Our review of the BlackBerry Keyone dropped today and one of the smartphone’s standout features is its physical keyboard. The problem with the physical keyboard, though, is that while some people love using it to quickly write out a message, others dislike it because it’s always there and takes real estate away from a potentially larger display. Could a physical keyboard phone like the Keyone become your daily driver?
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GV leads $50 million investment into Soylent w/ Larry Page a fan of the meal replacement drink
Meal replacement company Soylent has raised $50 million in a Series B investment round led by GV. This is not the first food investment by Alphabet’s venture capital arm, though Google co-founder Larry Page is apparently a fan of Soylent’s powders and drinks.
YouTube bets big on free, ad-supported content w/ shows from Ellen, Kevin Hart & more in the works
According to a new report from Bloomberg, YouTube is looking kickstart its original content efforts. The report explains that the company plans to produce a half-dozen original series that will be made available for free on YouTube, with the goal of funding over 40 original shows and movies over the next year…
Google updates Android Beta Program website to reflect imminent launch of Android O beta
For the last two Android releases, Google’s beta program has allowed Nexus and then Pixel users to test out upcoming features and builds before anyone else. Although these builds were typically buggy, it didn’t stop hardware fans from running it on their main devices. Now that Android O’s developer preview has been available for a few months, we’ve been waiting for Google to update its public beta program for the upcoming version of Android, and it appears to be happening soon…
First look at Google Allo’s new selfie-generated sticker pack feature [Gallery]
We told you back when Allo 5.0 started rolling out that Google was working on an interesting new custom selfie-generated sticker pack feature. Now, version 10.0 of Allo is rolling out publicly and we’ve managed to enable the feature to see just how it works…
9to5Toys Last : Samsung Gear VR $39, Anker PowerCore Dual USB Wall Charger $42, Android Auto Receiver $450, more
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Head below for the rest of today’s best deals…
TODAY’S CAN’T MISS DEALS:
Last Call Updates:
10 reasons why the Panasonic Lumix GH5 might be my next camera [Video]
- Acer’s newest 32-inch 4K display is definitely built for professionals
- Battle Bay for iOS/Android from the makers of Angry Birds available now
- Green Deals: 2-pack Mpow 20 LED Outdoor Solar Lights $30, more
- H&M Deal of the Day: up to 50% off Tops & Bottoms
- Michael Kors Mother’s Day Sale: 25% off select styles for Mom
- GE Sol smart lamp coming this fall with HomeKit and Alexa support
- Loewe bild 9 OLED 4K UHDTV combines mid-century design, high-end tech
- Amazon Dash Buttons for less than $1 with $5 credits after your first press
- Target launches World of Inspiration Collection in time for Summer
- Mega Man Legacy Collection & DuckTales from $4 ea (Xbox One digital)
- WD 1TB My Passport USB 3.0 Portable External Hard Drive for Mac $46 (Reg. $60)
- Audio-Technica Bluetooth Wireless Stereo Turntable $118 shipped
- Slingbox M2 streaming media player is perfect for cord-cutters (refurb) $60
- Gerber’s best-selling StrongArm Black Knife with Sheath $42 shipped
Daily Deals: Samsung Gear VR Virtual Reality Headset $39, more
Anker PowerCore Dual USB Wall Charger w/ 5000mAh Battery $21 (20% off)
JVC 6.8-inch Apple CarPlay + Android Auto In-Dash Receiver $450 (Reg. $600)
Smartphone Accessories: Aukey 2.4A Dual USB Wall Charger $5, more
Star Wars May the Fourth Sales: LEGO, Apparel, Toys, Freebies, more
Save Big on Authentic Star Wars Memorabilia in today’s Gold Box, from $64
Review: Logitech’s MK850 Wireless Keyboard and Mouse masters all your devices
Review: The iLoud Monitor Speakers w/ Bluetooth and a micro footprint
Review: Leather iPhone CARDcase by DODOcase – slim, sleek, and useful
9to5Rewards: Spiderlight Backpacker Kit for DSLR, GoPro and more! [Giveaway]
MORE NEW GEAR FROM TODAY:
Herman Miller 15% off sale delivers rare discounts, free shipping
Hootoo Shuttle USB-C Hub adds 3 USB-A ports & more to your MacBook for $30
- Beyerdynamic DT 770 i Headphones for just $100 shipped
- Lego Ideas Caterham, Star Wars sets starting at $50 shipped
- Tregren T-series is the “true” smart garden for your kitchen
- Aero is the portable eBike that folds in 3 seconds, has a 45 mile range
- Hershel’s Daypack Backpack is selling for $24 (Reg. $40)
- Today’s Best iOS & Mac Game/App Deals: Noble Circle, Hoopa City, more
- Today’s Best Game Deals: LEGO Star Wars Force Awakens $16, Battlefront 2 $45, more
- EGO 20-inch 56V Electric Cordless Lawn Mower $349 (Reg. $450+)
- Calvin Klein Friends & Family Sale, 50% off + extra 30% off
- TriggerPoint GRID Roller + instructional vids $24 (Reg. $35)
- Fisher-Price Grow-to-Pro Junior Basketball Hoop $21 Prime shipped
- Anker’s iPhone 7/6/s 2200mAh MFi Battery Case $42
- Apple 15-inch 512GB MacBook Pro w/ Touch Bar $399 off
- Caterzillar iOS platformer gets very first price drop: $1 (Reg. $3)
- Final Fantasy VI hits its lowest price ever on iOS: $7 (Reg. $15)
- Final Fantasy 1-3 for iOS now matching all-time lows, starting at $4
- Zip-Zap iOS puzzler goes free for very first time (Reg. up to $2)
- Brothers A Tale of Two Sons for iOS drops to just $3
- Star Wars iMessage Stickers for iOS now 50% off
- Apple iPhone 6s (manufacturer refurb): 16GB $280, 64GB $340, more
- Apple 13-inch MacBook Air 256GB now $279 off
NEW PRODUCTS & MORE:
DJI sees new competitors: Bolt Drone w/ VR hits Kickstarter under $175
Monoprice unveils Strata Home: affordable Sous Vide cookers, robo vacs and more
Dreamscreen adds reactive backlighting to your 4K TV and home theater setup
- Zara’s New Beach and Picnic Collection is full of color
- Dreamscreen adds reactive backlighting to your 4K TV and home theater setup
- WaterField drops new Bolt waxed canvas/leather Microsoft Surface bag
- Kobo Aura H20 is a waterproof eReader perfect for days at the beach
- BatteryPro charges your Apple Watch & iPhone on-the-go, save 20% on pre-orders
- Amazon’s Comixology Unlimited service now includes Marvel comics
- LG intros new 43-inch 4K FreeSync display that supports four sources at once
- Watch out HomeKit, Nodez is an affordable smart home solution with Alexa support
- Vive VR Audio Strap add-on from HTC gets official release date
- Outlaw Tracker is a limited edition Porsche-inspired eBike with killer looks
- KUMIITA is a robot that can teach your child programming
- ALL-Controller supports your Xbox One, PS4 and iOS/Android devices
- Lou Board is the ultimate electric skateboard, designed for power
- aGlass adds VR eye-tracking, graphics upgrades to HTC Vive
- Best Console Releases for May: Prey, Injustice 2, Fire Emblem, more
- Logitech’s new Universal Folio keyboard case fits all iPads and Android tablets
- Nintendo New 2DS XL handheld release date + more [Video]
- LEGO returns to space with new 2,000-piece Apollo Saturn V set coming this summer
- Anki Overdrive is about to get ‘Fast and Furious’ with a new starter set
- Master & Dynamic takes the wraps off new Leica-inspired headphones
- Penna is the retro-inspired Bluetooth keyboard we’ve been looking for
- DJI keeps it coming with new VR Goggles for Phantom and more
- Ultraloq is a secure, user-friendly and affordable home smart lock
- DJI announces new 100MP Drone that’s overkill for everyone
- DeskView brings a standing desk to your office window
- Reolink Argus is the truly wire-free security camera for $80
MORE DEALS STILL LIVE:
Lexar microSD to Lightning Card Reader for iPhones $15 (Reg. $25)
DJI Phantom 4 Drone gets another price drop to $799 shipped
Twelve South’s HiRise Stand docks your iPhone, iPad and more for $17
Fitbit discounts up to 40% off: Blaze $150, Flex 2 $60, Alta HR $130
Niantic plans to shut down streets for public Pokémon Go & Ingress community events around the U.S.
Niantic, developer of popular augmented reality games Pokémon Go and Ingress, plans to host community events for players in public spaces around the U.S. through a partnership with the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. The company announced the project today, with the first event set to kick off this weekend in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Motorola reportedly working on a tablet, seemingly pulls ‘Productivity Mode’ from Lenovo’s Yoga Book
Android tablets have not seen a significant update in ages, but Motorola is reportedly working on one that features a new “Productivity Mode.” However, it appears that the software takes a lot of inspiration from parent company Lenovo’s tablets.
Google launches ‘AIY Projects’, open-source hardware dev kits for Assistant SDK & Android Things
Google is launching a new initiative called AIY Projects, which will include a number of do-it-yourself artificial intelligence reference kits for developers starting with a new Voice Kit it’s announcing today. Google hopes the first project will help developers build voice command interfaces directly into products, using them to replace, for example, apps, physical buttons and digital displays currently used to control appliances and other accessories.
Buy something with Android Pay this week and you’ll get one of seven Star Wars easter eggs
May the 4th is here and around the internet, that means awesome deals on Star Wars swag and a ton of easter eggs. In traditional Google fashion, the company has introduced a new set of easter eggs to mark the occasion, this time in its Android Pay application.
Google settles Italian tax dispute with $334 million payment
Following a settlement with Russia last month over Android pre-install restrictions, Google has agreed (via Reuters) to pay Italy €306 million in unpaid taxes from 2002 through 2015.
Google’s text analysis API gets smarter as Cloud Spanner enters general availability
At Google Cloud Next London, the company announced two new product updates. Its machine learning-based text meaning extractor API now supports more languages and has improved sentiment analysis. Additionally, its database service will soon enter into general availability.
Comment: BlackBerry Keyone made me realize I don’t want a physical keyboard anymore
Being a millennial, I grew up using flip phones and, later, “smartphones” from BlackBerry and Palm that offered physical keyboards. I loved these types of phones because I could type on them so much faster than the outgoing T9 format. And as the world moved towards modern day smartphones, I’ve long wished I could get another phone with a physical keyboard.
That was until I used the BlackBerry Keyone for several weeks…
G Suite product roadmap reveals Google Calendar web redesign, scheduled for late 2017
Google Calendar for mobile has changed a lot in the past couple of years, but the desktop version hasn’t kept up. Instead, it’s been left in the dark ages of Google design, lacking any traces of Material Design or any of Google’s other recent design trends. Now, we’re finding out that Google has plans to change this sometime this year.
A new example of Android malware is discovered every 10 seconds, say security researchers
Security company G Data says that a new piece of Android malware is discovered every 10 seconds. At this rate, the company is predicting that there will be 3,500,000 new malicious Android files by the end of the year.
The threat level for users with smartphones and tablets with an Android operating system remains high. In all, the G DATA security experts expect around 3.5 million new Android malware apps for 2017.
The company said that the risk was heightened by the fact that only a small minority of users are on the latest version of Android …
How to change the BlackBerry Keyone’s recent apps screen layout
Out of the box, the BlackBerry Keyone has a very stock Android look and feel, albeit with some small tweaks. Other than the added BlackBerry security features and applications, one of the biggest differences of the Keyone compared to the stock Android interface is the recent app section’s layout. Thankfully, there is a way to change it…
How to enable/disable the BlackBerry Keyone’s Productivity tab
To help you combine all of your different messages, calendars, and contacts, BlackBerry has built something called the Productivity tab into the Keyone. To make the tab useful, it’s located just a swipe away on the edge of the Keyone’s display. But it doesn’t have to be…
Review: The BlackBerry Keyone is a step back in time that I really want to love [Video]
Smartphones have evolved a lot over the years. One of the biggest changes, though, came with the move in popularity from the BlackBerry to the iPhone. It was a jarring transformation, but there’s no question who got it right. Now, nearly a decade later, BlackBerry is a brand that is shocking to hear in the mobile industry, but it’s also one people still fondly remember.
In 2016, BlackBerry tried to make a comeback in the mobile space with the debut of the BlackBerry Priv, an Android-powered slider with a physical keyboard that, well, didn’t do very well. At CES 2017, though, BlackBerry took the wraps off of its latest project with TCL, now known as the Keyone. It made waves in the news as the return to form so many wanted from the company, and now it’s finally for sale. Should you buy it? Let’s take a closer look…