HP’s first laptops to use Intel’s 11th Gen Tiger Lake-H processors are its ZBook G8 line, which consists of four notebooks. There are two ZBook Fury laptops — one 15.6-inch and one 17.3-inch — along with the ZBook Power and ZBook Studio.
The ZBook Power is the entry-level workstation, going up to an Intel Core i-11950H CPU, using GPUs with 4GB of VRAM. The HP ZBook Studio G8, aimed at data scientists and creators, uses more powerful GPUs, with both gaming-grade GeForce RTX and workstation-grade RTX A-series cards with as much as 16GB of VRAM.
(Image credit: HP)
In an atypical move, the ZBook Studio G8 is getting an RGB keyboard, which you would typically find in gaming laptops. In fact, it will use the Omen gaming hub to make profiles. These key presets can be set per application, not just games, so you could have custom lighting for creative software.
HP ZBook Power G8
HP ZBook Studio G8
HP ZBook Fury 15.6-inch G8
HP ZBook Fury 17.3-inch G8
CPU
Up to Intel Core i9-11950H
Up to Intel Core i9-11950H
Up to Intel Core i9-11950H, Up to Intel Xeon W-11955M
Up to Intel Core i9-11950H, Up to Intel Xeon W-11955M
Graphics
Nvidia T1200, RTX A2000 or Nvidia T600 (4GB GDDR6 each)
Up to Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 (16GB GDDR6), Up to Nvidia RTX A5000 (16GB GDDR6)
Up to Nvidia RTX A5000 (16GB GDDR6) or AMD Radeon Pro W6600M (8GB GDDR6)
Up to Nvidia RTX A5000 (16GB GDDR6) or AMD Radeon Pro W6600M (8GB GDDR6)
The Fury line, which comes in both 15.6 and 17.3-inch sizes, offers the most power, including 11th Gen Xeon processors as well as up to 128GB of RAM. These two laptops also have configurable choices with either Nvidia or AMD graphics and allow for Intel LTE to work on the go.
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(Image credit: HP)
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(Image credit: HP)
For this round of workstations, HP is introducing its Tamper Lock system, which came from the Firefly G8, which notifies users or IT departments if the bottom of the laptop is removed. They can choose to disable the system, lock the BIOS or use Bitlocker to secure the system. Users would also know if RAM or HDDs were removed. Additionally, the laptops continue HP’s tradition of using Tile tracking to recover the notebook if it is lost or stolen.
Pricing has not been made available, but HP says it will announce that closer to the laptops’ launches.
In the six short months since Carl Pei (the brains behind smartphone brand OnePlus) announced the launch of his new London-based tech brand, Nothing, the firm has not only garnered plenty of interest and investment, but clearly has been working long hours. Because Nothing has revealed that it’s first product will be with us this summer.
We already knew that the new brand intended to kick off its offering with some AirPods rivalling true wireless earbuds, but we didn’t know the name or slated month of release – until now.
The Nothing Ear 1 (yes, that’s the name) is on course to be unveiled in June this year – a quite remarkable achievement for the young company.
How much new product information has been released? Almost, er, nothing. On its website, the firm announces that “Design is still top secret but what we can tell you is that Ear 1 combines notes of transparency, iconic form, and refined functionality.”
Could Nothing’s main image (above) be indicative of a new toothbrush-head esque design? Hard to say.
What do we know? Through tantalising bits of information the company just released on its website, it’s abundantly clear that Nothing’s raison d’etre is “A journey towards nothing… Our mission is to remove barriers between people and technology to create a seamless digital future that looks, lives, and feels like nothing.”
(Image credit: Nothing)
Are we to expect the first consumer headphones not to adopt a tangible, physical form? Not quite. Nothing explains, “For those hoping for a disappearing act overnight, Ear 1 falls short”, adding, “The greatest visions are not realised with the flip of a switch, but instead through countless small successes. Ear 1 is just the start.”
Intriguing stuff. And there’s more: “Everything that is Ear 1 is there with purpose. Everything you see and everything you don’t see. Even the name. Mirroring the product’s stripped-down aesthetic, the name Ear 1 echoes our raw ambition – to let things be what they are.”
No word on battery life, Bluetooth profiles, IP rating, features or pricing for the Ear 1 then. Nevertheless, we’re putting a note on our Google calendar for June…
MORE:
See our pick of the best headphones 2021
Or read up on the best wireless noise-cancelling headphones 2021
Want the best audio? See best audiophile headphones 2021: ultimate high-end headphones
Ayaneo announced Sunday that 2,000 units of its handheld gaming device would soon reach Indiegogo backers with a surprise inside: The new AMD RZ608 Wi-Fi 6E module that, before yesterday’s announcement, hadn’t even been revealed to the public.
“The RZ608 announced today has never been revealed on the Internet,” Ayaneo CEO Arthur Zhang said in the announcement, “so many of you don’t believe it.” But he assured Indiegogo backers that his company’s “cooperation with AMD allows us to be the first to get the latest CPU and technical support among handheld consoles.”
For anyone unfamiliar with Ayaneo: The device is essentially a Nintendo Switch based on the AMD Ryzen 5 4500U APU, commonly known as Renoir, paired with a proprietary cooling solution that’s supposed to enable improved performance. It debuted on Indiegogo in March with a variety of configurations starting at $789.
Now it seems that Ayaneo will rely on AMD for more than just the Renoir APU. Zhang said in the announcement that the AMD RZ608 module offers support for Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.2, and their predecessors. (Not everyone has a Wi-Fi 6E router, of course, especially since the global chip shortage has limited router supplies.)
Zhang also shared a screenshot of the AMD RZ608’s specs:
(Image credit: AYANEO)
The Wi-Fi Alliance said Wi-Fi 6E brings the “higher performance, lower latency, and faster data rates” offered by Wi-Fi 6 into the 6GHz band. This is supposed to “enable high-bandwidth applications that require faster data throughput, as well as lower latency connectivity that is specifically well suited for next generation uses.”
Zhang said yesterday that Bluetooth 5.2 is supposed to offer “faster connection speed, lower latency, faster transmission speed, longer distance, lower power consumption, and better user experience compared to Bluetooth 5.0.” More information about the spec can be found in this overview from Bluetooth SIG.
Ayaneo users will likely appreciate both improvements. There just seems to be one point of contention: AnandTech reported that the AMD RZ608 is “actually a rebranded MediaTek MT7921K module with an AMD logo on it.” The performance should be the same, naturally, but the hype surrounding the module won’t be.
Not that AMD rebranding MediaTek parts should necessarily come as a surprise. The companies reportedly started working together in September 2020 with plans to develop Wi-Fi 6 networking parts and, sometime in the future, 5G modems. It seems the AMD RZ608 could be the first product of that relationship to reach the public.
Bluesound has refreshed its excellent Node 2i music streamer and Powernode 2i streaming amplifier. The next generation of the What Hi-Fi? Award-winning devices or now boast new DAC designs, more powerful processors, and touch panel controls with presets. They simply carry the original Node and Powernode monikers.
For the uninitiated, the Node is a music streamer that works either as a source in a hi-fi system or with active (or powered) speakers, like the Award-winning Audiolab 6000N Play. The Powernode, meanwhile, has amplification built in and just requires a pair of speakers, like the Award-winning Marantz PM7000N.
The former has a new DAC that can decode both hi-res 24-bit/192kHz and MQA files and feeds coaxial, optical, USB Type-A and, giving it TV system appeal, HDMI eARC inputs. There’s also RCA inputs and a 3.5mm headphone jack, plenty of music streaming service support courtesy of wi-fi and Apple AirPlay 2, internet radio and aptx HD Bluetooth (which is two-way, meaning it can wirelessly receive Bluetooth files for playback and send whatever it is playing to Bluetooth headphones or speakers). Naturally, the Node can also work in a multi-room environment with other BluOS kit.
As well as having a touch control panel with presets providing shortcuts to your favourite music, the Node can be voice controlled using voice assistants like Apple Siri, Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa.
The Powernode has a very similar skillset to the Node – all the BluOS streaming features, digital connectivity including HDMI eARC, and MQA support, for example – but with the addition of a built-in amplifier. The amp delivers 80 watts per channel, up from 60 watts on the previous model.
The Bluesound Node costs £549 ($549) and the Powernode £849 ($899) – slightly up from the launch prices of the previous-gen models. Both are available to pre-order now for shipping in June.
MORE:
Check out the best multi-room systems
Read our full Bluesound Node 2i and Powernode 2i reviews
Full explainer: Multi-room audio: everything you need to know
Samsung has some more true wireless earbuds in the works: the Galaxy Buds 2.
The Samsung wireless earbuds range already includes the Galaxy Buds, Galaxy Buds+, Galaxy Buds Live and Galaxy Buds Pro, and they will soon be joined by the Galaxy Buds 2.
As the name suggests, they should be a proper sequel to the original Buds, with all that entails. So what’s the news so far on them? What’s the expected launch date? Do we have an idea on price? And will they trouble our list of best wireless earbuds? Read on for everything we know so far…
Galaxy Buds 2: release date
(Image credit: Samsung)
According to SamMobile, the Galaxy Buds 2 launch date is set to be this summer, most likely around July or August.
Samsung has previously released two pairs of true wireless earbuds around that time: the original Galaxy Buds (in August 2019) and the Galaxy Buds Live (in August 2020). See below for the previous Galaxy Buds release dates.
Samsung Galaxy Buds: August 2019
Samsung Galaxy Buds+: May 2020
Samsung Galaxy Buds Live: August 2020
Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro: January 2021
So there’s plenty to support a July or August launch this year.
The end of August or beginning of September plays host to the IFA tech conference in Berlin, too (this year it takes place from 3rd-7th September).
Samsung usually launches new products at IFA, most notably its latest Galaxy Note smartphone. But this year, it’s rumoured to be skipping the Note. Could the Galaxy Buds 2 step up and take centre stage at Samsung’s launch event? Or will they launch as a complementary product to a more ‘wow’ device like the rumoured Galaxy Fold 3? Hopefully we’ll find out before long.
Galaxy Buds 2: price
At £139 ($129), the original Galaxy Buds were priced somewhere around the middle of the true wireless earbuds market. But with a thin sound that lacked detail, we thought there were better options for the money.
Samsung is undoubtedly hoping to change that with the sequel. If it can deliver a much improved sound and modernised feature set, it could well be justified in asking a little more for the Buds 2 – the second-gen AirPods cost £159 ($159), after all, and Samsung sees itself as a real competitor to Apple when it comes to mobile devices and accessories.
As such, SamMobile reckons Samsung will ask for $170 for the Buds 2, positioning them slightly below the more premium Galaxy Buds Pro (which cost £219, $199). If so, Samsung will have an uphill battle on its hands. Not only will they be more expensive than the AirPods (or even the AirPods 3, which should launch in the coming months), they will cost a lot more than the new breed of budget alternatives, some of which, like the Earfun Air Pro, offer noise cancellation.
Can Samsung justify this relatively high price while omitting such killer features? It’ll be interesting to find out…
Galaxy Buds 2: design
(Image credit: Evan Blass / Samsung)
So far, no pictures have leaked of the Galaxy Buds 2. We haven’t even had a render showing what to expect. But still, we have a pretty good idea how they will look.
That’s because of their model number. As Dutch website Galaxy Club reports, the Galaxy Buds 2 have the model number SM-R177, which is in keeping with others in the Galaxy Buds line (all of which follow the SM-R17x naming convention).
Admittedly the Galaxy Buds Live (pictured above) fall into this category too, and looks-wise, they are quite a departure, shaped as they are like a pair of jelly beans. But the Galaxy Buds 2 are likely to be far more conventional, and look very similar to the original Galaxy Buds. Think pretty standard-looking true wireless buds, complete with wing tips for keeping them in your ears and a carry case that doubles as a portable charger.
Nothing radical there, then. But as long as they’re comfortable and perform well, we’ll have no complaints.
Samsung Galaxy Buds 2: features
(Image credit: Samsung)
The original Galaxy Buds launched in 2019. We’re expecting a very similar skillset from its successor, but hopefully with improvements across the board. Because while 2019 might not seem that long ago, the true wireless earbuds market has come a long way since then.
Take battery life. The original Galaxy Buds managed a total run time of 13 hours (six hours from the buds, plus another seven from the case). A couple of years ago, that was passable, but today it just won’t cut the mustard. Since then, we’ve seen the introduction of the Cambridge Audio Melomania 1, which manage a total run time of a staggering 45 hours. And for cheaper than the original Galaxy Buds.
The original Galaxy Buds couldn’t connect to iPhones, as they were Android-only. This was rectified with the Galaxy Buds+, and we would expect the Buds 2 to work with Apple devices, too.
We wouldn’t expect the Buds 2 to have noise cancellation as that will likely be reserved for the Galaxy Buds Live and Pro.
In all, we’re not expecting any surprises on the features front. Think touch controls, Bluetooth 5.0, compatibility with voice assistants, and support for the major streaming services. All of which are pretty standard on true wireless earbuds.
Samsung Galaxy Buds 2: early verdict
It’s early days yet – we haven’t seen leaked specs or any images of the Galaxy Buds 2. But going on past form, we have a pretty good idea of what to expect.
To say Samsung has its work cut out would be an understatement. There’s currently a huge choice of true wireless earbuds to suit all needs, at all budgets, be it the wallet-friendly Earfun Air or premium Sony WF-1000XM3. And more are in the pipeline, including the Apple AirPods 3 and AirPods Pro 2, Sony WF-1000XM4 and Google Pixel Buds A-Series.
If Samsung is hoping it can survive on brand name alone, it might be in for a surprise.
But let’s not judge the Galaxy Buds 2 before they launch. True, Samsung’s true wireless earbuds haven’t scored more than three stars in our reviews, but they have improved over the years. Fingers crossed Samsung can take the lessons of the past and put them to good use in the future.
MORE:
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True wireless showdown!AirPods Pro vs Sony WF-1000XM3: which is better?
A true wireless game changer? Sony WF-1000XM4: release date, price, leaks
JBL’s Charge 5 hails from a victorious and dominant product line, and the winning trend does not stop here
For
Clearer and more detailed sound
Wider soundstage
Updated dustproofing
Against
Nothing at this level
When it comes to rugged, portable, no-nonsense Bluetooth speakers, some product lines have consistently impressed us under review. JBL’s Charge is as good an example as any, and so the fact it’s now entering its fifth generation is big news. Anyone looking for substantial on-the-go sound from something roughly the weight and size of a bottle of wine should take note.
The new JBL Charge 5 is, the US audio specialist claims, even more durable and better sounding than the four Charges before it. Its predecessor carried an IPX7 rating, meaning it could handle being submerged in water to a depth of 1.5m, but the IP67-rated Charge 5 builds on that durability by also being fully dustproof.
The iconic aesthetic, available in eight different finishes including our review sample’s navy blue, has been tweaked to introduce a bolder JBL logo and an extra dollop of rubberised reinforcements, too. So, is the Charge just as recommendable as ever in its latest guise?
Build and features
(Image credit: JBL)
Sitting our Charge 5 sample next to its older sibling, the Charge 4, we play a quick game of spot the difference. The logo is now bigger but looks classier and less like a badge than the branding on its predecessor, with simple metallic accents around the letters rather than a block frame.
The rubberised underbody now comprises pleasing diagonal lines for traction when you set it down, as first seen on the Go 3, rather than a block of opaque rubber.
Gone is the 3.5mm port for wired listening, and the new USB-C charging port is uncovered this time. Under a smaller rubber cap, you still get the useful USB-A port for using the Charge 5 to charge your devices.
JBL Charge 5 tech specs
(Image credit: JBL)
Finishes x8
Battery life 20 hours
Bluetooth version 5.1
Dimensions (hwd) 22 x 9.6 x 9.4cm
Weight 960g
The ends of the Charge 5’s trademark barrel-like bodywork boast a slightly more robust rubberised reinforcement, while the speaker itself is a whole 1mm taller, 2mm deeper, 3mm wider and 5g heavier than its older brother – although there’s little in that to the naked eye.
Under the hood, however, are plenty of improvements. The 52 x 90mm bass driver is a couple of millimetres wider than before, and there’s a new 20mm tweeter. These units both have dedicated power amplification – 30W for the woofer and 10W for the highs. There is also Bluetooth 5.1 rather than 4.2, but the same 7500mAh battery offers the same 20 hours of playback from a single charge.
The Charge 5 now features a JBL PartyBoost button on the control panel on top of the speaker, too, where the Connect+ button sits on the Charge 4. JBL’s updated daisy-chaining tech means you can beef up your portable sound by linking the Charge 5 with up to 100 other PartyBoost enabled JBL Bluetooth offerings, although that is currently limited to the Boombox 2, Flip 5 and Pulse 4. What you can’t do is link the Charge 5 to the older Charge 4, or any older Connect+ enabled JBL speakers for that matter.
There is support for the Charge 5 on the JBL Portable app, formerly called JBL Connect. It’s good for firmware updates and to deploy PartyBoost from your phone, where other app-supported JBL speakers (including the Flip 5) will appear ready to link. With another Charge 5, you can create a stereo pair by toggling across from “Party” (mono sound) to Stereo when hitting the PartyBoost button, but the app is otherwise basic and doesn’t offer anything by way of EQ optimisation.
Leaving the app, we press the PartyBoost button on the Charge 5, then on our Flip 5, and sound dutifully comes from both, clearly and with no notable lag. It’s a neat feature, although some existing JBL owners may be irked by PartyBoost’s inability to play nicely with the older Connect+ tech.
Sound
(Image credit: JBL)
We cue up Chamillionaire’s Ridin’ on Tidal and the Charge 5’s extra ounce of prowess over the Charge 4 reveals itself. It’s a fairly minor upgrade, but the hip-hop riff intro is marginally more impactful – the leading edges of notes through the low end are crisper, resulting in a more agile performance. Vocals are also more energised and feel well-placed in what is an expansive mix for a portable speaker of this size.
Erykah Badu’s voice in Tyrone is emotive and as much celebrated through the treble frequencies as through her juicy lower registers. The walking bass guitar that underpins the track feels three-dimensional and is just one of several instruments held in check, alongside whoops from the crowd and occasional drum fills within a cohesive mix.
Bowed strings in British Sea Power’s melancholy soundscape, Tiger King, are detailed and accurate around the track’s sporadic cymbals and drum crashes, proving the Charge 5 is capable of delicacy and nuance as well as oomph and bass clout.
Any brightness in the Charge 5’s new tweeter melts away once the speaker is run in, leaving only cleaner, clearer treble frequencies. Prince’s vocal in Sometimes It Snows In April veers between his trademark head and chest voices and both are equally as impactful through the Charge 5, alongside the pared-back keys and guitar. Female backing vocals in the later choruses are as present and as ethereal as Prince intended.
Verdict
The Charge 5 is currently as good a sound as you can get in a portable Bluetooth speaker design for under £200 ($200, AU$300). It boasts marginal improvements, both sonically and aesthetically, over its predecessor, the five-star Charge 4. One day JBL may produce a Charge that can be outdone by a new and plucky rival, but rest assured, that has not happened yet with the rather splendid Charge 5.
SCORES
Sound 5
Features 4
Build 5
MORE:
Read our guide to the best Bluetooth speakers
Read our JBL Flip 5 review
Read our Bang & Olufsen Beosound A1 (2nd gen) review
Voice control isn’t the sole preserve of wireless smart speakers, you know. Barking “Alexa, open Just Eat” at your Echo Dot (or other Alexa speaker), or “Hey Google, what’s in my calendar for today” to your Google Assistant speaker just for the joy of hearing that your schedule is clear, is now commonplace. But using spoken word to command the main music system in your home – your serious, great-sounding hi-fi setup – may not seem so natural. It may be a jump many audio enthusiasts are reluctant to take, even. But give this a moment’s thought, music lover, because verbal control over your hi-fi might be just what your household needs.
Here, we explain the various ways in which you can have voice control as part of a hi-fi system, whether you are keen to use Amazon’s Alexa, Google’s Assistant or Apple’s Siri platforms, and whether you want to bring your a traditional ‘dumb’ system into 2021 or are looking to invest in a new set-up with virtual voice assistance at its core…
(Image credit: Amazon)
Add voice control by connecting a smart speaker
One of the easiest routes to giving your vintage hi-fi system a voice is by connecting an external smart speaker to it.
Add Alexa The Amazon Echo Dot smart speaker comes with its own built-in driver under its little spherical fabric jackets, but you can beef up its audio by making it play through the speakers in your sound system instead. (Amazon launched a speaker-less Echo Input device a few years ago for this very purpose, but it’s now been discontinued.) This may be handy, but note that audio quality will be limited here.
The Echo Dot offers wired and wireless connectivity, and will work with just about any integrated amp, receiver, soundbar or pair of active speakers with a 3.5mm aux input or Bluetooth connection. With either connection, all of the audio – including Alexa’s verbal answers – will play through the connected speakers in your system.
The diminutive, cheap and cheerful Amazon Echo Dot has a 3.5mm output, which means you can wire it to any receiver, integrated amp or powered speaker with a 3.5mm input. Alternatively, it features built-in Advanced Audio Distribution Profile (A2DP) Bluetooth, meaning you can connect it wirelessly to any Bluetooth-enabled receiver, speaker or soundbar.
Best Alexa speakers 2021
Add Google Assistant Want Google Assistant to run the show instead? Similarly, you can pair a Google Nest Mini* (Google’s version of the Echo Dot) over Bluetooth for voice commands and music to play through your Bluetooth-toting system. However, it does not have a 3.5mm output.
*Older Google smart speakers, such as the Home Mini, can also do this.
Best Google Assistant speakers 2021
How about hi-fi with Alexa or Google Assistant integrated?
As we’ve explained, almost any receiver, integrated amp or powered speaker with a 3.5mm input or Bluetooth connection will essentially ‘work’ with Alexa (or Google Assistant, for that matter), if you’ve already got an Alexa- (or Google-) powered device to physically or wirelessly connect it to.
Products with Alexa and*/or Google Assistant baked in, however, do not require you to already own and connect a third-party smart device. These products – ‘smart’ themselves – have integrated microphones to pick up your commands, and run Amazon’s voice software internally, rather than simply being able to work with the technology. These are, for now, more or less limited to wireless ‘smart’ speakers, though.
*Some wireless speakers are platform agnostic and support both Alexa and Google Assistant, such as the Sonos One.
How about the Amazon Echo Link/Amp or Sonos Amp?
(Image credit: Sonos)
If it’s an Amazon Echo device, that means Alexa must be built in, right? Wrong. The Echo Link and Echo Link Amp – Amazon’s music streamer and music streaming amplifier respectively – don’t have integrated microphones so still need a third-party Alexa device, such as an Echo Dot, connected to be obey commands and be part of voice-controlled music groups throughout your home.
Similarly, the Sonos Amp – which you may well think would be voice controllable – doesn’t have an in-built microphone for voice control. It will, however, respond to voice commands issued to connected Alexa-, Google- and Siri-powered devices, including, naturally, the Sonos One.
Sonos: everything you need to know
Multi-room hi-fi platforms with Alexa support
If you’ve yet to buy a hi-fi system and want to get one that puts voice assistant friendliness at its core, there are now several hi-fi and home cinema components that have Alexa-friendly multi-room platforms built in. These include those based on Yamaha’s MusicCast, HEOS by Denon, and BluOS, all of which offer an enhanced Alexa experience when a third-party Alexa device (like an Amazon Echo) is connected to them through specific Alexa ‘skills’.
MusicCast MusicCast is a wireless multi-room audio system built into several Yamaha AV receivers, soundbars and wireless speakers. It allows these devices to be connected together through your home wi-fi network and controlled by an app on your smartphone or tablet. By adding Alexa through a third-party Alexa speaker, you can kick back on the sofa and simply ask for music on your MusicCast AV receiver.
In case you didn’t know, Alexa provides capabilities (called ‘Alexa Skills’) that enable us to create a more personalised experience according to the kit we own, which can be downloaded from the Alexa Skills store, or simply by saying “Alexa, enable [skill name].” Since said skills are cloud-based, they don’t take up space on your device, so there’s no limit to the amount you can enable. There are two Alexa skills that work with MusicCast: the MusicCast Smart Home skill and the MusicCast skill.
The MusicCast Smart Home skill brings standard Alexa commands such as power on/off, volume control and play/pause/skip to the party. To turn on the AV receiver in your living room, you just say, “Alexa, turn on the Living Room.”
The MusicCast skill goes beyond the basics, giving you control of unique MusicCast functions, like linking/unlinking rooms and direct access to playlists and favourites. In order to access the MusicCast skills, you need to add “ask MusicCast to” after the “Alexa” wake word (or whatever your wake word is): for example, “Alexa, ask MusicCast to link the Living Room to the Kitchen.”
(Image credit: Future)
BluOS
An operating system developed by NAD Electronics and its sister brand Bluesound, BluOS sits at the core of connected products from those two brands, plus Dali and Monitor Audio.
To add Alexa voice control to your BluOS multi-room system, simply download the BluOS Voice Control skill in the Alexa app and link your BluOS-enabled products. You can then tell Alexa to play songs or playlists from subscribed services like Amazon Music, Tidal and Deezer, adjust volume levels or pause what’s playing with a single voice command.
BluVoice is the voice-control interface (or trigger word) that acts as the intermediary between BluOS and a compatible voice assistant, so BluOS owners can ask their Echo device: “Alexa, ask BluVoice to play new songs on Tidal”.
DTS Play-Fi Similarly, to use Alexa with DTS Play-Fi hi-fi products, you’ll need to ask a connected Alexa-supporting speaker to play music, which it can then do across the rest of your compatible Play-Fi products.
HEOS When it comes to the HEOS platform, we’d point you towards the What Hi-Fi? 2020 Award-winning Denon AVC-X3700H (above). It’s an 8K-ready home cinema amplifier, but those intending to use it for music playback can also take advantage of the AVC-X3700H’s hi-res audio decoding of files up to 24bit/192kHz and double-speed DSD. Most importantly – in regards to voice control, at least – there’s a HEOS Home Entertainment skill to enable in the Alexa app, which means you can control all of your HEOS-enabled devices by conversing with Alexa through.
HEOS-based Denon and Marantz kit that supports AirPlay 2 can also benefit from Siri voice control when controlled by an iOS (iOS 11.4 and later) device, too. Which leads us to…
Can I voice control my system using Siri?
In a word, yes – as long as something in your system supports AirPlay 2.
While Apple’s Siri voice assistant is integrated into the Apple HomePod or HomePod Mini smart speakers, other speakers (such as the Sonos One) and streaming systems (such as the Bluesound Powernode 2i and KEF LSX) rely on AirPlay 2’s connection to your iOS device to speak to Siri. You simply have to Open the Apple Home App on your iPhone or iPad and select ‘Add Accessory’ to add, group and then voice control your device over Siri.
However, Siri’s usefulness is more limited than Alexa’s and Google Assistant’s, only allowing you to directly ask to play music that’s either on Apple Music or stored locally on your iOS device. You can ask to play from Spotify too, but you’ll need to say “on Spotify” after your request.
MORE:
See our pick of the best smart speakers 2021
Or the best multi-room systems 2021
Starting from scratch? Read up on the best hi-fi systems 2021
Asus will be introducing the Zenfone 8 and Zenfone 8 Flip in just a few days, on May 12. Thanks to some pretty-extensive leaks, we already have a pretty good idea what to expect, as well as how the two phones will look. Even more so now that a very detailed specs sheet for the vanilla Zenfone 8, previously referred to as the “Mini” has surfaced online.
12MP front
EIS on both cameras
8K
4K slow-mo at 120fps
Hi-Fi audio playback via headphone jack
USB Type-C, 3.5mm jack
dual speakers
5G, BT 5.2, Wifi 6, FM
ZenUI 8 on Android 11
linear vibration motor#Asus #asuszenfone8
— Mukul Sharma (@stufflistings) May 7, 2021
Most of the basic hardware was already known and is merely being re-affirmed here, like the Snapdragon 888 chipset, up to 16GB of RAM (with 6GB and 12GB variants also potentially a thing) and up to 256GB of storage. Apparently, of the UFS 3.1 variety. The display on the Zenfone 8 was already know to have a 5.92-inch diagonal and FullHD+ resolution. As per the new info, it will also sport 120Hz refresh rate and will be manufactured by Samsung, using the trendy E4 AMOLED technology. Covering it – Gorilla Glass Victus.
We aren’t exactly sure what materials the rest of the body is made from, but an educated guess would be a metal middle frame and an additional Gorilla Glass sheet of some sorts for the curved back. Another recent rumor also mentions IP68 certification. As per the leaked specs, the body measures 148 x 68.5 x 8.9mm and tips the scale at 169 grams. That includes the 4,000 mAh battery, capable of up to 30W charging.
Also crammed inside the fairly-compact body – a stereo speaker setup, as well as a 3.5mm audio jack, with Hi-Fi audio output, in typical Asus fashion. Apparently, there are also three mics on the Zenfone 8, leveraged for OZO audio recording. We can hance expect pretty solid video capture performance from the main 64MP IMX686 camera on the phone, as well as the 12MP ultrawide snapper. Apparently, video capture can go up to 8K, with 4K@120fps slow-mo also an option. Like we’ve already seen from renders, the Zenfone 8 only has two rear cameras. As per the new leaked specs – both equipped with EIS and if we are reading this correctly – autofocus on the ultrawide, so it can double as a macro snapper. Neat! Finally, some other details are also mentioned, like Bluetooth 5.2 and Wi-Fi 6 support, courtesy of the Snapdragon 888 chipset. Also, 5G and an FM radio receiver. Not too shabby for a compact flagship.
No word on pricing yet, but then again, the announcement event is just around the corner anyway, so we won’t have to wait long.
Today, there’s only one official way to play Google’s Stadia game streaming service on your 4K TV — the last-gen Chromecast Ultra, connected to the company’s proprietary Stadia Controller over Wi-Fi. That’s because Google hasn’t yet brought Stadia to the new-and-improved $50 Chromecast, and its predecessor didn’t support Bluetooth, meaning the only way to pair a controller was to loop through Google’s servers in the cloud.
But Google now has a workaround,9to5Google reports. There’s a new “bridge mode” hidden in the latest version of the Stadia app on Android that should let you send controller signals from your phone — letting you play Stadia with your phone’s touchscreen, or even connect another gamepad to your phone. You’ll be able to use your phone to change your TV’s volume, too, according to text snippets buried in the APK.
9to5Google spotted this graphic in the APK to promote bridge mode.Image: Google
The original Stadia Controller has been something of a thorn in the company’s side ever since Stadia launched on November 19th, 2019, so it wouldn’t be surprising if Google decides to move on. It took many months for buyers to be able to use Google’s wireless controller wirelessly with anything except the Chromecast Ultra — desktop web browsers and Android phones weren’t supported at first, meaning you had to physically plug in a USB-C cable. USB-C audio took a while too, and Bluetooth audio via the controller still has yet to materialize.
Thankfully, third-party controller support was quite robust on those other platforms, letting you easily sync a PlayStation or Xbox gamepad to play, and it’s unlikely you’ll even need this new Bridge Mode to play Stadia on the 2020 Chromecast whenever it arrives; the new Chromecast does support Bluetooth game controllers. Judging by a few Steam Link and GeForce Now sessions with my 8BitDo gamepad, Bluetooth gamepad support may work just fine.
Right now, it’s just a little unclear how much Google cares about Stadia; after it axed all its in-house game studios in February, I argued that the writing was on the wall; since then, Stadia has lost its head of product and at least six additional staffers, and been the subject of two reports about its internal struggles. Apparently, Google had to pay tens of millions of dollars to publishers like Ubisoft, per game, just to get games ported to Stadia.
Tile has announced that it’ll be launching support for Amazon Sidewalk — the company’s local, Bluetooth network — on June 14th, allowing Amazon’s Echo devices to strengthen Tile’s network.
The two companies had already announced plans for Tile to join Sidewalk last fall, but today’s announcement gives an actual date and details for the integration. The addition of Tile support comes just a few days after Amazon is turning on Sidewalk support for compatible Echo devices in the US on June 8th, too. Also getting access to Sidewalk are Level’s smart locks, which will be able to leverage Sidewalk to directly connect to Ring doorbells, allowing the locks to be used even when outside of Bluetooth range.
According to Amazon, Sidewalk uses a combination of “Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), the 900 MHz spectrum, and other frequencies” to allow devices to communicate without Wi-Fi. Devices that support Sidewalk — including a variety of Echo and Ring gadgets — can serve as “Sidewalk Bridges” that work together as access points to the Sidewalk network (think of them almost like individual points on a neighborhood-wide mesh router system).
When Tile joins Sidewalk, its trackers will be able to be found using Amazon’s network in conjunction with Tile’s existing Bluetooth network, making it even easier to find your missing devices. Additionally, Tile is expanding support for Amazon’s Echo smart speakers by allowing users to see the Echo device to which the missing tag is closest. It’s not quite on the level of the hyper-localized tracking of an ultra-wideband network, though.
The news also comes as Apple launches its own AirTag trackers, a direct competitor to Tile’s. Apple’s trackers rely on a mixture of the company’s Find My network — which leverages the Bluetooth capabilities of iPhone, iPad, and Mac devices — and its ultra-wideband radio technology to help locate missing tracking tags.
Tile has recently criticized Apple’s trackers, claiming that Apple is using its control over its hardware and software stack for unfair advantages that third-party companies (like Tile) are unable to access.
Microsoft has been trying to build a lighter version of Windows for more than 10 years without success. The latest effort, Windows 10X, has reportedly now been shelved, in favor of improving Windows 10 instead.
Petri reports that Windows 10X will no longer ship this year, and the OS will likely never arrive in its current form. Microsoft had originally been planning to deliver Windows 10X, a more lightweight and simplified version of Windows, alongside new dual-screen devices like the Surface Neo. That was before the pandemic hit, and Microsoft decided to prioritize Windows 10X for single-screen laptops instead.
The Surface Neo was supposed to ship with Windows 10X.Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge
The switch was designed to position Windows 10X as more of a Chrome OS competitor. Windows 10X included a simplified interface, an updated Start menu without Live Tiles, multitasking improvements, and a special app container for performance and security. Microsoft’s overall goal with 10X was to create a stripped-back, streamlined, and modern cloud-powered version of Windows.
Microsoft has always seen Chromebooks as a big threat in businesses and schools, but over the past year there has been a big increase in demand for regular Windows laptops. Despite a global chip shortage, the PC market hasn’t slowed down during the pandemic. Microsoft has directly benefited with increased Windows revenue. Windows OEM revenue grew by 10 percent in the recent quarter, reflecting strong consumer PC demand. Windows non-pro OEM revenue also grew by 44 percent.
There are now 1.3 billion active Windows 10 devices, according to Microsoft. That’s a huge amount of existing devices, and it appears Microsoft is now focused on improving the core of Windows instead of delivering a new variant. Microsoft has been gradually working on improving the user interface of Windows 10, with new system icons, File Explorer improvements, and even the end of Windows 95-era icons.
The Windows 10X Start menu.
All of these visual changes are part of a broader effort codenamed Sun Valley. Microsoft has not yet officially detailed this work, but a job listing earlier this year teased a “sweeping visual rejuvenation of Windows.” We’re expecting a lot of visual changes to arrive in the Windows 10 21H2 update that should appear in October.
Elsewhere, Microsoft is also focusing on improving Windows for those who rely on it daily. The software maker is finally fixing the rearranging apps issue on multiple monitors, adding the Xbox Auto HDR feature and even improving Bluetooth audio support.
It’s clear Microsoft is getting back to the basics, after more than a decade of trying to simplify Windows. Windows RT first debuted in 2012, and then Windows 10 S arrived in 2017. Both failed to simplify Windows, but Windows 10X had some interesting changes that will undoubtedly make their way to Windows 10.
(Pocket-lint) – Sonos offers multiple speakers within its portfolio, but as great as they are, none had been portable, none had been water-resistant, and none had offered Bluetooth audio support. The Sonos Move, however, changed all of that.
While Sonos previously focused on offering speakers designed for the home that require mains power and use a mesh Wi-Fi network to talk to each other, the Sonos Move was the first portable Bluetooth smart speaker marking the beginning of Sonos outside of the home.
Move was first, but since its release, there is also now the smaller, and more portable Sonos Roam to consider if you’re in the market for a Bluetooth Sonos speaker. You can read our full Sonos Roam review separately, but here we are focusing on the larger, more powerful, Sonos Move.
Sonos Move vs Sonos Roam: What’s the difference?
Design
IP56 water- and dust-resistant design
Capacitive touch controls
Integrated handle
Measures: 240 x 160 x 126mm
Weighs: 3kg
Sonos plays close attention to design and all its latest speakers – from the 2015 Play:5 to the Sonos Arc – share similar design features, like capacitive touch controls, black and white colour options and plastic detailing.
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The Sonos Move has the same design ethos as these newer Sonos speakers, with rounded edges, capacitive controls and an almost identical top to the Sonos One – albeit oval shaped and with repositioned controls – but it raises the stakes when it comes to durability.
While the design of the Sonos Move clearly resembles the Sonos portfolio, it offers an IP56 water and dust resistance and it is one tough little cookie – although it’s not actually that little. Sonos says the Move can withstand pretty much every obstacle life might throw at it, whether that be sand, water or a drop on concrete, and while we didn’t fancy testing the last of those, it’s clear this speaker is able to hold its own.
To achieve this, the bottom of the device is silicone with a clear coat of paint over the top to deter dust. Everything inside has been considered, too, from a custom-made polycarbonate basket case reinforced with glass for the mid-woofer, to the colour of the Move itself – it is Shadow Black and not just plain, absorbant black to take UV exposure into account. We had it outside in 25C with the sun shining directly on it for several hours but it didn’t feel too hot as a result. There’s a Lunar White model too, which are the same colour offerings as the Sonos Roam.
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As we say, though, this portable speaker is not small. It’s wider and taller than the Sonos One and it weighs a hefty 3kg – so you’ll need a pretty decent-sized backpack to lug it around. The point is that you can bring it wherever you want, whether that’s your garden, the beach or a camping trip. At this scale we suspect it’ll be nearer to the home, for a garden party, while the smaller Sonos Roam is more suited to the park or beach.
On the rear of the Move is a Wi-Fi/Bluetooth toggle switch, a power button and a pairing button – the last of which all Sonos speakers except the Roam offer. The buttons are all positioned on an inward slant that allows for the convenient integrated handle – which is built into the design, rather than a separate strap or handle – to exist within this design format.
When the Sonos Move is on its Loop Dock charging cradle it looks like any other Sonos speaker and blends into the home. You’d never know it was portable from the front, giving it an element of surprise about it. If you’re thinking about buying a permanent in-home Sonos speaker but might want to occasionally take it out and about then we can see why this design makes perfect sense, though the same can definitely be said for the Roam too.
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A USB Type-C port sits below the integrated handle and the buttons, as well as two charging pins below that for the Loop Dock – which the Sonos Move snaps into place on.
Hardware & Specs
Bluetooth and Bluetooth Low Energy
AirPlay 2 support
45W power
The Sonos Move delivers 45W of power, coupled with Bluetooth for audio streaming capabilities rather than needing a mesh-connected device. The Sonos One, by comparison, doesn’t offer Bluetooth for audio streaming (only for quick setup), making the Move the first Sonos speaker to offer the technology, followed by the Roam.
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The Sonos Move also supports Apple’s AirPlay 2 – as per the Roam, Arc, Beam, One, Play:5, and the Sonos One SL (the voiceless version of the Sonos One) – which allows for easy streaming from an Apple device without the need to open the Sonos app. It’s quick, convenient and it offers Apple users integration with Siri for voice control too.
The Wi-Fi/Bluetooth toggle switch on the rear of the Sonos Move allows users to switch the speaker between modes – something the Roam does automatically. When the Move is ready to pair, the LED light on the top flashes blue then goes solid blue when pairing is successful. We paired our Apple iPhone 11 at the time of review with it in a matter of seconds and switching between the two modes is virtually instant, making it pain-free, even if the Roam does make this element more seamless.
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The power button, meanwhile, allows users to switch the Sonos Move off entirely, otherwise it will stay in a low power mode when not being used – useful for quick wake-up if it’s grouped with another Sonos speaker or an alarm is set, for example.
Features
Automatic Trueplay
Alexa and Google voice control
The Sonos Move functions as a typical Bluetooth speaker when in Bluetooth mode, allowing users to send music to it via a paired device, as you would the Ultimate Ears UE Megaboom 3, for example. In Bluetooth mode, the Move isn’t controlled via the Sonos app, with the control shifted to your device and the streaming service you are using instead.
When not in Bluetooth mode, the Move functions as a traditional Sonos speaker, but it appears with a battery indicator in the Sonos app. Functioning as a traditional Sonos speaker means you can group it with other Sonos speakers, control it through the Sonos app and access all the features that come with that app, including compatibility with over 100 music streaming services, stereo pairing and customisation of equalisation levels (EQ).
Sadly, you can’t use two Sonos Move speakers in a surround setup, as you can with all other Sonos speakers except the Sonos Roam, which also doesn’t offer the feature. Read our Sonos tips and tricks to learn more about the features offered by the Sonos system as a whole.
The Sonos Move also offers a feature called Automatic Trueplay. Trueplay is a software feature Sonos introduced with the Play:5 in 2015 and it allows users to tune their Sonos speakers according to its surroundings using an Apple iOS device. You can read all about it in our seperate feature.
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By Adrian Willings
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Automatic Trueplay uses the four built-in microphones on the Sonos Move to listen to the sound produced by the speaker and tune it automatically according to its surroundings, making for a much simpler process than the original (where you had to walk around the room waving your iOS device up and down slowly, yep, really).
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The Automatic Trueplay feature was introduced on the Move to combat the issues of moving a speaker from outside to inside and still ensuring it sounds good. An accelerometer helps the Sonos Move detect when it has been moved, allowing it to adjust itself within around 30 seconds to what it deems as the best for its new surroundings. You can turn it off in the Sonos app if you don’t want it though.
Additionally, the Sonos Move supports Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa voice control. As with the One, Beam, Arc and Roam, which offer the same control, you can’t have both assistants setup at the same time – but you will be able to switch between them as you please, as well as turn the microphone off (an LED light on the top of the Move indicates when the microphones are on). You can also choose to have Alexa on one compatible Sonos speaker and Google Assistant on another if you want.
When the voice assistants are setup, you get almost all the same features you would an Amazon Echo or Google Home or Nest speaker device, bar a couple, meaning you’ll be able to ask Alexa or Google anything you like, such as set a timer or alarm, control compatible smart home devices, or find out about your day or commute.
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Voice control is only available when in Wi-Fi mode (AKA standard Sonos mode), but don’t mistake this for only when docked on the Loop Dock. For us, we get Wi-Fi in our garden at home and therefore we could use Google Assistant on the Move in the garden during a BBQ with friends, which was great.
Sound and performance
Two Class-D digital amplifiers, tweeter and mid-woofer
10 hours battery life
Replaceable battery
The Sonos Move has a downward-firing tweeter at the top of the speaker, coupled with a mid-range woofer inside. For those wondering why the company has used a downward-facing tweeter, Sonos told us it was to achieve evenly dispersed sound; there’s what the company calls a Wave Guide inside to enable this to happen.
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Based on our experience at review and continued experience, the Sonos Move offers a great sound quality for its size and the sound is evenly dispersed. It’s on the bassy side, which is typical of Sonos speakers, but we see that as a good thing compared to other portables that can’t deliver in this regard.
There’s plenty of volume too – which you definitely need when outdoors – and the Move copes well with mid-range, treble and vocals. You don’t get as wide a soundscape as per the Play:5, but the Move sounds better than the Sonos One to our ears. That gives you an idea of its positioning in the range. It’s also more powerful than the Roam, which you would expect.
Sonos claims the battery will deliver 10 hours of music playback. We had the Sonos Move outside on Wi-Fi, on mid-volume for four hours and we only managed to drain the battery to 80 per cent, so we suspect this figure is based on use at louder volumes, thus you might get more out of it.
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The battery can be replaced too – it will last around 900 charging cycles, which is around three years on average – after which it is recommended to replace it to continue to get longevity out of the device. Sonos offers a battery replacement kit that allows you to do this yourself.
Verdict
We waited a long time to see Sonos launch a portable speaker with Bluetooth streaming before Move was finally revealed. In fact, we asked co-founder Tom Cullen about a portable speaker back in 2015, so it’s something we’ve been pining after for a while and now we have two choices.
The Move is bigger and heavier than we expected, and certainly not cheap, but with its price and size comes durability, toughness and performance – and that’s no bad thing, especially if you actually plan to make use of the Move’s portability. We also suspect many will use it as a sometime portable, not as a constant cart-around speaker.
There are other great portable Bluetooth speakers out there – including Sonos’ own Roam that is far smaller and better designed for constant portability – but there are none quite like the Sonos Move in terms of sound output and features, especially not for those already invested in the Sonos system. It’s the Bluetooth speaker Sonos fans were waiting for.
This article was first published on 5 September 2019 and has been republished to represent its full review status.
Also consider
Pocket-lint
Sonos Roam
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The Sonos Roam is the second portable, Bluetooth speaker from Sonos. It’s much smaller than the Move and while it isn’t as powerful, it offers some great features like automatic switching between Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, as well as a feature called Sound Swap.
Sonos Roam review
Pocket-lint
Sonos One
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The Sonos One isn’t portable like the Move, nor does it offer Bluetooth audio capabilities, but it is cheaper, it has built-in Google Assistant and Alexa capabilities, and it offers a good sound for its size. Two Sonos One speakers can also be used in a surround setup with a Sonos Arc, Sonos Beam and Sonos Sub.
Sonos One review
Pocket-lint
Ultimate Ears Megaboom 3
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The Megaboom 3 is quite a bit smaller and cheaper than the Sonos Move and it doesn’t offer the soundscape as a result of this, but it is completely waterproof, it offers decent bass for its size, and it is more portable than the Move. It’s that last point that’s a big sell here.
Ultimate Ears Megaboom 3 review
Pocket-lint
JBL Link Portable
Smaller and more compact than the Move, the Link Portable doesn’t deliver the same sound experience as a result, but there are plenty of features, including Google Assistant, AirPlay 2, Chromecast support and both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.
Safari just doesn’t support key features — and Safari’s the only option
Something keeps coming up at the Epic v. Apple trial as a potential alternative for getting Fortnite on the iPhone: web apps. It’s an intriguing idea, as web apps are able to do surprisingly complex things: just look at a Chromebook or even game streaming services on the iPhone. But potential is far from reality, because the ability for web apps to look, feel, and perform as well as native apps on iOS is severely limited.
These web apps aren’t the preferred way for consumers or developers to use or create apps on the iPhone, either. But Apple has forced companies like Microsoft and Nvidia to use web apps, instead of native ones available in the App Store.
Though the term itself hasn’t really come up explicitly, what’s being discussed are Progressive Web Apps, or PWAs. If you’re unfamiliar, think of them as slightly more advanced web apps that you can “install” directly from your web browser on to your home screen. Google has been pushing the idea (though support for PWAs on its own platforms is a little mixed), and some companies like Microsoft and Twitter have wholeheartedly embraced PWAs.
Not Apple, though. There are a variety of reasons for that — ranging from genuine concern about giving web pages too much access to device hardware to the simple fact that even Apple can’t do everything. There’s also the suspicion that Apple is deliberately dragging its feet on support for features that make PWAs better as a way to drive developers to its App Store instead.
Fortnite running on an iPhone before its removal.Photo by Tom Warren / The Verge
But the App Store has restrictions that aren’t tenable for some developers. That’s the whole crux of this trial for Epic, after all. On the stand, a Microsoft executive detailed the company’s struggles to get its xCloud game streaming service onto iOS. Lori Wright, VP of Xbox business development at Microsoft, revealed the company spent around four months talking to Apple to try and get xCloud launched as a native app. Apple seemed, initially open to the idea of letting Microsoft use the same model as Netflix or Audible. But Apple changed its mind and forced Microsoft, Nvidia, and others to list cloud games as separate apps.
Submitting Xbox games one-by-one was simply a nonstarter for Microsoft, so it resorted to making a web app. In addition to the technical hurdles a web app involves, it also introduces a discoverability issue. Users simply aren’t used to installing apps from the web on their iPhones. Apple has effectively trained everybody that if they want an app, they go to the App Store.
Wright essentially admitted that the only reason Microsoft is releasing Xbox Cloud Gaming (xCloud) as a web app is because Apple’s terms on the App Store are too onerous. “People don’t play games through the browser on iPhone,” said Wright, but “it was our only outcome in order to reach mobile users on iOS.”
Even the judge in the case seemed confused by Apple’s rule, which says that services that stream movies can offer them all in a single app but services that stream games have to separate each game for individual listing and review. “I can use Netflix with a native app and I can see lots of different movies or TV shows or whatever. Is it that you didn’t want to use a subscription model?” Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers asked at one point.
Apple has forced Microsoft and others to head to the web for gaming streaming.Photo by Nick Statt / The Verge
But back to those technical hurdles: they’re tall, numerous, and can be blamed both on the nature of web apps and Apple’s own decisions. Safari on the iPhone only recently became capable of supporting a service like Xbox Cloud Gaming via specific controller support. Until then, that sort of thing was on the list of features Apple was reticent to include in Safari. There are legitimate reasons to block things like Bluetooth access from web apps, including fingerprinting for tracking, but it was getting harder to justify and Apple needed some kind of escape valve as pressure mounted to support cloud gaming services.
Google software engineer Alex Russell recently published a very comprehensive list of all the features that Safari on iOS doesn’t support yet — and it’s a long list. For PWAs to truly be a viable alternative to App Store apps, there are at least a few of these features that need to be enabled. The inability to send push notifications via a web app, for example, is particularly galling as it’s already possible on Safari on macOS. An app that can’t send notifications is simply not competitive with an app that can.
Grant is touching on some more of the benefits to native versus web apps; push notifications and ARKit both come up. The former is another example of Apple letting native apps reduce friction points — Epic needs to convince the judge these smaller features are meaningful.
— Adi Robertson (@thedextriarchy) May 5, 2021
As Russell notes, his “interests and biases are plain” as a Google engineer. But it doesn’t change the fact that there are many things that a PWA cannot do on the iPhone that a developer like Epic would need to support Fortnite as a web app.
“Native [iPhone] apps would have access to a far wider range of APIs than web apps,” explained Andrew Grant, engineering fellow at Epic Games, during the trial. “Access to things like push notifications, to Siri, to health data, and augmented reality features” are also limited to native apps, said Grant. Web apps also have to be far smaller than native apps, and are capped at about 50MB in size.
Plus, from a simple performance perspective, web apps have more overhead than native apps — and lack access to Apple APIs that can speed up games like Fortnite.
In fact, this was a sticking point for a lot of the questioning of an Nvidia employee. Nvidia, like Microsoft, has been trying to get its GeForce Now cloud gaming service into the App Store, but has faced the same restrictions that Microsoft is struggling with. Nvidia director of product management Aashish Patel spent a lot of time answering questions around latency in a browser and the benefits of using native apps.
“There are less controls over the streaming, so you could argue in some ways it’s worse,” than a native app, said Patel. Developers are also locked into using the video codecs provided in Safari on iOS, whereas they could use alternatives that might be better at handling latency inside a native iOS app.
All iOS browsers run the same WebKit engine underneath.Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge
All of this is compounded by yet another Apple policy: no third party browser engines. You can install apps like Chrome, Firefox, Brave, DuckDuckGo, and others on the iPhone — but fundamentally they’re all just skins on top of Apple’s Webkit engine. That means that Apple’s decisions on what web features to support on Safari are final. If Apple were to find a way to be comfortable letting competing web browsers run their own browser engines, a lot of this tension would dissipate.
As it relates to Epic v. Apple, a lot of this PWA discussion isn’t germane to the fundamental arguments in the case. Fortnite as a PWA would necessarily be a streaming app instead of a native game and that introduces an entirely different set of compromises. Which is why it’s so fascinating to see Apple’s lawyers float web apps as a potential solution — because web apps on the iPhone are famously more limited than they are on other platforms, including even Apple’s macOS.
The human-readable versus machine-readable code bit is back now — Grant is talking about how web apps don’t go through the same kind of compilation process that increases processing efficiency, yet another reason they’re not as good as native apps.
— Adi Robertson (@thedextriarchy) May 5, 2021
Even if every single browser feature was available on mobile Safari or even if Apple allowed alternative browser engines on the iPhone, a web app will never match the performance of a native app. At the end of the day, though, all the discussion of web apps in the Epic v. Apple case highlight the limitations of Apple’s App Store policies, not PWAs.
Home/Tech News/Intel ‘Atlas Canyon’ NUC 11 Essential to feature Jasper Lake processors
João Silva 15 hours ago Tech News
A new leak shows that Intel is working on a new affordable NUC powered by Jasper Lake processors. Codenamed ‘Atlas Canyon’, the NUC 11 Essential leak details its specifications and a possible release date, which might be as late as Q1 2022 due to the ongoing chip shortage.
The leak, which was shared by FanlessTech, shows Intel has apparently removed the 2.5-inch drive from its predecessor and replaced it with an M.2 slot. The small and compact casing includes an active cooling system, but a fanless system seems doable given the low TDP.
The slide below shows that there will be three CPU options: the 4C/4T Pentium Silver J6005 (up to 3.3GHz), the 4C/4T Celeron J5105 (up to 2.9 GHz), and the 2C/2T Celeron J4505 (up to 2.7 GHz). The NUC 11 Essential support up to 16GB of DDR4-2933 memory in dual-channel configuration and up to 2x 4K displays. Some models include 64GB of eMMC storage.
Image credit: FanlessTech
Featuring a vast set of connectivity ports and features, the NUC 11 Essential supports Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.2, and 1Gbps Ethernet connectivity. As for the ports, there’s an HDMI 2.0b port, a DisplayPort 1.4, 2x front USB-A 3.1 ports, 2x rear USB-A 3.1 ports, 2x rear USB-A 2.0 ports, an audio-in 3.5mm jack, and an audio-out 3.5mm jack.
The NUC 11 Essential will be reportedly available as a mini PC, a barebone kit, and as a board only. All should feature a 3-year warranty.
KitGuru says: Despite its entry-level specs, the NUC 11 Essential is very useful as a media PC for the living room or as a work computer that can be mounted on the back of a mid-size monitor to save some desk space.
The $4 Raspberry Pi Pico may be great value, but it had to lose something in order to keep the price low, and that was WiFi. Sure, we can hack our own solution, but Pimoroni’s upcoming Pico Wireless board, demonstrated by Pimoroni employee Phil Howard (better known as @Gadgetoid), is shaping up to serve all of our WiFi needs.
Armed with a chonky @TPLINKUK access point, some borrowed code and a little glue, magic and wishes…. I’ve got Pico Wireless serving an HTML file from an SD card! pic.twitter.com/cXf4cUytmjMay 5, 2021
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Pico Wireless is an ESP32 powered “pack,” a term coined by Pimoroni to identify a board that connects to all 40 of the GPIO pins of a Pico, as if it were a backpack. In reality, it requires only a few GPIO pins for an SPI interface and others for basic connectivity. In the tweet we see Howard using the Pico Wireless next to a Raspberry Pi Pico via a Pico Omnibus, a board that breaks out the GPIO for use with multiple add ons at once. Howard is using the boards to set up a basic web server, which is serving a static HTML page.
The ESP32 at the heart of Pico Wireless is itself a powerful micro-controller, with a dual-core 32-bit LX6 microprocessor running at up to 240 MHz. For Pico Wireless, its sole purpose is to provide wireless communication, and for this it provides WiFi 802.11b/g/n and up to 150 Mbps (802.11n) and Bluetooth 4.2, including Bluetooth LE. The PCB antenna is more than capable of providing good communications over a fair distance.
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(Image credit: Phil Howard @Gadgetoid)
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(Image credit: Phil Howard @Gadgetoid)
Interfacing between the Raspberry Pi Pico and Pico Wireless happens via SPI, and it’s highly likely that Pimoroni will add a module to its custom MicroPython firmware, just as the company has done for previous accessories. CircuitPython users already have this feather, as Adafruit has its own Featherwing board that provides this functionality.
Pico Wireless also has three extra features: a micro SD card slot, an RGB LED and a push button. The micro SD card slot should also be an SPI device, and it can be used to store files and record data that can be served by Pico Wireless as if it were a micro web server. The RGB LED is most likely the same as that used on Pico Display, a simple RGB LED that uses PWM (Pulse Width Modulation) to mix red, green and blue to produce a variety of colors, useful as a status LED for a project and to show that your Pico Wireless is working. The final feature, the push button, could be a reset button, something omitted from the Pico, but added via another Pimoroni add-on. Or it could be a user-programmable button.
How much will it be, and how soon will it arrive? Right now we have no idea, but looking at the Pico Wireless board, it already has the correct silkscreen printing and no “bodge wires” used to fix mistakes, so it could be with us very soon.
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