You can now buy a real-life Iron Man-style jetsuit … for the price of a house

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Have you ever wanted to soar through the air in an Iron Man-style suit like a real-life superhero? Do you have the financial resources of a real-life Tony Stark to go along with it? If so, you may want to queue up (or get your butler to do so on your behalf) to pay the sum of $446,000 for your very own version of British inventor Richard Browning’s jet-propelled suit, which recently went on sale at high-end London-based department store Selfridges.

Comprising five jet engines, a 3D-printed structure, and a head-up display for showing your remaining fuel levels, it’s the closest you’ll get to live as a true comic book hero — supervillains not included.

We previously wrote about Gravity industries’ flying exosuit project at the start of last year. However, inventor Richard Browning noted that plenty of upgrades have happened since then. “A huge amount of modifications have happened since 2017, learned from flying at events,” he told Digital Trends. “We consolidated the two rear engines into one large one, improved efficiency and power, made it smaller, and changed the geometry of the arm mount in a way that’s made a dramatic difference to stability.”

For a look at the finished market-ready suit, check out the B-roll footage below. While it’s not a slickly edited video package, it gives you some idea of how the suit functions in the real world:

Browning said that no license is needed to fly the suit (although, if you’re going to spend your kid’s college fund, you probably need written permission from your spouse), and that training takes just a few minutes. “We’ve had a pilot with five minutes’ training who managed to hover untethered very happily,” he continued. “A lot does depend on fitness level and aptitude, but you don’t have to be a superhero or superhuman to fly it. It taps into an innate human balancing ability in a really uncanny way, so it’s extremely accessible.”

As to whether it will ever be accessible to those of us who haven’t founded startups worth seven figures and can’t afford to eat gold-encrusted lobster for lunch? Don’t worry: You haven’t been forgotten about. “Do we afford to make more affordable ones?” Browning said. “Inevitably, the cost will come down. We’re also working on an electric version which will be vastly more accessible. So watch this space.”

But maybe resign yourself to commuting the old-fashioned way for the time being.

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Google video shows possible all-white redesign for Gmail and its other apps

Google is reportedly working on a variety of changes to both its web and mobile apps. First spotted by Ars Technica, a new Material Design video surfaced with a preview of what we can possibly expect for the redesign of Android apps like Gmail, Google Photos, Google Drive, and more. The report thoroughly notes all the changes that could be released within the redesign.

The video was created by Adam Grabowski and Nicolo Bianchino — who worked together alongside the Google Material Design team —  and is meant to “showcase their updated design system for the internal teams.” While it has since then been set to private on Vimeo, it’s been re-uploaded to YouTube where everyone can view it. The design sizzle reel shows a variety of different shapes and effects with one common theme — everything is extremely white.

Implemented in 2014, the original Material Design user interface launched with Android Lollipop. The design language introduced a clean color palette — complete with deeper shadows and crisp edges. Last year, Google made it easier for other developers to apply the design to their own apps and games by adding a new color utility.

For starters, it appears the red UI elements Gmail is known for will be replaced by a white bottom bar and white background. The video also shows email attachments scrolling horizontally through the message screen. Controls such as “Mark as Read,” “Archive,” “Delete,” and “Reply All” are found within a bottom bar at the bottom of the screen. The same bottom button format appears on Google Drive, along with tabs up top and a search bar.

As for Google Photos, the app seems to look the same overall — other than the switch to a white background instead of the original gray. The sidebar that houses buttons such as “Photos,” “Albums,” “Photo Books,” and more, have transformed into round icons that sit at the top instead. A search bar has also been added to Google Trips, along with a colorful logo, search icon, and menu button.

Of course, it’s important to remember that these changes aren’t final. The visuals seen in the video are most likely mockups that are subject to change.

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Google video shows possible all-white redesign for Gmail and its other apps

Google is reportedly working on a variety of changes to both its web and mobile apps. First spotted by Ars Technica, a new Material Design video surfaced with a preview of what we can possibly expect for the redesign of Android apps like Gmail, Google Photos, Google Drive, and more. The report thoroughly notes all the changes that could be released within the redesign.

The video was created by Adam Grabowski and Nicolo Bianchino — who worked together alongside the Google Material Design team —  and is meant to “showcase their updated design system for the internal teams.” While it has since then been set to private on Vimeo, it’s been re-uploaded to YouTube where everyone can view it. The design sizzle reel shows a variety of different shapes and effects with one common theme — everything is extremely white.

Implemented in 2014, the original Material Design user interface launched with Android Lollipop. The design language introduced a clean color palette — complete with deeper shadows and crisp edges. Last year, Google made it easier for other developers to apply the design to their own apps and games by adding a new color utility.

For starters, it appears the red UI elements Gmail is known for will be replaced by a white bottom bar and white background. The video also shows email attachments scrolling horizontally through the message screen. Controls such as “Mark as Read,” “Archive,” “Delete,” and “Reply All” are found within a bottom bar at the bottom of the screen. The same bottom button format appears on Google Drive, along with tabs up top and a search bar.

As for Google Photos, the app seems to look the same overall — other than the switch to a white background instead of the original gray. The sidebar that houses buttons such as “Photos,” “Albums,” “Photo Books,” and more, have transformed into round icons that sit at the top instead. A search bar has also been added to Google Trips, along with a colorful logo, search icon, and menu button.

Of course, it’s important to remember that these changes aren’t final. The visuals seen in the video are most likely mockups that are subject to change.

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Apple’s T2 chip may be causing issues in iMac Pro and 2018 MacBook Pros

Many iMac Pro owners have reportedly suffered numerous kernel panics — the MacOS version of the dreaded Blue Screen of Death in Windows — since they hit the market at the end of 2017. You can find a handful of threads on Apple’s community forums, including this one, detailing the trials and tribulations customers are experiencing with their expensive iMac Pros and Apple support. The problems apparently reside in the new MacBook Pro laptops, too.

Of all the error messages uploaded to these threads, there is one detail they seem to share: Bridge OS. This is an embedded operating system used by Apple’s stand-alone T2 security chip, which provides the iMac Pro with a secure boot, encrypted storage, live “Hey Siri” commands, and so on. It’s now included in the new 2018 models of the 13- and 15-inch MacBook Pro with Touch Bar.

But whether the T2 chip is behind all the kernel panics is up in the air. The symptoms and solutions are varied across complaints, such as iMac Pro owners daisy-chaining storage devices seeing crashes along with those with nothing connected at all. But Apple is aware of the problems and is apparently working on the issue behind the scenes.

“Looking at the Kernel Panic dumps, looks like someone may have been working on it, as the Kernel Version got bumped from 17.3.0 in January to 17.4.0 yesterday and it feels like I’m seeing fewer panics,” reads one post. “Where it used to panic once or twice a day it now appears to panic once or twice per week.”

Apple is replacing these machines — in some cases twice — but the problems still occur on the new hardware. One owner said he actually turned off the T2 security chip and never saw a Bridge OS-related problem again. Another user made a Time Machine backup, booted into recovery mode, erased and formatted the system disk, and restored from Time Machine for an error-free iMac Pro.

Apple suggests that iMac Pro owners wipe and reload MacOS from scratch, disable FileVault, and disable Power Nap, the latter of which worked for some iMac Pro owners.

According to the threads, the system crashes can be reduced if you don’t daisy-chain devices, don’t use a Thunderbolt 3 to Thunderbolt 2 adapter, turn off Power Nap, turn off Secure Boot, don’t unlock the device with Apple Watch, remove third-party kernel extensions, and turn off every power management option you can find. That’s quite a list.

Many iMac Pro owners claim the kernel panics actually happen mostly at night when the device is idle, pointing to a possible problem with the storage/hibernation mode and/or the wake-over-Ethernet feature. Several owners report crashing with only an Ethernet cable attached, but that could just be a coincidence.

Despite the annoying issues stretched across iMac Pro and MacBook Pro, the version numbers displayed in the error logs show that Apple is indeed on the case. An official fix for the hardware kernel panics is supposedly available in MacOS 10.13.6, although the update may not address sleep-related panics.

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IGTV is sweet — but you probably don’t need the dedicated app. Here’s why

Hillary Grigonis / Digital Trends

Instagram upended video sharing with the launch of IGTV, a home for vertical videos from influencers, vloggers, creatives and anyone that finds the one-minute limit on the feed too short. Unlike traditional video platforms like YouTube and, well, actual TV, IGTV is made for smartphones, which means videos are largely vertical. (After all, turning your phone sideways to watch a full-screen video is a whole lot of work). 

IGTV is both an Instagram feature and a standalone app. But if you tap the new TV icon in the corner of your Instagram feed, you’ll find an experience that looks nearly identical to the screen you see from the IGTV app. In fact, the differences between the two are so slight that many users won’t actually need the standalone app, but some may have a few reasons to try it.

What’s IGTV? How do you use IGTV?

Instagram calls IGTV a place for video that’s made for smartphones. Because of that focus, IGTV videos are largely vertical, and watching them feels similar to watching your Stories playlist. The other perk to IGTV is that the videos can be up to an hour long, compared to the one minute limit for videos shared to your Instagram feed. And because all Instagram users automatically have an account, many influencers and creatives have already started sharing content — which means IGTV may already be populated with videos from people you follow or topics you are interested in.

IGTV, whether built inside of Instagram or as a standalone app, has an identical user experience for viewing videos. The viewer launches directly into a video with a navigation bar at the bottom. You can tap through the navigation bar to look for videos from people you follow, popular videos, and videos you haven’t yet finished watching. A search bar also allows you to look for particular topics or people.

IGTV is designed for a full-screen viewing experience, which means you can’t actually see some of the viewing controls. A swipe towards the left will navigate to the next video on your list, a swipe to the right will go back to the previous video. A swipe up from the bottom will bring up the navigation bar again. (You can also click the browse icon after tapping on the video to find the navigation bar.)

Tapping on the video will bring up the icons to like, comment or send in a Direct message, along with details about the user sharing the video, the name of the video and how long the video is. IGTV is also designed for finding new creatives to follow — a tap on the username will bring up the option to follow that user, along with a filmstrip of that channel’s videos. The viewing experience is the same regardless of which app you use.

What the IGTV app has — that Instagram doesn’t

The difference between the built-in IGTV and the stand-alone app largely comes down to notifications and settings. When you first open IGTV, you’ll be asked to choose whether or not to receive notifications. If you opt-in, you’ll get IGTV notifications for new videos from creators you follow, as well as notifications about your own videos. IGTV notifications are separate from Instagram notifications.

While the viewing experience may be identical, the icons are different in the IGTV app. Inside the navigation bar, you’ll spot your own profile picture next to the settings shortcut. This is where you can create your own channel. It just takes a few taps before you can add videos to share with existing Instagram followers. Tapping your profile picture will now take you to your channel, where you can add videos, view shared videos, and see how many followers you have. 

Unlike YouTube, where creators can have multiple playlists and channels, IGTV allows just a single channel per user account — regardless of the app you use. To make a second channel, you’ll need a second Instagram account — something some users already do to keep different passions separate, like a photographer who keeps separate accounts for her personal and professional work.

We should note while where you find things is a bit different between the apps, there’s no actual difference in functionality. Upload options are identical, as are the tools for viewing analytics. The real difference between the two comes in the form of the different settings, which are streamlined for the IGTV experience within the IGTV app.

While the IGTV service looks to be full of potential as a platform tailored to the way we watch videos on smartphones, most users probably don’t need to download the IGTV app. Power users, however, may appreciate the streamlined nature of the dedicated app, as well as the ability set different notification settings between it and Instagram proper.

IGTV is young, however — and launching IGTV as a separate app could mean the platform has plans for expanding in ways that would make the original Instagram take up too much space. Neither app, for example, has the option to crop a horizontal video into a vertical one, and you won’t find Instagram’s famous filters within IGTV. For now, there’s little reason to need both apps, but future updates could widen the gap between the two.

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Lenovo ThinkPad T480s review

Research Center:

Lenovo Thinkpad T480s

Lenovo’s ThinkPad represents one of the most iconic lines of laptops ever made, appealing specifically to people who want great performance and robust build quality. Lately, though, a host of other machines offering as much or more value have been exerting some real pressure on the brand. Enter the ThinkPad T480s, which slots in next to the X1 Carbon to present ThinkPad-level business acumen without the thin-and-light focus.

We looked at a lower-end ThinkPad T480s configuration, with an 8th-generation Intel Core i7-8550U CPU, 8GB of RAM, a 256GB PCIe solid-state drive (SSD), and a 14-inch touch display. That configuration comes in at $1,700 (on sale right now for $1,360), though you can beef it up to a whopping $2,665.

The ThinkPad T480s isn’t inexpensive, it’s not particularly small or light, and it competes directly against its sibling, the X1 Carbon. Does it bring enough to give it an edge?

If you like the ThinkPad design, you’ll like this one

You can identify a ThinkPad from across a room, and the ThinkPad T480s is no different. It features the same jet-black exterior with glowing red “i” as every other ThinkPad. Opening it up, you’ll find the familiar black keys with white lettering surrounding the usual red TrackPoint nubbin and an extra set of buttons. If you prefer the ThinkPad look, you’ll be welcomed by the familiar aesthetic. However, long gone are the days when the ThinkPad was the only laptop with a distinct look. For example, the Microsoft Surface Book 2, Dell XPS 13, and MacBook Pro all have a unique, visual identity we like — and even prefer to the ThinkPad.

Mark Coppock/Digital Trends

The ThinkPad T480s also upholds the line’s typical focus on providing a robust build quality. There’s the usual adherence to the MIL-STD-810G spec for durability and protection against the elements, and the materials feel good in the hand and evoke confidence in the notebook’s ability to withstand a few tumbles. But the lid is a little more flexible than we’d like, and the ThinkPad T480s doesn’t seem like it’s in a different class against competitors like the MacBook Pro, XPS 13 and the Huawei MateBook X Pro.

If you prefer the ThinkPad look, you’ll be welcomed by the familiar aesthetic.

Compared to the ThinkPad X1 Carbon, the T480s is rather chunky at 0.73 inches thick (compared to 0.62 inches), and it’s heavy at 2.9 pounds (compared to 2.49 pounds). That also makes it quite a bit larger than the XPS 13 and thicker than the MateBook X Pro, but it’s still competitive with the Surface Book 2 with its large fulcrum hinge.

One advantage of being slightly thicker and larger than the competition is it affords dramatically improved connectivity. The ThinkPad T480s is a prime example, packing in a host of connections while supporting Lenovo’s innovative USB-C side docking stations. Out of the box, the ThinkPad T480s has a USB-C Gen 1 port, two USB-A 3.0 ports, a USB-C with Thunderbolt 3, a full-size HDMI port, a gigabit Ethernet port, an SD card reader, and an optional smart card reader. Whew. And then there’s the typical 3.5mm combo audio jack and 2×2 MU-MIMO Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.2 radios. That’s all important stuff for business people, who will appreciate never having to carry dongles or adapters with them.

The inputs live up to the ThinkPad reputation

It’s not just the ThinkPad look and feel that are so iconic. It’s also the input options that identify a machine as a member of that line. It all starts with the keyboard, and the ThinkPad T480s sports the newer ThinkPad island keyboard style with the usual sculpted and backlit chiclet keys (two brightness levels). The switch mechanism provides deep travel and snappy feedback, but it also requires more than normal pressure.

If you like lots of feedback during typing, then you’ll probably love this keyboard. Some people, though, might find it more fatiguing than, say, the much lighter touch of the keyboards on the Dell XPS 13 and even the ThinkPad X1 Carbon. We found it difficult to adjust to after using so many keyboards that require a lighter touch.

Mark Coppock/Digital Trends

The touchpad is nicely sized, even considering the extra buttons to accommodate the usual TrackPoint nubbin (more on that in a bit), and Lenovo smartly placed the fingerprint reader outside the touchpad. It’s a Microsoft Precision touchpad, and as with all such designs, we found it responsive with reliable support for Windows 10 multitouch gestures. We’re delighted to see that the MacBook line no longer holds such an advantage over Window touchpads.

At the same time, if you’re a ThinkPad fan, then you might prefer the TrackPoint, that little red nubbin sitting in the center of the keyboard. It’s a fine alternative to the touchpad, mainly because it lets you leave your keys on the home row for quick mouse movements. The version on the ThinkPad T480s was as accurate as ever, and it’s obvious why Lenovo keeps it around.

Lenovo Thinkpad T480s Compared To

Samsung Chromebook Pro

Lenovo Yoga 920

LG Gram 15Z970-A.AAS7U1 Laptop

Lenovo Yoga 720 15-inch

Razer Blade Stealth (2017)

Lenovo Yoga 720 13-inch

Origin EON17-SLX

Asus VivoBook V551LB-DB71T

Acer Aspire V7

Sony Vaio Pro 13

Apple MacBook Air 13-inch (2013)

HP Pavilion 14 Chromebook

HP Spectre XT TouchSmart

Apple MacBook Air (11.6-inch)

Asus UL30A

There’s also a touch display that we found a bit less responsive to light pressure, but it remains convenient for scrolling web pages and quickly tapping the occasional on-screen button. The fingerprint scanner worked well for logging in via Windows 10 while using Match-on-Sensor technology that keeps the fingerprint data on the chip for added security. Finally, the webcam also enhances security thanks to the ThinkShutter physical privacy filter that slides into place to keep out prying eyes.

A matte display that avoids glare, but that’s about it

Our review unit came with a 14-inch Full HD (1,920 x 1,080) touch display with an anti-glare coating that succeeds in reducing glare. Lenovo also offers a WQHD (2,560 x 1,440) that’s quite a bit sharper and will appeal more to pixel-peepers.

In our colorimeter tests, the display was decidedly subpar for such an expensive notebook. Brightness was a disappointing 240 nits, which is low even for an anti-glare display. Color accuracy was just okay, contrast was a bit low at 780:1, and the color gamut was downright poor.

The matte display avoids glare as designed, but that’s about all it has going for it.

We won’t even bother to highlight any comparison machines, because all the systems in our group of competitors have significantly better displays. Just check out the graph, and you’ll see the ThinkPad T480S as the low-quality outlier. Our subjective experience wasn’t any better – the display came across as lifeless, with little to recommend it except for the reduction in glare compared to glossy displays.

The audio was also underwhelming, with unimpressive volume and distortion at maximum noise levels. Lows, mids, and bass were all lacking, whether watching a movie trailer or listening to music. You’ll want a pair of headphones for anything but quick YouTube clips.

Good performance, but nothing unexpected

Our review ThinkPad T480s was equipped with the increasingly common 8th-generation Intel Core i7-8550U. That’s the latest quad-core CPU that can scale up for demanding tasks while spinning down when possible for increased efficiency. Typically, it’s a great performer.

As it turned out, the ThinkPad T480s matched other similarly equipped notebooks in our tests. In the synthetic Geekbench benchmark, it was generally in line with competitors like the very fast Dell XPS 13 and the slightly slower Huawei Matebook X Pro. And in our Handbrake test, which encodes a 420MB file as H.265, the ThinkPad T480s again fell in between those two comparisons.

Next, Lenovo equipped the notebook with the Samsung PM961 PCIe SSD, a fast drive that typically means that booting, opening apps, and accessing large files won’t slow a machine down. Here, the ThinkPad T480s provided performance that was just slightly behind the curve compared to other similar notebooks.

Mark Coppock/Digital Trends

Overall, the notebook’s performance was nothing special, and that’s not really a bad thing – the ThinkPad T480s is a solid performer for just about any productivity user. You’ll be able to churn through all but the most demanding tasks without delay, but you also won’t find the notebook to be the speediest option around.

Integrated graphics mean casual gaming is the best choice

You can configure the ThinkPad T480s with a discrete GPU, specifically the Nvidia GeForce MX150, but our review unit was limited to integrated Intel HD 620 graphics. We weren’t too excited about running our gaming benchmarks.

Unsurprisingly, the ZenBook S performed the same as other thin and light notebooks. It fell just slightly behind the ThinkPad X1 Carbon and XPS 13 in the 3DMark synthetic benchmark, with scores that promise nothing better than casual games or older titles at lower resolutions and detail. In Rocket League at 1080p and performance mode, it ran at 49 frames per second (FPS), which dropped to 22 FPS in high-quality mode.

In short, don’t buy this notebook, or at least this configuration, if you’re looking for portable gaming. You’ll at least want to step up to a configuration that includes the MX150 GPU, or better yet invest in a real gaming laptop instead.

Battery life was – surprise! – also average

Lenovo built 57 watt-hours of battery capacity into the ThinkPad T480s chassis, which isn’t terrible, though it seems that there must be some wasted space inside. Nevertheless, the Full HD display and efficient processor had us hoping for good battery life.

As with so much else about this notebook, the ThinkPad T480’s battery life was decent but not great. It managed just under four hours in our most aggressive Basemark web benchmark test, which fell short of every machine in our comparison group except the Dell XPS 13 – and that notebook was equipped with a power-hungry 4K display.

In our web browsing test, the ThinkPad T480s lasted for just under nine hours, behind all our comparison machines except, oddly enough, the slower X1 Carbon that did unusually poorly here. And in our test that loops a local video until the battery runs out, the ThinkPad T480 did better, going for almost 11 hours and slightly edging out the Huawei Matebook X Pro and the XPS 13. It once again soundly beat the X1 Carbon.

While its build is robust, and the classic ThinkPad look is all there, it doesn’t stand out from the competition in any meaningful way.

In short, the ThinkPad T480s will likely last you a working day on a single charge, but that doesn’t stand out. Most of its competitors will do the same, and they’ll do so while also being thinner, lighter, and easier to carry around.

Our Take

The ThinkPad T480s doesn’t make as much sense as its predecessors. It’s not as thin and light as the ThinkPad X1 Carbon, and its performance likely isn’t any better when comparing the same processor configurations. While its build is robust, and the classic ThinkPad look is all there, it doesn’t stand out from the competition in any meaningful way.

Is there a better alternative?

If you want a ThinkPad, then choose the X1 Carbon instead. It’s similarly priced at $1,754 ($1,315 on sale) for the same Core i7-8550U, 8GB of RAM, 256GB SSD, and 14-inch Full HD touch display. And if you crank up the configuration to a faster Core i7-8650U, 16GB of RAM, 1TB SSD, and WQHD display with Dolby Vision, you’ll add just $100 more. That will provide you with an equally robust build that’s thinner and lighter, a more comfortable keyboard, and a display that supports high dynamic range (HDR) video.

Or, you can step down a bit in size and look at the Dell XPS 13, which performs equally well and battery life in a chassis that’s significantly smaller. You’ll also spend less money, at $1,450 ($1,250 on sale) for the same configuration. You won’t enjoy MIL-STD-810G build quality, but the XPS 13 is no slouch in that department, either.

The ThinkPad T480s can also be equipped with an Nvidia GeForce MX150 GPU, and if you’re looking at that configuration, then the Huawei Matebook X Pro is a competitor. It, too, uses that GPU in a slightly thinner and lighter frame, and it offers superior performance at a $1,500 price point 16GB of RAM, a 512GB SSD, and a higher-resolution 3,000 x 2,000 display.

How long will it last?

The ThinkPad T480s is built extremely well and will hold up to some abuse. Lenovo built in the latest components, and so the notebook should keep up with most of the productivity tasks it will be asked to perform well into the future. The warranty is a little disappointing for a business-class notebook, providing only a year of coverage.

Should you buy it?

No. The ThinkPad brand alone doesn’t make the T480s stand out. There are better laptops out there around this price — and even better ThinkPads.

How to right-click on a Mac

Some things you can always count on. Spring will follow winter, day will turn to night, and new Mac users will wonder how in the heck they’re supposed to right click without a right mouse button. Does that sound like a familiar problem?

Whether you’re using a MacBook trackpad or one of Apple’s accessories, we’ve got you covered.

MacBook trackpad

Bill Roberson/Digital Trends

Let’s start with the most common (and confusing) method of clicking: The MacBook’s trackpad. The multi-touch trackpad is sensitive, but it doesn’t include any obvious tells or buttons for left/right clicking, which can confuse Mac newbies. What’s worse, sometimes the rules changes for newer MacBooks.

Fortunately, there are a few easy ways to right-click no matter your preferences. All of these techniques also work for Apple’s Magic Trackpad, which is nearly identical to the MacBook version.

Using key commands

The first option is the easiest to use, especially if you’re coming from Windows. Just press the “control” key, and tap or click anywhere on the trackpad. The control key can be found on the bottom left corner of the MacBook keyboard, sandwiched between the function and option keys.

As long as it’s held down, the control key switches the trackpad to right-click mode, so just keep your finger pressed to keep right-clicking.

Two-finger click

Next is the one MacBook users use most, due to its ease of access. Because there are no individual buttons on a MacBook trackpad, you’ll need to perform a two-finger click to access right-click functionality. With your index finger resting on the center of the trackpad, click down with your middle finger. It works with other fingers, but this combination is the most accurate and consistent. Once clicked, it should bring up your right-click options immediately, regardless of where on the trackpad you click.

If it isn’t working, you’ll probably need to do some adjusting in System Preferences, which we explain below.

How to change preferences

Step 1: Head over to our friend System Preferences, which should be in your menu bar. This time, look for “Trackpad”, which should be right by the Mouse option. Select it and may sure that you are in the Point & Click tab.

Step 2: Look for “Secondary click,” and make sure that it is selected. Then choose the dropdown menu and take a look at your options.

Step 3: You should see an option for tapping on the trackpad with two fingers, or tapping on the right/left lower sides to start a right click. We’re fans of the two-finger approach, which is easy to learn and avoids those problematic times when you accidentally brush against the bottom of the trackpad to start a random right-click. However, feel free to experiment with all options to see which one you like the most.

Note: Newer Macs from 2015 or afterward use what Apple calls the “Force Touch” trackpad. This allows you to open new options based on how hard you press on the trackpad. That includes a Force Click, which happens when you press down firmly with one finger, and this may seem like a natural option for right-clicking.

However, Apple prefers to reserve the Force Click for other features, like previews and editing options. What Force Click does varies by app. It can never fully take the place of a right-click function, but we suggest you look at its features to see if you can use it to supplement other activities and make your work easier.

On the Apple Magic Mouse

Yutaka Tsutano / Wikimedia
Yutaka Tsutano / Wikimedia

Like the trackpad, the Apple mouse isn’t clearly divided into separate click zones and sometimes doesn’t support right-clicking out of the box, which can be frustrating. If you’re a little bewildered by the Apple mouse rules, don’t worry! There are customization options to set the mouse how you prefer it. Let’s look at your options.

Key commands

Like with the trackpad, just press the “control” key, and then click your mouse with one finger. This is usually the default method of right-clicking with an Apple mouse. The control key, when held down, switches the mouse to right-click mode. We know that this sounds a little weird, but some people actually prefer this approach.

Try using this option for a little while and see what you think.

Changing preferences

You can customize your mouse to respond a certain way to match your past habits instead if you prefer. These are found in a different menu than the trackpad settings, so follow these steps:

Step 1: Head to “System Preferences” in the menu bar, and then select “Mouse.” For the average Apple mouse, this should open up a window with two tabs. Make sure you are in the “Point & Click” tab, and look for an option that says “Secondary Click.” This option should be check-marked.

Step 2: There is a dropdown immediately below that selection that allows you to set the secondary click to the right or left side of the mouse. You probably want to choose the right side — Apple has little videos that show you what the current effects are if this gets confusing.

Step 3: When done, exit out and experiment with your mouse!

Unfortunately, there’s no option to directly control the sensitivity of these left/right clicks. We suggest you experiment a little and see if the Apple mouse is working for you or if you need to consider a replacement. After all, there are plenty of alternatives if you want to look outside of Apple hardware.

Now that you’re familiar with your Mac’s system preferences, consider using these tips to speed up your Mac as a whole.

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Get a free Chromebook and microSD with an unlocked Samsung Galaxy S9 or S9+

Sign me up!

Update: This offer is also available via Amazon for a limited time, though no microSD card is included.

Through August 13, Samsung is offering a free 11.6″ Chromebook 3 with purchases of unlocked Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9+ devices. You could also elect to receive a $200 discount off any Samsung Chromebook with your purchase instead. Prices on the Samsung Galaxy S9 start at $720 for the 64GB device, while the S9+ starts at $840.

The Chromebook isn’t the only freebie you’ll pick up with your new phone though. Samsung is also including a microSD card to double your phone’s storage. The card you receive will be equivalent in storage size to the phone you choose, so if you pick a device with 256GB internal storage, you’ll also receive a 256GB microSD card which would take your phone’s available storage above 500GB.

Samsung’s Chromebook 3 features 2GB RAM and 16GB memory, however, you can choose one with 4GB RAM for just an additional $20 which is highly recommended, or an option with 32GB memory and 4GB RAM for an additional $30. You’ll see these options come during checkout, along with some discounted Samsung accessories that you can add to your order as well. The microSD card will be added to your cart automatically.

Students can save even further on their order today (up to $63 off) by signing up with a verifiable .edu email address. That offer also extends to alumni and staff, bringing the price of the S9 down to just $665.99.

Unsure if the S9 is for you? You might want to take a look through our recent “three months later” review of the device and the original review we published to get a feel for its specs and limitations.

See at Samsung

Samsung Galaxy S7 Oreo update: Which versions have received it?

Follow Oreo’s journey to the S7 series right here.

The Samsung Galaxy S7 is far from Samsung’s latest and greatest, but it’s still kicking thanks to an update to Android Oreo. The new software has recently started making its way to the S7 and S7 Edge, and these are the versions of which it’s arrived on so far.

United States

AT&T

Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge owners started receiving the long-overdue Oreo update on Saturday, June 9, and it’s available as build number G93xAUCU4CRE4.

The update comes in at 1789MB (at least for the S7 Edge) and comes with the April 2018 security patch. That’s pretty outdated at this point, but it’s better than what we had before Oreo’s arrival.

Verizon

Oh, Verizon. Big Red tried rolling out the Oreo update for the S7 and S7 Edge twice, and each time, pulled it without much explanation. However, assuming that third time’s the charm, this third (and hopefully final) release of Oreo for the Verizon Galaxy S7 series should be the real deal.

Android 8.0 Oreo started hitting S7 handsets on Verizon shortly after AT&T on Monday, June 11 and the firmware version is updated to G930VVRU4CRE5 and G935VVRU4CRE5 for the S7 and S7 Edge, respectively.

Similar to AT&T, the April 2018 security patch is included with the update.

Sprint

Following AT&T and Verizon, Sprint began updating its Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge during the week of June 18.

This is the exact same Oreo update you’ll find on other carriers, meaning you’ll get features like Google’s Autofill for easier password entry, notification dots, picture-in-picture video, etc.

T-Mobile

T-Mobile announced its Oreo update for the Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge on June 29.

Oreo began rolling out to phones starting the week of June 29, so be sure to keep an eye out for it!

Unlocked

Nearly two months after their carrier counterparts, the unlocked Galaxy S7 and S7 edge models, models G930U and G935U respectively, have begun receiving the Oreo update. Though the build only contains the April 2018 security update, it’s still nice to see that all S7 models are now running the same software.

Canada

Rogers / Fido

Rogers, one of the largest Canadian carriers, recently updated its Android Oreo release schedule for its supported phones to reveal that 8.0 Oreo is heading to the Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge on Monday, June 11.

Also, since Fido is owned by Rogers, anyone that purchased a Galaxy S7 / S7 Edge through Fido should expect Oreo to arrive on their phones beginning on that same day.

International

UK

According to various reports on Reddit, the unlocked version of the Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge have begun receiving over-the-air updates that bump them up to Android 8.0 Oreo / Samsung Experience 9.0 – the same software found on the Galaxy S9 series.

The model numbers getting the update include SM-G930F and SM-G935F, and Oreo should change their build numbers to G930FXXU2ERD5 and G935FXXU2ERD5, respectively.

You’ll know you’ve been graced with Oreo’s good fortune when you have a 1.27GB update file waiting for you.

Updated July 24, 2018: This article has been updated with information about the unlocked Galaxy S7. Enjoy your new update!

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• Join the Discussion

iOS Grew U.S. Market Share This Spring Thanks to ‘Unprecedented Depth’ of Price Options as Android ‘Felt the Heat’

In the United States, iOS saw significant growth in the three months ending June 2018, with market share up 5.9 percentage points to 38.7 percent as tracked in the newest data from Kantar Worldpanel ComTech. Helping to boost iOS performance were sales for the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus, together accounting for nearly one in five smartphones sold in the time period.

Apple’s other flagship smartphone from 2017, the iPhone X, was the fourth best-selling device during the April–June 2018 period in the United States. As iOS grows in the United States, Samsung and LG smartphones have “felt the heat” recently, with Android’s operating system dropping 4.5 percentage points in the U.S. market during this time, down to 61 percent.

Kantar Worldpanel’s Dominic Sunnebo explains that iPhones made up eight out of the ten best-selling smartphones in the three months ending in June, thanks in part to Apple’s “unprecedented depth” across the price spectrum of its smartphones. Currently, customers interested in iPhone can start as low as $349 for the iPhone SE, or opt for the high-end 256GB iPhone X at $1,149.00.

“Apple continues to wield huge power in the US market, with iPhone models making up eight out of the ten best-selling models in the past three months. Apple currently enjoys unprecedented depth across the smartphone price spectrum, ranging from the iPhone SE to the $1,000 iPhone X; resulting in continued growth and hitting Samsung and LG hard. While Samsung is well represented at the premium end of the market with its S9 and Note series, and its budget orientated J series helps compete against LG, lack of depth in the mid-high tier is allowing Apple to find a new avenue for growth.”

iPhone X continued to be the top-selling device in China, making up 5.3 percent of all handsets sold during the period and becoming the best-selling smartphone in the country every month since it was released in November 2017. iOS still dropped 2.1 percentage points during this time, however, down to 19.4 percent of the smartphone OS sales share in China, while Android grew 2 percentage points to 80.4 percent.

Elsewhere, iOS sales share grew in Germany (2.8 percentage points), France (4.2), Spain (3.8), Australia (0.5), and Europe (1.3). As iOS grew in these territories, Android (and other operating systems) saw their shares dip. Android’s 4.5 percentage point drop in the U.S. was its greatest loss, which is notable as one of the biggest drops for the Android OS in Kantar’s U.S. tracking over the last year.

Android did manage to gain share against iOS in a few other countries beyond China, including Italy, Japan, and the UK.

For Apple, the company didn’t launch an iPhone in the spring like it has done in previous years such as with the iPhone SE in 2016 and the revamped storage capacities in 2017, so it is interesting that Apple still managed to boost smartphone OS share without a brand-new product.

As we enter the second half of 2018, Apple is expected to debut three new iPhones in September — a second-generation iPhone X, 6.5-inch “iPhone X Plus,” and 6.1-inch low-cost iPhone — which will likely see iOS boosted even more into the holiday season, although the upcoming months typically see iOS’s share dwindle as people await fall updates.

Related Roundups: iPhone 8, iPhone XTag: Kantar WorldpanelBuyer’s Guide: iPhone 8 (Don’t Buy), iPhone X (Caution)
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