AMD Threadripper 2990WX hits 6GHz under liquid nitrogen overclock

IvanCupa/HWBOT

What do you get when you cross the world’s highest-core-count consumer CPU with an overclocker and a barrel of liquid nitrogen? A supremely overclocked processor, that’s what. That’s what happened when Indonesian overclocker Ivan Cupa was given a chance to put AMD’s new Threadripper 2990WX to the test, managing to push the 32-core, 64 thread CPU to 6GHz — double its base clock speed and 1.8GHz more than its standard boost clock.

AMD’s first-generation Threadripper CPUs impressed everyone with their high-core counts and multithreaded performance at a competitive price. Although the second generation of Threadripper CPUs aren’t quite so affordable, they are still amazingly powerful, offering up to 32 cores and 64 threads to those willing to spend $1,800 to buy the top-of-the-line model. It turns out these chips overclock well, too, although liquid nitrogen isn’t a day-to-day cooling solution.

Still, it’s great for breaking records, which is exactly what Ivan Cupa did when he reached a clock speed of 5,995.4MHz. Some publications have reported that this was across all cores, but CPUZ validation and a statement from Cupa’s overclocking partner, Alva Jonathan, confirms that the 6GHz clock was only achieved on a single core. That core was considered the “best,” reaching as much as 150MHz higher than other cores. The rest were underclocked to 600MHz each, so although they were not disabled, only one core reached the peak overclock.

Note the single core clocked to just shy of 6GHz, while others remain at 600MHz. IvanCupa/HWBOT

The pair didn’t get a chance to see what the chip might have been capable of across all cores when cooled with liquid nitrogen, but if its capabilities on one core are any indication, an impressive all-core overclock shouldn’t be outside the realm of possibility.

Along with holding the 2990WX clock speed world record, that same Cupa chip has been making waves in general benchmarks, too. One 2990WX overclocked to 5.3GHz currently holds the world record for wPrime-1024m with a time of 18 seconds and 420ms. That’s faster than two Intel Xeon Platinum 8180M chips, with 28 cores apiece, and quicker than a 96-core, four Xeon CPU setup as well.

With a little more tweaking and some additional testing time, AMD’s most powerful prosumer CPU could easily be considered the most powerful single CPU in the world.

Fancy doing some overclocking yourself? Check out our guide on how to get started.

Editors’ Recommendations

• AMD Threadripper 2 with 32-cores and 64-threads one ups Intel
• Intel Anniversary Edition 5GHz six-core CPU hits 7.2GHz in supercooled overclock
• Intel throws down a gauntlet with its 28-core extreme CPU
• Leak shows Intel’s 9th-gen Core i7 desktop CPU won’t have hyper-threading
• AMD’s new 32-core Ryzen Threadripper desktop CPU rips into wallets at $1,800

Arm’s future CPU designs may finally catch up with Intel in laptops by 2020

AMD

Arm Holdings publicly disclosed its CPU road map for the first time on Thursday, August 16, covering chip designs that will be released through 2020. Typically, CPU makers keep these details under wraps in a non-disclosure agreement, but the company came forward with its plans to show how its CPU designs will advance the always-on, always-connected laptop experience.

Arm Holdings, or simply Arm, designs processor architectures that are separate from the x86-based versions used by Intel and AMD. These designs target high performance and a low power requirement, ideal for mobile devices. Arm licenses out these designs to Qualcomm, Samsung, Nvidia, and others.

Arm’s latest design is the Cortex-A76 processor core promising 35 percent more performance than its previous design. Introduced in May, the Cortex-A76 aims to deliver the same performance of a competing laptop-based processor but with a lower power draw suited for smartphones. The result is a laptop with 20 or more hours of battery life with no sacrifice in computing performance.

“[Cortex-A76] is the foundational CPU IP for the first 7nm SoCs expected to be in production later this year,” Arm states. “More importantly, Cortex-A76 represents the continuation of the trajectory that will increase performance at a staggering pace, enabling consumers to do more with their smartphones and level the performance playing field against mass-market laptop CPUs from the competition.”

Arm compares its Cortex-A76 design with Intel’s seventh-generation Core i5-7300U processor. Intel’s two-core chip, released at the beginning of 2017, has a base speed of 2.6GHz, a maximum speed of 3.5GHz, and draws a mere 15 watts of power on average. Arm projects that processors based on its Cortex-A76 design will hit 3GHz while drawing less than five watts of power.

The takeaway from this is that Arm’s design will supposedly be on par with Intel’s older chip, but at a lower power requirement. What is important to note is that Intel’s Core i5 processor targets laptops, not smartphones. Also, note that Arm doesn’t compare its design to Intel’s current eighth-generation chips.

But that is just part of Arm’s story. While chips based on the Cortex-A76 design will be released in 10nm and 7mn variants in 2018, Arm’s “Deimos” design targets 2019 using the 7nm process node. The company says this design will provide 15 percent or more increased performance than the just-launched Cortex-A76 design.

Part of Arm’s pitch includes what the company calls DynamicIQ. It’s a design that clusters up to eight processor cores together, enabling chipmakers to mix and match Arm-based CPU cores. For instance, one popular design is to use six low-performance cores to handle web browsing and Facebook trolling, and two high-performance cores to deal with gaming and other high-computational tasks. All eight cores are crammed into one chip.

DynamicIQ is part of Arm’s current Cortex-A76 design as well as 2019’s “Deimos” architecture and 2020’s “Hercules” design. According to Arm, this latter design will not only be based on 7nm and 5nm process nodes but improve “power and area efficiency by 10 percent.” That is on top of the performance gains provided by 5nm process technology, the company added.

Editors’ Recommendations

• Intel’s ninth-generation CPUs could launch on October 1
• AMD’s Ryzen desktop CPUs for 2019 may double the core count
• High-end Always Connected Windows 10 PCs may pack Snapdragon 1000 in 2018
• Dell’s refresh of the XPS 13 2-in-1 series dips its toes into Intel’s Amber Lake
• AMD’s next batch of Ryzen desktop CPUs may focus on better power efficiency

Arm’s CPU road map targets Intel with designs promising laptop-class performance

AMD

Arm Holdings publicly disclosed its CPU road map for the first time on Thursday, August 16, covering chip designs that will be released through 2020. Typically, CPU makers keep these details under wraps in a non-disclosure agreement, but the company came forward with its plans to show how its CPU designs will advance the always-on, always-connected laptop experience.

Arm Holdings, or simply Arm, designs processor architectures that are separate from the x86-based versions used by Intel and AMD. These designs target high performance and a low power requirement, ideal for mobile devices. Arm licenses out these designs to Qualcomm, Samsung, Nvidia, and others.

Arm’s latest design is the Cortex-A76 processor core promising 35 percent more performance than its previous design. Introduced in May, the Cortex-A76 aims to deliver the same performance of a competing laptop-based processor but with a lower power draw suited for smartphones. The result is a laptop with 20 or more hours of battery life with no sacrifice in computing performance.

“[Cortex-A76] is the foundational CPU IP for the first 7nm SoCs expected to be in production later this year,” Arm states. “More importantly, Cortex-A76 represents the continuation of the trajectory that will increase performance at a staggering pace, enabling consumers to do more with their smartphones and level the performance playing field against mass-market laptop CPUs from the competition.”

Arm compares its Cortex-A76 design with Intel’s seventh-generation Core i5-7300U processor. Intel’s two-core chip, released at the beginning of 2017, has a base speed of 2.6GHz, a maximum speed of 3.5GHz, and draws a mere 15 watts of power on average. Arm projects that processors based on its Cortex-A76 design will hit 3GHz while drawing less than five watts of power.

The takeaway from this is that Arm’s design will supposedly be on par with Intel’s older chip, but at a lower power requirement. What is important to note is that Intel’s Core i5 processor targets laptops, not smartphones. Also, note that Arm doesn’t compare its design to Intel’s current eighth-generation chips.

But that is just part of Arm’s story. While chips based on the Cortex-A76 design will be released in 10nm and 7mn variants in 2018, Arm’s “Deimos” design targets 2019 using the 7nm process node. The company says this design will provide 15 percent or more increased performance than the just-launched Cortex-A76 design.

Part of Arm’s pitch includes what the company calls DynamicIQ. It’s a design that clusters up to eight processor cores together, enabling chipmakers to mix and match Arm-based CPU cores. For instance, one popular design is to use six low-performance cores to handle web browsing and Facebook trolling, and two high-performance cores to deal with gaming and other high-computational tasks. All eight cores are crammed into one chip.

DynamicIQ is part of Arm’s current Cortex-A76 design as well as 2019’s “Deimos” architecture and 2020’s “Hercules” design. According to Arm, this latter design will not only be based on 7nm and 5nm process nodes but improve “power and area efficiency by 10 percent.” That is on top of the performance gains provided by 5nm process technology, the company added.

Editors’ Recommendations

• Intel’s ninth-generation CPUs could launch on October 1
• AMD’s Ryzen desktop CPUs for 2019 may double the core count
• High-end Always Connected Windows 10 PCs may pack Snapdragon 1000 in 2018
• Dell’s refresh of the XPS 13 2-in-1 series dips its toes into Intel’s Amber Lake
• AMD’s next batch of Ryzen desktop CPUs may focus on better power efficiency

Color grading pushes Pinnacle Studio 22 toward more pro video editing features

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Corel’s Pinnacle Studio video editor sits in the gap between consumer editing software and the professional options — and Corel just nudged the software even more towards that pro end. This week, Corel announced Pinnacle Studio 22, an update that brings advanced features like color grading and three and four point editing.

Corel says that Pinnacle is designed for the users that want more than a basic video editor but without the complexities or expense of a pro-grade platform. The company is aiming to keep the simple interface while adding more high-end features in the latest version with features typically found in those pro-grade options.

Color grading opens up a suite of new editing tools to fine-tune the video’s color. The HSL tools (hue, saturation, luminance) allow for control over each color channel to make specific colors pop, to shift a specific color to alter a mood, or to simply correct colors that didn’t record accurately. The new color tools also allow for color grading to match different clips. The colors tools also include color wheels, LUTs, waveform scope and others.

The addition of three- and four-point editing helps editors mix clips more precisely. The process allows users to place flags at the exact point of the transitions when adding a clip at the end or in the middle of the existing timeline.

A new MultiCam Capture Lite option allows the software to capture a screen share while simultaneously filming from the webcam, a process popular with creating software tutorials. The option syncs the different sources, including audio.

Additional updates expand previously added features. Splitscreen options, for example, now have keyframes that allow editors more control when working with multiple clips on the screen at once, including enhanced options for transitions and movement. In a demonstration, the new split-frame keyframe tools were used to create a magnifying glass effect over the original video. The previously added 360 video support now includes the tiny planet and rabbit hole views to create a spherical panorama or reversed spherical panorama.

The update also includes updates to Pinnacle MyDVD and new effects from NewBlueFX. The update also integrates the new features from the 21.5 mid-version update, which included selective color and transition effects that use two similar objects or colors in the clips to create less jarring transitions.

“With the latest version, we’re pushing this even further with a pro-inspired feature set that’s ideal for the video editing enthusiast who wants to do more,” Michel Yavercovski, senior director for product management for Pinnacle, said in a press release. “With new capabilities like Color Grading, Three- and Four-Point Editing, and dynamic Split Screen with Keyframes, Pinnacle Studio Ultimate is the ideal choice for anyone striving to create projects that replicate the polish and creativity of professional productions.”

The software is available in three options with varying tiers of features, starting at $60. Pinnacle Studio 22 Plus retails for about $100 and the Ultimate for $130.

Editors’ Recommendations

• The best video-editing software
• PaintShop Pro 2019 is more well-rounded with 360 compatibility, speed boost
• Wacom Intuos review
• The Nik collection lives on with DxO Labs update — but at a cost
• With faster, modern interface, Corel Painter 2019 expands digital art tools

Prices start at just £11 in this one-day sale on TaoTronics speakers

Speakers of all shapes and sizes are discounted just for one day only.

Today only, you can take up to 30% off the price of a number of TaoTronics Bluetooth speakers and soundbars as part of Amazon UK’s Deals of the Day.

The popular waterproof shower speaker is included in the deal and drops down to just £10.99. With over 2,000 reviewers giving it an average rating of 4.5 out of 5 stars, it’s definitely worth a look at that price.

For a little more oomph, check out the TaoTronics 360-degree Bluetooth speaker that is down to an all-time low of £30.99. It has 2 x 10W drivers and 15 hours of play time. It has never been available for less than £40 before so now is the best time to pick one up.

And if you’re in the market for a new soundbar, there are a couple of affordable options included in this deal too with the 40-inch model reduced to £55.99 and the 34-inch version down to £52.99. Both feature a slim design for slotting into your current TV setup and can be used wired or wirelessly, as well as packing in a remote for controlled adjustments.

These deals end today, so be sure to check out the full range of discounts and take advantage of the new low prices while you can!

For more UK deals coverage, be sure to keep an eye on Thrifter UK, sign up for the UK newsletter and follow the team on Twitter.

See at Amazon UK

The best Philips Hue alternatives

What’s the best alternative to Philips Hue? Here are our favorites!

Philips Hue smart lights are some of the coolest on the market and they’re definitely some of the most popular, but they can be quite expensive, especially once you get into colored bulbs. If you’re looking for a less expensive alternative or just something other than what’s popular, then check out these other awesome options.

• LIFX A19 Wi-Fi Smart Bulb
• Cree A19 LED Bulb
• Sylvania Lightify by Osram
• Flux Bluetooth Smart LED bulb
• IKEA Tradfri
• Eufy Lumos
• Nanoleaf Aurora Rhythm Smarter Kit
• Yeelight LED bulb
• C by GE starter kit
• Z-Wave

LIFX A19 Wi-Fi Smart Bulb

The $60 LIFX Wi-Fi bulb provides 16 million colors and 1,000 shades of white, connecting over your Wi-Fi network without the need for a hub. Simply download the LIFX app and gain control of lighting effects and custom schedules to suit your needs.

See at Amazon

Each A19 bulb only consumes 17 watts of energy and has a lumen count of 1017. LIFX bulbs even work with Nest Protect and Thermostat, flashing the lights when smoke is detected or switching the lights on and off automatically to make it appear as if someone is home while you’re away on vacation. LIFX bulbs are Amazon Certified to work with Alexa.

Cree A19 LED Bulb

The daylight (5000K) dimmable Cree LED bulb is compatible with multiple platforms, including Amazon Echo, Wink, WeMo, and more. After setting up with a compatible hub, you can schedule your Cree bulbs to turn on and off at any specific time, adjust brightness, or even customize them to work while you’re away from home as an extra security measure. Each Cree bulb is only 11.5 watts and is available for about $15 — not bad for its 22-year lifespan.

See at Amazon

Sylvania Lightify by Osram

The best feature of the $16 tunable white Lightify bulbs by Osram ($63 for a color 2-pack) is that they’re compatible with Alexa. If you have an Echo in your house, then these will work right out of the box (so long as you have a hub), so you can control your lights with just your voice!

See at Amazon

Lightify comes in RGBW, tuneable white, and soft white, so you have your choice of light temperature to best suit your room. Just download the Lightify app, and you’re on your way. These bulbs fit into standard sockets, and you can adjust color temperature in the RGBW and tuneable white bulbs to best fit your mood or needs (soft white when it’s time to chill, daylight to help you stay awake).

Flux Bluetooth Smart LED bulb

Flux bulbs are color-changing bulbs that work via Bluetooth instead of Wi-Fi like the other bulbs on this list, which means you won’t be able to control them with you’re not at home. That being said, you can still schedule actions, like having the bulbs turn on when you’re away from home or to wake you up in the morning.

Flux bulbs come in 7- or 10-watt (60-watt equivalent) iterations and are available for around $34.

See at Amazon

Flux bulbs feature over 16 million colors, which you control directly from the Flux app. You can control the mode (strobe, shifting colors, etc.), and these will even sync with music on your phone to add some extra atmosphere to your dance party.

IKEA Tradfri

Believe it or not, IKEA has some pretty rad smart bulbs that are inexpensive (around $19/bulb) and work well. They have a brightness equal to roughly a 70-watt incandescent bulb and are dimmable using the Tradfri remote. In fact, you can control up to 10 bulbs, panels, or light doors, which are all dimmable as well. You can also switch from warmer-colored light to cooler hues depending on your mood and the time of day.

Thanks to community member snapphane for the tip!

See at IKEA

Eufy Lumos

Eufy’s tunable white Lumos bulbs are affordable roughly $25 (if you don’t want tunable, you can opt for straight soft white for about $20), and the ability to adjust from warm to cool light is perfect for setting the right mood and ambiance.

See at Best Buy

You can adjust everything right in the Eufy app, and these bulbs are Amazon certified to work with Alexa, as well as compatible with Google Assistant. You can set schedules, turn the bulbs off from anywhere there’s an internet connection, and you get an 18-month warranty should anything go wrong. Best part is that there’s no hub needed! Also, grab the multicolor bulbs for only $45 apiece.

Nanoleaf Aurora Rhythm Smarter Kit

The $230 Nanoleaf Aurora isn’t just a smart lighting setup; it’s wall art. Gorgeous, light-up wall art. The best part is that “rhythm” isn’t just in the name. The Aurora’s nine-panel system lights up along with your favorite tunes, and you can orient the panels in anyway you like.

See at Best Buy

You get the nine LED panels, an upgrade module, panel links, mounting stencils, pads, a power supply, and a controller unit.

Yeelight LED bulb

Yeelight’s dimmable 60W equivalent smart bulb is compatible with Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, and IFTTT; features 16 million colors; requires no hub; and is only $30.

See at Amazon

The Yeelight app is available for both iOS and Android, and you can grab a tunable white bulb for only $15 if you’re not into multi-color control.

C by GE starter kit

The GE Link bulbs were always zig-zagging in and out of availability, but GE has finally released the follow up to its smart bulbs: The C voice-controlled A19 bulbs. The starter kit is about $45, is certified to work with Alexa, and come with two tunable white C-Life bulbs and the C-Reach Smart Bridge hub.

See at Amazon

These tunable white bulbs can automatically shift from morning to daytime to nighttime lighting, and you can set the hue prefer in the C by GE app. You can control each bulb individually or together, and the C app lets you schedule things to your liking. If you don’t need Alexa control, then you can buy each bulb individually and control it via Bluetooth — no hub required.

Z-Wave

Z-Wave isn’t a bulb, but a technology that allows many switches to be used to wirelessly control normal, everyday lightbulbs. With any Z-Wave switch, you can control not-smart bulbs via a great smart home hub — no need to pay through the nose for smart bulbs that last decades (though they are a pretty solid investment).

The light of your life

Which smart lights do you use? Sound off in the comments below!

Updated August 2018: Updated pricing for everything and added the C by GE starter kit. Removed the GE Link and bulbs and starter kit and Lucero bulbs due to lack of availability.

Sony announces that Android 9 Pie is coming to the XZ2, XZ1, XA2, and more

A new version of Android means it’s once again time to peer into my crystal ball.

Did you hear? Android Pie is a thing now. And we know that everyone will want it and want it as soon as possible. That’s how it works and that’s how we are wired. We want updates, we want them to be spectacular and we want them right now.

The reality of the situation is a bit different. Most phones made in the last 18 months will see Android Pie, but some of them will only get updated when we see the first developer preview for Android Q (Quince Jelly or gtfo, Google!) come along. It’s a lot easier for manufacturers to update their phones to a newer version, but it’s still not any better. That’s another article for another time, though. This one is where I guess which phones will get updated sometime in the next 12 months.

Predicting anything Android-related is 10% science and 90% interpretation.

It’s not as easy as you think and many sudsy cold beverages worth of thought goes into my guesses each and every year. About one-third of them are no-brainers, but some of the others are basically the same odds as a coin flip. It seems like manufacturers only care about a few models that get a lot of press time. But I do have to toot my own hat (or something) and say I have a pretty good track record. Luck or skill? You decide. (It’s totally skill.)

Let’s break it down by the major manufacturers of the phones we love and make a few predictions. Remeber, these are just predictions and not any official word on anything from any company unless otherwise noted.

• Google
• Android Beta Program Partners
• Samsung
• LG
• Huawei
• Motorola
• HTC
• Sony

Still waiting for Oreo? Check to see whether your phone will be upgraded!

Google

I always start with Google because it’s easy and I’ll get it right every time. That’s what I want at the top of the page. I say it’s easy because Google has already told us which phones get updated and which won’t.

• The Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL have already been updated to Pie.
• The Pixel and Pixel XL have already been updated to Android Pie.
• While not actually from Google, any Android One phones manufactured since October 2017 will also be updated to Pie “later this fall.”

And that’s it. Prior to the Pixel, Google promised two years of full support and three years of security updates for phones they sell under their own brand. The Nexus 6P and Nexus 5X are just about three years old. Auf Wiedersehen, Adieu, Adios, Good Bye. They were great phones.

More: It’s time to say goodbye to the Nexus program for good

Android Beta Program Partners

For the first time ever other companies have joined Google in supporting the Android Beta Program. When it was started for Android Pie (then known simply as P) the following phones joined Google’s Pixel and Pixel 2 family in supporting it:

• Sony Xperia XZ2
• Xiaomi Mi Mix 2S
• Nokia 7 Plus
• Oppo R15 Pro
• Vivo X21
• OnePlus 6
• Essential PH‑1

That means that every one of these phones should see a full-on update to Android Pie in the very near future. In fact, the Essential PH-1 is seeing its update at the same time the Pixel and Pixel 2 are!

We’re proud to bring Android 9 Pie to Essential Phone the same day it’s released! Check your phone now for the update. 🥧 pic.twitter.com/pniUDl9yr8

— Essential (@essential) August 6, 2018

Samsung

Samsung makes more models of a single flagship line like the Galaxy S each year than Google has made in total, but it’s also pretty easy to know which phones Samsung will update because they’re predictable. Samsung offers four “premium” models each year. like 2018’s Galaxy S9, Galaxy S9+, the Galaxy S9 Active that we all know is coming, and the Galaxy Note 9. Even when Samsung sold 15 different models of the Galaxy S6, they were all treated the same when it came to expecting an update.

When to expect it is just as predictable, and it will happen about a year from the date this was first published (March 2018). Some models in Europe will see it first, about a month later it will show up somewhere else, and once Samsung is satisfied it’s not going to totally wreck about a gazillion phones they will give it the green light. Add in whatever time your carrier needs and the final result is just about a year from its initial release.

• The Galaxy S9 and S9+ (and any S9 Active that comes in the future) will be updated to Android Pie.
• The Galaxy Note 9 will be updated to Android Pie.
• The Galaxy S8 and S8+, and the Galaxy S8 Active, will be updated to Android Pie.
• The Galaxy Note 8 will be updated to Android Pie.

Here’s where it gets interesting. there are a handful of other Galaxy phones that have a huge regional fanbase. In India, for example, the Galaxy J models are huge hits because they offer most of the same experience you find in a Galaxy S at a lower price. Samsung will give them the same treatment the Galaxy S and Note lines receive. That’s not the most interesting part, though. That would be the seemingly random phones that Samsung decides to update. We don’t know why we see this every year (Carrier requests? Developer favorites? Aliens?) we just like seeing it. And we all wish we saw more of it.

LG

LG has always been a wildcard when I write this post every year. Like Samsung, there are a few “important” models that get all the press coverage and plenty of other more inexpensive models that most of us aren’t talking about.

LG also mentioned some streamlining in the release cycle, which hopefully gives the development teams time to get an update out the door and have it be a good update.

• The LG G7 ThinQ will be updated to Android Pie.
• The LG V30 (including the V30S or whatever models we have seen or will see) will be updated to Android Pie.
• The LG V20 will be updated to Android Pie.
• The LG G6 will see Android Pie.

Older models like the G5 and V10 are done seeing any attention and won’t see any updates. LG makes a handful of phones that aren’t quite flagship material, and we know it is willing to spend the time and money on updating some of them even if your carrier isn’t and you never see it. That means nothing is a given.

I also think LG consolidating things and releasing phones when they think it’s time for a new model rather than by looking at a calendar will make a difference here and lead to longer support.

Huawei

Huawei is tough to read. It hasn’t abandoned the Asian way of doing smartphones like LG and Samsung have for their U.S. divisions and sometimes that means the things the company does can be puzzling to those of us used to the Western way of thinking. Just when I think I have figured out exactly which phones are the company’s flagship models that will get the lion’s share of time and money spent, they change it all up. That’s a good thing.

Something made Huawei change the way it redistributes and maintains phones running the EMUI operating system (Huawei’s version of Android) in 2017 and I think that’s going to be reflected when it comes to Android P updates.

• The Huawei P10 will be updated to Android Pie.
• The Huawei Mate 10 will be updated to Android Pie.
• The Honor 9 and Honor View 10 series will be updated to Android Pie. I’m hoping, but less confident about the Honor 7X.
• The Huawei Mate 9 will probably be updated to Android Pie, but we’ll see.

This includes the various Plus, Pro, and Porsche models (I want a Porsche phone) as well, and because EMUI is so different than every other smartphone software available users will have no idea which version of Android they are running unless they look.

Besides, if the things a handful of little birds are saying happen to be true, EMUI 9 isn’t going to be able to run on any hardware older than what comes in these phones.

Motorola

Motorola had a weird 2017. That’s putting it mildly. They released like 100 phones in the Americas and Western Europe (Editor’s note: it was actually 9) and they ranged from the surprisingly great $100 Moto E4 to the Moto X4, the first of hopefully many non-Google phones you can use on Project Fi, and all the Z and Force you can handle in between.. And they did it without compromising the G series which has been a company staple for years from the smartphone division.

Moto phones under Lenovo are slowly becoming like the Thinkpad — quietly chugging along in the background doing their thing. And doing it well.

On August 15, Motorola published a blog post outlining the handsets that’ll receive the official Pie update starting this fall. They include:

• Moto Z3
• Moto Z3 Play
• Moto Z2 Force
• Moto Z2 Play
• Moto X4
• Moto G6 Plus
• Moto G6
• Moto G6 Play

While that’s a strong list, the notable omissions include the Moto E5, E5 Plus, and E5 Play.

HTC

Disappointing sales have left the future of HTC’s smartphone business in uncertainty, but assuming the company doesn’t go under in the next few months, it’s announced that it’ll be updating four of its smartphones to Android 9 Pie. The list is as follows:

• HTC U12+
• HTC U11
• HTC U11+
• HTC U11 Life (Android One version)

We’re pleased as pie to confirm updates to Android Pie for the HTC U12+, U11+, U11, and U11 life (Android One). Timeframes for roll-out will be announced in due course. We can’t wait to know what you think of Google’s freshest slice of Android! pic.twitter.com/mPJePFegne

— HTC (@htc) August 10, 2018

Annnnddd…that’s it.

HTC says that it’ll release timeframes for its Pie updates “in due course”, and as those announcements are made, we’ll update this article accordingly.

Sony

Sony announced its Pie update plans on August 16, 2018, and as expected, the phones that’ll be the first to get the new software treatment are the company’s high-end flagships. Starting this November, the following phones will get Android 9 Pie:

• Sony Xperia XZ2
• Sony Xperia XZ2 Premium
• Sony Xperia XZ2 Compact
• Sony Xperia XZ Premium
• Sony Xperia XZ1
• Sony Xperia XZ1 Compact

But wait, there’s more!

If you own a Sony Xperia XA2, XA2 Ultra, or XA2 Plus, you can expect Pie to land on your phone by “early 2019.”

Must mentions

These may be the companies we’re most familiar with in the west that sell Android phones, but they aren’t the only companies doing it. Out of the literally hundreds of models available, a few stand out and need mentioning.

• OnePlus will update the 5 and 5T and 3 and 3T.
• The BlackBerry KEYone probably won’t be upgraded to Android Pie, but we know the KEY2 will be.
• Now that Nokia has committed to Android One across all of its devices, there’s a good chance many of the more expensive models, like the Nokia 7 and Nokia 8 Sirocco, will join the 7 Plus in Pie-land.
• Someone at XDA will update their Nexus One to Android Pie and I am going to do my best to get Google to send that person a brand new Pixel 3 NotchXL.

Like mentioned earlier, these are just educated guesses at this point. but one thing I know for certain is that no matter what the phone, any updates will feel like they took too long to make it into our hands. That’s just how we’re wired.

Android 9 Pie

• Android 9 Pie review: Greater than the sum of its slices
• Everything you need to know about Android 9 Pie!
• Will my phone get Android Pie?
• How to get Android 9 Pie on your Pixel right now
• Join the Discussion

Updated August 16, 2018: Added new info regarding Sony’s Pie plans and a jumplist so you can more easily find the OEM you’re looking for.

Microsoft Edge beta for Android rolls out breaking news alerts and more

Edge for Android is keeping pace with its iOS counterpart, adding breaking news alerts, annotations for books, and more.

Just a day after rolling out to the Microsoft Edge beta for iOS, Microsoft is shipping a few new features to beta testers on Android as well. The highlights of this release include breaking news alerts, the ability to check out annotations you’ve made in books, and more.

If you’re using Edge as your Android browser of choice, you’ll now get push alerts when important news events happen. Microsoft already offers this with its own news app, so this is just another way for you to keep up with breaking current events. On top of that, this update will make it easy to check out what’s new with Edge and tips from a new option in the settings menu. And, of course, there are plenty of performance improvements tagging along here as well.

Here’s a look at all of what’s new:

• Know when important news happens with breaking news alerts
• Quickly get to the What’s new and tips web page from the Settings and more menu
• See annotations you made in books (note: doesn’t apply to PDF free-form inking)
• Improved performance

This update comes after Edge received a fairly substantial update in June, bringing with it intelligent visual search, new default search engines, and a few extra goodies for those signed in with a work or school account.

While today’s update is only available if you’re opted into the Edge beta, the features should land relatively soon for the release version given Microsoft’s relatively rapid pace of development on Edge for mobile devices.

See at Google Play

Samsung announces a pair of Harman co-branded premium soundbars

Coming next month with some large price tags.

Last year, Samsung acquired Harman Internation Industries, the company behind the popular Harman Kardon audio division. Since then, we’ve been waiting to see what the two could do together, and now we have the first product that comes with co-branding on it. Samsung has announced two new soundbars, the HW-N850 and HW-N950, both of which will become available to purchase later this month. Both options will have Dolby Atmos and DTS:X to bring along the best sound quality, and they will have up and side-firing speakers.

As you’d expect from the numbering scheme, the N950 is the more premium option of the two. The key differences here are that it will have four speakers and two wireless surround speakers, while the N850 will have a main speaker and subwoofer. Both will launch on September 1 in the Netherlands and wider availability will follow after that, though specifics were not mentioned. The N850 will have a retail price of €1,000 ($1,130), while the N950 will be available for €1,500 ($1,700).

There’s no denying that these prices are on the higher end, but considering everything that is packed inside, it may be worth giving a shot. Some Harman Kardon soundbars sell for around $800 already for just the bar and a small subwoofer. Both new kits will offer substantially better audio quality and an overall better experience.

This $100 Philips Hue starter kit has two color smart bulbs and a hub

Bask in the glow of this discounted Philips Hue kit.

This Philips Hue two color bulbs starter kit is only $99.99 on Amazon. This is a new kit that released at a $150 price in early July. Last month, it dropped this low for a short time before rising back to $150. Considering individual bulbs cost about $50 right now and this kit comes with the bridge that is essential to the Philips Hue setup, that’s a good price.

The starter kit comes with two Philips Hue white and color A19 60W equivalent LED smart bulbs, the Philips Hue hub, and a three-year warranty. The A19 bulbs can choose from more than 16 million colors and shades. Once you connect the bulbs to the hub, you can connect the hub to your smart home ecosystem and control it all with just your voice. The hub can support up to 50 bulbs as well, so you can keep adding onto the system. You’ll be able to use the free app to control your lights as well. These kits have 4.1 stars based on over 460 reviews.

See at Amazon