Apple’s Beats brand today is announcing an update to its most popular line of headphones with the new Beats Solo 4. The on-ear headphones have been re-engineered inside and out to deliver upgraded performance and fit while featuring even longer battery life compared to the previous generation.
On the acoustic front, Beats Solo 4 feature custom-built 40 mm transducers specifically tuned for music and designed to minimize artifacts and distortion, and the on Apple devices the headphones support Personalized Spatial Audio with dynamic head tracking to immerse you in your audio environment while keeping the sound source anchored to your device as you move around.
Upgraded digital beam-forming microphones and an intelligent noise-learning algorithm trained in over 7,000 hours of exposure to real-world environments help deliver excellent call quality and voice assistant performance.
Beats Solo 4 support three different modes of connection: wirelessly over Bluetooth, wired over USB-C, and wired over a 3.5mm audio connector. Most users will likely opt for wireless connectivity for convenience, but connecting over USB-C offers support for lossless audio and the ability to charge the headphones while listening, while the 3.5mm jack offers a simple connection method for battery-free listening.
If you’re connecting wirelessly, Beats Solo 4 will deliver up to 50 hours of playback, up from 40 hours in the previous generation, while you can take up to 36 hours of phone calls on a single charge. A 10-minute Fast Fuel charge will give you up to five hours of playback time if you’re low on battery.
Active noise cancelation (ANC) is not included on Beats Solo 4, but the on-ear design offers fairly solid passive noise isolation in our testing, keeping even rather loud environmental sounds from intruding much on our listening experience.
Beats Solo 4 include a proprietary Beats chip platform to support both iOS and Android with one-touch pairing, automatic setup across devices, and support for Apple’s Find My and Android’s Find My Device services. iOS users also get access to always-on “Hey Siri” functionality and support for Audio Sharing. The iconic Beats ‘b” button on the ear cups can be configured for music and phone call controls and voice assistant activation, while volume can be controlled by pressing above or below the “b” button.
Overall, Beats Solo 4 retain the same iconic design that has led to over 40 million units sold since the introduction of the original Beats Solo headphones in 2009. Offering a more compact form factor and a cheaper price point than the over-ear Beats Studio Pro, Beats Solo 4 weigh just 217 grams while delivering a comfortable fit thanks to durable UltraPlush ear cushions, infinite-rotation gimbals on the ergonomically angled ear cups, and a flex-grip headband with customizable sliders. We did notice a bit of ear fatigue due to the on-ear design, but adjusting the headphones slightly definitely helped extend our listening session with out too much discomfort.
The case design is essentially the same as that for the Beats Studio Pro, which may not appeal to all users. It’s a compact nylon case with a low-profile carrying/attachment loop and a side zipper, and the interior features a main compartment for the headphones and two small pockets for the included USB-C to USB-C and 3.5mm to 3.5mm cables. As with the slightly larger Studio Pro case, it can be a bit difficult to get the headphones in and out of the case.
Beats Solo 4 come in Matte Black, Slate Blue, and Cloud Pink color options and are available to order starting today from apple.com for $199.99 ahead of a May 2 shipping date.
The majority of personal gadgets feature LCD and OLED screens, but most just show information. To make these screens do more – like detecting touch or changing light levels – they need additional sensors. Researchers at Linköping University (LiU) in Sweden have invented a new kind of screen where all these sensor functions are built right into the screen’s LEDs.
The breakthrough in display technology was achieved by crafting RGB LED displays from a “miracle” material known as perovskite. This development marks a potential revolution for future screens of smartphones, computers, and tablets.
Perovskite is renowned for its remarkable light absorption and emission capabilities. This crystalline substance forms the core of the LED and fuels the array of features in the screen.
Still a decade away
Apart from touch and light response, the perovskite screens can recognize fingerprints and sense the user’s pulse. Most impressively, they can harvest light to transform the screen into a solar cell for continuous device charging.
“Your smartwatch screen is off most of the time. During the off-time of the screen, instead of displaying information, it can harvest light to charge your watch, significantly extending how long you can go between charges,” says Chunxiong Bao, associate professor at Nanjing University, previously a postdoc researcher at LiU and lead author of the paper.
Despite these exciting advancements, there’s still ground to cover before these screens can become a household reality. One significant hurdle is the short service life of the display. Zhongcheng Yuan from the University of Oxford, another lead author for the study, noted, “At present, the screen only works for a few hours before the material becomes unstable, and the LEDs go out.”
Yuan estimates a timeline of a decade to resolve these challenges, but maintains optimism for the future of RGB LED displays with perovskite as its powerhouse.
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Optoelectronics professor at Linköping University, Feng Gao, noted, “We’ve now shown that our design principle works. Our results show that there is great potential for a new generation of digital displays where new advanced features can be created. From now on, it’s about improving the technology into a commercially viable product.”
In April 2023, I wrote an article about how I wanted a small-screen ereader with a color display and writing features. It seems like Japanese-Canadian ereader maker Kobo heard me, releasing what I wanted – well, almost – in the Kobo Libra Colour. I would have loved an 8-inch device, but then I’ve been a fan of Kobo’s Libra line of 7-inch ereaders since the first one was launched in 2019. They’ve been TechRadar’s pick of the best ereaders since then, including the Kobo Libra 2 from 2021.
The trend continues with the Kobo Libra Colour, which is a double-whammy upgrade over its predecessor.
The Libra Colour looks identical to the Libra 2, which I think is great – why fix something that isn’t broken? The page-turn buttons and the slightly curved thicker bezel make the ereader really comfortable to hold and use in one hand. What’s new, though, is its display.
As the name indicates, the Kobo Libra Colour gets the E Ink Kaleido 3 screen that supports 4,096 hues, and is currently the best color e-paper display being used on consumer devices.
I compared the Libra Colour with what I would consider its biggest rival, the Onyx Boox Tab Mini C, and thanks to the smaller size of the screen (7 inches vs 7.8 inches), text and images on the Libra Colour are sharper and the colors slightly more saturated even though they both use the same screen technology. While I admit I prefer the slightly larger screen for note-taking, the 7-inch Libra Colour is the sweet spot when it comes to portability. It’s also a lot lighter than its competition.
While the color display alone would make it a worthy update, Kobo didn’t seem to be satisfied with just one new feature – the company also gave the Libra Colour writing capabilities. It inherits all the notebook features from the Kobo Sage and Kobo Elipsa 2E, but now lets you add some color to your notes. You can choose the ink and highlight colors, plus the type of pen, the thickness of the nib and more. And the handwriting recognition is something I’ve not been able to fault for a long time, but that, of course, depends on how badly you tend to scribble.
Writing on the Libra Colour is different to how it feels like on the Kobo Sage or the Elipsa 2E – it’s a lot smoother, not at all like writing on actual paper. It’s not quite as good as writing on the AmazonKindle Scribe either – it feels like you’re gliding over excessively smooth plastic and is my only complaint with this device.
Reading and writing in color takes a little extra power, so Kobo has updated the processor too, now using a 2GHz CPU compared to the 1GHz we saw in the Libra 2. And, of course, the same features can drain the battery, so the capacity here is larger as well, going from a 1,500mAh pack to 2,050mAh.
You still get 32GB of (non-expandable) storage, Bluetooth support so you can listen to audiobooks, and USB-C charging that debuted with the Libra 2 in 2021.
And you get all this for not a lot more than what the Libra 2 retails for at the time of writing, which is something I have to give Kobo credit for. This is arguably one of the more affordable color note-taking tablets on the market now and offers excellent value, just like its predecessor.
While not as saturated as you’d see on an LCD screen, the Kobo Libra Colour displays colors well on its e-paper screen (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)
Kobo Libra Colour review: Price and availability
Launch price of $219.99 / £219.99 / AU$359.95
Available to purchase off shelves from April 30, 2024
Kobo Stylus 2 and sleepcover sold separately
Available in two colors – black and white – the Kobo Libra Colour is quite competitively priced at $219.99 / £219.99 / AU$359.95. That, as I’ve just mentioned, makes it a lot more affordable than some of its competition. However, it doesn’t ship with a stylus, so if you want to take full advantage of the Libra Colour’s new features, you’ll need to invest an additional $69.99 / £69.95 / AU$119.95 for the Kobo Stylus 2. The good thing about this pen is that it charges via USB-C, so there’s no ongoing battery costs to worry about.
Even with the price of the stylus piled on, it’s still cheaper than the likes of the Onyx Boox Tab Mini C, which is currently my pick for the best color ereader and retails for $450 / £450 / AU$765. That said, it’s hard comparing the two as the Onyx ships with a capacitive stylus, has a bigger 7.8-inch screen, has 64GB of storage (compared to 32GB in the Libra Colour) and a 5,000mAh battery that’s double of what Kobo offers in its biggest ereader.
Another point of comparison would be the 7.8-inch PocketBook InkPad Color 3 that will set you back $329 / £345 / AU$595 and not offer you any writing features.
Long story short, the Kobo Libra Colour, just like its predecessor, is pretty good value. To add a little more comparison, the Kobo Libra 2 currently retails for $189.99 / £169.99 / AU$319.95 at full price, so it really isn’t a huge leap in price.
You can choose to view your library as a list or as a gallery in the My Books tab (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)
Kobo Libra Colour review: Specs
Swipe to scroll horizontally
Display type:
E Ink Kaleido 3
Screen size:
7 inches
Resolution:
300ppi for B&W; 150ppi for color
Processor:
2GHz
Frontlight:
ComfortLight Pro (warm and cold)
Storage:
32GB (non-expandable)
Battery:
2,050mAh
Water protection:
IPX8
Software:
Linux based
Connectivity:
Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, USB-C
File support:
10 document, 5 image, 1 audio
Dimensions:
144.6 x 161 x 8.3 mm
Weight:
199.5g
Kobo Libra Colour review: Design and display
Identical body to the Kobo Libra 2
7-inch E Ink Kaleido 3 touchscreen
Magnetic edge to hold the (optional) stylus
For someone who’s used the previous two Kobo Libra ereaders, I will admit to initially being a little disappointed that the design hasn’t changed over the Libra 2. That’s only because I’ve been seeing it since 2019, but I’ll also be the first to admit that it’s one of the most ergonomic designs I’ve used in an ereader.
Built for single-hand use, the edge of the thicker bezel is still slightly curved upward, with the two page-turn buttons perfectly placed to provide a comfortable grip. The back panel is textured, which adds to the secure grip, and the power switch on the rear is still the same round, concave. Also inherited from the Libra 2 is the round, white indicator light that glows when you pop a USB-C cable into the charging port. The entire thing is still encased in plastic, which is made from 80% recycled materials, including ocean-bound plastics.
It’s quite impressive that Kobo has managed to keep the weight of the device down despite using a larger capacity battery in the Libra Colour. It weighs just 199.5g without a case, which is lighter than the Libra 2 that tips the scales at 215g.
Subtle design elements make the Kobo Libra Colour quite ergonomic (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)
For anyone who’s planning on using the new Libra Colour for note-taking and scribbling, Kobo has ensured the stylus stays magnetically secure on the edge of the slim bezel. I’ve complained previously that this magnetic edge on some ereaders isn’t always very secure, but it seems quite strong here.
Speaking of the pen: it’s recommended that you use the Kobo Stylus 2 with the Libra Colour, which is the only one of Kobo’s pens that will stick to the side of the device. That said, the older Kobo Stylus will also work on the Libra Colour, but can’t be secured magnetically and requires a single AAAA battery. The Stylus 2, on the other hand, charges via USB-C and is, thus, lighter.
What stands out from a design perspective is the screen – it can display colors! It still retains the 7-inch screen size of the other Libra devices, but utilizes the E Ink Kaleido 3 display that I’ve seen in other color ereaders like the Onyx Boox Tab Ultra C and the Onyx Boox Tab Mini C. While this screen tech can display 4,096 colors, they don’t appear as saturated as they look on a phone, laptop or tablet – they’re a little muted in comparison, but that’s the limitation of the e-paper screen technology.
The 7-inch screen on the Libra Colour, however, makes the colors look a touch truer as compared to what you’d see on a 7.8-inch or larger e-apaper screen, even when the bigger devices share the same screen tech and resolution. This is because on the smaller screen the pixels are packed more tightly together, providing more contrast. You get 150ppi resolution when reading in color (as with all other color ereaders using this screen), but it’s 300ppi when you’re viewing something in black and white, which is standard for monochrome ebook readers.
A textured rear panel adds to the Kobo Libra Colour’s grip (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)
While Onyx uses a glass sheet as the top layer of its display, Kobo seems to have adopted plastic – one way to keep costs low. This top layer is very smooth, which you can feel when writing on the device and the experience of scribbling on the Libra Colour is likely going to take some getting used to. It feels like you’re writing over a sheet of very smooth plastic, with no friction at all and I can’t say I’m a fan.
As with all the more premium Kobo ereaders, the Libra Colour screen is also lit up with ComfortLight Pro which, when set to, automatically changes the light hue from cool to warmer tones as the day progresses. This reduces the amount of blue light hitting your eye closer to bedtime.
One issue I’ve had previously with some ereaders, particularly with a black chassis, are oily fingerprint smudges. I was sent the white colorway of the Libra Colour for this review which, like the Libra 2, shows no such thing. I haven’t seen the black version of this device so can’t tell for sure whether this will be an issue or not, but I didn’t have this problem with the Libra H2O, so I’m going to hope not.
The USB-C port can be used to charge the device or transfer files (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)
Kobo Libra Colour review: User interface
Easy-to-use, streamlined interface
Full suite of Kobo’s writing features
Notes easily exported to Google Drive and Dropbox
I’ve always been a fan of Kobo’s user interface – it’s streamlined, very easy to navigate and wrap your head around. It only takes minutes to figure your way around if you’ve never used a Kobo device before. That hasn’t changed but, for the Libra line, there is one major difference to the interface.
There is now the My Notebooks tab smack bang in the center of the bottom navigation bar. This gives you the full suite of Kobo’s writing features, including the Advanced Notebooks that I said made the Kobo Elipsa 2E a better note-taker than the Amazon Kindle Scribe. I will admit that writing on a 7-inch screen, particularly if there’s a lot to jot down, can feel a little constricted, but then I have been using the 10-inch Kobo Elipsa 2E as my everyday ereader and note-taker for the last few months, so dropping down to a smaller notebook size is my bias and may not bother other users.
The other change to the interface is the addition of color… and I don’t mean the book covers displayed on the home screen. Every time you select a tab from the bottom navigation bar, it changes color from black to brown. In fact, if you’re downloading books – whether from Dropbox, Google Drive or the Kobo Store – the status bar is also the same color. That’s a nice touch that I haven’t seen in other color ereaders I’ve tested.
Everything else about the Libra Colour is quintessential Kobo – good file format support, including EPUBs that Amazon requires you to jump through hoops to read on a Kindle. There are a total of 10 document file types that Kobo supports by default, and this includes text and comic formats. There are also four image files supported. The only audio file support, though, is for Kobo’s own audiobooks that you can download from the Kobo Store or via a subscription to Kobo Plus. Note that Kobo Plus isn’t available in all markets that Kobo operates in, but it is in the US, UK, Australia, New Zealand and select European countries.
Kobo’s user interface is very easy to wrap your head around (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)
As I’ve mentioned earlier in this review, you can sign into either Dropbox or Google Drive to help transfer books. The partnership with Google is relatively new, so Kobo has a single-page instruction sheet (in PDF) already in the device’s library. It’s very seamless to use either cloud service, and that also holds true for transferring any notes or notebooks. The latter can also be accessed via the Kobo app on your phone if you need any of them in a pinch.
Unlike the newer monochrome Kobo devices like the Sage and Elipsa 2E, there is no dark mode on the Libra Colour because the E Ink screen used doesn’t support it and, if you want to see colors, you aren’t going to need it. However, there are amber LEDs that allow you to change the white light hue to warmer tones if you want to cut down on blue light. And you can easily adjust this by tapping on top of the screen to bring up the quick controls. Like the previous Libra 2 and the newer models, you can set the light temperature to change automatically at a specific time in the evening or night. You can also slide up and down the left edge of the screen to change brightness.
OverDrive, as with all Kobo ereaders, is still baked in and despite it being replaced by Libby on mobile, it is still supported on the e-ink tablets. This means, if your local public library also has OverDrive support, you can borrow digital books and magazines directly from your device without having to leave home – you just need a library card.
Writing and drawing on the Kobo Libra Colour feels like the stylus is gliding (or slipping) over very smooth plastic (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)
Pocket support is also integrated into the Libra Colour. This is a browser plugin that allows you to save online articles to read later – you just sign into your Pocket account on the Kobo and you’ll have access to anything you’ve previously saved.
Auto-rotation is also available, so you can read in either portrait or landscape mode. This can get a little annoying, though, as a small change in angle when holding the device can change the orientation of the page you’re on. So you can lock the orientation to one or the other to prevent this from happening.
Admittedly Onyx Boox devices give you plenty more options when it comes to customization and functionality within the user interface, but I think they’re overkill and it takes a steep learning curve to get the hang of it all.
You can highlight passages in color and add handwritten annotations to books on the Kobo Libra Colour (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)
Kobo Libra Colour review: Performance
Sharp display, with good colors due to screen size
Excellent handwriting recognition
Very responsive, but a couple of functions have a significant lag
Adding features to a tech product means it’s going to need some extra power to make sure things run smoothly and Kobo has done that by upgrading the processor for the Libra Colour. Instead of the previous 1GHz CPU, it’s now 2GHz and that seems to do the trick. After two weeks with the Libra Colour, I’ve had nothing to complain about, although there are two very specific functions that suffer from a significant lag.
Opening an ebook from either the home screen or the My Books page keeps you waiting about 7-10 seconds before something happens. Similarly, the Back To Home button on the top left corner of a page also takes a few seconds to initiate. I’m putting this down to teething problems for now and it’s a software issue, so I think it’s likely fixable via a firmware update.
Everything else, though, runs smoothly. There’s no lag when writing and drawing, neither are there any when triggering a page turn either via the buttons or tapping on the screen. Using the onscreen keyboard is also quite good.
The Kobo Libra Colour’s smaller size makes colors appear a touch more saturated than on a larger screen like the Onyx Boox Tab Mini C (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)
I’ve tested color ereaders before in the 7.8-inch size category as well as 10-inch, and I’ve come to expect a lack of saturation when viewing in color. The Libra Colour exceeded my expectations, not because Kobo is doing anything differently, but because the smaller screen packs the pixels more tightly, adding more contrast which, in turn, gives some images depth and better saturation. 7 inches isn’t ideal for reading comics and graphic novels, but just to see better color saturation I would recommend it. Even highlight colors available when reading a title – which are the same across all color-screen ereaders – look a touch more saturated in comparison to larger-screen devices.
One thing that Kobo has always done well is handwriting recognition and that’s been brought over to the Libra Colour. This feature only works in the Advanced Notebooks when you want to digitize your scribbles, but it can even recognize sub- and superscripts. I had two other colleagues try this feature and Kobo almost aced it each time – it misspelt only one word that no human was able to decipher anyway.
Handwriting recognition on the Kobo Libra Colour is spot on most of the time (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)
During my limited time with the Libra Colour, I experienced no ghosting – something that bothers me no end with Onyx ereaders. Two weeks with the device, however, may not be enough to say for sure that ghosting won’t be a problem, and I would expect some along the way. Still, I am impressed.
Additional functionality with a better CPU needs to be matched with enough battery life to keep an ereader going for weeks as opposed to days. So Kobo has upped the battery capacity in the Libra Colour to 2,050mAh compared to 1,500mAh in the Libra 2. This got me about 14 hours of use in total.
My testing was a little sporadic, averaging about 45 minutes of use over each day over two weeks (sometimes a little more, sometimes less). I started using the device straight out of the box at 82% battery life and didn’t top up till it hit 19% after two weeks. I’d say that’s pretty good, considering I was writing, reading and listening to audiobooks via Bluetooth. I had Wi-Fi on all the time, the screen was set at 20% brightness, and a refresh set to every 5 pages. It’s also important to note that a page refresh occurs more frequently when writing, and every erase triggers another refresh too. So the bigger battery capacity is definitely working in Kobo’s favor here.
Topping up via the USB-C port is quick, but like the previous Kobos, trickle charging kicks in at about 96%. It took the Libra Colour about 55 minutes to go from 19% to 96%, then another 45 minutes to top up completely. While it might seem annoying to have to wait that long for just a tiny bit more charge, trickle charging can preserve the battery, adding to its overall lifespan.
Should I buy the Kobo Libra Colour?
Swipe to scroll horizontally
Attribute
Notes
Score
Value
It’s competitively priced and possibly one of the most affordable color ereaders on the market.
5/5
Design & display
A winning design remains, with a display that works really well in 7 inches. Writing on it, however, feels awkward.
4.5/5
User interface
Kobo’s UX has always been streamlined and the winning streak continues.
5/5
Performance
Responsive and sharp, with great battery life, there’s little to fault here.
5/5
Buy it if…
Don’t buy it if…
Also consider
I think the Kobo Libra Colour is the Japanese-Canadian brand’s best device yet, but if you’re not convinced and need alternatives, take a look at the two options below, including a specs comparison with this ereader.
Swipe to scroll horizontally
Header Cell – Column 0
Kobo Libra Colour
Onyx Boox Tab Mini C
Kobo Clara Colour
Price
$219.99 / £219.99 / AU$359.95
$450 / £450 / AU$765
$149.99 / £139.99 / AU$259.95
Screen
7-inch E Ink Kaleido 3
7.8-inch E Ink Kaleido 3
6-inch E Ink Kaleido 3
Resolution
300ppi B&W / 150ppi color
300ppi B&W / 150ppi color
300ppi B&W / 150ppi color
Operating system
Linux based
Android 11
Linux based
Storage
32GB
64GB
16GB
CPU
2GHz
2GHz
2GHz
Battery
2,050mAh
5,000mAh
1,500mAh
Connectivity
Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, USB-C
Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, USB-C
Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, USB-C
Waterproofing
IPX8
None
IPX8
File support (including images & audio)
16
24
16
Speakers
None
Built-in; dual
None
Dimensions
144.6 x 161 x 8.3 mm
194 x 136.5 x 8.3 mm
112 x 160 x 9.2 mm
Weight
199.5g
310g
174g
How I tested the Kobo Libra Colour
The Kobo Stylus 2 can stay magnetically secure to the slim edge of the Kobo Libra Colour (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)
Used as main reading and writing device for two weeks
Listened to audiobooks via a Kobo Plus subscription
Used Google Drive to transfer files, including notes written on the device
My regular e-ink device is the Kobo Elipsa 2E, but switching to the Libra Colour was just a matter of signing into my Kobo account to sync all my ebooks, notes and also access my Kobo Plus subscription.
I also have an existing library of ebooks in the EPUB format saved in Google Drive, so signing into that via the Libra Colour’s More tab gave me instant access to those, from where I saved a handful of titles to read on the device.
While I can’t draw to save my life, I did some random scribbling on the device – both while reading a book as well as in notebooks. I even got some colleagues to try the handwriting recognition feature.
I have an existing Kobo Plus subscription which gave me access to audiobooks on the Libra Colour, and I spent about 20 minutes listening to one title during my testing of the device.
All new notes and annotations that I made on the Libra Colour automatically updated to my Kobo Elipsa 2E as soon as it connected to Wi-Fi, giving me access across multiple devices.
RCS is the successor to SMS and will soon see much broader adoption, as Apple is expected to bring RCS support to iPhones later this year. Ahead of its wider adoption, Google is adding some security measures to make RCS even more secure for users, and it involves warning users about possible risks.
Google Messages will warn users about visiting links sent by unknown users via RCS
It has been revealed that Google Messages will soon warn users about the risk of visiting links sent via RCS by users who aren’t on their contacts list. This feature isn’t live on the stable version of Google Messages yet and is under testing. It was spotted by Android enthusiast @AssembleDebug (via PiunikaWeb) in the latest beta version (20240402_01_RCO0) of Google Messages. An X user pointed out that this feature even works with links received via SMS. In recent Galaxy phones, the Google Messages app is the default SMS and RCS app instead of Samsung Messages.
With this feature, Google is ensuring that users understand the risk they are taking by visiting URLs (links) that they receive from people they don’t know or aren’t in their contacts list. Users must click the ‘Continue With Possible Risk checkmark and click Continue to visit the link.
RCS is a huge upgrade over SMS. It allows you to send long text messages, high-resolution images and videos, stickers, locations, voice messages, and more. It supports typing indicators and managing messages from the web. It supports group chats, individual message replies, and other advanced features.
Apple is planning to release a new version of the Beats Solo 4 headphones, and hints of the refresh have been seen in both iOS updates and FCC filings in recent weeks. We’ve already seen the design and some of the features, with rumors pointing to support for Spatial Audio, but the headphones’ full specs were today shared by 9to5Mac ahead of launch.
The Beats Solo 4 will feature longer battery life, USB-C, and better audio, with the full range of expected updates listed below.
Custom-built 40mm transducers with better clarity and range.
USB-C port for charging and high-resolution lossless audio.
3.5mm port will still be available for lossless audio.
50 hours of playback time, up 10 hours from the Beats Solo 3.
Fast Fuel charging for five hours of playback with a 10 minute charge.
Beamforming mics with new voice algorithms for improved clarity.
Apple plans to sell the Beats Solo 4 for $200, which is the same price as the Beats Solo 3. There is no official word yet on when the headphones will be released, but rumors suggest they could come on May 2.
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A first look at iOS 18’s rumored visionOS-style redesign may have been revealed by a new image of the Camera app. Alleged iOS 18 design resource. MacRumors received the above iPhone frame template from an anonymous source who claims they obtained it from an iOS engineer. It will allegedly be included as part of the Apple Design Resources for iOS 18, which helps developers visually design apps …
Nearly one year after it launched in the U.S., the Apple Card’s high-yield savings account will be receiving its first-ever interest rate decrease. Starting on April 3, the Apple Card savings account’s annual percentage yield (APY) will be lowered to 4.4%, according to data on Apple’s backend discovered by MacRumors contributor Aaron Perris. The account currently has a 4.5% APY. 4.4% will …
Best Buy is discounting a large collection of M3 MacBook Pro computers today, including both the 14-inch and 16-inch versions of the laptop. Every deal in this sale requires you to have a My Best Buy Plus or Total membership, although non-members can still get solid second-best prices on these MacBook Pro models. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Best Buy. When you click a link and…
In November, Apple announced that the iPhone would support the cross-platform messaging standard RCS (Rich Communication Services) in the Messages app starting “later” in 2024, and Google has since revealed a more narrow timeframe.
In a since-deleted section of the revamped Google Messages web page, spotted by 9to5Google, Google said that Apple would be adopting RCS on the iPhone in the “fall of 2024.” This timeframe suggests that RCS support will be added to the iPhone with iOS 18, which should be available in beta in June and released in September. At the latest, support should be added in iOS 18.1, which is likely to be released in October.
RCS support should result in the following improvements in the Messages app for conversations between iPhones and Android smartphones:
Higher-resolution photos and videos
Audio messages
Typing indicators
Read receipts
Wi-Fi messaging
Improved group chats, including the ability for iPhone users to leave a conversation that includes Android users
These modern features are already available for iMessage, and in many third-party messaging apps, such as WhatsApp and Telegram. RCS support on the iPhone will extend the features to green bubbles in the Messages app.
Phishing attacks taking advantage of Apple’s password reset feature have become increasingly common, according to a report from KrebsOnSecurity. Multiple Apple users have been targeted in an attack that bombards them with an endless stream of notifications or multi-factor authentication (MFA) messages in an attempt to cause panic so they’ll respond favorably to social engineering. An…
Apple will introduce new iPad Pro and iPad Air models in early May, according to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman. Gurman previously suggested the new iPads would come out in March, and then April, but the timeline has been pushed back once again. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Apple is working on updates to both the iPad Pro and iPad Air models. The iPad Pro models will…
At least some Apple software engineers continue to believe that iOS 18 will be the “biggest” update in the iPhone’s history, according to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman. Below, we recap rumored features and changes for the iPhone. “The iOS 18 update is expected to be the most ambitious overhaul of the iPhone’s software in its history, according to people working on the upgrade,” wrote Gurman, in a r…
Apple today announced that its 35th annual Worldwide Developers Conference is set to take place from Monday, June 10 to Friday, June 14. As with WWDC events since 2020, WWDC 2024 will be an online event that is open to all developers at no cost. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. WWDC 2024 will include online sessions and labs so that developers can learn about new…
Apple may be planning to add support for “custom routes” in Apple Maps in iOS 18, according to code reviewed by MacRumors. Apple Maps does not currently offer a way to input self-selected routes, with Maps users limited to Apple’s pre-selected options, but that may change in iOS 18. Apple has pushed an iOS 18 file to its maps backend labeled “CustomRouteCreation.” While not much is revealed…
Apple on late Tuesday released revised versions of iOS 17.4.1 and iPadOS 17.4.1 with an updated build number of 21E237, according to MacRumors contributor Aaron Perris. The updates previously had a build number of 21E236. The revised updates are available for all iPhone and iPad models that are compatible with iOS 17 and iPadOS 17, but they can only be installed via the Finder app on macOS…
With the App Store and app ecosystem undergoing major changes in the European Union, The Wall Street Journal today shared a profile on App Store chief Phil Schiller, who is responsible for the App Store. Though Schiller transitioned from marketing chief to “Apple Fellow” in 2020 to take a step back from Apple and spend more time on personal projects and friends, he is reportedly working…
Samsung introduced many new features with One UI 6.1, which debuted earlier this year with the Galaxy S24 series. One such feature was Photo Ambient, which adds weather effects to the lock screen wallpaper. Samsung is improving the performance of those effects with a new update.
Samsung Vision Core update brings more realistic weather effects to lock screen wallpaper
Samsung has released a huge update to its Vision Core app. The version 1.0.14.0 of the app comes with a huge download size of around 1.2GB and is available via the Galaxy Store. While the changelog just says bug fixes, people have noticed that it improves the realism of weather effects on the lock screen wallpaper. For example, raindrops now have a splash effect on the objects and persons in the image. Similarly, snowflakes fall in front and rear of persons appearing in the wallpaper.
This feature is only available on the Galaxy S24, Galaxy S24+, and Galaxy S24 Ultra. It will likely not be released to the Galaxy S23 series, Galaxy Tab S9 series, Galaxy Z Flip 5, and Galaxy Z Fold 5 with the upcoming One UI 6.1 update. Samsung is expected to release the One UI 6.1 update to those devices starting tomorrow.
How to activate lock screen wallpaper weather effects on Galaxy S24?
You can access the Photo Ambient feature on your Galaxy S24 series phone by opening the Settings app, navigating to Advanced Features » Labs » Photo Ambient Wallpaper, and then enabling the toggle there. Since this is a Labs feature, weather effects might not work reliably all the time. However, we did not notice any major issues with the feature.
You can watch all the other wallpaper-related features that are available on One UI 6.1 in our detailed video below.
AMD has announced its next-gen upscaling box of tricks to make frame rates smoother with PC games at GDC 2024.
This is FSR 3.1, and it sounds like a big step forward – and not just for the quality of the upscaling tech, since there’s a surprise in tow for Nvidia (and Intel Arc) GPU owners.
The basics outlined by AMD are that in terms of better image quality, FSR 3.1 will boast ‘improved temporal stability’ which means fewer flickering or shimmering effects and less ‘fizziness’ around objects that are moving. There’ll be a reduction in the level of ghosting seen, too.
FSR 3.1 will provide a cleaner image overall, in short, and we’ll also get better preservation of detail, AMD asserts.
What about the surprise we mentioned? This is “decoupling FSR 3 upscaling from frame generation” so they are separate entities, and as AMD makes clear, this means that frame generation (adding additional artificial frames for a smoother frame rate) could work with other upscaling solutions.
AMD tells us that the first game to use FSR 3.1 will be Insomniac’s Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart, and it’ll be delivered in an update for the game later this year (sadly we don’t get any idea of a precise timeframe).
FSR 3.1 should be available to game developers from Q2, meaning next month.
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Support for Vulkan and the Xbox Game Development Kit is also inbound, and AMD notes a new FidelityFX API will make it “easier for developers to debug” and provide forward compatibility with updated versions of FSR.
Analysis: DLSS turbocharger for older Nvidia GPUs
Better image quality is clearly welcome with FSR 3.1 – even if some feel AMD has been pretty slow to act implementing improvements on this front – but the decoupling of frame generation is equally important.
This means that a PC gamer using Nvidia’s DLSS upscaling could draft in AMD’s frame generation to further rev up frame rates. Okay, so Lovelace GPU owners get DLSS 3 frame generation anyway, but those who don’t have an RTX 4000 graphics card can use DLSS but layer AMD’s frame generation on top, at least in theory. (Remember, while DLSS 3.5 may support older Nvidia GPUs with ray reconstruction, Team Green’s frame generation is still only available to RTX 4000 graphics cards).
Or those with an Intel Arc graphics card making use of XeSS upscaling could do the same thing, of course. AMD has tried to stay as open as possible with FSR and this is another commendable move in that respect.
We’ll need to see all this in action before we can really draw conclusions about how far AMD has advanced with version 3.1 of FSR, and it might be a bit of a wait yet before that happens.
Of all thefitness trackers that I’ve tested, none has made a bigger leap in hardware development than Amazfit. The first iterations that I tried in 2018 were plasticky and horrible. Every year, the wearable has gotten steadily, well, more wearable. A coworker recently asked if my tester Balance was a Samsung Galaxy Watch6 (7/10, WIRED Recommends). That’s high praise!
The Balance is Amazfit’s general purpose fitness tracker, aimed at promoting “wellness of body and mind.” It looks … well, it looks like a Galaxy Watch6, with a slightly different top button, and ideally it would work in the same way by tracking your sleep, heart rate, and activities, as well as taking your calls. It also comes with a bevy of optional AI-powered tools to help you sleep, meditate, and exercise. Right now, though, it’s just still too buggy, which is especially obvious with a seamlessly functioning tester Garmin on my opposite wrist.
Red Flag
As with most fitness trackers, I check the company’s privacy policy to see how it will use such intimate information. It’s usually easy to find, and it usually looks similar to Google’s—no data used for ads, et cetera. The Balance’s privacy policy is unusually hard to find. According to Amazfit’s website, the privacy policy explicitly does not apply to Amazfit trackers, nor does Zepp Health’s policy. There’s no privacy policy in the product manual, either. I asked Amazfit for a link to the privacy policy that applies to this tracker and got no response.
Even if everything is aboveboard, the company has made it very difficult to find out what’s happening to your data. If that matters to you, you should probably stop reading here.
With that said, the Balance is a very light, good-looking, and low-profile fitness tracker. Despite having such a big case—46 mm across, 10.6 mm deep—it didn’t feel large or obtrusive on my 150-mm wrist. The bezel is sleek gray aluminum, and it has two buttons on the left hand side to control it, as well as a tempered glass AMOLED touchscreen.
Photograph: Adrienne So
The screen is clear, bright, and responsive—maybe a little too responsive. It started and stopped workouts accidentally whenever I fidgeted with my jacket cuffs in Oregon’s cold, gray weather. The battery life theoretically lasts 14 days, but with a few tracked activities per day (walking my dog, running, indoor workouts), I did have to charge it once in the past two weeks. It charged relatively quickly, though—it went from 15 to 65 percent capacity in the 45 minutes that I was waiting for a plane at the airport.
It has a water resistance rating of 5 ATM, which means that you can use it while swimming (if not while taking a shower, weirdly). (By way of contrast, my favorite Garmin Instinct 2 is rated to 10 ATM, and I have used it snorkeling and surfing without issue.)
Like most higher-end fitness trackers these days, it comes with a bevy of sensors and tools. These include onboard GPS with dual-band positioning that helps the tracker filter out environmental noise; an acceleration sensor, gyroscope, ambient light sensor, temperature sensor, and a couple of biometric sensors for measuring your heart rate and blood oxygen and so forth. It also has a microphone and an incredibly loud speaker, and my favorite, most comfortable nylon strap.
Add It Up
Amazfit is owned by Zepp, formerly known as Huami, and the app that the Balance uses is Zepp Health. Zepp Health used to be almost unusably annoying, but the app’s homepage has been cleaned up quite a bit. Zepp Health now features a Readiness score, which is similar to that of Fitbit’s Daily Readiness or Garmin’s Body Battery, but you can still check the company’s previous general purpose metric, which was PAI. The company developed its PAI score using the research of Ulrik Wisløff, a professor at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology. It uses your age, sex, resting heart rate, and past seven days of heart rate data to calculate just how much activity you should be getting.
Google has announced the latest version of its LLM, Google Gemini 1.5 and it brings improved performance and a range of other features. Gemini 1.5 Pro comes with a 128,000 token context window as standard, but Google is also letting some developers and enterprise customers test out a context window of up to 1 million tokens.
Gemini 1.5 leverages advanced Transformer and MoE (Mixture of Experts) architectures, enhancing efficiency and learning capability. Unlike conventional Transformers, MoE divides into smaller “expert” networks, dynamically engaging the most relevant ones based on input. This method significantly boosts efficiency.
Google’s pioneering work in MoE, including Sparsely-Gated MoE and various Transformer iterations, underscores its effectiveness. Gemini 1.5’s architectural improvements facilitate faster learning and high-quality outcomes with greater training and serving efficiency, accelerating the development and optimization of advanced versions.
The context window from Gemini 1.0 which has 32,000 tokens has been expanded to to 1 million tokens in production. This enables 1.5 Pro to handle large data sets in a single process, such as 1 hour of video, 11 hours of audio, codebases exceeding 30,000 lines, or over 700,000 words. Google has tested capacities of up to 10 million tokens.
Google has said that they are offering a limited preview of Gemini 1.5 Pro to developers and enterprise customers and when it is ready for wider release it will launch with the 128,000 token window as standard.
Source Google
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