These smart boots can achieve GPS-style accuracy indoors, no satellites required

University of Utah

Global positioning system, or GPS, tech is able to locate people within 15 to 30 feet of virtually any outdoor location on the planet. Indoors, however, things are less straightforward. That’s because GPS technology works best when the device has a clear line of sight to the sky and, therefore, the GPS satellites used for establishing position. This signal weakens or distorts as it travels through a building. Although more sensitive modern GPS chips can still get a fix inside, this information is often not accurate enough to be useful.

Researchers at the University of Utah may have come up with a solution, though — and it could potentially help save people’s lives. What they have created is an alternate positioning system, accurate within the same distance as GPS, that can be incorporated into a boot or other piece of footwear, but doesn’t rely on satellites to work. The footwear could be worn by firefighters, soldiers, or other individuals who want to be able to keep a closer tab on the location of colleagues. It will also result in more accurate navigation information.

“We [have] developed a flexible ground reaction sensor array and inserted the sensor array under the insole of a shoe,” Darrin Young, an electrical engineer at the University of Utah, told Digital Trends. “When a pedestrian wears such a shoe, the sensor array can accurately detect when the pedestrian’s foot strikes the ground, rolls over the ground, and detaches from the ground when he or she is walking. This foot-on-ground timing information will be used to reset an inertial measurement unit (IMU), which is embedded under the heel region of the shoe. The accurate resetting of the IMU at each step can greatly improve the navigation accuracy. The foot-on-ground timing serves as a critical reference for calibrating the IMU to achieve high-performance navigation.”

An IMU is a black box containing multiple sensors, including a gyroscope, magnetometer, and accelerometer. Combining information from multiple IMUs makes it possible to achieve a superior navigation performance to that which is possible by employing only a single IMU. The result is a performance comparable with GPS, but without the limitations. That means that it can be used indoors since, unlike GPS, it’s not reliant on satellites to work out a wearer’s exact location.

“As for the next step, we are improving the robustness of our prototype design, incorporating short-distance wireless data communication capability, enhancing software, and reducing the overall system cost,” Young said. “We will be engaging commercialization effort on this technology.”

The team’s work on the GPS-free navigation system was presented this week at the 2018 International Solid-State Circuits Conference in San Francisco.

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Google launches Gmail Go, its latest lightweight app aimed at low-power phones

Aleksey Boldin/123rf

Google is continuing to release new lightweight “Go” apps. Hot off the heels of the launch of YouTube Go, the company has now released “Gmail Go,” which is aimed at taking up less space and processing power on a user’s phone. The app should also make better use of mobile data compared to the full Gmail app.

Of course, just because the app is lighter than the standard Gmail app, that doesn’t mean it doesn’t have some great features. For starters, the app still has multi-account support, attachments, and so on — just like the standard Gmail app.

Google never formally announced Gmail Go, but there is a listing for it on the Google Play Store. Because of the lack of formal announcement, we don’t really know all the details of what’s different between the normal Gmail app and Gmail Go. Some users have downloaded the app, however, and note that the app doesn’t seem to run as smoothly as the standard version, and it seems like Gmail won’t sync as far back as the normal app. Apart from that, however, the app appears to be pretty much the same.

Still, while it functions largely the same, the app takes up a whole lot less space on a phone. According to a report from TechCrunch, the app takes up 25MB of a phone’s storage, while the regular Gmail app takes up 47MB. Sure, a couple dozen extra megabytes may not sound like much, but on phones that have little storage to start with, it can really add up.

It seems as though Gmail Go isn’t available for everyone. The TechCrunch report notes that the listing on the Google Play Store is only for update purposes — the app itself will only be available on devices where it’s pre-installed, which may mean that only those with Android Go phones will be able to use it.

As mentioned, there are quite a few other “Go” apps. For starters, there’s the ultra-helpful Files Go, which helps you find and delete files that you probably don’t need. There’s also YouTube Go, Maps Go, and Assistant Go, all lighter versions of larger apps that are aimed at using less storage and data. Last but not least is Android Go, which is a lighter version of the entire Android operating system.

Editors’ Recommendations

• Google’s new Assistant Go brings Assistant to low-power phones
• Google expands Project Fi roaming features to 170 countries
• Google finally launches Android Go, a lighter OS for budget phones
• Gmail will be AMP’d up using a speedy new tech that makes emails pretty
• Google rolls out lightweight keyboard app to low-RAM Android devices

Graphene on toast? Edible electronics could help shield you from food poisoning

From helping detect cancer cells to acting as a kick-ass superconductor, graphene is capable of all kinds of amazing feats. But how does it taste? Believe it or not, that’s one of the questions being asked by researchers at Rice University — and the answers may turn out to be a bit more profound than you may think.

What chemist James Tour and his lab have been investigating are ways to laser graphene onto food for what may turn out to be the start of a revolution in “edible electronics.”

This laser-induced graphene (LIG) technique involves making a type of graphene foam out of tiny cross-linked graphene flakes. This can then be written onto various materials, lending ordinary foodstuffs like toast (or non-consumables like paper, cardboard, fabrics and more) some of the amazing abilities that come with graphene. The technique reportedly works extremely well on coconut shells and potato skins, due to their high level of lignin, a certain class of complex organic polymer.

“We use a technique that first converts the material into amorphous carbon, like burned toast or burned carbon, by a first laser pulse, and then a second and third pulse convert the newly formed amorphous carbon into laser-induced graphene,” Tour told Digital Trends. “The entire process takes a millisecond. We do this by defocusing the laser so that there are overlapping spots as it rides along, and the overlaps are equivalent to multiple laser pulses.”

Jeff Fitlow/Rice University

But why exactly would you want to add a superthin film of graphene onto your toast, even if it is supposedly safe to eat? According to Tour, these graphene markers could act as sensors to reveal the path that food has taken from farm to table — or even to let you know if the food is safe to eat or has a bacteria like E. coli. “If you have ever had food poisoning, one needs to say no more,” Tour said. Applying the same technique to fabrics or paper could create straightforward sensors for tracking movement.

“All of our LIG is being commercialized,” he said. “First is LIG films that kill microbes for water purification. Next [is] likely flexible electronics, next on clothes.”

A paper describing the work was published in the American Chemical Society journal ACS Nano.

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Google rolls out new update for its Phone app, introduces chat heads feature

Julian Chokkattu/Digital Trends

In the latest update for the Google Phone app, Google-supported phones will now have a “chat heads” feature, Android Police reports. Similar to Facebook Messenger, users will have a floating icon on their display with the assigned contact photo of the person they’re talking to.

The familiar feature originally appeared on Facebook Home back in 2013 — which was an app for Android that replaced the device’s existing home screen in order to allow you to post and view Facebook content more easily. With chat heads, you can interact with someone and also complete other tasks on your phone simultaneously.

While Google has been testing out the new feature for months, it’s now rolling out in version 17. When you’re on a call, chat heads will appear once you exit out of the call screen. You’ll then have the freedom to move it around anywhere on the display, and will still be able to see it even when you’re using other apps.

When you tap on the avatar, a menu will appear with a variety of options. You’ll be able to call, mute, put the call on speakerphone, or end it by only using the widget. There’s also the option to hide the bubble or end the call by dragging it down to the bottom of the screen.

For now, it seems there isn’t a setting in the Phone app to completely turn the setting off but Android Police did find a work-around. By going into your Settings on the app, and finding the list of apps that can “display on top of other apps,” you can disable that feature instead.

As part of its Android application package teardown, Android Police also found support for new Real-Time Text protocol for those who are hearing or speech-impaired. With RTT, each letter you type is transmitted to the other side of the call right away — which ultimately allows the recipient to conclude what you’re typing before the message is even complete.

But it’s unclear whether or not RTT will be included with version 17 or if it will possibly be live in the future. It’s possible it could be rolling out with partial support and will fully launch in an upcoming update.

The Google Phone app is only available for the Pixel, Nexus, and Android One devices — for now. You can download the app through the Google Play Store.

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Samsung Notebook 9 Pen vs. Microsoft Surface Book 2 13

Dan Baker/Digital Trends

Microsoft’s Surface line has served as banner-bearer for the Windows 10 PC industry for the last several years. The Surface Pro represents what detachable 2-in-1s should look like, the Surface Laptop redefines the modern traditional notebook, and the Surface Studio is the pinnacle of the all-in-one. That leaves the Surface Book as something of an outlier that combines elements of all three — a tear-off tablet display, a viable clamshell form, and a pen- and Surface Dial-enabled display for creative professionals.

But the rest of the Windows 10 PC manufacturers haven’t stood still, pushing out their own versions of each kind of machine. Samsung is one of them, focusing mainly on premium notebooks and recently leveraging its expertise in pen software from its Galaxy Note line of smartphones. Does Samsung have the chops to take on the industry’s leader in design and innovation? In our Samsung Noteboook 9 Pen vs Microsoft Surface Book 2 13 shootout, we take a look at that very question.

Microsoft Surface Book 2 13

Samsung Notebook 9 Pen

Dimensions
13.5-inch i7: 12.3 x 9.14 x 0.59-0.90 (in)
12.2 x 8.1 x 0.57-0.64 in

Weight
Starts at 3.38 pounds
2.19 pounds

Keyboard
Full-size backlit keyboard
Full-size backlit keyboard

Processor
Up to eighth-generation Intel Core i7
Up to eighth-generation Intel Core i7

RAM
Up to 16GB
Up to 16GB

Graphics
Intel UHD 620
Nvidia GeForce GTX 1050
Intel UHD 620

Display
13.5-inch PixelSense Display
13.3-inch IPS display

Resolution
 3,000 x 2,000 (267 ppi)
Full HD (1,920 x 1,080 or 158 PPI)

Storage
Up to 1TB PCIe SSD
Up to 512GB PCIe SSD

Networking
802.11ac, Bluetooth 4.1
802.11ac, Bluetooth 4.1

Connectivity
USB-A 3.0 (x2), USB-C 3.1, Surface Connect, SD card reader, 3.5mm combo jack
USB-A 3.0, USB-C, HDMI, microSD card reader, 3.5mm combo jack

Windows Hello
Infrared facial recognition
Infrared facial recognition
Fingerprint scanner

Operating System
Windows 10
Windows 10

Battery
70 watt-hour
39 watt-hour

Price
$1,200+
$1,400+

Availability
Now
Coming soon

Review
Full review: 8/10
Full review: 6/10

Design

There’s no doubt about it: the Surface Book 2 has one of the most innovative PC designs around. It’s a bona fide notebook with a display that detches to become a surprisingly thin and light tablet, providing a great surface for inking (no pun intended) while enjoying all the lapability of a more traditional notebook. The Surface Book 2 is also robustly built, with a fit and finish that rivals the best notebooks.

In terms of aesthetics, the Surface Book 2 manages to be both striking and conservative at the same time. It looks like a Surface, with the same silver-gray and simplified color scheme adorning its magnesium chassis, but it also stands alone and is recognizable in a crowd. The iconic fulcrum hinge — required to balance the weight of the display, which contains the actual PC parts — gives the Surface Book 2 some real girth in the rear but also identifies it in a heartbeat.

The Samsung Notebook 9 Pen, on the other hand, is rather nondescript. It’s mostly unchanged from Samsung’s previous 2-in-1 generations, with only the switch to a black, glossy display and the power button being repositioned to the side giving it away. Although it’s not terribly different, we wouldn’t call the Notebook 9 Pen unattractive — its silver color scheme is good looking enough, with small bezels and a simple, dare we say conservative look.

It’s magnesium alloy chassis is also sturdy while being very light (maybe a touch too light). There’s some flex in the palm rests and keyboard, but nothing egregious. As stated, the Notebook 9 Pen is very light, well over a pound lighter than the the Surface Book 2, in fact. And while it’s not the thinnest 2-in-1 around, it’s still significantly thinner than Microsoft’s unusual design.

When it comes to design, most notebooks fall short when compared to the Surface Book 2. The Samsung fares no better, and so Microsoft takes this round handily.

Winner: Microsoft Surface Book 2

Performance

Microsoft chose the fastest eighth-generation Intel Core processor around, at least at 15 watts. The Core i7-8650 is a very fast quad-core CPU that can ramp up for high-demand tasks while spooling down to sip power when the current tasks allows. And all of that power is contained in the display, meaning you can tear it off and use it as a very fast — and completely silent, thanks to no fans — tablet complete with Surface Pen support. In its base configuration, the Surface Book 2 13 uses Intel UHD 620 graphics, but you can configure it with an Nvidia GeForce GTX 1050 GPU in the base. That makes for a very fast 13-inch class 2-in-1 indeed.

Samsung chose the next CPU down for the Notebook 9 Pen, promising similar performance. And in fact, that was mostly the case, with both machines scoring similarly in our synthetic benchmark tests. Furthermore, the Notebook 9 Pen seemed just as quick in real-life usage. One difference, however, is that Samsung’s 2-in-1 suffered from some thermal issues, with the chassis getting unusually hot and the fans unusually loud — even during basic productivity work. And, of course, the Notebook 9 Pen is limited to integrated graphics only.

If you stick with the base Surface Book 2, then performance is similar albeit with far less noise than the Samsung. However, given that Microsoft has graced the machine with a real, mid-level gaming GPU, the winner in this category is clear.

Winner: Microsoft Surface Book 2

Mark Coppock/Digital Trends

Keyboard, Mouse, and Pen

The Surface Book 2 has one of the better keyboards you’ll find on a notebook today. It has some serious travel (1.55mm to be exact), a crisp and precise bottoming action, and a consistent feel across all of the keys. The layout is fairly standard, with a useful row of shortcut keys and the unique detach button for popping off the display. In short, it’s a much better keyboard than the Notebook 9 Pen’s, which although it enjoys similar 1.5mm travel has a soft bottoming action that we found imprecise and squishy. Both keyboards are rather inconsistently backlit, but the Surface Book 2’s lighting actually made the keys harder to see in normal lighting — turn down the lights and it’s more useful.

Moving on to the touchpad, the Surface Book 2 is at the top of the Windows 10 heap there as well. Its Microsoft Precision touchpad is large and perfectly responsive, with flawless gesture support. Samsung’s Microsoft Precision touchpad, on the other hand, was a bit broken. It’s smaller than we like, and the buttons were too stiff.

Finally, we like Samsung’s S Pen software, which adds some real value to the inking experience, with the more modern 4,096 levels of pressure sensitivity versus. Microsoft’s latest Surface Pen is also excellent when mated with the latest machines, with 4,096 levels of pressure to go with tilt support and the fasted response outside of the iPad Pro. Toss in the fact that Samsung’s S Pen is also much smaller and flimsier, and the Surface Book 2 presents a stiff challenge. Toss in the fact that you can place the Surface Dial directly on the display to gain access to some unique controls.

We liked Samsung’s S Pen functionality, but given the Surface Book 2’s superior keyboard and touchpad, we’re compelled to once again give it the win.

Winner: Microsoft Surface Book 2

Connectivity

Microsoft has made only a small concession with the Surface Book 2, finally adopting the USB-C port but still eschewing Thunderbolt 3. That goes along with two USB-A 3.0 ports, a 3.5mm combo audio jack, an SD card reader, and the Surface Connect port for power and external expansion. The Notebook 9 Pen is even more old-school, with two USB-A 3.0 ports, a USB-C 3.1 Gen1 port (again with no Thunderbolt 3 support), and an HDMI port.

Both machines offer SD card readers (with Samsung’s being of the micro variety), to go along with 2×2 MU-MIMO Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. Both also offer both infrared facial recognition for Windows 10 Hello support, and the Notebook 9 Pen adds a fingerprint reader.

Microsoft’s Surface line has generally suffered from poor connectivity, and the Surface Book 2 is no different. It loses this round, although both machines fail to offer the advantages of Thunderbolt 3.

Winner: Samsung Notebook 9 Pen

Display

If there’s one thing that Microsoft consistently gets right with its Surface machines, it’s the display. The Surface Book 2 continues that trend, offering excellent brightness and contrast to go with a seriously sharp display (3,240 x 2,160 or 260 PPI). The color gamut is only average, however, and accuracy is actually a little less than average. Nevertheless, for productivity purposes, you won’t find many more pleasant displays.

The Notebook 9 Pen’s 13.3-inch Full HD display was only okay in comparison, with far less contrast and brightness but a slightly wider color gamut. It was also closer to true life in terms of its gamma, meaning videos will theoretically look better, and its colors are also more accurate.

This is another category where few notebooks can match a Surface of any kind. Microsoft wins again.

Winner: Microsoft Surface Book 2

Portability and Battery Life

The Surface Book 2 packs in some serious battery life, a total of 70 watt-hours between the tablet and base. Toss in the efficiency of Intel’s eighth-generation Core CPUs, and that results in some serious longevity. The machine has some of the best scores we’ve see in 13-inch class notebooks, in all of our tests — looping video, web browsing, and our aggressive Basemark web benchmark runs. Consider that the Surface Book 2 almost matched Microsoft’s estimate of 17 hours when repeating a local video.

The Notebook 9 Pen’s battery is a much less impressive 39 watt-hours, and while the Samsung managed to remain competitive with most other 2-in-1s, it couldn’t keep up with the Surface Book 2. It lasted more than two hours less on our video test, less than half as long when web browsing, and two and a half ours less churning through the Basemark test.

On the other hand, the Samsung is also over a pound lighter, and it’s considerably thinner. It’s much easier to toss into a backpack and carry around.

Picking a winner here really comes down to what’s more important to you: Battery life or heft. We tend to favor battery life, because given the Surface Book 2’s considerably longer lifespan away from a charger, you’re less likely to have to carry your power brick around with you. Therefore, we’ll give Microsoft the win, with the caveat that if you need something truly thin and light, then the Samsung might be more up your alley.

Winner: Microsoft Surface Book 2

Availability and Price

The Surface Book 2 13 and the Notebook 9 Pen are both premium notebooks, but Microsoft’s 2-in-1 can hit some very stratospheric prices. Interestingly, it also has a lower base price, with a newly introduced model with the Intel Core i7-8650U, 8GB of RAM, a 128GB SSD, and Intel UHD 620 graphics only coming in at $1,200. With the same basic configuration of 8GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD, the Surface Book 2 is priced at $1,500 compared to the Notebook 9 Pen’s $1,400. Note that Samsung includes the S Pen, wherease the optional Surface Pen is an additional $100.

That makes the Samsung the less expensive of the two for roughly equivalent performance and significantly less battery life. Of course, you can also spend a mind-boggling $3,000 if you max out the Surface Book 2 with 16GB of RAM, a 1TB SSD, and the Nvidia GeForce GTX 1050 GPU.

We’re going to give the win to the Samsung Notebook 9 Pen here, simply because it’s less expensive with the same configuration and doesn’t require you to fork over extra cash for a pen. The Surface Book 2, though, comes in at a surprisingly lower price if you’re willing to accept a smaller SSD — you can always add an SD card to give you some extra storage.

Winner: Samsung Notebook 9 Pen

The Surface Book 2 retains its crown

Mark Coppock/Digital Trends

Ultimately, we found the Microsoft Surface Book 2 13’s combination of innovative design, performance, battery life, and input options to be superior to the Samsung Notebook 9 Pen’s. That’s not so much a knock against the Samsung machine, though. The Surface Book 2 beats out most other 2-in-1s, particularly if you’re willing to spend some extra money and equip the GTX 1050 for some real gaming and creative application chops.

Editors’ Recommendations

• Samsung Notebook 9 Pen vs. HP Spectre x360
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Want a free year of Netflix? You’ll need to sign up for 2 years of Verizon Fios

Mark Coppock/Digital Trends

If you’ve been relying on your ex-significant other or your parents or your cousin’s best friend’s neighbor for your Netflix subscription, it’s finally time for you to grow up and binge TV on your own dime. Or rather, Verizon’s dime. Following in the tracks of what feels like every other service provider in the U.S., Verizon is finally offering a free year of Netflix for folks who sign up for a Fios “triple play” plan, which involves a bundled deal of internet, TV, and phone. It costs $80 per month, but hey, if you’re paying that much, you might as well get something for free, right?

Verizon will only cover Netflix plans up to $10.99 a month, which means that you can stream content in HD on two devices simultaneously. The more expensive plan (the one that Verizon won’t cover) costs $14 a month and allows for 4K streaming on up to four devices at once.

The announcement comes alongside another Fios update — internet and television customers with Multi-Room DVR Enhanced or Premium service selections will now be able to stream all their favorite Netflix content directly from their Fios Interactive Media Guide. That means you don’t need any extra equipment in order to tune into Netflix — simply go to channel 838 on your television, and you’ll be prompted to enter your existing Netflix credentials. From there, you can start streaming all your preferred movies and shows. And of course, sign-in credentials will be saved so that you don’t have to keep re-entering your email address and password.

Of course, there are a few additional stipulations that apply. You can only get the free Netflix if you agree to commit two years of your life to Verizon, and of course, you have to commit to all three services. That means that you’ll have to shell out at least $1,920 in order to get just one year of Netflix for free. So keep that in mind before you start chomping at the bit to get Verizon to pay for your binge-watching habits. But if you’ve been looking for a reason to switch your TV, internet, and phone provider all at once, then having Netflix for free for a year just may be the extra incentive you need.

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Want a free year of Netflix? You’ll need to sign up for 2 years of Verizon Fios

Mark Coppock/Digital Trends

If you’ve been relying on your ex-significant other or your parents or your cousin’s best friend’s neighbor for your Netflix subscription, it’s finally time for you to grow up and binge TV on your own dime. Or rather, Verizon’s dime. Following in the tracks of what feels like every other service provider in the U.S., Verizon is finally offering a free year of Netflix for folks who sign up for a Fios “triple play” plan, which involves a bundled deal of internet, TV, and phone. It costs $80 per month, but hey, if you’re paying that much, you might as well get something for free, right?

Verizon will only cover Netflix plans up to $10.99 a month, which means that you can stream content in HD on two devices simultaneously. The more expensive plan (the one that Verizon won’t cover) costs $14 a month and allows for 4K streaming on up to four devices at once.

The announcement comes alongside another Fios update — internet and television customers with Multi-Room DVR Enhanced or Premium service selections will now be able to stream all their favorite Netflix content directly from their Fios Interactive Media Guide. That means you don’t need any extra equipment in order to tune into Netflix — simply go to channel 838 on your television, and you’ll be prompted to enter your existing Netflix credentials. From there, you can start streaming all your preferred movies and shows. And of course, sign-in credentials will be saved so that you don’t have to keep re-entering your email address and password.

Of course, there are a few additional stipulations that apply. You can only get the free Netflix if you agree to commit two years of your life to Verizon, and of course, you have to commit to all three services. That means that you’ll have to shell out at least $1,920 in order to get just one year of Netflix for free. So keep that in mind before you start chomping at the bit to get Verizon to pay for your binge-watching habits. But if you’ve been looking for a reason to switch your TV, internet, and phone provider all at once, then having Netflix for free for a year just may be the extra incentive you need.

Editors’ Recommendations

• Giveaway: 52 pairs of Columbia underwear for the New Year
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As interesting as the Plux charging pad sounds, it hasn’t been Qi certified yet

If you’ve gone all in on Apple, you need a battery charger that has done the same. And here to help is Plux, heralded as the world’s first Qi-compatible, multidevice wireless charging pad for your iPhone, Apple Watch, and AirPods. Capable of charging all three devices at the same time, the Plux claims to re-juice your essential electronics with up to 10W of power, saving you both time and money on your energy bill. In fact, Plux claims to help you charge your devices up to 33 percent faster than standard wireless chargers.

Before you get too excited, however, we should point out that the Plux charger is not certified by the Wireless Power Consortium (WPC) as being Qi certified. That means that the charger has not been tested by the WPC, and as a result, has not been cleared of certain risks. Those include overheating, damage to charging devices, and potential incompatibility. While it’s possible that the Plux is still safe despite not being Qi certified, it’s certainly something to keep in mind.

If you’re unperturbed by this, however, the Plux is capable of being configured either as a pad or as a stand, Plux allows you to leverage the convenience of wire-free charging. By standing up the charger and using it as a phone stand, you can continue using your mobile device in a convenient fashion — or you can simply set everything down on the Plux pad and live an electronics-free existence for just a little while.

“Whether you’re texting, calling, or watching your favorite shows, don’t let your wireless charger restrict your mobility,” the Plux team notes on its Indiegogo page. “We’ve designed Plux to be an aesthetically pleasing and a highly usable stand that holds your phone up under a viewer-friendly angle.” The accompanying stand converter promises to provide users with an ideal angle for your Face ID and Nightstand Modes, which means that even as your phone is charging, you can easily access notifications, calls, and your favorite content.

More convenient still, the Plux ought to be able to charge your smartphone through its iPhone case. After all, being forced to remove the tightly fitted skin from your mobile device almost makes the wireless charging capabilities not worth it. But as long as your case isn’t thicker than 3mm, the Plux should have the ability to charge right through it.

To keep your AirPods, Apple Watch, and iPhone safe, however, Plux also promises to provide intelligent safeguards that will protect against overheating and overcharging.

Of course, you should always exercise caution when deciding whether or not to back a crowdfunding campaign. That said, if you’re interested in helping to bring Plux to life, the team is offering early bird pricing of $39 with an estimated delivery date of April 2018.

Updated on February 15: Noted that the Plux is not Qi certified by the WPC. 

Editors’ Recommendations

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Looking for love? Check out Camp Meets Bagel, a sleepaway camp for adults

If there is one common complaint among dating app users, it’s that “dating” often seems relegated to interactions within the app. More often than not, endless in-app messages lead to more in-app messages, with no real date to show for all the effort. But now, there is one dating app taking matters into its own hands. Just in time for Valentine’s Day, Coffee Meets Bagel is launching CMB Experiences to help users connect in the real world. These Experiences promise to be “unique, real-world events and spaces where people can go offline and engage in a fun, novel, delightful experience together.” And it’s all going to start with a sleepaway camp.

It’s called Camp Meets Bagel, and it’s an “all-inclusive sleepaway camp for adults” that will take place from Thursday, May 10, to Sunday, May 13. Curiously, that is right over Mother’s Day, but we’re sure mom will understand if you miss her special day in the name of finding love via an app (or in this case, a grownup camp).

In total, CMB expects around 300 eager love-seekers to congregate at a camp in the Adirondacks in the aptly named town of Paradox, New York. To keep you even more in suspense, CMB isn’t even revealing the name of said camp! From there, they will be able to experience what the dating app is calling a “fun-filled weekend with land and water sports, arts ‘n crafts activities, epic nightly theme parties, an open bar, delicious meals, and more.” And even if you don’t find the love of your life, you may find a best friend with activities meant to “foster friendship and connections,” like group color wars and a totally safe-sounding trust fall on a giant swing at a ropes course.

Of course, CMB had a bit of help planning what truly sounds like a raucous and thoroughly entertaining weekend — the app partnered with Camp No Counselors, the camp for adults, in order to put on the programming. Tickets, which were initially slated to be on sale for $675 per person, have now been increased by $20 to $695 (really, what’s $20 when true love is at stake) and include all the activities for the weekend as well as complimentary transportation to and from the camp — or at least, to and from the camp from New York City.

“Coffee Meets Bagel’s mission is to enable authentic connections for this generation, and we believe that includes going beyond the online world to do so,” co-founder and chief operating officer Dawoon Kang said in a statement. “We want to create real-life opportunities for people to meet and share a common experience together, which often serves as a doorway to a lasting relationship.”

While this camp will certainly be the first Experience offered by CMB at such a large scale, it’s not the first time that the app has facilitated in-person interactions among users. On February 11, CMB hosted the Run Date Festival in Hong Kong, a 5-kilometer run for singles that attracted more than 1,300 people. After all, what better way to tell if your mate is here to stay than having him or her see you at your sweatiest and messiest as a first impression? In addition to the run, the event also featured a number of pair activities, and was meant to benefit three nonprofits — Pink Alliance, HKADA, and Help Me See.

If you’re unable to make Camp Meets Bagel, don’t worry — CMB promises that additional Experiences will be made available throughout the year.

Update: The price of Camp Meets Bagel has already increased by $20.

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Upcoming BlackBerry Uni will feature touchscreen and retractable keyboard

After the surprising success of the KeyOne in 2017, TCL wants to keep a good thing going with the upcoming Blackberry Uni. Expected to launch in early to mid-2018, the Uni may have a few surprises in store for BlackBerry enthusiasts.

While details on the upcoming BlackBerry flagship are a little hazy, we’re learning more about it each day. Here’s what we know so far:

Design

Will TCL surprise us with an entirely new form factor for the BlackBerry Uni? Well, if renders from a recent patent are correct, it actually looks like the next BlackBerry flagship may look a lot like its 2015 predecessor, the BlackBerry Priv.

Like the Priv, it looks as though the BlackBerry Uni will feature a curved touchscreen display. While details are certainly sketchy, it does appear that the BlackBerry Uni will have a similar form factor to the Priv, so we could expect the screen to be around 5.4-inches.

A physical keyboard will sit below the display. While you can use the on-screen keyboard for quick replies, you can easily slide the physical keyboard down from the display when needed.

At first glance, the back of the BlackBerry Uni looks almost identical to the Priv. Renders show the Uni with a center flush camera, but the camera appears to be getting a major upgrade.

The camera on the Blackberry Uni may actually sit below the keyboard slider. This change would give the phone two lenses — the primary lens that is available when the keyboard is exposed, as well as an auxiliary lens that can be used when the keyboard it tucked away. Since the patent for the upcoming BlackBerry Uni lists several different auxiliary lens possibilities, it’s possible we will see accessory lenses that can be switched out.

Software

While we would like to see the BlackBerry Uni ship with Android 8.1 Oreo, it looks like it’s shipping with 8.0.  Since BlackBerry prides itself on quick updates, however, we’d expect to see an 8.1 update for the Uni shortly after it is released.

We’re almost certain that BlackBerry’s suite of productivity apps will make an appearance on the upcoming Uni as well. While lots of manufacturers add bloatware to their phones, BlackBerry’s productivity apps actually make the phone stand out.

Specifications

Most of the specification info we have on the BlackBerry Uni comes courtesy of a Geekbench report from last year. While we believe the Uni is the BBF100-1 listed in the report, there’s certainly room for doubt, so be skeptical of these rumors until more information comes about.

The Uni will likely feature a Snapdragon 660 chip. While not as powerful as this year’s Snapdragon 845, it’s a good midrange smartphone processor.

In addition to the Snapdragon 660 processor, the BlackBerry will also feature a hefty 6GB of RAM. While there’s no word on storage, we would anticipate a 32GB and 64GB, similar to last year’s KeyOne.

Release and availability

When should we expect to see the BlackBerry Uni? Right now, it appears we may get a glimpse of the upcoming flagship at this year’s Mobile World Congress in March. If not, we would likely expect to see the device sometime in the spring. Since the phone will be at least one of the 2018 flagships for the company, we would expect to see a global release for the BlackBerry Uni.

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