Month: July 2019

Apple is now selling a new generation of the 5K LG UltraFine display. For the first time, the 5K UltraFine is now compatible with the iPad Pro, finally offering a 5K display option for 2018 iPad Pro users.

Previously, the 5K UltraFine display would only work over Thunderbolt. Now, it can output 5K over USB-C DisplayPort, which means it can now work with any of Apple’s current Mac and iPad Pro lineup.

Up to now, it has been basically impossible to find a compatible display that the iPad Pro can drive at full 5K resolution. The USB-C port enables a wide range of connectivity, but the market of 5K USB-C DisplayPort monitors was very scarce. The new LG UltraFine display is effectively the only option.

Unfortunately, that’s where the fanfare appears to end. The new 5K UltraFine display appears otherwise identical to the previous generation model. It features the same 27-inch 5120×2880 resolution panel in the same ugly chassis.

The UltraFine has built-in speakers, webcam and mic, as well as three USB-C ports for connecting wired accessories. The UltraFine lets you connect a single cable to your MacBook Pro to enable display output, access to wired accessories, and full-speed charging up to 94W thanks to Thunderbolt 3 power pass-through.

The new 5K display is now available to order from the Apple Store, for $1299. High-end professional Mac users (with deeper pockets nonetheless) may want to consider waiting for the Apple Pro Display, coming later this year. LG updated the 4K version of its UltraFine display series earlier this year.

This week, Hulu announced that Android TV will soon be a supported platform for its Hulu + Live TV service.

Detailed by Hulu, “Starting in early August, Hulu + Live TV and our updated UI will be available across a variety of Android TV devices, including Sony’s Android TVs, NVIDIA SHIELD, Xiaomi Mi Box, and Hisense Android TVs.”

Hulu says that in order to get some Live TV action fired up on your Android TV, keep checking this Google Play listing for when it’s compatible with your Android TV device.

As Samsung expected, its Q2 profit is off from last year’s by about 56 percent. An operating profit of $5.6 billion (6.6 trillion Korean won) is no small figure, but obviously not up to par for the electronics giant, and follow a similar result in Q1 of this year. A big reason for the fall is a drop in prices for memory chips, which Samsung is a major supplier of for products like smartphones and servers. It’s also negatively affected by weak iPhone sales since it supplies Apple with parts, and is facing slower sales for its own high-end phone models.

Last year Samsung was looking toward foldable devices to help turn around the trend, and after a delay it’s still expecting the Galaxy Fold to join its Galaxy Note 10 as an “innovative” new product launch. According to the company’s report, it’s also pushing ahead on 5G.

Also, as “protective global trade practices” increase and customers are increasingly reluctant to buy new high-priced phones, Samsung will “introduce more competitive A series models in the second half” to take advantage of interest in the midrange models. It already announced plans to bring the Galaxy A50 and a few others to the US, and if that pace increases then we’d expect to see more models like its A70 (pictured above) that puts many of the Galaxy S10’s features in a cheaper package. In an accompanying slide it specifically called out the Galaxy A80, which combines a motorized slide mechanism and rotating camera.

Similarly, it’s not expecting to see the TV market change much in the near future, but it will try to increase profits by pushing its latest technology: 8K. According to Samsung, it’s time to take the lead by “positioning QLED 8K TVs as mainstream TVs.” We’ll see if mainstream consumers are ready to bring that monster 98-inch Q900 set home.

If you happen to own Nintendo’s new VR Kit, Captain Toad has an adventure for you. Nintendo Europe has announced that Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker has a free software update which uses the virtual reality goggles–and it’s available now.

Captain Toad’s new mini VR adventure lets you view courses in 360 degrees and explore four courses in virtual reality. One lets you pan around the stage to better gauge what’s around pillars and obstacles, while another puts you in a minecart to hunt for treasure. Check out the announcement trailer below.

Treasure Tracker isn’t the only game with VR support. Nintendo America announced back in April 2019 that two of the company’s most popular Switch games–The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Super Mario Odyssey–would receive VR support for free as software updates.

The VR Kit is part of Nintendo Labo, a sort of toys-to-life concept using cardboard to introduce new ways of interacting with the Nintendo Switch. Released throughout 2018, there are currently four Labo Kits available: Robot, Variety, Vehicle, and VR.

Treasure Tracker landed on Nintendo 3DS and Switch in July 2018, almost four years after its initial December 2014 launch. In our Treasure Tracker Switch review, we said, “Despite a smattering of minor complaints, Captain Toad stands as a pint-sized version of Nintendo’s stellar first party pedigree. It’s among the best Mario spin-offs around and a delightful iteration on old ideas.”

Microsoft has seemingly abandoned the idea of rolling out new distinct versions of Windows every couple of years. Instead, it just releases more updates for Windows 10. It let one update sneak out before it was ready last week, showing off a revised Start menu. That build also has another secret to spill. Microsoft is apparently working on cloud recovery options in Windows 10, PCMag reports.

We’ve all been there: some horrible, data-destroying thing has happened to your computer, and you need to reinstall Windows. At times like that, the last thing you want to do is dig through boxes and manuals to find your Windows install media. If you find it, the system image on it might be years old. With your computer incapacitated, you might not even have a way to make a new, up-to-date installation drive.

The leaked Windows build has a simple solution to that vexing problem. It offers the option of downloading a fresh copy of Windows from the cloud alongside the option to “reset locally” and reinstall the version you already have. Downloading a fresh build of Windows from the cloud has the potential to save hours of downloading and installing patches for an old version.

For this feature to work seamlessly, Microsoft would need its hardware partners to provide drivers or rely on the generic ones already bundled in Windows. Otherwise, users would have a fresh, new version of Windows and a bunch of non-functional hardware. That’s a problem most casual users wouldn’t know how to solve. Microsoft has the pull in the industry to make hardware vendors get in line, but it has to be serious about the effort. If OEMs are allowed to ignore the cloud restore option, no one is going to use it. Apple has a similar feature on Macs, but it has complete control over the hardware. So, there are no OEMs to strongarm.

Microsoft hasn’t commented on any features from the leaked build. It never intended to send that version of Windows 10 out to the Insider program, but the cat is out of the bag. If cloud downloads become an official feature, we should see them in the upcoming 20H1 update in spring of next year. As always, this is a leaked version of non-final software. The cloud download feature may end up delayed or altogether canceled.