These are Android Central’s favorite laptop bags

Carry me away.

Everyone carries a bag of some sort of bag, from tiny leather shoulder bags to massive 40L rucksacks that can carry everyone one needs for a week-long getaway.

Being a remote company, we’re always ready to work, either with a laptop, a tablet, or just a phone and a prayer.

The bag one wears is important: it speaks a lot about a person’s lifestyle, and about their priorities. Given that we spend a lot of time reviewing gadgets, it’s really important that we have the right bag to carry all of our gadgets, cameras, and other accessories.

So without further ado, here are the Bags of Android Central.

Hayato Huseman, Associate Editor

Peak Design Everyday Backpack 20L The bag that ended my bag addiction

What Hayato loves about this bag: Whenever I travel for work, I need to bring a few things that help me write, film, and edit videos. The Everyday Backpack has enough room to fit my 15-inch MacBook Pro, camera, and various accessories like spare batteries, an ND filter, a wireless mic kit, Bluetooth headphones, and even a portable slider. The side pockets expand out enough to hold my travel tripod, and there are plenty of hidden compartments to stow away keys, passports, or anything else.

What Hayato doesn’t love about this bag: The straps are pretty stiff and poorly padded, so if you tend to overstuff your bag, it’ll wear on your shoulders pretty quickly. There’s not much protecting your laptop from impact either, and while the bag’s side access design can be great, it also puts all of your things on display — expensive gadgets and dirty laundry alike.

The ideal user for this bag: Anyone can enjoy the Everyday Backpack, but it’s specially geared towards photographers. If you’re a frequent traveler who never goes anywhere without a camera and a spare lens or two, this bag is probably a good fit. If you need a bit more space, there’s also a larger 30L version available.

Price: $259.95

See at Amazon

Tom Westrick, Freelance Writer

Timbuk2 Uptown backpack All the space and compartments I need

What Tom loves about this bag: My favorite thing about this bag is how small it is when it’s relatively empty. Other bags I had were issued to me when I was in the Air Force, and they were gigantic and unwieldy even when they were completely empty. I can stuff this one to the brim with clothes, laptops, and other equipment and it all fits comfortably, but it shrinks back down when I just have one or two things inside. The most I’ve held inside has been six Dell Latitude 3330 laptops, and while my back didn’t enjoy that, this backpack held up with no issues.

Another thing I love is that despite all the abuse I’ve put this bag through for the past year and a half, it still looks like the day I bought it. This bag has been by my side through pouring rain, on the floor of a moving van, and countless day trips, and it still looks brand new. And if something ever does go wrong, the bag has a lifetime warranty.

What Tom doesn’t love about this bag: I do wish the compartments were designed a little better. The two big compartments are great for just piling laptops into, but I wish there was a bit more organization available within those pockets. The bag also doesn’t stand up on its own, meaning it always has to lean against a wall or just lay flat on the ground.

The ideal user for this bag: While this isn’t as expensive as the Peak Design bag, $120 is still a hefty chunk of change. If you’re willing to invest in a durable bag for day trips, and you need something that can grow with the amount of stuff you’re carrying, this bag is for you.

Price: $120

See at Amazon

Marc Lagace, Gaming Editor

MATEIN Travel Laptop Backpack A great backpack when you’re on a tight budget

What Marc loves about this bag: Straight up, I bought this bag because it matched my grey gym bag and because it was among the cheapest options that was well-reviewed on Amazon.ca — and for just $30, it’s a heck of a deal. What I’ve come to love about it after using it is the plethora of zipper compartments and pockets for storing all my stuff, the built-in support for a portable battery pack that I actually make use of, and the overall look and feel of it. It’s comfortable to wear even when it’s jam-packed full of gear and compact enough to be stowed under an airplane seat for travel.

The branding for the Amazon.ca model is slightly different than the Amazon.com bag I’ve listed below, but it’s essentially the same look and style as the one I’m rocking.

What Marc doesn’t like about this bag: I’ve owned this backpack for just about a year and it’s held up fine… but I still can’t help but think of the old adage “you get what you pay for” and expect it to fail me at some point down the line. I’ve gone through a number of backpacks in my life — and gotten less use out of bags I’ve spent more money on — so there’s a side of me that still thinks this thing is going to let me down at some point. The surprising part is that it hasn’t, despite its “disposal” price point.

The ideal user for this bag: This is a great utilitarian bag for anyone who needs a functional backpack to store their laptop and other gear — whether you’re in University or work a job that has you travelling a lot. At just $30, frankly I don’t think you could find a better deal for a laptop backpack.

Price: $30 for grey / $36 for other color styles

See at Amazon

Ara Wagoner, Writer

ThinkGeek Handbag of Holding Darling, durable, and… Discontinued?!?

What Ara loves about this bag: Just like the Dungeons and Dragons item the bag is named for, the Handbag of Holding can fit an ungodly amount of things within its muted canvas covers. I can easily fit two Chromebooks, their chargers, their sleeves, a Bluetooth mouse, six Android phones, two portable batteries, six charging cables, my big noise-cancelling Bluetooth headphones, my smaller backup Bluetooth headphones, my backup backup wired earbuds, a journal, some pens, two pill bottles, and four different kinds of snacks in the lavender-lined tote-cum-messenger bag.

I have stuffed this thing to the gills before severe weather shifts and cross-country flights, but it still maintains its shape and stability whether light or heavy. Four metal feet help keep the bag stable even on shag carpet, and so long as you’ve packed the bag relatively evenly, it should stay upright.

While the Handbag of Holding comes with a detachable shoulder strap, I find it far easier to carry day-to-day via its sturdy, heavily reinforced tote straps. Carrying it as a tote allows me to better handle the weight and doesn’t snag my shoulder holster the way messenger bags and backpacks do.

What Ara doesn’t love about this bag: While the Handbag of holding can easily fit a laptop — or three — it lacks a dedicated laptop sleeve, so I bent and shoved a quilted Rapha House laptop sleeve into one side of the main compartment to fill the role. It’s also quite easy to lose items in all of the pouches and pocket dimensions of the Handbag of Holding; I’ve forgotten items in here for months a time. It’s like a TARDIS with tote straps: you can fit everything in here somewhere, but things disappear in its space every now and then.

The biggest downside to the Handbag of Holding right now is that you can’t buy one anymore.

The Handbag of Holding is currently discontinued, but we’ll pass along your resurrection request to the Overlords!

— ThinkGeek (@thinkgeek) June 6, 2018

There are other bags in the Bag of Holding line available at ThinkGeek right now, but all versions of the Handbag of Holding are Out of Stock forever. I can only hope that there’s a new, improved model on the way, but there’s really no way to know. If you’re interested in buying one, tell ThinkGeek to bring it back!

The ideal user for this bag: This is a bag for tech-savvy women who want one bag for light days and heavy-duty work trips, nerdy to its d20 core but sophisticated enough to pass as a business bag — especially if you spring for the vegan leather Deluxe Handbag of Holding. It’s highly adaptable so long as you pack it properly, and over a year into its use I am still genuinely surprised at how much I can fit in my Handbag of Holding at a moment’s notice.

Price: When it was in stock, the Handbag of Holding ran from $50 for the standard canvas model to over $100 for some of the vegan leather models, but it’s priceless now. If you still want a Bag of Holding, there is a slightly smaller satchel-style Con Survival Edition available for $35, as well as a Convertible Fast Travel Bag of Holding that can switch from a messenger bag to a backpack and can everything for your weekend trip into a carry-on bag that will fit easily under your seat for a neat $30.

See at ThinkGeek

Harish Jonnalagadda, Regional Editor

Xiaomi Mi Travel Backpack Enough pockets to store all my gear

What Harish loves about this bag: I picked up the Mi Travel Backpack for the amount of space it offers. The bag doesn’t look huge at first glance, but it fits all my gear with ease, and has space left over for a change of clothes — which comes in handy for overnight travel.

There’s a padded section that comfortably slots in a 15-inch MacBook, and you get a sleeve for a tablet as well. I particularly like the fact that it has more than enough compartments, which makes it convenient to store the plethora of accessories I carry around.

The shoulder straps and the back are adequately padded, and it’s comfortable to wear with a full loadout of gear. I’ve been using the bag for close to a year now, and it has held up very well to the usual wear and tear.

What I don’t love about this bag: The one quibble I have with the Mi Travel bag is that it doesn’t have a water bottle holder. There are lined pockets on either side of the bag, and the compact size means there’s no room to store a water bottle.

The ideal user for this bag: What I like about the Mi Travel Backpack is that there’s no branding anywhere, and it looks like a regular bag. If you want an affordable bag to store all your gear, then this is the one to get.

Price: $55

See at GearBest

Joe Maring, News Editor

Ibagbar Vintage Canvas Backpack Cheap, boring, effective

What Joe loves about this bag: I initially picked up this Ibagbar backpack to get me through my last semester of college at the beginning of the year, but even after I graduated in May, it’s served me well for packing up my things and heading out to the nearest Starbucks to scope out news for the day.

What I love the most about this backpack is how it looks. It’s not flashy and isn’t as modern-looking as the famous Peak Design Everyday Carry, but I’m a sucker for this vintage aesthetic. It’s clean, simple, and the fabric it’s made out of has held up nicely after about 6 months of regular use.

Something else I’m a fan of is the interior. The main compartment is great for housing headphones and notebooks while a sectioned off area at the very back holds by Pixelbook like a glove. There are also two small pockets near the front that work great for stowing away a charging cable and AC adapter.

Lastly, it’s hard to argue with that price. $26.99 is a steal considering the quality and function this bag offers, and for a cheapskate like me, that’s what got me to pull the trigger on buying it in the first place.

What Joe doesn’t love about this bag: As well as this backpack has served me, I do have on minor complaint. Although I usually don’t carry a ton of stuff with me, I do wish this bag offered a better way to organize my belongings. The two zippered areas on the front work well in conjunction with the main part of the bag, but the lack of any extra compartments in these make it hard to sort smaller gadgets and gizmos.

The ideal user for this bag: If all you need is an affordable, simple backpack for lugging around a laptop, notebook, headphones, and more, Ibagbar has a great solution here for doing just that. The bag’s stylish, is comfortable to wear, and does a good job at holding all your junk. Plus, for under 30 bucks, it offers a tremendous value proposition for the budget-savvy out there.

Price: $26.99

See at Amazon

Daniel Bader, Managing Editor

Booq Pack Pro The most comfortable traveler’s bag

What Daniel loves about the Pack Pro: The Booq Pack Pro is, according to the company that makes it, “a tank,” and that couldn’t be more accurate. I’ve taken this backpack to half a dozen countries, subjected it to every abuse imaginable — trade shows are not bag-friendly — and it still looks new. Like, brand new.

What I love is how versatile this bag is. There’s a place for everything inside the spacious interior, with a number of obvious and hidden compartments ready to stow the most valuable of possessions. Behind it, a dedicated padded laptop sleeve can carry up to a 17-inch MacBook Pro or larger Surface Book 2, and there’s even a tertiary tablet/ebook reader compartment around back.

The exterior is made of 1680 denier ballistic nylon, and the zippers are fully waterproof. I don’t think I could damage them even if I wanted to.

Finally, and perhaps most importantly, the shoulder straps are supremely comfortable; I wore the Pack Pro for upwards of 6-hours straight walking around CES this past January, and my back was perfectly fine. (My feet on the other hand…)

What Daniel doesn’t like about the Pack Pro: For all of its benefits, the Pack Pro is for a certain kind of traveler; this isn’t a weekend getaway bag (too small) or a hiker’s bag (too heavy). It’s for people who travel on airplanes and subject their stuff to the hardships of travel. It’s also not designed for camera equipment, as the single main pocket is a little tight for the average DSLR.

It’s also expensive, at $249, and may be a bit overkill for the average city slicker. It’s also a little plain-looking, opting for sparse branding and only a single color, black.

The ideal user for this bag: The average traveler doesn’t need a bag like this. Instead, the Pack Pro is for the workhorse, someone who stuffs backpacks under airplane seats and into trade show corners. It’s for people with valuables they don’t want crushed or broken.

Price: $249

See at Amazon

Quentyn Kennemer, Freelance Writer

Thule Crossover 32L Backpack Tons of space, Tons of Durability

What Quentyn loves about this bag: Being one of the last holdouts to the messenger bag craze, I knew my options for a great tech backpack were slim. Thankfully, Thule’s Crossover 32L backpack fits my needs almost perfectly. Seeing as I have a glutton of camera equipment, a massive 17-inch gaming laptop, a smaller work laptop, a tablet, headphones, a portable battery pack, and my phone with me (and all the associated cables I need) on any given trip, the biggest thing I need is massive capacity.

And yes, the Crossover can hold all of that, and then some. It’s not just the sheer size of the thing, though. The innards are expertly crafted with multiple compartments, some of which are elevated by aluminum to ensure no one area of the bag becomes unusable.

There’s also a healthy amount of padding to protect all your stuff, including a crush-proof compartment to protect your phone or other small valuables. And while I’m no textile materials expert, I can say that the Crossover has held up far longer than any other ordinary bag I’ve owned. I haven’t seen a single rip or tear in the two years I’ve owned it. Oh, and it also looks really, really nice.

What Quentyn doesn’t love about this bag: I do wish the crush-proof compartment was a bit bigger. I’m the kind of guy who loves big headphones with massive drivers, and I’d love to be able to take them with me without having to bring a dedicated carrying case.

I’d have loved it more with a built-in roller for when my back needs a break, especially considering it can reach the size of a small carry-on when filled to the brim.

The ideal user for this bag: If you have tons of stuff you have to carry around on a regular basis or if your equipment is just more bulky than most ordinary bags can handle, this is for you. If you have a bad back, however, then you’ll want to look for something with wheels on it.

Price: $129

See at Amazon

Andrew Martonik, Executive Editor

Peak Design Everyday Sling 10L Just enough space for what you need

What Andrew loves about the Everyday Sling: I enjoy the security of having necessary gear (think laptop, battery, cables, camera) everywhere I go, and I understand that that means I also have to deal with that gear — typically in a bag. Size, comfort, flexibility (physically and conceptually) and style are all factors when choosing one. I’ve tried a lot of different bags for this sort of “daily essentials” set of stuff I carry, and for this duty I love the the Peak Design Everyday Sling — particularly, the larger 10L size.

What I love about the Everyday Sling is that it isn’t a large multi-purpose oriented messenger bag — it’s small, structured and doesn’t have a ton of expandability. It’s just the right size for the things I need to carry every day, and nothing more.

To that point, the Everyday Sling snugly holds my 13-inch MacBook Pro, plus a small camera, a backup phone and a few extra accessories like cables and batteries. And that’s it. The movable divider system inside lets you tightly organize items to keep them from crashing around as you move, and small zipper areas on the inside and outside hold onto smaller items. There’s a tiny bit of expandability with the outside pouch, but not much.

It’s a small thing, but I love how the top of the bag both zips closed and hinges away from you — as compared to almost all messengers that hinge toward you. This makes it incredibly simple to pull the Sling around to your front, zip it open and have quick access to everything. And the full zipper gives the inside water resistance from all angles, unlike the fold-and-clip style open bags.

If you’ve ever seen or used a Peak Design product, you know the kind of fantastic quality you’ll get with the Everyday Sling. Zipper are firm and close snugly. The fabrics are extremely tough and well-stitched. It feels like you could pull a truck with the metal clasps. The fabric on the back provides just a little grip to keep it from sliding on your back. And there are two side mounting points for Peak Design’s Capture camera clip system, which I love to use.

What Andrew doesn’t love about the Everyday Sling: The main downside to this bag is the strap, which really isn’t as wide or comfortable as I’d like it to be, and doesn’t really compare well to my Timbuk2 messenger bag. To be fair to the Everyday Sling this isn’t intended to be a carry-everything-everywhere messenger, and is built for lighter duties, but the strap still disappoints in its padding. It also has the habit of loosening ever-so-slightly, but consistently, over time and needs shortened back up to the proper length.

Being compact and light cuts both ways, and that makes the Everyday Sling a poor choice for people who need to carry a lot with them. One of the biggest upsides for me is how small the Sling is because it means it won’t ever get too heavy, but that’s a big restriction for a lot of people. It can barely fit a 13-inch MacBook Pro, so larger laptop users are instantly ruled out.

The ideal user for this bag: If you’ve tried to find a small, compact bag to carry the essentials and nothing more, the Peak Design Everyday Sling 10L is for you. It’s built out of fantastic materials that won’t let you down, and is filled with genius little design touches that make it functional and practical for any sort of profession or adventure. The Everyday Sling isn’t for long trips or heavy gear, but if you don’t need that much space this bag is great.

Price: $149

See at Amazon

What’s your favorite bag?

Everyone needs to carry stuff, and whether that container is big, small, expensive or cheap-and-cheerful, we’d love to know what you carry with you on the go!

The Kindle Voyage, a Logitech webcam, a headphone stand, and more are all discounted today

Whether you’re looking for new tech gear or household items, we’ve got you covered.

We found plenty of great deals today that include big discounts on the Kindle Voyage, the Logitech C920 Pro webcam, Twelve South’s headphone stand, and more! Time’s running out to take advantage of these prices, so hurry!

View the rest of the deals

If you want to know about the deals as soon as they are happening, you’ll want to follow Thrifter on Twitter, and sign up for the newsletter, because missing out on a great deal stinks!

Samsung brings back customizale text message ringtones for each contact

Available as part of the v4.4.30.5 update for Samsung Messages.

The Android Oreo update brings a lot of goodies to Samsung phones. There’s an updated UI for the Samsung Experience skin, more emojis, adaptive notification dots, and much more. However, it also removed something that struck a chord with a lot of users — customizable text message ringtones.

Prior to the Oreo update, you could have different ringtones/notification sounds for your text messages on a per-contact-basis. If your mom texted you, you heard one ringtone. If your brother texted you, you heard another. Samsung removed this for whatever reason with Oreo, but it’s now coming back with the latest Samsung Messages app update.

The feature returns as part of the v.4.4.30.5 update that’s rolling out to users now.

We’ve heard a lot of clamoring and complaining in the AC forums ever since this feature was removed, so this is likely to come as overwhelmingly good news to most all of you reading this.

What are you waiting for? Go grab that update now and start re-customizing your text notifications!

Android Messages for web is officially rolling out to all users

Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9+

• Galaxy S9 and S9+: Everything you need to know!
• Galaxy S9 review: A great phone for the masses
• Complete Galaxy S9 and S9+ specs
• Galaxy S9 vs. Galaxy S8: Should you upgrade?
• Join our Galaxy S9 forums

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Apple Seeds Third Beta of macOS High Sierra 10.13.6 to Developers

Apple today seeded the third beta of an upcoming macOS High Sierra 10.13.6 update to developers for testing purposes, one week after seeding the second 10.13.6 beta.

The new macOS High Sierra 10.13.6 beta can be downloaded through the Software Update mechanism in the Mac App Store with the proper profile installed.

We don’t yet know what improvements the sixth update to macOS High Sierra will bring, but it likely focuses on bug fixes and performance improvements for issues that were not able to be addressed in macOS High Sierra 10.13.5.

No feature changes were discovered in the first two macOS High Sierra 10.13.6 betas, but we’ll update this post if new features or notable bug fixes are discovered in the third.

Work on macOS High Sierra is wrapping up, with Apple now shifting focus to the next-generation version of macOS, macOS 10.14, which was unveiled at the Worldwide Developers Conference on June 4.

Related Roundup: macOS High Sierra
Discuss this article in our forums

Volvo has designed a self-docking system for yachts

We’re already working on self-parking cars, so why not take things a step further and investigate self-parking boats? Of course, the correct vernacular here isn’t “parking,” but rather “docking.” But semantics aside, Volvo — an expert on both land and water — has now designed a self-docking yacht. Because if you can afford a floating paradise, you shouldn’t have to worry about docking it on your own.

The newest solution from Volvo Penta builds upon the Volvo’s Group extensive research in the autonomous driving space. Already, the broader Volvo family has managed to produce prototype vehicles meant to be used in areas like mines and ports. So of course, developing a watercraft with similar autonomous capabilities didn’t seem like that big of a stretch. Indeed, Volvo Penta’s new self-docking solution is being called “another step forward in the development process for the group.”

Volvo recently showed off its new technology in the Gothenburg, Sweden, stopover of the Volvo Ocean race. In its live demo, Volvo showed off how a 68-foot yacht, outfitted with the autonomous technology, was able to maneuver itself into a tight space between two Volvo Ocean Race 65 racing yachts.

“Docking is one of the most challenging boat handling maneuvers – getting it wrong can be embarrassing, expensive, and precarious,” says Bjorn Ingemanson, President of Volvo Penta. “Our IPS system has already taken great strides in making docking easier, and this new self-docking feature takes that process one important stage further. Its sensors and on-board computers react in milliseconds to changing wind and sea conditions, constantly making micro adjustments in power and steering angle of the IPS drive to keep the boat on its intended course into a safe berth. If necessary, the docking process can be paused, and the system will hold the boat stationary in the water. Even in changing sea conditions it can make the sea appear to stand still.”

Of course, Volvo maintains that in order to guarantee the safety of the boat and its passengers, for now, the system is not meant to be entirely autonomous. While the technology should be able to dock a watercraft on its own, it also features surround sensors for anti-collision alerts and avoidance, and Volvo requires that a captain be at the ship’s helm during the entire docking process so that he or she can jump in if necessary.

It’s unclear when we can expect to see self-docking technology widely implemented, but for now, it’s good to know that the bright minds at Volvo are already thinking about it.

Editors’ Recommendations

• Volkswagen tests autonomous parking, aims for 2020 commercial launch
• How Nvidia is helping autonomous cars simulate their way to safety
• Why self-driving trucks will take over before self-driving cars
• Driverless pods could be used to ferry tourists around a U.K. national park
• Could fleets of self-driving cars become a public health concern?

You’ll want Xiaomi’s Mi A2 for the software, not the iPhone X looks

The Xiaomi Mi A2 has been leaked, and all signs point toward a release in early August. The Mi A2 is expected to be the sequel to Xiaomi’s Mi A1, making it the Chinese brand’s second device to use the Android One operating system. The Mi A2, according to the leak, is a version of the already announced Xiaomi Mi 6X, and will be available for sale in parts of Europe, where Xiaomi has continued to put its hardware on sale.

As leaked by Swiss online retailer digitec.ch, it’s Android One that makes the Mi A2 interesting. Xiaomi replaces its own MIUI user interface over Android with Google’s almost stock version of the operating system. The primary benefit is receiving regular and timely software and security updates, including the next version of Android, Android P, and Android Q as well. While MIUI is one of the better manufacturer interfaces, Android One will always be preferable.

The phone’s specification follows the Mi 6X, based on the information on Digitec’s page. This means a Snapdragon 660 processor with 4GB of RAM, and a choice of either 32GB or 64GB of memory, while a high-performance model will also be sold with 6GB of RAM and 128GB of internal storage space. The 6-inch screen has an 18:9 aspect ratio, curved edges, and small — but still very visible — bezels. The resolution is 2160 x 1080 pixels, according to the online advert, all of which matches the Mi 6X.

On the back of the Mi A2’s body, which like the Mi 6X closely resembles the iPhone X, the OnePlus 6, and several other phones, is a dual-lens camera and a fingerprint sensor. The camera array is made up of 12-megapixel and 20-megapixel lenses, complete with some artificial intelligence technology for the bokeh and beauty modes. Digitec lists the phone in three colors — black, blue, and gold — with local prices ranging from the local equivalent of $290 to $370.

Although Digitec has a detailed online page for the Mi A2, it has not been officially announced by Xiaomi yet. That means things could be different from the listing when it is. Also, while the Mi A1 should operate internationally, it will probably have a modem tuned for mostly European carriers, and an official U.S. release is currently unlikely. We’ll update here when more information is revealed.

Editors’ Recommendations

• Xiaomi Mi 6X hints at what’s to come for company’s next Android One phone
• Xiaomi unveils the near bezel-free Mi Mix 2S with dual camera
• Xiaomi Mi Mix 2S review
• Xiaomi’s European tour continues –it will arrive in France and Italy in May
• Here’s everything we know about the upcoming Honor 10 smartphone

Microsoft takes on Google in the classroom with Flipgrid acquisition

Microsoft is looking to solidify its position in our classrooms, and to that end, has recently acquired Flipgrid, the video discussion platform currently utilized by more than 20 million teachers and students across the United States and beyond. Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but the acquisition is Microsoft’s latest attempt to improve its educational offerings. Recently, Microsoft has been updating its Office 365 for Education tools, and has also updated web versions of Office to be more collaboration friendly.

Indeed, the Flipgrid deal could help Microsoft compete more directly with Google, which is already well-loved by educators thanks to its cloud-based products and Chromebooks. Flipgrid, however, really could flip the script in favor of the Redmond-based tech giant. Flipgrid allows students to create short videos in the classroom or at home in order to participate in discussions, answer questions, or otherwise interact with their peers or teachers. Already, the platform is used in 180 countries, but with the Microsoft acquisition, Flipgrid will be free to use in schools, and anyone who has already paid for a subscription will be receiving a refund.

“We’re thrilled to see the impact Flipgrid has had in social learning thus far and look forward to helping them continue to thrive as part of the Microsoft family,” said Eran Megiddo, corporate vice president at Microsoft, in a news release. “We’re diligently committed to making sure their platform and products continue to work across the Microsoft, Google, and partner ecosystems to benefit students and teachers everywhere.”

Flipgrid prior to the acquisition had maintained a longstanding relationship with Microsoft. About 18 months ago, the two companies announced a partnership that allowed for Flipgrid to integrate with a number of Microsoft products, including Teams (which allowed Flipgrid users to chat with one another) and OneNote (which allowed users to take notes).

Even as Flipgrid joins the broader Microsoft team, the company will maintain its own brand. “Flipgrid has always been about the educator community. They are the source of our innovation and impact,” said Jim Leslie, Flipgrid CEO. “Now as a part of Microsoft, we have the opportunity to scale so we can support every educator across the globe as they empower student voices.”

Editors’ Recommendations

• Here’s everything you need to know about Apple’s new education tools
• Google Expeditions go beyond the classroom with AR Tours for Android and iOS
• Everything Apple announced at its education-focused event in Chicago
• Apple updates $330 iPad, adds Pencil support, 200GB iCloud storage for students
• Ingenious digital swear jar uses voice recognition to penalize you for bad words

HP’s 145,000-core supercomputer is the most powerful ARM system ever built

Just shy of 2,600 dual ARM processor servers are packed into Hewlett Packard Enterprise’s (HPE) new supercomputer, making it the most powerful system ever built using ARM hardware. Known as the Astra, the mammoth processing platform will be used to run simulations for the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA).

While Nvidia may be busy pioneering new, miniature supercomputers powered by parallel computing graphics cards, HPE has been working on a new design constructed entirely of dual-processor ARM servers. The new Astra system is purportedly made up of more than 145,000 processing cores and has a far more efficient way of handling its memory.

At its peak, Astra is said to be able to offer 2.3 petaflops of performance, with memory that performs up to 33 percent faster than typical supercomputers of comparable size. That’s the key to the system, its memory performance. That’s what allows the system to handle vast quantities of data, which is its core focus — rather than some of the high-performance computing tasks given to more typical supercomputers.

This is all part of HPE’s push for more “memory-driven computing,” as the company calls it. First debuted as a concept in 2017, HPE has, with Astra, developed a system where each of its thousands of processors has access to a large pool of memory. That should massively reduce the latency typically associated with processors accessing the memory of their companion chips.

Astra certainly isn’t going to hold a candle to the recently unveiled IBM system, which has more than 9,000 22-core IBM CPUs and over 27,000 Nvidia Tesla V100 GPUs (so that’s where all the graphics cards have been hiding). But the Astra should be perfectly capable of handling the tasks the NNSA has for it. Developed in conjunction with the U.S. Department of Energy, Astra will be used for nuclear research and running simulations for the NNSA’s Sandia National Laboratories.

At Sandia, the Astra supercomputer will be given a trial run to start with, but could ultimately be used to help manage the nuclear stockpile of the U.S. As Engadget highlights, Sandia runs many physics simulations on a daily basis and it’s hoped that Astra will be able to accelerate that. As a new style of supercomputer, its potential lies in redefining the types of high-performance computers used at such institutions and could mean that ARM-based supercomputers become far more common in the future.

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Motorola might be jumping on the foldable smartphone bandwagon

Let’s Go Digital

It looks like Motorola is the latest company to join the foldable smartphone race. The company has been awarded a patent for a flexible smartphone display.

First reported by Let’s Go Digital, Motorola’s patent shows a smartphone with an OLED display that folds in two places. While OLED displays can be very flexible, frequent bending can cause permanent deformations at the crease.

The patent suggests Motorola will use heat to fight off damage to the OLED display caused by folding and unfolding the display. The company plans to place a heating element in the hinges of its smartphone that will increase the temperature of the display to counteract creasing and other damage caused by repetitive use.

In addition to using heat, the Motorola patent also uses movement to correct screen bend imperfections. The patent explains that the phone will automatically bend slightly in an opposite direction when heating the display to correct creases and other damage at the phone’s hinge points.

Motorola is, by no means, the first smartphone manufacturer rumored to be working on a foldable display. In 2015, rumors surfaced that Samsung was working on a device dubbed “Project Valley.” The project was ultimately scrapped, and images of an early prototype recently surfaced online.

Several major smartphone manufacturers are purportedly working on smartphones with foldable displays. Samsung’s Galaxy X has been the most talked-about device thus far and may be announced in 2019. The phone will likely serve as Samsung’s flagship and may sell for $1,800.

Apple is also reportedly working on a foldable iPhone scheduled for 2020. The handset is rumored to fold out to turn into an iPad, combining two of Apple’s most popular products into one device.

However, it looks like Huawei may beat both Apple and Samsung to the punch. The Chinese smartphone manufacturer is reportedly working on a foldable flagship to be announced later this year.

If Motorola does manage to make a foldable display, it won’t be the first such device to make it to the market. In 2017, ZTE released the Axon M, a bulky and buggy mess featuring two 5.2-inch displays connected by a hinge.

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Canon’s new large sensor is too big for you, but not for scientists

Canon may be rumored to be working on a full-frame mirrorless camera, but the imaging giant has already developed something even bigger — a CMOS sensor that is more than twice as large as an entire EOS camera. Canon recently shared how the largest high-sensitivity sensor yet, a 7.8-inch sensor that is 40 times the size of a full-frame camera, has helped scientists spot previously only theorized meteors. Canon announced the sensor’s development in 2010, but a recent report shows how scientists were able to use the large sensor and how that could lead to a better understanding of how life on Earth developed.

A typical full-frame sensor measures around 36 by 24 millimeters, or about 1.4 by 0.95 inches. Canon’s largest sensor is 20 centimeters or 7.8 inches on each side. That is the largest yet, Canon claims, but sensors aren’t likely to get much larger anytime soon. The silicon wafer used to build the light-sensitive sensor area is only 12 inches, with the 7.8 inch stretching the materials and manufacturing equipment to maximum capacity. If it were any larger and the sensor would require new, larger manufacturing equipment.

A size comparison between the new 7.8-inch sensor and a Canon EOS Rebel camera Canon

Larger sensors are capable of gathering more light, and while a 7.8-inch sensor would mean a camera too large to sling around your neck, the sensor has now been put to use for academic astrophotography. The sensor was recently used at the Kiso Observatory, run by the University of Tokyo. Because of the sensors light-gathering capabilities, the researchers were able to capture meteors not possible to spot with previous imaging equipment. Canon suggests that the equipment could help astronomers better understand meteors and even how they played a role in the development of life on earth.

Just how bright is the sensor? Canon says the sensor can shoot 60 frames per second video in only the light of a full moon. Along with scientific research from astronomy to nocturnal wildlife, Canon suggests that the sensor could also be used in security applications.

While the sensor’s size was previously announced, Canon’s latest report details real-world uses for such a large sensor, though those plans don’t include a giant EOS camera. The large CMOS sensor sits on Canon’s growing list of extreme sensor development, including a 250-megapixel sensor the company first shared in 2015.

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