Technology - Google News

2019 iPhones: Three new handsets, one with a triple-rear-camera setup - Ars Technica
The biggest Apple HomeKit products from CES 2019 - The Verge
'New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe' hits the Nintendo eShop - Engadget

2019 iPhones: Three new handsets, one with a triple-rear-camera setup - Ars Technica

Posted: 11 Jan 2019 06:32 AM PST

The iPhone Xs in its myriad colors. — Enlarge / The iPhone XR in its myriad colors.
Valentina Palladino

As the new year kicks off, we already have rumors swirling about the next round of iPhones to come from Apple. According to a report in The Wall Street Journal, Apple plans to release three new iPhones this year, two models with OLED displays and one model with an LCD display.

The sounds familiar, but the newest features may come in their cameras. Reportedly, the highest-end iPhone will have three rear cameras, while the other two models will have dual rear-camera setups.

Apple's purported focus on cameras show it wants to keep the iPhone with rival smartphones that heavily emphasize the importance of photography chops. Many Android handsets, including Google's Pixel 3 XL, combine hardware and software to produce some of the best photos we've seen from any smartphone. Also, rivals including Samsung and Huawei continue to tweak the rear-camera setups on their flagships, putting triple- or quadruple-camera systems in some of the newest models.

The iPhone XS and XS Max have two rear cameras while the less expensive XR has a single camera, but the latter has many of the same features as its higher-end counterparts. iPhones already take great photos, but Apple appears to be looking for an edge that can help it better compete in key markets like China where competitors often offer handsets with similar features at lower prices.

The Wall Street Journal's report also states that Apple may ditch the LCD display option in 2020. This rumor isn't new, but it's coupled with the idea that the iPhone XR hasn't sold as well as Apple thought it would. Among other features, the LCD display lets Apple sell the XR at a lower price than the OLED-display-toting iPhone XS and XS Max. Apple apparently couldn't ditch the LCD display this year because the planning stages are already too far along for this year's releases, making big changes like a swap of the display panel infeasible.

Apple does not report individual unit sales for iPhones and iPads in its quarterly earnings reports, so we won't know exactly how many iPhone XRs have sold since its release in October 2018. But in a recent interview with CNBC, Apple CEO Tim Cook disagrees with the idea that the iPhone XR has been a flop.

"Since we began shipping the iPhone XR," Cook said, "it has been the most-popular iPhone every day, every single day, from—when we started shipping, until now."

While Apple reportedly plans new cameras as the standout features of its 2019 smartphones, the company may also remove features to cut costs. The report suggests that Apple may remove 3D Touch from all iPhones. Currently, the iPhone XR is the only model that doesn't have 3D Touch and instead has Haptic Touch, a feature that uses long-display-presses and haptic feedback to evoke new actions. It's possible that Haptic Touch will extend to all iPhone models if Apple gets rid of 3D Touch entirely.

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The biggest Apple HomeKit products from CES 2019 - The Verge

Posted: 11 Jan 2019 07:00 AM PST

Apple made a critical change to HomeKit two years ago. It started allowing products to join its smart home ecosystem just by adding some code, instead of requiring them to build in a special-purpose chip.

The effects of that change have been slow to appear, but we're finally starting to see them. The result is a lot more HomeKit products since it's now far easier for companies to build support into new products, and old products can be updated to add support, too.

At CES, we saw a number of new and old gadgets adding HomeKit support — from the usual suspects like Ikea and Honeywell to some exciting new faces like LG and Sony. Here are the biggest products to look out for.

TVs

This one was a big surprise. Apple worked with TV manufacturers to add support for its streaming tech, AirPlay 2, and HomeKit. LG, Vizio, and Sony will all include HomeKit support on some of their newest TVs; Vizio will even add HomeKit support to some of its older models going back to 2016.

With the HomeKit integration, you'll be able to use an iPhone to power the TVs on and off, change their inputs (this feature is particularly amazing because I'm always flipping between streaming devices), and make the TVs part of routines (a "movie" routine could turn the TV on and dim your connected lights). Some combination of HomeKit and AirPlay 2 support also means you'll be able to control the TVs with Siri, too.

Here's a list of all the sets that are adding support.

Doorbells and locks

Apple has been slow to integrate product categories that other smart home systems raced to approve, but it's finally bringing smart doorbells into the fold. The first comes from Netatmo, which actually made a pretty neat one.

It's a little on the big side, but it has an interesting style and, unlike some competitors, it actually looks like a doorbell. The best part is its video is stored on a microSD card, so you don't need to pay for cloud storage. 9to5Mac spotted that a Dutch company called Robin Telecom announced a HomeKit doorbell as well, but so far, details are limited.

A couple more locks were added to the HomeKit system this week. Kwikset announced a new style of its Premis smart lock that's supposed to look a bit more modern, and Mighton introduced Avia, a smart lock for multipoint locking doors, which are rare in the US.

Power

Smart plugs may not be the most exciting smart gadget, but they're staples of the burgeoning smart home. And CES saw the addition of a couple more: TP-Link said it would update its very good Kasa Smart Plug Mini with HomeKit support (I have two at home, and they work well), and Eve announced that its three-plug power strip would come out in March for $119.

Lights

Lighting was as all over the place this year. The catchiest — and least necessary — announcement came from Nanoleaf, which debuted hexagonal tiles that can glow in any different color. It's far from my own style, but it's definitely something a hotel lobby or someone with an intense gaming rig could have a lot of fun with.

Belkin announced new in-wall light switch options for its Wemo system. The big news here is that they no longer require a Wemo hub to use; they can connect straight to HomeKit. And Philips Hue, which does require a hub, added more outdoor lights and an outdoor motion sensor.

Brilliant also said that it would update its fancy touchscreen light switch system with HomeKit support, and GE said (again) that its C Reach hub would finally be updated with HomeKit support. That one's already been delayed repeatedly, so... we'll see.

Around the house

Then there's the eclectic category of every other little thing you can imagine putting around your home. The really big news was that Ikea plans to start shipping its first smart blinds in the US on April 1st, which should go on sale in the mid-$100 price range. They work with HomeKit, and they ought to be one of the cheapest options for smart blinds, period.

OneLink showed a new version of its smoke detector / speaker, which will now also double (triple?) as a mesh Wi-Fi router. And Honeywell had a couple of new thermostats that are supposed to get HomeKit later this year.

Moen is updating its smart shower with HomeKit support, and Gardena is adding HomeKit support to its gardening sensors.

HomeKit has taken its time expanding out to more gadgets and more partners, but wider support for it is finally starting to show. And for iPhone owners, there's still no easier way of setting up a smart home gadget, which is more than enough to keep HomeKit in the running against Alexa and the Google Assistant.

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'New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe' hits the Nintendo eShop - Engadget

Posted: 11 Jan 2019 07:31 AM PST

Nintendo has given another stellar Wii U title the deluxe Switch treatment in the hopes that more people will play it on a system that's actually popular. We're talking about New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe, which is available today on the Nintendo eShop for $60. That may seem a bit steep for those who already played through the colorful, 2D side-scroller the first time round, but Nintendo fans are probably used to paying full price for the same game by now. And if it's anything like Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, it should be worth your time.

As usual, up to four players can team-up on local multiplayer, plus now you can actually play on the go. Nintendo has also bundled in a deluxe edition of New Super Luigi U, which is basically one giant time attack mode. So what's new? Well, Toadette (who morphs into Peachette with a power-up) and the immune-to-enemies Nabbit are now playable characters alongside Mario, Luigi and Toad. That's pretty much it.

Also available online for the Switch is classic arcade racer Out Run, complete with new motion controls and music tracks, and a new ranking system. Outside of the eShop, Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story is jumping from Nintendo DS to Nintendo 3DS today.