The best deals from Amazon’s Great Indian Festival
Amazon India has kicked off the third instalment of its Great Indian Festival sale, and if by some miracle you still have some money left over, here are a few deals that are worth your time. If you’re looking for a fitness tracker, Amazon is running an enticing discount on several Fitbit products.
Mobiles
- Moto G4 – 2GB RAM/16GB storage – ₹10,499 – ₹2,000 off
- Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 – 3GB RAM/32GB storage – ₹10,999 – ₹1,000 off
- Lenovo ZUK Z1 – 3GB RAM/64GB storage – ₹10,999 – ₹2,500 off
- LeEco Le Max 2 – ₹17,999 – ₹5,000 off
- OnePlus 2 – ₹19,999 – ₹3,000 off
- Lenovo K4 Note – ₹9,999 – ₹2,000 off
- Samsung Galaxy On7 Pro – ₹9,990 – ₹1,200 off
- Samsung Galaxy On5 Pro – ₹7,990 – ₹1,200 off
Accessories
- Sennheiser HD 598 SE – ₹6,999 – ₹1,919 off
- Bose QuietComfort 25 – ₹17,640 – ₹7,560 off
- Audio Technica ATH-CLR100BK in-ear headphones – ₹499 – ₹200 off
- All-New Kindle e-reader – ₹4,999 – ₹1,000 off
- Logitech MX Anywhere 2 travel mouse – ₹4,499 – ₹300 off
- Xiaomi Mi Power Bank 20000mAh – ₹1,749 – ₹750 off
- Power banks – Up to 65% off
- Headphones – 50% off
- Gift cards – Up to 25% off
- International store – Up to 50% off
Wearables
- Xiaomi Mi Band 2 – ₹1,999 – ₹500 off
- Fitbit Surge – ₹16,249 – ₹8,750 off
- Fitbit Blaze – ₹13,993 – ₹6,006 off
- Fitbit Charge HR – ₹9,999 – ₹5,000 off
- Fitbit Alta – ₹9,093 – ₹3,906 off
- Fitbit Flex – ₹5,943 – ₹2,556 off
Most of Amazon’s deals are rehashed from the sales conducted earlier this month, but there are a few new items on sale and additional discounts on several products, like Ravensburger puzzles. If you’re looking for even more deals, Flipkart is also running its Diwali sale right now.
See at Amazon India
Microsoft CEO says mixed reality is the ‘ultimate computer’
Microsoft is set to unveil several new products at its fall event on Wednesday, but that hasn’t stopped CEO Satya Nadella from dropping by Laguna Beach, California this Monday. At a WSJD Live interview with Wall Street Journal editor-in-chief Gerard Baker, Nadella delved into topics that concerns the company’s future. Specifically? Augmented reality.
“The ultimate computer for me is the mixed reality world,” he said. “Your field of view becomes an infinite display. You see the world and in the world you see virtual objects and holograms.” He is of course referring to HoloLens, which is Microsoft’s take on augmented reality hardware. A few months ago, the company announced that it’s opening up Windows Holographic so that third-party makers could get in on it too, potentially creating VR headsets in addition to AR ones.
But Nadella was still pretty excited about the use cases of AR, saying that Case Western Reserve University is already using AR in an anatomy class. He also envisions the technology could be useful in home improvement, offering a solution for those endless trips to the store and back. “Imagine if you could see what your home improvement project would look like and then press order,” he said.
Nadella compares the company’s current effort at augmented reality with their attempt at the Surface a few years ago. “Think of what we did,” he said. “Back then, people asked ‘What is a 2-in-1?’ Now, it’s a growing category.”
“Whether it be HoloLens, mixed reality, or Surface, our goal is to invent new computers and new computing,” he added. This also includes investing in artificial intelligence, which is now its own group within the company.
Nadella admitted that for a long time, Microsoft was complacent. “Early success is probably the worst thing that can happen in life,” he said. But now, he wants Microsoft to be more of a “learn-it-all” culture rather than a “know-it-all” culture.
“We clearly missed the mobile boom” he said. “Now we have to make sure we grow new categories.”
Nadella also addressed a few questions about Microsoft’s sketchy history with acquisitions, notably Nokia and Skype. But he also spoke proudly of Minecraft and how it fits into the company’s goal in STEM education, plus how LinkedIn is a good fit because Microsoft is already a compay that works with professionals. Acquisitions, he said, are tricky, because it needs to be a real fit with a sense of identity and purpose.
As for cars, well, Nadella put any rumors about a Microsoft self-driving vehicle to rest. “I am very happy about all the car companies using Azure right now,” he said, referring to Microsoft’s enterprise cloud solution. “We’re a trusted partner who’s not going to compete with them.”
“To me the Microsoft brand has always stood for being the company that has got a bit of a utilitarian bent to it,” Nadella said, adding that he thinks this is a good thing. “We are the company that stands for builders, makers and creators. That’s the brand we want.”
3D printed ‘heart on a chip’ is an alternative to animal testing
3D printing’s potential to create custom objects, parts and tools has enormous potential for the medical field, where bespoke organs could be created on demand, saving lives that wouldn’t survive waiting for donors. This year has already had standout applications: back in February, scientists successfully implanted printed tissue and organs into animals while another group created a new jaw for a cancer survivor. But Harvard researchers got closer to human-ready organs when they built the first entirely 3D-printed organ-on-a-chip with integrated sensors that scientists can use to test the efficacy of their synthetic tissues, instead of inserting them in animals.
The organs-on-chips, known in the scientific community as microphysiological systems (MPS), are synthetic replacements for human internals — not just hearts and livers but also bone, cartilage, microvasculature, and other tissues. But the Harvard researchers crucially integrated sensors into their MPS’s, which provide non-invasive, electronic readouts on structures within the body.
The Harvard researchers developed six different “inks” into a cardiac microphysiological device — aka, a heart on a chip. The integrated sensors allowed them to bypass the typically work-intensive process of collecting data, which otherwise requires microscopy or high-speed photography. To prove the efficacy of the 3D-printed organ, they applied the MPS to study drug responses and the development of stem cell-derived cardiac tissue, as the Harvard team reported in their paper published in Nature. Using the integrated sensors, future scientists will be able to study tissue performance after they’ve been inserted.
Source: Harvard press room
Henrik Fisker reveals the face of his upcoming electric vehicle
Henrik Fisker, once again, took to Twitter to release another image of his new company’s, Fisker Inc., 400-mile electric vehicle. This time, the Tweet revealed the front end of the upcoming car.
The picture, which has the patina of old video game CGI, hints at a design more likely to be seen on a Matchbox car instead of an actual street-legal vehicle. According to Fisker, the front of the car is heavily influenced by aerodynamics. Besides the grille-less front end, a feature also found on the refreshed Tesla Model S, the vehicle is fitted with adaptive LED headlights, as well as a centrally-located radar and camera sensor combination.
Aerodynamic low front with small trapezoid center radar & camera. Adaptive LED lights. More to come… pic.twitter.com/TkPX0I7bur
— Henrik Fisker (@FiskerOfficial) October 24, 2016
A few days ago, Fisker Tweeted out a side profile of the vehicle with its gorgeous dihedral doors. It was a promising tease for the rest of the design. But the reptilian front end looks doesn’t really do anything for this writer. It’s almost hard to believe that the same man that created this vehicle also designed the Aston Martin DB9 and Aston Martin V8 Vantage.
The upcoming electric car from Fisker Inc. is meant to serve as a “spiritual successor” to the now-dead Fisker Karma (and resurrected as the Karma Revero). Other than revealing that the vehicle will have butterfly doors, Fisker stated the car will be “sporty and spacious” and not much else. The new car, which is expected to come out late next year, will be the first for Fisker Inc. and will have battery technology from the company’s own division – Fisker Nanotech.
Related Video:
Source: Fisker Official (Twitter)
Global smartphone sales up by 6.6 percent in 2016
While smartphone sales have slowed in recent years as most markets become saturated, the industry is still managing to post positive figures. Market research firm GfK has released a report today showing phone sales increased 6.6% from 2015 thanks to strong growth in China and incremental improvements elsewhere, which they estimate will add up to 1.4 billion units sold in 2016.
China already has a colossal share of the market, accounting for almost one of every three phones sold, but they still managed to move 15% more units than last year. Other developing markets, like Central and Eastern Europe, the Middle East and Africa and Emerging Asia (including India, Vietnam and the Philippines) posted modest single-digit gains in their estimated end-of-year totals. The most saturated markets — Western Europe, North America and Developed Asia (including Japan, Australia and South Korea) — sold almost exactly as many units as last year.
This falls in line with sleight improvements in global sales fed mostly by consistent growth in China. But that trend might be short-lived, as GfK forecasts a three percent decline year-on-year in 2017 as operator subsidies dry up. While some regions like Latin America bounced back after several successive quarters of declining demand, none of those suggest lasting trends of improvement. Instead, GfK expects Emerging Asia and Central and Eastern Europe to be the markets with the most growth, increasing eight percent and ten percent, respectively.
Source: GfK
Google Maps Adds Food Delivery Support in New Update
Google tonight updated its Maps app, adding food delivery support for popular services like Grubhub, Seamless, Eat 24 and more. The update also makes it easier for users to find plus codes and to take and add photos within the app.
Food delivery support is available on many restaurant pages within Google Maps. There’s a new “Place an order” option above the restaurant’s phone number and below the menu. When users click the option, they’ll be presented with a choice of food delivery services that support that restaurant.
The new option is currently limited based on country, and not all restaurants are supported. If there’s only a single food delivery service listed for a restaurant, Maps will list it in a lighter font color next to “Place an order.” Once clicked, the app will instantly boot the user to that app.
Additionally, Google has made it simpler to figure out plus codes, which are location identifiers. Just drop a pin anywhere, swipe up the “location card” and click on the unique code, which will instantly be copied to iOS’ clipboard. The plus code can then be easily shared with friends or family.
Finally, Google has also streamlined the ability to add and take photos within the app. There’s now an “add photo” option under the photos of an established location, like a restaurant or business. The app now allows you to either take a photo directly or import a photo from the user’s library.
Google Maps for iOS is available on the App Store for free. [Direct Link]
Tag: Google Maps
Discuss this article in our forums
Why it was so easy to hack the cameras that took down the web – CNET
Xiongmai’s webcams may have been at the heart of the hack Friday that led to outages across the web.
Xiongmai
If you were anywhere near the internet in the US on Friday, you probably noticed a bunch of your favorite websites were down for much of the day. Now, experts are saying it’s all because thousands of devices — like DVRs and web-connected cameras — were hacked.
Once the hackers had control over these devices, they manipulated them into sending an overwhelming number of requests to a company that serves up the websites for Netflix, Google, Spotify and Twitter. When the traffic became too much to handle, the sites crashed. It was an old-school attack — often called a distributed denial of service attack, or DDoS — powered by the new web of devices called the internet of things.
Security experts have been warning for a few years that internet-connected devices are susceptible to hacking. They just didn’t know exactly what hackers might do once they broke into your connected television, refrigerator or thermometer, for example. (Other than some disturbing hacks on baby monitors, that is.)
Now we have our answer, and it’s worse than what the experts imagined. Focusing on security cameras and DVRs that record footage in businesses outside of the US, hackers created an army of devices to take down large chunks of the internet.
It’s not all the device manufacturers’ fault. Websites and services will have to adapt and do more to prevent attacks like these from being so effective if we want to keep the internet up and running.
Here’s a primer on why the devices are so easy to hack, and how hackers turned them into a zombie army that attacked the internet.
How internet-connected devices are easily taken over
DVRs and security camera are connected to the internet. That’s on purpose, of course. This feature lets users access them remotely, along with anyone else they need to let in. It’s what lets users check in on security cameras when no one’s at home or at a business, and what lets manufacturers update device software without making a house call.
But this feature is also kind of a bug. Devices in the so-called internet of things are stupid-easy to connect to remotely by just about anyone, not just those with whom you want to share access.
If something is connected to the internet, it has an IP address. If something has an IP address, it can be found on search engines like Google and even Shodan, a searchable registry of IP addresses with information about the connected device. Hackers can find hundreds or thousands of hackable DVRs and cameras just by entering some search terms. Then, they try to break in…
How hackers can break into your devices
When zombie cameras attack
- Internet outage swoops across the US
- That massive internet outage, explained
- That massive internet outage, explained
- Google shields security reporter targeted by massive cyberattack
Internet-connected devices often come with default passwords. Think you’re the only one whose username and password are “admin” and “admin?” Many — if not most — device makers don’t require you to set a unique username and password so many people end up sticking with the defaults.
Hackers can find a list of vulnerable DVRs on search engines and try out that default password. If you never changed it, they’re in.
But even if you do change those defaults, hackers have other options. Advanced methods utilizing services called SSH and telnet let hackers force their way into your device, since changing the password on your device’s web app does not necessarily change the password coded into the device.
So while the camera was storing up security video to prevent crime, hackers were quietly brute-forcing their way into the DVR and adding it to their army of attack soldiers.
So how did a camera take down Twitter?
To take over the cameras, hackers inserted Mirai, a malicious software that lets bad guys use at least 100,000 devices as soldiers in its zombie army. That’s according to Flashpoint, a cybersecurity company that has been tracking the proliferation of Mirai across the internet of things since its was first used in a massive attack in September.
The technical name for this zombie army is a botnet, and hackers have been making them out of computers for a very long time.
Now that hackers can make botnets out of the internet of things, they have a more powerful tool to carry out attacks like the one that happened Friday. They used the botnet to send tons and tons of junk requests to Dyn, a company that manages web traffic for all the websites that were affected. Dyn couldn’t sort out the good requests from the bad, and internet users in many parts of the US were cut off from several websites as a result.
Now you know how an army of DVRs and cameras kept you off Reddit for most of Friday. We still don’t know who the hackers are and what they’ll do next. It also remains to be seen how websites will change up their approach to prevent outages like the ones we saw Friday.
As for the manufacturers of internet-connected devices, there has been an interesting development. On Monday, connected-camera manufacturer Xiongmai said it will issue a recall of its devices caught up in the botnet army that attacked Dyn on Friday, according to Reuters.
If more companies follow suit, it might give manufacturers more reason to lock down cybersecurity on their devices before putting them up for sale.
ZTE Axon 7 review: Outstanding with a few faults
ZTE is making waves this year by pushing out a phone most Android enthusiasts crave, at least on paper. For the increasingly common and competitive $400 price, the Axon 7 offers a stylish metal unibody, QHD AMOLED screen, dual-front facing speakers, a rear fingerprint sensor and the latest Snapdragon 820 chip with 4GB of RAM. Oh, and you’ll be getting 64 GB of storage too. However there’s some serious competition in the field for the same price or less. Let’s find out if this phone deserves your money.
Build
As soon as you hold the Axon 7, you’ll notice its heavier than just about every flagship phone today. This can be credited to the all metal body and the larger 3250 battery, but there are other phones with similar features that weigh noticeably lighter. To most people, the slightly heavier weight may not matter, but I did find it uncomfortable to hold horizontally for awhile while watching Netflix in bed with the phone or a lot of YouTube videos as it added a strain on my wrist when holding with one hand.
Heaviness aside, this feels like a truly premium phone. The aluminum body is smooth all over with no sharp edges on the sides or bottom, and it’s curved just right on the back to fit in the palm nicely.
I’m impressed that ZTE was able to keep this phone so compact. For a 5.5 inch phone with a decently sized battery and front facing speakers, this phone is still shorter than the 5.5 inch OnePlus 3. The phones shares the very common top and bottom antenna line like many other metal devices today, and I’ve found reception to be more than acceptable where I’m located in Athens, Ohio using AT&T LTE. WiFi speeds have been very fast, however I’ve noticed it takes a little longer to connect to my house and school WiFi than other smartphones I’ve tested recently.
The fingerprint sensor is located on the back of the device which will be a hit or miss to all of you. After using this and the Nexus 6P, I’ve easily gotten use to having my index finger on the sensor as I’m pulling the device out of my pocket, waking up the screen as soon as I look at it. The sensor used on the Axon 7 is very fast, and I would place it between the Nexus 6P and OnePlus 3 (the 3 being the fastest I’ve used).
My biggest complain about the phone’s build is the capacity navigation keys at the bottom. From left to right, these act as the back, home, and recent buttons. I suppose I like how minimal they look, but they are took close together and it makes it difficult accurately tap them. I really wish ZTE allowed us to toggle software navigation keys, because these aren’t even back-lit, making them impossible to see at night.
ZTE knew exactly what a hardcore Android enthusiast wanted here and placed two front-facing speakers on the phone backed up by Dolby Audio. I was really impressed with the sound that was coming out of these. Dolby Surround is on by default with this device, but you can toggle it in the quick settings to hear the difference. Turning Dolby on while playing out the speakers provided a much more area effect to the audio, which was very apparent in videos and movies. When Dolby is off, movies and music sound a bit louder actually, but lose the surrounding effect and clarity. I always kept Dolby on.
Overall though, I found these speakers to be very clear, but not as loud as some phones I’ve listened to. The Alcatel Idol 4S takes the cake as having the best phone speakers I’ve ever heard.
Display
The Axon 7 gives us the same panel used on the Samsung Galaxy S6, which is a damn good screen. Samsung has yet to sell its latest generation of AMOLED panels to other companies, so this screen as good as AMOLED screens get except for the newest Galaxy S7 phones.
With the 1440×2560 QHD resolution, I could not see any pixels even if I squinted close up. The phone got very bright, but in direct sunlight I did have some trouble seeing smaller text and overall detail. It’s not on par with Samsung’s ability to “overdrive” their displays in sunlight.
Regardless, this screen can easily be featured as the highlight of this phone for how great the colors are and how crisp everything is. However going back on fourth between this phone and my OnePlus 3 daily driver, I can notice the improved clarity of the QHD panel closer to my face, but I’m still completely satisfied with 1080p screens and am not sure is QHD is worth the cost yet. Still, these two phones are the same price, so if the higher resolution is really worth it to you, you’ll be glad to know this screen is noticeably better.
Performance
ZTE is giving us almost the best the market can offer with the Axon 7 in terms of performance. The Snapdragon 820 chip coupled with 4GB of RAM offers a quick and pleasant Android experience, but isn’t perfect.
Because most high-end Android phones offer near identical performance, the best way to rate the Axon 7’s performance is to compare it with the other big hitters this year, as I have used several of them.
After using the Galaxy S7 Active, Idol 4S, OnePlus 3, HTC 10, and for a limited time, LG G5, I can say the multitasking is slightly worse on the Axon 7, as apps take slightly longer to hop back into even when it’s still in memory. I also ran into a few hiccups during my time of use where I tried to go back into an app I just used to see it had closed and needed to reopen. While the Snapdragon 820 chip is plenty fast enough to open apps in 1-2 seconds, there is no excuse as to why an app so recently used should have closed down. Like I said though, this only happened a few times.
Small problems aside, this phone just doesn’t offer a jaw dropping fast experience as I had witnessed when first using the HTC 10 and OnePlus 3. It’s fast, don’t get me wrong, but not the fastest by a long shot.
Camera
In daylight, the Axon 7 takes some amazing photos. With the 20 megapixel rear-shooter, I loved being able to zoom into photos more than other phones I’ve used this year. Colors and brightness all looked great during the day, and detail was very crisp.
Starting with a few shots I grabbed in glorious Gatlinburg, the detail in these are very impressive in large part due to the optical image stabilization in the camera helping balance pictures being taken. Usually the sun is over exposed in pictures like these taken with smartphone cameras but this one was incredibly well balanced as the trees still held a lot of detail.
The phone’s camera does struggle at night, much more than other high-end phones I’ve used. When capturing our school’s library at night, the lights are easily seen, but not much else even with HDR mode enabled. Detail on the townhouses shown above aren’t very impressive either, and the lights are way overexposed.
Battery
After using the phone for about a month, I’ve always felt comfortable that the phone would last me a whole day. My current schedule includes unplugging the phone at 8:30 a.m. and making till about midnight when I go to sleep with about 15% or slightly less left.
My daily phone agenda involves using GroupMe about all day (I think I’m ready for college to be over), about 15-20 minutes of Snapchat use, occasional SMS texting, heavy Reddit use, about an hour of Netflix and YouTube combined, constant Gmail syncing and a few other apps. About 80% of my day I’m connected to WiFi and the rest I’m on LTE. I don’t usually play games on my phone so I’m using the Axon 7 as I would my daily driver.
I rank the Axon 7 slightly lower than the OnePlus 3 which would rarely reach less than 20% by the end of the day for me, and lower than the Idol 4S (also a $399 phone) which got me the best battery life out of either of these devices. However this phone is still a really solid performer and if it does need a quick sip, Qualcomm Quick-Charge allowed me to charge the phone 0% to 54% in 30 minutes.
Software
This is the first ZTE device I’ve ever reviewed, so I was nervous about their software experience. They’ve clearly tuned things quite a bit from previous devices, as the software strongly resembles stock Android with small cosmetic changes. I actually really like the shade of dark blue that carries throughout the system UI – much more than stock Android. Also the way the pull-down notification bar and quick settings change color with the wallpaper is a really nice touch.
On to the functional side of things, ZTE made the default homescreen launcher their “Stock Android” launcher, a quick and fluid homescreen that includes an app drawer and similar aspects of the Google Now Launcher, except for the actual integration of Google Now. ZTE included another launcher that you can switch to in your settings menu, but I couldn’t stand it as it was just an attempt to mirror iOS. Both of these launchers were pretty basic and lacked customization, so I downloaded a different launcher.
ZTE’s settings menu includes two columns. One for quick access to common categories of the phone, and the other is about the same as stock Android. As part of habit, I always swiped left to get to the normal “All settings” view.
One of the stand-out features ZTE included with the Axon 7 is Mi-POP, a software navigation button and can be dragged around your screen in case you don’t want to use the capacity keys. I liked this feature, and used it for a bit without problems, but I hate having clutter on my screen and eventually disabled it, even if it meant having to use the capacitive keys more.
ZTE allows for a decent amount of customization, at least compared to stock Android, and I always like being able to change the color profile of my display. The three options for the color mode include natural (the dullest, looks more like and LCD panel), normal, and vibrant. Vibrant was a bit too saturated for my eyes so I stuck with normal and really liked it.
My biggest grip with the software by far is the lockscreen, and the way the phone displays notifications. Or should I say hides them? For some reason, the folks at ZTE thought it was a good idea to hide your notifications and only allow you to see them if you tap a small bell icon. I couldn’t begin to provide a solid explanation as to why that would be a good idea. There are phones that can show you notifications without even turning the screen on (thank you, moto). If they don’t do that, you might be able to double tap the screen to see your lockscreen notifications. Pretty convenient if the phone is laying on its back. With the Axon 7, there is no hand wave gesture and no double-tap. I have to press the power button, then tap a small icon on the top left just to see who called me or texted me.
Sure, this is first-world problems, but the worst part is you can’t disable it. Not even after a couple software updates. Sorry ZTE, but just about every other phone offers a better way of doing this.
Conclusion
While there are some notable downsides to having this phone, such as the poor low-light camera, occasional performance stutter, the frustrating “feature” of hiding notifications from you on your lockscreen, and the lackluster navigation keys, ZTE has seriously stepped their game up this year and is offering a flagship phone that I almost wanted to purchase myself.
The all-metal build that carries over to the front-facing speakers has caught more than a few eyes when using in public, and the screen of this phone is a thing of sheer beauty. I can confidently say these are the second best speakers I’ve ever heard on a smartphone and I’ll definitely miss having those. Playing Fallout Shelter and Monument Valley provided the best gaming I’ve experienced on a phone, and to the average user, every day usage is going to feel very fluid. This is a phone that looks excellent on paper, and for the most part is. However some software adjustments are needed before I can recommend this phone over some of the other competition in this price range.
Samsung Galaxy Tab A 10.1-inch with S Pen (2016) Release Date, Price and Specs – CNET
The Samsung Galaxy Tab A 10.1-inch with S Pen will be available in the US starting October 28.
Screenshot by Patrick Holland/CNET
So here’s a question: how does Samsung follow up the battery debacle of its Note 7? Well, release something that’s not a phone: the Galaxy Tab A 10.1-inch with S Pen.
Over the years, Samsung has offered tablets in a wide range of sizes, capabilities and price points. Which is great if you are paying attention, but a little confusing if you’re not. Samsung’s Tab lineup can quickly become overwhelming to decipher.
Then, there’s the S Pen. This summer, one of the things we liked about the Note 7 was the new S Pen — you can write, draw and even select/animate a GIF. The Tab A 10.1-inch brings all these new S Pen features to a tablet. It includes a new app called Samsung Notes — combining its previous apps Action Memo, S Note and Scrapbook into one place.
The Galaxy Tab A 10.1-inch fits nicely into Samsung’s lineup — just under the higher-priced and higher-specced Galaxy Tab S2 and Windows-based Galaxy TabPro S. It brings increased features and value to its Tab A line. The specs are not mindblowing, but they are a significant improvement over last year’s models:
- 10.1-inch WUXGA display with a resolution of 1,920×1,200 pixels
- Exynos 7870 octo-core processor
- Android Marshmallow 6.0
- 3GB RAM
- 16GB of storage
- Expandable microSD storage up to 256GB
- 1.22 pounds (553 grams)
- Wi-Fi-only
- Antiglare screen with blue light filter
The Galaxy Tab A 10.1-inch comes in two colors: black and white. It has a 7,300mAh battery which according to Samsung allows the Tab A 10.1-inch to get 13 hours of video playback. Of course, until we get our hands on one to test, we won’t know for sure.
The Galaxy Tab A 10.1-inch with S Pen will be available in the US for $350 starting October 28. It will be interesting to see how the public will react to this and future products after Samsung’s terrible, horrible, no good, very bad summer and fall.
The Galaxy Tab A 10.1-inch with S Pen will come in black or white.
Screenshot by Patrick Holland/CNET
Denon AVR-S920W review – CNET
The Good The Denon AVR-920W offers excellent surround sound performance for the money, especially for an Atmos-capable model. Music playback is accomplished and full-sounding. The comprehensive AVR control app for Android and iOS offers Wi-Fi streaming and source selection.
The Bad Neither HEOS nor Google Cast multiroom audio is supported on this receiver, and the Wi-Fi control app can be flaky.
The Bottom Line The Denon AVR-S920W is an excellent mid-priced Atmos-ready receiver, with plenty of home cinema muscle and excellent usability.
So, you’re looking to buy a receiver, huh? We understand how overwhelming it can be to make a decision sometimes. You have a checklist of features you want and a strong desire not to overspend.
At the competitive under-$600 level there’s a number of models vying for your attention including the Sony STR-DN1070, the Yamaha RX‑V681 and the Onkyo TX-NR656. The Sony has been our favorite all year, but the Denon gives it a serious run. Unlike the Sony it’s compatible with Dolby Atmos and DTS:X, the latest surround sound formats that incorporate special “height” channels for added immersion. We certainly don’t consider Atmos a must-have at this point, especially since only a handful of titles are available, but some buyers place a high priority on future-readiness.
Both the Sony and Denon offer superb sound for the price, so the choice becomes one of priorities. If you want slightly better wireless streaming options the Sony is the way to go, but if you want Atmos capability now or in the future, the answer is the Denon. For the price it’s one of the best Atmos receivers we’ve tested so far.
Design
View full gallery
The Denon AVR-S920W is an Atmos-capable receiver which includes Bluetooth streaming and 4K compatibility.
Sarah Tew/CNET
Consistent or lackadaisical? Call it what you will, Denon’s receivers have looked the same for at least the past five years, and it’s a look you probably expect: a big black box with a blue readout. What the AVR-S920W lacks in originality it makes up for in usability. While sister brand Marantz favors a rotary knob on the fascia to select sources the Denon also includes handy shortcut buttons for the four most oft-used inputs.
The remote control is streamlined from previous years and now resembles the slim-line Marantz remotes. It has a friendly selection of buttons and is relatively easy to use.
View full gallery Sarah Tew/CNET
Denon offers a minimalist yet powerful on-screen display, and if you’ve used a receiver setup screen before you’ll find it fairly straightforward. The menus on Sony’s STR-DN1070, however, are much more comprehensive and attractive.
Features
The Denon AVR-S920W sits at the top of the company’s S range with a useful selection of advanced features. The most obvious is the seven-channel amplifier which can be pressed into processing Dolby Atmos and DTS:X soundtracks (5.2.2).
View full gallery Sarah Tew/CNET
Denon doesn’t make choosing a receiver at this price easy though, by offering three models within $100 of each other: the AVR-S720W, AVR-S920W and the AVR-X1300W. While the biggest difference between the S models and the X is a more advanced calibration routine let’s say that instead you’re trying to decide between the $479 AVR-S720W and the $579 AVR-S920W. What’s the difference? That extra $100 gets you an additional two 4K HDMI ports (for a total of eight), an additional output (which is helpful if you run a TV and a projector), an extra 15W per channel of amplification, 4K upscaling (meh), and “upgraded Denon sound engineering design.” Both offer HDCP 2.2 and HDR passthrough, which will facilitate the upgrade to 4K/HDR Blu-ray players, game consoles and set-top boxes like the new Rokus.
View full gallery Sarah Tew/CNET
If you are streaming music from a phone, the AVR-S920W has what amounts to today’s minimum wireless connectivity: Bluetooth and Wi-Fi capability onboard. While competitor Yamaha has incorporated its own proprietary MusicCast system into its 2016 receivers, Denon hasn’t followed suit with the S920W. Sadly, you can’t stream using Denon’s HEOS app to the receiver without the use of the separate HEOS Link ($349).
AIVAnet 