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For the past two years, Hulu has discounted its ad-supported subscription to $2 per month during Black Friday, down from the usual $5.99/mo. If you're a student, you can now get the same discount year-round.
Samsung is one of the largest makers of smart home products, all connected through the company's SmartThings platform. Samsung has plenty to show off during this year's virtual CES, including a high-end robot vacuum with LiDAR, more features coming to the SmartThings app, and new TVs.
TCL reveals first Android tablet with e-ink-like NXTPAPER screen, plus stylus-equipped budget tablet
TCL produces some of the better Android tablets currently available, if you don't want one of Samsung's various Galaxy Tabs for some reason. The company released a budget 8-inch tablet a few months ago for Verizon, and now TCL is showing off two new options during CES 2021 — one with a new experimental display technology, and a cheaper option targeted at home and educational use.
Roborock is working on self-emptying dustbins for its robot vacuums
One step closer to the robot vacuum revolution
Robot vacuums are great and all, but at some point, they still require human intervention. Sometimes they get caught on the charging cable you left on the floor, or smear the poop your dog left on the floor, or need their dustbin emptied. Some robot vacuums can already empty their bins into a larger bin (typically located on the charging stations), and now some of Roborock's products will have the same features.Roborock today announced its new S7 robot vacuum, but it also teased a product that should be released sometime in the next few months. It's a HEPA-rated self-emptying dock, that both charges the vacuum and empties its internal bins into a larger container. It supposedly traps 99.97% of allergens and airborne pollutants for easy disposal.
Roborock has produced more than a few popular smart robot vacuums, like the Roborock S6 we gave an 8/10 in our review last year. CES is always full of new IoT products, and sure enough, Roborock is taking the (virtual) stage to reveal its new flagship vacuum: the Roborock S7.
Fossil's first Wear OS smartwatch with LTE is a Verizon exclusive
The Fossil Gen 5 LTE is coming this spring
Fossil Group has been Google's main partner with Wear OS for years, producing dozens of watches under a handful of different brands. The company's main flagship watch is the Fossil Gen 5, which is nearing two years old. Fossil didn't announce a Gen 6 line at this year's CES show, but there is a new LTE version of the Gen 5 coming this spring.
Fossil's e-ink hybrid smartwatch will soon be available in more sizes and colors
The updated model is Skagen-branded
Fossil released its first hybrid smartwatch in late 2019, as a halfway point between the company's traditional watches and its Wear OS smartwatches. Following a few software updates, the original Hybrid HR ended up being a capable smartwatch alternative, and now Fossil Group is releasing an updated model under its Skagen brand.Fossil has already released several Wear OS watches with the Skagen name, like the sleek Skagen Falster 3, but it will soon start selling the Jorn Hybrid HR. The watch doesn't appear to be a significant departure from the original Fossil-branded Hybrid HR — it still has an e-ink screen, 2+ weeks of battery life, activity and sleep tracking, notification mirroring, and so on.
The only significant difference between the original model and the Jorn Hybrid is the design. Skagen will have five styles available, in both 38mm and 42mm sizes. The current Hybrid watch has fewer design options and only one 42mm size. Hooray for people with small wrists!The Jorn Hybrid HR will be available soon for $195. That's the same retail price as the original Hybrid HR, though that watch has gone down in price over time — some styles are now as low as 9.Fossil also announced a new Wear OS smartwatch at CES, the Gen 5 LTE.
Parler social network removed from Apple App Store following Play Store takedown
Amazon is also shutting off Parler's AWS hosting
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The social media network Parler has grown significantly over the past year as a "free speech" alternative to Twitter and Facebook, though it has been constantly criticized for allowing extremist content and damaging conspiracy theories. Following the raid on the U.S. Capitol by far-right extremists that left at least five people dead, Apple demanded Parler establish new moderation policies, but Google appears to have skipped ahead and banned the app entirely.
Google Meet has been in rapid development over the past year to accommodate the millions of people who transitioned to (and in many cases, still are) working from home. The service has implemented many new features recently, and now Google is making it easier than ever to create a call.
LineageOS 17.1 adds support for OnePlus Nord, 2013 Nexus 7, and more
The Android 10-based custom ROM rolls out to more devices
LineageOS is the most popular custom ROM around, and for good reason. It has extended the life of many phones and tablets that would have otherwise been abandoned, and even for phones still receiving software updates from the original manufacturer, Lineage can sometimes work better than the stock software. Since our last roundup, LineageOS 17.1 has arrived on eight more devices, including the OnePlus Nord and 2013 Google Nexus 7.
HMD Global produces many, many, many Nokia-branded Android phones. The company already had the camera app for most of its devices uploaded to the Play Store, so updates could be rolled out without the need for full OS upgrades, but now HMD has a new camera app on the store.
The Roku Channel will soon host Quibi's old content catalog
A new report says Roku will buy Quibi's content catalog
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Quibi launched last year as a streaming service designed for mobile viewing; all content could be watched in portrait mode, and episodes were never more than a few minutes long. The unique gimmick wasn't enough to save the service, which shut down in December, but now the remains of Quibi might be snatched up by Roku.
Asus says the 2018 ROG Phone will stay on 2018's Android Pie
$900+ apparently doesn't buy you more than one OS update
Asus has a mixed history with software support, but more often than not, the company slips behind on keeping its phones updated. The original ROG Phone was released in late 2018 with Android 8.1, a few months before Android 9 Pie became available, and finally received Pie a year later. Now it seems the gaming flagship will stay on the outdated OS.
OnePlus is working on a smartwatch, possibly using Google's Wear OS platform, but it has also been developing a cheaper fitness band. Some details and photos of the band leaked earlier this week, and now OnePlus has set an official launch date.
Universal is bringing 7 classic horror films to YouTube (Update: Not in the US)
The movies will be available for one week, starting January 15
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Universal Pictures has decades worth of classic horror movies in its vaults, but many of them aren't available on the most popular streaming services. If you're in the mood for some scares (and this past week hasn't been scary enough for you), Universal is planning to show seven of its more popular horror films on YouTube, starting later this month.
Google's white Pixel 4a 5G will no longer be a Verizon exclusive
The color was previously only available on Verizon's mmWave version
Google shook up its smartphone lineup during 2020, and part of that was releasing a new third tier of Pixel phones between the budget 'a' series and the flagship offerings. The Pixel 4a 5G ended up being the best of Google's three 2020 phones, and now a new color is available for anyone buying the phone unlocked.
OnePlus 8 and 8 Pro start receiving OxygenOS update, still on November security patch
This upgrade is mostly for Europe and India
The OnePlus 8 and 8 Pro were released about a year ago, and while the 8 has been succeeded by the newer 8T, the 8 Pro is still the company's top flagship. Both phones are now receiving a system update, though only in India and Europe — you 'Muricans out there will have to wait for the next one.
JBL reveals Charge 5, true wireless ANC buds, Chromecast soundbar, and much (much) more
JBL has a lot to (virtually) show off at CES 2021
This year's Consumer Electronics Show (CES 2021) doesn't technically start until next week, but there are always companies that reveal their new stuff a bit early. JBL has now announced several new audio products that will start shipping next month, including outdoor speakers, true wireless earbuds, and other audio gear.
Mojang, the original development studio for Minecraft, has worked on more than a few Minecraft spin-offs over the past few years. One of them was Minecraft Earth, a free-to-play augmented reality game where you could build structures in the real world, but the game will now shut down only two years after the initial announcement.
Moto G Stylus sequel appears in new 360-degree video with supersized design
Super-size that display and give it a pen
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Motorola's Moto G lineup has been creeping up in price and features for a while now, and last year, the company tried something different. Moto released two G phones in the United States (and some other regions), the G Power and G Stylus. The latter was equipped with a passive stylus, making it a competitor against the LG Stylo series, and now Motorola is working on a super-sized sequel.