Microsoft can teach Android makers a thing or two about updates

Microsoft just updated a slew of Windows phones to the latest version. Even low-end and older models.

Microsoft has begun rolling out the Windows 10 Mobile upgrade to a long list of phones. I’m not a Windows fan by any stretch of the imagination, but I am a mobile tech fan so I’m interested. I jumped over to Windows Central to check out the news about the rollout, to see which devices were getting it and find out when people should expect it. I immediately saw two things that made me pause:

• The 2014 Lumia 535 is getting updated.
• The very low-end Lumia 430 is getting updated.

You probably know where I’m going with this.

Android OEMs take note. Microsoft’s phone division isn’t exactly a rising star in the techosphere. At one point, nobody thought they would be able to survive as long as they have. But they are doing much better than all of you when it comes to software.

Carriers can still gum everything up, as we see with the AT&T Lumia 950 and the delayed (Windows OS updates usually take an extra seven days to roll out through AT&T) attention it gets in regards to updates (read: carriers suck). And not every phone running Windows is going to get updated to Windows 10 Mobile — the super-popular Lumia 520 didn’t make the cut for example, and many others won’t for a bunch of reasons. But Microsoft did their part. They put in the work required to update phones that are old or low-powered — phones that Android OEMs would have (and historically have) left behind. there’s even talk of a second wave of updates that will support phones even older than the ones that got updated today. Software updates are hard, and it’s great to see someone besides Google and Apple doing it right.

It’s not a matter of numbers, so spare me the “they only have to update phones for a few customers” rhetoric. They’re not going door to door and installing updates, and the same update they made available will work on 100 units of a particular model or 1,000,000,000. In fact, when you consider how few phones there are in the wild running Windows, it’s even more impressive that Microsoft (and a few partners) were willing to update some of these models. And the way they are able to do it — by breaking the ties between the radio and operating system — means that they have been working on this for a long time. It’s similar to what we think Google is doing with Android, and hopefully will have the same result. As long as the people making the phones get on board.

Android OEMs take note — Microsoft’s doing much better than all of you when it comes to software.

I get the whole thing where Windows is the same on every phone, and that makes it easier to update any individual handset. But Microsoft (both as the people who built the OS and as a smartphone vendor themselves) went the extra mile to update old phones, as well as phones that have horrible hardware inside them. That’s something that Android partners refuse to do.

If anyone had any doubts that mobile is the way we will compute and communicate today and in the future, you’ve already been proven wrong. And Microsoft just did what they needed to do to make sure the vast majority of their user base can be current and able to use the new features they have made available. Today was a giant win for just about everyone using a Windows phone.

Well done, Microsoft. It’s a pity the folks making the phones Android fans love to use won’t follow your lead.

PlayStation VR Launch Bundle pre-orders begin March 22 for $499

Sony has announced that the Launch Bundle for the PlayStation VR will be available for pre-order starting March 22. The bundle will cost $499.99, and go on sale at 7:00 a.m. PDT at participating retailers.

The bundle includes, naturally, a PlayStation VR headset, along with accessories and a game. The accessories include the PlayStation Camera, along with two Move motion controllers. The PlayStation VR Worlds game can be used to immerse you in the realm of VR.

The PlayStation VR will arrive this October. While the standalone headset will cost $399.99, it will require the use of the PlayStation Camera, and the Move controllers may be necessary for some games, so it might be a good idea to pick up this bundle if you don’t already own those accessories for your PlayStation 4.

LG G5 orders begin at U.S. Cellular on March 28, arrives in-store on April 1

U.S. Cellular has announced that customers will be able to order the LG G5 starting on March 28, with official in-store availability beginning on April 1. Aside from the phone, the carrier will also be offering the Cam Plus Friends attachment, as well as the LG 360 VR for those interested. Customers who purchase before April 17 will also get a spare battery and charging cradle at no additional cost.

Later in April, U.S. Cellular will offer a selection of LG Friends including the LG Cam Plus, LG 360 Cam and the LG 360 VR along with the LG G5. The LG G5 introduces a modular design which allows for these companion devices to plug into (or be connected to) and transform the LG G5 into a DSLR style camera (LG CAM Plus), a remote control for capturing photos and video from a 360 point of view (LG 360 CAM) or a way to enjoy the interactive and immersive experience of 360-degree virtual reality (LG 360 VR). In addition, the LG G5’s sleek metal body features a slide out removable battery which is easily swapped for a fully-charged one, and its Always On display allows users to see the time, date and important notifications anytime without waking the phone.

U.S. Cellular will be offering the LG G5 at 24 monthly payments of $26.50, or $199 on a new two year contract. Customers who refer friends to U.S. Cellular can receive $50 after they sign up for a Shared Connect plan with any phone.

LG G5

• LG G5 hands-on
• LG G5 complete specs
• LG G5 CAM Plus module
• LG G5 B&O Hi-Fi audio module
• The G5 has an always-on display
• LG G5 keeps the SD card, shuns adoptable storage
• Join the LG G5 discussion

AT&T starts rolling out security update for the Galaxy S7 and S7 edge

AT&T is pushing out a security update for the Samsung Galaxy S7 and S7 edge. The carrier isn’t specific about the enhancements, saying only that the update “supports device security improvements”.

Much like the recent T-Mobile patch for the Galaxy S7 and S7 edge, AT&T’s update seems to focus on general improvements, rather than containing the March Android security patch.

Discuss the AT&T Galaxy S7 & S7 edge update in the forums

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

AT&T Sprint T-Mobile Verizon

Where to pre-order the LG G5 in the UK

The LG G5 is now up for pre-order in the UK. Here’s where to find one.

After Samsung’s showstopper, the next big new phone to hit at MWC was from LG, with the G5. We’ve had to wait a little longer to actually get hands on the phone, which is set to ship in April.

Pre-orders are now open for the new LG G5 in the UK, so if you’re looking to pick one up here’s where you’ll find them.

Carphone Warehouse

Carphone Warehouse has the advantage of being able to deal with not only SIM free purchases but also new contracts and upgrades across EE, O2 and Vodafone as well as its own iD network. Not only is it a great place to compare carriers it’s also a great place to score a deal.

Often Carphone Warehouse will do a better value deal than the actual carrier would on the same network. One deal that immediately stands out is the 11GB of data for £36 a month offering on Vodafone with a £59.99 up front cost and a free pair of B&O Play earbuds thrown in.

If you’re looking for a contract free option, you’ll be able to pick one up for £499.99 and shipping should commence for April 1.

See at Carphone Warehouse

Amazon

If you’re not interested in contracts at all, Amazon UK will happily sell you a new LG G5. There’s no price difference over Carphone Warehouse at this time, so you’ll be looking at a £499.99 outlay.

Shipping is, however, not expected until April 8.

See at Amazon

Vodafone

Vodafone’s best deal might well be found elsewhere, but the carrier has opened up pre-orders directly for the LG G5 on all of its most popular bundles. With upfront costs starting at just £9, you can snag a G5 with up to 25GB of data for a £55 monthly outlay.

You’ll also get the same B&O Play earbuds thrown in, but only if you’re in the first 2,000 pre-orders. Valued at £150, they’re a decent bonus prize, especially if you plan to pick up the audio module with the same logo on it.

See at Vodafone

O2

O2 refresh is a great option for someone looking to get a new phone on a monthly plan, but also doesn’t want to be left with paying up the full amount to end early. It splits the cost of the phone from the tariff, so you only need to pay that off before going elsewhere.

At the time of writing, O2 hasn’t opened up pre-orders. The phone will be available on the carrier, though, with an email signup at present.

See at O2

EE

EE is offering not only the B&O earphones that others are, but for pre-order customers the carrier is throwing in the audio module to make the most of them with.

Upfront costs start at £9.99 with data allowances all the way up to an impressive 50GB if you’re OK handing over £79.99 a month. Back down the scale you’ll be able to get a decent 4GB for £39.99.

See at EE

Clove

Clove is often a good source to pick up an unlocked phone and the LG G5 is no exception. The price is a little higher than Carphone Warehouse, however, at £529. For that you get the earbuds thrown in like so many other retailers, and you’ll get a £30 voucher to spend on some LG Friends.

Shipping is expected for the first week in April.

See at Clove

Unlocked Mobiles

The cheapest outright price for the LG G5 on this list (just) belongs to Unlocked Mobiles. You can grab one for £498.98 with the B&O earbuds in two colors with the phone shipping in time for April 1.

See at Unlocked Mobiles

If you find a deal on an LG G5 somewhere in the UK that we haven’t featured be sure to let us know about it in the comments below.

LG G5

• LG G5 hands-on
• LG G5 complete specs
• LG G5 CAM Plus module
• LG G5 B&O Hi-Fi audio module
• The G5 has an always-on display
• LG G5 keeps the SD card, shuns adoptable storage
• Join the LG G5 discussion

Grab a Galaxy S7 or S7 edge Vena case for as little as $2 at Amazon with coupon

If you are in the market for a case for that new Galaxy S7 or Galaxy S7 edge you just ordered, you may want to check out this deal from Vena. The company is offering a variety of cases priced between $2 and $5. Whether you want something clear, something colorful, something protective or just need a cheap case to put on when you are out and about, you won’t want to miss out on this deal.

To make the deal even sweeter, the company is offering free shipping on some of these extremely discounted cases.

Galaxy S7

• Retain (Clear case): $1.99 with coupon VENOFF08
• iSlide in Teal/Champagne Gold: $2.99 with coupon VENOFF08
• iSlide in Lavender/Champagne Gold: $2.99 with coupon VENOFF08
• vAllure in Navy Blue/Gold: $3.99 with coupon VENOFF09
• vAllure in Coral Pink/Gold: $3.99 with coupon VENOFF09
• vArmor in Black/Black: $4.99 with coupon VENOFF10

Galaxy S7 Edge

• Retain (Clear case): $1.99 with coupon VENOFF08
• iSlide in Teal/Champagne Gold: $2.99 with coupon VENOFF08
• iSlide in Lavender/Champagne Gold: $2.99 with coupon VENOFF08
• vAllure in Navy Blue/Gold: $3.99 with coupon VENOFF09
• vAllure in Coral Pink/Gold: $3.99 with coupon VENOFF09
• vArmor in Black/Black: $4.99 with coupon VENOFF10

We don’t know how long this deal will last for, so if you are interested be sure to act quickly. Let us know in the comments which ones you decided to pick up for your new phone!

Fossil Q analogue watches: Smart in looks, smarter in function

When it comes to wearables, Fossil is going for it big time. Not only has the company announced a range of smartwatches under the parent Fossil brand, but it’s extending it’s smartwatch range across a number of other brands, like Michael Kors, Kate Spade or Diesel.

Although there are two new Fossil Android Wear devices incoming (the Q Wander and Q Marshal), here we’re looking at the Q analogue watches. Fossil refers to these as the “smarter analogue watch” and continue the journey started by the Q54 Pilot and Q Grant models.

There are in fact a number of different models here and catering for a wide variety of different tastes and styles: the Q Crewmaster, Q Gazer, Q Nate and Q Tailor. If those names sound familiar, that’s because this isn’t a complete departure from Fossil’s existing watches, it’s just the Q-ification of them.

These analogue watches all sit on the same platform, but take a step forward over current Q analogue models. Firstly, and importantly, they ditch the need to recharge the battery: all the smart functions run off the regular internal battery, so you can wear this much more like a regular watch, without having to put in on a charging cradle. 

They connect to your Android or iOS device using Bluetooth. Although we didn’t see it, we imagine that they will use the same app as the current Q devices, but rather than using LEDs for notifications, the watch is going to use its hands and the second dial.

Pocket-lint

Fossil Q Crewmaster

That second dial has a range of different positions on it. These are mainly to identify the type of alert that you’re receiving, alongside the vibration. There’s step tracking, of course, which basically takes up the top of the dial for at-a-glance reference. 

But you can also set up favourite contacts alerts. When a call comes in from – for example – your Mum, you can have the hands point to 1 so you know it’s Mummy. You can work this around the dial for a number of different people.

There’s no date window on these watches, but you’ll notice the dials offering digits around to 31, as well as a corresponding date position on the second dial. Again, when you check the date, the hands will move to show you the date, then return to telling the time.

Pocket-lint

Fossil Q Gazer

We’re yet to see just how customisable this is, but it’s preserving traditional Fossil watch style, but giving you the advantage of a range of connected features.

We’ve filled the gallery with lots of pictures of these watches, check out the captions to know which model you’re looking at. There’s something for everyone in this selection. They should cost around $175 (UK prices to be confirmed) when they go on sale later in the year.

But even if you’re not a fan of Fossil, it’s likely that you’ll be seeing watches with these functions from all across the Fossil Group brands.

Shark Proof liquid screen protector works for any screen, even curved phones

Screen protectors can be priceless to help keep your beloved (and probably expensive) phone or smart device free from scratches. But they can also look unsightly.

Now there’s a quirky solution that doesn’t depend on a stick-on layer at all. Shark Proof, as it’s called – and no, we’re not talking about the dodgy B-movie – is a nano-coating liquid solution that literally wipes onto your phone using a microfibre cloth.

Once set – which takes 15-minutes, but ought to be let to settle for several hours (i.e. overnight) -it acts as an invisible protective layer against keys and those would-be everyday scratch-capable items. We’ve seen it work, rubbed a set of keys up and down a protected phone screen ourselves, and there was no damage left behind.

What’s perhaps particularly useful is that Shark Proof doesn’t need to adhere to flat surfaces. So your Apple Watch, Samsung Galaxy S7 edge, LG G Flex 2, or other curved screen device can also benefit from the added layer of protection. And for the sake of £15, that seems worth it.

Sure, some may prefer a swanky fold-out wallet for their phone, or a bulkier case, but if you want the raw original design with added peace of mind then Shark Proof is one easy do-it-yourself solution.

How to get ready for PlayStation VR on the cheap

When Sony officially announced price and release date for its PlayStation VR virtual reality headset, it soon became apparent that it would actually cost more to get it up and running that the headline-friendly price tag.

The headset will cost £350 (quoted during the GDC press event as £349, but retailers have it listed at around £349.99 instead) and even if you own a PS4 already, you’ll need to fork out for a couple of other accessories to get it to work properly; a PlayStation Camera and two PlayStation Move controllers.

In the US, Sony has announced that it will bundle those with a launch day edition of the PS VR – for a larger fee of course. It will retail for $499.99 in the States, which represents a $100 premium over the headset package itself.

READ: PlayStation VR: Release date, price, specs and everything you need to know

However, we’re yet to see a similar bundle announced in the UK. Some retailers might be putting something similar together, but officially na-da.

The good news though is that, because the PS VR isn’t due until the beginning of October, there’s still plenty of time to get yourself ready for its arrival. You can actually get the required kit now, save for the headset and processing unit, and on the cheap as well.

So here’s our handy little guide of where to look to find the necessary add-ons to make your PS VR experience run smoothly, and on a tight budget.

READ: PlayStation VR preview: Affordable virtual reality for the gamers

Pocket-lint

PS VR: PlayStation Camera

The tracking system used by the PlayStation VR headset requires the use of a PlayStation Camera – the same camera unit for the PS4 originally launched at the same time as the console.

In fact, there’s finally a bone fide use for the camera that isn’t mucking about with PlayStation Room for the 10 minutes after you first buy a PlayStation 4 or logging in each time you switch on your console.

So if you were duped into buying one with your PS4, the great news is that you can dig it out of a drawer again.

If not, you’ll find a new one costs around £40 everywhere now that PS VR has been officially announced. Game has even priced its second-hand units at £40.

Thankfully, if you shop around, you should be able to pick one up a bit cheaper.

CeX, for example, offers the official PlayStation Camera for £35. It has plenty of stock online and you can check the website to see if there is any stock in a high-street CeX store local to you too.

Alternatively, you can try eBay. But don’t be confused into thinking the PS3 version is the same thing, it isn’t. If it’s not a long, squarish thing, it’s not the same at all.

There are plenty of second-hand PlayStation Cameras on eBay – generally under the name PS4 Camera – and they seem to go for between £25 and £30.

Sony

PS VR: PlayStation Move

Unlike the Camera, which is essential to get PS VR working, the PlayStation Move controllers aren’t necessary for all PS4 VR experiences – a DualShock 4 controller will be used a lot, which you will have got bundled with your PS4.

However, many of the games and experiences will require two PlayStation Move controllers and at around £25 a pop brand new, that could be expensive. Also, what’s the betting that they will go up in price at many retailers closer to the time too?

If you thought motion gaming was the best thing since sliced bread, you might already have a couple lying around somewhere, which you bought for your PS3. However, most we feel should pick up a couple in advance.

Again, CeX comes to the rescue here. It has hundreds of them in stock on its website, which it sells for £10 a controller. So that’s £20 for the pair – much better than the £50 premium you will have to pay new.

It’s worth getting them now though as even that second-hand price is likely to rise dramatically closer the time.

Our old friend eBay can also help out, with many pairs of controllers currently going for around £20 too, but there’s a lot more fuss with private sales. At least CeX tests every controller before reselling.

Pocket-lint

PS VR: PS4

There’s one last item we thought we should include, for those who don’t already own one, and that’s the PlayStation 4 itself.

The PlayStation VR headset works with any of the PS4 models released so far, whether they have 500GB or 1TB hard drives. You are probably advised to plump for the latter because of the extra drive space to store experiences and games, but the former will work as capably in playing them back.

In fact, if you get yourself a 500GB model, you could always expand the hard drive yourself at a later date (read our handy guide on how to do just that: How to upgrade your PS4 hard drive to 1TB or more for less than £50).

By opting for that option, you can keep the cost of the console down. And you can find brand new 500GB PS4 consoles fairly cheap at numerous retailers.

Amazon.co.uk sells the standard console, without a game, for around £270, but you can buy a used one from around £180 (not including postage).

Game sells pre-owned consoles from £220, while CeX lists them at £220 unboxed, £230 boxed. If you’re willing to go for one that’s a bit scratched or less than perfect aesthetically, you can get one for £215.

Conclusion

So, if you went for the cheapest options listed above, you could get a PlayStation Camera and Move Controllers for around £50 for all three devices. Added to the PS VR itself, that comes in at £400.

Then, if you don’t already have the PS4, you can add at least £180 to that. So in total, for the full PlayStation VR setup you could sort yourself out for around £680. That’s still less than the price of the HTC Vive headset itself – and that doesn’t include the machine to run it on.

New Apple iPad Pro will be most expensive 9.7-inch iPad yet at $599

Apple is due to host an event on Monday 21 March where it’s expected to take the wraps off a new iPad. It now looks like we’ll see a smaller iPad Pro that’s priced at $100 more than the iPad Air 2, placing it at $599. That will make it the priciest iPad of its size, ever.

The new iPad Pro is expected to be a 9.7-inch model that features the high-power specs the full sized 12.9-inch iPad Pro comes with. According to 9to5mac this will be the first 9.7-inch iPad to have a starting price of over $499.

The $599 price will reportedly get you the 9.7-inch, 32GB, Wi-Fi only model but there is expected to be a higher priced 128GB model with LTE connectivity too. Each is expected to feature four stereo speakers, a brighter display with Apple Pencil support, an A9X processor with more memory, plus a Smart Connector for a new smaller Smart Keyboard. There is also expected to be a 12-megapixel camera with 4K video recording capabilities.

It looks like Apple isn’t replacing or succeeding the iPad Air 2 with this model but simply offering a more premium spec option for those that want the 12.9-inch iPad Pro in a smaller 9.7-inch display version. There may also be a refresh to the Air tablet line in the form of an iPad Air 3.

Expect to see the new Apple iPad Pro unveiled at the 21 March event.

READ: Apple iPad Air 3: Release date, specs and rumours