Friday, September 28, 2018

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

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.

Thursday, September 27, 2018

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 .

Wednesday, September 26, 2018

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
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.”

Tuesday, September 25, 2018

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

Monday, September 24, 2018

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
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.

Friday, September 21, 2018

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.

Thursday, September 20, 2018

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.)

Wednesday, September 19, 2018

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.