Honor 6X brings dual camera in a super-affordable metal phone
Having first been launched in China, the Honor 6X is about to make a splash on UK shores this month. The company announced the device will be available from tomorrow, and it promises a lot for the outlay.
The big attraction here is the dual camera system on the back. Unlike the more expensive Huawei/Honor phones, this isn’t made of two equally-sharp sensors. Instead, there’s a main 12-megapixel sensor paired with a 2-megapixel sensor.
This secondary 2-megapixel camera has a couple of functions. Firstly, combined with the main sensor, it can help isolate pixels to get rid of blur in photos.
Secondly, it can add a sense of depth, giving background blur similar to how the HTC One M8 system used to work, and how the iPhone 7 Plus’ Portrait Mode works.
Honor
According to Honor, the camera can focus in 0.3 seconds which, incidentally, is the same amount of time it takes for the rear-mounted fingerprint sensor to scan your fingerprint and unlock the phone.
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Unlike the Huawei Mate 9, the Honor 6X doesn’t run Android Nougat, instead, the latest affordable phone from Huawei’s sub-brand will come loaded with Android 6.0. As with every other Honor phone, it will be running the EMUI skin on top, specifically version 4.1.
For those interested in specs, you’ll be happy to hear the phone offers a lot of bang for its buck. Inside the phone is a mid-range octa-core Kirin 655 processor paired with 3GB RAM and 32GB storage which can be expanded up to an extra 128GB via microSD card.
Honor
The processor has been designed to offer fast performance for gaming, but is also optimised to be very power efficient when the phone’s in standby. This – claims Honor – should be enough to get some users more than two days of use from the 3,340mAh battery inside.
There’s a full HD 5.5-inch screen up front capable of pushing brightness levels up to a level that’s easy to see outdoors, even in bright daylight.
All of this is built in to a slim device built from an aluminium alloy, which Honor has anodised twice to make it more scratch-resistant and capable of dealing with every day scrapes. Because the chassis is curved and rounded around the edges and corners it should feel very comfortable in hand, despite being a big phone.
The Honor 6X will be available to buy from Vmall and Amazon.co.uk from 4 January for £224.99, and will be available from Three later in the month.
Honor 6X vs Honor 8: What’s the difference?
Sub-brand of Huawei, Honor, has announced at CES 2017 that its 6X smartphone will be heading further than just China, with plans for both US and Europe.
The Honor 5X’s successor arrives on 4 January starting at £225, but how does it compare to the slightly more expensive Honor 8 and which should you pick? Read on to find out.
- Honor 8 review
Honor 6X vs Honor 8: Design
- Premium designs on both
- Honor 6X larger, thicker and heavier
- Honor 8 has USB Type-C
The Honor 6X features a metal-frosted finish with 2.5D curved glass, while the Honor 8 has a glossy finish, like the Jet Black iPhone 7, though it too has 2.5D curved glass, meaning both offer premium finishes.
The Honor 6X is larger and heavier than the Honor 8 however, measuring 150.9 x 76.2 x 8.2mm and weighing 162g, compared to the Honor 8’s 145.5 x 71 x 7.5mm body and 153g weight.
Both have rear-mounted fingerprint sensors, positioned beneath the dual rear cameras. The Honor 8 features USB Type-C, while the Honor 6X opts for Micro-USB.
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Honor 6X vs Honor 8: Display
- Honor 6X has a larger display by 0.3-inches
- Honor 8 has slightly sharper and crisper screen
The Honor 6X has a 5.5-inch LTPS display with 1920 x 1080 resolution, resulting in a pixel density of 403ppi.
The Honor 8 has a slightly smaller display at 5.2-inches, though it offers the same technology and resolution. The decrease in size means the Honor 8 has a sharper display on paper however, with a pixel density of 424ppi.
Honor 6X vs Honor 8: Cameras
- Both have dual rear cameras
- Both have 8-megapixel front camera
- Honor 8 has higher resolution secondary rear sensor
Both the Honor 6X and the Honor 8 feature dual-lenses for their rear cameras, though they differ in resolutions.
The Honor 6X has a 12-megapixel and 2-megapixel rear camera, coupled with an 8-megapixel front camera. It offers an aperture range between f/0.95 and f/16 and phase detection autofocus for focusing within 0.3-seconds.
The Honor 8 on the other hand, has two 12-megapixel sensors on the rear, like the Huawei P9, along with an 8-megapixel front-facing camera. It uses similar technology to the P9, but without the Leica collaboration, with one RGB sensor and one monochrome and the results are good.
- Huawei P9 Leica camera explored: Double the camera, double the fun?
Honor 6X vs Honor 8: Hardware
- Both have octa-core processors
- Both have microSD support
- Honor 6X has higher battery capacity
Both the Honor 6X and the Honor 8 feature octa-core Kirin processors, though they aren’t the same chip. The Honor 6X has the 655 with 3GB of RAM support (in the UK), while the Honor 8 has the 950 and 4GB of RAM support.
The Honor 6X and Honor 8 have 32GB of internal storage, but they also a 64GB option in some regions. All offer microSD support for storage expansion though.
A 3340mAh battery capacity powers the Honor 6X compared to the Honor 8’s 3000mAh so where the 6X loses a couple of marks in other areas, it gains a few back in this department.
Honor 6X vs Honor 8: Software
- Both run on Android Marshmallow with Emotion 4.1 UI
- Both will likely get Android Nougat
The Honor 6X and Honor 8 both run on Android Marshmallow with the company’s Emotion 4.1 user interface over the top.
The Honor 8 is in line to be upgraded to Android Nougat and the Honor 6X will also no doubt receive the update so in terms of software experience, these two devices should be identical.
Honor 6X vs Honor 8: Price
- Honor 6X will cost £225
- Honor 8 costs £370
The Honor 6X will go on sale for £225, making it quite a bit cheaper than the Honor 8. The Honor 8 is available now for £370.
Honor 6X vs Honor 8: Conclusion
The Honor 6X is the cheaper of the two devices being compared here. It also has a larger display, larger battery capacity, similar RAM and storage options and what appears to be a nice, premium design.
The Honor 8 is the slimmer and lighter these two devices however, as well as offering a slightly sharper display and probably a better, more advanced camera.
It looks like you’ll get quite a bit for your money with the Honor 6X, but its probably worth considering spending the extra on the Honor 8 if the camera functionality is important to you. We’ll update this feature when we have reviewed both devices. For now, you can read our Honor 8 review.
Intel invests in Nokia’s old mapping division
Intel has announced that it’s buying a 15 percent stake in Here, the mapping company that was spun out of Nokia, for an undisclosed fee. The chipmaker has also revealed that the pair will work together to build a new high-definition mapping platform for self-driving cars. Since the rest of Here is owned by the German car industry, it’s not hard to see who might be interested in using that sort of technology.
Here was one of Nokia’s last remaining jewels as the Finnish phone maker gradually atrophied on the way to Microsoft’s disastrous buyout. It was put up for sale in 2015, with Uber rumored to be the most likely destination for the business. But in the end, a consortium representing Germany’s car industry spent around $3.07 billion to secure the company for their navigation systems.
Here CEO Ed Overbeek explains that the pair will develop a “real-time, self-healing and high-definition representation of the physical world.” That means being able to update maps with the latest data and use computer vision to identify potential obstacles and warn other cars nearby.
Speaking of which, MobilEye, the computer vision company that, until recently, supplied sensors for Tesla’s Autopilot, is a big friend of both Intel and Here. MobilEye is a partner with Intel in its own self-driving technology consortium, and also has a deal with Here to build a plug-and-play self-driving car platform for the auto industry.
As the PC market dwindles and mobile computing takes over, Intel needs to move in a new direction to remain relevant, and profitable. The company is dipping a toe into wearables, the internet of things and other arenas where its expertise and cash reserves could prove valuable. Intel is clearly hoping that Here can become a key component of our self-driving future, as well as smart homes.
Source: Intel
Even smart toothbrushes have AI now
Before the likes of Oral-B started selling Bluetooth-enabled, app-connected toothbrushes, there was Kolibree. The startup developed one of the first “smart” toothbrushes that incentivized regular brushing and documented oral hygiene habits. We caught the first Kolibree brush at CES several years ago ahead of its successful Kickstarter campaign, and this year the company is back at the tech show with a new model: the Ara. So, what’s the latest innovation in smart toothbrushes? AI, of course.
“Patented deep learning algorithms are embedded directly inside the toothbrush on a low-power processor,” Kolibree’s press release reads. One of the benefits of this new chip is you don’t need the companion app open on your mobile for brushing data to be recorded. The device can store all the info from its bevy of motion sensors in “offline” mode, syncing up with the app next time you load it.
The primary reason for the AI component, though, is so the brush can analyze your behavior and provide more personalized feedback regarding your poor hygiene — either at a glance within the app, or via a weekly email report. Healthcare is one of the most promising avenues for AI, where complex data-crunching can potentially improve disease understanding and treatment. But do we really need to cram Jarvis into an electric toothbrush?
One “leading health insurer” in Italy thinks it’s more than a buzzword, at least, having committed to offering the Ara to its clients. Kolibree also plans to start a study this spring in Europe and the US to clinically validate the value of AI in improving oral health. If you’re less cynical than us, the Ara is now available to pre-order from Kolibree for $79 until the end of February, at which point the introductory price will jump to $129.
Click here to catch up on the latest news from CES 2017.
Source: Kolibree (Business Wire)
HP’s Sprout Pro looks nicer (and works better) than the original
In 2014, HP unveiled the original Sprout — a unique all-in-one with a projector and camera extrusion that turns the surface between you and the display into an interactive space. It was designed for creative professionals and hobbyists, and a later version released in 2016 targeted the classroom. This year, HP has a new Sprout called the Pro G2, which the company says is a completely redesigned device, featuring “a higher resolution projection, more powerful processing, advanced 3D scanning and a more accurate precision active pen for drawing compared to the previous model.” Basically, then, the Pro G2 should feel faster, more precise and more realistic than before, which still seems to us more like an incremental upgrade than an overhaul.
In fact, the most obvious difference between the new Sprout and its older versions is the black paint job on its display, projector and base, which makes it look more futuristic than its predecessors. The Pro G2 also has a slightly larger 23.8-inch display, up from 23 inches on the older model, as well as a bigger 21.3-inch touchpad that we’ll get to in a bit.
At a recent briefing in San Francisco, my west coast-based colleague Robbie had a chance to try out the new Sprout, and he really enjoyed using the new pen. He also found the new palm rejection software to be mostly accurate, although it did register the side of his hand once and recorded it as a scribble.
Like the Sprouts before it, the Pro G2 has what HP calls a Touch Mat — a touchscreen that supports 20 simultaneous touch points so you and a friend can use all your fingers to draw your digital projects. One of the cooler things the Sprout can do is scan 3D objects that you place on or above the Touch Mat, then letting you manipulate the model on either of the displays. You can also place an up to A3-sized piece of paper on the mat and scan that document. The Pro G2 has a camera with the same resolution as before, but it now offers what the company calls “quick 3D Capture Capability” that can read an object that you hold and rotate in front of it.
Other updates include a new seventh-generation Intel Core i7 processor, NVIDIA GTX 960M graphics card and a new active stylus — an upgrade over the old passive one. This improvement is what enabled the pressure sensitivity that Robbie noted. It also allows the Pro G2 to distinguish between input from your hand and from the pen.
All these hardware tools are nice to have, but if you can’t use them with very many programs at all, they might as well be rocks. The good news is, HP continues to expand the Sprout library of compatible software, which was previously somewhat limited. This year, the company created a suite of apps called WorkTools that lets users scan and manipulate content in 2D and 3D in an interactive clipboard. Unfortunately, Robbie wasn’t able to try out the software during his briefing, so we’ll have to wait till we get a deeper dive with the new Sprout tone able to share how well this worked.
The company also released a new “Professional” SDK, that will hopefully spur developers to come up with more ways to use the Sprout’s unique interface, potentially making it far more useful. However, HP did offer an SDK in 2014, and since then we haven’t seen many third-party creators jump on the platform.
HP hasn’t shared how much the Sprout Pro G2 will cost, and says that information will be available in March. Given that last year’s Pro cost $2,199, it’s safe to guess the new computer will be at least as expensive as before. For art schools and designers businesses, though, this might be a valuable investment.
Click here to catch up on the latest news from CES 2017.
Amazon Fire TV is now built into 4K sets
You won’t have to buy a separate Fire TV device just to use Amazon’s full services on your TV. Seiki, Westinghouse and Element Electronics are launching a series of 4K sets with Fire TV technology built-in. They all include Amazon’s current interface, including a wide range of Alexa voice commands thanks to a microphone-equipped remote. If you use an over-the-air TV antenna, you’ll have access to both a channel guide and favorite individual channels on the home screen.
None of the companies are ready to talk pricing or exact ship dates (you’ll only get them sometime “later this year”). However, there will be 43-, 50-, 55- and 65-inch models. And given that these brands (usually) focus on lower-cost TVs, there’s a good chance that you won’t have to pay a premium for native Amazon features. The question is whether or not you’ll see any other major TV makers follow suit. Heavyweights like Samsung, LG and Sony already have highly developed smart TV platforms (whether in-house or Android TV), and it’s doubtful they’ll ditch their existing strategies just to say they have Fire TV support.
Click here to catch up on the latest news from CES 2017.
Source: PR Newswire
Kuri home robot can read to your kids and watch your home
You may not have to wait for the likes of ASUS’ Zenbo to cross the ocean before you can get an affordable home robot. Mayfield Robotics (one of Bosch’s startups) has taken the wraps off of Kuri, a 20-inch-tall robot companion that promises to play nicely with your smart home. It can answer questions with a human-like touch (facial expressions, head gestures and sounds), watch over your home with a 1080p camera and play audio, whether it follows you around with music or reads to your kids. It’s reportedly easy to program, and you can use IFTTT to have it talk to other smart household devices.
The bot can recognize individual people, and putts around much like a robotic vacuum: it can avoid objects and stairs, and it’ll return to its charging dock when its “hours” of battery life run out. It’ll be a while before Kuri ships, unfortunately, as Mayfield plans a launch sometime in the holiday season. You can pre-order the robot today with a $100 deposit, though, and the $699 price is just low enough that it might be justifiable if you want a robotic helper that can follow you around.
Click here to catch up on the latest news from CES 2017.
Source: Kuri
Hyundai’s connected cars now work with Google Assistant
Hyundai is giving you another way to shout orders at its connected Blue Link cars shortly after it revealed an Amazon Alexa partnership. The company is teaming with Google, letting you give commands to Sante Fe, Sonata or other compatible models via its voice-controlled Assistant. Using a Google Home device, you’ll be able to say “OK Google, start my Sante Fe and set the temperature to 72 degrees,” or “ask Blue Link to lock my car,” to give just a couple examples.
Voice-controlled devices like Alexa make a certain amount of sense with connected cars, letting you do certain actions a bit quicker than using a smartphone app. Automakers like Ford, BMW and Hyundai all released “skills” for Echo devices, and Google’s Assistant works in a similar way. With Google’s search functions and AI assistant working together, you can simply tell it to find a “great steakhouse,” and it’ll find one and send directions to your vehicle.
It’s more of an add-on feature rather than full integration, but we might see more comprehensive in-car features coming at CES Google. The company recently revealed Android-based infotainment devices with Fiat Chrysler (FCA), and we’re expecting a raft of similar announcements during CES. Interestingly, FCA’s system uses Android Nougat and not the Android Auto branding, so hopefully Google will further clarify its plans.
Click here to catch up on the latest news from CES 2017.
Source: Hyundai
ASUS lays claim to the ‘world’s lightest 14-inch business laptop’
If weight is your biggest concern when buying a laptop, you’ve probably grown used to 11- and 13-inch ultraportables. If you’re looking for something a little bigger, but still light, ASUS may have something for you. Weighing in at 2.31 pounds, the company’s new 14-inch ASUSPro B9440 claims to be the lightest business notebook in its class. Despite its larger screen, the machine itself is actually pretty small: At just 12.6 inches wide, it’s actually a little narrower than the 13-inch MacBook Air.
ASUS says a thin screen bezel and lightweight magnesium alloy were the trick to making the ASUSPro so portable, which seems to be how other laptop makers have been achieving smaller footprints as well. Despite a more compact design here, however, the laptop still has some decent internals. The B9440 comes with a full HD display, up to 16GB of RAM, a seventh-generation Intel Core i5 or i7 CPU and as much as 512GB of solid-state storage. All pretty standard stuff — but at least the machine’s tilted keyboard will make it stand out in the office. The ASUSPro is scheduled to ship this May for $999.
Click here to catch up on the latest news from CES 2017.
Mattel built a $300 Echo for kids
It’s late and you’re tired. Before you can knock off for the night. However, there’s one thing left to do: read your child a bedtime story. In Mattel’s world, you might not have to pick up a book, or even put on voices for their favorite characters. That’s because it’s working on an Echo-style speaker with an assistant called Aristotle. It’s built specifically for kids, offering games, facts and soothing sounds on demand. Most importantly, it has the smarts to recognize your little one’s less-than-perfect speech, and adapt as they get older and more curious about the wider world.
As Fast Company and Bloomberg reports, Aristotle has the voice of an upbeat twenty-something teacher. When your child is a toddler, a companion camera transforms the speaker into a smart home baby monitor, streaming an encrypted video feed to your smartphone. You can program the device to play relaxing sounds when they wake, glow with their favorite colors or start a quick, quiet game. As a parent, you can switch to ‘adult mode’ by summoning Amazon’s Alexa assistant — the second voice companion bundled into the speaker — and log wet diapers, feedings and the like. Amazon will then know when you’re running low on supplies and order new ones automatically.
Aristotle will then grow with you and your kid. It’ll take on the role of tutor, friend and babysitter, keeping it entertained and informed while you’re not around. If the little tyke is struggling with their homework, they’ll be able to ask questions much like Amazon’s Echo or the Google Home speaker. These questions are collected and interpreted by Microsoft, through Bing search smarts and Cortana conversational analysis. Aristotle is also meant for play, identifying and reacting to natural play. Mattel envisions toy cars that connect over NFC, or perhaps with object recognition; it’ll then make appropriate sounds when the tiny vehicle crashes into a wall or screeches around a bed post.
Aristotle isn’t flawless, however. You’ll need to read a paragraph of text with your child before it can recognize their voice correctly. It will also retail for $300 when it launches in June, a price that far exceeds Amazon and Google’s rival hardware.
Click here to catch up on the latest news from CES 2017.
Source: Fast Company, Bloomberg
