ASRock has announced its new series of ultra-compact form-factor (UCFF) PCs that combine small dimensions with performance of desktop APUs from AMD. ASRock’s Jupiter X300-series is only slightly larger the company’s Mars 4000U-series machines launched last November, but it clearly packs considerably more performance and features than its smaller brother.
ASRock’s Jupiter X300 barebones PC uses AMD’s easy-to-find socketed Ryzen 2000/3000/4000 APU with up to eight cores, built-in Radeon Vega graphics as well as an up to 65W TDP cooled using a copper heatsink and a high-performance blower. The APUs can be paired with up to 64GB of DDR4 3200 MHz memory (using two SO-DIMM modules), an M.2-2280 SSD with a PCIe 3.0 x4 or SATA interface, and a 2.5-inch/9.5-mm drive.
The manufacturer says nothing about compatibility of its Jupiter X300 systems with AMD’s not-yet-announced Ryzen 5000-series ‘Cezanne’ APUs, but the machines are based on a rather outdated AMD X300 chipset. Meanwhile, since the motherboard uses a proprietary form-factor, it will prove tricky to upgrade.
(Image credit: ASRock)
The Jupiter X300 chassis measures 178 × 178 × 34mm, so not as compact as a NUC, but not too far away from NUC-like dimensions. The system — which is actually smaller than Apple’s MacMini — can be attached to VESA mounts of a display or used on the desktop.
(Image credit: ASRock)
Connectivity department of ASRock’s Jupiter X300 is quite advanced. The machine can be equipped with Intel’s AX200 Wi-Fi 6 + Bluetooth 5 module (or any other adapter if you buy it separately), it has one Gigabit Ethernet port, three display outputs (a DisplayPort 1.2, an HDMI 2.0, and a D-Sub to support legacy monitors), two 3.5-mm audio connectors, and eight USB ports (two USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-C, four USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A, two USB 2.0), which might be a record for an UCFF PC.
(Image credit: ASRock)
ASRock positions its Jupiter X300-series machines for home, office, and enterprise customers. Since the latter often require remote management and advances security, ASRock offers them its X300-serie DASH barebones with a DASH-enabled LAN, trusted platform module 2.0, an anti-intrusion sensor. Obviously, to use remote management and other advanced features of AMD’s business platform, the systems have to be equipped with the company’s Ryzen Pro-series APUs.
ASRock did not announce MSRPs of its Jupiter X300-series barebones PC.
The bike arrives at a time when many people want to work out at home
Last year was the year of the COVID-19 pandemic, the year sweatpants become acceptable workwear, and the year Peloton peaked. Mid-pandemic, the company announced two new devices: the pricier Bike Plus and a less expensive treadmill called the Tread. The Bike Plus started shipping in September and includes significant updates to the company’s signature hardware during an especially critical time when many people have shifted their fitness routines from gyms into their own homes.
I, for years, have been a dedicated Crunch gym-goer, usually taking five classes a week. But with gyms closing off and on and classes generally being canceled, I moved my routine indoors. First, I started with Peloton’s app workouts, using resistance bands and bodyweight. I then switched to Zoom classes taught by an instructor I enjoy from Crunch. For the past few months, I’ve been testing Peloton’s Bike Plus. To put it simply: I’ve loved my time with the Bike Plus. It’s become an important tool for my well-being. Anytime I need to sweat out stress or transition my day from work into leisure, the bike is my go-to. Peloton has built a truly reliable spin bike, but at $2,495, the price is still hard for me to accept, especially considering its ecosystem lock-in.
The main thing to keep in mind when assessing Peloton’s products is that you’re paying solely for new hardware. The Peloton software remains the same across both the old and new internet-connected bikes, similar to how most old and new iPhones receive the current iOS. You can also access that app content without any official Peloton equipment. To get people to upgrade, though, Peloton has to offer real hardware innovation in order to justify the Bike Plus’ nearly $2,500 price versus the original bike’s $1,895 cost. This time around, for the extra $600, riders get a new swiveling display, a fresh speaker system, automatic resistance calibration, and Apple Watch GymKit support.
Before fully assessing the bike investment, though, let’s first break the Bike Plus down by what’s new and how those features work:
THAT SWIVEL DISPLAY
The most obvious change with the Bike Plus is the new 23.8-inch HD touchscreen. The prior model included a 21.5-inch HD touchscreen with thick bezels on all sides. It effectively looked like an iMac bolted to a stationary bike. The Bike Plus places a speaker across the top of the display, augmenting those bezels. To be clear: there are definitely still bezels on the new display, but they feel unobtrusive. It’s a massive screen solely for workout content, and your attention is firmly planted at the center of the screen most of the time. However, for a display this size and at this high of a cost, its lack of an ambient light sensor is questionable. I work out at various hours of the day but particularly love an evening ride in a dark room. The screen should dim itself rather than me having to manually do so. (There’s a camera at the top of the display for video calls with friends, so it could easily detect light.)
As for the new swivel function, the main idea is people can take Peloton’s floor classes without having to uncomfortably stand behind their bikes. You can swivel the display out and away from the bike to face the rest of the room, allowing you to move around to complete yoga, strength, or meditation classes.
Peloton also launched a new class format, called Bike Bootcamp, to coincide with this bike’s release. The bootcamp is designed to give cyclers a chance to do it all — bike and strength train within the same class — without having to complete two separate workouts. And while the swivel display makes this option feasible, I still found these classes difficult to pull off for the first few weeks, namely because of the Peloton cycling shoes. When you ride on a Peloton, you clip into the bike with cycling shoes, and these shoes take time to clip out of the pedals, which requires lots of practice. For context, the Peloton employee who delivered my bike recommended leaving my shoes in the pedals and slipping my foot in and out to avoid a hassle.
Bike Bootcamp classes expect you to clip in and out to complete various portions of the class, which took me a while to get used to doing. Adding to the quick transition stress was the lack of a pause button, meaning that I often missed the demo portion of the strength routine and fell behind. Peloton says the missing pause button is because the bike is “designed to give you a great workout and ensure that you work as hard as you would in a live indoor cycling class,” but in a home context, it’s more of a pain than anything else. You can exit the class, but this means you’ll have to reenter it, which takes a while and is annoying to do. And if you accidentally tap that you want to restart the class entirely, there’s no forward or back button.
I also found the angling of the display to be slightly off. Working out on a mat means you want the display to tip as far down as possible to provide a good view of the content. But this display doesn’t angle far enough down, meaning I had to crane my neck to see the instructor. This didn’t prevent me from using the screen for mat workouts, but it did annoy me (and kind of hurt!) at times.
Still, the swivel is an essential upgrade, especially if you use your bike’s display as your main one for other workouts. I don’t have a TV, so I need the swivel, but Peloton also offers a suite of options for broadcasting to a TV, including a Roku app, Fire TV app, and AirPlay and Cast compatibility. If you have any of these options available to you in your home gym, the swivel screen likely won’t do much for you and isn’t worth the upgrade cost.
THE NEW SPEAKER SYSTEM
The new bike comes with 26-watt, front-facing stereo speakers, as well as woofers that face away from you. The prior bike only included rear-facing stereo speakers. The new speakers sound great, although I preferred to bike with Bluetooth-paired wireless earbuds. (There’s also a headphone jack for anyone who might want wired options.) Peloton lets you select between different audio mixes, either prioritizing the music, the instructor, or finding a balance between the two in the original mix. I always work out with the music prioritized and when I do this through my AirPods Pro, I have no problem also hearing the instructor. But when I listen through the speaker, I find the music mix to be almost unusable; I sometimes can’t hear the instructor at all and miss my cues. The music is loud and sounds fantastic, which is perhaps what Peloton wanted, but finding the perfect balance between thumping music and hearing directions was complicated. (I’ll also note here that the bike is remarkably silent. My roommate would ride next to my bedroom door, and I couldn’t hear anything apart from his breathing. It’s a great bike for a shared home where people want to exist in their own spaces.)
AUTOMATIC RESISTANCE DETECTION
This feature is undeniably cool. Typically, in a spin class, the instructor offers a range within which the riders should aim to set their resistance level. Spinners reach down to their resistance knob and turn it to the desired resistance whenever a new range is called out. The Bike Plus now adjusts the resistance automatically. It’s slick and convenient and absolutely the neatest feature of the Bike Plus.
I did encounter some bugs, though. Sometimes the cues were off, either with the resistance setting itself between a different range than the instructor called out, the timing of that resistance change being off, or the resistance dropping at times when it should have stayed consistent or even increased. This seemed to happen more frequently in older archive classes than new ones. With that said, though, the few times I ran into this problem weren’t a huge issue. I adjusted the knob myself and waited for the bike to catch the next instruction. I still find this feature hugely helpful, allowing me to concentrate more on the class rather than adjusting the knob to get to the right resistance, especially during climbs when the resistance can go up suddenly during an energy push.
APPLE WATCH GYMKIT
The Bike Plus is also the first device from Peloton to directly integrate with the Apple Watch through GymKit. I had a couple of problems with this functionality at first: the Watch wouldn’t pair with the bike, but then Peloton issued an update which seemed to correct the issue. Only one other time did I have a problem with pairing and had to restart my Apple Watch. Although these issues only came up a couple of times, they were particularly upsetting because when the bike is paired with the Apple Watch, your heart rate shows up on-screen during a workout, which I look to monitor as I’m moving through a class. With the Apple Watch paired, workouts are also tracked in Apple’s Health app with all the bike’s own data taken into account, like energy output, so the functionality not working 100 percent of the time is frustrating and actively takes away from my exercise. But on the whole, it’s remained mostly reliable.
The watch only directly syncs with the bike for spin or bike bootcamp workouts, meaning you won’t be able to see your heart-rate on the screen while you complete a strength or pilates class, for example. This isn’t great and feels like it defeats the purpose of having GymKit compatibility in the first place.
IS THIS THE BIKE FOR YOU?
The Bike Plus is an expensive, tough sell for Peloton and one that needs to be pulled off flawlessly, especially as new software competitors, like Apple Fitness Plus, enter the market, as well as cheaper hardware competitors like Echelon and Bowflex. The Bike Plus feels like the iPhone of spin bikes — it’s intuitive to use and works right out of the box. (But actually, there is no box because Peloton offers white glove delivery and setup with every purchase.)
For the person who doesn’t want to fiddle with a bike that isn’t totally built for Peloton’s software, meaning it doesn’t monitor output and all the other fancy fitness metrics, Peloton’s bikes are tempting. But buying one means committing to a $39-per-month subscription. The app itself only costs $12 per month but doesn’t include multi-account support, live classes, the leaderboard, and full metrics.
For some people, that $39 is a savings compared to what they used to spend for gym access, especially considering it provides access to an unlimited number of different profiles. For others, it’s a significant investment in their health and life. Either way, you’re committing to Peloton and its subscription plan forever. The display is useless without the subscription, meaning if you ever wanted to try Apple Fitness Plus or SoulCycle or any other on-demand cycling classes, you’d have to ignore the massive display and instead get a TV or laptop to watch.
As much as I loved my time with the Bike Plus, the high price and software lock-in is difficult to accept. Peloton has built undeniably great hardware. I just wish I could use it with any software I liked rather than only Peloton’s app. If I had a TV, this might bother me less because I’d plan to use whatever fitness app I liked on my TV and wouldn’t sweat losing the subscription. Although, of course, I’d then be saddled with a massive HD display that literally does nothing.
The question of whether I’d recommend this bike depends on how much you love Peloton’s classes and how much you want to work for your exercise bike. Other spin bikes exist, many of which are cheaper and allow you to swap in your own tablet. You can even use Peloton’s app with them, albeit with some compromises, like losing your place on Peloton’s competitive leaderboard.
There’s also Peloton’s notorious delivery delays to consider. The New York Times notes that buyers’ delivery dates are being rescheduled day-of with the actual equipment showing up months after the date they were first quoted. All of this is to say, if you’re considering this bike purely for pandemic workouts, prepare to wait.
Still, to me, the Bike Plus is a must-get for anyone who lives the true Peloton lifestyle and sees themselves loving the company and its software far into the future. It’s reliable, works well, and, broadly, my gripes didn’t take away from the experience; I’ve been riding nearly daily for months now.
I just can’t predict whether I’ll want to go back to the gym post-pandemic or if I’ll get used to working out at home indefinitely. To Peloton’s credit, however, I can’t imagine myself readily giving this bike back; it’ll hurt a little to watch it leave. That feels like a victory for the brand and an admission for me that I do want a Peloton bike in my life.
Lime is adding a new member to its family of shared electric vehicles: mopeds. The mopeds are being offered as part of a pilot program to test whether Lime’s customers prefer vehicles that are faster, heavier, and arguably riskier to ride than your average kick scooter.
The mopeds can be rented via Lime’s smartphone app, just like the company’s e-scooters. Lime is still finalizing the price per mile for the mopeds, but it intends for it to be competitive with other shared mobility services.
Other scooter companies have flirted with expanding their product lineups to include mopeds, but Lime insists its pilot will presage a larger rollout in the spring. To start, Lime will be introducing mopeds in the coming months in just two cities: Washington, DC and Paris. The company plans to spread 600 mopeds around the US capital, while the number that will be rolling out in Paris is still to be determined. The mopeds will likely start hitting the streets in early March.
The mopeds are manufactured by NIU, a Chinese company that also supplies mopeds to New York City-based mobility company Revel. NIU’s mopeds typically get between 25–100 miles of range. Lime’s mopeds will be speed limited to 28 mph and can be controlled and monitored via wireless connectivity.
The mopeds are intended to lend credibility to Lime’s claims of being more than just another scooter company. The company sees itself as a “platform” for different types of low-speed, electric-powered mobility. Last year, Lime added pedal-less e-bikes from Wheels to its app in several cities as part of a new effort to integrate third-party micromobility providers.
Lime CEO Wayne Ting claims his company is “the first micromobility provider to offer three vehicles on one platform.” (Gotcha, a 12-year-old company based in Charleston, South Carolina, previously offered electric kick scooters, seated scooters, bikes, and trikes on its platform. The company was recently acquired by another scooter company called Bolt.)
Mopeds are arguably a faster way to get around, but they can also be more dangerous, especially for novice riders. Revel was forced to temporarily shut down its service in New York City last year after two customers were killed and one was critically injured while riding the shared electric mopeds. The company eventually resumed service with new protective measures for riders like a mandatory in-app safety test and a requirement that all riders take a selfie of themselves wearing a helmet before they’ll be allowed to ride.
Lime is hoping to avoid a similar tragedy by embracing a number of safety measures right out the gate. Riders will be required to take a multichapter rider safety course, developed in partnership with the Motorcycle Safety Foundation. The test has been “optimized for learning retention,” Lime says, and must be completed before any user can begin a ride. Customers will only be required to have a driver’s license — not a motorcycle license — in order to ride.
Each moped also comes with two helmets, one big and one small, which are locked away in a cargo compartment at the back. Lime will have three different checkpoints to ensure riders can’t get away with cruising off without wearing a helmet. Riders will be required to take a selfie of themselves wearing the helmet, and there will be a prompt in the app to confirm the helmet is being worn. Also, the helmet compartment includes an infrared sensor that can confirm whether the helmet has been removed.
Helmets will be cleaned every time a member of Lime’s operations staff handles the moped — which will likely amount to once every three days or so. Lime will also offer head covers in each helmet for extra protection.
Lime will also provide free 45-minute in-person lessons for all riders, taught by certified motorcycle instructors in small class sizes. According to the company, the lessons are designed to help riders get comfortable with maneuvers such as braking, turning, and parking.
“Lime will take strict enforcement measures for repeat safety violators, including removal from the platform, to avoid putting themselves and other road users at risk,” the company says.
Lime isn’t the first scooter company to dabble in mopeds. Bird introduced moped-style e-bikes, likely made by California-based e-bike company Juiced, in Los Angeles in 2019 and Austin in 2020. Also in 2019, Uber teamed up with French startup Cityscoot to integrate around 4,000 of the company’s mopeds into Uber’s app in Paris.
Sony has today announced its most advanced mirrorless camera yet: the $6,500 Alpha 1 features a new 50.1-megapixel full-frame sensor, is capable of continuous photo shooting at 30 images per second, and can record 8K video at 30fps. It’ll ship beginning in March.
The powerhouse camera is priced significantly above the highest-end mirrorless cameras from Canon and Nikon, but Sony promises that customers who buy in will be rewarded with “the most technologically advanced, innovative camera” it’s ever made.
It sounds like a dream for sports and action photographers: even with its large sensor, Sony says the buffer lets you shoot “up to 155 full-frame compressed RAW images or 165 full-frame JPEG images at up to 30 frames per second with the electronic shutter while maintaining full AF and AE tracking performance.”
That autofocus and autoexposure system can make up to 120 calculations per second. And you’ll be peering through a high-resolution OLED electronic viewfinder with a refresh rate of 240Hz — something Sony claims is a world first. The Alpha 1 offers five-axis, in-body image stabilization and a standard ISO range of 100–32,000 (expandable to 50–102,400 for stills).
Sony’s autofocus system is still perhaps the best in the game, and the company says the Alpha 1 speeds up Eye AF even further when focusing on humans and pets. And with this camera, Eye AF will also work on birds. If you can justify a $6,500 camera for your nature forays, Sony says that “optimized algorithms ensure that tracking is maintained even if a sitting bird suddenly takes flight, or the framing suddenly changes.”
Flash sync speeds have been pushed up to 1/400 sec. (with mechanical shutter), and the silent electronic shutter supports sync speeds of up to 1/200 sec. Rolling shutter has been reduced due to high-speed sensor readout, and Sony says you can unleash that full 30fps continuous shooting without any blackout. Flicker under LED lighting conditions is also mitigated, as the Alpha 1 can match the shutter speed to flicker frequency.
As for video, the Alpha 1 can shoot 8K30 and 4K120 — both in 10-bit — and recording 4K at up to 60fps allows for full-sensor readout without any pixel binning. Adding an external recorder to the mix lets you capture 16-bit RAW video.
The Alpha 1 represents Sony’s very best, and the price clearly reflects that. You’re looking at a price several thousand dollars above the Canon R5. But considering the reputation that Sony has earned with its full-frame mirrorless cameras past and present, there will be a lot of pro photographers itching to get this $6,500 beast in their hands come March.
(Pocket-lint) – Throughout 2020 the battle for dominance in the mid-range smartphone market burned fierce. With one group of companies in particular showing it was more than willing to add some competition to a market that had grown a little stagnant in the wake of manufacturers chasing that four-figure price bracket.
That group, of course, is BKK. For those unaware, that’s the family that contains Oppo, OnePlus and Realme. Look at the volume of phones released by those three brands in 2020 and you’ll see there are quite a number of devices.
One of the more affordable from that offering is the Reno 4 Z. It’s one of Oppo’s most accessible smartphones and one with plenty about it to make it more than useful for most people.
Sleek and shiny
Dimensions: 163.8 x 75.5 x 8.1 mm / Weight: 184 g
3.5mm input/output for headphones
Side-mounted fingerprint sensor
In this day and age, we’ve stopped being surprised when phones are included in certain families of phones but without really looking like they belong. Look at the Reno 4 Pro, then look at the Reno 4 Z, and you’ll likely assume the two phones aren’t related at all. They just don’t look the same.
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The most obvious differences are apparent from the back, where the Reno 4 Z has square camera housing with a diagonal raised element in the middle. The 4 Pro features a nicer looking rectangle panel. Still, there’s something quite eye-catching about the Z’s arrangement. At least, there is if you go with the white and gold model. We were sent the navy and black model which doesn’t have that same visual ‘pop’. Although, in the right light, the way the dark blue gradients into silver is attractive.
Being a more affordable device means more affordable materials have been used. In this case, that means there’s a glossy plastic on the back and – unlike the Pro – it’s completely flat. You don’t get any fancy curved glass here, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. After all, it’s less likely to crack or break, but it being flat does mean it’s not the most ergonomic feeling phone in the world. It’s quite wide too, so definitely feels more like a two-handed device than a smaller, rounder phone would.
One other thing that’s worth noting about this glossy navy blue version: it attracts fingerprints like crazy. Hold it once and that shiny plastic soon turns into a grease-smudged mess, and being a dark colour also means it shows up any dust or pocket-fluff too. The panel on the front, covering the screen, seems to suffer from that same ease of smudging, but being glass it’s really easy to wipe off with a microfibre cloth.
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The Reno 4 Z features Oppo’s trademark super-slim individual volume buttons on the left and – because it has an LCD display (which we’ll get to later) – there’s a physical fingerprint reader built into the power button on the right side. We’ve found it really quick to unlock and very responsive, so it’s certainly not a negative compared to an under-screen solution.
Those who want to can also use facial recognition using the dual camera system built into the front of the phone. That reliability makes unlocking the phone convenient, and there are other practicalities to consider. It has a 3.5mm input/output port for wired headphones and headsets and the removable SIM tray has space for a microSD card slot if you want to expand the onboard memory.
Screen and software
6.57-inch LCD display
1080 x 2400 resolution
Android 10 – ColorOS 7.2
The Reno 4 Z has an LCD panel on the front and that means a few things in terms of features. You don’t get the always-on display – which shows a clock and notification badges when it’s in standby – because, unlike OLED, an LCD display doesn’t switch off individual pixel lighting.
But that’s not really a problem, it just means you don’t get that one useful feature. The main issue with the display is that it doesn’t appear to have any sort of oleophobic protection over it. That means fingers leave smudges, and even when wiped clean, that can cause some unusual rainbowing patterns which is most noticeable on mostly white screens.
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It’s worth noting this is true after removing the pre-applied screen protector. Not that a film is any better at reducing fingerprint smudges, but be aware that removing it won’t necessarily improve clarity or finger oil resistance like it would on properly coated glass.
Otherwise, it’s a decent enough display. It’s Full HD+ in resolution, so it’s plenty sharp enough for anything you’d want to use it for. Text is clear and colours – while lacking a tad in vividness – are natural enough, with whites coming through clean. It’s big enough and bright enough to make streaming Netflix or YouTube shows a pleasant experience.
It’s not great in brighter conditions – like outside in brighter daylight – and seems to struggle with reflections quite a lot. Even in rooms indoors with bright ceiling lights we had to adjust the angle often to avoid that reflective glare made worse by those aforementioned fingerprint smudges.
Of course the screen is mostly just the platform for the software which – in Oppo’s case – seems to be leaning more towards European or Western preferences with each iteration.
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That’s to say, it utilises more of Google’s default apps and doesn’t seek to add too much of its own influence. Even to the point now where it has Google’s own Snapshot screen on the left of the home screen, collating news and weather relevant to you, rather than the old Oppo-made version that did a similar thing, but in a slightly less useful way.
The main interface is still very much Oppo-esque, with its square, green quick settings button icons in the drop down menu. Learning from its cousin, OnePlus, Oppo’s ColorOS has more customisation tools here as well. You can change app icon size and shape as well as using system-wide themes. It’s worth noting though that this is ColorOS 7 based on Android 10, not the new Android 11 based software that it’s currently rolling out across Oppo’s flagship devices.
MediaTek powered – and that’s just fine
MediaTek Dimensity 800 5G processor, 8GB RAM
128GB storage, microSD card expansion
4,000mAh battery capacity
18W fast-charging
We often speak about compromises when discussing mid-range phones that are available for lower prices than premium handsets. It goes without saying that when you buy more affordable devices, the parts inside them are reflective of being able to obtain that lower sale price.
One such ‘compromise’ – as you might first think – is Oppo opting to go with a MediaTek processor. Specifically, this phone is powered by the Dimensity 800 5G. It may be seen as a bit of a bargain-basement 5G chipset by many, but with its 7nm process and eight powerful cores, it’s certainly no slouch.
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As you’d likely expect from a more accessible product, the phone doesn’t especially feel zippy, but in our experience it’s reliable and doesn’t seem to struggle all that much with anything. We played a few of our favourite games like Forza Street, Mario Kart Tour and Sky, and it was responsive enough that it didn’t detract from the overall experience.
There was the odd occasion when we noticed some stutter and delay in action on screen, but it wasn’t hugely significant. Although saying that, it does seem to load lower resolution graphics in order to keep it feeling relatively smooth. It doesn’t seem all that sharp when loading games, with edges of items on screen looking quite rough at times. This is fairly typical of similar devices.
For important stuff like keeping in touch with friends on Messenger, WhatsApp or via Facebook, it’s a perfectly fine device. We didn’t have any issues with connectivity or any major problems with loading times and overall speed of such apps. It gets the job done – which is what you want from a phone at this price range.
Best smartphones 2021: The top mobile phones available to buy today
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It’s a similar story with battery life. You’ll get plenty of mileage from the 4,000mAh cell inside the Reno 4 Z. Given its relatively low-powered internals, it’s not uncommon on a moderate day of use to get all the way through to bedtime with 40 per cent left over, but then mileage will certainly vary depending on user. For most users it’ll be more than enough to get you through the day.
More cameras than required
Quad rear camera system:
Main: 48-megapixel, f/1.7 aperture
Wide (119-degree): 8MP, f/2.2
Depth sensors: 2MP each
Dual selfie camera system:
16MP main & 2MP depth sensor
Sadly, one trend that’s stuck in 2020 – and one we hope dies in 2021 – is the compulsion for phone makers to put four cameras in the back of their phones, just to say it has a quad camera system. Truth is, for most of them – at least, most of the more affordable ones – is that they have one relatively decent camera, with the other three either being mostly useless, or poor quality. It’s the same with the Reno 4 Z.
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This phone has not one, but two low resolution depth sensors in addition to the 8-megapixel ultra-wide and 48-megapixel primary camera. Having used it a number of times in testing, we can safely say that it’s the primary camera you’ll want to be using nearly all of the time. The dual depth sensor is really pointless.
With that out of the way, the primary lens is certainly good enough to keep any buyer happy. It’s perhaps a little happy to overexpose when left to its own devices, but a quick adjustment using the exposure gain slider on screen is enough to get it looking good again.
In good lighting conditions the main sensor takes good looking shots that represent colours naturally without being overly saturated nor muted. Similarly, when you get close to a subject, it focuses and is able to produce some nice-looking, soft background blur that blends evenly with the foreground. It doesn’t need the exaggerated portrait mode for that (although it does have it, of course, as those depth sensors are doing some work).
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The option of the ultra-wide angle lens means you get a bit more versatility, but the quality from this lens just isn’t quite as good as the main camera. Colours, light and contrast combine to make for a less vivid and harsher looking result. But that’s something that seems to be normal for a lot of mid-rangers with multiple cameras.
In the end, you’ll probably want to stick with the main camera, and if you do you’ll be more than happy with the shots that it produces in good outdoor daylight.
Verdict
The Reno 4 Z is capable phone that won’t let you down in all the ways that really matter. It’ll snap a photo, let you play pretty much any of your favourite games, and go all day without an issue. But even at this end of the market it’s not hugely competitive.
As with a few of Oppo’s phones, the Reno 4 Z is curiously positioned in terms of price. Compare its features and capabilities with sister brand, Realme, and you’ll feel you don’t get as much for your money. As an example, you could get the Realme 7 Pro; a phone with much faster charging, smoother performance, a bigger battery and an AMOLED display.
The one thing the Oppo does have over the Realme phone is 5G support which – depending on where you live – could be the clincher. Still, in our testing so far, 5G hasn’t proved all that essential in everyday life and – despite being much faster than 4G – still isn’t close to offering the reliable and consistent coverage required to make it necessary. At least, not in the UK just yet.
Equipped with PixArt’s PAW3335 sensor capable of 16,000 CPI, the LTC MoshPit WHM-01 essentially is a budget Logitech G Pro Wireless. The MoshPit WHM-01 not only has a very similar shape and mostly similar weight (87 g), it also comes with magnetic side buttons on both sides that can be removed if not needed. Additionally, the package includes a solid back cover that can be used instead of the honeycomb one. The MoshPit WHM-01 can be used either wireless or wired—a USB Type-C charging cable is included. As for battery life, I wasn’t able to find any details. Lastly, full RGB lighting and extensive software configurability are on board, too.
If you thought Gigabyte was done making new RTX 3090 SKUs, you’d be wrong, Gigabyte has just released a new RTX 3090 model to the family, the Aorus Master: a huge quadruple slot card with a beefy triple-fan heatsink.
Specs-wise you get the RTX 3090 GPU we all know, GA102 with 10496 CUDA cores, and 24GB of GDDR6X video memory. But unlike most RTX 3090 models, this one is quite large coming in at 319 x 140 x 70mm.
For display outputs, you get three DisplayPort 1.4a, two HDMI 2.1 ports, and a single HDMI 2.0 port sandwiched between the HDMI 2.1 ports. You can’t use all six at once, but having extra ports means you can use whatever connector you want for triple monitor setups, whether that be HDMI or DisplayPort.
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The real star of the show is Gigabyte’s massive triple fan cooler the Aorus Master is equipped with. The cooler comes with two 115mm “Wind Claw” fans and a single 100mm fan in the center. To maximize efficiency the outer fans overlap their fins over the center fan and spin in opposite directions to help reduce wind turbulence.
The GA102 core sits on a wide copper base-plate which helps cool the GPU and the adjacent GDDR6X modules. Paired to the base-plate are five copper heat pipes that connect to a vapor chamber heatsink.
For aesthetics, the Aorus Master is covered in a matte black shroud, with gloss black, silver, and RGB accents. On the side, Gigabyte has installed a built-in LCD monitor to display sensor data like GPU temperature, or custom images, text or GIFs.
Overall, this is one of Gigabyte’s most feature-rich RTX 3090 GPUs, only surpassed by the Xtreme, so expect a beefy price tag to go along with this card upon release. But, if previous Aorus cards are anything to go by, this card should be one of the most capable RTX 3090 SKUs on the market.
It seems like everyone in the maker community is excited about the new Raspberry Pi Pico microcontroller, including this team of software developers from Arm. In their latest project, a Pico is used as a critical component in a custom Raspberry Pi security system.
In the project, a Pico is used to monitor a motion sensor. When the sensor is triggered, the Pico sends a signal to power on a nearby Raspberry Pi 4. The Pi 4 is capable of scanning the area with a camera and using image recognition to detect faces.
The algorithm is programmed to recognize a set number of faces. Adding new faces involves loading more data (specifically, images of the person’s face) which trains the system to identify it.
If the Raspberry Pi detects an unfamiliar face, it uses IFTTT to trigger a phone notification that a stranger was found. Once the notification has been sent, the Raspberry Pi powers itself down to conserve energy.
This is a neat example of how easy it is to save power on existing Pi projects with the addition of the Pico module. If you want to see the project in action, check out the demo on YouTube. For more fun Pi creations, be sure to explore our list of Best Raspberry Pi Projects.
The Raspberry Pi Pico has a number of GPIO pins which we can use as inputs or outputs by simply configuring the pins in our code. In this guide, we shall learn how to work with inputs, in this case a sensor, and outputs in the form of an LED. At the end of this guide we will have a simple motion detector in 16 lines of MicroPython.
Before tackling this project, it would be beneficial to setup and test your Raspberry Pi Pico in our Raspberry Pi Pico Set Up Guide . We also use the circuit in that guide as the basis for this guide.
In this guide we shall be learning how to use the GPIO pins of the Raspberry Pi Pico as digital inputs and outputs which use high and low as a simple control method.
Setup
The circuit for this project adds one extra component, a Passive Infrared (PIR) sensor commonly used in home security systems to detect movement. In this project it will perform that same function, and our code will trigger an LED to turn on when the sensor reports movement.
Adding the sensor to the project requires:
A half size breadboard
An LED
A 330 Ohm resistor
A PIR sensor
3 x Female to male jumper wires
1. Insert the Raspberry Pi Pico into the breadboard so that it sits over the central channel. Make sure that the Micro USB port is at one end of the breadboard.
(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
2. Insert a 330 Ohm resistor into the breadboard, one leg should be inline with GND, which is pin 38. The other leg should be inserted into the – rail of the breadboard. This provides us with a GND rail where all pins in that rail are connected to GND.
(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
3. Insert an LED, with the long leg (the anode) inserted into the breadboard at pin 34, and the short leg inserted into the GND rail. The circuit is now built.
(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
The PIR sensor has three pins. VCC, OUT and GND. The VCC pin is used to supply 3.3V of power from the Raspberry Pi Pico.
(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
4. Using a jumper wire, connect VCC from the PIR to the 3.3V pin, (pin 37) which is just next to the resistor.
(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
5. Use another jumper wire to connect the OUT pin of the PIR to pin 21 of the Pico.
(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
6. Connect the GND pin of the PIR to the GND rail of the breadboard.
(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
7. With the circuit built, connect the Raspberry Pi Pico to your computer using a micro USB lead. Open the Thonny application.
(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
We now move to coding the project and we build upon the code used in the Getting Started project to include an input, our PIR sensor, and a conditional test to check whether the sensor has been triggered.
(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
1. Import the Pin class from the machine library, then import utime. These libraries enable us to respectively communicate with the GPIO and to control the pace of our project.
from machine import Pin
import utime
2. Create an object, “led” which is used to create a link between the physical GPIO pin and our code. In this case, it will set GPIO 28 (which maps to physical pin 34 on the board) as an output pin, where current will flow from the Raspberry Pi Pico GPIO to the LED. We then use the object to instruct the GPIO pin to pull low., In other words this will ensure that the GPIO pin is turned off at the start of our project.
led = Pin(28, Pin.OUT)
3. Create another object, “pir”. This object is used to create a connection between our code and the GPIO pin used for the OUT connection from the PIR. By default, the PIR sensor OUT is pulled high, and when movement is detected the PIR pulls the OUT pin low. To ensure that the sensor works correctly, we set the pin as an input, and then pull the GPIO pin high.
pir = Pin(16, Pin.IN, Pin.PULL_UP)
4. Ensure that the LED is turned off at the start of the project, then wait for three seconds before moving on. These two lines ensure we do not see a “false trigger” from the LED, and give the sensor some time to settle before use.
led.low()
utime.sleep(3)
5. Inside of a while True loop, a loop with no end, use a print function to print the current value of the GPIO pin used for the PIR sensor. This will return a 1 if there is no movement, and a 0 if there is.
while True:
print(pir.value())
6. Create a conditional test that checks the value stored in pir.value. If the value is 0, movement detected then print a message to the Python Shell. Then turn the LED on (high) and pause for five seconds, keeping the LED lit for that time.
if pir.value() == 0:
print("LED On")
led.high()
utime.sleep(5)
7. The last part of the conditional test is activated when there is no movement detected. Use an Else condition to print a message to the Python Shell, then add a line to turn the LED off (low) and then pause for 0.2 seconds. Then the loop repeats and the conditional test is run again.
else:
print("Waiting for movement")
led.low()
utime.sleep(0.2)
8. Click on Save and choose to save the code to the MicroPython device (Raspberry Pi Pico). Name the file PIR.py and click Ok to save. Your code should look like this.
from machine import Pin
import utime
led = Pin(28, Pin.OUT)
pir = Pin(16, Pin.IN, Pin.PULL_UP)
led.low()
utime.sleep(3)
while True:
print(pir.value())
if pir.value() == 0:
print("LED On")
led.high()
utime.sleep(5)
else:
print("Waiting for movement")
led.low()
utime.sleep(0.2)
9. To run the code, click on the Green play / arrow button and the Python Shell will update to say “Waiting for movement” and “LED On”. The PIR sensor is exceptionally sensitive and at first you may see a few false triggers, but the sensor will settle.
Following the sale of Honor to the government of the Chinese city of Shenzhen by Huawei, the company has launched its first terminal, the Honor View 40 , a smartphone that features an OLED screen of 90 2 Hz. 676 x 1. 236 pixels together with a Mediatek Dimensity processor 901 + 5G, the predecessor of the new Dimensity 1100 and 1200.
Accompany you 8 GB of LPDDR4x RAM and up to 256 GB of internal UFS 2.1 storage , having also a version of 128 GB.
The Honor View 40 will have triple rear camera
The aspect photographic is covered by three rear cameras, a main sensor of 50 MP f / 1.9, another wide angle of 8 MP f / 2.4 and a macro sensor of 2 MP and f / 2.4. It also offers led flash and a laser focus sensor. They are complemented by two front sensors of 32 and 16 MP. All powered by 4. 01 mAh battery with fast charge of 66 W and 50 W wireless charging and with Android 10 as operating system .
Hopefully the Honor View 40 arrives without Google services and, in fact, at least for now It will only be sold in China, a country where it is not possible to use the search giant’s services and applications. Its price, at direct exchange rate, is around 460 euros.
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Antonio Delgado
Computer Engineer by training, editor and hardware analyst at Geeknetic since 2011. I love gutting everything that comes my way, especially the latest hardware that we get here for reviews. In my spare time I fiddle with 3d printers, drones and other gadgets. For anything here you have me.
A mirrorless APS-C camera like the new Fujifilm XS 10 offers many photographers everything they need. It is more compact than a full-frame camera and better equipped than the entry-level class. Image stabilizer, a modern sensor, a powerful autofocus, a well-formed housing and a flexible display characterize the XS 10.
For example, she has the X -Trans-Sensor (BSI) of the fourth generation with a resolution of 26, 1 megapixels as well as the X processor 4. Both help the camera to achieve a fast auto focus (reaction time 0, 02 s) with face and eye recognition as well as a high series image rate of eight images per second with mechanical shutter (18 Raw or 105 JPEG in a row). With an electronic lock it comes up to 30 images per Second – but then with crop factor 1, 25.
Mirrorless system camera Fujifilm XS 10 (10 Pictures) The Fujifilm XS 10 is comparatively compact and offers a powerful X-Trans sensor with 26, 1 megapixel resolution.
(Image: Fujifilm) To be profitable, she is missing a few things. Although it has a sturdy magnesium housing, it is not particularly sealed against dust and splash water. There is only one slot for standard SD cards (UHS-I) and a battery that is just for good 300 Recordings is enough. The shortest exposure time is 1 / 4000 instead of 1 / 8000 second and the OLED viewfinder only solves 2, 36 Megapixels (0, 62 x, to 100 fps).
As a target group for the camera, Fujifilm aims at photographers who are looking for a compact second camera, newcomers from the entry-level sector, video bloggers and those who switch from other (DSLR) systems. It competes with mirrorless system cameras such as Nikon’s Z 50, Sony’s A 6400 and Canon’s EOS M5.
Handling The Fujifilm XS 10 is pleasantly compact and can also be stored in small pockets. In its class, however, it is one of the larger models. Thanks to its pronounced grip bulge, it lies very well in the hand. You would even want a handle like this on the big sister X-T4.
The operating concept is rather unusual for a Fujifilm X camera. There are no separate setting wheels for ISO value, shutter and exposure correction, which each lead directly to the corresponding exposure parameter, but a “classic” PASM mode dial for fully and semi-automatic functions. It is supported by three configurable setting wheels – one on the front of the shutter release, one on the rear right and one on the top left. The camera is thus based on the typical camera operation of Canon, Nikon, Sony and Co. Presumably Fujifilm would like to win newcomers from other systems for itself. Fujifilm photographers always set the aperture using the aperture ring.
Are new In this context also an all-round carefree automatic with motif recognition, a filter mode and a scene mode. In addition, photographers can assign their own configuration to one of the four custom modes – for example one for snapshots, one for portraits, one for landscapes.
These modes can also be used to to switch between automatic and manual focus, because this function is here in the menu. Those who frequently focus manually will miss the typical Fujifilm X switch on the front or at least a button like the one offered by other manufacturers.
The LCD monitor can be rotated and swiveled and can be folded forward by 105 degrees, which makes sense for vloggers and is in the Practice also proven to try out unusual perspectives. Many other models only have a tiltable display. The touch capabilities of the XS 10 are limited to shutter release and the selection of the autofocus point in monitor mode. Canon in particular offers much more convenient controls for its M models. Fortunately, there is also the joystick here, which enables quick operation.
(Pocket-lint) – Ask any cyclist what the first thing you should update on a bike is and they will invariably say the wheels. While that’s likely to give you the biggest performance upgrades, it’s hard to quantify that without the humblest of bicycle accessories, the bike computer.
Being of techy mind and body, we’d say that a bike computer is probably one of the first places you want to look to boost your riding experience, and Garmin has long been the leader of the pack. So how does the upper-level Garmin Edge 830 perform?
Design, build and mounting
2.6-inch colour touchscreen, 246 x 322 pixels
Dimensions: 50 x 82 x 20mm / Weight: 79.1g
Varied mounting options in the box
IPX7 water protection
In terms of functionality, the Edge 830 is Garmin’s second-tier device, sitting under the Edge 1030 Plus and above the 530. The 530 is closely related – the biggest difference being the addition of touchscreen controls that you get on the 830 – but the design is essentially the same.
The Edge 830 isn’t the most compact thing around, but the bodywork is all there to support the 2.6-inch display as your visual gateway into a world of data and mapping.
Pocket-lint
The design is robust enough, with IPX7 protection, which means it won’t be bothered by rain showers or a soaking when you hit a big puddle. The waterproofing should mean it can withstand complete submersion in water, but that might dampen your ride a little. Having been caught in downpours and some winter floods, the odd soaking certainly doesn’t hamper this device’s performance – you don’t even need to think about it, as you might with an adapted smartphone in a holder.
The 830’s bodywork is a substantial polycarbonate with the front dominated by the display, but still carrying what a smartphone fan would class as bezel. We don’t think the Edge 830 necessarily needs to be smaller, but we do think that in future versions Garmin might aim to either fill more of the surface with display, or reduce that slightly for a more modern look.
The display is colour and while the resolution isn’t high by smartphone standards, it’s good enough to show the details you need. It’s an LCD, illuminated so you can see it easily, dimming in lower light conditions and powering off to save battery life if you use the power saving feature.
Pocket-lint
The body carries a power button on the left side, start/pause recording and lap buttons on the bottom, with a central cover opening up to reveal the Micro-USB connection that’s used for charging (USB-C and wireless charging next time please, let’s bring this kit up to date). The buttons mean you can use the device whatever gloves you’re wearing, although much of the interaction relies on the touchscreen.
There’s a twist mount on the rear of the Edge 830 with a number of mounts provided in the box, from handlebar or step mounts secured with the supplied bands, through to the out-front mount, which means you can move the computer out from your handlebars, which we find a better position for glancing when on the go – plus it means it’s not fighting against other handlebar-mounted devices.
The out-front mount has the advantage of allowing easy installation of the Charge Power Pack, which can clip onto the underside to extend the computer’s life by an additional 24 hours. As it is, the battery offers a realistic 15-20 hours of life, extending if you opt for the power saving mode that turns the display off (you can get it to communicate with a compatible smartwatch for at-a-glance views if you wish).
Pocket-lint
Installation is quick and easy, while removing the Edge is simply a case of twisting to release it. It can’t be locked in any way, but the Edge 830 supports Garmin’s alarm function, whereby you will get a notification if your bike is moved while you’re away from it – perhaps in a café, for example.
Connectivity, setup and Garmin Connect
ANT+
BLE/Bluetooth
Wi-Fi
The biggest part of setup for the Edge 830 is connecting it to the wider world. The first aspect of this is smartphone connectivity and pairing with Garmin Connect is relatively straightforward. If you’re already a Garmin user – perhaps with a Forerunner for example – you have the advantage of being able to use the Physio TrueUp function to sync across devices so your efforts on one device are reflected in your stats on the other.
Garmin Connect plays a central part here, of course, and once connected to your phone, your details from Garmin Connect will sync to your Edge. If you’re new to Garmin, it’s highly recommended that you setup Garmin Connect in advance of linking to your devices, just to make everything smoother.
Pocket-lint
It would be nice to have more customisation through Garmin Connect. As it is, if you want to change the content on the display, you have to set that on the Edge device itself – it would be far slicker if that could be organised in Garmin Connect and synced to the bike computer instead.
The connection with your phone gives the advantage of not only syncing rides and data once you’re done, but allowing smart functions on your ride – like Livetrack via your phone’s data connection (so others can follow your live route, if you permit), notifications and, in some cases, quick replies to those incoming messages so you can keep in touch with people without reaching for your phone (note: this is only available to Android users).
The connection is generally solid, although we’ve had a few occasions where we’ve set out, seen Livetrack fail and had to stop to ensure that the phone and Edge 830 are properly connected before setting off again.
Garmin does get a little confused if you change your phone, in which case the fastest way to connect with the device is remove it from Garmin Connect and then treat it like a new device and re-pair it. As long as you don’t reset your Edge it will then just connect to your device, sync and carry on as normal.
Pocket-lint
On top of the Bluetooth connection that the Edge would use with your phone, there’s also Wi-Fi. This means that the Edge 830 can connect to your home Wi-Fi network to update without your phone doing everything. This will again let you sync data, as well as downloading routes.
More significant to its actual function, however, is the ability to sync with additional sensors. While the Edge 830 offers GPS, an altimeter and accelerometer which will provide most of the essential data, there’s support for Bluetooth and ANT+ sensors. This will mean you can use compatible sensors to provide more data, like heart rate, cadence or power – all of which are easily accommodated on the display of the device, and in the subsequent data analysis.
Mapping and routing
GPS
Cycling-specific basemaps
Route syncing, rerouting
While much of the data you might want from a bike computer would be available from something like the Garmin Edge 130 Plus – which is a lot less cash – the advantage that something like the Edge 830 offers is in the route guidance and mapping. The device contains cycling-specific route maps, allowing on-device navigation and browsing.
You can, for example, open up the map on the device, find a place you want to go to and have it plot a route to get you there. It’s a little slow and you don’t get to preview or customise that route, but at least it’s there.
Pocket-lint
Navigation of the map when browsing is pretty good – you can drag it around and use the familiar pinch-to-zoom to adjust, but you lose the pinch zooming when you are actually following a navigation route. This makes it much harder to look around the map if you take a wrong turn or hit, for example, a closed gate on a private estate that the Garmin is trying to take you through.
Routes can be created or imported to Garmin Connect to sync to the Edge 830 too, as well as syncing from other apps, like Strava (although only the browser version of Strava currently makes this easy to do). Creating a route in Garmin Connect is easy, either creating an automated route in a particular direction for a given distance, or to somewhere specific you want to go.
Generally speaking it all works well, but we’ve found some anomalies – diverting you to an impractical cycle route over the main road that you’re on, routes through gates that are closed, some unpaved forest routes which don’t suit a road bike, and so on. Essentially, you need to be prepared to take a diversion, which is, again, why the lack of pinch-to-zoom during navigation is irritating.
Pocket-lint
Diversions and rerouting isn’t the fastest either. Often you’ll be asked to turn around repeatedly before you’ll eventually be given a new route – but it will find that route.
Overall mapping and directions is good, as is GPS, all on that glanceable big display so you can easily head out and explore. A top tip is to search for and save your home location, so you can easily sort out a return route if you decide you just need to get back home again.
Advanced features and functions
Training and workouts
Strava Segment support
Outside of routing and all that data collection there’s a lot more that the Edge 830 will offer. Part of the Garmin family, it will offer the sort of performance tracking and training guidance that Garmin’s running watches offer. That means you’ll get recommendations for your recovery time after a ride, the opportunity to log food or water consumption during a ride, and a report on what sort of training aims your ride achieved.
One element that’s slightly under-represented is Garmin’s Training Status. While those using Garmin’s running devices get a training status update from just a couple of runs, for cyclists you only get that if you have a power meter – and to calculate FTP (functional threshold power) you also have to ride with a power meter and heart rate sensor), so this is definitely a device that offers more as you add accessories.
Best fitness trackers 2021: Top activity bands to buy today
Pocket-lint
You can structure workouts via your Edge, to ride indoors or outdoors, the former meaning you don’t have to worry about traffic on your intervals. The Edge 830 is compatible with smart trainers so you can pair your Wahoo Kickr with your Edge, for example.
There’s support for mountain biking, with integrated Trailforks routes so you can find something offroad to ride in your local area. There’s Strava integration too. Not only can you sync routes to the Edge, but you can setup Segments too.
This will let you compete against yourself or friends on Segments. That might spur you on to get a PB on a Segment, or be totally disheartened when you realise just how far off the pace you might be when you head out with a friend.
Pocket-lint
While Segments will give you a report of how far you have remaining and how far ahead or behind your target pace you are for a favourite stretch, Garmin will also give you guidance on climbs. This is automated, giving you the ClimbPro display when you hit a decent uphill stretch. It might help you balance your effort, showing how much further there is to climb.
What all this accounts to is a comprehensive offering for those who want to just ride, those who want data, as well as those who want to take things a little further.
Verdict
The Garmin Edge 830 is one of the most appealing in the Garmin cycling computer line-up. A slightly more affordable price than the leading Edge 1030 Plus, plus the touch functionality over the Edge 530, sees it sit in a sweet spot.
The performance is generally very good, too, but there’s clearly room for improvement in order to draw this bike computer closer to the excellent performance that people are used to from smartphones. Faster rerouting, better map navigation, an increase in display quality, and wireless charging, are all easy targets for Garmin’s product development team.
It didn’t quite work out, but the cause is likely to be primarily from politics: The basic model of the VW ID.3 should, as the group announced at the launch, be less than 30. 000 Cost euros. Now are 31.495 Euros, of which, however, a manufacturer’s share of 3570 euros and 6000 euros from the taxpayer as part of the innovation bonus can be deducted. Thus the price drops to 21 without haggling. 925 Euro.
Through the subsidization, the ID.3 ends up in an area in which a new car with a combustion engine, which is similarly equipped and similarly large and powerful, no longer necessarily has to be dramatically cheaper. A combustion engine is almost always more expensive to maintain anyway.
At first glance, the base model of the ID.3 is not badly equipped. The electric motor offers 110 kW, the battery a usable energy content of 45 kWh, which in the WLTP should be sufficient for 352 km. The storage unit can be charged with alternating current two-phase with 7.2 kW, with direct current 50 kW are possible as standard. Navigation system including Android Auto and Apple CarPlay as well as LED headlights are installed without additional payment. Naked poverty isn’t exactly what it is.
No choice But he Interested parties should be aware that there is hardly any way to specifically expand the equipment. The heat pump costs 1275 euros, a charging cable for the 230 volt -Socket 175 Euro. If you want to charge to direct current with 100 kW, you have to 650 Add euros. Except for a bike rack and some design frills, that was it with selectable options. A height adjustment or heating of the seats, leather steering wheel, cruise control, rain sensor, matrix light or a second zone of the automatic air conditioning – the list of what is not available in the ID.3 Pure, even for an extra charge, is remarkable. The times when you could almost freely assemble a new car are obviously slowly coming to an end.
OnePlus 7T, the evolution of OnePlus 7 is a high-end smartphone that lacks nothing. The specifications are at the top and the user experience is of a high level. Here are the 5 reasons not to miss this smartphone at an incredible price
of Editorial published on 21 January 2021 , at 15: 08 in the Telephony channel OnePlus
The Chinese brand OnePlus has accustomed us to large devices, especially in the high-end. OnePlus 7T has real top-of-the-range specifications even more than one year after its exit. But this is not a problem as OnePlus is always attentive to updates for your devices. In fact, the beta of Android is already available together with new OxygenOS for OnePlus 7T. Here are the 5 reasons not to miss this little gem a only 350 EUR.
The price
Find OnePlus 7T today at 350 EUR is practically an indispensable offer that allows you to save a hundred euros on the selling price that we usually find on the market. OnePlus 7T is available in 8 / 128 GB.
The display
OnePlus 7T features a very high quality display, among the best available in the smartphone market. The panel has a diagonal of 6, 55 inch fluid AMOLED with resolution Full-HD + in 20: 9, HDR support is not missing 10 +. It also offers a refresh rate at 90 Hz , making the fluidity on the screen its strong point.
Hardware
Under the body of OnePlus 7T we find an enviable hardware sector. The onboard SoC is the powerful Snapdragn 855 + 2 octa core, 96 GHz coupled with the GPU Adreno 640 . The memory is a lot, 8 GB of RAM LPDDR4X and 128 GB of external storage memory. USB connector type 3.1 supports video output. We also have a fingerprint sensor under the display reliable. Do not miss the audio with stereo speaker and Dolby Atmos support.
Operating System
OnePlus 7T was launched with Android on board 10 together with the proprietary OxygenOS interface 10. Just in the last few days OnePlus has started the updates to Android 11 also for the 7 series. Consequently, having OnePlus 7T in your hands today offers the same user experience as a top of latest gamma , thanks to android 11 and to a new generation OxygenOS.
Optical stabilized cameras
The camera sector is a strong point of the device. On the back we find three cameras: the main one from 48 MP optically stabilized , a significant plus, which raises the performance of the cam to an enviable level. The second cam is a wide angle module from 16 Mp f / 2.2 , and pleasant surprise is the 2X camera from 12 MP . The shots are of high quality in all light conditions and the main cam records videos in 4K even at 60 fps . The multimedia compartment is really complete, perfect both as a point and shoot and in the Pro version. Also the front cam from 21 MP is performing, with many features for excellent selfies to post on social media.
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Honor has announced its first phone since the company officially has separated from Huawei – say hello to the Honor V40 5G. The device comes with a Dimensity 1000+ chipset, a new 50 MP camera, and plenty of more specs to be intrigued about.
The screen of the Honor V40 5G is a 6.72” OLED with curved sides and a pill-shaped punch hole for the dual selfie cameras. The panel supports a 120 Hz refresh rate and up to 300 Hz touch sampling rate and is TUV Rheinland-certified for AI adaptive brightness.
On the back, we have three cameras – the main one comes with a 50 MP RYYB sensor that is 1/1.56” big. The pixel size is 2.0 um, but it comes with some 4-in-1 pixel-binning for better shots. The other two cameras are an 8 MP ultra-wide-angle shooter and a 2 MP cam for close-up shots. There is also laser autofocus, placed right next to the single LED flash.
While Honor is an independent company now, we still see some Huawei-inspired technologies, like the charging, for example. The battery can be topped from 0 to 100% in 35 minutes, thanks to the 66W wired fast charging, or slightly slower if users decide to go for the 50W wireless option. These are the same speeds in the Huawei Mate 40 Pro smartphone.
Speaking about inherited technology, the Honor V40 5G comes with Magic UI 4.0, sadly, with Android 10 underneath. There was no word whether the phone would have Google Services because the event was in China, where they are banned and practically non-existent.
Honor V40 5G
The Honor V40 5G is already up for sale in three colors – Night Black, Titanium Silver, Rose Gold – and comes in two memory configurations – 8/128 GB or 8/256 GB. Price starts from CNY3,599 ($556/€455) and goes up to CNY3,999 ($620/€505).
Source (in Chinese)
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