We tried some of the RED Hydrogen One’s crazy tech: Here’s what you need to know

Christian de Looper/Digital Trends

RED, known for its high-end cinema cameras, is venturing into the smartphone business. The Red Hydrogen One is a phone that has been shrouded in mystery ever since the company announced it late last year, but we had an opportunity to learn just a little more about the device at RED’s headquarters in Los Angeles.

The company is still not giving much away — even while we held it in our hands. We know some specifications, such as how its 5.7-inch screen has a 2,560 x 1,440 pixel resolution. It also runs Android, there’s a dual-sensor camera on the front and the back, and it’s powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 835 (yes, the flagship chip for 2017), as well as a 4,500mAh battery. It’s built for immersion, as the Hydrogen One’s display is aimed at delivering a 3D experience without the need for 3D glasses; and the phone can process audio to be much more spacial.

The holographic display

The RED Hydrogen One is a beast of a phone. Even with a relatively standard display size of 5.7 inches, it’s thick and heavy. That’s not to say it’s too unwieldy — there are textured grooves on the side that make it easy to hold, while also adding a unique look to the phone. With a large camera module and grey-and-red color scheme, this phone looks different from anything else on the market.

We initially thought the most important part of the RED Hydrogen One would be its camera, considering RED is a camera company. From the brief experiences we’ve had (and considering RED hasn’t really shown us the camera yet), the highlight is the display. The phone uses nanotechnology between the LCD and the back-light to create a 3-dimensional (3D) effect. It reminded us of the display on Nintendo’s 3DS, but images and videos from the so-called “4V” display really did pop off the screen — even at different distances.

The RED Hydrogen One’s display is neat, but it’s not a Star Wars-style hologram.

It’s important to temper expectations. The RED Hydrogen One’s display is neat, but it’s not a Star Wars-style hologram. It does pop out, but you can’t place the phone horizontally and watch images expand off the display.

There are some other major caveats to using it too. The content has to actually support the display — and therein lies one of RED’s biggest hurdles. To overcome this, RED is launching a content platform, where people will be able to download movies and TV shows. The company has also developed technology to convert 2D content into 3D content, but perhaps unsurprisingly, RED representatives said content filmed with the camera on the phone or Red’s upcoming professional dual-lens cinema camera will look better on the screen thanks to the stereoscopic data.

When content isn’t 3D, the display can still be used in normal 2D mode, just like any other phone. The demos we saw were very impressive, but they were also controlled. The jury’s out on whether or not the technology will end up working in the real world with a range of movies and TV shows that people might want to spend their time watching. RED is working on nailing down deals with major movie studios, but whether or not that materializes remains to be seen.

Immersive audio

Visual immersion is only a part of the equation. Another piece of the puzzle is audio, and RED’s tackling that too on the Hydrogen One.

Audio from the Hydrogen One sounds close to reality with headphones on — as in if we closed our eyes, we felt as though we were transported to the scenes in the demo videos. It’s all thanks to a lot of 3D audio processing, which enables spatial sound. While it sounds very good, it’s not technologically groundbreaking. We found it similar to listening to Dolby Atmos-supported devices.

Even with ear buds, you can check out experiences like this to get a good idea of what Red is going for. In fact, one of the major demos involved a hair salon, and while we can’t say for sure if this is the same audio, it’s at least very similar.

While the audio may not be groundbreaking, paired with the 3D display, it truly does improve the level of immersion for what you’re watching.

What don’t we know?

The real take-away from our visit to RED’s headquarters is that there’s a whole lot we don’t know. There’s still a lot we haven’t seen with the display and audio, let alone with the rest of the phone. The Hydrogen One is modular, but we don’t know what it’s meant for or how it changes the phone. We could definitely see it playing into RED’s professional equipment.

We also don’t know much about the Hydrogen One’s camera, which we assume will be the main area of focus for the phone. The phone is built to work with other RED products thanks to its modularity. The word “modularity” has been a bit hit-and-miss in the smartphone world — but in specific use-cases, like the ability to use the phone as a display on RED’s professional equipment, and the ability to use professional lenses with the phone, we suspect it could help pave the way for better smartphone photography. According to a report from The Verge, the one of the first modules will be a large camera sensor that will allow the user to attach lenses from Fuji, Canon, Nikon, Leica, and so on.

Skepticism

The RED Hydrogen One sits somewhere in between $1,200 to $1,500. Yes, it’s expensive, but this is clearly an early-adopter phone with experimental technology. Even though it will strangely be sold on AT&T and Verizon, this phone isn’t meant to be a phone for the average consumer — at least, not yet. Instead, this is a phone for those firmly in the RED ecosystem — those who have RED gear, and want to be able to use their phone with it.

Like virtual reality headsets, it’s clear the Hydrogen One is going to run into the same problem: Content. The phone needs to launch with a large library of movies and TV shows to watch with the holographic display.

We’ll keep an eye out for more things RED as we get closer to the Hydrogen One’s launch date this summer.

Editors’ Recommendations

• AT&T and Verizon to sell the mysterious Red Hydrogen One phone this summer
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• DT Daily: RED’s Holographic Smartphone Coming This Summer

Get the training required to pass the CompTIA Security+ exam for just $59!

When it comes to data security, CompTIA is the golden standard of certification. If you’re interested in a career in data security, you’ll need to pass the Security+ (SY0-501) exam

The problem here is that the training covers a broad range of topics and the courses required are usually not cheap. Right now, however, Android Central Digital Offers has a deal on the 2018 CompTIA Security Certification Training Bundle, you’ll pay just $59. That’s 98 percent off the regular price!

This training bundle contains 14 courses with over 140 hours of content included, which covers everything from everything you need to know to pass the various IT certification exams.

If you’re interested in becoming a certified data security specialist, this is the course you need. Don’t wait too long — this price is only here for a limited time.

See at Android Central Digital Offers

HMD Global, the company behind Nokia phones, just raised $100 million

Around 70 million Nokia handsets were sold in 2017.

Last year, a company by the name of HMD Global revived the Nokia brand and started releasing a heap of Android and feature phones under the iconic name. 2017 proved to be rather successful for HMD, and to ensure things stay that way, the company recently raised an additional $100 million in funding.

According to Reuters, new investors include FIH Mobile (a subsidiary of Foxconn) and DMJ Asia Investment Opportunity. Jean-Francois Baril, a former Senior Vice President at Nokia, lead this latest round of funding.

HMD Global sold around 70 million Nokia phones in 2017, resulting in total sales of $2.1 billion.

Per HMD Global CEO Florian Seiche —

Our aim is to be one of the leading players in the global smartphone market, and our initial success strengthens our confidence that we can continue on our growth path in 2018 and beyond.

Nokia’s already announced a heap of phones for this year, with some of the highlights being the Nokia X6, Nokia 7 Plus, and the alluring Nokia 8 Sirocco. HMD’s been using the Nokia brand to do exciting things in the Android space, and I can’t wait to see where it goes next.

Nokia 1 review: Android Go has a lot of potential

Google Keep vs. Google Tasks: Two productivity extremes

Google has two to-do apps in its arsenal, and the difference between them is clear.

Google believes in giving its users choice, which may be part of why it has two email clients, four reminder systems, an ever-growing number of chat apps, and now two music subscription services. Google has two to-do services — Google Keep and the newly-revived Google Tasks — with two remarkably different feature sets and integrations. If you’re wondering which one you should trust to keep you on task, the choice is pretty easy.

Google Tasks takes minimalism to the limit

Google Tasks was given a shiny new look as part of the recent Gmail redesign, but unfortunately wasn’t give any new features apart from the publishing of a standalone app for Android and iOS. You can make tasks add descriptions, subtasks, and a due date, but you can’t add a due time to a due date. You have to date every subtask in a task to the same date to have them stick together when sorted by date, and you can’t give anything a priority.

You can make separate lists in Google Tasks, but you can’t view tasks from all lists in one master list view. You can’t archive tasks to get them out of the way; you can send them to the trash or you can keep them in the Completed section at the bottom of the list. Oh, and you can only access the Trash folder of Google Tasks by going to the original Google Tasks site, which has not received the shiny new look the Gmail panel and app are sporting, making it look very 2003.

Google Keep has everything but the kitchen sink

Google Keep, by comparison, looks the same on just about every platform it’s available on, from its website to its mobile app to Wear OS to Google Docs, where you can summon a Google Keep toolbar on the right side of the Docs editor and even drag and drop Google Keep notes into your document. The only place Google Keep is a little different is in the newly redesigned Gmail, where Keep notes have more softly rounded corners, the same font as Gmail, and an extremely simplified creation/editing interface.

Where Google Tasks has very few options and features, Google Keep has just about everything but the kitchen sink. You can give your notes one of 12 colors, you can label your cards using hashtags, and you can have simple text notes, list notes, doodles, image notes, and even voice notes on the mobile app. You can add people to notes in Google Keep, such as adding your significant other to your grocery list or adding your classmates to an outline for your midterm project.

You can clone notes in Google Keep or copy them to Google Docs when you’re close to the 19,999 character limit on an individual note — line breaks and list items count towards that limit, by the way. You can set a location-based reminder to a card or a time/date reminder to a card, and reminders can be recurring, so my end-of-shift checklist pops up as a reminder on my phone and my watch 15 minutes before I clock out every day.

You can archive cards that you’ve finished so they’re out of the way, but still accessible and searchable if you need to dig them back up later. You can filter notes by color, date, note type, labels and of course using the search bar at the top of Google Keep. You can also pin important notes to the top of your Google Keep feed, where they will sit above all the other notes you take.

The winner is clear — for now

Google Tasks looks shiny and new with its new app and Gmail refresh, but it’s just too bare bones compared to Google Keep. Google Keep may have a lot of bells and whistles, but it’s also got more robust reminders to keep you on-task, and it allows you to do more than just jot down a goal. Google Keep is a fantastic brainstorming and planning tool; one that I use almost every day, be it for organizing my thoughts for an article, building my grocery list, or whatever else I need it to do.

At the same time, Google Tasks is just getting started, and it’s likely Google will add features to it quickly, as it did for Keep when it debuted a few years ago.

In the meantime, let us know which you prefer — ultra-minimal or the kitchen sink?

Read more: Everything you need to know about Google Keep

How to reclaim phone storage with Google Photos’ Free Up Space feature

Google Photos has a great way to get back some of your phone’s storage!

The best feature of Google Photos is the hassle free backups: all your photos and videos are automatically up to the cloud, so you won’t lose your favorite memories. If you’re moving to a new phone, all of your old photos are available just by signing in.

A side effect of this is it means your photos and videos don’t need to take up space on your phone. 256GB phones are a thing, but you can save a good bit of money by getting phones with less storage. Videos — especially 4K videos — can fill up your phone fast, so if you can offload them to the cloud you’ll keep your phone from filling up.

Here’s how to free up space in Google Photos!

Open the Google Photos app.
Tap the three-line icon in the upper left corner.
Tap Free up space.
You’ll see a summary of how much space can be freed from your phone. When you’re ready, tap Free up X MB.

This will remove photos and videos from your phone if they have already been backed up to Google Drive. Everything that hasn’t been backed up on your phone will stay there, and will be uploaded the next time you’re on WiFi.

That’s it! Your photos and videos are still safe in the cloud, and you get back a bit more space on your phone.

How often do you delete photos that have been backed up? Let us know down below!

Schedule Teckin’s Mini Smart Plug to enhance your daily routine for just $8 each

Venture into the world of Smart Home tech with this single device.

Teckin’s Mini Smart Plug drops to just $8.49 at Amazon when you enter promo code 62P73ULU during checkout. It sells for $15 on average and hasn’t dropped lower than $10 without a coupon before.

This smart plug lets you control your home appliances via the Smart Life app or even voice commands (using a device with Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant) from anywhere in the world. You can monitor and control its energy usage and costs whenever. No hub is required either. Schedule it to turn on your lights before you arrive home each night, or set it to turn off at sunrise. Having the app on your phone is like having a wireless remote for whatever is plugged into the smart plug. Plus, they’re so compact, you can plug two in at the same outlet.

Close to 175 customers at Amazon reviewed this smart plug with 4.6 out of 5 stars collectively.

See at Amazon

Evernote Adds Ability to Transcribe Voice-to-Text Notes via AirPods, BeatsX, and More

Note-taking app Evernote was updated over the weekend with a new feature that allows you to connect your Bluetooth headphones to the app and use them to record audio and transcribe voice-to-text notes. The company says that as long as the headphones have a microphone they will work, so if you own AirPods or BeatsX you’ll be able to use the wireless earphones to quickly jot down notes and reminders using your voice and Evernote.

To use the feature, make sure your Bluetooth headphones are on and connected to the iPhone, which you can double check in the Settings app > Bluetooth. Next open Evernote, tap the large “+” button at the bottom of the screen to create a new note, then tap the microphone icon at the bottom right of the keyboard on iOS. As long as your headphones are connected, Evernote will now route audio from the headphone’s microphone instead of the iPhone, so you can transcribe notes or save audio files without needing to hold your iPhone up to your mouth.

If your bluetooth headphones also have a microphone (*cough* Apple AirPods *cough*), you’ll be happy to know you can now use them to record audio into Evernote.

The version 8.12 update also brings a tweak to the note list view so you can better keep track of where you are in your notes, with month and year designators staying pinned at the top of the screen as you browse. The company also cleaned up the sharing menu, brought back the Context feature for Premium and Business users, and fixed a handful of bugs.

Evernote previously debuted full “Hey Siri” support last September, allowing iPhone owners to use phrases like “Hey Siri, add ‘I should bring pizza’ to my Meeting Ideas note in Evernote.” The app has long supported voice notes and transcribing features on iOS with the iPhone and iPad’s built in microphones, but the new addition of Bluetooth headphone support should make note-taking easier for many users.

Evernote is free to download on the iOS App Store [Direct Link], while Evernote Premium runs for $7.99 monthly, or $69.99 annually, and comes with more monthly storage space, unlimited devices, and more.

Related Roundup: AirPodsTags: Evernote, BeatsXBuyer’s Guide: AirPods (Caution)
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Apple Loses Out as Netflix Inks Content Deal With Former President Obama

Former United States President Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama have signed a multiyear production deal with Netflix that will see the two producing television shows and films for the service, reports The New York Times.

Though Netflix had been in negotiations with the Obamas for several months, Apple was rumored to be interested in working with the duo had the Netflix deal fallen through. Apple has been developing a slew of original television shows, and a deal with Michelle and Barack Obama would have been a big win.

Image via Getty Images
Obama’s deal with Netflix will allow for him to create content that will reach millions of people both in the United States and internationally through a new production company he created alongside Michelle Obama called “Higher Ground Productions.”

According to Netflix, the Obamas will create “scripted series, unscripted series, docu-series, documentaries, and features” that are meant to highlight the issues and themes the president worked on during his eight years in office.

“One of the simple joys of our time in public service was getting to meet so many fascinating people from all walks of life, and to help them share their experiences with a wider audience. That’s why Michelle and I are so excited to partner with Netflix — we hope to cultivate and curate the talented, inspiring, creative voices who are able to promote greater empathy and understanding between peoples, and help them share their stories with the entire world.”

Obama has said that he does not plan to use Netflix to wage a public campaign against current president Donald Trump or to fight against conservative media outlets.

While Apple did not secure a deal with the Obamas, the company has more than a dozen original television shows in the works at the current time. Most of the shows are dramas, with one real estate-related docu-series in the works. Apple does not have any politically-oriented shows planned, and is said to be aiming to keep its content family friendly.

Note: Due to the political nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Politics, Religion, Social Issues forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.

Related Roundup: Apple TVBuyer’s Guide: Apple TV (Neutral)
Discuss this article in our forums

Wherever the road takes you, the Pivt app will make you feel at home

Home may be where the heart is, but a new app can make it such that home is where you are. Pivt is intended specifically for expats, travelers, and other folks abroad just looking for a community to call their own — even if only for a short while. The app promises to help its users find and connect with folks in their extended social networks, specifically those with similar interests. The goal? To make any city feel like home. 

A recent study from the University of Virginia suggests, unsurprisingly perhaps, that moving can be associated with “shallower or lower-quality social relationships.” Add to that the notion that people start losing friends at 25, an age at which many young people are still finding new homes, and it becomes easy to see that the idea of making friends can be a rather daunting one. Pivt co-founder Lynn Greenberg found this to be the case herself when she moved to London following her graduation from Franklin and Marshall College in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.

“After going to bars by myself, withstanding one too many blind dates, and trying out other meetup platforms without much success, I decided to create my own solution,” Greenberg told Digital Trends. The trick, she noted, was to tap into her “existing trusted networks of people,” with whom she already had a shared connection. In much the way that Hinge believes that having a mutual connection is a good basis for a romantic relationship, Pivt believes that the same must be true for friendship. A natural conclusion, but not one that other apps have drawn quite yet. 

Pivt boasts a proprietary messaging platform that uses personalized, interest-based group and private chats to connect users with their friends, friends of friends, or potential friends from within a mutual network, be it your hometown, university, or workplace. Moreover, with Pivt Communities, users can connect with others with similar interests and goals in their new city. They’ll also be able to tap into this broader network to ask for recommendations, create gatherings, or stay up-to-date with local events, shared hobbies, or general happenings in their new city. 

“I start every day energized by our mission to make any city feel like home,” Greenberg said. “By taking some of the fear out of moving and traveling, we hope that Pivt will make it possible for more people to go to unfamiliar places, embrace opportunity, and expand their outlooks.”

You can download Pivt on the the App Store or on Google Play.

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How much energy does Bitcoin mining require? Experts are unsure

How much energy does crypto mining really use? One recently released study conducted by Alex de Vries says that Bitcoin mining consumes 24 THw of energy or as much as Ireland. To make matters worse, the study estimates that Bitcoin’s energy use is doubling every six months. By the end of 2018, Bitcoin could use as much as 67 THw or the annual energy consumption of the Czech Republic.

While those numbers might seem high, things may not be as bad as they sound. For starters, one of the main issues with Bitcoin mining is that it was originally powered in large part by coal plants in China. In recent years, however, China has worked to rein in its pollution problem, and many Bitcoin mining operations have moved to countries which make use of cleaner energy.

Another issue is the matter of distribution. Comparing Bitcoin’s energy usage to countries such as Ireland or the Czech Republic is useful to help visualize the scope of their operations, but that doesn’t tell the full story. Bitcoin mining can happen from anywhere in the world so no one country’s infrastructure is bearing the brunt of the cost.

Beyond that, there are numerous experts who dispute this study’s findings. Jonathan Koomey, a professor at Stanford who, in the 1990s, disproved similar fears about the internet, says there simply isn’t enough data available to draw conclusions.

“For two decades, people have been eager to overestimate electricity use by computing,” Koomey told NBC News. “My concern is that we simply don’t have adequate data to come to the strong conclusions that he’s coming to.”

One of the issues Koomey points out is that it is difficult to determine how the value of the energy used in Bitcoin mining and the price paid for that energy. He is unsure of where de Vries is getting the two numbers he uses for those values.

“The worry is that those are two numbers that are picked out of the air,” said Koomey. “There may be some basis for them, but it’s a very unreliable way to do these kinds of calculations, and nobody who does this for a living would do it like that. It’s odd that someone would.”

The other issue is the accessibility of Bitcoin data. Many Bitcoin miners are concerned about their privacy which can make it difficult to accurately determine how much energy is used.

The mining of Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies does consume a fair amount of energy, but it’s unclear as to exactly how much.

Editors’ Recommendations

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