HTC U Ultra and U Play official: Unique designs, very different specs

HTC has confirmed its first big launches of 2017, with the reveal of a new family of devices, called U.

The HTC U Ultra and the HTC U Play make up the pair of devices and in fitting with the name, HTC says that these devices are designed to be closer to you, to get to know you and to become better smartphone companions. 

This is thanks to HTC Sense Companion, an app that gets to know you, managing your phone in a more personal way. It will, for example, aim to manage your battery use to reflect your daily patterns, make smart suggestions about your alarms if you’ve left them set during a national holiday and so on.

Pocket-lint

Aiming to differentiate, Sense Companion plans to go above and beyond Google Assistant – also offered on these phones – to create a symbiotic relationship between you and your phone. 

Marketing and positioning aside, it’s the U Ultra that’s the star of the show. Although the U Ultra isn’t HTC’s 2017 flagship, the specs are very much at top level, with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 chipset, 4GB RAM and 64GB storage, with microSD. Then there’s the 5.7-inch Quad HD display, supported by a second ticker display for notifications. That’s Pixel XL-beating specs

Around the back there’s a 12-megapixel camera with OIS and laser focusing, and a massive 16-megapixel front camera.

• HTC U Ultra preview: Premium phablet packed with power

The HTC U Play takes things down a step, with a 5.2-inch Full HD display and powered by a MediaTek Helio P10 chipset with 3GB RAM and 32GB storage. The smaller device also misses out on that second display, so although it’s fairly well equipped, it’s a different device.

There’s a change to the camera too, with a lesser 16-megapixel camera with smaller pixels and missing out on laser focusing. It too has a 16-megapixel front camera. 

• HTC U Play preview: Mid-range specs, but it’s quite the stunner

What both devices share is a luscious design that’s a real departure for HTC. Called liquid surface, the U phones are a glass sandwich, but with colour and depth to the back like you’ve never seen before. It’s a real premium finish and although it will need a regular wipe, both devices look great.

The HTC U Ultra and U Play will be available in the UK around mid-February, coming in white, black, blue and pink, prices are still to be confirmed.

• Mobile World Congress 2017: Smartphones, smartphones, smartphones to expect

LG G6 confirmed for February reveal, possible features teased

LG has released a teaser video on YouTube entitled “Wish list for the ideal smartphone”, which we can safely assume relates to the upcoming G6 flagship. While it can be considered a teaser video, it ends with “February, 2017”, confirming we’ll see the new phone next month. However, it doesn’t specifically say we’ll see it at Mobile World Congress, something The Korea Herald has said will be the case.

• LG G6: What’s the story so far?
• Mobile World Congress 2017: Smartphones, smartphones, smartphones to expect

In LG’s teaser video, we see several people in America speaking to camera to say what features they’d most want out of the “ideal smartphone”. Features asked for include a big screen for multitasking, all while having a small body to make it easy to use with one hand. The people in the video also ask for the phone to be waterproof and more reliable so they don’t have to worry about the screen cracking all the time. All those features then move into a smartphone-shaped box, followed by the text “Imagine how your wishes will come to life”.

We’ve already heard and reported on several rumours that relate to the majority of these wants. The screen has been confirmed by LG to be a 5.7-inch Quad HD+ with an 18:9 aspect ratio. It uses proprietary in-Touch technology that allows LG to reduce the bezel size, so it will be a big screen but on a small phone.

We haven’t heard anything concrete on the LG G6’s waterproof capabilities, but it’s been confirmed by LG that the company will not be using modules for the upcoming flagship. The LG G5 arrived with various modules such as a camera and a high-quality DAC for improving audio quality. While it was seen as an innovative idea, in reality the G5 didn’t really prove popular with consumers. LG has said it has listened to customer feedback and will not be releasing modules with the G6 but will instead focus on aesthetic and usability.

• LG confirms the G6 smartphone will have no modules
• LG G6 will launch before the Galaxy S8 to capitalise on Samsung’s downfall
• LG G6 to use the “world’s first QHD+ screen with 18:9 aspect ratio”

We’ll have to wait until its February reveal to see exactly how LG will implement these features, but we now have a clearer idea of what to expect next month. 

Android Wear 2.0 will finally arrive in early February

Smartwatches might have failed to take over the world last year, but Google will still make good of its promise to release Android Wear 2.0 in Q1 2017. According to a letter addressed to developers and published by Android Police, the long-awaited update to its wearable platform will finally arrive in early February. It was supposed to roll out in late 2016, but Mountain View decided to release a couple of developer previews first. The letter warns developers that Wear 2.0’s on-watch Play Store won’t show apps that aren’t optimized for the platform, so they need to tweak their applications ASAP. Wear 2.0 will also support standalone apps that don’t need phones to work.

While the letter didn’t mention it, Android Wear 2.0 is expected to launch with a couple of new smartwatches. They won’t be Google-branded devices like the Pixel, but they’ll serve as the company’s flagship products in the smartwatch space. If Google goes through with its plan, we’ll see both the platform and the wearables in a few weeks’ time.

[Image credit: Android Police]

Source: Android Police

HTC’s ‘U Ultra’ flagship phone pairs AI with a secondary screen

Last year, HTC’s flagship 10 smartphone won plenty of accolades — we liked it because the company bucked the gimmicks and built a no-nonsense device that was excellent in its own right. With a new year comes a new flagship, though, and this time HTC is taking a very different approach. Meet the HTC U Ultra, a peculiar little machine that’ll feel at least a little familiar to fans of other high-end smartphones.

When we say “familiar,” though, we’re not talking about the phone’s design and materials. In fact, the U Ultra’s look is unlike any in recent memory. Some of HTC’s usual design flourishes, like the pill-shaped fingerprint sensor and the centered UltraPixel camera are still here, but designers traded the usual aluminum look for a finish that looks almost liquid. The frame is still made of metal but the back is covered in a beautiful curved glass that looks almost pearlescent under the right light. It’s a gorgeous effect born from HTC’s obsession with material science that plays well on all four U Ultra colors (black, white, blue and pink). And beyond all that, it feels pretty lovely in-hand too, though it helps that the U Ultra is a terribly sleek device — it’s just under 8mm at its thickest.

While you might notice those finishes first, it’s the screen that makes the U Ultra feel so much like an LG phone. Well, the second screen, to be more precise — it sits above the Ultra’s 5.7-inch Quad HD Super LCD 5 screen just like it did on the V10 and V20. Sure enough, you’ll be able to add shortcuts to apps and get weather readouts, but HTC is counting on artificial intelligence to actually make that second screen useful. On devices like the V20, for instance, notifications just appear as events occur, ultimately leading to a list sorted by time rather than importance.

Not so on the U Ultra. It’ll only display notifications from people it thinks you want to hear from, though that requires some initial setup. Darren Sng, HTC’s head of global product marketing, laid out situations where the phone would try to be proactive, too. Let’s say there’s rain in the forecast today — the so-called Sense Companion will warn you on that second screen before you leave the house. And if a holiday rolls around and you don’t have any pressing issues in your calendar, the assistant will shut off previously set alarms. (That last one sounds a little dicey to me, but we’ll have to wait and see how well this works over time.)

Those machine learning smarts extend beyond just the second screen, by the way. Like with Huawei’s Mate 9, the phone will attempt to suss out the underlying patterns in how we use our phones and allocate resources or shut down services in response. And just like basically everything else at CES (where HTC quietly showed off the new phone), you can talk to it through an array of microphones. Look closely enough at the U Ultra and you’ll spot 4 of them dotting the body — they’re always on and always listening for your voice within a range of about two meters.

Of course, playing with a phone like this for 45 minutes can only reveal so much. It’ll take time for the true value of HTC’s approach to AI to become apparent, but at least the Ultra itself seems to run like a charm. My usual routine of scrolling through lots of websites, launching lots of apps and switching between them all willy-nilly couldn’t throw the Snapdragon 821 (with 4GB of RAM) for a loop, and all of Android 7.0 Nougat’s niceties are ready and waiting for you. There’s a 12-UltraPixel camera with an f/1.8 aperture and optical image stabilization on the Ultra’s rear — it seemed to take crisp, nicely exposed photos in our Vegas demo room — but the front-facing camera technically snaps selfies at an even higher resolution. It’s a 16-megapixel sensor with what Sng calls an “UltraPixel mode” that presumably resamples that extra image data into a better photo, but the results weren’t really apparent in our brief round of testing.

Oh, and get this: HTC ditched the headphone jack too, so you’ll have to use some USB Type-C headphones. Despite what Apple said months ago, it feels like it takes a certain degree of courage to leave the standard headphone jack alone these days. At least you can augment the phone with more storage. You’ll be able to choose from 64 or 128GB variants right out of the gate, and while the latter has sapphire glass covering the screen instead of Gorilla Glass 5, both will take microSD cards as large as 2TB.

For those who don’t need a secondary screen, or even just a phone that big, there’s the HTC U Play. It takes the same style and AI chops and pairs them with a smaller body and a more manageable 5.2-inch 1080p display. As you’ve probably already figured out, this smaller variant is also a little less impressive — it packs one of MediaTek’s octa-core Helio P10 chipset and ships with either 3GB of RAM and 32GB of storage or 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage. The main camera has been knocked down to 16-megapixels (none of that UltraPixel business here), too, though we’re currently not sure what how much less these models will cost than the flagship U Ultra.

I’ll admit to be being a little confused when I first met these two phones. Sure, HTC always had a peculiar sense of self as a company, but it seemed like the progress made with the 10 would ensure some logical, safe upgrades when it came time to craft a sequel. That’s definitely not what we’re looking at here — HTC is done playing it safe, and the Ultra doesn’t feel a lick like an HTC 11. More curious is HTC’s assertion that just having a second screen by itself doesn’t really help users much. I’d have to agree with that — after having used the V20 for a while, LG’s implementation just felt like a way to offload notifications and highlight a few extra controls. It was enough for some people, but the V20’s additional screen never felt all that useful. By making it a sort of home for a virtual assistant, HTC might have found the second screen’s ideal purpose.

There are still plenty of questions that need answers, but HTC certainly look a leap into new territory with these two devices. The biggest? Whether the U Ultra and U Play managed to transcend gimmickry and fit all these components together into something new and valuable. We’ll get cracking on our full review once HTC sends along some review units, but until then, you can pre-order the U Ultra from the company’s website starting today.

Samsung and LG could launch foldable phones later this year

We might soon be able to buy actual foldable phones after years of looking at one concept after another. According to The Korea Herald, Samsung and LG are planning to launch bendable phones later this year. Samsung reportedly began working on a phone that folds out and turns into a 7-inch tablet in August, and it’s expected to roll out over 100,000 units in the third quarter. It apparently wasn’t a big challenge for the company, since it already previously developed a fold-in phone technology.

The publication says the company still isn’t 100 percent sure that it’s releasing the device this year due to marketability and profitability issues, though. Considering its mobile division still hasn’t bounced back to its former glory after the Galaxy Note 7 disaster, the Korean conglomerate likely doesn’t want to take any chances. The source says Samsung will make a decision after a personnel reshuffle of its IT and mobile divisions.

LG is reportedly planning to roll out 100,000 foldable devices in the fourth quarter, as well. It probably has a bigger chance of seeing that plan through since it’s been working on its fold-out technology for two to three years. However, the company could use its technology to develop components for clients like Huawei and Apple instead of releasing its own products. Either way, it sounds like we’re getting closer to seeing foldable gadgets on the market, so you may want to keep an eye out for official announcements.

Via: VentureBeat, XDA Developers

Source: Korea Herald

‘The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth’ Finally Comes to iOS Devices

Popular roguelike shooter The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth is finally available on iOS devices. The highly-anticipated game was originally supposed to come out in early 2016, but its dark themes caused it to be rejected by Apple.

Based on a Flash game first released in 2012, The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth has been available on Macs, PCs, and consoles since 2014. The game was inspired by a biblical tale, and the main character, Isaac, escapes from his evil mother and battles through a series of procedurally generated dungeons.

Gameplay wise, The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth is a dual stick shooter with virtual controls and support for Made for iPhone game controllers. The game features more than 500 hours of gameplay, over 450 items to find, two-player local co-op, 20 challenge runs, and more.

The Binding of Isaac is a randomly generated action RPG shooter with heavy Rogue-like elements. Following Isaac on his journey players will find bizarre treasures that change Isaac’s form giving him super human abilities and enabling him to fight off droves of mysterious creatures, discover secrets and fight his way to safety.

Our sister site TouchArcade shared some tidbits on The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth this morning, noting that an Apple TV version of the game is coming in the future. The iOS version and Apple TV versions of the game will be the same, so gamers who purchase it today will later be able to play it on the Apple TV.

In regard to the $14.99 price tag, the game’s developer, Tyrone Rodriguez, says there will be no pricing fluctuations or sales. “The price will not change, a month from now or a year from now,” he said.

The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth can be downloaded from the App Store for $14.99. [Direct Link]
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Latest Axon 7 Mini update brings VoLTE to more users, December security patch, and camera tweaks

Latest update brings a slew of features to the Axon 7 Mini.

Good news for those of you who recently nabbed an Axon 7 Mini. ZTE has announced a maintenance release for the device, namely a software update that will add VoLTE, Google security patches up to December, and camera enhancements. ZTE says that there are three different builds out right now and the one you have installed will affect the update you receive. For instance, those who were on build B16 have already received their VoLTE update through T-Mobile.

Here are the release notes for the three builds.

B12-B21 Release:

• Support T-Mobile HD Voice call (VoLTE)
• Google security patches updated through December
• New APN added to match all major North American carriers
• Google Applications updated
• Enhanced and optimized camera focus speed and night mode
• Other general enhancements

B14MR2-B21 & B16-B21 Release:

• Google security patches updated through December
• New APN added to match all major North American carriers
• Other general enhancements

ZTE suggests that the phone is charged over 30 percent before you install the software update. The builds will go live on January 12 at 2 a.m. EST.

LG G6 teaser reveals large screen, compact body, and water resistance

LG’s 2017 flagship will make its debut next month.

LG is slated to unveil the LG G6 next month at Mobile World Congress, and the company is starting to slowly trickle out information regarding the device ahead of its debut. In a teaser video, LG asks people to share their wish list for an ideal smartphone, and the replies include a big screen that’s easy to use one-handed, water resistance, reliability, and a great camera. Unsurprisingly, the LG G6 will have all of those attributes.

LG has already mentioned that it will not bring back the modular design for the LG G6, and the phone is expected to feature a 5.7-inch “QHD+” LCD display with a resolution of 2880×1440. The handset will also likely retain a dual camera arrangement with a wide-angle lens complementing the primary shooter. With the launch just over a month away, we’ll know more about what’s in store with the LG G6 shortly. What are you most excited about?

All electric trains in the Netherlands now run on wind energy

The Netherlands has been harnessing the power of the wind to drain bodies of water, saw timber and to produce oil for centuries. Now, the country is also using it to run all its electric trains. The Dutch railways network (NS) started using wind energy generated by the turbines owned by electric company Eneco two years ago when they signed a ten-year agreement. They planned to power all of the country’s electric trains with wind-generated energy by 2018, but they’re clearly a shining example of Dutch efficiency and reached their goal a year earlier than planned.

According to Brightvibes, the country’s electric trains shuttle 600,000 people to their destinations in around 5,500 train trips per day. Those trips use up 1.2 billion kWh of energy per year, which can power all households in Amsterdam for the same time period. At this point in time, it takes an hour for a wind turbine to generate enough power to run a train for 120 miles. However, NS is looking for ways to lower their machines’ consumption by 35 percent before 2020, so they can go farther for smaller amounts of energy.

Netherlands take e-mobility to next level: 100% of country’s trains are powered by #wind: https://t.co/U1oDry30ll pic.twitter.com/c0vrXxrDZl

— UN Climate Action (@UNFCCC) January 10, 2017

Source: The Guardian, Brightvibes

Bosch 800 Series Release Date, Price and Specs – CNET

This built-in coffee maker is one of the Bosch products that will be Wi-Fi-enabled and work with the brand’s Home Connect line.

Tyler Lizenby/CNET

Bosch has spent the past few years adding Wi-Fi connection to some of its European appliances. Now, the German appliance maker will bring products you can control through your phone to the US.

You’ll control your Bosch connected appliances through the Home Connect app, which is available on Android and iOS.

Tyler Lizenby/CNET

This year, Bosch will release a line of Wi-Fi-enabled appliances that include a fridge-freezer, wall oven, dishwasher, washing machine and dryer, the company announced at the Kitchen and Bath Industry Show (KBIS) Tuesday in Orlando.

The company started selling a $3,100 connected, built-in coffee maker in the US late last year. Bosch reps said it will release pricing information as it makes the appliances available throughout the year. You’ll control all the appliances through Bosch’s Home Connect app, available for Android and iOS.

Bosch’s connected appliances will also work with some big names in the smart home field. The connected oven and coffee maker will work with Alexa, Amazon’s voice-controlled digital assistant, so you can ask your smart speaker to make a latte or preheat the oven. The oven will also work with the Nest Learning Thermostat, which will ask you if it should turn the oven off if it detects you’re away while the oven’s still on. (We’ve seen a feature like this on Whirlpool ranges.)

The connected dishwasher will work with Amazon Dash Replenishment Services. Here’s how that will work: If you use dishwasher tabs, you use the Home Connect app to input the number of tabs that are in your box. The app will count down the number of tabs you have with each cleaning cycle. If you’ve opted in to Amazon Replenishment Services, the app will automatically put in an order for more dishwasher tabs when you’re almost out.