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. We’ve only seen it drop this low once before. 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. These kits have 4.2 stars based on over 538 reviews.

See at Amazon

Huawei Watch GT leaked, rumored to have up to 14 days of battery life

The watch might launch with the Mate 20 and cost around 199-229 EUR.

Huawei’s previous smartwatch, the Huawei Watch 2, was a fine wearable that ultimately failed to capture a big audience due to an uninspired design and poor construction. To hopefully make up for its predecessor and bring back the greatness of the original Huawei Watch, a new leak has provided us with a lot of details on the Huawei Watch GT.

The render shown above is apparently the Huawei Watch GT Classic / Style. Along with it, there will be another model called the Huawei Watch Sport with a different bezel and watch band. The model we’re seeing here has a large 1.39-inch OLED display, two physical buttons on the right, and a metal casing with a leather + silicone band.

A large 420 mAh battery is reportedly inside the Huawei Watch GT, and thanks to that and a special power saving mode, you’ll be able to get up to 14-days of use before needing to throw the watch on the charger.

Built-in GPS, NFC, and a “swimproof” design have all been confirmed, but it’s still unclear if there will be a heart-rate sensor or what processor will be used. Also, while it’s likely that the Watch GT will be powered by Wear OS, it’s worth noting that the operating system hasn’t been called out by name just yet.

It’s reported that the Huawei Watch GT will launch with the Mate 20 smartphone on October 16 for around 199 to 229 EUR.

The Apple Watch Series 4 is light-years ahead of anything running Wear OS

There are now over 100 apps for Google Daydream!

Just go ahead and install all of them. You know, for fun.

With the second iteration of the Daydream View now available, Google has really pushed the Daydream ready Apps in the Play store, though it is still difficult to find them in the Play Store itself. That’s why we took it upon ourselves to make as an exhaustive list as possible of all the games you download for the Daydream View, free and paid.

To make it a little easier, we’ve tracked down all of Google Daydream apps that are available to install now, so you can load up your Pixel with VR goodness and see what this experience is all about. If you’re a regular visitor to this page, the listings that have been bolded like this are the newest entries!

Free Apps and Games

• GZ Doom VR – Free
• The Guardian VR – Free
• Zombie Party VR – Free
• **Hardcore – Free
• Mars: New Home – Free
• GameTron – Free
• BZ Zombie – Free
• EMULATED: Pylons VR – Free
• VR Therapy – Free
• 3D Model Viewer – Free
• VR Browser – Free
• Exo – Free
• Plex VR – Free
• Swish – Free
• Into the Blue – Free
• Hidden Fortune – Free
• Comets! VR Space Adventure – Free
• VR Abyss: Sharks & Sea Worlds HD – Free
• Bowling Mania – Free
• The Path to Luma – VR – Free
• VR Puzzle Room – Free
• VR Dead Target: Zombie – Free
• Avem33 VR – Free
• Spacewalk VR Experience – Free
• Underwater VR – Free
• BBC Earth: Life in VR – Free
• Poker VR – Free
• Reflekt 360 – Free
• Justice League VR – Free
• Fishing Star VR – Free
• Oz Chicken Slayer – Free
• Gunship Battle2 VR – Free
• Ace Fishing VR – Free
• Inmind 2 – Free
• Merry Snowballs – Free
• WDR 360 VR – Free
• Rez Infinite – Free
• AMC VR – Free
• Frostbound – Free
• Amusement Planet VR – Free
• Fruit Slicer VR – Free
• Action Bowling 2 – Free
• Pop Styly – Free
• Vera Bradley VR – Free
• Montana VR – Free
• Gubbie Arena – Free
• Storm Shelter – Free
• Capsule Commander – Free
• Pixel Zombie Fight VR – Free
• Can You Survive – Free
• Saint Motel – Free
• ComixV VR – Free
• AurorA Videos – Free
• Cinema Variety VR Lite – Free
• Time Rider – Free
• Boom Boom Slash – Free
• Fidget Spinner VR – Free
• Skyvu Places VR – Free
• VR Flight Dash – Free
• Spheres – Free
• Economist VR – Free
• MEL Chemistry VR – Free
• Gun Hacker – Free
• The Breakpiece – Free
• Shoot the Cans VR – Free
• GrooVR – Free
• Daydream Elements – Free
• MLB.com At Bat VR – Free
• Bandit Six: Salvo – Free
• Dragon VR – Free
• VR Run! – Free
• Spotlight Stories – Free
• Audio Factory – Free
• RT360 – Free
• Voxelus – Free
• Coastiality – Free
• Ocean Rift – Free
• Vicarious – Free
• VR Music Visualizer 360 – Free
• The Lost Future – Free
• Slingshot Shenanigans – Free
• Sliver.tv – Free
• King Arthur VR – Free
• theViewer 360 – Free
• SkyVu Social World Builder – Free
• 871VR – Free
• Unimersive – Free
• Vravo! – Free
• Twilight Pioneers Chapter Two – Free
• Digital Domain VR – Free
• Vision Maker – Free
• Confucious Was a Foodie – Free
• InMind 2 – Free
• VeeR VR – Free
• VR Flight Dash – Free
• AltSpaceVR – Free
• TinyWar VR – Free
• Domino VR – Free
• Rave VR – Free
• Sky VR – Free
• The Reaction Room – Free
• Magnetique – Free
• Agelore’s Fantasy FPS – Free
• Wizard Stole My Goose – Free
• Frisbee Frolics! – Free
• VR Battle Grid – Free
• Damnfields – Free
• VR Water Bottle Flip – Free
• myVR – Free
• Exo – Free
• NFL VR – Free
• NBA VR – Free
• Art Plunge Preview – Free
• 405 Road Rage – Free
• Gala360
• SKYBOX VR Player – Free
• OZ Chicken Slayer – Free
• Labster: World of Science – Free
• VR Wifi Discovery
• Inception: VR and 360-degree videos – Free
• Gravity Pull – Free
• Coloring VR – Free
• Avakin Life – Free
• vTime – Free
• Space VR Beta – Free
• New York Times VR – Free
• Asteroids! – Free
• Horizons – Free
• LittleStar VR – Free
• Moatboat – Free
• Playground – Free
• Fulldive VR – Free
• Netflix VR – Free
• LEGO Brickheadz Builder VR – Free
• HBO GO VR – Free
• HBO Now VR – Free
• Jaunt VR – Free
• NextVR – Free
• Hulu – Free
• INVASION! – Free
• BBC The Turning Forest – Free
• YouVisit VR – Free
• Within – Free
• Graveyard – Free
• PolyRunner VR – Free
• USA Today VR Stories – Free
• Wonder Glade – Free
• VR Karts: Sprint – Free
• Street View – Free
• Wall Street Journal VR – Free
• Guardian VR – Free
• Play Movies – Free
• YouTube – Free
• CNN VR – Free
• UE4 Demo – Free
• ZDF VR – Free (German language only)
• ARTE360 VR – Free
• Arts and Culture VR – Free
• Photos – Free
• Rose – Free
• Wayfair Ideaspace – Free
• realestate VR – Free
• 8ninths Enterprise Demo – Free

Paid Apps and Games

• Speak of the Devil
• Shrine VR – $1.49
• Death Horizon – $7.99
• Blade Runner: Revelations – $8.99
• RocketCop 2045 – $0.99
• Alien Shot VR – Surrender – $11.99
• IT: Escape from Pennywise VR – $0.99
• Colossal Quest – $1.49
• Fantastic Beasts – $4.99
• Rangi – $4.99
• Dragon Flight – $3.99
• Turret Attack – $2.99
• Dinosaur Hunter – $1.99
• Magna Brave – $2.99
• Recall – $3.49
• Lithium – $1.99
• Nyoro The Snake & Seven Islands – $4.49
• Tank Commander – $3.99
• Volkan – $1.49
• VR Duck Hunting – $1.99
• 2 Star Resort – $2.99
• Overtake VR: Traffic Racing – $0.99
• The Rabbit Hole – Escape the Room – $2.99
• In the Dark – $0.99
• SBK VR – $3.99
• Disc League – $4.99
• Daedalus – $5.99
• Skylight – $9.99
• Tactera – $9.99
• Samurai Chef – $2.49
• Dreadhalls – $4.99
• Radial-G: Racing Revolved – $6.49
• Virtual Minigolf – $2.99
• Orbital Loop – $1.99
• Flutter VR – $4.99
• Hunters Gate – $5.99
• Elevator… to the Moon! – $5.99
• Narrows – $9.99
• Paint VR – $1.99
• Onyx: Quest for the Midnight Stone – $5.99
• Daylight Dojo – $1.99
• Relic Seeker: Hypogeum – $4.99
• Ultrawings – $4.99
• So Let Us Melt – $3.49
• Beartopia – $14.99
• Need for Speed No Limits VR – $14.99
• The Other Room – $4.99
• Faye & Elsa Part III – $4.99
• Cosmos Crash VR – $2.99
• Baskhead – $2.99
• Demon Grade VR – $3.99
• Untethered – $4.99
• MLB.com Home Run Derby VR – $4.99
• Virtual Rabbids: The Big Plan – $4.99
• Virtugo VR – $0.99
• Raptor Valley – $2.99
• Spark of Light – $4.99
• Relax River – $0.99
• Cyber Paint – $4.99
• SONAR – $0.99
• WE COME IN PEACE – $2.99
• VR Music Visualizer – Spectrum – $3.49
• Floor Plan – $4.99
• Belt Miners – $8.99
• Zombie Elevator – $1.99
• West Gangs – $5.49
• Relic Seeker: Hypogeum VR
• Onyx: Quest for the Midnight Stone – $5.99
• Hungry Shark VR – $4.99
• Feasible Food – $4.99
• Unimersiv – $9.99
• Cinema Variety VR Pro – $1.99
• Haunted House – $1.99
• House of Meditation – $6.99
• Mysteries of China: The Great Wall – $1.99
• Solar Eclipse 2017 VR – $0.99
• Zombie Rush Coaster – $0.99
• Jing Yang Ridge 2 – $2.49
• Darknet – $9.99
• City Traffic Control VR – $0.99
• Pull Out Block – $2.49
• Sisters: Faye & Elsa Part II – $6.99
• Babel – $4.99
• Kismet – $3.99
• Ghosts in the Toybox – $3.99
• Shoot Fireworks! VR – $3.49
• Feed The Cat VR – $.99
• Boberboard VR – $3.49
• Unicorn Happy Place – $2.99
• Access Code – $4.99
• Poker VR – $4.99
• Balloon Shooter VR – $1.49
• Farmer vs Evil 2.0 – $1.49
• Hungry Shark VR – $4.99
• Lola and the Giant – $10.99
• Apnea – $2.99
• Cubed – $.99
• Last Z Killer – $5.99
• My Cube – $1.99
• Baskhead Training – $5.99
• Terror Cave HD – $.99
• Body VR for Beginners – $4.99
• Eclipse: Edge of Light – $8.99
• Along Together – $8.99
• Virtual Rabbids: The Big Plan – $5.99
• Toy Clash – $4.99
• Polaris – $4.99
• The Other Room – $4.99
• Solitaire VR – $2.99
• Flushy Fish – $3.49
• SculptrVR – $4.99
• Building Panic – $4.99
• Walk Man – $1.99
• TacoFace – $.99
• Raptor Valley – $2.99
• Tipsy Bat – $2.99
• Pirates Shooter – $1.99
• Virtual Virtual Reality – $8.99
• Air Hockey VR – $1.99
• Baseball – $2.99
• Vendetta Online – $2.99
• Vaporwave – $1.99
• Sky Fighter: Training Day – $5.49
• Battle Planet – $7.49
• Audio Arena – $2.99
• Walking in clouds – $1.99
• Bandit Six – $2.99
• Virush – $2.99
• Splash VR for Reddit – $2.99
• WE COME IN PEACE… – $2.99
• Relax VR: Rest & Meditation – $5.99
• Bait! – $7.99
• Speech Center VR – $4.99
• Baskhead – $2.99
• Cerevrum – $6.99
• Cosmic Chef – $9.99
• AFFECTED – The Manor VR – $3.49
• Floor Plan – $4.99
• Untethered – $4.99
• Hello Mars – $.99
• Sherlock VR – $1.99
• Need for Speed: No Limits VR – $14.99
• Archer E. Bowman – $3.99
• Layers of Fear: Solitude – $9.99
• Wands – $5.99
• Underworld Overlord – $7.99
• Evil Robot Traffic Jam – $9.99
• Daydream Blue – $4.99
• MLB.com Home Run Derby VR – $4.99
• Action Bowling – $3.49
• Sisters: Faye and Elsa Part I – $6.99
• Gunjack 2: End of Shift – $12.99
• Claro – $4.99
• Frostbound – $4.99
• Star Chart VR – $4.99
• Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes – $9.99
• Danger Goat – $5.99
• Hunter’s Gate – $5.99
• Mekorama – $3.99
• Earthshape – $4.99
• The Arcslinger – $7.99
• Drift – $10.99

As you can see, that list is growing fast and it’s full of great experiences. Google promised there would be 50 Daydream apps available by the end of 2016, and delivered a great deal more! At the start of 2018, we were already at well over 200 apps and games to choose from.

This train isn’t slowing down, either. There are a lot more apps coming! Here’s a complete list of the apps Google says are coming to Daydream soon, but so far most of these app developers have been a little shy about a release date for their new VR apps.

Daydream apps planned for the future

• Island Bombers
• Flocklore
• Classroom Aquatic Demo – Here
• Loco Motors
• SuperVektroids!

This post was last updated on 9/1 to add new apps. Be sure to check back regularly for more updates.

Google Daydream

• Daydream View review
• The ultimate guide to Daydream
• These phones support Daydream VR
• Every Daydream app you can download
• Catch up with Daydream in the forums!

Google

Leviton’s new $30 Mini Plug-in Outlet helps you control your home

If you’re not commanding a smart home now, you’re running out of excuses to try.

Leviton, the maker of tons of really good smart switches and plugs, has a new smart device – the $29.99 Decora Mini Plug-in Outlet. Much like the Wemo Mini or TP-Link Mini, this is a new smart plug that requires no hub and easily connects to smart home ecosystems like Alexa or Google Assistant.

You can also use the Decora Mini with devices like the Nest thermostat, SmartThings home monitoring, and more. You’ll be able to download the free My Leviton app and control all aspects of the plug. In fact, the app can control 20 different residences with full smart home systems, so you can keep adding new appliances and switches as you go.

Whatever is plugged in can have its own custom schedule. That means turning the lights off when you go to bed, turning them on when you’re away from home, or setting your coffee machine to start brewing as soon as you get out of bed. Just one less second you have to spend not having coffee in your system, right? Leviton’s first Plug-in Outlet was a bit bulkier and costs a bit more, so it’s nice to see the company improving on that formula.

See on Amazon

OnePlus 6T confirmed to not have wireless charging, better water-resistance

OnePlus is going to end 2018 with a bang.

Ever since it was released this past May, the OnePlus 6 has been one of the absolute best values in smartphones we’ve seen in 2018. The phone’s only gotten better thanks to striking new colors and fast software updates, and right around the corner is its incremental successor — the OnePlus 6T.

The 6T likely won’t shake up the OnePlus 6’s formula too much, but even so, it’s already shaping up to be one of the year’s most interesting smartphones.

Without further ado, here’s everything we know about the OnePlus 6T!

The latest OnePlus 6T news

October 2, 2018 — OnePlus 6T confirmed to not have wireless charging, better water-resistance

CNET recently sat down for an exclusive interview with OnePlus CEO Pete Lau, and during it, a few interesting tidbits were revealed.

Perhaps most importantly, the interview confirms that the OnePlus 6T will not support wireless charging. According to Lau:

We’re working hard on this. When we get to the day that the wireless charging can get up to speed [of Dash Charge] without the implication of heat that we expect, then I believe we can integrate the technology.

Lau also commented on the 6T’s water resistance, saying that it’s the most water-resistant phone the company’s made yet. However, in an attempt to save money, you won’t find an official IP rating.

Last but not least, Lau confirmed that one of the main reasons the 3.5mm headphone jack was removed was to make room for the in-display fingerprint sensor. He also said that it was “one of the most difficult decisions for us [OnePlus] to make.”

Read the full interview here

October 1, 2018 — Here are renders of the OnePlus 6T in Midnight Black and Mirror Black

Midnight Black

Need more OnePlus 6T renders in your life? Lucky for you, WinFuture recently got their hands on just that.

A few new images of the phone show its front and back in both Midnight Black and Mirror Black finishes — two colors that are also available for the OnePlus 6.

Mirror Black

Although the 6T’s design has already been confirmed in other leaks, these renderes once again show off the waterdrop style notch, the absence of the rear-mounted fingerprint sensor, and dual rear cameras.

September 28, 2018 — OnePlus begins teasing the 6T

We already know that the OnePlus 6T is coming, but now thanks to a teaser clip on its official Twitter page, OnePlus is ready to start hyping up the phone ahead of its announcement.

OnePlus 6T. It’s coming. pic.twitter.com/Wrdt9sCdIs

— OnePlus (@oneplus) September 28, 2018

The short clip is just 5 seconds long and features the tagline “Unlock the Future” along with the OnePlus 6T logo.

There’s not much else to see, but with the hype train starting, an official reveal should be coming soon.

September 26, 2018 — OnePlus 6T appears in a bunch of new renders

Earlier this month, we got our first render of the OnePlus 6T showing off the top rear portion of the phone. Now, thanks to @OnLeaks and MySmartPrice, we have full device renders of the 6T that shows what it’ll look like from every angle imaginable.

As expected, the 6T’s body shares a lot of similarities with the Oppo R17. There’s a large 6.4-inch display around front with a tiny waterdrop style notch at the very top. Around back is a dual camera system, glass construction, and no fingerprint sensor. This time around, OnePlus is hiding it underneath the display.

The 6T is said to be a bit thicker and wider than the 6, coming in at 157.5 x 75.7 x 8.2mm compared to 155.7 x 75.4 x 7.8mm.

Are you liking what you’re seeing?

September 19, 2018 — OnePlus 6T teaser video airs in India, shows off dual rear cameras

OnePlus has started airing a OnePlus 6T teaser video in India that shows off the back of the upcoming phone. A render from earlier today revealed that the device will have dual rear cameras — and not three like previously rumored — and the video further reinforces that. The commercial features OnePlus’ India ambassador Amitabh Bachchan, and also references the in-display fingerprint sensor.

Amazon India is also building up interest for the device by opening up a “Notify Me” page for the OnePlus 6T ahead of the rumored October 17 launch.

September 19, 2018 — OnePlus 6T render confirms dual rear cameras, logo also teased

Thanks to the folks over at WinFuture, we now have our very first render of the upcoming OnePlus 6T. The render admittedly doesn’t reveal a lot of the phone, but even so, it does manage to confirm a couple of key details.

First of all, it would appear that OnePlus will be sticking with two rear cameras on the back. On that same note, the cameras are also in the exact same position as they are on the OnePlus 6.

Along with this, we can also see that there’s no longer a fingerprint sensor below the camera lens. OnePlus already confirmed that the 6T will be its first phone to use an in-display sensor, so we’re now seeing how all of that will come together.

Last but not least, WinFuture also shared the 6T’s official logo. There’s nothing particularly exciting about it, but here it is for your vieiwng pleasure.

September 13, 2018 — The OnePlus 6T will not have a headphone jack

Yep, you read that correctly. As confirmed by OnePlus co-founder Carl Pei in an interview with TechRadar, the 6T will not have a 3.5mm headphone jack.

Having a headphone jack on its phones is something OnePlus has adamantly bragged about for the last few years, so why is the company now deciding to remove it? First of all, Pei notes that by removing the headphone jack, more features can be crammed into the 6T.

Some of that space is likely going to the in-display fingerprint sensor that was already confirmed by the company, and along with that, Pei says battery life is being improved, too. We don’t have raw numbers, but it’s said that the improvement will be “substantial enough for users to realize.”

Another reason for the jack’s removal is timing. Per a survey that OnePlus conducted earlier this year, 59% of its users already have some sort of wireless earbuds. Furthermore, Pei expects that number to now be higher following the release of the Bullets Wireless.

OnePlus expects some backlash from its community, and like we’ve seen from Apple, Google, and others, a 3.5mm-to-USB-C dongle will be included in the box so you can continue to use your old wired headphones.

What do you think about the 6T not having a headphone jack?

September 10, 2018 — OnePlus confirms in-display fingerprint sensor for OnePlus 6T

Less than a week since the OnePlus 6T retail box leaked, OnePlus has confirmed to CNET that one of the main features shown there — specifically the in-display fingerprint sensor — will be present on the phone at launch.

In an email sent to the publication, OnePlus said:

We unlock our phones multiple times a day, and Screen Unlock reduces the number of steps to complete the action. By adding this feature as an addition to other display unlocking options such as Face Unlock, users will have options to unlock the display in a way that is most efficient for them.

OnePlus also shared a screenshot of the 6T’s lock screen, and as you can see, an icon near the bottom of the display will show users where to put their finger to unlock the phone. Similar to devices like the Vivo X20 Plus UD and Vivo Nex, the 6T uses an optical scanner under its screen that views your print, matches it with one that’s been set up, and unlocks your phone.

In-display sensors have typically been slower than traditional ones on the front or back of a device, and if that’s the case with the 6T, at least we’ll also have Face Unlock as an unlocking option, too.

September 4, 2018 — Retail box reveals an in-display fingerprint sensor and “waterdrop” notch

Our first big OnePlus 6T leak has finally arrived!

A retail box for the phone recently appeared in a few photos online, and while the phone itself isn’t anywhere to be seen, the packaging actually confirms a couple key details about it.

Thanks to an outline of the 6T inside the box, we can see that it adopts a very similar design compared to the Oppo R17 that was announced in mid-August. As such, we’ve got a phone with very slim bezels, a tiny chin at the bottom, and a waterdrop style notch at the top.

This outline also shows a fingerprint near the bottom center of the display — suggesting that the 6T will be the first OnePlus phone to adopt an in-display fingerprint sensor.

August 17, 2018 — OnePlus 6T to launch on T-Mobile in the U.S. in October

A new report from CNET surfaced today, and if you’ve been waiting for more juicy details on the OnePlus 6T, there’s plenty for you here.

OnePlus phones in the U.S. have always been sold exclusively as unlocked handsets through OnePlus’s website, but with the 6T, OnePlus will be launching the phone on its first carrier partner in the States — T-Mobile. The T-Mobile version of the OnePlus 6T is said to be “optimized for T-Mobile’s network” and will work beautifully with the Un-Carrier’s 600Mhz band.

Pricing for the OnePlus 6T is said to be about $550 (a slight increase from the $529 OnePlus 6) and it’ll launch at some point in October.

August 14, 2018 — The new Oppo R17 is likely the phone the OnePlus 6T will be modeled after

If you’ve been following OnePlus for a while, chances are you know that its parent company is Oppo. OnePlus typically uses Oppo phones as references for its own hardware, and this year, the reference device for the OnePlus 6T will likely be the all-new Oppo R17.

While the 6T won’t be identical to the R17, the phone’s biggest features will likely carry over — including the waterdrop notch at the top of the display and all-glass back.

The R17’s notch is one of the smallest we’ve ever seen, and should this make its way to the 6T, it’ll be a big win for the phone’s design. The display below that measures in at 6.4-inches, and to not much surprise, retains a resolution of 1080 x 2280 Full HD.

Where will I be able to buy the OnePlus 6T?

Like previous OnePlus phones, we’re certain that the OnePlus 6T will be sold unlocked on OnePlus’s website.

However, new this year in the U.S., OnePlus has apparently secured its first carrier partner.

In addition to selling the phone unlocked, OnePlus will also sell the 6T via T-Mobile. The unlocked variant will work just fine on TMO, but by having the phone sold directly through the carrier and available to purchase via monthly financing, this should hopefully get the 6T in more people’s hands than previous OnePlus devices.

When will the phone be released?

According to a report from CNET, the OnePlus 6T will launch this fall — sometime in October, to be exact.

Seeing as how the OnePlus 5T went on sale November 21 and sales for the 3T opened up November 28, we have no reason not to believe OnePlus will shoot for an October launch. It’s not uncommon for OEMs to move up launch dates by a month or so compared to previous releases, and seeing as how the next-gen iPhones will be announced on September 12 and the Pixel 3 will be unveiled on October 9, OnePlus appears to be slotting itself in nicely with those big-name launches.

How much will the 6T cost?

Per that same report, the OnePlus 6T will cost $550.

In typical OnePlus fashion, that’s a minor price hike compared to its past releases. Here’s how the $550 OnePlus 6T will compare to previous OnePlus phones:

• OnePlus 6 — $529
• OnePlus 5T — $499
• OnePlus 5 — $479
• OnePlus 3T — $439
• OnePlus 3 — $399

OnePlus 6 review: The matter is settled

OnePlus 6

• OnePlus 6 review
• OnePlus 6 vs. OnePlus 5T: How much changes in six months?
• OnePlus 6 vs. OnePlus 5: Should you upgrade?
• These are the official OnePlus 6 cases
• The OnePlus 6 doesn’t work on Verizon or Sprint
• Join the discussion in the forums

Itching for a new PlayStation VR game? Here are October’s new releases!

Here are the unreleased VR games that we can’t wait to hit the market this year.

PlayStation VR is becoming a much larger VR platform, and with that comes a lot more games. With PlayStation unleashing new games almost every month, it’s hard not to be excited by seeing what has already been released. Here are some of the unreleased VR games that we’re most excited about that are releasing in October of 2018!

Astro Bot: Rescue Mission

Coming October 2

Astro Bot isn’t going too far out of the way to feel like a VR game, but it does give an interesting perspective. With this title, it feels like a platformer that you’ll get a 360-degree view of, but you still play the game with your regular DualShock controller. Don’t let the lack of VR qualities lose you, though. This game still looks like a whole lot of fun, just look at the trailer!

You can pre-order this title on Amazon for $40.

See on Amazon

Gungrave VR

Coming November 20, 2018

Gungrave VR is, as you guessed it, a VR shooter game. Here you’ll take on the identity of a local hero who is trying to save the world from SEED Infectees ( a hellish drug). This is a VR sequel of the original game that released in 2002 from developers over at Red Entertainment.

You can pre-order this title on Amazon for $40.

See on Amazon

Which VR game are you looking forward to?

Is there a VR game on this list that really caught your eye? Let us know down in the comments or shoot me a Tweet @OriginalSluggo!

Updated October 2018: We’ve updated this article with brand new games we’re excited to see in October 2018!

PlayStation 4

• PS4 vs. PS4 Slim vs. PS4 Pro: Which should you buy?
• PlayStation VR Review
• Playing PS4 games through your phone is awesome

Amazon

Does the Raspberry Pi 3 B+ support I2C?

Best answer: Yes. The Raspberry Pi supports the I2C interface through its GPIO header. It’s disabled by default so you’ll need to enable the hardware and install some utilities before you can use it.

Amazon: Raspberry Pi 3 B+ ($40)

What’s an I2C interface?

The I2C interface (it’s actually I²C or I-squared-c but nobody wants to type that, hence the nickname) is the end point of an inter-integrated circuit serial bus that doesn’t need high-speed communication. The transmission is synchronous and packet-switched and can host multiple masters and multiple slave devices on the same bus. You’ll find it used anywhere. Simplicity is more important than speed and it’s commonly used for attaching sensors or monitoring equipment.

For hobby applications, the I2C bus is commonly used to attach a PC board to an LCD. An I2C backpack board can trim the number of connections needed from 16 down to two, and with I/O pins always in short supply, that makes the I2C bus very valuable for many projects. To learn more about the I2C bus and Serial communications in general, Sparkfun has a great primer to get you started.

Using the I2C interface on the Raspberry Pi

By default, your Raspberry Pi has the I2C interface disabled. Don’t worry, it’s easy to enable it.

You’ll use the same configuration tool you saw when you first turned on your Raspberry Pi. To bring it back, type sudo raspi-config from the command line. You’ll find the option to enable the I2C option under Interfacing Options.

After a reboot, you can then install any utilities and debugging tools such as i2c-tools or the python-smbus libraries through the standard package manager using the apt-get command. Your project and the coding language you’re using will determine exactly what extras you’ll need to communicate over the I2C bus using the standard GPIO pins on your Raspberry Pi 3 B+.

Our pick

Raspberry Pi 3 B+

$40 at Amazon

Includes legacy bus communications

The Raspberry Pi 3 B+ supports many different types of serial communication through its GPIO pins, including the I2C interface. This is one of the reasons we love this little single board computer!.

Friday the 13th is free with PlayStation Plus now!

These are the free games you can get right now with your PlayStation Plus membership.

One of the biggest perks of having a PlayStation Plus membership is the free games you get every month. I’ve got a list of the games PlayStation is offering this month, and it includes some popular AAA titles. Start downloading these games, and enjoy your free games for the month of September!

PlayStation 4 free games this month

• Friday the 13th
• Laser League

PlayStation 3 free games this month

• Master Reboot
• The Bridge

PlayStation Vita free games this month

• Rocketbirds 2: Evolution
• 2064 Read Only Memories

PlayStation VR free games this month

• Here They Lie

Full game line-up

Read on below to see some quick previews of the games you get for free this month!

Friday the 13th

Get into the Halloween spirit by turning up your inner spooky. Then take it out on your friends in this thrilling multiplayer game for the PlayStation 4. Take out all your frustrations of the workday with a machete, what could possibly go wrong?

If you’re not a PlayStation Plus member you can find this title on Amazon for $25.

See at Amazon.

Laser League

Collect your power-ups and take out your enemies, but watch out for those harmful beams of enemy lights. With 6 classes to choose from and 12 different maps, the possibilities of fun are seemingly endless. Bring your friends, this is a multiplayer adventure!

If you’re not a PlayStation Plus member you can find this title on the PlayStation Store for $15.

See on PlayStation Store.

Master Reboot

This title is set in a dystopian future where the memories of the living are uploaded to a cloud memory to be downloaded at any point. This makes the idea of immortality very real as the people’s souls can be downloaded to a being in order to continue living on.

If you’re not a PlayStation Plus member you can find this title on the PlayStation Store for $15.

See on PlayStation Store.

The Bridge

Find everlasting confusion with this title. The Bridge is a puzzle game of the mind, testing what you think is reality and daring you to step out of the bounds of normal thinking to progress to the next level.

If you’re not a PlayStation Plus member you can find this title on the PlayStation Store for $10.

See on PlayStation Store.

Rocketbirds 2: Evolution

In this side-scroller, you play the role of a chicken who’s here to rescue fellow chickens from becoming dinner. This hilarious title is just as entertaining in the silly puns as it is with their combat system. Collect your upgrades and get to killing!

If you’re not a PlayStation Plus member you can find this title on the PlayStation Store for $10.

See on PlayStation Store.

2064 Read-Only Memories

The year is 2064 and you’re a struggling journalist with a trusty robot sidekick. Go through the everyday life of a collapsing humanity to learn where technology is taking them in their future, as well as discovering the citie’s deepest secrets.

If you’re not a PlayStation Plus member you can find this title on the PlayStation Store for $20.

See on PlayStation Store.

Which is your favorite game you’ve gotten for free with PlayStation Plus?

Let us know which game you’ve loved and which one you’re excited about this month! Drop a comment below or shoot me a Tweet and tell me all about it!

Updated October 2018: We’ve added the free games for this month!

PlayStation 4

• PS4 vs. PS4 Slim vs. PS4 Pro: Which should you buy?
• PlayStation VR Review
• Playing PS4 games through your phone is awesome

Amazon

Google finally gets it right with Wear OS 2.0

It’s not perfect yet, but it’s looking like Google finally got their UI right for wearables.

AC
Score
4.5

Wear OS, Google’s smartwatch platform has not had an easy life. It’s been blasted and bemoaned for a clunky UI, and its watches — powered by long-outdated chipsets — have fallen further and further and further behind the Apple Watch, in performance, in style, and most starkly in fitness and health. WearOS got a name change last year, but what it needed was an overhaul of how it actually worked.

In August, Google announced that overhaul was indeed coming to most current Wear OS watches, and last week, it began to trickle out in a slow public release. This new UI promised a simpler, streamlined experience: the recently redesigned Google Fit would be a single swipe away, as would a quicker, better Google Assistant.

Well, Google has delivered on its promise, and the future for Android wearables is looking brighter than ever.

About this review

I have tested and tinkered with the new Wear OS 2.0 update for about 36 hours after receiving it Monday morning on my TicWatch Pro, which I have been wearing for over three months. I have been a consistent Wear OS user since the original Moto 360, using an original Huawei Watch, LG Watch Style, TicWatch E, and TicWatch Pro over the last 4 years, using it primarily for notifications, quick replies, media controls, Google Keep grocery lists, and TicHealth’s hourly reminders to take a break and some steps.

Swipe for sanity

Wear OS 2.0’s condensed UI brings efficiency and simplicity

Wear OS’s previous incarnations were a bit of a hot mess. If you swiped left or right on the watch face, you’d swap to another watch face. Each notification was its own card and its own slide on a Rolodex of a feed. The app drawer was a dense carousel, and Google Assistant could only be summoned by pressing and holding the power button. Now, the main Wear OS UI has been simplified into a cross of sorts:

• Center: watch face — To swap or customize the watch face, long-press the face.
• Top: Quick Settings — Toggles: Airplane mode, Battery saver, Theater mode, Do Not Disturb, Play/Pause music. Shortcuts: Settings menu, Google Pay tap-and-pay, Music controls
• Right: Fitness app — For most watches, this will be the redesigned Google Fit, showing your progress on Move Minutes and Heart Points and a shortcut for starting a new Workout.
• Bottom: Condensed notification feed — No more wasted space! Tap a notification to expand them in-line and reveal any actions and quick reply suggestions.
• Left: Google Assistant — Voice prompt icon at the top of a Google Now-like feed, showing search and command suggestions based on location, weather, time, and upcoming trips or deliveries.

It’s hard for me to say which one of these improvements is the most useful, because they’re all much better than they were — well, except for TicHealth’s paltry replacement of Google Fit, but that’s an anomaly most users won’t have to deal with. It’s also one I hope Mobvoi changes quickly. The condensed notification feed is much easier to sift through, and the new Assistant feed makes it much quicker to initiate searches or check on upcoming items like flights and reservations.

Everything is quicker to get to and easier to use.

Quick Settings has more than doubled in usefulness, and the addition of Google Pay and music is especially gratifying. Now, playback controls won’t get buried under a mountain of new messages — or accidentally cleared away with them — and tap-and-pay can be easily summoned without leaving your current app or activity. The sound toggle is a welcome addition, as well, sitting somewhere between Do Not Disturb and Theater mode on the scale of interruption control.

This update also fixed several recent bugs that had been creeping into Wear OS, such as music not appearing in the Now Playing complications on watch faces. Overall, responsiveness and speed seem to have picked up a little, too, even if the biggest benefits of Wear OS 2.0 are going to be reaped by upcoming watches with the new Snapdragon Wear 3100 chip.

Usability, at last

Still shaking off the shackles of Wear OS’s sluggish past

While the main UI has seen a definite upgrade here, it doesn’t reach to every corner of the system yet. Most apps seem to load a tiny bit faster, but the Google Play Store, in particular, is still a hot mess: slow to load, slow to download apps and updates, and a complete pain to try and look for apps or watch faces on. Google Keep and Nest have been quicker to load, and even data-intensive RadarScope has been zippier when switching radar sites and adjusting the positioning, but Google Play is clunky and just as hard to navigate as ever.

Another area that has seen little improvement on current devices — but should see a boon on new models — is voice prompts. There has been a small bump in the speed of voice recognition, but Wear OS is still slow to start listening, missing the first half-sentence of spoken replies on my TicWatch when trying to reply to Hangouts and Slack messages. The Wear 3100 has specific hardware improvements that Wear OS will be able to easily capitalize on, but for those of us who already have a smartwatch, things are at least a tiny bit better. Thank Google for small mercies, I suppose.

It’s still way better than actually trying to type on a smartwatch.

Assistant ascending: Google’s AI is finally usable on your wrist

Google Assistant in the previous incarnations of Wear OS was entirely reliant on voice, and even worse, reliant on a long-press reaction to summon up the voice prompt screen. The Google Assistant feed might not be something you use all the time, but being able to swipe over and tap that microphone icon in half a second is worlds better than pressing a hardware button for two seconds and waiting another 2-5 seconds for Assistant to load and start listening.

With the feed and its suggestions, as well as the slightly speedier voice prompts, Google Assistant is finally, feasibly functional on your wrist.

Software’s fixed, time for hardware

A new day for Wear OS watches, old and especially new

Wear OS 2.0 might still have some small, slight imperfections to work out, but by and large, this is the Wear OS that we’ve been waiting years for. No more swiping through card after card of individual notifications, no more accidentally switching watch faces, no more waiting eons for Google Assistant. This update will breathe new life into almost all of the Wear OS watches on the market today.

4.5
out of 5

For those who have long-since given up hope on the platform, they might actually change their tune once we see how a Wear OS watch performs with this snappier new UI and Qualcomm’s new Snapdragon Wear 3100 chip sipping battery and sliding through a busy week on a single charge.

Google Wear OS

• The best Wear OS smartwatches
• Discuss Android Wear in the forums!

Navigate and control your phone with Voice Access

Welcome to truly hands-free smartphone control.

Using your phone hands-free is a luxury to most of us. We cheer when Google Assistant can start a timer while we’re washing sticky dough or slimy meat juices off our hands, or helps us make a call without taking our eyes off the road, or rewinds the music while we’re jamming out in the shower. For millions with dexterity, motor, and mobility impairments, hands-free is the only way they can interact with a smartphone or computer, and the Google Accessibility team has worked with these users to develop Voice Access, an accessibility service that can allow users to navigate their phones and complete more tasks morre quickly with voice controls.

Voice Access ties into Google Assistant, allowing users to navigate through apps and menus, compose and edit messages and text documents, and complete more tasks than ever before thanks to a new level of granular control. Voice Access lets you translate voice commands into button presses, page scrolls, and precise item selection.

Look at the home screen screenshot with Voice Access turned on. Every app, every touch shortcut in a widget, everything on the screen is given a numeric assignment, allowing you not just to say “Open Maps”, but to say “Click 8” to open the weather shortcut in the At a Glance widget, or “What is 12” to figure out what that option is. It’s not perfect in every app yet — and it didn’t work at all in some games I tried to navigate with it — but it’s a great start and I’m sure more improvements are coming.

The best part of Voice Access might be that it’s insanely easy to start and stop once you’ve installed it and given it Accessibility permissions. The voice access numbers that appear on every target disappear the second you touch the screen, but they return when you say “OK Google” or tap Voice Access’s “Touch to start” persistent notification.

Because Voice Access integrates with Google Assistant and is easy to turn on and off, this app is handy not just for people with mobility issues, but for everyone who uses Android. Voice Access is a 10 MB app that everyone should download and play with at least once, because — heaven forbid — if you break your hands in a car crash or a workplace accident, Voice Access might become the most important app on your phone.

Voice Access at Google Play