Microsoft’s foldable ‘Andromeda’ pocket device may never surface

Unnamed sources claim Microsoft’s unannounced two-screen “Andromeda” project may be put on hold indefinitely. Executives made the decision over the last several weeks to not include the software components and services used by Andromeda in the next Windows 10 feature release, aka Redstone 5, slated to arrive in October. The Andromeda components may not arrive in Redstone 6 (or whatever it’s called) either.

Sources claim Microsoft put Andromeda on ice over scheduling and quality. Given the company split up its Windows engineering team to better focus on artificial intelligence and cloud computing, the new Windows team will be building “experiences” based on those platforms. That also means retooling current software and services to take advantage of those platforms.

The problem with Andromeda is that it had no real target audience, and even if it were to hit the market, it would be sold at a price that wouldn’t be attractive to whatever market it does find. It was on a path to become a device “in search of an audience,” thus Microsoft currently sees no compelling reason to launch a dual-screen device.

A recent prototype revealed that Andromeda included telephony components. The two-screen book-style form factor seemingly aimed to transform the smartphone market much like the original Apple phone did in 2007, but apparently, that is not the case at all. Sources said Microsoft never had any intention to enter Andromeda into the smartphone market to compete with Apple and Google.

A recent wave of “leaks” indicated that Andromeda would arrive by the end of the year sporting the Surface brand. In fact, one leaked document said the disruptive “new pocketable Surface device form factor” would provide a personal and versatile computing experience based on “innovative new hardware and software experiences.”

Even more, a leak provided last week revealed Andromeda would have five modes depending on how the screens are oriented via the 360-degree hinge: Closed, flat, convex, concave, and full. In a flat position, the two screens would come together as a tablet while convex would be similar to “tent mode” on 2-in-1s. Concave would serve as your typical laptop mode while full mode would see the two screens’ backs touching each other. To put the device to sleep, simply close it by touching the faces together.

What’s interesting about all this Andromeda talk is the sheer amount in 2018 alone. Based on all the leaked information, an official reveal looked promising at the end of 2018 along with new Surface devices and Redstone 5’s launch (likely called November 2018 Update). But given that Microsoft is putting Andromeda on hold indefinitely, someone or some group is apparently trying to save the project, generating hype. Maybe Microsoft itself is “leaking” the information just to evaluate consumer response.

Talk of Andromeda isn’t exactly new. Rumors of the device appeared in 2015 as Microsoft reportedly dumped an earlier phone project to create a “disruptive” device. It would be an entirely new design built by the Surface team and led by Microsoft hardware lead Panos Panay.

Editors’ Recommendations

• Microsoft’s foldable Andromeda PC could transform into five distinct modes
• Microsoft’s ‘Andromeda’ device may be a phone after all
• Microsoft calls its foldable Andromeda device “disruptive”
• Everything we know about Microsoft’s ‘Andromeda’ Surface phone device
• Folding ‘Andromeda’ device could be Microsoft’s iPhone moment

Intel’s next mainstream compact PCs won’t have discrete Radeon graphics

If you’re looking for a new super-compact Next Unit of Computing (NUC) from Intel, the company is gearing up to launch five new “Bean Canyon” models with eighth-generation processors. Dates and prices are unknown for now, but they will be more “mainstream” than the skull-bearing “Hades Canyon” NUC released at the beginning of the year.

According to a leaked slide, there will be two short models measuring 1.41 inches tall and three larger versions measuring two inches tall that can host a 2.5-inch hard drive or solid-state drive. But unlike the “Hades Canyon” NUC, these five mini PCs don’t rely on Intel’s module packing discrete AMD Radeon graphics, but instead solely rely on an integrated Iris Plus Graphics 655 component.

Here are the processors used in Intel’s “Bean Canyon” NUC:

These three processors were part of Intel’s third wave of eighth-generation chips released in April, following desktop processors in late 2017 and the first batch for ultra-thin laptops in August 2017. All three chips listed above draw 28 watts of power, which is higher than the 15-watt chips used in previous NUC designs. The integrated Iris Plus Graphics 655 component has a base speed of 300MHz across the board while the Core i7 chip has the highest boost speed of the trio.

Now here are the actual “Bean Canyon” NUCs Intel has in the works:

Note that two of the five NUCs don’t support Intel’s Optane memory, which is used to boost the performance of hard drives. The larger models pack an empty drive bay for a 2.5-inch hard drive or SSD while the smaller models only provide a SATA port. All NUCs are barebones anyway, thus you’re required to purchase memory and storage separately in addition to the cost of Intel’s NUC.

The “Hades Canyon” NUC released by Intel earlier this year doesn’t target the mainstream market but sets its eyes on gamers. Packed inside is the Core i7-8809G module: An all-in-one package/chip containing four seventh-generation processor cores and integrated HD Graphics 630, dedicated HBM2 memory for graphics, and 1,536 Radeon RX Vega M GH discrete graphics cores. All three portions are connected by “fast lanes” and housed in one single package.

That said, the “Hades Canyon” NUC starts at $898, but that’s without memory and storage. It provides two slots supporting up to 32GB, two M.2 slots for card-style storage, two SATA ports for your typical hard drive or SSD and a handful of outputs including Thunderbolt 3, Type-C and Type-A ports, and more. If you’re wanting a super-compact gaming PC that hides in the shadows, “Hades Canyon” would be a good option.

But if you want a similar form factor but without the gaming frills, the “Bean Canyon” may be your best pick for good performance without the huge bulk of a desktop PC. Perhaps we’ll hear more about these NUCs later this year as the summer comes to a close and students head back to school.

Editors’ Recommendations

• Lenovo’s new IdeaPad laptops tickle your gaming fancy without breaking the bank
• HP’s mainstream Pavilion PCs refreshed with latest AMD Ryzen, Intel Core CPUs
• HP’s Envy curved AIOs sport a six-core CPU, Nvidia graphics, and maybe Alexa
• Intel’s 10nm CPU finally makes it to retail in a refreshed Lenovo IdeaPad laptop
• Asus just rolled out the world’s slimmest gaming laptop with GTX 1070 graphics

PlayStation 4 Slim vs. PlayStation 4 Pro: Which should you buy?

Which PlayStation 4 should I buy?

Anyone looking to buy a PlayStation for family now have a couple of options that look very similar. You’ve got the new slim PlayStation 4, and the new PlayStation 4 Pro. The original PlayStation 4 is all but impossible to find these days, and even if you do come across one refurbished it’s usually more expensive and generally not worth buying. But do they all offer similar experiences? Is there a downside to buying the slim over the pro? There are a lot of unanswered questions here.

It’s confusing by anyone’s standards, so your best bet is to know what you need before you head into the store.

What’s the difference?

Sony has a history of releasing a “slim” version of the PlayStation a couple of years after its initial release. In the past, those consoles have been labeled a little differently at launch to make it easier to tell the new version apart from the old one. These slimmer versions typically offer more a physical difference than a functionality difference, and this year is no different. The significant feature and performance difference comes with the PlayStation 4 Pro, and even then the difference isn’t huge unless you own a 4K television with HDR support.

The biggest functional difference between the original PS4 and the new slimmer PS4 is power consumption. Sony claims the new PS4 has a max power draw of 165 watts, which sounds impressive next to the original 250w max of the first PS4 until you see most benchmarks. The original PlayStation 4 had an average power draw of 150w during its heaviest gameplay sessions, and never pushed anywhere near that 250w max. It is slightly smaller though, so there’s that.

PlayStation VR performance is something altogether different.

As you can see, Sony is using the same CPU and a GPU that’s a little more than twice the performance in the new PlayStation 4 Pro. There’s also an updated version of the HDMI standard in the PS4 Pro, but there’s no immediate difference in performance out of the box for video output. Games that struggled in the past to maintain 30fps or 60fps on a standard PlayStation 4 will be able to offer a more consistent experience with the PlayStation 4 Pro through its “boost mode” feature. This basically means games that appear a to stutter a little on a normal PS4 will look and play smoother on a PS4 Pro.

PlayStation 4 Pro also offers 4K video streaming and enhanced graphics on supported titles. Game developers will have the option to offer higher quality graphics to PlayStation 4 Pro gamers, which will be clearly labeled with PS4 Pro Enhanced on the box. Not only are most new PlayStation games being made to support this Enhanced ability, many of the more popular games from the past year are releasing updates to look better through the more capable console.

Take a look at every PS4 Pro Enhanced game you can buy today!

As for HDR support, while all of these consoles are technically capable of outputting HDR visuals thanks to a software update from Sony, the HDR content offered by almost every app and game doesn’t apply to anything but the Pro. HDR is typically tied to either 4K content or PS4 Enhanced content, neither of which will play on these older consoles.

PlayStation VR performance is something altogether different. PlayStation 4 Pro was built to better support PlayStation VR (You know, Project Morpheus and PlayStation Neo kinda go together and all that) but even here the differences are subtle on many titles.

Most titles that were available before the Pro was released look slightly better on the Pro, and those titles updated to support the enhanced graphics in the Pro are noticeably better looking than on the standard PS4. Because of the high focus on framerate in PlayStation VR, what you’ll see in Pro Enhanced titles is more detail, not smoother transitions like you’d see on the television.

Which should I buy?

Now that you know everything you need to know about the differences between these consoles, lets break it down!

• Slim PlayStation 4 — This is the PS4 you will see the most of on shelves this year, and it’s the nicer looking of the two in my opinion. This is also the most likely to be found in a bundle with free games and extra controllers if you’re looking to get more than just the console.

See on Amazon

• PlayStation 4 Pro — If you own a 4K HDR television, or you’re interested in the best possible gaming experience from your PlayStation, this is the console for you. Also, if you’re looking to go all in on PlayStation VR, you’ll want this version of the console.

See on Amazon

Limited Edition consoles

Totally separate from the standalone PlayStation 4, Sony occasionally releases Limited Edition bundles. These bundles focus on delivering a unique look at feel to the console and its one included controller, and is typically themed after the game included in the box. You’ll usually pay a little more for these versions of the console, but if you or the person you are shopping for has a deep love for a specific game these options might be more what you are looking for.

Every limited edition PlayStation 4 you can buy today!

Update July 2018: This article has been updated with new information on PlayStation 4 updates and new bundles available for the current models.

PlayStation 4

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

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Gaming headsets, portable SSDs, smart bulbs, and more are all discounted today

Whether you’re looking for new tech gear or household items, we’ve got you covered.

We found plenty of great deals today that include big discounts on the Cloud II gaming headset, a SanDisk portable SSD, Philips Hue smart bulbs, and more! Time’s running out to take advantage of these prices, so hurry!

View the rest of the deals

If you want to know about the deals as soon as they are happening, you’ll want to follow Thrifter on Twitter, and sign up for the newsletter, because missing out on a great deal stinks!

Xfinity Mobile customers to be limited to 480p streaming, 600Kbps hotspot

Subscribers will have to pay for 720p streaming later in the year.

Xfinity Mobile, Comcast’s MVNO that’s powered by Verizon’s network, is about to get some new restrictions. Subscribers of the service are now getting emails from Comcast informing them about the changes, and they have to do with video streaming and mobile hotspot speeds.

As it currently stands, videos you stream using your Xfinity Mobile data are presented in 720p HD. Starting soon, however, the resolution will be lowered to 480p SD.

Customers can reach out to Comcast and request to be upgraded to 720p for free (Comcast is marketing this as a way to help people use less data and save on their monthly bills) but it will eventually transition to a paid upgrade later in the year.

This is something we see with just about every carrier in the U.S., but the changes to mobile hotspot use is a bit more damning. Instead of your regular 4G hotspot speeds, Comcast is throttling these to a measly 600Kbps.

While the video streaming change applies to all Xfinity Mobile subscribers, the slower hotspot speeds are only going into effect for those on the unlimited plan. If you pay by the gig, Comcast is more than happy to let you go through your $12/GB data as fast as possible.

If you’re an Xfinity Mobile customer, what do you think about these changes?

Why I love the BlackBerry KEY2: A second opinion review

Carriers

• Which unlimited plan should you buy?
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• Everything you need to know about the T-Mobile ONE unlimited plan
• Everything you need to know about the AT&T Unlimited plan
• Everything you need to know about Sprint’s Unlimited Freedom plan
• Join the Discussion

Galaxy S9+ vs. Galaxy Note 8: Which should you buy?

Samsung fans will be torn between these two.

Samsung’s dual-flagship approach is great for smartphone super-fans, because we get to see a new top-of-the-line phone from the company twice a year. The Galaxy S series refreshes early on in the year, followed by a Note phone about six months later.

But for someone who holds off on a purchase and doesn’t necessarily upgrade every six months (or even each year), it creates a quandary when you go to buy a Samsung phone: do you buy the Galaxy S, or the Note? Right now you can get the Galaxy Note 8, which is still just a handful of months old and very much a modern phone, but if you want the absolute latest tech from Samsung it has actually been supplanted by the Galaxy S9+.

The Galaxy S and Galaxy Note series have converged over the past few years, but it hasn’t ever been this close — here’s what you need to consider when choosing between the two.

What’s the same

The Galaxy S9+ has a few improvements over the Note 8, but as you’d expect considering their proximity much has been carried over. The two phones share a common platform in their hardware when it comes to the quality of the materials and the overall design, with the only real change being the GS9+’s different metal finish. The Galaxy S9+’s display has improved from the GS8+, but is indistinguishable in quality from the Note 8 — so yeah, both look amazing. And of course there’s just a 0.1-inch diagonal difference in size.

This is the same core hardware platform supporting both phones.

The rest of the hardware features like waterproofing, an SD card slot, a headphone jack, wireless charging, Quick Charge 2.0 and the supporting specs are all the same. Yes the processor has been upgraded to a Snapdragon 845 in the Galaxy S9+, but that shouldn’t make you forget about the Note 8’s considerable speed in its own right. Both have the same RAM and storage, too.

Even though the Galaxy S9+ is running Oreo out of the box, I won’t even claim it’s a big difference. The Galaxy Note 8 should have its Oreo update in short order, and it will have as many of the same software features as possible. But even that aside, Samsung’s take on Oreo isn’t all that removed from the Nougat launched on the Note 8 — all else being equal in the phones, don’t choose one over the other just to get it.

What’s different

Physically, it’s simply a bit easier to handle the slightly smaller Galaxy S9+. We’re talking about 4 mm in height, 1 mm in width and 6 grams in weight, but add it all up with the slightly more rounded corners and the GS9+ feels like less of a behemoth than the Note 8. If the Note 8 is outright unmanageable for you the GS9+ won’t feel like an entirely different phone, and you should consider the regular Galaxy S9 instead — but I’ll never complain about a phone being smaller and easier to hold, even if it’s subtle.

A slight drop in size and a better fingerprint sensor placement definitely make a difference.

Perhaps more important than the size is the fingerprint sensor placement on the Galaxy S9+. You can easily reach up and touch the lower, center-mounted fingerprint sensor without shifting the phone around in your hand. It’s something you do dozens (perhaps hundreds) of times per day, and it’s something you don’t really think about until you’ve lived with the far inferior placement on the Note 8.

The Galaxy S9+ also introduces stereo speakers. A phone the size of the Note 8 really should have them as well, but at least you have access to it with the GS9+. The speakers aren’t dramatically louder, but getting stereo separation and not having the audio easily blocked by your finger when holding the phone in portrait mode is another subtle usability improvement. And yes, the battery on the Galaxy S9+ is slightly larger, 3500 versus 3300mAh. That 6% bump in conjunction with the slight efficiency improvement from the Snapdragon 845 helps battery life, but it’s not a massive shift.

Note 8’s camera is no slouch, but the Galaxy S9+ easily bests it with no clear downsides.

One could say the biggest improvement in the 2018 phone is its main camera. This is an all-new setup for Samsung, with a brand new sensor and a variable aperture. The new sensor is capable of taking fantastic photos with less noise and sharper lines in all sorts of scenes, but really shines when it comes to low light photography. It also has 960 fps super slow-motion video capture, which is a neat trick. The Note 8’s camera is no slouch, but the Galaxy S9+ easily bests it with no clear downsides.

The only benefit the Note 8 has going for it in this comparison is the feature that gives it its name: the S Pen stylus. If you like to draw or write notes by hand, there isn’t anything like the S Pen on any other phone. Sure the Galaxy S9+ has some of the same features, but when it comes to getting that super-precise input there’s no replacement for having the S Pen at the ready.

Bottom line: Which should you buy?

This really feels like a toss-up. Not only do these two phones have nearly identical experiences, but they also cost about the same. Though the MSRP of the Note 8 was a bit higher, around $940, a few months on the market and the release of the GS9+ has brought that down in many places to the same price as the newer phone. Given their similarities we know basically no one will be upgrading from a Note 8 to a GS9+, but these two will be cross-shopped for someone coming from an older phone.

Unless you need the S Pen, you should buy the Galaxy S9+.

With so much shared between the phones in hardware, design and capabilities, this really comes down to evaluating the few differences and how they’ll actually matter in daily use. The Galaxy S9+ offers a slightly more compact size, a little better battery life, an improved main camera and stereo speakers — but importantly, it doesn’t make any compromises compared to the Note. The Note 8 offers a tiny bit more room to work on the screen, and obviously the excellent S Pen — but that’s it.

So either you need a stylus and you buy the Note 8, or you’ll be better served overall by the Galaxy S9+.

Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9+

• Galaxy S9 and S9+: Everything you need to know!
• Galaxy S9 review: A great phone for the masses
• Complete Galaxy S9 and S9+ specs
• Galaxy S9 vs. Galaxy S8: Should you upgrade?
• Join our Galaxy S9 forums

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Update July 2018: Updated to reflect the Note 8’s position in the market with the latest pricing information.

July 2018 security patch now rolling out for Pixel and Nexus devices

The Pixel 2 and 2 XL get improved Wi-Fi performance with this patch.

Another month, another security patch. On July 2, Google officially started pushing out the July 2018 Android security patch for its Pixel and Nexus devices.

Both the factory images and OTA files are live right now, meaning you can already flash the patch to your phone if you don’t feel like waiting for the over-the-air update to hit your phone.

This patch level officially comes in as the July 5, 2018, one, and looking specifically at the Pixel 2 and 2 XL, Google notes that there’s “improved consistency of Wi-Fi connections with certain routers.”

Along with the new security patch for folks running Oreo, those that decided to jump the gun to the Android P beta also got an update to Beta 3 / Developer Preview 4 today.

Android P Beta 3 (Dev Preview 4) released for Pixels with stability fixes, July security patch

Google Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL

• Pixel 2 FAQ: Everything you need to know!
• Google Pixel 2 and 2 XL review: The new standard
• Google Pixel 2 specs
• Google Pixel 2 vs. Pixel 2 XL: What’s the difference?
• Join our Pixel 2 forums

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Deal: Get up to a 256GB microSD card w/ Galaxy S9, S9+, or Note 8 purchase

The offer is only valid at Samsung’s website through July 31.

Even though the Galaxy S9 is a few months old at this point, it’s still absolutely worth picking up. If you’ve been thinking about finally getting one for yourself, Samsung’s now giving away a free microSD card to double the included storage of the model you choose.

The size of the microSD card you get changes based on which storage configuration you choose for the S9. Samsung’s website has three variants to choose from (64GB, 128GB, and 256GB), and whatever one you pick, that’ll be the size of your free card.

Along with the regular S9, this deal is also valid for the Galaxy S9+ and Galaxy Note 8 (max 64GB card for the Note 8).

Samsung’s running this promotion now through July 31, and after completing your purchase, you’ll have until August 7 to redeem your offer. Once you do that, the microSD card should arrive in 6-8 weeks after you bought your phone.

This isn’t quite as exciting as the MoviePass deal that was being offered right before this, but even so, you won’t ever find me complaining about free things.

See at Samsung

Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9+

• Galaxy S9 and S9+: Everything you need to know!
• Galaxy S9 review: A great phone for the masses
• Complete Galaxy S9 and S9+ specs
• Galaxy S9 vs. Galaxy S8: Should you upgrade?
• Join our Galaxy S9 forums

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Samsung Galaxy Tab S4 shown off in render with much slimmer bezels

Samsung’s new tablet is ditching the physical home button.

It’s been well over a year since the Galaxy Tab S3 was released, and at some point this year, we’re expecting Samsung to follow it up with the Tab S4. Thanks to a new render from Android Headlines, we have a pretty good idea as to what the thing will look like.

Right off the bat, one of the most notable changes from the Tab S3 is the display. The bezels have been slimmed down considerably, and along with more display area, this will also likely result in a tweaked aspect ratio now that the screen’s being stretched to cover more space.

We can see a front-facing camera at the very top with a couple other sensors (iris scanning?), and unlike all previous Galaxy Tab devices, the Tab S4 will not have a physical home button.

On the back is a single rear camera with an LED flash below it and the right side of the tablet is home to the power/lock button and volume rocker. There’s also an icon for what appears to be representing a wireless connection near the top right of the screen, hinting that the Tab S4 will get an LTE-equipped model.

The date on the lock screen shows Friday, August 24, and seeing as how IFA 2018 officially begins on August 31 with press conferences starting a few days before that, that’s likely where Samsung will officially take the wraps off this thing.

All that’s fine and dandy, but is anyone still interested in Android tablets in mid-2018? Let me know in the comments below.

I, for one, am totally OK with Chromebooks replacing Android tablets

Instagram Launches ‘You’re All Caught Up’ Feature Letting You Know When You’ve Seen All New Posts

Instagram today launched a new “You’re All Caught Up” feature, which is designed to let users know when they’ve viewed all new posts from the last 48 hours.

Instagram has not used a chronological feed for several years now and it can be difficult to tell when all content has been viewed, something the new feature, which has been in testing since mid-May, should fix.

Today, you’ll start noticing a “You’re All Caught Up” message when you’ve seen every post from the last two days. We’ve heard that it can be difficult to keep track of your seen posts. With this message, you’ll have a better understanding of your Feed and know you haven’t missed recent photos or videos.

Below the “All Caught Up” message, Instagram will display posts that have already been viewed as well as posts that are older than two days old. The feature is rolling out on both iOS and Android starting today.

In related news, TechCrunch says Instagram and Facebook are testing new Do Not Disturb features that will let people turn off notifications from the social networks for 30 minutes, one hour, two hours, eight hours, one day, or until they’re turned back on manually.

Instagram and Facebook declined to comment on the possible new feature, and it’s not clear when it might roll out.

Instagram can be downloaded from the App Store for free. [Direct Link]

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