Geek News

Welcome back to Monday. If you've been waiting to hear more on Samsung's next Galaxy flagship, we've got you covered. As well as everything else that happened over the weekend, naturally. Like Elon Musk with a flamethrower. Intelligent Scan would work day or night. Samsung Galaxy S9 may pack more reliable face recognition Samsung has hinted that the Galaxy S9 might include more advanced face recognition, but we're now getting clues of what's involved. Deep inside the Galaxy Note 8's Oreo beta software, there's a hidden Intelligent Scan feature that uses both camera-based face detection and the iris scanner for "better accuracy and security" and improved results in "low or very bright" lighting. Given that the iris scanning on the S8 and Note 8 can be finnicky (and that's us being kind), this could deliver a much more consistent experience when unlocking your phone. We're still not entirely sure how: A video included suggest...

Hey, good morning! Morning there! Ready to shop in Amazon's store of the future? How about grabbing a cheap Windows laptop for your kid's next semester? The Pulse Wave Velocity tracking will be deactivated on January 24th. Nokia will disable the key feature of its priciest scale Nokia will be disabling the headline feature of its Body Cardio scale in a software update. The scale was sold with the ability to track Pulse Wave Velocity (PWV), the speed at which your blood flows through your veins. The slower and more constant the speed, the healthier you are, and vice versa. In a statement, the company said the feature "may require a different level of regulatory approval," possibly risking the wrath of regulators. Now it's issuing a mandatory update that will kill the feature, while halting sales of new devices. Integral Memory's new card is built for 4K. The first 512GB microSD card arrives in February So long as your device can handle microSDXC (m...

The next big Nintendo gaming accessory? Cardboard. The games maker unveiled Labo, a DIY add-on system for kids to fold and stick together peripherals from cardboard -- proving once again that Nintendo is the good kind of crazy. Elsewhere we've got iPhone bugs, more cool cars I can't afford and unlimited data on Google's Project Fi. Crazy. Nintendo unveils Labo, DIY cardboard add-ons for the Switch Behold Labo, a set of DIY tools built on cardboard sheets that turns the console into a powerhouse of play. Make a piano with the Switch's screen for music. No, wait, a motorcycle game with cardboard handlebars. A house with the Switch displaying an interior you can customize. Now is the era of the Toy-Con -- and it involves a recyclable robo-suit. Yay! Currently, older phones silently begin to run slower if they detect battery problems. Apple CEO: iPhone owners will be able to disable power management About a month ago, Apple explained that slower performance of ol...

Welcome to the middle, and we've got more car news from the North American International Auto Show, which kicked off almost immediately after last week's CES. There is no rest. Also: a space junk laser. Meanwhile, Apple's iPhone 7 Plus is the second-best-selling smartphone in China. US Congress reportedly lobbied AT&T to dump Huawei smartphones AT&T recently revealed it wouldn't carry Huawei smartphones, despite rumors that it would be the first US carrier to do so, raising suspicions that politics played a part in its decision. Reportedly, US lawmakers did indeed pressure AT&T to drop its plans to carry handsets from the Chinese company. Furthermore, senators and House members are also pressuring AT&T to end its collaboration with Huawei on standards for its next-generation 5G network. The government is telling companies that dealing with Huawei, China Mobile and other firms could harm their ability to procure government contracts. Space junk l...

Good Tuesday morning to you. The net neutrality battle ain't over, and Google's latest machine learning toy matches your selfie with famous works of art. Get. Ready. To. Be. Offended. There's still an uphill battle. Democrats are just one vote shy of restoring net neutrality Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer now says Democrats in the Senate are a single vote away from restoring net neutrality. According to the senator from New York, they now have a total of 50 votes for a Senate resolution of disapproval that would restore the Open Internet Order of 2015 and deliver a stiff rebuke to Ajit Pai and other Republican members of the FCC. For best results, grow a beard. Google's museum app finds your fine-art doppelgänger If you've ever wondered if there's a museum portrait somewhere that looks like you, and you're ready to have your ego crushed, there's now an app for that. Google Arts & Culture's latest update now lets you take a selfie,...

Hey, good morning! Post-CES, it's back to business as usual at Engadget, but not before delivering some of our final reports and interviews from a very busy show. Oh, and even a new wearable -- if nothing from Vegas caught your eye. Praise be. 'The Handmaid's Tale' ventures outside Gilead in second season The Handmaid's Tale has been a huge success for Hulu, earning the streaming platform quite a few Emmys and two Golden Globes. The first season was based on Margaret Atwood's novel by the same name, but many have wondered what's in store for the upcoming second season. Showrunner Bruce Miller says he and Margaret Atwood began talking about the direction of the second season before the first was even finished. Smarter, sharper and bigger than ever. The TVs that mattered at CES As usual, CES 2018 provided a bonanza of big screens, loaded up with every piece of tech you can create a buzzword for. But figuring out which TVs will matter to you next ...

Hey, good morning! We've just crowned the best in show at CES 2018. Capping off our third day of coverage at the tech show, we also heard how Kodak is getting into bitcoin and, naturally, continue our reportage on the best new tech to be found in Las Vegas. Winner! Presenting the Best of CES 2018 winners! Finally, after long hours of debating which finalist should win in each of our Best of CES awards this year, we've made our decisions. Below is our list of winners for each category, as well as Best of the Best and People's Choice. Congratulations to all the winners and finalists! Dell and HP's latest machines are good signs for the future. Gaming laptops are cheap and portable at CES 2018 Buying a laptop has traditionally meant juggling price, graphics performance, weight and battery life. You want a powerful gaming laptop with good battery life? Sorry about that six-pound weight, bro. Looking for a lightweight, inexpensive laptop to take to events? Forget...

Hey, good morning! Yesterday was the first official day of CES, the world's biggest tech show. Showfloors were open, SD cards were filled with hands-on photos and we tested plenty of things. We're now eyeing up the shortlist candidates for our Best of CES awards , but there's still plenty for us to unearth from deep inside the Las Vegas Convention Center. Let's get started. And they cost less than the competition. Sony's totally wireless, noise-cancelling sports earbuds are surprisingly good During last night's press event, Sony revealed its latest sports earbuds with totally wireless and wireless models -- two of which feature active noise cancellation. The company debuted its WF-1000X back at IFA, but the WF-SP700N that's here at CES has the sporty treatment. This includes IPX4 rating that protects the tiny audio devices from sweat and moisture at the gym or during a run. In fact, Sony claims it's the first to put active noise cancellation in a...

It begins. We've parachuted the Engadget team into Vegas ready to tackle CES 2018, and while the press events officially start tomorrow, we're already reporting on cars, chips and a bunch of crazier things, as illustrated above. Coming up later today, we've got all the major press conferences from the likes of Intel, Samsung, Sony and more. We suggest you point your browser here for everything worth hearing about from CES. It's a consumer version of its cinema screen for theaters. Samsung is ready to build a 146-inch TV wall in your house Last year, Samsung announced a 34-foot 4K LED TV that could challenge movie theater screens, and now it's ready to sell a version for home use. The Wall by Samsung uses similar MicroLED tech that is "self emitting" (read: Each pixel works without a backlight) and can be assembled in extremely large sizes thanks to its modular design. We don't have much information to go on yet, but the 146-inch 4K screen we sa...