Curvy Samsung Galaxy Note 7 takes giant-screen Android phones to the next level

What do you get when you take the bended screen Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge and include a stylus? The Galaxy Note 7, which Samsung uncovered today in New York. 

Indeed, even with its disparities, the Note 7's wraparound screens, 12-megapixel camera, expandable capacity and water-safe covering convey it nearer to the S7 arrangement than to a year ago's Note 5 (truth is stranger than fiction, there's no Note 6). What's more, that is something worth being thankful for. The Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge are two of the year's best telephones, with incredible cameras and battery life - not an awful approach to start your pedigreed life as a telephone. 

From what I've seen in this way, the Note 7 ought to fall in line as a marvelous, powerful gadget whose stylus traps take the Note to the following level. On paper, it rectifies the greatest setbacks of the Note 5, however our imminent testing will affirm this. Be that as it may, on the off chance that you as of now purchased a S7 or S7 Edge, don't stress - you haven't been deserted. 

This is what the Note 7 has that the Note 5 doesn't: 

Bended screens (more honed, less inclining than the S7 Edge) 

USB-C charger port (Samsung's first telephone to receive the new standard) 

Iris scanner to open the telephone with your eyes 

Gorilla Glass 5 screen (the main telephone with Corning's new screen tech) 

More delicate, exact S Pen stylus 

Water-safe telephone body and S Pen 

MicroSD card opening (like the S7 telephones) 

Bigger battery (3,500 mAh versus Note 5's 3,000 mAh) 

Better low-light camera 

New S Pen traps, similar to amplification and GIF-production 

Stylus won't get stuck on the off chance that you stick it in reverse 

Coral Blue shading decision (it's awesome) 

So if the S7 Edge and Note 7 are just about equipment twins, who is the Note 7 for? Power clients. Samsung targets individuals who need the telephone with the most products, and the Note's coasting stylus and additional written work, drawing and route apparatuses give it every one of the things.

Gadget Ogling: A 360-Degree Cam, a Leveled-Up Kindle, and a Space-Saving Home Gym

Hello, and welcome to the latest installment of Gadget Dreams and Nightmares, the column that sifts tirelessly through the silt of the latest gadget announcements to find those nuggets of gold.

In our pan this week are a 360-degree camera from Facebook, the latest Kindle, a robot phone and a smart fitness kit.

As ever, these are not reviews. The ratings indicate only how much I'd like to try each item with my grubby hands.

Facebook Everywhere

At its F8 developer conference, Facebook announced it was opening up its live streaming API to allow anyone using practically any camera capable of streaming live video to do so over its network. Aligned with that, the company also unveiled its latest push into hardware -- an open source 360-degree camera.

Bearing 17 cameras and Web-based software to render footage in 360-degrees,Facebook Surround 360 (pictured above) is more of a design than a commercial product. It would cost around US$30,000 to build one as is, Facebook said. The idea is to allow creators to iterate on the design to create their own cameras.

What's different here is that the system has 14 cameras around the sides, along with a sole fish-eye lens on top and two on the bottom. That helps it show the system's complete surroundings while omitting the stand on which the camera is placed. It can capture video in up to 8K resolution and is compatible with virtual-reality headsets and the Facebook app.

Facebook has some skin in the game, even if it's not building and selling these cameras. The more 360-degree content it can grasp for its Oculus headsets, the better, I'm sure the thinking is here. However, there's still a long way to go before high-quality 360-cameras are affordable enough for everyday use. They're likely to remain a Hollywood and corporate domain, for now, but it sure would be fun to strap one of them onto the top of a drone and fly it around.

Rating: 3 out of 5 Virtual Walled Gardens

Rich Kindling

Amazon's new top-end Kindle, the Oasis, promises a lighter, thinner display with an ergonomic design. The extended bezel on one side is also home to two physical buttons for turning pages. A nice touch is an accelerometer that lets left-handed readers flip the device to use it with their dominant hand.

It's a pretty reader, certainly, but I'm not seeing the big selling point that would compel me to fork over $290 for this.

I love my Paperwhite and see only one reason for switching to the Oasis: holding the Paperwhite in one hand and trying to turn pages requires a little dexterity with my digits that physical buttons could allay. For now, I'll stick with what I have, though. Thanks anyway, Amazon.

Rating: 3 out of 5 Solid Grips

Rockin' Robot

Regular readers may note my instant affection toward cutesy, anthropomorphized robots designed to help around the home. So I'm of course in the tank for RoboHon, Sharp's smartphone in the body of a robot.