Jack Nicklaus Perfect Golf: All-new computer game allows users to design, create and play custom golf courses

Jack Nicklaus Perfect Golf: All-new computer game allows
users to design, create and play custom golf courses

May 3, 2016

North Palm Beach, Fla.—Acclaimed golf course designer Jack Nicklaus—known for his record 18 professional major championship victories in addition to his global portfolio of award-winning courses and host venues for the game’s most significant events—once famously said, “The game is meant to be fun.” And now, the Nicklaus Companies is upping the ante to an all-new level, with the launch of Jack Nicklaus Perfect Golf, the most realistic golf computer game the market has ever seen. Golfers, non-golfers and gaming enthusiasts alike will have hours of enjoyment designing and playing golf courses just like the Golden Bear himself has done for the last 50 years.

“We have developed a number of innovative technologies bringing together the virtual and real worlds into a seamless environment,” said Robert Samuels, the Chairman and CEO of Perfect Golf. “We are proud to team with the Nicklaus Companies once again and look forward to our shared mutual success.”

Jack Nicklaus Perfect Golf features an integrated online multiplayer with an in-game lobby for matchmaking. The game includes a fully integrated tournament function that allows external community sites to host their own tournaments in-game, using the publically available Application Program Interface. There is also an Integrated Control API, which can be used to connect external equipment to the game to provide a vast array of different simulation options.

The physics engine, built specifically for golf, implements true skid and roll bounce physics, as well as accurate green speed measurements. Inside the game, users can select different swing mechanics, including full controller support; various time-of-day and weather options, including real-time integrated weather; customize their players and golf clubs; and select from multiple difficulty options to play the courses they’ve designed. There are more than 20 modes of play, including the innovative hazard golf and a fully customizable Method of Play Creator, containing over 50 events that can be used to create custom game play modes.

Jack Nicklaus Perfect Golf also gives players a completely customizable experience, bringing forth the expertise that Jack Nicklaus and world-leading Nicklaus Design have gleaned from designing nearly 400 golf courses worldwide over parts of six decades. Now, users can become expert golf course designers and architects too. Nicklaus Design Course Forge, the in-game course designer, is the same platform used internally by Nicklaus Design for its global projects. Not only can players dabble in golf course design—they can completely customize the surrounding landscape, selecting from a large array of camera angles, tracers, and graphics quality settings. The courses are also fully geo-referenced for future integration of real-world data and accurate sun angles, based on location.

Perfect Golf has a global reputation in 3-D modeling and simulation for entertainment uses. Perfect Golf’s graphics have set the benchmark and have been used during worldwide broadcasts of the most notable tournaments on the PGA TOUR to digitally depict golf course ball flights, playing conditions, and design elements on some of the best-known golf courses in the world including The Presidents Cup 2015 at Jack Nicklaus Golf Club Korea, and will soon be featured in the return of golf to the 2016 Olympics.

Jack Nicklaus Perfect Golf is currently available on Steam for Windows, OSX and Linux (www.jacknicklausperfectgolf.com). The game will be offered soon on a variety of other platforms, including consoles and Android TV.

About Perfect Golf, Inc. (Perfect Golf®)

Perfect Golf is a sport technology venture specializing in advanced virtual 3D Games, Broadcast Technologies and simulation. All of Perfect Golf’s software products—including Terrain ForgeTM, Course ForgeTM, Broadcast SuiteTM, and now Jack Nicklaus Perfect Golf—incorporate fully geo-referenced terrains and create a seamless environment between reality and virtual reality for the sports enthusiast.

As the consumer and commercial markets surrounding broadcasting, gaming and mobile continue to battle for user time, Perfect Golf is leading the push to integrate these three platforms into a single experience that will bring the user closer to the action and much more integrated into it.  The future of sports simulation is not just in making the experience more realistic, it is in making the user an integrated part of it and empowering users to compete against the professionals that are on television at their gaming console, PC or mobile device. Further, Perfect Golf is currently developing real-world technologies, such as GPS Golf Ball design, which can be fully integrated to the existing suite of products, and provide users with both quantitative data and their own qualitative 3D Broadcast SuiteTM for social media and re-integration back into the game via cloud-based technologies.

Perfect Golf, Inc. is incorporated in Delaware, with headquarters in Buffalo, NY, and satellite office locations in Washington, DC, and Manchester, England. For investment, shareholder information, or more information, please visit www.perfect.golf.

About the Nicklaus Companies

The Nicklaus Companies is dedicated to promoting excellence in the game of golf, preserving its great traditions and growing the game.  For nearly 50 years, the mission of the Nicklaus Companies has been to enhance the golf experience, and to bring to the national and international consumer, golf-related businesses and services that mirror the high standards established in the career and life of Jack Nicklaus.  In 2007, Jack Nicklaus partnered with Howard Milstein to help further the growth of the company and to realize the full potential of the brands and branded businesses.  Howard Milstein is Chairman of New York Private Bank & Trust, and is actively involved in the Nicklaus Companies as Co-Chairman along with Jack.

Products and services include golf-course design, development of golf and real estate communities, and the marketing and licensing of golf products and services. Nicklaus-branded products have been marketed worldwide since 1962.  The Jack Nicklaus and Golden Bear-branded lifestyle collection of products include: golf academies; ice cream; restaurants; beverages; wine; home appliances; flooring; cabinets; apparel; footwear; and golf equipment.

For more information on the Nicklaus Companies, please visit www.nicklaus.com.

Synek hopes to change the world, at least for Beer Lovers!!

We ran into Synek a year or so ago and did an article on them and their new innovative beer brewing system. Now they are gaining momentum, and becoming an impressive force in the industry! They make an incredible device for beer lovers which allows them to have the best quality and best tasting beer from home.

They first launched on Kickstarter in 2014, see link kickstarter!

 

SYNEK

They have now made 3 huge advances to their brewing device:

1) A Growler Adapter so you’ll be able to use the dispenser both with the company’s specifically designed bags and with the big glass jugs that bars are more used to filling.
2) Redesigned bags that can hold more pressure. This will help homebrewers who want to carbonate their beer in the bag.
3) A pliable sling for participating bars that will help them distribute beer while introducing less oxygen.

They are like the Keurig or Nescafe of beer, allowing folks to enjoy the best at home.

We have not tried their beer or device so far, but if given the opportunity to test and review the device we would love to and then we can tell our perceptions of how good it really is compared to other ways of partaking of beer.

Please take a look at their exciting new overview video seen here–>

 

KICKSTARTER GRADUATE, SYNEK, ANNOUNCES NEW INNOVATIONS

FOR RELEASE: FEBRUARY 4th, 2016 10:00AM CT

(ST. LOUIS) After raising $650,000 on Kickstarter and a subsequent $3.1 million in initial funding, SYNEK (“sin-eck”) announces three major product innovations that will further expand the quality and variety of beer to its customers.

“We’re not a one trick pony,” said Steve Young, SYNEK founder and CEO. “Delivering the last preorder is just the beginning of our quest to make great beer available to all.”

While hundreds of breweries already partnered, introducing the Growler Adapter will expedite their vision of perfect access by tapping into the industry standard. For the first time, this expands SYNEK’s capabilities to the increasingly popular nitrogen infused beers.

To optimize for the strong homebrewing community, the newly redesigned SYNEK cartridges now tout a 50 percent higher pressure rating. The reinforced design allows homebrewers an easier, safer and cleaner way to package and pour their own brews.

A vast majority of the beer industry currently uses vented faucets. While common, these faucets introduce beer killing oxygen with every pour. By creating a simple pliable sling, these taps can be upgraded to provide higher quality and longer lasting beer whether enjoyed in a pint glass, growler or SYNEK cartridge.

“We’re not reinventing the wheel, just beer,” Young said.

All of these innovations are currently being tested by select breweries and will be available mass market in Spring 2016.

ABOUT SYNEK

Born on Kickstarter, SYNEK pours your favorite beer on draft, at home. By filling a simple cartridge from any tap, the dispenser keeps your beer chilled, pressurized and at perfectly captured quality for 30+ days. Now, every brewery is available at home. Craftsmanship deserves to be shared. Learn more at www.SYNEK.beer

Please check out the link on Engadget.com –>Engadget Synek Article

And their article on Cnet!–Synek Article on Cnet!

 

 

The Nokia 1020 Hands on with the Device!

Summary:

My first impression of the Nokia Lumia 1020 was very positive. I liked how it felt in the hand especially compared to most of the competitive devices which are more flat and square. I liked the rounded corners.

Rounded Corners

Rounded Corners

In addition, I liked the selection of available colors. I was testing the white one, which is quite nice, but personally if I adopted one I would prefer yellow or blue, and the more mat surface.

From my perception and researching it’s sister products on the internet and at–> http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/mobile/phones/all/?catalog_mode=grid&dcmpid=bmc-src-google.Brand I found that it has the same 4,5 inch AMOLED Puremotion HD+ displaythe Lumia 925, and although the body looks a lot like the Nokia Lumia 920, it weighs only 152 grams – despite the big camera sensor attached to it.

I had tested a few other entry level products such as the Nokia 635 and 530 which were decent products for their price point and feature set, but I was really impressed by the Nokia 1020. I have always used mostly Android  devices and have tested  Blackberry and Apple products, but I was  actually surprised at how nice Windows 8.1 was running on this Smartphone.

In regards to its specifications it  is 129 x 71,4 x 10,9 mm and 14,5 mm at the thickest part which would be the lens.  In addition it has a 1,5Ghz dual core processor and 2GB of internal (RAM) memory. Like the Nokia Lumia 920 it has 32GB internal storage and no room for a micro-SD card. The “High Capacity” battery offers 2000 mAh. I feel that the battery life though it could be better, was decent. I was also using a demo phone that had been tested and used by others as well so it could have skewed the results  a bit.

Here are some examples of the variety of colors found in Nokia Devices, the 1o20 is on the far left.

nokia colors

 

I found this interesting and thought provoking graphic on Nokia’s forums with regards to the nokia 1020 that talks about and illustrates the features and capabilities of the device as well(It was illustrated by Jing Zhang a talented illustrator it seems)–>

NokiaLumia1020infographic

According to Nokia here are its specifications:

Specifications

  • Display

    • Display size: 4.5 ”
    • Display technology: ClearBlack, OLED
    • Touch screen technology: Super sensitive touch
  • Photography

    • Main camera sensor: 41 MP, PureView
    • Secondary camera: HD 1.2 MP wide angle
    • Flash type: Xenon flash
  • Power management

    • Maximum talk time (2G): 8.2 h
    • Maximum talk time (3G): 12.5 h
    • Maximum music playback time: 53 h
  • Processor

    • Processor name: Qualcomm Snapdragon™ S4
    • Processor type: Dual-core 1.5 GHz

    In reality I found that the phone was snappy in its performance, though there are devices with faster processors available the Nokia 1020 performed well in my testing of it.

    I found that its business applications were impressive. The email application worked very well, it reminded me of the email application found on the Blackberry z10 and z30. I think that anyone coming from Blackberry would really like the phone a great deal. It also offers windows applications which work well and integrate well from the user experience in Desktop Windows 8.

    I think that the main application screen which has the live tiles is as good as Apples IOS software, I wish it has widgets like Android  but the live tiles seem halfway between Android and IOS in terms of their operations.

    The customization of the devices was quite nice. I really liked how windows 8.1 performed on the phone.

    I think that the second screen which is found by swiping to the left can be improved a bit, it is a column of words, which could be improved by using icons or having 2 or 3 columns which is not a big deal but a personal impression.

    Camera-Photo and video:

    I found that this phone has the best camera that I have seen on a smartphone and for that matter many point and shoot cameras as well.

    As they say a picture is worth a thousand words:

    Here is a sample video I shot on it recently–>

     

    and another at a Breast Cancer Event that Olivia Newton John was Speaking at in Las Vegas at the Linq Observation Wheel–>

    The video quality was quite nice, but what really impressed my was the sound quality.

    Overall I was highly impressed by the Nokia Lumia 1020. I would love to test and review more of their products as they launched into the marketplace.

    The only thing that could be better is the number of applications available from the Application Store as well as the battery life. I can hardly wait for later iterations of Windows Phone to see where they improve it. If the serious  improvement of Windows 8.1 phone versus Windows Phone 7.5 and Windows phone 8 is any indication as it appears to be, then the best is definitely yet to come! We could at some point see an upset in the market versus its competition IOS, Android and Blackberry OS’s.

    Here are some sample  photos as well:

    First a close up of a 20 dollar bill to show its macro abilities and some nice distance shots. As you can see the quality of the images and the color rendition is very nice for a camera or camera phone for the matter.

    WP_20141002_17_49_32_Pro

 

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