HTC’s 10 feels like its best smartphone in years

After getting a pair of purely-OK hero phones and seeing the company’s worth tank, HTC fans haven’t had an easy time lately. As it turns out, HTC might have the cure for those woes (and no, I’m not just talking about Vive). Though the surprise was spoiled, the company pulled back the curtain on its new HTC 10 smartphone today, and you know what? It feels like the HTC phone I’ve wanted for years.

But first, the broad strokes. HTC is going to have 32 and 64GB versions, but both have microSD slots that take cards up to 2TB. While we’re waiting on carrier pricing details, the unlocked version HTC will sell directly costs $699. There’s a 3,000mAh battery wedged inside, which you’ll recharge using the included rapid charger (HTC says it draws heat out of the phone for even safer charging). Flip the phone over and you’ll find a 12-ultrapixel rear camera. Yeah, ultrapixels are back, but the sensor we’ve got here is a big improvement over old-school HTC shooters. And as you might’ve guessed, the 10 has a quad-core Snapdragon 820 and 4GB of RAM.

We’ve seen that chipset/RAM combination in a handful of high-end smartphones already, but it’s fascinating to see how different companies built around it. While LG used it as the core for the radical (and questionable) G5, HTC put it at the heart of an impressively refined device. The fit and finish here are damned stunning. A chamfered edge runs around the 5.2-inch Super LCD 5 display (running at Quad HD, natch). Meanwhile, a more pronounced angle is cut around the 10’s back, helping the phone settle really nicely into my hands. The effect is hard to deny: the HTC 10 is about 9mm at its thickest, and the all-metal frame tapers to a 3mm edge. My favorite little touch: the power button doesn’t wobble in its socket. The M9 wasn’t that different from the M8 and the A9 felt like an iPhone, so the 10 is HTC design at its best.

HTC has always been a little nutty about audio, but I’m still a little surprised to see BoomSound audio back. The stereo front-facing speakers are gone, though — the new BoomSound Hi-Fi feature has a woofer in the bottom of the phone and a tweeter up top, so high and low frequencies come from above and below. I loved those silly stereo speakers and this new, mono approach isn’t as eye-opening. Still, sound is loud and crisp — more than I can say about most phone speakers. Beyond that, the M10 up-scales all audio to 24-bit quality, which should sound good on the included hi-res certified earbuds. And since all our ears are different (mine, specifically, are terrible), HTC cooked up a test that defines your “personal audio profile” — once setup, most phone audio is tuned to your preferences. Oh, and HTC is licensing Airplay from Apple to stream audio to even more hardware. How’s that for keeping an open mind?

The 10’s software feels remarkably clean, too, particularly its Sense interface. Long story short: it feels closer to stock Android than ever before. HTC’s little touches haven’t completely vanished: BlinkFeed is still here waiting for you, and the location-based app suggestion widget is around too, though not on by default. And just like on the A9 and M9, you can install custom themes in case HTC’s aren’t to your liking.

This time, though, there’s a “freestyle” theme that breaks away from the traditional app grid. The single freestyle theme available gives you a beach background to play with, and the stickers you add — think sunglasses, picture frames, boats and so on — can set to launch apps when tapped. It’s very much not for me, but a little cousin sort of squealed when she saw it, so maybe HTC is onto something here. More importantly, HTC also killed some of its homebrew apps in favor of existing Google apps. At last, you’re not stuck figuring out which preloaded email app is worth using. In at least one case, this working relationship led to a shift in Google’s systems — Google Photos now supports RAW images since HTC’s Photos app got the axe.

Then there are the little things. Like many high-end Android devices, the 10 uses USB Type-C to charge. (JBL is also working with HTC on a pair of hi-res earbuds that connect through that port.) The fingerprint scanner is seriously fast and rarely pesters me about trying again. So far, so good.

I’m trying not to be too hopeful here — my testing isn’t done yet and it’s possible the 10 will lose some of its sheen. Still, the fact that I have to actively manage my expectations is a pretty good sign; it’s been years since an HTC phone got me this excited. Our full review is coming soon, so hang in there while we find out if this is the One you’ve been waiting for.

BBC Announces Family-Friendly iPlayer Kids App for iOS

The BBC today unveiled the iPlayer Kids app for iOS, which allows children to safely access CBeebies and CBBC shows directly.

The family-friendly app offers access to over 10,000 shows and enables up to four profiles to be created on one device for the delivery of specialized content to each child.

Parents and guardians can create a profile for children by selecting an age and a character avatar to identify the child’s account, after which specific programs for pre-schoolers or over-fives can be viewed.

Episodes can be downloaded over Wi-Fi to be watched away from the home, and shows are available to stream or download for up to 30 days each.

Alice Webb, director of BBC Children’s, announced the app as a standalone solution apart from the BBC iPlayer app that caters exclusively for kids and keeps them safe from unsuitable content:

The BBC iPlayer Kids app meets the needs we know are absolute deal breakers for kids and parents. We’re offering choice and control, wrapped up in a child-friendly design and the largest range of home-grown UK content on a platform parents can trust.

The BBC app is both ad and in-app purchase free, and includes a parental control function that locks the app during use so children are unable to access any BBC links, other apps, or settings.

The BBC iPlayer Kids app is a free download on the UK App Store and available for iPhone and iPad. [Direct link]

Tag: BBC iPlayer
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Siri Responds to Most Burning Question Asked by ‘Game of Thrones’ Fans

The long-anticipated season six of HBO series Game of Thrones premiered in Los Angeles over the weekend, and Siri is now giving cheeky responses to users who ask the personal assistant whether one of its principal characters, Jon Snow, has truly left this mortal coil.

Asking Siri, ‘Is Jon Snow dead?’ returns a number of possible responses, including:

Well, you know what they say to Death… Not today! But why would tomorrow be any better? Anyway, I’m not exactly sure.

‘Dead is dead’. Or is it ‘What’s dead may never die’? No, wait, ‘Death is so terribly final’? I give up.

I don’t know. I just hope someone is setting up doggie daycare for Ghost.

Game of Thrones fans can also bide their time waiting for the new season to hit TV screens by asking Siri ‘Is winter coming?’, to which the response ‘Hodor’ may or may not be forthcoming.

Previous seasons of the hugely popular Game of Thrones series are available to watch via the HBO GO app for those with a subscription. HBO GO is a universal app that can be downloaded from the App Store for free. [Direct Link]

Siri is expected to make its long-anticipated debut on Mac in OS X 10.12 later this year.

Tags: Siri, HBO
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Tesla Model X recalled already, dangerous seating fault couldn’t slip through European tests

The Tesla Model X SUV has had a voluntary recall issued after faults were found in the rear seats that could be dangerous.

The fault, found in the third row of seating, means that in a crash there is a chance the seats will fold forward potentially harming the passenger.

While the Model X has already been on the roads in the US, it was only after safety testing by European standards that the fault was spotted. This was part of final checks before shipping the cars to European buyers. The test was required by safety regulators in Europe by not in the United States.

Anyone driving a model X made before 26 March can return the car to have the part fixed. There are 2,700 of these cars that have been recalled.

The part was not made by Tesla, like in the first a second row seats, but by a third party Australian manufacturer called Futuris, who will be footing the bill.

Speaking on the matter, Jon McNeil, Tesla’s president of sales, service and delivery, said: “Our European customers and our US customers are equally important to us”.

Owners will be able to bring the Model X into a service centre for the repairs once contacted by Tesla, when the replacement parts have become available.

READ: Tesla: Everything you need to know

Samsung Galaxy Note 6 should support Snapdragon 823 and 8GB of RAM

The Samsung Galaxy Note 6 looks set for its big unveil later in the year and it should be well worth the wait. The Note 6 could be the most powerful smartphone ever made.

According to rumours from Chinese site Weibo, the Galaxy Note 6 will come sporting the very latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 823 processor, which can support up to a whopping 8GB of RAM.

So far rumours have pointed towards the Note 6 coming with 6GB of RAM, which is impressive enough. A full 8GB seems like overkill, even for virtual reality support, which it is likely being powered up to offer.

The 64-bit Snapdragon 823 processor is apparently ready to handle up to 3.0GHz of power which is backed by a 720MHz Adreno 530 GPU.

The source also claims that these specs could appear in a Sony Xperia handset and an LG G Flex 3. It seems unlikely that LG will bring the G Flex back but that Snapdragon 823 should appear in plenty of next gen phones later this year.

The Samsung Galaxy Note 6 is also expected to come with a 5.7-inch QHD AMOLED display, 16-megapixel camera and an iris scanner. It is expected to launch at the same time the Note 5 did last year, meaning an August appearance.

READ: Samsung Galaxy Note 6 release date, rumours and everything you need to know

Facebook Messenger’s latest update hints at chatbots

At this point, it’s a bit of an open secret that Facebook will announce the arrival of chatbots for Messenger at F8, its annual developer conference. Well, the latest Messenger update all but confirms it. If you were to do a search in the latest version of Facebook’s chat app, you’ll find a new category heading called “Bots and Businesses.” Prior to the update, this would simply read “Businesses,” which was a listing of companies that you could message for customer support and general inquiries. Messaging businesses typically involves speaking to a human, however, while talking to chatbots would likely be a more automated experience — sort of like chatting to the equivalent of a phone tree.

We’ve seen a few examples of this already. Uber and Lyft requests function similar to bots (especially if you’re requesting updates), as does the recent KLM chatbot that lets you book flights with just a few keypresses. There’ve also been rumors that the chatbot experience isn’t limited to just businesses either; we’re hearing that publishers could get in on the Messenger chatbot train as well (get ready for breaking news via Messenger). Techcrunch reported last week that a Chat SDK of sorts have already been seeded out to a few developers that instructs them on how to build chatbots into Messenger, so we’re guessing we’ll find out more about how it all works at the F8 keynote later today at 10am PT / 1pm ET. Stay tuned.

Experts crack nasty ransomware that locks your PC and your backup

Petya, a brutal piece of malware, surfaced two weeks ago. It’s a mean bit of crypto-extortion that hits its victims where it hurts: right in your startup drive. Because it encrypts your master boot file, if attacked, not only will you be unable to start up your PC and not even access your startup disk. Eeesh. Fortunately, there’s help. Leostone has come up with a tool that creates the password needed to unlock your startup disk. It’s not all that simple, however.

You’ll need to remove the startup drive and connect it to a separate (not infected) Windows PC, and then pull some specific bits of data to plug into this web app — and craft your password. (There’s also another free tool that can grab the necessary data nuggets here.) From there, you’ll be able to decrypt that all-important master boot file — and forever learn the lesson of vigilance when it comes to possibly fake CHKDSK antics.

Source: Ars Technica, Twitter (@Leo_and_stone)

Facebook Messenger for iOS Gains Native Dropbox Support

Facebook Messenger for iOS is gaining native Dropbox integration for the first time, allowing users to share any file stored in their Dropbox account without having to leave the app.

Tapping the More button in the popular messenger app now displays Dropbox as an available source. So long as the Dropbox app is installed on the device and an account is linked to it, users can share photos, videos and other files stored in the file hosting service directly in their conversations.

Videos and images – including animated GIFs – are displayed directly in conversations. Everything else can be viewed by recipients by tapping an Open button which brings them to either the Dropbox app or an associated web location, where they can preview and save files instantly.

In an additional feature, users of Messenger video chat now have the option of viewing a small ‘chat head’ in the corner of their screen during conversations, rather than video feeds occupying the entire screen, allowing users to continue messaging other people as they talk.

Both features are being rolled out to all Messenger users in the next few days. Facebook Messenger is a free download from the App Store for iPhone and iPad. [Direct Link]

Tag: Facebook Messenger
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You can now send Dropbox files from within Facebook Messenger

Facebook Messenger now offers Dropbox integration, allowing you to send photos, videos, and other files without ever leaving the messaging service. You can access Dropbox from Messenger’s More button (the rightmost button in the conversation view). From there, select Dropbox as the source, and if you’re already signed into the cloud sharing service, you’ll be able to see your files directly within Messenger.

If you’re sending a video or image, you will get an in-line preview, but you’ll have to switch back to the Dropbox app for any other type of file. The integration is now live on Android and iOS.

PS Vita’s ‘Severed’ goes wild on April 26th

What do one-armed warrior ladies do best? Use a living sword to cut off the limbs of the four-armed, three-faced, four-legged monsters around them. At least that’s what the latest trailer for Severed from Guacamelee! developer DrinkBox Studios would lead you to believe. The game hits the ailing PlayStation Vita, exclusively, on April 26th for $15. Dig the music in the video embedded below? Then head over to Yamantaka // Sonic Titan’s Bandcamp page to either stream or buy the soundtrack for yourself.

Source: DrinkBox Studios (YouTube)