ICYMI: Space junk reboot, biological machine v2 and more

Today on In Case You Missed It: NASA thinks it can extend the life of even dead satellites orbiting Earth with a new solution from the agency and Orbital ATK. Mission Extension Vehicles should go up in 2018 and give the sats battery power for as long as another 15 years. A game developer is trying to make older, classic Nintendo games 3D with an emulator that uses a custom algorithm to separate flat backgrounds into 3D objects. And the National Science Foundation funded work to create a biological machine that can be controlled with electrical or optical signals– while using it’s own muscle tissue for power.

We also wanted to make sure you saw the ostrich chase video that is making the rounds.

As always, please share any interesting science or tech videos, anytime! Just tweet us with the #ICYMI hashtag to @mskerryd.

Adobe warns users to patch a critical Flash vulnerability

Stop me if you’ve heard this one. Adobe has released a new patch for Flash that fixes “critical vulnerabilities that could potentially allow an attacker to take control of the affected system,” according to the security bulletin. It says the update (version 21.0.0.182) is a top priority for users of Windows, Mac, Android, iOS and ChromeOS, and that you should install it tout de suite. The upgrade patches 23 holes in the software, but Adobe said one of them, CVE-2016-1010 “is [already] being used in limited, targeted attacks.”

While that’s the only known exploit in the wild, some of the other vulnerabilities could also lead to code execution and allow a hacker could take over your machine. This has become such a broken record that major web players hope that Flash will die soon. Facebook has demanded an end-of-life date from Adobe, while Google says that it will discontinue Flash-based ads. Many experts recommend you uninstall it completely, or if not, you can at least stop the plugin from running automatically in your browser. Another option is to use Firefox, which blocks it by default. The update should be pushed to you soon, but if you can’t wait, download it here.

Via: BBC

Source: Adobe

Adobe Releases Flash Player Update for ‘Critical’ Security Vulnerability on Mac

Adobe has released security updates for Flash Player that address critical vulnerabilities that “could potentially allow an attacker to take control of the affected system.” Adobe is aware of “limited, targeted attacks” on OS X, Windows, and Linux.

Adobe lists the affected Flash Player and AIR versions in a security bulletin on its website. Mac or PC users running an affected version should immediately uninstall the web plugin or update their installation to the newest version outlined on Adobe’s website.

Apple blocks many older or vulnerable versions of web plugins from functioning, including Adobe Flash and Java, to help limit exposure to potential “zero day” exploits. The web plugins remain blocked in Safari until you install the latest updates. Chrome, Firefox, and most other modern web browser also have web plugin safeguards in place due to the high number of past security risks.

Tags: security, Adobe Flash Player, Adobe
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Where to buy the Samsung Galaxy S7 + S7 edge in the UK

With the Galaxy S7 and S7 edge now officially available, here’s a roundup of some of the major outlets offering it for sale on launch day.

Today is the global launch day for Samsung’s Galaxy S7 and S7 edge, which means the major networks and independent retailers are finally free to unleash the latest Android flagship on customers around the world.

In the UK, there are countless ways to get hold of the phone, and so we’ve rounded GS7 deals from the major UK networks, as well as retail behemoth Carphone Warehouse. You’ll find them all right here.

Carphone Warehouse

Retail giant Carphone is the easiest bet for getting hold of an unlocked Galaxy S7. The regular GS7 sells for £569.99 SIM-free, while the GS7 edge is yours for £639.99.

The outlet also offers both phones on contracts with EE, Vodafone and O2, with a wide variety of data bundles. Assuming you’re willing to eat a fairly substantial upfront cost, it’s possible to get either the GS7 or the edge for a pretty reasonable £36-37 per month. GS7 buyers can get unlimited calls and texts on either of the three bigger networks, paying £79.99 upfront and 3GB on O2, 5GB on EE or 11GB on Vodafone. If it’s the GS7 edge you’re after, the same data buckets and monthly fees apply, but you’ll pay £129.99 upfront on EE or O2, or £149.99 on Vodafone.

The cheapest way to get a free Galaxy S7 through Carphone Warehouse is on a £40 per month, 2GB plan with Vodafone. Alternatively the GS7 edge is yours with no upfront cost on a £54 per month 6GB plan, also on Vodafone.

See the Galaxy S7 at Carphone Warehouse See the Galaxy S7 edge at Carphone Warehouse

EE

The biggest 4G network has the Galaxy S7 on a range of plans from £39.99-49.99 per month. At the cheaper end of the spectrum, £39.99 gets you 1GB, 500 minutes and unlimited texts with a hefty £109.99 upfront cost. Bumping up to £44.99 per month gets you a choice of two plans — 4GB and unlimited calls and texts with a £49.99 upfront fee, or 2GB, 1000 minutes and unlimited texts with £29.99 payable upfront. For data-hungry consumers, the GS7 is yours for £49.99 per month with a 20GB allowance, unlimited calls and texts and a £29.99 upfront payment.

Galaxy S7 edge buyers will pay a little more — monthly prices range from £44.99 to £54.99. The cheapest monthly plan gets you 2GB, 1000 minutes and unlimited texts for £44.99 per month and £99.99 upfront. A little more reasonable is the 10GB plan with unlimited calls and texts, which comes in at £49.99 per month and £49.99 upfront. However, paying just £20 more upfront lets you double that to 20GB for the life of your contract.

See the Galaxy S7 at EE See the Galaxy S7 edge at EE

Vodafone

Galaxy S7 prices on Vodafone UK range from £26 to £75 per month. At the lower end of the spectrum you’re looking at £26 per month and £199 upfront for 500 minutes, unlimited texts and a mere 500MB of data. (Bumping up to £29 per month doubles your data and minutes, and cuts the upfront cost down to £169.) The cheapest upfront cost for a regular GS7 is £9, which comes on a £50 per month, 20GB plan with unlimited calls and texts. Voda’s biggest data allowance, a 25GB bucket, comes in at £55 per month with the same £9 upfront charge.

For the Galaxy S7 edge, your cheapest option in terms of monthly cost is a £32 per month deal with £199 upfront, which gets you 500 minutes, unlimited texts and 500MB. As with the regular GS7, a small increase to £35 per month doubles your data and minutes, and cuts the upfront price to £169. The lowest upfront cost across Voda’s range is also £9 — that’s on a £56 per month 20GB plan with unlimited calls and texts. For a GS7 edge on the carrier’s 25GB plan, you’re looking at £61 per month and £9 upfront.

All the contracts noted above run for 24 months; the carrier also offers 12-month deals with pricier monthly costs and upfront fees.

See the Galaxy S7 at Vodafone See the Galaxy S7 edge at Vodafone

O2

O2 is offering the regular GS7 on plans from £33.50 per month — though that’ll get you just 500MB and 500 minutes in addition to unlimited texts, with a hefty £139.99 upfront cost. The carrier’s main plans — all with unlimited calls and texts — come in at between £41 and £59 per month for 3 to 30GB. The 3GB plan costs £46 per month with £29.99 upfront, or £41 with a larger £99.99 upfront charge. The biggest 30GB allowance comes in at £59 per month with £9.99 upfront, or £54 per month with a £49.99 upfront payment.

For the GS7 edge, your lowest monthly price on O2 is £38.50 per month with £79.99 upfront, however we’d recommend stumping up the extra cash for at least a 3GB allowance, which can be had for as little as £46 per month with a £59.99 upfront fee. At the highest end, O2’s 30GB GS7 edge deal can be had for £59 per month and £29.99 upfront.

O2 GS7 customers on price plans of 3GB or above can also get a free pair of Jabra Sport Pulse earbuds and a Gear VR headset for £40, half the usual price until April 21. It’s also worth expanding O2’s list of tariffs, as it’s possible to shave money off your monthly bill by paying more upfront.

See the Galaxy S7 at O2 See the Galaxy S7 edge at O2

Three

The smallest of the big four, Three is the only major UK network offering Samsung’s latest phones with unlimited (“all-you-can-eat”) data. All the carrier’s GS7 contracts also come with unlimited calls and texts. And its price plans are arguably the most straightforward of all.

The cheapest plan for a regular Galaxy S7 comes in at £35 per month for 1GB, with a £99 upfront fee, going up to 12GB for £50 per month and £29 upfront. For all-you-can-eat data, that increases to £56 per month.

As for the edge, the cheapest 1GB plan costs £41 per month with £99 upfront, increasing to £56 per month with £49 upfront for 12GB. And you’ll pay £62 per month and £49 upfront for a GS7 edge with unlimited data.

See the Galaxy S7 on Three See the Galaxy S7 edge on Three

Amazon UK

If you’re buying unlocked, Amazon has the regular Galaxy S7 in black for slightly less than Carphone’s price — £560 with free delivery — or the GS7 edge for £629 with free delivery. At the time of writing, dispatch estimates range from 3 to 4 days.

See the Galaxy S7 on Amazon UK See the Galaxy S7 edge on Amazon UK

Are you buying a Galaxy S7 in the UK today? Share your first impressions in the comments below!

Samsung Galaxy S7 and S7 edge

• Galaxy S7 review
• Galaxy S7 edge review
• Galaxy S7 edge with Exynos: A Canadian perspective
• Here are all four Galaxy S7 colors
• Details on the Galaxy S7’s camera
• The SD card is back on the GS7
• Join our Galaxy S7 forums

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Galaxy S7 edge has its insides put on show for everyone to see

The iFixit team have got their hands on the new Samsung Galaxy S7 edge and have carefully taken the smartphone apart to reveal just what kind of dark magic is contained inside. Since it’s not recommended for consumers to take apart their handsets, this proves to be a unique insight into just how Samsung manages to pack together all the components inside the sleek and thin chassis.

The highlight of this particular teardown is of course the massive 3600mAh battery, which is considerably more than the 2750Ah power plant found inside the iPhone 6s Plus. Aside from that, the Samsung Galaxy S7 edge is fairly similar to the smaller Galaxy S7, so there’s not a whole lot in this teardown that cannot be found in the previous one. Still, it’s always fun to check out the insides of hardware.

Samsung Galaxy S7 and S7 edge

• Galaxy S7 review
• Galaxy S7 edge review
• Galaxy S7 edge with Exynos: A Canadian perspective
• Here are all four Galaxy S7 colors
• Details on the Galaxy S7’s camera
• The SD card is back on the GS7
• Join our Galaxy S7 forums

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Samsung Gear VR Consumer Edition review: The stepping-stone to Oculus proper

Virtual reality, often known as VR, has a long and winding history. From the distant dream of Sega’s VR, unveiled back in 1993, to the modern day it’s-almost-here reality of Oculus Rift, HTC Vive and PlayStation VR, it’s South Korean giant Samsung that’s here to take on the more entry-level market with its Gear VR.

Virtual reality is still something of a dreamers’ concept; the idea of being transported from this world into a virtual other has been topic of sci-fi and social science for many years. But unlike the Holodeck in Star Trek, the only way to attempt that in the here and now is to strap a helmet to your face. Or, in the case of the latest Gear VR Consumer Edition, effectively strap a Samsung Galaxy S6/S7 (or edge/edge+ variant) smartphone to your face, via a helmet accessory (the previous Innovator model was designed for the Note 4 only).

Which sees us arrive from our excitable childhood dreams of actually being Sonic The Hedgehog, to a somewhat more realistic standpoint of where VR is at. It’s brilliant yet botched all in the same breath; expectations of being transported from one world to another will be met by delight by some, but nausea and discontent by others. Make no mistake, VR is going to split the crowd – even in the Oculus-powered setup that the Gear VR embraces.

But VR is also a whole lot of fun when the content is right. When we first saw the Gear VR in 2014 it lacked the necessary titles to drive it forward. And while the Gear VR Consumer Edition is still limited in its breadth of titles, it’s a vast improvement thanks to the likes of Land’s End and others. It’s also cheaper at £80 and, therefore, the more accessible stepping-stone on the path to Oculus proper.

Samsung Gear VR review: Phone hardware

First thing’s first: to use the Gear VR you’ll need to have a Galaxy S7, S7 edge, S6, S6 edge or edge+ to hand (or a Note 5, which isn’t available in the UK). Which, at around £600 and up, isn’t a budget entry point. If you’re already using such a device then of course the Consumer Edition’s £80 price point makes it a bit of a bargain. And it’s definitely better looking and more fully-featured than something like Google Cardboard (the literally cardboard viewer designed for a variety of phones).

READ: Google Cardboard review

You might wonder why the Gear VR is matched to Samsung’s most premium phones. The answer is fairly simple: they’ve got the highest available resolutions the manufacturer offers, to give a better visual experience, and are matched with powerful processors to maintain high frame-rates and graphical fidelity. A lesser phone just wouldn’t cut it.

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Samsung Gear VR review: New design

What’s perhaps most interesting about Gear VR is that it doesn’t depend on tethered wires to a computer (the only wire you might need to worry about is a 3.5mm headphones cable, but that’s no worry if you’re using Bluetooth instead). Oculus, Vive and PS VR all depend on a tether, which can inhibit the experience – despite those three all offering superior power to Samsung’s offering.

READ: Oculus Rift preview: The VR revolution begins here

As the Consumer Edition of the Gear VR headset is cheaper than the earlier models you’ll miss out on a few things, but not all of it is a negative. In this latest guise the bulky padded sections to the headstraps are gone – which we think is a positive, as without the top section the headset is easier to put on and, for us, actually more comfortable.

There’s also a white interior and a lot more space for glasses wearers to fit everything in – even if you’re donning your latest trendy Shoreditch oversize lenses. We didn’t find light leak an issue either, but the lack of a cooling fan (as per the Innovator Edition) does mean some fogging may occur (but there’s less battery draw from device, so another positive). Our tests have more seen the brow sweats and some condensation accumulation on the interior of the lenses more than anything – but that happened in the older edition anyway.

Pocket-lint

The Gear VR is easy to operate with look-to-operate functionality alongside physical controls comprising a swipe-controlled touchpad, back button and volume up/down controls all to the right hand side of the device. In the Consumer Edition this touchpad is no longer flat and smooth like the previous models – helping to find the indented central position, which is trickier than it sounds when you can’t see your own reality.

Samsung Gear VR review: Sensational or sickening?

If you’ve used Oculus Rift then you’ll have a rough idea how the Gear VR feels. It’s an undoubtedly impressive, immersive, hold-onto-your-hat experience, giving you the freedom to look all around a responsive, low latency 360-degree virtual world – whatever that happens to be, whether a game or visual experience. It’s not the walk-around experience of HTC Vive, the only system to go all-in with full body interaction.

READ: HTC Vive preview: An experience that’s out of this world

Some people will get on fine with the Gear VR experience, while others will feel claustrophobic and/or nauseated – just like with Oculus Rift – in a hold-onto-your-stomach kind of way. But that’s all relative to personal experience – some people will feel absolutely fine and dandy with the Gear VR on. In part it’s going to depend on the type of experience you’re going through, whether that involves physical movement through a virtual world or a static viewpoint, while more complex patterns and shapes moving at pace are said to disorientate more than simpler ones, as an example.

Samsung Gear VR review: Fidelity

Using the Galaxy S6 for this test, with its 2560 x 1440 resolution screen (the newer S7 is the very same resolution), you’d think the detail when using the Gear VR would be second to none. But it’s not as cut-and-dry, as the built-in lenses significantly magnify the area of view (which isn’t the full amount of the screen in any single field of vision) to make for a wrap-around 360-degree view.

This magnification causes what’s known as “screen door effect” – where you can see the dividing lines between pixels. It’s not painfully apparent, as the stop-gap between AMOLED pixels is slight, but it’s certainly present and might be a more pixilated experience than you’re expecting.

Pocket-lint

To counter this effect a softer focus can help, something we feel Samsung is using here because sharpness isn’t quite perfect – in part the product of convex lenses distorting things, especially towards the outer edges (which can produce this distracting “bleed” effect too). Focus can be tweaked using dioptre adjustment via a wheel atop the device should you be slightly long/short-sighted and not wish to wear your glasses during use, but thanks to the new design we felt ok with glasses on.

Frame-rates, too, have their limitations. As phones use a 60Hz panel you’re fixed to that refresh rate as a maximum. And while 60fps sounds like plenty enough, again, the experience is different from a TV screen and so ghosting of moving subjects in view is often apparent – more so as they travel faster. Full Oculus Rift operates at 90Hz.

All that said the Gear VR experience is competitive, especially at this entry-level of the market. Virtual reality as a whole has a fair way to go before 4K resolutions per eye and super-high frame-rates are possible/sustainable in the latest games, but we’re already out of the starting blocks heading at pace. At this phone-powered level there’s nothing better than Samsung’s offering.

Samsung Gear VR review: Games & content

A key driver for any virtual reality setup is what’s available to play, see and do. As the Samsung system utilises adapted Oculus VR on an Android operating system, that paints a potentially strong picture for the future, as lots of people have access to Android devices.

The first time you fire-up the system there’s a walkthrough, which serves well to educate. Upon each load – and a proximity sensor knows when the Gear VR is positioned to the face – you’ll be presented with a home screen, comprising Store (Oculus and Samsung) and Library options. Amid the latest downloads, there are also shortcuts to Oculus Cinema and Oculus 360 Videos/Photos. It’s easy to grasp what’s what, and it’s not all just gaming.

READ: Best Samsung Gear VR Oculus apps (2016)

As stated on the Samsung website, there’s no controller included and “some high-quality gaming apps may require the use of an Android game controller”, which is something not to overlook. If you want to play games and even use some of the Oculus software for experiences then you’ll need a decent controller paired via Bluetooth.

At launch the Gear VR had just a handful of games and nothing that really gripped us. But that’s all changed thanks to some solid titles that really show progress. Below are a bunch of the more prolific examples.

Land’s End

For us this is the game-changing title for the Gear VR. A beautiful gameworld, reminiscent of Momument Valley (ustwo games produced both titles), the floaty, ethereal experience of Land’s End is truly captivating.

Simple controls and puzzles lead the game mechanic, where you match dot sequences on screen before flying through the gameworld to progress. It’s never entirely clear who/what you are, nor why such puzzles exist – but that almost assists in setting the tone and keeping the mood of this game.

READ: Land’s End review: Glimpsing the future of VR gaming

If it wasn’t in VR we don’t think Land’s End would have the same impact. It stripped back graphical qualities and ideas show off just how well VR can be utilised. Although some will find the static position matched with in-game movement to be disorientating. 

Adventure Time: Magic Man’s Head Games

Fan of quirky platform games? This one is for you. You’ll want a controller to navigate around, using the Gear VR as a camera-like mechanic to line-up, say, grapple-hooks or target baddies.

Just because the game is from Cartoon Network doesn’t mean this is only one for the kids. The characters and dialogue are funny and engaging, delivering a different kind of VR experience to the usual first-person experience.

Dreadhalls

Like to be scared out of your wits? No problem. Deadhalls, the first-person dungeon crawler, is here to help you soil yourself.

This game really plays on light and dark, with the enshrouded 360-degree experience really making you feel like you’re walking through creepy dungeons. Sound, too, is a key part in making this a genuinely scary game.

Eve: Gunjack

We couldn’t talk about VR without there being a first-person space shooter. At launch there was Anshar Wars, but Gunjack steps things up a notch in our book.

There’s perhaps nothing unusual about this game, but it delivers all the action you could want: shooting, shooting and more shooting. Power up, attack, defend – you’ll be spinning your head around like a crazy owl to try and keep up with the on-screen action.

Gone

This video-meets-game is an ingenious storytelling innovation that really shows what VR can do.

Just look at the video above to get a taste of the way virtual reality freedom is employed to progress the storyline – rather than trying to keep up with a video it’s been rethought to let the VR directly affect the tale.

From Skybound, the studio behind of The Walking Dead game, there is a brilliantly tense and horrific feel to this title. Plus it’s free, which makes it a must have.

InCell

Check out how immediately mesmerising this fun and free game is.

Set inside a human body, you play as a machine vessel aiming to bring your human host back to health. While the machine’s attempts at humour aren’t quite on a par with a game like Portal, it’s still entertaining.

To play you use head movements to control your speeding vessel. It’s your typical racer with speed-ups, dangers to dodge, and items to collect. Except this is on a totally cylindrical track, like speeding along the outside of a pipe. Plus it has an impressive moving backdrop that may distract you to the point of crashing into dangers.

Oculus Video / Milk VR

Ok, so these aren’t games. And we’re cheating a bit because this is two services.

Oculus Video is a virtual cinema experience. You can watch trailers, movies, and even your own capture. But it all takes place in a virtual cinema, which we don’t really understand – because you could go to an actual cinema or, you know, watch one on TV. It might make more sense if the virtual environment was, say, the surface of an alien planet rather than a mock-up of a cinema, to really pull on VR’s strengths. But no, it’s just a virtual cinema.

Samsung Milk VR is a bit like the 360-degree “YouTube” for Gear VR. But, sadly, it’s not available in the UK (only US), so customers in Blighty won’t have access to the service just yet. There’s potential for this service to blow-up in popularity with the increase in 360-degree recording devices, though, so watch this space. 

Samsung Gear VR review: Current challenges

With the original and Innovator Edition Gear VR models it was Note 4 or the door. With the Consumer Edition there’s a broader acceptance of handsets (SGS7, SGS7 edge, SGS6, SGS6 edge, SGS6 edge+, Note 5) with a size-adjustable fit that, assuming Samsung doesn’t suddenly inflate the size of its next-gen phones by a marked amount, means even future phones will remain compatible. That’s one of our initial worries with the earlier model hopefully knocked on the head.

Pocket-lint

But that doesn’t mean the Gear VR isn’t without its share of challenges. It’s locked to Samsung smartphones rather than the wider Android ecosystem (there are pros and cons to that), the phone hardware isn’t as powerful as a dedicated computer system and so there are frame-rate limitations related to refresh rate. Plus VR just won’t suit all tastes.

When it comes to content it’s also a waiting game for that next big title or experience. Not all of which we feel are better in a VR environment. Do we really want to be watching immersive, limited resolution movie/theatre experiences? It feels like the next wave of 3D: a nice idea, but something that’s never been pulled off with true success, not without being a hindrance to some degree.

Verdict

The first time we slipped the Gear VR on and looked around a whole virtual world, head turning to take in what was to the side and behind, part of us was impressed with the sheer spectacle. It’s quite amazing.

But the Gear VR, like virtual reality as a whole, won’t be for everyone. In this guise you’ll need a top-end Samsung phone for starters, while some users might feel nauseous during use (as you may in any VR experience), nor will you get the higher frame-rates of the pricier top-end devices, such as Oculus Rift proper. But that’s to perhaps miss the point: the Gear VR is a stepping-stone to Oculus; it’s a here-and-now experience to show off virtual reality’s potential and to get people interested.

And what the Consumer Edition really gets right is the price. If you’re one of the many who already owns the necessary Samsung phone then for £80 the experience of playing through Land’s End makes it worth buying one alone. Sure, some other content falls firmly into the “novelty” category, plus not all experiences – we just don’t get the need for a VR movie theatre experience, for example – are enthralling by any means. But for the handful of the ones that are, the Gear VR makes its mark.

Samsung Galaxy S7 vs Galaxy S7 edge: Which should you choose?

Two new Samsung flagship Android phones are now available, the Samsung Galaxy S7 and the Samsung Galaxy S7 edge. 

They replace the Samsung Galaxy S6 and S6 edge, making some of the best smartphones even better. But if you’re in the market for a new smartphone, which should you pick?

There’s a lot that’s similar about these handsets, but there are some key differences too. One of those differences is size and another is price, but how much does that matter? We’ve drilled through the details to help you decide exactly which Galaxy S7 you should choose.

READ: Samsung Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge: Release date, specs and everything you need to know

Samsung Galaxy S7 vs Samsung Galaxy S7 edge: Design

While last year’s flagship phones were similar in size, the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge differ in that the latter is significantly larger. That’s because it uses a 5.5-inch screen rather than the 5.1-inch display found on the standard SGS7.

The Galaxy S7 measures 142.4 x 69.6 x 7.9mm, while the Galaxy S7 edge is 150.9 x 72.6 x 7.7mm. For those with smaller hands, the SGS7 is likely to be more comfortable to use one-handed, as it’s easier to grip.

There’s not too much between them in weight, at 152g and 157g respectively. Although they share similar designs, specifically on the rear, which is rounded on both devices, the curved display of the S7 edge makes for a much more striking design. The SGS7 by comparison is more conservative. 

There is water and dust proofing on each to IP68 standards, adding protection from the elements, a definite advantage.

Samsung Galaxy S7 vs Samsung Galaxy S7 edge: Display

The screen sizes on the two handsets are different, making a departure from the positioning on the old SGS6 models. The Samsung Galaxy S7 has a 5.1-inch display, while the Galaxy S7 edge has a 5.5-inch screen.

They are both Quad HD Super AMOLED displays, so have resolutions of 2560 x 1440. And that means the smaller of the two actually has the better pixels per inch ratio, at 577ppi over 534ppi.

From at both side-to-side, you can barely tell the difference in sharpness or clarity, but the curved edge makes a difference. Where the flat panel of the SGS7 looks great, the S7 edge is more exciting. Not only is that display bigger, but the way it drops off at the edges gives it a seamless feel. On the SGS7 your eye just runs across the display into the bezel, on the S7 edge, it doesn’t.

If you’re all about the display, there’s only one choice: the SGS7 edge is top dog here.

Samsung Galaxy S7 vs Samsung Galaxy S7 edge: Camera

Both devices have exactly the same front and rear cameras. The rear camera on each has a 12-megapixel sensor, which might seem low spec in comparison to rivals. But as each pixel is larger – 1.4µm – it is capable of capturing more light than most and is therefore better in low light conditions.

Add to that an aperture of f/1.7 and you have a phone camera that shouldn’t have any issues with indoor photography. There is also Dual Pixel technology on board designed to improve autofocus speed.

The camera on both the SGS7 and the SGS7 edge is excellent. It’s packed with features to make it simple to use, offering up consistent results through a variety of conditions. It you want more control, there’s the Pro mode – also offering raw capture, as well as Ultra HD video capture and a whole lot more. There is an f/1.7 5-megapixel snapper on the front of both phones.

Whichever S7 model you choose, you’ll get a great camera experience.

Samsung Galaxy S7 vs Samsung Galaxy S7 edge: Power and hardware

Both devices contain the same processing unit, although there will be two different processors used depending on the market and carrier. In several regions, including the UK and Europe, the chipset will be of Samsung’s own making – the Exynos 8 Octa.

The other processor is a quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 64-bit chip, which will appear in some other markets, including the US. To ensure that graphically intensive operations, such as gaming, do not cause overheating, there is a small water-cooled heatsink in each phone. There is 4GB of LDDR4 RAM on both.

Again, there may be differences between the Exynos and Qualcomm versions, but there’s no difference in performance between these handset. Both are slick and fast and offer a great performance.

Both phones also offer microSD card expansion to increase the storage. 

Samsung Galaxy S7 vs Samsung Galaxy S7 edge: Battery

The battery is one area of the internal hardware that differs between the two devices. The Galaxy S7 has a 3,000mAh battery, while the Galaxy S7 edge sports a 3,600mAh alternative.

There are efficiencies in the hardware as well as a lot of optimisation in the software to make these phones last longer than they did in the past. The SGS7 edge’s larger battery is obviously the way to go for more sheer storage and our experience is that this phone will last a little longer than the S7 – depending what you do with it, of course. 

Both phones offer wireless charging, but more importantly they both support fast charging too. It’s the SGS7 edge for power users then.

Samsung Galaxy S7 vs Samsung Galaxy S7 edge: Software

Both phones come with Samsung’s TouchWiz on top of Android 6.0 Marshmallow. Both these phones offer the same software experience, fusing Marshmallow’s latest improvements with Samsung’s functions. 

There’s only one small difference, however: the Samsung Galaxy S7 edge also has sidebar features that can be brought up through swiping its screen from that curved edge. They can show contacts, news feeds, apps or tasks and these can be customised to your requirements.

The edge can also act as a night clock, so there’s a small amount of information on the display for you to glance at when you’re in bed. The edge can also be used to alert you to calls when the phone is face down on a table.

Overall it’s the same experience, but obviously with a few extras for the curved edges.

Samsung Galaxy S7 vs Samsung Galaxy S7 edge: Price

As the larger device, the Samsung Galaxy S7 edge is naturally the more expensive of the two.

An unlocked 32GB Galaxy S7 edge will set you back £639 on Samsung’s own webstore, while a 32GB SGS7 costs £569. That’s £70 difference for a larger display and battery, but also for those luscious curves.

Samsung Galaxy S7 vs Samsung Galaxy S7 edge: Conclusion

The best part of the story surrounding the Samsung Galaxy S7 and the Samsung Galaxy S7 edge is that whichever you choose you’ll get a good experience. These are true flagship handsets and two of 2016’s hottest smartphones.

The regular SGS7 is smaller and more conservative. The flat display is more conventional, but it might suit those with smaller hands and smaller pockets. The SGS7 edge brings better looks – we love the display edges – and it’s a look that will still turn heads. 

The SGS7 edge has the advantage in battery life, and there’s those added functions to support the edge. 

In our opinion however, we’d choose the Samsung Galaxy S7 edge because it looks better. That alone, with that bigger display, is worth the additional £70.

Best TV and movies to watch this weekend on Amazon, Netflix, Now TV and more: Steve Jobs, Hap and Leonard…

This week, we’ve opted for a varied selection in our highlights round-up of the shows and films available on streaming apps and channels right now.

We’ve got action and adventure, dark, comedic drama, a spy tale and disaster on the west coast of the US. But enough about the Steve Jobs biopic, what about the other choices?

We’re only joshing of course, but hopefully you’ll get plenty from our suggestions of how to cure the boredom this weekend. All of the programmes and flicks on offer are available on channels and apps you can find on streaming devices, such as the set-top-boxes from Roku. And although you will need to pay or subscribe for most of them, we’ve chucked one free one in for good measure.

So check out the below and we hope you enjoy them as much as us.

Netflix

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Sword of Destiny

(Netflix)

A long time coming, the sequel to Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon was funded by Netflix which broke new ground in offering it day-and-date on its streaming platform and in select cinemas at the same time.

It is available to watch in both English and Chinese and sees Michelle Yeoh return to the role she made famous 13 years ago. Martial arts movie star Donnie Yen joins the cast for the first time.

Sundance

Hap and Leonard

(Amazon Video)

Hap and Leonard is a dark, comedic drama based on the novels by Joe R Lansdale. The six-episode run is now appearing weekly on Amazon Video in the UK, having started in the US on Sundance TV.

It has a stellar cast, including Brit James Purefoy (Rome, Solomon Kane) as Hap, Michael Kenneth Williams (The Wire, Boardwalk Empire) as Leonard, and Mad Men’s Christina Hendricks as Hap’s ex-wife Trudy.

Universal Pictures

Steve Jobs

(Sky Store, Google Play, Sainsbury’s Entertainment on Demand, Amazon Video)

With an Apple launch event announced for 21 March, you might fancy catching up on powerful rise of Steve Jobs and the Cupertino firm through Danny Boyle’s superb biopic.

It didn’t nab either of the two Oscars it was nominated for, but Michael Fassbender and Kate Winslet deserve adulation for their roles as Jobs and Joanna Hoffman respectively.

BBC

The Night Manager

(BBC iPlayer)

If you want conclusive proof that, should Daniel Craig hang up his loafers, Tom Hiddleston should be the next James Bond, The Night Manager provides it in spades.

Based on a 90s espionage novel by John le Carré, the six part drama starts slowly but soon builds as hotel manager Jonathan Pine (Hiddleston) earns the trust of Hugh Laurie’s arms dealer and infiltrates his set-up in order to gain revenge and justice.

Village Roadshow Pictures

San Andreas

(Now TV)

Previously available through digital purchase and rental, San Andreas is now premièring on Sky Movies so is available to those with a Now TV Sky Movies Pass.

It’s not a dramatisation of the Grand Theft Auto game of the same name (oh how we wish it was), but is a good, old-fashioned disaster movie, with the west coast of America falling foul of some of the biggest earthquakes in history and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson travelling across the wasteland in search of his daughter. Great Sunday afternoon stuff.

With a Roku streaming player you can turn any TV into a Smart TV. Stream your favourite TV show or movie from one of the 1,700+ channels including Netflix, NOW TV, Sky Store, Google Play, BBC iPlayer, ITV Hub, All 4, My5 and many more. With a ton of great movies and TV shows available, you can find the perfect title to match your mood. Enjoy hundreds of free channels, your favourite subscription-based services, rent or buy. You choose what to watch, where to watch it, and how much to pay for it!

Don’t have a Roku streaming player yet? Shop now at Argos!

Fossil Q Motion might be the best-looking activity tracker we’ve ever seen

Fossil, the accessory specialist, has revealed its latest activity tracking wearable in the Q Motion, and it looks brilliant. But its impressiveness doesn’t stop at looks.

It looks like Fossil Group’s welcoming of the Misfit company into its fold has boded well as the new Q Motion is designed to look great, just as Misfit’s wearables all have been.

The Fossil Q Motion connects to Android and iPhone via Bluetooth for app readouts on data like steps and sleep, but also for deeper controls. The app allows wearers to prioritise notifications from apps and contacts, so that should mean alerts only for what you want. This comes with a vibration and flash of the LED.

Using IFTTT the Q Motion can be used to control other devices, say to play music, find your phone or activate the camera for a selfie.

One of the other great things about the Q Motion is battery life. Thanks to a coin-cell battery the wearable will keep going for six months before it needs changing, which is super cheap to do. This battery life is another thing the Misfit products are well known for offering.

The Fossil Q Motion is also water resistant to 50 metres so should mean it can be left on all the time without worry.

Fossil says it will release more than 100 connected devices in 2016 so expect to see plenty more unveiled soon.

The Fossil Q Motion will sell for $95 which is about £67.

READ: Best Samsung Gear VR Oculus apps 2016

Google is using neural networks to improve Translate

Google has got a pretty good handle on AI, judging by its shocking back-to-back wins against a 9-dan champ Lee Sedol in the intricate strategy game Go. Though the company is using it in Google Photos, Gmail and other apps, it may soon bring deep learning to one that really needs it: Google Translate. Anybody who uses that app regularly knows that its translations are flaky, at best, especially for languages that are vastly different from English, like Sedol’s native Korean.

In a conversation at the Structured Data conference in San Francisco (see the video below), senior fellow Jeff Dean says that his Google Brain team is trying to apply research from a 2014 paper to the real world. “We’re working with translation team to see if we can scale this up to the production Translate product,” he says. “I think we’ll have some good results coming down the pipe there.” He later told VentureBeat that the app may be updated to lean more on neural networks rather than the statistical translation and crowd-sourcing algorithms currently used.

Expect to see other product categories enhanced or completely changed by artificial intelligence in the near future. According to Dean, the science has accelerated dramatically in the last five years. “In the machine learning fields, people tend to put out their research almost immediately … [and] within a week or two, you’ll see improvements or enhancements of that work put out by another group.” We’re all for that, as long as someone lets us know when it becomes self-aware.

Via: VentureBeat

Source: Structured Data Conference (video)