Netflix’s take on ‘The End of the F***king World’ debuts January 5th

Netflix has been diving head-first into graphic novel adaptations as of late, and its next premiere might just be a sterling example of that. The streaming service has announced that its adaptation of Charles Forsman’s graphic novel The End of the F***king World will premiere on January 5th. As the bleeped out title suggests, this isn’t exactly a family-friendly coming of age story. Self-admitted teen psychopath James joins salty rebel Alyssa on a road trip to find a new life, at first looking for opportunities to kill her and eventually realizing that he’s starting to develop feelings. Suffice it to say that their clashing-yet-oddly-matching personalities lead them to strange places.

As with a few other Netflix productions, this is a streaming/TV partnership rather than an internet-only exclusive. The show was produced in tandem with E4 and premiered on the UK’s Channel 4 back in October. In that sense, this is more about distribution than anything. However, that’s part of the appeal: Netflix can offer a wider audience for riskier shows that might not get a fair shake outside of their home country.

Via: Deadline

Source: Netflix

‘Friends’ finally comes to Netflix UK

In August 2011, Channel 4 broadcast Friends for the last time. It was the end of an era — many, myself included, had grown up with the coffee-fueled Manhattanites on the terrestrial channel and its hipper sibling E4. That same year, the beloved sitcom switched to Comedy Central, restricting it to those with an applicable Sky, BT or Virgin Media package (boo). If, like me, you’ve missed the gang and their New York hijinks, good news — the show is now available on Netflix in the UK. It’s been an awfully long wait — all 10 seasons, after all, arrived in the US on January 1st, 2015.

We’ll be there for you. All episodes of #Friends, now streaming. pic.twitter.com/utAoC0oE4y

— Netflix UK & Ireland (@NetflixUK) January 1, 2018

Source: Netflix UK (Twitter)

A rare Blue Moon lunar eclipse will happen this month

One of the more exciting events of 2017 was the total solar eclipse that was viewable across the US. And if you enjoyed it as much as I did, I have some good news for you. While the US won’t be getting another look at a total solar eclipse until 2024, parts of the US will get to see another rare eclipse in 2018 and they’ll get to check it out this month.

On January 31st, there will be a total lunar eclipse. What makes this one so special is that it’s happening during a Blue Moon, or the second full moon of the month (depending on which definition you go by). These two events haven’t coincided since 1866, making this one the first in over 150 years. The next one won’t be until 2028.

As Space.com reports, not everyone in the US will get to see it in full. Central and eastern Asia, Indonesia, New Zealand and parts of Australia will have a good view of the event. Alaska, Hawaii and northwest Canada will see the whole thing as well, but more eastern parts of North and Central America will have a shorter show. For example in US Mountain time (MST), the eclipse will begin at 4:48 AM, but as the full eclipse winds down, the moon will already be dipping below the horizon. For Eastern time (EST) in the US, residents in that region will see the eclipse begin at 6:48 AM and the moon will dip out of view shortly thereafter.

In other moon news, there’s a supermoon tonight. The full moon will be the closest it gets to Earth in its orbit making it appear a little bit bigger and a little bit brighter than a typical full moon. Though you probably won’t notice the difference with your bare eyes, you should still check it out. The sky is beautiful and looking up is a great way to start 2018.

Via: Space.com (1), (2)

GE’s latest smart lighting includes Alexa and HomeKit options

Creating a smart home can be a complicated affair, with a ton of options available to add voice-control and automation to your lights, window coverings, thermostats and more. GE wants to simplify your options (with its own branded products, of course), and its bringing some new smart ceiling fixtures, wall switches, and lamps to market in 2018.

The C by GE series of connected lighting now includes what the company calls the industry’s first voice-integrated ceiling fixtures that hide all the smarts in a flush mount or recessed can option. There’s a smart wall switch, too, which can provide voice-control to your connected lights, turning them on or off, dimming them, or changing the temperature of the light. No separate GE hub is needed, either, and there’s a built-in antenna to make sure you can access it, even if someone accidentally flips the switch manually.

If Amazon Alexa devices are your thing, you can now use it with GE’s Sol lamp extensions. You can sync with other Alexa devices around your house (via Amazon’s ESP feature) while managing your lights and turning on Spotify or SiriusXM apps. The feature will also be available in Canada. Finally, GE brings Apple HomeKit compatibility to (only white) C-Life and (temperature shifting) C-Sleep smart bulbs via the C-Reach bridge, which lets you use Siri on an iPhone or iPad, at home or away, to create lighting scenes and set up automation.

Samsung preps Chrome OS tablet with a high-end camera

Samsung’s Chromebooks haven’t always been smashing successes, but it’s clearly willing to shake up its formula when necessary. In a follow-up to hints from November, Chrome Unboxed has discovered code references confirming the existence of “Nautlius,” a Samsung-made detachable Chrome OS tablet. And from initial appearances, it might not just be a Google-powered Galaxy Book. While Nautlius appears to use a 7th-generation Intel Core chip like its Windows counterpart, the code points to the presence of the Sony IMX258 camera used in the LG G6. Given that many Chromebooks have a 720p cam at best, this might be the first Chrome OS device with a camera you’d genuinely enjoy using.

There aren’t many other clues, although the detachable design suggests this will likely be relatively compact with a 12-inch or smaller screen. To us, the bigger questions are the launch details. You might see Samsung unveil Nautlius at CES later in January, but we wouldn’t call it a guarantee. And then there’s the matter of price. The use of Intel chips suggests this won’t be an entry level device, but it’s not known whether Nautilus will compete with high-end Chrome OS machines like the Pixelbook or aim for a significantly lower price. Whatever the price, it might be the only game in town if you want a Surface-style tablet that packs both Google software and reasonably powerful hardware.

Via: Chrome Unboxed

Source: Chromium Gerrit

What’s on TV: ‘Star Trek: Discovery,’ ‘Falling Water’ and ‘X-Files’

Already binged your way through the new Black Mirror episodes? This weekend we’ll have new episodes of Star Trek: Discovery and Falling Water, while Fox is ready to bring back The X-Files, again. Showtime is ready to premiere Lena Waithes’ new series The Chi while Netflix has episodes of Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee, The End of the F**king World, its new anime series Devilman Crybaby and Rotten, another documentary about the food industry.

The Breakfast Club is getting a Criterion Blu-ray release, while Outbreak: The New Nightmare comes to Xbox One along with The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing III, which is free this month with Xbox Live Gold. Look after the break to check out each day’s highlights, including trailers and let us know what you think (or what we missed).

Blu-ray & Games & Streaming

• The Breakfast Club (Criterion)
• American Made (4K)
• Cadillac Man
• Hell Night
• Snow Dogs
• Brad’s Status
• Battle of the Sexes
• The Adventurers
• Outbreak: The New Nightmare (Xbox One)
• Stikbold! A Dodgeball (Switch)
• Pic-a-Pix (Switch)
• The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing III (Xbox One)

Monday

• The Bachelor (season premiere), ABC, 8 PM
• Lucifer (winter premiere), Fox, 8 PM
• The Wall (winter premiere), NBC, 8 PM
• Sugar Bowl: Alabama vs. Clemson, ESPN, 8:50 PM
• Better Late Than Never (season premiere), NBC, 9 PM
• The Gifted (winter premiere), Fox, 9 PM
• Valor (winter premiere), CW, 9 PM

Tuesday

• Marvel’s Runaways, Hulu, 3 AM
• Lethal Weapon (winter premiere), Fox, 8 PM
• Ellen’s Game of Games (series premiere), NBC, 8 PM
• The Middle (winter premiere), ABC, 8 PM
• NCIS (winter premiere), CBS, 8 PM
• WWE Smackdown, USA, 8 PM
• Fresh Off the Boat (winter premiere), ABC, 8:30 PM
• Black-ish (winter premiere), ABC, 9 PM
• Bull (winter premiere), CBS, 9 PM
• LA to Vegas (series premiere), Fox, 9 PM
• Major Crimes, TNT, 9 PM
• The Mick (winter premiere), Fox, 9:30 PM
• Chicago Med (winter premiere), NBC, 10 PM
• Teachers, TV Land, 10 PM
• Kevin (Probably) Saves the World, ABC, 10 PM
• NCIS: NO (winter premiere), CBS, 10 PM
• Tesla’s Death Ray: A Death Declassified (series premiere), Discovery, 10 PM
• Hamilton’s Pharmacopeia, Viceland, 10 PM
• The Challenge, MTV, 10 PM
• Desus & Mero, Viceland, 11 PM

Wednesday

• The Amazing Race (season premiere), CBS, 8 PM
• The Blacklist (winter premiere), NBC, 8 PM
• The Goldbergs (winter premiere), ABC, 8 PM
• Grown-ish (series premiere), Freeform, 8 PM
• The X-Files (season premiere), Fox, 8 PM
• The Librarians,TNT, 8 PM
• Speechless (winter premiere), ABC, 8:30 PM
• Grown-ish (series premiere), Freeform, 8:30 PM
• 9-1-1 (series premiere), Fox, 9 PM
• Law & Order: SVU (winter premiere), NBC, 9 PM
• Modern Family (winter premiere), ABC, 9 PM
• Ozzy & Jack’s World Detour, A&E, 9 PM
• Seal Team (winter premiere), CBS, 9 PM
• Vikings, History, 9 PM
• American Housewife (winter premiere), ABC, 9:30 PM
• Criminal Minds (winter premiere), CBS, 10 PM
• Chicago PD (winter premiere), NBC, 10 PM
• Match Game (season premiere), ABC, 10 PM
• Happy!, Syfy, 10 PM
• Knightfall, History, 10 PM
• Catfish (season premiere), MTV, 10 PM
• Desus & Mero, Viceland, 11 PM

Thursday

• The Big Bang Theory (winter premiere), CBS, 8 PM
• The Four: Battle for Stardom (series premiere), Fox, 8 PM
• Superstore (winter premiere), NBC, 8 PM
• The Good Place (winter premiere), NBC, 8:30 PM
• Young Sheldon (winter premiere), NBC, 8:30 PM
• Will & Grace (winter premiere), NBC, 9 PM
• Killing Fields (season premiere), Discovery, 9 PM
• Truth and Lies: Waco, ABC, 9 PM
• Van Helsing (season finale), Syfy, 9 PM
• Mom (winter premiere), CBS, 9 PM
• Life in Pieces (winter premiere), CBS, 9:30 PM
• Great News, NBC, 9:30 PM
• S.W.A.T. (winter premiere), CBS, 10 PM
• Chicago Fire (winter premiere), NBC, 10 PM
• Beerland (season finale), Viceland, 10 PM
• Top Chef, Bravo, 10 PM
• Damnation, USA, 10 PM
• Ghost Wars (season finale), Syfy, 10 PM
• Desus & Mero, Viceland, 11 PM
• Superstition, Syfy, 11 PM

Friday

• The End of the F**king World, Netflix, 3 AM
• Before I Wake, Netflix, 3 AM
• Rotten (S1), Netflix, 3 AM
• Devilman Crybaby (S1), Netflix, 3 AM
• Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee, Netflix, 3 AM
• The Grand Tour, Amazon Prime, 3 AM
• Child Support (series premiere), ABC, 8 PM
• Crazy Ex-Girlfriend (winter premiere), CW, 8 PM
• MacGyver (winter premiere), CBS, 8 PM
• US Figure Skating Championships, NBC, 8 PM
• Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (winter premiere), ABC, 9 PM
• Hawaii Five-0 (winter premiere), CBS, 9 PM
• Blue Bloods (winter premiere), CBS, 10 PM

Saturday

• A Tale of Two Coreys, Lifetime 8 PM
• Falling Water (season premiere), USA, 10 PM

Sunday

• The 75th Annual Golden Globe Awards, NBC, 8 PM
• The Simpsons (winter premiere), Fox, 8 PM
• America’s Funniest Home Videos, ABC, 8 PM
• Wisdom of the Crowd (winter premiere), CBS, 8 PM
• Ghosted (winter premiere), Fox, 8:30 PM
• Star Trek: Discovery (winter premiere), CBS All Access, 8:30 PM
• Family Guy (winter premiere), Fox, 9 PM
• NCIS: LA (winter premiere), CBS, 9 PM
• Shameless, Showtime, 9 PM
• Shark Tank, ABC, 9 PM
• The Last Man on Earth, Fox, 9:30 PM
• The Chi (series premiere), Showtime, 10 PM
• Madam Secretary (winter premiere), CBS, 10 PM

[All times listed are in ET]

China reportedly tests new ballistic weapon that flies under radar

A US government source told The Diplomat this week that China has conducted flight tests of a missile equipped with a hypersonic glide vehicle (HGV). Two tests of the HGV, a model known as the DF-17, took place in November and China is understood to have conducted a number of other tests of experimental HGVs throughout 2014 and 2016. The DF-17 is thought to have a range of between 1,800 and 2,500 kilometers and represents a new kind of weapon system, one that the US and Russia are also developing.

HGVs are similar to traditional ballistic missile systems in that they can deliver a payload, be it conventional or nuclear, to a distant target. But HGVs fly at lower altitudes than typical ballistic missiles, meaning existing missile defense systems might initially miss them since those defense systems typically scan higher altitudes. There’s a functional tradeoff, however, because when HGVs start to descend, they fly much slower than traditional ballistic missiles. Some defense systems will likely be able to take HGVs into account with a few upgrades. However, countries with less developed defense technology might not be able to deal with this new type of weapon as easily.

The source told The Diplomat that the DF-17 is expected to be put into operation in 2020.

Via: Popular Mechanics

Source: The Diplomat

Adventurous OnePlus 5T owners can try Android Oreo

Were you disappointed that the OnePlus 5T launched with Android Nougat despite Oreo having launched weeks earlier? You can rectify that today, if you’re willing to experiment. OnePlus has posted an open OxygenOS beta that brings Oreo’s features to the 5T. You now have Android 8.0 staples like picture-in-picture viewing and autofill text. The launcher also has a few tweaks, including the merger of app shortcuts and icon options as well as the option of uploading brag-worthy photos to Shot on OnePlus.

As with the OnePlus 5 Face Unlock beta, you won’t want to install this if you absolutely depend on a glitch-free phone. And be sure to back up your info if you decide to revert back, since you’ll have to wipe the slate clean. So long as you can live with those caveats, though, you won’t have to look on with envy as your Pixel-toting friends enjoy Oreo’s perks.

Via: 9to5Google

Source: OnePlus

The best family plan, individual plan, unlimited plan, and more

Navigating U.S. carriers’ family plans is a frustrating exercise, to say the least. Although carriers’ websites have improved and plans have become more transparent, trying to figure out which network offers the best deal for your family is still a nightmare. Luckily, we’ve compiled this comprehensive guide on how to choose the wireless plan that best suits your needs — and saves you the most cash.

Here are our picks for best family plan, best individual plan, best unlimited plan, and more. We’ve also added helpful explainer sections to help you choose your carrier.

Editor’s Note: Each plan we’ve chosen lists only the price of your service bill. You will also pay monthly installments on your new phones’ balances, if you choose to buy new phones from your carrier. This is explained further in the section below titled “How do phone payment plans work?”

Our pick

T-Mobile

Why should you buy this: T-Mobile leads the industry with plans that charge no overages, cost less than the competition, and offer more perks.

Read more about T-Mobile’s plans here.

Who’s it for: Anyone who wants an unlimited plan, lives in an urban area, or travels internationally a lot.

How much will it cost:

 People
 Line cost
 Data
 Total
1
 $70
 Unlimited
 $70
2
 $70 + $50
 Unlimited
 $120
3
 $70 + $50 +$20
 Unlimited
 $140
4
 $70 + $50 + $40 +$20
 Unlimited
 $160
5
 $70 + $50 + $40 + $20 +$20
 Unlimited
 $180

Why we picked T-Mobile:

T-Mobile is the industry leader in the U.S. with its bold “Un-carrier” moves. When T-Mobile busts out a brand new plan or feature, the rest of the carriers inevitably follow its example. T-Mobile started by ending overage charges, killing the two-year contract, and offering lower prices than its competitors.

The best

T-Mobile

T-Mobile offers the best plans, most perks, and fairest prices, by far.

$70.00 from T-Mobile

Now, T-Mobile offers a wide range of perks, including free gifts on Tuesdays, unlimited data plans, unlimited music and video streaming, free international service, and more. As such, T-Mobile wins our awards for best unlimited plan, best international service, and best urban service.

Of course, you have to look beyond the gimmicks to see the core aspects of T-Mobile’s service. It offers one plan: T-Mobile One.

There’s no contract, and you have to pay the full, unsubsidized price for each smartphone you buy on the plan. You’ll pay for each device in installments (typically $20 to $30 a month per phone), or you can bring your own phone instead of buying a new one.

T-Mobile One Plus, a premium upgrade, starts at $5 a month and includes unlimited GoGo in-flight Wi-Fi, voicemail to text, and caller ID. An international option, the One Plus International plan, includes unlimited LTE hotspots, calls to landlines in 70 countries, and all of the One Plus plan’s benefits.

Data hogs get a pretty decent deal with the T-Mobile One Plan and its unlimited data, but if you’re a customer who was using only the minimum amount of data each month, the new T-Mobile One plan represents a price increase of $20-$70. You do get unlimited data for that extra money, but if you don’t have cash to spare, you may want to stay on your old plan — especially if you’re satisfied with your current data limit.

Bottom line: People who want a no-frills unlimited option will find T-Mobile’s One plan attractive. Large families who make international calls or tether to mobile hotspots should opt for One Plus.

Disclaimer: If you live in a rural area, T-Mobile may not work for you. Coverage is still spotty in rural America, though it excels in cities.

The perks that come with T-Mobile’s plan:

• Mobile without Borders: T-Mobile users get unlimited talk, text, and data in Canada and Mexico, as well as the United States. Unlimited text and data at lower speeds (3G/2G) is also available in almost 150 countries worldwide, though calls cost 20 cents per minute.
• Jump! on Demand: You can lease phones for less and upgrade to the latest and greatest phone whenever you want.
• Music Freedom: Stream music on most of the popular streaming apps including Spotify without burning through your data allowance.
• T-Mobile Tuesdays: Download this iOS and Android app to get free deals every Tuesday, like $15 in Lyft credit or a Frosty from Wendy’s.
• No overages on data: The unlimited plan has no overages.
• Free Netflix subscription: For T-Mobile One unlimited costumers with two or more lines on their account

The downsides of T-Mobile’s plan:

• Spotty coverage in rural areas.
• 10 GB of LTE mobile-hotspot data.
• The tethering between your phone and other devices is limited to 3G speeds. You’ll have to upgrade to the One Plus International plan for 4G LTE tethering.
• If you surpass 26GB of 4G LTE data, your speeds will be throttled down to 2G.
• Sign up for Auto Pay on your bills, or T-Mobile will charge $5 extra per line each month.

The best individual plan

Sprint

Why should you buy this: Sprint offers the cheapest individual plan you can buy, and it comes with nice perks.

Read more about Sprint’s plans here

Who’s it for: Anyone who can’t get T-Mobile, but who travels within Sprint’s coverage maps and wants to save money.

How much will it cost:

People
Line cost
Data
Total
1
$60
Unlimited
$60
2
$60 + $40
Unlimited
$100
3
$60 + $40 + $30
Unlimited
$130
4
$60 + $40 + $30 + $30
Unlimited
$160
5
$60 + $40 + $30 + $30 + $30
Unlimited
$190

Why we picked Sprint:

Sprint typically undercuts T-Mobile prices and offers, but the carrier suffers in network coverage compared to the rest. Sprint comes with a fewer perks than T-Mobile’s service, but it’s still a solid option for those on a budget who live in cities and other densely populated regions, where its coverage is strongest.

The best individual plan

Sprint

Sprint has the cheapest individual plans, whether you want 1GB of data or unlimited data.

$40.00 from Sprint

Sprint has struggled in the past to match the competition’s data speeds — in many areas of the country, you’ll get slower rates than customers on the other three carriers. That’s something to keep in mind before you commit.

Just like T-Mobile, Sprint offers one plan: Unlimited Freedom.

There’s no contract, and you have to pay the full, unsubsidized price for each smartphone on the plan. You’ll pay for devices in installments (typically $20 to $30 a month per phone), or you can bring your own phone instead of buying a new one.

It’s worth noting that Sprint’s unlimited plan is one of the most restrictive. Certain categories of traffic — like multiplayer gaming and music streaming — are throttled arbitrarily, and Sprint reserves the right to terminate your service if you exceed your monthly tethering limit.

Still, Sprint’s unlimited plans aren’t a bad option for data hogs who rely solely on cellular for internet access. At $60 for a single line, Unlimited Freedom is a money saver.

Thanks to the carrier’s latest promotion, new customers will get unlimited talk, text, data, and a free Hulu account for $25 per month per line if you purchase four to five lines — and if you enroll in autopay. You’ll also get the fifth line for free, if you need an extra one. The deal won’t last forever though, and the pricing will only last until January 31, 2019 — you’ll then be charged its standard prices.

The downsides of Sprint’s Unlimited plan:

• Gaming is limited to 8Mbps.
• Music streaming is limited to 1.5Mbps.
• Roaming restrictions; Sprint may terminate your service if you regularly use more than 100MB of data roaming.

The perks that come with all Sprint plans:

• Unlimited talk, text, and data in Canada and Mexico, as well as the United States. Unlimited text and data at lower speeds is also available in almost 180 countries worldwide, though calls cost 20 cents per minute.
• 10 GB of LTE mobile-hotspot data.
• No overages.
• Lets you lease some phones so you can get a new one every year.

The downsides of all Sprint plans:

• Spotty coverage in rural areas.
• Once you surpass your data limit, speeds are cut back to 2G.
• Not as many perks as T-Mobile.

The best rural service

Verizon

Why should you buy this: Verizon offers the best coverage in rural areas across the U.S. and its unlimited plan is a decent deal.

Read more about Verizon’s plans here

Who’s it for: Anyone who lives in rural America where Sprint and T-Mobile just don’t work.

How much will it cost:

People
Line cost
4G LTE data
Total
1
$20
$35 w/2GB

$50 w/4GB

$70 w/8GB

$60 w/Unlimited

$55

$70

$90

$80

2
$20 x 2
$35 w/2GB

$50 w/4GB

$70 w/8GB

$100 w/Unlimited

$75

$90

$110

$140

3
$20 x 3
$35 w/2GB

$50 w/4GB

$70 w/8GB

$100 w/Unlimited

$95

$110

$130

$160

4
$20 x 4
$35 w/2GB

$50 w/4GB

$70 w/8GB

$100 w/Unlimited

$115

$130

$150

$180

5
$20 x 5
$35 w/2GB

$50 w/4GB

$70 w/8GB

$100 w/Unlimited

$135

$150

$170

$200

Why we picked Verizon:

Verizon offers the best service in rural areas across the country. If you live in the boonies where T-Mobile and Sprint don’t reach, Verizon is your best bet for reliable coverage.

The best rural service

Verizon

Verizon has the best service in rural America.

$55.00 from Verizon

Verizon offers fixed data plans, as well as an unlimited option in the Verizon Plan.

The Unlimited plan is a recent addition, and it starts at $80 a month for a single line or $180 for a family of four, and includes all-you-can-eat data, texting, calling. Two caveats to note, though: Subscribers who use more than 22 GB on a line might be subject to throttled speeds, and Verizon limits high-speed 4G LTE tethering to 10 GB. Even considering those limitations, Verizon’s unlimited plan is a surprisingly good value for the money.

If you don’t need unlimited data, Verizon offers capped plans in three sizes: Small (2GB), Medium (4GB), and Large (8GB). Each additional line costs $20, and data package prices range from $35 a month for Small to $110 a month for 24GB of data plus 2GB extra per line. All capped plans come with unlimited talk and text.

None of Verizon’s plans require you to sign a contract, and you have to pay the full, unsubsidized price for each smartphone on both Verizon’s capped and unlimited plans. You’ll pay for each device in installments (typically $20 to $30 a month per phone), or you can bring your own phone instead of buying a new one.

Verizon does not offer international service like T-Mobile and Sprint, and though it doesn’t charge for data overages, exceeding your monthly data limit knocks your speed down to 2G. You won’t get any fun perks, either, but you will get reliable service in all parts of the country.

The perks of Verizon plans:

• Strong coverage in both rural and urban areas.
• 10 GB of mobile-hotspot data on unlimited plans.
• Decent prices for individuals.
• Big phone selection.

The downsides of Verizon’s plans:

• Generally higher prices across the board.
• 22 GB throttling cap on unlimited plans.
• International coverage costs extra money.
• Verizon runs on CDMA networks, so buying unlocked phones is tricky.

5 tech trends you’ll be talking about in 2018

This was a big year for tech. Twitter users finally broke free of their 140-character chains, while Tesla made good on its electric car for the people in the Model 3. The Wannacry ransomware attack became one of the most disruptive cyberattacks in history, and three commissioners on the FCC lead by Chairman Ajit Pai (at least temporarily) repealed Obama-era net neutrality rules.

Good news or not, it was a busy year in tech. 2018 looks no different, and we’re already watching some important tech trends that we expect to make waves in the new year. But first, let’s see how we did in predicting what we would be talking about in 2017.

Looking back at our 2017 predictions

The smart home finally seemed to take off in 2017, and indeed without the “smart hub” as we had predicted in late 2016. Why? Blame Amazon.

Alexa wiped the floor with its competitors during the year, and from CES 2017 onward it sure seemed like device manufacturers were tripping over themselves to flex their “Works with Alexa” muscle. While this has led to some pretty silly integrations, it’s also a testament to Amazon’s strength. This also left Google, Apple and Microsoft with a smaller segment of the market to fight over.

Bill Roberson/Digital Trends

Thanks to the competition, you can now get in on the digital assistant craze for as little as $30: that’s a sixth of what it cost at the beginning of 2016. The ‘race to the bottom’ price-wise might have also solidified the current crop of assistants as the one that survive long term: it will be tough for new entrants to compete (Sorry Jibo).

Automation and AI also increased in adoption during the year, but perhaps not to the scale that we expected. Where we saw most of the automation was in chatbots, like expected, however the much-hyped Amazon drone delivery tests didn’t expand much further than where they stood during 2016 nor did we see anyone adopting automation any quicker than the current pace. AI and so-called ‘machine learning’ made a big splash though, especially in the app space.

Pokémon Go spread like wildfire then it and other AR apps fell off during 2017.

Augmented reality seemed to fall off the radar during 2017 after a banner year in 2016 for both it and virtual reality. After Pokémon Go spread like wildfire, its use as well as other AR apps fell off during 2017.

Another miss was our prediction that fake meat would experience a boom. Despite our optimism, synthetic food still seems a ways away at the end of 2017. Beyond Meat, however, is making moves to change that, and towards the end of the year started appearing in Walmart Supercenters nationwide. That’s a start, but there’s a long way left to go before next-gen fake meat will show up on the mainstream dinner table.

All in all, it wasn’t a bad set of predictions, but it does appear that we might have been a bit ahead of ourselves in some cases. Now ,let’s take a look at our top five tech trend predictions for 2018! Hopefully we do a bit better this time.

The Blockchain

No, it’s not just Tulip Mania. The underpinnings of cryptocurrency — a distributed leger system called the blockchain — has a real place in the future of technology, regardless of whether or not the price of Bitcoin is $0 or $50,000.

The blockchain is the decentralized heart of cryptocurrency, and is a distributed ledger of records which allow for the verification of records without the need for a middleman. While its primary use in 2017 and before was to verify cryptocurrency transactions, developers are realizing it has uses outside of finance. Transaction records, or “blocks” are cryptographically protected and then distributed to all participants.

Bitcoin’s average block size through 2017.

This allows transactions to be verified without the need for human involvement, but also much more impervious to spoofing. If one version of a block is corrupted, other participants still have correct copies of that block, preventing its use. Blockchains could be used to verify contractual terms — perhaps even execute them automatically in  “smart contracts”, or verify access to resources.

2018 is only going to be the beginning of a years-long transformation of many industries as a result. With cybersecurity such a big story in 2017, the blockchain seems like it’s prime for a breakout year in 2018. Don’t be surprised if for whatever reason years down the road cryptocurrency collapses yet blockchain survives. It’s that game-changing.

The return of the ARM-powered laptop

We’ve gotten used to long battery life in our smartphones and tablets as manufacturers and software developers improve hardware and software. But one place it has not made it to is laptops, which still in most cases would require a recharge at some point in the day unless you are doing much more than surfing the web.

Code will run natively on these processors, allowing widespread production of ARM-powered laptops.

To that extent, Microsoft re-engineered Windows in 2017 to be compatible with ARM technology. This isn’t the same as it’s doomed-from-the-start Windows RT effort: code will run natively on these processors, allowing for widespread production of ARM-powered laptops, notably Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 835 processor.

While early benchmarking hasn’t been impressive, we’d note that those results were based on prototype chips. Qualcomm itself promises battery life of 20-25 hours and performance which should be similar to Intel processors when they finally release in 2018. Of course, these laptops are aimed at entry-level consumers, but “always on” functionality and LTE connectivity built in sure is an attractive feature set.

Of course, the first versions of any new product are always rough around the edges. It’s likely that’s going to be the case here. While it might not make it in time for 2018, the Snapdragon 845 processor looks even more impressive, as it is 25 percent more powerful and sports a 30 percent graphics performance boost over its predecessor.

Add to this artificial intelligence support, biometric, encryption, and mobile payments support, and it’s likely Snapdragon 845-based laptops will be even more attractive to a wider range of consumers.

The end of the smartphone

A pretty bold prediction, right? It’s not as crazy as it sounds, though. The idea of a smartphone traditionally described a device that allows you stay connected in ways other than the traditional voice call. That is changing in the face of artificial intelligence and machine learning.

Although it may still be called a smartphone, it might be more appropriate to call them intelligent phones in 2018 and beyond. As we just noted, mobile processors are coming that are built to handle A.I. technology. In the next year, digital assistants will become much more useful because they will be able to anticipate your needs before you even ask.

Think of how you interact with your digital assistant now. Wouldn’t it make more sense to ask it to “turn the light on” in a room rather than have to tell it exactly which lights it needs to turn off? The device would be location aware, and automatically trigger the closest light that’s currently off without you needing to specify.

Amazon is rumored to be working on a more location-aware platform for Alexa, and other companies are likely working on similar technologies which we should begin to see during 2018. The smart devices of the future will be truly intelligent, in turn making them inherently more useful.

The touchless interface

The user interface is key to our experiences with our tech gadgets. However most of these gadgets rely on some kind of physical interaction in order to work. This will change in 2018, with a focus on the “touchless” interface.

Imagine picking up your empty juice bottle and saying “Alexa, order this.”

Amazon Alexa, Siri, and other virtual assistants have already begun to train us to no longer rely on our thumbs and fingers. But as we noted in our discussion of the future beyond a smartphone there are other ways to interact that could be useful.

Imagine picking up your empty bottle of juice and saying “Alexa, order this” and it being ordered for you without you since Alexa understands what you’re looking at or holding. Other features, like customized responses based on who is asking, are already available and will only become more prevalent throughout the year.

Combined with other tech trends that will play a large part in what we’re talking about in 2018, the touchless interface will move us far beyond the tap and swipe.

Cloud computing taken to the edge

We’ve gotten so used to “the cloud” that this next tech trend sounds counterintuitive. Edge computing stands to shake up how we think about the cloud, and how it will be used in 2018 and beyond.

Edge computing is a return to “distributed computing,” where processing power is spread out over multiple computers. You might think cloud computing is a form of distributed computing too, considering that the cloud can route your request to an available server. It’s actually not: that server itself is still handling all the computing work on a single machine.

Why edge computing? As devices become more powerful, they’ll require ever larger streams of data to operate, making cloud computing simply too slow. Even with superfast 5G connections on the horizon, there will always be some degree of latency in the connection itself. That’s not including the processing time on the remote server.

Think about it this way. A self-driving car makes split-second decisions on when to turn and when to stop or swerve to avoid hazards. Do you really want to take the chance of some type of hiccup as data travels from your car to a central server to make that decision? Of course not. Instead, your car becomes a data center of its own, making computing intensive decisions locally, but sending data home after the fact to improve the operation of other vehicles.

The same general concept applies for other Internet of Things (IoT) devices, all of which could learn from each other’s real-world experiences yet not overload communications networks in the process.

It’s going to be a lot of work, especially considering how much we’ve invested in the cloud. However, with the number of IoT devices exploding we’re coming to the point where we’re going to need to figure out a better way to have them all communicate without sucking up all available bandwidth.

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