Google Search now compares specs, prices, and more for phones

Rolling out now to select users.

There are more smartphones to choose from than ever before, and all of them have varying features, prices, and specifications. Trying to decide which device is best for you can often be a challenge, but doing so through Google Search is about to get a whole lot easier thanks to a new tool that’s rolling out now to some users.

When you head to Google Search (both on mobile and desktop) typing in something along the lines of “Pixel 2 vs Galaxy S8” or “Note 8 versus iPhone X” will now show each device side by side with a list of their own reviews, prices, colors, release dates, and more.

Tapping on the blue arrow will take you to a more detailed comparison between the two phones you’re researching, and here you’ll be able to see storage capacity, battery life, screen size, camera specs, cellular connectivity options, physical dimensions, etc.

There’s also a toggle at the top that will highlight differences between the two gadgets so you can quickly see how they’re different and what features or specs they share between one another.

You can only compare two devices at this time, and while the feature isn’t available for everyone quite yet, Google does seem to be rolling it out to more and more people as time goes on. If you’ve got access, let us know what you think about it in the comments below!

Google Assistant gains a search bar for easier app searching

Best Accessories for the Amazon Fire HD 10

You’ve got a sweet little tablet that didn’t break the bank. That leaves some money left over for accessories!

The Amazon Fire HD 10 is a remarkably good tablet for the price. Starting at $149, you get a 10-inch device that does everything Amazon has to offer — that’s movies, TV, books, games, the web — and it does it very well.

But getting the tablet itself is just the start. You’re going to want to snag a few accessories for the Fire HD 10.

Here’s where I’d start.

Buy a Fire HD 10 case

Look, the Fire HD 10 isn’t all that expensive. But you still want to protect your investment. I’d pick up (and I did pick up) a case for this thing. Amazon’s first-party offering is a sort of fabric-covered plastic shell. It fits nicely and isn’t horrible to take off if you so desire.

It’s also not exactly inexpensive, at $39. But it does come in a few colors, so it’s got that going for it. Which is nice.

If you’re even thinking about letting a kid handle one of these tablets, you need to get a case for it. Full stop.

See at Amazon

Get a microSD card

The Amazon Fire HD tablets don’t have all that much storage in them out of the box. The Fire HD 10 starts at 32GB, or you can pay more for 64GB of internal storage.

Or, you can just slap in a microSD card — all the way up to 256GB. That’s a ridiculous amount of storage in a very inexpensive tablet.

Why go this route? Sure, apps take up space. But content can take up even more. If you’re going to be downloading a lot of movies and other videos for offline watching (that’s the sort of thing you do if you have kids, right?) then you’re going to want some extra storage.

Really, it’s about the best investment you can make with one of these tablets.

See the best SD cards for Amazon Fire tablets

Seriously, though, just get this

My recommendation? Pick up the Fire HD 10 Essentials bundle. You get the base-model Fire HD 10, the $39 cover, and a $15 screen protector for $190, saving yourself $15 in the process. (And you can use that extra money to pick up a 32GB microSD card, doubling the storage in the process.)

See at Amazon

Amazon Fire tablets

• Amazon Fire 7
• Amazon Fire HD 8
• Amazon Fire 7 Kids Edition
• Amazon Fire 8 Kids Edition
• Amazon Fire HD 10

See more at Amazon

This $13 Sugru Moldable Glue can help you repair anything

For the do-it-yourself fixers in the crowd.

This 8-pack of Sugru moldable glue is down to $12.64 on Amazon. It sold for $22 all of October, and it hasn’t dropped since the last deal we reported back in September. That price wasn’t quite as low as this, either. You can also get an 8-pack of White for $12.87.

Sugru is a self-setting rubber which can form to the shape of your choosing to repair, modify or add onto another object. When you first remove Sugru from its package, it has the consistency of Play-Doh allowing you to mold it into whatever you wish. After 30 minutes of being out of the package and up to around 24 hours afterward, the Sugru will harden and stay in the shape you formed permanently.

Many people use Sugru to accomplish simple tasks such as covering up exposed wiring of cables or re-attaching tiny pieces to broken household items, but really there are countless ways to use this product if you put your mind to the task. The restrictions of this product are slim, and Sugru will even stay firm in wet places like your shower and laundry machine making it applicable in every room of your house.

Read our article about all the things you can do with Sugru.

See at Amazon

Intel squeezed an AMD graphics chip, RAM and CPU into one module

Intel may have unveiled its latest Core CPUs for mainstream laptops, but the company has something more advanced up its sleeves for what it calls its “enthusiast” customers. The new chip will be part of the 8th-generation Core H series of processors, and comes with discrete-level graphics cards built in, as well as its own RAM. Having all this built into the processor frees up space for other components inside a laptop, so device manufacturers can squeeze in things like larger batteries or more optimal fan designs. Intel is not sharing performance details for the new CPUs yet, but it’s promising power that will be good enough for gamers or content creators who often run taxing programs like Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom.

Specifically, the new processor integrates a “semi-custom” AMD graphics chip and the second generation of Intel’s “High Bandwidth Memory (HBM2)”, which is comparable to GDDR 5 in a traditional laptop. The three typically distinct components are able to coexist on one chip because of Intel’s Embedded Multi-Die Interconnect Bridge (EMIB), which “allows heterogeneous silicon to quickly pass information in extremely close proximity.” The company also came up with a power-sharing framework that lets the GPU manage each component’s temperature, performance and energy use.

This infrastructure should free up about three square inches of board space that could either be used for other components as described above, or make for thinner laptops altogether. The idea is that powerful laptops for gamers no longer have to be chunky beasts.

The new Core H processor is the first consumer product to use EMIB, and will be released in the first quarter of 2018, and many laptop makers are expected to offer products powered by the chip. This is a pretty significant development that not only benefits the enthusiast audience, but could also have trickle down effects that could improve mainstream laptops (and even other devices) in the future.

Source: Intel

NHS starts offering GP appointments via video call

You’re often more likely to win a scratchcard jackpot than get a short-notice appointment at your local GP, so it’s no surprise there are now a number of services offering nigh immediate, private consultations via smartphone video chat. Babylon Health is one such service that’s just become available on the NHS, meaning eligible patients can book a free video consultation and chat to a GP within two hours, and sometimes much sooner. GPs can make referrals, send prescriptions to a nearby pharmacy, and users can rewatch consultations and review the doctor’s notes at any time within the app.

The new service is called “GP at Hand,” and is initially available in London before it expands across the country “in the near future.” When you register via Babylon’s mobile app, your smartphone becomes your new local GP — in other words, you can’t just pop ’round the corner to your family doctor anymore. Instead, a video consultation is your first port of call, but if you do need a face-to-face appointment for whatever reason, you can book one at several central London GP practices.

The number of these is due to grow in the future, but for now there are six locations, with a few situated near major commuting hubs like King’s Cross, Victoria and Canary Wharf. And if you’re not sure whether you even need to chat to a GP, you can use the in-app AI chatbot to talk through your symptoms and get immediate advice — the same chatbot the NHS has been testing as a complementary service to its 111 non-emergency helpline.

The obvious benefits of free video consultations through the NHS are patients can see a GP quicker than they might be able to otherwise, and surgeries will be less burdened with a backlog of appointments. The Royal College of General Practitioners agrees that online appointments will work for some, but understands that older patients and those with complex conditions often want “continuity of care” that an app can’t provide.

“We are also concerned that patients are being given the option of switching back to their local surgery if they are not satisfied with the level of service offered by the app. As well as issues with patient confidentiality and the safety of the patient record, it is hard to see how this could be achieved without adding to the huge burden of red tape that GPs are already grappling with.”

“While this scheme is backed by the NHS and offers a free service to patients, it is undoubtedly luring GPs away from frontline general practice at a time when we are facing a severe workforce crisis and hardworking GPs are struggling to cope with immense workloads.”

Via: BBC

Source: NHS / Babylon Health

Samsung trolls every generation of the iPhone in one video

If you want to start your week with a little bit of tech shade, check out Samsung’s new Galaxy commercial. The ad follows a young man through the years as he meets and falls for a young woman. However, the focus of each touching moment in their blossoming relationship is how his iPhone is inferior to her Samsung Galaxy and Samsung makes sure to put every single downside of owning an iPhone on blast. That includes waiting in lines for the new model, inadequate photo storage space, lack of water resistance and, of course, the headphone dongle. There’s even a not-so-subtle swipe at the iPhone X’s notch. And if all of that wasn’t enough, there’s the ad’s title — “Samsung Galaxy: Growing Up.”

You can watch the ad below and if you want to compare the latest iPhone and Samsung Galaxy models yourself, you can check out our reviews of the iPhone 8 and 8 Plus, the iPhone X, the Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus and the Samsung Galaxy Note 8.

Source: Samsung

Domino’s Announces Slack Bot to Help Build Your Lunch Order With Coworkers

Pizza chain Domino’s today announced integration with work-based chat platform Slack, introducing the ability for coworkers to talk about and order lunch all directly within Slack. After visiting the Slack App Directory, and installing the Domino’s ordering app into a workspace, team members can begin discussing what they want to order from Domino’s in a Slack channel.

When the decision is made, members can call up Dom, the Domino’s Slack bot, and specify crusts, toppings, sizes, and more. When the team is waiting for their food, a Domino’s tracker will show what stages the pizza is in, from prep to delivery.

Domino’s knows that getting everyone in the office together to figure out the lunch order can be frustrating, so the recognized world leader in pizza delivery and digital ordering platforms is here to make it a little easier, thanks to the enterprise software platform Slack. Starting today, ordering a pizza lunch for that work meeting is as simple as having a quick group chat.

“Collaboration on a big project can now carry over to collaborating on a team lunch order,” said Dennis Maloney, Domino’s senior vice president and chief digital officer. “We love to make ordering as easy and convenient as possible, and that includes ordering for the workplace. Now you can organize a group lunch with your coworkers down the hall, all from the comfort of your cubicle.”

Domino’s has previously integrated with technology platforms, this past May announcing support for automation platform IFTTT and multiple connected smart home products. With this integration, Philips Hue bulbs can change colors when your Domino’s order hits different stages, like lighting up blue when the pizza begins cooking at the restaurant.

IFTTT even allows support for turning off the Rachio Smart Sprinkler system when an order is out for delivery (to prevent potential mishaps for the delivery person), and activating the Samsung POWERbot vacuum when the order is being prepped (to clean up for guests).

In regards to the Slack integration, Domino’s says it’s the “first national pizza chain to offer group ordering on the platform.” If your Slack team wants to try out Domino’s order and delivery, download the app from the Slack App Directory here.

Tags: Domino’s, Slack
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U.S. Supreme Court Refuses to Hear Samsung’s Appeal in Years-Old ‘Slide to Unlock’ Lawsuit With Apple

The Supreme Court of the United States on Monday rejected Samsung’s request to appeal a $119.6 million verdict awarded to Apple in an over six year old “Slide to Unlock” patent infringement lawsuit, according to Reuters.

In October 2016, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit reinstated Apple’s award after a lower court found Samsung to have infringed upon several popular iPhone features, including slide-to-unlock and autocorrect.

The lawsuit, from 2011, is so old that slide-to-unlock isn’t even used on iPhones anymore. Unlocking an iPhone on iOS 10 or later requires using Face ID on iPhone X, and Touch ID or pressing the Home button on older iPhone models.

This case is not to be confused with another 2011 lawsuit in which Apple accused Samsung of copying the iPhone’s design with its Galaxy-branded smartphones. A damages retrial in that lawsuit is scheduled for next May.

Tags: Samsung, patent trials
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Ming-Chi Kuo: 2018 iPhones Will Have ‘More Complex’ Metal Frames for Improved Cellular Signal Transmission

While the iPhone X launched just three days ago, we’re already starting to hear rumors about what to expect from next year’s models.

Specifically, oft-reliable Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said he believes iPhones released in 2018 will feature a “more complex” metal frame design and casing assembly for the purpose of improving data transmission quality.

An excerpt of Kuo’s research note with KGI Securities, obtained by MacRumors:

Orders for 2H18F iPhones are market focus; both Catcher and Casetek have won new orders. We believe the metal frame of 2H18F iPhone models will be composed of more parts (iPhone X has four parts) for improving data transmission quality. We believe Apple will need more metal frame and casing assembly capacity and new suppliers because of more complex metal frame design and casing assembly, while models equipped with AMOLED and stainless steel metal frame will increase to two (vs. only one — iPhone X — in 2H17). We expect Catcher will obtain stainless steel metal frame and casing assembly orders. If Casetek can pass certification in late 4Q17 or early 1Q18, it also may win aluminum metal frame and casing assembly orders.

Kuo said Taiwanese suppliers Catcher Technology and Casetek have won orders from Apple for the new metal frames, including two models with stainless steel frames, which likely includes the iPhone X and so-called iPhone X Plus.

Kuo has previously said that Apple will likely expand Face ID to all iPhone models in 2018, with a complete abandonment of Touch ID. He also said 2018 iPhones are unlikely to gain a rear-facing TrueDepth camera system.

Tags: KGI Securities, Ming-Chi Kuo
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Broadcom offers to buy Qualcomm for a record $130 billion

Wireless chip manufacturer Broadcom has officially bid to buy its rival Qualcomm in a deal worth up to $130 billion. If successful, it would become the richest tech acquisition in history, nearly doubling Dell’s $67 billion purchase of EMC in 2015. Rumors of the acquisition started popping up yesterday, and the offer will likely kick off a pitched battle between the two companies and regulators around the world.

Qualcomm has been particularly vulnerable lately, having been fined in Korea and Taiwan for breaching anti-trust rules, and fighting battles with Apple and other firms over wireless technology patents. The company has even gone so far as to file a lawsuit seeking to ban sales of the iPhone in China. As a result of all that, its stock has fallen steeply, making it a much better bargain than it was just a year ago. Broadcomm’s offer now represents a 30 percent premium over the current stock price.

“We would not make this offer if we were not confident that our common global customers would embrace the proposed combination,” said Broadcom CEO Hock Tan. “Our proposal provides Qualcomm stockholders with a substantial and immediate premium in cash for their shares, as well as the opportunity to participate in the upside potential of the combined company.”

We would not make this offer if we were not confident that our common global customers would embrace the proposed combination.

Qualcomm is not that thrilled about the unsolicited offer, however, according to Bloomberg and other sources. It will reportedly recommend that shareholders reject it, saying that it could get held up in regulatory purgatory, negating any potential stock gains.

Broadcom itself was recently acquired by Singapore-based Avago for $37 billion. The combined company, now called Broadcom, made a much-publicized announcement with Donald Trump to move its home base to Delaware (the company has joint headquarters in San Diego, California and Singapore).

Both companies currently supply Apple with wireless chips and patent licenses, and the deal would make Broadcom the world’s third-largest chipmaker after Intel and Samsung. If successful, Broadcom/Qualcomm would have a virtual monopoly and vast patent portfolio on wireless chips and technology. That could have a sharp effect on the supply and cost of WiFi and cell modem chips, so US regulators might have serious concerns. In other words, don’t expect this deal to close anytime in the near future.

Via: Bloomberg

Source: Broadcom