Month: April 2018

Enlarge / Our latest look at the LG G7. (credit: Evan Blass)

The next company in the unending lineup of spring smartphone launches is LG, which has promised us a May 2 launch for its next flagship phone. After the LG G6, everyone was expecting the next phone to be called the LG G7, but LG is throwing us a branding curve ball and going with the much more awkward name of "LG G7 ThinQ."

The design of the G7 ThinQ has been no secret. The basics leaked all the way back in February at Mobile World Congress, but now, thanks to Evan Blass, we have our clearest look yet at the new device.

The image shows pretty much what we were expecting: a front design with an iPhone X-style notched display, rear dual-camera design, and the weird ThinQ branding. This new leak shows the phone from every angle, allowing us to see the USB-C port on the bottom along with the returning headphone jack.

Enlarge / Fixing and upgrading old Game Boys is a fun way to revive and personalize your old tech; it's also a great excuse for revisiting some classic games. (credit: Andrew Cunningham)

Old Nintendo consoles are clearly having a Moment.

This interest has been spurred in part by official hardware releases like the NES and SNES Classic Editions, tiny replica consoles that have more in common with your smartphone than with the original hardware. But lots of people still want to dig out their old cartridges and play games on actual hardware, as evidenced by the Analogue NT, the Super NT, and Hyperkin’s unabashed Game Boy Pocket clone.

It’s that last one I want to focus on. Nintendo’s retro revival has so far focused mostly on the classic boxes that you hooked to a TV, ignoring the portables that buoyed Nintendo when home consoles like the GameCube and Wii U faltered. But Hyperkin’s backlit Game Boy clone and the (heretofore totally unsubstantiated) rumors about a Game Boy Classic Edition suggest that people want to relive their long childhood car trips just like they want to relive hours in the basement parked in front of a TV and an NES.

Enlarge (credit: Chevrolet)

Amazon added a new delivery location to the ever-growing number of spots it can leave your packages: inside your car. The company announced an expansion of its Amazon Key in-home delivery service that now lets Prime members get packages deposited in their cars at no extra cost. The service is available today in 37 cities across the country for Prime members with eligible vehicles and active subscriptions to connected car services.

Rather than needing extra Amazon Key hardware, the in-car delivery service only requires the Amazon Key app and a car of recent vintage. Before placing an order on Amazon, Prime members can choose the "in-car" delivery option at checkout. On the day of delivery, customers can check if their car is parked in-range of the delivery location in the Amazon Key app.

Before couriers gain access to the customer's car, Amazon uses an "encrypted authentication process" to make sure the right courier is present in the right location with the right package. After authorization, the car is unlocked so the courier can deliver the package inside. As with most Amazon delivery services, customers receive alerts when a package is about to be delivered and after the package has been left in their car.