These are all the phones Sony is launching in 2018

Here’s a look at Sony’s smartphone lineup for 2018.

Sony has an…interesting…position in the Android smartphone space. Sony produced some darn good phones in 2017, such as the Xperia XZ Premium and XZ1, but when compared to handsets like the Galaxy S8, Pixel 2, and even the OnePlus 5T, Sony’s offerings fell flat in one area or another.

We’ve seen Sony’s hand for 2018, and while this year’s phones still won’t keep everyone from jumping on the Samsung and Google bandwagons, they are compelling handsets that are at least worth checking out.

The phones that are still coming

Sony Xperia XZ2 Premium

In mid-April, Sony announced the Xperia XZ2 Premium. This is a bigger, badder, more expensive version of the regular XZ2 that’s already been released, and while there’s no denying its power, it’s going to set you back a very pretty penny.

One of the main draws to the XZ2 Premium is its 5.8-inch 4K HDR display. That’s the same resolution found on most premium TVs these days, and Sony says it’s 30% brighter than the previous Xperia XZ Premium.

You’ll also find dual 19MP + 12MP rear cameras, the Snapdragon 845, 6GB RAM, and a 3,540 mAh battery.

The Xperia XZ2 Premium costs $999.99, and pre-orders are open now at Amazon and Best Buy with shipments expected to start going out on July 30. Buying the phone from Amazon will let you get a free pair of Sony’s Xperia Ear Duo earbuds that retail for $280, but even then, only die-hard Sony fans will likely give any serious thought to the phone with a price that big.

See at Amazon

Sony Xperia R2/R2 Plus

Sony Xperia R1 and R1 Plus.

Last October saw the release of the Xperia R1 and R1 Plus — two budget phones that offered rock-solid specs at seriously affordable price points.

The rumor mill on successors to these two phones is pretty quiet at the moment, but there’s no reason to believe Sony won’t kick out an R2 and R2 Plus before 2018 is over.

India was the target market for the R1 series, and assuming the we get an R2, that’ll likely remain the same.

Mid-range Sony Xperia R1 and R1 Plus now available in India

The phones that have already been released

Sony Xperia XA2 Plus

In January of this year, Sony announced the Xperia XA2 and XA2 Ultra as its two midrange handsets for 2018. Fast forward to July, and we now have the Xperia XA2 Plus.

As the name suggests, the XA2 Plus is very similar to the other XA2 phones we already have. There’s the Snapdragon 630 processor, an aluminum unibody design, the XA2 Ultra’s 3,580 mAh battery, and Android Oreo.

Perhaps the biggest change with the XA2 Plus lies with its display. While the XA2 and XA2 Ultra use the older 16:9 aspect ratio, the XA2 Plus steps up to an 18:9 6-inch Full HD+ panel. There’s also a single 8MP front-facing camera which is a step down from the XA2 Ultra’s dual front-facing cameras. Lastly, the XA2 Plus will offer much better audio thanks to support for Sony’s High-Resolution Audio platform.

The Xperia XA2 Plus goes on sale in late August with an unspecified price.

Sony Xperia XZ2

Sony’s big flagship this year is the Xperia XZ2. The XZ2 is a successor to last year’s XZ1 and features a completely new design language compared to other Xperia phones of the last few years. The glass back is super reflective with elegant curves, the fingerprint sensor is smack dab in the middle below the rear camera, and there’s an 18:9 screen with slim bezels.

Under the hood, the XZ2 is packing all of the latest specs — including the Snapdragon 845, 4GB RAM, 19MP/5MP rear/front cameras, IP68 dust/water resistance, and Android 8.0 Oreo. The phone costs $800 and is on sale now.

Sony Xperia XZ2 preview: Slimmer bezels, wider appeal

Sony Xperia XZ2 Compact

There’s no denying that the XZ2 is a powerful phone, but what if you want all that horsepower in a phone that’s considerably smaller and a bit cheaper? For you, Sony’s got the Xperia XZ2 Compact.

The XZ2 Compact is mostly the same phone as the regular XZ2, save for a smaller battery, 5-inch screen, and a plastic back. Everything else, such as processor and cameras, are exactly the same.

It’s not necessarily cheap at $649, but it’s one of the few truly small phones that offers a no-compromises flagship experience.

Sony Xperia XZ2 Compact review: The new standard for small

Sony Xperia XA2/XA2 Ultra

During this past CES, Sony officially took the wraps off of the Xperia XA2 and XA2 Ultra. Both phones are mid-rangers in Sony’s lineup for the year, and while there’s nothing particularly exciting about them, they do the basics really, really well while keeping costs low.

The XA2 offers a refreshingly small 5.2-inch display, and for those of you that prefer big phones, the XA2 Ultra should serve you just fne with a 6-inch screen size. Both come equipped with an LCD panel and resolution of 1920 x 1080, and for the first time ever, these two Sony phones have working fingerprint sensors in the United States 👏.

Each phone also shares NFC, Android 8.0 Oreo out of the box, USB-C for charging, and a 3.5mm headphone jack. Aside from the screen size, the only other big difference lies with the XA2’s 3,300 mAh battery and the XA2 Ultra’s 3,580 mAh unit.

The XA2 sells for a fair $349, and stepping up to the XA2 Ultra will cost you $449.

See at Best Buy

Sony Xperia L2

If you like what the XA2 and XA2 Ultra bring to the table but want to spend even less, Sony’s Xperia L2 is for you.

The Xperia L2 has a 5.5-inch display with a resolution of 1280 x 720, MediaTek processor, 3GB of RAM, and a 3,300 mAh battery. As for the cameras, you’ll find a 13MP sensor on the back and an 8MP one up front.

There’s a working fingerprint sensor on the L2 and support for NFC just like on the XA2 and XA2 Ultra, but unlike those phones, the L2 ships with the older Android 7.1.1 Nougat.

You can buy the Xperia L2 in black, gold, and pink, and its price of $250 is more than manageable.

See at Best Buy

Updated July 11, 2018: Added the Xperia XA2 Plus to the list.

Apple Seeds Revised Third Developer Beta of macOS Mojave With Feedback Assistant Crash Fix

One week after Apple seeded the third beta of an upcoming macOS Mojave update to developers, Apple last night released a revised update for the software, fixing an issue where Feedback Assistant would unexpectedly quit for some users.

Apple appears to already have fixed the issue ahead of the second public beta release for macOS Mojave, which hit last Friday, and is now issuing the fix to developers newly downloading the update. Apple does not appear to be offering the revised version to developers who previously installed the original third beta version of macOS Mojave.

The Feedback Assistant app comes built-in with iOS and macOS beta programs, and allows public testers and developers to submit bugs and other problems with Apple’s pre-release software in an effort to help ensure such issues don’t affect public launches later in the year.

Apple announced macOS Mojave during WWDC this year, and the desktop software will see the introduction of a systemwide Dark Mode, Dynamic Desktops, Stacks, and a collection of ported iOS apps that will be available on Mac for the first time: Apple News, Stocks, Home, and Voice Memos.

Related Roundup: macOS Mojave
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Sonos Adds AirPlay 2 Support to Latest Speakers, Enabling Siri Control and Multi-Room Audio

Sonos today announced that its One, Beam, Playbase, and second-generation Play:5 speakers now support AirPlay 2, as promised.

This marks the first time Sonos speakers have supported AirPlay in general, enabling users to easily stream audio from iTunes on Mac, and virtually any app for iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch, including Apple Music, YouTube, Spotify, Hulu, Pandora, and Netflix, to compatible Sonos speakers over Wi-Fi.

AirPlay 2 in particular allows for Siri to control Apple Music or Podcasts playback on Sonos speakers via iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, HomePod, and Apple TV. For example, one could say “Hey Siri, play Beats 1 Radio in the bedroom,” after the speaker is added to the Home app and assigned to that room.

AirPlay 2 also enables multi-room audio playback for Sonos speakers paired with other Sonos speakers, HomePod, or Apple TVs. Sonos speakers appear in the AirPlay Picker within apps and Control Center on iOS devices.

Sonos said its older speakers do not support AirPlay 2 on their own due to processor limitations, but in the Sonos app, they can be paired with any of the aforementioned speakers to enable support for Apple’s new protocol. An older Playbar paired with a Playbase, for example, works with AirPlay 2.

Sonos initially held out on adding AirPlay compatibility to its speakers due to minor latency issues addressed by AirPlay 2.

Apple first enabled AirPlay 2 in iOS 11.4, released in late May. Sonos is the first third-party speaker maker to support the protocol, to be followed by Beoplay, Bang & Olufsen, Denon, Libratone, Marantz, Naim, and others.

AirPlay 2 support is available through a free software update via the Sonos Controller companion app on the App Store.

Tags: Sonos, AirPlay 2
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Apple Pay Expected to Launch in Austria in ‘Coming Months’

Apple Pay will launch in Austria in the “coming months,” according to well-known Austrian newspaper Der Standard. The report cites two unnamed sources and says Bank Austria could be one of the participating issuers.

Apple Pay first debuted in the United States in October 2014, and its availability has since expanded to over 20 countries and territories around the world, most recently including Norway, Poland, and the Ukraine:

• United States
• United Kingdom
• Australia
• Canada
• Singapore
• Switzerland
• Hong Kong
• France
• Russia
• China
• Japan
• New Zealand
• Spain
• Taiwan
• Ireland

• Guernsey
• Isle of Man
• Jersey
• Italy
• San Marino
• Vatican City
• Denmark
• Finland
• Sweden
• United Arab Emirates
• Brazil
• Ukraine
• Poland
• Norway

Apple Pay enables users to add a debit or credit card from participating banks to the Wallet app and pay with a compatible iPhone or Apple Watch at stores that accept contactless payments, or in apps and on the web.

(Thanks, Michael and Rudolf!)

Related Roundup: Apple PayTag: Austria
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Graphic Design App ‘Affinity Designer’ Launches for iPad With Apple Pencil Support

App developer Serif today launched Affinity Designer for iPad [Direct Link], a precise vector graphic design tool that aims to help users create marketing materials, websites, icons, user interface designs, concept art, and more, all without needing to be tied to a desktop computer.

The new app is based off the similarly titled Affinity Designer software available for Mac, and now optimized for iPad with Metal enhancements, full Apple Pencil support for drawing with pressure, tilt, and angle, and iCloud Drive integration for file storage and sharing.

When creating a design, Serif notes that panning and zooming is always live at 120 frames per second, and there are live gradients, transforms, effects, and adjustments available during the creation process. The app supports a split screen mode, wireframe view, and live pixel and retina view of vector artwork.

In terms of color and output features, Affinity Designer for iPad supports the professional CMYK, LAB, RGB, and Grayscale color models, as well as full 16-bit per channel editing and end-to-end ICC color management. Check out more of the app’s features below:

– Seamless switching between tools and editing modes for frustration-free design.
– Advanced Lanczos 3 image resampling plus Bicubic, Bilinear and Nearest Neighbor methods.
– Live effects, blend modes, image adjustments, and raster and vector masks for any part of your design.
– Use the strengths of vector and raster behaviours for the best of both worlds.
– The best pen tool, pencil tool, corner tool, curve editing, geometry operations, and smart shape tools available.
– High quality raster tools for texturing, masking and finishing artwork. Create your own brushes too.
– Artboards, symbols, constraints and stored assets give the ultimate flexibility for UI and graphic design.

In February, Serif updated its Affinity Photo iPad app with a suite of powerful features, including the ability to shoot in RAW or HDR video directly within the app. At the end of last year, Apple awarded Affinity Photo as iPad App of the Year for 2017.

Affinity Designer is available for iPad Pro, iPad Air 2, and iPad (early 2017 and newer) for $13.99 [Direct Link], and requires iOS 11 or later.

Tag: Affinity Designer
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Toyota picks Hawaii for its first app-controlled ridesharing effort

Toyota

Toyota is getting into the ridesharing game.

The automaker is launching its first service in Honolulu, Hawaii. Called Hui, it will offer customers 50 vehicles at 25 stations spread throughout the city.

It’s operated by Servco — Toyota’s distributor in Hawaii — and works with an app (iOS and Android) that reserves the vehicles and manages accounts.

You can choose from a decent range of cars, too, among them the Toyota Prius, Prius Prime, and Camry XSE, as well as the Lexus RX 350 and RX F Sport. The rental vehicles are parked in marked, reserved stalls for easy pick-up and drop-off, the company said in a message posted on Tuesday. Vehicles need to be returned to the same spot where they were picked up.

Hui vehicles utilize Toyota’s Smart Key Box, which generates a digital key that lets the driver lock and unlock the car via their smartphone, as well as start it up. Rates start at $10 an hour or $80 per day, and top out at $20/$160, depending on the vehicle. Prices include insurance, maintenance, and gas. A provided universal gas card can be used to top up the tank, and drivers are asked to return the car with at least a quarter-full tank so the next driver doesn’t have to waste time searching for a gas station the moment they begin their rental.

Toyota says it’s also considering offering a pay-as-you-go membership plan with higher per-hour and daily rates instead of monthly fees.

Local competition offering similar systems to Hui includes the likes of Zipcar and Enterprise.

Sharing different modes of transportation, whether bicycles, scooters, or cars, is becoming big business across the U.S. and beyond. And now Toyota wants a piece of the pie.

Zack Hicks, CEO and president of Toyota North America, described Hui as “a game-changing way to offer car sharing.”

Hicks added: “The program is simple to use and more convenient than a traditional car rental service, plus typical add-ons like gas and insurance are included in the reservation cost.”

Servco CEO Mark Fukunaga said Hui provides “a new option for Honolulu residents and visitors looking for vehicle access while complementing other existing mobility services such as bike share, ride share, and public transportation, and we are excited for consumers to utilize the technology.”

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iBeat Heart Watch detects when you go into cardiac arrest, is now available

While many wearables and health trackers on the market are capable of tracking heart rate, devices that can detect when there’s an emergency are extremely rare. With the iBeat Heart Watch, which is now available for purchase, users can wear it to not only monitor for cardiac emergencies but to alert first responders when there’s something wrong.

Think of the iBeat Heart Watch as an alternative to Life Alert that’s far better-looking and capable of more. Under the hood of the watch are optical sensors that continuously track a users’ heart rate, along with pulse strength, blood flow, and changes in oxygen — which alerts users when their heart or blood circulation begins to slow down or abruptly stops.

With those sensors, the Heart Watch can recognize when someone has gone into cardiac arrest.  If a user is unconscious or unresponsive for more than 10 seconds, iBeat’s 24-hour dispatch team is notified, along with first responders and emergency contacts that the user lists. Thanks to built-in GPS and cellular LTE, both responders and contacts are notified of the user’s exact location.

The companion app features a user dashboard that works in real time to track overall health, activity levels, and a history of any incidents via the watch. You can also input information about any medication you’re on, allergies you have, and any other conditions, which paramedics will already be informed of upon arriving at the scene. This is also where you can set up emergency contacts, who will be alerted via a text message and provided with your current location whenever there’s a cardiac emergency.

You’ll also have access to the Heart Hero Network, which is an app that anyone can download to learn CPR. Once someone goes through its vigorous training, they’ll then be alerted via a push notification if you’re ever in need of assistance while waiting for first responders to arrive. A second person in your area will also receive a notification and will be directed to pick up a defibrillator nearby.

If the issue isn’t as dire, there’s also an Emergency Help Button on the device that can be pressed to get help from emergency services or family and friends. This will prompt the question “Are you OK?” If a user replies “No,” they can choose from several responses including “I’m in danger,” “I’m hurt,” or “I’m bleeding.”

In a demo with iBeat, we got to see the watch in person and thought it looked rather sleek. While the case itself was a bit thick, it fit comfortably on our wrists and felt rather light. It’s also versatile enough that it doesn’t look odd wearing it to the gym or even an evening out. We like that the emergency button is tucked away enough that it’s not an eyesore while also being easily accessible when needed. There’s a variety of watch faces to tailor the watch to your outfit or look. We found the display to be extremely responsive when swiping between menus.

When it comes to battery, the iBeat Heart Watch will last about four days and comes with a charging dock to put the device on when it runs out of juice. But since the device is designed to protect you at all times, there’s also a small battery pack that can be clipped to the watch that holds up to two full charges. Regardless of whether you charge it using the dock or the clip, both will take only an hour to bring the watch back up to 100 percent.

If you’re interested in purchasing the iBeat Heart Watch, it’s available via iBeat’s site. The device will cost you $249, while the app costs $17 per month.

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Which Amazon Kindle should you buy: Paperwhite, Voyage, or Oasis?

Looking for a new e-reader? We’re here to help.

There’s no dearth of choice if you’re in the market for an e-reader, with Amazon alone offering four Kindles across various price points. Amazon has been making e-readers for well over a decade now, and in that time the retailer has come to dominate this segment thanks to a combination of hardware chops and an outstanding e-book store.

The current Kindle lineup starts off at $79, and goes all the way up to $269. Whether you’re looking to get started with e-readers or are interested in upgrading to a more feature-rich model, these are the best Kindles you can pick up today.

Kindle

The $79 Kindle has a lot going for it: you get 4GB of storage, ability to stream audiobooks over Bluetooth — the only other Kindle where that option is available is on the top-end Oasis.

The current-generation Kindle is also thinner and lighter than its predecessor, but there are a few drawbacks: there isn’t a backlight, and the pixel density at 167ppi isn’t ideal. The base variant is a decent choice if you’re unwilling to spend over a hundred dollars on an e-reader, but you get so much with the next variant in the series.

See at Amazon

Kindle Paperwhite

The Paperwhite is the default option for a lot of people. It costs $129 — $40 more than the base model — and comes with a backlight, 6-inch 300ppi display, and there’s a cellular option available if you want to download books on the go. The 300ppi display on the Paperwhite is just as crisp as the costlier Voyage or Oasis, and you have the option to adjust the intensity of the backlight.

The back has a soft touch plastic coating that makes it comfortable to hold the Kindle for hours on end, but its weight could turn out to be an issue for some. The Paperwhite is the heaviest Kindle you can buy today, coming in at 205g, and a lot of that has to do with its design. The screen is slightly recessed from the frame, and the large bezels mean the screen is protected in the case of a tumble.

If you’re looking for a Kindle that offers the best value, then the Paperwhite is the one to get. Amazon has mentioned that it will offer the e-reader for just $79 on Prime Day — making it a particularly great choice if you’re looking to get started with the Kindle ecosystem.

See at Amazon

Kindle Voyage

The Voyage is a premium take on the Paperwhite. While it has the same screen size and pixel density as its more affordable sibling, the Voyage is all about refinement. It has six LEDs under the screen that deliver a more uniform backlight — the Paperwhite has four — and there’s an ambient light sensor that automatically adjusts the intensity of the backlight based on your environment.

The LEDs produce a warmer hue, making it more conducive to read on the device for an extended duration of time. The Voyage also has page press buttons that let you turn the page by pressing down on either side of the bezel — and you get decent haptic feedback. The back has an angled pattern that nestles in your hand, and up front, the screen is flush with the body of the device.

At $199, the Voyage isn’t exactly what you’d call affordable, but the form factor and the ambient light sensor make it a compelling option if you’re looking to move up from the Paperwhite.

See at Amazon

Kindle Oasis

The Oasis is Amazon’s flagship Kindle. It is the only one in the lineup to offer water resistance, with the IPX8 certification allowing it to be submerged in up to two meters of fresh water for 60 minutes. That makes the Oasis a great option if you’re looking to read by the pool or in the tub.

The Oasis doesn’t look like any other Kindle, and that’s because of a unique design that sees the internal components located on one side. The design brief for the Oasis was to mimic a book folded in half, and it excels at doing that. Unlike the rest of the series, the Oasis has a brushed aluminum finish at the back. While it isn’t as comfortable as the soft touch plastic, you have the option to accessorize with a fabric case.

The screen resolution on the Oasis is the same at 300ppi, but the e-reader has a larger 7-inch panel. It also has 12 LEDs as well as an ambient light sensor, and an accelerometer that switches the orientation of the screen based on whatever hand you’re holding the Oasis.

If you’re looking for the best e-reader available today, the Oasis should be at the top of your list.

See at Amazon

Pair your e-reader with Kindle Unlimited

Buying a Kindle is just half the story; you’ll want to pick up some books to read on the device. Fortunately, Amazon’s Kindle Unlimited is one of the best e-book lending services available today. You get to choose from over 1 million titles, thousands of audiobooks, and popular magazines.

You’ll be able to save ten books on your device at any given time, and you’ll have to return a book if you want to add more. Kindle Unlimited costs $9.99 a month, but Amazon is currently offering a three-month subscription for just $0.99. That’s a great way to see what the service has to offer and decide if you want to continue subscribing after the trial runs out.

Sign up for Kindle Unlimited

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How to change the theme and accent colors in OxygenOS

Have a OnePlus phone? Here’s how to make it look just the way you want it 👌

The software that comes on OnePlus phones — OxygenOS — does a lot of cool things you won’t find anywhere else. If you’re a customization geek like me, one of the best features is the ability to change the theme and accent color of the user interface to make it look just the way you want.

The default theme that comes equipped on OnePlus phones out of the box doesn’t look bad by any stretch of the imagination, but if you’re ready to start tweaking things to make everything look exactly how you’d like, here’s what you need to know.

Note: This guide applies to the OnePlus 3 and newer.

How to change the theme

Open Settings.
Scroll down and tap Display.

Tap Theme.

If you’ve never changed the theme of your phone, it’ll be set to Default.

OnePlus gives you two options to choose from — Light and Dark — and both change the appearance of your settings page, quick settings drop-down, app drawer background, app shortcuts, and multiple OnePlus apps (such as Phone, Messages, Contacts, Calculator, and more.)

How to change the accent colors

After you’ve selected a theme you like, it’s time to pick an accent color. Although not as drastic as the theme you choose, your accent color choice is reflected in the text/icons in settings, your quick settings icons, volume indicator, app shortcuts text, and in the app drawer.

To change your accent color:

Open Settings.
Scroll down and tap Display.

Tap Accent color.

OnePlus currently gives you eight accent colors to choose from, but the company is testing something in the OxygenOS Open Beta that gives users more pre-made colors and even allows them to create their own custom hue.

If/when this makes its way to the stable build of OxygenOS, we’ll update this post accordingly.

Also, take note that you can only change the accent color with the Dark or Light theme — not the Default one.

Keep on theming! 🎨

Now that you know how to change up the look of your OnePlus phone, what color combos are you going to rock? Let me know what theme and accent color you choose in the comments below!

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The $40 Roav Viva brings Alexa and a 2-port car charger on the road with you

Bring Amazon’s Alexa along for the ride.

Anker’s Roav Viva, an Alexa-enabled 2-port USB car charger, is down to $33.99 for Prime members today at Amazon. This is the lowest we’ve seen it drop, beating previous coupon deals by $5.

The Viva connects to your phone via Bluetooth, and then you connect your phone to your car’s stereo either via Bluetooth or an auxiliary jack. It will use your phone’s Internet to access Alexa’s services and relay them through your car’s speakers. You can access the full-range of Alexa’s skills, including playing your favorite music, getting directions, or hearing the news. You can make and receive phone calls without taking your hand off the wheel. It also has voice isolation via two integrated mics that can accurately identify your voice over other car noises.

The dual charging ports have PowerIQ technology to detect what’s plugged in and deliver the fastest charge. The top of the device has a mute button that makes it easy to turn off the mics if you don’t want Alexa listening to everything you say. Users give it 3.9 stars based on 445 reviews.

This price is exclusive to Amazon Prime members, so if you aren’t already a member, you’ll want to sign up for a free 30-day trial right now.

See at Amazon