Where to buy Samsung’s Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus in the UK

It’s that time of the year again — one of the most important dates in the smartphone launch calendar. Today, the UK gets its hands on Samsung’s new Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus, and whichever size you’re eyeing up, you won’t be disappointed. They are easily two of the best handsets on the market right now, with the lack of bezel around their gorgeous “Infinity” displays a particularly striking feature. Though Samsung’s Bixby assistant still needs some training, they are both blazing fast with batteries big enough to get you through two days of normal use. And if you didn’t pre-order one right away, these are all the places you can pick one up from today.

Galaxy S8

The Galaxy S8 might be the smaller of the two, but it still has a huge display and a truly stunning design. For those sorts of looks, you’ll need to spend big. There’s no right or wrong way to finance such a purchase, but the usual rules apply — skimp on the upfront payment and you’ll have to pay more on the monthly plan, and vice versa. Three has some of the cheapest monthly plans, however the lowest, at £35 per month, only comes with 500MB of data. Hope you don’t like streaming on the go…

If you want go SIM-free, you’re best bet is probably to buy from Samsung direct. A few retailers such as Carphone Warehouse and Buymobiles are stocking the phone, but their prices are pretty much the same. At £689, it’s an expensive phone, but you do have the option of financing it on a monthly basis through Samsung’s Upgrade Programme.

Galaxy S8 Plus

The larger Galaxy S8 Plus obviously demands slightly deeper pockets. It is, however, one of the best phones that money can buy, so unsurprisingly it has a price-tag to match. There aren’t too many deals to be had, but we like the one O2 offers for £42 per month, with unlimited texts, minutes and 500MB of data. If you’re willing to spend a little more, you can double your monthly data cap for £46 per month, or grab 3GB for £49 per month.

The Morning After: Friday, April 28th 2017

Hey, good morning! You look fabulous.

A new Nintendo portable (don’t get too excited though), a mobile 3D printer that might be ready for your future Mars homestead, and one of Nintendo’s most influential employees is calling it a day. Plus: It’s earnings season!

Just two DsNintendo’s new 2DXL is coming July 28th

We weren’t expecting more new hardware from Nintendo, but that’s what they unveiled last night. The new 2DS XL brings the power of a 3DS XL, but without the added dimension. Easy enough to understand, right? The clamshell system will go on sale in the US July 28th for $150.

Perfect for DIY home building on an alien planetMIT’s mobile 3D printer built the largest structure to date

The Digital Construction Platform consists of a large hydraulic arm mounted on caterpillar treads, and it can build a 12-foot tall, 50-foot wide igloo in 13 hours, running on solar power. Don’t believe us? Just check out the video.

Yes, they have a permit.Apple’s self-driving test vehicle spotted on the streets of Silicon Valley

We’ve seen any number of test mules loaded up with LiDAR camera equipment, but yesterday one rolled out of an Apple building in California. The Lexus SUV sported some “off the shelf” equipment instead of custom designed hardware, but one way or another Project Titan is rolling out.

The Triton 700 is slightly thicker and less powerful than a Razer BladeAcer’s new Predator gaming laptop has one weird trick

Who doesn’t want a trackpad located above the keyboard?

It’s not just about making your selfies look better.Why Amazon wants to replace your mirror with a camera

Amazon believes you’ll spend $200 on a camera that’s both an extension of your smart home and the ultimate fashion accessory. The Echo Look is designed to help you look your best every morning, guiding and improving your style every time it’s used. But what it represents, and what Amazon gets out of it, could be a much bigger deal for the future of fashion. In short, the company hopes it’ll get some good data-based insight into how to sell you more clothes.

And the ones they do have are old and damaged.NASA is running out of functional spacewalk suits

NASA already spent over $200 million on developing a next-gen spacesuit, but it’s still years away from conjuring up a working unit. That’s a bigger problem than you might think because according to NASA’s Office of Inspector General (OIG), the agency is quickly running out of (PDF) functional suits needed for spacewalks. The iconic white suits you see the ISS crew wearing today are the same units made for astronauts 40 years ago.

Data is now broadcasting.Cassini probe survives first dive between Saturn and its rings

NASA’s Cassini probe has emerged unscathed after its first dive between Saturn and its rings. The spacecraft’s ground team had to spend 20 hours wondering whether the probe was doing well or whether it plunged to its death a few months too early. Thankfully, it got back in contact with NASA at 2:56AM EDT today, April 27th. By 3:01 AM, it started beaming back precious data about the planet’s atmosphere, including the unprocessed images of Saturn’s features above.

Takeda brought the world the analog stick, ‘Punch-Out’ and the Wii.Nintendo’s hardware visionary is calling it a day

Alongside yesterday’s impressive earnings report, Nintendo announced that long-serving employee Genyo Takeda is stepping down as company director this June. Holding the title of representative director and also sitting alongside Miyamoto as “Technology Fellow,” Takeda has played a key role in defining both Nintendo’s hardware and software. During his 46 year career at the Japanese games giant, Takeda’s credits include producing/directing Nintendo classics like Punch-Out!! and Pilotwings 64 plus designing the N64’s analog stick.

But wait, there’s more…

• Sony Q4: PlayStation 4 has never been more important to Sony
• Amazon Q1: It’s ‘doubling down’ on the Echo ecosystem
• Alphabet Q1: Google’s AI and hardware push wasn’t crazy after all
• Microsoft Q1: Surface revenue falls by 26 percent
• ‘Tropes vs. Women in Video Games’ says goodbye
• Nerdcore artist Mega Ran takes us on a Gameboy nostalgia trip

The Morning After is a new daily newsletter from Engadget designed to help you fight off FOMO. Who knows what you’ll miss if you don’t subscribe.

YouTube searches for its next star with a cover competition

YouTube is looking for the world’s next star, and it’s asking Ludacris and Ryan Seacrest to help it happen. Seacrest’s production company are making “Best. Cover. Ever”, for the video service, with famous musicians mentoring contestants that enter by covering one of their songs. The best two entrants will appear on the show, hosted by Ludacris, with the eventual winner getting to duet with established musical talent.

YouTube isn’t lacking in amateur (often amazing) covers of existing songs, but Ryan Seacrest himself reckons that covers, “are a terrific vehicle to help discover fresh talent.” For the video site, it gets to taps into those magical early years of YouTube , when users believed they had a chance of making it by putting themselves out there with a modicum of talent, an acoustic guitar and a low-res webcam. Is it still even possible to get famous through only a well-received cover track? We’ll see.

Artists that have already signed up for the show include the Backstreet Boys, Demi Lovato, Jason Derulo and Charlie Puth — most of which I have heard of. Future stars can submit their covers of “As Long as You Love Me,” “Confident” and “Trumpets” by May 19th right here, although the company hasn’t announced a launch date for the series. More musicians are set to be announced in the coming weeks.

Google Adds Media Content Links to Mobile Web and Google App Search Results

Google is rolling out an update to its search engine for iOS users that aims to make it easier to discover media content like songs and movies online (via TechCrunch).

Whenever a Google search is performed for a piece of media, the new feature shows users icons for services that offer the content, such as iTunes, Hulu, Amazon Video, Google Play, YouTube, and Spotify.

Clicking the new icons in the Knowledge Panel at the top of a search result takes the user straight to the associated service, where they can immediately start watching it or listening to it. Google will also display pricing information for the content on various services, where applicable.

Music searches will show links to streaming services like Apple Music and Pandora, but obviously there are restrictions on playback depending on whether users subscribe to the services in question.

The company says the new service links for iOS should start appearing on both the mobile web and Google Search app, which is a free download on the App Store. [Direct Link]

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Google Wifi Mesh-Network Router Now Available in Canada

Google made its puck-like, mesh-network based wireless home router available in Canada this week, following availability in the U.S. since December and its U.K. launch earlier this month.

Google Wifi is made to boost internet coverage throughout any home regardless of the layout, similar to products like the Linksys Velop. It achieves this by using a multi-unit set-up in which the routers communicate with each other to create a wide area of network coverage with no dead spots.

The Google Wifi router aims to be easier to manage than other routers and extenders, through the use of an accompanying mobile app, which lets owners prioritize available bandwidth for certain devices in the network, control access to specific devices or groups of devices, designate network administrators, and more.

The dual-band devices also automatically select the fastest available band using machine learning algorithms that can predict busy periods on certain bands and select the optimal one accordingly.

Google Wifi in Canada starts at $179 for a single router or $439 for a pack of three. The product is available on the online Google Store as well as at Best Buy, Staples, and Walmart, with more retailers in Canada to follow.

(via TechCrunch.)

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Malware Uses Apple Developer Certificate to Infect MacOS and Spy on HTTPS Traffic

A malware research team has discovered a new piece of Mac malware that reportedly affects all versions of MacOS and is signed with a valid developer certificate authenticated by Apple (via The Hacker News).

The malware has been dubbed “DOK” and is being disseminated through an email phishing campaign which researchers at CheckPoint say is specifically targeting macOS users, making it the first of its kind.

The malware works by gaining administration privileges in order to install a new root certificate on the user’s system. This enables it to gain access to all communications between the host Mac and the internet, including traffic flowing through connections encrypted with SSL.

The initial email pretends to be informing the recipient of inconsistencies in their tax return and asks them to download a zip file attachment to their Mac that harbors the malware. Apple’s built-in Gatekeeper security feature reportedly fails to recognize it as a threat because of its valid developer certificate, and the malware copies itself to the /Users/Shared/ folder and creates a login item to make itself persistent, even in a rebooted system.

The malware later presents the user with a security message claiming an update is available for the system, for which a password input is required. Following the “update”, the malware gains complete control of admin privileges, adjusts the network settings to divert all outgoing connections through a proxy, and installs additional tools that enable it to perform a man-in-the-middle attack on all traffic.

According to the researchers, Mac antivirus programs have yet to update their databases to detect the DOK malware, and advises that Apple revoke the developer certificate associated with the author immediately.

Back in January, researchers discovered a piece of Mac malware called Fruitfly that successfully spied on computers in medical research centers for years before being detected.

The latest discovery of malware, which appears to target predominantly European users, underlines the fact that Macs are not immune to the threat as is sometimes supposed. As always, users should avoid clicking links or downloading attachments in emails from unknown and untrusted sources.

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Where to buy LG’s G6 for the best price in the UK

The launch of LG’s latest smartphone, the G6, has been somewhat staggered. First there were pre-orders, and then a prerelease specifically for those eager customers. But over the last few days, the G6 has gone on general sale pretty much everywhere. After last year’s ambitious but tepidly received, modular G5, LG has gone back to basics — if you can call ample power, a big and beautiful display and two primary cameras “basics,” that is. Intrigued? Well, here are all the carriers and retailers in the UK that’d be more than happy to sell you one.

Occasionally LG phones have failed to gain traction with all major UK carriers, but the G6 has curried favour across the board. Contract resellers are the only outlets offering the G6 on these networks without an upfront payment, though, and with a range of data caps within these contract options, they’re worth checking out.

As is usually the case, Tesco Mobile has the best deal among MVNOs. For £34.50 per month and no upfront payment, it’s offering an LG G6 with a 2GB data allowance, besting giffgaff and Sky Mobile’s cheapest contact options.

If you’re after a SIM-free, unlocked model, look no further than Tesco Direct, which is selling the G6 for £629 while every other online retailer is sticking firmly within the £645 to £650 range.

Early ‘iPhone 8’ Case Has Vertical Camera Cutout, Suggests Front-Facing Touch ID

Mobile phone leaker KK Sneak Leaks posted an image on Twitter this morning purporting to show one of the first third-party protective cases for Apple’s upcoming redesigned OLED iPhone, which isn’t expected to launch until at least September.

The transparent case has a few features that are consistent with recent schematics purporting to depict the front-running design of the so-called “iPhone 8”. Most prominent is the cutout on the upper left of the case which indicates vertically aligned dual cameras, as opposed to the horizontal alignment on the iPhone 7 Plus.

Purported third-party case for “iPhone 8” via KK Sneak Leaks
Conspicuous in its absence however is any sort of opening for a fingerprint sensor located on the rear, suggesting Touch ID will remain a front-facing feature. Apple is rumored to be trying to build Touch ID into the iPhone’s display, but the company has reportedly been struggling with perfecting the technology, suggesting it could resort to putting the sensor on the rear of the device.

The pill-shaped volume buttons shown in the picture on the right side appear to be in their normal places, but the power button on the left looks longer than on previous iPhones, which is something we’ve also seen on recent dummy models. Elsewhere, the bottom of the case indicates standard speaker grille locations either side of what will presumably be an all-in-one Lightning connector.

Early case leaks have historically been fairly accurate indicators of new iPhone designs, with some exceptions, but this is a uniquely challenging year for third-party case manufacturers looking to nail down the final design.

Apple is still thought to be testing multiple prototypes for its upcoming “10th anniversary edition” iPhone, and rather than be privy to the final design, case makers may simply resort to following the most likely one based on the same leaks covered by rumor sites, so bear those caveats in mind.

Apple’s 4.7-inch OLED iPhone is likely to be sold alongside two standard “S” cycle iPhones with LCD displays, which are said to be similar in size to the existing iPhone 7 and 7 Plus. Rumors suggest the leading candidate for the final chassis design is a stainless steel frame sandwiched between symmetrical glass on the front and the back. Apple is also supposedly working on an inductive wireless charging solution for its “premium” handset model.

Rumors also suggest Apple’s “iPhone 8” supplies may be highly constrained when the new range of phones launches, making it harder to obtain in the first few months of release, although this is not an unusual claim in the months preceding a new iPhone launch.

Related Roundup: iPhone 8 (2017)
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Google Classroom makes it easier than ever to teach and learn

Why it matters to you

The move to open Classroom to anyone with a Google account demonstrates the company’s increasing interest in the education sector.

Whether you’re a natural-born educator or a learner with a thirst for knowledge, Google wants you to know that its Classroom software is now open to one and all.

A month after the web giant opened the platform to learners with nothing more than a Google account, the company said on Thursday it’s extending the same availability to anyone that wants to teach, too. Up until now, Classroom was only available to teachers working at an educational organization who signed up via Google’s G Suite for Education service.

For those not in the know, Google Classroom is an education-focused tool that helps educators set up and manage classes. It incorporates Google’s own collection of online software, including Gmail, Docs, Calendar, and Hangouts.

Students using the system can view their assignments on Classroom’s Work page, in the class stream, or on the class calendar, and also use it to submit completed work. All class materials are automatically filed into Google Drive folders.

Notably, the platform recently started to incorporate various intelligent features to improve the efficiency of the system for teachers.

Google said this week that it’s been trialing the new, open-to-all format over the last few weeks, with teachers creating “some great new classes for adult education, hobbies, and after-school programs.”

In a post announcing the change, Google highlighted the work of educator Tony Vincent to demonstrate how the management tool can now be used. The Iowa resident tweeted out an invitation at the end of last month to gauge interest in his free online course teaching graphic design. After receiving positive responses from people around the world, he quickly filled all 75 places for his six-week class, which kicked off at the start of April.

Explaining why the system was an improvement on, say, simply posting an instructional piece on YouTube, Vincent said, “I didn’t want to just publish a video tutorial and never see the end results.” He added that when he heard Google Classroom was open for personal accounts, he thought it’d be a great chance to gather a group of like-minded folks to “learn, create, and share.”

If you fancy creating and giving lessons and are looking for an easy way to manage the process, Classroom is an option worth checking out. And all you need to do it is a Google account.

Google Classroom makes it easier than ever to teach and learn

Why it matters to you

The move to open Classroom to anyone with a Google account demonstrates the company’s increasing interest in the education sector.

Whether you’re a natural-born educator or a learner with a thirst for knowledge, Google wants you to know that its Classroom software is now open to one and all.

A month after the web giant opened the platform to learners with nothing more than a Google account, the company said on Thursday it’s extending the same availability to anyone that wants to teach, too. Up until now, Classroom was only available to teachers working at an educational organization who signed up via Google’s G Suite for Education service.

For those not in the know, Google Classroom is an education-focused tool that helps educators set up and manage classes. It incorporates Google’s own collection of online software, including Gmail, Docs, Calendar, and Hangouts.

Students using the system can view their assignments on Classroom’s Work page, in the class stream, or on the class calendar, and also use it to submit completed work. All class materials are automatically filed into Google Drive folders.

Notably, the platform recently started to incorporate various intelligent features to improve the efficiency of the system for teachers.

Google said this week that it’s been trialing the new, open-to-all format over the last few weeks, with teachers creating “some great new classes for adult education, hobbies, and after-school programs.”

In a post announcing the change, Google highlighted the work of educator Tony Vincent to demonstrate how the management tool can now be used. The Iowa resident tweeted out an invitation at the end of last month to gauge interest in his free online course teaching graphic design. After receiving positive responses from people around the world, he quickly filled all 75 places for his six-week class, which kicked off at the start of April.

Explaining why the system was an improvement on, say, simply posting an instructional piece on YouTube, Vincent said, “I didn’t want to just publish a video tutorial and never see the end results.” He added that when he heard Google Classroom was open for personal accounts, he thought it’d be a great chance to gather a group of like-minded folks to “learn, create, and share.”

If you fancy creating and giving lessons and are looking for an easy way to manage the process, Classroom is an option worth checking out. And all you need to do it is a Google account.