Month: October 2017

Best small tablet 2017

The tablet’s heyday might have been and gone but there are still some decent small tablets around which will make a nice companion for your phone or laptop. Here are the best ones you can buy.

New tablets are somewhat hard to come by these days but if you’re in the market for a pint-sized slate then here are the best small tablets around you can buy.

Your buying guide for the best small tablets in 2017

The tablet market has slowed down significantly over the last few years, so much so that the likes of Sony and LG don’t even make them anymore. We used to have plenty of favourites including the Xperia Z3 Tablet Compact and LG G Pad 8.3.

Google’s hugely popular Nexus 7 seems like a lifetime ago and Tesco sadly ended the amazing Hudl range. Although many are a distant memory, there are a handful of small tablets still around that you can buy brand new.

You can still rely on firms like Apple, Amazon and Samsung for this kind of device.We’reking tablets with a screen size under 9in as a typical full-size tablet starts at 9.7in.

We’ve managed to round up the best small tablets you can buy in 2017 and some of them even launched this year. We’ll endeavour to add more as review them.

  1. Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 8

This is a tablet well worth considering if you’ve been thinking about buying the iPad mini 4, as it can contend and sometimes outshine Apple’s mini tablet when it comes to design and power. It’s almost unbelievably thin and light and that screen is a joy to use.

  1. iPad mini 4

The iPad mini 4 is now only available in 128GB so starts at a higher price of £419. That makes it one of the most expensive small tablets around but it’s still one of the best. It’s got a great screen, excellent build quality, top battery life and Apple’s wealth of apps. You won’t be disappointed if you can afford it.

  1. Huawei MediaPad M3

In a stagnated market, the Huawei MediaPad M3 initially feels a little underwhelming. After extended use though, we reckon it’s a cut above the mid-range, but then again at this price you are paying for it. It’s a good alternative to an iPad if you want an Android tablet that’s bigger than an iPad mini but smaller than an iPad Air 2. But, who is specifically looking for that? The MediaPad is excellent and we recommend it, but it lacks a certain ‘wow’ factor that’s largely down to the high number of existing Android tablets. The MediaPad 3 is a cut above, but you should also consider Samsung’s Galaxy Tab series for a similarly excellent Android tablet experience.

The First Five Things You Should Do With Your New Computer

Were you lucky enough to pick up a new computer recently?

If so, congratulations!

No matter if it’s a snazzy new Microsoft Surface Book (pictured), some other Windows 10 laptop, or a traditional desktop computer, don’t worry about your computer skills or where specific keyboard keys are.

Instead, here are the first five things you need to do:

Update Your Antimalware Program

The last thing you want to do is get your brand new computer infected with malware.

Who wants that?

I thought about calling this “install an antimalware program” but almost all computers come with one preinstalled. Windows 10 comes with Microsoft’s own tool built-in so most PCs are ready to go.

Here’s the thing, though: it won’t be updated. Probably not, anyway. So, after setting it up, head to the scanner’s settings and update the “definitions” – the instructions that teach the program how to identify and remove new viruses, Trojans, worms, etc.

Tip: Like I mentioned above, new Windows computers typically have basic antivirus protection, but it’s not the best.

Install Available Windows Updates

Yes, I know, you’d think your brand new computer would be fully updated but chances are it won’t be.

Microsoft releases security and non-security updates to Windows on at least a monthly basis, often times more frequently than that!

Tip: The Windows Update tool is preconfigured to download and install updates automatically. While this is generally a good thing, it can be a bit overwhelming of a thing to happen in the background during the first few hours of using your new computer.

Install a File Recovery Program

This one might surprise you. Why install a program to help recover accidentally deleted files if you haven’t even used your computer yet, let alone lost something?

Here’s why: The big catch-22 about file recovery programs is that you often have to install one before+ you can use it, a process which could permanently overwrite the area on the hard drive where your deleted file is sitting. That’s not a risk you want to take.

Sign Up for an Online Backup Service

Yep, another proactive step here, one you’ll be thanking me for someday.

Online backup services are combination software tools and subscription services that automatically keep what data you want to be protected on secure servers away from your home or business.

In my opinion, an online backup service is the best and most cost effective long term solution to keeping your data safe.

Uninstall Programs You Don’t Want

You may already have noticed that your computer came with a lot of… well, let’s just say “extra” software.

In theory, leaving these programs installed won’t hurt much if anything, aside from taking up a bit of hard drive space. In reality, many of these preinstalled programs run in the background, hogging up memory and processor power that you’d rather use for other things.

My advice? Head into Control Panel and get those programs removed.

WHAT IS THE BEST WAY TO CHARGE YOUR PHONE? USB TYPE-C, WIRELESS, FAST CHARGING?

There are heaps of options for charging your phone these days. Once upon a time we simply had the choice between charging with a wall socket or with our computer and a USB cable, now have USB Type-C, wireless docks, fast charging and even fast charging wireless docks. So which is best? We take a look at charging speeds, life cycles and problems to help you decide on the best way to charge your phone.

USB Type-C

USB Type C is the new kid on the block. It will soon replace standard USB 2.0 charging cables. Even though there are only two ways to plug in a current USB cable, it always seems to take at least three attempts. Type-C plugs are reversible, so it doesn’t matter which way you plug them in.

USB Type-C also has much faster data transfer speeds – up to 10 GB/s. But not always. ‘True’ USB Type-C uses the USB 3.1 standard, but with some devices, like the OnePlus 2, the USB Type-C cable is just a redesigned USB 2.0 cable. That means the OnePlus 2, using the included cable, won’t transfer data any faster than any other USB 2.0 device. So be sure not to judge a book by its cover.

Furthermore, a redesigned USB 2.0 cable is not going to charge a device with a USB Type-C port any faster than a regular 2.0 cable, because on the inside it’s the same. However, charging speeds are more limited by the device than the cable. So if your phone has a Type-C port and you get a real Type-C cable then you will get Type-C speeds.

A USB Type-C cable can charge at up to 100W at 20V, whereas most smartphones are limited to 18-24W (and the OnePlus 2 to 10W). Most USB Type-C equipped smartphones will be limited to 36W at at 12V with the upper reaches of USB Type-C’s range reserved for laptops.

Wireless charging

Wireless charging usually works through one of a few standards: Qi, PMA, WPC are the most common. Some devices, such as the Galaxy S6 Edge+ and Galaxy Note 5, support both the Qi and PMA standard, making getting the right charger much simpler.

Wireless charging, for all its convenience, comes at a cost. For instance, it is slower than cabled charging because the efficiency of the power transfer is negatively affected by distance as well as the coupling strength between the magnetic coils in either side of the connection. Poorer coupling also generates more heat.

The other cost of wireless charging is literal: charging docks and platters cost significantly more than a regular cable. Where a regular USB Type-C cable will set you back US$5, a wireless dock can cost as much as US$50 (for an official Samsung wireless charger) or around US$20 for a no-name brand.

Wireless charging is generally around 20 percent slower than cabled charging but, you guessed it, it depends on the device and the output of the wireless charger. To give an example, the Nexus 5 cabled charger works at 1.2A and the wireless charger at 1A. Some wireless chargers will only charge at half the speed; Qi is limited to 5W where Type-C can hit 100W.

Fast charging

Fast charging is the latest and greatest innovation, even though it’s not all that new. Qualcomm’s Quick Charge 1.0 standard has been around since the Droid DNA and Nexus 4. Where Quick Charge 1.0 was 40 percent faster than regular charging, 2.0 was 75 percent faster, and the recently-announced Quick Charge 3.0 will be four times faster than standard charging.

Quick Charge 2.0 appeared in devices as far back as the HTC One M8 and 3.0 will appear in phones running Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 820 next year. Despite the speed boost, what effect does fast charging – or turbo charging as its sometimes labeled – have on your battery?

Generally speaking, the life of a battery is dependent on charge cycles, although other factors like heat, humidity and damage can have an effect too. Lithium ion batteries don’t have memory like some older battery types, meaning there is no need to fully deplete and fully charge them. But whether you charge them fully each time or not, their life span is still calculated in terms of full charge cycles.

If you want to fully understand how partial charges affect total charge cycles, you can visit the Battery University for a quick lesson on how partial discharges affect the life cycle of a lithium ion battery. But how does fast charging affect battery life?

If you’re using the included charger (or an official optional accessory charger) then your battery life shouldn’t be affected by fast charging. But a fast charge battery will still die sooner than a regular battery designed for more gentle charging. It’s the battery tech equivalent of the brightest lights burning out the quickest. But fast charge batteries are designed with this in mind.

If you’re using fast chargers that weren’t designed for your device though, the variances in amperage, voltage and resistance can cause problems. Fast charging relies on special hardware in the charger and a chip in your phone that helps regulate how much charge is being pumped into your phone. Modify the ingredients in this finely balanced recipe, and you might have a mess on your hands.

Fast wireless charging

This is a whole new kettle of fish. Samsung introduced its new quick charge wireless platter alongside the Note 5 and S6 edge+. It’s an optional extra and isn’t backwards compatible with the regular S6 or S6 Edge. But it will provide quick charge capabilities with the convenience of wireless charging.

But how fast is it compared to regular wireless charging? The new fast wireless standard promises to be 1.4 times faster than regular Qi wireless charging and will up the charge ceiling to 15W – that’s three times the current standard. According to Samsung, you’ll charge your Note 5 or S6 edge+ 50 percent faster with fast wireless charging than you would with regular wireless.

So which is best?

That depends on what you want out of your battery. If you want to prolong your battery life as much as possible, a regular cable charger is your best bet. If you’re all about convenience and hate cables then wireless is for you.

But if the fastest possible charge time is what you’re after, then you’re going to want to look for a cabled fast charger or USB Type-C device. If you’re in the market for a new phone and want the best of all worlds then pick up a Note 5 or S6 Edge+ along with Samsung’s fast wireless charger. Other devices will soon appear featuring the same tech.

In all honesty, a mixture of all methods is the most likely solution. You can fast charge at home where your fast charging adapter lives, charge wirelessly at the office where you have your nifty wireless dock, and with a regular cable at your non-techy friend’s house.

HOW TO CHARGE YOUR ANDROID PHONE BATTERY FASTER

We’ve all done it: you’re getting ready to leave the house and you realize you’ve forgotten to charge your phone. Its battery level is perilously low, but you have 15 minutes to spare, so you plug it into its charger to give the battery a boost – and it gains a measly two percent. How do you avoid this in future? Read our guide on how to charge your Android battery faster.

Get the right plug and charger

While Android chargers have a universal fitting, that doesn’t mean they’re all the same. Connecting your charging cable to a laptop is a bad idea if you want to charge your phone quickly: a USB 2.0 port chucks out just 2.5 watts of power, while USB 3 delivers 4.5 watts. Your wall charger will deliver much more, so this is the best bet if you want the speediest charging.

Many modern Android phones support fast charging, which delivers a whopping 15 watts and can therefore charge your phone much more quickly. You’ll find a good list of fast charging phones on the Qualcomm website (you don’t need to have a Qualcomm processor; just Qualcomm’s power system).

Be aware that just because a phone supports fast charging, it doesn’t mean the charger that came with it is a fast charger. You may have to buy your own. For example, the LG G4 is compatible with fast charging but the stock charger isn’t a fast charger.

You don’t necessarily need to buy your phone maker’s own charger – a third party one can save you a fortune – but be wary of no-name gray market cheapies, which have a tendency to set things on fire.

Put it into airplane mode

The less your phone is trying do while it’s charging, the more quickly it will recharge. Airplane mode blocks any wireless radios on your device, reducing your phone’s capabilities and therefore stopping it from doing so much.

It won’t receive calls or messages while it’s in airplane mode, but it’s worth it to have a device that will stay on for the next few hours.

Turn it off

Turning your phone off completely will allow it to recharge even faster than putting it in airplane mode. Again, you might miss out on a few notifications while it is off, but you’ll have to live with that if you want your phone to last until you come home again.

Use a battery-saving mode

Every Android Lollipop device has a battery saving mode of some description, whether it’s the stock option or a manufacturer-specific feature such as Motorola’s Doze. Switch this on to conserve power while your phone recharges.

Switch off unnecessary features

Check to see if you have any unnecessary features on, such as Bluetooth, GPS, Wi-Fi or NFC, which could be using up battery power. Close all your apps and stop your phone from doing automatic backups or updating apps from the Google Play Store.

Don’t touch it

If you need your phone on and out of airplane mode while it’s charging, because you are expecting an important call, try not to keep using your phone every 30 seconds. Why? Because the screen is the biggest battery drainer of them all.

The more you wake your phone, the faster its battery will drain. So try to avoid the urge to check every notification that comes through, leave it to charge, and it will reach the desired level much faster.

Buy a portable USB charger

This won’t actually charge your phone faster, but it will solve the problem of having a low battery and not enough time to fully charge it. Portable USB chargers come in small, lightweight packages and often can be picked up for less than US$20.

HOW TO CALIBRATE THE BATTERY ON YOUR ANDROID PHONE OR TABLET

Battery problems are among the biggest concerns for smartphone users, which is why we offer so many useful tips for solving battery drain issues. If you notice that your battery performance and duration has decreased, it could be time to calibrate your battery.

How do I know whether my battery is the problem?

First of all, you need to identify why your battery performance has decreased: is it the Android system’s calibration or the battery itself? We’ll move onto calibration in the sections below, but you should check if your battery itself is damaged first.

If your phone has a removable battery cover, turn off your phone, remove the cover and inspect the battery. Look for bulges or leaks. In the image below, you’ll see what a normal battery looks like next to a swollen one. If your phone doesn’t sit flat on the table anymore, that could also be a sign of a swollen battery too.

What is calibrating a battery?

The Android operating system has a feature called Battery Stats, which keeps track of battery capacity, when it is full or empty. The problem is that it sometimes becomes corrupted and starts displaying data that isn’t real, which, for example, causes the phone to turn off before it reaches 0 percent. Calibrating your Android battery simply means getting the Android OS to correct this information so it is reflective of your actual battery levels once again.

It’s important to understand that you can’t actually calibrate the battery itself: it is, after all, just a cell that stores power and discharges. However, lithium-ion batteries do include a printed circuit board (PCB), which serves as a protection switch to stop them exploding or deep discharging.

How to calibrate an Android device battery without root access

The old ‘fully charge and discharge’ approach stands as one of the simplest ways to ‘recalibrate’ your Android battery. We’ve warned you in the past about low voltage problems in lithium batteries and the negative impacts of fully draining a battery on its lifespan and the same holds true here. But, if your phone battery is causing you real problems, it’s worth taking the risk.

Method 1

  1. Discharge your phone fully until it turns itself off.
  2. Turn it on again and let it turn itself off.
  3. Plug your phone into a charger and, without turning it on, let it charge until the on-screen or LED indicator says 100 percent.
  4. Unplug your charger.
  5. Turn your phone on. It’s likely that the battery indicator won’t say 100 percent, so plug the charger back in (leave your phone on) and continue charging until it says 100 percent on-screen as well.
  6. Unplug your phone and restart it. If it doesn’t say 100 percent, plug the charger back in until it says 100 percent on screen.
  7. Repeat this cycle until it says 100 percent (or as close as you think it’s going to get) when you start it up without it being plugged in.
  8. Now, let your battery discharge all the way down to 0 percent and let your phone turn off again.
  9. Fully charge the battery one more time without interruption and you should have reset the Android system’s battery percentage.

Remember that it is not recommended to perform this process regularly. Even when your battery is so dead your phone won’t even turn on, your battery still has enough reserve charge to avoid system damage. But you don’t want to poke the tiger with a stick. Perform this process once every three months at the most. If it is required more often than that, you have bigger problems at hand.

Put plainly: fully discharging a battery is bad for it. Trying to overload a battery is also bad for it. The good news is that charging batteries will shut off automatically when they’ve reached their safe limit and there’s always a little in reserve even if your phone won’t start. Again: only do this when really necessary, because it does have a negative impact on battery life.

How to calibrate an Android device battery with root access

Even though I’m not convinced that clearing the batterystats.bin file has any meaningful effect on how the Android system reports remaining battery charge, there are those who swear by this method.

So in the interest of fairness, we’ve included the process for you here (it is true that different manufacturers use the batterystats.bin file for different things). It’s basically the same process as above, but with the added step of using a root-enabled app.

Method 2

  1. Discharge your phone fully until it turns itself off.
  2. Turn it on and let it turn off again.
  3. Plug your phone into a charger and, without turning it on, let it charge until the on-screen or LED indicator says 100 percent.
  4. Unplug your charger.
  5. Turn your phone on. It’s likely that the battery indicator won’t say 100 percent, so plug the charger back in (leave your phone on) and continue charging until it says 100 percent on the screen as well.
  6. Unplug your phone and restart it. If it doesn’t say 100 percent, plug the charger back in until it says 100 percent on screen.
  7. You want to repeat this cycle until it says 100 percent (or as close as you think it’s going to get) when you start it up without it being plugged in.
  8. Now, install the Battery Calibration app, and before you launch it, make sure your battery is at 100 percent again, then restart.
  9. Immediately launch the app and recalibrate your battery.
  10. Once you’ve calibrated your battery, discharge it all the way down to 0 percent and let your phone turn off again.
  11. Fully charge the battery one more time without interruption while it’s switched off, and the Android system’s battery percentage will be reset.

That’s it. Have you tried any of these methods? Do you know an alternate way to fix battery problems? Let us know in the comments.

5 Ways to Keep Windows XP Running Strong

Windows XP has been out since 2001, and it’s still one of the most popular Microsoft operating systems (OS) in use today despite several upgrades, with the latest update being Windows 10.

Add More RAM

RAM is the memory that your computer uses to run programs, and the general rule of thumb is “More is Better.” Many XP computers, having been bought many years ago, will have 1GB (gigabytes) of RAM or even less (my father’s computer, for example, came with 512MB (megabytes), which is barely enough to run the OS).

It’s very hard to get anything done these days with that amount of RAM.

The practical limit on how much RAM a Windows XP computer can use is about 3GB. Thus, if you put 4GB or more in, you’re just wasting money. Adding any more than you have now (assuming you have less than 3GB) is good; getting to at least 2GB will make your computer much snappier.

Upgrade to Service Pack 3

Service Packs (SPs) are rollups of fixes, enhancements, and additions to a Windows OS. Often, the most important things in them are the security updates. Windows XP is at SP 3. If you’re on SP 2 or (hopefully not!) SP 1 or no SP at all, go download it right now. This minute. You can download it by turning on Automatic Updates; download and install it manually; or order it on CD and install that way. I strongly recommend turning on Automatic Updates in XP.

Buy a New Graphics Card

If you have an XP computer, it’s likely you also have a very old graphics card. This will affect your performance in a number of ways, especially if you’re a gamer. Newer cards have more RAM on board, taking much of the load off your central processing unit (you’ve probably heard abbreviated as CPU).

You can get a mid-grade card for little money nowadays, but the effect on your Internet experience, and in other ways, could be significant. A good place to start is About.com’s PC Hardware/Reviews site.

Upgrade Your Network

Your home network may be ready for an upgrade. For instance, most homes use the wireless technology known as 802.11b/g to connect computers through a router. The upcoming standard is called Wi-Fi HaLow and will be an extension of the 802.11ah standard. The Wi-Fi Alliance intends to begin certifying HaLow products in 2018.

Download Microsoft Security Essentials

XP computers are more susceptible than other Windows versions to attack. In addition, spyware and adware — the computer equivalent of junk mail — can build up over the years and slow your computer to crawling-through-oatmeal speeds. Microsoft has an answer for that which wasn’t available when you bought your machine: Microsoft Security Essentials.

Security Essentials is a free program that guards your computer against worms and viruses, spyware and other bad stuff. It works very well, is easy to use, and highly recommended. It’s been protecting my computer for months, and I wouldn’t leave home (or my computer on) without it.

Eventually, you will need to get a new computer, since Microsoft will stop offering support for Windows XP, including security updates. But taking these steps will help you get the most out of the time you have left.

Simple Ways to Maintain Your Computer

If you’ve ever fried a CPU because you didn’t clean your fan, lost a decade of your digital life to a hard drive crash, or spent four hours trying to remove a nasty virus, you’ve probably already learned a valuable lesson about the need to maintain your computer.

Medical experts remind us that “prevention is the best medicine” so as your personal computer support expert, I’m going to strongly advise that you apply the same logic to your computer!

While the three areas I talk about below are anything but exhaustive, they’re the most important things to consider and, if you act on them, should keep you from suffering from some of the more serious, and expensive, issues you might otherwise run in to.

Keep Important Files Backed Up

The most important thing you can do as a computer owner is to consistently and reliably back up the data stored on your hard drive. Hardware used to be the most valuable part of a computer but those bits and bytes are now the real investment.

You’ve spent huge amounts of money on software and digital music and video, and countless hours authoring documents and organizing your digital files. If you don’t regularly backup this information, a serious computer problem could leave you with nothing but a huge feeling of regret.

The best solution is a cloud based backup service. Yes, it’ll cost you a several dollars a month, but considering what you get, it’s the cheapest insurance policy on your important stuff that you’ll find.

Traditional backup software is an option too but all in all, it’s less safe than backing up to the cloud.

Regularly Update Your Critical Software

Keeping the software on your computer updated is no longer an optional part of computer ownership. Viruses, worms, and other malware, in addition to junk mail, security breaches, hardware incompatibilities, and software conflicts, are all now part of your daily digital life.

Updating your computer with the latest patches, fixes, and device drivers really can keep these annoyances at bay. Updates are freely available on the internet for just about every antivirus program, email client, operating system, and piece of hardware you could possibly own.

So, don’t skip those Patch Tuesday releases, don’t be scared to update your hardware’s drivers, and please make sure that you regularly scan for viruses or make sure the “always on” protection is enabled in your antivirus program.

Make Sure Things are Clean (So They Stay Cool)

We all know that most things run a little better when they’re clean. Water flows easier when your plumbing is clean, your car’s engine runs better if you’ve been taking care of it, and your dryer does more in less time when you clean out the lint.

The fans in your computer, assuming yours has any, need similar care so they can continue to keep the important components that are part of your computer nice and cool. If things get too hot, they stop working.

See Ways to Keep Your Computer Cool for lots of advice, from how to clean your fans, to other tips that can help keep the heat at bay.

Your computer is no different. Keeping your files and folders tidy in your virtual world and clearing the dust and grime that builds up inside and outside your computer all play a part in keeping it running smooth day in and day out.

What Is Retina Display?

Retina Display is the name given by Apple to the high-resolution screen technology used on various models of the iPhone, iPod touch, and other Apple products. It was introduced with the iPhone 4 in June 2010.

What Is Retina Display?

Retina Display gets its name from Apple’s claim that screens made with the technology are so sharp and high quality that it’s impossible for the human eye to distinguish individual pixels.

Retina Display smoothes the jagged edges of the pixels that make up images on screens.

The benefits of the technology are visible in many uses, but especially for displaying text, where curved font edges are substantially smoother than on previous display technologies.

Retina Display’s image quality derives from a number of factors:

  • A high density of the pixels that make up the device’s screen
  • Higher contrast ratio than previous models to create brighter whites and deeper blacks
  • In-Plane Switching (IPS) technology to improve the angles from which the screen can be viewed
  • Chemically treated glass over the screen and LED backlighting to improve the quality of the image.

The Two Factors That Make a Screen Retina Display

Here’s where things get a little tricky: There is no single screen resolution that makes something a Retina Display.

For instance, you can’t say that every device with a resolution of  960 x 640 (like the iPhone 4) has a Retina Display.

Instead, there are two factors that create a Retina Display screen: pixel density and the distance from which the screen is normally viewed.

Pixel Density refers to how tightly packed the screen’s pixels are. The greater the density, the smoother the images. Pixel density is measured in pixels per inch, or PPI, which indicates how many pixels are in one square inch of screen.

This is based on a combination of the device’s resolution and its physical size.

The iPhone 4 had 326 PPI thanks to a 3.5-inch screen with a 960 x 640 resolution. This was the original PPI for Retina Display screens, though that changed as later models were released. For instance, the iPad Air 2 has a 2048 x 1536 pixel screen, resulting in 264 PPI. That, too, is a Retina Display screen. This is where the second factor comes in.

Viewing Distance refers to how far away users generally hold the device from their faces. For example, the iPhone is generally held fairly close to the user’s face, while a Macbook Pro is generally held farther away. This matters because the defining characteristic of a Retina Display is that the pixels can’t be seen by a human eye. Something that’s seen from much closer up needs a greater pixel density for the eye not to see the pixels. Pixel density can be lower for things seen at a greater distance.

Other Retina Display Names

As Apple has introduced new devices, screen sizes, and pixel densities, it has begun to use other names for different Retina Displays. These include:

Retina Display—used on the iPhone 4, among others

Retina HD Display—used on the iPhone 6 Plus, and others

Retina 4K Display—used on the 21-inch iMac

Retina 5K Display—used on the 27-inch iMac

Super Retina HD Display—used on the iPhone X.

Google Phones: A Look At The Pixel Line

Pixel phones are the official flagship Android devices from Google. Unlike other Android phones, which are designed by a variety of phone manufacturers, Pixels are designed by Google to showcase the capabilities of Android. Verizon is the only carrier selling the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL in the U.S., but you can buy it directly from Google. The phone is unlocked, so it will work with all major U.S. carriers and Project Fi, which is Google’s own cellular phone service.

Google Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL

  • Manufacturer: HTC (Pixel 2) / LG (Pixel 2 XL)
  • Display: 5 in AMOLED (Pixel 2) / 6 in pOLED (Pixel 2 XL)
  • Resolution: 1920 x 1080 @ 441ppi (Pixel 2) / 2880 x 1440 @ 538ppi (Pixel 2 XL)
  • Front camera: 8 MP
  • Rear camera: 12.2 MP
  • Initial Android version: 8.0 “Oreo”

Like the original Pixel, the Pixel 2 features metal unibody construction with a glass panel on the rear. Unlike the originals, the Pixel 2 boasts IP67 dust and water resistance, which means that they can survive being submerged in up to three feet of water for 30 minutes.

The Pixel 2 processor, a Qualcomm Snapdragon 835, is 27 percent faster and consumes 40 percent less energy than the processor in the original Pixel.

Unlike the original Pixel, Google went with two different manufacturers for the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL. That led to rumors that the Pixel 2 XL, manufactured by LG, may feature a bezel-less design.

That didn’t happen. Despite being manufactured by different companies (HTC and LG), the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL look very similar, and they both continue to sport fairly chunky bezels.

Like the original phones in the line, the Pixel 2 XL differs from the Pixel 2 only in terms of screen size and battery capacity. The Pixel 2 has a 5 inch screen and a 2,700 mAH battery, while its larger sibling has a 6 inch screen and a 3,520 mAH battery.

The only real cosmetic difference between the two, other than size, is that the Pixel 2 comes in blue, white and black, while the Pixel 2 XL is available in black and a two-tone black and white scheme.

The Pixel 2 includes a USB-C port, but it doesn’t have a headphone jack. The USB port supports compatible headphones, and there is also a USB-to-3.5mm adapter available.

Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL New Features

  1. Active Edge: Squeeze the Pixel 2 or Pixel 2 XL to launch Google Assistant.
  2. Google Lens: Point the camera at objects, like landmarks or the text on a movie poster, to pull up relevant information.
  3. Now Playing: Listens for music and displays the song and artist without sending or receiving any data.
  4. Always-On Display: An always-on features shows the time, notifications, and other information.
  5. Highly rated camera: The rear camera received a rating of 98 from DxOMark, the highest yet for a smartphone.
  6. Free Google Home Mini: Early adopters receive a free Google Home Mini smart speaker.

Apple is ‘looking into’ why some iPhone 8 batteries are swelling

Apple seems to have an iPhone 8 battery problem on its hands, and it’s not clear yet whether it’s occurring in just a handful of edge cases or in a larger batch of phones.

Over the past week, reports have been coming out about iPhone 8s that have split apart either on arrival or after several days of use. What appears to be happening is that the battery inside the phone is swelling, bending the front of the phone and separating it from the body of the device. So far, there haven’t been any fires — just ruined phones.

Apple has a short statement on the matter: “We are aware and looking into it.”

The first report came out of Taiwan, where a woman is said to have found her iPhone swollen apart after plugging it in to charge. Someone in Japan then posted photos of a split-apart phone on Twitter. And in the days since, there’ve been cases in China, Canada, and Greece.

There appear to be only six or so reports so far — certainly less than a dozen that have been publicly identified — so the issue seems to be quite small in comparison to the millions of phones that Apple has likely already sold. In any manufacturing run that big, there are going to be occasional issues, so on some level seeing a few broken iPhones is expected.

But after Samsung’s Note 7 fiasco, there’s reason to be concerned about what’s happening here — especially since it’s a battery issue. Batteries shouldn’t be swelling in any number, and it’s not clear what the half-dozen iPhones that are having this problem have in common. While it seems to be rare, there’s obviously good reason to want to know what’s going on.

“[Swelling is] very unusual for a brand-new battery and leads toward the direction of there’s something fundamentally wrong with this battery,” says Sam Jaffe, managing director of Cairn Energy Research Advisors, in a phone call with The Verge. Jaffe, a battery industry analyst, says manufacturers have reached a limit with lithium-ion battery capacity and could end up producing designs with a bigger risk of short circuiting in an attempt to store more power.

For now, he says, it’s too early to know what’s happening with Apple’s phones. “It could be just a random distribution,” he says. “Just a random event, and it’s only a few.”

Jaffe suspects Apple’s executives are “in crisis mode” over the potential damage that battery issues could lead to. But while we’ve seen a few swollen batteries already, he says, it doesn’t mean the problem will necessarily elevate into a Note 7-style crisis with phones starting to produce smoke.

“Swelling is always a precursor when there is a battery fire, but the percentage of actual fires are pretty rare,” Jaffe says. “In the Galaxy Note case, there were probably a couple hundred battery failures of one sort or another, but there were only a handful of fires — so that gives you a sense of the proportion of actual fires.”