Spend some time with Samsung’s $2,700 Flip whiteboard

Samsung has made smart screens of all types and sizes, but there’s always a new market to invade, and at this year’s CES it found a new one. Flip is a smart whiteboard designed for businesses, but it would be right at home in a state-of-the-art school as well. It’s a 55-inch touchscreen with a smooth matte finish (e-ink-style), and it includes a dual-sided stylus with a fine-point pen on one end and a slightly wider highlighting tool on the other.

The Flip can import from and export to USBs, laptops or mobile devices. To connect a smartphone, for instance, simply tap the device against the bottom of the whiteboard and its screen displays directly on the Flip. You can then control the mobile device’s screen from the Flip itself, and the same is true for a laptop or desktop connection.

The Flip does indeed flip, turning horizontally or vertically as users see fit. The main whiteboard supports a scrolling lineup of 20 blank screens for note-taking, image importing and doodling.

The Flip costs $2,700, which isn’t terrible compared with products like Google’s Jamboard, which runs $5,000. The Flip is set to start shipping this month.

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

Philips Hue lights will sync with music and games on your PC

Philips’ team-up with Razer is just the start of Hue-to-PC syncing. The lighting behemoth is preparing to launch a Hue Sync app that will let you sync games, movies and music on any Windows 10 PC or High Sierra-equipped Mac. While the exact functionality is under wraps, it’s easy to imagine turning the room blood red when you play death metal, or dimming the lights when you settle in for a Netflix marathon.

The app is due sometime in the second quarter of the year and will launch alongside a version 3.0 Hue app for Android and iOS. The mobile overhaul promises to simplify light groups, offer quick access to recently used scenes and provide “seamless setup.” If you dislike the existing Hue app enough that you stick to the third-party options (such as the Apple and Google Home apps), it might be worth a revisit in the spring.

To top things off, there’s new hardware on the way… eventually. Philips has teased the launch of outdoor Hue lights (shown above) in the summer. There are virtually no details, but the company suggests they’ll be helpful for “peace of mind” by turning on when you arrive home, or deterring burglars when you leave. And of course, they can set the mood — we could easily see these being used for a creepy Halloween or a supplement to Christmas lights. Just don’t be surprised if they’re expensive, since they’ll have to both cover a large area and survive the elements.

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

Source: Philips

Say goodbye to ‘Pokemon Go’ on older iPhones

If you’re a hardcore Pokemon Go trainer with an old phone, it might be time for an upgrade. Niantic has announced its plans to drop support for iOS devices that can’t be updated to iOS 11, so phones released in or before 2013 (that’s the iPhone 5 and iPhone 5C) aren’t going to work with the game anymore.

Niantic has been steadfastly making improvements to Pokemon Go since its launch in July 2016, switching up gameplay rules for a better player experience, adding features such as dynamic weather and pushing for more hardware specific features in its AR component. So it makes sense that if it wants to keep driving the game forward it’ll have to cut loose some dead weight. There’s no word yet on a similar move for Android users — perhaps Niantic is testing the waters to see how this cull affects its user base. Support will be removed via an update rolling out on February 28, so upgrade now if you want to keep catching ’em all.

Source: Niantic

How HP plans to sell laptops to millennials in 2018

In 2017, HP chose some surprising places to launch its laptops and show off its technology — music festivals like Coachella and Panorama. Here at a more conventional tech launchpad, the company unveiled a couple of new laptops — the Spectre x360 15 and the Envy x2. We had a chat with Chief Technology Officer and VP of Product Experience Mike Nash to learn more about the company’s devices launched at CES, as well as how it determines what new features to add to its laptops. If you missed our interview when it aired live, here’s a nifty recap video for you to catch up.

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

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

U.S. Government Official Questions Apple Over iPhone Battery Slowdowns

Just two days after it emerged a French consumer fraud group is investigating Apple over its handling of battery-related performance issues on iPhones, Apple is now facing questions from government officials in its own country over the controversy.

The Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday that Senator John Thune (R–S.D.), chairman of the Commerce Committee, has sent a letter to Apple CEO Tim Cook asking a series of questions about how the company decided to throttle processing performance in iPhones with older batteries.

In a letter to Chief Executive Tim Cook, a copy of which was viewed by The Wall Street Journal, Thune asked how Apple has tracked customer complaints of processing performance, and if Apple has explored offering rebates to customers who paid full price for a battery replacement before the company offered discounted rates last month.

In the letter, Thune went on to note that Apple’s decision to offer battery replacements at a reduced price had prompted further criticism from customers who believe that Apple should have offered the replacements for free.

In addition to the senator’s letter, Wednesday’s WSJ report included official confirmation from the Paris prosecutor’s office that it is overseeing an investigation into Apple’s “alleged deception” that is being conducted by French consumer fraud group DGCCRF, which is part of the country’s economy ministry.

The investigation – which could lead to preliminary charges or be dropped – follows Apple’s admission that it slows down some older iPhones with degraded batteries during times of peak power usage in order to prevent unexpected shutdowns. Apple introduced the power management feature in iOS 10.2.1 after complaints of unexpected shutdowns in the iPhone 6s, but the company didn’t make it clear to consumers that it was due to battery deterioration, nor did Apple inform customers that it could cause occasional performance slowdowns.

Despite Apple’s apology and its efforts to correct the issue, in addition to the French inquiry, the company is now facing more than two dozen lawsuits accusing it of intentionally slowing down older iPhones and failing to disclose the changes that it introduced in iOS 10.2.1. One of those lawsuits also stems from France, filed by French consumer group “HOP”, which translates to “Stop Planned Obsolescence”.

Note: Due to the political nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Politics, Religion, Social Issues forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.
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Apple Announces Relocation of Chinese Customers’ iCloud Data From U.S. to Mainland China

Apple today confirmed that its iCloud services in mainland China will be operated by a Chinese company from next month (via People’s Daily, China). The firm, called Guizhou on the Cloud Big Data (GCBD), is owned by the Guizhou provincial government in southern China, and will manage Apple’s new $1 billion data center, which opened in the region last year.

Apple said customers based in the country had been contacted and advised to examine new terms and conditions, which include a clause that both Apple and the Chinese firm will have access to all data stored on iCloud servers.

Apple on Wednesday announced its decision to relocate Chinese mainland customers’ iCloud data from the U.S. to China, promising that the relocation will not compromise users’ information security pic.twitter.com/AYIvFNnMUF

— People’s Daily,China (@PDChina) January 10, 2018

Apple originally announced in July its intention to set up its first China data center in partnership with a local internet services company. The operational change was agreed between Apple and the Chinese government, bringing the tech giant into compliance with the country’s cloud computing regulations, introduced in June 2017.

The cybersecurity law requires foreign firms to store data within the country. Other tech firms with data centers in China include Microsoft and Amazon, which will also need to comply with the new rules.

Apple said the partnership with GCBD would also allow it to improve the speed and reliability of iCloud services products, but assured customers that no backdoors had been created into any of its systems. However, critics claim the move will make it easier for Beijing to spy on users in the country. Last year, Apple was accused of kowtowing to state demands that it remove virtual private network (VPN) apps from its App Store in mainland China.

Shortly after, Apple CEO Tim Cook said Apple “would rather not remove apps”, but like it does in other countries, “we follow the law where we do business”. Cook also said he hoped China would ease up on the restrictions over time.

In Wednesday’s announcement, Apple said customer iCloud data will be transferred from February 28, and customers living in mainland China who did not want to use iCloud operated by GCBD had been given the option to terminate their account.

Note: Due to the political nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Politics, Religion, Social Issues forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.

Tags: China, iCloud
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CES 2018: Philips Hue Announces iOS App Redesign, ‘Hue Sync’ for macOS, and Outdoor Bulbs Coming Mid 2018

Philips Hue is back with a handful of new announcements at CES today, following Monday’s news of a collaboration with Razer that allows your Hue lights to react to any game played on a device that features Razer Chroma. Philips continued that announcement by reiterating that even more partners across the gaming, movie, and music industries will debut in the future.

Philips calls this “Hue Entertainment,” and added that a “Hue Sync” app for macOS High Sierra and Windows 10 devices will be coming in Q2 2018. Hue Sync will let you create and customize light scripts for games, movies, and music played on a Mac or Windows computer.

Also in Q2 2018, the company plans to update its iOS and Android apps with a 3.0 update that will bring about a redesign of the app inspired by comments and feedback from current Hue users. Philips said 3.0 will “enhance” existing and new features so that the smart home lighting system can be activated “with even more ease.”

Design changes were not yet specified, but Philips said the new interface will allow you to “instantly access” last used scenes, as well as simplify how lights are grouped together.

Early in Q2 2018, Philips Hue will introduce a redesigned Hue app for both iOS and Android. Based on comments, feedback and ideas from Philips Hue users, the redesign will enhance both existing and new features, to help consumers light their home smarter with even more ease. The new app will improve daily use, and ensure seamless setup and integration of Hue accessories and new Philips Hue Entertainment partnership integrations. The interface will also enable consumers to instantly access their last used scenes, and to simply group lights and select their desired color temperature or color.

Finally, this summer Philips will introduce an outdoor line of Hue bulbs so that you can sync and control lighting in a backyard or elsewhere through the connected Hue app. No other information regarding the outdoor line and its price tag were given.

Over the past year Philips has been expanding the Hue line, launching new light fixtures, expanded starter kits, a candle light bulb, and table lamps, while extending its HomeKit support to the Hue Tap switch, Hue dimmer switch, and Hue motion sensor.

Tags: Philips, Philips Hue, CES 2018
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CES 2018: Matias Announces Wired Aluminum Mac Keyboard With RGB Backlighting

At CES on Tuesday, third-party accessory maker Matias announced an RGB-backlit wired aluminum keyboard for Mac. Inspired by Apple’s own, now defunct wired keyboard, Matias’ silver and space grey versions look almost identical, except for the addition of a “color dial” on the back and a dedicated key on the layout that allow users to incrementally shift the backlighting through the color spectrum.

Citing a Harvard sleep study, Matias notes that too much blue-light exposure at night is known to negatively impact melatonin levels, which can shift the body’s natural time clock — leading to poor sleep and various other health issues. However, the existence of the rotary color dial on its latest keyboard means users can dial back the blue component of white light when they’re working late into the evening.

The RGB keyboard features Apple-style function keys to let users control screen brightness, volume, iTunes, and so on, and also includes a built-in USB 2.0 port underneath on the right hand side, for connecting a wired mouse or wireless dongle.

The keyboards cost $99 each and will be available in a wide range of international layouts (US, EU, and Asian). They can be pre-ordered now from the Matias website, with free shipping to the U.S. and Canada, for delivery in late February.

Tag: CES 2018
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Asus ZenFone Max Plus hands-on

Asus is one of the stranger companies when it comes to mobile devices. They often try to make super affordable handsets with incredibly competitive specs, but they don’t go out of their way to try and sell these phones in carrier stores. This results in most consumers being unaware that they even exist, at least in places like the US, yet they continue to release quite a few phones year after year.

Read: Alexa vs Google Assistant – The big story at CES

While we’ve already seen some flagships from the company hit the market in the last few months, Asus has just unveiled the newest addition to the ZenFone line, the Asus ZenFone Max Plus.

Inside the metal body, the ASUS ZenFone Max Plus will have a 5.7-inch display in an 18:9 ratio, and with a resolution of 2,160 x 1,080.  ASUS doesn’t name the processor inside the phone in its US press release, but the company previously said the ZenFone Max Plus would have a MediaTek 6750T chipset. It will also have a large 4,130 mAh battery inside, which should offer up to 13 hours of video playback, or 21 hours of Wi-Fi web browsing.

This is undoubtedly a mid-ranged phone, but the biggest draw of this device is the massive battery and dual camera sensors.

That 4,130 mAh battery should last you a very, very long time. Add that to the fact that Asus is using a FHD screen (vs a QuadHD one), and you should be able to expect much more than a full day out of the Max Plus. We’ll have to see how the battery stacks up once reviews start hitting the internet in February of this year.

The other big draw of this phone are the dual camera sensors, with a main 16 MP sensor that has a wide, f/2.0 aperture lens. The secondary 8 MP camera has a 120 degree wide-angle sensor for capturing more people or scenery in the frame. The phone also has a 16 MP front-facing selfie camera.

The wide angle means you can capture much more of your scene if that’s what you’re going for. There are quite a few fun features and filters in both the front and rear camera sensors, and it’s also got face unlock like many of the other popular phones these days. It uses its ZenUI and the front camera so that owners can unlock their phones with just their face. There’s also a fingerprint sensor in the rear of the phone.

The ZenFone Max Plus is a dual SIM phone, but its SIM tray also has room for a separate microSD card, for adding up to 256 GB of storage.

There will be two models available, one with 3GB of RAM and 32GB of storage, and one with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage, and they’ll start at $229 in February. You can get them in Deepsea Black and Azure Silver.

The bad news about this phone is that it will ship with Android 7.0 Nougat out of the box. It also uses the older micro-USB connector instead of the new USB-C port, but still retains a 3.5 mm headphone jack.

What do you think about the ZenFone Max Plus? It’s certainly an interesting option for those that are curious about mid-ranged devices, so let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.

Read next: Sony Xperia L2 and Xperia XA2/Ultra hands-on

I had a one-night stand with a sleep robot

How well do you sleep? Do you toss and turn, read for hours, or count sheep in the hopes of visiting the land of nod, but to no avail? If so, perhaps you should try sleeping with Somnox’s sleep robot.

Although its name suggests otherwise, the Somnox sleep ‘bot doesn’t resemble Maria from Metropolis, or The Terminator — thankfully — and actually looks more like a massive peanut. Hug it, and you feel the soft rise and fall of its body, mimicking someone’s breathing. This calming effect is supposed to lull you to sleep, as your own breathing begins to match the slower pace of the robot’s own, while soothing sounds help relax your mind.

Sounds a bit weird, right?

We thought the same, so we arranged with Somnox to spend the night with a prototype of its new creation to really find out. When it arrived, the robot — which had already been affectionately dubbed “spoonbot” —  attracted plenty of attention ahead of our one and only night together.

Strange bedfellows

“Is that what you’re sleeping with?” people would ask, bringing back upsetting memories I’d heard people ask some of my old girlfriends. To appease their concerns, I’d give a quick demonstration. Once people cradled the robot, puzzled expressions turned to surprise, and even happiness. Most who initially thought the breathing would be creepy changed their minds. It was compared to hugging a kitten, which is decidedly better than treating it like a tiny, limbless torso.

Andy Boxall/Digital Trends

The sleep robot is decidedly unlike a kitten elsewhere. It’s solid, heavy, and although there is a soft fabric shell, it’s very obviously a piece of technology. It also doesn’t feel particularly big once you’re in bed with it (again, upsetting memories flooding back) despite a bulky look. It’s a very non-threatening design, which is important when you’re trying to convince regular people to take a robot to bed. In addition to the kittenish breathing, the sleep robot has a speaker inside that plays various lullabies. The volume is low, even when maxed out, and having the music playing at all is an option.

An app configures the breathing patterns and the music, plus the length of time the sleep robot stays active during the night. It’s very basic, but we didn’t experience any connectivity problems. Interestingly, for a device you sleep with, it doesn’t provide any sleep tracking data at the moment. It doesn’t have a smart alarm, either. These are two features we consider essential here, especially as sleep data would help us understand if sleeping with the bot was making a difference.

Andy Boxall/Digital Trends

Andy Boxall/Digital Trends

Andy Boxall/Digital Trends

According to Somnox’s website, the smart alarm is being worked on, and all of the sensors required to enable sleep tracking are inside the robot, ready to be activated in a future update. At the moment, the robot’s functionality is basic, and firmly built around the unusual breathing action. Somnox claims this is all based on scientifically proven techniques that reduce stress and promote good sleep. Members of the team were insomniacs, prompting the development of the sleep robot, so there’s genuine passion behind making it work effectively.

Does it work?

I slept through the night, waking only very briefly once, and certainly felt refreshed in the morning despite only resting for a few hours. However, I tested the sleep robot during CES 2018, in a hotel room, and on a different time zone to usual. None of these things make judging good sleep very easy, as exhaustion may have been a large contributing factor to me remembering nothing about my night’s sleep.

Andy Boxall/Digital Trends

Andy Boxall/Digital Trends

Andy Boxall/Digital Trends

Andy Boxall/Digital Trends

Andy Boxall/Digital Trends

Does this mean sleeping with the robot was disappointing? No, because what the Somnox sleep robot didn’t do was disturb me. The breathing action is very subtle, almost to the point where you can’t feel it. I shifted the robot around several times to establish where the breathing could be felt most, but there really wasn’t one. If you’re expecting it to feel like you’re in bed with some kind of slumbering wild animal, it won’t. No-one needs reminding how pleasant it is to feel the breathing of another person, which makes it easy to see the value of a device like Somnox’s. Even if it’s not for you, we envisage some young people, the sick, the lonely, or the vulnerable, getting real value from it.

Although a sock-like pillow case covers the robot, this won’t stop you from feeling the plastic control panel on the side of the prototype we tested. Somnox told us it’s still working on the final look and feel of this piece, which is 3D printed at the moment. Its controls, we’re told, may end up being made from fabric. At the moment, for all its sleep-promoting tech, the sleep robot doesn’t look like a typical lifestyle item to leave out on the bed either. We do think the design could be enhanced to make it more attractive.

Our one-night stand with the Somnox sleep robot was a fascinating experiment.

It’s also really expensive. It’s sold through Indiegogo at the moment for 500 euros, which converts over to nearly $600. That’s a lot of money for a gadget that may or may not help you sleep better, and doesn’t provide any quantifiable data to establish how much difference its making. You just have to trust it. The final version is expected to ship in September.

Our one-night stand with the Somnox sleep robot was a fascinating experiment. We’re not convinced it’s the ideal sleeping partner, but definitely don’t think it should be written off as just another bizarre piece of useless tech with ambitions beyond its ability either. There are still several months to go before it’s ready for sale, and the team has some very ambitious plans for the future, including artificial intelligence, voice control, and the ability to link more than one robot together.

It’s one to watch, and should our paths cross again, I’d be happy to welcome it back into my bed.

Editors’ Recommendations

• Somnox is a robotic pillow that lulls you to sleep by ‘breathing’
• Somnox, the peanut-shaped sleeping robot, ‘breathes’ to help you sleep
• Best sleep gadgets
• Pepper is everywhere in Japan, and nobody cares. Should we feel bad for robots?
• Apple nabs ‘Serial’-inspired true-crime drama ‘Are You Sleeping’