Huawei announces Fit fitness tracker, offers continuous heart rate monitoring and running programmes

Huawei has revealed details of its new fitness tracker, appropriately called Fit. Fit is a round-face fitness tracker with a 35g aluminium body. It will also send notifications, messages and calls to your smartphone, is controlled using the 1.04-inch LCD display and has a rechargeable battery that claims to be good for six days of use.

• Best fitness trackers 2016: The best activity bands to buy today

But it’s sports that Fit has been primarily designed for and it can be used for cycling, running, swimming, walking and treadmill workouts. It can automatically detect when you’re walking or running and will record data accordingly, such as distance travelled, calories and fat burned and the time taken.

Fit can also monitor your heart rate, which Huawei claims is highly accurate thanks to an “innovative design and high-signal strength”. You can manually check your heart rate by scrolling to the heart rate screen, have it automatically track it during a workout or monitor it continuously throughout the day. At the end of each day or workout session, you’ll get a detailed view of how your heart rate has fluctuated.

To help motivate you to get up and exercise, the Fit has a number of built-in running programmes which can be tailored to your stamina and overall goals. There’s pre-installed programmes for 5k, 10k, half marathon and marathon modes. Once you’ve completed a training run, Fit will show you your recovery time and an overall training score, in addition to distance, duration, steps and calories burned.

And once you’re tired from working out, the Fit will also track your sleep pattern and whether you’re in a deep sleep or not.

The Huawei Fit is available now in the US in titanium gray and moonlight silver finishes and will be available in France, Germany, Italy, Spain and Portugal towards the end of November. There’s no word yet on UK availability.

Vimeo is working on a subscription streaming service

Vimeo plans to start a new Netflix-type streaming service and develop its own content, but its won’t spend Netflix dollars. Rather, the site (owned by Barry Diller’s IAC) will help its creator community develop original content and supplement it with licensed programming. “Vimeo has the once-in-a-generation opportunity to, following in Netflix’s footsteps, deliver compelling subscription viewing experiences for consumers in the market for pay TV,” CEO Joey Levin said in a shareholder letter

Levin didn’t give any specifics, but said that Vimeo will experiment with proprietary subscription services. To get the required content, the company will lean on its pro subscribers, who are often emerging filmmakers, directors and producers. He points out that High Maintenance, for instance, aired for two seasons on Vimeo before HBO picked it up, and that three of four Oscar-nominated shorts come from Vimeo directors.

The site already offers video streaming services via its On Demand service, with content from independent producers and major studios like Lionsgate. However, users must purchase videos à la carte, whereas the new streaming service would be on a subscription basis.

We will supplement our creators with original and licensed programming, and can fill out a robust slate of programming for tens of millions, not billions, of dollars.

“[We] can fill out a robust slate of programming for tens of millions, not billions of dollars,” Levin said. Noting that the site has 240 million monthly viewers “with a strong propensity to spend,” he adds that “if we can convert just a small portion of our audience, we have a very large business.”

Levin acknowledges that Vimeo is in tough against established sites like Netflix, Amazon and Hulu, and notes that the site is still losing money. But he said that profitability is not the near-term goal, and that the service has a unique niche. “It’s the combination of both the tools and the audience in one platform — a one-stop shop for creators to bypass the entire existing media infrastructure,” he said. Of course, Barry Diller tried to beat the existing broadcast infrastructure with Aereo, and that didn’t work out so well.

Via: Variety

Source: Vimeo (shareholder letter)

OWC Debuts $279 Thunderbolt 3 Dock With 13 Ports

OWC today introduced its latest product, a Thunderbolt 3 USB-C Dock designed to work with the newly announced MacBook Pro. Designed for users who are concerned about the limited number of ports on the MacBook Pro, OWC’s Thunderbolt 3 Dock offers a range of different ports for connecting displays, external hard drives, and other accessories.

The OWC Thunderbolt 3 Dock has a total of 13 ports and it includes full support for Thunderbolt 3 with transfer speeds of up to 40Gb/s. Two Ultra HD 4K displays are supported, or a combination of 4K, HD, and other displays using the DisplayPort port and the Thunderbolt 3 port.

There are two Thunderbolt 3/USB-C ports, each of which can support up to five daisychained Thunderbolt 3 devices. For connecting USB accessories, there are five USB-A 3.1 Gen 1 ports that support USB-A accessories, and two of the ports feature fast charging capabilities for charging the iPhone or iPad.

Other ports include FireWire 800, Gigabit Ethernet, mini DisplayPort, an SD Card reader, an audio combo port for headphones or microphones, and an S/PDIF digital audio port.

“With our critically-acclaimed Thunderbolt 2 Dock and USB-C Dock, OWC defined a new standard in providing more connectivity at a time when new computers were shipping with fewer ports,” said Larry O’Connor, Founder and CEO, OWC. “The all-new Thunderbolt 3 Dock is the best expansion solution we’ve ever made, offering the incredible speed of Thunderbolt 3 technology coupled with 13 ports of connectivity, perfect for getting the most out of the new 2016 MacBook Pro.”

Announced last week, Apple’s new MacBook Pro models include between two and four USB-C/Thunderbolt 3 ports, eliminating all other ports aside from the headphone jack. Most new MacBook Pro owners will need to purchase adapters and docks to support existing accessories as Apple and accessory makers make the transition to USB-C.

OWC is accepting pre-orders for the Thunderbolt 3 Dock, which is expected to ship out in February of 2017. Customers who pre-order will be able to purchase the dock for $279 and will also receive a free 0.5m Thunderbolt 3/USB-C cable.

Related Roundup: MacBook Pro
Tag: OWC
Buyer’s Guide: Retina MacBook Pro (Buy Now)
Discuss this article in our forums

Huawei Mate 9 preview: The big-screen boss

The big phone market is in something of a spin: Samsung has crashed out with the Note 7, leaving Apple and Google to cruise along with the respective iPhone 7 Plus and Pixel XL phones.

But that would be a simple way of looking at it: Huawei also wants a piece of the pie, with its big-scale Mate 9 beast continuing to tow the line’s affordable tact, while also delivering on quality.

Which may come as a surprise that it’s not got a shout-about-it show-off specification – especially given all the talk there has been about a curved-screen flagship variation of the device – but the Mate 9 is all about undercutting the other two big competitors with a viable alternative that won’t blow-up your bank account.

Given our continued love of the Mate series, can the 5.9-inch Mate 9 once again work its way into our hearts? Or has it rested on laurels of old, leaving the door open for the pricier competition to capitalise?

Huawei Mate 9 preview: Design

At first glance the Mate 9 looks a whole lot like its Mate 8 predecessor from the front. It’s more or less the same, despite the smallest of nips and tucks here and there. Still, it’s an unavoidably big phone.

The screen is now 5.9-inches across diagonally, rather than the 6-inch of the Mate 8, which means the dimensions (79 x 156.9mm front-on) are the tiniest bit reduced – but only by a millimetre. And you really won’t notice that in the hand: the Mate line is all about being big. The screen resolution remains the same 1920 x 1080 Full HD LCD panel too.

It’s really when flipping the phone over to reveal its new dual camera make-up that the biggest differences can be seen, though. The twin cameras – one sensor 12MP colour, the other a 20MP Leica-sourced black and white – are stacked vertically in a single protruding unit, with flash and laser autofocus positioned alongside. Beneath is a fingerprint sensor that’s ultra-sensitive, just like other Huawei phones’ latest sensors have become.

Pocket-lint

Just because it’s a big phone doesn’t mean it’s not beautiful, though. The Mate 9 has the familiar silver coat, with chamfered edges and curved corners to soften the overall look. Assuming the price is right – and historically it’s been around the £430 mark, which is approaching £300 less than its competitors – the 64GB base Mate 9 model ought to be a bargain, without looking too shabby at all.

Huawei Mate 9 preview: Born to last?

In addition to the new cameras, the Mate 9 houses the latest octa-core Kirin 960 chipset, which has been designed to function with a new intelligent algorithm to learn your usage over time and prioritise the importance of apps and avoid slowdown. Huawei calls it a very Apple-sounding iAware.

Pocket-lint

In particular iAware is designed to get better over time for an improved life experience that doesn’t slow down after a matter of months. “Born Fast, Remain Fast” is the message that Huawei is running with – but how true it will ring remains to be seen.

Given how often the company’s EMUI software (a re-work over Android) flashes up various alerts and app-closing prompts, we’re not sure whether this will carry through into this new concept or not. And as its trio of pillars – smart memory allocation, CPU allocation and storage optimisation – are already baked into existing Huawei EMUI software as separate manual controls, it does make us wonder. Only time will tell.

Huawei Mate 9 preview: SuperCharged

Tucked beneath that big body is a 4,000mAh battery, which ought to last for a considerable period of time per charge. That’s the same capacity as the Mate 8 – so assuming the new Kirin processor is efficient, that’ll likely prove to last for two days at a time.

Pocket-lint

A core difference to the battery is its fast charge capabilities, which Huawei calls SuperCharge. By lowering the voltage (to around 4.5V) and upping the current (to 5A) the battery can be charged in double-quick time – some 50 per cent quicker than the Mate 8 – meaning just 30-minutes at the plug could see the Mate 9 have almost 60 per cent charge. That’s Qualcomm QuickCharge 3.0 competitive.

But the potential problem here is safety given the increased voltage. We’ve all heard about Samsung Note 7 phones overheating and exploding into balls of fire. So Huawei has put in a dynamic charging mechanism, meaning the Mate 9 can adapt to the source charger and cable used as required – so a shoddy third-party charger will make the phone dynamically lower the current. A five-gate protection system also checks different points throughout the phone to ensure it’s not overheating.

Never once during our briefing did Huawei mention poor ole Samsung, but the company’s repetition of “safe” and “safety” was so apparent it was borderline amusing. Fair play, though: this is Huawei looking at the world around it and adapting to user concerns with heightened assurances.

Pocket-lint

One of the potential issues with the SuperCharge system is that higher voltage recharging systems are more likely to run down the battery’s longevity – the exact thing the company said it was looking to avoid with its new iAware setup. Although Huawei denies this will be the case with the battery, it also confirmed the underlying source battery is the same as that in the last-generation Mate 8. Sounds like something is amiss here for all that to add up.

Huawei Mate 9 preview: Brighter, whiter, cleaner

It might sound like a toothpaste ad, but Huawei is all about brighter, whiter, cleaner: its latest EMUI 5.0 software (a re-skin over Android 7.0) drops the complex colours and themes of earlier software versions and runs with blues and whites. It’s all inspired by nature, apparently.

However, the preview Mate 9 we saw (on two separate dates) was running EMUI 4.1 software, so we can’t comment on whether the software tweaks will boost the phone’s appeal.

Pocket-lint

In a question and answer session Huawei confirmed that the phone won’t have Force Touch implemented – that’s the “deep touch” technology, where a stronger press on the touchscreen will action a different result, such as a secondary menu – citing lack of developer support for its absence. EMUI 5.0 does support Force Touch, however, suggesting that all hope isn’t lost on the tech just yet.

The knuckle-controlled “knock knock” does return, though, with knuckle-based quick commands such as screen grabs or audio recording being available. But you’ll more than likely never use them.

In addition to the general safety message of SuperCharge, this Mate is also targeting longevity. And we don’t just mean for a single charge’s use, but for years of use without slowing down. We get where the company is coming from here, but if things get that bad wouldn’t a hard reset solve things? Apparently defragmentation, memory compression and auto-cleaning will result in a smoother experience. Huawei also uses a different file system to stock Android for efficiency.

Huawei Mate 9 preview: Gaming powerhouse

Under the hood there’s a whole lot going on from the new Kirin 960 processor. We won’t get too bogged down with its reported 180 per cent increase in power over the previous generation chip (as found in the Mate 8), as it’s the new Mali G71 MP8 graphics processing unit that draws attention.

Pocket-lint

This leverages AMD’s Vulkan API, which provides applications with direct control over graphics processing. It’s optimised for multi-core chipsets, such as the Kirin 960, less compute intensive than other graphics engines in similar devices and, as a result, should run applications and games with a level of smoothness at a truly flagship level. Faster loading, higher frame-rates and, hopefully, the end of any “stuttering” when beginning those more power-intensive apps.

Another notable push forward is the implementation of Cat 12 4G LTE for up to 600Mbps data rates in certain territories. This is all carrier, network and location dependent, of course, but with UK networks making progress it ought to be speedy indeedily when it comes to streaming when on-the-go.

Huawei Mate 9 preview: New dual cameras

When Huawei launched the P9 smartphone its headline feature was a dual camera setup (one colour, one black and white) with Leica endorsement. That relationship continues with the Mate 9, but the arrangement is different.

Pocket-lint

How? The two sensors are different resolutions: the 12-megapixel full colour one is paired with a higher-resolution 20-megapixel black and white module. Both peer through 27mm equivalent, f/2.2 aperture lenses according to the rear body of the Mate 9 – a point which mirrors the P9’s setup.

The software is also slightly different, with a pinch-to-zoom feature that can digitally zoom into the frame. Huawei describes this as “optical zoom” – but that can’t be the case as it’s not using the lenses to resolve detail at an increased focal length, it’s merely cropping into the image. This is Huawei wanting to chase down Apple, but without utilising two different lens focal lengths we’re not sure it’s a particularly giant leap forward compared to the P9.

How you feel about the cameras is likely to be the same as it was with the P9: we think the monochrome sensor is fun, but a rare feature of genuine use. Most will just stick to the colour sensor. However, the data from both sensors can be used for depth effect software adjustment – making the background more blurred, for example – in much the same way as other brands are currently experimenting with.

Pocket-lint

There’s also 4K video capture (H.265) and optical stabilisation for the colour camera – but no such stabilisation for the black and white camera.

First Impressions

Overall the Huawei Mate 9 is a big, bold and enticing prospect. It’s a phone that houses a huge battery for longevity, while progressing the lineage with amped-up power and a dual camera experience too.

It’s not the all-singing all-dancing flagship that we had expected, though, so the middling Full HD screen resolution at this 5.9-inch size might come as a disappointment. And how well the cleaner, brighter EMUI 5.0 software will stack up in its first outing is something that remains to be seen at launch.

Timing is another of the Mate 9’s inadvertent strengths: with the Samsung Note 7 dead and buried, and other large-screen flagship phones costing a pretty penny (yes Apple and Google, we’re looking at you), the likely mid-level price point of this big-scale powerhouse ought to sign, seal and deliver its success.

Huawei Mate 8 vs Huawei Mate 9: What’s the difference?

Why hello there new big phone. Huawei has announced the Mate 9, its large-scale Android device for 2016, in an era when big phones are increasingly popular.

The Mate 8 was well received when released in 2015, albeit tricky to obtain in the UK. Will the newer Mate 9 make a bigger dent in the market? And what sets these two big-screen phones apart?

Huawei Mate 8 vs Mate 9: Design

• Both devices measure 7.9mm thick
• Same metal body design with chamfered edges

At first glance there’s barely a difference between the Mate 8 and Mate 9 when faced front-on. They feature the same metal body design and chamfered edges, but look closer and there are subtle differences.

The Mate 9 is marginally smaller, measuring 156.9 x 78.9mm compared to the Mate 8’s 157.1 x 80.6mm. That’s because its screen size is 5.9-inches, rather than 6-inches like the Mate 8. In the hand nobody is going to tell the difference though, because half a millimetre can’t be felt. Both handsets have the same 7.9mm thickness.

Mate 9 colours are limited to so-called Ceramic White or Moonlight Silver (the latter with a black bezel front) in the UK. Other territories will receive Space Grey, Champagne Gold and Mocha Brown.

• Huawei Mate 9 preview: The big screen boss

Huawei Mate 8 vs Mate 9: Display

• Mate 8 has 6-inch 1920 x 1080 pixel IPS LCD display
• Mate 9 has 5.9-inch 1920 x 1080 pixel IPS LCD display

A surprise specification is that the Mate 9 doesn’t increase the screen resolution, as was much rumoured. It does reduce its size ever so slightly though with a 5.9-inch display compared to a 6-inch display, as we mentioned above.

Both phone’s screens are 1920 x 1080 resolution IPS LCD panels, sporting 2.5D glass, which has a subtle curve to its edge and sits neatly in the design.

The pixel density in the Mate 8 is 368ppi; it’s a slightly higher 373ppi in the Mate 9 given the minor screen size reduction. You won’t notice this by eye.

• Huawei Mate 8 review: Big beauty

Huawei Mate 8 vs Mate 9: Cameras

• Mate 9 introduces dual cameras, 27mm f/2.2 equivalent
• Leica partnership, 12MP colour and 20MP B&W sensors

Flip the Mate 9 over and you’ll see its biggest difference compared: dual cameras, not just the single camera of the Mate 8.

Similar to the smaller P9 smartphone from earlier in 2016 these are colour and black & white sensors, with the established Leica partnership ongoing. The main difference between P9 and Mate 9 is that the same 12-megapixel colour sensor is paired with a higher-resolution 20-megapixel B&W sensor (it was also 12-megapixel in the P9).

Both cameras peer through 27mm f/2.2 (equivalent) lenses, stacked vertically. The apparent reason for the resolution increase is for “optical zoom” – but as the optics are fixed, this is a mistruth, the Mate 9 can only digitally zoom via its pinch-based software integration.

The Mate 9 also introduces 4K video capture with H.265 compression, up from the Full HD capture of the Mate 8.

• Huawei P9 Leica camera explored: Double the camera, double the fun?

Huawei Mate 8 vs Mate 9: Hardware and power

• Mate 8 has Kirin 950 octa-core processor (4x 2.3Ghz A72 + 4x 1.8Ghz A53), 4GM RAM, Mali-T880 MP4 GPU
• Mate 9 has Kirin 960 octa-core processor (4x 2.4Ghz A73 + 4x 1.8Ghz A53), 4GB RAM, Mali-G71 MP8 GPU

The Mate 9 also houses the latest Kirin 960 chipset, which on paper might not sound a lot more powerful than the Mate 8’s Kirin 950 chipset, but the new phone’s big boost comes in the form of graphics.

Indeed the Mate 9 has triple the graphics performance of the Mate 8 thanks to the new Mali G71 GPU, which is sourced from ARM. With framework optimised for Vulkan, this platform is far more responsive and should make for a smoother experience.

There’s more going on behind the scenes too. The Mate 9 and new Kirin chipset combine hardware and a new intelligent algorithm to learn your usage over time and prioritise the importance and priority of apps to avoid slowdown in short- and long-term scenarios. Huawei calls it a very Apple-sounding iAware.

Huawei Mate 8 vs Mate 9: Battery

• Both models feature 4,000mAh non-removable cells
• Mate 9 adds USB, SuperCharge fast-charging and dynamic charging protection

One of the Mate 8’s best features is its huge 4,000mAh battery capacity, providing two days of battery life. That same cell has returned in the Mate 9, but with the addition of USB-C and fast charging – or what Huawei is calling SuperCharge.

SuperCharge works by lowering the voltage (to around 4.5V) and upping the current (to 5A) so the battery can be charged in double-quick time – some 50 per cent quicker than the Mate 8 – meaning just 30-minutes at the plug could see the Mate 9 have almost 60 per cent charge.

The Mate 9 also introduces a dynamic charging mechanism, meaning the phone can adapt the current based on the source and cable provided. There’s a five-gate protection system within the phone to ensure it doesn’t overheat. This, in essence, is Huawei pointing a big middle finger to Samsung, following the Note 7 fireball debacle.

Huawei Mate 8 vs Mate 9: Software

• Mate 9 introduces EMUI 5.0 software

The last piece of the Mate 9 puzzle is new software. There’s Android 7.0 at its core, with the company’s latest re-skin, Emotion UI, found here in EMUI 5.0 form.

EMUI 5.0 is all about being cleaner, whiter, simpler to navigate and drops the over complex colours and themes of the Mate 8.

Neither phone supports Force Touch – the deep press touchscreen technology – but the EMUI 5.0 software can support this feature going forward, perhaps for future devices.

Huawei Mate 9: Price and release date

The 64GB Mate 9, which includes a dual SIM (the second slot doubles-up as a microSD card slot), doesn’t have an official UK price just yet. Based on its Mate 8 predecessor (£429), we would predict it to sit around the £449-479 mark.

So when will this 5.9-inch budget beauty be available? At the moment there’s no official word on release date, but we expect the Mate 9 to be released internationally within November 2016.

• Huawei Mate 9 preview
• Huawei Mate 8 review

Huawei launches Mate 9 and Mate 9 Porsche Design smartphones

Huawei has announced its new flagship phone, the Mate 9, along with a limited edition designed in collaboration with Porsche Design. The Porsche Design variant of Huawei’s new flagship unfortunately won’t be making its way to the UK, but it’s an exciting smartphone nonetheless.

Strangely, the two phones have completely different designs. The standard Mate 9 has a flat, 5.9-inch full HD display and runs on the Kirin 960 processor with 4GB RAM and 64GB storage which is expandable up to 256GB by microSD. It’s powered by a 4000mAh battery and sports USB-C for fast charging. Huawei says you can get a full day’s charge in just 20 minutes.

You’ll find a fingerprint scanner on the back where you finger naturally lies, as well as a dual camera system made in collaboration with Leica.

The dual system comprises a 12-megapixel colour RGB sensor that can also record 4K video with optical image stabilisation, and 20MP monochrome sensor to help with depth. Huawei has also implemented a 4-in-1 hybrid autofocus which combines laser focus, phase detection focus, depth focus and contrast focus. The company says the camera system is able to produce “stunning photography”.

The Mate 9 will also come running Android 7.0 Nougat with Huawei’s own EMUI 5.0 on top.

The Huawei Mate 9 will be available for €699 in black, space gray, moonlight silver, champagne gold, mocha brown and ceramic white when it launches. It will initially be available in select European countries, the UK not being one of them.

Limited edition Porsche Design

The Porsche Design version meanwhile has a smaller screen than the standard Mate 9 at 5.5-inches, not only is it AMOLED, but it gets a bump in resolution to 2560 x 1440 Quad HD. It also comes rocking a curved glass screen and all metal body. The fingerprint scanner has been moved from the back to being embedded in the home button on the front, and in its place you’ll find a Porsche Design logo. The limited edition model will only be available in a graphite finish.

Some other specs are the same as the standard Mate 9, including processor, and the dual camera system, but it gets 6GB RAM and 256GB storage with no option to expand via microSD.

The Mate 9 Porsche Design will be available from Porsche Design stores in Europe from December for €1395 and will make its way to other Porsche Design stores worldwide, except in the US from January 2017.