LG starts rolling out Android 7.0 Nougat to the G5

LG has started delivering Android 7.0 to owners of its modular G5 handset in South Korea, in the process claiming to be the first company to roll Nougat out to an existing Marshmallow phone. LG’s recent V20 was also the first phone to launch with Nougat on board, ahead of Google’s own Pixel devices in most countries.

There’s a catch, though — only Korean users are getting the update today. LG says customers in the Americas, Asia, and elsewhere will have to wait for theirs to drop “in the weeks to come,” which as ever will be subject to the usual carrier-approval dance. Still, the Korea rollout suggests that LG hasn’t run into any technical issues with the G5, so hopefully a US release won’t be too far off.

Samsung's Siri killer to debut on the Galaxy S8

Partially thanks to the Note7 fiasco, Samsung has been unusually open about its next batch of flagship phones, the Samsung Galaxy S8 and Note8. Owners of Note7 in some markets canreplace their device for an advance discount on these upcoming phones, and now we know about one feature that will debut on the S8. 

According to Reuters, the company said Sunday it would include a new digital assistant on the S8 — the one that stems from the company's October acquisition of Viv Labs.Viv Labs is an AI company whose founders, Dag Kittlaus, Adam Cheyer and Chris Brigham, are also the makers of Siri which got acquired by Apple in 2010. Samsung did not share any details about what, exactly, the new digital assistant will be able to do, but it did say that it will open it to third-party developers. 

The announcement further heats up the race for the smartest digital assistant. Apple's Siri has gotten smarter and reached the company's macOS in its latest iteration, Sierra. Google recently launched a new digital AI called the Assistant, currently only available on the company's Pixel phones, and Amazon's Alexa has also been steadily updated, most recently reaching customers on the company's new Echo Dot device. 

The Galaxy S8 and the Galaxy S8 Edge are likely to launch in February or March 2017, but the date has not been officially confirmed. The Note8 is expected to be launched much later in the year.

Apple's MacBook Pro gets perfect slam from ancient Lenovo ad

We get it: A lot of you hate the new MacBook Pro. Whether it's the new Touch Bar so many think they don't need, or thedongle hell that Apple's port switcheroo will cause, the company's latest laptop isn’t winning many (vocal) fans. 

Now, just two weeks after the launch of the MacBook Pro, an ancient Lenovo commercial from 2008 has been surfaced that perfectly slams Apple's new top of the line laptop. Riffing off Apple's ad that showed the MacBook Air fitting into an envelope, Lenovo takes the laptop and shows how much trouble you have to go through to connect various devices to the laptop. The spot ends with a promotional nod to the company's ThinkPad X300. And while that ad didn't manage to spoil the popularity of the MacBook Air with consumers, many years later, it turns out thatLenovo was, well, kind of right.

Protect yourself against these bogus iOS apps

Bogus apps targeting shoppers have found their way onto Apple's iOS App Store, putting users at risk right before the holiday season. These apps supposedly imitate legitimate services from companies like Foot Locker and Nordstrom, harvesting personal information or credit card numbers from users, or even locking down their devices and then demanding a ransom to restore access.

 Look out for obvious errors

Before you rush to slam that download button, scan an app's page for any glaring mistakes. These apps are frequently developed internationally, which means you might notice odd characters, spelling errors or strange grammar in an app's name or description.

Next, before downloading an app, take a look at the developer's page to get a better sense of how legit they are. Take Foot Locker, for example. When you tap into the app's page on the App Store, you'll see the developer (Foot Locker, Inc.) listed directly below the app's name. Tap into that and you'll see their other offerings — Champs Sports and Footaction, which are other (legitimate) Foot Locker brands, so you know you're getting the real thing. 

If a developer's page is filled with other apps that look suspect, don't trust it. When The New York Times reported on the App Store's problems Sunday, it included a screenshot from a developer named Footlocke Sports Co., Ltd. — a clear attempt to ape Foot Locker that was littered with apps with no connection to sportswear.

Some developers have a special branded page to make all of this even more clear — Final Fantasy-maker Square Enix, for example, ha

Sharper, more vibrant HDR videos are now available on YouTube

YouTube, the world's largest and most popular video service, now supports HDR content for sharper, more vibrant picture quality.The company announced HDR (High Dynamic Range) support in January, and now it's finally live.HDR videos have higher contrast, wider dynamic range of colors, brighter whites and blacker blacks. "Simply put, HDR unlocks the most spectacular image quality we've ever streamed," a blog post states.

YouTube videos that support HDR will be playable on all 2016 Samsung SUHD and UHD TVs, as well as HDR-compatible TVs with a Chromecast Ultra.An HDR badge will appear when the video is played. There will also be a "shelf of HDR videos on the 4K tab on compatible TVS" according to a YouTube spokesperson. An HDR search filter will come in the future.

To get the HDR ball rolling, YouTube's compiled a playlist of HDR videos for the launch from creators such as MysteryGuitarMan, Abandon Visuals and Jacob + Katie Schwarz.TV makers and content providers like Netflix have been telling everyone for years that HDR is the future. YouTube's finally getting with the program.

Free charging for Tesla owners is getting phased out

For Tesla owners, the free lunch is about to end.

Every Tesla owner so far has enjoyed free access to the company's supercharging stations, the network of quick battery chargers that pepper highways throughout the world. But come 2017, using these supercharging stations will no longer be free for new Tesla owners.

If you order a Tesla after Jan. 2017, or if you've pre-ordered a Tesla that won't arrive by April 2017 (likely the Model 3), you may want to save some money for fueling. Tesla said in a blog post the new refueling fee will be "less than the price of filling up a comparable gas car." Still, it's a pretty significant change that may affect a potential customer's decision to invest in a Tesla.

Nevertheless, this deal does promise that new Tesla owners will be given "400 kWh of free Supercharging credits (roughly 1,000 miles) ...annually." So supercharging is still free if you won't be traveling a whole hell of a lot.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk had already warned Model 3 owners that supercharging would no longer be free, and today's news makes it official. Tesla says it's creating the new fee so it can reinvest in its network of supercharging stations — not so that it can boost its profits:But if you already own a Tesla, congratulations, you lucked out. You will be able to use Tesla's network of supercharging stations for free, for as long as your Tesla operates.

Amazon cuts $40 off Echo to celebrate its 2nd birthday

If you've been on the fence about getting an Amazon Echo, today's your lucky day. Amazon isslashing $40 off the voice-controlled tube, bringing the device down to $140 from its regular price of $180.The limited time discount is in celebration of the Echo's second birthday. The smart home controller/speaker launched in late 2014 to Amazon Prime members through an invite-to-buy system.

Since its launch, the Echo has gone on to become a hit for Amazon and consumers. Users, including yours truly, have praised the Echo for its easy-to-use Alexa voice commands and growing support for devices and services.

The Echo landed on Oprah Winfrey's famous "Favorite Things" list in 2015, and is gaining mainstream acceptance as evidenced in its cameo in season two of Mr. Robot.

Amazon's limited-time price cut also couldn't have come at a better time. With the launch of the cheaper $130 Google Home on Nov. 10, Amazon is providing a good incentive to not buy Google's connected speaker.

As I said in my review, both the Amazon Echo and Google Home are nearly neck and neck. There are still some things each device does that the other doesn't but that gap will likely shrink once developers get access to support Google Home.The Echo still has the upper hand when it comes to third-party support and you can even buy into the Echo ecosystem with the even cheaper $50 Echo Dot (which come in a six-pack).Amazon didn't say how long the discount will last, so if you're looking to build a smart home and don't trust an always-listening Google device you'd better act fast.