Apple Maps Vehicles Begin Collecting Street-Level Data in Japan

Apple Maps vehicles equipped with LiDAR sensors have begun collecting street-level data in Japan for the first time this month.

Apple will be surveying the Tokyo and Urayasu areas between June and October of this year, according to a new Apple Maps vehicles page created specifically for Japan, first spotted by Japanese blog Mac Otakara.

Japan is the 11th country where the vehicles are collecting data since the initiative began in 2015, alongside Croatia, France, Ireland, Italy, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

To date, Apple has periodically updated a list of locations where the vehicles will be collecting data on its U.S. website, including other countries, but Japan now has its own localized page, perhaps to satisfy local laws.

The verbiage on the page has suggested that Apple could be working on a feature similar to Google’s Street View for Apple Maps:

Apple is driving vehicles around the world to collect data which will be used to improve Apple Maps. Some of this data will be published in future Apple Maps updates.

We are committed to protecting your privacy while collecting this data. For example, we will blur faces and license plates on collected images prior to publication.

In 2015, Mark Gurman reported that Apple planned to launch a 3D street view feature, based on a combination of its existing Flyover mode with street-level data. He also said the data would help Apple shift to an in-house mapping database by 2018, reducing its reliance on third-party sources like TomTom.

By the sound of it, Apple’s mapping data could be used for advanced augmented reality applications, as part of a future update to ARKit.

Early speculation suggested the vehicles could be the basis of an Apple Car, but those rumors quieted down after the vans were labeled with Apple Maps decals, and because Apple has shifted towards testing self-driving software with Lexus 450h SUVs near its headquarters in California.

If you spot an Apple Maps vehicle in a location yet to be listed on Apple’s website, be sure to let us know at tips@macrumors.com.

Tags: Japan, Apple Maps vehicles
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TSMC Ramps Up Production of 7nm Chips Ahead of 2018 iPhones, Invests $25 Billion to Move to 5nm by 2020

Apple supplier Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company has begun commercial production of chips manufactured using its advanced 7-nanometer process (via DigiTimes). One of the major customers for chips built with the technology will be Apple and the A12 processor, which is expected to be found in all three upcoming 2018 iPhones.

The announcement comes from newly appointed TSMC CEO C.C. Wei, who spoke during the company’s technology symposium in Taiwan yesterday in hopes of dismissing recent speculation that TSMC’s 7nm production was facing a “slower-than-expected” yield rate. Wei didn’t provide specific orders and customers for the 7nm chip output, but indicated the ramp up will boost TSMC’s overall production capacity from 10.5 million wafers in 2017 to 12 million in 2018.

Renderings of the 2018 iPhones
The chips built using the 7nm process technology are destined for AI, GPU, cryptocurrency, and 5G applications — totaling 50 chip designs by the end of 2018. For iPhones, the new 7nm process will pave the way for the type of performance improvements customers expect in new iPhones every year.

Orders for Apple’s custom A12 processor for use in the upcoming iPhones will play a major driver of TSMC’s 7nm chip production growth in 2018, according to market sources. The foundry has secured 7nm chip orders from about 20 customers including AMD, Bitmain, Nvidia and Qualcomm. The majority of the orders will be carried out in the first half of 2019, the sources said.

At the technology symposium, Wei also said that TSMC is scheduled to move a new 5nm node technology to mass production towards the end of 2019 or early 2020, with plans to invest $25 billion into the technology.

In January, DigiTimes reported that Apple selected TSMC to remain the exclusive supplier of the upcoming A12 processor for its 2018 iPhones, following rumors from last summer that Samsung could be returning to iPhone chip production this year. TSMC is the exclusive supplier of the A11 Bionic processor found in the iPhone 8, 8 Plus, and X, as well as the sole supplier of the A10 Fusion processor in the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus.

According to a DigiTimes report last year, TSMC’s integrated fan-out wafer-level packaging technology — which the supplier uses in its 7nm FinFET chip fabrication — is largely superior to any progress made by Samsung in the same field, which eventually led to Apple’s decision to stick with one supplier for all of its processors again this year.

Apple’s decision to keep TSMC as the sole A-series chip manufacturer in 2018 will mark the third year in a row that the supplier created iPhone chips alone, following the A10 in 2016 and the A11 Bionic in 2017. The last time Apple dual sourced chips was in 2015, when both Samsung and TSMC supplied the A9 chip in the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus, which frustrated some users when TSMC’s technology was discovered to boast slightly better battery life.

Related Roundup: 2018 iPhonesTag: TSMC
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Nanoleaf’s New Dodecahedron-Shaped Remote Gives You Access to 12 HomeKit Scenes

Nanoleaf’s new 12-sided light-up remote joins its existing Nanoleaf Light Panels and Nanoleaf Rhythm, adding a whole slew of smartphone-free physical control options for your HomeKit setup in one easy-to-use accessory.

The Nanoleaf Remote is bigger than button and remote devices from other companies, but it offers access to many more scenes and as you’ll see in my review, it’s a great value if you already own a Nanoleaf setup and want a simple iPhone-free control method that anyone in the household can use.

For people unfamiliar with Nanoleaf, the company makes the Nanoleaf Light Panels, a HomeKit-enabled set of flat, triangle-shaped lights that connect together in a range of different user-designed configurations, providing both light and art. The Light Panels have LEDs inside and can be set to display dozens of different colors and patterns, which make up different light recipes.

I’ve had a Nanoleaf setup for more than a year, and it continues to be one of my favorite HomeKit products. The Remote is specifically designed for users who already have Nanoleaf Light Panels.

Design

Nanoleaf’s Remote has a design that’s not quite like any other HomeKit-enabled remote-style device on the market, with dodecahedron shape where each side activates a different scene.

The remote, which is a little bigger than palm sized, is made from a white plastic that admittedly feels a bit cheap, but it doesn’t look bad sitting on a desk.

When the remote arrives, it comes in two halves, with one empty side and a one side that houses the batteries, an LED light, and the mechanism that provides a slight vibration whenever a new scene is activated. Two AA batteries (included in the package) fit into the battery compartment to provide power.

Once the batteries have been inserted, the two halves of the remote snap together. I wasn’t quite able to get a perfect, seamless fit between the two halves, but that could be operator error.

I’m not sure how long the batteries are meant to last, but after about two weeks of use, the battery level is down to 85 percent. I suspect the batteries will need to be swapped out every few months, which is similar to other battery-powered HomeKit devices I own.

Setup

Setting up the Remote took less than 30 seconds using the Nanoleaf app, and it was as simple as the setup for any other HomeKit product. Under the Remote section of the app, there’s an “Add Accessory” option, which requires the HomeKit code on the inside of the Nanoleaf Remote to be scanned. Once that’s complete, the Remote is added to a HomeKit setup and scenes can be set either in the Nanoleaf app or the Home app.

On iOS devices, the Nanoleaf Light Panels and the Nanoleaf Remote work over HomeKit, and a HomeKit setup is required. You can also pair the Remote to the Nanoleaf Rhythm, however, which is required to enable full functionality, such as brightness controls. Sans a Nanoleaf Rhythm, which connects to the Light Panels to allow them to respond to sound, adjusting brightness does not work.

Pairing the Remote to both a HomeKit setup and to the Nanoleaf Rhythm will result in some error warnings in the Nanoleaf app. These error warnings exist because the dual pairing creates a disconnect between changes made to the programmed scenes in HomeKit and in the Nanoleaf app.

For example, if you set a “Good Night” scene to one of the sides in the Home app and then set a different scene to the same side in the Nanoleaf app, it won’t sync and one will overrule the other. This wasn’t a problem in daily use because I stuck to making changes only in the Home app, but I did find it confusing. Nanoleaf says improvements will be made to the app and the website to better explain this conflict to Remote users.

Despite these ominous error messages, everything is working well more or less as long as I adjust scenes in just one app, but it’s definitely a confusing setup and I have run into conflicts.
According to Nanoleaf, you will need a Home Hub to use the Remote on iOS devices, which means you’ll need to have a HomePod, Apple TV, or iPad connected to HomeKit.

Usage and App

Activating a scene with the Nanoleaf Remote is done by lifting it up, turning it to one of the sides of the dodecahedron, and then setting it back down. A couple of seconds after you place it down, it will vibrate, light up, and the scene on the side that’s facing up will activate.

Each side of the remote lights up with a unique color when it’s activated and there’s also a number for each side in one corner, so it’s easy to tell one side from another. You’ll need to memorize which number does what, but it only takes a couple of days to learn your scenes unless you’re changing them frequently.

I love the light built into the remote, and I wish that I could set it to be on all the time, but that would probably kill the battery too fast. As it is, it’s white most of the time with the colors only displayed when you rotate it.

The Nanoleaf Remote accurately recognized each side of the dodecahedron and I didn’t have problems accidentally activating scenes I didn’t mean to. A scene will activate based on which side is up when you stop rotating, so keep that in mind. It takes a second or two between when the remote is rotated and when a scene activates.

In addition to rotating the remote to different sides to activate HomeKit scenes, if you pair it to a Nanoleaf Rhythm, you can twist it clockwise or counterclockwise to change the brightness of the Nanoleaf Light Panels. A clockwise turn makes the Light Panels brighter, while a counterclockwise turn makes them dimmer.

Controlling brightness this way was convenient and worked well, but it was easiest to do turning the Nanoleaf Remote while it was on a desk or other flat surface rather than while in my hand.

Within the Home app (or the Nanoleaf app) a HomeKit scene (or multiple HomeKit scenes) can be assigned to each side of the Remote. While other buttons like this have different gestures listed, Nanoleaf’s are all single press because the scenes are activated through rotations rather than different presses.

If you have a HomeKit-connected Nanoleaf setup already, you know that all Nanoleaf light recipes you install are also HomeKit scenes by default, so you all of your favorite Nanoleaf patterns are available in the Home app right alongside scenes you’ve created for other HomeKit products.

If you prefer to use the Nanoleaf app to assign scenes to the Remote, the interface is almost identical. If connected to HomeKit, it lists all of your pre-existing HomeKit scenes, and you can choose one from there.

While the Remote is meant to control the Nanoleaf Light Panels, it can also control all of your other HomeKit products. You can use any scene with the Remote, including Nanoleaf color scenes, rhythm scenes, and multi-device HomeKit scenes.

For example, I have side 11 of the Nanoleaf Remote set to turn down all of the Hue lights in my office after work in a scene I call “Relax,” while side 12 is set to a “Good Night” scene that turns off all of the lights in the house and activates a night light.

Bottom Line

I’ve had trouble with some of the button and remote-style HomeKit products refusing to connect to my HomeKit setup after a period of time, but that hasn’t been an issue with the Nanoleaf Remote.

In the few weeks that I’ve been testing it, the Nanoleaf Remote has been responsive every time and while I was skeptical of its ability to determine which side was activated, it works well. When I turn it, it reliably detects the correct side and activates the corresponding scene.

A lot of HomeKit control options use a single button with multiple gestures, but the Nanoleaf Remote is simpler. There’s no need to press, double press, or triple press — I just turn the remote to the right side.

With the ability to activate 12+ scenes (you can set multiple scenes to a single side) the Nanoleaf Remote offers more options than other products on the market, and at $50, it’s competitively priced. Scenes can include just the Light Panels or you can incorporate other HomeKit products, which is useful for people with a range of HomeKit accessories. My only complaint is that there are some error messages you’ll encounter in the Nanoleaf app, which definitely needs some serious improvement.

It takes a few days to memorize the 12 sides, but I found it surprisingly easy to keep track of what’s what with a little bit of use. If you have the Nanoleaf Smart Panels and want quick access to different lighting scenes and a way to control your other HomeKit products without an iPhone, the Nanoleaf Remote is worth the purchase price and beats out other remote control options on the market, even with the app quirks.

How to Buy

The Nanoleaf Remote can be purchased from the Nanoleaf website for $49.99, and it’s also available in Apple retail stores and the Apple online store starting today.

Note: Nanoleaf provided MacRumors with a Nanoleaf Remote for the purpose of this review. No other compensation was received.

Tags: HomeKit, Nanoleaf
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SpaceX wins confidence-boosting Falcon Heavy contract with U.S. Air Force

SpaceX has secured its first major national security contract for its Falcon Heavy rocket, seeing off competing bids from rivals that are believed to have included United Launch Alliance.

The contract for the deployment of a U.S. Air Force satellite is a big vote of confidence in SpaceX’s newest and most powerful rocket, which has so far launched only once.

The Air Force will pay SpaceX $130 million to put its classified Space Command-52 satellite into orbit, with the mission expected to launch from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida in 2020.

An Air Force statement said the the contract with SpaceX provides the government with “a total launch solution for this mission, which includes launch vehicle production, mission integration, and launch operations.”

SpaceX president Gwynne Shotwell thanked the Air Force for certifying the Falcon Heavy and awarding it “this critically important mission,” adding, “SpaceX is pleased to continue offering the American taxpayer the most cost-effective, reliable launch services for vital national security space missions.”

What about the Falcon 9?

Although SpaceX’s tried and tested Falcon 9 rocket has been enjoying a successful run of missions — putting various satellites into orbit and launching cargo to the International Space Station — it’s unable to handle the weight of the hefty Space Command-52 satellite, prompting the Air Force to call upon the services of the more robust Falcon Heavy.

After its successful debut launch in February 2018, the Falcon Heavy become the world’s most powerful rocket in operation. Only the Saturn V rocket, which last flew in 1973, was more powerful.

SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy comprises three Falcon 9 boosters whose total of 27 Merlin engines give it more than 5 million pounds of thrust at launch.

The Heavy is able to lift into orbit nearly 64 metric tons (141,000 pounds), a mass that SpaceX notes on its website is “greater than a 737 jetliner loaded with passengers, crew, luggage and fuel.” This is more than twice the payload of the next closest operational vehicle, the Delta IV Heavy, with missions achievable at one-third the cost, the company says.

Lower costs are possible partly because the Heavy’s first-stage boosters are capable of being landed, recovered, and reused.

Falcon Heavy’s next scheduled launch — its second to date — is Air Force’s Space Test Program Flight 2 scheduled for October, an experimental mission that will see the Heavy carry 25 small satellites into space.

It will also perform a satellite launch for a Saudi Arabian company toward the end of the year.

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A country is shutting off its entire internet to stop exam cheats

Algeria flipped the switch on its internet connection this week in a bid to stop high school students cheating in exams.

The drastic measure follows similar action taken by the education ministry in 2016 when it asked service providers to block access to social media sites after exam paper leaks began appearing on them. But those measures proved ineffective, prompting the ministry to go the whole way this year by shutting down the entire internet during exams.

The blackouts started on Wednesday as the first of the year’s high school exams took place. Internet services are being taken offline for several hours around each exam, with the practice set to continue until the final tests take place on Monday.

Showing just how serious it’s taking the issue of exam cheats, the government has also insisted on installing metal detectors at the entrance to exam centers to prevent students from taking in mobile phones, tablets, and other connected gadgets.

And in a bid to deter any leaks taking place at the locations where the exam papers are printed, phone jammers and security cameras have also been set up, the Guardian reported.

Algerie Telecom said that internet services had been cut “in compliance with instructions from the government, aimed at ensuring the high school diploma tests run smoothly.”

Education Minister Nouria Benghabrit told Algerian newspaper Annahar that although the government wasn’t particularly comfortable with having to take such drastic action, “we should not passively stand in front of such a possible leak.”

This isn’t the first time technology has been used to tackle exam cheats. In 2015, for example, the Chinese city of Luoyan flew drones high above exam centers to help single out cheats. The authorities had earlier discovered some students using tiny cameras in spectacles to transmit questions to outside contacts, with the answers then transmitted back to the student via an earpiece. The drones were equipped with gear to detect radio signals, with the precise location of any cheats beamed directly to an exam proctor’s tablet.

As for turning off the internet for special events, Bali recently pulled the plug on mobile internet services for a sacred holiday. The Indonesian island’s first-ever such blackout, which lasted one day, was designed to help people take some time for self-reflection, an important characteristic of the holiday.

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Improving security means killing the password, but that battle has just begun

(in)Secure is a weekly column that dives into the rapidly escalating topic of cybersecurity.

Passwords are often cited as the biggest problem with modern digital security. They’re supposed to be complicated, unique, and ever changing, and yet few follow through with those tenets of strong password protections. That leads to reuse attacks or brute force hacks, which is why many security researchers are pushing to eliminate passwords altogether. Yet not everyone believes the security issue of our time is passwords. For some, it’s how those passwords are stored.

Want to stop hackers? Don’t give them something to hack

George Avetisov, the CEO of Hypr, believes the biggest problem facing modern digital security is password centralization. He points out that a secure password is pointless if it can be stolen when a company that maintains login information is hacked. Instead, Hypr wants to store login credentials – whatever they are – on the end user’s device.

When your bank gets hacked, you don’t lose your house keys because they’re in your pocket.

“When you authenticate through Hypr, your credentials are authenticated on your device locally and they are used to send a token to the bank, which is then approved,” he explained.

That, he says, makes companies far less attractive to hackers, as they can’t gain information on all users at the same time. It also clears up the problem of password reuse, since hackers can’t take stolen credentials and use them to breach another service.

“The analogy I like to think of is that when your bank gets hacked, you don’t lose your house keys because they’re in your pocket,” Avetisov told Digital Trends. “The only way for someone to steal them is to physically remove them from your pocket. That’s what decentralization is. It turns your password, your credentials, into something more like your house keys and less like your current password.”

While Avetisov is bullish about the future of security through decentralization, he doesn’t believe the average consumer will ever learn to take password security seriously. That’s why it’s important for companies to do something about preventing password reuse by removing the ability to attack everyone at the same time. That doesn’t solve reuse itself but ensures reuse attacks can’t be perpetrated on a mass scale.

A world beyond passwords means a world of convenience

Companies like TruSona, on the other hand, would rather focus on moving people beyond passwords entirely. That seems like a viable goal: The public likes the idea of logging into sites and services without passwords. In a recent research report TruSona published, 70 percent of participants opted to use a password-free login system with multi-factor authentication. That group enjoyed a 99 percent login success rate during the study, while those who used passwords saw a success rate of just 56 percent – often requiring reminders to help them login.

Although a multi-factor authentication system is more secure, Trusona believes the choice is often one of convenience, which could be the key to moving to a more secure, password-free future.

“The most successful authentication systems lead with user experience, but as a means for better security.”

“There’s a very real desire to get rid of passwords,” TruSona chief design officer Kevin Goldman told Digital Trends. “While some of that is rooted in anxiety around the security of information online, it’s mostly because of password rage. Consumers default to convenience, and when things aren’t easy to use, they find a workaround. It’s why most reuse passwords and why personal security practices are so sloppy.”

While convenience might be the key to moving consumers beyond passwords, that goes hand in hand with improving the security of the authentication system, too.

“The most successful authentication systems lead with user experience, but as a means for better security,” TruSona CEO Ori Eisen said. “The most widely adopted authentication system [of the future] will be the one that’s easiest to use.”

Although Eisen told us he’s not as sold on the idea of decentralized login credentials aas Hypr’s Avetisov, they both agree smartphones will hold the key to future improvements in our digital security. Where Avetisov believes smartphones should hold login credentials – acting as a form of multi-factor authentication as well as killing centralized password databases – Eisen believes they can be used for a mixture of login possibilities. Whether it’s in taking a picture of yourself holding photo ID, as TruSona uses in some of its more intense fraud prevention strategies, or through biometrics.

The password is dead, but it’s collateral damage

Both men see passwords as a dying technology. While Avetisov sees potential in strong passwords, he and Eisen are both keenly aware of how unpopular password logins are becoming. “The mainstream adoption of biometrics is effectively killing passwords as a primary authenticator and as a user experience,” Avetisov said.

George Avetisov, CEO of Hypr George Avetisov

Eisen echoed his sentiments, claiming that the death of the password as the primary form of authentication wasn’t “a matter of if, it’s a matter of when.” Whether for convenience sake or to further improve our own personal security, the influence of passwords is likely to wane significantly in the years to come. While Eisen wants to accelerate that, Avetisov sees it as a byproduct of authentication evolution.

“Our goal is not to kill the password,” Avetisov said. “It is to kill the problem caused by passwords.”

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Take a look at what could be the future of Samsung’s Galaxy phones

Could this patent from Samsung give us a glimpse of a future Galaxy phone? It’s certainly possible, and if so, then it doesn’t look like the company is about the embrace the screen notch, as the front of this mystery device is taken up by almost the entire display. The patent, which was published by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) on June 19, shows an unnamed mobile device with a futuristic design; but not just because it has a big screen on the front — It looks like it has a second screen on the back too.

The rear view of the device has a space reserved for something that’s most likely a screen, but could also be something else as the patent doesn’t specify, set where we’d expect to find a fingerprint sensor and the camera array. Instead, the camera is set above this area. Because the front of the device is dominated by the main screen, does this mean it won’t have a fingerprint sensor at all, and rely on face identification? Perhaps, or there’s also the chance Samsung will put a fingerprint sensor in a rear display?

In-display fingerprint sensors

We’ve got a good idea Samsung is working on in-display fingerprint sensors, and there’s no rule saying they have to be hidden under the screen on the front. Arguably, it’s more natural to use a rear fingerprint sensor than one on the front anyway. A rear screen could also be used for additional information, including notifications and alerts that are easily viewed when the phone is face down on a surface. The patent doesn’t go into any detail about functionality, or even if the space is actually for a screen, so this is speculation on our part.

Should the patent ever become a real phone, it would have the largest screen-to-body ratio we’ve seen from Samsung yet, based on the size of the bezels surrounding it. The top of the phone still has an area free for the speaker and what could be a selfie camera. Along the bottom of the phone are two speakers and a charging port. This is shaped like a USB Type-C connector. The charger and the use of a traditional speaker and front camera suggests the patent covers a phone that could potentially be made in the near future.

Could this be the Galaxy Note 10, or a future Galaxy S phone? It may be neither, and there’s no guarantee that patents filed by any company are evidence of a device intended for sale. However, elements of the device may make it onto future phones, and they’re often an indication of current design concepts being discussed. With phones like the Oppo Find X and the Vivo Nex being released today, the patented phone’s design isn’t all that unrealistic.

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Peloton Digital app gives you unlimited workouts for $20 a month

With its hugely popular fitness bike, Peloton brought cycling and spin classes to the masses. Now, the company is looking to revolutionize the way we do workouts once again with a new app that offers a massive catalog of live and on-demand exercise classes. Dubbed Peloton Digital, and available exclusively for iOS devices, this app offers something for just about every kind of athlete, both in and out of the gym.

The new app requires a membership fee of $19.49 per month, but grants users access to a massive library of Peloton-created content. The company says there are over 10,000 fitness classes already available within the system, including instructor-led workouts that are livestreamed as they take place, as well as a sizable library of prerecorded videos that can be viewed at any time.

As you would expect, Peloton Digital has a healthy dose of cycling workouts for users to take part in, but the videos courses that are available cover a wide variety of other options, too. For instance, there are yoga classes, strength training and cardio workouts, and even stretching routines. And for the first time ever, Peloton is allowing users to head outdoors, offering both running and walking workouts for those who prefer to leave the gym equipment behind. These audio-only classes are 20 to 60 minutes in length, and feature the same instructors as the video content providing instructions and inspiration throughout.

Peloton Digital is available for iPhone, iPad, and AppleTV via AirPlay. The monthly membership allows the library of courses to be streamed on three different devices at once, giving multiple family members the opportunity to complete their workouts at the same time.

At launch, Peloton Digital offers 175 Tread Studio running and bootcamp courses, as well as 15 outdoor running classes. The company promises to add an additional 10 courses each month as it continues to ramp up its content library. It also continues to add new instructors to its roster, brining in personalities who will appeal to a wide range of athletes.

When announcing the new fitness app, Peloton’s chief content officer Fred Klein said, “We cannot emphasize enough how excited we are to finally bring the full diversity of our fitness programming to the viewing public.” He went on to add, “With the launch of Peloton Digital, we’re now able to leverage the freedom and flexibility of our live and on demand classes to offer engaging, authoritative fitness instruction that will appeal to anyone, regardless of fitness level, interests, or how much time they have to work out. Whether you already own home fitness equipment and are looking to amplify it with our world-class programming, or you just want to take us to your gym, your office, on vacation or just outside your door, we have something for you.”

Fitness fanatics are invited to take Peloton Digital for a spin with a 14-day free trial. The app is available to download now to your iOS device.

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Honor 10 vs. Nokia 7 Plus: Two of the best $400 phones on the market

The Honor 10 has a flashy design, while the Nokia 7 Plus is all about a clean user interface.

If you’re in the market for a $400-equivalent phone, the Nokia 7 Plus and the Honor 10 are two of the best options available.

The Honor 10 is notable for its aurora glass design, which alternates between several shades of blue (or green) based on how light reflects off the back. The phone also comes with 128GB of storage as standard, and has a similar set of AI-based camera features as the more expensive Huawei P20 Pro.

The Nokia 7 Plus, meanwhile, comes with a durable aluminum chassis, and runs Android One. HMD focused on the basics, and that has worked in its favor.

Neither the Nokia 7 Plus nor Honor 10 are available to purchase in the U.S. This guide is for those in the UK, Europe, and India.

Honor 10 vs. Nokia 7 Plus: Specs

Operating system	Android 8.1 OreoEMUI 8.1	Android 8.1 OreoAndroid One
Display	5.84-inch IPS LCD, 2280×1080 (19:9)Gorilla Glass	6.0-inch 18:9 IPS LCD 2160 x 1080Gorilla Glass 3403ppi pixel density
Chipset	Octa-core HiSilicon Kirin 9704×2.4 Cortex A73 + 4×1.80GHz Cortex A53	Octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 6604×2.20GHz Kryo 260 + 4×1.80GHZ Kryo 260
GPU	Mali-G72 MP12	Adreno 512
RAM	4GB/6GB	4GB LPDDR4
Storage	64/128GB	64GB eMMC 5.1
Expandable	No	Yes (up to 256GB)
Rear camera 1	16MP, ƒ/1.8Dual LED flash4K@30FPS	12MP ƒ/1.75, 1.4umDual Pixel AutofocusEIS, Carl Zeiss optics4K@30fps
Rear camera 2	24MP, ƒ/1.8Monochrome	12MP ƒ/2.6, 1.0um
Front camera	24MP, ƒ/2.0	16MP, ƒ/2.0
Battery	3400mAh	3800mAh
Charging	USB-CFast charging (5V/4.5A)	USB-CQuick Charge 3.0
Water resistance	No	No
Security	Fingerprint sensorFace unlock	Fingerprint sensor
Connectivity	Wi-Fi 802.11ac, Bluetooth 4.2USB-C (2.0), NFCGPS, GLONASS, BeiDou, Galileo	Wi-Fi 802.11 ac, FM radioNFC, LTE with VoLTE, Bluetooth 5.0GPS/AGPS/GLONASS/BeiDou
Dimensions	149.6 x 71.2 x 7.7mm153g	158.4 x 75.6 x 8mm183g
Colors	Phantom Blue, Phantom Green, Glacier Grey, Midnight Black	Black/Copper, White/Copper

Where they’re equal

Both the Nokia 7 Plus and the Honor 10 field great hardware. The Honor 10 has the distinction of being the most affordable phone yet to feature HiSilicon’s Kirin 970 chipset. The chipset offers a dedicated Neural Processing Unit, and the Honor 10 leverages the core for AI-assisted camera features.

The Nokia 7 Plus is running the Snapdragon 660, and while it may not be quite as fast as the Snapdragon 845, the differences in day-to-day usage are minute. The Snapdragon 660 strikes the ideal balance between performance and affordability, and is Qualcomm’s best mid-range chipset in a long time. In regular usage, the Snapdragon 660 is just as fast as the Kirin 970.

The Honor 10 comes with 128GB of storage as standard, which is double that of the Nokia 7 Plus. The downside is that there’s no microSD card on the phone, whereas the Nokia 7 Plus has a hybrid SIM card slot with the second SIM card tray doubling up as a microSD slot. Thankfully, both devices have a headphone jack.

What the Honor 10 does better

The first thing you notice about the Honor 10 is just how distinctive it is. Although the P20 Pro also has a color-shifting back, the effect isn’t anywhere as pronounced as the Honor 10. If you’re looking for a phone to turn heads, this is the one to get.

The Honor 10 doesn’t have the P20 Pro’s insane Night Mode, but otherwise the AI features are similar to what you’d find on Huawei’s flagship. The Nokia 7 Plus also has dual cameras — with a telephoto lens for the secondary sensor — but the Honor 10 has a distinct edge when it comes to camera prowess.

The AI feature makes a tangible difference to the overall image quality, but like the P20 Pro, it tends to oversaturate photos. It also fails to recognize scenes accurately at times, leading to images with vastly overexposed colors. In the first photo below, the AI identified the Smaug figurine as food (which is hilarious), and oversaturated the gold hues. I had to turn off the feature to get a photo that looked close to reality.

Honor 10 on the left, Nokia 7 Plus on the right.

But when the feature does work, the results look stunning, as you can make out from the image above.

Minor quirks like that aside, the camera on the Honor 10 is a winner. It produces great images, and while it lacks the P20 Pro’s Night Mode, it shoots decent photos in low-light scenarios.

See at Amazon UK

What the Nokia 7 Plus does better

The Nokia 7 Plus may not look as flashy as the Honor 10, but it’s safe to say that this is one of the most durable phones you can pick up today. The chassis is made out of series 6000 aluminum, and there’s a six-layer ceramic coating at the back that gives it a matte finish — making it easier to hold and less prone to fingerprint smudges.

You’re also getting a better display on the Nokia 7 Plus — it’s not only larger, but it also has better color saturation. Best of all, the Nokia 7 Plus doesn’t have an ugly notch at the top of the display, and that’s an automatic win for HMD’s handset. Honor doesn’t specify what version of Gorilla Glass is on the Honor 10, but the Nokia 7 Plus features Gorilla Glass 3, which fares better against tumbles but is not as resistant to scratches.

The Nokia 7 Plus runs rings around the Honor 10 on the software front.

Another area where the Nokia 7 Plus has a distinct advantage is the software. HMD’s commitment to Android One means the Nokia family of devices are first in line to receive security and platform updates, and we’ve seen that being the case over the course of the last year. The interface itself is akin to Google’s vision of Android, with a focus on clean design and speedy performance. That’s the underlying theme with the Nokia 7 Plus in general — it’s a solid phone that gets the basics right.

For what it’s worth, Huawei has made a lot of strides with EMUI over the last 18 months, with the Honor 10 running Andorid 8.1 Oreo out of the box. That said, EMUI still doesn’t feel like a cohesive effort, and it’s missing that final bit of polish.

The Nokia 7 Plus has a larger 3800mAh battery — versus the 3400mAh unit on the Honor 10 — and I noticed marginally better battery life on the device. Both phones will easily last a day on a full charge, but the Nokia 7 Plus goes that little bit further thanks to the larger battery. Both phones also offer fast charging: the Honor 10 comes with Huawei’s fast charging solution, which goes up to 22.5W. The Nokia 7 Plus offers Quick Charge 3.0, which tops out at 18W.

Which should you buy? Nokia 7 Plus

The Honor 10 is incredible in its own right, and the aurora glass back makes it one of the most evocative phones of 2018. And while it has beefier hardware, EMUI still has its share of quirks.

The Nokia 7 Plus looks plain in comparison, and comes with just 64GB of storage. But for $400, you’re not going to find a phone that offers a similar software experience. And it doesn’t hurt that the device is built like a tank. Oh, and you don’t have to worry about a notch on the Nokia 7 Plus.

HMD’s decision to go with Android One for all of its devices is a masterstroke and makes the Nokia 7 Plus a much more compelling option. Sure, the Honor 10 has a flashier design and more storage, but the Nokia 7 Plus wins out in day-to-day usage. HMD has done a magnificent job filling the void left by the discontinuation of the Nexus lineup, and the Nokia 7 Plus is the best option if you’re coming from a Nexus 6P or even a Nexus 5X.

It’s a shame that neither device will be up for sale in the U.S. anytime soon, because both the Nokia 7 Plus and the Honor 10 offer incredible value in the $400 segment. HMD and Honor have a huge presence in India and Europe, and you’ll be able to pick up both devices in these markets.

The Nokia 7 Plus is up for sale from Amazon UK for £349, and you’ll be able to pick up the device direct from Nokia in India for ₹26,999.

See at Amazon UK See at Nokia India

These are all the phones Xiaomi is releasing in 2018

Do you know what phones Xiaomi’s coming out with this year?

You may not be all that familiar with Xiaomi if you live in the U.S., but for folks in China, India, and other parts of the globe, Xiaomi is one of the most popular consumer technology brands in the business.

Xiaomi crafts a variety of gadgets and gizmos, ranging from laptops, smart vacuums, and even electric bicycles, but its bread and butter lies with smartphones.

Each year sees Xiaomi kick out a heap of phones, and because of this, keeping track of what’s available and what’s still down the pipeline can be a chore. To help keep you in the loop, here’s a list of everything the company’s coming out within 2018.

The phones we’re still expecting

Xiaomi Mi Mix 3

The Xiaomi Mi Mix 2.

Ever since 2016, Xiaomi’s Mi Mix series has easily been the most interesting in its entire portfolio. The company kicked off the bezel-less trend in 2016 with the first Mi Mix, followed it up in 2017 with the Mi Mix 2, and this year, we’re expecting Xiaomi to keep the trend going with the Mi Mix 3.

We’re still waiting for the rumor mill to get going for the Mix 3, but based on past releases, we should see the phone come out between October and December. The price tag will be big, the bezels will be thin, and the specs will be overly powerful.

With so many other phones trying to shrink bezel sizes, it’ll be interesting to see if Xiaomi succumbs to the notch on the Mi Mix 3 or tries something a bit more experimental similar to the Vivo NEX.

Xiaomi Mi A2

The Xiaomi Mi A1.

The Mi A2 is expected to be the global version of the already-released Mi 6X, so while there won’t be any real surprises here, there’s one big differentiator that’ll make the Mi A2 stand apart from its sibling — its software.

Similar to its predecessor, the Mi A2 is expected to ship with Android One. In addition to fast updates and regular security patches, this also means a completely stock build of Android instead of Xiaomi’s own MIUI interface.

Last year’s Mi A1 was announced in early September, so that’s likely when we’ll learn more about the Mi A2.

The phones that have been released

Xiaomi Redmi Note 5

One of the first phones Xiaomi released in 2018 was the Redmi Note 5, and it did a great job at setting the stage for the rest of the company’s portfolio for the rest of the year.

Launched in February, the Redmi Note 5 has an 18:9 display with slim bezels and a 2160 x 1080 resolution. It measures in at 5.99-inches and uses a pretty good LCD panel. The 12MP camera on the back is the same one found on the Mi A1 and it’s powered by the capable Snapdragon 625.

Add all that together with a beefy 4,000 mAh battery, and you end up with one well-rounded package.

In regards to price, the Redmi Note 5 retails for ₹9,999 (around $146) for the model with 3GB RAM, but you can step up to a 4GB RAM option that costs ₹11,999 ($176).

Xiaomi Redmi Note 5: Everything you need to know

Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Pro

Shortly after the Note 5 was released, the Note 5 Pro followed it up as a more powerful smartphone that still came in at a price point that’s manageable for most people.

The display is the exact same one found on the regular Note 5 but it swaps out the Snapdragon 625 for the more powerful 636. You also get more RAM with your choice between 4GB and a whopping 6GB!

As for the camera situation, Xiaomi keeps the 12MP rear camera from the Note 5 but pairs it with a second 5MP lens on the Note 5 Pro. The dual camera setup allows the Note 5 Pro to pull-off the famous portrait style shots that have been huge in 2018, and when you’re ready to take selfies, you’ll find an impressive 20MP camera up front.

The Note 5 Pro is a bit more expensive with a starting price of ₹13,999 / $205 with 4GB RAM (₹16,999 / $249 for 6GB RAM), but it still offers a tremendous amount of value considering all the tech packed inside.

Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Pro review: King of the hill

Xiaomi Redmi 5

If you like what you’re seeing with the Note 5 and Note 5 Pro but still wish they were a bit cheaper, Xiaomi’s got a solution in the form of the Redmi 5.

The Redmi 5 costs just ₹7,999 (about $125) and punches way above its asking price.

Design-wise, the Redmi 5 is very similar to the Redmi Note 5. There’s an 18:9 5.7-inch 1440 x 720 IPS LCD display and very slim bezels. The rear camera is a single 12MP sensor and has a 5MP camera on the front for all your selfies.

Under the hood, the Redmi 5 offers the Snapdragon 450, 2, 3, or 4GB RAM, and a 3,300 mAh battery.

Xiaomi Redmi 5 launches in India: Everything you need to know

Xiaomi Black Shark

Gaming phones have recently become a popular niche in the Android space, and trying to best the Razer Phone, Xiaomi released the Black Shark in mid-April.

Right off the bat, the Black Shark impresses with a totally unique design that helps it stand out from all of Xiaomi’s other phones. The black and green color combo is stunning to look at, and the X-style layout on the back is supposed to make the phone easier to grip and hold onto during an intense gaming session.

Some of the specs include a 5.99-inch Full HD+ display, Snapdragon 845 processor, up to 8GB RAM, and a 12MP + 20MP camera combo on the back. Oh, and did I mention the Black Shark even has its own liquid cooling system?

The starting price for the Xiaomi Black Shark is about $480, so while it’s not cheap, is a lot more affordable than Razer’s $800 competition.

Xiaomi’s $480 Black Shark gaming phone is designed to take on the Razer Phone

Xiaomi Mi Mix 2S

Before we (hopefully) get our hands on the Mi Mix 3 later in the year, Xiaomi decided to throw a bone to hold us over with the Mi Mix 2S. The Mi Mix 2S is nearly identical to the Mi Mix 2, but it offers a few key upgrades under the hood that make it a vastly better product.

First and foremost, the Mi Mix 2S has Qualcomm’s impressive Snapdragon 845 at the heart of it. The 845 is one of the best mobile processors on the market right now, and because of it and 6 or 8GB RAM, the Mi MIx 2S absolutely flies.

The 2S also comes with dual 12MP cameras on the back (the second of which is a 2x telephoto lens), 3,400 mAh battery, Android Oreo, and was the very first Xiaomi phone to ship with wireless charging.

Pricing starts out at $530, and considering the Mi Mix 2S’ futuristic design and bleeding-edge specs, that’s a steal.

Xiaomi Mi Mix 2S preview: Great hardware backed by vastly improved software

Xiaomi Mi 6X

The Xiaomi Mi 6X is yet another mid-range / budget phone from the company, but there’s one aspect that makes it particularly interesting. Later in the year, the Mi 6X will be re-released as the Mi A2 with Android One. Android One is an initiative Google’s been running for a couple years now, and all phones that are part of it ship with a stock build of Android and often get quick updates to new software versions and security patches.

All of the hardware from the 6X will carry over the A2, and boy is there some good stuff to talk about.

The Mi 6X comes equipped with a 5.99-inch Full HD+ display, Snapdragon 636 processor, up to 6GB RAM, and a 3,010 mAh battery. Other notable specs include 12MP + 20MP cameras on the back, Bluetooth 5.0, and an IR blaster.

Pricing starts out at around $250 for the model with 4GB RAM and 64GB storage and maxes out at $315 if you opt for 6GB RAM and 128GB storage.

Xiaomi Mi 6X offers upgraded cameras and Snapdragon 660 for just $250

Xiaomi Redmi S2 / Y2

The next phone on our list goes by the Redmi S2 or Redmi Y2 depending on where you buy it, and it essentially takes the design of the Mi 6X, downgrades a few of the specs, and cuts the price to make it even more affordable.

You’ll still find a 5.99-inch 18:9 screen around front, but the resolution is dropped down to 1440 x 720. There are dual 12MP + 5MP cameras on the back, 16MP front-facing camera, Snapdragon 625, and your choice of 3 or 4GB RAM.

Pricing for the Redmi S2 / Y2 starts at just $146.

See at Xiaomi

Xiaomi Mi 8

Xiaomi’s often been notorious for taking heavy inspiration from Apple for some of its products, and that theme is on full display with the Mi 8.

The Mi 8 was very clearly inspired by the iPhone X, featuring a wide notch at the top of the 6.21-inch 2248 x 1080 AMOLED screen and dual cameras on the back (12MP + 12MP) in a vertical setup with an LED flash separating them in the middle. It’s not subtle in the slightest, but then again, it’s not a bad look at all.

Internal specs for the Mi 8 include the Snapdragon 845, 6GB RAM, 20MP front-facing camera, and a 3,400 mAh battery. Xiaomi even included an infrared lens in the notch to mimic Apple’s FaceID.

The Xiaomi Mi 8 starts at $420, and along with it, you can pick up the Explorer Edition for $580 that comes with an in-screen fingerprint sensor and transparent glass back.

The Xiaomi Mi 8 is a blatant iPhone X ripoff with a full-sized notch

Xiaomi Mi 8 SE

Alongside the Mi 8, Xiaomi also revealed the Mi 8 SE. The Mi 8 SE has a very similar design compared to the Mi 8, but as you might expect, comes with less-impressive specs and a more affordable price.

The Snapdragon 845 has been replaced by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 710, and while that may sound like a downgrade, you really shouldn’t notice any difference in speed. The 710 is essentially a version of the 845 that’s been modified for mid-range smartphones, and it’s easily one of the most exciting processors Qualcomm’s come out in some time.

Other specs for the Mi 8 SE include a 5.8-inch AMOLED display, 12MP + 5MP rear cameras, 20MP selfie camera, 3,120 mAh battery, and a starting price of only $280.

The $280 Xiaomi Mi 8 SE is the world’s first phone with a Snapdragon 710

Xiaomi Redmi 6 / 6A

Xiaomi announced the Redmi 6 and 6A on June 12, and to no surprise at all, these are two more budget phones that aim to offer a quality experience for folks that don’t want to spend a ton of cash.

The 6 and 6A are very similar phones, with both sharing a 3,000 mAh battery, 5MP selfie camera, and a 5.45-inch 1440 x 720 screen with an 18:9 ratio. The 6A is powered by the MediaTek Helio P22 processor and comes with your choice of 3 or 4GB RAM and 32 or 64GB of storage, whereas the 6A uses the Helio A22 and only comes in one configuration with 2GB RAM and 16GB of storage.

You can pick up the Redmi 6 between $125 and $155 while the 6A costs a measly $95.

Xiaomi Redmi 6/6A bring face unlock and 18:9 displays to the entry-level segment