The LG V20’s world’s first Quad DAC stakes a claim for wired headphones

When LG announced that the upcoming LG V20 would be the world's first smartphone equipped with a 32-bit Hi-Fi Quad DAC, it wasn't just in the pursuit of yet another 'first'. Sure, the V20 will continue the top-of-the-line audio experience introduced in the LG V10 last year, and deliver unparalleled audio to mobile music lovers everywhere. But it also draws a line in the sand on the debate surrounding the removal of the 3.5mm audio port in several new smartphones.

See also: 3.5mm audio vs USB Type-C: the good, bad and the future77

While there are arguably a few good reasons for removing the 3.5mm headphone jack in favor of wireless or USB Type-C headphones, there are still more reasons to either stick with 3.5mm or offer the convenience of both USB Type-C headphones and 3.5mm.

In the rush to be seen as forward-thinking (and sell new accessories), many OEMs are rushing headlong into uncharted territory. 3.5mm headphones are everywhere, so killing them off in one fell swoop with no transition period was never going to be a popular move.

LG clearly understands this, and realizes that by taking a position in favor of wired headphones it can easily stand out as the OEM for audiophiles, (if the impressive DAC in the first V10 wasn't already enough to achieve this). LG once again tapped ESS Technology, provider of the V10's Hi-Fi DAC, to create the world's first mobile Quad DAC for the V20.

As LG notes in a press release: "A Quad DAC delivers a crisp and clear sound that comes closest to a live performance when using compatible wired headphones. The sound is superior to that produced by a traditional DAC as it can reduce up to 50 percent of ambient noise levels." The reasons LG thought superior audio was a more valuable investment than the usual specs race is clear:

As smartphones mature, we're seeing more and more customers looking beyond just fast processors and big displays in their devices. Higher quality audio is simply the natural evolution of the smartphone, as the industry moves toward a more holistic multimedia consumption experience.

It's not yet clear if the V20 will also support USB Type-C headphones, but if it does, they likely* won't benefit from the Quad DAC built into the V20. USB Type-C headphones (typically) contain their own DAC, so all the audio conversion is done on the headphones, not the smartphone.

Wireless headphones, on the other hand, not only use lossy compression but also convert locally, so again, you won't get the same audio experience as you would with traditional wired headphones on the V20's DAC.

It's a confusing time for smartphone headphones. With several OEMs already coming out with 3.5mm-less devices and Apple rumored to do the same in the near future, we're about to enter a painful period of transition. The vast majority of consumers won't know what's going on and the competing marketing bluster and grand claims made by each manufacturer will only confuse matters further.

If you've invested heavily in wired headphones and don't want to face a USB Type-C or wireless future, or you simply don't want to dive in until the messy USB Type-C standard is established and things settle down, LG wants you to know that the LG V20 is the phone for you. But with rumors pointing to the V20 following the modular lead of the ill-fated G5, a Quad DAC might not be enough on its own to convince consumers that superior audio is enough of a selling point.

Are you all aboard the USB Type-C train? Or do you think the 3.5mm port should stick around?

*It is possible that LG will throw in a cheap pair of USB Type-C headphones that don't have their own DAC and simply use the Sideband Unit (SBU) pins to transmit analog data to the headphones. In this case, they would benefit from the V20's Quad DAC, but as you can probably tell, that's not the kind of USB Type-C headphones we're meant to be excited about.

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Titan launches JUXT Pro smartwatch in India

Indian consumers will remember the JUXT watch launched by domestic watch maker Titan earlier this year in partnership with HP Inc. Titan has now introduced its successor, the all-metal JUXT Pro, which is a complete touch-screen smartwatch with truly smart features, unlike JUXT, which was an analog watch with a small display for showing notifications and other information.

The JUXT Pro's chunky three-piece stainless steel case measures 49.5 x 50.2 x 15.2 mm, and comes with two hard keys on the right side of the bezel, along with a black leather strap. The attempt here was to make it look like a Swiss watch, and its construction also appears really solid. It has a 1.3-inch (360 x 360 pixels) 278 PPI IPS touchscreen display with Corning Gorilla Glass 3 protection, and is powered by a 1GHz dal core processor, supported by 512 MB RAM and 4GB of storage. The JUXT Pro runs on Titan's own OS, but is compatible with devices running both Android 4.4 and iOS 8 or higher.

The watch offers custom dials which can be used to create your personal one as per your mood and style. You can swipe left to see email, calls, SMS, WhatsApp, and Calendar notifications, or swipe up to access the menu showing different apps such as Calendar, Music, Weather, Phone Finder, Camera, Settings, Tutorial, Converter, Notifications, Stopwatch, Timer, Alarm, Safety, and Fitness.

You can use the Camera app on Android to control the camera and the Music app to control the music on your smartphone. Using Titan's Safety app, you can allow a pre-selected group of relatives or friends to track your movement on their own smartphone via maps until you reach your destination. You can also see notifications from all third party apps in a small window within the dial and tap on them to interact with them further.

The JUXT Pro is water resistant up to 3 ATM or 30m, and tracks your daily activities, amount of calories burnt, the distance you've traveled, and trends all that data across months on the cloud. It packs a rechargeable 450 mAh lithium battery which offers a good 36-hour battery life and full charge from zero in just 70 minutes. That should be more than sufficient, but you can still conserve battery if you want to by going to the settings menu and selecting the 'always on' mode for the screen to use a dark watchface with minimal graphics. With just a simple flick of your wrist, the watch goes back to a full-color dial.

Titan had launched JUXT at a price tag of Rs 15,995 (~$240), but being a touchscreen smartwatch, the JUXT Pro is priced higher at Rs 22,995 (~$345). You can pick up the JUXT Pro either in Matte Black or Silver Grey at World of Titan and other stores across India, as well as online from Flipkart.

Buy now from Flipkart

Let us know in the comments below if you liked the JUXT Pro smartwatch and plan to buy it soon!

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Not just smartphones: LeEco plans $1.8 billion self-driving car factory

This post was originally published on Charged, our brand new transportation website. More cool content: Tesla Model 3 – everything you need to know

Chinese company LeEco wants to build 400,000 electric cars at a new plant near Hangzhou and will invest more than $1.8 billion in a state of the art facility for its LeSEE taxi and its burgeoning deal with Aston Martin.

Electric vehicles have sparked a goldrush in recent times after the Chinese government removed a number of restrictions on the industry in a bid to encourage the population to make the switch. LeEco is right at the head of the field and, after years working behind the scenes, it is finally going public with big ambitions.

The $3 billion eco park

LeEco, which is part of Le Holdings Co Ltd, intends to build a plant in Deqing country, which will form part of the Eco Experience Park. It's a $3 billion development that will include offices, an entertainment park and a center of technical excellence.

That will help the Hanghzou region stake a claim to a slice of the lucrative market for zero emissions cars and environmentally aware manufacturing.

It has already formed an alliance with Faraday Future in the US and intends to build cars near Las Vegas. LeEco founder Jiu Yueting has also backed Faraday and is clearly convinced that this partnership helps both companies benefit from merging their considerable R&D, production and purchasing power.

Hypercars to taxis

While Faraday is working on an ambitious plan for an electric hypercar, LeEco has focused its efforts on an entirely different sector with the LeSEE concept. It's far from a finished product, but the prototype of the autonomous, luxury taxi that can be summoned with a smartphone app has met an enthusiastic response.

It could easily be a luxury car, too, and the taxi moniker may simply be a way to differentiate it from the Tesla Model S.

It's good, but is it safe?

The concept features a number of touches that the regulators might struggle with, including a steering wheel that folds away when it isn't required. But this prototype is merely a promotional tool at the moment and the sedan that finally rolls off the production line will be a world away from the first iteration.

Big news with Aston Martin

LeEco has formed another partnership with Aston Martin and will help the iconic British manufacturer develop a production version of the RapidE concept car. They expect the car to go on sale in 2018 and this will be the first of a number of new EV launches for Aston Martin that LeEco will presumably have a hand in.

The two have already unveiled an Aston Martin Rapide S equipped with the latest Letv Internet of the Vehicle (IOV) system. They will now turn their attention to zero emissions versions of the Aston Martin DB11 and the replacement for the Vantage.

It's a massive partnership in terms of credibility for LeEco and the news that it has invested so heavily in a new factory will give the company another shot in the arm. A vast number of companies might have joined the EV goldrush of late, but LeEco is in the right place at the right time and could easily come out of this on top.

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Yelp will soon let you wait in line at restaurants virtually

Don't you hate it when your favorite restaurant doesn't take reservations, and you have to wait in line for 30 minutes? With Yelp's $8 million investment in Nowait, things are about to change.

Yelp announced its partnership with Nowait in its second quarter earnings call and will be bringing us an option to put our names on restaurant waitlists without having to go in physically.

Nowait is a Pittsburgh-based company that lets you browse nearby restaurants (within 60 miles, to be precise) and their wait times before leaving your house. You simply tap on your phone to put yourself on the waitlist, and Nowait notifies you when your table is ready. If you're running a bit late, you can even text to let the restaurant know. How convenient is that?

Currently, there are around 4,000 restaurants that use Nowait's services including Chili's and Kerbey Lane Café. In an interview with TechCrunch, Nowait's CEO Ware Sykes said that Nowait's services will come to Yelp in the coming months.

This partnership has multiple benefits. It helps us by enabling us to drive more traffic to our restaurants and it allows us to bring the Nowait experience to as many consumers as possible.

Sykes says that his company's priority is introducing existing Nowait restaurants to Yelp users, but with Yelp's investment, Nowait will be able to expand its services even further. It seems like both companies could benefit from this partnership since Yelp may see an increase in the number of users, and Nowait could expand its services beyond restaurants.

After all, according to Yelp, only 18% of reviewed businesses on Yelp are restaurants. Waiting in line could be a thing of the past not just for restaurants but also for places like hair salons and walk-in clinics.

If you are already a Yelp user, do you think this partnership will be useful for you? Let us know in the comment section below!

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Card-based Reigns offers you keys to your own kingdom

When a chorus of voices calls for your head, will you commission pikes for theirs instead? Or will you broker peace with mead and bread? Will nostalgic bards gloss over your kingdom's stains, or will they recall how bad you were at playing developer Nerials' card-based Reigns?

If you've ever wanted to try your hand at ruling an empire, mobile and PC game Reigns let's you do so quite literally. The game takes on a format reminiscent of Tinder. But instead of sorting between potential love interests, you swipe left or right to make decisions on how your kingdom will run. Reigns, with its playing card-style art, tosses a stream of cards at you and you're tasked with simply making the best decisions and surviving whatever consequences they bring in the future or down the line. You'll field requests from enemies, allies, lords, advisers and other stakeholders in and around your kingdom.

See also: Best Android games181

You'll have to strike a balance to keep the pillars of your kingdom happy. That means you'll have to work with your military, your church, your treasury and your subjects to keep everyone happy and to protect your throne from usurpers.

Even after you meet the end of your life, your legacy will live on if you're good enough at playing monarch. But the game can span centuries. And your heirs may have to deal with things like enlightenment, witch hunts, "and maybe the Devil himself." The game will also test you with "Royal Challenges," which are goals for you to reach before your reign is over. Knocking out these challenges will award you with additional cards and other content.

Reigns is available now via Google Play, and is also on offer through Steam for PC and the AppStore for our iPhone and iPad using friends. The game costs $2.99 out the gate, but you don't have to worry about paying for anything else after that because the game is free of in-app purchases.

So what do you think of Reigns? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.

Get it on Google Play!

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Canadian court rules SMS messages are not necessarily private

The Ontario Court of Appeal recently ruled that the texts you send in private can be used against you in court. The ruling yet again brings up the question, "How do we distinguish a matter of security from an encroachment of one's privacy?"

On August 7^th, the Ontario Court of Appeal rejected Nour Marakah's appeal that the text messages he had sent were unlawfully used against him. In a 2-1 decision, the court dismissed his appeal since he did not have a "reasonable expectation of privacy."

You may be thinking, "OMG, the government's going to read all my text messages from now on." Well, not really. While some lawyers claim that this ruling could have far-reaching implications for end-users' privacy, the context of the case provides a slightly different perspective.

Marakah, who was convicted of gun trafficking offences, argued that the use of his cellphone as evidence against him was a violation of his Charter rights. In pre-trial proceedings, his appeal was successful. What wasn't successful was his claim that the use of his text messages sent to the co-accused as evidence was also unlawful.

Justice James MacPherson concluded that text messages that are already sent and received by the recipient are no longer under the control of the sender:

There is, in my view, a lack of empirical evidence to support a conclusion that senders of text messages have a presumptively reasonable expectation, from an objective standpoint, that their text messages will remain private in the hands of the recipient.

The underlying principle is that text messages are more akin to emails or letters, not phone calls. Some have questioned this reasoning by saying text messages are today's form of phone calls and therefore should be provided with the same privacy protection. Marakah's lawyers will appeal the decision to the Supreme Court of Canada, but whatever the final verdict may be, it probably isn't necessary for you to madly forage for third-party messaging apps right now.

There are already precedents in Canada that protect your privacy when using text messages under regular circumstances. The police cannot request a service provider to share a user's text messages, nor can it pretend to be an expected recipient to obtain evidence. But I guess if you're doing stuff you shouldn't be doing, you're safer off using an app that uses encryption. Or you know, behave. Choice is yours.

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Galaxy S6 Edge August security update patches ‘critical security vulnerability’

Samsung has actually been doing a pretty phenomenal job of keeping their devices up to date with the latest Google security patches. This month's arrival to the Galaxy S6 Edge is no exception, but it's noteworthy in that it includes a patch for a vague "critical security vulnerability."

Some are speculating that the vulnerability in question is the QuadRooter vulnerability that made headlines recently. Although Samsung hasn't been specific about what this critical security hole is, rumors that it's the QuadRooter patch are unlikely to be true. 

See also: Quadrooter: the latest Android security flaw62

Aside from that big security patch, there's not a whole lot to report here. The update brings some improvements to memory efficiency, and it makes the Galaxy S6 Edge better at closing unused applications running in the background. Samsung is also reporting increased stability. Basically, it's your run-of-the-mill incremental update. Still, with that major security hole fixed, you might want to go out of your way to make sure you pick it up.

Firmware version G925IDVS3EPH2 is just starting to roll out, so you might not see it available for your device just yet. To check and see if it is, navigate to Settings > About phone > Check for updates.

Let us know if this update is available in your region yet, and chime in on what "critical security vulnerability" you think is being patched here in the comments below.

See also: Galaxy S6 Edge review follow-up: three months later56

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