ASUS ZenBook 3 review: A powerful MacBook competitor with issues
Apple’s tiny MacBook was a revelation when it debuted last year. It was thinner and lighter than most ultraportables on the market, and its refined design brought over some cues from Apple’s mobile hardware. So it was only a matter of time before a PC maker took a swing at a similar design. Enter the ASUS ZenBook 3, a minuscule machine that promises to be just as portable as the MacBook while packing in much faster hardware. But while ASUS has proved it can sell powerful machines for far less than the competition, it’s less experienced when it comes to delivering truly premium hardware. The ZenBook 3, while attractive on the surface, is a reminder that ASUS still has a lot to learn.
Hardware
At first glance, the Zenbook 3 screams luxury. Its aluminum alloy case is smooth and sleek, and it measures an impressive 11.9mm at its thickest point. I particularly liked the deep shade of blue and the gold accents, which are classy in a subtle way. ASUS’s ZenBook line is unquestionably “Apple-inspired,” with an emphasis on thin profiles and all-metal cases. But the ZenBook 3’s design in particular looks like a mixture of the MacBook and the 11-inch MacBook Air, right down to the small notch below the trackpad and the look of the speakers above the keyboard. That’s one way to evoke a premium feel, I guess. But it would have been nice to see some actual innovation, as with HP’s sexy new Spectre.
With a 12.5-inch display, ASUS managed to outdo the MacBook by half an inch. But Apple’s laptop boasts a higher-resolution 2,304 x 1,440 display, as compared with 1080p on the ZenBook. At least it’s a good-looking display, though; it’s bright enough for outdoor use, while colors appear vibrant and mostly accurate. Though it’s not a touchscreen display (that’s to be expected with such a thin laptop), ASUS covered it in Gorilla Glass 4 for extra protection. After testing out plenty of touchscreen Windows laptops over the past few years, though, I’m surprised by how much I missed that feature here.
While the two-pound ZenBook 3 feels light and sturdy at first, it wasn’t long before I started noticing flaws. Applying a bit of pressure around the laptop’s keyboard leads to some seriously disturbing creaking noises, as if the seams around the bottom of the case are rubbing against each other. It’s not something you might ever do to your laptop, but this also doesn’t bode well for long-term durability. If a bit of force from my hands can disturb the case’s integrity, how can I ever trust it in a book bag with other heavy items?
Then there’s the keyboard and trackpad, which present a different set of issues. The ZenBook 3’s buttons have more travel than those on the relatively flat MacBook, but the feedback you get when pressing them is mushy and insubstantial. Perhaps it’s just because I’m a heavy typer, but I was never able to get into a decent typing flow. While I eventually got used to the wonky feedback, I still get more typos with this machine compared with every other laptop keyboard I’ve tested recently. Honestly, even though the MacBook’s keyboard isn’t ideal either, I still prefer it to the ZenBook 3’s.
The trackpad, while large and relatively smooth, is a chore to use. It requires a lot of pressure to register clicks, which isn’t great when you’re trying to balance an ultralight notebook on your lap. It would often get confused with left and right clicks, and on several occasions I had to press down multiple times for it to register anything. Tapping the trackpad to select things isn’t great either, as it often moves the pointer off your target. And for some reason, ASUS thought it was a good idea to put its fingerprint sensor right on the trackpad. That effectively renders the top-right portion of the trackpad a dead zone most of the time.
At least the fingerprint sensor works well; it usually gets me to the desktop in less than a second. On several occasions, I received warnings about Windows Hello being disabled because of too many fingerprint login attempts, even after I was just waking it up from sleep mode. I’m not sure why those errors occurred, but it makes me think that Windows Hello is somehow trying to identify fingerprints even when the ZenBook’s lid is shut. (And that could be tied to the flexing issue as well.)
You might have noticed one other nod to the MacBook: The ZenBook 3’s only ports are a single USB-C socket and a 3.5mm headphone jack. At least ASUS was kind enough to bundle in a USB-C mini-dock, which includes an HDMI port, a traditional USB connection and another USB-C socket. Unfortunately, you can use the dock’s USB-C port only for charging, which will make life difficult if you want to connect a USB-C device and an external monitor at the same time.
Performance and battery life
| ASUS ZenBook 3 (2.7GHz Intel Core-i7-7500U, Intel HD 620) | 5,448 | 3,911 | E2,791 / P1,560 | 3,013 | 1.67 GB/s / 1.44 GB/s |
| HP Spectre 13 (2.5GHz Intel Core i7-6500U, Intel HD 520) | 5,046 | 3,747 | E2,790 / P1,630 / X375 | 3,810 | 1.61 GB/s / 307 MB/s |
| Huawei MateBook (1.1 GHz Core M3, Intel HD 515) | 3,592 | 2,867 | E1,490 / P887 | 2,454 | 538 MB/s / 268 MB/s |
| Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Tablet (1.2 GHz Core M7-6Y75, Intel HD 515) | 4,951 | 3,433 | E1,866 / P1,112 | 2,462 | 545 MB/s / 298 MB/s |
| Dell XPS 13 (2.3GHz Core i5-6200U, Intel Graphics 520) | 4,954 | 3,499 | E2,610 / P1,531 | 3,335 | 1.6GB/s / 307 MB/s |
| Razer Blade Stealth (2.5GHz Intel Core i7-6500U, Intel HD 520) | 5,131 | 3,445 | E2,788 / P1,599 / X426 | 3,442 | 1.5 GB/s / 307 MB/s |
| Microsoft Surface Pro 4 (2.4GHz Core i5-6300U, Intel HD 520) | 5,403 | 3,602 |
E2,697/ P1,556/ X422 |
3,614 | 1.6 GB/s / 529 MB/s |
| Lenovo Yoga 900 (2.5GHz Core i7-6500U, Intel HD 520) | 5,368 | 3,448 |
E2,707 / P1,581 |
3,161 | 556 MB/s / 511 MB/s |
What’s truly impressive about the ZenBook 3 is that ASUS has managed to fit in seventh-generation Intel Core processors and gobs of memory in such a tiny case. Our review unit came with a Core i7-7500U, which offers speeds between 2.7GHz and 2.9GHz, and 16GB of LPDDR3 RAM clocked at 2,133MHz. ASUS says it worked with Intel to achieve that memory speed, which is faster than any other ultraportable on the market. It even exceeds the maximum 1,866MHz RAM speeds Intel officially supports for its latest chips.
The MacBook, on the other hand, is still stuck with slow Core m3 and m5 CPUs and a maximum of 8GB of RAM. Apple might refresh it soon, now that the seventh-gen Intel CPUs are available, but for the time being, ASUS wins the spec battle.
The ZenBook 3 felt just as zippy as other high-end ultraportables. It didn’t skip a beat during my typical workflow, which involves having several browsers open with dozens of tabs each, plus Slack, Spotify and Photoshop. And thanks to the video-decoding capabilities in Intel’s new processors, the CPU usage managed to stay below 20 percent when I streamed 4K video from YouTube. Basically, you’re not sacrificing any performance here.
Battery life
ASUS ZenBook 3
9:45
Surface Book (Core i5, integrated graphics)
13:54 / 3:20 (tablet only)
HP Spectre x360 (13-inch, 2015)
11:34
Surface Book (Core i7, discrete graphics)
11:31 / 3:02 (tablet only)
Apple MacBook Pro with Retina display (13-inch, 2015)
11:23
iPad Pro (12.9-inch, 2015)
10:47
HP Spectre x360 15t
10:17
Chromebook Pixel (2015)
10:01
Lenovo Yoga 900
9:36
Apple MacBook (2016)
8:45
Samsung Notebook 9
8:16
Dell XPS 13 (2015)
7:36
Microsoft Surface Pro 4
7:15
HP Spectre 13
7:07
Huawei MateBook
6:35
Razer Blade Stealth
5:48
Dell XPS 15 (2016)
5:25 (7:40 with the mobile charger)
When it comes to real-world battery life, the ZenBook 3 also outshines some recent ultraportables I’ve seen, like the Huawei MateBook and the Lenovo X1 Yoga with OLED. It typically lasted an entire workday, and sometimes it even had juice left over by the time I got home. In our typical battery test, which involves looping an HD video until the power dies, it lasted around nine hours and 45 minutes. Given that Intel is stressing video decoding with its new chips, though, that figure might not be directly comparable to other ultraportables. I’ll be testing the ZenBook 3 with other battery benchmarks soon and will report back with the results.
Configuration options and the competition
You have two choices with the ZenBook: the $1,099 model with a Core i5-7200U processor, 8GB of RAM and 25GB of storage; or the more powerful $1,599 version with a Core i5-7500U chip, 16GB of RAM and a 512GB SSD. The latter model was the one I tested, so keep that in mind if you’re hoping to achieve the kind of performance reflected in our benchmarks.
Apple’s MacBook, which is really the only direct competitor, starts at $1,299, with a significantly slower Core M3 CPU, 8GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD. Bumping up to $1,599 gets you a Core M5 and more storage, but you’ll still be stuck with 8GB of RAM.
If you can live with something slightly heavier, then you’ve got a wealth of ultraportable options to choose from, including HP’s revamped Spectre 13 (2.45 pounds), the fantastic Dell XPS 13 (2.6 pounds), and even Microsoft’s Surface Pro 4. All of those machines will likely get upgraded soon with Intel’s seventh-gen CPUs, so it might be worth waiting a bit (or snap up one of last year’s models if they’re on sale).
Wrap-up
Ultimately, with the ZenBook 3, ASUS did what it does best: pack in plenty of powerful hardware for a cheaper price than the competition. But the company’s inexperience at crafting truly high-end machines shows, with some truly worrying durability and usability issues. I give ASUS credit for building such a thin and powerful device, but what does that matter if the keyboard and trackpad are a pain to use?
Pebble 2 review – CNET
The Good Affordably priced. Five-day battery life. Swim and shower-proof to 30 meters. Always-on display. Improved software makes glancing at quick notifications easier. Built-in microphone for quick text message responses. Works with Android or iOS.
The Bad Baked-in fitness tracking is uneven, especially heart rate and workout tracking. Plastic design. Small black and white screen is sometimes hard to read. Pebble’s apps and watch face options are often ugly.
The Bottom Line The Pebble 2 doesn’t win on fitness tracking, but it’s still a solid pick for simple notifications and messages on a long-battery budget smartwatch.
Visit manufacturer site for details.
I like the Pebble 2 as a watch, but I don’t like it as a fitness tracker.
Smartwatches are about compromise. Fitting everything on a tiny little wrist-gadget isn’t easy. And one thing most smartwatches cut short is battery life. That’s why Pebble’s watches have always earned a soft spot in my geek heart: they compromise on other things, but deliver on longer battery.
Pebble watches have features that no other smartwatches have really been able to crack: longer battery life, truly always-on screens, and all Pebbles (except the Round) have been water resistant, even for swimming.
Now, the Pebble 2 is going after full-on fitness tracking. Fitness trackers dominate sales on the list of top watches and wearables. The Apple Watch shifted into a fitness-forward mode. And so it’s no surprise that Pebble has jumped into fitness feet-first now, too.
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Optical heart rate onboard.
Sarah Tew/CNET
New to this year’s Pebbles is an optical heart rate tracker: both the Pebble 2 and upcoming Pebble Time 2 (a color-screened sequel to last year’s Pebble Time Steel, coming later this year) have them.
The Pebble 2 is, otherwise, like a true sequel to the original, utilitarian black-and-white Pebble model from 2013, keeping that plastic design and tiny Game Boy-like screen. The Pebble 2 adds some improvements, like a Gorilla Glass-covered display and a built-in microphone to create voice notes or voice-respond to texts and Gmail (even on iPhones). It’s more compact, too. But it’s that fitness tracking, specifically heart rate, that’s new.
The Pebble 2’s going for fitness, not style. Can heart rate, combined with automatic step and sleep tracking, turn this smartwatch into a full fitness tracker…for $130 or £100 (equivalent to AU$170)?
Well, that’s where I ran into problems. I wish I could say everything worked as well as promised. I’ve been wearing the Pebble 2 for a week, and it’s far from what I’d call a great fitness tracker. But it’s trying really hard.
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Step tracking has been available since earlier this year on Pebble Time watches.
Sarah Tew/CNET
Pebble as fitness tracker: Leaving a lot to be desired
Thanks to updates, last year’s Pebble Time and Time Steel have already been able to track steps and sleep automatically, with decent success. The Pebble 2 + HR model reviewed here (there’s another heart-rate-free Pebble 2 that costs only $100; this heart-rate-enabled version costs a bit more) takes things another step forward, with an optical heart rate tracker that sits on the back of the watch and spits out flashing green LED lights.
There are compelling reasons for the idea of Pebble-as-fitness-tracker: its battery lasts longer than any Android Wear, Samsung or Apple Watch (five days, even with heart rate enabled). And yes, the tracking for heart rate, steps and sleep is all automatic. It’s swim-friendly. And the only thing you need to manually do is start and stop workouts via a new included Fitbit Workout app.
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Automatic sleep tracking works, basically.
Sarah Tew/CNET
But…Pebble’s fitness tracking feels like a bonus feature more than the main event, and that’s where many people will get turned off from the start. Pebble doesn’t have any of its own fitness watch faces, meaning you’ll have to find a third-party one that works for you if you want at-a-glance data without clicking down into Pebble’s app menus.
There are tons of watch faces on Pebble’s app store, many of them fitness-related, and some tap into the Pebble’s onboard heart-rate data, but they mostly look terrible, and aren’t easy to look at or use. A few are keepers. They tend to have a home-made, throwback, slightly ugly aesthetic. Pebble’s watchfaces aren’t easy to swap out, either, and can’t be easily be customized with complications — bits of at-a-glance data. Some watch faces support customizations, but you’ll have to hunt for a solution. I’d kill for a handful of good baked-in Pebble fitness watch faces.
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What a workout readout looks like. Not a great use of screen space.
Sarah Tew/CNET
To see steps, sleep and heart rate data, you press up on the Pebble 2’s side buttons. Steps and activity are tracked automatically, which is handy. The Pebble phone app also syncs this data and presents graphs of daily steps and sleep, and all-day heart rate charts.
But workouts are a problem. A new Workout app has been added to the watch, which tracks walks, runs or generic “workouts.” Starting a workout means heart rate data, distance, pace and steps are shown at a glance. I found, however, that tracking walks or runs sometimes ended up with the app folding in data from before my stated workout time…as if the app sensed I had been walking already, and wanted to count those steps. But what if I don’t?
View full gallery Sarah Tew/CNET
Looking at the workout app, and even starting and stopping exercises, isn’t easy either: the Pebble 2’s side buttons are super small, and hard to recognize by feel (there are three buttons on the right, one on the left).
Even worse, the Pebble 2 doesn’t currently sync workout data to the phone app at all. An update to allow this is expected by November, but right now it means there’s no meaningful accumulation of workout info. So, right now, the Pebble 2 doesn’t keep track of workouts.
Pebble stores fitness data on the Pebble phone app, but doesn’t cloud-store the data like Fitbit. That means if you install the Pebble app on another device, you’ll lose the data. Pebble can sync its data (minus heart rate) via Apple’s HealthKit or Google Fit, but I’d be worried about suddenly losing a lot of accumulated charts down the road. The Pebble 2 works with a handful of other fitness apps, including Runkeeper, but support for these apps is a mixed bag, and not everything works with the Pebble 2’s heart rate monitor.
Pebble 2 review: An affordable smartwatch with a fitness bent
Pebble is in a tough spot. Once a pioneer in smartwatches, it now has to fight off competition from brands like Apple and Samsung, as well as more affordable devices, even ones that feel more like fitness trackers. Earlier this year, the company unveiled a pair of new smartwatches designed to occupy that middle ground. They are the Pebble 2 and the Pebble Time 2, both of which retain much of the same functionality as previous-gen Pebbles, but with one key difference: They now have built-in heart rate monitors. Combined with a revamped Health app, the Pebble line is much more fitness-focused than before.
At $129, the Pebble 2 is the more affordable of the two, and it’s aimed at those who want a no-frills smartwatch with some workout features. Think of it as a fitness tracker with basic smartwatch functionality thrown in — and priced for people who don’t want to spend “smartwatch money.”
Hardware
If you liked the design of the original Pebble, then the Pebble 2 should strike your fancy as well. Its black and white e-paper display, plastic housing and silicone straps are reminiscent of the company’s first-ever wearable, which debuted in 2012. Some might appreciate the retro design, but I have to say I’ve outgrown it. The original Pebble probably looked sleek four years ago, but in 2016 the monochrome screen feels dated, with the complete package giving off a Fisher-Price vibe.
That said, there are a few differences that set the Pebble 2 apart from the original. While the screen still measures 1.26 inches across, the surrounding bezel is much thinner than before. The result is a slimmer, more streamlined look, with a chassis that measures 39.5 x 30.2 x 9.8mm. The strap itself also feels softer and more pliable than the original. It’s comfortable enough to wear for a full workday and even to bed. Also, instead of a plastic coating on top of the display, the Pebble 2’s screen is now covered in a more durable Corning Gorilla glass.
And, of course, when you flip the watch around you’ll see the built-in heart rate sensor. By default, it tracks your resting heart rate every 10 minutes. It can also monitor your beats per minute consistently throughout a workout, which is useful if you have a target heart rate in mind for your cardio sessions. Also on the rear are the magnetic charging pins that doubles as a smart accessory port for a variety of third-party “smart straps,” which add more functionality like wireless charging and NFC payments. Speaking of straps, there are two quick-release triggers allowing you to easily swap out the default silicone ones with any other 22mm band.
The Pebble 2 has the same button layout as its predecessors; there’s a back button on the left and a trio of keys on the right (more on that later). As far as internals go, the Pebble 2 is pretty similar to the original Time, which came out last year. It has a built-in microphone for voice replies and notes; an accelerometer; and a backlight, which you can enable by just moving the watch around. It’s also water resistant up to 30 meters, so you can take it for a swim.
Software
As with all of Pebble’s previous watches, setup is easy. Download the companion Pebble app, pair it with your phone just like you would any other Bluetooth device, and away you go. From there, you’ll use the app to do pretty much everything, like adding watchfaces and configuring notifications. Seeing as how the Pebble 2 is one of the first to support heart rate activity, I recommend trying a watchface that’s able to display that information.
When Pebble introduced the Time last year, it also unveiled a new interface, dubbed the Timeline. The idea was that you would navigate through the watch in chronological order; the top button would lead to past events while the bottom one would give you a heads-up on upcoming stuff. Going in the past, for example, would bring up the score for last night’s baseball game, while going into the future would tell you what the weather forecast was going to be like the next day.
With the latest Pebble software update and the company’s recent emphasis on health and fitness, that interface once again feels different. From the watchface, the top button leads to a quick view of your health stats (step count, hours slept and current heart rate). The center button launches the app menu, while the bottom key shows current and upcoming events. Each button can also be mapped as a quick launch key to any application you like. Simply press and hold on them to trigger the appropriate shortcuts.
Another addition to the Pebble interface are “Quick View” notifications that offer pop-up peeks at upcoming events. By default, these reminders appear 15 minutes prior to the event, but you can adjust that in the settings.
In addition, as you’d expect, the Pebble 2 comes with a few pre-installed apps. They include a Workout app that tracks your heart rate when you’re on a run, walk or any other kind of workout. Other stock programs display the local weather, music controls, an alarm clock, stopwatch and a timer. You can also choose from over 15,000 different third-party watchfaces and apps in the Pebble app store. Additionally, if you don’t want to be bothered with notifications for a while, you can enable a do-not-disturb feature called Quiet Time.
By default, your Pebble will receive every single notification that your phone gets. If that sounds like too much, you can always disable notifications from the Pebble app. Also by default, text and email replies aren’t enabled. So if you want the ability to respond to messages from the watch, you’ll have to switch that on in settings. Speaking of the sort, you can either send a canned response or you can hit the voice button to dictate a speech-to-text reply — features you’ll find on other watch platforms too.
The biggest change to the Pebble app since we last tested it is the addition of that aforementioned Health tab. There you’ll find an overview of your steps, heart rate and sleep habits. The activity module displays your steps taken, calories burned, distance traveled and active time over a day, week or month. The heart rate module includes a graph of your heart rate throughout the day, while the sleep section shows how many hours you’ve slept in a given day, week or month. It’ll also tell you how many of those hours counted as “deep” sleep.
I’ve used the Pebble 2 for five days so far, and during this period I’ve found that the watch does a good job keeping track of the number of steps I take in a given day, as well as the quality of my sleep. I have a fairly erratic sleep schedule — I might sleep four hours, wake up, stay up for a couple hours, and then sleep for another four hours — and the watch was able to track that odd behavior pretty accurately. I also really liked that it was able to automatically detect when I was working out without me having to launch an app or hit a start button.
The Pebble 2 has a rated battery life of up to seven days, which seems about right. I last charged it five days ago, and despite a slew of app, Slack and email notifications, it’s still holding strong at 30 percent. Not too shabby.
The competition
With its plastic exterior and simple features, the Pebble 2 doesn’t measure up to high-end smartwatches like the Apple Watch Series 2, Series 1 or the Moto 360 Sport. But that’s OK, because it’s nowhere near as expensive either. It’s priced at $129, while the other two start at $369, $269 and $200, respectively.
Compared to fitness trackers too, the Pebble 2 is fairly priced. The Fitbit Charge 2 offers many of the same features, but costs $150. The Fitbit Blaze is priced at $200, though it has GPS, which the Pebble 2 doesn’t. The discontinued Basis Peak was also priced at $200, and probably came the closest to the 2 in terms of features. If you want a more serious fitness tracker, you’d do well to look at the $200 Garmin Vivosmart HR+, which includes a heart rate monitor and GPS, support for basic notifications, and various other workout-related features that Garmin is already known for. But the Pebble 2 trumps all of these trackers as a standard smartwatch in that it offers a much wider selection of third-party apps.
To address the lack of GPS, Pebble will be offering a separate device called the Core early next year. The Core is essentially a runner’s companion for your Pebble smartwatch. It packs GPS and a 3G modem, so you can stream Spotify on it while you’re running, no phone required. The Core will cost $99, so a Pebble 2 and Core combination would ring in at $228. But since it adds those extra features, it could be worth it for some.
Yet, perhaps the Pebble 2’s biggest competition is Pebble’s other upcoming wearable, the Time 2. That offers the same features as the Pebble 2, except it adds a color screen, stainless steel body and a generally more stylish design. It’s worth noting that at $199 the Time 2 costs $70 more, but to my mind that’s worth it for a watch that’s infinitely better-looking.
Wrap-up
Even though Pebble already offered support for several popular health apps, the Pebble 2 is the company’s first genuine attempt to make a more fitness-friendly device. The ability to track your heart rate, plus the addition of Pebble’s new Health app, makes it so much easier to not only track your daily step count but also your passive heart rate and sleeping patterns. As long as you can put up with its unsophisticated design, the Pebble 2 combines the benefits of a fitness tracker with the core functions of a basic smartwatch at a reasonable price.
Posh Optima LTE L530 review: A budget device with a premium feel
Posh Mobile is a relatively new player to the mobile phone scene. Posh released its first devices in 2013 and has grown its portfolio to include over 20 GSM unlocked Android-based phones and tablets. In a crowded market filled with hundreds if not thousands of budget friendly devices, Posh sets out to be different from the crowd with the mission “Elegance for all.”
I have spent the last two weeks using Posh’s Optima LTE L530 as my daily driver on the T-Mobile network. For a budget device, the unboxing experience was a good one. Included with the phone, Posh gives you a case, screen protector, headphones, charger and a sim tool. Posh Mobile was a relatively new name to me when I received the Optima L530. I was aware that the company had made the largest and smallest Android phones available on the market, but this was my first experience using one of its devices.
I know it is said a lot, but cheap phones are continuing to get better. The Posh Optima L530 is a GSM unlocked device that was released in April of 2016. Though I missed my 6P, I found myself missing it less than I would have predicted. The Optima is a very solid selection for those looking for a budget phone with a premium feel, great battery life, and a decent display. While Posh lists the MSRP for the Optima at $229.99, you can buy the phone on Amazon in both black and gold for $169.
Specs
- Display: 5.0″ 720p IPS LCD (~294 PPI)
-
Processing Package:
- CPU: Mediatek MT6753 Octa-Core 1.3 GHz Cortex-A53
- GPU: Mali-400
- RAM: 2GB
- Battery: 3000 mAh Li-Po non-removable
- Storage: 16GB (Expandable 32GB)
-
Connectivity: Dual Sim
- GSM: 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900
- LTE Bands: 2 / 4 / 7 / 17
- WLAN: Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Wi-Fi Direct, Hotspot
- Bluetooth: v4.0
- USB: microUSB v2.0
- Price: $229 $169 (on Amazon)
Build and Design
The Posh Mobile Optima LTE L530 has a very nice balance between metal, glass, and plastic. Glass is used to cover both the front of the device and the rear facing camera. This Glass gives the phone a premium feel while also providing increased durability. A plastic plate covers the back of the phone, but it does not detract from the phone’s premium feel. Joining the front sheet of glass and rear sheet of plastic together is a metal skeleton. In addition to feeling great in hand, the metal band provides a lot of rigidity to the device.
To get this premium feel out of a “budget material” like plastic, Posh used a glossy hard plastic that feels similar to glass. While I’m sure this plastic back allowed them to save a lot of money on production thus keeping the device cheaper for consumers, the back is slippery and scratches extremely easily. A few days of setting the phone on my desk and visible scratches appeared on the rear of the device. Despite the slippery feel and ease of scratching, I’m glad Posh used the materials they did. Between the 5.0″ screen and premium feel, the device is a joy to use and fits well in your hand.
Many budget phones don’t include added features like fingerprint scanners, but Posh decided to add one to the Optima. The fingerprint scanner, if implemented properly, could have been a nice touch for the device at its price point. Unfortunately, I found the fingerprint scanner to be more of a nuisance rather than a useful feature since I could only get the fingerprint scanner to recognize my finger about 50% of the time on the first try. One reason for this lack of functionality could be the fact that the Optima L530 is still running Android 5.1 Lollipop. To get its fingerprint scanner to work, Posh had to develop its software to integrate its fingerprint scanner into Android since Android did not officially support fingerprint sensors until Marshmallow.
Display
The Optima LTE L530 has a 5.0″ IPS LCD with a resolution of 720p. Following the example of many budget phones before it, the Optima uses a lower resolution LCD panel to presumably save money and get the most out of the battery. The display did not seem cheap in the slightest, though, and I enjoyed using it to watch videos and read. The Optima has wide viewing angles and PPI nearing 300 allowing text to be read clearly at nearly any angle.
A few Posh devices have had issues with the overall brightness of their displays being very low; this is not the case with the Optima L530. I found that I had to turn the auto-brightness feature off to prevent the device from cooking my eyeballs indoors. I leave the brightness at around 35% at almost all times both indoors and out. The only time I adjust the brightness is in bed at night when I’m reading. Even with the phone’s ability to deep fry your corneas, its lowest light setting is still shockingly low and allows for a good experience reading at night.
Software and Performance
The software experience across the Posh lineup varies significantly. Some devices like the Volt L540 come with a heavily skinned version of Android. The Optima L530 does not. Posh has added some “enhancements” to its version of Android, such as functionality for the fingerprint scanner, but I was excited that the phone still feels distinctly like stock Android Lollipop.
When you get the device, you will need to do a bit of downloading. The phone comes with almost nothing installed. No bloatware, no extras, nothing except the mandatory Google apps and a handful of Posh apps like “Posh Apps” (Which doesn’t load), Inbox (Not to be confused with Googles Inbox), an FM radio tuner, and a basic sound recorder. This is a nice change from the bloatware riddled devices I am used to. I was able to choose what I wanted to install, and I didn’t have to navigate around other “mandated” software. This experience was a bit freeing for me. Despite all this freedom, though, I am still having issues changing my default messaging app. 
I now have two apps that receive texts and have those lovely notification flags. The messenger bug and fingerprint software aside, I have had no software issues with the phone that would prevent me from using the device in my day to day.
As with many budget friendly devices, Posh had to make sacrifices somewhere to lower the price of the Optima and the performance of the device saw some of the corner cutting. For the first week using the device, I used completely stock settings. While the Optima was usable, I did find it to be a bit slow, and it would stutter through animations occasionally. I decided to try and speed up the phone by enabling developer options and decreasing the animation scale by half. Not only did this speed up the transition between screens, I saw a huge reduction in the stutter between animations as well.
Battery
The battery in the Posh Optima LTE L530 is something to write home about. Posh managed to cram a 3000 mAh battery into the Optima L530. This combined with a power-efficient processor, and a smaller screen with a lower resolution allows the device to go for days at a time. I have come to expect 4 hours of screen on time on any given day from the Optima. Unfortunately, there is a small catch to the great battery life. Once you drain the big battery, you will be tied to the wall for 2+ hours to get back to 100%. To include a quick charge feature on the device, while nice, would have raised the price of the Optima. I think excluding it was a smart move on the part of Posh.
Camera
The Optima LTE L530 has two 13MP sensors with a 2.2 aperture. The rear of the device has a dual-tone LED flash, while the front only has a single tone LED flash. The Optima can record 1080p video at 30fps, has autofocus on both the front and rear sensors, and HDR capabilities. While these specs are far from the worst out there, they do not produce good pictures. Even with perfect lighting conditions and a steady hand, pictures will be blown out, foggy, and have a soft focus. You will not want to use this camera for more than picture messages, and social media.
Conclusion
One major criticism I have with the device is the decision to go with Android Lollipop over Android Marshmallow. The L530 was released six or more months after the announcement and release of Android 6.0, and yet it is still running Lollipop. I feel the inclusion of Marshmallow would have improved my experience on the Optima. The fingerprint scanner would have had built-in software support, the great battery life would have gotten even better with Doze, and general functionality of the phone would have improved and gotten smoother. I’m holding out hope that Posh will release a 6.0 update (or jump straight to 7.1), but regardless of what “could have been,” the Optima LTE L530 it is still a good device.
When Posh Mobile sent me the Optima LTE L530, I was expecting to get a “chunk” of plastic with a cell radio inside of it. Instead, I got the pleasure of using a well-designed phone. Posh has built a well-rounded device in the Optima L530. Many budget friendly devices make enormous sacrifices to make one feature on the phone excel, but Posh went a different route with the L530. The phone does well in many categories with a focus on the display, battery and build quality. This winning combination, combined with the $169 price tag on Amazon makes the Posh Mobile LTE L530 a phone well worth your money.
Lensbaby Trio 28 review – CNET
The Good The Trio 28 is an efficient way to carry three Lensbaby lenses, and they’re fun to use.
The Bad The exposure changes from lens to lens, which can get annoying.
The Bottom Line For the price of a single Lensbaby, the Trio 28 is a nice, compact solution for adding three lenses to a mirrorless camera.
Visit manufacturer site for details.
Lensbaby expands its arsenal of special-effects lenses with one that’s almost as odd as the effects it produces. The Trio 28 consists of a single mount with three 28mm lenses that you rotate into place: a Sweet, a Velvet and a Twist.
Like their full-size counterparts, the Trio 28’s Twist lens surrounds the central area with swirly bokeh; the Velvet looks soft and glowy; and Sweet renders increasing blur from the center out. On Micro Four Thirds cameras, the Trio 28 lenses have about the equivalent angle of view of a 56mm lens, while APS-C Sony E mount and Fujifilm X mount versions deliver 42mm.
Like all Lensbabys, they’re manual-focus only, and in this case they also have a fixed f3.5 aperture. It only adds about 4.1 ounces/116 g to the weight of the camera, so it won’t weigh you down at all. There’s a 46mm thread across the front for filters, and you might want to spring for a neutral density filter for shooting in bright light.
Lensbaby Trio 28 photo samples
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The lens is slated to ship in the US on October 26 for $280, essentially three lenses for the price of one. I don’t have other pricing or availability yet, but that directly converts to about £216 and AU$365.
Wacom MobileStudio Pro Release Date, Price and Specs – CNET
Darren Higgins/Wacom
I never reviewed the Wacom Cintiq Companion, the company’s pressure-sensitive Windows tablet that doubles as a second computer display, because it seemed too clunky and underpowered for the price when it launched three years ago. Now, thanks to the popularity of more pen-friendly operating systems and applications plus vastly improved tablet hardware, it seems like a much better time for a product like the Cintiq Companion. Wacom has really upped its game for the rebranding and expansion of its line of tablets for creatives, the Wacom MobileStudio Pro — also a much better name — though they’re still pretty expensive.
Expected to ship by the end of November, the MobileStudio will have six configurations, four 13.3-inch and two 15.6-inch models. All run Windows 10 and use a new stylus, the Pro Pen 2, which has improved precision, less lag and 8,192 levels of sensitivity. (I think– the company says “4x” the previous model. Even 4,096 would be great, though.) Wacom’s MobileStudio Pro tablets look more like their desktop Intuos equivalents than competitors like the Microsoft Surface Pro 4, with the same controls.
The MobileStudio 13 models have IPS (in-plane switching), 2.5K displays with gamuts rated at 96 percent of Adobe RGB. Prices vary with storage capacity: $1,500 for a 64GB SSD, $1,800 for 128GB, $2,000 for 256GB and $2,500 for 512GB. (I don’t have any UK or AU pricing, but directly converted those are about £1,180, £1,415, £1,570, £1,965 and AU$1,970, AU$2,360, AU$2,625, AU$3,280.)
The MobileStudio 16 models use a 4K (UHD resolution) display rated at 94 percent Adobe RGB. The cheaper $2,400 model incorporates an Nvidia Quadro M600M processor with 2GB of video RAM and a 256GB SSD, while the $3,000 model has an Nvidia Quadro M1000M with 4GB of video RAM and a 512GB SSD. (Directly converted, £1,885, £2,360 and AU$3,150, AU$3,935. ) The MobileStudio 16 and the most expensive MobileStudio 13 models include an Intel RealSense 3D camera.
Obviously, there are still ton of details and specifications we need to know before really understanding what Wacom’s got here — I mean, how much does that 15.6-inch model weigh? I do know that you’ll still be able to use the old $50 (£45 and AU$50) Bluetooth-connecting Cintiq Companion keyboard, so you’ll be able to get your non-artsy work done, too.
Sony PlayStation VR review – CNET
The Good The PlayStation VR is the most accessible, affordable and user-friendly full VR option on the market. Sony has promised support from a long list of developers down the track but the immediate launch games are pretty solid as well.
The Bad Its single-camera tracking system occasionally feels lacking and you may have trouble when you turn around. The PSVR’s graphical fidelity is occasionally noticeably lower than what’s possible with HTC Vive and Oculus Rift.
The Bottom Line While the motion tracking trails its PC VR counterparts, Sony’s PlayStation VR otherwise crams a solid and satisfying virtual reality experience into an existing PS4 game console.
2016 has lived up to its billing as the “year of virtual reality,” with products at the high end (HTC Vive and Oculus Rift) and in the mobile arena (Samsung Gear VR, Google Cardboard, Google Daydream) offering VR options across the spectrum.
Now a new contender appears, with an established brand and a gigantic install base. The PlayStation VR, available October 13, represents the most accessible path to VR if only because every one of the roughly 45 million PlayStation 4 owners already has half the required hardware.
It’s also the only “full” VR system — that is, one with spatial and motion tracking — that’ll get you up and running from scratch for under $700, £630 or AU$1,050. By itself, if you already have a PS4, it’s $399, £349 or AU$550. The combined cost (PC plus headset) for Oculus and Vive currently sits north of $1,200.
To be sure, this is an expensive toy and certainly not for everyone. In fact, Sony says it’s not designed for kids 12 years and under. But considering its price and the fact that you may already have half the hardware sitting in your living room, the PSVR presents a very compelling proposition.
Combine that with PlayStation’s well-established distribution platform, close relationship to the developers crafting these VR experiences and quality control, and the PSVR is a more worry-free answer to the potentially confusing world of PC-based VR.
View full gallery The first time setting up PSVR took 10 minutes. Sarah Tew/CNET
Setup
Setting up either of the two existing PC-connected VR rigs isn’t pretty. The same goes with the PSVR. It’s not an overly complicated process, but the interconnected wired web that results isn’t necessarily something you can tuck away out of sight.
You’ll need an extra outlet to power the PSVR’s processor unit and you’ll also need to devote one of the PS4’s two USB slots so that it can talk to the console. The unit is about the size of three CD jewel cases stacked on top of each other — this of course needs a place to live as well.
The whole thing took me about 10 minutes to connect my first time. When it’s all done and dusted, what you’re left with feels inelegant and messy, but part of VR is being tethered to a long wire. That’s just where the tech is right now. Compared to the Rift and Vive, the PSVR is no better or worse in that department.
Buying the standard $399 PSVR kit assumes you already own a PlayStation Camera and two Move controllers. You absolutely need the camera to use the PSVR and two Move controllers are all but required. If you don’t possess these items you’ll need to purchase them separately. But don’t do that. For $499, Sony sells a bundle that includes everything you need — save for a PS4 — and packs-in the mini-game collection VR Worlds as a bonus. It’s a good deal if you’re missing some of the prerequisites.
With everything connected and the headset on, I was surprised that booting up the PS4 didn’t force me to start any kind of in-depth setup. A few quick adjustments and I was mostly ready to go. When you press the headset’s inline power button, the console switches into VR mode which shifts the menu screen to the headset and mirrors a lower res version of what you’re seeing onto the TV.
View full gallery Sarah Tew/CNET
Intuitive icons explain that you can recenter the home screen if you need to at any time (which is probably something I do at least twice a session). Instead of a general initial setup, most software will activate a number of calibration check marks so that you get the best optimal performance for that specific experience. Long story short, at the very least you’ll probably be doing some kind of minimal adjustment to your VR play area each time you play. The more I played, the more I learned which games needed more finessing than others.
In the manual, Sony says you need approximately a 10 by 6 foot area (about 3 by 2 meters) needed for play, but I was able to get it working fine in a space only about 7 by 4 foot (about 2 by 1.5 meters). The PSVR seems relaxed about how much space you need, and even a few square feet of floor space could end up working for a handful of games.
Included with our review kit was a PowerA $50 stand — think mannequin head — to hold and organize all of the PSVR accessories. It’s actually something worth checking out because there’s not a really good place to store all of these items when you’re not using them. The stand also charges two Move controllers and a DualShock4 PlayStation controller simultaneously. It has a spot to hang the headset too, but it tends to droop down too much.
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The PowerA charging stand ($50).
Sarah Tew/CNET
Lastly, if you’re at all concerned about HDR compatibility, the PSVR’s processing unit will not pass an HDR signal through. You’ll need to use a direct HDMI connection for HDR to work whether you’re using a PS4 or PS4 Pro.
What is experiencing PSVR really like?
The question I get asked most about PSVR is, “Does it work?” Make no mistake: I let out an audible gasp the first time I tried Batman Arkham VR. It felt similar to the first time I demoed the HTC Vive Portal: Aperture Robot Repair demo. That feeling of shocking immersion is certainly ever-present. The PSVR lets you escape the world you currently occupy and warp into a fully 3D artificial existence. It works.
But, it can also make you dizzy. If the camera isn’t tracking you well, the artificial floor can start to drift while playing. That’s a weird feeling! It feels like you’re drunk and can’t hold yourself up.
View full gallery Sarah Tew/CNET
Judging from my limited time with Oculus Rift but hours with the HTC Vive, I found the overall experience to be in the same ballpark as the other “full VR” hardware out there. I say this as it relates to the VR immersion — not necessarily the visual fidelity. The Rift and Vive offer slightly higher screen resolutions and variable performance depending on PC specs. The PSVR, on the other hand, is locked into the same performance across the board because it’s powered by a PS4.
Solid headset, controllers are just OK
The best part of the PSVR is its headset. Out of all the VR headsets I’ve worn I think this is the most comfortable, but certainly not the lightest. The headset has a slightly plasticky feel to it, but I wouldn’t call it cheap. It seems to be able to adjust to most head sizes (note: I have what some call an enormous head and it fits fine) and I like its retractable band adjuster and sliding viewfinder. That said, I can’t wear it — or any other VR headset — for more than 30 to 45 minutes tops, without getting the overwhelming sense that I need to take a break.
It’s easy to muck up the lenses in the headset. Whether it was my eyelashes or just accidental smudges from adjusting it for comfort, I found myself cleaning the two lenses a lot. There’s an included shammy for doing just that.
And then there’s the sweating. Am I a person who sweats a lot normally? Yes. But everyone I’ve let try this thing ends up with a nice moist patch above their eyebrows. That’s just the way it is. Is it a deal breaker? Not at all. Just don’t spend an hour with the PSVR immediately before you need to look somewhat presentable.
View full gallery Sarah Tew/CNET
I do like that the headset has inline buttons to control volume. This is also where you plug in the included earbuds (you can also bring your own, but you won’t get the PSVR’s 3D audio). It’s easy to tangle yourself up in the wires from the buds too, which can be frustrating if you accidentally rip them out.
The controllers and room tracking, as they’re currently set up, leave a little to be desired. More often than not, something needs adjusting. The camera seems to have a difficult time tracking movement of the Move wands when you’ve turned around 180 degrees because the lenses physically can’t see them. It feels like the system tries to guestimate where they might be located when out of sight, but we’re not entirely sure what’s going on in these situations.
PlayStation VR review: Great games outweigh limited specs
The PlayStation VR is just what the fledgling virtual reality industry needs today. While the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive made headlines for being the first truly high-end VR headsets on the market, they’re held back by their cost, complexity and lack of killer games and experiences. Sony’s solution, on the other hand, starts at $400 (assuming you already own the PlayStation Camera and Motion Controllers) and works with the $300 PS4 console that’s currently in tens of millions of homes. It’s also launching with a slew of titles from major developers, with even more on the way. While the PlayStation VR isn’t as technically capable as its competition, it’s a much more sensible option. But it’s still not quite a must-buy product just yet.
Hardware
The PlayStation VR screams “consumer friendly.” Its plastic headset has the same basic shape as its competitors, but it sports a rounder, more toy-like aesthetic. Bright lights on the PS VR make you look like a character in Tron whenever you’re wearing it. And instead of relying on ugly and crude straps, it has a sturdy headband with ample cushioning. There’s also just one wire coming out of the headset — an improvement over the HTC Vive’s bundle of cables.
While the Rift and the Vive both feel like advanced prototypes, the PS VR shows attention to detail — exactly what you’d expect from a company that’s been making consumer gadgets for more than 30 years.
Moving inside the headset, there’s a thin rubbery material around the lenses that rests against your face and nose. That might seem like a precarious method for keeping the headset in place, but the rubbery bits actually feel soft and smooth on your skin. And best of all, it doesn’t make you sweat like the foam liners around the Vive and the Rift. Sony’s design is far more suited to sharing the headset as well; you just need to wipe down the rubber portions and the head cushion. It’s much harder to successfully clean foam liners, and eventually they start to fall apart if you sanitize them well.
The PS VR’s two lenses sit atop a 5.7-inch, 1080p display. That might sound like a lot of pixels, but it’s a bit less than the 2,160 x 1,200 resolution offered on the Oculus and HTC headsets. And when you have your face shoved right up against a screen, every single pixel matters. It also provides a smaller field of view compared with the competition: 100 degrees, instead of 110, which has an impact on the overall sense of immersion. The PS VR also includes the same Sixaxis gyroscope found in Sony’s game controllers, as well as a built-in microphone.
Those lights I mentioned before also help the PlayStation Camera track your head movements, just like how it follows your hand movements with the glowing bulbs on top of the Move controllers. Speaking of those devices, it’s important to know that they’re required for using the PS VR. You might have assumed they were optional, since they’re not included in the $400 Core bundle, but that’s really meant for people who already own two Move controllers and a PS Camera. The $500 PS VR bundle includes both (and it’s actually a decent deal compared with buying all of the gear separately).
I’m not sure if Sony had any idea it would be getting into the VR business back when it debuted the Move controllers in 2009, or even the Camera in 2013, so it’s practically a stroke of luck that it already had the hardware available. Those devices were seen as responses to the Nintendo Wii and Microsoft’s Kinect camera, and while a few games took advantage of them, developers never really jumped aboard. The PS VR could finally be a way for Sony to sell off its old inventory — if it succeeds, of course.
As for other hardware, the PS VR also comes with a Processor Unit (it honestly looks like an adorable baby PS4) that powers the “Social Screen.” That’s Sony’s fancy name for mirroring whatever you’re seeing in your headset to your TV. Some games will also use the TV for multiplayer features, allowing your friends to either join in or play against you on the same console.
Setup
Once you open the box, the first thing you’ll have to do is connect the Processor Unit to your PlayStation 4. That involves swapping the HDMI cable in your console, adding another passthrough HDMI cable (included in the package) and connecting the Processor Unit to a USB connection on the front of the PS4. (I bet Sony regrets not including rear USB ports now.)
There’s a lengthy dongle with an HDMI port and proprietary power/data connection that plugs into the front of the Processor Unit, which is where you actually plug in the VR headset. A slim controller box in the headset’s cable also lets you turn on the power, mute the microphone, plug in headphones and adjust the volume. If that sounds like a mess of wires, well, you’re not wrong. If you want to live with the PS VR, you’ll have to learn to deal with plenty of cables.
When I’m not using the headset, I disconnect it from the dongle and hide all of the wires. But when you’re using it, you’ve got no choice but to have cables running all around your living room. It’s not nearly as cumbersome as the HTC Vive’s Alien-like cable bundle, but it’s still a potential hazard for tripping or knocking things over on your coffee table.
If you’re among the many PlayStation owners (myself included) who don’t have the Camera or Move controllers, you’ll need to allot some setup time for those as well. They’re fairly easy to connect, though the Camera’s precarious stand always needs some fiddling. The Move Controllers also need to be plugged into your console over USB to get set up, a process that took several tries for me.
In use
With everything connected, you just need to hit the power button on the headset’s inline remote to turn on the Processor Unit (it comes alive with a satisfying “beep”). Slipping on the headset — which involves lengthening the front telescopic portion of the lens, pulling back on the rear of the headband and tightening everything with the adjustment dial — brings you to the familiar PlayStation 4 interface.
Sony didn’t make any changes to its PlayStation dashboard for VR, but then again, it didn’t really have to. The interface translates well to VR, especially since you’re still navigating it with your existing DualShock 4 controller. Eventually it’d be nice to see some virtual reality flourishes while browsing your PS4 library. At this point, you’re basically just staring at a 2D screen inside of the headset.
From afar, the PS VR’s headset looks pretty bulky. And at 1.3 pounds, it’s also significantly heavier than the one-pound Oculus Rift and slightly beefier than the 1.2-pound HTC Vive. But here’s the thing: Sony’s headset doesn’t feel heavier when you’re wearing it, thanks to the smart ergonomics of the headband.
The front of the band rests on your forehead — it’s almost like you’re wearing half of a helmet — while the rear portion sits against the back of your head. Both sides are cushioned well, and the back of the band also has weights to help balance everything. The result: I can wear the PS VR for hours on end with glasses without feeling fatigued, whereas discomfort is a big problem for me with the HTC Vive. It also doesn’t make me feel like I’m strapped into some sort of Clockwork Orange eye torture device, a sensation I inevitably feel when using the Rift or Vive for too long.
This is something worth stressing: Comfort matters if we want regular consumers to see VR as more than just a fad. Geeks and early adopters are often willing to suffer through wonky designs to experience bleeding-edge tech. But for everyone else, headsets need to be something that’s easy to wear. Mobile solutions like Samsung’s Gear VR and Google’s upcoming Daydream headset emphasize comfort, and since they’re not encumbered by wires, they’re also much lighter and easier to wear than high-end VR headsets.
So how does the PS VR handle virtual reality? Surprisingly well, it turns out. The OLED screens spit out bright, vibrant images, and the combination of the PlayStation Camera and Move controllers allow for some solid motion tracking. (It also puts the PS VR a step above the Rift, which still hasn’t launched its motion controllers yet.) There’s also some decent 3D positioning audio, even with the bundled Sony headphones.
And while most VR experiences don’t have the same graphics fidelity as you’d get from a PC — there are more jaggy edges and fewer details — they’re good enough to make for convincing virtual experiences.
I was especially surprised at how well the Move controllers adapted to VR. They’re just as comfortable as the Vive’s controllers but far less bulky, and they’re precise enough to let you maneuver small puzzle pieces or flip a virtual object around to view it from every angle. Not bad for seven-year-old technology.
The one big complaint I have is with the PS VR’s limited 100-degree field of view. It makes virtual environments feel a bit less immersive and more like you’re peering through a pair of binoculars. Most people probably won’t notice the issue, but it feels like a distinct step back if you’re used to more powerful VR platforms. Sony also purposefully designed the headset so that there’s a small gap at the bottom of the screen, allowing you to catch glimpses of the real world. I get the safety reasons for doing that, but it’s something that could have been addressed with a built-in camera, as on the Vive.
Games
So. Many. Games. That’s the PlayStation VR’s big draw over the competition. While the Rift and the Vive offered a handful of titles at launch, they didn’t have much support from major publishers, and there’s still a disappointing lack of quality titles on their platforms. The PS VR, on the other hand, is launching with more than 30 titles, with another 20 or so to come by the end of the year, according to Sony. And they’re not all just small titles from indie devs either.
Every PS VR unit also comes with a demo disc that lets you test out 17 games, including EVE: Valkyrie, Job Simulator and Resident Evil 7. Most of the experiences last just 10 to 15 minutes, but they’re enough to help you decide which games you’d actually want to buy. It also gives me flashbacks to the demo disc in the original PlayStation, which I remember playing endlessly, since I didn’t actually own many games. Every PS VR owner will also be able to download The Playroom VR for free, which is basically a collection mini-games. And Sony has compiled five of its own experiences into the $40 PlayStation VR Worlds, which will let you do things like take on the role of British gangster or dive into the ocean’s depths.
Batman: Arkham VR is probably the biggest launch game, because who hasn’t secretly wanted to be the Caped Crusader? It comes from Rocksteady Studios, the folks behind the recent trilogy of well-regarded Batman games. With an iconic character and trusted developers, it was the experience I was most looking forward to trying out. And for the most part, it didn’t disappoint.
We’ve already covered the early part of Arkham VR in depth, but without revealing spoilers, I can say that it’s one of the more unique VR experiences on the market. The game leans heavily on the detective side of Batman, as you’re trying to solve a murder mystery. It takes full advantage of the character’s gadgets: If you look down, you’ll see your utility belt with an environmental scanner on the left, batarangs in the middle and a grappling gun on the right. When you’re playing the game, you just need to reach down in the general area to select those gadgets. It wasn’t long before I was flinging batarangs on command (and, yes, you’re helped out by some heavy aim assistance).
You’ll come across some familiar faces from the comics, and I was glad to see that Rocksteady brought in its usual voice actors (including Mark Hamill as the Joker) to lend some gravitas to the experience. Arkham VR doesn’t have much in the way of combat, though, which will disappoint fans of the developer’s previous games. Personally, I too wanted to bust some heads in VR. The game is also only a few hours long (hence the $20 price), so it’s more an appetizer than a truly satisfying entree.
I was also wowed by Rez Infinite, which brings the on-rails shooter mechanics from the classic Dreamcast game into a fully immersive environment. It relies on a Move controller for targeting enemies, but the real beauty of it is simply looking around and feeling enveloped by the stylized graphics and 3D audio. The magic of Rez was always about finding the flow of shooting, which directly affects the rhythm of the score. Infinite evolves that experience in just the right ways.
Until Dawn: Rush of Blood is another on-rails experience, except you’re literally on rails. The game places you inside a train cart and moves you through a variety of creepy areas, from a haunted mansion to a slaughterhouse with screaming pigs. Naturally, you’ll have to shoot some baddies, but it also uses head tracking to force you to duck or lean from deadly obstacles. It’s more of a carnival ride than the engrossing narrative experience of the original game, but boy, is it a fun way to show what VR can do.
I didn’t suffer any of the motion sickness issues that some of Engadget’s staff experienced at E3, which were at times so dispiriting that they made us fear for the future of VR. That could be due to developers having had more time to polish their experiences (especially with Resident Evil 7) as well as further refinements with the PS VR software. Either way, I’m glad to see that the PS VR isn’t a vomit machine.
There weren’t any major technical issues either. On some occasions, the PS Camera had trouble accurately positioning the Move controllers, but a reset would usually fix it. That’s the sort of bug that Sony can solve with a software update, at least.
The competition
No surprises here: The PS VR is going head to head with the Oculus Rift and the HTC Vive. But there really isn’t much of a contest, if you really think about it. If you value higher-fidelity graphics and are already a PC gamer, it makes more sense to invest in the more powerful hardware. But if you’re a console gamer who already owns a PS4, the PS VR makes more sense.
When it comes to overall cost and accessibility, the PS VR is a far more compelling option. For now, it’s the only way to get into immersive motion-tracking VR for less than $1,000 ($400 for the PS VR core bundle or $500 for the Camera and Move Controller PS VR bundle, plus $300 for the console). The more powerful $400 PlayStation 4 Pro could also solve some of the graphical issues I had with the PS VR when it debuts next month. Even with that machine, you’ll still be shelling out less than you would with a powerful gaming PC and the $600 Rift or $800 Vive.
What’s next?
Looking ahead, though, I have a feeling the PS VR won’t age very gracefully. We’ll likely see some more technically impressive PC VR titles next year, and it’ll be left in the dust whenever we see follow-up headsets from Oculus and HTC. Microsoft is also opening up its Windows Holographic platform to VR headsets soon, so who knows what that will bring.
But here’s the thing: Even though the PS VR is a good value for this nascent industry, that’s still a lot of money. At this point, most consumers would be better off just waiting for prices to come down across the board in the high-end VR arena. And as great as some of the games are, none of them are true must-play experiences. I had fun with plenty of them, but nothing has pulled me back to play repeatedly as much as recent non-VR titles like Overwatch or Forza Horizon 3.
It’s also unclear how much Sony will continue to support PS VR moving forward. For now, it’s getting buzz for being a low-cost solution. But if Sony doesn’t sell enough units, or if developers start to cool on the platform, you’ll be left with an unsupported and expensive experiment. In many ways, the PS VR reminds me of the Sega CD, an expensive peripheral that gave us a glimpse at the future but was too expensive and technically limited to truly succeed.
The best thing about the PS VR: Even if it’s not for you, it could help grow the overall VR market. Since it’s not just limited to the Rift and the Vive now, more developers might actually consider making VR games.
Wrap-up
Good on Sony for actually delivering a decent VR headset that comes in much cheaper than the competition. It’s even more impressive that it managed to get a fair number of developers on board for the initial push. Nonetheless, the PS VR is hard to recommend for most people. Even if you’re intrigued by virtual reality, it’s worth waiting for prices to go down and for the overall market to settle.
Bowers & Wilkins P9 Release Date, Price and Specs – CNET
The Bowers & Wilkins P9 Signature is available now.
Bowers and Wilkins
To celebrate its 50th anniversary, Bowers & Wilkins has a gift for its fans: a new flagship headphone, the P9 Signature ($900, £700, AU$1,400).
I haven’t played around with it yet, but it does look swanky, and Bowers & Wilkins is calling it its best-sounding and most luxurious headphone to date. It’s also the company’s largest over-ear headphone and weighs a hefty 415 grams.
Completely custom made, Bowers & Wilkins says the headphone is engineered by the team responsible for the class-leading 800 D3 loudspeaker and features “bespoke” technology and a “crystal-clear listening experience that’s created through the innovative placement of the transducer, which is positioned to provide a more natural listening experience.”
The P9 Signature in its case.
Bowers and Wilkins
Needless to say, with that kind of build-up, I look forward to testing out a pair and getting CNET contributor Steve Guttenberg’s thoughts on the sound along with editor Ty Pendelbury’s.
While we wait for a review sample, here’s a look at the headphones’ highlights, according to Bowers & Wilkins.
- Crafted from Italian Saffiano leather, using a ‘stamping’ technique that gives the material a distinctive cross-hatch finish.
- Memory foam cushions in the earpads help isolate noise from the outside world and mold to the shape of the user’s head over time, providing both an acoustic seal and an incredibly comfortable listening experience.
- Aluminum arms make them ideal for music on the move thanks to their innovative foldable design and material choice, which adds greater durability.
- 415 grams
- 40mm drivers
- The luxurious case is crafted from Alcantara (suede-like feel) and Saffiano leather detail.
- Come with three high-performance cables suitable for use at home and on the go (one cable has an inline remote with microphone).
- An additional Lightning cable is in development and will be out from early 2017 free to those who have registered their P9 on http://www.bowers-wilkins.com.
Google Pixel XL Phone Release Date, Price and Specs – CNET
James Martin/CNET
At an event this morning, Google announced a slew of new products, including the debut of the Pixel and Pixel XL smartphones. The phones have the same design, same processor, same storage and same camera. So with all this sameness, what are the differences?
Well, there are not many. And that’s good, because even if you get the smaller one, you’re not missing out on any cool features. The real differences are in battery and screen size, as well as the resolution and price.
- Screen size: Despite the Pixel XL having a larger screen with more resolution, the smaller Pixel still sports a very respectable 1,920×1,080-pixel display.
- Battery: The Pixel has a 2,770mAh battery and the Pixel XL a 3,450mAh battery. Until we test the phones, we can’t be certain how much more battery life, if any, the Pixel XL will get.
- Price: For a 32 GB model, the Pixel starts at $649 and the Pixel XL at $769. Both are available for preorder today — except the blue version, which is sold out.
The Pixel and Pixel XL come built-in with Google Assistant and support for Google’s Daydream VR platform. Google touts that the camera on the Pixel series is better than on any other smartphone. DxOMark, a camera-testing website, gives the Pixel’s camera a score of 89 — the highest for any smartphone.
Hands-on with Google’s Pixel and Pixel XL phones
Lexy Savvides checks out Google’s new Pixel and Pixel XL, both of which boast the Snapdragon 821 processor and sport a 12-megapixel camera.
by Lexy Savvides
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Check out the full specs for both phones below, and take a look at our hands-on video of the Pixel and Pixel XL.
Google Pixel and Pixel XL specs
| 5-inch; 1,920×1,080 pixels | 5.5-inch; 2,560×1,440 pixels |
| 441 ppi | 534 ppi |
| 5.66×2.74×0.34 (at its thickest) | 6.09×2.98×0.34 (at its thickest) |
| 143.84×69.54×8.58 (at its thickest) | 154.72×75.74×8.58 (at its thickest) |
| 5.04 oz; 143 g | 5.92 oz; 168g |
| Android 7.1 Nougat | Android 7.1 Nougat |
| 12.3-megapixel | 12.3-megapixel |
| 8-megapixel | 8-megapixel |
| 4K | 4K |
| 2.15GHz + 1.6GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 | 2.15GHz + 1.6GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 |
| 32GB, 128GB | 32GB, 128GB |
| 4GB | 4GB |
| None | None |
| 2,770mAh | 3,450mAh |
| Back cover | Back cover |
| USB-C | USB-C |
| Google Assistant built-in; unlimited cloud storage; Daydream VR ready | Google Assistant built-in; unlimited cloud storage; Daydream VR ready |
| $649 (32GB); $749 (128GB) | $769 (32GB); $869 (128GB) |
| £599 (32GB); £699 (128GB) | £719 (32GB); £819 (128GB) |
| TBD | TBD |
More from Google’s event
- Google Pixel phones, Daydream View and Chromecast Ultra: Everything Google just announced
- Google’s Pixel, Pixel XL are superphones set to take on iPhone 7
- See all of our Google coverage
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