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The Morning After: The first almost-all screen Android phone

And Facebook's latest acquisition.

Richard Lawler
Senior News Editor
Updated ·3 min read
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Hey, good morning! You look fabulous.

So what's next for phones after foldable screens, punch hole cameras and notches? Apparently, just wrapping a display around the whole thing. Also, there's an augmented reality board game Kickstarter you should see, and the Galaxy Fold is finally ready for its US debut.

That's how you go to 11.Xiaomi's Mi Mix Alpha has a '180.6-percent' screen-to-body ratio

Forget edgeless phones -- this Mi Mix Alpha is practically frameless, with a "Surround Screen" that covers nearly the entire device on all sides. Xiaomi hasn't revealed all of the details but said it's already in production with plans to launch in December for 19,999 yuan (or about $2,810).

Controls are activated using the pressure-sensitive sides since there are no physical buttons other than a power switch on top. The fingerprint reader and acoustic tech are tucked underneath the screen too. Inside, there are 5G radios, a Qualcomm Snapdragon 855+ chipset, 12GB of RAM and 512GB of storage. Finally, it's packing a 108-megapixel camera in the small amount of space that isn't screen, plus lenses for ultra-wide and telephoto shooting. Forget a front-facing selfie camera though -- you can see yourself in the part of the screen that's on the back of this phone.

Brain interface tech that connects directly to Facebook. Not scary at all.Facebook acquires neural monitoring startup CTRL-labs

What kind of technology is so important that Mark Zuckerberg & Co. would pay between $500 million and $1 billion for it? Meet CTRL-labs, the latest Facebook acquisition. Engadget spoke to execs from the startup last year to learn more about its electromyography (EMG) wristband.

The idea is that by wearing one, users can just think about doing something, like moving their arm in a particular way, and control computers based on that intention. The team is now a part of Facebook Reality Labs (fka Oculus Research), where it's likely going to be used for controlling objects in VR or AR.

'Dennou Coil' is almost here.Tilt Five uses augmented reality to blend tabletop gaming and videogames

Remember castAR? Although that company closed in 2017, engineer Jeri Ellsworth and others from the team behind it have created a new and improved version of the augmented reality glasses, built with a renewed focus on tabletop gaming. The new Tilt Five hardware is lighter, has a more modern look and is far cheaper than headsets like Microsoft's HoloLens or Magic Leap. A Kickstarter for the project launches today promising a basic kit for $299 that will ship in June 2020.

Tiny fast chargers, tough cases and wireless power pads.Here's everything you need for your new iPhone 11

If you decided to upgrade to Apple's latest mobile device, you might want to consider getting a few accessories to go along with it. Unsurprisingly, there's a vast array already on sale, but here are a few that caught our eye.

And our re-review has begun.Samsung's Galaxy Fold goes on sale in the US on Friday

Samsung is finally ready to sell Galaxy Fold in the US. Assuming you have $1,980 at the ready, you can claim your own foldable on September 27th from either AT&T (in case you're already a subscriber) or from Best Buy or Samsung retail locations (which sell unlocked and AT&T models.)

Chris Velazco already has one of the revamped models and is ready with some first impressions on what has been fixed since its aborted launch -- and what hasn't.

Stop listening to your TV's speakers.How to buy a soundbar in 2019

It's no secret that the built-in speakers in most TVs are trash. They don't project enough sound out to the front so you can hear well -- especially subtle details. To help guide your shopping spree on a soundbar and (possibly) subwoofer, we've compiled a list of everything you need to look for alongside a list of the top picks for a range of budgets.

But wait, there's more...

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