Watch the LG V30 launch at IFA 2017 — live at 3:00 a.m. ET Aug 31!

LG is hoping to make a splash just a day ahead of the IFA 2017 trade show in Berlin.

We’ve seen the leaks, checked all of the latest information from LG and set our expectations — it’s time for the LG V30. Coming just a week after the Galaxy Note 8 was announced, and several months after the LG G6, it’s more important than ever that LG get this one right. All indications are that it’s going with a notably different strategy from the V20 — pushing into more of the mainstream — and that’s probably a good thing. But no matter what it does, we’ll see all of the details, and how LG presents them, at the event here at IFA 2017.

Now because the event is happening here in Berlin, it’s going to cause some time zone issues for some of you. The 9:00 a.m. local start time means it’s going to start at 3:00 a.m. ET — tough for those of you on the U.S. East Coast, but something that West Coasters may be willing to stay up for and watch at midnight.

No matter where you are, you can catch the event live above at the start time (or after the fact!), and you can bet that Android Central will have all of the news from the show as well.

LG V30

• LG V30: Everything you need to know!
• Latest render shows LG V30 alongside Galaxy Note 8
• LG V30 will have curved OLED display
• LG V30 will be announced on August 31
• Join our LG V30 forums

YouTube TV: Everything you need to know!

YouTube TV is here, and you probably have questions.

It’s always exciting to see a company like Google offer something new, but YouTube TV is not the first time this company has tried to do something innovative with streaming video. Here’s what you need to know about Google’s latest efforts to shake up television as we know it.

What is YouTube TV?

Think of YouTube TV as an internet-based cable television subscription. For a monthly fee, you can stream live television directly to your phone without needing an account through your local cable company. You can use this as a way to watch live television when you aren’t at home, or you can completely replace your home cable service with YouTube TV.

Aren’t there other apps that do this right already?

As a matter of fact, there are three rather popular services offering similar services. Sony’s PlayStation Vue lets you watch and record live TV across many different screens, DirecTV Now is a satellite-free alternative to cable companies, and SlingTV exists as an alternative to watching your favorite shows with a cable box.

YouTube TV is looking to compete with these services by offering a price point in the middle of these services, with expanded features a promise of more consistent streaming video quality.

What channels do I get with YouTube TV?

Currently, YouTube TV is offering:

• ABC
• CBS
• FOX
• NBC
• NBCSN
• USA
• FX
• FreeForm
• Oxygen
• Bravo
• MSNBC
• Fox News
• CNBC
• FXX
• FXM
• SyFy
• Fox Business
• Local Now
• Disney
• Disney Junior
• Disney XD
• The CW
• E!
• Universo
• Universal
• Sprout
• National Geographic
• Nat Geo Wild
• Chiller
• ESPN
• ESPN 2
• ESPN 3
• ESPN News
• ESPN U
• SEC ESPN
• CSN
• Fox Sports
• BTN
• NBC Golf
• Telemundo
• FS1
• FS2

YouTube TV also includes YouTube Originals, which are shows and movies previously available only to YouTube Red subscribers.

There will also be the ability to add networks to your subscription for an additional fee. Currently, Fox Soccer Plus and Showtime are on the list of add-on networks to be available at launch.

Can I record shows with YouTube TV?

You can! YouTube TV includes a “Cloud DVR” service that allows you to record multiple shows simultaneously so you can watch them later. This feature includes a commercial skipping feature if you’re watching a recorded show, available with a simple tap in the YouTube TV app.

This Cloud DVR service comes with unlimited storage, and videos you have recorded can only live on your account for nine months before they need to be erased.

How many people can use my account at the same time?

Each YouTube TV account allows you to connect up to six accounts in a family plan for no additional fee. Currently, no other live TV streaming service supports six simultaneous users as part of the base price, and each of these connected accounts will get separate recommendations and offers based on their viewing habits. This means you kids can watch all the Pokemon they want and it won’t interfere with reminders about Game of Thrones or Football.

So far, Google has not mentioned any need to prove those six people live in the same house or share any other Google services.

What do I need to use YouTube TV?

As it stands YouTube TV works on just about everything with a screen. Android and iOS apps are available, as well as a website for watching and controlling your account.

If you have a TV with a Chromecast dongle or Google Cast service embedded, you are able to stream anything from YouTube to your television easily.

How much does YouTube TV cost?

Right now Google is offering a flat rate of $35 per month for YouTube TV. Each add-on network will run you an additional $10 per month.

This monthly plan does not include any contracts or commitments, so you can quickly cancel the service if you decide you are unhappy with it.

Can I get YouTube TV now?

You can get YouTube TV right now, provided you live in an area with service. Google’s plan is to make the service available first in the largest U.S. markets and expand rapidly after the launch. In case you are curious, the currently supported media markets in the U.S. are:

• Atlanta
• Baltimore
• Boston
• Charlotte
• Chicago
• Cincinnati
• Columbus
• Dallas-Fort Worth
• Detroit
• Houston
• Jacksonville
• Las Vegas
• Los Angeles
• Louisville
• Memphis
• Miami-Fort Lauderdale
• Minneapolis-Saint Paul
• Nashville
• New York City
• Orlando-Daytona Beach-Melbourne
• Philadelphia
• Phoenix
• Pittsburgh
• San Antonio
• San Francisco Bay Area
• Seattle
• Tampa
• Washington DC
• West Palm Beach

To sign up so you can be notified of when this service is available in your area, head here and let Google know you’re eager to try YouTube TV.

What about people outside of the U.S.?

As is often the case with Google products and streaming TV services, YouTube TV is currently U.S. only and will likely remain U.S. only for quite a while.

In order to launch in other countries, Google needs to secure streaming rights in each country. That kind of thing takes a lot of time, so the current focus is delivering in the U.S. for now.

We’ll be sure to update this FAQ as more information becomes available!

Updated August 29, 2017: We’ve updated this FAQ to ensure it’s got everything you need to know!

How to deal with controller issues on Daydream with Galaxy S8

Solve those controller issues with these tips!

Nobody ever wants to run into issues that make it difficult, or impossible, to enjoy some time in VR. This is especially true for Samsung Galaxy S8 users who are just getting used to everything that Daydream can deliver on. While controller issues with the Samsung Galaxy S8 can be frustrating, they can be dealt with.

We’ve got the details on what to do when your controller starts to act up right here!

Read more at VRHeads

Acer Switch 7 hands-on: A compelling Surface alternative

There are plenty of pretenders to Microsoft’s Surface throne, but they often come with compromises that force you to default to the original. Acer is hoping to buck that trend with the Switch 7 Black Edition, a tablet-laptop hybrid that may succeed where so many others, including the Switch 5, have failed.

The Switch 7 comes packing a 13.5-inch, 2,256 x 1,504 display that’s roomier in person than you might imagine. It seems certainly big and bright enough to cope with hammering out a last-minute document on a plane or train. And fundamentally, that’s what this machine is: a vehicle for folks to get work done while they’re out and about.

In order to differentiate itself from other 2-in-1 devices, the Switch 7 comes with dedicated NVIDIA MX150 graphics — not powerful enough to run meaty games, for sure, but sufficient to ensure that the unit runs smoothly enough to handle Word, Photoshop and other productivity applications. Dedicated graphics and Intel’s 8th-generation Core CPUs do, however, generate a lot of heat, which is a problem for a small tablet. Acer opted not to build a fan but rather to incorporate its Dual Liquid Loop thermal pipes around the chassis that, it promises, will ensure you never burn your lap.

In the hand, the device feels sturdier than you’d expect given its fairly large size, but also it’s not too heavy, weighing in at around 2.5 pounds. The brushed-aluminum body feels solid and durable, as if the machine could take being thrown into a bag at short notice.

We can’t make too many claims as to the Switch 7’s performance, mostly because the prototype we tried had a few issues. These will, naturally, be ironed out by its official debut in December, but going by its spec list, this device shouldn’t be slow at all.

As for the keyboard, it’s actually one of the nicer versions we’ve tried in this form factor for a while, thanks to good key travel and keycap spacing. The fact that we were able to sit down with it and almost instantly start hammering 40 or 50 words per minute says something. Then there’s the redesigned stand, which pops out when you put enough pressure on the top of the device.

As well as being pretty sturdy, with plenty of points of articulation, it too feels nigh-unbreakable, dammit. And it needs to be, given that you can use this device as a graphics tablet. Speaking of which, a Wacom stylus sits in the top left of the display and is capable of reading 4,096 levels of pressure. It certainly won’t replace your Cintiq, but it’ll do the job for folks who spend a lot of time inside Windows Ink and Illustrator.

Right now, all we have is potential and promise, two things that the Switch 7 has in spades, and something that we’ll be looking to test when we get more time with the hybrid. For now, if you want to get saving, the Switch 7 will launch in December for $1,699 in the US and €1,999 in Europe.

Follow all the latest news from IFA 2017 here!

‘Kentucky Route Zero’ will finish its story on consoles (updated)

Believe it or not, there hasn’t been a console version of the mysterious, narrative-driven Kentucky Route Zero since the first act arrived in 2013. Well, it’s here… and you may have a good reason to get it even if you’ve played the adventure title to death on your PC. Cardboard Computer has revealed Kentucky Route Zero TV Edition for the PS4, Switch and Xbox One, and this new version will include the fifth and final act of truck driver Conway’s strange journey. Yes, you can head to the living room to finish the story. It’ll include all the supporting interludes, too.

The TV Edition arrives in early 2018. That’s a while to wait, but it could be worthwhile if you’ve been sitting on pins and needles in the year since the fourth act arrived. It also speaks to the importance of consoles as havens for indie games — they’re now important enough that studios may premiere content on consoles first.

Update: We’ve learned that KRZ’s fifth act will be available on Steam at the same time, so don’t worry about looking on with envy if you don’t have a console on hand. We’ve updated the article accordingly.

Source: PlayStation Blog, Xbox Wire, Nintendo (YouTube)

‘No More Heroes’ sequel hits Nintendo Switch next year

Suda51 and the snarky, over-the-top, ultra violent titles he makes — like the Wii’s No More Heroes and the more recent free-to-play experiment on the PS4, Let It Die — are some of the best gaming experiences around. During Nintendo’s live stream focusing on indie developers Wednesday morning, Nintendo revealed a brand new title from the auteur, Travis Strikes Again, which is coming to the Switch in 2018. There’s even a new fourth wall-breaking trailer here, which sets up the new game’s story.

In the video, a masked villain confronts No More Hero’s Travis Touchdown, claiming to be the father of one of the assassin’s victims and interrupting Travis’ play through of Hotline Miami. There’s a charming moment when the camera freezes on Travis’ Unreal Engine T-shirt as a caption says that the game is being developed using “Unreal Engine 4: the noble and pedigreed middleware from Epic Games.” The scene resumes as the unnamed assailant cries foul at the obvious pandering to gamers. It’s an epic Suda51 moment.

During the livestream, Nintendo’s Head of Partner Management Damon Baker said, “just as the battle begins, the two men are inhaled by a phantom game console,” which will be their only way out. Players will battle through six different levels, each with its own boss. The levels will be created by Suda’s studio Grasshopper Manufacture in collaboration with different indie studios — can we hope for the developer of Hotline Miami’s to be involved?

Source: Business Wire

The best way to customize a supercar is in VR

To paraphrase Robin Williams, buying a $2.8 million supercar is God’s way of telling you that you’re making too much money. And yet there’s a certain thrill in picking out the red leather trim that goes so well with a black carbon-fiber shell. Because that’s what I picked to trick out the Pagani Zonda I could buy if I had Zuckerberg-level money. It’s also the same way that members of the super rich will customize their own rides soon.

The idea is that car showrooms of the future will be little more than a couple of neat chairs and a VR studio at back. Rather than forcing bored billionaires to browse swatches and paint charts, they’ll allow billionaires to do it all while hooked up to a computer. That’s not to mention that inside the virtual world, you can also place your new whip in a variety of environments to check that it suits. After all, you don’t wanna spend three big ones on a car only to find it doesn’t look good in California’s Death Valley.

You can’t simply strap any old VR headset onto the head of the Bloombergs or Buffets of this world, however. Only the ones produced by StarVR, the partnership between Starbreeze and Acer, will do. The biggest selling point of the kit is its 210-degree field of vision, a far cry from the FOVs available with the Oculus (110 degrees), Vive (110 degrees) and PSVR (101 degrees). That extra space is, of course, designed to further immerse you, and your peripheral vision, in whatever you’re looking at.

ZeroLight is the company that actually produces the photo-realistic, high-definition digital models of the vehicles. It’s working with a variety of automotive manufacturers to create the virtual showroom of the future.

Once you’re strapped in, you’re placed on a cliff edge in scenic America with the Zonda standing in front of you. Floating over to one side is a virtual menu that lets you customize the car. Top of the list is the paint job and body options, followed by the wheels, before you get to the interior choices. When you’re finished, you can transport the car to a number of locations, including the Pagani factory floor and California. You know, just to make sure that it doesn’t look ugly as hell under the strong desert sun.

As part of the deal, the ZeroLight models double as engineering diagrams, and would-be users can even “explode” the model to study every component in isolation. The StarVR headsets, meanwhile, do at least offer unprecedented levels of immersion. When the picture envelops your whole head in this manner, it’s far easier to get lost in the world than before. A couple of times I tried to lean on the car before self-consciously catching myself, knowing that I was in the company of seven other people in an otherwise empty room.

Virtual cars might not be to everyone’s taste, especially those folks who relish pawing through swatch books. But given that StarVR’s system can scale to almost any size, it could — potentially — accommodate the ability to sit in your own virtual car. As long as the showrooms provide blank chairs for these people to actually rest upon — we’d hate for those super rich people to try to sit on a virtual car and crash onto the floor.

Mat Smith contributed to this report.

Follow all the latest news from IFA 2017 here!

Kid Koala drops the beat in ‘Floor Kids’ for Switch this fall

Floor Kids heads to Nintendo Switch this holiday season, featuring badass breakdancing moves, hand-drawn art and music by Kid Koala, a member of legendary hip hop group Deltron 3030 and one of the DJs behind Baby Driver’s soundtrack. The game’s characters began life in 2007 within a series of short, animated films that were incorporated into Kid Koala’s concerts. But, this year, they’ll become a fully fledged video game.

In Floor Kids, players fight for breakdancing glory with a lineup of eight diverse characters, each with his or her own unique dance moves. Players travel the city, challenging rival bboys and bgirls to dance battles and unlocking new locations along the way. The game awards musicality and innovative moves, encouraging individuality. There’s a solo freestyle mode and a multiplayer mode.

Floor Kids comes from Canadian video game studio Hololabs and MERJ Media, a team of creative folks that includes Kid Koala and award-winning animator Jonathan Ng (JonJon). Ng’s hand-drawn art is a focal point in Floor Kids, and it features more than 24 fresh tracks from Kid Koala.

The project was originally headed to iOS and Android, but so far only the Switch version has a release window. Kid Koala certainly seems excited about Floor Kids — he’s been hyping it up on Instagram for the past week.

‘Onliner’ malware spambot targets 711 million email accounts

A security researcher who goes by the name Benkow has discovered a spambot with 711 million email addresses at its disposal. Troy Hunt, who runs the website Have I Been Pwned, said it’s “the largest single set of data” he’s ever loaded into his searchable database of compromised accounts. Prior to its discovery, the largest he’s had to upload contained 393 million records. The spambot called “Onliner” is used as a way to deliver the Ursnif banking malware made to infect Windows computers. Worse, it’s capable of bypassing spam filters, so someone not paying close attention to the sender’s email address could end up infected.

Onliner bypasses spam filters by collecting emails leaked with their passwords and SMTP credentials from previous breaches, including the massive LinkedIn hack in 2012 that compromised 117 million accounts. “The more SMTP servers [the spammers] can find, the more [they] can distribute the campaign,” Benkow explained. They then use those credentials to send infected emails to the other addresses in the list. According to the researcher, 80 million of the 711 million accounts had complete credentials and were used as senders, while the rest were used as targets.

The fact that Ursnif emails can land unchallenged in inboxes is pretty troubling, since they can infect PCs as soon as you load their attachments. Once in your system, the trojan can steal your bank log-ins, credit card info, various passwords and even act as a keylogger. You don’t have anything to worry about if you’re very careful about the attachments you open, but you can check Have I Been Pwned to see if you need to scan your PC ASAP.

Source: benkow_, Troy Hunt, ZDNet

Verizon’s Pixel phones will be among the first to get Android Oreo

Carriers are notorious for their protracted phone update processes, particularly Verizon. It’s not uncommon for Big Red subscribers to wait weeks longer than others to get an upgrade — and its promises that Google Pixel owners would get updates quickly were met with skepticism. Well, it looks like the provider might have been true to its word. Verizon has revealed that it’s delivering Android Oreo to Pixel and Pixel XL handsets on its network. You won’t have to twiddle your thumbs while owners with unlocked phones take advantage of picture-in-picture video and other Oreo perks.

This isn’t completely shocking given that minor updates have arrived quickly, but it’s still good news for people wondering whether or not Verizon would honor its pledge for major upgrades. There are plenty of Galaxy Nexus owners who still have flashbacks to Verizon’s less-than-stellar support, after all. The big question now is whether or not future Pixels will get a similar treatment, assuming they’re available through Verizon in the first place.

Via: CNET

Source: Verizon