Apple Seeds Second Beta of tvOS 11.3 to Developers

Apple today seeded the second beta of an upcoming tvOS 11.3 update to developers for testing purposes, two weeks after seeding the first beta and two weeks after releasing the tvOS 11.2.5 update.

Designed for the fourth and fifth-generation Apple TV models, the tvOS 11.3 developer beta can be downloaded onto the Apple TV via a profile that’s installed using Xcode and Apple Configurator.

The tvOS 11.3 update introduces support for AirPlay 2, allowing the Apple TV to be added to the Home app as part of a HomeKit setup.

With AirPlay 2, you can play a song on multiple Apple TVs in different rooms, and when AirPlay 2 officially launches, that same functionality will extend to other AirPlay 2 devices like HomePod and AirPlay 2 compatible speakers.

Other new features in tvOS 11.3 include enhancements to Match Content support, automatic frame rate switching on the fourth-generation Apple TV, and automatic mode switching for AirPlay video sessions.

Related Roundup: Apple TVBuyer’s Guide: Apple TV (Buy Now)
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How to add music to Instagram videos

It’s 2018, and if you’re anything like us, you spend half your time recording shaky home videos on your smartphone and the other half sharing them via Instagram. But what if in the video you took of your dogs happily frolicking at your recent family barbecue you can hear your Uncle Jim loudly talking about his last social escapade or doomed new business venture? You want your friends to see how much fun Spot and Kona are having, but you don’t want them to get the skinny on the latest family drama. What do you do?

Well, you could simply mute the video so that it makes no sound at all — Instagram makes this easy to do. However, we’ve found a better answer that doesn’t lead to 15 seconds of silence. There are a few mobile apps specifically built to take any video you’ve recorded on your phone and merge it with an audio file to create a work of art that’ll have people double-tapping on your post all day long (and maybe tapping their feet, too). Want to record your weekly toenail clipping session, set it to the dulcet tones of Marvin Gaye, and share it for all the world to see? Look no further! (The internet has seen stranger things, we suppose.) These apps will let you easily lay down a music track to any video, adding a finished touch to your Instagram videos to make the stand out from the crowd.

Note: Most of these apps only allow you to use audio recordings or music files that are saved to your device. So if you exclusively use streaming apps, considering finding a few music files first. 

VidLab (free)

VidLab is a versatile, tool-laden editing app that can do just about anything you ask of it. Want to add text to a video? Done. Instagram filters not good enough? VidLab has its own set you can apply. The app allows you to choose any audio file from your device to cut and lay over your video, as well as a suite of in-app sound effects. You can also choose to record original audio on the spot. The app even includes an option that lets you search iTunes or Google Play for audio files, where you can purchase any ones you want to use. The main drawback of the app is you have to shell out a few bucks if you want to remove the VidLab watermark from your videos or add extra affects or fonts, but it has to make money somehow, right?

Download now from:

iTunes Google Play

Videoshop ($2)

Videoshop (it’s like Photoshop, but for video — get it?) brings all the same tricks to the table as the aforementioned VidLab, plus a few of its own. It’s currently free on Google Play, but costs you $2 on the Apple App Store. However, that $2 buys you a powerful editing app that supports 1080p video. You can also flip videos horizontally, combine multiple clips into one, add animated transitions from clip to clip, and make Vine-esque stop motion videos. You can also create copies of videos and edit each clip individually, and the app includes dozens of filters and text overlays that allow for ample customization. It’s compatible with iOS 8.2 and later, and Android version 4.3+.

Download now from:

iTunes Google Play

Flipgram (free)

Flipgram is a full-fledged video editor that sets itself apart by being more than just an app — it’s a creative community! You can find inspiring content from other creators within the app and share your own videos to inspire others! But even if you’d prefer not to interact within its bespoke social space, Flipgram still allows you to share to Instagram and your other social media. It also features a built-in music library, making it easier to access your favorite tracks. In addition to adding music, you can stitch together multiple video clips, add still photos, overlay text, and more!

Download now from: 

iTunes Google Play

Background Music for Video (free)

If you’re not interested in trawling through the numerous editing tools available with the previous apps, or if you simply prefer a gimmick-free experience, take a look at Background Music For Video. No, it doesn’t have a catchy name. No, it doesn’t have a sexy interface. But it will get the job done, and it’s a great choice for users who just want to quickly add some music to a video without stopping to smell the roses. Just pick your video, pick your audio file, and set the start and stop parameters. You’ll be all set to upload your new artwork to your Insta profile in no time.

Download now from: 

iTunes

Quik by GoPro (free)

GoPro revolutionized the world of action video, and now the company is looking to revolutionize the world of mobile video editing. Quik will automatically create stories from your pictures and videos (both those shot with your phone and with a GoPro camera, if you have one), add filters and music, and add one of several unique video edits — like stop-motion or “slice,” which cuts the screen in half and plays the video one side at a time — to create a masterpiece. Though this may sound over the top, the app allows you to change any of the video’s properties, giving you full control over the look of your video.

You can also choose music from your own library, or from the app’s vast selection of songs. You can select or deselect pictures and clips you want to include as well, and choose which after-effects you’d like to apply. So, if you just want to add some tunes to a quick video of you cooking food, you can do that. Or, if you want to create a full collage of your recordings and pics from a recent ski trip in the Rockies, one replete with filters and effects, you can do that too.

Download now from: 

iTunes Google Play

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Thanks Samsung, you’ve ruined Mobile World Congress 2018

Looking forward to a massive, seemingly unending parade of delightful, tantalizing, cutting-edge new smartphones at Mobile World Congress (MWC) this year? Don’t bother.

Samsung has ruined all that. Sure, there will be a quite the number of great phones to see; but a few we’re really looking forward to in 2018 won’t be there. Why? Fear, and it’s all Samsung’s fault.

Samsung has an event on February 25 in Barcelona, Spain, and you don’t need to be a cryptographer to work out the secret in its teaser image. Samsung will announce the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9 Plus, a day before the show actually opens its doors. You’ve probably heard about them. They’re going to be two of the world’s biggest selling phones in 2018. While tech journalists will flock to the event and smartphone fans over the world will ogle the live stream, every other big-name phone company has effectively run from Barcelona screaming.

Three top names that won’t show off a competing flagship phone at Mobile World Congress are Huawei, HTC, and LG. More could follow. If you’re waiting for the rumored LG G7, HTC U12, and Huawei P20, they’ll all come at a later date. How many of the above would have chosen MWC as the launchpad for their flashy new phones if they knew Samsung was turning up with a couple of tablets and not a lot else, like it did last year?

The Galaxy S9 is coming, run away

Okay, it’s not entirely Samsung’s fault. LG is rethinking its mobile strategy, and Huawei had a poor start to the year when AT&T (and now reportedly Verizon) pulled out of a deal to sell its Mate 10 Pro smartphone. HTC also just sold a chunk of its mobile engineering team to Google, but we’re not so sure if that’s affecting its launch plans.

But at the end of the day, Samsung has the Galaxy S9. Everyone knows it’s going to be a huge deal, and likely a very good phone indeed. The leaks surrounding the Galaxy S9 indicate it’s going to correct a major issue with the Galaxy S8 — the camera. It wasn’t bad, but it was soon eclipsed by other 2017 phones because it wasn’t too different from the Galaxy S7.

Jung Yeon-Je/Getty

Samsung proved it could make a brilliant camera with the Galaxy Note 8, and we’re expecting the Galaxy S9 to be even better — at least on the Galaxy S9 Plus. Samsung’s most definitely not copying Apple by making its larger phone more desirable by giving it a dual-lens camera, and lumping a single lens on the smaller, cheaper Galaxy S9. The design looks very similar to the S8, but that doesn’t matter because it’s gorgeous.

Every other big-name phone company has run from Barcelona screaming.

Then there is the launch event itself. Spectacular doesn’t quite come close to describing it. Samsung always goes all-out to make an impression at its “Unpacked” events, and given the importance of the Galaxy S9, this one won’t be any different. February 25 will be Samsung Day, and we doubt anyone could steal the limelight if they tried.

That’s the problem. If Mobile World Congress is a horror movie, Samsung is the monster in the closet everyone is too terrified to take on.

Dollars, eyeballs, and column inches

HTC won’t bring the U12, or any other major phone release, to MWC and will hold its own event at a later date. Huawei has already chosen Paris for its next big phone launch in March, which we expect to be the Huawei P20. It will still likely launch a product or two at the show — perhaps a successor to the Huawei Watch 2. LG isn’t holding an MWC press conference at all, so the G7 definitely won’t be there; however like Huawei, we’re expecting it to put on a brave face and give us something to gawk over.

It costs a lot to put on a massive show at Mobile World Congress, and promotion is everyone’s goal. Samsung’s marketing budget for the Galaxy S9 is sure to be gigantic, and Digital Trends, along with every other publication, tech-centric and otherwise, will be writing about the phone.

Sharing space with any other company is already bad news, but sharing space with Samsung is really, really bad news. Outspending Samsung also seems like a very poor use of anyone’s budget. It’s much more sensible to hold your own event later on, when Samsung won’t be looming over it like a Bixby-controlled Dementor.

We get it. It makes good business sense. But we can’t help feeling a little robbed.

The brave few

Is it going to be ‘Samsung Presents: Mobile World Congress 2018?’ No, not quite. In addition to whatever Huawei and LG show, there are several companies bringing new phones. Sony, Motorola, and Nokia will undoubtedly announce a handful of phones, and there will be plenty of other surprise devices to find in MWC’s cavernous halls too. It just won’t be the flagship phone shootout it could have been.

We’ll get to see awesome new phones spread over the next few months.

On the bright side, it also means we’ll get to see awesome new phones spread over the next few months, rather than all in one go at the end of February. It also gives us a better chance to properly assess releases, as we’re blessed with more time to do so. So while we complain, it’s actually not a bad thing — but modern life is all about urgency and instant gratification; we want everything now, thanks very much.

But it’s also a dangerous game to play. People only have so much money to spend, and if it gets spent on the Galaxy S9 because it’s the only new game in town during March or April, then sales will be lost for everyone else.

If at the end of February you’re wondering how the new Galaxy S9 stacks up against the new phones from every other manufacturer, you won’t know, because they’re all hiding in the corner, quivering. You’ll know when they emerge over the next few months. We won’t be quivering though, we’ll be in Barcelona to courageously take on the Galaxy S9, and everything else at the show, then tell you all about it. We can’t wait.

Editors’ Recommendations

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4 cameras and a mirror-like finish make the midrange Honor 9 Lite stand out

Not content with launching the Honor 7X and the Honor View 10 at the end of 2017, Honor has already announced its first smartphone for 2018 — the Honor 9 Lite. While it takes the name of Honor’s stunning Honor 9 smartphone, it shares more of a visual resemblance to the Honor 7X while carrying over over one of the Honor 9’s best design features — the beautiful mirrored rear cover.

Honor says it has applied a nanoscale optical coating made of glass to the rear panel  to give it that distinct mirrored finish. Unlike the Honor 9, the Honor 9 Lite has an 18:9 aspect ratio screen under a 2.5D piece of glass on the front, which measures 5.65 inches, and a 2160 x 1080 pixel resolution. This gives it a bezel-less appearance, which Honor has embraced with all of its most recent phone releases. While the design will turn your head, it’s the camera setup that makes the Honor 9 Lite interesting.

The phone has four camera lenses — yes, four — two on the front and two on the back. Both have the same dual-lens 13 megapixel and 2 megapixel sensors. Honor uses its dual-lens cameras to produce a blurred background bokeh effect, which can be re-created in regular shots taken with the rear camera, and with selfies taken with the front camera. The front cams have an f/2.0 aperture, and a new beauty mode so you always look your best.

This is a midrange smartphone, so it doesn’t use Huawei’s high performance Kirin 970 chip like the Honor View 10. Instead, it has the Kirin 659 inside, just like the Honor 7X. The fingerprint sensor is set in the top center of the rear panel, and Honor says it’ll unlock your phone in 0.25 of a second. There’s no word yet on face unlock, or other technical features like RAM or storage space. The Honor 9 Lite has already been announced in China, and if it shares the same specs, it will have 4GB of RAM and a choice of 32GB or 64GB storage, plus a MicroSD card slot.

Finally, the Honor 9 Lite comes with Android 8.0 Oreo installed with version 8.0 of Huawei’s EMUI user interface over the top. This is the same as what’s installed on the Honor View 10 and the Huawei Mate 10 Pro. If you’re wondering about the price and release date for the Honor 9 Lite, it will be sold in the United Kingdom starting February 6 through various retailers including Amazon, but the price will be confirmed at the phone’s launch event. There’s no word on a U.S. release yet, but Honor has consistently announced its phone for release in the U.S. shortly after a European unveiling. We’ll keep you updated here.

Editors’ Recommendations

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• Honor 7X review

Samsung’s Chromebook Pro is down to $479 for one day only

Limited time offer.

Samsung’s Chromebook Pro hit $450 during the holidays, but right now Best Buy has every other retailer beat on pricing. Amazon has it for $499, as does B&H. Samsung currently has it for $549.99.

It features a 12.3-inch touchscreen LCD display and comes equipped with 4GB of RAM and 32GB of internal storage. Not sure if the Chromebook Pro is for you? From our review of the Chromebook Pro:

This is far and away the best Chromebook Samsung has ever made relative to the competition at the time, and considering how strong the market has become that’s an extra bit of praise. It’s extremely thin and light without feeling cheap, has an excellent display and plenty of power for any Chromebook user while hitting a reasonable price point of $550. It also has the added bonus of a stylus that performs just as well as Samsung’s Note line of phones and tablets.

This is a solid Chromebook, and at this price, you won’t find much better out there. Be sure to grab one now, before the discount is gone.

See at Best Buy

Samsung may ditch the S-series branding in 2019

The Galaxy S9 could be the last Samsung phone to feature the iconic S-series brand.

We’re just a few short weeks away from the launch of the Samsung Galaxy S9 at MWC in Barcelona, and as we’ve seen from rumors and leaks, the phone will be a minor upgrade over the already great Galaxy S8. This would naturally lead us to believe that 2019’s Galaxy S10 will be a much more exciting device, and a new report suggests Samsung will commemorate this by doing away with its S-series branding.

According to GizChina, the Galaxy S9 will be Samsung’s last phone in the S-series before moving on to something different. Samsung’s been using the S naming scheme since 2010 with the original Galaxy S, and with next year being home to the release of Samsung’s tenth S-series flagship, the company will reportedly ditch the Galaxy S10 name in favor of Galaxy X – not unlike what Apple did with the iPhone X last year.

Samsung’s said to be doing the name change in an effort to reduce clunky naming schemes (such as Galaxy S15 and S17), but this does create for some confusion considering that Samsung’s foldable smartphone has been rumored as the Galaxy X for quite some time now.

If Samsung does stick with the X branding for its primary and foldable phones, we could see something along the lines of the Galaxy X, Galaxy X Plus, and Galaxy X Foldable. Then again, Samsung could also name its foldable phone something entirely different and reserve the X branding for its primary releases instead. It’s too early to say for certain but even so, it will be something to keep an eye on as we go throughout the year.

With that said, what do you think about Samsung possibly retiring the S-series brand in favor of something different?

Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8+

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Multi-Window on phones is the best Android feature you’re probably not using

Lately I’ve found myself trying to do more in a shorter time, which means employing tools my phone already offers — like Multi-Window.

At the end of 2017, I promised that I would spend less time on my phone, since I wanted to reclaim some of that often-wasted time for other things, like reading or spending more time with actual humans. But I need to use a phone — and often many phones — for work, so picking it up less often is a tricky negotiation.

In recent months, I’ve found myself relying on a feature that debuted in 2016 with Nougat but improved quite a bit with Oreo: Multi-Window. This isn’t some new thing: Samsung had its own version of the feature for years before Google integrated it into Android at large, but so few apps supported it that it became a game of sorts to see which combinations would work. But today, in early 2018, almost all apps support Multi-Window in some way unless they need the entire screen, like a game or photo app; and even those that don’t explicitly support, like Spotify, work pretty well.

Thanks to smart resizing, Multi-Window even works nicely on smaller phones like the Pixel 2.

Multi-Window has become somewhat of an addiction for me — even on small phones like the Pixel 2 (not the 2 XL), I find myself watching a YouTube video (in portrait mode) on top while scrolling through a webpage in Chrome or keeping apprised of my coworkers in Slack. In the mornings, I use the Clock app to start a coffee timer while catching up on my RSS feeds in Newsblur.

There isn’t a multi-window solution for every multitasking problem, but the beauty of it — and all phones running Android 7.0 Nougat and above can use it, which accounts for around 30% of devices — is that it’s so flexible. An alternative sizing of around 65/35 lets portrait users see more of one app, which is my preferred view for watching YouTube videos, since it’s not possible (at least where I live) to just listen to the audio in the background.

Multi-Window is the best Android feature that no one is using.

Even without employing Multi-Window, an increasing number of people are watching regular 16:9 video content in portrait mode. Perhaps some are just too lazy to turn the phone around, but the likely reason is that it’s just easier to hold a phone upright than having to balance it in landscape mode.

Moreover, the proliferation of phones with taller 2:1 (or in Samsung’s case, 18.5:9) aspect ratios make Multi-Window even more useful, because these phones have considerably more vertical space to work with to accommodate additional content in portrait mode. So that YouTube video ends up taking the same amount of vertical space as on a phone with a 16:9 display, but there’s a lot more room for a web browser or Twitter feed as a result.

Multi-Window doesn’t just take a single form, either: on phones, it can also show up as a small floating window above another app. The most notable example is Google Maps, which shrinks down to a little thumbnail during navigation and can be easily expanded to fullscreen with a couple of taps. This versatility really does enhance the experience, especially when, as a passenger in the car, I can visually reference step-by-step navigation instructions without being beholden to the foreground app.

The more I experiment with Multi-Window, the more useful it becomes. And because it’s built into Android, I find myself using it now more than ever. Of course, the feature is best utilized on larger devices like tablets and Chromebooks, but given that phones today act like both of those things — I do everything on my phone, including work-related tasks — I’ll just keep doing what I’m doing.

Android Oreo

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Google+’s Android app is getting a major update for the loyal few

A “brand new” version of Google+ is coming soon with a lot of changes under the hood.

In the world of social networks, Google+ is, well, Google+. It used to be a fun place for talking to friends about virtually any topic, but thanks to unrelenting spam and users migrating to other platforms, it’s become something that I check a handful of times a year. However, for those of you that continue to be loyal Google+ users, big things are on the way.

Google+ Engineering Manager Leo Deegan recently took to the social network to announce that a “brand new version” of the site’s Android app will be enabled over the coming days. The updated app is said to look very similar to the current one, but that it’s also “the culmination of a complete rewrite of many core features using Google’s latest Android app infrastructure which will allow our Android team to build new features on a modern tech stack.”

What does that mean for the end user? While the UI should remain mostly unchanged, Deegan says that there are improvements to scrolling and rendering, there’s a new design for photo lightboxes, and there are tweaks to Google+’s comments (such as the ability for author’s to see greyed-out spam comments).

Deegan notes that there are a couple known bugs, but as with all updates, these should be worked out soon. There’s no specific timeframe as to when the update will drop and how it’ll be released (either as an APK update or a server-side change), but even so, it’s reassuring to see Google putting time and effort into the platform.

If you’re a former Google+ user but have since moved to another social network, will these changes entice you to come back?

Bring order to chaos with this $11 cord management cable holder

Never reach for a loose cable again.

The CSHope multipurpose magnetic cord management cable holder is down to $11.19 with code K6FG7KGV. That code brings it down from its street price of $14 to the lowest price we’ve ever seen. It even beats out the coupon on the product page (unfortunately, they don’t stack).

The holder is easy to install with 3M adhesive for the bottom and magnetic buckles for all your different cables. The buckles have 4mm grooves, which should fit any standard cables. Because of the removable adhesive, you can stick this thing anywhere you might need it, including your desk, a coffee table, or the dashboard of your car. It comes with a 13-month worry free guarantee.

See on Amazon

How to transfer contacts to a new Android phone

New phone, who dis?

Changing phones is already a strenuous time, getting all of your apps set up the way you had them, getting your services — and more importantly your game progress — synced up, and getting all of your text messages copied over from your old phone. While transfer software can get most of your data backed up and restored no sweat, it doesn’t seem to always work for getting 100% of your contacts moved over.

Never fear! It’s easy to manually export your contacts, and it doesn’t take any special apps.

Note: These instructions have been written using a Google Pixel with the Contacts app and Downloads app, but the basic steps should work on most Android phones. If these exact steps do not match your device, look for the Export option in your Contacts/People/Phone app.

• How to export all contacts
• How to export a single contact
• How to import contacts from a VCF file

How to export all contacts

Open the Contacts app. On some phones, this app may go by People, Address Book, or Phone Book.
Tap the three-line menu icon in the top left corner.

Tap Settings.

Tap Export under Manage Contacts.
Select every account to ensure you export every contact on your phone.
Tap Export to VCF file.

Rename the name if you want, then tap Save.

Open your Downloads folder on your phone.
Long-press the exported VCF file.
Tap Share (the three connected dots icon).

Tap and option: save to Google Drive or email it to yourself.

Once you’ve uploaded the VCF file to Google Drive or emailed it to yourself, you need only open the app on your new phone. The file will be opened and you will be asked which account you’d like to save the contacts to on your new phone.

How to export a single contact

Open the Contacts app. On some phones, this app may go by People, Address Book or Phone Book.
Tap the contact you wish to export.

Tap the three-dot menu icon in the top right corner.

Tap Share (the three connected dot icon).

Tap an option: save to Google Drive or email it to yourself.

Exporting individual contacts is also a great way to share your number/email with people, sharing a VCF file with your own contact information to friends, family, and co-workers so all they have to do is open it to add it to their phone book.

How to import contacts from a VCF file

Importing your exported contacts is even easier than exporting it:

Open your exported VCF file on your new phone from the email or Google Drive you saved it to.
Tap Just Once to open with the Contacts app. On some phones, this app may go by People, Address Book, or Phone Book.

Select the account you want the contacts connected to if you have more than one Google account on your phone.

Backing up and restoring your contacts is easy – so long as you have your old phone. Since you never know when yours might go belly up, consider now a prime opportunity to back up your contacts so that if your phone takes a dip in the pool, you won’t have to spend days figuring out how many contacts you’ve lost forever.

Questions?

Let us know in the comments below!