Zolo announces Model Zero radial speaker with Google Assistant

Anker’s Zolo sub-brand has announced an interestingly designed speaker with Google Assistant.

Anker is no stranger to audio products since it produces some of the best inexpensive earbuds out there. Its Zolo sub-brand is no stranger to experimental products either, with the company releasing its Liberty truly wireless earbuds late last year. That heritage continues with Zolo’s latest announcement: the Model Zero speaker.

Image courtesy of Zolo

I’m not quite sure what the inspiration is for this design, but it makes me want to use the speaker as a kettlebell. The oval cutout should make the speaker easy to lug around the house, assuming it isn’t too heavy, and a strip of buttons on the inside of the oval offers media controls. Besides that and the compatibility with Google Assistant, Zolo didn’t share any other details about the Model Zero. The company is aiming for a fall 2018 release, so we should learn more by then. The Model Zero will be available in black and silver, black and bronze or white and gold color.

What do you think of the Zolo Model Zero? Let us know down below!

Qualcomm’s Bluetooth SoC aims to make truly wireless headphones a whole lot better

OnePlus 5T: Everything you need to know!

This is everything you need to know about the OnePlus 5T!

OnePlus has settled into a six-month cycle for its phones: in the summer, its flagship gets a new design language and number, while in the winter that same phone gets tweaked and the letter “T” added to stand out from its predecessor. OnePlus continued this tradition in late 2017 with the OnePlus 5T replacing the OnePlus 5. This is everything you need to know about the OnePlus 5T!

Check out our reviews

We’ve had our hands on the OnePlus 5T since its unveiling, and we’ve spilled plenty of digital ink to cover it. Check out our video review above, and read our written reviews linked below:

OnePlus 5T review: Come for the value, not the excitement

OnePlus 5T India review: Hitting all the right notes

Flagship specs for less

OnePlus’s mantra has always been offering flagship-level internals coupled with minimalist software, all for significantly less than similarly-specced devices. The OnePlus 5T has all the right stuff you’d expect for late 2017: a Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 SoC, a 6-inch, 18:9 screen, and a dual-camera. Check out the full spec sheet below!

More: OnePlus 5T: Should you pay extra for 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage?

About those cameras…

LG has used a secondary lens for wide-angle shots, Huawei uses its second lens for black-and-white shots, while OnePlus is using the second lens in the 5T to better capture low-light shots. Really low light. Under 10 lux, which is is where most phone cameras start to struggle. The user doesn’t need to do anything to change which lens is in use; the camera software will automatically pick based on the ambient light.

Unfortunately, low-light photos from the 5T aren’t particularly good. Andrew noted his photos had a good bit of grain and strange artifacts from the camera software trying to smooth things out. In fact, the main camera took better low-light shots than the secondary lens. There’s no OIS in either lens, which would have gone a long way towards making those low-light shots better. The OnePlus 5T takes great shots when there’s ample light, but don’t count on it for your concert photos.

More: OnePlus 5T gets numerous camera improvements and December security patch

You can unlock it with your face

Android phones have been able to unlock with the user’s face since the Ice Cream Sandwich era, but the feature was never particularly consistent or secure. OnePlus has solved the first problem with the 5T, with a face unlock system that is ridiculously fast. There aren’t special camera sensors like on the Galaxy Note 8 or the iPhone X, and the face unlock on the 5T isn’t as secure as it is on those phones. But it can’t be fooled with a photograph, which should be secure enough for most users. Even better: OnePlus has started rolling this feature out to its older devices, back to the OnePlus 3.

More: OnePlus 5 now has Face Unlock with OxygenOS Open Beta 3

There’s a Star Wars edition

The Force is strong with OnePlus fans, at least in India. The company released a special edition of the 5T in India for ₹38,999 ($600), and it looks gorgeous. Rather than the matte black used on most 5T’s, the Star Wars edition has an all-white color scheme with a sandstone finish. Accenting the white paint job are the Star Wars and OnePlus logos, Alert Slider, power button, and volume rocker all in red.

More: OnePlus 5T Star Wars Limited Edition launches in India for ₹38,999 ($600)

There’s also a Sandstone White version

For those of you outside India, don’t fret: OnePlus now makes mostly the same device, just without the Star Wars branding. You get the same sandstone texture, the same pure white color, and the same red accents. Be careful with it though: Alex found the device got dirty after only a few days. The phone regularly picked up black and blue coloring from being in his jeans pocket. While it’s not difficult to clean for now, be wary of the long-term durability of this coating. The Sandstone White OnePlus 5T is available for the same $499 that the black version is.

More: The OnePlus 5T in Sandstone White is gorgeous, and probably won’t stay that way for long

Oreo is on its way

One oddity (or maybe not) with the OnePlus 5T is that it launched with Android 7.1.1 Nougat, rather than the more recent Android 8.0 Oreo. That’ll change soon, though: the company has already started fielding beta builds of Oreo through its Open Beta program, with a stable launch in the coming weeks. The OnePlus 5 began receiving its Oreo update before the update was paused, so hopefully the 5T will receive the update once OnePlus gets things figured out.

More: Oreo update cancelled for OnePlus 5 due to unnamed bug

Compared to other devices

The OnePlus 5T’s main selling point is its lower price for mostly the same experience compared to the big names in the Android world, and it holds up favorably. Against the Pixel 2, you get a larger screen and battery size, similar light software experience with some genuinely useful additions to vanilla Android, and (most importantly) a headphone jack. Things look even more favorable when comparing the 5T against the Pixel 2 XL, which has the same screen size and dimensions but costs $350 more. Where the 5T is lacking is water resistance — there isn’t any — and the camera. Again, the 5T has a good camera, but the Pixel 2 crushes it in low-light photography. If those are important to you, it may be worth the extra money for Google’s flagship.

The 5T is also a great phone for Windows 10 Mobile converts. The lighter software will be easier to adjust to than heavier versions of Android that come from Samsung and LG, OnePlus’s features don’t get in your way if you live in Microsoft’s ecosystem, and the lower price is also welcome.

More: Should you get the Pixel 2 or OnePlus 5T?

More: Why the OnePlus 5T is the Android for Windows phone converts

Check out our forums!

Want to know more about the OnePlus 5T? Our forums are full of awesome users who can answer your every question.

More: OnePlus 5 & 5T forums

OnePlus 5T and OnePlus 5

• OnePlus 5T review: Come for the value, not the excitement
• OnePlus 5T specs
• Should you upgrade from the OnePlus 3T?
• OnePlus 5T vs. Galaxy S8: Beast mode
• All of the latest OnePlus 5T news
• Join the discussion in the forums

OnePlus
Amazon

LG Pay will reportedly launch in the U.S. in June

LG’s payment solution supports NFC and MST transactions.

If you live in the United States, you have no shortage of mobile payment services to choose from. Most all Android phones have access to Android Pay (er, Google Pay), certain Samsung devices can use Samsung Pay, iPhones offer Apple Pay, and you better not forget the likes of Garmin Pay and Fitbit Pay on fitness trackers.

LG launched LG Pay in South Korea back in June of 2017, and now according to a report from Yonhap, the company will be expanding it to the United States a year later this coming June.

It’s said that LG Pay will first be available on the G7 and V40, and following this, LG will extend its availability to its mid-range lineup. LG Pay can be used for making payments via NFC, but similar to Samsung Pay, it also features Wireless Magnetic Communication tech to complete transactions at older MST terminals.

We understand the urge to moan and groan about having yet another payment service to keep up with, but the ability to pay with your phone at stores even if they don’t accept NFC is still exciting. This is obviously something Samsung’s been doing since the Galaxy S6, but if more phones can offer similar functionality, the better.

The LG G7 is currently expected to launch in the U.S. in either March or April, so assuming Yonhap’s reporting is accurate, the G7 (or whatever it ends up being called) will be without LG Pay for a few weeks following its debut.

LG G7 (2018 flagship) rumor roundup: Everything you need to know

The Moviphone is an Android phone with a built-in projector

This isn’t the first time we’ve seen a projector packed into a phone, but it is the cleanest implementation yet.

CES used to be a decent showcase for a lot of the major upcoming phones for the year, but as time’s gone on, that’s changed. Big phone unveilings are now reserved for MWC, IFA, and other press events throughout the year, but if you look hard enough, there are still some handsets to be found here and there.

One company that’s at CES 2018 is Wireless Mobi Solutions from San Diego, and it’s showing off a product called the “Moviphone.” The Moviphone is a mid-range Android handset that doesn’t look all that exciting at first glance, but upon further inspection, you’ll see there’s something unique on the back – a built-in projector.

The Moviphone can project a 720p HD image up to 100-inches in size, and its brightness rating of 50-lumens is right on par with what Motorola’s projector Moto Mod offers. However, unlike the Moto Mod for Motorola’s Moto Z devices, you wouldn’t know there was a projector on the Moviphone if we didn’t already tell you. It really is amazing just how much the Moviephone looks like any other random Android phone, and while its design might not be very inspiring, the fact that there’s a projector packed inside a familiar form factor is commendable.

Other specs for the Moviphone include a MediaTek MT6750V processor, 4,000 mAh battery, 16MP rear camera, 8MP front camera, 1280 x 720 display, rear-mounted fingerprint sensor, and Android 7.0 Nougat.

You can buy the Moviphone now from Wireless Mobi Solutions’ website for $599, but the company is hoping to expand it to other retailers and wireless carriers.

See at Wireless Mobi Solutions

Fitbit, Fossil and Samsung on the challenges for wearables in 2018

The first official day of CES 2018 is all wrapped up, and things were quite busy at the Engadget CES stage. Along with people like GoPro CEO Nick Goodman joining us at the show, we had other companies from the tech industry there as well. In one of our chats, we talked to executives from Fitbit, Fossil and Samsung about where they see wearables going in 2018, and what the biggest challenges ahead are for the category. A main point of emphasis was that moving battery life from days to months is key for wearables to succeed in the long term, which may seem obvious but will continue to be a main topic of discussion until there’s a major breakthrough.

You can watch highlights from the panel here, and below are the full names of the execs on stage.

Elina Vives, senior director of marketing, mobile computing and wearables, Samsung Electronics America
Melanie Chase, VP of brand marketing, Fitbit
Preston Moxcey, VP connected devices, Fossil Group

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

Dish DVRs will soon work with Google Assistant

Never mind using Google Assistant on your TV — Dish thinks you should talk to your set-top box instead. In the wake of Alexa support, the satellite TV provider is promising Google Assistant control for its Hopper DVR, Joey client and Wally receiver. You can soon search for shows, change the channel (by name or number) and control playback just by talking to your phone or a smart speaker like a Google Home. There’s no mention of recording, but that limitation is present with Amazon’s AI helper as well.

Just don’t plan on using it any time soon. Dish is only promising support “in the coming months,” which suggests you’ll only be using Assistant in the middle of the year. Still, this makes Dish’s TV service one of the friendliest for voice control. You won’t have to be picky about your choice of services if you’d rather not reach for the remote or launch an app.

Source: Dish Newsroom

Lights out at CES 2018

In possibly the worst thing that could happen at a tech show, power went down across several halls at the Las Vegas Convention Center during CES at 11:15 PT. Several booths suffered power outages, including swathes of TVs at LG. The South Hall is also affected, as people are being stopped getting to and from the exhibition areas. Security staff told Engadget that a “power outage” has affecting all halls except East. Attendees were blocked from entering Central Hall, where the main lighting was briefly down. — this included Engadget’s own stage presence at CES. (Update: our livestream is back and running.) Our staff also saw one man being escorted away from the convention center by police. Attendees at the Cosmopolitan Hotel reported “flickering lights” around the same time.

Update: CES has tweeted that there was “an isolated power outage at the Las Vegas Convention Center.” It added that it was “working hard to resolve this and appreciate your patience.

We’ll be updating this post as we learn more.

The lights just went out at #CES2018 pic.twitter.com/cljfwEsHHh

— Nat Levy (@NatJLevy) January 10, 2018

Lights out in Central Hall! #CES2018 pic.twitter.com/Cxb6ggK06g

— Nicole Scott (@Nicole_Scooter) January 10, 2018

LVCC Central Hall is in complete blackout 😭 pic.twitter.com/xOlQb3Nxfh

— Shunsuke Aoki / 青木俊介 (@aopico) January 10, 2018

Lights out in Central Hall! #CES2018 pic.twitter.com/Cxb6ggK06g

— Nicole Scott (@Nicole_Scooter) January 10, 2018

Whoa, I’m in a hotel on the other side of town from the LVCC and our power just flickered too…

— Tim Stevens (@Tim_Stevens) January 10, 2018

Razer’s Nommo line of PC gaming speakers feature Chroma lighting

Gaming peripheral maker Razer announced three new speakers for gaming PCs at CES today. Just like other Razer gaming devices, the Nommo speakers are equipped with the company’s fancy lighting system, Chroma, to let you visually customize your gaming space with light.

The $500 Nommo Pro is being touted as a THX-certified, premium 2.1 speaker system with Dolby virtual 5.1 surround sound. Razer says its main drivers are covered with Kevlar and its tweeters are woven with silk for solid mids and smooth, balanced highs, while the cylindrical subwoofer moves the air downward to provide a deep bottom end. The Nommo Pro has USB, optical, Bluetooth and standard audio ports into a control pod separate from the speakers. You can customize the EQ via a mobile app as well, while the Chroma light settings can be changed in the Synapse 3 PC app.

The more budget-friendly Nommo speaker is a bit more basic, with two three-inch “woven glass fiber” drivers with bass ports in the back. There’s also a Chroma-enabled Nommo, too, so you can change colors on the fly for $150. The Nommo and Nommo Chroma will be available this month, while the Nommo Pro is yet to be scheduled for release.

Source: Razer

Arable’s Mark crop sensors give farmers a data-driven edge

I’ve never actually set foot on a farm, but I’m inexplicably still inexplicable drawn to agriculture startups — after all, farming is one of the world’s oldest professions, and nothing is quite as helpful as pure hard data. Fortunately, that’s exactly what Arable specializes in: it built a crop sensor that’s absolutely packed with instruments to give farmers greater insight into how their fields are doing. That’s great for business, sure, but it also helps ensure quality produce eventually ends up on our plates.

Curiously, Arable’s sensor — the Mark — comes in a box that looks like it belongs on an Apple Store shelf. Don’t be fooled, though. While you hardcore gardening enthusiasts could certainly use the Mark as a handy (if pricey) weather station, the real value comes in how Arable can use the data collected by those instruments to offer practical advice to farmers.

An acoustic sensor measures the volume of rain, for instance, and farmers are given the data needed to decide whether their fields need additional water. Sensors facing the sky and the ground can measure light levels, and more importantly, tell whether the color of surrounding crops means they’re healthy or ready to harvest. When combined, certain metrics could also indicate whether certain crops are susceptible to disease, giving farmers a chance to mitigate damage before it gets bad or even potentially avoid it completely.

Arable has been working on its sensors for a while now, but it just recently got one crucial update: point forecasting. Over time, Mark sensors develop a sort of profile for the particular microclimate they’re placed in. On the back-end, that climate data gets mashed up with publicly available forecasts and a smattering of machine learning algorithms to help offer weather predictions with surprising granularity. That leads to better-managed crops, and ultimately, better things to ingest.

Perhaps more importantly, Arable sensors are pretty much plug-and-play. Farmers can just pop some in their fields, and the included 4G cellular radio makes sure all the data the Marks collect wind up in the cloud. Meanwhile, a combination of a solar panel and a built-in battery means farmers could theoretically leave Marks scattered across their land without touching them for years.

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

Netflix hid a fake bio-tech booth in the middle of CES

Venture beyond tech whales like Samsung and Sony, beyond the rows of smart speakers and giant TVs and you’ll discover that there are weirder things to be found at CES. That might be why Netflix’s trojan horse public relations move, establishing a fictional vendor booth deep within Las Vegas Convention Center, worked a little too well.

Well, I cheated. I was already briefed (through press release) that “Psychasec” wasn’t a genuine CES exhibitor, despite this fully-fleshed stall you see here. Nope, this is a fictional company from Altered Carbon, the next big-budget sci-fi series from Netflix that seems to borrow heavily from Blade Runner, at least in visual delivery.

Most of the other attendees, a mixture of business people, media and other exhibitors were immediately curious of the glossy white stand with two sexy, realistic mannequins on display at the front.

When they ventured inside, an army of slightly too pretty attendants, dressed-in-white offered vague sci-fi responses to questions (“It’s about transferring your conscious to a new, better body”), while screens all around scrolled through the benefits of replacing your body for a new (sexy, stronger, smarter) model. The aforementioned staff clutched tablets to take email addresses with promises of more information come February 2nd. Plenty took the bait, genuinely curious of where this company was based and whether this was all even possible.

The twist, if you can call it that, happens once you turn a corner, and you’re confronted with a vacuum-sealed human. This is another mannequin, although with some carefully-placed condensation inside the bag, made it rather unsettling. Naturally, I had to poke the “person” in a bag. Morbid fascination.

Engadget

So what about the only real thing here? The show itself, Altered Carbon, is set three hundred years into the future, at a time where human bodies are now interchangeable: Death just isn’t a thing. From the glimpses I saw here, it looks like Netflix is putting plenty of cash into the show — and I don’t just mean renting a plot in Las Vegas. Expect some action, navel-gazing thoughts on what it means to die, and a firearm or two. The show launches globally on February 2nd.