You won’t see any Pixel-branded laptops anytime soon

Looks like we’ve seen the last of the premium Pixel-branded laptops. Let’s clarify, though, that this doesn’t mean the end of Chrome OS or Google’s laptop initiatives. According to Rick Osterloh, senior vice president for Hardware at Google, the company will not use the Pixel brand for laptops in the future. Pixel has been associated recently with Google’s new and well-received line of smartphones, which have, unfortunately, been having some issues with supply and demand recently.

Osterloh says during an interview at Mobile World Congress that there might be new product categories that will carry the Pixel name, though. As TechCrunch points out, if you head to the Google Store, there are no Pixel laptops for sale at the moment. But as Osterloh qualifies, there might be Google-branded laptops in the future still but they “don’t have any plans to discuss at this time.”

Netflix adds support for HDR video streaming on mobile phones

With Netflix getting aggressive in the mobile space and smartphones getting bigger, better screens, it seems the latest announcement from the company is an inevitability. According to Netflix CEO Reed Hastings, their streaming video service will soon support HDR video streaming on smartphones. He made the announcement during his keynote at Mobile World Congress saying it’ll start with the LG G6. Having an 18:9 display ratio, the LG flagship allows for full screen viewing of Netflix originals like House of Cards and Stranger Things. Now, you can add being able to see these shows in HDR, too. The price that comes with it, though, is a bump in price at US$11.99 a month instead of US$9.99 and, of course, higher data use.

Aside from HDR, Hastings also announced that there will be new video encodes for mobile devices to help those with poor internet connection to stream up to 30 hours of Netflix videos per month even with a small 2GB data cap.

Source: Android Authority

Porsche Design outs Surface Book competitor

Looking for a stylish, premium Surface Book competitor? Porsche Design outs a new 2-in-1 at Mobile World Congress that bears a lot of similarities to Microsoft’s own 2-in-1. It comes with its own digital stylus that you can stick to the right side of the device magnetically. It’s detachable like the Surface Book. But unlike it, the screen on the Porsche Design Book One can rotate 360 degrees.

This device has a 13.3-inch touch QHD display and runs on an Intel Core i7 processor, Windows 10 Pro, 16GB of RAM, and 512GB SSD storage. It comes with a 5-megapixel camera with an infrared sensor to support Windows Hello login. It has two USB-C ports, two USB 3.0 ports, and a USB-C port with Thunderbolt 3 support. The Book One also comes with a precision touchpad and backlit keyboard. It’ll set you back a hefty US$2,495 (around CA$3,300) and is expected  come to the US in April.

Source: The Verge

Samsung to launch the Galaxy S8 on March 29

We’ve known for a while now that Samsung wasn’t planning on releasing its latest flagship at Mobile World Congress this year. But they did use MWC 2017 to announce when they are planning to unveil the Galaxy S8. The launch will be held in New York on March 29^th. After the disaster that was the Galaxy Note7 recall, Samsung wants to get things right this time. The S8 is rumoured to be sharing a lot of the LG G6’s features, such as slim bezels, higher screen-to-body ratio, dual-camera setup, wireless charging, and waterproof design. And to make sure the Note7 debacle doesn’t happen again, Samsung has a new, lengthier battery testing process.

Source: CNET