One Drop Blood Glucose Monitoring Kit for iPhone Launches on Apple.com

Health startup One Drop recently launched its iOS-compatible One Drop Chrome Blood Glucose Monitoring Kit on Apple.com for $99.95. Approved by the FDA and CE in Europe, the kit includes a Bluetooth-enabled blood glucose meter, a chrome lancing device, test strips, and a vegan leather carry case.

The blood glucose meter can read results “in just five seconds,” transmitting the data to the One Drop iOS app [Direct Link] that users can download on iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, and Apple Watch. One Drop’s lancing device has custom depth settings to provide the right amount of pressure on a user-by-user basis in order to draw “a perfect drop every time.” To keep up on compatible test strips, users can subscribe to One Drop Premium for a monthly $39.95 fee.

With Apple’s energetic and consistent focus on health, One Drop provides a premium product that not only meshes well with Apple’s design sensibility, but aligns well with their desire to empower users to take control of their health.

Its new Chrome hardware connects to One Drop’s iOS, watchOS, and Android apps, and have full HealthKit and CareKit integration, allowing you to sync data from other health apps (e.g., CGMs, bluetooth meters, food & activity trackers) and share your data with your Care Team.

One Drop was one of four apps to launch with Apple’s CareKit platform in 2016, including fertility tracker Glow Nurture, maternity app Glow Baby, and depression medication tracker Start. CareKit allows app developers to create integrated software that helps patients and doctors to better track and manage medical conditions.

On Apple.com, the One Drop Monitoring Kit is available for both store pickup and home shipping, with delivery dates listed as early as tomorrow, January 13. For more information on One Drop, check out the company’s website here.

Related Roundups: Apple Watch Series 2, watchOS 3, iPhone 7
Tags: CareKit, One Drop
Buyer’s Guide: Apple Watch (Neutral)
Discuss this article in our forums

Samsung and LG may launch foldable phones this year

It’s time to get excited about foldable screens.

After showcasing concepts for several years, it looks like Samsung may finally launch a phone with a foldable screen later this year. Citing anonymous sources, The Korea Herald states that Samsung is getting ready to launch 100,000 units of a phone that unfurls into a 7-inch tablet sometime in the third quarter of 2017. Apparently, Samsung was already working on fold-in screens — panels that fold inward — and it wasn’t a major challenge for the vendor to switch to screens that fold outward.

The publication also notes that while Samsung doesn’t face any technical hurdles in bringing a foldable phone to market, it is yet to take a final decision on the matter as the company is unsure of “marketability and profitability” of such a handset. It looks like a decision will be taken after Samsung finishes reshuffling execs in its information technology and mobile business units.

Meanwhile, LG is also slated to come up with its own foldable phone in the fourth quarter. LG has been working on fold-out panels for nearly three years, with the company said to be technologically superior when compared to its South Korean rival. However, unlike Samsung — which plans to use its foldable tech into its own phone — LG may license its fold-out panels to the likes of Apple or Huawei. Either way, 2017 could be the year when foldable screens go mainstream.

How to use one-handed mode on the Moto G4 and G4 Plus

Nougat update brings an easy-to-use one-handed mode to the Moto G4 and G4 Plus.

The Moto G4 and G4 Plus are starting to pick up the Android 7.0 Nougat update, with the rollout kicking off in India. The update has all the features Google introduced with Nougat, including multi-window mode, inline replies, improved security, a new Doze mode, and much more.

Motorola also added a Moto Actions gesture that lets you use the phone one-handed. It is simplistic in its functionality, but if you made the switch from an earlier device in the Moto G series to the larger 5.5-inch panel on the G4 and G4 Plus, you can now shrink the screen size down for easier one-handed use.

Once enabled, you’ll have to swipe up, left, or right from the bottom of the screen to launch one-handed mode. Swiping up shrinks the screen down and fits it in the center of the display, and swiping left or right from the bottom will launch the one-handed mode on that side.

How to use one-handed mode on the Moto G4 and G4 Plus

Open Moto app from the home screen.
Select Actions.

Tap Swipe to shrink screen.

Toggle Swipe to shrink screen to On.
Tap the Show me how button to try out the feature.

To exit one-handed mode, simply tap anywhere in the black area, or switch off the screen. You can also exit by rotating the screen to landscape mode.

That’s a quick look at the one-handed mode on the Moto G4 and G4 Plus. As for when you’ll be able to use it, the Nougat update is making its way across to more regions, so you should (hopefully) receive the update shortly.

Wileyfox unveils Swift 2 X with FHD display, Snapdragon 430 for £219

A larger Swift 2 Plus with a Full HD display.

Wileyfox has introduced the Swift 2 X, the third phone in the Swift family. The phone is now available for £219, and offers decent specs for the price in the form of a 5.2-inch Full HD display, Snapdragon 430 SoC, 3GB of RAM, 32GB storage, and a microSD slot.

The phone also features a 16MP rear camera, 8MP front shooter, NFC with Android Pay, fingerprint sensor at the back, dual-SIM connectivity, LTE, USB-C, and a 3010mAh battery with Quick Charge 3.0. The phone is crafted out of “aviation-grade aluminium,” and has a thickness of 8.8mm. Essentially, the phone is a larger version of the Swift 2 Plus with a Full HD display and larger battery.

On the software front, the phone is running Cyanogen OS 13.1, based on Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow. It’s weird to see a phone launch on an OS that’s dead,but it’s likely Wileyfox already committed to Cyanogen and didn’t have time to switch over to its own version of Android, which is still in the works. The company has announced that it will roll out a Nougat to its entire portfolio of devices by the end of the first quarter, which now includes the Swift 2 X.

See at Wileyfox

These pictures could reveal Nokia’s 2017 flagship, the Nokia 8

Photos purporting to be Nokia’s upcoming flagship device, the Nokia 8, have appeared online on My Nokia Blog. The photos aren’t of the highest quality ever, but we can still gather a lot of information from them. This flagship Nokia has been known as the P1 until now, but following the official release of the mid-range Nokia 6 in China, the name Nokia 8 is entirely plausible. It’s thought that the number 8 follows previous, camera-focussed Nokia phones with 8 in the name: N8, 808 et al.

• Nokia P1 Android phone: Release date, rumours and specs

One photo of the alleged Nokia 8 shows no front-mounted physical buttons, with all controls being onscreen instead. We haven’t heard much about the design when putting together P1 rumours, other than a possible metal build and and IP68 water and dust protection. The leaked photos do show what looks like a metal build, and considering the Nokia 6 is metal, we fully expect the Nokia 8 to follow suit. There’s no real way of determining the Nokai 8’s water and dustproof credentials.

There are more photos of the rear camera, which is a protruding circular module with what looks like a dual flash. The camera is said to be a 24-megapixel sensor with Optical Image Stabilisation and Super Electronic Image Stabilisation. It’s also believed to feature Carl Zeiss optics, carrying on Nokia’s long-running partnership. Previous rumours have pointed to a 23MP camera, so this is pretty consistent. 

The camera module also has ‘HRM’ written on it, which, after a bit of searching online, could stand for High Resolution Monochromatic. Could there be a secondary camera to capture monochrome data like on the Huawei P9.

The same photos have appeared on Slashleaks, along with some specs. Slashleaks says the Nokia 8 will come with a 5.7-inch Quad HD Super AMOLED screen, a 2.0GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 or 835 processor with either 4 or 6GB RAM. There should also be either 64GB or 128GB of internal storage, a 12MP front-facing camera and dual front-facing speakers.

We’ve already heard the Nokia 8 would come with a 5.5-inch QHD display, so while we can be pretty certain it will be of high-quality, we don’t know exactly what size it will be just yet. And with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 835 processor expected to feature in many flagships phones in 2017, it’s highly likely the Nokia 8 will make use of it too.

• Huge leak reveals Nokia P Android phone design

While these pictures should obviously be taken with a pinch of salt for now, they do perhaps give us our first proper look at what we can expect from Nokia in 2017. We still don’t know when Nokia will unveil the new device, but with parent company HMD Global having a stand at Mobile World Congress 2017 in February, we may not have long to see it. 

HTC U Ultra vs Google Pixel XL: What’s the difference?

HTC has announced a new family of smartphones in the U range, designed to focus on delivering smartphones that serve you better, as their names suggest.

The U Ultra debuted alongside the mid-range U Play, and although the U Ultra isn’t HTC’s 2017 flagship, it offers a great design and specs that put it in Google Pixel XL territory. Here is how the U Ultra compares to the Pixel XL.

• HTC U Ultra review
• HTC U Play review

HTC U Ultra vs Google Pixel XL: Design

• Both offer great designs with fingerprint sensor and USB Type-C
• U Ultra is larger and heavier, but slimmer overall
• Pixel XL retains headphone jack

The HTC U Ultra has a lovely unique design, offering a 3D contoured liquid surface and curved glass construction that is coloured with layered minerals for depth. There is a fingerprint sensor within the capacitive home button on the front, USB Type-C at the bottom and no headphone jack.

The Google Pixel XL also delivers a great design, constructed from a combination of glass and metal, with a glass panel serving the top third of the rear. There are no physical buttons on the front of the device, but a circular fingerprint sensor is present on the rear, USB Type-C at the bottom and the Pixel XL retains the 3.5mm jack.

The U Ultra is the slightly larger and heavier device, measuring 162.4 x 79.8mm with a curved rear between 3.6mm and 7.99mm and a weight of 170g. The Pixel XL by comparison measures 154.7 x 75.7mm, has a curved rear between 7.3mm and 8.5mm and hits the scales at 168g.

HTC’s device comes in four colours, comprising black, blue, pink and white, though thanks to the minerals, each model looks different in different lighting. Google’s phone on the other hand comes in two colours in the UK: Quite Black and Very Silver.

• Google Pixel XL review

HTC U Ultra vs Google Pixel XL: Display

• U Ultra has a larger display and Gorilla Glass 5
• Secondary display on the U Ultra
• Pixel XL has a sharper display and AMOLED

The HTC U Ultra has a 5.7-inch Super LCD 5 main display with a 2560 x 1440 resolution for a pixel density of 515ppi. It is protected by Gorilla Glass 5, though there will also be a special edition model that has sapphire glass protection.

A secondary display that HTC calls Dual Display is also present on the U Ultra, measuring 2.05-inches with a resolution of 1040 x 160. It sits at the top of the main display delivering notifications, calendar alerts, the time and other important information without interfering with the main display, much like the LG V20 does.

The Google Pixel XL keeps things simple with one display which is Super AMOLED and protected by Gorilla Glass 4. It is smaller than the U Ultra at 5.5-inches, but it has the same resolution, making it slightly sharper on paper with a pixel density of 534ppi.

HTC U Ultra vs Google Pixel XL: Camera

• Both have 12-megapixel rear cameras with 1.55µm pixels
• U Ultra has OIS and wider aperture
• Higher resolution camera on U Ultra

The HTC U Ultra has the same rear camera as the HTC 10, with a 12-megapixel sensor featuring 1.55µm pixels and an aperture of f/1.8. Optical image stabilisation is on board, combined with PDAF and laser autofocus, as well as a dual-tone LED flash.

The Google Pixel XL has a 12.3-megapixel with 1.55µm pixels too. It has a slightly narrower aperture than the U Ultra at f/2.0 and it misses out on OIS, but it does have PDAF and laser autofocus. It’s not just about the specs though, the Google Pixel has one of the most highly regarded cameras in current Android phones. Although HTC matches on specs, we’re yet to see how it performs.

In terms of front camera, the U Ultra features a 16-megapixel sensor with UltraPixel mode, said to help in low light conditions. The Pixel XL on the other hand, has an 8-megapixel front camera with 1.4µm pixels, a f/2.4 aperture and fixed focus.

• HTC 10 review

HTC U Ultra vs Google Pixel XL: Hardware

• Both SD821 chip with 4GB of RAM
• U Ultra has microSD, Pixel XL doesn’t
• Larger battery capacity on Pixel XL, but better audio capability on U Ultra

Both the HTC U Ultra and the Google Pixel XL run on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 processor with 4GB of RAM. Storage options for the U Ultra are 64GB or 128GB, both of which have microSD and support for adoptable storage but the latter is reserved for the special edition model. The Pixel XL doesn’t have microSD and comes in 32GB or 128GB options.

The Pixel XL does have a larger battery capacity though, with a 3450mAh cell compared to the U Ultra’s 3000mAh, but both have support for fast charging.

The U Ultra wins back a few points when it comes to audio, offering four microphones for 3D Audio recording, along with BoomSound Hi-Fi, noise cancellation and it is Hi-Res audio certified. The Pixel XL has three microphones, noise suppression and a single bottom-firing speaker.

HTC U Ultra vs Google Pixel XL: Software

• Both Android Nougat with Google Assistant
• Pixel XL will receive updates faster
• U Ultra has Sense Companion app

The HTC U Ultra runs on Android 7.0 Nougat with HTC Sense over the top, while the Google Pixel XL runs on raw Android 7.1, meaning a more streamlined experience, even if the Sense software has been greatly refined over the years.

Both offer access to Google’s Assistant, though it is more integrated on the Pixel XL. The Pixel XL will also be first in line for Android software updates.

The U Ultra does have its own software advantages though with the new Sense Companion app, which is designed to make your phone be better at working with you by offering suggestions suited to your routines and what you do.

• Android Nougat review

HTC U Ultra vs Google Pixel XL: Price

The HTC U Ultra will be available from mid-February but pricing has yet to be announced.

The Google Pixel XL starts at £599 for the 32GB model, hitting £699 for the 128GB model.

HTC U Ultra vs Google Pixel XL: Conclusion

The HTC U Ultra and Google Pixel are closely matched in terms of specs and although very different, both have lovely designs. The U Ultra is larger and heavier, but also slightly slimmer. It has a larger display, along with a secondary display, a higher resolution front camera, OIS on its rear camera and microSD support, as well as better audio capabilities. 

The Pixel XL is smaller, retains the headphone jack, offers a sharper display, has a larger battery capacity and offers a pure Android experience. Both devices have the same processor and RAM so they should be similar in terms of actual performance.

Ultimately, the decision between these two handsets will come down to budget and preference in design and features. 

Nintendo Switch pre-orders open 13 January “while supplies last”

The Nintendo Switch reveal stream starts at 4am UK time tomorrow, Friday 13 January, where you will find out everything you want to know about the new games console.

Price, actual release date and the healthy line-up of games will be unveiled, and later that day Pocket-lint will be going hands-on with the machine to give you our initial impressions on its chance to compete with PS4 and Xbox One for gamers’ cash.

You might even feel like investing in one yourself after you’ve seen what’s on offer and, according to at least one global store, you’ll be able to the very same day. That’s because pre-orders for the Nintendo Switch are said to start on 13 January “while supplies last”.

• Nintendo Switch: Release date, price, specs and everything you need to know
• Nintendo Switch games: The games revealed so far and what we’d like to see
• Official Nintendo Switch accessories include Zelda skins, arcade stick and in-car charger

That comes from Nintendo itself, with the dedicated New York store tweeting that it will open for pre-orders from 9am ET. There will be limited numbers of consoles available to order, so those in the area need to get there quickly.

A limited quantity of pre-orders for the #NintendoSwitch will begin on 1/13 at 9AM while supplies last at #NintendoNYC.

— Nintendo NY (@NintendoNYC) January 11, 2017

It is unclear whether we’ll get a similar deal in the UK, but Nintendo tends to treat each region differently, having different retail plans in each location. It is likely, we feel, that a specific retailer, such as Game, might open pre-orders at around the same time. We’re still awaiting confirmation.

If you do pre-order the new machine, you will likely have to wait until 17 March to receive it as that’s the release date most heavily tipped by the press.

The Morning After: Thursday, January 12th 2017

It’s January 12th. We tried educating one of our editors about high-end audio, Verizon tries to tackle its unlimited data plan customers (again), and we tried gadget-based emotional control during a week-long tech show.

Clickwheel vs. touchscreen
iOS prototypes show what might have been

10 years after the iPhone debuted, we have certain expectations of Apple’s mobile OS. But before it hit the MacWorld stage engineers had to make some tough choices, and a video from Sonny Dickson shows two different versions of test software. The ghost of what could have been, is a version with iPod-style clickwheel navigation. Just imagine that for a second. Or watch the video.

“Unlimited”
Verizon takes aim at its unlimited data plan customers once more

Once upon a time, (Engadget parent company) Verizon offered customers unlimited data. These days, with higher speeds and bigger downloads those plans are off the table, but some subscribers are still holding onto them. Now, the carrier is going after the heaviest users, saying those averaging more than 200GB of data per month will be asked to switch to a new plan.

“Don’t break everything!”
Nintendo baked a secret message into its Famicom Mini

The NES Classic and its Japanese counterpart are already incredibly cool — but you know what makes an awesome toy even better? A secret message. Apparently, developers that worked on the Famicom Mini emulator left a short, hidden message in the code: “Please,” it says, “don’t break everything!”

Internet of Things you don’t want
Touring the (pointlessly) connected devices of CES 2017

Connected home gadgets were everywhere at CES 2017 — we saw WiFi cameras, smart walking canes and Echo clones aplenty. But while several of them were truly innovative, there were some that made no sense at all. This is their story.

Teaching the unteachable
Why care about high-end headphones?

Senior Editors Aaron Souppouris and Mat Smith explored the world of high-end audio, armed with a FLAC audio file of Mariah Carey’s All I Want For Christmas (ouch). Did the audio-uneducated Mat learn anything? Perhaps. Did Aaron learn to tolerate being around him a little more? Maybe not. This is a journey into sound.

Casio’s boss is Mr. Kashio
One smartwatch doesn’t fit all

Casio launched its second smartwatch and it’s unapologetically not for everyone. It looks like a hardy outdoors watch, comes in bright orange, and its features revolve around hiking, fishing and other stuff that may involve rain. The Casio president (and son of founder) Kazuhiro Kashio explained that he believes aimed-at-everyone smartwatches were one of the problems with wearables.

Norwegians aren’t ready
Norway is killing FM radio and folks aren’t happy

Norway started switching off FM transmitters yesterday, becoming the first nation in the world to dump the 80-year-old standard. The changeover to Digital Audio Broadcasting (DAB) will give citizens more stations, better coverage, program time-shifting and more, the government says. However, the majority are against the changeover, according to a recent poll. One Norwegian politician added: “We are simply not ready for this yet.” Only a quarter of cars on the road are equipped for the switch.

But wait, there’s more…

• Google may sell off its satellite imaging division
• The best ‘Battlefield’ is finally playable on Xbox One
• Technology helped me through the emotional roller coaster of CES

Lily Drone is dead despite $34 million in pre-orders

Lily Robotics stormed into the world with a follow-along camera drone that earned $34 million in pre-orders. But the company has now admitted that it can’t deliver the product, and will wind down in the near future. In a blog post, co-founders Antoine Balaresque and Henry Bradlow explained that they’ve run out of money.

The devices are, apparently, pretty much ready to go after lots of testing, but extensive R&D costs cleaned out Lily’s bank accounts. That meant that there was no cash left over to fund the production run and outside investment was not forthcoming.

Thankfully, the remaining money will be used to reimburse those people who pre-ordered the device, so the blog post claims. If you still own the card that was used in the initial transactions, you don’t have to do anything, but those who’ve switched will need to fill out this form.

Source: Lily Robotics

Apple Set to Earn $1 Trillion in Revenue From iOS Ecosystem By Middle of 2017

Apple’s iOS ecosystem is on course to generate over $1 trillion in revenues for the company by the middle of this year, according to Asymco analyst Horace Dediu.

Dediu’s prediction is based on several factors, starting with an expectation that Apple will have sold at least 1.2 billion iPhones in its first 10 years, earning it the rank of “most successful product of all time” and laying the foundations for the company’s iPad, Apple TV, iPod touch, and Apple Watch categories.

In its first 10 years, the iPhone will have sold at least 1.2 billion units, making it the most successful product of all time. The iPhone also enabled the iOS empire which includes the iPod touch, the iPad, the Apple Watch and Apple TV whose combined total unit sales will reach 1.75 billion units over 10 years. This total is likely to top 2 billion units by the end of 2018.

Dediu claims revenue from iOS device sales will total about $980 billion by the middle of this year, and adds to that estimate more than $100 billon in revenues from supporting services (including app content sales), putting the ecosystem’s total worth above the $1 trillion mark.

The analyst notes this excludes payouts to iOS app developers of around $60 billion, with the rate of payments now reaching $20 billion per year. Those numbers would appear to tally with comments made by Apple CEO Tim Cook last August that the company has paid out more than $50 billion to developers over the lifetime of the App Store, which first launched for the iPhone in 2008.

Dediu points to the locked-in nature of Apple’s ecosystem ensuring the iPhone’s resilience and longevity, despite strong competition from so-called “iPhone killers” that come and go, while its robust feature set and attached services continue to earn it the market reputation as the premium smartphone to beat.

In addition, the analyst claims that Android users are now more likely to switch to iOS rather than the other way around – a trend supported by previous reports from both market analysts and Apple, including, notably, comments made in the company’s Q4 2016 earnings call.

Dediu ends by predicting not another “Big Bang” for the iPhone, but a “process of continual improvement” as the smartphone enters its second decade. Indeed, the analyst expresses more excitement for its network of “ancilliary smart accessories” like the Apple Watch, the AirPods, Apple Pencil, and other possible new wearables that point toward a future where the iPhone is a hub to a mesh of personal devices. “The seamless integration of such devices is what has always set Apple apart,” Dediu concludes.

Related Roundup: iPhone 6s
Tag: Asymco
Buyer’s Guide: iPhone (Neutral)
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