China recalls some Galaxy Note 7 handsets, bans use in-flight
No suggestion of a wider Chinese recall yet, as a different battery supplier is said to have been used in the country.
The Chinese authorities have recalled 1,858 Samsung Galaxy Note 7 phones partly sold “through an official Samsung website before the Sept. 1 launch, as part of a testing scheme,” according to Reuters.
In the early days of the Note 7 recall, it was believed that a recall wouldn’t be necessary in China, as a different battery supplier was used in the country. (It’d been widely reported, but not confirmed, that Samsung SDI made the batteries in units which have been catching fire.) It’s still possible that’s the case; the “testing scheme” units may have been earlier handsets with a different battery, although we’re speculating here.
It’s also reported that China’s civil aviation authority will ban the use and charging of Galaxy Note 7s in-flight, as well as their carriage in checked luggage. It’s unclear how this changes anything, though. Under existing rules for air travel in China, Li-ion batteries may not be carried in the hold, and Chinese airlines already prohibit the use of any smartphones in-flight, even in airplane mode, while in Chinese airspace.
The move does however bring China in line with most other major aviation authorities and airlines, which have instituted similar rules over fears of Note 7-related fires or explosions.
More: Everything you need to know about the Galaxy Note 7 recall
Samsung Galaxy Note 7
- Galaxy Note 7 recall: Everything you need to know
- Samsung Galaxy Note 7 review
- The latest Galaxy Note 7 news!
- Here are all four Note 7 colors
- Complete Galaxy Note 7 specs
- Join the Note 7 discussion in the forums!
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Morning news briefing: September 14, 2016
Marshmallow is now on 18.7% of Android devices, Galaxy S8 may get an early launch, and is Samsung working on a proprietary audio jack?
In today’s news, Samsung may accelerate its launch window for the Galaxy S8. If you like model numbers as much as me, there’s an interesting story waiting for you regarding the naming convention for the S8. Also, China has started recalling 1,858 Note 7 units that were sent out to customers as part of a “testing scheme” before the official release. In news that makes no sense whatsoever, Samsung is rumored to be working on a proprietary audio jack to replace the 3.5mm port (Hey Samsung, put those engineering resources to work on updates for the Galaxy A5 and A7).
Meanwhile, Marshmallow is steadily gaining ground, and is now on 18.7% of all active Android devices. Xiaomi is finally launching its first Mi Ecosystem product in India on September 21 (our take: Hugo Barra has had enough of India’s pollution), Sony has started rolling out Marshmallow to the mid-range Xperia C4, and we may get to see the Xperia XZ in pink. Here’s the latest Android news from around the web.
Amazon Echo and Echo Dot launching in the UK + Germany
Pre-orders go live today for the smart speaker. Echo will arrive September 28, Echo Dot will follow on October 20. Both will benefit from Amazon’s conversational Alexa AI, and a wide range of supported services, including British favorites like Just Eat and Sky Sports. More
Samsung Galaxy S8 might launch sooner than expected
A new report from SamMobile points to model numbers SM-G950 and SM-G955 for the two GS8s, both of which are rumored to have curved screens. The Korean firm is purportedly skipping past “940,” as the number four is considered unlucky in some Asian cultures. Meanwhile the Korea Herald quotes one local analyst who believes the fallout from the Note 7 recall will result in Samsung moving the GS8’s release forward. More
China recalls some Note 7s, bans use in-flight
1,858 Galaxy Note 7s sold through a Samsung website “as part of a testing scheme” before September 1 have been recalled by China’s quality watchdog, reports Reuters. There’s no suggestion of a broader recall of Note 7s in China, where a different battery supplier was used, and thus phones are reportedly not affected by the battery issue that’s making some Notes catch fire. The Chinese civil aviation authority will also ban the use and charging of Note 7s onboard flights, as well as its carriage in checked baggage. More
Xiaomi is launching the Mi Air Purifier 2 in India on Sep. 21
Xiaomi is finally launching its Mi Ecosystem products in India. The first product to debut in the country is the Mi Air Purifier 2, a smart air purifier that costs just $104. More
Crazy rumor says Samsung could ditch 3.5mm jack for a proprietary port
With the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus leading a jack-free existence, Samsung may be considering a similar move. Citing supply chain sources Digital Music News says that Samsung is mulling a shift to a proprietary jack that the company will license to other Android phone makers.
Samsung’s proprietary jack would be designed with all Android manufacturers in mind, with easy and cost-free (or extremely low-cost) licensing to encourage adoption. […] Using the numbers game, Samsung and its army of Android allies hope that headphone manufacturers will prioritize their proprietary jack first, leaving Apple deprived of newer, more interesting models.
It doesn’t make much sense for Samsung to waste engineering resources in designing an all-new proprietary format. For this one, we’ll believe it when we see it.
Marshmallow is now installed on 18.7% of all Android devices
The latest Android distribution numbers are out, and they show Marshmallow occupying an 18.7% share of the Android market. That number is up from 15.2% in August, and 13.3% in July. Android 4.4 KitKat is still in the lead with a 27.7% install base, with Android 5.1 Lollipop coming in second at 21.9%. We’ll likely see Nougat make its debut in next month’s numbers.
Leak suggests LeEco Pro 3 will have 8GB RAM, 256GB storage
A leak out of China suggests LeEco will offer 8GB of RAM and 256GB storage in its upcoming Pro 3. Other details include a 5.7-inch QHD screen, Snapdragon 821 SoC, 13MP dual camera and a 16MP front shooter. We’ll know more on September 21.
As a refresher, LeEco was the first manufacturer to eschew the 3.5mm audio jack in favor of USB-C audio on the Le Max 2. Some say LeEco orchestrated the move so it could say “FIRST!”.
Marshmallow finally hitting the Sony Xperia C4
Sony has started rolling out the Marshmallow update to the Xperia C4 (E5303, E5306) and C4 Dual (E5333, E5343). The updated firmware version is 27.3.A.0.122 for the former and 27.3.B.0.122 for the latter. Xperia Blog notes that the E5353 and E5363 variants of the phone will pick up the update shortly.
Pink Xperia XZ incoming
The Xperia XZ is available in three color variants — Mineral Black, Platinum, and Forest Blue — and it looks like Sony is mulling a pink color option. As has been the case in the past, the pink color variant will be sold in limited territories. Read our Xperia XZ review for more on the handset.
OnePlus 2 is getting VoLTE support in India
OnePlus has announced that it will roll out VoLTE to the OnePlus 2 via an upcoming OTA update next quarter. The OnePlus 3 has VoLTE out of the box, and the update will make last year’s phone compatible with Reliance Jio. The company has also confirmed that the OnePlus One and OnePlus X will not pick up VoLTE support, and is directing users to install the Jio4GVoice app.
Amazon Echo + Echo Dot are coming to the UK and Germany
Pre-orders go live today ahead of September 28 availability for Echo, Echo Dot will launch October 20.
Amazon is bringing its Echo and Echo Dot smart speakers to the UK and Germany, two years on from the gadget’s U.S. launch. The speakers, equipped with Amazon’s “Alexa” assistant AI, will go up for pre-order later today ahead of the September 28 launch date for the Echo. The Echo Dot will arrive October 20, and both speakers will be available in a new white color option.
Both Echo models allow you to interact with Alexa using your voice, and connect to a wide number of supported devices and services. The new European Echo benefits from many of the partnerships Amazon has struck up over the past two years, including integration with Uber, Philips Hue, WeMo and SkyScanner. When it comes to the UK it’ll also support popular British services like Just Eat and Sky Sports. If Alexa’s U.S. presence is any indicator, there’ll be more to come in the future. And that’s all in addition to basic functionality like music playback, news and weather updates.
More: Amazon Echo review
The Echo’s arrival in Europe this month could be significant — we’re expecting Google Home to be officially launched within weeks, and Amazon will be looking to get out ahead of Google’s Assistant-powered competitor. Check the links below for the UK listings of Amazon Echo.
- Pre-order the Amazon Echo – £149.99
- Pre-order the Amazon Echo Dot – £49.99
I stand by my Galaxy Note 7 review
I haven’t changed a word in my Note 7 review, and I won’t.
Samsung’s global recall of the Note 7 is easily the biggest recall of a single phone model, and one with a serious amount of danger behind it. In the past two weeks we’ve seen this story progress from theoretical small possibilities of failing batteries up to legitimate damage being done to people and property in dozens of cases around the world.
And as the news surrounding the Note 7 recall escalated, so have the calls for Android Central (among other sites) to revisit our review of the Note 7 in light of the new information. In short, I completely stand by every single word I wrote in my Note 7 review — the only change that has been made to it since the recall began was a notice at the top pointing potential owners and buyers to the recall information.
Every other part of the review is the same as it was the day I published it, and that’s for a multitude of reasons — most pertinent among them being I still agree with my original assessment of the Note 7, even today. Even after the recall.
There are so many reasons why the Note 7 recall is a horrendous situation. It’s bad for Note 7 sales going forward. It’s bad for Samsung’s reputation as a phone maker. Worst, it’s bad for those who want to be using a Note 7 but can’t for a couple weeks while they wait for new phones to be available. It’s also bad for myself, because I don’t get to use my own Note 7 until I get a replacement — I still want to use this phone, and I’ll be using it again once a new one arrives.
This recall is horrendous for Samsung, but that doesn’t change my review
But the one thing this Note 7 recall isn’t bad for is my original review. That review was based on my initial time with the phone prior to launch and the review period clearly communicated in the “About this review” section we put in every review here on AC. We put that information in our reviews to clearly communicate the circumstances under which the review was written — in this case, a bit over a week using a Note 7, with no knowledge or expectation that a month later it’d be the subject of a global recall.
I can’t tell you how to feel about Samsung’s current ability to make phones or its quality control and safety standards going forward — at some point that’s a personal decision. We’ve already had many open discussions about what the recall may or may not do to Samsung’s market position and reputation. But none of what this recall means for the public perception of Samsung will change my mind about the Note 7 review that I wrote and published on August 16.
My Note 7 review stands today as it did when it was first published.
There’s no caveat to be added to the Note 7 (or any other phone) review based on the recall situation, nor will I be second-guessing my conclusions therein or feel as though I was duped or swindled by Samsung. I won’t be adjusting the rate at which I was recommending the Note 7 to friends, family and AC readers who asked me which phone they should consider buying.
The reason is pretty simple. Not only did we have no indication ahead of time that a manufacturing issue would be present or a recall of any size would be required for the Note 7, we had absolutely zero reason to be hesitant that such a situation would arise in the future. Past experience of reviewing hundreds of phones, many of them from Samsung, had led us to consider at the time of the Note 7 review tempering our expectations of the phone for fear of a global recall due to a component issue.
For that reason not only does the Galaxy Note 7 review read the same today as it did when it was first published, today I still completely agree with everything I wrote.
Samsung Galaxy Note 7
- Galaxy Note 7 recall: Everything you need to know
- Samsung Galaxy Note 7 review
- The latest Galaxy Note 7 news!
- Here are all four Note 7 colors
- Complete Galaxy Note 7 specs
- Join the Note 7 discussion in the forums!
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Pokemon Go buddy: How to use the new buddy system
Pokemon Go publisher Niantic Labs has always promised that there would be updates to Pokemon Go to add new features as the game moves forward.
Although many will have seen the peak in Pokemon Go gameplay, the most recent update to the app on Android and iPhone adds a really interesting and useful element, and that’s buddies.
What is a Pokemon Go buddy?
If you’ve seen Pokemon on TV, you’ll know that Ash spends most of his time walking around with a Pokemon, the famous Pikachu. Pikachu not only doesn’t like going in Poke Balls, but also then becomes a buddy, rarely leaving Ash’s side.
In Pokemon Go, the buddy system is very much the same, giving you the option of choosing a Pokemon to take with you on your adventures, rather than just in your collection.
What does a Pokemon Go buddy do?
Aside from appearing with your trainer, your buddy serves another purpose and that’s finding candy.
Once you’ve selected your buddy, you’ll have to walk a particular distance to earn a candy of that character’s type. So, for example, if you select Pikachu, you’ll be able to earn Pikachu candy as you walk.
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What is Pokemon Go candy for?
Pokemon Go candy is the currency of evolution of your Pokemon. To power up a character you need candy of its type and Stardust. To evolve a Pokemon, you need a large amount of candy.
This is really where the buddy system comes into play: if you’re lacking candy for a particular Pokemon type, you can select them as your buddy and get walking, earning that vital candy to develop your character, without having to find and capture more of that Pokemon.
Pokemon Go buddy candy: How far do you have to walk?
This depends on the Pokemon you choose as a buddy, for example, Caterpie only asks you to walk 1km to earn a candy; Mr Mime will have you walking 5km.
The breakdown basically relates to the overall potency of that character. The common Pokemon types like Rattata, Pidgy and MagiKarp are all 1km candy buddies – and that applies to evolved forms too, as they all use the same candy.
The majority of Pokemon need you to walk 3km. This includes chaps like Shellder, Slowpoke, Drowzee, Charmander, Bulbasaur, Poliwag and so on.
The top level of 5km is preserved for those big hitters. Sadly Eevee falls into this section, so if you’re still trying to get your Vaporeon, Jolteon and Flareon evolves, you’ll have a lot of walking to do.
The 5km group also includes the likes of Snorlax, Onix, Dragonite and Lapras.
A full list can be found here if you want to know more.
- Pokemon Go for Apple Watch: How to play and when can you get it?
- Pokemon Go: Best Pokemon with highest CP
- Pokemon Go: How to raise your XP level, power up and evolve your Pokemon
- Pokemon Go top tips: Master the Pokemon mayhem
Where can I find my Pokemon Go buddy?
To find your buddy and make a selection, click on your trainer avatar in the bottom left-hand corner of the app, punch the menu button and you’ll see “buddy” in there.
This will take you through to the buddy selection page for you to tap your companion.
You can change buddy whenever you like, but it’s worth noting that you’ll lose any distance you’ve gained, so it’s best to change after you’ve received the candy for that character.
How do I check the distance I need to walk with my Pokemon Go buddy?
This is pretty simple. Again, tap your character avatar, and you’ll see yourself with your buddy.
Tap on that picture and you’ll move through to the buddy page, with the distance you’ve walked and the distance you need to go to get that candy.
Apple Watch Series 2 review: Fitness first
As the Apple Watch continues to polarise opinion, Apple has released a new version of the smartwatch which hopes to address many of the concerns of the first outing. It’s called the Apple Watch Series 2.
The new watch features a much greater focus on fitness; it’s a device that tries to bridge the void between a basic fitness tracker, like products from Fitbit, and a full-blown dedicated sportswatch, such as those from Garmin.
Does the Series 2’s shift towards fitness, with its inclusion of built-in GPS tracking and water-resistance for swimming, pay off? Is there enough new to appeal to those who couldn’t fathom why they should buy the original model in the first place?
Apple Watch Series 2 review: Design
When it comes to looks, the Watch Series 2 is virtually identical to the original. It comes in the same two sizes (38mm and 42mm), features a rectangular display, a digital crown control, and a single button on the side.
The straps available for the first Apple Watch still fit the Series 2 and, if you’re an upgrader, you’ll notice nothing different in terms of the look and feel on your wrist.
We like the square design, and some of the new watch faces being introduced in the latest WatchOS 3 operating system now make much better use of the space available to them compared to some of the first iterations.
For 2016 the Apple Watch range has changed slightly, too, now offering a few more partnerships to appeal to different users.
That ludicrously expensive £10,000 gold Apple Watch has been retired, and in its place a slightly more affordable glossy white ceramic model – which has been buffed for over two hours, of course – sits in the range, costing a mere £1,249-£1,299 instead. Still not exactly a bargain, but it does look nice.
There are also new Hermes models with exclusive straps and watch faces. And pushing the fitness angle even further there’s a dedicated tie-in with Nike, which comes with a very holey, and therefore flexible, strap, along with two bold watch faces that use the Nike design language and iconography. The latter will be available slightly later in the year, in October.
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Aside from the exclusive watch faces and straps, there is no difference in technology between all the different models. An owner of the Hermes edition gets exactly the same on-the-wrist experience as the owner of the Nike Watch+ version. Nike has confirmed that the Nike Watch app will be available to all on release, whichever Watch you buy.
Apple Watch Series 2 review: Upgrades
It might look the same, but virtually everything inside the Series 2 has been upgraded or changed compared to the original.
There is a more capacious battery (that’s why the Series 2 is around 1mm thicker – but you won’t notice), there is a brighter screen, there is a faster processor, and there is GPS.
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The Series 2 is also completely water-resistant down to 50m. And while Apple is clearly not expecting you to dive to Advance Padi levels with the Watch, it is designed to withstand the pressures of swimming.
Faster processor
Apple claims the new S2 Watch processor is 50 per cent faster than the original, too, and that is certainly noticeable in the speed at which apps can load. From a cold start they can still take a few seconds, but if you’ve got them in your “dock” then they load instantly.
Load times are nowhere near as long as they were on the first Apple Watch, and the days of the screen going blank before the app had even loaded are now a thing of the past.
Brighter screen
As the Watch Series 2 is expected to be used under water or on a run, it now sports a much brighter screen – two times brighter, in fact.
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In our testing – in the office, in the pool, while swimming in a lake, running in the midday sun, or chilling out in the pub in the evening – the screen certainly looks a lot brighter. It’s crisp and clear, too.
While such brightness is perfect in the pool it can have a negative and distracting affect at times, certainly in dark environments like a restaurant or the cinema. The Activity Analogue Watch face towards the end of the day for example, glows bright like a heavily decorated Christmas tree. Some greater control based on ambient light surroundings, beyond three options buried in the Settings menu would be useful, even Android Wear offers a Cinema Mode.
GPS
One of our biggest bugbears about the first Apple Watch is that it didn’t have built-in GPS. That meant you still had to carry your iPhone with you when out on a run. While that’s now a force of habit for many people, being able to lose the phone is hugely welcomed from a fitness perspective.
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The simple addition of GPS makes the new Apple Watch a much more capable device. The GPS, which also includes GLONAS support, is fast to pinpoint you the moment you disconnect from the iPhone. It’s able to do that because, and like many other dedicated sportswatches that connect to your phone, the Watch is actually using a number of data sets to track you before you even set off – be it Wi-Fi, a GPS signal, or your iPhone. Gone are the days days of GPS watches without a phone connection and waiting for a signal before you set off.
In use and the GPS works just as expected. On our runs the route has been virtually spot on (there is some variation due to tree cover), but certainly within the expected parameters. Interestingly when on an open water swim the GPS is only able to work while out of the water, meaning you’ll have to swim freestyle rather than, say, breast stroke with your arms always submerged in order for it to work at its best. But the software does its best to fill in the gaps between those registered signals to create a full map of your swim.
Water resistance
The original Apple Watch wasn’t in any way water friendly, which meant the first sign of rain, sea, or a pool, would send most wearers into a mild sweat.
That issue has now disappeared with the addition of water-resistance. You can run in the rain or go swimming, take a shower or jump in a fountain. It opens up a whole new avenue of training options.
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Included in the Workout app are two dedicated swimming workouts: Pool Swim and Open Water Swim.
The Pool Swim workout allows you to set a pool length distance before starting so you can track your lengths. The distance is tracked by your stroke movement with the Watch using the in-built accelerometer to determine when you’ve made a turn. Very clever. Swim 1,500m and you don’t have to remember whether the last pool length was 55 or 57 strokes. We like that a lot.
The accelerometer is also used to automatically determine your stroke and then determine the calories you’ve burned based on the type of strokes you use. It sounds bonkers, but it works. The Watch has been able to determine if we’ve swam mixed, freestyle, butterfly, breast stroke, and back stroke without us telling it.
On an Open Water Swim you lose the length guidance, but then gain GPS support – as long as you swim freestyle, as the GPS tracking won’t work underwater. Knowing you swam 500m at a certain pace and still have another 500m to go is very handy.
The only caveat to using the Apple Watch in the water is that you can’t use your fingers on the screen as the water confuses things. To solve that issue you can lock the screen so it doesn’t go crazy.
And once you’re done in the water the unlocking process goes as far to use the speaker to play a sound to eject the water that’s inside its chamber. You don’t see any of this mind you (you might hear a sound), but it is a cool fact to bore your mates with.
Battery
Battery life is also better than in the first-generation watch. Apple claims you’ll be able to do a slow marathon (5.5-hours) on a single charge, or more likely the case, a decent run and still get to the end of the day.
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In our experience so far, a 1,500m pool swim and a 1km open water swim uses roughly 15 per cent of the battery. Or we’ve found the battery is good enough to cope with a 10km run and a full day of notifications. That wasn’t possible with the first-gen Apple Watch.
You will still need to recharge every night though. The Apple Watch Series 2, just like the original, is very much a one day per charge smartwatch.
Apple Watch Series 2 review: WatchOS 3
Like the iPhone, the Apple Watch also gets a complete software revamp with a lot of changes being made for the better. WatchOS 3 brings huge performance boosts and enhancements.
Dock
Press the side button on the Watch and instead of the on-screen wheel designated for only your friends who’ve also got a Watch, you now have a “dock” that allows you to scroll left to right through your favourite apps. And having the apps accessible from there means you can load them instantly. The main cluster design is still accessed by tapping the digital crown, but we’ve found we hardly bothered with it once we picked out our favourites.
Activity Sharing
Fitness apps from Runkeeper to Strava allow you to gee your friends into action by sharing your activity with them, and now you can do the same with the Apple Watch. Here though, it is not just about workouts, it is all about your daily activity, be it a friend or a fitness instructor.
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Those you are sharing with get told when you’ve hit your goals or completed a workout and, likewise, you can see what they are up to too – making it really easy to send motivational messages (or otherwise) their way.
We aren’t sure how long the excitement will last, but we’ve already found ourselves making sure we hit our targets, just to say we are fitter than those we are sharing with. Which, at the moment, is only one other person – we might get even more competitive when more friends update to OS 3.
Breathe
The irony of the Breathe app is that it tries to make you take a minute out of your life to just focus on your breathing. Doing so calms you down. Of course you wouldn’t perhaps be so stressed if messages weren’t coming at you from all angles – like, say, on your Mac, your iPad, your iPhone, your Apple TV, and your Apple Watch.
Still, it’s a great way to slow you down if things get a little heated, and it’s very much like counting to 10 to cool down a situation. A minute gives you seven breaths, while five minutes (the maximum) gives you 35. Peaceful.
Unlocking your Mac
If you’ve got a MacBook you now have the ability to unlock it with your Apple Watch – as long as you are on the same network.
The process takes a couple of seconds, about the same time as it does to type in a password, but is very cool. We wish Apple would offer this for the iPad too (mobile computing and all that).
Don’t panic, if colleagues access your computer while you’re in the kitchen making a cuppa, you’ll get a notification on the Watch. Gotcha! And the communication distance between Watch and laptop is limited, too, so it won’t work if you’re more than a number of metres away.
Apple Watch Series 2 review: Glanceability
There are still some niggles, however. Apple still hasn’t fixed what we call the “glanceability” of the Apple Watch.
There is no “always on” or off option for the main display, or a secondary display as found in Android Wear watches. If you like sneaking a peek mid-meeting out of the corner of your eye, you’ll still be disappointed that you can’t do that.
The screen does feel like it jolts into action a lot quicker on the S2 model, so we haven’t had to do a strange flick-of-the-wrist as in the first-generation smartwatch, but you do still have to move.
Verdict
Apple’s shift from pure fashion accessory with some smarts to a device that supports a range of different sports and activities in the Apple Watch Series 2 is a welcome advance.
With built-in GPS, a better battery (although it’s still very much one day per charge), water-resistance and a much greater focus on fitness, the Apple Watch finally works at workouts.
That’s a massive gain over the first-generation device and one that is likely to appeal to those wanting more than a Fitbit, but who are scared by an all-powerful, athlete-focused watch from Garmin or Polar. However, for those who take their sport very seriously, we still can’t see the Watch 2 replacing a dedicated sportswatch just yet. It’s really for those looking for a do-it-all device that could easily go with a suit or some Lyrca.
Over the last two years the Apple Watch improved to offer plenty – and the Series 2 is the current pinnacle of that. From notifications and Apple Pay, to heart-rate monitoring and fitness tracking; it can also act as a remote to control your HomeKit smarthome devices, or even quickly unlock your Mac.
The Apple Watch Series 2 is so much more than just a pretty smartwatch. It’s now a smartwatch with a purpose.
Amazon Echo comes to Europe, UK customers can finally use Alexa
Amazon has announced that its voice-controlled, cloud-connected speaker is coming to the UK in the form of Amazon Echo.
Having been released in the United States mid-2015, the system is finally ready for a wider roll-out.
It connects a user to Amazon’s cloud voice and information engine Alexa. The speaker is a 360-degree tube, with multiple drivers and several microphones that switch on when the user barks “Alexa”. It can then be commanded to find weather, web details, football results and much more, which it draws from the internet and speaks aloud through text to speech technology.
It can even read entire books to you or your children. And in a British accent to boot, as it is localised for specific audiences.
What’s more, Sky News and other UK services are integrated.
- Amazon Echo review: Ace assistant, average speaker
- Amazon Echo vs Amazon Tap vs Echo Dot: What’s the difference?
- Alexa, the brains behind Amazon Echo, wants to take over all your connected devices
For those worried about privacy, the Amazon Echo can be muted, which means it does not listen for a wake word and even switches the microphone on. This is signified by a red light that switches on at the top of the device. It addition, whenever it is switched on and listening, the blue LED lights up and you know it is definitely listening.
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The European version of the Amazon Echo is now available to pre-order in the UK and will be available on an invite programme in Germany. It’ll ship in the autumn. It’ll be available in both black and white colour schemes for £149.99 and €179.99 respectively. Prime customers will be able to get £50/€50 off for a limited period.
Amazon Echo Dot refreshed with new tricks and colours
Amazon has announced a new version of its popular Amazon Echo Dot device that works within the Amazon Alexa eco-system.
The Echo Dot, which had previously been on sale in the US, has now come to the UK, getting a full revamp and refresh at the same time.
The device can be connected to any Bluetooth speaker within range, or for older speakers via a line-in cable.
Understanding that you might have a handful of Echo Dots and Echo devices in the home, Amazon has worked to make sure that only one of the devices responds depending on where you are in the house and how far you are from the closest device.
The new Amazon Echo Dot device will come in gloss black and gloss white. In the US it will cost $49 in the US and £49 in the UK. You’ll be able to buy the Dot in a 6 or 12 pack so you can blanket coverage your home with the devices.
The new Device will only be able to be bought if you have the more powerful Amazon Echo device.
The news comes on the back of the announcement from Amazon that it will be launching the Amazon Echo in the UK for £179.
Mario, Miyamoto and Me
Apple’s keynote presentation, where it revealed the latest iPhones, Apple Watch and AirPods, has just finished. I’m on my way to talk to the man whose entrance received probably the biggest roar of excitement in the whole event: Super Mario creator, Shigeru Miyamoto.
He’s sitting in a hotel room where plush figures of Nintendo-favourite characters, from Mario to Bowser, sit on the sofa with him.
With the help of his translator, Miyamoto-san talks me through the news: From December, Mario will be on iOS devices in a game called Super Mario Run. “Do you want to play it?” he asks, as I grab the iPhone out of his hand before he changes his mind.
So there I am, being shown how to play. “As soon as you tap once, the game’s going to start. Are you ready? Just press, you don’t have to swipe up to make him jump,” I’m told. “It’s designed so you can play it one-handed.” This takes some getting used to, but as soon as I stuff my spare hand into my pocket, it all makes sense.
It quickly transpires that this game isn’t like other endless running games. First of all, it’s not endless – when you reach the end of a level, you find yourself jumping up to hit the top of a flagpole, just like in other Mario games.
You also hold the iPhone in portrait mode, unlike most platform games, including the original Mario, meaning you don’t get as much notice of what’s coming next. This game is also richer than many other runner games. The scenery is populated with familiar details – from pipes to holes to piranha plants and dungeons – all recognisably backed by Mario-esque music.
The controls are simpler than ever before too: press to jump, press harder and he jumps higher.
Nintendo
The purpose, though, is that once you’ve played this, you might be tempted to try other Mario games on Nintendo’s fully-fledged consoles. Nintendo’s step over to smartphones is happening. The question is, why now?
“The hardware has to provide a stable experience and until recently we felt that we couldn’t get that, but the response that these systems can provide is good enough now,” Mr Miyamoto says.
“With Mario games, over the years we have been making the side-scrolling games like the Super Mario Bros games and Super Mario Maker and we also have the 3D games, like Super Mario Galaxy, where you’re running around in a 3D space.
“Our intent has always been that the side-scrolling new Super Mario Bros games would be simpler and ones that more casual players could be able to enjoy. What we’ve found is that even though those games are designed to be simpler and easier to understand, the controls can still be difficult for some players and they have a hard time controlling Mario or making him run and jump at the same time.
“We wanted to ask how we can make the experience even simpler for somebody who had never played a Mario game. That’s been the focus with Super Mario Run: a game that’s even easier to get into and play.”
This is not a port of a game from another console – which has often been the downfall of titles which have thrived when real buttons were available to use but where pressing your thumb on unyielding glass is less satisfying.
So is this the next stage in accessible, casual games?
“For many years our mission in approaching hardware has been our goal of expanding the number of people playing games. Now, people are having these interactive experiences through their smart devices and so that’s accomplished this great mission of helping to turn more people into gamers. We’re using this opportunity to bring our characters to this audience and let them experience the fun of our games and hopefully bring them back to our platforms.”
Apple
What are the bonuses of a smartphone over a conventional console, I ask. “Even when we were working on the first DS system, we were thinking about opportunities to incorporate GPS or how to use a persistent network connection. We didn’t do it then, but now with a mobile device we’re looking into functionalities like the persistent network connection.
“That will play an important part in the Kingdom element of the game where you have your own Mushroom Kingdom and you’re bringing the Toad characters into the Kingdom and expanding and customising it, using that network connection. We’ll continue to look at the uniqueness of each hardware platform and create mobile games that leverage this to do things that can only be done there.”
Although the game will be available on Android devices one day, for now it’s Apple only. “The iPhone and iOS are great to work on because it’s stable. In terms of working with Apple, we found we shared a lot of philosophies and we found from early on it was easy to work with them. It’s Apple’s hardware of course, not ours, but that just means it’s a framework in which you try to be as creative as possible – it’s not a limitation, I look at it as a lot of fun.”
That brought us to our last question, how important will smartphone gaming become? “We’ll continue to look at the opportunities smartphones bring and when we see one we’ll continue to design for that hardware in a way that takes advantage of the functionality there. But we’ll keep designing for our own platforms as well.”
Tado teams up with Amazon for voice-controlled heating in the UK
Smart heating company Tado has announced it is teaming up with Amazon Echo to offer voice-controlled heating to its users in the UK, Germany and Austria.
The collaboration comes after Amazon finally announced that Amazon Echo, and a refreshed Amazon Echo Dot would be coming to Europe and the UK in Autumn. Amazon Echo is a speaker that doubles up as a voice assistant and responds to the wake word “Alexa”. The Echo Dot is a smaller version of the Echo that loses the speaker element and acts as a little, always-on Alexa hub.
Tado is already an Amazon Echo partner in the US, allowing users to set, increase or decrease their home temperature with Tado by asking Alexa to do it for them.
The partnership is now extending to the UK, Germany and Austria, meaning Tado users in those countries, with Amazon Echo, will be able to say “Alexa, set (living room) temperature to 22 degrees” or “Alexa, increase (bedroom) temperature by three degrees”, for example. It will allow for quicker and easier control, as well as hands-free.
Tado is a smart heating system that automatically adjusts the temperature within your home based on your location. It uses your smartphone’s location to automatically turn the heating down when the last person leaves home and it will also turn the heating up when it recognises someone is on their way home. Tado will also takes into account the weather and your building characteristics.
- Tado third-gen system adds multi-room control, plus HomeKit and Echo compatibility
- Amazon Echo vs Amazon Tap vs Echo Dot: What’s the difference?
- Amazon Echo review
- Amazon Echo comes to Europe, UK customers can finally use Alexa
For the Alexa voice-control to work room-by-room, Tado users will need to have the Smart Radiator Thermostats that were launched at the beginning of the September 2016. They were announced alongside the third-generation of Smart Thermostat, which is also compatible with Apple’S HomeKit and IFTTT.
Amazon’s Echo will be available in the UK from Autumn for £149. The third-generation of Tado products are available in two Starter Kits, both of which can be rented for less than £6 per month.
The Tado Smart Thermostat v3 Starter Kit includes the Smart Thermostat and internet bridge and costs £199 to buy outright, while the Smart Radiator Thermostat Starter Kit that includes two Smart Radiator Thermostat and the bridge costs £179. Additional Smart Radiator Thermostats, priced at £59, and Smart Thermostats can be added to a Starter Kit
