Following multiple teasers over the past month, Andy Rubin’s contender to the throne of smartphones is finally here. Say hi to the Essential – a premium handset that looks quite stunning.
Like anticipated, the phone features an edge-to-edge display with minimal side and top bezels. But unlike the Galaxy S8, the Essential’s screen goes all the way to the top embracing the front facing camera in the process. There’s a bit of bezel left at the bottom, but that doesn’t diminish the overall aesthetic appeal of the phone.
Contrasting with most high-end smartphones out there, the Essential is not made of aluminum but from a combination of titanium and ceramic (on the back), so it should be able to come out unharmed of most accidents.
Moving on to the raw specs, the phone features a 5.71-inch display with 19:10 aspect ratio and 2560 x 1312 resolution, as well as Gorilla Glass 5 protection. On the inside lives a powerful Snapdragon 835 processor that works in combination with 4GB of RAM and 128GB of internal storage. It also runs Android (most likely 7.0 or above).
On the photographic front, the Essential follows this year’s flagships trend, as it comes equipped with a dual camera system that combines a regular 13-megapixel sensor with a second monochrome 13-megapixel one to help shoot better low-light shots. As for the self-portrait snapper, the Essential boasts an 8-megapixel unit with 16:9 aspect ratio.
The phone relies on a 3,040 mAh battery and includes a USB Type-C port, as well as a fingerprint scanner located on the back panel. However, there’s no 3.5 mm headphone jack, but the good news is that the phone could ship with a headphone dongle included in the package box.
The Essential not only aims to bring an attractive design and worthy specs to the table; it also plans to differentiate itself through another aspect – modularity. The phone will be available to purchase in combination with a few accessories including the 360-degree camera accessory that got teased the other day. It clips to the back of the phone and adds dual 12-megapixel fisheye sensors that can capture 4K 360 videos at 30fps.
The second module to be offered at launch is a charging dock. Like the camera, it will connect to the phone via metal pins. More accessories are expected to be made available in the near future.
The phone, which doesn’t feature any kind of branding on front or back, will be available for purchase in Black Moon, Stellar Grey, Pure White and Ocean Depths. For the time being only the Black Moon and Pure White models are available for pre-order for $699 a pop. We don’t know when the handset will start shipping out to customers, but as soon as we know more we’ll update you.
For now, the Essential will be available in the US, but we might live to see the phone launch in other markets, as well.
OnePlus notes these referral points will be added to a user’s referral hub in up to 30 days.
The SoundAssistant can even remap the hardware volume keys, so they control media volume instead of ringtone. It also offers support for mono audio and left/right balance. What’s more, the app comes with an option called Scenarios which allows users to set volume levels and vibration modes on specific days.
Owners of the 
Samsung doesn’t offer a complete list of Galaxy devices that are compatible with the SoundAssistat, but so far we can tell you it works with the Galaxy S8/S8+ and the 
Setup, for the most part, was really easy. Plug the receiver into your TV, plug the speaker into power and pair them. After that, you can find your desired volume with the big knob up front or using the included remote. The remote, while not the biggest or sturdiest thing in the world, does let you control the volume, but also lets your play with the EQ of the device to fine tune.
So, there’s one huge issue that I knew would cause me to box up the Grace Digital BTTV 100 after my review period. The sync is off. When watching TV, you take for granted that you’re getting audio at the same time as the video. When you see someone’s mouth move, you expect to hear the audio at the exact same time. From my time working in television, I can tell you that even a frame or two (there are 30 frames per second in television) can make a noticeable difference. Unfortunately, I could never figure out how to get this thing synced up with my TV.
And recently Newton was added to Alexa’s extensive Skills library. According to the company behind the app, users can now read receipts, undo send, send later, access connected apps or unsubscribe by virtue of one click, all by issuing voice commands directed at the 
On top of playing nice with 
How does this work? Well, for us fans it’s easy enough: simply download the SongCast app from the Play Store (
on the music. I personally ran across several bands and/or songs that I’ve saved and plan on exploring more in Spotify.
Industry sources believe this move is of uttermost importance for the phone maker, especially since emerging VR and AR solutions require the presence of more advanced CPUs, thus hinting the LG G7 will be focused on these aspects more than the current flagship.
The deal is available for US residents only and since Google hasn’t revealed how long the promotion will last, you should try and sign up as soon as possible. But you’ll need to be a new subscriber, so if you paid for the service at some point in the past you won’t be eligible to take advantage of the current promo.
On top of the free Google Play Music Unlimited access, new subscribers are also offered 4 free months of 
Those who bring over a full family plan, are eligible to receive up to $50 in credit plus a special Group Save discount.
Not everyone will be able to join the promo. For example,