YouTube TV app now available for Samsung and LG smart TVs

Google’s live television service continues its big screen expansion.

Earlier this month, Google finally released a YouTube TV app for Android TV and Xbox One consoles after months of patiently waiting. It was announced that the app would be making its way to more devices in the near future, and the latest ones to join the bunch include smart TVs from Samsung and LG.

Smart TVs from Samsung and LG that came out in either 2016 or 2017 can now get the YouTube TV app, and downloading it is pretty simple.

If you’re in camp Samsung, go to “Apps” within the app launcher, head over to the list of recommended applications you can download, and find YouTube TV. For LG televisions, go to the LG Content Store, search for “YouTube TV”, and download it once you’ve found it.

You can’t currently sign up for YouTube TV from the TV app, so you’ll need to first do so on your phone or computer if you don’t already have an account.

Also, if you own older televisions from Samsung or LG that were released in 2014 or 2015, Google says a YouTube TV app will be available soon for them as well.

YouTube TV finally gets a proper Android TV app

The Razer Phone is now available to order for $700

If you’ve been waiting to get your hands on a Razer Phone, now’s your chance.

The Razer Phone, the gaming company’s first step into the smartphone arena, is now on sale. The phone for gamers, as Razer calls it, is available to order now directly from Razer for $699.99.

Borne out of Razer’s acquisition of smartphone startup Nextbit, the Razer Phone is meant to carry Razer’s gaming gravitas into the mobile world. The highlight of that effort is the device’s 5.72-inch 2560 x 1440 display, which boasts a 120Hz refresh rate and a wide color gamut. That means the Razer Phone can support higher framerates throughout the interface and while playing games, making the whole thing feel smoother than most other devices.

In terms of specs, the Razer Phone is powered by a Snapdragon 835, 8GB of RAM, and 64GB of storage. Support for Qualcomm Quick Charge 4+ is here, allowing the 4,000 mAh battery to be charged up in a flash. Two stereo speakers are mounted on the front, each with a discrete amplifier powered by Dolby Atmos. The Razer Phone lacks a headphone jack, but it does include a USB Type-C dongle that packs a THX-certified DAC for an extra boost to sound quality.

Rounding things out is a dual 12MP camera setup around back, an 8MP shooter up front, and a fingerprint scanner on the side power button. In terms of games, Razer has included a “game booster” that it says will help you squeeze out every drop of performance while gaming. The company has also teamed up with developers behind games like Final Fantasy XV Pocket Editions and World of Tanks Blitz to ensure they are optimized for the device.

If you’re eager to snag a Razer Phone, you can pick one up now directly from Razer. And if you’re on the fence, be sure to give our hands-on a look.

See at Razer

Facebook tests VR in News Feed with ‘Jumanji’ experience

Since adding 360 videos to News Feeds in June 2016, Facebook has spent this year significantly invested in the format. It enabling 360 livestreaming and then added that functionality within its apps, and even boosted the back end with automatic image correction. But the social network isn’t stopping its immersive push at flat imagery. Today Facebook announced it has started testing VR experiences in users’ News Feeds, and its first experiment is a ‘scavenger hunt’ game for the upcoming Jumanji film.

Built on the WebVR-based React VR developer kit that Facebook released in April, Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle works with both 360 video and virtual reality headsets. Viewers can roam around the mysterious jungle collecting tchotchkes and learning about the movie’s world. If you saw this morning’s Rampage trailer and can’t get enough Dwayne Johnson, click here in a VR browser.

The Jumanji scavenger hunt is one in a roster of content created with React VR that Facebook-owned Oculus announced today, from a tour of the British Museum to a Dubai Tourism-sponsored experience and a USA Today walkthrough of a Kentucky distillery. Crucially, most of these seem to be shot in 360 video and then edited into virtual reality experiences using React VR and Oculus’ tools, which fits with the social network’s efforts to bring VR to the News Feed.

“We’re also excited to share that we’ve started testing native React VR integration and experience playback within Facebook News Feed. Although we’re still in the experimentation phase, we’re inspired by the potential to let even more people experience quality VR content — wherever they may be.”

Facebook doesn’t just want companies building VR projects for the News Feed — it wants users to join in, too. Last month, the company announced it will add creative tools to its virtual reality lounge, Spaces, including the ability to create and share ‘3D posts’ to News Feeds.

Source: Oculus blog: New WebVR experiences, Oculus blog: Introducing ‘Jumanji: Welcome To The Jungle’

MoviePass offers an even bigger discount if you pay for a year upfront

MoviePass is dropping its price point yet again. In August, the company reduced its subscription cost to just $10 per month — down from $15 to $21 depending on where you lived — and upped the amount of movies its subscribers could see from two per month to one per day. Now, if you’re willing to pay for the whole year up front, you can snag the no contract, subscription for $7 per month.

When the company dropped its prices in August, it had so many new customers flocking to sign up that it struggled to mail out the subscription cards in a timely manner. It had to hire a slew of additional people in order to keep up. But that consumer popularity doesn’t necessarily reflect how theaters execs feel about the service. AMC said earlier this year that it was looking into how it could block the use of MoviePass subscriptions at its theaters even though the service pays theaters full price for movie tickets.

The new pricing plan is only around for a limited time, though the company doesn’t say what that timeframe is. Including the processing fee, the one-time payment for a full year of movie going is $90.

Source: MoviePass

Apple delays HomePod smart speaker until early 2018

We hope you weren’t counting on giving (or getting) a HomePod for the holidays — Apple has delayed the release of the Siri-powered speaker from December to early 2018. In a statement, the company said it needed a “little more time” before the device was ready for its initial release in Australia, the UK and the US. It’s not yet clear how this will affect releases in other countries (we’ve asked the company if it can elaborate), but we wouldn’t be surprised if it pushed back their releases slightly as well. They were already being asked to wait until early 2018.

You can read the full statement below.

While the exact reasons for the delay aren’t clear, it’s not completely surprising. This is Apple’s first entry into the smart speaker realm, and it has to nail the experience if it’s going to compete. At the same time, Apple is effectively ceding holiday sales to a wave of new higher-end speakers like Amazon’s Echo Plus, Google’s Home Max and the Sonos One. The HomePod isn’t necessarily in trouble (Amazon and Sonos can only sell fully-featured devices in countries where Alexa works), but it may face a tougher battle than it did beforehand.

“We can’t wait for people to experience HomePod, Apple’s breakthrough wireless speaker for the home, but we need a little more time before it’s ready for our customers. We’ll start shipping in the US, UK and Australia in early 2018.”

Source: John Paczkowski (Twitter)

Garmin’s vivoactive 3 smartwatch can now help you pay for things

Garmin is mostly known for fitness watches, but introduced something with the launch of its new vivoactive 3 smartwatch: Contactless payments. Several months after announcing this new feature would debut with the wearable, the company’s Garmin Pay system is now live, allowing wearers to leave their wallets and phones at home when going out for a run.

Much like Apple Pay, Garmin Pay is a tap-to-purchase system that operates over NFC. Garmin’s contactless system runs on Fit Pay, the wearables finance service that had previously tried to bring the same functionality to the Pebble Time smartwatch. Currently, the vivoactive 3 can only be linked to MasterCards from select banks on the launch partner list, but more financial firms with Visa support are coming soon.

Source: PR Newswire

The best phones under $500

Phone makers are trying to outdo one another by racing to add new, advanced features to their flagships, but these tools are not equally useful. Who really needs Face ID, Animoji or eye-sensing authentication? Some of us just want a good, no-frills phone. Plus, not everyone can or wants to spend almost a thousand dollars on something we’ll trade in after two years. For these people, there’s a range of options from truly basic sub-$250 phones to more powerful mid-range devices that can be had for less than $500. The latter group is better described as aggressively priced flagships that can serve you almost as well as their costlier counterparts — and there’s now a decent selection to consider.

What to expect

Although they cost hundreds less than their premium counterparts, mid-range phones often feature the same (or comparable) components. The best sub-$500 handsets use the latest CPUs and run the newest software, and some even offer amenities like nearly bezel-less displays and facial recognition. Some of these devices even outdo flagships when it comes to things like RAM capacity and software customization options.

What you might miss, however, is cutting-edge features like pressure-sensitive home buttons, depth-sensing infrared cameras and slow-motion video capture at higher rates than others. Those can be nice to have, but you’re unlikely to miss them. All told, you’ll find that these sub-$500 phones are almost as capable as a flagship twice the price.

The best phones under $500

OnePlus 5T ($499)

Chris Velazco/Engadget

After years of honing its line of affordable flagships, OnePlus delivered a truly great phone in the OnePlus 5. And, come November 21st, it’ll be replaced with something better. The just-announced OnePlus 5T sports a bigger 6-inch, nearly bezel-less screen with an 18:9 aspect ratio like those on pricier phones. It also makes use of a surprisingly fast face-recognition unlocking system that could take on Apple’s Face ID. OnePlus also improved the dual-camera system that we already liked on the 5, while continuing to use the premium Snapdragon 835 chipset found in most contemporary flagships. Oh, and you’ll still find a headphone jack here, which should please those of you who are resistant to change.

Chris / Velazco

Moto Z2 Play ($499)

Motorola continues to excel at making budget-friendly phones — so much so that it won two spots on this list. The Z2 Play is the slightly more advanced of the pair, with its razor-thin design and compatibility with Motorola’s “Moto Mods” line of bolt-on accessories. You can snap these accessories onto the Z2 Play to add a JBL speaker, a projector or an Amazon Alexa speaker, giving the phone more functionality. On its own, the phone offers decent performance, thanks to its octa-core Snapdragon 626 chipset, while its 12-megapixel rear camera makes use of dual-pixel focus technology that results in fast speeds. As with other Motorola phones, the Z2 Play comes with the company’s useful software additions, including Moto Display, which allows you to check notifications without waking your phone. Motorola also coated the device with a water-repellent material to help keep it safe in wet conditions. The Z2 Play doesn’t offer the same epic battery life as its predecessor, the original Z Play, but it’s good enough to get you through the day.

Chris Velazco / Engadget

Essential PH-1 ($450)

You may not have heard of Essential, but the new company from the creator of Android drew plenty of attention within the tech world. Its debut product, the Essential PH-1, was designed to be a top-of-the-line device without “unnecessary features.” The phone crams flagship-level components like a Snapdragon 835 chipset, 128GB of storage and a quad HD display into a dense, sturdy body. The PH-1 is also the first handset to sport a notch where its camera juts into its all-screen front (sorry, Apple), which should give you some bragging rights if that stuff matters to you. Its dual 13-megapixel cameras work well in optimal light but are merely serviceable in dark situations, so if you intend to take a lot of pictures at night, you should look elsewhere. Those who want to keep using their wired headphones should keep looking too, since the PH-1 doesn’t have an audio jack. Although some glitches kept the PH-1 from living up to the hype surrounding its launch (and triggered a price cut from $699 to $450), it’s still a compelling phone — you’ll be getting what’s essentially a $700 flagship at practically half the price.

Cherlynn Low / Engadget

Moto X4 ($400)

The Moto X4 trades in Mod compatibility for dual cameras, landmark recognition and built-in Alexa. Amazon’s assistant not only identifies you by voice but also answers your questions without waking the phone (so long as it’s you asking, not someone else). The X4’s 12-megapixel camera is capable, considering the price, and its landmark-detection feature provides potentially helpful information about historic buildings that it sees through the lens. The phone also meets IP68 standards for water resistance, meaning it can survive a dip for up to 30 minutes. Its Snapdragon 630 processor and 5.2-inch full HD display are also adequate for the money. My favorite thing about the X4, though, is its shiny, eye-catching design, which makes it look and feel more expensive than it is.

Will Lipman / Engadget

iPhone SE ($349)

Sure, the iPhone SE is due for an update, but as the only sub-$500 iPhone available, it’s the best choice for Apple fans on a budget. If you can overlook its dated design, the iPhone SE is a capable phone that performs well despite (or thanks to) its now two-year-old A9 processor. Its compact 4-inch size also makes it a strong option for those who prefer something smaller. Plus, Apple recently doubled the iPhone SE’s storage, which is another bonus. You’ll also like the 12-megapixel rear camera, which delivers accurate colors and crisp details, but its 1.2-MP front-facer will disappoint selfie lovers.

Honorable mention

ASUS ZenFone 4 ($349)

Also worth a look is the ASUS ZenFone 4, which stands out for its 12-megapixel dual cameras, which can save pictures as RAW files. It also features a dual-pixel sensor for faster autofocus, along with optical image stabilization and Portrait mode for artificial bokeh. The secondary sensor on its back side uses a wide-angle lens in the same vein as the LG G6, allowing you to capture landscapes and skylines more easily. The rest of the phone’s specs are typical for the price: a Snapdragon 630 processor with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage. Its 5.5-inch full HD IPS display can get pretty bright too, with a max setting of 600 nits. Some people might not like ASUS’s ZenUI skin, which runs on top of Android 7 Nougat, but camera aficionados who can put up with a slightly different (and cartoonish) UI might find the ZenFone 4 compelling.

HTC U11 Life ($349)

I sincerely hope “squeezable” sides won’t spread to smartphones other than the HTC U11 and the Google Pixel 2, but I have to admit they can be helpful at times. On the HTC U11 Life, pressure-sensitive edges detect when you’re squeezing the phone, and launch your designated apps. You can also set this to perform specific actions within some apps, like zooming out in Google Maps, which is more useful than the Pixel’s implementation. In addition to this novelty feature, the U11 Life packs a Snapdragon 630 chipset, a 5.2-inch full HD screen and built-in Alexa support. Each U11 Life also comes with a pair of HTC’s uSonic earbuds, which tunes audio based on the shape of your ear, making it an even better deal overall. But the reason for these is the missing audio jack on the U11 Life, so be aware that you won’t be able to plug in wired earbuds before you decide.

Amazon partners with EatLove to deliver personalized meals

Following yesterday’s team-up between Amazon and Allrecipes, the online shopping giant is announcing yet another grocery delivery partnership with EatLove, makers of an app for personalized recipes. Once you build up a meal plan of your own, you can quickly get the items you need through AmazonFresh. EatLove isn’t just another recipe service: It accounts for dietary restrictions, medical issues and offers up daily reminders to make sure you follow its recommendations. Naturally, the integration is only available in markets where AmazonFresh is available, but it sounds like a genuinely useful addition to EatLove.

Much like Amazon’s partnership with Allrecipes, this latest deal gives the company another spin on mealkits. Services like Blue Apron automatically send you meal preparation boxes, but they typically offer only a handful of recipe choices. And aside from requesting vegan and vegetarian options, they don’t directly adapt for more sophisticated dietary restrictions. It’s smart for Amazon to work together with a specialized service like EatLove, as it gives the online giant a leg up when it comes to complex meals. And of course, it goes hand-in-hand with Amazon’s Whole Foods acquisition.

Source: EatLove (PR Newswire)

Netflix to produce TV series with Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan

Last year, Netflix signed an exclusive deal with Red Chillies Entertainment, the production company of Bollywood megastar Shah Rukh Khan. Now, Netflix has announced a new TV series called Bard of Blood in partnership with Khan’s company. Khan will be active behind the scenes as a producer, but Netflix has confirmed to Engadget that he will not act in this series.

The eight-episode series will be based on the political thriller by Indian author Bilal Siddiqi and is set (and will be filmed) on the Indian subcontinent. It will be a multilingual production, featuring characters speaking in Hindu, Urdu, English and more. The plot follows a young Shakespeare professor living in the Indian hill station Panchgani who must return home to save both his country and the woman he left behind.

Shah Rukh Khan is one of the biggest stars in the world, and while he won’t star in this production, this is still a great get for Netflix. It’s an opportunity for the beloved actor to promote South Asian actors on an international platform, and you can bet that Indian viewers (and other Bollywood fans) across the world will tune in because his name is attached to the project.

Via: Variety

Source: Netflix

Apple Music’s Major Lazer documentary is streaming now

A new music documentary begins streaming today on Apple Music. Give Me Future chronicles Major Lazer’s 2016 concert in Havana, Cuba — the first to be put on by major American artists since the US restored diplomatic ties to the country in 2015. The group, made up of Diplo, Walshy Fire and Jillionaire, performed for 400,000 people in the country’s capital, the planning for which and the performance were documented by director Austin Peters.

Give Me Future adds to Apple’s growing stock of exclusive music-focused documentaries, which include features on artists like Taylor Swift, Pink, Harry Styles and Niall Horan. It has also released films on producer Clive Davis, the Cash Money record label, songwriter Bert Berns and the history of the iconic 808 drum machine.

Along with the film, which made its premiere at Sundance, Apple is also releasing a companion album featuring music from Major Lazer and each of its artists, Cuban artists that appear in the documentary and others including Herizen Guardiola and Sean Paul. The album, Major Lazer Presents: Give Me Future – Music From and Inspired by the Film, is available on Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube, iTunes, Soundcloud and Google Play. Give Me Future is available to Apple Music subscribers today — you can check out the trailer below and stream it here.

Source: iTunes