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For anyone who misses the way smartphones used to work, Samsung has announced two new "rugged" Galaxy devices, the Galaxy XCover 7 Pro and the Galaxy Tab Active 5 Pro, that feature removable backplates and user-replaceable batteries. The Galaxy XCover 7 Pro is designed for enterprise customers, but it comes packed with some of the same Galaxy AI features Samsung has been pushing on its flagship smartphones, including Google's Circle to Search and Object Eraser. The phone uses a Snapdragon 7s Gen 3 chip, has a brighter screen and comes with a 4,350mAh battery, but the reason to buy it are all the ways Samsung's made it tougher and more customizable than the average phone. That includes IP68 water and dust resistance, MIL-STD-810H certification for drops, programmable buttons, built-in pogo pins as another charging option and a battery you can replace yourself just by popping off the back of the phone. Samsung The Galaxy Tab Active 5 Pro has a 10.1-inch screen and uses the same Snapdragon chip as the XCover 7 Pro, but the tablet offers even more options when it comes to charging. Samsung says the Galaxy Tab Active 5 Pro can be used without a battery inside if it's connected to a dock and you can also hot-swap batteries on the tablet without turning it off. You'll get to enjoy many of the same durability benefits as the XCover 7 Pro, and the IP68 water and dust resistance extends to the Galaxy Tab Active 5 Pro's S-Pen stylus, too. Samsung Neither of these devices are for normal people by any means, but they are good illustration of how formerly common-sense features like batteries you can replace yourself have become niche. We got lighter and sleeker flagship phones in the process, but one has to wonder whether XCover owners are the ones actually living the good life. The Galaxy XCover 7 Pro will be available to order on May 8, 2025. The Galaxy Tab Active 5 Pro is schedule to be released in "early June," according to Samsung. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/smartphones/samsungs-latest-rugged-devices-are-keeping-old-school-mobile-traditions-alive-120056640.html?src=rss
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Spoilers follow for The Last of Us season two, episode one The heart of all things The Last of Us, whether its the games or the first season of the HBO adaptation, is the relationship between Joel and Ellie. It was brought to life in remarkable fashion by Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey in season one; the pairs chemistry was the shows undeniable high point. So its a bit of a shock that they only share a few minutes of screen time together in the season two premiere Future Days and that their time together is strained to say the very least. That all comes near the end of the episode, though. Backing up a bit, the show resumes exactly where we left off, with Ellie saying okay to Joels lies about what happened in the season one finale. That episode saw him decimate the Fireflies to save the immune Ellie. The Fireflies were hoping to make a cure for the cordyceps infection that devastated the world, but it would have killed her in the process. Okay meant that she was accepting his story, even if she didnt quite believe it. Fast forward five years, and things are tense so tense that our hardened Joel is in therapy. We get to eavesdrop on a session with Joels therapist Gail, played by the always-wonderful Catherine OHara. Ive been looking forward to seeing how shed be used since Gail was revealed in an early trailer, and both her and Joel are having a day when they get together. Joels relationship with Ellie is apparently what drove him to meet with Gail, and hes going on about the distance in their relationship she barely talks to him, sulks and acts distant, and Gail isnt exactly impressed. She notes that Ellie is acting like every other 19-year-old acts towards their father, and also says it's clear theres a lot more going on between them. Pedro Pascal and Catherine O'Hara in HBO's The Last of Us season twoPhotograph by Liane Hentscher/HBO Gail then opens up to Joel in an effort to get him to be honest (and because shes a few drinks in) and drops a bit of a bomb in the process: Joel shot her husband Eugene (a character from The Last of Us Part II who we never met in the game). She says she understood that he had to do it an implication but not confirmation that Eugene had been infected but cant forgive him for the way she found out and cant help but hate him for what he did. Not the kind of thing you usually hear from your therapist, but thats The Last of Us for you. She then gets Joel to tearfully admit he did something to Ellie, but when she asks if he hurt her, he responds by saying he saved her and then gets the hell out of her house. Season one showed Joel as a more vulnerable person than his game counterpart, a change that benefitted him given the expanded drama and depth of the show, and Im glad season two is emphasizing that in a way thats pretty unconventional for the post-apocalypse world. We also get a hint at the discord between Joel and Ellie via Dina, a new character introduced as Ellies best friend through a conversation she has with Joel. The two of them are getting along just fine; Joel even calls her kiddo, showing a similar dad-like affection for Dina that he usually does with Ellie. After a little chat she asks him point blank why Ellies angry with him, and he responds with more vagaries about the two of them figuring out what its like being a father and daughter at her age while asking Dina to keep the therapy sessions hes having a secret his therapy-speak when discussing how hes dealing with everything was just too on the nose for her to miss. Isabela Merced and Bella Ramsey in The Last of Us season twoPhotograph by Liane Hentscher/HBO But the most pivotal scene in this exposition-heavy episode is the New Years Eve party where Dina and Ellie share a dance, share a kiss and get shouted at by the drunk town bigot. Just as Ellie is about to treat him like a clicker, Joel intercedes, shoves Seth to the ground and asks if shes okay which gets him a disgusted look and verbal smackdown from Ellie, after which he slinks away in decidedly un-Joel fashion. Things are decidedly unwell between the pair, and while its an intriguing note to start the story on, its also hard not to be disappointed about the lack of time together for Pascal and Ramsey. Having them at odds is a totally reasonable story beat even if she was a normal 19-year-old, theyd be having their share of challenges. But the loss of their connection and the lack of interactions between the two put a subdued mood over everything, something that episode writer / director and showrunner Craig Mazin certainly intended and will exploit throughout the season. Photograph by Liane Hentscher/HBO Mazin also paid tribute to the game in some lovely ways in this episode, particularly with the town party scene. Right from the start of season one, I expected to see more scenes from the game done nearly note-for-note in the show, and my expectations have been largely defied throughout, right from the start of the series first episode. Its been clear that the goal of the show is not to reproduce all of the games iconic scenes but expand on it while still picking the right moments to deploy some tributes to the source material. The party scene is a perfect example, starting off with a shot of Ellies back as she looks over the merriment in front of her; what follows is nearly identical to the pivotal game scene in dialog, set design and framing. What is different, though, is the timing were getting this right off the bat rather than much later in the story as youd find in the game. Similarly, the episodes other most significant scene takes place right at the beginning. After that quick flashback, were immediately introduced to Abby, one of the second games playable characters. We learn that she and her friends are survivors of Joels Firefly massacre at the hospital in Utah, and that Abby in particular is keen on revenge. Mazin and co-showrunner Neil Druckmann have already discussed how they wanted to introduce Abby and get into her motivations quicker in the show than in the game, largely because playrs build a relationship with her through gameplay. In this case, though, we already know that Abby is after Joel, and the episode ends with her crew reaching Jackson. While Future Days focused more on scene-setting than action (with the exception of some pretty tense scenes of Ellie and Dina against some Infected), things are clearly going to ratchet up next week and not just with Abby, as the show also teased a major Infected threat as well. Lets get those flamethrowers ready for next Sunday. Infected score: 6/10 One of the main complaints from fans of the video games during season one was a relative lack of Infected. The showrunners say theyve changed things up in season two lets see if theyre sticking to their word. Episode one was mostly an exposition episode without a ton of action, but we did see Ellie and Dina stealthily take down a pair of Clickers. But the most exciting bit was seeing a Stalker in action for the first time in the show. It had Ellie completely fooled, even giving her another bite that she had to hide from Dina. Heres hoping we see more of these creepers as the season goes on. And, of course, the threat of tendrils lurking in the pipe in the middle of Jackson promises bigger problems soon, but were not there yet. Im giving this episode a 6 of 10 there wasnt all that much action, but the stalker reveal was intense enough to up this episodes rating.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/tv-movies/the-last-of-us-season-two-premiere-future-days-highlights-the-fracture-between-ellie-and-joel-020029565.html?src=rss
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Bungie finally took the wraps off its upcoming team-based extraction shooter, Marathon, sharing a look at gameplay and a cinematic short during its showcase this weekend. We also now know the release date: September 23. Marathon will be available on Steam, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S, and support full cross play and cross save. Marathon, a reboot of Bungies 30-year-old FPS series, was first announced back in 2023, and weve heard little more about it until now. Now, Bungie says: In Marathon, players inhabit a Runner, a cybernetic mercenary scouring the remains of a lost colony of Tau Ceti IV for fortune and power. Players team up in crews of three as they battle rival Runner teams and hostile security forces for weapons and upgrades. Survive and everything theyve scavenged is theirs to keep for future runs on Tau Ceti IV or if theyre brave enough, a journey to the derelict Marathon ship that hangs above. If you missed the live Gameplay Reveal Showcase on Saturday, you can catch up on all the highlights now on Bungies website and the official Discord. The team says there will be a fairly small Closed Alpha Test from April 23 to May 4, ahead of bigger tests leading up to the release in September. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/bungie-shares-first-looks-at-gameplay-from-its-new-shooter-marathon-alongside-a-release-date-213530509.html?src=rss
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