Logitech is axing its Alexa-powered Harmony Express remote, giving owners a little over two months notice that their voice-controlled remote is about to stop working. Launched in April 2019, the Harmony Express was to be an alternative to Logitech's traditional touchscreen and button-heavy remotes, and it'll be with one of those that the company tries to pacify customers now.
For all its benefits in security, performance, and openness, the Linux operating system is still avoided by many computer users because of its software catalog. It's not that Linux lacks app but it lacks the sort of apps that people are used to on Windows and Mac or even on Android and iOS. There is no shortage of projects that try to bring some sort of compatibility with those apps, like WINE for Windows and Anbox for Android. A different strategy, however, is writing apps in a way that makes them run on all or most platforms. That's the premise behind Flutter and it's now coming to Linux, at least on the Ubuntu flavor of Linux.
Anyone who has experienced the Wikipedia Rabbit Hole will know first hand how dangerous it can be to have quick access to interconnected information. Even worse if such information is related to or contains visual representation in the form of photos and graphs. And yet that is exactly what Google will soon be offering to anyone searching for images on their mobile phones, giving them the information they never knew they wanted right at their fingertips, literally.
Japan enjoys a stereotype for producing rather eccentric products and devices and Sony's latest isn't exactly helping. Born from its internal crowdfunding platform, the Reon Pocket was revealed last year to be a thermal device you can wear underneath your shirt to keep you cool during these summer days. In other words, it is the world's first air conditioner that you can wear and, now, also purchase. At least if you're living in Japan.
The Pixel 4a is still a no-show. The Pixel 5 is supposedly still at an early stage of design and development. Given that situation, it's not really surprising that uncorroborated rumors and leaks will be popping up left and right. While the fate of the Pixel 4a XL has mostly been sealed, a premium Pixel 5 XL is still expected to show up sometime later this year. Except it might not be premium in all things and some "features" included in these renders raises as many questions as the recent Pixel 5 renders.
Video conferences are the in thing these days and almost everyone is trying to grab a piece of that juicy pie. Originally designed to take on Slack, Microsoft's Teams platform has now jumped on board a train that Slack has so far been unable to catch up with. As use cases for video meetings grow, so, too, is the demand for new features to make organizers' and attendees' lives easier. Microsoft Teams is now making a big splash with a dozen or so new features both to help reduce meeting fatigue but probably also increasing it as well.
Despite their loyalty, iPhone users have been complaining for years about the battery size and battery life of their favorite mobile device. iPhones have indeed become larger and iOS has become more battery-conscious, imposing strict restrictions on apps that can drain the battery in the background. Unfortunately, that may not apply to Apple's own apps as several users are now complaining about how its own Music app seems to be running amok in the background, causing the battery to drain fast and the phone to get hot.
While it might be technically easier to build a phone with two screens compared to having a single large foldable display, designing the user experience to support that form factor is actually harder. Unlike normal desktop operating systems, Android just wasn't designed to span two screens, forcing LG to resort to tricks to make its Dual Screen case work. Microsoft will be taking a slightly different spin on that idea and if this video tour of the Surface Duo's custom Android experience is any indication, it could actually work.
Your next Samsung phone's box might be lighter, smaller, and have fewer things inside but the phone itself won't be getting any cheaper. Following reports that Apple's next iPhones might not include chargers in their boxes, Samsung is now also tipped to be mulling the same. In both cases, the reason is to offset the costs of increasingly more expensive smartphones. In Samsung's case, however, the impact on the market might be bigger and not in good ways.
Samsung made a few wrong turns with the Galaxy S20 series, especially the Galaxy S20 Ultra, and it wasn't just about the timing of its exorbitant price. It packed a lot of features, some of which didn't live up to Samsung's promises. The Galaxy Note 20 Ultra may be scaling back on some of those excesses but it might also be making some wrong turns of its own, as hinted by a hands-on tour of what is claimed to be Samsung's next big Galaxy.
Apple fans are looking toward the future and anticipating the upcoming iPhone 12, one that has been the subject of an increasing number of leaks. Though we can't say for sure what the new model will feature, many leaks are often close to accurate and this time around is likely no different. What should future iPhone 12 buyers expect? Possibly a higher price with fewer items in the box.
Home security and automation company Wink has detailed an update to its mandatory subscription plan requirement -- and no, it isn't changing its plan to force the subscription on its existing customers. Rather, the company says that it is once again extending the deadline for how long customers have to start paying. Once that date rolls around, Wink users who haven't signed up will not be able to use their products.