Review TechRadar: Phone and communications news 08-09-2014

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In Depth: 4K phone screens: madness, or clearly the next big thing? Aug 9th 2014, 12:01, by Chris Mills In the last few years, as smartphone design has basically settled on rectangular slabs of glass, we've seen manufacturers take the competition over who produces the best gear to a new battle ground: the specs war. Nowhere is this clearer and more easily visible than smartphone displays, the resolutions of which have been on a steadily upwards trend for the last couple of generations of flagship phones. Historically, smartphone screens have got that little bit better every season. The HTC One X had a 720p HD screen; the Galaxy S4 and HTC One both stepped up to 1080p Full HD displays, and we're now seeing 2K displays pop up on the likes of the LG G3. The trend would suggest, therefore, that 4K displays will be commonplace within the next two or so generations of flagship phone. Does the world need more than the G3's QHD display? To understand why a 4K screen on a phone might (or might not!) be a good idea, you first have to understand exactly what 4K means. At a basic level, all screens have a resolution, which is expressed as the number of horizontal pixels times vertical pixels – for example, 1280 x 720, meaning that there's 1280 rows of pixels horizontally, and 720 vertically. In theory, the higher the resolution, the crisper and less blurry the image. The resolution is often abbreviated to a snappier name – for example, the 'HD' logo that's slapped on most TVs these days. High Definition means a resolution of at least 720 pixels vertically, and 'Full HD' is a minimum of 1080. However, there are several levels above mere 'HD'. 2K video has to be at least 2,000 pixels wide horizontally (Full HD (1080p) is generally 1980 pixels horizontally). QHD (Quad HD) has a horizontal resolution a little higher, at 2,560 pixels, meaning that there's four times as many actual pixels than in 1080p, hence Quad-HD. But the gold standard of ultra hi-res is currently 4K, which offers a display resolution normally of 3840 x 2160. It's a standard that's starting to creep into high-end TVs and computer monitors, and even more common services like YouTube and GoPro are starting to record or playback 4K footage. iPhone 4: the original Retina display The allure of higher-res screens is simple: more pixels should, in theory, mean a sharper, clearer, more detailed image – the effect Apple had with the iPhone 4 when it introduced the first 'Retina Screen'. But improvement isn't just as simple as sticking a higher-res screen in each new generation of phone: after a while, people will stop noticing the difference. This is because of one crucial factor: pixel density. This is a measure of how many pixels are packed into a physical area, normally measured in pixels per inch (PPI, not to be confused with the insurance you maybe owed money for, according to those irritating phone calls and adverts). Because smartphone screens are so physically tiny compared to TVs, the PPI is incredibly high – up to 530 on phones like the LG G3. Although that might sound like improvement, the human eye stops being able to make out a screen's individual pixels after a certain point – and after that point, increasing the resolution further won't really do anything of benefit. According to Apple, that cut-off is 326 PPI for a smartphone. (Your eye's 'max' PPI depends on how far away the device is – hold press your face right up to a 4K TV, and you could probably see the individual pixels, but not so for a smartphone.) Experts, such as DisplayMate's Raymond Soniera, peg that number a little higher – up to 600PPI for people with freakishly good vision. But either way, whether the magic number is 300 PPI or 600 PPI, 4K blows all those numbers away. On a standard 4.7-inch smartphone screen, a 4K display would give a resolution of 941 PPI, well in excess of anyone's ability to resolve individual pixels. By that measure, 4K phone screens would be completely indistinguishable from 2K, or probably even Full HD screens. There's other reasons to dislike higher-resolution screens, rather than just cost. The more pixels a phone has to generate, the harder its processor has to work, which means a hotter, slower phone that has worse battery life – not exactly a recipe for commercial success. There are, however, a few beacons of hope for the 4K smartphone screen. The first, and most often-quoted, is the rise of the phablet. Phablets have significantly larger screens than your average run-of-the-mill smartphone, so the 4K screen has more room to work its magic. More importantly, a hi-res screen offers companies a useful selling point: the LG G3 does technically have a sharper, crisper and clearer display than the Galaxy S5; it's just the no-one would ever be able to tell the difference. That's not to say that all small 4K displays are useless, however. The evolution of devices like the Oculus Rift have moved screens radically closer to our eyes, which means that a much higher-res screen is necessary (compared to a smartphone) to be able to get all pixels blurred into one. Pixel density: is the interest finally dying? There is, however, one small glimmer of hope that manufacturers will shy away from building 4K phones in favour of better battery life and cheaper component prices: the phone-buying public seems to be getting over its obsession with pixel density. Google Trends, a tool that lets you track a subject's popularity on the internet, shows that interest in 'pixel density' has spiked over the last few years, but is slowly falling back to pre-iPhone 4-levels as PPI stops being a major selling point. Where does that leave 4K phones, then? Samsung and LG, two of the powerhouses of hi-def smartphones, have hinted in the past that 4K phone screens are a possibility, but have shied away from expressly stating they're in the works. Most likely, then, 4K phones will be a reality in the next few years – but whether or not they'll be a hit lies with the phone-buying public. Best Android phone - which would you buy? Exclusive: iPhone 6 leaked photos in retail box Aug 9th 2014, 08:16, by Marc Flores The iPhone 6 may be announced September 9, and photos and renders have been leaking like crazy. There's almost no reason for us to believe that what Apple will be announcing next month will be different from what we've already seen. When the iPhone 5 was unveiled, it came as no surprise to anyone. Several images of the Apple handset leaked onto the Internet, as well as renders and phone cases. With the upcoming iPhone 6, it's not much of a different story. We've seen photo after alleged photo of the device, but we've recently acquired new images of the upcoming iPhone. This time, it's pictured in its retailed box. A source tells us that these photos were taken by an Apple beta tester, but declined to give more information. This is a new source for us, so I'm not saying with 100% confidence that these photos are authentic. But after having checked EXIF data, photo manipulation and doing a little background check on our source, there's no reason for us to believe that these are fakes. Again, not 100% on that. The JPEG images aren't of the best quality - they're not as clean as we'd like and we wish we could see better phone details - but again, my gut says they may be real. However, these images line right up with what we've seen floating on the web so far. It's also not a radical departure from Apple's existing iPhone design, and one would imagine that Apple wouldn't do such a thing. Time will tell, of course, but one thing is certain: If these photos turn out to be real, the new iPhone 6 is going to be a handsome device, and it will also be remarkably thin. Moreover, even with the changes, it will still look very familiar and very much like an iPhone. We're also pretty excited for the new sapphire crystal glass front. One of our favorite YouTube reviewers, Marques Brownlee, got his hands on it and gave it a real effort before he could scratch the iPhone 6's glass. Now we just have to play the waiting game until early September. Roundup: Best of TechRadar: this week's best features and hottest reviews Aug 9th 2014, 08:00, by James Rivington This tiny device can tell you more than you ever wanted to know What is in that watermelon? How many grams of sugar are in this gin and tonic I'm about to drink? While our smartphones have made it easy to research facts, capture images and navigate street maps, they have their shortcomings. If only they could reveal the inner secrets of objects in the physical world, too. Thanks to a scanner device called SCiO - after the Latin verb "to know" - you'll soon be able to get answers to life's most pressing questions, like the chemical makeup of foods, medications, plants and other items we use on a daily basis. Read this feature Twitter and Facebook are making the same mistakes as MySpace And they may soon regret it Bad news for Twitter pros: it looks like your feed is going to get a little more spammy if Twitter's latest bright idea sticks. Fed up with people retweeting stuff you don't care about?Twitter's about to do it on their behalf. Twitter's latest idea is to let you see posts from people that you don't follow, but your followees do. The problem with that, of course, is that if you wanted to follow those accounts you'd already have followed them. Read all about it Console gaming is dead! Word is that the Xbox One might be getting another price cut. But the Xbox One doesn't need a cheaper price tag or new colours to get people interested. It needs some decent games, because let's face it, there are none. Games, apps, features and functionality - both next gen consoles are still hugely lacking in them all and we're nearly a year in now. It's not unusual for each generation to start slowly, but against the backdrop of an exciting golden age for PC gaming, games consoles are starting to look looking increasingly... irrelevant. Why? Because all of the good things in the gaming world right now are happening on PC. All of them. Read on to find out more Saving film is about preserving movies... ...not fighting against digital The rise of digital projection in movies marks one of the speediest changes in any industry. In fewer than 15 years we have seen a business that dealt purely in celluloid engulfed by ones and zeroes. Digital has overtaken film projection the world over, with the promise of offering up cheaper ways to distribute movies complete with a crisp palette that is, arguably, on a par with film stock. While many filmmakers have embraced this change, there's a minority that is battling against progression. This group isn't made up of indie filmmakers looking to get headline space but some of the biggest names in the business. The new Audi S1 is an incredible road-eating pocket rocket More real-world fun than an Audi R8 supercar Is Audi's new S1 uberhatch the most desirable car in the German auto maker's almost infinite range? Don't forget, that's a range filled to bursting with super saloons, mega SUVs and even mid-engine, V10 rocket ships. But the S1's modest output of a mere 228bhp and the prospect of fun at speeds at least resembling the legal limit, not to mention a price tag that starts below £25,000, make for a terribly enticing real-world package. Time to jump on board In-car apps are terrible and it's time for an urgent rethink Social networking in a car is completely silly Cars are not smartphones. A simple enough notion, but not one that most motor manufacturers seem to grasp. For proof, observe the rush to implement irrelevant and maybe even dangerous apps in the latest cars. You're nobody today without in-car facebook and twitter support. But I've reached the point where every time I see social networking support in the feature list of an in-car multimedia system, I have the urge to self harm. I can't take the nonsense any longer Surface 3: what we want to see What do we want to see on the Surface 3? Many of the qualities we would expect from a new Surface tablet - namely slimmer dimensions, a lighter chassis and longer battery life - arrived on Microsoft's capable Surface Pro 3, making it a little harder for any potential new tablet to stand out from the crowd. As we ponder the possibilities, here are some of the features we would like to see on the Surface 3. Nvidia Shield Tablet review Would we buy the Shield Tablet if we owned the original Shield (now renamed the Shield Portable)? Probably not. If we were looking for a new tablet and top notch gaming performance was on the checklist, the Shield Tablet is easily the top contender today. We'd take it over the second-gen Nexus 7 in a heart beat. While we understand why Nvidia decided to separate the cover and controller to keep the prices down and avoid the Kinect factor, we think a bundled package with a small price break as an alternative would have been nice. All things considered though, consider us surprised. The Shield Tablet is pretty dang cool. Samsung Level Over review It was only a matter of time before Samsung went after the booming headphone market. Lord knows it's successfully gone after all the others. The Samsung Level Over pair we have here sits at the tip of a new three-pronged attack which also includes the Level On over-ears and the Level In in-ears. They're not exactly cheap, costing $350 in the US and £300 in the olde worlde, though you might find them for a touch less online if you look around. And for that money you get a beefy pair of shiny cans in white or black with some very smart features on board. Android Wear review Android Wear is in its infancy with a limited number of apps and watches that are meant for early adopters who have both patience and a nearby power outlet at all times. The software generally works, with a straightforward Google Now interface that involves lots of touchscreen and voice recognition input. It feels futuristic on the hand and more practical than Google Glass. But that's no reason for everyone to run out and buy the first-generation Android Wear smartwatches. Android Wear software powers convenience gadgets, but not without a couple of inconvenience flaws. Xiaomi Mi 3 review It's a lovely phone for the most part, with the Xiaomi Mi 3 combining a surprising amount of style with high-end power and a supremely polished user interface. The fact it's only available on import is the only substantial issue, as buying one from China through a third-party means possible stress and misery should a warranty claim ever need to be made. Aside from that, though, there's very little not to like. It's probably too late for this particular model to make much of an impact in the US or UK were it to launch now, but the solid and impressive Mi 3 ought to get smartphone fans pumped for Xiaomi's next move. The Moto X+1 might have even better specs than we thought Aug 8th 2014, 19:08, by Michael Rougeau Last we heard about Motorola's rumored Moto X+1, the upcoming flagship was said to rock the same Snapdragon 800 processor found in countless other handsets. But according to the latest leak the Moto X+1 might actually sport a more powerful quad-core Snapdragon 801 that's currently powering the Samsung Galaxy S5. The phone in question appeared on Geekbench as the Motorola XT1097, and speculation suggests that this is the Moto X+1. And the phone's processor speed of 2.46GHz suggests that it features the upgraded Snapdragon 801, not the 800. Level up The Snapdragon chip isn't the only spec this benchmark says is better than what we previously expected. In addition it seems the Moto X+1 might come with slightly more storage, at 32GB instead of 24GB, and a better front-facing camera - 5 megapixels instead of 2. And don't forget about Android L! The original Moto X was a looker and a solid phone to boot, but it will definitely be nice for it to get an upgrade. We're expecting to see the X+1 debut alongside the Moto 360 smartwatch soon. What Lenovo buying Motorola means for your next smartphone In Depth: iPods to ear pods: smartphones are supercharging hearing aids Aug 8th 2014, 15:55, by Gareth Beavis Hearing smartly The notion that wearables are a new thing is wrong. The name might have only just become common vernacular, but wearable technology is centuries old. The common set of spectacles, blood pressure monitors and hearing aids are all examples of how humans have sought to overcome impairment through technology, but now we're taking that idea to a new level. Google wants to augment the world you see through glasses, while phone manufacturers and fitness trackers are falling over themselves to monitor heart rates, and in 2014, the hearing aid is getting the boost it sorely needs through integration with the smartphone. Given that already one in six UK-dwellers already has some form of hearing loss (and a third of those are of working age) and the number is only going to increase to 14.5 million in 2031 (according to Action on Hearing Loss) the need for better hearing aids has never been higher. The good news is solutions are now arriving, and are being hugely enhanced by connection to the mobile phone, with GN ReSound's LiNX and Starkey's Halo a new breed of hyper-connected, confirmed 'Made for iPhone' hearing aids. While the price isn't cheap (up to £6000 / $10000 / AU$ 11000 for the most expensive) they offer a variety of benefits that combine the power of a smartphone with small, unobtrusive hearing devices. A wireless revolution "The market for hearing aids is growing," Mohammed Qasim Shiraz, UK product manager for GN ReSound, told TechRadar. "Before it was mostly over 65 year-olds, but now the digital market is below 65; children are being fitted with hearing aids within the first few months being born." The amount of hearing aids being used in people of working age, combined with an increase of the average age of the smartphone user, means the time has finally come to integrate the two technologies. Prior to products like the LiNX and Halo combining with newer iPhones, iPod touch models or iPads, users would need to carry or install cumbersome extra accessories like a wireless pendant or phone clip to allow phones to speak to the hearing aids. Shiraz pointed to the tie-in with Apple as a reason that consumers can therefore save costs, but said there were many more advantages of being able to control hearing aids from a phone, through a dedicated app. The LiNX hearing aids connect to the iPhone through two different frequencies: Bluetooth 4.0 (low energy) and a proprietary 2.4GHz connection, which required a lot of work between the Danish audiological company and the Cupertino manufacturer. "We didn't say: 'we want to work with Apple and nobody else," said Shiraz. "But Apple has been the most ready in terms of technology and have worked very hard with hearing aid companies. "[Apple was] one of a host of companies that looked at our wireless technology. There's a strong stability with [its] technology and platform." The strength of combining a hearing aid with a smartphone is the fact it removes so many other tools previously needed to improve hearing technology. Not only can you stream music directly from your iDevice, but users can get tailored programs to improve their ability to hear in different environments. For instance, listening to someone in a quiet room and noisy restaurant needs different levels of noise suppression, which would have previously required fiddling with the units behind the ear or using a dedicated remote control. Now it's a simple as a tap on the screen, meaning users don't even have to admit to having a hearing impairment – instead, it can be put down to today's acceptance of antisocial phone fiddling. The smartphone also brings other benefits – it's packed with sensors that can benefit hearing aid users. Using GPS, they can geotag an area with a certain set of settings and be prompted to activate them when re-entering the same place. The smartphone's display also helps save a great deal of money too, according to Shiraz. "The best feature response I've seen for the LiNX is 'Find my hearing aid'. The price of these hearing aids is not cheap by any means, and one of nicest things people found is, if they've lost their hearing aids and it would normall cost a few thousand to get more, the finder feature shows where they were last seen, giving the postcode indication. "But if they're nearby and turned on, the Bluetooth LE connection shows bars that get 'hot and cold' depending on how close you are." A smarter phone The 'Made for iPhone' hearing aid compatibility is impressive. Seasoned phone-fiddlers will have noted accessibility settings in most handsets, but until needed, most of us don't venture in to see what they do. But by pairing with the LiNX hearing aids through Bluetooth, they not only act like wireless headphones, in that they connect as soon as both are in range of one another, but Apple has implemented a triple-tap function on its home key that brings up the accessibility screen from anywhere in the phone. "It's a really powerful function," said Shiraz. "It gives users an easy interface, and offers access to a lot of things from the app." However, before something as crucial as a hearing aid gets drawn into the Android / Apple battle, it's more important to celebrate what a smartphone can do for the hearing impaired beyond these connected technological aids. Projects such as BioAid are ongoing to simply connect and augment the smartphone microphone up to generic wireless headphones using an app – or even apps that can connect to existing hearing aids to allow the kinds of control on offer here. But that doesn't mean that GN ReSound isn't looking at the Android platform – it's just that given the level of complexity needed to communicate with the LiNX means that trying to code for all phones is virtually impossible. Building the connectivity into iPhones and iPads needed direct work with Apple, and while phones like the Galaxy S5 have the necessary compatibility, Shiraz said it wasn't that simple, although admitted that owners of popular Android phones might be able to use the LiNX in the future too: "The biggest struggle with Android is the platforms they operate on. iOS is one platform, but with Android we're looking at over 1200 platforms. "That's not to say that [future developments] won't be coming on that. If you want to connect to every Android device, I would say it's going to take a long time. Like I said, work's being done, and it would make sense to concentrate on the most popular handsets out there." While there are still inherent problems in making these super-connected earphones useable day to day – Bluetooth connectivity takes a lot of power, but Shiraz believes that users will get up to a week's use on a standard hearing aid battery – as well as the cost, these problems are being surmounted thanks, in part, to the rapid advance of smartphone technology. It's not hard to believe in a few years that the smartphone could be the portal for improving quality of life for hearing, sight and speech impairments, with projects like this just the beginning. Smartphones for the blind: using a phone when you can't see

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