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The Nest Hello doorbell may gain the ability to protect against parcel theft soon. (Source: PCMag.com)

Nest Hello doorbell to get delivery-monitoring update

The Nest Hello device is a smart doorbell with an inbuilt camera. A leak concerning a software update for this product has found that it may gain the ability to detect when a package has been delivered. This code may also allow fo...

Deirdre O Donnell, 10 Jul 2019 20:18

Ticwatch Pro LTE now available, will activate via Verizon

Mobvoi has unveiled a new, LTE-enabled version of the Ticwatch Pro. This wearable has most of the specs of its original variant, including its innovative battery-saving dual display. On the other hand, the LTE model is enhanced wi...

Deirdre O Donnell, 10 Jul 2019 19:06

The Xiaomi Mi TV 4A now has a preliminary update to Android Pie. (Source: Digit)

An early-access build of Android Pie for the Xiaomi Mi TV 4A is now available

Those who own the Mi TV 4A can now apply for a kind of Android Pie beta-test. Xiaomi is working on what it calls an 'early-access build' for this 32- or 43-inch device, and is currently inviting users to install and test it. The 4...

Deirdre O Donnell, 10 Jul 2019 18:28

Amazon keeps a record of tasks carried out using Alexa. (Source: VentureBeat)

Amazon keeps records of users' Alexa interactions - and may not delete them

A United States Senator has obtained a response to a letter sent to Amazon HQ concerning user privacy as it relates to the retail giant's Alexa platform. It advised the public representative that, although a given user can delete ...

Deirdre O Donnell, 08 Jul 2019 19:40

App names trademarked by Huawei, apparently for HongMeng OS (Source: Indiashopps)

Huawei trademarks new apps, most likely to be integrated into HongMeng OS

Although its relationship with the US has improved a lot and last month's troubles seem to be gone, Huawei is working hard on its own operating system. HongMeng OS will replace Android on a wide range of devices and some of its co...

Codrut Nistor, 08 Jul 2019 09:14

The new Sony UBP-X1100ES Blu-ray player. (Source: Sony)

Sony launches its latest flagship Blu-ray player

Sony has unveiled the UBP-X1100ES, its latest 4K/UHD Blu-ray player. This machine supports HDR, Dolby Vision, 4K upscaling and the new BT.2020 color-space standard. Sony also asserts that this new disc player has every kind of con...

Deirdre O Donnell, 02 Jul 2019 20:22

OnePlus is entering the TV market, but in which category? (Source: Twitter)

The OnePlus TV may not be OLED

Last year, OnePlus announced that it was to release its first ever TV. However, not much has been heard about this product since then. Now, a renowned leaker claims that it is "not very far away", but that it is likely to have an ...

Deirdre O Donnell, 25 Jun 2019 21:35

Orange and ZTE demo various 5G applications in Spain

Although ZTE is also affected by various bans similar to those imposed by the US on Huawei, this Chinese brand seems to be doing all right in Spain. Yesterday, Orange and its Chinese partner have shown various 5G applications at t...

Codrut Nistor, 20 Jun 2019 10:48

The Sony Xperia 1 sequel is shaping up as a photography monster. (Source: @Samsung_News)

Sony's hexa-camera smartphone is shaping up as a mobile photography beast

The Sony Xperia 1 is the company's most cohesive flagship smartphone in years. It has got virtually all the right ingredients expected in a flagship smartphone, but it sequel looks set to ramp things up even further in the camera ...

Sanjiv Sathiah, 19 Jun 2019 12:44

The Nexus 6P, a tarnished classic. (Image source: Google)

Nexus 6P compensation goes live

Did you buy a Nexus 6P in the US between September 25, 2015, and May 3, 2019? If so, then you can now file a class action compensation claim against Google and Huawei for up to US$400. Your Nexus 6P does not need to be stuck in a ...

Alex Alderson, 09 Jun 2019 17:35

Wireless audio has been revolutionized over the last few years. (Source: Outer Audio)

The portable Bluetooth speaker market will be worth nearly US$3 billion by 2025

Speakers with built-in Bluetooth have become better and better at bringing your music places where traditional wired devices can't go. The market built up around these products is now estimated to grow to the tune of US$2.64 billi...

Deirdre O Donnell, 06 Jun 2019 14:17

LG releases its 2019 XBOOM speaker line-up to the US market

LG's XBOOM series is often worth a look, as they can be high-powered speakers in relatively compact or portable form-factors. Its 2019 iterations are not exceptions to this rule. They range from entire sound-systems to smart speak...

Deirdre O Donnell, 30 May 2019 18:54

LG is ready to activate Amazon Alexa on US 2019 ThinQ AI TVs. (Source: LG/Amazon)

2019 LG TVs with ThinQ AI in the US will be able to use Amazon Alexa soon

Some of the most recently-released LG ThinQ TVs have been advertized as Amazon Alexa-capable. However, customers in the US may have noticed that this apparent functionality was missing - until now. The OEM has announced that the s...

Deirdre O Donnell, 29 May 2019 15:19

Google Coral comprises hardware, software and content for AI applications. (Source: Music Paradise Pro APK)

Computex 2019 | Asus is now partnering with Google Coral for AI and Edge applications

Coral is a platform developed by Google to support and facilitate on-device AI. Asus has announced that it will use its system-on-module (SOM) on its new AI development kit and single-board computer (SBC). They will be called Tink...

Deirdre O Donnell, 28 May 2019 19:16

The Sprint TREBL has won an award. (Source: Sprint)

The Harman Kardon-powered Sprint TREBL with Magic Box wins the 2019 Judges' Choice Award from the Small Cell Forum

The Sprint TREBL with Magic Box is a small cell solution that also integrates Amazon Alexa voice-assistance and Harman Kardon sound quality. This combination makes it unique in its product category. Perhaps this is how it has won ...

Deirdre O Donnell, 26 May 2019 19:15

The new Intel NUC 8 Mainstream-G mini PCs are designed for casual gamers and smart home entertainment. (Source: Intel)

Intel's NUC 8 Mainstream-G mini PCs announced with Radeon GPUs and Whiskey Lake CPUs

Due to their small footprint, the new Intel NUC 8 Mainstream-G mini PCs have a limited number of upgradeable components. These models integrate Intel's 15 W i7-8565U and i5-8265U quad-core CPUs, but the 8 GB of LPDDR3-1866 RAM and...

Bogdan Solca, 24 May 2019 21:10

The Reolink Go wireless security camera. (Source: Reolink)

The Reolink Go wireless 4G LTE security camera is now available worldwide

The Reolink Go is a possibly worthwhile innovation in the security-cam industry: it is a truly stand-alone product that does not require external power or cables of any sort. Therefore, it can be installed so as to surveil anythin...

Deirdre O Donnell, 18 May 2019 14:57

Google has started to openly talk about the hidden desktop mode in the Android Q beta. (Source: Google)

Google drip feeds a few details about the hidden desktop mode in Android Q

Google has started to spill some of the details about its new desktop mode previously spotted hidden within the Android Q beta. At developer talk, Google revealed it is actively working on the functionality and is also encouraging...

Sanjiv Sathiah, 13 May 2019 13:13

Hisense has launched its UHD 4K 2019 Android TV range. (Source: Hisense)

Hisense rolls out its 2019 UHD 4K Android TV line

Hisense's all-new Android TV line up for 2019 has started to reach stores in the US, and as usual, the range is attractively priced for the features on offer. There are two new model ranges, the H8F series and the H9F series, that...

Sanjiv Sathiah, 12 May 2019 08:30

The Google Nest Hub Max's large rear-facing speaker. (Source: Google)

Google Nest Hub Max now official: a smart-home speaker with a subwoofer for US$229

Google has unveiled its latest Nest product at I/O 2019. It is called the Nest Hub Max: a possibly more extensive, useful and powerful version of the Google Home Hub released earlier. It will retail for US$229, or its regional equ...

Deirdre O Donnell, 11 May 2019 19:15

tHE Hisense H8F Android TV. (Source: Hisense)

US consumers reportedly prefer Hisense TVs over those of this brand's competitors

A number of 'new brands' are emerging rapidly in the US smart TV market, despite being less than readily associated with this product category. Prominent examples include Hisense, TCL and Vizio. Recent research indicates that, of ...

Deirdre O Donnell, 09 May 2019 19:52

Samsung Exynos i T100 IoT chip (Source: Samsung Global Newsroom)

Samsung intros the Exynos i T100 single-chip IoT solution

The Exynos i T100, Samsung's latest IoT solution is now official as a 28 nm chip that targets short-range devices that automate and control environments within homes or businesses. Its list of features and capabilities includes BL...

Codrut Nistor, 07 May 2019 19:50

The Sero TV in vertical mode. (Source: Samsung)

The Sero is a new TV by Samsung that can go into portrait mode

Samsung has unveiled a new line of TVs in South Korea recently. However, rather than being mere flat content-displays, this new line is apparently designed to fit into the 'millennial' lifestyle. To this end, one of them, the Sero...

Deirdre O Donnell, 01 May 2019 18:45

The Soundesk wireless speaker table. (Source: Coolgeek)

The start-up Coolgeek has made a coffee table that is also a speaker

Need an original twist on the common-or-garden wireless speaker? The start-up Coolgeek might have you covered with their new Soundesk product. It is a round glass coffee table with a conical aluminum stand - that also houses a 360...

Deirdre O Donnell, 26 Apr 2019 17:20

Voice-controlled smart speakers are getting more and more popular. (Source: Entrepreneur)

36% of US households with high-speed internet own at least one smart speaker by now

A new report released by Parks Associates has found that 36% of US households with broadband-level internet connections also owned at least 1 voice-controlled smart speaker in early 2019. This data suggests that these connected de...

Deirdre O Donnell, 16 Apr 2019 18:10

The LG V20 was the first smartphone to ship with Android 7.0 Nougat but has received only one OS update so far (Image source: Gadgets.NDTV)

LG releases its update schedule for Q2 2019, but the V20 is nowhere to be seen

It looks like V20 owners will have to wait a few more months before they see Android Pie on their device. LG will not be updating the device before the summer according to its recently published Q2 2019 update schedule. The V30, V...

Alex Alderson, 07 Apr 2019 19:02

This Android TV has started to show ads on the 'homescreen'. (Source: Amazon)

Android TV has ads in its launcher now

XDA contributors have noticed that the latest update to the Android TV OS has resulted in the appearance of "sponsored content" on the launcher visible from several kinds of device. They include the Sony Bravia X900F, the Mi Box 3...

Deirdre O Donnell, 06 Apr 2019 20:16

Google leaked its apparently upcoming Nest Hub Max device. (Source: Android Police/Google)

Google leaks its Nest Hub Max smart home device

Google has accidentally leaked a new product in its Google Home range. The Nest Hub Max, which was spotted by Android Police, was featured in the Connected Home section of the tech giant’s website. The information about the Nest H...

Daniel R Deakin, 30 Mar 2019 06:51

Apple unveiled its own streaming competitor at its latest event. (Source: Apple)

The new Apple TV services are here

The Cupertino giant has unveiled the next generation of its TV arm. However, it is not a device; rather, it is a software- and content-based upgrade. The new Apple TV app allows users to cherry-pick channels or streaming providers...

Deirdre O Donnell, 25 Mar 2019 20:22

Endel joins Lil Pump, Michael Buble and Red Hot Chili Peppers among others on Warner Music (Image source: Endel)

Endel: The mood music app becomes the first algorithm to be signed by a major record label

Warner Music Group has signed Endel, the stress-reducing sound app, in what is the first algorithm to sign with a major label. Endel promises to release a total of 20 albums by the end of the year and has launched an Amazon Alexa ...

Alex Alderson, 25 Mar 2019 19:16

The connected living room is a billion-dollar marketplace these days. (Source: Amazon)

The "connected living room" is a concept that may make a US$900+ billion market in 5 years

Transparency Market Research's latest report is based on the observation that the demand for a 'smart' or 'connected' living room is growing steadily these days. It may consist of entertainment or media hardware that works seamles...

Deirdre O Donnell, 25 Mar 2019 18:24

Archos Play Tab 21.5-inch Samsung Galaxy View alternative for less than US$300 (Source: Archos)

Archos goes big: The Play Tab is a 21.5-inch Android tablet

Described as "the ultimate digital board game," the 21.5-inch Archos Play Tab is a tablet that runs Android Pie and promises to hit the European market for a sub-US$300 price tag just in time for this year's "Back to School" perio...

Codrut Nistor, 25 Mar 2019 10:52

Huawei may release its 1st smart TV soon. (Source: TechnoBlitz)

The first-generation Huawei TV may launch next month

Last year, we reported on rumors that Huawei was working on its first smart TV. Now, a Chinese news outlet claims that its sources have told it these products are nearly ready for release. These products are apparently to be relea...

Deirdre O Donnell, 23 Mar 2019 18:16

Qualcomm's QCS400 SoCs aim to bring advanced audio capabilities to smart speakers. (Source: MobileSyrup)

Qualcomm unveils the QCS400 series SoCs for smart speakers and next-gen audio applications

Qualcomm has revealed the new QCS400 series SoCs dedicated for smart audio applications in smart speakers, soundbars, home theatre systems, AV receivers, and IoT hardware. The QCS400 series comes in four SKUs and offers a tri-radi...

Vaidyanathan Subramaniam, 19 Mar 2019 14:17

The latest LG OLED TVs will be available for purchase soon. (Source: LG USA)

LG announces US availability of 2019 OLED TVs - and that they will be super expensive

LG has stated its US dollar prices for its new OLED TVs. These state-of-the-art panels were previewed at CES 2019, and come with Dolby Vision, ThinQ AI and inbuilt Google Assistant. They start at US$2,499 - and work their way up t...

Deirdre O Donnell, 19 Mar 2019 00:34

The Nova 4e will be sold as the Huawei P30 Lite in other parts of the world. (Source: GSMArena)

Huawei launches the Nova 4e, a Huawei P30 Lite for the Chinese market

Huawei has launched its latest device, the Nova 4e, in China. The mid-ranger features a Kirin 710, 3340 mAh battery, triple rear cameras, 32 MP selfie camera, up to 6 GB of RAM, and 128 GB of storage. It will be sold as the Huawei...

Ricci Rox, 15 Mar 2019 08:06

Sprint's open letter was printed in the New York Times. (Source: Sprint)

Sprint's 5G fight with AT&T intensifies

The Sunday edition of the New York Times has published a full-page advert by Sprint in the form of an open letter to wireless consumers. In the letter, the telecommunications company berates its rival, AT&T, for the use of the ter...

Daniel R Deakin, 12 Mar 2019 01:33

The 2009 Palm Pre Plus offered a form of wireless charging in conjunction with a Touchstone charger. (Source: Pocketnow)

Global wireless charging market could be worth over US$30 billion by 2024

It has been predicted that the global wireless charging market could reach a value of US$30.164 billion by 2024, according to a press release from Research and Markets. In contrast, 2018’s value was estimated at US$7.897 billion, ...

Daniel R Deakin, 11 Mar 2019 06:01

TVs are now at least as likely to connect to the Internet as to cables. (Source: Eicoff)

52% of US households with high-speed Internet now watch their streaming services on connected TVs: new report

A thin majority - 52% - of all households with broadband connections in the US now watch content that can be found, bought or sourced online on their connected TVs. These findings have been reported by Parks Associates. They have ...

Deirdre O Donnell, 07 Mar 2019 17:07

The Pine H64 Model B starts at US$25 with the 3 GB RAM version currently available for US$48.95. (Image source: Ameridroid)

Pine H64 Model B: The updated Raspberry Pi alternative that starts at US$25

The Pine H64 Model B succeeds the Model A and adds onboard Bluetooth and Wi-Fi. The Raspberry Pi competitor starts at US$25 and is now based on a Rock64 footprint.

Alex Alderson, 05 Mar 2019 14:49

A potentiallly critical bug has been found through the use of a Vu Android TV. (Source: NDTV Gadgets)

A Twitter user claims an Android TV allowed access to other users' Google Photos data

An Indian Twitter user has alleged that an Android TV to which he had access allowed him to see all the other accounts linked to the same via the Google Home app. The bug in question also could have let him put their Google Photos...

Deirdre O Donnell, 04 Mar 2019 17:43

Connected LED bulbs can often change color at the tap of a screen. (Source: TechHive)

New Google Home app update adds ability to control the color of smart-home lighting

The Google Home app can act as a one-stop shop for all your smart-home appliance control needs. Its latest update also adds the ability to tune the color of connected bulbs or lamps. This is opposed to the simple on-off switch fou...

Deirdre O Donnell, 28 Feb 2019 18:56

The Bixby Studio in Barcelona. (Source: Samsung)

Samsung has opened a Bixby Studio in Barcelona

It seems Samsung is doing more in Barcelona than MWC. The OEM has opened a Bixby Studio in the city's Plaza de Catalunya. This installation gives visitors a sense of what life would be like with Bixby-powered applicances and devic...

Deirdre O Donnell, 26 Feb 2019 16:24

Bixby now supports a wider range of languages. (Source: News4C)

Update | Bixby 2.0 adds support for more languages

Samsung's in-house virtual assistant, Bixby, has been historically linked to many limitations over its life. One of them is the inability to work in certain languages, German and Italian included. However, support for these langua...

Deirdre O Donnell, 20 Feb 2019 20:18

PullString (ToyTalk) joins Apple to improve Siri (Source: TechCrunch)

Apple acquires AI startup PullString

The latest corporate acquisition in the AI field for Apple is San Francisco-based PullString, a company that was founded in 2011 by former Pixar executives and has been working on "shaping the future of voice applications" ever si...

Codrut Nistor, 19 Feb 2019 16:55

New hire by Apple suggests renewed focus on smart home market

Apple does not quite match up to some other major software companies in terms of smart-home products. It has only one product dedicated to this market: the HomePod. The company may by trying to change this by hiring Sam Jadallah, ...

Deirdre O Donnell, 17 Feb 2019 17:18

Refrigerdating: The search for “the one” based on the contents of their refrigerator

“Refrigerdating”: Samsung's dating platform for fridge fetishists

This new dating trend originates from Samsung and shows just how handy the integrated camera in its Family Hub refrigerators can be. Instead of having to swipe through dating profiles plastered with snapchat filter modified photog...

Daniel Puschina, 10 Feb 2019 20:37

February could be a good time to think about that new 4K TV in the US. (Source: 4K.com)

February is one of the best times of year to get a new TV in the US: online deals company

RetailMeNot, a company that collates online deals for consumers, has released a report indicating that this month is a good time to buy a new TV, along with some other appliances - second only to the Black Friday weekend, in fact....

Deirdre O Donnell, 02 Feb 2019 17:25

Smart Home

Nest Hello doorbell to get delivery-monitoring update

Ticwatch Pro LTE now available, will activate via Verizon

An early-access build of Android Pie for the Xiaomi Mi TV 4A is now available

Amazon keeps records of users' Alexa interactions - and may not delete them

Huawei trademarks new apps, most likely to be integrated into HongMeng OS

Sony launches its latest flagship Blu-ray player

The OnePlus TV may not be OLED

Gigaset Heating Pack Review: Efficient smart home heating

Orange and ZTE demo various 5G applications in Spain

Sony's hexa-camera smartphone is shaping up as a mobile photography beast

Nexus 6P compensation goes live

The portable Bluetooth speaker market will be worth nearly US$3 billion by 2025

LG releases its 2019 XBOOM speaker line-up to the US market

2019 LG TVs with ThinQ AI in the US will be able to use Amazon Alexa soon

Computex 2019 | Asus is now partnering with Google Coral for AI and Edge applications

The Harman Kardon-powered Sprint TREBL with Magic Box wins the 2019 Judges' Choice Award from the Small Cell Forum

Intel's NUC 8 Mainstream-G mini PCs announced with Radeon GPUs and Whiskey Lake CPUs

The Reolink Go wireless 4G LTE security camera is now available worldwide

Google drip feeds a few details about the hidden desktop mode in Android Q

Hisense rolls out its 2019 UHD 4K Android TV line

Google Nest Hub Max now official: a smart-home speaker with a subwoofer for US$229

US consumers reportedly prefer Hisense TVs over those of this brand's competitors

Samsung intros the Exynos i T100 single-chip IoT solution

The Sero is a new TV by Samsung that can go into portrait mode

The start-up Coolgeek has made a coffee table that is also a speaker

36% of US households with high-speed internet own at least one smart speaker by now

LG releases its update schedule for Q2 2019, but the V20 is nowhere to be seen

Android TV has ads in its launcher now

Google leaks its Nest Hub Max smart home device

The new Apple TV services are here

Endel: The mood music app becomes the first algorithm to be signed by a major record label

The "connected living room" is a concept that may make a US$900+ billion market in 5 years

Archos goes big: The Play Tab is a 21.5-inch Android tablet

The first-generation Huawei TV may launch next month

Qualcomm unveils the QCS400 series SoCs for smart speakers and next-gen audio applications

LG announces US availability of 2019 OLED TVs - and that they will be super expensive

Huawei launches the Nova 4e, a Huawei P30 Lite for the Chinese market

Sprint's 5G fight with AT&T intensifies

Global wireless charging market could be worth over US$30 billion by 2024

Best of MWC19

52% of US households with high-speed Internet now watch their streaming services on connected TVs: new report

Pine H64 Model B: The updated Raspberry Pi alternative that starts at US$25

A Twitter user claims an Android TV allowed access to other users' Google Photos data

New Google Home app update adds ability to control the color of smart-home lighting

Samsung has opened a Bixby Studio in Barcelona

Update | Bixby 2.0 adds support for more languages

Apple acquires AI startup PullString

New hire by Apple suggests renewed focus on smart home market

“Refrigerdating”: Samsung's dating platform for fridge fetishists

February is one of the best times of year to get a new TV in the US: online deals company

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