Adam Savage geeks out over model painting at Weta Workshop's paint department! Chatting with senior painter Jules German, Adam learns how the Weta Workshop artist creates the paint master for a scaled diorama from The Hobbit, as well as discussing tips and techniques for model makers of any skill level.
Weta Workshop is composed of many different departments that produce its world-class fabrication and special effects work for films, but there are also departments that produce products for fans. We visit the collectibles workshop at Weta to learn what goes into designing and making a Lord of the Rings collectible.
It's a new year, so maybe that means it's time for a new phone too? If you've got some cash left over after the holiday season and are looking for a new Android phone, you don't want to drop that cash on something you'll end up hating. That's where Tested comes in. We're here to give you the lay of the land so you can get the best Android phone. This month, the selection of phones is stable, but the software situation is changing.
Carrier phones
If you're going through your carrier, you can take advantage of all the payment plans and other enticements, so it's an understandable option. That does limit your phone choices a bit, and the device will usually be locked (or at least band-customized) for that carrier. There are a few solid options, the most notable of which is the Galaxy S7. Although, the LG V20 isn't a bad choice, and the Pixel is technically available on Verizon. I'll get to that later, but first, the GS7.
The Galaxy S7 has a number of good selling points that I'll get into in detail, but probably the best are the overall design and the display. The GS7 (and especially the Edge) are solid phones. The front and back are both Gorilla Glass, but it feels so well put together. It's IP68 water resistant, and feels very dense in the hand. It's a little heavier than you probably expect when you pick it up, but it has a slight curve, making it comfortable to hold.
The Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge have Super AMOLED panels at 2560x1440 resolution. The GS7 is 5.1-inches, while the Edge variant has a larger 5.5-inch display. These are still the best panels you can get on a smartphone, though the gap is closing. They're bright, have perfect viewing angles, and the colors are very accurate. Then there's the Edge with a screen that curves down on both the left and right sides. It looks cool, but it's actually less comfortable to hold. The Pixel XL's display is almost as good, but samsung still wins on this front.
This phone is slightly thicker than Samsung's 2015 flagship, allowing for a reasonably large battery (relative to size). The GS7 has a 3000mAh battery and the GS7 Edge has 3600mA. In both cases, these cells perform very well. Both phones support Quick Charge 2.0 and wireless charging, but they have microUSB ports. The GS7 has held up well in terms of performance. It was never a blazing-fast phone, but it's fast enough. The Snapdragon 820 has shown up in a lot of phones, but Samsung lowered the clock speed a bit to make the device more power efficient. That's why the battery is so impressive. There are no issues with multitasking thanks to the 4GB of RAM, though.
For her latest project, Simone wonders if she can find a way to utilize drones to encourage working out. Her plan: use the subject tracking feature of a new DJI quadcopter to fly away from her while carrying a tantalizing treat. It might work!
On a visit to effects studio Weta Workshop, Adam Savage meets and chats with artists who bring their own obsessions to their work. Sculptor Johnny Fraser-Allen, who is working on miniatures for Jim Henson's Labyrinth board game, shares with Adam his own intricate maze miniature, which will end up being the size of an entire room!
On our trip to New Zealand and Weta Workshop, Adam Savage visits the miniatures stage for Thunderbirds are Go, a television series featuring incredible handcrafted "bigature" sets. We get up close to the intricate and detailed models to learn how these scaled environments were designed, fabricated, and then used for filming.
A new week has dawned, and with it comes a new list of great things happening on Android. This is the Google Play App Roundup where we tell you what needs to be on your phone or tablet right now. Just click the links to head to Google Play and grab these apps for yourself.
Screens
Android 7.0 added support for split-screen apps in the core of Android, meaning all those janky OEM implementations can go the way of the dodo. This also opens developers up to play around with the feature, and maybe even improve it. Screens is an attempt to do just that. It lets you create shortcuts that launch multi-window mode with a predetermined pair of apps.
Setup for Screens requires only one trip into the settings, and you don't need root or anything fancy like that. All this app needs it access to Accessibility controls. It's basically launching apps and triggering split-screen mode automatically.
To create shortcuts, just open the Screens interface and pick a name for your shortcut and the two apps you want to open. Note which one is on the top and which is on the top and which is on the bottom—that's the orientation they'll show up in when you launch the app. If you have a device in landscape mode, the "top" position is on the right side of the display.
The shortcut on your home screen can be moved around like any other, and launching is fast. You'll probably see the very basic Screens UI flash for a split second, then your chosen apps will appear. It's a good idea to make sure the apps you've chosen will actually open in split-screen. Some developers specifically disallow that because it breaks something. However, the apps don't have to be running in the background to launch in split-screen via Screens.
The app is free and it definitely does what it claims to without trouble. I'd still like to see a few more niceties added. For example, a way to edit previously created shortcuts or custom icon support. Sprucing up the app's interface might be a smart too. Still, it could be a really useful app for anyone who uses the feature on Nougat.
And finally, here are Adam Savage's favorite things from 2016! Adam shares his new love for swordmaking, using tools and techniques he learned from our trip to New Zealand and Weta Workshop! Happy new year!