Thursday, 8 November 2018

The Morning After: Samsung's 'Infinity Flex' phone unfolds

Engadget Email Newsletter

It's Thursday, November 08, 2018.

Hey, good morning! You look fabulous.

Looking for something new? Samsung teased a new type of device at its developer conference yesterday, but it still might not be the company’s most important mobile news of the day. Also, we have some suggestions if you’re considering a laptop purchase this holiday season, and Netgear’s latest routers must be seen to be believed.

(View in browser.)

It's a phone...and a tablet.

Samsung debuts foldable 'Infinity Flex' phone display

When closed, Samsung’s foldable-phone prototype looks like a regular smartphone, and the cover can be used to display information like the weather and time. It can then be unfolded like a book to reveal a 7.3-inch display that works like a miniature tablet. According to Samsung, you can run three apps simultaneously with what it calls a Multi-Active Window. While the device itself isn’t quite ready for prime time (it looked a little dim onstage), Google is already preparing Android for a future full of flexible devices that flip in and out of different configurations.

We’ve come so far from the days of TouchWiz.

Samsung cleans up its Android skin with One UI

In addition to unveiling its much-rumored folding phone at its developer conference, Samsung also shared plans for a cleaner Android skin. The new look will be called One UI and feature not only a refreshed design with rounded corners in its icons, but also a minimalist aesthetic that the company said will draw users' eyes "to what matters." And since so many of Samsung's phones, like the Note 9 and S9+, have massive screens, One UI also makes it more comfortable to navigate larger displays. Expect to see the redesign in next year's phones, like the Galaxy S10, that should launch in February.

Remember that ‘funding secured’ tweet? The SEC does.

Tesla replaces Elon Musk as board chair with Telstra CFO Robyn Denholm

As part of his settlement with the SEC over tweets about taking Tesla private, Elon Musk agreed to step down from his post as chairman of the board of directors. Now, while he's still CEO and retains his seat on the board, Tesla has announced his replacement: current board member and CFO of Australian telecom Telstra Robyn Denholm. Other parts of the SEC settlement included $20 million in penalties and a promise for plans to place procedures and controls on Musk's tweets.

You can get these $80 metallic AirPod alternatives for $26

They might be as fast as they look.

Netgear's first WiFi 6 routers look like stealth fighters

Netgear isn’t going to let ASUS have all the fun with bafflingly designed, high-performance WiFi routers. The company has unveiled its first routers using the WiFi 6 (aka 802.11ax) standard, and they’re stealth fighters. Whoosh! Both the AX8 and AX12 can handle up to 6Gbps of wireless data traffic at any one time, with "optimized" quad-core processors to juggle all that traffic, and promise 25 percent higher data efficiency. If they sound like they'll be expensive... you've guessed correctly. The AX8 will cost $400 and, according to Amazon, should be released on December 21st.

There’s something here for everyone.

The best laptops to give as gifts

If you check out our 2018 holiday gift guide, you'll see we narrowed our laptop shortlist to just half a dozen machines. Dell's latest XPS 13 is a terrific all-rounder if you're looking to buy someone a Windows laptop. Gigabyte's lightweight Aero 15X, meanwhile, is a solid choice for those who want to play games on the go. Our picks also include Microsoft's Surface Go, the ASUS Chromebook Flip and the updated MacBook Air, which is so new it hasn't even begun shipping yet.

The company ‘will not listen to, view or keep the contents’ of Portal video calls.

Facebook's Portal video chat displays go on sale in the US

Facebook's Portal and Portal+ smart displays are now available in the US via Amazon, Best Buy and their own, ahem, portal. The social network created the devices with video chats in mind, giving them AI-powered cameras that can track you as you move around while talking to friends and family. The 10-inch Portal (with a 1280 x 800 screen) will set you back $199, while the 15-inch Portal+ (with a 1920 x 1080 pivoting display) will cost you $349.

But wait, there's more...

1. YouTube paid $3 billion to copyright owners through Content ID

2. Google Maps gets Waze-like collision and speed-trap reporting in latest test

3. Comcast may debut a set-top box for internet-only customers in 2019

4. Amazon's Alexa and Echo launch in Mexico

5. Husqvarna's first electric motorcycle is the EE 5 mini dirt bike

6. Android apps will update while you're using them

7. Samsung opens its Bixby assistant to developers

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Wednesday, 7 November 2018

Editor's Pick: How to Protect Your Online Privacy: A Practical Guide

How to Protect Your Online Privacy: A Practical Guide

John Mason
Nov 7, 2018 5:00 AM PT

Do you take your online privacy seriously? Most people don't. They have an ideal scenario of just how private their online activities should be, but they rarely do anything to actually achieve it. The problem is that bad actors know and rely on this fact, and that's why there's been a steady rise in identity theft cases from 2013 to 2017, often resulting in loss of reputation or financial woes. [More...]

More Picks:

How Small Etailers Can Survive Political, Social Firestorms
A national debate over civility erupted after Stephanie Wilkinson, a co-owner of a Red Hen restaurant in Virginia, asked White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders to leave. That wasn't the only consequence of the incident, though. Restaurant owners in various parts of America whose businesses had the words "red hen" in their name were deluged with a storm of angry reactions. [More...]

Mobile Phone Security: All You Need to Know
We rely on our phones to process and store reams of personal digital data. Our digital activities -- from checking bank balances to paying for a product with a tap of the screen, to sending friends and family messages over social media, to accessing work emails remotely -- have turned our phones into a goldmine of personal information. How secure is your mobile device? [More...]

Changing Up Your Linux Distro
It's common for Linux users to hop between distributions and survey the field, and I recently reached a point where I had to seriously rethink the one I was using most of the time. Between hardware compatibility issues with my old standby and some discouraging missteps with other go-to choices, I felt the time had come to reassess my pool of preferred distributions and repopulate it from scratch. [More...]

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E-Commerce Minute

E-Commerce Minute: Wednesday -- November 7, 2018

The E-Commerce Times -- E-Business Means Business
http://www.ecommercetimes.com
Part of the ECT News Network

Headline Scan
How Small Etailers Can Survive Political, Social Firestorms
Digital Disruption Pathways
The Resurrection of SoLoMo for Today's Brick-and-Click Shoppers
How E-Commerce SMBs Can Step Up Sales Engagement

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Today's Story Highlights

How Small Etailers Can Survive Political, Social Firestorms

A national debate over civility erupted after Stephanie Wilkinson, a co-
owner of a Red Hen restaurant in Virginia, asked White House Press
Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders to leave. That wasn't the only
consequence of the incident, though. Restaurant owners in various parts
of America whose businesses had the words "red hen" in their name were
deluged with a storm of angry reactions.
http://www.ecommercetimes.com/story/85662.html

Digital Disruption Pathways

Digital transformation means a lot of things to different people, but if
you do it right it should be virtually unique to your circumstance. The
other day I caught up with Rip Gerber, CMO at Vlocity, the Salesforce
partner that specializes in vertical industries like telecommunications
and insurance. Of digital disruption, Gerber told me, "Nobody changes
anything without a strong business case."
http://www.ecommercetimes.com/story/85660.html

The Resurrection of SoLoMo for Today's Brick-and-Click Shoppers

In the last decade or so, the inability or unwillingness to adapt has
caused many businesses to succumb to a newer, more innovative company,
or one that has re-thought how to do business in the digital age. For
example, people who can remember browsing the aisles of Borders likely
understand the irony of one of Amazon's first moves into the brick-and-
mortar realm: book stores.
http://www.ecommercetimes.com/story/85656.html

How E-Commerce SMBs Can Step Up Sales Engagement

"Sales engagement" is not a new concept, but the premise around its
application has matured over the last few years. So, what is it? If you
want the TL;DR version, it's the process of engaging with new sales
opportunities quickly and persistently, with a cadence designed to
connect, using multiple channels such as telephone, email, SMS and
social media.
http://www.ecommercetimes.com/story/85654.html

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The Morning After: Not AirPods, 'AirDots'

Engadget Email Newsletter

It's Wednesday, November 07, 2018.

Hey, good morning! You look fabulous.

Today we have some cheap Chinese earbuds lined up to compare with Apple’s AirPods, and you might need to save that money -- fulfilling wishlists made from Amazon’s price-less holiday toy catalog could get expensive.

(View in browser.)

The budget buds boast a charging case and Bluetooth 5.0.

Xiaomi's true wireless 'AirDots' earbuds cost less than $30

Xiaomi’s latest budget offering is a pair of true wireless earbuds that cost around $28 (depending on the exchange rate). They're dubbed AirDots, which sounds confusingly (or intentionally) similar to Apple's $159 AirPods. To further fuel the comparisons, they also come in white and tout a minimal design, and they have a plastic case that’ll also charge the tiny things. For now, the buds are set to launch in China, with no word on a global launch.

Because competition.

Verizon cuts the price of its unlimited prepaid plan

Verizon (owner of Engadget’s parent company -- you know you’re reading Engadget’s newsletter, right?) is shaking up its prepaid plans with an emphasis on better value at the high end. Responding to competition from T-Mobile’s Metro, the price of Verizon’s unlimited plan has effectively dropped by $10 to $65 when you set up Auto Pay -- it's still more expensive than Metro, but closer. You'll also get an extra gig with the $45 plan.

You can have up to 10 lines on your account instead of the earlier five, and you can add both tablets and hotspots to your account at the same prices as adding smartphone lines. That said, the Metro unlimited options start at $50 with Google One perks, and AT&T's unlimited prepaid tiers are also less expensive at as little as $45.

You'll need to go online to find out how much each product costs.

Amazon sends out toy catalog with no prices ahead of the holidays

The PlayStation Classic, slider phones, the resurrection of Palm. What’s next? The return of the toy catalog. Kind of. Amazon will be sending out a toy catalog, minus prices, ahead of the holidays, containing bonkers gift ideas for the Richie Richs of this world, and Fire 10 HD tabs for the rest of us. This isn’t an iPad, Mom. It’s not the same.

Why you should be shooting content with Snap Spectacles

There’s time.

Animated 'Super Mario Bros.' movie tentatively planned for 2022

Nintendo and Universal’s Mario anime is still a few years away from release, but the big question is how to make a movie better than the 1993 flick. According to its producer, the answer is putting his creator Shigeru Miyamoto “front and center” throughout the process. We’ll see if that works.

Trolley coming through.

Waymo blames self-driving collision on pesky human

Waymo has admitted in a blog post that one of its test vehicles hit a motorcycle in Mountain View. The company defended its technology in the post, though, clarifying that the event was caused by human error. Apparently, the test driver took control of the vehicle after seeing a passenger car to the left moving into their lane.

As far as Waymo is concerned, while the situation challenged the test driver, the data suggested its autonomous tech could see the situation developing thanks to 360-degree sensor vision and would’ve responded safely.