Verizon Delays Streaming TV Service Until 2018

Verizon is working on a streaming television service that was originally meant to debut in 2017, but its launch date has been pushed back to 2018, reports Bloomberg. Verizon is now said to be aiming to launch its online TV service in the spring of 2018, marking yet another delay as the company struggles to find a way to compete with the many existing services on the market.

Staff shuffling, negotiations for streaming rights, and technology reboots are also said to have affected Verizon’s timeline. Final deals for the service have not yet been established.

While Verizon has shared its plans with TV networks, the timing of the web-based, live TV service’s introduction remains tentative and could be further postponed, said the people, who asked not to be identified discussing private information.

Rumors about Verizon’s streaming TV service first surfaced in March of 2017, and at that time, Verizon was said to be planning to launch it in the summer of 2017. Verizon has been working on establishing deals with TV networks and cable companies head of the service’s launch.

Verizon’s streaming TV option will compete with myriad other TV services available now, including DirecTV Now, Sling TV, PlayStation Vue, YouTube TV, and Hulu Live TV.

Rumors have suggested the service will offer “dozens” of channels and will be a separate offering from Verizon’s teen-based go90 video app and FiOS Home TV. Verizon is said to be aiming to hit a starting price point between $20 and $35, but the company has not yet decided if it will offer a standalone service or a partnership.

Verizon sees a television platform as a way to increase revenue from advertising and to support AOL and Yahoo.

Verizon is likely to offer its TV service on a range of platforms that include the Apple TV and iOS devices, but it is not yet clear whether customers will need to have Verizon wireless phone service to sign up for a subscription.

Tag: Verizon
Discuss this article in our forums

iOS 11 Installed on Almost 55% of Devices One Month After Launch

One month after its official public release, iOS 11 has been installed on 54.49 percent of devices, according to data collected by analytics company Mixpanel.

iOS 11 was first released on September 19, and while adoption has been rather slow compared to iOS 10 adoption, it is steadily picking up. At the one week mark, iOS 11 was installed on 25 percent of devices, and at two weeks, installation climbed to 38.5 percent of devices.

At three weeks, iOS 11 adoption reached 47 percent, successfully overtaking iOS 10, and the gap between the two operating systems has continued to widen. With iOS 11 on nearly 55 percent of devices, iOS 10 is now installed on just 39.17 percent of devices. 6.34 percent of devices continue to run an older version of iOS.

Apple has released three minor updates to iOS 11 so far to address bugs and issues discovered since the launch of the new operating system. The most recent update, iOS 11.0.3, fixed an issue with haptic feedback and unresponsive displays, while iOS 11.0.2 addressed an irritating problem that caused the iPhone 8 and 8 Plus earpiece to crackle on phone calls.

iOS 11 adoption is likely to increase significantly when iOS 11.1 is released, if past iOS launches are any indication. Major .1 releases often spur people to update, and iOS 11.1 introduces new emojis and may include Apple Pay Cash, Apple’s peer-to-peer Apple Pay feature. In past years, new emoji have had a noticeable impact on upgrade rates.

The iOS 11.1 update also fixes some lingering bugs, including one that caused Reachability to work improperly, and it addresses a serious WPA2 Wi-Fi vulnerability. It’s not yet clear when Apple plans to release iOS 11.1, but there have been three betas thus far.

Related Roundup: iOS 11
Discuss this article in our forums

Cortana for iOS Gains New Look, Faster Reminder Creation and Improved Performance

Microsoft today updated its Cortana app for iOS, improving the way the AI assistant works on iOS devices. Designed to compete with Siri, Cortana is a personal assistant that can do things like set reminders, schedule calendar appointments, answer queries, and offer up information you’re interested in through machine learning techniques.

Today’s iOS app update introduces a revamped look that Microsoft says offers a simpler, better user experience. It’s easier and faster to create reminders using the new interface, and there’s a redesigned profile and settings page for managing preferences.

Cortana features improved performance when it comes to page transitions and app responsiveness, and there are also general bug fixes.

We are bringing major updates to make Cortana a better assistant for you:
– A fresh new look with a simpler and improved user experience
– It’s now easier and faster to create reminders to help you stay on top of things
– Redesigned profile and settings page to easily manage your preferences
– Improved performance particularly faster page transitions and app responsiveness
– Regular bug fixes and performance improvements

The Cortana app for iOS devices first launched in December of 2015. Cortana is built into Windows devices as well, so customers who use Windows and are accustomed to Cortana may prefer to use the iOS app for reminders and other tasks.

Cortana can be downloaded from the App Store for free. [Direct Link]

Tags: Microsoft, Cortana
Discuss this article in our forums

Google Chrome for iOS Updated With Drag and Drop Support, New Today Widgets

Google yesterday updated its Chrome for iOS app, which serves as an alternate browser option for those who would prefer to use Chrome instead of the default Safari browser.

The latest version of Chrome includes support for the iOS 11 Drag and Drop feature on the iPad, allowing iPad users to drag a URL from Chrome into another app or vice versa.

Also included in the update are new Today widgets, which can be accessed by swiping right on an iPhone or iPad to get to the Today view and then choosing “Edit” to access available widgets.

The two new widgets are “Quick Actions” and Suggested Sites.” Quick Actions offers access to a new search, an incognito search, a voice search, or an option to scan a QR code, plus it includes an area that lists your most recently copied link. Suggested Sites offers site suggestions based on browsing habits.

What’s New in Version 62.0.3202.60
– Check out Chrome’s two new Today widgets. You will need to add them by tapping the Edit button at the bottom of the iOS Search screen

– On iOS 11 iPads, you can now drag a URL from another app and drop it into Chrome’s omnibox or the tab strip, or from Chrome’s content area to another app

Chrome can be downloaded from the App Store for free. [Direct Link]

Tags: Google, Chrome
Discuss this article in our forums

‘Middle-earth: Shadow of War’: How to hold every fortress in Shadow Wars

While Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor ends with a bit of a whimper, Shadow of War draws out its endgame with a long epilogue designed to test every skill Talion has learned up to that point. The 10-stage chapter, called Shadow Wars, becomes available after completing the game’s final story mission, The Bright Lord, and focuses entirely on the game’s siege missions. Tasked with defending fortresses in four different regions, Talion must maintain his orc army, and outfit each building with a number of hazards to keep the orc hoards at bay. Should he be struck down, or find the fortress overrun, he will need to launch a counter-attack and retake it.

Shadow Wars is, without question, the hardest part of Shadow of War. It’s lengthy and features the strongest enemies you face in the entire game, and just a few mistakes can lead to hours of work as you build the force you need to retake your fortress back and defeat the new overlord. The task is daunting, so we have some tips and tricks to help you excel in the never-ending wars of Mordor.

Defending

If you’re an elite Shadow of War player, you never have to worry about attacking a fortress during Shadow Wars at all. Instead, you will be putting all your energy and time into defending four regions — Cirith Ungol, Gorgoroth, Nurnen, and Seregost — from invading armies. At this stage in the game, defending a fortress is much more challenging than taking one, as you’ll be facing many high-level war chiefs and captains looking to lop off your head. With a little preparation, though, you can endure and emerge victoriously.

Invest in your army

Your own skill in combat isn’t completely irrelevant in Shadow Wars, but it plays second fiddle to that of your orc followers. When Shadow Wars begins, most of your forts will, at best, have a group of war chiefs somewhere around level 40. This isn’t terrible for the first few stages, as enemies will be around the same level, but the hordes will level up much faster than your own army. If any of your orcs happen to die, you will be even worse off.

To compensate for this, don’t be afraid to spend some Mirian in the market to purchase silver war chests. At 1,500 apiece, a few chests won’t hurt too much if you’ve been saving over the course of the campaign. Purchase as many chests as you need to bulk up your defenses to include six high-level war chiefs, and you shouldn’t have a problem dealing with enemies.

Counter your enemies’ offense

Before you begin a fortress-defense mission, you have a chance to see the list of war chiefs you have to face. Along with their level, strengths, and weaknesses, each war chief also has a special siege ability indicating what kind of forces they bring to the fight. Some war chiefs will bring special troops, like Caragor riders or defenders. Others will command a drake, or fire-launching siege beasts. You can purchase and equip defenses to counter these attacks, but your fortress will still go down in a hurry if you don’t fine-tune those defenses to react to the army you’re fighting.

For each siege ability you see listed for the enemy, choose one of your own that can nullify it. Caragors, for instance, are capable of climbing up your fortress’ walls, entering without having to break down the gate, but you can purchase spikes to keep them out. Many different beasts can also make fights more complicated, but a group of hunters can thin the herd before they reach the fortress.

In addition to directly nullifying certain abilities, make sure your anti-siege weapons correspond to the weaknesses of the enemy war chiefs. If multiple war chiefs are immune to poison, for instance, a poison-spewing Siege Beast isn’t going to help much, but a fire-breathing drake will keep them at bay.

Don’t put yourself in danger

Most failed fortress defense missions don’t end in the enemy capturing all objectives, but rather Talion’s death. When several war chiefs are storming through the gate, it may be tempting to leap down immediately and fight them all at once. Don’t do that. You will probably die. Trust in your orcs’ ability to handle most of these situations on their own. In the meantime, you can still influence the fight by firing your bow at grog barrels, landing the occasional stealth attack, and, most importantly, dominating “broken” war chiefs on the battlefield. You can immediately turn enemy generals into new members of your defense force, which can make a big difference later on in the battle.

It can also be tempting head out to the area in front of your fortress and attack a war chief before he even approaches the walls. If he is susceptible to arrows and you’ve already whittled down his health bar, this can be a viable strategy. More often than not, though, it’s just an opportunity for the enemy to gang up on Talion and knock him down a few times. You need those “last stand” chances near the end of the fight — don’t waste them.

Assaulting

Should you be struck down during a fortress defense, you are forced to reclaim the tower with your own assaulting army. Fortunately, it’s a relatively simple operation, provided that you are willing to take the time to do it correctly.

Take out (and enslave) the enemy war chiefs

If you’re in a rush, you can immediately turn around and start the mission to assault your fallen fort and reclaim your overlord’s place in the throne room. We do not recommend this. It will be incredibly difficult, as the enemy will have access to all the defensive siege abilities you have, including spiked walls, reinforced gates, and hellfire cauldrons. Like in story mode, it makes much more sense for you to eliminate those hazards before the mission begins by assassinating the fort’s war chiefs, each of whom corresponds to one of its defenses.

These sub-missions play out much like they do in the earlier sections of the game. You want to first eliminate any captains with ties to a particular war chief, though there will likely only be one or two who aren’t already alone. Next, you have to complete an easy task, such as killing 20 orcs or poisoning three barrels of grog to draw out the war chief.

After all the trouble you’ve gone through to get him out into the open, it can be tempting to murder a war chief in cold blood. If you can, though, it’s much more useful to dominate and draft them into your orc army, instead. If you dominate all the war chiefs you come across before attempting the fortress assault, you will not only breeze to the throne room, but you will have a fully stocked army ready to defend the fortress in the next stage.

Don’t go on a spending spree

Unlike the fortress defenses, which require a fully upgraded fortress, you don’t necessarily need all of the upgrades during an assault. If you eliminated all of the war chiefs already, you will be able to easily move from objective to objective, killing the grunts you run into before moving onto the next one. The whole process should only take a couple of minutes, and you will be able to save the Mirian for defending another fortress in the future. However, if you do spend some money on a particular upgrade, it will still be available for you in that region during later Shadow Wars stages.

The one exception to this spending rule is for gear. If your equipment is making fights too difficult and you chose to enslave the war chiefs instead of killing them, your best option for new gear is in the marketplace. Silver loot chests you can purchase with in-game currency will only give you “rare” equipment, but you can purchase a silver war chest and then trade in its orcs for higher-level weapons and armor. It will cost a little more than you should usually be spending, but it’s helpful in a pinch.

Bring a buddy into the throne room

Once you have made your way into the throne room to confront the overlord, you are in for a very difficult fight. While Talion maxes out at level 60, overlords can reach level 65, often have multiple immunities, and will be guarded by a posse of powerful orcs who can cause a lot of headaches. You can, however, make the fight more manageable by bringing along a friend or two.

Before beginning a fortress assault, make sure you’ve assigned an orc to be your “bodyguard.” At any point, you can press right on the directional pad to summon your bodyguard, and they will be able to distract the overlord and his minions, allowing you to get some extra hits without worrying about getting overrun with enemies. Just make sure they are a high level, as weaker characters can easily get cut down early in a fight.

In addition to your bodyguard, make sure you have a mount that is compatible for the fight. In the “mounted” skill tree, make sure you invest in the “call mount” skill, as well as the sub-skill “Graug call.” This will allow you to summon the enormous beast in the middle of a fight, and while some overlords are immune to beasts, you can still use the Graug to take out their minions and make the fight a little easier. A few are even “beast fodder,” so you can have your giant friend do all the work while you sit back and fire arrows from one of the two high walls on either side of the room.

For more on Middle-earth: Shadow of War, check out our review. The game is available for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC.

Here are the best free drawing software programs you can install right now

If you’re a struggling artist, “renting” Adobe Photoshop and/or Illustrator can make a huge impact on your wallet. Photoshop alone costs $240 per year, Illustrator is just as expensive, and Adobe no longer sells stand-alone software. Thus, if you want to use the entire Adobe suite, you must “rent” the software for $600 per year. That is where our roundup of the best free drawing software comes in.

For the record, free software doesn’t mean “low quality.” What you will find are solutions that are highly competitive with Illustrator and Photoshop, but don’t break the bank. They are backed by a community of developers who believe you should have the best tools possible through an open-source platform. Below you will find four solutions for illustration and four application for painting/photo editing.

Illustration

If you’re wanting to manually draw on your PC, you need software that focuses on vector graphics. A vector is a single point using ‘X’ and ‘Y’ coordinates, so if you create another point, the software will draw a line connecting those two vectors together. You can manipulate this line, creating curves, changing its width, and more. The more vectors you add to the line, the more flexibility you have in manipulating its shape.

The big selling point here is that you’re not dealing with pixels, so no matter how small or large your illustration eventually becomes, it will remain sharp. Thus, vector-based software is ideal for creating logos, cartoons, sketches, buildings, and other line-based designs. The drawback is that once the vector graphic is “printed” into a JPG or PNG image file, the lines are turned into blocks/pixels, and cannot be easily manipulated.

That said, this could be your starting point: Creating and manipulating all your lines in your drawing. You could even create layers and add basic color fills and gradients. Once completed, you export/print the illustration to a JPG, PNG, BMP, or similar format to add more color options, filters, and effects.

That said, let’s start with these great vector-based programs!

Inkscape

Inkscape is likely the more widely used vector-based drawing software since its introduction in 2003. Thirteen years later, it’s still in a “preview” release, but a great free professional-grade alternative to Adobe Illustrator nonetheless. It’s backed by an international community who can get you started, and will help with any problems you may encounter with this open-source software.

Just like Illustrator, Inkscape has everything a digital artist needs to create near-photo quality illustrations. Your basic toolset includes creating straight lines, freehand lines, shapes, 3D boxes, Bezier curves, spirals, and so much more. You can add layers, color fills, and even effects to your drawing such as blurs, bevels, shadows, textures, glows, and so on.

Text and video-based tutorials can be found here, and you also have access to manuals and quick references right here, including information about keyboard shortcuts and command line instructions. To see the full capabilities of Inkscape, you really need to behold this illustration of Sandra Bullock, this sunset in Rio de Janeiro, and this take on Iron Man. Inkscape can produce incredible results with no monthly fee required.

Microsoft Expression Design 4

Microsoft’s design tool made its debut in 2007 as part of the company’s acquisition of Creature House Expression in 2003. The last version of this vector-based illustration tool arrived in 2012 and is now free to use but not officially supported by Microsoft. Still, you can find support provided by the community through the Microsoft Expression forums.

Feature-wise, Expression Design 4 isn’t as robust as Inkscape. It’s a lightweight tool built for developers creating user interfaces, web-based graphics, and so on. But it is still great for creating any graphic that doesn’t require loads of visual effects. You won’t see tools for blurring and instantly dropping shadows, but plenty of basic options for generating lines and shapes, adding text, creating layers, and more. Consider Expression Design 4 as a great utility for generating logos and banners.

SVG-edit

This vector-based design tool is an open-source, JavaScript-based solution released in early 2009. You can use SVG-edit in your browser by heading here (this link may break due to version changes), or download the tool for offline use here. Images you create are stored locally on your PC no matter what version you use, and you can export your vector-based designs just like any locally installed software.

SVG-edit is extremely simplistic in features and design. It provides baseline tools for creating lines and shapes, and an option for inserting bitmap-based images into the scene. You can pile on layers for additional depth in your line-based drawings, but the real selling point with SVG-edit is with its browser-based roots, making it compatible with any PC using modern web browsers like Chrome, Microsoft Edge, Safari, and Firefox. Give this option a try if you don’t want to install software on your PC.

Vectr

This is another vector-based drawing tool you can download or use online for free. It has an extremely clean interface, with the layer stack listed on the left, your artboard seated in the center, and the settings for the objects you select on the artboard appearing on the right. The toolset appears minimalist at first until you click on the “more shapes” button on the toolbar to reveal 28 other designs.

At its heart, Vectr is great for creating business cards, typographic logos, posters, and other designs that don’t involve lots of detail. It’s backed by built-in lessons covering gradients, using paths, layers, filters, and importing images. You can also find tutorials here, such as re-creating Google’s Android icon, designing a YouTube channel background image, making the Superman and Batman logos, and more. All designs can be exported, printed, and shared on Facebook and/or Twitter.

Painting

Now we move on to the image editing programs. In this case, you’re manipulating a large grid comprised of small colored squares, or pixels. Thus, if you create an image that’s 1,024 x 768, you generated a grid of 1,024 dots spread out horizontally and 768 dots in vertical lines. You’re still dealing with X and Y, but you’re now coloring squares instead of drawing a perfect line between two points.

Because of its roots, image editing software is typically better at dumping more colors on your palate, enabling all kinds of effects ranging from delicate shadows to lens flares. The software is meant for editing photos, creating digital paintings, designing textures, and more. If something is “Photoshopped,” then it was manipulated using a photo editor.

The drawback is that you won’t get the proper scaling as seen in vector-based software. You can’t reduce an image’s resolution, save the image, then resize it back up to its former state and expect to see the original clarity. That just won’t happen using grid-based graphics, nor will your image remain perfectly clear when stretched on a monitor sporting a higher resolution.

Here are some of our favorite image editing programs:

GNU Image Manipulation Program (GIMP)

This writer uses GIMP for image editing every day and has a 9-year-old daughter who mastered the program with ease (read: envious). That said, we highly recommend this free, open-source alternative to Adobe Photoshop that’s been around since 1995. It packs everything you need to edit your photographs, import your vector-based art for added effects and realism, or generate stunning digital paintings from scratch. It’s a tool every digital artist should not live without.

Overall, GIMP provides two main components: Your artboard serving as the central window and a rectangular toolbox that can “float” on the desktop, or stick to the side of the central window. You can create another “floater” packing tools you can cram together such as layers, brushes, color channels, paths, and history. This is extremely handy if you want to streamline your editing/designing process.

But the toolbox is where your artistic arsenal really shines, supplying you with tools for painting, using a pencil, blurring, sharpening, smudging, cloning, erasing, and much more. There is even a Paths tool for basic vector-based line creation if you don’t want to install a secondary vector-based program. Want loads of visual effects? You have a huge library at your disposable. GIMP even supports community-created plugins too.

Krita (Win 10 app)

GIMP’s biggest open-source competitor is likely this free solution. Its roots actually began with GIMP, but it didn’t become a full-fledged tool until 1999 when it emerged as part of an open-source office suite called KOffice. Since then, it’s become a stand-alone product focused on digital painting, making it a great tool for cartoonists, texture artists, and so on. It is backed by a large community and the Krita Foundation that provides financial support for contributors.

Unlike GIMP, Krita doesn’t provide floating toolbars. Instead, your toolset is crammed to the left of your artboard while your layers, brush presets, and tool options are listed on the right. What’s neat about Krita is that it comes with templates for creating comics, textures, different text-based designs, animations, and more.  There’s a nifty brush stabilizer feature too for smoothing your lines if you’re using a stylus or pen tablet, and a palette to quickly choose a color and brush that pops up after right-clicking on the artboard.

Paint.net (Win 10 app)

Despite its name, this is a photo-editing tool you download and install on a Windows-based PC. Released in 2004, it was originally designed as an alternative to Microsoft Paint, relying on Microsoft’s .NET framework for Windows-based software (hence the .NET in the name). It has since become one of the most-used Adobe Photoshop alternatives, backed by an online community, free plugins, and plenty of tutorials to get you started.

The only drawback to using Paint.net is the website itself: It’s loaded with “download now” ads that can misdirect you to unwanted software. The latest version can be found here, and once installed, provides everything you need to become a digital artist. Like GIMP, it includes “floaters” that can exist outside the main screen: Your toolbar, the Colors window, the Layers window, and the History window. What makes it different from GIMP and Krita is its overall visual presentation although it’s toolset doesn’t appear to be quite as extensive. Note that if your floaters remain within the working area, they become somewhat transparent so you can focus your attention on the image. Coolness!

Sumo Paint

Out of the four, Sumo Paint is the sole image editor offering both offline and online-only versions. The drawback is that the online version requires Flash Player, which may or may not be blocked in your browser, or even installed on the PC. Meanwhile, the downloadable version is locked by a paid subscription, as are several of the features in the online version. You also need an account to use the offline and/or online version, but once you get past these roadblocks, Sumo Paint is actually a decent online-based photo editor to use.

As a brief rundown, your toolbar resides to the left of the artboard, providing the basics such as the brush, eraser, pencil, blur, smudge, and more. Along the top, you will find the options for each tool, such as the opacity, flow, diameter, and style for the paintbrush. Just above that, you also have access to a large selection of filters (3D effects, Blur, Distort, Sharper, etc), layer options, color-adjustment tools, and loads more. To the right of the artboard, you see the color picker, swatches, and layer stack.

Sumo Pro costs $4 per month, but you get the added benefits of using the offline version, unlocked features, high-quality images files that can be stored on the Sumo servers, and technical support. Still, the online version is a decent browser-based app if you don’t want to install software on your PC.

ZTE Axon M vs ZTE Axon 7: Can ZTE’s foldable phone beat its mid-range classic?

ZTE has finally unveiled the long-rumored ZTE Axon M, its new foldable phone that doubles the screen real-estate by adding a second display that folds in. The result? A phone that’s pretty different from devices we’ve seen in the past.

Last year’s Axon 7 smartphone is more like a traditional phone, but it was very well-received — we gave it an 8 out of 10 in our review. Despite being a year older, the Axon M still might have a hard time beating it out because it does not feature the flagship specs you see in most 2017 phones. So how do the phones compare? We put them head to head to find out.

Specs

The ZTE Axon 7 launched last year with top notch specs, and it still manages to do well against the Axon M. Despite the high price tag, the Axon M is powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 821 processor, which is marginally better than the Axon 7’s Snapdragon 820. Both the Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 and Snapdragon 820 are excellent processors, but they have been surpassed by the Snapdragon 835, which can be found on a myriad of flagship Android phones this year.

Both phones offer 4GB of RAM, which should be more than enough for most users, and both also offer 64GB of storage, with MicroSD card slots to expand it if you need more space.

Still, the Snapdragon 821 is better than the 820, so we’re giving the Axon M the win.

Winner: ZTE Axon M

Design, display, and durability

Julian Chokkattu/Digital Trends

Design is perhaps the main point of difference between these two phones, and probably the reason you’ll buy the ZTE Axon M in the first place. After all, it is a totally new look, and one that hasn’t really been tried before by a major manufacturer.

Instead of offering one display, the Axon M looks like two phones glued together side-by-side. It’s not exactly a foldable phone in the way you think — there’s no flexible display. The two screens are attached via a hinge, and you just pull the second screen out from the back when you need it.

There are different modes you can use to make the Axon M more functional. You could, for example, prop up the phone while watching a video and mirror one screen, so the person sitting across from you can see what you’re seeing. You can also open two different apps at the same time so you can browse Twitter while watching a YouTube video. There’s also a way to extend what you see on one screen to the other for an enlarged viewing experience. Unfortunately, that’s really the only remarkable note about the design. The Axon M is chunky, the screens are flanked by large bezels, one of the speakers is bottom firing, and the back when it’s open is rather industrial.

The ZTE Axon 7 looks more like a normal smartphone. It has a rear-mounted fingerprint sensor and camera, a few different color options, and dual front-facing speakers. The design is a little boring by today’s standards, but there’s certainly a little more attention to detail than what you’ll find on the Axon M.

It’s a little hard to compare displays here. The ZTE Axon 7 offers a 5.5-inch AMOLED display with a resolution of 2,560 x 1,440, while the Axon M’s display is 5.2-inches and has a resolution of 1,920 x 1,080 — but there’s two of them. In other words, the Axon 7’s display is better, but the Axon M has more screens you can use.

When there’s more screen real-estate, durability often takes a hit. With the Axon M, if you drop the phone, chances are you’ve destroyed one of the two screens. The Axon 7 has a lot less screen space and the back is metal, so it’s a little more durable. Neither are water resistant.

Because of the nicer design, better display quality, and better durability, the ZTE Axon 7 is the winner here.

Winner: ZTE Axon 7

Battery life and charging

Julian Chokkattu/Digital Trends

The ZTE Axon M will likely have a tough time when it comes to battery life. Why? Well, the battery is pretty small, and it has to power two displays. Now, it’s important to note that on paper the Axon M will last longer — ZTE said it will get 28.7 hours of talk time, while the Axon 7 only gets 24 hours.

The Axon M has a battery capacity of 3,180mAh, while the Axon 7’s battery sits in at 3,250mAh. The Axon 7 should last longer than the Axon M in real-world use, even if the Snapdragon 821 is slightly better optimized for battery use.

Both phones charge through their USB-C port, and both have Quick Charge 3.0. Because the Axon M has better battery life on paper, we’re going to have to conduct more tests to see how it goes in real-world use. In the meantime, this one’s a tie.

Winner: Tie

Camera

Kyle Wiggers/Digital Trends

The ZTE Axon 7 and Axon M both have a 20-megapixel camera with an aperture of f/1.8, so we’re expecting them to be pretty similar. The Axon M only has one camera. Launch the camera and it will start up on selfie mode. Flip the phone and it will switch to rear-camera mode, and the second display will become your viewfinder. The Axon 7 has a front-facing camera, but it packs 8-megapixels. This lends the Axon M the win, because you should be able to take much better selfie photos.

Winner: ZTE Axon M

Software

Julian Chokkattu/Digital Trends

At launch, the Axon 7 was running Android Marshmallow. It has now been updated to Android 7.1.1 Nougat, which is also what the Axon M runs. ZTE hasn’t been the best in terms of updating its phones in a timely fashion, but the company said the Axon M will get Android 8.0 Oreo at some point, hopefully with the Axon 7.

The software on both of these phones offer a relatively stock experience, but ZTE has added some bloatware and extra apps that users may not find all that helpful. On the Axon 7, for example, a “ZTE Rewards” app will serve up some ads and surveys. We weren’t able to dig around too much in the Axon M’s software, but it will come with a boatload of AT&T apps.

Winner: Tie

Price and availability

The ZTE Axon 7 has been available for almost a year and it’s pretty easy to get your hands on. even if no carrier offers it in the U.S. If you want one, you can get it unlocked on Amazon for $460, though Newegg might be a better option, where you can get it for $380.

The ZTE Axon M, on the other hand, will be available on a carrier — AT&T. At launch it will be AT&T-exclusive, so you’ll either have to be on AT&T or willing to switch over to the carrier. There’s no word yet whether the phone will be available unlocked or not, but it will come in at $725 outright or $24.17 per month for 30 months — which is quite a lot more than the Axon 7. That makes the Axon 7 the winner here.

Winner: ZTE Axon 7

Overall winner: ZTE Axon 7

The ZTE Axon M is a very interesting device, and some will find the unique design and double-display compelling. For those just looking for a decent phone for their day-to-day needs, the Axon 7 is probably a better choice. It’s more durable and has a better display, and it’s a whole lot cheaper. Sure, the Axon M is slightly more powerful, but those power improvements are small, and they come at a serious cost.

The Saber portable power pack can keep your MacBook pro running for days

Why it matters to you

Anyone who needs to keep their devices powered on the go will love the Saber battery pack, which not only charges phones and tablets, but can keep a MacBook Pro running as well.

Let’s face it, as we’ve added more and more mobile devices to our lives over the past few years, the need for portable power has dramatically increased, too. There are a lot of options available for keeping our favorite gadgets up and running while away from a power outlet, but most of those options force us to make compromises along the way. But a new portable charger called the Saber promises to make it easier than ever to keep our smartphones, tablets, and even laptops running while on the road.

The Saber comes our way courtesy of Romeo Power, a company that is best been known for creating power solutions for electric vehicles and energy storage for small businesses. Founded by engineers from Apple, SpaceX, Tesla, and other top tech companies. the team at Romeo set out to create a portable battery pack that could provide the same speed and convenience of charging  as we would get when plugged into an outlet at home. The result is the Saber, an innovative power source that fits in the palm of your hand.

One of the key features that separates the Saber from the competition is the inclusion of an AC inverter into the device itself. In a sense, that means that it has a built-in wall socket that you can carry with you anywhere, making it far more versatile than most other portable battery packs. We’ve seen other portable chargers with built-in inverters in recent months however, but what makes this one special is that it can power any device that draws up to 90 watts of power. That means the Saber can charge a 15-inch MacBook Pro or similar high-capacity electronic gear.

In addition to its AC outlet, the Saber also features two standard USB ports and a USB-C port as well. It also comes with an 86-watt-hour battery, which is enough to recharge a laptop twice, a tablet two to four times, and a smartphone more than 10 times. All four ports can be used at the same time, and the battery pack can even recharge DSLR camera batteries and drones, making it an attractive option for photographers and filmmakers.

Romeo has imbued the Saber with fast-charging capabilities of its own. Using its included adapter, the power pack can be fully charged from a wall outlet in as little as two hours, which substantially less than the competition. It can also be recharged using the 12V cigarette port in your car, or using a solar panel as well.

The Saber carries an IP67 rating which means it is dust and waterproof, and designed to survive accidental drops, too. This makes it a good option for use in the outdoors, although its 2.2-pound weight is fairly significant for those who like to travel fast and light.

Anyone who pre-orders the Saber ahead of its official launch next month can save $100 off its $299 retail price. The device is available in three colors — black, blue, and red — and should begin shipping around Cyber Monday on November 27. Visit romeopower.com for more information.

You may soon be able to presave albums on Spotify thanks to Show.co

Why it matters to you

Why spend money on presale albums when you can just hit presave on Spotify?

Most of us aren’t exactly in the business of buying albums anymore. Services like Spotify, Apple Music, and Tidal have all but obviated the need to pay for individual songs, and it doesn’t look like our love affair with these streaming services is going away anytime soon (much to the benefit of the music industry).

But just because you’re not buying albums as soon as presale offers come out doesn’t mean you don’t want to be the first to hear a new album when it drops. And now, Show.co is here to help ensure that you’re always up to date on the latest hit sand releases. The marketing platform from CD Baby will now allow users to offer presaves on Spotify. That means that music lovers will soon be able to hit save for a yet-to-be-released album, and find the newest tracks in their library.

Heralded as the “streaming music-era answer to the presale link,” this presave option gives artists the opportunity to give their fans instantaneous access to new music. “The automatic switch from presave to save is a proprietary feature,” explained Rebecca Bateman, senior marketing manager at CD Baby. “Presaves are not built into Spotify. We figured out how to both create a presave campaign and then turn it into a regular save campaign automatically once the release goes live, so the campaign stays relevant.”

In order to launch a presave campaign, artists need a Spotify URI (the platform’s internal links) and the date the album is scheduled to drop. From there, they need only visit Show.co to create a Social Unlock campaign. “On the date it is released, your music will magically appear in their library,” Bateman explained.

The idea behind a Social Unlock campaign, the CD Baby team said, is to help artists better connect with their fans. “There’s a layer of distance between fans on social media and music or video platforms, and artists,” noted Kevin Breuner, VP of marketing at CD Baby.

“Show.co helps musicians bridge that gap, connecting directly with fans via email, which is still one of the best means to reach and keep an audience.” In return, fans can check out perks like an early opportunity to hear a new album, a show discount, and more.

Propel Star Wars Battle Drones review

Research Center:
Propel Star Wars Battle Drones

If you grew up watching Star Wars — and let’s face it, if you’re 50-years-old or younger, you did — at one time or another you probably fantasized about how cool it would be to fly an X-Wing, or a TIE Fighter, or perhaps the Millennium Falcon. These fictional vehicles are so ingrained in our collective western culture, it’s no wonder they’ve been brought to life again (and again) as models, action figures, video games, and LEGO. Oh the LEGO!

But none of these incarnations have managed to combine an authentic appearance with the ability to actually fly. Spin Master came closest, but Propel’s new Star Wars Battle Drones have set the bar so high, it may be years before someone else even tries. The question is, did they do enough to please both Star Wars fans and drone enthusiasts, or are these just another set of mediocre Star Wars products? Read our Propel Star Wars Battle Drones review to find out if these are the drones you’re looking for.

Down is up

Propel’s high-flying lineup consists of three Star Wars Battle Drones, which sell for $179 each. Buyers can choose from the Star Wars 74-Z Speeder Bike, the Star Wars TIE Advanced X1, and the Star Wars T-65 X-Wing Starfighter. Originally there was supposed to be a Millennium Falcon too, but currently it’s on hold (apparently it’s a temperamental ship in real life as well as the movies).

Simon Cohen/Digital Trends

Simon Cohen/Digital Trends

Simon Cohen/Digital Trends

The drones themselves are tiny, featherweight models that are controlled via an included 2.4Ghz remote control. This remote also pairs with your smartphone over Bluetooth, giving you control via the free Propel Star Wars Battle Drones app (iOS/Android), which runs both training simulations and live battle tracking. You can fly them indoors or outdoors — at speeds up to 35 MPH, according to Propel — up to several hundred feet away, and they pack both infrared and visible light emitters and receivers, for use when battling.

But what’s really unusual about these drones is that they’re inverted. Their props face down, not up, which means they’re pushed into the air rather than pulled. We don’t know if there’s any control or flight advantages to this layout, but we can say this: It’s the perfect system for preserving the look of these iconic Star Wars vehicles.

With no propellers visible above, and only a tiny set of transparent props below, it’s a lot easier to maintain the fantasy that you’re controlling a real Star Wars ship, instead of a Star Wars model that someone has wrapped around the frame of a quadcopter. Plus, bumping one of these drones into the ceiling isn’t a problem — they will happily keep pushing on that barrier until you bring them back down or the battery dies.

Be warned though: those transparent props look great until you’re trying to find one that came off after a crash… Good thing Propel not only includes six replacements of each prop type, but also offers free replacement parts for the first year.

Sweating the small stuff

The other standout aspect to these drones is the incredible attention to detail that Propel has achieved. Our two review units, a TIE Advanced X1, and a T-65 X-Wing Starfighter, look like perfect miniature versions of the movie machines. The scale of their features, the matte finish of the paint, the tiny patterns and details worked into the plastic… it’s hard to believe these things can also fly, and can interact with each other.

The inverted design is perfect for preserving the look of these iconic Star Wars vehicles

Most RC vehicles, regardless of size or budget, use a standard rechargeable battery, but Propel has customized the batteries for these vehicles by wrapping them in cases that become part of the vehicle’s body when inserted. This approach eliminates separate battery compartments and covers, and helps to maintain each vehicle’s proportions. The downside is that the batteries and chargers are unique to each model — you won’t be able to use the X-Wing’s battery on the TIE Fighter or vice versa.

Our one criticism is that the X-Wing’s forward motors and struts are painted to match the fuselage, which changes the iconic lines of the famously dart-shaped ship. We think these parts should have been painted a different color — perhaps a dark grey — to maintain the look of the X-Wing. Fans who agree could probably take matters into their own hands with the judicious application of model paint, while being careful not to touch the motors.

Propel’s commitment to detail goes way beyond the actual drones. For Star Wars fans, the entire experience of unboxing and using these drones is a feast for the senses. Each drone is boxed in what can only be described as collector’s grade material.

Simon Cohen/Digital Trends

The outer box is a smooth black surface with color prints for each vehicle and the obligatory Star Wars branding, but it only exists to protect the inner box: a silver-finished enclosure with a plastic relief rendering of the ship contained inside, and sealed on two sides with either Imperial or Rebellion plastic insignia. This kind of box is normally reserved for thousand-dollar wristwatches, not toys. Sadly, If you want to ever use the products within, you’ll have to damage this gorgeous packaging — the plastic insignias are glued to both the top and bottom box shells.

We normally wouldn’t comment on a product’s packaging, but in this case, it’s just too outstanding to gloss over.

Sound and light

Once you’ve made the heart-wrenching decision to open the box, you may want to darken the room a little and make sure there’s no music or TV on in the background. That’s because removing the top shell of the box will reveal the Star Wars model, sitting astride an angled display platform that automatically lights up and begins to play Star Wars-themed music and sound effects from its tiny built-in speaker.

Unboxing the Star Wars T-65 X-Wing Starfighter

We feel a little bad including this information as it’s a total spoiler, but we were just blown away by the experience, and it caught us totally off guard. Of course, you can always shut the box, and wait a minute — doing so will reset the sensor and trigger a new sound and light show when you lift it again. It’s an effect that never gets old (that little speaker does an impressive job!) so it’s a good thing that you can recharge the display’s battery using the same charger that’s provided for the drone’s batteries.

THX for the audio

Propel hasn’t just used Star Wars audio tracks for its display cases, it’s also embedded them into the drone’s remote control. Flip the controller upside down and you’ll see a small speaker grille, and a standard headphone jack. Whether flying these drones solo, or in a dogfight, you can surround yourself with Star Wars music, sound effects, and voices, either aloud or just for you to hear. It’s another surprisingly delightful detail that pushes the experience into that of an immersive video game, not just flying a drone.

You can surround yourself with Star Wars music, sound effects, and voices, either aloud or just for you to hear

Speaking of the controllers, they’re each themed to match their vehicle, complete with Imperial or Rebel insignias that also serve as power buttons. They’ve got rumble packs, which activate on start-up and shut down — as well as when your ship gets “hit” during battle — while the four shoulder buttons further blur the line between flying a drone and playing a video game.

Admittedly, we were a little concerned that Propel might have cut corners on the components for the remotes to keep costs down, but were pleasantly surprised to discover that the sticks feel solid, with just the right amount of spring tension, providing good feel and smooth transitions between directions. They’ve got some serious heft too, so the decision to include a lanyard loop is a thoughtful touch, as is the hidden screwdriver which does double duty — letting you access the battery compartment of the controller, and swap out components on the vehicles. Our only concern — and it’s a small one — is that the extendable phone holder feels a bit fragile, so just make sure you don’t get it caught on anything.

Smart simulation

As of the publication of this review, Propel hasn’t released a single YouTube tutorial video on how to fly or battle these drones, which we think is a huge missed opportunity. But perhaps the company assumed new pilots wouldn’t need them because the app contains a training section. We could certainly be persuaded. It’s a phenomenal bit of programming, which lets you use the remote to control a matching virtual drone on-screen and work your way up the ranks as you gain experience and mastery over the control scheme.

The virtual drone responds to your commands instantly, thanks to the Bluetooth connection, making us wish we could use Propel controller for other apps too. The app even maintains a forced perspective, with the virtual drone flying away from you, becoming smaller as the distance increases, just as it would in real-life. It can be a little tough to judge these virtual distances (hey Propel, how about Daydream compatible version?) but this just means that if you can handle the sim, you’ll be much better in real life.

Finicky flight

The one thing the simulation doesn’t get right is the drone’s tendency to drift and alter its altitude on its own. When it comes down to actually flying these drones, you’re finally reminded that these are still toys after all. Without any GPS, or visual positioning, or even ultrasonic sensors like Parrot uses on its bottom-of-the-line AR.Drone, these Star Wars drones behave unpredictably once airborne, requiring almost constant input on the sticks to keep them in a stable hover.

The remote has both calibration and trim functions, but we found these only corrected for massive problems with flight stability, instead of offering a good, clean hover. It will likely take novices dozens of flights to feel a true sense of control, so expect to crash often. The included prop guard will help, but we still managed to break it. Thankfully, the drones themselves are way tougher than their hand-painted shells look.

Is it a deal breaker? Hardly. With no onboard cameras, perfectly stable flight isn’t needed, and when it comes to dogfighting, it’s downright irrelevant — you won’t be stopping to admire the scenery. Propel’s solution to the issue of flight stability is to offer three flight modes, plus a training mode, each of which places different restrictions on vehicle speed, altitude, and stick sensitivity.

In training mode, rookie pilots can get comfortable with the controls and are less likely to careen their ship into a wall accidentally, while the most advanced mode enables a thrilling degree of speed and maneuverability. We found that when pushed to its limits in this mode, the aircraft couldn’t cope with massive and sudden changes in direction, often tumbling out of the air as its gyros failed to compensate for the extreme moves.

Simon Cohen/Digital Trends

Rather than annoying, we think this just adds to the realism of dogfighting, because it requires the pilot to understand what their ship can and can’t do, and forces them to adjust their flying accordingly — just as any real pilot would have to do.

Still, no matter how you shake it, the fact of the matter is that these drones aren’t simple to fly. You can absolutely fly the Star Wars Battle Drones indoors in small rooms if you want — the included safety cage is a must for these flights — but you’ll only get the full experience of flying these ships outdoors (on a very calm day) or in a large indoor space, like a gymnasium. Propel recommends a minimum 100-foot radius for flight, but bigger is definitely better.

Big-time battles

Propel’s technology adapts to up to 12 Battle Drones in the same flight space, by finding available frequencies automatically as each drone/controller combo is turned on. We only had the opportunity to test two drones at once, but this was enough to see how larger battles would work. You can choose between two weapon types — infrared or a visible, laser light. Which one you use depends on where you’re battling.

Whichever you weapon you choose, battling is a ton of fun.

In larger, outdoor area, the laser is preferable, since it’s less likely to be affected by ambient light, but it requires greater precision. Indoors, infrared works well, but in smaller spaces it could bounce off walls and reflective surfaces like windows, mirrors, or even TV screens. To get the full Star Wars effect, fire up a fog machine in your space, and you’ll actually see the laser lights.

Whichever you weapon you choose, battling is a ton of fun. The app tracks how many times each pilot scores hits (or takes hits from opponents) and declares a winner at the end of each round. You can choose how long each round will last, but you can only suffer three hits before you’re grounded for the rest of the round. Getting hit results in a rumble from your controller, a loss of control and wobble of your ship, sometimes causing a forced landing if your altitude is too low.

Experienced pilots will have a huge edge, as it can be challenging enough to get these drones to fly in the intended direction, nevermind having them correctly oriented toward an opponent while trying to fire at them. We were worried when we found out that the batteries are only good for about eight minutes of flight time, and that isn’t a lot when you’re learning.

Propel Star Wars Battle Drones Compared To

DJI Spark

DJI Inspire 2

Parrot Bebop 2 FPV

Hover Camera Passport

3DR Solo Drone

DJI Phantom 4 Pro

Yuneec Breeze

Parrot DISCO FPV

eHang Ghostdrone 2.0

HEXO+

Horizon Hobby Chroma

Yuneec Typhoon H drone

Yuneec Typhoon Q500 4K

Parrot BeBop Drone

dji Phantom 2 Vision+

But once you’re engaged in the heat of battle, it can feel like an eternity — you might even be thankful they don’t last longer. You get two batteries with each drone, and charging fully takes about 45 minutes. There is an 80 percent indicator on the charger, for those who simply can’t wait.

We experienced a few frustrating moments when, even after we completed the pre-battle set-up sequence, our ships failed to take off, forcing us to shut everything off and try again. Eventually it worked, but as with everything else when it comes to flying these drones, patience is a requirement.

Warranty information

Propel will issue full refunds on unopened products within 30 days, and also offers a 90-day warranty against defects, but that doesn’t include parts that break from crashing. For the first year after purchase, the company will provide free replacement propeller guards, propellers, landing gears, main rotor shafts, and canopies.

Verdict

Propel’s Star Wars Battle Drones aren’t just toys; they’re miniature works of art, presented in packaging that would please even the most particular collector. The combination of attention to detail, design, use of sound effects and music provides a unparalleled real-life video game environment that we doubt can be had elsewhere, at any price.

You may find more detailed Star Wars models, and you may find drones that are more versatile and more satisfying to fly, but you won’t find these two attributes in one product anywhere. When you add the ability to battle other drones, Propel’s Star Wars Battle Drones are in a class by themselves. If you’re a Star Wars enthusiast, they’re a must-have.