Microsoft’s Arrow Launcher is astonishingly good

Microsoft’s Arrow Launcher has a lot to offer.

Microsoft rolled out Arrow Launcher last year, following a positive reception for the company’s Next Lock Screen. Both apps originated out of Microsoft Garage, a hub for Microsoft employees to work on projects and ideas that don’t have a direct correlation to the company’s broader software efforts. Other apps that have come out of Microsoft’s Garage include the excellent Word Flow keyboard for iOS.

As for Arrow Launcher, the app has picked up momentum over the course of the year, gaining new functionality with regular updates. The most recent update rolled out earlier this week, adding a slew of new features: a fully customizable home page with widget and folder support, ability to annotate and share recent images directly from the home screen, live wallpaper support, and double tap to lock the screen.

Setting it up

Unlike a traditional third-party launcher like Nova, Arrow Launcher uses algorithms to show your frequent apps, contacts, and documents on the home screen. During setup, you can select apps that you want on the home screen; the launcher will then add more apps based on your usage patterns. The obvious downside with this model is that if you’re particular about the way you arrange apps on your home screen, you’re not going to like the constant shuffling around as new apps get added.

If you’re like me and have a lot of apps organized in folders, you’ll want to enable home screen customization from settings, as that lets you organize content into folders and add widgets. The app drawer itself is arranged vertically, with a separate tab for widgets and a search bar at the top.

Customize everything

A swipe up gesture gives you a Control Center-style quick toggle area wherein you can adjust screen brightness and toggle Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, screen orientation, flashlight, and flight mode. At login, you have access to six home screens: Apps is at the center, flanked by People and Recent. The rightmost home screens show reminders and documents, and you have a dedicated home screen for widgets on the left.

The People home screen gives you a list of your frequent contacts, while the Recent screen highlights five recent photos, calls, messages, or documents. The latest update added the ability to edit and annotate images from the Recent screen. Just long press on an image thumbnail, and you’ll see options to edit or share an image.

There are several customization options on offer as well, including notification badges, which lets you see the unread count on app icons. Then there’s the ability to use custom icon packs, and double tap the screen to lock the phone.

Overall, Arrow Launcher is just as fast as Nova or Google Now Launcher. There’s no unnecessary bloat, and it offers enough customizability that I’m not missing out on any features that I rely upon often. And best of all, it’s free.

Interested in taking a look? Grab the launcher from the link below, and share your thoughts in the comments.

Download Arrow Launcher from the Play Store

Wear your Android “7” Nougat pride with this delicious new t-shirt

The best way to celebrate Nougat isn’t by eating it — it’s by wearing it!

Android 7.0 Nougat is rolling out to the world right now, and if you’re running a Nexus phone, you may even have it (with or without our help)!

To celebrate its launch, we’ve designed a special edition, limited run t-shirt that shows the new confectionary in its best light: in the form of a “7”! The shirt (and matching hoodie) is inspired by the life-size pistachio-filled nougat bars that grace the front of the Google campus, a design (and name) that was unveiled after months of teasing.

The shirt is available in men’s and women’s styles, and in four colors (the hoodie in two colors) so you can find the Nougat that fits your life. And, of course, there’s a little AC logo on the back — because you have to represent.

Get one now — before they’re all gone!

See at Teespring

Xbox One S: 4K, Ultra HD Blu-ray and HDR examined in more detail

We’ve reviewed the Xbox One S and concluded that this is a great update to the console, making it an attractive option for anyone who hasn’t committed yet and wants to join the Xbox family but also as a great media device for those wanting to embrace 4K.

We’re delving a little deeper into what it will do in the Ultra HD space and here we’ll guide you through the ins and outs and pros and cons of choosing the Xbox One S as your Ultra HD media player of choice.

Xbox One S: TV settings are key

Let’s start at the beginning. The screen you connect your Xbox One S to is going to have a major impact on your experience. Ultra HD, or 4K, is currently in the realms of things not being plug and play, so there’s some fiddling around to do. 

We connected the Xbox One S to two main televisions. Firstly the Samsung KS9500, which is Samsung’s top tier curved direct-lit LED TV, at 65-inches. Secondly the LG OLED C6, which is LG’s latest curved OLED display at 55-inches. Both offer Ultra HD resolutions, both offer HDR and both can be considered excellent televisions.

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In both cases, the Xbox One S accepted that these TVs would support Ultra HD resolutions, but at the first pass, said they wouldn’t support everything in other situations. 

Head into settings > display & sound > video output and you’ll find a range of options. The most useful is checking compatibility, in the “advanced video settings”, you’ll find a breakdown of what the One S thinks your TV will do, under the “4K TV details” option.

This will tell you what your display can do, and if the Xbox is reporting something different to what you believe, you might have to tweak your settings. The biggest problem here is different standards of display.

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The LED Samsung offers 10-bit display, the OLED LG a 12-bit display and telling the Xbox what it’s connected to solves some of these problems and there’s a drop-down box to accommodate those alternatives. There’s also the option for an 8-bit display, which will be older 4K TVs without HDR. If you have a 2014 or 2015 4K TV, you might need this option. 

If things aren’t working, check you’re on the right bit depth for your display and try restarting both the TV and the Xbox and check again. In both cases we moved from little support to full support after a settings tweak. 

Xbox One S: Tweak your HDMI settings 

On 4K TVs you’ll find individual settings for each HDMI. Although watching 4K works directly on many TVs, to get the full benefits of HDR, you’ll have to dive deeper and ensure the HDMI UHD Color setting is switched on. (This setting has different names on different TVs from different manufacturers – HDMI UHD Color is Samsung, LG uses HDMI Ultra HD Deep Colour, for example.)

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Fail to turn that on and you will find that your fancy Ultra HD Blu-rays will look a little flat, as there’s no HDR coming through – and that makes a big difference, if not the biggest difference, to Ultra HD Blu-ray viewing.

Also, find the info button on your remote and press it, as this will usually tell you want the TV is showing you – for Samsung you’ll get an indicator of HDR, the resolution and the frame rate (24fps, for example). LG is a little poor in this regard, but many other TVs, like Panasonic, will have a button to show you what’s playing at that moment. Both test TVs, however, give a big notification when an HDR signal is being received. 

Xbox One S: Ultra HD Blu-ray experience

One of the most attractive things about the Xbox One S is the Ultra HD Blu-ray player. It’s the cheapest player on the market at the moment, with the 500GB costing £249, compared to the next cheapest, Samsung’s K8500 Ultra HD Blu-ray player at £350.

On the Xbox One S you get the full Ultra HD and HDR experience. The visuals from those top-spec TVs are stunning. Sure the top spec Panasonic UHD Blu-ray player might just edge things out in terms of absolute picture quality, but as so much is governed by the performance of the TV it’s attached to, we think most will find themselves entranced by the richness and detail that Ultra HD Blu-ray offers from the Xbox One S.

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There’s a downside on the audio front with no support for Dolby Atmos, but if that matters to you, you probably fall into the camp of those who should buy a dedicated Ultra HD Blu-ray player anyway.

The biggest downside in reality is control and noise. Firstly, you’ll want to buy the Xbox One Media Remote, because using a gaming controller is too clunky for regular movie watching. It’s only £15 and worth the upgrade.

Secondly noise. The Xbox One S is a comparatively noisy player. The fan noise, disc whirring noises and the rest of the buzzing and chirping that goes with it makes it a lesser experience than either of the dedicated Ultra HD Blu-ray players currently available.

That’s something of a shame, because the Xbox One S is a beautiful looking thing, more interesting than other players, but to keep it from distracting you in quiet movie scenes, you’ll probably need to hide it in a cupboard.

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Xbox One S: Blu-ray playback

With Ultra HD Blu-ray being a new format, it’s unlikely that you have many or any in your collection. Fortunately, regular Blu-ray playback is good. It’s much the same experience as with Ultra HD Blu-ray (noise, control, etc) – and very much like Blu-ray playback on the Xbox One.

There’s something else to note though. The Xbox One S output drops from 2160p to 1080p when you insert a regular Blu-ray disc. That fits the native resolution of the Blu-ray, so the Xbox then isn’t “upscaling”, it’s feeding that 1080p content to the TV and the TV is then making the pictures fit the display. 

The same applies to DVD, if you’re still watching those too, but that’s the right way to do it. You can’t force the Xbox to output a 2160p image from these lower-res discs, so the TV is then doing any video processing it can to clean up the image. 

Ultra HD streaming: Netflix considerations

Aside from being an Ultra HD Blu-ray player – and the cheapest way to currently access those amazing optical discs – streaming is where most of the 4K action is. Netflix and Amazon Instant Video have been pushing 4K Ultra HD and HDR content harder than anyone else and are the main source of next-gen content for many. 

To access Netflix’s content you’ll have to upgrade your subscription to the 4K package (that’s £8.99/$12 a month), but it’s definitely worth it, as the resolution bump from Netflix makes a big difference, especially on TVs that are slightly too large for the room they’re in. 

The Xbox One S offers Ultra HD and HDR, although there’s only a few programmes offering HDR at the moment – Marco Polo being the notable example, but with more being added all the time. The UHD and HDR effect from Netflix doesn’t have anything like the impact that Ultra HD Blu-ray does, but it’s still excellent to watch.

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One nice trick to get around the control issues of Netflix on the Xbox is to use the built in DIAL feature. No one talks about this, but it’s a casting protocol, like Google cast, that will let you control playback with your phone. Simply open the app, hit the cast button and select the Xbox. As long as you’ve signed into the Netflix app, it will play your content. Simple. 

Netflix’s app is universal, so you have the same experience whether you use the Xbox, your TV or another media device. There’s only one difference however, that’s cornered by an LG exclusive. LG offers support for Dolby Vision – another standard of HDR – and using LG’s native app means Marco Polo is then delivered in Dolby Vision and looks even more dramatic (aided by the wonderful OLED panel, of course).

As most smart TVs offer Netflix as an app (it’s arguably the most important app to offer), there’s perhaps no need to have your Xbox on as well – it may just be easier to use the TV app, save power and save noise.

There’s another advantage that comes back to that info button – on a TV like Samsung or a Panasonic – hit that in the Netflix app and it will show you the quality you’re streaming at.

Xbox One S: Amazon Instant Video

Amazon has a lot of UHD content, but it’s been less focused in how this is offered to customers than Netflix perhaps has. Firstly, you don’t need a separate subscription, you just need that Amazon Prime subscription and that will open the gates to Amazon’s offering. 

One the Xbox One S, however the app currently doesn’t offer the UHD content you’ll find elsewhere. For example, switch over to Samsung’s native app and you’ll find sections for 4K movies and TV Shows, as well as individual programmes stating they are Ultra HD.

Fire those up and you’ll spot the difference. That mean that, in its current form, the Xbox One S loses out, as it’s not offering this content, although it’s probably only a software update away.

Again, the same argument stand as with Netflix: if you have the app on your TV, do you need to be using the Xbox for the same thing?

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Xbox One S: HDMI pass-through

One of the appealing things about the Xbox One is using it to control everything. It can control your TV, connected devices, sound system and so on. The integration of set-top boxes means that the OneGuide can serve up a menu of TV programming you might want to watch. 

Cable, satellite or other set-top boxes took advantage of HDMI pass-through. HDMI pass-though, however, doesn’t support 4K sources. We tried connecting the Samsung K8500 Ultra HD Blu-ray player and although the image plays through the TV, it’s not Ultra HD Blu-ray quality with stunning HDR. 

While you wouldn’t need to connect a Blu-ray player, if you had thoughts of hooking up a Sky Q box or Ultra HD BT YouView box, you’ll lose the UHD parts. 

The Xbox still outputs a 2160p signal to the TV, but we suspect it’s been downscaled to 1080p and then upscaled, rather than natively preserved.

We questioned Xbox about this and received the following statement: “Xbox One S does not currently support 4K pass-through via HDMI-in. We will continue to explore making the changes needed for the hardware to support pass-through as 4K broadcasts become more widespread.”

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Xbox One S: Should I buy it as a 4K media player?

Drawing all this to a conclusion. The Xbox One S has its positives: it’s the cheapest Ultra HD Blu-ray player on the market right now, it offers a range of 4K streaming services and will support HDR gaming in the future (when titles are released). Additionally, with the 3.5mm headphone socket on the new controller, you can play/watch/stream quietly and enjoy yourself in the middle of the night without disturbing others.

Offering all the Xbox One features in a better-looking package, makes it a great choice for all-round entertainment especially if you choose the 500GB version thanks to the price, with the following caveats: 

• The Ultra HD Blu-ray player market is likely to change drastically in the next 6 months. Wait for IFA 2016 to see if anyone announces a player there: LG, Sony and Philips don’t yet have a player, and a cheaper model may appear very soon, and may offer streaming apps too.
• If you’re a casual gamer but more serious TV watcher, then the Xbox One S is a good choice: aside from those apps mentioned, there’s services from UK TV channels, Now TV, Waiki TV and plenty more.
• If you don’t have any provision for 4K streaming through your smart TV, the Xbox One S fills that gap for Netflix, but but other 4K streaming is currently limited.
• There are few gaming changes aside from HDR support (with no games available yet). If you’re a serious gamer, wait for the next-gen Xbox – Project Scorpio – to launch later in 2017.

Sony Xperia XR vs Samsung Galaxy S7 vs S7 edge: What’s the rumoured difference?

The next Sony Xperia flagship is rumoured to be making its debut at consumer electronics show IFA in the next few days.

As usual, there have been several leaks surrounding what is reported to be Sony’s next hero smartphone, along with a couple of names including the Xperia XR and the F8331. We’re opting for the former for the sake of this feature.

Based on these rumours and leaks, here is how the Sony Xperia XR could compare to the Samsung Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge.

Sony Xperia XR vs Samsung Galaxy S7 vs S7 edge: Design

The Sony Xperia XR looks like it will be coming with a similar OmniBalance design to previous Sony flagships. Reports suggest it will have a brushed metal finish and it will measure 146.4 x 71.9 x 8.1mm.

The leaked images show USB Type-C and we would also expect to see a fingerprint sensor within the side power button, as well as IP65 and IP68 water and dust resistance ratings.

The Samsung Galaxy S7 and S7 edge both have IP68 waterproof ratings and they both have metal bodies with a Corning Gorilla Glass 4 back panel. The fingerprint sensor sits within the main button on the front of both devices and they both have Micro-USB over USB-Type C.

The Galaxy S7 measures 142.4 x 69.6 x 7.9mm and weighs 152g, while the S7 edge measures 150.9 x 72.6 x 7.7mm and weighs 157g. This means the S7 could be smaller and slimmer than the Xperia XR, while the S7 edge could be larger but still slimmer.

Sony Xperia XR vs Samsung Galaxy S7 vs S7 edge: Display

The Sony Xperia XR is reported to be coming with a 5.1-inch display and a Full HD resolution. If this is the case, it would put its pixel density at 423ppi.

Based on the leaks, it looks like the Xperia XR will offer a flat display despite the lower-end Xperia XA that launched earlier this year offering a lovely edge-to-edge screen.

The Samsung Galaxy S7 also has a 5.1-inch flat display but it ups the resolution to Quad HD and offers Super AMOLED technology. This means its pixel density sits at 577ppi for sharper and crisper images than what the Xperia XR is expected to come with, as well as the potential for brighter and more vibrant colours.

The S7 edge also has a Quad HD display and Super AMOLED technology but its size increases to 5.5-inches for a pixel density of 534ppi. It is also curved which makes for a much more exciting design, as well as some extra software functions.

Both the S7 and S7 edge also have an Always-On display, which means some notifications from specific apps can be seen on the display without users needing to power up the entire display.

Sony Xperia XR vs Samsung Galaxy S7 vs S7 edge: Camera 

The Sony Xperia XR’s camera hasn’t been detailed in rumours, though it has been claimed both the front and the rear snappers will be capable of 4K video recording.

There also appears to be a dual-LED flash on the rear based on the leaked images. An educated guess would suggest the Xperia XR will feature the same cameras as the X Performance, meaning a 23-megapixel rear sensor and 13-megapixel front sensor, but that’s just us speculating.

The Samsung Galaxy S7 and S7 edge both feature a 12-megapixel rear camera, coupled with a 5-megapixel front camera. The rear has optical image stabilisation, along with phase detection autofocus and both the front and rear deliver excellent results.

Sony Xperia XR vs Samsung Galaxy S7 vs S7 edge: Hardware

The Sony Xperia XR is rumoured to be coming with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 processor.

Other hardware details haven’t been detailed in the leaks, but we wouldn’t be surprised to see 3GB or 4GB of RAM, 32GB of internal storage with microSD support, and a battery capacity of around 3000mAh.

The Samsung Galaxy S7 and S7 edge both come with either the Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 chip or an Exynos processor, depending on region. They have 4GB of RAM on board and a choice of 32GB of 64GB internal memory, neither of which offer microSD expansion.

The S7 has a 3000mAh battery while the S7 edge has a slightly larger 3700mAh battery.

Sony Xperia XR vs Samsung Galaxy S7 vs S7 edge: Software

The Sony Xperia XR will no doubt launch on Android Marshmallow with Sony’s skin over the top. It will get updated to Android Nougat eventually, but it isn’t likely to launch on the new software as Google has said the LG V20 would be first and that’s not due until 6 September.

Both the Samsung Galaxy S7 and the S7 edge also run on Android Marshmallow. They come with Samsung’s TouchWiz software over the top meaning they will offer a different user experience to the new Xperia.

All three devices being compared here will have their own features and functions but the underlying software is the same.

Sony Xperia XR vs Samsung Galaxy S7 vs S7 edge: Conclusion

Based on the rumours, the Sony Xperia XR will have a similar size display to the Samsung Galaxy S7 but a lower resolution, along with very similar hardware specs.

It could be that Sony wins on camera resolution over both the Samsung Galaxy S7 and S7 edge devices, but that’s not to say its results will be better.

At the moment, everything is speculation. We will update this feature as official specs and details are revealed but for now, you can read all about the Sony Xperia XR rumours in our separate feature.

ICYMI: Racecar drivers are being replaced by computers

Today on In Case You Missed It: Formula E racing is gearing up for new robo-races with the DevBot, a hybrid vehicle that can be driven by a computer rather than a person. Meanwhile, researchers at the University of Pennsylvania tested injecting a new hydrogel into animals and find that it helps thicken up weak, damaged tissue after heart attacks.

If you want to test out the Trump chatbot, that’s here, though a look at the candidate’s Twitter account will deliver the same information. Drone enthusiasts here for the Gameboy Classic controller will find the original video on YouTube. As always, please share any interesting tech or science videos you find by using the #ICYMI hashtag on Twitter for @mskerryd.

Leap Motion wants picking up VR objects to feel believable

Virtual reality is more immersive when you can pick up objects with your bare hands, rather than a controller or a pair of wand-style remotes. Leap Motion is one of the frontrunners in this area, having pivoted its candy bar motion-tracking sensor from desktop accessory to VR headset companion. To raise interest in the product — which you still have to attach manually to an Oculus Rift or HTC Vive — it’s developed a new piece of software called the “Interaction Engine.” Available as an add-on for Unity, it promises a more realistic experience while interacting with make-believe objects.

The big problem, Leap Motion argues, is that traditional game engines weren’t designed with human hands in mind. We move in sudden, unpredictable ways, gripping objects with different levels of proficiency. When you pick up a sponge, for instance, it should flex and compress in the places where your fingers are exerting pressure. In VR, these nuances are difficult to track and simulate. If you push a rubber ball against the floor, for instance, most physics engines will be overwhelmed and send the sphere flying in a weird, unrealistic direction. The Interaction Engine solves this issue by implementing “an alternate set of physics rules” which trigger whenever your hands are touching or “inside” a virtual object.

“This makes it possible to pick things up and hold them in a way that feels truly solid,” the company said in a blog post. “It also uses a secondary real-time physics representation of the hands, opening up more subtle interactions.” The Unity extension is currently in beta, and works best with objects that are one to two inches in size. That might sound rather restrictive — especially for games with high fantasy weapons — but it’s a start towards accommodating our fingers and thumbs in VR. Leap Motion says the software is highly customizable too, with settings that let you change how objects can be thrown and collide with one another.

Even with this new engine, the Leap Motion is a niche proposition. Few people have high-end VR headsets at the moment, and even fewer have bought a Leap Motion controller too. Still, it’s a unique sensor, and one the company hopes will be adopted by headset makers officially. If that happens, and virtual reality takes off, it’ll finally have a viable business model. Until then, however, it has to continuously showcase what the Leap Motion is capable of, and the unique experiences it can provide in VR.

Source: Leap Motion

China reveals images and details of its first Mars rover

NASA’s next-gen Mars rover might not be the only space vehicle heading to the red planet in 2020. China is apparently planning to deploy a rover of its own by July or August 2020, and the country has just released some mission details and computer-generated images (see above for one) to the public. According to state-run publication Xinhua, mission chief Zhang Rongqiao revealed during a presscon in Beijing that the rover will be ferried to space by a Long March-5 carrier rocket. Seven months after liftoff, the lander will break free from the orbiter to make its way to the planet’s equator where the rover will begin its journey.

China has been aggressively expanding its space program in recent years. It launched the Chang’e 3 mission back in 2013 that carried its Yutu rover, which lasted for two years when it was supposed to last only for three months, to the moon. The country also launched a quantum satellite in mid-August to enable hack-proof communications.

The six-wheeled rover it’s blasting off to space in 2020 will be larger than Yutu at 441 pounds. It will be equipped with 13 different instruments, including a radar that can drill into the ground and a remote-sensing camera, to take a closer look at the Martian soil and environment. Like Yutu, it’s only supposed to gather and beam back data for three months, though it could also last a lot longer than that.

Source: Xinhua, Reuters, BBC

Jackery Introduces First-Ever Lightning Cable With Integrated Battery

Jackery has introduced the Jewel, claimed to be the first-ever Apple-certified Lightning-to-USB cable with a built-in battery for iPhone, iPad, and iPod models.

The 3.2-foot cable features an integrated 450mAh battery that can, for example, fast charge an iPhone 6s up to 26% or an iPhone 6s Plus up to 16%. Like any other Lightning cable, the Jewel can provide a 1 amp charge from any USB power outlet or transfer data from the iPhone, iPad, or iPod to a connected Mac or PC.

The cable also has a built-in LED charging indicator:

A built-in LED on the battery and charger case gives users information on battery levels. In charging mode, an LED flashes and illuminates in red, green or blue to indicate levels, and users can also push the cable’s power button to check battery levels. The LED also indicates levels in recharging mode and will continue flashing until the battery is fully charged.

The cable is available now for $19.99 from Jackery or Amazon in the United States. The cable is coming soon to Canada and the United Kingdom.

Update: As several readers have pointed out, Native Union also offers an MFi-certified JUMP Cable with integrated 800 mAh battery for $50.

Tags: iPhone accessories, Lightning
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Twelve South Releases BookBook and SurfacePad for 9.7″ iPad Pro

Twelve South has announced that its BookBook and SurfacePad covers are now available for the 9.7-inch iPad Pro.

BookBook is a leather case reminiscent of a vintage sketchbook and includes a built-in kickstand and Apple Pencil holster. The case retails for $79.99 for the 9.7-inch iPad Pro, while the Rutledge Edition is $99.99.

SurfacePad is a Smart Cover-like leather cover with a built-in kickstand for multi-angle viewing and magnets for automatic sleep/wake functionality. SurfacePad for the 9.7-inch iPad Pro is available in Camel and Jet Black colors for $79.99.

BookBook is also available for the 12.9-inch iPad Pro, while the SurfacePad is compatible with the iPad Air, iPad Air 2, and all iPad mini models.

Tags: Twelve South, BookBook
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