Asus jump-starts latest line of gaming monitors with new Strix model

Why it matters to you

This new monitor from Asus is perfect for any gamer who likes to combine crisp, clear visuals with a certain sense of flair.

Asus has detailed a new 27-inch monitor as part of its ROG line of gamer-centric hardware, which was unveiled at an event in Berlin, Germany earlier this year. The Strix XG27VQ display combines top-tier performance at high resolutions with an arresting physical design, with all the cosmetic bells and whistles that we’ve come to expect from this particular range of products.

The 1800R curved monitor boasts a maximum refresh rate of 144Hz, support for FreeSync, and a resolution of 1,920 x 1,080, according to a report from Hexus. However, the thing that really makes this particular display stand out is its appearance, which leans in to the bright lights and dramatic color schemes that typify gaming hardware.

While the front of the monitor wisely puts the focus on what’s on screen, with only a slim bezel to distract from whatever’s being displayed, its reverse has a few more design flourishes. For one, the plastic backing has some textured areas that bear a vaguely Mayan influence.

There’s also one of Asus’ proprietary Aura RGB lighting zones circling the connection between the screen and the stand. The underside of the monitor also features an LED lighting system, but instead of emitting light outward it projects an image down onto the surface it’s resting on.

This is an interesting effect, and users have the capability to customize how the projection looks by switching out the three silhouette stencils that are provided. Two are based on ROG brand imagery, but there’s also a blank one for anyone who wants something truly personal — which is pretty handy if you’re looking to rep your eSports team at an event.

The monitor also supports some of Asus’ exclusive homegrown technologies, like GamePlus, GameVisual, and its eye fatigue mitigation software.

The Strix XG27VQ is expected to start a whole new range of monitors aimed at gamers from Asus, which will be known as the XG line. This particular model was previously seen at Computex 2017 alongside a 32-inch, 21:9 curved monitor known as the XG32VQ – but details on when that display will be made available haven’t yet been released.

However, Asus has confirmed that the XG27VQ will launch on September 4, and that it’s set to retail at a price of 410 euros (~$525).

Here is how you use Google’s Allo chat app on your desktop

Why it matters to you

Allo is hardly revolutionary but its new web client goes some way to closing the feature gap with its competition.

Even if the mobile messaging scene might already be jam-packed with competition, that doesn’t stop small startups, or in this case, giant mega-corporations, from trying to capture a slice of that pie. Google’s Allo has been one such attempt that has stumbled along since its release in September 2016 but it does now have a web client which expands its capabilities.

So how do you go about using such a feature? The first step is to make sure you have Allo installed on your Android smart device. Although the app itself is available on iOS, there is no iOS web client compatibility as of yet.

Once installed, you need to set up Allo like you would any other chat app. However, unlike Facebook accounts on Messenger or a variety of Google services, Allo does not make use of your Google account, so it cannot just grab information you already entered somewhere else before. You need to confirm your device’s phone number, take a profile picture of yourself, and give Allo permission to access a number of different features on your device — contact lists, media, etc.

You then need to link Allo with your browser by heading to allo.google.com/web. If you are using the Chrome browser, you will be greeted with a QR code and further instructions. If not, then you need to load up Chrome because one of the limiting factors of Allo’s new web client is that it only works with Google’s browser. Edge, Firefox, Safari, and Opera are all unsupported at this time.

With Chrome open to the correct page, you then need to open the Allo app on your phone, navigate through the menu to “Allow for web” and point your device’s camera at the QR code. From there, it will be automatically linked to your phone once you have confirmed it through a code via SMS.

Once your devices are linked, you have options for everything in your browser as you do on your phone. You can start conversations with those who have Allo installed, share images, use stickers, and ask the Google Assistant questions.

You can customize the experience a little through the settings menu, though current options only include playing sounds upon sending and receiving messages; desktop notifications on or off, and whether you want message previews to be seen or not.

There are some keyboard shortcuts you can utilize in the web client, which is a functionality that is not possible on touchscreen devices. Really though, that does little but speed up certain functions like attaching files and switching between conversations. It could make the experience somewhat mouse-free, but a major attraction of the web client is that you can mouse around on it while you are working or doing something else on your PC.

As handy as a few of Allo’s web client features are though, it is important to note that it does have some limitations. You can only use it in a single tab at a time, so you won’t be able to have multiple conversations open in different tabs or windows at once. It also requires your phone to be on and connected to the internet. If it is not, you will lose access to the web client as it tries in vain to find its twinned device.

There is also the aforementioned lack of support for iOS devices on the web client and the lack of browser compatibility. Google’s Assistant lacks third-party app support on the web client too, according to Ars Technica.

Although a web client is a nice addition for Allo and certainly broadens its accessibility and functionality, it does not go very far in addressing the feature disparity between Google’s service and some of its competitors. It has yet to offer much, if anything, that would draw away potential users from contemporaries like WhatsApp or Signal.

Here is how you use Google’s Allo chat app on your desktop

Why it matters to you

Allo is hardly revolutionary but its new web client goes some way to closing the feature gap with its competition.

Even if the mobile messaging scene might already be jam-packed with competition, that doesn’t stop small startups, or in this case, giant mega-corporations, from trying to capture a slice of that pie. Google’s Allo has been one such attempt that has stumbled along since its release in September 2016 but it does now have a web client which expands its capabilities.

So how do you go about using such a feature? The first step is to make sure you have Allo installed on your Android smart device. Although the app itself is available on iOS, there is no iOS web client compatibility as of yet.

Once installed, you need to set up Allo like you would any other chat app. However, unlike Facebook accounts on Messenger or a variety of Google services, Allo does not make use of your Google account, so it cannot just grab information you already entered somewhere else before. You need to confirm your device’s phone number, take a profile picture of yourself, and give Allo permission to access a number of different features on your device — contact lists, media, etc.

You then need to link Allo with your browser by heading to allo.google.com/web. If you are using the Chrome browser, you will be greeted with a QR code and further instructions. If not, then you need to load up Chrome because one of the limiting factors of Allo’s new web client is that it only works with Google’s browser. Edge, Firefox, Safari, and Opera are all unsupported at this time.

With Chrome open to the correct page, you then need to open the Allo app on your phone, navigate through the menu to “Allow for web” and point your device’s camera at the QR code. From there, it will be automatically linked to your phone once you have confirmed it through a code via SMS.

Once your devices are linked, you have options for everything in your browser as you do on your phone. You can start conversations with those who have Allo installed, share images, use stickers, and ask the Google Assistant questions.

You can customize the experience a little through the settings menu, though current options only include playing sounds upon sending and receiving messages; desktop notifications on or off, and whether you want message previews to be seen or not.

There are some keyboard shortcuts you can utilize in the web client, which is a functionality that is not possible on touchscreen devices. Really though, that does little but speed up certain functions like attaching files and switching between conversations. It could make the experience somewhat mouse-free, but a major attraction of the web client is that you can mouse around on it while you are working or doing something else on your PC.

As handy as a few of Allo’s web client features are though, it is important to note that it does have some limitations. You can only use it in a single tab at a time, so you won’t be able to have multiple conversations open in different tabs or windows at once. It also requires your phone to be on and connected to the internet. If it is not, you will lose access to the web client as it tries in vain to find its twinned device.

There is also the aforementioned lack of support for iOS devices on the web client and the lack of browser compatibility. Google’s Assistant lacks third-party app support on the web client too, according to Ars Technica.

Although a web client is a nice addition for Allo and certainly broadens its accessibility and functionality, it does not go very far in addressing the feature disparity between Google’s service and some of its competitors. It has yet to offer much, if anything, that would draw away potential users from contemporaries like WhatsApp or Signal.

Creator of new DeLorean flying car says it’s not just for private jet owners

Why it matters to you

The CEO of DeLorean Aerospace says his new flying car isn’t just for the rich; it’s going to make flying cars mainstream. Here’s hoping.

At the very end of the first Back to the Future movie, Dr. Emmett Brown utters the immortal words: “Roads? Where we’re going, we don’t need roads.” The previously grounded DeLorean DMC-12 car he’s driving then lifts off the ground, and flies halfway down the street before turning around and rocketing directly at the camera. Cue the audience bursting into fits of wild applause and Hollywood execs avariciously rubbing their hands together at the prospect of a high-grossing movie sequel. Or two.

It’s a great scene, and one that sticks with you long after the film has ended. It obviously stuck with Paul DeLorean, nephew of the founder of the unfortunately short-lived DeLorean Motor Company — because 32 years after the first Back to the Future, he’s setting out to launch a flying vehicle under the DeLorean brand. And this time a DeLorean could have got it right!

As Paul DeLorean told Digital Trends, DeLorean Aerospace’s DR-7 isn’t technically a car — because it can’t drive on roads — but it doesn’t exactly look like a plane, either. Instead, the two-passenger electric vehicle sports a carbon composite, monocoque structure body, similar to that of an F1 racer. It’s designed to be flown with minimal operator training, courtesy of an autonomous flight control system that can also be used in manual mode for the “performance flying enthusiast.”

The DR-7 is maneuvered using a pair of 360-degree thrust-vectoring electric ducted fan units. The results will reportedly make it capable of hovering or forward flight, with a top speed of 240 miles per hour. It will also boast a range of 120 miles per hour, which should make it more than capable of covering your commute to work. Then, at the end of the day, you can neatly store it in your garage, thanks to its smart folding wings.

Paul DeLorean is aiming high with the vehicle. When Digital Trends asked whether he was envisioning this as the next luxury yacht or the next mass-market car, he told us: “We aren’t targeting only general aviation customers; we see much broader market potential, extending into other transportation segments. Our target price point will reflect that, ultimately. However, we have not established our launch pricing yet.”

At present he said DeLorean Aerospace is seeking additional funding for prototype development, which it is hoped will be completed within the next year. After that, we just have to wait to see which of the various competing flying cars (or, well, “vertical takeoff and landing personal air transport vehicles”) we’ve heard about will take off first — in all senses of the word.

With the original DeLorean DMC-12 having become a cult classic, despite selling nowhere close to enough to stay afloat during its original production run, it would be kind of great to see the DeLorean finally become the mass-market transportation technology its creators always dreamed it should be.

A 21-year-old developer’s robotic arm could be the future of prosthetics

Why it matters to you

Personalized prosthetics could go a long way to giving back functionality to people who have lost it, or were never born with it at all.

Twenty-one-year-old Easton LaChappelle may end up changing the lives of thousands of amputees around the world with a new robotic arm prosthetic that costs around $4,000. Following in his footsteps as he develops the next-generation of affordable prosthetics, Microsoft and Belief Agency have produced a three-part documentary series, showing everything from the arm’s production process to the little girl who is destined to wear it.

Prosthetic limbs have improved by leaps and bounds in the past few years. Thanks to developments in battery technology, robotics miniaturization, and improved wireless connectivity, they can do more than ever before, but they are rarely affordable. What LaChapelle has done and continues to improve upon, is change that economic dynamic so that prosthetics do not need to bankrupt its buyers.

LaChapelle first came to the attention of experts in his mid-teens following the creation of several impressive robotic prototypes. He later worked with NASA and even shook then-President Barack Obama’s hand with one of his robotic arms in 2013, Upbeat reports.

The Belief Agency-backed documentary trilogy picks up the story years later, now at age 21, LaChapelle is looking to change the prosthetic market once again.

He is now leveraging 3D-printing technology and making many of the designs freely available online, further helping to bring the cost down for the major components of prosthetic arms. He envisions a future where such hardware is much more easily available. To prove that this is possible, LaChapelle produced a 3D-printed prosthetic for a nine-year-old-girl named Momo, who is as much a star in the videos as he is.

Microsoft later learned of the project and offered funding and access to its B87 prototyping laboratory. He ended up staying there for a couple of months working on the design and worked with some of Microsoft’s own industrial engineers to bring the project to fruition.

In true movie fashion, we are told that LaChapelle finished the final prosthetic mere hours before Momo’s arrival to try it out. The result is an arm that is articulate, with functional fingers and thumbs, aesthetic finger nails, and a skin-like texture.

The response from Momo was infectiously happy. There is hope that with future developments, a combination of 3D scanning and 3D printing, that robotic prosthetics like her’s can be made affordable and available to everyone and anyone who needs them.

A 21-year-old developer’s robotic arm could be the future of prosthetics

Why it matters to you

Personalized prosthetics could go a long way to giving back functionality to people who have lost it, or were never born with it at all.

Twenty-one-year-old Easton LaChappelle may end up changing the lives of thousands of amputees around the world with a new robotic arm prosthetic that costs around $4,000. Following in his footsteps as he develops the next-generation of affordable prosthetics, Microsoft and Belief Agency have produced a three-part documentary series, showing everything from the arm’s production process to the little girl who is destined to wear it.

Prosthetic limbs have improved by leaps and bounds in the past few years. Thanks to developments in battery technology, robotics miniaturization, and improved wireless connectivity, they can do more than ever before, but they are rarely affordable. What LaChapelle has done and continues to improve upon, is change that economic dynamic so that prosthetics do not need to bankrupt its buyers.

LaChapelle first came to the attention of experts in his mid-teens following the creation of several impressive robotic prototypes. He later worked with NASA and even shook then-President Barack Obama’s hand with one of his robotic arms in 2013, Upbeat reports.

The Belief Agency-backed documentary trilogy picks up the story years later, now at age 21, LaChapelle is looking to change the prosthetic market once again.

He is now leveraging 3D-printing technology and making many of the designs freely available online, further helping to bring the cost down for the major components of prosthetic arms. He envisions a future where such hardware is much more easily available. To prove that this is possible, LaChapelle produced a 3D-printed prosthetic for a nine-year-old-girl named Momo, who is as much a star in the videos as he is.

Microsoft later learned of the project and offered funding and access to its B87 prototyping laboratory. He ended up staying there for a couple of months working on the design and worked with some of Microsoft’s own industrial engineers to bring the project to fruition.

In true movie fashion, we are told that LaChapelle finished the final prosthetic mere hours before Momo’s arrival to try it out. The result is an arm that is articulate, with functional fingers and thumbs, aesthetic finger nails, and a skin-like texture.

The response from Momo was infectiously happy. There is hope that with future developments, a combination of 3D scanning and 3D printing, that robotic prosthetics like her’s can be made affordable and available to everyone and anyone who needs them.

Equip your DSLR camera with an electronic flash for $23

Our friends at Thrifter are back again, this time with a deal on an electronic flash for DSLRs!

This AmazonBasics electronic flash for DSLR cameras is down to $23. Normally this flash sells for $28, and it has never gone as low as this price.

The flash is designed to work on Canon and Nikon DSLR cameras. Features include:

• External flash for taking professional-looking photos in low-light conditions
• 3 flash modes for versatility: M, S1, S2 (Manual mode, Slave mode 1, and Slave mode 2)
• Standard PC synchronous port (input) for off-camera connecting; wireless sensor for triggering flash from a distance
• Tilts up to 90 degrees; rotates up to 270 degrees
• 8 levels of flash-brightness control; automatic saving function retains current flash settings; hot shoe stand and carrying bag included

All AmazonBasics products come with a one year warranty.

If you want to add more AmazonBasics gear to your collection, this 50-inch lightweight tripod is one we recommend in our article on great AmazonBasics products to buy.

See at Amazon

More from Thrifter:

• How to get the most out of your Amazon Prime membership
• How to save money when driving

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

Become a Certified Associate in Project Management for only $39!

You’ve been thinking about getting a new certification to move you ahead at work; in fact, it’s been on your to-do list for a long time. Being a Project Manager is the ultimate goal, and you know you’d be perfect for the job with the right certification. With tuition costs that seem to climb with every passing year and limited free time on your hands, how are you supposed to attend classes and afford any kind of certification? Project Management Professionals are sought after in nearly every field, and even if you’re convinced that you can’t afford the time or money to get your certificate, can you afford not to? Talk about being stuck between a rock and a hard place.

Becoming a Certified Associate in Project Management, or CAPM, is absolutely within your reach. Online certification is just as recognized as classroom learning today, and it’s far more convenient, too. The professionals at Certs School want you to start your journey to becoming a CAPM as soon as possible!

Right now, you can enroll in the Project Management (CAPM) Certification Training course for only $39, an outstanding 96% off the regular tuition cost! You’re not just getting one course, either; you’re getting a three-course certification bundle that normally costs $500. The bundle from Certs School includes:

• 24/7 Access to over 22 hours of content
• Earn required PDUs to take the CAPM® certification exam
• Cover the basics of PMP, Agile, Scrum, & Microsoft Project 2013
• Learn methods & techniques to optimize effectiveness in software estimation
• Gain an understanding of project management philosophies
• Prepare precise estimations for executing a software project

This is the solution you’ve been hoping for. You’ll be the Certified Associate in Project Management that’s in demand and totally qualified by studying when it’s convenient for you, and at 92% off of the usual price. Enroll now!

See at Android Central Digital Offers

Alcatel’s pseudo-modular A50 smartphone coming to Telus and Koodo in Canada

Alcatel’s A50 smartphone will be available on two different Canadian networks.

Alcatel’s A5 smartphone features the company’s own take on modules for a budget price. Like the Moto Z line, there is an extended battery mod and a speaker mod. Unlike Moto, Alcatel created an awesome looking LED back.

But for Canadian customers that want that sweet LED fire on their phone, they would have to import the device. That changes soon: the Alcatel A50 smartphone will be available on Telus and Koodo beginning August 18. The device features Android 7.0, a 5.2-inch 720p display covered in Dragontrail glass, a MediaTek MTK 6738 quad core processor, 16GB of internal storage (expandable via MicroSD) and 2GB of RAM. From Newswire:

Today, Alcatel – a top-five smartphone manufacturer in North America – is unveiling an all-new smartphone experience for TELUS and Koodo Mobile customers across Canada, with the introduction of the Alcatel A50 and SNAPBAK accessories. Offering a perfect balance of smartphone functionality powered by Android™ 7.0 Nougat, the A50 includes the complete Alcatel SNAPBAK accessory system, including the LightUp, Sound and Power SNAPBAK covers; redefining experience driven value for smartphone users.

The Alcatel A50 with SNAPBAK covers will be available online and in TELUS stores across Canada starting at $0 CAD on a two-year term or $240 CAD outright, and from Koodo Mobile for $240 CAD outright or $0 CAD on a Tab™ Small plan beginning August 18.

Are you enticed by the sweet LEDs in the Alcatel A50? Let us know down below!

Google Search will now alert users to pollen levels

Google Search will now integrate pollen forecasts.

Google Search has long been able to alert users of various weather conditions, from thunderstorms to flash foods and and everything in between. One more weather condition will be available for search starting today.

Google has announced that users will be able to search for pollen levels near their location. I tried this on my OnePlus 3T by searching for both “pollen levels” and “pollen forecast.” All this displayed was a basic web search, so the feature has yet to fully roll out.

Users will also be able to receive reminders from the Google app if pollen levels are particularly high in their area.

Have a pollen allergy? Let us know down below!

Learn more about the Google app!