The bottom line: Our quick verdict on the BlackBerry DTEK50
With a review headline that reads “cheap, secure and better than expected,” you might expect the device in question to have earned a high score. As it turns out, this is a BlackBerry we’re talking about, which is to say, “better than expected” doesn’t necessary mean you should actually buy one. The good news is that the new DTEK50 offers solid build quality at a reasonable price: just $299. For the money, you also get improved security over typical mid-range Android phones — a potential selling point for prospective business customers. While this is indeed a decent choice for IT departments, individual users can get more for their money at a similar or slightly higher price (read: faster performance, longer battery life and superior image quality). Basically, then, while the DTEK50 surpassed our admittedly modest expectations, you can still do better.
Samsung+: Taking a closer look at Samsung’s help and assistance app
If you happen to live in the U.S. and own a Galaxy Note 7, Galaxy S7, S7 Edge, or pretty much any other Galaxy device from the past few years, you’ve probably heard of Samsung+. For those unaware, it’s a pre-installed application that comes on most recent Galaxy devices, aiming to provide users with personalized, live expert help in just a few taps.
Let’s be honest – if you’re reading this, you probably know a thing or two about smartphones. So why would you need a help and assistance app if a simple problem arises? The thing is, Samsung+ offers much more than Wi-Fi and Bluetooth advice, and it’s not just for the less tech-savvy users out there. Let’s take a closer look and see just what this app is all about.
Related: Samsung Galaxy Note 7 – The Beginner’s Guide4
The basics
When you launch Samsung+ for the first time, you’ll be given a brief overview on how to navigate through the app. You can perform a quick search if you already know what you’re looking for, or simply swipe through six different tabs – Live Help, Diagnostics, Answers, For You, Explore and Community.
The For You section is the first thing you’ll see after launching the app. This is where you’ll receive tips and tricks regarding your registered Samsung devices, as well as topics popular in the Samsung community that you might like. Smartphone aficionados might not find a ton of useful information in this tab, though it’s perfect for folks looking to make their device setup process go a little smoother.
Speaking of the less tech-savvy users out there, the Answers tab is perfect for basic troubleshooting problems.
A digital instruction manual
So, you thought you’d be nice and buy your parents brand new Samsung Galaxy phones for Christmas. Little did you know, this automatically made you the go-to tech support person in the family. Fun!
If you’re in a pinch and don’t have the time to walk through how to perform the more basic tasks – setting alarms, taking screenshots, playing music – Samsung+ will definitely help. Just navigate to the Answers tab, choose the category you’re looking for, and you’ll be presented with a number of useful walkthroughs and how-tos relating to Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, device features, battery and power saving tips, and more. Seriously, there’s tons of useful information here.
If somehow these walkthroughs don’t do the trick, though, there are a few more steps you can take to get the help you need.
Live customer support
By far the most impressive feature in Samsung+ is the Live Help section. With just a few taps, users have the ability to chat with Samsung representatives over the phone or through video.
After my video chat was connected, it was smooth sailing from there
Call support is offered 24 hours a day, while video chat support is offered from 7am-10pm CST. Both methods worked quite well for me, but as you might expect, video chatting was a slightly bigger hassle. I made three video calls in all, though I was only able to make the video work for one of them. After everything was connected, though, it was smooth sailing from there.
Once connected, I had to fork over my device’s IMEI, my name, email address and phone number in case the call was dropped at any point.
You might be thinking, wouldn’t it just be easier to chat on the phone rather than using video? Well, for certain scenarios, phone calls work great. But the app’s video chat support combined with the Samsung Assist feature is where it really shines.
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Samsung Assist allows you to share your screen with the representative and let them operate your device to see if they can fix the problem. Don’t worry – you don’t need to use this feature if you don’t want, and you need to grant permission before they take control of your device. Basically, Samsung reps can do anything on your device aside from performing a factory data reset. They also don’t have access to the physical buttons, either, so they can’t power off your device or soft reset it.
As of right now, Samsung Assist is only available on the Galaxy Note 7, Galaxy S7, S7 Edge, Note 5, S6, S6 Edge and S6 Edge+. Additional device support will be added in the future.
Honestly, the whole Live Help section of this app is a game changer. Again, it might not be super useful for seasoned smartphone veterans, but it can really help less tech-savvy folks in a bind.
A simple, easy-to-use diagnostics app
Samsung+ isn’t only about tech support. If you’re looking for more real-time stats regarding your device’s battery, data, storage and more, the Diagnostics feature will do the trick.
This is my favorite part of the app. If you’re experiencing any problems with your device (poor battery life, bad internet connection, etc.), all you need to do is head to this page to try and figure out what’s wrong. Samsung+ will scan your device and let you know if your battery temperature is too high, if it’s charging at the correct speeds, if your Wi-Fi is secure enough, and many more useful tips.
Samsung+ is also a full-fledged diagnostics app
There are also two useful features to help you optimize your battery life: Battery Forecast and Battery Optimizer. Battery Forecast will tell you your current battery percentage, when it’s predicted to reach empty, and how long you need to charge the device to reach a certain percentage. This is super helpful if you’re planning on going out for the night and have a low battery. Battery Optimizer, on the other hand, scrolls through your settings and lets you know what to change to achieve better battery life. For instance, in the screenshot below you’ll see that my screen timeout is set to 30 seconds, which is much less battery-friendly than if I were to set it to, say, 15 seconds.
Data Monitor and Storage Manager tools are also found in the Diagnostics section of the app, allowing you to keep better track at your remaining data usage and on-board storage. As you’re probably already aware, all Android devices have built-in data monitor and storage manager features, so these two aren’t really all that necessary. Still, it’s nice to see them baked into the app, so users can access all of their diagnostics info in one place.
Oh, and one other thing – there’s also a built-in Speed Test section that can test your Mobile or Wi-Fi connections. Pretty neat, right?
A place for Samsung die-hards
If you’re not having any problems with your Galaxy device, Samsung+ can still be quite useful. The Explore and Community sections are there for you to learn more about your devices. For instance, navigating to the Explore section will give you access to camera tips and tricks, tips on how to to multitask, and more. I’m not sure if the Explore tab will be useful for everyone out there, but it might be fun to poke around if you’re looking to learn more about your device.
For die-hard Samsung fans, or even for folks who just want to learn more about their Galaxy devices, Samsung+ offers a full Community section. It’s here that you’ll be able to read and ask questions about Galaxy S and Note devices, tablets, wearables, TVs and more.
Related: Samsung Galaxy Note 7 review103
From what I’ve been able to tell, the Samsung Community could be quite helpful if you’re looking to resolve device-specific issues, or if you’re just looking to geek out with other fans around the world. As for how the Community section is implemented in the app, that’s a different story. It’s not particularly fast, and it doesn’t really have an intuitive layout. Since everything is either black or white in this section, it can be tough to differentiate between links and plain text, too.
Wrapping up
Samsung+ is a useful help and assistance app that will come in handy in more ways than one. Not everything you find in Samsung+ will be for everyone, but the features it offers are pretty compelling and work well for the most part. Whether you’re a tech-savvy user or someone who is new to the smartphone world, you’ll likely find something useful in this app.
Get it from Google Play
PowerVision PowerEgg Release Date, Price and Specs – CNET
It’s very difficult to say “PowerEgg” and not smile or giggle, and that’s sort of the point.
Robotics company PowerVision was looking for a drone design that is friendly and approachable and not intimidating to anyone — and the result is the PowerEgg. When closed up, it looks like a giant shiny white egg, roughly the size of a rugby ball. Press a button to drop its legs, pull up each of its four propeller arms and it’s transformed into, well, a flying egg. A 4.6-pound (2 kg) one at that.
Under a cap on the bottom is the PowerEgg’s 4K-resolution camera on a 3-axis motorized gimbal that, once flying, is completely unobstructed and can rotate 360 degrees. The quad’s visual positioning system is then also uncovered, to assist with indoor flying up to 13 feet (4 m) above the ground.
PowerVision PowerEgg is not your ordinary…
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When flying outside, the drone relies on GPS to keep it stable and to assist with a handful of automated shooting modes. Included are a Follow Me mode that tracks the moves of the controller, another that orbits a subject, one for waypoint navigation and one for selfies.
Those things aren’t unique to the PowerEgg, but the drone’s controller is. PowerVision made it modular by breaking out the flight processor and base station into a separate unit. Bundled with the quadcopter is a fairly typical gaming-style two-stick controller as well as the one-handed, gesture-based PowerEgg Maestro. The Maestro basically lets you point to where you want the drone to fly and it follows.
The Maestro controller lets you use gestures to guide the PowerEgg where you want it to fly.
Joshua Goldman/CNET
The drone is capable of delivering real-time video transmission up to 3.1 miles (5 km) to a smartphone or tablet (Android or iOS). The battery, which loads vertically in the top, has a maximum flight time of approximately 23 minutes, which is disappointing but understandable given the drone’s weight and size.
The PowerEgg can be ordered now for $1,288 (approximately AU$1,700 or £975) through the PowerVision site, but won’t ship till October. That price gets you the drone, the Maestro and two-stick controllers, a battery, a charger and a light-up base station that does nothing more than display your PowerEgg. If you order before the end of September you get a backpack for everything, too.
We did see the PowerEgg in action, and it did manage to take off and land on its own and fly around a loft space if nothing else. We didn’t get to see any video off the camera, so I can’t say what the quality is like. Or how it will behave outside. The price seems too high to me, given how much competition is out there. However, it does offer a couple interesting features, such as its rotating camera and modular controller, and a distinctive design that is made for travel and starting conversations.
Revel F36 review – CNET
The Good The Revel F36 is a 21st century audiophile tower with oodles of detail and resolution, and a broad, yet clearly focused soundstage.
The Bad It’s a big and imposing design. The speaker’s revealing nature exposes poor recordings.
The Bottom Line The Revel Concerta2 F36 floorstander is a beautifully-made speaker which makes great sounding recordings shine.
For going on 20 years Revel has been one of the most respected American speaker companies, finding favor with audiophiles and recording industry pros. The company’s selection currently includes a number of high-end towers, such as the Salon2 and Studio2, starting at $16,000 per pair.
The F36 tower is much more affordable at $2,000, £1,995, AU$3,395 per pair, and it sounds great for the price. It’s an ideal choice for audiophiles craving more resolution and dynamic range scale than you’ll get from smaller and less expensive models.
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The Revel Concerta2 F36 is a hi-fi speaker which offers a 2.5-way design and revealing sound quality.
Sarah Tew/CNET
The F36s we reviewed here — decked out in impeccable, high-gloss white — are big boys. They would probably seem a little smaller in black gloss, the other available finish.
2016 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon Unlimited review – Roadshow
The Good The 2016 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon Unlimited is an excellent off-road vehicle. It has all the mechanical goodies to make your dreams of dirt adventure come true.
The Bad You’ll have to suffer when driving on the pavement. Sure, the road noise and floaty drive may be part of the Wrangler’s charm…but only for the first few hundred miles. The infotainment system is merely average, offering outdated Garmin maps and no backup camera.
The Bottom Line The Wrangler Rubicon lets drivers take on whatever endeavor they choose, but they may pay for it in on-road comfort and media connectivity.
I stopped the 2016 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon at the bottom of the rock pile. Ahead of me were boulders the size of laundry baskets stacked pell-mell on top of each other. I got out to scout, mentally taking a picture of where I would place each wheel as I climbed the hill. Satisfied, I buckled in, put the Jeep into 4L, locked my front and rear differentials and started rock crawling.
The Jeep has quite a history in the United States. Some even say we would all be speaking German if it weren’t for the trusty little four-wheeler. While I’m not one to judge geopolitical events, I will say that the Jeep is as American as Mom and apple pie, eliciting feelings of freedom and independence as no other vehicle can.
Nick Miotke/Roadshow
The Wrangler is the SUV you want in the event of a zombie apocalypse. Even the base Sport is capable in its own right. But you, dear Roadshow readers, are not base kind of folk. You are Unlimited Rubicon folk, the top dawg of 4x4s. With four doors, hence the Unlimited nomenclature, and all the off-road bells and whistles, the Unlimited Rubicon Wrangler is made for getting you into nature, and out of trouble.
Nick Miotke/Roadshow
Powered by a 3.6-liter V6 engine, the Wrangler makes 285 horsepower and 260 pound-feet of torque. A six-speed manual transmission is standard but my tester came with the five-speed automatic. Word on the street is that a diesel, already available in Europe, is in the works for 2017 as well as an eight-speed automatic transmission, but that’s straight out of the rumor mill.
Still, this gas-powered dirt genius gets all the off-road goodies a wheeler could want. Dana 44 heavy-duty front and rear locking axles, disconnecting front sway bar, 10 inches of ground clearance; all are essential to getting to the top of the rock pile, but the keys are the 4:1 low gearing and the 4.10 axle ratio. Sure, the axle ratio will cost you about $700, but it puts more torque to each wheel. When paired with the super-low gearing it’s possible to crawl over weighty obstacles with low speed and greater control.
Unfortunately, all the axle ratios in the world won’t help you if you pick the wrong line. I was halfway up the rock pile before I realized I’d put myself in a precarious situation. The BF Goodrich KO2 tires were trying their damnedest, but I’d gotten a rear wheel up in the air and the rocks were too slick for the remaining three tires to get a purchase. I looked out the door (because of course I had taken the doors off) and realized I was off my intended mark. Had I placed my front driver tire just 2 inches to the left, I would have been OK. As it was, I had no choice but to build a bridge under my open tire with my Maxtrax recovery boards and reverse out of it.
A few bangs and crashes to the skid plates later and I was at the bottom of the rock pile, the Jeep no worse for the wear. My ego, however, was crushed.
Still, there were plenty of obstacles to conquer at The Mounds Off Road Vehicle Park about an hour and a half outside of Detroit, all of which the Jeep, and more importantly the driver, did without a problem. Steep and sandy hills were easy. An approach angle of 42.2 degrees meant I could hit precipitous inclines with speed and not worry about hitting the steel front bumper. Coming over sharp crests is easy with a 21.2-degree breakover angle, and add 4 more degrees to that spec with the standard, two-door Wrangler Rubicon. Coming down a steep face can be done the old-school way, in 4L or with the hill-descent control feature. Don’t worry about the rear steel bumper scraping, as the Rubicon has a departure angle of 32.5 degrees.
Galaxy S7 Active Review: #1 in almost every category
Exclusive phones suck. Period. More people need access to a phone like the Galaxy S7 Active, which is currently locked down to just AT&T users like myself. After using the Galaxy S7 Active for a couple weeks, one thing has become clear to me. This phone is the best Android phone… wait, the best phone in general in four out of the five categories I am judging it on.
Build
This phone isn’t aiming to be in the hands of today’s designers or fashion experts, so don’t expect this device to blow you away with how good it looks. Grab a Galaxy S7 Edge if you’re going for a stunner. What Samsung sought out to do with this phone is build a tank of a device that will withstand anything. And they succeeded.
I’ve left this phone in the sink with the water running over it while I fixed myself a drink, I’ve dropped it out my car window going about 25 mph, and I even got bored and buried the thing under half a foot of dirt and left it there for a little while. All of these actions left the phone unscathed and ready for more.
The downside is this is a pretty ugly phone to say the least. The phone is made of rugged plastic that makes no attempt to match the sleek style of the regular Galaxy S7. The navigation buttons stick out too much, and remind me of a messaging phone before smartphones got popular. This phone was built for the outdoors, not for getting compliments.
I can’t tell you the extent of how the glass will hold up after so many drops (however there are videos out there showing some amazing results), but after dropping it out of a moving car window onto pavement with not even a scratch on the glass… I think you’ll come to trust this phone’s durability. Major props to Samsung for creating a phone like this, it easily competes with Motorola’s Droid Turbo 2 and the Moto Z Force.
Display
There’s not much to be said here that hasn’t already been said by Nick Schiwy in his Galaxy S7 review. Samsung continues to make the best smartphone displays in the world, and the S7 Active is no exception. We’re seeing the same panel put on the regular Galaxy S7, which is a 1440×2560 Super-AMOLED display, with an added layer of glass for durability. This added layer does make the regular S7 slightly more attractive, as the Active has slightly worse viewing angles when you tilt the phone to its side. The screen still amazes me with how bright it gets outside and how impressive games and movies look on it, as the AMOLED panel on this trumps all other AMOLED screens on the market because of Samsung providing its latest screen technology exclusively to its own premium phones.
Camera
The S7 Active shares the same incredible camera that the Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge have, which have been continuously praised as the best smartphone cameras in the world. I used this phone around the same time I was testing the OnePlus 3 and Moto Z Force, and neither of these two truly compare with the S7 Active’s camera.
I don’t really like taking videos on smartphones because the stabilization generally looks bad, but the S7 phones are on a whole new level. While taking 1080p 60 FPS video, I truly realized why so many people love Samsung cameras. The fluidity of 60 frames per second on top of Samsung’s stabilizing mode (which can be toggled, but I don’t see why you would turn it off) creates a video-recording experience I’ve never used before. This phone creates the perfect opportunity to hike, mountain climb or even swim while taking some of the best photos possible on a phone.
Performance
This is the section where I’ll calm down a bit and not give Samsung every award. With the help of AT&T, the S7 Active comes with apps I’ll never use that I’m unable to uninstall. The phone gave me suggestions on what AT&T services I should use like connecting to DirectTV. I was not a fan…
However, I recommend you check out our guides to installing a new launcher to avoid all of AT&T’s services and bloatware if you prefer. These launchers allow you customize your homescreen and hide apps you never want to see again.
Anyway, only after using the OnePlus 3 did I notice a couple jitters when using the S7 Active, and it just wasn’t the same smoothness I was use to, nor the memory management. This phone comes with 4GB of RAM, but when multitasking it feels identical if not slower to switch between apps than my Idol 4S, which only has 3GB of RAM. This is frustrating because memory management has been a problem for Samsung for a long time. I will say, coming from using the OnePlus 3 to the S7 Active is vastly different from someone upgrading to this phone from a device a year or two old. All-in-all, you’re going to be satisfied with the performance on the S7 Active.
Battery
If you’re on AT&T, and you’re sick of your phone not lasting you half-way through the day, you are going to be dumbstruck with how good battery life is on this phone. To give you an idea, the Galaxy S7 Edge has a 5.5 inch screen with a 3,600 mAh battery. More screen size means more power consumption. The Edge has incredible battery life, giving most users around 5 hours of on screen time. The Galaxy S7 Active has a 5.1 inch screen – with a 4,000 mAh battery. This is a huge battery even for phones with much bigger screens. I’ve been consistently getting around seven hours of screen on time, which is ludicrous for me.
Easily, I’ve been making it into the evening of the second day of usage on a single charge with around 8-12% battery left, with heavy usage (not even you can kill my phone this time, Snapchat). There’s not much else to say here folks. Take this thing camping for a night or two, and you might find yourself not needing an extra battery pack at all.
Conclusion
Like I said in the introduction, whether you’re looking for a phone with the best display, best camera, best durability, or best battery life, The S7 Active covers all those areas in one rugged package. Performance isn’t the best out of all the offerings, but with the Snapdragon 820 chip it’s still extremely close to every other high-end Android phone.
Of course, this phone isn’t for everybody (not that a lot of people have a choice, AT&T…) because it’s not the prettiest phone out there and some people may prefer a bigger screen or less ugly navigation buttons at the bottom of the phone, but if looks aren’t an issues for you, you literally cannot go wrong choosing this phone over any other at the AT&T store.
LG InstaView Door-in-Door Refrigerator Release Date, Price and Specs – CNET
Knock twice on that right door, and it’ll turn translucent to show you the groceries inside.
LG
Want to know what’s in the fridge? With the newest models from LG, you won’t even need to open the door.
They’re called “InstaView” refrigerators — they’re French door models with translucent panels over the right fridge door. Give that panel a double knock, and the tinted glass will fade translucent, allowing you to see inside without letting the cold air out. The four-door model seen here will sell for a cool $4,500 when it arrives on retail floors, though you’ll also be able to buy a three-door model without the extra drawer for $4,300.
All InstaView models come with a black stainless steel finish and also with LG’s Door-in-Door feature, which lets you push a button on the door handle to open the door’s front panel. That lets you access the in-door shelves without actually opening the fridge.
LG
LG makes a lot of other Door-in-Door fridges, including models that look virtually identical to these new ones. An equally-sized, black stainless steel four-door model without the InstaView feature retails for $4,200, so you’re looking at a $300 upcharge for that translucent door.
As for see-through fridges themselves, they’ve been in the works for a while now. We spotted our first one, a motion-sensing model from Haier, at the 2015 IFA appliances trade show in Berlin, Germany. Then, at CES 2016 in January, LG debuted its “Signature” refrigerator, a luxury model with the same knock-to-see-inside trick seen here. That fridge is still yet to debut, though we expect to see it sometime before the end of this year.
LG’s InstaView fridges are expected to arrive at retail this fall. Both the three- and four-door models will come in both standard-depth and -counter-depth varieties. Expect a full review just as soon as we can get one into our fridge testing lab.
Now that Deezer is widely available in the US, should you switch?
People outside of the U.S. are already familiar with Deezer. The streaming service has been available in other parts of the world for a long time now, but until recently the company only made its subscription available to a select few in the States. Until a few weeks ago, you needed to own either Bose or Sonos speakers (or have a Cricket phone plan) to have the option of using Deezer. After dipping its toe in the U.S. market, the streaming catalog is now available to everyone. Does it offer enough to woo subscribers away from other big-name services? Probably not.
First, a few details about my streaming habit. I’m a Spotify user familiar with Apple Music, thanks both to that three-month trial and the fact that my wife uses the service. I’ve been using Spotify since 2010, mostly for a la carte streaming, storing playlists and the radio feature. Despite the addition of video and podcasts, I use PocketCasts for my episodic content because the app has all of the shows I listen to regularly. Spotify does not, and as I came to find out, neither does Deezer.
I’m getting a bit of ahead of myself with podcasts, though, so let’s step back to the main reason you use a streaming service: music. My first order of business was to see if I could find gaps in Deezer’s library. Out of over two dozen albums that I currently have saved for easy access in Spotify, only two were missing here: Emarosa’s latest album, 131, and Thrice’s debut, Identity Crisis. I tried a number of other artists as well, including some that I felt were more obscure. During my searches, I was able find nearly everything I was after. Save for those two albums, I didn’t notice any huge holes in the catalog during my three weeks with Deezer. Not too shabby.
Music that’s exclusive to Tidal and other services isn’t in Deezer’s library, but that goes without saying. If you’re looking for an exact number, Deezer touts a library of 35 million songs. That’s 5 million more than both Spotify and Apple Music and 10 million more than Tidal’s collection. Speaking of Tidal, Deezer offers a similar high-resolution streaming option for $20 a month. There’s one catch: You have to own Sonos speakers in order to stream Deezer Elite’s lossless FLAC songs. That really limits the number of people for whom that option will make sense.
Once you find the music you’re looking for, Deezer makes it easy to save albums and tracks for later. Like Spotify and others, the service has a Favorites section for any song, album or podcast that you “heart” or “star” in the app. In other words, with one click, you can save an entire album to listen to later. Sure, it’s not technically a playlist, but you can still easily get to it from your profile. Deezer’s Favorites is the equivalent to Spotify’s Your Music section, which keeps any saved songs and albums separate from your playlists. This is just one example of how most of the core features in Spotify and other services are available as part of Deezer’s streaming plan, too. That includes apps for mobile, desktop and the web alongside AirPlay for iOS and Mac and Google Cast for the Android app.
Deezer for Mac is compact like the Twitter app.
I’m happy to report that Deezer offers an artist-based radio feature similar to the one I already love in Spotify. While it’s called “Radio” in most services, Deezer dubbed the tool “Artist Mix,” which I only figured out after I started clicking around. As with other streaming apps, you’re free to like or dislike songs to improve its selection in the future. You can also easily add any songs you enjoy to an existing playlist.
As of late, Spotify and Apple Music have both been touting music discovery features as a means of attracting new users. Since its launch, Apple Music has had a “For You” section that offers suggestions based on listening habits, but included in the soon-to-be-released iOS 10 update is a “Discover Mix” that’s more akin to Spotify’s “Discover Weekly” for finding new music. As a Spotify user, I get a lot of use out of “Discover Weekly” and the recently announced “Release Radar” to keep my rotation fresh. Both of those tools are super handy and consistently offer solid picks, so it’s nice to see Deezer serving up recommendations as well.
Deezer’s recently redesigned home page is the first screen you’ll see when you fire up the app or visit the web portal. That entire page is one big library of genre channels, curated playlists and easy access to a feature called “Flow.” Although Flow does a decent job creating a mix of songs based on your listening habits, I found the music selections to be somewhat dated. With “Discover Weekly,” Spotify serves up recently released songs as part of its suggestions, and I actually prefer that to a collection of older tunes. Deezer’s curated playlists are much better than “Flow” in my opinion, as some are dedicated to genre-specific new releases while others I liked focus on specific artists’ greatest hits.
Alright, so far Deezer is stacking up nicely against Spotify and Apple Music. Is there anything that the service doesn’t do particularly well? Yes: podcasts. Deezer added podcasts last year, several months after it bought Stitcher. The company then sold Stitcher and its 8.5 million users to Scripps back in June. I can’t speak to what podcasts were like on Deezer before, but as it stands, the integration makes the app frustrating to use.
No Terry Gross for me.
First, the selection is limited. I listen to five or six podcasts on a regular basis and none of them come up in a search on Deezer. I found that pretty odd since they’re available inside the Stitcher app and since Stitcher is still being used to pipe podcasts into Deezer. On top of not having a great catalog, the podcasts themselves are difficult to find. The only way the episodic content shows up in a menu is if you’re actually able to find one via search and favorite it. Otherwise, you’re left to those discovery channels to find podcasts, and even then there are but two options: News & Politics and Comedy. Perhaps the best illustration of my frustration is that a search for “sports” in Deezer turned up exactly zero podcast results.
I began test-driving Deezer ready to be persuaded that maybe Spotify wasn’t the best option for me. Instead, I found that I’m actually quite fond of my current streaming service’s discovery tools, and unlike a lot of folks, I actually prefer Spotify’s user interface. Sure, Spotify’s podcast library isn’t the best, but it’s at least easier to find and it offers a solid lineup of shows. More than anything else, I was hoping Deezer might allow me to stop using a second app just for podcasts. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case. It also seems silly that you have to own a certain brand of speakers in order to pay more for high-res streaming. I wonder how many folks would opt for that pricier tier, even if they were able to do so.
Aside from my complaints about podcasts, Deezer is a serviceable option for streaming music. Since most of the alternatives offer a similar feature set, it really comes down to a matter of personal preference for the user interface or brand loyalty. If you’re a devoted user of Spotify, Apple Music or Tidal, Deezer doesn’t offer enough for people to jump ship. However, if you’ve yet to commit to a service, don’t take my work for it. All of these music streaming services offer a free trial before you have to pay up, so you might as well exhaust all of the options before deciding.
Samsung Gear VR (2016) review – CNET
The Good Affordable. Easy to attach. Great audio-visual quality for a phone-based VR accessory. A growing library of apps and games. This model is more comfortable than earlier versions, and you can charge the phone while using it.
The Bad Only works with a specific collection of Samsung phones. Oculus PC game and app library isn’t cross-compatible with Android or Google Cardboard VR ecosystems. Lacks the positional awareness of PC-based VR rigs. Limited inputs mean it’s less immersive VR than you can get with larger, more-expensive PC-connected systems like the Rift.
The Bottom Line The latest Gear VR adds compatibility with Samsung’s latest phones and cements its position as the best mobile VR product right now.
I remember putting the Samsung Gear VR on my face and being blown away by the experiences it created. It was my first take-home doorway into virtual reality. That was December, 2014.
VR has since become a commodity everywhere: in high-end PC-connected systems like Oculus Rift and Vive, in cheap disposable phone accessories like Google Cardboard. There will be game console-ready stuff in PSVR, soon, too. But in the meantime, the Gear VR abides, a veteran in this fast-moving landscape.
The newest version, which connects to the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 and a handful of older Galaxy phones, is really pretty much the same. The connectors and a few finishing touches are different. (To be clear: if you’re happy with any one of the earlier Gear VR models, you’re fine — the changes are tweaks, not overhauls.)
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A larger touchpad, and two buttons instead of one: small differences, but comfy ones.
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I said “the same,” but that’s not really true at all. Oculus and Samsung — the headset is a joint venture — have steadily continued updating the software and app library in Gear VR. There are hundreds of apps and games, and so many types of streaming-video experiences via apps like Oculus Video, Within, Jaunt and others, that the amount of things to do seems inexhaustible.
There’s a small price to pay. Many apps cost anywhere from $1 to $10, and it’s hard to vet out the quality. Some games are well worth it (like Anshar Wars, Minecraft or Neverout); others feel buggy and low-quality. And your taste in VR games and apps might not be the same as mine. The aesthetics of virtual reality are still evolving and hard to figure out without trying some stuff. And — VR aficionados take note — just because Oculus helped design the Gear VR doesn’t mean that your PC-based Oculus Rift games will be playable here, and vice versa — there’s very little software crossover, although your Oculus account is the same and there are a growing set of intercommunicating functions…and a few apps like Minecraft that will play nicely together.
But, as a $100 accessory for your phone — provided you have a Samsung phone that works with it — Gear VR is still the best mobile way to dive into other worlds. And, for me, I still use it more than the obviously better, but harder to set up and share Vive or Oculus Rift.
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Old Gear VR (left), new Gear VR (right). The new one adds Note 7 support via USB-C.
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The same, with a few tweaks
Gear VR comes in a new blue-black design that looks more like the higher-end PC-connected Rift, but it’s the same concept as the white-and-black accessory it’s replacing. You slot your phone (a Samsung Galaxy Note 7, Galaxy S7, S7 Edge, S6, S6 Edge, S6 Edge+ or Note 5,) in, strap it on your face, and put on headphones.
The new Gear VR has a slightly improved field of view: 101 degrees, versus 96 degrees. I couldn’t discern the difference. The focal wheel, which works with glasses or without, is easier to turn, and the headset fit more comfortably on my face. The side trackpad’s a bit larger, smoother, and is easier to find with your fingers. There’s also a new button above the trackpad that’s a direct Home button shortcut, sitting next to a “back” button that helps navigate the Gear VR menus and settings.
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USB-C and Micro-USB pop-out adapters included (don’t lose them).
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Amped Wireless Ally Plus Release Date, Price and Specs – CNET
The Ally Plus Wi-Fi System includes the Ally router and one Wi-Fi extender.
Amped Wireless
Home mesh Wi-Fi systems are hot right now — we recently covered the Orbi Wi-Fi System from Netgear, for instance — but the new $380 Ally Plus Whole Home Smart Wi-Fi System from Amped Wireless has more than just easy setup to recommend it.
The Amped Wireless system promises to protect your entire home network from malware and online phishing scams in real time. This feature is based on Chime, a smart router platform developed by antivirus company AVG, which is designed to keep hackers out of your smart home gear. Amped also boasts a comprehensive parental control feature.
Essentially, the Ally Plus is a kit comprising one dual-band AC1900 router, called the Wireless Ally Whole Home Smart Wi-Fi Router, and one dual-band AC1900 wireless extender. They’re preconfigured to work together right out of the box. You connect the router to an internet source, such as a cable modem, and then place the extender unit a minimum distance away. The two will connect to each other and create a seamless Wi-Fi network, according to Amped Wireless, large enough to cover up to 15,000 square feet, and fast enough to deliver high-speed internet.
The Ally router comes with four Gigabit LAN port, one Gigabit WAN port and one USB 3.0 port.
Amped Wireless
Amped Wireless says the new system can be managed via both a web interface and a free mobile app for Android and iOS devices. Unlike other Wi-Fi systems where you can add more extenders to further extend the Wi-Fi coverage, Amped Wireless says the Ally Plus will include just the two units for the price of $380. Your only other option is to get just the Ally router by itself, without the extender, for $200.
Both options will be available in early October. Check back then for the full CNET review.
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