KGI: All iPhone X Colors Will Have Black Bezels to Ensure ‘Better Aesthetic Design’

KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has a new prediction about how Apple will design the front of the “iPhone X.” Kuo believes that no matter the color of the device’s casing, the front bezels will be black. This will ensure “better aesthetic design,” hiding the front-facing camera sensors on the iPhone X’s notch, which would otherwise stand out as little black dots on a white bezel.

This means that instead of white bezels on a silver or gold iPhone X (as seen above), Kuo argues that black bezels on every version of the new smartphone will better blend into the 5.8-inch OLED display and sensor notch. The iPhone X is expected to come in a limited number of colors, including silver, “blush gold”, and black.

The same report highlights the “biggest selling point” of the new OLED iPhone X — 3D sensing — including a break down of all the components that will be working together on the front-facing sensor bar. From left to right there’s the structured light receiver, proximity sensor, ambient light sensor, front camera, and structured light transmitter. Kuo noted that the ambient light sensor is not directly required for 3D sensing, although it can help to improve 3D sensing performance in some capacity.

The report further breaks down these sensors, and offers an analysis of the source of each module. The structured light transmitter module was made by LG Innotek, includes a vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser designed by Lumentum, and has half a dozen other individual components: epitaxial wafers, diffractive optical element, wafer level optical, filter, and active alignment equipment.

The report closes with predictions for some of the most popular and “important” applications for 3D sensing: using facial recognition software to replace fingerprint recognition, and a “better selfie user experience.” The official reveal of the iPhone X is just three days away, with Apple’s event in Cupertino set to kick off at 10:00 a.m. local time on September 12.

Related Roundup: iPhone X
Tags: KGI Securities, Ming-Chi Kuo
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Jeff Bezos is making plans for a really big Amazon hit series

Why it matters to you

Digital distribution has changed the TV landscape forever, and Amazon wants to deliver the next big hit series.

Jeff Bezos has made it clear: he wants the next Game of Thrones, and he wants it on Amazon.

An exclusive report in Variety details how plans are underway to develop new high-end drama series for Amazon Studios. Bezos wants new shows that not only resonate with American audiences, but have global appeal as well. “We’ve been looking at the data for some time, and as a team we’re increasingly focused on the impact of the biggest shows,” Amazon Studios chief Roy Price said. “It’s pretty evident that it takes big shows to move the needle.”

The change in focus for an Amazon hit series comes amid reports of the cancelation of Z: The Beginning of Everything, based on the romance between Zelda Sayre and F. Scott Fitzgerald. The show received mixed reviews and was not renewed for a second season.

Bezos wants brand-new new projects that “sizzle,” and to that end the studio has greenlit several new projects that it hopes will get people talking at the watercooler on Monday mornings. In January, Amazon hired Sharon Tal Yguado formerly of Fox International Channels, to lead development of new sci-fi and fantasy series.

Price mentioned several critically acclaimed Amazon series, including Man in the High Castle, The Grand Tour, and the new comedy The Tick, as examples of successes they could build on. But he’s still after the Big One – a high-impact series that sets Twitter ablaze and becomes a household name.

“I do think Game of Thrones is to TV as Jaws and Star Wars was to the movies of the 1970s,” Price said. “Everybody wants a big hit and certainly that’s the show of the moment in terms of being a model for a hit.”

“We’re a mass-market brand,” he added. “We have a lot of video customers and we need shows that move the needle at a high level.”

One new project is Tong Wars, a period crime drama directed by filmmaker Wong Kar-wai and written by Homicide creator Paul Attanasi that explores the gang conflicts in 19th century San Francisco. Another new series in the works is a Seth Rogen-produced comic book adaptation. Amazon is also expanding into sports programming, dropping $50 million to supplant Twitter this season for live-streaming broadcasts of NFL Network’s Thursday Night Football.

Amazon Prime has always had a stellar lineup of series from other networks, but the new focus reflects a concentrated effort to make their own major impact in the expanding world of high-end (and sometimes very expensive) television dramas. Variety cites several industry sources who work with Amazon who make it clear that Bezos has put a lot of pressure on Price and his team to deliver.

Get a lifetime subscription to Serpstat, a powerful SEO tool, for just $35

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If you’re ready to hand SEO over to an automated tool, Serpstat is it. Right now, at 98 percent off, there’s really no better time to invest.

Get to know each other in this weekend’s comments thread

The comments are open for business!

Another weekend is here, and with it comes yet another hurricane determined to wreck everything in its path. We hope everyone in its path can stay safe and has a home to return to once the weather settles down. Our thoughts go out to folks affected by Harvey and Irma, and we hope everything turns out for the best.

For those of us who aren’t facing Mother Nature’s wrath, here is your weekend spot for talking about anything. Android is cool and we all love it, but there are so many other great things to chatter about — cars, cameras, pets, lawn mowers, you name it.

This is also a great spot for people who work Saturday and Sundays, where you can pass some time while the boss isn’t looking by getting to know your fellow AC members. That’s what I do 😁. Think about us while you’re enjoying the weekend; both the people who are working hard and the people who are hardly working.

And once again, if you’re in the areas affected by Irma listen to your local authorities and get out of dodge if they recommend it! Stay safe so we can talk next week.

Cell carriers waive fees to following earthquake and hurricane Irma

AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon have waived fees following deadly earthquake.

Following a deadly earthquake of the Mexican coast, AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon have all announced they will be waiving fees for anyone calling to the region. The earthquake has been said by Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto to be the strongest earthquake felt by the country in 100 years. The death toll from the earthquake has already reached 61, a number that will unfortunately but surely rise. We have not heard if Sprint will also waive fees, but we will update this post if that does become the case.

Miami Herald reports that AT&T, Verizon and Sprint will also waive fees to regions affected by Hurricane Irma. That storm has already devastated several Carribean islands and will move up the east coast of the United States. Sprint is extending the offer to customers who used its Boost Mobile and Virgin Mobile sub-brands.

Those with friends and family in the affected regions need to contact them and make sure they’re okay. As the cellular towers are highly congested as with any natural disaster, a text is going to have an easier time getting through than a call.

The Moto X4 could be part of Android One

Android One is expanding, and it looks like the Moto X4 will be a part of that family.

After leaking through the summer, the Moto X4 was finally announced recently, adding yet another mid-high end option from Motorola. One of the more intriguing rumors about the device was that it would be the first non-Google device available for Project Fi subscribers. The phone announcement has come and gone without mentioning Project Fi, so that’s still in the rumor realm for now.

Another interesting tidbit comes from @evleaks who tweeted a photo of the Moto X4 sporting Android One branding. While Android One initially began as a way to sell sub-$100 devices in emerging markets, that has changed recently with Google and Xiaomi offering the Xiaomi Mi A1 with vanilla Android for $230. Still inexpensive, but not quite as ambitious as the initial offerings.

With the Moto X4 in its lineup, Google may be introducing the Android One branding to the U.S, offering mid tier devices with minimal bloatware and (presumably) updates straight from Google. It sounds intriguing, and it’d be interesting to Play with these Editions of OEM devices.

Would you be interested in using the Moto X4 on Project Fi? Let us know down below!

Google Project Fi

• What is Project Fi?
• Get the latest Project Fi news
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iOS 11 leak reveals the LTE-enabled Apple Watch

A copy of iOS 11 in its final development stage has leaked online, and 9to5mac has dissected the software to reveal the secrets we’re bound to hear during Apple’s upcoming event. One of the publication’s most notable discoveries is an image of what seems to be the LTE-enabled Apple Watch from within the wearable’s app. It has a black Sport band, which indicates that the current bands will also fit the new model, and an eye-catching red Digital Crown. The most telling part of the image, though, is the watchface: it has a signal indicator in the middle that signifies cellular connection, as well as a phone and a navigation icon.

[Image credit: 9to5mac]

In addition to finding evidence of the Watch Series 3 model, 9to5mac also found references to its variants, which include “blush gold” and “ceramic gray.” The “blush gold” Series 3 version might feature an aluminum case to go with the upcoming iPhones’ new shade of gold that’s deeper than anything Apple has done before, while the gray ceramic could be either a replacement of or an alternative to the white ceramic variant. We only have a few days to know for sure — Apple is slated to launch its new iPhone(s) and all its new devices on September 12th.

Source: 9to5mac (1), (2), (3), (4)

‘iPhone X’ Split Status Bar Leak Shows Off Animated Battery Icon and Screen Recording Indicator

Amid the leaked release of the golden master of iOS 11 last night, developers Steve Troughton-Smith and Guilherme Rambo shared a few interesting tidbits about how the split status bar on the OLED “iPhone X” will work (via 9to5Mac). Falling in line with previous rumors, the iPhone X’s status bar will show the time of day on the left of the “notch” and cellular signal strength, Wi-Fi, and battery will be located on the right.

These “ears” of the iPhone X will also be animated in a few ways — when you plug the device into a power source to charge it, the battery icon grows slightly larger (lower right image) to indicate a successful connection and then minimizes back to its original size. Rambo shared a video of this animated icon in action on his Twitter account.

Images via @stroughtonsmith

Here’s a closer look at the new ‘split’ status bar. The charging glyph zooms in for a second when you plug in /via @_inside pic.twitter.com/orBnHGxaYB

— Steve T-S (@stroughtonsmith) September 9, 2017

There’s also a new method to indicate when screen recording is on or when you’re taking a phone call. On the iPhone X, the time on the left side of the notch will be highlighted in red for when screen recording is on, or green to indicate that you’re in a call but outside of the Phone app. This will replace the current “double height” indicator bar on iOS 10 that pushes down the status bar and displays messages to remind you about apps running in the background.

Here’s what the ‘double height’ statusbar looks like — screen recording, or in-call. The ears are interactive pic.twitter.com/bdacrEYMCw

— Steve T-S (@stroughtonsmith) September 9, 2017

The breadcrumb trail icon is also staying on the iPhone X, but now it’ll reside just below the time, linking you back to the most recently used app with one tap.

Troughton-Smith theorized that the small dot on the right side of the status bar might indicate “pages” for the right ear that you could tab through by tapping that area of the iPhone X. Further digging led the developer to change his theory to describe the dot as some kind of “network activity indicator,” because it pulsates from time to time and vanishes in Airplane Mode.

This theory was further corroborated in a separate video shared by Guilherme Rambo, where the dot in this area of the status bar moved back and forth whenever a piece of media began loading on the smartphone. It’s also worth noting that the location services indicator arrow is now sitting to the right of the time.

When loading media such as video, the new statusbar shows a different activity indicator pic.twitter.com/fujCF5i50I

— Guilherme Rambo (@_inside) September 9, 2017

The iOS 11 GM has leaked just three days ahead of Apple’s September 12 media event, where the company will officially announce what is now expected to be called the iPhone X, iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, third-generation Apple Watch, and more.

Related Roundups: iPhone 8, iOS 11
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