Leaked HTC Bolt looks like a mini HTC 10, sans headphone jack

The HTC Bolt might be the next smartphone from the struggling Taiwanese manufacturer, and it could share its looks with the HTC 10, according to a leaked image from Evan Blass. Despite the similarities with HTC's flagship, there appears to be one big feature missing from the Bolt – a 3.5mm audio jack.

It's tough to tell for sure from the image, but stacking the phone up next to the HTC 10 shows an absence of the familiar headphone jack from the top of the phone. Instead, the HTC Bolt will likely ship with just a USB Type-C port. The picture also reveals that the LED flash might be moved above the rear camera, but the laser autofocus module seems to have disappeared. The handset also appears to be smaller and also a bit thinner than the 2016 flagship. It might end up being similar in size to the original HTC One. Other than that though, the look of the two handsets, right down to the antenna lines, is very close indeed.

Of course HTC wouldn't be the first manufacturer to do away with a headphone jack. Motorola and LeEco have already ditched the connector from their flagships, and Apple's new iPhone range has done the same. It seems that more and more smartphone manufacturers are keen to make the push towards either digital or wireless audio. On the other hand, this leak may not even be entirely accurate.

See also: 3.5mm audio vs USB Type-C: the good, bad and the future86

There aren't too many details about the HTC Bolt floating around online right now, so we don't have any rumored specifications just yet. Some will certainly be hoping for a powerful compact flagship from HTC, but it seems more likely that HTC will stick with its usual practise of cutting down the hardware in its smaller models. I'm hoping to be surprised.

The one rumor we do have to go on is that the phone will likely be unveiled in Otober, quite possibly on the 18th if the date on the screen is to be believed. What would you like to see from the HTC Bold?

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AT&T plans to beam wireless broadband across the power network

The electrical grid has been one of the last century's major breakthroughs in terms of powering our world and now, AT&T wants to piggyback on this tremendous accomplishment to help address this century's need for high-speed Internet access.

On Tuesday, the research division of the telecommunications giant revealed Project AirGig, a plan to shoot multi-gigabit wireless broadband along power lines. AT&T plans to conduct initial field tests of this experimental technology in 2017.

It's not the first time somebody attempts to use power lines for communication purposes, but previous approaches eventually failed due to high deployment costs and slow speeds.

AT&T's effort is a bit different, though. Project AirGig seeks to beam wireless signals near the path of power lines, making your Internet access synonymous to electricity, assuming the project goes through. Project AirGig will use plastic antennas installed at the top of utility poles, where an electromagnetic field will be generated to produce ultra high-speed waves along the path of power grids. Basically, each utility pole will act as a relay station, allowing network access far and wide, and without the need to install more cables.

Because the antennas will be made of low-cost plastic and rather simple, AT&T hopes to avoid the high hardware and deployment costs that plagued previous attempts to deliver Internet access to underserved communities and remote areas.

Whether AT&T's latest plan is bound to succeed remains to be seen as unexpected roadblocks are sure to come its way. For now, the company says it's only experimenting with it, and any kind of commercial deployment could take years. That said, AT&T has a decade of research on the project that resulted in about a hundred patents, which means Project AirGig might be more than feel-good vaporware.

More details about Project AirGig are available on AT&T's blog. Let us know your thoughts!

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Firefox 49 delivers offline page viewing and improvements to tabs functionality

Mozilla's Firefox 49 is now available to fans of the open source browser, introducing better tab management and offline page viewing, with standard bug fixes and stability improvements also part of the fine print.

Offline page viewing is where the action's at, and Firefox 49 will store recent pages offline automatically. This places Firefox 49 ahead of Chrome that requires you to manually select the pages that you want stored for offline reading.

Here's how the feature is described on the Mozilla blog:

On Android, we're now making it possible to access some previously viewed pages when you're offline or have an unstable connection. This means you can interact with much of your previously viewed content when you don't have a connection. The feature works with many pages, though it is dependent on your specific device specs. Give it a try by opening Firefox while your phone is in airplane mode.

Firefox 49 also comes with an updated Firefox Login Manager that lets you use user info from HTTP sites on their HTTPS versions, passwords included.

Tabs in Firefox 49 are also easier to manage, as the scroll position and zoom level will be always remembered for more convenient reference.  Updated media controls mean audio playback from multiple tabs is now a thing of the past, and outdated tabs will remain hidden even when you enable the "Always restore" setting.

See also: 10 best Android browsers of 2016103

You can download Firefox 49 from the Play Store right now.

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T-Mobile claims Verizon has lost its coverage advantage

It used to be the case that Verizon was the network to go to if you travelled across the US a lot, as the carrier offered the best coverage up and down the country. Not so anymore says T-Mobile, the company claims that its network reaches 99.7 percent of the consumers that Verizon does.

That isn't to say that T-Mobile has completely matched Verizon in terms of total US coverage area quite yet, but the company covers essentially as many populated locations as Verizon does. The carrier's claim is also backed up by research from third parties. OpenSignal's August report into the US market found that T-Mobile offers a 4G LTE connection 83.2 percent of the time in its tests. Verizon narrowly edges ahead with a result of 85.9 percent.

Based on the maps provided by each carrier, there's not a whole lot in it when it comes to coverage of at least moderately populated areas. Although Verizon still looks to cover more square miles.

""I'm calling it. Verizon's coverage advantage is gone … Now, Verizon's rebranding their older, slower network as 'LTE Advanced,' highlighting technology we launched two years ago. Even with their 'new' technology T-Mobile's LTE network is still faster – just ask OpenSignal, Ookla or the FCC," – Neville Ray, T-Mobile

As well as taking aim at Verizon's coverage, T-Mobile has also again attacked Verizon's recently announced speed boost. Verizon rolled out 4G LTE-Advanced connections to 460 cities in the US earlier in the year, and boasted about a 50 percent improvement to data speeds for consumers in these areas. However, T-Mobile responded by stating that it had launched its own LTE-A coverage all the way back in 2014.

See also: T-Mobile ridicules recent Verizon speed boost, promises their own20

T-Mobile's style may be rather abrasive these days, but the drastic changes made to the business appear to have been paying off. The carrier claims that its September subscriber performance metrics have already surpassed the whole of Q2 2016.  Apparently, customers continue to be moving away from the other big three towards its service, with almost 1 million customers making the switch.

What about your personal experiences? Have you made the switch to T-Mobile recently, and do you think that its network lives up to the speed and coverage claims? Sound off in the comments below.

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Clash of the titans: iPhone 7/7 Plus vs Galaxy Note 7 quick look

iOS vs Android. Apple vs Samsung. The debates rage on, and pick up steam whenever a new flagship from either company is released. With the recent launch of the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus, it's natural to wonder how these devices stack up against the latest and greatest that is available from Samsung.

Here is a quick look at the iPhone 7 / 7 Plus vs Samsung Galaxy Note 7!

Design

Samsung continues to refine the look and feel of the design language the company adopted last year, with the Galaxy Note 7 featuring the metal and glass unibody construction we've come to associate with high-end Samsung phones. The refinements are seen in the form of a more symmetrical, and narrower, feel, with the Galaxy Note 7 now coming with a dual curved edge display.

The curved glass on the front and back meet the frame at the middle, making for a very smooth feeling side. Apart from that, the Galaxy Note 7 is easily recognizable as a Samsung device, with all the usual design elements returning here.

Moving on to the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus, we see that any changes that have been made are more functional than aesthetic. The main change comes with the home button, or rather, the home surface, with it no longer being a tactile button.

Instead of pressing a button, what you are now doing is place your finger on a concave surface, and then use Force Touch. A haptic vibration recreates the feel of a physical button when you press on this surface hard enough, but admittedly, this change can take some getting used to.

Both smartphones retain the design language of their predecessors, but while the Samsung phone has a curved display now, the only visible difference with the iPhones are the re-designed antenna lines on the back, and the introduction of a couple of new color options.

What Apple has been able to do this year is introduce protection from the elements to the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus, with both devices coming with a IP67 rating for dust and water resistance. Samsung brought back this feature with the latest Galaxy S smartphones, and it also made its way over to the current Galaxy Note.

We put both of these smartphones through a drop test, and it was the Galaxy Note 7 that eventually ended up with a cracked display, when the edge of the curved screen was the point of impact, while the iPhones survived relatively unscathed. So, you can rest assured that both smartphones can certainly brave a fall, and now a splash, and still be able to keep going.

Display

The display is one aspect where there is still a significant gap, at least on paper, when it comes to iOS and Android flagships, which is more than evident here. While the Galaxy Note 7 comes with a 5.7-inch Super AMOLED screen with a Quad HD resolution, the iPhone 7 features a 4.7-inch display with a resolution of 1334 x 750, and the iPhone 7 Plus packs a 5.5-inch Full HD panel.

The Galaxy Note 7 has the largest display of the bunch, but Samsung still managed to keep the overall footprint smaller than what is seen with the iPhone 7 Plus. A feature that the Galaxy Note 7 also packs is the Always On Display, allowing for a little bit of information to be available on the screen at all times.

Performance

The Samsung Galaxy Note 7 is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 processor, which is the processing package found with every current generation flagship smartphone in the Android world. 4 GB of RAM might not feel like enough, given all the extra capabilities the Note 7 now packs, but certainly gets the job done.

On the other hand are the latest iPhones, powered by the new Apple A10 Fusion processing package. iOS 10 doesn't require as much power as Android to provide a smooth experience, but both smartphones have received a boost in the RAM department, with it bumped up to 2 GB and 3 GB with the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus respectively.

As expected, performance is as smooth as can be with all three smartphones, and while we haven't spent a lot of time with the latest iPhones yet, we haven't run into any noticeable performance issues yet.

Hardware

The Galaxy Note 7 packs in a lot more in terms of hardware features when compared to the new iPhones. First, the Galaxy Note 7 comes with a staple of the series, the S-Pen stylus, and as is the case with every iteration, the new S-Pen comes with a slew of improvements and software features to make better use of it.

Samsung brings expandable storage via microSD card back to the Note line, with a possibility of up to an additional 256 GB of storage to bolster the 64 GB that is built-in. In the case of the iPhones, 32 GB is the base storage option, but with no expansion available, users will have to depend on the more expensive 128 GB and 256 GB iterations.

Both the iPhones and the Galaxy Note 7 feature fast and accurate fingerprint scanners up front, but Samsung takes security to another level, with the iris scanner. While the iris scanner is surprisingly easy to use, fast, and accurate, with the great fingerprint scanner available, the iris scanner may not be something that many will use all that often.

The iPhone 7 comes with a 1,960 mAh battery, while the iPhone 7 Plus obviously packs the larger battery of the two, with a capacity of 2,900 mAh. However, the Galaxy Note 7 has both devices beat, with its large 3,500 mAh unit. Further, the Galaxy Note 7 features fast charging and wireless charging capabilities out of the box.

The iPhone does take a step back when it comes to audio with the removal of the headphone jack. This is going to be a controversial topic for a lot of people, but you do get a pair of Earpods that can be plugged into the lightning port, as well as an adapter that lets you use a regular set of headphones. There are also wireless solutions available, including Apple's own Airpods, so the lack of a headphone jack may not ultimately be as much of a big deal.

Camera

The iPhone 7 Plus received a major upgrade in the camera department, with it now boasting a wide angle and zoom lens, that provide different options when it comes to taking photos and videos. Both cameras are of the 12 MP variety, with the wider angle lens coming with a f/1.8 aperture, while the zoom lens features a f/2.8 aperture and 2X optical zoom. The iPhone 7 comes without the zoom lens secondary camera.

The camera app of the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus are definitely the same as before. There aren't any major changes to the way that you are going to use the cameras, but a manual mode is available via an app that can be downloaded from the App Store.

The Samsung Galaxy Note 7 also comes with a 12 MP rear camera with a f/1.7 aperture, which is the same camera package that is available with the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge. As we've already seen thus far, the Galaxy Note 7 camera provides some really good quality images and videos. The camera app, as expected, is packed with features and modes, including a Pro mode, that allows for that manual control in photography.

It remains to be seen which of these two will be the better performer in terms of photo and video quality. However, you can rest assured that these camera setups are the best that both of these companies have ever provided.

Software

Finally, on the software side of things, we have slightly more robust, and more refined, versions of both operating systems.

The Galaxy Note 7 comes with Samsung's take on Android, with the major change in aesthetics being the update to the color scheme to make it a bit easier on the eyes. The software package remains as packed with features as ever, with everything from Multi-window, S-Window, and more, to all that the S-Pen is capable of, available here.

On the other hand, iOS 10 is the newest version of Apple's software, and it does bring a few changes that might take some getting used to. Granted, it is largely the same user interface that Apple users love and are familiar with, but there are some interesting additions that have been made.

For example, in the lock screen, you can now swipe to the left to directly access the camera, or swipe to the right for a place that widgets can live. There are a very specific number of widgets that can be added to this space, but is still a nice way to get a quick look at some key information without having to even unlock the phone. The same screen is also available to the left of the home screens, and notifications can also be found here, making it easier to get to them, instead of having to pull down the notification dropdown.

As always, it comes down to what operating system you want to use. The Galaxy Note 7 comes with the highly-customizable Android, which means that you can get it to look, feel, and perform, exactly the way you want it to. On the other hand, iOS remains a "what you see is what you get" affair.

There are some apps that are exclusively available on iOS and not Android, and vice versa, but for the most part, you will be able to get through your main tasks everyday, with no problems, regardless of which device you pick.

Gallery

Conclusion at a glance

So, there you have it for this quick look at the iPhone 7 / 7 Plus vs Samsung Galaxy Note 7! Both the iPhone 7 and the 7 Plus are available now, but it might take a little while to get your hands on the latter, with it being sold out almost everywhere. The same can also be said for the Galaxy Note 7, which is currently not on sale, until Samsung is able to fix the battery issues that have led to the massive recall.

Once these smartphones are widely available however, this comparison can come down to one main factor, loyalty. If you are an Android user, the Galaxy Note 7 might just be one of the most feature packed and well made devices that the Android world currently has to offer. Of course, if you are an Apple fan, the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus are the newest and best ones that you can get your hands on in the iOS camp.

This post was originally published on our sister site TabTimes.com.

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Google Drive updated with natural-language search queries

Google Drive users with a vast document library will be able to find what they're looking for much more easily from today. Google has just integrated its cutting edge search technology into the platform, so finding specific files and types of documents should be easier and faster than ever before.

Google says that this search technology is based on Natural Language Processing (NLP), so users can search for documents by typing how they'd speak, such as "find my budget spreadsheet from last December". Drive's NLP algorithm also learns from how you search to improve its results over time. Drive's search feature now also boasts spelling auto-correct capabilities, so you can type in a search quickly without having to worry too much about what your fingers are doing.

Along with search, Google has integrated a few much sought after features into Drive with this update as well. Documents can now be split into multiple columns, by selecting "Columns" under the "Format" drop down menu. Drive will also now save copies when opening, converting, and editing non-Google files in Docs, Sheets, and Slides. These can be viewed or downloaded in their original format under the Revision History feature.

The Google Drive update is already live for some customers, but the company says that it will gradually be rolling out to users all around the world over the new few days.

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Lenovo Yoga Book: Android/Windows tablet ships on October 17th

The Lenovo Yoga Book sees the best of both worlds collide, as this 2-in-1 tablet starts shipping on October 17, 2016. The new Yoga Book takes on a different form (and function) from the other Lenovo Yoga devices, as it does not feature a traditional keyboard. The device relies on a capacitive keyboard that could prove unorthodox to many.

See also: Hands on with the Lenovo Yoga Book15

Lenovo sees the Yoga Book as a tool that will usher in a new era of mobile productivity, where you can choose from either the Windows 10 or Android model.

Do not mistake the Lenovo Yoga Book for another Microsoft Surface clone. You will need to get used to the freeform touch field when typing, but the main draw of the Yoga Book could be its ease-of-use when drawing on it with a stylus or a pen. Those who make a living out of digital imaging and art will probably find working on the Yoga Book similar to their Wacom-style pad, and this pen-to-pad functionality could be the missing link in reviving the ailing tablet market.

Hardware specifications include an Intel Atom x5 2.4GHz chipset, a 10.1-inch Full HD IPS display, 4GB of RAM, 64GB of internal memory, an 8MP shooter at the back and a 2MP camera in front, 4G LTE and WiFi connectivity, Dolby Atmos speakers, and an 8,500mAh battery that claims to offer up to 13 hours of battery life.

Pre-orders for the Yoga Book are now open. The Android Marshmallow-powered version is going for $499.99, while the Windows 10 Home model will be more pricey at $549.99. Either way, the Yoga Book will arrive in either Gunmetal Grey and Champagne Gold on October 17.

Pre-order Windows version Pre-order Android version

This post was originally published on our sister site, TabTimes.com.

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