3GB of RAM Again Rumored for Next iPhone, Likely 5.5-Inch Model Only
KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has twice claimed the next 5.5-inch iPhone, tentatively referred to as the iPhone 7 Plus, will carry 3GB of RAM for improved performance, and now DigiTimes says the same in a new report.
Increasing built-in memory capacity at next-generation smartphones, including new iPhone devices, will further ramp up demand for memory products in the third quarter, said sources, noting that the mobile DRAM capacity of the next-generation iPhone is expected to increase to 3GB from 2GB previously.
The report stops short of specifying whether the 4.7-inch, 5.5-inch, or both iPhone 7 models will have 3GB of RAM, but in general it will mark an increase over the 2GB of RAM in the iPhone 6s, iPhone 6s Plus, and iPhone SE.
DigiTimes has a mixed track record at reporting on Apple’s upcoming product plans, but its supply chain sources have provided accurate information on occasion in the past, and the rumor is backed by the more credible Kuo. The increased RAM should prove valuable given the camera improvements expected with the new iPhones, including a dual-lens system on the 5.5-inch model.
Deutsche Bank has also thrown its weight behind the 3GB of RAM rumor, although its prediction is likely based on Kuo rather than independent sources.
Related Roundup: iPhone 7
Tags: digitimes.com, RAM
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Astropad’s iPad App Updated With Speed, Performance, and Battery Efficiency Improvements
Astropad today launched version 2.0 of its iPad app, which transforms a compatible iPad into a drawing tablet for a connected Mac. Once connected, Astropad mirrors the Mac’s display onto the iPad to let users take advantage of the tablet’s touch controls for drawing and editing photos in various Mac apps. The new update follows last year’s introduction of support for the 12.9-inch iPad Pro and Apple Pencil.
Free for any existing Astropad user, version 2.0 of the app brings a “high-performance Liquid upgrade” to the connected drawing app in order to triple its performance speeds and “massively” reduce any pixelation. The rest of the update adds similar performance-enhancing features to Astropad, including improved image quality and latency, lessening the strain on the iPad’s battery, and making the actual drawing performed within the app more naturalistic.
High-performance Liquid upgrade: Powered by Liquid core technology, now running three times faster with massively reduced pixelation
New Velocity control: Analyzes network conditions dozens of times per second to balance image quality and latency
Uses 3x less CPU and 4x less memory: Allows longer work sessions and extended battery life
Refined pressure curve: Hand-tuned by artists for a more natural drawing feel
Enhanced software compatibility: Supports panning and zooming gestures across more programs, including: Affinity Designer, Affinity Photo, Art Rage, Clip Studio Paint, Lightroom, Mischief, Autodesk Sketchbook
Hidden cursor: Settings option to auto-hide the cursor while drawing
Updated UI: Sleek new look and feel
Otherwise, Astropad retains its general, high-quality drawing performance, with touch feedback at 60fps “for super smooth drawing” that results in interesting, diverse pieces of art. Users can connect their iPad to a Mac both via Wi-Fi or USB, with equally solid results, although compatible iPad devices must be running iOS 8 or later, while any Mac with Mavericks or later is required to use Astropad.
For users who have yet to purchase, Astropad Drawing Tablet is available for $29.99 on the iOS App Store. [Direct Link]
Tag: Astropad
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Take a shortcut: Use your keyboard to navigate Google Maps – CNET
Screenshot by Matt Elliott/CNET
Google Maps offers a limited number of keyboard shortcuts, but they can be useful to navigate a map, especially when you are using Street View.
Map view
Pan
To pan around on a map, you can use the arrow keys to move north, south, east and west. You can also press two arrow keys together to move diagonally.
Zoom
Use the plus and minus keys to zoom in and out, respectively. You need not hit the Shift key when pressing the =/+ key to zoom in.
Street View
There are four keys that help you walk about in Street View.
- W — walk forward
- S — walk backward
- A — turn to the left
- D — turn to the right
Any PC gamer will immediately be familiar with navigating with these keys. If you prefer to use your right hand on your Street View walkabout, the four arrows keys can be used to walk forward and back and turn to the left and right.
In related Google news, learn how keyboard shortcuts make Gmail great and get 10 shortcuts for YouTube.
Polar M600 Release Date, Price and Specs – CNET
Polar, best known for its line of heart-rate chest straps and running watches, feels that taking fitness seriously is what other smartwatches have been missing. Its new Polar M600 will be available towards the end of September for $330 or £300 (which converts to around AU$435).
The M600 is designed for athletes. That’s evident from its bulky design. This isn’t like the svelte Huawei Watch or Moto 360 — you wouldn’t wear it to a formal event. Equipped with both GPS and its Russian equivalent Glonass, however, the watch can measure pace, distance, speed and other metrics when running and cycling. It’s also swim-proof and can withstand the elements better than other smartwatches.
Sarah Tew/CNET
Polar did something a little different, too, with the optical heart-rate sensor. Most companies use one or two flashing LEDs to light your capillaries and measure the blood as it flows past. Polar opted for six LEDs, which it has said will help with accuracy. Heart rate is only measured continuously during workouts, but you can read it on demand whenever you want.
As for battery life, Polar has said the M600 will last up to 48 hours on Android and 24 hours on an iPhone, which is pretty standard for most Android Wear watches. Meanwhile, with an activity GPS signal, the watch will run up to 8 hours 30 minutes.
Sarah Tew/CNET
The M600, as with other Android Wear watches, works with both iPhones and Android phones. It can display notifications and personalized Google cards for quick information on local weather and traffic.
Polar also added some extra goodies. A single press on the center key will open Polar’s built-in workout app. Here you can track an activity, start an interval workout and view information on past runs. The watch also syncs with the Polar Flow app on Android and iOS to view more detailed information.
Sarah Tew/CNET
Key specs
- Android Wear 2.0 software
- 1.3-inch, 240×240-pixel resolution display, protected by Gorilla Glass 3
- Dual-core processor
- 4GB of storage for apps and music
- 500 mAh battery
- GPS and Glonass
- Optical heart-rate sensor
- Swim-proof
I only had a brief demo with the watch and haven’t had a chance to workout with it yet. We will have a full review of the Polar M600 in the coming weeks.
Blade Glimpse FPV review – CNET
The Good The Blade Glimpse FPV is a palm-size quadcopter with a good 720p HD video camera that can live-stream to your smartphone or tablet. Two flight speeds for beginners or experienced pilots. Strong enough to fly outside, but small and flexible for indoor flights.
The Bad The Glimpse requires a 5.8GHz Wi-Fi-capable smartphone or tablet for FPV flight. Slight latency in video feed. Its body and propellers break a little too easily.
The Bottom Line The Blade Glimpse FPV is a good way to practice flying by camera alone without the cost or concern of damaging a pricier drone.
Most toy quadcopters are piloted by line of sight, meaning you fly while looking at the drone. FPV or first-person-view flying is instead done by looking at a live video feed from an onboard camera, either on a screen or FPV goggles. It’s a necessary skill if you’re interested in piloting racing or higher-end camera drones and one you’re better off practicing with something like the Blade Glimpse FPV.
At $170 (£135, AU$260) it’s pricier than your average palm-size quad, but those typically don’t have good cameras — this one can record 720p-resolution HD video and 1-megapixel photos to an included 8GB microSD card — or built-in Wi-Fi to connect to a phone or tablet for a live view from the camera.
Turn on the included controller, connect the copter’s 3.7V 500mAh 25C LiPo battery and it will create its own Wi-Fi network. Once you connect to the network with a mobile device — it must support 5.8GHz Wi-Fi for it to work — you open the Glimpse app available for Android and iOS and you’ll see what the camera sees and you can start and stop recordings and take stills.
Blade Glimpse FPV is a tiny quad for first-person…
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The quad’s small size is perfect for navigating indoors and the landing gear does double duty as prop guards (though it doesn’t protect them from hard landings). The video downlink range is up to 80 feet (24 meters) and, while there is a slight lag, it’s still good enough to fly by in open spaces outside or around your house.
It looks and sounds like a small flying insect and although the motors are strong enough to fly outside, it’ll get blown around a bit in the wind. Otherwise, it’s very stable and getting it to hover is pretty easy. However, it will not hold altitude on its own, so you’ll need to constantly make micro adjustments to keep it at a specific height.
Battery life with video is average at about 6 to 8 minutes and will run you about $12 each for extras. Parts are reasonably priced and can be replaced with little difficulty. You’ll probably want to start by stocking up on propellers as they damage easily and tend to fly off when you crash.
Despite a bit of latency, the Blade Glimpse FPV is a good way to practice flying by camera alone without the cost or concern of damaging a pricier drone.
Skullcandy Ink’d Wireless review – CNET
The Good The Skullcandy Ink’d is a lightweight, affordable flexible collar-style Bluetooth headphone that offers decent sound and a comfortable fit. It performs fine as a headset for making cell phone calls and has reasonable good battery life.
The Bad It looks a little cheap, which makes you think it should cost a little less.
The Bottom Line The Skull Candy Ink’d Wireless is a better Bluetooth headphone than it looks.
When I first pulled Skullcandy’s Ink’d Wireless neckband-style Bluetooth headphone out its box, I had pretty low expectations. Frankly, it looks and feels a little cheap. And, to be fair, it is: it lists for $50, and we’ve already seen at least on sale at Best Buy (since ended) where it was selling for $40.
The first thing you’ll notice about the Ink’d Wireless is that it’s very lightweight. If you have a collared shirt on, you’ll barely feel it around your neck. The band’s got some flexibility to it, which is good, and while the cords that run from the neckband to the earbuds seem a little thin, some of LG’s Tone headphones have very thin cords (they’re retractable on some models) and I haven’t had a problem with them breaking or fraying over time.
We got the plain black version, but the Ink’d Wireless is also available in other color options.
Sarah Tew/CNET
You’ll find the integrated remote on the left side of the neckband. I liked that the controls were large and easy to operate by feel. There’s a pause/play button that also doubles as a call answer/end button and volume controls that double as track control buttons. You hold down the volume up button to advance a track forward and hold the volume down button to skip back a track.
The buds themselves are all plastic — they’re very lightweight — and the headphone ships with two sizes of silicon eartips. With the larger “default” set, I was able to get tight seal and surprisingly secure fit. It’s very important to be able to get a tight seal or sound quality will suffer, particularly the bass performance.
About that sound quality — it exceeded my expectations. You don’t get the treble and bass push you get from a lot headphones these days (the sound is pretty balanced). And while there isn’t a ton a bass — Chairlift’s “Show U Off” sounds fairly subdued, for example– so this isn’t going to be the greatest headphone for hip hop and club music. But it offers decent clarity in the treble and midrange and measures up well against neckband-style Bluetooth headphones that I’ve tested that cost almost twice as much. (Don’t expect the world from the sound, but most people should be happy with it for the price).
Should you upgrade to the Galaxy Note 7 from the Galaxy S6 edge+? A comparison
Turns out the Galaxy S6 edge+ has aged really well. Nevertheless, the march of smartphone progress continues, and twelve months on it’s about to be replaced by the Note 7.
The Galaxy Note 7 is the successor to not only the Note 5, but also the S6 edge+. There’s no Galaxy S7 edge+ this year, as the Note line incorporates the best of both 2015 models. So if you’re rocking Samsung’s last edgy phablet, is this new one worth the upgrade? Read on for our first impressions.
| Operating System | Android 6.0.1 | Android 6.0.1 |
| CPU | Exynos 7420 | Exynos 8890 (global)Snapdragon 820 (U.S.) |
| Display | 5.7-inch Quad HD SuperAMOLED | 5.7-inch Quad HD SuperAMOLED |
| RAM | 4GB | 4GB |
| Storage | 32GB/64GB | 64GB + microSD |
| Battery | 3,000mAh | 3,500mAh |
| Camera | 16MP OIS, 1.12µm pixels, f/1.9 lens | 12MP OIS, 1.44µm pixels, f/1.7 lens |
| Front Camera | 5MP, f/1.9 lens | 5MP, f/1.7 lens |
| Charging | Micro-USBFast chargingWireless charring (Qi/PMA) | USB Type-CFast chargingWireless charring (Qi/PMA) |
| Water Resistance | No | IP68 |
| Biometric Security | Fingerprint | Fingerprint, Iris Scanner |
| S Pen | No | Yes |
On paper, we’re looking at a generational leap in internal hardware, with standout differences being a yearly bump in CPU, the fancy new 12MP low-light camera that we’ve already used in the Galaxy S7, and the addition of IP68-rated water and dust resistance. Both phones stick to a 5.7-inch screen size — the norm for Notes going all the way back to 2013 — with Quad HD resolution. The Note 7’s is probably a superior panel, but the S6 edge+’s was already exceptionally good — both in daylight and darker conditions — and beyond a certain point it’s really hard to tell. We’ll have more to say on the Note 7’s display when we’ve used it out in the wild.
The Note 7’s battery also gets a welcome bump up to 3,500mAh — even discounting for a second that the Note 7 probably has more efficient internals, that’s a decent bump in battery life. (Less than the S7 edge’s 3,600mAh, but within striking distance.) Water resistance is also a huge deal, not so much because you’re going to be taking the Note 7 scuba diving with you, but more for the peace of mind if it’s dropped in the sink or caught in a rainstorm.
Water resistance, a welcome battery bump and all the great camera stuff we remember from the GS7.
And of course it’s a Note, so unlike the S6 edge+ you’ve got the S Pen stylus, contained in a silo on the right edge of the phone. If you’re out of the loop on stylus input (and since Samsung didn’t sell the Note 5 at all in some countries, you may well be), the S Pen may not be something you use every day, but it does allow for more precise text selection, a bunch of fun creative possibilities. This time around the S Pen enables new software tricks like the ability to turn any area of the screen, be it a video or an app, into a GIF.
Externally, the Galaxy Note 7’s design heritage is clear. As much as it’s a Note, with the blockier, more angular aesthetic that usually entails, it’s also a close relative of the Galaxy S7 edge, which gives it soft curves and a thoroughly organic feel. That’s in stark contrast to the S6 edge+, with its sharper corners, more pronounced metal accents and entirely flat back. And although it is more boxy than the S7 edge, you can still see glass blending into metal and back into glass as you turn the Note 7 in your hand. It’s a more coherent look and feel, though just a tad more slippery in the hand.
Spec sheets aside, there’s little noticeable difference in weight between the two, though you benefit from significantly trimmed down bezels this time around. The black Note 7 in particular gives the illusion of almost nonexistent horizontal borders, in contrast to the slightly thicker bezels of last year’s phone.
In terms of cameras, it’s a re-run of the old GS6 versus GS7 battle, with the S6 edge+ using a standard 16-megapixel sensor with OIS, behind an f/1.9 lens, while the Note 7 uses a 12-megapixel sensor — lower resolution, but with larger pixels for better low-light shots — behind a brighter f/1.7 lens. It’s literally the same camera hardware as the S7 series, so the comparison is pretty obvious by now.
As we said earlier in the year:
Again, as we discussed in our full reviews, there are certain semi-rare situations, in daylight or in HDR mode, where the GS6 will produce a better-looking shot than its successor. You’ll have to take side-by-side comparison shots to tell, but it can happen.
With this caveat out the way, the high-level summary is this: Both phones have excellent cameras, but the GS7 pushes ahead with a substantial improvement in low-light photography, especially in really dark scenes. The new f/1.7 lens can also produce some absolutely gorgeous macro shots, though the GS6 was highly skilled in this area too.
The biggest difference we’ve noticed between the two is in HDR mode. Whereas the GS6 tended towards almost over-lightening areas in HDR shots, photos in HDR mode from the GS7 appeared darker and less appealing overall, though arguably more true to life.
Bottom line: The S6 series’ camera is still great by the standards of late 2016 — and occasionally gets a better photo in daylight — but Samsung’s latest shooter is more versatile in darker conditions.
Samsung has long included biometric security in its phones, and the Note 7 is no different, including the same single-touch fingerprint scanner from the S7 line. This time it’s augmented by iris scanning technology, in the form of a second camera (and IR LED) around the front. In our limited time testing the feature, it seems to work pretty well. As for whether it’s any more convenient than using your fingerprint on the phone you’re holding in your hand — well, probably not. But it’s a handy alternative.
On the software side, Samsung’s taken the opportunity to freshen up its TouchWiz UI, while remaining on Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow (we’re on the brink of 7.0 Nougat at the time of writing, but that’s yet to officially launch). Major changes include refreshed icons, a re-tooled notification shortcut area, and a lighter, brighter settings area with more intelligent groupings. Samsung also brings new S Pen features into the mix, the coolest of which lets you turn videos or other content into GIFs through the magic of WACOM-powered drawing. Neat!
So that’s that. A generational leap takes you from a great phone to a really great phone. It’s worth underscoring how well the S6 edge+ has stood the test of time, and if Samsung keeps up its pace with software updates, it’ll be a solid bet for the coming year too. And while not a huge upgrade for regular buyers, tech enthusiasts will see plenty to look forward to when jumping from last year’s edgy phablet to its successor.
Galaxy S6 edge+ owners, will you upgrade to the Note 7 this year? Shout out in the comments!
Samsung Galaxy Note 7
- Samsung Galaxy Note 7 hands-on preview
- The latest Galaxy Note 7 news!
- Here are all four Note 7 colors
- Complete Galaxy Note 7 specs
- The Galaxy Note 7 uses USB-C
- Join the Note 7 discussion in the forums!
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ZTE is now taking submissions for its first crowdsourced device
Earlier this year, ZTE announced plans to release a crowdsourced “mobile product” in 2017, dubbed Project CSX. The manufacturer is soliciting ideas and feedback from the community over the hardware, design, and overall development of a phone, tablet, or even a smartwatch. The idea is to get customers involved in every stage of the development process, with ZTE offering early access to the finished hardware, as well as a chance to attend the Consumer Electronics Show.
From ZTE USA’s CEO Lixin Cheng:
This is the first time a phone manufacturer is stepping out and crowdsourcing something entirely new, from start to finish. It’s a bold approach for the industry that demonstrates how ZTE keeps consumers at the heart of everything we imagine, design and deliver. Project CSX is taking our core value to the next level.
Have a great idea that you think can make a difference? Here’s what you need to know:
Submissions are held to three rules: it must be a mobile product, the technology must be realistically possible by 2017, and the final product must be affordable for the general population.
Winning ideas and popular submissions will be awarded with small cash prizes throughout the process and the chance to win a trip to the Consumer Electronics show in Las Vegas. Participants will have the opportunity to say they helped create an innovative mobile device that friends, family, and acquaintances will be able to purchase. In addition, participants registered on Z-Community will have early access to the final product.
The process is split into two stages: you can submit your ideas until August 31, following which there’s a voting period from September 1 – 10. Concept submissions are from September 12 – 30, and those in the community get to vote on the concepts from October 1 through October 19. Once the design is finalized, ZTE will begin the development, with an announcement slated for early 2017. More information about the voting and selection process here.
Want to get started? Head over to the Project CSX site from the link below.
ZTE Z-Community
BlackBerry brings its Hub and other apps to more Android phones with Hub+ suite
BlackBerry has announced the launch of the BlackBerry Hub+ suite of Android apps, which will be made available with a new software licensing program for mobile devices.
The BlackBerry Hub inbox is included in this app bundle, which also includes a calendar, password keeper, contacts. notes, a launcher and more. BlackBerry is offering a free 30-day trial for the BlackBerry Hub+ suite, via the Google Play Store. After the trial is over, customers can continue to use the BlackBerry Hub+ suite for free, with ad banners, or get rid of them for $0.99 a month, which also includes access to additional apps. The apps are already preloaded on the BlackBerry Priv and the upcoming DTEK50 Android phone.
The BlackBerry Hub+ suite is currently only available for Android 6.0 Marshmallow devices. The Inside BlackBerry blog says that the company is looking to expand its reach to Android 5.0 Lollipop phones in the future.
Press release
BlackBerry Launches Software Licensing Program for Its Mobility Solutions Business
BlackBerry delivering on its smartphone software strategy, BlackBerry Hub+ gives Android users the quintessential BlackBerry productivity experience
WATERLOO, ONTARIO–(Marketwired – Aug. 3, 2016) – BlackBerry Limited (NASDAQ:BBRY)(TSX:BB), a global leader in secure mobile communications, announced today the launch of a software licensing program for its Mobility Solutions business by introducing the BlackBerry® Hub+ for Android. A suite of BlackBerry applications, BlackBerry Hub+ makes productivity and communication on Android 6.0 Marshmallow smartphones effortless.
BlackBerry’s Mobility Solutions unit manages the BlackBerry smartphone business and development of device software offerings that includes maximizing the best of BlackBerry 10 software features and making them accessible on other platforms.
“An important initiative of the Mobility Solutions unit is a software strategy that combines BlackBerry’s strength in security, engineering savvy and device experience. The result – the ability to extend the best of BlackBerry’s secure communications and productivity features to any Android M consumer, enterprise or government customer,” said Ralph Pini, Chief Operating Officer and General Manager, Mobility Solutions, BlackBerry. “Our customers have always raved about the unique experience of our proprietary productivity apps such as the BlackBerry Hub, calendar and contacts, amongst others. I’m excited that we’re now able to offer these amazing features to all Android users that demand the most out of their smartphones.”
The Best of BlackBerry…on Android
BlackBerry Hub+ for Android is a suite of applications that includes the BlackBerry Hub, calendar, contacts, notes, tasks, device search, launcher and password keeper applications for Android smartphones.
Users can download a free trial from Google Play and access BlackBerry Hub+ from any Android device running 6.0 Marshmallow. The trial includes a suite of applications, including the BlackBerry Hub, calendar and password keeper. After a 30-day trial, users can continue using the apps for free with an ad-based experience, or subscribe to the entire suite of apps for 99 cents a month, which will include additional features: contacts, tasks, device search, notes and launcher. Additionally, users can choose to download the full suite from Google Play or just pick their favorite apps.
For users on BlackBerry 10, PRIV and DTEK50, all of these apps come fully integrated for a seamless out of the box experience.
Key features of the BlackBerry Hub+ include:
- Hub: A unified inbox that allows you to:
- compose email messages and social posts
- respond directly to messages and calendar invitations
- snooze items so that you can view them at a later date, time or location
- quickly select recipients for email messages using suggested contacts
- file email messages and manage all your folders
search for messages or contacts saved directly on your device or on the email server and more.
Calendar: View and respond to meeting invitations directly from the BlackBerry Hub. When you create or change events, you can avoid double bookings by viewing when you’re busy. Using the “Join Now” feature, you can instantly dial into your meetings directly from your event reminder. And with Google Now voice commands, booking meetings has never been easier.
Password Keeper: Stores all your passwords, log in information and important records safe in one highly secure spot that is encrypted with a password of your choice.
Contacts: Stores all your contact info in one location for convenient management. You can interact with your contacts using a variety of methods such as phone calls, text and email messages, or calendar events directly from the Contacts app. You can also create and manage contact groups.
- Tasks: Increase your efficiency at work by creating tasks, setting due dates and reminders to help you stay focused and meet your deadlines.
- Device Search: Easily find a contact, a meeting, a file, an email, a song by searching in one universal search bar.
- Notes: Keep track of to-do lists or your bucket list, notes for a presentation, action items from a meeting, gift ideas for your family or groceries you need to pick up after work.
- Launcher: Turn multi-step actions like sending an email or calling a friend into a one-click task. BlackBerry Launcher lets you organize apps, widgets and shortcuts on customized home screen panels for instant access.
Chrome for Android now loads videos faster, consumes less battery
Chrome for Android has been updated to version 52, bringing faster load times to videos while reducing the battery consumption. Google states that over a billion hours of video is played on Chrome every week, and with a majority of content viewed on mobile devices, the search giant is working to make the overall experience suck less.
The update also lets you view videos with Data Saver mode enabled. The videos will be compressed, but if you’re worried about running out of data on your cellular plan, it is a decent alternative. From the Chrome blog:
With the release of Chrome 52 on Android, video playback has been improved for speed and power efficiency. This means you will see smoother playback and faster load times. Videos will now start playing sooner, instead of pausing briefly before loading, and your battery will last longer.
The Chrome team made a video highlighting the differences in loading times, noting a 5x increase:
The update is rolling out now (it’s live in India), but as is the case with such things, if you don’t see it yet, hold tight. It’s coming.
AIVAnet 