Apple Expands iTunes Carrier Billing to France and Turkey

Apple has enabled iTunes carrier billing in France and Turkey, according to an updated support document, expanding upon the feature’s existing availability among select carriers in Austria, Belgium, Germany, Japan, Italy, Norway, Russia, Singapore, Switzerland, Taiwan, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates.

The payment method enables customers to pay for iTunes content, App Store apps, iBooks, and Apple Music subscriptions without needing a credit or debit card, or even a bank account. Instead, purchases are added to a customer’s mobile phone bill and paid off at the end of the month.

Apple has a support document explaining how to set up carrier billing, also called mobile phone billing, on iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch and Mac or PC.

Tags: Turkey, France, carrier billing
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New Microsoft Surface Pro confirmed, coming on 15 June from £799

As leaked last week, Microsoft has announced a new Surface Pro during its #MicrosoftEvent in Shanghai.

On stage at the Chinese press conference, Microsoft revealed that an all-new version of the Surface Pro is on its way to many markets globally, with shipping to start on 15 June.

Although it looks similar to former Pro devices, it has been “rethought” and is the lightest Surface Pro “ever created”, weighing just 0.77kg.

It runs on 7th gen Intel processing and has a 12.3-inch PixelSense display with a 3:2 aspect ratio and 267ppi pixel density.

Battery life is claimed to be 50 per cent longer, lasting up to 13.5 hours. There is also a new hinge system on the kickstand, enabling the device to be used in Surface Studio mode. That means it lays flat to work directly with the new Surface Pen, which Microsoft states is the “fastest digital pen on the market”.

The Surface Pen offers 4,096 levels of pressure and 21ms latency, it also has tilt sensitivity.

Microsoft’s official @Surface Twitter account has also posted a video of the new Surface Pro, which you can view below:

Upgraded, versatile, and exceptionally powerful, with iconic Surface design. Meet the new Microsoft #SurfacePro. #MicrosoftEvent pic.twitter.com/o1RQjzlySE

— Microsoft Surface (@surface) May 23, 2017

Pricing for the new Surface Pro starts at £799 and pre-orders have already started. It will be available from numerous retailers in the UK, including Argos, Amazon, Currys PC World and John Lewis.

Huawei MateBook family expands: Updated 2-in-1, skinny Ultrabook and 15.6-inch beast announced

Huawei is widening its MateBook family with the launch of the MateBook D, MateBook E and the MateBook X.

Let’s start with the MateBook E, as this is the update for the 2016 MateBook, the company’s 2-in-1 Windows tablet designed to offer an alternative to Microsoft’s Surface Pro. 

The MateBook E retains much of the same form factor as it offered in 2016, but has a redesigned folio cover that comes in the box. This is designed to make the keyboard more stable, as well as switching the rear stand from a friction-based moulding to a proper hinge, meaning it’s much better at standing up on its own.

The Huawei MateBook E will cost from €999 for the Core m3 version, up to €1299 for Core i5.

• Huawei MateBook E preview: A better keyboard cover makes all the difference

The MateBook X is perhaps the most exciting addition to the family, as Huawei looks to offer a MacBook rival, a slim and light laptop. The MateBook X is just 12.5mm thick and weighs a fraction over 1kg, making it perfect for use on the move. 

There’s a fingerprint scanner built into the power button and connectivity comes with two USB Type-C connections, although you get a dock/dongle in the box that will expand this to HDMI, VGA and USB, so you can hook up the rest of your devices. 

Power comes in the guise of 7-gen Intel Core i, with a premium metal design through-out – and a touchless display. One the big additions is a Dolby Atmos Sound System, aiming to make your laptop audio a little more meaningful.

The Huawei MateBook X will cost from €1399 for Core i5, up to €1699 for Core i7 with 512GB storage.

• Huawei MateBook X preview: Huawei goes after the MacBook

Finally there’s the MateBook D which is perhaps less exciting, presenting a traditional 15.6-inch laptop that’s pitched at small business and students. It will be powered by Core i chipsets, offer up to 16GB RAM and can be specced up with a GeForce 940MX for those who want a little more punch in the graphics. 

Again, Huawei has teamed up with Dolby on the MateBook D to offer more immersive audio with Dolby Atmos.

The MateBook D will cost from €799 for Core i5, 1TB hard drive, and 940MX Nvidia hardware, up to €999 for the top Core i7, 128GB SSD + 1TB HDD, and Nvidia card.

Huawei MateBook X preview: Huawei goes after the MacBook

Huawei is stepping into laptops, expanding the MateBook family beyond the 2-in-1 tablet that kicked off the line in 2016 and now introducing the MateBook X and MateBook D.

The MateBook X is potentially the most interesting device, looking to challenge the current line-up of slim and light Ultrabooks. This is a device that’s been designed for portability, while still retaining the power you’ll need for everyday computing.

For those who know the Huawei brand, the design might not come as a surprise. Huawei’s focus on smartphones has been around industrial designs, premium materials and offering devices that a slim and well-specified, which the MateBook X repeats.

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Huawei Mate X: Design

• 286 x 211 x 12.5mm, 1.05kg
• Premium metal designs in gold, rose gold, grey

Turning its hand to laptops seems to have come out well in the case of the MateBook X: as Huawei boasts, it’s slimmer than the 12-inch MacBook and it adopts premium techniques that you’ll find on Huawei’s phones, like the so-called diamond cutting leaving a precise chamfer to the very edge of the display, although there’s also a hint of Asus’ ZenBook 3 about it.

It’s a 13-inch device although it doesn’t look like it, with bezels around the display that only measure 4.2mm; there’s no wasted space, there’s only a hint at a black border, with the metal of the lid framing the edges neatly. 

The MateBook X will be available in three colours: gold you might expect if you know the company and might be a little too bling for many, but there’s a more subdued grey – called “Space Gray” – so there’s no mistaking where Huawei has set its sights. If you want a little lift, then the rose gold pulls off pink rather nicely. There’s a lack of good pink laptops and Huawei is setting things right. 

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The parallels with the MacBook can’t be ignored, from the styling of the rubber feet on the bottom to the look of the keyboard and the trackpad, Apple’s design is reflected here. That’s no bad thing because the results are rather good. It’s a good-looking premium laptop, but at 1.05kg, it’s light enough to be ported around on long days. The footprint itself is smaller than a piece of A4 paper, so slipping it into any bag is going to be a breeze. 

For the most part it feels solid too. We like the cool touch of the metal and the matching keyboard colour is nicely done, but there’s a surprisingly spongey section of the speaker grille above the keyboard. The keyboard action doesn’t seem to be affected however, and we were happy to clatter out words, with good travel from those chiclet keys. The touchpad is large and clicky, although we’ve not used it to an extent to really judge its performance.

When it comes to connectivity, the MateBook X also adopts some of Apple’s approach, although you’re given two USB Type-C connections, as well as a 3.5mm headphone socket. It’s a fusion of conventionality with the adoption of new standards, but there’s also a dock/dongle that comes in the box. This will expand you to USB, HDMI and VGA, so it’s more of a desk dock than on-the-go connector for your other devices.

Pocket-lint

Huawei MateBook X: Hardware and display

• 13-inch IPS, 2160 x 1440 pixels, 200ppi, 350 nits
• Intel Core i5-7200U or Core i7-7500U; 4/8GB DDR3 RAM
• 256/512GB SSD

To the meat of the MateBook sandwich now and you’re looking at a 13-inch fully laminated touchless panel with a resolution of 2160 x 1440 pixels, giving you a 3:2 aspect. That results in a little more height than some rivals, meaning a little more working space on that document you might be tapping away on.

First impressions of the display are good: we’ve not had the chance to use it for any period of time, but it appeared to be vibrant enough, offering respectable contrast, but we can’t really judge how well it handles bright conditions just yet, although its specced at 350 nits. We’ve mentioned that there’s no touch, so although that cuts down one of the familiar aspects of Windows 10, it will at least give you a nice clear display and one that’s topped with Gorilla Glass too. 

Powering the MateBook X are seventh-gen Intel Core i processors, but this is a fanless design. That means quiet in operation, with Huawei telling us that it has been designed with the latest space-age technologies to dissipate heat; exactly how it really performs under pressure, we just don’t know yet, but you get the choice of i7-7500U or i5-7200U processors, with Intel HD Graphics 620.

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There will be 4 or 8GB RAM versions, with SSD storage options of 256 or 512GB. We’d expect a range of models to be offered, but we suspect this will vary from region to region and naturally, we don’t know all the prices yet. 

One of the aces in Huawei’s desk is the collaboration with Dolby. This, reportedly, is the first laptop to come with Dolby Atmos Sound System. In the increasingly muddied waters of what Dolby Atmos means (it’s now in cinemas, home movie setups, smartphones, tablets and laptops), here it means that you’re getting great separation and a degree of object placement.

We’ve experienced some demo clips and the effect is surprisingly good. So while the definition of that Dolby Atmos means might be changing, it’s certainly a boost to the normal flat acoustics you’d expect from a laptop.

Pocket-lint

Dolby says this is a result of working with Huawei from early on in the design process: Dolby wasn’t handed a laptop carcass and told it make it sound good, they were able to have an input on hardware and software design to make sure they could get the effect they wanted. In reality, it means that if you’re sitting in your hotel room watching movies, they’re going to sound better than you’d expect from such a slim device.

Then there’s the fingerprint scanner that’s built into the power button. It’s a nice touch, adding a little convenience and avoiding the need to have a separate ugly scanner elsewhere.

First Impressions

First impressions are good. The MateBook X provides another option if you’re after a premium thin and light laptop; exactly how well it runs under pressure and how the 41.1Wh battery will last remains to be seen. Huawei says it’s good for 10 hours of use and we’ve got our fingers crossed hoping that it does.

The MateBook X offers a good design and it appears to be well appointed. With some rivals offering just one USB Type-C you’re getting a 100 per cent lift here, at least meaning there’s somewhere to connect your dongle and keep the thing connected to the power easily.

The Huawei MateBook X will be available from €1399 for the i5/8GB/256GB model, up to €1699 for the i7/8GB/512GB version.

Huawei MateBook E preview: A better keyboard cover makes all the difference

The Huawei MateBook E, before you get confused, is a new version of the original MateBook launched in 2016. Now there’s a family of MateBook devices spanning E, X and D, the latter both being proper laptops as Huawei mounts an assault on a new segment of the market.

The MateBook E, then, looks to continue what it started previously, but making a big change to the design of the keyboard cover, rather than the tablet itself. This is a new, more productive device, with keyboard changes making it a better device for working on the move. Huawei is taking mobile productivity seriously, as it updates its MateBook.

Pocket-lint

Huawei MateBook E: A better cover design

• 278.8 x 194.1 x 6.9mm; 640g (tablet), 1100g (with keyboard)
• Premium metal design, grey or gold colours
• Folio keyboard included

In essence, the design of the MateBook E is the same as the MateBook of 2016. You’re presented with a metal-backed tablet with a thin design only 6.9mm thick, offering you a 12-inch tablet. It’s a good premium design that we like, but it now comes with the keyboard cover. 

It’s the cover that really changes this tablet into a useful 2-in-1 device and it’s in the design of the cover that most of the changes lie. For starters, the keyboard is now completely different. It has moved to a chiclet keyboard style with separated keys, rather than the platform layer of the previous model.

Pocket-lint

The keyboard action is a lot better and first impressions are that the keyboard sits more comfortably now. The whole thing feels better engineered and that’s not just down to the change in the style of the keys, but a significant difference around the back. 

The previous version used a folding design, where you had to tuck part of the stand under to form the triangle that would let it stand up. That’s not uncommon on tablets with stand cases, but it wasn’t a good design for mobile working. Where Microsoft’s Surface Pro offers an easy kickstand on the back that’s great, the MateBook E now offers a hinged cover design to rival it.

The result isn’t the prettiest to look at as there’s a hinge running down the centre of the keyboard cover, but it’s a lot more effective. You can set it at an angle that works for you and it’s all pretty stable. That’s a win overall for productivity and practicality, although we’ve not had the chance to use it for an extended period of time to see how it performs – but we can tell it’s better than it was.

Pocket-lint

Huawei MateBook E: Hardware and specs

• 12-inch IPS touchscreen, 2160 x 1440 pixels, 216ppi, 400 nits
• Intel Core m3-7Y30 or Core i5-7Y54 processors, 4/8GB DDR3 RAM
• 128-512GB SSD
• Fingerprint scanner
• 4430mAh battery 

The MateBook E presents you with a 12-inch display with 2160 x 1440 pixels and a reported brightness of 400 nits. It’s glossy, but first impressions of the colours and contrast are good, although we’ve not had the change the judge how it will perform outdoors in brighter conditions. It’s responsive to the touch though.

And so it should be. When it comes to power there are choices of the Intel Core m3-7Y30 processor or the Intel Core i5-7Y54 with Intel HD Graphics 615 and 4 or 8GB RAM options. On the storage front you’re looking at a 128-512GB SSD choices. So it doesn’t range quite as high as the Surface Pro 4, but it should offer plenty of power for those wanting to work on the move.

Pocket-lint

As previously, there’s a fingerprint scanner to the side of the device for convenient unlocking.

Physical connectivity is a little on the light side, with a single USB Type-C connection and a 3.5mm headphone socket. The USB Type-C will have to connect you to any peripherals (it’s compatible with the MateDock) as well as charge the device’s 33.7Wh/4430mAh battery. Huawei says that this will give you 9 hours of use (measured using video playback).

The battery life was one of the complaints we had about the 2016 version of this device however. We found it typically only lasted around 5 hours in use, meaning it doesn’t get you through the day, something you expect it to be doing.

Pocket-lint

Hopefully the MateBook E is now better positioned to provide that sort of endurance. It’s presenting a better keyboard experience and it would be great to see it deliver on battery life too.

First Impressions

First impressions are good. The MateBook E looks to present a balance of power and design, and it’s been much better executed in this model. The change to the cover is a small thing, but Huawei has learnt from the previous experience and moved to make it better for all users. 

The Huawei MateBook E is now better for those wanting something lightweight and portable; being able to position the screen at an angle that works for you makes it much more useful, a more viable alternative to the Surface Pro 4 or the new Samsung Galaxy Book.

The Huawei MateBook E will cost you €999 for the m3/4GB/128GB model, ranging up to €1299 for the i5/8GB/256GB version.

Apple saw a jump in security requests at the end of 2016

Transparency reports are the main way that tech companies can tell us that the authorities have been asking to look at user data. In its report for the second half of 2016, Apple said that the number of national security requests spiked considerably. Between January and June, the company received around 3,000 of the requests, but between July and December, that number had leapt to closer to 6,000.

In addition, Apple showed for the first time that it was sent a national security letter which was subsequently declassified. Such letters are considered one of the most severe kind of law enforcement subpoena, which do not require prior approval from a judge. The fact that Apple pushed to have the letter declassified means that it’s still pushing back against overly broad requests for data. That was the crux of the post-San Bernardino kerfuffle, in which the company refused to decrypt an iPhone for an investigation.

In addition, while the number of requests remained fairly stable, the number of individual devices that authorities identified increased. In the first half of the year, the US filed 3,335 requests naming 10,260 iOS and macOS devices. Between summer and fall, however, that number jumped to 4,254 requests identifying 20,013 specific pieces of hardware. Presumably if the G-Men are targeting someone’s iPhone, they also want their Apple Watch, iPad and MacBook Pro to be on the safe side.

Via: ZDNET

Source: Apple (.PDF)

Microsoft made the Surface Pro both lighter and quieter

Microsoft has mostly left the Surface Pro line untouched since late 2015, but the company is finally giving it a long overdue refresh today. Announced at an event in Shanghai earlier, the new machine — now simply dubbed Surface Pro — packs Intel’s 7th-gen Core processors (Kaby Lake; m3, i5 and i7 flavors), an enhanced PixelSense display, optional LTE Advanced radio and a battery life of up to 13.5 hours for video playback, which is a notable jump from the old nine hours. Oh, and there’s no longer a fan for the m3 and i5 models. Simply put, Microsoft calls this “the lightest, the best sounding, the fastest and the quietest Surface Pro ever,” and the company was keen to claim that its own machine is 1.7 times faster than the iPad Pro.

While the machine itself looks pretty much the same as before from afar, up close you’ll notice the slightly rounded edges. What’s also not immediately noticeable is the new hinge design: you can now push it all the way down to 165 degrees — or “Studio Mode,” as Microsoft would like to call it. Even the Surface Pen has been given a spec bump: the old 1,024-level pressure sensitivity is now at 4,096 levels, and it comes with tilt sensitivity along with a speedy 21ms latency.

Much like the recently announced Surface Laptop line, the new Surface Pro comes with an Alcantara keyboard in three colors: platinum, cobalt blue and burgundy. Pre-order starts today at $799 and up, with specs starting from 128GB SSD plus 4GB RAM all the way up to 1TB SSD plus 16GB RAM, and it’s shipping in mid-June.

This mid-cycle update was expected after Surface chief Panos Panay said that a Surface Pro 5 wouldn’t appear until there’s “an experiential change that makes a huge difference in product line.” Even then, this new Surface Pro does manage to pack a few surprises, so it should keep us entertained for the time being. And if that doesn’t scratch the itch, you could just buy one of the many alternatives from other hardware makers.

Jon Fingas contributed to this post.

Source: Microsoft

Samsung’s pricey Galaxy Book is a flawed powerhouse

Samsung’s Galaxy Book isn’t the company’s first attempt at taking the Surface Pro head-on: Last year’s TabPro S was clearly inspired by Microsoft’s convertible. But, sluggish performance and a cramped keyboard made the whole experience a bit painful, despite a great screen and battery life.

At first glance, it seems that Samsung has learned from its mistakes — the new Galaxy Book features a number of improvements. Most notably, the Galaxy Book features a Core i5 processor rather than the weaker Core M in last year’s model. The keyboard is larger, too. But the things that we liked about the TabPro S, including its stunning, pressure-sensitive display, appear to still be intact. I’ve only had the Galaxy Book for a couple days, but I’m both impressed and a bit infuriated by what I’ve found so far.

The first thing I noticed about the Galaxy Book was its impressively svelte profile. Sure, it weighs a bit over 1.5 pounds, but that’s not bad for a tablet with a 12-inch screen. It’s a tiny bit thicker and heavier than the 12.9-inch iPad Pro, but the internals are undoubtedly more powerful. The 7th-generation Core i5 processor runs at 3.1GHz, a chip that can match many laptops on the market. Unfortunately, the Galaxy Book I tested is paired with only 4GB of RAM. That’s enough for casual usage, but I found that Chrome had to refresh tabs that I navigated away from pretty frequently.

Aside from some tab refreshes, the Galaxy Book has handled my typical daily workflow well. I’ve been running Slack, Twitter, Todoist, Word, Mail and several Chrome windows (one of which is playing tunes constantly through Google Play Music) without incident. But the powerful processor does have a downside: fans. When I was doing anything more than running just a single browser window, the Galaxy Book’s fans audibly kicked in. It’s not a big deal and par for the course when jamming an i5 into such a slim body, but it was still a bit disappointing.

The Galaxy Book’s keyboard is still a bit of a mixed bag. The good news is that it’s much larger and less cramped than the one included with the TabPro S. When placed on a desk or similar flat surface, typing on the Galaxy Book feels like your average laptop keyboard. It’s nothing mind-blowing, but it’s totally comfortable and useable. It’s also backlit, something I wasn’t expecting. Similarly, the trackpad gets the job done — it’s not very large, but it’s smooth and responsive enough that it didn’t cause any problems.

Unfortunately, that all changed when using the Galaxy Book on my lap. As with most convertibles, it just isn’t the most comfortable experience. The top-heavy tablet and limited angles of the keyboard stand simply make it unpleasant to use. But, more crucially, the keyboard cover flexes like crazy when the Galaxy Book is perched on your lap. The weight of my palms on the keyboard rest made the whole thing bend a bit. And sometimes, if I applied right weight in the right spot, I could unintentionally make the trackpad “click” with my palms, which led to errant mouse input popping up at random while I typed.

It makes the whole experience feel cheap and imprecise, and it’s a bit letdown that Samsung didn’t use something with a bit less flex. Once I figured out what was happening, I was able to avoid the problem for the most part, but I still find myself accidentally activating the trackpad at random from time to time.

The tablet itself, however, feels great in the hands, if a little large. As with most tablets this size and with this display aspect ratio (approximately 16:10.7), it makes much more sense to use it in landscape mode rather than portrait. But that’s fine, as Windows 10 is primarily designed for that orientation as well. The Galaxy Book feels solid, high-quality and light enough to use as a tablet, though you won’t want to hold it up for extended periods of time. That’s fine, because though Windows 10 works well enough in tablet mode, most apps are still optimized with keyboard and mouse input in mind.

Like most tablets, the port selection here is limited: There are just two USB-C ports and a headphone jack on the right side of this device. On the left, there’s a SIM card slot, if you’re using the version with a Verizon LTE connection included. While that’s a little disappointing for something meant to replace your laptop, it’s in line with what you’ll get on the Surface Pro 4 (and far more than the iPad Pro offers).

I’m still trying to get a sense of the Galaxy Book’s battery life, but my typical usage patterns appear to be doing quite the number on it. I’m going to preface these numbers by noting that I told a Samsung representative about my problems and was told I’d receive another test unit, as mine seemed potentially defective. But the original device went from fully charged to five percent after only two hours and fifty minutes. Samsung claims video playback time of “up to 11 hours,” but I can’t imagine how I’d get that much more battery life when simply watching video.

Overall, the Galaxy Book’s battery life appears to be much worse than the TabPro S, which did well in our tests. It’s not surprising, given how power-hungry a Core i5 is compared to the Core m3 in the TabPro S. To make matters worse, it took me almost two hours to charge the Galaxy Book up from five percent to 25 percent(!). That should go a lot quicker when it’s shut down, but it was yet another disappointment. I’ll be testing my replacement unit straight away and will update this post with new test results.

The last factor here is price. The Galaxy Book as I tested (128GB storage, 4GB RAM, Core i5 processor and Verizon LTE connectivity) costs a whopping $1,299. That’s about as much as a similarly-outfitted iPad Pro (with keyboard and Apple Pencil) and more than many other full-fledged laptops on the market, like Microsoft’s just-announced Surface Laptop. And that’s not to mention the updated Surface Pro that Microsoft just announced — that new device will be the obvious competition for the Galaxy Book.

With better battery life, more RAM and a better keyboard, the Galaxy Book could have been worth that cash. But as it is, it’s a tough sell over the Surface Pro or many other Windows 10 computers out there. It has a wonderful display, to be sure, but that alone isn’t enough. We’ll see if more time with the Galaxy Book convinces me it’s a worthy contender for the convertible crown — look for our full review coming soon!

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Huawei’s first laptop is a MacBook clone in looks alone

Hot on the heels of Microsoft announcing the Surface Laptop, Huawei’s ready to unveil its first real Windows 10 notebook. It’s called the MateBook X, and it might remind you of Apple’s 12-inch MacBook. In fact, the resemblance is so striking that I could barely tell the two apart without looking at their logos. Although it looks very similar to Apple’s teeny laptop, the MateBook actually has a few important (and useful) differences.

First of all, it has a fingerprint sensor integrated into the power button that not only makes it easier to sign into your profile, but is also more convenient if more than one person is a frequent user of your laptop. All someone has to do is sign in with their finger and the laptop will load up their profile.

Apple’s butterfly keyboard was controversial for its basically travel-free setup, and even though I’m pleased with the typing experience on my MacBook, I’m glad Huawei managed to deliver keys with 1.2mm of travel here. It’s a more traditional and familiar system that makes typing more comfortable. I also like the generously sized chiclet keys, and the only buttons that appear undersized are the up and down arrows. The keyboard is also splash-resistant so you don’t have to worry about spilling a little water on it while you work.

Huawei equipped the MateBook X with a seventh-generation Intel Core i7 chip, 8GB of RAM and a 512GB SSD, which should promise speed performance. I’ve only used the laptop for light multi-tasking so far, but in general it keeps pace with my demands.

The MateBook X’s battery is supposed to last long, too, as the company is estimating up to 10 hours of 1080p video playback on a single charge. Speaking of video, you’ll really enjoy the multimedia experience, not only because of the MateBook’s vibrant 13-inch 2K display, but also thanks to the Dolby Atmos-enhanced surround sound system. Unfortunately during our preview, the display was dim in bright sunlight, but audio was indeed immersive and loud.

Like the MacBook, Huawei’s laptop adopts a minimal approach to ports, which could put off many people. You’ll only get two USB C slots – one of which feeds power to the device while you’re left with the other for external connections. To alleviate the potential inconvenience here, Huawei is including a dock with each MateBook X that provides options for HDMI, USB A, USB C and VGA. Disappointingly, there is no microSD card reader.

Although the MateBook X basically stole its design from the MacBook, I still appreciate its skinny profile and light weight anyway. I also dig its shiny chrome edges and the pink and blue color options available. Plus, Huawei has consistently been on point with its product aesthetics since the original MateBook 2-in-1 from last year, which has an equally premium build and classy look. The MateBook X may look incredibly familiar, but I won’t dock points from the company for crafting something that feels so elegant.

We don’t yet know how much the MateBook X will cost, but we do know it’s expected to retail in the US this summer. A larger, more-powerful version called the MateBook D will also be available, as will the MateBook E — an updated version of the company’s 2-in-1. Huawei’s first stab at a laptop comes with just one or two unique features, but on first glance it appears the MateBook X has the basics covered. Whether it will do well as a workhorse, though, remains to be seen.

ICYMI: World’s largest wind farm gets rolling

Today on In Case You Missed It: Danish power company Dong Energy (yes, really) has started up the world’s largest wind farm in Liverpool Bay. The farm consists of thirty-turbines in total, with each standing more than six stories tall and capable of producing eight megawatts of power. A single revolution of the massive 262-foot long blades can reportedly produce enough power to support a household for twenty-nine hours. The new farm has twice the capacity of the original Burbo Bank structures in the farm, and the turbines themselves are cheaper to both build and maintain even despite their size.

Meanwhile, Microsoft’s Research department has recently move AR and VR innovation forward with the development of a near-eye holographic experience that delivers monoscopic pictures via a pair of standard-shaped eye glasses. The electronics portions of the device still need to be housed on the exterior, however, all the necessary mirrors and the liquid crystal on silicon are contained inside the frame itself. While this is far from a final solution, it does get us one step closer to having a holographic display on a headset that is comfortable enough to be worn long term — something that could be useful for a variety of purposes in medical, software and technology fields.

As always, please share any interesting tech or science videos you find by using the #ICYMI hashtag on Twitter for @mskerryd.