Latest Galaxy S9 leaks indicate a change of plans by Samsung

By Bill Roberson December 19, 2017

Samsung Galaxy S8 Plus Plus?

Rumors are swirling about the next major update to Samsung’s top-of-the-line smartphone, which is expected to be called the Galaxy S9. But new information may indicate that rather than a complete redesign, the S9 is more likely going to be an update to the S8 and S8 Plus, sort of like what Apple does with it’s “s” models between major iPhone redesigns.

That latest bit of news comes from BGR, who say a well-connected leaker posted a photo of a design he says “didn’t pass the test”. That phone featured a front display that ran nearly all the way down to the bottom of the handset, with a slightly larger top bezel covering the camera and a bunch of sensors. It looks a lot like the iPhone X, without the famous “notch” at the top. But apparently, it’s not to be, and the S9 will look a lot like the S8.

Earlier rumors suggested Samsung could unveil the S9 at CES, just a few weeks from now. We’ll keep you updated.

Eyes on the door prize

We know this is going to be a hot gift this holiday season: video doorbells. Where it once took a major operation to install a CCTV network in your home to see who’s knocking, all it takes now is a battery-powered stick-on camera-with-a-button, and people are snapping them up.

Home security device maker Blink is now getting into the act, with their creatively named Blink Video Doorbell. But the Blink bell has a nice twist: while other makes require you to replace or charge up their batteries every now and then, Blink claims their model will run for up to two years on a set of lithium AAs. Of course, setup is wire-free and works through your WiFi, or you can hardwire it and never change the batteries. Price is $99 and it’ll be out soon, says Blink.

We KNEW it!!

Well, we couldn’t quite pass this one up: Turns out the truth really might be out there, and the US military has been chasing it – quite literally at times. Check out this footage released by the Defense Department’s Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program. Sounds like a legit program, right? It is, even though the thing being chased by this Navy F/A-18 is a bonafide UFO.

That’s right, the AATIP was the U.S. defense department’s actual UFO investigation unit, and it was run out of the Pentagon. According to a story in the New York Times that you really should read, the guy who headed up the division, military intelligence official Luis Elizondo, is a believer, and said UFOs sometimes tailed him when was a military pilot. When a chance came to apply actual science and military tech to the issue, he jumped right in.

He said steered the program to try and find some answers, and had big-time support in congress from people like Senator Harry Reid. But, it didn’t go well: he resigned over what he says was internal pushback from people who just weren’t on board and didn’t want to get pegged as crazy for believing in UFOs. The $22 million program was supposedly cancelled in 2012, but some people aren’t so sure and say it may live on today in some form.

Here’s the link to the article, which is a must-read and includes some deep-cover “black money,” an eccentric billionaire who is now a NASA contractor, and some really amazing stories about sightings by pilots, including this video. Check it out.

We’ve got more news on our Facebook page and YouTube channel, and be sure to tune in to this week’s DT podcasts: Trends with Benefits (general tech shenanigans) on Thursdays, and Between the Streams (movie and TV topics) every Friday.

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