iPhone 8 review

OUR VERDICT

Don’t let the iPhone 8 name fool you – this is very much the iPhone 7S, an incremental upgrade on 2016’s 4.7-inch iPhone 7 with a few additions here and there, but nothing to really wow.

The iPhone 8 is an iPhone through and through. If you’ve owned an Apple handset from the iPhone 6 onwards, you’ll pretty much know exactly what you’re getting with this phone.

Android fans and iPhone pessimists will be quick to point out the seemingly minor incremental upgrades over 2016’s iPhone 7, but for those with an iPhone 6S or before that’s less of a problem.

While it may not offer much over its direct predecessor, the iPhone 8 has enough about it to make it an exciting upgrade for those with older iPhone handsets.

There’s extra power under the hood, which powers Apple’s new AR (augmented reality) app push, a tweaked display and camera, a glossy glass rear and the addition of wireless charging – plus, if you’re upgrading from an iPhone older than the iPhone 7, its dust and water-resistant body will be a bonus.

Apple hasn’t reinvented the wheel here – if you’re craving innovation (within the iPhone bubble) see the iPhone X – but for those wanting to maintain the status quo of their mobile life, the iPhone 8 is very much business as usual, just in a slightly nicer suit.

iPhone 8 price and availability

•  Launch price (64GB): $699 (£699, AU$1,079) 
•  Launch price (256GB): $849 (£849, AU$1,329) 
•  On sale from September 22, 2017 

The iPhone 8 sets a new bar in terms of cost for Apple’s most mainstream handset, upping the price tag once again.

The entry-level iPhone 8 will set you back $699 (£699, AU$1,079), which is up from the $649 (£599, AU$1,079) price of the iPhone 7 – however it’s not all bad news, as the iPhone 8 comes with 64GB of storage at this price, while its predecessor could only boast 32GB.

If 64GB of internal storage doesn’t sound like enough for all your photos, videos, apps and games, the iPhone 8 also comes in a rather flash 256GB variant, which costs $849 (£849, AU$1,329).

The good news, though, is that Apple is still selling the iPhone 7 and iPhone 6S, so if its latest iPhone is a little out of your price bracket you can still pick up the phones it’s succeeding, and now at a reduced price.

The iPhone 8 is now widely available around the world too, after its official release on September 22 in a number of countries including the US, US and Australia, with the handset arriving in more locations, including Eastern Europe and the Middle East from September 29.

Design

•  Glass rear looks and feels great, and enables wireless charging 
•  Front still bezel-heavy and almost identical to past three generations 

The iPhone 8 marks the most radical change in iPhone design for three years – but don’t get too excited.

One of the big upgrades Apple has given its new iPhone, and the focus of the design, is the  glass rear – it’s an upgrade over the aluminium body used since the iPhone 5, and its inclusion means a brand-new feature in the shape of wireless charging.

However, in terms of size, shape and look the iPhone 8 uses the same form factor as the iPhone 7, 6S and 6, and from the front it’s almost impossible to differentiate between the four generations of handsets.

The iPhone 8 is a fraction of a millimeter thicker (7.3mm vs 7.1mm), wider (67.3mm vs 67.1mm) and taller (138.4mm vs 138.3mm) than the iPhone 7, but you won’t notice. The point we’re making is that it’s similar... very, very similar.

It’s heavier too, an extra 10g over the iPhone 7, which may be a little more .

The ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’ argument can be tossed around here, and Apple certainly hasn’t had any trouble shifting large quantities of its smartphone in recent years; but in a year when Samsung and LG dramatically slashed the bezels to give us striking, futuristic designs, the iPhone 8 falls flat.

It’s not like Apple has missed this trend – the bezeless iPhone X is testament to the fact that it hasn’t – but it means the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus look ever-more dated against the competition, which now includes a rival in their own camp.

There’s still a camera bump too – this is easily remedied with a case, but for those wanting to show off the new glossy rear of the phone it increases the chance of damage when you place it on a flat surface.

The power/lock key is still easy to hit on the right side of the handset, as is the centralized home button with Touch ID fingerprint scanner located in the bezel below the 4.7-inch display. The mute switch and volume keys reside on the left of the phone, and are again well placed for easy manipulation.

It all works, the design is functional, and it’s not a bad-looking handset – but glance at that price tag and it’s hard not to feel a little short-changed on initial inspection.

A final word on the glass rear too – we prefer the way it looks and feels versus the metal body of the iPhone 7 and co., but it also means it’s even more slippery. 

If you’re someone who’s liable to drop their smartphone, the iPhone 8 comes with a high risk warning, so invest in a bumper, as there’s glass to be smashed on both sides now. 

Apple says the glass is super-tough, but we’ve found that it does scratch – and if you opt for the Space Grey color it’s also quite the fingerprint magnet. The silver model we reviewed was more forgiving though, which meant less time cleaning it with our shirt sleeve.

 Display 

•  4.7-inch Retina HD display, same as the iPhone 7 
•  Apple’s True Tone tech improves colors and contrast 

 On paper there’s nothing between the iPhone 8 display and the screen on the phone it’s replacing. Both it and the iPhone 7 boast a 4.7-inch IPS display with a 750 x 1334 resolution, giving a 326ppi pixel density.

In fact, it’s the same size and resolution as the iPhone 6, which was launched back in 2014.

While on paper this may seem like the same old story of Apple refusing to be pushed on upping specification, it hasn’t left the display alone completely, adding True Tone display technology to the panel.

What this does is monitor the ambient light around the handset, and calibrate the screen to best suit the lighting conditions you’re in. It results in stronger colors and improved contrast, which does make the display look better than iPhone screens that came before it.

Place True Tone and non-True Tone iPhones side by side and you can see some improvement, but the iPhone 8’s display still doesn’t have quite the same colorful punch, or clarity, as the QHD+ AMOLED display on the Galaxy S8.

The color reproduction is improved as well, with Apple focusing on what actually makes the screen look good rather than pushing the pixels for the sake of the spec sheet... but a boost to Full HD would have made an actual difference to the quality and clarity.

Games and videos look bright and vivid though, and the screen itself is responsive, giving a solid overall experience. It’s hard to knock the screen on its own merits, as it’s only when you put it alongside rivals that it lacks the same clarity.

The fact that the screen is smaller than a lot of flagship rivals also means it’s easier to hold and use one-handed, and we were able to stretch our thumb comfortably to most areas of the screen, which isn’t as easy on the larger iPhone 8 Plus.

Thanks for reading.

like us @ www.fb.com/utechcentral 

Read More

Facebook launches Snapchat-style Stories with new in-app camera feature

Facebook has launched its own version of the Snapchat Story feature.

The company is encouraging users to take more pictures and add effects and filters like falling snow and rainbows.

With the update, users will be able to get to the new in-app Facebook Camera with one swipe and will be able to share a picture privately with a friend, or share it on their news feed.

As in Snapchat, users will be able to add a picture to a gallery but they'll disappear in 24 hours.

Facebook-owned Instagram, Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp have all added similar features recently.

Snapchat says it wants to concentrate on building gadgets and has called itself a camera company rather than a social media network.

Facebook, which now has 1.86 billion users, denies it took its camera ideas from Snapchat and says it got them from its own users.

"Our goal here is to give people more to do on Facebook, and that's really been the main inspiration," said Connor Hayes, a Facebook product manager.

One of the first camera effects will be the ability to morph someone in a photograph into a yellow, cartoon Minion.

The latest Minion movie, Despicable Me 3, is due out in a few months and Facebook has deals to licence content from six film studios, as well as from two artists.

Design director Kristen Spilman says another visual effect allows someone in a picture to "become a laser cat with super powers".

The effects will vary by location.

Kristen Spilman said that when Facebook tested the ability to add the phrase LOL, users in Ireland didn't know what it meant.

Read More

Internet shutdowns in India: Why it is bad for Modi’s Digital India

Internet shutdowns in India have serious consequences, and it's not just about freedom of speech.

The view on Internet shutdowns in India often gets boxed between voices around free speech vs those around law and order and how every right comes with reasonable restrictions. But with Prime Minister Modi’s grand plans of Digital India, and massive push on the idea of a cashless economy, a kill switch on the internet has some real consequences.

Brookings Institute estimates India lost over $968 million between July 1, 2015 and June 30, 2016 thanks to internet shutdowns alone. In total, the world lost around $2.4 billion due to to internet shutdowns by governments, but if you go by the Brookings paper, India was on top of the list.

Internetshutdowns.in is one such website by the Software Freedom Law Centre, India (SFLC.in), which is keeping a track of the issue in India. In the first three months of 2017 alone, India has had over seven Internet shutdowns already. One of the instances is Nagaland, where the internet and mobile services were down for nearly a month from January 30 to February 20. The website crowdsources this information and relies on media reports to put together this data. It also has people on the ground, volunteers who are keeping a track of the issue.

As SFLC India’s President and Legal Director Mishi Choudhary explains in an interaction with IndianExpress.com over Skype, internet shutdowns in India are a problem, and it is not simply about free speech. “People keep telling us about total blackout of mobile internet in some places. We knew that on Independence day in Jammu and Kashmir, there is no mobile internet. There was a UN resolution in July 2016, where the Human Rights Council condemned Internet shutdowns by government. In India, the reaction is that free speech should have reasonable restrictions,” Choudhary told us.

“When the Patidar movement was happening in Gujarat, the internet services were shut down. The idea is we don’t want people to talk with one another on WhatsApp, and plans rallies. But for the police, if you know the dates in advance, etc, since people have to take permission for protests, then how is shutting down the Internet valid. People have a right to protest and assemble peacefully,” she added.

According to Internetshutdowns.in, India has had over 66 shutdowns since 2012, and the target is inevitably the mobile internet services. Also 23 of the 62 Internet shutdowns since 2012 lasted 24 hours or less, 12 lasted for 73 hours or more. In Jammu and Kashmir, the clampdown on the internet lasted for months with services remaining down from July to November 2016.

On the Nagaland internet shutdown, Choudhary gives an example of the real world impact. One of the surgeons who contacted the group told them, she had great difficulties in procuring patient information thanks to the internet shutdown in the state.

“See the assumption is that only totalitarian regimes do it like a Turkey does it or Russia, etc. Or it is done because there can be a riot. But we’ve seen this happen in Gujarat in September 2015 as well over Ganesh Visarajan, when they were worried about derogatory messages around Islam being shared over WhatsApp,” points out Choudhary.

The IT Act’s Section 69 A has a clause, which does give the government the right to block access to some Internet URLs in a situation where violence is feared, or there’s a threat to national security. Part of Section 69A reads as follows,

“Power to issue directions for blocking for public access of any information through any computer resource. (1) Where the Central Government or any of its officer specially authorised by it in this behalf is satisfied that it is necessary or expedient so to do, in the interest of sovereignty and integrity of India, defence of India, security of the State, friendly relations with foreign States or public order or for preventing incitement to the commission of any cognizable offence relating to above, it may subject to the provisions of sub-section (2) for reasons to be recorded in writing, by order, direct any agency of the Government or intermediary to block for access by the public or cause to be blocked for access by the public any information generated, transmitted, received, stored or hosted in any computer resource.

But as Choudhary points out, there are rules in process for this internet shutdown as well, and in most cases they are never followed.

“I’m not in favour of Section 69A rules; but having said that… and because India has a history of riots. There are rules under 69A, there has to be a petition to the nodal officer, then the joint secretaries of home, law and I&B are involved, they sit together and somebody from CERT-in (the computer emergency response team) has to be there. Then they issue an order, which has to be reviewed again. So there is a checks and balances system in place, but what happens is different. It is the State govt, which is doing it with Section 144,” says Choudhary.

Section 144 gives a magistrate the power to prohibit an assembly of more than four people in an area in an emergency situation. But In some states, these orders can in some cases also include a clamp down on mobile internet, because it is seen as the primary means by which people come together in today’s age.

But with Digital India and demonetisation, Choudhary points out there are serious issues with a total clampdown on the internet. “How do you do Digital India, when do you a blanket shutdown? The problem now happening is that with Digital India and demonetisation all of us do our banking online, order food online, etc; and then you just decide to pull the plug on the Internet, then you’ve brought the entire economy on its knees,” she argues.

Also a clampdown on just mobile internet would create an unequal system; while those who might have a fixed line or broadband at home won’t be affected, many of the lower-income people are dependent solely on mobile internet are suddenly cut-off.

Choudhary admits there are no easy answers in cases where say internet is used to mobilise groups for riots. But she points out that blanket shutdowns need to end, and at least the process laid out in the Act should be followed. “There is a committee, a process in the act. Stick with that for now. Then, at least, they will have to review an internet shutdown. The case isn’t just about free speech. You can’t even run your business in case of an internet shutdown,” she argues.

According to Choudhary, policy makers will need wider consultations around the issue involving perhaps more of the younger generation, start-ups, VC to figure out this problem. “If you shut off internet in one part, what’s the guarantee you won’t do it in Delhi,” she asks.

Read More

Uber set to pull out of Denmark

Cab hire firm Uber will withdraw from Denmark in April because of new taxi laws that require drivers to have fare meters and seat sensors.

Local taxi driver unions and politicians have complained that Uber poses unfair competition by not meeting legal standards required for established taxi firms.

According to Uber, 300,000 riders use its app in Denmark and it has around 2,000 drivers.

The service will shut down on 18 April.

In a statement the firm said: "For us to operate in Denmark again the proposed regulations need to change. We will continue to work with the government in the hope that they will update their proposed regulations and enable Danes to enjoy the benefits of modern technologies like Uber."

Uber has been operating in Denmark for less than three years.

The firm said it would "allocate resources" to help Uber drivers during the shutdown process. It will maintain its software division in Aarhus in northern Denmark where it employs 40 people.

The firm has faced opposition from traditional taxi drivers in cities around the world. In the UK, a 2015 High Court challenge arguing that Uber should be regulated in the same way as other London taxi businesses was dismissed by a judge.

But in 2016, Uber drivers won the right to be classed as workers rather than as self-employed.

Earlier this month, it suspended its self-driving cars after an accident in Arizona when one of the autonomous vehicles - a Volvo SUV - ended up on its side.

It has also faced negative stories about its workplace practices and a number of executives have quit, including the president Jeff Jones.

Read More

iPhone users fooled by fake ransomware

Apple has issued an iPhone software update after reports of fake ransomware attacks where money was demanded in order to unlock the handset's browser.

A pop-up screen accused the phone owner of accessing illegal pornography or pirating music and could not be removed.

However the ransomware was fake - and clearing the browser cache was actually enough to restore full access.

It ran on JavaScript, a code commonly employed by many websites.

The attackers demanded £100 in the form of an iTunes gift card with the code sent via text message to a designated mobile number, said security firm Lookout in a blog about the malware.

"...the attack doesn't actually encrypt any data and hold it ransom," wrote its security researchers.

"Its purpose is to scare the victim into paying to unlock the browser before he realizes he doesn't have to pay the ransom to recover data or access the browser."

The patch closed the loophole but Professor Alan Woodward, cybersecurity expert at Surrey University said some iPhone users have put off the update because it also includes other changes to the running of the device.

"Some people have held off thinking it sounds fairly major, but obviously if they do that they won't get the protection," he said.

"There is this feeling that iOS [Apple's operating system] and Apple devices in general are less vulnerable.

"This shines a light on the fact that nothing is invulnerable. JavaSript is cross-platform and it's a matter of how you manage it."

Read More

These Are the 5 Best Cities for Women in Tech

What do Washington, D.C., Kansas City, Mo., Baltimore, Indianapolis, and New Orleans have in common? According to a recent report, they're the best places to be if you're a woman in tech.

To conduct its annual Best Cities for Women in Tech report, Smart Asset, a New York-based financial technology company, analyzed data from the U.S. Census Bureau, taking 59 of the largest U.S. cities in which the tech workforce is big enough to provide reliable data. Specifically, the study looked at the tech industry gender pay gap, income after housing costs, tech jobs filled by women, and four-year employment growth to rank each of the cities.

For the third year in a row, Washington, D.C., came out on top—proving to have one of the smallest gender pay gaps in the country. The capitol city also has a relatively large percentage of female employees in tech, at about 41%.

Though the study didn't delve into the reasons that D.C. and the other top cities scored so well on these four metrics, "it really shows there's something happening there," AJ Smith, vice president of content at Smart Asset, tellsFortune.

According to Smart Asset, Kansas City, which came in at No. 2, has no tech industry gender pay gap. In fact, women in the city who work in technology typically earn more than their male counterparts. On average, women who have computer and mathematical jobs in Kansas City make $69,770—roughly $2,300 more than men with comparable jobs. Yet, the study found that the city is lacking when it comes to filling its growing number of tech jobs with women. In 2016, women made up about 30% of the workers in computer and mathematical roles, compared to 34% in 2014.

Baltimore is ranked No. 3, according to the study—mostly because of the increase in its tech workforce in recent years. For example, of the 12,400 computer and mathematical jobs added between 2012 and 2015, women made up 32.5%—up from 28.5% in 2016, notes the study.

Indianapolis and New Orleans rounded out the top five, at No. 4 and No. 5, respectively. Like Kansas City, Indianapolis has no tech gender pay gap. New Orleans, meanwhile, is notable for it's job growth: the number of tech jobs in New Orleans grew by 32 percentage points between 2012 and 2015—representing the biggest four-year change in tech employment growth in the study.

Although these cities may grace the top five, it's worth noting how their income after housing rates compare with those in the Bay Area, which is usually the go-to region for tech jobs. Some California cities—like Fremont, a city north of Silicon Valley, for example—boast a post-housing cost income of $68,180, nearly $12,000 more than that of D.C. But Fremont and many other other Northern California cities were dinged for their percentage of women in tech jobs. While women account for 41% of tech workers in the nation's capitol, they are only 26.6% of Fremont's technology workforce.

"Women don't have to move to Silicon Valley—they can find good paying tech jobs in many areas around the country. Some of these cities should want to do better, or women will take their talents elsewhere," says Smith.

While the study's results are good news for these in the top five cities, women are still in the minority in STEM—comprising only 26% of computer and mathematical jobs nationwide. And female tech workers are still being paid less than their male counterparts across the industry: On average, female-to-male tech earnings ratio in the U.S. is 84.8%—down nearly two percentage points from last year.

Read More

Soon you will be able to share your real-time location using Google Maps

Google is adding a real-time location sharing feature to Google Maps. This will allow users to share their real-time locations with friends and family.Google announced the feature in a blog post today.
To send your location to contacts, all you need to choose the “Share location” option from the Google Maps side menu. Now you can select how long you would be able to share the location, then tap the person you want to share the location and they will be able to follow you (it varies between 15 minutes and 3 days). The best part: the person tracking you doesn’t need to have a Google account. You can share the link tied to your location using any messenger application, which can be opened in a desktop or mobile web browser.
For example, if you are driving to a new place, you can share your real-time location and trip progress from the navigation data. While in the navigation screen, tap the “More” button on the bottom, and then tap “Share trip”. Sharing ends you arrive at the destination.
Similar features are available on other apps. For example, Apple offers a tracking feature called “Find My Friends” on its iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch. Those who remember Google Latitude (now-defunct) know that this feature excited even before.

Google says an update to Google Maps will be available for both Android and iOS users, though an exact date wasn’t provided. While the feature is useful at times, it could be a bit controversial as well, as it raises privacy concerns. In December, Facebook decided to stop showing the exact location of users in its Nearby Friends feature. Instead, the app now gives an overview of where you are, indicating the neighbourhood rather than a map.

Read More

Would YOU let a friend share your phone battery? Sony patents technology for wireless power transfer between devices.

Sony has come up with a new idea to let you charge your phone wirelessly - but it might test your generous side.

The Japanese technology company has patented technology that will enable phone users to 'steal' battery power from nearby devices.

Phones could hunt down power using a system similar to Wi-Fi hot-spotting and top up their phone's battery wirelessly with charge from another person's device.

The futuristic technique could enable mobile phones to take power from a range of electric devices, including other smartphones and computers, as well as washing machines, fridges and TVs.

The patent says the technology will use a chip equipped with Near Field Communications (NFC), a technique that allows data transfer over short distances.

NFC lets devices within 1.6 inches (four centimetres) of each other to 'communicate'.

The technology is commonly used in contactless payment systems and also for wirelessly sharing contacts, photos and videos between mobile devices. 

'The method comprises identifying a plurality of antenna systems including at least a first antenna system and a second antenna system,' inventors wrote in a United States Patent Application.

'At least the first antenna system is cooperated with a first CE device and the second antenna system is cooperated with a separate second CE device.'

The patent goes on to describe how any device fitted with an NFC chip will be able to search for other electronics fitted with the same system.

Two devices will then be able to connect to exchange power, in the same way that a device can search for Wi-Fi hot spots.

The patent doesn't say whether it is just smartphones that will be targeted by the technology, instead referring to 'portable consumer electronic devices'. 

In February, Disney announced that is also working on technology similar to Wi-Fi that can power up to 320 mobile devices without the need for wires.

The technology, called quasistatic cavity resonance (QSCR), uses magnetic fields to transmit power to mobile devices, and is being developed by scientists at Disney's research lab in Pittsburgh. 

Alanson Sample, lab director and principal research scientist at Disney Research, said: 'This new innovative method will make it possible for electrical power to become as ubiquitous as WiFi.

'This in turn could enable new applications for robots and other small mobile devices by eliminating the need to replace batteries and wires for charging.'   

Read More

Check out the world's 1st web page, from 25 years ago, on Internaut Day

What did web pages look like 25 years ago? Well, 25 years ago today, there was only one that the public could see — the very first.

And it wasn't much more than a few pages of text with some hyperlinks — describing what the World Wide Web was envisioned to be.

The first web page was created by Tim-Berners Lee, a British scientist at CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research, located on the French-Swiss border near Geneva. The page went live at CERN on Dec. 20, 1990, and was opened up to the high-energy physics community on Jan. 10, 1991. But it wasn't until August of that year that Berners-Lee made the project public by posting a summary of it on several online forums, lastly on Aug. 22.

Some time later, Aug. 23, 1991, was named "Internaut Day," which is now celebrated annually to recognize the launch of the World Wide Web ... although Berners-Lee is not sure why that date was chosen.

Read More