What is Samsung Connect Home and how does it work?

Our homes are filled with connected devices, and yet, many people lack basic connectivity while at home.

To address this problem, Samsung introduced a new product: Samsung Connect Home. While at its special Galaxy Unpacked event in March, Samsung described Samsung Connect Home as a “premium router and IoT hub in one”. The company has essentially entered the mesh Wi-Fi router space, just like Google recently did with Google Wifi. Here’s everything you need to know about how Samsung’s offering works.

• Samsung Galaxy S8: The 5.8-incher that’s small enough for everyone
• Samsung Galaxy S8 Plus: 6-inches plus, but perfectly manageable

What is Samsung Connect Home?

At its core, Samsung Connect Home provides mesh-based Wi-Fi to boost your connectivity at home. With a mesh router, you can get online anywhere in your house. There will be no more spots where connectivity is slowed or just doesn’t reach. Imagine being able to stream in the living room and kitchen while someone else games in the basement – all without any contest for bandwidth or Wi-Fi congestion.

Another unique aspect of Samsung Connect Home is that it doubles as an Internet of Things Hub, meaning it allows different connected devices from different manufacturers to communicate with each other, and you can control them all through a smartphone app. Keep in mind Samsung bought the SmartThings home automation firm in 2014, and it makes a SmartThings IoT hub. The new Samsung Connect Home router basically has a built-in SmartThings hub, which removes the need to purchase a separate hub.

How does Samsung Connect Home work?

Mesh Wi-Fi

Samsung Connect Home is designed to be expandable. It will be sold on its own or in a three-pack, just like Google Wifi, so you can put several of these routers around your home to boost your entire network. You will get Wi-Fi signal everywhere, from your bathroom to your basement. So, instead of one router, multiple routers work together to create a mesh network that delivers fast input throughout your house.

You’ll use one Samsung Connect Home as a base to broadcast your signal and then use the other two in the bundle to extend that network throughout your house. Samsung said that each individual unit can cover up to 1,500 square feet, which is what Google Wifi also promises. Each unit also comes with 512MB of RAM and 4GB of storage. However, there are two versions of the Samsung Connect Home.

The “standard” Samsung Connect Home has a 2 x 2 MU-MIMO antenna array and a slower 710MHz quad-core processor at AC1300 (capped speeds of 866Mbps in the 5GHz spectrum), while the “Pro” version has a 4 x 4 antenna and a faster 1.7GHz dual-core chip. It supports quad-band 802.11ac at AC2600 (capped speeds of 1.7Gbps). The Pro offers 1,500-square feet coverage but doesn’t come in a three-pack.

Both versions also have two RJ-45 Ethernet ports on the back.

IoT hub

Samsung Connect Home removes the need for Samsung’s separate SmartThings Hub. Because Samsung Connect Home has a SmartThings hub built in, it can directly communicate with connected gadgets over Bluetooth 4.1, Wi-Fi, Zigbee, or Z-wave. These gadgets include things like Philips Hue lights, Netgear Arlo security cameras, and Samsung appliances. Once set up, you can control all these with a mobile app.

Does Samsung Connect Home have an app?

Yes, there is an app experience for Samsung Connect Home. It appears to be integrated into Samsung smartphones, working on the same system that you’d use to control devices connected to your phone, like Bluetooth headphones, or the same system you can use to connect to your Samsung TV. Whether Samsung will split this app experience out to other devices so that Samsung Connect Home isn’t dependent on using a Samsung smartphone, we don’t know.

Samsung also confirmed that there would be Bixby support, so you’ll be able to control everything connected to your Samsung Connect Home using your voice.

• What is Bixby? Samsung’s smart AI explained

We will keep you posted when we learn more.

How much is Samsung Connect Home?

Samsung didn’t announce pricing information.

When will Samsung Connect Home be available?

Samsung didn’t announce a release date or which markets will get Samsung Connect Home.

Motorola’s Z2 Play sacrifices battery life for sleekness

Motorola’s first Z-series smartphones were as impressive as they were divisive. Remember, the Z was insanely thin, the Z Force was nearly indestructible and both could be augmented with Moto Mods, but they were among the first devices to completely give up on the headphone jack. Then came the Moto Z Play, which felt like a more sensible spin on the Z formula — it wasn’t quite as fast, but it was cheaper, still modular, and ushered in the return of that classic audio port. Is it any surprise that Motorola wanted to build a sequel?

Motorola officially announced the Moto Z2 Play today, a $499 refresh of a phone that was almost shockingly good the first time around. Our full review is still in the works (thanks, Computex) but so far it’s been a remarkably capable performer. For better or worse though, it has the potential to throw the Z line we already know into sort of a tizzy.

Before we dive into that, we need to check out the basics. The Moto Z2 Play should feel familiar to current Moto Z owners, as it’s just a hair thicker — just under 6mm thick, compared to the Z’s 5.2mm waistline. Both also pack 5.5-inch Super AMOLED screens, though the Z2 Play’s panel only runs at 1080p. Fortunately, this display has been very easy to read, even under the smoldering Taipei sun. And the standard headphone jack is here, even though the device is incredibly thin. In fact, some people might find it a little too thin, but I actually kind of love this design. Even better, Motorola seems to be done with the smudge-prone glass seen on last year’s Zs — the Z2 Play has a sleek, fully metal body.

Inside, there’s an octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 626 chipset and either 3 or 4GB of RAM, depending on where you got the phone. The new chipset provides offers a more than modest boost in performance over the original Z Play, but don’t get your hopes up — it’s a long way from flagship territory. I loaded up a few high-end games (namely, Afterpulse and Telltale Games’ Guardians of the Galaxy) and both were just terribly choppy. So far the Z2 Play feels like a perfectly adequate machine for all the Slacking and Telegramming and emailing we’ve been doing here at Computex, but you’d do well to keep your performance expectations in check. The Play line was never known for its powerhouses.

Chris Velazco/Engadget

Beyond that, there’s a surprisingly fast 12-megapixel camera around the back. Most of the test shots I’ve taken so far have turned out well, with crisp detail and accurate colors, but this seemingly decent performance comes at a cost: the camera module dramatically juts out of the phone’s back. I’ve used the Moto Z series for a while now so the hump barely registers anymore, though.

The Z2 Play runs the latest version of Android Nougat, and you can talk to Google’s Assistant whenever you need a fact check. Moto also cooked up a new approach of its own, though. Just say “Show me my calendar” or “show me my settings” and the phone will respond, usually by giving you an icon you can slide down to access your info. Sometimes it’s quicker to respond than Google Assistant, and other times I’m left wondering why we have two different approaches for a set of similar problems. Don’t get me wrong: Moto’s idea is clever and well-executed. I’m just not sure if it’s worth using over Google Assistant all the time yet.

All of your Moto Mods still work here, too, and Motorola has a few new ones, like an updated JBL speaker and the gamepad the company teased at its MWC press conference. (The latter isn’t quite done yet, and frankly needs a bit of work.) There’s also a like a Turbo-charging battery pack that’s meant for super-fast recharges, which is more important than you might think. See, the single best reason to buy last year’s Moto Z Play was its awesome battery life, but this year’s model definitely doesn’t stack up as well because of its smaller 3,000mAh cell. Don’t get me wrong: it’s not terrible by any stretch. It’s just a far cry from the truly excellent battery life we got last year.

It’s no wonder why the battery had to take a hit: the Z2 Play is much, much thinner than the model it replaces. With that being the case, I really doubt that Motorola plans to do another standard Moto Z this year. After all, the Z Force was the Moto I recommended last year — the only advantage the regular Z had over it was its incredibly slim waistline. The thing is, the Z2 Play sits in between the original Z and Z Play in a way that doesn’t feel really feel as fulfilling. Sure, it’s sleek — it also lacks the horsepower that usually made the first Moto Z such a joy to use. In any case, it won’t be long until the fate of the Moto Z line is fully revealed — in the meantime, stay tuned for our full Z2 Play review.

EU: Social networks are getting better at reviewing hate speech

Calls for Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Microsoft to get better at removing hate speech on their networks have partly been acted upon, the European Commission confirmed today. Officials noted that in the last six months, Facebook did a better job than its rivals at reviewing the most complaints within the 24-hour window agreed with the Commission a year ago.

Together, the four companies reviewed 51 percent of notifications within the allotted timeframe, an improvement from 40 percent before the turn of the year. Facebook was the only one that achieved the target of responding to the majority of notifications — 58 percent of referrals — within a day.

Twitter also improved, reviewing 39 percent of notifications compared with 23.5 percent in December. However, Google slowed down, reviewing 42.6 percent of YouTube cases, a significant fall from 60.8 percent late last year. According to Justice Commissioner Vera Jourova, almost two thirds of cases (59.1 percent) resulted in the removal of illegal content, more than twice the number (28 percent) recorded in the six months previous.

Jourova noted that the results were “encouraging” and that their actions were “an important step in the right direction.” Should Facebook, Twitter, Google and Microsoft continue to improve, the Commission would allow them continue self regulating, rather than forcing removals via new legislation. Currently, the firms operate via a voluntary code of conduct.

As well as asking each of the firms to continue improving their response times, the Commission earmarked another area for improvement: the need to better feed back information to the people who flag illegal hate speech. Facebook is the best in that respect, notifying 93.7 percent of people who flagged content that incites racism or xenophobia. In contrast, Twitter did so in only 32.8 percent of cases and YouTube managed just 20.7 percent.

Via: Reuters

Source: Europa

The semi-nude lives of webcam stars

Harli Lotts (not her real name) knows her audience better than just about anyone I’ve ever met in online media. In just two years, the bubbly blonde from El Paso, Texas, has gone from manager of a rent-to-own store to rising internet starlet by making personal connections with a loyal online audience. She arrived at our interview on a sweltering Friday morning in a hotel suite on the Las Vegas strip with a small entourage of two other budding social media influencers, Amber Vixx and Stefanie Joy (also not their names).

NSFW Warning: This story may contain links to and descriptions or images of explicit sexual acts.

After our interview, she and her friends will probably hit the pool at a local apartment complex and do what millennials do: eat pizza and play out their lives in front of tiny, portable cameras. During our wide-ranging conversation she’ll talk confidently about the business of live streaming video, the ephemeral nature of online fame, Rashida Jones’ controversial Netflix documentary Hot Girls Wanted and the markup on consumer eyewear.

But one question gives her pause.

“Have you ever thought about how intimate your relationship is with your computer?” I ask.

“Not until right now, actually, talking to you. I’ve just realized that, yeah, like, probably it’s my best friend right now. It helps me through everything,” she says.

Lotts’ computer isn’t just her best friend — it’s her main revenue generator and her connection, not only to her fans but also to the outside world. Lotts is a social media star in the truest sense of the word. She is one of a growing number of independent, live streaming video personalities who can make thousands of dollars in just a few hours broadcasting mostly unremarkable acts for a captive internet audience. She just happens to do some of it naked.

Lotts is a cam girl, part of a booming at-home workforce made up of young women — and a few men — who are upending the adult entertainment industry and social media at the same time. Like Instagram influencers or YouTube makers, today’s webcam models need little more than a strong WiFi connection and an internet-connected camera to make a living.

Signing up for services like My Free Cams, Flirt4Free, or Chaturbate, which are essentially platforms like Facebook or Snapchat, is simple. Once you’ve filled out a web form, verified your age and agreed to the service’s terms and conditions, you can immediately start streaming to a limitless audience of viewers seeking human connection and, of course, sexual release. With the right tools and an ID that says they’re 18 or older, these 21st-century push-button celebrities don’t even have to leave their bedrooms to make a living, and they all have one woman to thank.

When Jennifer Ringley picked up a webcam at her college book store in 1996, she had no way of knowing she’d serve as the catalyst for an industry that’s been estimated to pull in more than $1 billion in revenue annually. Just two years earlier, Connectix, a small peripheral maker released the QuickCam, a digital camera that sat on top of your Apple’s Macintosh and delivered 320-x-240 black-and-white images at 15 frames per second for $100.

In a rare 2015 interview, Ringley told Gimlet Media’s Reply All podcast that she found herself at a loss for what to do with her impulse purchase and decided to put her amateur programming skills to the test. She rigged her webcam to constantly record candid stills from inside her dorm room and upload a new image every 15 minutes to her site, Jennicam.org.

Ringley wasn’t the first subject of an experiment in webcamming. That honor belonged to a coffee pot at Cambridge University, but she was the first to give the world 24-hour access to her private life via the internet. For the next seven years, Ringley streamed her daily life, uncut and uncensored for an audience of millions of strangers.

She would become something of an internet phenomenon, a precursor to the unvarnished YouTube, Snapchat and Instagram celebrities of today. She appeared in profiles for major media organizations and eventually made a much-cited appearance on David Letterman’s show. But for all of the mainstream hype, Jennicam’s appeal was decidedly NSFW.

Early on, she decided to giver her followers unrestricted access to her daily activities, including intimate moments like masturbation and sex. At its peak, Jennicam attracted seven million visits per day. Despite its success, Ringley took Jennicam offline in 2003, following a sex scandal in which she hooked up with a fellow lifecaster’s boyfriend on camera.

The following year Facebook was born and over the next decade, live streaming video would become a cornerstone of mainstream social media. YouTube launched its live video service in 2010, followed by Facebook and Twitter in 2015 and Instagram in 2016. The big social networks have put their money on live video but anyone working in the adult cam industry could have told you: It’s been a safe bet for years.

“Cams are the adult industry’s response to Facebook, frankly.”

Kelly Holland, owner and CEO of Penthouse, says beyond driving profits, the adult entertainment industry and social networks are serving the same basic need.

“Cams are the adult industry’s response to Facebook, frankly,” Holland says. “Facebook happened for a reason. It became what it was, I would tell you, not through Zuckerberg’s brilliance, but because it was just the right thing at the right time. It was in the pocket for where we were culturally, and where were we. We were in this incredibly desperate world where we had all moved away from home, we weren’t with the kids that grew up with. We weren’t with our families, and we were in this huge world of billions of people, and we needed to create our little tribes.”

People in the adult camming business consistently draw the connection between online social networks like Facebook and the work that they do. Clinton Cox, founder of Havoc Media and Cam Con, a “model convention” focused on webcamming and other forms of social media, got his start in the early days of commercialized live streaming video.

At the time, large webcamming studios were being built across the US, Latin America and Eastern Europe, churning out 24-hour streams from sometimes hundreds of models per day. These studios provided, and still do outside of the US, access to a safe space as well as the means to stream. Ten years ago, Cox, who worked in live music video production, was hired to build out a network of studios in Colombia. He says that at the peak of that project, the studio network shot 250 models per day.

Marco Ducati, a stout, muscular webcam model and adult film star, got his start camming at a Flirt4Free studio in Los Angeles 11 years ago.

“At the time I was going to school and working construction,” he says. “I was making $600 a week, which wasn’t bad, especially being sort of young. And I remember [my girlfriend] took me to West Hollywood where a webcam studio was set up, and I made like over $400 my first night. Like, literally in three hours. Safe to say I wasn’t in construction for long.”

Ariana Marie lives in a DIY cam house, where her fans can watch her 24 hours a day.

AOL

Soon after Ducati started camming, Flirt4Free shuttered its West Hollywood studio. According to Pew Research, nearly 75 percent of American households have broadband internet, compared to about 50 percent in 2007 and many laptops have cameras capable of streaming HD video live to the internet. Models no longer needed the studios to make a living in the US, but developing countries in Latin America and Eastern Europe still rely heavily on studios to provide technology and a safe space for camming. While US models split revenue with services like Flirt4Free, MyFreeCams and Chaturbate, they’re otherwise largely independent.

“I love cams because at one level I like to say that it is the ultimate entrepreneurial experience for young women.” Holland says. “They can make as much money or not as they choose.”

While webcamming has taken off, traditional adult entertainment has struggled to remain relevant. Businesses like Penthouse have had to be creative to thrive, due in part to the economic recession of the late aughts, the rise of free tube sites and internet piracy. The material effect of camming on adult media pioneers like Penthouse is unclear, but Holland says it has changed the way that they work. She says her staff now trolls sites like MyFreeCams and Chaturbate for its infamous Penthouse Pets and recently introduced a monthly cam girl spotlight called Cyber Cuties.

“In a world of a quarter of a million girls, and that’s a complete back of the napkin number, success is how you can differentiate, how you can become your own superstar,” she says. “How you can become the influencer in your own environment? Part of that is if we make you a Penthouse Pet, or we put you on the pages of a magazine. There may only be a hundred thousand people that see that magazine, but that moniker ‘Penthouse Pet’ counts as a differentiation.”

My Free Cams President Leo Radvinsky has said the site serves more than 100,000 models and 5 million users worldwide. One of those models is Aspen Rae, a one-time Penthouse Pet and full-time webcam model. When we meet at the AVN studios in Chatsworth, California, Rae’s flawless, long black hair cascades over her chiseled muscles, creating an immediate visual dichotomy. In her downtime, Rae is basically a real-life John McClane in the making.

She uses the money she makes as an award-winning cam model to fund an amateur bodybuilding career and commercial helicopter lessons. She says keeping her life interesting gives her plenty to talk about during her streams, but Rae uses the adult industry to keep her name relevant and boost her visibility. She occasionally shoots girl-on-girl films and has a list of XXX accolades, despite the fact that camming is her main source of income. She demurs when I ask how much she makes but says her goals are in the thousands per day. She only cams for two to three hours daily.

“Some girls might do extremely well. They’re gonna have to shoot every day. They’re gonna have to be working their asses off.”

“I make a hell of a lot more doing webcamming and that might not be the same for everybody,” she says. “Some girls might do extremely well. They’re gonna have to shoot every day. They’re gonna have to be working their asses off, you know, shooting full-time, which is something that I couldn’t imagine doing, and I give mad props to anybody who can shoot full-time. But with [MyFreeCams] I’ll have tremendous days where I will make more in one day than I could ever possibly imagine shooting for one week.”

Rae, who now serves as a spokesperson for MyFreeCams and co-hosted the 2017 AVN awards (the so-called Oscars of porn), prides herself on being a self-made woman. She does all of her own lighting, editing and booking, and though many models do the same, there’s no industry standard for how to be a cam model.

About 300 miles northeast of the AVN studio, in the desert suburbs of Las Vegas, Ariana Marie, a Southern waitress turned cam girl, is returning to camming in a big way after a short stint in hardcore porn. Marie, also a former Penthouse Pet, and her husband, Jack Spade, a retired adult performer, are building an empire around her good-girl-gone-bad brand. Their large, stucco home in a palm-tree-lined gated community is kitted out with a series of always-on cameras that give her fans 24-hour access to her most private moments.

As Marie gives me a tour of their home, which she proudly says she’s decorated almost exclusively with furniture from Ross, I can’t help but be reminded of Jennicam, and how simple her always-on streaming experiment now seems. Like today’s most successful social media influencers, Marie isn’t just a personality — she’s a holistic brand selling connection to an otherwise inaccessible lifestyle.

I’ve created my own little community within this giant community. And the reward is, you get to see me naked every once in awhile.

Harli Lotts

“I still shoot movies — adult film — I webcam, I feature dance, we have a cam house here in Vegas, which is our house,” she says. “And that’s pretty much the main stuff, but it comes with a bunch of other things here and there. You know, like custom videos and just all that. It’s crazy. Like I can’t even sometimes. I don’t even know what I did yesterday because of how much we do.”

Camming offers a nearly endless supply of revenue streams. Models are only limited by their own inhibitions, time and motivation. In addition to adult films, Marie regularly performs at strip clubs as a feature dancer, solicits gifts from fans via an Amazon wish list and records videos scripted and commissioned by her fans. She also charges by the minute or message for direct communication through an app called Sex Panther. During our visit, she and Spade will also take a break to entertain a pitch for a reality television show.

As cam models go, Marie is as close as you can get to a bona fide star. She admits that her time in adult films set the stage for the success that she’s experienced, but it also cemented her audience’s expectations.

“I can’t compare myself to the regular cam models that haven’t done adult films,” she says. “My guys are gonna expect me to do something more crazy than a girl playing video games or something. Like I’m not going to make any money from a guy that’s watched my scenes just playing a video game.”

From the early days of Jennicam, webcamming has been as much about the promise of the eventual money shot as it has been about all of the moments in between. With the tools of production in the hands of the models, they decide what those moments look like. Holland says she loves it “because it gives so many more girls so many more opportunities to do what they want with their bodies.”

Models can be as hardcore or reserved as they want, but everyone I’ve spoken with says it’s all about giving your fans what they want, and, according to Cox, that’s not always an orgasm.

“The majority of it’s just interaction and talking and people spilling their guts to each other. It’s just like psychotherapy, digital psychotherapy.”

“Eighty percent of it is interactivity — if we’re talking about hardcore cams — the final 10 percent is where there’s actually something sexual that happens,” Cox says. “The majority of it’s just interaction and talking and people spilling their guts to each other. It’s just like psychotherapy, digital psychotherapy. I literally used to watch the numbers and watch these people consume the amount they would consume, and it wasn’t anything more than just internet companionship. Like, ‘Hey, let’s press play on this movie at the same time on YouTube and watch it together.’ Play. Press pause. ‘You want to order a pizza? Let’s get a pizza going.’ Pause. Order a pizza. ‘Pizza’s here! Let’s eat pizza.’

“It wasn’t about porn, or about adult. It was about two people that were just digitally connected.”

The nature of interaction on cam sites has allowed a new breed of adult performers to emerge. Models are known as much for the personality, party tricks and gimmicks as they are for their sexual prowess. Lotts tells me she shot a hardcore scene once. It was a girl-girl scene with Aspen Rae. It wasn’t as profitable as she’d hoped and her fans aren’t looking to her for that sort of hardcore action anyway. As opposed to the “girlfriend experience” or the “porn star experience,” Lotts says she provides her fans with “the best friend experience”.

Aspen Rae’s reputation in the adult entertainment industry, with titles like Penthouse Pet, has catapulted her above the competition.

AOL

“I think I play the-girl-next-door role the most,” Lotts says. “I think that’s how I come off. So, my audience is like those boys who had girl best friends in high school, and they’re just used to having girls to talk to. And they run their ideas by me, or they ask me their opinions. I kind of feel like a therapist sometimes.”

Lotts is constantly connected to her fans through Instagram and Twitter; she plays games with them on her streams, raffles off PlayStations and Oculus Rifts, and dresses up as their favorite video game and comic book characters at their request. For Lotts, her viewers aren’t just pay-to-play voyeurs but a community of close, personal friends.

“It’s a chat room,” she says. “We’re just all hanging out as friends. They hang out as friends outside of my chat room now, because they’ve met outside of my chat room. I’ve created my own little community within this giant community. And the reward is, you get to see me naked every once in awhile.”

Throughout my conversations with Aspen, Marco, Ariana, Harli, Stefanie and Amber, the conversation always comes back to connection: that same connection that Kelly Holland and Clinton Cox speak of, the one Mark Zuckerberg proselytizes to investors and journalists. It’s the same thing that drove millions of people to flock to Jennicam.org. Cox says he doesn’t see the difference between what these girls do and what plays out on social media every day, and with mainstream celebrities like Kim Kardashian proudly exposing their bodies on mainstream apps like Instagram, it’s hard to argue with that logic.

But just as in the real world, that pursuit of connection online has real consequences. Mounting evidence shows that the more we connect online, the more isolated we feel in real life. Loneliness is a very real thing.

Live webcamming gives lonely, introverted people all over the world the opportunity for human connection. For Lotts and her friends Amber Vixx and Stefanie Joy, that connection isn’t a one-way experience. Lotts says that the most successful cam models are the shy ones, the ones who never leave their houses. She says that since she took up camming she’s spent more and more time at home. Today, she rarely leaves her house, except for conventions, going as far as to have her groceries delivered to avoid the outside world. Her computer has become, at least for her, more than a source of income or a way of cashing in on male desire. Camming has created a unique relationship with her tools of production

“It is a security blanket,” she says. “That’s exactly how I put it. As long as I have it on, I feel okay.”

The success of Andy Rubin’s Essential Phone may depend on carriers

When Android co-founder Andy Rubin left Google in November of 2014, shortly after a major executive shake-up within the search giant, his next move wasn’t particularly clear. All we knew back then was that he reportedly wanted to start something on his own, which turned out to be building a high-end phone with a company called Essential Products Inc. And after much speculation and multiple teases by Rubin himself, we now know that device is the Essential Phone, an Android handset with a gorgeous design and top-of-the-line specs.

The Essential features a 5.7-inch edge-to-edge display (similar to the one on Samsung’s Galaxy S8), the latest Snapdragon 835 processor, 128GB of built-in storage, 4GB RAM and near-vanilla version of Android Nougat. It’s basically everything you’d want in an Android handset in 2017. And there’s more: The Essential Phone takes a cue from Motorola’s modular Moto Z, thanks to two tiny magnetic inputs on its back that let you attach accessories like a 360-degree camera. This all comes together in a body that’s made out of titanium and ceramic, materials we don’t typically see on smartphones, even high-end ones.

Andy Rubin

Rubin clearly didn’t cut any corners, but his toughest tasks still lie ahead. For one, people who want a flagship smartphone nowadays probably have their mind set on an iPhone 7 or a Galaxy S8. One area where the Essential Phone could succeed is the market companies like Motorola and OnePlus are trying to conquer, made up of well-specced, carrier-free devices that range anywhere between $50 to $450. Problem is, the Essential is aiming for higher grounds, since it’ll cost $699, or $749 when bundled with a 360-degree video camera when it ships next month.

That’s not to say the Essential Phone isn’t worth its price tag, or that it isn’t a solid alternative to Apple’s or Samsung’s flagships, because everything on paper suggests it could be. But if Rubin wants to appeal to consumers beyond gadget fetishists (who may be inclined to buy the Essential based on his reputation) he’s going to need help from wireless carriers. According to IDC, Samsung and Apple accounted for 22.8 and 14.9 percent of handset shipments worldwide, respectively, in April of 2017. And what do these two tech giants have in common? They have carrier partnerships all across the globe.

On the Android side alone, a recent Mobile Connectivity survey by research firm NPD claimed 55 percent of users on the platform have a Samsung phone, another telltale sign of the challenge ahead for Essential and any other company that wants a piece of that pie.

Take Google’s Pixel, for example. As highly anticipated as the device was, Verizon is the only carrier in the US that offers it to post-paid customers. Sure, you can buy it straight from Google unlocked, but that simply isn’t enough to move the needle in its favor in terms of market share. “Right now this phone is priced very, very close to the flagships out there from Apple and Samsung,” says Brad Akyuz, NPD’s Connected Intelligence industry analyst. “I think that’s a big challenge.”

Akyuz thinks it’ll be difficult for the device to reach a mass audience without support from carriers like AT&T, T-Mobile or Verizon. In particular, he says the Essential Phone could benefit from being offered by carriers on monthly installment plans, the same way they do an iPhone 7 or a Galaxy S8. “Without that,” he says, “we’re probably looking at a phone, that will do well in a very, very limited niche market.”

That said, it also matters how Rubin will view and measure the success of his new product, because it may not be all about the numbers. Along with its new namesake smartphone, Essential also introduced “Home,” a smart assistant with a shiny circular design that can be controlled via voice commands. Home is powered by Ambient OS, a new platform that Essential hopes will compete with the likes of Amazon’s Alexa and Google’s Assistant. (Rubin mentioned that Home will be able to run Siri, Alexa and Assistant at Recode’s Code Conference, though it’s unclear how that might work.)

The Essential Home

Of course, Rubin isn’t the first high-profile Google alumnus to leave and go to work for a rival or start a new company. Hugo Barra, former VP of Android, left Google in 2013 to join Chinese phone maker Xiaomi, where he led different hardware efforts before departing to Facebook to be head of Oculus VR. Mike Chan, a longtime Android engineer, worked on the promising Nextbit Robin phone that ultimately ended up being a bit of a disappointment.

Only time will tell if Essential can succeed where others have failed, but Rubin is setting the bar pretty high with a device that’s both sleek and powerful. I’m intrigued by the Essential Phone, I’m just not sure I’m ready to leave my iPhone behind — especially since I’m still paying it off.

Image credits: Essential

Apple’s kid-friendly coding app can now bring toys to life

In 2014, Apple introduced a programming language called Swift that made waves in the developer community — not just for its power and flexibility, but for how easy it is to learn. So easy, in fact, that Apple believes it could be anyone’s first programming language. That’s why it went ahead and created Swift Playgrounds, a free iPad app designed to teach kids how to code. Now, a year after its release, Apple is ready to step up its educational repertoire further. With the June 5th release of Swift Playgrounds 1.5, Apple’s app will now teach kids to program robots and drones as well.

What this means is that kids will be able to program and control a variety of Bluetooth-enabled robots and toys right within the Swift Playgrounds app. So instead of just tapping around on a touchscreen to move virtual characters, kids can write snippets of Swift code and translate them to physical robot actions. At launch, Swift Playgrounds 1.5 will be compatible with the following third-party toys: Lego Mindstorms Education EV3, Sphero SPRK+ robotic ball, Parrot’s Mambo, Rolling Spider and Airborne mini-drones, UBTECH’s Jimu Robot MeeBot Kit, Wonder Workshop’s Dash robot and Skoog, a tactile cube speaker. It bears mentioning that there are already several toys out there that aims to teach code to kids, but Apple’s solution is one of a few — if not the only one — that uses genuine programming language instead of just block-based code.

Apple demonstrated several of these Swift Playground programs to a small group of reporters in its Cupertino office right along with the Bluetooth-enabled toys. A Lego spokesperson showed us how you could use Playgrounds to basically create anything from a robot turtle to a robot dinosaur simply by applying certain bits of code to specific motors and sensors. Hit “Run” and voilà, the robot will come to life, walking along or wagging its tail according to what you’ve programmed. The initial game that comes with the Lego EV3 kit is called Animal Rescue, where you’re tasked with, well, rescuing animals from danger.

Next is the Sphero SPRK+, a robotic ball that lights up, accelerates, turns and rolls around on command. With Playgrounds, you can change its color and program it to recognize your feet and other obstacles. A Sphero spokesperson even showed us a Sphero Arcade application, which allows you to program the ball and use it to play a game of Pong with a friend. When asked if Sphero was planning on introducing even more Swift Playgrounds apps, a spokesperson hinted that one for the adorable BB-8 could be coming in the future, which would certainly please any kid who’s a Star Wars fan.

By far the most exciting demonstration was with Parrot’s mini-drones. Using a simple Parrot Education tutorial on Swift Playgrounds, kids can essentially learn how to pilot drones through code; they’ll learn all about pitch, yaw and roll and get the drones to perform a variety of tricks. Kids can also learn how to control the drone with the iPad itself; tilting the iPad will prompt the drone to go up, while giving it a quick shake will prompt it to flip over.

Last but not least, Apple showed off how UBTECH’s Jimu Robot could be programmed to walk and dance in a variety of ways (our favorite was probably “Gangnam Style”).

Of course, Swift Playgrounds is not all fun and play. Through learning how to program these toys, kids are learning actual Swift code — the same language that’s used in more than a quarter-million iOS apps. “They’re learning the real language,” said Tim Triemstra, Apple’s product manager for Swift Playgrounds. “It’s not block programming [like you’d find on other kid’s coding toys]. It’s real code from day one.”

Over the past year, Apple has been spreading the gospel of Swift Playgrounds to the developer community and those in education. Indeed, it partnered with educators to come up with Swift Playgrounds teaching guides and curricula, which are already in use in schools across the country. And, apparently, it’s pretty popular. So popular that Apple has already expanded its Swift coursework all the way through junior colleges.

“Coding is part of what makes the really cool things in the world, really cool,” said Kelly Croy, a teacher from Oak Harbor Middle School in Washington state, who was brought in by Apple to meet with the press. “For kids to use the same real language, and interact with robots in the physical world — it’s a game-changer.” That Swift Playgrounds is on an iPad rather than a computer is also pretty important, according to Croy. “They can go outside; they’re not sitting around a desk or a computer screen all day.”

It was this level of engagement that inspired the team at Apple to collaborate with these toymakers. The iPad is already much more accessible than a computer, but adding robots to the mix makes it that much more exciting. “It combines coding with robotics and the physical world,” said Cheryl Thomas, VP of engineering for Swift Playgrounds. “You’ll see how engaging it all is.”

“Education is in our DNA,” said Susan Prescott, Apple’s VP of product marketing for apps, markets and services. “Coding is an area where we could make a positive impact. It’s an exciting step forward in education.”

“It’s really important to us to figure out how technology can transform teaching and learning,” continued Prescott. “We take it very seriously.”

Plex Rolls Out Live TV Support for Over-The-Air Channels Within iOS App

Plex will today begin integrating a live television feature into its popular video streaming and personal media application for iOS and Android TV, allowing Plex subscribers to stream live TV on their smartphones wherever they are located. The company said that live TV is supported only under the Plex Pass subscription tier, which starts at $4.99/month.

To use Plex Live TV, users will have to install a digital antenna, connect a digital tuner, and sync everything to their Plex Pass subscription account. Once set up, subscribers will be able to watch live HD content on channels available over-the-air, from major US networks including ABC, NBC, CBS, FOX, and CW, as well as local programming, news, and sports. International programming includes CBC, BBC, ITV, Telemundo, and Univision. As with all live video streaming services, the channels available vary depending on your zip code.

That’s right, today we’re rolling out support for Live TV! And we’re doing it in a truly Plexy way. It’s built right in to the Media Server, so you’ll be able to stream live (starting with our Android TV and iOS apps, with more to come) anywhere in the world through the power of Plex!

Plex Live TV is launching only on iOS and Android TV right now, but the company mentioned that any content recorded to Plex DVR from a live broadcast can then be watched on any device that Plex supports. With the launch of live TV, Plex has also enhanced its DVR features, allowing overlapping recordings on the same channel, a “smarter” scheduling system, taped show management within the iOS app, and general improvements to the DVR user interface.

Plex has also expanded the supported DVR devices that work with the service so that it’s easier than ever to begin using live TV and DVR features. Additionally, the company has rolled out support for a wider array of digital tuners including models from Hauppauge, AVerMedia, DVBLogic and more. Users can find a complete list of supported antennas, tuners, and DVR systems here.

Besides the low-tier $4.99/month option, Plex Pass is available in a $39.99/year tier and $119.99 for a lifetime subscription. Plex said that after launching on iOS and Android TV, more of its apps will gain the live TV feature sometime soon.

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Skype Reveals Redesigned iOS App With Chat Bots and Snapchat-Like ‘Highlights’ Feature

Microsoft today introduced an enhanced, all-new version of Skype for iOS and Android devices that puts an emphasis on chats, chatbots, camera features, and its own version of Snapchat’s Stories. The update comes with an overall change to Skype’s visual design as well, with the company stating that it’s decided to focus on allowing personal user choice to dictate how sections of the app look, including the ability to customize the app with your favorite color.

Skype’s home screen now sits with a “Chat” window on launch, and users can easily swipe to the Camera and new “Highlights” feature, which is an extended version of Stories. Here, users can take a picture or video, decorate it with emojis and text, and then post it to their Highlight. After posting, content is available for a full week instead of just 24 hours, and only users who follow you can see your Highlight. Specific individuals and groups can also be sent a Highlight before it’s posted.

Skype has also introduced Facebook-like reactions to both chats and Highlights, allowing users to select emojis to react to messages, pictures, and videos without having to text. In a talk with TechCrunch, Skype didn’t balk at admitting it was inspired by Snapchat Stories, pointing out Facebook’s own argument that the “Story” model is a format that can be used by anyone in the industry and isn’t owned by Snapchat.

Highlights are Skype’s own take on Stories – something the company readily admits. “It’s like Facebook has said,” says Amritansh Raghav, Corporate Vice President of Skype, referencing remarks made by Facebook’s VP of messaging David Marcus, who recently argued that Stories “is definitely a format, the same way the feed is a format.”

Raghav agrees. The feed is now commonly used in a range of apps – even those that aren’t personal social networks, like Microsoft’s business communications service Yammer. “There’s a new medium that has risen,” he says of Stories. “When you think about this new way of interacting, [we want that to be] available also in this application.”

Microsoft is also introducing its smart assistant Cortana into Skype, providing shortcuts to users in texts and suggesting quick responses. Other bots, or “add-ins,” include Gfycat, Giphy, MSN Weather, Bing, Polls, Expedia, Stubhub, BigOven, YouTube, and Upworthy.

Less emphasized in the update are Skype’s traditional video call features, although they have received a few overhauls as well. Users will now be able to send large emojis over video chats, as well as text messages, stickers, and photos that appear as an overlay on the screen. Skype said that in the future it plans to introduce gaming features into video calls and the ability to synchronize and watch streaming videos together, rumored to begin with videos from YouTube, similar to Google’s own UpTime app.

The Skype update launches on Android first today, and is set to roll out to iOS devices in about a month. Mac and Windows devices will receive the update sometime within the next few months.

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Toshiba TVs return to Europe with 65-inch X97 OLED leading the charge

It’s been some time since we’ve had anything to write about from Toshiba, but the company is making its way back into Europe thanks to its partnership with Vestel, and leading the charge with an OLED TV.

OLED has seen something of a up kick in 2017, with the likes of Panasonic, Philips and Sony all joining grand masters LG in offering that particular flavour of TV panel.

For those slightly in the dark about what OLED is, it’s where the individual pixels emit the light (hence ORGANIC light emitting diode), as opposed to having rear or side illumination of the panel which is the case for the vast majority of LED TVs on the market, including Samsung’s new QLED TVs.

The advantage, as touted by Toshiba on the X97, is that you have better control over light, meaning absolute blacks where you need black, boosted contrast and generally very good colour performance. The downside is that peak brightness doesn’t match that which you’ll get from LED.

Toshiba is pitching its TV family as “mid-market”, so we suspect that its OLED will be designed to slot in underneath some of the premium OLED models we’ve seen in 2017, like the Sony Bravia A1. We also suspect it’s the same TV model as the X910 that’s was made available in Japan early in 2017.

Toshiba describes the X97 as bezel-free and minimalist, offering a contemporary design that’s perfect for wall-hanging offering a “chic urban finish”, but it’s not slacking on connectivity with 4x HDMI and it also comes with speaker boxes and a subwoofer and DTS TruSurround HD audio, so it should sound great too.

The Ultra HD set will not only offer that sharp resolution, but promises to be a gamer’s delight with response rates of under 1ms in game mode, while also offering an expanded array of 4K content through Netflix and YouTube. Exactly what other smart features it offers we’re still to discover.

We’re also still to discover what the price will be: with LG’s B6 costing around £2699 for the 65-inch version, that’s the figure to beat.

Toshiba is also launching the U77 and U67 Ultra HD TV series. The U77 sounds more mass market with 55 and 49-inch sizes, the sort of sizes that are popular in Europe. Toshiba refers to the U77 as a “wide colour gamut” model, so we’re suspecting it will be pushing brightness and colour for a great HDR experience.

The U67 by contrast seems a little more focused on being good value for money, opening up a wider range of sizes from 43-inch to 65-inch. If you’ve a small room and want a 4K TV at 43 inches, then the Toshiba U67 might be your first port of call.

Prices and availability on all the new Toshiba TVs are still to be confirmed.

Huawei EMUI 5.1 tips and tricks: How to master the P10 and P10 Plus

Huawei takes the best of Google’s Android operating system for its smartphones and adds its own re-skin twist called EMUI – or “Emotion User Interface”. This means additional features, management and controls compared to what you’ll find in other phones.

The latest Huawei P10 and P10 Plus are among the first to arrive on the EMUI 5.1 platform. A number of Huawei’s previous phones have recently made their way to EMUI 5.0 – an ultimately similar system which has a focus on optimisation to ensure a long life for your handset thanks to a machine learning algorithm which learns your use patterns and can target the most-used apps with the best resources.

Thing is, if you don’t know where some of the special features of EMUI are tucked away then you might not get the benefit of them all. In this feature we’ll run you through the extras that will see you learn to love EMUI 5.1.

EMUI 5.1 tips: Lockscreen shortcuts

From the lock screen it’s possible to quick-launch shortcuts for baked-in apps: Quick-access Recorder, Calculator, Flashlight, Stopwatch, QR code. Simply swipe up from the bottom edge of the lock screen and it will reveal the five-strong arrangement of circular shortcuts. Above is the ability to change or affix wallpaper or share a cover.

Quick camera launch. As per stock Android, a swipe from the bottom right corner of the lock screen will load the Camera app. To load the app and immediately capture a shot a double-tap of the volume down button will be your new best friend (within the Camera app this can be set to just open the camera, or deactivated entirely).

Set PIN / Pattern / Password to unlock. Swipe down from the top of the home screen > hit the settings cog icon > select Screen Lock & Passwords. Here you can set pattern, PIN, password or remove lock methods.

EMUI 5.1: Fingerprint and gesture control

Fingerprint unlock. In addition to a pattern, PIN or password lock you can register multiple fingerprints to login to your phone. On the P10 and P10 Plus the front-positioned scanner is hyper responsive and easy to operate (older P-series phones have the fingerprint scanner on the rear).

It’s possible to add up to five individual fingerprints. To do so: swipe down from the top of the home screen > hit the settings cog icon > select Fingerprint ID > Fingerprint Management (enter PIN as prompted) > New Fingerprint, then follow the enrolment process.

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Fingerprint gesture control via off-screen navigation button: New to EMUI 5.1 is the addition of gesture controls for the P10 and P10 Plus. To access: swipe down from the top of the home screen > hit the settings cog icon > select Navigation Key and you’ll be presented with Off-screen navigation button or Virtual navigation bar.

Once activated, gestures work as so: press to return home; long press for Google Now on Tap; swipe left to go back; swipe right to open recent apps. As the trio of typical Android soft keys won’t be on the home screen it means more space to enjoy your content, without less need to reach up across the phone screen during use. Handy.

EMUI 5.1: Home screen adjustments and organisation

Home Screen Style: App Drawer vs Standard layouts. If you’re content with your app icons being present across across your homepages, the default Standard layout will suit you fine. If you prefer an App Drawer – where all apps are contained to tidy up the home screen, as per some other stock Android phones by default – this can be activated too.

To access: swipe down from the top of the home screen > hit the settings cog icon > tap Home Screen Style > choose between Standard and App Drawer options.

More/fewer app icons. Once you’ve done that you can decide how many apps you want to show on your P10 or P10 Plus. To select between a 5×5, 4×5 or 5×4 icon grid layout, again press-and-hold anywhere on the home screen > select Settings to the bottom right corner. To the top of this settings page is Home Layout with these options available.

EMUI 5.1: Custom controls

In addition to press- and swipe-based navigation controls via the navigation button, there are one-handed, floating dock, gesture-based and even knuckle-based controls.

Add Floating Dock. Another handy feature for the larger P10 Plus is the Floating Dock, a side-positioned shortcut (which you can drag to position) that contains the trio of Android soft keys, plus a lock screen button and quick tidy-up (for closing unnecessary apps). It only comes with the five shortcuts, though, and there’s no way to edit these. It’s also the only way to have soft keys on the display if you’re using the off-screen navigation button.

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Swipe down from the top of the home screen > hit the settings cog icon > select Smart Assistance > activate Floating Dock. Alternatively, swipe down from the top of the screen, expand the shortcuts and Floating Dock is within here.

Motion control. Also contained within Smart Assistance is a Motion Control tab.

• Flip to mute the phone when it’s ringing or the alarm is sounding.
• Pick Up to reduce ring/alarm volume by lifting the device.
• Raise to Ear which auto-answers calls.

These three options can be independently switch on or off and each have deeper customisation for calls and alarm settings.

Knuckle gestures. The Huawei special. By using a hard knuckle to write on the screen rather than a softer finger, a “second layer” of commands can be instructed:

• Double-tap for screen shot (using one knuckle).
• Draw where knuckle-drawn letters activate apps (C for Camera, M for music, and so forth – each can be customised from a fuller list of apps).
• Split-screen gesture where a knuckle-drawn line across the screen when in an app screen will open the recent apps to the lower portion.

EMUI 5.1: Dual SIM and App Twin

One of our favourite features in the P10 and P10 Plus is the dual SIM functionality – ideal if you have a business number and a personal one, all within the one phone. Failing that, the second slot doubles-up as a microSD card slot, so you can expand the storage by up to an additional 256GB.

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WhatsApp/Facebook per SIM card. Unlike other dual SIM phones, however, EMUI 5.1 (and version 5.0) allows you to double-up on Facebook and WhatsApp applications – one per SIM/phone number. Very smart. Huawei calls it App Twin. It’s possible to have WhatsApp and Facebook twins at present, but in the future there could be more twin options (that will take third-party development and approval before it’s possible).

To enable: swipe down from the top of the home screen > hit the settings cog icon > App Twin. It’s as easy as that.

EMUI 5.1: Manage notifications per app

Alert notifications are useful, but you won’t want to necessarily receive them all the time from every app. Notifications can be individually dismissed, by swiping them away, but you can also setup an individual app’s level of notifications too, to apply to all future settings.

Allow/silence/block notifications from an app. If an app keeps popping-up notifications and you don’t want it to, press-and-hold the notification which will raise the a trio of immediate options:

• Don’t make sound and vibrate (silences notifications, but still allows them to display).
• Sound and vibrate (the default setting).
• Block all from this app (effectively ceases an app’s notification powers).

Adjust where/how an app can display notifications. There are two ways to access the deep-dive settings: from the press-and-hold of a notification, select More Settings; or swipe down from the top of the home screen > hit the settings cog icon > select Apps. From here it’s possible to see all your installed apps, individually select them, within which there is the Notifications setting:

• Display in the status bar. This is where you’ll see little icons appear to the very top left of your home screen. Letter icons for mail, hash icons for Slack, and all manner of other custom icons. You might want to switch off notifications from obscure apps you don’t use much, to keep things neater.
• Banners. These are the floating mini views that some apps present, such as Mail. They’re a great quick access point, but if you don’t want them here’s where to switch them on or off.
• Display on lock screen. Keep the lock screen totally private by hiding all notification displays.
• Priority display. For those key apps; allows notifications to ring with preference.
• Ringtone/Vibrate/deactivate. If you want no notifications at all, turn off the Allow Notifications button. If you want only ringtone, vibration or both then toggle the necessary Ringtone and Vibrate buttons on or off.

Apps drawing over other apps. Some apps have special permission to draw over other apps. The Facebook Messenger pop-up bubble being one prime example. This can be deactivated by accessing Apps (swipe down from the top of the home screen > hit the settings cog icon > select Apps). Within your list of apps each can be selected individually, within which is an Advanced tab (for relevant apps only), with Draw Over Other Apps selectable within.

Not receiving notifications when you should be? If you stop receiving notifications try this to access Ignore Optimisations: access Apps (swipe down from the top of the home screen > hit the settings cog icon > select Apps) > hit the blue settings cog icon to the bottom of that screen > select Special Access under the Advanced tab > Unrestricted Data Access. Here apps can be granted always-on data irrelevant of what other settings state.

Allow system wakeup. Additionally, try this: access Apps (swipe down from the top of the home screen > hit the settings cog icon > select Apps). Specific apps will have a System Wakeup button within their Battery tab, which you’ll want to leave active for an app alert to trigger even when the phone is in sleep mode.

EMUI 5.1: Do not disturb and volume settings

Notification light and status bar settings. You can select if you want a pulsing notification light, display carrier name, network speed, battery percentage, and whether notifications are icons or numbers. Swipe down from the top of the home screen > hit the settings cog icon > select Notification & Status Bar where all these settings can be found.

Activate Do Not Disturb. This lets you silence your phone, without interruptions – except for specified exceptions. You can schedule DND, add additional time rules (custom, per day), event rules (from calendar), or allow alarms and priority interruptions only. Swipe down from the top of the home screen > hit the settings cog icon > select Do Not Disturb.

Allow designated apps to interrupt. Swipe down from the top of the home screen > hit the settings cog icon > select Apps. Select the desired app from the list, within which there is the Notifications setting, choose Priority Display.

Set ringtone, media, alarms and calls volumes. These can be individually adjusted. Simply hit the volume up/down button, which will adjust the ringtone volume from loudest down to vibrate (or there’s a mute button). This pop-up banner has a blue arrow to its top right corner, hit this to open the other individual settings to adjust.

EMUI 5.1: Battery optimisation and power-intensive prompts

Here’s where EMUI works its own magic, ensuring long-lasting battery life per charge. The system is very good at alerting you when apps in the background are eating away at juice unnecessarily and will prompt you to close them. Such alerts can be dismissed individually, but will keep repeating without taking additional action.

Deactivate power-intensive prompt. This can only be activated per app, and actively used ones at that. Swipe down from the top of the home screen > hit the settings cog icon > select Apps. Select the desired app from the list, hit Battery and deselect Power-intensive Prompt.

Find out which apps are power-intensive. Swipe down from the top of the home screen > hit the settings cog icon > select Battery and under the App Power Saving Tab is Power Intensive Apps. Within here the phone will show you the active apps running in the background. It’s possible to select them and close them should you want. 

Close app after screen has locked. If you don’t want a certain app to be eating battery life when it’s not fully active and in use, follow the above step and select Close After Screen Locked.

Battery optimisation. There are three battery modes:

• Normal. The default setting, which doesn’t throttle the CPU or background activity.
• Power Saving. Select this for a slight lift in battery life. It will limit background app activity, such as push notifications, and limit the CPU.
• Ultra power saving. For when battery life is really low as you’ll get more than double life from this setting. It sets the phone into a simple mode, with only basic call and SMS apps available. One for emergencies/festivals. It can also be activated from a swipe down from the top of the screen and selecting from the expanded shortcuts.

Show battery remaining as a percentage. Swipe down from the top of the home screen > hit the settings cog icon > select Battery. The bottom option is Remaining Battery Percentage (the font of which differs to the active Theme).

EMUI 5.1: Display adjustment

Screen too warm or cold? Huawei allows you to adjust the colour to suit your eyes, your mood and your content.

Customise colour balance. Swipe down from the top of the home screen > hit the settings cog icon > select Display. Under the Screen tab is Colour Temperature where it’s possible to select pre-defined Warm or Cold, plus use the colour wheel to specifically customise the colour balance to your preference.

Change font size. Within the Display settings (method above) under the Personalised tab is Font Size. Choose between Small, Normal, Large, Huge and Extra Huge (the last is only available for Messaging, Contacts and Dialler).

Eye comfort (for night reading). Within the Display settings (method above) under the Screen tab is Eye Comfort. This filters out blue light to relieve visual fatigue when reading for long periods. It makes the screen look rather yellow, though, so you won’t want it on all the time. It can be activated as you please or even scheduled per day, plus a slider between Less Warm and Warmer allows for comfort customisation.

EMUI 5.1: Dual camera tips

Huawei’s push into dual camera technology is one of the features which makes the camera stand out compared to its competitors. The P10 and P10 Plus both have one colour and one monochrome sensor, meaning it’s possible to shoot true black and white whenever you want.

Activate Monochrome shooting. Open the Camera app, swipe from left side of the screen to open the Modes menu. Select Monochrome from here to use the true black & white sensor to full effect.

Activate Pro Mode for full control. By defauly the Camera app is a point-and-shoot affair. There’s a small tab with an upwards arrow just above the virtual shutter key, however, which when pulled upwards activates Pro Mode. This offers metering, ISO, shutter speed, exposure compensation, focus type and white balance control. It’s available in both Colour and Monochrome (the latter minus white balance of course).

Create shallow depth of field (blurred background). Part of the reason Huawei has opted for two cameras is that it can offset the data between them, creating a depth map and the ability, via software, to blur the background as if it was taken with a much wider-open aperture. The Leica-endorsed camera of the P10 and P10 Plus support from f/0.95 to f/16 in post. Simply click on the circular aperture setting at the top of the screen. As these phones are so powerful it’s also possible to shoot video with this effect operating in real time.

Portrait mode. An EMUI 5.1 special (you won’t find it this advanced in phones prior to the P10 and P10 Plus), the Leica-endorsed front-facing 8MP camera will load with Portrait mode selected. The phones are able to 3D map faces for accuracy when blurring the background, but also so that colour accuracy is heightened for the subject’s face. It works really well.

Wide group selfie. If more than two of you are trying to get that killer selfie, the P10 and P10 Plus will figure that out for you. When the phones detect multiple faces looking to the front-facing camera, it will automatically adjust the angle of view to be wider to fit you and all your friends into the frame. You don’t even need to do anything – this is automatic.

Highlights. The Gallery is more advanced in EMUI 5.1, so the P10 and P10 Plus will automatically arrange your shots by where they were shot, when, with who and various relevant fields so that they’re easy to find in the future. This happens daily, so once you’re years into shooting it won’t be tricky to find what you’re after by going into the Discover

GoPro Quik integration. Another EMUI 5.1 special is the subtle integration of GoPro’s Quik app. This uses the highlights in each Discovery album to generate a short video reel with attached music. You can save the video, share it, edit it to suit, or discard it (and all future ones) as you please.

Shoot raw images. In addition to JPEG files there’s support for DNG. Simple go into the camera settings (method above) and hit the Raw button.

Capture a burst of images. Simply press-and-hold the screen to whirr off a rapid burst of capture, which is saved as an image stack. Useful for fast-moving or high-speed subjects. This press-and-hold can also be used to activate focus control, adjusted within the settings.

EMUI 5.1: Live record the screen

Another Huawei specific feature is the ability to live record your device – which could be handy if you wanted to make a how-to video to share with a friend. It’s activated by tapping two knuckles twice on the screen.

The resulting video is saved in your Files > Videos area (not Screenshots as the system claims). It’s a nifty feature.

EMUI 5.1: Business card scanner

Another EMUI special: it’s possible to capture business card information and render it as a contact using the camera.

Open Dialler > hit Contacts > then either hit Business Cards at the top of your contacts list, or hit the Scan button on the floating widget bottom centre. A QR-like reader will pop up allowing a card to be scanned in to render a new contact.