Lego Batman Movie is first 4K HDR film to stream on Xbox One S

The Xbox One S has been able to play 4K Ultra HD Blu-rays since its introduction in August last year, and in HDR to boot. It’s currently the only games console to do so.

You can also stream Netflix and Amazon Video content in Ultra HD with HDR on shows and movies that support it.

And now there’s a third way to watch content in the very best format possible; Microsoft is selling the digital version of The Lego Batman Movie in Ultra HD with HDR on its US online store. It’s the first film to be available on the service in 4K and, hopefully, far from the last.

The movie is only available to buy in the US at present, for $29.99 (around £23). We expect it to also be available in the UK when it is released at the end of May, beginning of June.

• 17 best 4K Ultra HD Blu-rays available to buy now

You might baulk at the hefty price tag for the 4K version, considering the HD digital copy costs $19.99 and standard definition $14.99, but that reflects the current price for 4K Blu-rays. A typical 4K Blu-ray in the UK will set you back between £19.99 and £24.99.

The 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray edition of The Lego Batman Movie is available on pre-order for $29.27 on Amazon.com, but carries an RRP of a staggering $44.99. It’ll ship on 13 June.

It is also available to pre-order in the UK, for a 19 June release date. It currently costs £22.99 on Amazon.co.uk.

Undoubtedly, as the format becomes more widely used, the prices will drop.

Samsung Galaxy S9: What’s the story so far?

The Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8+ have only recently hit shelves but that doesn’t stop speculation for their successor. As is always the way, as soon as one great device appears, there are always those wanting more. 

Here are all the rumours relating to what we assume will be called the Samsung Galaxy S9 when it launches, though is apparently codenamed “Star” for now. We’ve also thrown in a few things we’d like to see too so feel free to do the same in the comments.

Samsung Galaxy S9: Release date

The Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8+ were officially announced on 29 March, with general availability starting on 28 April so we aren’t expecting to see the S9 before March or April 2018. 

The South Korean company’s next device is instead rumoured to be the Galaxy Note 8, which is thought to be coming at the end of August, beginning of September.

• Samsung Galaxy Note 8: What’s the story so far?

Samsung Galaxy S9: Design

As we are still hot on the heels of the Galaxy S8 and S8+, rumours are thin on the ground for the Galaxy S9 at the moment. We’d expect that to change once the Note 8 launches though so keep your eyes peeled towards the end of September.

We’re not expecting huge changes in the design from the Galaxy S8 to the S9, with more subtle differences more likely like the company did from the Galaxy S6 to the S7, rather than the S5 to the S6 and the S7 to the S8.

That almost all-screen front will therefore no doubt remain a key design detail, along with the dual edges, though we wouldn’t be surprised to see the rear-mounted fingerprint sensor move elsewhere. The placement of the fingerprint sensor has been the most criticised element of the S8 and S8+ so it wouldn’t be too surprising to see Samsung focus on changing its position, perhaps beneath the display?

• Samsung Galaxy S8 review 

Samsung Galaxy S9: Display

The Samsung Galaxy S9 and the S9+, assuming there is one, will no doubt continue the trend of the large display, minimal footprint. The S8 has a 5.8-inch screen, while the S8+ has a 6.2-inch screen, though thanks to their 18.5:9 ratios, their bodies are narrower than other handsets with smaller displays.

Whether the S9 will increase its display size further remains to be seen for now, though Korean site The Bell claims the Infinity Display will remain a key focus for the 2018 flagship. We’d expect the panel to stick with Super AMOLED, given it has offered Samsung so much success in the last few years and we’d also expect to see Mobile HDR on board again. By 2018, this latter feature is likely to be more prominent too as more content becomes available to take advantage of it.

Will Samsung increase the resolution from Quad HD+? Who knows. It wouldn’t be too shocking to see a 4K display, especially since Sony offers one on its Xperia XZ Premium and given the trend for VR, but for now, it’s guesswork.

• Sony Xperia XZ Premium review

Samsung Galaxy S9: Camera

The Samsung Galaxy S devices have offered excellent camera functionality since the Galaxy S6, improving year-on-year, so we’d expect the same from the Galaxy S9.

There aren’t any rumours surrounding megapixels as yet, but expect a great performer, wide aperture and more advanced features, as is normally the way with a new flagship. Iris scanning is present on the Galaxy S8 and S8+ and it works brilliantly so we’d expect to see the technology appear on the S9, probably further improved again.

The Galaxy Note 8 is rumoured to be coming with a dual-rear camera, following the trend set by LG, Huawei and Apple. If this speculation turns out to be accurate, it wouldn’t be too surprising to see the S9 follow suit as it normally brings in a few of the standout features from the Note series. We will have to wait a few more months to see if Samsung does hop on the dual-camera bandwagon though so sit tight for now.

• Samsung Galaxy S8+ review

Samsung Galaxy S9: Hardware

Given the Galaxy S9 will be a flagship device, powerful hardware is pretty much a given. We can therefore expect the latest processor from Exynos or Qualcomm under the hood, though which one will probably be region specific as it has been the last couple of years. 

The S8 and S8+ both have 4GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage, as well as microSD. Whether we will see any of these numbers increase isn’t currently known but we wouldn’t be surprised to see a jump in RAM to 6GB, especially given some devices like the OnePlus 3T already offer this.

Battery-wise, again it is not clear if we will see an increase in capacity for the S9, but there will no doubt be improvements in performance from the processor and the software, even if the capacity stays the same. USB Type-C is almost a certainty, while the 3.5mm headphone jack will probably remain questionable until launch, as it did with the S8 and S8+. 

Samsung Galaxy S9: Software

The Samsung Galaxy S9 will no doubt launch on Android O, the name of which we don’t know as yet. It will also have Samsung’s TouchWiz software over the top, which has been hugely refined over the last couple of years and will therefore probably offer even further improvements. 

It’s too early to tell what kind of features will be on board as yet, but they will likely incorporate what we’re expecting from Android O, while also offering some Samsung-specific features too. We’re expecting Bixby to be on board like the S8 and S8+, probably with some advancements, as well as Google Assistant.

• Android O: Features, release date and everything you need to know

Samsung Galaxy S9: Conclusion

For now, the Samsung Galaxy S9 is pretty much all guesswork. It will no doubt bring a host of improvements over the Galaxy S8 and S8+, as all succeeding flagships do, but there are several devices in the pipeline set to arrive before it, such as the OnePlus 5, Pixel 2 and the Galaxy Note 8.

We’ll keep this feature updated with any rumours that appear regarding the Galaxy S9. If you’re getting itchy feet and the S8 and S8+ don’t tickle your fancy, it’s worth having a look at our Note 8 feature for now to see if that device might be able to tick your boxes.

The Morning After: Friday, May 26th 2017

Welcome to Friday morning. In the last 24 hours, we gazed at SpaceX’s latest rocket tests and heard about major financial companies involving themselves in bitcoin. Meanwhile, Microsoft’s Twitch competitor has (sort of) relaunched with a new name and the ability to broadcast all your buddies playing at once.

We’ll wait.Android co-founder Andy Rubin will reveal ‘something big’ May 30th

With a resume that includes the Android platform and the Sidekick, you can bet we’ll be paying attention to Andy Rubin’s company Essential Products, when it reveals “something big” in a few days. Pics have teased a mobile device, and another image yesterday hinted at a 360-degree camera add-on. Stay tuned.

As Elon Musk says, the launch is ‘guaranteed to be exciting.’
SpaceX begins test-firing parts of its biggest rocket

SpaceX is trying out some of its boosters — and they’re big. After releasing a clip of last week’s test-fire, Elon Musk tweeted that, when the Falcon Heavy eventually launches this summer, it’ll be this powerful, but “times three.”

You can even use it in the cafeteria
Fidelity Investments dives into bitcoin

Starting later this year, Fidelity clients will be able to check their bitcoin balance through the company’s website, as long it’s stored on Coinbase. A vote of confidence from Fidelity’s CEO arrives while the cryptocurrency is trading at an all-time high, and suggests that eight years in, it could be here to stay.

It’s all up to you.T-Mobile’s flexible Digits plans come out of beta on May 31st

The latest UnCarrier wrinkle out of Big Magenta is “Digits,” a service that lets users mix and match numbers and devices as they wish. Similar to Google Voice, it can sync messages and calls across devices, or support multiple numbers that all point to the same handset. All current customers will be upgraded to Digits at the end of this month, and purchasing an additional line will cost $10 per month for most.

Physical shops will borrow tricks from the web to deliver ultimate convenience.

Your mall will basically have to be psychic to survive

For some of us, the rush we get from buying a new dress or gadget can be cathartic. And in the not-too-distant future, real-world shopping will get so seamless that it could feel like the store is actually psychic. But it’s not just about flashy displays of bleeding-edge tech. Instead, expect a subtler approach that focuses on understanding your tastes to find you your next outfit while you’re in the fitting room, all in the right size. Stores will learn to recognize you as you browse and change dynamically to show things that matter more to you. We take a closer look at both the convenience of online shopping, and what happens next.

MixerMicrosoft’s Twitch competitor gets a new name and co-op streaming

Last year Microsoft bought Beam, a Twitch competitor that focused on low-latency streaming. Now it’s announced the company will rebrand under the name Mixer, at the same time it rolls out some new features. Already built into the Xbox platform on consoles and PCs, Mixer will allow up to four players to broadcast on one livestream channel — perfect for co-op streaming. Also, during E3 next month, Mixer will stream Microsoft’s Xbox press conference in 4K — provided you have the right hardware.

Its most expensive original series won’t be extended.
Netflix cans Baz Luhrmann’s ‘The Get Down’

Not even millions of dollars can save a series not enough people are watching.

But wait, there’s more…

• Soon, binge-watching will be as easy as breathing
• Listening to starlight: Our ongoing search for alien intelligence
• Rocket Lab nails the world’s first orbital rocket launch from a private pad
• Class-action suit alleges GM cheated emissions test

Kodak’s chunky, retro cameraphone is coming to the US

You might not hear much about Kodak these days, but the brand still exists — it even released a new smartphone with a humongous camera in Europe last year. Now, that same phone named after its Ektra camera from the ’40s has made its way to the US. As a phone, the new Ektra doesn’t really have impressive features with its 5-inch 1080p display, 32GB internal storage, deca-core MediaTek Helio X20 processor and 3GB of RAM. It also ships with Android Marshmallow instead of Nougat. Ektra’s main draw is none other than its 21MP camera (with six-axis image stabilization, no less) that takes up a huge chunk of its leatherette-wrapped back.

The company says the camera, which has optical image stabilization features, has a fully-integrated DSLR dial experience and can shoot 4K videos. Its counterpart front-facing camera is 13 megapixels, and both of them use Snapseed as the default photo-editing app. Seeing as loads of better smartphones have decent camera these days, we’re guessing Ektra will appeal to those who want that old-timey Kodak aesthetic the most. If this is something you’d buy, head over to the company’s website, where’s it’s selling the phone for $400 as an unlocked GSM device.

Via: The Verge

Source: Kodak

TSMC Sources Claim ‘iPhone 8’ Will Have Touch ID Integrated into Display

Apple has successfully finalized a solution to integrate Touch ID fingerprint recognition directly into the display of its upcoming “iPhone 8”, according to a new report on Friday.

Chinese-language Economic Daily News (EDN) said it spoke to sources from Apple supplier Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC), who apparently confirmed Apple’s achievement during a technology convention held in Taipei on Thursday.

Among several design changes TSMC reportedly discussed at the TSMC 2017 NA Technology Symposium was the lack of a home button on the redesigned OLED iPhone, owing to Apple’s use of “an optical fingerprint sensor to enable authentication directly on the screen” in the absence of a physical Home button.

In addition to the fingerprint recognition, the sources claimed the new iPhones will also come with “invisible infrared image sensors to enhance the functionality of the high-pixel camera” and to enable augmented reality functions.

If true, news of Apple’s on-screen fingerprint recognition solution will come as a relief to watchers tracking the development of Apple’s “tenth anniversary” edition iPhone. Reports that the company has been researching ways to integrate fingerprint sensors directly into screens go as far back as June 2015, but more recent sources have claimed Apple has struggled to find a solution that overcomes the production challenges involved.

Specifically, Apple was said to be facing low yield issues of its in-house fingerprint sensor solution, which may have been forcing it to consider three possible alternatives: remove Touch ID from the 5.8-inch iPhone entirely and rely on other forms of biometric authentication instead, place the sensor on the back of the device (similar to the one on the Samsung Galaxy S8), or delay production of the phone.

The security of existing face and iris recognition technology has already come into question, while the idea of a rear-mounted Touch ID fingerprint sensor has received a largely negative response from current iPhone users. Suggestions that Apple could announce the OLED iPhone in September alongside typical “S” cycle iPhones but delay its availability have also been met with skepticism.

Additionally, today’s news also lines up with previous rumors claiming Apple has been aiming to finalize its fingerprint sensor specification in May all along, in time for mass production in late July, which would fall in line with the company’s usual annual iPhone production timeframe.

The other design changes mentioned by sources at TSMC suggest additional biometric authentication such as iris/facial recognition could be used to augment Touch ID via a high pixel-density front-facing camera, which is expected to feature next-generation 3D-sensing capabilities powered by PrimeSense technology. The report also claims the screen ratio of the displays on the new iPhones will be adjusted to 18.5:9 instead of the previous 16:9.

The “iPhone 8” is thought to have a redesigned steel and glass chassis, an edge-to-edge OLED display, and could carry a “premium” price, compared to previous models. Apple is expected to debut the new iPhone in the fall alongside updated versions of its current 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch device lineup.

(Via DigiTimes.)

Related Roundup: iPhone 8 (2017)
Tags: TSMC, Touch ID
Discuss this article in our forums

Three Fun Ways to Use Your Personal Drone

Were you desperate for your own drone as soon as they became popular on the mainstream market? For many tech enthusiasts, the idea of being able to own and control a drone was too much to resist, and now loads of us are in possession of these awesome flying devices. From drones with fancy night vision cameras through to hydrofoil drones, the number of features you can get on personal drones these days is pretty astounding, and they are becoming cheaper all the time. However, after you have taken out your drone, learned to fly it around and control it decently, and had some fun chasing your pets, what are some fun ways you can employ your drone after that?

Here, we give you three cute ideas for playing with your own drone.

Take More Epic Selfies Than Ever

We all know how lame selfie sticks are. However, quite often, you want to take a picture that includes a bit more than you can get in the frame holding your phone. Well, if you have a camera equipped drone, you can set up some great selfies using it. Want to take a unique picture of all of your friends at a party, wedding, or graduation? A drone selfie can be a great way to do it. Want to take a picture of yourself next to an amazing landmark or piece of scenery? Again, your drone is well equipped to help you.  Drone selfies can be taken almost anywhere it’s safe and legal to fly, and by combining a selfie and a drone view you can create some truly stunning videos to share with your friends.  Naturally, you don’t have to stop at selfies, either, and can also take some impressive video of yourself from perspectives you wouldn’t normally be able to get – great for things like sport.

Cosplay with Your Drone

Whether it’s for Halloween, a fancy dress party, or as part of a more elaborate cosplay for a convention, dressing up your drone and having it as part of your costume can be fun, and look really inventive. People have tried this using costumes for their drones to make them look like dragons (such as Toothless from How To Train Your Dragon or Drogon from Game of Thrones), birds, butterflies, ghosts, and all kinds of other things, and as long as what you use to create the costume is lightweight and doesn’t interfere with the drone’s operation, you can really do whatever you like!

Deliver Gifts to Your Friends

Whether you want to leave mysterious surprises as a way to play a prank on a friend, or you want to cheer them up with a cute gift or note, it can be easy to do with a drone. Using your drone’s camera you can even watch their reaction from where you are hiding and controlling it! How heavy an item your drone can carry will depend on its spec, but just about any drone can carry a note for you.

These are just a few ideas for silly, fun ways to enjoy your drone once you have mastered flying it.

Bear 1.2 Brings Sketching, New Icons, and VoiceOver to Note-Taking App

Popular note-taking app Bear received an update on Thursday across Mac and iOS that adds a number of notable features to the Evernote rival.

The biggest change to Bear is the ability to sketch on iOS. Users can now add sketches to their notes using a finger or stylus. Sketches are drawn on a separate open canvas, which includes pencil and marker tools similar to Apple Notes, with each pencil coming in three sizes and a range of colors.

Next, Bear has taken cues from the new API in iOS 10.3 that enables apps to use custom icons. Bear supports eight different themes, and now each one has an accompanying icon so that Bear’s appearance on the Home screen optionally matches the selected theme.

Bear 1.2 also brings VoiceOver support, to aid blind and visually impaired notetakers. Elsewhere, a Bear Notes sticker pack has been included for use in iMessages.

Lastly, Bear has been translated for three new languages: Korean, Russian, and Brazilian Portugese. Bear 1.2 is free and offers a $1.49 monthly or $14.99 annual subscription model for Pro features. Bear is available to download on the App Store for iPad and iPhone [Direct Link], as well as on the Mac App Store [Direct Link].
Discuss this article in our forums

Fitness trackers appear to be lousy calorie counters, but it’s not all bad news

Why it matters to you

The research suggests fitness trackers have a ways to go when it comes to accurate calorie measurements, so keep it in mind if you’ve been relying on them.

If you’ve been using your fitness tracker’s calorie measurements to shape your diet, then you’re not going to like what you’re about to read: The data is well off the mark.

That, at least, is the conclusion of a team of researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine, which ran tests on seven wrist-worn devices that offer users a range of health-related measurements.

The researchers evaluated the Apple Watch, Basis Peak, Fitbit Surge, Microsoft Band, Mio Alpha 2, PulseOn and Samsung Gear S2 among a diverse group of volunteers and published their findings this week. While many of the devices have been updated, retired, or even recalled, we can assume that many are still being used by the millions of people that bought them.

Looking at the team’s data, even the best performing device — the FitBit Surge — was way off the mark when counting burned calories, missing the real figure by 27 percent. The least accurate was the PulseOn, which was off by a whopping 93 percent.

“People are basing life decisions on the data provided by these devices,” Euan Ashley, a professor of cardiovascular medicine at Standford and senior author of the research report, said in a release, adding that it can be hard for doctors to know how to respond to data offered by a patient with their own fitness tracker.

While the researchers couldn’t be certain as to why the energy expenditure data was so inaccurate, they noted that the devices each use proprietary algorithms for calculating such data. Anna Shcherbina, one of the report’s authors, commented that it’s “very hard to train an algorithm that would be accurate across a wide variety of people because energy expenditure is variable based on someone’s fitness level, height and weight, etc.”

But before you toss your tracker in the trash, you might like to know that the findings weren’t all bad. For example, it was discovered that six of the devices measured heart rate with an error rate of less than 5 percent, while Samsung’s Gear S2 device had an error rate of 6.8 percent. These more accurate measurements can be put down to the fact that such data is measured directly rather than by way of an algorithm.

Ashley concluded that for the devices tested, a user can have a fair amount of confidence in the heart rate data, adding that you’ll clearly want to be very wary about designing your diet on the basis of the calories-count readout.

“The heart rate measurements performed far better than we expected, but the energy expenditure measures were way off the mark. The magnitude of just how bad they were surprised me,” the researcher said.

We can certainly expect developments in software and technology to improve the accuracy of tracker data and look forward to seeing the results of additional research on more recently released — and future — fitness-focused devices.

Grab a OnePlus 3T while you still can, discontinued from 1 June

The OnePlus 3T will soon be disappearing from store shelves and the company’s online store, as it prepares for the launch of the OnePlus 5. The 3T was only released in November 2016 as a slightly updated version of the already excellent OnePlus 3, but all good things must come to an end, and Thursday 1 June is the last day you’ll be able to pick one up.

• OnePlus 5: Release date, rumours and everything you need to know
• OnePlus 3T review: The best mid-price phone, now with Nougat sweetness

The OnePlus 3T has a faster and more capable Snapdragon 821 processor compared to its OnePlus 3 predecessor and has sapphire glass on the front to better protect it from scratches and the like. It also has a much improved battery and an upgraded front camera. Couple all that with a solid build and a very attractive price tag, and it’s no wonder it’s one of our favourite phones of the moment. 

If you already have a OnePlus 3T and are worried about it not being supported anymore, fear not. OnePlus has confirmed it will continue to roll out software updates to the phone.

• OnePlus 5 vs OnePlus 3T: What’s the rumoured difference?

The OnePlus 5 will replace the 3T at some point this year, but we don’t expect it to be 2 June, the day after the 3T goes off sale. Until the 5 does become available, you won’t be able to buy any phones from the OnePlus online store. We’d assume there will be a good couple of weeks at least until the 5 goes on sale, but that’s purely speculation.

Worried your children are victims of cyberbullying? Take the pledge to talk to them

Internet Matters, the organisation to aid parents in online safety, has launched a campaign to raise awareness of cyberbullying and help children and their families communicate about its dangers and effects.

As well as host a #Pledge2Talk button, which shows how other likeminded parents are also taking a commitment to speak to their children, Internet Matters has age-appropriate tips on how you can engage with your child, start a conversation about cyberbullying and what you can do to help.

Tips were developed in association with the Anti-bullying Alliance, Childnet, Kidscape and Ditch the Label, so can really help if you are struggling with approaching the subject with your kid.

There are also videos and articles on the Internet Matters website that explain more about cyberbullying and the signs to look out for.

You can also follow the campaign and other Internet Matters activities on its dedicated Facebook and Twitter pages.

Opening up about #cyberbullying can be difficult but we can help, #Pledge2Talk to your child today & get expert tips https://t.co/h7YcbEl3F1 pic.twitter.com/0ZbNp94Xsr

— Internet Matters (@IM_org) May 22, 2017

Internet Matters is a not-for-profit organisation backed by BT, Sky, TalkTalk and Virgin Media. Its website hosts thousands of informative features and guides to help parents understand technology and the world wide web, covering everything from apps on smartphones and tablets to how to tackle a child watching online pornography.

At internetmatters.org parents can find all the advice they will need to keep their children safe online. Designed specifically for parents, the site offers a wealth of up-to-date, unbiased information and advice about how to deal with online safety. Parents can learn about the latest issues and technologies, get great tips on how to talk about online safety with their children and get the best advice on dealing with issues and taking action. Created with experts, Internet Matters provides detailed information, but also signposts to best-in-class resources from individual expert organisations. Our goal is to ensure parents can always access the information that they need, in a format that is clear and concise.