It's Tuesday, October 23, 2018. Hey, good morning! You look fabulous.  Finally, it’s time to meet Apple’s iPhone XR, and we couldn’t do that without asking some questions about the decisions behind the device. We’re also looking at Google’s Home Hub, and there’s a new video that every Tesla owner (or would-be Tesla thief) should watch, ASAP.
(View in browser.) 'Far more than good enough.'  From the perspective of Apple SVP Phil Schiller, “If we're going to push the upper boundaries with XS and XS Max to make something the best, how do we make something that's more affordable for a larger audience?” If you ask Chris Velazco, this other iPhone X is the best one for most people, with a battery life that outlasts its more expensive brethren and the same A12 Bionic chipset inside. Buying an iPhone XR means going without the benefits of a dual-camera setup and higher-res display, but there’s a lot here to love and it costs less than $1,000. | | Who’s watching who?  Google’s Home Hub is ideal for personal spaces like the bedroom for one simple reason: It doesn’t have a camera. That decision, along with blending Google Assistant smarts and an affordable price point at $149, helps it score as an extremely compelling smart display. | | The hard sell behind a $15,000 TV.  Samsung’s saying its 8K TVs are the best TVs around right now, and they future-proof you for the resolution jump to come. And the company's also saying to anyone currently thinking about buying a high-end 4K TV: Don't make a purchase you'll regret. Of course, in two years, what Samsung thought was future-proof might well be obsolete already.
| | Do you really need a stylus?  There's never been a better time to be in the market for something new: Smartphones are more powerful than ever, and getting a truly great device doesn't require shelling out an obscene amount of money. Still, finding the right balance of features and price can be trickier than it needs to be, so we've put together a guide to help make this big decision a little easier. | | Unplugging it was the tricky part.  A Tesla owner who recorded thieves stealing his Model S by hacking the passive entry system has published the video on YouTube, so we can all watch and learn. It shows the crooks using a tablet to apparently capture the passive signal from his keyfob, then using the data to open the vehicle. The problem? The owner never activated a PIN-to-drive feature that would have required a code to get the vehicle going. | | And mid-range smartphones are getting a power bump.  Speaking at the 4G/5G Summit in Hong Kong, Qualcomm president Cristiano Amon said that based on what his company has visibility to, they are expecting "at least two waves of major flagships" with 5G radio next year, with the first lot arriving sometime within the first half of the year, and the rest in the holiday season. OnePlus might make one of them, as it announced plans to be one of the first companies to use the new technology. Qualcomm also showed off its upgraded Snapdragon 675 chipset, which improves on its current mid-range 670 with enhanced power for gaming, multiple-lens camera setups and AI. | | But wait, there's more... | |
