Wileyfox phones are cheaper if you don’t mind lockscreen ads

Wileyfox is already in the business of making affordable smartphones that prioritise value for money, and now it’s started offering most of its devices for significantly cheaper, provided customers are willing to put up with ads on their lockscreen. From today, you can get as much as 42 percent off the retail price of a Wileyfox phone should you opt to pick up the “Add-X” version. Amazon has a similar scheme in the US with ad-subsidised “Prime Exclusive” phones, and in the UK you can get a tenner off the retailer’s Fire tablets and some Kindle e-readers if you let Amazon stick its “Special Offers” on the lockscreen.

Amazon’s Prime Exclusive smartphones, as the epithet suggests, are only available to Prime subscribers, and require you to link your Amazon account and install the retailer’s Android app suite. Wileyfox considers Add-X to be less demanding, and less intrusive. When you set up a new device, you’re asked to plug in your date of birth and specify your gender (male or female). This intel will be used to tailor the ads you receive initially, and what types you engage with or dismiss out of hand will shape what ads are served to you in the future.

Should you actually want to see more about a product or service, or take advantage of say, a coffee promotion, Wileyfox hands you off at that point, and doesn’t collect any data on that interaction past the lockscreen. Ads and offers will always be age-appropriate, and Wileyfox says it’s not going to open the platform up to payday loan providers and such. The company is keen to be transparent about what data it collects and who it’s selling ad space to. Earlier this year, Wileyfox had to issue an emergency software update to phones after owners grew concerned about the preinstalled Yandex Zen newsfeed app, which was collecting user data without their explicit consent.

The ads themselves won’t get in the way of notifications, weather widgets and whatever else you typically have on your lockscreen, and take just one swipe to dismiss. Your phone may end up using mobile data to download batches of ads, but apparently you’re looking at less than a 20MB shortfall each month. For these slight inconveniences, you can get up to £70 off the normal price of a Wileyfox handset.

Wileyfox will sell Add-X versions on its own site and through Amazon, Carphone Warehouse and everywhere else you can find its phones already. The company also says every smartphone it releases from now on will have an Add-X variant. Now, even if you buy an Add-X model you don’t have to live with lockscreen ads forever. Chuck £40 Wileyfox’s way and within two working days your phone will receive an OTA update that strips everything related to Add-X off the device.

Wileyfox is well aware that people could ‘hack’ the system in this way — for example, they could buy a Swift 2 Plus for £120 instead of £190, pay £40 to remove Add-X and effectively save themselves £30 off the cost of the phone. The company thinks that after using the Add-X model for a day or two, however, they’ll realise they can easily live with lockscreen ads and would rather save that £40. And maybe they’ll even find some value in a cheaper takeaway offer now and again.

Google Maps motorcycle mode finds shortcuts for India’s bikers

Although, Google’s Android Oreo Go OS and Files Go! storage app were the headliners at its India event, the company also had two more surprises in tow: a two-wheeler mode for Maps and a bi-lingual version of its Assistant for Indian feature phone JioPhone.

India overtook China to become the world’s leading motorcycle and scooter market last year. With millions of two-wheelers in the country, it’s no wonder Google is creating a dedicated update for the bikes. The new mode will scout shortcuts that aren’t accessible to cars and trucks, and provide customized traffic and arrival time estimates. Google claims it’s an “India-first” feature, so chances are it will spread to other regions too.

The Google Assistant for the JioPhone, built for India in both English and Hindi—is launching today. #GoogleForIndia pic.twitter.com/Rml3P1fR8C

— Google India (@GoogleIndia) December 5, 2017

While Android OreoGo will pre-install Assistant on budget smartphones, the digital helper is also heading to a feature phone. A Hindi and English language variant of Assistant is coming to the $25, 4G-enabled JioPhone. Aside from slight tweaks to its interface, Assistant will retain all its voice-based functions, despite being downgraded to a bargain-basement phone. Though, it will have to tussle with JioPhone’s existing Assistant (HelloJio) while there.

Source: Google

HQ’s live trivia is coming to Android in time for the holidays

Since launching in August the HQ app has been attracting hundreds of thousands of players to its twice-daily live trivia games, but so far they’re all playing on iPhones. Now, a tweet indicates that Android users will be able to get in on the action soon, since “HQ has a nice little stocking stuffer coming your way.” The game came from two Vine co-founders and has seen as many as 400,000 people logging on at 3 and 9 PM ET to try and win cash prizes of up to a few thousand dollars by answering trivia questions.

We’ve seen some attempts at this before, including NBC’s short-lived Million Second Quiz game show/app and the Xbox Live game 1 vs. 100. There are other games like Trivia Crack and Quiz Up, but they don’t have the same live event hook, while Family Feud Live features tournaments for cash prizes but also contains subscription fees and pushes in-app purchases heavily.

Hey world, we hear you also have Android phones? HQ has a nice little stocking stuffer coming your way… pic.twitter.com/RwY6Qpkk9e

— HQ Trivia (@hqtrivia) December 5, 2017

Source: HQ (Twitter)

Comcast claims new gateway can reach wireless speeds of 1.5 gigabits per second

Comcast’s new xFi Advanced Gateway is now available to all Xfinity broadband markets, the company said Wednesday. According to a blog written by Comcast’s Fraser Stirling, this new all-in-one device reportedly supports wireless speeds of more than 1.5 gigabits per second in the Comcast labs. It also includes an 8×8 antenna setup, meaning your connected device must have eight incoming and eight outgoing antennas to support the reported 1.5Gbps speeds.

In reality, promoted wireless speeds which are theoretical in nature, never translate into real-world speeds. Many factors come into play, including the channel width, local radio interference, neighboring networks, and more. Stirling says the new gateway sports an additional 160MHz channel width, which means there’s more air space for sending data back and forth from devices. Modern routers and gateways typically include 20MHz, 40MHz, and 80MHz channel widths.

“We use MU-MIMO (multi-user, multi-input, multi-output) technology to make sure that the xFi Advanced Gateway doesn’t just deliver great speed to one device, but because of the spatial diversity built into the design, it can simultaneously power dozens of devices without sacrificing performance on any of them,” Stirling says.

Of course, you can’t squeeze gigabit speeds out of a 300Mbps broadband subscription. The new xFi Advanced Gateway is available to all markets that support 300Mbps and up, and would seemingly be more ideal for the company’s Xfinity Gigabit Internet subscribers. Still, you’re not going to experience real-world wireless gigabit speeds with devices that aren’t built to support the technology. Comcast is merely laying a foundation for future devices.

“While there are currently no mass-market Wi-Fi connected devices capable of receiving gig speeds over Wi-Fi, those devices are coming,” he adds. “In the meantime, the power of the xFi Advanced Gateway delivers ultimate performance to your connected home.”

But speed isn’t the only selling point of Comcast’s new gateway. Because it resides in a central location in the home, the company wanted it to properly blend into its surroundings. Typically, gateways, modems, and routers are ugly devices with multiple flashing LEDs — some can even resemble mechanical spiders that are flat on their backs. But Comcast wanted a more elegant look, thus it switched out the LEDs for a single, soft and steady light. It also features a blend of neutral colors and soft-touch materials.

The company also considered the connected home when it designed the new gateway. The device includes not only a Bluetooth Low Energy component, but stand-alone radios for Zigbee and Thread (NEST, Philips Hue Home Automation) Internet of Things devices. The new gateway also provides plenty of customizable xFi-branded features, including per-user profile creation, access restrictions, device assignments, and more.

Comcast also plans to introduce a mesh-based networking system later this month. This won’t be a centralized unit like the new gateway, but will be made up of two or three satellite units that will blanket the entire home with mesh-like coverage. Additional details will be made available in the coming weeks.

Editors’ Recommendations

• 9 Wi-Fi router deals to boost your internet speeds and save you up to $100
• ASRock X10 IoT Router Review
• The best wireless routers you can buy right now
• Samsung Connect Home review

Comcast claims new gateway can reach wireless speeds of 1.5 gigabits per second

Comcast’s new xFi Advanced Gateway is now available to all Xfinity broadband markets, the company said Wednesday. According to a blog written by Comcast’s Fraser Stirling, this new all-in-one device reportedly supports wireless speeds of more than 1.5 gigabits per second in the Comcast labs. It also includes an 8×8 antenna setup, meaning your connected device must have eight incoming and eight outgoing antennas to support the reported 1.5Gbps speeds.

In reality, promoted wireless speeds which are theoretical in nature, never translate into real-world speeds. Many factors come into play, including the channel width, local radio interference, neighboring networks, and more. Stirling says the new gateway sports an additional 160MHz channel width, which means there’s more air space for sending data back and forth from devices. Modern routers and gateways typically include 20MHz, 40MHz, and 80MHz channel widths.

“We use MU-MIMO (multi-user, multi-input, multi-output) technology to make sure that the xFi Advanced Gateway doesn’t just deliver great speed to one device, but because of the spatial diversity built into the design, it can simultaneously power dozens of devices without sacrificing performance on any of them,” Stirling says.

Of course, you can’t squeeze gigabit speeds out of a 300Mbps broadband subscription. The new xFi Advanced Gateway is available to all markets that support 300Mbps and up, and would seemingly be more ideal for the company’s Xfinity Gigabit Internet subscribers. Still, you’re not going to experience real-world wireless gigabit speeds with devices that aren’t built to support the technology. Comcast is merely laying a foundation for future devices.

“While there are currently no mass-market Wi-Fi connected devices capable of receiving gig speeds over Wi-Fi, those devices are coming,” he adds. “In the meantime, the power of the xFi Advanced Gateway delivers ultimate performance to your connected home.”

But speed isn’t the only selling point of Comcast’s new gateway. Because it resides in a central location in the home, the company wanted it to properly blend into its surroundings. Typically, gateways, modems, and routers are ugly devices with multiple flashing LEDs — some can even resemble mechanical spiders that are flat on their backs. But Comcast wanted a more elegant look, thus it switched out the LEDs for a single, soft and steady light. It also features a blend of neutral colors and soft-touch materials.

The company also considered the connected home when it designed the new gateway. The device includes not only a Bluetooth Low Energy component, but stand-alone radios for Zigbee and Thread (NEST, Philips Hue Home Automation) Internet of Things devices. The new gateway also provides plenty of customizable xFi-branded features, including per-user profile creation, access restrictions, device assignments, and more.

Comcast also plans to introduce a mesh-based networking system later this month. This won’t be a centralized unit like the new gateway, but will be made up of two or three satellite units that will blanket the entire home with mesh-like coverage. Additional details will be made available in the coming weeks.

Editors’ Recommendations

• 9 Wi-Fi router deals to boost your internet speeds and save you up to $100
• ASRock X10 IoT Router Review
• The best wireless routers you can buy right now
• Samsung Connect Home review

Best Phones for Under ₹20,000 in India

• Best overall
• Best for battery
• Best for multimedia
• Best after-sales service

Best overall

Xiaomi Mi A1

See at Flipkart

Available for ₹14,999, the Mi A1 is a truly remarkable product that gets all the basics right. The phone has a unibody aluminum design that gives it an upmarket look, with antenna lines tucked at the top and bottom.

Under the hood, you get a 2.0GHz Snapdragon 625, 4GB of RAM, 64GB of internal storage, microSD slot, and a 3080mAh battery that charges over USB-C. One of the main highlights of the phone is dual 12MP rear cameras, with a wide-angle lens augmented by a secondary telephoto lens.

Then there’s the fact that the Mi A1 is based on the Android One platform. Running an uncluttered software makes the device an absolute delight to use on a day-to-day basis, and gives the Mi A1 a leg up in this category.

Bottom line: The Mi A1 is the best budget phone currently available in India, and that isn’t likely to change for a while.

One more thing: Xiaomi is guaranteeing to roll out Android 8.0 Oreo to the device before the end of the year.

Why the Xiaomi Mi A1 is the best

The Mi A1 has all the hallmarks of a Xiaomi device: great internal hardware, premium design, and outstanding value for money. Combine that with Google software and you get the best phone in the budget segment.

The Mi A1 gets everything right: it has a 5.5-inch Full HD panel, and is powered by the Snapdragon 625 platform. It also comes with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage as standard, and even has a dual camera setup at the back.

Then there’s the 3080mAh battery, which provides a day’s worth of usage from a full charge without breaking a sweat. With the phone sold under the Android One initiative, you get the promise of quick updates and a clean user interface that’s unmarred by any customizations.

The Mi A1 is the perfect budget phone.

All this for just ₹14,999 makes the Mi A1 the deal of the year, and the phone to beat in this segment. Of course, with every new launch the bar kees getting high, but it’s hard to see how phones in this category can get any better.

There isn’t a single drawback with the Mi A1, with the phone holding its ground against the likes of the Moto G5S Plus and the Redmi Note 4 in every single area.

The phone offers the best cameras in this segment, with the quality of the primary sensor on par with the Mi 6, a device that costs over double that of the Mi A1.

Xiaomi will be handling updates to the phone, and in the two months it has been on sale, the device has picked up two security patches. As such, the Mi A1 is guaranteed to receive updates ahead of every other phone in this segment, with Android 8.0 Oreo set to roll out before the end of the year.

Xiaomi Mi A1 review: Best of both worlds

Best for battery

Xiaomi Redmi Note 4

See at Flipkart

The Redmi Note 4 is the best-selling phone in India this year, and it isn’t hard to see why. The phone gets a lot of things right, including a massive 4100mAh battery that makes it the best device in this segment when it comes to battery life.

You’re guaranteed two days’ worth of battery life from a full charge, with screen-on-time hitting the ten-hour mark consistently. Elsewhere, the phone comes with a 5.5-inch Full HD panel, Snapdragon 625 chipset, 3GB/4GB of RAM, 32GB/64GB of storage, and a 13MP rear camera.

Best of all, Xiaomi reduced the price of the Redmi Note 4 recently, with the 4GB variant now available for just ₹11,999. That’s a no-brainer considering the hardware on offer.

Bottom line: A year after its release, the Redmi Note 4 continues to be one of the best options in the budget category.

One more thing: The phone has received the MIUI 9 update, bringing a host of new features.

Best for multimedia

Xiaomi Mi Max 2

See at Flipkart

Xiaomi’s 6.44-inch Mi Max 2 is the ideal device for consuming multimedia. The 1080p panel is certainly the largest in this segment, but as we’ve seen with the first-gen Mi Max, there is an audience for large-screen devices with huge batteries.

The ₹15,999 Mi Max 2 is catered to that audience.The 5300mAh battery ensures that the device lasts at least a day and a half even with heavy usage, and you can stream movies or browse the web with the confidence that you’ll get an average screen-on-time in excess of eight hours.

The internal hardware isn’t all that shabby either, with the Mi Max 2 offering 4GB of RAM, 64GB of internal storage, 12MP camera, and a 5MP front camera. Powering it all is a Snapdragon 625 chipset.

Bottom line: If you’re looking for a phone with a massive screen and huge battery, you cannot go wrong with the Mi Max 2.

One more thing: Mi Max 2 is great for multitasking thanks to MIUI’s split-screen mode.

Best after-sales service

Samsung Galaxy J7 Pro

See at Flipkart

Samsung usually has no trouble selling tens of millions of underwhelming Galaxy J devices, but with the likes of Xiaomi breathing down its neck, the South Korean manufacturer raised its game considerably this year.

Featuring a 5.5-inch FHD display, Exynos 7870 chipset, 3GB of RAM, 64GB of internal storage, 13MP rear and front cameras, and a 2600mAh battery, the J7 Pro has it all. It even comes with Samsung Pay.

The phone is the costliest on this list at ₹19,990, but should you face any issues with the phone, you can rely on Samsung’s robust after-sales network across India. Samsung continues to lead the way for after-sales service, and if that is a major consideration for you then the J7 Pro is the device to get.

Bottom line: The Galaxy J7 Pro is one of the most feature-rich budget devices Samsung has launched in recent years.

One more thing: If you use your credit or debit card a lot at retail outlets, you’ll love the convenience on offer with Samsung Pay.

Conclusion

If there’s one defining trend for 2017, it’s Xiaomi’s dominance in the budget segment. The company has launched eight devices in the country over the course of the year, each offering a differentiated feature aimed at a particular audience.

With the Mi A1, Xiaomi is targeting those looking for a clutter-free software experience and fast updates. If you want an all-rounder with a premium aluminum design, dual rear cameras, and clean software, look no further than the Mi A1.

Best overall

Xiaomi Mi A1

See at Flipkart

Available for ₹14,999, the Mi A1 is a truly remarkable product that gets all the basics right. The phone has a unibody aluminum design that gives it an upmarket look, with antenna lines tucked at the top and bottom.

Under the hood, you get a 2.0GHz Snapdragon 625, 4GB of RAM, 64GB of internal storage, microSD slot, and a 3080mAh battery that charges over USB-C. One of the main highlights of the phone is dual 12MP rear cameras, with a wide-angle lens augmented by a secondary telephoto lens.

Then there’s the fact that the Mi A1 is based on the Android One platform. Running an uncluttered software makes the device an absolute delight to use on a day-to-day basis, and gives the Mi A1 a leg up in this category.

Bottom line: The Mi A1 is the best budget phone currently available in India, and that isn’t likely to change for a while.

One more thing: Xiaomi is guaranteeing to roll out Android 8.0 Oreo to the device before the end of the year.

Netflix tries out a Christmas movie with Kurt Russell as Santa

Netflix is handing Kurt Russell the role he was born to play: Santa Claus. The streaming giant is about to start rolling cameras on a festive flick, according to The Hollywood Reporter, with filmmaker Chris Columbus (of Harry Potter and Home Alone fame) producing. Child actors Judah Lewis (last seen on Netflix’s The Babysitter) and Big Little Lies’ resident DJ Darby Camp will round out the cast of the as-yet untitled project.

The film — which centers on two siblings who inadvertently derail Christmas after trying to record Santa on film — will be a mix of live-action and CGI, with visual effects from Oscar-winner Erik-Jan De Boer (Life of Pi and Netflix’s veggie opus Okja). Clay Kaytis, co-director of surprise hit The Angry Birds Movie, is directing. The flick starts shooting in January and will reportedly hit the streaming service in time for the 2018 holiday season.

Netflix has been cranking up its family fare as damage control for Disney pulling its programming from the platform. It’s already introduced a bunch of interactive kids shows (including Dreamworks Animations’ Puss in Boots: Trapped in an Epic Tale). Its line-up also includes last year’s Voltron: Legendary Defender reboot.

Source: The Hollywood Reporter

MIT researchers made a living ink that responds to its surroundings

Researchers at MIT have developed a 3D printable hydrogel that can sense and respond to stimuli. The hydrogel is loaded with bacteria that can be genetically programmed to light-up when they come in contact with certain chemicals and, therefore, could be used as living sensors.

To demonstrate the living ink’s abilities, the researchers printed the hydrogel in a tree pattern with different sections of the tree’s branches containing bacteria sensitive to different types of chemicals. They then smeared those chemicals on a person’s skin and put the 3D-printed tree-shaped “living tattoo” on top. When the branches came in contact with those chemicals, the bacteria were triggered to fluoresce.

“This is very future work, but we expect to be able to print living computational platforms that could be wearable,” researcher Hyunwoo Yuk said in a statement. Some examples of possible future applications of this type of technology could be living sensors programmed to monitor inflammatory biomarkers or ingestible versions that can affect gut microbiota. Bacteria-loaded materials like this could also be used to sense pollutants in the environment or changes in temperature, for example.

The research was published today in Advanced Materials and you can check out the video below for more information on the project.

Image: Liu et al.

Via: MIT

Source: Advanced Materials

Comcast’s xFi Advanced Gateway modem is now available nationwide

It’s no secret that modems provided by your ISP can leave a lot to be desired. While we generally recommend you use your own hardware when it comes to your internet connection, plenty of people just go with the standard default modem and router. Comcast is making that process just a little bit easier thanks to the xFi Advanced Gateway modem and router. The modem, which the company is billing as the most advanced device it’s ever made, made its debut back in May, but starting today it’s available in every market that Comcast offers gigabit internet.

The company’s goal with this new modem/router is to make setting up, connecting to and using the internet as simple as possible. Comcast’s SVP of Hardware Development, Fraser Stirling, told Engadget: “I want your parents to stop phoning you about their internet connection.” That was one of the primary goals when designing the interface of xFi app, which we’ve previously covered in detail. It allows you to set up your WiFi, change and customize settings, set up profiles for use and more. If you want to turn off the WiFi to your kids’ devices at 9PM, you can easily do that in the xFi app.

The real advantage of the Gateway modem, though is in its speeds. When developing the tech of this device, the team recognized that WiFi is the primary way that people use the internet, even for bandwidth-heavy activities such as streaming video. The goal, then, was to increase the WiFi speeds of the xFi Advanced Gateway, rather than expecting customers to use a wired Ethernet connection.

The modem uses a 802.11ac Wave 2 Wi-Fi standard, which allows for the possibility of gigabit WiFi. Now, that’s not likely to happen in practice in a standard house because of obstructions like walls and floors, but the team was able to get 1.2 to 1.3 GB per second speeds over WiFi in tests. The standards also supports MU-MIMO (multiple input, multiple output), which means you can connect a larger number of devices more efficiently to a single network.

It’s important to note, though, that these features aren’t specific to Comcast’s xFi Advanced Gateway. This is a standard that is being applied across modems, routers and devices, but as with any new standard, it’s slow going. There still aren’t a whole lot of devices that have this advanced tech, and they’ll cost you. And all of this, of course, is dependent on your internet speed from your provider; if you aren’t paying for gigabit internet, you won’t see a lot of these speed benefits.

Another goal with the xFi Advanced Gateway was to make the Internet of Things, or IoT, as easy as possible. The current setup of device to hub to app to router to modem isn’t easy for people who aren’t tech savvy — again, the team wanted to ensure that customers at multiple levels of tech literacy can take advantage of this modem’s advanced features. The Gateway has multiple radios onboard — including Bluetooth, LE, Zigbee and Thread — to make sure it can seamlessly connect to IoT devices. The idea was to ensure that current and future IoT devices are easily compatible with this modem for the long term.

This Gateway is intended to work across a large area, thanks to the 8×8 antenna array, which includes eight antennas to transmit WiFi signals and another eight to receive them. However, if that isn’t quite enough for your home, Comcast is introducing a mesh WiFi system early next year. It’s currently in an advanced trial stage.

The bottom line is that you’re almost always going to get better customization options and more control when you buy your own hardware, rather than using what your ISP provides. But for the millions of customers who do (according to Stirling, around 10 million people use Comcast’s modems), this is a good option for those who want gigabit speeds but don’t want to maintain their own equipment (like your parents).

Asus NovaGo hands-on review

Research Center:
Asus NovaGo

Asus is known for jumping on board new trends in PC hardware, so it was no surprise to see the company was one of two partners with a Qualcomm-powered PC at the Snapdragon Tech Summit.

At a glance, the Asus NovaGo could easily be mistaken for a Zenbook Flip. Its 360-degree hinge design, which allows the screen to fold back until the device becomes a tablet, is virtually identical to previous Asus laptops. A glossy 13-inch touchscreen is another common sight.

The footprint of the PC is familiar, too. It’s 0.59 inches thick and weighs only 3 pounds, but it has relatively large display bezels, which leads to a large overall footprint. Other mid-range laptops from Asus have that same design quirk; Qualcomm promises that PCs built on Snapdragon hardware will be more portable than any that come before it, but the Asus NovaGo isn’t smaller than usual.

At a glance, the Asus NovaGo, could easily be mistaken for a Zenbook Flip.

That may work in the NovaGo’s favor, however. Budget laptops from Asus are among the best around –- we love the Asus Zenbook UX330, for example. The NovaGo has many of the same perks including a pleasant keyboard, large touchpad, bright display, and decent port selection. Using it feels like using any mid-range Windows laptop from Asus.

Even performance seems familiar. The Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 processor inside the NovaGo is no threat to Intel’s Core series in benchmarks, but Microsoft says it has worked with Qualcomm to optimize the Windows experience for Snapdragon. We opened OneNote, surfed the web, and created a PowerPoint without noticing any significant hitch.

That’s not say it’s identical to an Intel system. We did feel apps often took an extra second to load, and that animations associated with common tasks, like opening Start or using Cortana, weren’t quite as smooth. Most laptops like the NovaGo have an Intel Core i5 processor, and some even pack the latest 8th-gen quad-core. We don’t need a full test to know that Intel’s chips can easily outrun Qualcomm’s best in both single-core and multi-core benchmarks.

Still, we don’t think it’s enough of a difference to matter to us in everyday use, and we suspect most users won’t notice any difference at all – if you stick to the basics. Even Qualcomm admits that complex tasks, like editing video, won’t be nearly as quick on Snapdragon.

While the performance gap might be hard to detect, you may notice the battery life. Asus quotes up to 22 hours of video playback from the NovaGo, with up to 30 days of standby time. Those numbers around enough to bestow it with the title of longest-lasting Windows 10 laptop, if they turn out to be correct. The Zenbook UX330UA with 8th-gen Intel Core i5, by comparison, lasted just over 11 hours in our testing.

A quick hands-on doesn’t give us time to evaluate a battery, but Asus was confident enough to present its handful of NovaGo samples to the press without a charger in sight. The three samples we handled had over 95 percent of their charge remaining.

But battery life isn’t the NovaGo’s headline feature. That honor goes to its built-in LTE connectivity. While technical issues did arise during our hands-on time, we were able to briefly use LTE on Sprint’s network to surf the web. It works exactly as with any LTE-connected smartphone or tablet, so you’ll be able to use the device anywhere mobile data is available.

The last thing about the NovaGo that might feel different is the software: it runs Windows 10 S, rather than a full version of Windows 10. With Windows 10 S, you can only run apps downloaded in the Windows Store, which might be a bit of an annoyance if you depend on using any old application you download on the web. While NovaGo does support the full versions of Windows 10, Asus hasn’t yet provided a free upgrade like Microsoft did with the Surface Laptop.

Asus NovaGo Compared To

HP Envy x2 (2017)

Dell Inspiron 13 7000 2-in-1 (2016)

HP Spectre x360 15-bl075nr

Lenovo Yoga 720 13-inch

Dell XPS 13 2-in-1

Acer Spin 7

Acer Switch Alpha 12

HP Spectre x360 13-w023dx

Huawei Matebook

Vaio Z Flip

Dell Inspiron 11 (2015)

Dell Inspiron 13 7000 Special…

Toshiba Satellite Click 2 Pro

HP Spectre 13t x2

Acer Aspire P3

Qualcomm-powered computers need to look and feel like their Intel counterparts if they hope to be successful, and the NovaGo is a proper chameleon. It will start at $600 for 4GB of RAM and 64GB of solid state storage, while the $800 model will boast 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. That puts it in line with the Asus Zenbook UX330UA with 8th-gen Intel Core processor, which costs $750.

We’re eager to see how the NovaGo fairs in our full review when it’s released in early 2017.