Samsung Galaxy S9 apparently in development, because of course it is

Galaxy S9 and S9+ development reportedly 3-4 months ahead of previous devices.

Once again, your shiny new Samsung Galaxy S8 is OLD NEWS. According to reports from the Korean press, development of the Galaxy S9 and S9+ is apparently already well underway, under the codenames “Star” and “Star 2” respectively. That’s entirely unsurprinsing in itself — you’d certainly expect next year’s phone to be in the works by now, as we approach the midway point of 2017.

The main takeaway: GS9 development could be further along than previous phones in previous years.

But what’s supposedly different this time around, according to The Bell, is that the production schedule for the Galaxy S9 is reportedly some three to four months ahead of previous flagships. According to the outlet’s sources, that means the GS9 could enter mass production before the end of 2017, which could point to an earlier launch window in 2018 — which in turn could make a public unveiling at Mobile World Congress 2018 a real possibility.

At the same time, it’s worth taking unconfirmed reports like this with a pinch of salt, especially when they come from a single source. Even if the Galaxy S9’s production timeline is ahead of previous releases, we’re still a good nine months or more away from seeing the fruits of Samsung’s efforts.

As for the codename itself, “Star” fits into the standard pattern of telling us basically nothing about the phone itself. Previous Samsung codenames have included Dream (GS8), Grace (Note 7) and Zen (GS6 edge+); the upcoming Note 8 reportedly goes by the codename “Great.”

The only other nugget of GS9 info we have thus far is that Samsung is reportedlt working with Qualcomm on the next-gen Snapdragon chips that’ll power the phone in some regions. Again, no surprises there.

Samsung Galaxy S9 could be codenamed ‘Star’, entering development early

The Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8+ are now widely available, following a launch slightly later in the year than expected, but now we’re starting to hear gossip about Samsung’s next flagship, the Galaxy S9 scheduled for 2018.

We say it’s gossip and you should treat this with some suspicion, but there’s talk coming from Korea’s The Bell, saying that what we assume will be called the Galaxy S9 is under development using the codename “Star”.

The source claims that development of the new phone is in advance of previous years, although this sort of rumour is common in the early life of a new product: guessing the Galaxy S9 release date would be impossible and we can’t see that Samsung would vary too much from March or April 2018.

The company’s first priority will be the Galaxy Note 8, that, despite Samsung’s problem with the Note 7, looks to be ramping up for launch in the second half of 2017, perhaps late August or September.

• Samsung Galaxy Note 8: What’s the story so far?

There’s no information about what the Galaxy S9 might offer, but The Bell reports that it’s likely to focus on a development of the Infinity Display. We’d expect a subtle evolution, perhaps addressing the fingerprint scanner that seems like the phone’s biggest weakness, as well as rolling in some innovation introduced on the Note 8.

As we said, take it all with a pinch of salt and certainly don’t hang around deciding whether to wait or to buy the Galaxy S8. Samsung’s latest is a fantastic phone, certainly one of the best of 2017 so far.

• Samsung Galaxy S8 vs S8 Plus: Which should you choose?

What is Amazon Prime and what do you get for £79 or $99 a year?

Amazon Prime launched in 2007 in the UK and two-years earlier in the US. It’s now available in multiple countries around the world and millions of members have signed up to receive a swathe of benefits.

However, it can be a little confusing as to what it actually offers. There’s actually so many small deals and services attached to Prime membership that even if you are a subscriber already, you might not realise what you get.

That’s why we’ve put together this explainer, to give newcomers and existing members the rundown of what Amazon Prime has to offer.

What is Amazon Prime?

Amazon Prime is a paid membership that, for an annual or monthly fee, gives access to a number of Amazon services and enhancements.

It is available at Amazon.co.uk, Amazon.com or from most of the other local Amazon websites around the globe.

How much does Amazon Prime cost?

In the UK, Amazon Prime membership costs either £7.99 a month or £79 a year – the latter clearly makes more economic sense but requires an annual payment so you might want to spread the cost monthly.

You can also subscribe to Prime Video exclusively for £5.99 a month. That’s if you don’t want the other Prime benefits. Prime Video is included in the other Prime membership fees.

In the US, Amazon Prime membership costs $10.99 a month or $99 a year. A Prime Video only account costs $8.99 a month.

In both regions, you can try Prime membership for free for the first 30-days. If you cancel within that time, it doesn’t cost you a penny. You will be charged after the 30 days are up if you don’t cancel, however.

• Try it for 30-days for free on Amazon.co.uk here
• Try it for 30-days for free on Amazon.com here

What do you get with Amazon Prime membership?

Amazon Prime membership covers several key services, which come at no extra cost.

Unlimited one-day and same-day delivery

Prime was originally devised to offer free one-day delivery on millions of eligible items across all categories on Amazon’s online store. Order an item tagged as Prime and you will get it the next day – even on Sundays.

In some cases this includes same-day delivery, with postcodes and zipcodes in and around many major cities across the UK and US covered by Amazon’s same-day delivery scheme.

Amazon

Prime Now

Access to Amazon’s Prime Now service even means you can have an item delivered for free within two-hours. This includes thousands of “best of Amazon” items and even groceries.

You can also get one-hour deliveries if you pay an additional £6.99 or $7.99 per delivery.

It’s only available in certain locations for now, including London, Liverpool and Manchester in the UK, Boston, Chicago and Los Angeles in the States.

Prime Video

Amazon Prime Video is the company’s alternative to Netflix. It offers thousands of TV shows, documentaries and movies to stream to multiple devices, without having to pay anything extra.

This includes blockbuster movies, such as American Sniper, The Hateful Eight, Edge of Tomorrow and Interstellar. It also includes TV series, including exclusives made by Amazon itself – as part of the Amazon Originals line-up – or licensed by the company.

Amazon

In the UK, this includes Mr Robot, The Man in the High Castle and Preacher. The Grand Tour, starring Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May, is an Amazon Original and therefore only available on Prime Video.

As detailed above, you can also subscribe to Amazon Prime Video in the UK and US for £5.99 or $8.99 a month respectively without any of the other Prime benefits, but considering it only costs £2/$2 a month more for full Prime membership (less if you pay annually) it seems a waste.

• How to watch Amazon Video on your Android phone or tablet
• How to watch Amazon Prime Video on TV: Your complete guide

Prime Music and Amazon Music Unlimited

Prime Music offers more than two million music tracks to listen to on demand, streamed over the internet to any one of multiple devices. It is included with a Prime subscription, but you can also choose to pay extra (£7.99 a month, £79 a year for Prime members in the UK, $7.99/$79 in the US)  for a Music Unlimited pass to expand the music choice to more than 40 million tracks.

Music Unlimited costs more for non-Prime members.

It also offers a 30-day free trial.

• Subscribe to Music Unlimited on Amazon.co.uk here
• Subscribe to Music Unlimited on Amazon.com here

Prime Reading

You can read over a thousand books, magazines, comics and more with Prime Reading. It works with any of the Kindle apps for multiple devices, or on Kindle eBook readers. You just need to find content supported for Prime Reading and read it as part of your overall Prime membership.

In the US, some books with Audible narration are supported too.

Audible original audio series can also be listened to with an American Prime membership. That service is yet to come to the UK.

Twitch Prime

After Amazon bought videogames video streaming service Twitch it added some benefits for Prime subscribers. Discounts on games, additional in-game content and ad-free viewing of Twitch streams are on offer. You can also subscribe to your favourite Twitch channel at no extra cost.

Prime Photos

As part of your membership, you get unlimited photo storage on Amazon Drive – the retailer’s cloud service. That means you can upload and keep a copy of every photo on your desktop PC, Mac or mobile device. There are apps for both iOS and Android. You can even set them up to automatically upload your pictures as you take them, ensuring you never lose an image, even if you phone is lost or stolen.

Early access to Lightning Deals

All year round, Amazon runs a sales and deals section of its website called Lightning Deals, which offers big bargains on products for a limited time. There is a finite amount of stock on offer for each item and when they have all been bought, the deal is over.

Prime membership means you get a 30-minute heads-up on all deals before non-members can also purchase them, so you get the chance to snaffle them first. This is especially attractive during big sales periods, such as during the build-up to Black Friday each year.

• Search for Lightning Deals on Amazon.co.uk here
• Search for Lightning Deals on Amazon.com here

Amazon Family

With a Prime membership, you can also sign up to Amazon Family, which gives you other benefits, such as 20 per cent off nappies when ordered with Amazon’s Subscribe & Save scheme.

Create an Amazon Household and you can also share your Prime benefits with one other adult. You can also manage digital content and parental controls for kids services, such as Kindle for Kids or Fire for Kids.

Pocket-lint

Fire for Kids Unlimited

While it’s not an included benefit, Fire for Kids Unlimited is a no-add subscription service that works across Amazon Fire Tablets and is much cheaper for Prime members. It’s also known as Amazon FreeTime Unlimited in the US.

It costs £1.99 ($2.99) a month for access for one child, £4.99 ($6.99) for up to four children. The usual price for non-Prime members is £3.99 ($4.99) and £7.99 ($9.99) a month respectively.

US parents can also subscribe for a yearly fee of $83 for Prime members, $119 for non-members. That gives access for up to four children.

Fire for Kids Unlimited / Amazon FreeTime Unlimited includes access to a large, curated selection of age-appropriate eBooks, TV shows, movies, games and educational apps.

Dummy iPhone 8 hands-on video once again shows vertical camera

The launch might not be for another four months or so but that doesn’t stop the iPhone 8 rumour mill gathering pace.

A video has been posted online, claiming to show a display dummy version of the much talked-about new premium handset from Apple. It doesn’t work, most likely doesn’t have any inner hardware and there’s no way to confirm whether it originated from Apple, one of its suppliers or a case manufacturer.

However, even if a fan-made mock-up based on former rumours, it does give an indication as to how the phone could look when launched later this year – if the current spate of speculated features are true.

For one, you can see what a vertical camera unit on the rear could look like. It matches the same location and size of the camera slot in “leaked” case moulds we’ve also seen recently.

You can also see how the curved OLED screen could be utilised.

Of course, it could all be poppycock and yet another in a long string of fakes that we fully expect to emerge over the coming weeks and months. But hey, the video is short so it can’t harm to give it a quick gander.

You can also catch up with Pocket-lint’s rumour round-up of all the iPhone 8 news so far: Apple iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus: What’s the story so far?

Dolby Atmos in a laptop? First impressions of Dolby Atmos Sound System

Huawei has unveiled the MateBook X, its attempt to muscle in on the thin and light laptop space, rivalling devices like the Apple MacBook or the Asus ZenBook 3.

There’s a number of firsts that you totally expect from Huawei: really thin bezels give you a 13-inch display in the space you’d normally find a 12-inch, it’s incredibly thin at 12.5mm and it also will run Intel’s Core i7 processors with no fan, thanks to “space age” cooling technology.

The MateBook X also introduces something called Dolby Atmos Sound System and it’s promising to totally change audio on your laptop.

What is Dolby Atmos Sound System?

There’s two parts to that name, there’s the Dolby Atmos part that you recognise from home cinema or movie theatres and then there’s the Sound System part tagged on the end.

This is potentially confusing: Dolby Atmos is all about creating an immersive sound space that differentiates itself from common or garden surround sound by adding height: it’s being able to place a sound objects above you that really defines the Dolby Atmos experience.

We’ve seen a slight dilution of that brand over the early parts of 2017. The move into mobile devices like smartphones sees Dolby Atmos branding, but not delivering the experience in the way you would expect if you’ve see it in the cinema.

• Dolby Atmos explained: What is it and how do I get it?

So Dolby Atmos Sound System isn’t exactly the same thing. It has some of the same aims – creating a greater stereo separation and the ability to create and place sonic object effects, but it isn’t the same as a full home Atmos system that will have sounds moving around behind your head, like you’re sitting in a sound bubble.

Dolby says that it’s about making the sound experience better than it has been before, but accepts that it’s not going to be the same as sitting in a Dolby Atmos cinema.

How does the Dolby Atmos Sound System work?

In the case of the MateBook X, the key is that Dolby got to work with Huawei early on in the design process. This means that Dolby could have more input into the design of the speaker drivers, how they were located and housed within the new Ultrabook, as well as the grille design.

Dolby told us that in many partnerships of this type, the audio company is handed the near-finished product and asked to make the sound better, meaning that they have very little real input.

Pocket-lint

Dolby Atmos Sound System is both a hardware and software solution. It relies on the speaker hardware as well as the software processing to create the effect, with Dolby saying that the MateBook X has bespoke speakers, with two motors each, meaning they can drive more air and create better audio effects – as well as producing sound beyond what you’d expect from a compact notebook.

On the software side, you get a control panel will let you switch between different sound modes –  dynamic, movie, music, voice and game – as well as letting you personalise the experience.

Software is important because it’s managing the whole process and using the stereo speakers the virtualise the immersive effects.

How good does Dolby Atmos Sound System sound?

First impressions are good. We’ve not had long to listen in too much depth, but the demos we’ve experienced create a noticeable immersive effect, the sort of thing you’d expect from a surround sound system, albeit not having rear channels or the sense of a vast soundscape that a good Atmos system will create.

The demos we listened to were at very high volume and things sounded a little shrill, at the high end, but watching the opening scene of Max Mad: Fury Road, the whispers were swirling around us when sitting in front of the MateBook X. Subsequently we’ve watched a number of movies and found a definite widening of the sound stage, if not quite as impressive as the original demos.

For a 2.0 system in the MateBook X there’s surprising depth to the sound quality, so listening to music is pretty good and switching sound modes can make a difference: music is a little flatter than movie, for example.

Pocket-lint

On the MateBook X is you turn the speakers up full volume there’s a still a lot of distortion that destroys the experience and playing bass-heavy tracks will do the same: Dolby Atmos Sound System isn’t a magic bullet in that sense, it still has limitations.

Dolby is also promising a great headphone experience and we assume that having a Dolby Atmos Sound System laptop will mean you can get greater separation and more delicate handling from movies, for a more immersive experience – of course you need movies that will deliver that degree of separation. Again, the volume levels on offer far exceed what we’d be able to listen to through headphones, so on the MateBook X, it might be pushing a little too powerfully.

Will Dolby Atmos Sound System be coming to other devices?

Yes. It made its debut on the Huawei MateBook X, but at the launch event, Dolby closed its section of the presentation by saying that it was looking forward to seeing the spread of Dolby Atmos Sound System.

Dolby is presenting Atmos Sound System as something that can be used by OEMs (original equipment manufacturers) to improve the performance of their audio offering. It’s on the MateBook X and MateBook D, but we’re sure we’ll see it appearing in other devices soon enough.

Best movies to look forward to in 2017: Here are all the top film trailers

We’re finally into big movie season, with Easter now passed. That means the big blockbuster season is in full swing and there are plenty of major motion pictures in cinemas now and coming up over the next eight months.

There are returns for some much-loved comic book characters, some long-awaited sequels and a few movie debuts. Oh, and then there’s Star Wars: The Last Jedi, of course.

So here’s our pick of the big screen delights either about to hit cinemas or awaiting us later in 2017, all listed in release date order. We’ll also update this round-up as new trailers emerge

Pirates of the Caribbean: Salazar’s Revenge

• UK release date: 26 May 2017
• Directors: Joachim Rønning, Espen Sandberg
• Stars: Johnny Depp, Geoffrey Rush, Javier Bardem

The Pirates franchise returns with a fifth outing for Captain Jack Sparrow (Depp), also known as Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales in the US. Directors Joachim Rønning and Espen Sandberg made their names directing on the Marco Polo TV series (currently on Netflix), so it’ll look good at the very least.

Wonder Woman

• UK release date: 2 June 2017
• Director: Patty Jenkins
• Stars: Gal Gadot, Chris Pine, Robin Wright

After stealing the limelight in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, and ahead of Justice League, Gal Gadot once again dons the star-spangled pants of Wonder Woman in an origin story that could well be better than most DC Comics-based movies of the last few years.

Baywatch

• UK release date: 2 June
• Director: Seth Gordon
• Stars: Dwayne Johnson, Zac Efron, Alexandra Daddario

Baywatch is back, albeit as a tongue-in-cheek, self-referential comedy. Seth Gordon directed the great Horrible Bosses (not the weaker sequel) so there’s hope for some excellent comedy timing and set-pieces. And with The Rock and Zac Efron on board, what can go wrong?

The Mummy

• UK release date: 9 June 2017
• Director: Alex Kurtzman
• Stars: Tom Cruise, Russell Crowe, Annabelle Wallis

Universal reboots its monster series again, this time with Tom Cruise starring. Kurtzman hasn’t got a long directorial history, but his writing CV includes Star Trek and Mission Impossible movies so it should at least be tightly packed with humour and action in equal measure.

Transformers: The Last Knight

• UK release date: 23 June 2017
• Director: Michael Bay
• Stars: Mark Wahlberg, Anthony Hopkins, Isabela Moner

Another Transformers movie – the fifth – and this time there’s no Optimus Prime. Or is there? A massive cast is headed by Mark Wahlberg once again, with Humans’ Gemma Chan joining the fun.

Despicable Me 3

• UK release date: 30 June 2017
• Directors: Kyle Balda, Pierre Coffin, Eric Guillon
• Stars: Steve Carell, Kirstin Wiig, Trey Parker

The Minions was good, but this is what we want – another full on Despicable Me sequel. Gru discovers he has a twin brother, Dru and chaos ensues. Of course.

Spider-Man: Homecoming

• UK release date: 7 July 2017
• Director: Jon Watts
• Stars: Tom Holland, Michael Keaton, Robert Downey Jnr

Spider-Man finally gets his own film as part of the Marvel cinematic universe. Loosely based on the Ultimate Spider-Man stories and fitting in with the current Marvel movie continuity, the new film (and trailer) looks like dispelling bad memories of The (less-than) Amazing Spider-Man 2.

War for the Planet of the Apes

• UK release date: 14 July 2017
• Director: Matt Reeves
• Stars: Andy Serkis, Woody Harrelson, Judy Greer

The recent Planet of the Apes films have been excellent so far, so this third in the series welcome around these parts. Matt Reeves directs again after the respectable Dawn of the Planet of the Apes. He’s also attached to the future Batman solo film: The Batman.

Cars 3

• UK release date: 14 July 2017
• Director: Brian Fee
• Stars: Owen Wilson, Bonnie Hunt, Larry the Cable Guy

Pixar brings back Cars yet again, which will excite younger ones as they clamour over the toys once more. Perhaps with a knowing wink, the plot focuses on the replacement of Lightning McQueen as the best racer on the circuit, and his subsequent quest to get back on top.

Dunkirk

• UK release date: 21 July 2017
• Director: Christopher Nolan
• Stars: Tom Hardy, Cillian Murphy, Kenneth Brannagh

We fully expect Saving Private Ryan style realism and shocks in this telling of one of World War II’s biggest and most infamous battles. It also stars Harry Stiles from One Direction, don’t you know?

The Emoji Movie

• UK release date: 4 August 2017
• Director: Tony Leondis
• Stars: Steven Wright, TJ Miller, James Cordon

Sir Patrick Stewart plays the Poop emoji. ‘Nuff said.

Atomic Blonde

• UK release date: 11 August 2017
• Director: David Leitch
• Stars: Charlize Theron, Sofia Boutella, James McAvoy

Based on The Coldest City, a graphic novel authored by the writer of the Dead Space games, Antony Johnston, Atomic Blonde is a hard hitting, adult spy movie based in the cold war period. The red band trailer is especially revealing.

The Hitman’s Bodyguard

• UK release date: 18 August 2017
• Director: Patrick Hughes
• Stars: Ryan Reynolds, Samuel L Jackson, Salma Hayek

Ryan Reynolds plays a bodyguard who must look after Samuel L Jackson’s hitman before he testifies in court – cue much hilarity and much swearing. This is the red band trailer, so also contains many an MF bomb, so be careful with playing it out loud. 

The Dark Tower

• UK release date: 18 August 2017
• Director: Nikolaj Arcel
• Stars: Idris Elba, Matthew McConaughey, Katheryn Winnick

Based on the Stephen King series of novels, Sony will hope that it has a major franchise on its hands with the first chapter. There are eight books in total, after all.

Inhumans

• UK release date: 1 September 2017
• Director: Scott Buck (created by)
• Stars: Sonya Balmores, Isabelle Cornish, Eme Ikwuakor 

Although it is, strictly speaking, a superhero TV series from Marvel, due to be screened on ABC in the States, the first two episodes will be screened in IMAX cinemas globally. You’ll have two weeks to go see them before the show officially starts on TV.

Kingsman: The Golden Circle

• UK release date: 29 September 2017
• Director: Matthew Vaughn
• Stars: Taron Egerton, Channing Tatum, Colin Firth

The sequel to one of the best comic book movie adaptations of recent times reunites Eggsy (Taron Egerton) and Harry (Colin Firth) in an even more bombastic take on the James Bond spy genre. Superb stuff.

Blade Runner 2049

• UK release date: 6 October 2017
• Director: Denis Villeneuve
• Stars: Ryan Gosling, Harrison Ford, Jared Leto

Blade Runner returns after many years with Ryan Gosling taking on the role of an investigator out to find Harrison Ford’s Deckard 30 years after the events of the first film. After directing Sicario and the superb Arrival, we have high hopes that Villeneuve’s style will live up to the original – the trailer suggests it will.

Thor: Ragnarok

• UK release date: 27 October 2017
• Director: Taika Waititi
• Stars: Chris Hemsworth, Cate Blanchett, Tom Hiddleston

As we race headlong towards the Infinity War and the mother of all star-studded crossovers, Thor finds himself stranded on a distant planet and up against former fellow Avenger The Hulk. Yes, Planet Hulk in the Marvel Cinematic Universe at last!

Justice League

• UK release date: 17 November 2017
• Director: Zack Snyder
• Stars: Ben Affleck, Gal Gadot, Henry Cavill

Please don’t be rubbish. Please don’t be rubbish. Please don’t be…

Star Wars: The Last Jedi

• UK release date: 15 December 2017
• Director: Rian Johnson
• Stars: Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Mark Hamill

After the brief prequel excursion of Rogue One – out now on Blu-ray – we get the next chapter in the latest trilogy. And we cannot wait.

Star Wars: The Last Jedi, otherwise known as Episode VIII, will start with Rey’s meeting with Luke Skywalker and presumably chart her path to becoming a Jedi. Or perhaps not, if rumours are to be believed.

Deadpool 2

• UK release date: 1 June 2018
• Director: David Leitch
• Stars: Ryan Reynolds, Josh Brolin, Morena Baccarin

Okay, so it’s not coming out in 2017 and the above isn’t technically a trailer – that sequence won’t be in the final movie – but it’s so funny we couldn’t not include it. Roll on Deadpool 2. Oh yes!

Bang & Olufsen’s new product is… beer!

Bang & Olufsen, through its B&O Play brand, has taken an odd swerve with its latest product. It has produced its own beer.

Beobrew IPA has been crafted in partnership with Danish microbrewery Mikkeller and is unique in that a Beoplay A1 speaker is used in the brewing process.

The Bluetooth speaker is lowered into the fermenting tank and music is played at high volumes during the two-week conditioning process. The vibrations apparently forces the yeast into producing more flavour.

B&O Play

“By playing music in the fermenting tank, we are adding a fifth ingredient that takes the beer to a new level. As the music plays, it pumps out a unique pattern of vibrations that assists the yeast during fermentation and encourages the yeast to produce more flavourful esters than it would have without the presence of music,” said Mikkeller head brewer Kyle Wolak.

• Which B&O Play speaker is right for you?

The process results in a 6.8 per cent American style IPA beer that has a “bright and aromatic taste” with “citrus fruit and floral notes”.

B&O or beer fans can buy the beer from Mikkeller’s own website. You can also check out the video below to get a more in-depth look at the brewing process.

And yes, it is May rather than the beginning of April.

The Morning After: Wednesday, May 24th 2017

Hey, good morning! You look fabulous.

Microsoft stripped the numbers from its new Surface Pro hybrid, and we talk the future of fashion, as well as why the perfect prosthetic hand is still many years way. Meanwhile, Google’s AI-powered Go player beat the world’s best human Go master. There are, however, still two matches left.

The refreshed Surface Pen also adds tilt sensitivity.Microsoft made the Surface Pro both lighter and quieter

Microsoft has left the Surface Pro line untouched since late 2015, but the company finally gave it a subtle refresh today. Announced at an event in Shanghai yesterday, the new Surface Pro has updated 7th-gen Intel Core processors and enhanced 12.3-inch PixelSense display, plus an LTE option due later this year. Microsoft calls this “the lightest, the best sounding, the fastest and the quietest Surface Pro ever,” and the company was keen to stress that its machine is 1.7 times faster than the iPad Pro. But is it more a laptop, or a tablet?

Smart fabrics and power laces are just the beginning.Fashion and technology will inevitably become one

There’s no denying that the technology world is obsessed with fashion. Amazon, Apple and Google, three of the biggest names in tech, are all trying to carve their path into the fashion space. And the interest is mutual, with mainstream and high-end labels testing out 3D-printed, embedded sensors and more. Now more than ever, it feels like high-tech fashion is on the verge of being more than just a gimmick. In the not-too-distant future, you could even be 3D printing your own shoes or clothes at home. Instead of going to a store, you’ll buy designs straight from the designer. And we’re quickly heading toward a world in which “wearable” will be more than a fancy word for a smartphone accessory.

A lightsaber might have better odds.We’re not getting Luke Skywalker’s prosthetics anytime soon

As robots and machines get increasingly more efficient, smarter and faster, they still can’t hold a candle (literally) to the dexterity, sensitivity and graspability of the human hand. What if we could design a robotic hand that’s just as good as a biological one? It turns out there’s a lot of hurdles when it comes to replicating their dexterity, sensitivity and reactionary strength.

It was close.Google’s AlphaGo AI defeats the world’s best human Go player

Google’s AI star, AlphaGo, wins again. It bested Ke Jie, the world’s best Go player, by just half a point — the closest margin possible. After the match, Google’s DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis explained that this was how AlphaGo was programmed: to maximize its winning chances, rather than the winning margin. This latest iteration of the AI player, nicknamed Master, apparently uses ten times less computational power than its predecessor that beat Lee Sedol, working from a single PC connected to Google’s cloud server. The next match kicks off tomorrow, and AlphaGo will also go up against five Go pros (not the cameras) at once in a special match later this week.

For $1,299, the Galaxy Book needs to be just about perfect.Samsung’s pricey Galaxy Book is a flawed powerhouse

Samsung’s Galaxy Book isn’t the company’s first attempt at taking the Surface Pro head-on: Last year’s TabPro S clearly drew inspiration from Microsoft’s convertible. But sluggish performance and a cramped keyboard made the whole experience a bit painful. This time around, the Galaxy Book features a Core i5 processor rather than the weaker Core M in the TabPro S. The keyboard is larger, too. But the things that we liked about the TabPro S, including its stunning, pressure-sensitive display, are also still intact. That said, after a couple of days with the Galaxy Book, Nathan Ingraham is at once impressed and infuriated with the experience.

And a free play weekend‘Overwatch’ celebrates its first year with new maps, skins and an Anniversary event

The Anniversary Overwatch event has begun, with three new Arena maps available for 3v3 play in the game’s Arcade mode. Blizzard has also released a new GOTY version with some special skins and loot boxes (existing owners can upgrade to it for $10). Players who want the new items will have to move fast to get all those new rewards — the Anniversary loot boxes disappear after June 12th.

But wait, there’s more…

• Uber admits New York drivers were underpaid for years
• Hackers fooled the Galaxy S8’s iris scanner with a printout
• Google’s $5,000 4K digital whiteboard goes on sale
• Huawei’s MateBook X looks a lot like the 12-inch MacBook

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.

Polar’s new fitness tracker constantly monitors your heart rate

Polar’s latest fitness band called the A370 is a multi-tasker like the company’s older wearables, and at $20 less than its predecessor, it’s definitely the better choice. It monitors your heart rate every five minutes, whether you’re resting or exercising, unlike the A360 that only does so during workouts. The device can even tell when you’re active, so it can give you tips to be able to reach your activity goals. If you run for exercise, A370’s accelerometer can estimate your running speed and distance. It also tracks the calories you lose, as well as connects to Polar’s weighing scale if you want to use it primarily for losing weight.

A370 doesn’t only monitor your body while you’re awake — it’s also loaded with Polar’s proprietary sleep technology in order to track your sleep time, interruptions, sleep continuity and patterns. It then combines all the info it gathers to assess your overall health. The company says “Polar A370’s continuous HR monitoring, coupled with Polar Sleep Plus insights, provides a 24/7 approach to fitness with actionable steps, whether you’re running, lifting weights or home relaxing.”

If you’d rather get Polar’s new wearable than a smartwatch, you can pre-order the A370 from the company’s website. It’ll set you back $179 — plus $25 if you decide to get an extra interchangeable band — and will start shipping in early June.

Source: Polar

Garmin crams 5K and AR into its latest 360-degree camera

Thanks to the steady growth of VR, 360-degree cameras are now the latest object of lust for videographers. Yet with many of the more mainstream options outputting low res videos, Garmin’s taking aim at videophiles with its newly announced 360-degree camera. The Virb 360 will be able to capture video at up to 5.7K at 30 frames per second. As well as the impressive resolution, Garmin promises budding videographers smooth, rapids-enduring footage thanks to its 4K Spherical Stabilization tech.

In a bid to make your videos’ audio feel equally high end, the Virb also features four built-in microphones. In a nice touch, the camera also uses GPS tech to allow users to create their own 360-degree augmented reality overlays. Unsurprisingly, all this tech doesn’t exactly come cheap, with the Virb 360 setting consumers back a wallet-damaging $800 –$300 more than Nikon’s KeyMission 360. Still, at least it’s far more affordable than its 8K competitors.

In a bid to help you forget the hefty price tag, Garmin claims that the device will be incredibly easy to use, featuring simple one-touch button controls, with more complex editing options available via a mobile and desktop app. As you’d expect, the camera will also support YouTube and Facebook Live sharing, so you can Livestream that totally sick walk you’re having with hundreds of uninterested social media ‘friends’.

For those looking to go on a lengthy adventure, you may be left a little disappointed by the battery life. Offering just one hour’s worth of recording time, the Virb’s pricey tech seems to come at yet another cost. Thankfully though, Garmin promises that the upcoming camera is water resistant and can handle being in hot places. Memory-wise, the Virb can support up to 128gb MicroSD cards, and as you’d expect, the Virb also supports WiFi, Bluetooth and even NFC.

While we haven’t got our hands on it yet, the device certainly seems to offer a decent amount of features for the cash. The Virb 360 launches next month, so if you’re in the market for a high-end 360-degree camera, it might be time to start saving.