My perfect smartwatch is a mashup of the LG Watch Style and Fossil Q

A hybrid watch would be the perfect smartwatch if it just had Google Assistant built in.

I’ve been seriously ruminating over this since reviewing the LG Watch Style. I thought I would still be wearing the smartwatch by now, that it would be the device that would get me back into daily life with Android Wear. It’s not; the smartwatch has since been been relegated to the bottom of my jewelry box and replaced with a hybrid variant from Fossil.

The Fossil Q Tailor can only do half of what the Watch Style can do — if at that, since this is a mechanical smartwatch we’re talking about here, with no screen in sight. If I want notifications, for example, I have to assign each of my special contacts to a number on the dial. As a result, I don’t use notifications.

And then I discovered what the Fossil Q hybrid can do, and that’s all the simple stuff I’d wear the Watch Style for anyway. It can track my sleep, show me the time in another country, and wake me up every morning. Maybe the reason I don’t use Android Wear is because it actually does too much.

Settling with simplicity

You can imagine the surprise when I tell people that my mechanical watch is actually connected to my phone via Bluetooth. I’ve only been wearing the Fossil Q for two weeks, but it’s already become a staple in my wardrobe. The watch connects to my Pixel XL with the Fossil Q app, which offers notification controls and and the ability to set up an alarm and second time zone. The app also allows me to program the functionality of the Fossil Q’s three side buttons, one of which can be programmed to stop and start music playing from the phone. There’s even a tiny progress meter on the inside of the main watch face that displays the day’s step counts. When you’re checking the time overseas, the watch hands will move accordingly and hold for a brief second.

The Fossil Q Tailor.

The Fossil Q also doesn’t require nightly cradle docking. When the battery dies — the progress of which I can check in the Fossil Q app — I’ll have to go out and buy a coin cell lithium battery at the cornerstone (or off Amazon) and manually place it in there by popping the back cover off of the watch. The Fossil Q is ostensibly a real watch; it just has some technological enhancements.

What if there was a version of Android Wear optimized for mechanical watches?

I was especially thankful for the fact that it doesn’t require a constant charge after the Watch Style could barely hold on during the week of Google I/O. The Watch Style sports a meager 240mAh battery, and with notifications blaring at it all day, it barely managed 12 hours on one of the smartphone-heaviest days of the year. I rued packing the Android-powered watch in the first place, especially since all I wanted was to count my steps and see the time. In the end, the Fossil Q ended up being my go-to.

What could be

The Fossil Q Tailor on top of the (seemingly always in need of a charge) LG Watch Style.

The last few weeks of living this sort of duplicitous watch life has made me think more about what I actually want from a wearable. The Fossil Q is a reliable mechanical watch with solid battery life and all the basic functionalities a girl can ask for. But it’s severely limited when it comes to all that extra stuff that Android Wear has, like Google Assistant, and the ability to reply back to messages hands-free.

Charging the battery every six months rather than every day: priceless.

So, what if there were two versions of Android Wear? What if there were something that could be loaded onto mechanical watches and offer all the benefits of Google Assistant and hands-free message replies without having to sport a giant screen? Essentially, the mechanical watch would a Bluetooth-connected remote for your smartphone’s functionality. Finally, the smartwatch could stand up on its own as practical, and stylish, accessory.

That’s not to say that there is no practical use to the LG Watch Style. Rather, it just seems that there are too many different types of watch users for there to be a one-size-fits-all model for Android Wear. Maybe the future of wearables isn’t in how much the device can do, but how smartly it can marry the old and new in a way that people want to wear it everyday.

See at Amazon

Android Wear

• Everything you need to know about Android Wear 2.0
• LG Watch Sport review
• LG Watch Style review
• These watches will get Android Wear 2.0
• Discuss Android Wear in the forums!

Best mobile plan add-ons for international travel

Don’t let your wireless bill spoil your summer vacation!

With summer just around the corner, you’ve likely finalized your travel plans before you set for a summer vacation.

If your travels are going to take you out of the U.S., you’ll want to know your carrier’s international roaming plans and policies before you accidentally rack up a massive bill. We’ve broken everything down in terms of the Big Four carriers.

• AT&T
• Sprint
• T-Mobile
• Verizon

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AT&T

AT&T offers plenty of great options for traveling throughout North America and internationally as well. There are two separate options for the Americans and crossing the ocean.

For travel to Canada and Mexico

If you’re planning a trip to Canada or Mexico, AT&T gives you unlimited talk and text along with access to your plan data with no roaming charges. This unlimited roaming within North America is a feature included with all AT&T Unlimited Plus and AT&T Unlimited Choice plans, but you may be able to add it to other plan types before you embark on your trip.

Learn more

For overseas travel

If you travel plans will see you leaving the shores of North America, AT&T has a few different plans for international plans that are worth your consideration

Your best bet is probably the AT&T International Day Pass. For just $10 a day, you’ll be able to take your domestic talk, text, and data plan to over 100 countries, including unlimited calls within any qualifying country. You’re only charged for days you make a call, send a text, or use data — which means you’ll want to be aware of any and all apps that use data in the background.

Either prepare to pay $10 to enjoy the full features of all your apps, or spend some time turning off background data updates on your phone so you don’t get dinged.

Learn more

Not looking to piecemeal your mobile plan together as you travel? Then you’ll want to consider the AT&T Passport, which allows you to pay up front for 30 days of service in over 200 countries. You pay a flat fee per device that gives you unlimited texting (both SMS and MMS), unlimited Wi-Fi access at participating hotspots, and then tiered data amounts and cost per minute of talk based on the pricing plan you go with:

• $40 for $1.00 per minute to any country and 200MB of data ($0.25 per MB for overage)
• $60 for $0.50 per minute to any country and 300MB of data ($0.20 per MB for overage)
• $120 for $0.35 per minute to any country and 800MB of data ($0.15 per MB for overage)

Obviously, the same advice applies regarding apps that use data in the background, but if you’re planning to use texting as your primary way of communicating with your friends and family back home, it’s a great option.

If you end up traveling without an international travel plan, you’ll have to abide by AT&T’s pay-per-use rates which differ depending on the countries you’re visiting.

Learn more

As previously mentioned, AT&T offers Unlimited Wi-Fi in select countries. You’ll need the AT&T Global Wi-Fi app, however, we wouldn’t recommend you plan your travel data solely around this service — the most recent app reviews in the Google Play Store claim the app doesn’t work as advertised, and the latest app update came back in January 2017.

Learn more

Sprint

Sprint offers Global Roaming for all its LTE/GSM capable phones, which offers free texting and free data (at 2G speeds) in over 100 countries. Calls are available for a flat rate of $0.20 per minute.

For your high-speed data needs, Sprint offers data passes that give you up to 4G speeds — get a 1-day speed data pass for $5, or a 7-day data pass for only $25. Which pass you go with will depend on the length of your stay — if it’s a short trip five days or under, you may be better off sticking with day passes as needed, but the choice is yours. There’s no need to decide before you travel, as you’re able to opt in or out of high-speed data at any time while traveling.

For travel to Canada and Mexico

If you’re traveling to Canada or Mexico you get the same free texting and free 2G data, but a discounted rate on the 4G data passes — available for just $2 a day or $10 a week. Just another reason to consider visiting our neighbors to the north and south.

For overseas travel

Sprint customers are best off going to Sprint’s International Roaming calculator, which asks you where you’re going and which device you plan to travel with and then the site gives you a breakdown of the available coverage in the area along with available data speeds.

Most international destinations qualify for the $5 a day/$25 a week high-speed data passes, though China’s rates are doubled to $10 a day and $50 a week.

Learn more

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T-Mobile

T-Mobile customers get unlimited data at up to 3G speeds plus texting in over 140 countries and destinations around the world at no additional cost, but there are special rates available for countries like Canada and Mexico.

For travel to Canada and Mexico

T-Mobile offers Mexico + Canada Unlimited, which lets you use your 4G LTE data while in Mexico and Canada just like you do in the U.S., a feature that’s available for just $5 a month and is included with some T-Mobile ONE Prepaid plans.

For T-Mobile ONE customers, unlimited 2G data is available in the U.S. or Mexico, but an On-Demand Data Pass will have to be added to the account to reach 4G speeds.

For overseas travel

If you’re traveling abroad, you may want to consider the [T-Mobile ONE Plus International add-on to your T-Mobile ONE plan for just $25 a month. Doing so gives you unlimited international calling to landlines in over 70 countries and mobile numbers in over 30, and unlimited in-flight Wi-Fi on Gogo-enabled flights (although the Gogo option is added on the regular One Plus plan, which is an additional $5 per month).

Find out T-Mobile’s international calling rates or for specific coverage and rate information for the countries you’re visiting, click the link below.

Learn more

Verizon

Verizon was one of the first carriers to offer a TravelPass that lets you take your domestic talk, text and data allowances with you wherever you’re traveling for a daily fee.

For travel to Canada and Mexico

TravelPasses for Canada and Mexico are only $5 a day per device, and allow you to bring your talk, text and data allotments with you as you go. If you’re on the Verizon Unlimited plan, Mexico and Canada coverage is included without needing to pay any extra fees.

For overseas travel

Verizon offers TravelPasses for $10 a day, that allow you to take your domestic Verizon plan with you to over 100 different countries. You’re only charged on the days you use your device abroad, so you’ll want to be sure to turn off any app features that use background data.

Learn more

Which should you get?

Every carrier approaches roaming differently, and some are more generous than others when it comes to including roaming privileges in regular plans.

• If you’re looking for simplicity, go with Verizon. The company makes it super easy and straightforward to add international roaming if you’re on an older postpaid plan, and if you’re on a new unlimited plan, it’s included if you’re traveling to Canada or Mexico.
• If you never want to pay a cent extra for roaming, go with T-Mobile. On a T-Mobile ONE plan, roaming is included practically anywhere in the world, albeit at slower speeds. Still, if you just want to connect to the internet, you can’t go wrong with T-Mobile.

Your turn!

What are your picks for the best carrier for international roaming? Let us know in the comments below!

Star Trek: Bridge Crew Review — This right here is why VR exists

This is the beginning of something amazing, and I’m here for every minute of it.

No introduction is necessary here, right? Star Trek: Bridge Crew has been teased and shown off and talked about for over a year now, and the dividing line between people who can’t wait to work with friends to crew the USS Aegis and the people who would rather not already exists. And for good reason, because this game is exactly one thing — a multiplayer Star Trek simulator where you either communicate well and work together or your warp core turns your body into stardust as it explodes.

If that’s not your idea of a good time, stop reading right now. Everyone else? Suit up, we’re got a lot to talk about.

Read more at VR Heads!

Best fitness trackers 2017: The best activity bands to buy today

The wearables market offers a plethora of devices from smartwatches and heart rate measuring headphones to sports watches and activity trackers. There is such a breadth of choice, it’s difficult to know where to start, let alone make the right decision on the one best for you even after you’ve read all the fitness tracker reviews you can.

This feature rounds up the best activity trackers available to buy today that we’ve reviewed here at Pocket-lint. It only includes products we have tried and tested fully and it focuses around the wearables that are always-on and always tracking your activity, rather than those that specialise in specific activities.

For those after a device to count steps and calories, monitor sleep and perhaps even have the added bonus of reading heart rate, you have come to the right place.

Our top recommendation…

Here’s the best fitness tracker on the market at the moment balancing ease of use with price and all round features…

Pocket-lint

1. Fitbit Charge 2

Buy now at Amazon.co.uk | Buy now at Amazon.com

The Fitbit Charge 2 replaces the company’s Charge HR, taking the best features such as continuous heart rate monitoring, and adding a few more including VO2 Max, Guided Breathing and Connected GPS. It also takes on Fitbit’s new design ethos, found on the Alta and Alta HR, with interchangeable straps, a solid build quality and a larger, informative OLED display.

There are things that could be improved, such as smartphone notifications supporting third-party apps, waterproofing would be very much welcomed, and some data could be more easily accessible, but overall, the Charge 2 is great. If you’re looking for a well-designed, accurate fitness tracker with a fantastic app platform, then the Charge 2 fully takes charge.

Read the full review: Fitbit Charge 2 review

Best of the rest…

The Fitbit Charge 2 isn’t for everyone though. Luckily, there are plenty of other great fitness trackers to consider that we’ve reviewed if you want to get up, start moving and stay ahead of the game. Here are a few other fitness trackers that are worth considering:

Pocket-lint

2. Garmin Vivosmart HR+

Buy now at Amazon.co.uk | Buy now at Amazon.com

The Garmin Vivosmart HR+ stuffs a lot of functionality into a device that’s only a little larger than some other fitness tracker bands on this list. It isn’t as good looking as Fitbit’s latest devices, but it’s the feature set that appeals, with both heart rate monitoring and GPS on board.

The Garmin Vivosmart HR+ is an ideal device for someone who wants to track daily activity as well as record runs or walks in more detail, but doesn’t want to go the whole hog and start wearing a running watch all the time. 

Read the full review: Garmin Vivosmart HR+ review

Pocket-lint

3. Fitbit Alta HR

Buy now at Amazon.co.uk | Buy now at Amazon.com

The Fitbit Alta HR brings heart-rate tracking to its slim and stylish fitness tracker, the Alta, positioned a little further down this list. The earlier device is fabulous for basic tracking but it misses out on a couple of features, primarily heart rate monitoring.

There is still no waterproofing, GPS or elevation data and it the Alta HR isn’t as feature rich as the larger Charge 2, but it offers a slim, stylish everyday activity tracker with good heart rate tracking and general day-to-day activity monitoring. Sleep tracking is also great and it comes with the same interchangeable straps as the original Alta so you can switch bands out for a smarter look.

Read the full review: Fitbit Alta HR review

Pocket-lint

4. Withings Nokia Activité Steel HR

Buy now at Amazon.co.uk | Buy now at Amazon.com

The Withings Nokia Activité Steel HR is a beautifully designed device that does a great job of delivering style and smarts in a one package. It offers a classic design with premium materials and it’s certainly an activity tracker that steps away from the standard glorified rubber band look of many competitors.

Heart-rate tracking is good in the most, as is sleep tracking, while the battery life is excellent. The design it isn’t as subtle as the likes of the Fitbit Alta HR, which offers the same features bar the waterproofing and swim tracking, and the Steel HR isn’t overly cheap either. That said, if you want heart-rate monitoring with some added analogue appeal, this Withings number is not just a great choice – it’s the only choice.

Read the full review: Withings Activité Steel HR review

Pocket-lint

5. Fitbit Flex 2

Buy now at Amazon.co.uk | Buy now at Amazon.com

The Fitbit Flex 2 is a simple yet effective tracker with a more exciting design than its predecessor, meaning it looks less like a boring rubber band especially when paired with the interchangeable accessories. The far better two-pin clasp ensures a solid, comfortable fit and the addition of basic smartphone notifications and waterproofing is also great.

The Fitbit Flex 2 has a good thing going on: it’s simple, stylish and unobtrusive. It won’t be for those who want more data such as heart-rate or GPS tracking, but it’s a great device for those after basic tracking. 

Read the full review: Fitbit Flex 2 review

Pocket-lint

6. Samsung Gear Fit 2

Buy now at Amazon.co.uk | Buy now at Amazon.com

The Samsung Gear Fit 2 features excellent built-in GPS and heart-rate monitoring, along with a beautiful large screen that is not only nice to look at but responsive too.

It has core tracking skills and relayed data but the accompany app isn’t as good as the likes of Fitbit so it might not be quite right for the more serious fitness fans, or hardened runner. The battery life is also so-so when exercising. Overall though, it’s a fab first wearable.

Read the full review: Samsung Gear Fit 2 review

Pocket-lint

7. Withings Nokia Activité

Buy now at Amazon.co.uk | Buy now at Amazon.com

The Withings Activité is Swiss Made and consequently most expensive version of the Activité range. It features a beautiful design with a fantastic build quality and although it appears to be an average analogue watch on first glance, it tracks your activity, counts your burned calories and monitors your sleep patterns.

There is an 8-month battery life and a decent app that is great when it comes to linking up with other platforms such as MyFitnessPal. The Withings Activité has its flaws like others on this list, the most irritating of which is not counting steps properly if you aren’t moving your arm but for those after a stylish activity tracker, this is one of the ones to beat. 

Read the full review: Withings Nokia Activité review

Pocket-lint

8. Fitbit Alta

Buy now at Amazon.co.uk | Buy now at Amazon.com

The Fitbit Alta is by far one of the most stylish of the Fitbit bunch, like its more capable brother the Alta HR and especially when paired with the additional straps. It isn’t as feature rich as some of its siblings, missing out a few key functions, such as heart rate monitoring, elevation data, GPS and waterproofing but for basic activity tracking, it’s a fabulous device.

Accuracy of step tracking is good, smart notifications are useful, the OLED display is lovely and the Fitbit app is one of the best out there. For some the Alta will be a little too basic, but for others, it will be a winner, especially in terms of its looks.

Read the full review: Fitbit Alta review

Pocket-lint

9. Fitbit Blaze

Buy now at Amazon.co.uk | Buy now at Amazon.com

The Fitbit Blaze brings all the features of the older Fitbit Charge HR, but adds text notifications, music control, a coloured touchscreen and connected GPS, along with a couple of other additions. Don’t mistake it for a smartwatch – it isn’t. The Blaze is more of a smart fitness watch that adds a couple of smart features, such as the ability to accept or reject incoming calls, but it has no third party app support.

The Blaze’s display is beautiful and the Fitbit platform is fantastic, but it’s not the tracker for everyone. It has some great features, including the Multi-Sport tracking, automatic activity recognition and the FitStar workouts. The price is much higher than the newer Charge 2 though – and you don’t get a whole lot extra functionality for your money. 

Read the full review: Fitbit Blaze review

Pocket-lint

10. Withings Go

Buy now at Amazon.co.uk | Buy now at Amazon.com

The Withings Go is one of the cheapest activity trackers out there. Its E Ink display couldn’t be called pretty but it is functional for showing step progress and, therefore, a good choice. The biggest problem the Go faces is that there isn’t a huge price difference between the budget and higher-end of the activity tracking market so an extra £50 could get you a better looking and more capable tracker.

For those who want what’s essentially a glorified pedometer with a few extra features, the Go is a great choice. For those after a proper activity tracker, there are better options out there providing you can afford to spend a little extra. 

Read the full review: Withings Go review

Alienware 15 review: Bigger, but not necessarily better

Getting your hands on a bleeding-edge gaming laptop is an exercise in chasing chip architecture. It’s sort of a waiting game. You wait for Intel and NVIDIA to upgrade their GPU and CPU standards, you wait for early adopter manufacturers to put them through their paces and, finally, you wait for the machine you want to hit the market with the new bells and whistles. In spring, we saw Dell’s Alienware 13 kitted out with Intel’s new Kaby Lake Core i7-7700HQ CPU and NVIDIA Pascal graphics — and now that same combo is available in the company’s larger 15-inch notebook.

Hardware

If you’ve seen the Alienware 13, you’ve pretty much seen this 15-inch variant. That’s not a bad thing — Alienware’s design language walks a fine line between the stereotypically aggressive aesthetics of modern gaming laptops and, well, something you wouldn’t be embarrassed to use in a coffee shop.

For the Alienware 15 (and the aforementioned 13) that means simple, muted grays accented by a stylish anodized-aluminum lid, the company’s trademark Alien head logo and just enough angled lines to keep it from looking like a square. Looking for just a little bit more flare? You can have it. Dell’s AlienFX LED lighting system will illuminate the machine’s keyboard, trackpad and strips of lights on the side of both its chassis and display in 19 colors.

Alienware’s modern design language looks every bit as good on the 15-inch model as it did on the smaller notebook, but not everything about it scales well. Behind the laptop’s screen is a small shelf extending about an inch past the display’s hinge. This extended piece of the chassis lends the machine an aggressive look and helps dissipate heat — but the overhang pushes the laptop’s front-to-back footprint out to a full 12 inches. That measurement is a little more in line with what we’d expect out of a 17-inch gaming laptop. In fact, it’s bigger than the depth measurement on both larger size MSI Dominator and Razer Blade Pro notebooks.

This larger-than-average footprint isn’t a deal-breaker, but it hampers the laptop’s portability. Most 15-inch laptops walk a fine line between power and mobility — but the Alienware 15 barely fits into my largest backpack, and only if I keep nothing else in the bag’s main pocket. It was a struggle to get it in and out of that bag too, which made taking the machine through airport security a disaster. During my month with the laptop, it lived in my luggage as often as my personal bag.

Unlike most notebooks, the Alienware 15 hides most of its connections behind the screen. That protruding shelf is home to Ethernet, mini DisplayPort and HDMI connectors, a USB Type-C thunderbolt port, the AC adapter socket and the Alienware’s proprietary Graphics connector. There are also headset, microphone and an additional USB Type-C connectors on the machine’s left edge. Users looking for standard USB 3.0 ports will find one on each side.

Keyboard and Trackpad

Somehow, we still live in a world where otherwise great laptops can be spoiled by sticky keyboards, mushy mouse buttons and inaccurate touch pads. Thankfully, that’s not the case here. The Alienware 15 features the same great keyboard and mouse we saw on the company’s smaller notebook — featuring an alphabet of firm yet springy full-size key-caps, a spacious, smooth tracking surface with excellent multi-touch gesture recognition and two large, responsive mouse buttons. It’s wonderful when a keyboard is so good that there’s practically nothing negative to say about it.

If I had to stretch for a complaint, however, I’d call out Alienware’s set of five TactX hotkeys. These buttons are located just to the left side of the main keyboard and can be programmed to launch applications, run recorded key macros or duplicate any other key. It does all of that perfectly fine, but I repeatedly found myself tapping the TactX’s top button whenever I reached for the laptop’s Esc key. It would be nice if the keys were positioned in a way that made that mistake impossible. Or, you know, I could learn how to type better. Either way.

Display and sound

Our review unit didn’t ship with one of those fancy 4K displays that’s all the rage these days, but what it does have is just about perfect for a gaming laptop. Not only is this bright, 400-nit, 1080p display offer ideal compromise between resolution and in-game graphics settings, but it also boasts a 120Hz refresh rate — which means it can comfortably display games at up to 120 frames a second without suffering from screen-tearing or frame-skip issues. Its viewing angles are a little shallow, but it’s a worthy trade off for buttery-smooth gameplay. If you’re not looking for high frame rates, Dell also offers the machine with a 3840 x 2160 IGZO IPS option.

The Alienware 15’s speakers are a bit of a disappointment, however. Not because they are bad themselves — they’re perfectly fine, producing loud, clear audio without distortion — but the machine’s “virtual surround” trick somehow doesn’t work quite as well as it did on the Alienware 13. That machine had me turning my head to see if something fell down across the room. The 15, on the other hand, can boast only of clear, separated sound. Stereo speakers that are merely good, and nothing else.

Performance

The Alienware 15 might be a little cumbersome, but there’s a lot of power in its oversized chassis. Powered by a 2.8GHz Intel Core i7-7700HQ CPU, 16GB of memory and an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 GPU, it ran circles around my gaming library. Games like Overwatch, Battlefield 1, Just Cause 3 and Resident Evil 7 all punched above 100 frames a second on their highest settings at the machine’s native 1080p resolution. My more intensive games, like GTA5 and The Witcher 3 and Watch Dogs 2, would occasionally drop into the low 50s, but on average, every game in my library averaged out at 60fps at a minimum.

With a score of 8,152 in VRMark’s Orange room test (and 1,730 in the more intensive Blue Room benchmark), the machine has the chops to handle most consumer virtual-reality games at their default settings, too — though hardware setup might be a little cumbersome. The Alienware 15’s default ports are more than enough to power an HTC Vive, but Oculus Rift users won’t have access to enough USB ports without using a USB-C converter.

Battery life

Alienware 15
4:31
Surface Book with Performance Base (2016)
16:15
Apple MacBook Pro 2016 (13-inch, no Touch Bar)
11:42
HP Spectre x360 (13-inch, 2015)
11:34
Apple MacBook Pro with Retina display (13-inch, 2015)
11:23
Apple MacBook Pro 2016 (15-inch)
11:00
HP Spectre x360 15t
10:17
Apple MacBook Pro 2016 (13-inch, Touch Bar)
9:55
ASUS ZenBook 3
9:45
Apple MacBook (2016)
8:45
Samsung Notebook 9
8:16
Alienware 13
7:32
Microsoft Surface Pro 4
7:15
HP Spectre 13
7:07
Razer Blade Stealth (Spring 2016)
5:48
Razer Blade Stealth (Fall 2016)
5:36
Dell XPS 15 (2016)
5:25 (7:40 with the mobile charger)
Razer Blade Pro (2016)
3:48
ASUS ROG Strix GL502VS
3:03

The machine handled my normal workflow fine too, easily managing the disorganized mess of windows, browser tabs, editing software and chat clients I use on a daily basis. It’s nice to have a machine that can run circles around the Adobe Creative Suite, but sadly, the Alienware 15 can’t do it for very long. Our standard battery test ran the machine down in just over four and a half hours. That may be about par for a high-performance gaming laptop, but low expectations won’t get me through my workday without a power outlet.

Despite its screaming performance, the 15 did give me a few issues. Fresh out of the box, the laptop had a little trouble staying connected to WiFi — quietly dropping the connection at the Engadget office a few times every hour. The issue subsided after a system update, but it made my first day with the machine mildly annoying.

Wrapup

The Alienware 15 is almost everything you could ask for in a midsize gaming laptop. It’s a stylish, powerful machine with the latest GPU architecture, Intel’s new seventh-gen CPUs and a fantastic build quality — it’s just a little large for a machine of its class.

That’s not a deal-breaker, but it is a little weird. Fifteen-inch gaming rigs usually fill a sweet spot between portability and power, but the Alienware 15’s oversized footprint throws that balance off. If you’re dead set on the Alienware brand and are sure you want the machine’s GTX 1070, it’s still not a bad option — but if you find yourself looking at the laptop’s cheaper 1060 configuration, consider looking at the Alienware 13 instead. Bigger isn’t bad, but it’s not always better, either.

Texas bill could mean jail time for flying a drone over oil facilities

The ebb and flow of legal rules when it comes to flying a drone, whether it’s a cheap mainstream model or something a little more intense, is confusing. It also differs depending on country, and even state. When it comes to Texas, both the House and the Senate are pushing a bill that could attach jail sentences to any pilot found guilty of flying something over oil and gas drilling facilities, as well as telecomms infrastructure and concentrated animal feeding operations — factory farms. Politicians want these structures added to a “critical infrastructure” list, where flying a drone lower than 400 feet aboveit would be a Class B misdemeanor and could even mean up to 180 days in jail.

The facilities would join a list that includes power plants, dams and other refineries, but critics say the additions would affect the public’s First Amendment rights. Alicia Calzada, a Haynes and Boone media attorney told The Texas Observer that it takes a law “that’s already unconstitutional and making it worse.”

While the bill passed Senate on Wednesday, the House version– which passed last month –is slightly different. This means the bills have to be tweaked to ensure both parts of the legislature agree on it before it becomes legal.

Texas’ drone laws a generally stricter than elsewhere in the US. While many states limit how much law enforcement can use drones to monitor the public, a Texas Privacy Act aims itself more at citizens that fly drones over private property. The inclusion of concentrated animal feeding operations is particularly contentious, with a diminished argument as how they can be classified “critical infrastructure”.

Drones ares a safer, cheaper option for independently monitoring emissions from oil sites — reporters or researchers would otherwise have to charter a helicopter for similar results. Calzada notes: “Drones create an opportunity to tell a story in a better way for less money, but it’s also much safer.”

Source: Texas Observer, Senate Committee Meeting (HB 1643)

ASUS’ Tango-powered ZenFone AR will hit the US in July

We already knew from Google I/O that ASUS’ ZenFone AR, the second-ever Tango phone (and the first to also support Daydream), was getting close to its official launch, and that it’s coming to the US as a Verizon exclusive this summer. Thankfully, we now know when people will actually be able to buy one. Right after ASUS’ pre-Computex keynote today, I sat down with CEO Jerry Shen who revealed that this device will finally be launching in Taiwan in mid-June, followed by a US launch as soon as end of June or early July.

It’s been six months since we last spent quality time with the ZenFone AR, and believe us: all the additional time spent on it has been worth it. According to ASUS’ own tests, out of the 100+ existing Tango AR apps, about 40 to 50 of them now run stably on the ZenFone AR, and the list is expected to grow as more apps are updated for Android Nougat. Shen added that the number of Tango apps is expected to reach over 1,000 next year, and his company will be doing its part by hosting AR developer conferences with Google — there’ll be one in Taiwan in July.

During my brief hands-on today I got to try the BMW i Visualiser app, Lowe’s Vision, iStaging (a home decorating app from Taiwan) and Matterport Scenes, all of which ran surprisingly smoothly with great tracking — a far cry from the laggy experience Chris Velazco and I had on the bulkier and underpowered Lenovo Phab 2 Pro. This is all thanks to the extra help from Qualcomm for fine-tuning the Snapdragon 821 horsepower chipset inside the ZenFone AR. Specifically, the optimization focused deeply on the chipset’s Hexagon 680 digital signal processor, which is pushed to its full potential using the latest coding. The difference between this and what we saw on the Phab 2 Pro is often staggering, enough to make the ZenFone AR the best choice for anyone looking to dabble in mobile augmented reality.

Chris Velazco contributed to this story.

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Bonkers inventor Colin Furze turns a microwave into a video game console

Why it matters to you

It’s probably best you don’t try this at home, but Colin Furze’s solution for killing time is nevertheless entertaining.

If you just can’t stand waiting for your microwave to nuke your potato or whatever other morsel you choose to chuck in, then Colin Furze’s latest creation could be just the ticket.

The bonkers British inventor and YouTube star has just cooked up the “Play-O-Wave” machine, essentially a game console built into a microwave oven. The absurd appliance eliminates the stress of having to listen to your food hiss and pop, as well as the pressure of trying to choose a smartphone app within a very tight time frame.

Furze built the contraption in response to a viewer’s request — a regular feature of his YouTube channel where fans are encouraged to send in ideas. This particular challenge was posted by a guy called Dan, someone evidently partial to the occasional onion topped with peanut butter.

Dan’s problem? He can’t stand waiting around for the two minutes that his wacky snack takes to cook, so he called on Furze to formulate a fix.

After racking his brain for all of a few seconds, Furze, who in the past has also built the world’s fastest bumper car, a fully operational thermite cannon, and an enormous 360-degree swing (in his yard), came up with the idea of inserting a video screen into the door of a microwave oven and adding retrogaming functionality.

It took a bit of work, Furze said, as his initial effort saw the oven’s microwaves playing havoc with the display, prompting him to build something that offered a little more protection. Besides a thicker-than-usual door, the design also includes several switches and inputs, and of course the all-important game machine.

Keen to try out his finished Play-O-Wave, Furze plays a blocky bike game as the microwave cooks Dan’s diabolical onion-and-peanut-butter combo. The YouTube video (above) ends with Furze taking a bite out of the vile-looking snack, with his response, hardly surprisingly, one of utter disgust.

Furze describes his Play-O-Wave as a work in progress, though somehow we can’t see the likes of Sony, Microsoft, or Nintendo knocking on his door with an offer anytime soon.

OnePlus rolls out a referral program ahead of OnePlus 5 launch

Save some cash on OnePlus accessories with its referral program.

OnePlus is launching a referral program ahead of the launch of its next flagship. To be eligible, you should have purchased a OnePlus smartphone directly from the company’s website in the past. To register, you’ll need to head to the referral page and click the Get your sharable link button to get a unique code that you can share with your friends and family.

Once they use the link to purchase a smartphone from OnePlus, they’ll get $20 (or equivalent) off an accessory, and you’ll pick up 100 referral points that can be used toward an accessory, discount on a phone, or exclusive OnePlus gear.

From OnePlus:

Anyone who’s ever bought a OnePlus smartphone past, present, or future, can get a unique referral link. Once you’ve got a link, just share it with someone interested in buying a OnePlus device and wait for them to hit the order button. If your friend uses your link to purchase a OnePlus smartphone, they’ll receive $20 – or an equivalent amount in your local currency – off on an accessory of their choosing. No more than 30 days later, we’ll drop 100 referral points in your referral hub.

So, what can you spend these points on? Well, that referral hub we mentioned earlier is constantly going to be updated with new stuff to get. Whether it be a cool accessory, a discount on a new phone, or exclusive OnePlus gear, the hub will always be chock-full of great free items for you to grab.

Interested? Sign up for the OnePlus referral program from the link below. It doesn’t look like the program is live in India just yet, but it is available in other markets.

OnePlus referral program

OnePlus 3T and OnePlus 3

• OnePlus 3T review: Rekindling a love story
• OnePlus 3T vs. OnePlus 3: What’s the difference?
• OnePlus 3T specs
• Latest OnePlus 3 news
• Discuss OnePlus 3T and 3 in the forums

OnePlus
Amazon

New Google Play Music subscribers now get a four-month trial

New customers can try out Google Play Music for free for 120 days.

Google typically offers a 90-day trial for customers looking to evaluate Google Play Music, but the company is now rolling out a four-month free trial for new subscribers. If you’re using another streaming service and are looking to make the switch to Play Music, you now have an addition 30 days to decide if you want to continue. Once the trial ends, you’ll have to shell out $9.99 per month.

In addition to accessing Play Music’s catalog of over 40 million songs, you’ll be able to upload up to 50,000 songs from your own music collection — 100,000 if you’re using a Samsung phone — to the service. The UI is in need of a revamp and the device usage policy is antiquated, but overall there’s plenty to like in Play Music.

There’s no telling how long the offer will last, so if you’re interested in seeing what the deal is with Play Music, hit up the link below to subscribe.

Sign up for Google Play Music