Google Glass receives its first firmware update in three years
Why it matters to you
Google Glass, Google’s AR-powered headset, can now pair to Bluetooth devices like keyboards and mice.
Google Glass, Google’s first attempt at augmented reality, did not generate the goodwill the search giant hoped it would. Shortly after the debut of the $1,500 glasses in 2013, it attracted criticism from privacy advocates, who expressed concern that its built-in camera would record footage without subjects’ knowledge. Citing lack of developer interest and lukewarm sales, Google killed the Glass website and social media accounts and put a hold on sales. But the project is not dead yet.
On Wednesday, Google Glass received its first software update in three years. Version XE23 of the hardware’s firmware fixes bugs and improves performance, according to the changelog. But it also adds support for Bluetooth input devices — now, Google Glass can pair with keyboards, mice, controllers, and more.
In addition to the new firmware, Google Glass’s companion smartphone app, MyGlass, has been updated to target version 5.1 of Android’s operating system. It supports Android’s Notification Listener Service, a software plugin which syncs notifications directly to Glass from a paired phone, and optionally disables Android’s battery-saving Doze mode so the app works in the background when the phone sleeps.
The update is likely intended Google Glass for Work, Google’s enterprise-focused Glass platform aimed at factories, hospitals, and other industrial environments. The latest version of Google Glass, the Enterprise Edition, is a lot more rugged than the original, and reportedly packs a larger display, Intel’s low-power Atom processor, external battery packs, and a hinge mechanism that allows it to fold like a normal pair of glasses.
Or it could point to a new Glass. After Glass’s shutdown in 2015, Google “graduated” the program to its Nest hardware division. The secretive Glass reboot, made up of a team of engineers, software developers, and project managers from Amazon’s Lab126 skunkworks, was described by The New York Times as a “redesign […] from scratch.” But it never materialized.
Since then, the competition’s swooped in. Microsoft’s HoloLens headset, a self-contained heads-up display with Windows-powered AR tech, maps digital objects to physical spaces. And Sony’s SmartEyeglasses beam notifications from an Android device to an eye-level lens.
Others may jump on the bandwagon, rumor has it. Apple is reportedly developing AR glasses with motion sensors, DC motors that produce sound via bone conduction, and a touch-sensitive strip on the arm that navigates around its software. Messaging app Snapchat, meanwhile, is said to be prototyping AR hardware of its own.
Google Glass receives its first firmware update in three years
Why it matters to you
Google Glass, Google’s AR-powered headset, can now pair to Bluetooth devices like keyboards and mice.
Google Glass, Google’s first attempt at augmented reality, did not generate the goodwill the search giant hoped it would. Shortly after the debut of the $1,500 glasses in 2013, it attracted criticism from privacy advocates, who expressed concern that its built-in camera would record footage without subjects’ knowledge. Citing lack of developer interest and lukewarm sales, Google killed the Glass website and social media accounts and put a hold on sales. But the project is not dead yet.
On Wednesday, Google Glass received its first software update in three years. Version XE23 of the hardware’s firmware fixes bugs and improves performance, according to the changelog. But it also adds support for Bluetooth input devices — now, Google Glass can pair with keyboards, mice, controllers, and more.
In addition to the new firmware, Google Glass’s companion smartphone app, MyGlass, has been updated to target version 5.1 of Android’s operating system. It supports Android’s Notification Listener Service, a software plugin which syncs notifications directly to Glass from a paired phone, and optionally disables Android’s battery-saving Doze mode so the app works in the background when the phone sleeps.
The update is likely intended Google Glass for Work, Google’s enterprise-focused Glass platform aimed at factories, hospitals, and other industrial environments. The latest version of Google Glass, the Enterprise Edition, is a lot more rugged than the original, and reportedly packs a larger display, Intel’s low-power Atom processor, external battery packs, and a hinge mechanism that allows it to fold like a normal pair of glasses.
Or it could point to a new Glass. After Glass’s shutdown in 2015, Google “graduated” the program to its Nest hardware division. The secretive Glass reboot, made up of a team of engineers, software developers, and project managers from Amazon’s Lab126 skunkworks, was described by The New York Times as a “redesign […] from scratch.” But it never materialized.
Since then, the competition’s swooped in. Microsoft’s HoloLens headset, a self-contained heads-up display with Windows-powered AR tech, maps digital objects to physical spaces. And Sony’s SmartEyeglasses beam notifications from an Android device to an eye-level lens.
Others may jump on the bandwagon, rumor has it. Apple is reportedly developing AR glasses with motion sensors, DC motors that produce sound via bone conduction, and a touch-sensitive strip on the arm that navigates around its software. Messaging app Snapchat, meanwhile, is said to be prototyping AR hardware of its own.
Sphero’s new spinoff company may aim to put a butler droid in every home
Why it matters to you
Misty Robotics could be the company that finally brings us the robot butler we’ve been dreaming of.
You probably know Sphero best as the company that turned Star Wars’ lovable BB-8 droid into an awesome connected toy, capable of investigating your surroundings, as well as recording and screening holographic messages. It later followed this cute Star Wars bot up with connected toys based on the Cars and Spider-Man franchises, as well as the excellent Force Band.
Well, it seems that smart robots are too big a sideline for the Boulder, Colorado-based Sphero to support on its own. The company has announced plans to spin off its advanced robotics division as a new startup called Misty Robotics. To that end, it’s secured a whopping $11.5 million in financing from Venrock and Foundry Group to hire new talent and develop additional products.
“Sphero, a company well-known for its toy robots, has been working on a personal robot for home and office in stealth mode for the past 18 months,” Tim Enwall, CEO of Misty Robotics, told Digital Trends. “It was time to create a stand-alone company that can be 100 percent focused on developing the product and bringing it to market. The two companies will have a close relationship, but it was time to separate.”
Sphero and Misty aren’t sharing more information than that right now. In its correspondence with Digital Trends, Enwall interestingly used singular rather than plural vernacular to describe plans. Unless we’re reading way too much into it, that suggests the company wants to go beyond creating a range of licensed robots and focus on building one, more fully realized home robot. At least, we hope so.
We’ll even go further out on a limb and suggest it’s the little guy from the picture at the top of this post.
Enwall said we can expect the company’s big debut product to launch in 2018. “Misty will have more news about the platform later this year, so stay tuned,” he said.
Given that, so far, the closest thing we’ve gotten to a genuine mass-market home robot is iRobot’s Roomba autonomous vacuum cleaner (and that doesn’t look anywhere near as humanoid as the robot that Misty is teasing), it will be intriguing to see how well it can crack this market.
Sony’s kid-focused robotics kit blurs the line between toy and teacher
Why it matters to you
If you’re looking for a fun toy that’ll teach kids to program, few are more holistic than Sony’s Koov.
Apple’s Swift Playgrounds. Lego Mindstorms. Osmo. STEM toys — that is, toys designed to teach kids basic science, technology, engineering, and math concepts — are all the rage right now. Thanks in part to new toy lines from Walmart, Toys “R” US, and Amazon’s curitorial STEM Club subscription service, the STEM toy market is projected to make up two to three percent of the $20 billion U.S. toy market.
There’s good reason for the demand: STEM toys have demonstrable cognitive benefits. A survey in the Netherlands found that 6th grade students who spent more free time in construction play performed better on a test of mathematics word problems than their peers, and a recent brain scan study found that 8-year-old children who play with STEM toys had an easier time solving spatial puzzles.
It’s an increasingly crowded field, but Sony’s not intimated by the competition. The Japanese company released its take on STEM, a Lego-like robotics kit called the Koov, in Japan and China last year as part of its Global Education division and STEM101 project. And starting this week, it’s bringing it to the U.S.
The STEM toy competition may be fierce, but Sony says it’s uniquely positioned to deliver a better experience than most. It took inspiration from the processes in Sony’s Creative Center — the engineering wing responsible for designing the PlayStation and Bravia TVs — and worked with Japanese educators to refine Koov’s curricular components. And it stressed that software updates will make Koov better over time.
The Koov, which ships in two starter kits, comprises seven different kinds of interlocking building blocks; fifteen different actuators, motors, proximity sensors, and accelerometers; and one Koov Core, a customized Arduino microcontroller. Instead of a printed instruction manual, it ships with a companion app (on Apple’s iOS and MacOS and Microsoft’s Windows operating systems) that serves as a game-like hub for Koov activities, and has kids code their creations using a Blockly-like visual programming language.
Koov’s onboarding tutorial demonstrates the fundamentals. From there, kids advance their way through levels that run the gamut from LED basics to block design. Sony said that in total, the Koov app boasts more than 30 hours of educational material.
Once kids wrap their heads around the basics, they’re ready to advance to the next phase: Coursework. The Koov app packs 35 different lesson plans for them to follow, each focused on a single robot design and sequence of digital programming blocks
But Koov keeps the creative juices flowing in other ways. The app packs a self-contained sharing features that lets kids share, like, comment on, and publish their favorite creations. Users can choose from a gallery of avatar pictures, and snap pictures of their inventions using the Koov’s photo tool, and viewers can comment on, “like,” favorite, and download the programming of works that strike their fancy.
Sony’s been pleased by the response to Koov’s social networking features, which it launched last year — one crowdsourced design used a Koov kit and a snack box to deter sweets thieves. But the company says it’s been careful to balance sharing with oversight. Koov will be fully compliant with the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act, the U.S. law that prohibits online services and websites from collecting certain information about kids under 13 years of age. And Sony’s employed two full-time moderators vet and approve every piece of content, including comments, project descriptions, and pictures.
Ultimately, Sony sees Koov as a platform for all ages. Young kids get an introduction to robotics and coding, and older players get a versatile robotics platform to play around with. Sony said that even the Koov Core, the programmable “brains” of Koov creations, can be disassembled and customized.
Interestingly, Sony’s launching Koov on Indiegogo ahead of traditional brick-and-mortar chains. That’s partly because it wants to gauge the market’s response before committing to launch, the company says, but also because it hopes to solicit feedback from the platform’s most passionate fans.
In return for backers’ patronage, Sony’s cutting a 10 to 40 percent discount on the Koov’s suggested retail price and shipping units ahead of the tentative November launch month.
Koov pre-orders will be available for a limited time beginning on June 21, with units scheduled to ship to backers in December. The Koov Starter Kit starts at $360, and the Koov Advanced Kit ships for $500.
Sony’s kid-focused robotics kit blurs the line between toy and teacher
Why it matters to you
If you’re looking for a fun toy that’ll teach kids to program, few are more holistic than Sony’s Koov.
Apple’s Swift Playgrounds. Lego Mindstorms. Osmo. STEM toys — that is, toys designed to teach kids basic science, technology, engineering, and math concepts — are all the rage right now. Thanks in part to new toy lines from Walmart, Toys “R” US, and Amazon’s curitorial STEM Club subscription service, the STEM toy market is projected to make up two to three percent of the $20 billion U.S. toy market.
There’s good reason for the demand: STEM toys have demonstrable cognitive benefits. A survey in the Netherlands found that 6th grade students who spent more free time in construction play performed better on a test of mathematics word problems than their peers, and a recent brain scan study found that 8-year-old children who play with STEM toys had an easier time solving spatial puzzles.
It’s an increasingly crowded field, but Sony’s not intimated by the competition. The Japanese company released its take on STEM, a Lego-like robotics kit called the Koov, in Japan and China last year as part of its Global Education division and STEM101 project. And starting this week, it’s bringing it to the U.S.
The STEM toy competition may be fierce, but Sony says it’s uniquely positioned to deliver a better experience than most. It took inspiration from the processes in Sony’s Creative Center — the engineering wing responsible for designing the PlayStation and Bravia TVs — and worked with Japanese educators to refine Koov’s curricular components. And it stressed that software updates will make Koov better over time.
The Koov, which ships in two starter kits, comprises seven different kinds of interlocking building blocks; fifteen different actuators, motors, proximity sensors, and accelerometers; and one Koov Core, a customized Arduino microcontroller. Instead of a printed instruction manual, it ships with a companion app (on Apple’s iOS and MacOS and Microsoft’s Windows operating systems) that serves as a game-like hub for Koov activities, and has kids code their creations using a Blockly-like visual programming language.
Koov’s onboarding tutorial demonstrates the fundamentals. From there, kids advance their way through levels that run the gamut from LED basics to block design. Sony said that in total, the Koov app boasts more than 30 hours of educational material.
Once kids wrap their heads around the basics, they’re ready to advance to the next phase: Coursework. The Koov app packs 35 different lesson plans for them to follow, each focused on a single robot design and sequence of digital programming blocks
But Koov keeps the creative juices flowing in other ways. The app packs a self-contained sharing features that lets kids share, like, comment on, and publish their favorite creations. Users can choose from a gallery of avatar pictures, and snap pictures of their inventions using the Koov’s photo tool, and viewers can comment on, “like,” favorite, and download the programming of works that strike their fancy.
Sony’s been pleased by the response to Koov’s social networking features, which it launched last year — one crowdsourced design used a Koov kit and a snack box to deter sweets thieves. But the company says it’s been careful to balance sharing with oversight. Koov will be fully compliant with the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act, the U.S. law that prohibits online services and websites from collecting certain information about kids under 13 years of age. And Sony’s employed two full-time moderators vet and approve every piece of content, including comments, project descriptions, and pictures.
Ultimately, Sony sees Koov as a platform for all ages. Young kids get an introduction to robotics and coding, and older players get a versatile robotics platform to play around with. Sony said that even the Koov Core, the programmable “brains” of Koov creations, can be disassembled and customized.
Interestingly, Sony’s launching Koov on Indiegogo ahead of traditional brick-and-mortar chains. That’s partly because it wants to gauge the market’s response before committing to launch, the company says, but also because it hopes to solicit feedback from the platform’s most passionate fans.
In return for backers’ patronage, Sony’s cutting a 10 to 40 percent discount on the Koov’s suggested retail price and shipping units ahead of the tentative November launch month.
Koov pre-orders will be available for a limited time beginning on June 21, with units scheduled to ship to backers in December. The Koov Starter Kit starts at $360, and the Koov Advanced Kit ships for $500.
Sony’s kid-focused robotics kit blurs the line between toy and teacher
Why it matters to you
If you’re looking for a fun toy that’ll teach kids to program, few are more holistic than Sony’s Koov.
Apple’s Swift Playgrounds. Lego Mindstorms. Osmo. STEM toys — that is, toys designed to teach kids basic science, technology, engineering, and math concepts — are all the rage right now. Thanks in part to new toy lines from Walmart, Toys “R” US, and Amazon’s curitorial STEM Club subscription service, the STEM toy market is projected to make up two to three percent of the $20 billion U.S. toy market.
There’s good reason for the demand: STEM toys have demonstrable cognitive benefits. A survey in the Netherlands found that 6th grade students who spent more free time in construction play performed better on a test of mathematics word problems than their peers, and a recent brain scan study found that 8-year-old children who play with STEM toys had an easier time solving spatial puzzles.
It’s an increasingly crowded field, but Sony’s not intimated by the competition. The Japanese company released its take on STEM, a Lego-like robotics kit called the Koov, in Japan and China last year as part of its Global Education division and STEM101 project. And starting this week, it’s bringing it to the U.S.
The STEM toy competition may be fierce, but Sony says it’s uniquely positioned to deliver a better experience than most. It took inspiration from the processes in Sony’s Creative Center — the engineering wing responsible for designing the PlayStation and Bravia TVs — and worked with Japanese educators to refine Koov’s curricular components. And it stressed that software updates will make Koov better over time.
The Koov, which ships in two starter kits, comprises seven different kinds of interlocking building blocks; fifteen different actuators, motors, proximity sensors, and accelerometers; and one Koov Core, a customized Arduino microcontroller. Instead of a printed instruction manual, it ships with a companion app (on Apple’s iOS and MacOS and Microsoft’s Windows operating systems) that serves as a game-like hub for Koov activities, and has kids code their creations using a Blockly-like visual programming language.
Koov’s onboarding tutorial demonstrates the fundamentals. From there, kids advance their way through levels that run the gamut from LED basics to block design. Sony said that in total, the Koov app boasts more than 30 hours of educational material.
Once kids wrap their heads around the basics, they’re ready to advance to the next phase: Coursework. The Koov app packs 35 different lesson plans for them to follow, each focused on a single robot design and sequence of digital programming blocks
But Koov keeps the creative juices flowing in other ways. The app packs a self-contained sharing features that lets kids share, like, comment on, and publish their favorite creations. Users can choose from a gallery of avatar pictures, and snap pictures of their inventions using the Koov’s photo tool, and viewers can comment on, “like,” favorite, and download the programming of works that strike their fancy.
Sony’s been pleased by the response to Koov’s social networking features, which it launched last year — one crowdsourced design used a Koov kit and a snack box to deter sweets thieves. But the company says it’s been careful to balance sharing with oversight. Koov will be fully compliant with the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act, the U.S. law that prohibits online services and websites from collecting certain information about kids under 13 years of age. And Sony’s employed two full-time moderators vet and approve every piece of content, including comments, project descriptions, and pictures.
Ultimately, Sony sees Koov as a platform for all ages. Young kids get an introduction to robotics and coding, and older players get a versatile robotics platform to play around with. Sony said that even the Koov Core, the programmable “brains” of Koov creations, can be disassembled and customized.
Interestingly, Sony’s launching Koov on Indiegogo ahead of traditional brick-and-mortar chains. That’s partly because it wants to gauge the market’s response before committing to launch, the company says, but also because it hopes to solicit feedback from the platform’s most passionate fans.
In return for backers’ patronage, Sony’s cutting a 10 to 40 percent discount on the Koov’s suggested retail price and shipping units ahead of the tentative November launch month.
Koov pre-orders will be available for a limited time beginning on June 21, with units scheduled to ship to backers in December. The Koov Starter Kit starts at $360, and the Koov Advanced Kit ships for $500.
OnePlus 5 vs. Galaxy S8: All the power at half the price?
It’s not easy to choose your next smartphone when there are so many attractive options on the market. All the bargain hunters out there will be excited to get their hands on the OnePlus 5. It’s packed with powerful hardware intended to challenge the flagships, but undercut on price. The big question is whether compromises are required to achieve that low price. Does Samsung’s impossibly stylish Galaxy S8 do enough to justify the extra expense? Let’s take a closer look at these contenders, as we pit OnePlus 5 vs. Galaxy S8 to find out which is right for you.
Specs
OnePlus 5
Samsung Galaxy S8
Size
154.2 x 74.1 x 7.25 mm (6.07 x 2.92 x 0.28 in)
148.9 x 68.1 x 8 mm (5.86 x 2.68 x 0.31 in)
Weight
5.39 ounces (153 grams)
5.46 ounces (155 grams)
Screen
5.5-inch AMOLED
5.8-inch Quad HD Super AMOLED
Resolution
1,920 x 1,080 pixels
2,960 × 1,440 pixels
OS
Android 7.1.1 Nougat
Android 7.0 Nougat
Storage
64GB or 128GB
64 (U.S.) 128GB (International)
SD Card Slot
No
Yes
NFC support
Yes
Yes
Processor
Qualcomm Snapdragon 835
Qualcomm Snapdragon 835
RAM
6GB or 8GB
4GB
Connectivity
GSM / HSPA / LTE
GSM / CDMA / HSPA / LTE
Camera
Front 8MP, Rear Dual 16MP and 20MP
Front 8MP, Rear 12MP with OIS
Video
4K
4K
Bluetooth
Yes, version 5
Yes, version 5
Fingerprint sensor
Yes
Yes
Other sensors
Gyroscope, accelerometer, compass, proximity sensor
Barometer, gyroscope, accelerometer, compass, heart rate, proximity sensor, iris scanner
Water Resistant
No
Yes, IP68
Battery
3,300mAh
3,000mAh
Charger
USB Type-C
USB Type-C
Quick Charging
Yes
Yes
Wireless Charging
No
Yes, Qi and PMA
Marketplace
Google Play Store
Google Play Store
Color offerings
Black, gray
Black, silver, gray, blue, gold
Availability
Unlocked, OnePlus
AT&T, Verizon, Sprint, T-Mobile
DT Review
4 out of 5 stars
4 out of 5 stars
Both the OnePlus 5 and the Galaxy S8 are packing Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 835 processor, which is powerful, efficient, and fast. The glaring difference that immediately jumps out from the spec sheet is the RAM. The Galaxy S8 makes do with 4GB of RAM, while the OnePlus 5 comes with 6GB or 8GB of RAM. In theory, the higher RAM should mean that more apps can be held in active memory, so if you switch between apps, they won’t have to be reloaded.
Winner: OnePlus 5
Design, display, and durability
Julian Chokkattu/Digital Trends
It’s not easy to distinguish the OnePlus 5 from Apple’s iPhone 7 Plus when you look from the back. Those antenna lines, the dual camera placement, and the prominent camera hump are all familiar – though, that’s not necessarily a bad thing. The OnePlus 5 is certainly not an ugly phone. Whether you like it or not will come down to personal preference, but there can only be one winner in this category and it’s not the OnePlus 5.
Samsung’s curved Infinity Display, along with the unusual 18.5:9 aspect ratio, maximizes your screen real estate, but packs it into a smaller body that’s easy to manage one-handed. The design is innovative, it looks gorgeous, and it feels great in the hand. By comparison, the OnePlus 5 looks a bit dated.
The screen is another big win for Samsung. At 5.8 inches, with a resolution of 2,960 x 1,440 pixels, it is bigger and much sharper than the 5.5-inch, 1,080p display in the OnePlus 5.
If that wasn’t enough, the Galaxy S8 is also more durable than the OnePlus 5, scoring an IP68 rating for dust- and water- resistance, which means it can be submerged in up to 5 feet for water for half an hour without sustaining damage. You’ll need to keep the OnePlus 5 dry. Both will probably require a case to survive encounters with the sidewalk, however.
Winner: Galaxy S8
Battery life and charging
On paper, there isn’t a great deal between the Galaxy S8 and OnePlus 5 in the battery department. The S8 has a 3,000mAh battery, while the OnePlus 5 has a slightly bigger 3,300mAh battery. They have the same power-efficient processor, but you may reasonably expect the S8’s superior screen to guzzle a little more power during the course of an average day.
Thankfully, both support speedy charging via USB Type-C ports. You can fully charge the S8 in around 90 minutes with adaptive fast charging. OnePlus’s Dash Charge system allows you to recover 60 percent of the battery in half an hour, but still takes around 90 minutes to fully charge.
The S8 supports wireless charging in the Qi or PMA format, which is a handy extra that you won’t find in the OnePlus 5, and enough to scrape the win in this category.
Winner: Galaxy S8
Camera
Julian Chokkattu/Digital Trends
Samsung stuck with a 12-megapixel camera in the S8, with an f/1.7 aperture that’s great for low-light photography. The OnePlus 5 kicks thing up a notch or two with a dual main camera that combines a 16-megapixel lens with a 20-megapixel telephoto lens, both by Sony. This helps to create the same depth effect that won the iPhone 7 Plus camera so many plaudits. The OnePlus 5 camera also has an f/1.7 aperture. Around the front, both phones have perfectly capable 8-megapixel shooters. We’ll need time for a proper comparison, so we’re making this a tie.
Winner: Tie
Software
Julian Chokkattu/Digital Trends
The S8 and the OnePlus 5 are running Android Nougat, but the newer OnePlus 5 will ship with the slightly fresher 7.1.1 flavor. We expect the S8 will be updated soon. Over the top, we have Samsung’s TouchWiz, compared to OxygenOS on the OnePlus 5.
Samsung’s restyled user interface is slick, attractive, and packed with a wealth of choice. Extras include iris scanning, a deep wealth of customization options, and the artificially intelligent assistant, Bixby, though we’re not entirely convinced of its usefulness over Google Assistant (you can still use Google Assistant). You’ll find some handy features in the Oxygen interface, too, but it has a more minimalist feel that’s closer to Google’s stock version of Android. Which one is better really comes down to personal preference, though OnePlus offers more system-level customization.
OnePlus is also more reliable with version updates — the OnePlus 3T and OnePlus 3 were among the first smartphones to receive Android 7.0 Nougat last fall. For this, it takes the win.
Winner: OnePlus 5
Price and availability
You can buy the Samsung Galaxy S8 from all major carriers and a wide range of retailers, but it’s going to cost you $750 if you buy it upfront. Most people will opt for monthly payments, in which case you can walk away with a new S8 for $25 per month and no money down, but that does mean signing up to a 30-month contract.
The OnePlus 5 is much cheaper, with a starting price of $480 for the gray version, which has 64GB of storage and 6GB of RAM. It will work just fine on AT&T, T-Mobile and other GSM networks in the U.S., but not on Verizon or Sprint. If you want the black version with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage, then you’ll need to pay $540. You’ll have to buy directly from OnePlus and pay the full amount upfront.
OnePlus 5
Samsung Galaxy S8
AT&T
$480
$750 or $25 per month for 30 months
Sprint
N/A
$750 or $31.25 per month for 24 months
T-Mobile
$480
$750 or $30 per month for 24 months with a $30 down payment
Verizon
N/A
$720 or $30 per month for 24 months
The OnePlus 5 takes the win here because it is significantly cheaper than the Galaxy S8, but the lack of support for some networks and the fact you have to pay the full price upfront definitely muddies the waters.
Winner: OnePlus 5
Overall winner: OnePlus 5
The OnePlus 5 held its own and narrowly excelled. It brings the raw power of the Galaxy S8, but at a fraction of the cost. When picking an overall winner, we must go with the phone we would want to spend a lot of money on — and the OnePlus 5 offers a lot for under $500. If design and display are important to you, then you should think about the Galaxy S8. You might find that the OnePlus 5 performs slightly better, or fall in love with the dual camera, but the S8 is no slouch in either department. As a complete package, the OnePlus 5 just provides more bang for your buck.
Google Maps honors indigenous lands in Canada on National Aboriginal Day
Why it matters to you
Today is National Aboriginal Day, and indigenous folks are being recognized in an update to Google Maps and Google Earth.
We say that history is written by the victors, but less acknowledged, perhaps, is that maps are also drawn from a rather one-dimensional perspective. But now, Google is attempting to present a more even-handed view of the world. In the culmination of a seven-year collaboration between indigenous communities across Canada and Google Earth Outreach, indigenous lands in the northern nation have been added to both Google Maps and Google Earth. The search giant called it “an essential step in accurately reflecting Canada to Canadians and to the world.”
For the last three years, Google Canada has been hosting mapping workshops with a number of indigenous communities throughout Canada. In these workshops, Google employees were asked time and time again why indigenous lands were not included in their presentations. That will no longer be the case.
Google, which often makes updates to its Maps app to more accurately reflect the world around us, is now taking history into consideration in this latest improvement. Both reserves and settlement lands in Canada have been added to Google platforms. As Steven DeRoy, an Anishinaabe cartographer and director of The Firelight Group, told Google, “Indigenous peoples are often underrepresented on Canadian base maps, and this was made apparent during our annual Indigenous Mapping Workshops. We are thrilled to see Google recognize indigenous peoples by integrating indigenous lands as an important fabric of Google’s base maps.”
Thus far, more than 3,000 indigenous lands have been added to Google Maps and Google Earth. Other indigenous communities have also been invited to add their lands to Maps or update information (like roads, addresses, or businesses) — in order to do so, their governments need only to contribute data via the Base Map Partner Program. Individual community members also have the capacity to use the Send Feedback tool to add and edit essential information on Google Maps.
With 4.3 percent of Canadians identifying as Aboriginal, it certainly seems high time for Google Canada to recognize this population in such a momentous way. Now, on National Aboriginal Day, indigenous Canadians are being honored in this important way.
Wearable shipments projected to grow more than 20 percent this year
Why it matters to you
If you’re planning to buy a wearable this year, you’re not alone. Analysts at IDC are predicting double-digit growth in the market.
Fitness trackers, smartwatches, and kid-tracking wearables are hot trends. That’s according to a new study by International Data Corporation (IDC), which predicts manufacturers like Apple and Fitbit will ship a total of 125.5 million wearable devices this year — up 20.4 percent from the 104.3 million sold in 2016.
“The wearables market is entering a new phase,” Ramon T. Llamas, research manager for IDC’s wearables team, said in a statement. “Since the market’s inception, it’s been a matter of getting product out there to generate awareness and interest.”
Thanks to the industry’s efforts thus far, IDC expects shipments to double before surging to 240.1 million in 2021. But it says the success of nex-gen wearables is at least in part predicated on artificial intelligence, always-on connectivity, real-time audio filtering, language translation, and other marketable innovations.
“Now it’s about getting the experience right – from the way the hardware looks and feels to how software collects, analyzes, and presents insightful data,” Llamas said. “Expect digital assistants, cellular connectivity, and connections to larger systems, both at home and at work. At the same time, expect to see a proliferation in the diversity of devices brought to market, and a decline in prices that will make these more affordable to a larger crowd.”
IDC
In the short term, IDC predicts that basic watches — i.e., devices that don’t run third-party applications — will continue to out-ship smartwatches as watch makers shift resources to building hybrid watches. But it says that will change as LTE-enabled watches like Verizon’s Wear24 become more prevalent.
In addition, it projects that specific categories of wearables will perform more strongly than others. Wristbands could see slowing growth as a result of “softness” that began in 2016, IDC says, but might be propped up by low-cost devices with “good enough” features for the mass market. It predicts that the earwear, which includes wireless earbuds like Bragi’s Dash and Samsung’s Gear Icon X, will grow, as will smart clothing products like Google and Levi’s touch-enabled Project Jacquared jacket.
“It’s not just the end users who will benefit from these advanced devices,” Jitesh Ubrani, senior research analyst for IDC Mobile Device Trackers, said in a statement. “Opportunities also exist for developers and channel partners to provide the apps, services, and distribution that will support the growing abundance of wearables. From a deployment perspective, the commercial segment also stands to benefit as wearables enable productivity, lower costs, and increase return on investment in the long term.
Snapchat’s new Snap Map will show you where your friends are
Why it matters to you
Snap Map will help you keep track of what your friends on Snapchat are doing and where they are.
It is no secret that Snapchat has been hit hard with strong competition from Facebook-owned Instagram over the past year, but the social media company is not taking it lying down. On Wednesday, it announced its newest feature addition — Snap Map.
The new location-based Snap Map is Snapchat’s way of trying to help users see what is going on around them with other users and events. The feature also gives users a new way to follow their friends, with not only what they are snapping on their own, but what others are snapping at that location as well. It is a move that Snapchat is hoping will strengthen the community and help make connecting with old and new friends on the service easier.
You would not be out of place to be wondering about your privacy with this feature, but don’t worry privacy warriors, you can turn on a “Ghost Mode,” which hides your location from your friends and prevents you from showing up on the map. Snapchat made it clear that this feature will help you connect with friends and those around you, but only if you want it to.
If you decide to opt-in and allow Snap Map to share your location data, then your Actionmoji will appear on the map. Other users will then be able to see your snaps and the snaps of others at that location.
Accessing the Snap Map is easy as well, Snapchat added the map as a new layer over the current Snapchat experience. All you have to do to open and view the map is pinch to zoom from the Snapchat camera. The first time that you open the Snap Map you will be taken through a little tutorial that explains the feature and how to use it.
The Snap Map feature is already available for both iOS and Android users with a new update that is currently rolling out across both platforms. If you would like to check out the new Snap Map feature, all you need to do is update your app once the update becomes available to you.
AIVAnet 