Apple Engineer and YouTuber Mark Rober Working on Anti-Motion Sickness VR Technology for Use in Autonomous Vehicles

Engineer and popular YouTuber Mark Rober, who is known for his science-related videos that can rack up millions of views, works at Apple as an engineer in the special projects group, reports Variety.

The site says that Rober has been working on Apple’s virtual reality projects, including “using VR as on-board entertainment for self-driving cars.” On Rober’s LinkedIn page, it says he works as a product designer at an unspecified company he first joined in 2015, suggesting he’s been with Apple for some time.

To explain the kinds of things Rober may be working on, Variety points to a pair of Apple patent applications that cover an “Immersive Visual Display” and an “Augmented Virtual Display,” which were filed in 2016 and describe virtual reality systems that could be used by passengers in self-driving cars. The patents list Mark Rober as a primary inventor.

Both of the patents describe a VR headset that could help alleviate in-car motion sickness in autonomous vehicles, with one suggesting replacing the view of the real world with virtual environments that include visual cues to match physical motions the passenger is experiencing and the other describing virtual content that appears as a fixed object in the external environment.

One of the patents suggests that a virtual reality system for cutting down on motion sickness could aid in productivity because it would allow passengers (which would include all persons in an autonomous vehicle as a driver would not be required) to perform work while the vehicle is in motion without experiencing motion sickness. It also suggests VR could provide “enhanced virtual experiences” to passengers.

Many passengers in vehicles may experience motion sickness. Typically, this is not the case for the driver. However, with the arrival of autonomous vehicles, the driver becomes a passenger, and thus may want to occupy themselves while, for example, riding to work. Passengers in conventional or autonomous vehicles may, for example, want to read a book, or work on their notebook computer.

Apple is currently working on autonomous driving software that is being tested in Lexus SUVs that are out on the road near its Cupertino headquarters, and the technology is reportedly being implemented into employee shuttles.

Apple has inked a deal with Volkswagen to use Volkswagen T6 Transporter vans as self-driving shuttles to transport employees around its various campuses and office buildings in the San Francisco Bay Area. It’s not clear if and when Apple plans to implement the VR technology Rober is working on into the shuttles or other future autonomous car projects, but there are many concepts that Apple patents that never make it into finished products.

Prior to joining Apple, Rober spent eight years as mechanical engineer at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and he also served as a product designer at Morph Costumes.

He also maintains a popular YouTube channel with 3.4 million subscribers, sharing science-related videos like “Lemon Powered Supercar,” “How to Survive a Grenade Blast,” “How Much Pee is in Your Pool,” and “iPhone ATM PIN Code Hack – How to Prevent.”

Related Roundups: Apple Car, Apple VR Project
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Amazon Alexa App for iOS Gains Voice Controls

Amazon today updated its Alexa app for iOS to add a promised voice control feature that’s designed to allow iOS users to tap the Alexa button and use voice commands to ask Alexa to play music, answer questions, check the weather, and more.

As noted by TechCrunch, Amazon introduced voice control to its Alexa app for Android back in January, and at the time, said the feature would be expanded to iOS devices “soon.”

Soon turned out to mean six months, but starting today, iOS users can speak with Alexa in the Alexa iOS app and ask standard Alexa questions. There is no native functionality, so pushing an in-app button to activate Alexa is required rather than just saying the “Alexa” trigger phrase.

The new voice control feature will be rolled out to all iOS users “in the coming days.”

The Amazon Alexa app can be downloaded from the iOS App Store for free. [Direct Link]

Tags: Amazon, Alexa
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Honor View 10 Review: The budget flagship king?

If you’re looking for a premium smartphone in 2018, you have two choices.  You can walk into a carrier store and throw down $800+ on a name you know like Samsung, LG, or Apple. Or, you can save a bit of dough, go with someone you may not have heard of and reap the rewards.

Today, we’re talking about one of those less known phone companies, Huawei. Huawei is a Chinese company that produces some of the best phones in the world, even if you don’t know it. Huawei has a sub-brand, named Honor, that focuses on producing value devices. If Huawei is putting out the $800 flagship, Honor is putting out the $500 premium midrange device.

That premium mid-range device is named the Honor View 10 and it can be picked up for about $499 here in the US and similar prices in the EU. It features flagship specs, performance, and features- which leaves us wondering why you’d want to grab anything else. Why donate $300 to a huge corporation?

We spent the last four weeks with the Honor View 10 and here’s what we found out.

Key Specs

• Display: 5.99-inch 1080p IPS LCD
• Processor: HiSilicon Kirin 970
• GPU: Mali-G72 MP12
• RAM: 6 GB
• Storage: 64/128 GB (expandable)
• Battery: 3,750 mAh
• Camera: Rear dual 16 MP (f/1.8) + 20 MP Monochrome, front 13 MP (f/2.0)
• Software: Android 8.1 with EMUI 8.1
• Headphone jack: Yes0

Hardware

The Honor View 10 isn’t following a trend. If every phone out there today is a glass sandwich, the Honor View 10 is an aluminum beast. The back of the device is a anodized aluminum with antenna lines tracing the top and bottom. Two big cameras stick out near the top and that’s it besides some branding. While others are focused on the premium look and feel of glass, Honor went with a much more durable material and, for my money, it feels fantastic too. You’ll never need to worry about back glass shattering or dealing with fingerprints here. That gives peace of mind that we haven’t felt for a while.

The front of the device houses a  5.99-inch 1080p IPS LCD panel. Notably, the panel that Honor used has an 18:9 aspect ratio like most phones released today. It gets incredibly bright while maintaining close to true colors. You’re not going to get the massive blown out colors like you’d see on something from Samsung. We do miss the AMOLED technology here, but if Honor is going to with an LCD display, we’re glad they went with a really good one.

While some may lament the lack of a 2K display, I think Honor made the right choice here. Not only does the display look fantastic with no obvious pixels poking out, it saves power. Sure, an AMOLED panel would save more, but by dropping down to a 1080p resolution, the phone doesn’t have to work as hard to power the display. So, not only do you get a quality display, but there are some battery benefits too. That’s a win-win in my book.

Just under the display is something we’re seeing less and less of today: a button. The fingerprint scanner resides just below the display in one of the only instances of an 18:9 display with a physical button on the front. We appreciate what Honor was trying to do here, but playing finger gymnastics to hit the scanner sometimes doesn’t feel great.

That fingerprint scanner isn’t just a scanner, though. Through the software, you can turn on gestures that will allow you to get rid of the software keys and just swipe and tap the scanner to perform your back, home, and multitasking functions. We love it when OEMs add this into a device, but the long and tall nature of the Honor 10 can make it a bit difficult to use. I eventually went back to software keys.

Here’s something that most reviews won’t point out, but the power button and volume keys are awesome. Not only are they placed in a perfect position, but they’re so clicky too. I just love pressing these things and Honor made the power button textured so it’s easy to tell what you’re pressing before you do. It’s a real turnoff when a phone comes with mushy, unsatisfying buttons. Sure, we’d never not recommend a phone for that reason, but it’s little details like this that make it easy to fall in love with this phone.

Internals

The biggest question I get when I tell people about this phone is, where did the cut corners? That’s a fair question because you can’t expect an $800 product for $500. When I tell people to take a guess, they ask if Honor used an older or underpowered processor, that it lacks the RAM and storage of a 2018 flagship, or perhaps doesn’t have great battery life.

They’re always shocked to find out that, amazingly, every word of what they just said was wrong.

The Honor View 10 has a HiSilicon Kirin 970 SoC. That’s another name that won’t be familiar to the vast majority of consumers out there. The Kirin 970 is Huawei’s own SoC produced in-house and it comes with a Neural Processing Unit (more on that later). It compares favorably to the Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 SoC, 2017’s favorite processor.

Now, sure, the Kirin 970 isn’t the most powerful SoC out there today, but ask yourself if you heard anyone complain about last years flagship processors. I didn’t think so. The story is the exact same thing here. In my day-to-day usage of the Honor View 10, I experienced almost no stuttering at all. That can be the death knell of a great smartphone experience, but interestingly the only time I had problems was in the Google pane to the left of your home screen. Everywhere else was perfect.

We also see a healthy amount of RAM and storage here too. Our review unit has 6 GB of RAM and 128 GB of internal storage. It also includes a hybrid SIM/microSD card tray that allows you to either use two SIM cards or one SIM and one microSD for up to an additional 256 GB of storage. In everyday usage, we saw excellent multitasking with apps that we opened days ago still being held in RAM. The storage obviously speaks for itself, but in a day and age where we’re pinning more music playlists to our phone and saving movies to local storage, it’s always excellent to have more storage than you need.

Battery life is always a concern as we’re getting more demanding applications and always-on services. Luckily, Honor was able to stuff in a 3,750 mAh battery somehow. The phone is still incredibly thin. It measures in at .28 in, leading phones like the LG V30 (.29 in) and Google Pixel 2 XL (.31 in). But, Honor somehow managed to pack in one of the largest batteries on the market today.

Not only is the battery huge, but it charges up quickly too. We depleted the battery on our review unit then charged it for 30 minutes to end up with an impressive 44% of our battery. We repeated this test three times and ended up with 44% twice and 43% once. While not the most scientifically rigorous test, it does indicate that even if you forget to charge your phone overnight, you can throw your phone on the charger while you’re getting ready for work and have enough juice to get through the workday.

We can’t rave enough about how good the battery life on the Honor View 10 is. Battery life in phones has been getting better in the last few years, but this phone takes it to a new level. Instead of the standard full day of battery life and three to four hours of screen on time you can expect out of most phones, the Honor View 10 can easily get you two days of battery.

Throughout our test period, there was only one day where I needed to charge up before the end of the day and that was because I was watching movies on it all day in the car. You should expect at least six hours of screen on time with decent usage.

Software

The Honor View 10 has a software has Android 8.1 with EMUI 8.1 atop. EMUI is one of the heaviest Android skins out there today and might make Android purists recoil a bit. While EMUI isn’t for everyone, it definitely has some strengths that I think get overlooked when people are looking for a new device.

Yes, the skin does feel like Mountain View and Cupertino got drunk one night and had a baby, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Where in past iterations EMUI might have gotten the worst traits of this bastardization, we’ve seen a subtle shift and refinement recently. We still hate some things like the share menu, but there’s more to like here than dislike.

You’ll find a please color pallet that doesn’t mirror stock Android but does incorporate some elements. We see lots of blues and whites here that look pleasing to the eye. If you don’t like what comes on the device, you can easily change it with the included theme app. It isn’t the most powerful theme engine we’ve seen on a device but it should get the job done for most.

We were also pleased by some of the small but smart software additions. Actions like swiping up from the bottom of the lock screen to reveal a toolbar with the flashlight, a calculator and more that feels natural. Additionally, we appreciate the ability to run a second instance of some apps. This comes in handy for monitoring multiple social media accounts, among other things.

Going back to the lockscreen, there’s one more thing we love, and one we miss. First off, we definitely miss the inclusion of an always-on display. The Honor View 10 has an IPS LCD display instead of an AMOLED, so we understand why Huawei might have omitted this here. But, we have seen others with LCD displays include this feature and so it might be something Huawei should consider adding later.

Instead of an always-on display, you can enable raise-to-wake the device. Removing the phone from your pocket or picking it up off a table will activate the display and give you a rundown of your notifications and the time. It’s a nice consolation prize if we’re not going to get an always-on display.

Face unlock is becoming a trendy feature with a ton of different device makers adding it into their devices. Huawei has included it with the View 10 and has done a great job with it. I generally have issues with Face Unlock with most devices but the Honor View 10 recognizes me and unlocks in less than a second.

Camera

We’ve been trained to expect poor cameras on budget devices, but that’s not the case here. We loved our time with the Honor View 10 if for no other reason than the pictures we were able to snap.

In well-lit conditions, the Honor View 10 can stand up to other cameras on much more expensive phones. While we did some blown out bright spots in extremely bright conditions like our day at the ballpark, these were few and far between. It’s always disappointing to take a bad picture, but even when the Honor View 10 fell behind other devices, it did a good job.

Where the phone struggles is in very poorly lit situations. Low-light photography is a challenge for almost every device maker, but Huawei chose to not include optical image stabilization in the View 10. This hurts low-light performance and video camera stability and it showed in our low-light shots. You can still get usable pictures, and you’ll have more success if you know what you’re doing in Photoshop, but we were disappointed.

We mentioned the Neural Processing Unit earlier, and the camera is where we see that used the most. Huawei says that the NPU helps capture pictures faster and create better pictures in the process. It also helps with real-time text translation in apps like the Microsoft Translator app. Since it’s impossible to turn the NPU off, we can’t test how it really functions, but it’s handy to have none-the-less.

A.I. is a huge buzzword right now Huawei is solidly on that bandwagon. While we can’t remember a time where we picked up our phone and were wowed by the A.I. capabilities, we do have hope for the future. Right now this feels like an answer to a problem we never had, but we can definitely see the potential of the technology. Huawei might be in the driver seat by including the NPU in their SoC.

Only time will tell.

Conclusion

There’s a lot to love about the Honor View 10. It’s incredibly well built, there are some great software features, and camera performance is pretty decent. Sure, there are things we feel that are missing or could be improved but since there are no perfect phones on the market today, you could say that about anything.

The Honor View 10 is one of the first phones that I don’t feel like I need a case for. The body is fantastic and I honestly feel like if I get some scrapes, dents, or scratches that it’ll add to the character of the phone. In an age where we try to keep something looking pristine and perfect, this is a fantastic departure from the norm.

My big question is how the software will age over time. Huawei has been in the limelight in 2018 a few times and most of them weren’t positive. A potential carrier deal with AT&T and Verizon for the Mate 10 Pro fell through because of pressure from Congress. Even now, Capitol Hill is probing the relationship between Google and Huawei.

To recommend this device is to go in knowing that Huawei may pull out of the country altogether at some point. While the US Government seems to favor protectionism in the new administration, Chinese companies could feel the heat more than ever. If you don’t think it could happen, just ask ZTE.

What does that mean for the future of Chinese phones like the Honor View 10? We could see a future where the device sees no software updates because the mess going on right now.

But for the device strictly by itself, we love it. It feels fantastic in the hand, performs like a champ, and you don’t have to pay flagship prices. If you’re comfortable with an uncertain future, we recommend it.

Read next: HUAWEI Watch 2 Classic Review

Apple iOS 12 hands-on review

Last year’s iOS 11 update focused on adding a little more customization into the iPhone and iPad, along with a redesign of some parts of the operating system and key services like the App Store. Things are a little different with this year’s iOS 12 update, though. Yes, there are many new features that improve productivity on your iPhone, but there’s also a big effort to help people manage screen time, making it easier to stay offline.

The iOS 12 public beta is now available for download, and we took it for a spin. If you want to check out every single new feature in the update, we’ve rounded them all up in a handy guide.

Under the hood improvements

With iOS 12, Apple wants to deliver an OS that’s faster and more responsive across all iOS devices, which is why the update works on more iPhone and iPad devices than ever before. This means ramping up CPU performance to its highest state for performance and ramping it down to preserve battery life. Other improvements include animations that are smoother and faster.

The premise is that you should notice hefty performance boosts on older iPhones, and we certainly did. We installed the beta on an iPhone 6S and an iPhone 7 Plus, and performance is fluid and fast.

Brenda Stolyar/Digital Trends

Sadly, we didn’t see much of an improvement in battery life. Our iPhone 7 Plus had an 88 percent battery efficiency rating — which means we shouldn’t have to replace it just yet — but running iOS 12 killed our battery fast. On a work day, we often found ourselves at about 5 percent by 3:30 p.m. after using it only for sending text messages and some social media. Apps also tended to crash more often, but it’s a beta so we’re not too surprised. Hopefully we see some improvement here with the final version, though at that point we may have to replace the battery on the iPhone 7 Plus anyway.

We didn’t have any problems like apps crashing on the iPhone X. The app switcher was swift and fluid as usual. Battery life didn’t take a noticeable hit either, but we also didn’t use it as our primary phone for a full day. We’ll be doing more testing to see if there are any noticeable changes to performance or battery life.

Screen Time takes commitment

Over the past few years, there has been conscientious discussion about smartphone addiction. To help people manage their smartphone usage, iOS 12 adds a new section in the Settings app called Screen Time. It offers a summary of your smartphone use, and the ability to set time limits on specific apps.

Seeing how much time we spent on our device and on specific apps, and how many times we unlock our phone is interesting, but the novelty quickly wears off. We didn’t necessarily feel as though looking at these stats would change our phone habits. We are happy it’s here, though, for those that do want to keep tabs — especially parents.

The Screen Time features also aren’t as restrictive as we’d like. If you set a limit to how long you can use an app, you’re conveniently provided with the ability to override the limit, or simply add 15 more minutes when time is up via a pop-up notification. You don’t even even have to go the Settings app to turn the limit off, which makes it far too easy to simply tap to ignore the limit and keep scrolling through. If someone is taking the time to set up an App Limit, chances are they’d want stricter enforcement to make sure they are adhering to their own Screen Time rules.

Screen Time requires personal restraint, because otherwise it’s easy to continue your old habits.

We also wish App Limits weren’t separated by categories — like Social Media, Entertainment, Productivity, and more. Rather than bundling apps together, it’d be nice to choose individual apps in case we don’t want a break from one of the apps attached to that category.

The “Downtime” feature, which allows you to schedule a window of time where notifications are disabled, is a little more customizable as there’s an “Always Allowed” setting where you can choose apps. The idea here is to make sure work-related apps don’t disturb you when you’re at home, for example, and it works well enough. Like all of these Screen Time features, though, Downtime requires personal restraint, because otherwise it’s easy to continue your old habits.

Screen Time is certainly a great initiative from Apple to implement into its smartphones, and even Google is doing the same in the upcoming version of Android. We don’t these tools are going to change smartphone addiction — at least not any time soon — but at least there are now some methods people can use to curb habits.

Siri keeps you on track

Siri is finally a little more useful in iOS 12. With Siri Shortcuts, the voice assistant is capable of much more via quick actions that can all be assigned through the new Shortcuts app. Since the feature is still in beta, there isn’t much you can do at the moment other than customize voice commands to trigger a specific action. For instance, by telling Siri our home address (or whatever phrase you want), we can have the Lyft app launch immediately.

Brenda Stolyar/Digital Trends

But one of our favorite improvements to Siri is Siri Suggestions. Since we already use the Spotlight Search tool on a daily basis to access certain apps, suggestions conveniently show up underneath and they’re genuinely helpful. If we’re having a conversation with a friend via text and either haven’t responded or tend to text them more often than others, Siri suggests to send a message. When we missed a phone call from a family member, we received a suggestion to make a call back. These buttons are one click actions, so it doesn’t require much effort to follow through on Siri’s suggestions, which is handy.

Even though Siri’s ability to transcribe hasn’t gotten any better in iOS 12, we’re happy to see it’s able to make itself useful in some way.

A few redesigned apps

In iOS 12, Apple introduced Measure — an app that utilizes ARKit to measure objects and spaces in the real world with the phone’s camera. While the app still recommends to use a tape measure or measuring stick for precise measurements, we found it to be quite accurate if you need a rough estimate. It’s one of those apps you’ll only use for specific instances, though.

We installed the beta on an iPhone 6S and an iPhone 7 Plus, and performance is fluid and fast.

The Photos app also received a few upgrades. With a new “For You” tab, photos are all organized based on highlights — whether it was a concert in Philadelphia or a trip to Spain, the tab neatly places them into albums to look through. With a much more refined search, we were able to look up specific venues or places to easily to find photos.

A few other apps got some love in this update. The Stocks app, which most people probably uninstall, now has Apple News built in, and the Voice Memo app has been revamped to look more contemporary. You can check out our full impressions on most of the apps that received a redesign here.

Less notification fatigue

One of the biggest changes in iOS 12 is in the Notification Center, specifically with notifications. Notifications are a necessity when it comes to staying on top of important alerts, but it has always been a little cluttered on iOS. It’s why Apple is stealing a feature from Android. Grouped notifications are here, and they dramatically improve the iOS experience for the better.

Brenda Stolyar/Digital Trends

Now when you receive multiple notifications from Twitter, for example, the notifications sit bundled together in one bubble. Tap on it to expand them all, which also allows you to then interact with them individually. It may sound small, but now when you visit your Notification Center, you won’t just see an endless stream of notifications just from one app. It’s much more manageable and easier to choose which stack of notifications we want to look at first depending on importance.

If you don’t want specific apps grouped together, you can choose to turn it off in your Settings, but we love grouped notifications enough that we never want to go back.

Do Not Disturb during bedtime isn’t effective, yet

When Do Not Disturb was first introduced, there weren’t any customization options other than the ability to toggle it on and off. With iOS 12, it’s now possible to set specific time frames for it to automatically kick in and turn off without having to worry about doing it manually.

The one feature we were most excited to try was Do Not Disturb during bedtime mode, which prevents notifications from popping up on the lock screen during scheduled times. When it’s turned on, a notification sits on your lockscreen letting you know it’s on, and that all notifications and calls will be silenced.

Brenda Stolyar/Digital Trends

We’re disappointed to learn that it’s far too easy to see notifications by simply swiping up on the lockscreen. Like Screen Time, the feature isn’t strict enough to help us kick the habit of waking up in the middle of the night and checking notifications, as we found ourselves subconsciously swiping up. Apple should have required you to input a passcode.

Again, trying to make sure you adhere to Do Not Disturb will take some personal willpower. It’s going to take a little while until we condition ourselves to not find some way to check our notifications in the middle of the night. When bedtime Do Not Disturb ends, we do like the “good morning” greeting that pops up on the lock screen along with the weather for the day.

Injecting more fun into iMessage and FaceTime

Following the abundance of iMessage features Apple released with iOS 10, we were bummed that iOS 11 failed to include any fun features. Thankfully, iOS 12 redeems itself with new a few new capabilities. Not only can you create a Memoji of yourself through a quick and simple process, but you can also use them as stickers within the camera app on iMessage. Granted, you still need an iPhone X.

One minor tweak we have yet to get used to is the Photos app, which is now located in the app drawer in iMessage. Rather than having to send photos through iMessage by tapping on the camera button and then on your photo album, iOS 12 makes it easier to access through one step.

Another feature that has taken far too long for Apple to add is group FaceTime, which lets you video chat with up to 32 people in one session. You can also make the video chats more fun by adding the same stickers, emojis and Memojis to them as well. While we have yet to try the new FaceTime feature, we’ll be sure to update this story when we do.

Conclusion

Like with almost every iOS update, iOS 12 offers a more seamless user experience on the iPhone and iPad. Whether it’s staying more organized with grouped notifications or Siri Shortcuts, the update makes it easier to get simple things done by allowing the device to adapt to your behavior overtime, thanks to machine learning.

While its biggest initiative — Screen Time — offers a variety of different ways to help decrease our smartphone dependency, it’s requires the user to participate fully. Understandable, though we think Apple could be a little stricter with restrictions.

We’re happy with iOS 12, because it made us think “finally” for a lot of features introduced, such as group Facetime and grouped notifications. These changes may seem small, but they greatly impact the everyday experience. We think it’s worth downloading the beta if you’re on an iPhone X, but suggest waiting until the final version is released in the Fall for those on an older device like the iPhone 7 Plus or older.

Editors’ Recommendations

• iOS 12’s best new features
• Live updates: How to watch Apple’s WWDC 2018 keynote
• Android P vs. iOS 12: How have Google and Apple changed notifications?
• Here are five new features we want to see in Apple’s iOS 12
• Everything Apple announced at WWDC, from iOS 12 to MacOS Mojave

Android P gestures vs. iOS 12 gestures: What are the differences?

Android P and iOS 12 may not be ready for the public just yet, but if you’re OK with downloading a buggy operating system, you can get your hands on the betas now. Both Apple and Google have been working on their new mobile operating systems for some time now, and both of them have introduced a few new features to those operating systems. Namely, the companies have introduced a new set of gestures to control your software.

But how do the operating systems compare when it comes to gestures? We put them head to head to find out.

Android P

Because most of the gesture-based controls in iOS came before iOS 12 in the iPhone X, the biggest changes to gesture controls come in Android P. And it would be easy to assume that Google has simply copied Apple here, though there are some major differences in gestures between iOS and Android.

For starters, Google has done away with the navigation bar at the bottom in favor of a single pill-shaped button. That button acts as a home button when you tap on it, or a Google Assistant trigger when you hold it, but it can also be used for a range of other things. For example, swipe part way up from any screen to enter multitasking mode, where you’ll be able to access your recently used apps, a row of most-used apps, and even a search bar. You can also hold down on that home button and swipe it to the right to scroll between those apps quickly and easily. Last but not least, you can swipe the home button all the way up to access your app drawer.

Some might argue that that system is messy and confusing, but once you get used to it, it’s really pretty smart. Why? It allows you to access your recent apps, app drawer, Google Assistant, and home, all in one button. No more having to go home first to access your app drawer.

Other gestures in Android have largely remained the same. Swipe down to access your notifications, and down again for quick settings. From the home screen, you can swipe left to access Google Now too.

iOS 12

Gesture controls in iOS 12 haven’t really changed much — but that’s not to say they’re no good. From the home screen, you can access the Control Center by swiping up from the bottom. Swipe right, and you’ll find your widgets, while swiping down gets you to the notification center. You can also swipe down from the middle of the screen to find a search bar and Siri suggestions, along with things like reminders and calendar events.

Of course, things are a little different on the iPhone X, which is a little more similar to the new gestures on Android P. On the iPhone X, you can swipe up from the bottom of the screen to enter multitasking mode, which you can do from any screen. The Control Center has been moved — you can access it by swiping down from the top right of the display.

On the iPad, Apple has brought some of the iPhone X’s gestures — including the ability to swipe down from the top right to access the Control Center.

We expect the iPhone X’s gestures to become standard on all iPhone models going forward. Rumor has it that Apple is doing away with the old form-factor, instead planning on releasing three iPhones with the new iPhone X form-factor.

Conclusions

While you could argue that Google and Apple are moving closer and closer when it comes to gestures, they’ve clearly taken a slightly different approach in their new mobile operating systems. With Android P, you can access a huge range of features from any screen — but there’s a bit of a learning curve. With iOS it’s slightly simpler, but the trade-off is that you may need to go home to access some of the features, like the ability to swipe down from the middle of the screen. Neither of the two is necessarily “better,” but they are a little different, and the way in which you use them on a daily basis might be a little different too.

Editors’ Recommendations

• This robot can mimic your hand gestures and whoop you at rock-paper-scissors
• Neova MIDI ring lets musicians control their musical creations through gestures
• Apple iPhone 2020: Gesture controls, MicroLED and curved screens?
• Android P vs. iOS 12: How have Google and Apple changed notifications?
• HTC U12 Plus vs. OnePlus 6: The new kids battle for supremacy

5 reasons to install iOS 12

It has been over a decade since Apple’s first version of iOS rolled out along with the original iPhone. The iOS platform has come a long way since then, with Apple adding important new features every year and modernizing the style. Each new version is a mix of tweaks and improvements, but sometimes there are bugs or changes that feel jarring for longtime iPhone users.

If you’re feeling hesitant about upgrading, we’ve got five reasons to shrug off those doubts and download iOS 12 right away. These are our favorites, but we also have a more comprehensive list of iOS 12 features if you’re curious.

Siri Shortcuts

Brenda Stolyar/Digital Trends

We can’t help feeling that Apple’s Siri has been lagging behind the virtual assistant crowd. Both Google Assistant and Amazon’s Alexa are more capable, but Apple is trying to redress the balance with Siri Shortcuts in iOS 12. There are some important improvements here.

Siri will be more proactive now, learning your routine so it can, for example, warn you if you’re going to be late for a meeting and offer to send a text to the meeting organizer for you. It may also suggest you turn on Do Not Disturb when you go to a movie, call your Mom on her birthday, or offer to order your usual morning coffee.

More exciting than that is the ability to set up your own custom shortcuts via a dedicated Shortcuts app. You could have “Good morning” turn on your kitchen lights, fire up the coffee machine, and launch Apple Music. Alternatively, you might have “Home time” launch a podcast in the car, bring up navigation, and send a text to your partner to let them know you’re on the way.

There’s a lot of potential here to create really useful voice commands and we’re pleased to see more Siri integration with third-party apps. You’ll also be able to trigger these shortcuts from your Apple Watch or HomePod, not just your iPhone.

Screen Time

Brenda Stolyar/Digital Trends

There’s a collective realization that as great as smartphones are we might be overdoing things with them. Too many people are glued to their phones for hours on end, allow alerts to wake them during the night, or answer the buzz in their pockets instead of the person standing in front of them. We agree that too much screen time is bad for kids; maybe it’s time we started questioning whether it’s good for adults.

Apple’s new Screen Time feature gives parents better tools to set limits on how much time kids spend on their iPhones or iPads. It also allows adults to see the cold hard facts about how many minutes they spend in each app every day. You may scoff at the idea that you have a problem, but seeing exactly how many hours you’re wasting on Facebook or Instagram may change your mind.

You can also use Screen Time to set limits, so you can get a warning if you exceed half an hour a day on Twitter. Alternatively, you can set Downtime by specifying specific hours when you’re trying not to use your phone. You can tap to get an extra 15 minutes or ignore these limits altogether when alerts pop up and you can specify which apps that are always allowed. It’s debatable how useful these alerts will be, but they’re a good way of making us more mindful of just how much time we’re spending on our iPhones.

Memoji

Brenda Stolyar/Digital Trends

If you like Animoji, then Memoji is going to make you smile. You now have the option to create a customized Animoji that looks just like you. Unfortunately, you will need an iPhone X to take advantage of this because it requires the TrueDepth camera. It’s easy to set up a Memoji and you can use your custom avatar in FaceTime calls.

Apple has also added some new Animoji characters, including a ghost and a dinosaur, and the camera can now pick up on you sticking your tongue out and winking.

Performance improvements

Jessica Lee Star/Digital Trends

For anyone with an older iPhone, you may not be able to enjoy the new Memoji, but you will enjoy significant performance improvements. It’s a common concern that new versions of iOS can slow older iPhones down, but with iOS 12 the opposite is true.

Apple suggests things will generally be faster and more responsive, specifically stating that apps will launch up to 40 percent faster than before, swiping to the camera from the lock screen will be 70 percent faster, and the keyboard appears 50 percent faster and is more responsive. You can also expect smoother animations and the share sheet and app switching will be twice as fast as before.

These stats are based on testing with an iPhone 6 Plus, so your mileage may vary depending on your iPhone model.

Group FaceTime

Another exciting development for groups of iPhone-toting friends or families is the addition of group FaceTime calls. You can now have an audio or video call with up to 31 other people. Whoever is talking will take center stage, but you can also use Focus View to pick a person to focus on if you prefer. You can launch group FaceTime right from a group Messages conversation.

Group FaceTime calls feature all the same extra options for filters and effects and they’re encrypted just like one-to-one calls. They also work across iPhones, iPads, and can be answered on Apple Watches. This functionality is also coming to MacOS. It may be long overdue, but now that Apple is finally doing it, it seems to be doing it right.

There are lots of other new features in iOS 12 and some important fixes that we’ve been waiting for, so why not give it a try?

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• How to create, customize, and use Memoji on iOS 12

Mac owners can now test MacOS Mojave with Apple’s new public beta

If you want to be among the first to experience the dark mode on MacOS, you can now download MacOS Mojave through Apple’s public beta campaign. Mojave was released earlier this week as part of a developer beta, but now you don’t have to be a developer to test Apple’s latest operating system. Apple will release MacOS Mojave this fall if you don’t want to be part of the beta campaign.

Announced earlier this month at Apple’s WWDC event, Mojave brings some notable new features to Apple’s desktop operating system that will help users stay productive and secure while working online. In addition to the new dark mode that will provide some relief to your eyes when working in darker environments, Apple announced that the Safari browser on MacOS Mojave will protect against digital fingerprinting to make it harder for websites to track and identify you when you’re browsing the web. Productivity highlights that Mojave brings include new tools that make it easier to capture, record, and edit screen captures and screen recordings, a revamped Mac App Store, Stacks, new Quick Look, new Finder, and ports of Stocks, News, Voice Memos, and Home apps from iOS.

While it may be tempting to experience some of these features today, casual computing users should be warned that this is still a beta. This means that you may experience some growing pains as you test the software and provide feedback to help Apple fine-tune Mojave ahead of its fall release. “Please note that since the public beta software has not yet been commercially released by Apple, it may contain errors or inaccuracies and may not function as well as commercially released software,” Apple cautioned.

Eligible Macs for the Mojave beta include the MacBook Pro and MacBook Air from mid-2012 or newer, the MacBook from early 2015 or newer, the Mac Mini and iMac from late 2012 or newer, the 2017 iMac Pro, or the Mac Pro. As with all beta releases, you may experience bugs, and maintaining backups of your file and data is always a good practice in case something goes wrong. If you’re willing to accept some of these risks, you can enroll your Mac through Apple’s Beta Software Program website.

In addition to MacOS Mojave, Apple will also release iOS 12 for iPhone and iPad this fall.

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• The best MacBook Pro you can buy is on sale for $1,000 at Best Buy

Windows 10 Mail will let you handwrite your email with a stylus

Credit: The Verge

Microsoft will soon give new meaning to “writing” an email. While you can still type out your mail message in Windows 10’s Mail client, you’ll soon also be able to ink your message using a stylus if your device supports a pen. In addition to stylus support in the Mail client, you’ll also be able to jot down your upcoming calendar appointments in the Windows Calendar app, according to OnMSFT, making it feel more like a paper planner for journaling addicts.

The update is rolling out to Windows Insiders now, though not all users may get the update right away — I haven’t seen updates to the Mail or Calendar apps on my Surface Book that enable the inking capabilities. However, if you have the update, you’ll see a new draw tab on the top in the ribbon interface when composing a new email message. The Draw tab, shown on The Verge, includes options includes options to erase, change pen tips and ink colors, and highlight parts if you want to add additional annotations. “There are plenty of pen options and colors with this new feature, and it should ship in time for Microsoft’s next major Windows 10 update, currently code-named Redstone 5,” the publication reported.

In addition to new inking features inside Windows 10’s Mail and Calendar apps, Microsoft also introduced its SwiftKey keyboard integration as part of the latest Windows Insider Preview build. The keyboard allows users to trace letters to form words, rather than tapping on each individual key, to make it easier to type on glass. Additionally, the keyboard also comes with auto-correct and word prediction.

These changes come ahead of Microsoft’s rumored and highly anticipated new hardware launches, including a dual-screen computing device with the Andromeda code name that could debut this year as well as a lower cost Surface Tablet. Given that these devices come with a notepad or notebook form factor, broader availability of inking support in Windows 10 will help them feel more like their paper counterparts. Microsoft’s partners are also working on dual-screen devices. Dell is rumored to be working on its own version called Januss, and Lenovo and Asus are said to be working with Intel to bring this new form factor to the market.

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AOL’s instant messenger rises from the ashes, but your buddies didn’t survive

America Online’s instant messenger, AIM, now rises from the ashes as AIM Phoenix. It’s not an official service but is instead run by Wildman Productions, a non-profit organization comprised of “hobbyist programmers and other artists.” AIM Phoenix essentially uses discontinued software to send messages through a private server and doesn’t actually connect to America Online (aka AOL). 

AIM first started as an extension to America Online’s desktop software so that subscribers could talk to other members without loading the main bulky platform. But with the rise of ICQ, Yahoo Messenger, and MSN Messenger, America Online opened its chat client to everyone, not just subscribers. Eventually, most chat clients lost their appeal, including AIM, as web surfers flocked to social networks and evolving mobile devices. 

By March 2012, America Online injected advertisements into its AIM client and let go of the development staff. America Online kept the chat service active and provided technical support until it finally shut down AIM on December 15, 2017. AIM originally launched on Windows 95 as a stand-alone client in May 1997. 

Currently, Wildman Productions serves up 10 releases of AIM spanning version 1.0 to the “lite” version of AIM 5.9. If you go for the latter “lite” version, there are nine themes you can install ranging from Gray Moose to Incredibly Pink. Also provided is an AIM Tamer program that handles AIM clients when they hang the PC. Software for establishing your own AIM Phoenix server will eventually be provided as well.

Installing AIM is somewhat hilarious as it takes you back in time to when web surfers mostly relied on dial-up connections. For instance, the installer asks for you to choose your current connection: A modem or a permanent LAN connection. The installer even asks if you want to make Netscape.com your browser’s homepage. 

To get these clients to work, you may need to run AIM Tamer in the background first, as after installing and running AIM 5.9, it completely seized our test PC, preventing us from even shutting down the process in Task Manager. AIM Tamer provides a pop-up window stating “it makes AIM behave” and presents an escape button if AIM doesn’t play nice on your PC. 

Unfortunately, we couldn’t get version 5.1 or 5.9 to run on our test Windows 10 PC, but version 5.0 worked just fine. Once it loaded without problems, we created an account through the AIM Phoenix website and then clicked on the client’s “wrench” icon to access its settings. After that, we clicked on the “connection” button and changed the host address and port to redirect America Online’s client to Wildman Productions’ servers. 

Of course, your AIM contacts aren’t present, so you need to bait your friends and family into using this free-yet-outdated service. It’s a great trip down memory lane, but a lonely one if you’re the only soul you know riding the dusty AIM stallion. Still, AIM Phoenix could rise up from the ashes of its former self and become a great-yet-nostalgic instant messaging platform through word of mouth. 

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Best Heavy Duty Cases for Samsung Galaxy S8 in 2018

Protect your Galaxy S8 with a sturdy, rugged case, and have some peace of mind while you’re at it.

The Galaxy S8 is a slender, sweet piece of glass, and if you like to live the rough-and-tumble, it needs some rugged protection to keep up with you and make through the day in one piece. Check out these heavy duty cases and slap a little peace of mind on that piece of glass.

Consider these the… Guardians of your Galaxy.

• Supcase Unicorn Beetle Pro
• Zizo Static Series
• Caseology Legion
• Poetic Revolution
• Spigen Tough Armor
• UAG Feather-light Rugged
• OtterBox Defender
• Pelican Voyager
• Trianium Duranium

Supcase Unicorn Beetle Pro

The old standby of rugged cases, the Supcase Unicorn Beetle Pro (around $20) is the utmost in heavy-duty protection for your Galaxy S8. These three-piece cases feature a front cover, back cover, and a holster so that you don’t have to carry a heavier phone around in your pocket. With that in mind, the Unicorn Beetle Pro doesn’t add a ton of bulk to your phone, but there still is a difference. You want thin, go with a slim case.

The Unicorn Beetle Pro is made of tough polycarbonate plastic and provides extra protection in the corners — the kill shot for just about any phone in the event of a drop. You have your choice of black, blue (doesn’t match the S8 coral blue color), pink, and white.

See at Amazon

Zizo Static Series

Zizo’s cases are military drop tested, so they’re guaranteed to protect your phone from drops, according to military standards. The Static Series features a fold-out kickstand and two layers of protection: a hard polycarbonate shell with a silicone layer to disperse impact and cushion your phone. This is especially necessary in the corners, which are incredibly vulnerable in a drop situation.

On top of excellent protection, the Zizo Static Series also looks really cool. You have your choice of seven color combinations, which feature a black layer and then a vibrantly colored layer. If you’re looking for heavy-duty protection for your Galaxy S8, along with a flash of style and a convenient kickstand, then check these out. Especially since they’re only about $11.

See at Amazon

Caseology Legion

I love Caseology cases. They always fit well and they’re fantastically protective. I use a Wavelength, and I had my phone knocked out of my hand onto a gym floor. After cleaning up my drawers, I picked up my phone and it was fine. That was a slimmer case, too. Check out the rugged Legion series. It features a layer of flexible a shock-absorbing TPU with an outer layer of polycarbonate. You’re protected from hard bumps and scratches, as well as shocks and drops.

All the buttons are covered, but the coverings provide great tactile feedback, and your ports are completely accessible. You have your choice of black or orchid gray, which is meant to match the S8 color, though we haven’t seen this one in person to verify that.

You can grab one from Amazon for around $15.

See at Amazon

Poetic Revolution

The Poetic Revolution is a two-piece case that you slip your Galaxy S8 into, and then you snap on the front. Most Poetic cases have a screen protector, but this one doesn’t because of the Galaxy S8’s curved screen. That being said, the raised bezel around the front protects your screen when you lay it face-down, and the raised cutout around the camera protects the lens.

The inside of the Revolution is made of flexible TPU, which is designed to disperse impact and protect your S8 from scratches. The outside of the back is a layer of polycarbonate, which takes the brunt of any bump or drop. The outer edges of this case are textured to give it a great in-hand feel that isn’t slippery, so you can hold onto your phone. You have your choice of black, a very vibrant blue, and pink.

Check it out for $10.

See at Amazon

Spigen Tough Armor

Spigen makes a phone case for every occasion and its Tough Armor series is perfect for heavy-duty protection. It has an inner layer of TPU for shock absorption and to protect against scratches, as well an outer shell made from durable polycarbonate. There’s also a handy kickstand on the back, so you can watch videos hands-free.

This may look a bit like Caseology’s Legion, but the button layout is a bit different, with a space between volume up and volume down, so you can control your music on the go without having to pull your phone out of your pocket. The Tough Armor series comes in gunmetal, black, coral blue (which looks like it matches the coral blue S8, but we can’t say for sure yet), and maple gold.

Pricing starts around $17.

See at Amazon

UAG Feather-light Rugged

Urban Armor Gear’s Feather-light Rugged cases are a staple of the heavy duty case market. These composite cases are made from hard plastic (outer shell) and a flexible and durable TPU rubber (inner shell), which come together to protect against drops, as well as a good deal of shock absorption.

The main nicety of the UAG case is its oversize cutouts for the headphone jack and USB-C port. You shouldn’t have to take the case off to listen to tunes or charge up your Galaxy S8, no matter the size of the cable.

There are 10 color options to choose from and pricing starts at $17.

See at Amazon

OtterBox Defender

I left this one off the list, much to the dismay of many a commenter, so here it is in all its glory: the OtterBox Defender. The old standby of rugged cases, OtterBox started it all with cases you could allegedly drive over and your phone would still be intact. I’ve never known anyone who’s tried it, but having had OtterBox cases in the past, it seems plausible.

The Galaxy S8 version is just as great as you’ve always known, with precise cutouts, a substantial in-hand feel, and a convenient hip holster for you and all your cool friends.

Pricing starts around $20 for black, and you have four other colors to choose from.

See at Amazon

Pelican Voyager

Another comments section special, the Pelican Voyager really shouldn’t have been left off this list. I’ve known an had friends who’ve used Pelican products for years, from cases to suitcase, and between the warranty, price, and truly rugged protection, this is definitely one of the top three cases in this roundup.

Tested to military specifications, this case has four layers of shock-absorbing protection, with two types of rubber inside a hard polycarbonate plastic shell, adding a bit of bulk, but the ultimate in protection. And the polycarbonate shell has a texturized rubber coating so that it’s not slippery. There’s also a rad holster that swivels, which you’ll probably need, since this will be substantial pocket carry. For roughly $20, you really can’t go wrong.

See at Amazon

Trianium Duranium

Anything that rhymes like the title of a Red Hot Chili Peppers album has to be good, right? Trianium’s Duranium case is a rugged mix of hard polycarbonate and flexible, shock-absorbing TPU rubber, and at $12, it’s a steal of a deal. Plus, if you want to be extra fashionable, it comes with a belt clip. So slap on those cargo shorts, get some socks on under those sandals for goodness’ sake, and grab this case.

See at Amazon

Looking for something a little slimmer or a bit different?

Best Cases for Galaxy S8

Got one yet?

Have you already picked up a case in anticipation for your Galaxy S8 pre-order? Let us know in the comments below!

Updated June 2018: Removed the Mascheri Prism, since it’s no long available. Added the Trianium Duranium to the list.

Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8+

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• Join our Galaxy S8 forums

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