Four billion miles from Earth, the New Horizons probe that recently sent such lovely pictures of Pluto is drawing near to the most distant object mankind has ever come close to: Ultima Thule, a mysterious rock deep in the Kuiper belt. The historic rendezvous takes place early tomorrow morning. This is an encounter nearly 30 years in the making, if you count back to the mission’s beginnings in 1989, but it’s also been some 13 years since launch — the timing and nature of which was calculated to give the probe this opportunity after it had completed its primary mission. New Horizons arrived at Pluto in the summer of 2015, and in its fleeting passage took thousands of photos and readings that scientists are still poring over. It taught us many things about the distant dwarf planet, but by the time it took its extraordinary parting shots of Pluto’s atmosphere, the team was already thinking about its next destination. Given the craft’s extreme speed and the incredibly distant setting ...

Flagship phones with just one rear camera are becoming rare, and apparently two sensors on the back isn't enough either. Nokia's upcoming flagship, the Nokia 9 PureView, has previously been rendered with a whopping five cameras on the back, and this latest leak from Evan Blass confirms the camera setup. Nokia 9 PureView "Beholder." HNY pic.twitter.com/x4Kh3anP46 — Evan Blass (@evleaks) December 31, 2018 This is the first press render we've seen - previous leaks have included live prototype shots and 3D renders . Read More Nokia 9 PureView and its five rear cameras leak once again was written by the awesome team at Android Police . from Android Police – Android news, reviews, apps, games, phones, tablets http://bit.ly/2RuY0m2

Facebook has been experimenting with (and subsequently reverting ) changes to its Messenger UI over the last few months . All throughout this testing, the most vocal demand we've seen from our own readers was for a dark mode to better supplement the blinding white design. Now, according to famed social app teardown expert Jane Manchun Wong , Facebook Messenger is finally starting to test a dark mode — but only in some countries, and it's still incomplete.  Facebook Messenger, seemingly due to prolonged external nagging, has started public testing Dark Mode in certain countries They have put up a fair warning that Dark Mode isn't everywhere yet so don't complain when some UI burns your eyes off previously: https://t.co/9fCvbYXS5Z pic.twitter.com/wF3w5hsHfh — Jane Manchun Wong (@wongmjane) December 31, 2018 We don't know the list of supported countries, so YMMV. Read More Facebook Messenger is testing dark mode, but only in some countries was written by...

Google’s hardware division is a rare success story inside a remarkably successful company - and one that has taken the better part of a decade to meet that definition. Its ambitions in the physical product space have grown from a geeky internet sideshow into a full-scale retail assault, and 2018 saw that ascendance continue. For all the naysayers it’s had - and there have been many - Google continues to position its hardware portfolio exactly where it needs to be: in stores. Read More Google hardware year in review: What worked, what didn't, and what we want in 2019 was written by the awesome team at Android Police . from Android Police – Android news, reviews, apps, games, phones, tablets http://bit.ly/2AqGCoX

Citi Research has joined a growing list of analysts to lower first-quarter production estimates for Apple’s iPhones amid weakening demand for the smartphones. Citi Research analyst William Yang cut the overall iPhone shipment forecast by 5 million, to 45 million for the quarter, reported Reuters . That’s a sting that falls in line with others such as influential TF International Securities Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who delivered a less than stellar iPhone forecast earlier this month. It’s Yang’s outlook for the 6.5-inch iPhone XS Max that is particularly gloomy. In a research note to clients, Yang slashed the shipment forecast for the iPhone XS Max by 48 percent for the first quarter of 2019. The cut in Citi’s forecasts is driven by the firm’s view that “2018 iPhone is entering a destocking phase, which does not bode well for the supply chain,” Yang wrote. Two weeks ago, Kuo predicted that 2019 iPhone shipments will likely between 5 to 10 percent lower than 2018. He also lowere...

Although music streaming has been an integral part of daily life for what seems like ages, both the music industry and tech companies have consistently and frustratingly been behind the curve. So in many ways, 2018 felt like the first year that both sectors embraced innovation in the world of music streaming in ways that will meaningfully affect its future. There were substantial developments on the consumer side, but this year was more impactful for artists, many of whom rely on streaming platforms as their bread and butter. Some shifts can be attributed to the platforms themselves, as services like SoundCloud and Spotify waded into new territories like self-monetization. But the biggest change came from advocacy within the music... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts http://bit.ly/2RkRSwT

Were you gifted a fancy new smartphone over the holidays? If so, you might want to consider getting some useful accessories to go along with it. Thankfully, Anker, one of the best mobile accessory companies, has some great smartphone accessories that currently have some deep discounts on Amazon. These sales end late today. Our favorite Anker product on sale today is its wireless charging pad, which is very useful if you bought a Qi-based wireless charging phone like the Galaxy Note 9  or Google Pixel 3 . It has an LED ring that lets you know when your phone is fully charged up, too. It’s available today on Amazon for just $12.99, nearly half off its normal $24.99 price tag. Get it at Amazon Another great Anker product on sale today is the  Astro E7 26,800mAh portable battery charger. Not only does it have a huge external battery that should charge your smartphone multiple times, it also has three ports so you can charge your phone, your tablet, and your friend’s phon...