Huawei flagship will reportedly be available from AT&T early next year

Why it matters to you

If your carrier is AT&T or you have been looking to purchase a Huawei smartphone, you are in luck.

AT&T has reportedly agreed to sell Huawei’s upcoming flagship smartphone in the U.S. in the first half of 2018, according to The Information. This will put Huawei in the race against both Samsung and Apple for the first time in the U.S.

As the third-biggest smartphone maker in the world, it has challenged Apple for the No. 2 spot right behind Samsung. But without securing a carrier in the U.S., its ability to grow has been hindered. With the Huawei flagship at AT&T, it could be the push it needs to claim the second spot among its competitors.

The reasoning behind Huawei’s struggle to build relationships with U.S. telecom operators has a lot to with the company’s past. Its professional equipment such as routers and antennas has effectively been banned in the U.S. — after a 2012 congressional report claimed Beijing might be using the gear to spy on Americans.

While Huawei denied the allegations and the report did not prevent the Chinese company from selling devices in the U.S., it definitely strained its reputation. Especially in terms of U.S. carriers allowing what was accused of potentially being “spy gear” into its lineup of cellular devices.

It also could be why the deal with AT&T has yet to be finalized. The phone must clear all technical hurdles and the companies have to agree on the commercial terms of the release. Huawei’s engineers are reportedly working on software modifications and hardware that will meet U.S. telecom standards along with AT&T’s requirements.

Whether or not the flagship phone will be similar to the Mate 10 — reportedly set to launch in the fall — is still unclear. While its specs are still rumored, it is said to go head to head with the Samsung Galaxy Note 8 and Galaxy S8, along with the Apple iPhone X. In comparison to the iPhone, Huawei’s chief of consumer tech claims the Mate 10 will be far more powerful with a much longer battery life.

Partnering with AT&T could potentially save Huawei’s reputation in the U.S. — even though the latest OpenSignal report shows the carrier has experienced a decline in 4G speeds — it is still the second largest in the nation.

Go from browsing on a smartphone to a computer with Windows 10 ‘Continue on PC’

Why it matters to you

Windows 10 Fall Creators Update will make it easy to start browsing on your smartphone and then pick up where you left off on your Windows 10 PC.

Microsoft’s own mobile platform, Windows 10 Mobile, might be on its deathbed, but that doesn’t mean the company has given up on its “mobile-first, cloud-first” strategy. Instead, Microsoft is tying Windows 10, Office, and its other solutions as closely as it can to iOS and Android. One of the newest cross-platform features that’s coming in Fall Creators Update, Windows 10 “Continue on PC,” just made its way to a recent Windows Insider preview build, and we took a look at how it works.

During its Build 2017 event in March, Microsoft introduced a number of new capabilities that will let iOS and Android users interact with their Windows 10 PCs. The Timeline feature that will let users go back in time and pick up apps and tasks they were previously working on won’t be making it to Fall Creators Update. And, there’s no word yet on the cloud clipboard, which will let users copy on one device and paste on another.  But the “Continue on PC” feature, which lets users continue a web browsing session across platforms, is here.

Microsoft introduced the feature in Windows Insider preview build 16251, and Android support came first. Now, iOS support has been added as well. While the feature is a little more convoluted than Apple’s Handoff feature and it only supports browsing, it’s nevertheless a nice glimpse into Microsoft’s plans to tie all of a user’s platforms together.

Setting up and using Windows 10 “Continue on PC”

Setting up the “Continue on PC” feature is similar whether you’re using an Android smartphone or an iPhone. We’re going to illustrate the process using iOS. The first step is to make sure that you’re running Windows Insider build 16251 or later. Then simply go to Settings > Phone, then click “Add a phone.” Notice that once you’ve linked a phone, it will show up on this page.

Mark Coppock/Digital Trends

Enter your phone’s number in the dialogue box, and hit Send.

Mark Coppock/Digital Trends

On your phone, you’ll receive a link to the iOS App Store (or the Google Play Store on an Android smartphone) via SMS. Click on the link to open the store and then install the app.

Mark Coppock/Digital Trends

Once the app is installed, you’ll want to turn it on in your share list. Open Safari and browse to a page. Then select the share button, and tap More in the share dialogue.

Mark Coppock/Digital Trends

Scroll down the list of Activities, and toggle “Continue on PC” to on. Then go back to your web page.

Mark Coppock/Digital Trends

Next, click the share button again to open the share dialogue and then select “Continue on PC.” A dialogue box will open, asking if you want to “Continue now” or “Continue later.” Select either one for now.

You’ll need to sign into your Microsoft Account to continue. Make sure to sign into the same account that you’re using on your Windows 10 Insider PC. That will link this iPhone to every PC that’s linked to the same Windows Account.

Mark Coppock/Digital Trends

Once that’s done, you’ll be presented with a list of PCs where you can send the web page. Note that only PCs that are running the Windows Insider build will actually receive the “Continue on PC” connection. Make note of the host name of your Windows Insider PC, and then select that PC from the list.

Mark Coppock/Digital Trends

If you selected “Continue now,” then your PC will instantly open the web page in the Microsoft Edge browser. If you selected “Continue later,” then you’ll receive a notification on that PC. If you don’t click on the notification immediately, it will slide into the Action Center and remain there until you act on it or close it. Clicking on the notification will open the web page in Edge.

Mark Coppock/Digital Trends

That’s all there is to it. It’s a bit of a convoluted process, and it’s limited to opening web pages for now, but we can imagine the same process working for other apps and document types as well. Note that it’s a one-way street for now between a smartphone and a PC — you can’t go in the opposite direction.

As we mentioned earlier, Microsoft spent considerable time at Build 2017 talking about the various ways it will be tying Windows 10 to iOS and Android devices. The “Continue on PC” feature is limited for now, but at the very least it provides a glimpse into Microsoft’s future plans for integrating Windows 10 with iOS and Android. If you’re a Windows Insider, you can set it up and give it a try immediately, and everyone else should get access to the new feature when Windows 10 Fall Creators Update is released later this year.

Dell Inspiron 27 7000 (2017) review

Research Center:
Dell Inspiron 27 7000 (2017)

The introduction of AMD’s new Ryzen processors was like an early Christmas present to PC geek, who longed to see new competition against Intel’s long-standing Core hardware. Yet Ryzen wouldn’t be much of a story if remained interesting just for the enthusiast niche. AMD needs the chip to go mainstream, and as this Dell Inspiron 27 7000 review will show, there’s reason to be hopeful that will occur.

Unlike past desktops with AMD hardware, the Inspiron 27 7000 all-in-one is not designed for an entry-level audience. Though sold under the Inspiron brand, which includes Dell’s most affordable PCs, this model targets a more demanding user.

Pricing starts at $950 for a Ryzen 5 processor, 1080p display, and RX 560 video card. Our upgraded review unit came with a Ryzen 7 1700, 16GB of RAM, and RX 580 graphics. It also had a 256GB solid state drive paired with a 1TB hard disk and, as frosting on the cake, a 4K display. This list of impressive hardware boosted the price to $1,800.

That’s a lot. Apple’s 27-inch iMac with Retina display starts at $1,800. Meanwhile, Dell and HP offer luxury all-in-ones in the same league. Can this modest Inspiron hope to compete?

Simple but effective

The Inspiron 7000 27 looks every bit as humble as its brand suggests. It doesn’t boast the sleek aluminum chassis of an iMac, the piano black of Dell’s XPS 27, or the elegant industrial look of HP’s Envy AIO line. It’s a simple, silver system, clad mostly in plastic.

Bill Roberson/Digital Trends

Bill Roberson/Digital Trends

Bill Roberson/Digital Trends

Bill Roberson/Digital Trends

That’s a definite downside at our review unit’s $1,800 price, but there’s a silver lining. While it doesn’t look like much, the Inspiron 7000 27 feels extremely solid. It hardly wobbles even on an unsteady desk, and its plastic panels resist flex. The stand only tilts, but it moves smoothly, and its broad base keeps the system firmly in place.

It’s also a compact, functional machine, with thin display bezels, a relatively small speaker bar, and extensive use of matte paint. All that adds up to a PC that will easily fit into any home office or living room, yet doesn’t look out of date or old-fashioned on close inspection.

Lots ports, easy to access

Turning the Dell Inspiron 27 7000 around reveals a port panel that’s as functional as the aesthetic suggests. It includes two USB 2.0 ports, three USB 3.1 Type-A ports, and one USB Type-C port, along with Ethernet and an audio line-out jack. The left side has another USB 3.1 Type-A port along with the headset jack and a SD card reader. The only connection missing is Thunderbolt 3.

It’s a simple, silver system, clad mostly in plastic.

Video connectivity includes HDMI-in and HDMI-out. That means the Inspiron 27 7000 can have an external monitor, or can be used as a display for another system. Such support is helpful for space-limited setups, where you might want to use an all-in-one as a small television.

The Inspiron’s connectivity compares well to competitors. While it lacks Thunderbolt 3, it gains video in/out capability, a feature that’s frustratingly missing from the Apple iMac with Retina. The Dell XPS 27 and HP Envy do have video in/out capability, and add Thunderbolt 3, but have slightly fewer USB ports overall.

No version of the Inspiron 27 7000 comes with an optical drive. That’s typical for a modern all-in-one, but worth noting. You might expect one if you haven’t bought a new PC in a few years.

A dull, yet excellent display

Fitting with its theme of functionality, the Dell Inspiron 27 7000 comes with a non-gloss display. The base model offers 1080p resolution, but our review unit came with the upgrade to a 4K panel.

The matte coat takes some punch out of the display, so it’s nowhere near as attractive at-a-glance as other premium all-in-ones. As our test results show, the display’s maximum contrast ratio was only 640:1. That’s adequate, but below average for a modern PC display.

That’s it for bad news, though. The screen scored an excellent color error value of 1.36. Lower is better in this test, and as visible in the graph above, the Inspiron competes well, even against stand-alone monitors like the Dell S2418H and Samsung CF791. We also found the panel could render 100 percent of the sRGB gamut and 82 percent of AdobeRGB. Both values are strong for an all-in-one. Finally, the display’s gamma reading came in at 2.2, which is exactly on our ideal target.

All of this adds up to a surprisingly pleasant screen. It doesn’t look glamorous, but it does offer a sharp, accurate picture that’s true to the displayed content. The display looks best with photos or movies, where its accurate color makes for an extremely pleasing picture. Colorful games also look great, though the screen’s modest contrast limits darker titles.

Price, though, haunts the experience. As mentioned, our review unit is in the same league as the Apple iMac with Retina, which absolutely dominates the Inspiron 27 7000 in image quality. The display is one area where this Dell reveals itself to be an upgraded version of a much less expensive system, rather than a PC designed with luxury in mind.

Medium sound

Dell has packed a sound bar with a small subwoofer into the Inspiron 27 7000. The combination works well enough, providing pleasant sound that can fill a large room when the volume is turned up. It’s not going to replace a dedicated sound system, but we think most people will find it good enough to ditch external speakers.

We did run into a minor issue with how the sound system deals with external audio. A pop-up appears when headphones or external speakers are plugged in, providing chance to tell the Dell what was added. The pop-up didn’t always work right, though. It might disappear and leave us without sound from the external device. That meant we had to unplug it, then plug it back in.

Say Hello

Every version of the Dell Inspiron 27 7000 comes with a built-in infrared camera that’s Windows Hello compatible. It works extremely well, providing quick, easy login to Windows 10 via facial recognition.

Ryzen makes an impression

As mentioned, our Dell Inspiron 27 7000 review unit came with a Ryzen 7 1700 processor. This is the first time we’ve seen it in a complete desktop, but we reviewed the chip previously, and quite liked it. It has eight cores and sixteen threads, yet fits into a slim power envelope, and has a maximum clock speed of 3.7GHz.

What does that mean in practice? Have a look at our benchmarks.

We must come clean here – we haven’t reviewed many all-in-ones this year, so our points of comparison are a bit limited. That said, we did round up some systems that represent what we’d expect from similarly priced PCs.

The Asus ROG Strix GD30CI and Dell XPS 8910 SE, a pair of desktops, offer a good example of the range of performance to expect from Intel-powered all-in-ones which, at the $1,800 price point, will have a Core i5 or i7 processor.

How does Ryzen fare? That depends. It doesn’t do so well in the single-core test, where it’s outclassed by everything on our graph including the Microsoft Surface Pro 2-in-1.

Yet Ryzen powers the Dell Inspiron 27 7000 to convincing victories in Geekbench 4 multi-core and the Handbrake video encoding test. The all-in-one wins both of those tests, which is impressive. The Ryzen 7 1700 gives Dell’s all-in-one a level of processor performance that’s competitive with the fastest consumer and gaming desktops.

Thanks to Ryzen, the simple Inspiron is easily the best performance value on the market right now. Price competitive systems have, at best, a Core i7-7700 like that in the GD30CI. Most, though, have a Core i5 or the Core i7-7700T, a version of the i7-7700 tuned to use less power than the standard version. None of these alternatives can beat the Ryzen 7 1700 in multi-core tasks – which is where you’re going to need the performance.

No one else has an all-in-one powered by AMD’s new chip. Dell made a gamble putting Ryzen in this system, and it paid off.

A storage tag-team

We’re disappointed to see Dell ship the base Inspirion 27 7000 with a mechanical hard drive. Luckily, you can tack on a 128GB solid state drive (SSD) for just $50 – an option we absolutely recommend. Our review unit came with a 256GB SSD, paired with a 1TB mechanical hard drive. We tested the performance of the SSD.

The drive, an AData A400 connected over the Non-Volatile Memory Express standard, delivered respectable performance figures. It was fast enough that it didn’t become a bottleneck, though it also didn’t set any records.

Surprisingly, the Dell Inspiron 27 7000 has an edge over many competing all-in-ones, even those that are more expensive. Apple’s 27-inch iMac with Retina, Dell’s XPS 27, and Microsoft’s Surface Studio all use a small cache drive alongside a mechanical disk in most configurations. Only the HP Envy AIO offers a conventional solid-state drive at a price competitive with the Inspiron 27 7000.

Graphics performance

All-in-ones are rarely great for gaming, but the Dell Inspiron 27 7000 has a trick up its sleeve. AMD’s Radeon RX 580 discrete graphics.

Once again, it’s AMD that offers this all-in-one a secret weapon. While it’s not all that strange to see an AMD or Nvidia GPU in a system like this, most make do with a laptop-grade GPU. The HP Envy All-in-One, for example, has the modest GTX 950M. Apple’s iMac, with its Radeon Pro hardware, is the strongest competitor, but you only receive Radeon Pro 560 graphics at the $1,800 price point.

As you can see above, Dell Inspiron 27 7000 performs well in games. Its Fire Strike score of 9,481 is not going to challenge a dedicated gaming desktop, but it comes closer than you’d think. For example, it’s about a thousand points behind the MSI Trident 3, a small form-factor gaming PC with an Nvidia GTX 1060.

We launched Sid Meier’s Civilization VI and ran the game’s built-in benchmark. Even at Ultra detail, and 8x MSAA – the game’s maximum settings – we saw an average of 61 frames per second with resolution at 1080p.

We then cranked the game up to 4K resolution, using the same detail settings. That bumped the average framerate down to 37 FPS. While it’s a significant decrease, the resulting gameplay was still enjoyable, and Civilization VI looked beautiful at 4K with everything turned on.

Gaming is not just possible on this Dell. It’s enjoyable. Not every game will run smoothly with every detail on, but most will run at medium to high settings and 1080p resolution. Older titles, meanwhile, will be enjoyable at 4K, and look surprisingly stunning as a result.

A keyboard and mouse bundle you’ll want to keep

Like most all-in-ones, Dell bundles a keyboard and mouse with the Inspiron 27 7000. Unlike most included peripherals, they’re quite good. Both are wireless over Bluetooth, and offer comfortable, trouble-free use. You won’t need to replace them unless you’re a fan of luxurious mechanical keyboards.

The software suite is relatively innocuous, as well. While the system does come with McAfee installed, it troubled us less than we expected, and uninstalling the software was not difficult.

Dell Inspiron 27 7000 (2017) Compared To

Acer Aspire AZ3-615

Apple iMac 21.5-inch (2014)

Acer TA272HUL

Acer Aspire Z3-605

Dell XPS 27 Touch

HP Envy Rove 20

Lenovo IdeaCentre A720

Dell XPS One 27

Apple iMac 27-inch (Core i5)

Gateway One ZX Series

HP TouchSmart 300

Asus Eee Top ET1602

HP TouchSmart IQ506

Apple iMac Core Duo 17-inch

Apple iMac 17-inch

Warranty

Dell provides a standard one-year warranty on the Inspiron 27 7000. Dell Premium Support with SupportAssist is available with the system, starting at $70 for one year. The service periodically scans the PC to look for hardware faults, and will alert you if any issues are found so that preemptive steps can be taken. We can’t say how well it works over time, but the software was at least unobtrusive, and the interface is easy to understand.

Accidental damage coverage is also available, starting at $30 for one year. We doubt you’ll need it since, as a desktop, the Inspiron 27 7000 isn’t at risk for drops and spills.

Our Take

The Dell Inspiron 27 7000 didn’t immediately leave us smitten, but its excellent performance gradually won us over. Is $1,800 a lot to spend on an Inspiron? You bet. And it might be the right call if you want a functional, fast all-in-one that can handle anything you throw at it.

Is there a better alternative?

We can find no shortage of competitors for the Dell Inspiron 27 7000. Apple’s iMac is a big name, and for good reason. While expensive, it’s not a bad value given its fast hardware and outstanding display. However, the base 27-inch iMac with Retina – sold at the same price as this Dell — has half as much RAM, a slower processor, slower graphics, and a slower hard drive.

That same story appears when speaking of most the Inspiron’s competitors. The AMD Ryzen 7 1700 processor and Radeon RX 580 graphics chip make for a real dream-team. Most all-in-ones, including the Dell XPS 27 and HP Envy AIO, will struggle to match the Inspiron 27 7000’s performance.

How long will it last?

With a 4K display, modern eight-core processor, and fast discrete graphics, our Dell Inspiron 27 7000 review unit was the very picture of future-proof. It should handle most tasks for the next five years. Less expensive models, with 1080p and slower processor, won’t feel modern for as long, but they’ll be fast enough to handle the usual day-to-day grind for years.

Just remember that, as is true of most all-in-ones, upgrades range from difficult to impossible. You can’t improve the display by purchasing a new monitor, or boost gaming performance by adding a new GPU.

Should you buy it?

Yes. The Dell Inspiron 27 7000 is a great choice for people who need a fast, versatile all-in-one, and don’t care about flashy design. This is true at every price point this all-in-one competes, though as we remarked earlier, the $50 upgrade to a 128GB solid state drive is a must have for the basic $950 model. It may not look like much, but the Inspiron 27 7000 has heart – and a fast processor, too.

‘Despacito’ is the third to hold YouTube’s most-popular spot this year

The juggernaut that is Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee’s ‘Despacito’ just took the crown for the most-watched YouTube video ever. It crossed the 2.9 billion-watch threshold held by Wiz Khalifa and Charlie Puth’s “See You Again,” which itself only ousted Psy’s “Gangnam Style” from the throne last month. With 2,998,132,241 views as of publication, ‘Despacito’ will keep climbing — though who knows when the next hit will overtake it.

Not that ‘Despacito’ wasn’t destined for greatness: A few weeks ago, it broke another record by becoming the most-streamed song of all time with 4.6 billion listens across all platforms. But we’re clearly seeing views ramp up as people watch more videos with more mobile devices. “Gangnam Style” took the lead for most-watched video back in 2012 when the record was only 808 million views.

It held the crown for five years until “See You Again” surpassed it, but Khalifa and Puth’s tune wasn’t the only contender to seize the top slot. As Boing Boing pointed out at the time, the top 10 YouTube videos of all time all had over 2 billion views — and “Despacito” was in the middle of that last with 2.4 billion. Which means it racked up over 500 million views in a single month. So while Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee have hit a serious milestone, but it won’t be forever.

Via: Vulture

Source: “Despacito” (YouTube)

AT&T might be the first US carrier to sell a Huawei phone

Next year, Huawei may finally get a foothold in the US market when AT&T reportedly begins selling its next leading phone. Getting its support would be huge for the company: It’s the third-largest smartphone maker in the world behind Apple and Samsung but hasn’t been able to reach US customers without a carrier’s support.

Sources told The Information that AT&T will begin selling Huawei’s upcoming flagship device in the first half of 2018. This might be similar to the Mate 10, which is expected to release in Europe later this year, but it probably won’t share the name. Engineers are still tinkering with the device to make sure its hardware and software meet US telecom standards, as well as AT&T’s own requirements, according to the sources.

If the deal goes through as reported, it’ll be Huawei’s biggest entry in the US market. Previous forays haven’t been very successful: The Chinese company had teamed up with Google to launch the Nexus 6P back in October 2015, but negotiations soured a year later when the search giant reportedly refused to let Huawei plant its branding on the partnership’s next round of phones. The AT&T deal would presumably let Huawei sell its own phones with only a little internal rejiggering.

The support from AT&T could also be good news for American consumers. Some of Huawei’s latest phones have been well-received, especially the P10, which isn’t available in the US yet. We were also fans of the Mate 9, which you can buy unlocked in the US.

Both AT&T and Huawei separately told Engadget that they do not comment on rumors or speculation.

Source: The Information

‘Scape’ mode in ‘GT Sport’ is basically Lightroom in a racing game

Even if you’re garbage at racing games, this fall’s GT Sport has a lot to offer beyond absurdly detailed cars. Case in point: “Scape,” the game’s insanely deep photo mode. More than just freeze-framing the action during a race, Scape will let you drop any of those ridiculously detailed cars into some 1,000 backdrops and then use DLSR-equivalent adjustments like shutter speed and aperture to get your photo just the way you want it.

That’s just the beginning. From there, you can adjust all manner of aspects of the photo with what basically amounts to an in-game version of Adobe’s Lightroom photo editing suite. There are numerous filters on offer, options for adjusting vignettes, distorting the camera lens, adding film grain and even sliders for individual color tone correction among myriad other choices. By comparison, the photo mode in Microsoft’s Forza series looks even more shallow than it was prior.

Naturally, you’ll be able to upload these photos to Facebook and Twitter using the PlayStation 4 controller’s dedicated Share button. If you thought Horizon: Zero Dawn’s or Uncharted 4’s respective photo modes were awesome, maybe you should check out GT Sport when it’s released on October 17th, exclusively for PS4.

Source: PlayStation Access (YouTube)

Bring your own SNES cartridges for the Supa RetroN HD

The upcoming launch of Nintendo’s SNES Classic has turned up the hype on 16-bit nostalgia, and Hyperkin is ready to seize the moment. The company already builds several consoles built for retro gaming, and now product designer Chris Gallizzi tweeted this image of the Supa RetroN HD. Hyperkin’s $160 RetroN 5 already plays SNES games (as well as other classic systems), but a pared-down clone will probably be simpler, might not need to run Android and may be cheaper, just like the $40 RetroN 1 HD for NES games.

@seaniccus @PCBrown pic.twitter.com/sPjTVUvonL

— Chris Gallizzi (@cgallizzi) August 4, 2017

Of course, Nintendo’s official retro system arrives September 29th with never-before-released StarFox 2, and much more. But with this system (if you still have your original cartridges) you’ll probably be able to play more games. We don’t have any details on when it might be available other than “soon” or for exactly how much, but when we do hear something we will let you know. Just keep that in mind for another option in case your SNES Classic pre-order plan falls through.

Here are a few specs for the system:

• 720p
• 16:9 / 4:3 region switch
• 2 controller ports
• HD output and AV ports
• MicroUSB powered
• Price: TBD

Source: Chris Gallizzi (Twitter)

The next Apple Watch might not need an iPhone for data

Well, Apple Watch fans have more to look forward to than just a new operating system. According to a new report from Bloomberg, Apple will release a version of its Watch with cellular network support built-in by year’s end, relieving users of the need to carry their iPhones around. Three words: it’s about time.

Rumors of a cellular Apple Watch are nothing new, and the whole concept should sound very familiar by now. After all, Samsung and LG have had LTE-enabled smartwatches for years, and the latter developed one such wearable to help launch Android Wear 2.0 earlier this year. While it’s not yet clear what Apple plans to let people do with these mobile data connections, it’s likely that users will be able to send messages and make phone and FaceTime Audio calls without being tethered to an iPhone.

Interestingly, Intel is said to be providing the modem for the new Apple Watch, which isn’t a huge surprise — Apple tapped the chipmaker for modems used in certain versions of the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus. Given the Watch’s small size, Apple and Intel may opt to use a digital “eSIM” rather than a traditional plastic SIM card as well. That could signal a similar decision for future iPhones, which would have potentially huge ramifications for how such smartphones (and their data plans) are sold.

If nothing else, though, use of an eSIM would likely preserve the Apple Watch’s compact footprint. Consider LG’s flagship Watch Sport: it was the more powerful of the two smartwatches that debuted alongside Android Wear 2.0, and the space required to fit a physical SIM card inside helped make it big and somewhat unwieldy. That’s not really Apple’s style, especially since the company’s new Watch is said to benefit from an all-new form factor.

If true, Apple’s next step in wearables may be an iterative one. Still, if the company’s most recent earnings release is any indication, demand for the Watch is still going strong. According to CEO Cook, Watch sales grew 50 percent year over year — seriously, Tim, would some hard numbers now and then really kill you?

Source: Bloomberg

Daring Fireball: Apple Watch Series 3 to Feature ‘All-New Form Factor’

The third-generation Apple Watch, set to launch this fall, will have an “all-new form factor” according to Daring Fireball’s John Gruber.

Gruber shared the news in a post highlighting Bloomberg’s news suggesting the device will include an LTE chip.

It’s hard to overstate just how big a deal this could be. No mention in Businessweek’s report, though, of the all-new form factor that I’ve heard is coming for this year’s new watches.

Most rumors about the third-generation Apple Watch have suggested it will be a more minor update that focuses on battery life and other under-the-hood improvements, but ahead of the launch of the Series 2 Apple Watch, KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said the third version would include the device’s first redesign.

Though we’re likely just over a month away from the debut of the third-generation Apple Watch, if it does indeed launch alongside new iPhones, we’ve heard very little about the device. Aside from rumors of LTE connectivity and a focus on battery, we don’t know what else to expect.

If there are major design changes in the works, Apple has managed to keep them under wraps, perhaps because of all the focus on the iPhone 8 this year.

Related Roundups: Apple Watch Series 2, watchOS 3, watchOS 4
Tag: daringfireball.net
Buyer’s Guide: Apple Watch (Neutral)
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Motherboard makers list an unannounced AMD Ryzen Threadripper 1920 desktop CPU

Why it matters to you

AMD appears to be bringing another affordable, high-performance 12-core processor to the desktop market in addition to its Ryzen Threadripper 1920X model.

Last week, AMD confirmed Thursday’s launch date of its two Ryzen Threadripper desktop processors. The company also slipped in another previously unannounced chip that will be sold 21 days later. But apparently, AMD still is not done with its Ryzen Threadripper rollout, as three motherboard manufacturers are/were listing an unannounced Ryzen Threadripper 1920 model. Asus has since removed the chip’s reference since its initial discovery but the 1920’s listing still remains on ASRock and Gigabyte support pages at the time this article went live.

That said, here are all of AMD’s Ryzen Threadripper chips, with the unannounced 1920 model highlighted in bold:

Cores / Threads

Base Speed

Boost Speed

XFR Speed

Power Usage

Ship Date

Price
1950X
16 / 32
3.4GHz
4.0GHz
4.2GHz
180 Watts
Aug. 10
$999
1920X
12 / 24
3.5GHz
4.0GHz
4.2GHz
180 Watts
Aug. 10
$799
1920
12 / 24
3.2GHz
3.8GHz
?
140 Watts
?
?
1900X
8 / 16
3.8GHz
4.0GHz
4.2GHz
180 Watts
Aug. 31
$549

As the chart shows, it is another 12-core, 24-thread processor with the lowest base and boost speeds of the quartet. It also only draws 140 watts of power compared to the 180 watts used by the other three Threadripper models. It is very similar to the 1920X chip, using the same amount of L2 (6MB) and L3 (32MB) processor cache. The removal of the “X” in the name indicates that it may not have the Zen architecture’s Extended Frequency Range (XFR) feature enabled.

Once the chip hits the market, AMD will have two 12-core desktop processors competing against Intel’s single Core i9 12-core model arriving in September. Intel’s version will have a higher price tag than AMD’s two units but in return, it will have slightly faster boost speeds. Then again, the Intel chip’s base speed will be lower than what AMD’s two chips will offer.

Here is how all three stack up:

Cores / Threads

Base Speed

Boost Speed

Maximum Speed

Price
1920X
12 / 24
3.5GHz
4.0GHz
4.2GHz
$799
1920
12 / 24
3.2GHz
3.8GHz
?
?
I9-7920X
12 / 24
2.9GHz
4.3GHz
4.4GHz
$1,199

AMD’s “epic” new Ryzen Threadripper processors will not fit in the company’s latest AM4 socket (seat) for desktop motherboards, but rather in its new, larger TR4 socket supporting 4,094 processor contacts (pins). By comparison, the AM4 motherboard socket used for AMD’s Ryzen 7, Ryzen 5, and Ryzen 3 desktop processors supports chips with only 1,331 physical contacts. Meanwhile, Intel’s latest X-Series processors rely on the LGA 2066 motherboard seat, which supports processors with 2,066 contacts.

Along with the TR4 socket, AMD is introducing a new motherboard chipset for its Ryzen Threadripper processors: the X399 chipset. They support a massive 66 PCI Express 3.0 lanes, up to eight sticks of four-channel DDR4 system memory, and up to 14 native USB 3.1 Gen1 ports. The chipset will support up to two native USB 3.1 Gen2 ports as well.

Here are the motherboards currently supporting AMD’s Ryzen Threadripper processors:

ASRock:

Fatal1ty X399 Professional Gaming ($440)X399 Taichi ($340)
Asus

ROG X399 Zenith Extreme ($550)Prime X399-A ($350)ROG Strix X399-E ($400)
Gigabyte:

X399 Aorus Gaming 7 rev. 1.0 ($390)
MSI:

X399 Gaming Pro Carbon AC ($380)