LG G6 review

Research Center:
LG G6

Update: We’ve amended the review with a section on the G6 Plus. We’ve also added comparisons to Samsung’s Galaxy S8. 

Is bigger better? When it comes to the screens on our smartphones, yes. But when it comes to the body of the phone, not so much. That’s the reason we don’t all carry around a tablet every day. It’s also why so-called phablets often split opinion. The LG G6 laughs in the face of such concerns. It’s the phablet’s worst nightmare, because it puts a massive screen inside a truly compact body, redefining the genre and daring big-screen haters to get over their prejudices.

It’s also the follow-up to the LG G5, a phone that similarly attempted to redefine smartphones with its modular construction (but didn’t manage to do so). The G6 isn’t as bold or as risky as the G5, so has LG played it too safe this time? We’ve been using the phone for a week or so, and have plenty to say about it.

Making the phablet manageable

Many people struggle to believe the G6 has a 5.7-inch screen, because it feels so small in your hand. It’s easy to stretch your thumb across to the other side of the phone when holding it in one hand, and it remains usable at all times. Try that with any phone with a 5.5-inch screen, and it’s a struggle.

How has LG achieved this feat? It minimized the size of the bezels and chose an 18:9 aspect ratio, making it longer and thinner than the 16:9 aspect ratio screens found on most other phones. It’s the same aspect ratio as Samsung’s Galaxy S8.

The front of the G6 looks very modern, thanks to the rounded corners of the screen. It’s the screen that’s rounded, too, rather than a bezel over the top to give it the look. Combined with the rounded corners of the phone, it helps absorb impacts and lessens the likelihood of catastrophic screen damage. The thin top and bottom bezels make the screen stand out even more, and enhance the minimalist style of the phone. This is a glass and metal phone, with Gorilla Glass 3 on the front, and Gorilla Glass 5 on the back. We are worried that it will break and be expensive to replace, so we highly recommend you buy a G6 case.

Flip it over, and the rear has LG’s trademark fingerprint sensor which doubles as a power button below the dual-lens camera and flash unit. Apart from a subtle G6 logo, that’s it. Our review model is platinum, which looks fantastic, and isn’t the fingerprint magnet you may expect. The phone also comes in black or white. The G6 is thicker than many phones, but not by much, and it gives you a lot more phone to hold on to.

Is the G6 the perfect size and shape for a smartphone? At the moment, yes it is. It combines everything we love about big-screen phones and removes everything we hate about them. There’s no longer a reason to compromise and buy a smaller phone, and no reason to get one bigger than the G6, either. You won’t be prying the G6 out of our hands for a while.

There’s a new screen shape in town

Measuring 5.7 inches and boasting an impressive 2,880 × 1,440-pixel resolution, the G6 has envious screen specs; but those cool rounded edges and the overall size of the G6’s screen isn’t what makes it so special. It’s the 18:9 aspect ratio. This also equates to a 2:1 ratio, which means two perfect squares fit next to each other on it, something that LG exploits in the user interface.

Why should you care about the aspect ratio? Isn’t that sort of thing just for cine-geeks? It’s actually the movie industry that may end up making-or-breaking the 18:9 screen. Some filmmakers consider it to be the happy medium between cinema and TV aspect ratios, meaning regardless of what screen a video is watched on, it will retain the same look — no cropping to fit — and stay the same as the director and cinematographer intended. More and more video is being watched on smartphones, so this is a major consideration.

The LG G6 is the phablet’s worst nightmare.

For now, there’s a limited amount of 18:9 content online, mostly streamed through Netflix. We watched Daredevil and Marco Polo on the G6, and both looked superb; filling the screen entirely after tapping a special button in a drop-down menu. There’s something very special about seeing a video fill the screen this way. It’s more immersive, more cinematic, and genuinely impactful.

The aspect ratio isn’t the only feature that makes the video experience on the G6 special. It’s the first phone to come with both Dolby Vision and HDR 10 support. This technology previously only seen on televisions is designed to make the image more lifelike with better colors, more accurate contrast levels, and wider viewing angles. There’s not much content out there that takes advantage of it at the moment — it doesn’t make any difference to regular YouTube videos, or the operating system — so it’s only Netflix or Amazon Prime subscribers that may see the benefit.

There’s also the problem with video content that’s not formatted for an 18:9 screen. That content has black bars running down the sides of the video in landscape orientation. If 18:9 video catches on like LG and others hope, this will eventually become less of a problem, but for now, you’ll have to put up with them in most cases. Size oddities aside, the G6’s display is stunning. It’s full of color, detail, and warmth, and a true pleasure to watch.

Andy Boxall/Digital Trends

Although the screen is technically 5.7 inches in size, it doesn’t really look like any other 5.7-inch screen, and some may see the G6’s screen size as a con, due to the taller, thinner aspect ratio. For example, put the G6 alongside the 5.5-inch iPhone 7 Plus and open an app such as Twitter, and the iPhone will display more text and information on one screen than the G6. It’s still a big-screen experience, just unlike those we’re used to.

Slick software and fun apps

Android 7.0 Nougat is installed on the LG G6, and our pre-production review model had the March 2017 security patch installed, making it right up to date. LG’s user interface is placed over Android and has a few additions to make better use of the 18:9 aspect ratio screen. Android purists will note changes to the notification shade, the Settings menu, and the option to enable the app tray, or spread apps across multiple home screens. LG also provides various themes to match the color scheme of your G6, which change backgrounds, wallpapers, and icons.

The G6 is ideally suited to multi-window app use, providing a perfect square for two apps to live in, and it’s easy to activate using a long press of the Android menu key. LG only installs a few of its own apps, such as QuickMemo+, which handily syncs with Google Drive, LG Health, a Tasks app, and its own messaging, music, file manager, and calendar apps. Additionally, there’s an FM radio app, and an audio recorder. Many of LG’s own apps make use of the 18:9 aspect ratio. The Gallery app takes up the whole screen, for example.

It’s LG’s Square Camera that’s the most interesting. It splits the screen into two, with the top half for square format pictures and the lower half for previews, or custom shots. It’s a shame Square Camera’s functionality wasn’t built into the main camera app, because many people will miss it.

Grid Shot works especially well. The square is broken down into quarters, each filled with a still image or a three-second video clip, which when put together tells a neat little story. There’s plenty of room for creativity here, and best of all, the result can easily be shared on Facebook or Twitter, with videos intact. This is essential, and a problem Apple hasn’t overcome with its similarly fun Live Photos feature. If you can’t share them with your friends, we question whether it’s worth it at all.

Other features in Square Camera include Match Shot, which is like Grid Shot but with two pictures instead of four, and Guide Shot for matching photos using a handy transparent overlay, so people can capture the same pose or composition on multiple occasions.

A long press on the home button brings up Google Assistant. The G6 is the first to use the Assistant outside of the Pixel phones, ahead of its wider release on other Android 7.0 Nougat phones. We’ve reviewed a version of the G6 that has software which is 95 percent ready for release, meaning there may be some alterations when the phone goes on sale. However, we experienced no stability or compatibility problems.

While LG’s user interface does deviate from standard Android, it’s not unpleasant or slow. Thought and effort has been put into the icon design when you change themes, the color choices that match the body, and the icon curves that match the shape of the screen. LG’s UX 6.0 looks fantastic, and we never felt a desire to change the launcher on the G6. The G6 has up-to-date software now, and we hope that will continue in the future, but that will be down to LG’s update schedule, which unfortunately may lag behind Google’s.

A wonderful wide-angle camera

There are two camera lenses on the back of the G6, both with 13 megapixels. One boasts a wider-angle lens than the other. The 125-degree wide-angle lens doesn’t have optical image stabilization and it has an f/2.4 aperture, while the 71-degree standard lens has OIS and a far better f/1.8 aperture.

You get two different experiences when taking pictures, especially in low light, when the standard angle lens produces pictures with more detail and less noise. However, the G6 can take some fantastic nighttime or evening shots, adding drama and atmosphere in the right environment. Used creatively, and with the right lighting, the wide-angle lens is also more than capable.

LG’s UX 6.0 looks fantastic, and we never felt a desire to change the launcher.

In daylight, the G6’s camera didn’t enjoy overcast days at the end of British winter time, and struggled to manage contrast — eventually settling on washing out the sky and darkening the landscape. It’s not ideal, and something we’re hoping will be cured when the final software build is released. We also found the screen itself didn’t do the photo justice, and it often ended up looking better than expected when we checked the gallery. Again, something that’s likely to change with a software update. We’re noting it here in case nothing changes.

Show the camera a blue sky, colorful plants, or any close-up material, and it shines. Using the phone in Spain after the launch, we compared the G6 to several other phones including the Pixel XL and the iPhone 7 Plus, and found it produced the best image in several different tests. Most of the time, it came very close to matching the Pixel XL, a highly rated camera phone.

Taking photos with the G6 is enjoyable and addictive, and the wide-angle mode presents new creative opportunities. There’s a manual mode for both stills and video, if you’re confident enough to change settings in search of the perfect picture. LG hasn’t included an editor, though, and you’re given the choice of using Google Photos or a third-party app, such as Snapseed instead.

The G6’s selfie camera has 5 megapixels and a single 100-degree, wide-angle lens, and like the main camera the two modes are alternated using a button on the screen. There are also several filters to apply, and a chance to manipulate skin tone and artificial lighting sources. While capable enough, selfies taken with the G6 can’t match those of the Huawei P10. The wide-angle lens makes it easy to take great group shots, though, and goes along way to redeeming the front cam’s ability.

LG has also made good use of the extra screen in the camera app, using the top edge (or side edge in landscape) as a preview gallery, showing the last four pictures taken so you don’t have to jump into the gallery app to see them.

Plenty of power and battery life

The LG G6 has a Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 processor inside, plus 4GB of RAM. There will be those who mumble complaints about the Snapdragon 821, whining it’s not a super-new Snapdragon 835. Don’t be one of these people. Ever used the OnePlus 3T or a Google Pixel? There’s more than enough power inside both those phones to keep them fresh for ages, and they both have the 821 inside. LG made the decision to use the 821 in order to get the phone on sale quickly, rather than over the summer, and it shouldn’t put you off at all.

An AnTuTu benchmark result returned a score of 135,032, and 3DMark’s Slingshot Extreme test saw it score 2,102. These are around the same as the scores attained by the Pixel XL, but fall short of the OnePlus 3T. It’s also very close to the LG G5 and the Samsung Galaxy S7.

LG G6 Compared To

Motorola Moto E4

Huawei Honor 8 Pro

HTC U Ultra

Meizu Pro 6 Plus

Xiaomi Mi5S Plus

Xiaomi Mi Mix

Huawei Mate 9

ASUS Zenfone 3 Deluxe Special…

LG V20

Samsung Galaxy Note 5

Huawei Nexus 6P

LG V10

Motorola Moto X Style Pure Edition

Samsung Galaxy Note 4

Samsung Galaxy Note 3

Other complaints will be made about the lack of removable battery on the G6. However, even though the G6 is now a sealed phone, that has given it an IP68 water and dust resistance rating. While having a replaceable battery is great, having to replace the entire phone after you spill a drink all over it isn’t so great. Yes, you’re trading one feature for another, but additional durability protects your purchase instantly, and there are plenty of battery packs out there to buy.

When we first started using the G6, the battery life was poor, barely lasting a mid-to-heavy use day. A software update has improved the situation, where we’re seeing 25 percent of the battery remaining after the same level of use in a single day. That includes photo work, social networking, games, and navigation. Buying the G6 in the U.S. will see your phone come with wireless charging, a feature not included on international versions of the phone. Using the supplied charger and USB Type-C cable charged the 3,200mAh cell reach capacity after about an hour and 30 minutes.

No Hi-Fi audio for most buyers and not enough storage

Watching stunning video is what the G6 is made for, so how about the audio experience? Sadly, it falls short of the video performance. It doesn’t have stereo speakers, just a single one at the base of the phone, and there’s no Dolby Atmos, or even standard Dolby Audio tweaks. The single speaker does a decent job, but it’s overshadowed by the iPhone 7 Plus, Boomsound speakers on any HTC phone, and cheaper hardware like the ZTE Axon 7 and 7 Mini. It’s a shame, when what’s on screen looks so fantastic.

The wide-angle mode presents new creative opportunities.

Additionally, LG has restricted the Quad DAC to devices for sale in South Korea only. LG G6 phones sold in the United states get 32GB of internal storage and a MicroSD card slot as part of the SIM tray, but internationally, larger capacity versions will be sold. LG G6 phones in Europe have neither the Quad DAC or wireless charging.

We’d much rather a single model with all these features inside. LG says the localization is based on buyer preferences, and ensures the price of the phone is kept competitive in different regions.

A new model: The LG G6 Plus

In an effort to maintain competitiveness with Samsung’s Galaxy S8 and HTC’s U11, LG has released an upgraded version of the LG G6 with beefier hardware, new software features, and a premium pair of bundled earbuds: The LG G6 Plus.

The LG G6 Plus looks identical to the original G6 from the outside, but that’s where the similarities end. Aside from increased RAM (from 4GB to 6GB) and internal storage (from 32GB to 128GB), the G6 Plus supports Low Power Consumption mode, which leverages Google’s Contextual Hub Runtime Environment (CHR) and LG’s All-Ways Aware hub to collect data from the device’s sensors continuously without impacting performance or battery life.

On the software side of things, the G6 Plus boasts Face Print, which lets you unlock the phone with your face in less than a second, and LG Pay, LG’s mobile payments platform. Another feature, Covered Lens, alerts you if you accidentally block the camera with your finger.

The G6 Plus comes in a new color — blue — with a lenticular coating that produces a shimmering effect when you view the phone from different angles. Every model ships with Bang and Olufsen earphones that take advantage of the phone’s 32-bit Quad DAC.

The LG G6 Plus will only be available in South Korea at the moment, and we’ll update this review when we get pricing and availability details.

Price, availability, and warranty

Verizon started selling the G6 for $672 on March 17, and shipped it out the door on March 30. The phone is available now at AT&T ($719) and Sprint ($708), and through T-Mobile for just $650. Heck, U.S. Cellular offers it for just $550. LG traditionally gives you a one-year warranty on smartphones, which covers either repair or replacement, plus any labor charges. You’ll have to send it back to LG if it goes wrong, though. The G6 is also now available unlocked straight from LG, and if you want it unlocked you’ll need to pay $600. You can get the unlocked version from LG or from Amazon.

The LG G6 went on sale in 24 European countries on April 24, including the U.K., France, and Germany. LG has secured 33 partnerships with networks, so the phone should be easy to find. In the U.K., it’s sold through EE and Three, and Carphone Warehouse. Plans cost from around 30 British pounds each month for 24-months, or a SIM-free unconnected G6 is around 650 British pounds.

Our Take

Thanks to the LG G6, having a big, beautiful screen doesn’t mean enduring an oversize phone anymore, and it’s wonderful.

Is there a better alternative?

Possibly. As of this writing, the LG G6 is one of the best Android phone you can currently buy, but far from the only one.

The Galaxy S8, Samsung’s $750 flagship, is packed to the brim with cutting-edge tech. It boasts Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 835 processor, a stunning curved screen, an iris scanner, and Samsung’s Bixby digital assistant. Its camera falls short of the G6’s dual-lens shooter, to be fair, and it doesn’t have have Dolby Vision and HDR 10 support. But if the Galaxy S8’s larger footprint doesn’t bother you, it’s one heck of a compelling alternative.

The Google Pixel XL is the obvious alternative for stock Android fans who dislike any customization. It costs $750, has a Snapdragon 821 processor, Android Nougat, and Google Assistant, plus a highly capable camera. What it doesn’t have is the G6’s sleek body and gorgeous new screen, or a wide-angle camera lens.

The DT Accessory Pack

Olloclip Pivot

$50

LG wireless headset

$70

Motorola Moto 360 Sport

$130

The HTC U11 is a strong alternative to the G6 if you want to save a lot of money. It also has a Snapdragon 835 processor, plus 4GB of RAM, an AI assistant, noise-canceling audio tech, and a $650 price tag. There aren’t any camera bells and whistles, but it still takes solid shots.

Finally, LG’s own V20 may be considered. It has the same size screen, similar wide-angle camera setup, a degree of durability, and the removable battery. It’s wildly expensive, though.

How long will it last?

LG’s G6 should have a long shelf life of at least two-to-three years. The software is right up to date, and it has Google Assistant already installed, meaning there’s no need to wait for an update. Updates in the future may take longer to arrive than on a Pixel phone, though. That’s our only concern and reservation in recommending the G6 over the Pixel XL.

The processor is the only sticking point. We always like to have the latest hardware and software, because it ensures the phone will last many years if we want it to, but the Snapdragon 821 won’t remain Qualcomm’s top chip for much longer. Does it matter? Not really. It won’t suddenly stop working, and your phone won’t suddenly react like it’s pedal-powered. However, if bragging rights are your thing, it’ll soon lose out to the Snapdragon 835. That said, the 821 is tried and tested, unlike the 835.

Should you buy it?

Yes. The G6 is not only the first major flagship smartphone out in 2017 that we really adore, but it’s also a return to what makes us love LG phones — subtle yet beautiful design, a brilliant standout feature, and a cracking camera. The software is good, too, with Google Assistant installed rather than a third-party or untested alternative, ensuring it works cohesively throughout the phone. Best of all, it’s compact and easy to use with one hand, but offers a screen larger than its direct competitors. We love it, and think you will to.

Ando is a delivery-only restaurant from the man behind Momofuku

Why it matters to you

Ando may begin a trend of restaurants that you can only order from online.

What if ordering out was the only way you could eat at your favorite restaurant? That could soon be a reality now with Ando, a delivery-only New York City restaurant that serves classic foods with a new-age spin.

Ando was started by famous restaurateur and chef David Chang, who founded popular restaurant chain Momofuku. Ando is not your traditional restaurant. There is no physical space to sit down to dine in or drop by to pick up food. All the food is made for delivery and is sent by a third-party courier service.

The only ways to order food is by either downloading the app or visiting the company’s website. There is currently only an iOS app and you can only order from the website after making an account and setting your location. If you are outside of the delivery zone, you are out of luck.

The menu is full of what the company calls “second-generation American food.” Instead of simply making a classic cheesesteak sandwich, the restaurant will make you a hozon cheesesteak made with chickpeas, shaved beef, and cheese sauce. Instead of garlic and anchovies in your chicken caesar salad, Ando’s version includes miso, peanut butter, and soy. There are 20 different food and drink choices on the Ando menu, so far.

In an interview with Fast Company, Chang says he plans to constantly add to the menu until he gets a feel for what the favorites are. For now, do not expect to tamper with his curated selection of delicacies. Ando does not take any special requests or substitutions for any of the dishes and is pretty unwavering about that policy. “We stand by what we serve and encourage you to try it as it was intended to be tried,” writes Joe Pratolongo, a customer experience manager at Ando, on the company’s website.

Ando currently only delivers in the Manhattan area. Initially, only those in Midtown East were feasting on Ando. But, the company has since expanded to the Flatiron District of Manhattan. Ando is delivery only, but the website says the company is exploring the possibility of including a pick-up option.

More restaurants are developing apps to handle deliveries, but it has not been smooth sailing for everyone. If the restaurant widens its delivery zone and enters more territories around the country, Chang’s online-based restaurant could become one of the best food delivery apps on the market.

Best smart locks

Looking to make your house smarter and safer? Here are the best smart locks full of brains and brawn to protect your home.

Whether you’re just tired of losing your keys, or you’re already in the process of automating your home, a key part of this process is choosing a smart lock that fits your needs. Take a look at our list of the best smart locks to help you decide.

• August 2nd Generation
• Schlage Connect Camelot
• Kevo 2nd Generation
• Kwikswet 914

August 2nd Generation

The August smart lock’s appearance is immediately striking and will give any door a futuristic look with your choice of dark gray or silver finish. You can use your smartphone to remotely unlock or lock your door, or you can set up a proximity lock: your door will unlock when you approach with your phone and lock when you move away.

Perhaps most importantly, the second generation of this lock resolves many of the early connection and stability issues found in the original. The August platform now supports doorbell cameras as well, making it possible to route all of your door security through a single app.

Consider the August if you’re cool with the $200 price tag and you’d like a smart lock that is compatible with both Google Home and Amazon Alexa.

See at Amazon

Schlage Connect Camelot

What could be more secure than Camelot? Alright, so that’s not actually what that name stands for, but the Schlage Connect Camelot has been updated to stand alone as a deadbolt with all of the unlock methods. You can use a standard key, you can enter a code on the touchscreen number panel, or you can use a Z-Wave hub to lock and unlock the door through automation and proximity.

Z-Wave support means you can use Wink or SmartThings hubs to program IFTTT commands for the lock, like automatically locking every night at 10pm, but it also means this lock will work with Amazon Alexa when set up. It’s not the more futuristic-looking lock in the world with the standard satin nickel finish, but you couldn’t ask for more options than are available with this lock.

This lock will set you back $190, but it promises to meet ANSI Grade 1 security standards and a backlit panel for when you want to use the keypad unlock in the dark.

See at Amazon

Kevo 2nd Generation

It almost looks like a normal deadbolt from the outside, but there’s a lot happening inside the Kevo lock. The exterior surface of the lock is touch-sensitive, and when you tap that metal exterior, the lock will check for a digital key on your phone. If your phone is nearby, on the right side of the door, the lock will disengage and you’ll be allowed into the house. It’s a clever setup, especially when you see you can share digital keys with friends and choose to revoke them whenever you want.

Kevo requires the $100 add-on to the already $230 lock to add things like Wi-Fi connectivity and Amazon Alexa support, but the core lock offers some unique features in the app that are finally executed really well in this second generation version of the lock. If you want to maintain the same level of deadbolt security you have now with some added features, this lock is going to get you pretty far.

You can find Kevo in the standard satin nickel finish, as well as polished brass and Venetian bronze.

See at Amazon

Kwikset 914

This lock from Kwikset looks fairly standard when it comes to deadbolts, and that’s because it is. With one important exception, this is a standard Kwikset deadbolt with a battery-powered keypad for normal pin entry. It’s a nice-looking lock for fairly standard use cases, unless you decide you want to experiment.

If you have a Wink or Smartthings hub in the home, you can use the Z-Wave feature in the Kwikset 914 to connect the lock to your home network. This means you can unlock the door via IFTTT and lock the door with Amazon Echo, and at $150, you’ll be able to do so without spending a ton of cash.

Smart clearly isn’t the first focus here, but it works well and looks nice in the standard satin nickel finish, as well as polished brass and Venetian bronze.

See at Amazon

Your favorite smart lock?

Let us know is the comments section below what you use to keep your home safe!

Updated June 2017: Updated all four locks in the list with more modern and Android Central-focused recommendations. Alexa and Google Home support prioritized.

Get the paper out on time with Special Delivery on PlayStation VR

Extra! Extra! Read all about it! Special Delivery is here for Playstation VR!

There are some games that look so simple and fun you’re compelled to give them a try immediately. Special Delivery on PlayStation VR is most definitely one of them. You play as the lowest rung on the newspaper food chain: a paperboy who needs to get the news delivered in a timely fashion. Of course as you go you’ll run into rival paper delivery employees, cars intent on running you down, little old ladies crossing the street, and plenty more.

This isn’t quite the VR retelling of the classic Atari game, but it’s a ton of fun. Available now on PlayStation VR, we have all the details for you here!

Read more at VRHeads!

Win a Logitech ZeroTouch road trip prize pack!

A great road trip is just a hand gesture away!

It’s hot. It’s sunny. It’s summer.

It’s road trip time!

As we approach July 4th, we thought it would be a great idea to bring you an amazing contest from our friends at Logitech. The company is promoting its excellent ZeroTouch car phone holder, which uses an innovative mounting method to keep your phone secure and safely usable while in the car, and we’re going to give a few of them away to some lucky Android Central readers.

So what is the ZeroTouch car phone holder? Good question! It magnetically holds your phone in place either through an adhesive dash mount or a secure air vent holder, and uses Logitech’s excellent app to make it easy to interact with your Android phone while on the go. And if you’re in the U.S., ZeroTouch also supports Alexa, which brings a whole new level of intelligence to the experience.

What are the prizes? The grand prize winner gets a Logitech ZeroTouch mount and an amazing UE WONDERBOOM speaker, which is waterproof and amazing for road trips! Two runner up winners get a Logitech ZeroTouch mount!

How do you enter? The contest is open to people in the U.S. and Canada only. Simply enter the contest using the Gleam widget below and we’ll pick three winners at random. The contest ends Thursday, June 29!

Enter this contest to win a free Logitech Zerotouch car phone holder and UE Wonderboom speaker!

Want to learn more about the ZeroTouch from Logitech? Read our review!

The beginner’s guide to Plex

Plex is an amazing tool to access your media content on all your devices. Here’s a quick beginners guide to getting up and running.

Plex is one of those services that has been around for some time but many of us might have passed over for some reason, be it a lack of understanding of what it actually does, thinking it couldn’t possibly be useful to you, or something else entirely. The truth is, Plex could be just what you’re looking for to help you manage your media collection.

Setting up a media server sounds daunting, but Plex makes it super simple — and dare we say, enjoyable. You just need to know where to begin, which is where we come in.

This is our beginner’s guide to Plex.

What is Plex?

The official Plex website describes it quite well:

One window into all your personal media. No matter where you are.

Your personal media. Everything you own, everything you have on your computer, accessible everywhere. On your mobile devices, through the web, even on some smart TVs and set top boxes.

Setting up

Before you can use Plex to access your media on your other devices, you first need to set up your home server. This isn’t nearly as daunting as it sounds and involves downloading the Plex Media Server app to your computer. It comes in flavors for Mac, Windows, and Linux, as well as in a form designed for NAS drives. So it covers lots of bases.

Once installed, getting set up is a simple matter of following instructions in the web client — all your Plex-ing on your computer will be done in a browser — to tell it where to look for various media content. You’ll be hosting the content yourself, so you’ll need to make sure you can get to it at all times if you want to be streaming while away from home. That means storing it all on a laptop you take with you probably isn’t the best idea.

If you have a supported NAS drive, a standalone desktop computer, or even an older, now spare PC, these will be the best options. Ideally, you want something you can leave turned on, connected to the web, and most importantly, something you don’t throw in a rucksack and take on the road with you.

Plex Media Server has also been built for the Netgear X10 router. This is an expensive bit of kit, but it’s also one of the most powerful, fastest Wi-Fi routers on the planet. By installing the special Plex Media Server build on it, you can run the very same system as if you had it on a PC. You can hook it up to a network-attached drive, and you don’t need a PC to be running at all.

When you’re telling Plex where to find your media, it’s important to make sure the files are named in a way the software will understand, and that they’re stored in a folder structure, in the case of TV shows. Plex has some handy hints on how to best prepare your media for your server.

Download Plex Media Server

Additionally, if you’re an NVIDIA Shield TV owner, you can set up Plex Media Server right on the box. No joke!

How to set up Plex Media Server on the NVIDIA Shield TV

Channels — content that isn’t yours

Beyond just your own content, Plex has a bunch of different content channels built in for you to use within the various Plex apps across the platforms. Some of them, like BBC iPlayer, already have good standalone apps for Android and other platforms, but why do in many what you can do in one, right?

Like everything, though, Channels will be region-dependent. So if you can’t get BBC iPlayer on the web or in the Android app where you are, Plex won’t be able to help. There’s a good selection of stuff from global providers, though, such as the TWiT network, 5by5, and Revision 3.

The great thing about channels is that they’re all available to watch in the mobile apps, too, and that also means you can cast them to your Chromecast and watch them on the TV that way.

More on finding Plex channels

What is Plex Pass?

If you find that you like Plex and want to get the most out of it, Plex Pass is something you should consider. It’s an add-on that you can pay for monthly, yearly, or as a lifetime subscription.

Here’s what it does, direct from the Plex support pages:

• Early access to new Plex features.
• Access to preview release versions of the Plex Media Server and other apps before they’re released generally.
• The latest Plex apps for Android and Roku are yours free.
• Premium features like Plex Sync, Cloud Sync and Camera Upload.
• Access to dedicated Plex Pass forums where you can ask the Plex Ninjas questions as well as vote up new feature requests.
• A way to show your direct support for Plex.

We’re not short on photo backup services, but with Plex, you’ll be combining it with the rest of your media collection and as such can access it on any device with a Plex app. It’s also worth paying for if you ever want to offline your media and take it with you.

As for pricing, you’ll pay $4.99 a month, $39.99 a year, or $149.99 for a lifetime subscription.

Some of the more recent features of Plex Pass really take your home media center up a notch such as live TV and DVR. Initially, you’ll only be able to use a limited number of devices with live TV, but the feature will eventually roll out to all apps on all devices.

The NVIDIA Shield TV was the first to support live TV, with the Android mobile version of Plex to follow. To watch live TV in Plex you’ll also need a suitable TV tuner, like the HDHomeRun Connect.

Subscribe to Plex Pass

Plex apps

One of the most appealing parts of Plex is its wide support. Plex is one of the most widely available applications on mobile, desktop, and gaming consoles, with access on the Xbox One and Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4, various smart TVs and set-top boxes such as Roku and NVIDIA Shield along with Android, iOS, and Windows 10.

It doesn’t end there, either, with Plex branching out into Kodi support, too. If you’re looking to create a home theater PC as well as a server, there’s the free Plex Media Player app for your home theater, which is available on Mac, Windows, and even Raspberry Pi.

When it comes to your media, the device you choose shouldn’t hinder your enjoyment. Plex is one service that eliminates that problem almost entirely.

Download Plex for Android from the Google Play Store

Your tips for beginners

That’s just a quick guide to getting up and running with Plex. After you’re set up, there’s a lot you can do with Plex. If you’ve got tips to share, though, be sure to leave them in the comments below.

Update June 2017: Updated with the latest features Plex has to offer.

Flip phones are making a comeback

With the announcement of Samsung’s Galaxy Folder 2 flip phone in South Korea, it’s a wonder if we’re backtracking through time to when phones were simpler things.

I can’t believe I’m writing about a flip phone in 2017, but lo and behold, here we are.

What you see here is Samsung’s Galaxy Folder 2, a flip phone with a 3.8-inch display that’s sandwiched in between a large keypad and an outward-facing metal shell. There are also separate shortcut buttons for quickly accessing contacts, text messages, social channels, and the camera app — just like on the flip phones or yore — in addition to physical Android navigation buttons.

Inside, the Galaxy Folder 2 is a 1.4GHz quad-core processor with 2GB of RAM and 16GB of storage. Fret not about the limited storage space, however, as there’s an additional expansion slot along with a 1950mah battery powering the entire thing.

Unfortunately, even if you wanted to buy this thing for a giggle, you’d have to contend with its year-old, outdated software. The Galaxy Folder 2 runs on Android 6.0 Marshmallow, which is so old. It’s also equipped with 15 special ringtones that, according to a translation of the Korean-written press release, “focus on the audible spectrum of the middle-aged people.”

The Galaxy Folder 2 is only available in South Korea at present. However, it got us thinking: is what’s happening overseas an indication of what’s coming to the mainstream phone market? Are we due for a resurgence of cellphones past? Has nostalgia officially caught up enough that it’s affecting technology, too? What do you think?

BabelOn is trying to create Photoshop for your voice

Speech synthesis — the process of artificially creating the human voice — isn’t anything new. But a startup from San Francisco called BabelOn is working on a particularly unique offshoot of this technology. In a nutshell, BabelOn wants to make it a trivial matter to translate your own voice into another language, even if you don’t speak that language yourself. The company says its combo of software and custom-built hardware can analyze what makes up your voice and then use that to recreate speech that sounds just like you, in a language of your choosing.

Initially, the company wants to use its technology for things like improving dubbed films or localizing video games, but eventually it wants to be able to translate your speech in real time, say while you’re on a Skype call. Microsoft has done this for a while, translating Skype voice calls on the fly, but BabelOn promises that its translations will sound like you, not an anonymous Siri- or Cortana-like digital voice.

It’s an intriguing idea, but let’s be clear: It’s very early days for BabelOn. We haven’t seen the software in action, and the company hasn’t booked a client yet. The company is in negotiations with a video game developer to use BabelOn for translating a forthcoming title, but the deal’s not done yet. There’s promise here but also plenty of potential pitfalls, not the least of which is the idea of someone’s voice being “stolen” and used in a way she didn’t consent to.

Though BabelOn isn’t ready just yet, the idea behind it has existed since 2004. Co-founder Daisy Hamilton’s parents had noticed a demand for better language dubbing in the film industry. They received a patent for the core technology behind BabelOn, but the rest of the technology they needed to make this vision a reality wasn’t around yet.

Now, though, the surrounding technologies and hardware are sophisticated enough that BabelOn can begin to put its idea into practice. The core part of the process is creating a BabelOn Language Information Profile, or BLIP. Over the course of about two hours in the company’s San Francisco studio, an individual’s BLIP is created by having them read specific texts in a variety of emotional states.

But BabelOn doesn’t just capture the sound of a voice. Hamilton described it as looking at your body as an instrument. BabelOn’s custom hardware can capture and analyze your breath, how your voice comes out of your chest and throat, how your mouth moves, and a variety of other key factors. “It’s both visual and vocal feedback that’s captured into a single continuous stream,” Hamilton said.

Once recorded, BabelOn will be able to take your voice and translate it into other languages and replicate the corresponding emotion that a script calls for, without you needing to go out and record entirely new dialogue. Imagine a game company wanting to localize an English voice-acting performance for other countries; BabelOn could let companies use the same voice actor and digitally create her dialogue rather than having to find a native speaker to rerecord the entire script.

To start, the company is focusing on English, French, Spanish, German, Portuguese, Mandarin, Japanese and Hindi, with additional languages coming down the line based on demand. But it’s important to note that you can’t just type words in English into a computer and have BabelOn do both the voice creation and translation: It needs to be provided with a specific script or input in the language you’re looking to translate to. However, you can specify the desired emotional output of the translated performance; Hamilton called it an “emotional markup language.”

As for the hardware itself, it was developed in partnership with the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, a federal institution focused on developing science and technology. It’s actually a variation on hardware that’s been in use by the US Department of Defense for unrelated applications. Hamilton didn’t offer up many other details, but eventually the company hopes to set up multiple studios in locations beyond San Francisco.

Hamilton said it takes a few hours to fully process a script and output it in another language. But with further work and processing improvements, she envisions the system working in near-real time. That’s something that would greatly expand BabelOn’s capabilities beyond films and games. Doing a video call that get translated almost instantly with your own voice could make multi-language conversation a lot more personal and expressive.

But the idea of taking BabelOn to consumers brings up a major security challenge. If the technology to create a BLIP becomes more commonplace and the translation software is used in more applications, it’s easy to imagine voice data being an appealing target for hackers who want to literally put words in someone’s mouth. Hamilton noted that the company has an ethics board to head off potential misuse, but that doesn’t solve the security challenge of keeping your voice safe.

Hamilton addressed those concerns, noting that BabelOn will “use a highly encrypted offline voice vault to store all of the BLIP, which would be curated upon request of the [original] speaker.” Offline storage would certainly make this harder to crack in to, and Hamilton also noted that BLIPs would have a reference visual cue that indicates when voices and languages have been altered. It’s still not clear how this will scale if the service becomes popular, but it’s something BabelOn is aware of. “Security of BLIPs is massively important to us, as we’d never want to threaten someone’s vocal authenticity,” she said.

Security is the kind of challenge that could keep BabelOn from ever being something consumers can use. For people recording dialogue in a movie or game, their BLIP could be destroyed when the work is done. But a tool that can capture and then create language using someone’s voice in real time is basically unheard of and something that could be a huge target for hackers.

BabelOn’s introduction to the public is via an Indiegogo campaign — a strange choice given that the technology isn’t directed at consumers. Hamilton said its purpose is to get funds to extend a software license the company needs to finish its own work. But she also stressed that they have backup plans in place if the campaign doesn’t meet its goal. “It’s just as much about using Indiegogo as a launch pad to put BabelOn out in the world,” Hamilton said.

Hamilton hopes and expects that BabelOn will have its first client soon. If it can get a video game made with BabelOn, it’ll give the company a concrete example of its technology to court other clients and push development forward — but until then, we’re still in the theoretical realm. It’s way too early to know whether this technology will take off with the movie and game companies BabelOn is targeting, let alone whether we’ll see it in consumer-focused products some years down the line.

Source: BabelOn (Indiegogo)

Trump’s infrastructure proposal includes rural broadband expansion

In a speech this week given at Kirkwood Community College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, President Trump said that his upcoming infrastructure plan will include expanded broadband internet access in rural areas. “I will be including a provision in our infrastructure proposal — $1 trillion proposal, you’ll be seeing it very shortly — to promote and foster, enhance broadband access for rural America,” he said.

Access to high-speed internet has persistently been lower in rural areas compared to urban regions — an issue that led the FCC to launch its Connect America Fund, which was approved in 2014. The fund brought $170 million to New York earlier this year and AT&T has begun fulfilling its Connect America Fund promise to expand access, starting with Georgia. Earlier this year, New York Representatives asked the president to include expanded broadband access in his infrastructure plan.

In a statement to reporters before the president’s speech, US Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue said, “We think we ought to have the same push to have broadband connectivity all over the country because in the 21st century it is just as important as a telephone, water, sewer, roads. It has become an infrastructure of necessity.”

Source: Bloomberg

Mars Rover’s AI is really good at selecting rocks to analyze

If we truly want to go to Mars, then we really need to know what it’s made of — it’s hard to bring everything you need from Earth. NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover has been using specialized AI software to zap soil and rocks on the planet this past year to discover what each is made of. The software that guides the rover’s efforts is called AEGIS, or Autonomous Exploration for Gathering Increased Science. AEGIS allows the rover to get more science of this nature done while Curiosity is out of contact with its human controllers, according to a new paper published by NASA in Science Robotics.

“Time is precious on Mars,” said lead system engineer Raymond Francis in a statement. “AEGIS allows us to make use of time that otherwise wasn’t available because we were waiting for someone on Earth to make a decision.”

The AEGIS software operates in two different ways: autonomous target selection and autonomous pointing refinement. Basically, these two systems allow the rover to select targets and refine its own laser targeting to analyze samples chosen according to the parameters scientists have selected beforehand. The software has performed at a very high level, exceeding 93 percent accuracy when choosing the correct materials to analyze. According to the paper, the AEGIS autonomous system has “substantially reduced lost time on the mission” and increased the speed of data collection. Before AEGIS was implemented last year, the rover carried out blind targeting, just in case it hit something worthwhile. “Half the time it would just hit soil — which was also useful, but rock measurements are much more interesting to our scientists,” Francis said.

The system has been so useful that NASA is including AEGIS in its upcoming Mars 2020 mission, with an updated version of the imaging system called SuperCam. This new device will have more advanced analysis capabilities to study the crystal structure of rocks.

Source: ScienceRobotics, JPL