OnePlus 5: Top things you need to know

It’s time to get to know the OnePlus 5.

This is the most expensive phone OnePlus has ever made, and subsequently has the highest expectations. The base plan to meet those expectations is to double down on the formula that has at least got OnePlus this far: high-end specs, solid hardware and super-fast software. Then there’s the extra bit of marketing thrown behind its camera setup, which is the first substantial change to the formula of previous OnePlus phones.

The best place to get up to speed with the OnePlus 5 is right here — here are the top things you need to know about this phone.

The specs are top-notch

For another generation, OnePlus is giving us just about all of the top-end specs we want to see in a high-end phone today. It starts with the latest Snapdragon 835 processor, and continues on with a standard 6GB of RAM and 64GB of storage. There’s also an optional 8GB RAM and 128GB storage model for just $60 extra.

You’ll also see an above-average 3300mAh battery inside despite the phone’s 7.25 mm thickness, and it offers quick charging that can match or exceed how quickly other phones charge up with their Quick Charge 3.0 tech. You get USB-C connectivity, of course, and a 3.5 mm headphone jack — unfortunately, an increasingly rare item these days.

More: Spec comparison: OnePlus 5 vs. OnePlus 3

We’re missing waterproofing, though

But of course, a phone that starts at $479 can’t do it all. There are still a few specs and features “missing” here that you could find on other phones … but the biggest one is waterproofing.

Yup, you won’t find an IP rating at all on the OnePlus 5, and that’s something you find in just about all of the flagship competition. No matter that those phones are $150-250 more than the OnePlus 5, because OnePlus is definitely framing its latest phone as a competitor to those flagships.

Some things remain unchanged from the OnePlus 3

For all of the advancements in the OnePlus 5, some parts of its experience have remain unchanged — or imperceptibly changed — from its predecessor, the OnePlus 3.

Much of what you find on the OnePlus 5 was introduced in 2016’s OnePlus 3.

Some key parts of the hardware experience are the same now as they were before, including the 5.5-inch 1080p display, the one-touch fingerprint sensor below the screen, the great “Alert Slider” on the left edge, and the Dash Charge fast charging system. The phone’s dimensions are also near-identical, with the OnePlus 5 being marginally thinner and narrower, and just shy of 2 mm taller.

The Android 7.1 Nougat software on the OnePlus 5 is also very similar in features to the OnePlus 3, particularly if you’ve dabbled in any of the beta builds for the older phone where the new software has been in testing. The experience of using the phones side-by-side today is hardly different, and the small differences can (and should) be brought to the OnePlus 3 in due time.

In many cases the stagnation isn’t a bad thing, but it is worth noting that the OnePlus 5 has strong continuity with the phone that came before it.

You now have two rear cameras

A substantial area of change when compared to the OnePlus 3 is the OnePlus 5’s camera setup. The new phone has a new 16MP camera, a faster f/1.7 lens and new image processing techniques, but has lost OIS (optical image stabilization) in the process. The main camera feels like an overall upgrade from the OnePlus 3, and it’s capable of taking some great photos. But its lack of physical stabilization hamstrings it in scenes with mixed or little light, and the results end up being a bit grainy or blurry if you’re not careful with stabilizing your hands.

Dual cameras give you new options — and one important omission.

Sitting right next to the “main” camera is another camera as well: a 20MP sensor with an f/2.6 lens that has a longer focal length — around 40 mm equivalent to the main’s 24 mm. You can tap the “2x” button in the camera app to quickly switch to this lens and take photos with a unique perspective — and because it has 20MP of resolution you can even digitally zoom in a tad without losing much fidelity.

The big reason for including the second camera is “Portrait Mode,” which is a way to use both lenses at once to create a faux background blurring effect to try and mimic what you’d see in a DSLR. It can be hit or miss (this software is really hard to do right), but when it works you get a cool-looking photo that’s different from what you’d see from either camera on its own.

It works just about anywhere in the world … but not Verizon

OnePlus surpassed a pretty big technological hurdle to be able to ship one model of the phone with radio support for 30+ countries — particularly in facing the Chinese market that uses many bands you don’t find anywhere else. That means you can take your phone to most places in the world and have it work on the local carrier, which is great for international travelers. There are also two SIM slots, giving you even more possibilities.

More: There’s one OnePlus 5 version for the whole world

The one shortcoming, speaking purely from a U.S. perspective, is its lack of support for Verizon and Sprint. Even though the OnePlus 5 technically supports some of the necessary LTE bands for the carriers, OnePlus is making no claim of testing or certification for those networks. It’s annoying and frustrating, but you shouldn’t buy the OnePlus 5 expecting to use it on Verizon or Sprint.

If you bring the OnePlus 5 to T-Mobile you’ll find it works great, including support for both VoLTE and Wi-Fi calling. Unfortunately those advanced calling features aren’t available on AT&T — you’ll get the basic voice and data services there.

Dash Charge is awesome, but has some requirements

The in-house developed Dash Charge charging system helps your OnePlus 5’s battery charge up incredibly fast. But because of the way the charger has to interact with the phone to perform the fast charging without generating much heat, it requires a special charger and cable. You must use a OnePlus-made Dash Charge charger and cable, or it just won’t work. OnePlus includes the correct charger and cable in the OnePlus 5’s box, and also offers extra wall chargers and car chargers on its website.

The only frustrating part about Dash Charge is that it isn’t cross-compatible with other fast charging systems, like the widely used Qualcomm Quick Charge or the more generic USB-C Power Delivery spec. That means if you plug into another charger (or use another cable) it will likely top out at about 5V/2.4A — which is pretty fast, but not nearly as fast as Dash Charge is.

Read our review and other coverage

Get to know the OnePlus 5 in detail by reading our comprehensive review and seeing how the phone compares to the Galaxy S8 and then how [its camera stacks up to the Galaxy S8, too)(https://www.androidcentral.com/camera-comparison-oneplus-5-vs-samsung-galaxy-s8).

OnePlus 5

• Complete OnePlus 5 review
• Reviewing our first OnePlus 5 photos
• OnePlus 5 specs
• Which OnePlus 5 model should you buy?
• Camera comparison: OnePlus 5 vs. Galaxy S8
• The latest OnePlus 5 news
• Join the discussion in the forums

OnePlus

Google removes private medical records from search results

Personal medical records are supposed to stay between you and your doctor, but in a digital age that’s not always what happens.

Healthcare systems get hacked, insurance providers suffer massive data breaches, and clerical errors lead to medical records being put up online for the world to see, and more importantly search for. Keeping your medical records private is something protected by law in many parts of the world, including HIPAA privacy laws in the United States, so it makes some sense that Google is removing confidential medical records from its search results.

The category was added to the list of content Google removes from searches this week, with confidential media information joining revenge porn on the list of removed content. Considering the damage people can do if they find your medical records (especially since many medical records are tied to a person’s social security number), it’s not that shocking to see it added to the list. Does this mean the information won’t show up somewhere, somehow on the internet? No, but it does mean that when and if it does, it’s going to be much harder for people to find it.

How to pair a PS4 or Xbox One controller to NVIDIA Shield TV

If you’re not happy with NVIDIA’s own controllers, why not use a PS4 or Xbox One controller instead with your Shield TV?

The NVIDIA Shield TV is a great little box for playing games on. Whether it’s native Android games or those streamed from your PC or Geforce Now, the Shield TV has some serious gaming chops.

It also has a pretty darn good controller in the box to play them with. But if you have a preference for either Sony’s PS4 Dualshock 4 controller or Microsoft’s Xbox One controller, you’re in luck. You can use both with the NVIDIA Shield TV without needing to use a cable.

Here’s how you do it.

How to pair a PS4 controller with the NVIDIA Shield TV

To pair the Dualshock 4 to your Shield TV simply follow these steps:

Put your controller in pairing mode by holding down the PS button and the share button together until the light bar blinks.
Go to settings on your Shield TV.
Select add accessory.
Wait for the Shield TV to find the controller over Bluetooth.
Select your controller to pair.

Your PS4 controller should now be paired wirelessly with the NVIDIA Shield TV for you to enjoy in your games.

How to pair an Xbox One controller with the NVIDIA Shield TV

There’s a little caveat to using an Xbox One controller, and that’s which version you have. To connect wirelessly you need to have the latest version of the controller that launched alongside the Xbox One S. The easy way to tell is that the Xbox button is surrounded by plastic the same color as the rest of the controller.

Only this version has Bluetooth inside it for pairing with non-Xbox devices.

You’ll also need to make sure the firmware is up to date if you’re not already using the same controller on an Xbox One console. If you need to do this on a PC, download the Xbox Accessories application from the Windows Store and you’ll be able to update it from within.

The steps then are really simple:

Go to settings on your Shield TV.
Select add accessory.
Wait for the Shield TV to find the controller over Bluetooth.
Select your controller to pair.

As with the PS4 controller you too should now have a paired controller to enjoy your games on the Shield TV wire free. And if you ever have troubleshooting to do, the Shield TV support forums are a great place to start.

NVIDIA Shield Android TV

• Read our Shield Android TV review
• The latest Shield Android TV news
• Shield vs. Shield Pro: Which should I buy?
• Join the forum discussion
• Complete Shield Android TV specs

Amazon

Samsung Galaxy Note 8 may debut in September with two stabilized cameras, 6GB RAM

The Galaxy Note 8 is coming soon, and the rumor mill has started to churn.

Samsung will debut the Galaxy Note 8 in mid-September, two weeks later than previously rumored, and after the hubbub of IFA has died down. It would also be a year and a month later than the Galaxy Note 7’s August debut, lining up with a later-than-usual March announcement of the Galaxy S8. This according to typically-reliable leaker, Evan Blass, of Venturebeat.

His sources go on to say that the phone will be priced around €999, which may translate into a U.S. street price of just over $900, a considerable premium over the $725/$825 of the Galaxy S8 and S8+, respectively.

Inside, a smaller 3300mAh battery will likely assuage worries of another recall.

As for the phone itself, it’s not a surprise that the Note 8 appears to be on its way to looking like a larger Galaxy S8+: a 6.3-inch edge-to-edge Infinity Display in an 18.5:9 aspect ratio will mean slim top and bottom bezels and curved sides. Internally, Samsung is testing the Note 8 with the same processors as the Galaxy S8, Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 835 in the U.S. and its well-received Exynos 8895 SoC for the rest of the world. That combination will be paired with 6GB of RAM, however, which should provide ample power for even the most multitasking-heavy activities.

Likely the most interesting and exciting feature of the Note 8, and something that has been rumored before, is the inclusion of two camera sensors. According to the report, both 12MP sensors will be optically stabilized, which will be an industry first for a dual-camera setup, though it’s not clear whether their focal lengths will differ. The fingerprint sensor will remain on the back of the phone, corroborating previous reports that Samsung’s under-the-screen fingerprint solution will have to wait until 2018, but the Note 8’s is reportedly more clearly separated from the camera assembly.

As for battery, the phone will have a relatively small 3,300mAh cell, likely to assuage worries of another battery-related recall.

The phone’s eponymous S Pen will also have a new set of features, including “full-sentence language translation and currency conversion), and added the ability to pin handwritten notes to the always-on display,” according to Blass. DeX dock support will also likely be beefed up. As for Bixby, it’s a safe bet that we’ll see a left-side button to activate the on-device assistant — this helper isn’t going anywhere!

That’s all we know of the Galaxy Note 8 right now, but the spigot is open, and we’ll likely see prototypes of the actual phone leak in the next few weeks, so stay tuned!

A Guide to Waterproofing Your Google Pixel

So the Pixel’s not waterproof — there are workarounds!

For most people, the Google Pixel’s lack of waterproofing isn’t a total dealbreaker, and most folks will pick up a Pixel or Pixel XL without giving waterproofing a second thought.

Then there are those of us who have dropped our phones in the toilet at some point or have a loved one who has (like a certain writer’s wife), so we know the perils that can come from a not-so-waterproof phone. Even if you’ve had cell phones since the 90s and have never had a phone damaged by water, you might believe waterproofing your phone is just good sense.

And it is, just in case.

The Pixel’s IP rating

First off, the Pixel isn’t entirely vulnerable to water. It has an IP53 rating. This means that it’s nearly impervious to dust (5) and can handle light sprays of water (3), like a light drizzle or mist.

No phone can ever be called truly waterproof, since there’s no consensus on what constitutes a “waterproof” rating, so the best any manufacturer or you can do is try and make your device water-resistant. Here’s how to up your Pixel’s water resistance.

For time’s sake, I’ll say “waterproofing” throughout this article, but I really meant “adding water resistance”.

Get a water-resistant case

The most logical option for waterproofing your Pixel is to slap on a water-resistant case. This way you still get full use of your phone without having to hide it away from the elements. Here are some of the best waterproof cases you can get:

LifeProof FRE

The LifeProof FRE is your answer to protecting your Pixel or Pixel XL from everything. LifeProof claims these cases are waterproof, dirt-proof, snow-proof, and drop-proof (from up to 6.6 feet), so you’ll never have to worry about your Pixel — it’s in good hands.

LifeProof’s FRE is rated IP68 for ingress protection, which is as high as it gets, meaning that you’ll have to work pretty hard to get any dirt or dust in there, and your Pixel would have to be submerged in 3 feet of water for more than half an hour to risk damage. Each case also passes the U.S. Military Standard test for drops and vibrations, so you’d be hard-pressed to rattle your Pixel’s cage.

This is likely the best case for you if you’re looking to waterproof your Pixel and protect it from whatever else might befall it.

For now, the FRE only comes in Asphalt Black and starts around $90.

See at Amazon

Grab a sack… A water-resistant sack!

Universal water-resistant phone bags are an awesome way to keep your Pixel totally dry and are perfect for folks living the active life or vacation. Water-resistant bags aren’t practical solution, so you likely won’t use one every day, but for times when you’re at the beach, hiking, or know you’ll be out in heavy rain, they’re excellent for keeping your phone a phone and not a brick.

JOTO universal dry bag

JOTO’s waterproof bag is rated IPX8, which is as good as it gets for ingress protection. It basically means that your phone can be safely submerged in this bag for an indeterminate amount of time. JOTO even says it’s good to 100 feet deep!

There’s a clear window on the front and back, so you can continue to use your Pixel and even take photos with the case/bag on. These bags fit phones up to 6 inches diagonally, so your Pixel XL is good to go, but you might have to remove a protective case if you have one on already.

The snap and lock closure is easy to use, and while securing your Pixel tightly, it’s easy to put it in and take it out without much fuss. There’s also a handy lanyard attached, so you can secure it to your swim trunks or cargo shorts and off you go!

You might as well grab a few, since these are only $7 apiece.

See at Amazon

Best practices

If you don’t feel like shelling out $90 for a LifeProof case and a waterproof bag doesn’t really suit your lifestyle, then you’ll just want to do your best to your keep your Pixel as dry as possible.

Don’t take it out in the rain

This may seem like a no-brainer, but the urge to check a text while walking down the street on a rainy day can sometimes overcome you. Yes, the Pixel has an IP53 rating, so a little rain won’t bring it down, but if you’re looking to keep it pristine, inside and out, then keep it pocketed in the wet weather.

Bring a comic book!

Don’t bring your Pixel into the bathroom with you. Yes, playing Two Dots on the can is a great way to… “pass” the time (badum tshhh!). Not only is it grody, but what if you’re running a bath while you’re on the John? You rest your phone on the edge of the tub just for a second so you can finish off and wash up. As you stand, your knee grazes your phone. Splash! Au revoir, Pixel.

OK, so maybe it’s not that dramatic, but just leave your phone outta the bathroom and bring a comic book instead, huh?

If it gets wet, dry it off

That may seem like another no-brainer, but if your Pixel gets a little wet, wipe it down with a soft cloth or, at the very least, the sleeve of your shirt, especially if your phone’s in a case. No, it’s not likely that that water will get inside and do any damage, but do you want to take that chance?

Front pockets only

If you have to pocket your Pixel, make sure it’s the front pocket only. There seems to be this trend (especially among women) or folks keeping their phones in their back pockets. My wife kindly explained to me that women often do this because their jeans aren’t made with big front pockets because they’re so tight. Fair enough. Put it in your purse or anywhere else that’s not your bra.

If you go to sit on the toilet with your phone in your back pocket, you may just drop it in when you pull your pants up or down. Trust me. It happens. And you might have even just bought her an awesome case that was probably a little more expensive than cool phone cases should be, and when she got a new phone, she got the next iteration, so the awesome case didn’t fit.

Front pockets or purses only (or jacket pockets or whatever; just no parking in rear)!

In summation

Your best option for waterproofing your new Pixel or Pixel XL is the LifeProof FRE, but if that’s too expensive for you, get a waterproof bag for traveling, and just be careful otherwise.

Google Pixel + Pixel XL

• Google Pixel and Pixel XL review
• Google Pixel XL review: A U.S. perspective
• Google Pixel FAQ: Should you upgrade?
• Pixel + Pixel XL specs
• Understanding Android 7.1 Nougat
• Join the discussion in the forums!

Google Store
Verizon

An algorithm customizes exoskeletons to fit a person’s needs

Scientists have been studying exoskeletons in nature for years, and they’ve been trying to figure out how to adapt them for human use. After all, a powered exoskeleton could change the lives of people who have mobility issues, whether due to age, injury or disease. The problem is that exoskeletons aren’t one size fits all. Adapting them to individual humans is a difficult and time-consuming process. But now, researchers at Carnegie Mellon University may have found a way to make it a whole lot easier.

The team used a leg exoskeleton, which covered from the upper calf to the toes, for their experiment. Rather than calibrate the device once and use it on all the participants, though, the researchers had the participants walk on a treadmill while the powered exoskeleton helped. The aim was for the device to remove some of the effort it took to walk.

An algorithm took stock of how participants walked using the exoskeleton and adjusted four different parameters on the device to compensate for individual walking habits. They recorded the participants’ metabolic exertion, or how hard they were working in order to walk, during the entire process. They called this process “human-in-the-loop optimization” and were able to cut participant energy usage up to 40 percent.

Not only is this genetic algorithm important for creating exoskeletons that can fit a wider number of people, but it also hints that we may be able to create more complex assistive devices. The responsiveness of this algorithm to continually changing conditions (walking on a treadmill) could be applied to many different types of exoskeletons, including ones related to increasing speed, endurance and balance.

Via: Ars Technica

Source: Science, EurekAlert