The LG V20 is just $499.99 at B&H Photo Video right now

Here’s a great deal on a great phone.

In our comparison between the LG V20 and Huawei Mate 9, I said both phones are fairly comparable in terms of performance, while the V20 has the edge in the camera department and the Mate 9 tops the battery tests. But my conclusion was that, if you are buying the phone outright, the $599.99 Mate 9 is the way to go, since the V20 costs around $200 more.

But not today: the unlocked LG V20 is down to $499.99 at B&H Photo Video right now, which is an excellent price for a great phone. Specifically, this is the Titan (silver) unlocked model compatible with both GSM networks like AT&T and T-Mobile, and CDMA networks like Verizon and Sprint. Good deal!

The V20 may be the last great phone released with a removable battery, so if that’s your thing, head to the source link!

See at B&H Photo Video

LG V20

• LG V20 review: Built for power users
• LG V20 specs
• All LG V20 news
• LG V20 vs. Galaxy Note 7
• Discuss the V20 in the forums!

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WhatsApp status updates now look a lot like Snapchat

Facebook is continuing its bid to bring a dash of Snapchat to all its apps. In a confirmation of rumors from the fall, WhatsApp has overhauled its status feature with an option to share photos and videos much like you would in Snapchat Stories. Much like what you see in Instagram, you can stitch together photos and videos to illustrate what you’re doing in a way that text alone wouldn’t capture. They’re encrypted like normal chats, WhatsApp says. The feature starts arriving today on Android, iOS and Windows phones.

The status revamp is more than a little arbitrary (do you really need elaborate visual updates in a messaging app?), but not surprising given Facebook’s recent strategy. The social network is visibly nervous about the possibility that Snapchat will scoop up users across all its services, particularly teens and twentysomethings who sometimes see Facebook as old and stuffy. And that’s a very rational fear when Snapchat has 158 million daily users — the service is big enough that you may join simply because that’s where all your friends are. WhatsApp may not take any users from Snapchat, but its status upgrade could be worthwhile if it prevents some users from ditching the platform.

Via: The Verge

Source: WhatsApp Blog

Teddy Ruxpin’s LCD makeover is occasionally charming

Teddy Ruxpin may be one of the iconic toys of the eighties but, let’s face it, he was in need of a little update. After all, kids are used to looking at screens and a lot of them don’t even know what a cassette tape is. Wicked Cool’s new Teddy gets a bit of a 21st century makeover by baking LCDs right into his adorable furry face. He still reads stories to your kid, but now his eyes can say a lot more.

The 2017 Teddy is quite huggable, and his mouth still mechanically opens and closes in time with his soothing voice. But, instead of large plastic eyes that roll back and forth with a whirr, the bear’s baby blues are a pair of small screens. Most of the time they’re pretty standard cartoon eyes, with large black pupils, azure corneas and a white gleam. They blink, squint and you even get a little half circle popping up at the bottom to indicate that Teddy’s smiling at you.

However, when Teddy reads a story, the eyes display little images. You’ll see hearts when he’s talking about love and friendship, or even a small image of the earth when he sings about the world. The only time they’re not showing anything is when Teddy’s asleep — and the doll has a pair of mechanical eyelids to cover up the dark void within. Wicked Cool is also planning on including a small facemask so he can have a proper beauty rest.

Children can follow along with the stories using the iOS or Android app, which displays illustrations and text at the pace of Teddy’s dictation. It’s a big step up from the books and cassettes that the original toy used. The app connects to the bear using Bluetooth, but it isn’t required to interact with him. Kids can just push the button in Teddy’s hand and he’ll start telling a random tale from his repertoire.

Teddy Ruxpin comes packaged with three stories built in, and you don’t use the app to download new programs. Instead, parents will plug the plush toy into to their computer via USB to get them from the website. While new stories won’t be free, they’ll probably cost somewhere around $6. Ten titles total will be available at launch, with another 10 planned for next year. As for Teddy, he’ll be on store shelves this fall for $100.

Microsoft’s next-gen HoloLens reportedly won’t arrive until 2019

If you’ve been hoping for a cheaper, smaller HoloLens to come out soon, you might be disappointed. Microsoft-focused news site Thurrott reports that the company is eschewing a more incremental follow-up device in favor of something with significant upgrades. For tech enthusiasts, this means it will be at least a couple years before we see a new HoloLens for consumers, as Microsoft allegedly plans to release this more advanced device sometime in 2019.

A change like this one allows Microsoft to put more resources into a device that represents a generational leap in HoloLens technology. As Thurrott notes, this sort of a move is easily attributable to the lack of competition in the Augmented Reality (AR) space. AR leaders like Magic Leap have yet to produce a wearable product, while Microsoft has a workable — if expensive — version of HoloLens for early adopters that came out last year. There’s no reason to offer a device with only incremental improvements as there’s no real competition in the space.

So, while HoloLens fans may need to wait longer than expected for an update, they’ll hopefully end up with a better overall device.

Source: Thurrott

The sequel to ‘Alto’s Adventure’ arrives this summer

Last week, Snowman — developer of beloved snowboarding game Alto’s Adventure — announced that its next game, Where Cards Fall, would be out this fall. However, we’re going to get another game from the studio before that. Alto’s Odyssey, the sequel to Alto’s Adventure is set to launch this summer. From the brief teaser trailer released today, it looks like Odyssey will change things up in at least one significant way: Alto and his crew will be visiting the desert.

While the trailer keeps things somewhat vague, there’s an undeniably different landscape in play here; the video’s description also implores players to “discover the secrets of the endless desert.” It looks like the new game will instead have you cruising down sand dunes rather than snowy mountainsides. Plenty of questions remain (how will your beloved llama herd survive in the desert?) but at least it won’t be too long until we find out. Fortunately, the super-handy Wingsuit looks like it’ll make it to Odyssey, as well.

If you haven’t tried the original Alto’s Adventure yet (and thus don’t know what the heck the Wingsuit is), it’s currently on sale for $1.99 to celebrate the game’s second anniversary. And if you’re on Android, it’s free-to-play with a minimum of pleas for your cash. In all likelihood, the skills you pick up in the first game will translate to the second, so you might as well start your training now.

Source: Built By Snowman

Hyundai chooses efficiency over range with its new Ioniq vehicles

Hyundai has been dragging its feet. Hybrid technology has been on the road for over a decade and the Korean automaker is only now catching up with its new Ioniq brand. But, instead of just dropping a single car into the market and waiting to see what happens, the company decided to introduce three Ioniq green vehicles, a hybrid, plug-in hybrid and an electric vehicle.

The automaker may have taken its time, but Hyundai says that over the past 11 years it’s been researching and developing green vehicles that fit within its brand. The results are inexpensive cars that bring electric technology to car buyers who want cheap, reliable transportation. This strategy seems to have paid off. The hybrid starts at $22,200 while the pure electric car is $29,500. Both of those are before federal tax credits.

But, before I talk about what it’s like to cruise the countryside outside of Santa Barbara, California in these cars, there is a caveat: Hyundai has decided to focus on efficiency instead of range. The automaker hasn’t lined the bottom of the entire passenger compartment of the EV with batteries like other companies. Instead a small 28kWh pack sits under the rear seats. The result is that the electric Ioniq only has a range of 124 miles. In a world where the 238-mile range Chevy Bolt exists, that’s sure to turn off some buyers. But it’s important to remember that the starting price of the Bolt is $37,500. The Ioniq EV is $8,000 cheaper.

If you can overlook that drop in range and you’re cool with the added buffer in your bank account (of course you’re cool with that), you might be pleasantly surprised with the Ioniq line.

The three vehicles look nearly identical from the outside. But on the road, there’s a difference between the hybrid line and electric Ioniq. Both vehicle types are solid commuters/small family cars. Yet they each excel in their own way.

For example, the hybrid has surprisingly impressive handling. It hugged the twisting mountain roads of the central California coast far better than expected. But linking those turns is where the car’s paltry 139-horsepower reminds you you’re behind a value brand. Even in sport mode, the hybrid’s acceleration is laughable. The best part is that stomping on the gas from a dead stop creates all sorts of engine noise. But the speedometer is there to let you know it’s a lot of racket for very little payoff.

Most of the time, this isn’t a big deal. But I did have to adjust how I entered the freeway and overtaking other vehicles during uphill climbs was a struggle for the car. More often than not, I just waited until the road leveled off.

Meanwhile the electric Ioniq felt slightly zippier than the hybrid even though it only has 118 horsepower. EV engines will do that. But, when navigating corners the car suffered from more understeer than the hybrid Ioniq I had driven earlier in the day. It was a surprise considering that the cars look nearly the same.

But I probably wouldn’t have been caught off guard by a pair of squealing front tires, if the electric Ioniq felt the same as the hybrid. As soon as I sat in the car, it just felt more refined. The center console and shifter are different from the hybrid. Acceleration was also smoother. Plus for drivers trying to eke every bit of energy out of their driving experience, the steering wheel has paddles to fine-tune the amount regenerative braking. Hyundai didn’t just rip out the internal combustion engine out of the car and call it an EV. It went further and created an overall better experience for that additional cost.

Still, regardless of which Ioniq you choose, it’s hard to disregard the value Hyundai is offering here. Both cars boast as standard equipped a 7-inch touchscreen display, Carplay and Android Auto-ready infotainment system, keyless entry, Hyundai’s Bluelink companion app, dual automatic temperature control, and my favorite feature in the car, the Driver Only climate control. When enabled, only the person behind the wheel gets to enjoy the AC or heater. The idea there is to help reduce the load on the vehicle and increase the car’s efficiency when you’re driving alone.

It’s a little thing, but it’s part of Hyundai’s efficiency theme. The Ioniq EV gets an impressive 136 MPGe out of a 28kWh battery. In comparison, the Bolt gets 119 MPGe. So the Ioniq EV won’t get you as far, but it will cost you less per mile.

There is one final way Hyundai might save customers cash. It’s announced a three-year subscription plan for the electric Ioniq that includes unlimited mileage, free scheduled maintenance and charge reimbursement. Unfortunately, the automaker has yet to announce what this will cost. But we should find out when the EV arrives in California showrooms in April. If you don’t happen to live in the Golden State but still want the EV, you can order it from your local dealer as you would any other car. Just don’t expect to see it at the local dealer.

The hybrid, meanwhile, is available now with the plug-in hybrid coming in the fourth quarter of 2017. All three cars are entering an increasingly crowded market. But Hyundai is going for the entry-level market and it might be able eat into at least some of the Toyota Prius’ share.

It might have taken Hyundai a while to get into the green-car market. But it’s made sure that the vehicles it does drop are in line with the rest of its brand. For anyone looking at a low-cost hybrid or EV, the Ioniqs should be on your short list of cars to check out.

Source: Hyundai

The Simon Optix headset gave me a headache

The classic game of Simon is a test of memory and reflexes. How long a sequence can you remember, and how fast can you repeat it? The new Optix headset turns it into a test of stamina as well: How long can you stand having flashing lights directly in front of your face?

The Optix might resemble an AR or VR headset, but it’s nothing of the sort. Instead, the black headband shines bright colors into a transparent visor at specific points in your field of vision: green to your right side, red to your left side, and blue and yellow directly in front of your eyes.

You wave your hand in front of each color when prompted, and the motion sensors on the outside will track your success or failure at following the sequence. The visor even does a rainbow roll of color, requiring you to swipe your hand in same direction across the headset.

The combination of bright lights, sounds and weird hand movements is a lot like being trapped inside of a rave. And that’s exactly what Hasbro hopes people will do: bring their Optix to the club and play along with others on the dance floor. The $25 headset communicates via line-of-sight infrared and can connect with up to 100 other units, and we’ll find out this fall if it inspires people to create their own Simon flash mobs.

ING and Macquarie Now Support Apple Pay in Australia

Both ING Direct and Macquarie have implemented support for Apple Pay in Australia, according to Apple’s updated Apple Pay website in the country. Starting today, both ING Direct and Macquarie customers can use Apple Pay for purchases in participating stores and locations with an eligible device.

Apple Pay support at the two banks comes more than a year after Apple Pay first became available in the country through a partnership with American Express.

The service is available in retail stores on iPhone SE, 6, 6s, 6 Plus, 6s Plus, 7, 7 Plus, and older devices using the Apple Watch. In-app and web purchases can also be made using the aforementioned devices, a supported iPad, or one of Apple’s new MacBook Pros.

While ANZ and many smaller banks support Apple Pay in Australia, three of the country’s major banks, including Commonwealth Bank, National Australia Bank, and Westpac, are currently embroiled in an ongoing dispute with Apple that has seen the banks refusing to accept Apple Pay.

The banks have asked the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) to give them permission to negotiate with Apple to gain access to the NFC chip in the iPhone, allowing the iPhone to be used with the banks’ own NFC-based payment solutions.

Apple does not allow third-party services to access the NFC chips built into its most recent devices for security reasons and has argued that the banks’ challenge is harmful to consumers and would stifle innovation in mobile payments.

The ACCC sided with Apple in an initial ruling, but both sides are continuing to submit arguments and the banks recently re-submitted their application asking for permission to work together to make a deal with Apple.

Apple Pay is available in 13 countries, including the United States, UK, China, Australia, Canada, Switzerland, France, Hong Kong, Russia, Singapore, Japan, New Zealand, and Spain.

Related Roundup: Apple Pay
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Apple Seeds Third macOS Sierra 10.12.4 Beta to Developers

Apple today seeded the third beta of an upcoming macOS Sierra 10.12.4 update to developers, two weeks after seeding the second macOS Sierra 10.12.4 beta and just under a month after releasing macOS Sierra 10.12.3.

The third macOS Sierra 10.12.4 beta is available for download through the Apple Developer Center or the software update mechanism in the Mac App Store for those who have previously installed a beta.

macOS Sierra 10.12.4 brings iOS’s Night Shift mode to the Mac for the first time. First introduced on iOS devices with iOS 9.3, Night Shift is designed to gradually shift the display of a device from blue to yellow, cutting down on exposure to blue light. Blue light is said to disrupt the circadian rhythm and is believed to interrupt sleeping patterns.

Night Shift can be activated through the Displays section of System Preferences, where a setting to have it come on at sunset and turn off at sunrise is available. Night Shift can also be toggled on manually through the Notification Center or via Siri.

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The 10.12.4 update focuses mainly on Night Shift, but also includes dictation support for Shanghainese, cricket scores for Siri, improved PDFKit APIs, and iCloud Analytics options.

Related Roundup: macOS Sierra
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