Xiaomi Mi QiCycle Release Date, Price and Specs – CNET

If Xiaomi’s cheap-but-great phones aren’t enough to help it conquer the world in the very near future, it has plenty of other cards up its sleeve, such as a superthin laptop, a drone and now a foldable electric bike.

The Mi QiCycle is made by Xiaomi and its partner iRiding. It’s a three-speed Shimano internal hub bicycle powered by a 250-watt 36-volt high-speed motor, with a range of around 45 km (27 miles). It sells in China for 2,999 yuan, which converts to $450, £340 or AU$600.

Weighing at 14.5 kg (32 pounds), the QiCycle isn’t the lightest of bikes. It’s actually not too heavy compared to other foldable bicycles, but there are some compromises made to hit this relatively light weight.

Xiaomi’s Mi QiCycle folding electric bike…
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For one, the wheels are of the 16-inch variety, similar to Bromptons, which means you’ll have to pedal more compared to a larger 20- or 24-inch bicycle. It’s not too big a problem, of course, since the QiCycle comes with an electric motor that kicks in for an extra boost to make uphill climbs a breeze and flat roads really zippy.

Testing it out under the hot Beijing summer sun, I found myself merrily whizzing along. The controls for power assist are pretty simple — you can choose between full-powered assist, eco mode or completely off. Climbing hills was a breeze even in third gear, and I was able to hit 28 kph (17.4 mph) on flat ground without trying. You can connect the bike to your phone via Bluetooth to track your distance traveled.

Xiaomi says the electric motor is rated at a maximum speed of 20 kph (12.4 mph), when you’re not pedaling and just coasting along. There’s no regenerative braking to help you gain back electric power, and charging to full from flat takes a solid 3 hours.

Key specs

• Shimano three-speed internal gear hub
• 14.5 kg (32 pounds)
• 16-inch wheels
• Electric motor with up to 20 kph speed
• 5,800 mAh, 36V battery with 45 km range
• Bluetooth enabled

The 36V battery is tucked into the frame of the bike, and has a hole for the seat post to hold it in place. I’m not too big a fan of this design, because the QiCycle requires two locks to be opened before you can adjust the height of the seat post.

Using two hinge locks for the seat post makes it quite a pain to adjust.

Aloysius Low/CNET

Furthermore, the QiCycle doesn’t fold as well compared to Terns or Bromptons. You have to lift up the seat post, then give a nudge to the rear wheel to fold the bike in half, then lower the seat post back down to prop up the bike before folding the fork downwards.

While it sounds easy, it’s actually pretty clunky, as you have to keep a firm grip on the bike until you can lower the seat post (or it falls down). Folding a Tern or a Brompton is quicker and easier, that’s for sure. You’re better off leaving it unfolded most of the time.

Lastly, the front handle bar is a bit too low and more suited for a speedier bike. On an electric bike I prefer sitting upright in comfort without having to lean forward like I would do on a more sporty road bike, since it’s supposed to be more relaxing.

Still, at $450 for a really well-built bike, it feels ridiculously affordable. The QiCycle bike will likely be only sold in China until Xiaomi decides to start selling more of its products in other countries, so you’ll probably have to be willing to import it.

Alienware Aurora review – CNET

The Good The Alienware Aurora can fit two graphics cards into a relatively small case. Interior access doesn’t require a screwdriver, and future GPU upgrades should be easy.

The Bad This is still big and heavy for a mid-size gaming desktop, some components are hidden behind the power supply, and some of the latest highest-end component options aren’t available yet.

The Bottom Line Alienware’s mid-size Aurora is very flexible, and one of the smallest dual-GPU-ready gaming desktops, but it’s still going to hog a lot of floor space under your desk.

Alienware’s desktop gaming lineup has seen a recent shuffle, mixing up the catalog of products available, while keeping the same general small-medium-large division between them. Losing out in the reshuffle is the X51 desktop, a slim but flexible small form factor system. In its place, Alienware has launched the Aurora, a new mid-size tower with a more accessible chassis and wider configuration options. Anchoring the small and large slots in this lineup are the newly refreshed Alienware Alpha and the giant Area-51 desktop.

In one sense, it’s a shame, because the X51 was one of the smallest desktops that could be configured to run current-gen virtual reality headsets (which have very heavy hardware requirements). But the switch-up also makes sense because the revamped Alpha — itself smaller than a living room game console — now has desktop-level processors and graphics, making it a much more practical entry level gaming rig.

Sarah Tew/CNET

Taking over that middle spot in Alienware’s lineup is the Aurora, a new system that uses a resurrected name previously used on other Alienware products from the mid-2000s until just a few years ago.

Like most Alienware systems, the Aurora offers a deep set of configuration options. Our test unit included an Intel Core i7-6700K, the new Nvidia GeForce GTX 1080 graphics card, and a 256GB SSD/2TB HDD storage combo, for a total of $2,279 (the closest similar configurations in other territories go for £1,609 and AU$3,667). The least-expensive configurations (which are decidedly not VR-ready, start at $799/£699/AU$1,599.

Alienware Aurora

Design and upgradability

This new Aurora is a relatively svelte 14 inches deep by 18 inches tall by 8 inches wide, and the chassis takes a good deal of its design DNA from the larger Area 51, with three side lights on the angled case echoing the pyramid-like design on that larger desktop. It’s very sharp-looking, without going over the top. And keep in mind that this is a custom design, while gaming desktops from smaller PC makers almost always come built into off-the-shelf cases, despite costing as much or more than an Alienware.

Nvidia GeForce 1080 gaming desktop roundup…
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This is the smallest Alienware desktop that can handle dual graphics cards, and if you want to start out with a single card and add another later, the traditional side panel screws have been replaced with a simple rear latch, making it easy to access the case interior. That’s often called a “tool-less” design, as you don’t need a screwdriver or other tools to get to the motherboard and accessory slots.

Inside the easy to open case, you can access the second graphics card slot, as well as the hard drive bays, but the CPU and RAM are hidden away behind the power supply, which folds out on a hinge after undoing a couple of screws. It’s all part of how the relatively small chassis can hold two GPUs, three hard drives and more in a very compact space.

Sarah Tew/CNET

The end result is an interior where everything fits, but also one that feels cramped, with its internal cables densely packed, at least compared to the full-size desktops from Origin PC, Velocity Micro, Digital Storm and others we’ve tested recently. Despite this, we didn’t notice any heat issues or excessive fan noise, even when running high-end VR applications.

Samsung WF50K7500AV review – CNET

The Good Samsung’s $1,499 WF50K7500AV AddWash washing machine performs well, looks good, is easy to use, and has a massive 5-cubic-foot capacity.

The Bad Its hatch-like door doesn’t make it any easier to do laundry and the related Samsung Smart Home Android and iPhone app is very glitchy.

The Bottom Line You’ll love the AddWash’s impressive performance, large capacity, and luxury black stainless finish — just pretend that extraneous hatch door isn’t there.

Visit manufacturer site for details.

The $1,499 Samsung WF50K7500AV AddWash washing machine is a true luxury appliance. With 14 cleaning cycles, a massive 5-cubic-foot capacity, a black stainless finish, and a streamlined display panel, this high-end washer is a pleasure to use. It happens to do a great job removing stains, too.

But that’s not quite where the AddWash’s story ends.

Samsung also tried out a couple of additional features with this appliance that didn’t fare as well — a second, smaller door that you’re supposed to use to add forgotten items mid-cycle and a related Samsung Smart Home app for Android and iPhone. Since you have to pause the washer for the second door to unlock, you might as well just open the main door to add that errant sock or towel. And the app was so glitchy I never made it past the configuration phase.

Even so, Samsung’s AddWash still exceeds expectations and is well worth your consideration if you’re in search of a stylish and functional premium front-load washer.

Here’s what Samsung’s AddWash washer does…
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One door too many

I got so many error messages trying to configure this app that I eventually gave up.

Screenshot by CNET

Black stainless is a relatively new finish for Samsung, one that instantly transforms an appliance from the consistently ‘meh’ look of traditional white washers to something decidedly more high-end. It also features a 5-cubic-foot tub, the largest of any front-load washing machine we’ve reviewed so far.

I also like that the AddWash supports app integration. Unfortunately, the Samsung Smart Home app, available for Android and iPhone users, was the most frustrating thing about this appliance.

A decent laundry app should let you check on the status of your washer remotely, as well as start and stop cycles. I’d also like to receive push alerts when a cycle ends.

Not only could I not figure out if these features were available on the Smart Home app, I couldn’t even get past the initial configuration steps to view the app. I tried a number of times on both a Samsung Galaxy S5 and an iPhone 6 Plus to no avail. The screenshot to the right pretty much sums up my experience.

There’s also the issue of the AddWash’s second door, something I really looked forward to trying out in our appliance lab.

My initial belief was that I’d be able to open that trap door any time I wanted during a cleaning cycle to chuck in socks, hand towels and other small items (you’d really have to get creative to fit jeans or something similarly large through the AddWash compartment). And that is true…kind of. The trick is that you have to hit pause on the washer to unlock the door.

360fly 4K review – CNET

The Good The 360fly 4K is a water-resistant and dust- and shockproof 360-degree camera. It has a standard tripod mount, 64GB of internal storage, a single button for power and recording. The mobile app makes it very simple to capture, edit and share your 360-degree movies to YouTube and Facebook.

The Bad Video quality is best suited for small screens where artifacts and purple fringing are less noticeable. It’s a little pokey to power up. Audio is muffled. Built-in memory and battery, and no Micro-USB on the camera mean you always need its cradle for charging or transfers.

The Bottom Line The 360fly 4K is just all-around a better camera than the original, and its excellent mobile app is a definite plus compared to competing cameras. You’ll just have to be forgiving of its image quality.

The best thing about the 360fly 4K is its mobile app.

That sounds like a dig, but it’s only because the app is really good compared to what other consumer 360-degree camera makers are offering at the moment. It makes the 360fly 4K that much more usable, as does its design, which makes it better suited for “action cam” use than as a point-and-shoot 360 camera.

The company’s original HD-resolution 360fly camera, which is still available for $300, uses a proprietary mount, requires a little plug for its mic opening to make it water resistant, has a hard to find power/record button, a tiny status light that is difficult to see in bright light and a smooth, somewhat slippery exterior. These are all things that make for a not-so-great user experience. Plus, as has been the case with all the first-gen consumer 360 cameras, the video quality is just OK.

The $500 360fly 4K (£600, AU$850) is worth paying extra for if you have more than a casual interest in creating immersive photos and videos for sharing online. It ditches the original’s mount for a standard 1/4-20 tripod mount, it’s now water resistant down to about 10 meters (34 feet) without the mic plug and the exterior is rubberized for a better grip with wet or cold hands. Also, the activity light and power/record button are combined, which makes it easier to see with the camera off or on.

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The 360fly app gives you a preview and control of the camera.

Joshua Goldman/CNET

Back to the app, though. Turning the camera on also turns on the camera’s Wi-Fi and Bluetooth (the latter is to help reconnect to the Wi-Fi quicker). Join the camera’s network with your smartphone, open the 360fly app and you’ll have a live preview from the camera as well as control over it and its settings.

Along with 360-degree video, you can set the camera to shoot time-lapse video, 16:9 widescreen first-person POV movies and capture 360 photos. The top resolution is 2,880×2,880 pixels; you can choose between 24 frames per second for a live onscreen view while recording, or get slightly smoother results at 30fps without the live view. Since there is just one lens, the 360 video is not spherical, but instead has a 360×240-degree field of view. You lose the 120 degrees below the lens, but you don’t have to worry about stitching.

If you really want spherical video, you can always buy a second camera and shoot them back to back and then stitch the two videos together with software. (Kodak wisely offers a dual pack for its SP360 4K camera for this purpose at a reduced price and includes a mount to hold the cameras, a remote to simultaneously trigger recordings and very basic stitch software.)

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360fly made editing 360 video on your phone very easy.

Joshua Goldman/CNET

Once you shoot a clip, you’ll probably want to edit it before sharing, even if it’s just to trim the beginning and end. The app makes this blissfully simple to do, letting you quickly select just the sections you want to include, then add music and/or an image filter, or you can adjust the playback speed for part of your clip.

ZTE Axon 7 review – CNET

The Good The sophisticated and affordable ZTE Axon 7 has a zippy processor, expandable storage and loud speakers.

The Bad The phone is heavy and power users won’t appreciate the non-removable battery.

The Bottom Line The Axon 7 is ZTE’s best to date, but the OnePlus 3 is a better phone at the same price.

Visit manufacturer site for details.

You have to admire ZTE’s effort. Its Axon 7 is the best looking and most powerful phone the Chinese company has made to date. Its super speedy processor performs just as fast as the flagship devices of Samsung, LG and Google — a testament to how far the company has come since last year’s Axon Pro.

The phone also has plenty of storage space. The more widely available variant, which I reviewed, has 64GB built-in, 4GB of RAM and up to 128GB of expandable storage if you have a high-capacity microSD card. There’s also a variant for Asia, with 128GB of built-in storage and 6GB of RAM.

Plus, at $400 or £275 unlocked (that’s approximately AU$500), the Axon 7 is inexpensive compared to more popular marquee handsets that can run up to $700, £500, AU$800 or more.

But the phone market is ruthlessly competitive — and companies are offering better features for less money every day. Case in point: the OnePlus 3. Though that device doesn’t have expandable storage or booming audio speakers like the Axon 7, it’s faster, has a longer-lasting battery and has the exact same $400 price. (Though in the UK, the OnePlus 3 is a little more expensive than the ZTE at £329.) Unless you have your heart set on a high-end phone, your first choice should be the OnePlus 3.

ZTE’s Axon 7 is its prettiest phone yet (pictures)
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Design: Easy on the eyes

Solidly built, with an unbroken metal unibody chassis, the Axon 7 is ZTE’s best-looking phone ever. Its 5.5-inch display has a sharp 2,560×1,440-pixel resolution and the screen is bright enough (when cranked up) to easily see details in the sunlight.

Given its luxe looks though, I was surprised at how heavy it felt. Tipping the scales at 6.17 ounces (175 grams), it weighs more than its competitors (see chart below). It was still comfortable to hold and maneuver, however.

The handset has a luxe, polished aesthetic.

Josh Miller/CNET

The left edge houses slots for two SIM cards, which is useful if you travel a lot or have two phone numbers. Similar to the LG G5, it has a fingerprint reader on the back, which you can use to unlock the phone and buy stuff with Android Pay. The sensor works quickly, and I didn’t notice any lag between pressing the reader and the screen unlocking. If you don’t want to use your fingerprint, you can also use your voice: say a preprogrammed phrase and unlock the phone that way.

ZTE emphasizes the Axon 7’s audio expertise. In addition to the two speakers on the front, it’s decked out with Dolby Atmos audio technology and an advanced chipset that lets the device both play and record crisp, high-fidelity audio. When I played a few music tracks and movie clips, it was indeed loud and clear, with lots of depth. It didn’t come off as “crunchy” as phones with small, narrow audio grilles usually do.

Software: Voice controls and an optional app drawer

The Axon 7 runs Google’s Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow software. This newest version of the mobile operating system includes a more advanced digital assistant called Now on Tap, security updates, support for Android Pay and more. It also has very few third-party apps (or annoying bloatware) preloaded.

The phone has a few voice and gesture controls — you can unlock the phone, play music and activate the camera shutter just by speaking to it. In comparison, the OnePlus has gesture controls too, which mainly entail drawing single letters to launch specific apps, but no voice commands like the Axon 7.

The Axon 7 can also switch from ZTE’s own MiFavor 4.0 user interface to another launcher labeled “stock” Android. By “stock,” I mean it’s really not the pure Android UI. In fact, both settings look pretty much the same (same layout, same app icons and so on). The main difference is that the pseudo-stock version has an app drawer, which keeps all your apps together in a grid, whereas MiFavor does not. I prefer to have the app drawer since it prevents my home screen from getting too cluttered.

AT&T Trek 2 HD Release Date, Price and Specs – CNET

AT&T

They say phone contracts are dead — so how about a tablet contract instead?

That’s the catch with AT&T’s new Trek 2 HD tablet. You can walk out the door with the tablet for 99 cents beginning August 5, but you’ll need to sign a 2-year service agreement or pay $7.50 a month (for a total commitment of $180, not including data service).

The 8-inch Android tablet is the successor to 2015’s Trek HD, and has everything you’d expect in a middle-of-the-road budget tablet. Before you sign up, though, compare it to something like the $250 Asus ZenPad Z8 (which also offers 4G LTE, sans contract), as well as our other favorite budget slates.

The Trek 2 HD’s full specs are as follows:

• 8.0-inch HD Display
• Stereo speakers with Dolby audio
• Android 6.0 Marshmallow Software
• 5-megapixel rear camera
• 5-megapixel front camera
• Qualcomm Snapdragon 1.5GHz octa-core processor
• 16GB of internal storage with a microSD card slot for expansion
• 4,600mAh battery

Oxo Cold Brew Coffee Maker review – CNET

The Good Simple to use, the Oxo Cold Brew Coffee Maker offers an easy way to steep and strain grounds at room temperature. Coffee made with the Oxo Cold Brew is consistently strong, sweet and delicious. Included paper filters aid the metal strainer for an extra level of filtration.

The Bad The Oxo Cold Brew Coffee Maker costs double the price of basic coffee products capable of cold-brewing. The Cold Brew can’t brew with hot water either, and like traditional cold brew methods needs a lengthy 12 to 24 hours of steeping time.

The Bottom Line The Oxo Cold Brew Coffee Maker will wow die-hard cold-brew fans willing to spend more cash for extra convenience, but it’s too pricey for occasional drinkers.

Cold-brewed coffee is one of my favorite forms of joe. If done right, the drink’s sweet, syrupy texture and lack of bitterness is irresistible. Making batches of cold brew at home, though, is a tedious affair especially when it’s time to strain your grounds. Here to help is the $50 Oxo Cold Brew Coffee Maker, which eliminates much of the hassle out of creating this special kind of java.

You will pay a premium for Oxo’s cold-brew contraption. It costs twice the price of other cold-brew gadgets such as the Takeya Cold Brew Coffee Maker and Bodum French press machines. Still, if your priority is to whip up quality cold brew with as little aggravation as possible, then this Oxo device is splurge-worthy.

Oxo’s cold-brew gadget makes sweet, strong…
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Design

The Oxo Cold Brew Coffee Maker is deceptively simple. It has just one switch and uses gravity, not electricity, as its main power source. Even so, it’s clear plenty of thought went into the Cold Brew’s construction.

This hourglass-shaped appliance functions in much the same way as a typical drip brewer. Like a conventional drip coffee maker, the Oxo Cold Brew has a brewing chamber up top where you place ground coffee beans for steeping. Below this sits a carafe to collect the liquid that has been strained by a stainless-steel filter at the bottom of the brewing container.

The Oxo Cold Brew Coffee Maker is similar to a drip brewer, except it uses time instead of heat.

Chris Monroe/CNET

That’s where the similarities between the Oxo Cold Brew and drip machines end. The Cold Brew Coffee Maker uses water at room temperature or colder so it has no heater, electronic components, nor a power cord. Instead you manually pour cool water onto the brewing container’s perforated lid, which Oxo calls the “rainmaker”.

The Rainmaker lid has holes to let water drip evenly over coffee grounds.

Chris Monroe/CNET

Provided you decant water in a circular fashion over the indented lid, the rainmaker evenly saturates coffee grounds by showering them with small water droplets. A Brew-Release Switch either holds water inside the brewing container or releases it to drain into the glass carafe below.

Electrolux EW30IS80RS review – CNET

The Good The $3,749 Electrolux EW30IS80RS slide-in induction range has a speedy cooktop and a convection oven full of helpful cooking modes. It’s “Perfect Turkey” mode can cook a 13-pound bird in two hours, a feat that will be a game-changer at Thanksgiving.

The Bad The oven is a heavy-handed when it comes to broiling and convection baking, which left me with burgers and extra-brown biscuits. The large touchpad control panel can be unresponsive to your touch.

The Bottom Line The Electrolux EW30IS80RS’s fast cook times and useful add-ons make this range a worthwhile investment.

Can one really cool feature make a nearly $4,000 oven worth buying? In the case of the Electrolux EW30IS80RS, it depends on how important Thanksgiving is to you. Electrolux filled this induction range with a host of special features, but the standout is the “Perfect Turkey” cooking mode that can cook a holiday-meal worthy, 13-pound turkey in just two hours.

The Electrolux EW30IS80RS is a 30-inch-wide slide-in induction range.

Chris Monroe/CNET

Slashing the cook time of an intimidating piece of poultry is just one of the many noteworthy features included in the $3,749 Electrolux EW30IS80RS. The range’s induction cooktop boils water at breakneck speeds. And the oven’s two convection fans excel at moving air more evenly during baking, which results in biscuits that brown evenly across two racks.

The range has its drawbacks. The broiler chars hamburger patties before they’re completely cooked. Though the oven circulates heat well, it left my evenly browned biscuits about one minute away from being burnt. And controlling this range’s intricate touchpad controls can feel a bit like steering a stubborn spaceship.

Overall, the Electrolux EW30IS80RS is a formidable match to similar slide-in induction ranges such as GE PHS920SFSS and the Samsung NE58H9970WS. Though the Electrolux is more expensive, this impressive range is a good investment if you value quick cooking — especially on Thanksgiving.

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First impressions leave much to be desired

The Electrolux EW30IS80RS is a 30-inch-wide, slide-in range with an imposing profile. Much of its heft comes from the touch-control panel, which juts out from the body of the range.

The smooth cooktop includes four induction burners. Induction cooktops use heat created from electromagnetism between your pot or pan and the burner to cook food (read more about the science behind induction here). Like the Kenmore 95073 induction range, the Electrolux doesn’t use circles to show you where the burners are located. Instead, there are four crosses that show you where you’re supposed to put your cookware. Each burner has its own set of touchpad controls that let you adjust heat levels with plus and minus buttons. Unfortunately, the controls don’t clearly indicate which burner they belong to, which will make your initial cooktop experience confusing if you don’t read the oven’s manual first.

The control panel has 11 different cooking modes.

Chris Monroe/CNET

The gigantic control pad also holds a labyrinth of oven controls, including 11 different cook settings. It can get overwhelming trying to access special features such as temperature probe settings or the convection converter (which lowers the temperature when you’re using a convection cooking mode), which require multiple button pushes and adjustment. And you have to press hard on the control pad’s buttons to get them to respond.

The Electrolux has two oven cavities: a traditional 4.6-cubic-foot capacity oven and a 1.4-cubic-foot capacity oven drawer at the bottom of the range. You can use the oven drawer to keep food warm, bake or slow cook, which is handy if you’re cooking a lot of dishes at once or if you want to heat up a frozen meal. But I’d rather get rid of the oven drawer in exchange for a larger main cavity, especially since it’s difficult to get food in and out of the drawer since it’s so low to the ground.

It’s time to talk turkey

It takes a lot of gumption for a manufacturer to include a special cook setting on an oven that’s designed for one specific dish, such as pizza or chicken. You expect such a feature to be flawless since it only has one job.