2018 July 13 | AIVAnet

Jul

LG Display Signs Deal With Apple to Supply OLED and LCD Panels for 2018 iPhones

LG Display has signed a deal with Apple to supply both LCD and OLED panels for the company’s 2018 range of iPhones, according to a new report by Korea-based Newspin (via DigiTimes).

The contract will see LG Display ship around 20 million LCD smartphone panels to Apple in 2018, according to the report, which also puts the number of OLED panels to be supplied by LG in the 3 to 4 million ballpark range, as per previous rumors.

In addition, the report claims LG is “likely” to secure the majority of 6.5-inch panel orders from Apple in 2019, which will see the firm ramp up its OLED shipments to 10 million units in the year. LG will reportedly produce the OLED panels for iPhone at its E6 6G plant in Paju, Korea.

Apple is expected to launch two OLED iPhones (5.8 and 6.5 inches) and one 6.1-inch LCD iPhone later this year, with the LCD device to be positioned as a low-cost option alongside the two more expensive OLED devices.

It’s unclear at present what the reported LG-Apple deal means for LCD suppliers Sharp and Japan Display, the latter of which is trying to raise millions through third-party share allocations and asset sales in order to have the necessary funds to supply LCD screens for Apple’s new iPhones.

Last year, Japan Display lost business because of Apple’s shift to OLED, and with the firm again planning to invest in LCDs, it could be in trouble in the future, should Apple increasingly turn to Samsung and LG for both panel types.

DigiTimes has previously claimed Apple will seek 60 to 70 million LCD panels for its iPhones this year, but whether that number is destined solely for the new 6.1-inch model is unknown. Apple has already earmarked $2.67 billion to invest in LG’s OLED panel production, with the Korean firm said to be building a production line dedicated to iPhone orders only, as part of its agreement with Apple.

Apple’s desire for both LCD and OLED supplies also comes at a crucial time for LG. The company posted a net loss of 98.3 billion Korean won ($87 billion) in the first quarter of 2018, with the prospect of almost doubling that figure in losses for the second quarter.

LG’s financial constraints also underline the importance of avoiding a repeat of the firm’s past OLED mistakes, such as befell its Flex and G Flex 2 phones, released in 2013 and 2015, respectively. Both smartphone displays were widely criticized at the time for exhibiting graininess and variations in brightness, issues which returned in LG’s own V30 and the Google Pixel 2 XL in models launched last year.

Related Roundup: 2018 iPhonesTags: OLED, LG Display, LCD
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Jul

Best Xiaomi Phones in 2018

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The manufacturer you may have rarely heard of makes some of the best devices available today.

Xiaomi is a smartphone manufacturer that is growing in stature day-by-day, despite having limited presence outside of Asia. The company is now the fifth-largest smartphone vendor globally, a considerable achievement seeing as how the brand started selling phones outside China just three years ago.

Impressive, certainly, and it seems Xiaomi is set to go toe-to-toe with the likes of Apple and Samsung in the higher reaches of the smartphone market. The company overtook Samsung to become the largest smartphone brand in India late last year, and is slowly making its way to European markets.

While so many may have heard the name, the phones are still relatively alien to many in the West. Xiaomi has a reputation for building devices that are an extremely good value without cutting corners. If you’re interested in picking up a Xiaomi phone or just interested in the brand, these are the phones you’ll need to know about.

Xiaomi Mi Mix 2S

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Released March 2018: The Mi Mix 2S is Xiaomi’s first flagship of 2018. The phone shares the same design aesthetic as last year’s Mi Mix 2, but has key upgrades both on the hardware and software fronts. The Mi Mix 2S is powered by Qualcomm’s latest 10nm Snapdragon 845 chipset, and comes with 8GB of RAM, 256GB of internal storage, and global LTE bands.

There’s also a variant with 6GB of RAM and storage options of 64GB and 128GB, but these models don’t offer global LTE connectivity. The highlight of the Mi Mix 2S is the dual camera arrangement at the back, with the phone featuring two 12MP imaging sensors. The primary 12MP camera is a Sony IMX 363 sensor and offers 1.4-micron pixels, whereas the secondary sensor is made by Samsung and is used as a telephoto lens.

The primary camera may just be the best Xiaomi has offered in a phone to date, and DxOMark give it a score of 97, just a few points shy of the Pixel 2 XL. The phone holds its own in daylight conditions, but it’s in low-light shooting modes where the camera truly shines. A lot of that has to do with the new AI-assisted features baked into the camera, giving it the ability to pick out the best shooting mode based on the lighting conditions.

Xiaomi Mi Mix 2S review: Great hardware and vastly improved software

The AI features also extend to portrait mode, giving you the ability to set the intensity of the background blur and even animate the background bokeh. On the software side of things, the Mi Mix 2S is the first Xiaomi phone to come with Android 8.0 Oreo out of the box. It offers the latest iteration of MIUI — MIUI 9.5 — and the interface as a whole feels much more polished.

With MIUI 9.5, you can also finally restore settings and apps from a previous Android phone or using your Google account. Previously, you were limited to choosing restore options from Xiaomi’s own Mi Cloud account — and the latest move makes MIUI a more enticing option to customers in Western markets.

The phone is on sale in China for the equivalent of $540. The variant with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage costs $640, and right now there’s no indication that the phone will be sold in global markets. But you can always pick it up from the likes of GearBest.

See at GearBest

Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Pro

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Released February 2018: Xiaomi unveiled the Redmi Note 5 Pro in India back in February, and it’s safe to say that the device is the best budget phone in the country by some margin. after just four months of sales, Xiaomi netted over 5 million sales for the Redmi Note 5 series, making it the fastest-selling lineup in the country. A lot of what makes the Redmi Note 5 Pro so great comes down to the hardware: it is the first phone in the world to be powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 636, and the performance is staggering.

The Snapdragon 636 itself is an underclocked version of the Snapdragon 660, which is seen on devices that cost three times as much as the Redmi Note 5 Pro. Other specs include up to 6GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage, along with a dual camera setup at the back. That camera is also interesting, as it is one of the best available in the budget segment right now.

Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Pro review: King of the hill

For the equivalent of $220, there really isn’t a device that offers quite as much as the Redmi Note 5 Pro. The phone is available via weekly flash sales in India, with the base variant with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage available for ₹13,999 ($214). The variant with 6GB of RAM and 64GB of storage retails for ₹16,999 ($260).

Considering what’s on offer with the device, the Redmi Note 5 Pro is an absolute steal. Xiaomi is the king of the budget segment, and strong sales of the Redmi Note 4 last year allowed the brand to overtake Samsung. With the Redmi Note 5 Pro, the Chinese manufacturer is set to solidify its position in India.

See at Flipkart

Xiaomi Mi Mix 2

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Released October 2017: Xiaomi made the smartphone segment stand up and take notice with the Mi Mix in 2016. The device’s ultra-thin bezels combined with the ceramic construction made it an enticing option for enthusiasts, but with availability limited primarily to Asian markets, it wasn’t the easiest phone to get a hold of. All that’s changed with the Mi Mix 2: the phone has the same basic design as the Mi Mix, but with a smaller 5.99-inch screen and a more rounded design that makes it much more accessible.

And with Xiaomi offering the device in over 30 markets, it is widely available for purchase. One of the highlights of the Mi Mix 2 is global LTE connectivity, with the phone featuring 42 bands in total — the most of any phone sold today, according to Xiaomi. Then there’s that evocative bezel-less design, which sees three edges of the screen sporting razor-thin margins.

Xiaomi Mi Mix 2 review: Astounding, audacious, accessible

Like the first-gen Mi Mix, the front camera has been moved to the bottom bar, which has also shrunk. The camera module itself is smaller, and has been blacked out to make it blend into the frame, creating a seamless look at the front. Xiaomi has retained the ceramic back, but switched to an aluminum mid-frame. There is a version with an all-ceramic chassis, but that particular model is exclusive to China and sold in limited numbers.

The Mi Mix 2 is no slouch either, sporting a Snapdragon 835, 6GB or 8GB of RAM, 64GB/128GB/256GB of internal storage, 12MP camera, 5MP front shooter, Wi-Fi ac with MIMO, Bluetooth 5.0, and a 3400mAh battery. One of the main drawbacks of last year’s Mi Mix was the primary camera, but this time around Xiaomi addressed the issue by using the same 12MP imaging sensor as the one on the Mi 6. As a result, images taken with the Mi Mix 2 look incredible.

With the Mi Mix 2, Xiaomi has made its bezel-less design accessible to a more mainstream audience. The device is now on sale in a handful of Asian markets, including India, where the model with 6GB of RAM and 128GB storage is available for ₹32,999 ($500). Xiaomi also kicked off sales in Europe, starting with the Spanish market.

If you’re looking to pick up the phone from a country where it isn’t officially available, then you’ll have to go through a reseller like GearBest.

See at GearBest

Xiaomi Mi 6

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Released April 2017: The Mi 6 became the first sub-$500 phone to be powered by the Snapdragon 835. It also has the distinction of being the first Xiaomi device to ditch the 3.5mm jack. The highlight of the phone is the dual-camera setup at the back, which includes a standard 12-megapixel wide-angle lens, along with a 12MP telephoto lens that delivers 2x lossless zoom.

The design has picked up a considerable upgrade from last year’s Mi 5, with Xiaomi offering a chassis with rounded corners and two panes of glass sandwiched by a stainless steel frame. As you’d imagine from a Xiaomi flagship, the Mi 6 has beefy specs in the form of a 2.45GHz Snapdragon 835, 5.15-inch Full HD display, 6GB of RAM, 64GB/128GB internal memory, 8MP front shooter, Wi-Fi ac, Bluetooth 5.0, NFC, and USB-C.

Xiaomi Mi 6 review: A new beginning

The removal of the 3.5mm jack allowed Xiaomi to fit in a larger 3,350mAh battery — 15% larger than the battery in the Mi 5 — while also making the device splash-resistant. The Mi 6 is also offered in a variety of color options, as well as a limited edition ceramic version and a silver variant with a mirror finish.

The phone retails for the equivalent of $420 in China, and with availability limited to a few Asian markets, you’ll have to go through a Chinese site to get your hands on a device if you’re looking to use it in other markets. Just be aware that it doesn’t have global LTE bands, unlike the Mi Mix 2. You get bands 1/3/5/7/838/39/40/41, but if you’re in a market where there’s LTE connectivity on those bands, the Mi 6 is a great option for under $500.

See at GearBest

Xiaomi Mi A1

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Released October 2017: If the Mi Mix 2 is innovative for its hardware, the Mi A1 is groundbreaking for its software. The phone is the first from Xiaomi to not run MIUI, with the Chinese manufacturer collaborating with Google on the Android One platform. As a result, you get a device with Xiaomi’s design language and Google’s software vision. The fact that the device costs under $250 is the icing on the cake.

The Mi A1 has a premium design with antenna bands running along the top and bottom of the phone at the back, and the aluminum body gives it an upmarket look. The phone also has dual 12MP rear cameras, with the same configuration as the Mi 6: a wide-angle lens augmented by a telephoto lens for 2x optical zoom.

The rest of the specs include a 5.5-inch Full HD display, Snapdragon 625, 4GB of RAM, 64GB of internal storage, microSD slot, 5MP front shooter, 3.5mm jack, and a 3080mAh battery that charges over USB-C.

Xiaomi Mi A1 review: Best of both worlds

In the two months the Mi A1 has been on sale, Xiaomi has rolled out two updates, delivering the latest security patch. The phone is set to receive the Android 8.0 Oreo update before the end of the year, and is slated to be in the first wave of devices to pick up the Android P update once it becomes available next year.

The Mi A1 is widely available, with Xiaomi kicking off sales in all markets it currently has a presence. In India, the device is sold on Flipkart for ₹14,999 ($235).

See at Flipkart

Xiaomi Redmi 5A

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Released November 2017: The Redmi 5A has the distinction of being the most affordable Xiaomi handset to date, with the phone making its debut in India for under $100. Xiaomi saw a lot of success with the Redmi 4A, and it didn’t alter the formula too much with the Redmi 5A: you get the same basic hardware, but the lower price means the phone will be accessible to a wider audience.

The Redmi 5A is aimed at the Indian market, where the base variant with 2GB of RAM and 16GB of storage is on sale for just ₹4,999 ($77). That’s ₹1,000 ($15) less than the Redmi 4A, and while that price is limited to the first five million units, Xiaomi’s decision to sell the device for under ₹5,000 should give the brand an added boost when it comes to sales figures.

Specs of the Redmi 5A include a 5.0-inch 720p display, Snapdragon 425, 2GB/3GB of RAM, 16GB/32GB of internal storage, dedicated microSD slot along with two SIM card slots, 13MP rear camera, 5MP front shooter, and a 3000mAh battery. On the software front, the phone runs MIUI 9 out of the box.

The Redmi 5A is all about delivering incredible value in the entry-level segment, and it manages to do that with aplomb.

See at Flipkart

Xiaomi Mi Max 2

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Released May 2017: The Mi Max turned out to be a surprise hit for Xiaomi last year, so the company rolled out an updated variant with a better design and upgraded internals. The large 6.44-inch screen combined with a massive battery makes the Mi Max 2 a multimedia powerhouse.

With the latest iteration, Xiaomi switched to a unibody design with antenna lines at the back, and made the edges rounded to make it easier to hold the device. The phone isn’t made for one-handed usage, but it is a far sight better to look at and use when seen next to the Mi Max.

Xiaomi Mi Max 2 review: Bigger is better

The Mi Max 2 features a 6.44-inch Full HD display, Snapdragon 625, 4GB of RAM, 64GB/128GB of internal storage, microSD card slot, 12MP camera, 5MP front camera, and a huge 5300mAh battery that is designed to provide at least two days’ worth of usage from a full charge.

The sheer size of the Mi Max 2 makes it a niche device, but if you’re in the market for a phone with a large screen and class-leading battery life, there isn’t a better device available today.

See at Flipkart

Updated July 2018: This article was updated with Mi Mix 2S and the Redmi Note 5 Pro.

Jul

Apple Maps Traffic Info Expands to Six New Countries

Real-time traffic information in Apple Maps expanded to several new countries today, including Brunei, Kenya, Mozambique, Philippines, Nigeria, and Vietnam, according to Apple’s Feature Availability page.

The feature will allow Apple Maps users in those countries to see traffic congestion as depicted through orange or red lines on roads where there’s heavy traffic to contend with.

Details on traffic conditions are now available in Apple Maps in more than 70 countries around the world.

In addition to expanding traffic information to new countries, Apple also expanded the availability of indoor maps for malls to Arizona and updated the Feature Availability page to reflect the recent rollout of transit directions to Rome, Italy and Estonia.
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Jul

Plex’s Grid View Channel Guide for Live TV Now Available for Apple TV

Plex’s new Live TV grid view, which is designed to allow customers to find TV shows and movies through a traditional grid-based user interface, is now available for Apple TV.

The grid view is available for both live TV content and content saved using the built-in DVR functionality in Plex. It first rolled out on the web in June before launching for tvOS today.

Grid view organizes TV shows by channel and time of day, much like a standard cable TV guide, with a scrollable timeline format for an overview of what’s on every channel that’s available to you.

Accessing live TV and the new grid view option requires a Plex Pass, priced starting at $4.99 per month or $39.99 per year. Plex is currently offering a deal through Best Buy that provides six months of Plex Pass service for $19.99.

Plex has been offering live TV options since August 2017, with customers able to access over-the-air television channels with no cable subscription using an antenna and a TV tuner. Free over-the-air programming includes major US networks like ABC, NBC, CBS, Fox, and the CW along with local programming, news, and sports.

Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Best Buy. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.

Tag: Plex
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Jul

First 2018 MacBook Pro Orders Set to Be Delivered Tomorrow

Customers who ordered one of the new 2018 MacBook Pro models that Apple released this morning are starting to see shipment notifications with the first deliveries of stock configurations slated for tomorrow.

As noted by 9to5Mac, customers have had their cards charged, and orders started shifting to preparing for shipment earlier today before some new machines were sent out by Apple.

Apple’s delivery estimates when placing an order suggest the new 2018 MacBook Pro models won’t deliver until July 16 at the earliest, which is next Monday, but some customers will be getting deliveries early.

Custom configurations for both 13 and 15-inch machines will not be arriving until next week, however, with build-to-order machines listing delivery dates between July 19 and July 23 for the most part.

In-store pickup for stock machines is not yet available, but Apple says the new models will be available in retail stores “later this week.”

The new MacBook Pro models feature 8th-generation Coffee Lake chips with quad-core chips in the 13-inch models and 6-core chips in the 15-inch models, up to 32GB of RAM for the 15-inch MacBook Pro, a T2 chip for enhanced security and “Hey Siri” support, a quieter third-generation butterfly keyboard, True Tone for both the display and the Touch Bar, and up to 4TB of SSD storage.

Related Roundup: MacBook ProBuyer’s Guide: MacBook Pro (Buy Now)
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Jul

NASA wants help coming up with ways to get rid of astronauts’ space trash

You may not know it, but NASA could be searching for a person just like you … to help take out its trash. It’s a bit more exciting that that sounds, though. Instead of looking for a janitor to help empty the trash bins at NASA’s headquarters in Washington D.C., the world renowned space agency is turning to outsiders with bright ideas to help it figure out better ways of getting rid of the tons of garbage that will be produced by astronauts on future deep space missions.

NASA’s request for partners to develop concepts for potential Trash Compaction and Processing Systems (TCPS) was laid out in a recent document issued through the Next Space Technologies for Exploration Partnerships (NextSTEP). In a section titled “Logistics Reduction in Space by Trash Compaction and Processing System,” they noted that:

“NASA’s ultimate goal is to develop capabilities to enable missions that are not reliant on resupply from Earth thus making them more sustainable and affordable. NASA is implementing this by employing a capability-driven approach to its human spaceflight strategy. The approach is based on developing a suite of evolving capabilities that provide specific functions to solve exploration challenges. These investments in initial capabilities can continuously be leveraged and reused, enabling more complex operations over time and exploration of more distant solar system destinations.”

There are four key objectives that any successful concept will tackle. These include finding a way to compact trash in a suitable form for long-term storage, processing trash to reduce the risk of health hazards, stabilizing it “physically, geometrically, and biologically,” and managing gaseous, aqueous, and particulate effluents.

NASA has long been working on its own solutions to these problems, such as turning trash into gas. It has also explored a recycling device used for recovering residual water from astronaut’s garbage.

NASA plans to meet with industry partners on July 24 to explain exactly what it’s looking for. Official proposals from organizations will be due no later than August 22, and whichever ones make the grade will then be tested on the International Space Station over the next decade.

Before you get too excited and start busting out sketches under the banner of your home business, though, be aware that private companies must be willing to contribute a minimum 10 percent of the development costs for any systems which go ahead!

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Jul

Apple Photos ditches prints, but third-party extensions could be even better

Apple is calling it quits on the printed photo and leaving prints from the MacOS Photos app up to third-party platforms. A new pop-up message inside Photos says that the app will stop taking print orders on September 30.

The Photo Print Products section of the Photos app (previously iPhoto) now warns users with a pop-up that the built-in service is coming to an end. The print service allowed users to order albums, photo cards, and calendars as well as prints up to 20 by 30 inches. The print orders have been around since the launch of iPhoto more than 15 years ago. Some versions still have that ordering page with the warning pop-up, while the option is already missing from macOS Mojave.

Easily accessible prints aren’t exactly going away, however, but Apple won’t be the ones behind those image orders. Project Extensions, which are available inside the App Store, will allow Photos users to still print their images from the app. Apple says that the extensions will allow for more available products and services. With extensions, users will also be able to choose who prints their photos instead of automatically using Apple’s print fulfillment.

Without an official announcement outside that in-app pop-up, it’s unclear why Apple is discontinuing the service. The feature may be a lesser known part of Photos hidden inside the file menu. The print orders are in MacOS only and not available on iOS. An API allowing third-party platforms to integrate with Photos launched with High Sierra. While the API still allows simplified photo orders from within the app, the payments are made to that third party.

A handful of extensions already allow users to print from within Photos, including well-known photo labs such as WhiteWall and Shutterfly, along with Mimeo Photos, GoodTimes, and Wix. The software add-ons also allow developers to add their own features. WhiteWall, for example, allows users to preview what their prints would look like on a gallery wall, including swapping out different frame types and re-arranging the images on a virtual wall. Shutterfly’s extension, on the other hand, will automatically arrange up to 200 images inside a photo book.

Jul

Mobvoi Ticwatch Pro Review

Research Center:

Mobvoi Ticwatch Pro

What do you do if you want a smartwatch that doesn’t need charging every day? You buy a hybrid smartwatch. But Mobvoi — the Chinese brand behind the Ticwatch smartwatch series — has an alternative solution for you. It’s called the Ticwatch Pro, and it runs Google’s Wear OS, along with two screens and some clever tech to maximize standby time from the battery. That’s right, it’s the first time a company is telling us that adding another screen will see us charge a watch less than usual.

Sounds like nonsense, right? No, it’s not. Mobvoi’s screen tech gamble has paid off, and we’ve been wearing the Ticwatch Pro for a week to see if the rest of the watch can match the impressive battery life.

Understated design

Before we get into the battery and screen tech, let’s talk about what’s important — design. Almost all companies making touchscreen watches struggle with this, yet it’ll be the prime reason we buy a particular watch. The Ticwatch Pro is considerably better looking than the Ticwatch E, and from certain angles, there is a vague resemblance to the Tag Heuer Carrera Connected — it’s the top and bottom sections on the bezel that do it.

The silver bezel on our review model looks great, and is attached to a reinforced nylon body — which feels like a textured plastic — and a metal back plate. There is an all black version that’s even more subtle. There are two oversized buttons on the side, which control the Wear OS software.

The strap is leather with a silicone underside, which is exceptionally comfortable, sweat resistant, decently attractive, and it will be more durable over time. It did pick up some stains from suntan lotion we had on when wearing it. It’s quite slim, and makes the body look larger than its real size. On the back of the watch is a heart-rate sensor and the magnetic charging connector. The 45mm body is big, and it stretched across my wrist so the strap fell sharply down the side.

How does it look when it’s on? The Ticwatch Pro is understated in a slightly dull way, and it doesn’t have any visual flourishes that catch the eye. It’s very normal, and therefore goes with most outfits. We don’t consider this a negative, but if you’re looking for a flashy smartwatch to show off, the Ticwatch Pro may not satisfy.

Dual screens

There are two screens on the Ticwatch Pro, stacked on top of each other. The lower screen is a 1.39-inch, 400 x 400 pixel OLED panel that shows Google’s Wear OS, and above it is a special Film compensated Super Twisted Nematic (FSTN) LCD panel that shows the same basic information you’d expect to see on Wear OS’s Ambient display. Except it does so while sipping power, rather than gulping it. When used together in a normal manner, you cannot tell there are two screens. Neither obscures or affects the other. You simply think it’s a single screen making the magic happen.

The dual-screen technology on the Ticwatch Pro is a genuine reason to buy the watch.

The LCD screen is very cool. It shows the time in big, classic digital style, along with the date, step count, and a battery life meter. It’s easily viewable indoors and in regular daylight, but there is no backlight, so it’s tough to see it in the dark and in direct sunlight. It’s always-on, so there’s no wait to see the time. Tap the screen or raise the watch towards you, and the OLED screen activates to show Wear OS. There is no extended wait time as the screens switch, and it’s no different to switching between ambient mode and the main watch face on a single-screen Wear OS watch.

Activate the Ticwatch Pro’s secret weapon, called Essential Mode, by open the app drawer and tapping on the Essential Mode app. Wear OS then shuts down, and you’re left with the LCD screen on its own. Like this, the Ticwatch Pro’s battery will last 30 days on a full charge, but we found switching between the two modes good for lengthening the battery life up to about four days. We’d activate Essential mode at night, maximizing the battery life. Huawei also includes a similar power saving mode on the Huawei Watch 2, but it does not use a second screen.

Using the Ticwatch Pro’s OLED screen is the experience you expect — it’s bright and colorful, with strong contrast and tones — and isn’t any different to any other Wear OS watch we’ve used recently. While setting the screen brightness to automatic is best for battery life, it does look more vibrant and alive with the brightness set to maximum.

The dual-screen technology on the Ticwatch Pro is a genuine reason to buy the watch, and not the pointless gimmick it could have been.

Software and performance

Inside the Ticwatch Pro is the familiar and aging Qualcomm Snapdragon 2100 processor with just 512MB of RAM. Like many Wear OS watches, performance is barely average, and we experienced frustrating slowdowns and pauses, particularly after the watch had been woken up. Patience is needed to use the Ticwatch Pro on a daily basis, as it doesn’t zip along, and Wear OS is long-winded to wade through.

Patience is needed to use the Ticwatch Pro on a daily basis.

We primarily used the Ticwatch Pro connected to an iPhone, as apparently one in three new Wear OS watches connected to an iPhone in 2017 according to Google, but we did use it connected to a Moto Z3 Play Android smartphone as well. The Wear OS app for iOS is similar to the Android version, but with fewer features.

What problems did we encounter? It’s Wear OS rather than the Ticwatch Pro at fault here, because the same issues were replicated on another watch. The included Google Assistant rarely works with voice commands on the watch; Wear OS refuses to keep a Wi-Fi connection unless you turn off Bluetooth, making updating the watch a pain; and the Bluetooth connection is flaky.

Even during the tutorial, the interface is annoying and slow to respond. Notifications come through in a long list, and despite ensuring the app is set to deliver all notifications, the watch wouldn’t always do so, with Apple Mail being the worst affected. Mobvoi insists on recommending another app of its own in addition to Wear OS to install on the phone. It requires registration, and controls some of the watch’s health and fitness tracking features. We preferred to use Google Fit.

Mobvoi has priced the Ticwatch Pro very competitively.

There are only three alternative watch faces included and they aren’t very inspiring, so we were pleased to add another from the Google Play Store. However, on iOS it only loads the Play Store with a Wi-Fi connection.

The Wi-Fi and Google Assistant problems did not occur when connected to an Android phone, but the performance was still poor. The software is in dire need of an overhaul from Google, and the feature set is limited and hobbled when connected to an iPhone.

Fitness, health, and GPS

The Ticwatch Pro is a fully-featured smartwatch, with both a heart rate monitor and GPS built-in. Neither will do the battery life any favors when used for any length of time; but there is some offset here thanks to the dual-screen system. What’s more, the sensors are all available when the watch is in Essential Mode, and Mobvoi has indicated it will add support for them in a future update. The more we keep the watch in Essential Mode and the less we have to use Wear OS, the better.

NFC is also onboard for Google Pay use, which is activated with a double-press of the lower watch button. Accuracy was in-line with other heart rate monitors we tried, including the Apple Watch. The step count appears to overestimate, and when compared to an Apple Watch worn on the other wrist, the Mobvoi watch was already at 480 steps when the Apple Watch was at 320. The Apple Watch’s step counter is comparable to other fitness trackers, and we consider it accurate.

Mobvoi Ticwatch Pro Compared To

Tag Heuer Connected Modular 41

Mondaine Smart Helvetica

Nixon Regulus

Alpina AlpinerX

Garmin Vivoactive 3

Apple Watch Series 3

Motorola Moto 360 (2015)

LG Watch Sport

Huawei Fit

Apple Watch Series 2

Martian Passport MP100WSB

Garmin fenix 2

LG G Watch R

Martian Notifier Watch

Phosphor Touch Time

Price, warranty, and availability.

The Ticwatch Pro costs $250, or 220 British pounds, and is an Amazon exclusive until September. Only Amazon Prime members are able to buy one until August 15.

Mobvoi provides a one–year warranty with the watch, covering it against defects. Claims will result in either a replacement or repair, but the warranty doesn’t cover wear and tear, misuse, or the battery.

Our Take

Brilliant screen technology, the excellent Essential Mode, and a head-turning price can’t alter the fact the Ticwatch Pro’s Wear OS software and performance don’t reach expectations.

What are the alternatives?

Mobvoi has priced the Ticwatch Pro competitively. For the iPhone owner, it’s $100 less than the cheapest Apple Watch Series 3, but on par with buying an Apple Watch Series 1. For Android owners, it’s $50 less than our recommended pair of either the Samsung Gear S3 or Huawei Watch 2, or any of these other Wear OS watches. It’s also around $100 less than our preferred fashion watches, such as the Diesel On-Full Guard and the Emporio Armani Connected. The $160 Mobvoi Ticwatch E, which has all but NFC inside, should be a consideration.

Despite the low price, the Ticwatch Pro has an excellent feature list, which often puts people off the fashionable options. The design is masculine though and the body is large enough to look very big on anyone with small wrists. We’d recommend looking at the Kate Spade Scallop if you’re looking for a feminine smartwatch.

We preferred using the Ticwatch Pro in Essential Mode, which turns it into a glorified watch and step counter. The Casio G Shock GBA-800 does this for $120 with a battery that will last for five years, and any number of hybrid smartwatches are better looking, don’t need recharging, and still deliver basic notifications. The smartwatch world is hyper-competitive, so don’t spend your money lightly.

How long will it last?

The Ticwatch Pro has an IP68 rating so will resist most forms of submersion in water, outside of taking it swimming, and the body feels like it can withstand a few drops. Treated properly, it will last for years; but the weak points are the software and the battery. The battery has a finite lifetime before it starts to deteriorate resulting in shorter times between charges. Similarly, the software — which isn’t great now — will only be supported by Google for a set period of time.

Provided you keep these aspects in mind, the Ticwatch Pro will still last for several years. However, we are expecting updated Wear OS hardware before the end of the year, which may offer improved looks, performance, and battery life. If you’re not in a hurry to buy one, there may be some very tempting propositions on sale in the next months. These new devices have the potential to very quickly make the Ticwatch Pro feel much older than it does now.

Should you buy one?

If you’re going to pair the Ticwatch Pro with an iPhone, then no. It’s not the Ticwatch Pro that’s to blame, it’s more Wear OS, because it provides a very poor user experience compared to the Apple Watch. We do recommend it if you’re using an Android phone, though, because Wear OS is more cohesive when connected to Google’s mobile operating system. While Wear OS still frustrates on Android, it’s still a more pleasant experience all round.

We love the dual-screen technology that genuinely extends the battery life, and found the watch to be a great companion when left in Essential Mode, even though we didn’t receive notifications. If you’re looking for a Wear OS smartwatch for your Android phone right now, and cannot wait, then the Ticwatch Pro’s low price makes it a solid choice.

Jul

Beat the heat with this super-cool personal air conditioning unit

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Summers would be so much cooler without the heat. In Florida, summertime means spending most of the day inside to avoid sweltering temperatures and sweat-inducing humidity. Hell, if it wasn’t for air-conditioning, Florida would probably still be a balmy, pristine, practically uninhabitable tract of land jutting out from the United States.

So it makes sense that a couple Floridians recently launched a Kickstarter campaign to raise funds for what may be the next evolution in air conditioning — the Airwirl.

Taking the form of a fortified 7-Eleven Big Gulp, the Airwirl is actually a personal cooling (or heating) device that is small enough to fit in a cup holder and big enough to pack a punch of cool (or hot) air into your face, providing much-needed (albeit temporary) relief when temperatures reach certain extremes.

“Unlike battery operated fans, misters, or evaporative towels, Airwirl actually changes the ambient air temperature into refreshing, ice-cool air when it’s hot, or cozy, warm air when it’s chilly,” Steve Herweck, Airwirl’s co-creator, told Digital Trends.

The device features a cup and a lid, and works using thermal convection. Load the cup up with ice or activated heat warmers depending on your needs. Within the lid is a motorized turbine fan system and elongated air post that pulls air out of the chamber and sends it through a nozzle in the lid. An attachable hose allows for more flexible control. An insulated foam insert helps keep the cup’s contents at a steady temperature.

“By use of a turbine fan built into a motorized lid, ambient air is drawn inside a double-walled, vacuum-insulated container,” said co-creator Michael McCarthy. “When ambient air is allowed to flow through this system with ice cubes inside, the thermal energy causes a change in air temperature as it leaves the unit.”

The Airwirl is available through pledges of $129 through a Kickstarter campaign and 280 backers have pledged nearly $42,000 at the time this article was published. The Airwirl creators said they have heard interest from Disney World, postal workers, and bus drivers whose vehicles don’t have functioning AC.

As with any Kickstarter campaign, we suggest you read our explainer article on how to avoid getting burned by scams and fails before throwing your money out there.