Episode 28 – New iPhone and a New Human species
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Welcome to another episode of Geek Bytes Podcast.
I’m Ramon Mejia…….and I’m Edgar Acosta
Now every podcast we bring you the roundup of the week’s best Geek and Tech news, then we discuss that news and anything else we’re interested in that week.
In Geek News this week, we’ll talk about the Apple announcements, Scientists discover new species of Human, New 'heart-in-a-box' device, Pokémon in the real world, New Details on Marvel's Jessica Jones, Wonder Woman, Captain America: Civil War, and Mallrats 2; Trailers of the week and more
In our Discussions section we’ll talk about some TV shows and podcasts we’ve been interested in lately
Now let’s Begin our show with Geek News
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Geek News
The 10 most important things from Apple's iPhone 6S event
The Verge reported on this week’s Apple announcements. They compiled a list of the top 10 ones.
1. The Extra Large IPAD
The new iPad Pro has the biggest screen on an iOS device. At 12.9 inches, it can support a full-sized virtual keyboard, and will be the first iPad to feature an optional physical keyboard and stylus. The Pro will have an A9X memory chip, making it 1.8x faster than the A8X chip that’s in the iPad Air 2. The iPad Pro will also have a 10-hour battery life.
The 32GB edition will cost you $799, while the 128GB will be $949, and LTE support bumps up the 128GB to $1079. The iPad Pro will be available in November in silver, gold, and space grey versions.
2. STYLUSES ARE HIP AGAIN
The $99 Apple Pencil is a dedicated iPad Pro stylus that will allow for precision drawing and can be used simultaneously with a finger. It will be out in November, along with the iPad Pro.
3. A VERY MINI IPAD REFRESH
The refreshed iPad mini 4, a new 7.9-inch tablet with the "power of the iPad Air 2," will cost $399, and the iPad mini 2 will see a price reduction to $269. The iPad Air didn’t see an update today, but the original Air will cost $399 while the Air 2 will cost $499.
4. FINALLY, A NEW APPLE TV
The long overdue Apple TV is here, and it’ll run a separate OS, called… tvOS. As expected, the new Apple TV will have a Universal Search feature that lets you search across apps like iTunes, Netflix, and Hulu. Similar to other set-top boxes, voice search will be the primary way to navigate. You can manually fast-forward by sliding your finger forward on the touchpad, but also do a quick 15 second rewind by asking Siri, "what did she say?"
The Apple TV will double as a gaming console — including games like the new Guitar Hero that were previously only available on consoles. It features a 64-bit A8 processor and can support Bluetooth 4.0. The new Apple TV will launch in October, at $149 for the 32GB version, and $199 for 64GB.
5. SIRI IN A REMOTE
Apple’s humble TV remote has gotten a major makeover. The new device is a combination of traditional media remote, glass trackpad, motion controller, and Siri invocation tool. This Siri integration lets users do things like get movie recommendations and look up sports scores or the weather while watching TV. Turned sideways, it’s also a rudimentary gaming pad.
6. APPLE MUSIC (AND MORE) ON THE BIG SCREEN
The fourth-generation Apple TV will have its own App Store, where users can find versions of iTunes TV, iTunes Movies, and Apple Music, all designed specifically for the Apple TV.
In addition to Apple TV standards like Netflix, Hulu, and HBO, the new TV will also include games like Disney Infinity and Guitar Hero, a Major League Baseball streaming app that lets users watch two games at once.
7. THE NEWER, ROSIER IPHONE 6S
· Apple announced new iPhones. The new iPhone 6S and 6S Plus will be built from a new, custom aluminum alloy, and will be available in silver, gold, space grey, and rose gold.
· As expected, they will have Force Touch, which can detect where you’re pressing on the screen and how hard.
· The 6S will have the same 4.7 inch display screen as the iPhone 6, and the 6S Plus will retain its 5.5 inch screen.
· The upgraded iPhones both have a new A9 chip built in, 70 percent faster than the A8 at CPU tasks, and 90 percent faster with graphics.
· You’ll also see a new 12-megapixel rear iSight camera, capable of shooting video in 4K, and a 5 megapixel front-facing camera with Retina Flash that’s supposedly 3x brighter than regular flash.
· But despite all the new storage-heavy features, entry-level iPhones will still start at 16GB.
· Apple is also maintaining its traditional pricing tiers: $199 to $399 for the 6S, and $299 to $499 for the 6S Plus depending on storage, while on a two-year contract.
· For those who don’t want to be tied to a contract, Apple is also introducing two new payment options. You can either pay for the 6S in installments of $27 per month, or lease an iPhone for $32 per month, which lets you trade in your phone for a new one every year. Preorders for the iPhone 6S and 6S Plus start September 12th, and general availability will follow on September 25th.
· The latest version of iOS, however, is coming sooner than that: iOS 9 will be releasedin a little under a week, on September 16th.
8. 'FORCE TOUCH' IS NOW THANKFULLY '3D TOUCH'
As expected, Apple brought 3D Touch to the new iPhones today. 3D Touch means the iPhone screen can distinguish between multiple levels of pressure. 3D Touch will require users to learn at least two new gestures: "peek" and "pop," which will make app browsing more direct. "Peek" will let users preview information, and "Pop" will take them inside it.
9. APPLE HAS ITS OWN TINY VERSION OF VINES
Apple is making iPhone images a little more dynamic with the introduction of a new feature called Live Photos. Before and after the camera shutter closes, Live Photos will capture a second and a half of footage, so when you view the image later it plays like a short video clip. Live Photos will be supported across all Apple products.
10. DON'T FORGET ABOUT THE APPLE WATCH!
The Apple Watch got slightly more useful and better-looking today with the announcement of several new apps and bands. The most notable new bands were designed by luxury brand Hermès, whose three custom brown leather straps include a double-wrapped band that fits with a custom, slightly elongated watch face.
http://www.theverge.com/2015/9/9/9289963/apple-iphone-6s-highlights-announcements-recap
Scientists discover new species of Human
In a burial chamber deep within a South African cave system, a team of scientists has discovered 15 partial skeletons — of a completely new human-like species.
The discovery, announced this week by researchers from University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg and published in the journal E-Life, adds a completely new section to the Homo family tree. The researchers have dubbed the new species Homo naledi.
While Lee Berger, the lead researcher behind the study, tells New Scientist that the species “doesn’t look a lot like us,” his team believes that features observed in the skull, hands and teeth of the skeletons make it part of theHomo genus.
The team uncovered an amazing 1,400 bones and 140 teeth during a single field trip to the site. The team reckons the fossils could date back as far as 3 million years.
The remains that have so far been studied suggest that Homo naledi was an unusual-looking creature. Its pelvis and shoulder are, apparently, reminiscent of apes that lived 4 million years ago, while its feet resemble Homo sapien remains from just 200,000 years ago. Meanwhile, its skull was much smaller, containing a brain less than half the size of modern humans. The team reckon the creature could have stood 5 feet tall and weighed almost 100 pounds.
http://gizmodo.com/scientists-have-discovered-a-new-human-like-species-in-1729771292
New 'heart-in-a-box' device revives dead hearts for transplant
Researchers in the US have developed a device that can bring a dead heart back to life, even after it’s stopped beating inside its original body. This is great news for those on a heart transplant list.
Developed by Massachusetts-based company, Transmedics, the new heart-in-a-box device works by keeping the extracted heart warm, not cool. The heart is transferred to a sterile chamber fitted on a wheeled cart, inside which tubing is clamped onto the organ to give it a constant supply of oxygen, blood, and nutrients. The team behind the design says this will likely prolong the amount of time a heart can be kept functional outside a body.
http://www.sciencealert.com/new-heart-in-a-box-device-revives-dead-hearts-for-transplant
Pokémon coming to Android and IOS
Pokémon is going mobile with an all-new game developed for Android and iOS smartphones called Pokémon Go. The new game is a collaboration between Nintendo, The Pokémon Company and Niantic, the developer responsible for the augmented reality mobile game Ingress.
Pokémon Go is a location-based game, letting players track, capture, battle and train Pokémon in real-world settings.
Pokémon Go will work with a Bluetooth-powered device called Pokémon Go Plus, which players can wear on their wrist or pinned to their clothing. The device, which looks like a Pokéball combined with a Google Maps marker pin, has a built-in LED light and a vibration function that will notify players that something important is happening in the game, such as a Pokémon appearing nearby. Pokémon Go players won't be required to use the device to play the game, but that it will reduce the amount of time players spend staring at their smart devices in order to play the game.
https://www.polygon.com/2015/9/10/9300011/pokemon-go-android-ios-smartphones-nintendo
GoPro releases details on 360 degree camera rig
GoPro announced this week the final name and price for their forthcoming VR camera. The ‘Odyssey’, which will make use of Google’s ‘Jump’ spherical video assembler, has been priced at $15,000. This includes the 16 Hero4 Black cameras that enable the device to record stereoscopic 360 video that would cost $8,000 if purchased separately. The company has opened a ‘Limited Access Program’ to solicit interest in the camera; the first Odyssey cameras will ship in November to folks selected from the program.
Vending machine makes on demand French Fries
There are a number of interesting vending machines that disperse everything from: Pizza, cupcakes, to Legos and Ties
Now A team of students and entrepreneurs at Wageningen University in the Netherlands. They’ve created a fully automatic vending machine that serves up a hot cup of freshly cooked French fries
The chips are freshly cooked from frozen when you order. They’re refrigerated at –18 degrees Celsius and are deep-fried at 180 degrees Celsius. You simply insert your Euro, choose your sauce (from a selection of mayonnaise, ketchup, and hot sauce), watch the progress bar as your fries are cooked, and after 2 minutes, done!
http://www.expressvending.co.uk/blog/bizarre-vending-machines
AMC orders 10 episodes of Preacher based on the comic
ComicBook.com reports that AMC has ordered a ten-episode first season of their DC/Vertigo adaptation Preacher, created by Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon.
The Sony Pictures Television and AMC Studios co-production was developed for television by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg with showrunner Sam Catlin.
Preacher is the story of Jesse Custer (Agent Carter's Dominic Cooper), a conflicted Preacher in a small Texas town who is inhabited by a mysterious entity that allows him to develop a highly unconventional power. Jesse, his ex-girlfriend, Tulip (Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. baddie Ruth Negga), and an Irish vampire named Cassidy (Joseph Gilgun) embark on a journey to, literally, find God.
http://comicbook.com/2015/09/09/preacher-ordered-to-series-with-10-episode-first-season/
Marvel's Jessica Jones will premiere on Netflix on November 20th
Netflix's next big Marvel series finally has a premiere date. Jessica Jones, starring Krysten Ritter, is now set to debut for streaming audiences on November 20th.
Jessica Jones follows Ritter in the title role as she opens a detective agency after she ends her career as a superhero. As a private investigator, she'll handle cases dealing with super powered folks in New York City. Joining her are Halo: Nightfall's Mike Colter as Luke Cage, and former Tenth Doctor David Tennant, who'll play the villainous Purple Man.
http://www.theverge.com/2015/9/10/9300893/marvel-jessica-jones-netflix-premiere-november-20
Wonder Woman To Begin Filming In November
Wonder Woman producer Deborah Snyder (Zack Snyder's wife) has now confirmed that filming for Gal Gadot's solo film, which will be directed by Monster director Patty Jenkins (replaced Michelle MacLaren), will begin filming in November.
http://comicbook.com/2015/09/09/confirmed-wonder-woman-to-begin-filming-in-november/
Elizabeth Olsen Confirms Baron Zemo As Main Villain in Captain America: Civil War
With the talk about “Team Captain America” and “Team Iron Man,” it can be easy to forget that Captain America: Civil War will have some honest to goodness (or badness) supervillains. Besides Frank Grillo’s Crossbones, who may be instrumental in setting off the Superhero Civil War, Daniel Bruhl will play Baron Zemo, whom actress Elizabeth Olsen (Scarlet Witch) has confirmed is the film’s “main villain.”
Dr. Heinrich Zemo, 12th Baron Zemo was one of the top scientists in the Nazi Party. Zemo fought both Captain America and his allies the Howling Commandos during World War II. A brilliant and sadistic scientific genius, Zemo created many weapons of mass destruction for Hitler's army, including a large-scale death ray cannon, a disintegration pistol that was a miniaturized version of his death ray, and primitive androids of considerable strength and durability.
http://comicbook.com/2015/09/10/elizabeth-olsen-confirms-baron-zemo-as-main-villain-in-captain-a/
Mallrats 2 begins filming in January 2016
Writer/Director Kevin Smith revealed this week that the sequel to Mallrats, Mallbrats will begin filming in January of 2016 at the soon to be demolished Exton Square Mall in Exton, Pennsylvania. Smith had previously confirmed that he’s gotten all the original cast from the first film except Ben Affleck. He’s sort of busy right now. However Kevin Smith has confirmed that he’s left plenty of room in the script for a brief Affleck cameo.
http://movieweb.com/mallrats-2-mallbrats-shooting-january-2016/
Ronda Rousey To Star In Road House Reboot
Variety reports that Ronda Rousey will star in the Road House reboot from MGM which will start production in 2016, according to Variety. The UFC fighter has appeared in two films this year -Entourage and Furious 7 - and had a cameo in 2014's Expendables 3.
The original, 1989 film, starred Swayze as a bouncer hired to clean up one of the rowdiest, loudest bars in Missouri, The Double Deuce. Swayze’s character is put to the test when he needs to protect the town from a corrupt businessman.
https://variety.com/2015/film/news/ronda-rousey-road-house-reboot-1201567956/
Trailers of the Week
Every week we bring you the best movie and TV trailer that came out this week. We begin with..
Krampus
When his dysfunctional family clashes over the holidays, young Max is disillusioned and turns his back on Christmas. Little does he know, this lack of festive spirit has unleashed the wrath of Krampus: a demonic force of ancient evil intent on punishing non-believers. All hell breaks loose as beloved holiday icons take on a monstrous life of their own, laying siege to the fractured family's home and forcing them to fight for each other if they hope to survive.
Demolition
Davis, a successful investment banker, struggles after losing his wife in a tragic car crash. Despite pressure from his father in law Phil to pull it together, Davis continues to unravel. What starts as a complaint letter to a vending machine company turns into a series of letters revealing startling personal admissions. Davis' letters catch the attention of customer service rep Karen and, amidst emotional and financial burdens of her own, the two form an unlikely connection. With the help of Karen and her son Chris, Davis starts to rebuild, beginning with the demolition of the life he once knew.
The movie stars: Jake Gyllenhaal, Naomi Watts
Release date: April 8, 2016 (USA)
I Smile Back
Laney Brooks (Silverman) does bad things. Married with kids, she takes the drugs she wants, sleeps with the men she wants, disappears when she wants. Now, with the destruction of her family looming, and temptation everywhere, Laney makes one last desperate attempt at redemption. In theaters October 23, 2015.
http://www.geekbytespodcast.com/news/2015/9/11/watch-sarah-silverman-in-i-smile-back
That’s it for Geek News
For a review of the topics we covered and any of the links in show notes for this episode visit our site geekbytespodcast.com
If you have any comments or news suggestions for us, please e-mail us at feedback@geekbytespodcast.com
Onto our Discussion section3
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Discussion- In our discussion section we talk about any of the Geeky stuff we’ve been interested in this week
Stephen Colbert – Late Night Show
Talk Salad and Scrambled Eggs- Frasier Re-examined
http://www.smodcast.com/channels/talk-salad/
Nerdist- Patrick Stewart interview: promoting Blunt Talk on Starz
http://nerdist.com/nerdist-podcast-121-sir-patrick-stewart/
Thank will be it for us this week.
Now If you the listener want to support us please tell your friends about the podcast and subscribe to “Geek Bytes Podcast” on itunes or stitcher and leave a good review of the podcast.
For the Geek Bytes Podcast I’m Ramon Mejia and I’m Edgar Acosta. Thanks for listening. Now go Geek out about something.
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Music Credits
"Happy Bee", "Movement Proposition", "Theme for Harold (var.3) ", "Take the Lead"
Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/