HTC is teasing a March 20 announcement, but don’t get your hopes up

This is almost certainly not the HTC 11 you’re looking for.

HTC is teasing an announcement on its Taiwanese Facebook page for a March 20 announcement, coinciding with the spring equinox.

2017.03.20

HTC will give you an unexpected surprise

While it’s possible that the announcement will be a phone, there’s almost no chance that it will be a worldwide release, and it’s definitely not the rumored HTC 10 successor that is expected to be announced and released sometime in the second quarter.

What’s more likely is that it is the successor to the HTC One X9, rumored to be called the One X10. We’ve already seen leaked photos of the Europe and Asia-only device, and its announcement is already overdue: it was expected in January or February.

The phone will sport a modest spec sheet, including a 5.5-inch 1080p display, 3GB of RAM, 32GB of internal storage and a MediaTek P10 processor.

In the meantime, HTC’s follow-up to the HTC 10 is expected to rock this year’s latest spec sheet, including a Snapdragon 835, which may end up delaying its announcement and release until sometime in May or June.

58 tech companies file amicus brief against revised travel ban

Nearly 60 tech companies have submitted an amicus curiae brief to a Hawaii district court on Wednesday, denouncing the Trump administration’s revised travel ban, which is scheduled to go into effect on tomorrow.

As with the the previous travel ban, these companies are seeking an immediate injunction arguing that the executive order “would inflict significant and irreparable harm on U.S. businesses and their employees.” The revised ban would temporarily bar citizens from six predominantly Muslim nations from entering the country and reduce the number of refugees that the US accepts annually to just 50,000, less than half the number normally accepted.

Curiously, this brief does not enjoy the same broad support as the original, which garnered 127 signatories in all. Plus, a number of major players like Google, Apple, Netflix and Spotify who signed the first amicus brief in response to the original ban are missing from this new court filing.

Source: Verge

Facebook’s Snapchat-like Stories are now available worldwide

Facebook’s quest to clone Snapchat features wherever possible just took its next logical step. Just a couple of months after it started testing Stories in the main Facebook app, the social network has rolled out the feature to many (though currently not all) users worldwide. As with similar efforts in Instagram, Messenger and WhatsApp, you can stitch together photos and videos to share stories that vanish after 24 hours. It won’t be at all shocking if you’ve used any of those apps, but its presence in the core Facebook app is particularly significant.

To date, Facebook’s main Snapchat-like features have been implemented in apps that are a subset of its user base. But as big as Instagram is, it can’t compare to Facebook’s 1.7 billion mobile users — this move puts Stories in front of many, many more eyeballs. This isn’t necessarily going to crush Snapchat’s user base (it certainly has the money to fight back), but it may reduce the temptation to head over to Snapchat when you just want to document your life.

Source: TechCrunch

Denon Heos soundbar and sub take Sonos head-on

Denon’s Heos multiroom audio system has been compared to Sonos often in the past and the latest pair of products are set to continue that trend.

The Heos Bar is a direct rival to the Sonos Playbar, while the wireless Heos Subwoofer will draw comparisons with the Sonos Sub.

We haven’t tried either out yet, so don’t know how they match up in performance, but at £849 the soundbar is pricier thanks to having a range of four 4K-enabled, HDR-compatible HDMI 2.0a ports on the rear. The subwoofer, on the other hand, is actually £100 less than its Sonos equivalent, coming in at £599.

The Heos Bar is compatible with other Heos multiroom products and can stream audio through internet services, including Spotify and Tidal, via Bluetooth and play internet radio stations. It can also stream your own music library from a source on your network.

Its HDMI ports mean that you can feed sources, including 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray players, directly into the back of the Bar (something the Sonos does not do).

It is a three-channel design, with left, right and centre channels. There are nine drivers in a 45-degree configuration to give as wide a soundstage as possible. It also decodes its own surround sound using the same digital signal processing as Denon AV receivers.

It can be paired with two Heos speakers to act as rears for complete 5.1 audio.

The Heos Subwoofer is completely wireless – save for power – and can sync with the Bar to add muscle to soundtracks. It can also work in tandem with other Heos speakers.

It features two custom-made 5 1/4-inch drive units and Class D amplification for deep bass no matter where you put it in the room.

Both devices work with the Heos App for iOS and Android and will be available from April at Denon retailers.

Samsung Galaxy S7 edge retrospective: This is still a fantastic phone

Of all the phones we saw in 2016, it was the Samsung Galaxy S7 edge that had the greatest impact. Arriving alongside a flat Galaxy S7 that was pretty close to the Galaxy S6, the S7 edge made more sense, pulling into a space that made the S6 edge+ more manageable and hit that 5.5-inch sweet spot. It won Best Smartphone at the Pocket-lint Gadget Awards 2016, against fierce rivals, among many other accolades.

The S7 edge made design tweak that lead to a more premium look and a better feel in the hand. Even now, post-Pixel launch, post-iPhone 7 launch, post-LG G6 launch, we still think that Samsung has the edge on design and it’s a year old.

Despite LG’s postulating about one-handed use in the G6, switching the display to a 18:9 aspect, in many ways the S7 edge is already there. Some of the S7 edge’s display flows into those curves, so although it’s 5.5-inch, it doesn’t have the bulk of Google’s Pixel XL or other big devices.

Let’s not take anything away from the Pixel XL – that’s a great phone and at launch there was massive appeal in the exclusive Android features it offered – but there’s an enduring greatness to the Samsung Galaxy S7 edge that still remains and recent software updates have refreshed the experience. Using this phone a year after launch, it doesn’t feel dated.

• Google Pixel XL vs Samsung Galaxy S7 edge: Which should you choose?

Samsung Galaxy S8 improvements

It’s not perfect, of course. Any phone you pick up will have flaws, maybe through design decisions, maybe amplified through personal preferences, and on the Samsung Galaxy S7 edge it’s true that form overtook function in some areas.

Let’s take those display edges for example. They are the defining feature of the phone, not only giving this Samsung handset distinctive looks, but aiding the feel of the phone in the hand. Although Samsung has a range of software features that are designed to take advantage of that design, we’ve never actually used any of them.

Sure, when the phone was new, we used “edge screen” a lot. You can swipe in, thumb through various panels for shortcuts to contacts, apps or other information. But in reality, hitting the home button so often gets you where you want to be anyway. Why swipe when you can click and tap a shortcut?

• Samsung Galaxy S8 Plus: Release date, rumours and everything you need to know

Pocket-lint

In many ways that’s the fun of modern phones: you have so many ways of doing things that you can easily change the setup to your preference – on Android at least.

But on a more serious note, the real flaw we’ve noticed with the edges is responsiveness. Many applications flow the UI elements over the bend. Things like play control or settings controls are often located in corners, out of the way of the real content and it’s these things that expose the slight weakness of this display setup: sometimes you need multiple taps to get a response.

Is that a critical failing? Not at all, but it’s something to target to refine the experience of living with this phone when it’s updated with the Samsung Galaxy S8.

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

Should you buy the Samsung Galaxy S7 edge now?

Buy for £486 from Amazon UK, $591 from Amazon US

It’s a question we get asked a lot. With the prices falling, it’s easy to say yes and we suspect that as soon as the Samsung Galaxy S8 launches, many will be faced with this decision.

The Samsung Galaxy S7 edge doesn’t feel dated, the battery life is good – it could be better, but it’s not the worst – the camera experience is one of the best and the updated software has not only brought the latest of Android (we’re still waiting for Google Assistant mind you), but also a refresh to TouchWiz. 

In many ways, the Galaxy S7 edge takes some of the Note 7’s interface goodness and puts it to use, maturing the visuals over this phone’s original 2016 software.

With the Samsung Galaxy S8 due to be announced on 29 March 2017, it’s worth holding on though. This will bring a small design change and certainly a more powerful phone, but you’d be best advised to wait and see what killer feature Samsung introduces and what happens to S7 edge prices.

We feel pretty confident, however, that the Samsung Galaxy S7 edge still has plenty of life left in it.

• Samsung Galaxy S7 edge review: Still a smartphone champion

Land Rover Discovery (2017) review: The best 7-seat SUV money can buy

There are soft-road SUVs. There are fashion SUVs. And then there’s the Land Rover Discovery: a through-and-through SUV with all the proper 4×4 off-road bells and whistles you could wish.

For many, however, that’s not what’s going to sell the 2017 incarnation of this classic. First, the new Discovery looks like an alien race reimagined its exterior, creating a surefire head-turner (viewed from the front, at least, that rear might get looks for the wrong reasons); second, the Disco’s full 7-seat layout means it’s more than adept at karting the whole family around those country roads; and third, the interior is luxe enough so that you’ll never feel like you’re behind the wheel of a tractor.

But with the SUV sector now more competitive than ever – and with the likes of the Audi Q7 and Volvo XC90 perhaps more practical road options, not to mention the just-announced Range Rover Velar arguably cannibalising Jaguar Land Rover’s own range – does the 2017 Discovery earn the crown of 2017 SUV king?

Land Rover Discovery 2017 review: All-new design

If you’ve ever seen a 2009 Discovery 4 on the roads then you won’t need us to tell you the 2017 Discovery has an all-new design, from inside to out.

Some of what you can’t see has a big impact to the design: the new Discovery is bigger than before, but also almost half a tonne lighter thanks to a predominantly aluminium construction. That’s a whole family’s worth of weight right there.

What you can’t miss is the visually impactful exterior. Those squinty s-shaped front lights, the pulled-back nose, downturned bumper and bulging hips that cover the wheel arches but curve back in to give the upper body a more slender frame. Notice those front vents too: these position incoming air over the wheels to deflect surrounding air from causing excessive drag. It’s not just a pretty face, it’s a clever one too.

The side marries sharp lines with soft folds and flexes in the body work, but unlike the Range Rover Velar’s dipped rear the new Discovery maintains its height – as is necessary for its 7-seat arrangement – and the back end, therefore, will be an area of contention for some. It’s a bit broad-shouldered and square. Plus that rear downturned bumper looks a little sad, while the two-piece boot of the previous Discovery 4 has been switched for an all-in-one upward-opening piece (there’s an interior tailgate, though). We don’t mind the overall look, but almost everyone we’ve spoken to says “not sure about the rear”. Each to their own.

Pocket-lint

As we’ve alluded to, the new Discovery is undeniably closer in design language to the Range Rover than ever before, blurring the boundaries more than ever before. That’s not necessarily a bad thing: it depends if you want a 5-seater or a 7-seater to some degree; and if you’re firmly fixated on the latter then we think the Discovery has the visual edge over the rounder Audi Q7’s form and Volvo XC90’s more conventional looks. The Land Rover offers five iosfix points, too, earning extra family points right there.

New Discovery review: True off-road abilities

We’ve tested out Land Rover’s latest in all manner of conditions: up rock faces, through sandy deserts, over rough terrain and across American highways. And this thing is a destroyer: it’ll eat up pretty much anything you care to throw its way, from Tarmac to dirt, mud and sand. It’s not a 4×4 pretender, that’s for sure – this is the confidence-inspiring real deal.

Pocket-lint

When dabbling in off-road the Disco is, well, a wonderful joyride. We could barely fathom the speed at which we went hurtling down desert dirt tracks without feeling the slightest of concern – and those lumps and bumps were munched up with little fuss. That’s thanks to the fully independent double-wishbone suspension system and just how rapidly it can adsorb what’s beneath the wheels.

As a proper 4×4, the Discovery offers special drive modes – general, grass, gravel & snow, mud & ruts, sand, rock crawl – in addition to low-range diff-lock for steep climbs and even all-terrain (ATPC) where the car crawls at a slow pace allowing you to focus on just the steering. These are easily selectable from a pop-up rotational dial or, in the case of the last two, individually assigned buttons to the centre. That suspension can adjust the ride height of the car for clearance too, to get through particularly perilous conditions. All with the tap of a button.

Pocket-lint

Not that, like any car, the Discovery is impervious to all terrain. On the final day of our four-day excursion, having covered hundreds of miles, we part deflated the tyres for some sand dune driving. And we’re not talking special tyres here: just standard on-road ones. We’ve done so before in hardy pick-up trucks, such as the Toyota Hilux, and expected to get stuck in the sand a whole lot more than we did. We rode the throttle hard enough to keep things moving 95 per cent of the time.

Land Rover Discovery review: An everyday car

Back on Blighty’s roads we’re sure that most people aren’t going to give much of a hoot about all that though. From the driveway to school drop-off tends to not be too perilous, right? The important factor to take away is how the new Discovery can transfer those off-road smarts to normal conditions. The suspension, for example, can clatter with a pot hole and you’ll barely notice it up front (it’s stiffer in the middle and back, mind, but still not too bad). This Land Rover is the embodiment of comfort and refinement on the road.

Pocket-lint

That air suspension has other uses too: hit the Elegant Arrival button and the car will lower itself upon coming in to park, making getting in and out easier for those who might struggle to take the big step up. Or, you know, those who like skinny jeans or a stride-limiting dress. Again, taking off-road skills and plying them to on-road ability; a great idea.

Should the weather take a turn for the worse and you live out in the sticks then, well, we’d like to see a VW Sharan get itself out of a sticky situation. No such problems for the Discovery, without the necessity to be an advanced driver: its on-board computer will deliver the necessary power the the correct wheels to avoid skidding on ice and so forth.

2017 Discovery review: Heaps of space and comfort

But it’s the day-to-day driving that’s just so darn easy. Sat behind the wheel, the double sunroof letting in boat loads of light, sunglasses firmly fixed to face and that eight-speed gearbox smoothly taking care of every transition, it’s a calm and almost peaceful place to be.

Pocket-lint

There’s loads of room in the back, too, with the middle three seats almost as comfortable as up front. The far back is a bit tighter, but as the middle row has independently adjustable seats it’s easy to drop the centre one only for added leg space when accommodating six rather than seven adults.

Boot space is up to 2,500 litres if you fold all the seats down – which takes a mere 14 seconds per row via the electronic controls. In doing so there’s enough space to almost lie flat. Just fold the back row down and the 5-seat setup means an ample 1,230 litres of space – or, in practical terms, a dog crate for the family pet.

Land Rover Discovery 2017 review: Engines and efficiency

We drove the 2-litre and 3-litre diesel options for this review, which in their four-cylinder engine arrangements don’t sound especially capacious for such a car. But what they lack in pep – overtaking certainly doesn’t feel of supercar pace, for example, even when in sport mode on the driver’s dial – they make up for in efficiency and torque. That off-roading wouldn’t be plausible without some super-strength in the bag; we even got six adults up relatively perilous desert hill tracks at nighttime without a hitch.

Pocket-lint

The critical part about that engine make-up is that Land Rover has opted for a four-cylinder engine – just like Volvo has in the XC90. That’s important because it returns better mileage and isn’t as environmentally murderous (JLR quotes 47.1mpg for the 2-litre, 44.8mpg for the 3-litre). Real-world mileage will be less, of course, but it’s still good going compared to how poor it could be (the 3-litre V6 diesel and 3-litre petrol are more powerful, but the latter drops to an inconsiderable 26mpg).

2017 Land Rover Discovery review: Tech treats

As part of parent Jaguar Land Rover, the Discovery pulls the company’s InControl Touch Pro system. It’s a 10-inch touchscreen system to the centre column, within easy reach and responds well.

Pocket-lint

It’s no “Blade” system, as per the Range Rover Velar, though. That’s the company’s holy trinity setup, which we didn’t expect to see in the Discovery by any means. Perhaps a future facelift model will take that on board.

As it is, the InControl Touch Pro setup delivers a whole lot to your fingertips. Satnav, media, audio setup, climate control, seat control, rear media control (as applicable), efficiency and driving style data, and connectivity (there’s a slot for a SIM card for on-the-go Wi-Fi). That’s a whole lot of stuff and, frankly, that’s one of the Discovery’s downfalls (as it is in any Jag setup): there’s so much to dig through that it can be a bit complex.

Pocket-lint

However, the Discovery doesn’t force you to control everything through that touchscreen, which is a savvy decision. The presence of physical dials for climate control, heat seating/cooling and media is also just a short reach away. Cruise control, track skip and volume up/down are conveniently positioned on the driver’s wheel – which explains why the physical volume knob is positioned so heavily towards the passenger side.

There are other quirks, too, including an Apple Watch and Android Wear app to allow remote interaction with the Discovery, plus enough USB and 12V sockets to power the techiest of families (and they’re not all up front, they’re positioned throughout ensuring all three rows are serviced).

Pocket-lint

Complexity doesn’t thwart ability, though. Having lived with the Discovery for a couple of days we got used to its setup and learned its ins and outs sufficiently. And if we’re citing this as an apparent negative then we only need to look back to our Volvo XC90 review – a car which more or less lacks any physical input controls and, as such, also can’t be considered 100 per cent perfect.

Verdict

In a world of Audi Q7 and Volvo XC90 the idea of buying a Land Rover might make you think “that’s a bit too off-road, isn’t it?”. Sure, the Discovery is and always has been a capable off-roader, but in its 2017 guise it maintains that extreme capability, yet mixes it up with a striking design and oodles of on-road comfort and interior luxury to boot. Take all three of these 7-seaters side-by-side and, having driven them all, it’s the Land Rover that comes out on top. We think it has the most exciting looks too.

The Discovery’s weaknesses aren’t precisely shortcomings either: the design is increasingly close to the Range Rover so there’s risk of Jaguar Land Rover cannibalising its own market (but both look great); that rear end is going to be brought into question by various people; and the tech, while certainly abundant, can take some digging to get into the depths of it all. Oh, and let’s not forget that with all the extras it might cost a wedge of cash more than the closest competition.

Otherwise the Land Rover Discovery is a fully versatile machine both on- and off-road. It’ll eat Tarmac for breakfast and dirt tracks for dinner, lug the family about in just about any terrain the world happens to throw at it, all the while ensuring you look and feel good sat behind the wheel. It is, in short, the SUV king for 2017.

OnePlus teams up with Colette to launch limited-edition OnePlus 3T

OnePlus and Paris-based fashion boutique Colette are releasing a limited-edition version of the OnePlus 3T smartphone.

Dubbed the OnePlus 3T Colette edition, the phone is described as a “all-black edition” of the OnePlus 3T premium flagship smartphone. It is being launched now in celebration of Colette’s 20th anniversary. OnePlus has revealed it will even briefly host a pop-up shop in the Colette store in Paris only on 21 March to sell 250 units.

• OnePlus 3T tips and tricks: Master your 2017 flagship killer

The phone has 128GB of storage, 6GB of RAM, a Snapdragon 821 processor, Dash Charge, Android with OxygenOS, and a special engraving with the Colette logo. OnePlus will be offering a free set of the Bullets V2 earphones with each unit. If any of this interests you, the specially-made OnePlus 3T will be available for €479 (around £416).

Meet a new vision of class and power! Get the OnePlus 3T colette edition only at @coletteparis. Learn more https://t.co/0Zev7smhjb pic.twitter.com/OVawt8auqc

— OnePlus (@oneplus) March 15, 2017

This isn’t the first time OnePlus has teamed up with Colette. They also partnered last year. OnePlus collaborated with Colette ahead of the launch of the OnePlus 2 and the OnePlus X. It also did another pop-up shop for the OnePlus 3. OnePlus’ latest pop-up will open at 11am GMT on 21 March in the Colette store at 213 Rue Saint Honore in Paris.

Check out Pocket-lint’s review of the OnePlus 3T for more details about what the original phone features.

OnePlus

Google’s AI gets human help to avoid offensive search results

Google is making a new push to eliminate offensive search results such as those that appeared from US neo-Nazi site Stormfront in response to queries about the Holocaust. As Search Engine Land noticed, the site has revised its guide on how to assess search result quality for around 10,000 of its “quality rater” contractors. That includes a new “upsetting-offensive” content flag for the promotion of violence or hate against minorities and other groups, racial content, graphic violence and human trafficking.

On a search for “holocaust history,” for instance, Google instructs raters on how to handle two different results (below). The first shows a post from said racist site Stormfront on Holocaust denial, something that’s actually a crime in over 20 countries. Google tells raters to flag that with the “Upsetting-Offensive” flag “because of the direct relationship between Holocaust denial and anti-Semitism.

Google says the second example from The History Channel doesn’t require the “Upsetting-Offensive” flag, though. Even though it’s clearly an upsetting topic, “this result is a factually accurate source of historical information” that, unlike Stormfront, “does not exist to promote hate or violence against a group of people,” the document states.

Once the raters flag a result, nothing happens immediately. Rather, they’re used by Google’s coding team and, in turn, its AI algorithms, to improve the search engine overall. Once all that kicks in, someone searching for history about the Holocaust will be less likely to run into a denial site, if things go as planned. However, determined searchers will still find such results if they specifically seek them out by naming a site, Google points out.

The company has used the new guidelines with select raters and updated its algorithm late last year. Now, searching with a query like “did the holocaust happen” no longer returns Stormfront as the top result and instead surfaces pages from the United States Holocaust Museum. Other queries still turn out questionable results, but Google told Search Engine Land it’s “pleased” with the raters’ work so far. “We will see how some of this works out,” said Google engineer Paul Haahr. “We’re learning as we go.”

Via: Search Engine Land

Source: Google

Netflix offers 20 classic ‘MST3K’ episodes to the world

In the not-too distant future (April 14th, 2017 AD), a brand-new season of crowdfunded Mystery Science Theater 3000 episodes will hit Netflix. Before then, however, 20 classic episodes of the show have been added to the streaming service globally both to whet appetites and create new fans of the cult classic. The episodes include fan favorites as Manos: The Hands of Fate, Time Chasers and Space Mutiny.

It’s not the first time that Netflix has used such a strategy, offering a show across its global audience in time for a revival. For instance, while Gilmore Girls was available in the US since October 2014, Netflix released the show worldwide on July 1st. That paved the way for the Year in the Life revival series, which made its global debut the subsequent November. Similarly, a handful of MST3k episodes have appeared on US Netflix, but this could be its widest rollout since.

Owing to the mishmash of varying rights holders, it’s never been easy to watch MST3k episodes outside the US. By releasing 20 of the show’s finest episodes, including Space Mutiny, the number of people who can recall that weird show with the puppets talking through movies should increase substantially. We’d pepper this closing line with in-jokes, but let’s be honest, it is just a show, and we should really just relax.

Sound waves can be used to fool your phone’s motion sensors

It’s tempting to assume that the sensors on your mobile devices are trustworthy. Surely something that relies on real-world activity can’t lie, right? Unfortunately, that’s no longer the case. Scientists have discovered that you can fool mobile devices’ motion sensors into registering non-existent data by playing the right sounds. The technique involves playing a tone at the resonant frequency for the spring structures inside accelerometer chips, much in the same way as you might shatter a wine glass. It’s not strictly hacking (not in the conventional sense, anyway), but it could lead to an outsider taking control of motion-related features in the right circumstances.

In tests, the team managed to steer an app-controlled toy car by playing carefully crafted music through an Android phone’s speaker. They also got a phone to spell out the word “walnut” in a graph through another piece of music, and made a Fitbit tracker record imaginary steps using a basic speaker. None of these specific attacks are particularly frightening, but the team notes that this could theoretically be used to hijack drones or other vehicles that depend on motion sensing to get around.

The good news: this is relatively easy to defend against. There are two “low-cost” software solutions to thwart the resonant frequency exploit, and the researchers have already reached out to manufacturers (including Fitbit and Samsung) to make sure they’re aware of the issue. This particular vulnerability might not last long. However, it’s still an eye-opener — it shows that sensor security can be just as important as the operating system or your apps.

Source: University of Michigan (1), (2)