Windows 10’s next major update arrives in October

Microsoft is officially unveiling the name for its next major Windows 10 update today. Previously codenamed Redstone 5, the “Windows 10 October 2018 Update” will arrive at some point in October. It will include a number of new features for devices, like a new cloud clipboard that syncs across machines, a dark File Explorer, an updated snipping tool, improvements to Microsoft Edge, and performance information in the Xbox Game Bar.
Microsoft’s naming follows the Windows 10 April 2018 Update that was released earlier this year. Microsoft is expected to conclude development of the October update by the end of September, and it should be available to Windows Insiders by early October followed by regular consumers.
Microsoft is now focusing on its next Windows 10 update, codenamed 19H1. This update will likely arrive in April 2019, and the company has not yet revealed which major features will be included. Testing for 19H1 begun in late July, and it’s possible we might see the return of the Sets feature that won’t be included in the Windows 10 October 2018 Update.

Sony’s latest speaker is a soccer ball-sized portable party machine with Google Assistant

Sony’s Extra Bass speakers are pretty easy to spot: they’re big speakers with lots of LED lights and flashing strobes, and they’re designed to make your next block party or backyard gathering extra lit. But at IFA 2018, Sony is announcing the XB501G. It puts all that fun into a smaller, roughly soccer ball-sized package that lets you bring the party with you wherever you go.
The XB501G isn’t just about partying, though. It also has Google Assistant built in, essentially making it a larger, better-sounding Google Home (with strobe lights). There’s also the option to sync up a pair for stereo audio, too.
That said, if you do want to party it up (like the overly happy folks in Sony’s PR images), the XB501G can do it. It’s rated IP65 against splashes and dust, has a built-in handle for easy carrying, and offers 16 hours of battery life, plus the signature colorful lights and strobes. There’s even USB-C!
The XB501G is set to release sometime in October for $299.99

This tilting kettle will make your coffee-loving friends livid

I’m a geek about a whole bunch of things, though coffee isn’t one of them. But, boy, do passions run hot when coffee preparation becomes the subject of a discussion. Take this recent Kickstarter, called The Automatica, as a good example. What I see is a cute gadget with a really appealing promo video. Set to a minimalist soundtrack of guitar strumming and engine rumbling, the video treats us to a view of the Salt Lake City skyline at sunset before moving on to pleasing closeups of bubbles foaming up as the coffee is filtered through the machine. The narration is calming and friendly. I kind of want to hang out with the makers of this gadget, they seem like good, chilled-out people.

Coffee-loving gadget nerds, though, they see through all of this facade and ask, “wait, isn’t this just a kettle that tilts?” To which the brief answer is “yes.” The longer answer, as per the Kickstarter pitch, is that the Automatica “controls temperature, flow rate, volume, pour pattern, and time so you don’t have to.” My colleagues are in uproar over this completely unnecessary design — engineered solutions for automated pour over coffee already exist and they’re self-contained little boxes — but, in all honesty, I like it exactly because it’s unnecessary. The tipping motion is like a one-step Rube Goldberg machine, and for me it triggers childhood memories of quirky inventions I’ve seen in comics and animated movies where the human is replaced by a clumsy mechanical concoction.

Google prepares for Pixel Watch with mandatory Wear OS app reviews and a rumored fitness coach

Google is making changes to its Wear OS app review process that could improve the quality of software on the platform. It’s also reportedly working on a fitness coach/assistant for wearables. Put together, it sure seems like the company is preparing for some sort of wearable release. Google said yesterday that Wear OS apps will have to go through a mandatory “light review process,” perhaps in an effort to improve the Play Store offerings ahead of announcing a rumored Pixel Watch in October. The reviews for new apps start on October 1st while reviews for existing apps will begin March 4, 2019.
Google already offers an optional review, which it rolled out with Android Wear 2.0, but it says this new process is designed to improve the app quality and presentation. The most common issue, it says, has to do with screen size because Wear OS apps are available for both square and round displays, which might also include various bezels.
VentureBeat reporter and frequent gadget leaker Evan Blass said to expect a new Google smartwatch this fall, and now, Android Police has published additional rumors about a feature called Google Coach.
The service would recommend workout routines, track your progress, and recommend alternatives if you miss a workout. It would also log your activity and maybe even suggest healthy meal options. It could create a meal plan, too, and a shopping list.

How to install Fortnite on Android

Epic Games launched its battle royale hit Fortnite on Android devices last week with a big catch: it was exclusive to Samsung-made phones for a few days as a way to help market the new Samsung Galaxy Note 9. Now, the exclusivity period appears to be over, and beta invite codes are going out to select users of non-Samsung phones like the Google Pixel 2 XL.
If you’re itching to dive off the battle bus on mobile, you might have to hold on just a little while longer: there appears to be a waiting list, just like there was when the game launched on iOS. There’s also a bit of trickiness involving exactly how you get the app because Epic announced it would be distributing the Android version of Fortnite on its own terms.
Last week, the app was distributed through Samsung’s app store, and Epic is using its own website and a Fortnite Installer program to distribute the game more widely on all compatible Android devices. (Epic CEO Tim Sweeney said this is basically to avoid paying Google’s 30 percent cut on in-app purchases.)
Given this unprecedented arrangement, here’s a step-by-step breakdown to make sure you’re prepared and understand the best way to start playing Fortnite on Android.

Google Play warns users it doesn’t carry Fortnite Battle Royale

Google is warning Android users that it doesn’t carry Fortnite Battle Royale in the Play Store. If you search for Fortnite in the Play Store, it will return a notice from Google. “Fortnite Battle Royal by Epic Games, Inc is not available on Google Play,” the sign says, likely as a clarification to users, as first spotted by 9to5Google.
By saying upfront that the Play Store doesn’t have Fortnite, Google is attempting to protect unknowing users who might download some malicious clone of the app.
Epic Games requires users who want to run Fortnite on Android to download an APK of the beta directly from its site. The decision essentially cuts Google out of potential revenue from app purchases, which would have been a 30 percent cut.
Android settings also usually dissuade users from downloading apps from “unknown sources,” likely as another safety mechanism and a way to maintain the importance of the Play Store as the main source for apps.

YouTube now recommends the best phones for video playback, and it doesn’t suggest an iPhone

At its Note 9 announcement today, Samsung boasted the new phablet is a “YouTube Signature Device” for 2019. If you haven’t heard of that certification before, that’s because it’s a brand-new program YouTube just launched. The YouTube Device Report recommends the best smartphones, which it calls “signature devices,” for watching YouTube. These phones feature the ability to watch 360-degree footage, support for high dynamic range, high frame rate, 4K decoding, next-generation codecs, and reliable DRM performance. Google says its team evaluates each device and works with manufacturers to fix video playback performance and capability issues.
The report launches with 18 devices, with the aforementioned Note 9 alongside other popular smartphones like the Pixel 2 XL, the OnePlus 6, and the HTC U12 Plus. Notably, none of the devices is an iPhone, which might make you feel sad (or understandably neutral since YouTube, Google, and Android are all part of the same company anyway). Apple also doesn’t support the VP9 video codec, which Google developed, which is why Safari users don’t have the option to watch footage in 4K.

The new Anki Vector robot is smart enough to just hang out

the table before me are two diminutive robots, each emitting endearing little robot beeps and bloops, their screen eyes active. When I knock on the table, one of them turns to face the noise with surprising alacrity. The other just watches my face, turning slowly to keep me in focus as I move around.
These are prototypes for Vector, the latest robot from Anki, the company behind both the Cozmo and the Overdrive RC cars. I spent the day in Anki’s labs in San Francisco to learn just what Vector is and — critically — what it can do. When it ships in October for $249.99 (or cheaper for early Kickstarter backers), Anki will be marketing it as a “home robot.” It’s a sort of Cozmo for adults, a step beyond that robot’s learn-to-code toy ethos.
You can ask it questions, play games with it, and even pet it to elicit a chirpy little purr. But Anki doesn’t want you to focus on Vector’s functionality. The company has been putting a lot of effort into its personality. And because Vector is completely autonomous, you can do something completely surprising for a new piece of technology: just ignore it, and let it do its own thing.

The Army is buying microwave cannons to take down drones in mid-flight

The US Army has a new plan for microwaving drones out of the sky. In a public solicitation last Friday, the agency announced its intention to purchase an airborne high-powered microwave system from Lockheed Martin, which is intended for use against drones. The weapon, which would be mounted to an airplane, would disable fixed-wing or quadcopter drones with a beam of focused radiation.
Drone countermeasures are particularly relevant in the wake of an apparent assassination attempt against Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro that was carried out by a pair of hexacopter drones rigged with remote-triggered explosives. Public video collected by Bellingcat indicates the attack was carried out by drones similar to DJI’s Matrice 600. Each drone was equipped with a kilogram of C4 explosive, according to a statement by Venezuelan security forces. The Matrice 600’s maximum carrying capacity is 5.5 kilograms.
The Army’s new system comes on the heels of a similar microwave system that was developed by Lockheed Martin for the Air Force called the Self-Protect High Energy Laser Demonstrator or “SHiELD.” Intended for use against incoming missiles, the project was the subject of a $26 million design award in November 2017.

Android 9 Pie is available for Google Pixel phones today

Google has announced that the final, shipping version of the newest Android update is available for all Pixel phones today. And, as usual, it has announced a name to go along with the over-the-air update: “Android 9 Pie.”
Android 9 Pie’s headline features are the same ones that we revealed back in May: a “Digital Wellbeing” dashboard, a new gesture-based navigation system, and other AI-enhanced improvements to the UI. It also received many subtle improvements to the overall look of the software, including a new status bar that’s designed to work better with notches.
However, the official release will not include all of the features that Google announced at Google I/O. The main things that will be missing are the Digital Wellbeing features, including the usage dashboard, app times, and a “wind down” setting for when you go to bed. Instead, those features will be offered as a beta for Pixel users right away. The actual release will come in the fall; Google says “Android One and other devices coming later this year.” One can assume that among the “other devices” will be the new Pixel 3 phones.

MoviePass will limit users to just three movies a month starting on August 15th

MoviePass has announced that users will soon be limited to seeing just three movies a month. It’s a major change from the current policy that allows users to see a movie once a day with their subscriptions, via The Wall Street Journal. It’s the latest change to the unlimited moviegoing service as the company desperately tries to stay afloat in the wake of problems like entirely running out of money at the end of July.
The new plan undoes some of the changes that MoviePass announced last week, including the $14.95 price increase and surge pricing. Instead, users on the new plan will be able to continue paying $9.95 per month, although they’ll be limited to just three movies (something that MoviePass previously offered for $7.95).
The new plan goes into effect on August 15th. Monthly subscribers will have the chance to subscribe to the new plan after that date when their current monthly subscription expires, while annual subscribers will be able to keep their existing plan until they’re up for renewal. However, it seems that only subscribers to the new, three-movie-a-month plan will be exempt from MoviePass’ surge pricing and ticket-verification policies.
Also sticking around are the added limitations to seeing newly released movies during the first two weeks of the theatrical run (unless the movie has a promotional deal with MoviePass). That started most prominently two weekends ago with the release of Mission: Impossible — Fallout. Users who are interested in seeing the latest films in theaters right at release will still likely be out of luck with MoviePass going forward.

Apple’s 2018 iPhones are rumored to not include headphone dongle in the box

We all knew this day would come eventually, but apparently 2018 is the year: Apple will reportedly no longer bundle its 3.5mm to Lightning port headphone dongle with this year’s iPhone models, according to a research note from Barclays that was seen by MacRumors.
And while you can take Barclays’ note with a grain of salt, the sourcing does seem at least somewhat legitimate. The research note claims that Cirrus Logic, a supplier for the dongle has “confirmed” that it won’t be included in the box alongside the new iPhones.
Apple has been trying to transition away from wired headphones entirely with its AirPods and lineup of wireless Beats headphones, so the move isn’t entirely surprising. The dongle was always meant as a stopgap while customers adjusted to the new, headphone jack-less reality that Apple imposed on the world. Apple will almost certainly continue to sell the dongle — which costs $9 — separately for users who still want it.

The tiny Microsoft Surface Go is available now, and it’s an overachiever

The Surface Go, Microsoft’s latest 2-in-1, is now shipping. I’ve spent the last couple of days with it, and I have come away more impressed than I would have guessed. It’s a tiny wonder of a computer — with a few flaws — that can do more than I would have given it credit for before I tried it.
The base model of the Surface Go is $399, but the one I’ve been using is the upgraded $549 model. Those prices, however, don’t include the cost of the Surface keyboard, which is pretty much a must-have. The basic keyboard is $100 extra, but you should probably spring for the $130 Alcantara fabric version, which feels quite nice.
Speaking of springing for things: the upgraded version is probably a safer bet than the base model. It has more RAM for running multiple apps, and already, I’ve been sort of shocked at how much can be active at the same time. I’ve had eight or 10 (admittedly lightweight) apps going along with a dozen Edge browser tabs and haven’t had big slowdowns. Heavier apps like Chrome and Adobe Lightroom do struggle a bit more, however.
If I sound pleasantly surprised, it’s because, so far, I really am. Low-end Surface tablets have not been impressive over the years. The original Surface RT ran the doomed RT version of Windows, and the Surface 3 had a woefully underpowered processor. The Surface Go has a chip I didn’t have any experience with — the Intel Pentium Gold 4415Y — but it runs much faster than I expected. Of course, a proper Surface Pro with a Core i5 would do laps around this thing at heavier tasks, but for basic computing, this is sufficient.
The Surface Go ships with Windows S mode on by default, which means that you’re limited to Microsoft’s own Edge browser and apps available in the Windows Store. Though you might take a hit to battery life by running apps like Chrome, I strongly recommend you turn it off. It’s easy (it doesn’t even require a reboot), and it gives you access to essential apps that just aren’t in the Windows Store yet (or anymore, as is the case with the now-yanked Amazon Kindle app).