Battery UK

Mobile phones have grown incredibly sophisticated, with a growing number performing many of the functions of a full-size computer, as well as some things a desktop computer can’t do, such as navigating with GPS or starting a car. A 2011 Pew Internet Project survey found that 25 percent of smartphone owners do most of their Internet browsing on their phones.

The dilemma is that the more you depend on your phone, the faster you’re going to drain its battery. While screen, processor and storage technology has advanced significantly, lithium-ion batteries haven’t changed much in 15 years. Incremental improvements in battery efficiency have been far outpaced by processing power and screen size and brightness, as well as 3G and 4G radios, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth antennas, HD cameras, GPS and a variety of other hardware, all of which require power.

To conserve battery life on your phone, turn off what you don’t need, optimize what you do and perform a few tasks manually instead of automating them. You can both increase the time between charges and add to your battery’s usable life.

1

Dim your screen to significantly improve your battery’s life. Your phone’s screen is the largest power draw on the device, and the brighter it is, the more power it draws. Dim it as much as you feel comfortable with. The phone’s automatic brightness setting, which dims the screen in low-light conditions, isn’t as effective as reducing the brightness manually.

2

Set a short screen timeout interval to black out the screen when you’re not using it. If the timeout is very short, you may have to periodically touch the screen to keep it from timing out while you read content. However, if you mostly use the phone for short tasks like checking email or sending SMS messages — battery-consuming tasks when you do them frequently — you’ll see significant battery savings when you have a shorter timeout interval.

3

Reduce the frequency of application updates and syncs. For example, set your social-media applications to update manually instead of automatically, so they aren’t constantly running in the background, or while you’re not using your phone at all. Apple’s iCloud also syncs frequently, and you should turn it off when you don’t need it.

4

Eliminate unnecessary widgets and animations. On many phones, the bells and whistles on the home screen may use significant resources, especially if they’re updating news or weather frequently, or using animations where a static image would suffice.

5

Disable Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and GPS when you don’t use them. Each receiver or transmitter on your phone uses juice even when it isn’t connecting, and both Bluetooth and Wi-Fi periodically search for devices in the background, using up even more battery charge. Some smartphones include a widget that allows you to enable or disable these antennas when they’re not needed. When you’re in an area without 3G or 4G service, consider disabling them as well, to spare your phone the battery-hungry effort of searching for service that isn’t there.

6

Use the Battery Saver or Power Saver mode if your phone’s operating system has one. These features help you to control the functions that sap your battery’s power, including background apps, widgets, animations and screen brightness. Third-party apps like JuiceDefender or Battery Saver for Android may help you conserve even more power.

7

If your phone uses an Organic Light Emitting Diode screen, use a dark-colored wallpaper as your phone’s background. OLED pixels light up individually, so keeping most pixels as dark as possible results in power savings. Unfortunately, this method won’t work with LCD screens, which use a backlight that remains at a constant level.

Tips

• Phones can vary widely in battery life, and resources such as CNet’s battery-life comparison charts can help you select a phone with better power usage.
• You may come across the misguided recommendation to wait until the battery is almost completely discharged before recharging it. This advice is unfounded. Although lithium-ion batteries do have an approximate number of charge “cycles” before they lose charging capacity, a partial charge is simply a partial cycle. For example, if you use 30 percent of your battery’s charge and plug the phone in until the battery is fully charged, that usage represents only 30 percent of a charge cycle.
• However, to ensure that your battery is properly calibrated, many manufacturers recommend that you fully discharge and charge the battery about once a month.

 

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The batteries in a laptop will not have to be replaced often, if they receive proper maintenance. Most users will plug in the power cord when their batteries are running low, but they do not remove and check the laptop battery until it goes dead. When you take care of your laptop, cords and battery, you will be able to prolong the life of your computer hardware.

Always Fully Charge Laptop Batteries

Chargeable batteries will wear down quickly, when they are only charged for a short period of time. When the laptop is not in use, such as at bedtime, plug it into an outlet and leave it to charge until the battery power is full. When you first buy a laptop or any electronic device that needs to be charged before you can use it, always charge it to full capacity. A laptop will work with only a small bit of power, but if it is not fully charged frequently, it will start to lose its ability to hold a charge.

Power Management Tools

Every computer and laptop has options that allow them to make changes to the power management tools. In a Windows laptop, check under “Control Panel” and you will find the power options. You will be asked to identify the type of computer that you are using. It is important to choose “Laptop” from the drop down menu. Each type of PC will bring up a different option that will save power. For a laptop, the power management tools will set a time to turn on the screen saver, or it will shut down the hard drives if the notebook sits idle for a specific amount of time. By turning off hardware that is not in use, the laptop will not use as much power and the batteries will not die as fast.

Close Unnecessary Programs

Look at the programs that start up along with your operating system. If you don’t have to use them immediately, right click on the icon and go into options. Scroll through the list until you can turn off the option to have the program open whenever you start the laptop. When you use an application, close it when you are done. Programs that are left open will use system resources and power that are needed for other software. If you only have a few programs open at the same time, the laptop will use less power and it will be able to stay on battery power longer.

Purge and Discharge Laptop Batteries

At least once a month, every laptop user should purge and discharge their batteries to prolong their life. To purge a laptop, remove the AC power cord. Turn on the laptop and let the battery drain until the low battery sign pops up. Plug in the power cord and let the notebook charge to full capacity while the laptop is still on. Batteries can be discharged in a similar fashion. Go into the power management option and turn off all of the power saving tools including hibernation, sleep mode and the screen saver. Allow the battery to drain completely until the laptop shuts itself off. Without turning on the laptop, reconnect the power cord and allow it to charge until the battery is full.

Use AC Power

Most laptop users will plug in the AC cord even when the battery is not low. However, this is also causing the battery to drain in small increments. Before you use the laptop, remove the battery and then plug in the power cord, so that the laptop is running on only AC power. Store the battery on a cool, dry surface and replace it when you shut off the laptop.

 

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Let’s be honest, FOMO is especially real every time Apple makes an announcement that it’s coming out with a faster, sleeker, prettier iPhone. But what if the phone you have in your own two hands is enough? Use these hacks and discover how your iPhone can perform magic that may even rival some of your friends’ flashy new purchases. You’ll feel like you know the inside scoop, and you’ll also stretch your hard-earned dollars a little further than you imagined. So even if you don’t have the the latest iPhone in your back pocket, you surely won’t be missing out.

See Through the Screen

Your screen can be the difference between watching a video like you’re in the picture, and watching video like you’re in 1999. Use these screen tips to figure out how to do everything from removing scratches to changing out the font.

Don’t Let the Juice Go Dry

Next up: tackling the phone’s all-too-important battery life. Use this simple trick to keep your battery percentage within view, and you won’t have to wonder if you have enough power to watch yet another YouTube video.

Keep a Tight Leash on Your Prized Possession

Another scary situation? Losing your phone. Though it may serve as a good excuse to go out and toss money at a new phone, try tracking your phone using an IMEI number instead. This will definitely save time and moola if your phone is found.

Have a Good Sense of Direction

Still at a loss as to where your phone may be? Try one of these location-finding tricks to track it down. While it may be under your bed (or not), it’s always a good idea to do a thorough search.

Always be Ready for Your Close-Up

The iPhone’s camera lens essentially rivals that of a compact digital camera. And with photography playing such a major role in social media these days, it’s best you learn how to take better photos ASAP.

C’mon, Vogue

Of course, the iPhone and the #selfie basically go hand-in-hand. Which is why it’s time to turn that camera on yourself like a vlogging expert once you’ve nailed all of the necessary photo skills. Cheese!

Protect Your Gallery with a Back-Up Plan

Once you’ve filled your library with a collection of Instagram-worthy shots, move those photos to a PC with ease. Then, you can delete some of those pics and take some more!

Get the Word Out

Want to tell all of your friends and family how awesome you’re doing at hacking your iPhone? Then send all the contacts on your phone a message about it!

Play Tunes Everywhere You Go

Whether you have a PC or a Mac, follow these tips on setting up Apple Music the right way. Once you have the service streaming on your device, you can listen to your favorite music — and some exclusive albums — whenever you please.

Know Who is Saying Hello

Want to hear your boo’s favorite song every time she calls? Try this hack to get free ringtones, and set her hellos to a familiar track.

 

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If you’ve noticed your old computer is a bit sluggish or isn’t performing at 100 percent, it may be time to update it. Often the software or hardware in your machine can become outdated only months after you purchase it, creating incompatibilities and crashes. There are a myriad of ways you can update your old computer, so it’s important to analyze the problem before rushing out to buy new components. And remember that individual components can be updated, saving you from purchasing an entirely new computer.

1

Determine exactly what needs to be updated. For example, do you need new software, or hardware? If your hard drive lacks free space, it may be time to upgrade to a larger drive. Check how much space you have left by right-clicking the hard drive icon (usually the “C” drive) and selecting “Properties.” The amount of available space will be displayed in the following dialogue box. If your computer is running slow, you may need to upgrade the processor, or the Random Access Memory (RAM). RAM is the temporary memory your computer uses when it is actively working. Increasing the amount of your RAM is generally the most effective computer upgrade you can make. Consult your owner’s manual to determine which drives, memory cards or processors are compatible with your computer’s motherboard.

2

Research components and products that are on the market. Magazines like PC World (see link in Resources) have thousands of product reviews you can browse to find the right item for you. Shop around for the best prices, as many items can be bought online for a fraction of the retail price. Bear in mind that sometimes the cost of purchasing and installing certain components, such as the processor or motherboard, can be greater than buying a new computer.

3

If your system only has a CD drive, consider replacing it with a DVD drive. If you watch videos, listen to music or play games on your computer, consider upgrading your video and/or audio cards.

4

Install your components according to the manufacturer’s specifications. If you’re upgrading software, simply insert the CD and follow the installation prompts. If you’re installing new hardware, investigate if your upgrade can be done as a do-it-yourself (DIY) project; you may be able to save yourself a few dollars in labor costs. But if you aren’t confident tinkering around in your machine, call in the experts to do the work for you.

Warning

Doing DIY upgrades on your computer may void your warranty. Check with your supplier before doing any work.

 

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Getting a new smartphone is always exciting. Not only do you get more power and more features, but a new phone is also usually faster and in better shape than your old one. However, this begs the question: What should you do with your old phone? Rather than letting it gather dust or sit in a drawer in a state of permanent mute, here are seven ways you can give your old phone a renewed purpose.

1. A Versatile Universal Remote

Many of the Android smartphones released over the past several years contain the same infrared technology used by your TV remote control. If your phone contains what is commonly called an IR blaster, you should have no problem downloading an app and using it it as a universal remote for your entertainment room. Perhaps the biggest benefit of these apps is that if you’re doing a search for your favorite TV show, you can just type it into your phone, rather than scrolling through the alphabet one letter at a time.

If your old smartphone doesn’t have an IR blaster – like the iPhone or Samsung Galaxy models after S6, you still may be in luck. Apple TVs and most WiFi-enabled smart TVs have apps that will work over your home network.

2. A Portable Media Player

When the iPhone was first released back in 2007, Apple described it as a widescreen iPod with touch controls and a built-in mobile phone. Once you remove the SIM card, what you are left with is an advanced iPod. Most Android models have the added benefit of adding additional storage with an SD card. Delete the apps you no longer need, and fill your old phone with all of your favorite music, videos and photos. Not only will this free up space on your new smartphone, it will help prolong the battery life if you aren’t using it to listen to music all day.

3. An Onboard Computer and Nav System

If your car doesn’t already have a sophisticated computer system, GPS and on-dash display, it may be worth turning your old smartphone into an onboard computer. Just get a decent dashboard mount for your phone, connect it to your stereo with its headphone jack – or bluetooth if your car comes equiped – and load up your favorite songs too. Even without a cellular data plan, your old smartphone should work as a reliable GPS, since GPS systems are independent of cellular data.

4. A Security Camera or Baby Monitor

Provided your smartphone can connect to your home WiFi network there are many things you can do with its video and audio capabilities. There are hundreds of apps available that turn your phone into a video monitoring tool, without the need of cellular access. Mount your old phone in your front window to see who’s at the door, put it in your baby’s room to keep an eye on her while you’re downstairs watching TV, or even use it to keep an eye on your dog while you’re at work. Depending on which app you get, the phone can alert you when there is motion, or send you a constant video and audio feed from home, wherever you might be at the time. Some of the apps do cost a few dollars, but are much more affordable than buying a dedicated IP camera.

5. A Cheap Gaming Platform

Any parent with young children know that a smartphone touchscreen is irresistible to tiny hands. Yet at $1,000 or more for the latest technology, letting a child play with your phone can be an expensive accident waiting to happen. Letting your kids play with your old phone, however, reduces the potential cost considerably. Load up some games and let them have fun! A few sticky fingerprints won’t matter nearly as much.

6. Connected Digital Storage

Even if you don’t need the audio and video capabilities of your old smartphone, there’s probably still a lot you can do with the digital storage space. A Wi-Fi-enabled portable flash drive can cost hundreds of dollars, just to do what your old phone does already. Use it to keep backup copies of your most important files, you contacts and photos. If you have an Android, swap out the storage card with a larger one to give yourself lots of extra room.

7. Pass It On

If your phone is still in working condition, or if its parts can be salvaged, there are thousands of people who could really use it. Verizon’s HopeLine, for example, has collected hundreds of thousands of phones, which it gives to victims and survivors of domestic violence, along with free cellphone minutes. If the screen is cracked, they may be able to replace it before passing it on to someone else, or use its components to repair another phone.

Even if your old smartphone can’t be used by someone else, its components can always be recycled. Smartphones contain rare metals that may be soon in short supply, so manufacturers have a financial incentive to recycle the products they sell. Apple, for example, has a recycling program in most countries where it sells its iPhones. You may even receive a free gift card for your recycling efforts.

 

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Acer’s Switch 7 Black Edition is big, black, and ready to stomp on the Surface Pro and MacBook Pro 13. Sporting the latest quad-core CPU from Intel plus discrete graphics, it offers serious horsepower in a surprisingly slim package. Acer says the Switch 7 Black Edition will be available in North America in December with prices starting at $1,699.

Specs are still sparse, but so far we know that the 2-in-1 device with detachable keyboard (which Acer describes as a “laptop” rather than a tablet) features a 13.5-inch IPS touch screen with a resolution of 2256×1504. It uses a Wacom EMR digitizer with 4,096 levels of pressure sensitivity using the pen.

The Switch 7 also features a new take on Windows Hello, with a fingerprint reader that’s tied to the power button. Rather than hitting a power button or keyboard and then using the Windows Hello biometric support to log in, the Switch 7 Black Edition will do it all at once.

The 2.5-pound body is aluminum and features something Acer calls the AutoStand. As you might guess, it’s essentially a kickstand that deploys and retracts automatically.

What’s really important, though, is what’s inside. Acer has somehow managed to squeeze Intel’s 8th-gen Core i7 CPU, along with Nvidia’s new GeForce MX150, into the slender chassis. The CPU is quad-core with a 15-watt TDP, and Intel says it’s up to 40 percent faster in some tasks.

Nvidia’s GeForce MX150 was actually announced in late May as a replacement for the elderly GeForce 940MX. Few hard specs are available on it, but we do know it uses GDDR5 and is based on the current Pascal architecture used in the GeForce GTX 10-series of cards. According to Nvidia, the MX150 is about three times more efficient than the GeForce 940MX, as well as about 30 percent faster.

The performance bump of the GeForce MX150 should be welcome. Our own tests of several GeForce 940MX-based laptops show it has a healthy advantage over HD 520 and HD 620 graphics, but Intel’s faster Iris Plus 640 gives the older 940MX a good run for the money. GeForce MX150 is likely to push Nvidia to the front.

The combined advantage of Pascal graphics plus a quad-core CPU vs. the dual-core CPUs with integrated graphics—even Iris Plus—means the odds are very good that this new laptop/tablet will handily outperform both Microsoft’s Surface Pro and Apple’s MacBook Pro 13.

The only fly in this ointment is how well Acer can keep the heat from the new components in check. Acer said the Switch 7 features a fanless dual LiquidLoop cooling system makes it possible for the Switch 7 Black Edition to be used for “intensive tasks, creative production and content streaming.” We’ll let you know how it runs if we have a chance to test it.

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The Lenovo Yoga 900 series are already some of the most luxurious convertibles you can buy, with a gorgeous, watchband-like 360-degree hinge. Now Lenovo’s adding yet more premium features. Announced Thursday at IFA in Berlin, the new flagship Lenovo Yoga 920 laptop will support Intel’s 8th-generation Core CPUs, which promise up to 40 percent more power even in slender notebooks. This is a sea change for portable PCs, and the Yoga 920 is riding the wave.

Lenovo pioneered the convertible laptop, with a hinge that lets the display flip all the way around to make a tablet, or stop at a tent or display mode in between. The Yoga 920, which will ship in October, is Lenovo’s purest embodiment of the type, which means it comes with everything—though not all at its $1,330 starting price.

The quad-core CPU is the standout feature. We’re seeing many laptops take up the new chips, and they could make portable computing feel a lot less limited compared to the desktop experience, even if the Yoga 920 still has only integrated graphics.

Feature highlights include the following:

CPU: Up to an 8th-generation Intel Core i7 (quad-core)

RAM: Up to 16GB of DDR4

Storage: Up to 1TB PCIe SSD

Graphics: Integrated (Lenovo did not specify further)

Display: 13.9-inch IPS touchscreen, either FHD (1920×1080) or UHD (3840×2160)

Weight: Starting at 3.02 pounds, depending on the configuration

Battery: 70Wh, lasting (per Lenovo) up to 10.8 hours with UHD display, up to 15.5 hours with FHD display

Connectivity: Includes two USB-C ports with Thunderbolt 3 support

Colors: The Yoga 920 introduces Bronze and Copper metal finishes along with the more pedestrian, grayish Platinum.

The  Yoga 920 will give you several new ways to interact with your computer, starting with a fingerprint reader to log into your computer using Windows Hello. It will also offer pen support for the first time (Lenovo’s Active Pen 2, with 4,096 levels of pressure sensitivity, is an extra-cost option). Finally, the far field microphone array enables voice activation for Windows 10’s Cortana. As long as your Yoga 920 is plugged in, you can summon Cortana from as far as 13 feet away—even in sleep mode.

The Lenovo Yoga 920’s job is to impress you, and it delivers, at least on paper. We’re very curious to see how it performs with its shiny new quad-core CPU, so we’ll update you if we get one in for review.

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Dell’s Inspiron 15 7000 gaming laptop is getting a little more serious this year, graduating to GeForce GTX 1060 discrete graphics and using Nvidia’s Max-Q technology to put more power into (slightly) less space.

The jury’s actually still out on Max-Q—gamers are openly leery of potential compromises. Looking at the main differences between the refreshed line announced Wednesday, however, and the prior generation, you can see how Max-Q is starting to change how laptops are designed.

The Inspiron 15 7000 gaming laptops will begin shipping in September. Prices start at $999 for FHD-based configurations and $1,449 for UHD-based configurations, with these main options:

CPU:

• 7th-gen Intel Core i5-7300HQ quad-core with clock speed up to 3.5GHz
• 7th-gen Intel Core i5-7700HQ quad-core with clock speed up to 3.8GHz

RAM: 4GB to 16GB (maximum 32GB) of 2,400MHz DDR4

Display (non-touch):

• FHD (1920×1080) IPS
• UHD (3840×2160) IPS

Graphics:

• Nvidia GeForce GTX 1050 with 2GB of GDDR5 memory
• Nvidia GeForce GTX 1050 Ti with 4GB of GDDR5 memory
• Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 with Max-Q and 6GB of GDDR5 memory

Battery: 56Whr, 4-cell

Considering how Dell’s prior generation Inspiron impressed us for its bang for buck, the fact that much remains the same here is a good thing. The new lineup does have a higher starting price, but it’s adding fancier options like the 4K display and the GTX 1060 with Max-Q technology, plus a dual-fan cooling system and a fingerprint reader for Windows Hello. (Maybe it also has better FHD display quality—we didn’t much like the last generation’s.)

Meanwhile, it subtracts battery: The prior generation had a larger 74Whr, 6-cell pack compared to the much smaller one on the new models. Max-Q is supposed to help manage power consumption better. Dell promises anywhere from 7 to almost 10 hours of life depending on the configuration (and of course, what you’re doing). This is in line with our test results for the prior model, so the latest generation is potentially giving you the same battery life with less actual battery. There’s also a new quick-charge technology that will replenish the battery to 80-percent capacity within an hour—that’s nice if you’re actually taking this thing anywhere.

Chances are you won’t take it far, though. Compared to its predecessor the Inspiron 15 7000 gaming laptop is slightly thinner (0.98 inch compared to an even 1 inch before), but heavier: 5.82 pounds and up for a GTX 1050-based model, and 6.28 pounds and up for a GTX-1060-based model. Last year’s version started at 5.76 pounds.

Note, too, the differences in AC adapter: A 130-watt model for GTX 1050/1050Ti versions, and a 180-watt model for GTX 1060 versions. The larger adapter will be bulkier, of course.

The Inspiron 15 7000 gaming laptop is just one example of the new wave of Max-Q laptops, joining the Asus ROG Zephyrus and others. In this case, it seems to be taking advantage of the technology to fit more features into the same space rather than go thinner. We don’t know whether it’ll also be quieter. Even with a higher starting price, however, we expect this model will continue to offer a lot of value for gamers.

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We’ve seen signs that Android TV might step out of Chromecast’s shadow throughout the year. The software has been popping up on new devices, such as AirTV and Nvidia’s second-generation Shield TV, and enabling novel over-the-air DVR solutions like Tablo Engine and Plex. Even Google seemed to be giving more love to its lesser-known living-room platform, announcing plans to integrate Google Assistant and overhaul the Android TV interface.

But after installing Android 8.0 Oreo on a Nexus Player this week, I’m not sure an Android TV comeback is imminent. The new software is a mess on Google’s three-year-old streaming box, and it’s missing several features that Google showed off at its I/O developers conference in May. Meanwhile, there’s been little evidence of new streaming boxes to carry the platform forward, and it’s unclear if existing ones like the Shield will get upgraded to Oreo anytime soon.

Perhaps I’m expressing these concerns prematurely, and some big reveal is forthcoming with new Android TV hardware and improved software. Still, it’s hard to see how that happens with the state Android TV is in now.

Oreo on Android TV

On the surface, Android 8.0 Oreo is a major upgrade for Android TV. The home screen allows each app to have its own row, or “channel,” where it can recommend movies or shows to watch. Those apps can also feed into a “Watch Next” row for catching up on new episodes of previously watched programs. The layout is a nod to the grid-based guide you’d find on a cable box, and an attempt to make browsing through streaming apps much simpler.

But right now, Oreo on Android TV lacks several features that Google demonstrated a few months ago. The Watch Next row is empty, for instance, because shows aren’t populating the list automatically as they should, and attempts to add them manually result in a “Can’t add to Watch Next” error. Netflix’s previously announced home screen integration hasn’t arrived yet either—though the company tells me it’s still working on it—and video thumbnails aren’t appearing on channels like Google Play Movies & TV.

Google Assistant is also a no-show, so you can’t launch directly into videos from Netflix or YouTube with voice commands, control smart-home devices, or access third-party voice skills. The search results screen is the same as it has been in previous versions of Android TV. (Google said in January that Assistant would arrive on Android TV—including older versions—in the “coming months,” which seems conveniently non-committal in hindsight.)

Even basic operation of Android 8.0 Oreo veers into unpleasantness on the Nexus Player. The device stutters and lags at every step, and flashes a blank screen every time I tap the remote after waking the device from standby. And when pressing the remote’s voice search button, the device consistently takes a few seconds to produce any response on the screen. Also, Sony’s Crackle—one of the earliest streaming apps to support Android TV—doesn’t even work. This is the stuff of beta software, not a major, publicly available upgrade.

Pixel Player, where are you?

Judging Android 8.0 Oreo by its performance on a three-year-old streaming box might be harsh, but right now the Nexus Player is the only device that supports the new software. For developers who want to optimize their apps for Android 8.0, this is the experience they’re going to get.

The obvious fix on Google’s part would be to release a new halo device for Android TV, a “Pixel Player,” if you will. Imagine, for instance, a sub-$100 streaming box with 4K HDR video support, a voice remote for Google Assistant—maybe even with hands-free operation—and deep hooks into services like YouTube TV and Google Photos. Google could even bundle a USB TV tuner to showcase Android TV’s over-the-air channel integration. Beyond just serving as a reference for app makers, a device like this could help put Android TV on the map for consumers.

But so far, there’s been little evidence that Google will back its living-room operating system with new hardware. A report in May by Cord Cutters News claimed that Google was working on a new streaming player, but the site later backed off that claim, saying that the device may instead be another third-party offering similar to Xiaomi’s Mi Box. (The Mi Box, by the way, arrived in late 2016 with no fanfare from Google, was only sold in Walmart stores, and is not even running the second-latest version of Android as of this writing.) Other recent reports on Google’s upcoming hardware plans haven’t mentioned Android TV at all.

Looking out to other vendors, the future for Android 8.0 Oreo gets even murkier. Google did recently name Sony and Sharp among the device makers that plan to “launch or upgrade devices to Android 8.0 Oreo” by year-end, so it’s possible we’ll see new or existing smart TVs running the latest software before long. But Nvidia, which until now has carried the Android TV set-top business on its back with the $200 Shield TV, was conspicuously absent from that list.

Android TV’s time

On some level, fretting about the state of Android TV is academic. Google has said the platform sees 500,000 device activations per month, in part because of the company’s deals with smart-TV makers such as Sony and overseas pay-TV operators such as KDDI in Japan. Android TV’s app ecosystem also enjoys an unusual symbiotic relationship with Amazon’s Fire TV, which runs a modified version of Android, so apps that arrive on one platform also tend to show up on the other soon after. Even without challenging major streaming devices like Roku or Fire TV, Android TV is somewhat healthy.

But “somewhat healthy” can’t be what Google is aiming for, especially as Chromecast loses its competitive edge among consumers. According to a recent Parks Associates report, Chromecast lost market share in the United States over the last year, and is now in third place behind both Roku and Amazon Fire TV. Consumers are starting to vote for proper remote controls and on-screen interfaces over Chromecast’s phone-as-remote approach, which in turn means Google is losing turf in the battle for the connected home.

Android TV could be the solution, but it’s unclear if Google will start treating it that way.

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The 8th-gen CPU promises up to 40 percent faster performance, a significant jump from before.

Dell’s XPS 13 is already a great laptop. Now imagine that laptop performing 40 percent faster than it does now. That’s the promise of the CPU refresh Dell announced for the product line on Monday at IFA in Berlin. The XPS 13’s two highest-end SKUs will have Intel’s latest 8th-generation Core chips, called Kaby Lake R.

The updated XPS 13 product line will start shipping September 12 with a base price of $799, but that model is not Kaby Lake R-fortified. (In fact, five of the seven CPU options for the XPS 13 will still use Intel’s 7th-generation Kaby Lake CPUs.) The Core i7 Kaby Lake R Core i7 model will have a starting price of $1,400.

Quad-core chips make a difference

The 8th-generation Kaby Lake R CPUs will be the first to offer quad-core processing power (four cores and eight threads) for ultrabook machines. Intel’s promised performance hike is based on tests comparing the 8th-generation Core i7 to the 7th- generation Core i7 (Kaby Lake) part. We got a more pedestrian 12- to 19-percent jump moving from 6th-gen Skylake to 7th-gen Kaby Lake.

Dell is upping the ante even more, however, claiming a jump of up to 44 percent in its XPS 13 implementation. The two Kaby Lake R CPUs in the XPS 13 line will be:

The entry-level Core i5-8250U, with a base clock speed of 1.6GHz and a boost speed of up to 3.4GHz

The midrange Core i7-8550U, with a base clock speed of 1.8GHz and a boost speed of up to 4GHz

Why this matters: As one of the first laptops to ship with Kaby Lake R, the Dell XPS 13 ushers in an intriguing new era for laptops, one where quad-core power could start to erase the compromises between portable and desktop PCs. We’ll let you know more if we have a chance to benchmark the XPS 13 ourselves.

 

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