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LG's 2019 soundbar lineup comes with Google Assistant and Dolby Atmos
LG’s 2019 soundbar lineup comes with Google Assistant and Dolby Atmos
In the lead up to CES 2019, LG has announced their latest soundbar lineup.
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When Apple announced the new MacBook Air, it brought with an improved design, USB-C, Touch ID and a Retina Display.
I’ve been testing out the new MacBook Air for about a week and while it’s an improvement over previous models, it still has some issues.
Design & Hardware
The new MacBook Air still has an aluminum body but now it’s made from 100% recycled metal. The laptop now comes with a 13-inch Retina Display (with a resolution of 2560 x 1600) that is 48% brighter and offers richer colours.
The screen on the laptop looks great and with it’s thinner borders, it makes video watching even better.
The keyboard on the new MacBook Air uses Apple’s third-generation butterfly mechanism and is backlit. Typing on the keyboard is comfortable but I’m not a big fan of the mechanism Apple uses, that basically mimics a deeper keyboard without actually having one.
The Force Touch trackpad is now on the new MacBook Air and Apple also added Touch ID for faster login and Apple Pay support. While Touch ID is great to have, it can only be used for unlocking your Mac, Apple Pay and the iTunes and App Store, if you change any setting on your MacBook Air, you’ll still need to type in your password, which can be tiresome if your password is long.
To help keep things secure is the Apple T2 security chip which also helps with “Hey Siri” support on the new MacBook Air.
On either side of the keyboard are stereo speakers which Apple says are 25% louder than previous MacBook Air models. Sound quality is good but can start to sound tinny at higher volumes.
The left side of the device has 2 USB-C ports with Thunderbolt 3 and the right side has a 3.5mm headphone jack. It would have been nice if Apple had the USB-C ports on either side or added a third port on the right side.
The new MacBook Air is only available with an 8th Gen Intel Core i5 processor. There is no option to upgrade to an Intel Core i7, which was available on previous models. It can also be optioned with up to 16GB of RAM and up to a 1.5TB SSD.
In terms of battery life, the new MacBook Air is able to get up to 12 hours and it also has great standby time. One thing to note is that MacBook Air takes a while to fully charge. One time I was charging the device from around 40% to 100% and it took so long. That is probably because of the type of USB-C charger that Apple includes with the laptop.
The new MacBook Air is available in three colours, gold, space grey and silver. It starts at $1,499 CAD and that gets you the Intel Core i5, 8GB and 128GB SSD, this the model that Apple provided.
The fully-specced out model costs $3,239 CAD and comes with an Intel Core i5, 16GB of RAM and 1.5TB SSD. The new MacBook Air is available now from Apple’s website.
Software
The new MacBook Air is running Mac OS Mojave. It brings a couple of new features but mostly stays the same.
New for Mojave is the addition of a full dark mode, where every menu and even the Finder has been darkened. Heck, even Safari and the App Store are compatible with Mojave’s dark mode.
One thing to note is that even though most of Apple’s pre-installed apps in Mojave, third-party apps like Chrome will need to be updated to fully support the new dark mode, which of as of this writing, Google is testing it.
Screenshots in macOS Mojave now allows to you easily markup screenshots and preview it. Apple has also brought the News, Stocks and Home app to Mojave from iOS.
The App Store has been given a complete overhaul that is similar to the one Apple gave to the App Store in iOS 11. There’s a Discover page which allows you to find new apps that Apple has curated.
There is also various sections in the App Store divided by their use such as Create, Work, Play, Develop and then standard Categories and app updates.
Xcode also supports dark mode. macOS Mojave introduces a feature called Stacks which will help organize all your files on your desktop.
Finder in macOS Mojave adds a new viewer called Gallery which makes it easier to look at presentations and photos. The sidebar in Finder now supports metadata and has quick options to do things like rotating or markup.
The quick actions feature in Finder are contextual and customizable. Screenshots in macOS
Apart from the new dark mode and new App Store, Mojave doesn’t add a whole lot new, compared to previous versions of macOS.
Final Thoughts
Overall, the new MacBook Air is a great laptop for those who want good performance, great battery life and easy to travel with. However, it’s disappointing that Apple doesn’t offer the Intel Core i7 in the new MacBook Air and this year’s model is more expensive than last year.
Pros
Lighter design
Good keyboard
Great looking retina display
USB-C ports with Thunderbolt 3
Cons
No Intel Core i7 option
Only 2 USB-C ports
More expensive than previous models
Apple MacBook Air (2018) Review When Apple announced the new MacBook Air, it brought with an improved design, USB-C, Touch ID and a Retina Display.
If you’ve been following my site for a while then you might remember my post about my favourite things from 2016 and one of the items was the Hitman (2016) reboot.
I thought the first game was amazing and before then, I wasn’t the biggest fan of the Hitman games. I was one of those who bought the game when all the episodes were available.
Fast-forward to 2018, and developer IO Interactive has released Hitman 2, which is essentially more of the same.
Gameplay
If you played the Hitman (2016) reboot, then Hitman 2 will be very familiar. You still play as Agent 47, a contract assassin working for the International Contract Agency (ICA) who travels to various locales to eliminate high-profile targets.
The storyline in Hitman 2 is fairly straightforward and can seem somewhat weak but Hitman games haven’t always been solely focused on having a great story.
Hitman 2 is a stealth game and each level offers different ways to eliminate your targets, meaning there could be hours of replayability. There are six levels in the game including a racetrack in Miami, a fictional area in Colombia, Hawke’s Bay Mumbai, a fictional Vermont suburb and the Isle of Sgail in the North Atlantic.
If you own a copy of the Hitman (2016) reboot, then you have access to the levels from the first game in Hitman 2.
There will also be two paid expansions to Hitman 2 which will add new locations, missions, sniper maps, outfit, weapons and more.
Even though Hitman 2 offers a lot of player choice, the actual gameplay can seem somewhat repetitive, especially since it’s not that different than the Hitman (2016) reboot. Especially, that you’re not given that many gadgets and weapons.
In addition to the story missions, Hitman 2 brings back the time-limited Elusive Targets, which gives players a certain amount of time to eliminate a target with no restarts, once you die, it’s over.
Some of the other modes included in Hitman 2 are the cooperative multiplayer mode called Sniper Assassin, where players are tasked with eliminating targets using a sniper rifle within a specific time limit.
Presentation
Hitman 2 is Xbox One X enhanced meaning it’s playable in 4K Ultra HD and HDR. All the levels in the game have a lot of detail, everything from the buildings to the people.
Levels in the game such as Miami or Mumbai have a lot of colour that makes it pop.
Final Thoughts
Overall, Hitman 2 is a great game that brings more of the same. If you’re a fan of the Hitman (2016) reboot then you’ll enjoy the sequel but it is lacking in some areas such as gadget and weapon repetition.
I conducted this review using an Xbox One review copy provided by Warner Bros Interactive.
Pros
Fun stealthy gameplay
Visually stunning & detailed levels
Variety of locales
Lots of replayability
Refined core mechanics
Cons
Weak storyline
Missions can feel short if you don’t like replaying missions
Hitman 2 Review If you’ve been following my site for a while then you might remember my post about my favourite things from 2016 and one of the items was the…
Sony releases the first trailer for Men in Black International
Sony releases the first trailer for Men in Black International
Thor: Ragnarok’s Tessa Thompson and Chris Hemsworth are reunited and star as two agents in the Men in Black spinoff, Men in Black International.
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LG announces new Ultra monitors ahead of CES 2019
LG announces new Ultra monitors ahead of CES 2019
LG has announced that they will be showing off two new “Ultra” monitors at CES in January, with the UltraGear and UltraWide.
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Sphero is getting out of the licensed toy game
Sphero is getting out of the licensed toy game
Sphero, the company behind app-controlled toys like BB-8, R2-D2 and even Lightning McQueen has announced plans to get out of the licensed product game, according to a report by The Verge.
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Google Assistant now warns you if it thinks your flight will be delayed
Google Assistant now warns you if it thinks your flight will be delayed
Earlier this year, Google added the ability of flight delay predictions. But now the Google Assistant will proactively warn you if it predicts a flight delay and tells you why.
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FlowMotion One Review
If you want smooth video from your smartphone, then you’ll want something like a stabilizer. There are a few to choose from including the FlowMotion One.
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The Grand Tour renewed for Season 4
The Grand Tour renewed for Season 4
Amazon has announced that The Grand Tour will be returning for season 4.
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One of the more popular smart home lighting systems is Philips Hue. The nice thing about Philips Hue is that they don’t just offer regular bulbs, they offer a variety of bulbs to choose from.
The newest Philips Hue light is the Hue Play, which I’ve been testing out for the past few weeks.
Design & Hardware
The Hue Play has a fairly simplistic design with an elongated bar in either black or white. The bar can be displayed in horizontally or vertically or even mounted to the back of a monitor or TV.
You can connect up to three Hue Play units to one power supply. The Hue Play offers up to 16 million colour options and you can easily change the light’s brightness.
One thing to note is that the Hue Play does require a Hue Bridge (which is another $70 CAD unless you buy a Bridge in Hue starter kit) to use. If you already have a Hue Bridge, you can easily add the Hue Play to your existing setup.
The Hue Play costs $89.99 CAD for a single unit or $169.99 CAD for a 2-pack. It’s available from Amazon.ca, BestBuy.ca.
Software
To control and customize your Hue Play via the Philips Hue app, which is fairly easy to use. The main screen is where you’ll see the rooms that you’ve set up in the app.
When you tap one of the rooms, you’ll be able to select a specific scene or even create own. You can also change the colour of your Hue Play from there.
The next screen in the app is the Routines which include Home & Away, Wake Up, Go to Sleep, Other Routines, Timers or even Routines from other apps.
The Explore tab is where you’ll see things like Friends of Hue, Hue entertainment which is where you’ll find all of Philips Hue partners like Razer and Light DJ. Hue Labs is where you’ll find experimental features.
The last tab is the settings screen which allows you to make changes to your Philips Hue account, Hue Bridges, Room setup, Light setup, Accessory Setup, Power-on Behavior, Entertainment Areas, Software updates and more.
Probably the most interesting is Entertainment Areas which basically allow you to sync your Philips Hue lights with media you’re watching on your computer or TV. If you want to watch content on your TV and have your Hue lights sync with it, you’ll need to get the Hue Sync app on your computer and then connect your TV via HDMI.
Here’s a great video by Tom The Tech Chap showing off show Hue Sync works.
You can also control your Hue Play using Google Assistant, Siri (via Apple HomeKit) and Amazon Alexa. You can basically change your Hue lights to specific colours or scenes.
Final Thoughts
Overall, the Hue Play is a great addition to the Philips Hue system. It’s also a good entry for anyone interested in smart home products.
Pros
Easy to set up (so long as you have a Hue Bridge)
Tons of colour options (16 million colour combinations)
Entertainment area feature is fun to use
Philips Hue app is straightforward
Variety of mounting options
Great smart home integration with other platforms and voice assistants
Cons
Expensive
Requires Hue Bridge (at additional cost)
Philips Hue Play Review One of the more popular smart home lighting systems is Philips Hue. The nice thing about Philips Hue is that they don’t just offer regular bulbs, they offer a variety of bulbs to choose from.
IMAX to close their VR Centres in 2019
IMAX to close their VR Centres in 2019
According to a report by Variety, IMAX has announced that it will be closing it’s remaining IMAX VR Centres early next year.
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Pixar's next original movie is called Onward
Pixar’s next original movie is called Onward
Pixar has announced the name and some details of their next original feature film called Onward.
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LG announces the new Gram 17 laptop and Gram 2-in-1
LG announces the new Gram 17 laptop and Gram 2-in-1
LG has announced two new devices in their gram laptop line, the new gram 17 (17Z990) and the 14-inch gram 2-in-1 (14T990).
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OnePlus has announced a partnership with McClaren to introduce the OnePlus 6T McLaren Edition.
“The OnePlus 6T McLaren Edition is stunning. Engineered with exact precision and new technology we’ve never used before, it’s our fastest, most cutting-edge device ever – the epitome of craftsmanship” said OnePlus CEO Pete Lau. “It’s the start of an exciting partnership with McLaren, giving people a feeling of incredible speed and performance.”
The OnePlus 6T McLaren Edition comes with the company’s Warp Charge 30 which charges your phone to a full day’s power in just 20 minutes. This is thanks to using finely tuned power management software and 30 watts of power from the charger.
Just like the standard 6T, the OnePlus 6T McLaren Edition can record up to 4K 60 fps but it comes with 10GB of RAM and 256GB of storage.
“The OnePlus 6T McLaren Edition is a special collaboration between McLaren and OnePlus,” said Zak Brown, CEO, McLaren Racing. “The end product is a device that brings performance never seen before. Our thanks to our OnePlus partners for capturing our spirit accurately and bringing unmatched power and speed in the new flagship device.”
The device comes in black with a hint of McLaren signature colour, Papaya Orange around the sides and bottom plus carbon fibre underneath the phone’s glass back plus a McLaren badge on the back.
Even the USB-C cable that comes with the OnePlus 6T McLaren Edition is in orange and black.
The OnePlus 6T McLaren Edition will be available on December 13th in North America, Western Europe and India, China and Nordics soon after and will cost $929 CAD ($699 USD).
Source: OnePlus
OnePlus shifts into gear with the OnePlus 6T McLaren Edition OnePlus has announced a partnership with McClaren to introduce the OnePlus 6T McLaren Edition.
It’s been about 2 years since Googe began their Made by Google hardware journey and so far they’ve had great success in providing what they believe is their vision for a smartphone.
I’ve been using the Pixel 3 XL for a few weeks now and it’s a great and possibly one of the best phones of the year, with an amazing camera.
Note: Even though I tested out the Pixel 3 XL, it’s virtually identical to the Pixel 3 other than screen size, battery and price.
Design & Hardware
Unlike the Pixel 2 XL from 2017, the Pixel 3 XL does feel like a premium device with its glass back (used for wireless charging) and aluminum body.
The Pixel 3 XL has a 6.3-inch OLED display with a notch where the two front-facing cameras live. With some other phones with a notched display (such as the Huawei P20 Pro) have justified it by also adding facial unlock. Meanwhile, Google failed to justify adding a notch, other than just adding two front-facing cameras. They could have easily added some sort-of Face ID equivalent the Pixel 3 XL since the notch on the phone is fairly large.
Other than the notch, the screen looks great and much better than the one on the Pixel 2 XL.
The phone is being powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 processor with 4GB of RAM. And while the phone is pretty quick, it would have been nice if Google had added a bit more RAM in the device. There are times where 4GB of RAM doesn’t seem like enough.
The right side of the device is where the power button is and the left has the volume buttons. The bottom of the phone is where the USB-C port is and no headphone jack.
The Pixel 3 XL also has front-facing stereo speakers which sound pretty good. In terms of battery, the Pixel 3 XL has a 3,430 mAh battery which does last all day. The phone is IP68 water and dust resistant.
The Pixel Imprint on the Pixel 3 XL has been improved and the Active Edge is just as useful as it was on Pixel 2 XL. The Pixel 3 XL comes with an 18W fast charger, USB-C earbuds, and USB-C to 3.5mm adapter in the box.
As mentioned, the Pixel 3 XL (and the smaller Pixel 3) support wireless charging up to 10W. If you want to get the full 10W wireless charging, you’ll need to get Google’s Pixel Stand (for an extra $109 CAD) or a certified Made for Google Wireless Charger. All other third-party wireless chargers are capped at 5W.
In the box, the Pixel 3 XL comes with the phone, USB-C to USB-C cable, USB-C wall charger, USB-C to 3.5mm headphone adapter and wired USB-C Pixel Buds.
The earbuds that come with phone look a lot like the Pixel Buds from last year. They have the same loop adjustment design and earbud shape. Since the earbuds connect via USB-C, you can use them with other phones that don’t have a headphone jack.
The earbuds also come with an inline remote and mic that includes volume up and down buttons and center button used to play/pause media. If you have the earbuds plugged into the Pixel 3 XL and you get a notification, the Google Assistant will speak them to you when you hold the volume up button
I wish Google would have included a matching colour pair of earbuds which each Pixel 3 XL (i.e. one of Just Black, Clearly White and Not Pink) but instead Google includes a white pair in the box, which can get dirty easily.
The Pixel 3 XL comes in three colours, Just Black, Clearly White and Not Pink.
Canadian pricing is as follows:
Pixel 3 – 64GB – $999 CAD
Pixel 3 – 128GB – $1,129 CAD
Pixel 3 XL – 64GB – $1,129 CAD
Pixel 3 XL – 128GB – $1,259 CAD
The Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL are available now from the Google Store.
Software
The Pixel 3 XL is running Android 9 Pie and just past Pixel phones, it’s Android has Google intended it to be without any sort-of skin on top.
Android 9 Pie comes with a number of new features and also improvements overall. One feature is Adaptive Battery which will use deep learning to help understand your phone usage patterns and prioritize power to the apps and services you use the most.
Adaptive Brightness in Android 9 Pie will automatically set the brightness slider based on your current surroundings. App Actions are shortcuts that will basically predict what you’re about to do next so you can do more quickly.
The Android Pie update also brings system navigation based on gestures, where you swipe up to get to the multitasking menu (which is now horizontal) or a long swipe to get to all your apps.
The gestures do take some getting used to but the swipe up gesture needs to be improved because if you swipe up too far then you get to the all apps screen when you just wanted to get to the multitasking screen.
The quick settings in Android 9 Pie have also been redesigned as well as small changes to better screenshots, simplified volume controls and more.
Another feature in Android 9 Pie is called Digital Wellbeing, which will allow you to control how much time you’re spending in each app, how many times you unlock your phone and how many notifications you get.
App Timer will let you set time limits on apps, so you’ll get a nudge that will tell you when you’re close to your limit and grey out the app icon when your time is done.
Do Not Disturb will now block visual interruptions that appear on your screen. Wind Down Mode will enable Night Light when it gets dark outside and turn on Do Not Disturb and then fade the screen to grayscale when it gets close to your set bedtime.
Camera
The Pixel 3 XL has a 12.2-megapixel camera and dual 8.1-megapixel camera with one standard lens and one wide-angle lens for better Group Selfies. I didn’t find myself using the wide-angle front camera all that often and doesn’t really warrant Google adding a notch to the Pixel 3 XL.
The camera comes with both OIS (Optical Image Stabilization) and EIS (Electronic Image Stabilization).
Photos take on the Pixel 3 XL look amazing, there is just so much detail and colour in each shot. Low-light camera performance is great on the Pixel 3 XL and that’s partially thanks to the new Night Sight mode.
https://imgur.com/a/z8FWu2O
Night Sight will help you capture vibrant and detail low-light photos without needing flash or a tripod and works on both the front and rear cameras of the Pixel 3 XL. It should be noted that Night Sight isn’t exclusive to the Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL, it’s also rolling out to all generations of Pixel phones.
https://imgur.com/a/6TJKB9L
You can learn more about Night Sight and how it works in Google’s blog post. When using the camera on the Pixel 3 XL and if it seems to be dark, it’ll automatically suggest using Night Sight instead.
Portrait Mode on the Pixel 3 XL has been improved slightly, since being introduced on the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL.
The Pixel 3 XL’s camera can record video up to 4K at 30fps or 1080p at 30/60/120fps and slow-motion video at 720p at 240fps. The front-facing camera can record 1080p.
Oddly, choose not to allow video recording at 4K at 60 fps on the Pixel 3 XL, while other phones running similar processors or camera sensors do offer the setting. Videos taken on the phone do look great but not as good as say the Galaxy Note9.
Another frustrating thing about the Pixel 3 XL’s camera app is that when shooting video, you only have the option to record 30 fps or auto fps. There’s no proper option for 60 fps, Google will supposedly choose the 60fps is well-light environments but that didn’t seem to be the case all the time.
Final Thoughts
Overall, the Pixel 3 XL is a great device with one of the best cameras out there and is a really solid phone and has the benefit of running stock Android.
Pros
Solid build
Amazing camera with great low-light performance (thanks to Night Sight)
Great screen
All-day battery life
Wireless Charging
Fast updates
Cons
More expensive than previous models
Memory issues (especially when using the camera and simultaneously listening to music)
Unjustified notched display
Google Pixel 3 XL Review It’s been about 2 years since Googe began their Made by Google hardware journey and so far they’ve had great success in providing what they believe is their vision for a smartphone.
Activision is back at it again with another remaster and this time it’s Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled.
The game is being developed by Beenox (who is owned by Activision Blizzard) and is built from the ground up and remasters the original Crash racing game with all your favourite characters, karts, tracks and areas, now in HD.
“The love that fans have for Crash Team Racing goes beyond just a fun kart racing game, and we’re excited to finally show fans what we’ve been working on to celebrate its 20th anniversary,” said Thomas Wilson, Co-Studio Head at Beenox. “Not only are we revamping Crash Team Racing from the kart up in Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled, we are giving fans a whole lot more including all the characters and tracks they love, with tons of added animations and personality that the original platform just couldn’t convey. We can’t wait to see fans go head-to-head as they test their Crash kart racing mettle in online multiplayer.”
You’ll be able to play the game in single player or against your friends online or offline with split-screen multiplayer available.
Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled is set to release on June 21st, 2019 for Xbox One (with Xbox One X enhancements), PlayStation 4 (with support for PS4 Pro) and Nintendo Switch.
Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled is available for pre-order now for $54.99 CAD ($39.99 USD). There will also be the Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled – Nitros Oxide Edition which gets you the full game, Oxide’s Hovercraft kart, space-themed character skins and cost $79.99 CAD ($59.99 USD).
It’s worth noting that if you don’t pre-order the Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled – Nitros Oxide Edition, you can still earn the Nitros Oxide character and hovercraft by completing challenges in Adventure Mode.
Go Fur-Throttle in Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled Activision is back at it again with another remaster and this time it's Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled.
Marvel releases the first trailer for Avengers: Endgame
After what seemed like an eternity of waiting, Marvel has officially released the first trailer for Avengers: Endgame.
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