QD-OLED TV: Samsung, Sony Take on LG With Quantum Dot Special Sauce

QD-OLED TV: Samsung, Sony Take on LG With Quantum Dot Special Sauce

The best TVs you can buy use OLED screens and until now, LG Display has been the sole producer of every OLED television in the world. In 2022 a new kind of OLED TV technology, called QD-OLED, finally goes on sale. The technology debuts in new 55-inch and 65-inch TVs from Samsung and Sony, as well as a new monitor by Alienware. QD-OLED uses quantum dots in combination with organic light-emitting diodes, and it promises even better picture quality than traditional OLED TVs and monitors.

We already reviewed the Alienware monitor and liked it a lot, but we haven't had the chance to see the TVs beyond brief, early demos of prototype products. Samsung's QD-OLED TV, the QS95B, is available now and priced at $2,200 for the 55-inch and $3,000 for the 65-inch model, which is exactly the same as LG's best 2022 OLED TV, the G2 series. Meanwhile Sony is charging more for QD-OLED, $3,000 for the 55-inch and $4,000 for the 65-inch when they go on sale in June.

First things first: We won't know how these QD-OLED TVs really compare against LG OLEDs like the the C2 we recently reviewed, or to other OLED and non-OLED TVs, until we can test them in person. But they sure look promising. 

So what is QD-OLED, and why is it potentially better than traditional OLED and LED LCD? Read on to find out.

Today's TV tech: LCD, OLED and QLED

Right now there are two technologies most TV buyers can actually afford: LCD and OLED. LCD TVs are sometimes called "LED TVs" due to the tiny LEDs they use to create light. The image is created by a liquid crystal layer, just like LCD TVs from 20-plus years ago. Mini-LED TVs operate the same way, just with more LEDs in their backlights, while QLED TVs are basically LED LCD TVs with quantum dots.

The size of the quantum dot determines what color it emits when supplied with energy. Currently that energy is supplied by blue LEDs or blue OLEDs.

Samsung

OLED is a newer technology. Each pixel emits its own light, created by a substance that glows when you give it energy. This substance includes the element carbon, hence the "organic" moniker. Since they're able to turn individual pixels off, to a perfect black, their contrast ratio and overall picture quality are typically better than any LCD.

One of the biggest improvements in LCD TV tech over the last few years is the inclusion of quantum dots. These microscopic spheres glow a specific color when excited by light. In the case of LCD TVs, blue LEDs supply all the blue light plus the energy to get red and green quantum dots to emit red and green light. This is what allows LCD TVs to have such extreme brightness and better color than LCD TVs of old. 

The many layers of LCD (left) compared with the relatively few layers required by QD-Display (right). Among other benefits, even thinner TVs are possible.

Samsung

You can read more about the differences between these technologies in our comparison of LCD and OLED TV display technologies, but the short version is that LCD-based TVs tend to be brighter, while OLED TVs have better overall picture quality. There's also microLED, but microLED TVs are currently wall-size and absurdly expensive. They're not really competition for LCD, OLED or QD-OLED TVs, and likely won't be for the foreseeable future.

The layers required to make an image with different TV technologies. With LCD, the light and the image are created separately. With WOLED (LG's current tech), the "white" layer is actually blue and yellow. Color filters create red and green. 

With Samsung's new QD-OLED, only blue OLED material is used, with red and green created by quantum dots. (Click to enlarge)

Samsung

QD + OLED = 💖?

Combining the efficiency and color potential of quantum dots with the contrast ratio of OLED is basically the holy grail of current image quality. LCDs don't have the pixel-level contrast of OLED. Their backlights, even with mini-LED, are just too coarse. OLED TVs, while bright, don't have the extreme brightness potential of LCD. 

The layers of a QD-OLED display.

Nanosys

QD-OLED potentially solves both these issues and could be greater than the sum of its parts. A blue OLED material creates, as with most LED LCDs, all the blue light. A quantum dot layer uses this blue light to then create green and red light. Quantum dots are nearly 100% efficient, so basically no energy is lost converting these colors. The current version of OLED uses color filters to create red, green and blue, essentially blocking a significant amount of the light potential created by the OLED material, so it's potentially less efficient.

The result could be greater brightness and color than with current versions of OLED, while keeping that technology's superlative contrast ratio.

Samsung

What else we know about QD-OLED TVs right now

Aside from the basic technology above, we know a few details about the actual TVs and monitors hitting the market later this year. 

Samsung: QD-OLED panels are built by Samsung Display, a division of that mega conglomerate that manufactures displays. Samsung Electronics, the division that makes the TVs themselves, officially unveiled its TV in March 2020 after a tease at CES 2020. Called the QS95B series, Samsung touts improved brightness and color as well as the typical features of the company's 2022 TVs, such as revamped processing, HDMI 2.1 inputs, an improved smart TV system and a solar remote. The QS95B series is available for preorder now to ship in April.

Sony: Called the A95K series, it will also come in 55- and 65-inch sizes. Sony claims better color and improved viewing angles for this TV but told CNET's David Katzmaier not to expect a significant improvement in peak brightness with whites. It has 4K resolution, HDMI 2.1 inputs and a bunch of other features, like a built-in camera and remote finder. 

Sony's AK95 series is a QD-OLED TV available for preorder in June in 55- and 65-inch sizes.

Sony

Alienware:The third manufacturer with QD-OLED has a curved 34-inch, 3,440x1,440-pixel monitor, model number AW3423DW. In case you're counting, the smallest OLED TV LG makes is 42 inches. CNET's Lori Grunin reviewed the monitor and lauded its performance for gaming as well as its color accuracy.

The Alienware QD-OLED monitor costs $1,300.

Dell

Read more: Alienware 34-Inch QD-OLED Monitor Review: It Brings the Pretty

What we don't know about QD-OLED

We know the prices of these TVs, so the next biggest unanswered question is how good they will look compared with "vanilla" OLED TVs from LG and Sony. Samsung says that its QD-OLED will be brighter than OLED, with a better contrast than LCD. The latter is easy; all OLEDs have better contrast than all LCDs. How much brighter remains to be seen, literally and figuratively. LG promises its own improvements for 2022 OLEDs and beyond, so it's possible this brightness aspect won't be a huge factor.

Two additional improvements with QD-OLED are possible according to its proponents: off-axis and motion blur. Since QD-OLED lacks color filters, they will potentially look better when seen from the side than OLED, which already looks much better off-axis than LCD. So if you have a really wide sofa, people in the cheap seats won't have a worse picture than those sitting directly in front of the TV. From what Katzmaier saw in his demo of Sony, the off-axis improvement is real but not a huge deal

Motion blur is a bit of a rabbit hole, but due to how the current generation of OLED works, they still have motion blur. Samsung Display claims QD-OLED will have significantly less motion blur than LCD, though the company didn't say if it's better than LG's OLED. An ultrafast response time, plus extra brightness so you can use black frame insertion and still have a bright image, means it should be at least as good as regular OLED. 

A TV demonstrates Samsung's QD Display technology, which combines OLED elements with quantum dots to boost color and other image quality attributes.

Stephen Shankland/CNET

Then there's the question of color volume, which is something you're going to hear more and more about in the coming years. Basically, it's how much color there is in extremely bright parts of the image. One drawback of LG's OLED method is that to get the brightness desired by consumers, it uses an additional subpixel, white, in addition to red, green and blue (see image with LCD, WOLED and QD-OLED above). This technically has the effect of "washing out" extremely bright parts of the image. 

From what we've seen so far, QD-OLED could deliver improved color. The caveat is that we haven't actually had the chance to compare it with shipping products (as opposed to prototypes) using real-world video. With most real-world HDR TV shows and movies there really isn't that much color information in bright parts of the image. That's partly to do with the inability of most displays to do anything with it. But even if Hollywood were to color-grade more shows and movies with more bright-color data, we're still just talking about things like more yellow in the sun, more blue tint to headlights, and so on. It remains to be see how much different QD-OLED will look with those colors.

The future is now(ish)

In the end, how much better QD-OLED is than regular OLED doesn't actually matter. It's already the most important thing it could be: more OLED. Another company making OLED displays is by far the healthiest thing that could happen to the TV industry and for consumers. Pushing picture quality up and prices down has never been a bad thing.

For that matter, as someone who has always hated LCD, I think a future without that tired, Band-Aid-ed TV technology is a welcome one. But that might just be me.

We expect to get our hands on the first generation of QD-OLED displays later this year. Stay tuned.

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As well as covering TV and other display tech, Geoff does photo tours of cool museums and locations around the world, including nuclear submarines, massive aircraft carriers, medieval castles, epic 10,000-mile road trips, and more. Check out Tech Treks for all his tours and adventures.

He also wrote a bestselling sci-fi novel about city-size submarines, along with a sequel. You can follow his adventures on Instagram and his YouTube channel.

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How to Get Shiny Meltan in Pokemon Go

How to Get Shiny Meltan in Pokemon Go

Pokemon Go's TCG crossover event ends at 8 p.m. local time today, June 30, which means time is running out to get a handful of special Pokemon -- including shiny Meltan. This shiny mythical Pokemon will be appearing (albeit rarely) until the TCG event ends, making this your last chance to catch one for the foreseeable future.

Unlike other mythical Pokemon, Meltan is primarily found by opening the Mystery Box -- a special item you can only receive by transferring Pokemon to either Pokemon Home or one of the Pokemon: Let's Go games on Nintendo Switch. Here's everything you need to know about how to catch Meltan.

What is Meltan?

Meltan is a steel-type mythical Pokemon that can only be caught in Pokemon Go. There are two ways to encounter Meltan: by completing the "Let's Go, Meltan" Special Research task line, or by opening a special item called the Mystery Box.

How to get the Mystery Box

Unlike most other items in Pokemon Go, you can't acquire the Mystery Box from the in-game shop. Rather, you must transfer one of your Pokemon from Go to Pokemon Home or Pokemon: Let's Go, Pikachu / Let's Go, Eevee to obtain it.

Once you've made your first transfer, the Mystery Box will automatically be added to your inventory. However, it has a few noteworthy restrictions. After you open the Mystery Box, it will remain active for 60 minutes, during which time Meltan will spawn on the map. Once the time has elapsed, the box will close, and you'll need to wait three days and make another transfer before you can open it again (although the wait period is often reduced during special events).

How to evolve Meltan into Melmetal

Another aspect that sets Meltan apart from other mythical Pokemon is the fact it can evolve. Once you've obtained 400 Meltan candies, you can evolve it into a powerful steel-type Pokemon called Melmetal. This evolution can only be triggered in Pokemon Go, so if you're hoping to use Meltmetal in other Pokemon games like Sword and Shield, you'll need to evolve Meltan before transferring it over.

Since Meltan has such a steep candy requirement, you'll need to catch as many of them as you can while the Mystery Box is open if you're hoping to evolve it. You can maximize you amount of candy you receive by feeding a Pinap Berry to a wild Meltan before catching it. You can also expedite the process by converting any Rare Candy you have into Meltan candy.

How to get shiny Meltan

Whereas most shiny Pokemon remain available in Pokemon Go after they've been introduced to the game, shiny Meltan only appears during special events like the Pokemon TCG crossover, so you don't want to miss your chance to catch one while you can.

Unfortunately, there's no real way to ensure you encounter a shiny Meltan, so whether or not you get one ultimately comes down to luck. Your best bet to find one is to open the Mystery Box as many times as you can during the event and catch every Meltan that appears. This will maximize your chances of coming across a shiny Meltan.

Best moves for Melmetal

Like many other mythical Pokemon in the game, Melmetal's move pool is fairly shallow. Your only option when it comes to Fast Attacks is Thunder Shock, making it the best choice by default.

The overall best Charged Attack for Melmetal is Hyper Beam, as it deals the most damage per second. Another good option, however, is the steel-type move Flash Cannon. Melmetal will receive a same-type attack bonus from the attack, but it takes longer to charge up than Hyper Beam.

Pokemon Go's TCG crossover is running until June 30, but there are more events happening in the game next month. You can see everything going on in Pokemon Go over the next few weeks in our July events roundup.

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Apple could signal new coronavirus, chip shortage troubles before iPhone 13 release

Apple could signal new coronavirus, chip shortage troubles before iPhone 13 release

Many people throughout the US opted not to get a life-saving COVID-19 vaccine, despite its widespread availability throughout the spring and summer. Now coronavirus cases and deaths are ticking up across the US as we head into the fall, raising alarms with health officials and, apparently, Apple too.

The tech giant's already told employees it's delaying return-to-office plans until October at the earliest, mirroring moves from 2020 when companies began shifting schedules in response to worsening conditions. Apple was one of the first major companies to warn about disruptions from the coronavirus back in February of last year, a full month before the World Health Organization declared a pandemic and governments around the world started instituting lockdowns. Rumors are already swirling that Apple's next major product announcement will be held virtually as well.

On Tuesday afternoon, it may take another more public step when CEO Tim Cook is inevitably asked questions about the pandemic by Wall Street analysts following the release of the company's fiscal third-quarter results. And more eyes than usual may be on Cook as he speaks.

Apple's fiscal third quarter, which falls in the spring months ended in June, is typically the last earnings release before the company announces its next slate of iPhones. But last year at this time, Cook & Co. warned investors the iPhone would be delayed "a few weeks" from its typical September launch. There's good reason to believe Apple could pull a repeat performance, due to the combination of deepening coronavirus cases around the world and a global semiconductor shortage that major chip buyers and manufacturers warn could delay products for another year or more.

"We have a long way to go yet," Pat Gelsinger, head of chipmaking giant Intel, told the Wall Street Journal last week.

Apple's still expected to report $1 of profit per share, according to analyst surveys published by Yahoo. That would amount to a jump of 50% from the same time a year ago, off nearly $73 billion in revenue.

But larger questions still remain about the coronavirus and the potential disruptions it could cause.

Apple's helped fight coronavirus with new features in its phons, like a list of places to get COVID tests and vaccines.

Apple

While Apple's short-term plans may change due to COVID-19, analysts say they're closely watching its newest iPads, Mac computers and subscription efforts. For years, Apple's fate has been tied to the iPhone, which typically represents about half of the company's annual revenue. But in 2019, Apple started launching new subscription services, including its $5 per month Apple TV Plus for movies and TV, $5 monthly Apple Arcade for games and, last year, Apple Fitness Plus workout classes for $10 per month.

Each has received positive reviews, topped by Apple TV Plus earning 35 Emmy nominations earlier this month, led by its breakout sports comedy Ted Lasso.

Apple's subscriptions have grown to represent almost half of the company's overall services business, adding to its already popular App Store and iTunes music and movie store businesses. "We think services trends could trend more like a recurring revenue stream with less seasonal volatility in the coming years," analysts at Cowen wrote in a report to investors earlier this month.

"We have a long way to go yet."

Pat Gelsinger, CEO Intel

The newest iPads and Mac computers are also garnering positive response. CNET Editor Scott Stein says Apple's home-grown M1 chips are "a leap up" and "dripping with power." And consumers are buying so many of the devices that Apple said it's struggling to keep them in stock.

Apple said it didn't know how long it would struggle to meet demand, but it expects to be "supply-gated, not demand-gated" for the foreseeable future. Loup Ventures analyst Gene Munster said in a blog post that he expects Apple will catch up to demand by the fall, "which leads us to believe the best days are still ahead for Mac and iPad."

Despite the Mac and iPad struggles, the iPhone appears to be humming along. Chatham Road Partners analyst Colin Gillis said in a note to investors that he expects "Phone as Fashion" will push further sales as people "want to show off the latest device" after a year in isolation. Canaccord Genuity analyst T. Michael Walkley, meanwhile, said he believes that 5G wireless is convincing people to open their wallets as well. And Apple's rumored to have already ordered more than 100 million chips for its next-generation iPhone, expected later this year. 

In the meantime, the larger answers about the coronavirus are still unclear. The federal government is continuing to advocate for vaccines, and a potential full FDA authorization for the injections is expected in the coming months. "The vaccine is free, safe and effective," President Joe Biden said in June. Apple CEO Cook's anxiety about the future may be a result of whether anyone's still listening.

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Microsoft Windows 10 review: Microsoft gets it right

Microsoft Windows 10 review: Microsoft gets it right

When Microsoft unveiled Windows 10 in 2015, it delivered an elegant operating system that could -- for the first time -- fulfill the potential of each modern computing form factor. Equally proficient on a touchscreen tablet, laptop, or conventional desktop PC, Windows 10 resuscitated the operating system's best features while setting the stage for Microsoft's ongoing innovation streak that includes idiosyncratic products like the Surface Pro 4, Surface Book and, more recently, the Surface Studio -- a desktop PC for artists and designers in need of high-end horsepower and display -- and the Surface Dial, a touch-friendly dial designed to facilitate fine contextual controls.

Late 2016 update

The next generation of the popular Surface tablet, the rumored Surface Pro 5, is expected to appear in the spring of 2017 -- timing that may coincide with the rollout of the next version of Windows, a free update scheduled for the first half of 2017. Windows "Creators Update" will introduce 4K video game streaming and support "augmented reality," bringing 3D capabilities to legacy applications such as Paint and PowerPoint. It will support 3D rendering for Microsoft's HoloLens technology, which will be incorporated into forthcoming devices from Acer, Lenovo, Dell, HP and Asus. And it will enable a virtual touchpad that lets you control external monitors from tablets, without need for a mouse.

It's worth mentioning that Apple delivered its own operating system overhaul in September 2016. MacOS Sierra added some new features inspired by its own mobile operating system. And though Apple clearly wishes to continue the integration of Macs and iOS products, providing additional incentives to keep your hardware inside Apple's walled garden, it's not always a perfect fit. In fact, the new MacBooks announced in early October 2016, equipped only with USB-C ports, can't connect to the new iPhone 7 and its Lightning Connector, without an adapter.

Editors' note: The original Microsoft Windows 10 review, first published in July 2015, follows.

Windows 10 is the Goldilocks version of Microsoft's venerable PC operating system -- a "just right" compromise between the familiar dependability of Windows 7, and the forward-looking touchscreen vision of Windows 8.

This new Windows, available as a free upgrade for existing Windows 7 and Windows 8 noncorporate users, is built from the ground up to pursue Microsoft's vision of a unified OS that spans all devices without alienating any one platform. It's an attempt to safeguard Microsoft's crumbling software hegemony, assailed on all sides by Google and Apple. And it's a vision of the future as Microsoft sees it, where a single user experience spans every piece of technology we touch. Welcome to Windows as a service.

Yes, this new OS is chock-full of fresh features. To name just a few: a lean, fast Internet Explorer replacement called Edge; Microsoft's Siri-like voice-controlled virtual assistant, Cortana; and the ability to stream real-time games to your desktop from an Xbox One in another room. (And in case you're wondering: there is no "Windows 9" -- Microsoft skipped it, going straight from 8 to 10.)

Windows 10 bridges the gap between PC and tablet. Nate Ralph/CNET

But Windows 10 is also the end of a long, awkward road that began with the release of Windows 8 in 2012, when Microsoft tried to convince a world of keyboard and mouse wielders that touchscreens were the way to go -- or else. Ironically, in 2015, the PC hardware for that touchscreen future is now here -- everything from 2-in-1s such as the Lenovo Yoga line to convertible tablets with detachable keyboards, like Microsoft's own Surface. And Windows 10 smoothly lets users transition from "tablet" to "PC" mode on such devices like never before.

For the rest of the PC universe -- including those who still prefer good old-fashioned keyboard and mouse navigation -- Windows 10 is a welcome return to form. The Start menu, inexplicably yanked from 8, is back and working the way you expect it to. Those live tiles from the Windows 8 home screen still exist, but they've been attached to the Start menu, where they make a lot more sense. And the fiendishly hidden Charms bar has been morphed into the more straightforward (and easier to find) Action Center.

As always, there are some quibbles and gripes with the end product, but all-in-all -- after living with Windows 10 for months -- I can say it's a winner. It's flexible, adaptable and customizable. And it's been battle-tested by an army of beta testers for the better part of a year, making it one of the most robust operating system rollouts in recent memory.

A fresh Start

The Start menu is back; it's almost funny how relieving that is. That humble Start button has been a fixture on the lower left corner of the Windows desktop since the halcyon days of Windows 95, offering speedy access to apps and settings. Press it on Windows 10, and you'll see the latest step in a long conversation about the state of the PC industry.

I spend more time than I'd like to admit rearranging the Start Menu. Screenshot by Nate Ralph/CNET

The past sits on the left: a neat column with shortcuts to your most used apps. Press the "All Apps" button and you'll get an alphabetical list of all of the apps installed on your PC. There are folders in there too -- press them, and extra options will fly out, just like they always have.

The future -- or at least, the future as Microsoft envisions it -- sits on the right side of the Start menu. These are the colorful, animated live tiles that debuted in Windows 8, pulling double duty as app shortcuts and informative widgets. You can resize these live tiles, drag them about to arrange them into groups and pin as many apps as you'd like -- the entire Start menu can be shrunk or expanded to suit your liking. It's essentially a miniaturized version of the fullscreen Start menu we saw in Windows 8. Hate live tiles? Then unpin them to excise them from your computer, leaving you with the narrow column of frequently used apps we've known for so long.

One step back, two steps forward

The Start menu in Windows 10 is admission that Windows 8 maybe have been a bit too forward thinking. But Microsoft hasn't abandoned that vision of unifying all manner of devices under a single operating system: Continuum in Windows 10 is the latest attempt to bridge the gap between touch and non-touch devices, and this time it doesn't force us to relearn how to work with our PCs.

To start, there's no divide between the Windows 8-style "Modern" apps you get from the Windows app store, and those you install the old-fashioned way. Everything exists as a traditional windowed app, sharing space on the desktop. If you're on a two-in-one device like Microsoft's Surface Pro 3 , pop the keyboard off and Windows 10 will switch to tablet mode. The Start menu and your apps will stretch to take up the entire screen, and all of the miscellaneous apps and shortcuts on your taskbar will disappear, to give your finger fewer obstacles to hit.

Apps go fullscreen, and the taskbar gets a little less cluttered in tablet mode. Screenshot by Nate Ralph/CNET

Reattach the keyboard, and everything slots back into place. It's an instantaneous, seamless process (once you've shooed away the annoying confirmation window). It's also entirely optional: you can disable the feature and switch to tablet mode manually, or forget that this whole touch concept exists at all.

This is what Windows 8 always should've been: an operating system that bridges the divide between touch and non-touch, without alienating folks who fall into one camp or the other. Like it or not, the future belongs to devices with touchscreens. But Microsoft (finally) understands that we'll all get there at own pace, and Continuum makes the transition painless. And now that there are so many hybrid devices to choose from, making the switch to touch without abandoning the interface we know is more important than ever.

Learning new tricks

Microsoft hasn't stopped at making touch make sense on a Windows PC. With Windows 10, just about every facet of the OS has been tweaked and updated, and a few new features have been rolled in. In typical Microsoft fashion, there's a dizzying array of keyboard shortcuts and touch gestures for each of these features, giving you no fewer than three ways to access the things you're trying to get to. No need to memorize them all -- just use whatever suits you (or your device) best.

Virtual desktops

If I had to pick my favorite new feature, I'd go with virtual desktops. Click the new Task View button on the taskbar and you'll get a bird's-eye view of all of the apps you've got open. Drag one of those apps onto the "new desktop" button, and it'll be moved to its own independent workspace. I can keep one workspace focused on work, a separate desktop for gaming forums, yet another workspace for the new camera lenses I'm checking out; there's no limit to the amount of virtual desktops you can create, and each one is treated as its own little private island.

Virtual desktops help you spread your apps across several workspaces. Screenshot by Nate Ralph/CNET

Virtual desktops are far from a new development, and they've been available in past versions of Windows thanks to third-party apps. But it's nice to see Microsoft catching up here. The feature could still use some work: desktops are numbered, but if you create a lot of them it can be hard to keep track of where everything is. The "traditional" Win32 apps you might download and install from a website are happy to open a new instance on any desktop, while clicking the shortcut on an app from the Windows store will yank you back to whatever desktop you used it on last.

You can move apps across virtual desktops -- just drag them, or right-click to shunt them over -- but there's no way to reorder the virtual desktops themselves, which would be really useful for staying organized. I'd also like to be able to set a different wallpaper for every virtual desktop -- I can do both of those things in Apple's OSX operating system, and have always found it really handy.

Windows Snap

The Snap feature introduced in Windows 7 has gotten a bit of an upgrade, too. Drag an app to the left or right side of the screen, and it'll "snap" to fill that space. The new Snap Assist feature will then chime in, showing you little thumbnails of any other apps that are currently open -- click a thumbnail, and it'll fill up the remaining space. You can also snap an app into a corner of your display and fill your screen with up to four apps, divided equally across the screen -- this could prove useful for folks with massive monitors.

Action Center

The new Action Center replaces the "Charms" introduced in Windows 8, and is another nod to mobile operating systems. Click the Action center icon on the taskbar to bring up a panel that houses all of your app notifications, and offers quick access to a few important system settings, like toggling your Wi-Fi network or switching in and out of tablet mode -- you can choose the options that turn up here in the settings menu. If you're coming from Windows 7 and have no idea where to find some of the settings you're used to, there's a good chance you'll find them here.

Wi-Fi Sense

I'd be remiss if I didn't mention Wi-Fi Sense. While technically not a new feature (it's part of Windows Phone 8.1) its presence in Windows 10 should've been a welcome addition: Wi-Fi Sense connects your devices to trusted Wi-Fi hotspots.

I love the idea. Automatically sharing Wi-Fi credentials with my friends would remove much of the hassle of most social gatherings, when people just want to jump on my Wi-Fi network. And -- this part is key -- Wi-Fi Sense doesn't share your actual password, so it theoretically eases a social transaction (the sharing of Wi-Fi connectivity) without necessarily compromising my network security.

Until Wi-Fi sense offers granular control over sharing, I'd avoid it. Screenshot by Nate Ralph/CNET

But the implementation is, in a word, daft. I do want to automatically share my network with a select group of friends who are visiting, and have them return the favor. I don't want to automatically share access with everyone in my Outlook address book, or on Skype, or the random assortment of folks I've added on Facebook over the years. Give me the ability to choose who I share access with, down to the individual, and I'll give it a shot. Until then, I'll be leaving Wi-Fi Sense off -- I recommend you do too.

Windows Hello and Windows Passport

Microsoft is also beefing up security with Windows Hello. The feature will use your Windows 10 devices' camera or a fingerprint scanner to turn your body into a password. Once you've authenticated yourself with Windows Hello, Windows Passport will then give you access to a number of third-party sites and products, without forcing you to log in all over again. This should make it a bit more convenient to log in to your devices, so you don't skimp on traditional measures, like having a robust password. The only catch is that Hello isn't widely supported on a lot of existing hardware: you'll need a device sporting Intel's RealSense camera, or a fingerprint scanner.

Chatting with Cortana

Microsoft's virtual assistant Cortana isn't exactly a new feature, as she's been on Windows Phone for just over a year. But the company's answer to Apple's Siri, Amazon's Alexa and Google Now has made the transition to the desktop with Windows 10, taking over the OS' search functionality, while also handling quite a few housekeeping duties. You can have Cortana trawl through your email and calendar, and keep you notified of any upcoming flights you're taking, or packages you're expecting. She can set reminders and track stocks, and you can even dictate email messages for her to send to your contacts. Cortana can also be set to listen for you to say "Hey, Cortana," and can be trained to recognize several different voices. If you want to learn more about Cortana, head over to my preview on Microsoft's virtual assistant .

Cortana will help you get things done. James Martin/CNET

I'm torn. I love Google Now's proactive stream of useful information, served to me whenever I need it. But my primary mobile device is an Android phone and not a Windows Phone, which keeps my interactions with Cortana sequestered to my desktop.

She's not especially useful here. Windows 10's Voice recognition is rather accurate, but if I have to send an email message and I'm at my desk, I'm just going to use my email client. She'll offer recommendations for places to eat or things to see, but that'd be a lot more useful when I'm out and about than at my desk. The same goes for reminders, which are decidedly less useful if I can't access them anywhere.

Cortana will be making her way to Android and iOS devices later this year, which should clear up most of these issues -- provided most of her functionality crosses platforms without issue. I'll still turn to Cortana for the occasional joke, but until it's available on a phone I use regularly, I'll be sticking to Google for Now.

Microsoft Edge rethinks the browser

Microsoft has added a brand-new browser into Windows 10, and it's called Microsoft Edge. Introducing a new browser in a world that already has Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox and Apple's Safari is a pretty bold move. Doubly so when your previous effort was Internet Explorer -- once a juggernaut in the space, now the Internet's favorite punchline.

Annotate webpages with Microsoft's Edge browser. James Martin/CNET

Edge is a fast, modern browser that offers quite a few commendable features. Cortana is integrated right into the browser, and she'll offer detailed information on things like the weather or flight statuses while you're typing into the browser's address bar. Navigate over to a bar or restaurant's website, and Cortana can pull up a little sidebar full of useful information, like reviews or directions. The webnote feature lets you scribble on webpages and share your annotations to OneNote or via email, and you can use the Reading view option to strip a website down to its bare essentials. Edge has also been built with tighter security from the start, to hopefully circumvent some of the headaches that erupted from Internet Explorer.

But there are no extensions to tame overzealous advertisements, or enhance websites like Reddit, or simply organized my tabs -- I've been thoroughly spoiled by Google Chrome. There's no way to sync tabs or bookmarks across devices, and you currently can't import bookmarks from other browsers. All those features will be available eventually, with support for extensions coming sometime before the end of the year -- like Windows 10, Edge is a constantly evolving work in progress. But it's going to take a lot for someone like me, wholly enmeshed in Google's ecosystem, to ditch Chrome for something new. Internet Explorer also isn't going anywhere: it'll remain a part of Windows for the foreseeable future, as legacy apps are dependent on it. Head over to my Microsoft Edge preview to learn more about Microsoft Edge .

Getting your game on

Windows 10 adds and tweaks a few things in the entertainment department. The Xbox Video and Xbox Music apps have been renamed to Movies & TV and Groove Music, respectively. Their function is identical: any music and video files on your device can be found here, but it mostly serves as a means to convince you to buy or rent content from Microsoft's stores. You've got plenty of streaming services to choose from, for music and video.

Xbox Live achievements for Solitaire? Brilliant. Screenshot by Nate Ralph/CNET

If you're a gamer, the Xbox app will prove far more interesting. It's a window into your Xbox Live feed, letting you see what your friends are up to and send them messages, browse recordings people have made, compare achievements, and all of the expected ways of interacting with the social network. But if you own an Xbox One, you can stream activity from your console to any device running Windows 10.

It's awesome. No, it's not a game changer, and certainly not a reason to run out and grab an Xbox One. But it's still awesome: if someone wants to use the television, I can just plug an Xbox One controller into one of my PCs and continue plugging away at the Xbox One version of The Witcher 3 . The quality of the experience is going to be dependent on your network, so I'd recommend making sure both your console and the PC you're streaming to are connect to your LAN. The console also can't be used by others when it's streaming so this won't enable cooperative gaming. But if you frequently find yourself sharing the TV and have a PC with Windows 10 on hand, it's a fun little addition that could come in handy.

Handy tools for shutterbugs

The new Photos app isn't going to replace something like Adobe Lightroom, but if you take a lot of photos and are looking for a simple tool to keep things organized, you'll do well here.

Use the Photos app to make quick, non-destructive edits to your pictures. Screenshot by Nate Ralph/CNET

The Photos app scans your devices and OneDrive account for photos, and automatically arranges them into albums. You can use the app as a way to keep track of your pictures, but it also offers some basic editing tools too. If you prefer a hands-off approach, Photos will automatically enhance all of the photos it finds, wrangling red eye and sorting out exposure levels -- it works on RAW files, too. But don't worry: the edits Photos makes are non-destructive, so you can undo any changes it makes, or prevent it from altering your photos altogether.

Windows, everywhere

Windows 10 has finally arrived, but this version of Windows is fundamentally different from any that have come before it. It will truly be an everywhere OS, a concept Microsoft will be pushing with Windows 10 Mobile , and Universal Apps. We've been here before: apps developed for Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8 could share much of their code, which was supposed to make it easy to create a single app that ran everywhere.

Microsoft's universal apps share an identical codebase: the Excel client on your desktop, for example, will be the exact same client as the one on your phone, with elements adjusted to make sense of the different display, and the lack of a keyboard or mouse. You can currently get a taste of this on the latest version of Windows 10 Mobile, and while I wouldn't recommend editing spreadsheets on your smartphone, it's possible.

Universal apps will lead to their own challenges, as developers will have to weigh creating rich, robust apps that can run on a mobile device, against developing apps that can make use of all of the power a full PC can bring to bear. Microsoft is already drafting a solution using Continuum. Microsoft has demonstrated Continuum for phones: plug a Windows Phone into a display, and the interface will one day morph to mimic the PC-based version of Windows. You'll see the desktop, desktop-versions of Windows Store apps, and get full mouse and keyboard support. There's no word on when Continuum for phones will be available, or what devices it'll run on, but it offers a tantalizing glimpse of what Microsoft has in store.

Getting ready for what's next

The Windows Update process will be key to getting everyone on board with Microsoft's vision of the future of Windows. It'll also prove to be one of the most contentious elements: if you're running the standard Home version of Windows 10, updates are automatic and can't be refused.

This is a great thing. Windows' Achilles' heel has long been its nigh-ubiquity, which makes it a prime target for malware and other digital nastiness. A computer that's kept up to date is a happy computer, as it will offer you the best chance of avoiding viruses and other unpleasant things.

You can delay updates, but you can't avoid them. Screenshot by Nate Ralph/CNET

This is also a terrible thing. Many of us have encountered software updates that don't quite work out, occasionally breaking more than they fix. One of the last updates to the Windows 10 preview has been triggering software crashes, a recurring reminder that things occasionally don't work out as intended.

Microsoft has plans in place to mitigate these snafus: those of us who've signed up for the Windows Insider program can opt to continue serving as beta testers in perpetuity, and we'll be receiving every update first, for better or worse. But an army of five million testers could go a long way toward making sure these compulsory updates go as smoothly as possible. Insiders will also be able to continue driving the future of Windows by sharing feedback on features and functionality in Windows as they are developed.

I still worry that something will eventually slip through the cracks, and that will be the forced update that sours everyone's mood on the whole process. But I still favor Microsoft's approach: better to deal with the occasional botched update than have the legion of vulnerable or compromised devices that currently exists.

Conclusion

In an ideal world, we'd just call Microsoft's latest operating system "Windows," and sweep version numbers and codenames under the rug. That "10" gives the impression that something comes next, when in reality Windows is transitioning from something you buy (begrudgingly) once every few years, to a living document that's constantly being updated, and tweaked. For many Windows users expecting a predictable upgrade cadence, this is going to be a difficult transition.

Windows 10 will mean the end of grand, sweeping changes, with a marked increase in the sort of minute, quality-of-life tweaks we've grown accustomed to on our smartphones and tablets. Cortana will learn new tricks, and the interface will become flexible enough to support entirely new kinds of devices, like Microsoft's HoloLens . Should Windows Phone survive, we'll eventually see the world Microsoft envisioned back at the launch of Windows 8, when every device was supposed to feel right at home.

All of that comes later. What we have, at present, is a fast, functional OS that that is equally at home on a beefy gaming rig as it is on a Surface tablet. It does everything you expect it to, and bakes in all of the improvements Windows 8 brought to bear. Both Cortana and Edge have a long road ahead of them before they'll supplant Google's vicelike grip on my digital life, but the novelty of dictating emails and requests to my PC is not lost on me. And then there's the price: free, for those upgrading from Windows 7 or Windows 8.

If you're running Windows 7 or Windows 8 you've little to lose, and quite a bit to gain, by making the jump to Windows 10. If you're still on Windows XP, you've probably got your reasons. But Windows 10 marks the first steps in a transition from operating system to ecosystem, a wild dream that gets a little less crazy every time I ask my PC a question, or pop the keyboard of my laptop to get some reading done. This is Microsoft's second attempt at bringing us the future, and this time they're getting it right.

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Fitness trackers are getting more personal powerful in 2022 did the groundhog fitness trackers are getting more personal powerful in spanish fitness trackers are getting more personal powerful quotes fitness trackers are getting more fiber fitness trackers are getting more stuart best fitness trackers fitness trackers for women

Fitness trackers are getting more personal, powerful in 2022 and beyond

Fitness trackers are getting more personal, powerful in 2022 and beyond

Your first fitness tracker -- whether an early Fitbit, the now-defunct Jawbone, a simple pedometer or a heart monitor strap -- probably did little more than track your steps and calories burned. Early smartwatches, meanwhile, essentially felt like phone companions rather than stand-alone devices. 

But fast-forward to 2022 and a lot has changed. Wearables are no longer niche devices for early adopters or fitness fanatics. The Pew Research Center reported in 2020 that about one in five US adults regularly wears a smartwatch or fitness band. Global smartwatch shipments grew by 47% annually in the second quarter of 2021 according to Strategy Analytics, signaling the industry's fastest growth rate since 2018. 

Today's wrist-worn devices are comprehensive fitness gadgets capable of taking an ECG reading from the wrist, monitoring sleep quality and measuring blood oxygen saturation, among other things. That opens up a world of opportunities but also makes things complicated. We have more access than ever to data about our heart rate, how much sleep and activity we're getting and our overall well-being. Yet some newer, more advanced health metrics can be challenging to comprehend, raising the question of whether they're truly helpful. 

Therefore, context and personalization will be key to both current and next-generation wearables, according to conversations with medical experts, tech executives and industry analysts. The medical community is also excited about the potential that future fitness devices hold for detecting more advanced metrics, like changes in glucose levels and the role of wearables in preventive care. 

Making better sense of health data from our fitness trackers

Lexy Savvides/CNET

The biggest improvements that are likely to arrive in the near term will involve making health data more useful and personalized. Oura, Whoop and Fitbit are already helping steer the industry in this direction with their respective scoring systems, some of which require a paid subscription.

Both Oura and Fitbit, for example, offer readiness scores that help wearers decide whether it's time for a heavy workout or a rest day. Those numbers are based on metrics such as resting heart rate variability, sleep, activity and other bodily signals. Whoop has a similar recovery score that provides insight on whether a user's body is ready for strenuous exercise.

Oura's readiness score embodies the company's overall approach to health tracking, which is that devices should provide context alongside numbers and data points, according Chris Becherer, Oura's chief product officer. He added that Oura will maintain that approach with newer features, such as the period prediction tool it launched in October, and will only expand into new types of health tracking if the company can provide similarly helpful insights. 

"We won't do it just for the sake of doing it," Becherer said. "And we'll make sure that it fits with the holistic user-friendly experience that Oura is known for."

Fitbit sees another opportunity for adding more personalization and specificity to health metrics: exploring the link between mental and physical wellbeing. Fitbit is already dipping its toes into mental wellness with its EDA app, available on the Fitbit Sense and Charge 5, which measures changes in sweat to see how the body might be responding to stress. 

Fitbit also lets wearers log their mood to accompany those readings, so users can see how they felt when the measurement was taken. Analyzing that type of data over time could help Fitbit better understand what bodily changes mean for a person's overall wellness, allowing for more thorough insights. 

"We can over time get more and more correlation between this idea of, 'How do I feel?' compared to 'What is my physiology and what are the metrics telling me?'" said Jonah Becker, Fitbit's design director. "Which I think is a powerful thing." 

The ability to measure additional body signals, such as electrodermal activity (i.e., the EDA app's sweat readings), could also lay the foundation for future Fitbit features. Eric Friedman, Fitbit's co-founder and vice president of research, points to Fitbit's sleep stages functionality as an example. That feature, which tells the wearer how much time was spent in light, sleep or REM sleep, is only possible because of other metrics that came before it, like heart rate and motion measurements.

"Imagine taking that and EDA, and you ... start building things together to start layering these health metrics on top of each other, going to the next thing," Friedman said.

Blood sugar monitoring could be the next major step forward in health tracking

Apple is rumored to be working on blood sugar monitoring for future versions of the Apple Watch.

Lisa Eadicicco/CNET

What exactly that "next thing" is remains unclear. But reports and expert predictions do point to blood sugar monitoring in wearables as an area of interest. 

However, that doesn't mean diabetics will be able to rely on smartwatch readings to calculate insulin dosages. That will still require more invasive devices that break the skin for the foreseeable future, says Dr. Steven LeBoeuf, president and co-founder of Valencell, which makes health sensors for wearable devices. 

Instead, a future glucose-monitoring smartwatch might be able to make broader observations about whether the wearer is in a state of low, normal or high blood sugar. That could help wearers understand whether diet or exercise changes are impacting their blood sugar, or whether the user should use a glucose meter, says Dr. LeBoeuf.

"Now that has all kinds of positive implications," said Dr. LeBoeuf. "So I think you will be seeing that technology in wearables as well, whether it comes from Valencell or some other entity."

Dr. Zahi Fayad, director of Mount Sinai's Biomedical Engineering and Imaging Institute, also sees a lot of potential in this space. Glucose monitoring capabilities like those mentioned above could help wearables offer more personalized nutrition advice. That's important because today's recommendations are typically based on broad population studies and therefore lack customization according to Dr. Fayad.

"Everybody's gut microbiome is different and reacts to food differently, or reacts to lifestyle changes differently," said Dr. Fayad.

Yet it's unclear when or if this type of functionality will arrive in everyday smartwatches or fitness trackers. Apple has been working on adding blood sugar monitoring to the Apple Watch, according to reports from Bloomberg and The Wall Street Journal, although both reports suggest the technology is in its early stages. 

Roberta Cozza, a senior director analyst at Gartner, thinks there is still a long way to go. Although research is being done in this area, she believes accuracy and medical clearances present a challenge. 

"I think for this, you're going to have to have something that is medical-approved," she said. "So it's going to take some time until we find something that is really usable and reliable."

Smartwatches and fitness trackers are already starting to blur the line between medical and wellness devices. Adding more sophisticated metrics, like glucose readings, means tech companies will have to be mindful about how users may interpret these readings.

"Maybe vendors need to find new ways in which they can be clearer with consumers around the expectations that they might have when wearing some of these devices," said Cozza. "Because this will be getting just more and more complicated."

Filing in the gaps between doctors visits

The Amazon Halo View

Lisa Eadicicco/CNET

The medical and tech communities seem to share a common goal when it comes to progress in the wearables field: Helping people take better care of themselves between doctor's appointments. 

"Instead of having one data point per year, you have continuous data points across every single part of your day," Oura's Becherer said. 

That's part of the inspiration behind new features and capabilities that have arrived in recent wearable devices. For example, Amazon's Halo health app includes a tool for estimating your body fat percentage based on images taken from a smartphone's camera, which it analyzes using machine learning and computer vision. The feature has been somewhat controversial when it comes to personal privacy.

But Melissa Cha, vice president of Amazon's Halo division, says the goal behind this feature is to help people to keep a log of their bodily changes -- another tool for monitoring progress between doctor's visits.

"You have a long-term record that you can then share with your care provider or physician if you want to discuss changes in your body composition over time," Cha said. 

Dr. Devin Mann, associate professor of population health and medicine at New York University Langone Health, believes we're seeing more of a crossover between medical and consumer devices. That's because each side has something to learn from the other. 

Commercial wearables are gaining more advanced health monitoring capabilities, while medical device makers are trying to reach broader audiences. 

"We're sort of seeing those two streams coming together," Mann said. "And there's more overlap between them."

Over the long term, some experts are excited about the potential of using wearable devices to help detect disease early. That type of functionality is still in its early stages, but Dr. Paul Friedman, a cardiologist in the Mayo Clinic's AI in Cardiology Work Group, is encouraged by the progress the industry has made so far. A few years ago, most physicians wouldn't have trusted the data from health trackers to help inform medical treatments, according to Dr. Friedman. But that's changing.

"The answer would have been no; nine out of 10 when they were surveyed said no," Friedman said. "Now it's almost reversed."

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