Month: January 2018

Enlarge / Not an actual picture of the Ultra Game Boy.

There's been plenty of nostalgic attention being paid to classic console hardware updates in recent years, from Nintendo's official plug-and-play Classic Edition consoles to third-party clone consoles. But for all the focus on the TV-based game consoles of yesteryear, we haven't seen much corporate interest in recreating the portable system of the past.

That now seems set to change, as Gizmodo reports from CES on the Ultra Game Boy, an aluminum-cased portable console that resembles the slimmer Game Boy Pocket more than the bulky 1989 original system. The case's authenticity extends down to a cartridge slot that supports classic games and those familiar volume and contrast knobs on the edge, along with a new third knob letting players adjust the color of the system's backlight.

Gizmodo reports a six-hour battery life with USB-C charging for the prototype, which also sports stereo speakers and dual audio outputs for targeted at chiptune makers. Hyperkin is reportedly still finalizing the hardware, which is aiming for a 2018 release at "under $100" according to the report.

Enlarge (credit: Andrew Cunningham)

Chinese iCloud customers have been notified that Apple will transfer operations of its cloud storage service to the local firm Guizhou on the Cloud Big Data (GCBD) starting next month. Apple announced the partnership with GCBD last year and claims the new iCloud operations will help the company comply with Chinese regulations. As of February 28, Apple will start the transfer of Chinese iCloud data to its new data center in Guizhou, where it will be managed by GCBD.

This means that the physical location of Chinese iCloud customers' data will change, but customers shouldn't see any differences on their end of their iCloud accounts. In Apple's message sent to mainland Chinese customers, the company says the new operations setup will "enable us to continue improving the speed and reliability of iCloud and to comply with Chinese regulations." Customers are urged to consider the new terms and conditions of iCloud operated by GCBD, and customers who are not comfortable with GCBD partnership can terminate their accounts.

While the new agreement hands off local iCloud operations to GCBD, both the Chinese firm and Apple have access to data stored in Chinese iCloud accounts. In a statement provided to 9to5Mac, Apple reassures customers that their data is still just as safe and private as it was before the partnership. "Apple has strong data privacy and security protections in place and no backdoors will be created into any of our systems," the statement says.

Enlarge / At the Korolev Museum at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, Norishige Kanai signs a wall mural Dec. 13 as part of traditional pre-launch ceremonies. (credit: NASA)

On Tuesday, the spaceflight world twittered in amazement after a Japanese astronaut posted about his surprising growth spurt on Twitter. "I have a major announcement today," Norishige Kanai wrote. "We had our bodies measured after reaching space, and wow, I had actually grown by as much as 9cm!"

He had grown so much after just three weeks, the astronaut said, that he was concerned about fitting into his cramped Soyuz spacecraft seat for the ride back to Earth later this year. Each astronaut is measured for his or her seat in the tiny spacecraft used to ferry humans to and from the International Space Station. Some former NASA astronauts able to fly on the space shuttle, including Scott Parazynski at 6'4", were denied stints on the station because they were too tall to fly in the Soyuz.

Elongation in outer space is normal, as the spine spreads out in microgravity. Typically, astronauts grow by about 2 to 5cm during a six-month stay aboard the space station, and then return to a normal height within a day or two of coming back to Earth's gravity.