#HASH TECH

Whether you’re travelling, heading to the gym or are in the office, noise cancellation is now a must-have feature when it comes to any over-ear headphones.

But headphone manufactures have been missing a trick for a while, as people often don’t want the outside world to be muted 100% of the time.

Take, for example, if you need to hear announcements whilst you’re travelling, or if someone is trying to get your attention in the office. If you’re cycling on roads, it’s far safer if you can hear ambient traffic sound. That’s where Sony’s latest noise-cancelling headphones step in.

The MDR-1000X are set to challenge the likes of Bose QuietComfort 35 and Sennheiser Momentum Wireless, with Sony announcing their new premium noise-cancelling headphones at the IFA technology show in Berlin.

The beauty of these Bluetooth headphones lies in the fact that you can choose between three different noise-cancelling modes depending on what situation you find yourself in. There’s "Personal NC Optimizer", "Ambient Sound Mode" and "Quick Attention Mode".

Starting with their full noise-cancelling capabilities, Sony claims that the MDR-1000X offers "industry leading levels of noise-cancelling", and after testing them at IFA I would have to agree.

Standing in front of a speaker that was specifically set up to reproduce plane noise - not to mention the fact that I was standing in a noisy conference centre - switching to the "Personal NC Optimizer" mode successfully managed to reduce all the hustle and bustle to an almost inaudible hum.

The upgraded filtering process and noise sensor technology is also tailored to the shape of your head and how you wear the headphones.

By simply pressing a button it automatically can tell whether you have long hair or glasses, cranking up the noise cancellation if more sound is seeping in.

However, as I pointed out earlier, there are many scenarios where you may not want surrounding noise cut out completely. Cue the "Ambient Sound Mode", which still allows you to stay engrossed in your music, but enables you to catch voices and ambient noise.

Putting it to the test, I could hear someone calling out my name, but if they embarked on a longer conversation, it wouldn't be long before I would be saying “What?” a little too loudly back.

Fortunately though, Sony isn't expecting you to talk in this mode, as it has also added into the mix "Quick Attention".

Similar to Beats' push-to-mute button, "Quick Attention" allows you to easily hear what someone is saying to you, without having to take the headphones off.

By touching the left ear cup, natural sound is amplified straight through, while the volume of the music is also dropped.

It works via in-built microphones, which record and amplify the outside world - acting much in the same way as a hearing aid, you can clearly hear what’s going on around you.

Voices do sound a little synthetic in this mode, but it certainly would do the trick if you needed to speak to a shop assistant.

With or without their impressive array of noise-cancellation capabilities – these headphones produce high-quality audio. They can also upscale compressed music to near High-Resolution Audio and have an impressive battery life of 20 hours.

Sony chief executive Kazuo Hirai has revealed his plans to take Sony into robotics and AI in "a big way".

Speaking to Mirror Online at the IFA technology show in Berlin , the head of the global tech giant insisted he wasn't just paying lip service to this year's buzzwords, but saw these areas as big future growth for Sony.

"We have a lot of robotics and mechatronic know-how within the organisation," he said.

"We feel that when we look at all the asset bases that we have - this combination of robotics combining with AI - is a natural progression when we look across Sony and say, 'What can we do to bring everything together?'"

The precise details of what AI and robotics combo Sony is currently working on wasn't revealed, but Hirai made it clear that he is funneling lots of resources into staying ahead of the robotic revolution.

When asked by Mirror Online as to whether he was worried about the possible dangers of AI outsmarting the human-race, he said that it "shouldn't be a concern".

"If Sony comes up with a robot for the house, is the AI involved in that going to be dangerous or not? Consumers ultimately decide."

While we may be waiting a little while before we have our own personal house robot, a technology that’ll be sitting in your living room sooner, is virtual reality .

The Sony PlayStation VR is due out next month and Hirai hopes that the potential for VR won't just stop at gaming.

“If done right I think that there's a huge market that will be created with VR. Certainly with video games and entertainment, but there are countless B2B (business-to-business) applications.

“Everything from airplane and ship maintenance training, automotive mechanics training, EMT (Emergency Medical Technician) training. How does a beach in Hawaii look like when you are in the travel agency in Berlin? I could go on for forever, there's a lot of potential there.”

Meanwhile, Sony Pictures is working on creating short-form content in VR, and the next step will be making a full 360-degree films.

As the visuals for VR improves, so too will the audio. Hirai told us that Sony is working hard to try and provide a better aural experience that matches the excitement that people see in the headsets.

As they move up the VR food chain, 3D audio has been earmarked as an area to invest in.

The Olympic Games will be held in Tokyo in 2020 Being a Japanese company, Sony already has its eyes set on how it could best use its technology in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics .

The company, along with a selection of other Japanese businesses, is looking at how it can harness the power of technology to enhance the enjoyment and security during the games.

Your Instagram reveals a lot about you. Your favourite food, where you like to holiday, even your exercise routine. But what if it revealed things even more personal to you? Like your mental health? Or whether you are suffering with depression?

Researchers from Harvard and University of Vermont have managed to build a software program that can accurately spot signs of clinical depression just by analysing people's Instagram photos.

Using a set of machine learning tools, the algorithm combed 43,950 Instagram photos reviewing their "color analysis, metadata components, and algorithmic face detection".

From this data, the model was then able to detect signs of mental illness in the 166 Instagram profiles that were used during the trial.

Instagram has over 300 million daily active users all posting photos that could be screened.

70% of the time the model was able to correctly identify which Instagrammers showed symptoms of depression, even outperforming practitioners who carried out a face-to-face patient assessment.

The phrase "feeling blue" seems to also apply to filters, with the researchers finding that: "photos posted by depressed individuals were more likely to be bluer, grayer, and darker".

The team hope that by using computer learning they will be able to harness social media to detect early signs of depression by creating "a blueprint for effective mental health screening in an increasingly digitalized society".

Using social media to psychoanalyse people raises ethical questions around data privacy. Despite the researchers highlighting that the software needs to be used ethically, the mere fact that your mental health can be screened from just your online profile, is a worrying thought.

It's a deal that you wouldn't be able to find even on Black Friday - a £2,376 laptop selling for the bargain price of £1.58.

That's exactly what HP was offering its customers over the weekend, after it accidentally listed its HP ZBook 17 laptop for the fraction of its normal price.

A couple of savvy shoppers were quick enough to snap up the deal. But it wasn't long before HP picked up the glitch and took its UK website offline to resolve the error.

Despite some customers officially managing to purchase the cheap-as-chips device, they unfortunately won't be receiving the laptop.

"We can confirm that due to a processing error, select products were wrongly priced on our UK website over the weekend," HP said in a statement.

"This has now been corrected with related orders cancelled. We apologise sincerely to impacted customers for any inconvenience caused."

According to Citizens Advice consumer rights group, retailers can cancel online orders if they have made a "genuine and honest mistake on their part that you should have noticed".

This isn't the first time that a company has been caught out by an online pricing malfunction.

Previously Screwfix.com, an online tools and hardware retailer, suffered a technical glitch that reduced the price of everything on their website to just £34.99.

Asda had to withdraw a voucher that accidentally offered shoppers unlimited £50 discounts on their shopping.

When you're out walking your dog it's quite common to come across fellow walkers.

However when it's a 6 foot robot on the end of a lead, instead of a four legged friend, you're bound to be a bit surprised.

That's exactly what happened to a Reddit editor's Mum, who shot this video while she was taking an afternoon stroll in some woods near Boston.

The bizarre footage looks like it has been taken from a sci-fi movie, all that's missing is a Will Smith cameo.

While the robot looks like it should be in Hollywood, it in fact belongs to Boston Dynamics, a Google owned engineering and robotics design company.

Named 'Atlas' the humanoid robot is being tested out for a variety of search and rescue tasks, and was unveiled to the public back in 2013.

Despite the uneven forest ground and hazardous trees, Atlas did a great job navigating his way and kept up a quick pace.

The company hope that he soon will be able to be used in emergencies where it is too dangerous to use people. Some of the tasks he is being programed to do include shutting off valves and operating powered equipment.

They can be tricky little creatures to catch, and there's nothing worse when you let a Scyther or Pinsir slip through your fingers.

But you need never to miss a Pokémon again if you get your hands on this ingenious 3D printed phone case.

The case was made by by Jon Cleaver, a design student based in Australia.

The cut-out centre ensures that your aim is bang on target every time, guiding your finger at the crucial moment when you have to throw your Poké balls.

The other gaps in the case allows players to select an item or take a photo.

Sure the case may get in the way of your phone's other functionalities, like texting and taking pictures, but who needs to do that when there are Pokémon to catch?

If you want to get your hands on one, you can download the designs for free from the 3D-printing website My Mini Factory .

And if you don't have access to a 3D-printer then do not fear, as you can also pick one up from Etsy for 8 Australian dollars (£4.50).

Elon Musk has tweeted that he's working on a "Top Secret Tesla Masterplan, Part 2".

The billionaire took to his social media account over the weekend, to tease fans about the news, saying that he hopes to publish the details "later this week".

The title of the plan alludes to Musk's 2006 blog post, which was called 'Secret Tesla Motors Master Plan'.

In it, he outlined the vision for the company and unveiled the cars that went on to become the Tesla Model S four-door family car and the Tesla 3 Sports Sedan.

The update is no doubt a bid to try and counteract the negative press Tesla have been receiving recently.

The company came under fire after it was revealed that one of their vehicles caused a fatality after it crashed while it was in autopilot mode.

Joshua Brown, 40, was the world's first victim of a self-driving car crash, after his Model S car collided with a tractor-trailer whilst driving in Florida.

The tragic accident led to the company being investigated by Federal officials and public trust in the autosteer technology has since waned.

In response to the crash, the company has maintained that the Autopilot feature is not designed to take over from motorists completely and drivers should remain alert with their hands on the wheel.

Elon Musk made his thoughts known on the crash after he re-tweeted: "1.3 million people die a year in car accidents. Yet, 1 person dies in a Tesla on autopilot and people decry driverless cars as unsafe."

Tesla stock has also taken a hit recently. Currently it's down nearly 15 per cent since last April.

Despite the company's recent difficulties, Musk's ambitious visions haven't been curbed.

Many people are reporting a mysterious glitch that is cropping up on their iPhones .

Users have discovered that hundreds of new contacts have been added to their address books, appearing under "No Name".

So far there's been no explanation as to why the nameless contacts have been added. Perhaps Arya Stark has had something to do it with it?

To check if your phone has been affected by this unusual glitch head to the # section of your contacts book to see if its hosting some new contact entries.

While Apple hasn't commented on the glitch, one user on Twitter offered the suggestion that it was a ploy to try and to distract people from their recent tax scandal and the widely reported rumour that the iPhone 7 won't have a headphone jack .

While we like the theory, we're pretty sure Apple has bigger fish to fry. The company is currently busy prepping for the iPhone 7 launch , which is taking place tomorrow (September 7) in San Fransico.

Alongside the latest iPhone, Tim Cook is also expected to announce the next in the series of the Apple Watch 2 , and potentially the iPad Mini 5 and the iPad Pro 2 - although it now looks like Apple may be saving the iPads for a separate event in October .

The iPhone 7 rumour mill is working overtime with the latest leak suggesting thatApple's new model will have a dual-edge display.

Much like the Samsung's Galaxy Edge smartphones , the screen will curve around the left and right hand side of the handset, giving the phone not only a new look, but added functionality.

This latest claim comes from IHS Technology's director of market research Kevin Wang, who backed up earlier reports that the iPhone 7 will have an "Endless Display".

The dual edge could give the iPhone 7 the design overhaul that many are expecting. Typically Apple changes the look of the handset on the full number updates, while the "S" models are focused around internal upgrades.

It's not only the front of the phone that will be getting a makeover. Chinese retailer site Oppomart has already begun accepting pre-orders on what it claims are iPhone 7 cases.

The early released case designs suggest that the iPhone 7 Plus will have two camera lenses , enabling it to take 'DSLR quality' pictures.

However the iPhone 7 case is shown only to have the traditional single lens, revealing that there may be a camera-quality difference between the two models.

The cases also hint that the next-generation iPhone will have a port that will allow users to connect to smart accesories. This could include accessories similar to the iPad Pro Smart Keyboard.

Previous rumours have suggested Apple will be ditching the headphone jack . Instead users would connect via the Lightning Dock, which is found at the bottom of the phone.

When it comes to storage, the tech giant may be fixing the common bugbear of never having enough space. Speculations last week suggested that Apple will be phasing out the 16GB handset . Instead it will offer the larger storage versions of 32GB, 128GB and 256 GB, giving customers plenty of space for all their music, photos and apps.

So when will we finally know what's in store for us? No official announcement date has been given yet, but September 2016 has been widely reported as the date that Apple will reveal all.