Technology - Google News

Samsung’s removable-battery smartphone is coming to the US for $499 - The Verge
Top phone trends from CES 2020: Cheaper foldables, 5G and more - CNET
A $1,300 smart bassinet showed me I'm ready for a robot nanny - CNET

Samsung’s removable-battery smartphone is coming to the US for $499 - The Verge

Posted: 12 Jan 2020 05:45 AM PST

We've already seen Samsung's new rugged smartphone with a removable battery, the Galaxy XCover Pro, because the company revealed it on its Finnish website before taking it down. Today, though, the company is officially announcing the phone and that it's coming to the US for $499.

For that price, you're getting a phone with a swappable battery that's a meaty 4,050mAh, and the phone even supports 15W fast charging, as well as with special docks that use pogo pins. The XCover Pro is intended to be used by workers in industrial settings or out in the field, so that huge battery should theoretically let workers use their phones for longer and give them the option to swap in a fresh battery in a pinch.

The phone also has two programmable buttons, which Samsung says can be programmed for applications like push-to-talk. And if you're a Microsoft Teams user, you can use that button with the new Microsoft Teams Walkie Talkie feature.

Samsung says the XCover Pro is also EMV Level 1 certified, meaning you might be able to run a business where customers pay you by tapping their NFC-equipped credit card, phone, or watch to your Galaxy handset. The phone has Samsung's point-of-sale software built in, and the company says Visa approved this phone for its Tap to Phone payments pilot program.

And to help the phone better survive the elements, Samsung says it has an IP68 dust and water-resistance rating, can withstand drops of up to 1.5 meters, and that it's MIL-STD 810G certified, which means it should theoretically be able to withstand extreme altitudes, temperatures, humidity, and other difficult conditions.

Otherwise, the phone's specs are mid-range: a 6.3-inch AMOLED 2220 x 1080 display (which Samsung says you can use when you have gloves on), a 2GHz octa-core Exynos 9611 processor, 4GB of RAM, and 64GB of internal storage (with support for microSD storage up to 512GB). For cameras, the phone has a 13-megapixel front-facing camera in a corner of the screen and two rear cameras: a 25-megapixel camera and an 8-megapixel camera.

It'll also ship with the latest Android 10 and Samsung's One UI 2.0, contrary to information from the early reveal that indicated that the XCover Pro was running Android 9 Pie.

Samsung hasn't said when the XCover Pro is coming out, where you'll be able to buy it, what carriers it works on, or even provided an official picture, but we've asked the company for more information.

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Top phone trends from CES 2020: Cheaper foldables, 5G and more - CNET

Posted: 12 Jan 2020 07:47 AM PST

ces-2020-oneplus-concept-one-2 — Angela Lang/CNET

This story is part of CES 2020, our complete coverage of the showroom floor and the hottest new tech gadgets around.

The annual CES electronics show in Las Vegas is a fantastic launchpad for the most exciting, futuristic tech companies can dream up. But phones aren't typically part of that equation.

Phone-makers are far more likely to save their whiz-bang features and high-powered specs for Mobile World Congress, the world's largest mobile show, which takes place from Feb. 24-27 in Barcelona.

But that doesn't mean CES was bereft of handsets. The phones that we did see, as you can see in the gallery below, hint at important trends we'll see in 2020.

Cheaper foldable phones are coming

The Motorola Razr costs $1,500. The Galaxy Fold is $2,000. And the Huawei Mate X is $2,400. Foldable phones are anything but cheap.

Foldable phones are an emerging category that shakes up an otherwise static world of phones by bending the display in half. The high cost of research and development and new manufacturing techniques make these early foldable designs at least double the cost of their 4G counterparts. The "privilege" of owning a cutting-edge device may also contribute to the price.

Now playing: Watch this: This foldable phone will cost less than the Razr

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But the high price of these first foldables means that few people will actually be able to buy one. Lowering the price will also mean lowering the barrier to ownership, which foldable phones need if they're going to stick around.

At CES, TCL showed us a working prototype of a foldable phone that's designed to cost less than the Motorola Razr. It features a 7.2-inch display and three rear cameras and will support 5G.

We also learned that Samsung's next foldable phone, which is rumored to cost $850, could be called the Galaxy Bloom.

5G phone prices are already dropping

5G phones aren't as expensive as foldables, but they still cost more per device than 4G handsets with the same specs. The same rule also applies to the faster 5G data technology -- cheaper 5G options will get more people using these devices.

And for carriers, the faster data speeds could translate into more profits as customers use more data per person.

For phone buyers, it's just nice to have more affordable ways to get 5G speeds. Enter the TCL Pro 5G for under $500, the CoolPad Legacy for $400 and Verizon's plan to sell 20 5G phones in 2020, including some that cost less than $600. Compared to the $1,300 Galaxy Note 10 5G, that's a pretty good deal. Just expect trade-offs in the features department.

Now playing: Watch this: Galaxy Note 10 Lite and S10 Lite: All about Samsung's...

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Cameras continue to be a design element

Camera tech has always been essential for phones, but even the look and placement of the lenses elicit strong opinions.

The Galaxy Note 10 Lite and Galaxy S10 Lite both feature square and rectangular black camera mounts respectively, mimicking the Google Pixel 4. Some industry-watchers think that Samsung is taking the bold road to counter the iPhone 11, whose large, protruding cluster of rear lenses makes Apple's phone immediately identifiable.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, the OnePlus Concept One phone uses an electrical current to either hide or reveal the phone's multiple cameras on its back. The concept is to make the phone look sleeker, especially at a time when camera lenses are proliferating.

Now playing: Watch this: OnePlus Concept One phone has a 'disappearing' camera

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Gaming phones continue to carve a niche

Phones aimed at gamers have made up a small but steady contingent of handsets. 5G data has a huge implication for gaming, promising far more immersive and sophisticated graphics through the kind of on-the-fly rendering that can be achieved through 5G's increased data delivery.

Processors, too, are getting into gaming, with the Snapdragon 765G, a midrange chipset that's specifically made for gaming phones. And more phone-makers are set to embrace displays with 120Hz refresh rates for smoother animations.

The Black Shark 2 Pro has neither of the first two things, but it's still possibly the best gaming phone we've seen, complete with a case that makes it work a little like the Nintendo Switch. A helpful gaming mode also makes this handset specifically geared toward gaming, rather than a mainstream phone that's powerful enough to play long sessions of resource-heavy games.

CES may be over, but for phones, the year is just beginning.

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A $1,300 smart bassinet showed me I'm ready for a robot nanny - CNET

Posted: 11 Jan 2020 05:00 AM PST

snoo-smart-sleeper-cnet — The Snoo promises to rock your baby to sleep. Note: This is not my baby.
CNET

This story is part of CES 2020, our complete coverage of the showroom floor and the hottest new tech gadgets around.

My 3-month-old son wails like he's being tortured as I strap his arms down in what looks like a kiddie version of a straitjacket. There's a twinge of guilt that rises up within me, but I power past it as I tuck his legs into the swaddle and zip him up, securing him to the bassinet. But this is no ordinary bassinet. I press a button at its base, and white noise blares as a mechanism beneath sways him back and forth. Pacifier in mouth, he coos in opposition.

But within minutes, he's fallen asleep.

That's right, I've outsourced my bedtime duties to what amounts to a robot in the form of the Snoo bassinet. And yes, I constantly question whether I'm a good parent.

If you don't have kids, the name Snoo will fly over your head. But bleary-eyed, exhausted parents with babies have surely heard about the $1,300 bassinet that promises to rock your kid to sleep for you.

The Snoo was just one of a myriad of baby tech products making an appearance at CES 2020 in Las Vegas, and it's no longer alone. 4Moms, known for its own high-end, polished baby products and its mamaRoo swing, showed off its own smart sleeper, which launches in February for $330. They were joined by an array of other baby tech at the Sands Convention Center's startup area, known as Tech West, underscoring just how entwined technology has become with every aspect of our — and our children's — lives.

"You're using a little bit of technology to help you," said Dr. Harvey Karp, author of The Happiest Baby on the Block, a seminal read for new parents. He's also CEO of Happiest Baby, which makes the Snoo. "That's not a bad thing. It's a smart thing."

It makes sense that companies are keen to add a tech twist to baby products, a market that's expected to reach $16.78 billion by 2025, according to Grand View Research. It's a market that's evolved since I first started eyeing this area, just before I had my first child four years ago. Back then, a lot of the products were focused on pairing existing products like thermometers or scales with apps on your phone.

Now playing: Watch this: Smart diapers, a state-of-the-art toothbrush, and a robot...

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It's a trend that turned me off to a lot of these products. I preferred to save my money for more basic necessities like diapers, baby wipes and formula. I thought baby tech was for suckers, capitalizing on new, impressionable and nervous parents looking to apps for comfort and support.

But my experience with the Snoo, and how it's helped me claw back some of my lost sleep, has me changing my tune.

"Technology has definitely proven to be a game-changer in the baby space, opening up meaningful possibilities for parents that weren't available before," said Ashlee Neuman, deputy editor of baby care site The Bump.

While there's been a lot of hand-wringing about robots taking traditional jobs, I'm okay with one handling my rocking duties.

Making the Snoo accessible

My son was about 2 months old and sleeping an average of about 30 minutes at a time — all the time. My wife and I were in a permanent daze, so I didn't quite process her Facebook message about the Snoo and the promise of getting a bit of our sleep back. I initially scoffed at it.

The Snoo's $1,300 price tag, after all, scares away a lot of parents. But Happiest Baby began offering it as a rental for $100 a month, which is far more reasonable since it can only be used for the first six months of a baby's life. Karp said interest in the Snoo skyrocketed after the change, and I can see why.

After a bit of a rough transition period, I'm now confident enough to plop my kid down knowing he'll fall asleep after a few minutes. More importantly, he stays asleep for hours. (For more details on the Snoo, check out my colleague Vanessa Hand Orellana's full review of the smart bassinet.)

There have been some setbacks. While I've been at CES, my son has entered a phase of sleep regression. Even the Snoo — which can sense when a baby cries and responds with more vigorous rocking and louder white noise — can't console him at times.

And while I'm all in on letting the Snoo do all the work, my wife is more conservative in her use.

Guilt trip

I still admit to pangs of guilt, and instinctively feel that I should be rocking the child myself.

"No one is prey for guilt more than a new parent," Karp said in an interview. He assures me that if this were my fourth child, I wouldn't even bat an eye.

He argues, however, that to be an effective parent, you need more sleep, and that the attitude of powering through and constantly caring for your child is actually damaging. As such, he sees the Snoo as more than just a smart bassinet.

"This is not a baby bed, this is a baby caregiver," he said.

Karp said he's at CES to tout some new medical data, including 65 million hours of infant sleep without a single reported death. He told me that companies like Snap and Under Armour are renting the bassinets as a perk for their employees, and that the Snoo is in tests at hospitals, with work underway to have insurance companies cover it.

While Karp downplays the cost, noting that the $100 a month amounts to less than a cup of coffee a day, it's still a steep premium over other bassinets.

That's where 4Moms comes in.

A cheaper option

4Moms is traditionally known for its high-end products, but it's attempting to move lower in price, CEO Gary Waters said in an interview Tuesday.

The mamaRoo sleep bassinet represents the perfect example, with its $330 price tag just a fraction of the Snoo.

The mamaRoo sleep is 4Moms' take on the pricier Snoo.
Roger Cheng/CNET

The smart bassinet uses the same five rocking motions employed by the original mamaRoo swing, but offers a flat, horizontal surface for the baby to sleep in. There are side controls on the bassinet, or you can control it with your phone through an app. It also offers four types of white noise.

Unlike the Snoo, this bassinet won't respond to the child's needs. It can run a maximum of four hours before it shuts off. Waters said the company had found that parents preferred to have more control over the experience.

Still, at $330, the bassinet isn't cheap. And it's up to each parent to decide if these are worthy upgrades, or if the money is better spent on more diapers. (CNET hasn't tried the bassinet or evaluated its effectiveness.)

"Most of the baby tech products available are nice-to-haves instead of absolute must-haves," Neuman said.

At some point, my family's lack of sleep made considering a smart bassinet a must-have. I'm ready for a full-on robot nanny next.

This story originally published on Jan. 11 at 5 a.m. PT.

The information contained in this article is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as health or medical advice. Always consult a physician or other qualified health provider regarding any questions you may have about a medical condition or health objectives.

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