Apple aunctions one-of-a-kind iPad Pro to London's Design museum

Apple is feeling generous, auctioning off a one-of-the-kind iPad Pro, Smart Cover, and Apple Pencil to London's Design museum to raise money.

The Apple products were donated by Jony Ive and the Apple design team, with the iPad Pro, Smart Cover and Apple Pencil produced for a once off in these colors. The three products are all made from the same materials the normal versions are made from, but the color scheme is custom.

The 12.9-inch iPad Pro is a greenish yellow color, while the Smart Cover is blue leather, and the Apple Pencil looks like it arrives in a slick leather case, in orange. There's a nice gold band around the top of the Apple Pencil, too, which makes it even more unique.

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These early Destiny user interface prototypes are amazing

Derek Strickland | Gaming | Apr 17, 2016 10:00 PM CDT

Even with the new updates, I have a love-hate relationship with Bungie's MMOFPS Destiny, but one thing I've always admired is the game's visual flair. Destiny has always spun that critical illusion of sci-fi futurism, which is in no small way due to the game's impressive user interface. Now we get to see how the UI looked in the game's early stages, and it's quite amazing.

These early Destiny user interface prototypes are amazing

At GDC 2016, Bungie's UI Design Lead David Candland gave a talk entitled Tenacious Design and The Interface of Destiny. In it Candland revealed how Destiny would have looked if Bungie followed their early prototypes--colorful, unique, eye-catching. Totally unlike the casual-friendly design we see today. Everything was different--character panes, inventory screens, reputation lists, the Director scheme, and vendors all had their stylish look.

Hopefully Bungie will revert to their past styles at some point for Destiny. Maybe with Destiny 2 will get a neat visual overhaul. It's really interesting to see all the intersecting points and possible shapes the game could have taken, especially given how drab--yet clean--the current UI looks. While we're on the subject of what could have been, when will Destiny get those awesome huge frogs as depicted in early concept art?

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Counter-Strike 1.6 playable on Android phones

Derek Strickland | Gaming | Apr 17, 2016 8:32 PM CDT

Technology really is awesome, isn't it? Homebrewers and hackers have done all sorts of amazing things like getting DOOM to run on an ATM. Now that same spirit has brought Counter-Strike 1.6 to Android phones.

Counter-Strike 1.6 playable on Android phones

That's right, you can now play one of the most coveted and beloved shooters in existence, Counter-Strike 1.6, on your Android phone. It's a straight port over to Android, so you'll be playing the authentic flavor of CS 1.6 on your mobile.

Sure the screen is pretty much filled with touchscreen icons, and we can only imagine how janky it is to play a frenetic shooter on a phone, but you can also pop in an OTG cable for controller support. Given the flexibility of Android, you could probably even get mouse and keyboard action in as well for an extra nerd bonus.

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New Xbox One components revealed ahead of FCC embargo

Derek Strickland | Gaming | Apr 17, 2016 7:30 PM CDT

FCC filings posted earlier this week outed the existence of a Xbox One refresh, possibly the rumored Xbox One Slim. Now Anatel (Brazil's version of the FCC) has published pictures of the new console's wireless card, giving even more inference on the upcoming console refresh.

New Xbox One components revealed ahead of FCC embargo

Although the FCC has locked specific details of the new tech behind an NDA, Brazil's Anatel posted the pictures online. The new wireless card's 1683 model number matches those found in the FCC filings and identifies the device as the new Xbox One's 802.11a/b/g/n/ac 2T2R dual-band wireless LAN radio. We've included a side-by-side slide so you can compare the new chip with the current Xbox One model.

Since the FCC's embargo lifts on June 25, Microsoft is expected to formally unveil the new Xbox One console at E3 2016 in June. Rumblings in the industry speculate that the new revised console could be an Xbox One Slim--a thin, digital-only set-top box for game streaming. As far as console upgrades go, Microsoft doesn't believe in mid-cycle upgrades: they don't want to take half-steps, but instead full-steps with dramatically improved hardware.

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Hasselblad shoots for the moon with its new 100-megapixel camera

Anthony Garreffa | Cameras, Printers & Scanners | Apr 17, 2016 7:00 PM CDT

Most people have probably not heard of the name Hasselblad, and for those who do know the company, it has been a while since they've been in the headlines. Hasselblad is an iconic company, making cameras since 1941 and have been involved in some of the most iconic photos of all time.

The Beatles' Abbey Road cover, the black and white portrait of Steve Jobs, and the first photos taken on the moon from the 1969 moon landing were all shot on Hasselblad cameras. Well, the company is back with the new H6D camera, available in two forms. The first is a huge 50-megapixel offering, while the second is an insane 100-megapixel camera.

Both of them rock a new autofocus system that is capable of locking onto specific points, such as a subject's eye, so that the photographer can track it and adjust composition. The H6D also rocks features that we have on smartphones and compact cameras, like a touchscreen and 4K video recording. As for price, the 50-megapixel version costs $27,000 while the 100-megapixel camera rocks a huge $33,00 price - and for these prices, you won't get a lens - they're extra.

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Dragonball GT looks absolutely incredible in Unreal Engine 4

Derek Strickland | Gaming | Apr 17, 2016 6:37 PM CDT

I didn't grow up with very many Dragonball Z games as a kid--I still remember buying a converter chip to play Dragonball GT: Final Bout. In today's age we have Budokai and Xenoverse, and even fans are creating their own dream Dragonball fighters. The latest example is Dragonball: Unreal, a new fan-made game built with the power of Unreal Engine 4.

Dragonball GT looks absolutely incredible in Unreal Engine 4

The footage for Dragonball: Unreal is pretty impressive, and shows off what fans can do with enough dedication. We've seen a ton of classics get revitalized with UE4, including the dazzling Ocarina of Time rendition, Nintendo's immortal icon Mario, and even BioWare's cult classic Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic.

I think just about every Dragonball fan would play this game if it were ever released. Of course, I think the project would get shut down right away by Bandai Namco, but we can dream, can't we? A full-fledged Dragonball GT game would be great, especially one that features the fabled SSJ5 Goku...

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Be the hero in our 'Heroes Reborn' Blu-ray giveaway

Ben Gourlay | Contests & Giveaways | Apr 17, 2016 6:36 PM CDT

To celebrate this week's release of 'Heroes Reborn' on Blu-ray HD and DVD, we have ten Blu-ray copies to give away thanks to our friends at Universal Sony Australia.

A new phenomenon begins. From Creator/Executive Producer Tim Kring, who imagined the original critically acclaimed 2006 "Heroes" series, comes "Heroes Reborn," an epic 13-episode event series that chronicles the lives of ordinary people who discover they possess extraordinary abilities. For better or for worse, some are fated to cross paths with assorted heroes of the past, including Hiro Nakamura (Masi Oka), Matt Parkman (Greg Grunberg), Mohinder Suresh (Sendhil Ramamurthy) and the Haitian (Jimmy Jean-Louis), among others. Yet, together, their ultimate destiny is nothing less than saving the world and mankind.

To go into the running to win a prize, simply answer the following question in 50 words or less:

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Fallout 4: How to build gladiator arenas in Wasteland Workshop

Derek Strickland | Gaming | Apr 17, 2016 5:38 PM CDT

Fallout 4's new Wasteland Workshop DLC adds in the ability to make your very own Thunderdome battles, but you'll need to know some basics before you get started.

Fallout 4: How to build gladiator arenas in Wasteland Workshop

Since Bethesd didn't exactly optimize things too well, building your own arena in Wasteland Workshop can be a time-consuming affair. We show you some helpful tricks and tips you can use on the PC version of Fallout 4, but if you're on console, these battles are going to take some careful time and planning. That being said, you absolutely can create some rather epic sequences on consoles, and now PS4 and Xbox One players can take part in the epic NPC wars that were previously locked off to PC gamers.

The Wasteland Workshop's arena is pretty much like the Combat Zone, and gives players the chance to set up post-apocalyptic gladiator matches. Players get to full customize their own rings with a ton of devious traps and the like, offering even more hilarity to the mix. We'll show you the materials and objects you should use to fortify your ring, and run you through the process so you're not spending too much time on the basics. Throw in some Deathclaw cages to add some chaotic flavor to the battles, or maybe even make your very own blood ring with dozens upon dozens of cages.

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Fallout 4 tutorial: How to shrink yourself or become a giant

Derek Strickland | Gaming | Apr 17, 2016 2:25 PM CDT

Fallout 4's console commands are tons of fun. In the past, we've shown you how to make your own epic wide-scale Fallout 4 battles like you see on Cosmic Contrian's YouTube channel, and now we've discovered another awesome tidbit: how to shrink or gigantify your character.

Fallout 4 tutorial: How to shrink yourself or become a giant

Fallout 4's "setscale" console command arms you with your very own shrinking ray. Now you can experience the glee in making anything--or anyone--the size of a toy. Want your very own collection of cute robots? Zap 'em down to scale! Tired of Preston Garvey bothering you every two seconds? Make him into a miniature and you won't even see him. Conversely, you can also blow things up to epic giant-sized proportions, including NPCs, enemies, and even yourself. That's right, you can shrink and even gigantify yourself.

The best part about using the "setscale" command on yourself is that your HUD scales with your size. This means you'll actually see through the eyes of a hulking city-smashing, Godzilla-sized monster, or run around like a shrunken casualty from Honey I Shrunk the Kids. This feature has so much potential--you can zap the entire town of Diamond City and make them ultra tiny, or play the game as a mini-mouse hero. You could even replicate Super Mario Bros. 3 style platforming action by making your own levels, especially with the new Wasteland Workshop traps.

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Intel reportedly preparing for thousands of fresh layoffs

Anthony Garreffa | Business, Financial & Legal | Apr 17, 2016 1:24 AM CDT

While Intel is shrinking down to 14nm right now, it is reportedly looking to shrink down its job numbers, with a new "significant round of job across across business units this spring", reports Oregon Live.

At the end of 2015, Intel had 107,000 employees worldwide, with its Oregon-based operations including 19,500 employees. The new cutbacks will reportedly reduce employment in some parts of Intel's business by double-digit percentages, which will result in thousands of job cuts by the end of 2016. We could expect the announcement soon after Intel reports its Q1 financial results on Thursday.

Last year, Intel sliced up 1,100 jobs - but these fresh job cuts will reportedly be even more severe. The company is still insanely profitable, with gross profit margins higher than 60%. Even this year, Intel's forecast sales growth is somewhere higher than 5%, but the job cuts are still reportedly on their way.

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