Concept Imagines What a Modular Mac Pro Might Look Like

Last week, Apple executives announced that the company is working on an updated Mac Pro that features a revamped modular design to accommodate regular component upgrades.

The launch of the new modular Mac Pro is at least a year away as development has just started, so we have no idea what the machine will look like when it’s finished, but that hasn’t stopped designers at CURVED/labs from dreaming up a conceptual design that includes a simple Mac mini-style box and a matching Apple-branded display.

The imagined Mac Pro features a design that’s entirely upgradeable, with two slots for full-sized graphics cards, rotating housing sides, and easily accessible sections for the processor, RAM, and storage.

Holes on the top are designed to allow hot air to escape, and there are added features like a Touch ID power button, a Touch Bar for accessing information on included components, and USB-C, USB-A, and HDMI ports, along with a microphone and a headphone jack.

Accompanying the imagined Mac Pro is a revamped 27-inch Apple “Cinema Display” with ultra thin bezels, an iMac-style stand, and and USB-C ports at the back.

Again, this is in no way representative of what the finished Mac Pro might look like, but it does imagine features that are in line with what Apple executives have said about the Mac Pro so far. It’s going to be a high-end high-throughput machine that will facilitate regular upgrades to meet the needs of Apple’s pro user base. And given its modular nature, it will ship with an Apple-branded “pro” display.

Apple is in the process of “completely rethinking” the Mac Pro and execs say it will take “longer than this year” to finish. What that means is not entirely clear, but one rumor has suggested it might not launch until 2019. Apple has a dedicated team working on the machine, which will serve the company’s “most demanding pro customers.”

Related Roundup: Mac Pro
Buyer’s Guide: Mac Pro (Buy Now)
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Hover Camera Passport Comes to Apple Retail Stores, With In-Store Demos Available

Hover Camera Passport, a lightweight, personal drone-style camera from Zero Zero Robotics, is available on Apple’s website and in Apple retail stores in the United States, Canada, China, Hong Kong, and the UK starting today.

The Hover Camera Passport can be thought of as a sort of next-generation autonomous selfie stick that’s able to follow you around and capture a hands-free photo whenever you wish.

It’s made from a lightweight (242 grams), foldable carbon fiber material so it packs down small and can go anywhere, and it’s equipped with face tracking and body tracking so it knows who to follow. The drone travels up to 17 miles per hour and can hover for 10 minutes at up to 65 feet away, so it’s able to track a user that’s running, walking, biking, or engaging in other similar physical activities.

There’s a 13-megapixel camera built in, which can also capture 4K video. Since it’s a flying camera, it can capture 360 degrees of panoramic video, and it’s designed to be flown right out of the box, so even people unfamiliar with drones can pick it up and fly it.

The Hover Camera Passport is controlled through the Hover Camera iOS app, which provides features like a real-time video feed, quick social sharing, multiple flight modes including spin and orbit, auto follow, and picture-taking features.

New features are being added to the Hover Camera Passport for its Apple Store launch, including compatibility with iMovie and Final Cut Pro X, a more user-friendly interface, and automated media editing to create small, moving clips that can be shared with family and friends.

Zero Zero Robotics is offering a $499 Apple-exclusive bundle at Apple Stores, which consists of a Passport flying camera, two batteries, a charger, an adapter, and an easy-carry bag. Apple retail stores will be hosting in-store demos of the Hover Camera Passport so customers can try it out. 42 retail stores will begin demos today, and other stores will start demonstrations in May.

Tags: Apple retail, Hover Camera Passport
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All Three 2017 iPhones Predicted to Have 3GB of RAM and Lightning Connectors With Faster Charging

All three of Apple’s rumored 2017 iPhone models will likely have 3GB of RAM, according to Cowen and Company analyst Timothy Arcuri.

An excerpt from Arcuri’s late March research note, obtained by MacRumors:

In terms of memory/storage configuration, all three models will likely adopt 3GB RAM; the 4.7”/5.5” will likely have the same storage options as the current iPhone 7/7+ in 32/128/256GB while the 5.8” model looks to be only offered in two memory configurations: 64GB and 256GB. Finally, the 5.8” model will likely have extended battery life with two packs of batteries.

Arcuri’s research contradicts Taiwanese research firm TrendForce, which recently said that only the next 5.5-inch iPhone and Apple’s rumored 5.8-inch iPhone with an OLED display will have 3GB of RAM. TrendForce said the next 4.7-inch iPhone will continue to have 2GB of RAM like the iPhone 7.

Apple already includes 3GB of RAM in the iPhone 7 Plus, so the 4.7-inch iPhone would be the only model with increased RAM.

If the prediction is accurate, it’s welcomed news for customers that plan on purchasing the next 4.7-inch iPhone, rather than spending upwards of $200 more on the so-called “iPhone 8” with an edge-to-edge OLED display.

Increased RAM means an iPhone can store more data in memory. If you have dozens of tabs open in Safari on an older iPhone, for example, you may notice that some of the tabs refresh when you revisit them. But with increased RAM, the likelihood of Safari reloading a website you previously loaded is lower.

Arcuri also corroborated KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo in saying that all three 2017 iPhone models will continue to have Lightning connectors with USB Type-C Power Delivery for faster charging.

Cowen’s research is based on his own checks of Apple’s supply chain, so his prediction lends credence to the already-reliable Kuo.

The Wall Street Journal previously said the “iPhone 8” will have “a USB-C port for the power cord and other peripheral devices instead of the company’s original Lightning connector.” But the report did not provide any additional details, and it appears the Lightning connector will live on.

Related Roundup: iPhone 8 (2017)
Tags: Timothy Arcuri, Cowen and Company, Lightning, RAM
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Motorola Announces i710 Mobile Phone

From Motorola’s press release:

Motorola, Inc. today announced the Motorola i710, a new mobile device designed to appeal to small and medium sized business owners desiring a more affordable, user-friendly handset for their workforces. Sleek and stylish without being complicated, the Motorola i710 flip phone offers Motorola’s iDEN push-to-talk technology, enabling users to communicate instantly at the touch of a button.

“The Motorola i710 mobile phone is an economical, yet feature-rich solution allowing users to stay connected like never before,“ said Rey More’, senior vice president and general manager, Motorola’s iDEN Subscriber Group. “The Motorola i710 can enable users to work more efficiently through many user-friendly features our customers have come to expect.â€

These features include:

Java technology business applications GPS technology, allowing users to track fleets, simplify routes, and obtain the quickest directions mobile messaging services, giving users convenient, one-screen access to voice mail messages, text messages and quick notes brilliant internal color display datebook 600-entry contacts list integrated speakerphone voice dialing voice recorder wait and pause dialing for quicker access to telephone systems with passwords

The Motorola i710 weighs 5.06 ounces and measures 3.67 x 2.04 x 1.08 inches. It is available through Nextel Communications and Southern LINC in the United States.

For more details and specifications, visit Motorola’s Website.

Samsung reportedly has a foldable, dual-screen smartphone in the works

Why it matters to you

A foldable smartphone could be like a tablet small enough to fit into your pocket.

Samsung may have just announced the Galaxy S8, but the Seoul, South Korea-based company may have something better up its sleeve. That’s according to ET News and The Investor, which reported on Wednesday that Samsung will begin to produce a limited number of dual-screen smartphone prototypes this year.

Work has reportedly begun in earnest. The design will feature a pair of flexible 5-inch, nearly bezel-less OLED displays joined by a single hinge that can be folded 180 degrees. And Samsung’s developing software with multitasking features that take advantage of its unfolded, effective 10-inch resolution.

More: Samsung Galaxy X: Rumors and news leaks

The Investor speculates that it’s a preliminary version of the company’s long-rumored foldable smartphone, the Galaxy X.

The reports follow on the heels of Samsung’s Project Valley, an “early vision” of a foldable smartphone that featured a single flexible panel. It’s not a new idea — as The Verge points out, both NEC’s Medias W N-05E and the Kyocera Echo featured collapsing dual-screen designs. But it’s the first material effort from Samsung, which has long expressed its intention to build a foldable handset small enough to fit in a pocket.

Samsung plans to make between 2,000 and 3,000 units in the first half of 2017. According to The Investor, Samsung and its display-making arm Samsung Display have been accelerating development for a pilot test with “tens of thousands” of prototypes during the second half of this year.

More: Samsung patent for flexible screen suggests bendable device is on the way

But don’t hold your breath for a mass-market launch anytime soon. In April, Samsung Display’s principal engineer, Kim Tae-woong, said the company is currently focused on bezel-free displays. “Because the bezel-free display current sells well, we still have enough time to develop foldable displays,” Kim told The Verge. Samsung is pegging 2019 as the year it will commercialize foldable phones.

The comments were at odds with a Bloomberg report which claimed that Samsung would release two bendable smartphones: One that folded in half, and another with a 5-inch display that “unfurled” into a tablet-sized 8-inch panel. But one thing’s for certain: Samsung’s chasing rivals.

At an event in June 2016, Lenovo showed off a concept smartphone that uses a flexible screen and segmented body to converted from a watchband to a handset. And at the Consumer Electronics Show in January, LG Display showed off a prototype 18-inch screen that rolls up like a sheet of paper.

More: The Galaxy S8 is exciting, but Samsung’s rumored bendable phone sounds amazing

“Since foldable products draw the most attention in markets recently, it is important to understand demands and ideas regarding new UX through this prototype,” a source told ET News. “This is part of Samsung Electronics’ effort to introduce foldable Smartphones as ultra-premium products.”

Take your smartphone on the trail with this $10 Trianium Armtrek Pro armband

If you can’t imagine ever being away from your smartphone, the idea of going running or hiking without your favorite music probably sounds impossible. However, simply letting the cable on your earbuds or headphones dangle freely while on the move is a recipe for a headache — or even a damaged phone.

There’s a dizzying number of armbands on the market to hold your smartphone, many of which feature an array of pockets, pouches, mounts, and other gizmos. If you’re looking for a simple and affordable solution, this Trianium Armtrek Pro smartphone armband deal delivers at just $10 on Amazon.

More: Snap up the discontinued Polaroid Cube 1080p action camera for $58 on Amazon

The Armtrek Pro phone armband is resistant to water and moisture, and while you’re probably not going to take your smartphone swimming, you still want protection against sweat or rain when you’re outdoors. The pouch keeps your phone safe behind durable neoprene and a protective touch-sensitive screen cover that lets you use the touchscreen without having to stop and pull it out each time.

The flexible multi-size Velcro arm strap features two adjustment slots and is designed to fit any arm: Slip the strap through the first slot to size up to 8 to 11.5 inches, or the second for sizing 12 to 14 inches. The texture of the strap keeps the armband secure so it won’t slide around while you run. Located between the two slots is a handy pocket for storing your house key, and the phone compartment offers headphone jack and charging port cutouts.

Trianium’s Armtrek Pro phone armband is made to fit large smartphones like the iPhone 6, Samsung Note 7, LG G-series, and Samsung Galaxy phones. At just $10 from Amazon — an $11 discount off of its usual price — this smartphone armband deal comes just in time for warmer spring weather, when the great outdoors start calling.

$10 on Amazon

Report: The LG G6 could see 3D facial recognition in an upcoming update

Why it matters to you

Facial recognition appears to be the next great frontier in mobile technology, and LG’s system could be the first that allows you to use your face to make payments.

The LG G6 may already seem like yesterday’s news, given Samsung’s Galaxy S8 unveiling a few weeks ago. However, a report from The Korea Herald indicates LG may have something pretty big in store for its latest flagship.

The publication says LG will soon debut its own three-dimensional facial recognition tech in the G6 alongside its proprietary contactless payment system, LG Pay, and that both features could hit the market in the form of an update as early as June.

More: Everything you need to know about LG Pay

The tech was reportedly developed by a company known as Oez, and chosen because it appears to be a relatively resource-light solution that could be easily integrated into some of LG’s phones already on the market, like last year’s G5 and V20.

If this does come to pass, the South Korean tech firm will be the first to bring payment by facial recognition to the masses. Apple is reportedly working on its own system for the upcoming iPhone X, and Samsung has added facial recognition as a form of authentication for the Galaxy S8, though it cannot yet be used for payments.

In Samsung’s case, that’s probably for the best, as it was discovered shortly after the device’s reveal late last month that the Galaxy S8’s system could be fooled with a photo. For that reason, the Herald’s report claims that Oez and LG have instituted security measures to ensure that theirs is harder to crack.

Meanwhile, LG finally appears to be gearing up its long-rumored payment system for a June release. The company confirmed as much to Reuters in March, ending more than a year of speculation and missed deadlines. That said, its only surefire destination for the moment appears to be South Korea. It is unclear if LG Pay will ever see the light of day elsewhere in the world.

BlackBerry awarded $815 million in judgment against Qualcomm

Why it matters to you

Qualcomm’s chip monopoly reportedly edged out competition, inflating the prices of smartphones.

BlackBerry scored a big win on Wednesday against Qualcomm. A court awarded the Waterloo, Canada-based smartphone maker $815 million in refunded royalty payments stemming from a binding arbitration agreement, CNBC reports.

The specifics of the refund remain unclear — Qualcomm said it is for sales of “subscriber units” — but at the core of the dispute is licensing fees BlackBerry paid in advance to Qualcomm. The smartphone maker argued that an agreed-upon caps on royalties was never applied, and Qualcomm argued that the payments were nonrefundable.

More: Expect more smartwatches and wearables this year, Qualcomm executive says

Qualcomm, unsurprisingly, said it disagreed with the court’s ruling. But it acknowledged that it was binding and that it “[had] no impact on agreements with any other licensee,” a Qualcomm spokesperson said.

It’s the latest in a string of legal blows against Qualcomm. In January, the United States Federal Trade Commission sued the San Diego, California-based company for anti-competitive practices, accusing it of using its dominant market position to edge out competition. The FTC alleged that Qualcomm gave its partners two choices: Pay pricey royalties for the use of its patents or limit the sale of their devices to smaller markets.

The FTC said that Qualcomm abused standards-essential patents — patents that must be licensed at fair, reasonable, and non-discriminatory rates — by refusing to license them directly to competing suppliers. The FTC characterized Qualcomm’s fees as “disproportionately high” relative to its competitors and it said that consumers ultimately paid the inflated prices.

More: Apple vs. Qualcomm: Everything you need to know

Apple later filed its own $1 billion lawsuit against Qualcomm (and subsequent suits in two other countries) over royalties for basic patents, claiming that Qualcomm forced it to pay excessive fees and withheld nearly $1 billion “as retaliation for responding truthfully to law [South Korean] enforcement agencies investigating them.”

“Despite being just one of over a dozen companies who contributed to basic cellular standards, Qualcomm insists on charging Apple at least five times more in payments than all the other cellular patent licensors we have agreements with combined,” Apple said in a statement.

It put the kibosh on competition. Qualcomm cut Apple a discount in exchange for agreeing not to source competitors’ wireless modems for five years. That reportedly hampered silicon giants like Intel, which for years have tried to break into the smartphone chip space.

More: Federal Trade Commission hits Qualcomm with a lawsuit over its licensing practices

In a statement, Qualcomm general counsel Don Rosenberg said that Apple had “intentionally mischaracterized” Qualcomm’s practices and has been “actively encouraging regulatory attacks on Qualcomm’s business” around the world. “We welcome the opportunity to have these meritless claims heard in court where we will be entitled to full discovery of Apple’s practices and a robust examination of the merits,” Rosenberg said.

This experimental carnival ride changes speed based on your heart rate and muscle tension

Why it matters to you

Want to ride an amusement park thrill ride that knows when you’re about to vomit, and slows down (or speeds up) accordingly? This artist/product designer has built one.

Most of us associate the term “biometrics” with different technologies for unlocking our phones, like Touch ID on the iPhone or facial recognition on the new Samsung Galaxy S8.

But in fact, the ability to gather body-based data (and then use smart algorithms to decipher it) has a host of intriguing applications — as Netherlands-based artist and product designer Daniël de Bruin is out to prove. De Bruin recently demonstrated this when he debuted an innovative art installation/medieval-style torture apparatus/amusement park ride called the Neurotransmitter 3000.

More: In Plymouth, U.K., movie watches you (and changes endings depending on your reaction)

“When I sit the machine, I put on three sensors: a heart rate sensor on my ear, a sensor that measures the muscle tension in my left arm, and one that measures my body temperature,” he told Digital Trends. “The data is then sent wirelessly to a computer for processing, and then relayed to the machine’s motor. When my heart rate is slow, the machine goes at full speed. When it increases, such as when I get nauseous or dizzy, the machine senses this and slows down.”

As you can see from the video, the vomit-inducing, 23-foot tall ride functions a bit like a more fearsome fairground wheel. One motor sends de Bruin in big vertical rotations, while a counterweighted seat rotates him as well. Basically, it’s the most literal type of feedback loop imaginable — or a feedback loop-in-a-loop-in-a-loop, if you want to get technical about it.

This month, de Bruin showed his creation off in public for the first time. “I’ve only done one exhibition so far, but that was 6 or 7 days, during which I did about 20 performances,” he continued. “I was dizzy all week, it was quite hard on my body.”

While de Bruin categorizes himself as an artist, he’s one of a growing number of artists who view themselves as having a strong connection with STEM subjects like engineering. “I view art and science as being very close together,” he said. “In both, you’re always trying to come up with new ideas and solutions. My work is really about art and science together.”

He also noted that he’s interested in developing the tech for industrial applications. “You could imagine this being used in amusement parks, for example,” he said. “It would be really cool to have people more connected with the rides they’re on. Based on their experiences, the rides could change.”

Just so long as we get to see someone else riding it before we have to get on!

Put some Spring in your step with these wallpapers!

April showers bring spring flowers.

Spring has been sprung, and Easter Sunday is coming — and so are the Monday-after candy sales! The world is showing the beauty of nature around us as the wildflowers bloom, the gardens grow, and the whole world outside your window seems to be green with new life. As most of us can’t spend these spring days frolicking in a field, we’ll have to get that burst of spring energy somewhere else — like our home screen. These wallpapers are sure to put some spring in your step.

Spring brings many, many wildflowers come out to shine during the spring, but few have the reputation or the raw, elusive beauty of the Texas Bluebonnet. Trying to plant bluebonnets and have them come up in the same place year after year is like trying to herd cats, but they’ll be there year after year along country roads and bustling freeways. Driving from Austin to Dallas or even out into country towns like Fredericksburg right now is an exercise in distraction from the sheer beauty of all the blooms along your path. Bluebonnets are a state flower, a state treasure, and they’ll put some majesty on your home screen.

Bluebonnets by dashedandshattered

They’re back! They’re back for our souls! The peeps will consume us all… unless we eat them first. Peeps may be the most iconic holiday candy on the planet that people actually like eating, and it’s hard to deny marshmallow fluff that’s been coated in even more sugar. What I really love about this wallpaper is that under all that sugar, it’s reminding us that we can stand out from the pack and find happiness being ourselves instead of just blending in.

Peeps

You didn’t think I was going to do an Easter roundup without a Jelly Bean wallpaper, did you? Jelly Bean may still be on 10% of devices, but its wallpapers have mostly vanished from memory, a shame because they had some beauties. From geometric madness to a subtly subdued Nexus wallpaper, there’s still plenty of jelly beany goodness to be had, and you can get your nostalgia on with these fabulous wallpapers

Android Jelly Bean Wallpapers

Spring means many things to many people, but to the people of Japan — and the people of Washington DC — spring means cherry blossoms! Deviantart user WindyLife has a variety of knockout shots of cherry blossoms, but this shot spoke to me. As did the black cat running through the petals. This wallpaper works best with minimal home screens and light icon packs, as pink icons get lost in those adorable petals.

Cherry Blossoms Wallpaper by WindyLyfe

Tell the truth, you wish you could plop down in a flowering field for a nap with them. Heck, after dealing with severe weather most of the night, I could use a nap in a sunny — but not too sunny — square. Judy and Nick seem to have let their guard down as they carelessly nap amongst the blooms… or are they just lying in wait, carrot recorder stashed just out of sight. Either way, this is a spring wallpaper that can reminder that no matter how much you have to do, there’s always time for a nap.

Nick Wilde and Judy Hopps by TheDracoJayProject