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  • E3 Conference and What You Need To Know

    E3 Conference and What You Need To Know

    Its that video game-glastic time of the year were we get a glimps of the future of our obsession. gaming. This year the E3 conference is slated for a slew of great and exciting news, loaded with games and consoles to set our hearts and minds racing like the first time we played Donkey Kong. Lets take a look at whats up

    E3 Conference Schedule

    Saturday, June 9

    Electronic Arts — 11 a.m. PT (2 p.m. ET)

    Sunday, June 10

    Microsoft — 1 p.m. PT (4 p.m. ET)

    Bethesda — 6:30 p.m. PT (9:30 p.m. ET)

    Monday, June 11

    Square Enix — 10 a.m. PT (1 p.m. ET)

    Ubisoft — 1 p.m. PT (4 p.m. ET)
    PC Gaming Show — 3 p.m. PT (6 p.m. ET)
    Sony — 6 p.m. PT (9 p.m. ET)

    Tuesday, June 12

    Nintendo (livestream only) — 9 a.m.

     

    For us Fanboys If you are in L.A. you can head down to the L.A. Convention center and for $250 hang out all weekend with a 3 day E3 conference pass. The general pass for people in the games industry is free.

    What We Are Expecting at E3

    Consoles.. Both the Xbox one and PlayStation 4 are 5 years old now. They got some upgrades and tweaks in the past year but we need a step forward. usually we get an announcement 18 months before a commercial release of a big box console. This means Both Sony and Microsoft vould announce a new console in development at the E3 for Q4 2019 release. Seems plausible. At the very least a price slash on the current line up is due.

    Nintendo is riding high on the success of the Switch console. At the E3 conference 2018, we may get to hear about a purported new Star Fox game, a possible Fortnite port, and more details on the next version of Super Smash Bros.

    Games: Rocksteady

    There are a few we are waiting and looking out for. Rocksteady is the developer Im most interested in hearing from. They have been tightliped about a game for a few years now, but speculations have it being a Superman game in the mode of the Arkham series. We may even have a possible title leak. Superman: Worlds Finest… Mind blown, ill put my vacation request in now and start stocking up on hot pockets, I wont be leaving the house for at least a week.

    “World’s Finest” isn’t just a cool subtitle. Those two words together carry a lot of weight, going back several decades in DC Comics history. World’s Finest is the tag team moniker used to describe Superman and Batman when they work together, and has been the title for several volumes of comic book issues.

    We are most likely going to see game announcements for Hitman 2, Gears of War 5 and Crackdown 3

    EA

    EA is looking to make a big splash this year. They are arriving early for their own pregame rally. EA has already confirmed that, as you’d expect, fans will get the chance to see and play the latest EA Sports titles such as Madden 19, FIFA 19, NHL 19 and NBA Live 19, and that the new Battlefield game will make an appearance though we still don’t know anything about what the game will actually involve.

    We also have a solid rumor that the MLB is coming back to EA. I would love to see them bring back Triple Play Baseball..

    Cyberpunk

    CD Projekt RED’s Cyberpunk 2077 has been a white whale of ours for a better part of the decade. Since the game’s 2012  reveal, the studio has gone on relative radio silence regarding the project, instead (and understandably) focusing on The Witcher 3. However, now that Geralt’s story is done, it finally seems like it’s time for Cyberpunk 2077 to come out of hibernation.

    The Final Thought

    Im still giddy at the thought of a Superman game.. Im super excited for this weekend, I’ve played video games for 35 years. I don’t have any hobbies or interest that can make that claim so its nice to see a big extravaganza involving my oldest hobby.

     

     

  • iOS 12 Improves Performance on Older iPhones

    iOS 12 Improves Performance on Older iPhones

    You have probably read our articles on some of the big news out of the WWDC this week already. Apple gave a preview of iOS 12, the next operating system for iPhones and iPads, at its annual WWDC conference in San Jose this week. Today im going to tell you about a big feature that will enhance everyone iPhone, yeah even the older ones. The iOS 12 improves performance ?

    For any iPhone capable of running iOS 11, when upgrading to the iOS 12 you will notice some vast improvements. This is first iOS upgrade that will make your iPhone….faster…

    Yes you heard that correctly, the new iOS 12 improves performance on previous models on the iPhone.Apple says iOS 12 will launch apps 40% faster and the camera 70% faster on an iPhone 6S — the model that came out in 2015.

    Release Date, We Can Guess That

    That is great news everybody! When can we update!!  Its safe to say the iOS 12 update will be available in September, much like every year. They release it a few days before the new iPhone ships. So for those of you with the 6s experiences apples slowdown to maintain your battery life, you will just have to keep waiting. Or will you…

    For a small $99 per year you can subscribe to be an apple developer and beta test new software. Along with getting the software updates way earlier,  you also get access to their developer tools as well. SO yeah you can jump in now and start beta testing the iOS 12 months before the rest of us, with all the new goodies at your disposal. However as fantastic as this sounds remember that ios 12 is not finished and will likely encounter more bugs and crashes than you can handle. You can download the software through Xcode, which is what programmers use to build iPhone apps. You can also install it by adding a profile to your iPhone or through iTunes.

    The Final iOS 12 Improves Performance Thought

    Its gonna be a good software update year, lot of performance perfections coming. Lets hope apple can deliver on this promise..

  • Tech Throwback: Motorola E1 Rokr, The First iPhone

    Tech Throwback: Motorola E1 Rokr, The First iPhone

    I like to take a look at where I’ve been to evaluate where Im going. Technology is cyclical after all… wait no its not. That said I still like all the feels that come rushing back like a flood of nostalgia every time I get my hand on the tech I grew up with. Im going to go back periodically and take a looking at the stuff that used to blow our hair back and get our minds rolling. Some of these device blew up and changed the world, some where ahead of their time and some just fell flat and became colossal failures. Today we have a flop but it set the table for one of the greatest tech revolutions of mankind’s existence. Before there was a thought of an iphone, there was Apples first foray into the mobile world. There was a partnership with Apple and Motorola for the Motorola E1 Rokr.

     

     

    The Motorola E1 Rokr

    The Rokr E1 is a repackaged Motorola E398 candybar style phone. However this new bombshell would come with Apple-licensed technology to play back iTunes Music Store purchased music. This doesn’t sound very stellar but at the time this was huge. Phones where just getting cameras. The V3 Razr was blowing up the cellular world, cell phones where now not just fashion accessories but status symbols as well.

    Launched on September 7, 2005 in San Francisco, California, the E1 is the first phone to be integrated with Apple Inc.’s iTunes music player. It features a music player with an interface similar to that of Apple’s iPod music players.

    The next phone being the first iPhone in 2007. This made the Motorola Rokr highly anticipated and tech sites were following the collaborations between Motorola and Apple as far back as December 2004.The Motorola e1 Rokr was a Cingular exclusive. Cingular had dedicated an endcap and standalone display in all of their corporate owned stores.

    Powering Up The Rokr

    I found a gently abused Motorola E1 Rokr on ebay, a new battery and we are powering it back up. It shows the Motorola logo and familiar os pops on. I spent many years with a motorola phone and this brings back floods of memories. It operates just like we all remember, even though the Rokr was not a popular phone the motorola brand was and it was everywhere from 2003-2009. The Cingular brand and Jack icon make me happy. It is basic AF, with only 9 options I’m fully through it a few unceremonious minutes

    But wait! The Rokr has a memory card still full of early ougt hits still on it. Keane, The Killers and Jets “are you gonna be my girl”! the speakers are awful. I am shocked this was acceptable, but at the time it was a wow. The 512 mb card is full with 83 songs on it.

    Its clunky, its slower then I remember the motorolas being. It just has the ipod music player, not the iTunes store so adding music on the fly is not a reality yet.

    The Flop

    Apple scheduled the iPod nano unveiling on the same day as the release of the Rokr. The Nano a success, the Rokr just something to look at in the Cingular store. The relations between Motorola and Apple were bitter and negative. Then Motorola CEO Ed Zander blamed the failure of the Rokr on Jobs and  later accused Apple of purposely undercutting the Rokr. Soon After the Rokr E1 was replaced by the E2, which lacked iTunes support and was superseded by the iTunes-enabled SLVR L7.

     

    The Final Thought

    At the time we had our fingers crossed that Apple and Motorola would unveil exactly what we had been dreaming of for years: a mobile phone with Apple industrial and software design, great call quality, and typically ingenious Apple feature simplification. ingenious Apple feature simplification. We would have to wait another year for that, The iPhone. But the Motorola E1 rocks got Apples gears turning and a stepping stone to Job’s magnificent Vision. Sometime we must fail to change the world and no one embodies that like Steve.

  • More From The WWDC 2018

    More From The WWDC 2018

    I told you id try to keep you updated as much as possible in the ground shattering developments at Apples World Wide Developer Conference. Well here is some more info about the happs at Apple’s WWDC 2018.

     

    Shortcuts To Developers

    Apple announced at the WWDC 2018 it is now allowing developers much deeper integration with iOS 12 and MacOS Mojave. Third-party apps can now build “shortcuts” that allow Siri to execute popular quick actions. They used a real time demo of this with the Tile app. With the short cut they were able to activate tile just by using Hey Siri, find my keys. The programmable short cut is a big shot of B!2 in the arm for Siri. No longer will I wrestle with her over mundane task, I can program her to read my voice for specific commands.

    To sum up Shortcuts easily its a new app coming with iOS 12 that lets you create custom phrases to trigger a specific action using Siri. If she uses this data correctly that should help here understand my voice and commands a little more clearly. Making Siri compete with the Alexa and Google Voice seems to be a big area of focus for apple this WWDC. The WWDC demo also included smart home Shortcuts like “Turn on fan” or “Set thermostat to 70 degrees” — both HomeKit automatons from the Home app.

     

    Mojave and HomeKIt

    Mojave is the next MacOS version. With the update, Apple will add support for the Home app on Macs. Previously, the Home app was Apple’s iOS-only smart-home app where you add, monitor and control you HomeKit-enabled smart-home devices. This is neat and needed, I want my computer to be the brain of my home, If I left it to the phone my home would be left with out a central control system when Im out… 2018 folks, fascinating times, I always thought I would eventually type those words but its still shocking we are here and so causally.

    WWDC 2018 and the Apple TV

    Next at The WWDC, We will also see Apple TV getting some more responsibilities when they add home security and automation companies, Control4, Crestron and Savant. The Apple TV  works with some smart home apps, such as Canary and Nest, for remote monitoring of security camera live feeds. That has always been about it until now. WE will also get the ability to sync HomePods and AppleTV to play music together, Soundbar win!

    Check back tomorrow for more on teh WWDC 2018. Same Time, Same Channel.

  • Snapdragon 850, Its Not What You Are Expecting

    Snapdragon 850, Its Not What You Are Expecting

    Hey Guess what, Qualcomm announced a new top tier Snapdragon chipset this week, the Snapdragon 850. Well I never saw that coming, but a new Snapdragon chip is hitting the market. Is this going to be the new hot chip setting the android world on fire? Will it be in the Samsung Note 9? Hold up everyone, the answer to your questions is no. A big fat no. We are still a year away before we take the next power up on the mobile side. I mean apple hasn’t even laid out the tech jump yet. Ahem …7nm processor..

    Whats with the Snapdragon 850 Then

    As Qualcomm explains it, the Snapdragon 850 was “designed to support many sought-after smartphone features in the PC,” which means connectivity at all times through LTE or WiFi. This chipset should help in the battery department too, by being extra efficient. Which means it’s not a mobile chip, it’s a Snapdragon chip that was designed for Windows and to make your laptop work a lot like a smartphone in terms of being mobile, power reducing and faster.

    Looking at these two side by side spec wise and compare them to the Snapdragon 845, it actually looks like it is very similar, only formatted to work with PCs that run Windows. You’ve got the same Kryo 385 CPU cores, 84-bit architecture, same RAM support, 10nm (2nd gen) process, same Adreno 630 GPU, same video codec and capture support, etc. Qualcomm did up the CPU speed to 2.96GHz,so we got that going for us.

    The Final Thought

    Don’t be too upset, Qualcomm’s first-generation Snapdragon PC processor struggled with performance issues while providing incredible all-day battery life. Qualcomm has addressed these problems with the new Snapdragon 850, adding 30 percent more performance while extending its already incredible battery life another 20 percent to what it now calls “multi-day” longevity. This will be a good thing, think better 2 in 1s.

  • iOS 12, What We Got at the WWDC Today

    iOS 12, What We Got at the WWDC Today

    Its here! The World Wide Developer Conference is here! In its first day Apple (AAPL) unveiled iOS 12, the next major software update for iPhones and iPads. Here what we are getting in the September update.

    iOS 12 Speed Increase

    Apple Senior Vice President of Engineering Craig Federighi emphasized that with iOS 12, its all about speed. “For iOS 12, we’re doubling down on performance,” said Federighi. We know Craig, we have the need for speed, its important, its inherent, there is nothing we can do about it. Apparently this speed increase will extend to older iOS device users as well.

    Federighi said iPhone users can generally expect apps to get 40% faster, with the Camera launching up to 70% faster.

     

    AR Updates

    I predicted this was coming in my what to expect from the WWDC article earlier last month. I knew as we all dis that the iOS 12 update would include updates to Apple’s augmented reality software tools. Dubbed ARKit 2.0, the upgrades add the ability for multiplayer AR games on separate devices. In other words, both players will see the same scenario through their phones’ displays.

    Also announced by Apple is that USDZ as part of ARKit 2.0. USDZ is  a new AR-focused file format Apple developed in partnership with Pixar that lets users share 3-D models. Abhay Parasnis, CTO of Adobe (ADBE), took the stage to announces USDZ support across Adobe Creative Cloud. Its good to see these two getting along since the ugly adobe flash debates of the late 2000’s.  Parasnis locked in all in by saying.“With Creative Cloud, designers will be able to use apps they’re familiar with to create amazing AR content,”. That is all I needed to hear.

     

    Memoji

    Yeah, who didn’t see this coming. Now you will have the ability to emoji your self to an Animoji of yourself, dubbed Memoji. Sometimes people facetime me before I’ve have my morning coffee, not cool and highly invasive, I say. Now I can respond with my beautiful half me, half Elvis Memoji. Problems solved.  Apple says it will let users create their own personalized Animoji, or animated emoji, down to that new hairdo and sunglasses.

    Yeah more Animojis too,  including a ghost, a koala, and freaking T-Rex! I don’t know why that excites me so much but just let me have this moment people.

     

    Group FaceTime

    Well this scares me to pieces. When group text hit it drained my battery life for years to come, with constant, insistent banter from mild acquaintances grouped with my closest and most despised friends. It wasn’t uncommon in 2013 before group chat etiquette was willed in to existence that one would received 60-70 messages in the 15 minute span that weren’t staring at their phone.   braces yourself people for group facetime…

    Group FaceTime, which will work on iPhone, iPad, Mac, with audio available for the Apple Watch, takes the idea of group video chat to a whole new annoying  level for iOS 12. This will let up to 30 people all participate in the same FaceTime.

    Federighi demonstrated how group FaceTime works, with a row of tiles at the bottom displaying all the FaceTime participants. As someone speaks, a video window above that row of that speaker enlarges.

     

    The Final Thought

    Its the first day people. we still got lots more to come. I just wanted  to share a little bit of what I was excited about and some of the things that will breed new technological nightmares… Ill keep you updated daily with the best from the WWDC. See you tomorrow…maybe..

     

     

     

  • 5 Best Portable Bluetooth Speakers for Summer

    5 Best Portable Bluetooth Speakers for Summer

    As my old buddy Brad used to say, Its summer time and we’re living easy. I’m sure you all have great summers plans in place,  with boats and beaches, golf, good friends, great times and noodle salad, but have you accessed what you are going to use for music during all this fun in sun? I didn’t think so and that is why I’m here, to tell you about the 5 best portable Bluetooth speakers you can take with you anywhere you go this summer. To make this list they will need a few requirement, for one they have to be IP water resistant. The second is they need to have full 360° sound.

     

    5. TREBLAB HD55

    Wonderful sound, With HD55, you’ll feel as if you’re at a live concert, with clear high notes, deep bass and 360° true HD sound. This advanced Bluetooth speaker has the latest state-of-the-art double 12W drivers and double bass radiators. Great for the  Office, traveling & late nite LA gangsta style pool parties. IT is waterproof with a rating IPX4.  Amazon pricing of only $69.97

     

    4. Soundcore Flare Portable Bluetooth 360° Speaker

    Much like the HD55, the SoundCore Flare has the 360° and is IPX7 waterproof. This has great mid range sound, great acoustics and will keep the singing going on all night. It secured the number 4 position for one terrific reason, its $10 cheaper at $59.99.

     

    3. JBL Xtreme 2 Portable Bluetooth Speakers

    The JBL Xtreame is know for delivering earth-shaking powerful stereo sound. The speaker is armed with four drivers, two JBL Bass Radiators, a rechargeable 10,000mAh Li-ion battery supporting up to 15 hours of playtime. Its also IPX7 certified waterproof.  At $299 it starts off our top 3 Portable Bluetooth Speakers for summer. 

    2. Bose SoundLink Revolve+

    You can never go wrong with Bose. They have mastered commercial sound. And this is the best-performing portable speaker from Bose. It ultimately delivers Deep, loud, jaw-dropping sound with True 360-degree coverage. Ipx certified and fits beautifully in the golf cart.  At $299 its a steal. 

     

    1. Ultimate Ears MEGABLAST

    And the winner is…UE’s most powerful speaker with 360° intensely rich sound, stunning clarity, and heart-pounding bass. With up to 12 hours of battery, it brings your music to life wherever the summer leads you. With  Amazon Alexa hands-free voice control you can now just ask Alexa to blast tunes from Spotify. It is waterproof and virtually indestructible: Never worry about going easy on it, your music will always be on point. The speaker is IP67 rated and can be immersed in water for up to 30 minutes. Yes I tried it. It is by far the loudest on this list, the most durable and at $190 the best value Portable Bluetooth Speakers for your summertime listening pleasure.

     

    The Final Thought

    This is going to be the best sounding summer ever. Get me  my speedos and a REM playlist!!

  • Beau’s Number 1 App Review: Jurassic World Alive

    Beau’s Number 1 App Review: Jurassic World Alive

    Beau’s App series. Each week, I install whatever is the No. 1 bestselling app on the iOS or Android store and review it, to save you the effort in case it’s total waste of life. This week a game called Jurassic World Alive is not in the top spot but Im taking it on anyways. Why isn’t it No. 1? It’s so new its just out of beta and instantly the Alpha of AR games. I could wait a week,  but Im way too excited. Also because it’s free, because it just came out for phones, and because it’s  really cool.

    In the key of Pokemon Go, Jurassic World Alive is the AR game we have been waiting for. This game is set to explode in the same way Pokemon Go took over the summer of 2016. Alive is the latest  franchise to try their hand on the Pokémon Go formula. Yes, we finally we get dinosaurs unleashed around our local neighborhood.

    The Dinosaur Hunt

    Jurassic World Alive puts players in the role of a new recruit in the Dinosaur Protection Group (DPG). Players are tasked with saving dinosaurs from another extinction by tracking them, collecting DNA samples and creating new hybrid species in a lab. Those man-made dinosaurs can be assembled into a team and fight in player-versus-player arena battles, which kind of seems counterproductive to the whole dinosaur protection thing.

    You walk around the real world to “fly” a drone and collect dinosaur DNA from the terrible, augmented reality thunder-lizards that’ve infested your neighborhood (think: capturing a creature in Go); create your own hybrid creatures; battle your dino “strike team” against other players and, well, probably drain your smartphone’s battery very quickly in the process.

    Claire, the same character from the Jurassic World movie series, introduces you to the basic concept of the game. Dinosaurs will pop up on your screen, once you’re in range you can click on it, and then launch and pilot a drone to collect DNA samples from the dinosaur so you can create it yourself in the lab. You can only create a specific dinosaur type once you’ve collected the required amount of DNA from that species, which will often require walking around your neighborhood to find more of that dinosaur.

    Jurassic World Alive Map and Advantages

    Dinosaurs smashed with Pokemon Go is an accurate summation rather than a reductive statement. The map is almost the same but with less out of the way stops. Jurassic World Alive keeps its drop-boxes close to the road and at stop lights making it much more convenient to get to the walking back behind the church. There also happens to be one at the end of my drive way so that is also cool.

    The Drone is a little harder then just throwing a pokeball. you have to launch a dart multiple times to a small target on the reptile. The closer you get to bulls-eye the more DNA points you accrue to unlocking that dinosaur. You have a set amount of time to pull as many DNA points as you can, my max is 60 so far.

     

    The Final Thought

    Ive been waiting for a less kiddy Pokemon Go game. I loved they hype, the comradery and community the first month of Pokemon go brought us. Im hoping we get close to that magic moment with this game as well. Kids and Adult gathered around community centers, parks and churches trying to find another Eevee, it was a glorious summer. So lets all download this and go on a hunt together, get some exercise and mutate some dinosaurs into monstrocitys.

  • Tech Throwback: Kodak Brownie Camera

    Tech Throwback: Kodak Brownie Camera

    I like to take a look at where I’ve been to evaluate where Im going. Technology is cyclical after all… wait no its not. That said I still like all the feels that come rushing back like a flood of nostalgia every time I get my hand on the tech I grew up with. Im going to go back periodically and take a looking at the stuff that used to blow our hair back and get our minds rolling. Some of these device blew up and changed the world, some where ahead of their time and some just fell flat and became colossal failures. Today I’ve got my hands on the old and original Kodak Brownie Camera.

     

    The Original

    IF you have ever taken a real photography class, you know the best way to teach someone how a camera works is to have them make there own Kodak Brownie Camera. Kodak Marketed toward there camera to the turn of the century children. They were issues and  carried by soldiers. At the hefty 1900’s price tag of $1 (about $29 today)  they were affordable to everyone. Its a small, brown leatherette and cardboard camera and introduced the term “snapshot” through its ease of use and low cost.  it was introduced in February 1900, the Brownie took cameras off tripods and put them into everyday use. For Kodak, the low-cost shooter was the hook that allowed the company to reel in money through film sales. And for the rest of the world, it helped captured countless moments and shape civilization’s relationship to images.

    The first model of the camera was invented by Frank A. Brownell. The name comes from the brownies in popular Palmer Cox cartoons. Consumers responded, and over 150,000 Brownie cameras were shipped in the first year of production. Over the years it was extremely popular and many versions of it existed.  There where many models over the years with feature and functionality improvements. My personal favorit was the Beau Brownie..

    Beau Brownie

    The Beau Brownie  was  a new version of the Brownie sold  from 1930 to 1933. They  had very little technical variation from the immensely popular Brownie cameras. With the only one big technical difference being the introduction of a new doublet lens, allowing the same picture to be projected on a film plate over a shorter distance and this made the Beau Brownies nearly 2″ shorter than their conventional counterparts. With an updated Art Deco design with an  enameled two-tone front plate, it was a stunning example of period tech. It was produced in  in five color combinations: black and burgundy, brown and tan, two-tone blue, two-tone green, and two-tone rose.

    Basic Operation

    The Brownie operates under the following sequence of events:

    1. A shutter in the front of the camera is opened allowing light to pass through the lens. This light is reflected from the object being photographed.
    2. As the light passes through the lens it forms an image of the object being photographed. As it continues through the lens, this image is inverted (turned upside-down).
    3. The lens projects the inverted image onto light-sensitive film at the back of the box. This is known as exposure of the film. The longer the shutter is left open, the more light is allowed onto the film.

    Does it get any simpler?

    The Final Thought

    One look at theses you instantly know what is is and where it came from. There are a little over a hundred variation of this original, portable, and everyday camera, but one definitely has its place in your heart,assuming you are older then 45 of course. Its evolution over its 100 year span was predictable and outstanding all at the same time holding true to its core design.  All I can say about the Kodak Brownie Camera is It came, It saw, and It captured an entire century.

  • HTC U12 Plus, What We Know so far

    HTC U12 Plus, What We Know so far

    HTC’s latest flagship has arrived! On top of new cameras and a full screen without a notch notch, HTC has created a phone is literally more sensitive than ever. This is the HTC U12 Plus. The HTC U12 Plus gives a great first impression, at least when it comes to design. Almost every modern flagship is made of glass panels held together by a metal frame, but HTC’s design feels sturdy with an almost brick-like heft to it. HTC may have changed designs over the years, but the build quality continues to be excellent. The new phone still manages to retain some of HTC’s signature style, so you won’t mistake it for anything other than an HTC.

     

    HTC U12 Plus comes with a 6.0-inch Quad HD+ display with no notch and thin bezels. That Super LCD 6 display is protected by a custom layer of Gorilla Glass that’s actually closer to Gorilla Glass 3 than 5. Gorilla Glass 3 is harder than 5, so it will likely be more difficult to scratch. Ill be the judge of that, grabs keys. As for software, it’s running Android 8.0 Oreo. Even though Android 8.1 has been out for five months, HTC still couldn’t manage to load up the latest version of Android on its new smartphone.

    The U12 Plus seems to be a big upgrade over its predecessors, at least on paper. It sports a 16MP wide-angle lens and a 20MP telephoto lens around back, while the front has two 8MP cameras. The U11’s camera was one of the best of 2017, so we’re really excited to see the U12 Plus

    HTC continues its minimalist Liquid Surface design language, giving us a beautiful glass design with IP68 water resistance.I would have liked to see a few more changes, the HTC U12 Plus is still a gorgeous device. We also have to applaud HTC for resisting the notch, something many other 2018 flagships are now rocking. Instead of physical keys, they are now pressure-sensitive. While these buttons may not provide a physical click, they do provide haptic feedback to let you know they’ve been triggered.

    The Colors for HTC U12

    The HTC U12 Plus will be available in ceramic black, translucent blue, and flame red.

    The ceramic black (known as titanium black in some markets) is probably the least exciting of the three options, but that’s not to say it looks bad. It’s a shiny, reflective, and polished glass option that is actually more gray than black.

    The translucent blue model is partially see-through, allowing you to see some of the internals. It isn’t quite on the level of a clear case, but it is still pleasantly unique.

    Finally there’s the flame red variant. This model has an eye-catching sheen that seems more pink than red. Unfortunately, the flame red won’t be available immediately at launch.

    Quick Spec Look

    • Display 6.0-inch Super LCD 6 2,880 x 1,140 resolution 537ppi
    • 18:9 aspect ratio
    • DCI-P3, sRGB
    • SoC Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 Mobile Platform
    • 2.8GHz, 64-bit octa-core
    • GPU Adreno 630
    • RAM 6GB
    • Storage 64/128GB
    • MicroSD expansion up to 2TB with Flex Storage
    • Cameras Rear cameras
    • Primary: 12MP wide-angle HTC UltraPixel 4 sensor, ƒ/1.75 aperture, 1.4μm pixels
    • Telephoto: 16MP sensor, ƒ/2.6 aperture, 1.0μm pixels
    • Phase detection and laser autofocus, OIS, HDR Boost 2, dual-LED flash
    • Front cameras
    • Dual 8MP sensors, ƒ/2.0 aperture, 1.12μm pixels, wide-angle with 84-degree field of view
    • Audio HTC USonic with Active Noise Cancellation
    • HTC BoomSound Hi-Fi edition
    • Hi-Res audio recording
    • Hi-Res audio certified
    • Qualcomm aptX HD, LDAC up to 32-bit high-resolution wireless audio via Bluetooth
    • Battery 3,500mAh
    • Non-removable
    • Qualcomm Quick Charge 3.0
    • IP rating IP68
    • Sensors Edge
    • Ambient light
    • Proximity
    • Motion G-sensor
    • Compass
    • Gyro
    • Magnetic
    • Fingerprint
    • Sensor hub for activity tracking
    • GPS, AGPS, GLONASS, Galileo, BeiDou
    • Network 2G/2.5G GSM/GPRS/EDGE
    • – 850/900/1800/1900MHz
    • 3G UMTS
    • – AWS/850/900/1900/2100MHz
    • – HSDPA 42, HSUPA 5.76
    • 4G LTE
    • – FDD: Bands 1, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 17, 20, 28, 32, 66
    • – TDD: Bands 38, 39, 40, 41
    • – Support Cat 18 Gigabit LTE: downloads up to 1.2Gbps, uploads up to 150Mbps, up to 5CA and 4×4 MIMO (where supported
    • – VoLTE and Wi-Fi calling (where supported)
    • Connectivity USB 3.1, Type-C
    • Bluetooth 5.0
    • Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac (2.4 and 5GHz) with MU-MIMO
    • NFC
    • DisplayPort over USB Type-C
    • HTC Connect
    • AirPlay, Chromecast, DNLA, and Miracast
    • Software Android 8.0 Oreo
    • Dimensions and weight 156.6 x 73.9 x 8.7-9.7mm

    The Final Thought

    We got some movement from HTC. This is good. Any signs of life from the once dominant smartphone aficionados is good. Ive always said that HTC is for the high end smartphone user, not the everyday Eddie. The produce a high-end classy flagship smartphone that always goes under appreciated. Im sorry I just miss my HTC one..