Make OnePlus’s best-of-the-best photo list, and you may get to review the OnePlus 5

Why it matters to you

The more smartphone manufacturers listen to our needs, the better future products will be. Also, who doesn’t want to be first to try out new stuff?

Do you consider yourself an awesome smartphone photographer? If so, and you have a strong collection of beautiful pictures on Instagram, now is the time to show them off to OnePlus. The company has set up a competition called The Lab, where it invites you to submit your best photographic work for judging; and in return, you may get chosen to review the OnePlus 5.

OnePlus’s motivation, as with a lot of its promotions, is to make sure its forthcoming phone meets the expectations and requirements of those actually using it. Here, it wants the best smartphone photographers out there to test out the OnePlus 5’s camera and provide feedback, so it can refine the feature further.

How do you get involved? It’s easy. OnePlus says to follow the @Oneplustech Instagram account, and then visit this webpage to submit your best photos featured on your personal Instagram account, which have been shot with a smartphone. After careful consideration by the OnePlus design team, the submissions will be whittled down to 10 entries, and each of those will be given a OnePlus 5 to test out as a member of The Lab.

We know the OnePlus 5 is coming, and there have been plenty of rumors about it, but we’re still not quite sure what camera it will use. It’s possible the phone will have a dual-lens camera, like the iPhone 7 Plus, the Huawei P10, and the LG G6. This type of feature is popular at the moment, for generating the blurred bokeh effect, or in the case of the G6, for taking amazing wide-angle shots.

OnePlus has been steadily improving the camera on its smartphones, and the OnePlus 3T’s 16-megapixel rear camera is capable of taking some beautiful shots, which we highlighted in our recent review update. If you want a chance to join The Lab, and test out the OnePlus 5, we’d suggest submitting your photos very soon. There have already been more than 6,500 applications at the time of writing, and OnePlus isn’t saying when it’ll close the competition.

Essential Phone is now official: edge-to-edge display, Snapdragon 835, and dual cameras for $699

The father of Android returns with a phone that looks stunning.

Andy Rubin’s Essential Phone is now official, offering top-of-the-line specs backed by a futuristic design. The highlight of the phone is a 5.7-inch QHD edge-to-edge display that takes up the entire front, wrapping itself around the front-facing camera. The Essential Phone is powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 835, and offers 4GB of RAM along with 128GB storage.

The phone is crafted out of titanium and has a ceramic back that should give it added resistance to tumbles and drops. Other specs include USB-C, Bluetooth 5.0, NFC, LTE support for all major U.S. carriers, fingerprint sensor at the back, 8MP front shooter, and a 3040mAh battery with fast charge. The phone runs Android, but there’s no mention of the version number. Considering it is made by the person who created Android, it’s a good bet that it’ll be on the latest Nougat build.

Round the back, the Essential Phone has two 13MP cameras along with a magnetic connector at the top that allows you to connect accessories. Essential is starting off with a $199 miniature 360-degree camera that features two 12MP fisheye lenses that can record 4K video. The modular system is slightly different from what we’ve seen with Motorola’s Moto Mods — the pins provide the power, and the phone uses 60GHz WiGig to wirelessly transfer the data from the camera.

The phone is available in Black Moon and Pure White color options, with Stellar Grey and Ocean Depths — a teal variant — slated to launch at a later date. You can now reserve the Essential Phone from the link below for $699. Customers that are ordering the device will be able to pick up the 360-degree camera accessory for $50, a $150 discount from its retail price.

What are your thoughts on the Essential Phone?

Reserve the Essential Phone

Unknown Sources: Everything you need to know!

The Unknown Sources setting isn’t the mystery — or the demon — it’s made out to be if you know a little bit about it.

To install apps that you downloaded from somewhere besides the “official” app store from Google or the company that made your phone, you need to enable the “allow unknown sources” setting. There has always been a bit of confusion about what it is exactly and how things work. We’re going to remedy that and talk through everything you need to know about unknown sources. Don’t worry, it’s gonna be fine.

What are “Unknown Sources”?

No, not people who leak government stuff to the press. The Android kind of unknown sources. It’s a scary label for a simple thing: a source for apps you want to install that is not trusted.

Unknown = not vetted directly by Google.

When we see the word “trusted” used this way, it means a little more than it usually would. In this case, trust means the same as it does for a web certificate and everyone involved on all sides will vouch for the source. Google says you can trust Google Play and Samsung Apps (for example) because they don’t require you to enable the installation of unknown (not in the circle of trust) sources to install apps from either. Samsung feels the same way and so does your carrier.

In short, a trusted source is one that the company you gave your money to, the company who built it, and the company who wrote the software all have vouched for.

Why is there even a setting for this?

Half the people reading this will think that no company should allow us to install apps they do not trust. The other half will think that nobody should be telling me what apps I can and can’t install. Having a setting in place is the only real solution.

It’s not really a good idea to just let any app from any place get installed on your phone. When you block app installs from places not in that trusted circle, random drive-by downloads can’t happen. Full stop. It’s insanely difficult to find an exploit that can force you to install an app you don’t want. It should be, because that sort of trickery is never done for a good reason. Going one step further and just outright blocking the darn things is the type of over-the-top phone security Google loves.

And Google doesn’t claim that apps from other places are a bad thing. It has a whole page that tells app devs how to go about offering apps without putting them in the Play Store. All Google has to say about the Unknown Sources setting is:

User opt-in for apps from unknown sources

Android protects users from inadvertent download and install of apps from locations other than Google Play (which is trusted). It blocks such installs until the user opts in to Unknown sources in Settings > Security on their device. Users need to make this configuration change before they download your apps to their devices.

Note that some network providers don’t allow users to install applications from unknown sources.

Google is cool with developers doing it and cool with you downloading and installing them. But they make sure you opt in for it before you do.

Are unknown sources a bad thing?

Nope. But enabling the setting for no good reason or leaving it on all the time is.

The internet is a big place. There are plenty of places to get apps that are as trustworthy as Google or Samsung or LG or any other company with their own on-device app store. You just need to do a tiny bit of poking around to make sure a place is trustworthy before you grab an app from it.

The Unknown Sources setting is like the stove: turn it off when you’re done using it.

Reading this article is a good start. Read other Android websites, too. We’re not afraid to tell you when you can trust something or some place. Here are two places I trust as much as anything from Google: Amazon and F-Droid. I use them both and am not afraid to tell you to use them if they have something you want. And everyone else here would say the same thing. In essence, Android Central trusts Amazon and F-Droid and thinks you can, too. But because of Google’s definition of trust, in this case, they can’t. Knowing that both Amazon and the folks running F-Droid scan all their files and are diligent about how they are distributing them isn’t enough for Google because they need to do those things themselves before they trust a source.

What is a bad habit is leaving the unknown sources box checked if you don’t need to. If an app you installed will run with the setting disabled, disable it until you need it again. If an app won’t run without it enabled, find out why before you install it.

You’re still protected

Google wants to scan every single app you install right before you install it. It will ask you to let it do so and to let it do it in the future the first time you try. At Google I/O, we were told that Google scans 50 billion apps per day to ferret out any with malware, including the ones you are installing. And this doesn’t depend on having the latest version of Android. Every single phone with access to Google Play running Android 4 or higher has these protections built in through Google’s Play Services feature. While no type of scanning is going to be 100% foolproof, chances are someone else has installed that app before you and Google has looked at it, and they will look harder if it does anything fishy. Or has a hidden ability to do anything fishy.

Fifty. Billion. Every day. That’s a helluva lot of apps.

Google, Apple, Samsung, and every other company takes the integrity of their app store very seriously. Nothing makes them look worse than me telling you about bad apps that slipped through, so they do everything they can to keep it from happening. In this case, that benefit rolls over to apps you installed from elsewhere. Win all around!

Why don’t companies just put their apps in Google’s Play Store?

That’s a question with a big, convoluted answer that no two people will agree on. Let’s just say that Google places some restrictions on ways developers can make money. Not everyone is willing to accept those restrictions.

Of course, test apps and beta apps and project apps are better off being hosted locally and set to whoever needs them. But for big production ready apps, not everyone wants to use Google Play.

How do I turn Unknown Sources on?

Open the device settings. Look for a gear icon in the notification shade near the top left corner and tap on it.
Scroll down to the Security section and tap to open it.
Scroll down to the entry labeled Unknown sources and read the subtext because you should always read any and all subtext in a “security” section of settings.
Read the pop-up box that tells you Google isn’t responsible if you install apps from places they do not explicitly trust and click OK to enable the setting.

You disable the setting the exact same way. Toggle the switch off and installation is once again blocked for apps downloaded outside of trusted app stores.

So should I enable the setting?

If you want to install an app that you trust — you know the source and are sure they aren’t pulling a fast one and that the app is exactly as the developers have written it, then you can enable it when you need it.

There are a lot of different ways to define trust, but we think that word of mouth is one of the best ones. Your friends, people in forums and comments, and your favorite Android blog can tell you whether or not they think you should trust a thing or place, and whoever is saying it should be willing to tell you why.

Most importantly, you don’t have to worry about temporarily enabling Unknown Sources if you trust a place that has an app you want to install.

I trust Amazon because it vets every app in its store and it is a popular source. That means if an app slips through, it will get caught quickly. I trust F-Droid because every app it offers has the full source code available and provides a checksum to make sure you’re downloading a verified copy that it compiled itself. Not everyone wants the source code. You don’t necessarily have to know either of these things because someone else has looked into it and the information is available. You should still do any personal vetting that you need to feel comfortable, but generally, a site that’s not trustworthy is going to be talked about even more.

Do a little bit of homework and you’re golden. Just be sure to turn the setting back off once you’re done installing your apps.

Wrapping it up

This is a simple breakdown to make sure everyone can understand what’s going on when asked to enable the Unknown Sources setting or when you see people warning against it. There are other more nerdy things like signing keys and heuristic scanning that could be talked about, but we feel that will muddy the water a little. If you’re the type of person interested in the minutiae, the Android Developers site has plenty of information about how Google Play works and what else Google does to make it safe. It’s great reading if you’re inclined.

For everyone else, just know that the Unknown Sources setting isn’t really a mystery or anything to be afraid of if you need it. And when you don’t make sure it’s turned off.

Stay safe!

Essential Phone specs: Everything you need to know

Here’s a look at the hardware that’s powering the Essential Phone.

Andy Rubin’s Essential Phone has a lot going for it, including an edge-to-edge display and a modular system that lets you attach accessories like a 360-degree camera. The phone itself is crafted out of titanium, and it has a ceramic back that gives it added protection from tumbles.

Here’s the complete spec sheet for the Essential Phone:

The Essential Phone is certainly intriguing, but there’s a few notable omissions, such as the lack of a 3.5mm jack, wireless charging, and water resistance. The handset will go on sale later this year for $699, and you can now reserve your device from the link below.

See at Essential

The Essential Phone is here: Edge-to-edge display, dual-camera and titanium body

Following a tweet that said something big would be announced on 30 May, Essential, the company set up by Android co-founder Andy Rubin, has unveiled the Essential Phone.

• Android’s co-founder might unveil his Essential phone next week

With a pre-order price of $699, the Essential Phone is going after the major flagships, but aims to one-up them in all areas. Following the recent trend for edge-to-edge displays, first touted on the LG G6 and Samsung Galaxy S8, the Essential has a 5.71-inch, 2560 x 1312 screen that actually reaches to the very top of the phone.It surrounds the front-facing camera and extends virtually all the way to the bottom, leaving a small bezel. The bezel isn’t there to house a home button/fingerprint sensor though, as that can be found on the rear when your fingers will naturally lie. Essential has made the phone out of a combination of titanium and ceramic materials, as they’re stronger and more durable than aluminium. The company is keen to point this out, and takes a subtle dig at the likes of Apple and Samsung, both of which use aluminium in their phones. You won’t even find an official case on Essential’s website, as the company doesn’t think you’ll need one.The phone runs on the very latest Snapdragon 835 processor, with 4GB of RAM and 128GB of internal storage, with no room for expansion. It’s quite a simple looking phone, with a minimalist design – and not a logo in sight – and can have accessories attached to it via a magnetic connector.The first two accessories are a 360-degree camera and a wireless charging dock. You can attach either via the magnetic pins at the top of the rear panel, although you can still use the USB-C port on the bottom to wire your phone to mains power. The USB-C port is also where you’ll have to connect some headphones, as there’s no 3.5mm headphone jack in sight.Particular attention has been paid to the camera as well. It’s a 13-megapixel dual-lens setup, with the secondary lens being a black and white sensor, which can take in more light than a regular colour lens. Rather than be used for extra zoom, the second lens should provide better low-light shots. The front-facing camera is 8-megapixels and can record 4K video. The Essential Phone will run on Android when it launches, but is only available to pre-order in the US for now, costing $699 for just the phone or $749 with a 360-degree camera included. It will be available in four colour finishes: Black Moon, Stellar Grey, Pure White and Ocean Depths. 

Volkswagen Golf R-Line first drive: Leader of the pack

Given its status as the best-selling car in Europe and its leadership of the compact hatchback class, when Volkswagen updates the Golf, you take note. When we reviewed the then new Golf 7 back in 2013 it gained a coveted full-marks score.

“So why are you showing us the same old Golf 7 that’s been around over four years,” you’re probably thinking. Well, we’re not. Welcome to the facelift. This is Golf 7.5, if you will. It tides us over until the completely new Golf 8 arrives in a couple of years.

Rather like Porsche with the 911, updating the Golf is very much about evolution, not revolution. So the reason you’re seeing very little difference in the photos top of page is that VW’s only changed the wheel design, added some new colours, upgraded the lighting technology and re-profiled the bumpers. Is that a bad thing? Not really, the Golf in its Mk7 format is a perfectly well resolved, pleasing piece of design which — whether you think it’s a dull default or not — it’s hard to criticise in objective design terms.

Instead, the company’s spent the money on upgrading the hardware. So the big news is some new engines, tweaked powertrains generally, and significant changes to the in-car tech. The one we want to have a go in — and which we’ll review at some point over the summer — is the new 1.5 turbo petrol. However, that car only comes on stream this month, so at launch we made do with this mid-level TDI, which most people will buy.

There are now over 70 individual model configurations of Golf, with the GTD actually being the best seller in absolute terms. But we’ve always harboured a sneaking suspicion this 150hp, regular TDI is the better car. Here’s what we had to make of it upon initial inspection.

Volkswagen Golf R-Line review: Like an old friend

Within minutes of setting off on our first drive in the TDI, it was like meeting up with a really good friend we’d not seen for a while.

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Beyond the electronic hand brake there’s nothing else to trip up the unaware in this facelift Golf. It’s slickly put together, easy to operate and has few apparent vices. Indeed, it’s almost foolproof. Toss any friend or family the keys and they’ll go happily on their way.

If there’s one area the Golf is starting to show its age, it’s in the cabin. The architecture with its high console feels quite old school. And the fascia panels don’t have Audi quality. An Audi A3 is a nicer place to sit. The Peugeot 3008 offers a modern minimalism. But the Golf is not cramped like a Ford Focus, it’s not got a hard-to-use interface like a Peugeot 308, it’s better to drive than an Astra. Having driven those three aforementioned cars recently, these points are objective fact.

The Golf drive is comfortable and slick too. The steering is well weighted, the ride on 17-inch wheels is cosseting, and if you up the pace then it responds keenly. The 6-speed manual gearbox slots home just so, while the 2.0 TDI still does that VW thing of delivering a big slug of mid-range oomph which sees you pass slower traffic without a second thought.

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Gripes? That diesel engine still sounds rough, which slightly spoils the refinement at times. But beyond that we’re struggling to think of anything to mark the new Golf down.

Volkswagen Golf R-Line review: Evolutionary progress

VW has gone big on the in-car tech. All Golfs now come with an 8-inch capacitive touch screen. The previous standard was 5.8-inch. And the increased size is very welcome.

Go for SE Navigation spec or above and the screen comes with a sat nav system as standard. It’s easy-to-use, but isn’t really a patch on Google Maps. The good news in that respect is that you’ll find the Golf comes standard with everything you expect these days — including App-Connect, which means MirrorLink, Android Auto and Apple CarPlay are standard fit.

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What’s more, you can now splash out and upgrade the tech further with the Active Info Display — a 12-inch digital cluster that’s a £495 option, but standard on GTE/GTD/GTI and R models.

While some of this tech upgrade is good news, we found that the user experience was slightly worse than before, because VW has exchanged the hard menu buttons flanking the screen for digital items that are an extension of the screen’s front glass panel. They’re simply not as easy to hit when you’re on the move. We also drove a GTI with the larger, optional 9.2-inch display with gesture control, which we have covered in more in our 2017 GTI first drive.

• VW Golf GTI 2017 first drive: The hot hatch that transcends boundaries

Volkswagen Golf R-Line review: A price proposition that’s hard to argue with

If you’re the owner of a current Golf 7 then there’s not much to push you to upgrade. Everything in the facelift feels maybe five per cent better. But when you’re making the best even just marginally better, it’s enough to remain top of the class.

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If you’re sticking with one of the existing engines, VW also hopes that the £680 price reduction (model-for-model) will prove tempting and overcome the market perception that the main reason most people don’t actually buy a Golf is because it’s “more expensive”.

In reality it’s not: at £25,720 this R-Line model, which only really nets you some cosmetic extras, it’s likely the £23,325 SE Nav spec model will be more popular. And when the new Ford Focus costs £23,500, well, the Golf is sitting pretty.

First Impressions

If you’re in the market for a car like this, then there’s little to suggest you need to look elsewhere. As a small hatchback that’s easy to use, good to drive and imbued with a deep sense of quality, the Golf is still without equal.

Its real rivals are now cars which sit in different spaces. We can fully understand why many will think a Qashqai or even VW’s own Tiguan offers a lot more car and an entirely different experience, for roughly the same cash.

But if you’re looking for the gold standard in the family hatchback market, things remain much the same as they have ever been. The Golf leads the pack.

Volkswagen Golf GTI first drive: The hot hatch that transcends boundaries

Some cars are considered as class benchmarks. The Volkswagen Golf GTI is one such car. And with the German firm having just refreshed its best-selling small hatchback (see our regular, Mk 7.5 Golf TDi first drive) we took the opportunity to jump into the even hotter GTI, to see whether this Golf has benefitted from a raft of recent improvements.

Volkswagen Golf GTI (2017) review: The “class-less” hot hatch

In 2017 the GTI finds itself in an interesting space. It might be a class benchmark, but there are signs that in the here and now it has become a bit of a forgotten car. That’s because it’s faced with both stiff internal competition — in the form of the GTD (little slower in the real-world but much more tax friendly) and the R (a lot faster but little more expensive) and a host of rivals who have all upped the ante in the horsepower stakes. GTI sales have slipped far back from their historic highs.

In this context, the refreshed GTI gains some extra firepower. As before there are two versions: the regular car, which we’re testing here, whose power jumps from 220hp to 230hp as standard; and the performance pack car, whose power jumps from 230hp to 245hp. The latter version also gets a mechanical front differential as standard. So has the hot hatchback which defines its class now got what it takes to compete with the class best, in objective terms?

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In a world of performance hatches which are routinely running 300hp plus, some of which can feel like they’re trying to have a fight with you as you try to keep them on the road, the Golf GTI is a paragon of composition.

In isolation it feels quick, even in this standard 230hp form. The 2.0 TSi is a really nice engine to drive, which exhibits few vices. It’s tractable from very low revs, pulls really hard between 2-5000rpm and unlike some turbos it doesn’t feel strained or strangled over its last 1500rpm. It makes a nice burble too. We also know it’s quite happy to deliver between 30-40mpg if you’re gentle with it on a run, which considering the performance on offer is more than impressive.

Volkswagen Golf GTI (2017) review: To DSG, or not to DSG?

In the example we drove, the 2.0 petrol engine was hooked up to Volkswagen’s 6-speed DSG automatic box. Like all DSGs this is a twin-clutch unit with the second clutch pre-selecting the next gear it thinks you’ll want. That means when gear changes happen, they’re done at lightning fast speed — and VW gives you small steering-wheel paddles as standard, so you’re not left wanting for control.

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It’s slightly jerky when manoeuvring though, and we’ve always found VW’s 7-speed DSG (which isn’t fitted here because it can’t handle the GTI’s torque) that bit slicker. Our general view, therefore, is that the DSG does dial out a level of involvement which runs counter to the GTI’s ethos. If your daily drive involves lots of traffic, go DSG, but if you want to have the most involving GTI then save the extra cash and stick with a manual gearbox.

Throughout our test drive, the 2.0 TSI engine continually impresses us. It’s quiet at cruise, nicely rorty when pushed, flexible and free revving, egging you on when you’re upping the pace. And if you never drove any of the competition or the performance pack version, then you’d probably be happy.

However, really push this GTI and you’ll find the reason that VW offers a higher-spec model: the handling, when pushed, edges to understeer sooner than we’d like. And with the (admittedly great looking) optional 19-inch wheels, but no adjustable dampers fitted to this car, the ride is firm with a capital F.

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Having driven a performance-pack GTI, that addition of the differential makes a difference to the handling — that Golf feels keener, it clings on longer in corners and allows you to get on the power out of corners far quicker than the regular car. So it’s the one that spirited drivers will always want to have it. We’d seriously recommend sticking to the regular 18-inch wheels too, because the Golf just flows better with a road. Particularly a UK road which is littered with craters.

Volkswagen Golf GTI (2017) review: Red hot… but not an R

The picture in 2017 GTI world is pretty rosy then. The upgraded Golf nets slightly neater styling, more power as standard and you could happily plonk yourself in one for the next three or four years and be a very happy driver. Sense a “but” coming?

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Well, it’s unavoidable to mention: the more powerful Golf R. We had a brief drive in the new version of this at launch, and in manual gearbox form were reminded just what a lot of fun the most powerful Golf can be. And how shockingly powerful a performer it is. It packs an 80hp advantage over this GTI, and you can feel it. It also comes with four-wheel drive as standard. Sure, the R costs £4k extra over the £28,520 of a 5-door, manual GTI, but that won’t amount to much extra a month in the context of a finance deal or lease. And so we would opt for the R over a GTI.

Volkswagen Golf GTI (2017) review: Tech upgrades?

There are features to tempt you into the new GTI. Foremost among them is the raft of on-board technology that wasn’t in the previous version. The new GTI gets Volkswagen’s “Active Info Display” as standard, a 12.3-inch TFT digital cluster that replaces the analogue dials. What’s more, Apple CarPlay, Android Auto and MirrorLink are standard, as is an 8-inch centre screen display and sat nav (our review car’s was upgraded to 9.2-inch and partly operable through gestures).

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However, consider a car’s cockpit interface as a whole, rather than individual parts, and we must admit that we struggled with this GTI setup. We’ve repeatedly praised Volkswagen for its easy-to-use interfaces, clear and logical labelling, fonts, graphics and language and held them up as the go-to people for in-car touchscreen standards. But in this form, when out on the road, we found the new GTI’s setup both distracting and harder to jump in and use than any previous Volkswagen.

What’s the issue? Well, the 9.2-inch screen relocates all the button shortcuts into a panel down the passenger side — these are digital buttons, as knobs and physical switches are banished altogether. So to adjust audio volume you’ve got to hit a digital switch which is a stretch away, rather than simply grabbing and twisting a knob. That’s harder to do, and your eyes are off the road longer than they would be if you were in the old car.

What’s more you lose the shortcuts of the smaller, 8-inch screen (nav, phone, media, radio, car) — instead getting a menu and a home button. The home screen presents a tiled, three panel setup which can be user configured to show the info you want. But how to make navigation (the dominant screen when we jumped in) switch places with radio channels (one of the small tiles) swap around so it’s easier to change stations, was something we had to be shown how to do. Once you know (double tap on the tile to make it go big), it’s fine. But should you need to be shown how to use a well-designed interface, or indeed get the manual out?

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Similarly, the cluster — which isn’t without visual appeal — is made harder to love partly because it can only do so much. You can change the display to have the centre section between speedo and revs show different info (sat nav map, driver assistance displays etc), and you can also configure the inner ring of speedo and rev to show info, such as digital speed, the eco-trainer, trip info. Once you’ve got it set to show the info you want, it’s fine. But it’s still visually busy — and there are so many options to choose from that it can be bewildering and frustrating to use on the move. What’s more, the cluster is controlled by steering wheel buttons, which sit very close to one another and others which control functions such as cruise control, audio volume. Inherently, you end up jabbing at the wrong one from time to time.

The centre screen’s gesture control is sensibly implemented — its only function is for swipe left or swipe right in certain menus (advance a track, skip to next radio station, move to next menu page). So it’s very understandable as a concept, because you don’t have to learn unusual movements. But sadly your hand needs to be in the right place to make it work — and when you’re driving that happens perhaps one in every three times you try.

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If our comments sound harsh, they need to be seen in the context of VW having set an extremely high bar for in-car tech standards up to this point. We still welcome many of the updates its brought in here, such as standard-fit Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity. We just worry that the company has rushed to implement something flashier and more feature-loaded at the expense of ultimate usability.

When we come to review the GTI in full, after living with one, we’ll see whether these tech issues are ironed out after a period of dedicated use, due to muscle memory. Some of the ideas seem great, so we don’t want to dismiss them out of hand just yet. Perhaps it will genuinely represent progress when lived with over time.

First Impressions

It feels odd to write about a Golf GTI and spend half the text talking about in-car technology. But that is where the modern car industry is at — and both we and VW are acutely aware that it is in-car tech advances that is both pulling people into showrooms and (where it is badly implemented) also putting them off some brands. So it’s an important factor.

Ignoring our initial tech quibbles, the Golf GTI represents an extremely complete, slick car that many of us would be delighted to see on our driveway every morning. We’ve deliberately not written about aspects like space and the way the car looks, as part of the GTI’s appeal is that in this respect, it’s just the same — and as well judged — as the regular Golf.

Overall, the new GTI drives as well, if not better, than it ever has. It retains one quality that continues to elude its competitors — even internal ones, like more powerful brother the R — in that it’s a wonderfully “class-less” car. Its image is neither young nor old, poor nor rich. You could be seen it in, and anywhere, by anyone and in any context. It speaks not of excess nor does it shout that you’re going to drive everywhere like a lout. That, to us, remains core to its appeal — it is the hot hatch that transcends boundaries.

Acer Predator Triton 700 preview: A gaming great is born?

Gaming laptops are undergoing change: no longer do they need to be the size of a four-bedroom house to deliver considerable power, as the trimmed-down Acer Predator Triton 700 goes to show.

Ok, so it’s still about the size of a two-bed semi-detached, but the Triton 700 is a darn sight slimmer than its near competition. How slim? Just 18.9mm when it’s closed.

Acer Predator Triton 700 preview: Keyboard and trackpad switch-around

• 15.6-inch Full HD IPS display
• Intel Core i7; latest Nvidia GeForce GTX 10-Series
• 18.9mm thin; 2.6kg weight
• Full mechanical keyboard, invisible trackpad

Considering what’s within that’s really good going. Lift up the lid and there’s a full mechanical keyboard, with proper clicky key movement – the likes of which Acer has used on its Predator 21 X gaming laptop. The Triton 700 lights-up with a soft blue colour, which keeps things sophisticated rather than garish.

Pocket-lint

Here’s the first really bizarre thing, though: the keyboard doesn’t have a trackpad ahead of it. Where you’d normally rest the wrists and swipe away is a no-go on this laptop; instead the trackpad is invisible, hidden under a sheet of Gorilla Glass which exposes the fan beneath, but which you can swipe away at.

It’s not the first time we’ve seen Acer go borderline mad with such design – the failed Aspire R7 still makes us chuckle to think about – but as this is a gaming laptop we don’t mind the trackpad’s position, as a wired mouse is most likely to be plugged in at all times. That actually means the keyboard will be closer, so you’ll be nearer to the screen in a sense, more immersed in the action.

Pocket-lint

The problem is simple: there’s nowhere obvious to rest your wrists. Which, if you were typing out long essays, would certainly bring on a bout of RSI, but as deft-fingered gamers will know the number of keystrokes in a mammoth match is no short order. Perhaps, then, the keyboard should just be in the normal position?

Acer Predator Triton 700 preview: New fan system for cooling

• Dual second-gen AeroBlade 3D Fan
• Gorilla Glass plate exposes cooling system
• 3x USB 3.0, 1x Thunderbolt 3.0, 1x Ethernet

Still, it’s a unique point, a lure to get you looking in the first instance. And that glass window does look great: it provides a visual into the fan cooling system (on one side of the machine anyway), exposing five cooling pipeline and Acer’s second-gen AeroBlade 3D Fan solution.

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What does that mean? First Acer made a metal rather than plastic fan in the AeroBlade, which increased airflow by 15 per cent by compare. Then the company made the AeroBlade 3D Fan, delivering a 25 per cent uplift compared to a conventional fan. With the second-gen solution there’s an axial fin which enhances cooling and makes it much more efficient – 35 per cent beyond a conventional fan.

That’s why the Triton 700 is so thin, all things considered. It’s over 3mm slimmer than an Alienware 13, or over 5mm slimmer than the current Asus ROG Strix GL753VD. This is Predator making its point and making it well.

Pocket-lint

Flip the laptop over and the full array of fans can be seen, including blue accenting – again, giving the machine a distinctive look without being over-the-top.

To the sides are all the ports you could need, including a full-size Ethernet, three USB 3.0, one Thunderbolt 3.0 and 3.5mm jacks for microphone in and headphones out. Around the back there’s a full-size HDMI.

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And how much cash will you need to part with to buy a Predator Triton 700? €3,399 when it goes on sale in August. There’s no distinctive UK price, but given the current climes we wouldn’t be surprised if it was also around the £3,000-£3,500 mark (spec depending).

A connected electrode could end the shame of sweaty palms

It’s hard not to get sweaty walking around here at Computex in Taipei, but Tony Cueva Bravo had moist palms for another reason. The Peruvian entrepreneur suffers from hyperhydrosis, a condition that causes excessive sweating, causing his hands to get frequently, uncomfortably moist. Hyperhidrosis can be off-putting and embarrassing, so Bravo did what any modern 24 year-old would do: he rounded up a team to find a fix and build a product around it. Meet the Handrop, a potential, orange-and-white game-changer that sits on your desk like a computer mouse.

Don’t let the looks deceive you, though. Unlike a mouse, the Handrop relies on a set of embedded electrodes under a flexible metal top plate. And just like every other bit of hardware these days, the Handrop connects wirelessly to smartphones. This part is actually crucial: you’ll need the Handrop app to define how intolerable your sweaty hands are, and to kick off the calibration that customizes the whole process for you.

Once that’s down, you’ll have to sit through a session that lasts between five and fifteen minutes, depending on the severity of your sweatiness. As you sit there and wait, you’ll feel a series of electrical pulses of varying intensity meant to counteract the impulses in your nervous system that trigger sweating in the first place. Alas, you can only treat one hand at a time, but that doesn’t seem like a huge drawback so far. After all, you can use the other hand to continue goofing around, and the Handrop’s built-in battery means you can continue the treatment just about anywhere.

If that sounds like a serious process, well, you may be onto something. According to Bravo, the process is meant more for chronic hyperhidrosis sufferers who desperately want relief than those who deal with the occasional stage-fright. Unfortunately, I couldn’t actually try the Handrop for myself — healthy people who undergo the process may actually harm their sweat glands. Bravo, however, says that about three sessions a week for a month are enough to dramatically reduce hand sweat, and continued use could lead to the end of sweaty palms altogether.

As a fellow profuse sweater, I empathize with Bravo. I’m probably not the only one, either: there’s been enough interest in hyperhidrosis that several companies have popped up over the years with the goal of eradicating this problem. The Handrop’s edge is one of convenience: it’s not as painful as Botox treatments (which are apparently a thing) and requires no manual tuning, unlike some iontophoresis machines. Either way, Bravo and his team will face their moment of truth soon: they plan to launch a crowdfunding campaign for the Handrop this December, with prices starting at around $180.

Click here to catch up on the latest news from Computex 2017!

The Morning After: Tuesday, May 30th 2017

Back to work. Taiwan’s Computex PC show has kicked off, and ASUS appears to be dominating it again, with a simplified lineup of laptops and hybrids that continue to push the limits of light and thin laptops. Intel has also decided to create an 18-core processor. No, it’s not for your next PC.

Spoiler: Tim is not good at video games
What we played in May: ‘Tumbleseed,’ ‘PlayerUnknown’s BattleGrounds’ and more

Gaming IRL is part of a broader series in which you’ll find stories from all of the areas we cover: gadgets we use every day, the apps and services we adore, what we’re watching and the music and podcasts we can’t live without.

This time is all about gaming. In the future, expect to find some essays and personal stories mixed in with the endorsements, but for now, sit back and enjoy an eclectic mix of console, hand-held, online and mobile recommendations.

Everything worth talking about.Here’s everything ASUS unveiled at Computex 2017

It won’t be long before laptops are so thin and light that you’ll barely notice one in your bag on your commute — and that’s the main takeaway from ASUS’ press conference. Topping the table is a refreshed ZenBook Pro measuring 18.9mm thick and weighing less than four pounds, but packing high-end Intel CPU and NVIDIA graphics. Then there’s the ZenBook Flip S, which weighs 2.4 pounds and measures just 10.9mm, making it thinner than most rival ultra-light laptops on the market. It’s a similar story with its cheaper VivoBook Pro and VivoBook laptops, as well as the company’s Zen all-in-one desktops. Each of those ranges comes with NanoEdge bezels which greatly reduce the bulky frames of each device.

With GTX 1080 insideNVIDIA ‘Max Q’ ultrabooks are coming this summer

Choosing a gaming laptop usually means compromising on size, battery life, or horsepower, but NVIDIA claims it’s ready to change that. New Max Q spec’d laptops rolling out this summer will have GTX 1080 GPUs stuffed inside their 5 lb MacBook Air-like frames. That will give them enough power to play AAA games in 4K or VR if you like, while being light enough to carry around every day.

Can this compete with real life?
What’s on TV: ‘House of Cards’ season five

Netflix’s flagship series is back, and its return comes at an interesting time. With drama playing out in real life every day — and without its original creator/writer/showrunner Beau Willimon — Frank Underwood & co. will be hard pressed to measure up. Also this week Star Trek Bridge Crew arrives for VR experiences, the NBA and NHL finals have started and HBO is airing the series finale of The Leftovers.

We heard you like cores.
Intel’s Core i9 Extreme Edition CPU is an 18-core beast

Last year at Computex, Intel unveiled its first 10-core consumer CPU. Now, the company is upping the ante with a whole new family of processors for enthusiasts, the Core X-series, and it’s spearheaded by its first 18-core CPU, the i9-7980XE. Priced at $1,999, it’s clearly not a chip you’d see in an average desktop. If 18 cores is a bit too rich for you, Intel has other Core i9 Extreme Edition chips in 10, 12, 14 and 16-core variants. Perhaps the best news for hardware geeks: the 10-core i9-7900X will retail for $999, a significant discount from last year’s version.

More power.ARM’s next round of mobile processors are built for AI

While the name may not be familiar to some, ARM’s tech has a significant impact on what your phone can do well. Judging by the company’s latest designs, it looks like mobile chips coming in 2018 and beyond will be ready to shoulder more of the load when it comes to AI. New DynamIQ tech will let processors use the right core for the right job, speeding tasks up and saving battery, while the Cortex-A75 layout promises laptop-level performance.

But wait, there’s more…

• Alienware 15 review: Bigger, but not necessarily better
• Mercedes-AMG’s F1-based Project One rewrites the hypercar rulebook
• PlayStation’s E3 press conference is coming to a theater near you