Motiv’s activity tracking ring now works with Android and Alexa

Motiv is making good on promises of widening support for its fitness tracking ring. To start, Android support is finally here in an early form. If you have one of a handful of phones (one of the Google Pixel series, the Galaxy S7 through S8+ and the Galaxy Note 5), you can download a beta version of Motiv’s Android app to measure your activity with a relatively unintrusive band. The app should have more robust features by the end of the first half of 2018, but this will give you a taste if you want to try the Motiv Ring as soon as possible.

There’s Alexa support, too. Activate the Motiv skill and you can ask about your heart rate and data syncing without having to lift a finger (ring or otherwise). Updates throughout 2018 should let you ask about sleep duration and other vital stats.

On top of all this, Motiv is making it easier to actually buy its signature device. You can now snap up the $199 ring through Amazon Marketplace, for one. And crucially, it now has a retail presence: visit a b8ta store in the US and you can get fitted for the Ring the same day you take it home. While that’s not as accessible as a big-box retailer, it should eliminate the interval between fitting and shipping that might have kept you from purchasing the tracker in the past.

Source: Google Play, Amazon

Origin’s EVO15-S packs a lot of gaming power into a 4.3-pound laptop

With Intel’s release of new Core-i7 and i9 chips for portable PCs, a lot of interesting new lightweight gaming laptops are hitting the market. Origin, for one, just launched the EVO15-S and business-oriented NT-15 laptops that fit pretty incredible specs into a small size. They both pack NVIDIA GTX 1070 Max-Q graphics, up to 32GB of RAM, and Intel’s six-core i7-8750H processor into a 4.3 pound, one-inch thick package, which should please gamers and video editors alike.

The new machines also come with either a 15.6-inch 144Hz 1080P or a 4K 3,840 x 2,160 display, depending on whether you want accurate graphics or gaming performance. You can also get up to 2TB of M.2 SSD and 4TB of HDD storage, two USB Type C 3.1 ports, and a 6-in-1 card reader (no Thunderbolt, apparently, though). There’s no word on pricing yet, but the current EVO-15S starts at around $2,000 with NVIDIA GTX 1070 Max-Q graphics.

Mozilla is making a ‘mixed reality’ version of Firefox

Virtual and augmented reality hasn’t taken off the way some people had hoped. Still, it’s a growing market that Mozilla wants to support with a bespoke version of Firefox. The new browser, called Firefox Reality, will work on a variety of VR, AR and so-called “mixed reality” hardware. There’s no word on a release date, though, or what the experience will look like. Mozilla has given a few clues, however; it will be open-source, for instance, and truly cross platform, unlike some of its rivals. It should also be fast, like Firefox Quantum, and offer better protection than native apps.

The regular version of Firefox already supports WebVR, an experimental Javascript API for high-end VR headsets including the HTC Vive and Oculus Rift. Firefox Reality will be quite different, however. The organisation is rethinking how users should type, communicate, and flip between web pages that contain 2D and 3D content. In addition, the team is looking at voice recognition, connected devices, and heady questions such as “who controls the web”” and “who controls what you see?” Sean White, Mozilla’s chief R&D officer said: “Everything is new again, and we are constantly building and experimenting to find the right answers.”

Snapchat Announces Group Video Chat for Up to 16 People and @ Mentions in Stories

Snapchat today announced that users on iOS and Android will soon be able to begin group video chats with up to 16 friends at once. The feature’s addition comes about two years after Snapchat first introduced video and voice chat in spring 2016.

To start a group video chat, users will need to enter an existing group chat — or create a new one — and then tap the video icon. This will notify every group member that the other people in the chat are joining in on a group video call, and as they join their name bubble will light up above the keyboard to confirm they’re on the call.

For bigger groups, Snapchat said that up to 32 people will be able to join a group voice chat, but video chat will be capped at 16 members. If someone wants to join the video call but doesn’t want to use their camera, they’ll be able to choose a chat entry option that only uses their voice, and toggle between video and voice when they’re ready. For those using the camera, Snapchat’s usual face lenses will be available for members to use as they chat with friends and family members.

In addition to group video chat, Snapchat revealed that stories will be getting the ability to add in @ mentions in the new update. This way, users can tag friends in any snap they add to their story and then viewers looking at the story will be able to swipe up to watch the tagged friend’s public story and see an option to add them as a friend. Users will get notified in chat when someone tags them in a story.

The new features will begin rolling out to all Snapchat users worldwide over the next few weeks.

Tag: Snapchat
Discuss this article in our forums

Sixth-Generation iPad Teardown Details ‘Repair Nightmare’ for Education-Focused Tablet

iFixit today published its teardown of Apple’s sixth-generation, education-focused iPad and found that — unsurprisingly — the tablet shares many of the internals of the fifth-gen iPad. The teardown crew also looked at the new iPad’s potential for durability and repairability in an education environment by comparing it to competitors in the field.

Images via iFixit
The new iPad’s lack of waterproofing, non-replaceable charging port, zero upgradeability, and use of glue throughout the internals added up to a “repair nightmare.” iFixit then pointed towards the HP Elite x2 1012 G1 tablet, which got a perfect repairability score of 10 out of 10, summarizing that “Apple’s ‘education’ iPad is still a case of won’t — not can’t.”

Looking into the iPad’s internals, the two major updates in the new tablet are an upgraded A10 processor and Broadcom chips for Apple Pencil support. iFixit got a peek inside the iPad using Creative Electron’s X-ray imaging software, discovering “only minor differences” when compared to a similar X-ray of the previous iPad.

One of the iPad’s advantages in terms of repairability comes in the form of its digitizer panel easily separating from the display. iFixit pointed out that in the event that either component should break, repair will be easier for schools and educators.

In the education space, Apple has some stiff competition in the form of low-cost, Google-powered laptops. How does this iPad, er, stack up against a Chromebook from HP or Asus? Given that schoolkids can be a bit rough on their electronics, here’s an iFixit take on it:

iPad’s glued-glass display is more vulnerable to drops. Thankfully, this is the one iPad that retains an air-gapped digitizer panel—not as visually impressive as other recent iPads, but it’s much cheaper to replace cracked glass that isn’t LOCA-bonded to the display panel underneath. Separate accessories like the keyboard and Pencil add to the cost and are easier to lose—but are also easier to replace if damaged. (Note the missing key on our HP’s keyboard.)

Eventually, iFixit got down to the logic board and discovered the iPad’s A10 Fusion processor and two Broadcom touch screen controller chips, previously found in the 10.5-inch and 12.9-inch iPad Pro models. iFixit theorized that the new iPad’s Apple Pencil support “comes in part thanks to this “Pro”-grade chip.”

The sixth-gen iPad has the same battery as the previous model, with 32.9 Wh capacity. Although iFixit noted that this allows Apple to reuse existing manufacturing lines to reduce waste, the battery is still locked behind a “repair-impeding adhesive” that greatly reduced the iPad’s repairability score. iFixit pointed out that Apple has provided easy battery removal before, in the 12.9-inch iPad Pro, but it hasn’t seen anything like it since.

Ultimately, iFixit gave the 2018 iPad a repairability score of 2 out of 10, favoring the fairly easy repair options of its air-gapped, non-fused display and digitizer glass, but taking marks off for its heavy use of adhesive and sticky tape. To read the full teardown, visit iFixit.com.

Related Roundup: iPadTag: iFixitBuyer’s Guide: iPad (Buy Now)
Discuss this article in our forums

36 teams are joining the ‘Clash Royale’ eSports league

Today, mobile game company Supercell announced that teams from 36 organizations from around the world will be added to the hit (and very, very lucrative) title Clash Royale’s eSports league. The biggest names in competitive gaming will field squads, including Cloud9, Team SoloMid, Immortals, NRG, Complexity, Team Dignitas and Counter Logic Gaming.

If you haven’t heard of the game, chances are one of your gaming friends has — after all, over 27 million players from around the world competed in the title’s open-to-all Crown Championship last August to qualify for the 16-person finals in December. For this year’s league expansion, Supercell again opened up to the public, and an in-game event drew 25 million players to qualify for teams.

Teams will fill region-specific slots, with Cloud9, Team SoloMid and the other American organizations making up the eight North American teams. (FNATIC, Misfits and Team Liquid are among the Europeans joining, while EDG.M, GO, JDG will represent mainland China and CJ OGN, Sandbox, Kingzone will play for the general Asia division.)They’ll have to field players from the aforementioned League Challenge, and teams will compete for a $1 million prize later this year.

The teams in China’s division have already started their initial Spring season, which runs from March 23rd to June 3rd. Later in the year, squads in the Asia region will play from April 27th to July 14th. Other divisions (including Latin America, which doesn’t have a list of participating organizations yet) will compete in fall for a winter 2018 global championship.

Reddit’s first redesign in years is a major one

Reddit has looked pretty much the same these past years, barely changing from the time it first introduced subreddits in 2008. Now, it’s finally rolling out its first major redesign in a long time — it’s now available to one percent of the website’s population and will make its way to more people in the coming months. The social network has been working on a redesign over the past year, making sure not to stray too far from what it currently looks like, while making things much easier to use and navigate.

According to Wired, two people from the team Reddit formed for the project surveyed random people at San Francisco’s Union Square. The two researchers asked them whether they understand how the website works and found that while most people “get” the concept behind Reddit, they can’t figure out how to use it or what to use it for. Clearly, that’s something they should fix for Reddit to truly become “the front page of the internet.”

In the end, the team came up with three views you can choose from: the Card layout pictured above puts each post in its own card à la Facebook, while the Classic layout looks similar to the current Reddit with a few pleasant design tweaks. Finally, the Compact view squashes posts closer together, so you can scroll through them more quickly.

You can switch between the three views by toggling your choice on using the new buttons underneath the menu near the top of the page. When you click a post, it’ll now open in a lightbox without taking you away from the page you’re on. You’ll also get new fonts, clearer distinction between external links and links to other Reddit posts, a more prominent button for creating new posts (which takes you to a content interface where you can choose whether to submit a text, an image or a link post), as well as a new version of Reddit mascot Snoo.

Ben Rush, the redesign team’s user interface design lead, told Wired that they’re “making [Reddit] simpler and more efficient, making it more accessible, but not altering the scaffolding.” But since the company knows that redesigns could be poorly received — looking at you, Snapchat — you can still use the old interface even if the new one comes your way.

Classic redesign:

Compact redesign:

Source: Reddit, Wired

Dell’s spring lineup is filled with all-in-ones and gaming PCs

Dell’s spring PC lineup is focused on all in one machines, as well as a refresh of its Inspiron gaming laptops, now known as the Dell G Series. And of course, there are also a few Alienware laptop upgrades coming too. The company’s latest batch of all in ones might be compelling enough to tempt away people who are used to a traditional desktop and monitor setup. And gamers will probably appreciate having a wider variety of inexpensive machines to choose from.

The new Inspiron 24 5000 all-in-one features a 23.8-inch 1080p screen, while the Inspiron 27 7000 has 1080p and 4K options for its 27-inch display. The latter model also features HDR support on its higher end screens, but it’s not nearly as bright as an HDR TV. Both computers build on Dell’s XPS laptop aesthetic, with simple lines, metallic cases and near bezel-less screens.

They’re powered by 8th generation Intel Core processors, as you’d expect, and up to 32GB of RAM. You can also upgrade their graphics with NVIDIA GTX 1050 GPUs, which is powerful enough to play most modern games in 1080p. The new AiOs also feature pop-up webcams, which can be hidden for privacy easily. That’s a far better solution than putting the cameras below the displays, like with Dell’s last models. You can snag the Inspiron 24 5000 AiO today starting at $850, while the 27 7000 AiO will run you at least $1,000 when it launches in late May.

As for the new Dell G family, they’re an evolution of the popular Inspiron 7000 Gaming series, which packed in a decent amount of power at a relatively low cost. The G branding just differentiates these new machines from the rest of the company’s mainstream lineup. They’re not exactly flashy, yet they’re sharp enough to distinguish themselves from a standard Inspiron.

Dell G gaming laptops

Devindra Hardawar/Engadget

The Dell G3 15 and 17 are its entry-level 15-inch and 17-inch models, featuring 8th Gen intel processors and NVIDIA’s GTX 1060 Max-Q GPU. They’re limited to 1080p screens, but they also have the advantage of being the slimmest of the new lineup. If you’re looking for a bit more power, there’s the G5 15, which supports up to quad and eight-core Intel i7 processors. Rounding things out is the G7 15, which fits in Intel’s new Core i9 quad-core and six-core CPUs. It’s one of the first laptops to support that processor, and it should be a compelling option for gamers who plan to stream and edit media.

While both the G5 and G7 are also powered by NVIDIA’s GTX 1060 Max-Q, they have more elaborate cooling than the lower end models. That should be helpful for lengthy gaming sessions — you don’t want your machine overheating in the middle of a Twitch stream, after all. You can also opt for 4K displays on the G5 and G7, and they feature HDMI 2.0 for putting that 4K feed on a bigger screen.

Just like Dell’s last budget gaming laptop, these new models don’t break the bank. The G3 15 starts at $749, while the G3 17 and G5 will go for $799. The higher-end G7 15 is just a bit more, at $849.

Dell hasn’t forgotten about its Alienware series either. The new Alienware 15 and 17 can be configured with Core i9 K series CPUs, which are unlocked for overclocking. And, as you’d expect, you can opt for the most powerful graphics options around, like an overclocked NVIDIA GTX 1080 GPU. They also come in 1080p and 4K options, and you can also spring for NVIDIA’s G SYNC technology, which smooths out gameplay. The Alienware 15 starts at $1,400, while the 17 goes for $1,550. All of the gaming machines are available today, but more configurations are coming on April 16th.

While there’s no real standout, these announcements show that Dell is doubling down on increasingly popular markets. All-in-ones are more compelling now, since traditional desktops are all but dead. And with the rise of more powerful, but portable hardware, gaming laptops have never been more tempting.

Facebook Messenger works with 360-degree photos and HD videos

A few months after giving you a way to send 4K images on Messenger, Facebook has rolled out the ability to blast your friends with 360-degree photos and HD videos. Maybe you’d rather share whatever you take to a few people through the messaging app rather than posting it on Facebook. Or maybe you just want to to make sure friends who don’t frequent the social network are updated on what you’re up to. Whatever the reason is, you can send people panoramic photos and 720p videos like you would any other media.

Just take a panorama using your phone’s Camera app or another third-party app of your choice and send it like you’d usually send a normal photo from the app itself or from your gallery. Same goes for 720p videos, except you can also send them straight from your News Feed or from another Messenger conversation. The recipients will know they’re no ordinary media by the compass icon that appears next to panoramic photos and the HD and SD marker that shows up next to high-quality videos. They can view a 360-degree image by dragging it around on the screen or by moving their phones. As for the videos, recipients can use the marker to lower their quality in full screen mode in case they want to save mobile data or if their connection’s pretty bad.

You can send and receive 360-degree photos in Messenger wherever you are in the world and whether you’re on iOS or Android. However, you’ll only get the ability to send and receive HD videos if you’re in Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Hong Kong, Japan, Netherlands, Norway, Romania, Singapore, South Korea, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, the UK and the US.

Source: Facebook

Apple Working With TSMC to Develop MicroLED Panels for Future Apple Watch and Augmented Reality Wearable Device

Apple has plans in place to develop MicroLED panels for both small-size and large-size devices, with Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) providing support for producing smaller form factor applications, which could include future Apple Watch models and AR wearables, according to DigiTimes senior analyst Luke Lin.

Apple is working with TSMC to develop micro LED panels on silicon-based backplanes for use in the Apple Watch and an augmented reality (AR) wearable device, Lin noted.

MicroLED panels use different light-emitting compounds than the current OLED displays and should help to make future devices slimmer, brighter, and less power-hungry. Citing sources in the upstream supply chain, Lin claims Apple is preparing two sizes of MicroLED panel for small devices. They are said to include a 1.3 to 1.4-inch panel for future Apple Watch iterations and a 0.7 to 0.8-inch panel for an AR wearable device, potentially AR glasses.

Lin also believes Apple is working on developing large-size MicroLED panels on TFT-based backplates for use in products much larger than those in its current MacBook lineup, although he offered no specifics on what they might be.

Based on Lin’s sources, the MicroLED panel destined for a future Apple Watch may enter mass production in the second half on 2018 or in 2019, which would suggest its use in Series 4 or 5 models. The large-size panel could see production in 2019 or later, while the panel for the AR device is yet to have a production schedule, according to the analyst.

The cost of the new MicroLED panels are said to be 400-600 percent higher than OLED panels used in the current Apple Watch. As such, Lin believes Apple will initially only use the MicroLED panel in future “top-of-the-line” versions of Apple Watch, although whether that refers specifically to iterations of the Apple Watch Edition remains unclear.

Apple is understood to own a manufacturing facility in Santa Clara, California, where it is designing and producing test samples of its own MicroLED displays, with a view to eventually replacing largely Samsung-made OLED displays currently used across its product range.

Apple’s interest in the technology was revealed in its acquisition of MicroLED firm LuxVue back in 2014 and previous reports have also claimed Apple will introduce MicroLED technology in the Apple Watch first, with some rumors pointing to that happening as soon as this year.

However, Bloomberg believes that it will likely be a few years before Apple’s MicroLED displays will appear in shipping products – perhaps two years for the Apple Watch and three to five years for the iPhone.

Related Roundups: Apple Watch, watchOS 4, Apple VR ProjectTag: digitimes.comBuyer’s Guide: Apple Watch (Neutral)
Discuss this article in our forums