Google Pixel 2 leaks: What we know so far

We’re a few months out from the launch of Google’s next Pixel phones, but the first details are already starting to leak, painting a very interesting picture of at least two new Pixel models for 2017.

Same as last year, it looks like we’re getting two phones from Google in 2017, but this time there are two different manufacturers: a smaller Pixel made by HTC, and a larger one manufactured by LG.

And while much of what we think we know about Google’s next-gen phones is limited to rumor and conjecture, we’ve recently gotten our first look at the new Pixels thanks to a new mock-up by a usually reliable source.

Check out our video roundup for an overview of everything we know about Google’s upcoming handsets!

• Android Central on YouTube
• More Google Pixel 2 background
• Our Google Pixel (2016) review

Vertu closes shop, leaving billionaires to buy phones elsewhere

It’s finally the end of the road for this UK luxury phone company.

After running with what seemed like an unsustainable business model for years, luxury phone maker Vertu has shut down. The BBC reports Vertu is currently in the process of liquidating its assets, and 200 people have subsequently lost their jobs.

Vertu had previously changed hands a couple of times since being founded in 1998, most recently being sold by its Chinese owner in March to a Turkish businessman who planned to put in the necessary money to keep it going. It is reported that Vertu was running on a deficit of £128 million, however.

On the face of it, this isn’t all that surprising. Vertu has made some absolutely gorgeous smartphones with brilliant materials and truly unique craftsmanship that were fun to think about owning. But the prices were completely out of consideration for just about everyone — its most recent phone, the “mid-range” Constellation, started at $6,000. Some models were over $15,000.

People want a great smartphone experience more than they want a diamond-encrusted phone.

The prices were that high because they were hand-made in the UK out of exceptional materials — and naturally, produced in very small numbers. At the same time, Vertu wasn’t able to keep up with the latest innovations that all smartphones were offering — its specs weren’t great, its skin of Android was dated and it never produced a great camera. This model of creating bespoke ultra-luxury phone made far more sense 10 years ago before high-powered smartphones were the norm, but in the past few years this model was becoming increasingly unsustainable.

Even multi-millionaires, with all of their conspicuous consumption, typically just use the same iPhone 7 or Galaxy S8 that you and I do because they’re simply the best phones. These flagship smartphones are really good, and having a phone made out of calf leather, titanium, sapphire and diamonds actually isn’t worth using subpar software and a mediocre camera.

Vertu’s Turkish owner will retain the rights to the Vertu brand as well as its in-house technology and licenses, but it isn’t yet known if he plans to do anything with it. For now, the select few who own a Vertu have an (even more) extremely limited edition piece of smartphone history.

How to take advantage of Google Home offers

Google Home Offers let you take advantage of specials to make your home even more awesome.

Google Home brings you a hub that lets you control your connected home, listen to music, and plenty more. Hidden inside of the menu in the Google Home app, you’ll also find a tab called “Offers” filled with special deals that can let you enjoy everything this accessory has to offer at a discount. These include Play Movie rentals for just $0.99 or discounts on a SmartThing lighting kit and more.

We’ve got all the details for you here!

How to take advantage of Google Home offers

Launch the Google Home app.
Tap the menu button(it looks like three horizontal lines in the upper left corner of the screen).

Tap Offers.

Tap the offer you want to take advantage of.

Follow the instructions on screen to take advantage of it.

Questions?

Do you have any questions about taking advantage of offers on Google Home? Have you taken advantage of any of these offers? Leave us a comment below and let us know about it!

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• Google Home vs. Amazon Echo
• Join our Google Home forums!

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Grab an unlocked Galaxy S8 for just $575 for a limited time

We haven’t seen a price like this before.

Competition between retailers and carriers has offered us some pretty great Galaxy S8 deals since it launched, but this is the lowest price we’ve seen for a U.S. unlocked Galaxy S8 or S8+. Groupon has the phones on sale for $575 for the Galaxy S8 or $675 for the Galaxy S8+. That’s a full $50 less than what Best Buy was offering them at on sale.

Some of these deals from sites like Groupon can be a mixed bag, but this one looks pretty good. These are actually U.S. unlocked models, meaning you can take this to any U.S. carrier, and they’re brand new rather than the usual refurbished phones you can see on deep discount. That means you get an original box and accessories, as well as the one-year Samsung warranty you’d get if you bought it directly from the company.

The sale ends on July 18, technically, but we wouldn’t be surprised if this one sells out well before that end date considering that great price.

See at Groupon

Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8+

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Chromecast for Gear VR has started its rollout

What is Chromecast for Gear VR?

Back in May 2017, Oculus announced that they were toying with Gear VR support for Chromecast, and gamers rejoiced. Now it would be even easier to play awesome group games like “Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes” or to show off just how awesome a particular game or experience is when you only have one headset. However, there wasn’t anything resembling a timeline on when we were to expect this update; only news that the update would be rolling out slowly.

For some folks, this update has already hit, and we’re excited to fill you in!

Read more at VRHeads

Samsung Chromebook Plus vs. Pro: The Differences and Which Should you Buy?

Samsung’s 2017 Chromebook lineup offers something for everyone with two equally great models.

Samsung introduced a pair of great Chromebooks with the unveiling of the Pro and the Plus. In addition of the Chrome OS features we’ve been using like built-in security and the best web browsing experience you can get anywhere, Samsung and Google have introduced pressure sensitive drawing using a familiar Samsung Pen. And everything is wrapped up in an awesome package no matter which model you choose.

Most of us won’t be buying both models, so the natural questions are what’s the difference between them and which one should I buy? We’re going to have a look and help you get the right answers.

Chromebook Plus at Amazon

Beautiful and light

That’s going to be your first thought no matter which model you are looking at. Both models are built the same using identical parts — on the outside.

The screen is the best we’ve seen on a Chromebook.

Checking in at just 0.5 inches thick and 2.38 pounds, these 12.3-inch laptops use the same Samsung design language as their high-end Windows counterparts. Built with a brushed magnesium-alloy body paired with a 2400 x 1600 LED display, both models are not only good looking but sturdy and great for carrying all day long. We especially loved the bright and crisp display.

The keyboard and trackpad aren’t the best we’ve used but they’re not bad, either. The omission of backlighting was a bit disappointing, but in the end, we were more than satisfied with both keyboard and trackpad even if we couldn’t give either the level of praise we have for the screen or the materials used.

The screen rotates and flips to turn the Chromebook into a large tablet, and also allows for a “tent” or “easel” configuration to stand the screen without the keyboard area extending. This is a great way to watch a video or full-length film on the display.

The spotlight feature of both devices is Samsung’s S Pen. We’ll see stylus input in future Chromebooks, but Google partnering with Samsung to build the first models was the smart move. The Pen is the same S Pen you’ll find for Note phones and tablets, and Chrome has been tailored to make the stylus an excellent tool for annotating screenshots, taking notes and drawing. The Samsung Chromebook folded into a 12-inch tablet makes for a great canvas for any digital artist.

We give both models high marks on looks, durability, function, and ease of use. These are great laptops.

Where to buy the Samsung Chromebook Pro and Plus

What’s inside

Here is where you’ll find the differences between the Plus and the Pro. Both come with the same 4GB of RAM and 32GB of storage configuration, but the processor arrangement and electronics for wireless radios define the price points.

With most things being equal between the two, the processor and extra horsepower that comes with the Pro is the only real hardware difference.

The Pro’s Intel CPU offers more power if you need more power. Most won’t.

On paper, it makes quite the difference. The Intel m3 in the Pro has the potential to render web pages twice as fast as the Plus’ ARM chip. You’ll find plenty of Octane browser benchmarks that show this in a convenient number. In real-world use, the Pro model will let you keep more browser tabs or apps running before things start to slow down. Benchmark differences in rendering web pages may be significant, but you have to factor in that the ARM CPU in the Plus model is plenty fast enough and you won’t see any actual difference when rendering a single web page or opening an app.

The Pro is clearly a more powerful machine on the hardware front, and we shouldn’t dismiss that. But the Plus offers a more than satisfactory experience for the majority of Chrome users.

Software differences

Both models have essentially the same software with Chrome OS being universal across most every Chromebook. The one difference may be a deciding factor — Android apps through the Google Play Store.

There will be Android apps that don’t perform as well on the Pro because of the CPU architecture.

The Play Store will be available for both models, and the majority of apps you can use on a Chromebook will work well on either. But the Intel processor that gives the Pro an edge in hardware also holds it back a bit when it comes to app compatibility and user experience. You can use Google Play on the Chromebook Plus and have a great experience, but the Pro is still rough around the edges.

This is mostly a function of Android itself and not a fault of the hardware. A developer can build a universal application for Android that runs using the same instructions on most any processor architecture. That means an Android app is the same on any device. But certain apps that use specialized code will be less than ideal on the Intel chip. Most notable are graphic intensive apps and games, and while most will install they just don’t run as well. Great developers will step in and rectify this by supporting the Intel CPU better, but Google Play’s relaxed nature means developers aren’t forced to do so.

Which should I buy?

Sometimes this is a difficult question to answer, but this is not one of those times. Most people are better served with the Chromebook Plus.

Most buyers are better served with the Chromebook Plus.

A Chromebook is best as a secure and fast computer built to bridge the gap between your phone and a desktop PC. Mobile apps through Google play round out the software needs and for all but the most demanding users, the $100 difference between the two isn’t worth the upgrade. If you rely on Android applications, right now the faster Intel chip is actually a weakness compared to the tried and true ARM configuration in the Plus.

For the power user: web developers or those looking for an alternative OS for their Chromebook, the Pro was made for you. The extra oomph from the Intel m3 CPU will make a difference and the Chromebook Pro is an excellent machine for developing and testing web applications. The extra money is well spent and you’ll have a more pleasant experience when you’re in the zone with 25 tabs and a text editor open.

It’s great to see two simple and great choices from Samsung on the high-end, and anyone’s needs are well covered.

Chromebook Plus at Amazon

Note: The Chromebook Pro has been delayed past its initial release date of the end of April. We will update this post when we have links to purchase the laptop.

Updated July 2017 to add more information about the availability of the Pro.

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• Acer Chromebook 14 review
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The world of high fashion finally has its answer to Amazon

To give you an idea of the kind of customer LVMH is after, all you need to look at is Louis Vuitton’s new $2,900 Android Wear smartwatch. The French company, which owns brands like Dior, Fendi, Givenchy and Prada, in addition to LV, is the epitome of luxury. And now, with 24 Sèvres, LVMH has what it hopes can become the main online destination for high-fashion shoppers. CEO Eric Goguey says the site is designed to be the web version of Le Bon Marché, an iconic retail space described as “the most selective department store” in Paris.

The main idea, he says, is to offer an experience that feels seamless and exclusive.There’s even personal shoppers who will video-chat with customers and guide them through their purchases. Contrary to rumors, 24 Sèvres won’t just sell products from LVMH-owned brands, of which there are 70. People will also find clothes, footwear, and leather goods (bags, backpacks, etc…) from outside designers such as Balenciaga, Gucci, Balmain and Stella McCartney. Others like Nike and Adidas will have a presence on the site as well, but their products won’t be general releases — think limited-edition Cortez shoes, Kanye West’s Yeezy collections and more.

Naturally, 24 Sèvres also created an iOS app to complement the desktop experience. A Facebook Messenger “Style Bot,” meanwhile, is intended to help customers with recommendations and style guidance — because what the world needs is fewer human customer service agents. “The ultimate goal is to provide e-commerce as it hasn’t been until now, and ensure that it continues to be delivered with a personal touch,” says Goguey. “Technology should always be at the service of the human, rather than the other way around. In this vein, we are creating a store for the digital age with a truly luxury experience.”

The arrival of 24 Sèvres comes less than a year after LVMH’s Chief Operating Officer, Jean-Jacques Guiony, said “there is no way” it could sell any of its products on Amazon, the ecommerce giant that’s been trying to push its way into the world of fashion. “We believe the business of Amazon does not fit with LVMH, full stop, and it does not fit with our brands,” he said to investors during the company’s earnings call last October. While 24 Sèvres isn’t a direct clone of Amazon, nor is it supposed to be, it shows that LVMH is serious about keeping its products away from Jeff Bezos’ platform. Nike had taken a similar approach up until a few weeks ago, when it finally caved and announced that it would start selling some of its goods directly on Amazon.

When it launched in June, 24 Sèvres was being called LVMH’s first foray into the ecommerce space, but that’s not actually the case. In 2014, the fashion powerhouse created a site called Moët Hennessy Collection, where it sold fancy liquor and wines such as Dom Perignon, Moët & Chandon, Cloudy Bay, Cape Mentelle and Hennessy. That, however, was abruptly shut down roughly two years later, with the company saying that it was “a global decision around how we evolve our brand in the digital space”. Goguey wouldn’t talk about what lessons, if any, the company learned from that failure, but he sounds confident that the fate of 24 Sèvres will be different.

Marshal Cohen, chief industry analyst at research firm NPD, says one of the reasons LVMH may not want to work with Amazon is brand appearance and exclusivity. “Somebody who’s going to buy LVMH product would almost prefer to go to an LVMH website, unless they’re going to be able to get it at such a great discount somewhere else. That doesn’t benefit LVMH either, so it makes sense for them to operate on their own,” he says. It sounds petty, but chances are 24 Sèvres core customers don’t want to get a $4,000 garment from Amazon. “It’s imagery, it’s prestige, it’s accessibility,” Cohen says, “I don’t want to buy an expensive luxury item and be one of a million people. I want to be one in a million.”

Technology should always be at the service of the human, rather than the other way around.

Eric Goguey, CEO of 24 Sèvres

It’s too early to tell whether 24 Sèvres will be a hit, but Goguey says that the response from shoppers so far has been “incredibly positive” and that they’re “thrilled” to have a digital counterpart to the iconic Le Bon Marché retail store. “Their success is going to depend on the ability to resonate with the consumer,” Cohen says, “to help them understand what the essence of the product is, why this is the right product to buy. They’re going to have to deliver on that promise and the expectations.”

One thing 24 Sèvres has going for it already is that it looks different than most shopping sites out there right now, thanks to big, beautiful imagery on the home and product pages. Goguey says this is meant to make you feel like you’re window-shopping at high-end stores, whether it be in Paris or New York City. And, really, a well-designed site is the least you should expect when you’re about to spend thousands of dollars on a handbag.

EE is offering six-month Apple Music trials with ‘free’ data

It’s only been eight days since Three announced it was zero-rating data for popular streaming services like Netflix, but already the operator is finding itself in good company. Earlier this week, Virgin Mobile added Twitter to the list of messaging services it had made “free” to access, and now EE is getting in on the act with an extension of its Apple Music streaming trial. From July 19th, new and existing customers on all EE pay monthly handset and SIM only plans will be able to claim six months of free streaming, which won’t count towards their monthly data allowance.

As it’s an extension of the existing deal EE has with Apple, subscribers who previously took advantage of the offer will still be able to redeem six months of free streaming data. It’s a blessing for those who became fully paid customers when the trial expired, but for others it’s a gesture they won’t be able to take advantage of.

Since Three’s announcement, rival companies have rushed to direct the attention from the #GoBinge provider. Zero-rating services isn’t a new phenomenon, but now that mobile providers are required to offer free roaming across the EU, companies are seeking new avenues in order to better their counterparts.

In another piece of related news, EE confirmed that it’s extending its partnership with Sainsbury’s to open 100 new stores inside supermarket branches. As part of a retail revamp, the company says it will create “new store formats” that include Showcase stores that offer dedicated Help Hubs, pop-up shops, cabins and a roving vans that can provide assistance to customers in the more remote areas of the UK.

This gadget tells you if you smell so others don’t have to

Ever had to rush somewhere and begun to worry that you stink like a teenage locker room? Well, thankfully, there’s now an app that can measure exactly how badly you smell. Connecting to your smartphone via Bluetooth, Kukun Body is a pocket-sized device that lets you test your stench in four different locations. Developed by Japanese camera manufacturer Konica Minolta, the tape recorder shaped device can be used to scan four areas: feet, behind the ear, near the head and of course – the all important armpits.

Testing for three different smells, the device checks your body for readings of sweat, middle-fat odors and a third category called karesihu — which roughly translates to old age smell. After conducting the analysis, the Kukun Body gives you the brutal truth, discreetly sending you the verdict via the Kukun app. Given the public odor shaming of Japan’s other hygiene testing solution, this sweat testing device will probably win a few more fans than its breath-testing equivalent.

Unfortunately for us, the company has stated that it currently has no plans to release the device outside of Japan. For those in the East, the full product is due to launch in Japan later this year at 30,000 yen – which is around $265 dollars. Those who are in desperate need, however, can pick up the Kunkun Body as part of a set of hygiene products on the company’s crowdfunding page.

For now then, us westerners will still have to stick to deodorant and more traditional sniff tests. Mercifully though, the future isn’t totally bleak for the odorly-challenged here, as other companies are currently working hard to make us stink a little less.

Via: The Guardian

Source: Konica Minolta

NASA doesn’t have the money to land humans on Mars

NASA has been developing plans to get humans to Mars for some time; the public has become invested in the idea of colonizing our solar system. But now, Associate Administrator of Human Exploration and Operations William Gerstenmaier has confirmed what many have long suspected (and predicted) to be true: At its current budget levels, NASA simply doesn’t have the money to land humans on Mars, reports Ars Technica.

“I can’t put a date on humans on Mars, and the reason really is . . . at the budget levels we described, this roughly 2 percent increase, we don’t have the surface systems available for Mars,” said Gerstenmaier at a meeting of the American Institute for Aeronautics and Astronautics today. In other words, we might be able to get to Mars orbit, but developing entry, descent and landing technology is beyond NASA’s current budget constraints.

What happens next is dependent on NASA’s funding; Gerstenmaier expressed interest in a possible moon exploration mission. The current official NASA plan is to build a Deep Space Gateway in orbit of the moon and use it as a launching pad for further exploration of the solar system. It’s possible, though, for the gateway “to support an extensive moon surface program,” Gerstenmaier continued.

While this waffling might seem counterproductive, the reality is that it’s smart for NASA to keep their options open and be as flexible as possible. The frustrating fact about being a government organization is that NASA’s mission can change drastically between, or even within, administrations. This doesn’t mean that Mars is off the table; NASA is trying to do as much as it can with the budget it has. But it’s increasingly clear that if NASA is going to get to Mars, it needs to rely more on commercial space companies, rather than its own (very expensive and very delayed) rocket, for space exploration.

Source: Ars Technica