The Moto 360, the original round smartwatch, is back, and it’s a stunner

The Motorola Moto 360 is back, except things are a little different, as Motorola isn’t making this one. Instead it has licensed out the Moto 360 name to a brand partner called eBuyNow. The Moto 360 has gone the same way as Nokia, BlackBerry, and other tech resurrections. The firm insists this new model is deeply connected to the original Moto 360, and that it’s a step above the average smartwatch.

The return of the Moto 360

The $350 price certainly suggests a higher tier. It’s about $100 more expensive than most Fossil smartwatches, and getting close to the Apple Watch Series 5. In terms of specs, this is the equivalent of a 5th generation Fossil watch, so you get a Qualcomm Snapdragon 3100 processor, 1GB of RAM, 8GB memory, a 1.2-inch AMOLED screen, a heart rate sensor on the back, GPS, NFC, and Google’s WearOS software. It has quick charging — just 60 minutes to full capacity — and should last through the day.

So far, so familiar. What makes it different is the materials and the build quality. The Moto 360 is designed to appeal to those who appreciate what makes a traditional watch desirable. The body is made from 3 mm-thick stainless steel — twice that of other smartwatches eBuyNow told me — which is then covered in a PVD (similar to films found on solar panels) or DLC (diamond-like carbon) coating, giving the Moto 360 a pleasing texture I’m more used to seeing on watches that cost a lot more than $350.

Styling queues taken from the original Moto 360 are minimal, taking after it mostly in the simple overall design, but the new 360 stands apart from previous versions due to its two-button layout. This is a little more comfortable to wear, as there’s no crown to dig directly into your wrist, but it may not look as appealing to some. Thankfully, the Moto 360 pulls off this design very well, mostly because the top button features a textured finish with the Motorola logo inscribed, which I rather like.

Straps and software

The top button is multi-functional, and can be pushed to access the menu, held down for Google Assistant, or twisted to scroll through menus and notifications. It’s very natural too, and the tactility feels great against the tip of your finger. The lower button is programmable, as well. There are two straps inside the box — a leather version and a very flexible, high quality silicone strap.

It looked smart, stylish, and perfectly-sized when I strapped it on my wrist, but the thickness is slightly surprising, given the advances Fossil has shown in this area with its 5th generation smartwatches. For all Motorola’s bluster about the premium DLC and PVD coatings, it’s questionable whether regular smartwatch buyers really care about it, and whether it will encourage anyone to spend more on a Moto 360 than one of the more svelte Armani or Fossil watches.

The watch runs WearOS and doesn’t have any additional apps or special Motorola alterations at all. I was told that some software announcements may come when the watch goes on sale, but whether this would be a Google update or Motorola’s special features was not stated. During my limited time with the watch the software worked well and the menus moved smoothly and quickly. But it wasn’t connected to a phone, so the full experience may differ.

eBuyWho?

As mentioned, Motorola isn’t manufacturing the Moto 360, instead licensing out the name to eBuyNow, which it describes as a strategic brand partner. Heard of them? Me neither. In the press release for the smartwatch, eBuyNow says it’s an independent, data-driven consumer electronics manufacturer, and that it looks for gaps in the market to exploit. It seems the gap in release times from the last, well-regarded Moto 360 seemed a ripe opportunity.

At the London launch event, eBuyNow representatives spoke very positively about the Moto 360 smartwatch, its partnership with Qualcomm, and great relationship with Motorola. But what else has it made? It’s worked with Fitbit and Garmin as well, so it has experience in making wearables, and also lists Samsung, Panasonic, Toshiba, Sony, and Sharp as partners. It’s also responsible for Kodak, a licensing deal that appears similar to that with Motorola.

Conclusion

First impressions of the Moto 360 are good. It’s attractive, made from quality materials, and the design is elevated above the ordinary with the unusual side buttons. Still, it’s quite hard to justify the additional expense on the materials and build alone, as Fossil’s stylish watches are also great choices for a sizable amount less. Perhaps using the Moto 360 may reveal it to be operationally better than other WearOS watches out there, especially with a pending software additions pre-launch, so we’re keen to try it out more.

The Moto 360 will be available to buy in December through moto360.com, with pre-orders beginning in mid-November. The watch costs $350 or 340 British pounds.

WhatsApp might soon receive the major update you’ve been waiting for

WhatsApp is easily one of the most popular messaging apps out there, and Facebook’s only chat app that supports end-to-end encryption, just like iMessage on the iPhone. The advantage of WhatsApp is that you can use it across devices to stay in touch with your contacts regardless of their mobile operating system.

However, WhatsApp isn’t perfect, and some users have been waiting for years for Facebook to roll out a few features that could turn it into an even more powerful iMessage alternative. Some of those features include support for multiple devices, as well as a custom version of the app for tablets — or at least for the iPad.

Facebook has been working on an iPad version of WhatsApp for months now, as we saw the first leaks detailing the app’s UI changes for tablets back in April. But the feature has yet to roll out.

Customizing the app to take advantage of the iPad’s bigger screen can’t be that complicated, but there is a more complex feature required to make it all work. Facebook has been looking at letting users access the same WhatsApp account from multiple devices at the same time, including multiple phones.

WhatsApp accounts are created with the help of phone numbers, which means you can’t use the same account on two phones right now. It’s a security feature, and one that prevents the rollout of the iPad version of the app, according to prominent WhatsApp leaker @WABetaInfo on Twitter:

A desktop version of WhatsApp does exist, but that only works in tandem with the main phone where the account was activated. Using WhatsApp on multiple devices simultaneously also needs to have the same end-to-end encryption support, and Facebook is developing support for that, according to the same leaker:

Once that happens, people who use more than one smartphone, or a combination of smartphones and tablets, will be able to set up the same WhatsApp account across all of them:

It’s unclear when the feature will roll out, but the leaker suggested that screenshots of the new multi-device WhatsApp experiences might arrive soon. Comparatively, iMessage works simultaneously on iPhone, iPad, and Mac, as long as you sign in with the same Apple ID.

The New Pixel 4 Real-Time Transcription App Is Amazing—What to Use If You Can’t Get It

Among the new features onboard the Pixel 4 and Pixel 4 XL phones is a Recorder app that can transcribe spoken audio in real-time—a tool that could prove hugely useful in lectures, interviews, and more besides. It works offline too, but it’s not your only option for converting speech into text.

If you have bought a Pixel 4 or Pixel 4 XL, you’ll find the Recorder app preinstalled (or you can download it here). The app can be sideloaded via an APK on other Android phones, but the real-time voice transcription won’t work—this is one of those features (like Motion Sense) that Google is hoping will get you to buy one of its new flagship phones.

Once loaded up, the app has a simple but tasteful design: You hit the big red record button and recording starts, as you would expect. The recording opens the Audio tab, which shows a sound wave representation of what’s being heard, but you can switch back and forth between that and the Transcript screen, where speech is transcribed in real-time.

Recorder recognizes the difference between speech and music, and will show this on screen as part of the Audio tab. Transcription only works with speech, however, or at least it does with the songs we tried (if you want to try and decipher a particularly difficult to understand set of lyrics, you’ll need to look elsewhere).

Tap the pause button at the bottom and you can give your recording a title and a location if you want to (if the Recorder app has noticed certain words being repeated, it’ll suggest these as keywords for your title). You then have the option to Resume the recording or to Save it to your phone.

Does it work? Based on our experience, it works impressively well, but it’s far from perfect—the app doesn’t get every word yet, though with clear speech and little background noise we’d say it’s in the high 90s in terms of percentage. We did notice occasional gaps in the transcription, almost as if the Pixel’s AI processing algorithms were being overwhelmed and had to take a breather.

When there’s more going on in the background—recording from talk radio, say—the accuracy starts to drop, though to be fair to the Recorder app we were testing it on UK voices and accents. The app only officially supports US English for now, with more languages appearing further down the line.

Unfortunately there’s no option yet to edit the transcription. Though you can search through the text of your recordings, so it’s easy to find mentions of particular words. Even better, you can search for specific sounds, like whistling, applause, or music, and Recorder pulls up a list of matches for you.

As with just about everything Google does, machine learning is key to how this all works: It’s managed to shrink its language processing model down to a small enough size for it to fit on the Pixel 4 and Pixel 4 XL, and the Pixel 4 phones use similar techniques to power Google Lens and the Now Playing song recognition on device.

The transcription alternatives

Pick up a Pixel 4, and the Recorder app comes free with it. As for the competition, the closest alternative to what Recorder does is Otter—developed by ex-Googlers, as it happens—which again uses the power of artificial intelligence to identify spoken words as they’re said, either live or from a recording.

That ability to process recordings sets Otter apart from Google’s Recorder app, and Otter is also able to identify different speakers in a conversation, something Recorder hasn’t stretched to yet. Transcription search is included too. For the live transcription, you need the apps for Android or iOS, and you get a generous 600 minutes of free transcription time per month.

Beyond that, you’ll need to pay $10 a month or $100 a year, and that gets you extra features, including custom vocabulary support, integration with Dropbox, the ability to skip silences, and more. If you don’t own a Pixel 4 (or maybe if you do), it’s well worth a look, and in our tests was about on a par with the Recorder app.

You’ll find a number of competing Otter-like services out there, leveraging AI to do the transcription work, though none of the others have graduated to real-time transcription as yet. Temi promises 5-minute turnarounds for audio uploaded to the site (or recorded via the Android or iOS apps), and you can edit the transcripts online if needed.

We found Temi matched its quick turnaround claim and impressed with its accuracy, based on our limited testing of it. You get one trial transcript (up to 45 minutes) for free, and then processing costs $0.10 per minute (you might prefer that pay-as-you-go flexibility to Otter’s flat rate, depending on how much transcribing you need).

Trint is another option for those looking for AI-powered speech transcription, though it only has an iOS app (nothing for Android yet), and the real-time processing component is only available to enterprise users.

It’s on the expensive side though, compared to Otter and Temi—after your 7-day free trial, you need to stump up $15 per hour of recordings, or $40 a month. The latter gets you three hours of free transcription (working out at $13.33 per hour). It does come stacked with features, including a comprehensive online editor.

Of course, you can still get your transcribing done by an old-fashioned human, if you want to—it’ll take longer to get back to you, but the accuracy should be better than anything powered by artificial intelligence… at least for the time being.

Pixelbook Go review: Premium price for a premium device

Before I share thoughts after using the Pixelbook Go for more than 80 hours, I want to explain why this review didn’t appear alongside the many others last week, when the embargo lifted.

Simply put: It wasn’t ready. I don’t write reviews to an artificial deadline, at least not unless I feel they’re actually complete and provide maximum value to readers. I wanted to make sure I fully tested the device in as many ways as possible, which I now have done.

So let’s get started with the Pixelbook Go!

Specs and benchmarks (only because people want to see them)

So I’m sure by now, nearly every potential Pixelbook Go buyer knows all the hardware specifications and configurations; most are similar, if not identical to the Google Pixel Slate.

Still, this is necessary info to set the stage, so here’s what’s inside and out of the Pixelbook Go, which is a clamshell laptop. Note that my review unit, like every other one that I know of, is the $849 configuration. I’ll discuss the $649 model later though, I promise.

I’m not a fan of benchmarks, but I know others are.

To me, benchmarks are only a general indication of performance comparisons but everyday use is more important to me. I ran industry-standard tests on the Pixelbook Go in Guest Mode.

Here’s how they compared to the original Pixelbook as well as last year’s Pixel Slate and Acer Chromebook Spin 13 as I use both of those devices.

I wasn’t surprised at all by these test results, most of which have a small margin of error on the plus or minus side. The original Pixelbook uses a 7th-generation Y-series processor while the Pixelbook Go uses a comparable 8th-gen chip. Hence, the first column should have the lowest scores.

As I noted, the Pixelbook Go uses the same internal hardware for the most part as last year’s Pixel Slate. And as you’d expect, benchmarks between the two are similar.

I included the Acer Chromebook Spin 13 for two reasons: First, it’s in the same MSRP range as the other three options. And second, it illustrates the rough benefit of having Intel’s U-series chip in a Chromebook: It can run under a heavier processor load for longer, although it does require a fan.

What’s it like to use the Pixelbook Go?

I found the Chrome OS experience on the Pixelbook Go is little different than on my Pixel Slate. Well, after the Pixel Slate got a handful of software updates to improve the experience. That is to say: It’s really good.

With 8GB of memory paired to the Intel Core i5 chip, Pixelbook Go is a browsing and web app champ. When I’m working on a Chromebook, I generally don’t have more than a dozen open tabs.

I pushed that limit to nearly two dozen and the Go handled them like a champ: No slowdowns, no page refreshes, no lagging cursor, nothing.

Moving back to my normal workflow, I ran three Android apps (Spotify, Microsoft Word, and Snapseed) alongside my typical up to 12 tabs, as well as the Twitter PWA. Again, no issues here although the Android apps I used weren’t massive games. If you’re going to play on Android with the Go, or any other Chromebook, I’d say, close everything else for the best experience.

Lastly, I kept my tabs open, closed Word and Snapseed, and then fired up a few Integrated Development Environments to do some light coding within Linux. First, I used Microsoft Visual Code to test some Flutter code for a few hours. I then closed Visual Code and worked on some small Java apps for my Computer Science class in Android Studio, which is more resource-intensive.

In both cases, I was able to get my work done but it took longer to build and run my code than it does on my Acer Chromebook Spin 13. I expected that due to the lower performing Y-series processor in the Pixelbook Go, not to mention that my Acer has 16GB of memory. That’s a better device for full-time development, but I only mention that for the developers out there.

Most people considering the Pixelbook Go aren’t likely to be in that crowd. And those who want to use Linux with the Go for traditional desktop apps will be just fine with this device.

By the way, the Pixelbook Go handled Virtual Desktops just fine in all scenarios and I saw no performance issues when connecting my 1440p 60fps monitor either.

The Pixelbook Go is also great for watching 1080p videos on YouTube and traditional programming on YouTube TV, no problem, particularly because of the internal hardware and the 16:9 1080p display which has good color saturation and brightness except in an outdoor setting where it falls a bit short.

And while finishing this review, I was watching Samsungs SDC 2019 Livestream at 1080p on the external monitor; only 20 dropped frames in the first 10,000 or so.

From an overall performance standpoint then, the Pixelbook Go in the $849 configuration is more than enough Chromebook for just about anybody, with the exception of people highly dependent on running intensive Linux apps for hours at a time.

One additional item as it pertains to battery life. I’m not getting the claimed 12 hours of battery life on this Pixelbook Go, likely because battery life is highly dependent on a number of variables, such as your usage activities and brightness settings.

However, with brightness set to around 60 percent, I averaged around 9 hours of continuous run-time on a charge. That’s still excellent but the real hidden gem here is the quick-charge capabilities. I can verify that yes, with a 20-minute plug-in, you’ll get around two more hours of run-time. I don’t know of another Chromebook that supports this outstanding feature today.

What about the $649 Pixelbook Go?

Although I haven’t used the base Pixelbook Go model, I have used several Chromebooks with the same Core m3 processor inside of the least expensive Pixelbook Go. 

Based on my experience, the $649 Pixelbook Go (which also has 8 GB of memory) shouldn’t show a noticeable performance drop from the $849 model, except in the most demanding of situations. I’d say most people will be better served with the base model of the Pixelbook Go and I’ll have more to say on pricing in a bit.

Premium hardware adds to the experience

I wanted to get the performance and user experience out of the way before discussing the hardware, mainly because I think this is one of those devices that you can’t evaluate from a website or photos. You have to get the Pixelbook Go in your hand before understanding the package that you’re getting.

The build quality is as least as good as it was on the original Pixelbook, which is pretty much the standard for a Made By Google Chromebook. There’s no plastic here; everything is housed in a magnesium alloy chassis with a matte finish, which greatly reduces fingerprints and feels good in the hand.

And at 2.3 pounds, you’ll want to carry this around in the hand. I can’t say that the ribbed bottom of the Pixelbook Go adds any grippiness, but I have small hands. You may find otherwise. In either case, it’s not a detriment, only a potential positive.

I do love opening the Pixelbook Go with a single finger. It’s a little touch but I appreciate the design thought.

Indeed, when you use the Go, it’s the design attention that really jumps out and sets this Chromebook apart from competing devices that are in the same price range or lower. This is not a budget Chromebook in any way, shape or form. It’s a less expensive Pixelbook, something that I didn’t understand until spending hours using it.

The display with smaller bezels than in prior models is crisp with a quality panel. It does appear a bit warmer than most of my other Chromebooks though; something you’ll want to see with your own eyes to see if this yellow-ish hue offends your retinas.

As far as the aspect ratio, it’s well suited for my content consumption needs, but I struggle a bit when being productive. To be clear, 16:9 is good for splitting the screen with two tabs or productivity apps side-by-side. I think most folks will be fine and it will great for any Stadia gaming as well. When I code, however, I personally prefer the 3:2 aspect ratio on Google’s prior Chromebooks.

Speakers on the Pixelbook Go aren’t quite as good as those on the Pixel Slate. They’re close. Sound levels actually sound louder on the Go but the clarity, while above average, is not up to par with the Pixel Slate. I do think they’re noticeably better than those on the Pixelbook, for what it’s worth.

Then there’s the keyboard and trackpad. I love them.

Google took the hush-key design of the Pixel Slate Keyboard and combined it with the already outstanding keys from the Pixelbook. The result is fantastic: Quieter, comfortable typing with traditionally shaped keys that have just enough bounce and responsiveness.

The trackpad too is quite good in my experience. It’s super smooth, a bit larger than the one on the Slate Keyboard and works great for multi-touch gestures. It is a bit loud when fully depressing the glass, but it does support silent taps for presses as well. Both the trackpad and keyboard picked up my skin oils within a day, but hey, maybe you have drier skin!

Let’s talk about the elephant in the Chromebook: pricing

If you’re the kind of person that simply looks at specs and pricing on paper, I can understand why you’d feel the Pixelbook Go is too expensive. After all, you can find other Chromebooks with the same or similar specs at lower prices, whether looking at MSRP or sale pricing.

For example, the Asus Chromebook Flip C425 which is also a clamshell touchscreen device, has an MSRP of $499.99 and can be had on Amazon today for a rock-bottom $379.99. Inside is the same Core m3 and 8 GB of memory but half the storage of the Pixelbook Go. You can expand that storage with a memory card on the Asus; something that’s not possible on the Go.

The 14-inch 1080p panel on the Asus is limited to a 45% NTSC color gamut if that matters to you and weighs 0.6 pounds more than the Go at 2.9 pounds. I’ve found Asus keyboards and trackpads to be adequate, but not in the same class as any made by Google.

So yes, there’s a valid complaint about the Pixelbook Go pricing when the $649 base model is priced $260 more than the discounted sale price of an Asus Chromebook Flip C425 as an example. The question is: Do you want premium build materials, input methods, and a lighter device without sacrificing any battery life and the quick-charge feature?

That’s your call and to be fair, if I were on a limited budget, I’d go the “specs and price” route for this Asus model on sale. If I had the money for the Pixelbook Go though I wouldn’t think twice about picking one up over a less expensive non-Google branded Chromebook.

Additionally, there’s no way I’d consider a low-end Chromebook – say sub-350 – to be a Pixelbook Go competitor. You’ll get lesser performing internals for sure, a hit-or-miss display panel, a bulkier and/or mediocre design and less battery life.

There’s the other side of the coin to look at too: What about similarly priced or more expensive high-end Chromebooks? I can tackle that one too since I spent $819 on that 16 GB Acer Chromebook Spin 13 I mentioned.

In that case, I gave up a thin and light Chromebook option to get more performance. In addition to the gobs of RAM, I also gained a higher tiered Intel Core i5-8250U processor, which as I noted earlier, improves overall performance.

I did that because I needed the heavy-duty hardware for programming. The configuration is overkill for all but developers in my opinion. And that $819 price was reduced because of the refurbished status; the MSRP of that model is $1,059, which is much more than a comparably Pixelbook Go.

My point is: Buy hardware you need that can handle the tasks you do. The Pixelbook Go can meet most Chrome OS user’s needs but it’s up to you if the premium qualities are worth the price difference. If I wasn’t coding as much as I do, I’d strongly consider the Go because after using it, I appreciate those premium qualities.

I would say that having a touchscreen hasn’t added much value to my Pixelbook Go experience. I saved that for the pricing thoughts mainly because Google could have saved some costs by skipping the touch feature, making for a more competitively priced device.

In fact, I’d recommend that Google consider non-touchscreen options for the Pixelbook Go, particularly if they could also reduce the price of that configuration by $50. That would put the base model at a more palpable $599.

People pay Microsoft Surface and Apple Mac premiums, so why not Google?

One more point on the pricing argument after reading dozens of complaints about it: This is what Microsoft and Apple do as well.

What I mean by that is that you were to look at a Microsoft Surface Laptop or an Apple MacBook Air, the specs on paper don’t look like they justify the costs either.

That $1,099 MacBook Air a slightly better 8th Gen Core i5-8210Y processor, for example, although it does have a higher resolution screen compared to the Pixelbook Go.

Want a light 2-in-1 with pen support? The $899 Surface Pro 7 comes with a newer 10-generation Intel Core i5 processor, which is a nice performance bump, the same 8 GB of memory and 128 GB of storage as the Pixelbook Go. Don’t forget though: It doesn’t come with a keyboard; that’s another $160 for the full premium Surface experience.

Don’t get me wrong, these are both great devices. Indeed, I bought a Surface Pro last year and it was great. I don’t have an Air but we do have a MacBook in the house. It’s also superb.

They’re both good not just because of the internal hardware though, which can be as I said overpriced as compared to less expensive devices with similar specs. They’re also good because of the design, look, and feel that both companies put into them. And people are willing to pay a premium for those attributes.

It’s not any different with the Pixelbook Go. Think of it as Microsoft’s Surface or Apple’s MacBook line: You’ll pay more but there’s a good reason to do so if you choose to. You’ll feel like you’re getting your money’s worth, even if you could get more features or performance for less with another brand.

Who should buy a Pixelbook Go?

Obviously, if Chrome OS isn’t your thing, the Pixelbook Go is a pass.

And developers? I’d stay away, even from the higher-end models; you’re going to much happier with a U-Series processor inside of your Chromebook, even if you’re sacrificing some weight, design or other attributes.

Everyone else?

I alluded to it before: This is the Pixelbook model for the masses.

I say that because you get the premium quality materials, design, and keyboard with better performance than the original $999 Pixelbook at a substantially lower price.

Google has effectively reduced the cost of entry for a mid- to high-end Chromebook while cutting the size and weight, and adding battery life. If those attributes don’t matter to you or you have a limited budget, you’ve got less expensive options, of course.

I’ll continue using the Pixelbook Go as my primary device for the next few weeks. If you have any specific questions or want anything within reason tested – no, I’m not going into Developer Mode or dual-booting! – drop a comment and I’ll try to address as many as I can.

Samsung’s new Galaxy Book Flex and Ion laptops bring better designs to the lineup

Samsung has a pair of new laptops — the Galaxy Book Flex and Galaxy Book Ion — that will replace the company’s old Samsung Notebook 9 Pen and Notebook 9 models, respectively. Samsung is making some big changes on these laptops, both inside and out. There are the expected boosts in specs, of course, as well as very welcome redesigns that bring the two models more in line with the modern design language that Samsung introduced earlier this year with the Notebook 9 Pro.

The new Galaxy Books are Samsung’s first laptops to use QLED displays, which is the same display tech that the company uses on its line of high-end flat-screen TVs. Samsung says they should be brighter (with a maximum of 600 nitts using a special “Outdoor Mode” and up to 400 nitts regularly) and more color accurate than before.

Both laptops also feature Intel’s latest 10th Gen chips: the convertible Galaxy Book Flex has 10nm Ice Lake processors, while the Galaxy Book Ion will have the 14nm Comet Lake chipsets based on the older architecture. Both laptops (in their 13- and 15-inch sizes) are certified as part of Intel’s Project Athena program, meaning you should get up to nine hours of real-world battery life.

The third big change is the inclusion of a new Wireless PowerShare touchpad that doubles as a full-fledged Qi wireless charger for any of your wirelessly charging gadgets. It’s an admittedly odd feature: you have to first enable the wireless charging mode with a keyboard combination, so it’s not as simple as just dropping your phone on top of the pad. And when you’re charging a device, you can’t use the touchpad at all, which limits the functionality of your laptop (unless you have an external mouse handy). Given that the rest of the laptops are made out of metal, the glass trackpad was the only place to put it. Plus, if you do desperately need to charge your Galaxy Watch Active 2 or AirPods, you’ll have the option.

Lastly, there are some changes to the S Pen that is included with the Galaxy Book Flex. It now has similar Air Action gestures to the Galaxy Note 10, allowing you to control your laptop with motion gestures using the stylus.

As for the actual designs, they’re big improvements on the old models. Like the Notebook 9 Pro, they’re all-metal designs, but Samsung’s ancient design style has finally been given the axe. Compare the new Galaxy Book Flex against the Notebook 9 Pen from last year, and it’s no contest. The bubbly-looking curved and corners are replaced with the sharper edges that it introduced earlier this year. There’s also far smaller screen bezels, which helps reduce the overall size of the laptop.

Better yet, Samsung has actually improved on its first attempt with these models. Where the Notebook 9 Pro looked like a MacBook Pro rip-off, the new Galaxy Book Flex, with its striking blue hues, finally looks like its own unique product.

Similarly, the non-touchscreen Galaxy Book Ion looks to stand out with a cleverly raised design that sees the back of the display prop up the keyboard slightly when opened. There’s also a nice blue accent strip on the back that helps it stand out from the crowd.

As for the rest of the specs: both laptops will come in 13-inch and 15-inch sizes, with up to 16GB of RAM and 1TB NVMe SSDs. (Although, as noted before, the folding Flex laptops will have Intel’s newer 10nm processors.) The 15-inch models will also have optional Nvidia MX250 external GPUs, although Samsung has yet to announce exact configurations for any of the laptops just yet.

There’s no word on pricing, although Samsung says that prices should be within the same ballpark as the Notebook 9 Pen and Notebook 9 clamshell laptops that the new models will replace.

More curious is the release date, or lack thereof: Samsung only gave an “early 2020” window, which is puzzlingly far away from today’s announcement. Samsung also missed another Galaxy Book release date recently: the company’s ARM-powered Galaxy Book S was originally supposed to ship in September, and we still have no release date almost two months later.

Dell Vostro 15 7590 With i7-9750H, GTX 1650 on Sale for $1,099

The Vostro 15 7590, which Dell normally sells for $1,998.57, has gone on sale for $1,099. That means if you’re in the market for a new business-class laptop, you’re in luck. 

The Vostro 15 7590 is a 15.6-inch laptop that measures 9.4 x 14.1 x 0.7 inches (239 x 358 x 18mm) and weighs 4.1 pounds (1.85 kg). It sports a slim body with narrow bezels and an anti-glare display with a resolution of 1920 x 1080.

The laptop is powered by a 9th-Generation Intel Core i7-9750H processor. The six-core, 12-thread chip clocks in with a 2.6 GHz base clock and 4.5 GHz boost clock. The processor is accompanied with 16GB of DDR4-2666 memory and a 512GB PCIe-NVMe M.2 SSD. 

Although Dell markets the Vostro 15 7590 as a business laptop, it offers some decent gaming, thanks to the inclusion of Nvidia’s Turing-powered GTX 1650 graphics. The graphics card sports 896 CUDA cores and 4GB of GDDR5 memory, which should be enough for all your casual gaming needs.

Other useful features include a lid-open sensor that automatically turns on your laptop, full 10-key numeric keypad, four-element lens webcam, TPM 2.0 module and optional fingerprint reader.

The laptop comes with 802.11ac 2×2 Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity. It’s also equipped with a microSD card reader that’s compatible with the SD, SDHC and SDXC formats. USB-wise there are three USB 3.1 Type-A ports and one Thunderbolt (USB 3.1 Type-C) port. There is also a HDMI port for video output and a 3.5mm audio jack for connecting headsets.

Dell has slapped a six-cell 97 Whr battery on the Vostro 15 7590, which, according to the manufacturer, can get you through an entire working day.

If you’re looking for something more explicitly built for gaming, check out our ranking of the best gaming laptops and our gaming laptop buying guide.

The Moto 360 smartwatch is back, but Motorola isn’t making it

The original Moto 360 was one of the most attractive smartwatches around when it launched way back in 2015. As the first round Android Wear watch, it made a huge impression with slick-looking wearables fans despite some hiccups at launch, but as with so many tech firsts, it gradually lost its charm. Now, however, it’s making a comeback.

In the same nostalgic vein as HMD’s revival of the Nokia, or TCL bringing back the BlackBerry, the Moto 360 has been given a contemporary makeover and is being brought back to the masses. This time around it’ll feature a Qualcomm Snapdragon Wear 3100 platform, 8GB of storage and 1GB RAM, an always-on display and fast charging that’ll have it juiced from zero to 100 percent in just an hour. Plus it comes with all-day battery life and a battery-saving mode that will keep the time displayed for three days even when the battery is critical. And, of course, it’ll boast the good looks that made it so popular the first time around.

What’s interesting, however, is the company behind its resurrection. While Nokia and BlackBerry had the likes of HMD and TCL behind their resurgence, the Moto 360 has a company called eBuyNow. It’s under license and in partnership with Motorola, but it’s still a relative unknown. Whether this will have any impact on the watch’s comeback remains to be seen — the company’s website does say that it has 15 years of experience in this area — but the real question is whether the Moto 360 can once again find favor with buyers in a market that’s now saturated with equally attractive-looking devices.

Samsung unveils new foldable flip phone concept

Samsung has teased a new foldable phone concept onstage at the company’s developer conference today. The new concept, which Samsung didn’t name, looks more like a traditional flip phone thanks to a foldable display that allows the device to fold in half.

“This brand-new form factor that we’re now exploring will not only easily fit in your pocket, but it also changes the way you use your phone,” explained Hyesoon Jeong, head of Samsung’s framework R&D group, onstage at Samsung’s Developer Conference. The idea behind the concept is to take Samsung’s foldable smartphone technology and push it to “become more compact,” and extend to new device form factors.

Samsung didn’t spend much time detailing the device, nor when the company plans to make this available. There was no mention of the hardware involved, and whether Samsung has improved its foldable display technology from last year.

The company did use this mysterious device as a bridge to discuss an upcoming update to its One UI efforts with Android. “As a pioneer in the foldable category, we understand that every innovative form factor requires an equally innovative user experience,” explained Jeong.

Samsung has been working on improving its Android user interface since it debuted the Galaxy Fold device earlier this year, and the company is now working on One UI 2. which looks like a more refined version of the changes the company introduced with the S10 and Note 10 this year.

One UI 2 includes more glanceable information, better reachability for one-handed use, and “more vibrant hues” throughout the OS. Animated icons will be available too, and a full dark mode. Overall, it looks like minor but useful changes to the customization Samsung offers today with its Android handsets.

Software aside, this new clamshell / flip phone foldable hardware looks like the future of devices like Samsung’s Galaxy Fold. While the Fold started off life with a lot of screen issues, it’s clear Samsung isn’t ready to give up on foldable display technology. Samsung didn’t provide solid details today, but the company is teasing that the future of foldable phones might look like the popular Motorola Razr of the past.

Battery C11P1801 Replacement For ASUS Cell Phone Asus ROG Phone / ZS600K

Find the right battery for Asus ROG Phone / ZS600K to solve your power issues. Our ASUS C11P1801 batteries are manufactured to precisely fit just as your original battery.

We use the highest quality Li-ion cells and components that are lighter weight, charge faster and last longer.

US ASUS battery shop – Tech-Battery.com ! Shopping with us is safe and secure! 100% Guarantee Quality and Fully Test!

ASUS C11P1801 Battery For ASUS – Battery For ASUS Cell Phone Li-ion 15.4WH 3.85V/4.4V. Browse our various categories and find out why we have been the go-to source for our customers.

C11P1801
  • Chemistry: Li-ion
  • Voltage: 15.4WH
  • Capacity: 3.85V/4.4V

Free shipping in most countries. click here to view detailed shipping costs.

We ship to the worldwide,please enquiry shipping & handling if you are out of united states.

What’s the total delivery time? (please use this formula to determine when your order will arrive) total delivery time = packaging time + shipping time.

Replaces the following products:

Fits the following devices:

Asus ROG Phone / ZS600K

ASUS C11P1801 ASUS battery is replacement for Asus ROG Phone / ZS600K. The C11P1801 batteries equivalent is guaranteed to meet or exceed ASUS original specifications. All ASUS C11P1801 Battery are brand new, 1 year Warranty, 100% Guarantee Quality and Fully Test!

We deliver quality ASUS Cell Phone extended batteries online. Purchase your ASUS Cell Phone battery here.

ASUS C11P1801 ASUS Batteries

  • 100% OEM Compatible with your ASUS Cell Phone.
  • Lithium Ion battery technology
  • Convenient and secure online purchasing
  • Dependable high quality ASUS batteries
  • Satisfaction guaranteed or your money back
  • 1 Year Warranty on all ASUS Cell Phone Replacement Batteries

6 tips to increase C11P1801 ASUS Battery lifetime

The performance of your ASUS depends largely on the performance of your battery. And his time of life depends on its users, and that you are. These are the principles that have guided the ASUS , at the head, so you can optimize the performance of ASUS Cell Phone battery.
New battery still fully charged C11P1801 sold. You must be on the first wheel to be conditioned for optimum performance. Loading and unloading of the battery 4 or 5 times is enough to determine.
The memory effect completely to avoid a full charge and discharge the battery, ASUS C11P1801 twice a month.
The dirt on the ASUS C11P1801 contacts of the battery can power the ASUS Cell Phone batteries. Clean with alcohol and cotton can look like and function like new.
This method is recommended for those using the AC adapter for long periods. We recommend that you use the ASUS C11P1801 battery at least once in two weeks. Batteries lose its charge when stored for a long time and you need the battery if it does break.
If he does not use a length of time, the ASUS C11P1801 battery will be stored protected from a clean, dry and cool, heat and other metals. A loss of business to charge the battery in time and need a break before reuse.
Power Management Features Battery C11P1801 enable the conservation of energy in the battery of ASUS Cell Phone. You can control the speed of the processor off, or you can adjust the brightness of the LCD screen to a minimum to ensure low power consumption. 

Why we have been the go-to source for our customers ?

We stock a wide range of rechargeable batteries for ASUS Cell Phone. Your ASUS Tablet PC is part of your everyday life. Successful communications on a ASUS begin with your battery. When purchasing a replacement battery for your ASUS ASUS, dependability and price are what we have to offer. We’ve been supplying reliable, high quality ASUS batteries for over 10 years. Our goal is to provide high quality aftermarket replacement batteries at a very reasonable price. All of our rechargeable Li-Ion ASUS batteries are backed by a one year warranty.

What is the run time of ASUS battery?

ASUS batteries have two main ratings on them: Volts and Amperes. Because size and weight of batteries is limited when compared to larger batteries such as car batteries, most companies show their ratings with Volts and Milliamperes. One thousand Milliamperes equals 1 Ampere. When buying a battery, select batteries with the most Milliamperes (or mAh). Batteries are also rated by Watt-Hours, perhaps the simplest rating of all. This is found by multiplying the Volts and the Amperes together. For example:

  • 14.4 Volts, 4000mAh (Note: 4000mAh is equal to 4.0 Amperes).
  • 14.4 x 4.0 = 57.60 Watt-Hours

Watt-Hours signifies the energy needed to power one watt for one hour.

Battery CPLD-104 Replacement For COOLPAD Cell Phone Coolpad 8056

Find the right battery for Coolpad 8056 to solve your power issues. Our COOLPAD CPLD-104 batteries are manufactured to precisely fit just as your original battery.

We use the highest quality Li-ion cells and components that are lighter weight, charge faster and last longer.

US COOLPAD battery shop – Tech-Battery.com ! Shopping with us is safe and secure! 100% Guarantee Quality and Fully Test!

COOLPAD CPLD-104 Battery For COOLPAD – Battery For COOLPAD Cell Phone Li-ion 1300mAh/4.81WH 3.7V/4.2V. Browse our various categories and find out why we have been the go-to source for our customers.

CPLD-104
  • Chemistry: Li-ion
  • Voltage: 1300mAh/4.81WH
  • Capacity: 3.7V/4.2V

Free shipping in most countries. click here to view detailed shipping costs.

We ship to the worldwide,please enquiry shipping & handling if you are out of united states.

What’s the total delivery time? (please use this formula to determine when your order will arrive) total delivery time = packaging time + shipping time.

Replaces the following products:

Fits the following devices:

Coolpad 8056

COOLPAD CPLD-104 COOLPAD battery is replacement for Coolpad 8056. The CPLD-104 batteries equivalent is guaranteed to meet or exceed COOLPAD original specifications. All COOLPAD CPLD-104 Battery are brand new, 1 year Warranty, 100% Guarantee Quality and Fully Test!

We deliver quality COOLPAD Cell Phone extended batteries online. Purchase your COOLPAD Cell Phone battery here.

COOLPAD CPLD-104 COOLPAD Batteries

  • 100% OEM Compatible with your COOLPAD Cell Phone.
  • Lithium Ion battery technology
  • Convenient and secure online purchasing
  • Dependable high quality COOLPAD batteries
  • Satisfaction guaranteed or your money back
  • 1 Year Warranty on all COOLPAD Cell Phone Replacement Batteries

6 tips to increase CPLD-104 COOLPAD Battery lifetime

The performance of your COOLPAD depends largely on the performance of your battery. And his time of life depends on its users, and that you are. These are the principles that have guided the COOLPAD , at the head, so you can optimize the performance of COOLPAD Cell Phone battery.
New battery still fully charged CPLD-104 sold. You must be on the first wheel to be conditioned for optimum performance. Loading and unloading of the battery 4 or 5 times is enough to determine.
The memory effect completely to avoid a full charge and discharge the battery, COOLPAD CPLD-104 twice a month.
The dirt on the COOLPAD CPLD-104 contacts of the battery can power the COOLPAD Cell Phone batteries. Clean with alcohol and cotton can look like and function like new.
This method is recommended for those using the AC adapter for long periods. We recommend that you use the COOLPAD CPLD-104 battery at least once in two weeks. Batteries lose its charge when stored for a long time and you need the battery if it does break.
If he does not use a length of time, the COOLPAD CPLD-104 battery will be stored protected from a clean, dry and cool, heat and other metals. A loss of business to charge the battery in time and need a break before reuse.
Power Management Features Battery CPLD-104 enable the conservation of energy in the battery of COOLPAD Cell Phone. You can control the speed of the processor off, or you can adjust the brightness of the LCD screen to a minimum to ensure low power consumption. 

Why we have been the go-to source for our customers ?

We stock a wide range of rechargeable batteries for COOLPAD Cell Phone. Your COOLPAD Tablet PC is part of your everyday life. Successful communications on a COOLPAD begin with your battery. When purchasing a replacement battery for your COOLPAD COOLPAD, dependability and price are what we have to offer. We’ve been supplying reliable, high quality COOLPAD batteries for over 10 years. Our goal is to provide high quality aftermarket replacement batteries at a very reasonable price. All of our rechargeable Li-Ion COOLPAD batteries are backed by a one year warranty.

What is the run time of COOLPAD battery?

COOLPAD batteries have two main ratings on them: Volts and Amperes. Because size and weight of batteries is limited when compared to larger batteries such as car batteries, most companies show their ratings with Volts and Milliamperes. One thousand Milliamperes equals 1 Ampere. When buying a battery, select batteries with the most Milliamperes (or mAh). Batteries are also rated by Watt-Hours, perhaps the simplest rating of all. This is found by multiplying the Volts and the Amperes together. For example:

  • 14.4 Volts, 4000mAh (Note: 4000mAh is equal to 4.0 Amperes).
  • 14.4 x 4.0 = 57.60 Watt-Hours

Watt-Hours signifies the energy needed to power one watt for one hour.