Pebble 2 review: Smart, but not fancy
Before the plethora of Android watches and, eventually, the Apple Watch hit the market, there was Pebble. It wasn’t the first ever smartwatch, but it was the first to excite the tech community with its ping-from-phone alerts and apps and was, for a while, the most successful Kickstarter project ever launched.
Since those early days we’ve seen several new versions, but none of those models was a true sequel to the original. Models like the Pebble Steel and the Pebble Time family were launched as more premium devices alongside the base plastic model.
Now, finally, we have the Pebble 2 and, at £100, it’s one of the most affordable smartwatches available. But is it any good, or is Pebble’s day done?
Pebble 2 review: Design
- Quick-release 22mm watch strap
- Waterproof to 30m
Just like the first Pebble, the Pebble 2 isn’t exactly an example of fine craftsmanship and elegance. But it is better looking than the first-generation model.
The case is still built almost exclusively from a lightweight and sturdy polycarbonate. It’s waterproof down to 30-metres, so you can take it swimming, or forget to take it off before hopping in the shower, and it’ll survive it just fine.
One improvement for the new model is that the standard three buttons on the right edge are sealed behind a single piece of resistant silicone, rather than by three individual hard buttons as before. The back button on the left sits behind a similar coating.
There are some rather unrefined elements of the design that raise more questions than answers though. There’s the glass surface above the display which protrudes from the rest of the case, instead of being flush with it. Likewise, the heart-rate monitor on the underside is built into its own tiny hump, which never fails to leave a square imprint in your skin.
It’s not uncomfortable to wear, though. Its light build and soft, flexible strap mean you barely notice that it’s on your arm. It does need to be worn fairly snugly for the heart-rate monitor to work, so it isn’t suitable for those who prefer a looser-fitting watch.
One of the added benefits of the Pebble 2 is its quick-release 22mm watch strap. It’s easy to take off, but more importantly it’s easy to find an alternative strap if you’re not besotted with the out-of-box offering.
Pebble 2 review: Display
- Always-on ePaper greyscale display, 114 x 168 pixel resolution
- Manual backlight button to see in the dark
In a world full of AMOLED touchscreens with bright colours and smooth animations, Pebble’s monochromatic square non-touch ePaper display looks decidedly old-fashioned. But it has its plus points.
While other smartwatch displays might be seen as miniaturised versions of what you see on a smartphone, the Pebble 2’s screen is more like a high-tech digital watch screen.
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One of ePaper’s biggest benefits is that it can be on all the time without draining the battery to excess – unlike a colour display with ongoing refresh rate. ePaper doesn’t really consume any power when it’s not animated. And – depending on which watch face you choose – that means it only refreshes once a minute, or once a second.
Its other benefit is that it’s high contrast, which means you can see what’s on the display clearly from any angle. Providing you’re not sitting in a dark room. In those instances where you need a backlight, you can press the back button, which delivers a subtle blue backlight. Just like the digital watches of old.
Because of the way ePaper technology works, it’s actually easier to see the display in bright daylight, since it’s not reflective. So you can head out into sunlight without worrying about having to cover your watch screen to shade it when it gets bright outside.
At 114 x 168 pixels, it’s hardly the sharpest display around – but with the new and improved refresh rate this ePaper screen’s animations look quicker and snappier than before, more fluid than they did on older devices. But they’re nowhere near what a true high refresh rate colour screen is capable. And we can’t help but wish there was a splash of colour for this Pebble – it would liven things up no end, but would also mean an increase in price.
Pebble 2 review: Software
- Android and iOS apps to sync with phone
- Four core control buttons, no touchscreen control
There are a few key elements of Pebble’s software that make it one of the best smartwatch OS’s around, and all of it controlled by four physical buttons.
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The top button on the right edge launches the fitness tracking elements. You press once to to view your steps, press it again to view your current heart rate and again to view your sleeping stats from the night before.
Getting to the main menu is as simple as pressing the middle button. Here you can scroll through your apps and get in to the settings menu.
Pressing the down button from the main watch face takes you to the timeline view – which was first launched on last year’s Pebble Time series. Here you get a quick glance at your upcoming calendar events and weather.
If you want you can assign quick launch functions to each of the four buttons. Long-pressing each of the four will could launch any apps you use frequently. This is particularly useful for functions like the Workout feature (that tracks your running or physical activities), or anything other app you like to use a lot.
When a notification does pop-up on the screen it fills the screen and can be dismissed. If you have anything on your timeline coming up it shows up in a small rectangular window at the bottom of the display. It doesn’t take over, or obscure the screen in the same way Android Wear pop-ups do, and – importantly – it doesn’t come back again once they’ve been dismissed.
In all, Pebble’s operating system is incredibly easy to navigate and uncomplicated, helped mostly by Pebble’s resistance to touchscreens. As smartwatch user interfaces go, there aren’t many that have the level of customisation or lack of clutter like Pebble’s.
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Part of the software experience, of course, is the smartphone app. There’s a version for both Android and iOS, with screens for health and activity tracking, customising and adding watch faces, downloading, customising and installing apps, and a screen for switching off notifications for individual apps. This level of control means you never get a wrist alert for anything you don’t want to see (after some initial tinkering).
Pebble 2 review: Performance
- Voice-control via microphone (Android only)
- Mere 8MB on-board storage
Zipping in and out of options and menus is pretty fast and delay-free on the Pebble 2. But installing new apps, setting new watch faces or customising them can take time – mostly because there’s very little storage space on the watch. There’s a grand total of 8MB of space, so you can’t store music, even if you can control any music app currently playing on your phone.
One of Pebble’s new arsenal of features is the voice action tool. With this you can reply to messages on WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, Hangouts or SMS by just speaking into the built-in microphone.
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Sadly, in this instance, you’re hard-done by if you have an iPhone: it’s a feature that only works with Android phones, and works well generally, if you have clear speech. It sometimes mistakes similar sounding words, but works pretty much as well as any other dictation available.
Pebble 2 review: Fitness first?
- Built-in heart-rate monitor
- No built-in GPS
As fitness trackers go, the Pebble 2 works just as well as most sub-£100 trackers we’ve ever tested.
Even without built-in GPS, the Pebble has accurately tracked our various three 3-5k runs to within 100 meters. That’s pretty impressive for a device which doesn’t use any location tracking hardware or software. Likewise, its heart-rate monitor does a good job of measuring reliably and consistently.
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The one area that needs work is the sleep-tracking technology. Some nights it accurately tracks sleep awake time and can split between light and heavy sleep. Other nights, it showed bizarre results, like waking up in the middle of the night for an hour, then going back to sleep again – despite the reality of a long, uninterrupted sleep.
The fitness-tracking feature’s biggest issue isn’t the hardware capability, but what Pebble’s health feature does with the information. Or rather, that it doesn’t really do anything with it, except show it in a chart and show you averages for each day of the week. It doesn’t tell you what you need to do to improve, or help in anyway. It’s just data collecting.
Thankfully, you can opt to have Pebble hook-up with your Up or Misfit accounts to get a better handle on your fitness and health regime, with much better actionable information.
Pebble 2 review: Battery life
- Week of life from a single charge
One of the main benefits of Pebble – and one that’s existed ever since its first generation – is its battery life. While most other smartwatches barely make it to the end of one or two days, the Pebble 2 can make it through an entire week on a single charge.
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Even after tracking several running sessions, constantly tracking heart-rate and sleep tracking through the night (as well as all the usual notification mirroring), the Pebble took five full days to get down to 20 per cent capacity in our use.
That kind of battery performance offers incredible peace of mind. It means you don’t have to take another charging cable with you when you go away for a long weekend, or even if you’re away for a full week. It means one less power outlet or USB port being used frequently.
Verdict
For a £100 device, the Pebble 2 has a lot going for it. It’s truly cross-platform so that you can use it with an Android phone or iPhone. It has amazing battery life and a user interface that’s very simple to use and understand.
The lack of a colour screen, on-board GPS tracking and its less-than-wonderful hardware design are all downers, sure, but the Pebble 2 is still great value for money – even if it can’t impress the eyes as much as some better finished and higher-end competition.
Notably it even has some of the features seen on popular high-end fitness trackers – such as a heart-rate monitor – most of which cost even more than a Pebble 2. Think of it in that way and the Pebble 2, with few notifications synched to your phone, could be an ideal tracker purchase.
Overall, at this price point you’ll be hard-pressed to find anything as feature-rich and reliable as the Pebble 2. That’s why, in our view, Pebble hasn’t yet had its day.
Electric Jukebox’s £169 TV dongle for music is finally ready
Remember the Electric Jukebox, the two-part music gadget designed for non-Spotify types? If your answer is a resounding no, nobody would blame you; the company unveiled the product over a year ago and stayed almost silent, at least until today. With Christmas fast approaching, Electric Jukebox finally has some good news to share: the eponymous streaming device with its wand-like controller and one-year premium music subscription will officially go on sale for £169 from midnight today.
Backed by Robbie Williams, Stephen Fry, Alesha Dixon and Sheryl Crow, the Electric Jukebox is designed around your TV. Seriously, it won’t work on anything else. The streaming device plugs directly into the HDMI port, which can then be navigated using the wireless controller. The peripheral is home to a motion sensor and microphone — allowing for gesture control and voice searches — and there are four buttons on the front: at the top is a large OK, a back and pause in the middle and at the bottom button invokes voice commands.
“I’m not after the Spotify customer,” says Rob Lewis, co-creator of the Electric Jukebox, told Engadget last year. “I’m after everyone else.” That suggests Electric Jukebox is after the older customer, who wants to listen to music but not trawl through endless lists of tracks or pull out their smartphone. Voice searches remove some of those headaches, as does the simplistic Neon Broadway UI that puts artist hubs and curated playlists at the forefront. Because it all happens on your TV, Electric Jukebox hopes that listening to music will become more collaborative, with friends and family gathering to sing along to any one of 29 million available tracks.
The Electric Jukebox comes with a one-year music subscription right out of the box, but when that runs out, the company needs a way to ensure owners remain invested in the platform. In a bid to keep music “affordable and easy to access,” its pricing additional music passes at £52 a year (£1 per week). That’s less than the half the price of Spotify, Apple Music and Google Music.
To begin with, Selfridges, Argos, Amazon and “a major TV network” are on board to sell the Electric Jukebox when it goes on sale tomorrow. We’ll have to wait until later this month to find out which network that is, but QVC would be a logical guess. We hope to put it through its paces in the coming weeks, just in case you need some real feedback before pulling the trigger.
Source: Electric Jukebox
4K gaming has a video service to do it justice
The problem with this Ultra HD future we’re moving toward is that we’re in a weird in-between spot where the most convenient media delivery method (streaming) can’t hold a candle to the quality of the source material. The tech-minded folks at at Digital Foundry are acutely aware of this. As such, rather than relying on YouTube’s lossy and compressed method of hosting videos, DF has struck out on its own for offering source-quality downloads for its game-tech analysis videos.
“Coming out of the PlayStation Meeting a couple of months back, we became acutely aware of how difficult it is to capture the 4K experience with bandwidth-constrained streaming platforms like YouTube,” DF’s Richard Leadbetter writes. “The whole point of 4K is its pristine level of presentation, and we’ve swiftly discovered that existing 4K streaming content actually seems to resolve to lower levels than 1080p.
“We couldn’t show you what PS4 Pro — or indeed other high-end gaming hardware — was capable of, because the platform didn’t exist to get the job done. So we decided to build it.”
Exactly what “it” is is simple: A platform for downloading high-quality h.264-encoded gameplay videos. A $5 per-month Patreon subscription will net you access to everything the publication has to offer. And if you want to take a look at what you’ll get before committing the money, there’s a free video comparing Rise of the Tomb Raider running on the PS4 Pro and a PC rig with a Titan X Pascal. For paid videos you’ve got 4K files for Titanfall 2, Modern Warfare Remastered, Uncharted 4 as well as PC footage of Battlefield 1 and Forza Horizon 3 running at 60FPS.
As far as local playback goes, you’re going to need something capable of playing 4K video. Which at this point means a Mac running Quicktime, a USB drive that you can plug into your UHD TV or a PC running the DF-recommended Media Player Classic Home Cinema. Just don’t try playing them on your Xbox One S or PS4 Pro — those currently won’t playback 4K video from their respective media player apps. Leadbetter also says that his team will be adding 1080p videos from its catalog to the site as well.
Sony itself experimented with something similar prior to launching the PS4 back in 2013, offering 1080p60 gameplay footage of Killzone: Shadow Fall, but apparently didn’t see much use for it and focused on streaming after that. Hrm, sounds familiar.
Via: Eurogamer
Source: Digital Foundry
Apple Tells Suppliers to Expect Strong MacBook Pro Shipments Going into 2017
Apple has told part and component manufacturers of its new MacBook Pro line-up to expect strong shipments to last until at least the end of 2016, according to sources in the upstream supply chain (via DigiTimes).
Apple is reportedly optimistic about fourth-quarter sales of its new notebooks and expects MacBook Pro shipments to maintain the same level going into 2017, said the sources, while related revenues and profits are all projected to enjoy growth next year.
The same sources noted that Apple was initially not very aggressive about placing new MacBook Pro orders and was also said to have delayed the product shipment schedule by a calendar quarter, due to low yield rates for some components including hinges, battery and keyboard.
Apple’s stance changed after the October launch, however, and some market analysts now expect MacBook Pro shipments to reach 15 million units in 2016, with shipments staying at that level in 2017.
Meanwhile, Taiwanese ODM manufacturer Wistron has reportedly landed orders for the OLED Touch Bar strip used in Apple’s higher tier notebooks, according to a report in the Economic Daily News (EDN), summarized by DigiTimes.
The Chinese language daily quoted market watchers who said that the keyboard is hard to build and its original Singapore-based supplier was having difficulties meeting Apple’s demand, prompting Apple to transfer orders to Wistron.
The delayed launch of the new MacBook Pros was partly because of low yields of the keyboards, but shipments are starting to pick up as yield rates improve, said EDN.
Related Roundup: MacBook Pro
Tag: digitimes.com
Buyer’s Guide: MacBook Pro (Buy Now)
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Qualcomm confirms Snapdragon 821 on upcoming OnePlus phone
Qualcomm has confirmed that OnePlus’ upcoming phone — rumored to be the OnePlus 3T — will be powered by the Snapdragon 821 SoC. The phone is expected to make its debut on November 14.
Something new from @OnePlus is on the way…and it’s powered by our #Snapdragon 821 processor. Stay tuned. pic.twitter.com/3jOyZFRQ5t
— Qualcomm (@Qualcomm) November 7, 2016
The latest rumors suggest the upgraded processor will be the key change in terms of hardware, with the OnePlus 3T likely to retain a 5.5-inch Full HD panel, 6GB of RAM, 64GB storage, and a 3000mAh battery. The OnePlus 3T may also use a newer Sony IMX395 20MP imaging sensor with f/1.7 lens. On the software side of things, the phone will allegedly run Nougat out of the box. With regards to the price, it looks like the phone may retail for $479, $80 more than the OnePlus 3.
With the launch just under a week away, we don’t have to wait long to find out more about OnePlus’ upcoming handset. What would you guys like to see in the OnePlus 3T?
Samsung buys full-page apologies in US newspapers over Note 7 recall
Samsung took out full-page apology ads in the Wall Street Journal, New York Times and The Washington Post in an effort to reduce the damage done after its botched recall of the Galaxy Note 7. “An important tenet of our mission is to offer best-in-class safety and quality. Recently, we fell short on this promise. For this we are truly sorry.” It’s not just its phones, however. The company has also had to issues a a recall for nearly three million washing machines, due to poorly fitted lids that could loosen and fly off during use — it mentions this within the apology ad too. Samsung has already reported a 30 percent drop in profits last quarter due to the Note 7 recall. “Safety remains our top priority.”
Full-page ad from Samsung: “We are truly sorry” about the Galaxy Note7. pic.twitter.com/ADAM0A0TOP
— scott budman (@scottbudman) November 7, 2016
The apology continues: “We will re-examine every aspect of the device, including all hardware, software, manufacturing and the overall battery structure. We will move as quickly as possible, but will take the time needed to get the right answers.” Hopefully in time for its AI-powered smartphone next year.
Source: France24
J&L Real-200 Swan: Gym headphones that won’t fall out of your ears or leave you broke (review)
I’ve been a big fan of J&L Real ever since I bought the J&L 103 Bluetooth headphones for the gym. J&L Real puts a lot of value in making aesthetic, affordable headphones for people who live an active lifestyle. I’m an avid gym-goer and so wireless headphones are a staple in my life.
Let me introduce you to the J&L-200 Swan bluetooth earbuds. Those who live an active lifestyle will really appreciate the design and stability that these headphones provide.
Build
- Model: J&L-200 Swan
- Bluetooth Version: V4.1
- Playtime: 6~8 hours
- Charge time: 1-2 hours
- Weight: 20.8 grams
The package comes with the headphones, three different sized eartip adapters, a USB charging cable, user manual, and carry pouch.
The headphones are primarily made from plastic which keeps it light, portable, and sweat-proof. The eartip adapters are made made from a soft, silicone design. The tips of the silicone design are really small making it easy to fit into the ear canal. The eartip adapters don’t have wings that are normally associated with bluetooth earbuds but don’t worry these headphones will not come off your ears since they are light weight.
The design of the headphones limit the user to wear it so that the wires are around the back of your neck, unlike some bluetooth headphones. The ends will wrap around your ears ensuring a secure fit which is why the eartip wings were omitted. The headphones take a bit of time getting used to putting them on due to its unique design.
The two earbuds are connected by memory wire, which will contort back into a compact shape making it extremely easy to put back into the mesh pouch. I don’t know how many times I’ve put headphones in my pocket, only to find a tangled disaster in its place.
The in-line controls are located on the right earbud. There are only three controls: power, volume up and volume down. The power button also doubles as a button to take phone calls. Double pressing the power button will call your most recent contact. Long-pressing the power button will also pair your bluetooth device to your phone.
The volume rockers will control the music you are listening to as well. The volume up rocker will skip to the next song, while the volume down rocker will play the previous song.
Usage
I replaced the J&L 103’s with these J&L-200 Swans as my primary gym headphones. I was really impressed with the comfort and stability of these headphones. A big worry with wireless headphones are that they will fall out of your ears. These headphones will not budge during your workout. I’ve been working on explosive movements such as box jumps and these held firmly in place. Running around my neighborhood was no problem either.
Even though the design isn’t completely wireless, you don’t have to worry too much about getting the wires that wrap around from getting caught on anything. The design of the headphones keeps the wire close to your neck. I can’t emphasize enough how annoying it is to have the headphones yank out because the loose wire gets caught on something.
I tested out the range of the J&L-200 Swan’s and I got around 10 feet before music would cut off. I did notice that the headphones had the occasional drop at the gym but it would reconnect immediately. This is an occurrence that many bluetooth devices suffer due to weaker antennas.
J&L claims that the headphones will get six to eight hours of battery life. I found myself getting a solid seven hours of battery life. I personally never exceed 70% volume because I have sensitive ears and will get headaches from loud music.
Sound
The J&L-200 Swan headphones sound awesome for how cheap they are. J&L focused on the crisp highs and rich lows. It wasn’t kidding when they said these have crisp highs. I found that the highs slightly overpowered the mids and bass. Listening to the chorus part of Ultralight Beam by Kanye West on full volume was a bit overwhelming. Regardless, the sound still offers a rich bass experience. The headphones offer a great sound experience in the gym where upbeat music benefits from this EQ range.
I wouldn’t recommend using it in a work setting. I found that the crisp highs lead to sound fatigue in a calm setting such as the workplace. However, these headphones were designed for an active setting so this will not affect most people.
Conclusion
I was really blown away at the comfort and design of the J&L-200 Swan bluetooth headphones. These headphones are one of the most comfortable, secure headphones I have ever used in the gym. Comfort and fit are two very important factors for gym headphones as you will be more active than normal and potentially will deal with more fit issues. Wireless headphones are useless if they continually fall out of your ear.
The sound experience you get for the low price point makes these headphones a steal. The J&L Real-200 Swan headphones are only $23.94 on Amazon with free shipping. The emphasis on crisp highs and rich bass from these sweat-proof headphones will power you through even the toughest of workouts.
What’s on TV: Election 2016, ‘Hunger Games’ 4K, ‘Danger Mouse’
If what you really want to watch is the season finale of America, you’re in luck, as Election Season 2016 is drawing to an end. All of the networks will have broadcast coverage Tuesday night (I’ll be watching Desus and Mero’s live show on Viceland), and anyone trying to stay tuned in without cable should check out this spreadsheet for a list of all of their options. Also, you can grab the Hunger Games series on Ultra HD Blu-ray, or Seth Rogen’s Sausage Party flick. Netflix is premiering a number of original series Friday morning, after Danger Mouse season two arrives on Wednesday. Finally, for gamers we have Dishonored 2. Look after the break to check out each day’s highlights, including trailers and let us know what you think (or what we missed).
Blu-ray & Games & Streaming
- Sausage Party (4K)
- The Hunger Games (4K)
- Rush Hour Trilogy (Criterion)
- Black Sails (S3)
- Daredevil (S1)
- The Goodbye Girl
- Into the Badlands (S1)
- Dishonored 2 (11/11) (PC, PS4)
Tuesday
- The Mindy Project, Hulu, 3AM
- Election Night 2016, CBS / ABC / NBC / Fox / CNN / Fox News, 8PM
- The Letter, Freeform, 8PM
- WWE Smackdown, USA, 8PM
- Channel Zero: Candle Cove, Syfy, 9PM
- Inside the NFL, Showtime 9PM
- The Gary Owen Show, BET, 9:30PM
- Aftermath, Syfy, 10PM
- A Season with Florida State Football, Showtime, 10PM
- Drunk History, Comedy Central, 10:30PM
- Cyberwar, Viceland, 10:30PM
- Desus & Mero Election Special, Viceland, 11PM
- Stephen Colbert’s Live election Night Democracy’s Series Finale, Showtime, 11PM
- The Meltdown with Jonah and Kumail, Comedy Central, 12AM
Wednesday
- Danger Mouse (S2), Netflix, 3AM
- Chance, Hulu, 3AM
- Arrow, CW, 8PM
- Blindspot, NBC, 8PM
- Lethal Weapon, Fox, 8PM
- The Goldbergs, ABC, 8PM
- The Story of Cats: Into the Americas, PBS, 8PM
- Survivor, CBS, 8PM
- Unsung Hollywood: Joe & Guy Torry, TV One, 8PM
- Speechless, CBS, 8:30PM
- Law & Order: SVU, NBC, 9PM
- Criminal Minds, CBS, 9PM
- Empire, Fox, 9PM
- Modern Family, ABC, 9PM
- NFL Turning Point, NBC Sports Network, 9PM
- Frequency, CW, 9PM
- Black-ish, ABC, 9:30PM
- The Real World, MTV, 10PM
- That Awkward Game Show, Spike TV, 10PM
- Chicago PD, NBC, 10PM
- Code Black, CBS, 10PM
- Designated Survivor, ABC, 10PM
- You’re the Worst, FXX, 10PM
- American Horror Story FX, 10PM
- South Park, Comedy Central, 10PM
- Hamilton’s Pharmacopeia, Viceland, 10PM
- Any Given Wednesday with Bill Simmons, HBO, 10PM
- Rectify, Sundance, 10PM
- Impastor, TV Land, 10:30PM
- Legends of Chamberlain Heights, Comedy Central, 10:30PM
- Desus & Mero, Viceland, 11PM
- True Life: I’m an Adult Baby, MTV, 11PM
Thursday
- Browns/Ravens football, CBS, 8:25PM
- DC’s Legends of Tomorrow, CW, 8PM
- Grey’s Anatomy, ABC, 8PM
- The Big Bang Theory, CBS, 8PM
- Superstore (fall finale), NBC, 8 & 8:30PM
- Rosewood, Fox, 8PM
- The Great Indoors, CBS, 8:30PM
- The Living and the Dead, BBC America, 9PM
- Mom, CBS, 9PM
- Pitch, Fox, 9PM
- Supernatural, CW, 9PM
- Chicago Med (fall finale), NBC, 9PM
- Notorious, ABC, 9PM
- Life in Pieces, CBS, 9:30PM
- Pure Genius, CBS, 10PM
- Falling Water, USA, 10PM
- Almost Impossible Game Show, MTV, 10PM
- Balls Deep, Viceland, 10PM
- The Blacklist (fall finale), NBC, 10PM
- How to Get Away With Murder, ABC, 10PM
- Better Things (season finale), FX, 10PM
- Acting Out, MTV, 10:30PM
- Desus & Mero, Viceland, 11PM
- Wonderland, MTV, 11PM
- This is Not Happening, Comedy Central, 12:30AM
Friday
- True Memoirs of an International Assassin, Netflix, 3AM
- All Hail King Julien (S4), Netflix, 3AM
- Case (S1), Netflix, 3AM
- Estocolmo (S1), Netflix, 3AM
- Roman Empire: Reign of Blood (S1), Netflix, 3AM
- Tales by Light (S1), Netflix, 3AM
- Red Oaks (S2), Amazon Prime, 3AM
- Macgyver, CBS, 8PM
- Last Man Standing, ABC, 8PM
- The Vampire Diaries, CW, 8PM
- Dr. Ken, ABC, 8:30PM
- Payday (series premiere), Viceland, 9PM
- Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, CW, 9PM
- The Exorcist, Fox, 9PM
- Hawaii Five-0, CBS, 9PM
- Shark Tank, ABC, 9PM
- Z Nation, Syfy, 9PM
- Van Helsing, Syfy, 10PM
- Blue Bloods, CBS, 10PM
- Tracey Ullman’s Show, HBO, 11PM
- Comedy Bang! Bang!, IFC, 11 & 11:30PM
- Below the Belt with Kevin Heffernan and Steve Lemme, Comedy Central, 11:59PM
Saturday
- Little Girl’s Secret, Lifetime, 8PM
- The Night Before Halloween, Syfy, 9PM
- Rats, Discovery, 9PM
- Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency, BBC America, 9PM
- All Def Comedy, HBO, 10PM
- Saturday Night Live: Dave Chappelle / ATCQ, 11:30PM
Sunday
- Seahawks/Patriots Sunday Night Football, NBC, 8:20PM
- 60 Minutes, CBS, 7PM
- The Circus: Inside the Greatest Political Show on Earth (season finale), Showtime, 8PM
- Durrells in Corfu, PBS, 8PM
- Years of Living Dangerously, National Geographic Channel, 8PM
- Ash vs. Evil Dead, Starz, 8PM
- Once Upon a Time, ABC, 8PM
- Blunt Talk, Starz, 8:30PM
- NCIS: Los Angeles, CBS, 8PM
- Son of Zorn, Fox, 8:30PM
- Blunt Talk, Starz, 8:30PM
- The Walking Dead, AMC, 9PM
- Westworld, HBO, 9PM
- Alaska: The Last Frontier, Discovery, 9PM
- Poldark, PBS, 9PM
- Secrets and Lies, ABC, 9PM
- Shameless, Showtime, 9PM
- Berlin Station, Epix, 9PM
- The Last Man on Earth, Fox, 9:30PM
- Madam Secretary, CBS, 9:30PM
- Edge of Alaska, Discovery, 10PM
- Eyewitness, USA, 10PM
- Graves, Epix, 10PM
- Divorce, HBO, 10PM
- Masters of Sex (season finale), Showtime, 10PM
- Talking Dead, AMC, 10PM
- Elementary, CBS, 10PM
- Insecure, HBO, 10:30PM
- Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, HBO, 11:15PM
- Kevin Hart: Hart of the City, Comedy Central, 11:30PM
Zvox Accuvoice AV200 TV Speaker review – CNET
The Good The Zvox AccuVoice TV Speaker makes dialogue definitely louder and more intelligible than standard TV speakers. The metal cabinet feels sturdy, and the large display is easy to read.
The Bad It sounds like a small speaker, and it’s not recommended for music replay. There’s no Bluetooth capability.
The Bottom Line The Zvox AccuVoice is great for folks who have trouble hearing the TV, but doesn’t sound as good as the competition.
If regular soundbars aren’t discreet enough for you, maybe you want a “mini” soundbar. Zvox, JBL and Polk have all released feet long speakers this year, designed to improve your TV’s audio. Think of them as the missing link between Bluetooth speakers and full-strength sound bars.
The Accuvoice tries to separate itself by targeting people with hearing loss. The result is sound that’s less well-rounded than its competitors, especially for music listening. The Accuvoice focuses primarily on the human voice, and does it well.
If you’re frustrated by trying to hear the tinny voices coming out of your television, a speaker like this might be just what you’re looking for. If you crave excitement from your small sound bar, however, better choices are available.
Design
View full gallery Sarah Tew/CNET
To use a “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory” analogy, if the Zvox SB500 is Mike Teevee at the start of the movie, then the Zvox Accuvoice is what he becomes at the end — the same cowboy, just shrunk to an almost impossibly small size (oops, spoiler).
The 17-inch-wide Accuvoice TV looks almost identical to its larger self, with an understated but attractive brushed aluminum chassis and a black steel grille. The large orange LED display is the same, and the right side still houses rubberized controls and a bass port. In a world of plastic competitors, the Zvox’s build quality is second to none.
The remote control is the same that ships with other Zvox speakers, a little credit card that isn’t especially ergonomic. Most people will just use it for setup however, then use the TV remote to control volume, so it doesn’t really matter.
Features
View full gallery Sarah Tew/CNET
The AccuVoice uses the same “hearing aid technology” found in larger Zvox speakers, which “mimics the function of a hearing aid by isolating voice frequencies and lifting them out of background sounds.”
The Accuvoice comes with a number of sound modes apart from the eponymous dialogue-boosting feature, including virtual surround. If you want more bass than the small unit can generate the speaker comes with a combined headphone/subwoofer output.
View full gallery Sarah Tew/CNET
Unlike competitors, the speaker lacks Bluetooth capability, but it does come with two other inputs, a 3.5mm analog minijack/optical combo and a full-sized optical port. The latter is the one most likely to be connected to your TV.
Hear, here!
Switching the AccuVoice processing on and off, we certainly heard a difference. Dialogue in the middle of the battle scenes on the “American Sniper” Blu-ray, for example, was easier to follow. Voices were louder and crisper, but on the other hand sounded distinctly less natural. So if you have a hard time following dialogue, turn AccuVoice on, otherwise leave it off.
Android 7.0 Nougat update hitting LG G5 starting today in South Korea, global rollout to follow
G5 owners will soon have access to the same improved software we see on the V20.
LG will start rolling out its Android 7.0 Nougat update to LG G5 owners in its home country of South Korea today, kicking off a process that will eventually update all G5s around the world in the coming weeks. The announcement comes the same day that Google’s numbers show just 0.3% of Android devices have Nougat, and Samsung’s beta program for testing Nougat on the Galaxy S7 and S7 edge was announced.
LG isn’t particularly forthcoming about what the Nougat update for the G5 includes, but in this case we have a great look at the potential design and features right in front of us with the LG V20. The software on the V20 is decidedly more muted and consistent when compared to the V20, but still retains many of LG’s own tweaks in terms of its pre-installed apps and services. Overall, it’s a big improvement over what shipped with the G5 less than a year ago.
As far as updates outside of South Korea go, we all know it can take some time for various regional changes to be made and for carriers to sign off on things. LG doesn’t give any better timeline than “in the weeks to come.”
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Press release:
LG BEGINS NOUGAT OS UPDATE FOR G5 IN KOREA, OTHER MARKETS TO FOLLOW
Fast Rollout of Android 7.0 Demonstrates LG’s Commitment to Product Support and Customer Service as Differentiating Factors in the Smartphone Space
SEOUL, Nov. 8, 2016 ― LG Electronics (LG) today began rolling out Android 7.0 Nougat OS for the LG G5 in LG’s home market of South Korea. LG, which was the first smartphone manufacturer to offer a Nougat experience out of the box with its LG V20 for content creators, has the distinction of being the first company after Google to offer Nougat as an upgrade to an existing smartphone running Android Marshmallow.
While LG G5 owners in Korea are the first to receive the OS upgrade, they will be followed by customers in the Americas, Asia and other markets in the weeks to come. Most G5 users will receive notifications on their phones when the update is available. More information will become available locally in the weeks ahead.
Android 7.0 Nougat offers a range of new features designed to enhance the user experience and deliver more speed and convenience to G5 owners. For example, searches can now be conducted inside user-installed apps as well as built-in apps using Nougat’s In Apps. New Multi-window allows the user to switch between apps with a double tap or run two apps side by side. More personalized settings and smarter notifications allow users to be more productive with less effort.
“At LG, we know our customers want the best, most up-to-date mobile experience,” said Kim Hyung-jung, senior vice president and head of LG Mobile’s research and development. “Getting software updates to our users faster than the competition is our way of demonstrating that LG is committed to supporting our products and customers to ensure they have a positive ownership experience.”
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