Satechi Debuts New Slim 4K Multi-Port USB-C Adapter

Satechi today announced an expansion of its Type-C accessory line, introducing the new Slim 4K Multi-Port USB-C Adapter. The Slim Multi-Port Adapter is designed to add multiple extra port connections to a laptop or desktop along with 4K support.

The adapter, which has a sleek aluminum design and comes in colors to match Apple’s MacBook line (Rose Gold, Gold, Silver, and Space Gray), features a 4K HDMI port able to output video from a computer to a 4K monitor.

The Slim 4K Multi-Port Adapter also includes two standard USB-A ports and it supports passthrough charging, so multiple devices can be connected to a 12-inch MacBook while it is also charging.

Satechi is selling the Slim 4K Multi-Port Adapter starting today. It can be purchased from the Satechi website for $59.99.

Tag: Satechi
Discuss this article in our forums

New Beats Products to Debut Alongside iPhone 7 on September 7

Apple plans to unveil new Beats by Dre products at its upcoming event set to be held on September 7, reports iGeneration. The news comes courtesy of an email that was mistakenly sent to the site from the Beats PR team, which iGeneration originally provided a screenshot for but was asked to remove.

The email announced the Apple event and specifically said “a selection of new Beats by Dre products will be unveiled.”

It isn’t known what new Beats products Apple has in the works, but it seems likely the company will debut both new wireless headphones and Beats headphones that adopt Lightning connectors, as the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus will not have a headphone jack. Apple was recently granted a number of product certifications from the Eurasian Economic Union, and three new Beats headphone models were among them.

Apple is also working on a set of wireless “AirPods” earbuds, which are not likely to be sold under the Beats brand. It is not clear if the AirPods are going to be announced at the September 7 event, but rumors suggest they are fully wireless with no connective cord between the earpieces, much like the Bragi Dash.

It appears Apple plans to offer a range of different jack-free headphone solutions for iPhone customers alongside the iPhone 7 and the iPhone 7 Plus. Along with new Beats and the rumored AirPods, Apple is also said to be planning to ship its two new smartphones with Lightning-equipped EarPods.

Tag: Beats by Dre
Discuss this article in our forums

Withings Steel HR brings heart rate monitoring to an analog tracker

A better fitness tracker from the design heroes at Withings!

Withings has announced its latest analog fitness tracker, the Steel HR. This is the first analog fitness tracker that adds heart rate monitoring to it, without taking away from the incredible design of the watch. At first glance, it is hard to tell that it is a fitness tracker, let alone that it can monitor your heart rate as well. It will be available in both 36mm and 40mm cases this time around, so depending on your wrist size you’ll be able to purchase the one that fits you best.

You won’t need to worry about charging the Steel HR every day as it is said to last for around 25 days per charge with heart rate monitoring. After 25 days of monitoring, it will transition to a power saving mode which gives you an additional 20 days of battery life. While in power saving mode, the Steel HR will continue to track your activity, just not your heart rate.

As for pricing, the 36mm will retail for $179.95 and the 40mm for $199.95 and both will be available beginning in October.

Press release:

Nokia Launches Withings Steel HR, the First Analog Activity-Tracking Watch with Heart Rate Monitoring

Steel HR brings a new level of health tracking: Heart rate monitoring with style, ease, and unsurpassed battery life

September 1, 2016

BERLIN, GERMANY–Withings, part of Nokia and a leader in the connected health revolution, today announced an extension to its activity tracker portfolio with the introduction of Withings Steel HR, a connected health watch with fully-featured activity tracking, heart rate monitoring and smartphone notifications. Continuing to spearhead the unique category of beautifully designed trackers within fashionable timepieces, Steel HR marries classic French design with advanced heart rate monitoring and a 25-day battery life. Steel HR can automatically measure continuous heart rate during workouts, average heart rate during the day, and resting heart rate while sleeping, while also offering a dynamic digital screen that displays your overall health data and smartphone notifications.

Seamless, Modern Design Steel HR has all the features of a stylish analog watch that users actually want to wear: French design, stainless steel casing, chrome hands, and modern silicone straps. In addition, Steel HR will be available in two sizes: 36mm and 40mm. The standard 36mm case with an 18mm strap will be available in black and white. The new 40mm case will be available in black and comes with a 20mm strap.

Like its predecessors, Steel HR features hand dials that show the time and a sub-dial that shows the percentage of personal daily activity goal achieved. The activity goal (e.g. 10,000 steps) is set within the free Withings Health Mate application (available on iOS and Android) and keeps users up to date on their progress. Steel HR also boasts a new dynamic digital screen at the top of the watch face, which displays health data and smartphone notifications. Users can choose the information they would like to be shown on this screen through a multifunctional button on the side of the watch. This button allows users to navigate through data options including calories burned, daily steps, distance, sleep duration and smart alarm, and to receive notifications forcalls, new emails, texts and event reminders.

Best-In-Class Battery Life

Steel HR is powered by a rechargeable battery that lasts up to 25 days, the best battery life for a heart monitoring activity tracker available. After approximately 25 days of heart rate monitoring, Steel HR will transition to power save mode, giving users an additional 20 days of battery life. In power save mode, Steel HR will continue to track basic activity, including steps and swims.

Holistic Approach to Heart Rate Monitoring

Steel HR goes beyond tracking steps by providing users with a more detailed look into their overall health and fitness performance. This is accomplished through a technology called photoplethysmography (PPG), which monitors heart rate using green LED lights to detect variation in the level of blood in the wrist.

During a workout session, users can launch a continuous heart rate session simply by pushing the multifunctional button on the watch. Moreover, Steel HR will automatically initiate continuous heart rate while running. During exercise, seeing real-time heart rate at a glance can help optimize workout intensity and can motivate the user to improve performance. Post-workout, user will then be able to view maximum heart rate, calories burned, and a “time in zone” graph directly within Withings’ free Health Mate App.

On a daily basis, users can visualize how much time was spent in each heart rate zone, providing a holistic picture of their activity output. At night, Steel HR also automatically monitors the user’s pulse while sleeping to provide resting heart rate – a key metric to assess overall health over time.

“Whether you’re an athlete or simply trying to lose a few pounds and get a better handle on your health, knowing your heart rate can help you better understand your overall health and reach your fitness goals,”said Cédric Hutchings, VP of Digital Health, Nokia Technologies. “With the wealth of insights it provides and the extended battery life for a health watch of its type, Steel HR truly is the first of its kind.”

Automatic Activity Tracking

Steel HR, like all activity trackers from Withings, has highly-advanced automatic activity recognition capabilities that detect a wide variety of movements and speeds associated with various activities. For walking and running, the device analyzes number of steps, distance covered, and calories burned as well as the duration of the running session. Steel HR is also water-resistant (5 ATM) and automatically recognizes when the user starts swimming, providing the time of the session and the calories burned. At night, Steel HR analyzes light and deep sleep cycles, as well as wake ups, to give users a full understanding of their sleep patterns.

Personal Health Coach

The new Steel HR connects to the free, award-winning Withings Health Mate iOS and Android application. Acting as a powerful resource to manage many aspects of everyday health, Health Mate provides detailed information about activity including heart rate summaries, a daily timeline, personalized advice, and advanced food logging capabilities. It even allows users to share their data and challenge
friends via “in app” interactive leaderboards and through social media channels. Health Mate also integrates with over 150 top health and fitness apps to further add to the 360° wellness experience.

Availability

At the beginning of October, both versions of Withings Steel HR will be available exclusively at http://www.withings.com. The 36mm will retail for $179.95 and the 40mm for $199.95. Retail availability for both versions will follow at the end of October.

Labor Day Sale: Save 20% on your favorite Android accessories

We’re slashing prices on Android accessories, so getcha some while they’re on the cheap.

Some of us will be enjoying our long Labor Day weekend by grilling up some BBQ with friends and family or getting our splash on at the beach. No matter how you spend your day off, starting today you can save 20% on everything from ShopAndroid through midnight, September 6. There’s plenty to choose from for the latest devices like the Samsung Galaxy Note 7, Galaxy S7, LG G5, HTC 10 and more.

Use coupon code: LD16 at checkout to apply the 20% discount to your entire order, and remember that we offer free shipping on orders over $50 within the continental US.

See at ShopAndroid

Google Play Early Access is now open to even more developers

Google rolled out the Early Access program on Google Play earlier this year, giving users the ability to try out beta apps before they made their debut. Google hand-picked the apps that were allowed into Early Access during the initial rollout, but the company is now letting developers nominate apps and games for inclusion in the category.

Google also shared statistics on Early Access since its debut, stating that over 1 million beta apps have been installed in just over a month. The goal with the program is to boost discoverability of apps and games, while providing developers a platform for feedback and suggestions from a global community of users.

If you’re a developer, you can get your app or game nominated to be included in Early Access by filling out this form. Interested in trying out beta apps? Head to the Early Access tab in the Play Store to explore upcoming apps.

Samsung expected to recall Galaxy Note 7s over battery quality concerns

Samsung seems to be taking the proper cautious approach to quality control standards.

Reports have surfaced indicating that the Galaxy Note 7 launch has been delayed in parts of Europe — Germany in particular — as sales were set to commence this week. The news lands corresponding with multiple reports coming out of Korea that Samsung has plans to issue recalls for phones — anywhere from just some Exynos variants up to all Galaxy Note 7s that have been sold.

High-capacity phone batteries are one of the components that are held to extremely high quality control standards considering how much damage an improperly manufactured or assembled unit can cause. For this reason, it’s in no way surprising that Samsung (or any other manufacturer) would issue at a minimum a halting of sales or quite easily a full recall for any units it deemed to be defective and potentially causing harm.

The safe route is the only route to take when it comes to faulty batteries

A statement given to Yonhap from a “Samsung official” claims that “Products installed with the problematic battery account for less than 0.1 percent of the entire volume sold.” Even if that’s the case, with the volumes that Galaxy phones sell that could be thousands of phones — even before a full global rollout has commenced. On top of that, you can’t always determine how deep in the supply chain the potentially faulty batteries are, or where they were shipped and sold. Android Central has reached out to Samsung for a comment on the situation.

You can guarantee that Samsung will notify you if and when it finds which phones may be in the recall group, whether that’s in the U.S., Asia or the few that have trickled out in Europe. Right now, it’s worth taking the pragmatic point of view realizing that a halt in sales or pre-orders is a good thing for consumers — safety should be the number one goal, especially when it comes to batteries.

Samsung Galaxy Note 7

• Samsung Galaxy Note 7 review
• The latest Galaxy Note 7 news!
• Here are all four Note 7 colors
• Complete Galaxy Note 7 specs
• Join the Note 7 discussion in the forums!

Verizon
AT&T
T-Mobile
Sprint

Fiat Chrysler Announces New UConnect Infotainment System With CarPlay Support

Fiat Chrysler today announced the debut of its fourth-generation UConnect infotainment system, which includes support for both CarPlay and Android Auto, reports Fiat Chrysler Authority.

The revamped infotainment system features an updated 8.4-inch touchscreen with faster startup times, improved processing power, and a sharper display. It will be introduced initially in 2017 Chrysler 300, Dodge Charger, and Dodge Challenger models, bringing CarPlay to those vehicles for the first time.

Fiat Chrysler previously previewed its fourth-generation UConnect infotainment system at CES in January and confirmed it would be released in select Chrysler, Dodge, and Jeep models in 2016.

For older Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, and Ram vehicles, Fiat Chrysler introduced a free software update in April that brought Siri Eyes Free support to many properly equipped 2013 to 2015 models. Siri Eyes Free is a precursor to CarPlay, designed to minimize driver distraction by using Siri to allow drivers to interact with an iPhone.

CarPlay was first announced in 2013, but it took several years for vehicle manufacturers to adopt the new system. Since late 2015, CarPlay adoption has picked up and the feature is now available in more than 100 vehicles from dozens of manufacturers.

Apple maintains an official master list of all CarPlay vehicles available in the United States and other countries. It is updated on a regular basis, but may not include new CarPlay vehicles as soon as they are announced.

Related Roundup: CarPlay
Tag: Fiat Chrysler
Discuss this article in our forums

Philips 901F 4K OLED TV with Ambilight is as beautiful as it is capable

Philips wowed us all with the unveiling of its latest 55-inch 4K OLED TV set at its IFA 2016 press conference, and wowed us for good reason. On first impressions the brand new 901F telly, which features Ambilight edge illumination to spill the image onto the surrounding walls, is the perfect balance of subtle design and all the tech you could possibly need.

There’s a growing list of great OLED TVs launching in 2016, but the Philips 901F has a couple of neat tricks. For starters the 55-inch 4K set is the company’s first OLED-based television; and no other maker offers the eye-catching Ambilight technology, which has us hooked.

Pocket-lint

Being OLED means the 901F exudes bright, vibrant and saturated colours as well as really inky blacks. That’s down to OLED’s ability to switch off individual pixels, avoiding halos that you might get from backlit LCD tellies.

The 901F also has a very wide colour gamut, to ensure that every shade of each colour is covered, and subtle shades are easy to see – a must-have for the highest-end 4K content. And when we say “very wide” we mean it – Philips says it has a 17-bit colour system capable of reproducing 2,250 trillion colours. Now that’s some top tech jiggery-pokery.

The 4K sets we saw here at IFA certainly convinced us of the company’s claims that the 901F is among the best panels out there. Pictures weren’t just colourful and super sharp, you could see them from virtually any angle and movement on screen was stunningly smooth. So it won’t matter how fast the on-screen motion is, or what you’re watching, the picture should remain very sharp at all times.

Pocket-lint

To add to the experience of watching movies and TV shows on the gorgeous display, Philips has equipped the 901F with its Ambilight technology. The lights around the back of the set create an ambient lighting effect to mimic the colours on the screen, and react in real time to any changes. However, it’s opted for three-side illumination here, not the full-on four-sides that we’ve seen before now.

Design is what Philips would call “European”, which means it’s pretty understated – but with a number of elements that give you confidence that the company cares about how its product looks.

The frame around the edges is a simple, dark affair that’s not too thin and not too thick, with a subtle chrome trim. The feet are extend out from the bottom of the set in a traditionally modern triangular shape, almost leaving the illusion that the TV is levitating.

Even the sound-bar running along the bottom edge, with its deliberately visible drivers and micro-machined holes all across the front, have a purposefulness and aesthetic charm.

Pocket-lint

We didn’t get to sample the sound quality properly in the context of the IFA stand, but the Dolby-powered 6.1 surround spec suggests the 901F should be as good (if not better) than a separate sound bar. With 30W of power, an integrated bass port and six front-firing speakers, it promises to be very, um, sound.

On the whole, the Philips 901F is a TV that seems to offer everything. It also runs Android TV, so you’ll have access to all the games, apps and streaming services that your heart desires.

The only question remaining is how much it costs, and that information hasn’t been announced. Yet.