Google’s next Pixel phones will be unveiled on Oct 5

Google’s next Pixel devices will be announced on October 5.

According to @evleaks, the next Google Pixel phones will be unveiled at an event held on October 5. The first generation phones were announced on October 6, 2016, so the upcoming event will be almost exactly a year later.

@Evleaks also noted the devices will be powered by the unannounced Qualcomm Snapdragon 836. Given that the Snapdragon 821 was a slightly tweaked version of the Snapdragon 820, we can expect the Snapdragon 836 to perform very similarly to the Snapdragon 835 that has been on most flagships this year.

Also rumored to be announced at the event is a new, convertible Chromebook Pixel, possibly with a unique keyboard section. That would make the device Google’s first first-party laptop since the last Chromebook Pixel was released in 2015. We may also see Google release a pair of headphones with Google Assistant built-in.

FCC documentation confirmed that HTC would be returning to manufacture the smaller of the two devices, while LG is rumored to build the larger model. Both models look to feature an 18:9 display, a gigantic camera sensor, and (sadly) no 3.5mm headphone jack.

Are you excited for the next Google Pixel phones? Let us know down below!

Google Pixel + Pixel XL

• Google Pixel and Pixel XL review
• Google Pixel XL review: A U.S. perspective
• Google Pixel FAQ: Should you upgrade?
• Pixel + Pixel XL specs
• Understanding Android 7.1 Nougat
• Join the discussion in the forums!

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Audi will use solar panels to help power its future EVs

When you think of electric vehicles, you probably imagine Tesla’s Supercharger, or gas station-like centers where you go to top off the voltage. There’s another idea, though, that makes a lot of sense: sun energy. AltaDevices, a subsidiary of Hanergy that makes thin, flexible solar panels, is working with Audi to bring the power of solar to your car’s sunroof. The first prototype should be developed by the end of this year.

Integrating solar cells into an Audi “panoramic glass roof” is only the first step, says Alta. The future will see the entire car roof surface covered with cells that can supply non-essential systems like air-conditioning or seat heaters. Using solar power in this way can leave more of the main electric fuel systems available to increase the range of your EV. “The range of electric cars plays a decisive role for our customers. Together with Alta Devices and Hanergy, we plan to install innovative solar technology in our electric cars that will extend their range and is also sustainable,” said Audi’s Dr. Bernd Martens in a statement.

Source: AltaDevices

Privacy group says Washington cyberbullying law is censoring instead

Anti-cyberbullying laws are noble, but attempting to punish online speech is tough. Digital rights group Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) claimed that Washington state’s anti-cyberbullying legislation goes too far — and ends up censoring speech instead.

The law is designed to protect against cyberstalking specifically by punishing harassment online. The EFF came out against it when it was proposed in late 2015, citing all the speech that could inadvertently fall into its crosshairs. Most of the hypothetical examples are mean and morally grey, but not specifically illegal: Repeatedly posting anonymous Yelp reviews to embarrass a restaurant owner into improving their business, for example, is crappy human behavior but Constitutionally-protected free speech.

In a current case regarding the overreaching law, Rynearson v. Ferguson, the EFF and Washington branch of the ACLU have submitted an amicus brief (PDF). It requests the judge presiding over the case issue a preliminary injunction to block authorities from enforcing the legislation, which both rights groups see as unconstitutionally restrictive.

The EFF has kept a close eye on the state’s legislation, which has proposed several laws over the years that the group opposed on digital rights grounds. That’s not necessarily a flaw of the state, which typically leads the US in proposing legislation addressing new technologies. From being one of the first states to ban texting while driving in 2007 to requiring cops to get warrants for stingray-based cell phone surveillance to ending Counter-Strike gambling, Washington is usually at the forefront of digital rights. But being on the frontier means being the first to navigate the balance between protecting people and protecting rights.

Source: Electronic Frontier Foundation

Drones are delivering packages in Iceland’s capital city

At last, a fully operational urban delivery drone system is here… only you probably won’t get to use it. Drone logistics startup Flytrex has teamed up with Iceland’s main online retailer, AHA, to launch a courier drone service in Reykjavik. Specifically, it’s serving one part of Reykjavik — robotic fliers carry food across a river in the city, cutting the delivery time from 25 minutes to 4. That doesn’t sound like a whole lot, but it could make a big difference both in terms of getting your food quickly and cutting back on delivery costs.

This undoubtedly comes across as a publicity grab. The delivery drones aren’t carrying large packages, and it’s relatively easy to handle a modestly-sized city with few big buildings. However, it does show how delivery drones might find early use in cities. Rather than try to serve everyone, merchants can use drones in those situations where terrain or buildings make ground-based deliveries particularly difficult. Essentially, they would iron out the kinks in the existing delivery system — instead of waiting ages because you live in the “wrong” part of town, you could get deliveries as quickly as anyone else.

Source: Flytrex

SkyHi wants to do for plane tickets what Netflix does for movies

Why it matters to you

New subscription airline ticket service could revolutionize the way we book flights.

Whether it is Netflix or Apple Music, we increasingly live in a world in which subscription-based services are the norm. That is not the case if you are talking about air travel, however. The folks behind a new startup called SkyHi want to change that, courtesy of what they claim is the world’s first subscription platform for unlimited flights.

“The way we fly has been in major need of an update since, well, forever,” Sydney Campos, a marketing executive for SkyHi, told Digital Trends. “For the average consumer, the way we’re trained to fly is antiquated and typically takes months of advanced planning to orchestrate. A lot of the current system has been a result of cost-prohibitive measures making last-minute or spontaneous travel undesirable, due to the associated high expense. The other issue is inefficiency from the airline industry standpoint: Lots of empty seats go unsold and there hasn’t been an efficient way of handling it that benefits all sides. Our platform offers a clear win-win.”

The idea is straightforward: SkyHi users download the mobile app from the iOS or Android app stores, then pay the monthly subscription, and log into the app to make bookings with just a few taps. It’s not quite limitless in the way that, say, Netflix is, but it is certainly vastly simpler than spending hours perusing various airline booking websites. For $199 a month, you get one one-way flight per week (additional ones can be purchased for a $35 booking fee) within a 1,500-mile radius of your current location.

It is a neat idea that its creators hope will disrupt the way we buy our plane tickets. At present, SkyHi’s platform is open for beta access to early members. It will then open more widely in October, with an increasing number of flights and regions being added to the service in the months that follow.

“We see SkyHi being used by the ever-expanding generation of entrepreneurs, freelancers, digital nomads, creatives, and adventurers who have been waiting for something like this to come on the scene,” Campos said. “This is the future of flying — where taking a flight is as typical as booking a train upstate or a ferry across the river.”

SkyHi wants to do for plane tickets what Netflix does for movies

Why it matters to you

New subscription airline ticket service could revolutionize the way we book flights.

Whether it is Netflix or Apple Music, we increasingly live in a world in which subscription-based services are the norm. That is not the case if you are talking about air travel, however. The folks behind a new startup called SkyHi want to change that, courtesy of what they claim is the world’s first subscription platform for unlimited flights.

“The way we fly has been in major need of an update since, well, forever,” Sydney Campos, a marketing executive for SkyHi, told Digital Trends. “For the average consumer, the way we’re trained to fly is antiquated and typically takes months of advanced planning to orchestrate. A lot of the current system has been a result of cost-prohibitive measures making last-minute or spontaneous travel undesirable, due to the associated high expense. The other issue is inefficiency from the airline industry standpoint: Lots of empty seats go unsold and there hasn’t been an efficient way of handling it that benefits all sides. Our platform offers a clear win-win.”

The idea is straightforward: SkyHi users download the mobile app from the iOS or Android app stores, then pay the monthly subscription, and log into the app to make bookings with just a few taps. It’s not quite limitless in the way that, say, Netflix is, but it is certainly vastly simpler than spending hours perusing various airline booking websites. For $199 a month, you get one one-way flight per week (additional ones can be purchased for a $35 booking fee) within a 1,500-mile radius of your current location.

It is a neat idea that its creators hope will disrupt the way we buy our plane tickets. At present, SkyHi’s platform is open for beta access to early members. It will then open more widely in October, with an increasing number of flights and regions being added to the service in the months that follow.

“We see SkyHi being used by the ever-expanding generation of entrepreneurs, freelancers, digital nomads, creatives, and adventurers who have been waiting for something like this to come on the scene,” Campos said. “This is the future of flying — where taking a flight is as typical as booking a train upstate or a ferry across the river.”

Self-driving forklift takes the human factor out of warehouse work

Why it matters to you

The new Seegrid GP8 Series 6 forklift can pick up and move heavy loads, all without requiring humans to break a sweat.

Robots and autonomous vehicles are taking over a growing number of domains, and jobs in warehouses are no exception to that rule. That is where self-driving industrial vehicle company Seegrid’s new GP8 Series 6 forklift enters the picture. The GP8 Series 6 is capable of autonomously maneuvering around warehouses, picking up heavy loads, taking them where they need to go, and then unloading them — and all without any human sweat needing to be expended.

“Our autonomous vehicles specialize in helping human workers haul extremely heavy loads of materials around the facility floor, making the whole system more efficient,” Jeff Christensen, vice president of product at Seegrid, told Digital Trends. “The new GP8 Series 6 adds one more layer of automation because it’s capable of executing hands-free load exchange from pickup to drop-off. That means the robot can approach a pallet, lift it up quickly and carefully, and drive off to the next point. This end-to-end automation solution optimizes warehouse operations by removing the need for human assistance to complete certain tasks.”

Compared to the automated guided vehicles (AGVs) that have been used in similar facilities for years, Seegrid’s self-driving forklifts don’t require any changes to a facility’s infrastructure in order to be used. Each vehicle operates using five cameras and image-recognition algorithms, instead of the wires, lasers, magnets, or tape commonly used by AGVs. This is also different from autonomous cars, which employ sensors like radar or lidar in order to move around. Christensen notes that the stereoscopic cameras the forklift uses have higher data density and offer a 360-degree view, compared to these rival sensor technologies. Another reason they do not require radar or lidar is because the lighting levels in a warehouse are more easily controllable than the natural light in the outside world.

Although the GP8 Series 6 is still in the pre-order phase, Seegrid autonomous vehicles are already being widely used in the industry. They have cumulatively driven more than 725,000 production miles for customers including General Motors, Amazon, Whirlpool, Jaguar Land Rover and many other manufacturing and distribution companies — all without a single accident.

The hope is that the company’s new autonomous forklift will not do anything to sully that sterling safety reputation. Until Skynet’s ready to make its move, at least!

After the recalled Galaxy Note 7, is the Samsung Galaxy Note 8 safe?

Why it matters to you

The Galaxy Note 7 is a failed product. It physically harmed people. Naturally, if you’re eyeing the latest Galaxy Note 8, you’ll want to know — is the Note 8 safe?

Samsung’s latest flagship smartphone is here: The pricey Galaxy Note 8, with a 6.3-inch screen, a Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 processor, and the S Pen stylus. But let’s get to the big question: Is the Note 8 safe? Following the disastrous release of the Galaxy Note 7, a phone with a possibility to catch fire and explode, has Samsung taken steps to make sure nothing similar ever happens again?

The short answer is yes, but if you are thinking of dropping nearly a $1,000 on the phone, you likely want to know the steps Samsung made to make it safe. That is where the Eight-Point Battery Safety Check comes in. It is a process Samsung implemented for the Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus, one we got a tour of when we visited Samsung’s factory in South Korea earlier this year. It involves a durability test, a visual inspection, an X-Ray, a charge and discharge test, a total volatile organic compounds (TVOC) test, a disassembling test, an accelerated usage test, and a Delta Open Circuit Voltage test.

Samsung

You can read detailed explanations of each test in this eight-point process here. Some of these tests are new, implemented directly after the Note 7 incident, while others have always been in place, but they have been enhanced.

For example, the durability test puts batteries through overcharging tests, puncture tests, and extreme temperature stress tests. While this test has always been utilized, Samsung now performs it with more frequency. One of the new tests, charging and discharging, means Samsung charges devices and then allows them to discharge — a test like this would likely have caught the issue with the Note 7’s battery early on in the manufacturing process.

A third-party, independent review organization, UL Consumer, inspected the battery on the Note 8, and had this to say:

“We have been closely working with Samsung to make meaningful advancements in the science of smartphone quality and safety evaluation,” said Sajeev Jesudas, president of Consumer at UL. “As a result, the Note 8 has successfully completed a rigorous series of device and battery safety compatibility test protocols.”

Samsung does not want a repeat of the Note 7. At the Galaxy Unpacked launch event on Wednesday, Samsung’s mobile chief DJ Koh expressed his “deepest gratitude for the Note community around the world.” Tim Baxter, president and CEO of Samsung Electronics North America told Digital Trends the company has learned from its mistakes.

“Our view of it is we’ve learned from it, we’ve applied those learnings to our new products,” Baxter said. “We’re going to continue to deliver this: A high level of innovation and bring that to consumers and enterprise users in ways we’ve done it in the past.”

So yes, the Galaxy Note 8 is likely one of the safest smartphones you can buy this fall. If you are interested in learning more about the phone, check out our Note 8 hands-on review.

Apple iMac with Retina 5K Display (2017) review

Research Center:
Apple iMac with Retina 5K Display (2017)

Few computers are as iconic as Apple’s iMac. First released in 1998, the all-in-one has gone through numerous revisions, each of them pushing hardware forward in some way. The current model’s claim to fame is its 5K display, which still beats the resolution of any Windows alternative.

The current iMac is aging, however. Can it defeat new competitors from Dell, HP, and Microsoft, which have been introduced or reinvented within the last year? As our Apple iMac with Retina 5K Display review will explain, the answer is a definite ‘maybe.’

Our review unit was the base model, priced at $1,800. That’s enough to snag an Intel Core i5-7500 processor, 8GB of RAM, a 1TB Fusion Drive, and AMD Radeon 570 Pro graphics. Here’s how it stacked up. 

Aging, but not old

‘If it’s not broken, don’t fix it’ may be Apple’s secret design motto. Its absolute devotion to design elegance can result in major leaps forward, but once the leap is made, the company doesn’t mind spending a few years standing in place. Good design is good design – why change it when it’s still at the top of its class?

Apple’s 27-inch iMac with Retina 5K Display perfectly demonstrates this attitude. Almost four years have passed since the last major change in the veteran all-in-one’s exterior, and even that merely altered the hem on a look that’s been around since 2009. No competitor has endured for as long and some, like HP, have swung through multiple, drastic design iterations.

Bill Roberson/Digital Trends

Bill Roberson/Digital Trends

Bill Roberson/Digital Trends

Bill Roberson/Digital Trends

The evidence of this is obvious to see. Placed next to an HP Envy all-in-one, or even Dell’s Inspiron 27 7000, the iMac looks ponderous. Large display bezels and a thick rear panel give the system a sense of heft and weight, though it’s mostly an illusion. The difference in size isn’t enough to be meaningful, and its 20-pound weight is no heavier than its peers.

Admittedly, the iMac has aged with grace. It’s not as sleek as some alternatives, but its all-aluminum chassis still stands out, as most all-in-ones fall back to using a combination of plastic with metal accents. There’s also something to be said for its aesthetic. The system’s combination of piano-black display bezel and silver aluminum gives an aura of luxurious that alternatives can’t match.

There is one area where design becomes a detriment, and that’s the stand. The standard iMac remains planted by an elegant but stubborn piece of aluminum that only allows minor adjustment for tilt. Dell’s Inspiron 27 7000 offers a far more accommodating stand. To be fair, though, most of the iMac’s competitors have the same problem, and Apple does sell a version of the iMac with a VESA adapter.

Lots of ports, with gobs of bandwidth

All the iMac’s ports are in one strip along the right-rear side of the all-in-one. It includes the following; four USB 3, two Thunderbolt 3/USB Type-C, Gigabit Ethernet, an SDXC card slot, and a 3.5mm headphone hack. Wireless connectivity includes 802.11ac Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.2.

Though the Thunderbolt 3 ports have gobs of bandwidth, they can only accept video input from another Mac

This is a good selection, with broad support for both older media and today’s fastest hardware – a fact that’s sure to make MacBook owners jealous. While most competitors also offer a good selection of USB ports, only a few have embraced Thunderbolt and/or USB Type-C.

There’s a dark side to the iMac’s connectivity, however. Though the Thunderbolt 3 ports have gobs of bandwidth, they can only accept video input from another Mac computer. That means you can’t use the 27-inch iMac with Retina 5K Display alongside a game console or a television set-top box.

The ports are hard to access, too, because they’re all along the rear panel. Most all-in-ones have a couple forward or side-facing USB ports to make connecting a thumb drive easier. There’s no such convenience here. You’ll have to turn the iMac around every time you connect or unplug a wired device.

Retina 5K continues to impress

Believe it or not, Apple’s Retina 5K display is nearing its third birthday. It was announced on October 16, 2014. Three years a long time in consumer technology, so you’d expect to see competitors leapfrog past the Retina 5K’s quality.

That’s not the case. The 27-inch iMac with Retina 5K Display remains the only all-in-one computer to exceed 4K resolution, and we can count the number of 5K monitors available on one hand.

And it’s not just the resolution that’s superb. Retina 5K also offers standout color accuracy and gamut, alongside a solid contrast ratio.

Credit should be given to Microsoft’s Surface Studio which, as the graphs show, does beat the Retina 5K in both contrast and color accuracy, while falling slightly behind in color gamut. Microsoft’s competitor is the absolute best the Windows world can offer, however, and its base retail price is $1,200 more than the Apple iMac we received for review. Even the Dell Inspiron 27 7000, which has a gorgeous 4K screen, falls behind Apple’s all-in-one across the board.

The iMac also now boasts an outrageous maximum brightness of 500 nits — in fact, it scored 507 nits in our testing. That helps it work in bright environments, where the system’s mirror-like coating can be a problem.

We found the display just as beautiful in use as it was on our test bench. The sharp picture makes even a simple Word document look like art. Text is crisp and inky black, with no visible pixels, as if printed directly underneath the glass. High-resolution video and images look better still, and crisp content will take your breath away. Even 1080p movies look good. They may not benefit from 5K’s sharpness, but the iMac’s excellent color reproduction is a boon no matter what you’re staring at.

Sound off

Look for the speakers, and you’ll find no evidence of them. Cupertino’s engineers have hidden them away. They’re not hidden when you need them, though, as the iMac can deliver impressive sound with a small hint of bass when the volume is turned up. It does become overwhelmed by complex tracks or action-packed movies. Detail is lost as the speakers strain to product both highs and lows.

The Dell XPS 27 and HP Envy, both of which focus on audio quality, have pushed Apple aside. Still, the iMac sounds good in most situations, and we doubt you’ll see reason to purchase a stand-alone speaker system.

Core i5 delivers unsurprising performance

Apple’s current iMac line uses 7th Gen Intel Core processors, the most recent available. Our review unit came with the Core i5-7500 quad-core, which has a base clock of 3.4GHz, and Boost clock of up to 3.8GHz. The chip was paired with 8GB of memory.

The iMac’s Geekbench scores, at 4,775 and 14,017 in single-core and multi-core, respectively, are exactly what we’d expect to see. Most of Apple’s competitors offer similar hardware, and so perform similarly.

However, Dell’s Inspiron 27 7000 offers an interesting alternative. Equipped with AMD’s new eight-core Ryzen 7 1700 processor, it loses in single-core performance, but easily wins in multi-core testing. The benefit of that is most obvious in Handbrake, as the Ryzen-powered Dell cuts the iMac’s encoding time in half.

Most users won’t notice much difference in either direction. Every all-in-one in the luxury market offers more than enough performance to satisfy even a demanding user. If you’re interested in the iMac for serious professional work, though, you should wait. Apple’s iMac Pro looks set to satisfy Mac fans who need extreme performance, but it won’t be out until December.

Fusion can’t fix slow transfers

While Apple has proudly switched entirely to solid state drives in its laptops, the iMac comes standard with the Fusion Drive, a mechanical disk that’s paired with a small solid state cache. Solid state drives are optional.

This choice does impact performance. DiskMark reported a read speed of only 153 megabytes per second (MB/s), and a write speed of 587 MB/s. Importantly, we saw some significant deviations from one test to the test, which is unusual. It’s likely a result of the disk’s cache attempting to keep up with the test workload but, on occasion, falling behind.

While the numbers were murky, the conclusion was clear – the Fusion Drive isn’t all that fast. The quickest solid state drives can transfer over two gigabytes of data every second, more than a 10-fold improvement over the iMac’s Fusion Drive.

Bill Roberson/Digital Trends

This difference isn’t noticeable in day-to-day use. The cache is effective and smart. It knows what you’re using or are likely to use, and prepares the data before you need it. Applications usually take just a few seconds to launch.

However, you may notice a difference when transferring large files. The Thunderbolt 3 ports on the rear of the iMac can handle huge bandwidth, but the Fusion Drive can’t. Connect it to an external solid state drive, like Samsung’s T5, and you’ll find the iMac’s hard drive becomes a performance bottleneck.

To test this, we transferred a 3.4GB folder consisting of many smaller documents to a Samsung T3 hard drive with two terabytes of storage. On the iMac, this took one minute and 16 seconds. On a 2016 Apple MacBook 15, however, it took just 30 seconds. That’s a difference you’ll notice in normal use.

The GPU is fast, but this isn’t a secret gaming rig

Even the least expensive 27-inch Apple iMac with Retina 5K Display comes with AMD’s Radeon Pro 570 graphics. We’ve been impressed by the standard Radeon RX 570 video card in the past, so we were eager to see how the iMac performed.

We came away disappointed. The card is certainly enough to handle 5K resolution in MacOS, but gaming is another story. We loaded up Sid Meier’s Civilization VI, one of our usual test titles, and tried it at 2,560 x 1,440 pixel resolution. Even at Medium detail, the game only hit 33 frames per second. That’s playable, but it’s certainly not ideal.

Despite that, the Radeon Pro 570’s results at least show passable performance. It’s no powerhouse, but it will play most Mac-compatible games at an acceptable resolution and level of detail. The iMac is still your best bet for Mac gaming, as it easily defeats any MacBook Pro.

The magic is gone

Apple ships the iMac with its own Magic Keyboard and Magic Mouse 2. We soon learned to find the names ironic, as we found little magic in either.

The keyboard is pleasant enough to type on, but its cramped, and doesn’t include a numpad.

The keyboard is pleasant enough to type on, but its cramped, and doesn’t include a numpad. It’s more like a laptop keyboard than a desktop keyboard, and we’d always choose to type on the latter.

We loved it, though, compared to the Magic Mouse 2. Flat and smooth, the Mouse does nothing to conform to the user’s hand. It instead forces a desperate, claw-like grip that we found tiring after just a few hours. Its recognition of touch-based scroll gestures worked well, but no better than a traditional scroll wheel.

Apple has also refused to move the charging port from the bottom of the mouse, which means it can’t be charged while in use if the battery dies. That shouldn’t happen more than once a month, but it’s annoying all the same.

Warranty

Every iMac has a one-year warranty again manufacture defects, which is standard for the industry. Users can upgrade to three years of AppleCare+, which includes accidental damage coverage and 24/7 support, for $170.

The terms of AppleCare+ aren’t exceptional, but benefit from Apple’s retail outlets and excellent reputation. Apple can provide in-person support if you live near an Apple Store, while most companies ask you to ship in your system for any repair. Apple is also known to repair many out-of-warranty issues if they’re due to a widespread manufacturing flaw.

Apple iMac with Retina 5K Display (2017) Compared To

Dell Inspiron 27 7000 (2017)

Acer Aspire AZ3-615

Apple iMac 21.5-inch (2014)

Lenovo C560 Touch

Acer TA272HUL

Acer Aspire Z3-605

Dell XPS 27 Touch

Lenovo IdeaCentre A720

Dell XPS One 27

Apple iMac 27-inch (Core i5)

HP TouchSmart 300

Asus Eee Top ET1602

HP TouchSmart IQ506

Apple iMac Core Duo 17-inch

Apple iMac 17-inch

Our Take

Apple’s 27-inch iMac with Retina 5K Display remains the benchmark in all-in-one design, despite signs of age, and its display remains unmatched. Cupertino’s classic falls behind in performance, however, and can become incredibly expensive when appropriate upgrades are added.

Is there a better alternative?

There is a long list of competitors beside the iMac. These include the Dell XPS 27 all-in-one, Dell Inspiron 27 7000 all-in-one, HP Envy all-in-one, and Asus Zen AiO Pro.

While the specifics differ with each system, the general rule is this – Windows alternatives win in performance and options, but lose in display quality.

Spending $1,800 on the Dell Inspiron 27 7000 all-in-one, for example, will snag an AMD Ryzen processor that performs better in multi-core tests, as well as AMD Radeon RX 580 graphics, and twice as much RAM. The 4K display, though, can’t quite match Apple’s Retina 5K.

HP’s Envy all-in-one also has “just” a 4K display. Yet at $1,580 it offers a Core i7 processor, 16GB of RAM, and a 256GB solid state drive alongside a 2TB hard drive. Those specifications certainly give it an edge over the iMac in performance.

How long will it last?

Equipped with a modern Core i5 processor, fast graphics, and a great display, the Apple iMac with Retina 5K Display should last for years. The Fusion storage drive is the only sore point, as it’s already out of date. Thankfully, you can upgrade the iMac to a solid state drive.

 Should you buy it?

Yes. The Apple iMac with Retina 5K Display could do with a few performance upgrades, but handsome design and a wonderful screen keep it a true classic.

Using a VPN will reportedly bypass Verizon’s video throttling

NordVPN claims using a VPN will bypass Verizon’s harsh video throttling.

Verizon recently announced it would begin throttling video streams for customers on its unlimited plans. When Verizon’s network detects a stream is coming from a video streaming service such as YouTube or Netflix, the download speeds to the device will be throttled to 10Mbps, forcing the video stream down to a resolution of 480p or 720p, depending on the plan.

There may be a remedy for this though. According to 9to5Mac, VPN users will be able to get around Verizon-imposed limits, as per NordVPN, a popular provider. Because of the way a VPN routes traffic, Verizon’s network is unable to detect whether a packet is coming from a video streaming site, and therefore unable to throttle the resulting video stream. Verizon (or other networks) would be able to counter this, but that would involve throttling all traffic delivered over a VPN.

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There are numerous VPN providers for Android, iOS and Windows. Besides just getting around consumer-hostile decisions, a VPN is also the best way to make sure your information stays secure when traveling over a carrier network.

Do you already use a VPN? Let us know down below!

The best VPN services of 2017