This week on The Refresh, DJI took the drone fight back to GoPro, Fifa and PES went head-to-head, Roku unveiled its new 4K line up, Apple powers into Battersea and this Robot could soon be in your house.
There’s a new drone in the sky
The battle of the foldable UAV is now underway as DJI announced its Mavic Pro quadcopter just a week after GoPro launched its Karma drone.
The DJI Mavic Pro can fit in your pocket – pretty much – and be flown with just your smartphone making it one of the most portable drones on the market, but without sacrificing any of the pro-like features that come with its other flagship products.
Its camera features the same size sensor as its bigger brother, the Phantom 4, and will capture movies in 4K. On top of this, it can fly for 27 minutes at a top speed of 40mph.
It comes with an optional lightweight controller that connects to your phone and will be able to track subjects, even over a varied terrain – like when you’re climbing up a mountain.
Launching at $999 with the controller or $749 without, it’s a similar price to the GoPro Karma, meaning the fight for drone supremacy is set to be hotly contested.
Read More: GoPro Karma vs DJi Mavic Pro
FIFA and PES: The war that never ends
Which is better, PES or FIFA? Well, as the latter was released this week, we put games editor and PES fan Brett Phipps up against our mobile expert and FIFA fan Max Parker, to find out which – and more importantly, who – came out on top.
Related: FIFA 17 vs PES 2017
New Rokus support HDR and 4K
Following a series of leaks, Roku finally unveiled its fresh line-up of streaming boxes, some of which pack 4K and HDR capabilities.
In addition to the Roku Express and Roku Express +, which both support 1080p, it also announced the Roku Premiere and Roku Premiere +, both capable of streaming 4K at 60fps.
One standout feature on the Premiere+, however, is HDR support, so, providing you’ve got an HDR-ready TV, you’ll get brighter whites, natural colours, and more detail.
But if you want all of that and a heap more, you’ll be excited by the Roku Ultra which comes with Dolby Digital and Digital Plus decoding alongside an Optical audio port helping your cinematic surround-sound become a reality.
However, with a US launch announced for October 9, there’s no news yet on when we can expect the new boxes to arrive in the UK.
Read More: Everything you need to know about the new Roku
Apple moving to Battersea
In news that some people may find – shocking – Apple is set to open a brand new £9bn campus on the site of the disused Battersea Power Station. The new 500,000 sq foot complex will merge the eight offices the tech giant current—ly has in the capital, bringing all its 1,400 London-based staff into one place. While amping up the presence in the UK, its European HQ will remain in Cork, Ireland.
Read More: Apple’s opening a new office in London
Say hello to your future robot butler / overlord
And finally this week. It’s safe to say we’ve all dreamt about having a robot butler – at least, I have, anyway. Well, the wait is over as Big-I could be coming to a living room near you.
Our featured kickstarter this week is a home helper in the form of a robot that will see to your every command. It may look a bit like a dustbin, but it can do all sorts of things, from reminding you to dress appropriately for the weather, to playing your favourite song when you raise a glass or turn your lights on with a snap of the finger.
This is an idea we really hope won’t be trashed as you can even play hide and seek with it – how many butlers can you say that about?
Read More: Big-I – the robot butler of the future?
That’s it for this week, make sure you join us next Friday for another episode of the Refresh.
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Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.