Bendgate II: Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge bends just like the iPhone 6 Plus

by Chris Smith 03 April 2015 |

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Samsung may be eating humble pie on this Good Friday following the emergence of a stress test video showing its new Galaxy S6 Edge handset bending under the same weight as the iPhone 6 Plus.

Gadget warranty firm SquareTrade has released a video showing the new flagship device undergoing pressure tests, with the phone bending under the weight of 110lbs - just like Apple's handset did during the Bendgate crisis.

During the video, the Galaxy S6 Edge’s screen is shown quickly cracking, before the device suffers catastrophic failure once the pressure reaches 149lbs. The iPhone 6 Plus scored better in the earlier test, only coming apart under 179lbs of pressure.

While the test proves little, other than the pre-known fact that metal bends under stress, it could encourage Samsung to refrain from taking any more shots at Apple’s hardware design. The company mocked Apple with a “Galaxy Alpha plus Skinny Jeans = No Problem" tweet as Bendgate unfolded.

The test might also have offered a fairer fight it SquareTrade had used the standard Galaxy S6 model rather than the Edge.

The standard S6 would have likely scored better due to the greater amount of metal within the frame, which is of course displaced by the curved glass screen of the S6 Edge.

Read more: Most infamous blunders in tech history

The HTC One M9 is also tested during the video, bending under 120lbs of pressure and hence slightly outscoring Apple and Samsung’s top handsets. However, the HTC device did not function at all following the test.

HTC also indulged in a little light-hearted mickey taking during Apple’s mini-crisis following the launch of the iPhone 6 Plus last year. It too may choose to reel its neck in in future.

You can check out the Apple vindicating video just below.

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Apple Watch UK pre-orders will begin at 8am on April 10

by Chris Smith 03 April 2015 |

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Apple fans champing at the bit to get a hold of the new Apple Watch will be able to hammer that pre-order button at 8:01AM on April 10.


In an update to the company’s Apple Watch website (via MacRumors), the firm finally revealed when users will be able to reserve their model ahead of the April 24 release date.

For Apple-obsessed Brits the timing is good news as it means most folks will be able to put down their money for the Apple Watch, Sport and Edition devices before leaving for work on the Friday morning.

Apple is accepting orders for the device through its website as well as the Apple Store app for iOS, where users will be able to customise their chosen model and strap.

be able to make an appointment to go wrist-on with the Apple Watch at their local Apple Store from April 10">Users hoping to try before they buy will reportedly be able to make an appointment to go wrist-on with the Apple Watch at their local Apple Store from April 10.

The 8am pre-order time in the UK vibes with midnight availability in Apple’s Pacific coast homeland. On the east coast of the U.S. it’ll become available at 3am, while those in Western Europe will be able to checkout from 9am on April 10.



Read more: Apple Watch apps: Best apps to download first

All pre-ordered will arrive on the April 24 launch date, while users will also have the option of picking it up from their local Apple Store.

Will you be paying hand over fist to get a Apple Watch on your wrist? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.

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Microsoft’s web browsers will turn off ‘Do Not Track’ by default

by Chris Smith 03 April 2015 |

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Microsoft has announced that future iterations of its Internet Explorer and the forthcoming Windows 10 Spartan web browser, will switch off the ‘Do Not Track’ feature by default.

The protection can help users to avoid their web activity being tracked by third-party advertisers in order to target them with banner ads befitting their browsing habits.

In current versions of Internet Explorer, Do Not Track is automatically enabled as a factory setting, but those using future versions will have to turn it off themselves.

All of the major browser builders - the likes of Google, Mozilla, Apple and Opera - support Do Not Track, but not all of them enable the setting by default.

In Chrome and Firefox users have the option to enable it in the browser settings, but it is turned off when the program is downloaded.

Microsoft’s about-turn comes following a backlash from advertisers who had pledged to honour users’ desires not to be tracked, as long as it wasn’t the default setting.

Of course, it is debatable how effective Do Not Track is anyway. The functionality within the browsers is a request for advertisers to refrain from targeting users, rather than a setting that stops them from doing so.



Read more: Microsoft Project Spartan preview

In a statement, Microsoft’s Chief Policy Officer Brendon Lynch said (via TechCrunch) the decision was made to comply with new W3C standards.

He claimed the rules state “the signal must explicitly reflect the user’s preference, not the choice of some vendor, institution, sister or network-imposed mechanism outside the user’s control.

“Put simply we are updating our approach to DNT to eliminate any misunderstanding about whether our chosen implementation will comply with the W3C standard.

“Without this change, websites that receive a DNT signal from the new browsers could argue that it doesn’t reflect the users’ preference and therefore choose not to honour it.”

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Protecting your Apple Watch could cost up to $1000

by Chris Smith 03 April 2015 |

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Apple is yet to announce how much its AppleCare+ warranty plans will set back Apple Watch owners seeking to protect their fancy new wearable.

However, reports on Friday have suggested those opting for the top-end Apple Watch Edition devices may have to fork over a small fortune in order to keep their watch safe from faults or damage for an extended period.

Alleged Apple Store screenshots from obtained by 9to5Mac show the AppleCare+ protection plan at a whopping $999, which works out at about £600 in proper money.

For their outlay, the extended warranty will give buyers a three years of tech support, plus coverage for two separate occurrences of damage. There’ll also be a 24/7 hotline set up especially for these folks, according to the report.

While the plan seems pretty steep, it’s probably not going to be all that significant for Apple Watch buyers splashing out upwards of £8,000 for the 18-carat gold smartwatch.

At the lower end of the scale the protection plans seem entirely reasonable, by comparison. Folks buying the standard Apple Watch will be able to snap an AppleCare+ protection plan for just $59 (around $40), while the Sport edition plan will be $79 (around £53).

However, those customers will only receive the second year of support and won’t have access to the super awesome Genius hotline, the rumour claims.



Read more: Apple Watch vs Android Wear

According to 9to5Mac, even if an AppleCare+ customer needs their Apple Watch replacing, there’s likely to be a deductible. Of course, all users will get one year of technical support then they buy any iteration of the Apple Watch.

The device goes on sale on April 24 and will be available to pre-order from April 10.

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Report: Samsung to snub Cortex-A72 for custom ‘Mongoose’ processor

by Sean Keach 03 April 2015 |

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Samsung might opt to use its own custom-built processor cores in one of its upcoming mobile chips.

The company has already ditched Qualcomm’s chips for its in-house Exynos system-on-a-chip series, but a new report suggests Samsung might take this new lease of independence one step further.

A post on Chinese site Baidu (via GSMArena) claims the Korean tech giant is working on a processor codenamed ‘Mongoose’, although the source for the information isn’t revealed.

The processor will allegedly rely on the company’s highly efficient 14nm FinFET manufacturing process, and will make use of ARM’s ARMv8 chip design.

The maximum clock speed for the processor core is tipped at 2.3GHz, with a Geekbench score for the processor cited as 2,200 for single-core testing.

That puts the new processor at around 40 per cent more powerful than Samsung’s current flagship Exynos 7420, a chip that appears in the new Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge smartphones.

Related: Best Android Smartphones 2015

As the source isn’t cited, it’s difficult to say whether these latest rumours are even remotely true.

It wouldn’t exactly be surprising if Samsung was working on a high-end mobile processor however, as the company is already known to be keen to wean itself off other companies.

While many of this year’s flagship smartphones will use Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 810, for example, Samsung has loaded its own top-end devices with custom-built chips.

ARM’s new Cortex-A72 processor design is also expected to make an appearance in premium 2015 handsets. A Samsung-built processor, however, would mean the South Korean company wouldn’t need to rely on ARM’s designs for its own SoCs.

Do you think we’ll see a custom Samsung processor on the Galaxy Note 5? Let us know in the comments.

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BMW: All future cars will get plug-in hybrid spin-offs

by Sean Keach 03 April 2015 |

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The BMW i8

BMW has confirmed it plans to release plug-in versions of all of its future car models.

The company confirmed that major models would be receiving hybrid spin-offs back in December, signalling BMW’s growing interest in the eco-friendly market.

Speaking to Autoblog in an interview, however, BMW North America CEO Ludwig Willisch said: “With the introduction of every new model, there will be a plug-in hybrid version of that, too.”

BMW’s next plug-in hybrid will be the X5 xDrive40e, which is currently being showed off at the New York motor show.

Related: It's now 'basically impossible' for Tesla Model S to run out of charge

The CEO also squashed rumours of a BMW i5 and i7, suggesting that the company wants to first focus on its plug-in models.

The i5 and i7 are rumoured expansions to BMW’s i-series, the company’s futuristic range of zero-emissions vehicles.

The line-up currently consists of the BMW i3 and the BMW i8, but new additions to the line-up won’t happen ‘any time soon’ according to Willisch.

The i5 and i7 were rumoured to compete with Tesla’s Model S, but the CEO claims BMW doesn’t have a car like that.

BMW first unveiled its i-series cars back in 2013, kicking off with the five-door urban vehicle i3.

This was soon followed by the BMW i8, which initially landed in Germany in June last year.

BMW has confirmed that more cars will join the i-series line-up, but it’s not yet clear when this will happen, or what type of vehicle we’ll see.

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Moto 360 sequel tipped under ‘Smelt’ codename

by Sean Keach 03 April 2015 |

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Motorola’s next wearable may be in development under the codename ‘Smelt’, a new report suggests.

Phandroid reports that it received a tip from a popular app developer that an unknown Motorola device connected to his Android developer console.

When the developer examined the details of the connection, the idea that the mysterious device might be the Moto 360 2 became apparent.

According to the developer, the device pinged the console from Mundelein, which is a city not too far from Motorola’s Chicago, Illinois headquarters.

Perhaps the most obvious clues as to the device’s true nature are the facts that it was running Android Wear OS, and it carried a screen resolution of 360 x 360 (subtle).

It was also listed under the codename ‘Smelt’, which isn’t a branding we’ve come across from Motorola just yet.

While the world ‘smelt’ can carry several different meanings, it can be used to describe a ‘small silvery fish’.

That’s interesting because the original Moto 360 was developed under the codename ‘Minnow’, which is also a type of fish.

Related: Apple Watch vs Android Wear

This wouldn’t be the first time we’ve heard of a Moto 360 sequel; just last month we saw a briefcase full of Motorola wearables that appeared to be different than the current Moto 360.

That leak seemed to suggest Motorola is taking a more refined approach to the device, as the wearables pictured seem to tout a more luxurious design.

Motorola has yet to officially confirm a Moto 360 follow-up, so stay tuned.

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Microsoft stops selling Kinect for Windows

by Jon Mundy 03 April 2015 |

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Kinect for Windows v2

Microsoft will no longer be producing and selling the Kinect for Windows v2 sensor.

The latest Windows-specific version of Microsoft's Kinect sensor, which enables you to control various games and apps with body motion and voice, was only released back in July 2014.

However, as part of its recent consolidation efforts, Microsoft has announced that it is to stop making and selling the device.

There will now just be the one Kinect sensor available to buy - the Xbox One version. This is "functionally identical" to the Kinect for Windows v2, and Microsoft's Kinect for Windows SDK 2.0 works exactly the same with either.

Obviously you can't hook this Xbox One version of Kinect straight up to your PC. To that end, back in October the company announced the Kinect Adapter for Windows, which lets you use the Xbox One model with your Windows 8 computer.

If you think that this spells the end for Microsoft's seemingly unloved motion sensor, you'd be wrong. Microsoft used this announcement to confirm that it "remains committed to Kinect as a development platform on both Xbox and Windows."

According to Microsoft, it has seen "unprecedented demand" for Kinect from the developer community, and has actually had difficulty keeping up with requests for equipment in some regions.

Read More: Xbox One vs PS4

In particular, Microsoft wants to "continue working with the developer community to create and deploy applications that allow users to interact naturally with computers through gestures and speech," and to be applied practically in a wide variety of industries.

Of course, as far as gaming is concerned, Kinect was all but killed when Microsoft opted to decouple it from its then-stuttering Xbox One console almost a year ago.

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Samsung confirmed for iPhone 6S Apple A9 chip production

by Jon Mundy 03 April 2015 |

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Samsung has been confirmed as the chosen manufacturer for Apple's A9 chip, which will almost certainly power the iPhone 6S.

There have been numerous reports over the past few months claiming that Samsung was in line to manufacture Apple's next mobile chip.

Indeed, back in December, it was claimed that Samsung had already commenced production of the A9.

However, the last that we heard on the matter was a suggestion that Samsung had lost out to TSMC as the primary producer of the A9 chip.

Now Bloomberg is offering a report claiming that Samsung has won back the right to produce the A9 in bulk from TSMC. It claims that the manufacturer will commence production of the A9 chip at its Giheung plant in South Korea.

Last year's flagship phones, the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, ran on A8 chips supplied by TSMC. Apple appeared keen to move away from Samsung, which has emerged as both its biggest smartphone rival and (alleged) imitator.

Related: iPad Pro release date

However, it seems Samsung's heavy investment in chip production technology in recent times has won Apple back over. In particular, Samsung's latest Exynos chip, which powers the Galaxy S6, has been impressing with its performance level and energy efficiency.

That's largely thanks to Samsung's apparent mastery of the 14nm production process, which has seen it pull ahead of industry leader Qualcomm.

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Samsung Radiant 360 R7 wireless omnidirectional speaker unveiled

by Jon Mundy 03 April 2015 |

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Samsung Radiant 360 R7

Samsung has launched a new 360-degree wireless speaker, the Radiant 360 R7, which will hit shops in April.

You may remember that Samsung gave an early look at the range ahead of CES 2015. Now it has announced a firm release date and pricing.

The Samsung Wireless Audio Radiant 360 R7, to give it its full name, is Samsung's first omnidirectional speaker, which uses Samsung's "Ring Radiator" technology to emit clear sound without the traditional placement requirements.

"Unlike traditional speakers, which require specific placement and the listener to sit in a 'sweet spot' for full enjoyment, the R7 envelopes any listener in full auditory bliss regardless of their position creating a truly immersive entertainment experience," explains Jim Kiczek of Samsung Electronics America.

It's quite the sight, too, with a futuristic pod-like design.



Read More: 10 best portable speakers to buy


Thanks to wireless technology and Samsung's Multiroom App 2.0 for iOS and Android, you can share music from your smartphone across multiple connected devices around the home. The R7 can be hooked up to select Samsung TVs and soundbars in a full home media set-up, all controlled from your smartphone.

The Samsung Radiant 360 R7 will launch this month in the US for $499.99 (£337).

Samsung also recently announced four new curved soundbars, which start from the same price as the R7, and which will also seamlessly hook into a modern Samsung home audio ecosystem.

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LG reveals LG G4's 5.5-inch QHD display

by Jon Mundy 03 April 2015 |

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LG G4 display

LG has unveiled the 5.5-inch QHD display that will go into the LG G4.

The Korean manufacturer has a habit of announcing major technological components ahead of the products that will feature them.

It's done just that in the case of the much-anticipated LG G4, and particularly its display. The LG G4 will be announced on April 28, and LG Display has just unveiled the smartphone's advanced screen.

The 5.5-inch Quad HD IPS LCD panel has gone into mass production, and LG also reveals that it will be "used in LG Electronics’ forthcoming flagship smartphone to be unveiled at the end of the month."

Just because the new display is the exact same size and resolution as last year's LG G3 doesn't mean it hasn't been improved, however. In fact, LG claims that it represents a "quantum jump" in key features like colour gamut, brightness, contrast ratio, touch function, power consumption and thinness.

More specifically, the LG G4's screen will sport a a 120 percent colour gamut, which exceeds the 100 percent gamut on other displays. This has been achieved by combining a blue LED chip with red and green phosphors, when other panels combine the blue LED chip with a yellow phosphor.

The contrast ratio is also 50 percent higher than other QHD LCD panels, and brightness has increase 30 percent without any hit to battery life.

Another key technology is Advanced In-Cell Touch (AIT), which boosts touch sensitivity and even allows for screen operation when there are water drops on it. That should be particularly handy in the UK. AIT essentially means that the touch panel is embedded within the LCD, making it both thinner and more responsive.



Read More: LG G Flex 2 vs LG G3: Which is best?

A higher contrast level has also been achieved through photo-alignment technology, which reduces light leakage. The result: deeper blacks and brighter colours.

It will be interesting to see how the LG G4's display matches up to the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge's 5.1-inch QHD Super Amoled display, which is pretty much the best out there.

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5 Great tech documentaries you need to watch

Here's our pick of the best tech documentaries to sit back and enjoy

A great documentary can inspire, give you a fantastic insight into a complex mind or company and makes a change from binging on more episodes of House of Cards than your eyes can handle.

The good news is that with the likes of streaming services like Netflix and Amazon Instant Prime, it's easier than ever to find one that's actually worth watching.

Whether you want to spend an hour learning about the history of Steve Jobs or delving into the murky underworld of the Dark Web, we've scoured the web to pick out some of the finest tech documentaries we think you need to give a watch.

The Internet’s Own Boy: The Story of Aaron Swartz

Aaron Swartz’s story might have a sad ending, but the life of the internet entrepreneur and activist makes for one seriously interesting watch.

The film delves into Swartz’s past, from his development of RSS to the co-founding of Reddit, but it also looks at how he became an activist, fighting for easier access to information online. As you’d expect, it also takes focuses on his two-year legal battle that eventually lead to Swartz taking his own life, at the age of just 26.

Watch The Internet's Own Boy: The Story of Aaron Swart on Amazon Instant Video

Deep Web

Scheduled for release in May, Deep Web is set to be one of most fascinating documentaries in years as it delves deep into the the story of Ross Ulbricht, the man convicted of setting up and running the online black market Silk Road. For those who don’t know, Silk Road is like Amazon but instead of selling DVDs and books, it deals in drugs and guns.

Deep Web is the only film featuring exclusive interviews with Ulbricht’s family along with those who helped build the site and turn into one of the most infamous parts of the web.

The Kickstarter backed film has just been screened at SXSW and should be more widely available later on in the Spring.



Link: Deep Web The Movie

Indie Game: The Movie

If you’re at all interested in game development or just indie titles in general, you can do a lot worse than spending an evening with Indie Game: The Movie.

Focussing on the struggles of Edmund McMillen and Tommy Refenes who together created and built Super Meat Boy, Phil Fish during the development of the fantastic Fez and Jonathan Blow in the aftermath of the critically acclaimed Braid, the film gives a real insight into just how some of our favourite game came to be.

The documentary itself even began on Kickstarter, racking up the funding in two successful campaigns. Fitting, for something focussing on the struggles of creating a product.

Watch Indie Game: The Movie on Netflix

Steve Jobs: Billion Dollar Hippy

Including a documentary highlighting the life of one of tech’s most iconic people is almost a pre-requisite in a round-up like this, but this one is definitely worth a watch.

Airing on BBC 2 just a few months after his death in late 2011, ’Billion Dollar Hippy’ tells the story of Jobs with the input of gadget obsessive Stephen Fry and Apple co-founder Steve ‘The Woz’ Wozniack. Actually, the input of Wozniack is appreciated here as he doesn’t really have the glowing view of Jobs that is so common.

As the title suggests, the documentary takes you on a journey through the early life of Jobs. Looking at how some of Apple’s most popular devices were originally thought up during LSD induced meditation sessions. It then contrasts this with pictures of Jobs in a corporate environment, laying off staff left, right and centre and just looking thoroughly menacing.

It’s probably the best Jobs documentary out there. But we’re sure they’ll be plenty more to come.

Watch Steve Jobs: Billion Dollar Hippy on Netflix

Catfish

You’ve probably heard of Catfish. It’s easily the most popular documentary on our list and has even been turned into a weekly MTV television series, but at its heart it’s a film about how technology, social media and the people using it can manipulate and alter information.

It’s a little unsettling and, for something that comes from MTV, surprisingly thought provoking. What should be rather bland scenes of two guys filming Facebook conversations, is turned into an entertaining and gripping watch, especially for those of use who spend far too long on social media every day.

Watch Catfish on Amazon Instant Video

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Britain’s 4G LTE speeds are slowing as more users jump on board

by Chris Smith 02 April 2015 |

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The average download speed obtained by mobile users on Britain’s 4G networks fell slightly during the second half of 2014, according to a new Ofcom study.

The communications regulator’s report, (via Guardian) intimates downloads are slowing as more and more customers jump on board with the next-gen mobile connectivity.

Ofcom says 4G LTE speeds across the four major networks fell to an average of 14.7Mpbs during the the final quarter of 2014, from an average of 15.1Mbps recorded during the second quarter.

The watchdog took the two tests six months apart. The only two cities featured in the first and second tests. While London’s average speed stayed consistent. Edinburgh’s fell by 12 per cent.

“As more people are taking 4G services from the mobile operators, this is likely to affect the average speeds being received,” Ofcom wrote.

Although networks like EE and Vodafone continue to boost speeds around the UK, the average appears to have been dragged down by the likes of Three and O2.

Both of those networks, who are soon to become bedfellows of course, saw their average speeds drop by around 2Mbps during the six month test period.

Read more: EE to begin testing 450Mbps 4G LTE in mid-2015

For those early 4G adopters who may be disappointed their speeds are falling as more users convert to 4G contracts, may be heartened by the alternative.

The national average for 3G connections is 5.9Mpbs, making the UK’s 4G speeds twice as fast as the previous generation, as of last winter.

Have you noticed your 4G downloads drop off a little over the last few months? Share your experiences in the comments section below.

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Google appears to be succeeding in halting Android malware apps

by Chris Smith 02 April 2015 |

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Google’s efforts to stamp out Android apps containing malware seem to be paying dividends, judging by the firm’s annual report into Android security.

The 2014 Android Security State of the Union report (via AndroidCentral) claims installs of Potentially Harmful Apps (PHAs) dropped by a whopping 50 per cent during last year.

The mobile giant says less than 0.15 per cent of Android devices exclusively using the Google Play Store had installed a PHA. For those using external sources, fewer than 1 per cent of devices had installed harmful apps. That’s down 60 per cent.

Google says that over a billion Android devices are now protected by the Google Play store, which performs 200 million security scans on devices every single day. The firm’s SafetyNet tool also checks 400m connections a day to chase down potential SSL issues.

The numbers have also been lowered by Google’s own Verify Apps tool which, when enabled on Android devices, will give users a warning an app might be dangerous before proceeding with the download.

Related: Best social media apps for Android

Those stats seem sure to improve further later this year, as Google puts stricter controls in place to prevent apps containing malware making it onto the Play Store.

The firm is adopting an App Store like review process for apps submitted to the Play Store.

While this hasn’t pleased those who consider it a betrayal of Android’s open source roots, it should result in even fewer harmful apps making their way onto Android devices.

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Microsoft’s powerful Office Lens document scanning app hits iOS and Android

by Chris Smith 02 April 2015 |

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Microsoft may have made it possible for iOS and Android users to ditch that flatbed scanner after extending the reach of its excellent Office Lens application.

The powerful app, allows users to save documents and convert them to Office formats, just by scanning them using the a camera on the iOS and Android device.

Office Lens will sharpen and straighten the documents and also allow users to convert them into editable Word documents with formatting retained.

Users will also be able to take photos of the office whiteboard after a meeting and the app will perform the same function. The snap can be taken from any angle, and Office Lens will straighten it, sharpen the content and allow users to crop and rotate the image.

Office Lens will and even allow you to import it as a PowerPoint document and will convert the various on-screen elements into items that can be moved around. This, as Microsoft demonstrates, is handy for hand-drawn calendars or schedules.

Microsoft's tool can also convert the image, such as a receipt, into a searchable PDF file or a JPEG image, while everything is saved back to OneNote or OneDrive for safe keeping. This will be great for users looking to collate their dinner expenses in one place.

Furthermore, the app can be used on business cards to allow users to generate contacts.

Read more: Best iPhone 6 apps: iOS 8 essentials to download

The app is already available for Windows Phone users, but Microsoft’s roll out on other platforms reaffirms its commitment to make its best services available on as many devices as possible.

Office Lens for iPhone is out now, while the Android to preview on Android prior to a full roll out on the Google Play store. You can see the iPhone version in the video below.

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Meet the £110,000 diamond encrusted Apple Watch Spectrum

If you thought the Apple Watch Edition was expensive, think again, this Apple Watch will set you back a staggering £110,000.

Modded by renowned gadget gilder Goldgenie, the bank-breaking wearable is crafted from solid 18-carat gold and has been encrusted with a mass of precision cut diamonds.

One of a number of models in the modder’s new Apple Watch ‘Spectrum’ collection, the luxurious timepiece costs 368 times the price of Apple’s entry-level smartwatch.

A frankly ridiculous asking price, this £110,000 fee almost makes the wallet-busting £13,000 Apple Watch Edition feel like a bargain.

Despite the device’s glistening makeover, the Apple Watch Spectrum offers no additional features or user benefits – aside from its snazzy looks – than the £299, base model Apple Watch Sport.

If £110,000 is a little out of your price range, fret not. Goldgenie is offering a wide selection of bespoke models, all looking to one-up Apple’s latest efforts at high-end luxury.

Starting things off is the £2,000, Apple Watch Edition echoing, 24-carat gold plated 38mm model.

Similarly, if shiny stones and precious metals aren’t up your street, why not plump for the exotic python or crocodile skinned straps.

All of company’s Apple Watch customisation options will be available for pre-order next Thursday, April 9, one day before Apple kicks off its own, official pre-order system.

The Apple Watch release date will follow two-weeks later on April 24.

Related: Apple Watch vs Pebble Time

Discussing the extreme levels of custom Apple Watch bling, Goldgenie founder and CEO, Laban Roomes, stated: “The Apple Watch will surely change the face of time and how we handle it.

“We all have a choice in what we do with time and we want to help people really make it their own. Time is a gift and a luxury customised Apple Watch will be a great reminder of this.”

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Apple Watch design: Timeline UI, lightsabers, and feeling tweets

The Apple Watch might appear slick and refined right now, however its early iterations were anything but.

An interview with Apple’s human interface designer Alan Dye and Apple’s VP Technology Kevin Lynch, courtesy of Wired, sheds light on the wearable’s early days.

For instance, an early version of the Apple Watch software basically served up information in a timeline, similar to Pebble’s chronological approach.

Apple dropped the idea in favour of a more streamlined system, however, minimising the time it takes a user to gauge whether information on the Watch is important enough.

“It was all very understandable, but using it took way too long,” explained Lynch. He suggested holding your arm up like you’re looking to a watch and counting to 30, then said: “We didn’t want people walking around and doing that.”

The software went through three main iterations, all in an effort to reduce the time it takes to complete actions down to mere seconds.

Many features reportedly met the chopping block because they didn’t fit with this design ethos.

Related: Apple Watch vs Android Wear

The report goes on to detail the great lengths to which Apple went to refine the Taptic Engine, the haptic feedback technology built into the Apple Watch.

The company spent a year working on the technology, holding weekly meetings to discuss how users feel when receiving various notifications, like phone calls, or texts.

Many prototypes for sound and vibration alerts were tested, each with a slightly different feel.

“Some where too annoying, said Lynch. “Some were too subtle; some felt like a bug on your wrist.”

Apple then attempted to translate various feelings into sounds and vibrations, to determine what a tweet or text actually feels like.

The designers and engineers sampled a wide variety of sounds to answer these questions, including bell clappers, birds, and lightsabers, which they then turned into physical sensations.

Apple will launch its final Apple Watch version in stores on April 24, but you can pre-order the device starting April 10.

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iPhone 6S Plus tipped with Force Touch display

by Sean Keach 02 April 2015 |

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The iPhone 6S Plus will be landing with Force Touch technology built into its display, a new report claims.

According to Chinese news site UDN, unnamed industry sources have confirmed that the purportedly upcoming device will carry Apple’s pressure-sensitive touch tech.

Apple first debuted Force Touch on the Apple Watch, which was soon followed by the company’s new Retina MacBook.

Unlike traditional touch pads, Force Touch can process various levels of finger pressure, which can translate to different commands.

According to the report, Apple will be paying somewhere in the region of $13 to $14 per iPhone 6S Plus Force Touch panel, purchased from Chinese touch solution company TPK.

The Apple Watch Force Touch panels, meanwhile, cost significantly less – around $4 to $5 per unit.

That’s because the Apple Watch uses either a 1.5-inch or 1.65-inch display, compared to the 5.5-inch panel expected on the iPhone 6S Plus.

Related: iOS 8 review

It’s interesting that there’s no mention of the smaller iPhone 6S getting the technology, which means Apple could be looking to incentivise customers to purchase the higher-priced model with the new technology.

We’re expecting both the iPhone 6S and the iPhone 6S Plus to launch in September, potentially alongside a plastic-chassis iPhone 6C.

The handsets will likely land with Apple’s new A9 processor, and rumours tip an increase in RAM, up on the 1GB in the current iPhone 6 and 6 Plus.

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Huawei Ascend P8 Lite images leak

by Luke Johnson 02 April 2015 |

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With the Huawei Ascend P8 set to be officially unveiled on April 15, images of the handset’s little brother have popped up online.

Dubbed the P8 Lite, the sub-specced spin-off is expected to debut alongside its flagship sibling at a London-based launch event in the coming weeks.

Showing off a handset markedly similar to teased images of the high-end P8, the claimed renders have revealed a slightly stripped back, metal-bodied device.

With a smaller camera lens than past P8 leaks, the prematurely unveiled shots also show a device lacking the rear-mounted fingerprint scanner shown on the mooted Galaxy S6 rival.

With Huawei having yet to formally confirm plans for the phone, the images have surfaced courtesy of serial tech tipster Roland Quandt.

Taking to Twitter to out the device, Quandt accompanied the images with the proud proclamation: “Huawei P8 Lite – these are the first “official” renders from a European distributor. Dual-SIM and a price of 250 Euro.”

The €250 price tag (£183) would see the P8 Lite go head-to-head with the likes of the Moto G and Huawei’s own Ascend G7.

The handset has been shown in both black and silver colour schemes.

Related: HTC One M9 review

A direct follow-on to the 2014-released Huawei Ascend P7, the inbound P8 has been tipped to feature a flurry of high-end components.

From a 5.2-inch, 1080p Full HD display to an improved 13-megapixel primary camera – via Huawei’s own octa-core Kirin 930 chipset – the handset is expected to run the lot.

Specs for the lower end P8 Lite are still unclear.

Stay tuned to TrustedReviews for all the latest on the P8 and P8 Lite ahead of the phones’ April 15 unveiling.

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New Retina MacBook benchmark matches 2011 MacBook Air

by Sean Keach 02 April 2015 |

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Apple’s new Retina MacBook is just one week away, but an early benchmark of the device has given us some clues as to its performance.

The 1.1GHz entry-level Retina MacBook turned upon on Geekbench twice, as first spotted by MacRumors.

The Intel Core M-5Y31 processor inside managed to clock single-core scores of 1924 and 2044, while multi-core tests resulted in scores of 4038 and 4475.

The entry-level 2015 MacBook Air seems to trump the new MacBook however, with a single-core score of 2881 and a multi-core score of 5757. That’s with a 1.6GHz Intel Core i5 processor.

Interestingly, the new MacBook’s Geekbench scores seem to fall in the range of the high-end 2011 MacBook Air, which uses an Intel Core i7 processor clocked at 1.8GHz.

Related: New MacBook is a laptop for the iPad generation

Benchmark tests like these should always be taken with a pinch of salt, as they do come with a margin of error.

Raw processing heft doesn’t automatically translate to improved user experience, and many factors play into how well a device works.

For instance, it’s worth noting that Geekbench doesn’t measure graphical performance. The new MacBook should theoretically prove better at handling graphics than its 2011 predecessor.

That’s thanks to the new Intel HD 5300 integrated graphics, and the faster flash memory on board Apple’s new device.

It’s also important to mention that the new MacBook comes with higher processor clock-rate options, namely 1.2GHz and 1.3GHz, both of which would achieve higher Geekbench scores.

The new MacBook is due to land in stores on April 10.

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You can now run Android apps on your Windows desktop

by Sean Keach 02 April 2015 |

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Google has launched a new Chrome application that can run Android apps on your desktop computer.

It’s called ‘ARC Welder’, and it works with any system that has the Chrome browser installed – that means it works on Windows, Mac, Linux, and, of course, Chrome OS.

It’s a spin-off of Google’s App Runtime for Chrome (ARC), which allowed a small number of developers to run Android apps on Chrome OS.

The ARC is still in early beta right now, although the ARC Welder is free to use for anyone who wants to give it a try.

You can convert any Android .apk file using the software, although many apps might not be very well suited to a desktop experience.

It’s worth noting that ARC is based on Android 4.4 right now, not Google’s latest Android 5.0 Lollipop OS.

Related: Toshiba Chromebook 2 review

While it’s not yet clear what developers will come up with using the ARC Welder tool, this could be the beginning of a more unified Android ecosystem.

Microsoft is already well underway with Windows 10 development, which will see various Windows platforms unified under one banner, including mobile and desktop.

The ARC Welder will mean that developers can create apps that work on both mobile and desktop, which could signal an attempt on Google’s part to match Microsoft’s efforts.

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HTC One M9+ teaser images point to QHD display and fingerprint scanner

by Luke Johnson 02 April 2015 |

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Ahead of the phone’s expected April 8 unveiling, HTC has offered up a selection of HTC One M9+ themed teaser images.

Offering a tantalising glimpse of what to expect from the inbound HTC One M9 follow-on, the Taiwanese manufacturer has spotlighted three key features of the upcoming device for a pre-release tease.

Joining the handset’s display and two-tone design on the early look list is the addition of a physical home button.

It is believed these three features have been highlighted as they mark the phone’s major improvements.

The handset, although yet to be officially confirmed, has long been tipped to host a 5.2-inch, 2560 x 1440 pixel QHD display.

With the flagship M9 having retained its predecessor’s 5-inch, 1080p Full HD panel, the move to a QHD panel would see HTC finally compete with the likes of the LG G3 and the Samsung Galaxy Note 4.

Similarly, the addition of a fingerprint scanner incorporating physical home button has been the subject of much rumour and speculation in recent weeks.

The inbound biometric sensor is expected to see the handset closer challenge the likes of the Samsung Galaxy S6 and iPhone 6. Both additions have now been all but confirmed by the teases.

Once again adorning its images with the tagline “More than One” – the same message which accompanied a recent event invite – the manufacturer has hinted at the much mooted HTC One M9+ without ever referencing the handset by name.

Related: HTC One M9 vs Samsung Galaxy S6

Although a HTC One M9+ launch event has been pencilled in for next Wednesday, April 8, it is currently unclear when the phone will make it to retailers’ shelves.

Given the M9 costs a hefty £579.99 on a SIM-free basis, don’t expect its larger, metal-bodied, QHD display hosting sibling to come cheap.

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O2 Wifi Extra ditches log-ins with hotspot auto-connect

by Sean Keach 02 April 2015 |

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O2 has announced a new scheme that will automatically connect its mobile customers to free Wi-Fi networks.

It’s called O2 Wifi Extra, and it’s an evolution on O2’s existing free Wi-Fi service.

Currently, O2 customers can tap into dedicated hotspots across the UK, including inside McDonalds, Costa Coffee, Debenhams, and various locations in London.

The new scheme, however, will mean that O2 customers will no longer need to manually sign into one of these hotspots.

Instead, compatible mobile devices will automatically connect, authenticating the service using the SIM card.

Interestingly, O2 Wifi Extra will occasionally abstain from logging you onto a Wi-Fi connection if it registers that your 3G or 4G connection is stronger.

This means you won’t be forced onto a rubbish Wi-Fi connection if you’re already getting nippy speeds courtesy of your cellular network.

Related: EE giving away Power Bar to every customer

Robert Franks, Managing Director of O2’s digital commerce business, said: “We are always looking for ways to help O2 customers stay connected, and delivering O2 Wifi Extra’s capabilities on such a large scale for our customers is a first for a UK public Wi-Fi provider.”

“It’s a great step forward for our customers. They’ll get the best data service available to them as well as being able to stay safe and secure online, wherever they may be.”

There are currently some 11,000 O2-friendly Wi-Fi hotspots across the country, and all of which will work with the scheme.

O2 has also assured customers that the service is monitored and secure, and that all data transferred will be fully encrypted.

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