Toshiba TVs return to Europe with 65-inch X97 OLED leading the charge

It’s been some time since we’ve had anything to write about from Toshiba, but the company is making its way back into Europe thanks to its partnership with Vestel, and leading the charge with an OLED TV.

OLED has seen something of a up kick in 2017, with the likes of Panasonic, Philips and Sony all joining grand masters LG in offering that particular flavour of TV panel.

For those slightly in the dark about what OLED is, it’s where the individual pixels emit the light (hence ORGANIC light emitting diode), as opposed to having rear or side illumination of the panel which is the case for the vast majority of LED TVs on the market, including Samsung’s new QLED TVs.

The advantage, as touted by Toshiba on the X97, is that you have better control over light, meaning absolute blacks where you need black, boosted contrast and generally very good colour performance. The downside is that peak brightness doesn’t match that which you’ll get from LED.

Toshiba is pitching its TV family as “mid-market”, so we suspect that its OLED will be designed to slot in underneath some of the premium OLED models we’ve seen in 2017, like the Sony Bravia A1. We also suspect it’s the same TV model as the X910 that’s was made available in Japan early in 2017.

Toshiba describes the X97 as bezel-free and minimalist, offering a contemporary design that’s perfect for wall-hanging offering a “chic urban finish”, but it’s not slacking on connectivity with 4x HDMI and it also comes with speaker boxes and a subwoofer and DTS TruSurround HD audio, so it should sound great too.

The Ultra HD set will not only offer that sharp resolution, but promises to be a gamer’s delight with response rates of under 1ms in game mode, while also offering an expanded array of 4K content through Netflix and YouTube. Exactly what other smart features it offers we’re still to discover.

We’re also still to discover what the price will be: with LG’s B6 costing around £2699 for the 65-inch version, that’s the figure to beat.

Toshiba is also launching the U77 and U67 Ultra HD TV series. The U77 sounds more mass market with 55 and 49-inch sizes, the sort of sizes that are popular in Europe. Toshiba refers to the U77 as a “wide colour gamut” model, so we’re suspecting it will be pushing brightness and colour for a great HDR experience.

The U67 by contrast seems a little more focused on being good value for money, opening up a wider range of sizes from 43-inch to 65-inch. If you’ve a small room and want a 4K TV at 43 inches, then the Toshiba U67 might be your first port of call.

Prices and availability on all the new Toshiba TVs are still to be confirmed.

Huawei EMUI 5.1 tips and tricks: How to master the P10 and P10 Plus

Huawei takes the best of Google’s Android operating system for its smartphones and adds its own re-skin twist called EMUI – or “Emotion User Interface”. This means additional features, management and controls compared to what you’ll find in other phones.

The latest Huawei P10 and P10 Plus are among the first to arrive on the EMUI 5.1 platform. A number of Huawei’s previous phones have recently made their way to EMUI 5.0 – an ultimately similar system which has a focus on optimisation to ensure a long life for your handset thanks to a machine learning algorithm which learns your use patterns and can target the most-used apps with the best resources.

Thing is, if you don’t know where some of the special features of EMUI are tucked away then you might not get the benefit of them all. In this feature we’ll run you through the extras that will see you learn to love EMUI 5.1.

EMUI 5.1 tips: Lockscreen shortcuts

From the lock screen it’s possible to quick-launch shortcuts for baked-in apps: Quick-access Recorder, Calculator, Flashlight, Stopwatch, QR code. Simply swipe up from the bottom edge of the lock screen and it will reveal the five-strong arrangement of circular shortcuts. Above is the ability to change or affix wallpaper or share a cover.

Quick camera launch. As per stock Android, a swipe from the bottom right corner of the lock screen will load the Camera app. To load the app and immediately capture a shot a double-tap of the volume down button will be your new best friend (within the Camera app this can be set to just open the camera, or deactivated entirely).

Set PIN / Pattern / Password to unlock. Swipe down from the top of the home screen > hit the settings cog icon > select Screen Lock & Passwords. Here you can set pattern, PIN, password or remove lock methods.

EMUI 5.1: Fingerprint and gesture control

Fingerprint unlock. In addition to a pattern, PIN or password lock you can register multiple fingerprints to login to your phone. On the P10 and P10 Plus the front-positioned scanner is hyper responsive and easy to operate (older P-series phones have the fingerprint scanner on the rear).

It’s possible to add up to five individual fingerprints. To do so: swipe down from the top of the home screen > hit the settings cog icon > select Fingerprint ID > Fingerprint Management (enter PIN as prompted) > New Fingerprint, then follow the enrolment process.

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Fingerprint gesture control via off-screen navigation button: New to EMUI 5.1 is the addition of gesture controls for the P10 and P10 Plus. To access: swipe down from the top of the home screen > hit the settings cog icon > select Navigation Key and you’ll be presented with Off-screen navigation button or Virtual navigation bar.

Once activated, gestures work as so: press to return home; long press for Google Now on Tap; swipe left to go back; swipe right to open recent apps. As the trio of typical Android soft keys won’t be on the home screen it means more space to enjoy your content, without less need to reach up across the phone screen during use. Handy.

EMUI 5.1: Home screen adjustments and organisation

Home Screen Style: App Drawer vs Standard layouts. If you’re content with your app icons being present across across your homepages, the default Standard layout will suit you fine. If you prefer an App Drawer – where all apps are contained to tidy up the home screen, as per some other stock Android phones by default – this can be activated too.

To access: swipe down from the top of the home screen > hit the settings cog icon > tap Home Screen Style > choose between Standard and App Drawer options.

More/fewer app icons. Once you’ve done that you can decide how many apps you want to show on your P10 or P10 Plus. To select between a 5×5, 4×5 or 5×4 icon grid layout, again press-and-hold anywhere on the home screen > select Settings to the bottom right corner. To the top of this settings page is Home Layout with these options available.

EMUI 5.1: Custom controls

In addition to press- and swipe-based navigation controls via the navigation button, there are one-handed, floating dock, gesture-based and even knuckle-based controls.

Add Floating Dock. Another handy feature for the larger P10 Plus is the Floating Dock, a side-positioned shortcut (which you can drag to position) that contains the trio of Android soft keys, plus a lock screen button and quick tidy-up (for closing unnecessary apps). It only comes with the five shortcuts, though, and there’s no way to edit these. It’s also the only way to have soft keys on the display if you’re using the off-screen navigation button.

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Swipe down from the top of the home screen > hit the settings cog icon > select Smart Assistance > activate Floating Dock. Alternatively, swipe down from the top of the screen, expand the shortcuts and Floating Dock is within here.

Motion control. Also contained within Smart Assistance is a Motion Control tab.

• Flip to mute the phone when it’s ringing or the alarm is sounding.
• Pick Up to reduce ring/alarm volume by lifting the device.
• Raise to Ear which auto-answers calls.

These three options can be independently switch on or off and each have deeper customisation for calls and alarm settings.

Knuckle gestures. The Huawei special. By using a hard knuckle to write on the screen rather than a softer finger, a “second layer” of commands can be instructed:

• Double-tap for screen shot (using one knuckle).
• Draw where knuckle-drawn letters activate apps (C for Camera, M for music, and so forth – each can be customised from a fuller list of apps).
• Split-screen gesture where a knuckle-drawn line across the screen when in an app screen will open the recent apps to the lower portion.

EMUI 5.1: Dual SIM and App Twin

One of our favourite features in the P10 and P10 Plus is the dual SIM functionality – ideal if you have a business number and a personal one, all within the one phone. Failing that, the second slot doubles-up as a microSD card slot, so you can expand the storage by up to an additional 256GB.

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WhatsApp/Facebook per SIM card. Unlike other dual SIM phones, however, EMUI 5.1 (and version 5.0) allows you to double-up on Facebook and WhatsApp applications – one per SIM/phone number. Very smart. Huawei calls it App Twin. It’s possible to have WhatsApp and Facebook twins at present, but in the future there could be more twin options (that will take third-party development and approval before it’s possible).

To enable: swipe down from the top of the home screen > hit the settings cog icon > App Twin. It’s as easy as that.

EMUI 5.1: Manage notifications per app

Alert notifications are useful, but you won’t want to necessarily receive them all the time from every app. Notifications can be individually dismissed, by swiping them away, but you can also setup an individual app’s level of notifications too, to apply to all future settings.

Allow/silence/block notifications from an app. If an app keeps popping-up notifications and you don’t want it to, press-and-hold the notification which will raise the a trio of immediate options:

• Don’t make sound and vibrate (silences notifications, but still allows them to display).
• Sound and vibrate (the default setting).
• Block all from this app (effectively ceases an app’s notification powers).

Adjust where/how an app can display notifications. There are two ways to access the deep-dive settings: from the press-and-hold of a notification, select More Settings; or swipe down from the top of the home screen > hit the settings cog icon > select Apps. From here it’s possible to see all your installed apps, individually select them, within which there is the Notifications setting:

• Display in the status bar. This is where you’ll see little icons appear to the very top left of your home screen. Letter icons for mail, hash icons for Slack, and all manner of other custom icons. You might want to switch off notifications from obscure apps you don’t use much, to keep things neater.
• Banners. These are the floating mini views that some apps present, such as Mail. They’re a great quick access point, but if you don’t want them here’s where to switch them on or off.
• Display on lock screen. Keep the lock screen totally private by hiding all notification displays.
• Priority display. For those key apps; allows notifications to ring with preference.
• Ringtone/Vibrate/deactivate. If you want no notifications at all, turn off the Allow Notifications button. If you want only ringtone, vibration or both then toggle the necessary Ringtone and Vibrate buttons on or off.

Apps drawing over other apps. Some apps have special permission to draw over other apps. The Facebook Messenger pop-up bubble being one prime example. This can be deactivated by accessing Apps (swipe down from the top of the home screen > hit the settings cog icon > select Apps). Within your list of apps each can be selected individually, within which is an Advanced tab (for relevant apps only), with Draw Over Other Apps selectable within.

Not receiving notifications when you should be? If you stop receiving notifications try this to access Ignore Optimisations: access Apps (swipe down from the top of the home screen > hit the settings cog icon > select Apps) > hit the blue settings cog icon to the bottom of that screen > select Special Access under the Advanced tab > Unrestricted Data Access. Here apps can be granted always-on data irrelevant of what other settings state.

Allow system wakeup. Additionally, try this: access Apps (swipe down from the top of the home screen > hit the settings cog icon > select Apps). Specific apps will have a System Wakeup button within their Battery tab, which you’ll want to leave active for an app alert to trigger even when the phone is in sleep mode.

EMUI 5.1: Do not disturb and volume settings

Notification light and status bar settings. You can select if you want a pulsing notification light, display carrier name, network speed, battery percentage, and whether notifications are icons or numbers. Swipe down from the top of the home screen > hit the settings cog icon > select Notification & Status Bar where all these settings can be found.

Activate Do Not Disturb. This lets you silence your phone, without interruptions – except for specified exceptions. You can schedule DND, add additional time rules (custom, per day), event rules (from calendar), or allow alarms and priority interruptions only. Swipe down from the top of the home screen > hit the settings cog icon > select Do Not Disturb.

Allow designated apps to interrupt. Swipe down from the top of the home screen > hit the settings cog icon > select Apps. Select the desired app from the list, within which there is the Notifications setting, choose Priority Display.

Set ringtone, media, alarms and calls volumes. These can be individually adjusted. Simply hit the volume up/down button, which will adjust the ringtone volume from loudest down to vibrate (or there’s a mute button). This pop-up banner has a blue arrow to its top right corner, hit this to open the other individual settings to adjust.

EMUI 5.1: Battery optimisation and power-intensive prompts

Here’s where EMUI works its own magic, ensuring long-lasting battery life per charge. The system is very good at alerting you when apps in the background are eating away at juice unnecessarily and will prompt you to close them. Such alerts can be dismissed individually, but will keep repeating without taking additional action.

Deactivate power-intensive prompt. This can only be activated per app, and actively used ones at that. Swipe down from the top of the home screen > hit the settings cog icon > select Apps. Select the desired app from the list, hit Battery and deselect Power-intensive Prompt.

Find out which apps are power-intensive. Swipe down from the top of the home screen > hit the settings cog icon > select Battery and under the App Power Saving Tab is Power Intensive Apps. Within here the phone will show you the active apps running in the background. It’s possible to select them and close them should you want. 

Close app after screen has locked. If you don’t want a certain app to be eating battery life when it’s not fully active and in use, follow the above step and select Close After Screen Locked.

Battery optimisation. There are three battery modes:

• Normal. The default setting, which doesn’t throttle the CPU or background activity.
• Power Saving. Select this for a slight lift in battery life. It will limit background app activity, such as push notifications, and limit the CPU.
• Ultra power saving. For when battery life is really low as you’ll get more than double life from this setting. It sets the phone into a simple mode, with only basic call and SMS apps available. One for emergencies/festivals. It can also be activated from a swipe down from the top of the screen and selecting from the expanded shortcuts.

Show battery remaining as a percentage. Swipe down from the top of the home screen > hit the settings cog icon > select Battery. The bottom option is Remaining Battery Percentage (the font of which differs to the active Theme).

EMUI 5.1: Display adjustment

Screen too warm or cold? Huawei allows you to adjust the colour to suit your eyes, your mood and your content.

Customise colour balance. Swipe down from the top of the home screen > hit the settings cog icon > select Display. Under the Screen tab is Colour Temperature where it’s possible to select pre-defined Warm or Cold, plus use the colour wheel to specifically customise the colour balance to your preference.

Change font size. Within the Display settings (method above) under the Personalised tab is Font Size. Choose between Small, Normal, Large, Huge and Extra Huge (the last is only available for Messaging, Contacts and Dialler).

Eye comfort (for night reading). Within the Display settings (method above) under the Screen tab is Eye Comfort. This filters out blue light to relieve visual fatigue when reading for long periods. It makes the screen look rather yellow, though, so you won’t want it on all the time. It can be activated as you please or even scheduled per day, plus a slider between Less Warm and Warmer allows for comfort customisation.

EMUI 5.1: Dual camera tips

Huawei’s push into dual camera technology is one of the features which makes the camera stand out compared to its competitors. The P10 and P10 Plus both have one colour and one monochrome sensor, meaning it’s possible to shoot true black and white whenever you want.

Activate Monochrome shooting. Open the Camera app, swipe from left side of the screen to open the Modes menu. Select Monochrome from here to use the true black & white sensor to full effect.

Activate Pro Mode for full control. By defauly the Camera app is a point-and-shoot affair. There’s a small tab with an upwards arrow just above the virtual shutter key, however, which when pulled upwards activates Pro Mode. This offers metering, ISO, shutter speed, exposure compensation, focus type and white balance control. It’s available in both Colour and Monochrome (the latter minus white balance of course).

Create shallow depth of field (blurred background). Part of the reason Huawei has opted for two cameras is that it can offset the data between them, creating a depth map and the ability, via software, to blur the background as if it was taken with a much wider-open aperture. The Leica-endorsed camera of the P10 and P10 Plus support from f/0.95 to f/16 in post. Simply click on the circular aperture setting at the top of the screen. As these phones are so powerful it’s also possible to shoot video with this effect operating in real time.

Portrait mode. An EMUI 5.1 special (you won’t find it this advanced in phones prior to the P10 and P10 Plus), the Leica-endorsed front-facing 8MP camera will load with Portrait mode selected. The phones are able to 3D map faces for accuracy when blurring the background, but also so that colour accuracy is heightened for the subject’s face. It works really well.

Wide group selfie. If more than two of you are trying to get that killer selfie, the P10 and P10 Plus will figure that out for you. When the phones detect multiple faces looking to the front-facing camera, it will automatically adjust the angle of view to be wider to fit you and all your friends into the frame. You don’t even need to do anything – this is automatic.

Highlights. The Gallery is more advanced in EMUI 5.1, so the P10 and P10 Plus will automatically arrange your shots by where they were shot, when, with who and various relevant fields so that they’re easy to find in the future. This happens daily, so once you’re years into shooting it won’t be tricky to find what you’re after by going into the Discover

GoPro Quik integration. Another EMUI 5.1 special is the subtle integration of GoPro’s Quik app. This uses the highlights in each Discovery album to generate a short video reel with attached music. You can save the video, share it, edit it to suit, or discard it (and all future ones) as you please.

Shoot raw images. In addition to JPEG files there’s support for DNG. Simple go into the camera settings (method above) and hit the Raw button.

Capture a burst of images. Simply press-and-hold the screen to whirr off a rapid burst of capture, which is saved as an image stack. Useful for fast-moving or high-speed subjects. This press-and-hold can also be used to activate focus control, adjusted within the settings.

EMUI 5.1: Live record the screen

Another Huawei specific feature is the ability to live record your device – which could be handy if you wanted to make a how-to video to share with a friend. It’s activated by tapping two knuckles twice on the screen.

The resulting video is saved in your Files > Videos area (not Screenshots as the system claims). It’s a nifty feature.

EMUI 5.1: Business card scanner

Another EMUI special: it’s possible to capture business card information and render it as a contact using the camera.

Open Dialler > hit Contacts > then either hit Business Cards at the top of your contacts list, or hit the Scan button on the floating widget bottom centre. A QR-like reader will pop up allowing a card to be scanned in to render a new contact.

Plex users can now view and record live TV on mobile devices and at home

Plex has been gradually adding features to its core media streaming solution over the last couple of years but the latest is one of the biggest steps forward for the software. You can now view and record free-to-air live TV through the Plex app.

Plex Live TV is a global addition to the Plex app and works for all Plex Pass subscribers.

It works in tandem with a digital tuner and antenna, hooked up to your Plex server or device, with a large number of hardware options available. This includes several tuners for Windows PCs and the digital TV tuner for Xbox One – it even works with Freeview HD channels in the UK.

Plex Live TV presents programming in its own electronic programme guide and, once you record a show, adds the same depth of metadata and poster art Plex media streaming fans have come to expect.

At present, Plex Live TV is compatible with iOS mobile devices and Android TV boxes, including the Nvidia Shield. Other devices, such as Apple TV and Android mobile devices will follow soon.

However, even though you can’t view live TV through unsupported Plex apps at present, you can still watch your recordings through any Plex app, streamed over the internet or synched to the device.

A Plex Pass is needed to make use of the service. It costs £3.99 a month, £31.99 a year or a one-off lifetime payment of £94.99 – a special price offer that’s available for a limited amount of time (usually £119.99).

Moto Z2 Play review: All the mod cons

Modular phones are in a rather interesting spot. At the end of 2016 Google canned Project Ara, its open-source modular mobile project. In 2017, the latest LG G-series unceremoniously ditched the company’s lacklustre “Friends” modules. Motorola, on the other hand, is forging onward with Moto Mods – magnetic clip-on back panel accessories with differing functions that connect with its Z-series smartphones.

The latest device to support Mods is the Moto Z2 Play: a 5.5-inch phone with mid-power specification and oodles of battery life wrapped into a slender metal frame, which updates last year’s original battery-heavy Z Play.

As the apparent last bastion of the modular mobile movement, the Z2 Play is not only the flag-bearer for Moto Mods, but for modular phones as a whole in 2017 and beyond. And with a US price of $499 (we anticipate a similar UK price, around £449 when the device launches in Blighty this July), it’s on the right side of affordable to make it an attractive idea.

That said, the Z2 Play is invariably pitched against the imminent (and likely more powerful) OnePlus 5. So, is Moto’s modular quirk a useful enough feature to warrant its purchase? We’ve been using the Z2 Play day in, day out for a full week to find out.

Moto Z2 Play review: Design

• Moto Mods compatible
• 156.2 x 76.2 x 5.99mm (without Mod)
• Metal design with water-resistance
• 64GB storage; microSD card slot
• 3.5mm headphones jack
• Lunar Grey or Fine Gold finishes

If you’ve ever seen the original Moto Z Play then, well, the Z2 Play looks like business as usual at first glance. It’s taken the 5.5-inch footprint of the original – an unavoidable and non-negotiable size, given the Mods need to match the rear panel exactly to fit – and trimmed a full millimetre of thickness from it, making for a lighter, more pocket-friendly device at sub-6mm. Why slimmer? There will be no “standard” Moto Z2, so the Play is left to rule the roost for now.

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Look closer, however, and there are notable differences between first- and second-gen models. The Z2 Play has an all-metal frame, including the exposed rear plate (when no Mod is attached), rather than the etched glass rear of the original device. That makes it less slippery to handle, which is an obvious benefit when switching between Mods and not lobbing the phone on the floor. At least, we’ve managed to not let slip just yet.

The other obvious point – which we’ll come to in more detail later – is the new fingerprint scanner to the front. It’s out with the old square format and in with the new elongated form, just as you’ll find on Moto G5 Plus and Moto G5 models (plus, presumably, all future Moto handsets). It looks, feels and functions far better.

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When we saw the original Moto Z, we found its appearance more pock-marked than a hormonal teenager. The Z2 Play keeps things neater: there aren’t excessive openings for microphones to the front, instead a simple aperture for the speaker sits top and centre, between the discreet front-facing camera and flash. It’s not a design that’ll stop people in their tracks, like the Samsung Galaxy S8, but it’s a tidy looking phone nonetheless.

Moto Z2 Play review: Moto Mods

• New: JBL SoundBoost 2 speaker with kickstand, $80, available at launch
• New: Style Shells with wireless charging (finishes: wood, fabric, flower digital print), $40, available at launch
• New: TurboPower Pack (3490mAh, with TurboPower charging speeds), $80, available summer 2017
• New: Moto Power Pack (2200mAh), $50, available at launch
• More Mods coming in the near future, including GamePad

For this review we received three Mods: a wooden Moto Style Shell with wireless charge (note, no wireless charging panel is included with either phone or Mod, it’s a separate purchase); the JBL SoundBoost 2, which is the second-gen fabric-covered version of the attachable speaker with kickstand; and the Moto TurboPower Pack, an additional 3490mAh capacity for the battery.

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Whichever way we look at it, we think Mods are divisive. If you’re on board with the idea then we suspect these accessories will be the in-point and very reason to purchase a Z-series. If you’re non-plussed about them then, well, there are plenty of other handsets on the market from which to take your pick – and it’s easy to buy a separate universal battery pack or speaker at similar prices for any given device.

On the upside, however, Moto Mods are the best implementation of modular accessories for any device that we’ve seen. Pull a Mod from the rear of the Z2 Play, sling a new one into place and – boom – that’s it. No buttons, release switches or complicated fitting at all – the phone knows what’s connected right off the bat. There’s even a dedicated Mods section within the software, available via a swipe down in the notifications shade, to keep a closer eye on things.

The future potential of Mods makes for interesting reading, too. We’ve seen the GamePad, a control-laden cradle for the Z-series, perfect for gaming fans – which will join the existing 10x zoom Hasselblad True Zoom camera and Moto Insta-Share Projector. There’s scope for plenty of interesting additions beyond just yet another battery pack – although, right now, various battery forms seem to be Moto’s bread and butter releases.

It’s also worth keeping in mind that you’ll pretty much have to buy a Mod when purchasing a Z2, as there isn’t one included. Fail to connect one to the rear and, while the phone will function as normal, it looks downright bizarre. With the rear connection pins exposed, the Z2 Play looks like a prototype; an unfinished device crying out for its back panel.

Which Mod or Mods you choose needs careful consideration too: the TurboPower Pack is huge, for example, and thus transforms the Z2 Play into a brickphone. Sure, it’ll last seemingly forever, which might be the most important thing for your use, but it makes the phone abnormally massive and heavy to be considered as a current flagship contender.

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Or all the Mods we settled on the most simple one for the most part: the Moto Style Shell. Finished in wood – different colours and materials, including fabric, will also be available – it makes the phone look, well, kind of normal. The only glitch here is that wood can bend due to heat and moisture, so our pre-release sample doesn’t sit perfectly flush with the phone, which is less than ideal.

Moto Z2 Play review: Display

• 5.5in 1920 x 1080 pixel Super AMOLED panel

On the display front, the Z2 Play hasn’t made any advances over the original Z Play model, opting for a 5.5-inch Full HD AMOLED panel as before.

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Not only is that perfectly good in resolution terms in this mid-area market, it’s a degree better than what you’ll find in many $499 phones thanks to its use of an AMOLED panel. Unlike LCD this technology illuminates per pixel, rather than using a backlight, which is better for power consumption, ensures richer blacks and an even brighter colour palette.

Not that the Z2 Play’s colour saturation is as audacious as you’ll find in, say, the Sony Xperia XZ Premium. Its colours are bright without being overworked, while brightness is ample, although the auto-brightness does seem to prefer a middling position (it avoids going unfathomably dark like some competitor handsets, however, such as Huawei).

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There’s no ultra-HD resolution to be found here, nor does this screen tick the boxes to cater for mobile HDR content delivery like the flagship LG G6 and Samsung Galaxy S8 models do. Not that we expected that; we think the Z2 Play sits perfectly well in its position as a sub-flagship.

Moto Z2 Play review: Fingerprint scanner, gesture control and software

• Front-positioned fingerprint scanner (plus NFC)
• One-button Nav for gesture-based controls
• Android 7.1, Google Assistant included
• Moto Actions/Display/Voice software additions

We’ve already mentioned the presence of the front-positioned fingerprint scanner, but it warrants further exploration given its capabilities.

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The scanner sits in a slight indentation to the bottom of the Z2 Play’s front, which is subtle enough to make it look barely noticeable while being easy to locate. It isn’t a depressible button, but it does provide haptic (vibrational) feedback that makes it feel like something approaching a real clicky button (much like in Apple’s latest iPhones).

One of the best things about the scanner is that it offers Moto’s One-button Nav control. This mode removes the usual trio of Android soft keys – home, back and recent apps – from the screen, instead offering them as finger-input gestures on the scanner itself. Swipe left to go back; swipe right to open current apps; press to return home (or the lock screen); or press-and-hold to activate Google Assistant.

Activating One-button Nav doesn’t necessarily make navigating the Z2 Play quicker than using the soft keys, but it does open up more on-screen real estate for content and, given the size of this particular phone, we think makes it easier to use one-handed without needing to reach over the screen. Having used the Moto G5 and G5 Plus in this format for a number of weeks, we’ve settled into it comfortably.

In addition to One-touch Nav as part of Moto Actions within the pre-installed Moto app – which includes physical movements to produce actions; things like “karate chop to activate torch” – there’s also Moto Display and Moto Voice found here. The last of these three is essentially Moto’s modded route into Google Assistant. So, for example, say “show me the weather” and the Z2 Play will pop-up a window to do just that. There’s no need to press anything or say “OK, Google” like you would with Google Assistant.

Moto Voice works quite differently to Assistant, however, typically prompting you to open apps via a swipe down rather than automatically opening them (sensible, given the carnage that could otherwise ensue in public). It uses the same format as Moto Display, showing alerts for five seconds full-screen before fading them out, which means there’s no visible dialogue window like with Google Assistant. That can be handy if the phone is on the table across the room and you want to make simple requests. But having both Assistant and Voice seems kind of unnecessary.

As those three major pillars – Actions, Display and Voice – are contained within the Moto app, which sits front and centre, there’s little else that gets in the way of the Z2 Play’s Android 7.1 operating system. There is the addition of Mods, of course, but that’s the lot. That means everything looks clean and tidy, works 99 per cent like stock Google Android, and will be easy to pick up for newbies and familiar for established Android users.

Moto Z2 Play review: Performance, software and battery

• Snapdragon 626 octa-core processor (2.2Ghz); 4GB RAM
• 3,000mAh battery, TurboPower charging (via USB-C)

Having used the Z2 Play for a week, we thought that Moto had made a mistake informing us it houses a Snapdragon 626 processor – because the phone runs like one that’s a flagship, not a mid-ranger by any means.

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Flicking around the interface has presented no issues, while games have performed without stutters and pauses – which isn’t even something we can say of some current flagship models, such as the Huawei P10 Plus. Load times don’t feel long, either, aided by the 4GB RAM on offer.

What’s perhaps even more impressive is just how long the Z2 Play lasts. Having shaved a full millimetre from its thickness compared to the original device, the second-gen model has, of course, downscaled its battery capacity too. The 3,000mAh cell still sounds reasonable (despite dropping 510mAh compared to the original Z Play), but it still performs much like a 4,000mAh cell from our use.

A typical day with the Z2 Play has seen us achieve 15 to 16 hours of use with around 30 to 40 per cent battery remaining when going to bed. And seeing as we’ve been intermittently playing Candy Crush and Magikarp in among our usual work-related tasks each day, we think that’s very good innings indeed. When failing to charge overnight once, we still had 15 per cent battery remaining by lunchtime the next day.

Those quotes are when just using the built-in battery. If you’re a battery fiend then the addition of Mods can be hugely useful. The TurboPower Pack makes the Z2 Play almost unstoppable, for example. With that attached our device lasted a full working day, before we boarded a trans-Atlantic flight, saw us through the remainder of the second day and then off to bed at 10pm with 47 per cent still in the tank. All-in, that was a 33 hour stint – and we suspect the remainder would have seen us through another eight hours or more before calling it a day.

So if battery is your thing then, well, few phones can compete with the longevity of the Z2 Play. That’s down to a savvy ensemble of specs – AMOLED, Full HD only, mid-power processor – that work in logical harmony. It doesn’t disappoint.

Moto Z2 Play review: Cameras

• 12MP Dual Autofocus Pixel Camera
• Sensor-based autofocus pixels (more than 3 million)
• Enhanced laser autofocus (works to 5 metres)
• 5MP front camera, includes Moto’s first Dual CCT flash

A new generation means a new camera. The Z2 Play hasn’t gone overboard, opting for a single optic with a 12-megapixel sensor at its heart.

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However, that sensor has seen a serious upgrade. It includes more than three million autofocus pixels on its surface meaning that, in Professional mode within the camera app, a super-fast autofocus mode will be available. Watch the in-focus points highlight in real-time as green squares on screen, which is nifty, just like a real camera.

Problem is, just as we said of the Moto G5 Plus, those more advanced focusing options aren’t put to best use. In the standard mode the camera requires the usual tap-the-screen approach, with speed that isn’t class leading. It has the same glitch which sees the focus point reset to the centre when adjusting it too.

Best advice, therefore, is stick with the Professional mode, as it’s just speedier. It also features manual focus, white balance, shutter speed, ISO sensitivity and exposure compensation dials to take full control as you please – or leave them blank to get an automated shooting experience.

With an f/1.7 aperture lens plenty of light can reach the sensor too, putting the Z2 Play up there among the flagships. There’s no optical stabilisation, however, which can be felt when shooting in low-light scenarios – we needed an extra steady hand when shooting sunset shots to ensure sharp results.

As seems typical of Moto, images look great on screen but appear a little over-sharpened when viewing them at full scale on a larger computer monitor. Not terribly so, but a subtler processing would be better.

What the Z2 Play does show off is how good this sensor can be. We shot condiment bottles in a dim-lit burger joint and even with ISO 1250 selected (about as high as the camera wants to auto-select) the detail in the walls is commendable, with image noise to a minimum. Sure, there’s the typical mottling seen in single colour areas that you’ll find in any mobile phone image, but it’s still a good result.

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Give the Z2 Play’s camera even better light and you’ll see even better results. The kind of results that see Moto climbing up a peg or two in the camera world. It’s not best-in-class still, but it’s a solid setup at this level.

Verdict

If you find Moto Mods enticing then the Z2 Play is a super phone with plenty to offer beyond its quirky unique selling point. If Mods leave you cold given their cost and size implication then, well, we think Moto will be in a great place to deliver an excellent Moto X (rumoured to be in the third quarter of 2017), which might well be the perfect fit. Between now and then, however, we suspect the imminent OnePlus 5 will ask some tough questions. 

Ignoring Mods for a moment, however, and it’s hard to ignore how well the Z2 Play runs. The subtle design tweaks compared to the previous-gen Play makes for a more slender and tidier appearance, the all-metal material choice makes far more sense than glass, the processor selection sees the software work effortlessly, the One-button Nav gesture control is easy to use, and battery life is hugely impressive.

In that regard the Moto Z2 Play really does have all the mod cons, then, eh? There are little to no slip-ups in use, which secure this phone a commendable position in the mid-range market. And if battery life is your all then it ought to be the perfect companion.

The alternatives to consider

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OnePlus 3T

• £399

Ok, so it’s due to be discontinued around the time the Moto is announced, but OnePlus is the name to watch in the mid-level market. There are no modular features to worry about in this phone, of course, instead it’s all about high power for a lower-than-flagship price. And its imminent follow-up, the OnePlus 5, is likely to be the mid-level phone of 2017.

Read the full article: OnePlus 3T review

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Lenovo P2

• £199

If you’re looking to go lower budget but want a phone with strong battery performance then the Lenovo P2 – which is similar to the Moto G5 Plus – crams a 5,100mAh battery into its rear for seemingly never-ending battery life. It’s not as powerful or smooth to operate as the Moto Z2 Play, but for under £200 it’s a steal.

Read the full article: Lenovo P2 review

Lenovo unveils Moto Z2 Play smartphone with four new Moto Mods

Lenovo-owned Motorola has made the Moto Z2 Play official. It’s the latest modular smartphone from the company, compatible with Moto Mods accessories.

Motorola introduced the Moto Z Play last August; a chunkier, battery-laden mid-range version of the top-spec Moto Z. The Z2 Play mostly differs from that model thanks to a thinner footprint, at 5.99mm, plus an updated fingerprint sensor with gesture navigation – just like the more budget Moto G5.

That new size means a slight nip to the battery capacity – it’s 3,000mAh, down from 3,510mAh – but otherwise the Z2 Play’s specs are similar to its predecessor: it features a 5.5-inch Full HD display, Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 chipset with 4GB RAM, and 32GB/64GB of storage with microSD expansion. And, yes, there’s a 3.5mm headphone jack.

• Moto Z2 Play review: All the mod cons
• Motorola Moto Z review: A modular muddle?
• Motorola Moto Z vs Moto Z Force: What’s the difference?

The Z2 Play’s camera sees a boost, with a 12-megapixel dual-autofocus pixel sensor paired with an f/1.7 aperture lens on the rear, while a 5-megapixel lens with flash unit sits on the front.

Motorola

In addition to the new smartphone, Motorola has launched four new Moto Mods: the JBL SoundBoost 2 ($79), the TurboPower Pack ($79), Moto Shells with wireless charging ($39), and the Moto GamePad ($79). These add new functions, respectively, for robust sound, extra battery, wireless charging, and full-on gameplay controls.

The Z2 Play will launch in the US in early July for $499. We anticipate a similar UK price, around £449, when the device launches in July. As for the new Moto Mods, they will be available in July, except the Moto GamePad, which is expected to launch later this summer.

We’ve been using the Z2 Play for a full week ahead of launch. Check out our full review, link below.

• Moto Z2 Play review: All the mod cons

Moto Z2 Play vs Z Play: What’s the difference?

On 1 June Motorola unveiled the Moto Z2 Play, the second-generation Moto Mods compatible smartphone in the mid-level Z-series lineup. There will be no “standard” Z2 this year, so it’s all eyes on the Play.

With Moto Mods – clip-on magnetic accessories, which magnetically attach as the rear plate of any Z-series phone – remaining as this phone’s major selling point, is there anything standout the Z2 Play offers that the original Play lacked?

Moto Z2 Play vs Moto Z Play: Design

• Z2 Play is thinner, at 5.99mm (original is 7mm thick without Mod)
• As a result, Z2 Play has 3,000mAh battery (original has 3,510mAh)
• All-metal shell, including rear (original has etched glass back plate)

At first glance the Z2 Play looks similar to the original Z Play. Both devices have the same 5.5-inch footprint, which is an unavoidable design trait of Moto Mods – as each accessory has to fit the exact size of the rear panel.

The biggest difference is the Z2 Play has shaved a millimetre of thickness, delivering a sub-6mm design. That means it’s lighter, too.

This thinner design also means a less capacious battery, at 3,000mAh, down from the original Z Play’s 3,510mAh. However, with Moto Mods battery packs, or even without, we haven’t found this a big problem (see our full review, link below).

• Moto Z2 Play review: All the mod cons

Closer inspection also reveals the rear of the Z2 Play to be metal, which makes the device less slippery than the glass-reared original Z Play.

Both models are water-resistant, although Motorola doesn’t produce IP-ratings. The company says the phones are coated with a resistant coating from inside out, in a vacuum, to deliver component-level resistance to water.

Moto Z2 Play vs Moto Z Play: Fingerprint scanner

• Z2 Play adds pill-shaped fingerprint scanner (original has square shape)
• Both feature NFC for payments and Android Beam

On the front the fingerprint scanner has also been updated: the Z2 Play now using the pill-shaped, elongated scanner, just as you’ll find in the Moto G5 Plus.

This new scanner can be used for fingerprint gestures, too, (what Moto calls One-button Nav) making it far more sophisticated than the square-shape one of the original Moto Z.

Both Play handsets feature NFC (near field communication) to make the most of their scanners; for payments we find the elongated form far better than the original Z Play’s square form.

Moto Z2 Play vs Moto Z Play: Display

• Both have 5.5-inch AMOLED panels
• Full HD (1920 x 1080) resolution

On the display front, it’s business as usual in the Moto Z2 Play, which incorporates the same 5.5-inch Full HD AMOLED screen as found in the original Z Play.

No fancy extras like mobile HDR (high dynamic range) compatibility or ultra-high resolution, but it’s par for the course for a mid-level handsets such as these.

Moto Z2 Play vs Moto Z Play: Hardware and software

• Z2 Play: Qualcomm SD625 processor, octa-core, 2.2Ghz with 4GB RAM and Adreno 506 GPU
• Z Play: Qualcomm SD625 processor, octa-core, 2.0Ghz with 3GB RAM and Adreno 506 GPU
• Z2 Play: Android 7.1 with Google Assistant; Moto Actions/Display/Voice additions
• Z Play: Android 7.0, no Google Assistant; Moto Actions additions

From a hardware perspective the Z2 Play and Z Play aren’t radically different. The newer model has taken a marginal processor upgrade in the form of Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 626 (that’s 2.2Ghz up from 2.0Ghz in the Z Play’s 625 chipset).

Perhaps the biggest difference, at least in the Z2 Play sample we have, is the 4GB RAM, up from the 3GB in the original Z Play. It makes the latest model run very smoothly indeed, whether for day to day tasks or even gaming.

Both models feature a microSD slot to expand the onboard memory – which is 32GB or 64GB, depending on region and purchase point.

The software is boosted by Android 7.1 in the Z2 Play, too, delivering Google Assistant voice assist which lacked in the original Z Play’s Android 7.0 setup.

Both models feature the Moto app, which is pre-installed, where Actions can be accessed to make physical motions deliver outcomes, such as switching on the torch with a “karate chop”. In the Z2 Play this also includes the One-button Nav gesture, plus Moto Voice and Moto Display – the former acting like Moto’s own version of Google Assistant, using the “show me…” command.

Moto Z2 Play vs Moto Z Play: Cameras

• Z2 Play: 12-megapixel sensor, 3m on-sensor AF pixels
• Z Play: 16-megapixel sensor, on-sensor AF pixels
• Z2 Play: f/1.7 aperture lens; Z Play: f/2.0 aperture lens
• Both have 5MP front-facing cameras and dual tone flash

To look at the numbers, you might be wondering why the Z2 Play has the lower-resolution rear camera. Well, it’s not all about pixel count, it’s about the size of the pixels: and the 12 million of them on the Z2 Play’s sensor mean they’re far larger than the 16 million arranged over the Z Play’s same sensor surface area.

Where the Z2 Play ups the ante is with improved on-sensor autofocus pixels – there are now three million of them, although the original Z Play also has this feature, just not to such high numbers – and the laser assist autofocus can function up to five metres (up from three metres).

Neither device has optical image stabilisation, despite the notable camera protrusion from the rear suggesting that they might. The Z2 Play makes up for this with the faster lens, at f/1.7, making it half an f-stop brighter than the f/2.0 lens of the Z Play. That means more light can reach the sensor.

Both models offer auto and professional shooting modes whether you want to point-and-shoot or take full control over the settings.

Moto Z2 Play vs Moto Z Play: Conclusion

With no “standard” Moto Z2 model coming out, it’s down to the Z2 Play to rule the roost for Moto Mods in 2017, filling a gap between the original Z Play and Z models.

That’s why the newer Z2 Play is slimmer than the original. The cut to battery life hasn’t been a big bother in our experience, however, with excellent performance in this regard. The whole device runs Android 7.1 very well indeed, aided by a slightly more powerful setup than the original model (it’s the RAM boost that makes the biggest difference).

The Moto Z2 Play will first launch in Brazil and South America from 1 June 2017, followed by India a week later on 8 June 2017. It will arrive in the US in July, priced $499, followed by the UK and EU a littler later in the same month, with no confirmed price as yet.

VR arcades need to be social to succeed

Viveland, HTC’s VR arcade, opened in Taipei eight months ago, with the Taiwanese company calling it the “world’s first premium VR arcade.” It has three jobs: make money, sell people on VR and serve as a testbed for future arcades that HTC plans to build around the globe. Since Engadget was in Taipei for Computex, it made sense to take the short cab ride across town to sample its charms. Now that I’ve seen Viveland and experienced what it has to offer, it’s clear what these facilities need in order to succeed. High-end PCs and VR headsets are important, sure, but it’s the social experience that will determine Viveland’s success.

VR arcades aren’t new, with thousands in Asia and a small, but growing, number opening in the United States and Canada. The most famous of those is probably The Void, which has a huge location in Utah and is also behind the Ghostbusters: Dimension exhibit in New York. A few smaller businesses have also opened up on their own, but we’re not — yet — at the point where everyone has access to one.

Viveland itself occupies roughly a third of a floor inside Taipei’s Syntrend, a shopping mall paradise for technology enthusiasts. It features a number of VR stations across its front, showcasing games from Front Defense and The Walk through to Project Cars. Around the back, a number of closed booths offer other games, including team shooters Dinosaur Commando and HordeZ. Booths can also be rented for blocks of 30 minutes at a time for NT$400 ($13), while an individual session will cost around NT$200 ($7).

It’s fair to say that launching a one-of-a-kind VR arcade wouldn’t have been cheap, but very little of that cash is visible. Viveland’s an experiment that’s been open for less than a year, and yet it already has the well-worn shabbiness of a laser-tag arena. In fact, there are more than a few similarities between a VR arcade and that mainstay of ’90s shopping malls. But perhaps that’s part of the charm, a duller real world will help make the virtual experiences that little bit more vivid.

Chris Velazco / Aol.

As for the games, Front Defense is a WW2 shooter that sees you as a solitary resistance fighter defending a fixed position from an advancing army. The title, which was announced last year, gets you pretty sweaty as you skulk around the sandbags grabbing weapons. But, ultimately, the sandbags and lighting that surrounds the booth is little more than theater for those watching you take part.

On the other hand, the Project Cars setup harnesses a pair of VR racing chairs that very few would afford to own in their homes. Racing around the track, you feel every jerk and shudder of the race, and I was told that, if I started feeling nauseous, to alert the attendants immediately. It’s easy to imagine that VR experiences like this would be an easy sell for virtual petrol-heads looking for a thrill.

But neither of those games were really particularly gee-whiz, even to someone with little experience of VR like myself. That’s because the former could easily have been played at home, and the latter is like every other premium racing sim on the market, albeit with VR. I couldn’t imagine traveling to the other side of the world, or to my local mall, to experience either, but that’s not where Viveland’s strengths reside.

Dino Commando requires four players to stand in formation against an on-rushing army of velociraptors in the ruins of a city. It’s a title that goes up against the limits of VR, and having the dinosaurs clip into you as they attack helps break the player’s suspension of disbelief. But that’s not the point, because what made it fun was playing it together with your friends in a social context. Yes, games like this can be played online, but there’s a reason people still drag their gaming laptops over to their friend’s homes.

Similarly, HordeZ, an on-rails survival shooter in which you combat an army of the dead, is a hundred times better with friends. Our quartet began as an uncoordinated team, but as the game’s intensity increased, we began barking orders at each other to direct our attacks. It’s the same sort of thrill that you may have felt half-sprinting through your local laser-tag arena. But that’s exactly the sort of feeling that Vivelands of the future will need to capture to have any hope of becoming a hit.

Star Trek: Bridge Crew wasn’t available at Viveland, although HTC recently announced that the title would pack in with new Vive headsets. That, similarly, is a collaborative gaming experience that’s far more enjoyable when played together rather than apart. Part of the charm is that interacting with your friends helps bridge the isolating effects that VR sometimes causes. It’s also something I’d expect to see at future Vivelands, since it just needs players to sit down rather than stand.

My experience at Viveland has taught me that a VR arcade’s greatest strength is tapping into that sense of wonder you can only get exploring new worlds with friends. Yes, you can scale virtual mountains or shoot digital dinosaurs on your own, but it’s far less meaningful if you can’t feel the people beside you. Since it would be prohibitively expensive to kit out your own home with this gear, an arcade makes perfect sense.

Viveland also houses a mixed reality studio, which is currently exhibiting a title based on the Taiwanese children’s book All of My World is You by Jimmy Liao. It features the player helping a small girl get over the death of her pet dog by growing a tree pig for her to play with. A pair of small children took turns playing the game during my visit, and the squeals of delight coming from the studio were infectious. Not to mention, of course, that it’s a great advert to those folks who don’t just want to shoot stuff in VR.

Chris Velazco / Aol.

I don’t know if it’s concerning that there were very few VR-specific announcements at this year’s Computex, a sharp turn from last year’s show. Maybe it’s not, however, because solid hardware is already available and it’s now down to developers to just produce more content for it. And with E3 coming up in a few weeks, companies may be holding their big announcements another week before revealing what’s coming. We can only hope.

Viveland itself has proven to be a hit, with the company claiming that it’s almost always full on weekends. According to HTC’s Plutarch Lee, the arcade is also running at “70 percent capacity” during weekdays, so there’s clearly some demand for it. HTC is also working hard to enable others to launch their own arcades with the Viveport licensing program. But for all of this, it’s pretty obvious that if HTC wants to own the future of VR, it’s going to have to start running the hard yards itself. But that might just be what’s needed to engage an indifferent mainstream in the future of social entertainment.

Chris Velazco and Richard Lai contributed to this report.

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

Man gets 180 days in jail for not handing over his iPhone PIN

US courts are still torn about how to handle defendants who refuse to give up passcodes for encrypted smartphones, judging by two recent court cases reported in the Miami Herald. In one, child abuse defendant Christopher Wheeler got six months in jail for failing to provide a correct code, despite pleas to the judge that he couldn’t remember it. In a different court, a judge let off Wesley Victor (accused of extortion), even though he also claimed to have forgotten his iPhone code.

The main difference in the cases is that ten months had passed after Victor’s initial arrest, and as his lawyer argued, “many people, including myself, can’t remember passwords from a year ago.” In the same case Victor’s girlfriend (and reality TV star) Hencha Voigt was ordered to divulge her code to police, but provided one that didn’t work. She’s also facing contempt of court charges, and is scheduled to appear next week. Both defendants are accused of threatening to release sex tapes stolen from social media celeb YesJulz unless she paid $18,000.

The cases underscore the dilemma faced by law enforcement officials in dealing with new-fangled encryption tech. According to the Fifth Amendment, defendants have the right not to say anything that could be used against them, including, you’d think, divulging a passcode. However, the judge in the celebrity case, Charles Johnson, thinks it’s not a Fifth Amendment matter. “For me, this is like turning over a key to a safe-deposit box,” he said.

[An accused] may in some cases be forced to surrender a key to a strongbox containing incriminating documents, but I do not believe he can be compelled to reveal the combination to his wall safe — by word or deed.

He’s referring to a statement made by Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens in a 1998 case dissent that stated police should be able to compel defendants to turn over a safe key, but not a combination. “[An accused] may in some cases be forced to surrender a key to a strongbox containing incriminating documents, but I do not believe he can be compelled to reveal the combination to his wall safe — by word or deed.” In other words, if a defendant makes use of “the contents of his own mind,” as the SCOTUS put it, he should be protected by the Fifth.

In Florida where both of the recent passcode cases took place, the state Court of Appeals ruled that defendants can sometimes be compelled to give up codes, based on the “foregone conclusion” doctrine of the Fifth Amendment. That states that if police are reasonably certain of exactly what they’re going to find (whether we’re talking about papers in a safe or messages on a smartphone), then a defendant can be compelled to testify in spite of the Fifth.

However, experts have argued that smartphones should largely be exempt from that doctrine. Police often have no idea what they’ll find on a device, so passcode demands are tantamount to “fishing expeditions,” wrote Orin Kerr in the Washington Post. Confusing matters, courts have ruled that police can force subjects to use fingerprints to unlock phones, since that doesn’t require the contents of their minds.

Judge Johnson cited the Court of Appeals judgement in the case of Voigt, saying “that’s the law in Florida at this point.” There’s no word on an appeal by Wheeler, but at this point, it seems the final word on passcodes and encryption must eventually come from the US Supreme Court.

Source: Miami Herald

Giphy and Vimeo trade video thumbnails for GIFs

Ever gone to watch a video online and thought to yourself, “Man, this thumbnail could be a bit more animated?” If so, you’re probably going to freak out a bit and think Giphy and Vimeo have been reading your mind. That’s because starting today, Vimeo thumbnails will be brief, looping clips rather than static images. Or, as the press release puts it, “Now, you can watch what you’re going to watch before you watch it.” And given Vimeo’s focus on the creator, these GIFs are directly tied to the origin video and feature attribution for the author.

What’s more, any existing GIF that sources Vimeo will include the new video playback feature. Given how many GIFs there are online, and how high-quality the ones pulled from Vimeo’s silky-smooth clips tend to be, everyone involved stands to benefit here almost automatically. Meaning, if you want to see wherever your favorite GIF came from (with audio!) it shouldn’t be all that hard from here on out.

Giphy has been working to expand its presence on the web and become the de facto source for GIFs for the past few years. Whether it’s offering easy tools to make them yourself, or, in this case, putting them in unexpected places that makes a lot of sense, the company’s mission to be the Netflix is GIFs is moving along pretty swimmingly.

via GIPHY

Customize your Misfit wearable to fit your sense of style

The fashion and wearable industries clash like plaid and stripes, because tech companies are not that savvy on style and vice-versa. Misfit has some of the better-designed trackers and smartwatches out there, but it’s making a bigger grab for the fashion crowd with a new service called Make Your Misfit. If you order the Phase, Ray, Shine 2 or upcoming Android Wear Vapor smartwatch, you can mix and match from a wide variety of device and strap colors, then quickly see how that looks.

Smartwatch and tracker color options include gray, rose, silver, midnight and champagne, depending on the device. You can pick from sport (silicon), nylon or leather bands in around 18 colors. All told, there are around 600 unique combinations, the company says, withh up to 1,000 available by year’s end.

The site is now up, but it might be a bit buggy judging by my brief attempt to use it. However, it seems well-thought-out, making it simple to pick something that matches your summer wardrobe or Lululemon tights. For instance, I was able to quickly pick out a Misfit Phase in midnight black aluminum (above), add a black leather band, and see how it looks (nice) with the final price — $150 for the device and $20 for the band, for a total of $170.

It’s not a surprise that the service strikes the right balance between fashion and tech, considering that watch giant Fossil owns Misfit. Fossil makes many of the watches for fashion brands like Michael Kors, so it’s one of the few players with a very wide choice of affordable devices you won’t be ashamed to wear in public.