Latest Microsoft Surface Book rumor says it won’t be a 2-in-1 machine

Why it matters to you

If you’ve been waiting impatiently for a Surface Book 2, then this rumor wants to squash your dreams.

One of the more pressing questions in PCs right now is what’s coming next in Microsoft’s Surface line. The Surface Studio was added in October 2016, and the Surface Book received its Performance Base refresh. But the Surface Pro 5 is highly anticipated, and a Surface Book 2 upgrade seems likely.

There’s a new rumor in town that suggests Microsoft will go in a completely different direction with its premier Windows 10 2-in-1, the Surface Book. Specifically, the rumor says that the company will abandon the 2-in-1 format altogether and make a traditional clamshell notebook instead, as Digitimes reports.

More: What will the Surface Pro 5 look like? Here are the rumors

According to “sources from the related upstream supply chain,” the newest Surface Book will be a lower-cost variant that will compete directly against traditional notebooks. In fact, according to the same sources, the new model is already in production and will be announced yet this March or April at the latest.

Rumors always abound when it comes to important products like Microsoft’s Surface line. Some rumors make more sense than others, and it’s easy to see why this particular rumor makes less. The alleged impetus behind such a decision is that Microsoft needs a lower-priced Surface Book to spur demand for today’s low-volume and pricey models, and that the Surface Book cuts into sales of the Surface Pro 4.

As long as we’re speculating, we need to consider that the ability to convert Surface devices from one format to another has been the line’s hallmark since the first Surface was introduced. Microsoft was concerned about the state of the touch-centric PC market and how well it highlighted its new Windows 8 operating system. Traditional Windows PCs were doing just fine given Intel’s Ultrabook initiative, and rather it was the lack of good machines to show off Windows 8 that Microsoft likely felt the need to address.

At the same time, Surface Pro 4 sales have been quite strong, and Microsoft demonstrated with the extremely expensive Surface Studio — which has also sold better than expected — that the company is both willing and able to sell at the very highest end. If Microsoft does something with pricing, it’s easier to predict that they’ll make the new Surface Book even more expensive. After all, its OEM partners are making better and better 2-in-1s that show off Windows 10’s capabilities, and Microsoft has less reason to compete directly with them.

Ultimately, if someone were placing a bet on a lower-priced Surface Book, then it may be more logical to assert that Microsoft would introduce a 360-degree convertible style machine. The high-tech muscle wire detachable mechanism and tablet-centric design probably add a bit to the price of today’s Surface Book, and lower-tech hinges and a more traditional design might be less expensive to produce.

But this is all speculation, of course. Only Microsoft knows what it’s planning to do with the Surface Book, and with the Surface Pro 4, for that matter. And so far, Microsoft isn’t talking.

Windows 7, 8.1 users with newer Intel, AMD CPUs will soon lose Windows Update

Why it matters to you

If you’re running an older version of Windows with a newer CPU, Microsoft is about to make it very difficult for you to avoid upgrading to Windows 10.

It seems that Microsoft is preparing to implement a new strategy to convince PC users with systems that utilize certain processors to upgrade to Windows 10. PCs running Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 that are fitted with newer CPUs will soon be unable to receive updates via Windows Update.

Confirmation that this previously announced policy will soon take effect came via an article recently published to Microsoft’s support website. The troubleshooting guide helps users respond to an error that reads, “Your PC uses a processor that isn’t supported on this version of Windows,” when they attempt to use Windows Update.

Intel’s Kaby Lake processors and AMD’s Ryzen line will be among the CPUs that require users to upgrade to Windows 10, according to a report from Ars Technica. When Microsoft first announced this policy, Skylake processors were also set to be affected, but the company changed its mind, making an announcement in August 2016.

More: AMD presses its advantage with affordable Ryzen 5 processors, available April 11

The only recourse given by the support article is to update the system to Windows 10. Microsoft is giving users a very clear decision to make; either upgrade to the latest version of Windows, or run the risk of falling behind on essential security updates.

Of course, support for both Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 is going to be discontinued eventually — the former version is already in extended support, which means that it only receives security fixes. However, enforcing this policy demonstrates that Microsoft is prepared to be aggressive as it attempts to get as many Windows users as possible to upgrade to Windows 10.

The company’s previous methods of convincing users to make the jump have upset some, and this policy is sure to ruffle feathers as well. At present, there are reports that Windows Update is still functional for users working with older version of Windows and newer CPUs, but the fact that support documentation has already been published suggests that this new restriction will soon be enforced.

Angry customers file class-action suit against LG over G4, V10 bootloop issues

Why it matters to you

Lawsuits like this keep big tech companies in check. If you’ve experienced these bootloop issues, you’ll want LG to ensure it doesn’t happen again.

It looks like LG G4 and V10 users are taking their frustrations to the next level. LG has been suffering more than a few bootloop issues when it comes to the G4 and V10 over the past few months, and users of those devices who are dealing with those issues are now filing a class-action lawsuit.

The case was recently filed with the California federal court, and the plaintiffs claim that the G4 was acknowledged by LG as having “loose contact between components,” which is what caused the bootloop issues. Despite allegedly knowing, LG didn’t recall the device, nor did it stop production of the phone or fix the issue. That’s despite the fact that LG did acknowledge the problem and did offer replacements for a time. Those replacements, however, reportedly didn’t come with a fix, and eventually fell into the same issues.

More: Time for a replacement? Google Nexus 6P bootloop caused by hardware issue

So what’s the big deal with bootloops? When a phone enters a bootloop, it repeatedly restarts itself. According to the suit, the damages included things like loss of data — which can be a real pain when experienced. In terms of monetary value, the amount the plaintiffs are seeking will be “determined at trial,” but they’re also seeking a “comprehensive program to repair all LG phones containing the bootloop defect.” They’ll also seek that LG pay legal fees and costs.

This isn’t the first time we’ve seen big issues as a result of bootloops — in fact, it’s not even the first time we’ve seen them from LG. The LG-built Google Nexus 5X was also victim of bootlooping issues, and last we heard LG was offering full refunds to users of the device — all of which were experiencing bootloop problems, rendering their devices unusable. It’s unknown exactly why LG didn’t offer the same refund to users of the G4 or V10 phones — it may have avoided the newly announced lawsuit had it done so.

It will be interesting to see how this case progresses, and we’ll update this article when we hear more.

YouTube seems to have dropped 10,000 subscriber minimum for live-streaming

Why it matters to you

YouTube has long been the home of home videos — and now you may be also able to take advantage of its live-streaming features.

Want to live-stream on YouTube but don’t have the 10,000 subscribers needed to get started? Good news — that limitation is now no longer in effect.

Live-streaming was added to the Android app in February, and the only catch was that it was only available to channels that had at least 10,000 subscribers. It’s not known exactly how many subscribers you now need to have — or if there’s a requirement at all — but users with far fewer than 10,000 subscribers are noting that they can now live-stream on the YouTube app.

More: YouTuber shows how to play Switch on TV without the dock

Some users are reporting similar changes to the iOS YouTube app, so it’s looking more and more like YouTube wants to expand live-streaming to everyone — much like Facebook and Twitter have done over the past few years.

To see if you have access to live-streaming on YouTube, open up the app and press the floating record button on the home screen. If you have access to it, you’ll then see a “Go Live” button on top of the standard button that allows you to start recording. How live-streaming works doesn’t appear to have changed at all beyond the wider availability of the feature.

The move makes sense for YouTube. Live-streaming has become extremely popular over the last few years, and companies like Facebook are leading the pack. If YouTube wants to remain competitive in the video streaming segment, then it has to keep up with the new trends — and video-streaming is one of those trends.

Google hasn’t updated its website just yet, so it still states that the minimum number of subscribers for live-streaming is 10,000. We’ll likely hear more about the changes to live-streaming in the next few days — and when we do, we’ll update this post.

Windows 10 Cloud is on the way – but what is it, exactly?

We’ve been expecting a Microsoft announcement this year regarding a new version of Windows, called Windows 10 Cloud. So, what is it, and why does it depend on the cloud (spoiler: it doesn’t)? We’ve got the latest information based on leaked versions of the software, rumors, reports and updates. Here’s what we know!

More: Close to the Metal: Windows puts its head in the cloud

Windows 10 Cloud is an “adaptive shell” for competing with Chromebooks

The goals for Windows 10 cloud appear to be twofold.

First, to create what is rumored to be an adaptive shell for the Windows OS that will allow the operating system to be used on far more than desktop PCs and Surface tablets. Microsoft wants to bring the Windows 10 experience to mobile devices, consoles (like the Xbox One), embedded devices, and even VR/AR. Basically, it’s a way to push Windows onto things it cannot currently run on, including devices from other brands. One of the strengths of this shell is that it could be adapted to fit many different screen sizes and other requirements.

Microsoft has pursued this goal for a long time, and made progress towards it. The both the Xbox One and Windows Mobile currently run a version of Windows 10. However, Microsoft wants Windows 10 to be adaptive in such a way that it can push a Windows 10 update to all devices and expect it to run well, with little to no tweaking. That’s not how it works right now, which is why Windows 10, Windows 10 Mobile, and Xbox One get software updates on different schedules.

Second, Microsoft wants to compete more directly with the immensely popular Chromebook market. Chromebooks are doing very well among certain buyers because they are lightweight, highly affordable, and ditch internal storage for a cloud-based approach to data management. There are definite signs that Microsoft wants to enter this sector, and Cloud is its opportunity. Yes, that means we could be seeing a new category of low cost, low storage laptops running a version of Windows 10, similar to Chrome but with Edge and Windows apps instead.

It’s not a “cloud-based” operating system, like Chrome OS

Given the name, you could be forgiven for thinking Windows 10 Cloud will lean on connected applications and features, as does Google’s Chrome OS. But that doesn’t seem to be the case.

Leaked copies of Windows 10 Cloud show no indication that they’ll be any more reliant on the internet than other versions of Windows. Instead, it appears the “Cloud” designation is being used as marketing short-hand for “the cheapest version.”

This could change, as there’s months to go before Cloud is introduced. But that’s actually not long in the world of OS development. And it seems unwise for Microsoft to invest significantly in changes to a version of Windows 10 it may end up giving away to manufacturers for free, or at a very low price. For those reasons, we think the Cloud designation is fluff.

Cloud will be compatible with mobile ARM processors

It is likely that Windows 10 Cloud will be able to run on mobile ARM processors. We know that this has been a stated goal from Microsoft (after the failure of Windows RT, the company clearly wants a do-over on this front), as a way to spread the OS to devices and platforms where it currently doesn’t exist. Cloud appears to be the best opportunity to create an ARM-compatible OS for this specific purpose.

The only leaked version of Cloud that we have found so far runs on Intel processors. However, noting the “adaptive shell” properties of Cloud, it could simply be a version made with desktops in mind, and mobile ARM versions of the operating system could also exist.

Microsoft also made a joint announcement with Qualcomm at CES 2017, stating it wants to enable “cellular PCs” with a version of Windows running on an ARM chip, and a built-in mobile data modem. This would seem to align with the capabilities and target market of Windows 10 Cloud.

More: Microsoft’s wish to provide one operating system for all devices may come true

Cloud is focused on newer services Microsoft wants to push

Microsoft has several new Windows 10 features that it’s very proud of, such as Edge and Cortana. It sees these services as the future of Windows and wants to encourage as much adoption as possible. Rumors state that Cloud is intended to push these new services more directly. This would also fit in well with the Chromebook-like focus on cloud capabilities and going online to complete tasks. By putting Edge, Cortana, Office360, and other features front and center, Microsoft hopes to make them more popular.

Windows 10 Cloud has a light footprint, but appears to have a similar interface

When we investigated the leaked version of Cloud, we found that it looked largely the same as the desktop version. If you’ve experienced Windows 10 on desktop, you probably know what to expect—at least with the adaptation that we saw. This should be welcome news for those of use who may want to use Cloud. Microsoft isn’t carving up Windows 10 into some unrecognizable monstrosity.

Windows 10 Cloud will be locked to the Windows Store—or will it?

The big news from the Cloud rumors is the report that Cloud will be “locked” to the Windows Store. In other words, you wouldn’t be able to use any apps except those offered on the Store. This has caused a lot of apprehension, because it sounds both plausible and incredibly annoying. However, there’s no firm evidence yet to back it up.

Even the leaked build we had access to appeared divided on the issue. On one hand, whenever we tried to load and use an app originating from outside the Windows Store, we couldn’t do it. On the other hand, in settings we saw an option that allowed the build to switch back and forth from “Allow apps from the Store only” to “Allow apps from anywhere.” This didn’t appear to have any effect, but the fact that it’s built into the settings is telling. Is this just a feature for a developer build? Will it make it to the final versions of Cloud? It’s a little too early to tell for now.

More: We tried Windows 10 Cloud, and it’s not as restrictive as you think

The Cloud version may be able to run at least some “desktop only” apps

Another common report says that desktop versions per-Cloud won’t be able to run correctly on Cloud because of the APIs used for Windows 10. From what we’ve seen of the leaked version, you may be able to run desktop apps from previous Windows 10 builds, but with a caveat. You have to convert them, and they still may not run correctly. We tried it with EdgeTile and the Desktop App Converter tool, and received the warning, “The app you’re trying to run isn’t designed for this version of Windows.” EdgeTile still worked, but the fact that this warning exists also shows a lot.

Cloud may provide an option to upgrade to full Windows 10

Another rumor suggests that coding details support an upgrade from Windows 10 Cloud to Windows 10 Pro. From one perspective this does make sense — it lets Microsoft make more money with by upselling. But we’re not sure how it would work out. For example, if you bought a Chromebook-like Windows Cloud computer, it likely wouldn’t have the requirements to upgrade to a full version of Windows, even if you wanted to. This is even more true of Cloud on mobile devices. So if an upgrade is in the cards, it will probably be very limited.

Add some smarts to your existing smoke and CO detectors with this $30 gadget from Leeo

Our friends at Thrifter are back with another deal, this time helping you make your home smarter for less!

Smoke and carbon monoxide detectors are a must-have, but when you are out of the house you have no idea if they are going off, which can be scary. Leeo changes that by notifying you, regardless of your location, when they are triggered, and right now you can pick one up for only $29.97, which is a $20 savings from its regular price. It monitors the existing detectors you have in the house and alerts you as soon as they make noise.

You can get a notification from the app or via an automated phone call, and if you don’t answer Leeo can call someone from your emergency contact list. Installation is as simple as plugging it into an outlet and pairing it with the Android app. You can set it to display different colors as a nightlight, and it works with hundreds of other smart products and services. If you rent or own your own place, you should have one of these on each floor of your house!

See at Amazon

For other great deals on tech, gadgets, home goods and more, be sure to check out our friends at Thrifter now!

HTC U Ultra review: A beautiful group of questionable decisions

In a market filled with great high-end phones and tons of up-and-coming prospects at lower prices, the HTC U Ultra is unable to live up to its bloated price tag.

The quick take

HTC continues to get the basics right with flagships. The U Ultra has a great screen, amazing build quality and stunning design. You get just about every spec inside you’d expect, and the day-to-day performance as a result is fantastic with a super-smooth software experience. Unfortunately, HTC’s camera performance once again lags behind the pack, its secondary display is all but useless and there’s no headphone jack or waterproofing — all in a phone that’s charging a premium price of $749.

The Good

• Fantastic performance
• Great screen
• Stunning hardware
• Unlocked and bloat-free
• Absolutely nails the basics

The Bad

• 2016-level camera performance
• No headphone jack
• Second screen lacks utility
• No water resistance
• Too big for most hands

See at Amazon
See at HTC

U Question why

HTC U Ultra Full review

In 2017, the number of people who think of HTC in terms of nostalgia rather than as a leading smartphone company is growing. If you’ve been following the company’s dwindling market share (and mind share) over the past three years, you’ll know why. The company has lost ground particularly heavily in the U.S., where the market is split between Apple and Samsung at the high end, and a trove of low-cost phones at the other. HTC can’t compete in either, and perhaps fittingly is barely emphasizing its brand new $749 U Ultra in the U.S.

It’s a far cry from the substantial marketing pushes we saw with the HTC One M9, HTC 10 and even HTC One A9, but it makes sense considering the company’s position. HTC hasn’t made deals with any U.S. carriers for the U Ultra — choosing instead to sell unlocked directly to consumers — and isn’t even bringing its mid-range sibling, the U Play, to North America as a counterweight.

Despite the diminished marketing emphasis for the phone in the U.S., HTC has gone decidedly high-end with the U Ultra — and not just in price. It’s a big, beautiful, powerful phone with the latest HTC software tricks on top of just about every other feature we’re looking for in a phone in this price bracket. The worry, as is far too often the case with HTC, is whether or not the execution is there — and in a world where you have a shoestring advertising budget, the phone has to be great. We put it to the test in our complete HTC U Ultra review.

About this review

I (Andrew Martonik) am writing this review after 8 days using the HTC U Ultra on T-Mobile in the greater Seattle, WA area. The phone arrived on software version 1.09.617.12 (Android 7.0) and was not updated during the course of review. The HTC U Ultra was provided to Android Central for review by HTC.

Simply stunning

HTC U Ultra Hardware

I had the opportunity to see the HTC U Ultra and U Play back at the beginning of January, and since then I still light up every time I come across a photo of that pristine shiny exterior. Holding a fresh blue HTC U Ultra in my hand today, I still get that great feeling. This thing is gorgeous — and not in a generic design sense, but with a very strong HTC vibe. And that’s not just the case in this excellent blue color, but also in the pearlescent white and inky black varieties.

A beautiful piece of technology you just want to stare at.

The back is a finely-sculpted piece of glass, technically, but it doesn’t look like any other glass-backed phone — distinctly different from the LG G6 and Galaxy S7. HTC calls it “optical spectrum hybrid deposition,” and it’s the culmination of two years of development on the process. The end result is a glassy exterior that has the color embedded inside the glass, rather than simply coating the underside of clear glass. It’s beautiful and I can’t take my eyes off of it — and it’s sure to catch some attention when you use it in public.

More: Complete HTC U Ultra specs

The mirror-like finish is gorgeous and minimalistic, perfectly curving off to the edges where it meets a color-matched metal frame that doesn’t have all that much texture to it. The front of the phone is a pristine black panel of glass that is of course perfectly assembled, and it frames a very large 5.7-inch display that also has an extra 2-inch display on top of it. The bezels on all four edges of the display aren’t exactly small, and it leads to a very large overall footprint: 80 mm wide, and 162 mm tall.

I can’t tell you what sized phone to buy, but the U Ultra is going to be too big for most people.

Far be it for me to tell you what sized phone you want, but the U Ultra is too big for my hands. I can manage a Pixel XL, or a OnePlus 3T, but the U Ultra is substantially larger than those phones — in fact, it’s even bigger than the LG V20 and Huawei Mate 9 … which I personally couldn’t manage either. Looking at the U Ultra beside the LG G6, for example, and you just chuckle at how unwieldy it is. Yes some people will want the most screen possible no matter what it does to usability, but I prefer a bit more balance — and the U Ultra doesn’t seem to attempt any sort of balance.

If you’re that person who wants “more screen at all costs” you’ll absolutely enjoy this display. The 5.7-inch QHD Super LCD 5 is clear, bright and accurate — I really can’t find anything bad to say about it. This is a display befitting of a $749 phone, and it’s covered in Gorilla Glass 5 for good measure. That same group will also likely enjoy the capacitive navigation keys below the display that don’t take up any screen real estate — despite the majority of the market going toward on-screen keys.

Despite espousing that it is a top-level phone in every other way, most notably in its price, the U Ultra has two feature omissions that will rub people the wrong way. Just like the Pixel XL — which is nearly the same price and also made by HTC — the U Ultra isn’t waterproof. Now HTC does offer its “UH OH” protection program (for free!) that covers one replacement of the phone, including water damage, but the average buyer would far prefer to just not have to worry about water damage at all. And unlike the Pixel XL, this is one of multiple stumbles rather than a single flaw with the phone.

No, I won’t hear your arguments for removing the headphone jack.

The far more puzzling — and polarizing — exclusion on the U Ultra is the headphone jack. Just as we guessed when HTC rolled out the Bolt late last year, this looks to be the new direction for the company: skip the headphone jack in favor of USB-C audio, despite having very large phones that seem to have the room to accommodate the port. HTC’s USonic headphones are comfortable, sound good and are designed to tune sound that’s appropriate for your ears … but I want to use different headphones sometimes. I want to plug into a speaker or a friend’s car stereo now and then. And that’s not possible with the U Ultra. I know this is A Thing™ now, but it really doesn’t have to be and it goes against what most consumers want.

HTC includes those USB-C headphones I mentioned in the box, but charges you an extra $12 for a USB-C to 3.5 mm headphone adapter if you want to plug in something else. (C’mon, even Apple includes an adapter in the box.) Better yet, the headphones that come in the box don’t work with other USB-C devices, so these really are headphones only for your U Ultra. No matter how good they are, that’s annoying.

Downright fast

HTC U Ultra Software and performance

HTC’s take on Android hasn’t changed much in the past year in terms of design and interaction. It has a clean, dark look with splashes of white, grey and green — and compared to the bright and overly colorful options from some manufacturers I’m a fan of HTC’s choices. It still paints over the whole interface with a heavy brush, but its changes aren’t so far out of touch with the way modern apps and Google’s guidelines look.

HTC’s built-in apps for phone, messaging, email, clock, etc. all follow a consistent design as well, and thankfully it does a nice job of not doubling up with Google’s own apps — for example, Google Photos is your only gallery app, and Google Calendar is your default calendar. HTC unfortunately still includes some of its most annoying “features” like the spammy, low-quality News Republic app that likes to push crummy “news” at you, and the quite useless Blinkfeed area of the launcher. Thankfully you can disable News Republic, and turn off Blinkfeed or replace the launcher altogether.

I didn’t receive a single Sense Companion notification that was useful.

More in the head scratcher camp is HTC’s oddly named “HTC Sense Companion” app, which was originally billed as a full-on artificial intelligence system but then dramatically scaled back for launch. What it basically comes down to now is providing you with recommendations for places to eat, bad traffic around you, changes in weather and suggestions for other ancillary content. The notifications arrive on your lock screen or second screen, and aren’t actually useful in any way — after over a week with Sense Companion turned on, I didn’t receive a single notification that was interesting to me. I turned it off.

Beside its questionable usefulness, the thing making Sense Companion completely unnecessary is the fact that Google Now and Google Assistant are here. Google Now provides me with better recommendations and notifications throughout the day, and the U Ultra’s excellent microphones and software performance make Google Assistant very useful.

Aside from the Sense Companion, which I don’t think anyone will actually use for more than a week, the second screen provides a pretty basic set of features. Just as you’d expect, it almost perfectly mirrors what the LG V20 can do: show you a generally static read-out of weather, calendar, contacts, a music player, an app launcher or a reminder. I used the weather display most often, and while it’s neat to see at a glance I don’t see a reason to waste battery life or overall device size in order to have it.

It feels tacked-on and distracting, particularly with the odd implementations of certain panels like the music player only working for Google Play Music, and the contacts launcher only working for on-device contacts. Perhaps design time and component costs could have been better utilized elsewhere in the phone.

Performance

The U Ultra continues HTC’s well-deserved reputation for having lightning-fast and responsive software, where everything you do on the phone happens now with no hesitation or slowdown. Scrolling is silky smooth and transitions are quick, not unlike the experience of using a Google Pixel XL. I didn’t have a single crash, slowdown or stutter on the U Ultra in my review period — it’s impressively fast, and I love seeing phones that perform like this.

It isn’t just fast, it’s top-notch impressively fast.

Performance of this level isn’t just because of the Snapdragon 821 and 4GB of RAM inside, but having the latest internals (for the time) definitely help. You can just tell that HTC has done plenty of optimization in this hardware, and it bodes well for the future as well. Further to that point, 64GB of base internal storage — plus an SD card slot — means you aren’t as likely to run into update jeopardy after you’ve used your phone for a year and loaded it up with apps and media.

One more “performance” note that doesn’t really have anywhere else to live: the speakers. HTC is using the same “BoomSound lite” type of setup here with a small speaker at the top of the phone (it’s just the earpiece speaker) and a bigger speaker that plays a majority of the sound at the bottom. And it sounds good — albeit not at the super high volumes you expect from BoomSound of yesteryear with two dedicated full-sized speakers. I’m fine with this compromise, especially if dual front-facing speakers would’ve made the U Ultra even taller.

How about updates?

Completely skipping the carrier channels and selling unlocked directly to consumers is an overall win for everyone, and one of the benefits is not having any sort of extra restrictions or carrier bloatware in the software. This should theoretically let HTC update the software on the U Ultra more often as well, though at the time of writing this in mid-March my U Ultra has Android 7.0 with the January 1 security patch.

Looking back at HTC’s history of security and platform updates, things haven’t been fantastic. Some phones have done really well with getting one big platform update quickly, only to quickly trail off and get dramatically slower support or no security patches. Let’s hope HTC can do right by its loyal customers, who have stuck around for a long time, and keep updates rolling.

At least we know going forward that any shortcomings in software updates land squarely on HTC and not a carrier.

Battery life

As I’ve already covered, the U Ultra is an unashamedly large phone — and despite being filled with lots of solid specs, it’s small in one area: the battery. With just 3000 mAh inside, it’s one of the smaller capacities out there in a top-end phone, coming in underneath the Pixel XL, LG G6, (expected) Galaxy S8 Plus, Mate 9 and … you get the idea.

Full-day battery … in a huge phone you expect a bit more from.

Longevity is actually pretty good on the U Ultra — I was able to get through a full day without hitting the battery saver (which triggers at 15%) on most days. But spending a little extra time browsing apps and listening to streaming music for a while throughout the day, I was able to kill it off in about 15 hours. That’s good, but not great — and for a phone this big, most people are expecting “all day no matter what” kind of battery life.

You do get Quick Charge 3.0 here, with a compatible charger in the box, and perhaps that’s enough to ease many people’s worries about having just 3000 mAh inside. But being able to get better battery life each and every day out of a smaller phone from a different company makes this a tough sell for HTC.

Solid for last year

HTC U Ultra Camera

The glory days of HTC having industry-leading, captivating camera experiences are behind us. The HTC 10’s camera was strong in 2016 but didn’t challenge for the “best of the best” designation, and HTC has only slightly tweaked things for the U Ultra. A 12MP “UltraPixel 2” sensor, which has large 1.55-micron pixels, sits behind an f/1.8 lens with optical image stabilization and focuses with phase-detect and laser auto focus. That’s everything you ask for in a smartphone camera in terms of hardware.

HTC’s camera interface is slick and offers quick access to other modes — including a full manual “Pro” mode — but understandably focuses on the main point-and-shoot function. I appreciate the toggle to quickly switch between HDR modes and big buttons to shoot video and switch to the front camera.

Thanks to all of the solid specs listed above, right out of the box you’ll be impressed by the general quality of the U Ultra’s camera. Just like most smartphone cameras today (to say nothing of $749 flagships), the U Ultra’s can put out 12MP shots that are in focus, crisp and consistent from shot to shot.

It’s only once you shoot with the camera for a week or more that you start to notice the few quirks that tell you the U Ultra is going to perform along the line of previous HTC cameras. Just like its predecessors, the U Ultra fights you in two main areas: a general lack of dynamic range, and hit-or-miss low-light performance.

For daylight shots, the U Ultra does well — where it struggles is in its dynamic range not being high enough to properly capture all parts of a less-than-ideal scene without something being short of your expectations. Even with HDR turned on, the U Ultra’s pictures will leave some portion of a mixed-light scene blown out or too dark. Turning on “touch autoexposure” in the settings is necessary so you can get proper metering for the actual subject of your photo, so at least that will be exposed properly and look good. Colors in general are just fine, but this low dynamic range leaves many photos coming out bland or improperly exposed to the point of being disappointing, particularly when you just point and shoot.

Fighting to be the best camera of March 2016.

At night, the U Ultra again is very capable thanks to its high resolution, OIS and large pixels, but some of the processing seems a bit off at times. The biggest issue I found is the U Ultra’s willingness to go for really slow shutter speeds in dark scenes — as slow as 1/5 second — to try and brighten things. The issue with dropping to 1/5 second is it introduces lots of potential for hand shake and blur, which combined with over-processing of grainy areas leads to very soft and blotchy results. Even when the shutter speeds are a bit quicker, around 1/20 or so, the U Ultra hesitates when taking low-light shots, making it easier to introduce hand shake that requires re-taking a photo.

When I stabilized the U Ultra and took a few shots to pick the best from the bunch, it can take great low light photos — you can only start to quip at little issues when you zoom in and notice soft edges. But the shot-to-shot performance at night can vary considerably, and that’s just a problem that high-end smartphones of the last year don’t struggle with.

The U Ultra would have a very competitive top-end camera if it were launching at this time last year. Its daylight performance is good, and if you know how to use it you can overcome issues with its lower-than-most dynamic range. Even though the low light performance is tougher to manage, it can capture solid shots But when you combine those two main issues that are likely to be present in photos you’ll take on a weekly basis, you get a camera that is very much befitting of a $500 phone rather than a top-tier flagship commanding a 50% higher price.

This camera doesn’t go toe-to-toe with the LG G6 or Pixel XL — it’s basically just a step above the the OnePlus 3T or Honor 8, at double the price.

Too many flaws

HTC U Ultra Bottom line

HTC made about 80% of a great flagship smartphone, but is choosing to sell it for 100% of a flagship price. Time after time, HTC continues to absolutely nail the basics: excellent design, perfect hardware execution, a top-notch display, great internals and fast software are all here. But then there are odd stumbles: no headphone jack, puzzlingly weak low-light camera performance, a small battery and distractingly tacked-on “artificial intelligence” software.

HTC made 80% of a great flagship smartphone, but is selling it for 100% of a flagship price.

Even some decisions, like skipping waterproofing and including its little second screen, wouldn’t seem so bad if the rest of the phone was great. But add these small issues to an already-flawed phone and you wonder what the thought process was for the whole device — that once again is commanding a top-dollar price tag of $749 where the competition gets just about everything right.

To have sales figures that actually move the needle, HTC can’t get by on its hardware design and software performance anymore, as great as both aspects may be. There’s plenty here to get HTC fans to buy a U Ultra purely for its great design, strong performance and big display — but those sales will be overshadowed by the overwhelming majority of people who will go for the better overall phones on offer from big-name companies at the same price or less.

See at Amazon
See at HTC

Focus is key to blending virtual objects with the real world

You might remember Avegant for its unusual take on the video headset. The Glyph looked like (and doubled up as) headphone cans but worked pretty well. We called it “a wearable cinema for serious movie fans.” Now, the startup is taking on a bigger challenge with Light Field, its “mixed reality platform” that can visualize objects “at multiple focal planes”. That means that it can offer variably focused virtual objects in the real world. Until now, the inability to change focus has meant virtual objects appear out of place in the real world. Take a look at the image above: The Mars Rover in the hand is in the same position (and focus) as the hand, while Mars and the corridor behind are out of focus until that focus shifts. (Milanese Apple Watch band optional. We hope.)

Avegant wants to make virtual objects appear more realistic at different distances. It also sounds like what investment-flush Magic Leap has been promising in recent years: more realistic virtual viewing and, most likely, the future of augmented reality. The company is planning on transforming this prototype into a consumer product. (Part of technology comes from its Glyph projector which projected an augmented reality screen for the wearer.) The technology this time is much more advanced, and offers more detailed projections. The company says this makes for a “more realistic and interactive experience”.

The technology will apparently work across multiple major hardware and software platforms. It doesn’t specifically mention any VR (or AR) hardware makers, but it gives a nod to Unity, which is used to make an awful lot of current VR content. According to Kurt Guttag, a heads-up display expert that’s had a play, the headset is bulkier than Microsoft’s Hololens, but added that it was an engineering prototype. (He also got a behind-the-scenes play at CES, months ago in January. The hardware has almost certainly moved on since then.)

Guttag said that the ability to see virtual objects in different focuses demonstrated that the tech was “well beyond” Hololens and its standard stereoscopic tech. Interestingly there’s no moving parts to help focus the images — and it doesn’t use eye-tracking either, apparently. While this means it’s a bit of a mystery as to how it all works, Avegant says this helps to ensure it’s “economical to make” — an important point to make when rival Magic Leap is dealing in billions of investment bucks.

Edward Tang, co-founder and CTO at Avegant said: “The biggest stumbling block for mixed reality today is creating crystal clear images that are within one meter. Without this capability, most mixed reality use cases simply can’t materialize.” The team believes the tech can make its way into commercial and industrial uses, as well as offering more realistic entertainment and gaming experiences on the way. “We’ve overcome that obstacle, and can’t wait for people to experience the results,” he added.

Source: Avegant (1), (2)

The best powerline networking kit

By Nathan Edwards & Samara Lynn

This post was done in partnership with The Wirecutter, a buyer’s guide to the best technology. When readers choose to buy The Wirecutter’s independently chosen editorial picks, it may earn affiliate commissions that support its work. Read the full article here.

After a total of 36 hours of testing nearly every kit released over the past two years, we’ve determined that the best powerline networking adapter set for most people is the TP-Link AV2000 2-Port Gigabit Passthrough Powerline Starter Kit. The broadly compatible TP-Link kit is twice as fast as last year’s fastest powerline options, so it’s the best way to start or expand your home powerline network.

Who this is for

A powerline networking kit is a great way to extend your home network to the distant reaches of your house using your existing electrical wiring. A powerline kit contains two adapters, each with at least one Ethernet port and an electrical plug. One adapter plugs into an outlet near your router and connects to it with an included Ethernet cable. Plug in the other where you need an Internet connection and hook it up to your device with the other Ethernet cable. You can extend your powerline network by buying more adapters, either individually or in kits—it’s usually cheaper to buy a two-adapter kit, even if you need only one more. To add rooms to your powerline network, you just need adapters in those rooms; you can use the same router-side adapter for your entire network. All of the adapters we tested claim support for up to 16 adapters on the same powerline network.

Although powerline is like Ethernet in that it uses actual wires to deliver its signal, its signal still degrades over distance like Wi-Fi, especially if the adapters are on different electrical circuits. Despite its limitations, powerline is a useful way to extend your network to areas where Wi-Fi doesn’t reach and running an Ethernet cord would be impractical (like a garage, attic, or faraway bedroom).

Wi-Fi extenders are another option for extending the range of your network. These let you bring signal to any device with Wi-Fi, and almost all extenders have at least one Ethernet port. However, they tend to be more expensive than powerline kits and can interfere with your existing Wi-Fi signal (causing slowness or signal drops). If your home has issues with powerline networking and you can’t run a physical Ethernet cable, extenders are a good option.

How we picked and tested

This year’s powerline kits are faster than last year’s, but much bulkier. Left to right: the TP-Link TL-PA9020 kit, Zyxel PLA5456KIT, D-Link DHP-701AV, and Zyxel PLA5405KIT. Photo: Nathan Edwards

Powerline networking adapters provide a network connection in places where it’s impractical to use Ethernet or Wi-Fi, so speed is the most important factor in deciding between them. The AV2 2000 kits we tested this year were twice as fast as last year’s fastest models. If you’re starting from scratch, we recommend getting the latest-generation kits because your network is only as fast as its slowest component.

Every kit we’ve tested in the last two years except for one has a claimed data rate above 1 Gbps and complies with the latest HomePlug AV2 standard. AV2 compliance is important because it guarantees better speed, security, and reliability compared with older versions. The standard requires that every adapter have a Gigabit Ethernet port to avoid bottlenecking the connection, plus push-button AES 128-bit encryption to secure your network traffic from neighbors who might share your electrical wiring. AV2 also allows each adapter to act as a repeater. If the device you need to connect to your router is so far away (either in physical distance or in the number of electrical circuits the signal needs to traverse) that even your powerline signal is weak, you can put another powerline adapter midway between the two to extend the signal. For more on how we picked, see our full guide.

We tested two new AV2 2000 kits, the Zyxel PLA5456KIT and TP-Link TL-PA9020KIT, against two of the fastest adapters from last year, the Zyxel PLA5405KIT and the D-Link DHP-701AV.

We connected one adapter from each kit to an Asus RT-AC66U AC1750 dual-band wireless Gigabit router, and the other adapter to a Lenovo ThinkPad T460 laptop. A desktop PC with an Intel 82579V Gigabit NIC connected to the router was our iPerf server.

We benchmarked all four powerline kits, plus 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz Wi-Fi, using iPerf 3.1.3 at three different points in a two-story, 2,400-square-foot house built in 1979. To learn more about the house’s layout and our test setup, see our full guide.

Many factors influence the speeds of powerline network adapters. Your mileage will vary for a number of reasons, covered in the Who this is for section of our full guide.

Our pick

The TP-Link TL-PA9020P was the fastest kit we tested, and it has dual Ethernet ports and a handy management utility. Photo: Nathan Edwards

The TP-Link TL-PA9020P kit is the best powerline adapter kit for most people because it was the fastest in our tests and had the best software, too. Along with the runner-up Zyxel PLA5456KIT, it’s the fastest kit we’ve ever tested. It has a passthrough AC power outlet, two Gigabit Ethernet ports, and a two-year warranty, and it comes with two 78-inch Ethernet cables. It’s bulky enough to partially block the outlet above it, but all the smaller adapters we tested were much slower.

The TP-Link offered the fastest performance in all the most important locations. In the two test locations farthest from the router, the TP-Link kit had average speeds between 80 and 90 Mbps. That’s not as fast as the Ethernet or the Wi-Fi—again, you should use those options if you can—but it was enough to beat the Zyxel PLA5456KIT, and more than twice as fast as the two fastest kits from last year (Zyxel’s PLA5405KIT and D-Link’s DHP-701AV). It’s more than fast enough to run several 4K video streams at the same time, and faster than the Internet connections most people in the US have.

Runner-up: Zyxel PLA5456KIT

Zyxel’s PLA5456KIT is almost identical to the TP-Link kit in size, speed, and price, though its included Ethernet cables are shorter and its optional management utility is clunkier. Photo: Nathan Edwards

If the TP-Link is sold out or too expensive, get the Zyxel PLA5456KIT. It’s nearly identical to the TP-Link in size, speed, specs, and price. It’s a little bit slower in some tests, but it’s still twice as fast as any powerline kit we tested last year. It’s AV2 2000-rated, has a passthrough AC power outlet, and two Gigabit Ethernet ports, and it’s bulky enough to partially block the outlet above it in a duplex socket.

The only real differences between the Zyxel and TP-Link kits are that the Zyxel’s bundled Ethernet cables are a foot and a half shorter, its status lights are on the front rather than the side, and its management utility is clunkier, slower, and uglier, and has fewer features than the TP-Link’s.

This guide may have been updated by The Wirecutter. To see the current recommendation, please go here.

Note from The Wirecutter: When readers choose to buy our independently chosen editorial picks, we may earn affiliate commissions that support our work.

The week that was at SXSW 2017

As much as Team Engadget loves Austin, it’s time for us to say goodbye to SXSW. This week, we saw some of the latest things happening in tech, art, film and music — oh, and we also ate a ridiculous amount of BBQ, because that’s what you do in Texas. From smart jackets to AR and VR experiences, to chats with Buzz Aldrin, Frank Oz and La La Land’s music composer, we checked out a bit of everything at the event. Join Senior Editor Devindra Hardwar and Managing Editor James Trew as they discuss the week that was, and click here to catch up on all the news you may have missed from SXSW 2017.