Library of Congress repatriates 163,000 files to Afghanistan
The Library of Congress has completed a three-year project to digitize 163,000 documents relating to the cultural history of Afghanistan, and this week officials handed over these hard drives to the Afghan Minister of Information and Culture, Abdul Bari Jahani, and Abdul Wahid Wafa, Executive Director of the Afghanistan Centre at Kabul University. The collection will reside in 10 Afghan institutions, including the National Library of Afghanistan, National Archive of Afghanistan, American University of Afghanistan, Kabul University and Kandahar University. This concludes a project that began in January 2013 with a grant from the Carnegie Corporation of New York.
The digital Afghanistan collection includes books, manuscripts, maps, photographs, newspapers and other historically significant materials dating from the 1300s to the 1990s, and in some cases the Library of Congress holds the only copy. Sadly, many of the artifacts in the collection were destroyed in recent wars or natural disasters, meaning they no longer exist in Afghanistan itself. The files include extensive bibliographic records and background information as well.
The collection is also accessible online via the World Digital Library, a project headed up by the Library of Congress and UNESCO. One of the WDL’s main goals is to encourage “virtual repatriation.”
“One of my goals as Librarian is to open up the riches of the Library of Congress to all people, wherever in the world they might be,” Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden said. “I am so thrilled we had these items to share with the people of Afghanistan. This project is an example of what can be accomplished when resources are paired with the Library’s extraordinary treasure-chest of items from around the world.”
Source: Library of Congress
No New Studio Wireless Headphones Coming From Beats in 2016
Apple recently announced several updates to its Beats line of headphones, debuting new wireless Beats Solo3, PowerBeats3, and BeatsX products, all of which take advantage of the company’s new W1 wireless chip for battery life improvements.
Missing from the lineup was a new version of the high-end over-ear Studio Wireless headphones, and according to CNET, no updated Studio Wireless products are planned for the near future due to an inability to improve battery life.
The reason? Beats can’t yet achieve the battery improvements needed to distinguish a Studio Wireless sequel from the current model. That’s a big contrast to the major battery life gains in Beats’ aforementioned updated wireless headphones, which come courtesy of Apple’s new custom low-energy Bluetooth chip, the W1. The Solo3 Wireless, for example, wrings out three times the lifespan from the exact same battery found in the Solo2. But the W1 can’t offer any energy savings on the active noise-canceling feature on the Studio Wireless.
The existing Studio Wireless headphones, priced at $380, offer an Adaptive Noise Canceling feature that consumes battery life. The headphones feature a rechargeable battery that lasts up to 12 hours when used over Bluetooth and 20 hours when plugged into an iOS device.
Apple’s new Beats Solo3 headphones are available for $299 from Apple.com. The PowerBeats3 and the BeatsX, priced at $199 and $149, respectively, will debut this fall. Apple is also planning to introduce Apple-branded wire-free “AirPods,” which will be priced at $159 and will be available in October.
Tag: Beats by Dre
Discuss this article in our forums
Samsung UNKU7000 series review – CNET
The Good The affordable KU7000 series showed accurate color and a good picture in bright rooms. Samsung incorporates unique device and smart-home control features, tied together with a simple remote and interface. The design is sleek and minimalist.
The Bad In overall image quality it lags behind some similarly priced TVs.
The Bottom Line Midrange buyers seeking a stylish, feature-filled 4K TV from a well-known brand will find plenty to like about the Samsung KU7000, but picture-first shoppers should look elsewhere.
Samsung TVs deserve credit for Smart TV innovation and futuristic design, and the KU7000 combines both for an affordable price.
It’s the least expensive TV to feature the company’s cool automatic device control system, which lets you command connected AV equipment using the TV’s simple remote and zero programming. It can operate SmartThings-compatible smart home devices like lights and thermostats, and even simplifies your cable box and streaming-app interfaces. All with style that’s sleek and modern.
So far, so good, and for many buyers, especially those who value Samsung’s brand cachet, that’s plenty. Right about now, however, I’m imagine a typical CNET reader would mutter: “Stop talking about the design and features, Katzmaier, and tell me about the picture.” Soon enough, but first, look at these slides.
22
Samsung UNKU7000 series (pictures)
Back? OK. Remember that Samsung has a premium line of TVs it calls SUHD. But in 2015, the company’s JU7100 — technically a step down from the SUHD line — actually delivered comparable picture quality to its SUHD big brother, the JS8500. But that happy occurrence isn’t being repeated for 2016: Comparing the KU7000 reviewed here directly with the 2016 SUHD step-up, model KS8000, the latter model was the clear winner. It gets brighter and darker, looks better in a dim and in bright rooms, and has better color. (And, of course, it costs a lot more.)
Then there’s Vizio. The 2016 M series costs about as much as the KU7000, and Samsung trounces Vizio in design and ease of use — despite Vizio’s included Android tablet-based remote, it feels less futuristic to use than the KU7000. On the other hand, the Vizio beats the Samsung at the most important thing a TV can do: producing a beautiful picture.
Series information: I performed a hands-on evaluation of the 65-inch Samsung UN65KU7000, but this review also applies to the other screen sizes in the series. All sizes have identical specs and according to the manufacturer should provide very similar picture quality.
Sarah Tew/CNET
Signature sweet Samsung style
One of the main reasons to pay up for Samsung is for nice design, and even the midrange KU7000 benefits. The dark gray metallic frame is thin, but not razor-thin like on some other sets. The small Samsung logo matches the quiet discretion of the rest of the TV, and the stand is a svelte splayed pedestal in darker black.
Sarah Tew/CNET
I also like the remote. It’s small enough to fit any hand yet feels substantial. Bumps, depressions and logical placement make finding keys by feel with a thumb as easy as on any clicker I’ve ever used. I’m an especially big fan of the raised flanges for volume and channel. I would have appreciated backlighting, however, as well as a few more keys — in particular dedicated fast-forward, rewind and skip keys.
Sarah Tew/CNET
Automatic control, smarter TV
Samsung’s novel control system allows the TV’s remote to command a lot of your home theater gear, including a cable box, without any tedious setup. Simply plugging in a device during initial TV setup is often enough to get the TV to recognize it and completely set up control using Samsung’s TV remote. This unique auto setup ability worked for a little over half the ones I tried when I reviewed it with the KS8000 (I didn’t retest it for this review).
You’ll need to plug your stuff directly into the TV, so if your setup incorporates an AV receiver it won’t work. The system mostly relies on infrared commands sent from Samsung’s remote, so you’ll need line-of-sight to control most devices (if your stuff is hidden in a cabinet, it won’t work).
Sarah Tew/CNET
In the end I’d stick with my Harmony, but people with simpler systems that use supported devices should be fine using just Samsung’s remote to control everything.
Samsung also revamped its Smart TV system with a friendlier design. App coverage isn’t as comprehensive as on Android TV (on Sony sets) or Roku TV, but it’s better than LG. If your streaming tastes go beyond the basic apps, you will probably still need to connect an external device like a Roku or Apple TV.
Sarah Tew/CNET
Samsung incorporates content more seamlessly than other TVs, though. Click the Home button and you’ll be able to browse content from within apps like Netflix and Hulu while your current video keeps playing in the background. The menu even serves suggestions and, on some apps, lets you resume stuff you were watching previously.
For more details on the control system and Smart TV, check out the KS8000 review.
Key TV features
| LED LCD |
| Edge-lit |
| 4K |
| HDR10 |
| Flat |
| Tizen |
| Standard |
| No |
Features
The KU lacks most of the picture-related extras of its SUHD compatriots, including Quantum Dots, “1,000 nits” of brightness and local dimming. Instead is a relatively standard 4K resolution set.
The “UHD Dimming” feature on this TV isn’t true local dimming, but rather an algorithm Samsung says enhances contrast, color and detail. The KU7000 has an edge-lit LED backlight as opposed to the direct or full-array units found on some other TVs, which helps thin the cabinet but can negatively impact screen uniformity. has a panel with a 60Hz native resolution, not the 120Hz of step-up sets, which has an effect on motion handling. See the picture quality section for more on how these features affect the image.
The set supports HDR (high dynamic range) content in HDR10 format only. It lacks the Dolby Vision HDR support found on Vizio’s and LG’s 2016 HDR TVs. It’s still too early to determine whether one HDR format is “better” than the other, and I definitely don’t consider lack of Dolby Vision a deal breaker on this TV–instead it’s just one more factor to consider.
Sarah Tew/CNET
Connectivity
- 3x HDMI inputs with HDMI 2.0a, HDCP 2.2
- 1x composite/component video input
- 2x USB ports
- Ethernet (LAN) port
- Optical digital audio output
- RF (antenna) input
No complaints here, and all three of its HDMI are state-of-the-art. Unlike the KS8000 and other more expensive Samsung TVs, the KU7000 actually includes an analog video input.
One of the USB ports, labeled IoT Extend, is designed to accept the company’s SmartThings Extend control dongle. The dongles will allow the TVs to control SmartThings devices via an app on the TV. They were originally expected to ship this September, but now won’t be available until early 2017, according to Samsung. They’re free to owners of this TV who redeem a coupon included in the box. Maybe the integration of the platform into TVs will push Samsung to iron out some of SmartThings’ glitches.
Picture quality
The KU7000’s image was good, but not up to the standards of many TVs I’ve tested this year. Its relatively light black levels and subpar video processing were the biggest issues, and while I appreciated its accurate color and solid HDR image, they aren’t enough to push its picture into “very good” territory.
Garmin Vivomove review – CNET
The Good Great fashion-watch design; one-year battery life; and can track steps and sleep automatically. Can sync with Android and iOS, and can be worn in the shower and while swimming.
The Bad Occasional connection issues with the Garmin app; watch lacks vibration; can’t be used with other Garmin trackers; lacks advanced features like a heart rate sensor or smartphone alerts.
The Bottom Line The Garmin Vivomove is a well-crafted and stylish watch that provides bare-bones fitness tracking, but you’re trading function for form.
The Garmin Vivomove deserves a special honor. It’s the first fitness tracker I wore to a wedding, and no one even noticed.
That’s because the Vivomove is like nothing Garmin’s ever made before, but it’s something we’re seeing a lot from other companies. It looks like a stylish analog watch, but inside it’s a fitness tracker, much like the Withings Activite. It tracks steps, distance, calories burned and sleep. And its battery life is great: It lasts a year on a replaceable battery.
It’s also reasonably affordable. The Vivomove is available in three models: Sport ($150,£140, AU$249), Classic ($200, £180, AU$329) and Premium ($250, £240, AU$479). The Sport model has a silicone band, while the Classic comes with a leather one. The Premium features a steel body and a leather strap, and it’s the one I have been wearing for the past few weeks.
The fitness
The Vivomove can track the basics: steps, distance, calories burned and sleep. That’s it. There’s no heart rate sensor, no smartphone notifications or any sort of vibration. It does, however, include two small secondary e-ink screens that help show fitness data. The one on the left shows how close you are to reaching your daily step goal, while the one on the right is an inactivity bar that will slowly fill with red for every 15 minutes you aren’t being active.
Sarah Tew/CNET
The best part? You don’t have to worry about charging it. The Vivomove uses a traditional coin battery that will last up to a year. You will eventually need to manually replace it, but they’re incredibly cheap — you can get a 10-pack at Amazon for around $4.
Like all of Garmin’s devices, the watch is also waterproof down to 50 meters (165 feet), so you can swim and shower with it (sans the leather strap, of course).
Sarah Tew/CNET
All in all, it’s pretty similar in concept to the Withings Activite, but the Vivomove can store up to a week’s worth of data without being synced, whereas the Activite has more limited onboard storage and should be synced every day.
The style
Credit to Garmin, the watch is incredibly well crafted. This holds especially true for the more expensive Premium model. The stainless-steel casing gives it a nice weight. It’s not heavy enough to be annoying to wear, but it’s enough to feel like this isn’t some cheap plastic fitness tracker.
Sarah Tew/CNET
All models of the Vivomove have a clean and minimalist look, which I really liked. The 42mm diameter is also the perfect size for my wrist.
The watch supports any 20mm band, but Garmin offers its own sport and leather straps that range from $30, £24 or AU$49 to $60, £46 or AU$99.
White House hopes to fight climate change with data sharing
Despite some scary evidence that climate change is affecting weather patterns and even shifting how the Earth moves, 43 percent of Americans wouldn’t spend a buck a month to fight it. With Congressional deadlock standing in the way of a national strategy to combat it, the White House has launched its own endeavor to find solutions. In typical Obama fashion, it involves making government data public. The Partnership for Resilience and Preparedness (PREP) will give organizations access to troves of environmental information so they can make their own plans to counter climate change.
PREP is a coalition between federal agencies, NGOs, companies and civil organizations to create an accessible open-source platform to collaborate and share data. It came out of the Climate Data Initiative (CDI), a public-private project to determine the best use of the government’s collected climate information. Participants decided that lowering barriers and easing global access to the CDI’s data drove would do the most good, hence PREP’s international focus.
To bolster that, the Obama Administration released a joint declaration today signed by 13 other countries and a few tech heavyweights, all urging greater global collaboration to collect and share information. The call to action pledges mobilizing all sectors to build dedicated data centers, support sharing of relevant and historical weather records, and to support user-friendly and open-source platforms. Essentially, pushing countries worldwide to develop their own PREP equivalent, with notes to embrace technical and climate data standards to ensure everyone’s program plays well with others.
Perhaps most sobering is the declaration’s language, abandoning the call to simply fight climate change in favor of the more defensive urge to gather data and establish “climate resiliency.” Sharing information, it states, will be key to global damage control.
Source: The White House press room
The Wirecutter’s best deals: Save $100 on Sennheiser HD 600 headphones
This post was done in partnership with The Wirecutter, a buyer’s guide to the best technology. Read their continuously updated list of deals atTheWirecutter.com.
You may have already seen Engadget posting reviews from our friends at The Wirecutter. Now, from time to time, we’ll also be publishing their recommended deals on some of their top picks. Read on, and strike while the iron is hot—some of these sales could expire mighty soon.
Ring Video Doorbell
Street price: $200; MSRP: $200; Deal price: $170
While this isn’t the lowest price we’ve seen on this video doorbell, it is a good $30 drop from the street price and the first decent sale in months. This deal is currently only available for the Venetian Bronze model.
The Ring Video Doorbell is our runner-up, smarthub compatible pick in our guide for the best smart doorbell cameras. Stacey Higginbotham wrote, “If our top pick is out of stock, or if it doesn’t fit the front of your house, our runner-up doorbell camera is the Ring Video Doorbell, which is better known because it’s been available longer than the SkyBell HD. Its video and sound quality aren’t as good, but it has the basic features that anyone buying a connected doorbell could want, including motion detection, the ability to connect to the doorbell for a live view of what’s happening at the door, and night-vision capability. It does require you to pay a small monthly service fee to see the events you may have missed, though.”
Refurbished GoPro Hero 4 Black Action Camera
Street price: $450 (new); MSRP: $500 (new); Deal price: $330
The first time this year we’ve seen a great deal on this camera, which makes sense, since a new GoPro was just announced. You’ll want to look over the specs of the new model to consider whether that would fit your needs better. We did see a $350 sale on new models of this last Black Friday, but nothing worthwhile since. This refurbished model comes with a full year of warranty. Make sure you’re registered for Ebay Bucks, so you get an additional 2% back.
The GoPro Hero 4 Black is our 4K video pick in our best action camera guide. Brent Rose said, “The big selling points on the Black are 4K footage (3840×2160) at up to 30 fps; 1080p video at 120 fps for super smooth slow-motion; and a whole array of modes in between.”
Sennheiser HD 600 Headphones
Street price: $400; MSRP: $400; Deal price: $294
The best price we’ve seen on these headphones in over a year. While there were times they dipped lower, towards the $250 range, that was about 18 months ago. The past couple of weeks have seen these dip down to $320, with smaller drops since then, bringing them down to this current $294 deal.
The Sennheiser HD 600 are our runner-up pick in our guide for the best open back headphones under $500. Brent Butterworth wrote, “The Sennheiser HD 600 headphones almost couldn’t be more different from the HE400S. They use dynamic drivers—essentially miniature speakers—instead of the HE400S’s planar magnetic drivers. The HE400S model was brand new when we did this test, while the HD 600 has been around (although with a few changes) since the late 1990s. While the HD 600 has a mellower sound than the HE400S, we picked it for the same reason we liked the HE400S: Its sound has no annoying idiosyncrasies, and most of our panelists liked it and none hated it (not the sound, anyway). Overall, the HD 600 headphones are completely enjoyable to listen to, with a more relaxed sound than the HE400S model, that might appeal more to fans of jazz, folk, and classical.”
Victorinox Flexible Boning Knife
Street price: $33; MSRP: $40; Deal price: $23
While we used to regularly see this for $23 during 2015, this knife shot up to $33 at the start of the year and it hasn’t dropped since. This drop gives you plenty of time to get ready for any holiday carving.
The Victorinox Flexible Boning Knife is our boning knife pick in our Thanksgiving guide. The SH staff wrote, “The Cook’s Illustrated pick, as well as the top-selling and top-rated Amazon pick, is the Victorinox 6-Inch Flexible Boning Knife with Fibrox Handle. If you don’t want to get a dedicated knife, the tip of your chef’s knife can handle this small task, albeit with less finesse.”
Deals change all the time, and some of these may have expired. To see an updated list of current deals, please go to The Wirecutter.com.
What you need to know about GPS and the Apple Watch Series 2 – CNET
The new Apple Watch Series 2 comes with built-in GPS and waterproofing
Scott Stein tries on the all-new Apple Watch Series 2 and checks out the built-in GPS.
by Scott Stein
Close
Drag
The Apple Watch Series 2 boasts built-in GPS capabilities, so you can leave your iPhone at home or in your gym locker during a workout. The watch will take care of tracking all of the important details.
Previously, you had to have your iPhone nearby in order for the Watch to capture location information from the Global Positioning System.
The first time I started a workout with the Series 2, I was expecting to find some sort of GPS button or indicator letting me know the satellite-powered system was active.
It turns out, when you start specific workouts and your iPhone isn’t nearby, your Apple Watch Series 2 will automatically track the workout with GPS.
There isn’t a button or setting you need to worry about — it just works, as Steve Jobs would say.
Workouts that are tracked via GPS include:
- Outdoor walk
- Outdoor run
- Open water swim
- Outdoor cycle
Enlarge Image
Screenshot by Jason Cipriani/CNET
Once you complete a workout and your Watch reconnects with your iPhone, you can view your GPS data by opening the Activity app. Next, scroll down to the Workout section and tap on a completed workout.
Make your own pet hair-removing power tool with a hand mixer – CNET
Enlarge Image
Time to whip up a solution to your pet hair problems.
Alina Bradford/CNET
Lint rollers and bushes work great for small areas, but with two large dogs and two cats, I needed something a little more…powerful. I tried various vacuum attachments and special pet hair-sucking appliances, but none of them really did the job. I wouldn’t say they sucked, but that was kind of the problem.
Then, in a moment of inspiration, I came up with my own pet hair-removing power tool. All you need is a hand mixer — yes, the kind in your kitchen drawer — a rubber band, a cotton sock you don’t need, scissors and a spray bottle of water.
Here’s how to make it and use it:
Attach one beater to the hand mixer.
Cut the ankle part of the sock off since all you need is the foot part.
Slip the sock over the end of a beater.
Secure the open part of the sock right above the beater blades by wrapping it with a rubber band.
Lightly mist the furniture cushion with water.
Turn the mixer on low.
Hold the sock lightly against the cushion and move it back and forth over the hairy area.
Ta-daaa! Your furniture will be hair-free. The friction wipes all of the hair into a ball that clings to the sock.
Some things to remember
First, try this technique out on a bit of your furniture that’s a little less visible, just to make sure that the water and friction don’t do something weird to the fabric.
Second, keep pets and little kids away from the tool while it’s on for safety. As long as you keep your hands away from the beater, this process is about as safe as whipping cake batter.
Third, you may not want to use a fancy, expensive hand mixer, because it puts extra wear and tear on the motor. Look for a cheap mixer at a thrift store or yard sale for this purpose. You can also get hand mixers at big-box stores like Walmart for less than $20.
10 New ways to use a power drill (other than…
1 – 5 of 11
Next
Prev
Best Android Phones 5.2-inches And Under
If you’re looking at this page, it’s because the right smartphone for you is the one that fits perfectly in your hand.
Best overall
Samsung Galaxy S7
See at AT&T
See at Sprint
See at T-Mobile
See at Verizon
See at Amazon
Unless you’ve been living under a rock this past year, you know that the Galaxy S7 is the biggest hit of the year. The flagship smartphone features a stunning metal-and-glass unibody design that’s both water resistant and comfortable to wield. On the inside, it’s fueled by top-end internals, including a Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 processor and 4GB of RAM. It also offers solid battery life and an impressive rear-facing camera that you can confidently utilize as your primary shooter. Best of all, the Galaxy S7’s screen is a 5.1-inch Quad HD Super AMOLED display, so even though it’s a smaller screen, you’ll still get stunning, TV-like quality from the dullest of YouTube videos.
Perhaps the only drawback of the Galaxy S7 is that it doesn’t run the latest version of Android just yet. Nougat has yet to be optimized for Samsung’s flagship devices, but it’s coming.
Bottom line: If you’re looking to adopt one of the best compact smartphones available, get the Galaxy S7.
One More thing: This highly-rated device is available at all four major carriers in the U.S., but if you’d rather live dangerously and contract-free, Samsung offers an unlocked model that also works overseas.
Why the Galaxy S7 is the best
A powerful, compact, water resistant little package.
Samsung has spent generations attempting to perfect its Galaxy flagship. There’s still some work to be done, but the Galaxy S7 is considered the best incarnation of Samsung’s flagship smartphone yet. Just look at the features: Powerful innards that support the Vulkan API and virtual reality; a water-resistant shell for the accident prone; a fingerprint sensor for added security, an expansion slot for more media storage;, and a high-quality camera that’s good enough to leave your DSLR at home. The Galaxy S7 does everything you need a smartphone to do.
Unfortunately, Samsung’s version of Android also comes with a few quirks, as well as extra apps you might find redundant alongside Google’s own offerings. And the Galaxy S7 often comes bundled with hoards of bloatware, depending on your carrier, and you’re not always guaranteed to be running the latest version of Android. But if this is your big purchase for the year, you can be confident in the fact that you made the right decision in terms of hardware and software offerings, especially since the Galaxy S7 offers one of the best smartphone cameras on the market.
Best “Not Samsung” phone
HTC 10
See at Sprint
See at Verizon
See at Amazon
HTC’s had a rough couple of years with its flagship line, but the HTC 10 is a step in the right direction. This aluminum, unibody device is as fashion forward as it is comfortable to hold. Its 5.2-inch Quad HD display is the right size for most hands, and it’s equipped with a 12-megapixel rear-facing Ultrapixel 2 camera, as well as a 5-megapixel front-facing camera with OIS, so your selfies will be in focus, too.
The HTC 10 also offers BoomSound Hi-Fi, which the company worked on in conjunction with Dolby, and there’s even an amp built in to the headphone jack. The HTC 10’s Android interface isn’t bad either; HTC’s Sense UI is pretty vanilla compared to years past, and you can customize the interface to your liking with themes.
Bottom-line: The HTC 10 is a viable flagship alternative for anyone who is looking for something just as capable as a Samsung device but without the chintzy software.
One more thing: Although the 10 does not have all the bells and whistles as Samsung’s devices—like water resistance and wireless charging— HTC does offer Uh Oh Protection, which covers broken screens, water damage, and even switching carriers.
Best affordable phone
Nexus 5X
See at Google
If you’re looking for a device that’s easy to cradle, but you don’t want to break the bank, consider one of Google’s Nexus devices. The Nexus 5X is a pocketable, 5.2-inch device with a 1080p LCD display, a solid 12-megapixel rear-facing camera, and a 2700mAh battery. It runs on a Snapdragon 808 processor with 2GB of RAM and its rear-facing fingerprint scanner is faster to use than most smartphones that have it embedded on the front. And though the Nexus 5X doesn’t sport the most forward-thinking chassis design, it does come in a seriously attractive mint blue color.
Bottom-line: The Nexus 5X is the best choice if you want a smaller Android phone that will receive consistent software updates for at least another year.
One more thing: You can purchase Nexus Protect for an extra $69 to help cover any device malfunctions and accidental damage for two years.
Best under 4.7-inches
Xperia X Compact
See at Amazon
Bet you didn’t think we’d offer up a Sony smartphone as a choice, but the Xperia X Compact is worth the consideration—especially if you’re looking for something that’s under five inches. Inside, the Xperia X Compact runs on mid-range Snapdragon 650, 3GB of RAM, and a 2,700mAh battery. It’s equipped with a 720p IPS display, though that’s all you really need from a 4.6-inch screen. It also supports Quick Charge 3.0, so that you can quickly charge it up during your layover, and it offers a solid 23-megapixel rear-facing camera with laser autofocus.
Bottom-line: The Xperia X Compact is great for anyone who’s been grumbling that smartphones are just too big in this day and age.
One more thing: The Xperia X Compact will officially launch in the U.S. on September 25.
Conclusion
Folks, if you’re looking for a compact smartphone that’s got as much power and capability as the laptop on your desk, the Galaxy S7 is the way to go. It has all of the latest features you want wrapped up in a water resistant shell that’s somewhat impervious to life’s little accidents. And it’s a mere 5.1-inches, which makes it comfortable enough for a variety of hand sizes. But if you’re not entirely keen on going the Samsung route because of its not-stock Android software, we’ve also offered up a few other choices for your consideration. We won’t let you traverse this journey alone.
Best overall
Samsung Galaxy S7
See at AT&T
See at Sprint
See at T-Mobile
See at Verizon
See at Amazon
Unless you’ve been living under a rock this past year, you know that the Galaxy S7 is the biggest hit of the year. The flagship smartphone features a stunning metal-and-glass unibody design that’s both water resistant and comfortable to wield. On the inside, it’s fueled by top-end internals, including a Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 processor and 4GB of RAM. It also offers solid battery life and an impressive rear-facing camera that you can confidently utilize as your primary shooter. Best of all, the Galaxy S7’s screen is a 5.1-inch Quad HD Super AMOLED display, so even though it’s a smaller screen, you’ll still get stunning, TV-like quality from the dullest of YouTube videos.
Perhaps the only drawback of the Galaxy S7 is that it doesn’t run the latest version of Android just yet. Nougat has yet to be optimized for Samsung’s flagship devices, but it’s coming.
Bottom line: If you’re looking to adopt one of the best compact smartphones available, get the Galaxy S7.
One More thing: This highly-rated device is available at all four major carriers in the U.S., but if you’d rather live dangerously and contract-free, Samsung offers an unlocked model that also works overseas.
Which smartphone camera do YOU think is the best?
We’re putting the latest and greatest smartphone cameras to the test — but this time, we want you to tell us which one you like best.
There are a lot of great smartphone cameras out there these days, no matter your preference of operating system. As is our custom, we’ve put together an extensive photo comparison of each of the major players, but we’re doing it a little differently this year.
Instead of us snapping photos, comparing them, and telling you which we prefer, I want you to tell us which photo you like best. Below, we’ve snapped images with four recently-released smartphones with high-end cameras — but we’re not telling you which pictures came from which phone.
The images below have been randomized for every question — and we’ve stripped their EXIF data, too, so no cheating. We took every picture with the phone’s primary camera app and automatic settings, shooting hand-held, just like most users snap photos today.
Which smartphone takes the best photos? We want your help: Pick your favorite for each section by selecting the radio button above each image, then hit the Submit Survey button. (You can also blow up the photos to full resolution by clicking on them directly.)
Next week, we’ll compile our results and announce the smartphone champion as picked by our readers — so stay tuned!
If things aren’t displaying correctly for you, try accessing the survey directly.
AIVAnet 