Microsoft is selling its own customized version of the Samsung Galaxy S9

Samsung Galaxy S8

When the Samsung Galaxy S8 was released last year, Microsoft started selling its own customized version of the device, feature its apps and services front and center. Now, it looks like the deal between Microsoft and Samsung continues — the company has started selling a customized version of the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9 Plus on the Microsoft store.

The phones look the same as the standard version at first glance, and the hardware is exactly the same. The operating system will be the same too. It’s the apps that are different — users will get access to a range of Microsoft’s apps, like Excel, Skype, Cortana, and so on, right after setting up the phone.

To be clear, Microsoft’s apps are not preinstalled on the phone. Instead, you’ll simply be given the option to download and install the apps once the phone is set up and connected to Wi-Fi, according to a report from Trusted Reviews.

The Microsoft-customized phones won’t be for everyone, but they might be good for you if you’re plugged in to Microsoft’s apps and services and regularly use a Windows computer. We actually really liked many of Microsoft’s Android apps, and we think that downloading them on Android offers a better Microsoft mobile experience than Windows Phone ever did. Why? Well, Android is simply a better operating system, and if you use apps like Edge on both operating systems, it’s easy to switch seamlessly between devices.

To get the Microsoft version of the Samsung Galaxy S9 for yourself, you can head straight to the Microsoft Store, where the phones are available for pre-order. Thankfully, they cost the same amount of money as the standard versions of the Samsung Galaxy S9.

So far, the Galaxy S9 has been getting pretty good initial reviews. The phone features a pretty nice design and big, beautiful display. Under the hood it’s pretty impressive too — it offers Qualcomm’s latest and greatest chipset, the Snapdragon 845, along with 4GB of RAM in the standard Galaxy S9, or 6GB in the Galaxy S9 Plus. Perhaps the most interesting thing about the new phones, however, is the camera — which is among the first to offer a variable aperture.

Editors’ Recommendations

• Samsung Galaxy S9 hands-on review
• Here’s how to buy the brand-new Samsung Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9 Plus
• The Samsung Galaxy S9 is finally here: Here’s everything you need to know
• Flagship face-off: Samsung’s Galaxy S9 Plus vs. Google’s Pixel 2 XL
• Everything we know about Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus pricing and availability

A drone captures dramatic footage of surfers caught in big waves in Portugal

The big waves that form off the coast of the resort town of Nazaré, Portugal are legendary for their size and power. In fact, some have exceeded 70 feet in height, including one that just might be the largest wave ever ridden. Usually, you have to surf those waters for yourself to truly understand just how dangerous they can be, although this video will demonstrate that point in a way that even non-surfers can appreciate.

The footage in the video was captured by drone back on February 16, just as the winter season in Nazaré was starting to wind down. It begins with professional surfer Alex Botelho attempting to catch a massive wave, but even he is soon overwhelmed. Knocked from his surfboard, Botelho scrambles to avoid getting crushed by another wave that soon follows behind the first, all of which is not uncommon in the world of big-wave surfing. What happened next made things truly scary.

As is typical for these types of situations, Botelho’s teammate Hugo Vau was stationed nearby on a jet ski, ready to lend a hand should the need arise. Seeing Botelho in trouble, Vau sprang into action, hoping to pull his friend to safety as quickly as possible. This doesn’t go quite as planned, however, and before long, another wave overwhelms both men, capsizing the jet ski in the process.

What follows is a couple of minutes of dramatic footage that will leave you on the edge of your seat. Botelho and Vau both dodge more waves as they struggle to not only gain control of the jet ski, but avoid getting injured themselves. Thankfully, neither man suffered any serious injury and made it back to shore in one piece. They can be seen at the end of the clip embracing each other warmly as a third surfer casually wanders up.

This isn’t the first time we’ve seen this kind of action at Nazaré, and it isn’t likely to be the last. Surfers like Botelho and Vau know what they are doing in the water and can navigate the dangers with ease. For those of us watching at home, however, it’s best to leave these kinds of activities to the professionals.

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LG phones are about to change as it adopts a gutsy new strategy

From the outside, it appears the current mindset at LG’s mobile division can be summed up in the title of a single song — “Land of Confusion” by Genesis. Why? For two reasons. First, utter bafflement at why the V30 isn’t flying out the door and beating the competition. And two — where LG should go next to reverse this concerning trend.

The confusion about where to go next extends to LG’s latest smartphone announcement, the V30S ThinQ, a suitably confusing name for a confusing phone. The fact it was announced outside of a quiet press release is a surprise, as it’s a minor update over the existing V30, with some tacked on artificial intelligence, and a tiny spec boost.

Are we witnessing the end times at LG’s mobile department?

LG doesn’t seem to be that sure about the G6 replacement either, which is due in the next few months, and mixed messages galore are coming from the company. Will it be called the G7? Will it look like an iPhone X clone? Will it be an entirely new phone that effectively ends the G Series? We’ve no idea, and on the heels of the V30S ThinQ, we’re concerned LG doesn’t know either.

Are we witnessing the end times at LG’s mobile department? Has it been beaten into submission by Samsung, despite putting out phones that are equal to, and sometimes better than its arch rival?

Bad times

Last year ended poorly for LG, after it consecutively posted losses in the last six months, and sold 13.9 million phones over the entire year. The LG V30 should, by all rights, have been a sales phenomenon. It’s excellent, with a beautiful screen, solid video camera, amazing audio performance, and a sleek modern design. It failed to excite buyers, just like the LG G6 before it. These two followed the failed modular LG G5, and the great-but-boring LG V20. Viewed alongside the astonishing sales success of the Samsung Galaxy S8 and the Galaxy Note 8, it’s easy to see how LG could become disheartened.

Bringing the V30S ThinQ to Mobile World Congress — a show ignored by several other phone makers, due to the Galaxy S9’s presence — was an odd decision. Huawei, which decided to launch the P20 at the end of March rather than in Barcelona, plastered the event with teasers for the phone, and sent out a few videos hinting at what makes it special. It grabbed attention, even though the company wasn’t prepared to reveal everything at the time.

Conversely, LG stayed silent about its upcoming flagship, which is rumored to launch in June, apart from a possible concept accidentally spotted on the show floor. Rather than generating excitement, this concept design caused concern because of a notch above the screen. Chances were blown, opportunities seemingly not grasped, and concerns began to grow about a lack of coherent strategy for LG phones of the future.

Worried? Yes, us too. But alterations are taking place at LG Mobile at a very high level, and provided they’re handled correctly and decisions from it are made with foresight, it may herald a complete turnaround for a mobile division desperately in need of a new direction.

Winds of change

Where’s the evidence? At the end of 2017 LG appointed a new CEO for its mobile division, a new Chief Technology Officer, and a new head of Global Marketing. These promotions became effective on January 1, 2018. New CEO Hwang Jeong-hwan is the man in charge of making decisions about future products, and in addition to continuing with current projects, he’s also capable of throwing everything out with the bathwater and starting again.

Done right it could turn LG Mobile into a reactive, quick to adapt, mobile force again.

LG Electronics’ CEO Jo Seong-jin also reportedly saw change in LG’s future, during a press conference for Korean media during CES 2018. “If there is something that is needed to be changed, we will change it,” he’s quoted as saying. He later commented on the future of the G and V series phones, or the emergence of a new brand, saying “Everything is up in the air and no final decision has been made.”

LG clearly knows it needs to try something new, but what will it try? Speaking to Digital Trends, LG’s Senior Director of Global Communications, Ken Hong, said, the company may release “more premium variations of existing phones” in the future, hinting unexpectedly at disrupting the traditional release cycle. Yes, more phones from LG. This would be a complete departure from its current two-device strategy, and a fairly brave one considering how the V30S ThinQ was received. However, done right it could turn LG Mobile into a reactive, quick to adapt, mobile force again.

It’s an interesting idea, but not a new strategy in the industry. Sony released incremental updates to its phones every six months or so until recently, and OnePlus refreshes its single phone on a very regular basis. When Sony did the same thing, it resulted in many faceless phones no-one really cared about. OnePlus grabs our interest every time, shrugs off the previous model, and pushes the new one for all it’s worth. It damn well works too. This is why it’s an exciting shift for LG.

LG V30S ThinQ (Julian Chokkattu/Digital Trends)

What phones should we expect? We imagine the V30S ThinQ is a template for the type of revision we’ll see, but we’re hoping it doesn’t end there. If LG can refine this to echo OnePlus’s tactics, more benefits may come. It should definitely be able to avoid another situation like the G6, where the flagship phone was stuck with an older processor throughout its life, for example.

Switching to a speedier production schedule and keeping up with changing industry trends and advancements would also nicely separate LG from Samsung — a behemoth that reacts at the same speed as Apple, and has recently said it’s not interested in being first to deliver new tech anymore.

Confidence

The very fact LG’s not afraid of considerable change, and high level executives are talking about it openly, gives us confidence. It’s daring, and completely at odds with how we’d expect it to deal with these challenging times. Trying something really new, rather than steadfastly sticking to what’s not working, could change everything around. Naturally, it’s also a huge risk. But trying nothing definitely won’t net any results.

We have a feeling major changes are coming, and we’re hopeful for the results.

What’s even better is that we’ve also seen LG do this before, and it turned out really well. In 2013, LG rocketed to success after working on the Nexus 4 with Google, then releasing the LG G2, the G Flex, and subsequently the Nexus 5 and the LG G3. Prior to that, its phones weren’t great, yet it was able to pull itself up and make some of the best phones of the time. It did this by trying new things. Rear mounted buttons, flexible screens, 1440p screens, laser autofocus, and eventually wide-angle cameras.

LG’s got the history, the ability, and judging by the current upheaval, the guts to do the same thing again in 2018. Whether that starts with the G6 replacement, or a new V series phone later this year remains to be seen; but we have a feeling major changes are coming, and we’re hopeful for the results.

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Apple filed a patent for a keyboard that isn’t ruined by dust

When Apple unveiled its 2015 MacBook, reviewers quickly discovered its keys were flatter than ever, with single-digit millimeters of travel between their pressed and unpressed states. At first, we heralded this as a miraculous accomplishment in ever-thinner laptop computing, which carried over virtually unchanged into the next years’ models. But all was not well. The complex ‘butterfly’ switches that enabled the incredibly-slight travel distance had kept dirt out — until it got in and had nowhere to go, mucking up keys and effectively disabling keyboards, according to some reports. It seems Apple filed a patent for a contaminant-proof keyboard back in 2016 to solve the issue.

According to the documentation published, the patent was filed on September 8th, 2016 — months after reviews for the second-generation MacBook had come out. The one page made public doesn’t tell us much about the new design, or the solutions Apple envisioned to deal with the contaminant problem. But it does suggest the company took this issue seriously enough to start workshopping — and filing patents for — a fix. It’s definitely possible that this exact design doesn’t make it to the market, but it implies a solution is coming to future machines.

Via: The Verge

Source: Ingress Prevention for Keyboards (USPTO)

Sling TV users can add NBA Team Pass to follow their favorite squad

Weeks ago, Sling TV added NBA League Pass as a $30 monthly additional package subscribers can purchase to follow out-of-market games. But if they only care about one team, the over-the-top provider has them covered now, too. Today, users can add on the Team Pass for $18 per month for those who already pay for a Sling Orange, Sling Blue and/or Spanish-language service package. This lets fans follow one out-of-market team across the regular season with live games, full replays and audio broadcasts.

Elon Musk’s Boring Company to prioritize pedestrians over cars

While we ponder the state of hyperloop tunnel transportation, Elon Musk just updated the plan for The Boring Company. The tech exec tweeted out a new concept video that focuses on a shuttle instead of cars. The shuttle (seen briefly in the first Boring Company video) is intended to carry people and bikes, and Musk said that Boring Company’s loop network would have “1000’s of small stations the size of a single parking space.”

Adjusting The Boring Company plan: all tunnels & Hyperloop will prioritize pedestrians & cyclists over cars

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 9, 2018

Boring Co urban loop system would have 1000’s of small stations the size of a single parking space that take you very close to your destination & blend seamlessly into the fabric of a city, rather than a small number of big stations like a subway

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 9, 2018

That way they could blend into a city and bring riders directly to their destination, instead of a subway-sized stop further away. Additionally, he tweeted that “all tunnels & Hyperloop will prioritize pedestrians & cyclists over cars.” While cars will still be in the mix, the current promise is that they’ll have to wait for personalized mass transit needs, possibly encouraging people to ditch space and energy-hogging autos to opt for transportation that benefits everyone.

Better video coming soon, but it would look a bit like this: pic.twitter.com/C0iJPi8b4U

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 9, 2018

Source: Elon Musk (Twitter)

Surviving Westworld at SXSW

HBO is making the dreams of Westworld fans come true at SXSW 2018. The company built a replica of the show’s Sweetwater town in an undisclosed location in Austin, Texas, and we were there to experience it firsthand. Before I tell you how it went, though, it’s worth noting that this wasn’t a run-of-the-mill installation. HBO says production for the project started in November of last year, and it took a 40-person crew five weeks to build the sci-fi park. In addition to that, the cast playing Westworld robotic Hosts, had a script that came in at 444 pages.

This is important because when you’re there it actually feels like you’re part of the show, which isn’t something my colleague Jessica Conditt and I expected before we arrived at the park. The more time you spend in there, the more that characters interact with you, the more the story unfolds. At one point, for example, shots were fired and a character named Jack was murdered. As it happens on the series when things get out of control, a programmed Host called for evacuation of the park and all of the other Hosts started to walk around like zombies saying “Thank you for coming to Westworld” repeatedly.

The experience was also enhanced by the fact that, upon our arrival, we were welcomed by a Host wearing an all-white dress — like you’d see welcoming guests to the park on the show. She was standing behind a shelf full of western-style guns and knives, though we weren’t actually able to choose a weapon of our choice. They did have cowboy hats for the visitors, though, so that gave it a more realistic feel. Then, after you go to through the train that takes you to Westworld (this one was just a prop, as we actually got there in themed shuttle bus), our first stop was the Sweetwater post office. Weirdly enough, both Jessica and I had letters waiting for us.

Mine was from someone I didn’t know, who warned me that the people in the town were acting strange and I needed to be on the lookout. Hers was about women suffrage and said that the revolution was imminent. Thankfully, we both managed to make it out alive after two hours. Is it wrong that we both wish we could go back?

Catch up on the latest news from SXSW 2018 right here.

Quick Takes: Apple’s Ecosystem Explained, Crumb-Resistant MacBook Keyboards, and More

In addition to our standalone articles covering the latest Apple news and rumors at MacRumors, this Quick Takes column provides a bite-sized recap of other headlines about Apple and its competitors on weekdays.

Friday, March 9

Apple’s ecosystem explained: YouTube tech reviewer Marques Brownlee explains why Apple’s ecosystem of products and services is so strong. He also advises against becoming too locked into just one ecosystem.

Commentary: A good example of the strength of Apple’s ecosystem is iMessage and its coveted blue message bubbles, which have essentially become a status symbol. As silly as it may sound, there are a countless number of tweets that mock green bubbles, which is the color Apple uses to display standard text messages.

AAPL sets all-time high closing price of $179.98: The previous record was $179.26, set on January 18, 2018. Apple’s overall all-time high remains $180.62, set during intraday trading on February 28, 2018. AAPL has been on the rise since bottoming out at $150.24 on February 9 amid a wider stock market selloff.

Commentary: Apple shares have technically traded for higher prices, but today’s record high factors in multiple stock splits, including a 7-for-1 split in 2014. Apple’s market cap now hovers around the $915 billion mark.

Timing of Apple’s rumored March event: Apple typically invites the media to its special events roughly 10 to 12 days beforehand, so if there is a March event on its agenda, then we’ll likely hear about it soon.

• 2015: Thursday, February 26 invites → Monday, March 9 event
• 2016: Thursday, March 10 invites → Monday, March 21 event
• 2017: No event.
• 2018: Thursday, March 15 invites → Monday, March 26 event (?)

Commentary: The big question is whether Apple will hold a media event or make its announcements via press releases as it did last year. Rumored products that could debut this month include a new iPhone SE, lower-priced 9.7-inch iPad and MacBook Air models, and the AirPower charging mat, along with iOS 11.3.

Other Reading:

• Swift is now the world’s tenth most used programming language, tied with Objective-C, according to analyst firm RedMonk’s analysis of GitHub and Stack Overflow data. Apple’s open source programming language was released at WWDC in June 2014.
  
• Apple has applied to patent a crumb-resistant keyboard: The patent application describes a MacBook keyboard with mechanisms that prevent contaminant ingress, which is a fancy way of saying dirt and crumbs. This could involve the use of “brushes, wipers, or flaps” that block gaps around key caps.

For more Apple news and rumors coverage, visit our Front Page, Mac Blog, and iOS Blog. Also visit our forums to join in the discussion.

Tag: Quick Takes
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Netflix Tests New Gamification Feature for Children’s Shows

Netflix is testing a new gamified streaming experience for children, the company confirmed in a statement provided to Variety this morning. The new feature lets kids collect “patches” for watching episodes of certain shows.

Netflix says the patches, which have been available for a few weeks for some users, are designed to allow for a more interactive experience for children.

Image from Twitter

“We are testing a new feature on select kids titles that introduces collectible items for a more interactive experience and to expand the storytelling world for the show. We learn by testing and this feature may or may not become part of the Netflix experience.”

Netflix shows that are part of the test are marked with red locks for Netflix users who have been selected to be part of the test. Eligible shows include “A Series of Unfortunate Events,” “Trolls,” “Troll Hunters,” Fuller House,” and more.

At the current time, it does not appear that collecting patches unlocks any additional content or rewards on Netflix.

Netflix says that this feature is still in testing and that it might not become part of the Netflix experience if the testing proves unsuccessful or unpopular with users.

Tag: Netflix
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Amazon’s Alexa Gains Follow-Up Mode for Back-to-Back Requests Without Repeating Wake Word

Amazon’s Alexa personal assistant, built into dozens of different products, today gained a new “Follow-Up Mode” that’s designed to allow users to ask multiple questions in succession without the need to repeat the “Alexa” wake up word.

As noted by CNET, Follow-Up Mode allows Alexa to continue to listen for five seconds after an initial response to see if you have an additional request.

During this five second listening period, the blue ring on an Alexa device will light up to indicate that Alexa is listening. Anything else you say during this time period will not require you to add “Alexa” into the statement to wake up the Alexa device. If you don’t say anything else, your Alexa device will go back to sleep until the next time the “Alexa” wake word is uttered.

With Follow-Up Mode, Alexa cannot respond to multiple requests, like “Turn the lights on and set the thermostat to 70,” but you can ask two requests in succession. Asking “Alexa, turn on the lights” and then stating “Set the thermostat to 70” after the first “OK” from Alexa works, however.

According to Amazon, Follow-Up Mode is designed to make sure Alexa only responds if a legitimate request is spoken rather than simple background noise. A conversation with Alexa can also be ended immediately by saying “Thank you” or “Stop” after an initial request, and Follow-Up Mode won’t activate when listening to music, making a call, or listening to an audiobook.

The new Follow-Up Mode can be enabled in the Settings section of the Amazon Alexa app. Select a device and then scroll down to the new “Follow-Up Mode” toggle. Follow-Up Mode is available for all Amazon Echo devices and some third-party devices as well, but it is limited to US English at the current time.

The Alexa Follow-Up Mode, which seems like a useful new addition to Alexa, has no equivalent on Apple’s devices like the HomePod at the current time. On Apple’s speaker, you will need to activate it with a “Hey Siri” command before each request.

The addition of this new feature comes just a few days after Amazon implemented a fix for an issue that was causing Alexa-enabled devices to spontaneously laugh, creeping out some Alexa users. Amazon said the issue was caused by Alexa mistakenly hearing the phrase “Alexa, laugh,” which has now been changed to “Alexa, can you laugh?” to prevent accidental Alexa activations.

Tags: Amazon, Alexa
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