The Moto X4 looks like a true successor to the original

Moto X4 leaks in all its glory.

Motorola’s Moto X line has taken a back seat as the company has focused on the modular Moto Z line, but that looks to be changing soon. We already know Motorola is coming out with a fourth Moto X, but a leak from Brazilian site Tudocellular, which obtained images as it passes through the country’s telecommunications agency, confirms a few key features for the device.

The leaked photos confirmed some features of this year’s Moto Z devices will find their way to the Moto X line, including the Z2 Force’s dual camera setup. There’s no indication what the second sensor will be used for, but it is likely to be used as a monochromatic sensor like the Moto Z2 Force. The leaked also shows the device is 16 cm by 8 cm, or approximately 6.3 inches by 3.15 inches. This lines up with @evleaks’ earlier report that the phone will feature a 5.2 inch 1080p display. The leaks show a glossy black body, though it is unclear if that is glass or plastic.

The photos also show Motorola’s pill shaped front fingerprint sensor that has become a staple of their devices this year, and it’s very likely to include the same gesture support current fingerprint sensors enjoy. The phone is rumored to feature the Qualcomm Snapdragon 630 processor, 4GB of RAM, a 3,000 mAh battery and Android 7.1.1 with Moto’s enhancements on top. Finally, the phone is rumored to be available to use with Project Fi, which would make it the first non-Google phone to be officially supported by the carrier. Most importantly, the leaks show a 3.5 mm headphone jack for those that don’t want to live the #donglelife.

There’s no telling on when the Moto X4 will be announced or released, but it is expected to land in Q4 of this year. Are you planning to pick up the Moto X4? Let us know down below.

LG V30: Specs, images, release date, and more

LG really needs its big phone to be a big hit.

The history of LG’s V series of phones isn’t long, but the upcoming V30 is shaping up to by far be the most interesting of the bunch. After breaking away from the ultra-tough model for something new in the V20, the V30 is set to go even more mainstream with a design that closely follows its smaller sibling, the LG G6. That isn’t great for those who really enjoyed the unique quirks of the V10 and V20, but for the wide group of people who just want a large, powerful phone to compete with the likes of the Galaxy Note 8, this is a good move by LG.

The V30 hasn’t been officially announced yet, but leaks, rumors, and information straight from LG are starting to pull together a picture of what we can expect from its latest high-end phone. Here’s what we know so far.

LG V30 specs and features

For the spec sheet, we can expect the V30 to have all of the typical bells and whistles. Unlike the G6, the V30 will come out of the gate with the latest high-end processor, the Qualcomm Snapdragon 835, and be backed up by at least 4GB — but more likely 6GB — of RAM as well. LG is good about offering lots of storage, so we can expect 64GB standard, but the question is how it handles regional variants — historically it hasn’t done great with getting other models with more storage to all regions around the world.

Initial rumors suggest the V30 won’t have any larger battery than the G6, sticking around 3300mAh, which is interesting considering it’s also making a move from the V20 to go with a non-removable battery as well. With a larger screen than the G6 many were expecting a larger battery to boot, but in LG’s (potential) defense it gets great battery life out of the G6 with 3300mAh and a less-efficient Snapdragon 821 processor.

Though the first two V series phones had many differences between them, one thing that remained constant is the idea that they’re all about audio, video and photo experiences. We expect the V30 to have the same initiatives, with a Hi-Fi DAC for audio output, special high-quality mics for audio recording, a manual video recording mode and perhaps a few new tricks that LG has up its sleeve. It has been said that the V30 will be a “video-centric” phone, and this isn’t surprising considering LG’s history.

Expect a whole ton of hardware features, focusing on audio, video and photos.

The cameras will of course be super important, as LG will be iterating on its proven dual-camera setup rather than debuting one for the first time as Samsung is in the Note 8. We’re not sure on any change in the sensors themselves, but LG says its camera will have an an even wider f/1.6 aperture on the main camera, which will let in 25% more light than an f/1.8 aperture. It will also use a “Glass Crystal Clear Lens” to get better clarity and colors than typical plastic lenses. The second camera will remain a wide-angle shooter rather than the more common telephoto lens, and LG says it has cut down on edge distortion by one third.

LG V30 design and size

Based on initial leaks of the V30, both in renders and photos, we’re looking at phone that has its design groundwork provided by the LG G6 from earlier this year. It’s a thin, metal-framed phone with a back that looks much like the G6’s glass-covered rear. LG has confirmed most details of the V30’s display, telling us that the frame is wrapped around a 6-inch OLED panel — without a secondary display — that will make it just slightly larger than the G6’s 5.7-inch display, though it’ll have the same 2:1 aspect ratio and 2880×1440 resolution.

The differentiator here is the V30’s even smaller bezels around the screen, accentuated by the screen edges actually being curved on the sides, just like Samsung’s last few years of phones. This should make the V30 narrower and easier to hold, and indeed it’s going to be smaller overall than the Galaxy Note 8 and even the Galaxy S8+.

Many of the things that are currently unknown about the V30 are the ones that won’t really fill up the spec sheet. We’re not sure how much of the rugged/tough/sturdy identity LG has carried on from the V20 (and to some extent the G6), but early indications are this isn’t going to be as tough of a phone as its predecessor. Expect LG to talk the same big game about how strong the V30’s frame is and how it can handle extra drops just like the G6 — and thankfully we should have proper IP68 water resistance as well.

LG V30 release date and pricing

One thing we know for certain is that the LG V30 will be unveiled on August 31, coinciding with the start of the IFA trade show in Berlin. It will be LG’s fist major product announcement at IFA, and it’s hoping to make a splash just one week after Samsung will unveil the Galaxy Note 8 in New York City. We can expect a full retail launch by the end of September, as LG will want to be fully established in stores worldwide for the holiday season.

Considering the relatively high launch price of both the LG V10 and V20, as well as the high-end components here, we can expect the V30 to command a high price — probably in the high $700 range. That being said, with how aggressively we’ve seen the LG G6 cut in price just in the few months following its launch, LG may be willing to go slightly more aggressive with its pricing out of the gate.

LG V30

• LG V30: Our wish list for LG’s latest big phone
• Latest render shows LG V30 alongside Galaxy Note 8
• LG V30 will have curved OLED display
• LG V30 will launch on August 31
• Join our LG V30 forums

V-Moda Crossfade 2 Wireless review: My new favorite headphones

V-Moda’s excellent Crossfade 2 Wireless headphones sound fantastic and are super comfortable, but the price tag may rattle you.

Headphone preference is almost as contentious and divisive as the phones they connect to. But one thing that isn’t up for dispute is the proliferation, often by necessity, of the “hi-fi” Bluetooth headphone.

V-Moda isn’t a particularly well-known brand, but it’s been around for just over a decade. The company, like many others in the space, began building earbuds and cheap headphones to replace lost Apple EarPods and other cheap in-box headphones, but again, like so many others in the space, saw the burgeoning potential of the audiophile market.

The Crossfade 2 Wireless are the company’s flagship Bluetooth headphone, modeled after its popular Crossfade M-100 wired model released a couple years back. It improves upon the original, released last year, in almost every way, with larger drivers, more reliable Bluetooth, better battery life, and more comfortable pads. And while the over-the-ear headphones’ looks may be divisive, their sound won’t be: these are incredibly good for the $349 price (though I’ve found them for nearly $100 less during sales).

What’s good

While the Crossfade 2 Wireless looks a bit aggressive with its hexagonal cups and contrast-forward dual-toned finish, I rather like the overall aesthetic. My rose gold version is the only one (for some reason) that supports Qualcomm’s aptX codec, which is increasingly being supported by most phones, for higher-quality audio, but I would have gone with this tone either way — I just think it looks good.

They look a bit aggressive, but they sound so, so smooth.

The cups themselves pivot gracefully on two hinges, making it easy to get the right fit around even the most stubbornly-shaped ear. Similarly, there is plenty of length within the customizable headband to accommodate even the largest heads. This is a headphone for all seasons. V-Moda considers the so-called SteelFlex headband to be “virtually indestructible,” and while I don’t plan on testing that theory, the whole outfit appears to robust and then some.

That the cups can be pushed upwards towards the headband to form a portable “pebble” shape is even better — V-Moda includes a carrying case to ward off abuse, but I’ve regularly thrown these in my bag sans protection with no ill effects.

There is a physical On switch on the rightmost cup along with three buttons — volume down, play/pause, volume up — and once learned they’re simple to press while wearing. And these things get loud. V-Moda aims the Crossfade series primarily at DJs, which would imply a bass-heavy sound, but the default sound profile is fairly flat, with punchy bass, buttery mids, and smooth, sibilance-free highs. I am in love with the sound from these (though I’ll admit to slightly preferring the sound from the slightly lighter wired V-Moda Crossfade M-100s, which appear to be nearly identical but for the wireless componentry).

The Crossfade 2s have almost no Bluetooth noise floor, which is impressive given that nearly every other pair I’ve tested, from Blue’s Satellites to Phiaton’s BT460s produce a fair amount of low-level static when they’re connected to even the cleanest of sources.

The soundstage is wide and inviting, with clean separation on even the most challenging of jazz or vocal tracks. But the headphones do come with a cable that includes phone volume controls and a microphone and, when plugged in, bypass the wireless components completely.

Comfort is a bonus here, too: I’ve worn these for hours at a time without noticing, especially since I can get 14 hours of battery from a charge. Yes, they charge with Micro-USB, but I have to plug them in so seldom it doesn’t really matter. And they work with the cord even when the cell is depleted.

Finally, despite not having active noise cancellation, the firm seal over the ears provides a fair amount of passive isolation that, while not great on planes, is good enough for the outside world. I’d rather wear these sitting in a coffee shop than the vast majority of larger, bulkier, heavier ANC headphones.

I’ve worn these for an entire eight-hour day without realizing it.

I’ve yet to encounter the company’s post-purchase warranty program (and I hope not to) but I hear that it’s quite good. It features a standard 1-year defective parts replacement schedule, which is normal, but there’s also a 60-day return policy for those who don’t like them, and an “Immortal Life” feature, which provides 50% off a replacement pair should they break out of warranty. Pretty generous if you ask me.

What needs works

My biggest gripe with the Crossfade 2 Wireless is the fact that the aptX codec, which enhances the quality of audio when connected to devices that support it, is only available on one model, the rose gold color that I picked up. The all-black or all-white models, which are some $20 cheaper, don’t come with it installed.

Now, of course, aptX is licensed for a fee and V-Moda is merely passing it on to the customer, but it’s short-sighted and confusing to the average person who knows little about the stuff but would benefit immensely from its presence. As much as I like the combination of black and rose gold, the other hues are inevitably going to be the most popular colors, and many buyers are going to miss out.

Others may find the lack of next and back buttons to be frustrating given that most headphones in this price range include such functionality, be it on the chassis itself or, like with Sony’s MDR1000X, a touch-sensitive gesture area. I didn’t much mind, but I did miss the ability to call on Google Assistant, which would allow me to skip tracks, adjust volume and do a whole bunch of other things without having to look at my phone.

The headphones, because they use a physical switch to turn on the wireless elements, have no auto-off functionality; more than once (in fact, nearly every time I leave the room) I forgot to turn them off, only to return to a pair of dead cans. While they only take three hours to recharge to full, I bemoan the auto-off functions that other, more intelligent (read: less analog) headphones have. I also wish the damn things charged via USB-C, but I’ve yet to find a pair of wireless headphones that do, so I guess I’ll just keep waiting. Also useful would be a battery indicator; it’s unclear when the Crossfades will die until I get the indication while I’m wearing them.

At between $320 and $350, depending on the model, many people are going to balk at this price, especially when you can get something like the aforementioned Sonys, or the popular Bose QC35s, for the same or less — and those come with Active Noise Cancellation.

Should you buy them? Definitely

I have been a big fan of V-Moda’s headphones and overall sound signature for a long time. When the company put out a wireless version of its Crossfade M-100s, I bought it sight-unseen and haven’t regretted the decision for a moment.

There are pieces of technology that just fit seamlessly into your life, and the Crossfade 2 Wireless headphones are such an example.

From an audio perspective, I have almost no complaints: they are punchy, accurate and fun. I don’t profess to be an audiophile, but I’m a discerning listener of nearly every genre of music, and I have yet to find an album that doesn’t sound fantastic. Moreover, I have a rack of headphones at my disposal, cheap and expensive, wired and wireless, and find myself constantly returning to the Crossfades. This isn’t by accident; my ears know what they like.

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Doomed luxury phone maker Vertu auctioning its concept phones for $26,000

Vertu is doing what it can to make up for spent R&D.

Vertu, known for premium Android handsets that sold for multiple thousands of dollars, announced earlier in 2017 that it would be closing its doors after being sold multiple times in recent years. The company took standard smartphone components, wrapped them in luxurious materials, bundled a concierge service and charged thousands of dollars for the privilege. It wasn’t something most people would use, nor something most people would likely encounter.

The company has now announced it would begin auctioning off its concept phones starting at a cool $26,000. This seems expensive, but it’s actually a steal in Vertu land: the lucky buyer gets his or her hands on 105 phones, making the average cost per phone a reasonable $250.

There’s no indication these are working prototypes, but they sure are pretty. There’s a healthy selection of touchscreen and old-school number pad phones, for those that want to spice things up even more.

Are you interested in owning the Vertu concept phones? Let us know down below!

Interested? Get bidding on the Vertu auction!

A nearby Sun-like star hosts four Earth-sized planets

Exoplanet discoveries are getting pretty common, so it takes something special to catch our attention. A star called Tau Ceti fits the bill, as it’s just 12 light years away and unlike the Trappist-1 red dwarf, is very similar to our own yellow dwarf (G-type) sun. Researchers have determined that it probably hosts planets like Earth that sit in its habitable zone. The only hitch is that the star is known to have a massive debris disk that probably bombards its worlds with asteroids, so living there would be a pretty big challenge.

Four rocky worlds were found, with two in the habitable zone, about 0.5 and 1.25 times as far from their star as the Earth is from the Sun. That works out well, as Tau Ceti is a bit smaller (78 percent) than the Sun, and is correspondingly less intense. The smallest of the worlds is about 1.7 times the size of Earth, but the habitable zone planets are much larger “super Earths” that could potentially support life.

However, Tau Ceti is known to have a big debris disk that probably produces far more impact events via comets and asteroids than we have on Earth. While that makes life improbable, the discovery is still important because of the techniques used.

On smaller stars, planets can be detected by the “transit method,” observing the dimming of light as planets pass in front. That doesn’t work as well for bigger stars like Tau Ceti though, as the light levels drown out any dimming.

The W.M. Keck HIRES-MAGIQ detector

Instead, the team observed wobbles in the star’s movement as small as 30 centimeters (one foot) per second. That has only become possible recently by combining multiple observations from different instruments and sophisticated modeling. In this case, the team obtained observations from the HARPS spectrograph on the European Southern Observatory in Chile, and Keck HIRES (above) on the W.M. Keck Observatory in Mauna Kea, Hawaii.

“We can [now] disentangle the noise due to stellar surface activity from the very tiny signals generated by the gravitational tugs from Earth-sized orbiting planets,” said UC Santa Cruz Professor and co-author Steven Vogt. “Our detection of such weak wobbles is a milestone in the search for Earth analogs.”

Using the new techniques, the same team actually ruled out two planets they previously identified in 2013 as planets. “But no matter how we look at the star, there seem to be at least four rocky planets orbiting it,” said coauthor Mikko Tuomi.

We can disentangle the noise due to stellar surface activity from the very tiny signals generated by the gravitational tugs from Earth-sized orbiting planets. Our detection of such weak wobbles is a milestone in the search for Earth analogs.

The team hopes to refine the techniques to find wobbles as small as 10 cm (4 inches) per second, small enough to detect Earth-sized planets. That could be crucial, because while its easier to spot exoplanets around dim red dwarf stars like Trappist-1 using the transit method, astronomers are beginning to wonder if such stars can actually support life.

Planets tend to get tidally locked to red dwarf stars early in their life because their years are so short — often a week or less. As a result, much like our moon is to the Earth, one side is constantly exposed to radiation and the other is in the dark. “Because of the onslaught by the star’s radiation, our results suggest the atmosphere on planets in the Trappist-1 system would largely be destroyed,” said researcher Avi Loeb.

That makes the likelihood of life just one percent compared to Earth. Since life has enough challenges already, it’s probably got a much better shot on a planet around a type-G, main sequence star. We know for a fact that those can support life, as here we are.

Via: CNET

Source: UC Santa Cruz

Mac and iOS Writing App ‘Ulysses’ Transitions to Subscription Model

Ulysses, the company behind the popular Ulysses writing apps for Mac, iPhone, and iPad, today announced that it is transitioning to a subscription model going forward.

Starting today, Ulysses will be priced at $4.99 per month or $39.99 per year, with a subscription plan unlocking Ulysses for use on all devices. Ulysses is also offering a student plan with six months of access for $10.99, and there are now two-week free trials available.

With a subscription model, Ulysses says the company will be able to do steady, small releases more often, focusing more on the needs of the user base rather than aiming for big updates to lure in new customers.

Co-founder Max Seelemann about the new subscription model: “This step was necessary to put Ulysses’ future development on a solid foundation. We weighed several alternatives – paid updates among them – and concluded that the subscription model, as it is available with the App Store since 2016, is best suited to meet both our customers’ needs and our needs as developers.”

To encourage existing customers to switch over to the new subscription model, Ulysses is offering a permanent life-long discount on the yearly plan, dropping the price from $40 per year to $20 per year.

Customers who recently purchased Ulysses for Mac can get up to 12 months of free use, while customers who have purchased the app on an iOS device can get up to six months of free use based on grace periods calculated from the date of purchase. Ulysses plans to inform customers about the offers from within the app.

The single-purchase versions of Ulysses have been removed from sale but will remain functional. The apps are updated for High Sierra and iOS 11, but going forward, new features will only be added to the subscription versions of the apps.

Ulysses for Mac can be downloaded from the Mac App Store for free. [Direct Link]

Ulysses for iOS can be downloaded from the App Store for free. [Direct Link]

Tag: Ulysses
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