Belkin’s new Kevlar-reinforced USB Type-C cable is built to last
Why it matters to you
We’re all too used to stock cables that can’t stand up to the rigors of everyday life, but Belkin’s latest USB-C offering has been made to outperform and outlast.
If you’re tired of USB-C cables that tear under stress, Belkin may have a solution for you. The company is adding to its line of ultrastrong Mixit Duratek accessories today with a new USB Type-C cable.
Belkin’s Lightning and Micro USB Duratek cables have been on the market for more than a couple months now, sporting Kevlar-reinforced conductors and double-braided nylon shielding on the outside for enhanced durability. This new USB-C cable is no different, and the company is touting the same five-year limited warranty here as with its previous Duratek products.
More: Amazon tightens up rules on USB Type-C cables after Google engineer’s criticisms
The cable measures 4 feet in length — likely much longer than the cable that shipped with your smartphone or tablet — and has been certified by both the USB Implementers Forum as well as Apple’s MFi program. Unremarkable as that might seem at the outset, they’re actually important distinctions that separate the highest-quality cables with the litany of cheap knockoffs sold online on sites like Amazon.
Belkin
At best, many of those faulty cables wouldn’t be able to properly charge your devices, because they don’t adhere to USB-C’s 3A power delivery specification. At worst, they could actually damage your hardware.
Belkin’s Mixit Duratek USB-C cable may cost a bit more than those alternatives, retailing for $30 — but then, you get what you pay for. In this case, it’s the peace of mind that’s knowing your cable can take advantage of the full range of USB-C’s abilities, is safe to use with everything you own, and of course, can take a beating.
Flexible TPE is used to join the jacket and connector head at each end to prevent splitting. Belkin says that, in testing, its Duratek cables have withstood more than 5,000 cycles of being bent 180 degrees back and forth.
The braided exterior is reportedly lighter, stronger, and more flexible than what you’d find in typical cables — and besides, it just looks good. Belkin hasn’t sacrificed design in making its cables stronger, and if it has, you wouldn’t know it. The Mixit Duratek USB-C cable goes on sale today direct from the company in four colors — black, silver, gold, and rose gold.
Buy now from:
Belkin
Belkin’s new Kevlar-reinforced USB Type-C cable is built to last
Why it matters to you
We’re all too used to stock cables that can’t stand up to the rigors of everyday life, but Belkin’s latest USB-C offering has been made to outperform and outlast.
If you’re tired of USB-C cables that tear under stress, Belkin may have a solution for you. The company is adding to its line of ultrastrong Mixit Duratek accessories today with a new USB Type-C cable.
Belkin’s Lightning and Micro USB Duratek cables have been on the market for more than a couple months now, sporting Kevlar-reinforced conductors and double-braided nylon shielding on the outside for enhanced durability. This new USB-C cable is no different, and the company is touting the same five-year limited warranty here as with its previous Duratek products.
More: Amazon tightens up rules on USB Type-C cables after Google engineer’s criticisms
The cable measures 4 feet in length — likely much longer than the cable that shipped with your smartphone or tablet — and has been certified by both the USB Implementers Forum as well as Apple’s MFi program. Unremarkable as that might seem at the outset, they’re actually important distinctions that separate the highest-quality cables with the litany of cheap knockoffs sold online on sites like Amazon.
Belkin
At best, many of those faulty cables wouldn’t be able to properly charge your devices, because they don’t adhere to USB-C’s 3A power delivery specification. At worst, they could actually damage your hardware.
Belkin’s Mixit Duratek USB-C cable may cost a bit more than those alternatives, retailing for $30 — but then, you get what you pay for. In this case, it’s the peace of mind that’s knowing your cable can take advantage of the full range of USB-C’s abilities, is safe to use with everything you own, and of course, can take a beating.
Flexible TPE is used to join the jacket and connector head at each end to prevent splitting. Belkin says that, in testing, its Duratek cables have withstood more than 5,000 cycles of being bent 180 degrees back and forth.
The braided exterior is reportedly lighter, stronger, and more flexible than what you’d find in typical cables — and besides, it just looks good. Belkin hasn’t sacrificed design in making its cables stronger, and if it has, you wouldn’t know it. The Mixit Duratek USB-C cable goes on sale today direct from the company in four colors — black, silver, gold, and rose gold.
Buy now from:
Belkin
Sonos PlayBase review: Don’t overthink it
Sonos’ second television-friendly speaker is a good choice when a soundbar won’t work — but it’s still pretty darn expensive.
It’s easy to look at the Sonos PlayBase and try to squeeze more out of it than is needed. In fact, you can sum it up thusly: It’s a Sonos speaker that fits underneath (and connects to) your TV.
That’s it.
Don’t worry about where it fits into the Sonos ecosystem. (Hint: It’s right alongside the PlayBar, but underneath the TV — not in front of it.)
Don’t worry about why Sonos decided to use an optical audio port — that’s the one with the cool red light — instead of HDMI. (I’d prefer the latter for smarter switching, but the fact is it’s got optical, and there’s not a damn thing I can do about it.)
That said … there are a few things you’re going to have to think about here, however. Let’s spend a few more words diving into the new Sonos PlayBase.
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About this review
I’ve been using a Sonos PlayBase on loan for the company for about a week and a half. I’ve had it connected to a 5-year-old 46-inch Samsung plasma TV in my bedroom, and a smaller, newer Samsung in my office. I’ve used the PlayBase with the television remotes, as well as with a Logitech Harmony system.
PlayBase pricing — What do you get for $699?
If you’re already in the Sonos ecosystem, you knew this wouldn’t be cheap. In fact, the PlayBase is the same price as the SoundBar — $699 retail. That’s a lot of scratch, especially considering you can get a decent soundbar for far less than that. Or if you need something of the same style under the TV, the Bose Solo 15 II is a little more than half the price.
PlayBase brings all the audio quality and features you’ve come to expect — just in a different form.
What you’re really paying for, of course, is the Sonos name. OK, you’re also getting a pretty darn good speaker. If you’re an iOS user you can take advantage of Sonos’ “TruePlay” tuning. (And it’s worth taking a couple minutes to set this up.) But even without it you’ll probably get much improved sound over the speakers that are built in to your TV. It drastically improved my aging Samsung TV in the bedroom, adding some simulated surround sound and a good bit of bass.
And it should go without saying, but you also get what in my experience has been the best and easiest wireless music system available. PlayBase connects to any other Sonos speakers you have in your home (I’ve managed to sneak a Play 5, Play 3 and Play 1 into the joint before my wife started asking questions) and groups with any and all of them just as you’d expect.
Plus there’s the TV aspect. It connects as an external speaker via that optical audio input. You’ll need to dive into your TV’s settings to get that all set up. And depending on how old your TV is, you might find some gremlins here. My aging bedroom Samsung throws an error on the screen when I adjust the volume, and there’s nothing I can do about that. But I’ve also used it on a newer model that behaves just fine, with no annoying messages. So YMMV. (And, in fact, this is something Sonos acknowledges.)
Added (obvious) bonus: The PlayBase raises the height of your TV a few inches, which often is a good thing.
Additional (obvious) gremlin: If your TV has feet on either end instead of a pedestal base, then you’re going need a workaround, like the Sanus Swivel TV Base. (In which case maybe just buy a PlayBar instead.)
The bottom line
The Sonos PlayBase is a Sonos speaker that connects to and fits under your mid-sized TV.
That’s it.
It sounds pretty great. It does all the wireless music stuff you’ve come to know and love from Sonos.
It’s also pretty darn expensive at $700.
I look at this more of the sort of thing I’d have under a secondary TV, and not necessarily my main living room screen. (There’s no reason you couldn’t, though.) And for that reason I have a really hard time spending as much on a base-style speaker as I would on a new 4K TV.
But we Sonos faithful aren’t always known for having the tightest wallets.
In this case, though, I look at the PlayBase more as an option, and less as a must-have. It’s a really good product. But the price is going to be prohibitive for many folks — including me.
See at Sonos
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Moto G5 Plus for India review: This is the one to beat
Motorola has another winner on its hands with the G5 Plus.
Quick take:
The Moto G5 Plus symbolizes a bold move by Motorola to assert its dominance in this segment. It combines great hardware with unmatched software experience, culminating in a device that stands a head and shoulders above the competition. I’m not going to mince words here — if you want a capable budget phone in 2017, the Moto G5 Plus should be at the top of your list.
The good
- Amazing camera
- Decent hardware
- Unmatched software
- Great battery life
The bad
- Base variant has 16GB storage
- Costlier than rivals
- Micro-USB doesn’t cut it in 2017
Moto G5 Plus Full review
The Moto G5 Plus comes at a time when the Indian smartphone segment is witnessing a heady growth. The Chinese contingent is in a dominant position in the country, and the goal this year for everyone from Lenovo, OPPO, Vivo, and Xiaomi is to outmatch Samsung, who’s still leading the pack. Lenovo, in particular, is looking to solidify its second place in the market, and in recent months we’ve seen the manufacturer roll out several enticing devices in the form of the K6 Power, K6 Note, and the Lenovo P2.
Phones sold under Lenovo’s label are going strong in India, but it is clear that the manufacturer is gravitating to the Motorola brand to do the heavy lifting. At the G5 Plus launch event in India, Motorola announced that it sold over 6 million units in the Moto G series globally since its inception in 2014. The series is certainly one that Motorola cares about deeply, which is evident when one looks at the improvements made in this generation.
The Moto G5 Plus has several upgrades for 2017, including a metal body and beefier hardware in the form of a Snapdragon 625 — the same SoC used in the Redmi Note 4. Earlier phones in the Moto G series weren’t known for their hardware prowess, with Motorola instead focusing on optimizing the software for a smooth experience. Software superiority continues to be Motorola’s strong suit, but with the Moto G5, the company is also offering robust specs and a significantly upgraded camera in a bid to take the fight to the likes of Xiaomi, Huawei, OPPO, and Vivo.
The result is a handset that has great hardware and software, as well as a camera that can hold its own next to phones that cost twice as much. Read on to find out why the Moto G5 Plus should be worthy of your consideration.
Moto G5 Plus Specs
| Operating System | Android 7.0 Nougat |
| Display | 5.2-inch 1080p (1920×1080) IPS LCD panel 424ppi pixel density |
| SoC | Octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 Eight Cortex A53 cores at 2.0GHz 14nm |
| GPU | Adreno 506 with Vulkan API, OpenCL 2.0, and OpenGL ES 3.1 650MHz |
| RAM | 2GB/4GB |
| Storage | 16GB/32GB microSD slot up to 128GB Dual SIM connectivity |
| Rear camera | 12MP with f/1.7 lens PDAF, LED flash, Auto HDR 1080p video recording |
| Front shooter | 5MP with f/2.2 lens |
| Connectivity | LTE with VoLTE Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, NFC Bluetooth 4.2, GPS, GLONASS Micro-USB, 3.5mm audio jack |
| Battery | 3,000mAh battery TurboPower fast charging |
| Fingerprint | Front fingerprint sensor |
| Dimensions | 150.2 x 74 x 7.7mm |
| Weight | 155g |
| Colors | Lunar Grey, Fine Gold |
About this review
I (Harish Jonnalagadda) am writing this review after using the Moto G5 Plus variant with 4GB of RAM and 32GB storage for two weeks in Hyderabad, India. The unit was provided by Lenovo India for review and was connected to Airtel’s 4G network for the bulk of the testing period. I switched to Jio for a few days to test out VoLTE. The device was running Android 7.0 Nougat (build number NPN25.137-15) with the January 1, 2017 security patch and didn’t receive any updates over the course of the review period.
Moto G5 Plus Design and screen
The Moto G5 Plus is the first phone in the Moto G series to feature a metal design. Contrary to Motorola’s marketing materials, the G5 Plus isn’t entirely made out of metal. The back is certainly crafted out of aluminum, but the sides retain the plastic frame that’s coated to feel metallic. The new design definitely makes the G5 Plus feel more upmarket, and the smooth curves at the back along with the rounded corners and the subtle chamfers make the device stand out in a sea of similar-looking metal devices.
The phone is a definite improvement over the G4 Plus. That said, the distinct Motorola design language that made initial generations of the Moto G series so endearing has gone. While the overall design of the G5 Plus is by no means underwhelming, it does tend to come across as tacky.
While we’re on the subject of design, the SIM card slot on the G5 Plus bears a quick mention. Earlier generations of the Moto G series had a removable back, allowing you to slot in the SIM cards and microSD card after removing the back cover. But the switch to a metallic back has led to a non-removable back on the G5 Plus, and that means a SIM card slot, which is at the top of the device. The housing has slots for two SIM cards, as well as a dedicated slot for a microSD card — a welcome move considering the base variant of the G5 Plus has just 16GB of internal storage.
As for the screen, the 1080p panel on the G5 Plus is one of the best in this segment, and it doesn’t suffer from the unduly warm tones exhibited by its predecessor. Color balance and saturation are good, and while Motorola doesn’t offer as many display features as some of its competitors — such as a blue light filter and the ability to adjust color temperature — the screen on the G5 Plus should be plenty adequate.
The design of the Moto G5 Plus is a move in the right direction.
The phone has a slight protrusion at the back for the camera sensor, but it doesn’t affect its usage when laid flat on a surface. Oh, and that iconic Batwing logo is positioned right below the camera housing. I was worried about the sensor picking up scratches, but in two weeks, I’ve yet to notice any. The power button and the volume rocker are on the right, and they offer decent tactile feedback. A nice touch is the texture on the power button, making it easier for you to locate the button with your finger.
Talking about positive changes, the fingerprint sensor is no longer an eyesore, with Motorola deciding to offer a more conventional sensor that’s rounded off. The larger surface area makes a lot of difference when using the sensor to authenticate, and the process itself is just as fast — if not slightly faster — than the G4 Plus. You’ll be able to switch the phone on and off by interacting with the sensor, and it has other tricks up its sleeve. More on that later.
Moto G5 Plus Hardware
The Moto G5 Plus is different from its predecessors in that it has decent hardware. Motorola’s motto was always to deliver the best software experience, and that hasn’t always led to phones with the best specs. We’ve seen that last year with the Snapdragon 617 in the G4 Plus and a year before that with the Snapdragon 615 in the Moto G 2015, but this time around Motorola is including Qualcomm’s 14nm Snapdragon 625 SoC in the G5 Plus.
This is the same chipset that was used in the Moto Z Play, a handset that debuted for ₹24,999. The difference is immediately noticeable when you start using the G5 Plus. It is quick to load apps and games and doesn’t stutter or lag during intense workloads. It does have its shortcomings when it comes to visually intensive games on account of the Adreno 506 GPU, but in everyday usage scenarios, you’ll not face any issues with the G5 Plus.
Where the G5 Plus shares a similarity with its predecessor is when it comes to the onboard sensors. Like the G4 Plus, this year’s G5 Plus does not have a magnetometer. However, I used the phone with Google Maps while driving, and it worked just fine.
While the Indian G5 Plus has NFC, the base variant comes with a paltry 16GB storage.
Unlike last year — where both the G4 and G4 Plus were powered by the same chipset — the G5 Plus has the Snapdragon 625 while the standard G5 features the Snapdragon 430. As a result, we’re seeing several SKUs in the Moto G series for 2017. Motorola is taking a data-driven approach to each market, making features available based on the usage data it has accumulated over the years. That means that the G5 Plus units sold in the U.S. don’t have NFC, an omission that is a dealbreaker for many potential customers.
Thankfully, the G5 Plus sold in India is NFC-enabled, and while I’m glad it’s present, I’m not getting much use out of it as Android Pay has yet to make its debut in the country. Samsung launched its digital payments service in India last month, and during the G5 Plus launch event, Motorola hinted that Android Pay would be available soon. There isn’t a timeline for when the feature will be rolled out, and until that time, NFC is relegated to being a tick mark on the spec sheet.
While Motorola wins a point for including NFC in the Indian variant of the G5 Plus, it loses one for its decision to offer just 2GB of RAM and 16GB of internal storage with the base variant. It’s an obvious ploy by the manufacturer to get customers to choose the pricier model, which has 4GB of RAM and 32GB of storage. The base variant retails for ₹14,999, and with the higher-storage model costing a mere ₹2,000 more at ₹16,999, it’s a no-brainer to opt for the latter.
Furthermore, Motorola’s decision to stick with Micro-USB is a puzzling choice, considering the similarly-priced Z2 Plus runs USB-C. Lenovo pointed out that the Z2 Plus is aimed at the enthusiast segment and that the Moto G line is targeted at a mainstream audience, but that justification doesn’t hold up in 2017.
Battery
When it comes to the battery life, the G5 Plus managed to last a day with ease. Phones like the Redmi Note 4 offer a massive 4,100mAh battery, but the 3,000mAh battery on the G5 Plus delivers a day’s worth of use on a full charge. Standby time on the device is particularly great, with the phone lasting three to four days with low usage. As always, when you do need to top up quickly, you can call upon Motorola’s TurboPower fast charging to deliver a few hours’ worth of charge in 15 minutes.
Moto G5 Plus Camera
One of the most-talked-about features on the Moto G5 Plus is the camera. The 12-megapixel IMX260 imaging sensor in the phone is the same as that on the Galaxy S7, offering an f/1.7 lens and 1.4-micron pixels, but that doesn’t mean you’ll see the same quality of images from the camera on the G5 Plus. There are a lot of other factors here that determine the image quality, such as the ISP and the software processing — an area where Google has excelled with the Pixel.
That said, the Moto G5 Plus beats out every other phone in this segment when it comes to camera quality. Not a single phone under ₹20,000 comes close to the G5 Plus in this regard, and Motorola’s focus in this area will definitely pay dividends over the course of the year. It’s remarkable what Motorola has achieved in two years considering the Moto G 2015 had a mediocre camera.
When it comes to taking images with the phone, you have the option of choosing if you want a dedicated shutter button within the camera interface or to revert to the earlier system that let you tap anywhere on the screen to take a photo. The camera also automatically reads QR codes and barcodes, a feature that should be standard on all phones.
Shooting with the G5 Plus is an easy affair, and Motorola offers one of the most convenient (and fastest) ways to launch the camera app with its double twist gesture. The resulting images are full of detail and color, with the phone managing to take great macro shots. The camera was also fast to focus, and there’s a pro mode that lets you tweak the white balance, ISO, exposure compensation, and shutter speed. While the camera excels during well-lit and daylight scenarios, it isn’t nearly as good when it comes to low-light shots.
Moto G5 Plus Software
There isn’t a lot to talk about when it comes to the software side of things on the G5 Plus, and that’s because Motorola hasn’t tweaked the overall experience a whole lot from the G4 Plus. Considering that the Moto G series set the bar for software in this segment, that’s a good thing.
The user interface on the G5 Plus is clean and devoid of any customizations aside from what you get with Motorola’s own Moto Actions, which are definitely useful. One-handed mode made its debut in Nougat, but the mainstays — the ability to quickly see notifications without turning on the screen, double chop for flashlight, and automatic DND — are still there. One new addition that’s worth talking about is One Button Nav, which is one of my favorite features about the G5 Plus.
It takes a while to get accustomed to One Button Nav, but you should take the time to do so.
The G5 Plus has standard on-screen navigation keys, as well as a new feature called One Button Nav that lets you rely on the fingerprint sensor for navigation. With the feature enabled, you’ll lose the on-screen nav keys and instead use gestures across the face of the fingerprint sensor to move in and out of menus and interact with the user interface. For instance, you’ll be able to get to the home screen with a single tap on the sensor, whereas a right-to-left swipe takes you back within an app’s interface, and a left-to-right swipe serves up the multitasking pane.
Lenovo came up with the feature last year on the Z2 Plus and extended it to other phones following positive feedback, and this year it has made its way onto the Moto G series. The gesture-based interaction certainly has a learning curve, but it is a novel new way of interaction. It’s also one of those features that you’ll either love or hate.
The feature wasn’t pioneered by Lenovo but rather by fellow Chinese manufacturer Meizu (thanks Adrian!). However, Lenovo’s system is easier to use, more intuitive, and is more customizable. The G5 Plus doesn’t yet offer the ability to set custom gestures like the Z2 Plus, but it is possible we’ll see the feature make its way to the phone via an update.
As we’re on the subject of updates, Motorola has lagged behind when it comes to rolling out the Nougat update to the Moto G4 in other regions — the U.S. unlocked units just started receiving the OTA at the end of last month. Thankfully, with India being the manufacturer’s largest global market, there are no such issues with updates in the country.
The Moto G4 and G4 Plus picked up the Nougat update all the way back in December, and there’s no reason to suggest that Motorola won’t follow suit this year with the G5 Plus.
Moto G5 Plus The competition
Normally by this point, I’d just talk about how the G5 Plus offers a lot of value for its price tag and leave it at that. But with the recent influx of great budget phones, it makes sense to take a look at how the device fares in this segment.
Competition in the budget segment in India is intense, which is a good thing as customers are spoiled for choice. Between Xiaomi’s Redmi Note 4, the Honor 6X, Motorola’s Moto M, the Lenovo Z2 Plus, Lenovo P2, Galaxy J7, and a litany of phones from the likes of OPPO and Vivo, there’s an abundance of options if you’re looking for a decent budget phone.
With a price tag of ₹16,999, the G5 Plus costs ₹4,000 more than the Redmi Note 4. Xiaomi’s latest budget offering is going to be one of the best-selling devices of the year, and it’s easy to see why. The Redmi Note 4 has decent specs in the form of a Snapdragon 625, Full HD display, 13MP camera, 4GB RAM and 64GB storage, and a 4100mAh battery, and while the phone is still running Marshmallow, MIUI 8 offers a ton of features.
The G5 Plus takes on the best that Xiaomi and Huawei have to offer and comes out on top.
The G5 Plus loses out when it comes to the storage — it comes with 32GB to the Redmi Note 4’s 64GB, but it has a better camera and software that’s in a different league altogether. While Xiaomi has a lot to offer with MIUI, Motorola’s clean implementation coupled with fast updates make it a much more enticing handset.
Same goes for the Honor 6X: Although the phone offers dual cameras at the back, the secondary sensor is more of a gimmick and doesn’t come in handy in most real-world shooting scenarios. The camera as a whole isn’t as good as last year’s Moto G4 Plus, and that should give you an indication as to how it fares next to the G5 Plus. At ₹15,999, there’s even less reason to go for the Honor 6X.
With Lenovo launching a flurry of devices over the last six months, the toughest competition to the G5 Plus comes from within its own ranks. The Lenovo Z2 Plus continues to be one of the best devices in this segment, and the recent price cut means that the model with 4GB of RAM and 64GB storage is now selling for just ₹500 more than the G5 Plus. That’s a steal considering you get a phone with a Snapdragon 820, 5-inch Full HD display, 13MP ISOCELL camera, and a 3,500mAh battery. The main issue with the Z2 Plus is that it’s still on Marshmallow, and while Lenovo says that it’s dogfooding the Nougat update, there’s no word on a public release.
Motorola’s fiercest competition in this segment comes from within.
Then there’s the Lenovo P2. The phone is the closest to the G5 Plus when it comes to the specs and pricing, offering a 5.5-inch Full HD panel, Snapdragon 625, 13MP camera, 4GB of RAM and 64GB storage. The differentiator for the P2 is the massive 5,100mAh battery, which allows the phone to run at least two days on a full charge.
I’ll be taking a detailed look at how the G5 Plus compares to the Lenovo P2 — as well as other handsets in this segment — over the coming weeks, but for now, the main advantage with the G5 Plus is the software experience. While Motorola is doing a great job of offering timely updates for its devices, the same cannot be said of its parent company.
Moto G5 Plus Bottom line
Previous devices in the Moto G line championed uncluttered software, but they lacked a certain grunt when it came to the hardware side of things. That isn’t an issue any longer with the G5 Plus: The phone offers an unencumbered software experience that’s a delight to use and internal hardware that’s right up there alongside devices from Xiaomi and Huawei. This is the phone that changes the way budget devices are imagined.
I’m using the Indian variant with NFC, so I can confidently say that there’s not a single thing wrong with the phone. The design — while tacky — is a move in the right direction, the internal hardware ticks all the right boxes, and the software is quintessential Motorola. Considering that we still see devices that fail to get the basics right even in the high-end segment, it’s refreshing to see Motorola not leave out any noteworthy feature in the G5 Plus.
Should you buy it? Yes!
If you’re in the market for a budget handset that offers great hardware and clean software, the Moto G5 Plus is the device to get. The phone is loaded with features, and with India being Motorola’s largest market, you can be assured of quick software updates.
Yes, it costs ₹4,000 more than the Redmi Note 4. Does that extra cost justify the great software experience? Absolutely. While you’re at it, do yourself a favor and pick up the model with 4GB of RAM and 32GB storage. You’ll thank us later.
See at Flipkart
Boeing shows what its deep space habitat could look like
NASA teamed up with six companies to develop deep space vehicles as part of its NextSTEP program last year. Boeing, one of the six, has now given us an idea of what its creations could look like. The company has revealed concept images of its deep space habitat and transport vehicle that could make it possible to send humans to Mars from a lunar base. Pictured above is the Deep Space Gateway, the habitat Boeing wants to send to cislunar space. It could house critical research for human exploration and could dock other vehicles using a system similar to the International Space Station’s.
It could also serve as the home base for the Deep Space Transport vehicle Boeing will build to send humans to Mars. The transport system pictured below will have living quarters so spacefarers can endure the lengthy journey. Astronauts can either stay on board or send a lander to the red planet for surface missions.
Both the transport vehicle and the gateway habitat will be powered by solar electric propulsion system, the promising technology NASA used for the Dawn spacecraft and the same one it’s developing further for future Martian missions. Boeing says it plans to launch the habitat in four parts through NASA’s powerful Space Launch System rocket. It expects to start sending to and assembling the Gateway in cislunar space as soon as the early 2020s
Boeing Deep Space Transit Vehicle
Source: Boeing
Tesla’s market value surpasses Ford
Ford is currently valued at about $45.1 billion. Tesla is now worth $47.8 billion, reports Bloomberg. Last year, Tesla delivered less than 80,000 cars. Ford, America’s second largest automaker, sold 6.7 million vehicles.
Tesla’s stock was up over five percent after reporting it has delivered 25,000 vehicles (nearly half of which were the Model X) in the first quarter of 2017. Investors take it as a sign that Tesla can back up its goals for growth ahead of the launch of the Model 3. Tencent’s investment in the electric car startup helped boost its price, too. Of course, Tesla CEO Elon Musk took to Twitter to poke a little fun at those who paint a dark picture Tesla’s future.
Stormy weather in Shortville …
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 3, 2017
Ford has been making cars for over 100 years, and its value is the product of tangible results. For some, like AutoPacific analyst Dave Sullivan, Tesla’s overtaking of Ford “does not compute,” as he tells Bloomberg. “It’s mind-boggling that a company that has the global breadth and depth that Ford has is suddenly valued at less than or equal to Tesla,” Sullivan said.
Tesla’s potential potential for growth is built into the stock price. Elon Musk says Tesla could produce up to 500,000 vehicles a year in 2018, after the launch of the Model 3. Whether or not that will actually happen is totally unclear. Tesla, though, is a brand people are excited and optimistic about, investors included, and good news creates market action. The fact that Tesla and Ford are similarly valued only highlights their differences, and the ability of a buzz-worthy brand to convince people to invest their money in a hypothetical future.
Related Video:
Source: Bloomberg, Elon Musk (Twitter)
Sony’s slow-mo friendly Xperia XZs goes on sale this week
As smartphones have evolved to basically all look the same, manufacturers have been keen to capitalize on gimmicks to entice customers. Sony didn’t buck that trend with the forthcoming, monolithic Xperia XZs and its rear camera that’s capable of shooting at 960 frames per-second. The electronics company says that frame-rate allows for video that’s four times slower than any other smartphone on the market. More than that, the shooter pulls a trick from the Pixel’s playbook and starts taking photos before you actually press the shutter button. Pre-orders are open, and Sony says that come April 5th you can grab an unlocked version from Amazon, Best Buy and elsewhere for $700.
Source: Sony
Sonos Playbase review: The only speaker your living room needs
The idea of having high-quality home theater audio seems great until you actually try and set it up. I’ve owned a few surround sound systems, but the additional speakers and cables added a level of complexity that never felt worth it to me. So I’ve been languishing for years with mediocre audio coming from my built-in TV speakers. It doesn’t sound great, but at least I have a clean setup that doesn’t require extra hardware and a mess of cables.
But the Sonos Playbase has me thinking that it’s time to upgrade. This massive speaker, wide and flat like a pizza box, is designed to sit underneath your TV, and includes three distinct audio channels as well as a built-in subwoofer. Like all other Sonos products, it uses WiFi to connect to other speakers and lets you stream music from just about any service you can think of, but it also outputs all of your TV audio. Sure, it’s not a full 5.1 setup, but a one-box, one-cord solution to upgrade my home theater seems like just what I need. Still, as with almost everything Sonos does, it doesn’t come cheap: $700 in this case. For those who want better sound in their living room, the Playbase is a compelling option — particularly if you’re a music fan.
Hardware
The Playbase has an unusual shape compared with most speakers, but there’s a clear reason for this odd design: It’s meant to sit on a media stand with a TV on top. Sonos says the device can support most televisions up to 60 inches or up to 77 pounds. Bigger sets that have stands with legs on either side can usually be placed over the Playbase as well. Of course, it can be used with wall-mounted TVs too, but one of the speaker’s main selling points is that it can bear the weight of a television on top of it without an impact on audio quality. Indeed, Sonos claims that its research shows that 70 percent of TV owners never mount their TVs to the wall; if that’s true, there’s a lot of people who could use a speaker like the Playbase.
Like Sonos’ last speaker, the Play:5, the Playbase is a simple, sleek thing that shows great attention to detail. Yes, it’s a big plastic box, but the soft-touch finish feels extremely durable, not to mention pleasant underneath your fingers. That’s good, because there are a few touch-sensitive controls right near the front of the speaker. Other examples of the Playbase’s refined fit and finish include the CNC-drilled holes on the front face. Sonos specifically picked that pattern to minimize visual distraction without affecting sound quality. There’s only so much to say about a giant white box (it also comes in black), but it exudes polish and quality — something you definitely want from a $700 product.
All told, it’s an exceedingly simple device. There are those touch-sensitive controls on the front of the speaker. Tapping above the Sonos logo will play or pause music, while tapping to the left or right will decrease or increase volume. And you can swipe left to right to go forward in your playlist; swiping in the other direction goes back a track. These are the same controls that Sonos included on the Play:5, and they’re equally welcome here. The only other button is on the left side of the Playbase; you press it during setup to get the speaker connected to your WiFi network (more on setup in a moment). Around back are ports for power, Ethernet and optical audio. That’s it.
This is a top view of the Playbase after a TV was placed on top of it. The gray bar is one of the TV legs, and it left some ugly scrapes just below it.
The Playbase did let me down in one big way. As I was setting up my review unit, I somehow managed to put a few scuffs on the otherwise pristine white surface. I wasn’t really able to get them out either. While I haven’t noticed them since setting up the speaker, as they’re mostly covered by my TV, I was still disheartened to discover that I was able to mark up such a lovely device so easily. If you’re the type of person who moves a lot or is a bit harder on your belongings, you might be better off with the black version. In my case, though, the white speaker looks great alongside my white PS4, those scuffs notwithstanding.
Setup
The Playbase’s simplicity extends to the setup too. Once I placed the speaker under my TV, I plugged it into the wall and hooked it up with the included optical audio cable. The Sonos iOS app then walked me through everything I needed to do. (There’s an Android application as well.) Setup was a little easier, since I already had Sonos speakers in my house, which means I already have a Sonos account. Even so, starting from scratch is simple enough. The Sonos app scans and finds nearby speakers and connects them to the WiFi network your mobile device is on. All I had to do was follow the app’s directions and press the button on the side of the speaker to connect it and it was basically good to go. You’ll also likely need to switch your TV’s setting to output audio to an external device rather than its built-in speaker.
The Playbase uses the same “Trueplay” room-tuning technology that Sonos introduced alongside the Play:5 in late 2015. If you haven’t used it before, Trueplay basically adjusts the audio characteristics of Sonos’ speakers to make them sound as good as possible, regardless of where they’re placed in a room. The process is slightly different when tuning the Playbase, because the speaker is meant for both music and movies.
First, the app asks you to sit where you’ll most often watch TV, and then you’ll walk around the room to tune the speaker for music playback. It takes a bit longer, but it’s still super easy and can make a noticeable difference. I didn’t notice a big change with Trueplay turned on or off, but your mileage will vary based on your particular room. One downside: Trueplay still requires an iOS device. The company says that the huge variety and variability of microphones found in Android phones make it too difficult to tune speakers reliably. That’s not to say the speaker sounds bad without it, though; indeed, I wouldn’t call this a deal-breaker for households without an iDevice.
Movies and TV
Now we’re on to the best part about testing this speaker: sitting back and watching a lot of TV. For my tests, I streamed movies and shows from Netflix, Hulu and iTunes via my Apple TV, and I also watched some movies on Blu-ray through my PS4. Regardless of the source, the Playbase was an immediate and massive upgrade over my TV’s built-in speakers.
The subwoofer that Sonos managed to cram into the Playbase provided the most significant upgrade. Explosions in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Interstellar and Inception all delivered room-rumbling bass that a TV simply can’t provide on its own. The impact of the subwoofer isn’t limited to space action films, either. When Sauron was temporarily vanquished in the prologue of Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, his helmet hit the ground with startling force.
While epic moments in big films are a great showcase for the Playbase, that’s not the only place where it shines. When Sonos first unveiled the speaker, company execs talked about the importance of delivering super-clear dialogue. Indeed, the Playbase delivers that in spades. A speaker of this caliber simply makes everything sound more “present” — like the characters are right in the room with you. Big bass may turn heads, but crystal-clear dialogue is something you’ll appreciate every single day, regardless of what you’re watching.
Even sitcoms like Parks and Recreation and The Office sounded noticeably better than when I watched with standard TV speakers. One Parks and Rec scene featured a character speaking to a crowd through a megaphone, and I could hear the scratchy, amplified characteristics of that speech in a way I wouldn’t have noticed on lesser speakers. And, as silly as it sounds, the theme song for The Office has never sounded so good.
Speaking of music, film scores sound excellent as well. They generally take a backseat to dialogue and sound effects, but hearing John Williams’, Hans Zimmer’s and Howard Shore’s epic musical landscapes blasting forth with tremendous depth was almost as much fun as the big explosions. Inception was another great test for the speaker: The trademark two-hit musical cue blared forth like a siren, and the movie’s excellent closing sequence and accompanying score hit hard.
As with the Play:5, the area where the Playbase shows some weakness is in stereo separation. That’s not to say you don’t get any stereo effects here. Ships and laser blasts in The Force Awakens panned across the soundscape as they did on-screen — just not with the same dramatic effect that you’d get from a multi-speaker setup. It’s still a clear upgrade from the internal speakers that I’m used to, but it doesn’t quite hit the theatrical level of immersion you’ll get with dedicated left, right and center speakers.
While I didn’t get to test this out, it’s worth noting that the Playbase lets you wirelessly sync with the Sonos Sub and two Play:1 speakers to build a 5.1 surround sound setup out of four wireless speakers. And if the internal subwoofer is enough for you, you can also just use the Playbase with the two Play:1 speakers for a cheaper and less complex setup. As someone with surround sound ambitions, the idea of using the Play:1 as wireless back speakers is extremely compelling, if not super affordable; those speakers cost $200 each, while the Sub alone commands a cool $700. For me, the internal sub was more than sufficient, so I don’t plan on shelling out for a dedicated unit anytime soon.
Music
If you’ve been using Sonos for a while, it’s likely been for tunes: The company was one of the first to make it easy to stream music to high-quality speakers. (If you haven’t used Sonos much before, our Play:5 review offers a great overview of how its wireless music streaming system works.) So while the Playbase was designed with home theater in mind, it has to perform when playing back music as well. Fortunately, music playback is outstanding. Unscientifically, I’ll say it sounds nearly as good as a single Play:5 speaker, and it absolutely smokes the smaller Play:1 I have in my living room when it comes to clarity and volume.
Though the Playbase’s stereo performance while watching movies didn’t exactly blow me away, it actually sounds excellent here. I listened to a wide variety of songs I know inside and out and still managed to experience the music in a fresh way, thanks to some dramatic stereo panning. Vocals were clear and detailed, on par with dialogue in movies and TV shows.
For most people looking for a dedicated audio speaker, they’d probably do better with a Play:5; it’s fantastic and $200 cheaper. But the versatility of the Playbase is a huge point in its favor. If I had to choose between a $500 Play:5 and a $700 Playbase for my living room, I’d probably get the Playbase. It gives up very little in terms of audio quality compared with the Play:5 and feels like a huge upgrade when you’re watching movies and TV shows.
The competition
The Sonos Playbase, pictured here below the Sonos Playbar mounted to the wall.
Sonos has played up the Playbase’s rather unique form factor, but there are other speaker bases on the market. The $300 ZVOX 570 sits under your TV and has a built-in subwoofer, just like the Playbase. The $379 Bose Solo 15 Series II doesn’t have a sub, but it does include Bose’s “Truespace” technology, which works with the center speaker to enhance dialogue. JBL’s $230 Cinema Base also has built-in subwoofers. Of course, none of these speakers have Sonos’ streaming capabilities, though you can send audio to all of them over Bluetooth. Finally, none of them offer the ability to build a wireless 5.1 setup with other Sonos speakers. On the other hand, these speakers all cost less than half what you’ll pay for the Playbase.
If you don’t need your speaker to double as a stand, Sonos’ own Playbar offers a similar feature set (minus the subwoofer) for the same $700 price as the Playbase. And if you look beyond Sonos, there’s a veritable flood of soundbars available from major home audio companies like Sony, Vizio, Yamaha, Samsung, Denon and Paradigm, among others. You can spend a lot less than you would on the Playbase, or spend much, much more, depending on your proclivities.
Wrap-up
As I noted earlier, the Playbase is an extremely compelling one-speaker option for the living room, particularly if you’re a music fan. It’s easy to set up and adds very little complexity to most TV rigs; not having to run lots of cords is a huge win in my eyes. And once you’re set up, it simply makes watching movies a lot more fun, whether they’re big-budget action flicks or quiet, hushed dramas. Either way, dialogue sounds great. And its music performance is outstanding. It’s not quite as good as Sonos’ own Play:5, but the versatility of having one speaker that works great for both TV and music is hard to top.
Of course, at $700, it had better hit all these marks. In a vacuum, that’s a lot of money to spend on a speaker, particularly if you’re someone like me who’s been content enough to live with boring built-in TV speakers. And there are many less expensive soundbars you could buy to improve your TV audio. On the other hand, the Playbase’s versatility between music and movies is unmatched, making for a speaker I would use nearly every single day. It’s great for watching TV on weeknights, or movies on the weekends, and for playing music anytime I want.
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For exactly zero dollars, this photographer built a working lens out of trash
Why it matters to you
With some tinkering and a bit of luck, this video shows how you can build a no-cost lens out of just about anything.
If you’ve spent the last few months trying to win over your significant over and convince them you need an expensive new lens for your camera, maybe don’t show them this video. Self-proclaimed experimental photographer Mathieu Stern is back with another cost-saving photography tip that seems almost too good to be true. With a bit of scavenging, some rubber bands, and a few minutes of his time, he assembled a functional 135mm camera lens out of items he found in the trash.
Aptly dubbed the “Crapinon,” the lens is literally garbage — which both refers to how it was made and the fact that it is really not sharp at all. However, we can’t help but be impressed with the results, soft as they are. The photos have a very retro, film aesthetic, with subdued contrast and colors. It’s a look that will undoubtedly help propel your Instagram account to unimaginable new heights.
More: Now on Kickstarter, this low-tech paper camera shoots instant photos without electricity
Stern built the lens to work on a full-frame camera. He arrived at the focal length of 135mm after some experimentation. As for the aperture, which is fixed without a mechanical iris diaphragm, he believes it is between f/2 and f/3, according to DIYPhotography. Based on the very shallow depth of field of the sample photos, that would seem to make sense.
Of course, actually being able to reproduce Stern’s Crapinon may not be quite so easy as he makes it seem. For one, most of us likely don’t have M42 tubes and focusing helicoids just lying around. Rummaging through flea markets also isn’t guaranteed to turn up a suitable optic. Still, it is good to know that if you happen upon one and if you have access to the associated required parts, a little elbow grease and trial and error will let you turn it into a surprisingly usable lens for your mirrorless camera or DSLR.
Apple iPad 9.7-inch (2017) review
Research Center:
Apple iPad 9.7
Until recently, Apple’s iPad lineup consisted of the iPad Air 2, iPad Mini 4, and the 12.9-inch and 9.7-inch iPad Pro. If that was too confusing for customers to remember, Apple has made it a little easier by replacing the iPad Air 2 with the new iPad. Now you get a choice of the mini, the regular, and the pro models.
The new iPad is the 5th generation in the lineup, and it’s not a dazzling product. It’s the culmination of iPads before it, figuratively and literally — an iFixit teardown found the device to heavily borrow and recycle design elements and components from the iPad Air series.
That doesn’t mean it’s bad — in fact, it helps create the killer feature for the 2017 iPad: A low price tag. At $330, this is the everyman’s tablet. Apple thinks this will be a great device for its education programs, but what about for the average consumer? Let’s take a closer look.
Familiar design, bright display
Apple hardly implements major design changes over the years; even less so in its iPad lineup than any other product. The new iPad … well, looks like an iPad. The design is a little stale, but it works. It has the same dimensions as the iPad Air 2, but it’s a little thicker at 7.5mm (which is still really thin), and a tad heavier at 1.03 pounds.
More: iPad Pro review
The iconic, shiny Apple logo sits in the middle of the back, with the flush camera on the top left, and models with cellular connectivity have a black or white bar at the top on the rear. On the front, Apple has kept the physical button rather than the force-sensitive one on the iPhone 7. The screen is surrounded by large bezels; there’s a front-facing camera at the top; volume buttons sit on the right edge, and a power button on the top edge. The buttons are click-y and responsive.
Julian Chokkatuu/Digital Trends
Julian Chokkatuu/Digital Trends
Julian Chokkatuu/Digital Trends
Julian Chokkatuu/Digital Trends
A Lightning port sits at the bottom edge, and you’ll find the only two speaker ports surrounding it as opposed to the extra two on the top edge of the iPad Pro models. The speakers produce loud audio that’s great for watching movies or listening to music, but they’re obviously not as good as the sound quality on the Pro models, which can get even louder and provide a better stereo experience. The bass is a little tough to hear, but you’ll still find far better audio quality here than most tablets in the price range.
At $330, this is the everyman’s tablet.
The 9.7-inch display makes the new iPad ideal for watching videos. The screen is bright — Apple says it’s 25 percent brighter than the iPad Air 2 to be exact — and it’s easily visible in direct sunlight. Even though it shares the same 2048 x 1536 pixel resolution as the iPad Pro, though, don’t expect the same quality. The iPad Pro has a wide-color display that offers more realistic colors, but it also costs nearly double the price. It’s great for creatives and artists who rely on color accuracy, but if you’re looking to use the new iPad for more casual purposes such as reading, watching movies, and browsing the web, then you won’t be disappointed.
While it’s not as thin as the iPad Air 2, the new iPad is thin and hardly adds any noticeable weight when carrying it around in a bag. The build quality here is great, though the screen tends to pick up fingerprints and dust rather easily.
Snappy performance with iOS 10
The new iPad features Apple’s A9 processor, the same powering the iPhone 6S and 6S Plus, with an embedded M9 co-processor and 2GB of RAM. The result? The company’s operating system, iOS 10, consistently runs smooth and fast — we encountered hardly any performance hiccups in our testing, from watching YouTube videos, browsing social media and the web, to playing intensive games like Injustice: Gods Among Us, and Unkilled.
More: Samsung Galaxy Tab S3 review
You have the option between 32GB or 128GB — say goodbye to the old 16GB storage standard — but there are no 3D Touch features you’ll find on your iPhone. The home button, however, doubles as the Touch ID fingerprint scanner and is, as always, a quick way to unlock the device.
Julian Chokkatuu/Digital Trends
But iOS 10 is the standout here. iPads are the best tablets you can buy because of the wide range of tablet-optimized apps that make use of the screen real-estate — it’s a point where Android seriously lags.
Multitasking gestures, such as using four fingers to swipe between your most recent apps, make it easy to move through different apps, but not as well as on the 12.9-inch iPad Pro (I may just have large hands). Features such as Split View and Slide Over allow for a quick way to deal with other tasks while focusing on something else. We noticed the occasional stutter when using Split View for some time, so don’t expect the same level of performance as the Pro models. Still, we managed to do some light work such as sending emails, writing on Google Docs, and browsing the web without running into any issues.
iOS 10 runs smooth and fast — we encountered hardly any performance hiccups in our testing.
The cameras seem to be similar to the setup on the iPad Air 2 — an 8-megapixel rear camera with an f/2.4 aperture, and a 1.2-megapixel selfie camera with an f/2.2 aperture. Both are snappy with almost no shutter lag, and those of you that use tablets to take photos will be happy to hear that the rear camera does a great job of offering good quality and detail. Your iPhone will still be the better choice, though.
The front-facing camera is grainy and has poor image quality due to the low 1.2-megapixel count. Still, using Facetime in 720p, it does the job.
Long battery life
With a bigger 8,610mAh battery than the Air 2 (which explains the thickness), this iPad has refused to die on us. We have used it for more than a week in Wi-Fi-only mode, with some use every day, and it only recently dipped under 40 percent.
Keep in mind that with LTE connectivity, expect to lose battery life more quickly.
Warranty information
Apple’s iPads come with a standard limited warranty that offers up to 90 days of support and one year of hardware repair. The Genius Bar at every Apple Store is also there to help in case you have any issues. You can purchase AppleCare+ as well, as it will extend your warranty an extra year for $100, while also adding coverage for up to two incidents of accidental damage.
Apple iPad 9.7 Compared To
Samsung Galaxy Tab S3
Chuwi Hi12 Windows 10 2-in-1
Dell Venue 8 7000
Nvidia Shield Tablet
Apple iPad Air 2
Lenovo ThinkPad 10
Dell Venue 8 Pro
Apple iPad Mini 2
Microsoft Surface 2
Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 (8-inch)
Razer Edge Pro
Dell Latitude 10
Dell XPS 10
Acer Iconia Tab W700
Acer Iconia Tab A700
Our Take
What would have made the new iPad a killer deal is support for Apple Pencil, which sadly it does not have. If you spend $270 more, you can get the 9.7-inch iPad Pro which offers quad speakers, a better display, Apple Pencil support, Smart Keyboard support, a better camera, and more. For $330, though, you’re still getting an iPad that can perform ordinary tasks incredibly well.
This is the everyman’s tablet. The tablet you can use to consume media and browse the web, and the tablet you can use to perform light to moderately-heavy work tasks while expecting smooth performance.
While it’s not as wallet-friendly as some Android tablets, it’s the cheapest iPad you can buy from Apple.
Are there better alternatives?
There are some decent Android options at this price point, such as the Amazon Fire HD 8 or the Asus ZenPad 3S 10, but they won’t offer the best array of tablet-optimized apps as the new iPad.
The DT Accessory Pack
AirPods
$159
iPad Smart Cover
$39
AmazonBasics Bluetooth Keyboard
$18
That’s not to say that there aren’t any good Android tablets — the Samsung Galaxy Tab S3 and the Google Pixel C say otherwise, but they both cost $500 or more.
How long will it last?
You can expect the new iPad to have a much longer shelf life than the competition, partly because Apple offers instant security and version updates. Unlike most Android devices, you can also expect support for longer than two years.
Expect the new iPad to last for approximately three to four years.
Should you buy it?
Yes. Even if you don’t have an iPhone, the iPad is a great, affordable tool to have around for streaming or watching movies and TV shows; it offers solid multitasking capabilities if you’re feeling productive; and it’s light enough to throw in your backpack and use on your commute. For a price tag of $330, it’s a steal.
AIVAnet 