Google launches its lightweight search app, Google Go, in South Africa

Julian Chokkattu/Digital Trends

Google launched Google Go in South Africa in an effort to address the concerns of those with weak data connectivity and high data costs. The app reduces the amount of data needed to display search results by 40 percent.

With Google Go, users are able to receive search results quickly even on slow connections such as 2G networks. Since the app is only 5MB in size, it’s also faster to download and doesn’t take up much space on your phone — which is especially useful for smartphones with a low amount of storage.

Rather than type out what they’re searching for, users are able to tap through trending topics or queries or even opt for the voice function to say what they’re looking for. Google Go will also pull up photos and animated images if you tap on the “Images” or “GIFs” tabs, which you can send to others.

Google Go will come pre-installed on Android Oreo (Go edition) devices. Android Go — which was first launched in 2017 — was specifically created by Google as a scaled-down version of Android to run on entry-level devices. The operating system not only takes up less space but comes with “Go” versions of the commonly pre-installed Google apps such as YouTube, Gmail, and Google Maps.

But Google apps aren’t the only light versions of apps available on the market. First launched in 2015, Facebook released Facebook Lite — a stripped-down version of its main Facebook app. Weighing in at less than one megabyte in size, people can download it in seconds regardless of how sluggish their connection is.

As with Google Go, Facebook Lite includes all of the basic features you need. You can post to a timeline, search people, like photos and posts, as well as edit your profile. Available only for Android devices, the app recently expanded to the U.S. in March.

Other lightweight versions of apps available include Twitter Lite and YouTube Go — which also offer the same basic functions you would have with the regular versions. But both apps have yet to be released in the U.S.

Google Go is available in 26 sub-Saharan African countries through the Google Play Store. As for the expansion of the app, the company plans to release it in other emerging markets including India, Brazil, and Indonesia.

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Google could soon let you sync smartphones for music playback

Smart speakers are all the rage these days. Companies like Sonos, Google, JBL, and more, are all working on ways to connect multiple speakers together for a house-wide audio experience. But all of these solutions involve having to buy new speakers. What if you could achieve a similar result with speakers that you already have — the speaker in your smartphone.

That is what Google seems to be trying to do with its newly awarded patent, which describes the creation of a mesh network by mobile devices that are close together, with the goal of stream audio together, in sync. Within the network, there would be one master device, which would control playback, with the other devices acting simply as extra speakers in a system.

The technology could be very helpful. As the patent notes, while more and more people are investing in speaker systems for their home, plenty still don’t have such systems. On top of that, most of these speakers aren’t portable — instead they remain in the home — so if you’re at a picnic and want to play some music, you might be a little limited by your speakers.

The tech is a little more complicated than it sounds. Different speakers need to be synced exactly in order to avoid any issues with the playback. Because of this, not only do the devices receive audio to play, but they will also get instructions on exactly when to play back the audio.

The system could end up being built into Google’s Google Cast system. Google Cast currently allows users to stream both audio and video to TVs, speakers, Google Home devices, and so on, and it wouldn’t be all that surprising to see the option to stream to multiple phones as part of that. Google even included a few images to the patent — showing an option on the screen that allows you to use multiple devices as a system together when they are playing the same content.

It’s important to note that this isn’t the first time we’ve seen this patent — the latest patent is a continuation of a patent that was filed back in 2016. Still, the fact that it’s popping again shows that Google is still working on it — and it could show up sooner rather than later.

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Master your Huawei P20 and P20 Pro with these helpful tips and tricks

Andy Boxall/Digital Trends

While the Samsung Galaxy S9 and iPhone X may get the lion’s share of attention in the U.S., Huawei is a Chinese smartphone manufacturer that’s creating some seriously impressive phones. Its newest flagships, the Huawei P20 and P20 Pro, are forces to be reckoned with, offering beautiful designs and unique dual- and triple-camera setups.

If you managed to get your hands on the Huawei P20 or P20 Pro (they are not sold in the U.S.), check out our favorite tips and tricks that will help you make the most out of your new phone.

How to change the keyboard

When you first set up your new Huawei P20 or P20 Pro, one of the first things you may notice is the pre-installed SwiftKey keyboard. If you’re not a fan, it’s easy to change it to another keyboard app. For example, if you would rather use Google’s Gboard, download the app from the Google Play Store. Once installed, head over to Settings > System > Language & Input > Default keyboard. You will get a prompt to choose from a list of installed keyboards — choose the app you want to use. In this settings page that you can customize the keyboard even further to your liking.

How to set up Face Unlock

Facial authentication features on Android devices are often not as secure as Face ID on Apple’s iPhone X, and the same rings true with the Huawei P20 and P20 Pro. You cannot use Face Unlock to access secure services like banking apps — it’s purely a convenient way to quickly unlock your phone from the lock screen. If you didn’t configure Face Unlock when you first set up your device, simply go to Settings > Security & privacy > Face unlock.  You either need to enter your existing PIN or set one up to use Face Unlock. You then see the Enroll face screen that provides details about the functionality. Tap Continue > Allow.  You will see a round viewfinder screen appear — make sure your face is centered and in good light, and the phone will register your face. You can then choose how you want Face Unlock to work. Direct unlock will automatically scan for your face and unlock the phone when the screen turns on, and Slide to unlock will require you to slide the screen to head to the home screen after the phone registers your face. You can also require lock screen notification content to be hidden until your face has been scanned.

How to uninstall or disable unnecessary apps

One of the few unfortunate things about the P20 and P20 Pro is the amount of bloatware that comes pre-installed. When you turn on the phone you will find apps for eBay, Booking.com, Instagram, and Netflix. Although you are likely to download at least a few of these apps anyway, we would prefer if Huawei allowed us to choose the apps we like to have on our phone. While most of these apps can be uninstalled, a select few can only be disabled. To uninstall apps, long-press the app icon and drag to the Uninstall tab located on the top right side of the notification bar. After that, you just need to click OK in the pop-up window to approve the process. When you can’t uninstall an app, Android gives you the option to disable it. Disabling an app puts it to sleep and doesn’t allow it to run in the background. It also erases any data and updates, restoring it to the factory version. To disable an app, go to Settings > Apps & notifications > Apps.  Tap on the app you wish to disable and select Disable. If the app is running, you may need to select Force Stop > OK before disabling the app.

How to customize your home screen

One of the best ways to personalize your phone is by changing widgets, wallpapers, and other home screen features. With the P20 and P20 Pro, there’s no shortage of options. To access these customization tools, long press on an empty area of the home screen. You’ll see several customization icons appear at the bottom of the display. Tap Wallpaper to switch the wallpaper on your home and lock screens. You can swipe through all of the different options at the bottom of the screen or tap the Gallery button to use one of your own photos.  There is also Illusion and Scrollable icons that allow you even more flexibility with your screens.  Once you have selected your desired wallpaper, just press the check mark in the upper-right corner and choose between the Lock screen, Home screen, or Both options.

Widgets allow you to add small versions of your favorite apps to your home screen for quick access. To add a widget to your screen, press the Widgets icon and drag your favorite to an empty area on the home screen.  If you want to change the size or remove a widget, long-press on it to reshape it or drag it to the remove icon on the top right of the notification bar. Transitions allow you to change the animation used when you switch between screens or open an app. To change your default transition, long-tap on the home screen and press the Transitions icon. Tap the different transition options to preview the animation. Once you select your ideal transition, tap on an empty area of the home screen to enable it.

How to remove carrier name

The notch on the Huawei P20 and P20 Pro creates a pretty crammed notification bar at the top of your display. Luckily it’s pretty easy to gain a little more space by hiding the carrier name from the notification bar. Go to Settings > Apps & notifications > Notifications & status bar and toggle off Display carrier name. 

How to disable the navigation bar

If you’re looking for a complete full-screen experience, Huawei lets you remove the Android navigation bar from your P20 or P20 Pro. There are a few options to replace it: On-screen navigation key, and the fingerprint sensor as an off-screen navigation key. With the latter, you can control your phone with the fingerprint sensor. A single tap acts as the back button, pressing and holding goes home, and a swipe to the right opens up recent apps. This option provides more screen real estate, but it will take you some time to get used to it. Head over to Settings > System > System navigation.  Choose Off-screen navigation button to use the fingerprint sensor as your primary method of navigation. If you don’t want to depend upon the fingerprint sensor, you can also select Onscreen Navigation key which creates a single navigation icon at the bottom of the screen.

How to remove the notch

Julian Chokkattu/Digital Trends

It seems like every major phone is coming with a notch in 2018 and the Huawei P20 and P20 Pro are no exceptions. If the notch isn’t your cup of tea, Huawei has created a software fix that can hide it by placing some black bars around it. you’ll need to go to Settings > Display > Notch and click Hide notch button.

How to enable App Drawer

Andy Boxall/Digital Trends

By default, you will find all of your apps on the home screens of your P20 and P20 Pro. If you’d prefer to keep things a little tidier, you can enable the App Drawer to house all of your applications. Enabling the App Drawer is simple: Go to Settings > Display > Home screen style and choose Drawer.

How to use the P20 and P20 Pro camera

The cameras on the Huawei P20 Pro are game changers. The regular P20 only has a dual-camera system, but the Pro model adds a third. Huawei has made its camera software simpler and easier to use, but there are plenty of tips and tricks you’ll need to know to master it.

How to change the camera resolution

While the Huawei P20 and P20 Pro come with a 20-megapixel and 40-megapixel main camera, respectively, Huawei set the default megapixel a bit lower for both phones. It’s because some of the camera features do not work on the highest resolution, such as 3x optical zoom, Night mode, and more. To change the megapixel count, open the Camera app and the gear icon on the upper right side. Select Resolution and choose the resolution you want.

How to enable super slow-motion video 

Super slow-motion video allows you capture Matrix-like slow-motion effects with your P20 or P20 Pro. Like the Samsung Galaxy S9 and the Sony Xperia XZ2, the P20 phones can shoot slow-motion video in 960 frames per second. Using this mode is easy on the P20. Open the Camera app and swipe the slider above the shutter button to the left until you see a More option. Tap Slow-mo and select 32x speed from the icon on to the right of the shutter button. Press the shutter button when you’re ready to film. You will have two seconds to grab your slow-motion footage.

How to use Monochrome mode

Andy Boxall/Digital Trends

While many smartphones offer a monochrome filter, Huawei is one of the only brands that has a dedicated monochrome lens tuned by experts at Leica. Using a monochrome lens, as opposed to a filter, allows you to capture stunning black and white photos with impeccable details. Whether you’re looking for a gorgeous portrait or just something a little more artistic, Monochrome mode on the Huawei P20 and P20 Pro is not to be missed. Open the Camera app and move the slider above the capture button to More. Tap the Monochrome icon. You will see a menu of different options appear, including Normal, Aperture, Portrait, and Pro. For the most part, using Normal or Portrait modes will yield the best results unless you’re an experienced photographer. Once you have selected a mode, simply click the shutter button to grab your shot.

Turn off A.I.-assisted mode

Both the Huawei P20 and P20 Pro offer an A.I.-assisted mode for the rear-facing camera. The A.I.-assisted mode can detect more than 500 different scenarios in 19 different categories and make adjustments to help you get the best photograph. While Huawei’s A.I.-assisted mode typically does a great job detecting different objects and scenarios, it does have a few hiccups. If you prefer to not to bother with the feature, it’s pretty easy to disable. Open the Camera app and tap the gear icon on the upper right side. From the Settings menu, simply toggle off the Master AI option.

How to grab a quick photo

Most phones allow you to grab a quick photo from the lock screen. The Huawei P20 and P20 Pro are no exceptions, however, the default setting is a little wonky. When you double-tap the volume down button, the phones default to taking a snapshot instead of just opening the camera. Fortunately, it’s pretty simple to change the default setting. Simply tap on the Camera app and select the gear icon. In this menu, select Ultra snapshot and change the default to Open camera. You can also swipe up from the lock screen to open the camera quickly.

P20 Pro Features

While the Huawei P20 and P20 Pro have many of the same features, there are a few goodies that are only available on the more expensive P20 Pro.

How to enable Always-On Display

Love the look of the Always-On Display you find on the Samsung Galaxy S9, Pixel 2, and scores of other Android phones? Huawei offers the exact same feature, it’s just hidden in the settings. If you want to add an Always-On Display to your Huawei P20 Pro, go to Settings > Security > Screen Lock & Passwords > Always display information. From here you’ll have the option to either schedule the display for certain times or have it stay on all day.

Enable dark mode

People have strong feelings about dark mode. While dark mode does offer some benefits like marginally longer battery life, some people just find it more aesthetically pleasing. To enable dark mode, go to Settings > Battery and toggle on Darken interface colors. You will notice most settings screens will use the dark mode, but this does not translate to third-party apps.

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Law enforcement agencies are buying GrayKey, a device to unlock iPhones

Unlocking an iPhone may no longer be the arduous task it once was for law enforcement officials. It would appear that an increasing number of U.S. law enforcement agencies are buying a cost-effective device capable of unlocking iPhones without breaking a sweat. It’s called GrayKey, and it’s a small grey box with two lightning cables that stick out like antennae.

Using the device, you can connect two iPhones simultaneously, and users are meant to keep them connected for about two minutes. While they’re not immediately unlocked upon disconnection, Malwarebytes reports that “some time later, the phones will display a black screen with the passcode, among other information.”

Exactly how long it takes to unlock the phone varies, and in Malwarebytes’ observation, it took about two hours. It can, however, take up to three days or even longer for longer passwords (up to six digits), and for passwords even longer than that, there’s no word yet in exactly how long it takes. But allegedly, this device works for disabled phones, as well as phones running iOS 11.

GrayKey comes from a company called Grayshift, an Atlanta-based company founded in 2016. As per a Forbes report, the GrayKey is meant for law enforcement officials or labs, which means that it is indeed a device designed specifically for the authorities. Once a device is unlocked, its contents are downloaded to the GrayKey, where they can be further analyzed by the powers that be either on a connected computer, or as a downloaded file. Moreover, Malwarebytes reports, “The full, unencrypted contents of the keychain are also available for download.”

So how much does this device cost? There are two options available. The first requires internet connectivity, and will set police stations back $15,000. It’s also geofenced, which means that once it’s been activated, it cannot be used on another internet network. Then, there’s a $30,000 version, which does not depend on the internet to work, and does not have a limit on the number of phones it can unlock. While this may sound expensive, authorities ultimately paid Israeli company Cellebrite $900,000 to unlock the San Bernardino shooter’s iPhone.

As per a report from Motherboard, a number of police forces — including ones in Maryland and Indiana — have already acquired or are considering acquiring a GrayKey. The U.S. State Department allegedly already has one as well, while the Secret Service and Drug Enforcement Administration are also looking into making a purchase.

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Russia bans Popular messenger app Telegram, Kremlin must use new service

prykhodov/123rf.com

Telegram has been banned in Russia. On Friday, April 13, a court issued an order banning the popular messenger service, a decision that comes a week after Russian communication watchdog Roskomnadzor filed a lawsuit to limit users’ access to the app. The showdown began to form when Telegram refused to allow Russian state security services to access user messages — one of Telegram’s defining features is its special secret chats, which make use of end-to-end encryption.

As it stands, more than 200 million users around the globe use Telegram to communicate in what is thought to be a safe and secure method. However, Russia’s FSB Federal Security service claims that it must be able to read some of these messages in order to protect the state against certain dangers, including potential terrorist attacks. Telegram, however, has refused to turn over user messages, noting that it holds user privacy in the utmost regard.

“The court decided to meet the requirements of Roskomnadzor,”  judge Yulia Smolina said, according to the TASS news agency. “The ban on access to information will be in force until the FSB’s demands are met on providing keys for decrypting user messages.”

While it is not clear yet when the ban will be enforced, the head of Roskomnadzor, Alexander Zharov, says it will go into effect. The watchdog organization has since added Telegram to its roster of banned websites, which will certainly make it easier to block.

Telegram’s founder and CEO, Pavel Durov, has already stated that the app will do what it can to make its way around the ban. However, without the use of a virtual private network, the app cannot ensure that users will be able to attain 100 percent access.

The decision is the latest in a long line of rather alarming governmental moves to stymie communication. As Pavel Chikov, a lawyer representing Telegram, said via his own Telegram channel, “[Russian officials] have demonstrated again and again that the court system is devoted to serving the interests of the authorities. They no longer even care about basic external appearances.”

Curiously enough, this ban will affect members of the Kremlin, who use Telegram to communicate themselves. But Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov does not seem terribly concerned. In a conference call on Friday, organized using — what else — Telegram, Peskov said that the team would simply adopt a new messaging service.

“Limiting access was not the goal in and of itself,” he said. “There is the legal position, which requires the provision of data to certain Russian state bodies. Meetings this condition would have allowed for a consensus. But unfortunately this consensus was not reached.”

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Yahoo Japan invests in a cryptocurrency exchange platform launching this fall

BitARG Exchange Tokyo confirmed on Friday, April 13, that it made a deal to sell stock shares to a subsidiary of Yahoo Japan. This investment will bring in Yahoo Japan’s “service operation and security expertise” to strengthen BitARG’s upcoming cryptocurrency exchange platform. Yahoo Japan now holds a 40 percent portion of the exchange while BitARG parent company CMD Laboratories will hold the remaining 60 percent.

BitARG Exchange Japan and Yahoo Japan did not provide the financial details of the deal. But an unnamed source familiar with the sale claims the transaction equaled to around 2 billion to 3 billion yen, which converts to $18.6 million to $27.9 million.

“We will enter the blockchain-related area where applications are expected in the virtual currency business,” reads a rough translation of Yahoo Japan’s statement. “In addition, by utilizing the service operation and security expertise of the Yahoo group, we support the operation of exchanges operated by BitARG Exchange Tokyo and the operation after the start. It is easy to use and safe for exchange services.”

The news arrives after BitARG executive Yoon Hee Yuan denied rumors that the exchange would sell 40 percent of its stock to Yahoo Japan to launch a new cryptocurrency exchange in the region. Yaun said at the end of March that the company was studying “various possibilities” such as investments and partnerships with other companies to strengthen the upcoming platform and its management.

BitARG plans to launch its new cryptocurrency exchange platform in the fall that will primarily deal with the Bitcoin cryptocurrency. A second investment from other Yahoo subsidiaries are expected to be made at the beginning of 2019 with a final product launching in April 2019. The cryptocurrency trading platform received its approval from Japan’s Financial Services Agency in December and is ironing out the business side before going live this fall.

BitARG Exchange Tokyo isn’t the only exchange getting a cash injection. Monex Group said last week that it purchased 100 percent of Coincheck’s shares for $34 million. According to the company, the deal will fuse Coincheck’s knowledge of blockchain technology and cryptocurrency with its knowledge of the financial industry. The investment should also help Coincheck “enhance” its internal security to better prevent hacks.

Japanese cryptocurrency exchange Coincheck saw the theft of around $530 million in NEM tokens earlier in 2018. The company admitted to a lapse in security, including a much-needed multi-signature approval component, that allowed a single hacker to transfer the virtual coins stored in Coincheck’s “hot wallet” to an external account. Hot wallets are typically connected to external networks whereas cold wallets used by most individuals are not.

According to reports, the digital coins were sent to 11 different addresses although the owner of these accounts is still unknown. Japan’s Financial Services Agency ordered the exchange to strengthen its security and management system in early March. Coincheck began issuing refunds to customers affected by the January 26 hack several days later.

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The ultra-affordable LG Fortune 2 is now available from Cricket Wireless

Looking for a decently high-quality device but don’t have a ton of cash to spend? The new LG Fortune 2 may be the phone for you. The device launched Friday, April 13, on Cricket Wireless and it offers some nice features for the affordable price of $100.

Of course, you won’t get a flagship-quality phone at $100, but the phone seems to be relatively powerful. You get 16GB of internal storage, along with a MicroSD card slot that can expand that storage by up to 32GB. We don’t know which specific processor is used in the device, but Cricket Wireless notes that it’s a 1.4GHz quad-core chip — which isn’t bad for the money you’re paying here.

Key Specs

CPU: 1.4GHz quad-core

Memory: Unknown

Storage: 16GB

MicroSD storage: 32GB

Screen size: 5 inches

Resolution: 1,280 x 720

Connectivity: Bluetooth 4.2

Battery: 2,500mAh

Size: 145 mm x 74 mm x 8 mm

Operating system: Android 7.1.2

A smartphone’s camera is becoming increasingly important. On the back of this phone, you will find an 8-megapixel camera with a flash, while on the front you get a 5-megapixel selfie camera. The 5-inch display doesn’t have a super high resolution, though for under $100 it’s not all that bad.

The main downside to this phone is that it’s only available on Cricket Wireless, and there are a few other options from the carrier that might be worth considering too. For example, Cricket also offers the ZTE Blade X Max, which also comes at $100 if you transfer your number over, and offers a 1.4GHz octa-core processor, 3,400mAh battery, 6-inch display, 13-megapixel rear-facing camera, and 5-megapixel front-facing camera. In general, the ZTE Blade X Max seems to be a better device — though not everyone will be into the larger display.

Still, that doesn’t mean that the LG Fortune 2 isn’t a good deal — just that if you want raw power, there are better options. If, however, you like the idea of a smaller device and still don’t want to pay too much cash, then the Fortune 2 is definitely a decent option.

You can get the new LG Fortune 2 for yourself by heading to Cricket Wireless. Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem as though the device is available through any other carrier at this time, though it’s likely similar devices will be.

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Scientists figure out how to monitor the brain activity of bats in midflight

Recently we wrote about a portable brain scanner that’s able to record a person’s neural activity while they’re on the go. That’s pretty impressive, but as far as on-the-move brain scanning is concerned, it may have just been one-upped by research coming out of the Johns Hopkins University. Researchers there have developed technology which lets them study what happens in the brains of bats as they fly.

The breakthrough is the culmination of a 25-year dream by Cynthia Moss, professor in Psychological and Brain Sciences and Neuroscience at Johns Hopkins. It involves using a tiny wireless brain signal recording device, weighing less than one ounce. The bat’s flight is carried out in a special “flight room,” boasting high-speed cameras and microphones for picking up the bat’s echolocation calls. By combining the bat’s brain activity, its location and the timing of its vocalizations, the team was able to determine which objects were triggering the bat’s neurons to fire and, as a result, what it was paying attention to.

John Hopkins University

“We are interested in how the external three-dimensional environment is represented in the brain and how these representations are used by the animal as it moves through space, while attending to the location of objects to guide its path,” Moss told Digital Trends. “A vast majority of research on how the brain determines the location of an object has been conducted in restrained animals, using 2D stimuli and simplified behaviors. Our work is exciting because we use an animal performing a naturalistic real-world task.”

Among the researchers’ discoveries was the fact that neurons in the brain represent the 3D locations of objects in space, and that when bats increase their attention on an object, these neural representations sharpen. This is the first time that such brain activity has been recorded in an animal as it moves through 3D space, inspecting and reacting to objects in its path.

The work isn’t just of interest to bat researchers, though. Moss said that potential applications may exist in the field of autonomous sensing. “A variety of robotic and self-guided systems take in information from the outside world, and use this information to react accordingly,” she noted. “Our research shows that the brain dynamically adjusts representations of the sensory world depend on action selection, and we believe that these results would be beneficial in the development of new autonomous regimes that adjust according to task demands.”

A paper describing the research was recently published in the journal eLife.

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Huawei MateBook X Pro vs. MacBook Pro

Bill Roberson/Digital Trends

Huawei is a major Chinese company that’s best-known in the U.S. for its smartphones. But that’s not all it makes — the company is also trying to make inroads into the PC market, with its first two efforts going after the Surface Pro with the MateBook detachable tablet and the 12-inch Apple MacBook with the MateBook X.  Huawei’s latest effort is the MateBook X Pro, a larger notebook that appears aimed mostly at the MacBook Pro 13, although the company seems to have widened its range a bit with its newest offering.

To the extent that Huawei is going after the MacBook Pro, it’s biting off a lot, of course. The MacBook Pro is a great machine with excellent build quality, great support, and of course, it’s what you’ll choose if MacOS is your platform. Today’s model has the same understated elegance as always and confirms Apple’s reputation for outstanding quality.

So, which one of these premium notebooks is worth your hard-earned money? We compared the Huawei MateBook X Pro against the MacBook Pro 13 to find out.

Specifications compared

Huawei MateBook X Pro

MacBook Pro 13

Dimensions
12 × 8.5 × 0.57 (in)
11.97 × 8.36 × 0.59 (in)

Weight
Starting at 2.93 pounds
3.02 pounds

Processor
Up to 8th-generation Intel i7
Up to 7th-generation Intel Core i7

RAM
Up to 16GB RAM
Up to 16GB RAM

Display
13.9-inch FullView display
13.3-inch IPS display

Resolution
3,000 x 2,000 or 259 PPI
2,560 × 1,600 or 227 PPI

Storage
Up to 512GB PCIe SSD
Up to 1TB PCIe SSD

Touch
Touch display
Touch Bar

Ports
1 x USB-A 3.1, 2 x USB-C (1 x Thunderbolt 3), 3.5mm combo headset
Touch Bar: 4 x USB-C (Thunderbolt 3)
Non-Touch Bar: 2 x USB-C with Thunderbolt 3
3.5mm combo headset

Webcam
720p HD
720p FaceTime HD

Operating System
Windows 10
MacOS Sierra

Battery
57.4 watt-hour
Touch Bar: 49.2 watt-hour
Non-Touch Bar: 54 watt-hour

Price
 TBD
$1,199+

Review
3.5 out of 5 stars
3 out of 5 stars

Design

Apple last updated the basic design of MacBook Pro line in late 2016, building on a mostly unchanged silver aluminum chassis with the usual Apple elegance and conservative aesthetic — albeit with smaller bezels and therefore a more modern look. Thus, the MacBook Pro still looks good in a coffeehouse or a conference room, and you’ll enjoy the typical Apple fit and finish and solid-as-a-rock build quality.

We find the MateBook X Pro to be reminiscent of the MacBook Pro, but not a direct copy. It’s an all-metal design a silver color scheme with black keys and speaker grills that are a lot like those on Apple’s notebook. But oddly enough, we found the MateBook X Pro to be even more attractive while being so similar, and although it doesn’t have quite the same solidity it’s still a well-built notebook. The MateBook X Pro’s display bezels are even smaller and more modern, and its design strikes us as more functional overall.

The notebooks are just about the same size and weight, although Huawei manages to pack in a larger display. Overall, we think these two notebooks are evenly matched even while they’re not clones of each other.

Winner: Tie

Performance

The MacBook Pro 13 is still using Intel’s seventh-generation dual-core Intel Core processors with stepped-up Iris Plus GPUs for slightly improved graphics. The MateBook X Pro, on the other hand, is built around Intel’s eighth-generation Core CPUs, which are quad-core models and therefore much faster at multitasking while also managing to sip power for more mundane tasks. Just as important, Huawei has opted for a discrete GPU, the entry-level but still capable Nvidia GeForce MX150 that promises significantly faster graphical performance.

When it comes to storage, both notebooks utilize very fast PCIe NVME solid-state drives (SSDs) that provide great performance when reading and writing information. They both deliver in benchmark tests, and you won’t find any slowdown with either notebook when working with large files and demanding database applications.

Huawei has faster graphics and a CPU with significantly better performance. It wins this round handily.

Winner: Huawei MateBook X Pro

Keyboard, Mouse, and Pen

The MacBook Pro 13’s butterfly keyboard design, created to fit into the thinnest possible chassis, tends to evoke either love or hate from most users. Compared to past MacBook keyboards, which were considered the ultimate in typing perfection, today’s version is very clicky (and loud) but it also has extremely short travel. The touchpad, on the other hand, is among the largest you’ll find on notebooks today and it probably remains the most responsive touchpad around.

Of course, there are two versions of the MacBook Pro 13, one with the OLED Touch Bar strip along the top of the keyboard and that adds in task-specific touch input and one without it. The Touch Bar version also adds a Touch ID fingerprint scanner for logging in without a password.

The MateBook X Pro’s keyboard is much more like the old-school MacBook Pro’s, with plenty of key travel and a comfortable feel, although we did find its bottoming action to be a bit vague. Nevertheless, if you’re in the “I hate that typing-on-wood feeling” camp regarding Apple’s latest keyboard, then you’ll find Huawei’s version a better fit. The notebook’s touchpad is also very good, with a surface area that’s almost as large as the MacBook’s and with strong Microsoft Precision touchpad support and Windows 10 gestures. Finally, a fingerprint embedded conveniently in the power button provides Windows 10 Hello password-less login support.

If Huawei intended to evoke fond memories of how great MacBook keyboards used to be, then it’s mostly succeeded. It wins this round. Oh, and we’ll add that the choice to embed the webcam into the keyboard and make it easy to physically hide from prying eyes is an interesting one, although it does result in an up-the-nose videoconferencing perspective. The MacBook Pro has the better webcam and touchpad, while we prefer the MateBook X Pro’s keyboard.

Winner: Tie

Bill Roberson/Digital Trends

Connectivity

Apple’s latest MacBook Pros don’t even pretend to support legacy peripherals without needing to purchase and plug in a dongle. The MacBook Pro 13 offers only USB-C ports with Thunderbolt 3 support, with four of them on the Touch Bar version and two the version without the Touch Bar. Then there’s a 3.5mm combo audio port to go with the usual 802.11ac Wi-Fi and Bluetooth radios.

The MateBook X Pro is a little more connected, with a single USB-A 3.1 port for legacy devices, a USB-C 3.1 port, and a USB-C with Thunderbolt 3 support. Add in a 3.5mm headset jack, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth, and that’s your connectivity configuration.

We like the fact that we can connect a USB-A device without a dongle to the MateBook X Pro, and we also like that there’s at least one Thunderbolt 3 port. Huawei wins this round as well.

Winner: Huawei MateBook X Pro

Display

Simply put, Apple’s MacBook Pro has one of the best displays around. It’s a 13.3-inch display with a 2,560 x 1,600 resolution (227 PPI) that’s also bright, offers up a wide color gamut with superior accuracy, and has strong contrast. While it’s not a 4K display, it’s very sharp and is an excellent panel in particular for photo editors.

Huawei went in an interesting direction with the MateBook X Pro, building in a 3,000 x 2,000 display that’s in the same productivity-friendly 3:2 aspect ratio as Microsoft’s Surface line. In fact, it’s the same resolution as the Surface Book 2 13.5-inch version, although it’s a bit larger at 13.9 inches. It’s also just as incredibly bright as the MacBook Pro 13’s display and it has even better contrast. It doesn’t match the MacBook’s color gamut or accuracy, however.

It’s tough to call a winner in this category. If you edit photos for a living, then you’ll appreciate the great colors on the MacBook Pro 13. But if you do productivity work, then the MateBook X Pro’s higher resolution and 3:2 aspect will win you over. Ultimately, we give the nod to Huawei for providing a high-quality display that’s ultimately more useful to more people.

Winner: Huawei MateBook X Pro

Portability and Battery Life

The MacBook Pro 13 and the MateBook X Pro are almost the same size. Only fractions of an inch and a few ounces separate them, in spite of the MateBook X Pro building in a larger display. That makes them both equally easy to toss into a backpack and carry around.

However, Apple decreased battery life in its redesign, in an effort to make the machine even thinner. The Touch Bar version, in spite of adding in its powered OLED strip, actually has the smallest battery capacity at 49.2 watt-hours. The non-Touch Bar version enjoys more, at 54 watt-hours. Unsurprisingly, the MacBook Pro 13’s battery life is good but no longer dominates as it once did.

The MateBook X Pro has slightly more battery capacity, at 57.4 watt-hours, while enjoying a more efficient CPU. We don’t run all of the same tests on MacOS as we do on Windows, and so our benchmarks are hard to compare. The one common test, looping a local video, just slightly favors the MateBook X Pro, while the Huawei competes fairly well against other Windows notebooks.

Both notebooks will last most of a full working day, and they’re almost identical sizes. This category is a tie.

Winner: Tie

Availability and Price

The MacBook Pro 13 is undoubtedly a premium machine. The Touch Bar version starts at $1,800 and comes with a Core i5 processor, 8GB of RAM, and a 256GB SSD. Pricing goes all the way up to $2,900, which nets you a Core i7 processor, 16GB of RAM, and a 1TB SSD. The non-Touch Bar version is a less expensive option (and the one we prefer), starting at $1,300 for a Core i5, 8GB of RAM, and a 128GB SSD.

We don’t yet have confirmed pricing on the MateBook X Pro, as it hasn’t yet been officially released in the U.S. If we look at European pricing, though, and extrapolate to dollars, then the MateBook X Pro should start out at around $1,850 and top out at $2,090.

If the MateBook X Pro’s pricing ends up where we expect, then it will be significantly less expensive at the high end than the MacBook Pro 13 while starting out at more of a premium. However, Huawei’s notebook isn’t yet available in the U.S., and so it’s essentially disqualified.

Winner: Apple MacBook Pro 13

Huawei’s MateBook X Pro brings more power and better input options

Bill Roberson/Digital Trends

One day soon, Apple should introduce a revamped MacBook Pro 13 with eighth-generation Intel processors and hopefully some other upgrades that will make it a more competitive option. As it stands, though, it suffers when competing with today’s best Windows notebooks.

The MateBook X Pro is an example of just such a machine. It’s faster, offers a better keyboard, is more productivity-friendly, and last as long on a charge. There’s not a ton of room separating these two notebooks, but overall Huawei takes the win.

Editors’ Recommendations

• Huawei MateBook X Pro review
• Huawei MateBook X Pro vs. Dell XPS 13
• MacBook Air vs. MacBook Pro 13 (non-Touch Bar)
• Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon vs. Apple MacBook Pro 13
• Dell XPS 13 vs. MacBook Pro 13

Grosser than ever, hot-air hand dryers spread fecal matter throughout buildings

Getty Images/Roberto Pangiarella

Think twice about using restroom hot-air hand dryers. The high-force air flow through dryer nozzles spreads all sorts of nasty particles, including tiny bits of poop light enough to travel in the air.

But the grossness doesn’t stop at your hands. In a study published in Applied and Environmental Microbiology, Connecticut researchers found bacteria dispersed by hot-air dryers spread throughout buildings.

The researchers tested bacteria dispersion in 36 University of Connecticut School of Medicine bathrooms. Rather than feces flakes, the scientists searched for a harmless, lab-engineered bacteria called PS533. At the UConn school, spores of this strain of Bacillus subtilis are produced in a single basic science research lab.

University of Connecticut professor Peter Setlow, one of the study authors, told Newsweek the spores probably spread through the air. The research team found PS533 spores in all 36 bathrooms.

When the researchers installed high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filters to hand dryers, the collected spore amounts were reduced by 75 percent, but 25 percent still circulated.

The implications of the UConn research, not the first to call out hand dryer feces flow, are that surfaces in whole buildings can be contaminated by airborne matter, especially when pushed by high-force hand drying appliances.

It’s understandable forced-air hand dryers are used in public restrooms in the same room as toilets, adjacent to sinks. Employees at restaurants in many states are required by law to wash and dry their hands every time they use the restroom and before returning to food preparation or serving areas.

“Bacteria in bathrooms will come from feces, which can be aerosolized a bit when toilets, especially lidless toilets, are flushed,” Setlow told Newsweek. He added that microbes shed from the skin of the many people who travel in and out of public restrooms add to the contaminant mess in the air.

It doesn’t seem logical to position sinks and hand dryers outside bathrooms, perhaps in a separate room with a different ventilation system. Removing washup areas away from rooms with toilets could be a good idea, although it wouldn’t solve the whole problem.

The problem of bacteria air-dispersion lacks simple answers, but the University of Connecticut has taken a logical step: The UConn School of Medicine installed paper towel dispensers in the all of the bathrooms in the study.

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