HMD is announcing six new midrange Nokia phones today, ranging in price from €75 (around $90) up to €349 (around $415). At the top, there’s the X-series, consisting of the X10 and X20, followed by the G-series G10 and G20, and then finally, there’s the entry-level C10 and C20 from the C-series.
HMD’s pitch for these phones is the length of time it’s offering support, with even the cheapest C-series phones due to receive two years of quarterly security updates. Meanwhile, G-series phones will receive two years of Android OS updates and three years of monthly security updates. Finally, the X-series gets three years of OS updates, three years of monthly security updates, and an extended warranty that HMD says should mean it’s covered for three years in many of its release markets.
The HMD Nokia X20.Image: HMD
At the top of the six-phone lineup is the X20, which HMD says will be priced at the equivalent of €349 (£299.99, around $415) around the world. It’s got a 6.67-inch 1080p display, with a hole-punch cutout in the top-center for its 32-megapixel selfie camera, while on the back, you’ll find a circular camera bump containing four cameras: a 64-megapixel main camera, a 5-megapixel ultrawide, a 2-megapixel depth camera, and a 2-megapixel macro.
Internally, the X20 is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 480 and 4,470mAh battery, with either 6 or 8GB of RAM and 128GB of expandable storage. It runs Android 11 out of the box and includes three years of OS updates that HMD says will take it through to Android 14. Security is handled by a side-mounted fingerprint sensor, and there’s also a dedicated Google Assistant button on the left. I’ve been using the Nokia X20 for the past week, and you can read my first-hand impressions here.
The HMD Nokia X10.Image: HMD
A step down from the X20 is the Nokia X10 at €309 (£249.99, around $367). It shares a lot of the DNA of its older sibling. It’s also running on a Snapdragon 480, with a 4,470mAh battery and has a 6.67-inch 1080p display. But it’s available with slightly lower specs: a minimum of 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage, and its main camera and selfie camera at lower resolutions of 48-megapixels and 8-megapixels, respectively.
Next is the G-series, which is led by the Nokia G20 at €159 (£129.99, around $189). Its screen is a little smaller at 6.5 inches and has a lower resolution of 720p. Internally, it’s using a MediaTek G35 processor with a 5,050mAh battery, upwards of 4GB of RAM, and up to 128GB of expandable storage. You still get four rear cameras, though: a 48-megapixel main camera, a 5-megapixel ultrawide, a 2-megapixel macro, and a 2-megapixel depth sensor. Around front, there’s a notch containing an 8-megapixel camera.
The G20 is joined by the Nokia G10 at €139 (£109.99, around $165). Its display and battery have the same specs as the G20, but it’s got a less powerful MediaTek G25 processor, with 3 or 4GB of RAM and 32 or 64GB of expandable storage. Around back, you only get three cameras: a 13-megapixel main camera, a 2-megapixel macro, and a 2-megapixel depth sensor. The Nokia G10 has an 8-megapixel selfie camera.
Right at the bottom of the newly revamped lineup is the C-series, which HMD says is designed for people who would previously have bought non-smart feature phones. Both the Nokia C20 at €89 (£79, around $105) and the Nokia C10 at €75 (around $90) have 6.5-inch 720p displays, a single rear 5-megapixel camera, a 5-megapixel selfie camera, and are running Google’s lightweight Go edition of Android 11. The C20 has a Unisoc SC9863a processor, while the C10 has a Unisoc SC7331e processor. Both are available with 1 or 2GB of RAM, 16 or 32GB of expandable storage, and removable 3,000mAh batteries that charge over Micro USB.
The naming schemes may be different than previous Nokia lines, but with its six new devices, HMD is focusing on its traditional strengths: affordable phones with lengthy support periods. We’re still waiting for HMD to confirm exact US pricing and availability for the handsets, but the G10 and C20 will be available in “select markets” starting later this month, the X20 and G20 will launch in May, and the X10 and C10 will launch in June.
Samsung’s Galaxy SmartTag Plus, the souped-up version of the company’s Tile-like SmartTag Bluetooth tracker (which was released earlier this year), now has a release date: it’ll be out on April 16th for $39.99.
That’s a $10 price increase over the standard SmartTag, which runs for $29.99 — but the SmartTag Plus has one notable improvement. It features an ultra-wideband (UWB) radio, allowing users to track it more accurately when it’s nearby than the standard Bluetooth setup. The UWB radio actually enables a new AR mode, which can help show users exactly where their missing tag is.
To use the new UWB mode, you’ll need both a Galaxy SmartTag Plus and a compatible UWB-equipped Galaxy phone, a list that currently includes the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra, Galaxy S21 Plus, Galaxy S21 Ultra, and the Galaxy Z Fold 2.
Aside from the fancy new UWB features, though, the SmartTag Plus still works just like the regular SmartTag, leveraging Samsung’s vast Bluetooth network of Galaxy devices to help track missing objects. It’s similar to Apple’s Find My network, which uses iPhones and iPads to create a Bluetooth network (and, thanks to a recent expansion to third-party devices, will soon offer a Find My-compatible tracker from Chipolo).
The upcoming release of the Galaxy SmartTag Plus means that Samsung — and not Apple’s long-rumored AirTags — will be the first major AR-compatible UWB tracking accessory to hit the market. Apple has been reportedly working on a similar UWB-based AR feature for its upcoming tracker, but despite plenty of leaks and rumors, there’s still no word on a release date.
(Pocket-lint) – Electrification is the future. Policy makers as well as car makers have asserted that. So while the revolution’s wheels begin to turn, there’s a good interim point to jump in – a hybrid plug-in, such as this, the Skoda Octavia iV.
The “iV” part of the equation is what tells you this is a plug-in vehicle, as the Octavia is also available in straight petrol or diesel, including a beefier vRS model.
But here it’s all about that plug-in option, which we lived with for a week to see whether it’s worth the circa-£8K price jump, plus whether Skoda’s all-new 2021 interior updates are the future, or feel more a step backwards.
Design & Interior
You can no longer say a Skoda isn’t distinctive – but whether you think that’s in a good way or a bad way is a whole other matter. As we said of the excellent Superb iV Estate, when reviewed back in 2020, it’s to the point where Skoda is extra proud – even spelling out the full name across the rear of each Octavia.
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It’s the front of the Octavia iV that will garner greater attention though, given those slitted headlights, which deliver LED technology as standard (Matrix LED is an extra option and cost). It’s edgy and angular and stands apart from what else you’ll see on the road.
Pop open the door, however, and it’s inside where the 2021 Octavia showcases Skoda’s latest interior. You can choose from black or beige finish options – we’d definitely avoid the latter – and, as a place to sit it’s really rather comfortable.
That’s perhaps the biggest take-away of the Octavia: it’s just effortless to sit in, heated seat cranked up, the upholstery kind of cuddling. Certainly preferable to our freezing cold winter office anyway.
The interior layout adopts what most car-makers are going with too: more touchscreen, fewer physical buttons. Which, in the case of the Octavia, we actually think puts it back a step compared to the last-gen interior.
The Octavia doesn’t have a mechanical gearstick, for example, it’s gone with a little push/pull paddle instead. It functions fine enough, but not all modes are accessed from here. There’s no dedicated EV/Hybrid button to be found, despite there being heaps of space for it, which feels lazy in a car with a focus on electrification.
Instead, you’ll need to find the Mode button on the dash, press that, then select from the on-screen options of E-Mode or Hybrid Mode. The former is pure electric, the latter uses a combination of electric and combustion. By default the E-Mode isn’t activated, so we never had a silent start-up.
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This ‘hiding’ of controls continues elsewhere: the Climate button activates that selection on screen which, again, is difficult to adjust when you’re driving around – and, let’s face it, that’s when you’ll be making adjustments.
Not even the slider control to the south of the main screen is especially intuitive, despite being new. It sometimes gets touched by accident, making adjustments you didn’t know you wanted.
Infotainment & Technology
Those screens do house a lot of technology though. By default the Octavia iV comes with an 8.25-inch main touchscreen, upgradable to 10-inch with that slider control (as per this review) in the correct package options. Beyond the steering wheel there’s the Virtual Cockpit system, another 10.25-inch arrangement, digitally handling various at-a-glance information.
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The screens line-up more than the earlier iterations in Skoda’s range, as the main display has been raised higher towards the dash – meaning its top edge also protrudes, more tablet-like, bringing it into a position of greater focus. Again, we preferred the lower screen position and additional button controls to keep peripheral distractions at bay.
All Skoda Octavia models feature Apple CarPlay and Android Auto (via Mirrorlink) by default, according to the specification, although we never managed to get Android Auto to activate for some reason unknown to us. Maybe an issue with the USB-C to USB-A converter – as there’s two USB-C ports (the smaller ones) up front, next to a handy inductive charging pad (if your phone has wireless charging aboard).
Another comment about the whole tech setup is the speed at which it loads. It just, well, slow. The start-up time lags and navigation is often blank for a number of seconds. Once things get running everything is fine, but from a cold start you’ll be hanging about a bit before entering that post code.
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Beyond infotainment, Skoda’s range of driver assist safety features is vast. What you pick should reflect the way in which you will use the car – if it’s just short commutes then some of the assist packages, such as lane keep assist, might not be as useful as for someone who’s going to be up and down the motorway on repeat.
The adaptive cruise control is – if you pay for it – an advanced one, able to keep distance, lane keep, and auto-brake to a stop. In certain scenarios it’ll prove a life-saver – not just literally, but just from a comfort point of view.
Drive & Range
And so to the main reason to be looking at a plug-in car: added efficiency and lower emissions – both of which can save you on fuel costs and tax. The green credentials, at this stage, are fairly minor in the bigger overall picture – but it’s a step in the right direction.
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The Octavia iV has a 13kW battery built-in, delivering over 30 miles of pure electric range – we could get around 32 miles – plus decent efficiency and regeneration when in hybrid mode. Skoda quotes 37 miles in E-mode, based on WLTP standard, so our achieved figure isn’t too bad relative to that.
A number of plug-ins that we’ve driven fail to offer an all-electric option – the Volvo XC40 being one such example – while mild hybrids (without a plug-in solution) tend to offer almost zero potential on electric-only travel. So it’s reassuring to be able to use an Octavia for, say, the school run entirely in electric mode without limitation to your driving.
Recharging is possible via the Type-2 charger to the front left of the car. We plugged in at home and refilled once successfully, but were met by an error message at around the 80 per cent mark on recharge attempt number two. A glitch in the system, it seems, and certainly a surprise.
Apple CarPlay explained: Taking iOS on the road
By Britta O’Boyle
·
A detailed look at how Apple’s CarPlay works, with explanations on using Google Maps, sending messages and playing music, among other functions.
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Should you want to drive with no thought about range, then Sport mode – activated by pulling the drive paddle down a second time into ‘S’ – gives a little extra pep to the drive, but typically regenerates the battery quicker through more applied braking. Not that the Octavia is ‘sporty sporty’, but it’s got enough get up and go thanks to a total combined output of 204bhp from that 1.4l engine and 13kW electric motor combination.
Verdict
The Skoda Octavia iV plug-in hybrid might not be a super exciting car, but it’s got some super aspects about it: it’s roomy, it’s comfortable, there’s a lot of tech options, and the electric-only range is practical.
The new interior sometimes feels like a step backwards, though, given how it ‘hides’ settings within a more touchscreen-focused operation. And, in our use, we had glitches with Android Auto and recharging that couldn’t be explained.
Overall, if you’re looking for a practical family hatchback then Skoda sits well among the VW Group’s price listings. The iV model adds an inevitable premium over the petrol/diesel-only selection, but with genuine practicality added as a result that’ll pay its worth back for the right kind of owner.
The 3rd Generation Fire TV Stick is a capable video streamer, but it drops at an awkward price point
For
Strong app offering
Improved UI
Excellent HDR performance
Against
SDR picture could be more subtle
4K model only costs a little more
What’s grey and sticky? The Amazon Fire TV Stick (3rd Generation), of course. Far from being simply another streaming stick, this third version is the first of Amazon’s media streaming devices to feature the company’s all-new Fire TV Experience user interface, which is intended as a game-changer for streaming service integration.
The Amazon Fire TV Stick (3rd Generation) replaces the 2nd generation of the device that was once called the Amazon Fire TV Stick with Alexa Voice Remote. Back in those simpler days, the first-gen model didn’t have voice control.
Since then, Amazon has added several more branches to the Fire TV Stick family tree. Higher up that tree is the Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K (launched in 2018), and below it, there’s now the Amazon Fire TV Stick Lite, the only other Fire TV device to come pre-loaded with the new UI.
Pricing
The Amazon Fire TV Stick (3rd Generation) costs £40 ($40, AU$79) at the time of writing. That’s £10 ($10, AU$20) cheaper than the Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K that launched in 2018 and, of course, has the added benefit of 4K content.
It’s also £10 ($10, AU$20) more expensive than the simultaneously released Amazon Fire TV Stick Lite, which lacks TV volume control and can only pass-through Dolby Atmos, rather than decode it.
Somewhat confusingly, you’ll find the Amazon Fire TV Stick (3rd Generation) listed as the ‘2020 release’ in the UK, but the ‘2021 release’ in the US and Australia.
Features
(Image credit: Amazon)
From a design perspective, the Fire TV Stick (3rd Gen) is hardly a departure for Amazon. It’s a gunmetal grey rectangular prism with an HDMI plug on the end and a micro-USB power socket halfway up one side. There’s a good chance that the power cable or simply the Stick’s girth will get in the way of your TV’s other HDMI sockets, so, as ever, Amazon has included an HDMI extender to take your stick clear of the rest of the ports.
The Stick itself is a little shorter than the 4K model but houses the same 1.7GHz quad-core chip. Bluetooth 5.0 and BLE are onboard for pairing with Bluetooth speakers, headphones or video game controllers, and there’s the standard 8GB of internal storage for your app collection.
The included remote is as handy and compact as ever. It’s the same second-generation Fire TV remote that comes with the 4K Stick. There are volume buttons that will work for your TV, playback controls and general navigation, plus a button at the top that turns the remote into an Alexa microphone for voice search.
Amazon Fire TV Stick (3rd Gen) tech specs
(Image credit: Amazon)
Bluetooth version 5.0
HDR support HDR10, HDR10+, HLG
Max resolution 1080p
Dolby Atmos Yes
Storage 8GB
Finishes x1
Dimensions (hwd) 13 x 30 x 86mm
Weight 32g
Those looking for 4K and Dolby Vision support will have to look elsewhere. The Amazon Fire TV Stick (3rd Generation) maxes out at 1080p HD, but can still process HDR metadata in the shape of HDR10, HLG and even Samsung’s HDR10+. Dolby Vision isn’t supported, though Dolby Atmos is.
The headline addition, though, is the all-new Amazon Fire TV Experience. The reimagined UI design pares everything down to four main screens, Home, Find, Library and Live, for a more holistic approach to your entertainment. The platform pulls in content from other streaming services, including Netflix, Disney+ and iPlayer, and sits those suggestions alongside TV and films available on Prime Video. The end result is less of a shop window for Amazon and a more useful quick hit of recommendations from across the board instead.
It’s pretty well done too. The top row on the Home page is itself a mixture of content from your subscriptions, followed by lines of film and TV suggestions dedicated to what’s on specific services such as Netflix and iPlayer. It’s certainly an improvement on the previous iteration of the Fire TV OS, but still isn’t a match for what Google has done with the Google TV UI on Chromecast.
That first row of content on the new Fire TV experience never seems to be as much of a mix as it could be. It tends to start with too big a burst from a single source, whether that’s a few screens of animated Disney content or a slew of Amazon Originals. It’s also still too Prime Video-heavy as we scroll down the page with the rows dedicated to other services swamped by too much of what’s on Amazon.
The ‘Find’ section of the experience is far better, as it seems to give a more balanced approach, as well as plenty of handy suggestions of genres and sub-genres to drill down into. Fancy comedy horrors, action dramas or trending documentaries? This is the place to look.
If you have the right to watch a piece of content for free, the Fire TV OS will let you know. It also directs you to free versions on apps you might not already own, including those available through free trials. The only thing to watch out for is that the UI still encourages you to buy and rent 4K content, even if the Stick won’t allow you to play it back at UHD resolution.
Like all current Fire TV devices, Alexa is along for the ride and makes an easy way to navigate around the OS. The addition of six user profiles per household – each with its own preferences, apps, permissions, watchlists and settings – is also welcome.
All the major apps are present here, apart from Google Play Movies & TV and Rakuten. There’s HDR available on Netflix, Disney+, Prime Video and Apple TV, but there’s no Dolby Atmos material on Apple and no way of buying new content on Apple TV through the Fire Stick itself. You have to purchase or rent content via your computer or phone, at which point it will be available in the Apple TV library on the Stick.
Picture
(Image credit: Amazon)
Heading straight to the HDR sections of the popular streaming services, we’re delighted to see that this Stick’s performance is excellent. Watching I Care A Lot on Prime Video in HDR, it’s easy to spot how well this device puts that tonal metadata to good use.
The bright scene outside the courthouse in the first episode is full of potential pitfalls. There are textures to render and different blacks to produce all while under the glare of the midday sun that bounces off the pale stone steps and floods the picture with a harsh white light. Despite all this, the Fire TV Stick copes admirably.
Even at the maximum-supported 1080p resolution, we get a decent sense of the stone-washed jeans of a bystander and the layers of clothing material on the black-clad Eiza Gonzalez. The sky is a searing blue and Rosamund Pike’s dress an expensive red, while the nearby trees remain a natural green. It’s an enjoyable picture with an easy-to-watch balance between dynamism and subtlety.
Dropping to SDR content is certainly a different experience, but the picture still pleases. It’s a punchy effort with a lot of brightness and big contrast, which helps to keep that sense of zeal to the on-screen action. Watching the sitcom Flowers on Netflix in Full HD, there’s plenty of impact as Mrs Flowers walks down her ramshackle garden to flirt badly with the tradesmen. What could be quite a flat, overcast sky has a bold, foreboding look and works as a fantastic foil to the dark brown, gnarled trees and the thick, overgrown grass. You can’t fail to get a sense of the way the story is going to play out.
That dynamic approach isn’t without its drawbacks, though. The focus on punch can leave detail fairly scant without the benefits of HDR. The faces of the characters sometimes come off a little too uniform, missing the same wealth of tone that is available from the Fire TV Stick 4K, given the same source material. The push for high contrast can overpower black depth and white detail too, unless you keep a careful eye on your TV settings. Again, that’s something the more expensive Stick has a better handle on.
Sound
(Image credit: Amazon)
The differences in audio between the Fire TV Stick (3rd Generation) and the 4K model are far less marked than the picture performance. Their overall character is undeniably similar.
Listening to This is Me from The Greatest Showman soundtrack on Tidal, there’s a respectable sense of rhythm to the music in the build towards the first full chorus. The drum rolls are tight enough to pick out the individual beats of the sticks, the reverb on the guitar is clear and controlled, and all of the excellent diction on vocals is nicely clipped.
Switching to the cinema, we head to the freeway crash shoot-out at the beginning of Deadpool on Netflix with its wealth of surround sound action. The audio is just as spacious as we’d expect from a budget streaming stick. Ajax’s motorbike zips neatly from one side to another as he weaves his way through the traffic, and both the movement and detail of sound as the pin flies out from the hand grenade shows what an enjoyable experience this stick can deliver.
At the same time, the 4K model is just a touch better all over for sound. Dynamically, the more expensive model has a noticeable edge that is easy enough to pick up both with music and while watching video content. It’s also a little crisper, which gives it a shade more energy.
Playing This is Me via the third-gen Stick, there isn’t quite the same thrill as the chorus reaches its crescendo. The equivalent for Deadpool is a slight loss of dimension to the sound effects. The bullets are a little less impactful than through the 4K Stick, and it’s noticeable in more incidental noises, such as the opening of the electric car door window before the eponymous hero pops his head out to address the bad guys. There isn’t quite that same satisfaction to its clunk as the glass reaches its limits.
Verdict
The third generation of the original Amazon Fire TV Stick offers the kind of solid performance we’ve come to expect from the Stick family. It also features all of the most important apps and comes with an all-new interface that offers owners a genuine solution to the problem of what to watch next at short notice. HDR viewing is excellent and it’s hard to ask for much more sonically.
The trouble is that more is actually available and for only a little extra. For just a few extra pounds or dollars, you can buy the 4K version of the Fire Stick, which is slightly better performing with the same content and offers all of that 4K future-proofing too. And that leaves our third-generation model, although good, in a slightly sticky spot.
LG has announced a pledge to issue future Android OS updates to many of its smartphones despite confirming earlier this week that it’ll be leaving the phone business altogether. The Velvet, Wing, and G- and V- series phones from 2019 or later should be getting three Android updates from their year of release, and “certain 2020 models such as LG Stylo and K series” will get two updates.
For example, the Velvet came out last year with Android 10, and its Android 11 rollout is currently in progress. That means that it should also be getting Android 12 and 13 at some point, assuming Google continues its yearly cadence. LG variously describes this announcement as a “three-year pledge” and a “three-OS-update guarantee.”
The announcement is a little surprising because LG phones generally wouldn’t have been expected to get that many updates even while LG was actually in the phone business. The company announced a dedicated “Software Upgrade Center” in 2018, but little to nothing changed about its Android update situation. Most of its latest premium phones aren’t scheduled to receive Android 11 until the end of 2021.
Earlier this week, LG’s Korean website indicated that some selected models would also get an Android 12 update.
Facebook is responding to the recent news that data from 533 million accounts leaked online for free, but perhaps not in the way users might have hoped: the company doesn’t plan to notify the users whose data was exposed online, a Facebook spokesperson told Reuters.
In the dataset, there’s apparently a lot of information that you might not want floating around the internet — including birthdays, locations, full names, and phone numbers — so it’s disappointing to hear that Facebook doesn’t plan to notify users that might be affected. The company cited two reasons to Reuters as to why it’s not telling users proactively: it says it’s not confident it would know which users would need to be notified, and that users wouldn’t be able to do anything about the data being online.
On Tuesday Facebook wrote on its blog that it “believes” the data was scraped via its contact importer sometime before September 2019, a method that’s in violation of the company’s policies. But as BuzzFeed News reporter Ryan Mac points out, this doesn’t quite mesh with the fact that the company hasn’t spoken out or filed lawsuits against controversial surveillance company Clearview AI for scraping photos from Instagram and Facebook.
Over the last year, I have asked Facebook more than a dozen times if it will take legal action against Clearview AI for scraping what is likely millions of photos from Instagram and Facebook. No lawsuits have been filed and FB has said nothing on record.https://t.co/htkKCD5bT0
— Ryan Mac (@RMac18) April 7, 2021
Facebook says it has “made changes to the contact importer” to stop the scraping.
If you’re concerned about whether or not your data was included in the data dump, and don’t want to wait to see if Facebook will change its mind about notifying users, you can take a look at our guide on how to see if you were affected. And for more about the data set and Facebook‘s lack of transparency around it, you should read Wired’s piece about the company’s inconsistent messaging.
Facebook has not responded to a request for comment.
The Amazon Music mobile app is getting a new feature to make it a little bit easier to use while driving. Car Mode is a simplified version of Amazon Music’s interface, featuring larger buttons, suggested playlists and albums, and easy access to Alexa.
Once enabled, Car Mode is divided into two sections. The upper part near the top of your phone is devoted to playback controls like play, pause, and skip, while the bottom section features a collection of music suggestions which you can switch between with a swipe or a tap. If a hands-free experience sounds better (and it probably should if you’re trying to drive safely) you can trigger Alexa in the bottom right corner with a tap or by using an Alexa voice command (“Hey Alexa, play Elton John”).
Car Mode doesn’t add any new functionality to Amazon Music, but its changes to the user interface could make it easier to switch songs or dive into a new playlist without having to take your attention away from the road. Like Spotify’s own take on simplified car controls, Amazon Music can be set to switch to Car Mode as soon as it recognizes your phone connecting to your car’s Bluetooth. For anyone with an older car, Car Mode can also be enabled in settings.
Amazon Music might not be as popular as Spotify or Apple Music — it’s on its way with over 55 million subscribers as of January 2020 — but for a growing service that’s pretty easy to try if you’re already have an Amazon Prime subscription, any new feature has the possibility to help a lot of people. Car Mode is available in Amazon Music now on iOS and Android.
The first Bluetooth tracker that can work with Apple’s vast Find My Bluetooth network of iPhones, iPads, and Macs is here. But it’s not Apple’s long-anticipated AirTags tracker; it’s the Chipolo One Spot, an updated version of the company’s One tracker that’s designed to exclusively work with Apple’s network.
Chipolo calls the One Spot a “special edition” product. While it has the same 12-month battery life (with replaceable battery), 120dB ring, water resistance, and overall design as the regular One tracker, the One Spot only works with Apple’s Find My network.
That’s potentially an upgrade for anyone who already uses Apple products, given that a Bluetooth tracking tag is only as effective as the number of users who are on the same network. And while Chipolo has been around for a while, it’s still far smaller compared to more established players like Tile or the hundreds of millions of Apple devices around the world.
The One Spot also features some Find My specific functionality, like a “Lost Mode” that allows users to tag an item as missing — which will, in turn, notify other Find My users if it’s found with a short message and a phone number to help you get your stuff back.
It’s a sort of bewildering product, given the context of Apple’s rumored AirTags tracker that’s potentially going to be released later in 2021, and it would similarly be a Find My-exclusive Bluetooth tag for keeping track of lost or missing items. Chipolo’s tracker lacks the rumored Ultra-WideBand radio support that Apple’s tag will reportedly feature for more precise tracking, but that aside, it’s hard to imagine what else Apple’s tag will bring to the table that’s not already available on the One Spot.
Preorders for the Chipolo One Spot will start in May, with shipping planned for the beginning of June. No price has been announced yet.
If you’ve ever wondered where you’d end up if you were to transport directly to the other side of the Earth, Google now has a browser-based AR toy that lets you find out. It calls the site Floom, and the experience is pretty simple: you point your phone’s camera at the ground, tap the little tornado object, and it will show you a hole to the other side of the Earth. Then you can open that location in Google Earth to take a look around.
Testing it out was kind of a joy, and I have discovered that, depending on where I am in my house (and how I have my phone angled), I’m directly above either the Middle East, New Zealand, or the Antarctic.
Oh, awkward.
Floom is just one of the experiments that Google announced yesterday that rely on WebXR, which can create AR or VR experiences that work in webpages. The others include a virtual measuring tool and a tool that lets you visualize what six-foot social distancing looks like in your current environment. Google also has an upcoming app that will let you turn your photos library into an AR gallery. At the moment, Floom can only be used with Chrome on Android devices.
These WebXR experiments are the first experience I’ve had with the tech, and it’s reasonably impressive for something that’s running in a phone’s web browser. Google’s experiments have always been interesting, but this is the first one that lets me fulfill a childhood dream: digging a tunnel to the other side of the globe. Now all Google needs to add is a visualization that makes it seem like you’re flying through the Earth’s core.
Best Buy is piloting a new paid membership service that would provide exclusive perks, including concierge-style tech support and exclusive pricing. The subscription service, which will cost $200 a year or $180 if you have a Best Buy credit card, bears similarities with Amazon’s Prime subscription as Best Buy looks to expand its services outside the sale of consumer tech products.
The new membership, called Best Buy Beta, grants members access to a slew of benefits, including free standard shipping, unlimited Geek Squad technical support, exclusive member pricing, and a 60-day extended return window. Best Buy confirmed that Beta members will also have 24/7 access to a concierge team, which they can contact by phone, email, chat, or through the Best Buy mobile app.
Here are a few perks included with the Best Buy membership program. Image: Best Buy
Best Buy already has a $200 membership program called Total Tech Support that provides similar services, but it will be unavailable in the pilot markets. In fact, based on how similar both services are, there’s a possibility that Best Buy will discontinue Total Tech Support.
Best Buy is not the first retail giant to roll out a service to compete with Amazon Prime. Last September, Walmart released its own subscription service for $98 a year, offering minimal benefits such as free delivery on orders over $35 and fuel discounts at select gas stations.
Best Buy is piloting the new Beta membership in three states: Iowa, Pennsylvania, and Oklahoma, but the retailer says it plans to expand the annual subscription to select stores in Minnesota, North Carolina, and Tennessee sometime this month.
If you want to pull up your favorite Spotify track or playlist without pressing buttons, there is no shortage of voice assistants to help you get those jams, including Alexa, Siri, Google Assistant, Cortana, and even Bixby. But now, Spotify has its own hands-free wake word: “Hey Spotify” appears to be rolling out on Android and iOS, as tested by GSM Arena, 9to5Mac, and us here at The Verge.
Frankly, it’s a little less handy than some of the native voice assistants built into your phone because you need to leave the app open for it to work — it’s not something you’ll launch with your phone asleep or with Spotify simply running in the background.
But if you have the app open, you can just say “Hey Spotify” and ask it to play a song; pull up a playlist; launch a radio station; and skip, pause, or play. We also found the “Play something I like” command would pull up a random one of our Daily Mix playlists.
The phone version of the feature’s been in the works for at least a year, as app researcher Jane Manchun Wong discovered last March. The app should prompt you to get started if the feature’s rolled out to you by now, but you might be able to find the toggle manually under Settings > Microphone permissions > “Hey Spotify.”
Why now? Why bother when other voice assistants can do this without launching an app? I imagine that’s because Spotify is tracking toward its own hardware, where its voice assistant will be always on and always ready. Specifically, Spotify appears to be tracking toward the launch of its Car Thing, a dedicated Spotify smart assistant for your vehicle that was reported to include a “Hey Spotify” voice command way back in January 2019.
Having the same voice command on your phone makes sense; users might get used to it, and start looking for it, after they exit their vehicles. And while they’re at it, I also wouldn’t be surprised if we see some “Hey Spotify” headphones or earbuds sometime in the next year.
(Pocket-lint) – When out cycling it’s not just your eyes but also your ears that can be crucial in assessing what’s going on around you – it’s why we’d never put in headphones and listen to music while out on the road. But sometimes your own limited senses aren’t quite enough.
That’s where the Garmin Varia (RTL515) comes into play. Not only does it function as a rear bike light, it also has built-in radar that can detect when another vehicle or cyclist is on the approach and, through sync with your Garmin Edge cycling computer or mounted smartphone (via the Varia app) can alert you to what’s going on.
Thing is, the Varia RTL515 is rather a lot of money. But, having been solo cycling in the country for some months now, it’s proven its worth and our peace of mind time and again. Here’s why we recommend it.
Design & Mount
Syncs with Garmin Connect / Garmin Edge computers / Varia mobile app (iOS & Android)
Mount: Garmin twist-lock mount (adaptors included)
Dimensions: 98.6 x 19.7 x 39.6mm / Weight: 71g
ANT+ & Bluetooth connectivity
IPX7 weather-resistant design
While most bike lights are rather small, the Varia is a lot larger on account of its mount, internal battery and radar technology. It’s not big to the point of bothersome, but much of the product isn’t the actual light itself – as you can see from the extended black area in the elongated pill-shaped design.
To mount the light it’s a case of getting the included Garmin mount, fixed by O-ring bands, onto your rear seatpost. It fits fairly snug, although road vibrations can, to some degree, make the light/radar turn around the seat post slightly – and we cannot see any way to make it tighter. It’s never stopped the product functioning for us, though, so it’s no bother.
There are some adaptors included in the box, which you may find helpful, which pad out the mount. Our light, once mounted, has a fairly ‘downward’ facing position, so using the adaptors can be assistive in getting a better position overall.
Once it’s mounted up, there’s an on button, a press of which will see a small blue light show you that the light is active. From here it’ll want to find your relevant Garmin kit to sync. Through the Garmin Connect app it’s possible to sync with a bike computer, as we have with the Edge 1030 Plus, where the light’s presence shows as a little always-on-top symbol to the top right. If it’s deactivated this is red, if it’s in play then this is black. Nice and simple.
You don’t even really need to worry about turning the light itself off or on – a long press of the on/off switch can do this though – as the sync with your Garmin product means it’ll only be active when your cycling computer is also active. Very handy.
The connection is made through ANT+ or Bluetooth in the case of using a phone app instead of dedicated Garmin cycling computer. We’ve had no issues with the connection, but if the radar is blocked due to say, excess mud all over the light, then it’ll let you know that it’s not functioning – so you can stop and give it a wipe down as needed.
Performance
Radar: 140m range & 220 degree field of view
Modes: Solid, Peloton, Night Flash, Day Flash
Maximum lumens: 65 (in Day Flash mode)
Minimum lumens: 8 (in Peloton mode)
Up to 16 hours battery life
Micro-USB recharging
Once you’re out on the road, the only presence of the Varia is that little symbol to the top right corner of the Garmin Edge display. However, once a vehicle is detected on the approach the side of the display becomes an ‘approach bar’ showing a little dot (representing the vehicle) and how closely it’s approaching. There’s also an audible “de-dah, de-dah, de-dah” type alert, which will make you look – and is really useful, as it sounds even when the rest of your Garmin’s functions are muted.
That ‘approach bar’ is reasonably accurate, as you’ll tend to note a vehicle sits awaiting its sensible moment to overtake. At this point, the Varia will sound an alert again – as the radar can detect the wider movement, effectively giving you one alert for initial approach, and a second alert for overtake.
Once a vehicle has passed, the ‘approach bar’ will turn from red to green, to let you know there’s nothing else on the approach. If there is, however, the bar will remain red and show the next vehicle awaiting its turn to pass – and you might not get an approach alert in this instance. We don’t see that as a problem, but it’s something to be aware of.
There’s a similar minor issue we’ve found when riding with others: when riding chain gang style, in a bit of a peloton, the close proximity seems to make the Varia think nothing is in your near vicinity. This is how it’s supposed to function – a consistent speed follow within 30m is seen as a fellow cyclist, in effect – in order to free up the system to alert you for faster approaching vehicles.
Which is all well and good, but can’t you just use your ears? Well, yes and no. See, when we lived in London, cycling was a whole other experience compared to cycling country backroads. Our old London route was open, largely straight, with ample passing space and, frankly, enough traffic that it would rarely be faster than two legs a-pedalling. But in the country, with often concealed turns, dappled light, and rush of wind that can make hearing tricky, it’s very valuable.
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As one example: there are two sections of our daily country ride that are a bit tighter. It’s actually hard to hear anything on the approach in those sections, due to the rush of wind at relative speed. That said, it’s a national speed limit road, so a passing vehicle could, technically speaking, overtake at pace. What we do here is get alerted from the Varia that there’s a vehicle behind, then await a decent passing spot and sign for the vehicle to proceed safely. Not something we needed in London, massively useful in the country.
As for the brightness of the Varia, it’s pretty punchy. A flashing Day Flash mode is 65 lumens, with a battery life up to 16 hours. There’s also Solid (20 lumens, always on), Peloton (8 lumens to not distract nearby cyclists’ eyes), and Night Flash (29 lumens, to be seen). We’ve also seen that the sequence of flashing will change when the radar detects a vehicle in order to help you to be seen, which is a clever little feature.
As for battery life, the claimed time of 16 hours is perhaps a stretch. We’re probably poor at switching the light off properly, however, and it is at least easy to charge – although it uses older Micro-USB when we’d prefer USB-C and the possibility of wireless charging for a much simpler solution without the need for vulnerable ports and enclosing flaps to protect.
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In terms of sensitivity, the Varia is very good at identifying a relevant approach. If your bike is stationary and you walk up to it from behind it’ll count that as an approach. And, as we’ve said, other vehicles – motorbikes, cars, vans and beyond – and cyclists are detected with ease. So if there’s a T-Rex on your tail, the Varia will let you know about it.
Verdict
Your eyes and ears are one thing, but adding radar to your cycles adds a layer of safety that’s very useful. In the case of the Varia RTL515 it’s expertly integrated into your Garmin setup, too, which makes it an easy-to-understand tool to act upon as necessary.
The only real question mark over whether to buy one is the simple fact that it costs an awful lot of money for what is, in effect, a fancy rear light. But it’s proven its worth and our peace of mind time and again. And for that we say it’s well worth it.
If portable audio has been shaped by anything other than advancing headphones technology in recent years, it’s the arrival of portable DACs – pocketable ‘middleman’ devices that connect between a phone or laptop and a pair of headphones to improve sound quality. We’ve had laptop-friendly AudioQuest DragonFlys and the more versatile Audiolab M-DAC nano, for example, and now THX (yes, that same firm famously behind cinema audio standards) is entering the consumer electronics market with a similar device.
The all-new THX Onyx ($200, €210) is a dongle designed to enhance the performance between your USB source and your headphones or desktop speakers. You can plug it into any PC, Mac or Android device toting a USB or USB-C port, with iOS devices requiring the slim Apple Lightning to USB Camera Adapter to be compatible. At the other end, the Onyx has been designed to drive all manner of headphones – those with impedances from 22ohms to 600 – via its 3.5mm jack, through which desktop speakers can also be connected.
It’s the first DAC of its kind to utilise THX’s AAA-78 amplifier technology, which is the highest-powered configuration within the company’s Achromatic Audio Amplifier design and promises the same power output as a desktop THX AAA DAC amp – just in a much smaller package. THX says this technology can “reduce harmonic, intermodulation, and crossover distortion by up to 40dB”, promising a performance with “infinitesimally low levels” of noise and distortion. It also claims this makes the Onyx up to five times more powerful than other similar USB DACs.
Our pick of the best DACs 2021: USB, portable and desktop DACs
(Image credit: THX)
That AAA technology is bolstered by an ESS ES9281PRO DAC chip, as well as a Master Quality Authenticated (MQA) renderer for playing back MQA hard files and (MQA-encoded) Tidal Masters in their native quality.
The Onyx has an all-metal body, with LED lights to signify the quality of file being played through it – blue denotes 44.1kHz or 48kHz PCM files, yellow signifies sample rates above that, while red and pink display DSD and MQA signals respectively. THX has incorporated cable management into the design so that wires from connected headphones are kept neat and tidy, too.
THX Onyx is now available in the United States and Europe for $200 and €210. Needless to say we look forward to taking it for a spin very soon.
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Sennheiser is introducing some new mics for creators to use on consumer-level cameras and phones, including an update for its popular camera-mounted MKE 400 shotgun microphone and new phone-friendly lavaliere microphones.
The updated MKE 400 shotgun microphone looks to be an upgrade in many ways from the previous version — it’s got a new design, which incorporates a windscreen (it also comes with a furry wind sock), a built-in headphone port, and, blessedly, can automatically turn on or off with your camera. It also now comes with a free wind blocker for when it gets really breezy. That should help reduce the number of times you finish recording, only to realize that you didn’t actually capture the audio you were hoping for (something I’ve absolutely done before).
The updated MKE 400, with a built-in windscreen.Image: Sennheiser
The previous version of the MKE 400.Image: Sennheiser
It’s also now designed to work with mobile devices like phones or tablets; it comes with both a standard TRS cable meant for DSLRs or mirrorless cameras, as well as a TRRS cable that should work when plugged into a phone’s headphone jack. Or, more likely, a 3.5mm to USB-C or Lightning adapter. With the microphone’s built-in headphone jack, you should even still be able to monitor when shooting with a phone (or with a camera that only has a mic-in and no headphone out).
The TRS and TRRS cables will make it easy to use the microphone with both phones and cameras.Image: Sennheiser
The new features should help make Sennheiser’s microphone a more compelling competitor to Rode’s latest mics — the older version of the MKE 400’s lack of auto on/off and comparatively outdated design made it a tough sell when compared to something like a Rode VideoMic Pro. It’s nice to see Sennheiser catch up with the rest of the market.
All the upgrades to the MKE 400 do come at a bit of a cost in the battery department, though: Sennheiser estimated that the old MKE 400 would last 300 hours off a single AAA battery, while the new version only advertises 100 hours of use off of two AAAs. The mic still retails for the same $199.95.
The USB-C version of the XS Lav.Image: Sennheiser
Meanwhile, Sennheiser’s new XS Lav mics are meant to be worn on a shirt collar or lapel and could be useful for creators looking to get better audio, but who don’t want to use a large shotgun-style microphone. The clip-on mics comes in two versions: one with a 3.5mm TRRS plug, and one with a USB-C plug for dongle-free use with phones or computers. Sennheiser had previously made a lavalier mic for iPhones that plugged in via Lightning, but it seems like to be no longer widely available. (You can find one that mysteriously looks just like it at Apogee.)
The USB-C version should be the most widely-compatible, as it’ll be useful for both Android phones and single-audio-port computers (plugging it into a combination headphone jack on, say, a MacBook would make it difficult to use headphones, but you could use the USB-C port instead). iPhone owners will want to look at the XS Lav with the 3.5mm connector, though an adapter will be required.
The 3.5mm version costs $49.95, and the USB-C version costs $59.95 — both are less expensive than the $79 Rode smartLav Plus.
Both the MKE 400 and XS Lav USB-C can also be purchased as part of a “Mobile Kit,” which adds $30 to the price and includes a tiny tripod and phone clamp mount.
Trade-in provider Gazelle exited the online trade-in business back in February, and now the company says it’s changing its mind. Gazelle is back to accepting online trade-ins of iPhones, Samsung phones, Google Pixel devices, and iPads and other tablets on its website, the company confirms to The Verge. The program resumed accepting new offers on April 5th, a Gazelle representative clarified.
“Earlier this year, we announced that we will no longer be offering our trade-in option on Gazelle. After careful consideration, including feedback from customers like you, we have decided to keep Gazelle Trade-In going. Today, we are happy to say, ‘We’re back, baby!’” reads an email Gazelle sent to prospective customers and shared with The Verge. “Gazelle Trade-In is a pioneer of the electronics trade-in space and we are happy to continue building on our legacy by offering a simple process and immediate payouts for those unwanted devices.”
Gazelle emerged as one of the leading trade-in providers of the smartphone era. But its business model didn’t fare as well when the US mobile phone business underwent major shifts away from two-year contracts and outright device purchases and toward phone leasing and carrier and device maker trade-in programs like Apple’s.
Gazelle announced back in December of last year it would end its online phone trade-in program on February 1st, 2021, though the company said at the time it would continue to operate its in-person trade-in kiosks through parent company ecoATM. Gazelle did confirm in the email sent to customers that it will not be bringing back its rewards program. “We will continue to evaluate the market conditions and will inform you if this changes,” the email reads.
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