Fully Charged: Sony’s 4K Alpha 7s camera out in July, Nescafé's 3D-printed cap/covert alarm clock, and how to get a Nest thermostat for £99

Sony’s 4K-capable Alpha 7s releases in July for US$2,500

We’re not far removed from the release of the A7 and A7r cameras, but Sony’s ready to move onward and upward with the release of the new Alpha 7s. Now we finally know when we’ll be able to get our hands on the hugely promising device and for how much: it’ll launch in July, and for the mighty sum of US$2,500 (almost £1,500) for the body only.

Why so pricey? Well, the compact, mirrorless A7s offers 4K video output via a third-party recorder (full HD footage without it) and includes the option to switch between full-frame and APS-C shooting. It also offers wireless transfers via Wi-Fi or NFC, and you can utilize a Dual Record feature to snag both 50Mbps XAVC S and 720p streams simultaneously. Guess it’s time to start searching the couch cushions for coins.

[Source: Engadget]

nPower offers Nest thermostat and fixed rates ’til 2017

Feeling pinched by your heating bills? nPower hopes to help by setting you up with a Nest Learning Thermostat—installed for much less than the standard price—and fixed price rates until April 2017, albeit at a slightly higher rate than standard as of now.

Homeowners with direct debit billing for dual fuel are eligible for the plan, which gets you the Nest installed for just £99—down from £279 outside of this deal—and the fixed rate runs just £12 per year more than today’s standard rate. While that means paying a chunk of change upfront and a bit more on the rates in the short term, the Nest (if used properly) should save you quite a bit more in the long run.

While available in the States since 2011, Nest just launched its UK efforts last month, and nPower’s promotion seems like a shot at British Gas, which has its own Hive smart thermostat system available for £199. Smarter gas consumption and lower prices in the end? We’re all for a little competition.

This Nescafé cap is a 3D printed alarm clock—for some reason

As part of an apparent rebranding effort, Nescafé commissioned a series of 3D printed alarm clock caps for its instant coffee jars. At the appropriate time, the cap lights up and makes one of seven sounds in an effort to coax you out of bed—and the only way to turn it off, naturally, is to twist the cap and take in the scent of minced, freeze-dried coffee beans.

Curiously, it doesn’t sound like these limited caps are available for sale—a post by maker NOTCOT notes that 200 units were made for press kits, and that may be the end of it. Just a fun publicity stunt, then? Odd, but it got us all talking about it, so… mission accomplished.

[Source: Design Milk]

Assassin’s Creed Unity being developed by 10 studios

Need a quick encapsulation of how large and complex top-tier video games have become in 2014? Here it is: Assassin’s Creed Unity, the first entry in the open-world action series to release solely for new-gen consoles and PC, is being developed by 10 different studios at Ubisoft. Its Montreal home base is leading the charge, as it has for all core series entries, but it’s being flanked this time by the Annecy, Bucharest, Chengdu, Kiev, Montpellier, Quebec, Shanghai, Singapore, and Toronto studios.

Last year’s Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag featured work from nine studios, and it’s how Ubisoft has been able to continue pumping out an open-world game with a completely new setting each and every fall. And that philosophy is spreading to the publisher’s other games, as we found out yesterday that Far Cry 4 will feature the work of five different studios. But when these games ultimately sell several million copies apiece, we imagine the mass headcount and logistical headaches will all be worth it.

[Source: Polygon]

About

Andrew writes features, news stories, reviews, and other pieces, often when the UK home team is off-duty or asleep. I'm based in Chicago with my lovely wife, amazing son, and silly cats, and my writing about games, gadgets, esports, apps, and plenty more has appeared in more than 75 publications since 2006.