Google Wifi review

Research Center:
Google Wifi

When it comes to covering a home in reliable and fast Wi-Fi, the router industry has seemingly divided itself into two camps. There’s the super-powerful-and-tons-of-antennas camp, which uses a single device and a lot of brute force to get the job done (like this Linksys EA9500), and there’s the divide-and-conquer camp, which favors mesh networking to distribute the job amongst two or more less expensive units, placed around a home (like the Eero, Almond, Velop, and Luma). For consumers who crave connectivity but cringe at the idea of complicated configurations, the mesh approach has been winning hearts and minds.

So it’s no surprise that Google, which until recently only offered a stand-alone Wi-Fi solution — the OnHub — has now joined the mesh networking party with its plainly labeled Google Wifi, a Wi-Fi router that sells for $129 USD ($179 CDN) for a single unit, or $299 USD ($439 CDN) for a three-unit combo pack. At this price, it can claim value equality with most of the other mesh products. But how does it fare when it comes to the real test — fast, reliable wireless networking?

Oh so easy

Let’s not mince words; Google Wifi is by far the easiest Wi-Fi router to set up. Once we downloaded the free Google Wifi app for iOS and Android (previously known as OnHub), and signed in using our Google account, it took less than a minute to get the first access point (or simply “point” as Google calls individual Wifi units) connected and configured.

Simon Cohen/Digital Trends

You start by plugging the Google Wifi into your cable/DSL/fiber modem with the included Ethernet cable, then into a power source via the included USB-C power adapter, and follow the app’s on-screen prompts. It finds the point automatically. There are no buttons to press, because it doesn’t have any. Then, it asks you to confirm by using your phone’s camera to scan the QR code on the bottom of the point.

The app then prompts to choose a label for the point, like “office,” or “living room,” and asks for a network name and password. Within a few moments of completing this step, it’s ready. There are, of course, some optional settings you can tweak at this point, but they’re not necessary.

Other routers, including the Linksys Velop, use a similar process, but Google has it down to a science. Every consumer electronics product should be this easy to use.

Yes, you need an account

If the idea of connecting your Wi-Fi router to Google via an account makes your skin crawl, this is not the Wi-Fi product for you. A Google account is not only required, it’s central to many of the app’s features, like notifications and remote access.

Google Wifi is by far the easiest Wi-Fi router to set up.

Lots of other router companies give you the option to create an account with them for additional features (like remote access), but with Google Wifi, it’s mandatory.

There’s at least a certain amount of control, as the app lets you turn off data sharing in three mains areas; cloud services, Wi-Fi point usage, and Wi-Fi app usage. Of these, only Cloud services has direct benefits to consumers, because it lets Google intelligently alter the way Google Wifi deals with your specific wireless environment. Google could have chosen to embed this ability into the points themselves, but Google being Google, well — that’s just not how they do things.

Beautiful, but simple

The Google Wifi’s hardware looks great. With its tiny form factor (a little bigger than two stacked Amazon Echo dots), smooth, all-white body, and its single illuminated LED ribbon, a Google Wifi point is sure to please even the most gadget-averse home decor maven. While not quite a perfect design match for its Nest line of home monitoring and automation products, Google Wifi is nonetheless elegant and understated — exactly what you want in a product that is meant to be out in the open, and thus highly visible.

Simon Cohen/Digital Trends

The thin, Cylon-esque LED ribbon is itself a beautifully designed element. It can communicate errors with colors — from red (something’s wrong) to a gentle teal glow (everything’s fine) — or nothing at all, if disabled entirely from within the app. If you’re used to the bank of flashing lights that traditional routers proudly display, you may miss some of the info they convey, but we suspect you’ll quickly adapt to this new light show.

Google’s commitment to simplicity carries the same price as it does in other intuitive routers – namely, an absence of wired connectivity options. Once connected to your modem, there’s only a single available Ethernet jack for your wired devices, and no USB ports at all. While it’s true that each additional point opens another pair of Ethernet ports, that’s only helpful to devices at new locations that require Ethernet. Stationed next to a home theatre system, it could be helpful — but in a living room, kitchen, or bedroom, we doubt the ports will ever get used.

Google Wifi Compared To

TP-Link Deco M5

Linksys Max-Stream AC2200 MU-MIMO…

Netgear Orbi

Synology RT2600AC

Linksys Velop

Linksys WRT3200ACM

Starry Station

D-Link DIR-869 EXO AC1750

Portal Wi-Fi router

Ubiquiti Amplifi HD

HooToo TripMate Titan

Linksys EA9500 Max-Stream AC5400

Zyxel NBG6815 AC2200

Netgear Nighthawk X4S

Google & TP-Link OnHub

There’s something to be said for the fact that most of us live in a 100 percent wireless world, but we wish this new breed of mesh routers wouldn’t make us choose between wired and wireless connections. So far, only Netgear’s Orbi offers the best of both worlds.

There’s only an app for that

Google Wifi’s simplicity extends to its control options. There’s no web interface. Pointing your browser to its IP address will produce a polite yet firm advisory that you need to use the Google Wifi mobile app if you want to make changes.

For the most part, this isn’t a bad thing. The Google Wifi app (Android | iOS) is a pleasure to use. With a home screen that features Google’s familiar Assistant card-based messages for the router’s various functions, there’s a strong argument to be made that Google Wifi is the friendliest router on the planet.  The deeper configuration options are equally friendly, with the whole app giving off an Android vibe.

We love that the app not only shows you how many devices are connected to your network — with actual human readable names like “Kitchen” instead of the generic “Sonos” followed by a MAC address — but also a real-time readout of the wireless bandwidth being consumed by each one. You can choose to give any of these devices priority over the others for a one, two, or four-hour window, which could come in handy when streaming 4k content to a Roku, for instance.

There’s also a handy Family feature which can create groups of connected devices, then establish manual or scheduled internet access for each group, which we think is better than trying to do so on a device by device basis. We’re also big fans of the ability to restart the entire network from within the app, an action that required physically switching off or unplugging routers with Linksys’s Velop.

The Google Wifi app is a pleasure to use.

There’s even a security upside to having app-only access to the router, according to Google. It claims that since Google Wifi will only respond to requests made from the Google Wifi app, on the same network, using an approved admin Google account, it reduces the number of attack vectors that hackers could use to compromise the router.

The downside of this arrangement is that some advanced options found on other routers are missing. You can reserve an IP address for a device, yet you can’t adjust the actual range of local IP addresses — Google Wifi sets this at 192.168.86.X, and that can’t be changed. Likewise, you can let the router decide which DNS server to use (it uses Google’s own DNS by default), or set your own, so there’s no way to use a VPN service.

You can set up a guest network with its own password and, impressively, you can select any of your attached network devices to be accessible by guest users, which is ideal for parties when you want guests to be able to stream to a Chromecast or tweak a Sonos playlist, yet don’t want them snooping through the contents of your PC. On the other hand, there’s no way to separate the Wifi’s 2.4GHz and 5GHz radios into different networks. Both get the same SSID (network name), which favors network reliability over customization.

We get the point

Adding extra points to a Google Wifi network is as easy as setting up an initial device. The app walks through a nearly identical process, including the identification and QR code scan, but adds a step that checks to see if the new point close enough to an existing point. It turns out that Google Wifi points want to be close together — the app says they should be no further than 30 feet apart. This meant that our first attempt, using a location that had worked just fine with every other mesh product we’ve tested (see Location “D” below), wasn’t close enough. Moving six feet closer did the trick, and the new point was added without additional fuss.

Simon Cohen/Digital Trends

This short distance requirement could create challenges for some users. Even with a three pack, the theoretical maximum distance between the first point and the third is 60 feet. That may not be enough for larger homes. Intriguingly, the Google Wifi app makes it just as easy to remove points as it does to add them, something we’ve never encountered with a mesh setup.

How’s that speed?

The raw data suggests that even a single Google Wifi point is enough to cover a small home. There were no dead spots in our three-story test home with 2,400 square feet of space. Although the faster, 5GHz network didn’t extend all the way into the basement, the 2.4GHz network did, and transitions between the two bands happened quickly and seamlessly.

But there’s more to this story, and trying out a few different usage scenarios quickly showed us why the app wants to place points relatively close to one another.

We saw no problems when using a smartphone to browse the web from various locations. Page loads sometimes took a while at the edges of the Wifi’s range, but nothing truly objectionable. However, other devices — like a fourth generation Apple TV, and Playstation 4 — had trouble maintaining a reliable connection to our primary point located two floors away. We were a little surprised that even the router’s 2.4GHz radio, which is typically offers good range, couldn’t reach these devices reliably. Competing Almond 3, Velop, and Portal routers could manage it.

We were anticipating better performance, because Google Wifi uses the latest version of the 802.11ac standard. And yet, Google makes it clear that a single point is only sufficient for about 1,500 square feet, so perhaps we were asking too much.

The DetailsAdding an additional point fixed the connections to the Apple TV and PS4, but we still encountered times when the Apple TV would drop its connection, and need to be rebooted to jump back on.

We tested the Google Wifi using the same app (FRITZ!App WLAN) on two different Android devices: An Alcatel Idol 4 (with AC wave 1) and a Google Pixel XL (with AC wave 2). Here’s what we found when we ran a single Google Wifi compared to two recently reviewed routers, the Securifi Almond 3, and the Linksys Velop, letting each router decide what band our test devices should use:

Alcatel Idol 4: Mixed Band Throughput Test in Mbit/s

Location
Google Wifi
(Location C)
Almond 3
(Location C)
Linksys Velop
(Location C)
A
72 (2.4GHz)
57 (2.4Ghz)
65 (2.4Ghz)
B
72 (2.4GHz)
72 (2.4Ghz)
72 (2.4Ghz)
C
433 (5GHz)
72 (2.4Ghz)
433 (5GHz)
D
72 (2.4GHz)
72 (2.4Ghz)
65 (2.4Ghz)
E
72 (2.4GHz)
72 (2.4Ghz)
72 (2.4Ghz)
F
72 (2.4Ghz)
57 (2.4Ghz)
72 (2.4Ghz)

Source: FRITZ!App WLAN on Alcatel Idol 4

Google Pixel XL: Mixed Band Throughput Test in Mbit/s

Location
Google Wifi
(Location C)
Almond 3
(Location C)
Linksys Velop
(Location C)
A
390 (5GHz)
390 (5GHz)
520 (5GHz)
B
780 (5GHz)
585 (5GHz)
866 (5GHz)
C
866 (5GHz)
866 (5GHz)
866 (5GHz)
D
260 (5GHz)
520 (5GHz)
520 (5GHz)
E
866 (5GHz)
866 (5GHz)
866 (5GHz)
F
115 (2.4GHz)
115 (2.4GHz)
190 (5GHz)

Source: FRITZ!App WLAN on Google Pixel XL

The data above supports what we saw in real-world testing. While in most situations the Google Wifi router performed well, it had trouble reaching location D. It also came behind the Velop in locations B and F. This indicates that while it’s capable of very high speeds, it does have troubles with range that aren’t shared by its competitors.

Warranty information

Google Wifi comes with a one-year warranty from the manufacturer. That’s standard for routers.

Our Take

Google Wifi is an easy, simple, and affordable way to update your wireless home network. Its app-based setup and management is a breeze, and we think most buyers will be happy with the way it looks — an important consideration for mesh routers that will end up in conspicuous places around your home. Its Wi-Fi radios aren’t especially powerfulm, however, which means you may need more units to cover the same area as compared to other Wi-Fi routers.

Is there a better alternative?

What the Google Wifi does, it does very well, and does it at a price that is hard to beat. But there’s several areas where it simply chooses not to compete, and if these areas matter to you, you may want to look at other mesh products.

There’s no integration with Amazon’s Alexa (for obvious reasons), and no way to connect it with a service like IFTTT. Securifi’s $159 Almond 3 offers both features, and throws in an extra Ethernet port, a USB port, and compatibility with a slew of Z-wave home sensors.

Likewise, those who demand top-notch wireless throughput may be willing to pay more for the $199 Linksys Velop, with its tri-band radios and dedicated backhaul. It’s also worth pointing out that you don’t need to create accounts with these companies to use their products.

How long will it last?

In the wild world of Wi-Fi, with its seemingly ever-changing standards and speeds, it can be hard to tell just how long any Wi-Fi router will remain relevant, or even supported. However, Google has good track record of supporting its products, and we’d say that Google Wifi’s simple form factor, combined with its app-driven control system, suggests a longer than average life for products in this category.

Should you buy it?

Yes, if you want a simple and elegant design that is beat only by its user-centric app. At $129 for a single or $299 for a three-pack of points, it’s a good value compared to the alternatives. Keep in mind, however, that it has just one Ethernet port, and it may have trouble reaching the extremities of large homes.

HTC U11 vs Google Pixel XL: Which should you buy?

Google still demands top dollar for its aging Pixel XL. So should you consider the latest phone from Pixel-maker HTC instead?

They’re both made by HTC, pack similar display sizes, high performance and phenomenal cameras. But there’s a big price difference between the Google Pixel XL ($769), and HTC U11 ($649) — and you’ll also be getting a significantly different software experience. So which should you buy? Let’s take a look at some of the major points of divergence between two of the top Android phones of the moment.

Where to buy the HTC U11

Where to buy the Google Pixel XL

First off, the specs. And in this area, you’re mostly looking at a generational gap between the U11 and the Pixel XL. As great as the Pixel is, this is late-2016 smartphone hardware going up against a 2017 flagship.

Operating System	Android 7.1.2	Android 7.1.1
Display	5.5-inch Quad HD AMOLEDGorilla Glass 4	5.5-inch Quad HD SuperLCD5Gorilla Glass 5
Processor	Qualcomm Snapdragon 821	Qualcomm Snapdragon 835
RAM	4GB	4/6GB
Storage	32/128GB	64/128GB + microSD
Main Camera	12MP f/2.0 with HDR+, laser AF	12MP f/1.7 with OIS, HDR Boost
Front Camera	8MP f/2.4	16MP f/2.0, UltraPixel Mode
Battery	3,450mAh	3,000mAh
Fast Charging	USB-PD	Quick Charge 3.0
Water Resistance	IPX3 Splash Proof	IP67 Water Resistant
Edge Sense	No	Yes
Headphone Jack	Yes	No
Daydream VR support	Yes	No

Aside from faster benchmark scores and (potentially) quicker high-end gaming performance, the Snapdragon 835 powering the U11 also leads on efficiency. And that allows the phone to sip power from its fixed 3,000mAh cell at a rate which gives the U11 similar battery life to the Pixel XL, despite its larger capacity.

I’ve noticed virtually no difference in longevity between the Pixel XL and U11 in day-to-day use — both are “all day” phones, though you’d probably struggle to get a second day out of either. Quick charging — provided through Qualcomm QuickCharge 3.0 in the U11, and USB-PD on the Pixel — allows for fast refills on both phones, with the U11 having a slight lead on charging speeds.

Specs are all well and good — what about the way these things look and feel? Well, both phones share a handful of common design traits, like the style of speaker cutouts, the rounded corners of the display and the style of the metal trim. But overall these are two very different designs. The Pixel XL is understated, particularly in the silver and black color options, while the HTC U11 is all about color. There are five bold hues available, including the eye-catching “solar red” and “amazing silver” options, which change color as they tilt through light.

The glass back of the U11 makes it a little slipperier, and a good deal more fingerprint-prone, while the upper glass segment of the Pixel is a magnet for hairline scratches. So Google’s phone wins on ease of use — it’s easier to grip onto the angled side walls of the Pixel XL — while HTC’s is prettier. Mostly, though, it’s a matter of personal preference.

LCD or AMOLED? Fingerprint on the back or front?

The same goes for the fingerprint scanner — both phones have excellent one-touch sensors, but the U11 keeps its fingerprint sensor on the front, flanked by capacitive keys for back and task-switching. On the Pixel, it’s located around the back, and can be used in conjunction with a handy swipe gesture to bring down the notification shade. Again, neither is objectively better, it’s just down to which you prefer.

The 5.5-inch displays, too, are equally matched, but differ in the technology they use — AMOLED on the Pixel, SuperLCD 5 (read: a pretty good IPS LCD) on the U11. I would give the U11 a slight advantage in daylight use, but it’s a razor-thin edge, and you could just as easily call it for the Pixel if you prefer the more saturated colors of AMOLED.

Of course, one thing the Pixel’s AMOLED panel gets you is Daydream VR support. Currently no LCD-based phones can use Google’s VR platform, and HTC says it has no plans to support Daydream on the U11.

While both phones feature hefty top, bottom and side bezels, the U11 offers more on-screen real estate thanks to its off-screen buttons. That’s a plus for a handset with a relatively large footprint by the standards of 5.5-inch phones.

If you can put up with not having a headphone jack, you’ll find a great audio experience in the U11.

Audio, too, is won out by the U11, with one major asterisk. There’s no headphone jack built into the phone, so you’ll need to rely on HTC’s 3.5mm-to-USB-C dongle included in the box, or use the company’s (admittedly great) USonic noise-cancelling USB-C earbuds.

On the Pixel, you’ll get that all-important headphone jack, but the sound quality from the built-in speaker doesn’t come close to matching HTC’s BoomSound Hi-Fi. Although the U11 features just a single bottom-firing speaker, alongside the earpiece up top, it’s able to produce rich bass and enough volume to compete with even the noisiest of backgrounds.

That’s not the only hardware advantage HTC has to offer in the U11. It’s also water resistant, rated IP67 (as opposed to the “splash resistant” rating of the Pixel), so you needn’t worry about dunking it in the sink or using it out in the rain. And there’s also Edge Sense — HTC’s squeezy shortcut feature, which can let you quick-launch the camera, jump into Google Assistant, or do any number of other (configurable) things by squeezing the phone in your hand. I was skeptical at first, but after a few days with the U11, I’m starting to appreciate the simplicity of the squeeze gesture compared to a double-tap.

Google has an inbuilt advantage when it comes to software, but it’s not as cut-and-dry as you may think.

Google’s phones have always had an inbuilt advantage when it comes to software. Nexus and Pixel phones get new versions of Android first, and if that’s something you care about, software alone might be reason enough to cough up the extra money for a Pixel XL. But HTC’s software pedigree shouldn’t be dismissed, even if Sense has been dailed back to a (mostly) stock Android experience, augmented by one or two extra apps and tricks. HTC’s lightweight UI isn’t a million miles removed from the Pixel software experience, and more importantly, it’s every bit as fast.

On the other hand, don’t count on the U11 getting Android O anywhere near as quickly as the Pixel. Google’s phones are expected to get version 8.0 of the OS in August; for its HTC-branded cousin, you’re looking, conservatively, at a holiday 2017 timeframe.

Nevertheless, the U11 is wicked fast on Android 7.1.1. And that speed extends to the U11’s camera, whether you’re launching it from the Edge Sense squeeze shortcut, a double-tap of the power button, or an app shortcut on the home screen. Image quality, too, has come to rival pics produced by Google’s legendary HDR+ mode. In fact, HTC has its own take on that technology in the U11, dubbed HDR Boost.

Two excellent smartphone cameras — the main difference here is how you’ll store your photos.

I still think Google’s post-processing is able to draw out more color detail from low-light images — while also doing a better job retaining highlight and shadow detail in extremely high contrast scenes. But there’s no denying the U11 produces sharper and generally more accurate photos, as opposed to the more overtly colorful, less true-to-life Pixel pics. And HTC also benefits from a more fully-featured stock camera app, which includes a manual mode and RAW photo capture support.

HTC also leads in the selfie arena, with the U11’s 16-megapixel front-facer producing high-res pics in daylight, backed up by a lower-res UltraPixel mode for use in darker settings.

Really, though, I’m picking nits here. What’ll probably have a more significant impact on your photographic experience is the storage provided in these phones. The U11 comes with 64GB as standard — there’s a 128GB model offered in parts of Asia, which also boasts 6GB of RAM — where as the Pixel comes with a mere 32GB, and good luck tracking down the more expensive, lesser-spotted 128GB variant. What’s more, the U11 provides a microSD slot, letting you offload all your photos from precious internal storage. On a 32GB Pixel, storage anxiety will very quickly set in, despite the free full-res photo and video backup offered through Google Photos.

A clear win for the HTC U11 — with a few caveats.

So let’s wrap things up: By just about every measure, the HTC U11 is the better phone of the two. It’s faster, with a more attractive, eye-catching design, boasts more internal storage plus microSD expansion and costs less. And in other key areas like display quality, camera and battery life, the U11 goes toe-to-toe with Google’s phone.

Unless you really want the Google Pixel UI and Daydream VR, or want to be among the first to update to Android O, you’re better off with the HTC U11.

HTC U11

• HTC U11 review
• HTC U11 specs
• Manufacturing the U11: Behind the scenes
• Join our U11 forums
• HTC U11 vs Galaxy S8
• HTC U11 vs LG G6

Amazon
Sprint
HTC

Google Pixel + Pixel XL

• Google Pixel and Pixel XL review
• Google Pixel XL review: A U.S. perspective
• Google Pixel FAQ: Should you upgrade?
• Pixel + Pixel XL specs
• Understanding Android 7.1 Nougat
• Join the discussion in the forums!

Google Store
Verizon

Get a lifetime subscription to VPN Unlimited for just $50!

Using the internet is becoming increasingly risky, and many people aren’t taking the precautions necessary to protect their data and ultimately themselves. Using a VPN to protect yourself is more important than ever, but free services are often unreliable, slow, and unsafe. What you need is an affordable VPN service with a proven track record to keep your data private while you browse the internet. You have several devices, so you need it to work on multiple platforms, and you need servers close to you so you don’t suffer from slow speeds.

Don’t miss your last chance at this price! Learn More

Right now, Android Central Digital Offers has a sale on a lifetime subscription to the award-winning VPN Unlimited. A one-time payment of $50 lets you run the VPN on five of your favorite devices and it will never run out. If you’re unsure if this is the VPN for you, try the 3-year subscription for only $19 and give it a good test.

VPN Unlimited has servers in over 50 countries to ensure internet speeds are fast and reliable. You can use your subscription on up to five devices at once and can delete unused devices and add new ones. The VPN Unlimited app is available in multiple languages and is compatible with iOS, Android, MacOS, Windows, and Windows Mobile. Normally a lifetime subscription to VPN Unlimited would cost around $500, but with this deal from Android Central Digital Offers, you can save up to 90%!

Get it before the price increases! Learn More

Connecting to the internet with a VPN means your data is encrypted — unlike many other VPN services, there is no limit on data usage, and you won’t experience any throttling. The internet isn’t getting any safer, so why wait? This lifetime subscription deal for only $50 won’t be available forever.

Samsung’s Galaxy S8, S8+ BOGO deal is infinitely better than T-Mobile’s

Our friends at Thrifter are back again, this time with a Galaxy S8 deal you can’t afford to miss!

Update: Samsung has brought this insanely-popular deal back again. If you missed out last time, don’t miss out this time!

We’ve seen it many times before, and it will continue to happen. New phones release and cellular carriers offer these ridiculous “Buy one get one free” promotions to entice people to purchase them, but most of the time the offers are quite terrible and require you to change plans, get small credits each month for 24 months and more. Samsung is currently running its own offer, which is actually a really great deal.

Here’s how it works:

Purchase 2 new Galaxy S8 / Galaxy S8+ phones from Samsung.com
Activate one of the new devices on Samsung.com within 14 days
Get a rebate for the less expensive of your 2 phones (minus taxes/fees) on your original payment method, up to 8 weeks after activation

Pretty simple, huh? No long waits for a mail-in rebate, no hoops to jump through. The offer is a bit confusing with the “activate a line on the T-Mobile network”, but according to Samsung all you have to do is activate the included SIM card on any line through its site. Once your order ships and is delivered, you’ll be able to click an activate button on the order status page, and then once it is done, you are set. The rebate is issued directly to the original payment method..

You can opt to pay for the devices in full, or sign up for a payment plan, and both phones will qualify for the free entertainment kit from Samsung. The kit, which has 6-months of Netflix and a 64GB microSD card will be automatically added to your cart with the phones. You can mix and match with one S8 and one S8+ or grab two of the same, and you can choose between Midnight Black, Arctic Silver, and Orchid Gray for each.

If you’re in need of two new phones on your T-Mobile plan and have been looking at the Galaxy S8, you won’t want to miss out on this deal. Once you’ve got your new phone on the way, be sure to stock up on some USB-C cables and cases for it!

See at Samsung

For more great deals be sure to check out our friends at Thrifter now!

The FTC plans to block the DraftKings and FanDuel merger

Last November, fantasy sports sites DraftKings and FanDuel announced they would be merging — a deal that was expected to finalize later this year. However, according to an Federal Trade Commission press release, the FTC will try to block the merger.

The FTC’s reported concern is that once merged, the new firm would control over 90 percent of the fantasy sports market. “This merger would deprive customers of the substantial benefits of direct competition between DraftKings and FanDuel,” said Acting Director of the FTC’s Bureau of Competition Tad Lipsky in a statement.

Both companies have struggled against state and federal regulations over the years, butting heads with states like Texas, Washington and New York. Last year, both companies were hit with a $12 million settlement with New York in regards to alleged false advertising.

In a joint statement, DraftKings and FanDuel said, “We are disappointed by this decision and continue to believe that a merger is in the best interests of our players, our companies, our employees and the fantasy sports industry. We are considering all our options at this time.” The final decision will be made in a trial set to begin in November.

Via: Recode

Source: FTC

‘Star Trek Discovery’ explores new frontiers on September 24th

After four months of production following a worrisome delay, CBS is finally comfortable enough with its long-awaited new Star Trek series to set a release date: September 24th, 2017. That’s right on schedule.

The new series will star Michelle Yeoh as Captain Philippa Georgiou with The Walking Dead’s Sonequa Martin-Green as her First Officer, Michael Burnham. The 15-episode season will launch Sunday the 24th at 8:30PM ET on CBS and run through November 5th. The second half of the season (episodes 8-15) is slated to start next January.

The show is an exclusive to CBS All Access, the company’s streaming subscription service, although the first episode will also air on CBS proper. This means that the CBS All Access app will be the exclusive place for Star Trek fans to check out this latest chapter. It’s an intentionally limiting move that seems to be made to boost interest in the CBS All Access service, but we’re hoping it comes to regular TV eventually so more viewers can tune in.

Apple Seeds Fourth Beta of macOS Sierra 10.12.6 to Developers

Apple today seeded the fourth beta of an upcoming macOS Sierra 10.12.6 update to developers, a little less than week after seeding the third beta and more than a month after releasing macOS Sierra 10.12.5, a minor bug fix update.

The fourth beta of macOS Sierra 10.12.6 can be downloaded through the Apple Developer Center or through the Software Update mechanism in the Mac App Store.

We didn’t find any significant features or notable bug fixes in the first three macOS Sierra betas, and because Apple does not provide beta release notes, it’s likely we won’t know what’s included in the update until it sees a public release.

macOS Sierra 10.12.6 is likely to be one of the final updates to the Sierra operating system as Apple transitions to macOS High Sierra, which was introduced at the Worldwide Developers Conference in June.

Related Roundup: macOS Sierra
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Outlook for Mac 2016 Gaining Delivery Notifications, Send Later Option, and More

Microsoft today announced that it’s implementing several new features in Outlook for Mac, all of which have been highly requested by its Office 365 subscribers. Timed emails, delivery notifications, email templates, and more are being added to the Mac software.

With a new Send Later feature, Outlook for Mac users can draft an email and then schedule it to send at another time using the new drop-down Send Later button located next to the send button. The email is saved to Drafts and then sent automatically at the specified time.

Alongside Send Later, there are now options to be notified when an email has been delivered and read by a recipient. Delivery receipts confirm that an email has been sent to the recipient’s inbox, while a read receipt confirms that a message has been opened. Outlook for Mac users can also choose to decline to send read receipts.

To make it quicker to send the same type of emails, messages can now be saved as templates, and emails can also be dragged and dropped to the calendar to make automatic calendar appointments. Microsoft is also improving the account setup experience through automatic detection of email account type (Exchange, IMAP, or POP) and automatic email account importing when you’ve previously signed into another Office app.

The new account setup experience is available for all Mac users who are running Outlook version 15.34, while the delivery and read receipts, email templates, and calendar changes are available for all Office 365 subscribers running Outlook version 15.35. Office 365 users who are also Office Insider Fast users on version 15.36 have access to Send Later, a feature that will be available to all Office 365 subscribers starting in July.

Tags: Microsoft, Microsoft Outlook, Office 2016 for Mac, Office 365
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