SuperTooth TW1 Review: mid-range sound and price, complete with all its flaws

When it comes to truly wireless earphones, there’s really only a few different tiers. There are the budget models, which routinely run under $75 and generally have poor performance, the mid-range, which is about $100, and the premiums, which can run from $150 up to $250. The premium tier is where you’d expect to find earphones that include unique features, like audio transparency, companion apps and the like. The mid-range tier generally offers a similar hardware experience without the software support to enhance it. It’s in this mid-range tier that the SuperTooth TW1 falls.

Build & Design

There are only so many form factors for Bluetooth earphones. And while that can be a bit boring, it also gives us a great barometer for the difference between good design and bad design. When something works, it stands apart from the crowd in a special way. When something really doesn’t work, it stands out in a pretty crummy way.

Build

On the whole, I wish the Supertooth TW1 felt a bit more premium. It’s extremely lightweight, which is great, but that comes at the cost of feeling a little cheap. The two-piece mold has a clear seam, and the feel of the plastic leaves something to be desired.

Internally, the TW1 is pretty standard affair for as truly wireless headset. It comes with Bluetooth 4.2, and outputs your standard array of 20-20,000Hz. Each earphone holds an 80mAh battery, and the charging case (while I’ll talk about later) contains a 640mAh battery for a total of 14 hours of playtime.

Design

While the aesthetic design of the TW1 is nondescript – it’s highly unlikely anyone but an enthusiast will identify them at a glance – it has a few design quirks that set it apart from other earphones of its ilk.

Unlike many wireless earphones, which rely on outer ear hooks or shaped design to secure them in your ears, Supertooth has taken a slightly different approach with three sets of inner ear hooks. The tabs are silicon, which makes them very pliable and easy to insert. However, that softness also makes them a bit less secure than I’d like to see. The method of switching these tabs out, though is rather clever. Each one is held in place by an expanded, hard plastic tab that holds it in place, and all that’s needed to remove it is to stretch the silicon over the tab. It’s just as easy to secure in place.

Performance

In terms of sound quality, the Supertooth TW1 is pretty standard affair for a mid-range Bluetooth headset. It’s got solid clarity and depth of sound, but inadequate bass – as is typical of its tier. Bluetooth 4.2 means that you’ll get solid connectivity, but far from the bleeding edge. Unfortunately, Bluetooth 5 has been out for more than a year now and manufacturers are still churning out 4-series Bluetooth accessories.

The microphone on the TW1 is adequate but nothing spectacular and includes the now-characteristic distant quality on the other end of a call.

Charging Case

The TW1’s charging case is pretty uninspired. The texture of the case is okay, but it’s made of such thin plastic that it feels like a toy. It’s got a big, gross hinge that dominates the back of the case, with just a button to release the lid. There are two LEDs on the case; one for each earphone. It’s not as handy as you’d expect, really only displaying when you first insert the earphones into the case. The earphones are not the smallest around, and as such the charging case ends up being bulky and not particularly pocket-friendly.

Despite the design flaws, though the case is rather functional. The TW1 fits snugly inside the case, and it closes securely without concern of it opening accidentally. As mentioned above, it contains a 640mAh battery, good enough for 4 full recharges of the TW1 – 14 hours of play time. Unfortunately, as per the industry’s usual at the moment, the charging case still rocks the venerable MicroUSB rather than the modern Type-C USB.

Value

I’ll be frank – the price of the of the Supertooth TW1 is less than ideal. When compared to headsets with a companion app, such as the Jabra Elite 65t and Yevo 1, which can be tuned via software update, it’s tough to go back to an out-of-the-box, as-is experience.

Now, that’s not meant to be a criticism of the Supertooth TW1 specifically – more, a recognition of the plight of the mid-range Bluetooth headset. When compared to the price of a low-end headset and the high performance of a high-end one, mid-range Bluetooth earphones kind of flounder in middle. The TW1 retails for 99.95€ ($119.99) which makes it neither particularly expensive nor a thrifty purchase.

Obtaining a TW1, though is a bit tricky at the moment if you’re in the U.S. Currently it’s only available on Amazon in the German store, though that likely ships to most European countries. If you’re stateside, you’re a little out of luck for now.

Buy the Supertooth TW1 on Amazon.de

watchOS 5 Wishlist: Features MacRumors Readers Want to See Introduced in the Next Apple Watch Software Update

The Worldwide Developers Conference is just about a week and a half away, and while we’ve heard some rumors on what we might see in iOS 12 and macOS 10.14, watchOS 5, the next-generation software update for the Apple Watch, remains a total mystery.

With no idea what to expect, we asked MacRumors readers what new features and tweaks they would most like to see in the watchOS 5 update.

• Live step count complication – MacRumors reader Breezygirl would like to see Apple add a live step complication that lets you see how many steps you’ve completed at a glance, rather than just a complication that lets you know how close you’ve come to hitting your activity ring goal.
• Third-party watch faces – Third-party watch faces are highly desired by most Apple Watch owners on the forums, but so far, Apple has kept the Apple Watch locked down to control the design and interface of the device. As MacRumors reader Relentless Power suggests, a watch face store that includes a variety of watch faces from third-party developers and companies would be great.
• Activity app improvements – Right now, the Activity app requires you to hit your goals each and every day to keep a streak going, which can be difficult at times and allows for no rest. MacRumors reader SoYoung would like to be able to set rest days.
• Workout app improvements – In the same vein, MacRumors reader Rbart is hoping for a better workout app for running that’s closer in design to Strava with additional statistics, a complete history, best performances, and more. Honglong1976, meanwhile, would like to see automatic activity detection to alleviate the need to start a workout.
• Podcasts for Apple Watch – Multiple MacRumors readers would like to see a dedicated Podcasts app on the Apple Watch for listening to podcasts on the wrist-worn device.
• Off-wrist Notifications indicator – MacRumors reader Lennyvalentin would like to see the Apple Watch better able to keep track of incoming notifications even when off the wrist, with those notifications still showing up but with an indication to note that they were received while the Apple Watch was idle.
• Proximity notifications – There’s no way to set the Apple Watch to ping when it goes out of range of the iPhone, a feature MacRumors reader Justiny would like to see as a way to keep track of the iPhone and get a reminder if it’s left behind.
• Sleep tracking – This one is probably a long shot given that Apple suggests people charge their Apple Watches at night, but MacRumors readers would like to see native sleep tracking capabilities.
• Always-on display – Given battery constraints, Apple has never implemented an always-on display for the Apple Watch, which is another highly desired feature. The Apple Watch display comes on when the wrist is raised, but it would be nice to have always-on access to the time as is possible with a traditional watch.
• Better health analysis and suggestions – MacRumors reader Bluecoast would like to see Apple better take advantage of the health information it collects with the watch to add recommendations and coaching for those who are aiming to meet health goals, as well as deeper analysis.

Is there something you’re hoping to see in watchOS 5 that didn’t make it on our list? Make sure to let us know in the comments.

Related Roundups: Apple Watch, watchOS 4Buyer’s Guide: Apple Watch (Neutral)
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French chemists have an ingenious new use for rotten, discarded wine grapes

You can trust the French, masters of wine that they are, to find amazing innovations involving grapes. That is what a team of researchers at the University of Clermont Auvergne have done with research which seeks ways to transform the waste grape skins, stems, and seeds left behind during wine production into more durable plastics.

“In France, doctors recommend drinking a glass of wine per day because it is rich in antioxidants,” researcher Audrey Diouf-Lewis told Digital Trends. “The wine industry transform 25 percent of the raw grapes into residue composed by seeds, grape marc, and lees, which are also rich in the same polyphenols. Thus we studied the potential of these molecules as novel biobased stabilizers for polymers.”

In the human body, polyphenols play an important role in preventing or reducing the progression of diabetes, cancer, and neurodegenerative and cardiovascular diseases. In plastics, meanwhile, they can help prevent similar reactions which have the effect of making plastics brittle after they have been exposed to the light and air for long periods of time.

For their research, the University of Clermont Auvergne scientists placed leftover materials from Pinot noir grapes into a microwave, before freeze-drying the resulting liquid to make it into a powder. This powder was then incorporated into the molecular matrix of melted polypropylene, a plastic which is frequently used for packaging and containers.

Tested under accelerated aging conditions, untreated plastics started to crack after just 25 hours. However, plastic which had been made using the grape residue lasted for more than twice as long. While Diouf-Lewis noted that their process is not as effective as some commercial stabilizers, it has the benefit of being more eco-friendly — and there is the potential to improve its performance in later research.

“These new bio-based additives will mainly be used to strengthen plastics and bioplastics intended for outdoor application, as they are exposed to sunlight,” she continued. “This is the case [for] garden furniture, car headlights or plastic packaging.”

In the future, she noted that the team aims to study the effectiveness of biowaste from other industries, such as byproducts from the wheat industry. A paper describing the work was recently published in the Journal of Applied Polymer Science.

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Facebook and Google racked up $8.8 billion in lawsuits from one day of GDPR

Europe’s data protection law went into effect on Friday and technology giants Facebook and Google are already facing multi-billion dollar lawsuits for failing to comply with the General Data Protection Regulation. The 3.9 billion euro suit against Facebook and 3.7 billion euro suit against Google were filed by pro-privacy advocate Max Schrems, an Austrian lawyer, on behalf of unnamed individuals affected by products such as Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram, and Google’s Android operating system. The total lawsuit amounts to nearly $9 billion.

As a long-time critic of Facebook, Schrems argued that the company is violating a provision of GDPR by forcing users to consent to share their personal data, and that the company has gone as far as blocking accounts of users who have not given consent. “In the end users only had the choice to delete the account or hit the “agree”-button — that’s not a free choice, it more reminds of a North Korean election process,” he said in a statement published on TechCrunch.

Speaking at the Paris VivaTech conference on Tuesday, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg  defended the company’s ad practices, arguing that “the vast majority of people choose to opt in to make it so that we can use the data from other apps and websites that they’re using to make ads better.” However, he didn’t go as far as offering users a choice on declining advertising, and the only option right now is quitting the network.

A similar lawsuit filed against Google alleged that users are forced to share their personal data to be able to use an Android device. Both Google and Facebook deny the allegations of GDPR violations, stating that they are fully complying with the new laws. “We build privacy and security into our products from the very earliest stages,” Google’s statement to The Verge reads.

“We have made our policies clearer, our privacy settings easier to find and introduced better tools for people to access, download, and delete their information,” Facebook’s Chief Privacy Officer Erin Egan wrote in a statement sent to various media publications, noting that the company had been preparing for GDPR for the past 18 months. “Our work to improve people’s privacy doesn’t stop on May 25th. For example, we’re building Clear History: a way for everyone to see the websites and apps that send us information when you use them, clear this information from your account, and turn off our ability to store it associated with your account going forward.”

If the allegations prove true, Google and Facebook stand to lose even more money, as regulators can impose fines of up to four percent of global revenue. The tough privacy laws have even forced some companies, like Pinterest-owned InstaPaper, to temporarily shutdown until it can comply. It’s unclear if European regulators will impose strict fines for first-time offences given that GDPR just recently went into effect.

“We probably will not immediately have billions of penalty payments, but the corporations have intentionally violated the GDPR, so we expect a corresponding penalty under GDPR,” Schrems said in a statement.

Editors’ Recommendations

• Facebook highlights privacy settings you forgot about as new tools roll out
• Here’s what we learned from Mark Zuckerberg’s EU hearing on privacy
• 9 things to know about Facebook privacy and Cambridge Analytica
• Senators craft bill to tame social media with privacy requirements
• Facebook’s photo tag suggestions could violate Illinois law — and cost billions

OnePlus 6 vs. Google Pixel 2 XL: What difference does $300 make?

By offering flagship-level specs at a price hundreds of dollars less than the competition, the OnePlus 6 has shown the world why it deserves to be known as the flagship killer. But what’s in a name, and how does the OnePlus 6 actually fare when it goes head-to-head with one of the top flagships of the moment? To find out, we put the OnePlus 6 against the best Google has to offer — the Google Pixel 2 XL.

Specs

OnePlus 6
Google Pixel 2 XL

Size
155.7 x 75.4 x 7.8 mm (6.13 x 2.97 x 0.31 inches)
157.9 x 76.7 x 7.9 mm (6.22 x 3.02 x 0.31 inches)

Weight
177 grams (6.24 ounces)
175 grams (6.17 ounces)

Screen size
6.28-inch AMOLED display
6-inch P-OLED display

Screen resolution
2,280 x 1,080 pixels (402 pixels per inch)
2,880 x 1,440 pixels (538 ppi)

Operating system
Android 8.1 Oreo
Android 8.1 Oreo

Storage space
64GB (with 6GB of RAM), 128GB, 256GB (both with 8GB of RAM)

64GB, 128GB

MicroSD card slot
No
No

Tap-to-pay services
Google Pay
Google Pay

Processor
Qualcomm Snapdragon 845
Qualcomm Snapdragon 835

RAM
6GB, 8GB
4GB

Camera
Dual 16MP and 20MP rear, 16MP front
12.2MP (with OIS) rear, 8MP front

Video
Up to 4K at 60 frames per second, 1080p at 240 fps, 720p at 480 fps super slow motion, HDR
Up to 4K at 30 fps, 1080p at 120 fps, 720p at 240 fps

Bluetooth version
Bluetooth 5.0
Bluetooth 5.0

Ports
3.5mm headphone jack, USB-C
USB-C

Fingerprint sensor
Yes (back)
Yes (back)

Water resistance
No
IP67

Battery
3,300mAh

DashCharge

3,520mAh

Fast charging

App marketplace
Google Play Store
Google Play Store

Network support
AT&T and T-Mobile
T-Mobile, AT&T, Verizon, Sprint

Colors
Midnight Black, Mirror Black, Silk White
Just Black, Black & White

Price
$530
$850

Buy from
OnePlus

Google, Amazon

Review score
4.5 out of 5 stars
4.5 out of 5 stars

Performance, battery life, and charging

Andy Boxall/Digital Trends

The OnePlus 6 comes with Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon 845 processor, and the benchmarks from our OnePlus 6 review show that OnePlus is using that power well, with results that beat some of the flagships from this year. Being a 2017 flagship, the Pixel 2 XL doesn’t have the luxury of the Snapdragon 845’s power and instead relies on the older Snapdragon 835. In terms of benchmarking and power on paper, the OnePlus 6 has it beat. But in real-world terms, the Pixel 2 XL has the advantage of Google’s Android expertise — simply put, the Pixel 2 XL works so well with Android that it’s an exceptionally smooth mover, and though the OnePlus 6 is also silky smooth, it’s hard to separate them in real terms.

We need more time with the OnePlus 6 to be sure of its battery capabilities, but from our initial testing, the OnePlus 6 will last at least a day. That puts it on par with the Pixel 2 XL’s larger battery, but it remains to be seen whether the OnePlus 6 can stretch out for longer. In terms of charging speed, OnePlus’ Dash Charge is one of the fastest charging methods on the planet, with OnePlus promising a day’s worth of charge in 30 minutes. While the Pixel 2 XL is also a speedy charger, topping up 40 percent in just 40 minutes, we give it to the OnePlus 6 charger here.

It’s exceptionally hard to choose a winner here, and while the OnePlus 6 has the raw power and numbers to back it up, the Pixel 2 XL’s performance speaks for itself. This has to be a tie.

Winner: Tie

Design and durability

Julian Chokkattu/Digital Trends

To call the Pixel 2 XL’s looks divisive would be an understatement — while we like the unique two-tone blend of metal and glass, there’s definitely a difference of opinion, even in our offices. By contrast, the OnePlus 6 is one of the most gorgeous phones we’ve seen to date, with a beautiful mirror finish on the glass body. They’re both in line with the latest bezel-less trends, but the inclusion of a notch on the OnePlus 6 is sure to cause some consternation, but that may be balanced by the lack of a headphone jack on Google’s phone.

You’re going to want a case for both of these phones — glass may look amazing, but it’s only so strong and one careless moment could ruin your phone’s looks. The Pixel 2 XL comes with an IP67-rating, giving it some water-resistance, while the OnePlus 6 lacks an IP rating, so be careful around the toilet.

This is another tough category to judge — the OnePlus 6 is probably the more attractive phone, but we don’t find the Pixel 2 XL’s unique looks bad at all. For those to whom durability is a bigger issue, the water-resistance on the Pixel 2 XL is the clincher here. For others, the lack of headphone jack on the Pixel 2 XL will mean the OnePlus 6 wins. This is another draw.

Winner: Tie

Display

Andy Boxall/Digital Trends

You’ll find OLED tech in both of these screens, and they’re both crisp, and capable of showing a huge depth of colors and inky blacks. In terms of color reproduction and quality, there’s not much to really separate the two. However, you’ll find a much higher resolution (and therefore, a sharper display) on the Pixel 2 XL’s 6-inch screen, with a resolution of 2,880 x 1,440 pixels going up against the OnePlus 6’s 2,280 x 1,080-pixel display. While you might be hard-pressed to tell the difference in normal usage, the Pixel 2 XL’s display is the superior here.

Winner: Google Pixel 2 XL

Camera

Julian Chokkattu/Digital Trends

The OnePlus 6 comes with a dual-lens system in the rear of the phone, with the 16-megapixel and 20-megapixel lenses working together to provide an excellent camera experience. While we haven’t had a chance to really put it through its paces yet, the initial signs for the OnePlus 6’s camera are good. But it’s up against one of the greats here — the Pixel 2 XL has been on top of our list of the best camera phones for some time, and it’s going to take a monumental effort to shift it. What everyone else does with two lenses Google does proudly with one. It’s quite simply one of the best cameras in the business for shooting still images.

It’s more of a mismatch in video. The OnePlus 6 can shoot 4K video at a full 60 frames per second, as well as slow-motion video at 480 fps — the Pixel 2 XL can only shoot 4K at 30 fps and slow-motion at 120 fps. However, how much of a difference either one of those makes to your daily life is purely personal — for us, images are more important than video.

Without having fully completed our tests on the OnePlus 6, it’s impossible to deliver a real verdict here. The Pixel 2 XL is one of the finest camera phones around right now, but a good number of phones are nipping at its heels, or exceeding it in different areas. The OnePlus 6 could be one of them. This is a tie.

Winner: Tie

Software and updates

Andy Boxall/Digital Trends

If you want the most up-to-date version of Android, then you’re in luck. Both of these phones have the latest build of Android — Android 8.1 Oreo. If you prefer the stock Android experience, then the Pixel 2 XL is about as stock as you can get, while the OnePlus 6’s OxygenOS Android skin is still a pleasure to use.

In terms of update speed, while OnePlus is generally quite quick with updates, Google literally makes Android — so the Pixel range is always going to get the latest Android builds first. That includes the upcoming Android P — although both these phones can access the Android P beta right now.

Winner: Google Pixel 2 XL

Special features

Julian Chokkattu/Digital Trends

The OnePlus 6 is a flagship-level phone with a midrange price point — as such, there probably wasn’t much room to cram in extra features once the basics were polished. However, there are a couple of additional options that might catch your eye. There’s an optional gesture system, similar to the iPhone X and Nova Launcher software, as well as the slide-in Shelf, which shows recent apps, contacts, and other useful info.

The Pixel 2 XL is similar, being mostly a stock Android experience. There are a few additions though. Google Assistant is obviously closely tied into the phone, with the Pixel 2 range having the special “Now Playing” feature that identifies music around you without needing a command. Google has taken a page from HTC’s book with squeezable sides that trigger commands — here known as Active Edge. It’s useful, especially to activate Google Assistant without needing a voice command. Plus, there’s always Google’s Daydream VR.

There’s not much to pick from here, but we think the Pixel 2 XL edges its rival with just slightly more useful features.

Winner: Google Pixel 2 XL

Price

Here’s the big difference. You can grab the Google Pixel 2 XL right now, and buying it from Google means you can get the phone on any major U.S. carrier. Buying one SIM-free will set you back $850. In contrast, the OnePlus 6 will only set you back $530, but it’ll only work on AT&T and T-Mobile. Still, that’s one heck of a price difference.

Overall winner: Google Pixel 2 XL

That was one heck of a battle, and it’s a close result. Despite having the older hardware, the Pixel 2 XL’s close relationship with Android really means it comes out ahead, even against newer hardware. It’s an amazing piece of tech, and really showcases how well Google can tune software to match hardware perfectly. For our money, it’s the consistently superior of the two.

With that said, there’s really not much in it, and with the OnePlus 6 being more than $300 cheaper than the Pixel 2 XL, OnePlus’ newest flagship wouldn’t be a bad choice at all — especially if you can’t bear to lose your headphone jack, or if your budget (understandably) doesn’t stretch to $800 for a phone.

Editors’ Recommendations

• Huawei P20 Pro vs Google Pixel 2 XL: Can the P20 Pro dethrone Android royalty?
• LG G7 ThinQ vs. Google Pixel 2 XL: A brains-versus-brawn comparison
• OnePlus 6 vs. LG G7 ThinQ: Can the flagship killer sink LG’s latest?
• Flagship face-off: Samsung’s Galaxy S9 Plus vs. Google’s Pixel 2 XL
• Sony Xperia XZ2 vs. Google Pixel 2 XL: Newest Sony flagship tackles Android king

Net neutrality bomb threat suspect has a history of hoax calls

A federal grand jury has indicted Tyler Barriss on two counts of making hoax bomb threats, including one that famously delayed the Federal Communications Commission’s vote to repeal net neutrality in December, Engadget reports. He called a similar bomb threat into the FBI headquarters later that same month. Barriss was already in police custody, however, charged with manslaughter for orchestrating a “swatting” that resulted in the death of 28-year-old Andrew Finch in Wichita, Kansas, also last December.

The December 14 bomb threat to the FCC only temporarily delayed Chairman Ajit Pai’s effort to repeal Barack Obama-era regulations for ensuring a fair and open internet. The U.S. Senate recently voted by a narrow margin to overturn the FCC’s ruling, but the bill faces an uphill battle through the House of Representatives and a particularly business-friendly White House in order to keep net neutrality alive.

“Swatting” is the practice of calling in extreme hoax threats (hostage situations and the like) on unsuspecting victims, severe enough that the police will send in a SWAT team. In this case, it’s particularly popular among gamers and has gained traction in recent years as streamers make juicy targets for such a cruel, dangerous and non-consensual show. According to court documents, Casey Viner, 18, and Shane Gaskill, 19, got into an argument as teammates while playing Call of Duty: WWII, leading Viner to ask Barriss to swat Gaskill. Gaskill dared Barriss to do so but gave him the address of a home his parents owned and rented to Finch and family.  While only Barriss is being charged with manslaughter for directly instigating the swatting, both teens are being charged with some combination of conspiracy, wire fraud, and obstruction of justice for their roles in the incident, as well as its cover-up by deleting direct messages after processing the severity of what went down.

Barriss’ association with the bomb threats should come as no surprise to anyone that knows him, as he has a history of similar incidents. In 2015, Barriss was arrested and charged for calling in a bomb threat to CNN affiliate KABC in Los Angeles, for which he served a two-year sentence.

Editors’ Recommendations

• U.S. Senate votes to overturn FCC’s repeal of net neutrality protections
• AT&T and Verizon lobbying for increased pricing power over smaller ISPs
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• Oregon is the latest state to jump on the net neutrality bandwagon
• FCC puts a date on net neutrality’s tombstone ahead of Senate vote

Elon Musk Tweets Tesla Model Y will be revealed on March 15, 2019

Tesla

Elon Musk has set a date for the reveal of Tesla’s next vehicle, the Model Y. That date is supposedly March 15, 2019, after a curious and inquisitive Tesla Twitter fan tweeted Mr. Musk himself about the new model. Musk replied “March 15,” relating that date to the Roman calendar’s Ides of March.

“I just made that up, because the Ides of March sounded good,” Musk initially tweeted, only to reply to his own tweet: “But consider it real. We could unveil Model Y anytime from late this year to mid next year, so March 15 is about right.”

March 15

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 24, 2018

But consider it real. We could unveil Model Y anytime from late this year to mid next year, so March 15 is about right.

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 24, 2018

Despite the barrage of negative press, along with delays in Tesla’s Model 3 production, liability and safety woes with Autopilot, and financial troubles, it seems the company still plans to continue introducing new models.

For some time now, we’ve known about Tesla’s next up and coming vehicle, temporarily and unofficially dubbed the “Model Y.” It’s supposed to be a new compact all-electric crossover that sits below the larger, more expensive Model X, as the company seeks to take advantage of the hot crossover SUV boom.

According to what Musk shared on previous earnings calls, the new Model Y will get its own bespoke platform to any Tesla models preceding it, featuring a “completely different” architecture. Some information suggests Tesla might be reconsidering this new bespoke platform due to cost and ease of production, in favor of the preexisting Model 3 architecture.

According to a report from The Verge, the new Model Y will also ditch the traditional car-based 12-volt battery system in favor of a completely new, redesigned network that is said to simplify production and require less wiring. The new system supposedly requires only 328 feet of wiring in assembly and construction, compared to the current Model 3’s 5,000 feet worth of wiring and the Model S, with its 10,000 feet connecting all of its systems.

In that same report, Musk said Tesla intends to begin Model Y production sometime in late 2019. Given that Tesla has developed a reputation for missing deadlines, however, some are saying to take this date with a grain of salt. So far, the company only released a teaser photo of what the new car could possibly look like.

Editors’ Recommendations

• Tesla boss admits company had been too reliant on robots
• Tesla fires back after Model 3 fails to earn Consumer Reports recommendation
• This has not been an easy year for Tesla and its Model 3
• Performance option pushes Tesla’s mass market Model 3 into Model S territory
• Is the revolutionary Tesla Semi dead? Some analysts believe so

5 reasons why the new Razer Blade looks amazing

Razer recently announced the newest version of its Razer Blade gaming laptop — and it looks pretty stunning. If you’ve always wished gaming laptops weren’t so chunky and outdated, this is going to wow you. The Razer Blade has always been a solution to that problem — but the newest version looks better than ever.

Those bezels

We recently reviewed the Razer Stealth Blade and were a bit disappointed by the hefty bezels surrounding the display. It’s a quick way to make your laptop feel completely outdated.  The new Razer Blade has trimmed down the side bezels to just 4.9mm, which is even thinner than what you’ll find on the Dell XPS 13. A larger 15.6-inch display has been squeezed in without significantly increasing the laptop’s overall size.

A 144 Hz screen

For gamers, a 144Hz refresh rate is the most important aspect of any display. It’s what allows for the most responsive gameplay, pushing high framerates without screen tearing.

The Razer Blade isn’t the first gaming laptop with a high refresh rate, but it’s definitely an important upgrade from the previous Blade. The 144Hz 1080p display starts at $2,200. A 4K display is also offered (starting at $2,900) — though at only 60Hz.

My, what a big touchpad

The touchpad on the previous versions of this design (whether the Razer Blade or the Blaze Stealth) was great. The glass surface was responsive, and the click felt solid and satisfying to press. The only problem? It was a little small compared to what you get on a MacBook Pro or Huawei MateBook X Pro.

On the new 2018 Blade, Razer has upgraded the touchpad by stretching it out, filling out the bottom half of the palm rests.

Fantastic components

The new Razer Blade doesn’t just look better, it also has brand new components to match. Every configuration of the Blade comes with the 8th-gen Intel Core i7-8750H and 16GB of RAM. That’s great for a standard configuration.

On the graphics front, you have the choice between the Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 Max-Q or 1070 Max-Q. Both are fantastic GPUs that should provide some serious gaming capability to the Blade. Even the SSD choice is top-of-the-line — up to 2TB of NVMe M.2 SSD storage. All these components ensure that regardless of what you’re doing on your Razer Blade, the performance will be impressive.

It’s still thin and light

It’s rare for a company to make an updated laptop bigger and thicker. The new Blade has a larger screen than the previous version, as well as a slightly thicker base. It rounds out at 0.66 inches thick and 4.6 pounds (or 4.7 for the 4K version). As a means of comparison, that’s 0.05 inches thicker than the 15-inch MacBook Pro and 0.6 pounds heavier. That’s still not bad considering you’ve much beefier hardware under the hood.

It ain’t cheap, though. The Razer Blade starts at $1,900 and can be configured up a thousand bucks more from there. It’s currently available to be purchased online right now, so head on over if you’re interested in learning more.

Editors’ Recommendations

• Razer Blade Stealth (2018) review
• Razer Blade Stealth vs. Apple MacBook Pro
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Apple’s iPad Smart Cover could one day have a display that shows notifications

Apple may be looking into making the iPad Pro’s Smart Cover even smarter. Apple has filed a patent for a Smart Cover that will keep users up to date with alerts for things like notifications. What that means is that you won’t even have to open the cover to keep current with your notifications.

The patent application shows this is something Apple has been working on for some time — this is a continuation of several patents dating back to 2012.

In the patent, it’s clear that this new Smart Cover would take a similar form to the standard smart cover. In other words, it will be built to protect the iPad and will include a tri-fold form factor. On top of that, however, it could have both active and passive portions to it for displaying things like notifications. Active portions to the display would basically incorporate low-power elements like small LED displays to provide alerts.

The cover could also take a slightly more passive approach. In that instance, the cover would basically have transparent portions that would show parts of the iPad’s actual display. When the cover is closed, the iPad would show notifications through those transparent portions.

There’s also a hybrid version of the Smart Cover — which could have both LED displays and transparent sections to show other information.

The patent also highlights treating different notifications differently. When using the transparent Smart Cover, for example, an email marked as important could show at the top of the notifications panel, while less important notifications could show lower down.

As is always the case with an Apple patent, there’s no indication of when this kind of Smart Cover will make it to market — or if it’ll ever be available at all. Apple and other tech companies routinely file for patents that they never end up using. Still, this does show that Apple is working on ways to make its accessories a little more functional, which could end up being very helpful for the people who use these accessories. As mentioned, Apple first filed a patent for the tech in 2012, but it has clearly been looking into the idea since then.

CRISPR gene-editing could help feed future generations

Experts predict that another two billion people will inhabit the Earth by 2050, bringing the global population to 9.7 billion. That’s a lot of mouths to feed. Current food production systems can’t keep up with today’s demand — more than ten percent of the world is undernourished — so how the hell are we going to feed our future?

The answer will likely lie in technology. And one of the most promising contributions comes from a gene-editing tool called CRISPR, which scientists can use to create crops that are more resilient to climate change and have higher yields.

A team of researchers from Purdue University and the Chinese Academy of Sciences recently demonstrated the potential of CRISPR in an intriguing new study. By making mutations in 13 genes, the scientists produced a crop of rice with 25-31 percent high yield. Without the aid of CRISPR, the crop would’ve required trial and error with millions of plants to reach a similar goal, according to the researchers.

To create the crop, the researchers used CRISPR to precisely snip out undesired genes that play a double role, increasing stress tolerance and suppressing growth. So although the crop had a higher yield, it was less resilient to environmental stress. Still, in field tests in Shanghai and on Hainan Island, China, the researchers found little impact to stress tolerance but significant gains in grain production.

“An important fact concerning CRISPR technology is its immediate applicability to agricultural problems, Jian-Kang Zhu, a plant biologist at Purdue who led the study, told Digital Trends. Although much of the attention and investment surrounding CRISPR has been in medical research, Zhu pointed out that “the successful applicability of this incredible technology to medicine is much farther in the future.”

After all, plants and microbes aren’t entangled with the same bioethical concerns that keep scientists from performing certain animal studies. “We can make genetic crosses and clones with plants and we can discard our mistakes,” Zhu said. “Obviously [those are] not ethical pursuits in human biology.”

Moving forward, Zhu and his colleagues will use this same tool on “elite” strains of rice, with the hope that the production boosts transfer over. They also plan to apply their approach to different crops.

A paper detailing the study was published this month in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

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