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LG’s V30+ is coming to T-Mobile on November 17th
While most carriers got LG's vlog-ready V30 smartphone (pictured above) back in August, Sprint got an exclusive version, the V30+, that doubled its storage to 128GB. Or so the company claimed. T-Mobile just announced that it's getting the device too, and will make it available to customers on November 17th.
America’s cash-free future is just around the corner
Shake Shack's next burger joint at Astor Place in NYC doesn't want your money -- at least not the physical variety. In an effort to reduce the "friction time" between paying for your meal and eating it, the company plans to replace human cashiers for automated kiosks which won't accept actual bills and coins, only cards. This move is part of a global trend away from cash-based economies and towards Star Wars-style credits. But could such a monetary revolution actually benefit all Americans? Don't bet on it.
What to expect from the Engadget Experience, our immersive art + tech event
New mediums like augmented reality, virtual reality and artificial intelligence are pushing the boundaries of art, entertainment, gaming and performance -- but immersive media isn't always accessible. For one day only, we invite you to experience what happens at the outer limits of creativity. The first Engadget Experience is set to bring together some of the brightest minds in technology, art and entertainment next month, and we want you to be there. The agenda is nearly complete, and we're proud to say it's going to be a killer show.
Nonny de la Peña, Eugene Chung illuminate the Engadget Experience
Virtual reality captured the mainstream's imagination in the 1990s, but ultimately failed to deliver on the the medium's potential. Fast forward more than two decades and VR is once again the next big thing. With far more advanced hardware and billions in investment, virtual reality is on the cusp of upending storytelling but the future is still unclear. On November 14th, VR luminaries Eugene Chung and Nonny de la Peña will take the stage at the historic United Artists Theatre at the Ace Hotel in downtown Los Angeles to help shed some light on how virtual reality and augmented reality are changing the way that we see the world.
The Hero 6 and 'GP1' is GoPro's chance to grow again
"When I first was listening to our team's desire to make a chip, I felt a bit of anxiety, like, are we getting a bit ahead of ourselves? This might be beyond what our capabilities are," Nick Woodman, GoPro founder and CEO, told me in a rare break from his boyish bombast.
'Arktika.1' shooter arrives on Oculus Rift October 10th
Oculus Rift's next big exclusive -- Arktika.1 -- from the team behind the Metro shooters will be released October 10th. That's right, over a full year after its debut at Oculus Connect 3, folks at home will finally be able to give the motion-controlled shooter from 4A Games a spin. Pre-orders are up and at least for now, the game is marked down 10 percent off its standard $29.99 price tag. And here you thought that all of today's news was going to be about $1,000 iPhones.
Insta360's next camera may shoot orbiting video while stationary
If you've tinkered with a consumer 360 camera lately, chances are you have already tried the "round view" or "little planet" viewing mode in the companion app for a good laugh. But what if you could take things to the next level so that rather than spinning a 360 video on a fixed spot, you could actually spin around a subject such as yourself? That's the impression we're getting from an exclusive teaser video provided by Insta360 today.
NYC is getting a huge new VR conference this fall
In addition to an upcoming virtual reality hub at NYU, New York City will also host its first VR-focused convention later this year. The NYVR Expo, which will take place at the Javits Center from Oct. 26th through 28th, aims to be the biggest virtual reality conference on the East Coast. It'll be a place for both newcomers and existing VR professionals to explore what's next in the burgeoning medium. And since the NYVR Expo will run alongside the PhotoPlus Expo at Javits, it will have easy reach to a wide audience of media enthusiasts.
Intel’s 18-core chip was a risk. It will probably pay off.
Intel's high brass made a decidedly un-Intel move last August. During a routine business meeting at the company's Santa Clara headquarters, they decided to upend their desktop CPU roadmap for 2017 to prepare something new: the beastly 18-core i9-7980XE X-series. It's the company's most powerful consumer processor ever, and it marks the first time Intel has been able to cram that many cores into a desktop CPU. At $2,000, it's the sort of thing hardware fanatics will salivate over, and regular consumers can only dream about. The chip's very existence came down to a surprising revelation at that meeting last year: Intel's 10-core Broadwell-E CPU, which was only on the market for a few months and cost a hefty $1,723, was selling incredibly well. And for Intel, that was a sign that there was even more opportunity in the high-end computing world. "The 10-core part was absolutely breaking all of our sales expectations," Intel's Anand Srivatsa, general manager of its Desktop Platform Group, told Engadget in an interview. "We thought we'd wait six months or so to figure out whether this was actually going to be successful. But within the first couple months, it was absolutely clear that our community wanted as much technology as we could deliver to them."
Amazon's next Echo will be more like Apple's HomePod
It's been over two years since Amazon debuted the Echo, which kickstarted the current wave of voice-controlled, virtual assistant-powered speakers. And while the company has added more devices to the Echo family, with the tiny Dot, portable Tap and screen-toting Show, it hasn't touched the original model (aside from a white coat of paint for the UK). That's going to change later this year. Amazon is working on a new Echo that will improve on the first speaker in practically every way, a source tells Engadget. And, not surprisingly, it's aiming to take some of the hype away from Apple's HomePod.
iPhone 8 renders point to glass back and wireless charging (updated)
Rumor has it that we won't be seeing the next flagship iPhone until much later this year, but we may have just the right thing to keep y'all entertained for the time being. Earlier this week, a reliable source in the accessory industry showed Engadget a highly detailed CAD file of the "iPhone 8's" chassis, which allowed us to generate several renders for publishing. The most obvious takeaway here is the dual camera's new orientation, and that both the microphone plus the flash will be part of the camera bump.
Apple Music's next exclusive is a Clive Davis documentary
Apple Music's next documentary focuses on music industry legend Clive Davis. Last night at the annual Tribeca Film Festival, it was announced that Clive Davis: The Soundtrack of Our Lives would be exclusive to Apple's music-streaming service. That report comes via Deadline. While Davis' name might be unfamiliar, his influence has been felt throughout the music industry for some 50 years. Davis is responsible for signing Bruce Springsteen; Carlos Santana (above); Earth, Wind & Fire and Alicia Keys in addition to cofounding Sean "Puffy" Combs' Bad Boy Records among many, many other accomplishments. For more on his career, be sure to check out New York Times' recent interview with Davis.
Sony's Kaz Hirai: 4K and HDR are here, robots are coming
By all accounts, Sony played it safe at CES this year. Outside of an OLED TV that projects sound from its screen, the company was light on game-changing product announcements. So when I sat down with Sony CEO Kazuo Hirai for an exclusive interview, we focused on the topic that's been on everybody's lips this week: artificial intelligence. Last July, Hirai announced that Sony was reinvesting in AI in a big way for the first time since cutting funding in 2006. He says its ambitions go far beyond a refreshed Aibo, but not to rule out the possibility of robopup resurrection. As to whether we should be worried about our autonomous K9s turning into agents of a robot uprising? Hirai says it's up to companies like his to keep the AI hounds at bay. Click here to catch up on the latest news from CES 2017.
Samsung enters the smart inbox fray with 'Focus'
Samsung's Focus (no, not the Windows phone from ages ago) wants to be your Android productivity app of choice. The latest update brings the application out of beta and fixes a deleted email sync issue, according to patch notes. But, when Google Play says that up to this point Focus has only been installed between 10,000 and 50,000 times, chances are you haven't heard of the Samsung-exclusive app.
USPS made an ornament that displays package tracking updates (updated)
Shipping presents to loved ones during the busy holiday months can be a stressful endeavor, but the US Postal Service is testing something new this year that puts a seasonal spin on the task. Officially called "The Most Wonderful Ornament," the Christmas decoration changes color as the the status of your package is updated. When your package is out for delivery, the ornament lights up blue. Red means the box has been dropped off and green will glow when the recipient has opened it.
Windows 10's focus on friends could make it a more human OS
One of the more intriguing things Microsoft announced this week wasn't fancy new hardware. It was a simple addition to the Windows 10 task bar: small icons representing the people you interact with the most. They could be your family or friends, but for whatever reason, they're important to you. Dubbed MyPeople, it's a way for you to easily share just about anything on your computer with those folks, be it files, links or a cute emoji-like notification. And, it gives you a central place to keep track of interactions with those people, whether they take the form of emails or Skype chats.
'SpyParty' finally looks like a real video game
Yes, after nearly 10 years, SpyParty is still in development. It's an underground kind of independent, competitive game where one player is a spy attempting to complete discreet tasks at a fancy party, and another player is positioned outside, observing the scene through the scope of a sniper rifle. The spy attempts to blend in with a room full of AI-powered partygoers while the sniper tries to figure out which one is actually human (and then shoot that character, of course). And soon, it will all be much, much prettier. Creator Chris Hecker, artist John Cimino and newly hired environment artist Reika Yoshino today revealed five new characters, a professional-looking UI and an updated version of SpyParty's largest map, Veranda. The update isn't live yet, but it's coming in hot and should be available in the game's paid beta late tonight.
Google's VR future includes a headset that tracks your eyes
Google's plans for a new headset are advancing. In July, we wrote that Google had been actively assigning individuals to work on a high-end standalone headset that doesn't require a computer or smartphone. In the three months since, people familiar with the matter have told Engadget that Google's device will integrate eye tracking and use sensors and algorithms to map out the real-world space in front of a user.
Making Karma: Behind the scenes with GoPro's camera drone
A typical GoPro camera launch is much how you'd imagine it to be: Extreme sport athletes perform for the press at a beautiful outdoorsy location. But where I am today is not a typical GoPro launch. That won't happen for a few weeks yet, when CEO and founder Nick Woodman will present the company's much-anticipated Karma drone to the world. Karma's reveal will be the climax to one of GoPro's most scrutinized business moves yet. After multiple delays and much investor speculation, it's important that GoPro get this one right. Will Karma silence GoPro's doubters, or give them more to talk about? Engadget spent some time behind the scenes during Karma's crucial final stages to find out.
Comcast's Netflix-on-X1 beta test starts rolling out today
It seems odd to hear, but it's real: this week Netflix will start to become available on Comcast cable boxes across the country. Announced a couple of months ago, the partnership is rolling out slowly as a beta test, so interested Comcast customers with the X1 platform can go to the Comcast Labs section on their cable box and opt-in. If you don't see the app right away, don't worry, as it will become available to more people over the next few weeks. A formal launch that will put the app in the usual X1 listing for millions of customers will come later this year, and Netflix shows and movies will appear in the video on-demand and search results too.