Google Maps Introduces A Bunch of New Voice Commands
Google Maps come up with new voice commands for your next road trip. Google MapsIntroduces A Bunch of New Voice Commands. With these commands you can get your next destination, tweak settings and avoid tolls. Not Only this, you can also get out of navigation if you just want to look at a map.
To get these new features, you should have the latest versions of the Google Maps appand Google app for Android.
Google Maps Introduces A Bunch of New Voice Commands
How to Enable the voice Command Settings:
First of all tap the overflow menu (the button with three dots)
Then tap “Settings”,
Next tap ““Ok Google” detection”, you will get some more options.
The “While driving” setting allows you to say “Ok Google” during navigation in Google Maps.
If you’d like to do this anywhere on your device, you’ll need to enable the “Always on” setting.
If for some reason you’d like to turn off “Ok Google” detection entirely throughout your device, you can do so by toggling the settings to the off position.
So, the next time you enter navigation mode or driving mode, you can simply say “Ok Google” followed by a voice command. Then Google Maps will show you the result of your destination.
Here are the new voice commands for Directions and travel
“Mute.” or “Mute voice guidance.”
“Unmute.” or “Unmute voice guidance.”
“Show traffic.” or “Hide traffic.”
“Show satellite.” or “Hide satellite.”
“Navigate home.” or “Navigate to Starbucks.”
“Show route overview.” or “Show alternate routes.”
“What road is this?”
“What’s my ETA?”
“How’s traffic ahead?” or “How’s traffic to home?”
“Avoid tolls.” or “Enable tolls.”
“What’s my next turn?”
“Avoid highways.” or “Enable highways.”
“Avoid ferries.” or “Enable ferries.”
“Exit navigation.”
Along with these commands, there are also some other commands to follow during travelling.
“Call Mom.”
“Find gas stations.” or “Find restaurants.”
“Send a text to Larry.” or “Send an SMS to Sergey, I’m feeling lucky.”
“What’s the weather like?” or “How’s the weather in Seattle?”
“Play some jazz.” or “Play happy birthday on Google Play Music.”
Google is Officially an Adult Now-Celebrating 18th Birthday with A Doodle
Google is Officially an Adult Now-Celebrating 18th Birthday with A Doodle. The company is showing everyone a cute, celebratory doodle on 27 September to mark the company’s coming-of-age. It shows Google’s “G” blowing up a balloon to spell out the rest of its name. But blowing it up too much, and being carried off into the sky.
Google is Officially an Adult Now-Celebrating 18th Birthday with A Doodle
But there is a confusion about its birthday date. In 2004, its 6th birthday Doodle went online on September 7 and in the year before that, it was September 8. In fact, none of these dates seem to have any particular relevance.
However, Google has celebrated its birthday with a Doodle every year since its fourth birthday in 2002. Further, the first Doodle was occurred for the Burning Man festival in 1998, before the company was technically founded.
Google was founded by Larry Page and Sergey Brin in 1998. 18 years after it was founded at Stanford University. No doubt, Google is one of the world’s most powerful companies. Last year, the company split under a new corporate umbrella, Alphabet.
Maxx Mobile Presents Smart Watch MW-1 in Just Rs 3250
Maxx Mobile after introducing its three Mobile Series, now launch its Smart Watch. Maxx Mobile Presents Smart Watch MW-1 in Just Rs 3250. This watch allows you to originate call, send message. You can also hear and answer the calls with just your wrist. Not only this you can also pair this watch with other device and can make and answer calls from your wrist watch. Now fit your smartphone on your wrist and enjoy its multiple specifications from your watch.
Maxx Mobile Presents Smart Watch MW-1 in Just Rs 3250
Maxx MW-1 has 1.54″ capacitive touch screen for clear display and convenient to touch. The watch also has inbuilt pedometer, which will measure every calorie you shed with every step you take. You can also connect MAXX MW-1 watch via Bluetooth earphones and groove to your favourite tracks
Features and Specifications:
MW-1 is available only in Rs. 3250/-
1.54″ capacitive touch screen
Smart battery for a continuous 3 hour talk time
Smart camera
Music and video player
WhatsApp/Facebook notifications
G-Sensor
Browser
Sound recorder
Multiple Clock style
Dialpad, Contacts, SMS sync, Alarm clock, Calculator, Stop watch, Remote notifications, Anti lost and many other features
Huawei Unveils Next Generation Kirin 960 Processor
Earlier this year,Huaweiwas Reportedly Working on its Own Operating System Kirin.Now Huawei, the Chinese Manufacturer, has official announced the new next generation chip at a press conference in Shanghia, China. Huawei Unveils Next Generation Kirin 960 Processor. The upcoming Huawei phone will feature this chip. The Kirin 960processor uses four of ARM’s new, high-performance Cortex-A73 cores. It also uses four low-powered A53 cores, produced using a 16nm manufacturing process. Kirin 960is the first processor which uses ARM’s Mali-G71 MP8 GPU for improved graphics and gaming performance.
Huawei Unveils Next Generation Kirin 960 Processor
In the event, Huawei also compared a Kirin 960 test device with iPhone 7 Plus andSamsung Galaxy Note 7. The test has done on 14 most common apps in China. Out of these 14 apps, 13 apps launched very quickly using Kirin 960.
Moreover, Kirin 960‘s new Mali-G71 GPU is 180% faster than the previous generation Mali-T880. However, Mali-G71 is also expected to appear in Samsung’s upcoming Galaxy S8 in early 2017.
The new chip also supports four component carriers (4CC) for LTE. The chip also has improved radio performance in specific, challenging situations, like using data on a high-speed train. Kirin 960 has over 1000 “anti-hacking sensors,” along with a 3-tier security system.
Huawei does not officially announce any phone that will have this chip now. But most probably upcoming Mate 9 will feature Kirin 960. However, Mate 9 will launch on November 3 this year.
Google’s new launched phones Pixel and Pixel XL are Now Officially On Sale. If you were waiting for pixel phones, then wait is over. You don’t need to pre-order for your device as Pixel phones are officially launched. You can buy the phone directly from Google or from other online stores.
Both phones have extraordinary features and price is more than Nexus Phones. Both phones have almost same qualities, the only two differences are of size and battery. Both Phones have 12.3 MP camera with large 1.55-micron pixels and an f/2.0 aperture.
Both Pixel phones are available in 2 variants with 32GB and 128GB ROM. However, the other features are same.
The Pixel is a 5″ device, while Pixel XL is 5.5″ long. Both have AMOLED screens, with 1080p resolution for the small one (441ppi) and QHD for the big one (534ppi). Battery capacity is also different, 2,770mAh and 3,450mAh.
Google Pixel of the 32 GB of storage is available in $649 and $749 for 128 GB. However, Pixel XL costs $769 for 32 GB, or $869 for 128 GB
Two-wheel drive: China tech giants bet on 'Uber for bikes' in hunt for next unicorn
China's tech industry giants are sloughing hundreds of millions of dollars into what they're betting will be the country's next big internet craze - 'Uber for bikes'.
A symbol of China's cities long before a boom in cars, snarling traffic and smog, the humble bicycle is making a comeback. Start-ups equipped with smartphone apps, GPS and scannable codes are selling cheap bike-sharing to city-dwellers as the way to beat jams on China's most clogged streets.
The rush to invest in car ride-hailing apps in China peaked with Didi Chuxing's acquisition of Uber's China arm in August, creating a $35 billion giant. Now Shanghai's MoBike and Beijing-based ofo - both use customised Anglicised branding - have raised big money in the past month alone from bullish investors on the hunt for China's next tech 'unicorn'.
MoBike, backed by Chinese internet giant Tencent Holdings among others, closed a $100 million funding round this month, two sources told Reuters. Ofo raised $130 million this month from investors including Didi, smartphone maker Xiaomi and U.S. hedge fund Coatue, which has backed Facebook and Google.
"We did not expect there to be so many investors and we did not expect this field to get so hot," ofo co-founder Zhang Siding, 26, told Reuters in an interview. Zhang was one of five Beijing students who launched the firm in 2015, now charging 1 yuan ($0.15) per hour to rent.
MoBike, also founded in 2015, and ofo say several hundred thousand residents of Chinese cities use the services every day, though tech sector watchers estimate neither yet makes a profit. Neither discloses earnings details.
Each claims to be the first of its kind in the world, raising the question for the firms and their investors of whether the model could be replicated in other countries.
In the meantime, the custom-made 'smart bikes' stand out in a country estimated to have close to 400 million bicycles: MoBikes have orange-red inner wheels with fewer spokes and airless tyres to reduce maintenance; ofo's yellow bikes have a lower-tech, retro look.
MOBIKE: BRINGING 'SEXY' BACK?
Riders use smartphone apps to unlock and pay the cost of hire, and they are free to leave the bikes wherever their journey ends, a feature ofo and MoBike say is a major plus over traditional rental services, which require bikes to be returned to a parking station. MoBike's app also allows users to see nearby vacant bikes using a GPS tracking system.
"I find it very convenient, because road traffic is so bad, especially during rush hour," said Yu Xiaoxia, 29, a teacher in the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou who pays 1 yuan per half-hour to use MoBike.
The ride is worth it for Yu but isn't all smooth. "The bikes are heavy to pedal, and it is also harder to find a vacant bike now that it (MoBike) is gaining more users," she said.
The two firms are growing fast - as is their rivalry.
Ofo, which says it has more than 300 employees, claims some 85,000 of its bikes are providing 500,000 rides daily. At MoBike, which declined to disclose how many people it employs, Chief Executive Wang Xiaofeng said his firm has more than 100,000 daily active users.
"We want to make bicycles sexy again by making a fashionable, high-tech bike," Wang, 43, told Reuters in an interview. Wang is a MoBike co-founder who was previously the Shanghai head of Uber.
Zhang said if each of his firm's bikes were used four times a day, the company would recoup the bike's cost in two to three months.
How to track your vehicle on the cheap, using your smartphone?
New tracking method adapted to all budgets.
Lost your car and can’t remember where you parked? It happens to the best of us: wandering aimlessly through parking lots, clicking the panic button on your key chain to get your headlights to illuminate.
You don’t need some spendy radio transponder to keep tabs on your car. Uplinking your wheels to the great eye in the sky without breaking the bank is easier than you think.
Standalone GPS and radio triangulation units can cost hundreds. And that’s not counting the installation and (frequently hefty) activation and monthly fees associated with whatever service you do choose. For most of us, it’s overkill. The good news is thatsome of life’s biggest problems seem to be disappearing because of new technology. If you frequently forget where you parked your car, there is a tiny gadget and app that could be what you’re looking for.
What is it about?
It’s about Trackr, A small and discreet device the size of a coin that is revolutionizing the market.
But… How does it work?
Very easy! It will take less than five minutes to put it to work. You simply have to pair it with your smartphone and download the free application which will allow you to locate it anytime.
Once this is done, you simply have to put it on your key chain, in your wallet or inany object you want to locate always. Inthiscaseyoujusthavetohideitinyour car.
Now just have to open the application on your mobile and you can see on the map the position of your device. If you get to lose your car, simply select “find device” and you’ll get the coordinates of the new location.
With Trackr you’ll be able to locate your car at any time
In the following video you’ll be able to see it in action:
You’re probably thinking that this device will be very expensive…. nope. This is the best part, you can acquire one for so little, the price is about $29. Not bad considering it gives peace of mind.
Even President Obama is making fun of the Galaxy Note 7
Poor Samsung. Even the leader of the free world won’t spare them from ridicule. In a speech today, President Obama compared Obamacare to a smartphone, noting that when a smartphone (or a law) has a few bugs, you fix it or upgrade it. You don’t just throw it away.
Unless it catches fire. Then you pull it off the market. But you don’t go back to using a rotary phone. You don’t say “well, we’re repealing smartphones.” We’re just gonna do the dial-up thing. That’s not what you do. The same basic principle applies here. We’re not gonna go back to discriminating against Americans with pre-existing conditions.
Sorry Republicans. It seems only the Galaxy Note 7 gets repealed and replaced
Apple Shows Up as Exhibitor at MWC 2017, Then Disappears
Even though Apple Inc. has stayed away from Mobile World Congress for many years now, the company reportedly showed up as an exhibitor at the event's next year's edition. However, in an interesting turn of events, the company soon disappeared from the list of exhibitors indicating that it might not be a part of the event after all, or maybe it put pressure on the exhibitors not to reveal information related to its participation.
As per a report by MacRumors, Apple was listed as one of the exhibitors for the event widely recognised as the largest exhibition and gathering of the mobile world. As per the listing, the company had booked space in the App Planet in Hall 8.1. The listing indicated that it had also booked "two spaces in the upper level that runs above Hall 2 in the Fira Gran Via Conference Centre," the report said.
The association with App Planet suggests that the company might have been planning to promote its App Store or even the upcoming reality show Planet of Apps. The other spaces booked by the company are seemingly meeting rooms and might not be meant for any product announcements, the report notes.
Apple famously announces its products at its own events and therefore any major announcements are unlikely at MWC 2017.
We will have to wait and see if Apple eventually participates at the event, or it turns out to be a case of false listing.
FMC Technologies to pay $2.5 million for accounting violations: SEC
Energy technology company FMC Technologies Inc will pay a $2.5 million penalty to settle charges that it overstated profits in one of its business segments, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission said on Thursday.
Two now former executives made the improper adjustments after being pressured to improve the financial performance of the Houston-based company's energy infrastructure department, the SEC said.
FMC Technologies and the two executives consented to the SEC’s order without admitting or denying the findings, the agency said.
A spokesman for FMC and lawyers for the executives could not immediately be reached for comment.
The former controller of the department, Jeffrey Favret, and another controller, Steven Croft, improperly reduced the value of the company's liability for employee paid time off. That, in turn, led to overstating the department's pre-tax operating profits by $800,000, allowing it to meet an internal target for the first quarter of 2013, the SEC said.
Favret and Croft also corrected a $730,000 error recorded in 2012 that increased their department's operating results for first quarter 2013, but never notified the company's top controller, the SEC said.
The two later signed letters to the company in which they represented that they did not make adjustments larger than $250,000 outside of the accounting period at the time, the SEC said.
Favret agreed to pay a $30,000 penalty and Croft agreed to pay a $10,000 penalty. The two also agreed to suspensions from working on SEC-related accounting matters. They can apply for reinstatement after two years, the SEC said.
Another FMC Technologies department also failed to properly account for employee paid time off in 2012, the SEC said. The company also improperly accounted for interest income associated with certain large loans made within the company that year, resulting in an $8 million out-of-period adjustment in 2014.
(Reporting by Suzanne Barlyn; additional reporting by Mohammad Zargham; editing by Eric Walsh and Grant McCool)
Huawei Unveils Next Generation Kirin 960 Processor
Earlier this year,Huaweiwas Reportedly Working on its Own Operating System Kirin.Now Huawei, the Chinese Manufacturer, has official announced the new next generation chip at a press conference in Shanghia, China. Huawei Unveils Next Generation Kirin 960 Processor. The upcoming Huawei phone will feature this chip. The Kirin 960processor uses four of ARM’s new, high-performance Cortex-A73 cores. It also uses four low-powered A53 cores, produced using a 16nm manufacturing process. Kirin 960is the first processor which uses ARM’s Mali-G71 MP8 GPU for improved graphics and gaming performance.
In the event, Huawei also compared a Kirin 960 test device with iPhone 7 Plus andSamsung Galaxy Note 7. The test has done on 14 most common apps in China. Out of these 14 apps, 13 apps launched very quickly using Kirin 960.
Moreover, Kirin 960‘s new Mali-G71 GPU is 180% faster than the previous generation Mali-T880. However, Mali-G71 is also expected to appear in Samsung’s upcoming Galaxy S8 in early 2017.
The new chip also supports four component carriers (4CC) for LTE. The chip also has improved radio performance in specific, challenging situations, like using data on a high-speed train. Kirin 960 has over 1000 “anti-hacking sensors,” along with a 3-tier security system.
Huawei does not officially announce any phone that will have this chip now. But most probably upcoming Mate 9 will feature Kirin 960. However, Mate 9 will launch on November 3 this year.
Most anticipated tech of 2016: August to December edition
Motorola Moto Z
Fall 2016 update
Upon its debut in July, Motorola's premium Moto Z made waves with its magnetic snap-on accessories. Unlike the LG G5, which featured swappable components but fell short on execution, the Moto Z's modularity offered coherence and ease of use.
With the Moto Z Play released in September, Motorola trims down the hardware but beefs up the battery, retains the modularity and lowers the price. Affordable, reliable and resilient, the Z Play is an excellent midrange phone -- even without the quirky Mods. It's available in the US on Verizon for $408; the unlocked GMS version will become available globally in October for $450 (or £347 and AU$590, converted). Though it doesn't have all of the bells and whistles of the original Z or Z Force, the Z Play embodies most of the best virtues of the Z series -- and includes an increasingly rare 3.5mmheadphone jack -- without breaking the bank.
The Moto Z Play and Hasselblad True Zoom snap-on camera module.
With the Moto Z (or Moto Z Droid Edition as it's called by US carrier Verizon), customization isn't about what your phone looks like. It's about what it does. Snap-on "Moto Mods" give your phone a meatier battery, turn it into a boombox for your weekend cookout and transform it into a video projector for an impromptu movie night.
These Mods aren't perfect. They add a layer of bulk when they snap onto the phone's back and you'll need to cough up extra dough to buy them. But Motorola's whole magnetic take on the modular ecosystem is simpler and more approachable than Google's intricate (and still developing) Project Ara. It's also easier to use than LG's clunky G5, which forces you to remove the battery, thereby turning off the phone, if you want to swap parts.
On top of that, the phone ain't cheap. Motorola hasn't said how much the Z costs worldwide, but it will sell with US carrier Verizon for $624. International prices aren't available yet, but convert to about £475 or AU$835.
On the whole, the Moto Z is a reliable and powerful device that can stand up to most of the top-of-the-line phones -- and that's even if you strip away the compelling modular factor. But you wouldn't do that, would you, because those modules are half the fun.
If you're not interested in snapping on an extra battery, or case, or speaker, then skip the Moto Z andbuy something else. But if you can't wait to be on the cutting edge of smartphone design, the Z here is actually useful while still being different and cool. (If you're from the US, you could also check out the Moto Z's meatier counterpart, the Moto Z Force Droid Edition, but in truth I like the Moto Z better.)
Without a doubt, the Moto Z's biggest draw is its Moto Mods, hot-swappable accessories that can decorate the back or, better yet, add extra functionality -- such as a battery pack or audio speaker.
Motorola's take is polished and well-executed because attaching the Mods is as easy as lining up magnetic parts -- science does the rest. You can change Mods in seconds and won't have to power off the phone to do so. There's a decent variety of starter Mods, and Motorola's parent company Lenovo says it's lining up more partners.
Companies such as Incipio, Tumi and Kate Spade make battery packs that can wirelessly charge the phone while also extending battery life. JBL's snap-on speaker rests on a kickstand while it cranks out tunes louder than the phone's built-in speaker. Perhaps the quirkiest Mod, however, is from Motorola itself: the Insta-Share Projector beams images, videos and the Moto Z's display onto any surface. Check out Moto Mods pricing and availability here.
By and large, the Mods stay put when you snap them on. Slimmer "Style Shells" (think of this as a customized back plate) hugged the Moto Z when we dropped it from every angle onto carpet. The bulkier speakers sometimes popped off at the end of a 4-foot drop (which we expected), but otherwise, you'll pull them off when you want to.
Lenovo Phab2 Pro: World's first Google Tango phone could be the key to mind-blowing indoor maps
I'm walking around the conference room, aiming my Tango phone at the space between two chairs where Lenovo executives are sitting. A third empty chair, a plush leather one, sits on the carpet. I'm walking around it, seeing how it looks. But it isn't real: it's augmented, generated by an app on my phone screen. As I move around, it stays in place convincingly. I think to myself...I could use this to furniture-shop for my living room without even lifting a finger
If you haven't used Google's Project Tango, or don't even know what it is, let me simplify: it's a depth-sensing 3D camera system that can scan the world around you and help place virtual objects in the real world. It might be the future of where smart cameras are headed. And it could be a sign of how phones might evolve further into world-scanning powerhouses.
Google's been developing Tango for years as a way to measure distances in 3D space, map out indoor areas, and create virtual and augmented reality, floating virtual objects into real space. Now, Lenovo's got the world's first ready-to-buy Tango phone, and it's calling it the Lenovo Phab2 Pro. And it'll be available this September.
What Tango can do
CNET's seen Tango in action many times, doing all sorts of funky things: simulating furniture shopping,navigating museums, diving in giant VR aquariums. Tango has been in a developer-kit tablet for a while, where it was used for lots of experimental ideas. Tango's chief skills are depth-sensing, location-mapping, and placing virtual objects into reality with a better sense of accuracy. On the tablet, most apps were used in landscape mode. On the Phab2 Pro, most Tango apps are still landscape-mode oriented, too.
The apps I got to try were varied. One placed virtual furniture in the room I was in, allowing me to experiment with what would fit in real, physical space. Lowe's is making one of the first potential Tango killer apps with Lowe's Vision, which measures living space and then can layer in additions, furniture and decor to model in the space. Think Microsoft HoloLens, but instead of floating in front of your face you're viewing things on your phone screen. The rear trio of Tango-enabled cameras have an infrared depth-sensing, a wide-angle lens, and can track motion.
There was another app where I was able to walk around the room I was in, while the Tango camera started generating a 3D photo-mapped model of where I was. This is Tango's most amazing feature: with a bunch of these, you could walk around and map out interior spaces in full 3D. Tango's also unique because it can not only measure, but learn about the shape of areas: where objects begin and end, and where walls and doorways are. At Google I/O, Google said it's aiming to use this tech to map out interior places with the accuracy of outdoor maps. Maybe it's to beef up Google Maps' worldwide database. As an everyday person, however, I'm not still not sure how this would help anyone.
That's the biggest challenge with Tango: it still feels like tech seeking a killer app or purpose. But it definitely has a bunch of clever tricks up its sleeve.
There are a few games, too. I tried running around and shooting at virtual alien-things that hopped around the room I was actually in -- the conference table, the chairs -- much like some augmented reality phone games have already allowed for years. On Tango, the position tracking is far more accurate. It still feels a little silly. More impressively, I laid virtual dominoes on the nearby table and watched them knock down one by one. I walked around my domino creation, and it mostly stayed put -- with a bit of drift that Lenovo says will be corrected by launch. I looked a 3D velociraptor model standing in the corner of the conference room.
Lenovo promises 22 Tango-ready apps for launch this year, and estimates up to 100 apps by the end of 2017. Those numbers may sound conservative. Tango still feels like a development project, in a lot of ways.
Smart cameras are the future (probably)
Tango isn't the only type of smart camera tech lurking around: Intel's 3D RealSense cameras have been around for years, and can also track depth. They're making their way into other devices includinghelmets. Microsoft's developed similar positional-tracking tech in the Kinect and in the HoloLens. Amazon tried something similar in spirit with the Fire Phone and its array of cameras. And Apple acquired Primesense, the company that created the Kinect, back in 2013.
There have been many attempts at similar tech. Will Tango get it right?
Smarter cameras equipped with more advanced computer vision processing and deep learning could be the magic equation. Face and object recognition, auto navigation, and advanced mixed-reality applications that fuse the virtual and real. If phones get upgraded, smarter cameras, they could be doorways into a new future.
The Tango phone is called the Lenovo Phab2 Pro
Lenovo's new Phab2 phone line comes in three models, all of them with massive 6.4-inch screens. The one with Google's new magic Tango cameras -- the Phab2 Pro -- costs more ($499 unlocked in the US, equivalent to £345 UK or AU$672), and has an extra camera array on the back, arranged down the middle. There's a wide-angle camera, plus infrared depth sensing and motion tracking.
The Phab2 Pro has a Quad HD-resolution display, 4GB of RAM, and a Qualcomm Snapdragon 652 processor that's specifically built for Tango. The phone's large size means it feels more like a tablet than a phone. But it's smaller than the previous developer-edition Tango tablet, and more affordable. Plus, it's a connected phone. For those reasons alone, it'll likely be the new Tango device of choice. Whether it becomes more depends on apps.
Specs
6.4-inch Quad HD (2560x1440) IPS display
4GB RAM
64GB storage
microSD up to 128GB
4,050mAh battery with fast charging
Dual SIM slots
Rear 16MP fast-focus camera with Tango depth sensor and motion tracking
Front 8MP fixed-focus camera, F2.2 aperture
Triple-array active noise cancellation
Dolby Atmos + Dolby Audio Capture 5.1
Apple iPhone 7
curved wraparound screen? Nope. Wireless charging? Not yet. Are you bothered that the new iPhone looks the same as last year's iPhone? If you are, I understand the feeling. The iPhone 7 doesn't feel like the "whole new thing." Does that bother you? Maybe. But is it better? Yeah, it is. Except for one small 3.5-millimeter thing.
The iPhone 7, as you may have heard (you've certainly heard), has no headphone jack and it looks almost identical to the 2014 iPhone 6 and 2015 iPhone 6S. But there are still compelling reasons to consider an iPhone 7, even if you own last year's model.
The iPhone 7 is now fully water-resistant (it can take a shallow dunking).
The camera takes notably better photos, especially in low light, and adds the optical image stabilization feature previously restricted to the 5.5-inch Plus model.
The battery lasts longer -- probably a couple of hours or more a day, under normal usage. (We'll update this review after we test the battery in our lab.)
The processor is faster, although you might only notice the speed on some intensive games and the video and photo-editing apps.
It's also got a "wide color gamut" screen with enhanced color accuracy, and enhanced stereo speakers, though I didn't find those improvements as critical as the ones above. And the home button isn't "clickable" anymore -- it uses the same pressure sensitivity and vibration feedback found on the 3D Touch screen. It works perfectly well, but takes some getting used to because there's no mechanical click when you press the home button.
As with last year's iPhone choices, you can also opt for the step-up iPhone 7 Plus, which offers a larger screen (5.5 inches vs. 4.7 inches). But that model's big attraction is the dual rear cameras, which can stitch together two images to offer unique effects such as 2x optical zoom and -- after a future software upgrade -- a cool in-camera bokeh effect, which blurs the background while keeping the foreground in focus.
Now, should you wait until 2017? All the rumors point to Apple delivering a major design overhaul for the iPhone's 10th anniversary -- anything from a Galaxy Edge-style wraparound OLED screen to a fingerprint sensor hidden under the screen to wireless charging. It's tempting. But in the meantime, especially if you want to take advantage of the various retro-contract "free with 2-year commitment" offers, know that the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus are worthy, useful upgrades to their predecessors -- even if they look almost identical from the outside.
Let's not diminish the missing headphone jack. The loss will hurt, especially while other iPhones exist that still have a headphone jack onboard. If you want to plug regular headphones into your new iPhone, a process that seemed simple and uncomplicated before, you now need to consider whether you brought the included dongle, or have a pair of Bluetooth headphones. Or your special Lightning headphones that come in the box. But it's surmountable. I lived with the new iPhone 7 and 7 Plus for a week, and this is my story of life without the jack and with everything else in the new iPhones.
Headphone jackless
Mark me down as someone who will miss the headphone jack.
Despite living in a mostly wearable, wireless world, I don't like Bluetooth headphones. And I also hate dongles. I'm learning to deal with both now. Apple's new AirPods make a case for how more-advanced Bluetooth mini-earphones could be fun to carry around. But to me, nothing beats a cheap pair of plug-and-play earphones for lazy convenience.
Other phones that offer what the iPhone 7 offers don't seem to need to get rid of a headphone jacks. But maybe the trend will grow. The adoption of USB-C, a versatile jack, may lead to headphone jacks going away in Android phones, too. Maybe we should just get ready for the change.
No headphone jack means you'll have to make do with a dongle
True, the iPhone 7 gives you a number of options: Get a pair of Bluetooth headphones. Apple's AirPods, maybe? I'll get to those in a minute. You could use the included wired Apple EarPods, which now have a strange Lightning plug instead of a 3.5mm one. Or the Lightning-to-regular-headphone adapter dongle, which Apple's thoughtfully included in the box. (You can buy extras for $9 a pop.) But you have to remember to take it everywhere with you, and who wants to remember to carry a dongle? (If you leave it attached to your headphones, you better not bring another pair of headphones.)
That little headphone jack is the one thing that I could see bothering people about this phone. Like the single USB-C port on Apple's newest MacBook, it's a compromise that feels forced.
If you're already a wireless headphone power user, you won't miss a thing. But someday -- who knows when? -- you'll find yourself somewhere wanting to use a pair of wired headphones. And you'll find that you can't plug them in because you left your dongle behind. Don't cry to me when that happens.
Design: Black is the new black
In a world of curved eye-popping displays, the iPhone now looks a little old-fashioned. It's slim and attractive and still very well-designed, but the iPhone 7 looks just like the iPhone 6 and 6S. It's like the MacBook Air, or the iPad: A familiar, old form. Maybe more durable, but it's mostly the same. Apple smoothed out the seams that used to hide the phone's antennae, so the aluminum around the back looks smoother. The camera bump is larger, by just a bit.
As Spinal Tap would say, the new jet-black variant (left) is "none more black."
Apple added new colors this year, too. Now the phone comes in two versions of black in addition to the existing silver, gold and rose gold colors. Regular black is matte, while jet black is a high gloss. Jet black, it turns out, is a fingerprint and scratch magnet. Mine is already peppered with microabrasions after just a few days. My suggestion: Don't buy jet black if you care about scratches.
But if you're looking at the iPhone 7 from the front, it's almost impossible to distinguish from the iPhone 6 or 6S. That's how similar the design is.
A home button that doesn't click
Using the new home button, even after a week, feels weird. It's been a hard adjustment.
I've clicked so many home buttons. The iPhone 7's "button" is really a solid state circle that doesn't move at all. It's like the new MacBook trackpads, in a sense. Push down, and you get a haptic "click" that's not quite as satisfying.
Say farewell to the satisfying click of the home button.
You won't wear down the button, though, because it doesn't move. And really, it feels a bit like 3D Touch -- Apple's new pressure-sensitive touchscreen tech introduced on the 6S and returning on the 7 -- moved into the home button.
So if that home button is now just a flat surface, it also feels like a carrot on a stick to use 3D Touch more. I still don't use it much, but iOS 10 uses it a lot more...and to some effective ends. There are so many ways to pull up apps from the home screen, or check info, that the home button really isn't needed much. Now that the screen auto-wakes on lifting, that's doubly true. I bet that home button will just disappear next year, with the fingerprint reader absorbed into the display. Why not?
Yeah, it's really water resistant (but don't go swimming with it)
Apple's IP67 water-resistance rating on the new iPhone finally catches up to phones that have been dunkable for a while. Samsung's Galaxy S7 can survive a drop in the sink. The Note 7 can do it, too. Even the supercheap Moto G4 can do it.
How water resistant is the iPhone 7? Apple calls it "splash and water resistant," and by the way, IP67 means 1 meter of water for 30 minutes and complete dust resistance. But Apple also warns that any dip in salt water should be followed by an immediate rinse in fresh water. And also, you have to dry your phone for at least a couple of hours before charging (I'd take the safe side with this).
Apple finally takes the plunge and waterproofs its iPhones.
I took the iPhone 7 in the shower. I dropped it in a fish tank a few times. I put it in a sink and turned on the tap and filled the sink with the iPhone in it. Stay tuned for further, longer tests. But it's survived every test easily. But FYI, capacitive displays go nutty in water. You won't be able to use it when submerged -- nor should you.
Other small perks: Stereo speakers, a slightly improved display, buzzier haptics
I couldn't appreciate Apple's wider color-gamut display on the iPhone 7, which is supposed to the best next to the iPad Pro 9.7 and 5K iMac, as well as 25 percent brighter. It's good, don't get me wrong. But to my eyes, next to a 6S or 6S Plus, it felt the same. And in direct sunlight (I used it in seriously bright New York September sun), it was sometimes hard to see. Like all iPhones, but not really better.
The speakers sound louder. They surround the left and right sides of the iPhone now, instead of a single speaker down by the home button. It's better for casual game playing or movie watching, but I'd take headphones every time. Or, if I was sharing with someone, I'd pick a larger screen. They don't always sound as defined and crisp as I'd like.
The display is still a bit difficult to view in direct sunlight.
The best improvement of all might be haptics: the vibrations, or rumbles, or taps, or throbs the phone makes in response to your actions. Apple updated the "Taptic Engine" in the iPhone 7, which makes all the vibrations seem sharper and more defined. The silence mode is now a quick tip-tap. Pushing in on 3D Touch icons (if you even do that) throbs more readily. Some sounds and settings now come with phone-rumbling enhancements. Change the clock time, feel the click of the wheel as you spin it. It means that more tactile feedback is possible, even in apps with onscreen buttons. It's like a phone-wide Xbox One rumble pack.
Nice camera bumps, especially in low light
The iPhone 7 gets an upgrade I wished were in the 6S -- namely, optical image stabilization (or OIS). The slightly wider f1.8-aperture lens also lets in more light for low-light photos. OIS and that new lens both make a difference in everyday shots, I've found. Photos at dusk in my backyard that were barely viewable on the 6S looked far brighter on the 7.
With OIS, you can capture clear photos even if you have an unsteady hand.
The 12-megapixel camera's other improvements, including a new ISP for other image improvements, might be too subtle for casual point-and-shooters to appreciate. The four-LED flash is brighter, and helped light up a room so well I could even shoot a barely passable photo of the darkened room next door. Note that Live Photo slows down the shutter speed, so turn it off for faster shots.
This photo was taken at dusk, and it was so dark I couldn't see the lawn. Big step up from 6S.
The front-facing FaceTime camera has been bumped to 7 megapixels now, and it looked great for selfies or videos. With one small caveat: I found that some shots seemed a little washed out in the background even with HDR on in my early review unit.
That's a red Shake Shack tomato.
However, I still found that the I preferred the iPhone 7 Plus camera. Part of that is obvious: It has a dual camera on the back that allows for 2x optical zoom or extra levels of digital zoom. And the added screen size is more useful for looking at photos and editing them.
The iPhone 7's new processor, called the A10 Fusion, promises another significant set of speed bumps with two cores. There's also a new wrinkle: A lower-power battery-optimizing mode with two other cores. In classic Apple fashion, the phone switches between these cores automatically and you can't tweak it.
The iPhone 7 is equipped with an A10 Fusion processor.
In a few benchmarks using GeekBench 4 (an updated version of the no-longer-available GeekBench 3 that we use to test phones), the 7 made big gains (3,488 single-core, 5,605 multicore in case you're curious).
The phone is seriously fast. It's faster than any other iOS devices including the iPad Pro, and faster than Samsung's last batch of phones by a significant margin. But I have to say -- as I do many years -- that this iPhone feels about as fast the last iPhone in most everyday instances.
Someday, maybe, we'll see phones stop getting relentlessly faster every year. For now, it's something to appreciate. But I wouldn't drop everything and get this phone just for any promised speed gains.
Battery life: An extra jolt
I wouldn't call the 7's battery boost dramatic, but I'd call it practical. Both the 7 and 7 Plus seemed to last a whole day without needing a recharge as I'm pretty used to doing. Performance seemed similar to theiPhone SE, anecdotally. Full battery benchmarks are coming this week.
But I don't think battery benchmarks will tell the whole story this time. Our video playback test in airplane mode doesn't reflect what everyday internet use is like, and with Apple's new power-managing processor, what you do will possibly cause different results.
I liked having more battery at last, something I wanted in the 6S. Apple's attentiveness to more power-efficient processing is promising. But lots of great phones now have super-size batteries in them. Think of the Motorola Moto Z Play and Galaxy S7. Apple's battery capacities in iPhones, historically, are usually smaller.
With the iPhone 7, you can go all day without a recharge.
More storage
All the iPhones finally got storage upgrades. Now $649, £599 and AU$1,079 will get you 32GB, and after that $749, £699 and AU$1,229 for 128GB and $849, £799 and AU$1,379 for 256GB. 32GB is the bare minimum I'd recommend anyone get for a phone that lacks expandable storage. I'm sad that 64GB went away.
256GB seems like an insane amount unless you're a filmmaker and live off your iPhone. Shooting in 4K chews up space, and 256GB isn't unrealistic at all if you're out recording a day's worth of video footage.
APPLE IPHONE 7 AND 7 PLUS STORAGE AND PRICING
Model
Storage
US
UK
AU
Apple iPhone 7
32GB
$649
£599
AU$1,079
128GB
$749
£699
AU$1,229
256GB
$849
£799
AU$1,379
Apple iPhone 7 Plus
32GB
$769
£719
AU$1,269
128GB
$869
£819
AU$1,419
256GB
$969
£919
AU$1,569
Hub to the connected world
Phones are hubs. They're utility devices. They're essential. Some people want a phone that's totally swappable, fixable, functional. Some want great battery life. Some want an awesome camera or a huge display. Some want weird things. Some want something easy. There's no right answer. It's complicated now, but in a good way. Most phones do a better job now than anything that ever existed before.
Our favorite phones at CNET are those that mix great utility and awesome design. Now along comes the iPhone 7, and it's...well, it's kinda boring.
The iPhone is what it is: A highly designed, perfected fusion of hardware and software. This version is better than before.
The new iPhone 7 is great, but it's not the most radical handset we've seen from Apple.CNET
Phones are already the way we connect with tons of things around us. I spend my time with dozens of wireless wearable peripherals. Apple's pushing its own versions more than ever: AirPods, the Apple Watch and probably more things to come. Virtual and augmented reality, perhaps. A whole universe of connected smart home gadgets.
The iPhone is the thing at the center. And this one's better, overall. But if you want something that looks and feels different, wait till next year. Or, go elsewhere. Nearly every other phone, including Apple's still-excellent iPhone 6S, still has that comfy old headphone jack.
That might change very soon, though, across the smartphone landscape. And the iPhone might change radically with it.
This iPhone feels like it's laying the groundwork for a more sealed-off, improved, wireless system. In the meantime, it's a little bit boring.
I'm OK with that if it's reliable. This year's upgrade isn't something you need to have. But its improvements are likely doing some subtle paving of the way toward changes in another iPhone next year.
If you care about better photos, and want to be a little more future-proofed for whatever Apple has in store for that dual camera, seriously think about getting the 7 Plus.
