Qualcomm is making Cortana smart speakers easier to build

Alexa and Google Assistant are appearing on what seems like every single gadget at CES 2018, but Cortana’s absence from the party has made it the butt of jokes. Luckily, Qualcomm has announced that it’s Smart Audio Platform, which includes microphone, speaker and voice recognition tech, now supports Cortana. That will make it a lot easier for smart speaker manufacturers to build devices around the neglected bot, instead of Google and Amazon’s more popular platforms.

Microsoft’s Cortana has recently landed on Harmon Kardon’s Invoke speakers (below) and its own Cortana thermostat. Apart from those wins, however, it’s getting badly beaten in its race with Amazon and Google to get voice AI onto gadgets.

The company even made an unusual pact with Amazon to develop tech that would allow Cortana and Alexa to work together by the end of 2017, but that date has come and gone with no word on progress. At the same time, Alexa just stole some (more) of Microsoft’s CES 2018 thunder by unveiling a separate Windows 10 Alexa app that will appear on devices from HP, ASUS, Acer and other companies.

Unlike its rivals, Microsoft has not offered users compelling reasons to use Cortana. At one point, the bot offered song recognition tech, but that ended when the Zune music service died. And its efforts to get Cortana to its bread-and-butter business clients also took a hit when it dropped a Dynamics 365 integration project.

As with its failed mobile platform, Microsoft’s problems also stem in part from its inability to attract third-party developers to Cortana. For instance, while Cortana has just a few hundred skills, Alexa boasts around 25,000, as Mary Jo Foley recently pointed out.

Qualcomm’s Cortona announcement is good news for Microsoft, but it’ll be tough for it to convince hardware OEMs to choose Cortana over Alexa or Google Assistant — Harmon Kardon’s Invoke is a great-sounding speaker, for instance, but Cortana is its weak point. Microsoft started the voice assistant race around the same time as its rivals, but it may already be too late to catch up.

Click here to catch up on the latest news from CES 2018.

3M’s HVAC air filter tells you when it needs replacing

As people get more concerned about the air that they’re breathing, so the case for buying a smart air purifier becomes more pressing. That’s what has prompted 3M to build the Filtrete Bluetooth-enabled residential air filter that can let you know when it’s time for a change. The idea being that the filter itself can alert you — via an app for your smartphone — when it’s time to run to the store and buy a $30-ish replacement.

The filter itself is available in a variety of shapes and sizes, but with a wee bump nestled on the front, which houses the Bluetooth radio and sensors. The system doesn’t just act as a prompt for spending more money, and can also offer up real-time data on the air that you’re breathing. At least, that’s something you can do so long as you spend more cash on a compatible air quality monitor, although that’s likely to come with its own app. The platform can also offer up helpful hints on how better to improve your indoor air quality and life.

The EPA recommends that you change your air filter once a month, but 3M’s data suggests that most folks string theirs out for up to three months at a time. But that doesn’t take into account the variable air quality that’ll be different in every home and location, or your particular usage pattern. By using a machine that can alert you when your filter begins to degrade, you might wind up avoiding the problems inherent with breathing dirty air.

The 3M Filtrete Smart Air Filter will be available for purchase in the Spring for a price that has yet — as with so many things at CES — to be determined.

Nicole Lee contributed to this report.

Click here to catch up on the latest news from CES 2018.

Kingston’s 7-in-1 USB-C hub saves your MacBook from the dongle life

As sleek and powerful as Apple’s latest MacBooks are, one of their shortcomings is the lack of ports and slots, like an SD card reader. And while that’s easily fixable with a dongle, things can get tricky if you simultaneously want to charge your computer or pair it to your TV with an HDMI cable. With that in mind, Kingston today launched its 7-in-1 USB Type-C hub, the Nucleum, which aims to save you from having to live the #donglelife. The device has two USB-C ports (one for power, the other for data), HDMI, a couple USB-As, as well as SD and microSD card slots.

Naturally, since the product is being geared toward newer MacBook owners, it sports a silver finish that’ll match your Apple laptop. It’ll definitely come in handy to many people, so if you’re one of those, you can get it now from Kingston’s site for $80.

Jessica Conditt contributed to this report.

Click here to catch up on the latest news from CES 2018.

Hulu renews ‘Runaways’ and ‘Future Man’ for a second season

Hulu has renewed two of its nerdier original shows. Both Runaways and Future Man will get second seasons of 13 episodes each. Given that they debuted in the previous months, it’s unclear when viewers will get to see them.

Runaways adapts Marvel’s comic of the same name about a group of misfit kids fleeing their parents, who they discover are more than they seem. While not really superhero fare, the diverse cast and teen dramatics distinguish the show from others based on graphic works. Future Man, on the other hand, is a part-time satirical adventure with sophomoric humor thanks to creators Seth Rogan and Evan Goldberg (Sausage Party, Superbad). The show follows a janitor whose video game victory gets him chosen by time-traveling warriors to save the future — a Last Starfighter reference that begets many more sendups of 80s nerd culture.

For once people on the internet are getting what they asked for. #FutureMan Season 2, coming to @Hulu in 2018. pic.twitter.com/QdqCY6PZzt

— Future Man (@futuremanonhulu) January 8, 2018

Source: Hulu (Twitter), Hulu (Twitter)

Klipsch speakers are getting Alexa and Google Assistant voice control

Voice control was all the rage at CES 2017 and this year’s show appears to continue the trend. This time, another big name in audio is getting into the game: Klipsch. The company will have options for both Alexa and Google Assistant, so you’ll have some choice when it comes to the new feature and new audio gear.

For Alexa integration, Klipsch is employing Amazon’s Connected Speaker APIs to enable you to control its speakers with commands spoken to any device equipped with the virtual assistant — like the Echo or Echo Dot. Any of Klipsch’s Stream wireless multi-room speakers can take advantage, including Reference RSB-14 and RSB-8 sound bars, the Three Heritage wireless speaker, RW-1 wireless speaker and both the Gate and PowerGate amps. While there’s no definite arrival date just yet, the company says current owners can expect a free firmware update to deliver Alexa controls in “early 2018.”

As far as Google Assistant goes, Klipsch will debut new versions of its Three and One Heritage series speakers with the voice controls in tow. While the new Three is slated to arrive this fall for $499 (same price as the current model), the One with Google’s virtual assistant won’t ship until spring 2019. And when the One does arrive, it’ll cost $50 more than the regular model that’s available now at $349. Even with the longer wait, Klipsch will have some of the better looking options for voice-controlled audio gear when those two devices start shipping.

Click here to catch up on the latest news from CES 2018.

Casio’s solar-powered GPS watch is ideal for survivalists

Casio’s beloved line of G-Shock timepieces is widening to include the new GPR B-1000, a GPS-equipped timepiece that could just save your life. The watch, which forms part of the Rangeman line, is capable of standalone GPS navigation for up to 33 hours on a single charge. But more importantly, if you’re in the wilderness for longer than that, you can use the built-in solar panel to keep the GPS running for longer. Which should mean that there’s no excuse for Blair Witch-style idiocy so long as you’ve got one of these on your wrist.

The solar panel in the face keeps the dial running at all times, and is also used as an auxiliary charger for the smarter watch functions. Leave the watch in bright, direct sunlight for four hours, and you’ll get an hour or so of GPS navigation. If you’re at home, however, you can simply dump the G-Shock on its wireless charging plate and it’ll be back to full strength in just five hours. The wireless charging is possible because the back of the watch case has been made out of ceramics — another first for the G-Shock line — measuring just 2mm thick.

If you’re a Bear Grylls-type and you’re looking for a watch that’ll withstand everything the elements can throw at it, this may be the watch for you. It’s designed to work in temperatures as low as -4 Fahrenheit and depths as low as 200 meters, and is packing a carbon fiber insert band and sapphire crystal. As for pricing, the B-1000 will be available to buy in April and will set you back $800 from the selected high-end watch boutique of your choice.

At the same time, Casio has announced a limited edition of its Pro Trek Smart series of watches in a special color scheme. Just 1,5000 Pro Trek WSD-F20WEs will be produced, each one clad in a glorious fluorite white body that, the company promises, offers a deep multilayer finish with crystalline depth. The watches will be available in Spring, but the company has remained tight-lipped so far on how much they’ll cost you.

Click here to catch up on the latest news from CES 2018.

A concussion-sensing mouthguard could help avoid head injuries

Concussions are becoming an increasingly large area of concern for professional athletes in a number of sporting disciplines. It’s one of the reasons that Prevent Biometrics is putting its Head Impact Monitor System on sale. HIMS is a smart mouthguard that offers empirical evidence if a player has received a head injury. Rather than using a series of observational tests, which can prove ineffective, the system operates in real time. That way, as soon as a collision is detected, players can be hooked for medical treatment.

The company has been testing its system for a while, and was previously available to selected teams across 2017. Now that beta testing has finished, selected schools and youth associations will be able to buy the hardware in the near future. The hope is to have the hardware ready in anticipation of the 2018 football season, with each mouthguard costing $199, and the storage case an additional $39.

Click here to catch up on the latest news from CES 2018.

Sketchy Rumor Claims ‘iPhone SE 2’ Could Feature a Glass Back and Support Wireless Charging

Apple’s second-generation iPhone SE will come with a rear glass panel that could enable it to support Qi-compatible wireless charging accessories, according to Indian tech website Tekz24.

Speculation about a new version of Apple’s small form factor smartphone originally began in August last year, when Focus Taiwan first claimed a new iPhone SE would ship in the first quarter of 2018.

That report was accompanied by claims from Tekz24 that the “iPhone SE 2” will be powered by Apple’s A10 Fusion chip, with 2GB of RAM, 32GB and 128GB storage capacities, a 12-megapixel rear camera, a five-megapixel front camera, and a slightly larger 1,700 mAh battery.

Three months later, China’s Economic Daily News fueled speculation with a report that Apple will release a second-generation iPhone SE in the first half of 2018, to be assembled exclusively by Taiwanese manufacturer Wistron at its factory in Bengaluru, India, where some assembly of the current iPhone SE occurs. Lastly, earlier this month Taiwanese market research firm TrendForce predicted that Apple is planning to launch a second-generation iPhone SE in 2018 to target the mid-range smartphone market.

Tekz24 – the source of today’s glass back rumor – lacks an established track record of reporting on Apple rumors, so the above tech specs and today’s claim remain completely unverified.

However, given that Apple recently introduced support for wireless charging with the iPhone 8 and iPhone X series of devices, the possibility that it could bring its smaller four-inch smartphone model into the fold certainly isn’t completely outlandish, especially with the company’s AirPower wireless charging mat already confirmed for release sometime this year.

Apple hasn’t properly refreshed the iPhone SE since it launched back in March 2016, but it did double the available storage capacities to 64GB and 128GB in March 2017. Suggestions that Apple could tweak the design – perhaps giving it thinner bezels to make way for a larger screen – remain entirely in the unverified speculation department at this point.

As for the rest of Apple’s smartphone line-up in 2018, rumors suggest Apple will launch a new 5.8-inch iPhone X alongside a second OLED iPhone, this one measuring in at 6.5 inches, which means it can be thought of as an “iPhone X Plus”.

Alongside these two OLED iPhones, Apple is also said to be planning to introduce a 6.1-inch iPhone with an LCD display, positioned as a more affordable device targeting the low-end and mid-range markets, with a starting price of $649 to $749 in the United States.

According to KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, all three of these iPhones will feature edge-to-edge displays, Face ID, and TrueDepth camera systems, which would likely signal the final nail in the coffin for both the Home button and the Touch ID fingerprint sensor in new iPhone models.

Related Roundup: iPhone SEBuyer’s Guide: iPhone SE (Don’t Buy)
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CES 2018: Nanoleaf Creates New Square-Shaped Light Panels With Touch Controls

After introducing a HomeKit controller in the shape of a dodecahedron, Nanoleaf recently announced the next generation of its popular triangle-shaped Nanoleaf Light Panels. The new panels don’t have a name or a price yet, but the company revealed that they are square and include a few feature additions and improvements from the previous generation (via CNET).

Each square panel will include a touch sensitive surface, so you can turn them on or off, dim or increase their brightness, or change to another color preset just by tapping or sliding your finger on them. The base station for the square panels is also said to come with a microphone and motion sensor that can detect motion and alter the lighting flow of the panels as you walk by, for example.

Image via CNET
Nanoleaf has also greatly increased the maximum limit of panels you can connect together. Instead of 30 panels able to connect to one base station (the limit on the triangular panels), up to 1,000 square panels can be outfitted together at once. Still, for every 60 panels strung together you will need a power booster — set to be sold by Nanoleaf — in order to “maintain optimal brightness.”

Nanoleaf said that it plans to keep the new square panels “as affordable as possible,” but the company isn’t confirming a price range at CES. The new panels are expected to launch at some point later in 2018.

Tags: Nanoleaf, CES 2018
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Hands-on with Sony’s new mid-rangers: Xperia XA2, XA2 Ultra, and Xperia L2

Whether you’re a fan of Sony’s smartphone design or couldn’t care less, the near bezel-less aesthetic has become more commonplace. You won’t find that aesthetic on the Xperia XA2, Xperia XA2 Ultra, and Xperia L2, though that doesn’t mean you should disregard them as options.

All three smartphones might not feature near bezel-less designs, but the Xperia XA2 and Xperia XA2 Ultra sport edge-to-edge displays that are curved at the sides, which helps the glass bleed into the sides for a more seamless feel in the hands. Being the lower-end option of the trio, the Xperia L2 sports more side bezel than its two siblings, while the display takes a step down to 720p.

The similarities between the Xperia XA2 and Xperia XA2 Ultra continue with their rear 23 MP cameras that can record videos in 4K and 120 fps slow-motion. Both phones also sport 8 MP front cameras capable of 120-degree wide-angle shots, though the Xperia XA2 Ultra has a second 16 MP selfie camera with optical image stabilization.

The Xperia L2’s front-camera is only a slight step down from those on the Xperia XA2 devices. It’s a 120-degree wide-angle 8 MP shooter. The rear camera takes a steeper step down, coming in at 13 MP with no optical image stabilization.

In the hand, the Xperia L2 offers a solid matte plastic finish. It’s not the most premium of materials, but it gets the job done. It reminds us of the Nokia Lumia 920 from many years ago, especially with its nicely curved back.

Xperia XA2 and XA2 Ultra image gallery

In contrast to the L2, the XA2 and XA2 Ultra have a much higher quality feel due to it’s metal construction and other design flourishes such as chamferred edges. Sony’s signature loop design makes a return and with a more rounded body these are some of the most comfortable feeling phones that Sony has ever produced.

Under the hood, the Xperia XA2 and Xperia XA2 Ultra are powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 630, though the latter features slightly more RAM and two storage options. All three phones are equipped with microSD card slots for additional storage, and seeing how all three start with 32 GB of storage, you might want to use that slot.

The real crime, however, is with the software. The Xperia XA2 and Xperia XA2 Ultra run Android 8.0 Oreo out of the box, which is great. The Xperia L2, meanwhile, gets by with Android 7.1.1 Nougat, which is disappointing to say the least.

After all, Oreo was released to the public in late August of last year, and, at this point, it’s ridiculous to not have Oreo be available out of the box. We’re hopeful the Xperia L2 will get an update to Oreo sometime down the road, but we are not expecting it.

Editor’s Pick

Sony in 2018: time for a change

Sony treated us to a range of smartphones in 2017, led by its flagships, the Xperia XZ Premium and Xperia XZ1. The company’s familiar biannual release cycle caused division amongst those looking for a definitive Sony …

The Xperia XA2, Xperia XA2 Ultra, and Xperia L2 will be available in late January, though Sony didn’t say how much the phones will cost. If their previous incarnations are any indicator, don’t expect them to come in at competitive prices.

Xperia L2 image gallery

However much they cost, the Xperia XA2 will come in silver, black, blue, and pink, while the Xperia XA2 Ultra will arrive in silver, black, light blue, and gold. Finally, the Xperia L2 will come in black, gold, and pink. Sony tells us that they will be available starting in late January.