Month: July 2019

The scissor keyboard could replace the butterfly design in the Pro as well as the Air in 2019.

Apple is reportedly planning to launch a scissor keyboard on its rumored 16-inch MacBook Pro later this year. Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said the tech giant would be replacing the unpopular butterfly keyboard in 2019 rather than 2020, according to MacRumors Thursday.

Apple had rolled out its butterfly switch design starting with its computer revamp in 2015 in an effort to make the laptops lighter and thinner. But users complained about sticky keys, as well as letters typing in duplicate or not at all.

Kuo had earlier this month said Apple wouldn’t be switching to the scissor mechanism on the MacBook Pro until 2020, despite predicting in June that the company would launch a 16-inch MacBook Pro in Q4.

“The refresh versions of other MacBook models in 2020 will change to adopt the scissor mechanism keyboard, too,” Kuo said in an analyst note, according to MacRumors.

The keyboard component will rise from a price of $8-$12 to $25-$30, Kuo added.

Kuo had originally predicted the scissor keyboard would come to the MacBook Air by the end of this year.

Apple didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

We tested 5G speeds in 13 cities. Here’s what we found: Faster speed versus more coverage. That’s the most important issue for 5G networks today.

We drowned AirPods, Powerbeats Pro and Galaxy Buds: We sprayed them, dunked them and even put them through the wash to find out which one of these three wireless earphones can handle the most water.

Three months after it indefinitely delayed the device, Samsung finally announced a revised September release date for the Galaxy Fold on Wednesday. As well as putting it in line to potentially compete with Apple’s 2019 iPhone models, releasing it in September also means Samsung’s foldable will have to more directly compete with Huawei’s Mate X. Huawei’s take on the foldable smartphone also broke cover this week after being spotted in the hands of Huawei consumer business CEO Richard Yu at the Shenzhen International Airport, according to a Weibo post spotted by Gizchina.

Although Yu was reportedly reluctant to reveal any details about when Huawei’s competing foldable will launch, the last official word from the company was that the phone is due to launch in September, the same month as Samsung. Huawei originally announced this revised release date when it delayed the device back in June.

However, while Samsung needed to delay its device to fix some pretty critical reliability issues with the Fold’s screen, Huawei’s reasons were less publicly visible. At the time, the Chinese company said it was taking a “cautious” approach to the release of the Mate X and that it was doing extensive testing to make sure it was ready for consumers.

It’s not clear what, if any, tweaks have been made to its design as a result of this testing. One journalist who got to hold the Mate X in June said the company had made “significant progress” on the device since MWC in February, but a Huawei executive told TechRadar that the hardware was “basically the same” as what had been shown off earlier in the year.

Recent reports suggest that we might not have long to wait until the Mate X releases. In the same briefing with TechRadar, the executive indicated that the foldable will release in September “at the latest,” while a recent registration on China’s TENNA, spotted byGizmochina, suggests that the device is nearing a release in the country.

Although its foldable hasn’t caused the same publicity nightmare as the Galaxy Fold, Huawei’s Mate X could still face difficulties. Not only is the Mate X not going to be released in the US like Huawei’s other phones, but Huawei’s continued presence on the US Entity List means that its use of Android is still in question. Huawei told CNBC that the Mate X will be allowed to use Android because it was announced before the ban, but with the company’s license due to expire on August 19th, it’s unclear what the situation with its OS will be.

We learned recently that Motorola decided against shipping out Pie to the Moto Z2 Force for customers on AT&T, Sprint, and T-Mobile. However, the Pie update was still green lit for Verizon, because without the Pie update, the phone wouldn’t support the 5G Moto Mod, and thus, not be able to access Verizon’s mobile 5G network.

Today, that Pie update is rolling out to Moto Z2 Force owners on Verizon.

While having Pie is great, and it comes with all of the features you expect to be inside of Pie (new navigation options, improved Do Not Disturb, etc.), this update brings support for the 5G Moto Mod, as Motorola said it would back in May.

The software version is labeled as PCX29.159-21 and we assume the package size is large.

Once updated, we assume getting 5G up and running on your Z2 Force is relatively painless. First, you’ll need the Moto Mod and it costs $349. Ouch. Then you’ll need to ensure you live in an area that supports Verizon mobile 5G and it’s not a huge area as of right now. Lastly, you’ll need to have 5G added onto your plan which costs $10/month.

In brief: With a peak brightness of 2,700 ANSI lumens and a contrast ratio of 2,000,000:1, the HU85LA is said to produce clear images in any indoor environment. That’s great news if you’re looking to set up shop in a living room without blackout curtains.

LG at the Consumer Electronics Show in January demoed an impressive ultra short throw projector in the LG HU85LA. Now more than seven months later, it’s finally available although coercing your wallet to agree to the purchase could prove difficult.

The LG HU85LA can project a 90-inch image from just 2.2 inches away. Pull it back just 7.2 inches from the wall and you’ll get a massive 120-inch projection, both at a resolution of 3,840 x 2,160 pixels with HDR10 and dynamic tone mapping. It utilizes three-channel laser technology that “supports wider color coverage Rec.709 and DCI” and “can ensure incredible color reproduction performances up to 12 bit color processing.”

LG’s latest additionally features LG’s ThinQ AI technology with the Google Assistant built in, allow you to control playback with your voice. Other amenities include USB, Ethernet, Bluetooth and HDMI connectivity as well as dual 5W speakers. A two-year parts and labor warranty comes standard.

The LG HU85LA 4K UHD Laser Smart Home Theater CineBeam Projector (say that five times fast) is available to purchase from writing priced at $5,999.99.

Studio Proper is a product design studio based in Australia (Melbourne) that makes really elegant cases, stands and charging accessories for your favorite products. A lot of what it makes, if we’re being honest, are things you didn’t know you wanted until you see them — but probably still don’t need. Take its newest creation, the Wireless Charging Dock for Apple Airpods ($75), which does exactly as its name describes.

The dedicated wireless charger will only work with AirPods that have a wireless charging case (which anybody can buy on Apple’s website for $79), making it fairly limited. The charger essentially is just a Qi-wireless charger, but its concave design securely holds your AirPod case which could save you the second or two you might otherwise spend to perfectly align the coils and make sure it’s actually charging.

The wireless charger itself is pretty fancy. It’s finished in anodized aluminum and has an anti-slip rubber base, plus it comes with a flat “tangle-free” USB-C to USB-A cable in the box.

Obviously, the Wireless Charging Dock for Apple Airpods won’t be for everybody. But if you’re somebody who owns AirPods with a wireless charging case and, more importantly, you’re somebody who likes a tidy desk and gadgets with a specific purpose, then this little charger might just be worth the splurge. It’s available for preorder right now and is expected to ship in September.