Month: July 2019

With the Nest Hub Max in May, Google introduced a new homescreen for Smart Displays. Already available on the Nest Hub, this revamped — and somewhat controversial — redesign is now rolling out to Lenovo Smart Displays.

The Ambient Mode — which allows for fullscreen clocks or Photo galleries — stays the same. When users tap the screen, the current background is blurred while a Google News “Top stories” card slides in from the right. This is the default card if media is not playing or you have no upcoming events.

Time and day/date appears in the bottom-left corner, while the weather includes the temperature, condition, and high/low. Previously, the entire left half was dedicated to showing a larger temperature readout and three-day forecast. Most Nest Hub users have complained about the lack of a forecast, though the weather section can still be tapped to launch the fullscreen experience.

While the blurred wallpaper is meant to personalize your Smart Display, clocks get the same treatment. This is not a particular elegant solution, with the background switching to solid colors as you scroll through cards.

This UI makes most sense for future devices like the Nest Hub Max where Face Match will recognize users and then slide out personalized reminders and Duo messages on the homescreen. For existing devices, it’s somewhat of an eyesore depending on the configuration and shows less information at a glance.

According to Lenovo owners this week, the redesigned Smart Display homescreen is rolling out with the R12 OTA for the 8- and 10-inch models.

Amazon Alexa can be helpful on Windows, but you can’t quite treat your PC like a supersized Echo when third-party voice helpers don’t work until you’ve signed in. That might not be a hurdle in the near future. Microsoft has released a Windows 10 preview on the Slow ring that allows the use of third-party assistants “above” the lock screen. The company doesn’t mention Alexa by name, but it’s the only major AI helper on Windows beyond Cortana — Amazon would just have to update its app to enable voice commands in more situations.

There aren’t other major updates, although artists might like lower latency for inking when a stylus or similar device has appropriate hardware support.

It’s going to take a while before this feature reaches finished Windows 10 updates, and possibly a while after that before Amazon and others hop aboard. Microsoft also warns that it’s leaving features off by default in this build and will turn them on for some people based on “feedback and quality.” If you can wait, though, there’s a good chance you’ll have greater control over your smart home from your computer, even if you haven’t signed into the system yet.

The drip of leaks from the once impenetrable Apple has become a stunning tsunami. From details of the circuit board, through close examination of the camera unit, to 3D prints of the leaked CAD models, it’s possible to come up with a very clear view of Apple’s upcoming iPhones. And the picture is pretty boring. Looking at the information in aggregate, I keep coming back to one simple question.

Apart from the hardcore fanatics, who exactly will be interested in 2019’s new iPhone?

2019’s iPhones will come with iOS 13 and Apple has a number of new software features in the code – but Apple (like the competition in Android) has ensured backwards compatibility of the code. Almost all of the benefits will be available to the older handsets. The additional value in the software will not be reflected in many of the sales.

The exception may be users still running the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6S who will not have access to iOS 13. Given time app access to iOS 12 and earlier will fall away, but there’s no cliff edge to force an upgrade.

Looking at the leaks, Apple is making a number of internal changes that suggest the presumptively named iPhone 11 family will be able to be marketed as the fastest, most powerful, best iPhones ever – but which iPhone launch has not featured those claims. The screen design remains, the physically styling remains, the lightning port remains, it’s going to take a very keen eye to spot the differences that can justify an annual upgrade.

Perhaps the only real beat that will be noticed by users will be the increased battery size. Adding around twenty percent capacity compared to the 2018 models will help daily endurance, but as with most ‘increasing’ specs of the iPhone it does little more than offer power parity with similar Android devices. Apple managed to get away with smaller batteries by relying on iOS’ efficiency over Android, but that software advantage is being negated by many Android manufacturers.

There are some small gains moving to this year’s iPhones, but the real spoiler is next year’s iPhone. The 2020 variant of the iPhone looks to be the handset which will feature a number of major changes that will be requirements for smartphones for the next few years.

This includes the move to 5G. While the 5G networks are still in their infancy, accessing them will require 5G enabled hardware. Anyone looking for a flagship experience and the ultrafast speeds offered by 5G is unlikely to invest over $1000 in a handset that will not support the new networks. That effectively pushes the iPhone geekerati towards Tim Cook’s 2020 handsets because Apple is not in apposition to adopt 5G in the 2019 handsets (arguably the 2020 appearance is pushing it).

Apple is also expected to finally move to display that will remove the notch completely and mount the forward facing camera and sensors under the screen. While Android manufacturers have been working to minimize the cut-outs or tuck the cameras in pop-up units, Apple has retained the ridiculously wide notch used in 2017’s iPhone X for three generations.

The screen is also expected to feature an in-display fingerprint reader that would see the return of TouchID to the iPhone line, a bruising climb down for Apple following its desire to push facial recognition on the aforementioned iPhone X and the XS and XS Max follow ups.

And there you have it. More details, more leaks, and very little to change the narrative around this year’s iPhone as being little more than a “will this do?” iterative release. If you are looking for an iPhone that matches modern expectations, then you’re looking at 2020’s release… and even then that only offers parity with the Android handsets announced earlier in 2019.

Whether you work remotely or commute, chances are you’re constantly on-the-go, making quiet time a rare indulgence. Sony recently released a more affordable pair of ANC headphones, the Sony WH-XB900N, to accompany you on your daily subway excursion. These bass-heavy, lightweight cans are a great Beats alternative and boast Sony’s top-tier noise-canceling technology for less than the rest.

What are the Sony WH-XB900N like?

These are lightweight for on-ear headphones (254g), which is especially important if you intend to use them for travel. Ample memory foam padding on the headband and ear cups make it easy to wear these comfortably for hours at a time. Airflow isn’t great and this can lead to a damp experience in warm environments. Just like other noise-cancelling headphones we’ve seen, these fold and rotate so they can lie flat on a table.

Buttons rest on the left ear cup and may be remapped with the Sony Headphones Connect app. The same ear cup also houses a 3.5mm headphone jack and USB-C input. The headphones provide 44 hours, 22 minutes of playback and support quick charging: 10 minutes of charging affords one hour of listening. A full charge cycle requires around 4 hours. On the other side, the right ear cup is reserved for touch and gesture control. From here, you can adjust the volume, skip tracks, and enter Quick Attention mode by holding the right housing.

The headphones integrate both Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa, meaning you benefit from having incoming notifications read aloud, setting reminders, sending texts, and more. All of these functions may be initiated by saying, “Ok Google,” or “Alexa” to command the assistant of your choice.

Connection quality

Pairing the headphones to your device is seamless. Upon powering on the WH-XB900N for the first time, a window pops up on your phone to initiate pairing. (In order for this to happen, Bluetooth must be active on your phone.) You can also pair via NFC. Generally speaking, connection strength is consistent and reliable. During SoundGuys’ testing process, playback skips and audio-visual lag were non-existent.

While it’s disappointing to see Bluetooth 4.2 firmware, rather than Bluetooth 5.0, Sony compensates for this by providing a host of high-quality codec support. You have five streaming options: LDAC, aptX, aptX HD, AAC, and SBC. As SoundGuys’ research has shown, Bluetooth codecs are imperfect and performance varies greatly depending on the source device.

The Sony | Headphones Connect app lets you make granular EQ adjustments, prioritize connection strength or streaming quality, and more. That said, in order to use any of the Sony presets, streaming quality is bumped down to SBC. You can also use the app to adjust noise-cancelling intensity and reposition the sound, meaning you can choose your music’s directionality. It’s not quite as immersive as Creative’s Super X-Fi technology, but it’s a neat trick.

How do they sound?

These are ridiculously bass-heavy, which makes sense seeing as the “XB” moniker is emblematic of Sony’s “extra bass” product line.

Adam Molina, SoundGuys editor, was stunned by the emphatic low-end when listening to The Beatles’ song Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da. For anyone familiar with the celebrated band, you know that song is, in fact, not a banger. Midrange frequencies are masked by the low-end, but not to the extent you may expect, and treble notes remain audible without erring on the side of grating.

On the other hand, microphone quality is superb. Adam’s voice sample below is reproduced realistically. Since the microphone has a neutral-leaning response, nearly all frequencies are relayed with equal loudness. Ultimately, this means that no matter what your vocal register, this headset will make you sound good … or at least accurate.

Sony WH-XB900N microphone demo:

Just like its big brother, the Sony WH-1000XM3, the Sony WH-XB900N boast grade-A noise-cancelling technology. Ambient coffee shop sounds and car engine rumbles alike will be attenuated by the ANC. That said, it still can’t touch the effectiveness of Sony’s flagship. For $100 less, though, it may be worth the sacrifice.

The Beats Studio3 Wireless also include ANC technology, which adapts to your surroundings. Sound and noise cancelling isn’t as impressive as we’ve seen with Sony’s headphones especially its flagship. Plus, Beats’ ANC headphones are $100 more than these. If you’re going to drop the extra Benjamin, go for the WH-1000XM3 instead.

Should you buy the Sony WH-XB900N?

If you’re content with saving money at the expense of noise-cancelling effectiveness, relative to the WH-1000XM3, yes. However, these retail for $250 and the WH-1000XM3 can often be found on promotion for ~$300. If you’re between a rock and a hard place, it’s worth spending $50 more for the flagship headphones. Sound reproduction is more accurate with the same Bluetooth codec support.

Qualcomm unveiled a new version of its Snapdragon 855 this morning, called Snapdragon 855+. Sort of like how we had the Snapdragon 820 and 821 back in 2016, this new 855+ is a slightly improved version of Qualcomm’s high-end mobile processor to help take us through the rest of the year.

What’s different? Qualcomm bumped the CPU up from 2.84GHz to 2.96GHz. They also boosted the GPU by 15%. That’s it. Those are the only two differences. Oh, they added a “+” or “Plus” to the name too.

It’s still a 7nm chip that is ready for 5G connectivity and will likely power the next wave of top tier devices. We have no official word yet, but one could assume that this Snapdragon 855+ will be in the Galaxy Note 10 next month, as well as Google’s new Pixel 4 and Pixel 4 XL. Qualcomm says that this new 855+ is expected to be commercially available in the 2nd half of the year, which is when those phones are dropping.

The Snapdragon 855 Plus model number is SM8150-AC.