After two months of delays, the Essential Phone still doesn’t have a final release date pinned down. And while the best possible news we could give is that the phone is coming out in the next week, that’s not the news we have for you. Instead, Essential has committed to announcing the release date to its premier Android smartphone in a week. When the Essential Phone finally does launch, which could now reasonably be near the end of August or the beginning of September, it will have to face-off a

Phone and tablet cameras can take great pictures, and with a little polishing from a specialized photo editing app, they can become amazing. There’s a huge selection of photo editing apps available for both Android and iOS, which means it can be hard to know which one to choose. The best photo editing apps for AndroidSnapseed’s context-sensitive tools make it a truly exceptional photo editing appGoogle Snapseed is a remarkable app that packs in more features than many desktop photo editors. The

Out looking for those serious back to school laptop deals to get a new laptop for college? Well, we’ve found a pretty sweet discount on a mighty versatile Acer laptop. As of this writing, Acer is selling its Acer Spin 1, an 11.6-inch 2-in-1 laptop, for a cool $50 off in the US. So, why is 50 bucks off a tablet a big deal? Sweetening the pot, Acer touts a 9-hour battery life for the Spin 1, and has also thrown in a year-long subscription to Microsoft Office 365.

There’s another Hearthstone rival marching onto the scene, from a big-name franchise with an already well-established pedigree in competitive gaming: Dota 2. Dota 2 is Valve’s MOBA (multiplayer online battle arena) game which involves teams of players who level Up characters and attempt to trash the other side’s base while defending their own, and it’s set to make the transition to a collectible card game. So it sounds like the game could contain an element of base building, and mirror Valve’s M

It seems that esports is going from strength to strength of late, and could potentially be included as an official part of the Olympic Games in 2024. The bid team from Paris, which is hosting the games that year – although an official announcement is still to be made (it’s coming in September) – has said it wants to discuss the inclusion of esports with the International Olympic Committee (IOC). Asian GamesEsports is already being included as an official part of the 2022 Asian Games over in Chin

Though owning a high-end gaming PC is certainly an enjoyable way to play great games, these days it’s not entirely necessary. Whether you’re on Windows, OS X, Linux, or something else you can still enjoy some fantastic online gaming experiences straight from your browser. Not requiring downloads or purchase, these games are a convenient and low-cost way to pass a few hours. From basic text-based adventures to Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games (MMORPGs) that boast impressive 3D grap

But now Amazon is looking to undercut the big brands by selling its own dirt-cheap flashgun for under $28/£27. The head can also be tilted upwards 90 degrees and rotated 270 degrees for bouncing the flash off ceilings and walls, while it sports a pretty good guide number of 33 (ISO100/1M). Guide number is a measurement of flash power, usually quoted in metres at ISO100. Dividing the Gn by the aperture value gives the distance the light will reach and still Illuminate the subject sufficiently. Yo

In what’s an obvious move, Disney will launch its own streaming service and open up its vast archive of Disney films and TV shows. Disney’s IP is staggering, over a few short years it has bought up the rights to Star Wars, Indiana Jones and Marvel – there are simply no bigger franchises out there. In an earnings call, Disney CEO Bob Iger said it is “discussing and debating” what will happen with its Marvel and Star Wars properties. But a dedicated TV streaming service will open up this content a

A perennial problem in human-computer interaction is getting machines to understand emotional concepts like sarcasm, irony and understatement. They’ve built a system that has scanned through 1.2 billion tweets with a natural emotional labelling system attached – emoji. “With this approach we beat the state of the art across benchmarks for sentiment, emotion, and sarcasm detection.” They continued: “For instance, all of the new chatbot services popping up might benefit from having a nuanced under

Lenovo has back-to-school deals for students looking to get their first laptop or upgrade to something a little beefier or more premium. Here we’ll look at some of the best back-to-school savings you can get on a new Lenovo laptop whether you’re on a budget or have a little cash to splurge with. Top that off with the ThinkPad brand’s trademark durability, and you’ve got a machine that’s ready for the tumultuous life of a student. Get the $417 off dealIf you want a computer that’s ready for every

The US International Trade Commission (ITC) said today it voted to look into allegations levied against the tech giant made in a complaint by Qualcomm. Apple and Qualcomm, two long-time partners, are locked in a legal dispute that sees both sides lobbing accusations against one another. The investigation is the latest development in an ongoing legal battle between Apple and Qualcomm. Earlier this year, Apple filed suit against Qualcomm for $1 billion, alleging onerous and anti-competitive patent

In a move we can only describe as “inevitable,” Disney has announced an end date for its partnership with Netflix in order to pursue a streaming service of its own. At the beginning of the 2019 calendar year, Disney will end its distribution-for-streaming agreement with Netflix, forcing the streaming giant to Let It Go as a “new Disney-branded service” comes to the fore. The announcement comes just over a year after Netflix’s original deal with the House of Mouse began to pay off, with the strea

Those who find their smartphone as much an accessory as an appliance may be in for some bad news as Apple may possibly reduce the number of colors available for its upcoming iPhone 8. Trustworthy KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo predicts that the next iteration of Apple’s flagship phone will come in three colors — black, silver and gold, possibly ruling out the rose gold variant, according to a report from MacRumors. Kicked off with the iPhone 6S and used in iPads, Macbooks, and even non-Appl

On the day of the great solar eclipse across the US, Intel will show Coffee Lake, it’s 8th generation of Core series processors, to the world. On August 21, Intel will livestream the festivities on both its own newsroom page as well as Facebook starting at 8am PT (11am ET, 5pm BT) or 1am AEST on August 22. Finally, Intel teases that folks will be able to buy Coffee Lake chips in addition to devices housing them before the holiday shopping season hits – ahem, like Black Friday? Oh, and you’ll lik

Google Maps has long been putting its users to task by quizzing them about their favorite destinations. And now, you’ll be able to help even more people find the perfect restaurant or any other point of visit to make the trek to. Navigate to any restaurant on Google Maps and click the two-line description. It’s all right here, and better yet, it’s open to your feedback if no relevant info has been provided yet. Start contributingIf you’re signed into Google Maps with your Google account, there’s

Nearly a year since it first launched its own live streaming feature, Instagram is now adding the ability to tag in a friend to join in on your latest casts. Currently in testing for a select number of users, Instagram’s new feature allows users to select anyone currently watching the stream and invite them into the action. InstastreamDuring the show, guests can choose to sign off whenever they choose and the original broadcaster can then opt to post their latest stream to Instagram’s stories, s

Earlier today we saw a leak for the Xperia XZ1 Compact, and now we’ve seen a new report toting the spec of its bigger brother – that’s the Xperia XZ1. The photos and specs listed out suggest the Xperia XZ1 will be remarkably similar to the Xperia XZ. The spec list suggests it will have the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 processor, much like the Xperia XZ Premium and variants of the Galaxy S8. Much same, such XperiaThe first shots of the Sony Xperia XZ1 show a similar design to what we’ve seen be

If you play a lot of multiplayer games, then making sure you have the best gaming router is essential. The best gaming routers should then have plenty of Gigabit Ethernet ports for connecting your gaming devices to the internet – or for playing local LAN games. Having a wired connection isn’t always possible, so gaming routers need to have the latest – and fastest – Wi-Fi technology as well, which is currently 802.11ac. With the particular needs of gamers in mind, then, here are the very best ga

With that in mind, although I began writing using the outline I made with the Guardian guide, I started using it as a loose structure rather than following it slavishly. I’m glad I did – I’m only 10,000 words in and already I’ve decided to change one character’s gender, split another in two, and revoke a nation’s independence. There’s no way I’ll have a whole peaceful room to myself, as is recommended in so many books on writing. Google Play’s Unstoppable Rock radio station is another favorite,

And today, we’re seeing a similar leak, which gives us a bit of confidence that we might actually be seeing the final iPhone 8 design. Its rear is stocked with the vertically-oriented camera array, a configuration that we’ve seen used on other phones that are prepped for augmented reality. There’s still confusionWhen a phone’s so-called final design leaks, several more usually rush in to affirm or contradict the veracity of said leak. Today’s leak certainly adds confidence in terms of the front