ZTE launches $129 priced phone with 4,080 mAh battery

Lana Jelic | Mobile Devices, Tablets & Phones | Aug 14, 2017 2:26 PM CDT

ZTE has announced its latest smartphone, the ZTE Blade Z Max. The phone comes with a huge 6-inch Full HD screen, and although it doesn't have the best specs, it does come at an affordable price.

ZTE launches $129 priced phone with 4,080 mAh battery

The ZTE Blade Z Max is powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon 435 processor and comes with 2GB of RAM and 32GB of internal storage, expandable up to 128GB via microSD card.

The phone has dual camera setup on the back (16MP + 2MP) and an 8MP front shooter. Other features include a fingerprint sensor and 4,080 mAh battery, which is pretty impressive for a $129 phone.

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LG V30 to have superior camera lens

Lana Jelic | Mobile Devices, Tablets & Phones | Aug 14, 2017 1:33 PM CDT

There is always a war of specs when it comes to smartphones, screen size, resolution, megapixels, processing cores, RAM and such. One of the specs that seem to have always been improving is the aperture of the camera lens itself. With each generation of smartphone cameras, we have seen the aperture get wider and wider allowing for more and more light into the camera sensor at once.

LG V30 to have superior camera lens

These wider camera apertures (lower aperture number) have allowed for increasingly sharper images and the birth of 'bokeh' effects done with dual cameras. Without a properly sharp and wide aperture main camera, these bokeh effects would be pointless to impossible.

Read also: RED's Hydrogen holographic phone gets shown

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Take a trip with 'Valerian' on us!

Ben Gourlay | Contests & Giveaways | Aug 12, 2017 3:40 PM CDT

To celebrate the theatrical release of 'Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets,' we have five double theatrical passes to give away thanks to our friends at Entertainment One.

Take a trip with 'Valerian' on us!

In the 28th century, Valerian (Dane DeHaan) and Laureline (Cara Delevingne) are a team of special operatives charged with maintaining order throughout the human territories. Under assignment from the Minister of Defense, the two embark on a mission to the astonishing city of Alpha-an ever-expanding metropolis where species from all over the universe have converged over centuries to share knowledge, intelligence and cultures with each other.

There is a mystery at the center of Alpha, a dark force which threatens the peaceful existence of the City of a Thousand Planets, and Valerian and Laureline must race to identify the marauding menace and safeguard not just Alpha, but the future of the universe.

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Light the wick on our 'John Wick' Blu-ray giveaway

Ben Gourlay | Contests & Giveaways | Aug 12, 2017 10:10 AM CDT

To celebrate the upcoming home video release of 'John Wick: Chapter Two,' we have fifteen Blu-rays to give away thanks to our friends at Universal Sony Home Entertainment.

Light the wick on our 'John Wick' Blu-ray giveaway

Never stab the devil in the back! Retired super-assassin John Wick's plans to resume a quiet civilian life are cut short when Italian gangster Santino D'Antonio shows up on his doorstep with a gold marker, compelling him to repay past favors. Ordered by Winston, kingpin of secret assassin society The Continental, to respect the organization's ancient code, Wick reluctantly accepts the assignment to travel to Rome to take out D'Antonio's sister, the ruthless capo atop the Italian Camorra crime syndicate.

To go into the running to win a prize, post this article to your social media profiles and send your correct answer to the following question (along with your postal address), to ben at TweakTown dot com before the competition closes on August 18:

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AMD Radeon RX Vega 64 Liquid Cooled Edition unboxed

Anthony Garreffa | Video Cards & GPUs | Aug 12, 2017 10:00 AM CDT

AMD is launching its new Radeon RX Vega graphics cards in a few days, but between now and then - we're allowed to show you something about the card, with no performance numbers just yet. I can tell you that I have the Radeon RX Vega 64 Liquid Cooled Edition, and the air-cooled Radeon RX 56.

AMD Radeon RX Vega 64 Liquid Cooled Edition unboxed

At the top we have the GTX 1080 competitor, while the RX Vega 56 takes on the GTX 1070. We've got them running through their paces as I tap away on this keyboard, but we can show you the inside of the packaging of the RX Vega 64 Liquid Cooled Edition. The box itself looks cool, but because it's 11:30PM my time here in South Australia, I'm going to do a FB Live video in the morning my time (10-12 hours from this post going live).

Until then, I've got some pictures to enjoy that I snapped between my frantic benchmarking. More details to follow, with full thoughts on the performance, temperatures, power consumption (uhhh), and some exclusive tests (8K, and some others). It has been an interesting journey so far, with AMD flying a staff member out to my city to hand deliver me my samples. It was down to the wire, and I'm still down 48 hours on other reviewers. This is the rush of a GPU launch!

Continue reading: AMD Radeon RX Vega 64 Liquid Cooled Edition unboxed (full post)

AMD's next-gen Navi GPU will have AI-specific circuitry

Anthony Garreffa | Video Cards & GPUs | Aug 12, 2017 4:57 AM CDT

We're hours away from the first part of the AMD Radeon RX Vega embargo, and only a couple of days away from our full review - and already, we're hearing about AMD's next-gen Navi GPU architecture.

AMD's next-gen Navi GPU will have AI-specific circuitry

Navi is destined for sometime in 2018, and will be baked onto the much smaller 7nm node - but according to our friends at Fudzilla, AMD will be using some dedicated AI circuitry. This isn't new, as NVIDIA has what it calls Tensor cores in their next-gen Volta-based V100 GPU.

The only news here is that AMD is rumored to be building AI-specific technology onto its next-gen GPU, which will mean AMD is pushing more into data centers and AI applications, and away from gamers. There will be a gaming-based Navi GPU, that I'm sure - but AI is the big thing right now, and AMD would be silly to not capitalize on it.

Continue reading: AMD's next-gen Navi GPU will have AI-specific circuitry (full post)

HTC to launch cheaper U11 version

Lana Jelic | Mobile Devices, Tablets & Phones | Aug 11, 2017 4:30 PM CDT

HTC's U11 was launched back in May, and the phone's camera still has the highest score on DxOMark. It appears that the company is planning to launch a smaller variant of its successful flagship.

HTC to launch cheaper U11 version

According to the latest report, HTC U11 Life, which is the alleged name of the phone, will feature a 5.2-inch screen. The device will be waterproof, and like its bigger sibling, it will lack the 3.5mm headphone jack.

The phone won't feature Snapdragon 835 as its big brother, but will instead come with Snapdragon 630. The HTC U11 Life will have 32GB of storage expandable via microSD card.

Continue reading: HTC to launch cheaper U11 version (full post)

Dragon Age series: ongoing evolution, no end in sight

Derek Strickland | Gaming | Aug 11, 2017 3:22 PM CDT

Rather than constricting a dynamically, continually-evolving storyline, BioWare has decided not to set limits on Dragon Age's canon, but that doesn't mean they're not planning ahead.

Dragon Age series: ongoing evolution, no end in sight

The fan favorite medieval fantasy Dragon Age series has no real ending in sight. That is according to Dragon Age series Creative Director Mike Laidlaw, who recently said some interesting tidbits on Twitter. "There is no planned ending for Dragon Age. There is an evolving plan that tends to look two games ahead or so," Mr. Laidlaw said on Twitter, adding some insight on the beloved universe where dragons, knights, and magic co-existing in a fanciful--and often bloody--timeline. The developer goes on to say that outlining an ending puts undue pressure on writers and can create a very real tunnel vision that robs creators of their keen mindsight--the very same sight that's responsible for creating unique fell-magisters like Corypheus, or the deep-rooted reverence of Andraste throughout the fantasy world.

"I strongly believe that if you try to hold to a rigid plan that is a decade old by the time you reach the end, you are wasting opportunities," the creative director affirmed. This structure reminds me of Final Fantasy games, which are all indirectly linked with interwoven themes, characters, ideas, and visual content. Every Final Fantasy game is a different reflection of the same crystal, so to speak. History is folding back into the present, the future is a wide, ever-branching path rather than a clear linear tunnel.

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Fallout 4 gets $60 GOTY re-release with all DLC

Derek Strickland | Gaming | Aug 11, 2017 12:19 PM CDT

Bethesda is well-known for extending the life of its products with tons of remasters and re-releases--this year marks the fourth release of Skyrim, for example--and now its post-apocalyptic RPG is getting the traditional game of the year treatment.

Fallout 4 gets $60 GOTY re-release with all DLC

The Fallout 4: Game of the Year Edition retails for a full $59.99, and as you'd imagine, the game is bundled with the full suite of expansions like Far Harbor and Nuka World alongside baked-in updates like the esteemed Survival mode. The GOTY edition comes after Fallout 4 soaked up big sales over two years, and more than a year after Bethesda hiked the season pass to $50. The game's absurdly popular $99 Pip-Boy collector's edition is also getting a limited re-release (because of course it is).

Bethesda has some interesting motivations for this re-release. Outside of the obvious push for more money, the company is delivering an easily accessible all-in-one package to prepare gamers for Bethesda's new Creation Club monetization scheme, which launches this summer. The Creation Club initiative allows gamers to buy small slices of DLC add-on content like weapons and armor, and also includes big expansion-sized updates. Essentially Bethesda is making an on-demand DLC marketplace where gamers can buy high-quality content made by the modding community's top content creators and Bethesda themselves. But the real trick to Creation Club's success is compatibility, and the DLC or "paid mods" need to be 100% compatible with all official Fallout 4 DLC and updates. Thus Bethesda is releasing the all-in-one package at a full $59.99 price tag to get players started.

Continue reading: Fallout 4 gets $60 GOTY re-release with all DLC (full post)

Nintendo sued over Switch patent infringement

Derek Strickland | Gaming | Aug 11, 2017 7:34 AM CDT

Gamevice, a company that makes a unique snap-on controller for Apple's iPhone, is suing Nintendo for patent infringement.

Nintendo sued over Switch patent infringement

With its detachable controllers and handheld form factor, the Nintendo Switch's design may seem unique, but the device is actually an evolution of other various mobile devices on the market--most notably the Wikipad and Gamevice's detachable snap-on controllers for mobile phones. Now Gamevice is suing Nintendo for willful patent infringement and is seeking damages.

Gamevice alleges that the design of the Nintendo Switch infringes on a patent filed by the company in 2012 which served as the core to its Wikipad and attachable mobile iPhone controller products. In the suit, the peripherals-maker asserts that Nintendo has infringed on no less than eight different parts of the patent with the Switch's components, including the device's detachable JoyCon controller. Nintendo filed the Switch's patent (then called the "NX") in 2014, two years after Gamevice's patent.

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