How to Enable the Optimal Audio Codec for Your Bluetooth Headphones in macOS

How good your digital music sounds often comes down to which file format it’s encoded in. Be that as it may, every Mac audio setup is only as strong as it’s weakest link, and if your Bluetooth connection isn’t up to scratch, even the best BT headphones will fail to deliver a decent wireless listening experience.

By design, all Bluetooth devices support the low-power SBC audio compression codec as standard. Fortunately, modern Macs also support AAC (Apple’s preferred iTunes codec) and aptX, which Android devices often use. These two codecs offer higher quality audio and generally lower latency than SBC, which is why most third-party wireless headphones on the market support one or the other, and sometimes both.

Yet for whatever reason, despite their AAC/aptX support, some headphones fall back to the bog-standard SBC codec when connected to a Mac. This can lead to a particularly underwhelming audio experience, not to mention latency-related sync issues, which will be a distinct concern if you use your headphones while gaming or watching movies.

Thankfully, it’s possible to force macOS to connect to your headphones using one of the two superior codecs. In this article, we’ll show you how to do so using Apple’s Bluetooth Explorer utility. (And if you’re comfortable opening a Terminal window, we’ve included a couple of commands at the end that do the same thing.)

But first, it’s worth checking which codecs your brand of headphones actually supports: Look for codec logos on the box, and make sure to check for references to codecs in the manual and any accompanying/online spec sheets.

Once you’ve established that your headphones support aptX and/or AAC, you’ll want to identify which codec is being activated when you connect the headphones to your Mac. Follow these steps to find out.

How to Identify Which Bluetooth Codec is Active

Establish a Bluetooth connection between your Mac and headphones in the normal manner.

Play some audio on your Mac so that it’s streaming to the headphones.

Now hold down the Option (Alt) key and click on the Bluetooth symbol in the menu bar. (If you don’t see it there, you need to check Show Bluetooth in menu bar in System Preferences -> Bluetooth.)

Hover your mouse cursor over the headphones in the connection list. You should see the headphones’ Active Codec shown in grey.

If your headphones are using AAC or aptX, you don’t need to do anything. Without going into the technical details, both standards provide relatively stable wireless connections and – as far as Bluetooth goes – comparably decent sound quality. However, if the codec shown is SBC, you’ll probably want to change it. Here’s how.

How to Force-Enable aptX and AAC Codecs in macOS

Open a web browser, navigate to Apple’s developer downloads page, and download Additional Tools for Xcode 9 [Direct Link] which contains Apple’s Bluetooth Explorer utility. Note that to access the page you’ll need to register for a free Apple developer account if you don’t already have one. Alternatively, use Google to find the Bluetooth Explorer utility hosted elsewhere and skip to step 5, but if you’re not downloading from Apple, be sure to screen the file for malware.

Once downloaded, double-click the Additional Tools dmg file to mount it on your desktop.
Open the Additional Tools drive and navigate to the Hardware folder.
Open your Mac’s Applications folder in another Finder window or tab.

Drag Bluetooth Explorer into your Mac’s Applications folder and launch the app from there.
From the Bluetooth Explorer menu bar, select Tools -> Audio Options.
In the Codecs section, tick the checkboxes alongside Enable AAC and/or Force use of aptX (depending on your issue). Make sure Disable AAC and Disable aptX are left unchecked.

Click Close to finish.
Restart your Mac, or reset the Bluetooth module.When your Mac reboots, you can confirm that the codec change has been applied by following the first series of steps in this article.

Terminal commands for enabling AAC and aptX Codecs

To enable aptX, input the following command, press Enter, and type your user password if prompted:
sudo defaults write bluetoothaudiod “Enable AptX codec” -bool true

Alternatively, to enable AAC, input the following and press Enter:
sudo defaults write bluetoothaudiod “Enable AAC codec” -bool true

To disable either codec via Terminal, simply replace -bool true with -bool false at the end of the command.

Related Roundup: macOS High SierraTag: Bluetooth
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HTC’s stand-alone Vive Focus VR headset hits markets outside China in 2018

During the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco, HTC said that its stand-alone virtual reality headset, the Vive Focus, will be made available to purchase outside China later this year. To get content creators started, the developers kit is available now via HTC’s dedicated portal for all registered developers in “most countries.” 

The Vive Focus is a collaboration between HTC and Qualcomm to provide an untethered VR experience. It was originally intended to be a stand-alone Daydream headset supporting Google’s WorldSense environment-tracking technology, but HTC instead jumped off the Google bandwagon and produced a stand-alone VR headset specifically for China relying on its own room-tracking technology. 

But don’t get too excited just yet. The Vive Focus won’t be on the same visual level as the company’s Vive and Vive Pro headsets for PC. In a sense, it’s a step up from the likes of Samsung’s Gear VR headset, only you don’t need a smartphone for the Vive Focus. It’s a self-contained unit to enjoy virtual reality without the annoying wires associated with PC-tethered, high-definition headsets. 

Outside the removal of wires, the big selling point with the Vive Focus is that it supports six degrees of freedom: Left, right, up, down, forward, and backward. Built-in sensors essentially let you physically wander without the worries of bumping into walls, stumbling over furniture, or smacking friends and family with the included controllers. It also relies on HTC’s Viveport platform for content distribution rather than Google Play. 

Under the hood, HTC’s headset relies on Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 835 mobile processor and a single AMOLED screen with a 2,880 x 1,600 resolution (1,440 x 1,600 per eye). Other features include a built-in microphone, built-in speakers, a 3.5mm audio jack, a built-in rechargeable battery, a Micro SD card slot supporting up to 2TB of storage, and Wireless AC connectivity. 

Currently, the Vive Focus is sold exclusively in China priced at $680 for the Electric Blue model and $632 for the Almond White version. Unfortunately, we don’t have specific release dates and local pricing for these units outside China just yet. 

“Vive Focus is designed to appeal to a wider range of mass market audiences as well as commercial/enterprise users who want broad deployment and stunning VR experiences in a convenient and portable form factor,” the company says. 

In addition to revealing the international release news, HTC said that developers bringing their experiences to the PC-based Vive headsets and the Vive Focus in China will receive 100 percent of the revenue stemming from title sales and Viveport subscriptions. But the window of opportunity only stretches between April and September. HTC sees this as means of “empowering” developers to create better experiences for the Chinese audience. 

Despite the Vive Focus hitting the international market later this year, the headset is seemingly already outdated thanks to Qualcomm’s latest stand-alone VR headset reference design. It’s based on the newer Snapdragon 845 mobile processor and includes eye-tracking technology provided by Tobii, the same company that provides eye-tracking hardware for PC gamers. 

Editors’ Recommendations

• HTC’s Vive Focus mobile VR headset uses the same lenses, displays as Vive Pro
• Lenovo’s stand-alone Daydream VR headset finally appears on FCC site, with a name
• Qualcomm’s stand-alone VR headset design uses Tobii eye-tracking
• Oculus Go relies on an older Qualcomm Snapdragon chip, gets Chinese version
• HTC’s Vive Pro gets sharp enough to read text, goes wireless

Mysterious ‘Ataribox’ console finally gets a name and pre-order window

Atari’s new entry into the console market now has an official name: The Atari VCS. The device was originally teased as the “Ataribox” last year during the E3 gaming convention: A new Linux-based system providing all your favorite Atari classics along with games from independent developers. Visually, it’s a throwback to the Atari 2600 console, only with a sleeker, modern look and updated hardware. Atari calls it a “gaming and entertainment platform.” 

The “VCS” in the official name stands for Video Computer System, the same name given to the Atari 2600 model prior to the launch of the Atari 5200 console in March 1982. Once the newer model hit store shelves, Atari renamed the VCS to the Atari 2600 to better differentiate it in a hardware sense from the newer, more powerful “5200” model. 

With the Atari VCS, the company is looking to change the living room experience much like the Atari 2600 console did more than 40 years ago. According to Michael Arzt, Atari Chief Operating Officer of Connected Devices, that is why the company went silent and didn’t release the device in 2017: The team wanted to get everything completely right so it’s just a transformative to your TV experience as was the beloved Atari 2600. 

“It was a difficult decision with the countdown underway, but we weren’t willing to go forward with even one thing out of alignment, ” Arzt said. “We hope that Atari’s fans appreciate our extreme attention to detail and are as excited about the Atari VCS as we are.” 

Atari will sell the console in two versions: One styled with the classic wood grain, and one with a more modern black and red theme. Inside, the console will rely on a custom AMD processor (APU) with Radeon graphics capable of handling Linux-based games. Atari’s intent is to bring a “full PC experience for the TV.” 

But the Atari VCS will be more than just a game-playing device. Like all current consoles on the market, it can also serve as a streaming device supported by your favorite apps and a highly streamed interface to make console navigation a breeze. Gamers can manage the console’s content using a modern Atari VCS gamepad, or the console’s throwback joystick controller. 

“People are used to the flexibility of a PC, but most connected TV devices have closed systems and content stores. Ataribox is an open system, and while our user interface will be easy to use, people will also be free to access and customize the underlying OS,” Ataribox General Manager Feargal Mac said in a statement. 

At launch, gamers will see a “large” catalog of Atari classic games along with current titles from “a range of studios.” But Atari VCS owners will also be able to access their Linux games purchased on other distribution platforms and run those games if they’re compatible with the console’s hardware.  

The Atari VCS console will officially be open to pre-orders sometime in April. Until then, the console and its Classic Joystick and Modern Controller prototypes will be on display this week during the Game Developers Conference.

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What is SATA? Here’s everything you need to know about it

Kevin Parrish/Digital Trends

If you’ve owned a desktop PC or laptop in the past decade and a half, you can guarantee that you have owned a SATA (Serial ATA) compatible piece of hardware. Whether it was a hard drive (HDD), a solid-state drive (SSD), or an optical drive — almost all of them, until very recently, used SATA. What is SATA? In short, it’s how almost everything storage related connects to your motherboard.

That’s not always the case, as there are some newer standards available for high-speed drives. But alongside PCIe and NVMe, SATA is still a major player, especially when it comes to larger-sized HDDs and SSDs.

Confused already? Check out our guide to what SSDs are, as well as a look at some of the best SSDs available today.

Data and power

Although there are a myriad of computer products which are designated as “SATA” devices, the reason they call themselves that is because they use the SATA interface. That is, the cables that connect them to the rest of the PC, are connected to a SATA port on the drive and another on the motherboard.

Although SATA connectors are typically described as a singular port or connector, SATA actually encompasses two: the data connector and the power connector. The former is the short, “L” shaped, seven-pin connector, while the latter is the longer, 15-pin connector — the taller “L” of the two.

Both connectors tend to be reversed on the drives they allow connections for, with the bases of their respective “L” facing one another. Beyond length, they can be told apart by the cables that connect to them. Where the SATA data cable is almost always made up of solid plastic which extends into a flat, single band cable, the SATA power connector will extend from its head to multiple, thin, rounded cables of different colors.

Both cables are required for SATA devices to work and both do different jobs. The data cable provides the high-speed connection to the rest of the computer, transferring information back and forth as requested, while the power cable is what gives the drive the electricity to run in the first place.

SATA generations

A SATA data cable

Although most PCs in recent years have used SATA devices, there are a few different types that are worth noting. SATA was first introduced in 2000, replacing the aged PATA ribbon cables. It was revised in 2003 and again in 2004, and 2008, bringing SATA to version three — commonly referred to as SATA III, or 3.0. These standards increased speed and added additional features to allow for faster and more reliable storage drives, but didn’t change the physical look of the SATA connector itself. SATA III is the most common SATA interface used today.

There have been a few alternative SATA interfaces over the years though. mSATA for laptop drives debuted in 2011. The latest generation of that technology is the M.2 standard, though the fastest of those drives have moved beyond the mSATA interface and now take advantage of PCIexpress ports for greater performance.

SATA Express allowed for cross-compatibility with SATA III and PCIexpress drives, but wasn’t a popular choice, while eSATA offered SATA-like speeds for external drives. Today, most high-speed external drives use USB 3.0 connections, commonly with the Type-C standard of connector.

How important is SATA today?

Although in 2008 SATA reached a near complete saturation of the PC market with as much as 99 percent of all drives utilizing the standard, that’s not necessarily the case today. Where many smaller laptops and tablets will use built-in flash memory for their main storage, higher-end desktop and laptops will instead now use faster standards like PCIexpress to deliver greater performance.

SATA is still an important connection standard, especially for larger hard drives and SSDs in the multi-terabyte range, but for those opting for performance, newer M.2 and NVMe drives are the go-to choice. They are more expensive, but plugging into a PCIexpress slot instead of a SATA port gives them a connection that isn’t constrained by the limits of SATA cabling and allows drives to operate at far-faster data rates. For some, as fast as gigabytes of data per second, compared with the hard SATA III limit of 600MBps.

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Benchmarks show the next wave of Intel desktop processors are on the way

Looks like Intel is finally addressing AMD’s Ryzen mainstream desktop processor threat with eight-core processors of its own later this year. The upcoming “Coffee Lake-S” chips will be based on 14nm process technology, and part of Intel’s eighth-generation design refresh slated for the second half of 2018. The chips are now starting to appear in benchmarks although the speeds are merely preliminary, given they won’t be finalized until the summer at the earliest. 

If the roadmap seems a little confusing, you’re not alone. The first batch of eighth-generation processors launched in 2017 targeted laptops with a modified seventh-generation architecture. Intel saved its true eighth-generation “Coffee Lake” design for its most recent desktop processors, such as the Core i7-8700K catered to gamers. These latter chips rely on Intel’s 300 Series motherboard chipsets. 

The upcoming mainstream desktop processors will be based on a refined eighth-generation architecture to support eight cores. They will also have native support for USB 3.1 Gen2 (10Gbps), Intel Wireless AC connectivity, SDXC 3.0 card compatibility, and Thunderbolt 3 “Titan Ridge” connectivity. Other ingredients include support for DDR4 memory at 2,666MHz, an integrated programmable quad-core audio DSP, and the SoundWire Digital Audio Interface. 

But what about “Cannon Lake?” Intel said it began shipping those chips to device manufacturers at the end of 2017. Consider these processors as smaller versions of Intel’s refined seventh-generation “Kaby Lake” chips using its new 10nm process technology. They’re meant to bring high performance to thin and light form factors. Meanwhile, Intel’s ninth-generation processor rollout will start with its 10nm+ “Ice Lake” chips at the end of 2018. The following family using the 10nm++ process will be its “Tiger Lake” chips for 2019. 

If that is still confusing, perhaps this rough chart will help: 

Generation 

Architecture 

Process node 

Release date 

8th 

Refined Kaby Lake 

14nm 

Fall 2017 

8th 

Coffee Lake 

14nm 

Winter 2017 

8th 

Refined Kaby Lake
renamed as
“Cannon Lake” 

10nm 

Winter 2017 

8th 

Refined Coffee Lake 

14nm+ 

2nd half 2018 

9th 

Icy Lake 

10nm+ 

Q4 2018 

9th 

Tiger Lake 

10nm++ 

2019 

 In addition to the processor listings, the benchmarks also show that new motherboards are on the way based on Intel’s unannounced Z390 chipset. The listing describes the motherboard as “Intel Corporation CoffeeLake S82 UDIMM RVP,” indicating it’s an engineering sample leaked straight from Intel. Motherboards based on Intel’s B360 (business), H370 (mainstream) and H310 (value) chipsets are supposedly on the way too. The Z390 chipset will join the current Z370 for enthusiasts. 

When Intel introduced its eight-generation “Coffee Lake-S” processors in the fall, the company boasted about how it brought six-core processors to the mainstream market. Meanwhile, AMD’s three Ryzen 7 processors already packed eight cores for the mainstream market with a starting price of $330 (now $280). Meanwhile, the six-core Intel Core i7-8700K landed on store shelves for $380. 

Intel could introduce its next wave of eighth-generation desktop processors during the Computex technology convention in Taipei in June, or possibly the E3 gaming show that same month. Until then, we expect to see additional leaks to give us a better glimpse into Intel’s next CPU rollout. 

Editors’ Recommendations

• The best processors for gaming
• Intel’s chip-packing Radeon graphics slips a brief tease just before CES 2018
• Eight new Intel Coffee Lake CPUs could replace chocolate this Valentine’s Day
• AMD’s leaked road map shows plans for Ryzen, Threadripper processors until 2020
• The Ryzen 7 CPU could see a nice speed increase over AMD’s current chip

South Korea fines Facebook $300K for allegedly throttling its services

While Facebook feels the pressures of its users possibly jumping off the social platform amidst the Cambridge Analytica fiasco, the company may now face additional pressures stemming from net neutrality backers. Facebook was recently fined by the Korea Communications Commission (KCC) for allegedly throttling internet speeds while negotiating network usage fees with the local internet providers. 

According to the regulator, Facebook rerouted South Korean users to servers located in Hong Kong and the United States, thus slowing down their access to Facebook due to their geographic location. Many saw Facebook perform nearly 4.5 times slower than before while some complained they couldn’t even play videos on the social website due to the lag. 

Local internet service provider SK Broadband experienced 10 complaints per day over Facebook’s slow response while LG UPlus experienced an average of 34 complaints per day. But the problem isn’t on an internet service provider level: It’s an issue on Facebook’s end that violates a local law regarding the deliberate throttling of internet services. 

Despite the complaints from internet service providers, Facebook supposedly didn’t actively investigate the complaints, and thus its quality of service didn’t meet South Korea’s requirement of an “appropriate level.” The “slowdown” began in late 2016 and didn’t return to normal until October or November 2017 due to “controversies” stemming from the slow performance. 

Now the social network faces a 396 million won fine ($369,400). Naturally, Facebook isn’t thrilled with the fee and claims that its Terms of Use policy clearly states it cannot guarantee optimal performance given the nature of a global internet. The KCC rejected Facebook’s argument and suggested that the social network change its Terms of Use policy. 

“We are disappointed with the KCC’s decision. We strive to deliver optimal performance for all our users and will continue working with Korean internet service providers toward this goal,” Facebook said. 

The KCC states that more than 12 million people in South Korea now visit Facebook each day. The Commission began investigating the Facebook slowdown in May 2017 due to reports made by internet service providers and broadband subscribers. The Commission determined that Facebook throttled its traffic without “convincing reasons,” and fined the social website for violating one of South Korea’s internet-focused laws. 

Meanwhile, Facebook users in North America are vacating the social network in what’s dubbed as #deletefacebook. Aleksandr Kogan, a Russian-American psychology professor at Cambridge University, created a Facebook personality app that attracted 270,000 willing participants. But because these participants have friends and family on Facebook, he harvested the information of 50 million Facebook users. 

The information was only supposedly to be used for academic purposes but instead, he shared the data with Cambridge Analytica. When Facebook discovered what Kogan did with this data, the social website deleted his app and demanded that he and all related parties delete the data. But President Donald Trump’s campaign reportedly paid $5 million to access that data to steer voters away from Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton.

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MIUI 9.5 stable build is now rolling out — here’s the full changelog

Xiaomi starts rolling out the stable version of MIUI 9.5, with over 30 devices slated to receive the update.

A few months after the release of MIUI 9.2, Xiaomi is now rolling out the stable build of MIUI 9.5. The latest version of MIUI includes a laundry list of bug fixes along with a ton of new features, including a new start page and kernel optimizations for the built-in browser, ability to automatically turn off the Wi-Fi hotspot when you exceed your cellular data limit, transfer app data from within Mi Mover, and more.

The OTA update is starting to roll out, and Xiaomi has mentioned that MIUI 9.05 will be making its way to over 30 eligible devices, including the likes of the Redmi Note 5 Pro, last year’s Redmi Note 4, Mi Mix 2, and others.

While you’re waiting for the update to hit your phone, here’s the full changelog for the MIUI 9.5 release:

• Highlights
• New – Resume interrupted transfers in Mi Mover without starting over (11-30)
• New – Revamped start page and optimized performance (12-05)
• New – Quick search options (12-05)
• New – Adjusted the position of the search bar (12-05)
• New – Optimized Browser’s kernel (12-05)
• New – One-time data limits: hotspot turns off automatically when set data limit is reached. (12-12)
• New – Transfer apps with or without app data using Mi Mover (12-20)
• New – Sound recording options for Screen recorder (01-12)
• Optimization – Revamped Notification shade: grouping notifications, quick replies, more notification formats. (11-22)

• Optimization – New format for floating notifications in the landscape mode (Full screen display) (01-11)

• Fixes

• Fix – Top sites setting is restored automatically in MI browser. (12-26)
• Fix – Dual Apps WhatsApp cannot add contact member from the group. (12-26)
• Fix – App vault FC (12-26)
• Fix – The “Move” option was displayed as “Copy” in Explorer (01-03)
• Fix – Home screen froze and slowed down (01-03)
• Fix – Automatic updates turned off if you restricted Updater’s notifications (01-03)
• Fix – System launcher wasn’t responding (01-03)
• Fix – Screen buttons overlapped with the keyboard during quick replies in the Notification shade (01-03)
• Fix – UI adjustments for RTL languages in Messaging (01-03)
• Fix – Weather info is not aligned in notification & status bar in landscape mode (01-09)
• Fix – ‘Mobile data’ label is misaligned in Restrict data usage settings (01-09)
• Fix – Black screen appears and then lock screen is displayed (01-09)
• Fix – The battery level is incorrect on status bar (01-16)
• Fix – Battery is draining very fast when the device is in idle mode (01-16)
• Fix – The camera interface is not displayed correctly when the language is Arabic (01-16)
• Fix – There are two Security in Accessibility settings (01-16)

• Fix – Line ANR when using Bluetooth headphone for Line calls (01-16)

• System

• Optimization – New format for floating notifications in the landscape mode (Full screen display) (01-11)
• Fix – System went into safe mode automatically (02-08)
• Fix – Settings force closed when region was changed (11-17)
• Fix – System launcher keeps stopping after adding or opening widgets after the update to 7.11.10 (11-17)
• Fix – Untranslated Chinese text appeared in Mi Video (11-17)

• Fix – Earphone volume changed when listening to music (11-21)

• Phone

• Fix – Device rebooted during calls (02-08)

• Contacts

• New – Press and hold a button on the dial pad to quick dial a number (01-09)

• Lockscreen, Status Bar, Notification Bar

• Optimization – Improved TalkBack in the notification shade (11-21)

• Optimization – Improved Bluetooth switch responsiveness (11-21)

• Home screen

• Fix – System launcher stops working after update to 7.12.1 (12-06)

• Themes

• Optimization – Adjustments for theme details (11-17)

• Fix – Home screen wasn’t displayed correctly after switching back to default theme (12-14)

• Gallery

• New – Add photos to favorites (01-02)
• New – Optimize local storage to free up space (01-16)
• Optimization – You can select custom covers for albums with people (12-07)
• Optimization – Automatic downloads for photos from Mi Cloud (12-07)

• Fix – Couldn’t crop scrolling screenshots (11-23)

• Backup

• New – Resume interrupted transfers in Mi Mover without starting over (11-30)

• New – Transfer apps with or without app data using Mi Mover (12-20)

• Settings

• New – One-time data limits: hotspot turns off automatically when set data limit is reached. (12-12)

• Mi Apps

• New – Add the must-have recommendations for new users (01-11)

• Optimization – Brand new homepage of Mi Apps with visual and UI effect highly enhanced (01-09)

• Screen Recorder

• New – Sound recording options for Screen recorder (01-12)

• Fix – Issues with screenshots in landscape mode (12-13)

• Browser

• New – Revamped start page and optimized performance (12-05)
• New – Quick search options (12-05)
• New – Adjusted the position of the search bar (12-05)
• New – Optimized Browser’s kernel (12-05)
• New – Address bar autocomplete (01-02)
• New – All-new bottom menu (01-02)

• Optimization – Now you can add Home screen shortcuts in Android O (01-02)

• Security

• Fix – Security center FC when ‘Installed app’ is selected in ‘Settings’ (12-06)

• Mi Wallet

• Optimization – Better page guide in the Accessibility mode (11-22)

Here’s the list of Xiaomi phones that will receive the MIUI 9.5 update

Over 30 Xiaomi phones will receive the MIUI 9.5 update.

Xiaomi has started rolling out the MIUI 9.5 update, bringing a host of new features and system-wide optimizations along with bug fixes. The OTA update will be making its way to over 30 Xiaomi devices over the course of the next month, including the likes of the Redmi Note 5 Pro, Mi Mix 2, Redmi Y1, and more.

Xiaomi has shared a broad timeline for when eligible devices will receive the OTA update on the MIUI forums. The first wave of devices will start receiving the update later this week, with the update hitting a majority of phones next month. Here’s when you can expect to get the MIUI 9.5 OTA update on your Xiaomi phone:

Late March

• Redmi Note 3 Special Edition
• Redmi Note 3 (Qualcomm version)
• Redmi Note 4 (Qualcomm and MediaTek models)
• Redmi Note 4X
• Mi Max
• Mi Max Prime
• Redmi 4 Prime
• Redmi 4A
• Redmi 3S

Early April

• Redmi Note 5 Pro
• Redmi Note 5
• Mi Max 2
• Mi 5
• Mi 6
• Mi Mix 2
• Redmi Note 5A/5A Prime
• Redmi Y1/Y1 Lite
• Redmi 5A
• Redmi 5 Plus
• Redmi 5
• Redmi 4X

Mid-April

• Mi Note 2
• Mi Note 3
• Mi 5s
• Mi 5s Plus
• Mi 3
• Mi 4
• Mi Mix
• Redmi Note 2
• Redmi 3
• Redmi 4

Looking to see what’s new in the latest version of MIUI 9? Hit up the link below for the full list of changes in MIUI 9.5:

MIUI 9.5 stable build is now rolling out — here’s the full changelog

Samsung’s Exynos 9610 chipset brings AI and 480fps video recording to the mid-range segment

Samsung’s mid-range Exynos 9610 chipset is built on the 10nm node, the same as the flagship Exynos 9810.

Samsung has announced the latest chipset in the mid-range Exynos 7 Series, the Exynos 9610. Naming irregularities aside, there’s a lot to like in the Exynos 9610. The chipset is built on the 10nm node — much like the Exynos 9810 and the Snapdragon 845 — and comes with a host of new features that include AI-based image processing, 480fps slow-motion video recording, and increased performance.

The marquee feature is the upgraded multimedia capabilities, with the Exynos 9610 featuring a neural network engine for “enhanced face detection, as well as single camera out-focusing and augmented low-light images.” Samsung says the face detection algorithm detects faces that are partially covered (with a hat or a sizeable beard, for instance), and that its smart depth sensing algorithm allows for portrait mode with a single camera, similar to what Google offers on the Pixel 2.

The image signal processor in the Exynos 9610 will also allow users to shoot 480fps slow-motion videos in Full HD, and 4K video at 120fps. The Galaxy S9+ also shoots 4K at 120fps, and it comes with a super slo-mo feature as well that enables recording at 960fps. With the Exynos 9610, Samsung is looking to bring a similar set of features to the mid-range segment.

The predecessor to the Exynos 9610 — the Exynos 7885 — featured a six-core design with two high-performance Cortex A73 cores, but Samsung is switching to an octa-core design this time around, offering four Cortex A73 cores clocked up to 2.3GHz coupled with four Cortex A53 cores at 1.6GHz. On the GPU side of things, the Exynos 9610 is sporting ARM’s Mali-G72 — the same as the Exynos 9810 in the Galaxy S9.

The chipset also comes with a low-power core based on the Cortex-M4F that facilitates gesture recognition and context awareness. Finally, the Exynos 9610 features a Category 13 LTE modem with 3CA (carrier aggregation) that offers maximum download speeds of 600Mbps and uploads up to 150Mbps. There’s also 802.11ac 2×2 MIMO Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.0, and an FM radio transceiver.

Samsung says that the Exynos 9610 will go into mass production in the latter half of the year. The chipset is targeted at the mid-range segment, and is likely to power the successor to the Galaxy A8.

This funky helmet makes brain-scanning more comfortable

See that helmet in the photo up there? That’s not a prop for a new sci-fi/horror flick — it’s a magnetoencephalography (MEG) helmet that can scan the brain and map its activity. MEG machines are used to look for pathological activity in patients with epilepsy and for brain tumor patients’ surgical planning. The machines are typically, humongous, heavy and can’t do their job if subjects don’t stay perfectly still, which means it’s hard to scan kids with epilepsy or people with Parkinson’s and other movement disorders. This helmet designed by scientists from the University of Nottingham and University College London will work even if the patient is moving.

The team’s design involves mounting “quantum” sensors on a 3D-printed helmet created to fit each specific patient’s head and face. Those sensors are lightweight and can work in room temperature unlike typical MEG sensors that require a bulky cooling system, since they need to be kept very, very cold. The quantum sensors will only work if the Earth’s magnetic field is reduced by a factor of around 50,000, though, so the team also designed special electromagnetic coils to sit on either side of the subject.

Because the patient will need to be in between the coils, they still can’t move their head outside an invisible box 8 to 16 inches per side. The helmet can scan brains even if the patients are sipping tea or bouncing a ball on a ping-pong paddle, based on the tests the researchers conducted and detailed on Nature. They just can’t play a match or get up and walk around just yet.

The team is working to create a version that allows people to move freely. They plan to make that happen by integrating the coils into the walls of the room, making it even easier to scan people with movement issues. They’re also designing new types of helmet, including one that looks like a bicycle helmet that fits most people, which are four times more sensitive than the current prototype.

Source: University of Nottingham, Reuters, Nature, Medical Xpress