Cost $250-$300, if it ever materializes

Now it just needs an E.T. game.

The 10 best features you won’t be able to live without

The Galaxy S8 might be the best phone of 2017, but the year’s not over until the next iPhone makes its debut. Here’s how Apple can take the crown back from Samsung.

If there wasn’t already a mountain of pressure on Apple to deliver something spectacular with this year’s iPhone update, there surely is now. If you haven’t noticed, Samsung has released the Galaxy S8 and S8+, and they’re pretty remarkable. As a former iPhone 7 Plus user, the S8+ might very well be the best phone I’ve ever used, with a stunning screen, speedy processor, and, yes, a gorgeous design.

But what makes the S8 so amazing is how unique it is. For the first time in a while, Samsung is standing alone on the cutting edge with a phone that needs to be seen to be believed. From its barely there bezels to its brilliant wraparound screen, the Galaxy S8 truly gives Apple a run for its money. No joke, it actually makes the iPhone 7 look pretty stale.

But there’s still a lot of time between now and the release of the next iPhone. According to rumors, the lineup this year will consist of the usual S models along with a fantabulous iPhone 8, which looks to adopt a similar aesthetic to the Galaxy S8, with an edge-to-edge OLED display and the removal of the physical home button. But just because it might look similar doesn’t mean it can’t still be better. Here’s how Apple can still steal the crown from Samsung:

The Galaxy S8 has a killer camera but the iPhone 7 is no slouch.

Killer camera

The Galaxy S phones has always had a camera on par with the iPhone, so it was a little surprising that Samsung didn’t upgrade the S8’s all that much. The iPhone 7 Plus is already a step ahead here, with 2X optical zoom and the sublime Portrait Mode, but the iPhone 8 could really separate itself from the S8 by taking it even further. Along with a megapixel bump, Apple could add optical image stabilization to the second lens, which will go a long way toward increasing photo and zoom quality. But what would really set it apart would be a larger sensor and greater ISO range to make it a low-light leader.

The Gear VR is a big part of the S8, but AR could be the iPhone 8’s big play.

AR not VR

While Samsung is going all-in on virtual reality with the Galaxy Gear and the S8, rumors suggest that Apple is more interested in augmented reality. And that could be one of the features that sets the iPhone 8 apart. Smartphones have been slow to incorporate AR into the interface, but if Pokémon Go has taught us anything, it’s that people are way more interested in seeing the world through their screens than strapping a headset to their faces. An AR-fueled iPhone 8 could connect us to the world in fun new ways without separating us from reality.

The Galaxy S8’s fingerprint sensor is just in the worst place.

Well-placed fingerprint sensor

While the Galaxy S8 is one of the best smartphones ever made, one tragic flaw prevented it from being perfect: the placement of the fingerprint sensor. For some god-awful reason, Samsung put it right next to the camera, all but ensuring your finger will not only miss it, but also repeatedly smudge the lens. If the rumors are correct that Apple will also be removing the home button in the iPhone 8, it has two options: under the screen or on the back. A first-of-its-kind in-panel sensor would be revolutionary, but if it’s on the back, Apple needs to learn from Samsung’s mistake and put it lower, like on the Pixel.

Bixby hasn’t exactly exploded out of the gate, but it does a lot that Siri doesn’t do.

Expanded Siri

When Samsung unveiled the S8, a major part of the presentation was spent introducing its new AI assistant, Bixby. However, the new service wasn’t just a competitor to Siri, Alexa, and Google Assistant. Samsung integrated Bixby deep into the interface to let it access apps, fetch information, and cut down on how often we need to touch our phones. It’s a cool idea, except the only problem is it doesn’t really work. If Apple could do something similar with Siri and expand its reach to work inside apps while we’re using them, it could beat Bixby at its own game.

The Galaxy S8’s screen is pretty, but It also uses its software to accentuate it.

iOS 11

One of the biggest gripes people have had about Samsung’s phones has always been its TouchWiz interface. But that’s changed with the S8, as Samsung has crafted an intuitive, refined system that takes full advantage of its superb hardware. If Apple is going to release a radically redesigned iPhone with curved edges and a wraparound screen, the same old iOS isn’t going to do it justice. It might be time to rethink iOS for modern times and give it more than new features and a fresh coat of pixels.

Samsung’s wireless charging supports Qi and PMA standards, and the pad stands up or lies flat. But it’s not long range wireless.

True wireless charging

While Samsung has had wireless charging in the Galaxy S since the S6, Apple has been slow to adopt it for the iPhone. All signs indicate that’s going to change for the iPhone 8, but if Apple wants to top the Galaxy S8 and not just keep pace, it’s going to need something a little more exciting than a pretty charging pad. One of the rumors we’ve read suggests that Apple could adopt true long-range wireless charging for the next iPhone, which would power up the battery whenever you’re within range of the charger, even if it’s in your pocket. That alone would be an S8 killer.

The Galaxy S8 includes a pretty great pair of earbuds.

Bundled AirPods

Samsung didn’t just resist the trend to ditch the headphone jack on S8, it embraced the 3.5mm jack in a big way. Inside the S8 box is a pair of premium AKG-tuned earbuds that are a few steps above the usual build and sound quality you get for free—certainly better than what Apple gives us. But if Apple really wants to embrace the wireless future of the iPhone, it needs to stop including a wired set of EarPods, even if they are Lightning. A pair of AirPods in the box (or a cheaper Beats alternative) would really set it apart from the 3.5mm S8 and make a strong statement.

The battery life on the S8 is really good, but the iPhone 8’s could be even better.

Blow-away battery

Samsung has had its share of battery issues, but the S8 looks to put them in the past with a long-lasting battery that hopefully won’t blow up. But while it can get through the whole day for the most part, the S8 didn’t deliver the the real breakthrough we were hoping for. We’re still waiting for a phone that lets us completely forget about the battery until our day is over, and we’d love to see the iPhone 8 deliver something in the range of 12 hours and truly change the game.

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Hulu’s channel bundle attacks the norms of pay TV service—for better and for worse.

Hulu with Live TV is not the channel bundle you might’ve grown up with. The $40-per-month streaming service clearly wants to be something other than cable.

Aside from being cheaper than the average pay TV package, Hulu’s new bundle aims to blur the lines between live TV, on-demand shows, and DVR. It pushes personalized recommendations on what to watch, and it shunts the notion of channel-flipping out of the spotlight. Recordings, on-demand episodes, and Hulu’s existing TV and movie library intermingle in ways that obscure the source of what you’re watching, as if to suggest that only the content matters.

Hulu’s attempt to distance itself from the legacy TV experience is refreshing, and it can lead to discovering some great television. But it can also be disorienting, due to an expansive, sometimes confusing menu system. Hulu also accurately describes the current service as a beta, and it’s marred by limited device support and occasional glitches. We’re not going to render a review score until Hulu lifts the beta tag; in the meantime, cord-cutters signing up for the service in its current state should be aware they’re paying for an unfinished product.

Hulu’s bundle is one-size-fits-all, with more than 60 channels for $40 per month. That puts it in the ballpark of other streaming bundles’ primary offerings, though Hulu throws in access to its existing on-demand service—an $8 per month value—to sweeten the deal. The ad-free version of that existing service costs an extra $4 per month, and you can still tack on Showtime’s on-demand catalog for another $9 per month.

Channel highlights include ESPN, Disney channels, regional sports from Fox and Comcast, all three cable news networks, and on-demand video from all four major broadcast networks. In certain markets, you can get live feeds from local broadcast stations as well. (A full channel list appears at the bottom of this review, and Hulu’s sign-up page lets you enter a zip code for a list of local stations.)

Like other streaming bundles, Hulu omits some networks to keep prices down. AMC Network channels, Discovery channels, and Viacom channels such as Comedy Central and MTV are all absent from Hulu with Live TV, as are league-based sports channels such as NBA TV, MLB Network, NFL Network, and NFL Redzone.

The service does include 50 hours of DVR at no extra charge, but with some opaque rules and restrictions. Some live channels let you rewind to the start of a program even if you haven’t set up a recording, and then allow you to skip commercials. Others allow automatic rewinding, but not ad-skipping. Recordings are supported on all channels, but some won’t let you skip ads unless you pay an extra $15 per month for expanded DVR, which also increases storage to 200 hours.

Subscribers can add up to six user profiles and are allowed up to two streams at a time, either inside or outside the home. That’s the same as DirecTV Now, and better than Sling TV Orange, but less than PlayStation Vue, Sling TV Blue, and YouTube TV. It also leads into another upsell: For $15 more (or $20 total combined with expanded DVR service), you can stream on unlimited devices at home and three devices on the road.

Currently, Hulu with Live TV runs on Apple TV, Xbox One, Chromecast, iOS, and Android. Live TV subscribers can still use Hulu’s on-demand service on a longer list of devices. The service also includes access to a handful of cable-authenticated apps, but the limited device support for live channels is one reason Hulu has applied a beta tag for now.

How Hulu Works

As for the experience of using Hulu with Live TV, it’s at once gorgeous, empowering, and utterly overwhelming.

Top-level navigation splits into three main sections: The “Home” section focuses on recommendations and quick access to recently-watched programming. The “My Stuff” section pulls in all the channels, shows, and movies that you’ve marked as favorites, including both on-demand and DVR content. The “Browse” section is a catch-all for everything else, including genres and a full channel list.

Logical as this layout may seem, the purpose of each section isn’t immediately self-evident. Each section also has numerous subsections, which in some cases share a name with subsections in other parts of the interface. For instance, there are four menus entitled “Sports,” three menus entitled “Movies,” another three entitled “TV” or “TV Shows,” and two ways to access your favorite channels. These redundantly named sections rarely behave in exactly the same way. Better labelling could be a short-term fix, but Hulu would really benefit from consolidating the interface into fewer branching pathways.

At least the Hulu interface isn’t lacking ways to discover things to watch. During setup, Hulu asks users to pick some favorite channels and genres, which fuel the recommendations on the home screen. Intriguing subsections such as “Star Wars” and “Binge-worthy” pepper the home screen, and browsing the genre menus yields fun results such as “Workplace Shenanigans” and “Nostalgia TV.” You can also search for shows, channels, and genres, but not for actors or directors.

Other parts of the interface show promise, but need further development. Hulu’s centralized menu for favorite sports teams is brilliant, but did not come with any setup process on Apple TV. (A menu for setting up favorite teams did appear on the Xbox One app). Support for kid-friendly user profiles is also helpful in theory, though it lacks parental lock and misses the mark with age-based recommendations. No disrespect to the unashamedly bizarre Uncle Grandpa, but it’s not appropriate for a three-year-old.

Performance Hits and Misses

By calling itself a paid beta, Hulu with Live TV is trying to inoculate itself against early criticism for glitches and performance hiccups. And there have been a few.

For instance, I experienced a persistent issue on Apple TV where Hulu boots me out of a stream and back to its menu. Sometimes this would happen while attempting to fast forward, and a few times it’s occurred on its own. While I was always able to resume the channel or program in question, it happens frequently enough to be a nuisance.

The live channel guide—yes, this does exist; it’s accessible by taping or swiping up from any video—also has a design flaw that’s hopefully unintentional: The buttons to initiate a recording or view more information only apply to what’s playing in the background, not to whatever’s highlighted in the guide. This makes a chore out of recording or favoriting soon-to-air programs.

Yet in terms of reliability, Hulu with Live TV has performed well in my experience. Channel load times were initially a bit sluggish, but have improved over the past week, and I haven’t seen any show-stopping errors like the kind that afflicted DirecTV Now in its early days. Video resolution has been routinely crisp at 720p for live channels, 1080p for movies, and 4K for some originals.

The only major problem concerns frame rate, which tops out at 30 frames per second for all channels and programs. That means you don’t get the smoothness of motion that’s typically found in live sports, news, talk shows, soap operas, and late-night programming. PlayStation Vue and DirecTV Now remain the best options for 60-frames-per-second viewing.

How does Hulu compare with other streaming bundles overall? To be honest, a strong opinion eludes me. The channel lineup is a fine cross-section of what cable TV has to offer, but with holes that may be disqualifying for some potential cord cutters. The interface deserves praise for its vision, but not so much for its execution. And the barrage of upsells—more DVR storage, no streaming limits, fewer ads—is grating even if the options are nice to have.

In the end, the right call on picking a streaming bundle is still to thoroughly examine all the options—their lineups, their features, their device support—and hope you find a match for your needs. In beta or otherwise, Hulu with Live TV just tilts the odds a little further in your favor.

Here’s the full channel list for the Hulu Live TV bundle:

21st CENTURY FOX

• FOX
• Big Ten Network
• Fox Business Network
• Fox News Channel
• Fox RSNs
• Fox Sports 1
• Fox Sports 2
• FX
• FXX
• FXM
• National Geographic Channel
• National Geographic Wild

The Walt Disney Company

• ABC
• ESPN
• ESPN2
• ESPNU
• ESPNEWS
• ESPN-SEC Network
• Freeform
• Disney Channel
• Disney XD
• Disney Junior

NBC Universal

• NBC
• Telemundo
• Comcast RSNs
• The Comcast Network Philadelphia
• NECN
• USA Network
• Bravo
• E!
• Syfy
• MSNBC
• CNBC
• NBCSN
• Golf Channel
• Chiller
• Oxygen Network
• Sprout

A+E Networks

• A&E
• The History Channel (THC)
• Lifetime
• Viceland
• Lifetime Movie Network (LMN)
• FYI

Scripps Networks Interactive

• Food Network
• HGTV
• Travel Channel

Turner Networks

• CNN
• HLN
• CNN International
• TBS
• TNT
• TruTV
• TCM
• Turner Classic Movies
• Cartoon Network & Adult Swim
• Boomerang

CBS Corporation

• CBS
• CBS Sports Network
• POP

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Microsoft’s most direct shot at the MacBook yet

The one Surface product that fans have been clamoring over for years, a straight up Surface Laptop, is finally here. But, in taking design cues from both the Surface Pro and Surface Book lines, Microsoft has set lofty expectations for its first dedicated laptop device.

Priced at $999 (about £770, AU$1,330), the Surface Laptop clearly aims to chip at the MacBook and MacBook Air models that dominate college campuses practically worldwide. In fact, Microsoft claims that its cheaper (and larger) Surface Laptop can last far longer on a charge than Apple’s 12-inch MacBook: 14.5 hours.

However, every Surface Laptop shipped will come with Windows 10 S installed, Microsoft’s new version of Windows 10 that only accepts app installs downloaded from the Windows Store.

With the ability to switch from Windows 10 S to the 100% open Windows 10 Pro for $49 if you miss the chance in 2017 for free, should you need an app outside of the Windows Store that badly (spoiler: you probably will).

Regardless, at that price, can Microsoft garner enough interest from college students (or more likely their parents), who are often already strapped from the cost of an education?

The Surface Laptop in traditional ‘Platinum’

Design

Clearly, part of Microsoft’s plan is to lure those folks in with an incredibly gorgeous, and potentially trendsetting, design. The 13.5-inch Surface Laptop may very well be Microsoft’s most attractive computing product yet.

And, with four colors to choose from – Burgundy, Platinum, Cobalt Blue and Graphite Gold – there’s bound to be one that appeals to you.

A full aluminum lid and base wrap the laptop in much the same way it does a Surface Book, but ditches the aluminum in the keyboard deck for a Alcantara fabric that surrounds every plastic key and meets with the aluminum base in a seemingly airtight seal.

The fabric, according to Microsoft, is imported from Italy and laser cut to fit every Surface Laptop. Now, while many of the design elements are the same, the 13.5-inch (2,256 x 1,504) PixelSense touch display, the smooth glass-coated Precision touchpad, the chrome logo centered on the aluminum lid, we’re told that very few parts from previous parts are found within the Surface Laptop.

That much is obvious in the nature of the felt used for this keyboard deck compared against that which the Type Covers from Microsoft utilize. It’s smoother and more plush than those Type Covers, and we’re told it’s spill resistant.

The Surface Laptop’s keyboard deck is awfully comfortable

Plus, the additional height afforded by this traditional laptop design allowed Microsoft to equip the keyboard with 1.5mm of travel, and the difference in typing between that and the Surface Pro 4 is night and day. Finally, Microsoft devised a speaker system beneath the keyboard that radiates sound through the spaces between the keys and the keyboard deck.

The result isn’t much better audio than you’d find in a MacBook Air, perhaps a bit fuller, but at least it’s consistently in an uninterrupted position. Naturally, the audio gets a bit muffled when typing, but since the sound radiates throughout the laptop base, there isn’t a major loss in audio detail.

That leaves the side of the laptop base to house Microsoft’s proprietary power and docking port found on other Surface devices, as well as a USB 3.0 and Mini DisplayPort, not to mention an audio jack. If you’re already asking, “where’s the USB-C,” we’ve already been there.

Microsoft tells us that it intends for its own port to handle concerns of connectivity expansion via the Surface Connect port and its Surface Dock, while refraining from alienating customers that have yet to completely update to USB-C.

A fine explanation, but that doesn’t tell us why USB 3.0 and not USB 3.1 at least, as you’re missing out on some major data transfer speed improvements there.

Those strange strips of plastic on the base? They’re Wi-Fi antennae

Performance and battery life

Microsoft can pack the Surface Laptop with the latest Intel Core i5 or Core i7 processors (Kaby Lake), up to 512GB of PCIe solid-state storage (SSD) and as much as 16GB of RAM.

That’s a mighty powerful laptop on paper, likely stronger than either the MacBook Air or 12-inch MacBook, while rising above even the latest 13-inch MacBook Pro that still utilizes Skylake processors.

(The $999 model comes packing a 128GB SSD and 4GB of RAM with the Intel Core i5.)

As for how Microsoft fit that kind of power a laptop just 0.57 inches (14.48mm) thin, a brand new, proprietary vapor chamber cooling system helps a whole lot. The system changes the physical state of the heat as it’s taken in through the center of a fan vent in the rear of the laptop base and spits it out of the sides of that same vent.

While we obviously weren’t able to stress-test the Surface Laptop, we were able to test out how it feels to use. For starters, at just 2.76 pounds (1.25kg), this thing is super light, which is all the more impressive considering it’s a 13.5-inch, Gorilla Glass 3 touchscreen you’re looking at.

Note the Surface Connect dock port – Microsoft’s answer to USB-C

Microsoft chalks this up to, in part, the thinnest LCD touch module ever used in a laptop design. This, in turn, helps the lid to lift with just one finger. However, perhaps the hinge design needs refinement.

While you can open the display with just a finger, that slightness in the hinge is felt when the screen bounces with every tap of the touchscreen. It’s the very reason we question the inclusion of touchscreens in traditional laptops to begin with. Unfortunately, it seems Microsoft hasn’t found a better solution here.

That said, typing on the keyboard is the best time we’ve had doing such on a Surface product yet, and the portability of the whole thing is right there with Apple’s best.

As for battery life, Microsoft is, again, claiming 14.5 hours on a single charge. Microsoft later clarified for us that this number was achieved via local video playback with all radios but Wi-Fi disabled.

That testing environment sounds very similar to how TechRadar tests for battery life, so we might see battery life results in a full review fall much closer to this claim. If so, then Surface Laptop will be very tough to beat in longevity and be a potentially major driver for sales.

This is the Surface Laptop in Cobalt Blue

Early verdict

The fact that the Surface Laptop ships with a limited – sorry, “streamlined” – operating system and costs more than some previous Surface systems that come with full fat Windows 10 cannot go unnoticed – regardless of the free upgrade through this year. Unless Microsoft changes its tune come 2018, folks buying one of these with holiday gift money at the turn of the year would be wise to tack 50 bucks on top of whichever configuration they choose to get Windows 10 Pro.

While this switch will be free for any Surface Laptops bought in the education sector, that won’t help the Surface Laptop’s target audience come 2018: late high school and college students.

That said, the Surface Laptop’s incredible, potentially trendsetting design cannot go unnoticed either. Frankly, this is a laptop that appears to outclass the MacBook Air and 12-inch MacBook – and possibly even the 13-inch MacBook Pro – for hundreds less.

Save for a questionable platform versus pricing decision, the Surface Laptop has all the makings of yet another winning piece of hardware from Microsoft.

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Thursday Night Football games are dumping Twitter for Amazon Prime.

Thursday night NFL games streamed with stunning success on Twitter last year, but for the season, football’s jumping ship. The NFL and Amazon announced they’ve reached a $50 million agreement for streaming rights to 10 Thursday Night Football games for the 2017 season—a five-fold increase over the $10 million Twitter paid for last year’s games.

The agreement’s a major win for Amazon, which has been pushing hard to expand its TV offerings. It’s a bummer for folks who’ve ditched cable, though. While Twitter streamed TNF games to the world, making them freely available to cord-cutters even if watchers weren’t Twitter users, Amazon’s NFL livestreams will be limited to paying Amazon Prime subscribers. An Amazon Prime subscription costs $100 per year.

CBS and NBC will still be able to stream the Thursday night games they broadcast, but those channels lock their streams behind the CBS All Access premium service and cable authentication, respectively. Likewise, Verizon will still be able to stream TNF games to mobile devices, but that’s limited to Verizon users and it’s a pain to try and get Verizon’s streams on your big screen.

The best bet for NFL-loving cord-cutters who don’t want to buy into a handful of different services may be to invest in an over-the-air TV antenna. The NFL still doesn’t offer a widespread subscription plan for live streaming games inside the U.S., as NFL Sunday Ticket is essentially limited to DirecTV subscribers alone.

Amazon says it may sell ads for the NFL streams, but also use the games to promote Amazon’s other video services, Recode reports. Amazon’s always using its services and features to entice you to embrace Amazon even more.

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“Project Neon” will give your Windows 10 PC a fresh coat of paint later in 2017.

Microsoft’s planning a sleek visual refresh for Windows 10, and the company quietly teased its first official glimpse of what’s coming in the future during the Windows Developer Day keynote on Wednesday.

There aren’t many details being shared about “Project Neon” right now—as the refresh was called in earlier leaks—but the new visual look will focus on animations and transitions. The basic concept is “to add fluidity, animation, and blur to apps and the operating system,” as first reported by Windows Central. The new design language also hopes to make it easier for developers to create attractive apps.

The design refresh should extend to all Windows 10 devices including PCs and tablets, HoloLens, Xbox, and the few surviving Windows Phones, according to Windows Central.

Twitter user Tom Hounsell shared a clean version of Microsoft’s first look at Windows 10’s forthcoming design tweaks. The image shown on the livestream had large text overlaid on top of the screenshot.

As you can see, this isn’t a huge change, but the visual refresh gives Windows 10 a sleeker, more modern feel. The taskbar icons look a little more dynamic and bolder. Cortana is using the icon instead of the search box, though it’s not clear if this will be the default look. The clock on the taskbar is also bolder, and the usual notification area icons including the Action Center are notably absent. The open Groove Music window itself looks more polished and Aero-esque as well, with no title bar to be seen—just unobtrusive options in the app’s upper-right corner.

The impact on you at home: Windows Central says that some of the code for Project Neon is already available in recent Insider Preview builds of Windows 10; however, it’s unlikely the visual refresh will be ready in time for the massive Creators Update this spring. Microsoft is expected to share more information about Neon during the Build conference in May. The Creators Update is expected to roll out in late March or early April, followed by a second major update later in 2017.

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iPhone SE gets a storage boost, too.

Apple just made upgrading to an iPhone 7 a philanthropic decision by adding a red special edition to the lineup. The new red aluminum finish, which is available to order for both iPhone 7 and 7 Plus in-store and online on March 24, is a fundraising effort for the Global Fund. Apple will contribute a portion of red iPhone sales to the fight against AIDS and HIV.

The two new red iPhones will come in 128GB and 256GB storage variations and start at $749 in the U.S. Apple will sell the special editions in more than 40 countries by the end of March, with Brazil, Chile, Colombia, India, and Turkey to come in April. If you live in the U.S., U.K., or China and are part of the iPhone Upgrade Program, you’ll be able to snag an unlocked red iPhone with AppleCare+. In the U.S., the 128GB iPhone 7 will start at $37 a month with the ability to upgrade every year.

Apple has a long-standing relationship with the Global Fund and has a variety of products in its red lineup, including iPod’s, cases, headphones, and speakers. Last December, Apple celebrated its decade-long partnership with the Global Fund by donating proceeds from in-app purchases, exclusive downloads, and newly launched accessories to the nonprofit. The company has so far donated more than $130 million to the Global Fund, making it the organizations’s largest corporate donor.

iPhone SE gets a bump, too

Apple hasn’t forgotten about the littlest phone in its lineup, the iPhone SE. The company just doubled the 4-inch phone’s storage to 32GB and 128GB, up from 16GB and 64GB. Those models will be phased out and the roomier new options will start at $399 beginning March 24.

While the flashy new color and iPhone SE upgrade aren’t the biggest iPhone news of the year—that will come in September with the 10th anniversary iPhone 8—it’s nice to see Apple add a little something extra to both its existing flagship and its entry-level phones.

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Sling TV CEO Roger Lynch talks pricing, DVR, and certified hardware.

A lot’s changed in the two years since Sling TV made its grand debut at CES 2015. Instead of being the only streaming option for cable channels like ESPN and CNN, Sling is now one of three options alongside PlayStation Vue and DirecTV Now, and it will soon have a fourth competitor in Hulu.

Accordingly, Sling has changed with the times. The company, a subsidiary of Dish Network, has added new channels, created a second base package with a different mix of channels, and is working on a cloud DVR feature.

What else is in store for Sling this year? Here’s what we learned from Roger Lynch, Sling’s CEO, during CES 2017:

On DVR, which is “months” away

Sling began testing DVR service in an invite-only beta on Roku devices last month, and while it’s clearly a work in progress, Lynch says feedback has been positive. “The only feedback that isn’t positive is, ‘I wish I had this feature or that feature,’ all of which are being built already anyway,” Lynch says.

For now, Sling is prioritizing simple improvements like grouping recordings from a series into a folder, rather than listing them all separately. The eventual goal is to list all episodes from a series—whether it’s on-demand, recorded, or live—in a single window.

Still, Lynch gave only a rough time frame for when DVR might launch publicly, “It’s not in weeks. It’s not in years. It’s in months,” he says. “We want to get it out as quickly as possible.”

On AirTV and “Optimized for Sling TV”

Just before CES began, Dish announced a new brand called AirTV. Its first product, the AirTV player, puts Sling TV front-and-center, while integrating over-the-air channels and Netflix recommendations into the Sling guide.

Lynch sees AirTV as an example for other device makers to follow. “I’m hopeful that other device partners will make devices similar to this, and do similar types of integrations for Sling, and that it’ll spur innovation in the ecosystem,” he says.

To that end, Sling’s sole CES announcement was an “Optimized for Sling TV” certification program, which will help consumers know whether a device works well with the service. With streaming devices, for instance, criteria could include a Sling button on the remote control, integration with over-the-air broadcasts in the Sling guide, and a way to auto-launch Sling when users turn on the device.

Lynch says Sling is still finalizing how it’ll enforce those criteria. Roku, for instance, pre-loads the Sling app and includes a quick-launch remote button on some models, and that might be enough to earn Sling’s approval. Other types of devices may have different criteria.

“There’s router companies that are looking to be optimized for Sling. So what does that mean for router companies? It doesn’t meant they’re going to integrate OTA and put a button on the remote. It means they’re going to do something to optimize for the experience,” Lynch says.

On separating Sling Orange and Blue

Last year, Sling introduced a second base package, separate from its original $20-per-month plan. The newer plan is called Sling Blue, and it starts at $25 per month, while the original is now called Sling Orange. (Subscribers can bundle the two plans, which have different channel lineups with some overlap, for $40 per month.)

Might Sling eventually try to merge these two plans?

“We work really, really hard not to combine them,” Lynch says. “The problem with combining them is, you end up with a $35 to $40 package because there’s so much content, and you price yourself out of the market from where I think the big opportunities [are].”

That sounds like a shot at rivals like PlayStation Vue, DirecTV Now, and Hulu, none of whom are attempting to match Sling’s base prices. “For us, the Sling Orange product is the perfect cord-cutter product. It’s great for people who use antennas because you’re not forced to buy locals, and locals are really expensive,” Lynch says.

Sling Blue, meanwhile, will likely compete more directly with those larger bundles over time. “That’ll become a broader content package at a higher price point,” Lynch says.

On getting what it wants from TV networks

Since its launch in 2015, Sling has offered a “Replay” feature that lets users rewind live TV and watch several days’ worth of past programming. It’s a nice alternative to setting up a DVR, but not every channel supports the feature.

As you might expect, that’s partly because of issues with streaming rights. But Sling is working on accommodating those issues so it can support Replay on more channels.

“Every program has different requirements, like, can you fast forward, can you not fast forward, yes you can fast forward, but not through commercials,” Lynch says. “There are channels that have granted us rights to Replay, but we haven’t made Replay available on the channel yet, because we still have to put in some technology to enable that, because of the business rules that channel has.”

On the whole, though, negotiating those sorts of features with TV networks is getting easier. Lynch notes that two years ago, Sling was scrambling just to get a basic package together—the service launched with a mere 11 channels—but now TV networks are much more interested.

“When we first launched,” Lynch says, “we didn’t have as much leverage to demand things like that as we do now.”

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Everything you need to know about the Surface Studio, Microsoft’s new all-in-one PC designed to tempt professional artists and designers over to Windows.

The Surface Studio is an all-in-one PC with premium specs, designed to wow professional artists, designers, architects and other creatives.

While the $2,999 price tag will deter most consumers, Microsoft seems to be targeting the Studio at design professionals, who would otherwise be using Apple Macs alongside specialist devices like Wacom’s Cintiq drawing tablet.

The Studio is a machine with a lot to recommend it, but one that could still be a leap too far for creatives already heavily invested in alternative tech.

Executive summary

• What it is: The Surface Studio is a high-end, all-in-one PC aimed at being a drafting table and canvas for creatives.
• Why it matters: The machine marks Microsoft’s first venture into designing desktop PCs and may put pressure on Apple and other manufacturers to crank up specs on competing machines.
• Who it is for: Artists, designers, architects — creative professionals who want a machine that shows off their work at its best.
• Why you should get it: For its super sleek, razor-sharp display that lets users draw straight onto the screen.
• Why you shouldn’t get it: The price is too high or you’re a professional already heavily invested in alternative software and hardware.
• How to get it: Pre-order online, although stock is limited according to Microsoft

What it is

An all-in-one, Windows 10 PC designed to dazzle users with its superlative display.

The screen, a 28-inch touchscreen LCD monitor, is ‘the thinnest in the world’ according to Microsoft, and sits on a counterbalanced hinge that makes it easy to push down onto the desk, and start drawing on with a digital pen.

The monitor’s 4K+ resolution and ability to display more than one billion colors, as well as to show drawings and documents at 1:1 scale with their paper equivalents, is designed to give professionals the ability to see how their creations would look in the real world.

Sketching on the screen with the Surface Pen is made easier when the Studio is used with the newly released Surface Dial, a brushed silver knob that can be rotated to select a new color when drawing on the screen or to turn the image.

Why it matters

From the point of view of artists and designers, the Studio offers a high-end computer built around their creative needs, which does away with having to use a separate drawing tablet and computer.

Even if creatives ignore the Surface Studio, its release is good news, likely to prompt incumbents like Apple and Wacom to spec up and cut the prices of new machines — in particular for the iMac, which the Studio has been compared to many times, despite the iMac lacking a touchscreen.

By following up the immaculately designed Surface Book laptop with a striking machine like the Surface Studio, Microsoft also appears to be trying to establish itself as a competitor to Apple on the design front.

Who it is for

Broadly, the Studio seems to be aimed at anyone who draws or designs for a living.

In launch videos, the Studio was seen being used by artists, architects and product designers.

The multi-purpose nature of the Studio, a machine that combines a Windows desktop PC with the functionality of a separate digital drawing tablet, such as the Cintiq 27 QHD Touch, will likely make the $2,999 price tag easier to swallow among those in the creative industries.

Why you should get it

If you draw or design for a living there are plenty of reasons why you might want the Studio. For example, there’s the quality of the display and the ease with which the Surface Pen draws on the screen. Microsoft describes this experience as virtually as fluid as drawing on paper. Then there’s the Studio’s significant graphical processing power, the ability to view documents and drawings actual size on screen and the ease with which you can switch push down the monitor and begin drawing.

Why you shouldn’t get it

Despite the Studio’s looks, its high price makes it hard to recommend as a consumer purchase, particularly when an iMac with a higher resolution, and only very slightly smaller screen, will cost less money.

Even professional creators are unlikely to abandon their current expensive setup for a Studio, as Mikako Kitagawa, principal research analyst with Gartner, pointed out.

“An all-in-one device is not the most cost-effective device, as the users pay for both the computing unit and monitor at the same time,” she said.

“Creative professionals have already invested heavily in hardware and software. For instance, many professional illustrators use a high-end drawing tablet and high-resolution monitor at the same time.”

If those same professionals exclusively use macOS, as is the case in some creative outlets, then the high cost of switching to Windows will also be a deterrent, she said.

There is also Microsoft’s odd decision not to include the $99 Surface Dial with the Studio, despite the peripheral featuring so heavily in demos of the machine, and being particularly useful for tasks like changing colors while drawing with the Surface Pen.

How to get it

The Surface Studio is available to pre-order from Microsoft, with prices starting at $2,999 and shipping starting from 12 December. Microsoft has warned the machine will be available in limited quantities.

Tech specs:

$2,999: 1TB drive; Intel Core i5 CPU; 8GB RAM; 2GB GPU

$3,499: 1TB drive; Intel Core i7 CPU; 16GB RAM; 2GB GPU

$4,199: 2TB drive; Intel Core i7 CPU; 32GB RAM; 4GB GPU

Display: 28″ PixelSense Display; 4500 x 3000 resolution; 192 DPI; Color settings: Adobe sRGB, DCI-P3 and Vivid Color Profiles; Touch: 10-point multi-touch; Aspect ratio: 3:2 TB drive; Intel Core i5 CPU; 8GB RAM; 2GB GPU

Processor: Quad-core 6th Gen Intel Core i5 or i7

Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 965M 2GB GPU GDDR5 memory or NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980M 4GB GPU GDDR5 memory

Storage: 1TB or 2TB ‘rapid hybrid drive’

Memory: 8GB, 16GB, or 32GB RAM

Wireless: 802.11ac Wi-Fi; Bluetooth 4.0; Xbox Wireless built-in3

Dimensions: Display: 25.09 x 17.27 x 0.44 in (637.35 x 438.90 x 11.4 mm); Base: 9.84 x 8.66 x 1.26 in (250.00 x 220.00 x 32.20 mm)

Weight: 21.07 lbs max (9.56 kg)

Connections: 4 USB 3.0; Full-size SD card reader (SDXC compatible); Mini Displayport; 3.5mm headset jack; Compatible with Surface Dial onscreen interaction

Cameras: 5.0MP front-facing camera with 1080p HD video

Audio: Dual microphones; Stereo 2.1 speakers with Dolby Audio Premium

Buttons: Volume and power

Surface Pen

Surface Keyboard

Surface Mouse

Power cord with grip-release cable

Security: TPM chip for enterprise security; Enterprise-grade protection with Windows Hello face sign-in

Have questions?

Get answers from Microsofts Cloud Solutions Partner!
Call us at: 856-745-9990 or visit: https://southjerseytechies.net/

South Jersey Techies, LL C is a full Managed Web and Technology Services Company providing IT Services, Website Design Services, Server Support, Network Consulting, Internet Phones, Cloud Solutions Provider and much more. Contact for More Information.

To read this article in its entirety click here.