Moov HR Release Date, Price and Specs – CNET
Moov
There are a lot of devices out there that promise to measure heart rate. Most do this with a sensor on your wrist or a strap around your chest. What intrigued me about the Moov HR is that it promises to measure “EKG-accurate heart rate” with a headband or swim cap.
The technique isn’t all that different from other trackers. It uses the green LED lights and optical sensors you’ve seen in Fitbits and the Apple Watch, but the sensors on the Moov HR measure blood density around the temples, rather than blood flow on the wrist. The company said this unique technique “determines heart rate with ultra-fine precision.”
The sensor on the Moov HR is waterproof and will last up to six hours, but that’s only half the story. It’s when you connect to the Moov app on Android or iOS that you can unlock the device’s full potential. The app can coach you through a variety of high intensity interval training (HIIT) workouts within your target heart rate zone. This will ensure that you burn more calories and fat in the shortest amount of time. Workouts include HIIT running, indoor cycling and a bodyweight circuit.
Moov
I didn’t get a chance to see the Moov HR in person, but my colleague Lexy Savvides did. During her brief time with the device, she said that it seemed pretty accurate and the band was comfortable to wear, although she didn’t do anything strenuous with it.
The Moov HR will be available in two models, one comes with a sweatband (Moov HR Sweat) and the other with a swim cap (Moov HR Swim). Both models will begin shipping in February 2017 for $99. For a limited time, you can preorder a Moov HR for $60. International pricing and release information wasn’t immediately available, but the full US price converts to about £80 in the UK and AU$130 in Australia.
We will have a full review of the Moov HR in the coming months.
Sony Xperia XZ review – CNET
The Good Sony’s Xperia XZ looks good, it won’t die when you spill your drink on it and its bold screen makes mobile games look great.
The Bad Its battery life doesn’t impress, and nor does the camera. Its full HD display isn’t as high resolution as most of its rivals.
The Bottom Line The Sony Xperia XZ is a decent all-round phone, but it doesn’t offer any competition to its main rival, the Galaxy S7. Its high price means the XZ isn’t the phone to go for.
Visit manufacturer site for details.
Sony needs to get it together. I’ve reviewed its phones — from the top of the line down to the most basic — for several years now, and I hate to see the Xperia family decline. Hard truth: It just can’t keep up with its competitors. Take this “flagship” Xperia XZ, for example. It looks good, the screen is great and the Xperia line was water-resistant before IP68 was a glimmer in Samsung’s eye.
But that’s not enough of a reason to buy it. It costs a lot: $687, £540 or AU$999. Google’s Pixel and Samsung’s Galaxy S7 phones have much better cameras and longer battery life, for the same price or less. And their fingerprint readers work all over the world — for some insane reason, Sony turns it off for the US. While there’s little that’s seriously wrong with the Xperia XZ, there isn’t much to grab my attention, and that’s a big contrast from even a year ago when Sony was an undersung brand just waiting for its time in the sun.
The Xperia XZ is a decent Android phone, but you’ll probably feel more connected with the Google Pixel, OnePlus 3 or Galaxy S7. This one will get the job done; it just won’t dazzle you while it does it.
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It’s Sony’s signature black block. That’s metal this time, not glass.
Andrew Hoyle/CNET
Refined design
- 161 grams (5.67 ounces)
- 146x72x8.1mm (5.7×2.8×0.3 inches)
- Fingerprint scanner on right edge — but not in the US
- Water resistant
- 32GB built-in storage
If you’ve seen last year’s Xperia Z5, you’ve basically seen the XZ. The newly rounded edges make the XZ a smidge more comfortable to hold, while also making it look less boxy. The back panel is metal, not glass, and while there’s a seam separating it from a plastic strip at the bottom, it’s smooth and feels good to hold.
The changes aren’t huge and it still bears the unmistakably monolithic Sony design, but XZ looks and feels like more of a refined, luxurious option than its predecessor.
The phone is water and dust resistant (IP68 rated, if you’re wondering), but that doesn’t mean you can take it in the swimming pool. The protection it has is designed to keep it safe from accidental drink spills or rain, but it’s not an underwater camera. Sony’s official advice states, “You should not put the device completely underwater; or expose it to seawater, salt water, chlorinated water, or liquids such as drinks. Abuse and improper use of device will invalidate warranty.” Yikes.
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Just a power button? Yes, but only in the US. Elsewhere it pulls double duty.
Andrew Hoyle/CNET
There’s a fingerprint scanner on the right-hand edge, built into the power button. Its position means the scanner is right beneath your thumb when you hold it in your right hand, or under your index finger when you hold it in your left. It’s quick to register your fingerprint, and I found it to be fast and accurate in granting access.
Those of you in the US should note that the fingerprint scanner is disabled in the model sold there. In America, it’s just a dumb power button. It’s an odd move and it does put the XZ a step down against rivals like the Galaxy S7, which have the scanners built in wherever you buy them.
There’s 32GB of built-in storage as standard, but you can pop in a microSD card to expand that to your heart’s content. The XZ uses the new USB type-C, so prepare to replace your stash of old Micro-USB cables.
Bold display
- 5.2 inches
- Full HD (1,920×1,080-pixel resolution)
Colours really pop on this screen, making it a good option if you like playing vibrant games like Candy Crush or watch colourful TV shows like “Power Rangers.” Although maybe that’s just me.
It’s a bright screen too, easily countering the overhead lights in CNET’s London office, and being easily readable under Britain’s grey, autumnal clouds. How it fares under midday summer sun remains to be seen, but I’m comfortable saying it’ll be at least as good as most of its main rivals.
It has a full HD (1,920×1,080-pixel) resolution, which is sufficient to make apps and games look crisp, but it’s not as high as you’d expect from a top-end flagship. Phones such as the Galaxy S7, LG G5 and HTC 10 all pack ultra high resolution displays, so the XZ feels like it’s coming up short here. For everyday use this won’t make much difference, but if you want to use a phone with a VR headset — where the phone will be displayed close up in front of your eyes — that lower resolution will be noticeable.
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The Xperia XZ runs Android Marshmallow.
Andrew Hoyle/CNET
Android Marshmallow, with additions
- Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow software
- Sony custom interface
- Too much preinstalled software
- 64-bit Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 processor
- 3GB RAM
The phone arrives with Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow on board, which isn’t the absolute latest version — that honour goes to Android Nougat — but it’s the most recent version you’ll find on most phones at the moment. Sony has confirmed that the XZ will get the update, but hasn’t yet set a firm date.
LeEco LePro 3 Release Date, Price and Specs – CNET
The LeEco LePro 3.
James Martin/CNET
Chinese company LeEco launched a slew of products and services today here in San Francisco, including a video streaming platform, four TVs and an electric car. It also unveiled two phones, the LePro 3 and the Le S3.
The more powerful device, the 5.5-inch Le Pro 3, features a Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 processor, 4GB of RAM and 64GB of onboard storage. It has a 16-megapixel camera, a fingerprint reader and a USB Type-C port. (In 2015, LeEco was one of the first companies to integrate Type-C in its phones, starting with the Le 1 Pro Superphone.) The Le Pro 3 also boasts a massive 4,070 mAh battery — and with Qualcomm’s Quick Charge 3.0 technology, it’s supposed to charge up to 33 percent in 20 minutes.
Perhaps its most compelling feature is its price. It costs $399, significantly less than other flagships that run upward from $700 or more. (UK and Australian details have yet to be announced but that converts to around £325 or AU$520.) But it’s not the only inexpensive high-end handset. The OnePlus 3, from another scrappy startup based in China, costs $399 too. It has a Snapdragon 820 processor, similar camera specs, 6GB of RAM and 64GB of internal memory. It has a lower battery capacity, however, at 3,000 mAh.
LeEco’s second device is the Le S3. Though it also has a 5.5-inch screen, its specs are scaled back. It’s equipped with a Snapdragon 652 chipset, a 16-megapixel camera that can record 4K video and 32GB of internal memory. It will cost $229 (about £185 or AU$300).
This is a developing story. Check back soon for more hands-on photos, video and analysis.
Wink Hub 2 review – CNET
The Good The companion app is the $99/£80/AU$130 Wink Hub 2’s strongest asset — the layout is logical and step-by-step tutorials make it relatively easy to pair (most) devices.
The Bad I received a steady stream of error messages when trying to create automation rules and never managed to run one successfully. Occasionally latency issues slowed things down and Lutron devices are still laughably difficult to connect to Wink.
The Bottom Line The Wink Hub 2 is fine, but it’s hard to recommend over platforms like Amazon Alexa and Apple HomeKit that reduce challenging behind-the-scenes integrations to simple voice commands.
Wink’s Hub 2 gave me major deja vu. Not only does this slab of white plastic look very similar to the startup’s first-generation Wink Hub, it also works roughly the same.
That means you’ll run into occasional in-app glitches, latency issues and connectivity woes. And, priced at $99/£80/AU$130, this smart home gizmo also costs $20 more than the original version.
Yes, Wink has made some improvements over generation one. Hub 2 has more memory, supports Bluetooth, comes with an Ethernet port and works with dual-band Wi-Fi. But that isn’t enough to recommend it over the interactive voice-control platforms that have emerged since from Amazon and Apple.
Wink takes another stab at the smart-home…
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A utilitarian hunk o’ plastic
No one has found a truly engaging aesthetic for a smart-home hub and the white plastic Wink Hub 2 is no exception. While this model feels heavier and more durable than its predecessor, it isn’t much of a design improvement. The two iterations have roughly the same measurements and they’re, well, seriously boring-looking.
Instead, the most significant updates are hidden inside the hub itself. There you’ll find 512 MB worth of memory (up from 64 MB), an Ethernet port for connecting the hub directly to your router and support for both 2.4 and 5GHz Wi-Fi, as well as Bluetooth-enabled devices.
Here’s a list of the automation languages Wink’s Hub 2 works with:
- Bluetooth LE
- Kidde
- Clear Connect
- Z-Wave
- ZigBee
Note: You can still buy the first-generation Wink Hub for $69/£55/AU$90 while supplies last.
Hubs, hubs and more hubs:
- Faster, slimmer and safer: Wink rolls out the Wink Hub 2
- Harness your smart home with Wink’s low-cost hub
- Lowe’s Iris focuses on the future, loses sight of the present
- Insteon’s HomeKit Hub shows potential, but needs work
- Streamline your connected home with SmartThings 2.0
View all of your Wink-connected devices from the app’s home screen and select “Add a Product” to pair more.
Screenshot by CNET
Testing out Wink’s new hub
All of those improvements are a step in the right direction, but I didn’t notice any distinct differences between testing the first- and second-generation Wink Hubs.
The good news is that it’s still (mostly) easy to pair devices. I connected a Nest Learning Thermostat, a Nest Cam Indoor, a Lutron Serena window shade and a Lutron Pico remote. I also connected to our Chamberlain MyQ Garage door opener account, but that product isn’t currently installed at the CNET Smart Home so I couldn’t actually control it.
Netgear Mobile Router MR1100 Release Date, Price and Specs – CNET
It may not look like much, but it’s got it where it counts.
Aloysius Low/CNET
You’ll soon be able to download movies in a matter of seconds thanks to the palm-sized Netgear Mobile Router MR1100.
The portable pocket router taps into gigabit-capable LTE networks and can download up to 1 gigabyte of data per second. But there’s a big catch — it’s only available from Australian carrier Telstra, which announced last year that it can reach speeds of 1Gbps.
The router features a battery life of 24 hours of continuous use, an impressive claim for sure. The MR1100 charges through a USB Type-C connector, and features a LAN port as well. The downloads are sped along by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X16 LTE modem.
The speed sounds amazingly fast — as fast as if you were to hook up your PC to the router using a LAN cable. But bear in mind this will likely blow your data cap without you noticing. Though of course that depends on your data plan and the size of the files that you download.
You may well be tempted, but don’t start planning your move Down Under just yet. A Telstra spokesperson told CNET that the carrier is unlikely to offer unlimited data plans on its upcoming superfast service. There’s no word on capped data plans for now either. Furthermore, the network isn’t quite ready — the router and service will likely launch in a few months, perhaps over Christmas or another upcoming holiday period.
There’s no word yet on when this will be available in other countries.
Key features
- Gigabit LTE speeds
- 24 hour battery life
- Type-C and LAN ports
- Available soon in Australia
Fabriq Alexa-Enabled Smart Speaker Release Date, Price and Specs – CNET
It’s been over a year since Amazon offered up its voice-activated virtual assistant “Alexa” to third-party developers. With just a few lines of code, any gadget that features a microphone, speakers, and an internet connection can be an Alexa gadget.
Enter Fabriq, the maker of a new, small-sized smart speaker with Alexa functionality built right in. At just $50 (£40/AU$65), it’s the same price as the Editors’ Choice-winning Amazon Echo Dot, but it comes with a few additional advantages. For starters, it’s a more powerful speaker than the Dot, and it features a built-in battery, too, letting you unplug the the thing and take it with you for up to 5 hours on a charge. You can also sync multiple speakers together over Wi-Fi for simultaneous playback — the Echo Dot can’t do anything like that.
It’s not a slam dunk, though. Unlike the Echo and the Echo Dot, the Fabriq speaker isn’t an always-listening device. That means you’ll need to press a button in order to activate Alexa. You also can’t connect it with an existing audio setup like you can with the Echo Dot. And, as far as Bluetooth speakers go, the sound quality is pretty average.
Still as an Echo-alternative, there’s an awful lot to like here. With almost all of Alexa’s smarts — everything from music and news to third-party skills, smart home control, and yes, terrible jokes — Fabriq offers plenty of tech appeal in an attractive little package. If you’re intrigued by Echo, but want something a little more portable, it’s definitely worth a look.
Design and features
Fabriq is about the size of a baseball, and it comes in your choice of three designs: “Earl Grey,” “Jack Plaid,” and “Splat.” All three make for a good-looking little speaker, and each gets complemented by a ring of LEDs around the base capable of flashing out a rainbow pattern in sync with whatever song you’re streaming.
Those LEDs will also light up when you press the microphone button to talk to Alexa, Amazon’s cloud-connected virtual assistant. She’s just as smart here as she is in Amazon’s own smart speakers, with features that include:
- Streaming music on demand from Amazon Prime Music, Spotify, Pandora or Amazon Music Unlimited
- Playing podcasts from iHeartRadio and TuneIn
- Reading off news, sports, weather and traffic updates
- Looking up facts and calculating figures
- Setting timers and recurring alarms
- Controlling Alexa-compatible smart-home devices
In addition to those core capabilities, Fabriq also has access to Alexa’s growing library of third party “skills.” Essentially the apps of Alexa, these extras can add all sorts of tricks to Alexa’s toolkit, everything from hailing an Uber and ordering a pizza to playing interactive voice games and running advanced smart home controls. None of them cost anything, and you can enable each one simply by asking Alexa to do it.
Sound quality
So the smarts are sound, but how about the speaker? To my ear, it packs a more powerful punch than the Echo Dot, but falls somewhere short of the Amazon Tap. In other words, it’ll fill a small to medium-sized room with plenty of sound, but it isn’t loud enough to play DJ at a noisy party — though, in fairness, I can’t imagine expecting much more from a $50 Bluetooth speaker.
Then again, the sound quality could stand to be a bit sharper. At loud volumes, things get just a touch “fuzzy,” with some slight clipping whenever the speaker tries to punch above its weight. The sound quality wasn’t bad by any stretch, but I’d hesitate to classify it much higher than “average.”
Chris Monroe/CNET
Outlook
As of writing this, Fabriq doesn’t show up in the Alexa app as a supported device, which means I wasn’t able to use that app to tweak any of the speaker’s Alexa-specific settings. That kept me from doing things like customizing what news sources it pulled from for flash briefings, viewing my voice input history, and selecting a default music streaming service.
I suspect that this will change by the time Fabriq officially launches on October 30, and I’ve asked Fabriq’s team to confirm as much. When I hear back, I’ll update this piece accordingly.
Shortcomings aside, Fabriq proved to be a capable Alexa gadget. It did a nice job understanding my voice commands, and though it sometimes needed to think a second or two longer than the Echo Dot before pulling up a song I had requested, I came away satisfied with the user-friendly smarts. At just $50, it shows a lot of promise.
I’ll be spending some more time with Fabriq, and keeping an eye out for any updates as it gets closer to launch. I’m also hoping to get my hands on a second speaker so I can test out synchronized playback. That’ll be a nice feather in Fabriq’s cap if it works as promised, since neither the Amazon Echo nor Amazon Echo Dot currently offer anything like it.
Zerotech Dobby Release Date, Price and Specs – CNET
The Dobby is a tiny drone with big ambitions
We check out some of the zippy selfie drone’s coolest features.
by Luke Lancaster
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The Dobby selfie drone is small. At least, it’s small enough to fit in your pocket. It’s cheap. At least, it’s cheap compared to its competitors. And it packs in features like 4K video recording, image stabilization, gesture control and target tracking.
Zerotech’s Dobby is available now for $399 in the US and AU$599 in Australia. There’s no UK distributor, but the price coverts to around £325. Compared to rival drones with built-in cameras that can retail for over a grand, the Dobby’s an attractive option for hobbyists.
The rotors fold in, making for a very petite package.
Dave Cheng/CNET
Key Specs:
- Digital image stabilization
- Removable battery with 9-minute flight time
- 13-megapixel camera, 1,920×1,080p video recording
- Target tracking and facial recognition
- Automatic takeoff and landing
- Foldable design
- 199g
- Companion app
- 16GB storage
- Can hover indoors/outdoors in winds up to 28km/h (17mph)
Using the new Qualcomm Snapdragon Flight platform (the one unveiled at CES), the Dobby’s tracking mode uses facial recognition and target lock to get the drone to follow you around. Little features like that and the one-button takeoff and orbit mode make it feel very clever.
That said, the Dobby isn’t exactly hands-free — while you can leave it hovering or set it to automatically grab some footage, it’s going to need steering from the app at some point.
The four rotors are on arms that fold into the body, leaving you with a slim profile that’ll slip comfortably into your pocket when you’re done flying your drone around.
You pilot the Dobby through a companion app with a live camera feed.
Dave Cheng/CNET
From our brief hands-on time, the target tracking and facial recognition held up reasonably well, and I only clipped my fingers in the blades once going for the gesture-controlled palm landing. More impressively, the live camera feed to the app and touch screen controls made piloting the Dobby a very smooth experience.
Speaking of the companion app, you can also instantly push photos and videos from the paired drone to your phone and out to social media with a couple of button presses.
For your troubles, you’ll get about 9 minutes of flight time from the battery (and fast charging gets you back in the air in about 45 minutes). Those minutes go by very quickly, especially if you’re out and about or have the drone set to follow you on a hike. It makes the extra batteries — available for AU$59 — close to a necessity.
Zerotech packs clever features into a very small package for a surprisingly low price, and apart from still waiting on features like voice control to roll out and a few struggles getting airborne indoors, it’s a fun way to play around with drone photography.
Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge: Olympic Games Limited Edition overview
Samsung has released a few limited edition smartphones over the years, like the Batman edition of the Galaxy S7 Edge and the Iron Man version of its predecessor, all the way back to a pre-Galaxy era Matrix edition feature phone. While these releases have generally coincided with a major movie release, this year, Samsung also decided to commemorate Rio 2016 with a Limited Edition Galaxy S7 Edge.
- Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge review
This certainly makes sense, given the fact that Samsung has been a sponsor of the Olympics for quite a while now. The summer games may already be well behind us, but we still thought it would be a cool idea to check out this special edition smartphone. Here is a quick look at the Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge: Olympic Games Limited Edition!
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The first thing you will notice is that the packaging this phone arrives in is quite different from the regular box. The black box is much bigger than the standard retail version, and comes with “Rio 2016” printed on the front. Inside the box is a nice black carrying case with an Olympic Games Edition logo, in which the phone can be found.
While I am not entirely sure of the materials used, it does feel like a high quality carrying case, that includes a couple of pockets inside that will allow you to store smaller items like charging cables or microSD cards and adapters.
Underneath the carrying case is a black pouch that also feels like it has been made using high quality materials, and holds everything that is typically available with the Galaxy S7 Edge. This includes the user manual and other documentation that nobody reads, a pair of earphones, wall charging adapter, and a microUSB cable.
We aren’t going to focus on the specifications, features, and performance of this device, since it is essentially identical to the regular Galaxy S7 Edge, save for a few aesthetic changes in the design and software package. This special edition iteration comes with the same display, processing package, battery, and cameras, and as such, we can expect this device to perform exactly as its regular sibling does.
There are a few differences between the two however, starting with the design. To maintain the theme of the Olympic Games, you will notice colored accents for the buttons and ports, that include all the colors of the Olympic rings. You will see red around the power button, yellow for the earpiece and home button, green for the volume rocker, and blue around the camera unit and heart rate monitor on the back.
There is also the Olympics logo printed on the back, along with “Rio 2016 Olympic Games Limited Edition” written right below the FCC logo. The color version is similar to the Black Onyx version available with the regular Galaxy S7 Edge, but instead of a silver frame, the metal has been treated with a dark chrome finish, which I find looks a lot nicer, and gives the device a stealthier look.
Like previous special edition Samsung smartphones, this Olympic Games version comes with a custom theme on the software side of things. You will notice that the icons, notification drop down, Settings menu, and certain apps have all been themed to incorporate the colors of the Olympic rings. Apart from that however, the software experience is exactly the same as what you would get with the Galaxy S7 Edge. In fact, if you aren’t a fan of the custom theme, you also have the option to switch it to the default Samsung one.
So there you have it for this quick overview of the Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge: Olympic Games Limited Edition! While this is a limited edition smartphone, it is actually pretty easy to get your hands on one on Amazon or eBay, and even at a Best Buy, and the price point is similar to the unlocked version of the regular Galaxy S7 Edge as well. There isn’t a whole lot of extras here, but it is always pretty cool to have one of Samsung’s special edition phones, and its unique look may be worth it.
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Google Pixel XL initial review: first 48 hours
The latest and most official Google device is here. We’ve only had it for a few days total and while we are able to draw some conclusions in that time, we definitely wanted to continue putting the Pixel XL through its paces to be sure our thoughts indeed hold weight.
For now, we are bringing you what we think in this initial review of the Google Pixel XL!
Don’t miss:
- Best Android smartphones of October 2016
- Android 7.0 Nougat review: an Android version for Android fans
First, we open up the box. As the new de facto ambassador in the world of Android, it comes as little surprise that an adapter for USB and Lightning cables is included so that transferring data from other Androids or iOS devices is easy – simply connect the original cable to your previous phone and the other end, adapter ready, into the Pixel. The phone takes care of the rest. A USB-A to USB Type-C cable is included, but the plug adapter requires a cable that is fitted with USB Type-C on both ends, which is also in the box.
Google brings their own design sensibilities to the Android world, in a phone that was built from the ground up. The results are, unfortunately, pretty polarizing. Many of you have already sounded off on the design of the Pixel XL, either saying that it has a beautifully simple look or lamenting its almost generic aesthetic.
We are as split about the design as all of you.
We here at Android Authority are about as split as all of you. Personally, I had become rather accustomed to the somewhat barebones style of previous Google devices, considering that it mattered more what the capabilities were underneath the surface. There was a quiet but effective capability to the Nexus line, but each device brought single quirks to the style. The Nexus 6P had its camera ridge and the Nexus 5 had a large piece of glass adorning the camera, for example. For the Pixel line, Google gave their new phone one key differentiating feature – a top third encased in glass. I don’t particularly find it an eyesore, but I rather think of it as a boring alternative to the different quirks we used to get from phones that bore the Google name.
That said, the phone’s look and feel still do their job properly – they make the phone feel really solid and sleek despite a measure of blandness in particularly this Very Silver version. The Quite Black version might be a little easier on the eyes while the North American-only Really Blue edition is, indeed, very different, but doesn’t add much more than a different hue.
A smaller Google Pixel is available with a 5-inch screen but we have the Pixel XL which sports a 5.5-inch screen. Larger upper and lower portions make the phone feel a little taller than it probably needed to be, but if there is plenty going on underneath all that surface area, then it can be excused. Overall, the XL feels plenty hefty and takes the usual amount of hand gymnastics in order to be used in one hand. Despite the glass on the back of the device, most of the backing is made of a smooth metal that unfortunately makes it slide about in the hand a bit too easily.
The sides of the device remind us of the Moto Z Force, which had a pretty aggressive chamfer to add texture to the sides. This was definitely the right choice considering how much the phone can slide around because if the sides were just as smooth, dropping it would probably be much more likely.
We will try our best not to compare the Pixel to the Nexus too much, but we do admit that the sideways Nexus logo is a bit missed. Even with a barebones overall design, that logo was distinctive. This time around, it is simply a large G on the bottom third and the glass upper side, all of which basically make for a phone that does look different, but does it in a somewhat boring fashion.
Google opted for AMOLED touchscreens for the Pixel phones, but the smaller Pixel comes with 1080p resolution. The XL sports Quad HD, and it looks pretty dang incredible. A lot of YouTube videos have been viewed in our first few days with the device, and everything from animated content to daily vlogs look great at resolutions 720p and higher. We also had a good time with games, as colors are rendered with the proper amount of vibrancy. So far, the only gripe I had with this display is that it gets just a little too dim at the lowest brightness setting – then again, this is a common facet of AMOLED displays. On the other hand, the screen looks great even in broad daylight when pumped up to the highest setting.
There is a sense of polish and smoothness that is undeniable.
As one of the first phones to sport the Snapdragon 821, it should come as no surprise that the Google Pixel XL simply flies through its tasks without any issues. Especially considering the streamlined and pure version of Android that the Pixel sports, there is a sense of polish and smoothness that is undeniable. This is not to say that other Android devices lack in the speed department, there just seems to be a great deal of attention given to the transitions and movements among all of the Nougat 7.1 elements.
But even in situations when slowdown should have been experienced, the phone has performed wonderfully – for example, the first boot up and long setup process that included downloading and installing a ton of applications might have made the phone feel a bit warmer, but it didn’t give me the usual slowdown I experience with other phones.
We will be playing more games and performing more tasks for the coming days, but so far the Pixel XL is a good poster child for the Snapdragon 821 and, indeed, for point of using pure Android in the first place.
Hardware is a part of the Pixel phones that might put it at a disadvantage – after all, a Google device tends to not have all of the extra features plenty of Android devices sport.
Hardware is a part of the Pixel phones that might put it at a disadvantage.
That starts off with the lack of expandable storage, which I have already had to contend with in my weekend with the Pixel XL. My unit is a 32GB version, which means that 4K recording is not only stifled, but is a nuisance. Having a plethora of applications and, in particular, games installed takes up a lot of the 29.70GB made available to the user. With MOBIUS Final Fantasy, Final Fantasy 7, and Final Fantasy 9 installed, only about half of the available storage was left for me to do photos and videos with. And at the high quality 4K recording option, the camera constantly reminded me of the less than 15 minutes of recording time I had available to me. Granted, Google Photos on the Pixel allows for the full resolution uploading and saving of all photos and videos, but having to find Wi-Fi to upload and, for that matter, the need to let the app clean up the Camera folder is a step I am still not used to doing.
Sound is a welcome highlight for the Pixel, a phone that is supposed to take voice inputs at any time and play the soothing, if not robotic, voice of Google Assistant. To that end, the bottom mounted speaker (only one, the left one) is one of the best of its kind. It gets plenty loud and yet retains a good amount of body. It is by no means a good bass performer, but especially for evoking the voice of Google Assistant, it does the job incredibly well. For viewing videos or playing games, I did not feel the need to reach for a pair of headphones. Even so, the headphone experience on the Google Pixel is above average. There are no extra options and features in the phone for catering the sound like in the LG V10 or the HTC 10, but the default sound profile is still very enjoyable, with the headphone jack properly driving my pair of Audio Technica ATH-M50x headphones.
Our battery life testing is still ongoing, but I can definitely relay my experience after the last few days. A 3,450 mAh battery unit keeps the Pixel XL going for what can be described as the expected portion of the day, which can be easily tracked with the battery section of the settings. Personally, I really enjoy the way Nougat 7.1 shows the graph and the amount of time that has elapsed since unplugging the phone, even in the quick settings dropdown. With all that said, a day of somewhat aggressive usage that included GPS navigation and plenty of built-in speaker blasting took the phone out in about 16 hours with 4 hours of screen on time.
Which brings me to an interesting change in my battery usage that has only come about due to the Pixel. As I mentioned, the speaker got a lot of play and was a part of the overall battery drain. This is because Google Assistant, the main software addition the Pixel introduces, is so effortlessly useful that I have been talking and listening to this phone more than any that came before it. This is also due to a great microphone that sports noise cancellation and voice recognition that remind me of previous Moto X devices.
See also: Google Assistant: The top features you should know25
Due to one key feature of Google Assistant – the Daily Briefing – I’ve not only gotten used to saying ‘good morning’ upon waking without even touching the phone, but I’ve listened to the Assistant’s built-in podcast player that only plays a curated list of news shows. The last two days saw over an hour of news brief listening in the morning – which actually registers on the battery usage tally.
Before we get deeper into Google Assistant, we have the other marquee feature of the Pixel XL – the camera, which is a 12.3MP main camera with f/2.0 aperture and a front facing unit shooting 8MP. While the cameras of the Pixel phones might look very similar to the Nexus 6P on paper, there are a few key enhancements that we’ve already noticed and thoroughly enjoy.
First of all, the app is the same Google Camera that you may already be used to from the Nexus and the Google Play Store, meaning that it is a simple to use, auto interface without manual controls. Modes include Panorama and Lens Blur, with Slow Motion available at 120fps at 1080p resolution.
HDR is now HDR+, a version of color and contrast enhancement that is technically always on. Though the option will show HDR+ Auto, most pictures show processing of HDR+ when they are accessed in the gallery immediately after shooting. Pictures are already well rendered, but having the HDR+ add that little extra bit will make for pretty consistently pleasing photos. That said, HDR+ does do a good job of adding some extra vibrancy to photos while bringing down the highlights in any picture that has a blown out area like the sun soaked sky. And the best part about the HDR+ is that it has basically no shutter lag – in only a few photos did I notice a small amount of processing after hitting the shutter.
Which brings us to the other main feature of the cameras – video stabilization. The camera of the Pixel XL does not come with optical image stabilization and instead relies on analysis of the gyroscope while recording and software based post-stabilization. One immediate positive feature of this electronic image stabilization is that it is available while recording 4K video, which is not a feature commonly found on current Android phones. However, it is very common for software stabilization to lead to weird warping of a video and the dreaded ‘jello effect’ that Google hopes their version of stabilization will remedy.
So far, video stabilization has been incredible
And so far, it has blown me away. I put it through a few simple tests that included one walking shot and a couple stationary handheld examples. In all cases, the difference is basically night and day – the stabilization does a great job of noticeably making footage smoother, making it seem like the phone was on a gimbal during my walking example. Even more impressive is the lack of the ‘jello effect’ when moving from side to side. For a user like me that likes to vlog, the stabilization makes this already good performing 4K shooter an even more impressive companion to have for pictures and video, even if available space is an issue in this 32GB device.
Overall, the camera has so far been very impressive and we will be doing more testing and comparisons with other Android devices to further consider its capabilities. For now, however, I have been very impressed with the camera and already consider it one of the better automatic shooters.
Which brings us to software, which is the latest version of pure Android in Nougat 7.1. Though the LG V20 was the first phone to come with Android Nougat, the ‘.1’ that the Pixel brings is quite significant and might make it one of the most sought after versions of Android. Unfortunately, it is unclear how much of this version of Android will actually make it to other, non-Google branded devices. And that might be a shame, because 7.1 is a delight to use, mostly due to Google Assistant.
Hold the home button and Google Now on Tap is nowhere to be found – unless you swipe up from the bottom again, that is – because it is replaced with the voice-centric Google Assistant. Talking to an Android device is now as seamless as it has ever been, as everything from questions to search queries to even time-killing can be done with Google speaking right back at you. As already mentioned, this means that certain features like a daily briefing can be enjoyed by just asking the phone to do it. Even better, setting up the voice recognition makes Google Assistant ready no matter where the phone is, as long as it is near enough to hear ‘OK Google.’
The microphone is delightfully sensitive and accurate, while Assistant is really responsive and quick. There is one hiccup, as Assistant doesn’t seem to be opening appropriate apps automatically based on the query anymore like it did during my First Look. Even the quick display of the top search result is still accurate, so a small tap on it is a small trade-off. Plenty of other features are available via Google Assistant and I found myself asking random questions just to see what it can do – I even played an odd game of Mad Libs where the Assistant asked me for all of the different words it needed to construct the ridiculous narrative.
Assistant is already quite robust, but I can only imagine how much more it will grow over the life of the Pixel XL – after all, it is the centerpiece of the new Google ecosystem that incorporates Google Home.
Assistant is already quite robust, but I can only imagine how much more it will grow over the life of the Pixel XL
Otherwise, all of the different elements of Android remain very familiar even with the Pixel Launcher as the interface. The app drawer is still around, thankfully, and is accessed by swiping up on the homescreen. Google Now is still available to the left of the homescreens, while the big ‘G’ at the top gives easy access to a search bar that felt a little obsolete once I got used to using my voice instead. There are a lot of built-in wallpapers that can be used singularly or cycled from a curated list that is updated every day. Personally, I am a fan of the Live Earth wallpaper that rotates with the homescreens and mimics the real life sun, moon, and cloud conditions.
The settings area is a little easier to navigate now in Nougat, and it now has an entirely separate area for on-demand help, though I haven’t used it yet. Multitasking users finally have a Google-made multi-window feature that is accessed by dragging a window in the recent apps screen to the area up top, but this is also something that I have not used extensively because moving in and out of the recent apps screen has been as smooth as ever.
As long as Assistant continues to evolve, the Pixel has a feature that, if it never comes to other Android devices, does a great job of differentiating itself. The usefulness of Assistant predicates on whether or not the user actually takes advantage of it, and so far I think that everyone really should. Try it out with Allo and if you really enjoy Assistant, imagine having that functionality baked into the rest of the experience.
We have definitely drawn a lot of conclusions about the Google Pixel XL so far, and we are going to see if that positivity continues in our testing. A full review of the phone will be done in the coming days, perhaps just after the release of all the pre-order devices on October 20. All versions of the phone are still sold out in the Google Store, which undercuts what many users thought would be the Pixel’s Achilles’ heel – the price. For $649 on the base 32GB Pixel, the Google phones certainly hold a premium price point even if, at first glance, it doesn’t seem to offer nearly as much as the rest of the Android army. This is a very valid argument considering the Google Pixel XL at 32GB is a whole $120 extra.
Read next:
- Google Pixel XL vs Galaxy Note 7
- Google Pixel and Pixel XL vs the competition
So, before scoring the phone on its own merits, we will leave this initial review at this thought: if the rest of Android did not exist and the Google Pixel stood on its own, it would be one of the best phones we’ve ever seen or used. Unfortunately for the Pixel, the rest of Android undoubtedly offers more and for far better prices across the board. But the Pixel damn near perfects the basics where plenty of Android phones inexplicably falter. And for the first outing of the Pixel, Google has so far done a damn good job.
Goat Story Gina Release Date, Price and Specs – CNET
Traditional pour over is one of three coffee brewing styles the Gina can do.
JAKA Birsa
Despite having a funny name for a kitchen appliance, the $180 Goat Story Gina coffee maker (£146, AU$235 equivalent) promises to brew seriously good java, and in multiple ways too. Whether it’s pour over, cold brew, or full immersion coffee that floats you boat, Gina claims to have you covered.
Gina’s creators say the brewer will be easy to use, too. Thanks to a built-in scale, Bluetooth wireless radio, and phone connectivity, even coffee novices shouldn’t have trouble following the machine’s brewing directions in real time.
Design and features
Judging by the premium materials Goat Story expects to employ in the product’s construction, this will be one well-appointed coffee maker. For example, a ceramic funnel sits at the top of the appliance and accepts standard cone paper filters. At the bottom of the funnel you’ll find a manual valve to control either water or coffee flow, manipulated by a large copper knob.
Adjust the Gina’s valve to control coffee or water flow.
JAKA Birsa
The Gina’s dual-arm steel frame holds the funnel in place above a borosilicate glass pitcher (25 ounces, 0.75 liters). Closing the valve completely allows the appliance to steep its grounds in hot water, aka immersion brewing. Subsequently swiveling the valve open drains your brew into the glass carafe below.
Alternately, you can attach a glass cold drip module (also borosilicate) to the steel frame, in between the funnel and the pitcher. Cold water dripping from the funnel into coffee grounds inside this module eventually lands within the pitcher as cold brew.
Get brewing advice and info from the mobile app.
JAKA Birsa
The most interesting of the Gina’s features though is its Bluetooth-enabled scale which is built into the appliance’s circular base. So equipped, the machine can sense exactly how much of the grounds you’ve added, along with the volume of your brewing water. This data in conjunction with the Gina’s mobile application (Android and iOS), allows the coffee maker to walk its users through the brewing process step by step.
Related Links
- How to make cold-brew coffee at home
- Why smart coffee makers are a dumb but beautiful dream
- How you make your coffee matters
- Oxo’s simple little pour-over cone brews big coffee taste
Availability and outlook
If you’re excited about the prospect of owning a Gina coffee maker, you will have to wait until Spring 2017. There is a chance you’ll get your hands on one a little earlier (and for less money) by backing the Goat Story Gina through its Kickstarter product launch to the tune of $145.
Before purchasing please be aware that the Gina is not the first in a long line of coffee makers (crowd-sourced or otherwise) to promise both app-connected smarts and the ability to brew excellent coffee. Only a few have actually come to market, with just one, the Behmor Connected Coffee Brewer, mostly succeeding at its mission.
The rest have failed or even imploded spectacularly as in the case of the Arist, a smart coffee machine that raised hundreds of thousands of dollars on Kickstarter in 2014, but now faces backlash from bitter backers who still haven’t received their product. So, as in all things — caveat emptor applies.
AIVAnet 