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Samsung Galaxy SmartTag review: Getting lost in Samsung’s walled garden

(Pocket-lint) – Samsung’s Galaxy SmartTag is a Bluetooth tracker, looking to extend the reach of SmartThings Find beyond those devices with their own connection, like a phone or a tablet.

It follows very much in the mould of Tile, the company that basically created and has dominated the Bluetooth tracker market up to this point. So does the Galaxy SmartTag impress, or is this a tracker that’s a little lost because it’s locked to Samsung-only phones?

Design & Build

Dimensions: 38 x 38 x 8mm / Weight: 12g
Finishes: Black or Oatmeal
IPX3 water resistance
CR2032 battery

There’s not much to the SmartTag. It’s a squircle, approximately 38mm square, with rounded corners. It’s about 8mm thick at the fattest point, although again it’s rounded towards the edges, so it’s like a smooth pebble.

Coming in two colours, there’s very little to talk about – apart from the important IPX3 water resistance. We left the SmartTag out in the snow over a weekend (accidentally, of course) and found it still to be working come Monday morning, which is exactly what you’d want from it.

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There’s a hole in one corner so you can attach it to things. The idea is that you put it on your keyring, slip it into a bag or attach it to other valuables, and then essentially forget about it.

One side of the SmartTag features a touch area – which is how you access the device’s features – which is not a physical button. Instead the centre of the device, where the Galaxy SmartTag logo sits, depresses with a satisfying click.

There’s a small on-board beeper that will respond to presses and also acts as the alarm so you can “ring” the tag when you’re trying to find it.

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You can prise the SmartTag open and inside you’ll find a CR2032 battery – rated for 280 days of use – meaning you can easily replace it, just as you can in a device like the Tile Pro.

How the Galaxy SmartTag works

Bluetooth Low Energy Connection (BLE)
Requires Galaxy smartphone/device
Controlled via the SmartThings app

Inside the Galaxy SmartTag is the battery and Bluetooth Low Energy chip, which is how you connect to the device. Everything is managed through the SmartThings app. Although SmartThings is available across platforms, only Galaxy devices running Android 8 or higher have support for the SmartTag – if you try to connect anything else to it, it won’t work.

Setup will require you to log into the SmartThings app using your Samsung account, then it’s a quick process of pairing with the SmartTag. That establishes a Bluetooth connection, but it also connects your tag into SmartThings, so you’ll see it appear in other devices running the SmartThings app too. That means that once you’ve connected it to one Samsung device, you’ll be able to find it on all Samsung devices (running Android 8 or later), without the need to connect it to each new phone.

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The SmartTag itself has no intelligence itself; any location that is logged, or location finding, comes from the information gathered by your phone and that’s essentially how it works.

Because it is connected to your phone, your phone will know where it is thanks to its own location tracking. While you’re within Bluetooth range of the SmartTag, you’ll always be able to “ring” it via the SmartThings app to find whatever it is attached to.

But when you’re out of range, your phone will be able to tell you the last location that it was connected to the Tag. That will mean, for example, that if you leave your keys in a café, your phone will know that it was last connected to the SmartTag at that café and show you the location via the SmartThings app.

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That side of things is simple, but Samsung is pushing tracking a little further via the Galaxy Find Network. When you lose your SmartTag, you won’t be able to detect it once you’re out of range – which is about 15 metres in our experience. But other Samsung phones will be able to detect it and report the location back to you.

Like Tile, this happens in the background, anonymously and in encrypted form, so you don’t need to worry about your privacy being compromised, whether you’re detecting someone else’s item or have someone else detect yours.

Once your SmartTag has been detected (either by your own phone or by another Galaxy user), you’ll be sent the location, at which point you can use SmartThings Find to show you the location – including getting directions from the map and a precise postcode.

A Galaxy of millions of users

While finding things in your home is much more straightforward – it will be within Bluetooth range so you can “ring” it and then go and find it – it’s the ou-of-home aspect of the SmartTag that has a lot more value.

The ability for a Samsung Galaxy phone to find your lost SmartTag is governed by the Find My Mobile system, which is tied into the Samsung account. So for someone to contribute to the system, they need to be a Samsung account user, first and foremost, which is optional on Samsung phones.

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It’s within the Find My Mobile settings that you’ll find the option to contribute to “offline finding” which is the part of the system that can anonymously find SmartTags and return information to Samsung’s system to feedback to the original owner.

That makes for millions of potential devices that can locate a SmartTag. The Tile system, on the other hand – while it works with both Apple and Android devices – only works among Tile users. Samsung has the potential to use its massive market presence to deliver a really good system. Unfortunately, you’ll never really know how well that system is working until you lose a tag and have it located by an anonymous Samsung owner.

To a certain extent you’re dependent on Samsung phone owners also using the Find My Mobile option on their devices – but unlike Tile, they won’t have to be SmartTag users or owners to help build the locator network, which is a postitive.

It’s all about SmartThings Find

Works within the SmartThings app
Gives map location and direction

As we’ve mentioned, the SmartTag sits within the SmartThings app on Samsung devices. While it will be registered to your list of SmartThings devices and appear within the app on non-Samsung phones, it will only say that it exists, but that it’s not supported.

On a Samsung phone, however, you’ll see the SmartTag listed with a nearby reading when it’s close at hand. Clicking through you can access details on the Tag, such as the battery level and the ringtone settings.

You can also opt to have the SmartTag detect your phone. This will mean you can double-press the button and have your phone ring, which is useful for finding your phone if you’ve misplaced it.

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You can also assign other functions to a single- or long-press of that button. This useful feature will let you create routines or actions within SmartThings. For example, you could have it arm the security system when you leave the house, or to open the garage door and turn on the lights when you return home. It’s customisable, so you can get it to do what you want, as long as those actions are within your SmartThings app. It uses a simple ‘If and Then’ system so it’s easy to setup.

Locating the SmartTag is handled by the SmartThings Find side of things. This is the same system that Samsung will let you use to find other Samsung devices you have registered to your Samsung account, including headphones like like Galaxy Buds Pro.

Opening up SmartThings Find will show a map displaying the location, or last connected location of all your devices, including the SmartTag. It’s within the map that you can toggle on the option to be notified when your lost SmartTag is found.

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You can also tap through to navigation instructions to take you to the location on the map. That will mean that if your missing SmartTag is detected in an unexpected location, you flip right over to Google Maps and travel to that location.

To try and help you find something you can use the Scan Nearby function which will try to move you in closer to that item. However, in the case of the SmartTag, once you’re within Bluetooth range, you’ll get a notification on your phone and you’ll be able to use the ring function so you can track down the sound and find whatever you have lost. We located a hidden tracker at night easily enough after recieving a notification of its location and using the ring function to track it down precisely.

One feature that seems to be missing is the “you’re leaving without” option, which Tile has on its Premium offering, alerting you when you’re leaving something behind. This is the system that would alert you to the fact that you’ve left the café without your keys, for example, because that strongly connected device has now lost connection.

Verdict

The Galaxy SmartTag is Samsung getting into a new area, looking to use the scale of its smartphone network to enable locating a lost item on a massive scale. The SmartTag works exactly as you’d expect it to – the alarm is loud enough to hear and we’ve had no problem with connecting to the device or locating it when we’ve delibrately lost it.

It’s likely to be slightly confusing for some people that it’s only supported on the Samsung network and not the wider SmartThings network – the latter which is universal across Apple and Android devices too. That will mean for the most benefit, everyone you want to be able to find a SmartTag will have to have a Samsung phone – while you’ll also have to stick to using a Samsung phone in the future or you’ll lose the ability to use SmartTags. Samsung says it has no plans to support other devices.

To a certain extent, the existing Tile offering is more attractive – there are more options for device types, universal support across Apple and Android devices, and an existing network of users – as you’re not restricted by Samsung’s walled garden. But for a committed Samsung user, the SmartTag will do much the same, without the need to sign-up to another service.

Also consider

Tile Pro

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It’s no surprise that Tile is the alternative, given that it’s the dominant player in this small market. Universal compatibility and a wider range of products to choose from is a natural advantage.

Read our full review

Writing by Chris Hall. Editing by Mike Lowe.

Apple Patent May Hint at the Future of Its Chips: A Multi-Level Hybrid Memory Subsystem

(Image credit: Apple)

Apple has patented a hybrid memory subsystem that comprises at least two types of memory: a high-bandwidth low-density type of DRAM as well as a low-bandwidth high-density type of DRAM. The patent may provide a glimpse of how Apple sees the future of its system-on-chips. Naturally, the new patent will fuel speculation that we could see newer versions of Apple’s M1 chip come with the new memory design, but this type of implementation could be used in several different types of chips.

Patents don’t always manifest as products on the market, but given the feedback we’ve received from patent lawyer Kerry Creeron, it appears that Apple has gone to great pains, and expense, to patent this new technique in a wide array of jurisdictions around the world, implying that it could be used in Apple’s products worldwide.

New System Architecture Requires New Memory Architecture

Apple’s switch to its M1 SoCs from Intel’s CPUs and AMD’s discrete GPUs is significant not only because the company is transitioning from x86 CPUs to Arm, and from Radeon CPUs to a PowerVR-derived architecture, but because it significantly changes the system architecture of its PCs.

CPUs and discrete GPUs have their own memory subsystems, whereas SoCs usually rely on a unified memory architecture. UMA has numerous advantages over dedicated memory subsystems, but it also has one important disadvantage, too: in an UMA system, the CPU and GPU have to share memory capacity and bandwidth, something that may affect performance in certain scenarios.

(Image credit: Apple)

HBM2 and HBM2E types of memory provide very high bandwidth, but these memory devices cost a lot, consume a lot, and cannot be upgraded by the end-user. In contrast, building a high-capacity memory subsystem with enough bandwidth for a high-end GPU using conventional or GDDR-type memory isn’t always possible, or feasible. In a bid to combine the best of both worlds, Apple has patented a hybrid memory subsystem combining HBM-like and DDR-like types of DRAM.

Apple’s patent entitled “memory system having combined high density, low bandwidth and low density, high bandwidth memories” describes various SoCs that use high-bandwidth cache DRAM as well as high-capacity main DRAM. The patent covers strictly system-on-chips and not PCs, so all DRAMs are supposed to be soldered down onto the substrate or onto the mainboard, just like the LPDDR4X chips that Apple uses on its M1 SoC. The architecture described in this very patent indicates that Apple doesn’t envision usage of standard memory modules, at least with some of its hybrid memory subsystems.

“With two types of DRAM forming the memory system, one of which may be optimized for bandwidth and the other of which may be optimized for capacity, the goals of bandwidth increase and capacity increase may both be realized, in some embodiments,” a description by Apple reads. “[Some implementations of hybrid memory subsystems may] to implement energy efficiency improvements, which may provide a highly energy efficient memory solution that is also high performance and high bandwidth.”

(Image credit: Apple)

Since Apple is a notebook-centric PC maker, it is not surprising that it is focusing on the energy efficiencies provided by hybrid memory subsystems. Meanwhile, it is obvious that the other advantages include more performance and capacity.

The patent mostly covers various physical implementations of several hybrid memory subsystems comprised of cache DRAM and main DRAM interconnected using numerous technologies. For example, one layout includes through-silicon vias (TSVs) that pass through a stack of main DRAM memory chips, which allows installing a fairly significant amount of DRAM capacity while not using a lot of space. Meanwhile, the patent doesn’t cover how operating systems or software could take advantage of a hybrid memory subsystem.

(Image credit: Apple)

An Important Technology

Apple, just like any other high-tech company, files applications for hundreds of patents every year. Some of the patent applications become real products, but others do not. But Apple’s patent application US10573368B2 was filed in 2016, and then the company filed appropriate applications in many jurisdictions all around the world, which implies that the architecture is expected to be used worldwide (i.e., in many Apple products).

(Image credit: Apple)

“This patent was filed in a wide array of jurisdictions, including the EP (European Patent Org.), U.S., China, and Japan,” said Kerry Creeron, an attorney with the firm of Banner & Witcoff. “Such a wide filing strategy is expensive and typically only makes sense if IP protection is important.”

Another interesting thing to note about the patent is the name of one of the inventors; Sukalpa Biswa moved to Apple from PA Semi, so he must have a lot of experience with CPU design.

Not An Apple Exclusive

Apple’s hybrid memory subsystems certainly look very impressive, but it’s unlikely that this type of hybrid technology will be exclusive to Apple.

(Image credit: Apple)

Intel’s modern Xeon Scalable processors can work both with conventional DDR4 SDRAM as well as Optane Memory (3D XPoint) modules, essentially supporting a hybrid memory subsystem. Intel’s next-generation Xeon Scalable codenamed Sapphire Rapids processor will also support HBM, so its hybrid memory subsystem will likely look like the one Apple has patented.

ASRock Launches Jupiter X300: A 1-Liter AMD Ryzen 4000G Mini PC

(Image credit: ASRock)

ASRock has announced its new series of ultra-compact form-factor (UCFF) PCs that combine small dimensions with performance of desktop APUs from AMD. ASRock’s Jupiter X300-series is only slightly larger the company’s Mars 4000U-series machines launched last November, but it clearly packs considerably more performance and features than its smaller brother.

ASRock’s Jupiter X300 barebones PC uses AMD’s easy-to-find socketed Ryzen 2000/3000/4000 APU with up to eight cores, built-in Radeon Vega graphics as well as an up to 65W TDP cooled using a copper heatsink and a high-performance blower. The APUs can be paired with up to 64GB of DDR4 3200 MHz memory (using two SO-DIMM modules), an M.2-2280 SSD with a PCIe 3.0 x4 or SATA interface, and a 2.5-inch/9.5-mm drive.

The manufacturer says nothing about compatibility of its Jupiter X300 systems with AMD’s not-yet-announced Ryzen 5000-series ‘Cezanne’ APUs, but the machines are based on a rather outdated AMD X300 chipset. Meanwhile, since the motherboard uses a proprietary form-factor, it will prove tricky to upgrade.

(Image credit: ASRock)

The Jupiter X300 chassis measures 178 × 178 × 34mm, so not as compact as a NUC, but not too far away from NUC-like dimensions. The system — which is actually smaller than Apple’s MacMini — can be attached to VESA mounts of a display or used on the desktop.

(Image credit: ASRock)

Connectivity department of ASRock’s Jupiter X300 is quite advanced. The machine can be equipped with Intel’s AX200 Wi-Fi 6 + Bluetooth 5 module (or any other adapter if you buy it separately), it has one Gigabit Ethernet port, three display outputs (a DisplayPort 1.2, an HDMI 2.0, and a D-Sub to support legacy monitors), two 3.5-mm audio connectors, and eight USB ports (two USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-C, four USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A, two USB 2.0), which might be a record for an UCFF PC.

(Image credit: ASRock)

ASRock positions its Jupiter X300-series machines for home, office, and enterprise customers. Since the latter often require remote management and advances security, ASRock offers them its X300-serie DASH barebones with a DASH-enabled LAN, trusted platform module 2.0, an anti-intrusion sensor. Obviously, to use remote management and other advanced features of AMD’s business platform, the systems have to be equipped with the company’s Ryzen Pro-series APUs.

ASRock did not announce MSRPs of its Jupiter X300-series barebones PC.

Philips unveils new four-strong Go Sports wireless headphone series

(Image credit: Philips )

According to Philips, nearly two thirds of active sports enthusiasts (and over 90 percent of 16-24 year-olds) are using headphones while exercising, and in a bid to take the lion’s share of that market, the firm is releasing a new dedicated sports series focusing on sports-worthy fit, durability, great sound plus new safety and hygiene features.

The Philips Sports Headphones range will start with four products, which should hit shelves in April. All of them feature USB-C fast-charging, Bluetooth 5.0 and dust, sweat and waterproofing – but the firm promises there are 10 headphone models in the pipeline for the first half of 2021.

Ready for a quick breakdown of the incoming models in the Philips Sports Series lineup? The range rollout will comprise the A7306 flagship true wireless in-ears, A6606 wireless neckband bone conduction headphones, A4216 sports on-ear wireless headphones and a neckband in-ear proposition called the A3206.

(Image credit: Philips)

The new flagship Philips A7306 true wireless headphones (above) combine heart rate monitoring and UV cleaning technologies, meaning they can apparently be cleansed with ultra-violet rays in just 20 seconds, simply by popping them back in their case.

You get three different coloured wing-tips and three detachable ear-hooks for a run-worthy fit, 9mm drivers, two mics per earpiece for clear audio, an IP57 rating (meaning that as well as dustproofing, the buds can survive submersion in water up to a metre deep, for 30 minutes), tap-controls for playback and call-handling plus up to six hours of battery life on a full charge, with an extra 18 hours on hand from the charging case. Thanks to fast charge, you can get a claimed hour of playback in just 15 minutes too.

Sports enthusiasts can also track their performance with the A7036’s built-in heart rate monitor, which Philips says is compatible with most popular fitness apps currently available.

In addition, Philips promises users can stay safe out there thanks to a special one-tap awareness mode feature giving instant access to external sounds.

In terms of voice assistance, the A7306 supports Google Assistant and Apple Siri, and they’re compatible with Philips dedicated headphones app – which, says Philips, works with the most popular sports tracker apps.

(Image credit: Philips )

The Philips A6606 sports bone conduction headphones (above) offer a different way of listening. Unlike traditional headphones, the A6606 wireless model transmits sound vibrations to the ear via the user’s cheekbones, thus allowing you to enjoy music while leaving your ears free to hear background sounds, especially in busy environments or while running alongside traffic, say. It’s the first time Philips has produced such a design – and the company proud to present it.

The A6606 is designed to fit perfectly under a cycle helmet, and as an additional safety feature the headphones include a high visibility LED light that can be controlled via the Philips Headphones App.

Expect nine hours of playtime from a single charge, 15 minutes of charging to get one-hour playback, and a full charge in two hours.

The lightweight (but Titanium reinforced) neckband design completes a sleek aesthetic, which also boasts IP67 water, sweat and dustproofing.

You also get a carry pouch for easy storage and two built-in mics for calls on the move.

(Image credit: Philips )

The Philips A4216 (above) is a sports on-ear wireless option, boasting good passive noise cancellation and large 40mm drivers.

The model has been ergonomically designed for extra comfort, featuring memory foam inserts with a special cooling gel for those high intensity sessions, all covered in removable and washable fabric sleeves for extra hygiene protection. They also fold inwards for easy, compact storage in your gym bag.

A huge 35-hour playtime and quick charge feature (which boasts two hours after 15 minutes of charging) should ensure the A4216 are always ready to use, even for the most extended of workouts.

The IP55 rating means they can’t be fully submerged in water but they’ll survive a sweaty (or rainy) run, and there’s also a built-in microphone with echo cancellation for clear audio.

(Image credit: Philips)

Last but by no means least, for now, the Philips A3206 offers a wireless neckband design, ie. with a cable tying the two buds together so it’s nigh-on impossible to lose one when cycling or running.

A choice of three interchangeable comfortable wing-tips and three ear-hooks should ensure an unshakable fit, while a Kevlar reinforced, light reflective cable promises extra safety in low light.

Also on the spec-sheet is a 13.6mm neodymium acoustic driver in each earpiece, an IP57 sweat, dust and waterproof rating, three user friendly buttons on the remote control and shirt clip, and a push button to trigger voice control – with either Google Assistant or Siri at the helm.

All models will be available in black, from April 2021. At the time of going to press, prices are still to be confirmed, but as and when we know. so shall you…

MORE:

Read our pick of the best sports headphones 2021: keep active with these earbuds

See all our Philips reviews

Not looking for a sports set? Check out the best wireless headphones on the market right now

Peloton Bike Plus: an upgrade at a crucial time

The bike arrives at a time when many people want to work out at home

Last year was the year of the COVID-19 pandemic, the year sweatpants become acceptable workwear, and the year Peloton peaked. Mid-pandemic, the company announced two new devices: the pricier Bike Plus and a less expensive treadmill called the Tread. The Bike Plus started shipping in September and includes significant updates to the company’s signature hardware during an especially critical time when many people have shifted their fitness routines from gyms into their own homes.

I, for years, have been a dedicated Crunch gym-goer, usually taking five classes a week. But with gyms closing off and on and classes generally being canceled, I moved my routine indoors. First, I started with Peloton’s app workouts, using resistance bands and bodyweight. I then switched to Zoom classes taught by an instructor I enjoy from Crunch. For the past few months, I’ve been testing Peloton’s Bike Plus. To put it simply: I’ve loved my time with the Bike Plus. It’s become an important tool for my well-being. Anytime I need to sweat out stress or transition my day from work into leisure, the bike is my go-to. Peloton has built a truly reliable spin bike, but at $2,495, the price is still hard for me to accept, especially considering its ecosystem lock-in.

The main thing to keep in mind when assessing Peloton’s products is that you’re paying solely for new hardware. The Peloton software remains the same across both the old and new internet-connected bikes, similar to how most old and new iPhones receive the current iOS. You can also access that app content without any official Peloton equipment. To get people to upgrade, though, Peloton has to offer real hardware innovation in order to justify the Bike Plus’ nearly $2,500 price versus the original bike’s $1,895 cost. This time around, for the extra $600, riders get a new swiveling display, a fresh speaker system, automatic resistance calibration, and Apple Watch GymKit support.

Before fully assessing the bike investment, though, let’s first break the Bike Plus down by what’s new and how those features work:

THAT SWIVEL DISPLAY

The most obvious change with the Bike Plus is the new 23.8-inch HD touchscreen. The prior model included a 21.5-inch HD touchscreen with thick bezels on all sides. It effectively looked like an iMac bolted to a stationary bike. The Bike Plus places a speaker across the top of the display, augmenting those bezels. To be clear: there are definitely still bezels on the new display, but they feel unobtrusive. It’s a massive screen solely for workout content, and your attention is firmly planted at the center of the screen most of the time. However, for a display this size and at this high of a cost, its lack of an ambient light sensor is questionable. I work out at various hours of the day but particularly love an evening ride in a dark room. The screen should dim itself rather than me having to manually do so. (There’s a camera at the top of the display for video calls with friends, so it could easily detect light.)

As for the new swivel function, the main idea is people can take Peloton’s floor classes without having to uncomfortably stand behind their bikes. You can swivel the display out and away from the bike to face the rest of the room, allowing you to move around to complete yoga, strength, or meditation classes.

Peloton also launched a new class format, called Bike Bootcamp, to coincide with this bike’s release. The bootcamp is designed to give cyclers a chance to do it all — bike and strength train within the same class — without having to complete two separate workouts. And while the swivel display makes this option feasible, I still found these classes difficult to pull off for the first few weeks, namely because of the Peloton cycling shoes. When you ride on a Peloton, you clip into the bike with cycling shoes, and these shoes take time to clip out of the pedals, which requires lots of practice. For context, the Peloton employee who delivered my bike recommended leaving my shoes in the pedals and slipping my foot in and out to avoid a hassle.

Bike Bootcamp classes expect you to clip in and out to complete various portions of the class, which took me a while to get used to doing. Adding to the quick transition stress was the lack of a pause button, meaning that I often missed the demo portion of the strength routine and fell behind. Peloton says the missing pause button is because the bike is “designed to give you a great workout and ensure that you work as hard as you would in a live indoor cycling class,” but in a home context, it’s more of a pain than anything else. You can exit the class, but this means you’ll have to reenter it, which takes a while and is annoying to do. And if you accidentally tap that you want to restart the class entirely, there’s no forward or back button.

I also found the angling of the display to be slightly off. Working out on a mat means you want the display to tip as far down as possible to provide a good view of the content. But this display doesn’t angle far enough down, meaning I had to crane my neck to see the instructor. This didn’t prevent me from using the screen for mat workouts, but it did annoy me (and kind of hurt!) at times.

Still, the swivel is an essential upgrade, especially if you use your bike’s display as your main one for other workouts. I don’t have a TV, so I need the swivel, but Peloton also offers a suite of options for broadcasting to a TV, including a Roku app, Fire TV app, and AirPlay and Cast compatibility. If you have any of these options available to you in your home gym, the swivel screen likely won’t do much for you and isn’t worth the upgrade cost.

THE NEW SPEAKER SYSTEM

The new bike comes with 26-watt, front-facing stereo speakers, as well as woofers that face away from you. The prior bike only included rear-facing stereo speakers. The new speakers sound great, although I preferred to bike with Bluetooth-paired wireless earbuds. (There’s also a headphone jack for anyone who might want wired options.) Peloton lets you select between different audio mixes, either prioritizing the music, the instructor, or finding a balance between the two in the original mix. I always work out with the music prioritized and when I do this through my AirPods Pro, I have no problem also hearing the instructor. But when I listen through the speaker, I find the music mix to be almost unusable; I sometimes can’t hear the instructor at all and miss my cues. The music is loud and sounds fantastic, which is perhaps what Peloton wanted, but finding the perfect balance between thumping music and hearing directions was complicated. (I’ll also note here that the bike is remarkably silent. My roommate would ride next to my bedroom door, and I couldn’t hear anything apart from his breathing. It’s a great bike for a shared home where people want to exist in their own spaces.)

AUTOMATIC RESISTANCE DETECTION

This feature is undeniably cool. Typically, in a spin class, the instructor offers a range within which the riders should aim to set their resistance level. Spinners reach down to their resistance knob and turn it to the desired resistance whenever a new range is called out. The Bike Plus now adjusts the resistance automatically. It’s slick and convenient and absolutely the neatest feature of the Bike Plus.

I did encounter some bugs, though. Sometimes the cues were off, either with the resistance setting itself between a different range than the instructor called out, the timing of that resistance change being off, or the resistance dropping at times when it should have stayed consistent or even increased. This seemed to happen more frequently in older archive classes than new ones. With that said, though, the few times I ran into this problem weren’t a huge issue. I adjusted the knob myself and waited for the bike to catch the next instruction. I still find this feature hugely helpful, allowing me to concentrate more on the class rather than adjusting the knob to get to the right resistance, especially during climbs when the resistance can go up suddenly during an energy push.

APPLE WATCH GYMKIT

The Bike Plus is also the first device from Peloton to directly integrate with the Apple Watch through GymKit. I had a couple of problems with this functionality at first: the Watch wouldn’t pair with the bike, but then Peloton issued an update which seemed to correct the issue. Only one other time did I have a problem with pairing and had to restart my Apple Watch. Although these issues only came up a couple of times, they were particularly upsetting because when the bike is paired with the Apple Watch, your heart rate shows up on-screen during a workout, which I look to monitor as I’m moving through a class. With the Apple Watch paired, workouts are also tracked in Apple’s Health app with all the bike’s own data taken into account, like energy output, so the functionality not working 100 percent of the time is frustrating and actively takes away from my exercise. But on the whole, it’s remained mostly reliable.

The watch only directly syncs with the bike for spin or bike bootcamp workouts, meaning you won’t be able to see your heart-rate on the screen while you complete a strength or pilates class, for example. This isn’t great and feels like it defeats the purpose of having GymKit compatibility in the first place.

IS THIS THE BIKE FOR YOU?

The Bike Plus is an expensive, tough sell for Peloton and one that needs to be pulled off flawlessly, especially as new software competitors, like Apple Fitness Plus, enter the market, as well as cheaper hardware competitors like Echelon and Bowflex. The Bike Plus feels like the iPhone of spin bikes — it’s intuitive to use and works right out of the box. (But actually, there is no box because Peloton offers white glove delivery and setup with every purchase.)

For the person who doesn’t want to fiddle with a bike that isn’t totally built for Peloton’s software, meaning it doesn’t monitor output and all the other fancy fitness metrics, Peloton’s bikes are tempting. But buying one means committing to a $39-per-month subscription. The app itself only costs $12 per month but doesn’t include multi-account support, live classes, the leaderboard, and full metrics.

For some people, that $39 is a savings compared to what they used to spend for gym access, especially considering it provides access to an unlimited number of different profiles. For others, it’s a significant investment in their health and life. Either way, you’re committing to Peloton and its subscription plan forever. The display is useless without the subscription, meaning if you ever wanted to try Apple Fitness Plus or SoulCycle or any other on-demand cycling classes, you’d have to ignore the massive display and instead get a TV or laptop to watch.

As much as I loved my time with the Bike Plus, the high price and software lock-in is difficult to accept. Peloton has built undeniably great hardware. I just wish I could use it with any software I liked rather than only Peloton’s app. If I had a TV, this might bother me less because I’d plan to use whatever fitness app I liked on my TV and wouldn’t sweat losing the subscription. Although, of course, I’d then be saddled with a massive HD display that literally does nothing.

The question of whether I’d recommend this bike depends on how much you love Peloton’s classes and how much you want to work for your exercise bike. Other spin bikes exist, many of which are cheaper and allow you to swap in your own tablet. You can even use Peloton’s app with them, albeit with some compromises, like losing your place on Peloton’s competitive leaderboard.

There’s also Peloton’s notorious delivery delays to consider. The New York Times notes that buyers’ delivery dates are being rescheduled day-of with the actual equipment showing up months after the date they were first quoted. All of this is to say, if you’re considering this bike purely for pandemic workouts, prepare to wait.

Still, to me, the Bike Plus is a must-get for anyone who lives the true Peloton lifestyle and sees themselves loving the company and its software far into the future. It’s reliable, works well, and, broadly, my gripes didn’t take away from the experience; I’ve been riding nearly daily for months now.

I just can’t predict whether I’ll want to go back to the gym post-pandemic or if I’ll get used to working out at home indefinitely. To Peloton’s credit, however, I can’t imagine myself readily giving this bike back; it’ll hurt a little to watch it leave. That feels like a victory for the brand and an admission for me that I do want a Peloton bike in my life.

Samsung’s Galaxy S21 Ultra is first with new power efficient OLED display

Samsung’s latest flagship, the Galaxy S21 Ultra, is its first phone to feature Samsung Display’s new power-efficient OLED panels. In a press release, Samsung says the new display consumes 16 percent less power thanks to a “just-developed organic material” that means “electrons flow faster and more easily across the display’s organic layer.”

“In other words,” Samsung explains, the technology means its “OLED panels can create brighter light while consuming less power, which improves the battery lifetime.” A smartphone’s display is typically one of its most power-hungry components, so efficiency gains here can have a big impact on the overall battery life of the device. In our review, we remarked that the S21 Ultra has excellent battery life that lasts “beyond a full day.”

Samsung confirmed to The Verge that the S21 Ultra uses an LTPO (aka a Low-Temperature Polycrystalline Oxide) display, but it’s not the first of Samsung’s phones to do so. Last year, The Elec reported that Samsung’s Galaxy Note 20 Ultra also used LTPO display panels, which Samsung brands as HOP (Hybrid Oxide and Polycrystalline silicon). However, this week’s announcement says the S21 Ultra is the “first” to use the more efficient panels, suggesting Samsung Display has further refined the technology compared to the Note 20 Ultra.

Prior to appearing in smartphones, LTPO displays have been used in smart watches. The Elec notes that the Apple Watch Series 4 featured an LTPO display produced by LG, while Samsung’s Galaxy Watch Active 2 used an LTPO display produced by Samsung Display.

If reports are accurate, Apple’s next flagship iPhones could soon benefit from Samsung Display’s power-efficient panel technology. Earlier this year, The Elec reported that the South Korean company is in line to supply LTPO panels for Apple’s 2021 iPhones. According to the report, Apple will use 120Hz LTPO OLED displays in two of its four iPhones in the second half of the year, while the other two will have more traditional OLED panels.

Samsung Galaxy Watch 3’s EKG feature is coming to 31 new countries

Samsung is expanding its Health Monitor app to 31 new countries, including 28 European countries, and people in those countries will be able to use the app with a Galaxy Watch 3 or Galaxy Active 2 smartwatch to take electrocardiogram (EKG) and blood pressure readings.

Samsung says the app was granted a CE marking in December, which means that it complies with applicable regulations in Europe and can be offered in the European Economic Area.

Here is the full list of countries in Europe that will soon be able to get the app: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the UK. It will also be available in Chile, Indonesia, and the United Arab Emirates soon.

To be able to take an EKG or blood pressure measurement, you’ll need to have the Samsung Health Monitor app installed on your Galaxy smartphone and on a Galaxy Watch 3 or Galaxy Active 2. Samsung says the app update that enables the features will begin rolling out on February 4th, though the company notes that availability “may vary by market and carrier.”

Apple introduced the ability to take an EKG with the Apple Watch Series 4 in 2018, though Apple Watches still can’t natively track blood pressure.

The new iPhone update fixes security bugs, so it’s best to install it ASAP

Apple just released iOS 14.4 and iPadOS 14.4, and the update notes contain some worrying language (via TechCrunch). Under kernel updates, Apple notes that “a malicious application may be able to elevate privileges,” and under WebKit updates, it says “a remote attacker may be able to cause arbitrary code execution.” After both statements, the update notes say, “Apple is aware of a report that this issue may have been actively exploited.”

What this means, broadly, is that you should update your iOS devices as soon as possible. To put the language into plain terms: Apple found a security hole in its operating systems, and it also has evidence that someone may have exploited it. The update notes don’t have any further details, so for now, we don’t know who may have used the security breach or what they may have been using it for.

However it was used, the security breaches aren’t minor ones. An application being able to elevate privileges means that it could do things it’s not supposed to be able to do. Again, there aren’t any details, but broadly speaking, it means a malicious app could’ve bypassed some of Apple’s security protections.

The WebKit exploit isn’t better. A remote attacker being able to cause arbitrary code execution means an attacker could do things on your phone just from you visiting a website they control.

This isn’t to say it’s time to go into total cyber-lockdown mode, but it does mean that 14.4 isn’t an update you want to put off for a while. In the meantime, Apple says it’ll provide additional details soon, so we’ll keep an eye out for more information about the exploits.

Tweetbot 6 brings essential updates and a monthly subscription to the iPhone’s best Twitter app

Tweetbot has long been one of the best third-party Twitter applications around for the iPhone and Mac, and today sees the launch of the latest version for iOS: Tweetbot 6, which converts the app into a paid subscription service instead of the single-time purchase that was previously offered.

The new app makes the change to Twitter’s new API that the company introduced last summer, enabling some long-missing features in the premium Twitter app like Twitter cards and polls. That change does come with some trade-offs, though, including the removal of user-selected options for URL shortening, image uploads, and video uploads.

The free version of the app offers some basic functionality in allowing users to view Twitter — but you’ll have to pay for more substantial features, including the ability to send or reply to tweets, along with support for multiple accounts, push notifications, and “advanced filtering.”

Existing users may find the update to be a bit frustrating, given that Tweetbot 5 had previously been a single-time purchase for $4.99. At $0.99 per month (or a discounted $5.99 per year), the new app marks a price increase no matter how you look at things, while offering only a handful of new features to make up the difference. Furthermore, Tapbots will soon stop selling Tweetbot 5 on the App Store (developer Paul Haddad says Apple made that a requirement to approve the new version), so new users soon won’t have the choice to buy the outdated older version for a single-time payment.

Tapbots does note on its website that the new version of Tweetbot 6 is an “early access” version of the app, with “many new features on our roadmap to be built as well as new API’s to adopt as Twitter makes them available,” so it’s possible that the new app will get further functionality over time that may ease the bitter pill of the pricer subscription change.

The company also has yet to announce any upgrade plans for the Mac version of Tweetbot, which currently uses the older Twitter API and still costs $9.99 upfront to use. Including an updated macOS version of Tweetbot in that monthly or yearly subscription could also help add value to the new subscription, a strategy that other apps like Fantastical have employed in their own jumps from paid apps to ongoing subscriptions.

Weeks later, Google still hasn’t added privacy labels to its most popular iPhone apps

Three weeks after Google promised it would add Apple’s mandatory app privacy labels “as soon as this week,” none of the company’s main apps have the labels, including Gmail, search, Photos, Docs, and YouTube.

There have been some questions about whether Google is purposefully not updating its apps to avoid the labels, so I looked through every Google app in the iOS App Store to find out whether the updates have been coming.

Some have: 12 apps now have the iOS privacy labels, though they may not be as recognizable as YouTube or Gmail:

Stadia
Google Translate
Google Authenticator
Google Play Movies and TV
Google Classroom
Google Fiber
Google Fiber TV
Wear OS
Onduo for Diabetes
Project Baseline
Google Smart Lock
Motion Stills – GIF, Collage

Clicking through to the privacy labels, they seem to make sense. Some of the apps, like Google Authenticator, don’t capture much information, while Google Translate and Classroom have a pretty hefty list of privacy notices.

Again, this doesn’t necessarily mean that Google is capturing all of that information just from you opening the app. The privacy label just shows all of the things the app may capture depending on which features you use. And while you may have to scroll a bit through the list, it’s nothing like Facebook’s seemingly endless list.

The privacy info for Authenticator fits on one screen.

Google promised a while ago that it would start adding privacy labels to its apps on the App Store. They’ve now been added to Google Translate. pic.twitter.com/aC4jhExywM

— Mitchell (@strawberrywell) January 26, 2021

There are some oddities, though. “Motion Stills – GIF, Collage” is an app that hasn’t been updated for three years, yet it has the privacy labels. It’s probably fair to say that this wasn’t the app we had in mind when Google promised it would start rolling them out.

The privacy label for an app that hasn’t been updated in three years.

Apple launched these privacy labels on December 14th, and companies like Google can no longer update their apps unless they add these privacy labels first. So when some people noticed that Google had stopped updating its apps, they speculated that it may be to avoid having to admit how much data it was collecting.

Google has denied that, though, explicitly telling TechCrunch that it wasn’t holding back updates and that it was committed to adding the labels when those updates were ready. The company reiterated that promise in a privacy-focused blog post on January 12th:

As Google’s iOS apps are updated with new features or to fix bugs, you’ll see updates to our app page listings that include the new App Privacy Details. These labels represent the maximum categories of data that could be collected—meaning if you use every available feature and service in the app.

They are rolling out. It’s just not clear when Google will update its most popular apps — the ones that likely suck up the most user data, anyhow.

The HomePod mini finally adds its long-promised ultra-wideband handoff feature

Apple has officially released iOS 14.4 and a matching update for its HomePod mini speaker, adding the long-promised ultra-wideband (UWB) handoff feature that will allow newer iPhones to more seamlessly transfer music, calls, and podcasts between the two devices.

While both the original HomePod and the HomePod mini have supported handing off music for some time, the smaller device features a U1 ultra-wideband chip that promises to make it even easier to transfer content over from an iPhone 12 or iPhone 11 device. The new U1-enhanced functionality also adds additional features, including new visual and haptic feedback. The U1-based system also will give the option to show listening suggestions when you bring your phone close and display media controls on your iPhone without requiring you to unlock it first.

The ultra-wideband handoff feature was originally showcased when the HomePod mini was first announced, but it wasn’t included with the original release. Instead, Apple promised that it would be available later in 2020 (a deadline that the company has slightly missed).

To take advantage of the new update, you’ll need a HomePod mini that’s been updated to the latest software, along with a U1-equipped iPhone 11 or iPhone 12 device that’s running iOS 14.4. The original HomePod isn’t compatible with the new functionality, though, due to its lack of a U1 chip.

Tile review: Pro, Mate, Slim and Sticker compared and reviewed

(Pocket-lint) – Tile is the name in Bluetooth trackers, dominating a market that it invented, with few rivals. It’s a clever system which allows you to ‘tag’ your devices with a Tile and then track them, to help avoid loss.

The Tile ecosystem expanded in 2019 and now offers four different models to suit different applications, a clever app that means you can also find your phone in return – and a network that can find lost items via other Tile users, completely securely.

If you’re always losing things, then there’s a good chance that Tile has something that will help.

Tile Mate vs Pro vs Sticker vs Slim: What’s the difference?

With four main products, let’s start by telling you what’s different about all these devices. Essentially, the differences are in the range and the batteries, with slightly different form factors to suit how you want to use the devices.

Note: there have been several versions of the Mate and Pro. Here we’re focusing on the 2019 version (we’ve given details for the older devices in brackets). There are also Tile Sport and Tile Style, but they are no longer sold.

Tile Mate

Tile Mate has a range of 60 metres, features a changeable battery that will give you 1 year of life. (Previous version: range 45 metres.)

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Tile Pro

Tile Pro is slimmer than the Mate, offering a longer range of 122 metres, but also has a changeable battery that will last for 1 year. (Previous version: range 90 metres.)

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Tile Sticker

Tile Sticker is designed to be stuck via the 3M adhesive back, so you can put it onto anything. As such it doesn’t have a changeable battery, but the battery will last for 3 years. It has a range of 45 metres.

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Tile Slim

Tile Slim is a credit card shape and exceptionally thin, so you can slip it into a wallet or luggage tag. Like the Sticker, it’s a single-use Tile so you can’t change the battery, but the internal battery will last you for 3 years. It has a range of 60 metres. (Previous version: range 30m, different shape.)

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Tile set up and the app

Everything Tile revolves around your account and the app that’s running on your phone. Setup is easy. Once you’ve installed the app you’re walked through a simple process to register and connect those Tile devices to your phone.

Pocket-lint

The app will register them and you’ll have the opportunity to give them a name, so if you have a Tile Pro attached to your car keys, you can call it ‘car key’, for example. The app shows you all the different Tiles you have – as well as devices registered to the Tile service – and also includes your phone and any other phones with the Tile app.

Each Tile has a button on it as well as a speaker to emit a sound to help you find it. Apart from that and the battery, it has a Bluetooth chip that uses very little power so you’re not constantly changing the battery. These have different ranges – as we outline above – meaning that if you have the Tile Pro, you’ll be able to detect it from further away.

Once set up in the app, that’s it – to find your devices you can open the app and hit what you’re looking for, the alarm on that Tile will sound (if connected to your phone) and you’ll be able to locate that item. Yes, you’ll need to keep Bluetooth on your phone turned on.

Pocket-lint

We mentioned that each Tile has a button on it. You not only use this to get started with the setup, but it can, in return, be used to find your phone. Press the button twice and an alarm will sound from your phone – a nice quid pro quo.

Tile also works with Google Assistant and Alexa, meaning you can ask your Echo to find your keys, for example – and that works nicely.

What happens when your Tile isn’t in range?

This is where things get a little more interesting. Finding something connected via Bluetooth in your home is easy, but what happens when you lose something outside when it’ll likely be outside of range?

Firstly, the last known location of that Tile is shown on a map in the app. Left your keys at work? The app will show you the last place it saw that Tile at your workplace.

Beyond that is where the Tile network comes into play. It’s a network that has many users – there are some 26 million Tiles out there, and 6 million location requests a day (2019 figures). Open up the app on your phone and it will report how many Tile users there are in your immediate vicinity – for us it’s over 2000 users in the immediate area.

When you lose a device you can mark it as “lost”. If another Tile user’s phone detects your “lost” device, you will be alerted with a notification. Because Tile uses Bluetooth LE, those members of the community don’t have to actively hunt for your device – it all happens in the background, reporting the location to you without them even knowing that they’ve located your lost Tile.

You also don’t get to see other Tile users or their devices, so you can’t use this to locate people or their tagged stuff – it’s all securely happening in the background. You just get an email and a notification in your Tile app, telling you were it was found and giving you directions to that place.

Pocket-lint

The net result is that if you leave a Tile-tagged device in a bar or restaurant, for example, you’ll be able to get a location on it after you’ve left thanks to other Tile users. Equally, once you’re back in that location, you can connect to that device and ring the alarm so you can locate your device.

Being able to see the last connected location on a map is great because you can return to that location and if your phone then connects to that Tile, you can simply sound the alarm and find what you lost.

Of course, this all depends on someone not finding your device and removing your Tile – and it depends on there being a community of users. If you live somewhere really remote, that might not be the case.

The other thing you need to consider is how the Tile app runs on devices. If the permissions block access in the background – perhaps to save battery – that might mean that Tile never detects anything until the app is actually opened. Some devices are more aggressive with killing background activity, so this is certainly something to watch out for.

What about Tile Premium?

Everything detailed above comes as standard for a Tile user and is included within the cost of the Tile you buy. But there’s also a Premium subscription – priced $2.99 a month, or £2.99 in the UK – that can unlock a range of other features.

One of these alerts you when you leave something behind. You can set this up so that if you leave a location without a device, you can get an alert. At the time of writing it was in beta and we found it to be a little inconsistent. On one occasion we were about 5 minutes from home when we got a notification that we’d left something behind – on another occasion we were a 20 minute drive away, which is less than useful.

Pocket-lint

Another option that Tile Premium offers is a 30-day history of your Tile’s location. This essentially gives you a movement map for a device, showing you where it’s been located. That means that if you lose a device, you can see a history of how it moves around the map and places where it’s detected. If you don’t have Premium, you can only see the last location.

There are also free battery replacements, and the ability to share Tiles with contacts (so someone else can locate your keys, for example).

Moving beyond Tile

One of the things that Tile has been doing to expand this beyond its own tags is working to integrate its technology into other things you might lose. It’s starting with wireless headphones and rather than having to integrate a physical Tile, the company is going deeper and working with the major chip manufacturers that produce Bluetooth hardware. You can find more information about this in our main What is Tile? feature.

By integrating Tile technology into something like a set of Bluetooth headphones, you can get the advantage of this finding technology without having to buy the physical Tile. Take the Sennheiser Momentum Wireless for example – these headphones have Find with Tile technology, meaning you can open up the app to locate your headphones if you ever lose them.

While this is a seemingly small step, it’s an important part of the expansion of the Tile universe and if it encourages more people to use Tile, then it’s better for the whole community.

Which Tile is best?

It’s easy to levitate towards the Tile Pro: we’ve found ourselves using the first-gen model for some time because it offers great range and the ease of changing the battery when it runs out – a standard CR 2032. It’s also pretty solid, although we have, on occasion, pressed the button by mistake and found our phone sounding an alarm as it happily alerts you to its location, when it’s where it should be: in your pocket.

Pocket-lint

Tile Mate is the most affordable of the options, while still offering decent range and a changeable battery, so if you’re just after a single Tile then it might be the easiest approach to the system.

The Tile Sticker brings a new dimension to things. It’s much more discreet, easily attached to something and then basically forgotten, until you need it. Whether that’s something small at home like the TV remote or something large like your bike, the appeal of the Sticker is its versatility, although once it’s stuck, it’s basically there for the life of the Tile.

Pocket-lint

Tile Slim rounds out the package and is great for the wallet, with this new shape now much more useful than the older square version.

Really it’s a case of picking the option that suits what you want to attach it too, as the functionality overall is basically the same.

Verdict

If you’re prone to misplacing things around your home then Tile has immediate appeal – it’s really easy to find things via your phone by sounding an alarm, or using voice via Google or Amazon devices. Beyond that, having a location on a map showing where something was last connected to your phone is really useful. You can retrace your steps and find whatever you left behind.

Beyond that, it really depends on how active the Tile community is for automatically locating things beyond a given Tile’s range. If there are no Tile users in the area that you’ve left something, then if it moves from that spot on the map, so you’ll have no idea where it is.

Rumours that Apple could enter the market could also be a huge disruptor for Tile. If Apple turns every iPhone into a detector it will likely mean that an Apple Tag would never be out of range, giving Apple an advantage when it comes to finding lost items. Samsung has also recently entered this market with the Galaxy SmartTag, again, with the potential to use every Galaxy phone as a locator, not just those who use Samsung’s Bluetooth tracker.

Overall the Tile system works well, offers plenty of choices for Bluetooth tags, and is easy to use. That has immediate appeal, making it easy to find things you misplace around the home while giving you some scope to find things you lose further afield. With more types of Tile device like Sticker, there are now more ways to keep track of your stuff.

Alternatives to consider

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Samsung Galaxy SmartTag

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Samsung’s SmartTag offers the same basic functionality as the Tile Pro, but is limited to Samsung users. The advantage that has is that any Samsung device could potentially find a lost item and report the location back to you. The downside is that you need to use a Samsung phone or your SmartTag won’t be compatible.

Writing by Chris Hall.

Plex is launching a game subscription service filled with Atari games

Plex, well known as a service for streaming movies, music, and TV shows from your own computer, is now adding another thing you can stream: video games (via Protocol). Plex announced the new service, called Plex Arcade, on its blog and also launched a website for it. The service will cost $3 a month if you’re a Plex Pass subscriber, and $5 a month if you’re not.

Instead of focusing on modern console or phone games like its competitors, Plex lets you play Atari games. It’s taking the arcade name seriously, as you can play arcade classics from Atari, like Centipede, Super Breakout, and Missile Command, as well as games from the Atari 2600 and 7800. Overall, there are 27 games available on the service.

Unlike other game subscription services where you can simply sign up from your console and start playing, Plex Arcade has a few requirements. First is a Plex media server running on a Windows or macOS computer. There isn’t Linux support because Plex is using Parsec to stream the gameplay.

This means that you’ll have to sign up for a Parsec account, if you don’t already have one, and log in to it on Plex. There is a bit more freedom when it comes to what you can stream the games to, as Android devices and TVs are supported, as well as Google Chrome and Apple’s iOS and tvOS. Plex says you can play with “just about any Bluetooth-enabled controller.”

The service also supports you adding your own emulators and ROMs, which is nice, but it’s overall a bit of a tough sell. Even at the Plex Pass price of $3 a month, you’re paying a lot for games that, at this point, can basically run on a microwave. To be fair, it does let you run them on something like an iPhone or Apple TV, but the games are readily available on Android and PC.

If you’re interested in playing them for nostalgic purposes, it could be worth a try, but you may want to set aside some time for it — getting it set up was an exercise in frustration for me, and I wasn’t ever actually able to successfully play a game. (The iOS and tvOS clients got stuck at a loading spinner, and keyboard controls didn’t seem to do anything when trying to play on Chrome.)

If you want to try it out for yourself, there’s a free seven-day trial, though you will have to put in a credit card or link your PayPal. Plex says this is mostly a skunk works-type project, saying in the blog post that “[i]f there’s interest and we see some subs, it’ll grow into the glorious pheasant we know it can be. But if you guys drop the ball, it’ll die on the vine like a stomped ass goomba.” Harsh.

Apple launches limited-edition ‘Black Unity Collection’ Apple Watch

Apple is launching a limited-edition Apple Watch for Black History Month, with a unique watch band, new watchface, and some of the proceeds going toward civil rights organizations.

The watch, part of a new Black Unity Collection of products, comes with a black, green, and red striped band and face, meant to reflect the Pan-African flag. It otherwise appears to be the standard aluminum version of the Apple Watch Series 6, with pricing starting at $399. The band will also be available separately for $49.

The products will go on sale starting February 1st at Apple and Target. The band will remain on sale all year, but the watch as a whole will only be sold in February. It sounds as though the watchface will be available to anyone with an Apple Watch starting later today.

Apple says it’ll be “supporting six global organizations” as part of this product launch, including the Black Lives Matter Support Fund, the NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund, and European Network Against Racism.

In addition to the new watch edition, Apple announced a number of other initiatives for Black History Month this year. There’ll be a hub in the App Store highlighting Black-owned businesses and developers; Apple Music will get “curated playlists, essays, original videos” and other content highlighting Black artists; and Apple Maps is getting curated recommendations from EatOkra, which highlights Black-owned restaurants. Apple plans to curate stories focused on Black families and experiences in the Apple TV and Apple News apps and highlight Black authors in Apple Books and Apple Podcasts.

Apple is among a number of tech giants that collectively pledged hundreds of millions of dollars toward racial equity initiatives. Apple announced a $100 million fund in June 2020; earlier this month, Apple said it would create a developer education center in Detroit and support a tech hub for historically Black colleges and universities in Atlanta.

Spotify Connect: what is it? How can you get it?

(Image credit: Spotify)

With over 300 million active users worldwide (almost half of which are paying subscribers), Spotify is the world’s largest and most popular music streaming service. But thanks to Spotify Connect – arguably the streaming world’s most important feature – you’re no longer restricted to listening to the catalogue solely through your phone or desktop.

The feature allows you to play the catalogue over wi-fi to any compatible audio product (more on that later) you have in your home – and with just two presses of a button! It’s so simple and convenient that streaming service rival Tidal has now launched its own Tidal Connect feature.

Spotify Connect is a godsend for house parties – so long as you trust your friends with the controls! – but it’s really for anyone who wants to easily access Spotify’s 60-million-song-catalogue and curated playlists on hi-fi and AV kit and smart speakers without the hassle of Bluetooth pairing.

So how does it work? How do you set it up? And what are the perks of Spotify Connect?

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33 Spotify tips, tricks and features

What is Spotify Connect?

As we touched upon above, Spotify Connect is a way of playing Spotify through your wireless speaker, soundbar, AV receiver, voice-control smart speaker, or any other compatible device, over wi-fi. That means you can play your favourite tunes anywhere in the house, all without the need for any convoluted Bluetooth pairing between devices every time you want to listen to music. Just note that it’s a Spotify Premium feature, so you won’t be able to benefit from it if you’re a user of Spotify’s free, ad-supported tier.

Best of all, Spotify Connect doesn’t use your smartphone (or tablet or desktop) app to stream music. It plays music directly from its servers to the device, leaving your smartphone free for making calls and all other uses. You only have to use your phone to identify the speaker in the first place and then control music playback.

To ensure the best quality possible, Spotify Connect always streams in 320kbps, which is the highest bitrate Spotify currently offers.

11 of the best Spotify playlists to listen to right now
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How does Spotify Connect work? What products support it?

Just like Apple AirPlay 2, Spotify Connect works over wi-fi. It seeks out compatible devices that are connected to the same wi-fi network and links them together to wirelessly to stream music.

To use Spotify Connect, you’ll first need a smartphone, tablet, laptop or desktop computer with the Spotify app downloaded on to it. To use Spotify Connect with most devices you’ll also need a Spotify Premium subscription, although some (the PlayStation 4, for example) are happy to work with Spotify Free. Other perks of paying for the Spotify Premium subscription (£9.99, $9.99, AU$11.95 a month) include no ads and being able to pick songs on the mobile app rather than just shuffle.

And then you just need the right product. Chances are you might already have a speaker or amp that supports Spotify Connect: there are heaps of Spotify Connect-enabled products, including smart speakers, music streamers and other hi-fi streaming components, wireless speakers, smart TVs, wearables and car audio systems. You can find the full list of compatible kit here.

Spotify Connect really has become a must-have feature in the AV and particularly audio world, and these days you won’t see many streaming-enabled products without it. In fact, it’s become so ubiquitous it’s usually the first feature you’ll see on a streaming-capable product’s feature list.

Spotify Connect works on one device at a time, unless you’re using a multi-room system such as Sonos, where you can select a group (two rooms or more, set up via Sonos’s app) to stream music to.

Spotify vs Tidal – which is better?
Apple Music vs Spotify – which is better?

How to set up Spotify Connect

Spotify Connect is simple to use. Download the latest version of the Spotify app to your control device – a smartphone, tablet or computer, say – and make sure both it and your chosen product(s) are connected to the same wi-fi network.

On your smartphone, launch Spotify, log into your subscription account, and select a song to start playing. Click the ‘Now Playing’ bar, then the device logo at the bottom left-hand corner of the screen. This will show which of your connected products can play from Spotify. Select a device (the text will go from white to green) and music will start playing on that device. Magic!

If you’re using Spotify Connect to listen to a song on another smartphone or tablet, make sure both devices are logged in to the same Spotify account and simply follow the steps above.

On the desktop app, click the ‘Connect to a device’ button in the bottom-right corner. This brings up the devices menu. Select the one you’d like to use, and it’ll do the rest.

Spotify claims using Connect lets you switch between multiple products “without skipping a beat”. In reality, there’s always a tiny bit of delay when you swap products, but it’s much quicker than having to pair to Bluetooth every time.

Once you’re all set, your smartphone or computer becomes the remote control: select a song or playlist, pause, skip or shuffle through Spotify’s vast catalogue.

Another big advantage of using Spotify Connect (especially on a product that supports it natively), is when you fire up the app or switch between products, it will always adjust the volume automatically for the chosen audio product. Pretty neat.

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How do you use your smartphone while using Spotify Connect?

You can use it normally without worrying that whatever you’re doing – sending a text, playing a game, watching a YouTube clip – will interrupt the music.

All songs are streamed directly from Spotify’s cloud servers to your Spotify Connect product; your phone acts purely as a controller.

First of all, this means playing Spotify won’t sap your smartphone’s battery – a fine reason to invest in a Premium account. Since you’re only using your smartphone or tablet to control playback, it goes a long way in prolonging the battery life.

Secondly, it means you can wish your mum happy birthday or make that pizza delivery call without having to pause and interrupt your carefully curated playlist.

You can also switch between devices seamlessly. Were you listening to Spotify through your headphones on your way home? Once you’ve walked through the door, simply select your Spotify Connect-compatible stereo system in the app and the song will carry on playing through your speakers without having to pause or restart it. If it’s non-stop music you want, you’ve got it.

Listen to the What Hi-Fi? playlist

Does Spotify Connect work with voice control?

If you use a smart speaker, such as the Amazon Echo, Sonos One or Google Nest Audio, you can use voice commands to play music from Spotify on them.

Add your Spotify account to the list of music streaming services (this can be done in the Alexa or Google Home apps) and make sure you select Spotify as your default music player so you don’t have to specify which service to use at every turn. Then simply say “Alexa, play the new Taylor Swift album” or “OK Google, play the John Wick soundtrack” and your smart speaker will comply.

We can’t see the Apple HomePod and HomePod Mini with Siri voice control supporting Spotify Connect anytime soon, although you can play Spotify through those Apple speakers via AirPlay.

But you might not need to rely on other brands and services to get voice controlled Spotify music: there are reports that Spotify is testing its own in-app “Hey Spotify” voice assistant.

We hope that if and when it does happen, Spotify finally unveils that lossless Hi-Fi tier – we’ve had our fingers crossed for over three years now.

MORE:

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