Xiaomi’s Snapdragon 845-powered Mi 7 could make its debut at MWC

Xiaomi is listed as an exhibitor at MWC, suggesting a possible Mi 7 unveil at the event.

Two years ago, erstwhile Xiaomi VP Hugo Barra took to the stage at MWC to unveil the Mi 5. The Chinese manufacturer opted to sit out last year’s conference, but Xiaomi will once again be exhibiting at this year’s event. The official Mobile World Congress page lists Xiaomi as an exhibitor, leading further credence to the rumors that the manufacturer will unveil the Mi 7 flagship at the event.

The Mi 7 is likely to be the first phone powered by Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon 845 platform. Xiaomi CEO Lei Jun was on hand at the Snapdragon Tech Summit last month to confirm the same, and while we don’t have a lot of details on the design changes or the rest of the hardware, the phone is rumored with a 6.0-inch 18:9 panel made by Samsung.

Other rumors also hint at facial recognition tech and Qi wireless charging. The Mi 7 is certainly turning out to be an interesting phone, and we should know more about the device in the weeks leading up to the launch.

What would you guys like to see from the Mi 7?

Intel admits Spectre patch problems also affect newer Core chips

Intel has revealed that even its newer CPUs are affected by the frequent reboot problems brought about by the Spectre/Meltdown patches. The chipmaker previously said that the reboot issue affects systems running Broadwell and Haswell. Now that it has managed to reproduce the problem internally in an effort to fix it, the company found that a similar behavior can occur in platforms powered by Skylake and Kaby Lake, which are newer than Haswell and Broadwell. Ivy Bridge- and Sandy Bridge-based systems, both older cores, are also susceptible to the bug. Thankfully, Intel VP Navin Shenoy said that they’re close to identifying the problem’s root issue. “In parallel,” he added, “we will be providing beta microcode to vendors for validation by next week.”

Shenoy also discussed how the Spectre and Meltdown fixes will affect servers, staying true to Intel’s promise to be more transparent. He revealed the initial data the company got from benchmarking server platforms using two-socket Intel Xeon Scalable — its latest microarchitecture — systems. It found that the fixes don’t affect servers’ energy efficiency and it didn’t detect a slowdown when running Java business applications. However, it detected minimal impact of around 2 to 4 percent in some cases and saw significant slowdowns when it ran tests simulating different types of input/output (I/O) loads.

When it stressed the CPU to use 100 percent of its power to read data, it didn’t see a decrease in speed. But when it tasked the system to use 100 percent of its power to write data, its speed decreased by a whopping 18 percent. In addition, when the company tested the system using tools for writing high performance, scalable, user-mode storage applications, it saw a 25 percent decrease in speed when only using a single core.

Intel says it’s working with partners and customers to address the areas where it saw significant slowdowns. One of the options it’s looking at is Retpoline, the technique a Google engineer conjured up to protect the tech titan’s systems from the second variant of Spectre without affecting performance.

Source: Intel

Twitterrific App Updates Add Haptic Feedback Features and Chronological Threads

Twitterrific issued a couple of notable updates for its macOS and iOS apps today that bring new features including new haptic feedback, chronological threads, and more.

First up, version 5.18.3 of the third-party iOS Twitter interface introduces haptic responses whenever a user likes or retweets content, or pulls down to refresh a thread. On that note, and in a move that should please users keen to switch away from Twitter’s native app, threads in Twitterrific now display in chronological order for consistency.

Elsewhere, the developers have made it easier to display and hide reference tweets when replying to or quoting them. Users can now tap the original tweet to expand and collapse it, which allows for a lot more screen space when composing on smaller devices.

A couple of interface tweaks have also been implemented to improve the user experience, such as moving the unread indicator dot beside the timestamp, to make it less distracting. Lastly, push notifications and the Today view now work from behind more firewalls and proxies, while a Report Abuse option has been added to the tweet actions menu.

Apart from the mentioned haptic features, almost all of the above improvements have also been implemented in Twitterrific v5.2.3 for macOS, along with some additional tweaks.

For example, clicking a mention/message notification will now re-use an available account window rather than opening a new one on the desktop. Tooltips have also been added to tweet action buttons and the main window tabs, while an Option-Tab keyboard shortcut is now available for switching between thread/replied tabs.

Twitterrific for iOS v5.18.3 is a free download on the App Store for iPhone and iPad. [Direct Link] while Twitterrific 5.2.3 for Mac is $19.99 on the Mac App Store [Direct Link].

Tag: Twitterrific
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The Xiaomi Mi A1 looks absolutely stunning in red

The red Mi A1 is the best variant of an already great phone.

Five months after its release, the Xiaomi Mi A1 continues to be the best budget phone you can buy in India. Its combination of styling, internal hardware, dual rear cameras, and Android One underpinnings give it a distinct leg up over other devices in this segment.

Xiaomi initially launched the Mi A1 in gold and black color options and added a rose gold model later on. The red variant was introduced late last month, and as you can see from the pictures below, it looks incredible.

The red Mi A1 looks slick from every angle, and the bright red hue combined with the matte texture at the back makes this one of the best-looking phones in this segment. The antenna lines at the top and bottom are painted a slightly darker shade of red, complementing the design perfectly. The volume and power buttons have also been painted red.

Xiaomi was looking to create a phone that stood out, and it certainly managed to do that. This is a phone that belies its budget price.

As a refresher, the Mi A1 offers a 5.5-inch Full HD display, Snapdragon 625 chipset, 4GB of RAM, 64GB of internal storage, microSD slot, dual 12MP cameras with the secondary lens acting as a telephoto shooter, 5MP front camera, Wi-Fi ac, Bluetooth 4.2, and a 3080mAh battery.

And as for Oreo, Xiaomi initially said it’ll deliver the update before the end of 2017, and started rolling out the stable build during the last week of December. However, the update was put on hold after users encountered a few bugs, but the company has revealed in a statement for Android Central that the update has commenced again, albeit in phases:

Mi A1 updates have resumed with a phased rollout that started over the weekend. This new version fixes a few bugs from the last update. We are committed to providing the best possible experience on Mi A1 and thank Mi fans for their feedback and patience.

There really isn’t much more you can ask from a device that costs just ₹13,999 ($220). The main downside with the color option is that you can’t buy one as it’s currently sold out on Xiaomi’s website as well as Flipkart. That’s been the case for a few days now, so you’ll have to wait awhile to get your hands on the red Mi A1. After using it for a week, I can honestly say that it’s worth the wait.

See at Mi India

5 ways the MacBook Air changed laptops forever

The MacBook Air’s tenth anniversary was January 16, and in honor of its birthday, we’re taking a look back at the most important, trend-setting features of the original MacBook Air. Whether you had one or not, laptops were different after the MacBook Air, and its effect can easily still be seen in laptops today.

Also, take a look at the video above for a look back at our original review. Yes, we know — ten years is a long time okay?

Here are five trends in laptops that the MacBook Air killed for good.

It killed optical disc drives

The original MacBook Air was one of the first high-profile premium laptops to hit the market without an optical disc drive. Sure there was an attachment you could buy — and you could always use Apple’s remote disk feature — but excluding the optical drive was important for a couple reasons.

Not only is it extremely rare to find a laptop with an optical drive these days, it signaled to other manufacturers at the time that people would actually buy a laptop without an optical drive. With more software available online and iTunes shaking up the music industry, the MacBook Air was a marker that we were on the way to leaving behind optical drives for good.

It killed removable batteries

Remember back when you could just pop your laptop’s battery out and slot in a new one when you were running low? Yeah, we can barely remember those days either. It’s been so long since user-removable batteries were a standard feature that they seem almost quaint now.

The MacBook Air was one of the first high-profile laptops to omit a user replaceable battery and at the time it was a very controversial decision, as noted in our original review. If you’re wondering if the risk paid off, just check to see if the laptop you own today has a removable battery.

It tried to kill your ports

Apple has long been engaged in a war against superfluous ports, and the original MacBook Air was no exception. Without an SD Card slot, and with its single USB port hidden under a bizarre metal flap, the MacBook Air tried to cut out the unnecessary clutter which dominated laptops at the time.

It didn’t quite work out. Apple eventually backpedaled and included an SD Card slot on the MacBook Air — and did away with the flap. Even still, the amount of ports we have on laptops today has been drastically reduced. For good or for bad, we have the MacBook Air to thank.

It almost killed thick laptops

Of course thick laptops are still around, but the overwhelming majority of them are thin, light, and wedge-shaped. That wedge design pioneered by the MacBook Air still lives on in laptops like the Dell XPS 13. It’s easy to see why.

By shaving down the form factor in the right areas, manufacturers have managed to give their laptops the appearance of a svelte build without sacrificing performance or cooling capabilities. Laptops have only continued to get thinner and lighter — and the MacBook Air really started that trend.

It almost killed bad hinges

Take another look at the Dell XPS 13, the archetypal modern laptop. It’s got a wedge shape, a nice thin build, some premium materials, and one under-appreciated feature brought to us by Apple. The hinge that mounts the MacBook Air’s display to its chassis is located on the back-edge of its body, rather than on top.

This means the lid won’t open enough to lay flat, but it means you don’t have those unsightly plastic hinges taking up unnecessary real estate. Sure, they’re still around in some laptops, but the overwhelming majority of laptops today feature the integrated hinge pioneered by Apple and popularized by the MacBook Air.

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Apple CEO: iPhone owners will be able to disable ‘power management’

About a month ago, Apple explained that slower performance of older iPhones is intentional, implemented as a “power management” plan through an iOS update. While it was ostensibly intended to prevent phones from crashing in situations when their worn-out battery couldn’t supply enough juice to support demanding functions, owners are upset they weren’t notified it was happening. In fact, it was only discovered through benchmarks. In an apology, Apple lowered the price of battery replacements and promised an iOS update that would inform users when the phone detects battery problems.

Tonight, in an interview with ABC News, CEO Tim Cook that not only will owners be able to check the health of their battery, but they can also turn off the performance-slowing power management, with a warning that it could lead to unexpected restarts. Cook said “maybe we should have been clearer,” and that Apple’s motivation is always the user, making sure their phone is available for an important photograph or making an emergency call. Will this tweak be enough to head off a slew of lawsuits? Only time will tell, but our first peek at the feature will come in a developer preview later this month.

Source: ABC News

Redbox says Disney lawsuit is a baseless attempt to stamp out rivals

Last month, Disney filed a lawsuit against Redbox claiming that the rental company was violating Disney’s copyrights. Redbox buys the Disney discs it rents at retail and when those discs come with download codes for digital copies, Redbox sells them to its customers. But Disney says that’s against its terms of sale and requested an injunction, any profits Redbox made from those sales and $150,000 per copyright infringement. Redbox has now clapped back, Variety reports, filing an opposition to Disney’s complaint and injunction request.

In its argument, Redbox says that Disney’s request has no legal basis and that the lawsuit is just an attempt to hurt its competition. “By this motion, Plaintiffs seek to stifle competition to more smoothly launch Disney’s own digital content streaming service, maximize the price other services like iTunes and Amazon (and their customers) pay for Disney movies, and secure a greater market share for Hulu — the viewing service Disney will control as part of its $52 billion acquisition of 21st Century Fox,” said Redbox. It also calls Disney’s methods “anti-consumer” and “anti-competitive.”

Redbox says that it’s protected by the first-sale doctrine, which allows for the resale of used items, such as DVDs, and that the doctrine applies to the resale of the download codes. It also said in its opposition that it had invested over $700,000 and a year’s worth of work into setting up its system to sell digital movie download codes and that an injunction would significantly harm the company.

Disney’s motion will be heard in a Los Angeles court on February 5th.

Via: Variety

Fitbit’s Xbox coaching app helps you work out between games

If you’re a gamer, you know it can be difficult to tear yourself away from the screen to get in some exercise. Fitbit, however, doesn’t think you have to. It’s trotting out an Xbox One version of its Coach app (released on mobile and PCs in the fall) that lets you squeak in guided fitness routines after your game sessions. You’ll get a range of audio and video workouts, personalized training programs and custom streaming music to keep you going. And logically, there are tie-ins if you have a Fitbit device. The app will show your heart rate on the screen, and recommend workouts based on your current activity levels.

The Xbox coaching app should be available today. It’s free if you’re content with one personalized program and a “selection” of additional workouts. You’ll need to drop $40 per year on a Coach Premium subscription if you want to access more programs and otherwise unlock the app’s full potential. That’s not a trivial amount just to get some personalized exercise, but it might be justifiable on those days when you don’t want to trudge to the gym after a long round of PUBG.

Source: Fitbit Blog, Microsoft Store

Apple to Lease New Office Building in Culver City

Apple is planning to lease a four-story 128,000 square-foot office building in Culver City, reports Los Angeles real estate news site The Real Deal.

The building, located at 8777 Washington Boulevard, was originally going to be leased by HBO, but HBO backed out. The location includes office space and 4,500 square feet of ground-level retail.

Rendering of the building Apple will lease, via The Real Deal
Culver City mayor Thomas Small confirmed Apple’s plans in a statement to Variety. “We were very excited about HBO,” he said. “If anything, we’re more excited about Apple.”

In addition to the new office building in Culver City, Apple is also said to be leasing an 85,000 square-foot campus at 5500 Jefferson Boulevard located near Culver City.

Apple’s Beats subsidiary is already located in Culver City, and it’s likely Apple will use the new office space for its video content team and original content efforts.

Apple originally planned to lease space at The Culver Studios, but that space ultimately went to Amazon.

Tags: Apple real estate, Apple’s Hollywood ambitions
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Color-changing temporary tattoo reveals when you’ve soaked up too much sun

From smartphone apps to smart wearables, there are a variety of high-tech ways we can make sure we’re not being exposed to too many harmful ultraviolet wavelengths by being out in the sun. A new creation from San Francisco-based LogicInk promises to make things even easier, however. Instead of asking users to whip out their phones to check information about UV exposure, LogicInk has developed a small temporary tattoo, worn on your skin, that changes color as it’s exposed to sunlight. What could be simpler than that?

“Based on medical research, LogicInk UV is calibrated to change in shape and color to alert you when you got too much [sun] for the day,” Carlos Olguin, co-founder and CEO of LogicInk, told Digital Trends. “We are initially focusing on people with very sensitive skin. By precluding electronics, we also preclude the need for bulky devices — bulky compared to ours — that tend to be expensive, have a high learning curve, and yet require another device as the only way to understand your exposure to UV.”

It’s a neat design, and promises to offer at-a-glance information about this important topic. The tattoo features a design created from proprietary inks, and gradually changes from white to purple based on the wearer’s exposure to the sun. The design features several rings, each of which changes color in turn based on cumulative exposure. Once all three have gone purple, users know that they have hit their UV limit for the day.

“LogicInk UV allows people from all ages to intuitively understand when UV rays may becoming harmful and take action,” Olguin said. “The tattoo is the user interface. We are reusing and reinventing user interface patterns like energy bars in an LCD display, but now placing them directly on your skin, where they change dynamically when sensing occurs. We are programming apps directly in matter.”

Olguin says that the team expects to launch LogicInk UV in time for this summer. One tattoo can last for up to one week, although he notes that the “user interface” makes more sense as a daily measure, so he suggests single-day use. “We are still exploring what is the best way to sell LogicInk UV,” he continued. “Ordering a regular supply is one of them.”

If you want to try one out before then, LogicInk is currently running a beta program where people can test LogicInk UV for a period of days or weeks. Anyone interested can visit the company’s website and sign up to be notified about this program or to receive news regarding the launch.

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