Google’s Project Ara Delayed
Google's Project Ara has hit some delays - reportedly because the phone keeps falling apart.
Designed as a modular smartphone from Google's Advanced Technologies and Projects group, Project Ara will allow users to swap out components such as storage and cameras on the fly. However, the Project Ara team has revealed on Twitter that the "electropermanent magnets" that hold the modules in place are not strong enough, alongside the telling hashtag #FailedTheDropTest.
App Store Update: August 20
Every day hundreds of new apps make their debut on the App Store, and hundreds more are updated or reduced in price. We have sifted through the noise and highlighted those select few that might be worth your attention.
Note: The prices and deals compiled below are accurate at the time we published this story, but all are subject to change.
Final Fantasy VII – ($15.99)
As the promise of the long-awaited remake looms, Square Enix is taking advantage of the renewed interest in this classic to sell new ports of the original version. This fresh iOS port adds in some of the amenities of the PC version from years past and has a variety of control options to help you make your way back through Cloud's quest.
Netflix Teases Daredevil Season 2
Netflix tweeted a tease yesterday for Season 2 of Marvel's Daredevil, which is currently in production in New York City.
The streaming service captioned the image below: "The suit makes the man."
The suit makes the man. #Daredevil pic.twitter.com/9QgMzxgXTa
— Daredevil (@Daredevil) August 20, 2015But the image that has had fans talking online is actually the one below, which many outlets claim shows the Man Without Fear's new outfit (one that, according to who you ask, purportedly has more black in it).
Watch: Fear the Walking Dead’s First 3 Minutes
Ahead of AMC's series premiere for Fear the Walking Dead this Sunday, the first three minutes of the show's opening moments have been revealed.
Give the sneak peek a look below, courtesy of the show's official Facebook page.
Centered around a family based in Los Angeles, Fear the Walking Dead serves as a companion series to AMC's incredibly popular The Walking Dead, providing a look at the very beginnings of the zombie apocalypse through a new perspective.
The premiere 90-minute episode, written by executive producer Robert Kirkman and showrunner Dave Erickson, will air this coming Sunday, August 23, at 9 PM ET/PT. We got to check out the first episode a bit early; read our review right here.
The World’s Best Counter-Strike Teams Are Competing for $250,000
The premiere eSports tournament ESL ONE is underway in Cologne, Germany, as sixteen of the world's best Counter-Strike teams duke it out for a prize pool of $250,000.
Legendary teams Ninjas in Pyjamas, Virtus.Pro, NaVi and MouseSports will face American underdogs Cloud9, Counter Logic Gaming and others over four days of fierce eSports competition. Two live streams will host the action, ESL_CSGO and ESL_CSGOB, and a schedule for every match of the tournament is available over on ESL's tournament website.
Who’s Who in Fear the Walking Dead
Robert Kirkman's Walking Dead world already spans across comics, TV, and video games. And on Sunday, August 23rd, his grim zompocalypse world is about to get even bigger when AMC premieres Fear the Walking Dead - a TV spinoff/prequel that centers on a family in L.A. during the first days and weeks of the undead cataclysm. From the first sightings of, and confusion surrounding, everyone's favorite flesh-tearing walkers to the full-scale dismantling of society as we know it.
Fear the Walking Dead Premiere Review
Being a prequel set in an entirely different part of the U.S. however means that there's not even one connecting character between the two shows. Even the Telltale games, while still taking us back to the beginnings of the outbreak, focused on the same locations as The Walking Dead comic/TV show. So there were clever opportunities to sprinkle in a few known characters from the original run. Fear the Walking Dead contains a whole new cast. A new slew of unsuspecting characters who are about to have their lives horrifically changed forever.
The Martian Features These 9 Real NASA Technologies
NASA has taken to its blog to explain the science behind nine real NASA technologies featured in Ridley Scott’s new film The Martian.
Based on the 2011 novel of the same name by Andy Weir, the upcoming film stars Matt Damon as Mark Watney, a botanist accidentally left for dead on Mars.
Watney must survive on the Red Planet using technology left behind by a previous mission. The tech is based on science NASA is developing in real-life for future missions, such as manned missions to Mars in the mid-2030s.
Lost Co-Creator Lindelof Defends Game of Thrones S5
Lost and The Leftovers co-creator Damon Lindelof has spoken out against criticism of Game of Thrones Season 5.
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Lindelof reacted to people who say that they've stopped watching because of certain scenes. "I think we live in a clickbait-y media culture that exists to pick things apart," he said.
"...And I see people pushing against Thrones where it’s like, literally from week to week, someone will say, 'This is the most excellent show, this season is firing on all cylinders, it’s never been better.” And then because of one story move—Stannis burns his daughter—suddenly
Here Are the First Details About All-New Inhumans
All-New Inhumans is scheduled to launch this December, and Marvel has released some initial details.
This will be the second ongoing Inhumans series and will be written by Charles Soule and James Asmus, along with artist Stefano Caselli. All-New Inhumans will complement Uncanny Inhumans by Soule and Steve McNiven.
Crystal will lead a team including Gorgon, Flint, Naja, and Grid, and they will be investigating ability-enhancing "Skyspears" that have started mysteriously appearing around the world. Crystal has previously worked as an Avenger, alongside the Fantastic Four, and with the X-Men when she was married to Quicksilver.
According to writer James Asmus on Marvel's website, All-New Inhumans will "focus on the strange and dangerous complications that come from a global unleashing of NuHumans." Asmus also said that "this book will be the number one way to see exactly how the Marvel Universe is changing as the Terrigen Cloud moves through the world."
Jennifer Lawrence Is the World’s Highest-Paid Actress
Hunger Games star Jennifer Lawrence is now the highest-paid actress in the world, taking the top spot from last year's leader, Sandra Bullock.
According to Forbes, the face of Katniss and Mystique raked in a whopping $52 million over the past year, spanning June 2014 to June 2015. Scarlett Johansson follows in second place with $35.5 million, with Melissa McCarthy rounding out the top three at $23 million.
The aforementioned Bullock, who was on top last year, slipped all the way down to number fifteen, earning $8 million.