Google breathes new life into old Android Wear watches with new Play Store policies

Changes will promote standalone apps for your watch.

Google has announced two major changes for Android Wear apps: Multi-APK apps are now supported for Android Wear 1.0 watches and requirements for the “Enhanced for Android Wear” Play Store badge have changed.

Multi-APK apps are apps hosted in Google Play that have separate files for your phone and your watch. Previously, only Android Wear 2.0 watches supported multi-APK apps, but now users with older watches like the Samsung Gear Live will be supported. Multi-APK apps are designed to save space on your phone because the files are smaller, and watches with their own data connection can run them without being tethered to the handset.

The second announcement covers the Play Store policy for apps to receive the “Enhanced for Android Wear” badge and placement in the store listings. Starting today, apps that fall into the following categories will no longer be eligible for the Android Wear badge consideration:

• Mobile apps that support Wear notification enhancements but do not have a separate Wear app
• Wear apps that are bundled with mobile apps instead of using multi-APK

The announcement also points developers towards the assets they need to convert their apps into multi-APK listings.

While we don’t see daily news about Android Wear, it’s great to know that the platform is active and Google is taking steps to make it even better. Wearables have proven to be a tough market for every company making them, but great hardware like the LG Watch Sport will allow for even more innovation and the future will have computers on our wrists.

Android Wear

• Everything you need to know about Android Wear 2.0
• LG Watch Sport review
• LG Watch Style review
• These watches will get Android Wear 2.0
• Discuss Android Wear in the forums!

Sparc: Everything you need to know!

Playing video games has never been such a workout!

Sparc is a brand new, competitive sports game that seems to have jumped out of Tron and into your PlayStation 4 system. The aim of the game is to chuck a ball at your opponent and hit them, but with angles coming into play, the ability to block, shields, and even curveballs, there is a lot here to parse. We’ve got the details on all of it for you right here!

Read more at VRHeads!

Philips has its own pair of cheap Bluetooth earbuds

One of the standout trends at IFA is the number of companies flinging themselves onto the Truly Wireless earbud bandwagon. It’s clear that it’s not just a niche product that Bragi and Samsung are catering to, but an audio product for everyone. Because the latest company to throw a hat into the ring is none other than mass-market experts Philips.

Philips is one of the world’s largest audio manufacturers, with a reputation for being stuffy, unsexy but dependable. The company is looking to change some of that, however, pushing a new range of audio gear that includes the BASS+ line, which includes the BASS+ True Wireless Headphones. The headline point of which is that you can get premium-style Bluetooth earbuds for just $130.

The biggest difference between many of its rivals and the BASS+ buds is that they’re significantly larger than the rest. Philips believes that shrinking the driver and placing it into the ear tube itself compromises the sound you can get. As a consequence, the company has seen fit to include an 8.2mm driver in each bud with the promise of “big, bold bass.”

Trying the device very quickly during the trade show, it’s clear that the bass is a little louder than Philips’ rivals. But the audio quality is otherwise equal to several other high-end headphone brands, and the company’s experience here clearly shows. We’ll reserve judgment for now, but there’s reason enough to be excited about the BASS+’ potential.

Battery life is another big selling point, and those larger bodies make for larger batteries, with a promised run time of up to six hours. The charging case, meanwhile, has an on-board battery that can hold one full charge, meaning that you can get half a day out of these before heading to an outlet.

Even wearing them for just a few seconds, the fact that the BASS+ has hard buttons rather than a touch panel is going to be an issue. Because as you push the button into your ear, you can feel the rubber tip scrape against your ear canal with the additional pressure. But given the significant drop in price compared to other versions of this technology, it may be the cross you have to bear.

Follow all the latest news from IFA 2017 here!

Autonomous car legislation heads to US House for vote next Wednesday

Self-driving car makers have been testing experimental models on a laborious state-by-state basis while everyone waits for Congress to enact national legislation. But last month, a House of Representatives panel unanimously approved a measure that would exempt tens of thousands of autonomous vehicles from current restrictions and sent it to the floor for a vote — which just got scheduled for next week.

Should it pass, the bill will allow up to 25,000 self-driving cars that don’t meet current autonomous safety standards — i.e., requiring controls and seated humans to take the wheel if need be — to hit the streets in the bill’s first year. This number could increase to 100,000 vehicles annually for the next three years. Under the bill, companies and automakers would need to secure permits to deploy their own autonomous vehicles and submit safety assessment reports to regulators, according to Reuters.

The House bill will be voted on under fast-track rules, meaning no tacked-on amendments. A group of US Senators have been working on similar legislation in the meantime, but haven’t introduced it as a formal bill. Even if it passes through Congress, it’s only a stopgap measure — we’re still waiting on full regulatory legislation to establish new federal standards reflecting the progress automakers have made with self-driving tech.

Source: Reuters

Lenovo’s mixed reality headset offers built-in tracking for $350

Windows Mixed Reality headsets are coming out of the woodwork at IFA, and now it’s Lenovo’s turn to add to the introductions. It’s launching the Explorer, and the headgear will sound very familiar if you’ve seen other models — not that this is necessarily a bad thing. Thanks to the dual cameras, you get VR motion tracking in a reasonably large (11.5 feet by 11.5 feet) space without external sensors or a complicated setup. Likewise, there are optional motion controllers (below) for titles that need more immersive control.

The Explorer ships in October, and the pricing will seem very familiar if you’ve read about other WMR headsets. You’re looking at $350 for just the headset, or $450 for a bundle with the motion controllers. As such, buying one might come down to personal preference. Do you like the look of Lenovo’s headset, or believe it would go well with your ThinkPad? Then it might be your pick. Otherwise, you can likely pick up one of the alternatives.

Follow all the latest news from IFA 2017 here!

Source: Lenovo

Lenovo’s Yoga 920 touts a quad-core chip and long-range voice control

Lenovo’s convertible laptops and tablets haven’t always been known for brisk performance, but you definitely won’t have that problem this year. The PC maker is launching three new machines, two of which (the Yoga 920 convertible and Miix 520 tablet) make use of 8th-generation Intel Core chips whose quad-core power should handle most tasks with grace. They’re better for voice commands, too — the 920 and 520 have far-field microphones that let you talk to Cortana as far as 13 feet away. If you want to check the weather while you’re on the other side of the room, you don’t have to move an inch.

As the number implies, the Yoga 920 is the flagship of the bunch and the successor to the Yoga 910. It carries a 13.9-inch touchscreen that’s comparable to its ancestor, complete with an optional 4K display and support for an equally optional pen that promises 4,096 levels of pressure sensitivity and low lag. You’ll also find two Thunderbolt 3 ports and Dolby Atmos audio for more immersive movie viewing. The Yoga 920 will start at $1,330 when it ships in October, and there’s even a treat for Star Wars buffs: special edition Yoga 920s will have Gorilla Glass covers with logos for the Rebel Alliance and Galactic Empire.

The Yoga 720, meanwhile, is Lenovo’s first 12-inch Yoga PC and promises to be the most portable of the convertible line yet, even as it touts features like pen support and a fingerprint reader. You have to ‘settle’ for 7th-generation dual-core chips, a 1080p panel and USB-C, but those are good for a system this size. It’s certainly more affordable, as it’ll start at an easier-to-swallow $650 when it arrives in October.

As for the Miix 520? The Surface-like detachable tablet will seem familiar if you’ve seen the Miix 510 (including an option for LTE data), but there are some welcome additions beyond faster chips and Cortana. The 520 adds a WorldView camera that opens the door to capturing 3D images for advanced editing or 3D printing. And while the starting price will be a relatively high $1,000 when the new Miix arrives in October, North American buyers will also get the keyboard and pen in the box — ahem, Microsoft. To put it another way, you won’t have to go shopping for extras to unlock the Miix’s full potential.

Follow all the latest news from IFA 2017 here!

Source: Lenovo

Lenovo made a basic Echo Show out of a tablet dock

Lenovo’s collaboration with Amazon to make Alexa-powered devices began with the Smart Assistant speaker in January, but the PC maker is far from done with its smart home ambitions. Today, the company unveiled the Home Assistant Pack, which is basically a $70 speaker dock that attaches to and props up tablets while boosting the audio capabilities. In short, stick this on the side of your tablet, and you’ll give it more volume, better microphones and an Echo Show-like display for Alexa.

That sounds like a nifty way to repurpose your tablet, and I’m excited by the idea, but there is one big caveat with the Home Assistant Pack: It only works with Lenovo’s Tab 4 and Tab 4 Pro (both come in 8-inch and 10-inch models). For now, anyway. The company hasn’t shared whether it will make docks that are compatible with other devices yet, but it will likely depend on how well this version does.

From my brief preview at a recent demo in New York, the dock performed as promised. I asked Alexa “How old is the president?” from about five feet away in a quiet room. The Home Assistant Pack’s two far-field mics heard me, and Alexa read me the correct answer through its three-watt speaker within seconds. A card appeared on the screen as well, via the custom Home Assistant app, saying that president Donald Trump is 71. Of course, the relatively distraction-free environment I was in provided an ideal situation for this test — whether the dock can hear me as well over my TV or chatty friends remains to be seen.

The visual version of Alexa on the Tab 4 isn’t as fully-featured as it is on the Echo Show, though. You won’t be able to stream from your security camera or play with a rich, graphics-intensive interface. But the bare-bones version that Lenovo offers seemed adequate during my preview. Of course, I’d have to live with and test the device before I can get a better understanding of the differences, but for now, I’m happy with what’s there.

Considering the Echo Show costs $230, and a Tab 4 sets you back around $150, Lenovo’s offering is at least a cheaper option. It’s a great way to dust off a (most likely) neglected tablet and put it to work; I just wish it would work with the tablet I actually own. If Lenovo does make the dock available to other brands or tablet models, I’ll be more happy with the premise. For now, though, I remain cautiously intrigued.

Follow all the latest news from IFA 2017 here!

The Moto X is finally back, and it brought Alexa with it

It’s been years since we got a Moto X, but Lenovo hasn’t forgotten about Motorola’s one-time flagship. As predicted by leaks, Motorola unveiled the fourth-generation model at IFA in Berlin, and it’s… definitely not the Moto X you remember. For one, it’s among the few smartphones out there with built-in support for Amazon’s Alexa, and it’s part of an even more exclusive club of devices that just let you speak to her the way you’d speak to an Echo. Motorola confirmed that it was working on Alexa-capable devices at this year’s Mobile World Congress, but we’re a little surprised Amazon’s assistant first wound up here instead of, say, a fancy Moto Mod.

The differences don’t end there, either. Remember how you could use Moto Maker to turn earlier models into devices that were uniquely yours? Well, that’s over — the X4 comes in any color you want, as long as it’s black or bluish-gray. While not customizable, the X4’s aluminum and Gorilla Glass body is rated IP68 for water and dust resistance, a new feat for the X line. The updated X also features a dual camera, but it’s not the same as the one we got in the Moto Z2 Force. This version combines an 8-megapixel wide-angle camera with a more standard 12-megapixel sensor that uses dual-pixel autofocus. In addition to giving you some extra flexibility while shooting, the X4’s camera is smarter than one might expect — it can identify landmarks when you point the phone at one, and asks if you’d like to learn more.

While we miss the days when we could craft hideously mismatched phones, Motorola thinks these thoughtful additions to stock Android are really what define the Moto X. That rings a little hollow since many of the company’s add-on “Experiences” are shared by mid-range Moto Gs and high-end Moto Zs alike, but whatever — marketers gonna market. All the usual Experiences are here, so you can double twist the phone to launch the camera as always. New to the fold this time is the ability to three-finger tap the screen to take a screenshot and to sync up to four Bluetooth audio devices for simultaneous playback. That latter feature is obviously the more interesting, and we’re looking forward to getting some impromptu office parties going.

The rest of the phone’s broad strokes speak to its upper mid-range aspirations. There’s a 2.2GHz Snapdragon 630 chipset inside, with either 3 or 4GB of RAM depending on where you buy it. (The inevitable US model will come with 3GB, sadly.) As those leaks suggested, the X4 also runs with a 5.2-inch IPS LCD display running at 1080p, and it’ll come with a sealed 3,000mAh battery and either 32GB or 64GB of storage when it starts shipping this September.

Follow all the latest news from IFA 2017 here!

Moto X4 hands-on: Premium looks and features on a budget

The world may be distracted by the advanced, high-end technology of the Galaxy Note 8 and the highly anticipated iPhone 8, but those devices also tend to come with appropriately hefty prices. For people looking for budget-friendlier options that look just as premium and perform respectably will soon have a new candidate to consider. Here at IFA in Berlin, Moto unveiled the X4 — its latest midrange handset which will retail in Europe for €399 in September. It offers dual cameras and an elegant design for the price, and after a brief hands-on with the new handset, I’m pretty taken by how it looks.

Seriously. The first thing I noticed about the X4 is its beautiful, shiny body. This highly-reflective aesthetic seems to be the flavor of the year for smartphones (think: Sony’x XZ Premium and the LG V30), and so far I’m into it. The eye-catching sheen attracts fingerprints, though, and I frequently had to wipe down the handset during my preview. I also liked the X4’s gentle curves, which made it easy to maneuver.

That’s not to say the device is an unwieldy size. With a 5.2-inch full HD display, the X4 is manageable. The screen’s 424 ppi pixel density also helped make graphics on the phone’s Android 7.1 Nougat interface look rich and crisp.

A nice display is an important basic to nail, but the X4 also has plenty of bonus features even at this price. The most interesting of these is the new dual cameras setup on the rear. Like most other phones with a pair of lenses, the X4 can create an artificial depth-of-field effect that blurs out the background to highlight your subject. Moto uses a 12-megapixel f/2.0 sensor in tandem with an 8-megapixel wide-angle version in the X4. However, in my short time testing the new phone, I found this software, which Moto calls “Depth Mode,” somewhat odd.

Like the Galaxy Note 8, the X4 allows you to see the blurred effect as you frame your shot in the viewfinder and adjust the intensity before you snap. But while Samsung lets you tweak the amount of blur after shooting, Moto doesn’t.

That would be a small issue if not for the fact that the depth-of-field effect doesn’t appear to be very accurate in the viewfinder — the blur seems to be a little haphazard. But when I looked at the image afterwards, the coffee cup that I focused on was crisp, while all the background around it was hazy. The X4 was great at identifying object outlines, but the contrast between the sharp and blurred out areas of the photo was so stark that the overall effect was disorienting.

Moto told us that the software we were testing is still an early version, and that it will likely be updated before the phone ships to consumers.

A couple of other new camera features for the X4 include a Panoramic Selfie for the 16-megapixel front camera, which lets you tilt your phone around to take a wider portrait, as well as a “Landmark Detection” tool that helps you identify places of interest around you. I didn’t get to try out the latter, but the wide selfies I shot were surprisingly clear. I couldn’t tell where they were stitched together even upon zooming in to the photo. Neither of these two are particularly novel updates for smartphones, though. Selfie panoramas have appeared on a few other phones, while many third-party AR apps can already recognize landmarks and give you more information about them.

One more distinguishing feature for the X4 is its integration of Amazon Alexa. Like the HTC U11, the Moto X4 lets you talk to Alexa without having to first launch an app or press a button. You can also talk to Amazon’s assistant even when the X4 is locked, and the system will recognize your voice before responding. A Moto rep asked Alexa for the weather on her X4 without waking it from sleep, and it responded quickly. You can’t use Alexa to change things on the handset like display brightness or audio volume, though, since Google Assistant will still be the main controller of those settings. It’s mostly nifty to have Alexa on the X4 to read audiobooks to you or to control smart home devices that still don’t work with Assistant.

The rest of the phone’s specs are reasonable for the price. The X4 runs on a Snapdragon 630 processor with 3GB or 4GB of RAM (depending on the region), and packs a 3,000mAh battery in its IP68 water-resistant body. It also supports Bluetooth 5.0, and uses technology that Moto says allows the X4 to connect to up to four Bluetooth devices at once. Fans of Moto’s Maker customization service will probably be disappointed though — the X4 won’t have personalization options.

Although we don’t yet know how much the phone will cost when it arrives in the US (and it’s coming), it is likely to be in the same range as its European counterpart. If that’s true, the combination of a rich display, elegant body and capable cameras (albeit with some finicky software) for the sub-$400 price makes this a compelling proposition.

Follow all the latest news from IFA 2017 here!

Bang and Olufsen sweats the details on its moving TV

It’s hard to judge Bang and Olufsen’s hardware by the standards of mere mortals, because it’s hard to imagine spending $16,000 on a TV. But there’s something inspiring, and infectious, about the lengths the company goes to in order to ensure you get your money’s worth. Which is why its newest product is both the weirdest-looking, most elegant TV you’ll probably never, ever be able to buy.

The BeoVision Eclipse is the first product to emerge from the partnership between B&O and LG, a role that was, until recently, filled by Samsung. The OLED, 4K, HDR display with Dolby Vision is obviously beautiful, with deep blacks and wonderfully bright colors. The set is available in 55- and 65-inch models, and runs a version of LG’s webOS that was given a graphical tweak to match B&O’s more refined taste.

Then there’s the sound bar, which stretches beyond the display on both sides, looking more like a car bumper than a premium audio product. The device packs 450 watts of 3-channel sound and you can hear it even over the din of a crowded trade show floor. The slightly weird design was a conscious choice by B&O, however, both to improve sound quality and to make the set look as distinctive as possible.

You can see the company’s attention to detail, however, in the aluminum grill that you can get to sit over the speaker bar. The holes at the top are drilled smaller to the ones on the bottom, and have been specifically designed to improve airflow for improved bass.

Similarly, the company has built both an articulating stand and wall bracket in order to tuck the TV away when it’s not in use. That way, the rest of your expensive furniture won’t all be pointed at the TV when you invite your judgy friends around for a social engagement.

Even the stand itself was labored over, as the company agonizing about whether to use it to store the TV’s cables. They decided against it in the end, because cable management would have made it less elegant and clumsier than its current incarnation.

It’s the sort of dedication that always impresses, and while it would be impossible for most people to buy one, it’s still nice to see. Both models are available in September, with the smaller one setting you back at least $10,990, and its larger sibling priced at $15,990.

Tom Cas contributed to this report.

Follow all the latest news from IFA 2017 here!