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Showing posts with the label February 25

Canon's entry-level Rebel T7 DSLR targets social media users

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On top of its M50 mirrorless with 4K video, Canon also took the wraps of its latest DSLR, the Rebel T7. The successor to the two-year-old, 18-megapixel Rebel T6 now has a much bigger 24.1-megapixel sensor, making it more attractive next to excellent smartphone cameras on the iPhone X and Galaxy S8+, for instance. The Rebel T7 makes it fairly easy to take photos with "Scene Intelligent" and auto modes, then share them on social networks via WiFi and NFC. Other specs remain largely unchanged, including the 9-point phase-detection autofocus, 3fps burst shooting speed and 1,920 x 1,080, 30fps video. Clearly, this is a camera for beginners, albeit beginners that have developed high expectations because smartphone cameras are so good these days. The Rebel T7 also arrives in April of 2018, and will only be sold as a kit with the the EF-S 18-55 f/3.5-5.6 IS II lens for $550. For around the same price, however, you might be more tempted by Nikon's D3400, which has a simil...

Canon launches the EOS M50, its first 4K mirrorless camera

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Canon has responded to criticism of the lack of 4K in all but it's high-end DSLRs by launching the EOS M50, its first mirrorless M-series camera with Ultra HD 4K video. Packing a new DIGIC 8 processor, the 24.1megapixel, APS-C model can shoot 3,840 x 2,160 video at 24 fps, or 1080p video at 60 fps. At $780 (body only) Canon says the M50 is now its "entry-level" M-series camera. Since it's the only one with 4K, that presents an awkward dilemma for potential buyers of the top-end EOS M5 and M6 models. If the M50 has become Canon's new entry-level mirrorless, then it's a good sign that Canon is getting set to revamp the rest of the lineup. It strongly resembles the high-end, DSLR-like M5, rather than the smaller M10 and M100 models. It has an OLED optical viewfinder with touch and drag autofocus, Canon's vaunted Dual-Pixel phase-detection AF, a vari-angle, flippable touchscreen ideal for vloggers, 120fps slow-motion video (at 720p), a new silent-shootin...

iTunes Store drops support for Windows Vista on May 25th

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Ah, 2007: the days when Windows Vista was all the rage (or inducing rage), the Apple TV was brand new and music download stores were the hottest way to get the latest albums. Apple certainly remembers that year... and would like you to move on. The company has posted a support page warning that the iTunes Store will no longer work on Windows XP, Windows Vista and first-generation Apple TVs as of May 25th. iTunes itself will function, but new purchases and re-downloads are off limits. "Security changes" necessitate dropping these older platforms, Apple said. The writing has been on the wall for a while. iTunes 12 already requires at least Windows 7, and a first-run Apple TV is very limited in what it can do (you aren't about to watch YouTube or stream Apple Music). However, this is the surest sign yet that Apple wants those with older devices to get with the times. While you're probably using something considerably newer if you're reading this, the cutoff m...

Apple may launch over-ear headphones without Beats branding

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AirPods may be far from the pinnacle of audio quality, but they're definitely popular -- so much so that Apple may be expanding the variety of audio gear it releases under its own brand. KGI analyst Ming-Chi Kuo (who has a generally good track record forecasting Apple gear) claims that Apple is making over-ear headphones under its own name, rather than Beats. Most details aren't clear, but Apple would reportedly focus on higher-end audio -- hopefully, that means balanced sound rather than Beats' signature tendency to drown you in bass. While not stated, there's a good chance these would be wireless (possibly using the AirPods' rumored wireless chip upgrade ) and would rely heavily on Siri voice integration. Kuo doesn't expect these headphones to ship sooner than the fourth quarter of 2018, but is already naming suppliers (Primax and SZS). As always, this isn't a surefire thing -- certainly not when a launch is likely several months away. It would make ...

OnePlus 5T will only play HD Netflix if you send it in for service

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Good news: the OnePlus 5 and 5T can finally play Netflix in HD ... if you're willing to go through a convoluted process. OnePlus has launched an update program to enable the higher-resolution video streaming, but the "security processes" involved in enabling HD require that you send your phone in. As it revolves around the WideVine copyright protection used to allow Netflix playback, OnePlus has to perform the update with a wired connection to an "authenticated PC" -- thanks, movie industry. The company will cover the shipping costs if you're in one of its official support areas, but you could be without your phone for up to 5 business days. Also, while Netflix hasn't been available in HD on earlier OnePlus phones, you're out of luck if you aren't using one of its 2017-era handsets. Yes, it's somewhat ridiculous that you have to go without your phone for a while just to watch Altered Carbon at the same visual quality as your friends. A...

The best portable document scanner

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By Amadou Diallo This post was done in partnership with Wirecutter . When readers choose to buy Wirecutter's independently chosen editorial picks, it may earn affiliate commissions that support its work. Read the full article here . After putting in more than 100 hours for research and hands-on testing since 2013, we think the Epson ES-300W is the best portable document scanner for digitizing documents without taking up half of a desktop. It combines scan speeds usually found on full-size scanners with extremely accurate text recognition. And thanks to its built-in Wi-Fi and battery, you can use it almost anywhere—even with a phone or tablet. Who this is for If you have stacks of documents and receipts filling up filing cabinets or cluttering your desk, using a document scanner to digitize your files not only frees up physical space, but it also makes your information much easier to find and backup. On both Windows computers and Macs you can do word searches that include the...

Netflix lands sci-fi movie from 'Planet of the Apes' director

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Netflix's sci-fi adaptations are about to expand beyond the likes of Altered Carbon and Lost in Space . Deadline has learned that Netflix has secured the rights to Life Sentence , a movie take on a Matthew Baker short story about a future where authorities wipe the memories of criminals instead of sending them to prison. Matt Reeves, the director of the two most recent Planet of the Apes movies, is producing the title. It's not known when the movie would premiere, but apparently that's not the big story -- there was reportedly a fierce bidding war. Reeves apparently had to contend with offers from conventional studios like Fox, Universal and Warner as well as Amazon and newcomer Apple . The choice came down to the format, according to sources. Apple and its production partner Gaumont would have made Life Sentence as a TV series, but Reeves preferred the movie format and thus headed to Netflix. The battle underscores just how much the video entertainment industry ha...

Galaxy S9 US pre-orders focus on trade-in deals

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Now that Samsung's Galaxy S9 and S9+ are official, American carriers are tripping over themselves to offer launch details ahead of March 2nd pre-orders... and trade-in deals are a common theme this time around. T-Mobile , for instance, is promising $360 off the price of the S9 or S9+ if you turn in an eligible phone (typically a high-end Apple, LG or Samsung phone from the past couple of years). Verizon , meanwhile, is offering between $100 to $350 in credit if you hand in a qualifying phone from Apple, Google, HTC, LG, Motorola or Samsung. Comcast's relatively new Xfinity Mobile is getting in on the action as well, with promises of at least $200 and as much as $450. There are other promos, as you might expect. Verizon is offering $100 off a Gear S3 smartwatch if you activate it on a 2-year plan, and promises a $150 prepaid card if you're switching networks. Xfinity Mobile, in turn, is offering a $250 prepaid card to anyone who buys a Samsung phone and opens a new line...

Watch Nokia's MWC 2018 event in under 10 minutes

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It's good times for Nokia. Or rather HMD Global, the Finnish company that now owns the beloved Nokia brand. After a successful holiday season the phone maker has marched into Mobile World Congress with a bevy of new devices in tow. The Nokia 8 Sirocco is a stylish-looking Android flagship, while the Nokia 8110 Reloaded is a throwback to the classic 90s slider. For the average consumer there's also the entry-level Nokia 1 , mid-range Nokia 6 and 6-inch Nokia 7 Plus. For a full rundown of the company's announcements, check out our 10-minute press conference supercut. Catch up on the latest news from MWC 2018 right here . via Engadget RSS Feed "http://ift.tt/2CGRtte"

This case turns your iPhone into a modular device

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The modular phone trend hasn't taken off as fast as companies like Motorola would have hoped, what with devices like the Moto Z and Moto Z Force not exactly being a hit. But, that doesn't mean there aren't others trying to mimic that style, even if they aren't doing it with their own phone. Here's where Bay Area-based startup Vibes Modular comes in, as it has built a smartphone case that turns your non-modular iPhone or Android device into one that is. So far, the company has a made a Bluetooth speaker and an external charger that attaches to its cases (compatible with 30 different phones), and in the future it plans to roll out a small projector and a drone. The speaker module itself is waterproof, has a microphone for conference calls and lasts up to 12 hours. Being waterproof is neat because that means you can remove it from the case and take it into the shower to listen to some tunes or make a call, if you're into that sort of thing. As for the charger ...

Russia hacked the Olympics and tried to pin it on North Korea

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Now that the 2018 Winter Olympics are over, we're now learning who was responsible for hacking the games' systems ... and the culprit won't surprise you at all. US intelligence officials speaking anonymously to the Washington Post claimed that spies at Russia's GRU agency had compromised up to 300 Olympics-related PCs as of early February, hacked South Korean routers in January and launched new malware on February 9th, the day the Olympics began. They even tried to make it look like North Korea was responsible by using North Korean internet addresses and "other tactics," according to the American sources. It's unclear if Russia was directly responsible for the chaos during the opening ceremony, which disrupted internet and broadcast systems to the point where some guests couldn't even print their tickets. However, the new evidence suggests Russia was in a prime position for such an attack. It also has the motivation: the country hasn't been sh...

After Math: Calls for alarm

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While the survivors of the Stoneman Douglas shooting provided the nation with a master class in how to effectively articulate policy reform demands and ruthlessly drag talking heads of the political class, the tech industry had some communication issues of its own. Like the 1,600 911 calls a set of iPhones at a California repair center made, or the Tinder security flaw that enabled account access with only a phone number, or how the FCC is getting sued (again) for trying to roll back Net Neutrality rules. Numbers, because how else are you going to see how savagely the NRA is getting ratioed? 1,600 : That's how many calls a group of iPhones at a California repair center autonomously made to 911 over the last five months -- around 20 a day. Unfortunately, dispatchers stopped buying the "accidental butt dial" after the first four or five dozen incidents. 23 : The number of state attorney generals (well, 22 states plus DC) who have filed a lawsuit against the FCC to ...

Samsung's updated DeX desktop experience uses the S9 as a trackpad

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When it launched last year, Samsung's first DeX dock was the latest in a long line of attempts to blur the line between phones and traditional PCs. And you know what? It worked surprisingly well, even though the value for most people wasn't particularly clear. That didn't stop Samsung from trying again, though: the company unveiled a new version of it's DeX hardware alongside the Galaxy S9 and S9 Plus, and it's much different from the dock we got last year. In its closed form, the original DeX dock sort of resembled an extra-chunky hockey puck, and the sliding mechanism that allowed a phone to fit was quite clever. That's gone. Instead, this year's DeX Pad looks like a shrunken Sega Genesis that the phone is meant to rest on top of. It seems like a step backward in design until you realize that Samsung wanted the phone's touchscreen as close as possible to the surface it's resting on so you can use it as a trackpad. This isn't the first tim...

Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9+ hands-on: The devil is in the details

Watch Samsung's Galaxy Unpacked 2018 event right here!

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Samsung's getting ready to unveil its next flagship smartphone, the Galaxy S9, at MWC 2018 in Barcelona. You can watch a livestream of the Unpacked 2018 event in the video below, and don't forget to follow the action on our liveblog , as well -- where we'll have colorful commentary from our senior editors Cherlynn Low and Chris Velazco. It all starts at 9AM PT/12PM ET, so you have a few minutes to grab a drink and a snack before finding out what the Galaxy S9 looks like. Catch up on the latest news from MWC 2018 right here . via Engadget RSS Feed "http://ift.tt/2sWTQsk"

The Nokia 8 Sirocco edition is 95-percent vacuum-molded glass

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HMD brought a Nokia phone for all tastes to this year's MWC. Just as some people might want a retro feature phone or an entry-level smartphone, others want the best that money can buy. HMD's latest offering to these flagship fiends is the Nokia 8 Sirocco, which is pitched as a special edition of the Nokia 8 that launched last summer. Make no mistake, this isn't merely the same phone in a new funky color. It sports a completely overhauled design consisting almost entirely of glass. If it looks so different, why bother referring to it as a special edition and simply call it a new phone altogether? Well, HMD probably wanted to be clear that, in some ways, this is still the Nokia 8. (If you're interested, there was special Sirocco edition of the Nokia 8800 way back when, which is where the company got the name from.) Yes, it's still running Android (8.0 Oreo), and inside you'll find the same octa-core Snapdragon 835 chip, 6GB of RAM and 128 gigs of storage. But ...

Nokia's new affordable smartphones prioritize design

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Generating hype around the Nokia brand with retro-inspired feature phones is all well and good, but that doesn't necessarily result in people opening their wallets. And to best cash in on any interest, you need a little something for everyone. To that end, HMD Global has announced a number of new Android smartphones at MWC beyond its pricey flagship. There's the Nokia 1, the company's cheapest entry-level device to date; the second-gen Nokia 6, which is going global after debuting in China last month and the Nokia 7 Plus, a bigger version of the China-exclusive 7, which was released last fall. Nokia 1 Nokia 6 Nokia 7 Plus Processor Quad-core 1.1GHz MediaTek MT6737M Octa-core 2.2GHz Snapdragon 630 Octa-core 2.2GHz Snapdragon 660 RAM / storage 1GB / 8GB 3GB / 32GB (or 4GB / 64GB) 4GB / 64GB MicroSD card support Up to 128GB Up to 128GB Up to 256GB Display size 4.5-inch 5.5-inch 6-inch Display resolution 854 x 480 (16:9) 1,920 x 1,080 (16...

The Nokia 8110 Reloaded is HMD's latest retro feature phone

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Many companies descend on the annual Mobile World Congress event to plug their first smartphone launches of the year. It's an established routine, but HMD Global undeniably stole the show in 2017 with, of all things, a new feature phone. Flexing its newly-acquired license to the Nokia brand, HMD put on a marketing masterclass by announcing a re-release of the iconic Nokia 3310 . This year, it's attempting a similar trick, preying on '90s nostalgia with the new Nokia 8110 Reloaded. The 8110 was de rigueur when it launched two decades ago, but if the late '90s are a little hazy, you might best remember the phone for its recurring cameo in 1999 sci-fi classic, The Matrix . Quick tangent: HMD's use of 'Reloaded' is kinda clumsy here, since it was Samsung that created a weird, futuristic phone specifically as a promotional tie-in to the Matrix sequel of the same name. Also, sorry to burst your bubble this early, but the new 8110 doesn't have a spring-...

Live from Samsung's Galaxy S9 event at MWC 2018!

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Today is the day Samsung will be unveiling its highly anticipated Galaxy S9 , the company's latest flagship smartphone. As we discussed earlier this week , you can expect an improved, smarter camera on the handset, as well as an answer to Apple's Animojis, animated emojis that will use face recognition technology to make your phone more interactive when you message friends or family. We'll learn all about the Galaxy S9 in the next few hours , so stay tuned to this post to keep up with the action as it happens. The event kicks off at 12PM ET/6PM Barcelona time. Enjoy! Catch up on the latest news from MWC 2018 right here . via Engadget RSS Feed "http://ift.tt/2sSmlHx"