People aren’t using the new Snapchat features
Jan 10th - Users are still more likely to send a Snap to a friend that post to their Story. Try as they might, Snapchat is primarily seen as a messaging platform.
Joe Fedewa
Features Editor
Google Duo is getting major new features, including group calls
Jan 10th - Duo is one of the easiest video calling apps you can use, but it’s pretty barebones. Google hasn’t added many features since it was launched. It appears Duo will be getting some major new features in 2018.
The LG ThinQ WK9 is another smart display with Google Assistant
Jan 10th - LG doesn’t have the physical device at CES, but we have some press photos of what it will look like. The design is not as inspired as the Lenovo Smart Display.
Samsung will unveil the Galaxy S9 at MWC 2018
Jan 10th - The Samsung Galaxy S9 has been popping up in rumors, but we’re soon to get a lot more intimate with the device. Samsung has confirmed that they will be unveiling their first flagship phone of 2018 at Mobile World Congress in February.
Canary announces $99 indoor security camera with Alexa integration
Jan 9th - Canary isn’t as popular of a name brand as Nest, but they have some nice products. Their newest camera is only $99 and it includes some spiffy smart features.
The Razer Phone is getting HDR and surround sound for Netflix
Jan 9th - Razer and Netflix announced a partnership to bring some fancy features to the Razer Phone. The Razer Phone will be the first smartphone to offer Dolby Digital Plus 5.1 surround sound and HDR10 video.
Nextbit is shutting down the cloud storage service for the Robin
Jan 9th - Users will be signed out of Smart Storage on March 1st. They can sync their data to the phone or download it on Nextbit’s website. This feature will be available until April 1st.
Samsung Gear smartwatches will get SmartThings app this year
Jan 9th - Smart home enthusiasts will be happy to hear that SmartThings is coming to Gear smartwatches. The app will be available on the Gear S3 and Gear Sport later this year.
Project Linda transforms the Razer Phone into a laptop
Jan 9th - Razer has announced “Project Linda” at CES. It’s a shell for the Razer Phone that transforms the phone into a laptop. This has been attempted many times in the past, but Razer is doing something new and interesting.
Google Assistant is coming to displays, starting with the Lenovo Smart Display
Jan 9th - A few companies at CES have announced smart displays with Google Assistant. Lenovo was one company that had a device to show off. The device looks sort of like a propped up tablet with a big speaker on one side.
Android Distribution update sees very minimal growth for Oreo
Jan 8th - It’s that time again. Another month is in the books, which means Google has released the Android distribution numbers. Once again, the numbers don’t look good for Oreo.
Limited Edition red Honor 7X will be available in the US
Jan 8th - At CES, Huawei announced there will be 20,000 limited edition red models of the Honor 7X. The first 100 customers (in each country) will also receive a pair of red Monster Am15 headphones.
Garmin announces a dash cam with Amazon Alexa built in
Jan 8th - Garmin is taking the dash cam to the next level with some smart integrations. The Garmin Speak Plus is a dash cam that includes Amazon Alexa.
Samsung’s 2018 4K TVs get Bixby and SmartThings integration
Jan 8th - Samsung is doubling down on Bixby at CES this year. After launching Bixby on the Samsung Galaxy S8 early in 2017, Samsung is putting the voice assistant in other products.
Google is selling more than one Home product every second
Jan 8th - The smart home speaker wars are getting intense. Google was relatively late to the game, but they’ve wasted no time catching up to Amazon.