10/09/2016 Click - Short Edition

In a moment we'll have Newswatch - first it's time for Click.

Five, four, three, two, one.

Commence lift-off.

There was a time when a launch meant a launch meant a launch.

It was something big, something special.

Something to remember.

Something could go into orbit or go up in flames.

Ignition sequence start.

These days, of course, launches also look like this.

And this week in September, the tech world is going launch crazy.

Apple is fuelling the good ship iPhone.

Sony has started a PlayStation countdown.

And everyone else has been over at IFA, launching

everything they can.

But are any going to be stellar?

Or is everyone just having a launch because they feel they should?

Let's find out.

If you are ready.

Let's do launch.

And if you can't get to space, these days, space can come to you.

There is Jupiter.

There's Saturn.

And all its moons.

It is whistling past Uranus.

And onto Neptune.

Yes, I've got my hands on the first device to use

Google's Project Tango,

something we saw in prototype a couple of years ago.

This is a 3D sensing system that can learn about the landscape

that it's in.

It uses motion tracking, area learning and twin cameras

to determine and remember the distance to everything it sees.

And that should lead to a more intelligent augmented reality

experience which means you won't be just play gimmicky games any more.

You'll be able to do sensible things too like furnish your office.

Pick a room that needs a spruce-up and then you can drop

in a new stool or two.

This is not the first interior design application I've seen

but the addition of Tango's depth perception should make this kind

of thing more accurate.

And if you want to rip up the room and start again,

there is this rather finicky tape measure which does kind of show

the limitations of those senses at the moment.

However, on the few occasions that we have got it to work

properly, I can confirm 1.5 metres, that it is right.

Which is better than most tape measure apps I've ever used.

That is the smart furniture sorted and now we need a smart home for it

to go in.

Now we hand over to Jane

at to Europe's largest tech expo, IFA.

There are many new smart home technology concepts launched at IFA.

Over the past few years, we have learned about

the Internet of things.

Making our products intelligent.

The halls here were dominated by ideas of bringing

From refrigerators growing herbs to quick drying hair extensions.

And of course, the connected home.

So for ?,1500, you can get this connected system from Laurastar.

You might wonder why that it is useful.

You can use the app to make the perfect movement.

There are no sensors in this ironing board cover but you have folding

lines here so you can perfect your technique with kids

clothes and men's shirts.

There is a fan to keep everything cool.

Connected kitchen concepts are everywhere here including

this rather impressive display from Panasonic.

The concept of this future kitchen is that it is really

in the background.

The comfort and the ease of use is in the foreground.

This includes a sake fridge which maintains temperature

and humidity for each bottle

and recommends recipes for your drinks and is connected

to sensors in the fridge which keeps an eye on when ingredients

are running low and orders them from an online shop for you.

All this data is passed on to a very clever hub which starts warming up

at the right temperature to cook your selection.

The induction heaters even extend your kitchen table so you can

keep your food warm.

When you finish cooking, you can relax and watch television

on a transparent glass door in your cupboard

and also receive a notification

that your laundry has been folded by the robot next door.

And slightly more practical than a laundry robot,

Chinese company Haier has made a washing machine with two drums

and an app to control them when you are away from home

but the question is, how many people are using any

of this stuff at the moment?

There is a very strong technology push right now.

In terms of features.

All appliances are connected.

We can turn them on.

The consumer pool in Europe is slightly lower.

I'm sure it will grow and our brand will be fully ready

to serve the end consumer.

Time for another launch.

If you want to hurtle into no man's sky on a videogames console,

it will need to be a PS4.

It is an exclusive, you know?

But will it be the current PS4 or the new PS4 or the other new PS4?

Confused?

We were too but here is Mark Cieslak with full launch coverage.

PlayStation head honcho Andrew House did not waste any time announcing

the worst kept secret in games

at this week's at Sony's press event in New York.

We will introduce a PS4 system that is slimmer,

lighter and more energy-efficient.

Bizarrely, reports online of PlayStation 4 Slims being made

available for sale

on eBay weeks before the console was even officially announced.

Weird distribution issues aside, the Slim is just that,

a PS4 that has been on a diet, which shares the same specification

as the current machine.

The big news was saved for the announcement of the console

previously known as PlayStation Neo but now dubbed PlayStation 4 Pro.

A 1 terabyte hard drive and upgraded hardware which supports improved

graphics when used with a 4K TV.

There is HDR, or high-dynamic range visuals.

Weirdly, it doesn't have the UHD Blu-ray player.

While the improved graphics are a big upgrade in resolution

from the 1080p high-def images created by the current machine,

the HDR will help by introducing extra brightness and improved

contrast to the pictures as well.

Games such as Horizon Zero Dawn were demonstrated with

the machine's improved graphics.

Sony also suggested games could be reworked to improve high-resolution

images of which the game is capable.

The Pro also has extra processing grunt and pitch which will be used

to improve the visuals.

But is this two-tier ecosystem a good thing for gamers?

It means there is a lower-price console for those who cannot afford

to buy the higher spec

but at the same time

there is a better model out there and anybody who has the lowest

spec model will want to spend their time wanting

the higher spec model.

Sony is not alone in the new console stakes.

Nintendo has a new machine waiting in the wings dubbed the NX.

There is not much being confirmed about it yet though we do know that

technically, it is going to be less powerful than its rivals.

Right, launch time again, and arguably no-one does launches

like these guys do launches.

Apple's events create more hype than any other,

and these were the scenes on Wednesday,

as the iPhone 7 blasted onto the scene.

It is now waterproof, it has stereo speakers,

and the larger version now has two cameras,

a wide-angle and a telephoto,

which means you can choose your shot size without losing quality

by using a digital zoom.

But by far the biggest impact was made by the removal

of the headphone port,

something that has been a standard in devices for decades.

Your choices now are buying new headphones that use

Apple's Lightning connector,

buying new, rechargeable wireless headphones,

like these new AirPods, for ?159 -

what?

Or using your current headphones and this adaptor.

Right.

Oh, and the Apple Watch is now are water resistant,

and will tell you if there is a Pokemon nearby.

Dave Lee is our man in San Fran, and he was at the launch.

Dave, hi.

How is it going?

You have had a couple of days to ruminate on Apple's announcement.

How would you rate this launch?

Well, we didn't think it was going to be a massive,

massive improvement on last year's iPhone,

and it wasn't, really.

Incremental improvements, not a huge year in the history

of the iPhone.

But I think people, as ever, were impressed with what Apple has

come up with.

OK, so the big talking point is the removal

of that headphone connector.

So do you think, when you open your iPhone 7 box, you are going to get

a nice pair of iPhone 7-compatible headphones in there?

Well, you are not going to get the wireless ones, I can tell

you that much.

They are $159 if you want the new cool, wireless EarPods,

as they are called, but you will get an adaptor.

It is a bit ugly looking, could be a bit fiddly if you have

to have that always with you in your pocket.

But that is their workaround, and Apple are sticking to it.

They think that will do the job.

Dave, thank you for being there.

Stay there, keep watching.

You know where to find me.

No, you hang up!

So there we have it.

A week packed with launches, but have any of them been the moon

shot we want them to be?

Have any of them boldly gone, or even gone boldly?

We have had phones that are a bit better,

consoles incrementally improved,

and TVs with slightly more colour.

And everyone make sure you remember where you were when you saw Pokemon

land on a smartwatch.