Beyerdynamic reinvented itself as this year’s IFA conference with a new logo, new company symbol, new branding, and a slew of new products. There’s much that could be written about the company’s latest vision and lineup (I covered the new headphones from the event for our sister-site Sound Guys), but one of the seemingly smaller details from the announcement is for me the most significant. Beyerdynamic introduced a range of headphones that, down to the least costly pair, follow a smart design ideology I foresee being adopted by other brands in the future.

Editor’s note: A version of this post was originally published on January 15. This post was updated with the latest info from Samsung. Smartphone manufacturers are forever finding new ways to differentiate and improve the cameras in their handsets, with innovations ranging from powerful new dual-sensor technologies through to superior software processing. This year Samsung looks set to provide another new shooting option for budding photographers with a dual aperture inside its upcoming Galaxy S9 flagship.

Xiaomi took the wraps off the Redmi Note 4X Hatsune Miku limited edition smartphone in China today. Based on the information the company shared with the public, the newly announced smartphone is identical to the Redmi Note 4 (Indian version) but will appeal to all fans of the Japanese hologram pop star. The company will announce pricing details closer to launch, which is scheduled for February 14. We do know some specs though: 5.5-inch Full HD display, Snapdragon 625, 4 GB of RAM and 64 GB of expandable storage.

In the past two months, we’ve seen the release of Android 8.0 Oreo and the developer preview for Android 8.1. An exciting feature introduced in the former was a brand new picture-in-picture mode. This feature allows apps that play video like YouTube to display a small window that played your videos on top of other apps when you hit the home button. It’s a nice alternative to Android’s multi-window mode that gives users a little more control over where the video actually shows up.

The list is a mix of premium apps and free apps with ads removed and all in-app-purchases unlocked. We tried to pick a good variety of apps, so there’s sure to be something of value on the list for just about anyone. Best apps on Play Pass Note: We’ll frequently update this list as more great apps join Play Pass in the future. 1. DaylioThe first app on our list has been around for a few years, but it’s an invaluable tool for people with mood disorders.

TL;DR The Alienware X15 and X17 are on to their R2 generations. A new X14 slots in as the baby of the family. The Concept Polaris adds a desktop-level graphics boost. The Alienware M15 and M17 have been premier gaming flagships for quite a few years. Then, the X15 and X17 launched last year as lighter, slimmer looks into the future. Now, the family has grown by one, along with a powerful graphics-boosting concept shown off at CES 2022.

While Google’s Chromecast isn’t exactly expensive, many users simply can’t buy it due to limited availability. Other people may already have Android-powered devices like the Ouya or HDMI sticks like Favi and may want to “upgrade” them with Chromecast functionality. Put simply, CheapCast, on which we first reported last week, lets you emulate a Chromecast receiver on just about any Android device. That means you can get some of the functionality offered by the Chromecast dongle for free and without too much hassle, and perhaps breathe some new life in an old Android device you have laying around.

Roku ExpressThe Roku Express is a mega affordable way to dip your toe into the streaming device market. It's not the most powerful or the shapest, but it's a good travel companion and great for smaller or older TVs. It’s always refreshing to hear that you don’t have to break the bank to get a good experience. For those of you on a shoestring budget, the Roku Express is one of the most affordable ways to dip your toes into the streaming space.

Galaxy Note 8 side by side with 'standard' Galaxy S8 TL;DR Samsung has added support for home screen landscape mode to Samsung Galaxy S8, S8 Plus, and Note 8 devices in the latest version of Samsung Experience. The feature was previously exclusive to the Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9 Plus. Samsung also recently added the Galaxy S9’s video wallpaper feature to older devices. Previously, the home screen of the above devices could only be used in portrait mode, even if the user had been running an app in landscape mode.

Nick Fernandez / Android Authority I think we can all agree that touch screen controls kind of suck. Don’t get me wrong, you can absolutely get by with virtual joysticks and on-screen buttons in most games, but generally, it’s just better to use a controller. Except when it isn’t. Case in point: Humankind. When the upstart 4X game entered beta on Stadia last October, I was stoked. Google Stadia is by far the best performing cloud gaming service, but the limited catalog still tips the scales heavily in favor of the unbeatable Xbox Cloud Gaming/Xbox Game Pass Ultimate combo.