Play spot the difference with ASUS’ ROG Strix gaming laptops

Gamers are a broad and diverse community, and treating them all as the single customer with a single set of needs isn’t very smart. It’s why ASUS is trying to break the one-size-fits all mould with its ROG Strix edition laptops that it initially showed off earlier this year. The two devices, the Scar and Hero editions, are designed to cater specifically to both FPS and MOBA players, respectively.

The headline tweaks made to the Scar Edition include a better display with a 120Hz refresh rate and 5ms response time. In addition, the keyboard has been intentionally made shallower in order to ensure that keypresses register that little bit faster. After all, you need to be sure you’re not wasting yoctoseconds of time pushing the actual buttons in the midst of a round of Overwatch.

Visually, too, the Scar has been given a gunmetal grey finish that’s intended to remind you of assault rifles and bullets flying through midair. Open the lid and you’ll find the palm rest has been styled with a carbon fiber-esque design, as well as side-firing stereo speakers that will help you pinpoint enemies.

The Hero, meanwhile, is clad in a visual design called “Monster Scale” which is meant to evoke, well, monster-fighting MOBAs. Rather than response time, the display has been tweaked to offer a better sRGB color gamut to ensure you’re only battling enemies in League of Legends. In addition, the company has made the keyboards more resilient, knowing that such games, with repeated, furious button pressing, often ruin keyboards.

Both devices have the usual raft of build-to-order options, which you can pick and choose to your heart’s delight. What’s going to be interesting, however, is to see if gamers take to the technical customizations specific to each genre. After all, having a laptop catered around your needs is great, although it’s not easy to see if these tweaks were actually being asked for in the first place.

Follow all the latest news from IFA 2017 here!

Fitness wearables will live or die by their apps

This week at IFA, some of the biggest players in wearables launched their latest smartwatches. From Fitbit’s debut Ionic to Samsung’s Gear Sport, these fitness-focused watches also run the companies’ own proprietary platforms, each offering their own app selection. For them to succeed, Samsung, Fitbit and Garmin, which also unveiled a new watch at the show, must now race to stock their stores with the best apps. That’s good news for smartwatches in general, because the influx of wearable apps could do for smartwatches what it did for smartphones years ago.

Franky, they need it. Even though smartwatches have been selling better than expected lately, the entire product category has been poorly received in general. Companies like Microsoft and Motorola have completely given up on making them anymore, and the industry now relies on the enthusiasm from fashion and fitness brands to keep it going. Still, with the devices announced this week, there is hope for a rejuvenation of the industry, especially if smartwatch apps take off.

First, let’s quickly recap the three operating systems we’re discussing. With the Fitbit Ionic, the wearables maker also debuted its first-ever smartwatch OS, called Fitbit OS. We’ll also look at Samsung’s Tizen OS as well as Garmin’s own platform. There’s a reason these companies came up with their own software instead of going with Android Wear. While I’m not discussing it length here. Google’s system, as well as Apple’s Watch OS, are designed for a wider audience, and are therefore multi-purpose. These three proprietary offerings focus on health and fitness-related functions instead, and put these tools front and center.

For a first attempt, Fitbit OS is a surprisingly mature system, although that can most likely be attributed to the experience of smartwatch pioneer Pebble, which Fitbit acquired earlier this year. The company says it learned from Pebble that the key to encouraging app development is to make it as easy as possible for people to build apps for their OS.

To that end, Fitbit launched a web-based console called Fitbit Studio, so anyone with a browser can code an app for the Ionic. Fitbit also uses popular and relatively simple standards like SVG, JavaScript and CSS for its apps, which saves developers the need to learn new languages. Given Pebble’s popularity and success on that front, it wouldn’t be surprising if developers indeed begin to create Fitbit OS apps in earnest.

Then there’s Samsung’s Tizen OS. Now in its third iteration, it’s the most mature smartwatch platform of the lot. Tizen is the platform for the new Gear Sport and Gear Fit 2 Pro, and already offers 31,000 apps and watch faces. It’s an open-source, Linux-based system that also powers TVs, cameras and printers. Linux is also a popular standard that many developers already know, although it’s not as common as JavaScript and CSS, which Fitbit uses.

Samsung has a headstart in this race, because of Tizen’s relative maturity and the company’s ability to attract big-name partners. For example, the Gear Sport and Fit 2 Pro are the first wearables to feature Speedo’s swim-tracking app. Tizen will no doubt continue to see its app numbers grow, given the steady popularity of the devices it powers.

Also launching at IFA is Garmin’s Vivoactive 3, which runs the company’s Garmin OS. Like its competitors, Garmin’s software runs apps, tracks your workouts and lets you make contactless payments from your wrist.

Through its Connect IQ open development platform, Garmin was also able to recruit partners like Uber and Trek to offer a small selection of third-party apps for its OS. Its selection is still measly compared to Tizen, though, but the company is evidently trying.

Each brand’s success doesn’t just depend on the number of apps it can offer, but the quality, too. Like we saw with phones that tried to make app development easy (cough Firefox OS cough), a high number of compatible offerings isn’t enough to make an OS takes off.

Companies must first make sure there are a compelling suite of apps at launch — and they can do this either by creating their own library or turning to partners. All three companies clearly understand this principle, having sought collaborations with the likes of Spotify, Pandora and Uber. So the race is on, then, to see which of them can ink the most deals in the shortest amount of time.

Of course, hardware and style are important factors that help determine a smartwatch’s success, too. Samsung’s Gear Sport looks the most like a traditional watch, with its round face and svelte design. Fitbit’s Ionic, in keeping with the company’s distinctly geometric aesthetic, still looks like a blockish tracker, but its fans will be happy to overlook that for the Ionic’s advanced sensors and brilliant display. Garmin, with its heritage and expertise in GPS technology, still proves to be a favorite for running enthusiasts.

Although Samsung retains its lead in app development for now, it is still too early to call it the winner of the trio. Fitbit’s OS, while young, was partly created with the help of the people behind one of the most popular smartwatches in history. Meanwhile, Garmin has a dedicated cult following of runners that have specific demands. To survive this race, each finalist must boost quality app growth in its ecosystem.

And then, the finalists left standing will have to take on the industry’s most expensive and arguably most popular device — the Apple Watch — in the ultimate round of smartwatch wars.

Follow all the latest news from IFA 2017 here!

Galaxy Note 8 and Xperia XZ1 are the latest to support Netflix HDR

The incredibly short list of mobile devices that can play Netflix in HDR has grown just a bit longer. If you tend to watch shows on the service while on the go and want to see the best possible pictures on screen, you can now add Samsung’s Galaxy Note 8 and Sony’s Xperia XZ1 to your choices. Android Police has spotted the two newly launched phones’ names in the company’s FAQs, along with the first three devices that got the capability: the LG G6, the LG V30 and the Sony Xperia XZ Premium.

Netflix HDR, which offers life-like pictures for a select number of shows and movies, first became available on the LG G6 in May. Since then, it’s made its way to a couple of other HDR-capable phones, though G6 remains the sole device to use the Dolby Vision standard. If you have or plan to get any of the aforementioned devices and want to enjoy Netfix in HDR, you simply need to make sure you have the latest version of the app and your phone’s latest firmware.

Source: Netflix, Android Police

Putin says the country that perfects AI will be ‘ruler of the world’

Forget the arms race or space race — the new battle for technological dominance revolves around AI, according to Vladimir Putin. The Russian President told students at a career guidance forum that the “future belongs to artificial intelligence,” and whoever is first to dominate this category will be the “ruler of the world.” In other words, Russia fully intends to be a frontrunner in the AI space. It won’t necessarily hog its technology, though.

Putin maintains that he doesn’t want to see anyone “monopolize” the field, and that Russia would share its knowledge with the “entire world” in the same way it shares its nuclear tech. We’d take this claim with a grain of salt (we wouldn’t be surprised if Russia held security-related AI secrets close to the vest), but this does suggest that the country might share some of what it learns.

Not that this reassuring long-term AI skeptic Elon Musk. The entrepreneur believes that the national-level competition to lead AI will be the “most likely cause of WW3.” And it won’t even necessarily be the fault of overzealous leaders. Musk speculates that an AI could launch a preemptive strike if it decides that attacking first is the “most probable path to victory.” Hyperbolic? Maybe (you wouldn’t be the first to make that claim). It assumes that countries will put AI in charge of high-level decision making, Skynet-style, and that they might be willing to go to war over algorithms. Still, Putin’s remarks suggest that his concern has at least some grounding in reality — national pride is clearly at stake.

China, Russia, soon all countries w strong computer science. Competition for AI superiority at national level most likely cause of WW3 imo.

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) September 4, 2017

Via: The Verge, The Guardian

Source: RT, Elon Musk (Twitter 1), (2)

Apple ends its annual music festival after 10 years

Apple’s London music festival (first the iTunes Festival, later the Apple Music Festival) has practically become a fixture of the entertainment scene since it got started in 2007. Like it or loathe it, though, you’re going to have to say goodbye. The company informs Music Business Worldwide that it’s no longer offering the annual London concert series. We’ve asked it to elaborate on the decision, but it appear to be a reflection of Apple’s shifting priorities in the streaming music era.

When the iTunes Festival launched, streaming media was still in its relative infancy (remember, Google had only bought YouTube the year before). Apple’s ultimate goal was to sell more albums. Any video was a perk, and there were no subscriber numbers to worry about. It didn’t matter when you bought that live Adele or Oasis album, just so long as you bought it.

In the Apple Music era, it’s very different. Apple needs to not only attract new customers, but keep them subscribed in the long term. That means offering a continuous flow of unique content that gives you reasons to come back, and Apple has been doing just that lately. It recently supported individual shows by the likes of Arcade Fire, Haim and Vince Staples, for example. Likewise, Apple is using episodic streaming video shows such as Carpool Karaoke to encourage repeated visits. A big, monolithic music festival doesn’t really help at all — it may attract more short-term attention, but listeners could quickly lose interest once the last artist leaves the stage.

Source: Music Business Worldwide

Beats Launching New Studio3 Wireless Headphones With Pure Adaptive Noise Cancelation

Beats today introduced new Studio3 Wireless over-ear headphones with Apple’s custom W1 chip and Pure Adaptive Noise Canceling technology.

Beats Studio3 Wireless deliver up to 22 hours of battery life with Pure ANC on, and up to 40 hours with Pure ANC off. Fast Fuel quick charging technology via Micro-USB provides three hours of music playback with a 10-minute charge.

Here’s how Beats describes Pure ANC:

This groundbreaking new technology uses advanced algorithms to continuously monitor your listening environment, so that it can best block out ambient noise—not only on an airplane, but also in a noisy café or a busy office. Pure ANC also evaluates fit and adjusts for leakage caused by hair, glasses, different ear shapes and movement of your head as you go about the day. Additionally, Pure ANC simultaneously checks what you’re hearing while noise canceling is applied against the original music content to adjust and ensure optimal audio fidelity. What’s remarkable is that Pure ANC’s real-time audio calibration operates up to 50,000 times a second.

Like AirPods, Apple’s W1 chip enables the Studio3 Wireless to instantly pair with an iPhone, iPad, Mac, or other Apple device, with seamless switching between iCloud-connected devices.

Apple’s W1 chip has Class 1 Bluetooth, so the Studio3 Wireless can be used with non-Apple devices as well.

Studio3 Wireless wearers can answer phone calls, control music, and activate Siri with multifunction on-ear controls, while a 3.5mm RemoteTalk cable with in-line controls is also included in the carrying case.

Beats Studio3 Wireless can be ordered on Apple’s website starting today for $349.95 in the United States, $399.95 in Canada, and £299.95 in the UK. Prices vary elsewhere. Shipments are estimated to begin in mid October.

The headphones look virtually the same as the original Beats Studio Wireless, including soft over-ear cushions. There are six colors to choose from: Red, Matte Black, White, Porcelain Rose, and Shadow Gray.

Tags: Beats, W1
Discuss this article in our forums

Scosche StuckUp Qi Wireless Charging Mount (Review)

Although most smartphones don’t support wireless charging, the idea is a novel one that offers a bit of ease at some additional cost. Samsung has gone full bore into the wireless charging world by offering the feature on all of its flagship phones. There are a few other devices from Microsoft, Sony, Google and Motorola that also employ wireless capabilities–so it’s not just Samsung here.

Although the majority of smartphones don’t have wireless charging, that doesn’t mean there isn’t a market for wireless chargers. With multiple manufacturers providing a handful of devices with Qi (pronounced ‘che’) wireless capabilities, the Scosche Wireless Charging Mount offers a great solution for those don’t want to bother plugging in to charge.

The box is nothing too fancy, but what do you expect–it’s a box!

Inside the box and assembly

Scosche includes a good deal of components here–everything you need to mount and charge wirelessly. Upon opening the box you’ll find the charging base, the charging USB cable, the suction mount, and the separate 12V power adapter that plugs into the car socket. Each item feels durable and well designed. These are not components that you’d find in a budget bin at your local department store. Also included is a simple multi-language instruction booklet made of folded paper in case the simple assembly isn’t quite clear.

Inside the box, you’ll find the manual, the car adapter, the mount, a micro-USB cable and the charging pad

Using the charger and mount

Assembly is thankfully simple and straightforward. I was able to get all pieces connected and working within minutes. Plugging in the adapter and inserting the USB cable in properly is something we’ve all done a thousand times; this is not rocket science by any means. The mount locks into the adjustable arm with a simple click, then you’re all set to charge your device wirelessly. Having a quick and understandable assembly process goes a long way here.

Mounting the device to the dash of a vehicle takes some patience. I discovered that the suction mount didn’t adhere well to the plastic parts of my dash at first. I had to fully clean the mounting location as well as readjust the suction cup to assure the mount was firmly in place. Previous to doing so, the entire assembly detached once, which sent my phone tumbling to the floor.

Once mounted properly, the wireless charger sits firm, ready to charge all your Qi-compatible devices

Mounting to my windshield was much more stable, however, locating a spot on my windshield that didn’t obstruct my view was a bit tricky. This is nearly impossible and would be a red flag for getting pulled over, but to be fair, the same would apply to almost any windshield-style mount. I found that the mount stayed firmly attached to the windshield at all times and the included release stem worked perfectly for removal.

Large phones like the S8 Plus fit just fine; just make sure to slide down the bottom feet grips

Once mounted, I was able to easily set and remove my smartphone from the charging cradle. The charging indicator on the front changes from blue to green to show that it’s charging, but is sometimes not visible depending on the size of the device being charged as well as the angle of the mount. At the bottom of the device, two adjustable clips keep the phone from slipping out. A button on the back side of the cradle allows these clips to slide down, which was necessary for my S7 Edge and S8 Plus to activate the wireless charger.

It may take a few tries to get the pad to stick, but once it’s on, the mount stays in place until you pull the tab near the bottom

StuckUp wrap-up

Scosche has been around in the mobile devices field for quite some time now and they’ve always made quality products. I was pleased to see the track record remains with the StuckUp Qi Wireless Charging Mount. This product charges quickly and holds firmly while not being overly complicated to assemble or use.

I honestly can’t speak for, nor guarantee, that every wireless device will be compatible, but considering Qi is quite universal, I can’t imagine any problems arising with other devices. Scosche has constructed a universal charger that has only a few minor shortcomings. It’s still a great value and one I can recommend to anybody that needs a wireless charging mount.

Moai is an aquarium-cleaning robot that also live-streams video of your fish

Why it matters to you

This smart fish tank cleaner not only keeps your glass algae-free, but lets you watch your fish wherever in the world you are.

Like a Roomba vacuum cleaner for your aquarium, Moai is a glass-cleaning robot that will autonomously propel itself around your fish tank, scouring algae as it goes. Oh, and it can also live-stream video of your fish while it’s at it.

“I had a small aquarium in my studio,” Moai industrial designer Yoon Hoon told Digital Trends. “The original idea was a webcam for aquariums, so you can monitor your aquarium while not at home. My partner and I came across the HAX hardware accelerator booth in MakerFaire Shenzhen and joined it in January 2015. They helped us develop the concept. We found that algae build-up is a pain point for most aquarium owners, and so decided to combine camera and cleaner together. The concept was born! We then spent two years traveling and visiting many aquariums in China, California, and Singapore to learn more about the aquarium industry while working on our prototypes in the factory. It took eight generations of prototypes but we’re finally satisfied, and pleased to have launched MOAI on Kickstarter.”

The device itself consists of two elements: One housing all the electronics for outside the tank and the other, with the cleaning element, for inside. These are connected by a magnet, so that as the outside part moves using its ultrasound navigation system, the inside part of your tank glass gets cleaned. The robot itself uses smart ultrasound sensing tech to map its way around the aquarium, while users can use the accompanying iOS or Android mobile app to mark out specific cleaning areas if they wish. This also means that you can set specific times for cleaning to take place, such as when you’re out at work — so your aquarium is ready to look its best whenever you’re around.

The camera offers 1080p filming, which then outputs an image to the same app, meaning that you can check in on your fishy friends no matter where you are in the world. It’s a nifty smart gadget and, provided it works as well as described, is totally something we could see ourselves using in our own fish tanks. Hey, pair this up with Fishbit — the smart device designed to monitor tank pH levels, salinity, ORP, temperature, and other tank conditions — and you’ve got yourself an entire robot aquarium ecosystem.

Moai is available to pre-order on Kickstarter for $199, with shipping set to take place next May.

Learn to speak Spanish for only $49

There are plenty of reasons to start learning a new language. You can learn your family’s mother tongue to communicate better with distant relatives, you can learn a new regional language to help you get a government job, or you can even learn a language just for fun. Of course, learning a whole new language isn’t easy, it takes a ton of practice and commitment.

You could go back to school and take some new language courses, but that requires lots of time and money you may not have. What you need is a learning aid that you can go through on your own time and that won’t cost an arm and a leg. Right now, Android Central Digital Digital Offers has the perfect solution.

Learning Spanish has never been easier with the Rocket Languages Combo Packs: Lifetime Access. With more than 120 lessons spanning over 240 hours of content, Rocket Languages Combo Packs: Lifetime Access will have you speaking Spanish fluently in no time.

Just take a look at some of the other great benefits of the Rocket Languages program!

• Learn on-the-go with audio lessons via iOS and Android apps.
• Learn how the Spanish language works in English in order to truly understand the foundation.
• Discover the mechanics of Spanish and learn thousands of commons words.
• Reinforce and enhance what you learn with 122 flash card sets.

Plus, iMore Digital Offers is offering you lifetime access, meaning you’ll never have to feel rushed or pressure.

Use code BYESUMMER for additional 15% off!

See at Android Central Digital Offers

Latest OxygenOS beta for the OnePlus 3/3T adds new display calibration and much more

OxygenOS open beta 23/14 introduces new display calibration, watermarks on photos, and a lot of stability improvements.

OnePlus is rolling out the OxygenOS open beta 23/14 to the OnePlus 3 and 3T with several fixes, stability improvements, and feature additions. OnePlus has tweaked the color temperature of the display so the panel now leans more toward sRGB color calibration.

There are several new features as well — the lift-up display UI has picked up a battery indicator, you’ll be able to block notifications from apps that are in the app locker, and the contacts pane now has an alphabetical bar. The update also includes the August security patch, and the gallery will now load images faster. You can add a “Shot on OnePlus” watermark to your images by enabling it in the camera settings. OnePlus has also improved the location accuracy for the weather widget.

Here’s the full changelog for the build:

• Camera

  • Added Shot on OnePlus watermark
    • You can toggle the Shot on OnePlus watermark and add your name to all pictures taken in the main camera settings

• System

  • Redesigned lift up display UI
    • Now supports displaying battery percentage
  • Now supports hiding of notification content from apps locked by App locker
    • There is now a toggle that allows you to block notifications from apps that are in the App lock list
  • Improved stability of Parallel apps
  • Adjusted color display of default screen calibration
    • It now tends more towards sRGB calibration
  • Added E-warranty card
    • You can now find a version of your warranty card in “About phone > E-Warranty card”
  • Updated Android security patch level to August

• Phone

  • Added quick index bar in contacts UI
    • The contacts page/app now have an alphabetical bar on the right side for easy moving to certain groups of names
• Improved experience of switching incoming calls

• Improvements to suggested merges functionality

• Gallery

  • Loading speed of images improved

• Weather

  • Improved location accuracy
  • Improved the experience of searching cities

• Clock

  • New feature “Alarm calendar”
    • Can be used to set an irregular alarm schedule, once you set the time, you can activate this feature by hitting the 3 dot menu button to the right of “repeat”

OnePlus says that some users may experience issues with toggling the flashlight after installing the beta build. A simple restart should fix the issue. As always, if you switch to a beta build, you won’t receive updates from the stable channel — you’ll have to manually flash a stable build again.

OnePlus 3T and OnePlus 3

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

OnePlus
Amazon