Samsung UBD-K8500 Release Date, Price and Specs – CNET

The first Blu-ray player, Samsung’s BD-P1000, launched in 2006 for the price of $1,000 USD.

Nearly 10 years later, the first 4K Blu-ray player is finally available, and it’s a Samsung too. At just $400, the UBD-K8500 costs much less than its predecessor — but its format faces a much less certain future. In 2006 the big enemy of Blu-ray was another disc format, called HD-DVD. Today it’s an entire Internet-worth of streaming video from the likes of Netflix, Amazon, Hulu and YouTube (to name just a few).

4K Blu-ray’s main appeal is potentially superior video quality — the 3,840×2,160-pixel resolution is four times that of “regular” 1080p HDTV — but what has us most excited about the format is its support for HDR (high dynamic range), which is capable of delivering far better contrast ratios than we’ve seen to date. And while this disc player also can stream 4K online video services (as can products like the Roku 4 and Fire TV), the big jump in image quality over good old HDTV probably won’t come via streaming anytime soon — at least, not based on the 4K content we’ve streamed so far. We’re betting the more noticeable improvement will come from 4K Blu-ray discs.

Before we go any further: no, we haven’t been able to spin up any actual 4K Blu-ray discs yet on the UBD-K8500, because they won’t actually be available until March. We did test standard Blu-ray discs and play a few video files, including some great-looking HDR. Check back in a couple weeks, when the first discs hit the market, and we’ll expend this article into a full CNET review.

Look and feel

Still with us? Good.

Sarah Tew/CNET

The UBD-K8500 is nice-looking for a disc player, with a brushed finish and a curved design that will mesh well with any AV system — and particularly well, of course, with the curved TVs Samsung insists on continuing to make.

Controls on the player itself are minimal, and surprisingly for a high-end unit there’s no display. In one strike against, the front-panel USB port is covered by a cheap-feeling rubber plug.

The small remote gets the job done, and the buttons are generally well-chosen, but we were disappointed in the lack of dedicated fast-forward and rewind buttons. To do that you have to long-press on the skip forward/back keys.

Sarah Tew/CNET

The back panel is sparse but we appreciate the dual HDMI outputs. If your receiver doesn’t support 4K signals, hook it up to the second HDMI port to get audio while the first sends video to your 4K TV. As expected, the main video output supports HDMI 2.0a for HDR, and requires an HDCP 2.2 connection to deliver copy-protected content (which is just about everything you’d want to watch).

That front USB port can play files from USB sticks and hard drives, such as that 4K copy of “TimeScapes” you bought in 2012. The only other connections are optical digital audio and a wired Ethernet port. Like most modern video players, the Samsung lacks analog video outputs.

Sarah Tew/CNET

Features of the new Blu-ray format include 4K resolution, which is four times that of 1080p, better contrast through High Dynamic Range (or HDR) and better colors than standard Blu-ray discs. We’re much more excited by the latter two than by the mere bump in resolution, and happily most of the first discs announced do offer HDR and wide color. 4K Blu-ray also supports next-generation audio formats, namely Dolby Atmos and DTS:X.

Of course all of these features are optional and will vary per disc. Some discs may support Dolby Vision’s HDR format, for example, although none of the initial titles do.

Sarah Tew/CNET

The complement of streaming services is comprehensive for a Blu-ray player, but falls short of what you get from most 4K TVs (including Samsung’s own) or a Roku 4.

You can use the K8500 to get 4K streams from Netflix, YouTube, Amazon Video and M-Go. On the other hand its Vudu app lacks 4K support (currently exclusive to the Roku 4), there’s no UltraFlix app (Samsung’s 4K TVs have one), and the M-Go app didn’t recognize the hard drive full of downloaded 4K/HDR movies we attached (that’s too bad, because that function would allow owners of non-Samsung TVs to enjoy M-Go’s 4K/HDR movies).

And although the player supports HDR content from 4K Blu-ray discs, its Amazon Video app doesn’t have HDR support (yet). Here’s where we mention that the apps built into your 4K TV are likely redundant with those built into the UBD-K8500, and that if you have an HDR-compatible TV, it likely has an Amazon app that does handle HDR.

Of course, nobody is buying this player for streaming support. What you care about is 4K Blu-ray disc playback.

A 4K UHD Blu-ray of “The Martian” is available for preorder on Amazon.

Amazon

What we have (and haven’t) tested so far

Again, unfortunately no 4K Blu-ray discs are available yet, so we weren’t able to test them. New 4K Blu-ray discs will cost around $30 and include titles such as “The Martian” and “Sicario.” Here’s the full rundown.

In the meantime we checked out some standard discs, as well as the player’s file playback and streaming performance.

Most Blu-ray players take about 15 seconds to start up Netflix , but the K8500 took about half that, which puts it in line with dedicated streaming players like the Roku. We used the player to stream “Narcos” in 4K to an an LG 4K OLED TV, and compared it side by side against the 1080p version on an LG 1080p OLED. Despite some minor differences, due to the panels themselves, the streams looked largely identical. In other words, as we’ve seen in previous tests, 4K streaming doesn’t provide a major boost in image quality compared with 1080p streaming.

More impressive was the player’s rendering of some 4K HDR files (provided by TV manufacturers) played via an attached USB hard drive. On a clip from “A Million Ways to Die in the West,” the images popped in a way that a standard-dynamic-range Blu-ray simply can’t. For example, in the jail scene in which Charlize Theron talks to an incarcerated man, you could see details in highlights and an overall impact that would escape standard-dynamic-range material. As the man stands in the cell you could see deep black in his cowboy hat and also make out images outside the windows.

While disc playback was mostly excellent, there were still some traces of video errors in our synthetic Blu-ray and DVD tests — a little moire left over in our 2:2 pulldown test or incomplete jaggies compensation –but nothing worth worrying about, and certainly not enough to be noticeable in most program material.

Samsung UBD-K8500: Up close and personal…
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The future

The outlook for 4K Blu-ray is uncertain at this stage. Only three players are confirmed for 2016 — one each from Samsung, Panasonic and Philips. Sony’s own player may not come until early 2017, despite Sony Pictures being among the first studios to release 4K Blu-rays.

With DVDs still outselling Blu-rays — for example, “Minions” on DVD outsold Blu-ray seven copies to five in the last week of 2015 — it’s likely that 4K Blu-ray will sit at a distant third for a long time to come. There are two reasons for this. 4K streaming is already here and very convenient, and — secondly — you need a 4K TV to receive the benefits of the format, and most people still own 1080p televisions (or even older 720p models).

Nonetheless, we’re excited this new disc format has finally arrived, if only to show what state-of-the-art audio and video quality can look and sound like in the home.

Stay tuned for a full review of the Samsung UBD-K8500.

Section Editor David Katzmaier contributed to this story.

2016 Cadillac CTS-V review – Roadshow

The Good With 640 horsepower on tap, the 2016 Cadillac CTS-V isn’t just the most powerful Cadillac ever, it’s also the most powerful car in its class. The V also brings an exceptional level of nimbleness to the table with standard high-performance brakes, magnetic control suspension and a tight chassis.

The Bad Cadillac’s Cue infotainment checks a lot of the right boxes but feels a class beneath what the competition is offering at this price range. The supercharged V-8 gets hit with a gas-guzzler tax at purchase and continues to cost with poor fuel efficiency.

The Bottom Line Part luxury sedan and part race car, the 2016 Cadillac CTS-V makes up for a few small tech shortcomings with overwhelming performance.

I’ll just cut to the chase here: At 640 horsepower and 630 pound-feet of torque, the 2016 CTS-V sedan is the most powerful Cadillac ever produced.

At the heart of the matter is a 6.2-liter supercharged and direct-injected LT4 V-8 engine, the same engine that you’ll find in a Corvette Stingray Z06 but with a wet-sump lubrication system rather than the ‘Vette’s dry-sump. The engine is force-fed air by a 1.7-liter Eaton supercharger; you can hear its high-pitched whine while under acceleration. Fun fact: it takes 55 horsepower just to spin the compressor, but it adds a net 220 ponies to the cast aluminum block’s performance, so it’s worth the small hit.

The force flows through an eight-speed Hydra-Matic automatic transmission that features sport and manual shift programs and can be controlled via paddle shifters on the steering wheel. The last stop before the rubber meets the road is an electronically controlled rear differential that directs the power to the rear wheels.

The baddie Caddy will hit 60 mph from a standing start in just 3.7 seconds, but it does so in one of the most terrifyingly abrupt ways I’ve ever experienced. Where other large sport sedans deliver a locomotive surge, the CTS-V unleashes a torrent of power. It’s like being shot out of a cannon — and nearly as loud. Give the V a long enough run-up and it will hit a top track speed of 200 mph.

Antuan Goodwin/CNET

The EPA reckons the Caddy will do about 14 city mpg and 21 highway mpg if you feed it premium fuel and go light on the pedal, but you’d have to be the most boring enthusiast on the planet to do so.

Unlike, say, the Challenger Hellcat, Cadillac wasn’t content to just throw an overwhelmingly powerful engine into its CTS, call it good, and head to the pub. No, the CTS-V has been overhauled from nose to tail to also be one of the best handling cars in the brand’s history.

It starts with the chassis, which is 20 percent stiffer than the standard CTS sedan’s body thanks to a variety of braces, sheer panels and reinforcements added to the underbody, suspension mounting points, engine bay, bulkhead and more. Many of the squishy, rubber bushings in the CTS’ suspension have been replaced with zero-play ball joints, which allows the components to move more accurately. The standard third-generation Magnetic Ride Control adaptive dampers respond to handling demands 40 percent faster than before.

According to Cadillac, at 60 mph, the CTS-V’s Magnetic Ride Control active suspension optimizes each corner’s damping force for every inch of the road traveled.

The real world result is that the Cadillac CTS-V dances around bends and over winding roads with so much more agility than a car of this size should possess. Sure, Caddy’s made efforts to keep the V’s weight down — including fitting it with a standard carbon-fiber hood — but at the end of the day, this is a 4,100 pound greatsword that’s as nimble as a fencer’s foil.

And yet, it is quite comfortable when you’re taking it easy. I wouldn’t call it Benz comfy — the Caddy’s firm ride never lets you forget that it would rather be racing — but refined enough that a significant other wouldn’t complain. (Even the supportive Recaro seats were wide and comfy enough.)

Helping to customize and contain the Cadillac’s performance and power are four drive modes that adjust the traction control, suspension and powertrain control systems. There’s the restrained, high-traction Snow/Ice mode. My first outing was in the pouring rain, and after a few accidental fishtails, this mode helped me get acquainted with the car. There’s also a baseline Touring mode, a more aggressive Sport mode, and finally a hardcore Track setting.

But that’s just the beginning. While in track mode, toggling the traction control button and then the steering wheel controls reveals five more track programs that further fine-tune the performance for specific racing situations. There’s a setting for a wet race track, three more progressively aggressive competition modes, and a final, “hold onto your hats” all systems off mode. And when in any of these race settings, the Cadillac gains launch control to help drivers get off the line as quickly as possible.

LG 55EG9100 review – CNET

The Good The LG 55EG9100 OLED TV’s picture is better than any LCD or plasma TV. It’s equally adept in bright and dark rooms, showed accurate color, and looks better from off-angle than any LED LCD. Its 1080p resolution is plenty for a 55-inch screen. The TV looks striking in person, with organic curves and an insane 0.25-inch depth on most of its body.

The Bad Albeit the most-affordable OLED TV yet, the 55EG9100 is still very expensive for a 55-inch TV. Unlike most high-end TVs it doesn’t support HDR sources, and some LED LCDs can get brighter. Its 3D picture quality isn’t great, and uniformity problems can appear in the darkest scenes.

The Bottom Line No TV delivers the same level of picture quality for the price of the LG 55EG9100.

As the least-expensive OLED TV on the market, the LG 55EG9100 gives you all of the awesome picture quality advantages of that technology for a price that’s a bit less than astronomical. It’s a stretch to call it a “bargain” at $2,000 for 55 inches, but unlike LG’s other OLED TVs, it’s somewhere close the realm that many people can afford.

In the UK this TV is known as the 55EG910V and sells for £1,799, while in Australia it’s the 55EG910T and sells for AU$3,999. Aside from differences in Smart TV app support, the TVs are basically identical to the US version I reviewed here.

Now, to answer your questions. The fact that it’s “only” 1080p and not 4K resolution shouldn’t be a deal breaker for most people. Neither should its inability to handle HDR sources. It will still outperform any LED-based LCD TV we’ve seen overall, including the highest-end models with 4K and HDR. Then again, if you insist on your next TV having those next-generation features — a perfectly reasonable stance, especially on a TV this expensive — the 55EG9100 isn’t for you.

Nobody but LG manufactures OLED TVs, and LG doesn’t make this TV in any other size. If you want a larger screen OLED TV you’ll need to pay more than twice as much money for the 65-inch versions, and there are no consumer OLED TVs smaller than 55 inches. Likewise, if you want a flat rather than curved OLED TV, you’ll have to pay about 50 percent more for the 55EF9500.

And no, we don’t know for sure whether OLED is as reliable as LED LCD in the long term, but we have no reason to believe it’s not. The same fundamental technology has been used for years in cell phone screens with no issues. LG claims a robust 30,000 hour lifespan, and in our experience reviewing OLED TVs over the last year, we haven’t seen any evidence they’re particularly susceptible to burn-in.

If you just want a tried-and-true TV that will just get the job done, there are plenty of excellent LED LCDs to choose from, and most cost a lot less. But if you want the images you watch every day to look their very best, while paying the very least possible, the 55EG9100 is your boy.

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Sarah Tew/CNET. Screen image copyright 2008 MacGillivray Freeman Films. Used with permission.

So-thin style

OLED display tech allows TVs to get remarkably thin: the top third or so of the EG9100 measures less than a quarter-inch deep, thinner than a pencil. Add in the sleek silver accents, the skinny black border around the picture, and “OLED” printed on the stand, and you’ll have a green light to talk up your new TV to visitors.

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Unfortunately, internal electronics, connections and enough substance to survive shipping fatten the bottom third to about an inch-and-a-half deep. That extra thickness, plus the curved screen, means the EG9100 won’t hang as flush to the wall as you might like. You’ll also need to buy a special bracket, model OTW150 ($150 list), to wall-mount the TV. It won’t work with standard VESA wall mounts, which are typically much less expensive.

LG 55EG9100 OLED TV (pictures)
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For those who choose to use the stand instead of wall-mounting, the EG9100’s pedestal is nice and sturdy but without the elegance its predecessor.

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Sarah Tew/CNET

The new remote is a lot better than last year’s though. The medium-sized wand offers nicely differentiated button groups, a convenient scroll wheel, voice control and of course LG’s trademark Nintendo Wii-mote like motion control, where you wave the remote around and the pointer responds on-screen. My only complaint is lack of backlighting.

Yes to OLED and curved, no to 4K and HDR

We’ve written plenty about OLED TV in the past, so here’s the short version. Just about every TV on the market today — from Samsung’s SUHD to Sony’s Triluminous to Hisense’s ULED — uses an LED backlight that shines through a liquid-crystal display layer (aka “LED LCD”). OLED is the only major exception. Its organic (hence the “O”) LEDs emit light themselves, creating the picture directly.

That basic difference leads to many of OLED’s picture quality advantages over LED LCD, including perfect black levels and superior off-angle viewing. Meanwhile a few high-end LED LCD TVs can get brighter than any OLED, but OLED is still very bright.

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Sarah Tew/CNET. Screen image copyright 2008 MacGillivray Freeman Films. Used with permission.

As LG’s base-model OLED TV, the 55EG9100 doesn’t have the 4K resolution of more-expensive models. 4K is rare today however, and in our experience content that is available in 4K, such as Netflix and Amazon original programming, doesn’t look much better than the 1080p version–especially at 55 inches.

HDR, or high dynamic range content, is even rarer for now, but unlike 4K, HDR content might provide a significant picture quality improvement on a TV like this (I say “might” because I just haven’t tested enough HDR TVs and content to say for sure). Then again, SDR still looks spectacular on this TV.

If you really want HDR, your choices are to pay more for a higher-end OLED, wait until LG comes out with an HDR-compatible entry-level OLED at some point (no guarantees that it will), or get an LED LCD.

Another potential sticking point is the curve. It doesn’t have much impact on picture quality, but the aesthetics might bother you, especially if you’re putting it on the wall.

Key Features

Display technology

OLED

LED backlight

N/A

Resolution

1080p

HDR-compatible

No

Screen shape

Curved

Screen finish

Glossy

Smart TV

Web OS 2.0

Remote

Motion

3D technology

Passive

3D glasses included

2 pairs

If you care: Smart TV, 3D, settings and connections

On just about every TV, especially expensive ones, we recommend using an external streaming device like a Roku instead of relying on the Smarts inside your TV for your Netflix fix. If you follow that advice, feel free to skip this section.

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Sarah Tew/CNET. Screen image copyright 2008 MacGillivray Freeman Films. Used with permission.

Still with me? The 55EG9100 runs on LG’s Web OS 2.0 Smart TV system, which is quite a bit faster and more responsive than version 1.0. It’s very good overall, and I prefer Web OS to Samsung’s 2015 system, but I like Roku TV best of all.

Hitting the Home button on LG’s remote brings up a band of diagonally aligned “cards,” overlaying the lower third of whatever program or app you’re watching at the moment. You can customize and reorder the cards to quickly reach favorite apps or inputs. The system has many major apps but a few go missing, including HBO Go/Now, Showtime and PBS/PBS Kids. Android TV, Samsung and Roku all offer a wider selection. There’s also a (weak) web browser and (decent) voice search. Check out my EF9500 review if you want more details on Web OS.

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Sarah Tew/CNET

Unlike at least one 2016 OLED series (the B6), the 55EG9100 has 3D capability, with two pairs of included passive glasses. It shows the same issues we’ve seen on other 1080p resolution TVs with passive 3D, namely jagged edges and some visible line structure, but at least it’s available.

Picture settings are extensive. Highlights include eight picture presets, a custom dejudder control to dial in (or dial out) the soap opera effect, and a full color management system and multipoint grayscale control for calibrators.

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The back panel has ample ports, namely three HDMI, three USB, an Ethernet port, an antenna output, optical digital audio and an analog AV input that supports component or composite video via an included breakout cable.

Amazon Echo review – CNET

The Good Amazon’s voice-activated smart home speaker is undeniably futuristic, but it’s also practical and accessible. With a rapidly growing slate of features and integrations, it’s easy to get excited about the Echo’s potential.

The Bad The Echo’s sound quality is uneven at times, with weak bass at high volumes. The growing list of “Skills” in the Alexa app could also benefit from better organization.

The Bottom Line More than a year after its debut, the Echo is smarter than ever, and one of the best connected home products money can currently buy.

I didn’t know I wanted to talk to my house until I talked to my house. Now, after living with the Amazon Echo for a year, I talk to it every day.

I ask it for the morning headlines as I brew my 8:00 a.m. pot of coffee. I ask it to play the most recent episode of my favorite podcast while I work out. I ask it to set a timer when I throw a frozen pizza in the oven for dinner. I ask it to turn my lights out when I’m hitting the sack. It’s always listening, and it always just works.

That’s the true success of Amazon’s likable smart speaker — it fits in seamlessly with your daily routine. It doesn’t ask you to change any of your habits, it just makes a surprising number of those habits better. It’s the most futuristic product that I own, yet it’s also right at place in my present.

After initially debuting as an invite-only beta-gadget for $99 (I was one of the lucky ones who bought in at that price), the Amazon Echo now retails for nearly twice that: $180. The Echo isn’t yet available in Australia or the UK, but that price coverts roughly to about AU$255 or £125. For most, I still think it’s worth the cost. The Echo is more than a souped-up speaker with Siri-like smarts — it’s the connected home experience you didn’t know you wanted.

Chris Monroe/CNET

How do I use it?

Take the Amazon Echo out of the box and plug it in, and you’ll hear the sound of Alexa waking up. She’ll say hello, then talk you through the setup process. You’ll connect to the speaker’s Wi-Fi network on your phone or tablet, then sync things back up with your home network in the Alexa app. Within a minute, you’ll be up and running.

The speaker will light up whenever it hears you say its wake word, “Alexa” (or “Amazon,” or “Echo,” in case you don’t want to anthropomorphize the thing. Or in case your name happens to be Alexa). From there, you’ll tell the Echo what you want. Whether that’s some light jazz, the latest headlines from NPR, a 20-minute kitchen timer, an especially dumb joke or any one of the countless other things you might think to ask for is entirely up to you.

The Echo is a good listener. Hidden within are seven noise-cancelling microphones that use “far-field” voice recognition technology. All that really means is that it’s good at hearing you even when you aren’t next to it, and even when there’s other chatter going on. In my home, the Echo can understand me just fine from several feet away, even when I’ve got the TV on.

Here’s everything the Amazon Echo can do…
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What can it do?

More and more each month, it seems. Most recently, the Echo unveiled new tricks that let you hail a ride from Uber, order a pizza from Domino’s or stream music straight from Spotify — provided you’re a paid, premium subscriber of the service.

In CNET’s original Amazon Echo review, David Carnoy rightly pointed to Spotify as a notable omission from the list of music streaming services from which Alexa can pull. At the time, it would play tracks from the Amazon Prime Music library (about 1 million songs), but if you wanted to stream from Spotify’s library of more than 30 million songs, you needed to control things on your phone or tablet, then use the Echo as a plain old Bluetooth speaker.

The new integration finally adds in the voice-powered Alexa smarts for Spotify’s premium subscriber base — you’ll just need to be sure to end your request for a song, album or artist with “on Spotify,” as in, “Alexa, play Adele on Spotify.” It’s a good get for Amazon, and the biggest feather in its music-streaming cap yet, joining Pandora, iHeartRadio and TuneIn as services you can ask Alexa to stream from.

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It’s not just songs from the Amazon Prime Music library — you can ask Alexa to stream music from Pandora, TuneIn, iHeartRadio and now Spotify, too.

Chris Monroe/CNET

As for audio quality, the Echo features dual downward-firing speakers that promise 360 degrees of “immersive sound.” Some of us at CNET, myself included, have noted that its bass tends to weaken or distort at maximum volume, but I haven’t had a problem with that personally, since I rarely find myself needing to dial things up much higher than 60 percent or so. To my ear, the Echo does a fine job of filling a room with sound, especially with crisp speech playback, something you’ll notice when you listen to a podcast or stream an audiobook.

Still, if it’s audio quality you’re concerned with, you can find better-sounding speakers at this price. The option to sync the Echo up with an external sound system and use it more strictly as a point of control would be a good fix, and a nice touch for the audiophiles out there. Unfortunately, you can’t do that — at least not yet. Amazon seems pretty committed to the idea of the Echo as an all-in-one device.

All of that said, the Echo is more than a music streamer, just as an iPhone is more than a phone. The key is Alexa. She’s helpful, she’s capable and she’s mostly good at understanding what I’m asking of her, enough so to put her right on par with Apple’s Siri as far as virtual assistants go.

But unlike Siri, which is still secondary to touch as a means of interfacing with iOS devices, Alexa is essentially all the Echo has. It was critical for Amazon to get her right — thankfully, she delivers (and yes, calling Alexa “she” feels more correct than calling Alexa “it,” a testament to how personable she is).

The Echo is more than a music streamer, just as an iPhone is more than a phone.

At the Echo’s launch, Alexa’s native capabilities included reading off weather forecasts, setting timers and alarms, and managing your to-do list and shopping list (and, of course, crossing items off of that shopping list by making purchases on Amazon whenever you ask her to). One trick that I use almost every day is to ask her for the news. In response, she’ll offer a curated list of the day’s headlines and news blurbs from popular sources such as NPR, CNN, BBC News and Fox Sports Radio. You pick which sources you want to hear from and which categories you want to hear about in the Alexa app.

Since launching, the Echo has only gotten smarter. Most of what’s new comes by way of Alexa’s “Skills,” which are essentially the Echo’s apps. There are over a hundred of them at this point, and whenever you enable one, you’re basically teaching Alexa a new trick. And, thanks to Amazon releasing a software development kit that third parties can use to craft those Skills, the list of options is growing rapidly.

Play

How smart are those Skills?

The Skills section of the Alexa app reminds me of the early days of the iPhone’s App Store. There are some from big names such as Yelp, and the Skills for Domino’s and Uber that I mentioned earlier. Most, however, come from smaller developers. Some offer genuine niche utility, while others, like a Skill that teaches Alexa to recite “cat facts” on demand, veer toward banal gimmickry. And as of now, there isn’t a great way to sort through all of them — no categories, collections or top picks. With the list growing, a refresh of the Skills section (and of the entire Alexa app, frankly) ought to be high on Amazon’s to-do list.

Still, the point is that there’s something for everyone. If you’re a gamer, there are Skills for games such as Minecraft and Destiny that’ll turn Alexa into a helpful sidekick. If you’re a budding mixologist, there’s a Skill that’ll teach Alexa to talk you through complicated cocktail recipes. If you’re a musician, there are Skills that let you use the Echo as a metronome or guitar tuner.

Dell XPS 15 review – CNET

The Good An eye-catching 15-inch 4K display in a nearly bezel-free frame, plus high-end processor and graphics options, all in a slim, professional-looking body.

The Bad The better configurations can cost a lot, while the keyboard could be bigger and the touchpad has a floaty feel.

The Bottom Line The Dell XPS 15 is a premium-feeling 4K laptop that outdoes the MacBook Pro in several categories. Its bezel-free design should be the gold standard going forward.

Consider the bezel. That humble landing strip of plastic or metal that frames the screen in almost every high-tech device. Televisions have largely done away with the the wide bezels of old, at least in mid-price and better sets, extending the screen nearly all the way to the very edge for a seamless, floating look. Phones are getting closer as well, especially in forward-looking devices such as Samsung’s Galaxy Edge line.

But laptops have lagged behind in shaving down the frame around the display, making mobile PCs look downright clunky compared to other electronic gadgets. Apple’s MacBook Pro is a step in the right direction, with edge-to-edge glass over a reasonably thin black bezel, but the still popular MacBook Air is a poster child for overly wide screen bezels, a look that has not changed in several years.

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Sarah Tew/CNET

That’s why the Dell XPS 13 was such a breath of fresh air when first introduced in early 2015. That slim 13-inch laptop took its high-resolution display nearly all the way to the system edge. That eye-catching design won raves from reviewers, including me — after all, people want to look at more screen, not more bezel.

The next step in the anti-bezel revolution is a bigger version of that system, the Dell XPS 15. Like the 13-inch model, it’s available with a few different resolution and component options, but unlike the XPS 13, the display can go all the way up to 4K resolution. The least exciting versions have a standard 1,920×1,080-pixel display, Intel Core i5 CPU and lack a touchscreen, but start at a very appealing $999 in the US. (It starts at £1,149 in the UK and AU$2,099 in Australia, but for a more high-end starting configuration.)

Adding a faster Core i7 processor, big solid state hard drives, a touchscreen or an Nvidia GeForce 960M graphics card steadily drives the price up until it hits $2,129, £1,599 or AU$2,999 for the configuration reviewed here, which includes all the bells and whistles.

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The end result is a machine that looks and feels much like a 15-inch MacBook Pro, but one that also outdoes the Apple version in many areas. The MacBook Pro doesn’t offer 4K displays, nor touchscreen options. Configuring a 15-inch Retina-display MacBook Pro with a similarly large 512GB SSD and the AMD Radeon R9 M370 graphics card boosts that system’s price to $2,499 in the US, although the Radeon is not as gamer-friendly as the Nvidia 960M found here (which may be a moot point, as Apple’s OS X limits the games available in the first place).

Dell XPS 15

Price as reviewed

$2,129, £1,599 or AU$2,999

Display size/resolution

15.6-inch 3,840×2,160 touch display

PC CPU

2.6GHz Intel Core i7-6700HQ

PC Memory

16GB DDR4 SDRAM 2,133MHz

Graphics

2GB Nvidia Geforce GTX 960M

Storage

512GB SSD

Networking

802.11ac wireless, Bluetooth 4.0

Operating system

Windows 10 Home (64-bit)

But specs aside, this is a laptop that will draw the eye of anyone who passes by while it sits open. The larger screen against the thin bezel feels even more impressive than in the 13-inch version, because there’s an even greater screen-to-edge ratio at play here. Note that, like the 13-inch model, the lack of bezel real estate means the webcam has been moved to a spot below the screen, right above the hinge. It can make for some less-than-flattering up-the-nose shots if you’re not careful.

The interior is matte black, with a backlit but otherwise featureless keyboard sitting above a large button-less touchpad. The keyboard feels small, considering how wide the XPS is. Function keys are helpfully reversed, with a single tap controlling volume and brightness, rather than a function-key-plus-FN-button combo as still required by many laptops. The touchpad has a pleasing matte surface, but also has some of the same floaty feeling as the 13-inch XPS 13 had last year. It’s still very usable, but doesn’t feel quite as tight as on the best Windows laptops or a MacBook.

Virtuix Omni Release Date, Price and Specs – CNET

Shoes, on. Belt, connected. Leg straps snapped under my crotch. I’m ready to go for a run in VR.

The Virtuix Omni has been one of the weird-tech poster children of the last couple of years: you’ve probably seen videos of people wearing a VR helmet, strapped into one of these rings and running in place. It’s reminiscent of those old VR arcades from the early 90s that popped up in shopping malls.

What, exactly, is the Virtuix Omni? I used it years ago when it first launched on Kickstarter, in an early prototype. It’s now finally for sale direct from Virtuix for $699 (if you want to buy internationally you have to have it shipped: Virtuix goes over the prices by territory here.) I just tried the final version that’s shipping out.

It’s a gigantic game controller for your feet

The Omni is basically a multidirectional treadmill — a giant circular structure you stand in with a sloping concave bottom. You slide around inside, trying to walk up the sides of any part of the bowl you’re placed in, holding onto the side guardrails for support. For all its high-tech looks, you’re basically slipping around on a smooth surface with low-friction shoes. And it’s the shoes that are tracking your motion.

A quick run in a VR treadmill with the Virtuix…
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Yes, the Omni comes with its own special shoes, included with the package (extra pairs are $59). These feel like slip-on sneakers, but slidy like bowling shoes. They let you slip around in the Omni, while clip-on motion trackers (Virtuix Omni Tracking Pods) measure movement and turn your feet into game controls.

For $699, the Virtuix Omni comes with the large ring structure (the aforementioned “guardrail”) and base you see in the photos, a harness in a size you choose when you order, a pair of Omni shoes, and a pair of Omni motion trackers that clip on the shoelaces. You don’t get a VR headset, or any sort of game controller for your hands (the gun I used in Virtuix’s demo is a separately-sold third-party PC accessory). It’s strictly a walking peripheral.

It works with any PC and phone-based VR…but not game consoles

Games interpret the Virtuix Omni like a regular game controller, so you could pair this with an Oculus Rift, HTC Vive (which Virtuix is officially partnering with, marketing its treadmill as being ideal for Vive), and Samsung Gear VR. Not PlayStation VR, however. According to CEO Jan Goetgeluk, he’s hopeful to make that happen someday.

You’ve gotta wear these Omni shoes.

Sarah Tew/CNET

It lets you feel like you’re walking in place, so you don’t run into walls

I put the Omni shoes on my feet, stepped gingerly into the Omni’s platform, and buckled the Omni harness. Once you’re in, you can walk in any direction by step-sliding. It feels weird, and I kept worrying I’d fall. But I leaned against the railing and walked, and slowly got used to it. Steps translate into movements in whatever direction you’re walking, for 360-degree first-person games. The faster you walk, the faster you move.

Advanced VR systems like the HTC Vive already use room sensors to let you actually walk around, but sooner or later your holodeck experience would literally hit the wall — the physical borders of the room you’re in. The goal of the Omni is to create a feeling of freedom in all directions. I could keep running forward forever, or as long as my feet hung in there. That’s a different spin than holodeck-style VR theme parks like The Void, but it also means a lot more physical exertion. And running in the Omni feels stranger: unlike the Vive, which maps my real steps into the virtual worlds I’m in, this treadmill feels floaty and a bit disconnected.

…lots of straps.

Sarah Tew/CNET

It’s tiring

The Virtuix Omni is designed for active play, and even to be a form of gaming exercise. It wore me out after a few minutes. I’m not in shape, but the unusual sloping walls of the Omni made my feet hurt midway through the session I tried. Muscles ached. It’s a different type of strain than regular walking. Maybe I’d get used to it. If I were playing a real competitive first-person VR game, I’d lose if I played in the Omni. I need gym training.

As my colleague Eric Franklin said when he tried an early version three years ago,”If you’ve ever tried walking up an icy patch of sloped pavement, then you’ll have a pretty close idea of what this feels like initially.” I agree. And I really wonder how many people have the stamina for it. Eric Franklin’s pretty fit, too.

It seems like you’d need a special class of game designed to understand your fitness level and accommodate. A gentler type of first-person shooter. Virtuix’s VR demo game seemed like good balance of movement and rest. As I shot robots and drones, I had to keep reloading my rocket launcher by running across the room and grabbing a new weapon. I got little rest breaks.

I’m already tired.

Sarah Tew/CNET

It’s big

The Virtuix Omni is freaking gigantic. No normal person would have the space to set this up in their home. But if your dream of a VR arcade involves an omnidirectional slip-and-slide treadmill for first-person shooters, well, your wish is granted…you can order one now.

One thing I do agree with: VR, eventually, needs to figure out how “walking around in VR” can be accomplished with everyday movements, without walking into walls. I wouldn’t want to do it this way, though…but should we get one in for review this spring, we’ll try it out in greater detail.

LG Stylus 2 Release Date, Price and Specs – CNET

LG

Chalk up a win for LG when it comes to weird product names. If you’ve never heard of the LG Stylus 1 don’t panic: The LG Stylus 2 is actually the “enhanced sequel” to the LG G Stylo, which was also known as the LG G4 Stylus outside of the US and Korea, just in case you weren’t confused already.

Like its curiously named predecessor, the Stylus 2 has a large 5.7-inch screen but sports a slimmer and lighter design. The stylus has also been given a few enhancements according to LG.

• 5.7-inch display with 1,280×720 resolution
• 155mm by 79.6mm by 7.4mm and 145g (6.1 by 3.1 by 0.3 inches and 5.1oz)
• 1.2GHz Quad-Core processor
• Rear 13 megapixel camera, 8MP on front
• 1.5GB RAM
• 16GB storage with MicroSD
• 3,000mAh battery
• Android 6.0 Marshmallow

Mightier than the sword

The new stylus has a slightly mysterious ‘nano-coated’ tip as opposed to the rubber of the previous generation. But it’s the suite of new software features for the pen that make the biggest difference. Removing the pen now automatically gets you a pop up menu, a la the Samsung Note range.

The Pen Keeper is designed for the kind of people who constantly lose their keys. It gives you a warning if it detects the phone moving away when the pen bay is empty. There’s also a new Calligraphy Font for people with great handwriting and burning need to show it off on their phone.

LG

The same inside?

While the 13-megapixel camera is a nice jump up from the 8MP rear snapper on the Stylo, and the 20 grams/0.7 ounce weight difference is significant, there doesn’t seem to be too many other differences. The battery size is the same as is the storage space and even the processor is still a 1.2GHz quad-core, although LG hasn’t gone into any further specifics on that front.

We’re also not clear on pricing. The G Stylo was a mere $199 unlocked and the Stylus 2 promises to be “exceptionally priced”. But actual figures, timing or even where the phone will be available all has to be revealed. Look forward to seeing it in white, “titan” and erm… brown.

AT&T Expands ‘Buy One Get One Free’ iPhone Deal to New Customers

AT&T has announced that its “Buy One Get One Free” promotion for iPhones and select other smartphones is now available again for both new and existing customers.

The limited time offer requires both smartphones to be purchased on AT&T Next with a qualifying plan. The first device can be a new line or an upgrade, while the second device must be a new line and purchased on AT&T Next 24.

After three bill cycles or less, AT&T said customers will start to receive up to $650 in bill credits spread out over 30 monthly payments. The first payment will be a lump sum of any AT&T Next payments to that date. Tax is still due on both smartphones, which must be from the same manufacturer, upon purchase.

Last month, T-Mobile announced a similar “BOGO” promotion that offers qualifying Simple Choice customers half off all iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus models, or any iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, with the purchase of another iPhone of equal or greater value. The savings are applied instantly at the point of sale.

Tag: AT&T
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iPhone 7 Predicted to Adopt Lightning Headphones Without Noise-Canceling Capabilities

Apple is likely to wait until 2017 and the “iPhone 7s” to introduce noise-canceling headphones, according to a Barclays analyst report posted today. In the report, analysts Blayne Curtis and Christopher Hemmelgarn believe that 2016’s iPhone 7 will include a Lightning-equipped headphone accessory, with the “potential” for a dynamic noise-canceling system to be introduced next year.

The analysts believe Apple will use a basic digital codec in 2016, allowing the company to introduce Lightning-connected headphones later in the year. This move will prepare Apple for the possibility of including Cirrus Logic’s (an Apple audio supplier) more advanced noise-cancellation smart codec in 2017, which requires a digital codec to be installed in the first place.

We still believe there is potential for AAPL to add ANC in the IP7S but believe AAPL is including just the digital headphone in the IP7 this year. Recent speculation surrounding the elimination of the headphone jack in the IP7 is consistent with this move as AAPL will need to provide a digital headset inbox but likely was not willing to spend the extra cost for the ANC functionality.

Rumors surrounding the exclusion of a 3.5mm headphone jack in the iPhone 7 began earlier in the year, although it was unclear whether the accessory would ship in the box or be sold as a separate purchase under the Beats by Dre brand. According to the analysts in today’s report, the 3.5mm headphone jack will be replaced by another speaker thanks to an additional amp also provided by Cirrus Logic.

Other rumors have suggested that Apple is preparing a Bluetooth solution for an upcoming iPhone line, similar in vein to the Bragi Dash headphones, which are finally beginning to ship out to early pre-order customers after over a year of waiting. The headphones would be completely wireless, with two separate pods that require regular charging.

Related Roundup: iPhone 7
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Dr. Dre to Star in Apple’s First Original Television Series

Following rumors Apple is planning to create original television content like Netflix and Amazon, news has leaked about the company’s first prospective TV show courtesy of The Hollywood Reporter. The series, called Vital Signs, is described as a dark semi-autobiographical drama that stars Beats co-founder and Apple executive Dr. Dre.

Sources who have seen scripts and descriptions of the show have described it as being very dark, reflecting at least in part on the life of Dr. Dre. Each episode is said to focus on a “different emotion” and the way Dre’s character handles it.

While technically a half-hour, the show is not a comedy. Instead, it is described as a dark drama with no shortage of violence and sex. In fact, an episode filming Monday and Tuesday this week featured an extended orgy scene. Sources tell THR naked extras simulated sex in a mansion in the Bird Streets neighborhood of Los Angeles’ Hollywood Hills. (Dre’s wife Nicole Threatt Young was on set to witness the shenanigans, one insider says.)

News that Apple was exploring the possibility of original television programming first surfaced last summer, ahead of when it shelved its streaming television plans. At the time, it was speculated the content could be provided through a rumored streaming service, but with Apple having ended development on that project at the current time, distribution will come through more traditional means.

The Hollywood Reporter believes the series is likely to be distributed through Apple Music, which was born out of the Beats Music service created by Dre. It may also be available through iTunes or distributed through other channels, but the details on that are not yet clear. As with Netflix shows, all episodes of the series will be released at once.

Dr. Dre is the executive producer on the series, and it’s being funded by Apple. The series will also star Sam Rockwell, known for movies like Confessions of a Dangerous Mind, Galaxy Quest, and Moon, along with Mo McRae, known for his role in Sons of Anarchy. It will be directed by Paul Hunter.

Related Roundup: Apple TV
Tags: Apple Music, Dr. Dre
Buyer’s Guide: Apple TV (Buy Now)
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