Video: LG V30 vs. Samsung Galaxy Note 8

The LG V30 and Samsung Galaxy Note 8 are two of the biggest new Android flagships right now. Both offer beautiful designs, high-end specs and unique dual camera technologies. They’re not exactly direct competitors though — if nothing else, there’s a big price and size gap between them. The V30 is expected to retail a couple hundred U.S. dollars below the Note 8’s lofty price point.

Still, they’re both significant launches in the Android calendar from two companies with a well-established rivalry. And that means it’s time for them to go head-to-head! Before we begin, note that the V30 we’ve been using so far isn’t final hardware just yet, so we’re going broad strokes in this first comparison — remember that things can change between a pre-production phone like I’ve been using, and the final, retail boxed version.

With that out of the way, hit the video above to find out how I’ve been getting to grips with the LG V30 and Samsung Galaxy Note 8 over the past couple weeks!

• Android Central on YouTube
• Samsung Galaxy Note 8 review
• Samsung Galaxy Note 8 video review
• LG V30 initial review
• LG V30 initial video review

Google Daydream’s web-browsing features surface in Chrome

At Google’s I/O developer conference in May, the company announced that it was working on a VR version of Chrome that could work in Daydream. Well, Chrome development team member François Beaufort announced on Google+ today that the first set of features are now ready for you to test out.

Through Chrome 61, users can now browse and interact with websites in VR. Just open up a website on Chrome and then slip your phone into a Daydream View headset and you’ll be able use any website as well as take advantage of immersive viewing with sites supporting WebVR.

With these first steps, Google joins Samsung and Oculus in offering VR web browsing. Oculus’ Carmel VR browser is currently in developer preview, while Samsung’s Internet for Gear VR browser has been around for a little while now. But Beaufort says this is just the start for Chrome. In his post, Beaufort said, “This is just the beginning for web browsing in VR so stay tuned, there’s more to come!”

Source: François Beaufort

Some brave soul volunteered for a completely robotic dental surgery

A robot just implanted two 3D-printed teeth into a woman’s mouth all on its own. The procedure took place recently in China and the researchers who developed it hope it can help the country’s dentist shortage problem, reports the South China Morning Post.

Prior to the surgery, the robot was oriented to the patient’s head and mouth and researchers then programmed the device with all of the necessary information for it to complete the procedure. That included the angles and depth required for accurate placement of the implants. After testing the programmed movements, the operation was carried out. It took about an hour and though medical staff were present during the procedure, none of them assisted the robot while it worked. Afterwards, the staff determined that the robot had implanted the teeth with high precision.

Due to a dentist shortage, South China Morning Post reports that while around 400 million people need dental implants in the country, only about one million are done each year. Further, when people turn to less qualified individuals in order to get needed dental work done, they often end up with additional problems. Robots stand to increase service rates and complete operations with fewer errors.

I’m not sure what’s scarier — a human dentist or a robot dentist. But you can check out the video below for some shots of the robot in action.

Via: MIT Technology Review

Source: South China Morning Post

Apple Watch Series 3 first look: So far, no LTE problems

The Apple Watch Series 3 started shipping today, and our definitive review is still in the works. In the meantime, we wanted to give you a taste of what life is like with the company’s first LTE-connected watch, so when we got it in for review, we said eff it: let’s use nothing but the Watch all day. I was going to respond to every text, email and Slack message from my wrist, use it for listening to music on the subway and talk into it as much as I would with my usual iPhone. To be fair, Apple doesn’t seem like a huge advocate of this idea — it treats the Series 3 as an occasional substitute for an iPhone rather than a day-to-day replacement. That said, this is the first Apple Watch with cellular connectivity. How could we not try this?

Ditching the phone takes a little time, though; you’ll need an iPhone to completely the initial setup, which thankfully seemed much faster than on previous models. Well, until it came time to set up the cellular connection, anyway. I’m an AT&T customer, so this meant the Watch app kicked me into a browser window where I had to enable the carrier’s $10-a-month NumberSync feature. For whatever reason, the process seemed to fail the first time, but a subsequent attempt let me pick up where I left off after logging in again. At last, with NumberSync ready and LTE ostensibly ready to go, I took a moment to behold the Watch itself.

At its launch event, Apple said the crystal housing for the heart rate sensor is just “two sheets of paper” thicker than last year’s Series 2. The difference is subtle — the crystal pressed into my wrist a little more noticeably than before, but not enough to get worked up over. The weight hasn’t changed much, which is pretty impressive considering the stuff Apple had to squeeze inside to make the cellular connections work.

The more I thought about it, the less sense the cellular Series 3’s red dot makes. I’m told it serves no technical purpose; it’s just there to add a fun little splash of color, and serve as a reminder that this watch can indeed make phone calls. Whether or not Apple intended it, the visual metaphor is apt: The dot looks like the red notification indicator that pops up on-screen, a subtle, persistent suggestion that the Series 3 is always connected to the rest of your world. That said, the dot straight-up clashes with certain Watch bands. Yeesh.

After that, it was time to actually use the thing. I killed Bluetooth on the iPhone and waited for about 10 seconds until the Watch transitioned to… Wi-Fi. Oops. I’d need to be outside for the rest of this process. It took about 35 seconds for the Watch to acquire an LTE signal, and when messages started rolling in, I was honestly a little surprised how easily I could manage them all. Unlike other reviewers, I haven’t noticed any hiccups in network performance so far, but I’ll keep my eyes peeled.

The constant throbbing of notifications rolling in gets old quickly, but so far, the excellent voice recognition was tremendous in helping me get back to everyone. I’ve always liked the idea of “scribbling” out letters with my finger to respond to incoming messages, but it the process of figuring out what letter you’ve drawn takes just a tick more time. Voice recognition is the way to go, even if I looked like sort of a doofus using it.

Ditto for talking into the Watch, but at least it sounded pretty good, or so said the people I was chatting with. Of the four friends I called using the Watch, three of them had no idea I was talking into my wrist. Still, as far as the built-in speaker goes, you’re going to want a decent set of Bluetooth earbuds to get the best audio quality on your end. I should also mention that I didn’t notice the widely-reported issue where the Series 3 tries to latch onto open WiFi networks it shouldn’t. That’s probably because I’m kind of anal about what WiFi network settings I actually keep saved on MacBook and iPhone; I generally clear out everything but my home and work configurations. I’m going to be a little more lax about this, though, and see what happens from there. Moving on.

Using Siri was also a pleasant surprise — it typically gets a bad rap, but my experience so far has been great. It very quickly got to the point where I could ditch the precise pronunciation I reserve for virtual assistants and just talk like myself. There was one moment when I was walking around downtown Manhattan and Siri failed to connect, but she’s otherwise turning out to be the Series 3’s MVP. The other contender for that title is the updated chipset inside; it makes the Series 3 much more capable. Switching between apps (accessible using the flat side button) was the smoothest experience as I’ve had yet on an Apple Watch.

I kept up with work for about four hours, and while my co-workers could probably tell I wasn’t quite as responsive as usual, I was still managing to get things done. It was getting pretty late at this point, so I decided to wind down my night with a leisurely run along the East River, using the GPS to track my route. The Watch seemed to do a fine job here, except it basically obliterated what was left of my battery life. After six hours, the Watch was down to 10 percent and dipped into Power Reserve mode.

So far, the Series 3 has been a mixed bag. The big performance gains mean it’s much more pleasant to actually use, but most people don’t need what amounts to a second, more limited phone lashed to their wrists. I’m going to keep testing the Series 3 for a few more days, so stay tuned for our full review.

HTC gives Vive developers all app revenue for the rest of 2017

Now that HTC is all-in on Vive headsets and letting Google deal with its Pixel smartphone business, it has to deal with another reality: The public still isn’t exactly sold on VR. To keep sales momentum going, it has announced a promotion aimed at attracting Vive app developers and keeping existing ones happy. Rather than taking its usual 30 percent cut, HTC will give 100 percent of app revenue to developers for the entire fourth quarter of 2017, starting in October.

The developer promotion will end on December 31st, HTC says. It’s hard to say how much revenue apps could generate during that time, as HTC keeps such info under wraps. It’s no doubt hoping that developers will lower their prices a bit, in turn driving hardware sales. “The holiday is the most important time for developers, and we want to show our appreciation for them,” HTC Viveport VR’s Rikard Steiber told Venture Beat.

The Vive VR headset was one of HTC’s lone financial bright spots last year, and the company recently said sales are still going just fine. Nevertheless, it’s reportedly being outsold by the PlayStation VR, probably because Sony’s PS4 brand is much better known by the gaming public. As such, Sony has arguably the best VR games for its platforms as developers go where the money is.

HTC is banking on the social experience of VR Arcades (credit: ©HLenie)

HTC will also share more hourly revenue with VR arcade operators, giving them 70 percent instead of 50 percent as before. The company’s Viveport Arcade system, its licensing platform enabling titles to be played in public spaces, is in trial with 700 titles and 50 operators around the globe.

The Taiwanese firm also unveiled the Viveport Scene SDK that lets developers create new effects to entice potential buyers to try out apps or games. Developers can also build “VR Previews,” or movies that run on Vive headsets to show customers what a game is like to play.

HTC recently launched a monthly $6.99 subscription service, and unveiled a new standalone headset that works via the cloud rather than a PC (in China only for now). Now that it has an extra billion in the bank, it’s trying a lot of things to push the Vive platform out to more consumers, and the next year or two will crucial for the Vive and VR in general.

Source: Venture Beat

The iPhone 8’s glass back costs way more to repair than the front

Over the last couple of weeks, the price of AppleCare+ has gone up for Plus model iPhones and screen repair for the 6s and newer models has gotten $20 more expensive. However, while screen replacements for phones under AppleCare+ warranty are still $29, that’s not the case for replacing the back glass of the iPhone 8 and 8 Plus, according to AppleInsider.

A number of Apple employees have told AppleInsider that the back glass isn’t covered under screen repair and is instead qualified as “other damage,” the fee for which is $99. This is likely because removing the glass back is markedly more difficult than swapping out a screen. Unlike the front glass, the back glass is glued in really well, requiring much more effort to remove. AppleCare+ allows for two incidents of accidental damage, after which your repair price jumps up to $349 for the iPhone 8 and $399 for the Plus for anything other than a screen repair.

So be careful with that iPhone 8. Between higher AppleCare+ costs and higher damage repair fees, that new phone could turn out to be much pricier than you bargained for.

Source: AppleInsider

Mercedes-Benz spends $1 billion to make EVs at Alabama plant

Like most auto makers these days, Mercedes-Benz is investing in electric vehicles in a big way. The Daimler-owned company is fast-tracking all of its models to an electric future by 2022. It has also been showing off a slate of EV models, like the Generation EQ concept car, slated for production in 2019, an art deco-inspired, 20-foot-long Cabriolet and an adorably small Smart Vision EQ. It’s looking at infrastructure, too, giving money to help support quick-charging tech made by Israeli startup StoreDot. Now Mercedes-Benz’ parent company, Daimler AG, has plans to invest an $1billion in an Alabama factory to make sure it can make fully electric vehicles and battery packs here in the US.

Daimler says it will add 600 more jobs with the new investment, while also building a nearby facility to produce EV batteries in 2018. The expansion comes just a few days after the company announced it would be pouring $1.3 billion into the same Tuscaloosa, Alabama plant to support the manufacture of SUVs, creating 300 additional jobs for that program.

“With production locations for EVs and batteries in Europe, China and now the U.S., our global network is ready for the era of electric vehicles,” Mercedes-Benz board member Markus Schaefer said in a statement. “Thanks to our plant modernization in Tuscaloosa, we will be able to quickly ramp up U.S. production of EQ models…”

Via: The Verge

Source: Automotive News

Target expands next-day delivery service to eight more cities

Target continues to try and outcompete digital retailer and competitor, Amazon. The red bullseye-logo company has been testing its own Prime Pantry-like delivery service for a few months now, offering faster times than Amazon. Dubbed Restock, Target’s offering expanded to customers Denver and Dallas last month. Now the next-day delivery system is growing, with new availability in Atlanta, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, Philadelphia, San Francisco, St. Louis and the Washington, DC and Baltimore areas.

If you live in one of these cities, you can visit the Target Restock website and order from more than 15,000 items to refill your home with, from cereal to paper towels, beauty products to cleaning supplies. You can add as much as you want, up to 45 pounds as measured by the online capacity tracker. If you order by 2 pm on a weekday, you’ll get your items delivered to your door the next day for only $5. Amazon’s Prime Pantry has the same weight limit but will run you $6.

According to Target, the most popular items in current Restock areas are on-the-go snacks, beverages, cereal, paper towels and mac and cheese. “Guests need to keep daily essentials stocked, but finding time to buy them is tough — and it can be even more of a challenge when you’re talking about large, bulky items,” said Target’s Dawn Block in a statement. The service is live in 10 markets now, and will arrive in San Francisco mid-October. The company says the service will then reach 70 million people, or about one-fifth of the US population.

Restock is just another way Target is leveraging its brick-and-mortar stores to its own advantage, like the new Beacon-powered in-store mapping system for its mobile app.

Via: TechCrunch

Source: Target

Verizon will give rural customers more time to find new providers

Recently, Verizon sent letters to around 8,500 customers living in rural areas that informed them their service would be cut off as of October 17th. Verizon claimed that those customers were using enough data while roaming outside of the Verizon network that the company’s costs exceeded the fees being paid by the users. Well, there was, understandably, quite a bit of backlash over the letters and Verizon has now walked back both its deadline and its hard cutoff.

In a statement, Verizon said, “Since that notification, we have become aware of a very small number of affected customers who may be using their personal phones in their roles as first responders and another small group who may not have another option for wireless service.” Because of this, Verizon has extended its disconnection date to December 1st, giving customers a little more time to find a new carrier. For those without any other wireless providers in the area, they’ll now have the option to switch to the 2GB, 4GB or 6GB plans — which cost $35, $50 and $70 per month respectively — or the 5GB single line plan priced at $55 per month. The December 1st deadline also applies to switching Verizon plans.

The options still aren’t great for those being forced into them, but at least these customers have slightly more time to make a decision.

MacRumors Giveaway: Win a Leather Case for Your iPhone 8, 8 Plus, or X From Pad & Quill

For this week’s giveaway, we’ve teamed up with Pad & Quill to offer MacRumors a chance to win one of the company’s high-quality leather cases designed for the new iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, and iPhone X.

Pad & Quill has a whole line of iPhone cases with a folio style that secures the iPhone in place, protects the display with a leather cover, and adds pockets to hold cash and credit cards. All cases are also compatible with the wireless charging features built into Apple’s newest devices. Pad & Quill tested several iPhone 8 models with a range of wireless chargers and had success with each one.

The $109.95 Heritage Bella Fino wallet case for the iPhone X, for example, features a chocolate leather spine, vegetable tanned leather sides, and a slate gray leather interior. It uses adhesive to hold the iPhone X in place, so it’s super slim while also offering leather card pockets and full access to cameras and ports.

Along with the Heritage case, Pad & Quill makes a standard Bella Fino case for iPhone X, iPhone 8, and iPhone 8 Plus, priced at $70 to $80. This case is ready to go for new iPhone owners and is made from full grain American leather with a super slim profile that adds 0.28 of an inch to each side.

Pad & Quill’s well-known classic Luxury Pocket Book is also available for iPhone X, iPhone 8, and iPhone 8 Plus for $100 – $110. The Luxury Pocket Book holds the iPhone in place with a Baltic birch wood frame for extra protection, and encases it in a full grain American leather. It also features leather card pockets and an incredible build quality, like all of Pad & Quill’s products.

Pad & Quill has iPhone 8 and 8 Plus cases available for immediate purchase, while iPhone X cases will be available in November P&Q cases are often expensive, but with this brand, you get what you pay for. Right now, Pad & Quill has a deal for $10 off any iPhone X case purchase with the promo code PQX.

We have five cases to give away to MacRumors readers. Winners will get to choose any Pad & Quill case for any iPhone model, including iPhone X, 8, 8 Plus, 7, and 7 Plus. To enter to win, use the Rafflecopter widget below and enter an email address. Email addresses will be used solely for contact purposes to reach the winner and send the prize. You can earn additional entries by subscribing to our weekly newsletter, subscribing to our YouTube channel, following us on Twitter, or visiting the MacRumors Facebook page.

Due to the complexities of international laws regarding giveaways, only U.S. residents who are 18 years of age or older are eligible to enter. To offer feedback or get more information on the giveaway restrictions, please refer to our Site Feedback section, as that is where discussion of the rules will be redirected.

a Rafflecopter giveawayThe contest will run from today (September 22) at 11:00 a.m. Pacific Time through 11:00 a.m. Pacific Time on September 29. The winners will be chosen randomly on September 29 and will be contacted by email. The winners will have 48 hours to respond and provide a shipping address before new winners are chosen.

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