Expanding its Chromebook lineup, Toshiba is updating its original model by releasing the Chromebook 2. During my time with the device the most immediate difference on this new model is the display, as it now offers some very good colours and viewing angles. Toshiba now provides a 1080p IPS screen on the higher end model that is worlds apart from the screen used in their original Chromebook. Toshiba is planning to also offer a 720p matte screen display in a lower end edition, but this wasn't on display.

The specs are pretty modest; the Chromebook 2 comes with an Intel Celeron Bay-Trail processor which according to Toshiba may be subject to change due to device's later release date, so the exact model number was not provided. This creates a bit of anbiguity on how performant the final hardware will be. Main memory comes in at 4GB DDR3L at 1600MHz for the 1080p model, or 2GB for the 720p model. Toshiba advertises 11.5h and 9h usage times for the low end and high end model on a non-replaceable battery.

Connectivity is provided by 1x HDMI-out, 1x USB 2.0, 1x USB 3.0 (including Sleep-and-Charge), SD/SDHC slot, headphone/mic combo jack connectors, and a Kensington security lock. The device sports 801.11ac+agn WiFi capabilities with BT 4.0 and a HD webcam with dual microphones. 

Gallery: Toshiba Chromebook 2

Toshiba representatives told me they tried to improve on the main issues their user-base reported on the predecesor model, which beyond the screen was also the form factor, and indeed the Chomebook 2 shaves off a lot of weight and size while still retaining the same 13.3" screen size.

There was a noticeable lack of visible speakers anywhere on the device and that's because they were built-in into the device. The sound was quite acceptable for laptop speakers and plenty loud.

The Chromebook 2 isn't scheduled to be available until in Q1 2015 in Europe. While again Toshiba didn't comment on the price, I expect something similar to the current models which hover around 300€.

The parents of a Glasgow woman, believed to be in Syria, have issued an emotional plea for her to return home.

Nato has unveiled new plans for closer relations with Georgia. The relationship has long been opposed by neighbouring Russia, with Georgia already contributing to Nato-led operations.

Here's what the front looks like without the phone and front plate.

Today's announcement of the Oculus-powered Samsung Gear VR was light on details about any content being designed for the device aside from a few built-in utilities for watching videos, viewing pictures, and navigating a store. We're already starting to get our first hints about third-party development for the device, though, with popular rhythm game developer Harmonix stealthily announcing a mysterious project for the device.

"The cat is out of the bag: Harmonix is developing software for Samsung's Gear VR," Harmonix publicist Nick Chester tweeted shortly after this morning's announcement. The statement was echoed by Harmonix's official Twitter account and by developer Dawn Rivers who tweeted to say that she "can't wait for folks to see the crazy project I've been on at Harmonix for Samsung's Gear VR!"

Harmonix is so far offering no information about the type of game it's working on for Samsung's entry into the virtual reality space, merely promising "more info soon!" While the studio is known for console rhythm games like Rock Band and Dance Central, Harmonix released its first mobile title, the musical platform game Record Run, for Android and iOS earlier this year.

Read 2 remaining paragraphs | Comments

Aurich Lawson

Verizon has agreed to pay a $7.4 million fine to the US Treasury for violating its wireline phone customers' privacy rights. The Federal Communications Commission said today that this “is the largest such payment in FCC history for settling an investigation related solely to the privacy of telephone customers’ personal information.”

The fine won't hurt Verizon's finances much, though: the company made $31.5 billion in revenue in Q2 2014.

An FCC investigation found that Verizon failed to notify 2 million new residential and business customers of their privacy rights, "including how to opt out from having their personal information used in marketing campaigns, before the company accessed their personal information to market services to them,” the FCC said. This deprived customers “of their right to deny Verizon permission to access or use their personal information for certain marketing purposes.”

Read 4 remaining paragraphs | Comments

Audi R18 in Forza 5. Microsoft

On Wednesday, Microsoft announced the first-ever free trial of a full, unlocked retail game on an Xbox platform. The first game to receive the "Gold Weekend" treatment will be Forza Motorsport 5, which will become free to download and play for all Xbox Live Gold members on Xbox One beginning Thursday, September 4 and lasting until the following Sunday.

While nearly all games on Xbox 360, and many games on Xbox One, can be downloaded as free trials, this offer has the distinction of unlocking the full, start-to-finish experience of a game that hasn't been purchased. It also seems to split the difference between limited trials and the free games doled out to Gold members by way of the Games With Gold promotion.

Adding to the confusion, this differs from Xbox Live's occasional "free weekends," which had mostly opened up online play to users who had yet to pony up for a Gold subscription. We've asked Microsoft to confirm technical details of this promotion—whether it requires an uninterrupted online connection to play the game in question, what happens mid-game when the trial period ends at midnight PST on Sunday, and whether we may ever see the promotion reach Xbox 360—and we'll update this post with any clarifications.

Read 1 remaining paragraphs | Comments

Sony is no stranger to wearable devices. But today they are launching their first device that runs Google's Android Wear operating system. The first is the Smartwatch 3, pictured on the left above. The SmartWatch 3 is similar to the other Android Wear devices launched by other manufacturers. It sports a 1.6" 320x320 LCD display, and is powered by Qualcomm's APQ8026 quad Cortex-A7 part running at 1.2GHz, paired with an Adreno 305 and 512MB of RAM plus 4GB of NAND. The SmartWatch 3 is IP68 rated for submersion in water up to 2 meter deep for 30 minutes. The 420mAh battery is also slightly larger than competing watches like LG's G Watch which is 400mAh.

My concern is that the SmartWatch 3 doesn't really bring anything spectacular compared to competing devices and doesn't have the visual appeal or design of watches like the LG G Watch R. Pricing has yet to be announced but hopefully the SmartWatch 3 is price competitive.

The second announced device is the SmartBand Talk. It's more like some of the fitness bands that we've seen launched, with a 1.4" e-paper  display at 192dpi that integrates into the band itself. Sony hasn't given any specifics about what's inside the SmartBand Talk, but they have said that it will have an integrated speaker and mic for voice calls when paired with a smartphone. It's not clear if the SmartBand Talk is also powered by Android Wear.

The SmartWatch 3 will be available in black and green, while the SmartBand Talk will come in black and white. Both devices are slated to launch in the fall, and pricing is currently unknown.

It seems company sponsored live events are becoming more popular. Not long after AMD hosted their own gaming celebration, NVIDIA is upping the ante with a 24 hour live streamed event with several physical locations around the world, which they're calling GAME24.

NVIDIA describes GAME24 as a celebration of gaming, and several gaming studios will also be involved in the event. However, NVIDIA has not yet announced the studio names. GAME24 will feature eSports competitions, record-breaking gaming stunt competitions, exclusive game demos, prizes, and developer interviews. And of course, along with a focus on gaming products and partnerships, there will be a significant amount of actual gaming taking place both remotely and in-person.

The event will take place starrting 6 PM PST on Thursday, September 18th, and it will last until the same time the next day. Streaming will be provided from start to finish via Twitch. To attend the event, register at http://www.game24.nvidia.com/. Attendance and registration are free. Registration ends at 5 PM PDT the day of the event but NVIDIA warns seats are limited, so it's first come first served.

Confirmed locations include:

• Los Angeles:  Hangar 8, 3021 Airport Avenue, Santa Monica, California. 18 and up only.
• Chicago: Ignite Gaming Lounge, 3341 N. Elston Ave., Chicago, Illinois.
• Indianapolis: eBash Indianapolis Video Game Center, 6609 East 82nd St., Indianapolis, Indiana.
• Mission Viejo, California: 27741 Crown Valley Pkwy, Ste. 223, Mission Viejo, California.
• London: Location TBA
• Shanghai: Location TBA
• Stockhom: Location TBA

I have personally attended a few regional celebration events like this before, and I've always had a good time. Between the gaming, merchandise giveaways, and just the social aspects it should be a fun event.

Source: NVIDIA

Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, who is supporting Comcast's purchase of Time Warner Cable, has received more than $100,000 in donations from Comcast's political committee and its employees.

As detailed by the International Business Times yesterday, public records show that Comcast's political arm and employees have been supporting Emanuel for a decade. Emanuel was a member of Congress from 2003 to 2009 and then served as President Obama's chief of staff for nearly two years. He has been Chicago mayor since May 2011.

"[D]uring his time running for and serving as mayor of Chicago, Emanuel has received large campaign contributions from Comcast and its employees, including from [Comcast Executive Vice President David] Cohen himself, who contributed $5,000 to Emanuel’s mayoral campaign in February 2011," the International Business Times wrote. "Cohen also contributed $10,000 to the Chicago Committee, which the Chicago Tribune has described as Emanuel’s 'other political fund (which) he uses for political activities that support his policy initiatives at City Hall.' In all, records from the Illinois State Board of Elections show that Emanuel’s mayoral campaign and his other municipal political organizations have received $50,000 from Comcast employees since he began running for mayor in 2010."

Read 7 remaining paragraphs | Comments

One person has been killed and four people injured when a pedestrian overpass collapsed in Istanbul, Turkey.

The IFA consumer electronics show kicks off this Friday in Berlin. Today seems to be product announcement day, though, so get ready for a flood of new devices. One of the first companies to show off its new mobile lineup is Sony, which is launching three smartphones, two wearables, one tablet, and a range of accessories at the show.

For now, we'll focus on the pair of flagship smartphones and the tablet. Sony didn't provide full spec sheets for everything at press time, but we'll pass along what we have.

Xperia Z3—the 5.2-inch flagship The 5.2-inch Sony Xperia Z3. Sony

First up is the Xperia Z3, the company's new 5.2-inch flagship Android phone. It has a premium build with an aluminum frame and tempered glass on the front and back of the device. The spec sheet includes a 1080p LCD, 2.5-GHz Snapdragon 801 SoC, 3GB of RAM, 20.7MP camera, a 3100mAh battery, Android 4.4 KitKat, and an IP65/68 dust/waterproof rating.

Read 13 remaining paragraphs | Comments

Patients in Kenya may soon start receiving live maggots as a treatment after promising results from a pilot study using the age-old practice

Watch a BBC News special programme as President Putin says he hopes for a peace agreement by Friday

Three inmates have a escaped from a detention centre in north eastern China and a huge manhunt is now under way.

Samsung announced plans to release its own virtual reality headset that will use its latest Note smartphone at a press conference Wednesday in New York. The Samsung Gear VR includes a set of headbands and a holster for the new Galaxy Note 4 to secure the phone to a wearer's face and will represent the first consumer product from virtual reality tech company Oculus.

The headset needs no wires and relies entirely on the Note 4's battery and the hardware in the mount, unlike Oculus's own Rift headset. The device tracks movement with an accelerometer and gyroscope, according to Engadget.

Samsung referred to the headset as a "virtual cinema" that would get content from studios including Marvel and Dreamworks. The headset will also be able to handle games and a slightly delayed video passthrough using the feed from the Note 4's 16-megapixel rear camera.

Read 5 remaining paragraphs | Comments

Alongside today’s announcement of the Galaxy Note 4, Samsung also used the occasion to announce that they intend to break into the nascent VR headset market with their own device. Dubbed the Gear VR, Samsung is making a very different and very smartphone-centric take on the VR headset concept. For that reason the fact that this device was announced at the same time as the Note 4 was no mistake or even a convenience. Instead the Gear VR is functionally a peripheral for the Note 4; the Note 4 itself is the heart of the device, and the Gear VR is the harness to utilize the Note 4 as a VR headset.

The idea of using a phone or phablet as the basis of a VR headset is not new, but Samsung’s Gear VR project is the most serious and complete implementation of the idea yet. Gear VR follows up on Google’s Cardboard VR concept, replacing the hacked together DIY construction with a retail grade manufactured harness. Otherwise the idea is similar in execution: phones and phablets already have the screens, sensors, and gyroscopes necessary to build a basic VR headset, so why not? And the Note 4 in turn is the newest and most advanced of these devices.

Meanwhile Samsung for their part already has an interest in VR headsets and a business relationship to help make it a reality. Samsung is the manufacturer behind the display used in the Oculus Rift DK2, which uses the 1080p SAMOLED screen from the Note 3. With Samsung already involved in VR headset manufacturing, it’s only a slight extension on their part to take advantage of their in-house technology to go it alone and build their own headset out of the newer Note 4 hardware. As Samsung Display Corp. seems to only be willing to provide the latest and greatest SAMOLED panels to Samsung Mobile, there is potential to ship a VR display more compelling than anything else on the market.

So how does the Gear VR work? With the Note 4 proving the heart of the device – the display, the processing, and the sensors – the Gear VR harness itself provides the mechanism to hold the phone in place, including the lenses necessary to focus on the Note 4 at such a close distance and to adjust that focus. However the Gear VR is also an I/O device of its own to allow access to the Note 4, since the phablet and its touchscreen are inaccessible while it’s locked into the harness.

Utilizing the micro-USB connection at the bottom of the Note 4, the Gear VR grants the combined setup a small touchpad and a back button to allow basic operation and navigation, along with additional controls for volume (note that audio either comes from the Note 4 or an external headset, the harness has no speakers of its own). This setup isn’t a full replacement for the Note 4’s buttons and touchscreen, but it’s meant to offer a basic interface that’s used in conjunction with pointing-by-viewing to allow simple controller-free operation of the headset. It’s also worth noting that the harness doesn’t have a power source of its own, so it’s drawing from the Note 4’s own power supply.

Meanwhile one thing that is important to note is that unlike other VR headsets such as the Oculus Rift and Sony’s Project Morpheus, the combined Gear VR headset is designed to be a stand-alone device. It’s not merely a display and I/O interface for an external game console or PC, but as in the Google Cardboard concept is a complete and self-contained device.

This is an important distinction because it sets a baseline for what kind of content Samsung can reasonably offer and support on the headset. The Note 4 is a modern and high performance phablet, but at the end of the day it’s powered by an SoC-class GPU that offers a fraction of the performance of a game console or PC. Which is not to say that you can’t game on it, but given the hardware it’s clear that Samsung is not in direct conflict with Oculus VR or Sony for the hardcore gaming market.

Consequently the bulk of Samsung’s demos were focused on panoramic 3D video playback, which is a low intensity task that the Note 4 isn’t challenged by. In this case the headset can be used to look around the panorama, making it seem as if the viewer is in the middle of the action. Along with the panoramic videos, Samsung also had an Iron Man themed demo to showcase the device’s interactivity potential, using the Gear VR setup to look around a mockup of Tony Stark’s lab and to activate certain gimmicks and informational displays. Finally a simple space sim dubbed Escape Velocity was present to demonstrate the gaming possibilities for the device, though gameplay was limited to looking and shooting due in part to the limits imposed by the hardware and I/O options. In the longer term all of these are closer to technical demos than complete products, so Samsung will need Android developers to embrace the Gear VR setup if they wish to round up a good collection of content.

Meanwhile the hardware itself was solid. In our brief look at the demo units it’s impractical to do a proper side-by-side comparison with any other VR headsets, but Samsung has put together a solid piece of kit. The adjustable headstraps offer enough range to fit most heads – even my own (if just barely) – and the adjustable focus means just about anyone with good vision should be able to make the headset work. However, correction seems to be limited to around -3.5 diopters for those that are near-sighted. In addition, no correction is possible for those with astigmatism. The headset also does not accommodate for glasses.

Elsewhere the inputs live up to their stated goals of providing limited I/O for the Gear VR, though I did manage to accidentally hit the back button more than once. Overall the Note 4 gives the overall setup some heft, but not enough to make the setup heavy or uncomfortable, at least for short periods of use.

Which on that note, Samsung is suggesting a 30/15 rule for the device: 30 minutes of use, followed by a 15 minute break. This limited playing window avoids any concerns about extended use of VR headsets while also bypassing any battery life concerns since the Note 4 needs to power every aspect of the combined setup.

Otherwise the star of the Gear VR is the Note 4’s display, which is currently unparalleled among SAMOLED displays. At 2560x1440 pixels (Quad HD) and with the rapid response time of OLED, the Note 4’s display is a natural fit for a VR headset. With the Note 4 packing a 5.7” screen, the pixel density on the Note 4’s panel works out to roughly 515 PPI, one of the highest pixel densities yet and a good fit for an application that is so density-sensitive. However this is complicated by the now typical use of a pentile subpixel arrangement in a Samsung OLED display. The 515 PPI density makes the pixels harder than ever to see, but they are still visible and the subpixel layout exacerbates this to some degree. Based on our experience this may very well be better than any other VR headset display so far, but the holy grail for VR headsets may be a 4K display in similar dimensions.

Meanwhile it’s interesting to note that while this is a Samsung device it is being promoted as a product of a “deep technical partnership” with Oculus VR. The press release Samsung will be sending out with today’s announcement even specifically notes that the Gear VR is “powered by Oculus technology”. Unfortunately Samsung isn’t going into any real detail on what that partnership entails at this time. Since Samsung is building all of the hardware, the most likely collaboration is on the software and/or the optics. Though in either case any presence that Oculus VR has in the development of the Gear VR is not immediately obvious when you use it.

Wrapping things up, in the longer term we do have some concerns about the viability of the Gear VR compared to other VR headsets, but with the modern incarnation of the VR headset industry so new, these are questions that only development time and consumer adoption can answer. Which is also why Samsung is wisely approaching this in an Oculus Rift-like manner by pitching this first iteration of Gear VR at early adopters under the product title "Samsung Gear VR Innovator Edition." The difference is somewhat semantic – Samsung and even certain carriers will be selling the Gear VR harness to anyone that wants it – but Samsung does make it clear that they’re not shooting for wide consumer adoption quite yet.

On the hardware side, one of the biggest technical questions that Gear VR raises is whether the sensor suite on a smartphone is really good enough for this line of use. Oculus VR for their part has been focusing on very low input latency as a major component of VR headsets, for example. And even though this is an early adopter product this is something Samsung has paid more attention to than we would have expected. Samsung is specifically listing the device's "Motion to Photon" latency in their product specifications, which for the Gear VR is stated to be less than 20ms. 20ms is a particularly important threshold for VR headset latency, since among other things this is the maximum amount of latency that John Carmack has stated he feels is acceptable.

Meanwhile on the consumer side there’s the question of consumer interest. Does a Note 4 converted into a VR headset offer enough functionality to satisfy consumers? Gaming still seems like the killer app for VR headsets, and that’s the area where an SoC-powered device like the Gear VR is going to be the most handicapped.

For the answer to these questions and more, we’ll have to see what happens with the Gear VR once the Innovator Edition begins shipping. Like the Note 4 itself, Samsung isn’t committing to a date or a price at this time, but their best estimate for a launch date for the Gear VR is this fall with a price to be determined.

Following on the heels of the Galaxy Note 4, Samsung is also announcing a new product named the Galaxy Note Edge. In terms of basic hardware, not much changes. Same fingerprint sensor, same SoC, same RAM, camera, battery, etc. The one fundamental difference is that the display has a curved edge similar to the patent depictions. Samsung is pushing this as a secondary display of sorts that allows for more information to be shown along the curved edge without disrupting the rest of the content on the display. This is done by extending the display by an extra 160 pixels in width. I've included a spec sheet below to show the rest of the differences between the Note 4 and Note Edge.

  Samsung Galaxy Note Edge Samsung Galaxy Note 4 SoC 2.7 GHz Snapdragon 805 2.7 GHz Snapdragon 805 RAM/NAND 3 GB LPDDR3, 32/64GB NAND + microSD 3GB LPDDR3, 32GB NAND + microSD Display 5.6” 1440p+160 Super AMOLED 5.7” 1440p Super AMOLED Network 2G / 3G / 4G LTE (Qualcomm MDM9x35 IP block UE Category 6 LTE) 2G / 3G / 4G LTE (Qualcomm MDM9x35 UE Category 6 LTE) Dimensions 151.3 x 82.4 x 8.3mm, 174 grams 153.5 x 78.6 x 8.5 mm, 176 grams Camera 16MP Rear Facing w/ OIS, 1/2.6" CMOS size (Sony IMX240), F/2.0, 3.7MP FFC w/ F/1.9 aperture 16MP Rear Facing w/ OIS, 1/2.6" CMOS size (Sony IMX240), F/2.0, 3.7MP FFC w/ F/1.9 aperture Battery 3000 mAh, 3.85V, 11.55 Whr 3220 mAh, 3.85V, 12.397 Whr OS Android 4.4.4 with TouchWiz UX Android 4.4.4 with TouchWiz UX Connectivity 802.11a/b/g/n/ac + BT 4.1, USB2.0, GPS/GNSS, MHL, DLNA, NFC 802.11a/b/g/n/ac + BT 4.1, USB2.0, GPS/GNSS, MHL, DLNA, NFC SIM Size MicroSIM MicroSIM

If by any chance this reminds you of the Samsung Continuum, a variant of the Galaxy S exclusively on Verizon, you would be right. However, unlike the Continuum, this has been achieved by curving the AMOLED panel onto the side of the phone instead of putting another display beneath the primary display. This also has a few implications for ergonomics. For example, the power button is relocated to the top of the phone.

While I'm normally not too stringent on top-mounted power buttons, this move felt like a major step back for ergonomics. While it's going to take a full review to really know whether this is a problem or not, my first impression was that this would make it harder to recommend the Note Edge over the Note 4. However, there are a few things that Samsung got right with this phone. For one, palm rejection is incredibly well-implemented. Even though I had my palm solidly on top of the display, I didn't see any touch events occur. The side with the curved display also feels incredibly thin, and seems to disguise the actual thickness of the device.

In practice, the display doesn't really seem to have much area, and tapping shortcuts and other objects on the sidebar tends to require a bit more precision than what I'm used to. For the most part, the use cases are largely similar to what we saw in the Continuum as well. Live news feeds were one possible use case, along with Twitter feeds and Facebook status updates. The other uses that were available included placing camera controls on the curved area to make the viewfinder larger, notifications while watching movies, and some quick tools such as a flashlight or ruler. The curved edge can also serve as an alarm clock. Overall I found it hard to see any particular killer app, but it may be useful to some. To me, the Note Edge doesn't really seem better than the Note 4, just different.

The Samsung Galaxy Note Edge will be available later this fall on AT&T, T-Mobile, Sprint, and Verizon. It will come in either Charcoal Black or Frost White in other select markets.

By now, most people seem to have accepted the concept of a phablet. At first, I was also skeptical, as I wanted a phone that could easily be used with one hand. However, with time I've really come to appreciate the value that comes with the larger display size and S-Pen/Wacom stylus. Simply put, even though the larger size precludes the possibility of easily using the phone with one hand, the increased multitasking capabilities and improved media experience can be well worth the trade-off. While I also find unfortunate that Android OEMs seem to believe that every phone should be a phablet, it’s hard to ignore the incredible success that Samsung continues to have with the Galaxy Note phablets. It’s also increasingly difficult to nail down just what a phablet is. I still firmly believe that a smartphone should be easy to use with one hand, and a phablet requires two. However, the distinction between phablet and tablet is a matter of whether the device can be easily carried in a pocket. Of course, none of that really gives a firm, clear answer. After all, everyone is different, and differences in hand size and thumb length determine what those limits are.

At any rate, this takes us to the Galaxy Note 4. Surprisingly, Samsung has stopped their march of ever-increasing display size for the Note phablets. The Galaxy Note 4 has a 5.7” AMOLED display, with QHD/1440p resolution. This comes out to 515 PPI, which should be high enough for general smartphone usage but in my experience with the Gear VR it isn’t enough for VR usage, which holds the display as close as possible to the eye. Samsung also disclosed that they have a 2.7 GHz quad-core processor for some variants, which points squarely towards Snapdragon 805 for the US. There’s also a 1.9/1.3 GHz octa-core version, which should be an Exynos 5433 SoC. For those that have spent any amount of time following Samsung Systems LSI’s SoC nomenclature, it should be patently obvious that there are four Cortex A15s on the big cluster and four Cortex A7s on the little cluster. I’ve included a spec table below to get a better idea of how things stand.

  Samsung Galaxy Note 3 Samsung Galaxy Note 4 SoC

2.26 GHz Snapdragon 800

2.7 GHz Snapdragon 805 RAM/NAND 3 GB LPDDR3, 32/64GB NAND + microSD 3GB LPDDR3, 32GB NAND + microSD Display 5.7” 1080p Super AMOLED 5.7” 1440p Super AMOLED Network 2G / 3G / 4G LTE (Qualcomm MDM9x25 IP block UE Category 4 LTE) 2G / 3G / 4G LTE (Qualcomm MDM9x35 UE Category 6 LTE) Dimensions 151.2 x 79.2 x 8.3mm, 168 grams 153.5 x 78.6 x 8.5 mm, 176 grams Camera

13MP Rear Facing, 1/3.06" CMOS size (Sony IMX135), 2.1MP FFC
 

16MP Rear Facing w/ OIS, 1/2.6" CMOS size (Sony IMX240), F/2.0, 3.7MP FFC w/ F/1.9 aperture Battery 3200 mAh, 3.8V, 12.1 Whr 3220 mAh, 3.85V, 12.397 Whr OS Android 4.4.2 with TouchWiz UX Android 4.4.4 with TouchWiz UX Connectivity 802.11a/b/g/n/ac + BT 4.0, USB3.0, GPS/GNSS, MHL, DLNA, NFC 802.11a/b/g/n/ac + BT 4.1, USB2.0, GPS/GNSS, MHL, DLNA, NFC SIM Size MicroSIM MicroSIM

Possibly the most important spec of note is the camera. As with the Galaxy S5 LTE-A, we see a Sony IMX240 camera sensor. Unlike the LTE-A variant, Samsung has also added OIS to the module. In practice, the accommodation angle of the system and general stability was quite strong. While I don’t have an exact value for how much deviation the system can sustain, it felt quite close to the Lumia Icon. While we’re still on the subject of cameras, the front facing camera appears to be upgraded to keep pace with the display resolution, with the same 3.7MP resolution and 16:9 aspect ratio. Samsung emphasized that this camera was wide angle, although short focal lengths will cause fish-eye effects.

A noticeable spec omission was the lack of water resistance, which was implemented quite successfully on the Galaxy S5 line. The only other notable regression was a move back to the microUSB 2.0 connector, but it’s likely that this was done out of practicality as the microUSB 3.0 connector is quite cumbersome to use. This doesn't result in worse charging capabilities though, as Samsung advertised that their charger would charge the Note 4's battery to 50% in half an hour compared to the hour that it would take the Note 3. Interestingly enough there is a toggle to enable or disable this feature, presumably for heat and battery longevity concerns.

Of course, there’s a lot more to the Galaxy Note 4 than just specs, and one of the major areas where Samsung has iterated for this generation is the design. Much like the Galaxy Alpha, we see a metal frame with chamfered edges running around the side of the phone. As previously discussed in our article on material choices and in Samsung’s official blog, this move helps to improve drop resistance due to the increased rigidity of the metal frame. This move also greatly improves in-hand feel as it’s no longer glossy plastic, which also helps to improve the overall look. In addition to the new metal ring, the back cover is noticeably different from the Note 3. While still soft-touch for the black model, the stitching pattern has been removed and the back cover now molds closely to the metal sides instead of noticeably protruding. Finally, there’s a noticeable change to the button feel for this generation, with much less slack in the power and volume buttons, and the actuation both feels and sounds much more clean and crisp. The home button is also noticeably larger than what we saw on the Galaxy S5, and it seems that this may be due to an improved fingerprint sensor.

However, there’s more to the Note 4 than just hardware changes. Samsung is also emphasizing new software features. While Samsung is emphasized a more mouse-like experience for S-Pen in the form of easy drag and drop/highlight modes by pressing the stylus button, I found that the improved Multi Window system is really the most noteworthy change. First, the need to long press the back button to bring up the menu is effectively deprecated. Instead, Multi Window is now integrated into the Android L-esque multitasking menu. If an application supports Multi Window, an icon will appear on the top right of the app’s card in the multitasking menu, and tapping it will automatically open it as a second window.

In addition, dragging a window from the corner will automatically turn the application into a floating window if it’s supported. There are no real changes to the appearance of TouchWiz UX, although some aspects have been altered. For example, the settings menus have replaced black backgrounds with white ones. It’s likely that this was done to prevent purple smearing effects that come from transitions to a lit pixel from a fully black one.

To recap, the Note 4 has the latest and greatest SoC and RF. The camera is better for low light with its hardware optical image stabilization. The industrial design is noticeably more restrained and tasteful compared to past designs. The material design is noticeably better for in-hand feel and protecting the phone, and if the GS5 LTE-A was any indication the display of the Note 4 should be head and shoulders above the Note 3. The software continues to be the best I’ve seen in the phablet space in terms of functionality. Overall, if you have bought into the concept of a phablet, the Note 4 should continue Samsung’s lead in this space. Of course, this is merely based upon first impressions. It will take a full review to make a final judgment on the Galaxy Note 4.

The Note 4 will be available in Charcoal Black, Frost White, Bronze Gold, and Blossom Pink in global markets starting in October. In the US, it will be available on AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon, Sprint, and US Cellular.

One of the biggest stars we know about, here surrounded by material it has ejected, is half the size of the predicted first stars of the Universe. APOD

There were giants in the very early Universe, or so it has been predicted. Stars so massive they not only put the Sun to shame, but potentially also every other star that’s been observed to currently exist anywhere in the Universe.

These first stars, predicted by models of a Universe with little beyond hydrogen, could have been greater than 300 times the mass of the Sun. Compare that to Eta Carinae. It's one of the largest stars ever observed, but Eta Carinae is only ~100 to 150 times the mass of the Sun. There’s evidence that stars don’t get much bigger than this, at least not in the present Universe (the exceptions being where multiple stars have merged).

The existence of these primordial behemoths, however, is not yet certain. While we’ve lacked even indirect evidence of these stars, a new study seems to have uncovered evidence that those supergiants did exist after all. Using new high-definition spectrographic data they obtained with the Subaru Telescope High Dispersion Spectrograph, researchers studied the star SDSS J001820.5-093939.2, which has a chemical composition significantly different than any previously discovered.

Read 11 remaining paragraphs | Comments

The Galaxy Note 4. Samsung

NEW YORK CITY—We're live in New York, where Samsung has taken the wraps off of its newest "phablet," the Galaxy Note 4. It has also introduced a brand-new type of phone, the "Galaxy Note Edge," which has a curved screen.

The Note 4

The highlight the Note 4 is, of course, the giant screen. This year Samsung has packed in a 5.7-inch, 2560×1440 AMOLED. That works out to a ridiculously high 515 PPI. The back of the phone keeps the faux-leather, soft-touch back introduced with the Note 3, though the fake stitching appears to have disappeared. People who don't care for Samsung's usual plastic can rejoice—the sides of the device are now chamfered metal, not entirely unlike the recently announced Galaxy Alpha. Like other recent Samsung devices, the capacitive buttons on the front of the screen ditch the Menu button in favor of the standard Recent button. The device will launch with Android 4.4.

The Note 4 looks like it doesn't change the standard Note formula as defined by the Galaxy Note 3. The company has gone with a 2.7GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 805 processor, up from a 2.3GHz Snapdragon 800 in the Note 3. The Note 4 has 3GB of RAM and 32GB of storage, which, while hopefully faster, matches the Note 3's spec sheet. The rear camera has been upgraded from 13MP to 16MP, while the front camera has been boosted from 2.1MP to 3.7MP. A microSD card slot can boost storage by up to 64GB. The battery capacity increases a little (from 3200 mAh to 3220 mAh), but we'll be relying on efficiency improvements in the SoC and other components for any significant battery life improvements.

Read 10 remaining paragraphs | Comments