5.8-Inch iPhone Affirmed to Have Mostly Flat Display With Slightly Curved Edges

Apple’s widely rumored 5.8-inch iPhone with an edge-to-edge OLED display will be flat across the front of the smartphone, and slightly curved along the left and right edges to conform with the layer of 2.5D glass that covers the display, according to multiple people familiar with the matter.

“iPhone X” concept with 2.5D display by designer Gabor Balogh
Yesterday, a report claimed the high-end iPhone will have a curved display, but with gentler curves than Samsung’s Galaxy S7 edge. MacRumors has confirmed the report refers to a display that is slightly curved at the edges below 2.5D cover glass, meaning the display itself cannot be dramatically curved.

This means the report mirrors comments from IHS Markit, which last week told us that Apple will likely “adopt a flat implementation of OLED design on their special iPhone model, which is analogous to the current 2.5D glass design.”

Yesterday’s report said the slightly curved edges will make the iPhone sleeker, but it claimed the new design will not offer significant new functions. But a slightly expanded Multi-Touch area could result in improved gesture recognition along the edges, such as pulling up Control Center in landscape mode.

KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo and Chinese research firm TrendForce have also said they expect Apple’s special edition iPhone to have 2.5D cover glass, which refers to the slightly curved glass that sits above the actual display. Apple has used 2.5D cover glass since the iPhone 6 lineup in 2014.

Kuo said Apple is unlikely to adopt a fully curved display with 3D glass this year in light of mass production challenges and inadequate drop test performance. Some reports have surprisingly claimed the “iPhone 8” is not even finalized yet due to these yield rate considerations, suggesting stock could be limited at launch.

Apple has been testing multiple iPhone prototypes this year as usual, including one with a more dramatically curved display, but at this point it has elected to use a mostly flat display with only slightly curved edges, based on a flexible substrate, according to sources within Apple’s supply chain.

The benefit of the edge-to-edge design is that it will essentially allow for an iPhone 7 Plus sized display to fit on a device that is iPhone 7 sized, which is beneficial for all sorts of reasons, such as one-handed usage and pocketability. OLED displays have many benefits over LCDs, which current iPhones use, too.

The 5.8-inch display is expected to have a primary area of around 5.2 inches, while Kuo expects some of the remaining space to house virtual buttons.

Related Roundup: iPhone 8 (2017)
Tag: OLED
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Six Months After Launch, Developer Excitement Over iMessage Apps is ‘Fading’

The iMessage App Store turned six months old this week, and the app analysts at Sensor Tower have decided to see where Apple’s miniature app store stands among users and developers following an initial launch rush last year. According to Sensor Tower, more than 5,000 apps have either added iMessage features, or launched exclusively on the text message-based App Store.

Unfortunately, while the growth is noticeable — and on par with the original App Store in 2008 — it has begun subsiding on a month-to-month basis, with Sensor Tower noting it is “seeing signs that the initial rush of excitement over iMessage apps is fading among developers.” From September to October the number of iMessage-enabled apps grew 116 percent, from 400 to 1,100. By the end of November, the iMessage App Store had grown 108 percent to include around 2,250 apps.

Things began slowing down in December where growth was marked at 65 percent, with 3,700 iMessage apps stocking the App Store worldwide. As 2017 began, the iMessage App Store hit its slowest growth period yet: it saw an 18 percent increase from December to January, and a 9 percent increase from January to February.

Sensor Tower points to confusion over the iMessage App Store’s UI and app discovery that could be leading to an overall lack of user interactivity with the apps, and subsequently resulting in developers’ fading interest. The analysts still look forward to the iMessage App Store’s “real test” of growth down the line as iOS 11 approaches later in the year.

Any new platform will see an initial surge in offerings due to the aforementioned excitement, rallying cries from the platform holder, and the associated rush by developers to ensure that they’re capitalizing on (what they hope will be) the next big thing. The real test for the iMessage App Store’s catalog will be how its growth looks for the rest of its first year.

Still, consumer platforms such as Apple’s latest are driven by the steady availability of compelling software, and the cadence of releases can say a lot about developer confidence—which, in turn, is reflective of what and how much users are consuming.

Games are the most popular of the iMessage apps, and the category includes regular apps that create iMessage versions with sticker compatibility without any specific gaming features. Following games are Entertainment, Utilities, Social Networking, and Photo & Video apps.

In a bid to bring more awareness to iMessage apps — and stickers specifically — Apple this week launched a new ad to promote the wide array of stickers that users can download and share within Messages. The live action commercial featured people running around and sticking colorful, animated stickers, including some from Disney and Family Guy, on everything from other people to food.

Related Roundup: iOS 10
Tag: iMessage
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OK Google, tell Neato robot to start cleaning

Neato has announced Google Home support on all its connected robot vacuum cleaners, including the Botvac D3 Connected, Botvac D5 Connected and Botvac Connected.

Users with a Google Home device will therefore be able to ask Google Assistant to tell Neato to start cleaning, check the battery level, locate their robot vacuum cleaner and schedule a cleaning cycle with just their voice.

The integration with Google Home follows the announcement of Amazon Alexa compatibility at the end of 2016. Neato introduced Amazon Alexa in November on the Botvac Connected only, though the company is now adding support for the Botvac D3 Connected and Botvac D5 Connected too.

• Neato Botvac D5 Connected review: A Dyson 360 Eye competitor?
• Google Home review: Better than Amazon Echo?

All the Neato Botvac Connected robot cleaners use LaserSmart technology to map out the best course for cleaning a home with real time object detection, continuous room mapping and laser scanning.

They all work in the dark and all of the cleaners will automatically return to their charging base when their batteries are running low, but pick up where they left off once they are recharged.

The Botvac Connected, Botvac D5 Connected and Botvac D3 Connected feature a D-shaped design, allowing them to get into corners better, while Neato claims they have one of the largest brushes and dirt bins in the robot cleaner market.

Neato Google Assistant compatibility through Google Home will be available from 16 March in the US, no doubt followed by the UK when Google Home appears on this side of the pond. The Amazon Alexa skill expansion to the Botvac D3 Connected and Botvac D5 Connected will be available soon in the US, UK and Germany.

• Alexa, clean my house: Neato Botvac adds Echo integration
• Neato Botvac Connected review: Will Dyson get dumped?

Philips 55POS9002 OLED preview: Stunning flagship TV with P5 processing and Ambilight

TP Vision recently unveiled its second Philips-branded OLED TV, the 9002, and from our experience with it so far, it’s every bit the rival to sets with similar technology from Sony, Panasonic and, of course, LG.

It even adds its own unique feature in three-sided Ambilight, which definitely offers something different.

The 55POS9002 is not an exact replacement to last year’s 901F OLED set from Philips. It doesn’t have the front-firing “invisible soundbar” found along the bottom of the older TV. But it has all-new picture processing in the form of the P5 engine and, in a side-by-side comparison, looks better – with more vibrant colours.

Pocket-lint

The engine is the contributory factor for the improvements as the OLED panel used is identical to last year’s – LG’s 2016 panel. As we’ve found with other manufacturer’s 2017 models though, processing can make all the difference. Even though all of the OLED TVs coming onto the market use that panel, save for LG’s own new variants, which use 2017 displays, they have their own characteristics. And enhancements in the way an image is processed can make a distinct difference to picture quality.

• Philips 4K HDR TV choices for 2017: 9002 OLED, 7502, 6482 and 6412 compared
• What is HDR, what TVs support HDR, and what HDR content can I watch?

Philips new P5 processing engine, for example, has a 25 per cent increase in processing power over the Perfect Pixel Ultra HD engine used in the 901F. It also has 25 per cent more processing features, that handle additional tasks and improvements, such as a new advanced digital noise reduction system, plus a detail meter and detail enhancer that improve sharpness without causing unwanted artefacts.

Pocket-lint

The upshot of this, as far as we could tell from limited time with the latest TV, is that it had better colour representation side-by-side with the 901F. Considering that TV is also excellent, and still on sale, you can imagine that the new one impressed us greatly.

It too has three-sided Ambilight and, in a darkened room, it does make a difference to the overall experience. Even if you don’t get the immersion it purportedly brings, it is calming and pretty when in full flow.

First Impressions

We didn’t really spend enough time with the Philips 55POS9002 to see all its bells and whistles. And we’d like to calibrate one ourselves when we test it later in the year, but it seems as if TP Vision is on the right path with its new flagship.

We’d also like to see the Android M smart TV functionality at work, with Netflix in 4K HDR before casting real judgement.

The Ambilight system does add extra depth to the set, both figuratively and literally as it sticks out further from the wall than some rival OLEDs if you mount it, but many will have it on a desk stand anyway.

We don’t have the final release date, but we do understand that it’ll be available around summer time – only held up by a wait for Freeview Play certification. The Philips 901F was around £2,800 at launch for the same screen size, albeit with the soundbar running along the bottom, so we expect the 9002 to be in a similar ball park.

Scientists want to define just how smart robot surgeons are

For roughly three decades, medical robots have assisted surgeons in the operating theater. They provide a steady hand and can make tiny incisions with pinpoint accuracy. But as robotics improve, a new question has emerged: How should autonomous robots be treated? The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approves medical devices, while medical societies monitor doctors. A robot that can operate on its own falls somewhere in between. To help, Science Robotics has produced a scale for grading autonomy in robot-assisted surgery. If adopted, it could help regulators decide when and how machines should be treated like humans.

The system ranges from level zero to level five. The lowest one describes tele-operated robots that have no autonomous abilities. It then rises to level one, where a robot can provide some “mechanical guidance” while a human has “continuous control.” Level two describes a robot that can handle small tasks on its own, chosen and initiated by an operator. Level three allows the robot to create “strategies,” which a human has to approve first. Level four means the robot can execute decisions on its own, but with the supervision of a qualified doctor, while level five grants full autonomy.

Science Robotics doesn’t pretend to have all the answers. It says the overlap between the FDA and medical associations is “challenging” and will require an “orchestrated effort” from all parties. The research journal is also concerned about the effect autonomous robots will have on human surgical skills. If a machine becomes the dominant choice, it’s possible that more traditional techniques — those that involve a doctor’s own hands — will be lost, or at least downplayed in training courses. As with self-driving cars, there’s also an issue of trust. A machine might be more efficient, but what happens when it needs to make a tough, ethically murky call? Who is to blame if a patient or family member disagrees with the decision?

Via: Wired

Source: Science Robotics

NASA finds biofuels make air travel 70 percent greener

Air travel releases almost 800 million tonnes of CO2 into the atmosphere, pushing us ever closer to our looming environmental catastrophe. NASA scientists want to do something about it, and teamed up with researchers in Germany and Canada to find a way to tackle the issue. Its findings claim that jets that use biofuels emit up to 70 percent less pollution and reduces the formation of water condensation trails (contrails) in their wake.

In order to test if biofuels were cleaner, NASA flew a DC-8 out of California’s Armstrong Flight Center that used different fuels on each trip. A trio of monitoring planes then flew into the CD-8’s wake at distances as close to 250 meters to suck up the exhaust for monitoring. One fuel that appears promising is a mix of hydro-processed esters and fatty acids produced from camelina plant oil. These initial tests believe that the amount of climate-causing emissions fell between 50 and 70 percent.

It’s not just what jet engines burn that contributes to climate change, however, but what condensation trails cause. If you’re unfamiliar, particles of soot pass out of the engine along with water vapor, and at such a high altitude, form ice crystals. The result is a long white trail of ice that takes a while to dissipate, and is the cause of the nonsensical chemtrails conspiracy theory.

The ice, as it lingers in the atmosphere, can form cirrus clouds, which then form a blanket layer over the Earth. That, unfortunately, raises the temperature of the air beneath it by up to 10 degrees celsius, magnifying localized warming. With fewer soot particles in the wake, these contrails don’t form as frequently, which should help the fight against climate change.

Source: Nature, NASA

Ron Howard on his Einstein show and digital filmmaking

Genius isn’t your typical Albert Einstein biopic. It starts with a brutal assassination, and immediately jumps to the renowned physicist in flagrante with one of his assistants. The series is director Ron Howard’s second offering for National Geographic, following Mars. And, notably, Genius is the first of Howard’s scripted TV shows that he’s directing, after serving as a producer for countless series like Parenthood, Arrested Development (where he played the iconic narrator) and Felicity.

During SXSW this week, I sat down with Howard to chat about Genius, the role of technology in his filmmaking, and his thoughts on VR. He moved to digital filmmaking with Rush in 2013, and not surprisingly, it’s making it even easier for him to get through shoots these days. And while he’s intrigued by the potential of virtual reality, he doesn’t see it as an entirely new medium for artists.

Microsoft’s game chat transcribes your trash talk

If you’ve ever thought your gaming put downs had a poetic beauty to them, then Microsoft’s Game Chat Transcription might be the answer to your pwning prayers. From today, Halo Wars 2 players on both PC and Xbox One can test the new tool, allowing their in-game speech to be transcribed to a chat window in real-time.

If you’d rather not log your crude insults or incoherent mumbling for the world to see, you’ll be glad to hear that the feature is entirely optional. Halo Wars 2 players can activate the option via the Ease of Access section of the Settings menu at any time.

While regular voice chat is commonplace on most consoles, Microsoft is the first major publisher to implement a real-time chat transcription service into its games. The company stated that it is aiming to implement the feature into more games in the future.

Fortunately, the software also works the other way round too, giving mic-shy RTS players the opportunity to turn their text into speech, even allowing them to select their preferred voice.

Source: Microsoft

iLuv Launches ‘Rainbow8’ Smart Bulb With HomeKit Support and Hub-Less Design

iLuv today announced its first Apple HomeKit certified device called the “Rainbow8,” an IoT connected smart lightbulb system that includes Siri compatibility and Wi-Fi connectivity so users can interact with their lights from an iPhone or iPad. One of the distinctions between Rainbow8 and Philips Hue is that iLuv’s product doesn’t require a central, router-connected hub.

To get started the company said that “all you have to do is simply plug in,” and Rainbow8 will search for a nearby smartphone with the company’s app. Once it’s set up, users can set up schedules and geo-fences that activate and deactivate based on their location. Custom lighting scenes can be created and with the addition of HomeKit support, users can ask Siri to turn them on and off.

As an improvement on the company’s Rainbow7 Bluetooth smart bulb, the Rainbow8 includes over 16 million color options, has a dimming feature, offers 800 lumens of brightness, and will last for a lifespan of over 20,000 hours.

This user friendly smart bulb is now brighter and longer lasting, saving you money in the long run. “iLuv is very proud of the direction we are going,” said Jason Park, head of marketing at iLuv.

“The Rainbow8 is not our first smart product, but it is definitely one of our most impressive ones. Unlike most smart bulbs on the market, the Rainbow8 does not require a hub. All you have to do is simply plug in and get started. Once set up, users can do everything from schedule their lighting to setting triggers that control the lights based on their location. You can also create your own customized lighting scenes and use Siri to turn them on.”

iLuv’s Rainbow8 smart bulb is available for $49.99 from Amazon, “and other select retailers,” beginning today. At the time of writing, only 10 of the bulbs were left in stock on Amazon’s U.S. store.

Tags: HomeKit, iLuv
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Microsoft is working on technology to help the visually impaired learn to code

Why it matters to you

If you’re visually impaired, then Microsoft Research has a new educational initiative that could one day help you learn how to code.

Computing has always been a highly visual process, and a great deal of work has been done on technologies that make PCs and other devices usable by those with visual impairments. At the same time, the process of programming computers without perfect eyesight has not received quite as much attention or made as much headway.

That’s exactly what Microsoft Research is working on with its Project Torino, a physical programming language for children age 7 to 11 including those with visual disabilities. The system is aimed at allowing those children to work alongside classmates on coding classes.

More: Company founded by 15-year-old wants to help the blind browse the web

The project works by leveraging the recent tendency to introduce children to coding by using simple tools that let students drag and drop blocks of commands. These simplified tools let students create simple programs that accomplish tasks like navigating mazes or moving through space.

Project Torino uses beads that plug together in much the same way as those simplified programming tools. It’s essentially a physical programming language that can be used to create programs that, for one example, generate music. Advanced versions allow students to use a digital interface to move from physical to digital code, allowing advanced students to gain the foundational computing concepts that can lead to developing mainstream programming skills.

Researchers hope that such initiatives can help bridge the “digital skills gap” that plague technology companies and leave them with insufficient engineers and programmers to meet their coding requirements. At the same time, the visually impaired have difficulty finding career paths that are both accessible to them and meaningful.

Project Torino is intended to help both groups come together, and leverage the estimated 285 million people around the globe who are blind or visually impaired. So far, the project is moving on to an expanded beta trial with close to 100 students, and a curriculum is being developed to help teachers without coding skills use the Project Torino concepts to educate their students.