Sony A6700: Two-minute reviewBy combining a 26MP APS-C sensor with AI-powered subject recognition in a body built for shooting on the move, the Sony A6700 lands as a compelling hybrid for hobbyists who value power and portability in equal parts. We gave its predecessor four stars in our full Sony A6600 review, and the A6700 is a shoo-in for a top spot in our round-up of the best travel cameras.(Image credit: Chris Rowlands)On a spec sheet peppered with improvements, Real-time Recognition AF is worthy of note. Driven by the same Bionz XR processor seen on the Sony ZV-E1 and Sony…
Author: Bernie
Chicago. Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain Two levels below ground at the Grant Park North Garage, the summer heat feels oppressive. As downtown commuters park and exit their cars, sweat quickly beads on their furrowed brows and foreheads. Alessandro Rotta Loria pinched two fingers to zoom into a map on his phone, trying to locate a temperature sensor. Finally, he found the white, pocket-size instrument, inconspicuously zip-tied to a pipe next to a red column. Using a wireless network of more than 150 of these sensors above and below ground across the Loop, Rotta Loria, a Northwestern University assistant professor of…
Multiple generative AI apps have been removed from Apple’s China App Store, two weeks ahead of the country’s new generative AI regulations that are set to take effect on August 15. The move came after Chinese developers received notices from Apple informing them of their apps’ removal. In its letter to OpenCat, a native ChatGPT client, Apple cited “content that is illegal in China” as the reason for pulling the app. In July, China announced a set of measures to regulate generative AI services, including API providers. The rules require AI apps operating in China to obtain an administrative license, which…
The form below includes information about our partner products and services. The company quotes you receive can differ from those we’ve researched independently. If you’ve ever swapped an LED lightbulb in for an incandescent one to consume a bit less electricity, you’re familiar with the concept of energy efficiency. Efficiency also plays a role in electricity production. Solar panels for homes all come with an efficiency rating. But what does that mean?Put simply, it’s how much of the sun’s energy a panel’s solar cells turn into usable electricity. “If something is 20% efficient, that means that 20% of the energy in…
IntroThe Sony FE 70-200mm f4G OSS Mark II is a short telephoto zoom designed for Alpha mirrorless cameras. Launched in July 2023, it comes almost ten years after the original Mark I version which, lest we forget, was one of the first five lenses used to launch Sony’s full-frame mirrorless system.The new lens is physically shorter than the original model, claims better optical quality, improved focusing, and much better close-up capabilities delivering an impressive 0.5x magnification, not to mention compatibility with tele-converters lacking on the Mark I – yep, giving it the chance to turn into a 400mm f8 or…
Alienware has clearly heard the feedback. Its prebuilt Aurora desktop PC needs work, particularly in the cooling department. So the new Alienware Aurora R16 is laser-focused on fixing that — to the point the company is largely ditching its trademark out-of-this-world look.The new Aurora R16 has largely the same basic steel chassis inside, with the same 25.2 liters of space for your components. But its boxy new design ditches multiple pounds of plastic to make the entire computer 40 percent smaller in volume — shrinking all the way down from 60.7 liters to 36 liters in total. Alienware R15 vs.…
Hobolite found a way to take the design from its first three LED lights and make one small enough to earn the “Micro” moniker. This light is cute in the way most small things tend to be, which is to say that it’s diminutive, practical, and fits in the palm of your hand. The $160 Hobolite Micro also comes with interesting shifts and tweaks to accommodate the shrunken design and is available in a Creator Kit for $269 that includes useful accessories. It’s too small to be a key light for larger subjects, but certainly could act as a fill…
Hit roguelike bullet hell game Vampire Survivors reportedly has a special edition called the “Directer’s Cut.” And no, that’s no typo, but rather the secret boss character’s name in the game’s current version. Author and consultant Laura Kate Dale was attending an event for Vampire Survivors’ upcoming co-op mode when she was taken aside to be shown the Directer’s Cut, which is supposedly a very different beast to the base game. What is Vampire Survivors Directer’s Cut? In a tweet thread, Dale shows images and footage of the Directer’s Cut in action. It features wild new characters, stages, weapons, accessories,…
MIT-Takeda Program researchers have developed a physics and machine learning technique to enhance the manufacturing process of pharmaceutical pills and powders. Their method, called PEACE, involves using a laser and machine learning to measure particle size distribution, increasing efficiency, reducing failed batches, and making the process more sustainable and cost-effective.A collaborative research team from the MIT-Takeda Program combined physics and machine learning to characterize rough particle surfaces in pharmaceutical pills and powders.A team of engineers and researchers from MIT and Takeda are using physics and machine learning to develop improved manufacturing processes for pharmaceutical pills and powders. The aim is…
As generative AI enters the mainstream, crowdfunding platform Kickstarter has struggled to formulate a policy that satisfies parties on all sides of the debate. Most of the generative AI tools used to create art and text today, including Stable Diffusion and ChatGPT, were trained on publicly available images and text from the web. But in many cases, the artists, photographers and writers whose content was scraped for training haven’t been given credit, compensation or a chance to opt out. The groups behind these AI tools argue that they’re protected by fair use doctrine — at least in the U.S. But…