HTC’s squeezable U11 is its true 2017 flagship phone

Trekkies used to (and might still) believe that only every other Star Trek movie was actually good, and I’d argue that applies to HTC’s flagship releases, too. The One M7? Excellent. The M8? Meh. The M9 was an improvement over its predecessor, but the A9 didn’t thrill. HTC hit its stride with 2016’s 10 while the subsequent U Ultra… well, it was kind of a mess. Thankfully, we didn’t have to wait too long before the Taiwanese phone maker took another stab at a flagship. Say hello to the $649/£649 HTC U11, a smartphone that blends high-end power with a striking aesthetic, a slew of pressure sensors and a truly awful name.

It’s a little unusual to get another flagship phone so soon, but that’s mostly because HTC never really looked at the U Ultra as one. Instead, the first two U-series phones were meant to introduce the sleek, glossy glass design that will permeate the rest of the company’s product line soon enough. That’s why the U11 has the (terrible) name it has — the company wanted to make crystal clear that this is the HTC 10’s true successor. And unlike the U Ultra, the U11 seems properly equipped to compete with the rest of this year’s premium smartphones.

HTC’s new flagship comes with a 5.5-inch, 2K LCD covered by a curved slab of Gorilla Glass 5, not to mention a USB-C port, an octa-core Snapdragon 835 chipset, 4GB of RAM, and 64GB of storage. Well, in the US, anyway. A global model will feature 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage for markets where top-tier specs are synonymous with quality and clout.

Moving on, there’s a 3,000mAh battery tucked away inside the U11’s comfortable, curvy frame. While we’ll always pine for more power, the size of the cell is in line with those in devices like the Galaxy S8. We played with a few non-final models, and they seemed remarkably fast (thanks in part to the usual, scaled-back interface running atop Android 7.0 Nougat) like the rest of the flagship phones we’ve tested this year. The U11’s elegant looks (achieved by blending a metal frame with lots of polished glass) help it stand out from the crowd, and the body is IP67 water and dust-resistant to boot. There’s a 12-megapixel camera around the back with quick dual-pixel focusing and an f/1.7 aperture, while a 16-megapixel camera lives above the display.

But this is all table stakes for a modern, high-end smartphone. With the U11, the real magic starts when you turn up the pressure.

The U11’s hallmark feature is Edge Sense, which relies on pressure sensors embedded in the phone’s sides. They can detect minute changes in how firmly you grip your phone, and — more importantly — can be used to trigger shortcuts and app actions. Let’s say you’re wearing gloves and feel the sudden, overbearing urge to take a selfie. You could give the U11 a quick squeeze to launch the camera, and another to snap a photo. With the “advanced” mode enabled, you can even set up different shortcuts for quick squeezes and longer squeeze-and-holds.

Having the pressure-sensitive equivalent of some convenience keys is neat, but after seeing more nuanced controls in the HTC Ocean videos leaked a while back, we’re left with three words: “Is this it?” Don’t get us wrong: the pressure sensing worked well enough, but we’re not sold on its utility just yet.

HTC is also working on what could generously be described as “AI overload.” Check it out: the U11 will ship with Google’s Assistant onboard, and will get Alexa via software update shortly after launch. HTC says that, thanks to the Snapdragon 835, the U11 can listen for and respond to different wake words — that is, it should never confuse an “OK, Google” with a question for Alexa. Even better, you won’t need an app running in the foreground like you did with the Alexa experiece on Huawei’s Mate 9. We don’t know when Motorola’s Alexa efforts will be revealed, but it seems like Alexa on the U11 is the version to beat.

Beyond those two, the U11 will also come with HTC’s own Sense Assistant, which is meant to chew on your schedule and behavior to offer suggestions like when to bring an umbrella to work. Yeah, that’s right: the U11 can have up to three virtual assistants working at the same time. We weren’t kidding about overload.

For some, though, the U11’s audio chops might be the game-changer. There’s more space inside the phone for a speaker chamber, which makes audio sound far louder and richer than on the HTC 10. (In fact, HTC product planning AVP Nigel Newby-House cranked up the U11’s volume all the way outside a crowded conference room in our office, and the people inside were getting noticeably pissed by the din.)

And while there’s no headphone jack, at least HTC is using Type-C to add to the audio experience. Remember how the U Ultra’s USonic earbuds used a sonar-like pulse to intepret the contours of your ear and tune your tunes accordingly? The U11’s earbuds do that too, but they also pack-in active noise cancellation without the need for bulky battery module. They from your phone’s battery, which is both good and bad: you’ll never have to remember to charge your headphones before a flight, and but you can bet it’ll impact your battery life somewhat.

We’ll withhold our judgment on the U11 until we’ve played with final US units, but we’re cautiously optimistic about this thing’s chances. The fact that it has a competitive set of guts is reassuring, especially when these slices of silicon are potent enough to deliver near-seamless performance. Still, when the marquee feature — that pressure-sensing business — seems to boil down into a minor convenience, we have to wonder if HTC’s focus on thoughtful, clever features is starting to waver.

Rocket Lab is almost ready to take small payloads into space

Rocket Lab is ready to start testing the rocket it developed to ferry small payloads to space. The US- and New Zealand-based company has decided to launch its Electron rocket anytime within a 10-day window that starts at 5PM Eastern on May 21st. It will be the first time a space vehicle will take off from a private launch facility, which the company built on the Mahia peninsula in New Zealand. As with any launch, the exact time all depends on the weather and rocket’s condition.

Rocket Lab chief Peter Beck said in a statement:

“We are all incredibly excited to get to this point. Our talented team has been preparing for years for this opportunity and we want to do our best to get it right.

During this first launch attempt it is possible we will scrub multiple attempts as we wait until we are ready and conditions are favorable.”

The company’s 56-foot-tall Electron rocket has 3D-printed components and can carry up to around 330-pounds worth of cargo. It can’t ferry resupplies to the ISS, but it can launch CubeSats loaded with experiments or small satellites to around 300 to 500 km above our planet’s surface.

The upcoming test flight is first of the three that the company wants to do before it starts commercial launches later this year. Rocket Lab already has some clients lined up, including Moon Express, a Google Lunar X Prize contender that wants to land a rover on the moon.

Source: SpaceNews

The Nokia 3310 is coming back to India on May 18 for ₹3,310

The Nokia 3310 will go up for sale in India from later this week.

The Nokia 3310 is one of the most anticipated devices in India in 2017, and we now know when the phone will go on sale. HMD Global has announced that the Nokia 3310 will be heading to retail stores across the country starting May 18, with a retail price of ₹3,310.

The Nokia 3310 will be available in four color options: Warm Red and Yellow will feature a gloss finish, whereas the Dark Blue and Grey color variants will see a matte finish. The phone has dual SIM card slots, a 2.4-inch QVGA (240 x 320) display, microUSB slot, 3.5mm jack, Bluetooth 3.0, and a 2MP camera with LED flash. You also get a microSD slot that can accommodate SD cards up to 32GB in size. The dimensions come in at 115.6 x 51.0 x 12.8mm, and the phone weighs 79.6g including the 1200mAh battery. And yes, you can play Snake.

The phone runs on Nokia’s Series 30+ platform, and Nokia is claiming a standby time of 22.5 days, talk time of 22.1 hours, and music playback of 51 hours. Who’s interested in picking one up?

Watch the official HTC U 11 launch event here, live

HTC is hosting a media event on 16 May 2017, to take place at 2pm in Taipei, 2am in New York, so 7am in London.

It will be hosting a live feed online and we have embedded the stream below for you to watch. Alternatively, you will also be able to view it on HTC’s official website here.

The event is undoubtedly for the HTC U, the company’s 2017 flagship smartphone that will sit above the HTC U Ultra and HTC U Play.

• HTC U ‘Ocean’: What’s the story on HTC’s next flagship?

One of the features we’ve written about several times is its pressure-sensitive frame. Expected to be called Edge Sense, the technology will place sensors around body of the phone that will be used to control various functions.

As to what functions can be controlled remains to be seen, although HTC itself has been talking about squeezy sides for a couple of weeks.

• HTC might unveil HTC U flagship with ‘touch-sensitive’ frame
• Amazing HTC U ‘Ocean’ press pics leaks, here’s the flagship handset

Other specs for the HTC U are said to include a 5.5-inch WQHD 2560 x 1440 display, Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 processor, 12-megapixel rear camera, 16-megapixel front-facing camera, 64GB or 128GB of internal storage, microSD card slot, Android 7.1 Nougat and HTC’s own Sense UI.

‘Phantom Dust’ returns tomorrow on Xbox One and PC — for free

Phantom Dust was a surprise treat from Microsoft Japan that arrived in the US (thanks to intervention by Majesco) at the end of the original Xbox’s run, and after years of work, a team has revived the original game’s assets to build a version that works across the Xbox One and PC. Its business model was still up in the air a couple of weeks ago, but today Xbox Games marketing head Adam Greenberg announced it will be released tomorrow for free (with some paid DLC options available to speed your progress through the game).

As producer Adam Isgreen explains for those who haven’t played, it’s underappreciated arena battler built for four players, where players build their skills using decks of cards. Now in 2017 it’s likely that more people than ever will get a chance to try it out for the first time, with 4K resolution, and modernized online multiplayer with cross-platform support. Now, if we could just arrange revivals for a few more of the original Xbox’s forgotten classics…

Source: Adam Greenberg (Twitter), Microsoft Studios Blog

Pirated Windows led to WannaCry’s spread in China and Russia

WannaCry, the notorious ransomware demanding up to $300 worth of Bitcoins to unlock victims’ computers, hit systems all around the globe over the weekend. According to Finnish cybersecurity company F-Secure, though, Russia and China were affected the most, and it could be due to the rampant use of pirated software in those countries. Microsoft issued a patch for the vulnerability the attackers used as an entry point back in March and even fixed it for XP, which it long stopped supporting. However, pirated systems can’t install those patches, so computers running illegal software remained vulnerable.

That was a big problem for those two countries and for India, as well. According to the a survey conducted by The Software Alliance last year, 70 percent of computer users in China are running unlicensed software. Russia isn’t far behind at 64 percent, while India comes in at third with 58 percent.

In China, for instance, even prestigious universities and big companies use pirated Windows on their computers. As a result, 40,000 institutions in the country were affected, even police stations and state oil giant PetroChina. A China Telecom employee even told The New York Times that his company tried to fix the vulnerability. When it didn’t work, he was asked to use a patch issued by Qihoo 360, a service that supports old and pirated Windows OS.

WannaCry’s propagation in those countries illustrate the dangers of using bootlegged software. But as NYT said, the use pirated OS and the lack of willingness to pay for software is so ingrained in their culture that this event likely won’t change that mindset. As for WannaCry, authorities still don’t know who’s behind the ransomware — though they have their suspicions — and the problem seems to be getting worse.

Source: The New York Times, NDTV, F-Secure

SpaceX launches one of its largest satellites yet, but there’s no rocket landing

Why it matters to you

With every successful launch, SpaceX takes another step toward the day when we can all marvel at a manned mission to Mars.

SpaceX is celebrating the textbook deployment of one of its largest satellites yet.

The  successful mission of yet another Falcon 9 rocket means it’s full steam ahead for SpaceX’s plan to significantly ramp up its launch schedule to once every two to three weeks.

SpaceX’s most recent launch, which carried a satellite the size of a double-decker bus, took place at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Monday night at just after 7.20 p.m. local time, and was live-streamed on the SpaceX YouTube channel.

Sadly, there was no chance this time around to enjoy the spectacle of yet another stunning rocket landing. The satellite’s heavy launch mass of about 6,100 kg (13,400 pounds) meant the Falcon 9 needed all of its thrust to get the satellite to orbit, plus it went into a much higher orbit than previous launches, leaving it with too little fuel to get back to Earth.

The seven-meter-long satellite — operated by British telecoms firm Inmarsat — was deployed about half an hour after launch before being “maneuvered to its geostationary orbit, 22,236 miles (about 36,000 km) above Earth, where it will deploy its solar arrays and reflectors and undergo intensive payload testing before beginning commercial service,” according to SpaceX. Those solar arrays are enormous, too, stretching out more than 130 feet — about equal to the wingspan of a Boeing 737 aircraft.

The satellite will boost the power of Inmarsat’s Global Xpress network, which has been delivering broadband connectivity across the world since 2015.

Monday’s launch marked the sixth SpaceX mission of 2017 and paves the way for Elon Musk’s private space company to significantly increase its launch schedule. Its next mission is set for June 1 when it will take supplies to the International Space Station (ISS).

Despite a few major setbacks along the way, the team has made impressive progress with its reusable rocket system, which is helping to drastically reduce the cost of space missions.

Future plans include taking astronauts to and from the ISS using its Dragon crew capsule and a “tourist trip” around the moon, though its lofty long-term goals include a manned mission to Mars.

Apple Seeking Programming Chief to Lead Video Efforts

Apple is looking for a programming chief, suggesting the company is serious about delving further into original programming, reports The Information.

In its search to find someone to lead its video efforts, Apple is said to have met with former HBO president and programming lead Michael Lombardo earlier this year to “discuss Apple’s video programming strategy.” Lombardo left his high-profile role as HBO president in early 2016 to become a producer because he wanted a more active creative role.

Lombardo is currently producing a show for HBO, but given his meeting with Apple, it’s possible the company is considering him for the head programming role. Apple is said to be actively seeking to fill the position, which could answer some questions Hollywood has about the company’s video plans.

While the company has taken on a few projects like reality competition show “Planet of the Apps” and the “Carpool Karaoke” series, many in Hollywood have been flummoxed by what exactly Apple wants to do with video. Questions include how far Apple wants to go in making its own shows and whether it wants to compete with Netflix, Amazon and Hulu.

Apple CEO Tim Cook in January said that Apple has a “toe in the water” testing original television programming, so it’s possible Apple itself doesn’t yet know how far it wants to go with original content. In early May, Cook said in an interview that Apple is experimenting with original content and learning from that experience. “We’re learning and we’ll see where this takes us,” he said.

Apple has several original television programs in the works, including “Carpool Karaoke,” “Planet of the Apps,” and “Vital Signs,” with the two former shows having already been announced, but none of the content has debuted as of yet.

Apple is planning to use the television shows to promote its Apple Music service, with Apple iTunes chief Eddy Cue saying Apple is not aiming to compete with Netflix, but there have been hints suggesting the company’s content ambitions could perhaps run deeper than simple Apple Music promotion.

January rumors indicated Apple was building a “significant” business around original television shows with plans to launch content in the vein of HBO’s “Westworld” and Netflix’s “Stranger Things,” and in February, Eddy Cue reportedly met with execs from Paramount Pictures and Sony Pictures in pursuit of a “transformative acquisition.”

Apple’s television plans have, however, fallen through so many times over the years due to negotiation difficulties that it’s unclear how original content will pan out.

Related Roundups: Apple TV, tvOS 10
Buyer’s Guide: Apple TV (Don’t Buy)
Discuss this article in our forums

Volvo and Audi will use Android as the base OS of its upcoming cars

Forget Android Auto, Volvo and Audi want its upcoming cars to run Android as their base operating system.

Google has announced a partnership with Volvo and Audi that will bring it one step closer to making Android an operating system for cars. Volvo and Audi plan to leverage Google’s software in their car’s infotainment units so you can access a more seamless, full-featured experience that includes Android apps and Google services. In other words, you won’t need an Android phone to interact with the cars.

• Android O: What’s the story so far?
• When is Android 7.1.1 Nougat coming to my phone?
• Android 7.1 Nougat tips and tricks: Get your teeth into Google’s goodness

The carmakers essentially plan to build new infotainment systems using Android 7.0 Nougat. They will tweak Google’s OS and use it to power the touchscreen displays and digital dashboards in future vehicles. And similar to Android Auto, they will offer access to services like Google Assistant as well as Android apps. Android will even control functions like air conditioning, the sunroof, and the windows.

Android

Keep in mind Google has been rumoured to be working with carmakers on this since at least 2014, with reports claiming Google wanted to turn Android Auto into something that didn’t need a smartphone and that could control a car’s system. We’ll likely hear more from Google about this at Google I/O 2017 this week. Check out Pocket-lint’s I/O guide for more details on what Google could announce.

Google has already said a preview of Volvo and Audio’s new Android-based car systems will be on display at its developers conference. Volvo will demo its version on the Volvo XC60 concept, while Audi will demo its version on the Audi Q8 Sport concept.

Volvo also said it plans to launch Android-based cars within two years. 

These iPhone 8 renders claim to fully reveal the phone’s new design

Want to see the iPhone 8?

Well, you’ll have to wait until it’s available sometime way later this year most likely, but, until then, Engadget has posted some renders of the phone that it created based on a “highly detailed CAD file” it was shown of the iPhone 8’s chassis. The report noted the most interesting takeaway, in terms of design, it the phone’s dual-camera orientation, and that the mic and flash are included in the camera bump pictured.

• Apple’s OLED iPhone 8 might not be ready until November or later
• This latest iPhone 8 schematic shows rear-mounted Touch ID sensor
• Apple might add its True Tone auto-adjusting display to iPhone 8

Also, the back and front of the device will be covered in glass, which allows Apple to integrate wireless charging. Engadget even said such a feature is hinted by “what appears to be a carved out area for a wireless charging coil on the underside of the chassis”. The report’s unnamed source also said the next iPhone will get a screen bump to 5 inches from 4.7 inches, and that the 5.5-inch Plus version will be 5.8 inches.

Engadget

The renders don’t show whether the screen will go from edge to edge, which would mean zero bezels. There’s also no exact measurements given, but the CAD file does apparently suggest the iPhone 8 will have a “slightly taller, wider and thicker body” than the iPhone 7, which went on sale last September. Breaking from Apple’s typical cycle upgrade pattern, the iPhone 8 may not hit shelves until November.

The iPhone 8 is expected to be Apple’s 10th-anniversary iPhone. Check out Pocket-lint’s round-up for more details on what it could feature.