HTC U11 EYEs will reportedly launch January 15 with Android Nougat

HTC’s latest phone is right around the corner, but its software is already outdated.

CES 2018 is finally coming to a close, and now that we’re done with all the announcements coming out of the show floor, it’s time to dive right back into everyone’s favorite topic – smartphone leaks. Evan Blass recently took to Twitter to shed some light on HTC’s latest handset, the U11 EYEs, and for the most part, it seems like a fairly solid phone.

The front of the U11 EYEs is home to a 6-inch 1080 x 2160 Super LCD3 display, and above this is where you’ll find its “eyes.” Two front-facing cameras are found to the right of the earpiece for phone calls, and while specifics on these two sensors haven’t been announced, they’ll likely offer some sort of selfie portrait mode like we’ve seen on other devices.

There’s a single camera on the back of the phone, USB Type-C should offer fast and easy charging, and the addition of IP67 dust/water resistance is always great to see. Edge Sense makes a return for all of you that love squeezing your phones, and packed inside is a Qualcomm Snapdragon 652, 4GB RAM, 64GB of expandable storage, and a 3,930 mAh battery.

Perhaps the biggest disappointment with the U11 EYEs is that it’ll ship with Android Nougat. We’d expect a fast update to Oreo from HTC shortly after the phone’s release, but it just seems incredibly odd to release a phone in early 2018 that’s still running Nougat.

The HTC U11 EYEs will be available in black, silver, and red on January 15 for a rumored price of around $510 USD.

HTC U11

• HTC U11 review
• HTC U11 specs
• Manufacturing the U11: Behind the scenes
• Join our U11 forums
• HTC U11 vs Galaxy S8
• HTC U11 vs LG G6

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Deal: Buy a Pixelbook, get the Pen for free ($99 value)

Available now through February 1.

Thanks to its stunning design, fast performance, and so much more, the Pixelbook is easily the best Chromebook on the market. It’s not necessarily cheap, but if you’ve got at $1000 to spend, it’s awfully hard to be disappointed with the machine.

Towards the end of 2017, Google was running a promotion where you could get $100 off the retail price of the Pixelbook and a free Google Home. That deal is no more, but to kick off the new year, you can now score a free Pixelbook Pen with the purchase of the laptop itself.

The Pixelbook Pen usually costs $99 on its own, and while it can, of course, be used for all your drawing and doodling, holding the button on the Pen and circling any images or text will have the Google Assistant search it for more information.

This deal is available now through February 1 from Amazon, B&H, Best Buy, and the Google Store.

See at Amazon

Amazon Alexa and Echo speakers in Canada: Everything you need to know!

The Amazon Echo and Alexa is officially available to Canadians! Here’s everything you need to know!

Now that the Amazon Echo is officially available in Canada, Amazon has some pretty good deals for Canadians looking to fill their home with smart speakers. While the Echo line of products continues to expand in the U.S., Amazon launched Alexa in Canada along with its three signature Echo Speakers: The Amazon Echo (2nd Gen.), Echo Plus, and Echo Dot (2nd Gen.).

Amazon Echo (2nd Gen.)

The new Echo speaker is shorter and more fashionable with fabric finish options to directly compete with the Google Home for a cozier-looking smart speaker that doesn’t look so obelisk-like. Available for $130, this is the mid-range speaker that maintains the great sound of the original Echo speaker in a compact body. There are touch controls for volume and mute on top, and an Auxiliary Out port around back for connecting to a pair of speakers.

See at Amazon

Amazon Echo Plus

The Amazon Echo Plus looks almost identical to the first-generation Echo speaker, but there are a few significant upgrades included. Most notably is the built-in smart home hub by Zigbee, which lets you easily connect compatible smart home devices to Alexa. The sound is also a bit better on the bigger Echo speaker, and the dial for volume control around the ring light is still a brilliant bit of design.

If you’re just getting into setting Alexa up in your home, I would definitely recommend the Amazon Echo Plus as your starting point. Available for $200, It’s a little more expensive than the standard Echo speaker, but the included Zigbee hub allows for simple setup of smart home devices so you can easily connect and add Philips Hue lights or an Ecobee Smart WiFi Thermostat to Alexa without dealing with additional hubs or apps. The Echo Plus is available in black, silver.

See at Amazon

Amazon Echo Dot

The Echo Dot is the smallest and most affordable Echo speaker. These are best placed in bedrooms, on end tables, or in any parts of your house where you’d like to add Alexa support but don’t require high-end sound. About the size of a hockey puck, the Dot features all the functionality of the other two speakers (excluding the hub built into the Echo Plus), most importantly the AUX-out port for connecting to a more substantial set of speakers. It’s available for $70 and is your best bet for filling out your home with the power of Alexa.

See at Amazon

What about the old Echo speakers?

It’s tough luck for any early adopters who imported a first generation Amazon Echo or Echo Dot speakers, as Amazon has announced that those along with the Echo Spot and Echo Tap accessories will not support Canadian English and Canadian Skills. In my experience, I was still able to use the first gen Echo speaker just fine but that’s because I set my Alexa app up using Amazon.com. It still works as well as the other two speakers in my house.

If you did set up a first-generation Echo and switched your country to the United States to bypass the block in Canada, you’ll need to go into your account settings and switch that back to Canadian English before setting up your new speakers.

How to set up an account with Alexa

If you’ve got an Amazon account, you’re well on your way to setting up Alexa. The first thing you need to do is download the Alexa app which will guide you through the setup process.

To avoid headaches down the road, be sure to use your Amazon.ca account to set up and not Amazon.com. The majority of Canadian-specific content can only be found in the Amazon.ca Alexa Skills store, such as local news from CBC. Once you’ve logged into the app, it’s time to plug in your speaker for the first time and continue with setup.

Amazon Echo connects to your WiFi network, but first, it needs to connect to your phone. You’ll know your Echo is ready to connect when you see an orange ring light up. You’ll then be asked to choose the WiFi network you want Alexa to connect to and then its a matter of further customizing your Alexa profile within the app.

What are the best skills for Canada?

Here’s another point that early adopters know all too well — finding Skills that are actually worth using on a day-to-day basis is still a chore. Alexa in Canada is still a work in progress as many popular skills and functions are not yet available to Canadians. We’ve rounded up some of the best skills that are available for Canadians and worth checking out.

Canadian news skills:

• CBC News: The World This Hour — The national broadcaster has probably the best news skill for Canadians. Updated hourly, you’ll get a quick look at the national and international stories making headlines. CBC also offers local news reports, but only through Amazon.ca.
• Global News — The Corus Network offers multiple regional skills that deliver local news coverage from its Global News brand, although the news reports seem to be sourced from the local Corus radio affiliate.
• CTV News — Updated throughout the day, this Flash Briefing from CTV News brings you the latest breaking news and headlines from Canada and around the world.
• National Post — Listen to a selection of the latest political commentary pieces from the Full Comment section of the National Post.
• The Globe and Mail — Because you can never have too many news sources, you can add The Globe and Mail to your flash briefing for the latest Canadian national and political news, including the latest from the Canadian Press.
• TSN Flash Briefing — A must-have for any sports fans. Stay up to date on all the most popular sports stories in Canada and around the world.
• TheScore — It’s kind of ironic that the format for TheScore’s skill has changed from giving you the latest sports scores to a quick commentary on one of the biggest stories of the day. Still worth checking out but likely not a replacement for TSN.

Fun and games skills:

• Would You Rather for Family — This classic game that you probably played as a kid is back as an Alexa skill. This family-friendly version is an absurd time-waster and party game.
• The Magic Door — This Alexa-powered interactive game is filled with original stories. There are 11 specific storylines to discover and explore.
• Escape The Room — If you’re a fan of escape rooms, you’re going to love this skill which offers up a series of increasingly difficult virtual escape rooms which you explore using your voice. A highly reviewed Skill worth checking out.
• Bomb Diffuser — Which wire is it? Red or Blue?! This is a quick and fun game that showcases some of the creative ways you can have fun with Alexa.
• Hot Potato — This classic children’s game works pretty great for Alexa. Perfect for a bit of kid-friendly fun for all ages.
• Categories Game — If you enjoy playing Scattegories, you might enjoy this knock-off version for Alexa. Reviews are mixed, and you can expect the game to be occasionally slowed down with bugs, but it’s the best we got for now.
• Party Game — This is a creative game for adult parties that requires a deck of cards. A great game to play with music once the party is already in full swing.

Relaxation skills:

• Rain Sounds — The soothing sounds of rain will help you gently fall asleep, or calm your nerves when you can’t get Alexa to play that trivia skill.
• Guided Meditation: Meditation of the Day — Another nice skill for mindfulness, Guided Meditation delivers daily meditations for relaxation, falling asleep, or starting your day right. Each session is between 5-8 minutes.
• IFTTT — Having Alexa do more for you should let you relax a bit easy IFTTT (If This, Then That) is a third-party skill that lets you automate all sorts of handy little gestures that work with other services and devices you already use. Fun to play around with and simplify your home life.

What products and services work with Alexa?

Music and Media

The number one reason you likely bought an Echo speaker is to use your voice to control the music around your home. Fortunately, that’s Alexa’s greatest strength right out of the box. Alexa in Canada supports Amazon Music, Spotify, TuneIn, and SiriusXM, as well as playback on Sonos speakers.

Amazon Prime Music was launched in Canada alongside the Echo and that might be a worthwhile service consider if you’re already an Amazon Prime subscriber and aren’t subscribed to another music streaming service. If Amazon Music doesn’t excite you, you’re best off using Spotify Premium. Spotify works seamlessly with Alexa for playing specific artists, albums, or tracks, and also does a great job picking music base on genres, moods, or activities. While it’s frustrating that you cannot request podcasts from Alexa, she will play them just fine as long as you pre-load them up first in the Spotify app.

Incredibly, there is no support for Audible audiobooks for Alexa, but you can still get Alexa to read any compatible Kindle titles.

Video support is not yet available for Alexa in Canada.

Smart Home

Useful Alexa Skills are in short supply for Canadians — fortunately, there’s an ever-growing list of smart home products that should work perfectly with Alexa. With an Amazon Echo Plus, you can start adding Philip Hue and other Zigbee-compatible smart home devices easily from within the Alexa app. Other smart home products might not yet be compatible with the Canadian Amazon Echo hardware, or might require a separate hub and the associated app to set up.

You’re able to control multiple Echo speakers from within the Alexa app, including grouping them together as needed for your home.

Best Smart Lights for Amazon Alexa

Best Smart Switches for Amazon Alexa

Best Smart Plugs for Amazon Alexa

What can’t it do yet?

Unfortunately, the list of what Alexa can’t do is still quite long for Canadians. All those cool features like ordering pizzas using your voice, or getting Alexa to read step-by-step instructions for recipes just aren’t available for those of us up north yet. If you use the Amazon.com account as opposed to Amazon.ca, you’ll miss out on the shipment tracking features (and you’d think that Amazon would be able to bridge that gap between its two sites but nope).

Alexa is here in Canada, yes, but in many ways, it feels like we’re lightyears behind where the U.S. version of Alexa is today. We’re sure you’re more than numb to the familiar experience of playing catch up with our neighbours to the south (and not just from the frostbite). We’ll continue to update this guide as Canadian Alexa learns to do more cool skills that you need to know about.

Amazon Echo

• Tap, Echo or Dot: The ultimate Alexa question
• All about Alexa Skills
• Amazon Echo review
• Echo Dot review
• Echo Spot review
• Top Echo Tips & Tricks
• Amazon Echo vs. Google Home
• Get the latest Alexa news

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Android Oreo now available for unlocked HTC 10

HTC shows some love for a phone that’s nearing two years of age.

Although we wouldn’t recommend buying one in early 2018, the HTC 10 was an excellent handset during its time that flew under the radar for a lot of people. The phone shipped with 6.0.1 Marshmallow, was updated to Nougat in late 2016, and it’s now getting to share in on the Oreo action.

Android 8.0 Oreo is now rolling out to the HTC 10 via an over-the-air update, and if it hasn’t landed on your phone yet, it should arrive within the coming days. However, if you grow tired of waiting and want to get the new software on your phone this instant, you can download the RUU file directly from your phone. If you do choose to go this route, be warned that this will completely wipe everything on your phone and put you back to square one.

Prior to the 10, HTC also pushed Oreo updates to the U11 and U11 Life (both the unlocked model and the one on T-Mobile). HTC previously said that Oreo would also be coming to the U Ultra, so it should only be a matter of time before that rolls out as well.

HTC 10 review: Iconic, impressive, imperfect

AMD is deploying a patch for the second Spectre CPU vulnerability

While Intel is at the center of the Spectre/Meltdown fiasco, AMD’s chips are also affected by the CPU vulnerabilities. The company previously said that its chips are only susceptible to the first Spectre variant, but in its latest announcement, it admitted that both Spectre variations are “applicable to AMD processors.” AMD already provided PC manufacturers its fix for the first Spectre version, and Microsoft has begun rolling it out. The chipmaker also said it’s working with Redmond to address a problem that delayed the distribution of patches for its older processors.

Since the second version of Spectre needs a different fix, AMD will also provide its customers and partners for Ryzen and EPYC processors with a patch for its chips starting this week. Firmware updates for its older chips will follow in the coming weeks. If you use Linux, you might get it sooner than you think, since Linux vendors have already started releasing OS patches for the second variant. You might have to wait a bit if you’re a Windows user, though, since AMD is still working out distribution timing with Microsoft.

While its statement regarding its products’ vulnerability both Spectre variants has changed, the company said its chips’ architecture will make it very difficult for attackers to exploit version 2. It also maintained that Meltdown isn’t applicable to AMD chips at all. AMD’s processors aren’t “susceptible” to Meltdown, the chipmaker wrote, “due to [the company’s] use of privilege level protections within paging architecture. Since “no mitigation is required” for variant 3, it won’t be creating a patch for the vulnerability.

Via: Reuters

Source: AMD

Engadget Today | CES 2018: It’s a wrap!

That’s it, the show’s over! It’s been a wild ride, as usual. After landing here a week ago, we’re glad to be packing up and heading back to our own homes, but we’ll always have a soft spot in our hearts for the LVCC. We can’t wait to see all the new gadgets from the show in the review lab, but for now, it’s adios, see you next year.

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

NASA finds easy-to-access water all over Mars

NASA and private companies like SpaceX are busy planning Mars missions, but only have a vague idea of how they’re going to find critical water supplies. Now, using the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO), researchers have discovered abundant, easy-to-access H20. A survey found no less than eight sites where cliff erosion has exposed thick deposits of nearly pure ice that lie just three to six feet below rock and dust. The findings mean that future missions, both manned and robotic, may have an easier time than expected digging up water for drinking and making rocket fuel.

As reported in the journal Science (paywall), the water was found in both the north and south of Mars, at latitudes equivalent to South America and Scotland. The exposed areas were found on scarps as steep as 55 degrees. Based on the absence of craters in the regions, scientists believe that the features formed relatively recently.

“The discovery reported today gives us surprising windows where we can see right into these thick underground sheets of ice,” study co-author Shane Byrne of the University of Arizona told NASA. “It’s like having one of those ant farms where you can see through the glass on the side to learn about what’s usually hidden beneath the ground.”

Researchers found the scarp sites by gauging colors using the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera on the MRO, and confirmed its purity using CRISM (Compact Reconnaissance Imaging spectrometer for Mars). The orbiter has previously found extensive ice sheets at other locations on Mars using its Shallow Radar camera, but it was impossible to say how deep it was. Now, scientists know that it’s close enough to access with relative ease.

The exposed blue material is very likely ice (NASA, JPL-Caltech, University of Arizona)

Another study had scientists concerned that the soil itself doesn’t contain much water, but that may not be as much of an issue if it’s abundant in ice form just below the surface. At the eight sites, there are even areas where ice water is directly exposed. “Astronauts could essentially just go there with a bucket and a shovel and get all the water they need,” Byrne said.

Besides the practical aspects of water-fetching, the findings have important scientific value, too. “There is shallow ground ice under roughly a third of the Martian surface, which records the recent history of Mars,” said Colin Dundas, the study’s lead author. “What we’ve seen here are cross-sections through the ice that give us a 3D view with more detail than ever before.”

For instance, Mars’ climate is highly variable because, unlike the Earth, its tilt changes a lot more often. Researchers noticed variations in the color of the ice in individual scarps, suggesting that it formed differently at different times, depending on the tilt. “If you had a mission at one of these sites, sampling the layers going down the scarp, you could get a detailed climate history of Mars,” said MRO project scientist Leslie Tamppari.

The finding is one of the most exciting around Mars water to date, but it’s not definitive proof that massive ice blocks exist below the surface of Mars. On top of that, researchers can’t tell if the water has high amounts of salts or, worse, poisonous perchlorates. However, it gives scientists a much better idea where to send future robotic missions, which could access the ice directly and tell us all we need to know.

Via: NASA

Source: Science

The PC market recently grew for the first time in six years

There’s been a discouraging trend in computer shipments recently; year-to-year growth has declined steadily over the last six years. But now, IDC has a bit of good news: It looks as though the PC market actually grew 0.7 percent in the holiday season of 2017. This contradicts IDC’s forecast, which predicted a 1.7 percent decrease in shipments.

The first holiday season growth of PC shipments in six years is certainly worth nothing; the team at IDC believes that, while the computer market is still weak, it’s beginning to stabilize. Overall, the year’s shipments were down 0.2 percent, with a total of 259.5 million units shipped. A decline, sure, but better than 2016’s 1.5 percent decline.

The top PC performer in 2017 was HP, with a market share in the US of 34 percent. Lenovo followed, with Dell in third place. Apple remains in fourth place, growing its shipments 7.3 percent in the fourth quarter of 2017. ASUS and Acer were tied for fifth place.

It’s good news for the PC market generally; in 2015, it made its steepest drop in history, falling 10.6 percent in the fourth quarter of 2015 and 8.3 percent overall. It looks like IDC’s prediction that the market is finally evening out is indeed coming to pass.

Source: IDC

Apple Rises to Become World’s Fourth-Largest PC Maker With Around 20M Macs Sold Last Year

Apple rose to become the world’s fourth-largest PC maker in 2017, as Mac sales increased to nearly 20 million during the year, according to the latest estimates shared by research firms IDC and Gartner.

The roughly 19.6 million total is based on Apple’s reported Mac sales of 13.9 million units in the first three calendar quarters of the year, while IDC and Gartner estimate Apple sold another 5.4 million to 5.7 million Macs in the fourth quarter.

Apple officially reported sales of 18.5 million Macs in 2016, so the company is looking at year-over-year growth of around four to six percent based on the IDC and Gartner data. Apple sold over 20 million Macs in both 2014 and 2015, however, so 2017 was likely not a record-breaking year for the Mac.

Apple leapfrogged either Asus or Acer depending on which dataset you look at, as IDC and Gartner have slightly different estimates. Both research firms have Apple trailing behind HP, Lenovo, and Dell, which shipped an estimated 58.8 million, 54.8 million, and 41.8 million PCs respectively last year per IDC.

Apple’s growth in 2017 is impressive given Gartner claims it was the sixth consecutive year of declining PC shipments. The year saw Apple refresh its MacBook Pro and iMac lineups with Kaby Lake processors, give the base MacBook Air a slight speed boost, and launch an all-new iMac Pro.

We’ll know exactly how many Macs were sold in 2017 when Apple reports its next earnings results on February 1, but if these estimates prove to be accurate, it was a financially successful year for the Mac.

Related Roundups: iMac, Mac Pro, Mac mini, MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, MacBookTags: IDC, GartnerBuyer’s Guide: iMac (Neutral), Mac Pro (Caution), Mac Mini (Don’t Buy), MacBook Air (Neutral), MacBook Pro (Caution), MacBook (Neutral)
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Sennheiser packed its Ambeo 3D audio tech in a soundbar

Sennheiser has been touting the merits of its Ambeo 3D audio for a few years now at CES, but in 2018, the company plans to make that spacial soundscape more accessible. The first speaker product to feature the tech will be the Ambeo 3D Soundbar and the company is showing it off here in Vegas. Sennheiser has been working on 3D audio since 2010, when it was recording classical performances in 9.1 surround sound. Until now, you needed a 9.1 speaker setup to really appreciate that level of detail, but later this year, all you’ll need is a soundbar.

The device Sennheiser is showing off at CES this year is a prototype, but the company says the audio is final. The Ambeo 3D Soundbar packs 13 speakers total with nine across the front, two angled out from the sides and two angled on the top. While there will be a subwoofer option, you really don’t need it because the soundbar has a low-end range of 30Hz — and it’s pretty damn impressive coming from a device like this. Usually you need a separate sub to complement a soundbar for a solid dose of bass. In terms of connectivity, the company says the device will have a trio of HDMI inputs, one HDMI output and inputs for both analog and optical. It’s also fully wireless with Bluetooth and WiFi, and there will be voice control onboard. The prototype was also quite large, especially when compared to other soundbars, thanks to its 4-inch speakers. Chances are the final version will be pretty large as well. Not a deal breaker, but it’s certainly something to consider.

Of course, not everyone has access to 3D audio recordings, but that won’t be a huge issue for a few reasons. One of those is that the soundbar is compatible with Dolby Atmos, so there’s a library of compatible content you can tap into there. Sennheiser says it will also upscale, or as the company calls it, “upmix,” non-3D audio to sound better on the speaker. As you might expect, it won’t sound as good as a recording captured in true 9.1, but it beats having to re-buy your music collection. The company says it is working with music labels on content and other audio companies are enlisting its help for 3D audio capture at live sporting events and more. You can also opt to use the Ambeo soundbar in normal stereo mode as well, in which case you won’t have to worry about any tweaks. I didn’t get a demo of that mode though, so I can’t speak to whether or not it’s equally as stunning.

Sennheiser’s Ambeo 3D microphone

During a 15-minute demo, I heard audio samples ranging from a Mad Max clip to a performance from Imogen Heap captured in true 9.1. I’m not going to mince words here: To say this thing is impressive is an understatement. I’ve heard Ambeo recordings before, so I know the level of detail and clarity they offer, but to put all of that inside a soundbar is a feat. This piece of gear takes spatial audio like Dolby Atmos to a whole other level, and it’s miles above what Sony and others offer as part of their home theater lineup. I have a Sonos Playbar and sub in my living room, and this Sennheiser speaker blows that out of the water, too.

Perhaps the most impressive audio sample during the demo came from a German Bundesliga soccer match. During the clip, you could hear the roar of the crowd change as the players moved from end to end. It very much sounded like I was sitting inside Niedersachsenstadion watching Hanover 96 in person. The music stuff is great, but as a sports fan, this might be more exciting. Of course, the effectiveness relies on a 3D audio capture, but Sennheiser says a number of broadcasters have already started doing so. And thanks to MPEG-H support, you can focus in on the home-supporters section, decrease the volume of the commentary or apply other tweaks to the audio stream to enhance the viewing experience.

During that same demo, Sennheiser switched back and forth between the Ambeo soundbar and a true 9.1 setup. While you could notice the difference, there wasn’t a huge change when flipping from one to the other. Again, it’s another piece of engineering skill on display when a massive surround sound setup is packed in a single speaker and the difference isn’t night and day. The company says the unit on display here isn’t the final design, but it has the audio dialed in. And that’s great news considering how impressive what I heard was.

As is the case with a lot of things announced at CES, Sennheiser isn’t talking price or availability yet. However, it did tell me that this isn’t some far-in-the-future concept; it plans to bring the device to market this year. The company shied away from divulging a ballpark price tag, it did say that you can expect to pay more than you would for a soundbar from the like of Sony or LG. That’s not a huge surprise based on the audio prowess on display here. Sennheiser caters to audiophiles and everyday users alike with its range of headphone options, so let’s hope it appeals to both with the price tag on this soundbar.

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