These renders give us the best look of the Samsung Galaxy S8 yet

Fresh renders to suggest what what the Samsung Galaxy S8 could look like have appeared online, in the form of cases, and a look at the phone based on those case designs.

• Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8 edge: What’s the story so far?

Pocket Now has obtained the case renders, one unnamed protective cover and a Ghostek Atomic 3 waterproof case. Unfortunately, while they both claim to be for the same phone, they have several differences. The unnamed protective cover shows cut-outs for a square camera module on the back, and a smaller module above it, which going by alleged images of the phone itself, is for a flash/heart rate sensor.

The case also shows three physical buttons on the left side, two for volume and one which could be a dedicated button for Samsung’s own personal assistant Bixby – originally Viv. There’s a separate cut-out for a button on the top of the case which will likely be for power.

The most interesting thing to take away from the unnamed case though is the cut-out for a 3.5mm headphone jack alongside one for a USB Type-C port. There have been several rumours already to suggest Samsung would ditch the headphone jack in favour of USB-C audio, so we’re taking this one with a pinch of salt.

• Samsung Galaxy S8 “confirmed” to ditch headphone jack and retain 2K display

The Ghostek case, which shows a mock-up of a Galaxy S8 inside however, doesn’t have the second cut-out for the flash/heart rate sensor. It does show the same three physical buttons on the side as the unnamed case, so at least there’s something they can agree on. The other thing the cases appear to agree on is the lack of physical front-mounted home button. It suggests Samsung will embed a fingerprint scanner in the screen, with all controls being on screen too.

There are only two shots of the Ghostek case, and neither of them show the bottom edge, so we’re not sure whether it also has the cut-out for a 3.5mm headphone jack. Considering the wealth of rumours to suggest there won’t be one, and that many other manufacturers are going the way of USB Type-C for audio, we expect Samsung to follow suit.

Sammobile

A reader of Sammobile has put together a render of what the Samsung Galaxy S8 would look like based on the case renders and it matches up with a leaked photo purporting to be the S8 that appeared on Weibo at the beginning of January. There’s no home button and a screen that takes up the majority of the front of the device with curved edges like the Galaxy S7 Edge.

• Huge picture leak seemingly confirms Samsung Galaxy S8 design

Of course, these are all just renders for now, so everything should be taken with a pinch of salt, but with some features appearing more often, we’re starting to get a good idea of what to expect come launch day.

How to pre-order the new Nintendo Switch console

Nintendo has now officially revealed the Switch price and release date, completing the picture on its next games machine.

The Switch wants to be a little different to existing consoles like the Xbox One or PS4 by letting you go mobile with it, lifting out the 6.2-inch display when you leave the house, or connecting to the TV when you’re at home. 

In the box you’ll get:

• Console
• Joy-Con left and right controllers
• Joy-Con grip (joins Joy-Con to use as one controller)
• Joy-Con wrist straps
• Nintendo Switch dock (to connect to TV)
• HDMI cable and AC adapter

The Switch will be in stores on 3 March and cost £279.99, and pre-orders are already open for this new console, from a variety of retailers. Currently there aren’t any Nintendo Switch deals, but there’s always the chance that will change as we approach the launch date in March. Stock will be limited, so pre-orders are limited to one console per person in most cases.

• Pre-order the Nintendo Switch (Grey) on Amazon for £279.99
• Pre-order the Nintendo Switch (Grey) on Game for £279.99
• Pre-order the Nintendo Switch (Neon Red/Neon Blue on Game for £279.99

Currently a number of stores like Argos and the Nintendo Store only have options to register interest. We’ll update if this changes.

Nintendo Switch preview: Return of the king

We are finally privy to all the details, price and release date of the Nintendo Switch. We have also finally got our hands on it and it’s good, it’s very good.

Driven by a modified version of the Nvidia Tegra X1 processor, we thought we’d be faced with a tablet masquerading as a games console, but this is the power of Nintendo at its best. Yes, the tablet unit drops to 720p when undocked. And yes, it has the basic feel and style of a tablet, but it’s so much more than that.

The Joy-Cons make an enormous difference.

We got to play several games on the new console at the dedicated Nintendo Switch Presentation event in London and used all the different control methods at our disposal.

Pocket-lint

Starting with The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, we played with the Switch docked and using the new Pro Controller. It is smaller than an Xbox One equivalent, but feels well built and perfectly suited for comfort.

Bar the weird button layout of the game itself, which’ll take some getting used to thanks to being fairly alien to Xbox and PlayStation fans, the controller is responsive and logical. We suspect many games will be played this way.

As for the game, we played the identical demo to the one shown at E3 last June, albeit on the Switch rather than the Wii U. It would have been nice to have seen both versions side-by-side but we swear that draw distances are better and the game seemed a little smoother this time around. We’re not sure if it was running at 1080p 60fps but it felt like it.

Pocket-lint

Playing Arms was an entirely different experience as we did so with the Joy-Cons only. It’s a fighting game where you box with a Joy-Con in each hand and is the closest thing to a Wii game we’ve played for a while.

To be honest, our demo was too brief to get a genuine feel for the game – save for a confusing battle with someone who’d played it far more often than us – but it did show us that the small, clip controllers are incredibly versatile and well built.

It’s a shame that the UK will be stuck with the grey ones initially, rather than the blue and orange variants we played with in our demos, partly because they help distinguish players in head-to-head local multiplayer. We’re sure that’ll happen in time though.

Pocket-lint

Our last gameplay session for now was on Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, a special version of the superb Wii U title optimised and remastered for Switch.

Not only did this give us a great idea of how one of our favourite games of all time is shaping up for the new console – superbly, as you can imagine – but we also got to play it on the undocked Switch screen with the Joy-Cons attached.

We were told it was running in 720p at 60fps on the device – the max for the undocked unit – and it’s super smooth. Indeed, we’ve never seen a native tablet game running as well. It gives us hope that Nintendo really has created something new and different.

First Impressions

Whether the Nintendo Switch will compete with Xbox One S, PS4 Pro or the Project Scorpio when it arrives at the end of the year is debatable. However, it might not need to.

Unlike the Wii U, the Switch is a big departure for the games industry. It’s not a traditional games console, nor is it a portable tablet. It is something in-between and we feel could find an all-new market. It truly offers high-end quality gaming wherever you go and will therefore appeal to a wide user base.

At least, that’s our initial thoughts.

We came to the presentation event expecting good things but also, secretly, expecting to leave disappointed. We haven’t. In fact it’s quite the opposite.

We need more time with the Switch to get a firm grip on its potential but from this brief showing there is every sign the king has returned. Nintendo is back in the game.

The Morning After: Friday, January 13th, 2017

Hey, good morning! You look fabulous.

Nintendo’s new home-and-away console has been unveiled in Japan. While we haven’t got to touch those unusual controllers just yet (that’ll be later today), we’ve got prices, launch titles, and a bunch of features that sound like a Nintendo fan’s wish list fulfilled. We also have HTC’s newest phone, the possibility of smartphones with folding screens, and a digital camera that leaves photo curation to AI.

$300, March 3rdNintendo reveals everything you want to know about the Switch

When our supercut of the press launch weighs in at 12 minutes, you know Nintendo had a lot to tell us about its new console. Where to start? We’ve already told you the price and the date, but how about no more region-locking (a Nintendo ‘tradition’), a proper touchscreen and more. While you will have to pay for online play, Nintendo is offering up some of its hits from yesteryear with online functionality — many of which didn’t have such a thing when they launched. The two controllers will also have even higher motion sensitivity, proximity sensors and each doubles up as simplified controllers when you’re playing with someone else.

What’s up with Mario’s hat?All the games announced for the Switch

A console is nothing without games, and Nintendo had plenty to show last night. Our gallery rounded up every trailer, but highlights included Super Mario Odyssey which is due during the holiday season, the freaky Arms boxing game coming in spring, Splatoon 2, which will arrive in the summer and of course, a launch title in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.

Bring a calculator and a voltmeterTesla explains how much Supercharging will cost new buyers

As of January 15th, Tesla’s lifetime offer of free Supercharging at its conveniently-located power stations comes off the table. Now, the company has revealed how much it will cost for future buyers of the Model S, X and 3 to top up their batteries. The plan will allow for 400kWh of charging per year for free, which Musk & Co. figure should cover 1,000 miles or most of the road trip-style access needed when drivers are away from home. After that, it’s billed per kWh or per-minute (which can vary if more cars are connected, slowing down the charger), depending on the area, with prices fixed within each state. All in all, an NY to LA trip could cost about $120.

Two screens, no headphone jackHTC’s new high-end phone is the U Ultra

This year’s premium HTC phone is stealing a trick from LG’s V20, as the U Ultra features a secondary display to highlight important information. What’s different here, however, is the use of AI to try and learn which notifications are important enough to pop up there. It also follows the iPhone 7 by losing its headphone jack, while keeping an expandable microSD storage slot.

Relonch tries selling a camera as a serviceAn AI camera failed to capture the magic of CES

Instead of selling you the best camera ever, the pitch for Relonch’s 291 is a free connected camera (in exchange for your mirrorless or DSLR camera) that uploads your pics for editing and processing in the cloud. It returns the pictures to you every morning, and you pay $1 each for the ones you’d like to keep. Aaron Soupporis’ CES experience suggested it’s more interesting than useful so far, but the service is still just in beta testing.

Echo everywhereAmazon’s Alexa ecosystem is exploding, for better and worse

In a little over two years, Amazon’s Alexa has gone from being a baffling product (a connected speaker, really?!) to an essential feature for any connected device. With more than 7,000 ‘skills’ — what Amazon calls third-party integrations — it’s the most robust voice platform around. Which probably also explains why we saw it everywhere at CES this year. That said, one thing we know for sure about voice computing in 2017: The competition will only heat up.

FoldphonesSamsung and LG could launch foldable phones later this year

While Samsung has teased them for a while, flexible-screen phones could actually arrive later this year — and LG is in on it too. Samsung reportedly began working on a phone that folds out and turns into a 7-inch tablet in August, and it’s expected to roll out over 100,000 units in the third quarter. Sources say LG is working on an identically-numbered rollout because of course it is.

But wait, there’s more…

• Google applies machine learning on your phone to massively improve image compression
• Exxon must turn over decades of climate change research
• FCC: Verizon and AT&T ‘zero-rating’ perks harm consumers

The Morning After is a new daily newsletter from Engadget designed to help you fight off FOMO. Who knows what you’ll miss if you don’t subscribe.

Massive meta-study confirms the health benefits of cannabis

After digging through more than 10,000 separate clinical studies, the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine on Thursday issued a groundbreaking, 400-page report on the potential benefits and detriments posed by cannabis use. The biggest revelation: cannabis has verifiable medicinal uses, which are backed by large amounts of high-quality science. This could spell the end for weed’s categorization as a Schedule I narcotic.

The report was authored by a panel of health experts led by Harvard pediatrician, Marie McCormick. The study found, among other things, that cannabinoids (the active ingredients in cannabis) are potent pain relievers, especially for chronic pain. It also found that while cannabis smoke does not appear to cause cancer of the mouth, throat or lungs, toking up while pregnant can lead to reduced birth weights.

And though the study found that regular use may increase the risk of developing psychological disorders like schizophrenia, the biggest danger lies in weeds ability to temporarily stunt your cognitive abilities immediately after consumption. There is little evidence that it makes you dumber over the long-term. Similarly, there is scant evidence that cannabis can be linked to strokes and heart attacks or act as a gateway drug for users.

So, basically, everything they taught us in DARE was wrong. Unfortunately, given how steadfast previous administrations have been against rescheduling cannabis, not to mention Attorney General nominee Jeff Sessions’ stance on the issue, don’t expect this report to do much good.

Via: Ars Technica

Source: National Academies Press

Snapchat’s new universal search bar is built for speed

While Snapchat has changed the way many people share photos and video on social media, the app’s user interface is a little unintuitive in places and can be confusing for first-time users. To help Snapchatters navigate easier and find the people they actually want to share with, the company has introduced a new universal search function that sits at the top of every screen inside the app.

TechCrunch reports that the new feature is designed for speed, encouraging you to find what you need and continue sharing photos, videos and contributing to Stories. Hit the search button and the “Quick Chat” menu will display the people you interact with the most, allowing you to instantly start messaging them or see if they’ve recently posted a Story. Tapping and holding your finger on that card will show their profile.

The search bar connects to Discover channels and can index Our Stories based on to their title. The idea is to deliver new content past the suggestions Snapchat offers on a particular day, which is why it now also allows users to submit to the app’s Our Story section from wherever they are (the feature typically only allowed users to contribute from pre-vetted events or locations where Snapchat expects an increase in activity).

It’s good to see Snapchat making it easier to communicate with people you already know but the new search bar doesn’t really improve the friend discovery process. Friend suggestions are still absent from the app, for example. The new features have already begun rolling out to some Android users but will be available to all iOS and Android users “soon.”

Source: TechCrunch

Sonnet Unveils Thunderbolt 3-to-PCIe Card Expansion Systems for 2016 MacBook Pros

Sonnet Technologies yesterday launched its first Thunderbolt 3-to-PCIe card expansion systems for 2016 MacBook Pros, the Echo Express SEL — Thunderbolt 3 Edition and the Echo Express SE I — Thunderbolt 3 Edition.

The SEL and SE I are compact and lightweight single-slot expansion systems that differ only in size and enable users to take advantage of the Thunderbolt 3’s 2,750 MB/s of PCI Express bandwidth to support high performance adapter cards.

The Echo Express SE I — Thunderbolt 3 Edition weighs just 2.6 pounds and measures 5.6 inches wide by 8.6 inches deep by 3.5 inches tall, accommodating one-half length (up to 7.75 inches long), full-height, single-width PCIe 3.0 card with additional mounting space for a daughter card. With its Thunderbolt 3 interface, the SE I delivers ample bandwidth for the majority of Thunderbolt-compatible PCIe cards including pro video capture, digital audio interface, 6Gbps or 12Gbps SAS or SATA host bus adapters, 16Gb or 8Gb Fibre Channel, 10 Gigabit Ethernet, and RAID controller PCIe cards.

The Echo Express SEL — Thunderbolt 3 Edition is the smallest and quietest Thunderbolt 3 chassis yet, measuring 4 inches wide by 8.25 inches long by 2.8 inches tall and weighing just 1.75 pounds. The SEL houses one low-profile, single-width PCIe 3.0 card, including the majority of the most popular Thunderbolt-compatible 16Gb and 8Gb Fibre Channel, 40 and 10 Gigabit Ethernet, 6Gbps or 12Gbps SAS and SATA host bus adapters, RAID controller cards, and even low-profile pro video capture cards like the BlueFish 444 Epoch 4K Neutron.

The Echo Express SE I and Echo Express SEL Thunderbolt 3 Editions feature dual 40Gbps Thunderbolt 3 ports that support the daisy chaining of up to five additional Thunderbolt peripheral devices. Both models support backward compatibility for 20Gbps Thunderbolt 2- and 10Gbps Thunderbolt-equipped devices when connected via the Apple® Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) to Thunderbolt 2 Adapter.

As an added benefit, the second Thunderbolt 3 port also supports a variety of displays and a multitude of USB 3.1, USB 3.0, and USB 2.0 devices when connected with the proper cable, and also fully supports the DisplayPort 1.2 protocol, which enables streaming to one 4K display at 120Hz, or two 4K displays at 60Hz, or one 5K display at 60Hz.

The list of compatible PCIe cards is available on Sonnet’s website. Sonnet is also offering Thunderbolt 3 upgrade cards for existing Thunderbolt 2 Echo Express SEL and SE I expansion systems, enabling those models with all the capabilities of the new Thunderbolt 3 Editions. 

Tags: Thunderbolt 3, Sonnet
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Rome: Total War – Barbarian Invasion Coming to iPad This March for $4.99

Feral Interactive has announced it is bringing ROME: Total War – Barbarian Invasion to iPad this March. The title is a standalone expansion pack to the critically acclaimed ROME: Total War, which was faithfully ported to iOS late last year.

As with the previous Creative Assembly conversion, the iPad release of Barbarian Invasion promises a full port of the original desktop game, supplemented by intuitive touch controls, enhanced Retina graphics, and mid-battle autosaves.

Barbarian Invasion is a game of epic scale, offering players a seamless integration of strategy and tactics to fight spectacular battles, while using diplomacy, subterfuge and assassination to dominate the ancient world. Featuring a campaign set in the declining years of the Roman Empire, players can either hasten its fall as a Barbarian commander or take up arms as a Roman General to extend its civilization in a glorious new epoch.

“We have been delighted by the reception of ROME: Total War on iPad and we are confident that Barbarian Invasion, bringing as it does a plethora of new tactical options, will be just as well-received,” said David Stephen, Managing Director of Feral Interactive.

ROME: Total War – Barbarian Invasion for iPad will be available exclusively via the App Store for $4.99. The game can be played without ROME: Total War, which is available on the App Store now for $9.99.

Tag: Feral
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Xiaomi boss says company has grown ‘too fast’

Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi won’t be saying how many smartphones it sold in the last year. The company typically spins out its blockbuster phone sales, which easily demonstrated its growth over the years. It sold 7.2 million phones back in 2012, but by 2014 it sold 61 million units. That incredible growth has stalled. Even last year, Xiaomi announced sales of “over 70 million” devices in 2015, which was short of the company’s public target of 80 million — one that had already been shaved from 100 million.

CEO Lei Jun said in a letter to employees that the company had moved too quickly. Discovered by TechCrunch, Jun explained: “In the first few years, we pushed ahead too fast. We created a miracle, but also drew on some long-term growth… We have to slow down, further improve in some areas, and ensure sustainable growth for a long-term future.”

It’s not the only Chinese company that’s trying to temper once explosive growth and shift efforts towards sustaining their business. When LeEco expanded its scale and range of products so swiftly that it found itself running out of cash. Its founder pointed to “low individual performance and organizational redundancies.” The company is now trying to bring through cost-cutting measures and refocus itself around a few core businesses, which include car production.

Companies often get more secretive when they have less than stellar sales figures, or if they have different spins on their success that they want to offer to investors, the media and the public. It’s a strategy certainly not limited to Chinese companies: Amazon notoriously claims its Kindle devices are perennial best-sellers, but never spells it out in numbers. Apple still trumpets its iPhone sales, but offers nothing official and numerical when it comes to its Watch, and we know how many PlayStation 4s were sold over the holiday season, but have no idea how well its VR headset has done so far.

Xiaomi’s boss believes the “difficult times are behind [us]”, and in an interesting twist, adds that the company is looking to developing its physical retail presence, despite its rise as an online-only phone smartphone seller. The company is looking for better ways to sell millions of phones.

Via: TechCrunch

Source: Facebook

Echobee3 Smart Thermostat Update Adds HomeKit Support for Remote Sensors

Smart wireless thermostat maker Ecobee is rolling out a firmware update to Echobee3 devices that brings individual HomeKit support to the device’s remote sensors for the first time.

The Echobee3 enables owners to use additional remote sensors to keep track of ambient temperature as well as detect motion in different locations within the home. With firmware version 3.7.0.969, currently rolling out to the devices, owners can now access individual sensors directly from within the iOS HomeKit app.

The official change log for the firmware is as follows:

• Automatically Restore HomeKit Connection. Occasionally some ecobees could lose its connection to Homekit and have to be rebooted in order to re-establish the connection. This firmware update enables the ecobee to automatically reconnect without any user action.

• Wireless sensors with homekit enhancement. The wireless sensors now show up as accessories in the iOS Home app. Because of the dual functionality (occupancy detection and temperature sensing) of the sensors, each sensor will show up as two accessories.

• The usual background cleanup and stability. As always, to smooth things out for a better experience.

The Ecobee3 firmware is an automatic update currently being rolled out. Owners unsure of the version of their devices who aren’t seeing their sensors in HomeKit should contact Ecobee support.

Tags: HomeKit, Ecobee
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