Focal length is the optical distance from the front element of a lens to the point where light rays entering the lens converge to form a sharp image on the sensor, and is expressed in millimetres. Shorter (lower number) focal lengths produce a wider angle of view, with objects appearing smaller in the frame, while longer (higher number) focal lengths produce a narrower angle of view, with objects appearing larger in the frame. Although the focal length is different with each camera format, the e

Around the world, there are a large number of labs working on artificial skin technology. The reason is simple – a breakthrough in this field could bring big benefits to many fields, from robotics to medicine. Hot and coldNormally, semiconductors are brittle and so using them in stretchable materials means creating complicated mechanical systems. This is the first work, the team claims, that embeds semiconductors in a stretchable material without any special mechanical structure. “The robotic sk

From military strikes to aerial photography, there are a lot of applications for drone technology. But the one that gets a lot of humanitarian groups interested is delivery of medical supplies over terrain that would normally be difficult to traverse. “Drones are likely to be the 21st century’s best medical sample delivery system.”Amukele and his team have broken a distance record for the transport of medical supplies by drone, transporting human blood samples 161 miles across the Arizona desert

Microsoft is set to further bolster Window 10’s privacy tools in the upcoming Fall Creators Update, having revealed new changes people can expect when they download the free update from October 17. In a blog post Marisa Rogers, Windows Devices & Group Privacy Officer, explains the new features that will be added to Windows 10 with the Fall Creators Update. During installation, users will be able to access an in-depth Privacy Statement that will explain the privacy implications of the data that M

In order to show in more detail exactly how happy it’s going to make you, Nintendo hosted a 45 minute Direct video on September 13 where it announced a handful of release dates and showed off some exciting new trailers for upcoming Nintendo Switch and 3DS titles. If you missed the Direct, fret not – we’ve gathered up all of the trailers and release dates right here for you to watch and enjoy. Minecraft: New 3DS EditionMinecraft is basically everywhere at this point and now there’s finally a New

There’s a new watch in town, the Apple Watch 3, but it seems Apple has discontinued the Apple Watch 2 to make room for it. Although no official statement has been given, the Apple Watch Series 2 is no longer available on Apple’s website, though you can still buy the Apple Watch Series 1 if the Series 3 is more than you want to pay for a smart wearable. In our hands on Apple Watch 3 review we noted that the new wearable seems to be just an incremental upgrade to the Apple Watch 2, so it makes a c

Last year, Google made a big splash with its first Pixel smartphone (well, as much of a splash as a non-water resistant handset can make), and now it appears that we’re only a few weeks away from seeing its much-anticipated follow up, expected to be dubbed the Google Pixel 2. If the Boston-based billboard is indeed referring to the upcoming Google Pixel 2, you can expect the phone to be wicked-smaht [Ed – Our apologies to any native Bostonians], even if it won’t feature an all-new Snapdragon 836

Getting a bit tired of cutesie games like Snipperclips, Arms and 1-2 Switch on Nintendo Switch? The two games join fellow Bethesda title, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, which will arrive on the Nintendo Switch on November 17. For one, it means that Nintendo Switch is getting one of the best games of 2016 which, in and of itself, is a big deal. But two, it means third-party publishers are returning to a Nintendo system after distancing themselves during the Wii U years. That’s worth mentioning beca

Nintendo is throwing a fresh coat of paint on its 2DS XL handhelds, just in time for the Christmas shopping season. First up is the New Nintendo 2DS XL Poké Ball Edition, announced during today’s Nintendo Direct broadcast. The New Nintendo 2DS XL Poké Ball Edition can be yours on November 3. New Nintendo 2DS XL in orange and whiteNext up is the orange and white edition of the New Nintendo 2DS XL. The orange and white edition of the New Nintendo 2DS XL price is $149.99 (£129.99 / AU$199.95).

Apple may have been quiet about tablets this week, but Amazon isn’t doing likewise. The new Fire 7 and Fire HD 8 tablets from Amazon are a pair of incredibly affordable tablets that aren’t half bad, especially the Fire HD 8, and Amazon is currently giving Prime members a discount of over 30% on each. Jump straight to the deals:The Fire 7 is a no-frills tablet with a 7-inch display at a resolution of 1,024×600 pixels. But Prime members can get the Fire 7 for $15 off, making it an incredibly cheap

iPhone X, iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus are now official, and you may be pleased to know Apple’s latest creations support fast charging. This means you can get up to 50% power after 30 minutes on the cable, as 9to5Mac uncovered, if your battery is completely drained from the start. However, there is a sizeable caveat to taking advantage of fast charging: Your phone needs to be connected via USB-C. Though wireless charging is one of the key features of the new iPhone models, it won’t support fast ch

Everyone knows that, and in the wake of the umpteen OLED TV launches at IFA 2017 in Berlin, everyone knows that for sure. If those weren’t enough OLEDs for you, Panasonic presented its 77-inch EZ1000, Philips its 65-inch 9-series OLED TV, and even thought-to-be-past-it Toshiba popped-up at IFA with the 65-inch X97 OLED TV. Almost all of the OLED TVs ‘launched’ at IFA were previews of sets that are not set to go on sale until next year. Toshiba also announced its U77 and U67 4K LCD TVs, Philips i

Suiting up your iPhone in a case used to be necessary for a variety of reasons. Then, before the iPhone 7 arrived, there was the constant worry of dropping it in the sink, or worse, the toilet. The iPhone 8 continues the water-resistant trail that its predecessor started, but due to its all-glass back, investing a case is basically a must. The big downside is that this ruggedized case is nearly $100. Although the design is clearly the highlight here, there are minor downsides that might impact y

There are also a few major differences between the CPUs made by Intel and AMD. For starters, AMD’s Ryzen processors lack built-in graphics, which means you’ll have to buy a discrete graphics card to fully enjoy them. For these reasons, going with an Intel processor tend to perform better at PC gaming than AMD’s CPUs – though this is quickly changing. Although the fact that you’ll need a new motherboard to use this octa-core monster might be enough to scare some users off to Ryzen, Intel loyalist

Read our hands on iPhone X reviewiPhone X vs Samsung Galaxy Note 8 designThe iPhone X and the Samsung Galaxy Note 8 have some design similarities. iPhone X vs Samsung Galaxy Note 8 displayThe screen is the most obvious element of the iPhone X, as it fills almost the entire front of the phone. iPhone X vs Samsung Galaxy Note 8 OS and powerNeither of these phones should leave you wishing for more power. iPhone X vs Samsung Galaxy Note 8 camera and batteryThere’s a dual-lens 12MP camera on the iPho

Do you long for the simplicity of earlier word processors like Microsoft Word 5.0 with no annoying spell checkers? If so, you may be disappointed to learn that Windows 10 cannot run many classic DOS programs. In most cases if you try to run older programs, you’ll just see an error message. Luckily, the free and open source emulator DOSBox can mimic the functions of old-school MS-DOS systems and allow you to relive your glory days! In this guide, we’ll learn how to find the old programs and games

Confession time: over the last week, the word count for my novel has barely budged. That was partly because the portable keyboard I bought for my holiday was a bit of a disaster. As the old saying goes, sometimes you have to kill your darlings (or cut and paste them into a purgatory called ‘darlings.txt’ and pine for them). There are many more interesting ways to plot a novel. I know I keep banging on about it, but it really is a brilliant little program for creative writing.

Apple has announced the brand new look iPhone X and that means accessory manufacturers have begun revealing cases for the phone. Olixar Ultra-Thin iPhone X gel caseOne of the cheapestColors: Transparent | Material: SiliconCheapSee-through designWon’t protect dropsLikely won’t have premium feelThis is one of the cheapest iPhone X cases on the market right now and it should protect your phone from the odd scratch. Desmay Slight iPhone X caseSuper thin optionColors: Black, Grey, Clear, Jet Black |

The company’s new Z desktop workstations feature a wide range of comprehensive security features including SureStart (the first self-healing BIOS with intrusion detection) and HP Client Security Suite as well as a host of others. Workstation users create the most valuable IP for a company and HP is meeting the security needs with the world’s most secure and manageable desktop and mobile workstations. The HP Z8 stands out from the rest of HP’s lineup because it is the fastest and most powerful wo

Destiny 2 has three classes: Titan, Warlock, and Hunter, all of which have class-specific weapons and abilities. At the start of the game you pick one, and you can create multiple characters if you want to try them all out. Creating a new character means starting from scratch in many ways, and you might not feel like doing that later on. Warlocks are the closest things to magicians in Destiny 2, dealing devastating burst damage with healing abilities, while Hunters are the most agile class. If y