongst the top anticipated phones at this year's Mobile World Congress.  Does it live up to the hype?

The first thing to mention here is the design: it's near identical to the M8, save for a few small differences.  Probably the main one is the new dual-tone colour design, paired with an easier to hold material used on the back panel following the M8's slippery one.  Aside from that, the front-facing speakers have been given an upgrade, with Dolby providing its high quality audio for its Boomsound speakers this time around.  And, maybe most importantly, the camera has been given an overhaul too.  HTC phones often fall behind in camera quality, but this time HTC have given the M9 a 20 megapixel camera with 4K recording capabilities to help it catch up.

As you would expect, there have also been upgrades on the inside of the M9.  For example, HTC's inbuilt 'Sense' software is now at version 7, and runs on Android Lollipop.  What's known at the moment is that one of its main features is an emphasis on customisation, including full icon customisation, a smart homepage that can automatically detect what apps might be most useful depending on the time of day, and a lock screen that also changes as the day goes on.  It sounds good on paper, so it'll be interesting to see how users get along with it in practice.

Overall, although the M9 looks like a well-rounded phone, I'm not getting much of a 'wow' factor from it.  Sure, it's got a few nice upgrades, and looks as sleek and well-designed as ever - but then, so did the M8.  HTC have stuck to what they know.. and it shows.  Not necessarily a bad thing, of course, as what they know is how to build a very high quality android phone, so no complaints there, but after all the hype, the actual offering falls a little short, in my opinion.  

[driftechnews]

Today, following rumour after rumour after rumour, which even led to Samsung parodying said rumours, the Samsung Galaxy S6 designs were finally released to the public at Barcelona's Mobile World Conference today.  So, how much did the rumours get right?

Firstly, there are two designs to choose from: the standard S6, and the S6 Edge.  Both have been upgraded considerably from the plastic casing Samsung is so notoriously known for, instead using Gorilla Glass for the front and back panels. They look great, and probably feels a lot better than previous models to boot.  I've never been a fan of the cheap-feeling plastic, so I'm glad to see this change come about.  Plus, the edges on the aptly named 'Edge' model give the phone a distinctive, actually quite impressive, and maybe a little quirky, look, which certainly appeals to me.

Unfortunately, from what I've seen so far, it doesn't seem as if there are going to be many dedicated uses or apps for the edges, aside from making the phone look good and making swiping across the screen that bit easier.  Since the phone was only officially announced a few hours ago, though, this could change as time goes on.  One thing we do know, in terms of apps at least, is that some Microsoft apps are going to come pre-loaded on both models, including Skype, Onedrive and Onenote, so that's something!

Apart from the design, which really is the biggest talking point of these phones, there are lots of other things to take note of.  The camera, for example, is considerably upgraded.  It boasts a 16 megapixel back camera, which supposedly outdoes Apple's iphone cameras.  It also features a new photo shooter app, which is supposed to outshine previous versions, being quicker to load and snap.  Then you've got the option of wireless charging, built into the back panel of the phone, plus faster charging in general.  

(from here)

If you're thinking the Galaxy S6 looks pretty similar to an Iphone.. well, the similarities don't end with design.  Samsung have tried fingerprint identification for locking their phones before, but it seems to have improved greatly with the S6, unlocking as soon as you place your finger on the home button - very similar to Apple's design. As well as this, Samsung have introduced a rival to Apple's 'Apple Pay' with, you guessed it, 'Samsung Pay', a wireless payment system.

If there's any disappointment to be had, it's that the battery is non-removable, and that there isn't going to be room for a micro-sd card, both features that have been staples of Samsung's flagship phones for years now.  Whether or not the new upgrades to S6 models will be enough to heal these wounds deal to loyal Samsung fans is yet to be seen.  Overall, though, the S6 models both look fantastic and sound as if they've got some promising stuff going on inside, too.  I'll be looking out for more information as MWC goes on, so watch this space,

[driftechnews]

This is the 'Pebble Time', Pebble's newest smartwatch with a new feature - it uses colour E-ink!  Most people would associate e-ink or e-paper with electronic readers like the Amazon Kindle, so it's great to see it being used with a wider range of products.  There are definite benefits to using e-ink; Pebble says that this new smart watch has up to seven days of battery life - far longer than, say, the Apple Watch.  If anything is going to give the Pebble Time an advantage over its competitor, that could well be it.

So apart from the e-ink, what can the Pebble Time offer?  Well, a major feature explains the 'time' in 'Pebble Time'.  There are three buttons on the side which correspond to 'Past', 'Present' and 'Future' retrospectively, so you can easily flick between them to check your timeline.  Pebble describes it on their kickstarter page:

"Your timeline connects to calendars, alarms, and apps, organizing all kinds of relevant information along with quick actions. Similarly, recall the past. Scroll back in time to see that email you missed, your step count for the day or the score from the game last night."

Pebble Time reached its kickstarter goal in mere minutes, so its clear there's a market for it.  With the ever developing world of wearables, though - one which will very soon include the Apple Watch - it'll be interesting to see how it fares in the long run.

[driftechnews]

As someone who has to suffer her bedroom being a wi-fi dead spot, this commercial for 'eero', the world's first 'wifi system', spoke to me.  

It's all well and good having the fastest, flashiest wifi router in your home, but more often than not, it can feel moot because of these almost inevitable wifi dead spots.  So how do you deal with them?  Well, you can connect up to ten of these eero to any one modem, (first one plugs in, with subsequent eero connecting wirelessly) place them at different points around your living space, and create a larger, far more efficient wifi network in, supposedly, 60 seconds using their app.  Instant wifi coverage across the entirety of your home.

That's pretty good as is, but it has a whole range of features beyond that.  One of my personal favourites is their promise that you won't ever experience those frustrating internet down-times or random disconnects, as eero upgrades itself, does check-ups in the background, and can even reboot itself if needed to make your experience the best it can be.

If this is truly the end of wifi dead spots and frustrating disconnects, I can see eero going a long way.  Currently they can be pre-ordered from the eero website with a 40% discount (£82 for one, just under £200 for a pack of three), and they'll be shipping out in the summer.  Check it out!

[driftechnews]

Not even a year or two ago, HD and Bluray were still a pretty big deal.  Like, how could video quality get any better than this?  Come 2015 though, and already HD is quickly becoming a fossil as it gets buried beneath the likes of 4K, 8K, quantum dots, and now... 10K.  Yup, you read right.  The above video, shot by Joe Capra, is 10328x7760 pixels per frame.  1080p? Pfah!

That said.. we're not going to be seeing 10K take over our TVs or computer screens anytime soon.  Even 4K is only just making its way onto youtube, for example, and you'd really need a 4K-capable screen to watch videos that use it.  They're still not a major consumable just yet compared to HD TVs, so to be able to find something that could play this 10K video (and be able to show you the level of detail it provides) is pretty much impossible right now.  Still, you can still tell the scope of it at 1080p, and that's already impressive.

It really makes you wonder just how good we're going to be able to get video quality to go before we reach a plateau, and how fast.  I kind of feel sorry for people who bought a 4K TV in the last year.  It'll be practically obsolete by June.

[driftechnews]

I don't know about you, but if I'm clothes shopping, I'd rather do it online.  It's less effort, and there's often far more choice in terms of shops and clothes.  There's just one setback: not being able to try the clothes on beforehand.  It's probably the number one factor that sets online shopping and in-person shopping apart.  Memomi, or 'Memory Mirror', aims to change that.

The Memory Mirror uses augmented reality to allow users to virtually try on clothing, meaning that you don't have to change clothing, or even take anything off, for the program to work.  Their website explains it best:

"Applicable to any combination of camera and screen, MemoMi’s platform performs perspective correction from every angle and distance in real time, delivering a distortion-free, realistic image with true eye-to-eye contact. "

You can even use the 360 degree function to check out what your chosen clothing would look like from all angles, or change the clothing's colour with a single hand gesture.  

So, could this be the future of online shopping? Well, maybe.  The concept is definitely promising, and currently it's being offered to some Neiman Marcus stores in San Francisco.  Whether it'll be offered to consumers sometime in the future is yet to be seen, but I feel like if it was, it'd be a big hit.

[driftechnews]

LG's in the VR Game

Following in the footsteps of Google Cardboard, LG and Google have teamed up to create the creatively named 'VR for G3'.

Design-wise, it's pretty much the same as Google Cardboard, except this one has two major differences: it's made of plastic, and is geared specifically towards LG's G3 phone.  So much so that LG are going to be giving away free headsets with each phone sold in the near future.  Apart from that, it's all familiar - you slot your phone in the front, use the magnet switch as a clicker, and use Google Play for your virtual reality apps.  

No word of a price or release date yet, though.  

[driftechnews]

The Strange Hotel

If you're in Japan from July, why not stop by the Henn-na Hotel?  (変なホテル, a.k.a 'Strange Hotel', literally.) After all, it isn't your standard hotel - this one is going to be manned primarily by robots.   It's going to be featured in Japan's 'Huis Ten Bosch' theme park.  (Which is worth visiting in itself - its purpose is to recreate the Netherlands!)

The Henn-na Hotel is pushing the hotel business forward into the future with this robotic staff, who, amongst other things, are able to speak multiple languages, carry your bags for you, and provide room service.  It's not really a surprise that this sort of innovation has come first and foremost from Japan - they're on the 'robots are good for humanity' side of the 'are robots going to become too intelligent and take over the world eventually?' argument, and always have been.  Humanoid robots have always been part of that - take Chihira Aico, for example.  

It doesn't look like the Henn-na Hotel will be going quite that far with their robotics, though.  For one thing, the prices are far lower than what you might expect.  For another.. well... having ultra-humanoid robots giving you room-service sounds kinda creepy to me.  Still, I expect the whole 'futuristic hotel' thing is going to be a huge selling point.  Will it take off? I guess we'll find out.

[driftechnews]

Hey!  It's my first Vlog! Today I'm talking about the Google Cardboard. Take a look!

Days before I orderedmy Google Cardboard, I tried out an earlier version of the Oculus Rift, and was pretty impressed.  I got everything I was told I would - namely, 360 degree immersion into another world, but it only lasted for a few minutes.  I knew Google Cardboard existed, so when I found out you could buy it for under £10, I jumped on the opportunity!  

Something I didn't mention in my video that I really like is that you can build a Cardboard for yourself out of literally any type of cardboard you can think of, which makes for some great customisation!  So far my favourite idea is a pizza box Cardboard.  Maybe one that hasn't already had pizza in it, though...!

Anyway, I've been playing around with a few of the free apps on Google Play. These are my top five, in no particular order, under the cut:

1.       Orbulus.  You're taken to a screen filled with different orbs, each of which is a different landscape provided by users across the world.  You can go from looking at the Northern Lights to staring down Mar's horizon, all in a matter of minutes!

2.       Vanguard VR. Boasting some of the best graphics I've come across for Cardboard so far, you take the role of a girl dressed in a mecha suit that's - well, imagine Iron Man, but anime-d up, and you'll probably get the idea - and you traverse through a space scene filled with enemies and space debris.  The music and graphics are great, the gameplay is great - it's a shame the gameplay doesn't last very long!

3.       Paul McCartney.  You're placed on-stage at a Paul McCartney gig - specifically when 'Live and Let Die' is playing.  Pretty self-explanatory, but great to experience in VR!

4.       DebrisDefrag. Explained in the video, but you destroy debris floating around a 360 image of Saturn.  Basic in its conception, but its so easy to play that it's a great one for replayability.  Plus it looks pretty!

5.       Lanterns. Definitely a more minimalistic choice here - Lanterns portrays a calm scene where you're placed in the middle of a body of water, and watch paper lanterns floating around.  It's really calming, and whilst basic, also enjoyable!

But there are tonnes more, so take a look around and see what you can find :)

[theverge]

Microsoft’s new wireless phone charger will bathe your desk in neon light.

[engadget]

Because sometimes shiny things are cool.

[driftechnews]

If it glows, you can pretty much guarantee I want it. (And I don't even have a Windows phone..)

[driftechnews]

This week I went to Joypadbar's monthly Super Warehouse event! It's held, as you might guess from the name, in a warehouse in Bethnal Green, and to be honest, it doesn't look like much from the outside. When you get in, though? You get access to 650+ retro games across a really impressive range of consoles from the Sega Saturn to the N64 to the PS1.  I had a lot of fun playing on games like Street Fighter, Bomber Man and old school Time Crisis, amongst lots of others!  They also had  some more recent stuff like Niddhog, Turnover (a fun PC multiplayer exclusive to events like these) and I Am Bread. 

... Speaking of I Am Bread, I got to talk to one of the guys from Bossa Studios (who created I am Bread and Surgeon Simulator, among other games) Luke - that guy in the middle.  (Hello, if you're reading! It was great to meet you :) )  I was so happy the game was there, not just because I had seen it on Youtube being played by Michael and Gavin of Achievement Hunter and fell in love with the quirky concept, but because I'm a devoted bread fan, so to be bread was a dream come true! (:P)  It's pretty tough to be bread, it turns out, but once you've got the controls down it's fun as hell.

The bottom right photo, by the way, is a game - you control a dot of light with what is essentially a joystick, and navigate it through a course of 'lava' (a stream of orange light) and 'enemies' (red dots).  It was fun to play, and pleasing to the eye, but I couldn't do it!  I need to improve on my hand-eye co-ordination, evidently.

So yeah, great night!  I'd recommend it - it's a tenner to get in, which gives you access to great games, some fantastic chiptune DJs and new friends!