Xiaomi flaunts a white model of its bezel-free Mi MIX phone

At Xiaomi’s CES event today, it revealed a new, white color for its Mi MIX concept, a phone that is about as close to bezel-free as you’ll get. As a reminder, it has a 6.5-inch 1080p, rounded-corner screen, but it’s packed into a ceramic body that Xiaomi says is around the same size as a regular 5.5-inch smartphone. That’s thanks to the lack of bezels, including almost no “forehead” at the top of the Philippe Starck-designed phone.

To better squeeze the unusually-shaped 17:9 display into that size, Xiaomi placed a piezoelectric actuator behind the glass to produce audible sound for phone calls. It also uses a reduced-size rear camera sensor that made the lack of a forehead possible. The rest of the specs are equally impressive — you can get the full picture in our hands-on post.

The rumored white version, which has a pearl-like, scratch-resistant finish that Xiaomi described as “unique” and is coming out later this year in China. Xiaomi didn’t mention the price, but the older black model starts at 3,499 yuan, or around $516, which is actually a lot for a Xiaomi device. There’s no word of US availability for either model.

Click here to catch up on the latest news from CES 2017.

T-Mobile will pay you back if you don’t use much data

T-Mobile is fond of using CES to shake things up, and that’s certainly true this year. The carrier is making a few moves that will ideally simplify your experience and lower your real-world costs… or at least, tell you the truth. It’s introducing a KickBack feature on January 22nd that will pay you if you’re miserly with your data on a One plan — use 2GB or less per month and you’ll get $10 back. It’s not as flexible as Google’s Project Fi and its pay-for-what-you-use approach, but it could be a strong lure if you think unlimited data is overkill. That’s a good thing, too, as unlimited is your only choice going forward.

You see, the network is dropping everything but its T-Mobile One plan as of January 22nd. Your legacy plan will remain intact, of course, but new customers should have only the one choice going forward. It’s ostensibly about keeping things simple. That’s true (you won’t have to guess how much data you use), but it also means that you’ll always have to pay extra for perks like HD video streaming.

At least you won’t get any rude surprises on your bill. T-Mobile is switching to all-in pricing for One where the rates it lists are exactly what you pay — there won’t be hidden fees or taxes that hike the price beyond what you saw when signing up. This isn’t an excuse to raise rates, the carrier says, and the previous “Un-contract” (which promises no price changes) now applies to One as well. The provider has a strong incentive to offer consistent bills, since you’re more likely to regularly pay your bill if you know what the damage will be. Still, it’s heartening news if you’re tired of carriers hiding the true costs just to get your business.

Click here to catch up on the latest news from CES 2017.

Source: T-Mobile

Dell’s new XPS 27 is an all-in-one with ten speakers and a lot of power

On a good day, the average all-in-one or laptop computer’s built-in speakers are “okay,” at best. Someone at Dell must have grown tired of mediocrity — the company’s new XPS 27 all-in-one refresh takes its audio setup very seriously. In all, the new machine features ten speakers, including four full-range drivers, two tweeters for high notes, a couple of passive radiators for deeper bass and two down-firing speakers for fill-sound. With those audio chops, it’s probably safe to assume the XPS 27 sounds better than your average machine.

That audio will accompany a bright, 17-inch 3,840 x 2,160 display with 100-percent Adobe RGB colorspace, available in both touch and non-touch configurations — and that display will be powered by a 6th generation Intel core i7-6700 or i5-6400 CPU and optional AMD R9 M470X and M485X GRAPHICS. Paired with up to 32GB of RAM and as much as 2TB of HDD storage (or 1TB if you prefer solid state drives), the XPS 27 has plenty of power. It has quite a lot of ports too, including five USB plugs, HDMI out, USB type-C and an ethernet port.

The only thing that seems to be missing from the machine is stylus support — the XPS 27’s articulating arm allows its screen to lay as flat as Microsoft’s Surface Studio, but gives artists now to draw on it. If you can live without that, however, it could be a good Surface competitor. The Dell XPS 27 is available now, and starts at $1,499.

Click here to catch up on the latest news from CES 2017.

DJI may have quietly bought (most of) Hasselblad.

Okay, here’s a weird one: Chinese drone manufacturer DJI has reportedly bought a majority stake in famous camera brand Hasselblad. The news comes from TechCrunch and photography website Luminous Landscape, both claiming inside sources have confirmed the as-yet unannounced deal.

Details are beyond sketchy, since neither company has spoken to journalists to confirm or deny the transaction so far. The story, as Luminous Landscape tells it, is that Hasselblad was finally coming out of its death slide with the launch of the new X1D mirrorless compact camera.

But producing the device was too costly for the cash-strapped business, and the venture firm that bought it in 2011 was unwilling to put in more capital. So, executives sought out DJI to buy a minority stake and pump in much-needed money to get the production lines running. The partnership also began working on souped-up photography drones

At some point in the recent past, it’s reported that the venture firm, Ventizz, wanted out of Hasselblad, and so apparently sold its holdings onto DJI. As a consequence, the drone firm gets a brand name that, while tarnished, still carries some weight in the ultra-premium camera market.

DJI also, naturally, gets high-end camera expertise that could prove handy in producing photography drones for the professional market. Hasselblad, meanwhile, gets the money and production know-how it needs to mass produce the gear it needs to sell in order to stay afloat.

Back in the day, Hasselblad was the iconic camera brand that was used to shoot the Apollo moon landings and other NASA missions to space. But a series of bad business decisions around the time digital photography arrived threatened to wreck its survival and it’s remained in limbo ever since. If all of this is true, then hopefully we’ll still be able to aspire towards owning a Hasselblad once we’ve won the Powerball.

Via: TechCrunch

Source: Luminous Landscape

ChargePoint’s new stations are built for EVs of the future

It’s quickly becoming more feasible and convenient to own an EV thanks to the steady expansion of recharging infrastructure. ChargePoint knows a little something about that, since it’s built more charging stations than anyone else (over 31,000, in fact). The company isn’t resting on its laurels, though, today announcing a new super-fast, future-proofed shrine to electricity: the ChargePoint Express Plus. It’s capable of pumping out an industry-leading 400 kW per port, which is way more than any EV can handle right now. For perspective, most existing “fast-charging” stations boast an output of 50 kW, though some of Tesla’s Superchargers can reach a peak of 145 kW.

The ChargePoint Express Plus isn’t really about meeting today’s needs, but tomorrow’s. It’ll let owners of the new Chevy Bolt EV, which has a relatively high 80 kW maximum capacity, refuel as fast as possible. The same goes for Tesla’s mass-market Model 3 when it starts hitting the streets, not forgetting all the power-hungry buses, trucks and other electric vehicles of the future. The Express Plus theoretically “adds hundreds of miles of range in under 15 minutes,” and will be available from July this year. It’s around then that you should start seeing these next-gen stations begin to pop up in ChargePoint’s finder app, even if you’re EV simply ain’t ready for 400 kW just yet.

Click here to catch up on the latest news from CES 2017.

Via: VentureBeat

Source: ChargePoint (1), (2)

iHeartRadio’s on-demand streaming is now live for all

Last month, the iHeartRadio’s entry to on-demand music streaming finally went live as a beta service on mobile. Today, that service is officially out of beta testing and available for everyone on mobile, desktop and certain compatible devices.

Although iHeartRadio is a little late to the on-demand streaming music party, they’ve brought along Napster’s music library to power the $9.99-per-month iHeartRadio All Access service. The All Access tier offers the ability to save tracks for offline listening and build out a proper music library. There’s also a $4.99 per month iHeartRadio Plus plan that works more like Pandora with unlimited skips and allows users to save songs from the radio, instantly replay radio tracks and jump to any song in the library although you don’t get the same library management features as All Access.

The system also ties in to local radio stations so you can keep up with top checks and playlists curated by radio personalities you already know. So, if you’re having a hard time breaking your terrestrial radio habit, iHeartRadio’s options are enticing, especially if you’re not already plunking down ten bucks a month for a similar service. If you’d like to try it out, iHeartRadio is offering a 30-day trial of both access levels.

Source: iHeartRadio Blog

Intel just announced a perfect way to upgrade smart gadgets

If you really think about it, “smart” devices today can also count as computers. They have processors, memory and other hardware similar to what you’d find in a PC. But the problem with embedding computing hardware in devices like TVs and refrigerators is that they’ll quickly grow obsolete. Simply put: to get a faster TV, you have to buy a whole new TV.

Intel is hoping to change that with Compute Card, a new platform for credit card-sized modular computers that can easily be swapped in and out of smart devices. The idea is that when new Compute Card hardware is available, you should be able to just plug it into your TV or refrigerator. They include Intel SOCs (system on chips), memory, storage and networking capabilities.

“Device makers simply design a standard Intel Compute Card slot into their device and then utilize the best Intel Compute Card for their performance and price needs,” the company wrote. “This reduces the time and resources needed to design and validate the compute block and helps speed up innovation to bring the power of intelligence into an ever wider range of devices.”

Given just how powerful mobile hardware is becoming, and the ongoing problem of smart devices becoming obsolete, it makes sense for Intel to pursue the Compute Card. It’s also teamed up with the likes of Dell, HP, Lenovo and Sharp to develop the platform, and its early hardware partners include Seneca Data, Infocus and others.

Source: Intel

iOS 10 Now Installed on 76% of Active iOS Devices

Nearly four months after iOS 10 was released to the public, the operating system is installed on 76 percent of active iOS devices, according to new numbers posted on Apple’s App Store support page for developers.

iOS installation rates have grown significantly over the holiday period, jumping up 13 percentage points between the end of November and the beginning of January. On November 27, 2016, iOS 10 was installed on 63 percent of devices.

18 percent of devices continue to run iOS 9, and six percent of devices are running iOS 8 or earlier.

iOS 10 adoption rates may have seen a jump thanks to the release of iOS 10.2 on December 12. iOS 10.2 introduced several new features, including a new “TV” app, new emoji, improvements to Live Photos, and a huge list of bug fixes.

Around this time last year, iOS 9 was installed on 75 percent of active devices, so iOS 10 adoption rates have eclipsed iOS 9 adoption rates during the same time frame in 2016.

Apple has been steadily releasing updates to iOS 10, and rumors suggest we will see the first beta of the next major update, iOS 10.3, on January 10.

Related Roundup: iOS 10
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T-Mobile to Simplify Phone Bills With Single Unlimited Data Plan and No Additional Fees

T-Mobile CEO John Legere today hosted a T-Mobile “Un-carrier Next” event at the 2017 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Nevada, where he announced that T-Mobile is only going to sell its unlimited T-Mobile One plan going forward.

Existing customers will be able to keep their current plans, but new customers will only be able to purchase the $70 T-Mobile One plan, which gives unlimited data access.

T-Mobile will do away with taxes, surcharges, access fees, and other additional charges, including them all in the T-Mobile One Plan fee, which isn’t changing. For a family of four, T-Mobile One will cost $40 per month per person ($70 for the first line, $50 for the second line, and $20 for each additional line). What T-Mobile advertises is what you’ll pay.

There’s some fine print involved. Autopay is required, and the top 3 percent of data users (upwards of 28GB) may notice reduced speeds until next bill cycle. Video streams at 480p, and tethering is limited to Max 3G speeds. Higher quality video streaming will require T-Mobile One Plus, which costs an additional $15.

T-Mobile is also introducing a “KickBack” program, which will give customers a $10 bill credit for each phone line that uses 2GB of data or less starting on January 22.

According to Legere, “new rules are needed for the mobile internet,” which is what has inspired T-Mobile to change its policies. Legere shared the rules T-Mobile will stick to in 2017:

1. Mobile internet shouldn’t be sold by bits and bytes.

2. What you see should be what you pay.

3. Only you have the power to change what you pay.

4. You shouldn’t have to pay for what you don’t use.

All of today’s announcements are accompanied by a “Tax Rebate” promotion. Every customer who switches to T-Mobile from another carrier will receive a $150 gift card, with no trade-in required. The gift card applies to every line that’s transferred to T-Mobile.

T-Mobile also plans to continue building out its LTE network over the course of 2017, and expects to have LTE available to 320 million at the end of the year, putting it on par with Verizon.

Over the last two years, T-Mobile has aimed to disrupt traditional mobile service with its Un-carrier initiatives. T-Mobile began with uncoupling device costs from service costs in 2013, and then went on to offer several additional incentives to encourage customers to switch to the carrier, including paying early termination fees, offering a JUMP! upgrade plan, unlimited texting and 2G data in 100 countries, free streaming music from Spotify, Rdio, iTunes Radio, and Pandora, one week free trials to test the T-Mobile service, Wi-Fi calling, data rollovers, low-cost plans for businesses, free “Binge-On” video and music streaming, freebies on “T-Mobile Tuesdays,” and a $70 unlimited plan.

Tag: T-Mobile
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Alpine Introduces $900 Infotainment System With Wireless CarPlay

While wireless CarPlay implementations have been supported since iOS 9, the functionality has so far been limited to a single BMW model. That will change next month, however, as Alpine has introduced a new aftermarket system with wireless CarPlay that will be available in February for a suggested price of $900.

The wireless support enables drivers to connect an iPhone to CarPlay via Wi-Fi to make and receive calls, access text messages, play music, get directions, check traffic conditions, and more. Previous standard and aftermarket CarPlay configurations have required connecting an iPhone with a Lightning cable.

Alpine’s new iLX-107 in-dash receiver, which debuted at CES 2017 this week, features a 7-inch capacitive touchscreen, LED backlighting, and standard AM/FM radio functionality. Alpine offers five other aftermarket CarPlay systems with screen sizes ranging from 7-9 inches, priced from $900 to $4,000.

While the iLX-107 has a $900 list price, resellers may offer it at cheaper price points as seen with previous Alpine models. Prospective buyers looking for cheaper options should consider aftermarket systems without wireless CarPlay from Alpine, Pioneer, Kenwood, JVC, JBL, Sony, and other manufacturers.

Related Roundup: CarPlay
Tags: CES 2017, Alpine
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