How to get Alexa in your home without buying an Amazon Echo

You don’t need an Amazon Echo to enjoy Alexa.

One of the coolest parts of Amazon’s Alexa service, especially when comparing the tech to other platforms, is the commitment to many different hardware partners. Any company can make something that works with Alexa, giving that new accessory complete control over all of the things an Amazon Echo has access to. That may mean a more capable speaker, or something a great deal more portable. There’s a lot of flexibility here, and that means there are many different options to choose from.

Here’s how you get Alexa in your home without an Amazon Echo.

No hardware at all

You don’t actually need a new piece of hardware to use the Alexa service, if you want to see how useful it would be to you. There’s a website designed to offer developers a way to test Alexa skills before releasing them to the world, and it’s a pretty great way to get used to Alexa before buying.

EchoSim can do just about anything Alexa in your home can do, right from your browser. All you need to do is keep the browser tab open, click the microphone or hold down the space bar to speak, and enjoy exploring Alexa.

Try out EchoSim yourself!

A cheaper speaker

Maybe your gripe with Amazon Echo is cost, and the Echo Dot doesn’t handle music very well. Naturally, there’s something in between. A speaker not quite as expensive as the full-sized Echo, but significantly more capable of filling a room with music than an Echo Dot.

The Fabriq speaker is part Wi-Fi speaker, part Bluetooth speaker, and all battery powered cleverness. When connected to Wi-Fi, you have access to the Alexa service and all of the skills connected to it. If you decide you’d like to play music from your phone away from Wi-Fi, the Bluetooth mode lets you take the speaker with you anywhere.

It also comes in several different fabric covers, and while that’s not functionally significant it can help your speaker stand out in a room.

See at Amazon

Alexa you can wear

Having a microphone set up in your house to ask a computer to obey your every command is only useful if that microphone is where you are. Amazon would prefer you solve this problem by putting an Echo Dot in every room you think you’re going to use Alexa, but for some it may be easier to just wear Alexa on your shirt.

Orion Labs has a smart walkie talkie solution called Onyx, and it’s built to be worn like almost like a Star Trek communicator. You pin it to your clothing, and on top of being able to communicate instantly with whoever is wearing its mate, you can access Alexa at any time. Perhaps the best part of this design is when you don’t want Alexa to be listening you don’t have to go far to silence it.

See at Amazon

Available soon: Alexa on your phone

It’s not available yet, but Amazon is working with several Android phone manufacturers to include the Alexa service baked in. The idea is to be able to access Alexa just like you would access Google Now or Google Assistant, giving you everything you need to have your preferred home control service with you at all times.

Alexa is currently expected to be available on the Huawei Mate 9 later this year, and it has been rumored LG will be including Alexa on the LG G6 as well. We’ll be keeping an eye on this, and will update it when more information is available!

Amazon Echo

• Amazon Echo review
• Echo Dot review
• Top Echo Tips & Tricks
• Tap, Echo or Dot: The ultimate Alexa question
• Amazon Echo vs. Google Home
• Get the latest Alexa news

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Panasonic 4K HDR choices for 2017: EZ1002, EZ952, EX750, EX700, EX600 compared

Panasonic has confirmed its full line-up of 4K HDR TVs for 2017, making quite a shuffle to the line-up compared to 2016. There’s a shift in technologies and a change to the numbering scheme, but fear not, because we’ve got you covered. 

The 2017 Panasonic TV selection contains a range of models that should suit all types of customer, from those looking for a top OLED TV, down to those looking a potent 40-inch TV set.

Hold on tight as we give you a full run down on the differences between all of Panasonic’s 2017 4K TVs.

Pocket-lint

Panasonic EZ1002 OLED

• Screen sizes: 65in, 77in
• OLED, 3840 x 2160 pixels, HDR
• Price: £TBC – expect expensive

The Panasonic EZ1002 is Panasonic’s flagship TV for 2017, seeing a return to using OLED technology. Presenting glorious 4K HDR, the EZ1002 (or EZ1000 outside the UK) is most distinctive because of the Technics-tuned soundbar that’s attached to the base. This delivers 80W of audio to accompany your super-sharp visuals.

Looking to clean up the performance of OLED, the EZ1002 offers the inherent advantages of this display technology, namely deep, deep, blacks and real punch to colours, but also processes to remove noise and improve the presentation of tones just above complete black. There’s an Absolute Black Filter that works to ensure that colour tones are accurately presented, with Panasonic saying this is the Master OLED, its best performer. 

Equipped with a full range of connectivity, this smart TV delivers the online movie services for more 4K HDR content, supporting HDR 10 and ready to accept HLG signals. There is no support for Dolby Vision, however.

• Panasonic EZ1002 OLED TV preview: Stunning OLED punch paired with audio prowess

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Panasonic EZ952 OLED

• Screen sizes: 55in, 65in
• OLED, 3840 x 2160 pixels, HDR
• Price: £TBC

The Panasonic EZ952 (EZ950 outside the UK), is Panasonic’s alternative flagship OLED TV, taking a small step down from the EZ1002. It uses the same panel technology but is available in a smaller 55-inch size. On the technical front, the only major change is that it doesn’t contain the Absolute Black Filter of the EZ1002, so might not be quite so skilled with visuals, but only minorly so.

The other major change is in terms of design. This model doesn’t include the 80W Technics-tuned soundbar sitting under the display, instead offering a more conventional central stand. If you’re going to be hooking up to an existing sound system, the EZ952 may make more sense than the EZ1002 flagship. Again, there’s no Dolby Vision support.

The connectivity remains the same as the EZ1002 and the design – apart from that soundbar – is close too, with a thin body taking advantage of the slimness that OLED allows. This is likely to be Panasonic’s preferred model offering greater flexibility for those integrating it into an existing system.

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Panasonic EX750

• Screen sizes: 50in, 58in, 65in, 75in
• Edge lit LED, 3850 x 2160 pixels, HDR
• Price: £TBC

Stepping out of OLED and into Panasonic’s “normal” TVs, the top model is the EX750 (EX780 outside the UK). But unlike 2016, this top LED TV isn’t direct lit (you’ll have to hunt out the DX902 for that), instead using an edge lit illumination system that’s more dynamically controlled for better overall results.

This gives local dimming that is digitally controlled with an LCD shutter system designed to ensure that you don’t get dark scenes destroyed by bleed from the backlight. This is also the only TV in Panasonic’s 2017 line-up that offers 3D.

Aside from the display, the design of the EX750 uses a swivel and lift system. This has a central four-footed stand that offers swivel, so you change the angle of the TV to suit the room (only on 50, 58 and 65in sizes). There’s also the “lift” aspect, which allows you to lengthen the pole in the stand, so on the 50 and 58-inch models, you can have up to four heights, for a unique look, like standing on a pole in your kitchen.

Pocket-lint

Panasonic EX700

• Screen sizes: 40in, 50in, 58in, 65in
• Edge lit LED, 3850 x 2160 pixels, HDR
• Price: £TBC

Taking a step down from the EX750 is the 700. This offers much the same technology as the EX750, although there isn’t the same degree of control on dimming and the panel is less capable overall, with less contrast and a slightly lesser drive system. This model, however, still offers a local dimming system designed to keep fidelity in high contrast scenes. 

It also loses that innovative stand of the EX750, but still has a few options. Offering a choice of two positions, you can have the feet at the edge or toward the centre, as well as being reversible: the feet have a long curve on one end, so you can choose to have that on display or not, depending on your preferences. 

Finished with a thin brushed metal bezel, it’s a good looking television.

Pocket-lint

Panasonic EX600 

• Screen sizes: 40in, 49in, 55in, 65in
• Edge-lit LED, 3850 x 2160 pixels, HDR
• Price: £TBC

Panasonic’s entry point for 4K HDR is the EX600. This TV is a step down from the EX700 technically, and switches from local dimming to an active backlight control system that’s unlikely to be able to match the performance of the other sets in this family of TVs – it’s the same system used on Panasonic’s Full HD TVs, for example. 

However, you still get the benefits of an Ultra HD TV with HDR and in a design that has a good premium look to it, with a nice slim bezel and a stand that offers reversible feet and two positions, again so you can suit the position you want to put it in.

One of the interesting details about the shape of these feet is that they have been designed to allow you to slip one of the new Panasonic soundbars between for a nice tidy finish.

Samsung Galaxy S8 Plus vs Galaxy S7 edge: What’s the rumoured difference?

Samsung is expected to announce its new flagship Galaxy S smartphones at the end of March, followed by their purported release around mid-April.

The two devices, which are being called the Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus, have been the subject of plenty of leaks over the last couple of months however, so while we still have a few weeks to wait for the official details, we can make a few guesses as to what is likely to appear.

Based on the speculation and rumours, here is how the Galaxy S8 Plus looks like it will compare to the Galaxy S7 edge. You can also read our separate feature on how the Galaxy S8 could compare to the Galaxy S7.

• Samsung Galaxy S8 Plus rumours
• Samsung Galaxy S7 edge review

Samsung Galaxy S8 Plus vs Galaxy S7 edge: Design

• Slimmer bezels expected for S8 Plus
• Rear-mounted fingerprint sensor expected on S8 Plus
• Both reported to be similar size

According to the rumours, the Samsung Galaxy S8 Plus will be slimming down the bezels surrounding its display considerably for an almost “all-screen” front. It is thought the company will ditch the physical home button and move the fingerprint sensor to the rear of the device, on the right of the camera lens, while also introducing a dedicated side button for launching the Bixby voice assistant, Viv.

Although physical dimensions have yet to be detailed or leaked, rumour has it the S8 Plus will have a similar footprint to the S7 edge. The new device will apparently have the same width as the S7 edge, and we’d also expect it to have a similar thickness, despite the increase in screen size reported. The IP68 waterproofing is also expected to remain.

The S7 edge has a beautiful solid, premium design featuring a combination of metal and glass that measures 150.9 x 72.6 x 7.7mm and hits the scales at 157g. It has a front-mounted fingerprint sensor within the physical home button that sits below the dual-edge display and it offers an IP68 water and dust resistance rating.

• Samsung Galaxy S8 vs Galaxy S7: What’s the rumoured difference?

Samsung Galaxy S8 Plus vs Galaxy S7 edge: Display

• S8 Plus reported to have bigger 6.2-inch display
• Both reported to have dual-edged screens 
• S7 edge could have sharper display

The Samsung Galaxy S8 Plus is reported to be coming with a 6.2-inch dual-edge display, which as we mentioned is claimed to fit into almost the same footprint as the S7 edge, meaning a big improvement in the screen-to-body ratio compared to last year’s device.

Rumour has it Samsung will improve the technology within the Super AMOLED display for VR purposes but the resolution will remain at 2560 x 1440 pixels, meaning a pixel density of 473ppi, if true.

The Samsung Galaxy S7 edge on the other hand, has a smaller Super AMOLED display at 5.5-inches. It is dual-edged too and it also features a Quad HD resolution, which means it squeezes a few more pixels in per inch at 534ppi thanks to its smaller size.

• Samsung Galaxy S8 rumours

Samsung Galaxy S8 Plus vs Galaxy S7 edge: Camera

• Both reported to have 12MP rear cameras
• S8 Plus should have higher resolution front camera
• S8 Plus could have iris scanner  

There have been a number of rumours claiming to know what cameras will be on board the Samsung Galaxy S8 Plus, but the most recent suggests a 12-megapixel Duo Pixel rear camera, coupled with an 8-megapixel front camera.

Both cameras are expected to come with an aperture of f/1.7 and the rear is said to feature a new visual search function, while the front is reported to be offering autofocus over fixed focus, as well as possibly iris scanning technology too.

The Samsung Galaxy S7 edge has a 12-megapixel Duo Pixel rear camera with an aperture of f/1.7, phase detection autofocus and optical image stabilisation, suggesting the S8 Plus will have the same sensor but with improvements. The S7 edge’s front camera has a 5-megapixel resolution, also with a f/1.7 aperture and Auto HDR.

Samsung Galaxy S8 Plus vs Galaxy S7 edge: Hardware

• S8 Plus should have faster hardware and more RAM
• S8 Plus should have USB Type-C, but battery might be smaller
• Both should have headphone jack and microSD

The Samsung Galaxy S8 Plus is reported to be coming in two variants, depending on region, as was the case with the S7 edge. One model will apparently have the Exynos 8895 chip, while the other will have the Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 processor. There have been several reports regarding RAM, with some claiming 4GB, others 6GB and a couple even suggesting 8GB.

Storage options for the Galaxy S8 Plus are claimed to be starting from 64GB with microSD support for further storage expansion and the battery capacity has been cited as 3500mAh, with USB Type-C for charging. It has also been claimed Samsung will retain the 3.5mm headphone jack.

The Samsung Galaxy S7 edge comes in two region-dependant models, as we said above, one of which has the Exynos 8890 chip, while the other has the Qualcomm Snapdragon 820. Both models have 4GB of RAM and both come in storage options of 32GB, 64GB and 128GB, all of which have microSD support. 

There is a 3600mAh battery powering the S7 edge, which is charged via Micro-USB, and there is a 3.5mm headphone jack on board too.

Samsung Galaxy S8 Plus vs Galaxy S7 edge: Software

• Both will eventually have Android Nougat with TouchWiz
• S8 Plus should have a couple of extra features, including Viv assistant
• Familiar experience expected

The Samsung Galaxy S8 Plus will no doubt launch on Android Nougat out-of-the-box, with Samsung’s TouchWiz software over the top. The company has confirmed the Bixby-powered assistant, Viv, will be on board the new handset and it has also been claimed there will be an always-visible status bar, as well as support for connecting the device to a monitor for a desktop view of Android.

The Samsung Galaxy S7 edge launched on Android Marshmallow with the TouchWiz software, but the update to Nougat started rolling out mid January. There will no doubt be some new features on the S8 Plus but the overall experience between these two devices should be familiar.

• What is Bixby? Everything you need to know about Samsung’s assistant

Samsung Galaxy S8 Plus vs Galaxy S7 edge: Conclusion

Based on the rumours, the Samsung Galaxy S8 Plus will feature an improved design over the S7 edge, along with a larger display, better hardware and a few camera and software enhancements.

It is likely to be more expensive though, and the the S7 edge is still a fantastic phone so even if the new device is better looking and faster, it might not necessarily be the right choice for everyone, especially those on a budget.

Everything is speculative for now but we will update this feature when the official specs of the S8 Plus are announced.

• Samsung Galaxy S8 Plus vs Google Pixel XL: What’s the rumoured difference?

The Engadget Podcast Ep 28: Disconnection Notice

On this episode, managing editor Dana Wollman and senior editor Devindra Hardawar join host Terrence O’Brien on to debate the value of reviving dead products and really dig deep on the value of unplugging. First they’ll look at three things primed to come back from the dead: Verizon’s unlimited data plans, nudity in Playboy and the Nokia 3310. Then, fresh from a weekend reading by a fireplace and drinking whiskey in the woods, Terrence talks about the importance of unplugging — even if only for a few hours — every week. We’re more connected than ever and that’s a good thing. But even too much of a good thing can be bad for you.

Relevant links:

• Playboy goes full-frontal, again
• Why is Verizon offering unlimited data again?
• The Nokia 3310 will reportedly return this month

Engadget recommends:

• Arcadia
• A Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail
• What I Talk About When I Talk About Running: A Memoir

You can check out every episode on The Engadget Podcast page in audio, video and text form for the hearing impaired.

Watch on YouTube

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Uber can’t even fake concern for drivers in Q&A session

Given how eager Uber seems to replace drivers with autonomous cars, a Q&A session conducted by CEO Jeff Jones on Facebook went about as well as you’d expect. He answered just a dozen or so questions (out of over 500) and cut the session off after less than half of the allotted 60-minute time. The worst part as far as the drivers were concerned, however, was that his responses to their existential concerns were mainly platitudes and irrelevant links.

Perhaps Jones’ most substantive answer was in response to a question about pay and overall treatment, saying that company has implemented “things like earning on your way home with driver destinations or back-to-back trips or paid wait times beyond two minutes.” However, with regard to driver’s very legitimate concerns about safety and rider behavior, he simply dropped a link to Uber’s “Community Guidelines” document.

Drivers pointed out that the “copy and paste” reply didn’t address the fact that riders never actually read the document. “No one reads these things! Kids argue with me daily about how they can take Uber but in the terms it says they can’t,” one person noted.

For another query on driver ratings, Jones dropped a link to a Wired article about its new “Compliments” feature that’s supposed to motivate drivers with badges and other rewards. However, one driver called it a “puff piece” and others said they’d rather get rewarded with something more useful, like a tip. “Nobody cares about these compliments, Jeff,” one driver noted. “How about you replace your six-figure or more salary with ‘compliments’ and see how you feel?”

The rest of the session was mostly in that vein, in part because the format itself was ripe for a fail. Since Jones didn’t really answer any questions, drivers responded and commiserated among themselves, giving some illuminating insight into what they face daily. “The only thing you made clear to the majority of us is that you don’t have any productive answers,” one said. “You made it crystal clear … that Uber does not care about its drivers.”

Via: Business Insider

Source: Uber

Fig’s new fund helps indie games get to Steam

Crowdfunding and investment site Fig is offering successful indie developers a little extra cash to finish games and get them on Steam. With the $500,000 Fig Finishing Fund, developers that hit their funding goals and attract at least 1,000 backers will get at least $20,000 from the investor-based fund. They’ll be able to use that cash to finish their games, add more languages and get them up on Valve’s brand new Steam Direct program coming this spring.

Steam Direct allows any developer to get a game up on the site, with the caveat that they pay a fee ranging from $100 to $5,000. The new program will soon replace Steam Greenlight, in which games are voted onto the platform by users. The fund will thus guarantee distribution for games, and what’s left over can be used for marketing to give them some exposure, too. That way, “developers are free to dedicate more fan-raised money to making their games,” writes Fig co-founder Justin Bailey.

Fig is following the lead of publisher Raw Fury, which offered to pay the Steam Direct fee and only demand repayment if the title is a success. However, since Fig is also a crowd-funding site, so it will have a built-in base of players who have backed the project.

The company is also aligned with developers and investors (via “Fig Shares”), so that users can also bankroll titles to a maximum of $10,000 and get a possible return. That system “increases the chances that titles … come to market successfully and reach their intended audiences,” Fig claims. Though there’s a lot of inherent risk in such an investment, 11 of 14 games have hit their goals so far, raising nearly $10.9 million. That includes Psychonauts 2 (above) which raised over $3.8 million and is due next year.

Source: Fig

Pokemon Go evolutions: Special items and how to evolve Polytoed, Slowking, Bellossom, Steelix and more

There are 80 new Pokemon out on the streets waiting to be caught in Pokemon Go, but with the new gen-II update there’s a slightly more complicated and important change to evolutions.

There are a number of new evolutions that you can get to through gen-I Pokemon, so you need to make sure you’re catching the right Pokemon to ensure you have enough candy – rather than just ignoring them.

Then you have special items, which will be available from Poke Stops. These items are:

• King’s Rock
• Sun Stone
• Dragon Scale
• Metal Coat

These names come from Pokemon lore, in Pokemon Go they’re so far being called “special items”.

Pocket-lint

However, you need to dive into your Pokemon list to see what special items are needed for evolutions, as they are pictured in the evolution options for the relevant characters.

In addition to these special items you’ll also need candy, so you’ll have to keep catching particular gen-I Pokemon to ensure you have the candy you need. 

These are the Pokemon Go family characters that you need to catch to ensure you’ll be able to make these new evolutions:

• Eevee
• Zubat
• Porygon
• Poliwag
• Slowpoke
• Oddish
• Horsea
• Onix
• Scyther 

We’ve listed the lowest level Pokemon in each case as they’re more common. For example, you could catch Grobat rather than Zubat, but you won’t see as many. The same applies to Gloom or Seadra, as all contribute to the candy for that Pokemon family. 

We’ve already talked about how you get to Umbreon and Espeon, which you’ll need Eevee candy for, using the name changing technique.

• How to evolve Eevee into Espeon and Umbreon in Pokemon Go

The existing Pokemon that have new evolutions are:

• Golbat > Crobat
• Porygon > Porygon 2

These can be evolved immediately if you have enough candy. You might have noticed increased numbers of Porygon appearing toward the end of 2016, and this is probably why – to unlock the path the Porygon 2.

These are the Pokemon you need to pair up with new special items to get your new evolution:

King’s Rock

• Poliwhirl > Politoed
• Slowpoke > Slowking 

Sun Stone

• Gloom > Bellossom
• Sunkern > Sunflora 

Dragon scale

• Seadra > Kingdra

Metal Coat

• Onix > Steelix
• Scyther > Scizor

Of course, there are loads of new Pokemon with new evolutions too, as well as new starter Pokemon that will evolve into something you’ve already got, like Pichu, Smoochum and Elekid.

Most of these details you can find in your Pokemon list already – the only one that’s entirely new and we’ve included here is Sunkern. We’re yet to encounter Sunkern, but we suspect its going to follow the path of the others. 

Bop It! Maker edition will get your creative juices flowing

Bop It! 2016’s got nothing on this year’s iteration of the ’90s musical toy. Hasbro has just launched a Bop It! Maker edition, and if that name isn’t obvious enough, it promises the most personalized game you’ve ever played. The latest version allows you create your own moves by naming them, performing them and recording a sound for them. You can store up to 10 custom moves your friends can try to imitate later, so go crazy and make up some awkward and complex commands for maximum laughs. Bop It! Maker will cost you $20, just like last year’s version [seen above]. It will be available at retailers and on the HasbroToyShop website in the fall, but the company will showcase it at Toy Fair 2017 in New York.

Dawn probe spots organic materials on dwarf planet Ceres

Ceres is now officially included the list of celestial bodies where we’ve found organic molecules. NASA’s Dawn scientists have spotted the presence of organic compounds on the dwarf planet using the spacecraft’s visible and infrared mapping spectrometer (VIR). They found the organics covering an area measuring around 400 square miles in and around Ceres’ northern-hemisphere crater called Ernutet. They also found smaller patches of land with organics several miles east and west of Ernutet, as well as in another crater. That’s pretty abundant, considering Christopher Russell (Dawn’s principal investigator) said they weren’t “expecting to see something like this on the surface of Ceres” at all.

NASA still isn’t sure what the organics are exactly, but they gave off the same fingerprints as carbon-hydrogen bonds under near-infrared light and could include components like methyl and methylene. The scientists also believe that they’re native to Ceres, made on the dwarf planet itself and not transplanted there by meteorites or small asteroids. Carbonates and clays previously identified on Ceres apparently exhibit chemical activity in the presence of water and heat. That means the organics could have formed in a water-rich environment — and Dawn already proved that the giant asteroid is oozing with water.

Russell also said that the molecules are “pre-biological” and what scientists would expect “if Ceres was working its way along the complexity path.” They certainly make Ceres a life-friendly environment, so NASA is now considering the possibility that it’s hosting microbial life. In addition, this new discovery can help shed light on the “origins of water and organics on Earth,” pre-life chemistry that’s prevalent outside our planet.

Source: NASA

UK hospital uses VR to reassure children before MRI scans

Entering a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) machine can be a nerve-wracking experience. You’re trapped in a tight space and have to lie perfectly still as loud noises — produced by the current in the scanner coils — pepper your eardrums. To help patients, and in particular children, the Kings College Hospital in London has turned to VR. MRI physicist Jonathan Ashmore and technologist Jerome Di Pietro have produced an app that contains a 360-degree video. Slip on a Google Cardboard and you’ll see what happens on the day, from arrival to stepping inside the scanner.

“I was given a 360-degree camera as a present,” Ashmore explains, “and I wanted to use it to help anxious children I see come into the hospital.” Offering a sneak peek of the day can put young patients at ease. Matthew Down, a 10-year-old who has to have annual MRI scans, recalls how he was “really worried” before his first scan. “I didn’t know what to expect. Even though my dad explained, I couldn’t imagine what it would be like.” Trialling the app, he said it could be “really helpful” for first-timers.

The app is free to download, and will soon be available on iOS too. The videos are simple, but they could have a huge impact on the UK health system. If children are more comfortable, they’re less likely to require a general anaesthetic. The whole process should be quicker too, making the NHS a more efficient operation — both in terms of money and time. For now “My MRI” is just a trial, with a link to the app included in select appointment letters. Ashmore hopes it will be expanded in the future, however, so that VR headsets are readily available in waiting rooms.

Source: King’s College Hospital, Wired