The Morning After: Motorola's foldable Razr arrives February 6th
And some advice on buying a smart speaker.
Hey, good morning! You look fabulous.
Remember Motorola's $1,500 high-concept phone? It was supposed to start the pre-order process last month. Now, after a brief delay, Motorola said you'll be able to queue for the Razr beginning on Sunday, with shipments starting February 6th. The only question left is how many people will be willing to shell out that much cash for a phone with only middling specs.
I gotta admit, the unique design and allure of the Razr name -- I never had any of the previous iterations, even though I wanted one -- do a lot to lure one in, and high-end specs aren't as much of a must-have for a phone as they used to be. Right now, my daily phone is a Moto Z3 Play, which isn't exactly a performance device either, but you can get that while spending more than $1,200 less. Maybe the Razr 2 will be a little more affordable.
-- Richard
Microsoft gets the ball rolling on Surface Duo apps
Microsoft has released a preview toolkit to help developers make apps for its Android-powered Surface Duo, including Java frameworks and emulation that can handle the two-screen device. This is rough code, to put it mildly, but it should help studios get started on the apps you'll use when the Surface Duo arrives late in the year. Windows Central's Zac Bowden already used the emulator to give folks a glimpse of what the dual-screen Duo experience will be like.
A pre-release version of the relevant Windows developer kit for Surface Neo and other devices is due in "the coming weeks."
There is no shortage of smart speakers out there. As our smart home guide kicks off this week, let us guide you through the best options across Amazon, Google, Sonos and the rest. We've separated the devices into different categories. Want the best-sounding smart speaker? Read on.
Germany is going to pay a lot to keep using Windows 7
Last winter, Microsoft announced that Windows 7 support would reach the end on January 14th, 2020. In other words, the company will not be releasing any updates for the operating system -- even crucial security patches -- after that date. The public had nearly a year to make the move to Windows 10, but Germany's government didn't upgrade in time. According to German newspaper Handelsblatt, the German Federal Ministry has at least 33,000 computers still running Windows 7 and, as a result, will have to pay Microsoft about $887,000 in extended security update fees.
How I smart-homed my tiny studio apartment
Engadget editors get their mitts on loads of smart home tech. A lot of it is entirely irrelevant. Another chunk of it is impossible to install in rented apartments and homes. Cherlynn has seen her fair share of smart home devices -- here's how she lives alongside digital flatmates like Siri and Alexa.
Fujifilm's X-T200 mirrorless camera uses gyros for ultra-stable video
Fujifilm is taking a slightly unusual tactic to replacing its entry-level X-T100 mirrorless camera: making the sequel indispensable to video makers. Its just-introduced X-T200 still shoots 24.2-megapixel stills, but it now captures 4K video using a Digital Gimbal Function (really, gyro sensors) that promises extra-stable footage -- it smooths the video "even further" than you'd expect from a smartphone, Fujifilm claims. Whether or not that's true, you can expect HDR in both video and stills to bring out more detail in high-contrast situations.
The X-T200 will cost about $100 more than its predecessor: $700 for just the body or $800 if you want a 14-45mm f/3.5-5.6 optically stabilized kit lens. It's expected to ship in late February.
UN calls for investigation into alleged Saudi hacking of Jeff Bezos
UN experts have issued a statement calling for an "immediate investigation" into claims the Saudi Crown Prince's account was used for a WhatsApp hack as well as his reported "continuous, multi-year, direct and personal" role in efforts to target opponents. These allegations are particularly "relevant" in light of the Saudi royal's alleged role in the murder of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
Saudi Arabia has called the WhatsApp hack claim "absurd" and has previously rejected assertions that it has campaigns to hack, intimidate and assassinate critics. It insisted that Khashoggi's murder was a "rogue operation" despite a CIA investigation implicating the Crown Prince's involvement.
But wait, there's more...
A DirecTV satellite is at risk of explosion due to battery issues
Google helps publish the largest high-res map of brain connectivity
'Project: Mara' is Ninja Theory's new psychological horror game
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