Instagram’s ‘follows you’ feature reveals your true friends

In what might be one of the most overdue updates of all time, Instagram is finally testing a feature that lets you see if someone is following you directly from their bio. Previously, you’d have to laboriously scroll through your followers list to see if your crush/boss/favorite celebrity cat was following you — now you can just check their bio for the “follows you” label.

Oh wow so now Instagram lets you know who actually follows you …loves this new update! So you can now lurking who’s a fan lmao pic.twitter.com/suQ6NUp3ls

— Paris Duarte (@ParisDuarte) September 16, 2017

This incredibly simple and much sought-after update has the internet rejoicing, but it seems it’s only rolling out to Android users at the moment (and not all of them — no-one at Engadget can see the coveted label yet). Instagram has been pretty vague about the new feature, telling Mashable “We’re always testing ways to improve the Instagram experience.” Rest assured the iOS update will follow soon, though, and then everyone can get to work culling their follower lists and taking their social media beef and passive aggression to a whole new level.

Via: Mashable

First iPhone 8, Apple Watch Series 3 and Apple TV 4K Pre-Orders Start Arriving in New Zealand

Because of time zone differences, Apple customers in New Zealand and Australia are always the first to get their hands on new devices on launch day, and this year is no exception.

It’s just after 9:00 a.m. in New Zealand, and customers who pre-ordered an iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, Apple Watch Series 3, or Apple TV 4K are beginning to receive their shipments and have started sharing the first photos of the new devices on Twitter, Instagram, and the MacRumors forums.

Image from MacRumors forum moderator Nermal

As September 22 hits around the world, the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus will be available in Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, China, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, UAE, the UK, the US and US Virgin Islands.

While New Zealand customers were able to order the Apple Watch Series 3, there were no LTE models available for purchase in the country, so the first LTE devices won’t be unboxed until deliveries begin in Australia. Along with Australia, the LTE Apple Watch models can be purchased in Canada, China, France, Germany, Japan, Puerto Rico, Switzerland, the UK and the US.

Image from MacRumors reader Flynn
A long list of other countries were able to pre-order non-LTE Apple Watch Series 3 models, including Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, Japan, Switzerland, the UK and the US, while Apple Watch Nike+ pre-orders are being accepted in Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, China, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Guam, Hong Kong, Hungary, India, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Kuwait, Luxembourg, Macau, Monaco, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, UAE, the UK and the US.

A post shared by 🅰️〽️🌚…. 🕊 (@amomaharaj) on Sep 21, 2017 at 1:54pm PDT

Retail stores in most countries will be opening at 8:00 a.m. local time letting customers pick up reserved devices and make purchases via walk-in. Because supplies of the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus have been plentiful, it should be no problem for most customers to walk into a retail store to purchase a new iPhone.

Non-LTE Apple Watch models are also readily available, but it could be harder to get an LTE Apple Watch Series 3 as those are sold out online and list shipment estimates ranging into several weeks.

In the United States, the first iPhone 8, 8 Plus, Apple Watch Series 3, and Apple TV 4K deliveries will begin at approximately 8:00 a.m. local time, with the first deliveries occuring on the east coast.

Related Roundups: Apple TV, Apple Watch, watchOS 4, iPhone 8
Buyer’s Guide: Apple TV (Buy Now), Apple Watch (Buy Now), iPhone (Buy Now)
Discuss this article in our forums

Automatic Setup feature in iOS11 makes it easier to set up your new iPhone 8

Why it matters to you

If you have a new iOS device you need to transfer information from, iOS 11 makes it easy with its Automatic Setup feature. It automatically signs you in to your accounts and restores your content.

After unboxing your iPhone 8 or iPhone 8 Plus, you might notice that setting up your new Apple device is different — and easier — than setting up your old one. With iOS 11, you’ll now be using Automatic Setup to transfer information from the iOS device you already own to your new one.

When you turn on your new iOS device, you’ll reach a window called Quick Start that will prompt you to pair both devices. Once the iOS devices are placed together, there will be another window asking you to position an image in the frame of your older device. After the image is captured, your new device will be restored to its settings from the old one. It will then ask you to enter the pass code from your previous device, which will also be used for the new one.

This feature automatically signs you in to iCloud, iTunes, Keychain, iMessage, and the App Store, along with FaceTime under your Apple ID, and it also restores your content. If your iCloud backup isn’t up to date, you can restore it with a fresh backup from your old device. But you have to make sure your older device is also running on iOS 11.

Since both devices are in proximity, Automatic Setup is able to securely restore device settings such as region, network, keyboard preferences, and language. It even carries over other information such as places you often visit, words you commonly type, health data, how you talk to Siri, and home configurations, among others, which means you don’t have to spend time rebuilding history and patterns on your new device.

There’s also a faster, more guided setup than before, with options to set up Siri, True Tone, and your Home button only if you didn’t previously configure them. You’ll also be prompted to set up Touch ID, as well as confirm your credit cards from Apple Pay. Lastly, if your iCloud Backup isn’t up to date, you can restore it with a fresh backup from your old device.

Even though the process doesn’t take long, you can choose to finish part of the setup process at a later time in order to start using your device right away. You also have the option to set up the iPhone manually instead.

Thermal imaging can reveal just how hard your brain is working

Why it matters to you

Thermal imaging tech could help reveal if students are struggling in the classroom.

How hard are you concentrating as you read this article? There is one not-so-obvious way to find out: Read your hidden cognition levels using your personal heat signature, courtesy of smart thermal imaging tech. That is what a new research project by a group of international engineers from Australia, Germany, and Japan set out to do — with impressive results.

“We’ve explored a new way of estimating cognitive load, i.e. how much mental effort the user is putting into a given task,” Eduardo Velloso, a lecturer at the School of Computing and Information Systems at the University of Melbourne, told Digital Trends. “To do so, we use a thermal camera. Whereas in an image captured by a normal camera, each pixel corresponds to a color, in an image captured by a thermal camera, each pixel corresponds to a temperature value. In our system, we capture the user’s facial temperature signature with a thermal camera.”

The researchers’ software automatically analyzes how the temperature is distributed in a person’s face and provides an estimate of their cognitive load. This is ascertained by looking at the way that blood flows through the body in different cognitive and emotional states. “When we are scared, blood flows to our legs to help us run; and when we are embarrassed, blood flows to our face, making us blush,” Velloso continued. “In a similar way, when we encounter a difficult task, it causes a change in how the blood is distributed on our face, and therefore also on our facial temperature signature.”

Long-term, Velloso said the technology could be used in various domains, such as education. For instance, a webcam equipped with thermal imaging might monitor students as they study, and help reveal when they are facing difficulties or else finding their work too easy.

“In the future, we will also combine thermal imaging with other metrics,” Velloso continued. “We are currently incorporating eye tracking into the mix. One downside of our metric is that it gives us a hint of how hard the user is thinking, but it does not tell us much about what caused an increase in cognitive load. By also monitoring where the user is looking, we will have a complete picture of precisely where the user was looking when we saw an increase in cognitive load. So far, we have only explored this application in controlled experiments. The next steps will be to take our system into the wild and fine-tune our algorithms to be robust to other confounds, such as changes in environmental temperature and other emotions.”

A paper describing the work was recently published in the journal Proceedings of the ACM on Interactive, Mobile, Wearable, and Ubiquitous Technologies.

Stuck on the spinning wheel of doom? Here’s how to Force Quit on a Mac

Whether MacOS is giving you a spinning beach ball of death, or iTunes is taking too long to close (again), sometimes you just need to immediately close an app if MacOS isn’t being cooperative. Thankfully, you’ve got options, and there’s more than one way to Force Quit an unresponsive app in Apple’s desktop operating system.

Keep in mind that, unlike the normal method for quitting an app, there aren’t going to be any prompts asking you to save your work or confirming your decision. Once you hit Force Quit, it’s too late for all of that, and MacOS will immediately shut the app down without any prompts. Just a word of warning — using Force Quit should be a last resort.

Now let’s get to it. Here’s how to force quit on a Mac.

Utilize Finder

First up is Apple’s recommended course of action for when an app starts to wear out its welcome. Just click on the Apple icon in the top-left corner of your screen and select Force Quit from the list. This should bring up a task manager that showcases your open applications. Just select the one that’s giving you trouble and click Force Quit at the bottom.

Hit Command-Q

If that doesn’t work, it’s time for keyboard shortcuts. Just like Ctrl-Alt-Del for Windows 10, Command-Q is generally the best way to Force Quit an app that has locked up. Simply press and hold the Command and “Q” keys, and the troublesome app should fade away.

Try the Option key

If its still giving you trouble, right-click or Control-click the misbehaving app in your dock, press and hold the Option key, and try selecting Force Quit from the list. If that doesn’t work, don’t worry, you still have options. It’s just time to get creative.

Launch Activity Monitor

Let’s begin by opening the Activity Monitor. Click on the Spotlight icon — i.e. the magnifying glass in the top-right corner of your screen — and enter “Activity Monitor” in the text box. Then, select the application from the list, which should bring up a task manager that displays everything running on your computer. Find the culprit, select it, and click the button that resembles a stop sign in the top-left corner.

If that still doesn’t do the trick, it might be a good idea to save all your open work and restart your iMac or MacBook, which will likely solve the problem. But if you’re still determined to shut down that app, it’s time to for the nuclear option.

Use the command terminal

Open your Applications folder, scroll down to Utilities, and launch Terminal. When you open the app, give it a second. Once Terminal lists your username and a tilde, it’s time to get to work. Type “top” within the box and press the Return key.

Terminal will list all currently running applications — including those running in the background — alongside a lot of diagnostic information regarding your CPU and RAM usage. But what we’re looking for here is going to be in the Command column. Here, you should see a list of all running applications, and to the left will be a column of numbers labeled PID.

If you see the application you want to close in the Command column, make a mental note of its PID (or just write it down). Then, close your Terminal window, open a new one, and type “kill” followed by the PID for the application in question. Then, hit the Return key. That should do it! Just close Terminal, and take a nice deep breath.

iPhone 8 Plus vs. iPhone 7 Plus: Should you upgrade?

A bigger number being added to the end of an iPhone usually signals a radical change in design — so we were surprised when it turned out that the changes Apple was making for the iPhone 8 Plus were mostly internal. With so little having changed on the exterior of the device, if you’re rocking the iPhone 7 Plus, you need to know if upgrading to an iPhone 8 Plus is worth your time and money. And if you’re gazing into Apple’s walled garden for the first time, you need to know whether Apple’s latest Plus model is worth choosing over the iPhone 7 Plus.

That’s why we’ve put together a comparison of the two models, to highlight where changes have been made, and where the strengths and weaknesses of each handset lie. For a more in-depth review, don’t forget to check out our comprehensive reviews for both the iPhone 8 Plus and the iPhone 7 Plus.

Specs

iPhone 8 Plus

iPhone 7 Plus
Size
158.4 x 78.1 x 7.5 mm (6.24 x 3.07 x 0.30 inches)
158.2 x 77.9 x 7.3 mm (6.23 x 3.07 x 0.29 inches)
Weight
202 grams (7.13 ounces)
188 grams (6.63 ounces)
Screen
5.5-inch IPS LCD Retina HD display
5.5-inch IPS LCD Retina HD display
Resolution
1,920 x 1,080 pixels (401 ppi)
1,920 x 1,080 pixels (401 ppi)
OS
iOS 11
iOS 11
Storage
64GB, 256GB
32GB, 128GB, 256GB
MicroSD card slot
No
No
NFC support
Yes (Apple Pay only)
Yes (Apple Pay only)
Processor
A11 Bionic with 64-bit architecture, M11 motion co-processor
A10 Fusion with 64-bit architecture, M10 motion co-processor
RAM
3GB
3GB
Connectivity
4G LTE, GSM, CDMA, HSPA+, 802.11a/b/g/n/ac Wi-Fi
4G LTE, GSM, CDMA, HSPA+, 802.11a/b/g/n/ac Wi-Fi
Camera
Dual 12MP rear (both with OIS), 7MP FaceTime HD front
Dual 12MP rear (both with OIS), 7MP FaceTime HD front
Video
Up to 4K at 60fps, 1080p at 240fps
Up to 4K at 30fps, 720p at 240fps
Bluetooth
Yes, version 5.0
Yes, version 4.2
Fingerprint sensor
TouchID
TouchID
Other sensors
Barometer, 3-axis gyro, accelerometer, proximity sensor, ambient light sensor
Barometer, 3-axis gyro, accelerometer, proximity sensor, ambient light sensor
Water resistant
Yes, IP67 rated
Yes, IP67 rated
Battery
2,675mAh

21 hours of talk time, 13 hours of internet, 14 hours of video playback, and up to 60 hours of audio playback

Fast charging offers up to 50 percent charge in 30 minutes, wireless charging (Qi standard)

2,900mAh

21 hours of talk time, 13 hours of internet, 14 hours of video playback, and up to 60 hours of audio playback

Charging port
Lightning
Lightning
Marketplace
Apple App Store
Apple App Store
Colors
Gold, Space Gray, Silver
Jet Black, Black, Silver, Gold, Rose Gold, Red
Availability

AT&T, Verizon, Sprint, T-Mobile, Apple

AT&T, Verizon, Sprint, T-Mobile, Apple

Price
$799
$669
DT review
Hands-on review
4 out of 5 stars

Being a straight upgrade for the iPhone 7 Plus, it should be obvious that the processor in the iPhone 8 Plus is superior. Apple has included the new A11 Bionic chip in the 8 Plus, and benchmark tests on the iPhone 8 have already shown the A11 to be superior to the A10 Fusion chip running in the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus. In those tests, the new A11 chip scored 25-percent higher on single-core tests, and an amazing 80-percent better on multi-core. But despite the results, the iPhone 7 Plus is no slouch when it comes to power. The A10 is more than capable of keeping up with the Snapdragon 835 in the Galaxy S8, and besting the Snapdragon 821 in the LG G6.

Apple has always kept information on iPhone RAM fairly close to the chest, but it’s currently assumed that the iPhone 8 Plus will be packing 3GB of RAM — the same amount as the 7 Plus. If that seems small (the Galaxy Note 8 has 6GB of RAM), keep in mind that Apple has always tailored its hardware’s capabilities to its software in a manner not possible with Android, which has given the company a larger bang for its buck when it comes to hardware.

Neither the 8 Plus or the 7 Plus offers a MicroSD card slot (as per tradition), and the iPhone 8 Plus drops the 32GB model in favor of 64GB and 256GB configurations. The 7 Plus offers more flexibility when it comes to memory, however, by giving buyers 32GB, 128GB, and 256GB options. And since 32GB is a rather small amount these days, buyers may feel forced to fork out the extra dollars for one of the upgraded sizes. Since neither model has a 3.5mm headphone jack, Bluetooth will be of key interest to any prospective buyer. The iPhone 8 Plus comes with Bluetooth 5.0 (and the range and speed improvements that it offers), while the 7 Plus comes with Bluetooth 4.2. Both handsets have NFC for use with Apple Pay, so there are no worries there.

It’s obvious that the winner in this category was always going to be the iPhone 8 Plus. Apple’s upgraded A11 Bionic processor is leaps and bounds above the old A10 Fusion. But it’s important to note that the iPhone 7 Plus is no weakling. As we previously mentioned, it’s still capable of trading blows with the top flagships from other brands. But in this fight, a faster processor and better memory options carry the day.

Winner: iPhone 8 Plus

Display, design, and durability

If you’ve seen both of these phones, you’ll already know there’s very little in this. The 8 Plus is very similar in design to the 7 Plus, with the addition of a glass back on the iPhone 8 Plus as the only real cosmetic difference between the two phones. Unfortunately, this older design is really starting to show. With the Note 8, LG G6, and other smartphones that have blazed forward with a bezel-less design, having such a large forehead and chin on what should be Apple’s latest flagship is something of a let down. The iPhone X shows Apple’s intent to change, but for now, the design of the iPhone 7 Plus and 8 Plus is somewhat of a disappointment, despite the attractive glass back on the 8 Plus.

Display-wise, the two models are again neck and neck. Both the 7 Plus and the 8 Plus have a 5.5-inch, 1,920 x 1,080-pixel display, with a pixel-per-inch measurement of 401. While a far cry from the iPhone X’s ppi of 458, 401 isn’t a bad number, and Apple’s Retina display is as bright and crisp as ever. The iPhone 8 Plus also makes use of Apple’s True Tone technology, which will automatically compensate for the surrounding lighting and adjust the white balance of your display, thus keeping colors within their correct bounds. How good this technology will be remains to be seen, however.

Both models have the IP67 dust and water resistance that Apple brought in with the last iteration, and while we’ve yet to properly test the iPhone 8 Plus’ durability, it can be assumed that the two models are unlikely to differ much in terms of real-world resistance to water and dust. The glass back on the iPhone 8 Plus does bring up questions of long-term durability, though. The aluminum back on the iPhone 7 Plus may not have been perfect, but it was never going to shatter. Much like the glass backing on the Galaxy S8, you might want to consider a protective case for your iPhone 8 Plus, which brings the two models back to a tie for this round.

Winner: Tie

Battery life and charging

Strangely for an upgraded model, the iPhone 8 Plus is rumored to come with a smaller battery than the 7 Plus. It’s said to tout a 2,675mAh battery, which is slightly smaller than the 2,900mAh battery on the 7 Plus. Thankfully for Apple, the improved efficiency of the A11 core should mean that the battery life of the iPhone 8 Plus matches or exceeds the life of the iPhone 7 Plus. What does this mean in real-world terms? According to Apple’s own breakdown, the iPhone 8 Plus should be able to match the 7 Plus when it comes to battery life, providing 21 hours of talk time, 13 hours of internet, 14 hours of video playback, and up to 60 hours of audio playback.

Thanks to the addition of fast charging, the 8 Plus is able to recharge up to 50 percent of its battery with a mere 30 minutes of charging, which is a lot speedier than the 7 Plus. The biggest change here is the addition of Qi wireless charging on the iPhone 8 Plus, now possible given glass back. Wireless charging has been a long-awaited feature, and now that it’s here, expect to see a boost in the visibility of wireless charging as a whole. Starbucks added wireless charging pads years ago, and we’re excited to see who else will jump aboard now that Apple has officially backed Qi charging. The addition of both wireless and fast charging is a huge boost for the iPhone 8 Plus, and helps it easily win this round.

Winner: iPhone 8 Plus

Cameras

The iPhone 7 Plus has been our pick for the best smartphone camera for a long time, so the 8 Plus has its work cut out for it. We’re happy to report, however, that early reports on the iPhone 8 Plus camera are positive, so we’re confident that Apple’s newest model will likely be our new best friend when it comes to snapping picks.

In terms of hardware, there’s little difference between the two cameras — and since the camera on the iPhone 7 Plus was such a stunner, this is a good thing. Both rock 12-megapixel dual cameras on the rear, with one lens being a wide-angle with a f/1.8 aperture and the other being a f/2.8 telephoto. Both models have optical image stabilization, as well as optical zoom and 10x digital zoom, thanks to the aforementioned telephoto lens. The iPhone 8 Plus does pull ahead with the introduction of Portrait Lighting, which amounts to an enhanced version of the Portrait Mode introduced in the iPhone 7.

Furthermore, 4K video recording has similarly been improved, with the 8 Plus being capable of capturing 4K video at 24, 30, and 60 frames per second. The iPhone 7 Plus was only able to do so at 30 fps. Video capture is still much the same, but the 8 Plus is also now able to capture slow motion footage at 240 fps in 1080p — something the 7 Plus was only able to do in 720p.

The improvements to the iPhone 8 Plus’s camera are clearly that — improvements, rather than any kind of overhaul. But considering how good the camera was on the iPhone 7 Plus, any improvements coming with the iPhone 8 Plus can only be a good thing, and those improvements ensure that the iPhone 8 Plus wins this category’s crown.

Winner: iPhone 8 Plus

Software

This is probably the closest category to call. The iPhone 8 Plus will launch with iOS 11, and thanks to Apple’s update policy, the iPhone 7 Plus will be updated to iOS 11 as well. Logic dictates that the newer device built to work with the newer software will be superior here, but Apple’s devices are so well optimized that it can take many successive updates before the needs of an iOS update surpass an older iPhone’s means. In real terms, you’re unlikely to notice much difference between the software performance on the iPhone 8 Plus and 7 Plus. Since the technological differences between the two devices are negligible, this category has to be a tie.

Winner: Tie

Pricing and availability

The iPhone 8 Plus ships September 22 (pre-orders are ongoing). Prices in Apple’s online store start at $799, which will net you an unlocked 64GB model, and go up to $949, which will land you an unlocked 256GB model. The iPhone 7 Plus is currently available — the 32GB models start at $669, while the 128GB models runs $769.

If money is no object, and you simply want the best iPhone you can buy, then the iPhone 8 Plus is your best bet (at least until the iPhone X arrives). But with prices getting perilously close to the vaunted $1,000 broken by the iPhone X, it’s hard to see how the addition of wireless charging, an improved camera, and a new processor can beat the pure value for money that the iPhone 7 Plus offers. For $30 less than the base 64GB iPhone 8 Plus, you can get a 128GB iPhone 7 Plus with specs that challenge (and often beat) most of the current flagships on the market.

It’s value that makes the iPhone 7 Plus the winner of this category.

Winner: iPhone 7 Plus

Overall winner: iPhone 8 Plus

The iPhone 7 Plus puts up a brave fight, but in the battle between predecessor and successor, there can only be one winner. The iPhone 8 Plus offers multiple improvements over its last-gen counterpart, including some awesome additions to an already great camera. It also comes with wireless charging and makes use of fast charging, along with Apple’s latest-and-greatest processor. It’s not perfectly clear-cut, however, and most of the things that the iPhone 8 Plus does, the iPhone 7 Plus will do just as well. While the iPhone 8 Plus is the overall winner here, the iPhone 7 Plus put up one heck of a fight, and still has the legs and the power to trade punches with most other flagships currently on the market.

If you’re looking to upgrade your pre-iPhone 7 Plus phone and money is no object, then you should definitely consider the iPhone 8 Plus. The additions over the iPhone 7 Plus make it an absolute must-buy for you, and you’ll be getting power and utility that’ll last you for years. If money is tight, then you might want to consider the amount of value the iPhone 7 Plus provides, especially given the device delivers the same incredible camera, world-beating performance, and Apple polish. Similarly, upgrading from the iPhone 7 Plus is a tough call. If you really want it, go ahead — it’s not as if we could have stopped you anyway. But if you’re not feeling the need to replace your 7 Plus, then you can be happy to skip the 8 Plus for now.

6 smartphone deals that can save you up to $480

The beginning of fall is a great time of year to get a new smartphone. With companies like Apple and Samsung rolling out new flagship devices, it’s your chance to take advantage of slashed prices and limited-time offers. If your phone needs an update but you don’t want to wait for Black Friday to score a discount on a new device, here are a handful of the best smartphone deals available right now, including a few sales on unlocked smartphones, as well as some carrier offers that can save you as much as $480.

CARRIERS’ SMARTPHONE DEALS

Cellular service providers regularly offer enticing incentives to get you to switch to their plans, so if you’re looking for a new carrier, you can save a good chunk of change by taking advantage of one of these smartphone deals from Sprint, T-Mobile, or Verizon:

• Samsung Galaxy Note 8: Sprint is offering a 50 percent discount on the excellent Samsung Galaxy Note 8 for new customers. This lets you score the Galaxy Note 8 for just $480 when you sign up. You also get to choose a free gift (either a 128GB memory card with a wireless charger or a Samsung Gear 360 camera) while supplies last.
• LG G6: T-Mobile is selling the G6, LG’s latest flagship phone, for $500 after a $150 discount. Verizon customers can also score a second G6 virtually free. With the purchase of two phones and the addition of a new line to your existing plan, you’ll receive a $500 prepaid MasterCard that covers the price of the second device.
• Apple iPhone 8 and 8 Plus: You can take between $100 and $300 off the new Apple iPhone 8 or iPhone 8 Plus when you trade in an eligible device and sign up for Verizon’s Unlimited data plan. Bear in mind that the discount will be credited over the course of your lease, but this still lets you snag Apple’s new flagship for as little as $400.

UNLOCKED SMARTPHONE DEALS

Carrier offers typically require you to sign up for a specific service or to trade in an old device to get your discount. These Android smartphone deals, on the other hand, let you score big savings on carrier-unlocked devices when you buy them outright:

• LG G6: If you still want the LG G6 but didn’t find T-Mobile’s offer temping enough, then you can score one from B&H for $450 and save $250. This unlocked 4G LTE model is compatible with GSM and CDMA networks.
• Huawei Honor 8: The Huawei Honor 8 might not be the “flagship killer” that some hyped it up to be, but it’s still a good, budget-friendly Android phone with solid hardware. The unlocked Honor 8 is compatible with GSM networks and can be yours for $270 from B&H, a $130 savings.
• LeEco Le Pro 3: LeEco has been gaining popularity lately as a maker of affordable yet quality Android devices. The unlocked Le Pro 3 GSM smartphone is currently available for $229 on Amazon after a nice 35 percent discount shaves $121 off the usual price.

MORE DEALS

• Cut the cord for good with our favorite deals on truly wireless earbuds
• Check out our favorite iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus case deals
• 10 must-have portable tech gadgets you can score for cheap right now

Looking for more great deals on mobile devices and other electronics? Check out our deals page to score some extra savings on our favorite tech.

We strive to help our readers find the best deals on quality products and services, and choose what we cover carefully and independently. If you find a better price for a product listed here, or want to suggest one of your own, email us at dealsteam@digitaltrends.com. Digital Trends may earn commission on products purchased through our links, which supports the work we do for our readers.

Swap from Facebook to Instagram without navigating back to that home screen

Why it matters to you

Switching from Facebook to Instagram is getting a bit quicker — but not the other way around.

Using both Instagram and Facebook is getting even simpler — Facebook is now rolling out a minor change that will make swapping from Facebook to Instagram a little easier. A new link to Instagram will soon appear inside the app menu underneath the navigation to the user’s profile. While Facebook confirmed the change, the feature has not yet rolled out to every user.

Tapping the Instagram option opens up the Instagram app, eliminating the need to navigate back to the home screen to open Instagram. According to TechCrunch, which first confirmed the change, Instagram does not yet have a similar feature for easily navigating to Facebook. The social media company says that the change is designed to help users keep in touch with friends on both platforms.

The separate accounts have to be linked — a feature that’s available in the settings options. Users that don’t have linked accounts (or do not have an Instagram account) won’t see changes to the menu inside their Facebook app.

Since Facebook and Instagram are both owned by the same company, the separate apps still have a few tie-ins. Instagram users can tap a switch to share the same shot to Facebook, though the feature is also available to cross-post to Twitter and Tumblr as well.

The two platforms also allow cross-posting from Instagram into a Facebook Page. Facebook recently launched an update that allows Pages managers to access Instagram and Messenger interactions without leaving the platform when using a desktop browser after bringing the feature to the mobile apps. The cross-platform functionality allows Pages users to reply to messages and comments as well as reviews and visitor posts all through the Pages app.

While the latest update is available for every user and not just businesses or Pages, the cross-compatibility inside Pages remains the most robust option. Users can cross-post from Instagram and now open Instagram from the Facebook app, but replying to comments still requires switching apps unlike inside the Pages app. In an earlier test, Facebook and Instagram experimented with sharing notifications from both platforms, but the idea has not become part of the publicly available app.

iPhone 8 Plus review

Research Center:
Apple iPhone 8 Plus

It doesn’t matter if you watched or missed Apple’s big event earlier this month, there’s only one phone that seems to be rolling off everyone’s tongue: iPhone X. The X (pronounced “ten”) is Apple’s all new design for the iPhone, with an edge-to-edge screen, fancy facial recognition features, and an eye-widening price tag. But if the $1,000 asking price is too much for you, and you can’t wait until November, there’s the traditional-looking iPhone 8 and 8 Plus. These new iPhones carry many of the same specifications as the iPhone X, but are they worth the upgrade? In our iPhone 8 Plus review, we find the phone ticks all the boxes, but it’s a rather minor bump over the iPhone 7 Plus.

Pretty colors, but a dated design

Put the iPhone 8 Plus next to the iPhone 7 Plus and you’ll hardly notice a difference. The 8 Plus is marginally thicker and longer, but it should still be able to fit in any 7 Plus case. It carries the same design theme from the iPhone 6, but the major difference is a new glass back, which allows it to support wireless charging technology. Apple said it’s the most durable glass ever in a smartphone, with a “50 percent deeper strengthening layer,” but that doesn’t necessarily mean it will survive a drop on concrete. You’d be wise to protect it with a case.

The other differences are minor. There are fewer color options now: Gold, silver, and space gray (goodbye rose gold and jet black). The silver and space gray models are similar to the silver and black iPhone 7 Plus devices, but the gold is slightly more champagne-gold. The rear has a creamy, pinkish hue that we like, and the “aerospace-grade” aluminum sides are a darker gold. It’s undoubtedly attractive, and elegant.

Julian Chokkattu/Digital Trends

Julian Chokkattu/Digital Trends

Julian Chokkattu/Digital Trends

Julian Chokkattu/Digital Trends

Adding to this elegance are the antenna bands, which have been moved to the sides, rather than visibly sticking out at the top and bottom. It makes the rear look more minimal than ever, as there’s just the dual camera module and flash at the top, along with the Apple and iPhone logo. Even the iconic “Designed by Apple in California” line has been stripped.

Sadly, the camera still juts out of the frame. Most flagship Android phones have evolved past this camera bump; why can’t Apple do the same? Even the iPhone X has this annoyance. Cameras look better when they’re flush with the rear, and it gives us more peace of mind when placing the phone down on any flat surface.

The iPhone 8 Plus is noticeably heavier than the iPhone 7 Plus, but not in a bad way. The added heft makes it feel as though the phone won’t slide out of our hands. The glass back is smooth and cool to the touch, but you won’t feel much of a difference if you’re coming from a Jet Black iPhone. It’s still a fingerprint magnet, but at least they’re less visible on the gold and silver colors.

It’s undoubtedly attractive, and elegant.

As usual, you’ll find the power button on the right edge, with the volume rocker and mute switch on the left. The force-sensitive home button sits on the front (it may be the last iPhone with a home button), and you’ll find a Lightning port on the bottom with the speakers. There’s no headphone jack again, sadly, but there is a Lightning to 3.5mm headphone jack adapter in the box. The iPhone 8 Plus is once again IP67 dust- and water-resistant, so you can take it underwater up to 1 meter for 30 minutes. We’d have liked to see an improved IP68 water resistance, like Samsung’s smartphones, but IP67 should be more than enough for most situations.

As much as we admire the rear, flip the iPhone 8 Plus over and it feels like we’ve traveled back in time to 2015. The iPhone X is Apple’s edge-to-edge “bezel-less” competitor to phones like Samsung’s Galaxy S8 or Note 8, and the LG V30. The iPhone 8 and 8 Plus? Not so much. The screen is flanked by chunky edges that make the phone’s design look dated and unpleasant.

The bezel-less trend isn’t just about aesthetics. Shrinking the edges around the screen offers more displayer in a smaller package. The iPhone X is a good example. It’s just barely bigger than the 4.7-inch iPhone 8, but it boasts a 5.8-inch display. You’re getting a bigger screen than the bulky 5.5-inch iPhone 8 Plus, all in a smaller frame.

Julian Chokkattu

The iPhone 8 Plus is unwieldy, and it’s near impossible to reach the top of the phone. Thankfully, you can lightly tap the home button twice to lower the interface so it’s reachable. It’s a shame, though, that Apple is forcing people to shell out more money for a more relevant and functional design.

At the end of the day, the iPhone 8 Plus is still an iPhone. If you don’t care for the features or price of the iPhone X, you know exactly what you’re getting with the iPhone 8 Plus because it’s incredibly similar to the past few iPhones. Just know that with the X, you’re paying a premium for Apple’s next-gen design.

Fantastic True Tone display, louder speakers

The iPhone 8 Plus’ display isn’t any different from the iPhone 7 Plus. It’s a 5.5-inch LCD IPS screen with a 1,920 x 1,080-pixel resolution (401 pixels-per-inch). It can get incredibly bright for easy viewing in direct sunlight; and as always, the colors are accurate and visually pop off the screen. Looking at it from the side, the display looks like a sheet of paper, because it doesn’t catch as much glare as other smartphones. It’s absolutely a joy to stare at and use.

What is new, however, is True Tone technology. A feature that’s trickled down from the iPad Pro, True Tone automatically changes the iPhone’s display “based on ambient lighting conditions to make colors appear consistent in different environments.” So for example, in incandescent lighting where everything has a yellow hue, the display will shift from slightly cool to a warmer tone. It can be tough to notice, but it works like a charm, and it makes it easier for your eyes to adapt to the screen.

The stereo speakers have also improved. They’re decently louder than the iPhone 7 Plus (about 25 percent to be exact), but they sound richer as well. We listened to Fiona Apple’s “Why Try To Change Me Now,” and on the iPhone 7 Plus it sounded like I was playing an MP3 file, but on the iPhone 8 Plus it felt as though she could have been in the same room.

Again, these are minor improvements over last year’s phone, but the display is now a little more adaptive to your environment, and you’ll have a slightly better listening experience when playing music with the speakers.

Unrivaled performance, AR for the masses

One category where Apple continues to blow away the competition is performance. Apple’s processors  outperform anything from Qualcomm or Samsung, and the same rings true for the A11 Bionic in the 8, 8 Plus, and X.

In official Geekbench scores, the six-core A11 Bionic hit a whopping 4,198 on its single-core score, and 9,983 on multicore. In our test, it scored similarly: 4,238 and 10,453 respectively. For comparison, our Galaxy S8 scored 1,762 single core, and 5,723 multi core. In our own test with the AnTuTu benchmarking tool, the iPhone 8 Plus scored 222,462. Our S8’s AnTuTu score is 155,253, and HTC’s U11 scored 175,748. It’s fair to say the iPhone is more powerful.

Apple’s processors  outperform anything from Qualcomm or Samsung, and the same rings true for the A11 Bionic.

But benchmarks aside, it’ll be tough to spot the performance improvement from the iPhone 7 Plus. The iOS operating system moves just as fluid, apps open incredibly quickly, and scrolling feels buttery smooth. Apple said this performance bump will be handy for machine learning and artificial intelligence, but one way to perhaps see the A11 Bionic’s true power is through augmented reality.

Apple has brought AR through the masses, not with the iPhone 8, but with iOS 11. ARKit is the new framework developers can use to provide augmented features with your iPhone camera. For example, one of our favorite ARKit apps, Ikea Place, lets you to drop Ikea furniture into your house to see how it would fit in with the rest of your furniture, and if it can actually fit in the room. An app called AR MeasureKit can impressively find the measurement of objects you point the iPhone camera towards (goodbye rulers).

Gaming is where the A11 shines, and credit is due to the Apple-designed graphics processing unit. We played augmented reality games like Euclidean Lands, Conduct AR!, and The Machines, and the graphics look great. We never ran into any performance issues whatsoever, but the phone did start to get quite hot.

Apple iPhone 8 Plus Compared To

Apple iPhone X

Apple iPhone 8

Apple iPhone 7

Apple iPhone 7 Plus

Apple iPhone SE

iPhone 6S Plus

Apple iPhone 6 Plus

Apple iPhone 6

Apple iPhone 5C

Apple iPhone 5

Apple iPhone 4S

Apple iPhone 4

Apple iPhone 3GS 16GB

Apple iPhone (4GB)

Apple iPhone (8GB)

Keep in mind, though, that you don’t need an iPhone 8 or 8 Plus to check out these AR apps and games. We’ve tried a few of the same apps on the iPhone 7 Plus, and they ran fine with with similar performance. You just need to install iOS 11, which is available for the iPhone 5S and above.

Bluetooth 5 is on board, which means you get much improved range and faster data transfer when connected to wireless devices like headphones.

iOS 11

Like the iPhone 8 Plus, iOS 11 isn’t a major upgrade to Apple’s mobile operating system. That doesn’t mean there aren’t important changes — the update streamlines the iOS experience further than iOS 10, and even adds more customization options.

First off, there’s a new Control Center. It’s all available on one screen now when you swipe up from the bottom, and you can tweak what you want to see here. Want a quick toggle to Low Power Mode? Done. Want to turn off True Tone display? Use 3D Touch on the brightness slider and toggle it off. We’d like to see even more options available, but this is a great start.

The Notification Center is also a little different. Now when you pull down your notifications, you’ll be greeted with the lock screen. You can swipe to the left to access the camera, and swipe to the right to access to Today widgets. Notifications are separated by day, so you have to swipe to the next day’s notifications if you want to see the “X” icon to clear everything.

Photos and videos are now captured in new formats High Efficiency Image Format (HEIF), and High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC). These formats basically offer the same if not better quality than JPEG, but at a much reduced file size — helpful if you’re planning to take a lot of 4K video.

There’s also a redesigned App Store, which is one of our favorite improvements to iOS. It’s no longer a mindless marketplace with difficult-to-find apps. It now follows a magazine-style layout, with featured stories on apps, tips and tricks, and a daily app of the day to keep you coming back.

A lot of smaller additions also make iOS 11 more pleasant to use, such as a revamped Notes app, a new Files app to manage all your documents, and a Do Not Disturb mode that automatically kicks in when you’re driving. Check out our iOS 11 review to learn more in depth.

Camera and Portrait Lighting

The iPhone 8 Plus carries over nearly the same camera specifications as the iPhone 7 Plus, which first introduced Apple’s dual-camera system. It has two 12-megapixel cameras, one wide-angle lens with optical image stabilization (f/1.8 aperture), and one telephoto lens (f/2.8 aperture).

The telephoto lens is used for Portrait Mode, which adds a blur or “bokeh” effect behind a subject, but what the iPhone 8 Plus will have over its predecessor is a new mode called Portrait Lighting.

Before diving into Portrait Lighting, let’s talk about the regular camera experience. There’s now a permanently on HDR mode, which drastically changes the look of photos when compared to the iPhone 7 Plus. Ever have a photo where the sky is too white and overexposed, or the subject is far too dark but the sky looks normal? HDR fixes that by taking multiple images and compiling them together to get a perfectly exposed photo. These photos are incredibly detailed, and the color accuracy is impressive, though a tad more saturated than the iPhone 7 Plus — it still looks great. Photos are captured instantly because there’s almost no shutter lag, which helps a lot with moving subjects.

Low-light seems to have improved with less grain, but we’ll have to do more testing to be sure. There’s 2x optical zoom available, and it’s just as useful as before. We’re happy to have the option to zoom into a photo without sacrificing image quality, but we’re still surprised at how much detail is captured.

Julian Chokkattu

Apple said regular Portrait Mode is also improved, and the results are telling. The 8 Plus does a better job of detecting the edges of subjects, and the blur effect looks even more natural than before. It’s still not great in low-light environments, because the photos are incredibly grainy.

Portrait Lighting expands upon Portait Mode to offer five different types of lighting effects on subjects: Natural Light, Studio Light, Contour Light, Stage Light, and Stage Light Mono. These aren’t filters, but Apple said the iPhone 8 Plus’ camera uses facial landmarking and depth maps to figure out where to perfectly add these lighting effects. It’s a fun feature we can see being popular, especially on Instagram, but there are still some kinks that need to be worked out.

Studio Light, Contour Light, Natural Light, Stage Light Mono.

The Stage Light Mono, for example, takes a photo in black and white against a deep black background. It often struggled with accurately catching some strands of hair (it would just look cut off), and it also didn’t work as well on people wearing glasses. You still need to put some thought into the shot to get a good result, but it’s a lot of fun to use and it makes us want to explore the camera further.

Photos are incredibly detailed, and the color accuracy is impressive.

Do be warned, though, that like Portrait Mode, Portrait Lighting doesn’t work that well in low-light. The photos come out super grainy, and the effects don’t look right at all.

Our favorite Portrait Lighting setting is Studio Light, which brightens the subject dramatically for a cool effect. Portrait Lighting is still in beta, but it will likely officially launch sometime in October or November — similar to how Portrait Mode launched on the iPhone 7 Plus.

Overall, the camera update isn’t dramatic, but the always-on HDR and Portrait features are welcome improvements.

On the video side of things, you can shoot in varying types of 4K — 24 frames-per-second for a cinematic look, 30 fps, and 60 fps. What we like more, however, is how you can now shoot slow-motion videos at 240 fps in 1080p resolution. It’s a lot of fun to use, and the end result is finally Full HD.

Battery and wireless charging

The all-glass design of the iPhone 8 Plus means it’s now capable of wirelessly charging. It’s not “true” wireless charging — the charging pad you plop your iPhone on still needs to be connected to an outlet, but it eliminates the need to fish around for a cable in the dark before bed. Apple uses the Qi wireless standard; it’s an open standard that has been around for some time. Android phones have been using this standard for a while, and the good news is that means you have plenty of wireless charging pads to choose from.

Apple could have, and likely should have, added it some time ago.

You should know that the iPhone 8 Plus won’t wirelessly charge as fast as it can at launch. It can take in 5 watts at launch, but Apple will issue a software update later in the fall to allow the phone to take 7.5 watts. Mophie and Belkin have specifically worked with Apple to make sure their wireless chargers can deliver 7.5 watts as efficiently as possible.

Wireless charging is convenient and easy to use, just as it is in all the Android phones that support it. Apple could have, and likely should have, added it some time ago.

We’ll have to do a little more testing to make a final verdict on battery life, but in our initial tests we expect the iPhone 8 Plus to last a full day, and maybe a little more. Charging speed isn’t as fast as we’d like — it took an hour and a half to go from 36 percent to 100 percent. The iPhone 8 Plus is capable of fast charging, but not with the cable in the box. You’ll need a USB Type-C to Lightning cable to charge fast, and Apple claims it will take 30 minutes to get the iPhone up to 50 percent from zero. We’ll have to test those claims when we get our hands on an appropriate cable. It’s baffling why this cable is not included.

Warranty, price, and availability

Apple offers a standard one-year warranty, starting at the date of purchase, that covers your device from manufacturing defects. It doesn’t cover liquid or accidental damage. For that, you can purchase $150 AppleCare+ insurance, which adds two years of technical support and accidental damage coverage.

The iPhone 8 Plus comes in two storage models: 64GB and 256GB. The former will set you back $800, and the latter will cost $950. It’s available now at all major U.S. carriers, as well as the Apple Store.

Our Take

The iPhone 8 Plus should really be called the iPhone 7S Plus. Its updates don’t warrant a full number bump, but they’re welcome improvements that make the 8 Plus another great iPhone.

Is there a better alternative?

Yes. For iOS users, your next best bet is the upcoming iPhone X. It beats out the iPhone 8 Plus in most specifications and features, and it also has Apple’s new design language. It looks too good to ignore for any iPhone enthusiast.

If you don’t care for the special facial tracking features, you won’t be disappointed with the iPhone 8 Plus — though maybe a little sad the design hasn’t changed.

There are far more options if you’re willing to jump to Android. The two most notable are the LG V30 and the Samsung Galaxy Note 8. Both feature bezel-less designs, offer great performance, and have unique camera experiences.

How long will it last?

Apple is known to support its products for a long time, so we expect the iPhone 8 Plus to last four to five years, if not more. You should definitely get a case to protect the phone from accidental drops, but the waterproofing protects it from liquids. Expect to continue getting software updates for a similar length of time.

Should you buy it?

Yes. If you don’t want to spend $1,000 on the iPhone X, the iPhone 8 Plus is the next best thing.

Futuristic scanner tells farmers how nutritious their crops are in an instant

Why it matters to you

GrainSense will allow farmers to get a far quicker read on how well their crops are doing, rather than having to wait weeks for lab results.

Imagine being able to scan food with a handheld device and immediately be presented information on its nutritional content. That’s the idea behind an agriculture-focused gadget called GrainSense, which does this for crops including wheat, oats, rye, and barley. By scanning these crops with a range of frequencies of near-infrared light, farmers can find out the levels of protein, moisture, oil, and carbohydrate in their grain.

“Farmers, whether arable or animal-based, live in a complicated and ever-tightening society,” Edvard Krogius, CEO of GrainSense, told Digital Trends. “The value chain is squeezing their healthy existence from both ends and — in order to survive — they need to move from traditional labor farming to precision farming. Data-driven technology has made its entrance in the traditional farming industry where big and small players are offering their efficiency enhancing solutions. A common denominator for these solutions is to get a better insight into operations and to make better decisions based on accurate information.”

The technique being used by GrainSense has been available in labs for years, but this marks the first time it’s been incorporated into a handheld device. Instead of having to send off a significant amount of grain to a laboratory and then wait weeks for a result, farmers can use the GrainSense device with a sample of only 50-100 kernels, and receive an answer in only five seconds. This data is then cross-referenced with GPS coordinates revealing where the measurements were taken, and sent to a mobile app.

The resulting insights don’t just save time for farmers; they also help make farming more efficient and proactive — since the instant feedback allows farmers to change fertilizer quantity or moisture levels as they are growing their crops, as opposed to assessing them retrospectively.

Krogius said that the GrainSense device will go on sale in spring 2018 in Sweden, Finland, and the Baltic countries. The goal is to make it available for less than 4,000 euros ($4,773). The company is also currently seeking distributors in other European markets such as the U.K., Germany, Poland, France, and Spain — although a later U.S. launch is hopefully not out of the question.

Between gadgets like this, the use of smart agricultural drones, and even self-driving tractors, the farm of 2027 could look very, very different to the one of 2017.