You’ll be able to pre-order the Galaxy S8 and S8+ on Flipkart from Apr. 19

If you want to buy the Galaxy S8 or S8+ online in India, you’ll have to head to Flipkart.

Samsung is all set to launch the Galaxy S8 and S8+ in India tomorrow, and the phones will be sold online exclusively on Flipkart. Pre-orders will kick off at 12 p.m. on April 19, just as the launch event kicks off in New Delhi. We don’t know the pricing, but it will likely be under ₹60,000. As is always the case for a marquee phone, there will be a bevy of launch-day offers, which we’ll detail tomorrow.

As a refresher, the Galaxy S8 and S8+ offer 5.8-inch and 6.2-inch QHD displays, and will be powered by Samsung’s latest 10nm Exynos 8895 SoC. There’s also 4GB of RAM, 64GB storage, microSD slot, Dual Pixel 12MP camera, 8MP front shooter, NFC, LTE, hybrid dual-SIM slot, 3000mAh battery (3500mAh on the GS8+), and the all-new Bixby assistant.

Exclusivity agreements aren’t new in this segment, but Flipkart has secured a major win with the S8 and S8+ deal. Although the Galaxy S series doesn’t account for a majority of Samsung’s sales in India (that honor goes to the budget Galaxy J series), it certainly accounts for a significant portion of the mindshare.

See at Flipkart

Samsung Galaxy S8 owners, you can’t customise the Bixby button anymore

Samsung has released an over-the-air update for the Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus that will prevent anyone from using a third-party app to override the Bixby button to launch a rival voice-assistant instead.

• What is Bixby? Samsung’s smart AI explained

The Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus both come with a dedicated, side-mounted button to launch Samsung’s very own voice-assistant, Bixby. Bixby is able to control almost all functions on the Galaxy S8, such as launching the photo album, creating new albums, casting content to a nearby TV and adjusting various settings.

To use it, you need to hold down the dedicated button, speak your command, and let go. The button was never intended to be customised, but earlier in April, Reddit user Homeguy123 found a third-party app called All In One Gestures, that made it possible to remap the button to launch something like Google Assitant instead, meaning you weren’t forced to use Samsung’s own version.

While only a select few have their hands on the Galaxy S8 handsets for now, it was generally considered a good thing that the button could be configured, as it opened up possibilities for customisation that makes Android so popular.

• Samsung Galaxy S8: Release date, specs and everything you need to know
• Samsung Galaxy S8 Plus: Release date, specs and everything you need to know
• What is Google Assistant, how does it work and which devices offer it?

With the arrival of the update however, that’s now all set to change. Samsung has previously said that Bixby will be integrated into more of its devices in the coming years, and will be used to control everything from the TV to air conditioning.

Great iPhone 8 schematic shows Apple’s next phone with an edge-to-edge display

Chinese site iFanr has obtained a schematic drawing purporting to be that of the iPhone 8, or iPhone X as it has also been referred to. While it’s not entirely clear exactly where the schematic drawing has come from – we haven’t been able to find an accurate translation of the Chinese text – the drawing, along with renders to back it up, show what is without doubt a gorgeous iPhone.

• Apple iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus: What’s the story so far?

If true, the iPhone will feature a full-frontal display, similar to that of the Samsung Galaxy S8 and LG G6. Apple’s screen won’t curve off at the edges however, instead remaining flat. Nevertheless, the bezel around the edges of the screen will be a minute 2.57mm, which in the grand scheme of things is barely anything.

The leak also alludes to the Touch ID fingerprint sensor being embedded in the display, a feature we’ve heard rumoured before. It’s thought the technology required to develop this feature is the reason for the possible delay of the iPhone. Samsung wasn’t able to embed a fingerprint sensor into the display of the Galaxy S8, instead deciding to mount it on the rear of the phone.

The schematic drawing of the iPhone 8 also shows four small holes near the top speaker, the two on the left are thought to be a dual-camera system, while the two on the right are expected to be an ambient light sensor and 3D laser sensor.

Slashgear points out that these two sensors are similar to the ones found in the Microsoft Kinect camera for the Xbox, which was developed by PrimeSense, a company that Apple acquired in 2013. The front-facing camera could therefore take more than just pictures, it could provide more accurate facial recognition and better depth to photos. This is a feature that KGI Securities analyst Ming-chi Kuo has already predicted.

It’s thought that if Apple does implement this camera system, there will be no space at the top of the iPhone for the rear-facing dual-camera setup, so that will be need to be placed vertically on the back of the phone instead.

• Apple iPhone 8 in pictures: Renders and leaked photos
• Apple iPhone 8 to come with “revolutionary” facial recognition front-camera system 

As ever with leaks and rumours though, until anything official is announced, we have to take them with a pinch of salt. However we’re really hoping this one does turn out to be true, as we’ve never seen such a good-looking iPhone, and the added camera capabilities will be very welcomed indeed.

Bose SoundLink Color II returns with new colour options and water-resistance

Bose has announced some updates to its SoundLink Color wireless Bluetooth speaker. The new Color II model arrives with a more rugged and water-resistant body as well as a fresh selection of colour choices.

• Bose Revolve speakers pump sound out in 360 degrees

Inside, Bose has kept its very own dual-opposing passive radiator technology – which also features on the new Revolve and Revolve+ wireless speakers – which promise to use “every inch of their small enclosure” to deliver deep, powerful bass from a speaker that “defies its size”.

The addition of an IPX4-rating means the SoundLink Color II can now defend itself against the occasional splash by the pool, drinks spillage or rain shower, while the new soft touch silicone body makes it more durable against knocks, bumps and drops. Bose has made the SoundLink Color II available in new colour finishes of Aquatic Blue, Coral Red, Soft Black and Polar White.

Bose

An integrated microphone makes it possible to make and receive phone calls through the SoundLink Color II, and it can even access voice-assistants such as Siri and Google Now. Bose says the built-in battery is good for up to eight hours of playback time and the companion Bose Connect app makes it possible to join the company’s wireless speakers together to create a larger sound.

The Bose SoundLink Color II wireless speaker will be available from May for £129.95.

Google Earth feeds your wanderlust with ‘Voyager’ stories

There are two things you should never do if you want to maintain productivity: start clicking on links in Wikipedia, or open Google Earth. There are many, many other ways to waste time on the internet but the amount of work hours lost between those two is probably enough to make most managers weep. Your boss won’t be too pleased, then, to learn that Google Earth’s latest update, revealed today, ratchets up its time-killing potential several notches.

We’ve come a long way since the earliest versions of Google Earth that basically placed a virtual globe in your desktop with some basic mapping and 3D tools. Today’s revision sees a slew of new features that feel both exciting, and long overdue at the same time. The headline news, in my opinion, isn’t technically a feature at all, but the fact that Google Earth is no longer a standalone app for desktop and mobile users, and can be accessed right from a browser (perfect for Chromebooks and education).

There are, of course, a lot of new things you can do with Google Earth that will give even the most experienced virtual tourist something fresh to explore. The first change you’ll notice is the home page. No matter what machine you choose to open Google Earth on, you’ll be presented a menu offering a series of icons: A ship’s wheel, a die, a familiar highlight tag and a share symbol. The last two are somewhat self explanatory, but it’s the first two where most of the fun stuff is.

The ship’s wheel leads you to a section called “Voyager.” As that name suggests, this is all about discovery. Google Earth has kinda always been about finding and investigating, but Voyager is about enabling that encouraging that with curated content. Yes, even Google Earth isn’t immune to the current trend for “stories,” or in this case, curated tales from around the world (literally). These stories are essentially themed journeys around the planet peppered with rich media such as 360 videos, and Street View (including inside buildings and underwater).

Google partnered with the likes of DigitalGlobe and the BBC at launch to provide some of the more detailed stories, but we’re told these will be regularly updated with new and increasingly more curious adventures. For now, though, the selection of around 40 available looks pretty good, with everything from touring Hemmingway’s favorite haunts to a chance to meet girl muppets around the world (yep, check it out, much fun). Each “voyage” is usually about ten “locations” long, complete with swooping transition around the planet as you progress to the next spot.

Two other features that come along with Voyager, depending how you view it, are “Itineraries” (basically city guides with points of interest), and the option to send a virtual postcard from one of these locations. The postcard feature is unique to mobile (on desktop you’ll just get a share link). A postcard is basically sending an image of a landmark from anywhere on the itinerary. Handy for showing people where to meet perhaps, or sharing a memory with family from a long-forgotten vacation.

Once you’re done diving with sharks or exploring Charles Dickens’ favorite pub, what happens if you run out of things to look at? Well, if you do, first, shame on you. Second the “I’m feeling lucky” feature (represented by the die icon) is for you. Google’s been serving up random webpages with a button of the same name since as long as most of us can remember; Earth’s version is much the same. Click the die, and you’ll be digitally transported to a far-flung corner of the globe where Google will also serve up (the now ubiquitous) “cards” with local trivia.

Google says it has identified about 20,000 locations so far, using its Knowledge Graph to serve up the info on “Knowledge Cards.” Much like stories, these locations will also be continually refreshed, so expect the number of random places (deliberately chosen off the beaten track) to grow with time. It’s also possibly the best generator for spontaneous vacations we can think of. Especially if the location it takes you to doesn’t initially convince you, simply click the paper plane icon on the Knowledge Card, and you’ll be whisked off somewhere nearby with more info on that location as well.

Google Earth has always been a great place to quench your wanderlust. As one company representative said “You use Maps to find your way, Earth to get lost.” This has never been more true than with the current iteration. In many ways it feels like the beginning of a constantly evolving, flexible version of Encarta. Right now you can’t add your own stories, but you can be sure those types of features will be coming soon enough. When I asked about the potential for a “Google Mars” or a “Google Solar System,” one representative gave me the tortured look of someone that’s excited about something, but cannot say (both of these somewhat exist already though don’t forget).

There are, of course, a few things that the new Google Earth is not. And one of those is VR-friendly. It is still available on Steam, but given Google’s investment in this area (DayDream, YouTube 360 etcetera), many hoped that today’s announcement might have had even more of a virtual reality flavor. Alas, not this time, but again, you can be fairly sure this is somewhere on the roadmap.

For now though, Google Earth is growing beyond its position as a desktop curiosity, research tool and data hive, and into the world of original content, discovery and education. The fact that it now lives within your browser is no small thing. It’s Chrome only for now, but Google did say that the base technology (Web Assembly) will soon be fully supported across all four main browsers, at which point you can use Google Earth for web on whatever tickles your fancy.

On mobile you’ll still need to use a dedicated app, but you probably would prefer that anyway. And if you’re worried that the move to a browser tab might mean compromises, don’t be. Google claims about 90-percent of the codebase is the same, no matter how you choose to access it.

The Morning After: Tuesday, April 18th 2017

Hey, good morning!

We’re warming up for F8. Yep, Facebook’s big annual event kicks off today and it looks like the company has an awful lot planned to show us. Meanwhile, Netflix has explained why it continues to pay for Adam Sandler’s creative output and Verizon made its own smartwatch for some reason. Oh, and here’s a DIY distillery.

It’s going to be a busy week.
What to expect from Facebook’s annual developer conference

2017 marks the 10th anniversary of F8, and you know that CEO Mark Zuckerberg will want to show off just how far Facebook has come in the past ten years. Covering more Messenger, those Live woes and maybe even a bunch of hardware, here’s a look at what we’ll hopefully see in the days ahead.

Origin’s first budget gaming laptop costs less than a grandThere’s such a thing as a budget gaming laptop?

Origin’s EON15-S laptop has always straddled the line between gaming performance and portability, and this year’s model does that again, but for a bit less cash. For 2017, the PC maker has added NVIDIA’s newish 4GB 1050 Ti graphics card, a model that gives it a (very) mild speed bump over last year’s 980M-based EON15-S. That’s squeezed into a 1-inch, 5-pound case, and costs $999 for the cheapest configuration. However, there’s no high-res screen option this time around — you’re stuck with a 15.6-inch 1,920 x 1,080 IPS panel.

That’s a big number.Netflix explains why it keeps paying Adam Sandler for movies

Yesterday Netflix revealed its quarterly earnings, and said it is close to having 100 million streaming customers. But the most surprising statistic had to be news that subscribers have streamed half a billion hours of Adam Sandler movies since the debut of The Original 6.

It’s only twice the price of a Model 3
Tesla cuts the price on its entry-level Model S by $5,000

Recently, Tesla dropped the cheapest version of its Model S and now it’s followed up by lowering the price of the current entry-level edition. The 75 and 75D are still $1,500 more than the 60/60D was, even after a $5k price cut, but they offer more range and now come standard with features like a glass roof and automatic rear power liftgate.

It’s time to get dirty
Marriott, Hilton and Hyatt take the fight to Airbnb via lobbyists

Inevitably, hotels were going to fight back against “home sharing” apps, and a New York Times report says that time is now. Via lobbyist organizations, the hotel industry is apparently fighting on the “local, state and federal level” to rein in Airbnb and the rest with additional regulation and scrutiny (Of course, some would argue that scrutiny might be necessary).

Distill water, hop oil, or whiskey… if your local laws allow it.
Picobrew’s next goal: A safe and affordable DIY distillery

Picobrew has a new, cheaper countertop beer brewing system. That you already knew. But the company is now dipping its toes into distilling. The Picostill is an add on for the Pico Model C that turns that weird custom designed keg into a countertop distillery. Specifically it’s a reflux still that uses vacuum distillation, which doesn’t look as cool as a pot or column still, but makes far more efficient use of the space.

Finally, a way to revisit Microsoft BASIC 2.0.
Go back to 1984 with Internet Archive’s Macintosh collection

Not content to sit on the sidelines, the Internet Archive recently resurrected something, too. This time, it’s a swath of apps, games and software from the original Macintosh circa 1984. That means stuff like Lode Runner, MacOS System 7.0.1, Microsoft BASIC 2.0 and Space Invaders are on offer in their pixelated, black-and-white glory. Just like the old days.

The Wear24 will set you back $300 with a 2-year activation.
Verizon’s Android Wear 2.0 watch goes on sale May 11th

Verizon’s Android Wear 2.0 smartwatch broke from cover back in February with an scheduled launch for March. Well, that didn’t happen. Today, the wireless carrier announced that its Wear24 device would go on sale both in stores and online May 11th. If you’ll recall, the wearable is priced at $300 with a 2-year activation plus $5 month to tack one on to your data plan.

But wait, there’s more…

• Google is fixing a Chrome flaw that makes phishing easy
• HTC already cut the disappointing U Ultra’s price
• What’s on TV: ‘Silicon Valley,’ ‘Fargo,’ ‘Bill Nye’ and ‘Full Throttle: Remastered’
• LG’s ultralight Gram laptop has too many compromises

MIT’s app only needs a second to teach you a new language

You know the seconds and minutes you waste waiting for the elevator to arrive, for a friend to reply to an IM or for a website to load? A team of MIT CSAIL researchers believe you can put them to good use, so they created a series of apps called the WaitSuite that makes the most of those idle moments by helping you learn a new language. The tools can test your vocabulary without whisking you away to another app. For instance, if you’re chatting with a friend, a flash card asking you about a word in the language you’re learning will pop up within the IM itself. If you’re waiting for a website to load, the card will appear within the browser.

MIT PhD student and project lead Carrie Cai explained:

“With stand-alone apps, it can be inconvenient to have to separately open them up to do a learning task. WaitSuite is embedded directly into your existing tasks, so that you can easily learn without leaving what you were already doing.”

Those are but two of the five tasks WaitSuite covers, though. One tool from the suite can look for Bluetooth iBeacons and will send you a flash card if it determines that you’re in front of an elevator. Another will ask you to translate words while waiting for WiFi to connect, while the last one sends you words to translate while you’re waiting for an email to send.

Based on the team’s preliminary tests, some of the tools could prove more useful than others, depending on your situation. If your computer takes a while before it connects to WiFi, you can learn a word or two. Otherwise, that particular tool won’t be that useful. Their testers seemed to love the elevator app, though, since it typically takes a minute to call an elevator and only 10 seconds to answer a flash card question.

Cai also noted that their testers were able to focus on their main tasks a lot better with the addition of the WaitSuite tools, since they were less likely to check Facebook and other social networks. In the future, Cai and her team want to create similar “wait-learning” tools in an audio format for times when you can’t look at your screen. For now, you can test one of WaitSuite’s apps available for download from the CSAIL website. The team made WaitChatter available as a Chrome extension for Google Chat, so you can learn words while waiting for a friend to finish typing.

Source: MIT

New ‘Server-Grade’ iMac With Next-Gen Xeon Processor Coming End of 2017

Apple’s new range of iMacs will launch in the second half of 2017 and will include a “server-grade” model to cater for the high end creative professional market, according to Taiwan-based supply chain sources.

Apple has already confirmed it is working on new iMac models for release later this year, but today’s report offers another hint at what could be in store for creative pros and puts a more specific timeframe on those plans. According to the report, production of two new iMacs is said to begin next month, with a view to launching the consumer desktops between August and October and a “server-grade model” at the tail end of 2017.

Apple currently has a 21.5-inch and a 27-inch iMac available in the market and the new products are expected to be the upgrades of the two models and are expected to hit the market in the third quarter to catch up with the year-end holiday season.

The report comes from DigiTimes, which has a mixed track record when it comes to rumors, but with Apple already having taken the unusual step of confirming it is working on new iMac models for a late 2017 release, this latest information presents a reasonable timeline.

In addition, the technical details from the supply chain line up with previously leaked specs for Apple’s upcoming upgrades. According to Tuesday’s report, the high end iMac will feature Intel’s as-yet-unreleased Xeon E3-1285 v6 processor, options for 16 to 64GB error-correcting ECC RAM, up to 2TB NVM Express PCI-e solid-state storage, and more ambiguously, a “latest discrete graphics card”.

Typically, iMacs include a mobile-class GPU rather than a desktop-class card, so this last spec could refer to either, while AMD has a contract with Apple to supply the discrete graphics chips for future high-end 27-inch iMacs. The new iMacs for 2017 are said to be manufactured by Quanta Computer, which is expected to remain the largest all-in-one PC maker in 2017.

The earlier report detailing identical tech specs claimed Apple’s new iMacs would be accompanied by a brand new keyboard. A previous report said Apple was exploring a standalone keyboard with a Touch Bar and Touch ID, but its release is said to depend on how well those features have been received on the latest MacBook Pro.

The original source of the iMac tech specs, Pike’s Universum, also claimed Apple is working on an 8K external display, which would presumably feature as part of the comapny’s highest end iMac offering. All iMacs are expected to ship with USB-C ports and Thunderbolt 3 connectivity.

Related Roundup: iMac
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Logitech Announces HomeKit-Compatible POP Smart Button For Controlling Smart Devices

Logitech today announced a new POP Smart Button, its first Apple HomeKit compatible programmable smart button for controlling connected devices around the home.

The idea behind the original POP is to free up control of smart devices so that anyone in the home can operate them regardless of whether they have a smartphone and the associated app for each device. The latest POP builds on that premise by introducing HomeKit support, enabling it to be customized through the Apple Home app and integrate with other iOS smart home accessories.

The Logitech POP Smart Button Kit includes one smart button with three customizable gestures and a POP bridge to connect the button onto a WiFi network. Users can then extend control throughout their home with additional POP Add-on Smart Buttons, which are available in four colors. Each POP bridge can connect to an unlimited number of buttons.

Using POP Smart Button with Apple HomeKit is easy when paired with Apple’s Home app—POP already comes pre-paired, so discovering the device with the Home app is simple and secure. Just configure the scenes you want and let POP do the rest. Whether turning down the lights to get ready for bed or opening your smart blinds to expose some daylight, POP gives easy control to the whole family.

The POP Smart Button can also be used with non-HomeKit devices, like Sonos wireless music systems, or Logitech Harmony hub-based remote controls by using the companion Logitech POP app. In addition to compatibility with Apple HomeKit, the Logitech POP Smart Button offers the ability to control Osram lighting, Hunter Douglas and Lutron blinds, and more, extending interoperability beyond existing integrations including August, Philips Hue, and Logitech Harmony.

The POP Smart Button will be sold in four colors: White, Alloy, Coral, and Teal. According to Logitech, the POP Smart Button Kit ($59.95) and POP Add-on Smart Button ($39.95) will be available exclusively at Apple stores and Apple.com soon, while availability in other retailers will come later this year. Owners of first generation POP Home Switches can update their software to take advantage of the new integrations, but not the HomeKit support.

Tag: Logitech
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Amazing HTC U ‘Ocean’ press pic leaks, here’s the flagship handset

It’s been rumoured for a while that HTC has been readying a new flagship handset, one that might even have a touch-enabled frame for easier browsing, but now we have the first press image.

The phone will allegedly launch this month, April, according to plenty of sources and Evan Blass, otherwise known as evleaks on Twitter, has posted a pic showing the front and rear of what he claims to be the HTC U.

U saw it here first [specs: https://t.co/CXrpcG0YAm%5D pic.twitter.com/vP7U6mzjzo

— Evan Blass (@evleaks) April 15, 2017

The HTC U is thought to be the final name for the flagship phone, which has also gone by the codename “Ocean” in recent times.

It is claimed to come with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 processor. 5.5-inch QHD display (2560 x 1440), Sense 9 and Android 7.1 Nougat.

The cameras are said to be 12-megapixels around the back and 16-megapixels on the front, which sounds like an odd way round, but the rear camera will sport the larger 1.55μm pixels for better light capture.

Internal storage will come in two flavours: 64GB and 128GB. A microSD card slot will be available for expansion.

The official unveiling of the HTC U will be in the next couple of weeks. The phone is rumoured to go on sale in May.