Galaxy S8 reportedly sticking to QHD display, may not feature home button or 3.5mm jack

Samsung is making radical changes to the Galaxy S8.

The Galaxy S8 was rumored to offer a 4K display, but it looks like that won’t be the case. According to SamMobile, Samsung will continue to offer a QHD Super AMOLED panel, albeit with a new substrate. That isn’t all, as the publication notes that Samsung is all set to get rid of the 3.5mm port. The phone will offer USB-C, so if you’re interested in wired audio, you’ll have to pick up USB-C headphones.

The report also claims that Samsung is moving away from the Diamond PenTile sub-pixel arrangement to a standard RGB layout. The change is motivated out of a need to create more immersive virtual reality environments. With PenTile (RGBG), there are two sub-pixels per pixel — with twice as many green sub-pixels as red and blue. With RGB, there are individual red, green, and blue sub-pixels that combine to form one pixel. When it comes to the Galaxy S7 edge, RGBG translates to 7,372,800 pixels overall, whereas RGB would result in 11,059,200 pixels.

Samsung may also ditch the home button on the Galaxy S8, with a fingerprint sensor embedded directly within the display. That’s not to mention the virtual assistant that Samsung will introduce with the Galaxy S8. The phone is slated to make its debut early next year, and will be one of the most important launches for the company in recent memory.

Google Wifi review: A perfect mesh router for most people

Google’s latest home product brings plug-and-play wireless networking to any sized house.

Google’s latest effort to step into your living room comes in the shape of a small puck.

Google Wifi claims to be just what you need to get Wi-Fi to all your devices, no matter how big your home might be. To do this, the company is using mesh networking technology — a cluster of small devices can all carry the same Wi-Fi signal and be extended seamlessly. Mesh networking, whether wireless or hard wired, used to be one of those things people with lots of letters after their name would set up for you, putting it out of reach of most consumers. But all that has changed and Google is the latest of a slew of companies offering inexpensive home mesh networking products.

Router vs Mesh Networking: What’s best for your home Wi-Fi network?

Since Google isn’t alone in this space — products like the eero Home Wifi kit or the Amplifi HD home system are some serious competition — they’ll need to do a great job at a competitive price point to be successful. We might accept quirks and bugs in out phone software, but nobody wants to get up and reset the Wi-Fi router. Ever.

Let’s have a look at Google Wifi and see if it’s something you need to consider buying.

The design: It looks good

The unit itself is designed to not look horrible sitting somewhere it will be seen.

Google sent me a three-pack of Google Wifi units to test and review. You can buy a single Google Wifi, of course, but the three-pack is designed for folks with a bigger place (a single Google Wifi point covers up to 1,500 square feet and the three-pack will cover up to 4,500 sq. ft.) and you can save a few bucks and have everything you need to get started. You can add a network point to an existing setup if you find you need more coverage than one (or three) can provide.

The unit itself is designed to not look horrible sitting somewhere it will be seen. This is important because the network points work best when sitting in the open on a stand or table than they will in a closet. The units themselves are slightly more than four inches in diameter and about three inches tall (4.17 x 2.75 inches). They look a lot like a smoke detector, just a little taller. They’re made of polycarbonate plastic and have a slightly textured finish for a matte look instead of a glossy look.

The sidewalls have a seam that almost circles the device, which acts as a window so you can see the LED ring that lets you know if things are on and running properly. The top and the sides are free of buttons, knobs and holes except for a power/reset button above the cutout for cords.

Overall it’s fairly nondescript. Nobody will mistake it for an ashtray or coaster, but nobody will see an ugly Wi-Fi router, either. Again — these are designed to be set out in the open, in the places where you need Wi-Fi. If they looked like a Wi-Fi router, some folks wouldn’t want them on the end table or the night stand.

Underneath is where everything happens. The unit itself sits on slightly raised rubber feet and the bottom has a recess for the things you need to plug in. You’ll find three ports — a [USB-C[(/usb-c) port for power and communications and two plugs for Ethernet cables. The USB-C port is properly wired so you could use a phone charger if you wanted to, but each Google Wifi point comes with its own 5-volt, 3-amp power supply.

The Ethernet ports are proper unkeyed 8P8C jacks, so any standard Ethernet cable will plug right in but devices using a “real” RJ45 connector (like an older VOIP/landline telephony unit) are keyed not to fit. Chances are none of us has any equipment with a proper RJ45 jack, but be warned if you do. Each individual unit or three-pack is supplied with a one-meter Ethernet cable, and no matter how many units you buy you will only ever need one.

Key specifications

• AC1200 2×2 Wave 2 expandable mesh Wi-Fi
• MU-MIMO dual-band (2.4GHz / 5GHz) 802.11a/b/g/n/ac wireless support
• 802.15.4 Zigbee TX/RX support
• Bluetooth 4.0 LE support
• 2 Gigabit Ethernet ports
• WPA2-PSK

Connections are simple. The center USB-C port is for the power supply or a thumb drive if you need to access the recovery. One of the Ethernet ports is labeled with a globe symbol. Using the provided cable (or your own cable) connect this port to your modem. The other is a LAN port for a piece of wired equipment like a switched hub. If you don’t have any wired equipment, this port will go unused. Additional Google Wifi mesh points will only need the power connection and are wireless. For these, both Ethernet ports are available for wired connections. This is extremely handy and makes connecting something like a wired switch for your TV cabinet a breeze. You can also wire the connection between mesh points with CAT 5e/CAT 6 Ethernet cables and Google’s Network Assist feature will seamlessly integrate them into the mesh the same way as a wireless mesh point.

From a hardware perspective, Google Wifi is simple and unobtrusive — both in regard to design and operation.

Installation: There’s an app for that

It takes more time to write about the installation procedure that it does to actually do it. Google has made setting up a complicated wireless mesh network dead simple with 802.15.4 (Zigbee) support. Doing that is the important part of the equation, and having inexpensive equipment that still would require someone with network engineering training to setup would prevent consumer adoption. This is a common theme from companies who are building wireless mesh network gear for home users, and Google’s approach is logical and effective.

You have to use an Android or iOS device to set things up — no exceptions.

An included setup card tells you how to plug things in and points you to Google Play or Apple’s App Store to install the Google Wifi app to continue. Setup must be done through the Google Wifi app and any visit to the DNS gateway from a web browser returns the same page you see when trying the same from a Google OnHub router — it just tells you to install the app. That’s important — you can’t set things up without an Android or iOS device.

The app will find your Google Wifi unit (fun fact — the Bluetooth radio in Google Wifi acts as a standard BLE Beacon — and let you know it’s going to connect you to it). It verifies an internet connection at the modem (you’ll be prompted to restart the modem if needed) and walks you through the initial pairing and connection. Each step waits for user input (there is a next link at the bottom of every page) so you know exactly what is happening even if you don’t know how it’s happening. After a minute or two network handshaking and setup, you’re prompted for a network SSID and password. Enter those and you’re connected to your new Wi-Fi network. If you don’t have additional mesh points, you’re done at this point.

If you have more Google Wifi mesh points to install, the app tells you to find a good spot for one (two rooms away and out in the open is the suggested placement), then tells you to plug it in and continue. Give things 30 seconds or so, and you’re done here. You can continue if you have additional mesh points or say no when prompted and setup is finished.

One snag I found while testing: If you unhook everything without factory resetting the individual mesh points, setting things up again but using a different unit as the connection to your modem is a bit more difficult. I was eventually directed to scan a QR code on the bottom of the unit I was trying to connect with and still had several “false starts” before things were connected. Setting up additional mesh points went smoother, but still required multiple device restarts. Resetting the devices is simple in the app and something you should do if you need to move things around.

The app: Simple and easy

As mentioned, Google Wifi is dependent on its app to do anything. If you’re familiar with the OnHub app you’ll find a lot of similarities and some changes to make things easier.

The app is divided into three tabs on its main screen and a settings menu through the Android “hamburger” that slides in from the left. The tabs are (from left to right) messages from Google’s Network Assist, information about the devices connected to your network, and quick shortcuts to the tools and settings you might need more often that others.

The Google Wifi app is easy to navigate and everything makes sense.

The Messages tab shows information from Google Network Assist will let you know about setting up a Phillips Hue bridge so folks can access it through the On.Here server running on your internal network, tell you what features of the Google Wifi you haven’t set up yet (like your guest network or family settings), or just let you know that everything is OK. If your internet service drops out or you unplug your modem, it lets you know about that, too.

The Devices tab tells you about your internet connection, your network devices and anything that’s connected to the network itself. A tap on the internet icon allows you to check your internet speeds and see how much data you’ve used in a certain time period. Tapping the Wifi points icon brings you to an overview where you can see each node and the results of the last network test or perform a new test and a tap on the gear icon opens a page with more information and places where you can make adjustments like setting the LED brightness or changing the location of the node point. This is also where you factory reset things if you need to.

The Shortcuts tab is where you’ll set a priority device or check your network speeds and connections, as well as access all your settings. The Advanced networking section has settings and options for the following:

• Network DNS
• WAN settings (DHCP, PPPoE, and Static are supported)
• DHCP IP reservations
• Port forwarding (TCP and UDP in and out)
• UPnP on/off
• Network mode settings (read-only) for NAT or Bridge modes

The adjustments are simplified and if you’re running a complicated setup with multiple bridges and subnets Google Wifi is not going to be robust enough. But it wasn’t designed for anything like that and I’ll be the first to tell you not to buy it in that case. For more simple needs that still fall in the advanced category, it’s fine. I’m running an SSH server complete with X forwarding (great read and how-to on that here) and an FTP server, each connected to the outside world through Google Wifi and the setup was simple for both of them via the Google Wifi app. Your needs might not be served as well. Remember, this is a consumer device.

Network testing: Rock-solid performer

Google Wifi isn’t designed for long-range networking, and that was easy to see when trying to duplicate the tests we did with the Amplifi HD from zero to 100 yards. What I did see while using iPerf — a MacBook Pro running the iPerf tool next to the NAT mesh point and a second MacBook (iPerf needs a PC so I couldn’t use my phone) moving through the testing field — was a solid ~200Mbps connection right until the end-of-line for the network.

Google Wifi isn’t designed for long-range networking, but it still works great in most big houses.

With the Amplifi HD, you could see when the network needed a boost but you weren’t yet connected to a newer, closer mesh point but once connected to the right node the speeds were faster. Google Wifi was a constant speed with seamless handoff until we reached the edge of coverage, about 150 feet from the source. Acceptable performance (<30Mbps) continued until we reached a point 177 feet away from the NAT node and modem. The node layout, as calculated using 1500 sq. ft as a coverage sphere looked like this.

This isn’t how Google Wifi is supposed to be set up, but it works.

While long distance testing satisfies our curiosity, a better test was just using Google Wifi for a week while trying to do things that would strain the network. I was able to reach what I feel was network capacity by downloading four simultaneous Netflix streams (three at 1080p and one at 4K). At this point, downloading content from the internet via a computer would cause the 4K Netflix stream to stutter and pixelate and eventually buffer. My house is about 3200 square feet across two floors (1600 sq. ft per floor) and I have solid and fast Wi-Fi with exceptional ping times everywhere.

I have a great Wi-Fi network at the table on my back porch where I spend my summer evenings, and my phone will connect when I turn into my driveway. The TV can stream Netflix or a PC game through my Shield TV as well as it did when things were wired, and my outside connections perform exactly the way I expected and need them to work. While Google Wifi doesn’t deliver blazing linear distance performance, it makes up for it with exceptional networking that’s consistent in the whole network footprint.

I’m impressed.

The verdict: A great product

Eventually, you’re going to need a new Wi-Fi router. Chances are you don’t have a bank of servers set up and won’t need to clone MAC addresses or do any traffic steering. In that case, Google Wifi will be perfect for you.

But Google Wifi doesn’t exist in a Vacuum. The Amplifi HD home system is as easy to set up, offers more advanced networking controls and better long-distance performance (as well as a dedicated long distance version with additional directional antennas) at a slightly higher price and more performance variability between nodes. Other systems from eero, Orbi, and Luma all have similar features. Each of these systems can be picked up at a price that’s within $100 or so of Google Wifi and each has their fans. All of these choices are good, and the days of using wall-plug network extenders are, thankfully, about to disappear.

Google Wifi is a great buy, but so is its competition.

I heartily recommend Google Wifi to anyone looking for a way to cover their whole house with a network connection. But I also can recommend the Amplifi system and have plans to look at what eero and Luma have to offer. I can’t say one is any better than the other, but I can tell you that each is a good choice. This is a good place to be, where we have a choice of products that work the way we expect them to work. If you’re deeply tied into the Google ecosystem, go with Google Wifi for a multi-device setup. You’ll like the On.Here integration for connected devices, and the Zigbee and BLE radios mean more functionality may be coming, though we heard that before with OnHub and it didn’t materialize.

If you just need one Wi-Fi router and want something expandable (and pretty cool to use through the app) definitely go with Google Wifi here. The price is comparable to any good Wi-Fi router and you’ll appreciate both the network performance and ease of use.

See at Amazon

Best Dual-SIM Android Phone

Having a dual-SIM phone is convenient if you travel a lot, as it gives you the flexibility of using a local SIM while still receiving texts and calls from your primary number. Right now, the best option is the Galaxy S7 edge.

Best overall

Samsung Galaxy S7 edge

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See at Amazon India

The Galaxy S7 edge is one of the most feature-rich phones available today. You get a gorgeous 5.5-inch dual curved Super AMOLED display, Samsung’s own Exynos 8890 SoC, microSD slot, a 12MP camera that can hold its own, 5MP front camera, and a 3600mAh battery with wireless charging. There’s also IP68 water resistance, which makes the phone immune to the occasional splash of water or a trip to the pool.

The carrier variants of the Galaxy S7 edge offer a single SIM card slot, but you can pick up an unlocked international model with dual-SIM connectivity (SM-G935FD). The unlocked models are costlier than carrier editions, but on the bright side, you don’t have to deal with any bloatware.

Bottom line: If you’re looking for a high-end phone with two SIM card slots, look no further than the Galaxy S7 edge.

One more thing: Your best bet for an unlocked Galaxy S7 edge with dual-SIM connectivity is the SM-G935FD. The phone is compatible with LTE bands in the U.S., UK, India, and Canada.

Why the Galaxy S7 edge is the best

Nearly seven months after its debut, the Galaxy S7 edge is still one of the best phones around. It has all the hardware features you’d want, encased in a gorgeous metal-and-glass chassis with a dual curved panel at the front. The 12MP camera gives the Google Pixel a run for its money, and the sheer amount of features make the phone stand out in the high-end segment.

The U.S. edition is powered by the Snapdragon 820, but the international variant — which has dual-SIM functionality — runs Samsung’s Exynos 8890 SoC. There’s almost no difference in terms of the overall performance between the two variants, but the Exynos variant has been found to be slightly more frugal with battery consumption.

Buying the dual-SIM variant makes sense if you have two phone plans, or if you travel abroad a lot. With two SIM card slots, you have the option to use your primary number alongside a local SIM, making it much more convenient.

The dual-SIM variant of the Galaxy S7 edge (SM-G935FD) has the following global LTE bands, allowing you to connect to networks across the world: 1 (2100MHz), 2 (1900MHz), 3 (1800MHz), 4 (1700MHz/2100MHz), 5 (850MHz), 7 (2600MHz), 8 (900MHz), 12 (700MHz), 13 (700MHz), 17 (700MHz), 18 (800MHz), 19 (800MHz), 20 (800MHz), 25 (1900MHz), 26 (850MHz), 28 (700MHz), 38 (2600MHz), 39 (1900MHz), 40 (2300MHz), and 41 (2500MHz). It’s dual-standby, which means that only one SIM card is active when you’re on a call. However, both SIM slots work over 4G.

The phone is still on Marshmallow, but Samsung is running a Nougat beta test until the end of December. The final Nougat build will likely start rolling out from early 2017.

Best mid-range option

OnePlus 3T

See at OnePlus U.S.
See at OnePlus UK
See at OnePlus Canada
See at Amazon India

OnePlus carved out a niche for itself in the mid-range segment, and the OnePlus 3T is the most refined offering from the company yet. Externally, there isn’t a whole lot to differentiate it from the OnePlus 3, but the OnePlus 3T packs a more powerful Snapdragon 821 SoC, a 128GB storage option, a larger 3400mAh battery, and a new Gunmetal color option. The phone also picked up a new front camera, which is now a 16MP offering with 1-micron pixels. OnePlus has also committed to rolling out Nougat to the phone before the end of the year.

Other specs include 6GB of RAM, a 16MP rear camera, Wi-Fi ac, NFC, Bluetooth 4.2, and USB-C. The standard variant of the OnePlus 3T offers dual-SIM connectivity, so you don’t have to look around for a specific variant to use with two SIM card slots.

There isn’t a single global SKU, however. The North American model has different LTE bands from the Asian variant. If you pick up the phone in North America, you get the following LTE bands: 1/2/4/5/7/8/12/17/30. The model sold in Europe and India has these LTE bands: 1/3/5/7/8/20/38/40. The primary SIM card slot works over 4G, but the secondary is limited to 3G, and data is active on only work SIM at a time. The phone uses dual-standby mode, which means that only one SIM card slot is active during calls.

The 64GB variant of the OnePlus 3T retails for $439 in the U.S., with the 128GB model on sale for $479. In the UK, it costs £399 for the 64GB version, and £439 for the 128GB model. The handset is available for CA$599 in Canada for the 64GB variant, and CA$639 for the 128GB variant. The OnePlus 3T is also up for sale in India, where it costs ₹29,999 for the 64GB model and ₹34,999 for the 128GB version.

Bottom line: The OnePlus 3T gets all the basics right, and does so for several hundred dollars less than other flagships.

One more thing: If you’re going to load up movies and music when you travel, you should consider the 128GB storage option.

Best on a budget

Moto G4 Plus

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The Moto G4 Plus isn’t the fastest phone around, but it does offer a lot of value. The phone features a plastic body, but it doesn’t feel cheap. Similarly, the internal hardware isn’t outstanding, but it will serve you just fine for everyday use. There’s a 5.5-inch Full HD display, Snapdragon 617 SoC, 16MP camera, microSD slot, 5MP camera, and a 3000mAh battery. Motorola has done a decent job of rolling out platform versions on time, and while the G4 Plus is slated to pick up the Nougat update shortly.

There are several configuration options of the G4 Plus available based on the region. You can get the phone with 2GB RAM/16GB storage, 3GB RAM/32GB storage, or 4GB RAM/64GB storage. Dual-SIM options also vary based on the country, but in markets like India and the UK, the dual-SIM variant is available direct from Motorola.

Bottom line: The Moto G4 Plus is still the benchmark for the budget segment. For under $250, this is the best option if you want two SIM card slots.

One more thing: Generally, you’re better off selecting a model with at least 3GB of RAM and 32GB storage.

Best for India

Lenovo Z2 Plus

See at Amazon India

The Lenovo Z2 Plus is one of those rare phones that ticks all the right boxes in the budget segment. Available for the equivalent of $300 (₹19,999), you get a 5-inch Full HD display, Snapdragon 820 SoC, 4GB of RAM, 64GB storage, 13MP camera, 8MP front shooter, Wi-Fi ac, and a 3500mAh battery.

The phone is limited to Asian markets, and as such has LTE bands limited to the region: 1 (2100MHz), 2 (1900MHz), 3 (1800MHz), 4 (1700MHz/2100MHz), 5 (850MHz), 7 (2600MHz), 8 (900MHz), 38 (2600MHz), 39 (1900MHz), 40 (2300MHz), 41 (2500MHz). The phone offers a dual-standby mode, and as such only one SIM is active when you’re on a call. The phone runs Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow, and Lenovo hasn’t detailed Nougat update plans just yet.

Bottom line: The Lenovo Z2 Plus is an incredible value proposition. If you’re on a tight budget, there isn’t a phone that offers as much for under ₹20,000.

One more thing: As the Z2 Plus doesn’t come with expandable storage, you should consider springing for the 64GB variant.

Conclusion

There are several great dual-SIM phones available across price points, but if you’re looking for the best, you can’t go wrong with the Galaxy S7 edge. The phone offers a great design along with high-end internals, and Samsung has thrown in additional fringe features that aren’t found in other high-end phones.

Best overall

Samsung Galaxy S7 edge

See at Amazon
See at B&H Photo
See at Amazon UK
See at Amazon Canada
See at Amazon India

The Galaxy S7 edge is one of the most feature-rich phones available today. You get a gorgeous 5.5-inch dual curved Super AMOLED display, Samsung’s own Exynos 8890 SoC, microSD slot, a 12MP camera that can hold its own, 5MP front camera, and a 3600mAh battery with wireless charging. There’s also IP68 water resistance, which makes the phone immune to the occasional splash of water or a trip to the pool.

The carrier variants of the Galaxy S7 edge offer a single SIM card slot, but you can pick up an unlocked international model with dual-SIM connectivity (SM-G935FD). The unlocked models are costlier than carrier editions, but on the bright side, you don’t have to deal with any bloatware.

Bottom line: If you’re looking for a high-end phone with two SIM card slots, look no further than the Galaxy S7 edge.

One more thing: Your best bet for an unlocked Galaxy S7 edge with dual-SIM connectivity is the SM-G935FD. The phone is compatible with LTE bands in the U.S., UK, India, and Canada.

Meizu’s $33 fitness band outdoes Fitbit at a fifth the price

Meizu’s new fitness wearable doesn’t do anything new, but that’s not the point.

Meizu is entering the wearables market, and the popular Chinese smartphone maker is taking on one of its biggest rivals, Xiaomi, in the process. But the fitness tracker, aptly titled Meizu Band, further reinforces the notion that most wearables sold in North America are, if not overpriced, sold at a considerable premium.

By specs alone, the Meizu outclasses many of the current crop of fitness wearables, with a recessed OLED touchscreen, heart rate monitoring, seven-day battery life, automatic multi-activity fitness tracking, and sleep monitoring, along with a magnetic charger to ensure IP67 water ingress protection and a comfortable rubberized strap.

While the $33 USD equivalent band won’t be launching outside China, at least not for the immediate future, it does (or should) renew the conversation about how commoditized fitness wearables have become, and how much longer companies like Fitbit can get away with charging $150 for products like the Charge 2 — as good as it may be.

Best Gifts for Cord-cutters

What are good gifts for someone who’s cut cable out of their life?

The cord-cutter movement is growing more and more these days. People are looking to save money by cancelling that pesky cable bill and finding alternative ways to fulfill their entertainment needs via internet and/or wireless needs.

Netflix. Plex. Over-the-air antennas. Just a few of the options cord-cutters rely on to stay entertained without cable TV. Give the gift of cutting that special someone’s cable bill with these fantastic gifts for cord-cutters.

OTA Antennas

If you or someone you know is looking to cut out the cable bill from their budget, but still enjoys just throwing on the TV and vegging out without the hassle of finding something new to watch on Netflix (right?), an over-the-air (OTA) antenna can be a great compromise. But before you consider whether to buy an OTA antenna, you’ll want to know what channels are available in your area and what type of antenna you’ll need to draw them in. This TV signal locator from TVFools.com will let you know what signals are available from you or your giftee’s address, and from there let you determine whether you should be getting an indoor or outdoor antenna.

An OTA antenna can be hooked up straight to a TV in your house to watch live TV. A couple of the other items on this list require a OTA antenna — HDHomeRun Connect and TiVo Roamio. If either of those boxes tickles your fancy, you’ll need one to draw in the signal. Depending on what channels are available in your area, you’ll need either an indoor or outdoor digital antenna. The antenna we’ve recommended here, the HD Frequency Cable Cutter Antenna, is designed for urban areas, and can be set up indoors or outdoors. Again, the channels you’ll get will be dependant on a number of variables, so the price of this antenna makes it great for testing purposes.

See at Amazon

HDHomeRun Connect

The HDHomeRun Connect is a HDTV broadcast tuner that, working in conjunction with an OTA antenna, lets you draw in the available HDTV channels broadcasting in your area. Setup is easy — simply connect your HDHomeRun box to power, the antenna, and your router, then install the software on your computer. From there, you’re able to watch live TV from the available channels shows on any DLNA-compatible device connected to your Wi-Fi network, whether that be a smart TV, a phone or tablet running the HDHomeRun DVR app.

But that’s not all. What makes the HDHomeRun a real home run (I’m sorry) is its beta DVR compatibility with Plex. Anyone in the know knows that Plex is one of the absolute best media servers you can use, so if you know your friend or family member relies on Plex this exclusive integration with HDHomeRun receivers is certainly worth exploring.

See at Amazon

TiVo Roamio

TiVo’s Roamia is certainly worth looking into if you’re cutting a cord and considering an OTA antenna. The Roamia comes with 1TB of space to record all your favorite shows as well as built-in integration with Netflix, Amazon Prime Instant Video, Hulu and more.

It’s a TiVo, so you’ll be able to pause and rewind TV live, as well as use SkipMode to skip over the commercials in your recorded content, or use QuickMode to watch your shows 33% faster with no audio distortion, meaning you can binge watch your favorite shows in less time.

See at Amazon

Chromecast

Once you get your first Chromecast, you quickly learn that you can never have too many Chromecasts. It’s such a versatile little device that lets you stream Netflix, Amazon Prime Instant Video, Hulu, YouTube, HBO Now… There’s a ton of great content available for Chromecast.

This year, Google introduced the Chromecast Ultra, which supports 4K TVs if you already have one or are planning on upgrading. If not, the Chromecast from 2015 is still a completely capable little device, and you really can’t beat the value here. And like I said, once you’ve got a Chromecast on one of your TV’s, you’re going to want to have one for every TV in the house.

See the Chromecast (2015) at Google

See the Chromecast Ultra at Google

Nvidia Shield

The NVIDIA Shield doesn’t garner as much attention as it deserves — it’s a sleek-looking box running on the Android TV platform, granting access to all the great content streaming and media options found in the Google Play Store, along with being a scrappy gaming console powered by a GeForce GTX graphics card.

It can stream Netflix and YouTube in 4K, and supports a number of great media server apps including Plex and Kodi. If you’re only planning to use it for streaming purposes, you’ll get 16GB of onboard storage for your media, along with a streamlined and fast UI so you can get right down to binge watching PLUS it doubles as a Cast target.

If you’re also interested in what it can do for gaming, you’ll be able to enjoy the latest and greatest Android games, along with the ability to stream popular PC games via a GeForce NOW subscription.

See at Amazon

Gift memberships to streaming services

Netflix. Amazon Prime. Hulu.

These are the services that are largely replacing cable TV for an ever-growing number of consumers. Whether or not your loved one already has one of these services, you can cover a few months of their favorite streaming service for a gift that keeps giving throughout the year.

Your best value is absolutely a year’s worth of Amazon Prime. Not only do they get access to both Amazon’s music and video services, they also get all the benefits of being an Amazon Prime including next-day delivery on a number of products.

Both Netflix and Amazon Prime offer electronic gift cards for their services, but you should also be able to find them at a most major retailers. Hulu currently doesn’t offer electronic gift cards, but you should find physical Hulu gift cards at retailers such as Target, Best Buy, and Walmart.

Learn more at Amazon

Learn more at Netflix

This awesome photo leak shows a forthcoming 2017 Moto handset

Clear images have surfaced online purporting to be the 2017 Motorola Moto X smartphone. The images have been taken by an “anonymous tipster” and picked up by Techdroider and clearly show a future Moto smartphone.

The pictures show the phone will come with an all metal build, but the lack of connector pins for Moto Mods confirms it’s not a handset that offers modularity like the flagship Moto Z device.

• Motorola Moto Z review: A modular muddle

Although the images are fairly clear, it’s obvious that some details have been removed, probably codes that identify this handset as a prototype, and potentially the exact sample number.

What’s not clear is which family this device would belong to. As we’ve said, it’s not following the same lines as the Moto Z (where we’d expect modularity to continue), so it could be a Moto X or a Moto G, although the metal build would suggest it falls into a higher tier than the often entry-level G.

For now all we have to go on for the new Moto device is these pictures, as no specs or features have been revealed. It’s estimated to have a 5.5-inch display, something that Lenovo said was a minimum size for future handsets, while a front-mounted fingerprint scanner can be seen in the images. Reportedly, it’s going to be available in silver or gold.

It’s not clear when Lenovo/Motorola will officially unveil this new handset, an obvious guess would be Mobile World Congress in February, but for now all we can say is watch this space.

ICYMI: A new form of whale communication, found

Today on In Case You Missed It: A new Marine Mammal Science publication found that humpback whales slap the surface of the water to communicate with one another, although what they’re actually saying is still a mystery. Meanwhile MIT’s CSAIL lab created a CAD-like program to create UAVS. The best part of the software is testing it virtually to see if your creation would fly in real life.

The Tesla Coil video by SmarterEveryDay is pretty great and for fun, you may want to watch the Turkish satellite heading up to space. As always, please share any interesting tech or science videos you find by using the #ICYMI hashtag on Twitter for @mskerryd.

All Sonos owners can now use Spotify to control their speakers

Sonos announced back in August that it would allow Spotify users to control their music through the streaming service’s app instead of having to use its own software. The feature rolled out to members of the speaker company’s beta trial in early November, but now it’s available to all. If you’re a Spotify Premium subscriber, you don’t have to use the Sonos Controller app to play tunes. Spotify Connect will allow you to select your Sonos gear from the Devices menu.

I’ve been using the direct play tool for several weeks now as part of the beta and it makes a huge difference in the overall Sonos experience. The Sonos Controller app works just fine, but being able to stay inside the Spotify interface that I use multiple times a day is a massive improvement. If you’re worried you won’t be able to group speakers you have in separate rooms, don’t fret: that feature is available in Spotify, too. Any connected Sonos gear you have shows up in the Devices menu so you can jump from speakers to headphones with a tap. And yes, the Spotify Connect integration is available on both desktop and mobile.

You also don’t have to worry about replacing the queue or choosing “Play Now” when you want to jump to another album or playlist. Just tap a song like you would while in your car or on your computer and it starts playing. When friends come over, they’ll be able to play songs directly through the Spotify app as well. Trust me, if you’re a Spotify user and a Sonos owner, the ability to play songs directly though the latter’s app will be a welcome change.