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.

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.

Qualcomm’s LTE PCs could be the biggest revolution since laptops got Wi-Fi

This morning in Hawaii, Qualcomm made a rather large announcement regarding the future of laptops. The chip company has been talking about its expansion into the PC market since Computex this summer, but today was the first day it announced what these new products will actually be all about — and it looks pretty significant.

Qualcomm will be using its Snapdragon 835 processor, a chip usually reserved to power smartphones, in a new line of Windows 2-in-1s. They’re referred to as “Always Connected PCs” or “mobile PCs,” but the idea remains the same — a computer with LTE connection and amazing battery life.

According to Qualcomm, what consumers actually want from their devices is not greater performance, but instead greater connectivity and better battery life. Both devices announced so far, the HP Envy x2 and the Asus NovaGo, will have always-on LTE connectivity and 20+ hour battery life.

A smartphone-infused laptop

That’s just the start. Terry Myerson, speaking on stage at Qualcomm’s event, said he was able to go an entire work week without charging his Always Connected PC. That may sound nuts, but great standby time is part of what makes this possible. Both the Asus and HP devices claim standby time of 700 hours or more. Put another way, these new laptops will work like modern smartphones and tablets. The battery will barely discharge when not in use.

Smartphone connectivity is also being infused into Always Connected PCs. Before Wi-Fi connectivity came to laptops, usage was fairly limited — and so was the value proposition in comparison to a desktop. Laptops were mostly used by executives who needed to work while travel, and could expect to jump from one Ethernet-connected office to the next. Wi-Fi fundamentally changed the laptop, opening it up to use in coffee shops, hotels, and airplanes.

In the same way, these Always Connected PCs might be the element that has always been missing from the 2-in-1 PC. After all, what good is portability when you have to constantly be worried about battery life and Wi-Fi? With LTE, laptops may begin to appear in places where they typically aren’t of much use — parks, bars, buses, and the backseats of cars.

Qualcomm even thinks this might lead to a fundamental shift in how everyone connects to the internet. Wi-Fi has become common because its needed to connect most PCs. What happens, then, if most PCs can connect to mobile data? Wi-Fi might suddenly become less necessary, freeing coffee shop owners to stop worrying about how to keep their hotspot working.

Carriers are the only hang-up here

If that future becomes reality, however, it means we’ll all be even more dependent on mobile data carriers. That’s the missing piece in this news. While a representative from Sprint gave a short presentation at the keynote, we weren’t clued in about what kinds of deals carriers would be making for this new line of devices.

It’s easy to imagine the use of a PC on LTE tied to a $10 or $20 per month charge on top of the data plan itself, which would price it out of reach for many people. Pricing will really make or break these new products — and determine how significant of an impact they’ll have.

Consumers already pay for an expensive LTE connection for their smartphones that can be tethered to a laptop without too much trouble. A lot of carriers offer deals to add on extra devices such as an tablets or smartwatches, so we’re assuming they’ll be doing something similar in this case, though we’re not sure carriers will be excited to treat PCs the same way as something like a smartwatch.

A representative from Qualcomm mentioned to us that “the carrier deals are so juicy that we expect most folks will want to sign up.” In a future where 5G and unlimited data plans are the norm, this could all be solved. Qualcomm seems optimistic about that scenario, but it has reason to believe.

A lot of the questions will be answered at CES next year where more manufacturers are expected to show off their PCs and more details will be announced. This could end up being another failed reboot of the 2012 ARM-based Surface all over again. But if Qualcomm has convinced carriers to jump onboard in the way they claim, this will be the biggest leap forward for the PC in over a decade.

Editors’ Recommendations

• Super-efficient Windows laptops powered by Qualcomm phone chips are here
• Asus NovaGo, the first gigabit LTE-capable laptop, promises fast download speeds
• Asus NovaGo hands-on review
• HP’s Envy x2 claims longest battery life of any detachable Windows PC
• Make some time for the best smartwatch deals available right now

HP Envy x2 (2017) hands-on review

Research Center:
HP Envy x2 (2017)

When we first head Qualcomm planned to offer its Snapdragon processor in Windows 10 laptops, our minds immediately thought of budget Chromebooks. Those inexpensive laptops can limbo under $200, but sacrifice a lot to get there.

One look at the HP Envy x2 and you’ll know it’s a different animal. The 12.3-inch detachable PC wraps the tablet portion in a luxurious blue leather keyboard cover that provides protection and serves a stand. Unwrap the Envy from the cover, and even the tablet alone proves formidably luxurious. Its smooth metal edges wrap around a beautiful 1,920 x 1,200 display that’s protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 4. It’s a sleek device, even down to details like the stand hinge, which is exposed and coated in eye-catching chrome. In fact, the Envy x2 is the most handsome Windows 10 detachable we’ve ever laid hands on. That includes the Surface Pro which, though undeniably solid, is nowhere near as suave.

The Envy x2 is the most handsome Windows 10 detachable we’ve ever laid hands on.

Unlike Asus’ NovaGo, the other Qualcomm-powered PC shown at the Snapdragon Tech Summit, HP’s Envy x2 looks built to capitalize on the LTE connectivity and long battery life promised by its mobile-first hardware. The tablet alone weighs just 1.5 pounds, and is less than 0.3 inches thick, putting it not far off the benchmark the iPad and most Android tablets. Adding the keyboard cover tacks on just an extra 1.1 pounds. Together, the entire device is well under the 3 pound weight of the NovaGo. It’s also a few tenths of a pound lighter than the Microsoft Surface Pro and Apple iPad Pro.

Surprisingly, the keyboard feels good despite its minimal weight. It’s not quite equal to the excellence of the Surface Type Cover, but it’s close — and certainly better than Apple’s Smart Keyboard. Key travel is quoted at 1.3mm, which is on par with most slim ultrabooks and 2-in-1s. The touchpad is quite large relative to the Envy x2’s svelte dimensions and it felt extremely responsive. We had no trouble waggling through Windows 10’s multi-touch gestures.

Matt Smith/Digital Trends

Inside you’ll find Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 835 processor, a dramatic departure from the Intel Core chips normally found inside 2-in-1s. Opting for mobile hardware does mean sacrificing some performance, as even Qualcomm’s own metrics show. That said, the HP Envy x2 didn’t feel slow at first blush. Apps do seem to take a moment longer to load at times, and some Windows 10 animations seemed not quite as smooth. Once loaded, though, applications like Edge, PowerPoint, OneNote, Calendar, and Calculator felt just as they do on any Intel Core device.

The optimization of Windows 10 S is partially to thank — but remember that unlike Windows 10 Home and Pro, it will keep you locked into using Windows Store software. We know that Qualcomm’s hardware can run Windows 10 Home and Pro, but we don’t know if HP intends to offer them with the Envy x2.

Battery life and wireless connectivity are the Envy x2’s priority, and the numbers look good on paper. HP says it can manage 20 hours of 1080p video playback and over 700 hours (or 30 days) of standby time. Microsoft’s Terry Myerson supported those claims with his own statements during the Snapdragon Tech Summit, claiming he was able to use a Snapdragon laptop all week without charging. The limited time we used it means we couldn’t test that claim, but we can say that HP presented all its demo units without chargers, and the one we saw easily retained over 96 percent of its charge.

Speaking of which, there appears to be only one place to charge -– or plug anything in. A single USB-C port. A headphone jack is also included, but like the 12-inch MacBook, that appears to be it for ports.

HP Envy x2 (2017) Compared To

Asus NovaGo

HP Spectre x360 15-bl075nr

Dell XPS 13 2-in-1

Acer Spin 7

Dell Inspiron 17 7000 2-in-1 (2016)

Acer Switch Alpha 12

HP Spectre x360 13-w023dx

Huawei Matebook

Dell Inspiron 11 (2015)

Toshiba Satellite Radius P55W

Toshiba Satellite Click 2 Pro

HP Spectre 13t x2

HP EliteBook Revolve

Acer Aspire P3

Lenovo ThinkPad Edge Twist

LTE connectivity was not operable on the unit we tested, but we don’t need to use it to know why it’s important. Like the Asus NovaGo and other unannounced Snapdragon-powered PCs, the HP Envy x2 can connect to your mobile data plan. That’s particularly useful with the Envy, since its tablet portion can be separated from the keyboard and is light enough to throw into your bag worrying it’ll drag you down. In fact, the Envy x2 is so small that we can see it becoming an “everyday carry” item for some people, just as like an iPad with LTE.

There is one piece missing from the puzzle. Pricing. While we know the HP Envy x2 will arrive in spring of 2018, we don’t know how much it’ll cost. Given its 8GB of RAM and “up to” 256GB of solid state storage, we imagine it won’t be cheap — $1,000 looks entirely possible. That sounds like a lot for a device that doesn’t have Intel inside, but we think a long look is all you’ll need to start wondering where you can pre-order.

HP Envy x2 (2017) hands-on review

Research Center:
HP Envy x2 (2017)

When we first head Qualcomm planned to offer its Snapdragon processor in Windows 10 laptops, our minds immediately thought of budget Chromebooks. Those inexpensive laptops can limbo under $200, but sacrifice a lot to get there.

One look at the HP Envy x2 and you’ll know it’s a different animal. The 12.3-inch detachable PC wraps the tablet portion in a luxurious blue leather keyboard cover that provides protection and serves a stand. Unwrap the Envy from the cover, and even the tablet alone proves formidably luxurious. Its smooth metal edges wrap around a beautiful 1,920 x 1,200 display that’s protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 4. It’s a sleek device, even down to details like the stand hinge, which is exposed and coated in eye-catching chrome. In fact, the Envy x2 is the most handsome Windows 10 detachable we’ve ever laid hands on. That includes the Surface Pro which, though undeniably solid, is nowhere near as suave.

The Envy x2 is the most handsome Windows 10 detachable we’ve ever laid hands on.

Unlike Asus’ NovaGo, the other Qualcomm-powered PC shown at the Snapdragon Tech Summit, HP’s Envy x2 looks built to capitalize on the LTE connectivity and long battery life promised by its mobile-first hardware. The tablet alone weighs just 1.5 pounds, and is less than 0.3 inches thick, putting it not far off the benchmark the iPad and most Android tablets. Adding the keyboard cover tacks on just an extra 1.1 pounds. Together, the entire device is well under the 3 pound weight of the NovaGo. It’s also a few tenths of a pound lighter than the Microsoft Surface Pro and Apple iPad Pro.

Surprisingly, the keyboard feels good despite its minimal weight. It’s not quite equal to the excellence of the Surface Type Cover, but it’s close — and certainly better than Apple’s Smart Keyboard. Key travel is quoted at 1.3mm, which is on par with most slim ultrabooks and 2-in-1s. The touchpad is quite large relative to the Envy x2’s svelte dimensions and it felt extremely responsive. We had no trouble waggling through Windows 10’s multi-touch gestures.

Matt Smith/Digital Trends

Inside you’ll find Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 835 processor, a dramatic departure from the Intel Core chips normally found inside 2-in-1s. Opting for mobile hardware does mean sacrificing some performance, as even Qualcomm’s own metrics show. That said, the HP Envy x2 didn’t feel slow at first blush. Apps do seem to take a moment longer to load at times, and some Windows 10 animations seemed not quite as smooth. Once loaded, though, applications like Edge, PowerPoint, OneNote, Calendar, and Calculator felt just as they do on any Intel Core device.

The optimization of Windows 10 S is partially to thank — but remember that unlike Windows 10 Home and Pro, it will keep you locked into using Windows Store software. We know that Qualcomm’s hardware can run Windows 10 Home and Pro, but we don’t know if HP intends to offer them with the Envy x2.

Battery life and wireless connectivity are the Envy x2’s priority, and the numbers look good on paper. HP says it can manage 20 hours of 1080p video playback and over 700 hours (or 30 days) of standby time. Microsoft’s Terry Myerson supported those claims with his own statements during the Snapdragon Tech Summit, claiming he was able to use a Snapdragon laptop all week without charging. The limited time we used it means we couldn’t test that claim, but we can say that HP presented all its demo units without chargers, and the one we saw easily retained over 96 percent of its charge.

Speaking of which, there appears to be only one place to charge -– or plug anything in. A single USB-C port. A headphone jack is also included, but like the 12-inch MacBook, that appears to be it for ports.

HP Envy x2 (2017) Compared To

Asus NovaGo

HP Spectre x360 15-bl075nr

Dell XPS 13 2-in-1

Acer Spin 7

Dell Inspiron 17 7000 2-in-1 (2016)

Acer Switch Alpha 12

HP Spectre x360 13-w023dx

Huawei Matebook

Dell Inspiron 11 (2015)

Toshiba Satellite Radius P55W

Toshiba Satellite Click 2 Pro

HP Spectre 13t x2

HP EliteBook Revolve

Acer Aspire P3

Lenovo ThinkPad Edge Twist

LTE connectivity was not operable on the unit we tested, but we don’t need to use it to know why it’s important. Like the Asus NovaGo and other unannounced Snapdragon-powered PCs, the HP Envy x2 can connect to your mobile data plan. That’s particularly useful with the Envy, since its tablet portion can be separated from the keyboard and is light enough to throw into your bag worrying it’ll drag you down. In fact, the Envy x2 is so small that we can see it becoming an “everyday carry” item for some people, just as like an iPad with LTE.

There is one piece missing from the puzzle. Pricing. While we know the HP Envy x2 will arrive in spring of 2018, we don’t know how much it’ll cost. Given its 8GB of RAM and “up to” 256GB of solid state storage, we imagine it won’t be cheap — $1,000 looks entirely possible. That sounds like a lot for a device that doesn’t have Intel inside, but we think a long look is all you’ll need to start wondering where you can pre-order.

Xiaomi’s Mi 7 will be powered by the Snapdragon 845

Xiaomi’s upcoming flagship will be one of the first phones powered by the Snapdragon 845.

Xiaomi CEO Lei Jun joined Qualcomm’s executive vice president Cristiano Amon at the Snapdragon Tech Summit in Hawaii to announce that the Mi 7 will be powered by the Snapdragon 845. Calling Qualcomm Xiaomi’s “most important partner,” Jun talked about the collaboration between the two companies, which stretches back all the way to the Snapdragon S3-powered Mi 1 from 2011.

Rumors from earlier this year suggested the Mi 7 would be one of the first phones to be powered by the Snapdragon 845. We don’t know a lot about Xiaomi’s upcoming flagship, but it is expected to feature a 6.0-inch Samsung-made display with thin bezels, and be available with 6GB and 8GB of RAM. Xiaomi is likely to unveil the device at Mobile World Congress.

As for the Snapdragon 845, all we know for now is that the chipset will be manufactured by Samsung Foundry, like this year’s Snapdragon 835. With the week-long conference just kicking off, we should have more details on the Qualcomm’s next-gen chipset in the coming days, so stay tuned.

Microsoft’s Whiteboard Preview app is all about collaboration

In the quest to release better collaboration tools, Microsoft released its Whiteboard Preview app in a private beta. The software lets teams mark up multiple boards with cute skeumorphic details to ease users into working on a shared digital canvas. Now Microsoft is publicly rolling it out for all Windows 10 users to download, which will soon go live on the Windows Store.

As one would expect, the app lets users draw, erase, edit and otherwise mark up boards, essentially simulating the group meeting-with-a-white-board experience for distant coworkers. Any work is automatically saved and users can see their peers making their additions, ideally preventing coworkers from writing over each other.

Anyone with a Windows 10 device can use Whiteboard Preview for free, but multiple collaborating users will need at least one person with an Office 365 subscription. This app will eventually replace the existing whiteboard app running on SurfaceHub, but for now, they’ll run in tandem. The Windows 10 Whiteboard Preview is out for English users with plans to expand it to more languages in the coming months.

Via: The Verge

Source: Microsoft Office Blog

Apple Accidentally Promotes Amazon Prime Video for Apple TV in App Store, Launch Could Be Imminent

There are 26 days left until the end of the year, which is the deadline for when Apple said the highly-anticipated Amazon Prime Video app would be coming to the Apple TV. A launch could perhaps come as soon as this week, and maybe as even as early as tomorrow, based on an App Store leak spotted on reddit.

After setting his iPhone date to December 6, a redditor opened up the App Store and allegedly saw an Amazon Prime Video story as the top feature in the “Today” section. He linked the section on reddit, which other users were able to see temporarily before the content was pulled by Apple. The “Today” App Store description in question specifically referenced Amazon Prime Video for Apple TV.

Apple pulled this a few minutes ago. (Hi Apple?)

As said, my time/date is set to tomorrow. That is relevant because I saw the story at the top of the “Today” tab when I opened the App Store. That is how I obtained the link.

Thus my guess is that the story is ready for launch on the App Store tomorrow, and sometime around midnight Eastern or PST, both the story and the updated app itself will go live. That’s approx 9-12 hours from now. We’ll see.

If the App Store leak is genuine, and it appears to be based on multiple reports from different reddit users, it means Apple already has content written up for the Amazon Prime Video release. That the content was visible on December 6 suggests a launch could be imminent.

Apple first announced the Amazon Prime Video app for Apple TV at its Worldwide Developers Conference in June. At the time, Apple said the app would be coming later this year, but months have passed since then with no sign of it. There have been continual launch rumors, though, all of which have been incorrect.

Amazon Prime Video is one of the only major streaming video services absent from Apple’s set-top box. The service is provided as a benefit to Amazon Prime members who subscribe to Amazon’s $99 per year Amazon Prime service. Amazon Prime Video features thousands of TV shows and movies, along with original content produced by Amazon.

Related Roundup: Apple TVTags: Amazon, Amazon Prime VideoBuyer’s Guide: Apple TV (Buy Now)
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Netgear recalls Arlo outdoor camera power adapters over fire risks

If you bought one of Netgear’s Arlo outdoor cameras and then snapped up an extra power adapter just in case, you may want to sit up and take notice. Neetgear and the Consumer Product Safety Commission are recalling Arlo’s aftermarket power adapter after receiving seven reports of the cord overheating and melting, in one case leading to a fire. Only 7,700 affected adapters were sold in North America between June and October, but that still presents a sizeable risk.

This shouldn’t affect the adapter that came with your camera, so you can keep using it as long as you didn’t have to swap out the original. Still, this underscores the usefulness of having a backup for a security camera — you don’t have to leave your backyard unguarded, even if it’s just for a short while.

Source: CPSC