OnePlus 3 and 3T to receive Android O update by the end of 2017

Android O will be rolling out to the OnePlus 3 and 3T before December 31, 2017.

Remember when OnePlus kicked off the Nougat update for the OnePlus 3 and 3T on December 31, 2016? The company is once again committing to deliver the next platform update before the end of the year, which in this case is Android O.

OnePlus announced its intention to roll out Android O to the OnePlus 3 and 3T by the end of the year in yesterday’s AMA session on Reddit. While the company didn’t mention the update cycle for the OnePlus 5, it’s safe to assume the phone will also pick up Android O at the same time or before its predecessors.

OnePlus has improved its update reliability in recent months — the OnePlus 5 has already picked up two updates — but the company’s decision to not roll out Nougat to the OnePlus 2 wasn’t its producest moment. This time around, OnePlus is making sure it delivers two platform updates for the OnePlus 3 and 3T.

OnePlus 3T and OnePlus 3

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

OnePlus
Amazon

Google Pixel 2: Release date, rumours and everything you need to know

We’re into the cycle where all the phones of the year get updated – Samsung, LG, Sony and Huawei all launched new devices at Mobile World Congress or around it. Nokia also rejoined this list and HTC has revealed its latest.

Heading toward the end of 2017 we’ll see the update to the iPhone 8, the Galaxy Note 8 and Google’s new phone, which we’ll call the Pixel 2. 

Rumours have already suggested that the Pixel 2 codenames might be Muskie, Walleye and Taimen, although the latest information suggests that one of these models – Muskie – has been dropped, leaving us with two new potential Pixel handsets for 2017.

Google Pixel 2: Design

• Taimen = Pixel 2 XL; Walleye = Pixel 2
• Could be HTC manufacture
• LG might also be involved
• Waterproofing likely to be included

Design is the thing that has probably divided people the most when it comes to the Pixel. Although the body is a high quality design, the top glass section has drawn a lot of criticism. It makes the phone a little different, making it distinctive so it sits apart from the iPhone and all of Android’s metal phones.

It was confirmed by Rick Osterloh, senior vice president of hardware at Google, that the Pixel 2 will still be a premium offering in 2017, providing the first bit of information on the new phones.

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Prior to the launch of the Pixel, it was rumoured that HTC had signed up to manufacture multiple devices across the next 3 years, so they might be the hardware partner once again. We’ve also recently seen a report that claims that some codenames were lurking in the HTC U11’s files which might point to HTC’s involvement with the new Pixel devices.

Reports coming from “sources familiar with the matter” talking to XDA suggest that the Taimen, the larger device, will keep the two-tone glass and metal design of the Pixel, although it won’t now house the fingerprint scanner. There’s no mention of where that might move to.

There is also talk of LG having something to do with the “Taimen” codenamed device, which is thought to be the new Pixel XL. This could be about build, but it might simply be that LG Display is providing the OLED display for the phone. At the moment it’s not clear if LG is building one and HTC the other, or exactly what the position is.

The fundamental failing of the Pixel is the lack of waterproofing: with many competitors offering protection, for the price that Google is asking the Pixel 2 needs to step up with a solid IP rating. That’s something that HTC added to the U11, so as a build partner, they now appear to have all the skills.

Waterproofing wsa apparently something that was attempted for the Pixel, but eventually dropped, but there’s an unconfirmed rumour that’s been mentioned to 9to5Google, shared via Twitter.

Little tidbit we were told in October last year that I forgot about: “Waterproofing definitely coming with next Pixel device.”

— Stephen Hall (@hallstephenj) January 25, 2017

Google Pixel 2: Display

• Potential shift to 18:9 display
• 4.97 and 5.99-inch displays rumoured

With two Pixel models on offer giving you the choice of 5.0 or 5.5-inches, we’re not really looking for a huge change. We also wouldn’t expect a shift in resolution. The 2560 x 1440 pixels offered gives you the detail when magnified in a Daydream headset, it’s crisp and sharp in all things.

There are rumours of changing the display aspect, however, very much in the style of LG and Samsung’s 2017 flagships. The information is limited with a reported benchmark result suggesting a 5.6-inch screen with a 2560 x 1312 pixel resolution. However, this report isn’t corroborated anywhere, so it’s difficult to believe.

Taimen

However, the report from XDA suggests that the new Pixel XL 2 will have a 5.99-inch display, but only mentions a 1440p resolution. That could see a shift back to Nexus 6 sizes, or a be a shift in aspect: the Galaxy S8+ is 6.2-inch in 18.5:9, but has 2960 x 1440 pixels. Until we hear more, it’s difficult to discern the aspect. It’s either a huge phone, or jumping on the latest trend.

There is a little more information which is that the bezels are going to be smaller.

Walleye

The smaller phone is reported to have a 4.97-inch display. This is likely to come out as a 5-inch display meaning no great shift from the Pixel. In this case, the XDA report mentions that it’s “Full HD”, or 1920 x 1080 pixels, suggesting that this handset would be a regular 16:9 aspect, at least.

Google Pixel 2: Specs and hardware

• Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 suggested

When it comes to power, the 2016 Pixel devices opted for a new chip – Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 – a step-up over most of 2016’s flagship phones. Qualcomm doesn’t stand still and the Snapdragon 835 is rolling out.

We’d expect the Snapdragon 835 to feature in the Pixel 2, supported by at least 4GB of RAM. With some companies pushing to 6GB, that may be a suggestion, although we’re yet to see any real demand for that sort of increase. That said, there has been talk of Google testing a couple of different chipsets from Qualcomm, Intel and even a custom chip. Rumour has it there may also be a Pixel 2B handset, which will apparently be cheaper with less powerful hardware.

The use of Snapdragon 835 is again reported by XDA from a source, so at the moment it seems the most likely.

We’d expect storage options to start at 32GB as they currently do and as Google has avoided microSD card support, we don’t think there will be any luck there.

We’d expect USB Type-C as the standard moving forward, as well as a fingerprint scanner, likely on the rear, unless there are serious moves to embrace a scanner under the glass on the front. This is a technology that’s already been demonstrated by Qualcomm, so it’s not impossible.

There’s no telling what the battery capacity might be, but with 3500mAh offering the performance many want, we’d expect that sort of battery size to be crammed into the frame.

Google Pixel 2: Audio and speakers

• 3.5mm headphone socket could go
• Dual front speakers on the Walleye

A new piece of information has suggested that the Pixel 2 (Walleye, the smaller device), might feature dual front firing speakers and lose the 3.5mm headphone socket. As HTC is suggest as the build partner for the phone, this sounds very much like HTC of old. BoomSound in a Pixel? It looks like that might happen.

The loss of the 3.5mm headphone socket might set alarm bells ringing for some though as that suggests we’re looking at USB Type-C audio for the Pixel 2. At the moment it’s not clear whether this will apply to both sizes of phone or just one.

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Google Pixel 2: Cameras

Perhaps the biggest movement in cameras at the moment is dual-lens cameras. While LG, Huawei and Apple have all embraced this trend in 2016, we’re yet to see if the likes of Samsung will adopt the format too. From a competitive point of view, Google may choose to use a dual-lens camera to add customer appeal.

It has been claimed the Pixel 2 will have a much improved camera, though it apparently won’t be all about megapixels and more about extra features instead. The Pixel is coming from a strong place for photography, unlike the previous Nexus handsets, so we hope that continues.

• Dual lens smartphone cameras: The history running up to iPhone 7 Plus

Google Pixel 2: Software

The Pixel launched with Android 7 Nougat and a selection of exclusive features, like Google Assistant, Pixel Launcher and the Pixel camera. That unique software position is being chipped away as features appear elsewhere, but we’d expect the Pixel 2 to debut Google’s new software version with a few unique features again.

Android O is currently in development, it was launched as a dev beta, showcasing a number of new features. There’s rumours that the current Pixel handsets will have Android O in August, suggesting that it’s further ahead in development than in previous years. Android O looks to boost a lot in the background, increasing speed and security and add features like picture-in-picture.

• Android O: Features, release date and everything you need to know

Google Pixel 2: Release date

Google launches its phones towards the end of the year, so we wouldn’t expect to see a new device from Google until around October 2017.

It has been claimed the Pixel 2 will see a price increase of $50 and be aimed at a different market to the cheaper Pixel 2B that is also being talked about. One thing is clear: Google has failed to meet demand with the Pixel, so needs to think bigger with the Pixel 2.

Rick Osterloh, SVP of hardware at Google also confirmed in an interview that “there is an annual rhythm in the industry. So, you can count on us to follow it”, suggesting that Pixel 2 will follow a similar cycle to the first device.

We will keep you posted.

Can’t buy a SNES Classic Mini? How to build your own retro console for just £50

Like vinyl records, The Crystal Maze and seaside holidays, retro gaming is in the middle of a resurgence. There are reimagined machines based on both the ZX Spectrum and Commodore 64, and the Xbox, PlayStation and Nintendo download stores are crammed with old classics or retro-inspired games.

There is also the NES Classic Mini, reviewed here and, recently announced, its successor, the SNES Classic Mini. Both are Nintendo’s own stab at recapturing some of the company’s former glories through rereleased 80s games. There’s only one snag: the former is completely sold out and Nintendo has no plans to manufacture any more units.

Even pre-orders for the SNES Classic Mini went past faster than a rocket-powered cheetah. So you may well have missed out.

There is an alternative though, you can make your own retro games console.

We’ve done exactly that, using a Raspberry Pi 3 Model B and a free download of Retropie. What’s more, because the latter software sets up the final build with emulation for a vast number of computers and consoles, it can be argued that you end up with a machine that’s a lot better than Nintendo’s much sought-after boxes.

• 5 fun Raspberry Pi projects you can do with your kids

You have to source the games online yourself, as you can only legally download and play them if you own the originals or if their licence has expired, but technically you can build a console that is capable of playing games for more than 50 systems. That includes NES and SNES, but also Megadrive/Genesis, N64, ZX Spectrum, C64, PlayStation, Amiga, Atari St and more.

Interested? Well, here’s how to do it…

What you need and how much it costs

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Raspberry Pi 3 Model B – from £30

• Order from here

You can actually use a Raspberry Pi 2 or even a first generation version, but they are slower in operation and will therefore struggle with some games. For the price you are best opting for the Pi 3 Model B and then you also get Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity built in.

Raspberry Pi 3 case – from £5

• Order from here

There are plenty on the market including some for even less than a fiver. It’s up to you how you’d like your finished console to look. We particularly like the sloped white and red case recently released, but are equally as enamoured by a simple black case that suits the rest of the kit under our telly.

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microSD card (16GB) – from £7

• Order from here

We actually opted for a 64GB microSD card at around £16, but to keep within the £50 budget, a 16GB version does the job just as well. It will more than hold the Retropie operating system, plus has plenty of space left over for games.

Raspberry Pi 3 power supply – from £6

• Order from here

If you have a standard mini-USB cable to hand, that will do to power your Pi. However, for the full effect we’ve added its own, dedicated power unit. Third-party versions can be sourced for cheap.

HDMI cable – from £1

• Order from here

A HDMI cable from the pound shop will do just as well as any other. Or you can get them online for around the same price.

Additional accessories

You will also need a joypad of some description. There are dedicated USB controllers, even some styled around the original SNES or N64 pads, which go well. That’s why we’ve chosen the former – an iBuffalo Classic USB Gamepad, which looks exactly like the PAL Super Nintendo pad from yesteryear. You can also get versions based on the purple Super Famicom design.

You can also get a Bluetooth retro controller, such as the 8bitdo SFC30, which will sync with your Raspberry Pi 3 wirelessly.

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If you have a spare Xbox 360 or PS3 pad lying around, they work too. We particularly like the fact you can pair a PS3 DualShock with the final console to work wirelessly, even turning the machine on using the PlayStation button. Even a PS4 DualShock 4 is claimed to work wirelessly.

It’s a complicated process though, which you can read about here.

It is also handy to have a USB keyboard to hand too as you will need to input text during the process.

Software

The Raspberry Pi 3 itself comes with four USB 2.0 ports, an Ethernet port, HDMI output and power socket. It also has a microSD card slot which is compatible with a large array of different cards, including some 128GB cards.

The card will double as storage space for the device, but you also flash it with the user interface and software you desire.

There are several operating systems available, with Noobs and Raspbian being the most popular. They are all based on Linux, but the one we are interested in for our retro games console is Retropie.

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Retropie

Retropie is free software available to download here. It builds upon the Raspbian system but stands alone. It gives access to the host of console and computer emulators needed to play games, and also other software such as the media player and streaming platform Kodi.

You essentially download it and install it onto your microSD card (previous Pi computers use a standard sized SD card instead). Then, when inserted into the Raspberry Pi, it will boot automatically and present a user-friendly interface that makes it a doddle to get to and choose your favourite games.

In essence it turns a small, barebones computer into a fully-fledged games console. For free.

Step 1: Install Retropie

After downloading the file marked as a Retropie SD-card image from the Retropie website (there are two different files, one for Pi 0 or 1 and one for the Pi 2 or 3, so make sure you get the right one), you need to install it onto your microSD card.

You’ll need a PC or Mac and a microSD card slot or reader. You will also need software that can extract a .gz file. And a tool to install the .img file found in the compressed file onto the card.

For the PC, you can use Win32DiskImager. Mac users can use Apple Pi Baker. They are both free to download and install.

Linux users can get instructions of how to burn the image onto a card here.

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Step 2: Insert microSD card into Raspberry Pi 3

On the underside of the Raspberry Pi 3 there is a tiny slot for the microSD card. Most cases also have an opening for you to insert the card without having to take the Pi board back out.

Insert the card and plug the Raspberry Pi in to power it (it doesn’t come with a physical power switch as standard). Beforehand, also ensure that it is connected to your TV, monitor or AV receiver through HDMI. And it is advised at this point that you have a keyboard plugged into one of the USB ports – a gamepad too.

Step 3: Boot-up and joypad configuration

The first time you switch it on, the Raspberry Pi will run through installation procedures and set itself up fully. You will be greeted by the Retropie loading screen and then joypad configuration software.

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You have to assign the different buttons of the gamepad by pressing each as requested. Sometimes you will be asked to press the corresponding key when there isn’t one, such as on the SNES-style pad. Just hold any button in that case and it will skip that input. We also found that the SNES pad’s top bumpers worked as LEFT BOTTOM and RIGHT BOTTOM buttons rather than those listed TOP.

Once the pad is configured you will find yourself in Emulation Station, a front-end that has easy, graphical access to each of the different emulators on offer.

At the beginning, you’ll not see that many as they only appear when you add ROMs – the game files for each system. Before you do though, there are a few sub-steps we advise going through first.

Step 4: Wi-Fi and screen size

To begin with, the Raspberry Pi 3 has wireless and wired internet connectivity. If you want to set it up through Wi-Fi, you need to go into the Retropie menu and down to the “WIFI” section. There you will be given the option to choose your Wi-Fi connection from a list and enter your security key. You’ll need a keyboard plugged in for this.

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Another thing you might find that you need to do from the off is change the screen size. We run our Raspberry Pi console on a 65-inch 4K LG OLED TV (oh yes) and from the beginning it doesn’t expand to fit the entire screen – there is a large black border surrounding the menu and, subsequently, any games we run.

There doesn’t seem to be a menu option to correct this, but you can simply get rid of the borders by editing a config file in the command prompt. You get there by quitting EmulationStation. Then enter “sudo nano /boot/config.txt” on your keyboard without the quotation marks. Note there is also a space between “nano” and “/boot”.

This will open the boot config file. Scroll down to “#disable_overscan=1” delete the hashtag so it just reads “disable_overscan=1”. Save it using CTRL X and then Y, then press ENTER to confirm. Now reenter EmulationStation by typing “emulationstation” into the prompt (without the quote marks again) and then quit and restart system.

The black surround should be gone.

Step 5: Add ROMs (games)

While Retropie and the EmulationStation are fantastic pieces of software, bar one or two exceptions, the emulators don’t come with games pre-installed. You’ll have to therefore find the games yourself.

This is where it gets a bit dodgy when it comes to copyright.

If you don’t already own a game, downloading and installing a ROM on Retropie is 99.9 per cent of the time illegal. That’s why we’re not going to actively tell you to go and download classic SNES, NES, Mega Drive or other console games from the past. We will though point you to some online resources that might have them available for download and then you can decide whether you want to or not.

One excellent site for ROM files is Emuparadise. It has a vast number of ROMs and ISO files for many of the consoles and computers supported by Retropie, including Super Nintendo, NES, N64 and many more, even PSOne games.

Another we have loved throughout the years is World of Spectrum, which stores thousands of ZX Spectrum games available to download. It’s a fantastic resource of everything Speccy even if you don’t download the files.

Then there’s c64.com for Commodore 64 games.

To be honest, you only need type “ROMs” into Google and you’ll find plenty of download sites.

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Once you’ve downloaded ROMs onto your PC you need to transfer them onto the Raspberry Pi itself and you’ll need a USB memory stick for that. It’s actually a doddle to do and here’s how:

• Insert a USB stick (formatted to FAT32) into a spare port on your PC or Mac.
• Create a folder on the stick called “retropie” (without the quotation marks).
• Remove the stick from your computer.
• Insert the stick into one of the spare ports on your Raspberry Pi and wait for a while. This is because Retropie is creating the correct folder system on the stick that it needs to recognise ROMs.
• Remove it from the Raspberry Pi.
• Insert it back into your computer’s USB port and you’ll see that there are are folders for all the major different console and computer types inside “retropie/roms/”.
• Just add the relevant ROMs into the respective console or computer folder.
• Unplug the stick from your computer and plug it back into your Raspberry Pi.
• You’ll need to wait for the Pi to recognise all of the ROMs and it can take quite a while depending on how many you have.
• Refresh EmulationStation by hitting “F4” on your keyboard or through the start menu.
• The games should be available under the logo for each console or computer.
• Bingo.

We’ve actually found that this process can take a while to complete for the ROMs to be ready and playable. You might also find some ROMs just won’t work. Not all the emulators are perfect and the older the games machine, the more likely they will work properly.

In addition, not all file types will be recognised by each emulator. And some emulators require BIOS images before they work (such as the Amiga).

You can find out more, and which file types are best for each emulator at github.com.

Step 5: Tidying the games lists

When you first add ROMs, they will be presented in the menu for each emulator in a list as a file name. However, you can make the whole interface look more professional and Plex-like by “scraping” the metadata and cover art from the internet.

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Before you start, you should expand the usable space left on your microSD/SD card. When Retropie installs, it only uses a fraction of the card’s storage space, but the installation process can lock off the rest of the card, preventing you from writing information – such as metadata – to the remainder.

Just head to the Retropie menu, select Raspi-config and the top option in the subsequent menu enables you to expand the filesystem.

When you return, there is a Scraper option in the menu which will search for the correct game art and details for every ROM you have stored. You can also filter for a specific machine and there are two different resource sites that can be selected.

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Depending on your internet connection, this is either a speedy or lengthy process, but we think it’s worthwhile for the end results.

Conclusion

Of course if all this sounds a little too complicated you can keep checking Amazon.co.uk to see if either of the Classic Minis are back in stock. But we think it’s worth persevering.

Above are the basic steps you need to perform to set up your Raspberry Pi/Retropie games console and they really aren’t that hard. There are plenty of other tweaks and improvements you can make, including the installation of less stable emulators to play even more game types (such as Sega Saturn).

You can also overclock your Raspberry Pi 3 to get rid of some errors in games, specifically with N64 games where they can often have issues with sound. Overclocking the Pi might be hazardous and cause it to dramatically overheat – it will shorten its life for sure. If you really want to though, here’s a video on how to do it.

We’re just thrilled to have a fully working NES, SNES and Mega Drive games console that’s the size of a kitchen box of matches, to be honest. One that we can tap into any time we like. The upscaling tech also works brilliantly on our 4K TV, with no blur or drop out.

It is quite simply awesome and we thoroughly recommend it to every games player out there.

OnePlus 5 now available to order, here’s how you can get yours

The OnePlus 5 was officially announced just over a week ago and gained the full five stars from Pocket-lint when it went under review. It’s a fantastic phone that still manages to comfortably compete with, and on occasion perform better, than the majority of 2017’s flagship phones.

• OnePlus 5 review: The flagship-killer’s coming of age
• OnePlus 5 tips and tricks: The essential guide to the flagship killer

Once again, OnePlus has somehow managed to price the phone much lower than its peers, and now you can buy one of your very own.

The only places in the UK you can buy a OnePlus 5 is either from OnePlus directly, for a SIM-free unlocked model in Slate Gray or Midnight Black, or from O2 on a monthly contract or on a pay as you go tariff.

The OnePlus 5 is available in two different storage options, and its colour denotes which one you’ve chosen. If you buy directly from OnePlus, you have a very simple choice to make:

• Slate Gray, 6GB RAM, 64GB storage – £449
• Midnight Black, 8GB RAM, 128GB storage – £499

If you get one from O2, then there are a few different options you can choose from. For the OnePlus 5 in Slate Gray, these are the available tariffs. All of them have a £9.99 upfront cost:

• Unlimited minutes, unlimited texts, 1GB data – £38/month
• Unlimited minutes, unlimited texts, 6GB data – £41/month
• Unlimited minutes, unlimited texts, 15GB data – £45/month
• Unlimited minutes, unlimited texts, 30GB data – £49/month

For the OnePlus 5 in Midnight Black, the following tariffs are available, again, all with a £9.99 upfront cost:

• Unlimited minutes, unlimited texts, 1GB data – £40/month
• Unlimited minutes, unlimited texts, 6GB data – £43/month
• Unlimited minutes, unlimited texts, 15GB data – £47/month
• Unlimited minutes, unlimited texts, 30GB data – £51/month

Alternatively, you can get the Slate Gray OnePlus 5 on a pay as you go tariff for £465.99, or the Midnight Black version for £513.99.

Honor 9 European launch event: Watch the #LightCatcher livestream here

Honor, the fun and funky sub-brand of Huawei, is expected to launch the Honor 9 in Europe today, 27 June, and you can watch the action right here on Pocket-lint.

It’s calling the launch event “Meet the #LIGHTCATCHER” and you can watch it via the livestream below.

It starts at 1pm BST (2pm CEST) so you can watch it from then.

The Honor 9 was officially announced for the Chinese market earlier in June and while the UK and Europe might get a modified version, there are many clues as to the specifications we can look forward to.

It has a 5.15-inch Full HD display with slightly curved 2.5D glass. The Kirin 960 processor runs the show, with two variants available in China – one featuring 4GB of RAM and 64GB, and one with 6GB of RAM and either 64GB or 128GB of storage. We don’t yet know which we’ll get.

A microSD card slot is available to expand that by up to 256GB.

A dual camera is on the rear, with two sensors – one 20-megapixel the other 12-megapixel.

It has a 3,200mAh battery, Android 7.0 Nougat on board and Huawei’s EMUI 5.1 layered on top.

Price details and stockists are yet to come in, as are which coloured variants will make it to the UK.

Panasonic DMP-UB400 Ultra HD Blu-ray player review: Packs a punch for an affordable price

Panasonic was one of the first companies out of the gate with an Ultra HD Blu-ray player in 2016. The UB900 – still the flagship player from Panasonic – offered superb handling of the new 4K disc format, but came at a price that would only attract home cinema purists.

In 2017, there’s a bigger shift to move the format along, delivering players at more affordable prices. The UB400 on review here is a perfect example of such a player.

But when you’re dealing with Ultra HD Blu-ray, should you be stepping down to more affordable players, or shooting for the more capable models?

Panasonic UB400 review: Design and remote

• 320 x 199 x 45mm
• Looks like a “mini UB700”

The first thing you’ll notice about the UB400 is that it drops the size down from the normal 400mm width to 320mm, so it’s more compact than some of the other players on the market. This has been something that’s often been associated with more affordable devices, but in many cases there’s not the need for such a large player anyway – especially when the rear panel isn’t fully loaded with connections.

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Panasonic has adopted the glossy front from both the UB900 and UB700 for this model too, giving a seamless finish – there’s no drawer, just the angular edges to that frontispiece. The rest of the body is black metal, but you’re unlikely to spend any time looking at that.

• A closer look at Panasonic’s Ultra HD Blu-ray player line-up: UB900, UB700, UB400, UB310, UB300

There’s no display on the UB400, just a single red LED which will indicate power. There is a cooling fan on the rear and there’s some residual noise from this as it keeps the innards cool. 

The remote for the UB400 is essentially the same as that of the UB700. It’s plastic and features plenty of buttons – indeed, there are more than you’re likely to ever use. However, there are some special buttons, like the “playback info” button that will report what formats and standards you’re playing, which is one that we geeks especially love.

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A new addition – and also one of the features making its debut here – is a button called “HDR setting” which essentially lets you change the brightness of the HDR effect (which we’ll talk about in more later).

Panasonic UB400 review: Connectivity

• 2x HDMI (one a dedicated audio connection)
• 2x USB
• Ethernet and Wi-Fi
• Optical audio

Although the UB400 slims down a little, it still delivers a full range of connectivity that will suit most users. First and foremost there are two HDMI connections on the rear, one dedicated to audio, meaning you can have a connection that runs to your TV for the visuals and a separate feed to an AV receiver for the audio. 

This not only gives you flexibility, but if you’ve got a new 4K TV, but an older sound system that lacks 4K pass-through, you can still have the audio piped directly into that. For those with fewer connections, there’s also an optical audio output on this player, so you can easily hook into most legacy systems.

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When it comes to network connectivity, there’s an Ethernet connection on the rear so it can be hardwired to your network, or there’s the option of Wi-Fi. Exactly which you’ll want to use depends on a full range of considerations, such as whether you plan to use the smart features of this player to stream content either from online sources or from your local network.

Finally there are 2x USB connections. These till again allow you to add media, or hook-up a HDD with more video files, should you wish.

Panasonic UB400 review: Performance and playback

• HDR effect control
• Same video processing as UB900
• Supports 3D

The important thing to note about the UB400 is that it offers the same video processing engine as Panasonic’s top two players, meaning it’s pictures are every bit as good looking. There has been some evolution of the 4K HDR space since we reviewed the first two players and accordingly you’ll find things like the option to convert HLG content to regular HDR for playback on TVs that might not support that standard. 

• What is Hybrid Log Gamma (HLG) and why should you care? 

There are plenty of settings to control the playback, so you can specify the particulars of the TV to which the player is connected, such as whether it’s a 10-bit panel (such as the Samsung QLED Q7F we tested it with), or a 12-bit panel, like the LG OLED B6.

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In most cases, however, there’s no need to change anything (ensuring that the TV itself has the HDMI port you connect to on the right settings) and you can safely leave things on the automatic settings – which is what Panasonic recommends.

There are also a number of controls on the audio front, so you can choose whether the Dolby and DTS decoding is handled by the player, outputting PCM, or you can have your receiver do the decoding. Again, this very much depends on what hardware you already have and what formats are supported. 

As with Panasonic’s previous players, we found that the performance is excellent, delivering that crisp 3840 x 2160 resolution, boosted with HDR. We tested the player with the Samsung QLED Q7F and the Samsung MU7000 televisions, both delivering stunning results, surpassing the quality of 4K streaming. We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again: Ultra HD Blu-ray really is the superior format for next-gen entertainment. 

One of the new introductions on the UB400 is that HDR settings feature. We’ve seen this sort of option appearing in a number of different places – some TVs will let you change the HDR effect and now this player will too.

The odd thing is that HDR was first pitched as being “as the director intended” with the source telling the display exactly how bright it should be and so on. That idealistic position hasn’t lasted long, then, as if you want things to be brighter, you can just hit the button and change the settings from the player for the movie you’re watching. It’s actually fairly convenient, more convenient than diving into your TV’s settings, and from the standard you can select natural, light and bright.

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Flipping to natural might give things a little lift, although ultimately you’ll have to decide whether your TV needs to be adjusted as a larger issue, or if you just want to lighten something that’s a little too dark for your tastes. We found that the top two settings (light and bright) cause a noticeable loss of contrast, with highlights losing detail and shadows losing those crisp blacks. We tested this in some of the dark scenes of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them and, generally speaking, it’s a little too easy to destroy the fidelity of those scenes. 

Flip over to regular Blu-ray and that HDR setting is no longer an option. Blu-ray is very well handled by this player with richness and detail, ensuring that those last-gen discs still have plenty to offer, including support for 3D. DVD plays nicely too, but as home TVs are growing larger, there’s only so much you can do to cater for the comparative lack of resolution.

Overall, the performance of this player is very good and priced as low as £250 on Amazon.co.uk at the time of review, it ultimately helps bring Ultra HD Blu-ray to more people.

• 17 best 4K Ultra HD Blu-rays available to buy now

Panasonic UB400 review: User interface and streaming services 

• Netflix, Amazon Video and other services
• Basic menu system

So far, everything we’ve covered has been positive, as this player offers almost all the benefits of the top-tier players (bar higher-end sound outputs) at a fraction of the cost. But it also adopts some of the elements of those players that are weaker.

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Starting at the front, the UB400 is a little slow to turn on and off. This was the same with the UB900 and we can’t help thinking that it could be faster. That said, disc loading is pretty fast once you get going.

Panasonic’s biggest problem really lies in the UX, or user experience, once you get into the menus. The main menu is rather dated, lacking the sort of consumer-friendly sheen you get from Samsung’s players, for example. If you’re just loading a disc and playing it, that really doesn’t matter too much, although those who want to tinker in the settings will find it’s a little clunky navigating around.

There’s a jarring difference in the main menus and the menu for the network services and there seems to be no good reason for that – it feels like two different people worked on design and then just lumped them together.

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There are also the defacto streaming services on offer – supported by the dedicated Netflix button on the remote. If you want to use this player to watch BBC iPlayer, Amazon Video or YouTube, those services are there. However, the experience is clunky compared to any major smart TV.But that’s also the reason that this low point might not matter: the 4K HDR TV you’ll be connecting this player to almost certainly offers those services too, so you might never have to use them on this player.

Verdict

Ultra HD Blu-ray has had its time as an enthusiast format: an expensive nicety for the early adopter. With 4K TV adoption increasing, we can’t settle the argument as to whether Ultra HD Blu-ray will find as many fans as streaming 4K content, but we’re happy to say it’s the best quality of the bunch.

The Panasonic UB400 doesn’t make any huge breakthroughs, but it does launch with prices that are a lot more appealing. Panasonic also undercuts itself with the UB300, which loses the second HDMI and Wi-Fi of the UB400, but sees the price tumble another £50, accepting a design that’s a little more basic.

• Best 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray players 2017

For home cinema enthusiasts there’s a lot of high-end choice now available. The UB900 is much more advanced as an audio player, as is the Oppo UDP-203, both looking to deliver the best there is and bringing a wider package for those high demand users.

But for everyone else, the UB400 makes perfect sense. It plays well, it’s affordable and it doesn’t scrimp on essential connectivity, making it an easy route to Ultra HD Blu-ray enjoyment.

The alternatives to consider

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Samsung UBD-K8500 Ultra HD Blu-ray player

Read the full article: Samsung K8500 review

Oppo UDP-203

Read the full article: Oppo UDP-203 review

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Panasonic DMP-UB900

Read the full article: Panasonic UB900 review

Honor 9 arrives in UK with dual cameras and ultra-shiny Sapphire Blue finish

When it comes to mid-level phones, Honor has long been one of the go-to brands to consider. To call the new Honor 9 “mid-level” would arguably be a disservice, however, given the serious spec and standout design positives of this affordable smartphone.

The Honor 9 is the update to the Honor 8, embodying a similar presentation: the slender 7.45mm device comes with a Sapphire Blue finish, which catches light and reflections as if it’s multi-layered, in a way that few other handsets can (save for the HTC U11).

Look closer, however, and it’s clear the design has had more attention for this iteration. The Honor 9’s 3D curved glass back and 2.5D glass front give the device a real appearance of depth, with that 5.15-inch 1080p screen almost jumping off the surface of the phone.

Spec-wise, the Honor 9 pulls in a specification much like the Huawei P10: there’s a Kirin 960 processor, 4GB RAM, 64GB storage, updated dual cameras (20-megapixel monochrome and 12-megapixel colour), and a ceramic fingerprint sensor as the headline features.

If anything the Honor 9 makes the Huawei P10 a nonsense choice. Given the Honor is £380 – which is about a £185 saving compared to the Huawei – it does make us wonder why the Chinese maker continues to run its two brands so closely alongside one another.

We’ll be at the Honor 9’s European launch and will be picking up a device for review. So keep an eye on the site in the coming weeks for a full review.

If you’re already tempted by what you’ve seen then the Honor 9 is available for pre-order right now, priced £380, or will be available via Three on contract from 3 July 2017.

Honor 9 vs Honor 8: What’s the difference?

If you’re looking for a relatively affordable mid-level phone then Honor’s unveiling of the Honor 9 may well have sparked your interest – and not just because of its spangly Sapphire Blue finish. For this £380 phone delivers plenty of bang for your buck.

Compared to last year’s Honor 8

, the newer model delivers some nips and tucks on the design front, enhanced dual cameras, along with revamped innards for greater power – but without a significant price bump between the two generations.

Here’s the skinny on how the Honor 9 differs from the Honor 8.

Honor 9 vs Honor 8: Design

• Honor 8: 145.5 x 71 x 7.5mm; 153g
• Honor 9: 147.3 x 70.9 x 7.45mm; 155g
• Honor 8: rear-mounted fingerprint scanner
• Honor 9: front-mounted ceramic fingerprint scanner

At first glance the two phones have a similar look – mainly because of that distinct blue finish (grey-white and black are also available in the Honor 9) and the way it catches light. In the Honor 9 the rear is a 15 layer build, with a three-dimensional curve for added depth.

The Honor 9 also does away with the rear-positioned fingerprint scanner of the Honor 8, instead placing a ceramic one to the front, much like a Home key as you’ll find on an increasing number of devices these days.

Size-wise, it’s great to see the Honor 9 sticking to a similar footprint to the earlier Honor 8. This isn’t a giant phone – there’s the Honor 8 Pro for that – which means it’s easy to hold in the one hand. The Honor 9 has even trimmed a couple of millimetres in width compared to the Honor 8.

Honor 9 vs Honor 8: Display

• Honor 8: 5.2-inch, 1920 x 1080 resolution IPS LCD
• Honor 9: 5.15-inch, 1920 x 1080 resolution IPS LCD with 2.5D glass

By marginally condensing the size of the device, the Honor 9 also has an ever so slightly smaller screen than the Honor 8: it’s 5.15-inches rather than 5.2-inches.

Resolution is one and the same for the two devices, however, at 1080p. No qHD resolution to be found here, but that’s no surprise and, realistically, not a necessary spec requirement at this scale and price point.

Honor 9 vs Honor 8: Battery, hardware & software

• Honor 8: 3,000mAh; Honor 9: 3,200mAh battery capacity
• Honor 8: Kirin 950 (2.3GHz) chipset, 4GB RAM; Honor 9: Kirin 960 (2.4GHz) chipset, 4GB RAM
• Both: dual SIM / second slot acts as microSD card expansion
• Both: EMUI 5.1 software skin over Android 7.1

In addition to the updated design, the Honor 9 also ramps things up on the hardware front. With the latest Kirin 960 processor, paired with 4GB RAM, this device is every bit as powerful as the Huawei P10. That’s a generational step-up compared to the Honor 8.

Both phones come with a microSD slot (it’s the second SIM slot) to expand the on-board memory. And with 64GB as standard, the Honor 9 has plenty of storage on offer as standard (the Honor 8’s starting capacity is 32GB).

On the software front, the Honor 9 delivers a similar experience to what you’ll find in the mother brand Huawei P10. With Android 7.1 running in the background and EMUI 5.1 running over the top of that, it’s a user experience that’s rather heavy on alerts and battery-saving methods. The Honor 8, by comparison, is still running Android 7.0 and EMUI 5.0.

Speaking of battery, the Honor 9 ups the capacity to 3,200mAh – which is a 200mAh increase compared to the Honor 8. That’s great news considering the smaller form factor of the new phone. Here’s hoping for a proportional increase from life per charge.

Honor 9 vs Honor 8: Cameras

• Honor 8: Dual 12-megapixel rear-facing cameras
• Honor 9: 20-megapixel monochrome, 12-megapixel colour rear-facing dual cameras

Perhaps the biggest play of all is the Honor 9’s upgraded cameras. To look at you might not think the two devices appear that different: they both have two optics arranged side-by-side peering out of the rear.

The Honor 9 goes down the Huawei route of opting for a 20MP monochrome and 12MP colour one, however, rather than using two colour sensors – the second with a mono filter via software – in a similar fashion to the Huawei P10. The main difference in the Honor 9 compared to Huawei is that there’s no Leica affiliation and, thus, the software is slightly different, as are the optics.

Both Honor 8 and Honor 9 have the ability to use their two cameras to depth map scenes, providing the opportunity to create background blur in software after shooting. It’s possible to see this in real-time with the Honor 9, even in video mode.

Honor 9 vs Honor 8: Conclusion

Overall the Honor 9 is a really interesting proposition – even more so in 2017 because so many manufacturers’ products have risen in the price stakes. The Honor 9 is only £10 more than the Honor 8 was at launch but, crucially, it’s £60 less than a OnePlus 5 and a massive £185-or-so less than the Huawei P10. Indeed, its only near competition is from the solid but ultimately less interesting Samsung Galaxy A5.

So while the Honor 9 may look like a minor tweak compared to last year’s Honor 8, its progress in terms of design and features, plus stubborn price point positioning, make it one lucrative mid-level purchase indeed.

The Honor 9 is available now, priced £380. It will be available on contract in the UK exclusively with Three from 3 July 2017.

EU fines Google a record $2.7 billion for abusing product searches

The European Commission’s long-running investigation into Google has finally come to an end, and it’s not good news for the search giant. Commissioner Margrethe Vestager confirmed today that the company has been fined €2.42 billion ($2.72 billion) for unfairly directing users to its own products rather over those of its rivals. It’s the biggest financial penalty the Commission has ever handed out, eclipsing the €1.06 billion ($1.4 billion) charge incurred by Intel back in 2014.

In a statement, Vestager said: “Google has come up with many innovative products and services that have made a difference to our lives. That’s a good thing. But Google’s strategy for its comparison shopping service wasn’t just about attracting customers by making its product better than those of its rivals. Instead, Google abused its market dominance as a search engine by promoting its own comparison shopping service in its search results, and demoting those of competitors.

“What Google has done is illegal under EU antitrust rules. It denied other companies the chance to compete on the merits and to innovate. And most importantly, it denied European consumers a genuine choice of services and the full benefits of innovation.”

The European Union’s antitrust authority had been looking into Google’s unfair search practices since 2010. Google and the Commission’s previous chief made numerous attempts to settle over the years, but nothing was resolved.

However, an investigation was finally opened in April 2015, with Google being brought to task over the prominence of its price comparison service Google Shopping. It accused Google of unfairly weighting results so that when a user performed a search for a product, its own service would always return items either at or near the top of the search results.

Evidence showed that rival sites like Kelkoo and Twenga weren’t given an equal chance, with some appearing only on page four of Google’s native (or algorithmic) search results. Google’s shopping service wasn’t subject to its own generic search algorithms, so it didn’t see any drastic demotions.

Although it’s not illegal for Google to be the dominant search engine, it does have a responsibility to ensure it doesn’t abuse its position by taking actions that negatively affect its competition. This includes tweaking its results so that its own services appear higher in the results than links to sites operated by rival shopping sites. By doing this, Google was “depriving European consumers of genuine choice and innovation.”

The Commission found that when Google Shopping links applied the tweak, rival websites in France saw traffic dip by 80 percent, rising to 85 percent and 92 percent in the UK and Germany respectively. “These sudden drops could also not be explained by other factors,” the Commission said. “Some competitors have adapted and managed to recover some traffic but never in full.”

In a blog post, Kent Walker General Counsel at Google said that the Commission’s decision “underestimates the value” of its price comparison service and that the company will seek to appeal the ruling. “Given the evidence, we respectfully disagree with the conclusions announced today,” Walker added. “We will review the Commission’s decision in detail as we consider an appeal, and we look forward to continuing to make our case.”

Google has been told that it must comply with the ruling and “end the conduct” within 90 days or face additional fines. Penalty payments can reach up to 5 percent of Alphabet’s — Google’s parent company — daily average worldwide revenue. Google must decide how it will achieve this and must notify the European Commission within 60 days of its plans.

It could get worse for Google, too. Not only can regulators from each EU member state now file their own civil actions for damages, but the search giant is also the subject of two other European Commission probes.

The first concentrates on the Android operating system, in particular Google’s alleged offer of unfair deals to Android phone makers to promote its own apps and services. The other relates to Adsense and how Google has potentially abused its position by restricting third-parties from displaying search advertisements.

Source: Europa

The Morning After: Tuesday, June 27th 2017

Welcome to Tuesday. Nintendo is reviving the SNES, Amazon’s Echo with a screen is here and we look at how iOS 11 is shaping up.

The mini console will include the never-before-released ‘Star Fox 2.’
The SNES Classic is real, arrives on September 29 for $80

The delicious rumors are true: Nintendo is gearing up to launch the SNES Classic, a miniaturized version of the glorious original Super Nintendo Entertainment System. According to Nintendo’s Twitter account, the system will be available on September 29 with 21 games built in — including the never-released Star Fox 2. Perhaps the best news is that the company is trying to ensure the SNES Classic won’t sell out quite as quickly as its predecessor — although it seems the console will only be around for a little while.

Hopefully, it learned its lesson with the mini NES.
Here’s what Nintendo needs to do to make the SNES Classic great

Being virtually sold out everywhere wasn’t the only issue we had with the NES Classic last year. With 30 of the original console’s best games pushed to modern TVs over HDMI, it offered an excellent, easy-to-use retro-gaming experience. However, the console’s ridiculously short 2.5-foot controller cables forced players to sit uncomfortably close to their TVs, and a few user-interface flubs made the menu weirdly difficult to access. We’ve troubleshooted those issues and a few more for Nintendo.

Seeing is believing.
Amazon Echo Show review

The first Echo with a touchscreen is here, and as it turns out, it does make the Alexa experience better. Despite the angular design, Nathan Ingraham felt like it was a worthy $50 upgrade over the standard Echo, allowing him to digest information in a visual way instead of just listening to it. The video-calling feature wasn’t live for us to fully test yet, but Amazon is serious about making this an intercom device that connects to other Echos or phones running the Alexa app.

It’s facing more than $1 billion in fines.
Faulty airbags cost Takata everything

Takata, the Japanese corporation at the heart of the auto industry’s largest ever product recall, has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. Its faulty airbag inflators have been linked to several deaths and resulted in the recall of more than 40 million vehicles. A rescue plan will apparently see US-based Key Safety Systems snap up its “non-toxic” assets for about $1.6 billion.

Your iPad is about to become a lot more useful.
iOS 11 preview: full of promise, especially on bigger screens

The public iOS 11 beta has begun, and we’re ready to share our first impressions of Apple’s next mobile operating system. While it brings some welcome changes to the iPhone (like a revamped Control Center), there’s a complete overhaul on the way for iPads. The new drag-and-drop setup, Files app and multitasking are, according to Chris Velazco, “worthy improvements.” Are they enough to make you ditch your laptop? Probably not, but there’s a lot to look forward to this fall.

When it’s not beating world champions at Go.
Sorting Lego sucks, so here’s an AI that does it for you

Lego reseller Jaques Mattheij apparently has better things to do than sort through pieces all day, so he’s leaving the task to an automated sorter powered by a neural network.

What did you do over the weekend?
SpaceX launches and lands two rockets in a single weekend

Elon Musk’s rocket company wants to amp up the pace of its launches and proved it could handle the pressure by following up a Friday launch-and-landing with another one on Sunday. The technical problems that caused an explosion last September appear to be firmly in the rearview mirror now.

But wait, there’s more…

• What’s on TV: ‘Crash Bandicoot,’ ‘Modern Warfare’ and ‘Okja’
• Netflix cancels ‘Girlboss’ after one season
• AT&T is rapidly expanding its rural wireless internet service