In this week's news round-up, our Agents investigate some significant changes to iPlayer, the triumphant return of the ZX Spectrum and an incredible new wearable from the makers of Snapchat.
Plus, there's a surprising about-face from HP and all the space-related news you could wish for – so grab your favourite hot drink and settle in for the Week in Geek!
Top trending tech news
BBC iPlayer to require a login from 2017
Here at Geek Squad, we’d never for a minute suggest attempting to watch iPlayer without a valid TV licence – and from the first of September, one has been mandatory to watch both live and catch-up TV on the BBC’s popular streaming service.
At the moment, however, the new law is difficult to enforce – but that could be about to change with the announcement this week that, by early 2017, iPlayer will require users to register a ‘BBC iD’ account. This account will include your name, date of birth and – crucially – your postcode.
Currently, the Beeb claims that “TV Licensing will have access to the information but… it will not be used for enforcement purposes”. Instead, the information will be used to collect accurate information on audiences and their preferences. However, it’s practically inevitable that the details will eventually be used for licence enforcement.
Our advice? Pick one up now if you’ve been holding off. It’s the law – and, more importantly, it funds the programmes you love. Without a regular stream of income, it could be the end of the line for fantastic shows like Doctor Who– and indeed Doctors.
Evidence of water plumes found on Jupiter’s moon Europa
There was excitement in the world of astronomy this week as NASA scientists announced the discovery of “surprising activity” on Jupiter’s moon Europa. No, sadly, it wasn’t aliens – this time. Instead, researchers manning the Hubble Space Telescope saw plumes of water bursting through Europa’s frozen surface.
The water jets were spotted by detecting their silhouettes against against the light reflected by Jupiter’s surface: an incredible feat of astronomical imaging that stretched the ageing Hubble hardware to its limit.
The find is particularly significant as Europa’s frozen ocean is considered one of the most likely places in the solar system to find extraterrestrial, microbial life. The prospect of drilling through the moon’s surface to analyse the liquid water below presents some incredible engineering challenges – but it’s thought an unmanned probe could quite easily fly through one of these ejected water plumes and collect a sample of water for further study.
Of course, we’re still a long way off that kind of mission – but this is still a fantastic development for anyone who’s awed and inspired when they look up into the stars. Learn more in the NASA video above!
HP promises to remove third-party ink-blocking update
In a surprising move, HP have backtracked on their controversial decision to block third-party ink cartridges with a firmware update.
As we mentioned in last week’s round-up, the update prevented users from refilling or purchasing cheaper ink, and instead forced them to purchase the genuine product at the premium price. After near-universal backlash from consumers, the company has promised to remove the update – and admit they should have done a “better job of communicating” the changes.
HP will be offering an optional update to remove the block, and said the reason for the move was to protect their customers from counterfeit products. These fake products can often be inferior quality and could potentially open up security risks – but campaigners believe the move was to protect the company’s profit margins, rather than protecting consumers!
New on the High Street
ZX Spectrum Vega+ launching next month
Readers of a certain age may fondly remember the ZX Spectrum– an 8-bit home computer launched in 1982 that taught a generation of young people how to code (and how to distribute pirated cassettes to your pals – allegedly).
While home computing has changed immeasurably in the intervening 34 years, the humble Speccy has always maintained a dear place in the hearts of its fans – and so, we were delighted to learn this week that an all-new rebooted version, based on modern hardware, is due to be released next month.
The ZX Spectrum Vega+, as it’s known, couldn’t look more different to its predecessor. Gone are the VHS-cassette aesthetics and notoriously rubbish rubbery keyboard: the new device looks more like a PlayStation Portable than anything else – with a d-pad, four primary and three secondary buttons, and a sharp LCD screen with a 4:3 aspect ratio.
This makes it perfect for retro gaming on the go – something that’s made even easier with the addition of a microSD card slot, which should be able to hold somewhere in the region of sixteen squillion of the Spectrum’s tiny games. Those looking to do some serious computing won’t be left out, either, with the ability to connect the handheld device to a full-sized keyboard and monitor for those all-night, Tango-fuelled coding sessions.
We’re yet to get our hands on the device, but it looks fantastic – let’s hope Sir Clive and the team can pull it off!
Snapchat Spectacles set for an autumn release
Not too long ago, Agent Cruickshank investigated the new generation of social networking apps growing in popularity– and while some of them have been little more than flashes in the pan, Snapchat is one latter-day network that seems to be going from strength to strength.
Indeed, the app has an estimated userbase of more than 150 million daily users as of June this year – and now, it seems developers Snap Inc. are looking to capitalise on that success by moving into the hardware market.
Their new device is known as Snapchat Spectacles and, as the name suggests, it takes the form of a pair of glasses. Appropriately for the hipster-friendly app, they come in an achingly cool round-eye shape, and will be available in three colours: black, teal and coral.
The real selling point, though, is the tiny cameras embedded the the corners of the lenses. These will enable you to shoot 10-second videos at the touch of a button, syncing automatically with your smartphone for effortless Snapchatting. The camera features a 115-degree lens, making it wider than most regular cameras – perfect for capturing more of the action in your field of view.
Now, the first thing that comes to mind for us is the ill-fated Google Glass: a product announced with much fanfare, but which proved immediately controversial as it transpired that many people are uncomfortable with the idea of surreptitious public video recording.
The focus of the Spectacles is undoubtedly more casual – but it remains to be seen whether the device will face the same kind of backlash when they’re released later in the autumn, priced around £100. Check ‘em out in the video above!
Voyager’s golden record to receive a vinyl ‘reissue’
There are rare records, and then there are rare records – and then there’s the Voyager Golden Records.
These two discs, constructed from gold-plated copper, were included on the Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 spacecraft, launched back in 1997. Devised by Carl Sagan and intended as a sort of ‘time capsule’ for any sentient life that might encounter them, the discs contained a selection of audio recordings, engraved messages and even encoded images.
Until now, the only way you could get your hands on a copy was by tracking them down in interstellar space, 13 billion miles from Earth. But that all changed this week with the announcement that the iconic records would be reissued on vinyl in a special 40th-anniversary edition for Earth-based beings to enjoy.
The three-LP boxed set contains a range of audio designed to represent the best of humanity, from greetings in 55 different languages to a 90-minute music selection from cultures around the world. The set also comes with a hardcover book of images from the original record, plus essays and ephemera from the project.
At around £75 for Kickstarter backers, the new edition isn’t cheap – but as space exploration takes a backseat on an increasingly divided and troubled planet, we reckon space enthusiasts are going to love this relic of a more optimistic time.
Movie and TV news
Dark Tower spin-off TV series announced
“Long days and pleasant nights, Stranger.” We covered the Dark Tower movie a few weeks ago – but wait, there’s more!
To celebrate Stephen King’s 69th birthday last week, production company MRC and Sony Pictures announced they’re working on a spinoff TV series of the Dark Tower saga that will focus which will focus on the first book, The Gunslinger, and expand on Roland Deschain’s backstory. Idris Elba is also set to reprise the role.
Well, we say 'reprise'– but really, the movie hasn’t even been released yet. It's due to hit cinemas next February – and from the little we’ve seen so far, it’s beginning to look really good, and we can’t wait to see it.
Don’t expect to see the TV show anytime soon, though: the studios are aiming to launch the series premiere all the way into 2018 – which is likely to be when the movie finally starts being released on subscription TV and streaming services.
So far, though, we haven't seen so much as a teaser – but you can find out a little more about the movie in the video above.
Firewatch to become a feature film
In fantastic news for fans of adventure game Firewatch, developer Campo Santa has struck a deal with independent movie producers Good Universe – the people behind Oldboy, Neighbours and The Night Before – to bring the story to the silver screen.
The game followed Henry, a middle-aged man escaping his troubled past by taking an isolated summer job as a fire-watcher. With supervisor Delilah as his only company, the pair eventually grow closer over the dangerously dry summer as mysterious events lead to a thrilling conclusion.
When Firewatch wasreleased way back in February, we rather liked the slow paced wandering experience with its gorgeous sun-drenched vistas, rich character dialogue, and deeply engrossing storyline. It wasn’t to everyone’s taste – but the best niche titles don’t try be anything more than what they’re designed to be.
It was a short title, but we enjoyed the experience for what it was – and can’t wait to see more of the gorgeous 1980s Wyoming forest landscape. Get yourself in the mood by checking out the game's original trailer above!
Fruit Ninja to also become a movie for some reason
From a great idea to a terrible one, New Line Cinema have bought the movie rights to smartphone swipe-em-up Fruit Ninja in what must surely be a pure money-making scheme.
After the Angry Birds movie made an astonishingly impressive $300 million at the box office, it was perhaps inevitable that other intellectual properties would be swept up by studio execs with dollar signs for eyes. The new movie will apparently follow a group of misfits who become 'Fruit Ninjas' in order to save the world – a world dominated by malevolent melons, loathsome lemons and pernicious peaches, no doubt.
This isn’t the first time a completely unexpected video game title has made the leap from the tiny screen to the big screen. Russian tile-matching puzzler Tetris is also due to receive a trilogy of movies – because for some reason, the story is too big to fit into a single feature-length release. Go figure!
And finally...
McClaren unveils cutting-edge electric car… for toddlers
Companies like Tesla, Faraday Futures and even Apple are betting on electric cars as the transportation of the future– and now, high-end luxury carmaker McLaren are getting into the game with the P1TM.
The all-electric vehicle boasts a top speed of a blistering 3 mph – which doesn’t sound particularly impressive until you realise that the car is, in fact, a toy aimed at the under-six crowd.
The luxury plaything comes with a built-in stereo, three-speed gearbox (plus reverse) and working headlights. It’s available in just one colour – ‘Volcano Yellow’ – and will set deep-pocketed parents back about £375 from the end of October.
A little excessive? Perhaps. But if you’ve ever dreamed about having a real McLaren in your garage, this might just be your best shot.
That's it for this week's crucial round-up – but for more great articles from our Agents straight to your inbox each month, get your name down below for the Geek Squad newsletter!