Russian hackers reportedly attack Ukrainian weapons, power grid
As the conflict in Eastern Ukraine escalates, two separate reports point to Russian hackers disrupting the power grid and weapons in the war-torn country. Outside of Kiev, between 100,000 and 200,000 people were plunged into darkness when portions of the Ukrenergo power company were knocked offline on December 18. The electricity was quickly restored but the situation is raised concerns of infrastructure hacking.
The director of the power company, Vsevolod Kovalchuk, told Defense One that he is 99 percent sure a deliberate attack caused the outage. The event is similar to another blackout last year that was reportedly pulled off by Russian hackers, Sandworm. So far there’s no direct connection between the hackers and the Russian military.
Meanwhile it looks like an app built to help quickly target the D-30 howitzers used by the Ukrainian military was hijacked with malware that could have potentially shared the location of those large guns with Russia. Security research firm CrowdStrike notes that from late 2014 thru 2016, a compromised version of the app was distributed through military forums.
The malware was reportedly created by Russian hacking group Fancy Bear which is believed to be behind the Podestra email leaks and has claimed responsibility for leaking the medical records of Olympic athletes.
Source: Defense One, CrowdStrike
UBTech Jimu Robot Release Date, Price and Specs – CNET
Robot kits and the whole “kids should code” movement has picked up a lot of steam in 2016. It’s one the year’s better legacies. STEM talk is everywhere in the tech scene. But adults can talk all day about such things — what do the kids actually think?
It all comes down to what actually excites and engages kids to find programming fun and worthwhile. So it’s been a pleasure to watch my two kids, Oscar, 10, and Emily, 8, fall in love with the UBTech Jimu Explorer Level robot kit. The kit says ages 8+ at an “Easy to Intermediate” difficulty level, so we figured this was a perfect audience.
It’s simple to use, required no tools and very minimal supervision, and once it was built the control and coding features had a promising “easy to use, hard to master” quality that would make this kit valuable for years to come.
Tyrannosaurus tech
There are many basic DIY robotics kits out there for much less money. But many cheaper kits require real tools, or are more difficult to piece together, or lack any true programmability.
A well organised kit is a thing of beauty.
Seamus Byrne/CNET
For $199 (£149; AU$299) the Explorer Level kit offers instructions to build a number of predesigned robots (a penguin, a T-Rex and others — we built the T-Rex) with step-by-step instructions through an interactive app for iOS and Android. Each step is illustrated and animated, with full 3D modelling to zoom around and see exactly where elements fit together.
The build snaps together as simply as Lego (and more easily than Lego Mindstorms) and the process integrates all required servos, power units and brains to bring the package to life when the build is complete.
Letting the kids loose, guidance was only required at the very start to clarify how to navigate the interactive manual and at one stage where balancing the body while attaching the second leg of the T-Rex got a little tricky.
It’s alive!
Once the robot was pieced together, Bluetooth pairing to the iPad was simple and we could immediately take control of the T-Rex with a set of ready to go commands. Move forward, back, left, right were all there, but the favourites were a bunch of weird dance moves that showed off the excellent subtlety and balance of the servos involved.
Servos, power units, cables, oh my!
Seamus Byrne/CNET
Beyond these basic controls, you can program the Jimu robot through a visual, threaded programming interface. Our kids were familiar with Scratch programming, so found this system fairly easy to get a handle on. From here you discover you can program controls to create sequences of movement, or even based on tilting the iPad.
Movement can also be managed at the individual servo level (every servo is numbered so you know what’s what), allowing more advanced programmers to create their own fundamental movements for the robot they’ve built.
And this is where the larger potential kicks in. My kids found this comfortably challenging to build and felt the immediate rewards in the controls and programming were everything they’d hoped for (and they can hope for a lot). But to see layers of programmatic detail available that could push the kids toward new horizons and teach them a lot more about both programming and robotics was a very pleasant surprise.
This kit might cost a little more than many others, but it could easily play a role in my kids lives as they grow in technical skills for years to come. That seems well worth the price of admission.
Kwikset Premis HomeKit-enabled Smart Lock review – CNET
The Good Kwikset’s HomeKit-compatible smart lock puts Apple’s connected home controls to good use, including Siri voice controls. It also does an outstanding job with user management, letting you create user-specific, time-sensitive entry codes without ever charging you a fee.
The Bad You can’t control the lock from beyond the range of its Bluetooth radio unless you have a third-gen or better Apple TV in your home. The touchscreen is also slightly sluggish.
The Bottom Line The Kwikset Premis works well and gets user management absolutely right, making it a solid choice for anyone with an interest in Apple HomeKit.
The premise is simple: Kwikset’s been making locks for generations now, and making smart locks for years. Now, it’s introducing a smart lock that works with Siri.
It’s called the Kwikset Premis, and it’s a touchpad deadbolt that works with Apple HomeKit, the smart-home control service built into to Apple’s iOS devices. With HomeKit compatibility, you can control and automate the Premis directly from Apple’s Home app or from your iPhone’s Control Center, alongside other HomeKit-compatible gadgets, and you can lock and unlock it using Siri voice commands, too.
At a retail price of $229, the Premis isn’t any less expensive than other popular smart locks, including ones from August that also work with HomeKit and Kwikset’s own touch-to-open Kevo smart lock, now in its 2nd generation. But it’s a very decent smart lock in its own right, boasting a good-looking build, a well-designed app filled with features, and terrific controls for managing multiple users without additional fees. If you’re buying in on the Siri-controlled smart home, the Premis is worth consideration.
The Kwikset Premis is a smart lock that’s…
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Design and installation
If your door is properly aligned, you can install the Kwikset Premis in under a half an hour using only a screwdriver and some measuring tape.
Chris Monroe/CNET
I like the way this lock looks, but it isn’t a groundbreaking design. Essentially, Kwikset just took its existing touchpad smart lock and swapped out the Z-Wave radio for a Bluetooth radio and the necessary HomeKit chipset.
Still, like I said, it’s a decent design. Like we’ve seen with other recent smart locks, the interior housing is a little smaller than past generations, making it less of an eyesore. My only real complaint is that the touchpad is just slightly less responsive than I would like, occasionally requiring an extra stab of my thumb to enter a digit.
I didn’t have any trouble installing a Kwikset Premis at the CNET Smart Home, but like with other smart locks, I needed to make sure the door I wanted to smarten up was properly aligned with the latch. Smart locks turn the deadbolt on their own, without help from you. That means that they’ll jam if there isn’t a smooth path from the door to your door frame. In other words, if you need to push or pull on your doorknob in order to turn your key, that’s something you’ll need to fix before buying a smart lock like this one.
With that concern in mind, I picked out a particularly well-aligned door in the smart home’s mud room and got to work. The Premis doesn’t include any installation instructions in the box — instead, you’ll need to download the app for a step-by-step walkthrough. It’s definitely helpful, but I would have liked some physical instructions nonetheless.
Still, installation was straightforward, and only took me about twenty minutes or so. All I needed was a screwdriver and some measuring tape. The only steps in addition to what you’d expect from a standard deadbolt are connecting a small cable and inserting four AA batteries, which come included.
2017 Toyota RAV4 review – Roadshow
The Good The 2016 Toyota RAV4 SE offers a more dynamic drive character in this normally sterile class. More aggressive looks thanks to the exclusive SE styling touches make the RAV4 visually appealing. Good power and fuel efficiency from 2.5-liter engine.
The Bad The SE’s sport suspension provides a firmer ride quality that may turn off some customers. In our drives, a rattle from the left B-pillar would annoyingly come and go. The RAV4’s Infotainment system doesn’t offer Apple CarPlay or Android Auto capabilities.
The Bottom Line Those who need the practicality of a compact crossover but don’t want a drab-looking or drab-driving vehicle should put the RAV4 SE on their “must drive” list.
Model year 2017 changes:
- Standard Toyota Safety Sense P safety package on all grades adding a Pre-Collision System with Pedestrian Detection, Lane Departure Alert with Steering Assist, Automatic High Beams and Dynamic Radar Cruise Control.
- New premium Platinum trim level builds on the Limited model with the addition of a standard foot-activated power liftgate, color keyed fender arches, lower rock panels and lower bumpers, bird’s eye view camera, 11-speaker JBL audio system, heated steering wheel, foot well ambient lighting and plush floor mat.
- Base LE models begin at $24,910, while the new range-topping Platinum grade starts at $34,750.
Editor’s note, December 22, 2016: This review was written based on an evaluation of the 2016 Toyota RAV4. See the changes for the 2017 model year above.
Inside a half-mile of driving Toyota’s RAV4 SE over Michigan’s crumbling roads, I make a mental note of its firmer bump stiffness. The ride isn’t brutal, but it’s rougher — enough to turn off consumers shopping the compact crossover segment who put more stock in a compliant ride, flexible interior space and fuel economy. Lucky for those people, Toyota’s midcycle RAV4 update includes a new hybrid version that caters to those wants, and there’s always the model’s more traditional LE and XLE models.
Clearly, Toyota’s RAV4 range has grown to include flavors for all types of buyers.
Sportier intentions
Dig deeper into the freshened RAV4 lineup, past the typical changes like new light housings, bumpers, rocker panels and wheel designs, and you’ll also find the new SE model for people who still want flexible interior space and good fuel economy, but prefer their vehicles to be a bit more engaging from behind the wheel. As the athlete in the RAV4 family, the SE gets a sport-tuned suspension; unique 18-inch wheels and a specific styling treatments to give it a little extra visual edge.
The SE is the RAV4 of choice for those looking for sportier handling.
Jon Wong/Roadshow
Notice that list of SE changes doesn’t include a power increase. Like the majority of sport versions of mainstream vehicles, it doesn’t get upgrades to the drivetrain, meaning the SE works with the same 2.5-liter four-cylinder making 176 horsepower and 172 pound-feet of torque as other non-hybrid RAV4s. That power makes it competitive with heavy hitters in the segment like the Honda CR-V, Nissan Rogue and base Ford Escape. While fuel economy for the RAV4’s full-gas drivetrain understandably isn’t up to the hybrid model’s impressive 34 mpg city and 31 mpg highway EPA fuel economy ratings, the SE’s 2.5-liter four- and six-speed automatic transmission combination returns a respectable 22 mpg in the city and 29 mpg on the highway with all-wheel drive. If front-wheel drive is all you need, then efficiency climbs to 24 mpg city and 31 mpg highway.
Instead, the SE’s performance changes center on the suspension, which improves the RAV4’s handling reflexes, making the small crossover a bit more fun to toss around. Turn-in response is fairly quick, and there’s some weight tuned into the wheel. Grip through corners is good for spirited drives, with not much body lean. The wider footprint from the 18-inch Bridgestone Ecopia H/L 422 Plus all-season rubber deserves some credit for the increase in handling prowess, but don’t be under the illusion that the SE is a skidpad hellion, or that it’s ready to stand at the top of the timesheets at your next local autocross, because that’s not what it’s about. The biggest downside to SE is the aforementioned harsher ride quality, a byproduct of its stiffer springs and shock absorbers.
Those looking for a more comfortable ride should try the top of the line Limited model, which boasts a cushier ride and supportive yet comfortable seats. While not nearly as fun as the SE, it still holds its own when the road turns twisty, albeit with more body roll and a lighter steering feel.
With a bit of momentum and a heavy right foot the RAV4 scampers to the top.
Wayne Cunningham/Roadshow
Regardless of which model you choose, you may be surprised at what the RAV4 can handle when the pavement turns to dirt. At the touch of a button, the all-wheel drive system locks into a 50/50 front to rear torque split at speeds of up to 25 miles per hour, helpful when you’re stuck in the snow or when the road to the cabin turns treacherous. I was well surprised when the RAV4 scampered up a steep hill at Hollister Hills off-road park in California, behaving more like a 4Runner than a RAV4.
Unless you’re buying a Ford Escape or Kia Sportage with their available 2.0-liter turbo engines, you’ll have a hard time finding a compact crossover that one might call quick. Instead, most entries in this very popular segment pack serviceable power similar to this Toyota, which motors away from stops in a brisk-enough manner and pulls well throughout the rev range, with its gearbox cycling through the gears smoothly. The RAV4 never feels underpowered. If you want, the SE includes steering-wheel-mounted paddle shifters, but unfortunately they aren’t particularly responsive. I abandoned their use after only a couple of miles.
Nike HyperAdapt 1.0 Release Date, Price and Specs – CNET
The Nike HyperAdapt 1.0s are for sure the most technically advanced sneakers I’ve ever put on my feet. That has nothing to do with whether or not they’re good shoes, and everything to do with the reason why they cost so much money: the tech.
Here are a few things you should know.
Josh Miller/CNET
They are silly-expensive
$720 per pair in the US — is your wallet ready for that?! Nike has yet to announce HyperAdapt 1.0 pricing and availability for the UK and Australia, but that cost converts to about £585 or AU$995.
There’s only one way to get them
You can’t walk into a store and buy the shoes just yet, and unless you’re willing to pay $2,500 and up for a pair on eBay, the only thing you can do is wait. The shoes were available by appointment at five Nike Stores on December 20 and 21. (I scored an appointment, and bought these for my own personal collection.)
CNET
But they’re still super hard to get
Remember the self-lacing shoes from “Back to the Future 2,” the Nike Mags? Since Nike only made 89 pairs of those, they were basically impossible to cop. Well, Nike made a lot more than 89 of these HyperAdapts, but the company won’t say how many exactly, or when you’ll get another chance to buy them.
Yuuup. They self-lace as advertised
You put them on, stand up, and vvvvvrvrrrvvr, they tighten right on your foot.
A sensor in the heel detects your foot’s position when you put them on and they register your weight. Then, they automatically tighten to the shape of your foot. There are buttons on each side of the shoes that further control their snugness, which lets you fine-tune the fit. This worked perfectly for me each time — it was dope.
They don’t tighten as fast as the ones in the movie
As you can see from the video (above), the shoes don’t tighten nearly as fast as the ones in “Back to the Future Part II.” Maybe a few versions from now they’ll be faster, but who cares? They freaking self-lace!
Josh Miller/CNET
About those lights…
There’s an LED light on each side of the shoe and little LED dots on the back. They’ll light up for a few seconds when you first put the shoes on.
The battery lasts a good while
According to Nike, the shoes will hold a two-week charge. You can check the battery status by pressing one of the buttons on the side, and it will glow different colors to indicate how much juice is left. Nike says there will always be a bit of reserve power for one last unlacing before a charge, so you won’t get stuck.
Two charging pucks connect magnetically to the bottom of the shoes. It takes about three hours to fully charge.
Josh Miller/CNET
They are perfectly good athletic shoes
Nike says it’s tested the sneakers for running, training and even basketball (mostly running, though, to make sure it’s durable enough for real wear and tear). I’ve only had them for three days by the time I sat down to write this, and I can say that I ran, jumped and walked around in them all day and they were totally comfortable.
But let’s get real. I’m honestly not going to be wearing these to do any intensive exercise because I don’t want them to get beaten up. I’m still going to wear my Jordans to play basketball, and that’s because these are just too rare to trash so fast.
They don’t track anything
As high-tech as the lacing mechanism is, the shoes don’t do anything else like track your steps or sync with your Nike+ profile.
They’re light on your feet
They weigh 0.9 pound per shoe and 1.8 pounds for the pair. Surprisingly, they don’t feel clunky or heavy at all.
Josh Miller/CNET
They won’t fall off. Period.
The sensors got the fit right each time I put them on, and you can always use those buttons on the side to tighten or loosen them a little more.
But they do come off easily when you want
Just hold down the button for a second or so to loosen the shoe and slip your feet right out.
Only men’s sizes for now
Unfortunately there are no women’s sizes at the moment, but you can get around that with a little shoe math. The HyperAdapts come in men’s sizes 5 through 14. To convert to women’s sizes, add 1.5 to the men’s size, so a men’s 5 is a women’s 6.5 and so on.
Josh Miller/CNET
You can get them wet, but…
The entire lacing engine is enclosed in a plastic section on the midsole. They are definitely splashproof and can get them wet, but they haven’t been tested for underwater use. Apologies in advance to those of you who need to wear your sneakers in the pool.
There’s a Pixar connection
- Nike added the name “E.A.R.L.” (Electro Adaptive Reactive Lacing) to the shoe’s tongue, a nod to the way Pixar named two of its characters in “Wall-E”: EVE (Extraterrestrial Vegetation Evaluator) and WALL-E (Waste Allocation Load Lifter – Earth-Class)
- The blue glowing midsole is inspired by EVE’s own LEDs
- The shoe’s sole echoes WALL-E’s tire tread
Pics or it didn’t happen: The Nike HyperAdapt…
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This is just the beginning
Nike isn’t going to stop here. It plans to bring the HyperAdatp’s self-lacing technology to future kicks. Nike says the price and weight will also drop over time.
You shouldn’t buy them (unless you really, really want to)
Look, I’m the guy who got the first iPod, iPhone and iPad. I’m an early adopter and a sneakerhead. This is life imitating movie magic and it doesn’t get much cooler than that. But for the vast majority of people, it’s probably best to wait for the cost to come down in future shoes before picking up a pair of your own. But I wouldn’t blame you if you put these on the top of your wish list anyway.
The Last Pebble: Pebble 2 review and commentary with MrMobile
Marking the end of an era, the Pebble 2 is the last of its kind, the last smartwatch from the now sold, but long-beloved company. Many Pebble fans may not even get their hands on the latest, and last smartwatch not made under the Fitbit brand.
In case you missed the news, Fitbit, one of the biggest fitness tracker companies in the world, bought most of Pebble’s assets in December. As a result, this will be the last smartwatch under the Pebble name.
The Pebble 2 is a unique smartwatch. That’s why we’ve decided to forgo our traditional review format and do something a little special this time around. We’ve reached out to fellow Pebble fan and industry friend, Michael Fisher, to talk about the very last Pebble device. We hope you enjoy our Fitbit 2 review.
Don’t miss:
The best smartwatches
1 week ago
Overview
The Pebble 2 should be very familiar to those who owned the first Pebble smartwatch
As one of three products in Pebble’s last Kickstarter campaign, the Pebble 2 is a familiar device for original Pebble owners. A larger display and a bit more polish are noticeable at first glance, with the new watch being a nice update from even the Pebble Time, maintaining the square watch design. The inside exemplifies where Pebble was headed with their software, something we’ll talk about in a bit.
Around the edges of the Pebble 2 is the familiar button layout, offering that satisfying click and function from previous watches. More specifically, that’s the navigation buttons on the right and the back button in the top left corner.
The rear of the Pebble 2 sports the same magnetic charging contacts as we’ve seen before, with the inclusion of the new heart rate sensor. As the main upgrade in the Pebble 2, the heart rate monitor marked a shift to a more health-centric focus, which plays into their acquisition from Fitbit.
- Pebble Time review
- Pebble Time Round review
Allowing for interchangeable watch bands, we really like the look of ours with a full width band installed – that is, our band is as wide as the watch itself, which didn’t detract from the iconic design of the Pebble line.
Still rocking a black and white display (the Pebble Time was the color variant in the line), Pebble stuck to their guns, offering up the very best in simplicity, without sacrificing functionality.
Performance
Truth be told, performance is one of the few things that strike us when using the Pebble 2. Obviously any lag or delayed responses would stand out for us, but this is not a smartwatch like we’ve seen from some of the larger players. Instead of driving a high quality color display, navigating through image rich pages and cards, Pebble keeps it quite simple, but does so with a passion.
In typical Pebble fashion, the Pebble 2 will last almost a full week on a single charge
Adding to their own software by adopting and promoting an open source atmosphere around their products, most functionality is as simple as can be. As such, overall device performance remains smooth and without lag. This also adds to the excellent battery life of the Pebble 2, rocking close to a full week of life between charges.
Software
The Pebble 2 has one of the most unique and fun software experiences on a smartwatch to date
The software in the Pebble 2 exemplifies the nature and philosophy of Pebble as a company. We’ll just have to wait to see what Fitbit does with the brand moving forward. For now, Fitbit has pledged support for Pebble users and devices through 2017, at least.
The core of the Pebble experience is in a fun and playful approach to not only how things are done, but in the very flow of the software. One can only be so creative with an LCD looking e-paper display, but Pebble has done a great job at putting its own spin on things. Little things like the alarm clock are represented as an animated character bouncing around the display, for instance.
See also:
Pebble software and services will be available at least until the end of 2017
1 week ago
Telling the time is a basic starting point for this, as with any smartwatch, and popping up notifications is an important feature. The Pebble 2, in Michael Fisher’s words, “executes on those fundamentals pretty well.”
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Our thoughts on Pebble
Mr. Mobile here. I never got to spend time with the Core or the Pebble Time 2, but I was delighted enough by my experience with the standard Pebble 2 that I don’t think I missed out on much. Josh already covered most of the Pebble 2’s bits and pieces so I won’t retread them. Instead I’ll tell you what I loved most about this upgrade:
Pebble didn’t sacrifice its fundamental simplicity. Part of that is the aforementioned preference for tactile buttons over touch screen swipes, and part of it is the use of well-designed software. Some may find the animations a little cutesy but to me they gave Pebble a personality that’s missing from other wearables … and that, plus the small footprint and rock-solid notification reliability, is something I’m really going to miss.
I feel like the Pebble gave itself a license to be geeky in a way that most of its competitors are a little too shy to do.
Pebble was one of those products that you just wanted to succeed. A lot can be said about the company and how it handled itself, but it stands that the product was not only different, but effective. Tactile feedback and input offers a critical interface with a smartwatch that isn’t present in a touch screen display. Android Wear, as the predominant wearable OS in these parts, relies on you to view the display, then accurately touch or swipe to make anything happen. There is gesture support as well, but none as easy as finding a side button without looking.
See also:
The best Android Wear watches
2 weeks ago
Pebble built a community upon which developers came to build apps and services. This was a small community, granted, but one that was passionate, with an open source community. Something that was destined to continue with the Pebble Core, Pebble Time 2 and the Pebble 2, only one of which ever making it to backers.
That’s all a thing of the past now – with Fitbit acquiring much of the company, the future of existing Pebble devices will run into 2017 with no word on what will occur after. If you do have a Pebble 2, cherish it – it is quite literally the very last of its kind.
We’d like to thank Michael Fisher (MrMobile) for joining us here today. You can find him at his YouTube channel giving his thoughts and takes on today’s tech, from mobile to robots to Star Trek gadgets made reality. You can hit him up on Twitter as well, he’s @theMrMobile.
Chromecast Ultra vs. Xiaomi Mi Box: Which should you buy?
If you want to spend $70 on a Google Cast device, you’ll be looking at the Chromecast Ultra and the Xiaomi Mi Box.
Google’s new Chromecast Ultra brings a lot to the table — not the least of which being 4K HDR streaming — but it is also unfortunately double the price of its predecessor. At $70 the Chromecast Ultra is now closer to the price of full-on Android TV boxes — including the newest of the bunch, the Xiaomi Mi Box, which also conveniently costs the same $70.
Both offer 4K video support, are of course Google Cast targets and won’t take up much room behind your TV, but that doesn’t mean you should blindly choose one or the other. Some people will prefer the Chromecast Ultra’s simplicity while others will enjoy the extra features of the Mi Box. Which is right for you, though? Read on to find out.
Size and placement considerations
The Chromecast Ultra offers simplicity in placement and configuration.
First and foremost, you ned to make an assessment of which device will best fit in your entertainment center setup. The Mi Box is one of the smaller Android TV offerings out there, but it’s still not as simplistic as the Chromecast Ultra. The Mi Box requires a separate HDMI and power cable (which are both a bit on the short side), and unless you want to get a healthy amount of double-sided tape it’s going to be sitting on some portion of your entertainment center. On the other side of the coin, that HDMI cable flexibility means you can swap it out for as long (or short) of a cable as you like for a more custom installation.
The Chromecast Ultra of course has an integrated HDMI cable that instantly saves space (or could be a potential annoyance for some), and a compact power adapter with a long, thin cable that’s easy to route. The magnetic base can even help the body of the streamer attach to the end of the cable to keep things even tidier, depending on what the port layout behind your TV is like.
Performance and features
The biggest difference between these two offerings is the fact that the Mi Box offers a standalone experience, whereas the Chromecast Ultra requires a phone, tablet or computer to control it. As soon as you get your Google Account plugged into the Mi Box, anyone who picks up the remote can control it, browse around and find something to watch using full apps — they don’t have to know a darn thing about Google Cast.
That can be super valuable for a box that sits in a spare bedroom or a shared space with a family — you don’t want to have to explain how the system works to everyone. Along the same lines, the Mi Box gives you a proper remote you can use to scroll around, play/pause and control volume — that’s a make-or-break feature for some.
The Mi Box offers a standalone experience … but can struggle with 4K.
In terms of just specs, things are about the same. Both offer 4K resolution and HDR video quality, so on paper that’s a wash. But as we’ve noted before the Mi Box has trouble powering the full Android TV interface at 4K resolution, which is a frustrating experience. Sure you get a full interface to use, but if you have to drop it to 1080p to get great performance, is it worth it? That will really depend how much 4K content you expect to watch. On the upside, the Mi Box has locally addressable storage, and a USB port that can be used for future extensibility.
Which one is right for you?
Considering that they’re the same price, the choice between the Chromecast Ultra and the Xiaomi Mi Box really comes down to just a couple of points.
The Chromecast Ultra is best for those who are okay with (or desire) the simplicity of the Chromecast and don’t need a remote or standalone apps. It’s also easier to just plug into the back of any TV, and includes an ethernet adapter in the box. If you can deal with only controlling it via a secondary device, the Chromecast Ultra offers superior performance and streaming quality, including 4K without any caveats.
With the same price, it comes down to just a couple deciding factors for you.
On the other end of the spectrum, if you want to have a remote and standalone apps on the box itself, the better choice here is the Mi Box. It will let you (or perhaps your house guests) navigate and play content without having to hook up a phone and Cast content, which can be a big plus. There are issues with performance, particularly in the interface when set to 4K resolution, but some people may be able to overlook that and just go with 1080p (considering most content is still that resolution anyway) in order to get an interface, apps and a remote at the same price as the Chromecast Ultra.
The biggest thing to point out here is that both of these devices will fit for most people’s basic home theater needs. Both are obviously Google Cast targets, and have the same $70 price. Make a couple decisions about which specific features you want, and the buying decision is easy.
See Chromecast Ultra at Best BuySee Mi Box at Walmart
There is likely no ‘Beast Mode’ coming to the Galaxy S8
Is a “beast mode” really plausible after the Note 7 debacle?
Samsung’s smartphones are already beastly enough — they play games, they’re capable of live YouTube broadcasts, and you can use any of the latest models for virtual reality.
That hasn’t stopped the rumor mill from mongering about the apparent “Beast mode” packaged into the Galaxy S8. According to a Dutch Samsung fan site, Samsung has filed a trademark for this particular feature in the European Union, which suggests that it’s something that will come standard with the company’s next flagship. But that doesn’t make much sense, considering the name itself and the implications.
The Galaxy S8 will likely already have top-of-the-line performance when it debuts — it’s a marquee device, after all — and the tip line already points to a 10nm architecture for the new flagship Exynos chip, which will supposedly increase the chip’s efficiency without compromising performance. Why would it need a “Beast mode”?
There are also rumors the Galaxy S8 will be packed with a whopping 8GB of memory, which sounds like a bit of an overkill at this point in time. Sure, the latest OnePlus devices are equipped with 6GB, but as some users had pointed out, they were hardly ever at capacity before the software update this past summer.
Next year is proving to be an interesting one. Not only will Samsung have to turn the narrative around on its smartphone business — well, maybe not too much — but the company may also opt out of announcing its Next Big Thing at the annual smartphone show in Barcelona. Regardless of when Samsung decides to debut, it’s doubtful that something like a “Beast mode” would become a major marketing ploy for a company that recalled its last phone for randomly bursting into flames. Samsung would be better off introducing a “cuddly rabbit mode.”
Samsung Galaxy S7 and S7 edge
- Galaxy S7 review
- Galaxy S7 edge review
- U.S. unlocked Galaxy S7
- Should you upgrade to the Galaxy S7?
- Best SD cards for Galaxy S7
- Join our Galaxy S7 forums
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Google’s two ‘Nexus’ smartwatches will debut early next year
Get ready for a bunch of Android Wear smartwatches in 2017.
We’ve heard rumors for months, but today Google has confirmed to The Verge that it will debut two Android Wear smartwatches in early 2017. The launch will be part of bigger effort to convince consumers that smartwatches are a device category worth paying attention to.
The wearable watches will not use the Pixel branding, but they will follow a similar program as the Nexus smartphones — at least in terms of collaboration. Manufacturers of the “Nexus” watches will have a hand on hardware design and software integration.
Jeff Chang, the product manager of Android Wear at Google who was quoted in the article, also disclosed that after the launch, other manufacturers will follow suit with more new Android Wear 2.0-based devices. We might even see some as early as next month’s CES.
Google reiterated that it’s committed to supporting and promoting the various smartwatch launches in an effort to build up the platform to consumers, which is interesting considering the demand for smartwatches really isn’t that high. In fact, LG and Motorola haven’t even bothered refreshing their Android Wear smartwatch lineup this year. Perhaps because they know what’s on the horizon from Google.
These are the smartwatches that will get updated to Android Wear 2.0
Will my smartwatch get Android Wear 2.0?
Now that we know Google will debut two new Android Wear-based smartwatches in early 2017, we also know which existing products will be updated to the new version.
Android Wear smartwatches that will be updated to AW 2.0
- Huawei Watch
- Huawei Watch for ladies
- Moto 360 (2015)
- Moto 360 Sport
- LG Watch Urbane 2nd Edition LTE
- LG Watch Urbane
- LG G Watch R
- Polar M600
- Casio Smart Outdoor Watch
- Nixon Mission
- Tag Heuer Connected
- Asus ZenWatch 2
- Asus ZenWatch 3
- Fossil Q Wander
- Fossil Q Marshal
- Fossil Q Founder
- Michael Kors Access Bradshaw Smartwatch
- Michael Kors Access Dylan Smartwatch
That leaves out much of the original generation of 2014 Android Wear devices, namely the Moto 360, LG G Watch, Samsung Gear Live and Asus ZenWatch. It’s been a good ride, but we can look forward to bigger and better things with Android Wear 2.0.
More: Google’s two “Nexus” smartwatches will debut early next year
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