Apple Seeds Fifth Beta of WatchOS 2.2 to Developers

Apple today seeded the fifth beta of an upcoming watchOS 2.2 update to developers, just over a week after seeding the fourth watchOS 2.2 beta and more than two months after releasing watchOS 2.1, the first major update to the watchOS 2 operating system that runs on the Apple Watch. watchOS 2.2 has been in testing since January 11.

The fifth watchOS 2.2 beta can be downloaded through the dedicated Apple Watch app on an iPhone running the iOS 9.3 beta by going to General –> Software update. To install the update, the Apple Watch must have 50 percent battery, it must be placed on the Apple Watch charger, and it must be in range of the iPhone.

watchOS 2.2, along with iOS 9.3, introduces support for pairing multiple Apple Watches with a single iPhone. Both updates are required, with each watch running watchOS 2.2 and each iPhone running iOS 9.3. watchOS 2.2 also includes a revamped look for the built-in Maps app on the Apple Watch with access to the Nearby feature first introduced with iOS 9 and new buttons for quickly accessing directions to home and work.

There were no other obvious outward-facing changes introduced in the first four watchOS 2.2 betas aside from the changes to the Maps app, but the update undoubtedly includes under-the-hood performance updates and bug fixes to address issues that have been discovered since the release of watchOS 2.1. WatchOS 2.2 is expected to debut in the spring, perhaps at Apple’s rumored March 21 event.

Related Roundups: Apple Watch, watchOS 2
Tag: watchOS 2.2
Buyer’s Guide: Apple Watch (Neutral)
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Apple Seeds Fifth Beta of iOS 9.3 to Developers and Public Beta Testers

Apple today seeded the fifth beta of an upcoming iOS 9.3 update to developers and public beta testers for testing purposes, just over a week after seeding the fourth iOS 9.3 beta and three months after the public release of iOS 9.2, the last major update to iOS 9. iOS 9.3 has been in testing since January 11.

The fifth iOS 9.3 beta is available as an over-the-air update and through the iOS section of the Apple Developer Center (developers only).

As promised by Apple, today’s update restores full navigational functionality to the Apple Pencil. In earlier betas of iOS 9.3, the Apple Pencil has been unable to be used for tasks like selecting text, scrolling, swiping between apps, accessing menus, and general editing functions in non-drawing apps. The feature removal upset many iPad Pro users, leading Apple to confirm that its absence was only temporary.

As a major .1 update to the iOS 9 operating system, iOS 9.3 introduces several new features. There’s a Night Shift mode to reduce the amount of blue light iOS users are exposed to in the evening by shifting the iPad or iPhone display to a warmer (yellower) color spectrum, and there are several features designed to improve the iPad for Education program, such as multi-user login. Multi-user login, while an appealing feature, is limited to MDM customers and is not available to the general public.

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Multiple apps and features are also seeing updates in iOS 9.3. Apple News includes more personalized recommendations, faster updates, a landscape view on the iPhone, and support for in-line video, while Health includes a new Apple Watch-style “Activity” view, Notes has an option to password protect individual entries, and third-party apps can add songs to Apple Music.

Apple Music for CarPlay offers “New” and “For You” sections for better music discovery, and a Nearby Feature in CarPlay Maps offers more information about what’s close by. Paired with watchOS 2.2, an iPhone running iOS 9.3 is able to support multiple Apple Watches, and for iPhone 6s users, there are new Quick Actions for Weather, Settings, Compass, Health, App Store, and iTunes Store.

The second iOS 9.3 beta added a Control Center toggle for the Night Shift feature, while the third iOS 9.3 beta focused on fixing bugs and added Verizon Wi-Fi calling.

Related Roundup: iOS 9
Tag: iOS 9.3
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Avegant Glyph Release Date, Price and Specs – CNET

I slipped the nosepiece on, adjusting the focus on the eyepieces. Sitting by the window on New Jersey Transit with a pair of headphones pulled down over my eyes, I was astonished more people weren’t staring at me when I lifted them to show my ticket to the conductor. But that’s the weird thing with eye-screens: you can’t see if other people are looking when they’re on.

What is this thing on my face, anyway?

The Avegant Glyph looks like an enormous pair of over-ear headphones with built-in screens in the headband, and that’s basically what they are. You can wear them pulled down over your eyes to watch and listen to things, or just flip them up and use them as headphones.

CNET en Español’s Juan Garzon models a pair.

Sarah Tew/CNET

This isn’t a virtual reality headset like Samsung Gear VR, although you might think it looks like one. It’s a head-mounted display with headphones that can plug into most video sources via HDMI. Head-mounted displays, or wear-on-your-head cinemas, go back years. We’ve reviewed a handful at CNET, such as the Sony HMZ-T1. They’re usually bad. The screens feel like compromises: small, or dim, or uncomfortable.

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The Glyph uses a totally different display technology. According to Avegant, there are no screens here: instead, it projects light off 2 million micro mirrors in the headset, then directly into your retinas. That sounds terrifying, but the idea isn’t much different from DLP, a TV technology popular in the early days of HDTV that’s still used in projectors. But in this case, the projector’s going in your eyes.

Sarah Tew/CNET

The Glyph Founder’s Edition — the $700 version that’s shipping to those who backed Avegant on Kickstarter or want to hop aboard now — comes with the headset, an HDMI and USB cable, four different nose pieces, and a carry pouch. It’s pretty self-contained. (There aren’t UK or Australia prices yet, but $700 converts to about £500 or AU$980.)

Like a little floating screen in a tiny theater

The Glyph’s display may not be a “screen” by Avegant’s description, but it looks and feels like one. Almost like a movie theater, actually. There’s a sense of a “box” in the headset, and the display being a little farther off. The display feels about the size of a 13-inch laptop in my lap, or my 5-inch phone held close to my face. But it’s bright — very bright. Colors are amazingly vivid, and light pops. It feels much brighter than an average MacBook or iPhone display. Sometimes it feels so bright that after I take the Glyph off, regular screens seem dull.

The lenses can be popped in to lie flush.

Sarah Tew/CNET

It’s also brighter than the Samsung Gear VR. A lot of people are going to want to know whether the Glyph feels like virtual reality, and it doesn’t. VR uses large magnifying lenses to expand the field of view to feel more immersive, at the expense (in phone VR, at least) of lower pixel density. Try out Netflix in Gear VR and you’ll find yourself in a virtual living room looking at a large virtual TV that’s lower-res than your real one.

The Glyph is a 720p-resolution display — the lowest possible resolution to be considered “high-definition” — but it generally looks crisp enough for most purposes, considering the “distance” I am from the image. Movies are sharp, games look great. I noticed “pixels” when reading smaller text.

HDMI in.

Sarah Tew/CNET

It can be connected to anything

The Glyph has a Micro HDMI port in its side, and comes with an HDMI-to-micro HDMI cable. You can plug into lots of devices. I connected to my PS4 and played Madden, Rocket League and The Witness. I hooked it up to my 13-inch Retina MacBook Pro and it became my virtual computer display.

I’m wearing them now, as I’m typing on my laptop. The image is bright, the words crisp but small. It’s like my computer screen is hovering over my face. But that means I can’t see the keyboard easily. I mean, I can look down and see my fingers, but it’s out of focus. (I take my glasses off to wear these things.)

With an adapter, like Apple’s Lightning-to-HDMI, you can hook up your iPhone or iPad. It worked the same way hooking an iPhone to a TV does, mirroring everything. My apps were vertical, but movies and games could be played in landscape. I paired a SteelSeries Nimbus Bluetooth game controller, and suddenly I was porting into large-screen games like Geometry Wars like I was in an arcade.

It would be easier if this all went through USB-C.

Sarah Tew/CNET

Upside, and downsides

The Glyph lasts about 4 hours on a charge for video playback. You need to charge it up via Micro-USB. If you want to use the Glyph like a regular pair of headphones, it doesn’t drain any battery life.

Plugging a pair of video specs into your phone on the go can be a fun idea, but we’re not quite built for these devices yet. USB-C, the port that’s slowly spreading across tablets and phones, can handle video output. LG’s 360 VR headset takes advantage of it, but the Glyph needs a clunky adapter. And for regular headphone use, you’d need to pack a separate cable. To charge, you need a third.

The Avegant Glyph can handle 3D playback, and even head-mounted tracking for 360 videos, games, and controlling things like DJI drones. But 3D playback uses the funky side by side format, which you’d have to rip and side load onto your phone (I tried watching “The Avengers” in 3D on Glyph, and I’d say the effect isn’t worth it). The Glyph won’t work with 3D Blu-ray players, for instance.

Sarah Tew/CNET

The Glyph will track your head movements like a VR headset does (turning your head could let you look around in a 360-degree video, for instance), but head-tracking features aren’t fully live yet. Plugging the Glyph into a computer and also using the USB cable allows some head tracking to work, but only for a select few games and apps right now. On phones and tablets, head tracking isn’t active yet…but Avegant’s working on it.

Finally, the price: at $700, it’s in the same territory as the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive. Or you could buy a Samsung phone with a Gear VR for about that same price, if you shop for the right model.

I miss my glasses.

Sarah Tew/CNET

Each eye takes some adjusting, too. The two lenses can be independently moved and focused. Even my severely myopic eyes (-9) could see through them. But getting the nose piece to fit right and the eyes to see properly takes fiddling. I still feel like the fit isn’t 100 percent perfect. You can pop other nose pieces in, raise and lower the nose piece…but would you really want that much effort when you’re traveling on a train?

I was able to wear the Glyph for an hour at a time, but my nose started to hurt. And I wondered if I’d miss my station on the train. You can see around you with the headset on, but there’s still a big band in front of your eyes. In headphone mode, the headband feels tight (the Gorilla Glass-covered lenses in the headband pop in with a press).

The future might be smaller sets of headphones you can see through. But the present probably doesn’t need them. Avegant’s dream is realized, and the displays look lovely. I’d consider these…in a lighter, more affordable form.

DJI Phantom 4 Release Date, Price and Specs – CNET

After years of testing all manner of electronics, I’ve had my share of accidents and mishaps. None have caused me the same level of gut-wrenching panic as a drone flying into a tree or my neighbor’s house.

This is one reason why obstacle avoidance is the “it” feature this year for consumer drones, and it’s what the new DJI Phantom 4 has over its predecessors and much of the competition. The stout quadcopter features a set of optical sensors up front — eyes that will help it navigate around obstacles within 0.7 to 15 meters (2.3 to 49 feet) of it or it will simply stop and hover until you pilot it away.

The drone can also use the sensors to avoid running into things on its way back to you if you trigger its Return-to-Home safety feature. This should mean you don’t have to worry if a building or some trees comes between you and the Phantom 4.

Joshua Goldman/CNET

Before you get too excited, though, this system is going to cost you: The Phantom 4 will sell for $1,399. (That converts to £1,005 for the UK and AU$1,960 in Australia, with availability in those countries yet to be announced.) It’s available for preorder through DJI.com as well as Apple.com, and DJI says customers will start receiving these orders on March 15. On that same day you’ll be able to buy them in DJI and Apple retail stores. It won’t be until March 23 that it will be available from other retailers for April 1 delivery.

Better video through autonomy

So yes, the Phantom 4 can use its optical sensors to avoid crashing into things when you’re piloting. But it can also use them to fly autonomously. ActiveTrack, a new mode available through DJI’s Go app, uses its new sensors to follow a subject. Follow Me features aren’t new to DJI or other drones, though they typically rely on GPS for tracking subjects, which requires the subject to carry the remote control or a beacon. It’s also not very accurate and can be slow to change course.

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Using ActiveTrack with the Phantom 4, you just tap your subject on screen and the drone starts following, keeping the camera centered on whoever or whatever you tapped. DJI says even if the subject changes shape or turns, or other people or objects enter the frame, the camera should stay on the selected subject. And you’ll still have full control of camera movements to get the shot you want, not just what the drone is giving you.

Another mode called TapFly pretty much does what the name implies: Double tap on a point on screen and the Phantom 4 will fly there, avoiding obstacles along the way. Tap another point and it will transition and pilot its way there. Basically, it allows you to set up a flight path on the fly. If at any point you want to stop and think about your next move, a new Pause button on the controller will set the drone to stop and hover in place.

Ready to race?

Joshua Goldman/CNET

While previous Phantoms have been quick, they were made for photos and video, not racing. To add a bit more versatility to the Phantom 4, DJI streamlined the body and gimbal design and added a Sport mode. Flip a switch on the controller and the quadcopter will angle forward and fly at speeds of nearly 45 mph (72 kph). It can also ascend and descend faster, so you can set up your shot that much faster or just have fun racing around.

DJI is promising flight times up to 28 minutes (not at 45 mph, though) due to a new more powerful battery, improved motors, power management and the redesigned chassis. That’s only 5 minutes more than the Phantom 3 Professional, but it could mean the difference between getting your shot or not.

Speaking of getting your shot, the camera is for the most part unchanged from the Phantom 3 Professional’s excellent shooter. DJI says it added a slow-motion option capturing 1080p at 120fps and it has improved the lens so there’s less chromatic aberration and better corner sharpness.

That’s good, because the camera is permanently attached, which means it can’t even be removed for easier travel, let alone an upgrade down the road. Similarly, while the landing gear is shorter and wider for stable landings, it too is fixed to the body, so it can’t be packed flat. Quibbles, maybe, but at $1,400, an upgrade path and collapsable or removable legs would be nice.

What is a DAC, and why should I care about having a good one?

LG already has a DAC in the V10 and is bringing another (from Bang & Olufsen!) as an option to the LG G5.

A DAC is a Digital-to-Analog Converter. We’re going to focus on how things relate to your smartphone, but a lot of other things you probably have — like a DVD player or a computer — also have a DAC inside and they work the same way. A DAC has one task — convert digital audio information into an analog signal that can be sent out to a speaker or amplifier.

While that’s the correct and simple definition of a DAC, it’s important to understand the difference between digital audio data and analog signals to see why having a good DAC matters.

Science!

An analog signal is an electrical waveform that’s analogous (see what I did there?) to the pressure of a sound wave that your ears can hear. Higher pressures are represented by higher voltage, and translate into higher frequencies and louder sounds. A microphone takes sounds that you can hear and turns them into an analog electrical signal. Speakers — or headphones or an amplifier — take that waveform and turn it back into sounds that you can hear. What happens between those two stages is where a DAC comes into play.

Every phone has a DAC. Every Bluetooth headset has a DAC. Every device that lets you listen to a digital audio file has a DAC.

A good example of how you can “store” an analog signal is using vinyl. A record’s grooves force a needle to move, skip, jump and vibrate to create an analog waveform that’s sent to an amp, which is made strong enough for a set of speakers to play. But that’s hardly practical when you’re looking for something portable. You need to store the audio information digitally if you want things to fit into your pocket.

To do that, you sample an analog signal over time, and store that data as 1s and 0s inside an audio file. CD-quality audio — 16-bit at 44,100 Hertz — creates audio samples up to 65,535 data points in size, 44,100 times per second. 24-bit audio can have up to 16,777,216 data points per sample, and 32-bit audio can have a whopping 4,294,967,296 points of data. The more data you store, and the more frequently you sample, the higher the file size and higher the audio quality. There are other variables like oversampling and floating-point numbers behind the science, but this is a basic breakdown.

“Lossy” file formats — like MP3 — take source audio and use compression algorithms that reduce the amount of data needed to produce a copy that’s close to the original. Our CD quality example from above has its file size reduced by about 90 percent when converted to a 128 kbit/s MP3 file. It also will still sound OK to most people, which is the goal. By reducing the size of the file, streaming the audio also requires less network bandwidth and speed. But you still need a DAC to play it back because it’s still a digital file.

When you play an audio file that’s stored on your phone, the digital data is sent to a DAC to be converted into an analog signal that you can hear. Every phone has a DAC. Every Bluetooth headset has a DAC. Every device that lets you listen to a digital audio file has a DAC.

Not all DACs are created equally

The phone you have in your hands now also has a DAC in it. You plug in a set of headphones, or use the external speaker, and fire up an app that has sounds and you hear them. Even the little bloops and dings our phone make when we touch stuff or get a message require a DAC so that we can hear them. Every phone has a DAC — we just don’t usually talk about it. (And in most cases they’re not worth talking about.)

All an end-user really needs to do is use the right equipment to play lossless audio files. The rest is automatic.

To be perfectly clear — the DAC in your phone may not be a high-end processor that recreates sounds the way the audio producer intended them to be heard and all that audiophile jazz. But it may be perfectly acceptable to you, and that’s all that matters. DACs are easy when it comes to engineering, and even the low-quality ones do a fine job turning files into sounds. If you stream all of your music, this includes using Bluetooth to stream digital audio information from your phone to a Bluetooth speaker or headset that has its own DAC, your phone’s DAC isn’t quite as important. Audio designed to be streamed is stored in what’s called a “lossy” format so it can be transferred faster with fewer “mistakes.” And for most people, the quality is fine and we just enjoy the tunes.

Other people want higher-quality audio. The term “audiophile” gets thrown around, but you don’t have to care about the science and technicalities to enjoy music that’s a bit cleaner than average. It’s a fun hobby to have, but all an end-user really needs to do is use the right equipment to play lossless audio files. The rest is automatic. If the DAC you’re using isn’t able to process audio at the same (or better) quality in bitrate and frequency as your source files, you won’t have the “better” audio lossless files can provide. You’ll still be able to play them, but at a lower quality.

The technology we have now to produce high-resolution digital audio files and play them back means all you need to do is have a 24-bit DAC with a decent headphone amp and a pair of headphones with the right impedance. There are a lot of terms like “quantization” and “SNR” that are used to debate things, but the limits of integrated circuits mean that 21-bit audio is the point of diminished return, and anything higher doesn’t really bring “better” sound to the table. You can buy 32-bit 192kHZ remastered audio files, and I’m not saying you shouldn’t, but right now you’ll probably not notice any difference in sound from a 24-bit recording. You will be ready in case advancements in technology change how we create digital audio, and how it’s converted to analog, and if any of it changes the 124 dB SNR limit of today’s equipment. Even then, you might not hear any difference. But it will be fun to try.

I’m a person who wants music to sound the best it can when I listen to it. I like to geek out over signal-to-noise ratios and dynamic range and dither, but when it comes right down to it I’m pretty satisfied with my current portable setup — the LG V10 and a pair of Sony MDR7506 over the ear headphones. When I’m buying music I look for 24-bit/48kHZ files, and when I’m making music I store it at 24-bit/384kHZ as a “master” file, with a 24-bit/48k copy to listen to.

The people making our phones are starting to care about audio quality once again. This is great news for everyone, even if you’re not an audiophile nerd. A good DAC will make even streamed music sound better, and a decent set of headphones are pretty affordable. I’m still not very keen on the LG G5 and the swappable module setup, but I am looking forward to trying one with the B&O DAC to see if it will replace my V10.

Audio quality in 2016 is where camera quality was in 2015. Expect to hear good things.

McDonalds Sweden transforms the iconic Happy Meal box into a VR headset

McDonalds in Sweden is launching a new promotion that will enable those who purchase a Happy Meal the ability to turn the iconic packaging into a Google Glass-like virtual reality experience. Simply pop in your smartphone and you’re good to go. Just 3,500 Happy Meal boxes will be made available at 14 restaurants over the next two weekends.

Since we’re talking about VR experiences, you’ll need to pay out more for these special boxes, which will set you back around $4.10. From the Adweek report:

“The push is tied to the Swedish “Sportlov” recreational holiday, during which many families go skiing. With this in mind, McD’s created a ski-themed VR game, “Slope Stars,” for use with the oggles (though they work just as well with any mobile VR experience). The game can also be played in a less immersive fashion without them. To turn the iconic red boxes into Happy Goggles, just tear along some perforated lines and fold, inserting the VR lenses (included) and a smartphone (bring your own).”

It’s a pretty neat promotion that will enable the company to better immerse kids into its own world of wonders.

Join Android Central live with IDEAA and Cyanogen Inc!

When you mix developer conference and casual meetup, a lot of nerdy fun happens.

The folks at IDEAA have spent the last couple of years building an impressive series of events that anyone can feel comfortable attending. Starting with the Big Android BBQ in Texas, these events have focused on offering something for everyone. Part developer conference, part social gathering, and typically a really great time. Last year this team expanded their events to both Coasts in the US as well as an international event, and this year the plan is to take things another step further. We’ve already seen ticket sales open up for several events, and now it’s time to talk with the event creators and their partners to learn more about what to expect this year.

To make sure you have a part in this experience, we’re having the conversation live so you can ask whatever questions you may have.

Join us at 7PM Eastern to chat with IDEAA President Aaron Kasten and Matteo Doni of March of the Droids to talk about the events they have planned for this spring. In that conversation, we’ll be joined by Ed Mancebo of Cyanogen Inc to talk about all of the things Cyanogen will be doing with these events. Chaitra Ramanathan of Udacity will also be joining to discuss their contribution to these IDEAA events.

Check out the Hangout on Air link below to get a reminder for the event, otherwise we’ll see you back here to watch it live.

Head to the Android Central Live event page

These are the LG G5 modules we’d like to see

You may not care for a camera grip, but there’s still a lot of potential to be found in LG’s modular phone.

LG’s goal was to shake things up this year, and whether you’re a fan of the G5 or not it’s hard to argue that they didn’t accomplish their mission. The G5 is unlike anything else available right now, and a big part of that is the ability to add serious functionality to phone through the modular slot on the bottom. The accessories made available at launch target a handful of very specific users, but there’s still plenty to be said about the way this tech could be used.

If you’re reading this, LG, here’s what we think you should be doing with that modular slot on the G5.

• Extended battery with a hinge — This seems like a no-brainer. A battery extender that snaps into the bottom of the phone and folds back to the fingerprint sensor, but is mounted on a hinge so it doubles as a stand when extended. Make it 2,000mAh over the standard capacity, and people would jump all over it.

• Thermal camera attachment — Partner up with Flir to make an attachment similar to their One camera, but streamlined to function like a native part of the phone when attached. Let’s be honest, you’d probably sell more of these to industrial inspection companies then that DAC attachment to anyone else.

• Front-facing speaker — You thought a higher quality headphone system was a priority, but it didn’t occur to you to have B&O whip up some decent speakers for your audio-focused smartphone? Come on, LG. Get on this.

• Wireless charging base — Using a Qi charger is a little awkward when the coil is all wrapped around the bottom of the phone, as we learned from the BlackBerry Priv, but it’s still better than nothing. People like wireless charging, and this needs to happen ASAP.

• NERF Tactical Rail Mount — Snap the phone in place, power it on, and you have an Augmented reality partnership with NERF that would send office warriors scrambling to purchase a new phone. Sure, you have to reboot your phone every time you don’t want the phone attached, but on the other hand you could always have a NERF gun nearby when you need it. It’s a little impractical, but do it anyway.

• Basic game controller — Couldn’t you see yourself clipping in a game controller module with joysticks, buttons and extra bumpers on the back of your phone? With a portrait orientation it’d be great for arcade-style games and on-rails shooters (but hey, maybe some sort of landscape option could be done), and with some extra girth for grip it could incorporate extra battery for longer game playing time.

• Heath Industry Dock — Heart-rate monitors, breathalyzers, glucose monitors, and that’s just the start. Dedicated medical hardware that can plug into a smartphone so it feels like a part of the phone that also works as a really nice phone? What medical professional wouldn’t want to hand that out to their staff.

These are just a few that we’ve come up with, but the possibilities are nearly endless. LG’s initial offerings are fine, but this is something that hopefully LG doesn’t wait until next year to really expand upon. There are a lot of niche uses for this kind of expansion, and if LG really is interested in shaking up the industry with this design there’s a lot more to be done.

Do you have any ideas for modules you’d like to see on the LG G5? We’d love to hear your suggestions.

LG G5

• LG G5 hands-on
• LG G5 complete specs
• LG G5 CAM Plus module
• LG G5 B&O Hi-Fi audio module
• The G5 has an always-on display
• LG G5 keeps the SD card, shuns adoptable storage
• Join the LG G5 discussion

HTC One M10 vs One M9: What’s the rumoured difference?

HTC announced its last flagship – the One M9 – at Mobile World Congress in February 2015. That device was then followed up by the One M9+ and more recently, the A9, the latter of which entered the mobile market as more of a mid-range device.

The next flagship – which has been given several names including One M10 and Perfume – isn’t due to launch until April this year but there are already plenty of rumours circulating about what the company’s new hero device might offer.

We have broken down the reports and rumours to sift out what specs we might see appear on what we are calling the HTC One M10, for now. Read on to find out how HTC’s next flagship could compare to the One M9, based on speculation.

HTC One M10 vs One M9: Design

The HTC One M9 measures 144.6 x 69.7 x 9.6mm and weighs 157g. It features a dual-tone metal build and it is a clear evolution of the HTC flagships that have gone before it. The M9 comes complete with BoomSound front-facing speakers and a HTC logo at the bottom of the device on the front.

The HTC One M10 is rumoured to carry the same measurements as the M9, but it is thought it will take its design cues from the recently launched A9 instead, offering a flatter and sleeker design. It has been suggested the M10 won’t sport BoomSound speakers but will offer a high-quality DAC and possibly with support for MQA instead.

Leaked images show the M10 to feature what appears to be as fingerprint sensor on the front capacitive button like the A9, as well as no HTC branding on the front of the handset. There also appears to be a ribbed side button like the A9.

HTC One M10 vs One M9: Display

The HTC One M9 features a 5-inch Full HD LCD display, delivering a pixel density of 441ppi. HTC has always been praised for its displays and its ability to deliver bright and vibrant colours, as well as white whites and black blacks, although the M9 wasn’t its strongest.

The HTC One M10 is rumoured to be changing things up entirely when it comes to the display however. Firstly, reports have claimed the size will be increased to 5.1-inches or 5.2-inches, which, if the measurements predicted are accurate, means the screen to body ratio on the M10 would be better than the M9.

It has also been suggested the resolution will increase to Quad HD and an AMOLED panel will be used instead of LCD, like the A9. If this is the case, you can expect a better display experience on the M10 over the M9 with sharper, clearer images thanks to the increased pixel density. If a 5.2-inch display appears, the M10 will offer a 565ppi, while a 5.1-inch display will provide a 576ppi. An AMOLED display will also mean brighter, more vibrant colours.

HTC One M10 vs One M9: Camera

The HTC One M9 features a 20-megapixel rear camera, coupled with an UltraPixel front camera. The main camera is capable of 4K video recording and it comes with an f/2.2 aperture lens and auto-focus. The front-facing camera has a wider aperture at f/2.0 and is capable of 1080p video recording.

There have been a couple of rumours relating to the M10’s camera. Some have claimed the new flagship will come with a 23-megapixel rear snapper, coupled with the same UltraPixel front-facing camera as the M9. Others have suggested the rear camera would be a 12-megapixel UltraPixel sensor, while there has also been talk of a 5-megapixel front-facing camera. In terms of the rear camera, some reports have said the aperture will be widened to f/1.9, which if true, should allow for better low light performance.

The front-facing UltraPixel camera works for the M9 so it wouldn’t be surprising to see HTC include this on the M10. What the company will do with the main camera is less predictable but chances are it will offer improved capabilities over the M9.

HTC One M10 vs One M9: Hardware

The HTC One M9 features the Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 processor under its hood, supported by 3GB of RAM and 32GB of internal storage. It has a microSD slot for further storage expansion and its battery capacity sits at 2840mAh.

The HTC One M10 is said to be coming with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 chip, coupled with 4GB of RAM and 32GB of internal storage. MicroSD is expected to make an appearance again. A 3000mAh battery has been touted.

There is no word on whether USB Type-C will make an appearance, allowing for faster charging and data transfer, but it has been rumoured the M10 might come with some sort of waterproofing.

HTC One M10 vs One M9: Software

The HTC One M9 launched with Android Lollipop, coupled with HTC Sense 7 which made its debut on the device. It has since been updated to Marshmallow.

The HTC One M10 is expected to launch with Android Marshmallow, with HTC Sense 8, a newly refreshed version.

However, the One A9 launched with Android Marshmallow and it came with a much lighter version of Sense called Sense 7_g, stripped down and closer to its Android origins – think Marshmallow with the best of Sense. There’s a chance the M10 could also launch with a stripped down version of Sense, named Sense 8.0_GP.

HTC One M10 vs One M9: Conclusion

The HTC One M10 or Perfume will undoubtedly come with upgraded hardware in comparison to the One M9 but it is also looking like it will come with an upgraded design too.

Many believe the next HTC flagship will follow in the footsteps of the A9 rather than the M9, bringing with it an improved camera, processor, extra RAM and possibly even a larger battery, as well as more refined software.

Everything is speculation for now but keep checking back as we will update this feature as more leaks appear and the official specs are announced.

The Firefly 2 proves that every vaporizer should have its own app

The first Firefly vaporizer was revolutionary when it debuted in late 2013. Along with the original Pax, it helped take portable vapes mainstream with Apple-esque minimalist design and convection heating. But in the modern Internet of Things era, the OG Firefly now feels laughably out of date — especially compared to the Pax 2. Thankfully, Firefly has just released a second-generation model that’s smaller, lighter and more functional than its predecessor. It’s even got an app!

The single coolest feature on the new Firefly is indeed that companion app, available for Android and iOS. Whoa, whoa, whoa, put down your pitchforks. I’m serious! Look, the Internet of Things is, for the most part, a silly excuse to add connectivity to stuff that really doesn’t need it. But the Firefly 2 does IoT right. Pairing the vaporizer to your phone is dead simple. You open the app, make sure the vape is awake by touching either activation button, and that’s it: It’ll automagically connect.

Once paired, the application provides all sorts of helpful information and added functionality. Unlike the original Firefly, which had just two power settings — on and off — the app allows you to select from among six heating profiles, including a superhot setting just for concentrates. It also enables you to select a preferred activation-button setup — left, right, both or either — which makes it more usable for southpaws. Additionally, the app gives you a detailed battery-charge indicator so you’ll actually know when your battery is getting low before the vaporizer dies.

I didn’t think that a vape could actually benefit from the addition of an app but this thing is really quite handy. The app allows the Firefly to outsource a lot of functionality to your phone, which saves space, weight and battery life for the vaporizer itself. And unless you’re constantly swapping between loose leaf and wax — thereby necessitating continuous heat-profile switching — the app does a good job of staying out of the way. That is to say, the Firefly works just fine on its own but is even better with the companion app.

The $330 device itself is also a more manageable size. My biggest issue with the original Firefly was the size of the damn thing. Weighing more than half a pound and measuring nearly 6 inches in length, the OG model could double as a bludgeon. I mean, forget the roll of nickels: You toss that into a sock and you’ve got yourself a homemade flail. Not so with the Firefly 2. It’s 30 percent smaller and 50 percent lighter than the original. It even manages to pack a larger battery into its smaller frame (770mAh at 5.7Wh, up from 750mAh at 5.5Wh). As a bonus, the Firefly starter kit comes with a spare hot-swappable battery.

What’s more, the new edition incorporates a handy LED indicator into its cover. See, the original had a wonky mechanical power button that wouldn’t always activate the device if you didn’t push it just right. This often resulted in me futilely huffing a cold bowl because the only way to see if it was actually on was to wait and see if the heating coil started to glow. The new Firefly has not one but two — count ’em, two — power buttons, one on either side of the device. You just have to touch them to activate them. You’ll know you did it right thanks to the glowing LED light.

That said, the LED isn’t particularly bright and was often unreadable in direct sunlight. I also noticed that the touch-activated power buttons would turn the unit on randomly, like when I was refilling the bowl or adjusting the magnetic cover plate. It ran through a full battery charge just sitting in my bag because the cloth case I had it in (that’s a lie, it was a sock) had come in contact with them.

Lastly, the Firefly 2 has a new trick. While the original only handled shredded loose leaf, the new one can heat solid concentrates as well. You’ll only have to tamp a small aluminum disc into the heating chamber to keep the weed wax from gumming up the works. And it had better, given that this Firefly is actually $60 more expensive than its progenitor (and $50 more than the Pax 2). All told, you’re going to have to drop a whopping $330 for the Firefly 2. Still totally worth it, though.