ASUS unveils the ZenFone Max Pro M1 in India with Snapdragon 636, 5000mAh battery, and Android 8.1 Oreo

ASUS is effectively undercutting Xiaomi in the budget segment with its latest phone.

ASUS hasn’t fared all that well in India last year, but the Taiwanese manufacturer is looking to change its fortunes with its latest phone. The ZenFone Max Pro M1 is an India-first device that is targeted at the budget segment — specifically against the Redmi Note 5 Pro. ASUS is offering similar specs as Xiaomi’s budget phone in the form of a Snapdragon 636, 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage, and a dual camera setup at the back.

The 5000mAh battery is larger than that of the Redmi Note 5 Pro, and ASUS is doing away with its ZenUI interface in lieu of a pure Android interface, with the phone running Android 8.1 Oreo out of the box. What’s more interesting is the fact that the variant with 3GB of RAM and 32GB of storage will cost just ₹10,999 ($165), making the ZenFone Max Pro M1 an absolute steal. Here’s a quick look at what’s on offer.

ASUS ZenFone Max Pro M1 specs

The phone is set to go on sale in India from May 3, and will be exclusive to Flipkart in the country. The variant with 3GB of RAM and 32GB of storage will cost ₹10,999, and the model with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage will retail for ₹12,999. ASUS is also set to launch a version with 6GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage for ₹14,999 ($225) in the coming weeks.

And while the phone is limited to India for the time being, ASUS says it is open to the possibility of launching the ZenFone Max Pro M1 in global markets. What are your thoughts on the Max Pro M1?

See at Flipkart

Smart glasses could stream video without killing your battery

There a number of reasons why camera-equipped smart glasses haven’t taken off, whether it’s dorky designs, bans or just a lack of practical applications beyond niche audiences. However, there’s a common theme for them all: they need big batteries to handle all that streaming video, which guarantees a bulky set of spectacles. There might be a solution in the long run, however. University of Washington researchers have crafted a video streaming method that consumes up to 10,000 times less power than traditional methods. The trick, the team said, is to offload most of the hard work to another device using clever wireless transmissions.

Conventional cameras typically have to process and compress video before sending it out over wireless. This approach directly attaches pixels in the camera to the wireless antenna, and uses backscatter (that is, reflecting signals transmitted to the device) to send the data in pulses to a nearby phone or PC that takes care of the processing. There are already devices that use backscatter, but they’ve so far been limited to low-data uses like sensors — this can deliver 720p video.

You aren’t going to share video from your eyewear in the near future. The current prototype glasses are limited to 10 frames per second at distances of up to 14 feet (there’s also a security camera that operates at 13 frames per second). However, the practical uses are fairly clear. You could have smart glasses and wearable cameras with much smaller batteries, or even no battery at all if they generate power from radio signals. This, in turn, could lead to wearable cameras in unusual places. The scientists envision sports matches where every athlete is wearing a camera that never needs a bulky battery pack — first-person sports cams wouldn’t be novelties outside of motorsports.

Via: Gizmodo

Source: UW News

Apple to Close Last Remaining Apple Watch Pop-Up Shop Next Month

Apple is set to close its last remaining pop-up shop dedicated to Apple Watch next month. Signs displayed at the Tokyo shop, located in Shinjuku’s high-end Isetan department store, were shared on Twitter announcing the closure.

やっぱり伊勢丹のApple Watch Storeは閉店か… pic.twitter.com/moYjXCfYRp

— Shotaro Akiba (@ShotaroAkiba) April 21, 2018

The message reads, “This is a notice that Apple Watch at Isetan Shinjuku will close as of Sunday, May 13. Thank you very much for your continuous patronage.”

The closure of the pop-up shop follows last month’s opening of Apple’s Shinjuku store, which is situated directly opposite Isetan and offers the full range of Apple products and services, including Apple Watch.

Japan’s pop-up shop is notable for being the first of its kind to open, coinciding with the launch of the original Apple Watch in 2015. Apple has only operated three pop-up shops worldwide selling Apple watches and bands. The other two operated out of Galeries Lafayette in Paris and Selfridges in London. Both closed in 2017.

The closures appear to be part of Apple’s strategy to promote Apple Watch as a health and fitness accessory first and a haute couture fashion detail second. The pop-up shops specialized in selling Apple Watch Edition models, gold versions of which sold for at least $10,000 and up to $17,000 when they hit the market.

The pop-up shops were essentially outlets for Apple’s remaining inventory of 18-karat Gold and Rose Gold Apple Watch Edition models, which were discontinued in 2016 and replaced with the ceramic Edition models the company continues to offer online and in-store to this day.

Related Roundups: Apple Watch, watchOS 4Tag: JapanBuyer’s Guide: Apple Watch (Neutral)
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We’re closer to China’s disturbing ‘Social Credit System’ than you realize

Have you ever heard the saying that you are the average of the five people that you spend the most time with? It’s quite possible that someone in the Chinese government is intimately acquainted with the idea. Over the past several years, the country has been working to quantify the trustworthiness of every citizen in China. A bit like a financial credit score, only applying to how much stock we can put in a person’s character, the idea is that using big data and A.I. algorithms to analyze trustworthiness can lead to a new era in upstanding citizenry.

Or as the original proposal for the system, titled “Planning Outline for the Construction of a Social Credit System,” put it: “[Such an initiative] will forge a public opinion environment where keeping trust is glorious. It will strengthen sincerity in government affairs, commercial sincerity, social sincerity and the construction of judicial credibility.”

So where does businessman and motivational speaker Jim Rohn’s quote about a person being the sum total of five other people come into it? Because one element of the Social Credit System — which will become mandatory for citizens by 2020 — depends on who you associate with online.

It’s an idea straight out of the oft-invoked George Orwell dystopia Nineteen Eighty-Four.

In addition to more mundane areas like whether you pay your community charge on time, the system’s reputational algorithm will also factor in your choice of online friends. That person who complains about how the government is doing its job could suddenly cost you some serious social cred. Befriend too many wrongthinkers and you could quickly find yourself classed as a wrongthinker too.

It’s an idea straight out of the oft-invoked George Orwell dystopia Nineteen Eighty-Four. But it’s also not wholly unique to China. True, the U.S. government isn’t publicly instituting a Social Credit System, but the idea that digital reputation analysis isn’t something that affects us all in 2018 is patently untrue.

Your social standing, algorithmized

The recent ongoing Facebook saga involving potential user data abuse underlines once again the ways in which our online personas are curated, collected, monetized and sliced and diced in all sorts of ways. Increasingly they will be treated as next-generation credit scores, not only able to keep tabs on our financial respectability but also manner of other metrics by which we can be considered quality citizens.

Recently, I failed such a test. On Twitter, I try to follow a diverse range of thinkers, since it seems a good way to steer clear of the “filter bubble” effect. If there’s an issue that I feel strongly about, I like to follow “thought leaders” on the other side of the ideological divide so as to be exposed to their response to items in the news.

Westend61/Getty Images

Who knows: a well-argued case might even change your mind about something you thought was true. At the very least, it gives you a chance to know the most compelling arguments used against your position. All was going well until I discovered that I had been blocked by a certain user I’ll call “user X” with whom I had had no previous interaction.

Based on a bit of further digging I discovered the explanation: another person I followed had been added to an automated blocklist by user X, so that anyone who followed them was then barred from viewing the tweets of user X. Somewhere in the ephemeral world of the interwebs I felt my personal social credit noticeably slide in a way that it hadn’t since my middle school classmates discovered I still watched Power Rangers.

On the internet, everyone knows you’re a dog

We’re still getting to grips with the way that our digital identities are changing. Twenty-five years ago, we didn’t worry about online reputation because the entire galvanizing idea of the internet was built around anonymity. A famous 1993 New Yorker cartoon depicted two computer-savvy canines using a computer. “On the Internet, nobody knows you’re a dog,” the tagline read. Today, not only do companies online know that you’re a dog; they know which brand of dog food you enjoy, what collar you wear, where you stretch your legs and — for better or worse — where you do your messes.

Here in 2018, we take it for granted that the internet knows who we are. It’s considered an insult if it doesn’t. If websites don’t know who we are then we don’t get personalized news recommendations, social media friend updates, or suggested videos. Heck, on Twitter, the idea of being “verified” as yourself is just about the ultimate reward you can have: an idea that would have struck early web-users as bizarre.

Studies have suggested that social media profiles can also be used to accurately predict our employment success.

While we may have multiple personas online, just as we do in the real world, these identities aren’t neatly self contained. They can spill over into other areas of our lives; the line increasingly blurred between public and private personas, or social and professional ones. For instance, multiple studies have suggested that social media profiles (designed for, you know, our social lives) can also be used to accurately predict our employment success. One 2016 research project carried out by researchers at Belgium’s Ghent University came to the conclusion that Facebook profile pictures can increase or decrease your chances of being offered an interview for a job by up to 40 percent.

“I think the CV of now and the future moves from a paper one we send out to how we look when Googled,” Simon Wadsworth, a managing partner Igniyte, an online reputation management company, told Digital Trends. “We know that’s the first port of call for employers. Looking your best online will be a major factor when anyone is looking to go into higher education, get a job, or even buy a house.”

A game you have to play

Chris DeGraw/Digital Trends

Don’t think you can get away without playing, either. “I think also there is an issue if a person can’t be found online in any way – so a happy medium is required,” he continued. Not being discoverable online could mean that a person has something to hide. More mundanely, but crucially, it might also simply leave a person out in the digital cold. “For the generation going to college and getting jobs, it suggests not being very digitally savvy if they have no presence online,” Wadsworth said.

If a good Facebook profile makes your more likely to get an interview, what does no Facebook profile at all mean?

The problematic nature of digital identities will only become more complex as we continue to live increasingly online. Credit scores measure one aspect of our reputation: our ability to pay back money. They take into account things like whether payments are made on time, how much of our line of credit we’ve used, the length of our credit history, types of credit we use, and our past credit applications. From there, a FICO score is created and used by banks and retailers.

The idea behind the FICO score dates back to the 1950s, before it was ultimately introduced in 1989. Today, there is a wealth of information that can be gathered about users that could not possibly be known about in the 1980s. What a person “likes” online, what they buy, where they buy it, who they socialize with, what they do in their homes, all of it can increasingly be gathered and combed through using smart machine learning tools.

As more and more of ourselves are virtualized, what is possible to “know” expands. Fitness data, health records, online dating profiles and preferences, our emotional states, how we learn in the classroom, how quickly we read e-books on our vacation and much more can build up an astonishingly accurate picture of who we are. True, much of this data is anonymized, but the ability to draw on this information and cross-reference it in all sorts of new ways is an unavoidable reality.

The return of social credit

The system that credit scores replaced was based on reputation and qualitative judgements. A person could be denied a line of credit because a banker didn’t like their demeanor. In addition to payment history, this meant that judgements were the result of things like home visits, a person’s perceived standing in the community and more. Credit scores were intended to take the subjectivity and, just as importantly, opacity out of this process.

Today, social credit is once again a reality.

Today, social credit is once again a reality. Everything from the information that we are shown to the prices and opportunities we’re offered are wrapped up in the byzantine way the digital world curates identity. We have easy access to our credit scores, and know the way to improve them. When it comes to the online world, this isn’t nearly so straightforward. Who is gathering data about us, how is it used and what does this mean for the way that we perceive the digital world around us; all of these questions are far from clear.

Projects like China’s Social Credit System should worry people for a number of reasons. But just like the sci-fi dystopias it’s being likened to, it scares us because we innately understand that it’s a world we’re familiar with — only with the volume cranked up to eleven. Don’t for a second think that the impetus driving it isn’t the same one finding its way into every interaction that we have online.

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Nokia 7 Plus vs. Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Pro: A cut above

The Nokia 7 Plus costs almost twice as much as the Redmi Note 5 Pro. It’s time to find out if it’s twice as good.

The Nokia 7 Plus represents a lot of firsts for HMD Global: it is the first phone from the manufacturer to feature an 18:9 panel, the first to offer the Snapdragon 660 chipset in India, and the first mid-ranger from the manufacturer to make its way to global markets.

There’s clearly a lot of excitement around the Nokia 7 Plus, and for good reason. The phone is one of the best devices available today for $400, and the camera is particularly good.

The Redmi Note 5 Pro is no slouch either. The phone is notable for being the first in the world to feature the Snapdragon 636, and it is similarly feature-rich in other areas as well. Best of all, it is an absolute bargain for ₹13,999 ($210).

The Nokia 7 Plus is all about delivering a clean and uncluttered user interface by way of Android One, and the Redmi Note 5 Pro focuses on customizability with the latest iteration of MIUI.

With the Nokia 7 Plus costing nearly twice as much as the Redmi Note 5 Pro, it’s time to find out if it’s twice as good.

Nokia 7 Plus vs. Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Pro: Specs

What the Nokia 7 Plus does better

The Nokia 7 Plus has an interesting design aesthetic that sees copper accents around the screen, mid-frame, and the camera sensor at the back. The accents give the phone a lot of visual flair, and the ceramic coating over the metal back makes it easier to hold the phone.

The design looks cohesive, and the Nokia 7 Plus is one of the sturdiest phones on the market today. Meanwhile, the rear camera module on the Redmi Note 5 Pro sticks like a sore thumb, and it almost feels like an afterthought. The camera itself is pretty great for a budget phone, but Xiaomi should have worked on integrating the camera module better into the design of the phone (the same camera arrangement looks much better on the Mi Mix 2S).

Then there’s the camera — the Nokia 7 Plus has one of the best cameras in its category. It edges out the camera on the OnePlus 5T, and is more than a match for the Redmi Note 5 Pro.

Nokia 7 Plus on the left, Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Pro on the right

Both phones take great photos in daylight conditions, but the images from the Nokia 7 Plus have wider dynamic range. The Redmi Note 5 Pro isn’t able to hold its own in low-light conditions though, as there’s considerable noise and lack of detail.

Another area where the Nokia 7 Plus takes the lead is the software. With Android 8.1 Oreo under the hood along with the April 1, 2018 security patch, the phone will be in the first wave of devices to receive updates — and will continue to do so for the next three years.

As for Xiaomi’s handset, it’s been two months since the Redmi Note 5 Pro went on sale, and the device is still on Android 7.1.1 Nougat. An Oreo build is said to be in the works, but there’s no official word on when it will be ready to roll out.

Nokia 7 Plus has more visual flair, beefier specs, and a much better camera.

And as good a budget phone as the Redmi Note 5 Pro is, you still can’t walk into a store and pick it up. Xiaomi is doing a disservice to its customers by continuing to rely on the flash sales model. Two months after the Redmi Note 5 Pro made its debut in India, there’s no easy way to get your hands on the phone.

Sure, there’s considerable demand for the phone, but Xiaomi is no longer an underdog in India’s handset market — it is leading the pack. It will, therefore, be judged in that context, and the fact that it still can’t make enough phones to meet the demand suggests Xiaomi has a long way to go in this area.

What the Redmi Note 5 Pro does better

The Redmi Note 5 Pro is the undisputed battery champion in this category. While the Nokia 7 Plus also delivers two days’ worth of usage, it isn’t quite as good as what you get on the Redmi Note 5 Pro.

The Redmi Note 5 Pro continues to be a battery monster.

The 4000mAh battery combined with MIUI’s optimizations means you’ll routinely get screen-on-time of over nine hours consistently.

The one issue I have with the battery is that fast charging is limited to 5V/2A, and the charging port is still MicroUSB.

Which should you buy? Nokia 7 Plus

Even though Xiaomi is now India’s largest handset brand, all of its momentum comes from the budget segment, where it currently has eight phones on sale. The Mi Mix 2, meanwhile, doesn’t see nearly as much attention, and it’s unlikely the brand will be able to break into the premium category given its association as a budget manufacturer.

Nokia doesn’t have any such issues: even before its resurgence under Android, it was considered a high-end brand, with its phones known for their durability and evocative designs. Under HMD’s stewardship, Nokia is winning on both fronts — its phones continue to be gorgeous, and Android One ensures its devices will be the first to receive updates.

Yes, the Nokia 7 Plus costs almost double that of the Redmi Note 5 Pro, but that price is entirely justifiable just for the camera quality and the clean user interface. The fact that you can actually go to Amazon India or head into a store and get your hands on it instead of waiting for a flash sale is a bonus.

See at Amazon India

Mt. Gox chief returns as an exec at a VPN giant

Former Mt. Gox CEO Mark Karpeles may still be on trial for embezzlement in Japan, but that isn’t stopping him from playing an influential role in the cryptocurrency world. As part of an interview with Fortune, the one-time bitcoin exchange leader has confirmed that he’s now the CTO for London Trust Media, a company best known for its popular VPN service Private Internet Access. It’s also an investor in cryptocurrency services like BlockExplorer, Purse.io and Zcash, but Karpeles insists he’s not involved in that side of the business. London Trust Media co-founder Andrew Lee said he was happy to “give a second chance” to Karpeles in his “critical hour.”

The stint may be short-lived. As Fortune notes, Japan’s conviction rate is over 99 percent. Short of a surprise, there’s a real chance he’ll be serving a prison sentence and possibly facing other restrictions on what he can do. He’s presently out on bail and isn’t allowed to leave Japan.

Japanese police arrested Karpeles in 2015 on claims that he had artificially inflated the balance of a personal account by playing fast and loose with transaction records Mt. Gox used to convert bitcoins to dollars. It would falsely state that he had transferred $1 million into the account, for example. He has always protested his innocence and isn’t responsible for the theft of 650,000 coins that contributed to Mt. Gox’s downfall, but it’s doubtful that prosecutors will see things his way.

Moreover, there’s an additional quirk. You see, Mt. Gox’s bankruptcy claimants are limited by Japanese to the values as of the exchange’s collapse in 2014 — thanks to bitcoin’s surging price, it’s theoretically possible to revive the company (there’s a petition in progress) and send billions of dollars to Karpeles. That sounds good on the surface, but Karpeles would face both a 60 percent tax and an inevitable string of lawsuits. Short of recovering all the bitcoins to fend off those creditors, even his best case scenario looks fairly grim.

Via: Bitcoin.com

Source: Fortune

Iran bans banks from trading cryptocurrencies

Iran is borrowing a page from China when it comes to regulating money: if your real-world currency is in trouble, crack down on the virtual kind. The country’s central bank has banned other banks and financial institutions from buying, selling or promoting cryptocurrencies in the wake of reforms meant to quell volatility for the Iranian rial, such as banning money changes outside of banks and unifying exchange rates. The rial’s value has been plummeting over fears the US would reinstate sanctions that could hurt Iran’s economy.

The ban is an extension of anti-laundering agency’s ban passed in December.

While Iran’s situation is more volatile than China’s, the objective is likely the same: this could reduce the likelihood that anxious traders will buy up cryptocurrency and sell conventional money. While formats like bitcoin have their own problems with volatility, investors might see that as a better bet than the rial’s record lows. This theoretically pushes people back toward official money and gives it some stability, however artificial it might be.

Source: Reuters

The best iPad (2018) screen protectors

Julian Chokkattu/Digital Trends

The new iPad comes with a shiny Retina screen, the signature Apple polish, and Pencil support, all for the bargain price of $330. But with Apple taking aim at classrooms in particular, it’s easy to see that 9.7-inch screen getting smashed, scratched, or otherwise damaged over time. A sturdy screen protector is a good way to enhance the odds of your new iPad‘s display lasting. But which screen protectors are worth your time and money?

We’ve done the research and dug through piles of products to find the screen protector that’s right for you, whether that’s a scratch-resistant and thin film screen protector, or a shatterproof tempered glass beast. As a brief note before we begin, since the new iPad is very similar to last year’s iPad and the iPad Pro 9.7, lots of the screen protectors designed for those tablets will fit the new iPad, too.

Moshi iVisor AG ($30)

If you’ve shopped for any iOS accessories at all in the last few years, then Moshi‘s name is probably familiar. The iVisor AG is one of Moshi’s most popular screen protectors, and it’s fairly easy to see why. The surface coating reduces glare on the screen, resists smudges and scratches, and has the toughness you should expect from a tempered glass screen protector. The application process is simple and straightforward — but what really sets Moshi’s screen protector apart from the rest is that it’s washable and reusable. That’s right — you can take it off your iPad, wash it under the tap, and reapply it once the adhesive has dried.

Buy one now from:

Amazon Moshi Mobile Fun

UAG Glass Screen Shield ($45)

A big name in protective cases, you shouldn’t pass up UAG‘s screen protection options, either. UAG’s Glass Screen has a 9H hardness rating. It’s highly resistant to scratches and helps absorb the blow should the worst happen. It’s easy to apply and comes with an oleophobic screen coating that resists fingerprints and oils, and stops them from smudging the view. It’s also exceptionally thin at only 0.2mm thick. It’s certainly on the expensive side, but if you want great protection that’s so thin as to almost not be there, then UAG is your bag.

Buy one now from:

UAG Amazon

InvisibleShield Glass ($50)

Made with four layers of protection, the InvisibleShield Glass is industry veteran InvisibleShield’s premiere offering for the new iPad. A special oleophobic coating makes sure that skin oils are kept away from the screen and are easy to clean off, while also providing a super-smooth surface that mimics the feel of your iPad’s own Retina screen. Application is easy too — just line it up, press it down, and let it go. It’s rated up to a hardness of 9H, and should protect against most knocks and bumps. However, it’s the most expensive option on this list.

Buy one now from:

InvisibleShield

Targus Screen Protector ($20)

If you’re not a fan of the feel or thickness of tempered glass, but still want some protection on your iPad, then film screen protectors might be for you. This PET film screen protector from Targus hits all the right notes, offering protection against scratches, smudges, and fingerprints, while also maintaining screen clarity. It’s easy to install and doesn’t rely on any weird installation methods. It also helps to remove glare when out in direct sunlight. Unlike a glass screen protector, it won’t protect as well against heavier knocks or drops, but it should hold up admirably against a variety of smudges and minor scratches.

Buy one now from:

Targus

Anker GlassGuard ($9)

You might know Anker for its range of top-quality mobile accessories, but you might not know that it has since expanded into cases and screen protectors for mobile devices. The GlassGuard is smudge-, scratch-, and fingerprint-resistant, and it also uses a unique system to reduce breakage during moments of stress. Instead of using a single layer of reinforced glass at the top of the protector, Anker employs four separate pieces to help spread some of the energy of impact away from your iPad, and lessen the chances of the protector breaking. It does all this while still being as clear as any other protector.

Buy one now from:

Amazon

Laut Prime Glass ($35)

Calling itself the “Rolls-Royce of screen protection” is a big claim to make, and we can’t verify Laut‘s boasts. However, this is a finely polished glass screen protector that comes with all the usual accompaniments you’d expect, including hardened glass, an oleophobic coating that resists fingerprints and grease, and resistance to shattering. Slightly rounded edges prevent that hard edge feeling when you reach the sides of the protector, making this feel slightly more luxurious. All in all, it’s a great screen protector — but we won’t blame anyone who finds it hard to justify the high cost.

Buy one now from:

Laut

Olixar Tempered Glass Screen Protector ($24)

Something of an up-and-comer in the accessories biz, Olixar has quietly been making a name for itself with its range of mobile accessories. This tempered glass screen protector is again on the slightly expensive side, but it comes with an anti-shatter film, 9H hardness, and a thickness of just 0.33mm. It’s ultra-clear, letting through 95 percent of light (compared to the usual 80-percent), and it’s really easy to apply. Not a bad choice for the money.

Buy one now from:

Mobile Fun

RhinoShield Tempered Glass Screen Protector ($30)

Unsurprisingly for a product named after a rhino, RhinoShield‘s tempered glass screen protector specializes in taking the brunt of impacts, with RhinoShield claiming that each protector can absorb up to five times more impact energy than Gorilla Glass 3. We can’t verify that, but we can say the six-layer construction (including two dedicated layers for impact dispersion and protection) does help to give the RhinoShield a bit more oomph than a standard tempered-glass screen protector.

Buy one now from:

Rhinoshield Amazon Mobile Fun

Supershieldz Anti-Glare Film Protector (4 pack) ($8)

There’s a lot to be said for quality, but sometimes quantity suits you just as well. Thankfully, Supershieldz is able to supply a bit of both, with screen protectors made from Japanese film. They’ll protect well against scratches from keys, coins, and most objects left on top of an iPad. This screen protector will also remove some of the glare from direct sunlight, making it easier to use your iPad outside. But the real selling point here is the fact that you’ll get four of these bad boys for just $8. That’s just $2 each, making these a great value for money.

Buy one now from:

Amazon

Still looking for more iPad suggestions? Put that Pencil to work with the best drawing apps for the iPad, or dive into our exhaustive list of the very best iPad apps in existence.

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AT&T brings ‘5G Evolution’ to more than 100 new markets

AT&T is currently working on getting more than 100 cities ready for its roll-out of 5G service. On Friday, the company announced that it was rolling out its “5G Evolution” service to parts of 117 new markets, bringing the total to 141.

The cities include larger metropolitan areas like Dallas, Miami, Los Angeles, and smaller cities like Knoxville, Tennessee, and Anchorage, Alaska. AT&T hopes to expand the program to 500 cities by this year’s end.

5G Evolution is not true 5G service, however — It simply lays the groundwork for AT&T’s efforts to offer true 5G service in the future. That being said, 5G Evolution isn’t purely marketing speak, either. AT&T says its service is capable of delivering “theoretical peak speeds for capable devices of up to 400 megabits per second.”

“The upgraded markets will provide double the speed and it’s the stepping stone to full 5G promised for later this year,” Roger Entner of Recon Analytics told CNET.

While those peak speeds are theoretical, 5G Evolution will likely still offer faster speeds than current mobile networks. Unfortunately, there are some limits as to how many people will benefit from this plan. Currently, only select phones such as the Samsung S8 and S9 have the technology to make use of this new network. Apple fans are also out of luck, as none of the current models of the iPhone support this service.

True 5G will take a bit longer to reach fruition, but we may soon see it in some cities. AT&T has said that it plans to launch true 5G service in a dozen markets by the end of this year. More markets are expected to come within the following years.

Verizon is also hoping to get its 5G service up and running sometime this year, though it is taking a slightly different path. Verizon is hoping to offer 5G service as a replacement for its current broadband service, with a mobile network to follow.

The United States’ other two major mobile carriers, Sprint and T-Mobile, are planning on setting up 5G service this year. However, they aren’t expected to begin providing 5G service until sometime next year.

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‘Namoo — Wonders of Plant Life’ uses immersive graphics to teach you about nature

Brenda Stolyar/Digital Trends

App Attack is a weekly series where we search the App Store and Google Play Store for the best apps of the week. Check out App Attack every Sunday for the latest.

Let’s face it — life can get busy. It’s hard to remember to literally stop and smell the roses every once in a while. In honor of Earth Day, this week’s app will help you reconnect with nature via your smartphone.

Namoo — Wonders of Plant Life, available for iOS and Android for $4, is an educational app that gives users an in-depth overview of how different plants function. Using vibrant illustrations, 3D simulations, and Apple’s ARKit (for those using an iPhone), the app takes you through nine different chapters about nature.

When you first download the app, you’re brought to a menu that allows you to choose what you want to learn about. As you tap on each item, it provides you with more information on what you can expect. You can tap to learn about flowers and fruits, the anatomy of leaves, tree trunks, and more. Each one is also accompanied by labels and explanations that allow you to gain a deep understanding of the topic.

I went ahead and started with tree trunks, where I learned about growth conditions, such as what seasons growth rings occur the fastest and slowest, along with the secondary growth process. As I tapped on the trunk, I was able to watch it grow as more rings formed while I read each explanation. By tapping on the tag icon in the lower left-hand corner, you’ll see different labels appear that point to different parts of the tree trunk throughout the different stages of the explanation.

This section specifically also has support for ARkit, allowing you to grow the trunk wherever there’s a flat surface. That way, you can learn about the process through AR, giving you an even more interactive experience. After pointing your phone’s camera at the floor, the trunk will appear and bring you through the same process as it would when using your display. As you tap on the trunk, rain will begin to fall and the trunk will begin to grow wherever you place it. This was a great feature, and I wish each section had its own augmented reality capabilities.

Each of the other sections are similar, with the same functions. When learning about how flowers turn into fruits, you’ll get to tap on the flower to pollenate it and watch as it goes through the fertilization process to then turn into an apple. Under the leaves section, you can tap through and zoom in on the plant cell, learning about different organelles like the nucleus, golgi complex, and mitochondrion. When learning about roots, you can glide through the different types such as taproot, conical roots, fibrous roots, and tuberous roots. By tapping on the screen, you can see each one grow while learning about its main purpose. Depending on the chapter, you can also transition between day and night or alter the temperature to see how it changes the way things grow and develop.

For those who want to learn even more, each chapter also includes more extensive parts you can read through. In comparison, the immersive parts are more of a quick summary that allow you to have a better visual. Those who want even more detail will enjoy scrolling through and gaining even more knowledge about the different elements of plant life. I also found it to be even easier to read through and understand, having started with the interactive section as an introduction.

Even though Namoo is an educational app that’s great for children, adults will appreciate the beautiful graphics and calming background music, all of which were originally created by the developer. It’s also great refresher for those who have already gone through their fair share of science classes — but this time you won’t feel bored nor will you lose interest.

The app easily breaks down subjects that can seem complicated at times in a way that keeps users engaged and entertained. Using bright and vivid colors along with easy-to-use controls, it’s definitely an app that’s worth paying for. But for the sake of Earth Day, I do recommend stepping outside to enjoy nature as well.

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