Google Charger

It looks like Google will release an accessory called the

Pixel Stand when it announces the Pixel 3 smartphone

range later this year. First, we heard about the wireless

charging stand in code discovered inside a beta version

of Google’s app. The stand may allow a docked Pixel

phone to work in a similar way to Google Assistant-powered

smart screens, such as Lenovo’s recently released Smart

Display.

Now, we’re being treated to a slightly better look at the

new device. A render of the charging stand has leaked

online through MySmartPrice, showing that the charging

stand is essentially made up of one circular puck for the

base, and one oval one for the back of the stand. The

render shows an orange bottom with the Google logo,

and an otherwise mostly white design.

The device’s primary feature maybe as a wireless charging

dock, but with additional Assistant-related functionality.

The code states that when the phone is docked, Google

Assistant will operate as it would do normally, providing

answers to questions, giving suggestions, and following

commands even when locked. It also adds the phone will

give personalized help when docked on the Pixel Stand.

All this is provided the dock is added as a trusted device

on the phone, indicating it may need to be connected by

Bluetooth at some point.

Lenovo’s Smart Display adds a visual element to Google

Home with a choice of two different screen sizes, but costs

either $200 or $250, making it considerably more expensive

than a standard Google Home or Google Home Mini.

Depending on how much Google charges for the Pixel Stand,

it may end up being a handy middle-ground for anyone wanting

to see Assistant’s advice and suggestions after providing voice

commands. While the screen won’t be as large as the Smart

Display — which is either 8 inches or 10.1 inches — it could

be ideal for desktop use, which is where we’d most want a

wireless charger anyway.

MSFT Xbox One Update

Microsoft is enabling keyboard and mouse support on

the Xbox One. Select Xbox testers will be able to trial this

new support in the coming weeks, and Microsoft is teaming

up with Razerso Xbox One users can purchase hardware

hat taps into the company’s Chroma lighting effects. Most

wired and wireless USB keyboards and mice will work on

the Xbox One, and it will be up to developers to support

this in games.

“Mouse and keyboard input is not enabled by default for

games,” explains Jason Ronald, director of program

management for Xbox. Each development team knows their

titles best and we support them in creating the right

experience for their games as they see fit, to ensure an

optimal and fair gaming experience.”

This fair experience of keyboard and mouse vs. Controller

will be key for developers to get right in the console world.

PC users typically have a movement advantage over players

with controllers in games like first-person shooters. Microsoft

has been working closely with big and small studios on this

new keyboard and mouse support, and it’s now looking for

feedback from Xbox testers to perfect this before it’s available

later this year.

Microsoft is planning to share more about its Razer partnership

during the company’s Inside Xbox stream on November 10th .

Roku Voice Control

Roku has revealed that Google Assistant is coming to

its devices via a software update in the coming weeks.

This means that you will soon be able to control your

Roku-branded streaming device by uttering a voice

command into your Google Home speaker or the Google

Assistant app on your phone, with similar functionality

landing on TVs that run the Roku operating system.

Those with a Roku streaming device will be able to play

and pause videos, search for content, and launch channels,

while anyone with a Roku TV will be able to turn their TV

on and off, alter the volume, change channels, and switch

Nputs.

This is a notable update from Roku and one that may

surprise some, given that Roku already offers some

voice-control smarts of its own through its voice remote

and the Roku mobile phone app. Plus, Roku recently

announced plans to launch a rival to the likes of Google

Assistant and Alexa with the Roku Entertainment Assistant.

It appears this isn’t quite ready for prime time, though its

launch was originally scheduled for sometime this fall. The

company is also planning to launch Roku-branded wireless

speakers shortly.

“As we broaden the Roku ecosystem, allowing consumers

to add new devices to their home entertainment networks,

we are in a unique position that is unlike any other TV

streaming platform,” said Ilya Asnis, senior vice president of

Roku OS. “Our single operating system running across Roku

TVs and Roku TV wireless speakers gives us the ability to

innovate how consumers experience audio and entertainment

in their homes.”

IOGEAR

By Bayle Emlein

Remember when every single device had a proprietary

power cord AND a proprietary cable to connect it to any

other device, AND it was all connected by wires? IOGEAR

does, and promotes USB C to replace USB-A, B, 1, 2, and

3; Mini, and Micro; male and female connectors to devices

we can no longer live without. USB Type-C™ connectors

are thin enough to mesh with the thinnest peripheral, and

orientation-free to simplify connecting. They are robust

enough for industrial applications and powerful enough to

support current and imminent power and speed demands.

Specs list USB Type-C™ as twice as fast as USB 3.0. Of

course, any device will need to be able to use the additional

speed to take advantage of the full capabilities. In the

meantime, IOGEAR sells adapters to help your gear make

the transition.

Looking at the bigger IOGEAR picture, the Thunderbolt

docking stations give you enough ports to connect everything

you need to your laptop. At Pepcom’s spring Digital Experience,

IOGEAR showed their newest in 4K wireless audio/visual

connections, dual video KVMs and gaming keyboards.

Synonymous with both quality and innovation, IOGEAR

continues to lead the way with gear that gets out of the way so

that you can get on with li

Smart Speakers

Smart speakers could be much more than just music,

weather, and the news

It’s been four years since Amazon.com’s Echo first hit

the market, and so far smart speakers haven’t amounted

to much more than glorified radios that can control the

Lights.

At the very least, these devices were supposed to have

changed the way we shop. But a damning report in The

Information recently revealed that of the 50 million owners

of an Alexa-enabled device, only 2% have used their voice

to make a purchase even once — and of those, only 10%

made a second purchase. Study after study shows that

people continue to use smart speakers primarily for the

basics: music, weather, and the news.

While smart speakers are popular and entertaining, at the

end of the day they just aren’t that useful. They’re still

awkward to interact with, they can’t handle complexity very

well, and features with a lot of potential, like push notifications,

are still in a nascent stage. As a result, each of the major

technology companies in the market — Amazon AMZN, -0.73%

Google GOOG, -0.78%GOOGL, -0.70% and Apple AAPL, -0.19%

in the US, and Baidu BIDU, -0.77%Alibaba BABA, -1.42% and

Tencent 0700, -1.97% TCEHY, +1.86% in China — have been

competing on either price or sound quality.

That leaves us with a fiercely competitive market full of

devices that all pretty much do the same thing: not very much.

However, there are a series of applications in the health and

security verticals which could transform these devices from a

“nice-to-have” to an absolute “must-have” product. Whichever

company is able to deliver credible innovations in these two

areas will break through the noise. Doing so will require

companies to go beyond merely adapting ideas that have

already proven to work on mobile phones, but instead

creating entirely new concepts that are native to smart

speakers and built with a voice-based interaction in mind.

Take health, for example. Contrast the difference between a

text-based calendar alert reminding you to take your

medications to an automated conversational check-in that

asks how your treatment is going and whether you’re

experiencing any issues or unexpected abnormalities. Without

any additional effort on your part, your responses could be

automatically uploaded to a health record and shared as

necessary with your doctors and family members to review.

That would amount to far more than an incremental improvement.

New Samsung Phone

Samsung Electronics has announced its first triple camera

Smartphone.

The Galaxy A7 comes with a 24 megapixel, 5 megapixel,

and 8 megapixel camera on its back, and will begin sales

in early October.

The 8 megapixel has a 120-degree wide lens, which

Samsung claims as the same viewing angle as the human

eye. The 24 megapixel and 5 megapixel will allow users to

control the depth of field by adjusting the bokeh effect.

Samsung said the 24 megapixel lens combines four pixels

into one in low light conditions for brighter photos.

The cameras also categorise subjects and optimise color,

contrast and brightness to best represent them.

The A7 has a 24 megapixel front camera and adjustable

LED flash, and has filters and AR emojis that can be added.

The phone packs a 6-inch Super AMOLED display and

Dolby Atmos sound. It also has glass cover and fingerprint

sensor. It comes in blue, black, gold, and pink. It also has

the firm's AI assistant Bixby, as well as Samsung Pay and

Samsung Health.

New Old Sony

Sony is following in Nintendo’s footsteps and bringing

back its original PlayStation console nearly 25 years after

its initial release as a miniature gaming device called the

PlayStation Classic, the company announced today. The

device is now up for preorder at Best Buy, Walmart, and

GameStop for $99.99 (€99.99 / 9,980 yen / £89.99) and,

similar to Nintendo’s NES and SNES Classic consoles, will

come pre-loaded with 20 “genre-defining” titles, including

Final Fantasy VII, Tekken 3, and Ridge Racer Type 4. The

device will launch globally on December 3rd.

In addition to a standard mini-PlayStation, buyers will also

get two classic PS1 controllers for games that support local

multiplayer when they purchase the bundle. We don’t yet

have a full list of games, but Sony’s press release confirms

two other titles: Jumping Flash and Wild Arms.

Considering Sony seems to be a bit better than Nintendo

when it comes to hardware supply, it doesn’t seem likely this

will be quite as hard to get your hands on as the NES or

SNES Classic have been. That’s good news for those longing

for retro PlayStation feels and some good old fashioned

Square role-playing games. (Granted, you can already play

a lot of classic PlayStation games as it is on iOS, PC, and,

soon, the Nintendo Switch too.)

More Alexa Gadgets

Amazon is doubling down on its Alexa-powered devices,

with plans to release at least 8 new voice-controlled

hardware devices before the end of the year, CNBC has

Learned.

The devices include, among others, a microwave oven,

an amplifier, a receiver, a subwoofer, and an in-car gadget,

people familiar with the matter said. All of the devices will

be Alexa-enabled, meaning they can easily connect to the

voice assistant. Some of the devices will also have Alexa

built in.

Amazon is expected to reveal some of these devices at an

event later this month, according to an internal document

describing the plans.