Xiaomi Mi Mix 2 vs. OnePlus 5: How much do you care about bezels?

The OnePlus 5 is the safe choice, but you get a lot more for your money with the Mi Mix 2.

Four months after its debut, the OnePlus 5 remains one of the best affordable flagships. With the OnePlus 5, you’re getting a phone with high-end specs, a clean software experience, and dual cameras. The design itself is reminiscent of the iPhone 7 Plus from the back, and features large bezels up front.

If you’re looking for something that’s more differentiated, then the Mi Mix 2 should be right up your alley. The Mi Mix 2 shares a lot of the design principles of its predecessor, which includes a striking design with narrow bezels on three sides of the phone coupled with high-end internals.

What’s the same

The common theme between the Mi Mix 2 and the OnePlus 5 is affordability. Both Xiaomi and OnePlus have built their businesses around devices that offer excellent value for money, and that holds true for the OnePlus 5 and the Mi Mi 2.

Both phones are powered by the Snapdragon 835, and offer 6GB of RAM with the base variants. You also get 64GB storage (128GB in India), global LTE connectivity, Wi-Fi ac, NFC, and batteries that last all day. Both devices are also running Android 7.1.1 Nougat.

As you’d imagine from phones powered by the latest hardware, both the Mi Mix 2 and OnePlus 5 breeze through everyday tasks without breaking a sweat. There wasn’t a point where I noticed any slowdowns on either phone, and with 6GB of RAM as standard, both devices are future-proof in this regard.

That’s where the similarities end. Although both phones have near-identical innards, the overall experience is vastly different.

Where the Mi Mix 2 wins

The standout feature on the Mi Mix 2 is the display. Xiaomi moved the front camera to the bottom bar, and the result is that three sides of the phone feature razor-thin bezels. Even though bezel-less designs are commonplace, Xiaomi’s implementation is striking to behold.

Meanwhile, OnePlus hasn’t altered the design too much from last year’s OnePlus 3 and 3T, and as such the OnePlus 5 feels outdated when seen next to the Mi Mix 2.

The Mi Mix 2 has a ceramic back with an aluminum frame, and the back itself is highly reflective. It looks great, but the glossy finish means it constantly attracts fingerprints. The gold accent around the camera give it a certain design flair, and the position of the fingerprint sensor is ideal. It’s located just underneath the camera sensor, and the minor indent lets you find it easily with your finger.

The front of the Mi Mix 2 is where the magic happens. The 5.99-inch display isn’t an OLED panel like the OnePlus 5, but it is one of the best LCDs available today. Colors are vivid, overall brightness levels are excellent, and it’s a delight to read text on the display. That said, videos aren’t nearly as enjoyable as you’ll still see letterboxing in YouTube and Netflix. With 18:9 becoming more and more common, this particular issue should be fixed shortly.

If you want a device that’ll turn heads, get the Mi Mix 2.

With the first-generation Mi Mix, Xiaomi just used the camera sensor from another device (the Mi Max) and slotted it into the device. The company is doing the same this time around, but it’s using the 12MP imaging sensor from the primary camera of the Mi 6, or the Sony IMX 386. There’s also 4-axis OIS, which we saw for the first time in last year’s Mi 5. The Mi Mix 2 doesn’t have dual cameras like the OnePlus 5, so you’ll miss out on features like Portrait Mode, but when it comes to the primary sensor, the phone outshines OnePlus’ offering.

Photos taken with the Mi Mix 2 have more dynamic range, and the colors are true-to-life. The OnePlus 5 still isn’t quite there yet when it comes to software processing, with a few outdoor shots over-processed.

Mi Mix 2 on the left, OnePlus 5 on the right.

The Mi Mix 2 also wins out when it comes to battery life. A slightly larger 3400mAh battery combined with MIUI’s very aggressive memory management allows the phone to last a day without breaking a sweat, delivering a screen-on-time of four to five hours on average. And when you do need to top up the phone, you can use Quick Charge 3.0.

Where the OnePlus 5 wins

The OnePlus 5 is one of the fastest phones you can currently buy. OnePlus’ focus on an uncluttered software experience with OxygenOS combined with the high-end internals lead to a device that’s delightful to use on a daily basis. The only other phone that I’ve used that was as fluid was the Pixel XL, and even after four months the OnePlus 5 isn’t seeing any slowdowns.

The OnePlus 5 also gets the basics right: the phone comes with a standard headphone jack, so you don’t have to use a dongle to listen to music when using a wired headset. Xiaomi is moving away from the headphone jack in its flagships, so if you care about wired audio, then there’s really only one choice.

The OnePlus 5 has all the essentials, including a 3.5mm jack.

The Mi Mix 2’s main drawback on the design front is the position of the front camera. The position of the camera at the bottom poses a unique problem when you’re trying to take a selfie, and you’ll get a prompt to invert the phone when using the Mi Camera app. However, you don’t have the option to do so when you’re using Instagram, Duo, or WhatsApp, so you’ll get photos from an awkward angle. For its part, Xiaomi says it’s working on an update to enable auto-rotation in third-party apps.

Then there’s the software situation. Xiaomi rolled out a slew of under-the-hood fixes with MIUI 9, with the goal of making the operating system much more nimble. While that made a noticeable difference in day-to-day usage, the user interface itself is in need of an overhaul, and looks dated when seen next to OxygenOS 4.5.8.

Which should you buy? Your call

The Mi Mix 2 has a lot going for it: the phone has an evocative design with a durable ceramic back, great camera, and outstanding battery life. The OnePlus 5, meanwhile, offers a much better software experience, and you won’t have to use a dongle to connect your wired headphones.

In countries where Xiaomi will officially launch the Mi Mix 2 (primarily Asian markets), the device will go head-to-head with the OnePlus 5 when it comes to pricing. For instance, Xiaomi introduced the device earlier this week in India for ₹35,999 ($550), putting it squarely in the territory of the OnePlus 5, where the Midnight Black variant with 8GB of RAM and 128GB storage retails for ₹37,999 ($585). Xiaomi is launching a single variant in India, offering 6GB of RAM and 128GB storage.

With not a whole lot to separate both phones in terms of pricing, it all comes down to what your priorities are. If you want a device that offers a clutter-free software experience, fast updates, and a 3.5mm jack, then the OnePlus 5 is the phone to get. If you’re instead looking for a device with a futuristic design, better camera, and all-day battery life, the Mi Mix 2 is a better choice.

Xiaomi will kick off sales in India from October 17, and will make the Mi Mix 2 available in other markets in the coming months. If you’re looking to pick up the device from the U.S. or UK, you’ll need to go through a reseller.

See at Flipkart

Movies Anywhere lets you watch your digital movies on any service, and Google is a launch partner

Disney has teamed up with four big movie studios to make sharing movie downloads between ecosystems as simple as possible.

In 2014, Disney debuted its digital extension, Disney Movies Anywhere, which allowed users to bridge the ecosystem divide for movie downloads. If you bought, say, The Lion King on iTunes and Aladdin on Google Play Movies, DMA gave you access to both those movies on either platform — as well as on Amazon and Vudu.

Now, Disney has finalized agreements with four of the other major studios — Fox, Sony Pictures, Universal, and Warner Bros. — to expand the feature into a near all-encompassing service, aptly called Movies Anywhere. The only major holdout appears to be Paramount Pictures, which distributes popular flicks like Mission Impossible and Transformers.

Available on both Android and iOS or through a dedicated web portal, Movies Anywhere allows users to sign into their Google Play, iTunes, Amazon, or Vudu accounts and, like DMA, gain access to all their movies … anywhere.

It’s a service that our own Ara Wagoner has grown to love, since Disney, which developed the technology, works with the individual platform providers to facilitate the rights management. That means movies aren’t sequestered to the Movies Anywhere app, but can be viewed in Google Play Movies like any other purchase. The other studios initially supported a competing technology, Ultraviolet, which was extremely user-unfriendly and garnered little mainstream use.

It won’t stem the growth of Netflix, Hulu or Amazon Prime Video, but it’s a consumer-friendly move in an industry that doesn’t always put its customers first.

The unifying move is certainly an attempt to make buying movies a lot more enticing in the world of Netflix, Hulu and other streaming services, but it also solves a major problem with platform lock-in. Anyone who’s moved from an iPhone to Android likely had the realization that their iTunes music, movies, and TV shows didn’t come with them. Movies Anywhere doesn’t solve every problem, and not every studio is on board, but it does bring us closer than ever to platform agnosticism.

To incent people to sign up for Movies Anywhere, which is free, the service is offering five free movies when you link two or more accounts:

• Big Hero 6
• Ghostbusters (2016)
• Ice Age
• Jason Bourne (2016)
• The Lego Movie

At launch, Movies Anywhere is only available in the U.S., but the companies are working on bringing it to other markets.

Are you interested in signing up for Movies Anywhere? Let us know in the comments below!

Optoma’s NuForce BeFREE 8 offers a solid truly wireless experience with a really wordy name (Review)

We’re celebrating ten years of AndroidGuys with a ton of giveaways!

Build

Build is a funny thing. It’s usually a combination of a few things for me: durability, aesthetic, and feel. Optoma’s NuForce BeFREE 8 (what a mouthful) demonstrates rather well how a device can be great in a couple of those subcategories, but receive low marks in others.

With an Ingress rating of IPX5, and a quality hard-plastic shell, the BeFREE 8s are very durable, with a secure fit considering the buds only use your ear canal. Aesthetically, though, the glossy black finish that’s supposed to come across as classy just ends up looking like faux luxury. It gathers a small army of fingerprints in a matter of seconds – especially on the smooth, contours of the charging case – and the case itself is just a bit too big to fit comfortably in a front pocket.

That case is built well though, with a lid that snaps open and closed with ease and purpose. The buds fit snugly into the inner frame and while I personally would have preferred a slightly stronger magnetic connection, the connection that is there holds it gently but securely. Two sets of LEDs make it easy to tell the power levels of both the buds and the case with ease, at-a-glance. Unfortunately, the BeFREE 8s (and most similar products) use a MicroUSB port for charging, rather than the newer, more versatile Type-C port. The sooner these manufacturers realize that a newer, better standard makes their products more appealing to buyers, the better.

Performance

The primary challenge with this first generation of truly wireless Bluetooth earphones is striking a balance between sound quality and portability. Optoma’s NuForce BeFREE 8 is no exception: while the sound clarity is nice and crisp for such a small profile, the drivers contained within just can’t pump enough bass to make a truly robust listening experience. The result is an almost tinny quality to the sound, despite advertising “deep, explosive bass.” That’s not to say that these are poor quality earphones, or that using them is not entertaining – far from it – the technology just hasn’t quite matured yet.

Connection-wise, the BeFREE 8 is a mixed bag: pairing is ridiculously easy, and the connection between the two earbuds is painless and stable, but the connection between buds and phone is prone to drop connection just for a split second at any sudden movements – unfortunately, another limitation truly wireless Bluetooth earbuds right now. These earbuds use a technology called NMFI (Near-Field Magnetic Induction) to maintain a connection between the two earpieces, but the positioning of the antennas means you need to have the earpieces in just so to maintain that reliable connection.

Battery

According to Optoma’s documentation, the BeFREE 8 sports a 4 hour battery life – unsurprising, given the small profile of the earbuds. In addition, the charging case offers three more charges for a total of 16 hours of play on a single case charge – not bad at all. One thing I would like to see is the ability to plug in your phone to the case and use the case as an external battery – this kind of goes along with the Type-C connection I mentioned earlier, eliminating the need for a second port.

Value

At $149.99 on Amazon, the BeFREE 8 is pretty pricey, on par with Apple’s AirPods. While I personally think that’s overpriced for a pair of earbuds, the impressive amount of technology crammed into these buds may sway others. With NFMI, an included charging case, and near-complete freedom from wires (give us a Qi-chargeable charging case!), Optoma’s NuForce BeFREE 8 is a fantastic set of earbuds that nonetheless falls prey to the limitations of other first-generation truly wireless earbuds.

Disney connects Movies Anywhere to four other major studios

Frustrated with the current state of DVD/Blu-ray digital copies and buying movies from online stores like Vudu or iTunes? A new connection between studios and stores may be the best fix we’ll get, now that Fox, Sony Pictures, Universal and Warner Bros (but not Paramount and Lionsgate, so far) have linked their libraries to Disney’s Movies Anywhere setup. Confirming rumors from earlier this week, the Keychest-powered system that Disney has used for its own movies since 2014 will now unlock movies from all of those studios, covering over 7,300 titles.

If you haven’t used Movies Anywhere with a Disney, Pixar, Marvel or Lucasfilm flick, it’s very similar to the Ultraviolet system the other studios have focused on until now. Once you create an account you can watch movies through its app and website, or through stores that participate with it, which include iTunes, Amazon Video, Vudu and Google Play. Linking the accounts is relatively painless, and for a limited time, viewers can unlock access to five free movies (Big Hero 6, Ghostbusters (2016), Ice Age Jason Bourne (2016), The Lego Movie) by doing so.

Old Disney Movies Anywhere apps will be rebranded simply Movies Anywhere. Disney’s app plays across a number of devices — Apple TV / iOS, Android, Amazon Fire TV and Roku — while the other retailers also have apps with varying avenues they support. The idea is that now it doesn’t matter where or how you bought a flick, you’ll just have access to it, which is the way things should work.

Movies Anywhere is only available for signup in the US, but it does allow for access internationally if you’re traveling, as well as downloading for offline viewing. As far as other limitations, here are the rules:

• A maximum of 4 concurrent streams (title independent) across a single account
• A maximum of 2 simultaneous streams of the same title per account
• A maximum of 8 registered end-user devices for download per account
• A maximum 16 end-user device registrations during a rolling 12-month period
• End-user devices are registered automatically when a first download is requested
• Downloads expire on offline or deregistered devices after 90 days.
• Any single title can be downloaded to all end-user devices in a single Movies Anywhere account at the same time; provided that viewing across the service for a single title is maximum 2 stream, 8 downloads

So what’s missing, at least right now? The Movies Anywhere app isn’t on Xbox, Nintendo or PlayStation game consoles, although if you link an account to Vudu that will mostly solve the problem. As mentioned above, Paramount and Lionsgate have yet to join, as well as other smaller distributors. There are also a number of online video stores that don’t support it just yet — Microsoft recently unplugged from Disney Movies Anywhere, and although Comcast announced a deal last year that link hasn’t materialized — but execs say that more content and retailers are coming.

As far as Ultraviolet, the future is fuzzy, although Variety reports movies in those libraries will port over via participating retailers.

Source: Movies Anywhere

Twitch’s new channels are all about funny viral clips

Twitch is becoming more and more well-rounded with every announcement. It hosted various marathons just this year, including Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood and Carl Sagan’s Cosmos. In another bid to break free from its established image as a streaming platform for games, Twitch has announced two new funny channels you can watch: FailArmy and The Pet Collective. FailArmy publishes viral clips submitted by its millions of fans, while The Pet Collective publishes trending animal videos. You might know one or both of them from their other homes online, but if Twitch is your platform of choice, then you no longer have to venture to YouTube to watch their new uploads.

Twitch Director of Business Development Jane Weedon explained why the company decided to form a partnership with the shows’ creators:

“The meteoric rise of IRL vlogging category on Twitch is a clear sign that our community loves commentating on everyday activities. We have also witnessed the appeal of shared experiences when it comes to watching programmatic TV marathons together. FailArmy has the top collection of IRL viral clips from all over the world and The Pet Collective is representative of the Internet’s love for cute animals. Bringing their programming to Twitch breathes new life into the content by adding commentary from viewers, while tapping into their love of collective viewing.”

FailArmy’s channel is now live, while The Pet Collective’s should be online soon. The former will also debut a “Fails of the Week” series exclusively for Twitch later today, October 12th, at around 4:53PM ET.

Source: Pet Collective, FailArmy

Disney’s Expanded ‘Movies Anywhere’ Service Puts All Your Movie Content in One Place

Disney’s free Movies Anywhere service is expanding thanks to partnerships with Fox, Sony Pictures, Universal, and Warner Bros, allowing customers who purchase movies from services like iTunes and Amazon Video to watch all of their content in one place using the Movies Anywhere apps.

Disney has been using Movies Anywhere for Disney, Marvel, Pixar, and Lucasfilm titles since 2014, but now the available content library has greatly expanded. The new Movies Anywhere service replaces the existing Disney version.

With a Movies Anywhere account, Movies Anywhere content purchased from Google Play, Amazon Video, iTunes, and Vudu can be accessed the service. It can also be used for digital content that comes alongside physical copies of DVDs or Blu-Rays so long as they’re from Disney or one of its partner studios.

There are Movies Anywhere apps for the Apple TV and iOS devices, and the service is limited to the United States at the current time.

While most movie studios are on board, allowing users to watch more than 7,300 titles, Paramount and Lionsgate have yet to sign up.

Users who sign up for Movies Anywhere and connect their accounts with one digital retailer can get access to Ice Age and Ghostbusters (2016) for free. With two accounts added to the service, users can also get access to Big Hero 6, Jason Bourne, and The Lego Movie at no cost.

Tags: iTunes, Disney
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Razer posts teaser for its first smartphone, coming November 1

Why it matters to you

If you’re a gamer, you might like what Razer has to offer in its first smartphone.

Razer — the gaming company known for its computers, keyboards, and mice — is getting into the smartphone game. The company has long been rumored to be working on a phone, rumors that were only amplified when it announced the acquisition of Nextbit. Now, Razer has launched a teaser for its smartphone, which will be unveiled at a November 1 event.

There’s a lot we don’t know about the phone, but given the fact that it’s being launched by Razer it’s a pretty safe bet to assume that it will be gaming-focused. What does that mean? Well, the device will likely have an emphasis on display quality, performance, and sound quality — especially given the “watch, play, listen” mantra in the teasers.

While we didn’t have any details, we did already know that Razer was planning a phone — Razer CEO Min-Liang Tan confirmed a few weeks ago that the company would launch a phone before the end of 2017. Then, a Twitter post by Tim Moss, head of Razer’s mobile division, saw Moss and Tan standing together with a Razer-branded device in his pocket — which many assumed to be the new phone or at least a teaser for it.

Previous rumors indicated that the phone would be targeted at “hardcore gamers,” though we have yet to learn exactly what that means. It’s possible that the company could follow Sony’s lead in allowing gamers to stream games from their laptops. Considering Nextbit’s experience with phone storage and offloading little-used apps to the cloud, it’s possible that the phone could feature some of those unique features, too.

Nextbit’s own foray into the mobile world came in the form of the Robin, an Android phone that featured a unique design, a side-mounted fingerprint sensor embedded in the power button, and some pretty neat design choices. While the Robin was a short-lived experiment, it will be interesting to see how Robin-influenced Razer’s smartphone is. Given the Nextbit acquisition, we would expect the Razer to be Android-powered.

Whatever ends up being unveiled, it will take center stage at the November 1 Razer event, which will be livestreamed on the Razer website.

Michele Hybrid Smartwatch Review

Research Center:
Michele Hybrid Smartwatch

With a history of producing luxurious and chic watches for women, Michele has made the plunge into the tech industry with the Michele Hybrid Smartwatch. It blends the elegant style of an analog watch with the useful features of a smartwatch when paired with the Michele Connected app for iOS and Android. In our review, we found a smartwatch with stunning design and good performance, but a far too high price tag.

Comfortable and sporty watch design

The Michele Hybrid’s watch face is bigger than most other women’s smartwatches on the market, which also means it’s a little heavier. We were particularly excited to see a 38mm stainless steel case with large bezels, because it made the watch look thicker and less delicate than other ones on the market. Regardless of the color variant, it’s a watch we were able to wear during the day and night without feeling like it threw off an entire outfit.

It comes in four different color options – two tone white and navy, navy and gold, all black, and rose gold tone with grey. Each watch face is attached to an alligator strap with an inner silicone lining. They’re also interchangeable with any 18mm strap from the Michele Collection. We had the all-black model, and it looks a tad sportier than the others.

We had the all-black color model, which looks sleek out of the box. The alligator strap hugs the wrist without feeling stiff and the silicone lining adds an extra layer of comfort. There are also enough notches to make sure the watch sits securely on your wrist without cutting off circulation.

The glass of the watch face is made of sapphire crystal which is highly scratch-resistant and durable.

If you’re not a fan of the alligator strap, Michele does offer a huge variety with different colors and patterns made with materials like leather, alligator, stainless steel, or lizard. They aren’t cheap though – on top of the $495 price tag, interchangeable straps start at $100 each.

On the side are three buttons – more on this later – one of which is a rotating watch crown that includes Michele’s signature logo with a splash of red. As for the watch face, we thought choosing white for the hands and tick marks cheapened the sleekness of an all black watch. Each other color variant had a gold accent, making it look far more luxurious.

The glass of the watch face is made of sapphire crystal which is highly scratch resistant and durable. But we did immediately notice how easily it became filled with streaks and fingerprints. Thankfully, this hybrid watch doesn’t require touching the screen so you won’t be wiping off the glass too much.

Michele Connected app

The watch and app connect via Bluetooth and syncs wirelessly to one another. It’s compatible with Android 5.0  devices and above, as well as iPhone 5 and up running iOS 9 or higher. Aside from receiving notifications and tracking basic fitness activity, the watch can do a whole lot more with the Michele Connected app.

For example, you can set the buttons to perform actions such as control music – whether it’s play, or raising and lowering the volume. There’s also the option to take a photo using the button, ring your phone in case you’re unable to find it, and check multiple time zones. Other options include setting it to check on fitness and sleep tracking, but since it’s a smart hybrid, it’s important to remember you’ll be checking the app more often than not.

Even though there were a variety of customizable options, we ended up using the watch for notifications from either apps or text messages. There’s no touch screen interface like regular smartwatches, where you’re able to read all of the notifications. The Michele Hybrid watch forced us to come back to our devices when we actually had a reason to look at it.

Notifications and fitness tracking

While you don’t have the luxury to see the notifications on a hybrid smartwatch, it’s still capable of notifying you of incoming messages and calls. Using the Michele Connected app, you can customize which contacts and apps you get alerts from.

The app does track sleep as well, but the watch was uncomfortable to wear to bed.

Once you choose a specific contact, you can assign which number the watch hands move to when they text or call you. You can also choose to have it only vibrate it if you prefer. You’re only limited to six contacts but you can set “All Texts” as another notification option for all your other contacts. The same goes for assigning different social media apps as well — such as Instagram, Facebook, Slack, and more.

As for health and fitness, it tracks the basics such as how many steps you take, calories you burn, and miles you walk. For those who like to set daily or weekly goals, you can set goals in relation to exercise and staying hydrated. There’s also an option to create your own custom goals, if you prefer.

The Michele app does track sleep as well, but we found the watch was uncomfortable to wear to bed. Fitness trackers are more lightweight, making them a better and more comfortable option. We couldn’t go a full night without waking up in the middle of the night and taking it off — it was that uncomfortable. If you do want to track your sleep, the app informs you of the hours you’ve been awake, along with the hours of light and restful sleep you got.

Michele Hybrid Smartwatch Compared To

Apple Watch Series 3

Motorola Moto 360 (2015)

LG Watch Sport

Huawei Watch 2 Sport

Huawei Fit

Samsung Gear S2

Apple Watch Series 2

Vector Luna

Martian Passport MP100WSB

Garmin fenix 2

Meta M1 Watch

LG G Watch R

Wellograph

Martian Notifier Watch

Phosphor Touch Time

For both fitness and sleep, it compares the data you had for that exact day last week. The numbers are illustrated via a diagram that compares the amount of steps or hours you set for yourself to hit, which and it slowly fills up until you’ve reached your goals for the day. There are also sections that highlight your lowest, highest, and average amount of steps for the entire week.

If you use other apps to track these types of metrics, the Michele Connect app allows you to connect with Apple’s HealthKit, Under Armour Record, and Up By Jawbone. As long as you allow permission, Michele will send your daily activity data to these platforms in order to keep everything up to date.

Warranty, price, and availability

The Michele Hybrid Smartwatch comes with a two-year warranty which covers manufacturing defects. It doesn’t cover accidental damage, wear and tear caused by the wearer, cases or crystals, straps, bracelets, or batteries.

Our Take

The Michele Hybrid Smartwatch is comfortable, easy to operate, and stunning on the wrist. But we found that even with all of the different customizable settings, we only took advantage of a few of them – particularly notifications for text messages and apps.

Is there a better alternative?

Yes. Although, it might be a little big for women’s wrists, the Fossil Q Crewmaster Hybrid Smartwatch brings you the exact same experience and style for half the price. It also includes a similar easy to use app and tracks the exact same activities. Similar to the Michele Hybrid Smartwatch, it also doesn’t look too sporty and has a sleek design to wear throughout the day and night.

If you’re looking for a full on wearable, there’s the Michael Kors Access Sofie Android Wear smartwatch, which costs $350 and lets you fully interact with all your notifications. For Apple users, we recommend the Apple Watch Series 3, which packs a lot of tech into a sleek, and small package.

How long will it last?

The Michele Smart Hybrid Smartwatch is battery powered, and it lasts up to four to six months. Once you’re connected to the app, you’re also able to check the battery percentage on your phone. We used to watch for a full week and it was still at 100 percent with notification settings on.

With its stainless steel case along with high-quality watch straps and durable sapphire crystal watch face, it should last you well more than five years.

Should you buy it?

Yes. The Michele Smart Hybrid is chock full of features, has a beautiful design and fits comfortably, though it’s a little heavy. It’s not as useful as a smartwatch, but reasons for buying a hybrid watch largely tilt towards design. It’s expensive at $495, but most other Michele watches are far more pricey.

Razer Basilisk review

The problem with gaming mice is that they all have just one purpose – that is, to be a mouse. There’s only so much you can cram into the palm-sized device, and only so many ways manufacturers can differentiate their products from the competitors without a profound change in the general mouse design. There’s no gaming-changing mouse, and likely never will be, so companies are looking for unique ways to make their solutions “special.”

Enter our Razer Basilisk review. This is a gaming mouse with an extra you won’t find anywhere else, and it doesn’t cost any more than its peers.

Take precise aim with this “hero” feature

Razer is targeting first-person shooter fans with its new $70 Basilisk mouse. It’s designed for right-handed gamers only, sporting a built-in thumb rest blanketed with a rubberized surface for a better grip. That’s meant to keep your thumb off the desktop surface so it doesn’t become a drag, providing better mouse movement. The right side also includes a rubberized surface so your ring finger has a better grip on the mouse, as well.

What makes the Razer Basilisk different than its other gaming-focused mice is the addition of a “clutch.” Located on the left side of the mouse, this clutch is a long button accessed with your thumb. Press it, and the DPI setting will change while it’s pressed. Remove your thumb, and the mouse will immediately revert to the default sensitivity.

Razer hopes this will let gamers change sensitivity on the fly during heated gameplay moments. The clutch only provides one DPI setting — whatever you choose in Razer’s Synapse desktop software. This is the “pressed” speed, while your default sensitivity is handled through two configurable buttons mounted behind the mouse.

The clutch comes in handy when you need to take a moment for precision shots.

The clutch is aimed at first-person shooters, ranging from Quake Champions, to Overwatch, to Prey. You can run around and gun down opponents using your preferred sensitivity. When needed, though, you can press the clutch button for a few seconds and tighten the mouse movement so you can make a precise shot. Then release the clutch button, and continue with your run-and-gun bonanza.

It’s a great feature. In theory, just about any modern gaming mouse can change sensitivity for precise movement, using buttons that flip settings on the fly. Yet those buttons are often small and hard to use, while Razer’s new clutch is big and easy to grip. The Basilisk’s clutch is such an obvious evolution adjustable mouse sensitivity that, now it’s available, it’s hard to imagine going back.

Of course, if you don’t want to use the clutch button to quickly change your DPI setting, you can assign it with any command in the mouse settings. Razer supplies you with two clutch buttons with different lengths that are magnetically held into place, so you can switch to the version you like most. There’s also a cap to cover the hole if you simply don’t want to deal with a clutch.

But wait! There’s more!

The Basilisk has another unique feature, which is tied to the scroll wheel. Many gamers love a loose wheel to quickly cycle through their weapons. Others like resistance to the wheel movement so it doesn’t feel out of control. The Razer Basilisk meets both in the middle with a resistance feature.

A dial on the bottom of the mouse allows you to “tighten” or “loosen” the wheel’s resistance. The tighter the Basilisk’s grip on the wheel, the more tactile feedback you’ll receive from the peripheral. This resistance doesn’t seem to have any impact on the speed of the wheel’s input, but only in how it feels when you scroll up and down.

The lengthy button is also an ideal solution for Razer’s Hypershift option, to quickly access a second set of commands.

Beyond that, the Basilisk provides the clutch and two buttons on the left, the typical left and right click buttons, the mouse wheel (which technically handles three commands), and two DPI stage buttons. Everything is configurable through Razer’s software, with commands ranging from default mouse functions, to keyboard commands, to macros, to Windows 8 charms. Yep, people evidently still use them.

What’s neat about the Basilisk is that you can assign a second command to each button using Razer’s new “Hypershift” system. If you have keyboard that supports the Razer Synapse 3 beta, you can simply press the FN key to access these secondary Hypershift button commands. If you don’t have a compatible keyboard, you can assign a button as the Hypershift activator on the mouse.

For instance, if you don’t plan on using the clutch to shift sensitivities on the fly, you can assign tit he Hypershift function instead.

A look that kills

All custom button assignments you make are saved to a profile within the Synapse software. A profile is simply a batch of settings with a common theme, such as tuned controls for first-person shooters, or a specific layout for strategy games. You can assign games to your profiles as well, so when the game launches, the attached profile loads too. This comes in handy if you have a default setup for everyday tasks, and need a specific layout for a specific game.

While you can seemingly create as many profiles as you want on the PC, you can store up to four on the mouse itself. These are color-coded – Red, Green, Blue, and Cyan – and correspond to an LED mounted on the bottom of the peripheral. Next to the LED is a physical switch for cycling through the stored profiles when you can’t do so using software, such as playing in tournaments that don’t allow third-party software.

Profiles also hold your lighting configurations. The Basilisk supports Razer’s Chroma platform, which synchronizes the lighting effects across all supporting Razer hardware. The mouse includes two lighting zones – the mouse wheel and Razer logo – that are customizable through the Synapse software. There are eight lighting effects supporting 16.8 million colors, including Breathing, Fire, Reactive, Starlight, Wave, and more. You can stack effects in profiles too to get a unique lighting design.

A terrific addition to your gaming arsenal

Because this is a wired device, we had no issues with performance. The sensitivity ranges between 100 and an insane 16,000 DPI via Razer’s “5G” optical sensor. You can even configure between two and five sensitivity stages to cycle through using the physical up/down buttons. The clutch is where the mouse shines, coming in handy when you need to take a moment and make precision shots. It’s the Basilisk’s major selling point.

There’s no question that the Basilisk is a must-have for shooters, though not all gamers will flock to the dual-DPI ability. Yet the lengthy button is an ideal solution for Razer’s Hypershift option if you want to quickly access a second set of commands on the fly. That’s a plus in our book, too, shoving more customizable commands under your fingertips.

The only drawback we see with the Basilisk is that it’s for right-handed gamers only. Southpaws using the right side of their brains should seek out Razer’s Lancehead mouse instead, which doesn’t include a DPI clutch, but is a great solution nonetheless. If you’re a right-handed gamer, we highly recommend the Basilisk for its high performance, its durability, and its unique features.

Google to disable touch-activated listening on Home Mini following reports of constant recording

Well, this sort of escalated quickly.

Google has said it will permanently disable the touch-sensitive function of all Google Home Minis — including touching it to pause/play audio, we suppose — following reports this week that issues with the software and hardware were causing the devices to constantly record and send audio back to Google. The issue, which stems from the Home Mini’s touch-sensitive fabric cover being overly sensitive and inadvertently activating on its own, gave people a bit of a spook when it was discovered that early Home Minis were activated and therefore recording 24 hours a day.

Going forward, all Google Home Minis will have the touch-to-activate functionality disabled — leaving the “Ok Google” or “Hey Google” hot word activation as the only option to summon the Google Assistant in the smaller speaker. The touch-sensitive sides for changing the volume of the Home Mini will remain active.

To make things incredibly clear, Google offered the following statement on the situation:

We take user privacy and product quality concerns very seriously. Although we only received a few reports of this issue, we want people to have complete peace of mind while using Google Home Mini.

We have made the decision to permanently remove all top touch functionality on the Google Home Mini. As before, the best way to control and activate Google Home Mini is through voice, by saying “Ok Google” or “Hey Google,” which is already how most people engage with our Google Home products. You can still adjust the volume by using the touch control on the side of the device.

While it’s certainly conceivable that Google would be able to redesign the Home Mini’s software to reject prolonged accidental activations, the bad optics of the situation somewhat forced its hand here. Making it completely clear that the root of the always-recording bug has been disabled entirely makes it much clearer to consumers what’s happening with their new Home Mini. This also points to a likely core issue with the Home Mini’s touch-sensitive fabric top that may be too expensive to re-engineer and release after likely pre-producing hundreds of thousands of units ahead of launch.

This was clearly a mistake — but the optics of the situation are horrible for Google.

Either way, we must remember that every Google Home device will still be constantly “listening” in order to pick up on your “Ok Google” and “Hey Google” commands — the difference is that the listening should, as always, be kept local until an actual request is given after the fact. For what it’s worth, Google Home users can always go into the Google Home app and see every single time one of their Home devices is activated and even see what the Home heard — this is, after all, how this initial Home Mini issue was discovered in the first place.

Is Google’s choice to disable the touch functionality of the Home Mini enough to convince you that it’s taking your privacy seriously? We’re sure you have some opinions — let us know in the comments!

Google Hardware

• Google Wifi review
• Google Home review
• Everything you need to know about the Chromecast Ultra
• Chromecast vs Chromecast Ultra: Which should you buy?

Google Wifi:

Google
Amazon

Google Home:

Google
Best Buy

Chromecast Ultra:

Google
Best Buy