That’s right, Mario Kart Tour is now available on Android for all to install!
Like any Mario Kart game, you get to race around courses with your favorite Nintendo characters. Since this is Mario Kart Tour, Nintendo has tried to create courses inspired by real-world cities in addition to the classics. They plan on trying to rotate featured tours every two weeks and provide special character variations depending on locale.
As you race (in apparently only takes one finger to drive), you’ll grab items, battle and unlock other characters, collect badges, and try and nab first place. You’ll be able to increase your online rank, change karts and gliders, and participate in bonus challenges.
It’s Mario Kart – you know how to play.
Mario Kart Tour is free to play, but you’ll need a persistent internet connection in order to do so. You’ll find advertising too, and don’t be surprised if the game tries to make you pay to keep playing for long periods of time, since almost all of Nintendos games are like that.
If you aren’t able to play just yet, it looks like that’s because Nintendo hasn’t quite fired up servers. They should be live shortly.
(CNN) – It’s time to run a Windows update on your Microsoft computer.
The company says the updates will protect your computer against critical and important vulnerabilities in its Internet Explorer (IE) browser and Windows Defender anti-virus software. (Source: KGO, CNN)
The tech giant has issued two emergency warnings.
The company says the updates will protect your computer against critical and important vulnerabilities in its Internet Explorer (IE) browser and Windows Defender anti-virus software.
The IE flaw affects versions 9, 10 and 11.
The Windows Defender bug makes it possible for a remote attacker to take over a target system and prevent legitimate users from using the software.
Users must install the security update for Internet Explorer manually. But the update for Windows Defender will be installed automatically.
So what's next for phones after foldable screens, punch hole cameras and notches? Apparently, just wrapping a display around the whole thing. Also, there's an augmented reality board game Kickstarter you should see, and the Galaxy Fold is finally ready for its US debut.
Forget edgeless phones -- this Mi Mix Alpha is practically frameless, with a "Surround Screen" that covers nearly the entire device on all sides. Xiaomi hasn't revealed all of the details but said it's already in production with plans to launch in December for 19,999 yuan (or about $2,810).
Controls are activated using the pressure-sensitive sides since there are no physical buttons other than a power switch on top. The fingerprint reader and acoustic tech are tucked underneath the screen too. Inside, there are 5G radios, a Qualcomm Snapdragon 855+ chipset, 12GB of RAM and 512GB of storage. Finally, it's packing a 108-megapixel camera in the small amount of space that isn't screen, plus lenses for ultra-wide and telephoto shooting. Forget a front-facing selfie camera though -- you can see yourself in the part of the screen that's on the back of this phone.
The idea is that by wearing one, users can just think about doing something, like moving their arm in a particular way, and control computers based on that intention. The team is now a part of Facebook Reality Labs (fka Oculus Research), where it's likely going to be used for controlling objects in VR or AR.
Remember castAR? Although that company closed in 2017, engineer Jeri Ellsworth and others from the team behind it have created a new and improved version of the augmented reality glasses, built with a renewed focus on tabletop gaming. The new Tilt Five hardware is lighter, has a more modern look and is far cheaper than headsets like Microsoft's HoloLens or Magic Leap. A Kickstarter for the project launches today promising a basic kit for $299 that will ship in June 2020.
If you decided to upgrade to Apple's latest mobile device, you might want to consider getting a few accessories to go along with it. Unsurprisingly, there's a vast array already on sale, but here are a few that caught our eye.
Samsung is finally ready to sell Galaxy Fold in the US. Assuming you have $1,980 at the ready, you can claim your own foldable on September 27th from either AT&T (in case you're already a subscriber) or from Best Buy or Samsung retail locations (which sell unlocked and AT&T models.)
It's no secret that the built-in speakers in most TVs are trash. They don't project enough sound out to the front so you can hear well -- especially subtle details. To help guide your shopping spree on a soundbar and (possibly) subwoofer, we've compiled a list of everything you need to look for alongside a list of the top picks for a range of budgets.
All products recommended by Engadget are selected by our editorial team, independent of our parent company. Some of our stories include affiliate links. If you buy something through one of these links, we may earn an affiliate commission.
Apple just released the Apple Watch Series 5 this past weekend and if we’re being honest, it’s really not an impressive update. The only real change is the fact that the display is always-on, so it shows the time and other information even when you’re not looking at it. Seriously? The new marquee feature is the fact that the screen is on when you don’t need it to be on? Okay then. If you want to save some money, the Apple Watch Series 4 has the exact same design, the exact same display, and even the exact same processor… and it’s available right now on Amazon with deep discounts up to $105. You can save $50 on either the 40mm Apple Watch Series 4 or the 44mm version with GPS, and that discount skyrockets to $105 if you get the 44mm Apple Watch Series 4 with Cellular + GPS. Plenty of different case and band combos are on sale with various discounts, so make sure you click around and find your favorite!
Here’s more info from the product page:
GPS + Cellular
Over 30% larger display
Electrical and optical heart sensors
ECG app
Digital Crown with haptic feedback
50% louder speaker
S4 Sip with faster 64-bit dual-core processor
Improved accelerometer and gyroscope for fall detection
Swim proof
watchOS 5
Follow @BGRDeals on Twitter to keep up with the latest and greatest deals from around the web. Quantities may be limited. Prices are subject to change without notice and coupons may expire at any time. Some deals may not be available to all customers. BGR may receive a commission on orders placed through this article.
Apple focused on two big things for the iPhone 11 lineup: cameras and battery life. In typical battery life tests up to now, the flagship iPhones have performed well but have been outpaced by leading Android phones which ship much larger capacitiy batteries.
However, Apple increased the battery capacity in the iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max this year. And the results speak for themselves; in Arun Maini’s battery life test video, the iPhone 11 Pro Max easily beat the leading Android competition.
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Apple made big claims about the new iPhone flagship battery life, with all models reportedly beating the iPhone XR’s performance, and general real-world use has been backing up those estimates. But how does the iPhone 11 lineup compare to the leading Android smartphones when it comes to battery life …
The iPhone 11 battery capacity is rated at 3046 mAH, and the iPhone 11 Pro is roughly comparable with 3190 mAH. The larger iPhone 11 Pro Max has a whopping 3969 mAH battery. In this test, Maini compared the three iPhone 11 models to the Note 10+ and the Huawei Mate 30 Pro, which features an incredible 4500 mAH battery.
The battery life test is relatively strenuous, cycling through tasks like Instagram, Camera, 3D games, music streaming and Shazam. How well does Apple’s combination of hardware and software do?
You can obviously watch the video yourself for the full breakdown of what happened, but what’s interesting is that whilst the iPhone 11 Pro Max stormed ahead, the $699 iPhone 11 trailed its 5.8-inch iPhone 11 Pro cousin by quite a margin — even though on paper the batteries are seemingly equivalent.
The iPhone 11 achieved a final time of 5 hours and 2 minutes. This longevity is fine for everyday use and mirrors the performance of the iPhone XR, which everyone generally agrees is more than enough to get you through a normal day.
However, the iPhone 11 Pro managed 6 hours and 42 minutes, lasting an additional hour and a half than the iPhone 11. This much of a discrepancy was surprising. Perhaps the OLED display in the 11 Pro is just more efficient than the 11’s LCD panel, or maybe there are buggy software explanations behind this.
The Note 10+ achieved 6 hours and 31 minutes, almost rivalling the iPhone 11 Pro.
But there’s a big gap between those and the remaining two contenders. The Huawei Mate 30 Pro came in at 8 hours and 13 minutes … but the iPhone 11 Pro Max took the number one spot with an incredible 8 hours and 32 minutes of battery life.
It’s going to be seriously difficult to run out of juice on an iPhone 11 Pro Max with typical day-to-day workloads.
In just a few days, the Samsung Galaxy Fold will again go on sale in the US, for $1980. One of the big mysteries about the re-launch was what Samsung would do to try to avoid another debacle. The answer, it turns out, is just a ridiculous amount of education and warnings. And if none of that convinces purchasers to baby their Folds, Samsung is allowing for a one-time-only screen replacement for $149.
We have already covered the changes Samsung made to the Fold in a previous story. In short: Samsung extended the screen protector under the bezel so you’re not tempted to peel it off, it reduced the size of the gap when it’s closed, added covers to better protect the insides from debris, and finally added more protection to the back side of the screen itself.
Customers who purchase a Galaxy Fold will have make an appointment and go to a retail store to pick it up. Samsung emphasized repeatedly that it would be available in “limited quantities” and also that it won’t ship a Fold direct to anybody. Instead it wants users to get one-on-one “Premier” consultations at either a Best Buy, AT&T, or Samsung Experience retail store. I got a brief demo of one of those sessions yesterday, and as you might expect it involved quite a lot of discussion about the proper care and maintenance of the Fold.
We normally don’t do unboxings here at The Verge, but I’m making an exception for the Galaxy Fold because of the sheer number of warnings you have to look at before you can hit the power button on the Fold for the first time. The first is a piece of paper that describes the Fold’s screen as being made up of “tissue thin layers.” That piece of paper is itself translucent and maybe a little tissue-esque, just to make sure the point gets across.
Underneath that is a black sheet of paper describing the Galaxy Fold Premier Service. It doesn’t offer any special warranties beyond a standard Samsung one-year service, unfortunately, except for the option to replace the screen once for $149. That only applies to people who purchase a Fold before December 31st, 2019. What happens after that is anyone’s guess.
After the setup concierge has walked you through those two pieces of paper, you’re finally going to get a chance to use the Fold itself, but it is wrapped in a piece of plastic that is also just riddled with warnings. So much so that it begins to seem more like a pharmaceutical ad that has to disclose dozens of side effects. Here’s some of what Samsung warns you about (emphasis mine below):
Do not press the screen with a hard or sharp object, such as a pen or fingernail.
Do not place any objects, such as cards, coins, or keys, on the screen.
This device is not water or dust resistant. Do not expose to liquids or small particles.
Do not attach any adhesives such as films or stickers to the main screen or remove the top protective layer.
Keep a safe distance between your device and objects that may be affected by magnets such as credit cards and implantable medical devices. If you have an implantable medical device, consult your physician before use.
After all of that, the Samsung concierge will offer to help set up the phone and transfer your data to it. They can also explain how the unique multitasking system on the larger screen works.
Once you’re out the door, Samsung will give you a custom phone number just for Fold customers who need support — though they can also do video chat via Samsung’s Members app.
I have another review unit from Samsung here in my hands, but I’ve only had it for a little under 24 hours, so there’s no chance I could give you any kind of verdict on its durability yet. I will say that I am still intrigued by the idea of a folding phone, if only because it forces you either to intentionally use it or ignore it, as I explained in our original (now sort of defunct) review of the Galaxy Fold:
Phones are funny things. They fit into our in-between times when you’re waiting in line or you have a minute to glance at something. But then they fill up all of those moments — and much more. The Galaxy Fold is just too big to fit in those in-between times. It is less useful than a phone when you’re walking, and it’s way more useful when you’re sitting down. I ended up feeling better about how I was using this than I usually do with a regular phone.
If that interests you too, and you have $1,980 to blow on a experimental luxury tech product, and another $149 to spare in case you need to replace the screen, and all of those warnings didn’t scare you off, and you are willing to go to a Best Buy or AT&T store to pick one up, and you pinkie promise not to let your fingernails or dust or liquid of any kind get near the screen, you can order the Galaxy Fold on September 27th.
The Mi Mix Alpha display wraps all the way around the back.
Screencap by Daniel Van Boom/CNET
Screen-to-body ratio is what's used to denote the amount of screen compared to the size of the phone chassis itself. The higher the screen-to-body ratio, the smaller the bezel. The iPhone 11 Pro has a screen to body ratio of 82.1% thanks to its big ol' notch. Huawei's Mate 30 Pro's ratio is 94.1%. The Samsung Galaxy Note 10 Plus? 91%. On Monday, Chinese company unveiled the Mi Mix Alpha, a phone it says has a screen-to-body ratio of 180.6%.
Yep, you read that right.
The concept phone's display wraps around the sides of the phone and extends aaaaaaall the way to the back. The only bezel on the phone is a narrow strip on the back which houses the camera setup. Oh, and that camera setup? It combines a 108-megapixel shooter with a 12 megapixel telephoto lens (for 2x optical zoom) and a 20-megapixel ultra-wide angle camera.
One hundred. And eight. Megapixels.
The camera shoots 12,032x9,024-resolution photos, Xiaomi says. That's a lot of pixels. More megapixels doesn't always mean better photos -- the Huawei P20 Pro takes excellent photos with a 40 megapixel lens, but the Google Pixel 3 takes equally-if-not-better photos with a 12.2 megapixel lens -- but it's hard not to be intrigued by 108 megapixels. To show off its prowess, Xiaomi demoed a photo taken with the camera and then showed that you can zoom in up to 8x without losing much detail at all.
The sides of the phone will show reminders and notifications. The back will be dormant when you're using the phone as usual (i.e. using the front screen), but will turn on when you flip the phone around. There you'll have a display which has shortcuts to your most used apps.
And your selfie game is about to be stronger than ever. When you turn the Mix Alpha around, the rear camera becomes a front camera. You'll use that, all 108 megapixels of it, to shoot your selfies.
The phone runs on the premium hardware you'd expect. A Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 Plus CPU, 12GB of RAM and 512GB of storage. That's the guts as the Mi 9 Pro 5G, which Xiaomi announced alongside the Mi Mix Alpha.
The Mi Mix Alpha is a concept phone, but it will actually come to market. However, only a small number of units will be made. And they'll cost 20,000 yuan, which converts to $2,815, AU$4,150 and £2,265. Who ever said the future would be cheap?
Xiaomi made its name for being an Apple clone, but is responsible for some serious innovation. Not only is it making this absolutely insane phone, its first Mi Mix, back in 2016, introduced the idea of a no-bezel display -- which is now common among all Android brands.
Key specifications
Wraparound display with 180.6% screen-to-body ratio
Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 Plus
12GB, 512GB storage
108-megapixel camera + 20-megapixel wide-angle shooter + 12-megapixel telephoto sensor
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