Download the official OnePlus 5T wallpapers right here

A few wallpapers to make your current phone look like OnePlus’s latest.

After weeks upon weeks of leaks and rumors, OnePlus finally took the wraps off of the OnePlus 5T on November 16. The phone is shaping up to be one of the absolute best ways to spend $500 on a new device, and if you’re anxiously awaiting November 21 to get here so you can order the phone, you can now download all of the 5T’s official wallpapers.

The most notable feature with the OnePlus 5T is its large 6-inch AMOLED display with a resolution of 2160 x 1080. The aspect ratio’s been changed to a more modern 18:9, and like a lot of other phones we’ve seen this year, OnePlus drastically slimmed down the bezels from every angle.

In an attempt to show off the true power and capabilities of the 5T’s display, the wallpapers that ship with it are, unsurprisingly, filled with a lot of bright and vibrant colors. There are five new wallpapers that’ll be available on the 5T when it’s released, but if you want to download them to your phone right now, you can do just that.

Check them all out below!

OnePlus 5T hands-on preview: Relentless iteration

FCC paves way for 4K over-the-air TV broadcasting

4K films and TV shows have been relegated to streaming services and on-demand media, but the FCC just paved the way for television broadcasters to show programming in the ultra high resolution. The commission adopted new rules today that allow companies to use the Next Generation TV broadcast standard (aka ATSC 3.0) on a ‘voluntary, market-driven basis,’ according to the FCC press release.

Communication and tech companies have spent years tinkering with the technologies that would enable consumers to get 4K media through television channels. The FCC’s new rules make this a reality that will enable broadcasters to show programming on 4K over the 6 MHz channels reserved for digital TV (DTV).

But the commission established a few requirements to make the transition to the Next Generation TV standard a little easier. Broadcasters wishing to adopt ATSC 3.0 must pair with a local station that will simulcast the same programming in the current standard (ATSC 1.0) for DTV, as well as informing customers of the changes. Next Gen TV signals are subject to the same public interest obligations as any other broadcast TV.

You can now replenish your Amazon Cash card at 7-Eleven

It can be tricky to shop these days without a credit or debit card, especially online. Amazon Cash is one way to do so, however, with an online account that you can refill with cash via a barcode you take to participating stores. Now 7-Eleven is in on the act, giving Amazon more than 30,000 locations people can use to refill their Amazon Cash account.

Obviously, this new system is another way to get more folks shopping on Amazon. In the same vein, Amazon also has a discounted Prime membership for those with an Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) card that lets customers pay $6 per month to get Prime’s free shipping, discounts on household items and video content. While it might seem like a pandering move, it’s likely that many folks will benefit from the same online shopping perks the rest of us can take for granted.

Amazon Prime’s sports streaming expands with more ATP tennis

Like other streaming services, Amazon has been hunting for sporting events to feature on its Prime Video platform. Earlier this year, the company took over NFL Thursday game livestreaming from Twitter. Today, the company announced it’s snagged rights for a string of tennis matches. Amazon Prime owners in the UK and Republic of Ireland will have access to 37 Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) events from 2019 to 2023, while US owners get access to ATP’s streaming service, Tennis TV.

That includes all the ATP World Tour Masters 1000s, twelve of each of the 500s and 250s, and the Next Gen ATP Finals. Fans will also have on-demand access to completed matches, highlights, press conferences and other media. Amazon Prime users in those regions can also pay to see the Nitto ATP Finals at The O2 in London, the Queen’s Club Championships, and the Eastbourne International. Those in the US who are already subscribed to ATP’s Tennis TV will be able to watch it directly through Amazon Channels sometime in 2018.

FCC repeals restrictions on consolidation of media companies

Today, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) repealed a handful of rules that it said were keeping the media industry out of the digital age, the Washington Post reports. The decades-old regulations were implemented in order to keep a diversity of perspectives within print, radio, and televised media outlets, but FCC Chairman Ajit Pai says they’re out of date and don’t reflect the current media landscape. “Few of the FCC’s rules are staler than our broadcast ownership regulations,” he said. “This agency finally drags its broadcast ownership rules to the digital age.”

The rules rolled back today include one that prohibited a company from owning a daily newspaper and a TV station within the same market, another that limited how many TV stations and radio stations one entity could own within a given market, one that prevented companies from owning multiple TV stations in a single market if it would result in fewer than eight independently owned stations, a rule that required the sale of advertising time on another station to count against the brokering station’s ownership limits and one that prevented a single company from owning two of the top four stations in a market.

These changes are great news for broadcasting company Sinclair, which purchased Tribune Media earlier this year for $3.9 billion and was expected to have to sell off a fair amount of its stations in order to receive FCC approval. These rollbacks mean it will likely not have to do that. The FCC also voted to approve the new broadcast standard Next Gen TV, technology which Sinclair holds key patents to. Yesterday, over a dozen senators penned a letter to the FCC Inspector General asking him to review evidence of Pai’s impartiality when it comes to Sinclair. “Chairman Pai has signaled his clear receptiveness to approving the Sinclair-Tribune transaction and in fact paved the way for its consummation,” they wrote.

Some are pleased with today’s rule changes. The National Association of Broadcasters said in a statement, “These rules are not only irrational in today’s media environment, but they have also weakened the newspaper industry, cost journalism jobs and forced local broadcast stations onto unequal footing with our national pay-TV and radio competitors.” But others are concerned over reduced diversity in the media market and dangerous consolidations of power. “As a result of this decision, wherever you live, the FCC is giving the green light for a single company to own the newspaper and multiple television and radio stations in your community. I am hard pressed to see any commitment to diversity, localism, or competition in that result,” FCC Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel, who has also expressed her concern over the FCC’s Next Gen TV decision, said. “Instead of engaging in thoughtful reform, this agency sets its most basic values on fire.”

Via: Washington Post

Source: FCC

Apple AirPods vs. Google Pixel Buds

The Pixel Buds, Google’s $159 headphones designed to compete with Apple’s AirPods, finally launched this week so we thought we’d pit the two devices against one another to see how they measure up.

While the AirPods are widely loved and have received mostly positive reviews from customers and media sites, things aren’t looking quite as rosy for the Pixel Buds. In a lot of ways, the Pixel Buds don’t measure up to the AirPods, and in the video below, we compare design, features, sound quality, comfort, and other metrics.

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Pixel Buds and AirPods both cost $159 and are Bluetooth earphones designed for the Google and Apple ecosystems, respectively, but when it comes to design, they’re quite a bit different. The AirPods are entirely wire-free, but the Pixel Buds have an adjustable cord that connects the two earpieces together. Each is stored in a case that provides extra battery.

Both earphones support touch and tap gestures to do things like activate Siri or Google Assistant and control music playback, but each one has shortcomings. There’s no volume control on the AirPods, meaning you need to use Siri or your connected device to adjust volume, and on the Pixel Buds, there’s no gesture for switching tasks, so you need to use Google Assistant. By the way, when connected to an iPhone, Google Assistant functionality doesn’t work.

AirPods have a nifty feature that stops music playback when an AirPod is removed from the ear, and there’s no equivalent feature on the Pixel Buds. The Pixel Buds do have a unique translation feature, but as it turns out, it requires Google Translate on a smartphone and isn’t too much different from just using your phone for translation purposes.

The W1 chip built into the AirPods allows them to be swapped seamlessly between Apple devices and is one of the best AirPods features, while the Pixel Buds aren’t quite as convenient. On Android devices, you need to put the buds back in their case, hold the pair button, and then re-pair when you want to switch.

At their price point, both the AirPods and the Pixel Buds offer relatively decent sound, but we did feel that the AirPods were better in this regard. The Pixel Buds sounded somewhat muddled, especially when using Spotify.

Given some of the shortcomings of the Pixel Buds, the AirPods seem to have them beat, based on our own experience with the two products and a range of less than enthusiastic Pixel Bud reviews from media sites. And of course, as an Apple-centric site with employees that largely use iOS devices, MacRumors is partial to the AirPods.

We may prefer the AirPods to the Pixel Buds, but as with our comparison between the iPhone X and the Google Pixel 2 XL, choosing between the AirPods and the Pixel Buds largely comes down to the ecosystem you’re using. If you have an iPhone, iPad, or Mac, the AirPods are the obvious choice.

If you don’t have an iPhone or another Apple device, you’re not going to get the benefits of the W1 chip, so it may be worth considering the Pixel Buds instead. And, of course, there’s always the neither option — there are hundreds of other Bluetooth headphones on the market.

Tags: Google, AirPods
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OnePlus 5T hands-on

Some smartphone manufactures make a single flagship device each year. Loyal customers will often wait for Google, Samsung, Apple, and others to announce their best and brightest before even thinking about upgrading to anything else. In the case of OnePlus however, flagship launch events are becoming a bi-annual occurrence.

The OnePlus 3T seemed to come out of nowhere when it launched last year, and offered a pretty substantial spec upgrade over the original. This came with a price upgrade as well, though. While the OnePlus 3 launched at just $399, the company asked $40 more for the newer T variant. A lot of users felt betrayed by a sudden upgrade from the phone they had waited eagerly to purchase, but OnePlus saw it as an opportunity to offer the best hardware experience available to the market.

See also: OnePlus 5 vs OnePlus 3T: quick look

This time, it’s not about the speed. Qualcomm still hasn’t released a processor newer than the Snapdragon 835, so there wasn’t much for them to work with. In 2017 it’s all about the screen, though. Join us as we go hands-on with the OnePlus 5T.

The biggest difference on the design front is the screen. It’s essentially the entire reason the company decided to build this revision. It features a 6.01-inch AMOLED screen with a Full HD+ resolution and an 18:9 aspect ratio. The panel looks just as good as the OnePlus 5‘s with nice and punchy colors. It doesn’t have the highest pixel density out there, but the OnePlus 5T’s display will be fine for most people.

It doesn’t have the highest pixel density out there, but the OnePlus 5T’s display is going to be fine for most people.

That aspect ratio adds a new sleekness to the device that helps it compete with other flagship options on the market. One interesting thing about this display is that it’s slightly rounded on the corners. Most probably will only notice it isn’t perfectly angular like the OnePlus 5 if they’re really looking. This is different from phones like the LG V30 and Pixel 2 XL, which have much rounder corners on their displays.

Because the screen is taking up so much room on the front of the phone, OnePlus moved the fingerprint sensor to the back. I personally like rear-mounted fingerprint sensors, but it’s not everyone’s preference. OnePlus says its sensor is the fastest out of any other sensor on the market, and will recognize your print within .2 seconds. We’ll have to spend more time with the device to see if that’s actually the case.

OnePlus has also introduced a new face unlock feature which uses the front-facing camera to recognize you and unlock your device in an instant. This method was extremely fast during our hands-on time, though it didn’t recognize me 100% of the time. OnePlus said this would get better eventually, but we’ll have to spend a little more time with the feature to get a better sense of its capabilities.

Face unlocking was extremely fast during our hands-on time, though it didn’t recognize me 100% of the time.

The only other major design change is the dual-camera setup on the back. The bump that houses those sensors is just a tad more pronounced than the OnePlus 5, but it is noticeable. I asked OnePlus about the change, and the company said expanding the screen-to-body ratio left less room for the camera components, so it had to make the bump slightly larger. This wasn’t an issue for me, but it is there, in case you have a raging hatred of protrusions sticking out of your phone.

See also:

How to get the most out of the OnePlus 5’s camera

The OnePlus 5 may have a heck of a lot of features, but the standout selling point for this device is undoubtedly the camera system. Having two cameras at the top of the device’s back …Speaking of the camera, some changes have been made here as well. The first lens is the same 16MP sensor from the OnePlus 5, but the secondary telephoto lens has been replaced with a 20MP f/1.7 sensor that uses groups of four pixels to capture more light for better performance in the dark. This change is going to be very controversial.We know many were very fond of the telephoto lens. OnePlus says they made this change because a lot of customers couldn’t tell the difference between optical and software zoom. I don’t buy this argument, but we’ll have to wait for the full review to see how the new sensor stacks up.

One new feature present in the camera is quick shot. While many phones now have the ability to quick-launch the camera app with the double tap of a button, the OnePlus 5T will launch the camera and immediately snap a photo. This is great for those who want to get a picture of something the moment it happens, and really speeds up the whole process from launch to shot.

If you’ve seen a OnePlus 5, the rest of the body essentially looks exactly the same. The headphone jack, speaker grill, and USB Type-C port are all in the same place. The aluminum body feels just as familiar. The biggest update here is really the screen, and for many that’s a worthy upgrade.

Don’t miss:

How to use Reading Mode and Night Mode on the OnePlus 5

OnePlus’s OxygenOS takes a lot of the best parts of stock Android and iterates on it to include a number of useful additions. One of these additions is the ability to use both Reading Mode …The software experience on the OnePlus 5T is same as you would find on the OnePlus 5. It maintains the vanilla Android look and feel while adding nifty features like reading and gaming modes. These modes have also been expanded to change the contrast of the screen to fit what you’re doing, allowing for a better experience tailored to the task at hand.

Out of the box, the 5T runs Android 7.1.1 Nougat, but OnePlus has promised an update to 8.0 Oreo in Q1 2018, with a beta coming by the end of this year. If you happen to own an older OnePlus device, the company says the 3T and 5 will receive official Oreo builds by the end of this year.

Under the hood, the OnePlus 5T features a Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 processor, either 6 or 8 GB of RAM, and 64 or 128 GB of storage. The 6/64 GB model will cost $499, while the 8/128GB model will cost $559. Yes, that is $20 more than the price of the OnePlus 5, but we think the updated design is worth it.

Related: Everything you need to know about the OnePlus 5T | OnePlus 5T specs | Where to buy the OnePlus 5T

What are your thoughts on the OnePlus 5T? Is it a worthy upgrade? Should the company have waited for the OnePlus 6 in order to keep its OnePlus 5 customers happy? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

Apple pushes iOS fix for unresponsive iPhone X screens in cold weather

Last week, reports trickled in that the brand-new iPhone X’s screen was unresponsive in cold weather. Apple has rushed out a new iOS update (version 11.1.2) to quick-fix the issue, which is available now to download.

The new update also fixes an issue that distorts Live Photos and videos shot with the iPhone X. It’s the second time in as many weeks that Apple has pumped out an iOS patch to fix an annoying flaw in the mobile operating system. Last week, it was the autocorrect flaw that switched the letter ‘i’ for gibberish.

Apple VP of Diversity and Inclusion Denise Young Smith Leaving the Company

Denise Young Smith, Apple’s current vice president of diversity and inclusion, plans to leave Apple at the end of this year, reports TechCrunch. Smith was promoted to her position in May of 2017, and prior to that, she was in human resources.

Smith, who has been with Apple for more than 20 years, reports directly to Apple CEO Tim Cook. Prior to Smith’s promotion, Apple had a head of diversity and inclusion, but her role was an executive level role with more responsibility.

Christie Smith, who was with Deloitte for 17 years as a Client Advisory Principal, will be taking over the position. Smith’s LinkedIn profile says she has 28 years of experience building and leading high performance teams with expertise in “talent management, analytics, inclusion & belonging, leadership, organizational design, performance management, coaching, change management and culture.”

In a statement to TechCrunch, Apple said the company is thrilled to welcome Christie Smith to the team.

“We deeply believe that diversity drives innovation. We’re thrilled to welcome an accomplished leader like Christie Smith to help us continue the progress we’ve made toward a more diverse workplace.”

Smith will report to Apple’s vice president of people Deidre O’Brien, and has reportedly been speaking with Tim Cook since about a year ago. Apple has been looking for a replacement for Denise Young Smith for the last several months.

After departing Apple, Denise Young Smith will become an executive in residence at Cornell starting this January. She will work with students to “build an early career-stage awareness of inclusive leadership and diverse talent.”

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Like your whisky straight, no color? Graphene turns aged spirit transparent

Looking for a geeky magic trick to show your friends? All you need is a supply of all-around wonder material graphene and some booze. A membrane made of graphene oxide (GO), aka the world’s thinnest material, can filter the color out of whisky — leaving it as a transparent liquid you could potentially sip from a water glass throughout the day, with no one being the wiser. Well, the alcoholic beverage does retain one crucial telltale trait — its smell.

While the whisky component of the experiment is its most eye-catching element, the most exciting part of the work is actually the development of the ultrathin membrane itself. These new graphene-oxide sheets are assembled in such a way that pinholes formed during the assembly process produce an atomic-scale sieve, which can carry out incredibly fine grain filtering.

“Using GO membranes, we filtered several dye molecules — as small as 1 nanometer — dissolved in organic solvents, and found that the GO membrane only allows solvents to permeate, while blocking the dye molecules depending on their molecular size,” Professor Rahul Nair from the U.K.’s University of Manchester told Digital Trends. “The absence of dye molecule permeation was apparent even from the color of the solution after filtration. The original dye solution is colorful, while after filtering through the GO membrane, the solution lost its color and became a pure solvent.”

As to how this could be used in the real world, Dr. Yang Su, who also worked on the project, said: “Many chemical-related industries could [benefit] from this research — from [the] pharmaceutical and petroleum industry to food production. For example, in pharmaceutical manufacturing, most of the active ingredients are dissolved in organic solvent. Our research would enable efficient, stable extraction of the pharmaceutical ingredients from their organic solvents.” This could help reduce the costs of molecular extraction.

The team tested various dye molecules in addition to whisky and cognac. After filtering the whisky through the graphene-oxide membrane, its amber color (the result of small molecules leached from the oak barrels during production) was removed. As to how this affects the taste, Nair said, “We haven’t tested the flavor yet, due to safety rules in the lab.”

A paper describing the work was recently published in the journal Nature Materials.

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