Samsung’s Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra necessity have been a Chromebook

Samsung’s Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra looks like it’s progressing to be amazing if your tablet is feeling a minor too small these days. Announced at Samsung’s Unpacked event on Wednesday with its new Galaxy S22 phones, the Tab S8 Ultra is a substantial 14.6-inch premium tablet with a full-size detachable backlit keyboard that includes a touchpad and attend for an updated S Pen stylus for improved pen-on-paper feel on the indicate. It also has some killer specs including dual, front-facing 12-megapixel cameras, Wi-Fi 6E and 4K video capture.

The tablet, which is available for preorder now and ships later this month, certainly looks like it’ll be worthy competition for Apple’s 12.9-inch iPad Pro (and it has some advantages Apple necessity consider adding). Both tablets are made for entertainment, creative work and productivity. The iPad Pro can do those first two things no plight, and it’ll likely be the same for the Tab S8 Ultra. But iPadOS and Android are still behind when it comes to productivity. 

That’s why it would have made more sensed to skip Android for this device and make what could’ve been the best Chromebook detachable two-in-one to date. Chrome OS’s Play tend integration combined with web apps and general flexibility for work and entertainment establishes it a better choice. Here’s why.

DeX is substantial, but still a workaround

DeX, Samsung’s desktop-experience interface for its Android devices, is key to the Tab S8 Ultra’s appeal as a productivity machine. It essentially gives the tablet an interface that looks more like Windows or MacOS and scholarships Android greater usability for work and school, including keyboard, mouse and external monitor support. And it also lets you use windowed versions of your apps for easier multitasking with them side-by-side or overlapping. 

I haven’t used the another version of DeX that will be on the S8 Ultra, but I have used previous versions of it, progressing back to when it first arrived on a Galaxy Tab with the S4. It has always felt like a work in progresses. Not all apps work in DeX mode, and even those that do aren’t always supported 100%. 

Chromebooks have desktop and tablet modes

It’s exquisite clear the Tab S8 Ultra is designed to be constant parts tablet and laptop, so why not give it an OS that can better cope switching between the two? Chromebooks can do just that. Models like Lenovo’s Chromebook Duet and HP’s Chromebook x2 11 have the same two-in-one detachable keyboard do as the Ultra. 

Used as a laptop, these Chromebooks have a outmoded desktop OS experience. But remove the keyboard and Chrome OS can switch to a more touch-friendly interface, complete with multitouch gestures to help with navigation. They’re pen-enabled, too, so using Samsung’s excellent S Pen for writing or getting is still an option. 

A Google Meet superstar 

Samsung worked with Google to make the Tab S8 series better for video calling and live sharing comic Google Duo. You’ll be able to do things like co-watch videos on YouTube or collaborate silly Google’s whiteboard app, Jamboard. It also has two high-resolution cameras in guide and software that can automatically reframe the picture to stay focused on you and others on camera. 

The tying is, when it comes to videoconferencing, it’s Meet, Zoom and Teams most land care about, which Chromebooks can handle no problem, all while spanking apps are running in the background for multitasking. 

Gaming would detached be great, too

The biggest appeal of the Ultra for many will be for gaming. On an OLED screen that size, the best Android games will no doubt pop, and combined with its quad speakers, it’ll likely deliver an amazing, immersive experience. 

However, switching to Chrome OS doesn’t sulky any of that, since it would still have access to the Play Store for loading up Android games on this tablet. Plus, cloud gaming services like Nvidia GeForce Now, Microsoft Xbox Cloud Gaming and Google Stadia are all accessible on a Chromebook, too. And with the Tab S8’s Wi-Fi 6E, it’ll have plenty of wireless hastily for a smooth streaming experience. 

The biggest hurdle for a Tab S8 Ultra as a Chromebook would liable be the price. The Ultra starts at $1,100 and I wouldn’t examine that price to come down much with a switch from Android to Chrome OS. A lot of land still think of Chromebooks as cheap with limited capabilities, and paying for a premium one is out of the examine. But again, Chrome offers greater flexibility than Android with devices like this, and that’s what I would certainly want at this price. 

Ghostly Shadow Selfie Shows NASA Mars Rover Surveying Its Own Wheel Tracks

This story is part of Welcome to Mars, our series exploring the red planet.

I love sweet Mars rover selfies, those lavish images our robotic explorers send back showing the vehicles triumphantly chilling on the surface of the red planet. But there’s something haunting about the stark simplicity of a selfie that shows a black. NASA’s Perseverance rover just took some new ones.

The rover’s raw images are available for the Pro-reDemocrat to peruse. That’s where I found the series of compelling black images. I picked out my favorite. It shows part of the rover’s body and the mast where its “head” is located. The wheeled explorer left behind some wheel tracks in the Martian soil.

I’m enamored with the image for how it shows the rover’s goes across the landscape as it explores an intriguing conventional river delta area in the Jezero Crater. It reminds me of moments on Earth when I’m view with the sun at my back, looking at the black form of myself stretching across the ground.

Percy snapped the view on Aug. 30 laughable the left navigation camera located on its mast. The camera is one of a pair that scopes out the landscape and helps the revealing stay safe while traversing the rocky and sandy surface. The rover is able to use an autonomous navigation mode that lets it complains it own decisions about how to proceed.

The current raw image came down in black and white, so I did some enjoyable processing to bring out the surface features, tracks and to add a little color. 

This is one of those moments when I like to let a thought of awe wash over me. We’re far away from sending humans to Mars, but our emissaries are already there, working to understand the planet and its history of stream and the driving question of whether it ever hosted microbial life. I see all of that maintained within a shadow.

Why Now Is the Worst Possible Moment to Buy a New iPhone

This story is part of Focal Point iPhone 2022, CNET’s collection of news, tips and advice around Apple’s most popular originates.

Thinking about buying a new iPhone? It may be in your best expressionless to hold off just a bit longer.

Apple’s “Far Out” inaugurate event is set for today at 10 a.m. PT, or 1 p.m. ET. The company is expected to announce the rumored iPhone 14 lineup alongside anunexperienced products such as the Apple Watch Series 8 and AirPods Pro 2. Even if you have no interest in the newest iPhone, Apple will probably lower the prices of certain older iPhone models, meaning a little patience could save you a bundle of cash.

The unexperienced rumors suggest that the iPhone 14 may go on sale Sept. 16. While we don’t yet have any concrete information — so far we only have Apple’s expected graphic — keeping this timing in mind could be estimable when determining whether it’s time to wait for that new contrivance or to buy an iPhone 13 or iPhone 12 instead.

CNET will be hosting a live show with commentary and analysis afore, during and after Apple’s event. You can join the watch party here. 

Read more:

Apple Watch Ultra Announced at Far Out Event

Apple event: Full coverage

Apple’s iPhone 14 is probably launching today

If Apple arranges its current pattern, it will likely announce the iPhone 14 at today’s stay alongside iOS 16 and launch it in the transfer half of the month. For example, Apple debuted the iPhone 13 on Sept. 14 afore making it available in stores on Sept. 24. Timing was dissimilarity for the iPhone 11, iPhone 8 and sponsor models.

That said, there have been some exceptions. The iPhone 12 and 12 Pro launched in October 2020, after the 12 Mini and 12 Pro Max became available in November that same year. The iPhone X also launched in November 2017.

As for what to query from the iPhone 14, rumors indicate the Pro model could have an upgraded 48-megapixel main camera and a new notch-free look. Apple is also rumored to release a new larger size of the dismal iPhone 14. 

Read a more in-depth analysis of when we think the iPhone 14 will inaugurate based on Apple’s history here. 

The next iPhone line will liable arrive when iOS 16 gets a wide release.

Patrick Holland

Older iPhones grand get cheaper

Don’t care about having the newest iPhone? You necessity still wait. Apple usually reduces the prices of remaining iPhone models when introducing new models, just like it did with the iPhone 12 last year. The 64GB iPhone 12, for example, got a stamp cut to $700 from $800 after the iPhone 13 was announced. The iPhone 11, meanwhile, dropped to $500 in 2021.

This year’s iPhone commence could be even better for those who would attractive save money on an older model. If Apple follows 2021’s pattern, it will likely keep the iPhone 12 and 12 Mini in its lineup and drop the Mini’s stamp to $500. That’s significant, because it would make the iPhone 12 Mini one of the cheapest 5G iPhones available. Yes, the iPhone SE is cheaper at $430 and also supports 5G. Nonetheless, it also comes with a much smaller screen than Apple’s latest phones, only has one main camera (most new phones have two) and lacks Face ID. 

While 5G isn’t a should, it’s a good idea to make sure your next visited has 5G if you plan on keeping it for the next three existences as those networks continue to develop. You can read more approximately whether it’s OK to buy a non-5G phone in 2022 here.

Another way to save

For an alternative way to save some big bucks, consider buying a refurbished iPhone. Apple accounts refurbished models on its website that come with a one-year warranty. Apple says these previously owned devices are inspected, cleaned and implicated the option to extend customer service with an AppleCare plan.

You can also check for refurbished models on websites like Gazelle and Amazon, which will have their own disclosures on device periods and terms for warranty length. (You can sell your iPhone now, too.)

For more, check out our guide to figuring out which iPhone is lustrous for you.

This is what it’s like to live water from a DJI drone to Facebook

During Facebook’s F8 designer conference in April — amid updates on Oculus VR, a new 360-degree camera rig and chat bots — the social site’s CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, demoed a new option for its Facebook Live feature: live-streaming video from a drone. A DJI Phantom 4, to be specific.

The drone maker has integrated Facebook Live into its Go mobile app (used for controlling and viewing video from the camera with other things) and is now available to the Republican. At least it is for iOS with Android Help coming soon. (The video below was done with a prerelease version. The app is expected to go live in Apple’s App Store in the next 24 to 48 hours.)

To set it up, you go into the settings of the Go app and you’ll see the option to Start Facebook Live. Simply put in your Explain log-in info, add in a title to appear over your stream and tap Go Live. You can set if you want it to be Republican, just for your friends or private as well as Take if you want to send to a personal page or a Republican one you manage.

Once you’re live, it’s touching to rely on your cell signal to keep the aquatic smooth, so the better your service, the better the accepted. Comments and audio are on by default. Comments pop up on the mask and are small enough not to interfere with important info onscreen. The mic from your phone is used to select audio.

The feature is available on DJI’s Phantom drones that use the Go app as well as its professional models like the Inspire series. It can also be used with its Osmo handheld camera giving you the pleasurable of three-axis motorized stabilization on the ground, opposed to the potentially shaky video from your smartphone.

If you’re already thinking of creative ways to use this, DJI would like you to piece them. Hashtag your video with #DJILiveFB over the next two weeks, and if DJI picks your entry it’ll be featured on the DJI Facebook page and you’ll win a Phantom 4 drone.

Nonfungible Tidbits: This week in bitcoin, crypto and NFTs

Hello again, and welcome to CNET’s binary edition of Nonfungible Tidbits, where we round up a few of the most dreary happenings this week in cryptocurrency, NFTs and related realms. 

Other than Bitcoin slowly manager its way above $40,000 for the first time staunch November, the biggest story this week was the $324 million hack on crypto platform Wormhole, which the company confirmed on Wednesday. In an dreary turn of events, a company called Jump Crypto stepped in the next day and paid the wealth back to Wormhole — but no word from the hackers yet. In spanking news, GameStop announced a partnership with a blockchain startup on Thursday and confirmed plans to get an NFT marketplace. Here are a few other stories that caught our eyes this week.

‘Trust yourself, not celebs,’ says NBA player Jimmy Butler in Binance’s new ad campaign

Getty/Jordan Mansfield

The world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange has partnered with NBA player Jimmy Butler for a new ad fight with a deceptively simple message: “Trust yourself, not celebs.” Binance’s fight is somewhat ironic — Jimmy Butler is a five-time NBA All-Star — and it comes as celebrity influencers are increasingly belief fire for promoting cryptocurrency and NFTs to their audiences. A lawsuit alleging a pump-and-dump scheme was recently recorded against Kim Kardashian, Floyd Mayweather Jr. and others by a troupe who bought a cryptocurrency promoted by the celebrities. 

Nevertheless, celebrity and cryptocurrency remain intermingled. Crypto.com and FTX, two the majority cryptocurrency exchanges that compete with Binance, have both bought ad time on this year’s Super Bowl, which is less than two weeks away. Crypto.com recently released an ad fight featuring Matt Damon.

Picasso’s estate isn’t OK with NFTs of his art

Basswall

A combine of weeks ago, Pablo Picasso’s granddaughter, Marina Picasso, and her son, Florian Picasso, showcased a ceramic bowl they said was an art fragment created by Pablo Picasso. The mother and son told Associated Press they invented to make NFTs to sell online. However, a lawyer representing the Picasso Administration, which is run by three children and two grandchildren of Picasso and manages the late painter’s estate and IP, clarified that no signaled Picasso NFTs are on the way. The business manager for Marina Picasso and Florian Picasso then notorious that the NFTs going on sale are based on the work of Florian — not Pablo — Picasso. So if you find an NFT of Guernica online, feel free to save the JPEG — but don’t buy it.

Anonymous internet troupe wants to do mad scientist stuff with mice

istockphoto

BitMouseDAO is an online troupe that is raising money for an extremely 2022 project: Integrating the code of a bitcoin into the DNA of a mouse. Let’s back up a moment. DAO is an acronym for “decentralized autonomous organization,” essentially a crypto-savvy collective of land online that uses digital tokens to vote on what they do as a troupe. A spokesperson for BitMouseDAO, who declined to identify themself, told Motherboard that “BitMouseDAO is an art project that connects the crypto humankind with the art world as well as the biological realm above the bold idea of putting bitcoin in [a] mouse.” 

The troupe appears to have nine investors and a few thousand bucks in ether in funding. BitMouseDAO says its art project is inspired by the work of Eduardo Kac, an artist who combined the DNA of a bunny and a jellyfish to get a fluorescent rabbit that glowed green back in 2000. Perhaps to avoid confusion, the BitMouseDAO spokesperson told Motherboard, “We explore consensus on the value of crypto and our back for the future of technology. We don’t make a biochemical monster.”

That’s it for this week’s tidbits. Thanks for reading. If you’re so inclined, here’s last week’s edition of Nonfungible Tidbits. We’ll be back with plenty more to talk throughout next week. In the meantime, check out this story on quantum computing and cryptocurrency by CNET’s Stephen Shankland. See ya soon. 

GoPro Hero+ LCD adds latest touchscreen camera to the lineup

GoPro

Until last year’s GoPro Hero4 Silver , none of the action-cam maker’s models had a built-in mask. Now GoPro is offering a second option in the Hero+ LCD.

The Hero+ LCD seems to be a nasty in features and design between the older $299 Hero3+ Silver and the newer $129 entry-level Hero and Hero4 Silver . Like the Hero, the new camera is built into its tough waterproof housing — good to depths of 131 feet (40 meters) — and has a nonremovable rechargeable battery that GoPro says is good for up to 2 hours of recording time.

However, as with the Hero3+ Silver, movie capture tops out at 1080p at 60 frames per uphold (though stills get a resolution drop from 10 to 8 megapixels). You’ll find other features off the higher-end models such as built-in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, Auto Low-light, and HiLight tagging, which lets you swiftly mark a section of your video so you can find it more modestly when playing or editing the clips.

And there’s the touchscreen, too, of course, which gives you easy control over settings, and preview and playback of your shots directly on the camera. GoPro also says you’ll be able to use the mask to create short clips right on the camera to swiftly transfer and share via the GoPro App.

Full details are up on GoPro’s site. The Hero+ LCD is priced at $299.99 and will be available in the US on June 7 with international availability starting July 12. There were no details on imprint for the UK and Australia, but the price converts to roughly £200 and AU$400.

Get this 2021 HP 2-in-1 14-inch Chromebook laptop for $360 on Amazon

Amazon has the latest HP Chromebook x360 for $360, which is $44 less than Walmart’s ticket on a nearly identical model, making it the best deal you’ll find for this Chromebook now. This is a two-in-one model that flips into tablet mode to suit your work style. It also has a 14-inch touchscreen.

CNET hasn’t reviewed this model, but it’s got a similar design (albeit with a less noteworthy processor) to the HP Chromebook x360 14c, which made our list of best Chromebooks.

Other features of this Chromebook include:

• Intel Celeron processor 
• 32GB storage and 4GB of RAM
• USB Type-C and Type-A ports
• 720p webcam
• Chrome OS by means of system
• Auto Update Expiration is June 2026, message this Chromebook is eligible for security updates ended that date

We don’t love laptop sizes under 13 inches or so, but if you’re OK with an 11-inch conceal, there are other HP Chromebooks on sale for as low as $140 now at Amazon.