We have a Silverstone Driving Choice Experience from Buy A Gift to give away worth £199.
Tear round Silverstone’s famous corners behind the wheel of the sleek Ferrari 400 BHP V8 F430 Coupe, feel the thrill of Formula One from the cockpit of an aerodynamic racing single-seater, or channel 007 as you take control of the simply superb Aston Martin V8 Vantage. You can choose the perfect experience for you, and what better place is there than the home of Formula One for you to let out your inner Jenson Button? There is plenty of opportunity to take pictures and videos so you can relive this unforgettable experience all over again!
What’s included?
Drive an Aston Martin 4.3V8 around Silverstone’s world famous F1 track – 30 minute safety briefing
– Demonstration lap with instructor
– Two sessions driving an Aston Martin 4.3V8 around the world famous Silverstone F1 track – 8 laps (16 miles) in total
– Debrief and driver assessment
Drive a Formula Silverstone Single-Seater around Silverstone’s world famous Stowe circuit
– 30 minute safety briefing
– Two sessions driving a Formula Silverstone Single-Seater around Silverstone’s world famous Stowe circuit – 10 minute session behind pace car & 20 minute session without pace car
– 15 minute debrief
Drive a Ferrari 400 BHP V8 F430 Coupe around Silverstone’s world famous F1 track – 30 minute safety briefing
– Demonstration lap with instructor
– Two sessions driving a Ferrari 400 BHP V8 F430 Coupe around Silverstone’s world famous F1 track – 8 laps (16 miles) in total
– Debrief and driver assessment
How to enter to win
We have a Silverstone Driving Choice Experience from Buy A Gift to give away worth £199.
The closing date is 12.00am on 28th August 2017. The prize is for a voucher from BuyAGift.co.uk. All expenses such as travel to event location are the responsibility of the winner.
This voucher is valid for 10 months for one person
This experience is available Saturday and Sunday, 8am-6pm, year round
Minimum age is 21 years and all participants must have held a full UK driving licence for 3 years
Minimum height is 5’2″/1.58m, maximum height is 6’6″/2.01m, and maximum weight is 18st/114.3kg
All dates are subject to availability
Refreshments are available to purchase on-site
This contest is only open to those in the UK – sorry!
McLaren Young Driver Lando Norris recently test drove a host of his team’s classic FORMULA ONE cars, as well as the striking MCL32 from this year’s championship, in F1 2017, the official videogame of the 2017 FIA FORMULA ONE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP.
Codemasters and Koch Media have today released a new trailer which showcases Norris taking on the new Japan Short circuit and talking about how each of the cars feels to drive.
The exciting young driver, just 17, recently took part in the official FORMULA ONE testing at the Hungaroring, setting the second fastest time behind World Championship leader Sebastian Vettel’s Ferrari.
“Getting behind the wheel for the first time was a really great feeling – after my test in the 2017 car in Hungary, I’m happy to confirm that these cars are much faster and more intense to drive, and that really comes across in the new game,” commented Norris. “I think people are going to have a lot of fun driving the new breed of Grand Prix car in F1 2017.”
He continued: “It was also a really nice experience to get to re-live several chapters of McLaren’s past by driving classic cars from 1988, 1991, ’98 and 2008, each representing a world championship success for the team. The 2008 title-winning car has tons of downforce, and is a lot of fun to throw about. The heritage cars are really the icing on the cake.”
In addition to all the official teams, cars, drivers and circuits from the current scintillating season, F1 2017 features 12 classic cars from McLaren, Ferrari, Williams, Renault and Red Bull Racing. There are also four brand new shortened circuits in Britain, Bahrain, USA and Japan as well as the chance to race around the famous Monaco street circuit at night. F1 2017 releases onto PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Windows PC (DVD and via Steam) worldwide on August 25th.
Spotify is available on Xbox One in 34 markets around the world, with the new integration means now Xbox One gamers can now choose the perfect music from Spotify to provide a fresh gaming soundtrack every time and to celebrate the launch Xbox has even have a playlist curated by Major Nelson himself.
Whether you’re battling hordes of enemies, scoring the winning goal or just enjoying the scenic routes of your favourite open world game, you can now create the perfect soundtrack to get you fired up for the next big challenge ahead.
Xbox One gamers will now be able to soundtrack their own gaming sessions using Spotify, to make every single session feel new and unique. Just download the Spotify app from the Xbox Store to choose your personalised gaming experience. You can choose from your saved music, search the full Spotify catalogue of 30 million tracks, or browse the pre-curated gaming playlists in the ‘Gaming’ hub.
Simply play your music on demand with your Xbox One controller, whether you are a free or a Premium Spotify user. You can also control playback on your Xbox wirelessly from the Spotify app on your phone, tablet or desktop using Spotify Connect.
Telltale Games, alongside DC Entertainment and Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, today premiered the inaugural episode of Batman: The Enemy Within, a new five-part game series that continues Telltale’s unique take on the Caped Crusader. Episode one, ‘The Enigma,’ is now available for download on Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC.
The series will become available on Mac later this week, and will come to both iOS and Android-based devices in early October. It will also be available at retailers across North America and Europe this October on a special ‘Season Pass Disc’ for Xbox One and PlayStation 4. The disc will include the first episode of the season, as well as download access to all subsequent episodes as they are released through an online connection.
both Bruce Wayne and Batman will be forced into precarious new roles. The Riddler has returned to terrorize Gotham City, but his gruesome puzzles merely foreshadow an even greater crisis. With the arrival of a ruthless federal agent and the return of a still nascent Joker, Batman must navigate uneasy alliances while Bruce Wayne undertakes a perilous series of deceptions.
Which of Batman’s new allies will you choose to trust? And how deep into the darkness will you let Bruce descend?
Back in March of this year Samsung announced the Samsung Galaxy S8 (Amazon UK under £600) and S8+. They both feature a new curved edge “Infinity Display” which is designed to give maximum screen size, whilst maintaining a small phone size, with a 5.8inch screen on the S8 and a 6.2inch on the S8+. Both smartphones feature a 12 megapixel rear camera with an f/1.7 aperture, and optical image stabilisation (OIS).
This review sample was sent by the kind people from Vodafone UK
Front of the Samsung Galaxy S8
The front camera has been updated to an 8 megapixel camera, with a bright f/1.7 aperture.
a pair of AKG headphonesMicro USB to USB type C converter and USB connector is in the S8 boxfinger print sensor and main camera
A second front camera has been added for face recognition which can be used to unlock the phone.
Samsung Galaxy S8 Features
The Samsung Galaxy S8 camera remains very similar to the excellent camera found in the Samsung Galaxy S7, with a 12-megapixel dual pixel sensor, and a f/1.7 aperture on both the front and rear cameras. There have been updates made to the software, with the camera app now featuring “Bixby Vision” built-in – letting you search the internet for similar items to what you’ve taken a photo of.
Bixby
The Galaxy S8 has the latest SnapDragon 835 processor, 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage. There is the capability to insert a microSD card into the phone, allowing for much greater storage when you’re taking lots of pictures, although most people probably won’t need it.
The S8 is also dust resistant and water resistant, it can withstand a half – hour dunking up to 1.5m down. It’s also got protection if you drop it – Corning Gorilla Glass 5 is used on both the screen and the back panel, making it tough.
The 12 megapixel back camera has 1.4um pixels, which are quite large for a smartphone, and allow the sensor to gather more light, and the camera also has optical image stabilisation. Touch focus can be used and 4K video can be recorded whilst simultaneously capturing 9-megapixel images. With incredibly fast autofocus, thanks to every pixel on the dual pixel sensor being used for phase detection. This means that the autofocus of the phone is blisteringly fast, capturing sudden movements.
There is a built-in LED flash on the rear, and the front screen can be used as a selfie flash when using the front camera, in low-light conditions.
Shooting modes include Auto, pro, panorama, selective focus, slow-motion, hyper lapse, food and virtual shot.
Samsung S8 Fast Charger
You get fast charging if you use the charger that came with the S8
The front “selfie” camera has been updated to an 8-megapixel camera, with a bright f/1.7 aperture, and auto-focus. Next to this, you can see an additional front camera, which is used for face recognition which can be used to unlock the phone. You can also use Iris recognition to unlock the phone or the fingerprint sensor on the back. There are additional sensors on the front as well (on the left). The front camera features Auto HDR and can record video up to QHD resolution (2560×1440), and FullHD with HDR.
As with all smart devices these days, it’s simple to share your images via Wi-Fi or on social media through the various apps available.
Volume rocker and Bixby buttonPower button on the right side of the S8
There is no longer a dedicated home button, instead, the button is on the screen. On the left-hand side are volume buttons, and a new “Bixby” button, and on the right-hand side is the power button.
Key Features
12-megapixel Dual Pixel rear camera, 1.4micron pixels
f/1.7 aperture, 26mm equivalent lens with Optical Image Stabilisation
8-megapixel front camera with f/1.7, and AF, 25mm equivalent.
Auto HDR (front and rear cameras), Raw shooting possible in Pro mode
4K UHD video capability whilst capturing 9-megapixel stills
Dustproof and waterproof to 1.5m for up to 30 mins
5.8inch Quad HD+ Super AMOLED (2960×1440) with Corning Gorilla Glass 5 (S8+: 6.2inch)
3000mAh battery (S8+: 3500mAh)
MicroSD slot, Fingerprint Sensor
Available in a number of colours
Samsung Galaxy S8 Handling
The Samsung Galaxy S8 looks rather nice, and photos don’t particularly do it justice, as often it just looks like a flat black soap like object. However, the curved front and back of the smartphone, as well as the large screen with thin edges, makes the smartphone almost feel like all you’re holding is a screen. One issue with the design of the S8 is the position of the fingerprint sensor, which is likely to cause you to put your finger over the camera lens, causing smudges, and lowering image quality. You can avoid this, however, by using one of the other methods for unlocking the phone (pin/pattern or iris scanner).
There are a number of shooting modes available including Auto, Pro, Panorama, Selective Focus, Slow motion, Hyperlapse, Food, and Virtual shot. You can even download additional (free) shooting modes from Samsung, including Animated GIF, Beauty Face, Sports Shot, Dual Camera, and more. To view the modes available you simply slide your finger from the left to right. Sliding your finger from the right to left will bring up the effects available within the camera app. When using the selfie camera, there are a number of built-in effects available.
The camera app is easy to use and it’s quick and easy to find options and change settings. The screen looks good whether used inside or outside, and it has an impressive resolution.
Bixby Vision requires the creation of a Samsung account and can help you find Wine, Text, Images or Shopping products similar to what you’ve pointed the camera at.
Camera
a local tree that got hit buy lightning a few years ago
Battery life
The Samsung Galaxy S8 has a 3000mAh battery, which is not removable. The phone should last at least a day, and the battery life appeared good even though the smartphone has an always on display that shows the time on screen. There are options to optimise battery life with different power saving modes.
Samsung Galaxy S8 Verdict
It seems strange that changing the screen ratio has made such a huge impact on the enjoyment of a smartphone, but a taller, narrower screen, means you’ve got plenty of space for apps, but you can also reach from one side to the other with one hand, and I’m able to reach the top and bottom of the phone with my thumb. The Samsung Galaxy S8 makes all other phones seem bulky with large frames, like when flatscreen TVs first came out and had huge frames.
The S8 has all of the benefits of the S7, including the same camera, waterproofing, MicroSD card slot, but with exceptional design improvements, increased memory and storage, as well as improved performance. The Samsung Galaxy S7 has one of the best cameras on a smartphone available, and the S8, with effectively the same camera, gives similarly excellent results, with one of the brightest lenses available at an impressive f/1.7. The camera is also capable of taking sharp, detailed images that look great, with colour that pops. With optical image stabilisation, ultra-fast phase-detection focus, and a 12-megapixel sensor, combined with a bright aperture, the S8 performs admirably in low-light.
The camera app gives excellent control, particularly in the Pro mode, where you can change manual settings, and shoot raw images. There are numerous shooting modes and effects, as well as the option to download additional features straight into the camera app. Add in the fact that you can use the camera underwater if the opportunity comes about, and you have an extremely capable camera, and smartphone, at your disposal.
If you want to shoot photos with your smartphone, and want one of the best possible cameras available, as well as a phone that impresses with a large 5.8inch screen, and a stylish design, then the Samsung Galaxy S8 is definitely at the cutting edge. For those that don’t like the recent trend of smartphones growing in size, the Samsung Galaxy S8 offers an impressive screen size, whilst remaining compact thanks to the tall, but narrow display.
One of the best phones I have used today hands down.
Charge up those busters, it’s time to blast through the Blue Bomber’s past! In this follow up to Mega Man Legacy Collection, which featured the original 8-bit classics, players can journey through several eras of classic side-scrolling Mega Man action spanning 16-bit, 32-bit and the return to 8-bit games, tackling the nefarious Dr. Wily and his diverse Robot Masters.
Mega Man Legacy Collection 2 includes Mega Man 7, 8, 9 and 10, plus bonus content such as extra challenges with online leaderboards, accessibility options for veteran and new players alike, and more. This compilation of classics is available today digitally across Europe for PS4, Xbox One, and Windows PC.
In addition to these four timeless adventures, the collection comes with a Museum packed with hundreds of rare concepts and original production art, first-timer friendly options like added armour and checkpoint saves for easy reloads, and a Challenge Mode featuring trials like boss rush and stage remixes complete with online leaderboards.
Also present are the additional modes such as extra stages and playable characters originally released as DLC for Mega Man 9 and 10. Music aficionados can also jam out to these games’ memorable, classic beats with a music player mode that includes all the tunes from the collection.
Cliff Bleszinski and Boss Key Productions, LawBreakers has launched today on PlayStation 4 and PC both priced at £24.99. The frenetic shooter brings unprecedented vertical combat, allowing players to deliver fatal blows from every direction utilizing innovative movement systems and combat abilities.
Choose between nine dynamic roles, eight gravity-defying maps, and five buzzer-beating game modes in high-intensity multiplayer team-based battles that will challenge even the most skilled FPS player.
“From the beginning, we committed ourselves at Boss Key to find the fun first when making LawBreakers, and place gameplay ahead of everything else. Since then, we’ve worked to push the genre into a new direction, taking everything we’ve learned in the past to deliver a super fast FPS that challenges gamers to be their best and truly compete in gravity-defying combat,” said Cliff Bleszinski, co-founder and CEO, Boss Key Productions.
“We’re thankful to all the fans that participated in the various alphas and betas we rolled out. We always strived to do “open development,” and found that being upfront and honest with our testing, along with no NDAs, provided invaluable, transparent feedback. Without this rapport, the game wouldn’t be what it is today – and we think we have something really special because of it.”
X Field Paintball looks to take the real life sensation of competitive paint balling and put it into video game form. It’s an interesting idea, so what about its execution.
X Field Paintball 3 looks to bring something different to eSports, however its execution is severely lacking, to the point I had to wonder how this got the green light in its current stage.
The only game mode that was available to me was 1 vs. 1 where the goal is to eliminate the other team, gain as many points as you can and press the buzzer located at their base. You can give commands to your team mates in order to work out a strategy to best go forward and even switch between offence and defence, depending on the situation.
The arenas themselves look to be pretty authentic, however the PS2 visuals doesn’t help to try and immerse you into it, especially as it’s an actual sport. The controls felt really wonky and the janky character models and movement doesn’t make me feel I’m in an actual paintball tournament.
The settings themselves didn’t have any graphics options, to the point that I couldn’t even choose the window size, something that should be basic in this day and age.
As for actually playing online, well unfortunately, I couldn’t get into a game no matter how long I waited (and believe me I waited). Was that due to server issues or perhaps not many people playing online, who knows? Is this also a reflection of the actual quality of the game as well? Well that would be a resounding yes!
The one thing that really baffles me about this is that the game was initially released for 24.99 and it was in a similar state, why it wasn’t put into early access from the beginning and from there have the fans help give feedback and support it would have done a lot more for it in the long run.
I honestly believe this could have been something special and it looks like to me that it was just pushed out the door too quickly. Both 1 and 2 were released on mobile and have apparently had great success, so If this is taken back into development for a couple more years, then yes we definitely have something on our hands here, but for now it’s even less than a shadow for what is full potential could be.
Here is an exclusive look at a brand new,10-minutes piece of footage from Life is Strange: Before the Storm.
Returning to a familiar setting in Arcadia Bay, this brand new gameplay shows a 16 year-old Chloe Price who is still struggling with her father’s death and trying to deal with the unwelcomed entry of a new father figure, David, into her life. After a blurred awaking following events in the Mill the night before, this scene – which is cut together from a much longer sequence in game – unveils Chloe’s house for the first time in Before the Storm and provides fans a glimpse at Chloe and David’s turbulent relationship.
The first of three episodes of Life is Strange: Before the Storm is entitled ‘Awake’ and will release on 31st August 2017 for Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and PC (Steam).
Today Honor has announced a new colour for the Honor 9 its called Glacier Grey.
Aimed at those who value excellent quality, an outstanding user experience and incredible price-performance ratio, the Honor flagship offers a multiplex of features. Maintaining its original Honor 9 design, the Glacier Grey handset comes with a 3D curved glass back, an upgraded dual-lens camera and even more power with the Kirin 960 processor. The smartphone is available with 4GB RAM, 64GB ROM and features Android 7.0, allowing applications or games to run with ease. The new handset in Glacier Grey is available to order from Honor’s exclusive network provider Three UK from the 4th of August for £379.99 on PAYG and a variety of contracts with exclusive network provider Three UK, starting at just £16 a month on a 24 month contract with no upfront cost.
“With the new Honor 9, we take manufacturing excellence to the next level”, said Eva Wimmers, President of Honor Western Europe. “Our world today is filled with pictures and moments we want to capture – Honor 9 does not only stand out through its elegant 3D curved glass back design, it also incorporates the newest camera features, easy to use for any proficiency level, and market-leading smartphone technologies – we build technology for people.”
Honor 9 – key technical data:
• 5.15 inch, 1.920×1.080 FHD display, 428 ppi, 2.5D glass front
• Kirin 960 octa-core (4x 2.4 GHz + 4x 1.8 GHz)
• 4 GB RAM, 64 GB ROM + microSD card up to 256 GB
• Android 7 (Nougat)
• EMUI 5.1
• 12 MP RGB + 20 MP monochrome dual-lens camera
• 3,200 mAh battery with Fast Charging Technology
• Bluetooth 4.2
• USB Type-C supporting USB OTG
• Dual Nano SIM or Nano SIM + microSD
• 155 grams
a local tree that got hit buy lightning a few years ago
