CES weird: The Kissenger lets you make out, digitally, with your significant other across the internet

It's that time of year again with CES 2017 just around the corner and shit is about to get weird.

Long-distance relationships are difficult because not only is your lover completely removed from your day-to-day life, but you have absolutely zero possibility of tangible physical intimacy. This is sad. Researchers from the Imagineering Lab at City University London think they can solve this problem, however, with their new Kissenger gadget. The device mimics a real kiss using pressure sensors and actuators. It’s purely for regular pecks on the cheek or mouth — no tongue simulation is available. Sorry.

The Kissenger pairs with a messaging app that lets a user send a kiss, so when one is sent, the Kissenger measures pressure on different parts of the sender’s lips to replicate that exact kiss on the recipient’s Kissenger. The lip part of the device is made of silicon. I don’t think it would feel as nice as a regular kiss, but hey, who knows. Maybe a cold silicon device pushing against your lips would feel good if you knew it came from a loving place.

So far, the team has created a functioning iOS prototype that plugs into a device’s headphone jack. This is clearly not future-proof as the iPhone 7 doesn’t even have a headphone jack. But okay still, maybe one day the Kissenger will let you kiss your lover, or your mom, or even your favorite celebrity. That’s a nice thought at least.

Review: Powerbeats 3 wireless headphones are the best all around fit for anyone with an iPhone 7 or 7 Plus

Whether you love ‘em or loathe ‘em, Dr. Dre’s eponymous headphones are everywhere, from the treadmill to the weights bench. Even I joined the Beats brigade, picking up a pair of Powerbeats2 wireless in-ears under the (misguided) belief that they’d be different than the Solo and Studios.

It didn’t quite work out that way - I hated my Powerbeats2s with a passion. It didn’t matter which of the bundled buds I used, they simply wouldn’t stay in my ears.

They’d constantly jump connection between my iPhone 7 and Apple Watch, too. After two weeks of frustration, I swapped them for the excellent Jaybird X2 Wireless instead.

These successors, the Powerbeats3, promise to be different. I was told first-hand by Beats President Luke Wood that they’d listened to the complaints about the fit. They’re packing Apple’s W1 wireless chipset, too - the same iPhone-friendly tech found in the Beats Solo3 on-ears.

So has Beats managed to bring them back into shape?

Time to play spot the difference: the PowerBeats3 looks almost identical to the older generation, with hooks that go behind your ears and a cord connecting the two buds.

You can pick up a pair in White, Blue, Black, Green and Red colours, but that’s not quite the rainbow of choice you got with the Powerbeats 2 - at least at launch. I tried a green pair, the most not so subtlest option, perfect for anyone that prefers lycra to loungewear.

It’s tough to tell exactly what Beats has done to re-engineer the fit, but there’s no doubt it’s worked.

They stayed put in my ears through runs, weight lifting, and casual daly use and I didn’t even need to swap from the default buds. If they don’t sit right for you, there are different sized tips in the box to get a perfect fit.

My advice? Don’t bother with the cable management clip, which is supposed to tighten the band around your neck. I honestly never used it. Maybe if you feel it might get trapped in a machine at the gym, but you can remove it and lighten the load a bit if you don’t need it.

Ditching the rubber charging port cover makes it easier to hook up a micro-USB cable, and I had no problems with sweat or rain getting inside. Just don’t think you can take these babies swimming - they aren’t completely waterproof.

It’s a shame Beats stuck with micro-USB, though. It means Apple owners will have to carry an extra cable around, rather than use their existing Lightning cables. Most Android phones have made the switch to USB-C, too.

The returning RemoteTalk inline mic remains one of the best control units we’ve used on a pair of sports earphones. Each button makes a deep, tangible click, so you can always tell when you’ve pressed one. Oh, and it plays nicely with Siri, too.

These aren’t the first headphones I’ve used with Apple’s W1 chip inside, but they aren't the smallest now that the Apple AirPods are here as well.

Just turn your W1-equipped earphones on, and your iPhone 7 automatically picks them up. No need to dig around in the Settings menu. Quite simply, it’s brilliant.

Apple’s attempt to make wireless audio easier also boosts battery life and wireless range, with a mix of Bluetooth and Wi-Fi.

Before, I had to keep my phone in an arm strap, in a bottle holder, or on the gym floor where someone might stand on it; now, I can leave my phone in a locker and still hear my tunes while I’m on the machines.

Battery life has doubled, up from 6 hours to 12. It’s not like you’ll be lifting the entire time, but that extra juice does mean you can go almost a whole week without needing to recharge.

If you do find your Powerbeats are dead before a workout, the new Fast Fuel feature means you can get an hour of music from a five minute charge. Now there’s no excuse not to go out for a run in the morning if your earphones are dead.

Pairing with multiple devices is easier this time around, too. Hooked in over Bluetooth to an Apple Watch Series 2 for running, and then to an iPhone 7 Plus for my bike ride into work, there were no problems with either.

The only issue is, right now, only the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus have the W1 chipset. Great if you’ve got one of these brand-new phones, but without one the Powerbeats aren’t lightyears ahead of any other sports earphones.

The one thing Beats hasn’t managed to shake off, despite spending gazillions on marketing and celeb endorsements? A reputation for meh sound quality.

Things have definitely improved - sure, you can get better-sounding buds for the price, but Beats earphones aren’t offensive to audio fans any more.

The Powerbeats3 Wireless are probably the company’s biggest success yet. They sound great and can compete with anything else in the sport category, including the Bose SoundSport Wireless and Jaybird X2.

They go really loud without distorting, there’s plenty of finer detail, and they’re not overly punchy in the bass as has so often been levelled at Beats products.

The RemoteTalk mic deserves more praise, too. It’s one of the few times I’ve been able to take a phone call while I’m working out; usually, the noise of the machines and weights being dropped drown out what I’m saying.

I’ve spent ages searching for the perfect sports earphones, but always came up short. Whether it’s ill-fitting earbuds, wireless dropouts, or multiple device woes, there’s always some sort of letdown.

The Beats PowerBeats3 Wireless are the first sports in-ears that worked exactly as I wanted - at least they are as long as you’re running with Apple hardware.

Are you an iPhone 7 owner that likes to work out? These are easily your best option, and worth the premium over a pair of Bose SoundSport Wireless or Jaybird X2 or X3.

If you’re not tied into Apple, though, save some cash and stick with the Jaybird.

CES Preview: LG's making two new neckbuds. One is ok and the other is a future no one wants a part in

There's still a week to go until CES kicks off, but LG is getting the jump on its competitors when it comes to weird-ass gadgets. The company's latest announcement is the LG Tone Studio: a vibrating plastic neckband that blasts surround sound up at the wearer's ears and looks like a sci-fi horseshoe. At the same time, it's also shown off the LG Tone Free, a wireless set of neckbuds that can store and charge earbuds when you're not using them.

Of the two devices, the LG Tone Free makes a certain kind of sense, with the neck unit offering a convenient place to store pesky wireless earbuds to ensure they don't get lost, as well as providing vibrating alerts to incoming calls and texts. But previous LG neckbud models — yes, the company has a history with the concept — have emphasized fitness, including retractable wires that help keep track of your earbuds if they slip out during a particularly intense workout. With the wireless Tone Free, you're back to scrabbling around on the floor to find your lost buds when they pop out during a run.

The LG Tone Studio, however, is a symptom of a sci-fi future we never asked for. LG says the neckpiece, with its four speakers and vibrate function, offers "theater-like sound for a cinematic experience wherever you may be." That's fine if you're at home — although having to shackle yourself like a medieval thief whenever you want to watch a movie is a bit much — but what happens if people start wearing these things outside? Let's make a rule now: anyone caught using them in the gym should be forcibly removed immediately and banned until we see evidence of them being burned at the users hands.

LG has yet to provide pricing or release details for these latest entries in its Tone series, but plans to show them off at CES next week. One thing is clear, though: the company isn't giving up on your neck.

New iPhone? Here are some great apps to get you started into iOS

You got a new iPhone, huh? Good luck with the headphone situation. It's really not so bad once you get used to it but I would suggest using those new gift cards to get a pair of bluetooth headphones. Thankfully, no matter how Apple changes the hardware, the iPhone still has some of the best useful apps. I picked a few of my favorites. It's going to be great, trust me. Dongles are a small price to pay for this sweet ecosystem.


NETFLIX

I know, you were probably going to download this without my prompting. But were you aware Netflix now has offline playback? Because that changes the whole game. You just pull up whatever you want to watch, tap a bunch of episodes for download, and enjoy them at your leisure. Not everything is available for offline. But Terrace House is. I guess I'm saying you should watch Terrace House.


KHAN ACADEMY

Wanna be more smart about math and science and stuff? Khan Academy has been learning me good for years, but recently the iPhone app has gotten a lot better. You can watch lessons and even take quizzes offline. And there is so much to learn, all for free.


AUDIBLE

I love audiobooks. Audible gets me audiobooks. It's a little annoying on iOS (and completely Apple's fault) that you have to do all your book shopping in the web browser, then pop back to the Audible app to download the book. But it's fine, whatever. Books! I have lots of them.


GOOGLE PHOTOS

I am guessing one of the top 5 reasons you got an iPhone was because of the camera and you would be right. If you are going to take tons of selfies, pictures of friends and family, and videos of awesome randomness, wouldn't it be a shame to lose them if you break or lose your phone. With Google Photos you can backup all your pictures and videos when you are connected to Wi-Fi without you having to do anything, it does it for you with unlimited storage at HD resolution.


DARK SKY

Besides social media, the second most checked thing on a smartphone is weather and rightfully so. Who wants to get caught un-prepared later in the day when bad weather rolls in. I have been using Dark Sky since it came out and it is consistently the best weather app for your region, but better yet your direct local area. It can send you notifications when it will rain or snow in the next couple of minutes, tell you later in the day almost exactly when it will rain or snow as well. It does cost to purchase but with how much you are going to use it, it pays for itself in the first week.

1PASSWORD

Using only one password and login guarantees that one day you will be hacked and thieves will have all of your information so it's best to have more than one login and password for the many apps and sites you use. But who can remember all of them. 1Password can. A password vault that works with a master password and Touch ID to store all your information from thousands of sites. It can also keep notes you wish to keep away from prying eyes. Plus it has a backup system so if you lose or break your phone, when you re-download the app it can sync your kept information.


PHOTOSCAN

Have old actual photos you want to store digitally (using Google Photos as a back up!) but don't own a scanner. That's ok, you don't need to buy one either. PhotoScan takes a very detailed digital picture of your actual picture so incase you have a disaster hit your home, you have a digital version of the last remaining photo of your great grand parents on their wedding day.


OUTLOOK

Look, Apple’s built-in email app just isn’t that great. But Microsoft’s Outlook app is. So download that instead and experience fast, great email. Plus it has a great built in calendar.

MOTION STILLS

One of the best apps of 2016, Google’s Motion Photos app is perfect for any new iPhone 6s or 7 owners, turning Apple’s Live Photos into animated GIFs that are way more fun to share with friends.

Facebook is starting to roll out tools to help combat the spread of fake news on everyone's Newsfeed

In an attempt to cut down on the number of “fake news” stories circulating on Facebook, the social network is implementing a few changes starting this week.

On everyone’s Newsfeed, you will likely see headlines pertaining to all sorts of topics. Lately, many fake stories regarding US politics have been trending on the website, but with a change to how FB handles stories such as this, we will likely see a huge decrease in sharing. Now, any story that is likely fake and disputed by 3rd party fact-checkers, will be labeled as such right on your Newsfeed. An example of this can be seen in the header image above.

If you see a story you think is fake, you can also report a story for being fake right on your feed. To do so, hit the arrow in the top corner of the post in question, then “Report” it. From here, you can explain the situation and FB’s team will get to work on it.

Additionally, before you share any news that has already been labeled as potentially fake, FB will warn you. As you are about to share, you will get a popup message stating, “Before you share this story, you might want to know that independent fact-checkers disputed its accuracy.”

To be clear, FB states that these changes are in testing and will change them if they see fit. However, the basics of the changes seem fine and totally realistic, plus the changes have already taken place from what I can tell.

Do the world a favor. be intelligent, think for yourself, and don’t spread fake news.

Google to launch two of their own smartwatches early next year with Android Wear 2.0

Google will be launching two new flagship smartwatches in the first quarter of next year, according to Jeff Chang, product manager of Android Wear at Google. Chang said that the new watches will be the flagship Android Wear 2.0 devices and will be the first ones to launch with the new platform.

The new smartwatches had been rumored before, but Google confirmed the upcoming launch today as part of a larger effort to convince consumers that wearables — smartwatches specifically — are still in demand.

The new models will not carry the Pixel branding, but will be branded by the company that is manufacturing them. Chang says that Google collaborated with the manufacturer — which he wouldn’t name, but said has produced Android Wear devices in the past — on the hardware design and software integration for the watches. He likened the partnership to Google’s Nexus smartphone program in terms of collaboration and goals.

Android Wear watches that will be upgraded to Wear 2.0 next year:

• Moto 360 Gen 2
• Moto 360 Sport
• LG Watch Urbane 2nd Edition LTE
• LG Watch Urbane
• LG G Watch R
• Polar M600
• Casio Smart Outdoor Watch
• Nixon Mission
• Tag Heuer Connected
• Fossil Q Wander
• Fossil Q Marshal
• Fossil Q Founder
• Michael Kors Access Bradshaw Smartwatch
• Michael Kors Access Dylan Smartwatch
• Huawei Watch
• Huawei Watch Ladies
• Asus ZenWatch 2
• Asus ZenWatch 3

Following the launch of the new devices, existing Android Wear watches will get the update to Android Wear 2.0. The new platform brings a number of new features, including standalone apps that don’t require a phone to work, support for Android Pay, and support for Google’s voice-controlled Assistant, which has already launched on the Pixel smartphones and Home speaker.

Not every existing Android Wear watch will be updated, but Google says most of the recent models will be. Certain features, such as Android Pay, require specific hardware, so not all models will support them. (Chang noted that the LG Watch Urbane 2nd Edition has NFC support and the new watches coming next year will have it, as well, but it is not a requirement for Android Wear partners at this time.)

Google will release the fifth and final developer preview of Android Wear 2.0 in January, and it is expected to include support for both Google Assistant and Android Pay (on supported devices) in it. It will also work with iOS devices, and Chang confirmed that while there will be differences between Wear 2.0 on Android and iOS, Android Pay will work on both platforms.

In addition, Chang says that after Google’s flagship watches launch, other partners will release new devices with Android Wear 2.0 throughout 2017. Partner announcements on new devices are expected at both CES in a couple of weeks and the Baselworld trade show later in 2017. The company says it’s committed to supporting and promoting these launches in order to help build awareness in a consumer climate that is becoming increasingly adverse to smartwatches and wearables in general.

Though the smartwatch market is still nascent compared to smartphones, it appears that Apple is already starting to run away with it, and its only competition so far has been from Samsung, which doesn’t use Google’s platform on its devices. Fitbit is the leader in fitness trackers, but its recent purchase of Pebble indicates that it will be looking to move into the smartwatch market, as well. None of that bodes well for Google, which has already spent two and a half years trying to make Android Wear a success, with less than stellar results.

Chang says that Google’s strategy of working with many partners on Android Wear devices is advantageous. “We've enabled a lot of diversity with our hardware partners to target different types of consumers and preferences,” he says, before noting that Google is “quite optimistic” about the prospects of smartwatches. “This is a marathon, not a sprint. This category of product is here with us to stay.”

7-Eleven beats all the major tech companies to the first regular commercial drone delivery service in the U.S

7-Eleven, the world’s largest convenience store chain, shared new numbers from its drone delivery experiment today. 77 customers in Reno, Nev., have now received items ordered from 7-Eleven delivered to their doorsteps via drone.

All 77 flights were from one store to a dozen select customers who live within a mile of the shop. 7-Eleven has partnered with the dronemaker Flirtey for its delivery pilot.

It marks the first regular commercial drone delivery service to operate in the United States, flying ahead of other, potentially bigger drone delivery projects that haven’t yet been able to take off in the U.S. — like Alphabet’s Project Wing and Amazon’s Prime Air, the latter of which only demonstrated its first delivery to a customer last week.

Amazon’s drone delivery was in the U.K. countryside. The 7-Eleven drone delivery service, on the other hand, is in Reno, a populated urban and suburban area, which poses a potentially more complex set of challenges.

This wasn’t Flirtey and 7-Eleven’s first drone delivery — the pair made history in July when one 7-Eleven customer’s order of a chicken sandwich, donuts, candy, Slurpees and hot coffee was completed via drone. The companies claim it was the first time a drone delivered a package to a U.S. resident who placed an order with a retailer.

For the November drone delivery service, customers ordered food and beverages, but mostly over-the-counter medicines. The drones used a GPS system to locate a customer’s house, where the drone wouldn’t land, but rather hover near the ground before lowering the package.

Deliveries were completed, on average, less than ten minutes after the order was placed, according to a statement from Flirtey.

All the deliveries happened within the line of sight of the drone pilot, but the drones flew autonomously. Right now, it’s not legal in the U.S. to fly a drone beyond the line of sight of the operator without special permission from the Federal Aviation Administration.

But in October, NASA and the FAA conducted tests in Reno to research a low-altitude air traffic control system that would track and record drone flights without the pilot watching the drone in the air the entire time. Air traffic control for drones will be essential to figure out before drone delivery can happen outside of the line of sight of the operator and delivery programs like those from 7-Eleven, Amazon’s Prime Air or Alphabet’s Project Wing can happen at a larger scale.

Project Wing completed its first U.S. customer delivery test in September, ferrying Chipotle burritos to students at Virginia Tech. But that was a one-off trial, not a run of 77 drone deliveries over a month, like the Flirtey and 7-Eleven collaboration.

Before working with 7-Eleven, Flirtey completed the first drone delivery in the U.S., carrying medical supplies to a clinic in rural Virginia last year. The Virginia flight landed Flirtey’s drone a spot in the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum.

Watch 7-Eleven and Flirtey’s first drone delivery to a customer in Reno, Nev. in July:

Gboard, Google's awesome keyboard with built in search function, is on Android as well

Gboard, the fancy keyboard Google released exclusively on iOS earlier this year, is now effectively coming to Android, too. Google Keyboard update is adding key Gboard features, including an integrated search function, an emoji search tool, and new shortcuts. It’s currently available only as an APK from Google without detailed release notes, although it should make its way over to the Play Store soon. 

Gboard is a good example of a Google feature that was somehow better on iOS than on Google’s own operating system, even with Apple’s limits on third-party keyboards. The company promised to bring features of it to Android, but it’s taken several months to get here.

Google adds 34 new actions for the Google Home

Actions, if you didn’t know the specific term, are the things Google Home can do. Today, the device is receiving support for a lot more of them, including Actions to work with 3rd-party services such as Domino’s pizza, WebMD, The Bartender, and many others. 

As an example of what’s now possible, ordering from Domino’s is made quite easy, with the following command getting you a pizza lickety split – “OK Google, talk to Domino’s and get my easy order.” You can even track your order via Google Home with the command “OK Google, talk to Domino’s and track my order.”

Beyond utility applications, games have also been added, including titles like Akinator (the 21 questions game), SongPop trivia, 21 Blackjack, and Trivia Blast.

Some apps, such as Todoist, will require a user to link their accounts in order to make voice commands work. For the most part, though, the Actions should work without any enabling or account linking.

Here’s the complete list of today’s added Actions, 34 in total.

• 21 Blackjack
• Akinator the genie
• Anchor
• And Chill
• Argus
• Ask Jelly
• busuu – language learning
• CNBC
• Domino’s
• Eliza
• ELLE Horoscopes by The Astro Twins
• FitStar Personal Trainer
• Food Network
• Genius
• Headspace
• HuffPost Headline Quiz
• itcher
• Lonely Planet
• NBC News
• NPR One
• Number Genie
• Product Hunt
• Quora
• Quotery
• SongPop
• Sub War
• Tender
• The Bartender
• The Wall Street Journal
• Todoist
• Trivia Blast
• VentureBeat News
• WebMD
• Wonder

To discover how to use each and every one of these Actions, check out the Services tab in your Google Home application.

Play Link

If you lose an Apple AirPod, it will cost you $69 to replace one

We now know precisely how much each of Apple’s little wireless earbuds is worth: $69. That’s the charge for replacing a lost AirPod, the new Bluetooth variation of Apple’s EarPod headphones. Apple’s service pricing page goes over all the details of repairing or replacing AirPods; the one-year limited warranty covers problems like a defective battery. Otherwise, you’ll be spending $69 to repair or replace an earbud or the charging case they come with. Battery service, which might be necessary as the headphones age, costs $49.

The $159 AirPods went on sale earlier this week, and they’re currently shipping in limited quantities. I’m not sure I have ever seen a major wearable device that looked more terrifyingly precarious. It feels good to at least place a numerical value on my fear.

Apple AirPods could be available in Apple Stores this Monday, December 19th

Apple recently launched its AirPods online, promising initial orders would be on doorsteps by December 21. Unfortunately, at least for folks who were hoping to have a set for the holidays, Apple quickly ran out of stock. Within mere minutes, shipping times extended to four weeks, well into January. As of today, they’ll arrive six weeks after ordering. If you weren’t able to grab a pair, you may still be in luck.

MacRumors said Apple will sell AirPods in Apple Store locations beginning Monday, December 19. You could, potentially, grab a pair two days before the folks who ordered them online. Apple did indeed confirm that it will sell Apple AirPods in its stores, MacRumors was just able to clarify that with an exact launch date. The site doesn’t seem to have any indication of how much stock Apple expects to have.
Check online before you go

That means you should get to your location early, or check online for in-store stock before leaving the house, to confirm AirPods are indeed available. It’s possible Apple will only have a few, at least given how quickly it sold out online, so be prepared.

Apple’s $159 AirPods definitely sound like a fun gift for iPhone, Mac and iPad users; they pair quickly, have a fun case that doubles as a charger and more. Good luck.

T-Mobile offering one year of AT&T's DirecTV Now free

T-Mobile is offering a free year of AT&T’s DirecTV Now service if you switch from AT&T and open a line on T-Mobile. Yes, it’s offering one of its competitor’s products at no charge just so that you switch networks. The deal will be available beginning today, December 16.

T-Mobile offered up a few jabs at AT&T in its announcement, even going so far as to say customers should be using DirecTV Now on “a faster, more advanced LTE network.” T-Mobile also added the service to Binge On, which means you’ll be able to stream it without worrying about hitting data caps. AT&T doesn’t count content played across DirecTV Now against its data caps, either.

You’ll still need to sign up for DirecTV Now and pay $35 a month for the service, but T-Mobile is offering that back in a monthly bill credit for 12 months, so long as you keep your lines active. Keep in mind, though, you can use DirecTV Now on a variety of devices, not just phones. Install it on your Apple TV at home and stream to your heart’s content.
Is DirecTV Now worth the switch, though?

I’m still on the fence with DirecTV Now. I paid for three months of service to take advantage of the free Apple TV deal, which basically pays for itself. Still, I’ve been inconvenienced by service interruptions, wish that AT&T adopted HBO Now instead ofHBO Go, and long for Roku and PS4 support, the latter of which may never arrive. I expect the service interruptions to stop soon, so if the other problems don’t affect you, give DirecTV Now a go while AT&T is still offering a special on a package with more than 100 channels for just $35 a month.

Review: Rogue One is the best Star Wars movie for anyone that loves more than just the Skywalker saga

I was worried that Rogue One, the first of many planned big cinematic Star Wars spinoffs, would be overshadowed by last year’s The Force Awakens. J.J. Abrams served up an uncomplicated movie that moved the Skywalker story forward. It was a safe and satisfying reboot, and got people excited for what’s to come.

The task given to director Gareth Edwards was decidedly more daunting. Not only was he under pressure to deliver the first spinoff, he had to tell a story with an outcome most people are already familiar with. Star Wars fans know the Death Star plans were stolen—it says as much in the opening crawl of A New Hope. Yet, the director handles it with remarkable care and attention to detail. Rogue One is the perfect way to kick off Disney’s Star Wars Anthology series, which will also include a Han Solo film starring Alden Ehrenreich.

Rogue One’s greatest achievement is that it succeeds at feeling like its own kind of StarWars movie, one that’s gritty, violent, full of struggle, and shows the true desperation of the Rebel alliance in a all or nothing fight against the empire. Whereas The Force Awakens was meant to resemble the original trilogy created by George Lucas, RogueOne feels separate, capable of telling its own narrative without relying on anything before it. There’s death and destruction, and when the team successfully delivers the plans, it feels earned.

The setup is simple: Jyn Erso is asked by the Rebels to help get information on the Death Star, a planet-killing weapon that her father helped build. We find out, however, that he did so not because he believes in the Empire’s cause, but so he could sabotage the project. When Jyn figures this out, it gives her motivation to fight for something bigger than herself. And you want like hell for her to succeed.

Once Rogue One’s central conflict kicks into high gear, the movie moves at a brisk pace and rarely lets up. After Jyn agrees to help the Rebels, we’re introduced to a number of new characters, each with their own distinct personalities and quirks. Casian Andor (Diego Luna) is a Rebel fighter who has been faithful to the cause since he was a young boy. K-2SO (Alan Tudyk), meanwhile, is a reprogrammed droid with a wonderfully witty, dark, and dry sense of humor.

What helps give Rogue One its distinct personality is its authenticity, putting the “war” in Star Wars. Make no mistake, this is a war movie with the Rebels clearly, at this point in the timeline, on the losing side. The movie is intense and dangerous, giving it a gritty realness we haven’t seen from a Star Wars movie. Everywhere you turn there’s imagery meant to impress upon the audience one message: War is hell. People die, they do terrible things (even the Rebels)—and for what? Power.

All films in the Star Wars franchise, even The Force Awakens, have told this message but Rogue One is the most blunt. (There was a trailer for Christopher Nolan’s Dunkirk before Rogue One started; the two movies, arguably, are a lot alike.) In other Star Wars films, the action can sometimes feel too manufactured, which means the characters never feel like they’re in any real danger. You know that good will always trump evil. In Rogue One, however, the stakes are such that anyone can die at any moment.

While the film is about the Death Star plans, Rogue One is very much Jyn’s movie. She has a drive and motivation that you can’t help but root for and when things seem dire she’s up for the challenge. Jyn never loses hope even when the odds aren’t in her favor.

Her right hand man, so to speak, is Cassian Andor, who exists in a grey area as far as Star Wars characters are concerned. While he’s committed to their cause he’s not afraid to act questionably, although he later comes to realize that maybe the decisions he’s made throughout his life were never for himself but for the Rebellion. This gives him an arc that comes to a fitting and satisfying conclusion.

The other characters joining Jyn’s team includes Chirrut Imwe (Donnie Yen), Baze Malbus (Wen Jiang) and Bodhi Rook (Riz Ahmed), the latter of whom is an Imperial pilot who defects to the Rebels. They all have roles to play and contribute in important ways, never feeling like they’ve been shoehorned in for the sake of the film. Donnie Yen’s Chirrut Imwe in particular is a brilliant highlight. He’s not Force sensitive yet he believes wholeheartedly in its existence.

What’s remarkable is that even though we know where Gareth Edwards is taking us it never matters. The film unfolds in exciting ways and there’s tension at every turn. Near the end, there’s a scene with Darth Vader that had me on the edge of my seat. I was impressed with how Edwards was able to infuse so much suspense into every scene.

Complementing the film’s violence and action are the gorgeous visuals. Edwards takes audiences to a lot of beautiful locations—some familiar, some new—including Scarif, a tropical paradise where the Empire keeps the Death Star plans. Everywhere we go feels like a believable and lived in world—a place maybe Han Solo might have passed through at some point. Even when the Death Star tests its weapon you can’t help but look on in awe.

Perhaps the weakest part of the film (other than the title sequence that was made with iMovie) is Director Orson Krennic (Ben Mendelsohn), who overseas the Death Star project. While Mendelsohn is a fantastically gifted actor, Krennic as a character never feels particularly threatening, and he’s pretty one dimensional. He simply wants to complete the Death Star in order to receive the approval of the Emperor. We don’t really know why he’s turned to fight for the Empire in the first place.

While Krennic’s villain feels weak, Darth Vader’s presence is anything but. He doesn’t have a major role but he steals every scene he’s in, and there’s something at the end that will be a particular delight for fans. I wish I could talk about it but I don’t want to spoil anything if you haven’t seen the movie yet. Let’s just say that he isn’t relegated to standing around and looking ominous.

For a lot of Star Wars fans, Rogue One is exactly the type of film they’ve been asking for for years. It’s intense, it’s gritty, it’s violent, and it isn’t afraid to show what kind of effect the war is having on the people around the galaxy. It tears communities apart, makes people do questionable things, and devastates families.

Although you know what happens in Rogue One, the film unfolds in an incredibly satisfying way. Every frame is packed with so much detail that Star Wars fans will geek out at every Easter Egg. And when Jyn and her team eventually acquire the plans, you’ll shout with excitement. Rogue One is very different from the Star Wars movies that came before it, and that’s a very good thing.

Verizon and AT&T have inexpensive deals this weekend on some of the best smartphones this year

Because it’s still the holiday season, companies like Verizon and AT&T have lined up a steady stream of deals to help you with your gift shopping. For this weekend, both companies are offering up the best phones for free, or at the very least, really cheap monthly payments on the best phones. 

Verizon Deals

Flagship phone for $10 per month without trade-in: While not free, this is probably the best of the two that Verizon is offering. Verizon is letting you pick-up a Pixel, Moto Z, Galaxy S7, or iPhone 7 at just $10 per month. All you have to do is sign-up for a 24-month device payment plan on one of those phones, pay the first 2-3 months worth of payments (around $28 per month), and then Verizon will begin crediting you the difference in price on the phone to get you to $10 per month.

Free flagship phone with trade-in: If you would rather get one of the major flagship phones for free, Verizon will give you one assuming you have another flagship phone to trade-in. So this one works similarly to the above deal, only if you have a high-end phone to trade, Verizon will take it, ask you to pay the first 2-3 months of a 24-month payment plan, and then start crediting you the amount of the phone to cover all of the costs.

Verizon doesn’t openly say which phones can be traded in, but back when they ran this deal over Black Friday, they told us that the qualifying phones were “Apple iPhone 6S, Apple iPhone 6S Plus, Apple iPhone 7, Apple iPhone 7 Plus, Samsung Galaxy S6, Samsung Galaxy S6 edge, Samsung Galaxy S6 edge +, Samsung Galaxy S7, Samsung Galaxy S7 edge, Samsung Note5, LG V20, LG G5 and Moto Droid Turbo 2.”

Verizon Deals Page

AT&T Deals

If you are an AT&T customer, you’ll find your own decent deal that involves a free phone. AT&T is running a buy one, get one free promo on flagships that works with almost every good phone.

For a limited time, AT&T will let you buy one flagship phone and receive another for free, with up to a $695 in monthly bill credits spread out over a number of months. The amount of months depends on whether you sign-up for AT&T Next or AT&T Next Every Year. The catch here is that one of the phones needs to be on a new line and one of the AT&T Next plans.

Finally, if you switch to AT&T, you could receive up to $650 in bill credits per line you bring over.

AT&T Deals Page

Review: The Pixel and Pixel XL are Google's step into making their own smartphones and they didn't disappoint

Every Android phone has always been a little compromised, and everybody knows it. There's been a veil of bullshit between you and what Google intended on all of them.

Sometimes that veil looks like ugly, bad, and usually unnecessary extra software. Sometimes it looks like a carrier failing to send out timely software updates. Other times it means getting something inexpensive, but fundamentally flawed in some way. Even the Nexus phones were behind the veil, little more than reference designs with hardware that was mostly determined by a third party before Google made tweaks here and there.

Just because Android is everywhere doesn't mean that Google is everywhere on mobile. There has been a lot of talk about Google being more "opinionated" about what a phone should be, and Google's opinion has always been hidden behind that veil. That situation might be okay at the low end, but at the high end (where all the profit and mindshare is), Samsung and Apple have expressed the only opinions that really matter. With Note 7s off the market and Samsung hedging its bets against Google's services, that situation was going to become untenable someday.

Someday is today: Google is making a phone for the first time. It's called the Pixel and it’s a Google phone inside and out, sold directly by the company to a mass audience for the first time. With Pixel, we finally get to see behind the veil and get an unmediated experience of Google's very best shot at a phone. All the excuses that existed before for Android phones not living up to their potential won’t work here.

No more excuses. This is my review of the Google Pixel in Really Blue.

Verizon is going to let Samsung disable customers with the Galaxy Note 7

Last week, shortly after Samsung announced that it would issue a software update that would stop the Galaxy Note 7 from charging and render remaining units useless, Verizon came forward to suggest that they would not be participating in such madness. Verizon said that they weren’t fans of killing the phones of customers during the “heart of the holiday travel season” and that they “do not want to make it impossible to contact family, first responders or medical professionals in an emergency situation.” But now today, Verizon is letting Galaxy Note 7 owners know that they will indeed participate in the software update after all, only not until January 5. 

Verizon sent out emails to customers moments ago, directing them to a special FAQ for the Galaxy Note 7 and its constantly-updating situation. A new section has been added for a future update that will go live on January 5. That update is the same update Samsung wanted to begin pushing as early as December 19. This update “prevents the device from charging and eliminates the ability for it to work as a mobile device.”

Verizon Note 7 owners, I know you thought Verizon was on your side and you would continue to keep your phone, but that just isn’t going to happen. It’s time to exchange it before it’s too late.
Other carrier Note 7 updates will rollout as follows:

• T-Mobile: December 27
• AT&T: January 5
• Sprint: January 8

Super Mario run is now live on the App Store!

Super Mario Run is now live on the App Store — buy it yourself for $9.99. The much-anticipated game is Nintendo’s first real attempt to puts its storied back catalogue of video game characters to use in the mobile world. Super Mario Run is a take on the endless runner type of game, letting players control Mario in a traditional side-scrolling platformer environment, but with just one control: tap to jump. It’s a simple set-up, but appropriate considering that Mario’s first ever video game appearance, in 1981’s Donkey Kong, saw him billed as simply “Jumpman.”

The game features three main modes. “World Tour” lets you play solo through 24 levels in six worlds; “Toad Rally” lets you challenge your friends’ times to race through certain levels; and “Mushroom Kingdom” lets you create and customize your own courses. You need to earn currency in the first two of these modes to use the third, as well as unlock five other characters. Unfortunately, the game requires an internet connection at all times — disconnect and a pop-up will appear that stops you from playing. Mario creator Shigeru Miyamoto has said this requirement was designed to stop piracy.

Over 1 billion Yahoo accounts were hacked.....back in August 2013

Back in September, Yahoo revealed that it was hacked in late 2014 by a “state-sponsored actor” who stole information from at least 500 million Yahoo users. Yesterday, Yahoo has more news to share, though this time it’s worse and from a different hack altogether. According to a blog post on Yahoo’s Tumblr, the company believes that in August 2013, an “unauthorized third party” stole “more than one billion user accounts.” Good lord.

Yahoo has not yet figured out the identity of this third party, but they do at least believe that it was different from the previous hack. I don’t know if that’s supposed to make us feel better or not?

What is Yahoo doing now? Well, if you are an affected user, you probably were already notified that you need to change your password. Also, Yahoo has invalidated unencrypted security questions and answers, so those can’t be used to access your accounts. This, of course, is all happening about 3 years too late.

What can you, the Yahoo user do? Here is Yahoo’s recommended list of items:

• Change your passwords and security questions and answers for any other accounts on which you used the same or similar information used for your Yahoo account;
• Review all of your accounts for suspicious activity;
• Be cautious of any unsolicited communications that ask for your personal information or refer you to a web page asking for personal information;
• Avoid clicking on links or downloading attachments from suspicious emails; and
• Consider using Yahoo Account Key, a simple authentication tool that eliminates the need to use a password on Yahoo altogether.

If you want to know even more, you’ll find a bunch of info right here.

And finally, are you sure you still want to keep that Yahoo account of yours active? We’re talking about two separate hacks that affected more than a billion people and yet we are just finding out about them 2-3 years later. Yikes.

Amazon just completed it's first Prime Air drone delivery

Amazon recently completed its first real-life delivery using its Amazon Prime Air drone. The flight took place on December 7 and was fully autonomous, delivering a customer’s goods in just 13 minutes. We live in the future, folks.

The delivery was made during a private customer trial in Cambridge, England, Amazon said. The company has faced regulation issues in the United States with the FAA, though hopes to have some of those resolved in the future when it should theoretically begin these sorts of deliveries in additional areas. Customers in Cambridge are able to pick from “thousands of items” that are stored in a nearby fulfillment center, so long as they weigh enough to be carried by the drone.

When the order is received, it’s loaded up into a drone and sent out to make the delivery. The drone is capable of flying up to 15 miles, but Amazon says other versions are being built that can carry different payloads and cover larger distances, delivering all sorts of goods from dog food to soccer shoes.

Imagine one day sitting in your kitchen, preparing your morning coffee, only to realize you don’t have any creamer left. Don’t drink the coffee black? Maybe just order it from Amazon, knowing that it’ll arrive just minutes later, still cold from the fridge. It sounds like science fiction, but it isn’t. Indeed, the videos in this post prove it’s already very, very possible.

“These drones are autonomous,” Amazon explained. “From take off to landing and return, they operate completely on their own, cruising quietly below 400 feet carrying packages up to 5 pounds and guided by GPS.”
Amazon Prime Air is still in beta, but it works!

Amazon still says this is a beta test and is only starting with two customers. It hopes to expand to dozens of customers and then “hundreds more.” Amazon says the “sky’s the limit,” suggesting that it soon hopes to make this sort of delivery process available to everyone. I can’t wait for this sort of delivery system to launch around the globe.

Check out the video below:

This is Microsoft's take on the Amazon Echo which features it's assistant Cortana

Microsoft unveiled its plans to take on Amazon’s Echo last week, but the company didn’t detail any specific hardware products. Harman Kardon is the first third-party device maker to bring Cortana to a speaker, and it’s teasing its audio hardware that will debut next year. In a 30-second video, the speaker looks very much like an Amazon Echo, but it appears to include a display at the top that lights up with Cortana’s user interface.

Microsoft has been detailing its plans for Cortana on devices with screens over the past week, and it appears the company is going to make the screen a requirement for bringing Cortana to Internet of Things devices. The software giant used fridges, toasters, and thermostats as example devices for Cortana, but it’s clear this initial speaker from Harman Kardon will be the first of many that will allow Microsoft’s digital assistant to better compete with Amazon’s Echo and Google’s Home products. Harman Kardon hasn’t announced pricing or availability, but the speaker is set to debut some time in 2017.

Amazon just offered the NES Classic to specific cities in the US only with two hour delivery

Amazon, the largest online retailer in the world, got more stock for the much sought-after NES Classic. They listed it for sale in specific cities.

That’s right, they online retailer with the ability to ship basically anywhere around the globe, just sold NES Classics in major metropolitan areas only. Live somewhere rural? Sorry, no luck for you.

#NESClassicEdition available in select cities: D.C., Virginia Beach, Richmond, Baltimore, Raleigh, Nashville, ATL, Miami, Tampa, & Orlando pic.twitter.com/Pa95oi9Vmm

— Amazon (@amazon) December 14, 2016

Want an NES Classic? It might be cheaper to take a bus to a place like Washington D.C. and meet your package in person than pay the $200 or more scalpers are selling it for.

The NES Classic has been a retail disaster

There’s no other way to clarify the launch of this $60 micro-console that only plays 30 games. What should have been a widely available novelty for nostalgic old people (like me) and diehard Nintendo fans wound up a scalper’s fantasy. This system was sold in such typically Nintendo rarity that it’s been impossible to find first-hand.

Now the world’s largest retailer has been forced to sell to specific cities as a way to offer stock in a limited fashion? Cool.

These consoles are trickling in, by the way. I doubt those who want one by Christmas will be able to get one. I have routinely called around stores in a 50-mile radius to keep up with stock for stories. When places like GameStop and Target actually receive units, they get them two and three at a time.

How did Nintendo bungle this so badly? $60 is cheap. They tickled the nostalgia bone perfectly. They timed the console for a holiday season wonderfully. This thing was more in-demand than the Wii U by word of mouth. How did this misinterpret demand?

They did, by the way. Nintendo’s President said they didn’t think the thing would sell this well. That’s sort of mind blowing, isn’t it?

Apple’s new Support app is a one-stop for appointments, how to's, and advice

Apple has launched its dedicated iOS support app in the US. An early version of the app was leaked back in 2015 and appeared in other markets earlier this year; now, though it’s available to download from the App Store.

The app is named Apple Support, and does, well, exactly what you’d expect. Once downloaded, you can use it find out information about your registered Apple products; browse guides and tutorials on subjects like iCloud and photo editing; and schedule repairs and appointments at local Apple Stores. You can even message, call, or email staff straight from the app, as well as get guidance for common problems like forgotten Apple IDs or poor battery life.

It’s possible that Apple Support will take the place of the company’s Tips app. And by “possible” we mean “we very much hope so.” Tips was launched with iOS 8 but is probably ignored by most users. Too inconspicuous to attract the people who might need it; too banal to interest anyone else. Putting guides into an app with a definite function (booking Apple Store repairs) is a much better way to go.

Google makes backing up your iPhone to switch to Android a lot easier

Google has updated its website that guides iPhone owners through the process of making the change to Android. But more importantly, the company is also adding a new feature to its Google Drive app on iOS: the ability to instantly back up your contacts, calendar, and camera roll and store it in the cloud. That way, whenever you buy a Pixel or some other Android phone, all your stuff will be waiting in Google’s various apps. It’s all automatic when done this way, as opposed to before when you’d have to upload this stuff from several different apps.

The new option is found in the settings menu under “backup.” Also it’s probably not very instant if you’ve got a lot of stuff on your iPhone; Google says it can take several hours in some cases, so you’ll want to have your phone plugged in and on reliable Wi-Fi during the process. The app must stay open and on screen, as well.

This is basically Google’s iOS answer to Apple’s Android app that similarly tries to ease the switching process. But Google Drive does a lot of other useful stuff, so the new backup utility is just a new addition to the list. Unfortunately, Google Drive won’t back up your texts or music library. For that, you’ll have to actually plug your iPhone directly into the Pixel or whatever Android phone you’re replacing it with. If that really seems like the right choice for you. The Google Drive update doesn’t seem to be out just yet. At least, I’m not seeing the backup feature in settings. But it shouldn’t be long.

Apple's AirPods, completely wireless earbuds, are now on sale

Apple’s AirPods are now on sale, after being delayed from their original October launch. The $159 wireless earbuds are currently listed as shipping later in December, and can be ordered here. Apple previously said it needed “a little more time before AirPods are ready for our customers,” although we still don’t know the reason for the delay.



In a press release, Apple says that the AirPods “will be shipping in limited quantities at launch,” and that brick-and-mortar stores “will receive regular AirPod shipments.” AirPods will start appearing at Apple Stores, “select” carrier stores, and authorized Apple retailers next week. They’re launching in over 100 countries, including the US, Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Mexico, and Japan.

The AirPods are a key accessory for the iPhone 7, one of the first major smartphones to ship without a headphone jack. They look almost identical to the company’s old EarPods, but now connect via Bluetooth using a W1 wireless chip, not over wires. For $159, you’ll get a pair of AirPods, a small charging case, and a Lightning-to-USB cable. They’re supposed to deliver five hours of listening on a charge, and the case allows them to charge while stored in your bag. There’s still no word on Apple’s Beats X earbuds, which appear to be delayed until next year.

Instagram Live is now available to users starting today

Instagram Live is rolling out to all users in the US this week, after being announced in late November. To access it, should you choose to share your life’s precious moments, swipe to the “Live” portion inside of the Instagram Stories interface, then tap to go live.

Once live, anyone following you can access your stream, and the experience is much like Periscope and Facebook Live. Viewers can interact with comments and emoji, and broadcasters can see that taking place on their screen. In addition, you can find larger personalities doing Live feeds, too, right from the Explore section.

To use this feature, make sure your Instagram app is updated to the latest version (may take time for the update to hit everyone), then enjoy.

Apple release iOS update 10.2 with more emoji, improvements to photos, and TV app

OS 10.2 is available to install as an over-the-air update via Software Update in the native Settings app. It can also be installed with iTunes on a connected Mac or PC.

"iOS 10.2 introduces new features including the TV app (US Only), a new and unified experience for accessing your TV shows and movies across multiple video apps," the release notes state. "Emoji have been beautifully redesigned to reveal more detail and over 100 new emoji have been added including new faces, food, animals, sports, and professions. This update also includes stability improvements and bug fixes."

The full list of features spotlighted by Apple are:

TV

• Use Up Next to see the movies and shows you're currently watching and pick up where you left off
• Get recommendations for new movies and TV shows in Watch Now
• Discover new apps and the latest iTunes releases in the Store
• Access the Library for your iTunes purchases and rentals

Emoji

• Beautifully redesigned emoji that reveal even more detail
• Over 100 new emoji including new faces, food, animals, sports and professions

Photos

• Improves stabilization and delivers faster frame rate for Live Photos 
• Improves accuracy of groupings of similar photos of the same person in the People album 
• Fixes an issue where Memories might generate a memory from photos of screenshots, whiteboards or receipts 
• Fixes an issue where the camera would stay zoomed after switching back from the Camera Roll on an iPhone 7 Plus 
• Additional support for RAW digital cameras 

The launch of the "TV" app comes less than a week after Apple rolled out single sign-on support for participating cable providers, including Dish, Sling TV, DirecTV, CenturyLink Prism, and GVTC.

Users can find a new TV Provider option in the Settings app. There, users can enter their login credentials and have them automatically provided to streaming video apps that require a cable subscription.

Third-party apps that support the new single sign-on feature have also been spotlighted in the App Store. They include Food Network, DIY, Travel Channel and Hallmark Channel.

Other changes include new emoji that conform to the Unicode 9.9 standard, which includes about 72 new icons, such as a clown, bacon, a selfie, and a sneezing face. Existing emoji have also been redrawn with more detail and/or different styles.

Other changes in iOS 10.2 include a widget for the Videos app, three new wallpapers, a "Preserve Camera" setting, and a "Press and Hold to Speak" menu under Accessibility settings for the home button. The Messages app has a new "Celebration" fullscreen effect, and the status bar has an additional headphone icon, making it clearer when Bluetooth audio accessories are connected. The icon was already visible to Beats Solo3 and Powerbeats3 owners.