Samsung just finalized its acquisition of Harman, marking its biggest deal ever

Why it matters to you

The arrest of vice chairman Lee Jae-Yong isn’t stopping Samsung from conducting business, as the company completes its acquisition of Harman.

The show must go on for Samsung. Even as its leader, Vice Chairman of the Samsung Board Lee Jae Yong is arrested on bribery and corruption charges, the South Korean giant is pressing ahead with its business. On Saturday, the company announced the completion of its Harman International Industries acquisition, its largest such deal ever. While Samsung has previously opted for smaller deals and created much of its technology in-house, its latest purchase marks a shift away from that strategy.

“Today is a historic moment for us. The close of this transaction opens the door to create substantial growth opportunities and deliver greater benefits for customers worldwide,” said Young Sohn, President and Chief Strategy Officer of Samsung Electronics, in a statement. “We see transformative opportunities in the car — and a future which seamlessly connects lifestyle across automotive, home, mobile and work.”

Sohn also noted that Harman’s “iconic audio brands and capabilities paired with Samsung’s leading display technologies will deliver enhanced audio and video experiences to consumers and professional end markets.”

More: Everything you need to know about Samsung Pay

Harman quite the massive company, boasting some 30,000 employees spread out across a number of different brands including not only Harman Kardon, but also Infinity, JBL, Lexicon, and Mark Levinson. Harman will continue to conduct business as an independent subsidiary under the terms of the deal.

“We are excited to have completed the transaction, which provides compelling cash value to our stockholders, benefits our customers and provides new opportunities for our employees,” said Dinesh Paliwal, Harman President and CEO. “Samsung shares our commitment to our customers and our culture of speed, innovation and execution. Samsung provides Harman with the scale, platform and complementary technologies to accelerate growth and extend our global market leadership in automotive, smart audio and connected technologies.”

Paliwal will remain at the helm of Harman, as will his management team, and will also maintain his position on the company’s board. That said, Samsung will now become the parent company to Harman’s work force, headquarters and facilities, and all its consumer and professional audio brands.

“Recognizing the importance of partnerships in an increasingly connected world, particularly in automotive, we are poised to leverage our combined teams and resources to produce even greater value for our customers,” Paliwal concluded, “Working closely with automakers and other technology companies, Samsung and HARMAN will define — and drive — the future of automotive.”

Follow this guide to learn how to delete, and recover, notes on your iPhone

Note-taking apps are crucial to our daily productivity. Thankfully, iOS houses the Notes app, a piece of software that’s designed to go toe-to-toe with Evernote, OneNote, and a host of other note-taking apps that have come to dominate the market.

More: The 9 best note-taking and productivity apps compared

There are many ways to delete and recover notes from directly within the Notes app, but keeping them synced in the cloud — whether using iCloud or Google’s proprietary services — is the best way to make sure you don’t lose any notes. This allows you to easily change devices without fear of losing your data, or get everything back after a complete data wipe. Below, we will guide you through the steps of deleting and recovering notes.

Deleting notes

Deleting all notes at once

Open the Notes app.

Select the folder and account that you want to go into.
Tap Edit in the upper-right corner.
Tap Delete All in the bottom-right corner.

Deleting a single note at a time

Tap Edit in the upper-right corner.
Select the individual note, or notes, that you want to delete.
Tap Delete in the bottom-right corner.

Deleting a note using the swipe gesture

While looking at your notes, swipe left on any one of them, and tap Delete.

Deleting a note from within

Tap the note the you want to delete to open it.
Tap the trash icon in the lower-left corner.

Deleting using 3D Touch

When you’re looking at your list of notes, press down on the note you want to delete to perform a peek.

Swipe up while in peek mode, and select Delete from the menu.

Recovering deleted notes

If you have deleted some notes, and you need to recover them, there are a few ways you can accomplish this.

Recovering deleted notes from Recently Deleted

Remember that the Notes app has a Recently Deleted folder. The keyword here being “recently,” as the Notes app will only keep these notes for 30 days. After 30 days have passed, it will permanently delete them.

Open the Notes app, and tap Recently Deleted from the account that you want to recover.
Tap Edit in the upper-right corner.
Select the notes you want to recover.
Tap Move To in the lower-left corner.

Select the folder that you want to move the note to.

Bringing back your notes from iCloud

If you’re trying to recover all your notes after you’ve erased your iPhone or bought a new device, make sure that iCloud is turned on in Settings.

Go to Settings > iCloud.

Scroll down to Notes, and make sure it is turned on.

Bringing back your notes from other accounts

You may have created Notes using your Gmail account — or another account — meaning your Notes may be synced with that account, instead of your iCloud account. If this is the case, your notes will not appear in the Notes app until you set up all your accounts again. That said, here’s how to ensure that Notes is turned on in a Gmail account.

Go to Settings > Mail > Accounts.

Select the account, or if you only have iCloud set up, take the time to add your other email accounts.
Once you select or add an account, make sure Notes is turned on.

Using iTunes to restore notes from a backup

If you regularly back up your data with iTunes, then your notes and other data should be backed up to your computer. Thankfully, you can restore your media from a preexisting backup. Because you are restoring your entire iPhone from a backup, however, the notes that will appear on your iPhone are the notes that were on your iPhone on the day of the backup. Any notes you’ve saved since then may disappear, though you can always restore them using a backup from a previous day.

Open iTunes on your computer.
Plug in your iPhone, and in the Summary tab, choose Restore Backup.

We recommend using a cloud service to keep a complete backup of every note you take. See the previous steps if you want to ensure Notes is turned on for iCloud, and your other accounts.

Using a third-party app

If your notes have been permanently deleted from your Notes app, and you can’t recover them using iCloud or any other app, then your only other option would be to go with a third-party app. These apps are great when you need to recover your notes, contacts, texts, and other types of media. Some of them can even repair various iOS issues. Below are a few of our favorites.

iMobie Phone Rescue ($60+)

Phone Rescue will allow you to recover a number of media files, including your notes. What sets this program apart, however, is that it allows you to recover data from your iCloud account, in addition to your iTunes and device backups. The app also has a number of repair tools, which let you recover your device when it crashes or experiences errors.

Download now from:

iMobie

Wondershare Dr.Fone ($70+)

This recovery tool is compatible with the latest iOS devices, and you can install the program on both MacOS and Windows-based machines. The software will allow you to quickly recover notes, as well as photos, videos, and even data from other apps like WhatsApp.

Download now from:

Wondershare

Tenorshare Ultdata ($50+)

Like other recovery apps, this app will let you recover notes, messages, media, and other various types of data. It also allows you to recover your iPhone when it’s stuck in recovery mode, or when it fails to install the latest iOS update.

Download now from:

Tenorshare

Cooler than the other side of the pillow: Awesome alarm clocks

Over the past decade, many of us have gotten used to setting our alarm clocks on our smartphones rather than purchasing a dedicated device for our nightstands. However, in the interim, an array of cutting-edge clocks have hit the market to aid us with everything from falling asleep to promoting better sleep cycles.

More: 7 easy ways to track your sleep habits with technology

Light sleepers may require a little background noise throughout the evening, while deep sleepers need louder alarms to wake them in the morning. There are even alarm clocks that utilize lighting technology instead of traditional alarm functions, thus allowing for a steady, gradual sunrise in your bedroom. People are finicky about their sleeping habits, but, fortunately, there’s an alarm clock out there to match just about every lifestyle and budget. Here are nine of our favorites.

The Best: CubieTime Alarm Clock Charger

To truly earn its place on your nightstand, an alarm clock should be reliable and versatile, letting you customize your wake-up experience without letting you down. The CubieTime is actually more than just an alarm: It has two USB chargers and two outlets. That alone means you and your significant other might fight for who gets to put this clock next to their side of the bed. Thanks to its backup battery, you won’t have a Home Alone oversleeping situation when you need to get the airport and the power goes out. There’s a big snooze button for those mornings you need some extra zees.

Its display can be turned off or dimmed, so the large, easy-to-read numbers won’t blind you all night long. If you like to wake up to the radio or an alarm that gets louder over time, you won’t find those features here (though there is a version with a Bluetooth speaker but still no radio). Still, it does its job well, and there’s a reason this clock is found in lots of hotel rooms.

Price: $59

Buy one now from:

Amazon

Awesome tech you can’t buy yet: AWD electric skateboards and anti-surveillance shades

At any given moment, there are approximately a zillion crowdfunding campaigns on the web. Take a stroll through Kickstarter or Indiegogo and you’ll find no shortage of weird, useless, and downright stupid projects out there — alongside some real gems. In this column, we cut through all the worthless wearables and Oculus Rift ripoffs to round up the week’s most unusual, ambitious, and exciting projects. But don’t grab your wallet just yet. Keep in mind that any crowdfunded project can fail — even the most well-intentioned. Do your homework before cutting a check for the gadget of your dreams.

Taybles B-Side — Cassette tape coffee table

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Ever wanted a coffee table that looks like a giant cassette tape? No? Well, once you see these retro tables from Taybles, you might change your tune. Whereas the original Cassette Tape Table (the A-Side) typically sold for around $1,700 to $2,300, the LA-based startup’s new model (the B-Side) goes for just $250. When the original table first went on sale, frugal fans gave feedback, asking Taybles to offer a more affordable model. The company obliged, and is now up on Kickstarter with a much more affordable version.

“The easiest way to describe the difference between the A-Side table and the B-Side table is with this analogy,” the creators told Digital Trends. “Think of the A-Side as an original masterpiece painting and the B-Side as a more mass-produced print of that same painting.” Both tables are scaled 10.5 to 1 of a cassette tape. While the A-Side is handcrafted in Los Angeles and completely customizable, with options like LED lights and bar-top epoxy, the B-Side is built overseas with fewer features, though it still includes a whiteboard top and hidden storage drawer.

Read more here

Carvon — AWD electric skateboards

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For the past few years, electric motors have steadily become smaller and more powerful, while batteries have become drastically more power-dense and long-lasting.  That might not sound particularly groundbreaking or revolutionary, since most technology tends to become smaller and more powerful over time. In this case however, these two trends have coalesced and blended together to create a sort of renaissance in personal mobility devices.  Now more than ever, there are all manner of cool little wheeled gizmos hitting the market. Electric scooters, gyroscopically-stabilized unicycles, and motorized skates that strap onto your shoes are just some examples, and Carvon just dropped two more on us this week.

The Evo (aka “The Cruiser”) packs dual V3 motors positioned next to its wheels, rather than inside, which the company says allows for thicker urethane wheels, a smoother ride, and improved performance. The board can exceed 30 mph, and boasts with a 14-mile range. The flagship Revo (aka “The Climber”) goes one step further, with dual V3 motors up front and a single X Motor in the back, totaling 3,000 watts of output for what the company calls “a gearbox on wheels.” While excelling at climbing hills, the Revo 4WD also boasts an impressive 35 mph top speed and 20-mile range.

Read more here

TriboTex CarBoss — nanoparticles for engine repair

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Nanotechnology is a textbook example of an overhyped technology. Despite the fact that tech pundits have been singing its praises for decades, nanotech hasn’t really impacted the lives of everyday people in a big way. But that’s slowly starting to change, as it seems that our technology is finally catching up with our imaginations. Case in point? This crazy new material from nanotech company TriboTex. It’s one of a small handful of nanotech-based products that are not only practical, but actually available to average consumers.

CarBoss, as it’s called, is designed to extend the operational life-span of your car’s engine by improving efficiency where lubricated friction takes place. To make this possible, CarBoss uses a self-assembling nanostructured coating that not only lubricates your engine’s moving parts, but also provides regenerative effects to frictional surfaces. The company’s patented nanotech employs tiny particles that have one smooth side and one sticky side. The particles bond to frictional surfaces in your engine, with their sticky sides down and lubricated sides up, and make everything run smoother.

Read more here

Wheel — ultraminimalist record player

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Looking at the Wheel turntable from Miniot, you’ll quickly notice something strange. No, not the fact that it looks like a flying saucer, but that at first glance, it doesn’t appear to have a tonearm. But don’t let your eyes fool you. Instead of using the standard layout used by the vast majority of turntables — with the tonearm mounted in the top right corner — the Wheel uses a tonearm hidden within the platter, playing the record from below instead of from above. This has practical advantages — you don’t have to worry about dropping the needle on the record improperly, for example — but it also results in one of the coolest-looking turntables we’ve seen in some time.

The placement isn’t the only unique thing about the tonearm used in the Wheel. The tonearm is machined out of a single piece of laminated mahogany, and features a built-in infrared sensor for accurate movement and placement. It is is fine-tuned for damping, resonance, and weight distribution, which Miniot says makes for excellent sound. The unique build also adds another curious feature to the Wheel: it can play records while standing vertically, which means you could theoretically hang it on your wall like a clock.

Read more here

Eko glasses — Anti-surveillance sunglasses

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Whether you like it or not, we live in a state of surveillance. Cameras are everywhere nowadays, and to make matters worse, advancements in facial-recognition tech could soon give governments and private corporations the power to not only recognize us, but also cross-reference our faces to other personal data found online. But not to worry — there’s a new set of spectacles on Kickstarter that might help you bamboozle even the most sophisticated facial recognition tech.

The Eko shades, as they’re called, are rimmed with a type of retro-reflective material that bounces light back to exactly where it came from. Most surfaces reflect light by diffusing or scattering it in all directions, but this material is specially designed to reflect light back at the exact same angle as it arrived. If caught in flash photography, retro-reflective material will send most of the light back to the camera’s sensor. This will put the dynamic range of the camera’s sensor to the test, and likely result in an image that’s underexposed for everything but the rims of your glasses. Of course, this won’t help much for any camera that doesn’t require a flash, but it’s still a pretty interesting concept.

Read more here

Save nearly 50% off on Zendure’s A8 26,800mAh QC3.0 Portable Battery Bank!

There aren’t a lot of things in the world that are worse than having your phone or tablet die on you throughout the day, and even worse than that is having a charging cable at the ready, but no place to plug in.

Save big on this battery pack now! Learn More

Having a backup battery is probably the best option to keep in your back pocket if you’re bad for having devices die on you, but with so many options at so many price points (the majority of them being quite high), it’s hard to figure out if you’re picking up a lemon or a super-star.

With the Zendure A8 26,800mAh QC3.0 Portable Battery Bank, you’re definitely a winner. Known as one of the fastest charging power banks on the planet, and armed with Qualcomm Quick Charge 3.0 technology, this massive backup battery can effortlessly charge your phone 7-9 times without needed to be recharged itself.

Save big on this battery pack now! Learn More

Normally for such a powerful backup battery, you’d have to pay over $100 – $126.95, actually. While this price is totally fair for the product you’re picking up, Windows Central Digital Offers has your back, and through us you can pick up the Zendure A8 26,800mAh QC3.0 Portable Battery Bank for only $64.95. That’s nearly 50% off!

Having your devices die on you throughout the day is a major bummer, so why would you keep taking that risk? Let Android Central Digital Offers help you out and save nearly 50% off on your new top-of-the-line power bank today!

After Math: Keep pace in the space race

It’s been a productive week for those of us trying to get the hell off this crazy planet. NASA showed off a radiation-proof flight vest for interplanetary astronauts while Blue Origin debuted its latest rocket engine and previewed its upcoming New Glenn spacecraft. We also take a look at a solar farm visible from the ISS and examine just how badly the Trump regime is gutting NASA’s Earth Science programs. Numbers, because how else will we know when it’s time to blast off?

Catch the highlights of Senator Cory Booker’s speech at SXSW 2017

Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) is known for being an inspirational speaker, and he brought his game face to SXSW 2017. As one of the opening speakers for the show, he spent an hour answering questions and talking about what keeps him motivated and endlessly positive despite the difficult political climate he’s working in. Booker’s also pretty adept at social media and talked at length about how he’s using it to connect with his constituents, and why the negative attitudes running rampant on the internet don’t get him down.

Click here to catch up on the latest news from SXSW 2017.

Ben Heck’s next three builds are meant to be shipping products

You asked for bigger, better, longer-term builds, so the team is going to design three things that can be brought to market or to a crowdfunding site like Kickstarter. First up: Logic Bomb, a refactoring of the Hackmanji board game. How can it be made durable, smaller and help make digital logic as easy to learn as using a Speak & Spell? Next up is the Super Glue Gun, which is great because Ben has an obsession with such things. Finally, our viewers’ top choice: a mini pinball machine. Can this build be made into a kit? is 3D printing suitable? Follow the team as they work on these builds and have your say in guiding the projects over on the element14 Community!

Adidas is working on new, ‘open’ digital fitness products

The acquisition of Runtastic gave Adidas a major boost in its fitness tech efforts, and it didn’t hurt that the $238 million purchase came with over 100 million users attached. Since 2015, the year it bought the popular app, Adidas has focused on making Runtastic a bigger part of its business strategy. Last month the company announced it would be shutting down its MiCoach platform, which had been powering a suite of health and fitness products, in favor of consolidating that ecosystem with Runtastic’s. The next step, according to Adidas’ Head of Digital Sports, is to work with third parties on making more “personalized” experiences.

“It’s not just about ‘Can we develop a new piece of hardware that is a standalone Adidas ecosystem,’” Burr told Engadget in an interview at SXSW 2017. “You’ll be seeing that we’ll be opening up a bunch of our content and know-how to other third party devices, and [making] it more of an open platform scenario so that we can extend onto other people’s devices as well.” She says the goal will be to make fitness experiences that are tailored for each individual, since not everybody takes the same approach to training or working out.

“It’s not about creating these monolithic experiences that we want everyone to be in, in the same way,” Burr said. As for when we can expect these new products, whether this may be an app or a wearable, there’s no timeframe right now, but Burr says they’re coming “down the road.”

Click here to catch up on the latest news from SXSW 2017.

Home printer buying guide: How to choose the best printer

Essays. Coupons. Last-minute directions to Grandma’s house. Whatever you need to print, there’s a home printer that can do it. And intense competition among competitors such as HP, Epson, Canon and others has forced prices to such absurd lows that you can now walk into a store — even your local supermarket — and walk out with a brand new printer for $60 or less.

But selecting a home printer can be tough given the sheer amount of options on the market, not to mention the convoluted terms that only seem to complicate the process. With that in mind, we’ve put together a quick-and-dirty buying guide for selecting a home printer, with simple explanations of some of most common terms and recommendations that will serve the majority of users.

Inkjet or laser?

The first question all printer buyers must tackle comes down to a simple matter of what and how much you plan on printing.

Color inkjet printers comprise the bulk of the market simply because they can print just about anything: Essays, pie charts, or glossy photos, you name it. And today’s inkjet printers and all-in-ones are fast, often with print speeds that rival or surpass their laser counterparts.

Laser printers are still a good bet for office settings when most of the printing that you need to do is in monochrome. For the most part, monochrome laser printers can be purchased at affordable prices, offer good print speed, and in some cases, provide prints at a lower cost per page than a color inkjet. But it’s not a given, and you have to decide whether to give up the flexibility that a color inkjet printer offers. Color laser printers are another option, but they generally have a higher cost per page printed than a color inkjet.

In the past, laser printers have offered a higher page yield per cartridge than an inkjet printer. That’s changing, however, with some newer inkjet printers offering as many as 10,000 printed pages from a monochrome ink cartridge and 7,000 pages or more from each color cartridge. That translates into a lower cost per page, and less frequent cartridge changes.

For home use, a multifunction unit makes a lot of sense, not only because it’s cheaper than buying a printer and a standalone scanner, but also for the sake of saving room. Since all-in-ones are extremely common and manufacturers rarely charge much of a premium for them (you can often find one for as little as $50-$60) we highly recommend them for home users.

Note: Soon, you may not have to decide whether to purchase a standalone printer or an all-in-one. While manufacturers continue to bring out new printer-only units for the office, many of the new devices being introduced for home users are all-in-one models, phasing out print-only models.