Galaxy S9: Just when we thought there was nothing left to leak…

With just four days to go until Samsung announces its new Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ flagship smartphones, it seemed as though everything that could possibly leak had already leaked. We know the new flagship phone duo will feature a design that is almost identical to last year’s Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+. We know the phones will feature big improvements when it comes to performance — especially the Exynos-powered model that will be sold internationally, but not in the United States. And we know that the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ will feature upgraded cameras that are shaping up to be better than anything we’ve ever seen on a smartphone, Pixel 2 and iPhone X included.

We know Samsung’s Galaxy S9 release date, we know approximate pricing for both new smartphone models, and we know Samsung has a big promotion planned that can save early adopters up to $350 when they trade in an old phone. Yes it seems indeed like we know it all… but apparently there are still a few things left to leak.

An anonymous user on the Chinese microblogging site Weibo with a user name that Google machine-translates to “Small D Evaluation” (whatever floats your boat, no judgement here) on Thursday posted two images that supposedly show the Galaxy S9’s retail box. The images can both be seen below.

No, this leak isn’t terribly exciting and yes, it could easily be fake. In fact, there are a few glaring issues on the packaging. For one, the box appears to say the included earphones are “tuned by AJG.” Last time we checked, the company is called AKG. Also, the box says “Galaxy S9” and the display size lines up with what we’ve heard, but the rest of the listed specs are clearly for the larger Galaxy S9+. Here they are:

• 5.8-inch Quad HD Super AMOLED display (5.7 inches excluding the rounded sides)
• Two Dual Pixel 12-megapixel rear cameras with optical image stabilization (OIS)
• 8-megapixel front-facing camera
• Water and dust resistance
• Iris Scanner
• KNOX security
• 64GB of internal storage
• 6GB of RAM

Samsung will unveil the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ this coming Sunday, at which time we’ll learn if everything we’ve heard and seen so far is accurate. The phones are expected to be made available for preorder on either March 1st or March 2nd, and they should be released in stores on Friday, March 16th.

Here’s every new product Amazon released today

At a private event in Seattle today, Amazon released some updates to its product lineup. Some things — like a revamped Fire TV stick — were expected. But there was also a sprinkling of unusual and downright weird new products sprinkled in. Luckily, we put together this handy cut-out-and-keep spotters’ guide to everything Amazon wants your money for.

First off, there’s a new Amazon Echo. It’s a little shorter, has a changeable cloth shell, and a dedicated bass tweeter. Most importantly, it has a new price: $99 for one, or $250 for a set of three. Amazon is positioning the new Echo as the answer to a cheap, decent-sounding multi-room audio setup. It’s available from your favorite online retailer today.

It’s also a noticeable shot across the bows for Apple and Sonos. Apple’s HomePod is expected to come out late this year or early next, and Apple took pains to stress its speaker-like capabilities when it announced it earlier this year. The HomePod costs $350, however, which means you could buy three new Alexas for the price of one HomePod, and have enough left over to put a downpayment on an iPhone X.

Echo devices are also getting the ability to make phone calls to any number in the US or Canada for free, which should have landline providers a little worried. Amazon is also catering to existing landline owners with the Echo Connect, a $35 box that connects to your existing landline, and lets you make and receive phone calls on your Echo. It seems like a stop-gap solution to turn the Echo into a basic speakerphone for now, while Amazon is presumably working on a better VOIP system behind the scenes.

Echo Plus

Amazon isn’t stopping at a new mainstream Echo, either. The Echo Plus is the big brother of the group. It’s taller than the new Echo, about the same size as the original. It has smarthome hub capability built in, and Amazon is stressing that this is the smarthome accessory for people who hate setup. In theory, it will work with 100+ smarthome devices out of the box, with no app setup necessary — it can control everything over voice. You simply say “Alexa, discover devices.” It costs $149, and that price includes a single white Philips Hue bulb.

Hand in hand with the Echo Plus is a number of new Alexa features for smart homes. You can add multi-action “routines” to a single voice cue — for example, “Alexa, good morning” might turn the lights on, turn the TV to morning news, and activate the kettle.

Implicit targeting is a feature that will let Alexa devices use context to understand commands. For example, addressing the Alexa in the living room with “Alexa, turn on the lights” will just turn on the living-room lights.

Echo Spot

Not enough Echo variety for you yet? Amazon has another new Echo, the Echo Spot. It’s vaguely alarm clock-shaped, and has a 2.5-inch circular screen, and supports video calls. Because, y’know, most people prefer calling people from a cheap 2.5-inch screen than the 5-inch smartphone they carry with them everywhere. It will cost $129 when it comes in December.

Echo buttons

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Echo Button trivia

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We mentioned that Amazon has some weird new products, and there’s no better example than Echo buttons. They’re internet-connected buttons that don’t really seem to have any purpose yet — Amazon’s best example was using them as buzzers during family board game night. Presumably, developers are going to have a field day with these.

New Fire TV

Just after Apple announced a 4K Apple TV, Amazon is right there with a new Fire TV dongle. It now supports 4K video and HDR, much like the new Apple TV. Specs-wise, it’s got a 1.5GHz quad-core processor, 802.11ac Wi-Fi, and it ships with an Alexa voice remote.

Unlike the new Apple TV (or the most expensive Chromecast), it’s only $69, available for pre-order now. Amazon is also adding more video services to the Fire TV, and now includes Hulu, Playstation Vue, NBC, CBS, Showtime, CNBC, Bravo, Netflix, NBC, and Dish.

BMW connectivity

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Alexa will show you things on the heads-up display in BMW vehicles.

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Amazon has partnered up with BMW, and Alexa will be built into all new BMWs starting next year. Using a big tech firm AI for in-car entertainment is nothing new — Apple CarPlay and Android Auto have been around for years — but putting the AI directly into the car, rather than just piggybacking off a mobile device, is something new. It also proves Amazon’s intent to move Alexa way beyond your kitchen.

Amazon announced a bunch of new hardware products today — here's a rundown

• Amazon introduced several new Echo products on Wednesday.
• It also announced a new Fire TV.
• All of the new gadgets are helping Amazon spread its Alexa voice assistant everywhere.

Here's a look at five new products that Amazon just released  

7:58 PM ET Wed, 27 Sept 2017 | 01:42

Amazon announced a bunch of new products on Wednesday that show that

Echo and Alexa are more important than ever.

While Amazon may have failed at the smartphone, it seems to have found incredible success with the Echo. It more than doubled down on Wednesday with five various Echo hardware products, showing the increasing importance the product has for Amazon, and its attempt to get Echos in as many households and rooms as possible.

Here's a rundown of everything Amazon introduced:

A new Amazon Echo

Amazon

Amazon said it offers much better sound than the original Amazon Echo, thanks to support for Dolby Audio, which means it'll compete more directly with products such as the Sonos Play:1 and even Apple's upcoming HomePod, the latter of which is due out before the holidays.

The new Echo is built out of metal and sports cloth around the entire body, though different shells, which can be swapped on, will be available for purchase. Google offers different colored shells for the Google Home, so this is a similar approach.

The new Echo costs $99.

Alexa in BMW cars

Amazon also announced that its smart voice assistant Alexa will be coming to BMW cars starting next year. This should give users full access to Alexa right from their dashboards no matter where they are.

Amazon Echo Buttons

Amazon

Amazon Echo Buttons used for family game night

Amazon also unveiled tiny "Echo Button" devices that can be configured to work and control an Amazon Echo. In one instance, Amazon showed how a family might play a game like "Trivial Pursuit" using the buttons to chime in for answers. The buttons will cost $19.99 each.

Echo Connect

Amazon

The Amazon Echo Connect lets you use your Echos to call landlines

The Echo Connect is a $35 box that will allow you to place phone calls to landlines or other contacts using your existing Amazon Echo units. The Echo already supports calling between Echos, but that acts more like an intercom system. Preorders for the Echo Connect begin on Wednesday.

Amazon Echo Plus

Amazon

The new Amazon Echo Plus, which doubles as a smart home hub

The Amazon Echo Plus looks like the original Echo (a tall cylindrical unit) but will double as a hub for the smart home. Amazon said it will work with 100 smart home products out of the box. This means, instead of having to buy an Apple TV or a SmartThings hub, you should just be able to buy the Echo Plus as the foundation for controlling your home's lights, locks, cameras and more. The Echo Plus is priced at $149.

New Fire TV with 4K, HDR and Dolby Atmos support

Amazon

The new Amazon Fire TV supports 4K and HDR

Amazon also unveiled a new Fire TV dongle that plugs into the back of a TV (it uses HDMI). It will support 4K content and high-dynamic range video (otherwise known as HDR, it allows movies and TV shows to look more as they were intended to and creates deeper blacks and brighter bright colors) and Dolby Atmos audio support.

Echo Spot

Amazon

The Echo Spot is like a smaller Echo Show

The Amazon Echo Spot was also announced. It's a round version of the Echo Show and has its own 2.5-inch display that can provide visual information (such as the weather or a clock face). It also provides access to Alexa and supports optional video-calling support. The Echo Spot will cost $129 when it ships in December.

Best Laptop 2018: 13 of the best notebooks for all budgets

Best laptop 2018: Check out our in-depth buying guide and list of recommendations to find which laptop to pick up this year.

2018 may still be in its infancy, but we’ve already seen a wealth of great laptops and components get announced. Highlights include a swanky set of new laptops that’ll be powered by Intel 8th Gen CPUs with AMD Vega graphics.

The CPUs will be used on swish new machines, like the newly announced HP Spectre x360, and, according to Intel and AMD, will be able to handle everything from light gaming, to 4K video editing.

If battery life is a bigger concern, Qualcomm’s also set to join the laptop market this year, with updates to Microsoft’s Windows OS meaning that a wave of new devices running its latest Snapdragon 845 CPU are in the pipeline. According to Qualcomm the new laptops will offer users a marathon 20-hour-plus battery life.

If you can’t wait for a new laptop, you can check out our top picks of 2017 below. But before you make a final decision, read our in-depth buying guide to make sure you pick up a machine that meets your individual needs.

How much should I spend on a laptop?

What you decide to spend on a laptop will be determined by what you’re likely to want to use the laptop for. If you simply want to do a bit of web browsing and send and receive a few emails then a cheap 11-inch netbook or Chromebook for under £200 will do the job.

It’s best not to buy an ultra-cheap laptop and push it to its limits, though. Saving up for a more expensive laptop that can undertake a greater number of tasks at once will be worth it if you don’t need the ultimate in thin and light budget machinery.

Want something a little bigger? You can pay between £300 and £400 for a 15.6-inch laptop powered by an Intel Core i3 processor that’s powerful enough to carry out the basics without slowing to a crawl. It will even handle a little Minecraft and photo editing.

If you want something thin and light, expect to spend upwards of £500 for a sub-1.5kg laptop. Powered by efficient dual-core Intel Core i5 and i7 processors, these machines are suitable for light photo and video work and should last all day on a single charge if they’re not pushed too hard. If you want premium build and a great screen, expect to pay at least £1,000.

Related: Top 10 things to look for when buying a laptop

You’ll need to spend at least £700 on a gaming laptop, and considerably more if you want to future-proof it. Look for “discrete” or “dedicated” graphics from AMD or Nvidia, and check online benchmarking figures to see how well your favourite games will play.

There are alternative form factors, too. Two-in-ones have reversible screens that can be versatile in small spaces, while tablet hybrids are great for drawing and taking notes. The latter often come with attachable keyboards for when you want to get typing work done.

What’s the best operating system?

Windows 10 remains the most versatile operating system around, and you’ll find it on the vast majority of laptops sold in the UK. However, if you’re buying a cheap laptop, Google’s ChromeOS is likely to be a better bet. It’s lightweight – it’s essentially a glorified web browser – but with so many excellent web-based applications now available, most people on a budget will be able to get by with just that.

MacOS is tied into MacBook laptops, so you’ll always pay a premium to get Apple’s operating system. It’s undeniably slick, smooth and reliable, so if you have the money then it offers a better experience than Windows for many people.

Don’t want to pay the Windows tax? Some laptops now sell with Ubuntu Linux installed. This free OS is powerful if you know what you’re doing, and it has the advantage of costing next to nothing.

Samsung Galaxy S6 Review

The Samsung Galaxy S8 and Samsung Galaxy S8 Plus are here, with bigger screens, better specs and all new features, such as the Bixby AI assistant.

But that doesn't automatically make the Samsung Galaxy S6 a bad choice. If anything, it has gotten better over time thanks to the update to Android Marshmallow. Even Android Nougat is now being rolled out to it and the phone is the cheapest it's ever been, but don't hold your breath for Android Oreo.

Original review follows below.

It's no secret that Samsung needed to do something big with this phone, to unleash something to stop the rot that the Galaxy S4 began two years earlier.

We just didn't expect the Samsung Galaxy S6 to be this good.

Yes, there are still some elements that prevent it from being the perfect phone (this is Samsung after all, a brand that likes to cram as much into the phone as it can get away with) but to leap to this point from the plastic-clad nonsense of the Galaxy S5 is a really, really impressive feat.

Samsung didn't take this task lightly, beginning almost completely from scratch and replacing key members of its design team to make sure it created a standout phone.

Perhaps the S6 is a little too similar to the rest of the competition (it looks stunningly like an iPhone at the bottom) but at least there's the Galaxy S6 Edgefor those that want a really unique-looking device.

The big issues, at least when it released, were its price and battery life: the former initially being wincingly high at the time.

Samsung Galaxy S6 price

• Released in April 2015
• Launched at $850 (about £640, AU$1113)
• Currently costs $400, £370, U$525 SIM-free

It's dropped a fair bit now though, what with the introduction of the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S8, and the 32GB variant can now be had for around £370 ($400, AU$899), the 64GB for £539 ($700, around AU$999) while the huge 128GB variant for £599 ($800, around AU$1,149) - but the latter two are not easy to find.

The iPhone 6S has a different pricing structure, in that the 32GB option is £499 ($549, AU$929) and the 128GB model is £599 ($649, AU$1,079), making it more expensive at the bottom end, but the same or less for a 128GB model.

Why the comparison? The main reason is that Samsung was finally starting to charge a higher premium than the iPhone, where traditionally the undercut has been one of its key selling points in the Apple vs Samsung debate consumers go through.

Thankfully, as you can see above, the price of the S6 has now dropped considerably, especially if you shop around, giving it back that edge. 

Though it will still set you back at least as much as the iPhone 6, it's cheaper than the Galaxy S7 and far less than the Samsung Galaxy S8.

And there's a smaller battery on board than last year, which instantly makes me worry when the screen resolution has been bumped up to give us the sharpest display on the market.

But Samsung's been at this smartphone game for a while now, so can it justify that high price tag by cramming in loads of amazing technology… and make the battery last more than a day?