Zotac’s new Zboxes up performance with seventh-gen Intel CPUs and GTX 1000 graphics

Why it matters to you

Zotac’s Zbox machines continue to be a powerful option for those looking for a small form factor to support living-room gaming and media viewing.

Zotac has announced a new generation of Zbox mini-PC adding new 7th-generation Intel CPUs and new graphics chips from Nvidia’s GTX 1000 range. The five new versions of Zotac’s tiny systems are being shown off this week at CEBIT 2017 in Hannover, Germany and take the Zbox to new heights of performance.

Long gone are the days when, if you wanted a living-room PC, you had to build a chunky desktop and hide it in the corner somewhere. Today, with Android set-top boxes and the rise of micro-PCs, you can have something much more impressive in a much smaller package. Zotac’s Zbox certainly encapsulates that, especially with the new generation, which can give you hardware as powerful as a Core i7 7700 CPU and a GTX 1080 graphics chip.

Those two particular pieces of equipment come as part of the double-height EN1080K Zbox, which also has the space for a pair of DDR4 SODIMM sticks, an M.2 solid state drive and a 2.5 inch hard drive or SSD.

More: Zotac will soon be joining the external GPU dock bandwagon

Alongside that new flagship model, the EN1060K and EN1070K update the processor from the previous generation Core i5 CPU, to a Core i5-7500T, which improves base frequencies by a full 500Mhz according to TechReport. As you might expect, they also include mobile versions of GTX 1060 and 1070 graphics chips.

At the lower end of the spectrum, we have the new CI549 and MI549. The former is designed as a fanless, silent version of the Zbox, while the latter saves the most space. They pack a Core i5-7300 dual-core CPU, support for two sticks of DDR4 SODIMM memory, and a single 2.5-inch storage drive.

All new Zboxes support 802.11ac Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.2, and dual Gigabit Ethernet ports. The higher-end options come with dual HDMI 2.0 ports as well as two-displayport 1.3 connections and a single USB 3.1 Type-C connector. The CI549 and MI549 come with dual USB 3.1 connectors and Thunderbolt 3 support.

Zotac has yet to release pricing information for the new Zbox models, but we expect to learn more at CEBIT this week.

LG 4K HDR monitor will use USB Type-C and cost $1,000 at launch

Why it matters to you

If you want to future-proof your next monitor purchase, LG’s latest offering might be worth considering.

LG’s 32UD99, USB Type-C, HDR 4K monitor has been on our radar since the company’s pre-CES announcement in December last year, but even though we got a better look at the show itself, we didn’t have a release date or price. Now though, we do. It’s coming at the end of March and it will set you back $1,000.

The 32-inch LG display has a native resolution of 3,840 x 2,160 pixels, more commonly known as 4K or UHD. It supports the new HDR10 standard, so can deliver color and contrast beyond that of reality, with 95 percent of the DCI-P3 color space supported. The underlying panel behind all of the visual magic is of the IPS variety.

Unlike most traditional monitors, the 32UD99 doesn’t use a kettle lead for power, but a much more contemporary USB Type-C connector. It also has two HDMI ports and another pair of traditional Type-A USB 3.0 ports.

Response time is listed at 5ms and the panel also supports AMD’s Freesync technology.

More: Rise of HDR and 4K on display in the top 5 monitors at CES 2017

The physical frame is designed with a slimline bezel, which gives it a neat, contemporary look, though it comes with a pair of built-in speakers which are said to have some reasonable power to them and are supported by LG’s Rich Bass technology, according to MSPowerUser.

All of this is going to be available on March 28, with a price tag of $1,000. It’s not a cheap monitor by any means, but LG is targeting the professional crowd with this display, given its support for such a deep color palette and LG’s True Color Pro for improved color reproduction.

The fact that it supports HDR10 should make it a little more future-proof, too, which is important when you’re spending this much on a display.

Is LG’s upcoming 32UD99 a monitor you would consider on your next update cycle?

ZapBuy is making it alarmingly easy for you to buy products from ads

Why it matters to you

Can’t remember the ad that wanted you to go to that website to buy that shirt? This service will let you buy the shirt by scanning the ad.

Helping ads reach the ultimate in effectiveness is a new mobile shopping method that proves just how far advertisers have come since the days of the jingle. Meet ZapBuy, a new technology from OmnyWay which allows customers to buy items directly from an ad simply by “zapping” the ad. Thanks to this new feature, you’ll be able to spend money more seamlessly than ever — just see an ad, decide you want what it’s offering, and act on it by exercising your purchasing power.

“ZapBuy’s secret sauce is that it converts any surface into a point of commerce,” said OmnyWay CEO Ashok Narasimhan. “It also allows brands and retailers to connect directly with selected shoppers based on a shopper relevancy index. By removing the friction from the process of making a purchase from an ad, OmnyWay is improving the shopping experience for consumers, leading to a significant improvement in conversions and sales.”

More: A Chrome extension replaces web advertisements with artworks

Indeed, even the most effective of advertisements today don’t allow for customers to take action immediately. They either have to remember a store name, remember an URL, and then navigate either the brick and mortar or online shopping experience. But with ZapBuy, OmnyWay hopes that customers and marketers both will be able to realize a truly effective way of completing a purchase.

Indeed, the company says, “Rather than shoppers leaving their current environment to make an ad-based purchase, ZapBuy brings the ‘store’ to the context they are in.”

The feature will work across a number of traditional advertising media, including print, display ads, social media ads, emails, television, and more. All you have to do is scan the ad with your phone, and voila — you’ll be able to make a purchase.

So guard your wallets (or rather, your phones). Sometimes, making it easier to buy things isn’t always the easiest on your bank account.

Vodafone and rival Idea Cellular merge in India to form country’s largest network

Why it matters to you

As the battle for technological dominance heats up in India, two cellphone providers are merging in order to combine their competitive energy.

To beat the rest of them, join forces with one of them. That seems to be the mentality of Vodafone, which has just merged with rival cellphone service provider Idea Cellular in India to create what is now the single biggest network in the country. By combining forces, the new telecom giant will boast a subscriber base of almost 400 million people, claim 41 percent of revenue market share, and have 35 percent of customer market share.

The move was seemingly spurred by another major player in the cellphone provider space — Reliance Jio, an inexpensive 4G network (which recently partnered with Google to bring the Indian market an affordable 4G-enabled smartphone). Reliance Jio claims to have the cheapest mobile data in the world, and this claim has garnered Jio quite the user base — already, it has hit 100 million customers despite being founded only seven years ago.

More: Google and Jio are said to be working together on a cheap 4G phone for India

But now, Vodafone and Idea Cellular seem to believe that they’ve found a way to stop Jio from encroaching on their own numbers. Kumar Mangalam Birla, the owner of Idea Cellular and the chairman of Aditya Birla Group, said in a statement, “This landmark combination will enable the Aditya Birla Group to create a high quality digital infrastructure that will transition the Indian population toward a digital lifestyle and make the Government’s Digital India vision a reality.”

Vodafone Group Chief Executive Vittorio Colao echoed these sentiments, noting, “The combined company will have the scale required to ensure sustainable consumer choice in a competitive market and to expand new technologies – such as mobile money services – that have the potential to transform daily life for every Indian. We look forward to working with the Aditya Birla Group to create value for all stakeholders.”

The historic deal is expected to be completed within two years, which means that by 2018, a plurality of Indian customers will be getting their mobile services provided by one very large company.

Redox flow batteries could power and cool future chips at the same time

Why it matters to you

Flow batteries have the potential to support smaller, more efficient hardware for all of us in the future.

Researchers at IBM and ETH Zurich University have developed a tiny “flow battery” which is able to supply power to processors while also cooling them down. Although still in the early stages of development, this technology could help build smaller and more efficient hardware.

The concept of a “redox flow” battery is one that has been around for a while now. We talked about a system powered by “electric blood” back in 2015, but we’re still some way from it becoming a commercial reality. Typically they are used now for larger-scale power storage, but what the teams at IBM and ETH Zurich have achieved is something that could very well pioneer new generations of consumer-facing hardware.

“We are the first scientists to build such a small flow battery so as to combine energy supply and cooling,” says doctoral student Julian Marschewski of the project (via Engadget).

More: Harvard creates a renewable battery that can last for 10 years

The flow battery in this case was built using 3D printing, creating a wedge-shaped channel that is able to supply the chip with power, while taking away excess heat with very little pumping required. It even broke records for its power generated, but at just 1.4 watts per centimeter, we need the flow battery to deliver much more power before it’s ready for consumer-grade hardware.

In terms of cooling, however, it was very effective. The flow system was able to dissipate far more heat than the chip produced, so there are very real applications for this sort of technology if it can be improved further.

If researchers are able to make much more efficient and powerful versions of these liquid batteries, we could see new designs for all sorts of hardware. Solar panels could use it for cooling and storing power directly in the battery cell and it could even help high-powered lasers which require internal cooling systems.

Qualcomm 205 gives feature phones high-speed 3G LTE

Why it matters to you

This new platform could support low-cost phones that could expand internet access in the developing world.

High-speed 4G LTE is pretty much old hat when it comes to high-end smartphones, but budget devices bound for developing markets don’t always get the latest and greatest. On Tuesday, though, chipmaker Qualcomm righted that wrong with a new platform, the Qualcomm 205, that includes its system-on-a-chip (SoC) compatible with 4G, 3G, and 2G networks.

It’s principally aimed at feature phones, or “dumbphones,” devices that often lack a touchscreen, GPS, and app store (think Nokia’s new 3310). They’re not all that popular stateside, but their usage is exploding in developing markets — according to market research firm IDC, about half of all phones in use in India, Vietnam, and South Africa are feature phones.

More: Qualcomm’s Snapdragon is no longer just a processor — now it’s a “platform”

To that end, the Qualcomm 205 brings a fairly wide variety of network technologies to low-end devices. It radio supports Category 4 LTE, which translates to a 150Mbps theoretical download speed and a 50Mbps upload speed; Voice over LTE (VoLTE) and Voice over Wi-Fi, two standards that transmit calls over the internet rather than cell towers; and 2.4GHz 802.11n Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.1.

At a launch event in New Delhi, Qualcomm emphasized the importance of high-speed connectivity in emerging regions such as India, Latin America, and Southeast Asia. “Bringing 4G and other advanced connectivity features to emerging regions can have a profound effect on those served,” a spokesperson said. “From a business point of view, small enterprises […] that make up a large percentage of the economy […] will have more reliable, faster and more secure access to process financial transactions, [and] faster download speeds allow for on-demand content including music and videos.”

The rest of the Qualcomm 205’s hardware isn’t quite as capable. A 1.1 GHz CPU handles processing duties, a Qualcomm Adreno graphics card powers screens up to a resolution of 480p, and an image processing chip supports a pair of 3MP rear and selfie cameras. But that low-end hardware makes it highly battery-efficient. Qualcomm said devices with the chip should get about 45 days of standby time, 20 hours of talk time, and 86 hours of music playback.

More: Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 835 will definitely run Windows 10 later in 2017

Qualcomm said the new platform supports “Linux-based operating systems” including Android.

“Qualcomm is committed to the migration of users and networks from 2G, 2.5G, and 3G to 4G,” Kedar Kondap, vice president of product management of Qualcomm, said in a statement. “Feature phones are a lifeline in many emerging countries and the Qualcomm 205 Mobile Platform allows us to bring 4G connectivity and services to the masses with devices at price points never seen before.”

The Qualcomm 205 is available beginning today, and Qualcomm expects devices to reach customers in the second quarter of this year.

13 major LG G4 problems and ways to fix them

We’re big fans of the LG G4. It boasts a simply stunning display, an excellent camera, and a stylish design, but no device is perfect. A few issues and LG G4 problems have surfaced online. We’ve been reading up on the complaints and checking for solutions. These are the major issues we’ve uncovered so far, each with a suggested workaround or fix.

More: 20 best LG G4 cases

Glitch: Random rebooting and boot loop

If your LG G4 has been rebooting for no apparent reason, or getting stuck in a boot loop, then you’re not alone. There are a lot of reports detailing random reboots. LG acknowledged the boot loop issue as being caused by “loose contact between components.” There’s even a lawsuit against LG now about the boot loop problem. If your LG G4 keeps turning off unexpectedly and gets stuck in a boot loop, then you’re probably going to have to get a repair or replacement. If you’re just getting random reboots, then there are a few things worth trying first.

Potential solutions:

• Sometimes a MicroSD card can cause problems like this. Try turning your LG G4 off and removing the SD card to see if it makes any difference.
• Try clearing the cache partition. Go to Settings > General > Storage > Cached data and then tap OK to clear it. If you find that you can’t get there because your G4 keeps crashing, then try turning the phone off and pressing and holding Power, Volume up, and Home. Let go of Power when the G4 vibrates, but keep holding the other two until you see the Android recovery screen. Use the Volume down button to highlight wipe cache partition and the Power button to select it.
• It’s worth checking safe mode to see if a third-party app might be your culprit. Press and hold the Power button, then tap and hold on Power off when it pops up. You should get the option to boot into safe mode. If the crashes are gone, then you know one of the apps you installed is probably the cause and you can try uninstalling them one-by-one, or skip to the next step.
• You may as well try a factory reset if nothing else has worked. Customer support is probably going to ask you to try it anyway, before you can get a replacement handset. Make sure you back up anything precious first. Go to Settings > Backup & reset > Factory data reset > Reset phone > Delete all. If you’re stuck in a boot loop, then you can try pulling the battery out and replacing it after 30 seconds to see if will start it up normally. If you’re unable to get there because it keeps crashing, turn the phone off and press and hold Power and Volume down. When you see the LG logo, let go of Power and press and hold it again while continuing to hold Volume down. You should see the Factory data reset option now, and you can use Volume down to highlight Yes and Power to select it.
• Your final option is to go contact your carrier, retailer, or LG and ask for a replacement. Quite a few people with this problem report that they had to get a replacement handset after being unable to find another solution.

Glitch: Touchscreen unresponsive

A lot of LG G4 owners have been complaining about touchscreen taps being delayed or just not registering at all. It seems that the touchscreen sensitivity is off and some taps are being missed. There have also been complaints about long-pressing for special characters being incredibly slow when using the keyboard. If you want to confirm whether you are suffering from the issue then try out the Multitouch Test app.

Workaround:

• If your main problem is with the keyboard then you could try using something different, such as Google Keyboard or SwiftKey.

Potential solutions:

• LG acknowledged that there is an issue here, with Buzz Jensen, LG’s Head of Marketing in the U.S. tweeting to tell users to update the LG Keyboard via Settings > General > About phone > Update center > App update. This should fix issues in the LG Keyboard, but it’s not going to help if you’re experiencing the issue in another app.
• If you’re using a screen protector or a case then it could be worth removing them to test if it makes a difference.
• Some people have found that the issue seems resolved or at least reduced after they toggled Force GPU Rendering in the Developer options menu. To unlock Developer options go to Settings > General > About phone > Software info and tap on Build number repeatedly until you see the message You are now a developer! Go back to Settings > General and you’ll see Developer options. Head in there and toggle Force GPU Rendering to see if it makes any difference for you.

Problem: Lag

Quite a few people have been complaining about lag on the LG G4. This may be linked to the touchscreen responsiveness problem, or it may be a separate issue. Most complaints are about lagging when waking the device or switching between apps. It’s a powerful phone that really shouldn’t be lagging, so there are a few things you can try to resolve this.

Workarounds:

• You could try using a different launcher, such as Nova Launcher. Some people report less lag when not using the default LG launcher.
• Some people report less lag after going to Settings > General and toggling Dual window off. This might help because long pressing on Back is a shortcut to Dual window.
• You could try the old animation trick. Unlock Developer options by tapping on Build number several times in Settings > General > About phone > Software info. You’ll find Developer options in Settings > General and you can switch Window animation scale, Transition animation scale, and Animator duration scale to 0.5x or turn them off completely.

Potential solutions:

• Disable or uninstall any apps or games that you aren’t using. You might want to try out Greenify and see if it can help your LG G4 run more smoothly.
• It might be worth trying a factory reset. Make sure that you’re backed up and then go to Settings > Backup and reset > Factory data reset.
• Plenty of owners are reporting lag-free LG G4 performance so it could be worth going back to your carrier, retailer, or LG and trying to get a replacement handset.

Bug: LED flashing, but no notification

A few LG G4 users are annoyed because the LED keeps flashing for no discernible reason. When they check, there are no new notifications, and yet that light keeps blinking.

Workaround:

• You could just turn the LED off. You’ll find the option in Settings > Sound & notification > Notification LED.

Potential solutions:

• Here’s a fix from XDA Developers forum. Clear your notifications and turn off the screen, check that the LED is flashing. If it is then turn the screen back on and go to Clock, then disable Alarm. Turn the screen off again. The LED should have stopped blinking and you can go back into Clock and enable your Alarm again.

Issue: Bluetooth won’t connect or not working properly

Some people are having trouble getting the LG G4 to pair with their Bluetooth car system or device. There are also a few reports of missing song titles, and other issues related to Bluetooth.

Workaround:

If you’re having issues with song titles then try disabling the default LG Music app (assuming you’re using something else). You’ll find it under Settings > General > Apps on the All tab.

Potential solutions:

• Take a quick look in Settings > General > Smart Functions > Smart Settings and make sure nothing in here is interfering with your Bluetooth.
• Check your device or car manual and make sure that you’re following the instructions for pairing.
• You may have reached some kind of Bluetooth profile limit. Try deleting old profiles on your car or device.
• Go to Settings > Networks > Bluetooth on your G4, tap settings for the device that’s giving you problems and choose Forget. Do the same thing with your car or accessory, where applicable, and then set the connection up fresh.
• Try using the Bluetooth Auto Connect app and see if helps.

Problem: Wi-Fi won’t connect or very slow

Quite a few LG G4 owners have been struggling to get a stable connection to Wi-Fi networks. In some cases the phone won’t connect at all, but mostly it connects and runs slowly, or disconnects itself seemingly at random.

Potential solutions:

• You should always start with the easiest potential fix, which is to turn your router off and turn your phone off and then turn them both back on again.
• Now try going to Settings > Wi-Fi and long press on the network you are trying to connect to, then tap Forget and set the connection up anew.
• Take a look in Settings > General > Battery & power saving and check that Battery saver isn’t interfering with your Wi-Fi.
• Check in Settings > General > Smart Functions > Smart Settings and make sure nothing in here is interfering with your Wi-Fi.
• If you’re connecting to the 2.4GHz band then try 5GHz instead and vice versa.
• Download and install Wifi Analyzer and check how busy your channels are. You may need to switch to a less crowded channel.
• Check in with your ISP or router manufacturer and make sure that your router firmware is up to date.

Issue: Portrait photos rotating

If you find that your portrait photos from the LG G4 are sometimes being flipped to landscape orientation when you download them to another device or upload them online, then you’re definitely not alone. This seems to be something do with the way the LG G4 handles rotation. The phone uses EXIF (exchangeable image file format) settings to rotate the photo, which might be about cutting down processing time. There are a couple ways around the issue, but unfortunately there’s no real solution.

Workarounds:

• Use a different camera app. There are loads to choose from in the Play Store.
• Use an alternative gallery app. For example, saving photos in QuickPic Gallery, and then uploading them from there will fix the rotation issue.
• You can always rotate the photos on your computer in Windows Photo Viewer, or using any editor.

Glitch: Green spot on photos

A number of people are reporting an emerging glitch where green spots appear in the photos they take with the G4’s camera. There are also reports of an issue with a pink tint in the center of low light photos, but it’s not clear if the two are linked. There’s some argument about whether this is a hardware or software issue.

Workarounds:

• Try using an alternative camera app to take photos and see if there’s a difference.

Potential solutions:

• Make sure there’s no protective film on the lens and remove your case, if you’re using one.
• Some people found temporary success by going to Settings > General > Apps and finding the Camera app, then tapping Clear cache and Clear data.
• If you’re able to, then it may be worth contacting your carrier, retailer, or LG to ask about a replacement.

Issue: Slow charging

A lot of LG G4 owners have been complaining about the phone taking forever to charge up. It seems to be particularly slow at times, and the cause isn’t entirely clear. If you feel that it’s charging very slowly in certain circumstances, you can get a better idea about what’s happening by downloading the Ampere app.

Workarounds:

• The LG G4 will definitely charge up more quickly if you leave the screen off and refrain from using it while it’s charging.
• Some people have suggested that the charging speed is closely related to the heat of the device. Remove the case, if you have one, and charge in a cool room if you can.
• A few people found that it charged faster after they removed the MicroSD card. It might be worth a try.

Potential solution:

• The LG G4 supports Quick Charge 2.0, but the charger that comes in the box with it does not. We usually advise you to use the charger and cable that shipped with your phone when you encounter a charging issue, but in this case it might be best not to. You may need to buy a QC2.0 charger to get faster charging speeds.

Problem: Overheating

There was a bit of fuss about the Snapdragon 810 processor that was used in the LG G Flex 2 being prone to overheating, but LG decided to go with the 808 in the G4 (LG denied this was because of the overheating issue). In any case, some G4 owners have run into problems with the phone overheating. The good news is that it won’t overheat to the point where it risks damage, you’ll get a pop-up telling you that the phone needs to cool down, and you might notice the screen dimming, slower performance, or pauses in charging.

Workarounds:

• Remove the case if you use one to help the G4 cool down.
• Try not to use it in hot environments or leave it in direct sunlight.
• Don’t use it while it’s charging up.

Potential solutions:

• Start with a simple restart of your LG G4 to see if that makes a difference.
• There’s a chance that an app is causing an issue. Try going to Settings > General > Storage, and then tap on Cached data and clear it.
• You could also try uninstalling potential problem apps. To find candidates, take a look under Settings > Battery & power saving > Battery usage, and look for something guzzling more juice than it should.
• Your last resort is a factory reset. Back up all your precious files, and then go to Settings > Backup & reset > Factory data reset, tap Reset phone and follow through the process. Once it’s complete, don’t restore all your apps, install them selectively, and watch out for any issues emerging.

Glitch: Screen splitting vertically

A few people have reported a glitch where the screen splits vertically, one half sticks and the other changes when they try to scroll. The two halves separate.

Potential solutions:

• A restart might fix the issue, at least temporarily.
• There’s a chance that LG will put out a software fix, but this will come automatically OTA (over the air), so there isn’t much you can do other than wait.
• You may want to go back to your carrier, retailer, or LG and try to get a replacement handset.

Problem: Battery life is poor

Many LG G4 owners have been experiencing problems with poor battery life. The battery may be draining much faster than expected, or perhaps it’s draining when not in use. There are lots of potential reasons for this and lots of things you can try doing to improve it.

Workarounds:

• You have the option of swapping the battery in the LG G4, so you could always consider buying a spare and carrying it with you. You can buy an official LG G4 battery for around $40.
• The chances are good that the screen is your main power drain. Try reducing the brightness in Settings > Display > Brightness.
• It could be worth switching Wi-Fi off when you leave the house, or don’t need it. Some people have reported better battery life by doing this, because the G4 is no longer seeking a Wi-Fi signal. You can just swipe down to open the notification shade and toggle it off. This applies to Bluetooth, too.
• You can extend your last bit of battery significantly by using the battery saver mode. Go to Settings > Battery & power saving > Battery saver to turn it on and configure it.
• Background syncing can be a major drain sometimes. There are some apps you probably don’t need syncing in the background, so why not turn the sync off? They’ll still update when you open them. If you go to Settings > Accounts you can see a full list and turn off automatic syncing on selected items.

Potential solutions:

• It could be that a specific app is misbehaving. Take a look under Settings > Battery & power saving > Battery usage, and look for something guzzling more juice than it should. If you find a particularly bad app, then consider uninstalling it. You can confirm that a third-party app is to blame by trying safe mode. Press and hold the Power button, then tap and hold on Power off when it pops up, and you should get the option to boot into safe mode. If the problem is gone, then you know a third-party app is causing it. Just restart the G4 to get back out of safe mode.
• You can use an app like Greenify to help you identify problem apps that are draining your battery and to stop them from doing so.
• A factory reset can really help with battery issues, particularly if you’ve updated Android recently. Make sure that you back up any precious files and go to Settings > Backup & reset > Factory data reset, then Reset phone and Delete all.

Issue: “Unable to save changes” when photo editing

A few people have run into a “Unable to save changes” message when trying to edit photos in the Gallery app. This will apparently happen if you’re using your MicroSD card for storage instead of your phone’s internal memory. The problem might also be related to automatic backup.

Workarounds:

• The photos that it said it couldn’t save should actually be within the Gallery app listed under Albums > Pictures.
• Some people have found success by using an alternative app, such as QuickPic or Aviary.

Apple to debut augmented reality content on iPhone ahead of dedicated hardware

Why it matters to you

Apple isn’t giving up on augmented reality, and functionality related to the tech could show up on the iPhone as soon as next year.

It’s no secret that Apple is interested in augmented reality, as the company’s CEO Tim Cook has said as much publicly several times before. However, there’s now confirmation that Apple is actively pursuing the technology, with a view to introducing related functionality in an upcoming iteration of the iPhone.

A team of hundreds is working on AR under the former head of Dolby’s hardware and new technologies group, Mike Rockwell, according to a report from Bloomberg. Rockwell is reporting to Dan Riccio, who helms the iPad and iPhone engineering groups, which hints at the way Apple plans to familiarize users with AR.

Some engineers on the iPhone team are apparently already working on AR functionality. For instance, there’s a feature in development that would allow iPhone users to take a photograph, then isolate a single object in the image and tilt it 180 degrees.

More: Apple making major augmented reality push, CEO Tim Cook confirms

Another feature is said to use AR to superimpose digital effects and imagery over a person’s image, like the various filters offered by Snapchat. This functionality is expected to underpinned by the work of PrimeSense, a motion-sensor firm that Apple acquired in 2013.

For the time being, the iPhone is the centerpiece of Apple’s AR strategy. However, looking further forward, the company hopes to launch a dedicated device that specializes in this type of content.

Apple is working on a pair of glasses designed for AR, which will likely be tethered to the iPhone in a similar manner to the Apple Watch. As well as the hardware, it’s vital that an appealing spread of content is assembled to encourage users to adopt the device, which is why some features are being prepped to hit the iPhone in 2018 and beyond.

While the likes of Oculus and HTC pursue virtual reality, it’s interesting to see both Apple and Microsoft concentrate their efforts on AR tech. Apple clearly has plenty of ambition when it comes to this sector, but there are still major doubts as to whether the general public has any interest.

Apple to debut augmented reality content on iPhone ahead of dedicated hardware

Why it matters to you

Apple isn’t giving up on augmented reality, and functionality related to the tech could show up on the iPhone as soon as next year.

It’s no secret that Apple is interested in augmented reality, as the company’s CEO Tim Cook has said as much publicly several times before. However, there’s now confirmation that Apple is actively pursuing the technology, with a view to introducing related functionality in an upcoming iteration of the iPhone.

A team of hundreds is working on AR under the former head of Dolby’s hardware and new technologies group, Mike Rockwell, according to a report from Bloomberg. Rockwell is reporting to Dan Riccio, who helms the iPad and iPhone engineering groups, which hints at the way Apple plans to familiarize users with AR.

Some engineers on the iPhone team are apparently already working on AR functionality. For instance, there’s a feature in development that would allow iPhone users to take a photograph, then isolate a single object in the image and tilt it 180 degrees.

More: Apple making major augmented reality push, CEO Tim Cook confirms

Another feature is said to use AR to superimpose digital effects and imagery over a person’s image, like the various filters offered by Snapchat. This functionality is expected to underpinned by the work of PrimeSense, a motion-sensor firm that Apple acquired in 2013.

For the time being, the iPhone is the centerpiece of Apple’s AR strategy. However, looking further forward, the company hopes to launch a dedicated device that specializes in this type of content.

Apple is working on a pair of glasses designed for AR, which will likely be tethered to the iPhone in a similar manner to the Apple Watch. As well as the hardware, it’s vital that an appealing spread of content is assembled to encourage users to adopt the device, which is why some features are being prepped to hit the iPhone in 2018 and beyond.

While the likes of Oculus and HTC pursue virtual reality, it’s interesting to see both Apple and Microsoft concentrate their efforts on AR tech. Apple clearly has plenty of ambition when it comes to this sector, but there are still major doubts as to whether the general public has any interest.

WebMD’s Health Pregnancy Study to recruit participants via Apple’s Research Kit

Why it matters to you

WebMD wants to help improve the health of pregnant women. To do so, it’s tapping Apple’s ResearchKit platform.

Apple debuted ResearchKit, a platform that helps scientists recruit participants for studies, back in 2015. Since then, it has been used by the University of Oxford, Stanford Medicine, and the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. And now, WebMD is joining the fray with its Health Pregnancy Study, an effort that will let pregnant women “easily and anonymously” answer questions and share data about their pregnancies with researchers.

“Pregnant women are one of the least studied populations in medical research,” Dr. Eric Topol, director of the Scripps Translational Science Institute (STSI) and editor-in-chief of Medscape, said in a statement. “The results of our Healthy Pregnancy Study […] will ultimately provide expectant mothers, researchers, and health care professionals with new medical insights to avoid complications during pregnancy.”

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The study, which is launching through WebMD’s newly redesigned Pregnancy app, is being conducted in partnership with the STSI. During a user’s pregnancy, it will ask specific questions about “medication use, vaccinations they may have received, pre-existing conditions, blood pressure and weight change, diagnoses during pregnancy, [and] childbirth location.” During the pregnancy, users will be able to share biometric data such as the number of steps taken and hours slept during pregnancy. And a post-pregnancy component will survey participants on “provider insights and interventions,” the birth size of the baby, and other factors.

As participants progress through pregnancy, WebMD’s Pregnancy app will provide visualizations of trends as data is collected, and allow users to compare their data with that of other pregnant women who share their traits.

According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 65,000 women in the United States have severe pregnancy complications each year, and that’s despite medical advances. As a result of chronic conditions such as high blood pressure and obesity, the rate of pregnancy-related deaths in the United States has increased over the past 25 years.

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“Over 1.5 million people downloaded WebMD’s Pregnancy mobile app,” Dr. Hansa Bhargava, WebMD’s medical editor and in-house pediatric expert, said. “We will collect large amounts of diverse data that can help scientists and doctors to better understand factors that contribute to healthy pregnancies, [and] ultimately, this will help moms have healthy pregnancies and have healthier babies.”

The Health Pregnancy Study launches on the heels of Mount Sinai Hospital’s asthma patient survey, which used ResearchKit to crowdsource data from 7,600 participants.

It’s a growing trend. The idea of collecting medical research data via smartphones isn’t a new one — indeed, the Center for Disease Control (CDC) launched a project in 2013 to examine the feasibility of collecting phone-based surveys and text messages. But tools like Apple’s ResearchKit lower researchers’ barrier to entry. It’s not perfect — ResearchKit doesn’t support third-party operating systems like Android, for example — but for short-term studies that require rapid enrollment and frequent data collection, it’s useful in a pinch.