Apple Expected to Return to Growth With Biggest Earnings Ever Today

Apple is scheduled to report its earnings results for the first quarter of the 2017 fiscal year at 1:30 p.m. Pacific Time today, revealing how much money it made between September 25 and December 31 of last year. The holiday shopping season typically makes this quarter Apple’s most lucrative of the year.

Apple benefitted from an extra week of sales in the quarter—14 versus the usual 13—due to a step it takes every 5 years or so to realign its September-ending fiscal quarter with the typical December-ending calendar quarter. Given it was partially the week of Christmas, the seven extra days of sales could be significant.

Apple’s official guidance calls for revenue of between $76 billion and $78 billion, which would be its highest earnings in a single quarter ever—topping its current record of $75.9 billion in the year-ago quarter. Apple also expects gross margin between 38% and 38.5%, compared to 40.1% in the year-ago quarter.

The consensus among Wall Street analysts is that Apple will report revenue around the $77 billion mark, or roughly the midpoint of Apple’s guidance. Herein is a list of some of those predictions, ordered from lowest to highest:

• Mark Moskowitz of Barclays: $76.6 billion
• Timothy Arcuri of Cowen and Company: $76.68 billion
• Steven Milunovich of UBS: $76.8 billion
• Amit Daryanani of RBC Capital Markets: $76.9 billion
• Rod Hall of J.P. Morgan: $76.9 billion
• Bloomberg News compiled average: $77 billion
• Yahoo Finance compiled average: $77.38 billion
• Reuters compiled average: $77.4 billion
• Brian White of Drexel Hamilton: $77.61 billion
• Neil Cybart of Above Avalon: $80 billion

The record-breaking revenue would put an end to Apple’s past three consecutive quarters of declining revenue on a year-over-year basis, which resulted in the company’s first annual revenue decline since 2001. Prior to 2016, Apple had an impressive streak of 51 consecutive quarters of uninterrupted sales growth.

While iPhone sales dropped for the first time ever last year, the smartphone is still Apple’s most important product by far—it accounted for 60% of the company’s revenue last quarter. The consensus among analysts is that Apple will have sold around 76 million iPhones, up slightly from 74.8 million in the year-ago quarter.

Most analysts believe a higher ratio of customers purchased a Plus-sized iPhone this launch, with the dual-lens camera in particular enticing customers to choose the 5.5-inch model over the smaller iPhone 7.

Above Avalon analyst Neil Cybart estimates Apple sold 5.6 million Macs in the quarter, a 5% increase over the 5.3 million it sold in the year-ago period. The quarter was highlighted by the launch of long-awaited MacBook Pro with Touch Bar models in late October, which likely inflated sales.

iPad sales may remain on a longstanding downward trend based on units, but more expensive iPad Pro models have led to higher average selling prices and increased revenue for Apple’s tablet business.

Cybart expects revenue from Apple’s growing services category to rise to $6.7 billion, a 22% increase over the $6.1 billion it reported in the year-ago quarter. These earnings are derived from the App Store, iTunes, Apple Music, iCloud storage subscriptions, AppleCare, Apple Pay, licensing, and other services.

Investors will be looking closely at “Other Products” to measure the impact that Apple Watch Series 2 models and AirPods have on the category’s revenue, which Cybart forecasts will rise 9% year-over-year. The category also includes sales of the Apple TV, Beats products, iPods, and many accessories.

Cybart expects Apple’s guidance will point towards continued growth next quarter, suggesting the 2017 fiscal year will remain on an upward trend.

MacRumors will be providing live coverage of Apple’s earnings results conference call with CEO Tim Cook and CFO Luca Maestri at 2:00 p.m. Pacific Time today.

Tags: earnings, AAPL
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S Health review: Is Samsung’s fitness app in the best shape?

The Samsung S Health fitness app and monitoring system has been part of the company’s ecosystem for some time. Perhaps its biggest push was when the Galaxy S5 phone launched alongside the Gear 2 smartwatch and Gear Fit fitness tracker in 2014.

Since then, the app and service has been subject to a few refreshes, and we’re currently up to version 5.4 on Android. While it’s a decent all-round fitness app for smartphones, it really comes into its own when you have a Samsung wearable device. 

The latest Samsung devices – like the Gear S3 and Galaxy S7 edge – offer a huge range of functions beyond health. S Health isn’t the super feature that’s going to sell the smartwatch and phone, but for the Gear Fit, it’s altogether more important: health is the Gear Fit’s raison d’être.

S Health review: Looking back

S Health as an app isn’t new, but it has changed radically from its earliest iterations on devices like the Samsung Galaxy S4. There’s less in the app by default, at least on the home screen: everything is much cleaner and lighter in design.

• Samsung Galaxy S7 edge review

That doesn’t mean it’s poorer in terms of features though, it just so happens that now you can see all of your information in a much cleaner, less cluttered interface. 

S Health review: Heart-rate monitoring

• Daily heart rate summaries
• Guide on average range
• Wearables monitor regularly

For the past few years, Samsung has included heart-rate monitors in all of its flagship smartphones and wearables. That means a built-in sensor next to the camera on the back of the Galaxy S7, S7 Edge and the now defunct Note 7. On the Gear S3 Classic and Frontier, it’s built into the underside of the watch case.  

For the wearables, this means they can, on request, measure your heart rate and return a quick result. They also measure your heart rate automatically at regular intervals during the day. When you switch into the exercise tracking functions, you’ll get heart-rate monitoring during the activity, which checks your heart rate much more frequently.

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For the smartphones, it’s a more deliberate action using the sensor on the rear of the phone. Here it’s too impractical to monitor your heart rate during exercise.

Being placed here also means it’s very easy to forget that it’s there, and without the ability to track as regularly makes it hard to get a clear picture of what your heart is doing through out the day. What’s more, it can be a little hit and miss in terms of reliability.

Heart rate also gets a prominent space within the main app. When you open the heart rate section it tells you your trends and where you are in relation to the average resting heart rate. There’s even an information section to educate you on the averages per age-group and sex, and how to work out what your maximum heart rate should be. 

The coaching feature on the wearables will tell you to work harder, and that might be enough guidance for many, but it doesn’t feel as widely explained as some other systems that will dive into heart-rate zones in more detail. In fact, many of its elements feel this way. They track and show your information without much guidance on what you can do to improve. 

S Health review: Gear S3, Gear S2, IconX and Gear Fit 2

We reviewed both the Gear S3 Frontier and Classic and while they’re both great-looking smartwatches, they’re also equipped with enough sensors to measure your activities. 

Samsung

Those include GPS for tracking your location, a barometric sensor for altitude measurement, pedometer for step-tracking, and a heart-rate monitor. Many of these are also built into the the latest fitness-focused Gear Fit 2 band. In short, the latest wearables all have pretty much all the sensors Samsung needs to create a great tracker. 

• Samsung Gear S3 review: Android Wear, beware, this is the smartwatch to beat

Hopping onboard the hearables hype-train, the IconX is a completely wireless pair of earphones which also feature fitness-tracking capabilities. These aren’t as as fully fledged as the Gear S3 or Gear Fit 2, but feature an accelerometer and a heart-rate monitor to keep an eye on your step count and pulse while you exercise.  

You can buy the Gear Fit 2 from Amazon UK for £169, or in the US for $148. The Gear S3 is on Amazon UK for £350 and around $350 in the US. 

S Health review: A system of separate parts

• Smartphone acts as hub
• Collates info from phone and wearables
• Compatible with most modern Android phones
• iPhone version is very limited

The latest Samsung health offering is a system of separate parts. Each individual item offers exercise tracking, pedometer functions and heart-rate monitoring, some offer location tracking, too, which brings flexibility on one hand and the potential for confusion on the other.

You can leave your smartphone at home and go running with your Gear Fit 2 or Gear S3 if you want to. You could use your Gear S2 as a pedometer when out shopping or at work. Or you could simply wear your traditional watch and let the phone do everything.

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If you’re using an iPhone with your Gear wearable, you can only use your wearable for fitness tracking with S Health. 

S Health review: Collation

• Home screen widget on Android
• At-a-glance full screen widgets on Gear wearables

S Health plays the role of collating this information and presenting it to you for your digestion. That means you can use the parts in isolation and then sync it all to get the full picture. This is really handy if you happen to leave your Gear watch or fitness band at home while you head out, using only your Android phone to count steps, then put on your Gear to go running and leave your phone at home. 

It comes as peace of mind for those who may be known for forgetting one of their devices. The app can collate all the step-counting information from both devices, keeping a running total of all steps counted by both smartphone and watch/wrist band. 

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There is a handy widget for your home screen too, which can show you the current total number of steps tracked by all your S Health gadgets. At least, there is on Android. 

On iPhone you don’t really get these same benefits. Indeed, there are many limitations to using S Health in the Gear S manager app on iOS. 

S Health review: Exercise

• Distance, pace and step count measured
• GPS makes location tracking possible
• Set dietary and exercise goals

There is a mine of information collected by S Health. You can have your route traced, elevation tracked, view your heart rate information, speed and distance. You’ll also be able to collect medals for your achievements, view graphs of your achievements, including watching your average heart rate and so on.

You start it all off by setting goals, as you would with many other fitness apps. Going through this setup is easy and you can initially select daily activity, sleep and calorie intake goals. 

There’s also the ability to track your weight as well as your water and caffeine intake so you have a better idea of the calories you’re consuming.

When it comes to tracking individual exercise sessions you can setup the type of activity you want – with walking, running, cycling and hiking on offer – as well as setting a goal for speed, distance or calorie expenditure.

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On the Gear S3, there are bespoke widgets that give you very quick and instant access to start running/exercise sessions, as well as quickly logging any water or caffeinated drinks you consume. 

There’s a coaching function too on the Android app thanks to partnership with the Coach by Cygna app. There are tips or challenges to accept, but they are more along the lines of gently suggesting a lifestyle change, than putting in place a plan to achieve a 10k personal best.

When it comes to tracking exercise sessions S Health offers a lot of the same detail provided by bespoke running and fitness apps. Once the route is recorded you can open up the data and view the route map, heart rate and pace graph as well as a long list of other information (which includes distance, workout duration, calories burned, pace details, heart rate range, elevation and cadence). 

S Health review: Smartwatch experience

As you’d expect with a smartwatch, the S Health app takes the form of basic, round widgets on the Gear S2 and S3. 

Launching the S Health app on a Gear S smartwatch means cycling through nine different widgets. Some, like the step, calorie and floors counter only show you information collected. Others, like the workout widget and water/caffeine ones allow to add data by either starting a workout, or by telling it that you’ve had another cup of Joe. 

S Health review: The wider ecosystem

• Share information with multiple dedicated health apps
• Compete with friends in “Together”
• Rewards for breaking own records

In the past, one of the biggest criticisms about S Health was how it tied you in to the company’s own services and products. It wasn’t great at talking to other, better and more popular fitness apps, and it would only run on Samsung phones. Now, it’s a vastly different scenario. 

Not only can you install the app on most Android phones, there are a number of options for tying in its strengths with other bespoke fitness and exercise apps. 

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In the “connected services” menu, you have the option to share your information with Fitbit, Jawbone, Microsoft Health, Misfit, Runkeeper and Strava. In theory, that means when you track a run on your Gear S3, using the GPS location services, the exercise data will sync with S Health, and also be passed on to your running app. It also means that if you track a running session using one of those apps, the data feeds back in to S Health. 

In the case of Strava, we found that it only worked some of the time. Clearly, compatibility bugs need to be ironed out here. When it did work, Strava gave a notification saying a synced activity was found, and it not only included a map showing the route, but also heart rate trends during the session. Finally getting us the kind of information we want to see, but its temperamentalness means it’s impossible to rely on at present.

There are also dozens of partner fitness apps which you can use to track specific items, and have all of that information feed into the S Health dashboard. What all of that means is that you can use other fitness tracking devices, not just Gear-branded products, and have your steps, runs, activities and everything else going back to S Health. 

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If you’re up for it, you can even connect with your friends and compete with them to see who is the most active, plus there’s a section to discover the latest trending fitness and diet news stories on the web. 

S Health review: On the iPhone?

• All information stays within Gear S app
• No sharing with other services on iOS

At the beginning of 2017 Samsung finally released an iOS app to get your Gear S2, S3 or Fit 2 connected to your iPhone. Because of this, there’s now a basic version of S Health built in to the Gear S manager app. 

Like the Android app it can give you a brief overview of all your current statistics and trends, from steps, calories, sleep hours and water/caffeine intake.

Sadly however, that’s where it ends. It doesn’t give you the same extensibility as the Android app, in that you can’t choose to share that data with any other service, not even Apple’s own pre-installed Health app.

Verdict

There’s a lot of interesting elements that play into S Health 5.4. The addition of the new wearables, heart rate functions and third-party app extensions means it offers more than ever before.

However, in its current state it doesn’t offer much more than popular apps like MyFitnessPal, and doesn’t offer enough detail in workouts without help from bespoke fitness apps.

So is S Health going to sell any Samsung Galaxy or Gear products on its own? We’re not sure it is, at the moment, but there’s the potential for wider appeal and things are changing all the time.

Best TV footy ever? Liverpool v Chelsea to be broadcast in 4K and Dolby Atmos

Tonight, BT Sport will broadcast the first football match with Dolby Atmos audio. And as it’s also being presented in 4K Ultra HD, it could very well be the best television presentation of footy we’ve ever seen.

The top of the tablet clash between Liverpool and Chelsea kicks off at 8pm with coverage starting an hour earlier.

Viewers with a BT Ultra HD YouView box and BT Sport subscription will be able to see the game in 4K and, if they also have a Dolby Atmos surround sound or soundbar setup, will get a more immersive experience than usual.

BT is citing extra microphones around Anfield than usual. A soundfield mic will be capturing the crowd in 3D, with others aimed at different in-game audio events, such as the referee’s whistle and the ball being kicked. 12 microphones will be used around the edge of the pitch to capture multidimensional sounds.

• BT Ultra HD YouView+ review: A bold step into future 4K entertainment
• BT launches Dolby Atmos sound with 4K TV packages, get the stadium experience at home
• Dolby Atmos explained: What is it and how do I get it?

The audio picked up from all of them will be mixed live in outside broadcast trucks to make a Dolby Atmos soundtrack. Your UHD set-top-box will then feed the mix to your speaker system.

BT plans to add Dolby Atmos sound to other Premier League and FA Cup matches throughout the rest of the season.

“TV viewers are used to having the best pictures when watching sports, but sound is often overlooked,” said Jamie Hindhaugh, cjief operating officer at BT Sport.

“Now sports fans will be able to feel like they’re in the stadium, with the combination of Dolby Atmos and UHD providing the most immersive experience possible.”

Lyft App Gets Calendar Sync Feature to Select Event Locations As Ride Destinations

Lyft yesterday quietly announced a new calendar integration feature for its popular ride-hailing app, allowing users to sync their calendar to search and select upcoming event locations.

That’s right: When requesting a ride, you no longer have to fumble through multiple apps to find the name or address of wherever it is you need to go. Just sync your calendar once and you’re all set.

To activate the feature, when entering a destination, users should select “Add from calendar”, then tap “Add” to permit Lyft to see calendar event locations. Once activated, users will see upcoming events and location information automatically appear below the destination field.

Lyft notes that users of Google Calendar must sync the calendar with their phone for the feature to work, and further recommends that users input the venue’s full address in the location field when adding an event to their calendar.

In addition, Lyft says a coming update will enable users to store their favorite places in the Lyft app as shortcuts, similar to the Home and Work destinations currently available.

Lyft is a free download for iPhone available on the App Store. [Direct Link]

Tag: Lyft
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Check out this personal cargo robot from the maker of Vespa scooters

Why it matters to you

If you don’t feel like carrying those heavy grocery bags or you just want to turn heads with your latest bit of tech gear, a robot like Gita could be just the ticket.

As manufacturer of the Vespa, Piaggio already has plenty of experience making stylish two-wheeled vehicles.

Now, an off-shoot of the firm – Piaggio Fast Forward – is hoping to score another success, this time with a soon-to-launch autonomous personal cargo carrier.

Called Gita (pronounced “jee-ta,” which in Italian means “short trip”), the diminutive robot resembles a large blue ball with what appear to be two bicycle wheels attached.

In a further nod to the more famous part of its business, Piaggio Fast Forward explains that Gita has been “designed and engineered with the same attention to safety, braking, balancing, and vehicle dynamics that you would expect of a high-performance motorcycle.”

Designed to follow a human operator or move autonomously in a mapped environment, 66-cm-tall Gita includes obstacle-avoidance technology to ensure a bump-free journey from A to B. It can handle a decent weight, too – up 40 pounds (about 18 kg) – with its consignment secured inside a decent-sized compartment that comes with a lockable lid.

Gita’s zero turning radius and top speed of 22 mph (about 35 kph) make it both nimble and quick, so whether you’re a fast walker or on your bike, this particular robotic companion shouldn’t have any trouble keeping up as you head home from the supermarket with your freshly bought supplies.

More: Toyota is going to sell a very small “buddy robot” for $400

At first glance, battery-powered Gita seems like the kind of robot you might actually like to have alongside you when you can’t be bothered to carry a stack of stuff between locations. It certainly looks more stylish than this autonomous basket-carrying helper.

“The transportation and robotics industries tend to focus on optimizing tasks and displacing labor,” Jeffrey Schnapp, CEO of Piaggio Fast Forward, said in a release. “We’re developing products that augment and extend human capabilities, instead of simply seeking to replace them.”

To begin with, Piaggio Fast Forward wants to offer Gita to businesses for trials aimed at refining its design, but it also plans to offer a version to the likes of you and me before too long. So if the idea of your own robot butler, then stay tuned.

Gita’s official unveiling takes place at Piaggio Fast Forward’s Boston headquarters on Thursday, at which time we’ll hopefully find out more details such as pricing and availability.

Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 vs. Redmi Note 3: Should you upgrade?

The Redmi Note 3 was one of the best-selling phones of 2016 in India. Can the Redmi Note 4 carry on the momentum for Xiaomi?

Xiaomi saw a revival in its fortunes in 2016 on the back of the Redmi Note 3. The phone made its debut at the start of last year for a compelling ₹9,999 for the base variant and sold over 3.6 million units in just over 10 months.

For 2017, Xiaomi is betting on the Redmi Note 4 to drive sales in the budget segment. The phone offers similar specs, but eschews the 28nm Snapdragon 650 for a more energy-efficient 14nm Snapdragon 625. Xiaomi is also offering a model with 4GB of RAM and 64GB storage for the first time, and the base variant retains the ₹9,999 price tag, while offering 32GB of onboard memory.

Xiaomi is essentially competing with itself in this segment. The Redmi Note 3 offered unmatched value for money, and Xiaomi was always going to have a difficult time coming up with a successor that outdid its best-selling phone of 2016. To that effect, Xiaomi didn’t change a lot with the Redmi Note 4 in terms of the specs, instead making improvements in other areas. As such, the notable changes on the Redmi Note 4 include a better camera and polished design. Read on to find out if the changes make the Redmi Note 4 a worthy successor.

Hardware

There are minor design variations between the Redmi Note 3 and the Redmi Note 4. Both phones offer great metal designs with excellent build quality, but the overall finish is more polished on the newer device. The Redmi Note 3 has a matte back, while its successor sports a smoother texture. The back of the Redmi Note 4 is contoured as well, resulting in a better in-hand feel.

The Redmi Note 4 has great hardware and a premium design.

Both phones look very similar from the back, with the camera sensor, LED flash, and the fingerprint sensor aligned in a straight line. The major difference is the position of the speaker, which is located at the bottom of the Redmi Note 4.

Xiaomi has speaker grilles on either side of the microUSB port, but the phone comes with a single speaker. The grille on the left is purely for aesthetic reasons. The position of the speaker means that you can hear incoming calls, and there’s a noticeable improvement in audio quality as well. The speaker gets very loud, and audio isn’t distorted at high volumes.

The Redmi Note 3 has a small indent below the speaker grille to prevent the sound from getting muffled when the phone is placed on a surface, but it doesn’t work in practice. With the Redmi Note 4, that particular issue has been resolved.

Operating System	MIUI 8 based on Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow	MIUI 8 based on Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow
Display	5.5-inch 1080p (1920×1080) IPS LCD panel 401ppi pixel density	5.5-inch 1080p (1920×1080) IPS LCD panel401ppi pixel density
SoC	Octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 Eight Cortex A53 cores at 2.0GHz 14nm	Hexa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 650 Two Cortex A72 cores at 1.8GHz Four Cortex A53 cores at 1.4GHz 28nm
GPU	Adreno 506	Adreno 510
RAM	2GB/3GB/4GB RAM	2GB/3GB RAM
Storage	32GB/64GB storage microSD slot up to 256GB	16GB/32GB storage microSD slot up to 256GB
Rear camera	13MP dual LED flash PDAF	16MP dual LED flash PDAF
Front shooter	5MP 1080p video recording	5MP 1080p video recording
Connectivity	Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.1 (A2DP), GPS,microUSB, 3.5mm audio jack	Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.1 (A2DP), GPS,microUSB, 3.5mm audio jack
Battery	4100mAh battery	4050mAh battery
Fingerprint	Rear fingerprint sensor	Rear fingerprint sensor
Dimensions	151 x 76 x 8.5mm	150 x 76 x 8.7mm
Weight	175g	164g
Colors	Silver, Gold, Black	Silver, Gold, Dark Grey

The Redmi Note 3 is offered in two storage variants — a model with 2GB of RAM and 16GB storage for ₹9,999, and a version with 3GB of RAM and 32GB storage for ₹11,999. Meanwhile, the Redmi Note 4 is sold in three configurations:

• 2GB RAM/32GB storage: ₹9,999
• 3GB RAM/32GB storage: ₹10,999
• 4GB RAM/64GB storage: ₹12,999

Both phones offer decent panels, with the Redmi Note 4 outmatching its predecessor in terms of overall contrast. Sunlight legibility is also better on the Redmi Note 4, and the phone does an admirable job of turning down brightness at night.

Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 review

Xiaomi offers the ability to change color temperature and contrast levels for both phones, and you also get a blue-light filter mode and the ability to adjust font size. The Redmi Note 4 has an added trick in the form of double tap to wake, which is missing from its predecessor.

Benchmarks

A lot has been written about the SoC of choice on the Redmi Note 4 and how it isn’t as powerful as the Snapdragon 650 on the Redmi Note 3. The issue stems from the fact that the Snapdragon 625 does not have the newer Cortex A72 cores, instead offering eight first-gen Cortex A53 cores.

The GPU is also a point of contention, with the Adreno 506 on the Redmi Note 4 said to be a downgrade from the Redmi Note 3’s Adreno 510. Synthetic benchmarks also show that the Redmi Note 3 is faster both at GPU and CPU computing. That said, you won’t notice any difference in day-to-day usage between the Redmi Note 3 and Redmi Note 4, with both phones offering similar performance in visually-demanding titles.

Camera

One of the main areas of focus for Xiaomi with the Redmi Note 4 is the camera quality. The Redmi Note 4 has a 13-megapixel camera sensor that’s sourced from Samsung and Sony, while the Redmi Note 3 offers a 16MP camera. Although the resolution is less, the camera sensor is of a higher quality on the Redmi Note 4, leading to much better images.

The Redmi Note 4 wins out over its predecessor in camera quality.

Both phones have PDAF and dual-tone LED flash and are limited to 1080p video. On the front, both sport 5MP shooters.

Images from the Redmi Note 3 are washed out and lack accurate colors, and in this regard, the Redmi Note 4 fares much better. Focusing is also an issue on the Redmi Note 3, as the autofocus tends to take a while to dial in on a subject. The situation is even worse in low-light conditions, with images coming out lacking detail and full of noise.

Redmi Note 3 on the left, Redmi Note 4 on the right. Images shot in auto mode with HDR off.

Thankfully, Xiaomi’s efforts in this area have paid off, with the Redmi Note 4 excelling in brightly lit conditions and low-light scenarios. Overall, the camera on the Redmi Note 4 is a considerable upgrade from that of the Redmi Note 3, and the phone holds its own in the budget segment.

Software

Both the Redmi Note 4 and Redmi Note 3 run a Marshmallow-based build of MIUI 8, which continues to be highly customizable. While there are niggles on both phones, the feature-rich interface overshadows the few drawbacks.

You get a host of features including Dual Apps, Second Space, scrolling screenshot, built-in video editor, currency converter, and so much more. Xiaomi has done a great job of rolling out monthly updates, with the Redmi Note 4 on the December patch and the Redmi Note 3 on the November update. The fast release cadence of MIUI updates allows the manufacturer to bundle security patches with maintenance fixes.

Both phones run MIUI 8, but the Redmi Note 4 will receive Nougat first.

There isn’t much to differentiate between either device when it comes to the software, but that changes when we talk about the update situation. The Redmi Note 4 is slated to pick up the Nougat update shortly, with Xiaomi offering a preview build for download. The Nougat update is based on MIUI 8, and as such there won’t be a lot of difference visually over what’s already available. That said, the update will include a retooled notification area with inline replies, multi-window mode, and mush more.

The Redmi Note 3 should also pick up the update in the coming months, but as of now there’s no mention as to when it will be available for the device.

Battery life

Battery life on both phones is stellar on account of the large batteries and MIUI’s aggressive memory management. You’ll easily get a day’s worth of battery on either handset, and overall, the Redmi Note 4 has a slight edge over its predecessor due to the larger 4,100mAh battery (versus 4,050mAh) and the 14nm SoC.

It isn’t hard to get over 7 hours of screen-on-time on the Redmi Note 4, and if your usage involves a few hours of browsing and streaming videos, you’ll easily be able to eke out two days’ worth of usage from a full charge. The downside is that you don’t get any fast charging options. Both phones top out at 5V/2A, which is equivalent to Quick Charge 1.0 speeds. As such, it takes up to 2 hours to fully charge either phone.

Which should you buy? Redmi Note 4

The Redmi Note 4 comes out as the clear favorite over its predecessor, thanks to the vastly improved camera, premium design, and increased battery life.

If you already have a Redmi Note 3, then it doesn’t make a lot of sense to get the Redmi Note 4, unless camera quality is your primary consideration. The Redmi Note 3 has aged very well and continues to be one of the best bargains in this segment a full year and a half after its unveiling.

If you’re looking to buy a new phone for under ₹15,000, the Redmi Note 4 should be high on your list. The variant with 4GB of RAM and 64GB storage costs ₹12,999, and you’ll have enough left over to pick up a few accessories.

See at Flipkart

Samsung Galaxy Tab S3 rumored for MWC – specs, price + release date leaks

Snapdragon 820, Nougat and a 9.6-inch display in super-thin chassis.

Samsung’s high-end Galaxy Tab S range is long overdue a major update — the current generation of Tab S2 slates were announced almost 18 months ago, in August of 2015. Now it appears Samsung may finally have an updated model waiting in the wings, as Korean outlet Naver News reports that the Samsung Galaxy Tab S3 will break cover on February 26 in Barcelona, ahead of Mobile World Congress.

Rumored specs include:

• LTE and Wi-Fi-only models
• 9.6-inch 2048×1536 display
• Qualcomm Snapdragon 820
• 4GB of RAM
• 12-megapixel camera
• Android 7.0 Nougat
• 5.6mm thickness

Today’s purported specs vary slighly from an earlier leak out of China suggesting an Exynos 7420 processor (as used in the Galaxy S6 and Note 5) would be the chip of choice for the Tab S3.

Either way, those are solid enough specs for a high-end Android tablet in early 2017 — although with pricing rumored to come in around the $600 mark, the Tab S3 could struggle to compete against the inevitable iPad Pro refresh coming later this year. A Korean launch is slated for March, according to today’s report.

We’ll be in Barcelona in just a few weeks, with full coverage of the Tab S3 and anything else Samsung brings to the show.

Lego Life lays the building blocks for a safe online presence for kids

The Lego Group has just launched Lego Life, an app-based social network designed specifically for kids aged 13 and under. Lego Life will work in a similar way to Instagram, where kids can share photos of their Lego creations at home, and others can comment on using custom Lego emoji.

• Lego Boost sets to bring your Lego alive

Parents can be safe in the knowledge that all content on the service will be handled in a safe and private way. All children who use the service will not be asked to share any personal information or photos, or to give away anything that could track their location. Everyone that signs up will be asked to use a random name generator to create a three-word username so as not to identify them in any way, as well as personalising their own Lego minifigure avatar. All comments on other users’ photos will be moderated by Lego Life employees to make sure they’re child-friendly.

There will be areas and hubs within Lego Life dedicated to various Lego series, including Master Builders, Lego Batman, Ninjango and Star Wars. The Master Builders hub will set users building challenges to try and kickstart creativity, while characters from other series will be seen to comment on photos as well. Lego will also share videos and pictures of the latest sets from each series, and users can follow their favourites to make sure they receive the latest updates.

Lego Life is available to download now for free on iOS and Android devices and is available in the UK, US, Canada, France, Germany, Denmark, Austria and Switzerland. To initially sign up to the service, you will need a Lego ID comprising a username and password. This username will be different to the one used within the Lego Life app. The service will expand to other markets throughout 2017 and into 2018.

At internetmatters.org parents can find all the advice they will need to keep their children safe online. Designed specifically for parents, the site offers a wealth of up-to-date, unbiased information and advice about how to deal with online safety. Parents can learn about the latest issues and technologies, get great tips on how to talk about online safety with their children and get the best advice on dealing with issues and taking action. Created with experts, Internet Matters provides detailed information, but also signposts to best-in-class resources from individual expert organisations. Our goal is to ensure parents can always access the information that they need, in a format that is clear and concise.

Watch today’s Liverpool vs Chelsea game in 4K and Dolby Atmos

Are you a soccer (football to the rest of the world) fan with a state-of-the-art home theater? If you answered “yes” to both of those questions and happen to be a BT Sport subscriber, today’s match between Chelsea and Liverpool should be of special interest to you. That’s because the network will broadcast the game in 4K UHD and Dolby Atmos, according to Dolby’s Lab Notes blog.

“During the game, a soundfield microphone will capture the sounds of the crowd in 3D while a range of other microphones will capture many different elements, from the referee’s whistle and the spectators’ cheers to the thud of the football being kicked,” the post reads. Beyond that, a dozen mics will surround the field, capturing sounds from the grass and the audience. That’s in addition to audio being recorded from Anfield stadium’s roof and public address system.

Those last two are pretty important given Atmos’ key trick: realistically reproducing overhead audio in a home (or theater) environment. BT says this is the first Premier League game broadcast using the next-gen audio tech. DirecTV broadcast a game in 4K just over a week ago — no fancy audio in tow.

Source: Dolby Lab Notes

Yale’s liquid metal material can shed light on magnetic fields

We most likely won’t reach the center of the Earth in this lifetime, but scientists might be able to recreate it with the help of Yale’s new liquid metal material. Researchers from the university have created a substance made of various particles suspended in indium and gallium (eGaIn) alloy. It flows just like the liquid metal that surrounds our planet’s solid inner core, and it also generates magnetic fields when it does. Since its ability to generate magnetic fields is five times stronger than pure liquid metals’, scientists can use it in the lab to study the cores of planets and stars.

According to the team, it could especially be useful in the study of magnetic pole reversal, a phenomenon that happens every thousands or hundreds of thousands of years. When the north and the south pole flips during the event, our planet’s magnetic field stops working, exposing it to deadly radiation. That’s why scientists think it could be linked to mass extinction.

Yale’s material gives researchers a way to create a tiny Earth as small as 20 square centimeters inside the lab if they want to look more closely into geomagnetic flips. Previous attempts required the use of volatile liquid sodium in large chambers. Eric Brown, the study’s lead author, says the material can potentially be used to recreate other phenomena seen in planets and stars, as well.

Source: Yale, Physical Review Fluids