TrackR’s home-mapping plugs help you pinpoint lost items

Even in the tiniest of apartments, your most precious possessions somehow vanish when you need them most. In a bid to make messy people slightly less late, TrackR has announced a new range of item locator tags. The TrackR pixel tag is its new keyring-like device, allowing you to track any item within your home or beyond. The company has switched from aluminum to plastic, meaning that the pixel is cheaper than its predecessor. In addition, the device gains an LED light that’ll help you find it in the dark.

Instead of just providing a vague location for your missing items, TrackR promises that it’s latest product will lead you straight to them. That’s because the new tags work with atlas, a series of WiFi plugs that uses the company’s cloud-based platform to map out your home. With it, users can create floorplans of their building on the TrackR app, alerting them whenever a tagged item enters or leaves a given room.

Thanks to Amazon Alexa compatibility, TrackR users can ask to locate items, even using TrackR’s pixel log to retrace their steps. In a nice touch, the atlas is also compatible with non TrackR made location products, meaning that if you’ve invested in other Bluetooth tracking devices you only need to purchase the atlas plugs. Both the TrackR atlas and pixel are available for pre-order now, shipping on March 15 and costing $39.99 and $24.99 respectively.

Source: TrackR

Dell’s convertible XPS 13 laptop starts at $1,000

We haven’t been shy about our love for Dell’s XPS 13 ultraportable — since it debuted, it’s been one of the best Windows laptops on the market. But if you also wanted an ultraportable that converts into tablet orientations, like Lenovo’s Yoga series, you’ve had to look beyond the XPS lineup. That all changes today with the launch of the XPS 13 2-in-1, which was leaked yesterday by Dell’s very own product site. But now we’ve got official details about the laptop.

As you’d imagine, the convertible is basically a combination of the existing XPS 13 design with a foldable hinge, which allows you either to keep it in a tent orientation, or fold the screen all the way back. And before you ask — yes, it packs in the XPS 13’s “InfinityEdge” design, which leaves a mere 5.2mm bezel around the 13.3-inch screen. It comes in 1080p and QuadHD+ (3200 by 1800 pixels) variants, includes 7th generation Intel Core i5 or i7 processors and fits up to 16GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD.

Dell also managed to make the XPS 13 2-in-1 completely fanless, so it should remain quiet even under heavy workloads (though it’d be interesting to see if performance falls as things heat up). At 2.7 pounds and 13.3mm tall, it’s slightly slimmer than HP’s new Spectre x360, which clocks in at 2.85 pounds and 13.8 mm thin.

The convertible also features 2 USB 3.0 ports, one of which is Thunderbolt 3.0 compatible. You’ll be able to charge the laptop, or power up to two 4K display at once, from the Thunderbolt port. And, in a nice gesture, you’ll also get a USB-A to USB-C adapter for connecting your older peripherals. Another port or two would have been nice, but don’t be surprised if plenty of ultraportables this year end up settling on just two USB-C ports. (2017 will truly be the year of the dongle.)

In my short time with it, the XPS 2-in-1 felt just as sturdy as the standard model, with a tough aluminum case and carbon fiber wristpad. The backlit keyboard feels a bit shallower — which makes sense since it also needs to double as a tablet — but still seems comfortable to use. And while its hinges aren’t as fetching as what we’ve seen from Lenovo’s hybrids, they feel like they’ll hold up to plenty of folding and unfolding.

You can snag the XPS 13 2-in-1 for $1,000 starting on January 5th. It’s a bit more expensive than the standard $800 XPS 13, but it’ll be worth it if you really want to veg and watch Netflix in bed.

iPhone 7 Photos Highlight New Year’s Eve Festivities Around the World

Apple partnered with 15 photographers in a number of countries around the world to capture New Year’s Eve festivities with photos taken on iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus devices, according to CNN.

The photos range from Samah El Ali’s shot of the iconic Sydney Harbour Bridge fireworks from The Royal Botanic Gardens in Australia to John Lehmann’s shot of festivities in Vancouver on Canada’s west coast.

Katja Sherlock captured one of the first photos of the 2017 sign in Times Square after the ball drop in New York, while other photographers captured fireworks and sights in Japan, Singapore, Hong Kong, China, Taiwan, India, Austria, Italy, Iceland, Mexico, and the United Arab Emirates.

Photo Gallery at CNN: What New Year’s Eve celebrations look like around the world

Tag: Shot on iPhone
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ASUS’ upcoming ZenFone will be powered by the Snapdragon 835, launching at CES

ASUS’ upcoming phone will feature the Snapdragon 835 and dual cameras.

Ahead of CES, ASUS is teasing an upcoming phone in the ZenFone series that will be powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 835 SoC. In a tweet, the company revealed that it will unveil a phone powered by the 10nm SoC later this week.

Level up! World’s best processor now fully unleashed the potential! Save the date: 01.04.17 #ASUS #ZenFone #Zennovation #CES2017! pic.twitter.com/c6WuavRiHT

— ASUS (@ASUS) January 2, 2017

We’ll know more about the processor itself at Qualcomm’s keynote, which is scheduled for January 3. ASUS’ event is slated for January 4, which is when we’ll see this year’s ZenFone series break cover. Not much else is known about the device, but ASUS is also talking up dual cameras and virtual reality. With the event just a few days away, we’ll know more later this week. Who’s excited?

With Nougat update, OnePlus 3T finally feels like a complete thought

OnePlus’s new flagship shines with Android 7.0 — a phone that’s almost as good as the Pixel for a whole lot less cash.

I have a confession to make: I’ve had a OnePlus 3T for the past month or so, but for most of that time it’s been collecting dust on my desk. The main reason for that has been software; I’ve been spoiled by phones like the Google Pixel and Huawei Mate 9, which have shipped with the new Android 7.0 Nougat, while the 3T arrived running the increasingly dated Marshmallow.

The new version of Android is, in essence, a collection of smaller upgrades which combine to form an experience greater than the sum of its parts. In a phone that I’m going to use as a daily driver, a lot of this has to do with information density — I much, much prefer Nougat’s more compact, bundled notifications, and the ability to scale the entire UI to a size of my choosing, letting me see more on screen. Then there are added features like split-screen multi-window, which I don’t use every day, but are immensely useful on phones with larger displays.

And the lack of all this stuff was what made using the 3T really difficult for me — until now.

OnePlus left it until the very last possible moment before starting to roll out Nougat for the OnePlus 3T and its predecessor, the 3. The update promised “by the end of the year” landed in the afternoon (UTC) of December 31, just hours after the company (bizarrely) released the first 3T Nougat beta build on its forums. But whatever — just over a month on from release, the 3T has the software experience it felt like it was supposed to ship with.

If you passed on the 3T at launch because it shipped with Marshmallow, now’s the time to take another look.

The update to Nougat is important to OnePlus’s core customer base of phone nerds. (If you’re reading an article like this on Android Central, chances are that’s you.) It also highlights the 3T’s place a top-tier competitor to the Google Pixel — a product which has left some fans of the more affordable Nexus series feeling excluded. As much as OnePlus sometimes says pricing is secondary, all of its phones have, in some way, been defined by their cost. The 3 and 3T both delivered superb value to begin with. Now, the arrival of Nougat augments a package which, at its peak 128GB configuration, is still $290 cheaper than a 32GB Pixel XL.

And although it’s based upon Android 7.0 at present, not the newer 7.1.1 release, OnePlus’s OxygenOS 4.0 has all the important headline features in place, bringing with it performance and battery life to match the Pixel XL. Sure, the Pixel will always get new updates first, but in the meantime, the two are on similar footing. (The extra padding on the Pixel’s price tag gets you unlimited photo storage, Google Assistant, live support and other Googly bits that you may or may not feel are worth it.)

Meanwhile, changes to OxygenOS itself — many of them small and cosmetic in nature — bring some needed polish to the experience.

We’ve already named the Pixel the best Android phone overall, and software updates for other devices won’t change that — mainly the because of the excellent Pixel camera, and the fact that it’ll always be first with new stuff from Mountain View. But let’s face it, $769 is a lot of dough. If you’re not inclined to splash that much cash on a new phone (or, hell, even if you are), the OnePlus 3T is a compelling rival — and more tempting than ever thanks to its latest update.

OnePlus 3 and OnePlus 3T

• OnePlus 3 review: Finally, all grown up
• The OnePlus 3T is official
• OnePlus 3 specs
• OnePlus 3T vs. OnePlus 3: What’s the difference?
• Latest OnePlus 3 news
• Discuss OnePlus 3 in the forums

OnePlus

Android Nougat

• Android 7.0 Nougat: Everything you need to know
• Will my phone get Android Nougat?
• Google Pixel + Pixel XL review
• All Android Nougat news
• How to manually update your Nexus or Pixel
• Join the Discussion

The Dell 27 Ultrathin monitor really lives up to its name

Dell is hoping to turn some heads at CES with the 27 Ultrathin, which sports one of the thinnest display profiles I’ve ever seen. Instead of having most of its hardware sitting behind the screen, Dell moved it down to the base, which makes the monitor seem almost like an all-in-one machine at first.

The 27-inch Quad HD (2,560 by 1,440 pixels) screen also supports HDR, though Dell was quick to note that it’s not the same as HDR standards you’ll find in 4K TVs. Still, the company says it’ll support higher contrast and color range than most consumer monitors, with support for up to 99 percent of the SRGB gamut. The screen also pivots on its stand, which lets you adjust its angle.

Based on a brief demonstration, the 27 Ultrathin certainly looks impressive. Bright colors simply pop on the screen, and there’s a wonderful depth to complex imagery. The slim display is impressive from just about every angle (Dell says it supports a 178-degree viewing angle), and its thin bezel also takes a cue from the XPS laptop lineup. While the base is a bit chunky, I didn’t notice it much since I was too busy gawking at the screen. The monitor also includes a USB-C connection with power support, an HDMI 2.0 port and an audio line out.

You can grab the Dell 27 Ultrathin on March 23rd for $700.

Samsung unveils Galaxy A 2017 series, adds water resistance and 16MP cameras

New models bring a slew of new features to Samsung’s mid-range series.

Samsung has unveiled the 2017 refresh of the Galaxy A series. The Galaxy A3 2017, A5 2017, and A7 2017 will be up for sale in Russia and select Asian markets starting later this month, followed by availability in Europe in February. There are a lot of interesting additions in this year’s refresh, but three features stand out: IP68 water resistance, USB-C connectivity, and 16MP front and rear cameras.

With IP68 certification — the same rating as the Galaxy S7 — the Galaxy A series are immune to the ingress of dust, and can survive in up to 5 feet of water for up to 30 minutes. There’s also USB-C with Fast Charging, microSD card slot, NFC with support for Samsung Pay and an always-on display mode for viewing the time and calendar without switching on the screen. All three models are launching with Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow and not Nougat.

The phones also sport 16MP front and rear cameras with faster autofocus and better performance in low-light conditions. You can enable a floating camera shutter button that lets you take selfies with ease, and the display itself lights up (serving as a front-facing flash module) when you’re taking selfies.

As for the design, the Galaxy A 2017 series phones retain a metal and glass design, although the glass at the back is curvier when seen against previous models. The other major alteration is the speaker griller, which has been moved to the right hand side.

The Galaxy A3 2017 features a 4.7-inch 720p display, octa-core SoC clocked at 1.6GHz, 2GB of RAM, 16GB storage, and a 2350mAh battery. Being the entry-level model, it doesn’t get the 16MP cameras, instead, you’ll have to make do with a 13MP shooter at the back and an 8MP camera up front.

The Galaxy A5 2017 fares better with a 5.2-inch Full HD display, 3GB of RAM, 32GB storage, octa-core SoC clocked at 1.9GHz, and a 3000mAh battery. The Galaxy A7 2017 has the same specs as the A5, with the main differences being a larger 5.7-inch Full HD display and a 3600mAh battery.

The Galaxy A 2017 series phones will be available in four color options: Black Sky, Gold Sand, Blue Mist and Peach Cloud. What do you guys make of Samsung’s new mid-range phones?

Vivo’s upcoming phone in India will offer dual front cameras

Get ready to raise your selfie game.

Vivo launched the V5 in India late last year, and the company is now getting ready to introduce the V5 Plus in the country on January 23. The invite sent out to the media contains the tagline, “Block your date for the biggest selfie camera revolution,” and an accompanying image suggests we’ll see a dual camera setup at the front.

The phone itself promises to be interesting going by what we’ve seen with the V5. The V5 features a 5.5-inch Full HD display, 1.5GHz octa-core MediaTek MT6750, 4GB of RAM, 32GB storage, microSD slot, 13MP camera, dual-SIM with LTE and VoLTE, and a 3000mAh battery. The phone runs Android 6.0 Marshmallow on Vivo’s Funtouch OS, and it is likely the V5 Plus will share similar hardware specs.

We’ll have more to share regarding the V5 Plus later this month. How do you feel about dual cameras at the front?

New Samsung Galaxy A series to fill gap until Galaxy S8, spec and release date revealed

Samsung has unveiled a couple of updated models in its Galaxy A series of mid-range handsets. And considering the company is rumoured to be pushing back the release of the next Galaxy S8 flagship phone, these very capably fill a gap in the company’s schedule.

Both the Samsung Galaxy A3 and Galaxy A5 devices will be coming to the UK from early February, with pre-orders available from 20 January through Samsung’s own online store and selected carrier and retail outlets. Prices are yet to be revealed.

Those who pre-order either handset will also get a pair of Samsung Level Active Wireless Headphones.

• Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8 edge: What’s the story so far?
• Best smartphones to look forward to in 2017

Much of the feature set and some of the spec from the Galaxy S7 has made it down the line to the new Galaxy A devices, including IP68 water and dust resistance. They also get longer battery life than the 2016 equivalents, with Fast Charging and a USB Type-C port.

An always-on display enables users to check key notifications without fully waking either phone, while they offer improved storage capacity and increased microSD card compatibility to 256GB.

They will sport a metal frame, “3D glass back” and come in black, gold, light blue and peach colour schemes.

Here are the key specifications for each of the phones:

Samsung

Samsung Galaxy A5 full specifications

• 5.2-inch Full HD Super AMOLED screen
• 1.9GHz octa-core processor
• 3GB RAM
• LTE Cat 6 network connectivity
• 16-megapixel cameras front and rear
• 32GB storage with microSD card slot (up to an additional 256GB)
• Fingerprint scanner
• USB Type-C connection
• IP68 water and dustproofing
• Android 6.0.16 (Marshmallow)
• Dimensions: 146.1 x 71.4 x 7.9mm
• 3,000mAh battery with Fast Charging

Samsung

Samsung Galaxy A3 Full specifications

• 4.7-inch HD Super AMOLED screen
• 1.6GHz octa-core processor
• 2GB RAM
• LTE Cat 6 network connectivity
• 13-megapixel rear camera and 8-megapixel on the front
• 16GB storage with microSD card slot (up to an additional 256GB)
• Fingerprint scanner
• USB Type-C connection
• IP68 water and dustproofing
• Android 6.0.16 (Marshmallow)
• Dimensions: 135.4 x 86.2 x 7.9mm
• 2,350mAh battery with Fast Charging

Both of the handsets will debut at CES 2017 in Las Vegas. Pocket-lint will be there to go hands-on with them to give you our first impressions. A third variant, the Galaxy A7 also to make an appearance at the show, is not currently planned for UK or Europe.

HTC Ocean Note could be called the U Ultra

We’re just over one week away from HTC’s ‘For U’ product launch event, where we’re expecting to see three new smartphones unveiled. The family of phones is currently codenamed Ocean and is said to comprise the Ocean Master, Ocean Smart and Ocean Note.

• HTC Ocean: What’s the story on the HTC 11?

The Ocean Note has been receiving the most publicity in recent days, with many predicting it will be a phablet style device to fill the gap the Galaxy Note 7 once filled. Now, a proper model name for the phone has been rumoured, the HTC U Ultra. It certainly fits in with the ‘For U’ event name, and could mean the entire family of phones will be called U.

Got it from an unverified source but I put that here anyway… ????#HTC Ocean Note = HTC U Ultra = 6″ display = no 3.5mm Jack…

— OnLeaks (@OnLeaks) 31 December 2016

The rumour has been spread by Twitter user @OnLeaks, who cites an unverified source for the information. OnLeaks also says the U Ultra will have a 6-inch display and no 3.5mm headphone jack. It’s not the first time we’ve got wind the U Ultra will ditch the headphone jack, as Taiwanese news outlet ePrice says it will use USB Type-C for audio instead.

The HTC U Ultra should also come with a new Sense Touch UI that has been shown off in a leaked video, which relies on gestures and touch to navigate and could make a strong case for edge-to-edge displays.

The HTC ‘For U’ event will be held on 12 January, we’ll bring you all the latest news as and when we hear it.