Apple’s iPhone 8 and 8 Plus start from £699 in the UK

The iPhone X might have been Apple’s banner handset announcement, but that doesn’t mean the numerical launches are any less important. The new iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus, showcased today, are sturdier, come with a new A11 Bionic processor (which is 25 percent faster than the A10 chip), sport upgraded Retina HD displays, utilise improved dual camera sensors that work better in low light and support a new shooting mode: Portrait Lighting.

It took a while, but the new iPhones also support wireless charging. Apple’s been careful to support the Qi standard, so if you’re switching from an Android device, you might already own the necessary hardware.

When the new handsets go up for pre-order on September 15th there will only be two variants: 64GB and 256GB. The iPhone 8 will set you back £699 and £849, while the iPhone 8 plus will be sold for £799 and £949 respectively. That’s a significant markup on the £599 you might have paid for the iPhone 7.

As is standard for Apple device launches, the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus will officially launch a week later, meaning you could have one in your hand as soon as September 22nd.

Follow all the latest news from Apple’s iPhone event here!

Facebook’s ‘Donate Now’ button is finally heading to Europe

It’s been about two years since Facebook rolled out the Donate Now button in the US, allowing its users to give money to charities and nonprofits directly through the social media platform. Earlier this year, Facebook expanded its properties to cover personal fundraisers as well. And now, finally, the social media giant has announced that it will be rolling out these features across the UK and Europe.

Until now, if Facebook users in those areas wanted to donate funds, they’d be sent to a third-party site, rather than being able to give money directly. Starting at the end of September, though, charities in the UK, Ireland, Spain, France and Germany will test Facebook’s tools, which will allow them to accept donations directly without sending users away from Facebook, according to The Guardian. The program will roll out to an additional ten countries in October.

It appears as though Facebook is not yet opening the tool to everyone, though. Much like the initial rollout in the US, it looks like donations will be limited to charities and nonprofits only, rather than allowing anyone to raise money. On September 12th, Facebook will open an application process for charities requiring them to submit financial information in order to be approved for the Donate Now button.

It’s surprising that it’s taken this long for Facebook to roll out tools that have been available for over two years in the US. Still, it’s welcome news for charities; after all, Facebook has 2 billion members. That’s a lot of potential donors for these nonprofits.

Source: The Guardian

Apple’s AirPower tech wirelessly charges multiple devices at once

Apple isn’t just adding Qi wireless charging to its latest iPhones; it’s trotting out a charging standard of its own. AirPower is built in partnership with Qi, but can top up multiple devices at once. At the September 12th presentation, Apple illustrated AirPower topping up an iPhone X, an Apple Watch and AirPods (with a new charging case) all at once. That’s more than a little handy if you’re traveling and would rather not lug around multiple adapters and cables. However, you’ll have to wait to try it out.

The company’s own charger won’t arrive until sometime in 2018, you see. As such, you’ll have to use ‘old-fashioned’ Qi chargers from third parties in the meantime. Also, it remains to be seen whether or not AirPower will get wide adoption beyond Apple itself. The wait isn’t a huge deal for most people (the odds are the phone is the only wireless charging device you have), but it’s clear that AirPower is currently more of a nice idea than a practical reality.

Follow all the latest news from Apple’s iPhone event here!

Source: Apple

Apple Watch Series 3 with 4G starts at £399 in the UK

According to Apple, the Apple Watch is already the most popular timepiece in the world. Despite that apparent dominance, the company is introducing two new versions this autumn; the Series 3 and Series 3 with cellular. Yep, Apple is finally launching a 4G-capable smartwatch, meaning you can track your runs, send iMessages and quiz Siri without your iPhone. Both editions have new internals too. Apple has equipped both with a faster dual-core processor and a new W2 chip, which improves WiFi connectivity and power efficiency. There’s also improved heart-rate tracking, which can detect sudden, potentially concerning spikes when you’re not exercising.

A regular Watch 3 will set you back £329 when it launches on September 22nd. If you want that cellular connectivity, you’ll have to fork over an extra £70 and pick up an eSIM plan through EE, which we’ve heard will cost around £25 per month with unlimited data. If that all sounds a little too much, you might want to consider the old Series 1, which now costs £249. While the internal specs are a little outdated, it can still perform most of the same tasks as the Series 3. The outward-facing design is near-identical too, should you want to hide its age with a fancy new band.

Follow all the latest news from Apple’s iPhone event here!

Apple iPhone X pricing starts at a hefty £999 in the UK

Apple today announced the new iPhone 8 and 8 Plus, but it was the iPhone X that stole the show. In fact, it’s enough of a departure from recent models that Apple skipped the 9 and went straight to 10. The iPhone X includes unique features such as a nigh bezel-free Super Retina Display and Face ID unlocking and authentication system. All these new tricks make for a pretty expensive device, though, with the smaller 64GB model retailing for £999. The version with 256GB of storage will sell for £1149, and both models will be available to pre-order on October 27th, with the official launch pencilled in for November 3rd.

So far we’ve heard from Vodafone, EE and Three, which all say they’ll be stocking the device, though it’s going to be such a high-profile launch you’ll inevitably have your choice of practically any carrier. No word on contract pricing yet — we’ll likely have to wait until October 27th for the full skinny — but Apple’s site states the iPhone X will be available on two-year plans starting at £47.95 per month.

Follow all the latest news from Apple’s iPhone event here!

Download macOS High Sierra on September 25th

Come September 25th you’ll be able to give macOS High Sierra a shot for yourself and see how little it (superficially) differs from the update that came before it.

When we previewed the patch at the end of June, we said that it was more incremental than anything. Sure, there’s support for virtual reality now thanks in part to Steam and then there’s hat creatively-named Apple File System but those are mostly under the hood improvements rather than being huge stand-out features like Continuity. Regardless, you’ll be able to start snoozing the update reminder starting next month.

Follow all the latest news from Apple’s iPhone event here!

Apple iPhone X hands-on

Apple’s event just wrapped up, and we managed to get our hands on the brand new, completely redesigned iPhone X. Just as the rumors indicated, it sports an edge-to-edge screen packed into a small body — not that much bigger than the iPhone 7. It also packs facial recognition features into the front facing camera, there’s a glass back for wireless charging and there’s no home button for the first time. Our first photos of the device are below; we wanted to get them to you as quickly as possible. We’ll be updating this post with more pictures and impressions as soon as we can!

So, let’s talk iPhone X. Tim Cook was very adamant that this meticulously crafted machine represented the future of the smartphone, and he was probably right. After all, Apple’s sheer popularity means that whatever it sticks into its devices are what the rest of the industry has to respond to. You’re right to think the iPhone X seems a little familiar, though. Its 5.8-inch, edge-to-edge OLED display is indeed beautiful, especially up close. I originally expected the notch to bother me more at first since it’s noticeable larger than the one on Essential’s PH-1. Well, I was wrong. Apple has historically kept iOS’s top bar pretty clean, s it doesn’t really matter that there’s a huge chunk cut out of it.

What did bother me a little more than expected were the bezels that run around the screen. To be absolutely clear: they’re really not that big, and I expect most people thinking about dropping $1,000 on a phone could care less. Still, given that Apple’s competition has done an incredible job trimming the cruft from around their displays, I can’t help but feel that the iPhone X’s design doesn’t have the same kind of impact as, say, the Essential or Samsung’s recent Galaxys. Of course, your mileage may vary. I definitely can’t complain about build quality, though: the X’s glass front and back melt effortlessly into the stainless steel ring that runs around the phone, and the precision on display here is nothing short of fantastic.

So yeah, Apple built a beautiful phone. What else is new? What’s really important is the way Apple rejiggered iOS to work without a home button — if that sucked, the $1,000 asking price would be even more unreasonable. Thankfully, the team working on iOS cooked up a pretty elegant solution. If you’ve used a new iPad Pro, you sort of know what I’m talking about — now, you swipe up from the bottom of the screen to view all your running apps in card form, and getting back to the homescreen involves dragging the app window down and flicking it away. After years of mashing the home button, using the iPhone X was… very strange for the first few minutes. Once everything clicked, I was shocked that Apple hadn’t tried to do this sooner. It feels incredibly natural, to the point where after a few minutes of playtime, I really don’t want to go back to the 7 Plus.

Goodbye, home button. I’m not going to miss you.

Meanwhile, Apple’s weirdo Animoji worked a hell of a lot better than I thought, and so did using a face to unlock the phone. Apple’s reps wouldn’t let me register my face as a key, but the unit I played with was tied to a nearby spokesperson who unlocked the phone in just a moment with a glance. Unfortunately, I couldn’t test how just how secure the feature is, but I’m cautiously optimistic that Apple’s elaborate approach to face authentication is as secure as they claim.

Developing…

Follow all the latest news from Apple’s iPhone event here!

Apple iPhone 8 event by the numbers

It was a momentous day at Apple’s new campus, where the company revealed its fall product lineup on the tenth anniversary of the first iPhone’s release. Apple showed off its cellular-enabled Watch Series 3, a 4K Apple TV, a pair of flashy new iPhone 8s, and the ridiculously decadent iPhone X. Numbers — because what’s an extra $300?

Follow all the latest news from Apple’s iPhone event here!

The iPhone X vs. the competition: Beautiful screens and more

It’s been a decade since the first iPhone was introduced, so today’s big announcement from Apple marks the occasion with an ‘X.’ However, the mobile scene has changed a lot since 2007, with rival companies like Samsung, LG and HTC releasing devices that can compete with the iPhone on power, features and design. We’ve sized up the new iPhone X against some of the more outstanding handsets out there, including a few with edge-to-edge screens like the LG V30. See how the X’s specs compare now, and check back later this month to see how it holds up in our full review.

Apple iPhone X
Galaxy S8
LG V30
HTC U11
Pricing
$999, $1149 (off contract)
$725 (off contract)
Not available
$649, $729 (off contract)
Known dimensions
143.6 x 70.9 x 7.7mm (5.65 x 2.79 x 0.30 inches)
148.9 x 68.1 x 8.0mm (5.86 x 2.68 x 0.31 inches)
151.7 x 75.4 x 7.39 mm (5.97 x 2.97 x 0.29 inches)
153.9 x 75.9 x 7.9mm (6.06 x 2.89 x 0.31 inches)
Weight
174g (6.14 ounces)
155g (5.47 ounces)
158g (5.57 ounces)
169g (5.96 ounces)
Screen size
5.8 inches (147.32mm)
5.8 inches (147.32mm)
6.0 inches
5.5 inches (139.7mm)
Screen resolution
2,436 x 1,125 (458ppi)
2,960 x 1,440 (570ppi)
2,880 x 1,440 (537ppi)
2,560 x 1,440 (534ppi)
Screen type
Super Retina OLED
Quad HD+ AMOLED
Quad HD+ FullVision P-OLED
Quad HD Super LCD 5
Battery
Up to 21 hours talk time, 12 hours internet
3,000mAh
3,300mAh
3,000mAh
Internal storage
64 / 256 GB
64GB
64GB
64 / 128GB
External storage
None
microSD
microSD
microSD
Rear camera
Dual cameras:
Wide-angle, 12MP, f/1.8
Telephoto, 12MP, f/2.4
12MP, f/1.7
16MP, f/1.6
12MP, f/1.7, 1.4μm pixel size
Front-facing camera
7MP TrueDepth, f/2.2
8MP
5MP
16MP, f/2.0
Video capture
4K at 60fps
4K
4K
4K
NFC
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Bluetooth
v5.0
v5.0
v5.0
v4.2
SoC
Apple A11 Bionic
Qualcomm Snapdragon 835
Qualcomm Snapdragon 835
Qualcomm Snapdragon 835
CPU
Not available
2.3GHz octa-core
2.45GHz octa-core
2.45GHz octa-core
GPU
Not available
Adreno 540
Adreno 540
Adreno 540
RAM
Not available
4GB
4GB
4/6GB
WiFi
Dual band, 802.11ac
Dual band, 802.11ac
Dual band, 802.11ac
Dual band, 802.11ac
Operating system
iOS 11
Android 7.0
Android 7.1
Android 7.1
Notable features
Face ID, new gyroscope and accelerometer, IP67 certified, wireless charging
Iris scanning, fingerprint sensor, IP68 certified, wireless charging
Fingerprint sensor, IP68 certified, wireless charging
Fingerprint sensor, IP67 certified

Follow all the latest news from Apple’s iPhone event here!

Mini shows off its pure-electric concept car

We’ve seen the fancy 3D renders, now here it is in real life, the Mini Electric Concept. Shown off on the first day of the Frankfurt Auto Show, the small EV is expected to hit production in 2019.

With this and the recently-launched Mini Countryman hybrid, the BMW subsidiary is pitching to drivers who want to be a bit more green but, well, also really like driving cars with go-kart characteristics.

In classic Frankfurt Auto Show style, there’s no word on the car’s range, specs or how much it’ll cost. What we do know is that it’ll be available in 2019. When it is available, it’ll be the second electrified car from Mini. The automaker (like nearly every other company building cars) is betting big on electrons.

“Our top priority is electric mobility.” said BMW CEO Harald Krueger. At the Frankfurt show, he said that BMW is planning to have 25 electrified cars (12 of them fully electric) by the year 2025. One of the ways the automaker plans to do that is using a platform for each vehicle type that accepts a gas engine, hybrid or pure EV drivetrain. But while we wait for that to happen in 2020, the company has the iPerformance line, the i series and both hybrid and electric Minis to keep us moving around until then.