htxt.africa's Tech Made Easy - June 2014

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E A S Y LEGO: t bi The Hob D ASE BLOCK-B FUN TOLKIEN ED REVIEW INSIDE

TESTED: Action cameras

The best way to capture extreme video: three new cams compared.

TESTED: Huawei Ascend P7

Exclusive first SA review of Huawei’s iPhone-beating smartphone.

H E L P! !

I’M LOST HOW TO: Recover a stolen smartphone

Catch-a-thief! Tell your phone how to phone home.

ISSUE 4 | JUNE 2014 | HTXT.CO.ZA

SUPERTEST!

BEST BUDGET SMARTPHONES

High performance handsets at a bargain price.

We round up the best South Africa has to offer.

FROM R1499

THE MORE FUN SMARTPHONE.

NOKIA LUMIA520 SMARTPHONE, with Nokia Music, Smart Shoot and HERE Drive.

© 2014 Nokia. All rights reserved. Data charges may apply. All trademarks and copyrights are the property of their respective owners.

Device colours & price may vary by operator or retailer, and are subject to availability. Specifications correct at time of going to print. E&OE.

JWT 65458/E

nokia.co.za/switch

Contents

www.htxt.co.za June 2014

ISSUE #04

NEED TO KNOW: NEWS

16

WELCOME TO ISSUE 4

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he nights are getting chilly, but our writers have been on fire this month producing South Africa’s best and fastest growing technology website, htxt.africa. What you hold in your hands is just a small example of the massive number of news, reviews and features that we publish each and every day over there, and then pick the very best of to use in Tech Made Easy.

Whether you want up-to-the-minute reporting on cabinet reshuffles and their effect on the technology industry, or more leisurely analysis and thoughtprovoking insight into the world of games, no other website produces the same breadth of detailed stories about tech in South Africa.

And everything we do is locally made and written too.

So if you enjoyed Dave’s supertest of low-cost smartphones in this month’s mag, for example, you’ll love Brett’s online feature behind the scenes at the Lenovo factory in China, where many of the world’s phones get made. Similarly, if Deon’s exploits in Metal Gear Solid grab your fancy, just see what he thought of Watch_dogs.

Most of all, though, enjoy the mag. And don’t forget to catch us all daily at htxt.africa.Operator’s sub-R500 Stepp

MTN launches supercheap smartphone

M

a is first of its kind.

obile operator MTN has Adam Oxford launched South Africa’s first Editor-in-Chief Android-powered smartphone htxt.africa that’s available on pre-pay for less than R500. It certainly an African first, and may even a world one: as far as we know, there’s no other smartphone in this class PUBLISHER: Brett Haggard – brett@htxt.co.za available for less than $50 anywhere.

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: Adam Oxford – adam@htxt.co.za That makes it quite a milestone in MANAGING EDITOR: Tiana Cline - tiana@htxt.co.za putting high-tech handsets within the HARDWARE: David Greenway – david@htxt.co.za reach of everyone. Which is awesome.

GAMES: Deon du Plessis – deon@htxt.co.zaThe phone itself isn’t, of course, hugely WRITER: Lungelo Shezi – lungelo@htxt.co.za powerful. It’s based on a Qualcomm reference design, so it has a 1GHz single SENIOR DESIGNER: Quinton Hoffmann – quinton@htxt.co.za core Snapdragon processor, a 3.5in ch DESIGNER: Jessica Hurwitz – jess@htxt.co.za screen and a mere 2MP camera on board.

More limiting is the fact that there’s ADVERTISING: Dorothy Haggard – dorothy@hypertext.co.za only 512MB of memory and 1GB of storag Sengezo Jubane – sengezo@hypertext.co.za e on-board.

The screen is a decent enough multitouch affair, which takes up most

It’s a milestone which puts hightech handsets within the reach of everyone…

38

of the front of the device. There’s no physical keyboard.

It also runs a positively ancient versio n of Google’s Android OS, Gingerbre ad.

Still, that does still mean it’s able to access BlackBerry Messenger, which is hugel y

important for South Africa.

Sadly, MTN has confir med that there ’s no plans to upgrade the Steppa to a more recent version of Android, although local hackers are investigating the possib ility of unlocking the phone and flashing a custom firmware.

There’s an FM radio though, along with a microSD port for upgrading the storag e.

What you don’t get, however, is a fast HSPA radio for high speed internet access – you’ll have to settle for plain old 3G. All in all, though, it’s a heck of a phone for the price. Not even Nokia can come close with its Asha range of semismartphones, which start at about R799 and don’t have access to half the numb er of apps and services the Steppa has.

Like the sound of this super budget smartphone? See our full review at

10

WHAT IS THAT ‘Bit.ly’ STUFF ALL ABOUT?

htxt.africa’s Tech Made Easy is Bit.ly shortens web addresses, produced by: Hypertext Media, 102 on 11th, making easierCAU to paste them CLIMATE CHA NGEitWILL SE MORE Highlands North, 2192, Johannesburg STORM DAM AGE into character-limited services IN SA More news at Two scientists from Contact Us: like Twitter or Facebook.

They Wits have ed a paper Email: info@hypertext.co.za also serve aspublish shortcuts to which web says that South Africa may be at pages with long Type go to htxt.co.za Tel: (011) 023-8001/4 increasaddresses. ed risk of tropica l storm damag the Bit.ly URL seen e. in the exerpt Fax: 08654 83304 Our content is licensed under a Creative 6 | TECH MADE EASY | MARCH 2014 Commons Attribution-NonCommercialShareAlike 3.0 Unported Licence. Other rights may apply for non-original materials.

I am a cy 6kR for clpictured one intoBit.ly your/Nww browser, forming over Madagasexample, and you’ll go directly car

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FACEBOOK BUYS WHATSAPP FOR R200BN Facebook has just dived into its war chest again to make another big purchase, this time it’s buying the popular messaging service WhatsApp. Bit.ly/1nPD8wj

Typ e into this c you ode r bro web wse r WWW.HTXT.CO.ZA | 1

K m

• • •R •P

Al

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Contents ISSUE #04

Need to Know

12

www.htxt.co.za June 2014

33

Essential South African news

5 6

8

47

10

26

17 24 25 26 28 31

Photos Made Easy

Would you ride an electric bike in Joburg?

Our Lungelo gives it a go.

Round-up Madibacoin, the new cryptocurrency in SA. South Africa hit by malware plague.

Cell C drops call costs again.

Pothole repair app to the rescue!

Samsung’s newest Android cam revealed.

Games Cleverpet, the games console for dogs.

EA closes multiplayer servers.

Nintendo looks at special African console redesign.

Making games in SA Local developers group plans for the future.

44

The best reviews

51

Hardware, games, gadgets more...

The best budget smartphones Which one should you buy?

Huawei Ascend P7 The latest Huawei phone is simply awesome.

Jawbone UP/Sony Xperia Z2 More phones and a new fitness doo-dah.

LEGO The Hobbit/Trials

by Fusion What has it got in its pockets?

Watch_Dogs Ubi’s hack-em-up is here.

Metal Gear Solid V Snake slides into adventure.

Mobile games To play or not to play?

Your cut-out-andkeep guide to photography.

37 39

47

Photo news Nikon’s supersnooper 400mm, Sony goes sub-compact.

Action cameras Three tiny video tearaways - but which is the best?

Camera basics How does your aperture work?

Camera tips Make that lens shiny and clean.

How to...

Guides to get more from your gadgets

49

52

Mobile printing How to get hard copies of pics from your phone.

Find your phone How to track a stolen Android.

PlayStation 4 in-game vids How to record video from your brand new console.

The stuff at the back

The bits that don’t belong anywhere else

54 56

Subscribe Order up some issues for the future today.

The month in numbers...

SA tech stats that really matter.

WWW.HTXT.CO.ZA | 3

NEED TO KNOW: NEWS

Would you ride an electric bike in Joburg?

Why don’t more of us cycle to work? Lungelo Shezi investigates…

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ransport is a priority no matter where you live. We need to get on with our day-to-day lives, but time has become too precious to spend on public transport.

On the other side of the spectrum, cars are costly to buy (and maintain) and not every young person can afford one. Wouldn’t an alternative mode of transport such as an electric bike be a bit more 21st century? We visited local electric bike store Cycology in Joburg’s Milpark to take a look.

Owner Vincent Truter has had an exceptionally varied career that belies his years. At a time when he was feeling particularly disillusioned with life in Johannesburg, he was forced to get around on an electric bike lent to him by a friend. He was so impressed he bought the company with the distribution right German-made A2B cycles.

“At the bottom of the road, there was a tree I’d driven past every day for four years on my way to the office that I’d never even seen before,” Truter explained to an audience at JoziHub’s first Green Tech Talk event. He says that commuting by bike instantly reconnected him with the city that he loves.

“I found it was a game changer that forced me to get up from behind my computer. New technology had always

More news at go to htxt.co.za

forced me to be more stationary, now I was using it to discover this incredibly vibrant thing happening at street level.”

From the start, he says, he was aware that cycles as a day-to-day form of transport are a hard sell to South Africans, and it

“Bicycles as a day-today form of transport are a hard sell to South Africans” wouldn’t be enough to simply put the bikes on sale, spend a bit of money marketing them, and hope that buyers would flock to his door. His marketing strategy, then, is based around getting people on the bikes.

“I knew that bikes were boys’ toys,” he explains, “So the first thing I did was take a group of 30-40 year-old-women on a ride along the waterfront in Cape Town, to establish the notion that we’re talking about more than just buying a bike.”

So convinced is he that electric bikes are the future, that through cycology Truter also runs a foundation which is working with the likes of the City of Joburg and

LEGO MANDELA VIDEO WINS YOUTUBE FILM HACK Read about Quirk’s short video depicting the life of Nelson Mandela in LEGO form, and petitioning for an official Mandela LEGO set to be made.

Bit.ly/1kjoTgC

external researchers to help advise and plan on new cycle routes. But don’t mistake him for a do-gooding hippy: convincing people to adopt electric bikes for Truter is a cause, but it’s one that he’s very clear is about business first.

“We hit the top LSM customers initially,” he says, “We try to reach corporate South Africa by taking senior management out for a ride in the afternoons. After 30 minutes, they’re very receptive.”

He’s also realistic about the scale at which change can happen. Initially, he hopes to encourage companies to buy bikes or provide loans for staff simply to get around areas like Sandton during the workday. Convincing people to commute from suburb to town by bike will take better infrastructure, like cycle paths.

“In South Africa right now, we can do things for the first time. That’s what makes it exciting for me, there are lots of things we can do.”

Each bike has a bespoke internal motor system and is powered by a battery that requires a simple recharge that lasts up to 65 kilometres.

Cycology bikes range from R14 500R35 000 depending on its body and battery size. A single charge costs R1.65c – R1.85c and will keep you going for 65km.

MEET JIMMY, INTEL’S 3D PRINTED ROBOT This is Jimmy. He’s a 3D printed robot who will walk, talk, dance and tweet his way into your heart. And the best news? Most of him will be customisable with a 3D printer.

Bit.ly/1mup5fS

WWW.HTXT.CO.ZA | 5

NEED TO KNOW: NEWS

Forget about Bitcoin. Get ready for Madibacoin!

V

arious cryptocurrencies have been taking the internet by storm over the last couple of years but Bitcoin, the most prominent of the lot, might finally have comeptition. Make way for Madibacoin. Created by two South African’s, the currency will work pretty much the same as bitcoin, as users will also have to mine for it using various means. The brainchild of Mahala Mobile, they explain that it is decentralised from any bank.

“If you are familiar with bitcoin then see Madibacoin as an alternate cryptocurrency. madibacoins are created as a reward for payment processing work in which users who offer their computing power verify and record payments into a public ledger.

Called mining, individuals engage in this activity in exchange for transaction fees and newly minted Madibacoins.”

As a first order of business, you will be able to exchange any madibacoins you have for mobile airtime. While the company doesn’t explain which mobile networks are supported, they make use of a pin-less delivery system to supply you with airtime between R2 and R999.

While there has been no “real-world” value pinned onto madibacoin as yet, the company confirmed that no more than 20-million madibacoins will ever exist.

More stories at go to htxt.co.za

6 | TECH MADE EASY | JUNE 2014

What makes African cybersurfers vulnerable?

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hile surfing the internet for cute videos of cats, have you ever stopped to wonder how safe the web actually is? Anti-virus and online security company Kaspersky Lab revealed that Africa is not as safe as users would like to believe – Africa accounts for as much as 4% of the total security threats in the world. The largest culprit in the region for the first quarter of this year was the Dinihou Worm, which was responsible for about three million infections. Kaspersky Lab explained that the worm spreads through removable media devices such as USB and memory cards, making use of .LNK files. In terms of malware detections on the African continent, Algeria leads the proverbial pack with almost 18-million total threats detected in the first quarter of this year. Dropping off significantly, Egypt is in second place, while South Africa is fourth with just over 4-million total threats detected in Q1. It’s not all bad news – while the number of eliminated threats (49 million) might seem high, there has been a decrease in incidents. Compared to the figures from January to March 2013, this year saw 3.4 million less attacks, but the number of cyber-attacks and malware infections in Africa for 2013 rose by more than 70-million from 2012.

BBM HELPS DURBAN PEOPLE GET JOBS According to a press release, a Durban-based entrepreneur, Sanjee Singh, has found a clever new way of putting BBM to use.

Bit.ly/1muqkLU

REAL-TIME LANGUAGE TRANSLATIONS COMING FROM SKYPE In an interview with Microsoft’s new CEO, Satya Nadella, this discussion stood out: Meet the “pre-beta version of magic” or as it is known right now, Skype Translate.

Bit.ly/1hgb6Nn

NEED TO KNOW: NEWS

Cell C drops prepay voice calls to 66c a minute

N

etwork operator Cell C had a record breaking start to 2014, adding more than a million subscribers in the month of March alone.

The newly installed CEO Jose dos Santos also announced that there will be a lower tariff for pre-pay customers, which will charge for voice calls at 66c a minute. This new tariff, however, will not gain top-up bonuses. It’s purely a voice play. (There

will also be a new post-pay contract with 30 day cancellation terms with call charges starting at 79c a minute.) According to Dos Santos, 92% of Cell C traffic now travels over its own network – 439 new cell sites were added to the network in 2013, and a further 319 are planned this year to take the total to 4494. As a result, Dos Santos says customers in Durban no longer have to roam to other networks.

The phonecamera is back with Samsung’s new Galaxy K Zoom

O

JRA launches new pothole reporting app for Joburg

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ind&Fix is a mobile app developed by SA company Intervate which allows anyone with a smartphone to quickly tag and report civic problems like potholes, faulty traffic signals, storm water drains and missing manhole covers direct to the Johannesburg Roads Agency. It’s as simple as snapping a a photo and sharing the GPS co-ordinates from your

NOTORIOUS LULZSEC HACKER WALKS FREE Leader of online hacking collective and spin-off from Anoymous, Lulzsec, walked free thanks to “extraordinary collaboration” with the FBI. Bit.ly/1nuuJnt

phone. Find&Fix works on all Windows Phone, iOS and Android devices. Find & Fix will help to improve their services by speeding up reporting of problems, accurately tagging their location and cutting down on the amount of time spent sieving through multiple reports of the same problem and therefore bringing all kinds of efficiencies to the way repair teams are dispatched.

PR STUNT FOR WATCH_DOGS BACKFIRES If you were being paid to promote a game, would you think it’s okay to anonymously send a news agency a suspicious-looking package?

Bit.ly/1nBwmgI

nce again Samsung is blurring the lines between portable cameras and smartphones with its freshly announced Samsung Galaxy K Zoom.

The K Zoom packs a new 20.7 megapixel camera sensor and 10X optical zoom into a much changed frame from last year’s S4 Zoom. Being as much a camera as it is a smartphone, Samsung have put some serious work into the Galaxy K Zoom’s imaging sensor: the 20.7MP camera has optical image stabilisation, which should help it get much clearer shots in low light conditions. And for the more proficient photographers out there, the Galaxy K Zoom has the ability to independently set exposure and focus points for the picture as well as full set of manual controls.

Hardware wise, the Galaxy K Zoom uses a six core Samsung Exynos processor, a 4.8inch, 720p Super AMOLED display and has 2GB of RAM.

SONY TO FOCUS ON WEARABLES, SPLITS CRUMBLING TV BUSINESS Electronics giant Sony is to focus on its virtual and augmented reality facescreens with the concept virtual reality headset Project Morpheus.

Bit.ly/1tT3RwV

WWW.HTXT.CO.ZA | 7

NEED TO KNOW: GAMES

No more multiplayer for over 50 EA games

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CleverPet is a game console for dogs

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ickstarter has inspired a group of Americans to seek funds for a game console for dogs called CleverPet. The idea is fairly simple – the CleverPet is a bowl-sized pet-proof device that rests on the ground and communicates with your dog using light and sound, rewarding it for solving simple puzzles. Should the dog manage to press the correct button, something the CleverPet subtly encourages it to do, a food reward is dispensed. The challenge presented to the dog also changes over time thanks to the fact that the CleverPet has more than one type of puzzle for the dog to solve. Over time, as your dog learns what’s expected, it may even get smarter.

CleverPet’s creators, San Diego-based Dan Knudsen and Leo Trottier said that pets in the US spend over ten billion hours alone a year leading to separation anxiety and destructive behaviour, and their CleverPet web-enabled interactive snackdispenser can help alleviate those issues. The Kickstarter campaign is offering an early bird rate of $129 (around R1 300) to get yourself a CleverPet when it becomes available in February 2015.

rom the 30th of June this year you won’t be able to play over 50 Electronic Arts games with your friends online.

That’s because those games use GameSpy’s services to create and host multiplayer sessions, and GameSpy’s servers are being taken offline – permanently – on that day. Gamespy was a third-party online service used by many developers to host their games’ multiplayer portions. The games EA will be shutting down include titles we didn’t expect to see like Crysis 2, Command & Conquer 3 and Need for Speed Hot Pursuit 2, but the official EA blog says that all affected games were chosen because peak numbers have dwindled to a point where it doesn’t make sense to keep up with the behind-the-scenes operations needed to keep them online. Is you favourite game on the list? Don’t fret as many communities have made other plans to keep their games accessible. For instance, Command & Conquer Red Alert 2 & 3, Generals, Master of Orion 3, Star Wars: Battlefront II and the first Neverwinter Nights have moved over to another service called GameRanger...

Nintendo to redesign consoles for Africa

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intendo president Satoru Iwata has told Bloomberg that the company will be selling a brand-new low cost games console targeted specifically at countries like South Africa in 2015.

He said these new consoles will be built from the ground up and designed for “emerging markets”, rather than being derivatives of the company’s existing hardware.

“We want to make new things, with new thinking rather than a cheaper version of what we currently have,” Iwata said. “The product and price balance must be made from scratch.” These changes come in the wake of Nintendo’s 2013 earnings announcement, which included a loss of $329 million in the fourth quarter of. Nintendo has been struggling financially in the wake of the failure of the Wii U and 3DS consoles to ignite gamers’ passions like the Wii and 2DS before them. Bloomberg blamed that on the move of casual gamers to smartphones and tablets, and hardcore gamers onto new consoles from Microsoft and Sony.

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NEED TO KNOW: GAMES

The Humb The SA game industry has found more success than ever, with local game developers attracting international attention for their work

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outh African game developers had a good year in 2013, according to news out of the MakeGamesSA (MGSA) Annual General Meeting that took place in Joburg and Cape Town via Google Hangout.

2013’s chairman Nick Hall said that while the group missed a few opportunities in 2013, for the most part they did well, increasing forum membership by 86% and upping the total number of companies associated with the forum to 17.

They also managed to start up a bursary program that raised over R20 000 for underprivileged game

“Despite the funding challenges, [MGSA] gained recognition both locally and internationally thanks to a number of high-profile projects…”

More news at go to htxt.co.za

10 | TECH MADE EASY | JUNE 2014

STEAM MACHINES RELEASE DELAYED TO 2015 If you’ve got your heart set on buying an off-the-shelf games console running Valve’s Steam OS, we’ve got bad news for you.

Bit.ly/1nBrl7P

LEGO! BATMAN! A THIRD TITLE! Who’d have thunk that LEGO is as timelessly refreshing in videogame format as it is in tiny ABS blocks?

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mble Africa Bundle development students within 48 hours, something they hope to repeat – and beat – in 2014.

But perhaps most interestingly, it emerged from a last-minute update from one of MGSA’s members that MGSA is in talks with the people behind the Humble Bundle to put together an “Out of Africa” bundle featuring locally-made games for release sometime in 2015.

The biggest challenge currently facing them as a volunteer group of part-time and full-time game developers is money. Hall said MakeGamesSA has grown enough over the past year to warrant a full-time employee to manage the day-to-day operations, as well as a need for a dedicated home for the group.

Both goals are on 2014’s to-do list, and Hall is currently speaking to both government and corporates to secure the necessary funding. Hall reported that he’s trying to get the group classified under the Manufacturing banner, which opens many more opportunities to secure government funding under various stimulus programs government currently has in the works.

The biggest barrier in making that happen, he said, is the gender and race makeup of the South African games industry, which consists primarily of young

Caucasian males. Apart from a genuine desire to increase diversity and better reflect the make-up of gamers in general, for government to believe that gaming is a legitimate industry it’s important to highlight the work of female and black coders and get them involved in the organisation. Knowing more metrics about the local industry would also help, he added, which the group would be working towards establishing.

Corporates he’s spoken to, which include Microsoft, Nedbank and Nokia, have indicated they are interested in supporting the local gaming industry, but none have committed to anything concrete as yet.

Despite the funding challenges, 2013 saw the group gaining recognition both locally and internationally thanks to a number of high-profile projects that members were involved in. These include side-scrolling testosterone overload Broforce and Nicholas Bischoff ’s successful million-rand STASIS Kickstarter campaign.

Plans for 2014 include a stand at the Really Awesome Gaming Event (rAge) in October, another staging of their successful Amaze program that inspires youngsters to get into making games and a trade mission to another country to stimulate relations between international and local game developers.

They also want to encourage developers to show off their games to a greater extent at rAge 2014 than they did last year, as they noticed how Pixelboy’s developers attracted the attention of some big players at 2013’s rAge that included Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo. They’re also looking into securing sponsors to fly Cape Town-based developers up to Joburg for the show.

In all, the AGM showed a lot has happened in the last year. The local game industry has found more success than ever, and South African game developers are attracting international attention for their work, and with more hard work and official structures, permanent premises and a fulltime employee, MGSA is looking set to build on that success and take SA development even further in 2014.

AFRIHOST IS KILLING ITS DOUBLE MOBILE DATA BUNDLES

LG’S G3 FORMALLY LAUNCHED

“MGSA is in talks with the people behind the Humble Bundle to put together an ‘Out of Africa’ bundle featuring locallymade” games…

Ever since it launched its mobile data deals with MTN, Afrihost offered its customers extra data every month without any additional cost. Not any more.

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LG’s new flagship smartphone is now an official product and we have all of the details for the LG faithful looking to upgrade their handsets in the near future.

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South African Kickstarter reaches funding goal

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TASIS, the indie game that’s being made by just one lone South African developer, has reached its Kickstarter goal. This marks the first time a South African game project has been successfully funded on the popular crowdfunding website.

Fans who backed Statis should find that Kickstarter has billed thier credit cards already: it takes a cut of the proceeds with the balance going to Bischoff, who will have to start putting together any physical rewards that were promised in return for backing.

Once that’s all done and dusted, the remainder of the total will be put towards polishing the game further and adding a musical score by famed game soundtrack composer, Mark Morgan, who has created music for several big-name game franchises like Fallout 1 & 2, Planescape: Torment and Zork Nemesis to name but a few.

Other promised features that will see their way into the game now that the Kickstarter campaign has succeeded include additional cut-scenes and professional voice-acting.

We wish to congratulate Mr. Bischoff on his successful Kickstarter, and look forward to seeing the game shaping up in the coming months. The current estimated date of delivery for the completed game is August, 2014.

CENTURION TEAM WANTS TO SEND THIS GLIDER INTO SPACE A team from House4Hack is building a High Altitude Glider and launch balloon which they hope to launch up to 40km high.

Bit.ly/1hdJ70V

WWW.HTXT.CO.ZA | 11

must-haves iPhone extras

Looking for iPhone accessories? Get the most out of your iOS device with these five, fun Apple add-ons.

KNOMO COLVILLE WRISTLET If you’re looking for a stylish phone case that also fits your battery pack cover, the Colville wristlet from Knomo is the best of both worlds. Not only does it have two compartments – one for your phone, another for cash and cards – it’s made from lightweight nylon with soft quilting that promises to protect your tech.

SPYDER POWERSHADOW IPHONE BATTERY CASE Give your iPhone a full charge with this Spyder battery case. Sure, it may add a little bulk... but when you consider that you can get an additional eight hours talktime, you won’t want to take it off. The PowerShadow also comes with a handy dock, which means it’s easy to recharge the case from a wall socket or computer – just pop the phone in and you’re good to go.

R1299, Bit.ly/SPNTq0

R699 Bit.ly/1mq5a1F

KENU AIRFRAME Where do you keep your iPhone when driving? What if you need to use Apple Maps or hands-free calling? The Kenu Airframe is a light, portable and adjustable car mount that quickly clips into any air vent to keep your phone at eye level. It also comes with an attachable stand that’s small enough to slip into your wallet.

R399, Bit.ly/1pj9Zi3

INCASE USB TO LIGHTNING CABLE If there’s one Apple accessory you don’t want to buy a cheapie version of, it’s a Lightning cable.

Knock-offs are known to break, so it’s important to invest in a good brand like Incase. Available in a few bright colours, these USB to lightning cables are durable and ideal for whenever, and wherever, you need to be connected.

R299

12 | TECH MADE EASY | JUNE 2014

WIRELESS WIPES Some people say a smartphone is dirtier than a toilet seat. Wireless Wipes are one way to keep your iPhone gunkfree. They’re specially designed for tech and are fast drying, nonstreaking and non-corrosive.

Available in re-sealable packs of 12, Wireless Wipes also come in three fragrances: pomegranate citrus, green tea cucumber and rosemary peppermint.

R49 Bit.ly/1kfibbq

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available at leading retail outlets

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Our daily news website We really hope you’re enjoying this issue of htxt.africa’s Tech Made Easy, because we think it’s a unique magazine in South Africa in that it’s completely independent, 100% locally made and full of expert advice that’s both comprehensive and accessible no matter how familiar you are with the subject.

The thing is, we’re also fairly sure that you’ll be left wanting more. Which is why you should head over to htxt.africa now.

WHY htxt.africa IS SOUTH AFRICA’S BEST TECHNOLOGY WEBSITE: • The latest news

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ech Made Easy is just a small subsection of what we do on our main website. Every day we carry South Africa’s best news about technology, gadgets, games, business start-ups, geek culture and more. We have the broadest editorial remit of any similar site in the country, and we’re passionate with it. We believe that all across Africa, technology is changing lives - and that the more we write about it and the more you read about it the better the chance is that it will be for the better.

So if you want buying advice, gaming tips, web security specials, online activism and the most interesting stories about how technology is being used right here in South Africa and across the continent, join us.

Daily updates from around the continent and all over the world of tech.

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SUPERTEST

2

…

H C I H W

BUDGET SMARTP HONE SMARTPHONE

We pick five options that promise a smartphone experience at a fraction of the price

1

L

ast year smartphones managed to outsell feature phones for the first time in history. It wasn’t all because of flagship phones like the Galaxy S5 or the HTC One, rather it was the proliferation of budget smartphones that have driven down the price of owning one of these powerful, potentially life-changing devices.

For our supertest this month we’re

focusing on some amazing budget smartphones. While some of them are here because of their low prices, all of them are here because of the incredible value they offer. The network operators in South Africa have jumped on the low cost bandwagon with the MTN Steppa and the Vodafone Smart 4 mini from Vodacom taking their shot at the title. While both

SHOULD ?

YOU BUY

Samsung and Sony have some skin in the game with the Galaxy Trend and the Xperia E1 making their presence felt. LG brings the only phablet to the mix with its G Pro Lite while Nokia is the only nonAndroid smartphone in the running with its wildly popular Lumia 520. All of them are great budget smartphones, but only one can be the winner.

WWW.HTXT.CO.ZA | 17

SUPERTEST

LG G PRO LITE LITE ON PRICE, NOT ON FEATURES The LG G Pro Lite is both the largest smartphone, in terms of sheer physical size, in our supertest as well as the most expensive. However the increased budget allows it to bring some hefty benefits to the table. At the outset a 5.5 inch display with the less pixels than the 3.5 inch display of the iPhone 4 sounds like a terrible idea but the G Pro Lite’s display manages to make up for the lack of pixels with fantastic colours and outdoor visibility thanks to the IPS technology it uses. Battery life is by far our feature of choice in any smartphone and the G Pro Lite is an absolute champion in this arena. It’s all because of the monster of a battery hiding within the G Pro Lite which is

larger than all but a few phones that we’ve ever had to test.

DETAILS Design

8

Performance

6

Value for Money

8

Overall

7

R4 799 A big battery and beautiful display Bit.ly/1lNTcSp

VODAFONE SMART 4 MINI

A MINI SMARTPHONE FOR SMART PEOPLE It’s the follow up to Vodacom’s first effort at a selfbranded budget smartphone last year and the improvement is rather drastic. For nearly a third of the price of some of our other competitors you get a 4 inch display with the same 480x800 resolution as the Xperia E1, the Galaxy Trend and the Lumia 520 although the latter definitely wins the display bragging rights of the four. While it may not be the latest version of Android the Smart 4 Mini does come with a respectable enough version of Jelly Bean which seems to run rather smoothly on the modest set of hardware offered. The only real [points to nit-pick on is below par camera performance and a sluggish processor that can at times be infuriatingly slow. However considering the fact that the price is only three digits long, these are easily forgiven.

DETAILS Design

8

Performance

6

Value for Money

9

Overall

8

R799 Priced just right for what you get.

NOKIA LUMIA 520 TILES FOR MILES Nokia’s Lumia 520 has been an absolute revelation in South Africa. It has done extremely well in the market even having beaten the iPhone 5 in sales at one point. It owes much of this success to the ease of use that first time smartphone owners find in the Windows Phone operating system with its big colourful tiles and simple to use interface. The fact that the Lumia 520 is already a year old and can still compete with phones that have just entered the market in its price range is proof of just how good the hardware inside the Lumia 520 is. The only fault we might be inclined to pick on is the Windows Phone operating system which lacks the same amount of apps as Android has, but since almost all of the most widely used apps are present it shouldn’t be a big deal to most.

18 | TECH MADE EASY | JUNE 2014

SUPERTEST

SONY XPERIA E1 EXCEPTIONAL XPERIANCE Sony has been on a comeback mission with its Xperia smartphone range and the Xperia E1 is one of the finest examples of just how well the Japanese electronics giant can assemble a complete package. Both hardware and software wise the Xperia E1 is in a class of its own in this field with the best processor of the bunch as well as, something few flagship phones from 18 months can say, a planned upgrade to the latest version Android. Battery life is excellent with Sony’s power management software doing a fantastic job of stretching out the battery over a full day. Even the, seemingly lacklustre, 3 megapixel camera produces better-than-expected pictures.

The only real disappointment is the design of the phone which looks rather dated and uninspired compared to the brilliance that lies beneath.

DETAILS Design

6

Performance

9

Value for Money

8

Overall

8

R1 799 Big battery, super speaker.

Bit.ly/Sjmzjh

DETAILS Design

8

Performance

8

Value for Money

9

Overall

9

R1 999 This little Lumia can do no wrong.

WWW.HTXT.CO.ZA | 19

SUPERTEST

MTN STEPPA STEPPING UP, STEPPING OUT

DETAILS Design

7

Performance

6

Value for Money

10

Overall

7

R499 Less features mean a longer battery life.

Bit.ly/1l5dVkv

SAMSUNG GALAXY TREND SAMSUNG IS DEFINITELY TRENDING Samsung’s Galaxy brand of smartphones is almost instantly recognisable and the Galaxy Trend is no different. In fact the Galaxy Trend looks like a miniature version of a Galaxy S3 only smaller. The similarities with the Galaxy S3 aren’t just skindeep either with an almost identical looking skin over the operating system to the one used on its more famous brethren. While we love the instant familiarity that most people will feel with Samsung’s smartphones along with the fantastic display that Samsung have put into the Galaxy Trend we were slightly disappointed with its real world performance. The Galaxy Trend is as smooth as butter when you first start it up, but once laden with apps and widgets on the home screen it starts slowing down rather drastically at

20 | TECH MADE EASY | JUNE 2014

times. We would have also liked a newer version of Android than the now threeyear-old Android 4.0 that it comes with.

DETAILS Design

6

Performance

6

Value for Money

6

Overall

6

R1 999 Apps and widgets a-plenty!

If this were a simple race to the bottom of the price scale then the MTN Steppa would have this all sewn up without the need to for any further reading. The fact that you could purchase two of them for R1 000 and still be able to tip the car-guard R2 on your way out of the store is an incredible feat.

However that R499 price does make for a rather spartan spec sheet which might not appeal to everyone. One of the biggest gripes we have with the Steppa is the fact the Google’s Android operating system is buried underneath one of the heaviest customisations we’ve ever seen on an Android phone. Sure we can get passed it with some trickery, but should we have to?

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SUPERTEST

WINNER

It’s difficult to pick a single winner from the crowd because all of these smartphones are here by virtue of the fact that they offer fantastic value for their prices. Instead we have two winners with the Vodafone Smart 4 Mini taking the budget crown for the staggering specs and user experience from a phone that costs just R799. Overall though we still find ourselves completely in love with the Nokia Lumia 520 as a budget smartphone. It has everything we want in a smartphone at a price that is affordable enough to meet the needs of a vast section of the South African population. We cannot believe just how much technology can fit inside a set of smartphones this well-priced in fact if you bought all of the smartphones in our test you would spend just R1 600 more than a new Samsung Galaxy S5 would cost you.

EDITOR CHOIC ’S E

SPECS-TACULAR LG G Pro Lite

MTN Steppa

Nokia Lumia 520

Samsung Galaxy Trend

Sony Xperia E1

Vodafone Smart Mini

5.5 inch IPS LCD

3.5 inch

4 inch IPS LCD

4 inch TFT LCD

4 inch TFT LCD

4 inch TFT LCD

540x960

320x480

480x800

480x800

480x800

480x800

200ppi

165ppi

233ppi

233ppi

233ppi

233ppi

Dual core 1GHz

1GHz

Dual core 1GHz

1GHz

Dual core 1.2GHz

Dual core 1.3GHz

1GB

512MB

512MB

768MB

512MB

512MB

Storage

8GB (microSD card up to 32GB)

1GB (microSD card up to 32GB)

8GB (microSD card up to 64GB)

4GB (microSD card up to 32GB)

4GB (microSD card up to 32GB)

4GB (microSD card up to 32GB)

Camera

8MP

2MP

5MP

5MP

3MP

3MP

Dual-band 802.11n

Yes

802.11n

802.11n

802.11n

802.11n

Bluetooth 3.0

Yes

Bluetooth 4.0

Bluetooth 3.0

Bluetooth 4.0

Bluetooth 4.0

3140mAh

1300mAh

1430mAh

1500mAh

1700mAh

1400mAh

Android 4.2.2

Android 2.3.5

Windows Phone 8, Lumia Black update

Android 4.0

Android 4.3 (upgrade to 4.4 planned)

Android 4.2.2

161g

125g

124g

122g

120g

117g

Display Display resolution Pixel density Processor RAM

WiFi Bluetooth Battery OS Weight

22 | TECH MADE EASY | JUNE 2014

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REVIEWS

DETAILS • Display: 5-inch, 1 080×1 920 HD IPS LCD display (441 ppi) • Operating System: Android 4.4.2 with Emotion UI 2.3 • Processor: HiSilicon Kirin 910T 1.8GHz quad core processor • Memory: 2GB RAM • Storage: 16GB expandable by up to 64GB with microSD cards • Battery: 2500mAh non-removable • Camera: 13 megapixel rear, 8 megapixel front-facing • Networking: Dual band 802.11n WiFi, Bluetooth 4.0 and LTE R6 499 (estimated on €449 price)

Huawei Ascend P7

Whatever else it may be, the Huawei Ascend P7 is first and foremost a stunningly beautiful smartphone.

‘I

f it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,’ has become the axiom of smartphone design and, realising that it had created something good with the Ascend P6, Huawei chose to build on, and improve the P6’s design with the Ascend P7. The biggest change from the Ascend P6 to the P7 is on the back of the smartphone. Gone is the brushed aluminium back-plate of the P6 replaced instead with new a seven-layer glass panel with a micro-dotted pattern inspired by Eastern garden philosophy.

The Huawei Ascend P7 ticks all of the hardware boxes that we expect from a flagship smartphone in 2014. Huawei, like Apple and Samsung, designs and manufactures its own processors based on ARM’s designs. The HiSilicon Kirin 910T found in the Ascend P7 is a quad core 1.8GHz processor which is significantly more powerful than its predecessor and most importantly comes with built in LTE, something Samsung’s chips in the Galaxy S5 can’t claim. System memory sits on par with Samsung’s Galaxy S5 at 2GB while the on-board storage has been given a much-needed bump to 16GB with expansion by as much as 64GB possible via microSD cards.

Bluetooth 4.0 and 802.11n WiFi join the aforementioned LTE for wireless communications across all of the popular standards while an FM radio makes a surprise appearance in a high-end

24 | TECH MADE EASY | JUNE 2014

smartphone to remind us that it’s not quite dead just yet.

Imaging duties are taken care of by a 13-megapixel rear camera from the good folks at Sony but the real story is the 8 megapixel front facing camera which is bound to please the selfie-conscious masses.

On top of the Android 4.4.2 base is a layer of Huawei’s own Emotion UI interface where the look and feel of the OS can be changed. A built-in theme manager replete with nine different themes ranging from flat and colourful iOS-like icons to more neutral coloured icons for the business conscious allows for quick customisation of the look of your P7 from the word go.

The Huawei Ascend P7’s display measures in with a 5-inch diagonal and full HD resolution which puts it on par with the best premium handsets available on the market today. The high pixel density display makes for text that is both smooth and crisp with great contrast between dark and light colours making reading anything from a short message to a book a pleasure.

While most smartphones are content to brag about the cameras on their backs, the Huawei Ascend P7 has an incredible 8 megapixel selfie-cam it has up front.

While low light conditions will make hard work of getting the best selfies the Ascend P7 has by far the best front-facing camera

we’ve ever tested.

On the back, Huawei has chosen to go with a Sony-sourced 13 megapixel unit as the ‘main camera’ on the Ascend P7 and boy are we glad it did.

The Ascend P7’s Ultra Snapshot function remains a killer camera feature – double-clicking the volume down button when the P7 is in the lockscreen or even completely asleep wakes the camera up and immediately takes a picture in as little as 1.2 seconds.

When all is said and done, much of whether the Huawei Ascend P7 will be a contender for our smartphone of the year will depend on its price when it finally comes to South Africa.

SCORES Design

10

Performance

7

Battery Life

9

Value for Money

9

Display

8

Interface

7

Overall

8

REVIEWS

More news at DETAILS • Battery: 32mAh battery Lithium-ion polymer • Sensor: Bluetooth 4.0 BLE • Weight: 23 grams R1899

Jawbone UP24

Understand how you sleep, move and eat

U

nlike its competitors, the Jawbone UP24 has no display. There are two LED indicator lights – a sun and a moon – used to indicate whether the UP24 is in sleep mode or not. The UP24 doesn’t have a clasp or a clip to keep it closed, instead it simply fits around you wrist overlapping slightly at the end. The lack of a display on the Jawbone UP24 means that most interaction is done through the UP app. It allows you to set daily activity and sleep goals which will then

be tracked by the accelerometer.

The sleep logging feature is the most interesting – it records how long it took you to fall asleep, how many times you woke up during the night and how long you spent in light and deep sleep by using its accelerometer to measure how much you’re moving. A full week’s charge only takes about 90 minutes, so if you’re in the market for a fitness tracker then Jawbone’s UP24 is very good as a pedometer and a sleep monitoring device. Find it

Onyx, Persimmon and Coral.

SCORES Design

8

Performance

8

Battery life

8

Value for Money

8

Interface

8

Overall

8

NASA’s global selfie to create a mosaic The US space agency got 30 000 people to photograph themselves, and made this awesome gigapixel picture.

Bit.ly/1mstu4p

Make free calls with SA-launched ttrumpet app New smartphone app developed by FastComm promises cheap calls. And it was made in SA. Bit.ly/1khGWbT

DETAILS

Sony Xperia Tablet Z2

• Weight: 439g • Resolution: 1 920x1 200 R8 999

MTN, Cell C and Vodacom fail quality tests You probably could have guessed this, but not all is well with our network reception in South Africa.

Bit.ly/1gACMMf

The latest waterproof Android tablet

N

early everything about the Z2 is better: it’s thinner, lighter and its quad-core processor isn’t slowed down by anything. The Z2 can survive liquid spills, splashes, and even immersion in water. (You could use it in the shower and read an ebook in the bath if you really wanted to.) The Z2’s 1 920x1 200 resolution can’t compete with Apple’s Retina but it still manages to put out some pretty crisp-looking visuals. The Qualcomm’s MSM8974-AB Snapdragon 801 processor is a very zippy beast and the Z2’s interface was also very fast. Looking at the

sound, Sony moved the speakers in the Z2 so that your hands don’t muffle them when simply holding the tablet in both hands. However you want to connect to the wider world, the Xperia Tablet Z2 has you covered. It has a SIM slot so that it can connect to cellular networks at up to LTE speeds, built-in 802.11b/g/n WiFi and also an NFC chip for interacting with assorted NFC-enabled technology like smartphones and printers.

Overall, the Xperia Tablet Z2 is a brilliant replacement of any tablet older than two years.

SCORES Design

9

Performance

8

Display

8

Connectivity

10

Storage

5

Overall

8

How smartphones are made Check out this video made by our very own Brett Haggard - he visited one of Lenovo’s factories in China, and found out how phones are built.

Bit.ly/SQeC5I

WWW.HTXT.CO.ZA | 25

REVIEWS REVIEWS

DETAILS • Platforms: Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, PC, Wii, Wii U from R399

LEGO The Hobbit

T

he best way to describe LEGO The Hobbit is that it’s a LEGOthemed re-enactment of key scenes from both The Hobbit movies. You’ll see Smaug’s defeat of the dwarves, Bilbo’s unwitting inclusion in Thorin’s Company via Gandalf ’s dwarf ambush, the encounter with the three trolls Tom, Bert and William and many other famous scenes from a whole new perspective. In the course of moving the story through its paces, players will bash things, collect LEGO studs (the game’s currency), fight orcs and bosses, jump on platforms, build things to solve puzzles and go looking for secret areas and special LEGO blocks. Unfortunately the

player still has no say in what gets built, as their involvement in building certain things in this game is limited to pointing out missing bits for points/studs. Levels are highly re-playable as you’ll need specific characters, many of whom only unlock as the story progresses, to reach all areas as doing so often needs someone with a particular ability to unblock the way. New to the LEGO series is a building/puzzle mechanic that requires you to collect various components needed to finish special objects that solve puzzles. Even if you you’re not a fan of the movies, LEGO The Hobbit has enough charm of its own to make the game worth your while, regardless of the

platform you play it on. For an extended review go to Bit.ly/1k0Fo6Y

SCORES Presentation

8

Fun

8

Story

8

Longevity

9

Value for money

6

Overall

9

DETAILS • Publisher: Ubisoft • Platform: Windows, Xbox 360, PlayStation 4, Xbox One R299

Trials Fusion

A beautiful puzzle game that will challenge both your reflexes and mental agility

T

rials Fusion is a puzzle game disguised as a motorbike racer. The premise is simple: all you need to do is ride your motorbike along a two-dimensional path while balancing your rider just right so that he is able to jump over obstacles and navigate difficult terrain without falling on his head. If you can pull off a trick or two while doing it, all the better. Each level is timed, giving you a way to compare your performance with that of your friends, and a way to determine what medal you’ll earn. While that may all sound rather easy, it’s not. Your manual dexterity and mental agility will be tested to the Nth

degree before you’ve come anywhere close to mastering the game. Even in the beginning, you will spend more time falling off your bike than you where getting everything right at the right time is the game’s most difficult challenge, since you have to do it all at speed.

Succeeding means progress, which unlocks additional tracks, bikes and accessories for your rider as you level up.

You’ll need a great sense of judgement and reflexes in order to land safely and complete the many and varied courses the game throws at you. For an extended review go to Bit.ly/1koeSTM

SCORES Graphics

9

Sound

6

Challenge

9

Fun

8

Multiplayer

5

Overall

7

26 | TECH MADE EASY | JUNE 2014

Lego

Lego Movie A4 Poster.indd 1

2014/03/06 8:21 AM

REVIEWS

Watch_

A blend of hacking, driving and shooting in a gorgeous, fully-realised open-world nearfuture setting.

P

DETAILS • Publisher: Ubisoft • Platforms: Xbox 360, Xbox One, PS3, PS4 and PC • The good: Hacking, open world gorgeousness and awesome multiplayer • The bad: A little bit buggy From R599 for the PC version to R799 on PS4

28 | TECH MADE EASY | JUNE 2014

laying as Aiden Pearce, gamers step into a future where Chicago has been taken over by a new, automated operating system called CtOS that controls absolutely everything. Every gadget, gizmo, invention and electronic device has a computer chip in it that’s linked to CtOS, and of course while it’s mostly secure, there are those with the ability to “hack” the system and put its many disparate parts to work for their own purposes. Pearce is one of them.

Early on in the game, Pearce is given backdoor access to the CtOS system which allows him to control cameras, traffic lights, steam pipes, enemy grenades and more using just his phone, which essentially turns the entire world into his playground.

Story missions usually involve some sort of infiltration into heavilyguarded or electronically-secured locations, and naturally the ability to hack electronics comes in mighty handy. Surveillance cameras can be remotely controlled, and should another camera be within range Pearce can “jump” from feed to feed in order to find ways past or through guards.

Aiden can hack anything hackable that’s in the camera’s visual range, allowing him to hack things as if he were standing next to them. It is here that Watch_Dogs achieves its greatest victory: hacking things to make things happen is fun. There’s something incredibly satisfying about hitching a ride on surveillance cameras, distracting enemies by blasting static through their comms or killing them with explosions caused by transformer overloads, without even setting foot in the area.

Of course, Watch_Dogs isn’t just about hacking - there’s a pretty

REVIEWS

ch_Dogs decent driving game and shooter in there, too. And that’s a good thing since you’ll be doing a lot of both. There’s a skill tree in the game that lets you unlock extra skills and abilities that make Aiden stronger and more effective. Skill points are awarded every time you level up, which you do by completing missions and side-quests.

There aren’t too many of these so you won’t be customising Aiden like you would a character in an RPG; rather, skills will be unlocked in a natural progression as you make your way through the story. You should have unlocked everything by the end of the story missions, giving you access to the full range of Aiden’s abilities.

If you’re not into the game’s story mode, there’s a lot else to keep you occupied. Watch_ Dogs has a huge number of side-missions and activities available to amuse yourself with, from street and strategy games to driving challenges to augmented reality drone warfare.

Upgrading weapons in Watch_Dogs is a matter of money, which can be earned from finishing missions and stealing bank account information by hacking passersby. Interestingly, there’s a crafting system in the game that requires you to collect components and unlock skills. Otherwise you’ll have to find them in the world, which isn’t easy.

Ubisoft clearly put a lot of thought into Watch_Dogs’ multiplayer. It’s accessed by activating the Online Contracts app on Aiden’s smartphone and options include online races for up to eight players, challenging someone using the game’s companion app to try stopping you from reaching checkpoints, invading someone else’s game to hack them, and a team deathmatch type game called Online Decryption. You can even invite friends to join you in a massive free-roam session where you can explore and fight together.

Ubisoft must really be commended for Watch_Dogs’ look and feel. The game is beautiful in ways that go beyond merely looking nice: explosions are particularly punchy, and the way cars break apart under gunfire and smash open when driven into is just so well done that it’s fun to shoot them just for the hell of it.

The soundtrack is likewise incredible, with a dizzying range of well-known tunes from a wide variety of genres that play

when you jump into a car. Watch_Dogs is a stunning achievement by the folks at Ubisoft. It looks and sounds amazing, it’s massive amounts of fun to play and there’s so much to do that you’ll easily get 50 hours of entertainment out of it, if not more.

“The game is beautiful in ways that go beyond merely looking nice: explosions are particularly punchy, and the way cars break apart under gunfire… is so well done that it’s fun to shoot them just for the hell of it.”

Watch_Dogs is more than just amazing visuals and fun videogame stuff: it has a very serious side too. Its story about a connected city where privacy is an illusion and where evil men exploit its technology for their own gain is uncomfortably poignant, perfect for this time when that sort of nasty business is unfolding in the real world. As such Watch_ Dogs poses some interesting questions along the way, all but guaranteeing that you’ll come away having had more than just your trigger finger challenged.

SCORES Graphics

9

Fun Factor

9

Story

9

Multiplayer

10

Value for money

9

Overall

9

WWW.HTXT.CO.ZA | 29

©2014 Ubisoft Entertainment. All Rights Reserved. Watch Dogs, Ubisoft and the Ubisoft logo are trademarks of Ubisoft Entertainment in the U.S. and/or other countries. ”2”, “PlayStation” and “PS3” are trademarks or registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. “Ó is a trademark of the same company. Trademarks are property of their respective owners. Nintendo, Wii and WiiU are trademarks of Nintendo.

PS3™/PS4™ Exclusive Edition includes 60 minutes of exclusive gameplay

MAY 27TH 2014

REVIEWS

DETAILS

Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes

Don’t let the short game time put you off: like many things in life, there’s more to it than meets the eye.

G

round Zeroes (GZ) is a bit of a baffling release. Firstly, it’s a onemission prequel to the upcoming Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, itself a bizarre idea since it comes with a steep price-tag. Secondly, it can be finished quite easily in a lot less than two hours. If all you do is play the main mission, you’re left with the feeling that you’ve paid full price for a game demo, and that’s not a nice feeling at all.

But should you take the time to finish the main mission, you’ll unlock four sidemissions called Side Ops that mix up your starting point, enemy placement and your objective, all set within variations of the same level where the main mission is set.

These Side Ops aren’t easy, either, and beating them will take you a lot longer than the initial mission did. As a further bonus, if you manage to pick up specific collectibles hidden throughout the main mission - itself quite an achievement - you’ll open the fifth and final Side Op. Effectively there’s a lot of bang for your Metal Gear buck here - it’s just hidden beneath layers many gamers likely won’t peel back.

Ground Zeroes is a stealth/action game by gaming great Hideo Kojima, and it’s a prologue to the main Metal Gear game

Awesome reviews at

go to htxt.co.za

that’s coming out later this year, MGS V: The Phantom Pain. It’s partially a showcase of that game’s new Fox engine, and partly a demonstration of how it’s going to play differently from Metal Gear games of the past. For instance there’s no CODEC in this game, no mini-map or health bar, something that MG fans may find a bit upsetting.

Story-wise, Ground Zeroes is about a rescue: two Metal Gear characters, Paz and Chico, have been captured and imprisoned in a detention camp, and it’s up to Big Boss (Snake) to rescue them both using any and all means at his disposal. He can silently take enemies out from the shadows or he can run and gun, although the latter tactic is much trickier to pull off thanks to good AI and a constant string of reinforcements.

This is especially difficult when it’s time to get the prisoners to the extraction zone as Big Boss has to carry them on his shoulders and stash them somewhere safe when a firefight breaks out.

In a change of pace for Kojima, GZ doesn’t have nearly as many cinematics and unlike the movie-like cutscenes of previous Gear games. The PS4 version sports some excellent graphics. Kojima and company pulled out all the stops to make this one of the best-looking PS4 games to date.

PINK, PUFFY PLATFORMING KIRBY: TRIPLE DELUXE Kirby is a multi-faceted creature with a penchant for fancy dress: whenever he swallows an enemy, he can make a copycat ability for himself.

Bit.ly/1m3qOtZ

• Game: Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes

by Kojima Productions, produced by Konami.

• Platforms: PS3, PS4, Xbox One and Xbox 360 • The Good: The best graphics we’ve ever seen on a PS4 • The Bad: It’s short and limited in scope R399

The sound is likewise a polished piece of digital art, with multi-directional cues that tipped me off to enemy placement, what surface they were walking on and even how far away they were. Technically, GZ is a brilliant achievement.

So is the game worth the asking price?

Even though it is somewhat limited in its scope, it’s a rather exciting taster of what MGS V: The Phantom Pain will deliver later this year. You should definitely not let word of its brevity stop you from playing what is a very polished and very enjoyable entry into the Metal Gear Solid series.

For an extended review go to Bit.ly/RTJJN8

SCORES Graphics

9

Longevity and Replayability

7

How it plays

8

Sound

9

Challenge

8

Overall

8

AERIAL ACROBATICS: BLAZIN’ ACES FOR IOS, WINDOWS PHONE This is a two-dimensional sidescroller features aerial dogfighting action, ramped up to modern standards, complete with gorgeous HD graphics and an orchestral score.

Bit.ly/1kofNDv

WWW.HTXT.CO.ZA | 31

REVIEWS

Five must-play games for your mobile

Looking for some new mobile games to kill time with on your next commute, or something to play for a few minutes before bedtime?

BLAZIN’ACES (iOS, Android, Windows Phone) This locally-made arcade shooter has you dogfighting with World War II-era planes across different environments, using intuitive touchscreen controls that are easy to pick up while a beautiful orchestral score plays in the background. A neat story links the single-player campaign into a cohesive whole, or you can simply play skirmish missions to test your mettle against competent AI. R10.99

ICEBREAKER: A VIKING VOYAGE (Android, iOS) Do you like swiping at your screen, chopping and breaking things like a boss using nothing more than your fingers?

If you do, Icebreaker: A Viking Voyage is for you. It’s more of a puzzler than an action game, challenging you to get your Vikings back to their Longboat by using your chopping, slicing and hammering skills to hack through icy obstacles and ropes. R26 (Google), R10.99 (iOS), with in-app purchases PLAGUE, INC (Android) Plague, Inc. tasks you with creating the perfect super-virus that must infect people at a terrific rate, and adapt to every cure humanity can throw at it. Your aim is to get the job done in as little time as possible by earning DNA points that upgrade your super-virus’s abilities to be more resistant to study (and therefore a cure), resilient to environmental conditions or simply violently effective so that it can spread faster than a cure can be developed. Free, with in-app purchases

HITMAN GO (iOS) Hitman: GO brings the murder and mayhem of the Hitman series to a turn-based, boardgame-like setting. Instead of 3D worlds, you’ll be planning your target’s assassination in gorgeous isometric environments while looking for creative ways to remain under the radar. This unique puzzler scratches both the murder and puzzle-solving itch the series is known for, just from a new perspective. R54.99 with in-app purchases

HEARTHSTONE (iOS) This charming card-duelling game looks just as amazing on iPad as it does on a PC or Mac, and is both challenging and addictive. Play solo or against live players and rank up, earning card unlocks and other rewards along the way. You don’t have to spend a cent, either – you can earn plenty of extra cards for your deck completing the game’s quests and levelling up your characters. Free with in-app purchases

WWW.HTXT.CO.ZA | 33

There’s no substitute.

FUJIFILM’s acclaimed X-Series technology once again places you, the photographer, in the leading role, letting you capture any photographic moment exactly as you intended.

The central themes of the X-series are simplicity and elegance. The camera is a precision instrument, but one that’s combined with a functional beauty. Now, this fusion has resulted in the new fagship of the X-series, the X-T1, and, like every model that’s come before it, you’ll fnd the joy of photography is hard-wired into its DNA, electrifying your instincts as a photographer, daring you to stretch your imagination and capture perfect images every time you shoot.

Freeze the moment in time - with X-T1, it ’s like a refex.

1THREAD_5240_TEC

PHOTOGRAPHY © Tsutomu Kishimoto Shutter Speed: 1/2” | Aperture: F2.8 | Focal Length: 400mm

Nikon brings things closer with new telephoto lens L

ooking for something to capture a distant subject with crystal clarity? Nikon South Africa has released the AF-S NIKKOR 400mm MM f/2.8E FL ED VR – a super-telephoto, fixed focal length (prime) lens. With a focal length of 400mm you will be able to bring far-away objects into close view for setting up the perfect shot. Grant Norton, Head of Sales for Nikon in South Africa, explained in a press statement that the lens provides excellent autofocus accuracy. “The new AF-S NIKKOR 400mm f/2.8E super-telephoto lens brings together innovative optics with precise autofocus accuracy to deliver superb images in a lighter package.”

The super-telephoto lens makes use of a combination of different elements, such as fluorite, ED and a Nano Crystal Coat, ensuring that the lens performs at its peak. The barrel of the lens is fitted with magnesium alloy to make it lighter, and to transition smoothly between horizontal and vertical shooting, the tripod collar ring comprises of bearings.

According to Nikon, “the super-telephoto lens is also equipped with an electro-magnetic aperture mechanism that contributes to better auto-exposure stability with high-speed continuous shooting, and a vibration reduction (VR) function that offers compensation for camera shake equivalent to a 4.0stop increase in shutter speed.”

SOUTH AFRICA’S BEST

CAMERA NEWS, TIPS, TRICKS AND TUTORIALS PHOTOS.HTXT.CO.ZA

WWW.HTXT.CO.ZA | 35

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PHOTOGRAPHY

Go super-wide with Canon’s new lenses

C

amera manufacturer Canon is giving photographers another means of going super wide, by adding two new high-performance, wide-angle zoom lenses to its EF range in South Africa.

The EF-S 10-18mm F4.5-5.6 IS STM is purpose-built for Canon’s consumer range of APS-C sensor EOS DSLRs,

and the company promises that it will deliver sharp and crisp wide-angle stills and HD movies. The lens makes use of optical IS and STM technologies to help with this.

For those looking for something a bit more professional, then the EF 1635mm F4L IS USM will do the trick.

The lens is the company’s first ultra-

wide L-series lens to feature Canon’s signature optical Image Stabilizer (IS) technology, so it will offer a four-stop advantage over non-IS lenses. There’s no South African prices yet, but it may be more reasonable than you think. The 16-35mm lens is hefty $1 200 (R12 500) overseas, but the 10-18mm lens is very tempting at $300 (R3 150).

Sony’s perky new compact is small but extremely powerful

M

any were convinced that compact cameras were destined for the rubbish bin of history. Stuck between ever improving mobile phones and lower priced mirrorless systems, it looked as though compacts were as unlikely to survive. Then we started seeing snappers like the Cybershot RX series from Sony, and a comeback was clearly on the cards: small, powerful and keenly priced the whole format started to look more attractive again. Sony announced its new flagship RX100 III. It’s a follow-up from the RX100 and RX100 II models, and features a specially developed ZEISS Vario-Sonnar T* 24-70mm1 F1.8-2.8 lens and adds a built-in OLED viewfinder with ZEISS T* coating for super sharp focussing and scratch resistance. Using the same 20.1 MP 1.0-type back-illuminated CMOS image sensor as the previous RX100 II model, it adds a BIONZ X processor. While the RX100 III is a compact camera, the processor is the same that can be found in full-framed models such as the a7 and a7R models.

A major feature for the RX100 III is the new Zeiss lens, which covers the 24 -70mm focal length with a wide F1.8 – F2.8 aperture.

According to Sony, the wide aperture at 70mm allows the lens to let in about twice the amount of light as the RX100 and RX100 II models. “The new ZEISS lens realizes outstanding corner-to-corner

sharpness, with nine total aspherical glass elements including two advanced aspherical elements that have been cemented together – a world’s first in lens manufacturing,” Sony concluded. The RX100 III is expected to go on sale in June and will retail for about $800, South African pricing TBC.

WWW.HTXT.CO.ZA | 37

SUPERTEST

WHICH IS THE BEST…

Action Camera

Action cams are ultra-portable and incredibly easy to use, but which is South Africa’s best one?

W

hen it comes to filming action sequences or high-speed extreme sports, more often than not the go-to piece of equipment would be an action camera. They have been making their mark on consumers ever since they entered into the mainstream segment about six or so years ago. Ever since then, consumers have been strapping them onto helmets, bike handles, canoe paddles and even birds or sharks. The reason they have become so integral to filming high-speed action or extreme sports

is that they are incredibly versatile and ultra-portable – sometimes no larger than a computer mouse. But there is also a down side to cramming so much HD technology into a small form-factor – price.

They tend to border on the expensive side, but once the power of these little beauties have been discovered, it becomes incredibly difficult to return to the old ways of the tradition (or dedicated) video camera. There are a number of companies that produce a variety of action cameras, but which one should consumers settle for?

WWW.HTXT.CO.ZA | 39

SUPERTEST

ROLLEI BULLET YOUNGSTAR 720P

SMALL AND INEXPENSIVE, IT IS AN OPTION FOR THE BUDGET-CONSCIOUS

by RCP-Technik in 2007 – so they have a couple of years of experience. Catering more towards the lower-end of the price spectrum, they have a number of action camera models for all sorts of activities.

HANDLING Fractionally bigger than the Hero3+, the lightweight plastic casing encompasses everything that users might want to achieve. Operation is fairly simple, as it has a power button and a capture button, both located on the top. It really is a matter of pointing and shooting, with no fuss. Just like the Hero3+, it comes with a waterproof housing and the handling while in the case provide for a similar experience. Although it is impossible to touch the screen while the cover is on.

Y

ou could be forgiven if you haven’t heard about Rollei before, but the company has been in the cameraproducing business since 1902. They established their reputation in the 50s and 60s as a precision manufacturer, and was acquired

IMAGE QUALITY With a 1.3MP CMOS sensor, users shouldn’t expect award-winning footage, but at least it is in 720p and 30fps. The 135° Wide Angle lens will also help to capture as much as possible, while the electronic shutter speed control and automatic exposure compensation will assist in allowing just the right amount of light to enter the lens. The Youngstar has a fixedfocus lens, yet users can zoom in and out by using the touch screen. While it might seem like a nifty feature to have, the quality of the zoomed-in images deteriorate rather quickly.

PERFORMANCE The little video camera might not be as powerful at the rest in this supertest, but it can hold its own in the budget range. It features a 2-inch touchscreen at the back, and while it is a nifty thing to have, it not consistent in sensitivity and pressing some options can be difficult. The waterproof housing is sturdy enough, but users won’t be able to change from video to still images while the housing is on. It also features a rather small battery, as users will only be able to squeeze about 90 minutes out of the unit.

KEY FEATURES • HD Video Resolution (720p/30fps) • 135° Wide Angle lens • Up to 90 minutes of battery power • Electronic shutter speed control and automatic exposure compensation • Waterproof up to 10 meters R850

SCORES Handling

7

Image Quality

6

Performance

6

Value

8

Overall

7

GOPRO HERO3+ G BLACK EDITION TINY AS A MATCHBOX, IT GETS THE JOB DONE

oPro has managed to become the quintessential action camera since they introduced their first model in 2005. Since then, the company has produced a great number of different variations, all with differing qualities and strengths. But their flagship model is without a doubt the Hero3+ Black Edition, capturing the imagination and action of brand ambassadors like skateboarder Shaun White and Austrian skydiver Felix Baumgartner.

HANDLING Measuring in at slightly larger than a matchbox and weighing 136g, it is 20% smaller and lighter than previous GoPro models, making one of the most portable cameras out there. There is virtually nothing that users have to do in terms of operation (other than setting the mode), as simply pressing one button will do the trick. With only two buttons, navigating the menu

40 | TECH MADE EASY | JUNE 2014

SUPERTEST

GARMIN VIRB ELITE SLIGHTLY BIGGER THAN THE REST, BUT STILL PRETTY GOOD. HANDLING The VIRB is an interesting one in the sense that it is considerably larger than most of the action cameras on the market. Yet, it handles fairly well. In terms of operational use, to start filming all that users have to do is flip a big switch on the side of the body. To take still images, there is a dedicated button for that as well. The unit is also waterproof (IPX7), so it will able to film underwater, as well as take a few knocks. A number of accessories will allow users to slap it on almost anything, improving its usability.

IMAGE QUALITY With a 16 megapixel CMOS image processor and WideVü lens, captured videos and still images will be crisp, and pretty much on par with some mid-range compact cameras. As its primary function is to capture video, a number of modes are available: 1080p@30fps, 960p@48fps, 720p@30/60fps, 848x480@120fps. Action sports by nature are fast-paced, so Garmin included a Digital Stabilization to minimize the effects of constant motion. It also includes Photo Burst or Time Lapse modes in 16 megapixels. For stills, 16 megapixel, 12 megapixel or 8 megapixel are selectable.

PERFORMANCE With a solid body and easy controls, the VIRB is ready to go straight out of the box.

It is powered by a 2000 mAh lithium-ion battery, which should give users around three hours of 1080p recording – which is more than the average. The only issue that

options can become a bit of a mission, but practice will make perfect.

IMAGE QUALITY With 4K support and a plethora of full-HD recording mode to choose from, users will be spoilt for choice. An ultra-wide angle field of view will capture anything that is in the general vicinity, and the fixed f/2.8 aperture, ultra-sharp 6-element aspherical glass lens ensures that that quality is top-notch. In short, there are very few action HD cameras that can give the Hero3+ a run for its money.

In terms of low light performance, GoPro tweaked a number of settings, providing even better quality when the lights are dim. For still images, the camera can shoot at 12MP, and up to 30 frames per second.

PERFORMANCE Described by the company as “the world’s most versatile camera”, users would be

hard-pressed to find reasons why it isn’t.

Based purely on performance, the Hero3+ has an excellent track record, but the spot meter can be a bit…er… spotty. It’s also not as fast as the VIRB in terms of taking stills or video, as it takes a couple of seconds to initiate the operation. While the VIRB has a small screen, the Hero3+

starts to become a bit of a frustration is the screen – it’s a 1.4-inch Chroma Display. In directly sunlight it is virtually impossible to operate, but at least it has a screen to see what is being filmed. Other than that, it operates as it should – recording video and still images with the touch of a button.

KEY FEATURES • 1080p HD video recording with 16 megapixel CMOS image processor • 1.4” Chroma display • GPS, accelerometer and barometric altimeter • 2000 mAh lithium-ion battery • Various capture modes, as well as WiFi connectivity R5 599

SCORES Handling

8

Image Quality

8

Performance

7

Value

8

Overall

8

doesn’t, so users will have to generally estimate what it is focusing on. It’s not a big issue, as users can pair it with the smartphone app, and operate it through there. It also has a smaller battery than the VIRB, but that can be ascribed to the lack of a display – lasting about two hours when filming in 1080p at 30fps.

SCORES

KEY FEATURES * Video resolutions up to 4K * 12MP photos up to 30 frames per second * Built-in WiFi * Waterproof to 40m * 1180mAH lithium-ion battery R5 999

Handling

8

Image Quality

8

Performance

8

Value

7

Overall

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SUPERTEST

CONCLUSION While it might seem like the GoPro Hero3+ is the champion of this test, the Garmin VIRB Elite does provide for some stiff competition. The Hero3+ doesn’t have a screen, while the VIRB does, although it’s not fantastic.

The VIRB also doesn’t come with a housing, so there might be some trepidation to submerge the camera, while the Hero3+ and the Rollei come with a waterproof housing. The Hero3+ also comes boxed with a rather cool remote control, so user will be able to remotely stop and start recording –

especially if the camera is placed on a difficult-to-reach spot.

But going purely by the numbers, the Hero3+ Black Edition does come out on tops, as it has superior image quality, a vast number of recording modes (as well as 4K support) and can take 12MP photos at up to 30 frames per second.

It is the most expensive one in the bunch, but if users are willing to fork out R 5 600 for the VIRB, they might as well spend R300 extra and get on of the best action cameras ever produced.

ALL ABOUT THE GOPRO GoPro initially started as a company called Woodman Labs, named after founder Nick Woodman in California, USA. Woodman wanted to capture his surfing action while on holiday in Australia in 2002, and soon realised that there wasn’t a suitable product on the market to do the job.

The name for the camera that eventually went on to become one of the most recognised names in action cameras, stemmed from this desire to get professional angles and shots. The rest, as they say, is history.

As evidenced by the photos in this collage, people have been strapping the unit onto their bodies to catch some of the most amazing

42 | TECH MADE EASY | JUNE 2014

OR’S T I D E OICE CH

images ever. The company itself calls the little capturer “the most versatile camera in the world”, and it’s easy to see why.

With a plethora of accessories, a GoPro can be mounted on a telescopic pole, attached to a Gooseneck to get unique angles, or fixed onto a head or chest mount to get an almost first-person view of the surroundings.

And it is built tough. Some of the most amazing footage and images have been captured while the wearers were in the thick of snow, covered in mud, thrown from a plane or attached to an aerial drone for a bird’s eye view of sharks in a bay.

Turning amateurs into pro’s

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HOW CAMERAS WORK

Explaining Exposure: Aperture Controlling how light gets through your lens is critical to taking awesome photographs

T

ime was you couldn’t be considered a real photographer unless you understood all about light. Back when manual controls were the only controls, you had to have a grasp of the basic physics in order to get the camera set-up correctly every time. Nowadays, fully automatic cameras do everything for you in half the time you can do it yourself, and usually with better results.

So you’d be forgiven for having no idea what something like an F-stop actually is.

If you want to make your photos better, however, it’s something you’re going to have to learn.

WHAT IS APERTURE? The aperture of a lens simply defines the diameter of the hole through which light passes through on its way to the camera sensor. It’s not a discrete measure – there’s no such thing as a ‘22mm’ aperture, for example – but rather it’s expressed as a ratio of the focal length of the lens to the size of the aperture. You’ll see this written as F-stop values, such as F1.4 or f/1.4 (we use F1.4 as it’s a more modern way of writing it, but f/1.4 is technically

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44 | TECH MADE EASY | JUNE 2014

more correct as it retains the original ratio expression where f=focal length).

lens. Indoor shots without a flash will need a big aperture, like F2.4.

HOW DOES IT AFFECT PHOTOS? Basically, the amount of light captured – the overall exposure – is dependent on three things. The shutter speed, the aperture and the ISO rating or sensor sensitivity. A wider aperture means more light can enter the lens, therefore an equivalent exposure can be captured with a slower shutter speed or lower sensitivity.

DEPTH OF FIELD The critical reason for understanding aperture is to control the ‘depth of field’ of an image. This describes the amount of the picture that’s in focus. A high F-stop value will mean more of an image is in focus – at F22, for example, you might have everything up to 30 metres away appearing sharply in your final picture. At F2.8. you might find that a subject’s nose is in focus but the eyes are already starting to blur away. Getting the aperture right is how photographers make the backgrounds of their images blurry while keeping the subject sharp – a trick you must master in order to get people to look where you want them too.

BIGGER IS LOWER Perversely, the higher the F-stop value, the smaller the aperture. So shooting on a sunny day, for example, you might want to choose a high F-stop like F22 and only allow a small amount of light through the

APERTURE PRIORITY Most cameras will have an ‘aperture priority’ mode. Using this, you can lock the aperture to a certain setting and let the camera set other exposure values automatically. It’s the best way of shooting pictures you know you want to be fully sharp or have blurry backgrounds.

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WIN!

R9 000 WORTH OF THULE PERSPEKTIV CAMERA BAGS TO GIVE AWAY

First prktiziv e A Thule Perspe Backpack ktiv A Thule Perspe r de Large Toploa

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Tough new bags from Thule give you ultimate peace of mind for carrying around your camera..

I

f you’re familiar with the Swedish company Thule, it’s probably thanks to the fact that its car accessories are everywhere. It makes the best designed, toughest and simplest to use luggage racks, bike carriers, towbar attachments and even roof mounts for carrying your gear around. That’s why everyone buys them.

But what you probably didn’t know is that the company also applies its engineering know-how for personal packaging too. As well as things to make putting stuff on your car safer, Thule makes things which make carrying your gear easier too. Specifically, your camera gear.

Third prize

A Thule Perspekt iv GoPro case

To celebrate the launch of its award-winning camera bags here in South Africa, the company has sent us R9 000 worth of its sturdy and beautifully made Perspektiv bags to give away. Which we plan to do via the time honoured mechanism of awarding readers prizes.

We’ve divided the cases up in to three separate bundles for three separate winners, and made the competition as easy to enter as possible. All you need to do is point your browser at www.htxt.co.za/winathulebagortwo and follow the easy on-screen instuctions.

ENTER AT WWW.HTXT.CO.ZA

TO ENTER

/WINATHULEBAGORTWO

Point your web browser at www.htxt.co.za/winathulebagortwo and complete the following sentence in 20 words or less: My camera needs a new case because...

The closing date is 30th June 2014, after which we’ll pick three winners based on our appreciation of their answer.

Terms & Conditions apply – full details on the competition entry page.

HOW TO: PHOTOS

How to clean your lens and filters Learn how to take care of your lens so that you never scratch it again

W

e have all been there: taken an amazing photo only to realise that there is something strange in the image. Upon closer inspection, you see that it’s a not a piece of foreign material, but a minute streak, fingerprint or scratch across the lens.

There is a good reason why most lenses come with a little cleaning cloth, and we’ll show you just how to polish it correctly below.

PROPER TOOLS However you tempted might be to quickly clean a lens or filter with the corner of your shirt or handkerchief, don’t. It is one of the worst things that you can subject a lens to. The fine coating on a lens has been designed for rough surfaces, so make use of a micro-fiber cloth and Methyl alcohol.

A hand-operated air blower will also come in handy.

TECHNIQUE While you might be tempted to just cover the cloth with cleaning fluid and rub it all over the lens, there is actually a technique to it. Doing it incorrectly, even with the right equipment, could damage the lens.

Slow and steady does it, with even strokes and circular motions.

DUST AND DIRT If dust or dirt managed to creep into that hugely-expensive lens, the best way to get rid of them is to use a camel-hair brush to sweep it away. Or, if you don’t like the idea of using a brush, an air blowers is your next option. Just make sure that it isn’t canned air, as that will cause undue damage.

motions. You should never clean a lens without using some form of lubricant (called dry cleaning), as in this case your breath. If the marks persist, use a different corner of the cloth and repeat the process.

METHYL ALCOHOL Methyl alcohol should never be applied to the lens or mirror directly, as it can damage the special coatings. The alcohol is also great for when a micro-fiber cloth isn’t close by. In such a case, any soft cotton-based material can be used, but great caution needs to be taken.

IMAGE SENSOR The same principles apply for the image sensor as that of the lens, but greater caution needs to be taking as it is far more delicate. The image sensor or mirror should almost never be touched, let alone directly, as the best way to remove dust is with the air blower.

FINGERPRINTS AND STREAKS Being as gentle as possible, take the folded micro-fiber cloth, breathe onto the lens surface and gently rub it in circular

WWW.HTXT.CO.ZA | 47

Print from your mobile phone Modern smartphones can help you you print wirelessly and easily

P

rinting anything can be a very messy affair. Even trying to get something from your desktop PC to a printer designed for it usually involves some sort of driver software(s) and a complicated installation process. But that doesn’t have to be the case, because you can now print directly from your smartphone or tablet without any need for drivers or bloated software. Here’s how to go about it: DO IT WITH APPS Epson, Brother and Samsung all have Android and iOS apps for their own printers that let you print, scan and sometimes even fax right from your phone or tablet. Using them is as simple as downloading them from the app store, connecting to the same network the printer is on and choosing the document or photo you’d like to print.

Most of the apps also let you save files to online storage services like Dropbox, OneDrive, Google Drive and iCloud and also print documents stored there.

DO IT OVER EMAIL Epson and HP let you print without even being in the same room as your printer, and doing it is as simple as sending an email.

Or rather, doing it is exactly like sending an email: thanks to HP’s ePrint and Epson’s Email Print technologies, all you have to do is compose an email to your printer once you’ve set it up with its own address, attach the files you want printed and hit Send.

Even if you’re on the other side of the world, as long as your printer is connected to the internet your attachments will print and best of all, it works with any piece of technology that can send an email.

DO IT WITH DEDICATED SERVICES Apple’s AirPrint is built right into its latest operating systems and lets you print anything you see on your Mac, iPad, iPhone and iPod touch’s screen directly to your AirPrint-compatible printer, provided both devices are attached to the same network.

Simply go to whatever content you’d like to

print, tap the actions icon and choose the name of the printer you’d like to print on, and you’re done.

Google’s Cloud Print service goes one step further and lets you print to any printer you’ve attached to your Google account, from your PC, Android phone/ tablet or any device that can run the Chrome browser.

You have to jump through a few hoops to set up Cloud Print, but once it’s done and the printer you’ve selected remains connected to the internet, you can print from anywhere there is connectivity.

DO IT WITHOUT PRINTER DRIVERS If you follow these simple tips, you’ll never have to wrestle with a printer installation on PC or Mac again. The only thing to keep in mind when printing this way is that you don’t have as much control over the final print as you do when printing from a PC or Mac, where you can fiddle with driver settings to get the best print possible.

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HOW TO…

Track a stolen P smartphone ART 1 ANDROID

Android has a lot of great options for recovering a stolen phone, but you’re better off preparing for the worst ahead of time.

I

nitially Google’s Android operating system was bereft of the likes of Apple’s ‘Find my iPhone’ service but there were, and still are, a host of options for the security conscious user to protect themselves with.

Thankfully though the official Android Device Manager was launched as a standalone application in the Google Play Store at the end of 2013 and can be downloaded for any device using Android 2.2 or higher.

Android phones and tablets with active cellular connections will be able to locate themselves using the cellular networks, WiFi only tablet will need to connect to a WiFi network for their location to be mapped.

FEATURES Ring – Your Android device will ring at maximum volume for five minutes to help you find where it is. You can stop the ringing by pressing the power button.

1

HOW TO SET UP ANDROID DEVICE MANAGER Open the All Apps Menu and select ‘Google Settings’ (it’s a grey logo with a white ‘g’ and gear in its top right hand corner).

1

2

2

3

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Lock – Replace your standard Android lock screen with a new password and an optional message that will appear when the device is unlocked.

Erase – This performs a factory reset on your device which erases all apps, photos, music and settings. After you erase the device, Android Device Manager will no longer be able to track the device. If your device is offline the factory reset will occur as soon as it goes online again.

Select Android Device Manager.

You turn on the following options: Remotely locate this device – Find your device and show its location on Google Maps. For devices running 4.1 and higher you have to enable location access (go to Google Settings > Location > Access location).

Allow remote lock and factory reset – Allows both the device lock and erase functions to work.

WWW.HTXT.CO.ZA | 51

SHUTTERSTOCK.COM

H E L P! !

T S O L I’M

HOW TO…

How to record, edit & upload video with a PS4 Sharing game screenshots and videos with your friends has never been easier

S

ince the PS4 is always recording what you’re doing, when you hit the Share button a video of the last 15 minutes of gameplay is ready to be edited and uploaded. Editing options aren’t extensive - you can only set starting and ending points for your clip - but they are just enough to let you quickly and easily show off that really cool move you just pulled or that amazing online moment you’ve just witnessed. To show you just how easy it is we’ve put together this quick guide.

STEP 2 Press the Share button on your controller.

STEP 5 Choose the start and end point of your video. The PS4 automatically cuts your footage down to size and saves it as a new video.

STEP 3 Select Upload Video Clip.

STEP 6 Select Facebook or Twitter as the online destination for your video upload.

STEP 1 Play a game of your choosing. Hint: This one’s pretty good.

STEP 4 Choose the clip you’d like to share.

STEP 7 Your friends and followers will see your video posted to your chosen social media platform once the upload is complete.

Learn more at…

go to htxt.co.za

52 | TECH MADE EASY | JUNE 2014

HOW TO STREAM GAMES FROM ONE PC TO ANOTHER WITH STEAM Just because you only have one high-powered gaming PC doesn’t mean that’s the only place you can play games at their highest settings.

Bit.ly/1mxyULz

HOW TO TRACK A STOLEN IPHONE, IPAD OR MAC Apple’s ‘Find my iPhone’ service has been available to iPhone users since 2010 and has recently become available on iPads and Mac computers as well.

Bit.ly/1giE2ne

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STATS

SA tech

The numbers that sum up the state of the nation

in stats

You can enter a competition to appear in the next Star Wars film by donating R100 to charity.

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17 tech projects from around Africa have been awarded up to R200 000 each from Google and WeTech, for their work supporting women in IT. Bit.ly/1mstIZf

30 000 people sent selfies to NASA to make a giant mosiac of faces to celebrate Earth Day. Bit.ly/1mstu4p

R0

The cost of calls using SAdeveloped app,

ttrumpet.

Bit.ly/1khGWbT

Samsung’s new 4K TVs

cost R70 000.

Bit.ly/1hqtg9w

The Find&Fix pothole app from Joburg Roads Authority was used 1 606 times in its first week.

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Yunnis Carrim, the widely liked and highly regarded Minister for Communications, served just 11 months in his position before being booted out.

No-one’s sure why. Bit.ly/1prAVcB

Enjoy this free copy of htxt.africa’s Tech Made Easy? There’s loads more like this – plus in depth features, geek culture and business news – at our website www.htxt.co.za.

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