It’s been a while since we last covered an Honor phone here at KnowTechie. And boy, it’s been a busy couple of years for the company.

Let’s recap: Honor was riding high, expanding its mid-range mobile business across Europe and Asia. Everything was going great. Until it wasn’t.

The erstwhile US President, Donald Trump, took aim at its parent company, Huawei. Suddenly, they couldn’t buy components from suppliers or even license Google’s Android apps.

For a moment, it looked like they were down and out. But then, Honor split from Huawei. As their own company, hoping to one day shine again.

Now, they’re again spreading their wings worldwide, selling phones people want to buy, and gradually reclaiming their place at the mobile table.

And it’s phones like the Honor 70 that are making this possible. As far as reunions go, this was a good one.

Honor 70

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Quick Verdict

The Honor 70 is a great phone. But it’s also in a fiercely-competitive market. But it’s also hugely compelling, with some of the best photography chops in the mid-range segment. Overall, great camera but dated UI. Honor still has a long way to go.

The Honor 70 isn’t a perfect phone, but it’s also hugely compelling, with some of the best photography chops in the mid-range segment.

It’s a beautiful, potent bit of technology. And if you pull up a chair, I’ll tell you about it.

First Impressions

Honor and I have been around the block a few times.

I’ve covered their devices at almost every tech publication I’ve worked at, from The Next Web and The Register, to this humble outfit. And they’ve never let me down.

READ MORE: Review: Infinix Zero Ultra

Not once have they given me cause to hold my nose and give you a resounding thumbs-down, like Joaquin Phoenix in Gladiator.

And my praise has always been the same: pretty phones, great cameras, and solid specs, all at a reasonable price.

CPU and storage

The same is true with the Honor 70. Sure, the Qualcomm Snapdragon 778G+ chipset isn’t the fastest in the world.

Still, it’s nimble enough, demolishing games and social media tasks with the enthusiasm of former Toronto mayor Rob Ford at a celestial buffet.

Where, among the Bloody Marys and bottomless omelets, they also serve Pablo’s finest marching powder.

They offer customers a dizzying array of RAM and storage configurations, ranging from a basic 8GB RAM and 128GB storage to a slightly extravagant 12GB RAM and 512GB storage.

The model you shipped this humble journalist sat toward the middle of that pack.

Looks aren’t everything, but I can’t fault the Honor 70’s design.

Display

I’m a big fan of the tall 6.67-inch display, which positively invites the owner to waste the afternoon in a flurry of PUBG Mobile gunfire.

READ MORE: Honor Magic Earbuds Review

Its 120Hz refresh rate makes it well-suited for mobile gamers, while its HDR10+ compatibility and OLED panel elevates the long hours spent watching Netflix in the office toilet.

Still, lacking a QHD resolution (just FHD+) feels like a missed opportunity.

The camera modules sit in two UFO-shaped bulges within the rear of the phone’s textured chassis. It’s an eye-catching design and surprisingly elegant.

Camera

The phone’s three rear-facing cameras are a 54MP wide-angle primary lens based on Sony’s new IMX800 sensor, a 50MP ultrawide, and a 2MP depth sensor.

Cameras have always been Honor’s bag. They were the first phone vendor to release a 48MP camera — a groundbreaking feat back in 2019.

So, it wasn’t a surprise to see how capable the Honor 70 was as a portable photography machine.

Exerting little effort, it produced rich and vibrant images, capturing the finer details of complicated compositions with startling accuracy.

This mural of Ringo Starr — the Beatles’ second-best drummer — demonstrates this.

And I was gratified to see its photography chops hold up even in the most adverse conditions, like nighttime or during the bleariest days of the English winter.

The Finer Touches

The Honor 70 is a solid phone. There’s a lot I like that I haven’t touched upon.

Fast charging

Its 66W fast charging gives you almost 60 percent of charge in around 20 minutes, and its 4,800mAh battery can handily last one-and-a-half days with moderate usage.

Some things to grumble about

Let’s start with the lack of an IP rating. On a basic level, it would be nice to have some reassurance about how this phone handles splashes and dust.

The bloatware. My god, the bloatware

I didn’t expect a pristine stock Android experience, Honor, but I also didn’t want the first ten minutes to be spent hunting down apps I have no desire to use or install.

Magic UI 6.1

The Honor 70 uses Magic UI 6.1, which itself is built upon Android 12.

There’s a lot to like about Magic UI, particularly regarding its support for gesture-based navigation, but it does look a touch dated.

Its lineage, which stretches back to Huawei’s EMUI, is still glaringly apparent.

Final Verdict: Great Camera, Dated UI

It’s been a lovely reunion, Honor. You’re still you. You still excel when it comes to design and imaging. But you still have a long way to go.

Magic UI. To quote the philosopher Fergie, it’s so 2000-and-late. It’s the carbuncle that betrays an otherwise spectacular piece of industrial design.

With no MicroSD slot or 3.5mm headphone jack, you have no excuse to leave out a proper dust- and water-proofing rating.

Given the starting price of £449 (or $695, when imported to the US), you need to get these details right.

Honor 70 alternatives to consider

Imageㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ	Product	Price
	Nokia X30 5GThe Basic Pick Three years of software updates and an impressive three-year hardware warranty. Eco-friendly Stock Android experience	Learn More
	Nothing Phone(1)Best Budget Pick Decent Specs Flashy and bold design Excellent camera Good for those looking for an alternative that isn’t offered by Google or Apple	Learn More
	Google Pixel 7Editor’s Pick Excellent camera Fairly priced Great battery life Good for those looking for a premium Android experience	Learn More

The Honor 70 is a great phone. But it’s also in a fiercely-competitive market.

The Nokia X30 5G rivals you on the photography front but has the benefit of a three-year warranty and three years of software updates.

The Nothing Phone(1) and countless devices from OPPO and Realme all deliver compelling alternatives, but at the same or lower price as the Honor 70.

READ MORE: Bad news, the Nothing Phone 1 isn’t coming to America

And Google continues to impress with the Pixel line-up. The Google Pixel 7 is priced within reach of the Honor 70.

It touts a similarly-impressive camera setup and benefits from long-term OS support and a stock Android experience.

Pay attention, Honor. If you want to reclaim your rightful place at the smartphone table, these are the companies and devices you’ll need to beat.

Where to buy the Honor 70

US buyers can pick up the Honor 70 from Amazon’s third-party sellers. The base device costs around $700, shipping included.

At the time of writing, the Honor 70 is discounted to around £379 on Amazon UK’s Black Friday sale.

That’s a £100 discount from its usual price. You can also buy it directly from Honor’s site.

Review

Honor 70

The Honor 70 is a great phone. It looks great, feels great, and its camera takes amazing pictures. But Honor still has a long way to go if it intends to keep up with competing brands. Still, it’s not the worst phone, but it’s certainly not the best.

See at Honor

See at Amazon

Have any thoughts on this? Carry the discussion over to our Twitter or Facebook.

Editors’ Recommendations:

• Review: EPOS GTW 270 Hybrid wireless gaming earbuds
• Review: G Pen Hyer
• Review: HHOGene GPods light earbuds
• Review: AGM H5 Pro smartphone

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The post Review: Honor 70 appeared first on KnowTechie.

It can be a great tool for making calls without cell service. But it can also present some problems.

Call quality can be poor or even fail if you’re on a weak WiFi signal. And the feature could potentially use more battery than normal on your device.

For whatever reason, you might want to turn off the WiFi calling feature on your Samsung phone. But the feature is somewhat hard to find. Don’t worry; we’ve got you covered.

How to turn off WiFi calling on a Samsung phone

You can find the WiFi calling toggle in the settings of your Samsung phone. But you don’t get there through the traditional settings app. Instead, start by opening the Phone app on your phone.

That’s all there is to it. Samsung’s WiFi Calling option is on if it is green. If it’s toggled to the gray side, the feature is off.

Of course, if you ever want to turn WiFi calling back on, just reverse the process and you will get the feature again.

Turn off the feature when it’s not needed

Again, WiFi calling can be a useful feature when needed. It allows you to make phone calls without cell service, as long as you have internet access.

But if you don’t need the feature, it may cause some trouble. You may get a weak signal, or the feature could drain your battery faster than normal.

Fortunately, it’s pretty easy to toggle the feature on and off. As long as you know where to look. The process should be similar across all Samsung smartphones with updated operating systems.

Have any thoughts on this? Carry the discussion over to our Twitter or Facebook.

Editors’ Recommendations:

• How to reset Samsung TV without a remote
• How to add emergency contacts on a Samsung Galaxy phone
• Samsung will finally let you repair your own Galaxy smartphone
• Is the Samsung Galaxy S21 waterproof?

Just a heads up, if you buy something through our links, we may get a small share of the sale. It’s but one of the ways we keep the lights on here. Click here for more.

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They feature some seriously impressive specs. Both phones come packing the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 processor, with up to 18GB of RAM for the ROG Phone 6 Pro. The ROG Phone 6 is available in configurations up to 16GB of RAM. You can also grab configurations with up to 512GB of storage.

Each model features massive 6.78-inch OLED screens with 165Hz refresh and 720Hz touch-sampling rates. Those specs represent massive improvements over the ROG Phone 5S, though the screen size has not changed.

READ MORE: ASUS has a new 4K HDMI 2.1 monitor that’s perfect for gamers

Neither have the 6,000mAh batteries, though the triple-camera array has seen an improvement over the previous releases.

There is one major change to speak of, though. The ROG Phone 6 Pro features an OLED screen on the back of the device. While everyday users may not find that it serves much of a purpose for them, some gamers may find that a second screen could benefit them.

That’s who these phones were made for, anyway. Most of their features were added with gaming in mind. But the lower-end model could easily see daily use as a go-to phone. It also includes optimal cooling, through the ROG Aeroactive Cooler. It’s an additional clip-on fan that you can use as a controller, too.

Neither phone is cheap, exactly, but that is to be expected. You can grab the base model ROG Phone 6 with 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage for around $999.

If you’re more interested in the base model of the ROG Phone 6 Pro, you’ll have to pony up about $1349. Both prices are based on European price announcements so far, with no US pricing confirmed at the time of writing.

Interested in picking up one of these portable powerhouses? Sit tight for now. There’s no release date just yet. That will likely change in the coming weeks, so we’ll update you when it does.

Have any thoughts on this? Let us know down below in the comments or carry the discussion over to our Twitter or Facebook.

Editors’ Recommendations:

• How much is the iPhone 14?
• Google’s folding Pixel suffers delays, but is that a surprise?
• The new Samsung Gaming Hub brings cloud gaming to your TV
• Apple Exec: Early Galaxy phones were a ‘poor copy’ of the iPhone

Just a heads up, if you buy something through our links, we may get a small share of the sale. It’s one of the ways we keep the lights on here. Click here for more.

The post Asus debuts souped-up ROG Phone 6 and 6 Pro gaming phones appeared first on KnowTechie.

I mean, the next OnePlus device is going to have a 150W charger. That’s a full battery in less than 15 minutes and the company is working on an even faster 240W charger.

The Lithium-ion batteries in your smartphones are getting better all the time. Unlike NiCad, it’s not electrons that move between the positive and negative electrodes but ions.

In theory, this could work forever, but real-world usage means they start to degrade. The biggest killer? Heat.

So what do manufacturers do to mitigate fast charging issues?

Popular YouTuber MKBHD noticed that every video about advances in charging tech has the comments section littered with “I don’t want that on my phone, that’s definitely going to overheat,” to “good luck plugging that in for more than five minutes before it explodes.”

He decided to find out if that’s actually true, and it’s pretty cool what he discovered.

The first thing he found is that the rated speed of any charger typically only hits that speed for the first few minutes after plugging in.

A 65W charger goes at full for maybe 20 minutes, before it drastically drops the power and trickle charges. That keeps the heat down, helping with battery longevity.

The other thing is that lithium-ion batteries don’t like being at 100-percent or 0-percent charge. They’re happier in the middle, which is why battery health algorithms stop the charge once they get to 80-percent.

He also found that there’s an industry standard for what actually counts as “ruining your battery.” That’s a target of 80-percent battery health after 800 charges. If you charge once a day, that’s over two years before your battery degrades below this point.

The biggest thing to take away from MKBHD’s video is that speedy charging doesn’t have to destroy your battery. They’re a convenient way to keep your battery topped up. The best thing to do is to keep using your phones as normal and try not to let them get hot.

Have any thoughts on this? Let us know down below in the comments or carry the discussion over to our Twitter or Facebook.

Editors’ Recommendations:

• Is iOS 15.4 draining your iPhone’s battery? You’re not alone
• Are Apple’s AirTags draining the battery life of nearby devices?
• The Galaxy S22 Ultra’s battery life drags behind the S21 Ultra and iPhone 13 Pro Max
• 10 tips to improve your iPhone’s battery life

Just a heads up, if you buy something through our links, we may get a small share of the sale. It’s one of the ways we keep the lights on here. Click here for more.

The post Is fast charging actually bad for your battery? appeared first on KnowTechie.

This all came to light when the folks over at Anandtech were performing benchmark tests for an upcoming review of the smartphone. But when they found a large number of well-known apps slowing down more than usual, they knew something was off.

READ MORE: Watch the OnePlus 10 Pro get snapped in half in a basic durability test

Well, as it turns out, their hunch was right. OnePlus recently confirmed to XDA Developers that this is actually intentional and helps preserve the phone’s battery life. Here’s the full statement:

Our top priority is always delivering a great user experience with our products, based in part on acting quickly on important user feedback. Following the launch of the OnePlus 9 and 9 Pro in March, some users told us about some areas where we could improve the devices’ battery life and heat management. As a result of this feedback, our R&D team has been working over the past few months to optimize the devices’ performance when using many of the most popular apps, including Chrome, by matching the app’s processor requirements with the most appropriate power. This has helped to provide a smooth experience while reducing power consumption. While this may impact the devices’ performance in some benchmarking apps, our focus as always is to do what we can to improve the performance of the device for our users.

What OnePlus is telling us here is that sure, apps are being slowed down, but the average smartphone user isn’t going to notice it. The only thing that’s going to catch it is benchmarking apps, which isn’t a thing most regular people use.

The gist of it is that OnePlus is trying to make their phones last longer for users and hold a bit more battery life. While I personally don’t see a huge issue with this, Apple did have to pay $500 million for similar issues, but Apple’s goal was to get people to upgrade to a new phone.

Have any thoughts on this? Let us know down below in the comments or carry the discussion over to our Twitter or Facebook.

Editors’ Recommendations:

• The new OnePlus Watch is terrible – here’s what reviewers are saying
• OnePlus has unveiled the OnePlus 9 and OnePlus 9 Pro with Hasselblad cameras
• The new OnePlus 9 is coming on March 23 and should feature a killer camera
• OnePlus is releasing a cheap fitness band to help out with those New Year’s resolutions

Just a heads up, if you buy something through our links, we may get a small share of the sale. It’s one of the ways we keep the lights on here. Click here for more.

The post Yup, OnePlus is deliberately slowing down apps to preserve battery life appeared first on KnowTechie.

The court decided that it is within Customs and Border Protection agents’ purview to perform in-depth searches of laptops and smartphones without the use of a warrant. According to Judge Sandra Lynch’s ruling, CBP agents can copy and review data at their discretion. Furthermore, “in-depth” searches fall within the scope of “permissible constitutional grounds.”

Even more appalling, federal agents can conduct such searches within 100 miles of the US border. That area covers pretty much all metropolitan areas near the US border.

READ MORE: Google and Amazon let police see your video without a warrant

Esha Bhandari, a deputy director at the ACLU reacted to the ruling, saying searches can give federal agents and border officers “unfettered access” to a plethora of private information. She added that they are upset with the ruling and that they are considering other options. This way, civil and privacy rights are not jeopardized when traveling.

On the other side of the specter, Judge Lyn said that it is up to the White House and Congress to bring forth clearer rules to provide better protection than what the Constitution can offer at the moment.

Have any thoughts on this? Do you think the courts got it right or wrong on this ruling? Let us know down below in the comments or carry the discussion over to our Twitter or Facebook.

Editors’ Recommendations:

• Patriot Act renewal now allows the FBI to access your browser history without a warrant
• If you’re entering the US, agents can search your phone with no warrant – Here’s what you can do
• Judge claps back at Epic Games, says Apple justified in banning Fortnite from the App Store
• A judge has ruled that Uber drivers are freelancers, not employees

The post U.S. border agents can now search laptops and smartphones without a warrant appeared first on KnowTechie.

According to this report, new iPhone models such as iPhone 12, 12 Pro, 12 Pro Max, and 12 Mini are the ones that perform the most. They calculated that those models accounted for around 56% of all US iPhone sales in fiscal Q1 of 2021. 

The iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro Max outperformed all other models as each of them accounted for about 17% of all iPhone sales. Consequently, the US weighted average retail price increased to $873. For comparison, the weighted average retail price was $809 in the fiscal quarter before. That’s a $64 increase in just one fiscal quarter.

Josh Lowitz, co-founder and CIRP Partner, said that this is the highest level of a US Weighted Average Retail Price (US-WARP) that they have seen in the last decade. 

CIRP’s report further disclosed that Apple recorded a significant penetration in the service department. Apple Music, Apple TV, and paid iCloud Storage showed a vastly improved penetration among buyers that purchased an Apple product in the fiscal Q1 of 2021. All other services were at the same level as in the previous fiscal quarter.  

Mike Levin also commented on this segment of Apple’s business. He pointed out that more than half of buyers opted for paid iCloud storage, and more than a third of Apple buyers use their streaming service. Then he explained how paid news and podcasts are still at their early stages and that they remain stable.

On the other side of the specter, he pointed to Apple Care and Apple TV, whose performances are far from pleasing and that it will take a while they show significant improvements.

Have any thoughts on this? Let us know down below in the comments or carry the discussion over to our Twitter or Facebook.

Editors’ Recommendations:

• Apple is bringing back the SD card slot to the new MacBook Pro along with some other big updates
• Apple just pushed out a major security update for the iPhone, download it now
• How to stop Apple Watch from automatically downloading Fitness+ workouts
• Apple just tapped its senior VP of engineering to head up a mysterious new secret project

The post The average price of an iPhone in the U.S. is now up to $873 appeared first on KnowTechie.

Though all iPhone 12 models contain more magnets than prior iPhone models, they’re not expected to pose a greater risk of magnetic interference to medical devices than prior iPhone models.

Apple admits the fact that the iPhone features components and magnets that emit electromagnetic fields. They also acknowledge that electromagnetic fields and magnets may disrupt the work of medical devices like defibrillators and pacemakers.

However, they did mention that the new iPhone 12 lineup contains more magnets than its predecessors. Even despite that, they are adamant and stick to their official stance on the matter – “iPhone 12/MagSafe wouldn’t interfere more than previous iPhones.”

Simultaneously, another study shows that a pacemaker deactivated by an iPhone placed right next to it will not cause any significant disruption. Some experts believe that additional data and research are needed, and this one study opens the doors to that. Plus, it’s not just the iPhones that contain magnets that can interfere with medical devices.

Practically, all other smartphones contain magnets and emit electromagnetic fields too. Yet, there aren’t any significant studies that examine the effects of smartphone induced electromagnetic fields over medical devices. 

The fix to this issue is seen in using ultrasonic receiver-emitter pair. That tech builds on basic 40 kHz carrier waves and uses relatively simple code that prevents interference from other sources. 

Until companies start using safer technology, it’s safe to keep smartphones away from defibrillators and pacemakers. According to some unconfirmed reports, Medtronic and other companies are actively working to make their technology safer by getting rid of magnets.

Have any thoughts on this? Let us know down below in the comments or carry the discussion over to our Twitter or Facebook.

Editors’ Recommendations:

• Apple might get rid of the infamous TouchBar on the next MacBook Pro
• Here’s how to use the walkie-talkie feature on Apple Watch
• Samsung is coming for Apple with the new Galaxy Buds Pro
• This new Apple patent unlocks your Apple Watch just by wearing it

The post A new study claims Apple’s iPhone 12 with MagSafe can interfere with people’s pacemakers appeared first on KnowTechie.

Some of the newer additions include a plunger, ninja, logs, piñata, a transgender flag, and a whole lot more. The full list of all the new emojis being added to iOS 14.2 can be found here. Our favorite new addition, without a doubt, is the new “pinched finger” emoji. If you haven’t seen the “frustrated Italian hand gesture” meme, here’s a good example of it in action below:

https://twitter.com/stevekovach/status/1324450297402544128

Obviously, Apple included more in the update than just emojis. These improvements include eight new wallpapers, bug fixes, and a new AirPlay menu. HomePod users also get some updates too included in the iOS 14 update. These include Apple’s new intercom feature and the ability to link a HomePod speaker to an Apple TV 4K for stereo, surround, and Dolby Atmos.

But yeah, the main ticket here seems to be the new emojis. Most people aren’t too concerned with bug fixes and stuff being done under the hood. But it’s nice to see Apple pushing these sorts of updates out. If you haven’t downloaded the new update, just know it’s there whenever you’re ready for it.

Have you updated? Have any thoughts on the new emoji? Let us know down below in the comments or carry the discussion over to our Twitter or Facebook.

Editors’ Recommendations:

• How to hide photos on your iPhone in iOS 14
• How to create a custom Smart Stack widget in iOS 14
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The post iPhone users: Download the new iOS 14.2 update, it has 100 new emojis appeared first on KnowTechie.

The demonstration used a modified Mi 10 Pro handset and showed it charging from zero all the way to 100-percent, all in 19 minutes. That’s a 4,000 mAh battery! It charged from 0- to 50-percent in eight minutes, which is just insanely fast.

That’s faster than most wired charging systems, let alone wireless ones. Now, we’ve got some questions about how reliable the system is over time. I mean, we all know normal wireless charging generates a lot of heat, and the more power you throw into charging, the more heat.

Did Xiaomi do anything fancy to keep the Mi 10 Pro cool? Is this just a proof-of-concept, in which case it’ll be a while to market as Xiaomi will have to figure out the heat issues, maybe with some kind of cooling system in the dock?

That builds on Xiaomi’s current fastest wireless charger, which came with the Mi 10 Ultra, at 50W. That’s only available in China, though, as it’s not been cleared for use in the U.S. If you want a fast wireless charger in the U.S., the only available option is the 30W charger for the OnePlus 8 Pro, which costs $70. That 30W takes just over an hour to charge the phone fully, though.

Unfortunately, when this charging technology will be made available to buyers in the U.S., it is still unclear at this time, but with the company lifting the veil on it, who knows, we might see it sooner than later.

Have any thoughts on this? Let us know down below in the comments or carry the discussion over to our Twitter or Facebook.

Editors’ Recommendations:

• Xiaomi’s double-folded phone is real and there is video proof
• Xiaomi’s new earbuds look a little bit too similar to Apple AirPods
• Qualcomm’s Quick Charge 5 will recharge your phone to 50% in just 5 minutes
• Both Oppo and Xiaomi just demoed under-screen selfie cameras

Just a heads up, if you buy something through our links, we may get a small share of the sale. It’s one of the ways we keep the lights on here. Click here for more.

The post Holy shit, Xiaomi’s new wireless charging tech can charge your smartphone in 20 minutes appeared first on KnowTechie.

Apple Watches already have the hardware to make this possible. Their built-in heart rate monitors include sensors that could read blood oxygen levels. Since the Apple Watch 6 and watchOS 7 will likely release in the Fall, they could finally take advantage of these devices.

Why Install a Blood Oxygen Detector?

It’d be the perfect time to release a blood oxygen, or pulse oximetry, detector, given the COVID-19 pandemic. New Hampshire doctor Richard Levitan found that some patients have coronavirus-caused pneumonia without even realizing it. Pulse oximetry can be an early warning sign for people who may have it, but don’t experience breathing problems.

You’ve probably already heard of wearable tech offering medical alerts. Some companies use devices that automatically alert emergency services if they detect something wrong. With a pulse oximeter, you could have those features in your Apple Watch that you already use for other things.

This feature could allow your watch to alert you if your blood oxygen levels are low. Since this could be a sign of COVID pneumonia, early warnings like that could be a lifesaver. Aside from personal use, health organizations could use these readings to help track the virus.

Other Upcoming Features

Pulse oximetry isn’t the only upcoming health feature for Apple Watches. With iOS 13.5 and watchOS 6.2.5, coming later this month, Apple is linking its Medical ID and Emergency SOS features. The result is a system that automatically shares your health information with emergency services.

If you opt in to the service, your Apple Watch or iPhone will share your Medical ID when you trigger Emergency SOS. That way, first responders can know things like your blood type or allergies before they even arrive. They could then provide you with faster, better care.

Upcoming watchOS versions will also likely fix current problems with Apple Watches. Right now, ECG readings for heart rates between 100 and 120 bpm are faulty on the watch. With Apple rolling out more advanced medical detection features, they’ll probably address this shortcoming.

Other rumors surrounding the future of Apple Watch include the addition of sleep tracking and longer battery life. Apple users have been waiting for these features for quite some time, so it’s a logical step forward. As usual, Apple’s remained quiet about these upcoming updates, so you’ll have to wait and see to be sure.

Image: CNBC

Wearable Tech and Health

As the pandemic continues, health features in wearable tech will become all the more valuable. Things like pulse oximetry won’t diagnose people with COVID-19, but they can help detect possible symptoms. Any step towards taking better care of your health is a step worth taking.

Whether or not you’ll see these features in the Apple Watch 6 or watchOS 7 is still uncertain. Given their usefulness right now, though, it’s not a stretch to think you might. With these upcoming updates, Apple has a chance to leap forward in wearable technology.

Have any thoughts on this? Are you looking forward to this new feature? Let us know down below in the comments or carry the discussion over to our Twitter or Facebook.

Editors’ Recommendations:

• Apple now has a messaging app for the Apple Watch called Kit – here’s how it works
• You can now listen to Pandora on your Apple Watch without needing your iPhone
• Apple is working on a new feature in iOS that lets you unlock your car using your iPhone or Apple Watch
• How to track sleep with the Apple Watch

The post Apple Watch rumored to feature a blood oxygen detector in iOS 14 appeared first on KnowTechie.

I’m a sucker for portable battery chargers. Seriously, they rule. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had my phone run out of juice only to have a portable power delivery system bring it back to life. Not to mention all the times I’m just sitting on the couch and too lazy to plug my phone into a wall outlet to charge.

However, when it comes to finding the best one for your needs, that may prove to be difficult because there’s so many of them out there. Portable battery chargers come in all shapes and sizes and at many different price points. There’s small ones, big ones, and ones right in between. Today, we’re looking at one of the bigger options available on the market: The $200 Crave PowerPack 2.

But first, some specs: 

• Output: Type-C (PD): 1:5V-3A, 9V-2A, 12V-1.5A, 15V-1.2A 18W (Mobile Phones, and more)
• Type-C (PD): 2: 5V-3A, 9V-3A, 12V-3A, 15V-3A, 20V-3A 60W (Laptop Charging)
• USB 1/2: 5V-3A, 9V-2A, 12V-1.5A 18W (Phones, cameras, & misc)
• Total Output Limit: Max 81W

Image: Kevin Raposo / KnowTechie

The first thing I want to bring to your attention is how much battery capacity this sucker has. Most portable battery chargers sit around the 10,000mAh to 20,000mAh mark. The Crave PowerPack 2 has a battery capacity of 50,000mAH. That’s a massive battery. To put things in perspective, this battery pack is capable of charging a new MacBook Pro to 100% at least three times on a single charge. Additionally, it can charge your smartphone or similar devices from 0-100% battery power up to 15 times. So yea, that’s a lot.

Speaking of laptops, the Crave PowerPack 2 is totally capable of charging them without any issues. Not many portable battery packs are capable of this. However, to fully utilize this, your laptop requires a USB-C port for charging. So if you’re rocking an older notebook, this might not work for you. But if it does, the good thing about this is that you’re able to charge your phone and laptop all at the same time.

One thing that’s worth mentioning about the Crave PowerPack 2 is that it’s big

Image: Kevin Raposo / KnowTechie

Like, it’s massive. And that’s understandable seeing that it packs 50,000mAh of power. And when it comes to the weight of the device, it’s slightly on the heavy side, but again, see above. The company’s website states the device weighs about four pounds. So yea, this is definitely not something you can slide in your pocket.

Overall, Crave’s PowerPack 2 is a solid product. It’s a little pricey at $200, but seeing how much battery life you get out of the thing, it makes sense. Not to mention, you’ll get a ton of value from this device over time. Whether it’s camping, traveling, or long road trips – this device will certainly come in clutch when you need it.

The Crave PowerPack 2 is available for at $199.99 via the company’s website or via Amazon.

Editors’ Recommendations:

• Review: Anker’s latest portable battery is a perfect, polished powerhouse
• Review: Blitzwolf BW-PF2 10000mAh portable battery pack
• Review: RAVPower 16750mAh external battery pack – Surely a life a saver
• Review: Pitaka MagEZ Juice – a $90 power bank and wireless charging stand combined into one

Just a heads up, if you buy something through our links, we may get a small share of the sale. Click here for more. A sample unit was provided to KnowTechie for the purpose of this review. 

The post Review: Crave PowerPack 2 – this portable battery charger is an absolute unit appeared first on KnowTechie.

The Washington Post reports that experts at Google, Facebook, and other big tech companies are in talks with the government to use anonymized location data so health services can track the outbreak and adjust efforts accordingly. It’s still in very early stages, with the project committee slated to present recommendations to the government in the coming days.

It’s an idea that makes sense, although it does butt up against civil liberties so they’ll have to be careful that the anonymized data isn’t misused. China had an app last month that let people check if they were in contact with anyone known to be infected, but that data was also apparently being sent straight to the police. Yikes.

Israel is similarly using cell phone data to track citizens, with a previously secret trove of location data that was being used for counterterrorism purposes. With the stakes high, is privacy the trade-off for health? How do we know the data won’t be misused once the door to using it has been opened?

Do you have any issues with this? Do you think this is the right approach? Let us know down below in the comments or carry the discussion over to our Twitter or Facebook.

Editors’ Recommendations:

• Tesla’s getting investigated by the government (again)
• The US Navy is banning TikTok from government-issued devices because it’s a “threat”
• China doesn’t want its government agencies using any US-made technology
• WhatsApp exploited to spy on US government officials, journalists and activists

The post The U.S. government wants to track your phone to curb the spread of Coronavirus appeared first on KnowTechie.

One of the things I hate most about smartphone batteries these days is the fact that you can’t replace them. Now, most of them are built right into the phone, so if you ever wanted to upgrade your battery capacity, you just have to wait until a newer phone with a bigger battery is released. It sucks, but hey, that’s the name of the game.

Thankfully, we now have convenient gadgets that extend a phone’s battery life and today we’ll be looking at an option from Pitaka – the MagEZ Juice. So, what is it exactly? Simply put,  it’s a magnetic portable power bank that can double as a wireless charging stand.

Coming in at $89, the MagEZ Juice isn’t cheap, but you can see the quality when you take it out of the box. It’s a gorgeous unit, designed extremely well, but it is not without issues. The stand works with any phone along with its case, but to fully utilize the charging stand, you’ll have to apply a magnetic plate with an adhesive back to the back of your phone. I’m not a fan of this because it just bulks up your phone. Pitaka sells its own cases with the magnetic feature built-in. I’m am, however, a big fan of them.

The MagEZ Juice is pricey but provides plenty of utility

Now, onto the battery. This is where this device came in really useful for me. With the magnetic plate slapped on the back of my iPhone, I was able to easily attach the power bank effortlessly onto the phone, which wirelessly charges it. That’s pretty neat, and it’s why I can see how this could come in really helpful.

My only caveat about the battery – for $89, I was expecting a bigger capacity battery. It’s only 2000mAh. That’s considerably less than most smartphone batteries. But to be fair, the company’s Amazon product listing doesn’t shy away from the fact, saying, “MagEZ Juice provides an extra 30% power to your device. Not too much but it’s enough to save you out of emergency.” I can’t argue with that.

The charging stand is the main event, though. I like the fact that I can mount the phone vertically as well as horizontally. Most charging stands out there only give you one option. And while your phone charges, the battery charges as well thanks to its pass-through charging capabilities.

All in all, it’s a solid product. But if I’m being honest here, it’s a pretty expensive battery and charger. But I have always been a fan of Pitaka’s products, and they’ve been known to withstand the test of time, so I have that assurance that the product is well built. It’s literally made with military-grade aramid fiber and aerospace-grade zinc alloy, so that does help justify the high price tag a bit.

Editors’ Recommendations:

• Review: Roborock S5 Max – let the machines do the work for you
• Review: Anker’s latest portable battery is a perfect, polished powerhouse
• Review: RAVPower 16750mAh external battery pack – Surely a life a saver
• Samsung has a $499 phone with a removable battery and it’s coming to the US very soon

Just a heads up, if you buy something through our links, we may get a small share of the sale. Click here for more. A sample unit was provided for the purpose of this review.

The post Review: Pitaka MagEZ Juice – a $90 power bank and wireless charging stand combined into one appeared first on KnowTechie.

Samsung has a penchant for scoring points wherever it can, but hasn’t had a great run of it on the high-end market lately. Will the Ultra moniker live up to anything but its price tag? Let’s find out. We rounded up some of the best reviews to date on the Galaxy S20 Ultra. Here’s what reviewers have to say about it.

About that camera…

So the first thing you really need to know about this phone is the new camera system. Sure, it’s got a 108-megapixel sensor on the main lens that can record 8K video, but is it any good? Well, that depends.

CNET found that “some photos taken in 108 made photos unnaturally saturated and flattened shadows and details,” which sounds a lot like my experience with earlier Galaxy phones. I just don’t like the processing that Samsung does by default, and it doesn’t appear to have changed much.

Image: Samsung

It doesn’t seem that the pixel binning magic that gets a 12-megapixel image from a 108-megapixels sensor by turning every 9 pixels into one helps much with night mode either. Wired found that it’s unforgiving, needing you to keep your hand steady for several seconds, unlike the user-friendly night modes on the Pixel range or the latest iPhones.

Oh, and about that 100X zoom that Samsung is so quick to champion. Wired has one thing to say about it – “Don’t.” It’s atrocious, and that’s down to how Samsung fudges the specs to get to 100. See, the “100X Space Zoom” is really a 4X periscope optical zoom, then a digital crop to make it look like it’s at 100X. Very deceptive.

The Verge saves some of Samsung’s blushes by gushing about the selfie cam. This mode gives you full control over face smoothing, where the rear camera has Bixby-powered smoothing all the time, interfering with your artistic choices. They weren’t happy with the autofocus either, with it taking longer than it should hunting for focus, resulting in blurry shots. Samsung has said it’s already working on fixes, but why did they send it to reviewers in an unfinished state (again)?

And the rest…

Image: PC Mag

Okay, so the camera is hit and miss, but what about the rest of the phone? Well, it’s a classic Samsung design, for one. If you’re a fan, you’ll like it. If you’re tired of the same iterative designs year after year, well, you won’t suddenly get energized here. Oh, and it’s freaking massive, with that 6.9 inch screen. You’ll need two hands for it, or maybe a Popsocket (or two) according to Android Central.

You’ll want a case for it too. Not that it’s ugly, just that the combination of Samsung’s classic glass body plus that fucking massive protuberance of a camera bump will have it wobbling six ways from Sunday if you tap on the screen while it’s on a flat surface. A case will stop the wobble, plus protect against the fingerprint-and-scratch magnet housing. You’ll likely drop it too, so protect that glass design. Heck, if you can find one, put two cases on it for extra protection.

The 120Hz screen is kinda nifty, with typical Samsung OLED dominance. The thing is, you can’t use 120Hz if you want the max QHD+ 3200 x 1440 setting. You get speed or resolution, with Samsung giving some platitudes about it being too battery thirsty otherwise.

Image: Phone Arena

Rounding up the specs you’d be forgiven for thinking this is a laptop. That makes sense though, as it’s priced like a laptop as well. The newest Snapdragon 865 chip powers it, with 12GB of RAM, and up to 512GB of storage. You even get all three flavors of 5G, handy if you actually live in one of the handfuls of cities that have 5G in the U.S., but functionally useless to everyone else.

Big Samsung Galaxy devices always have a big battery, with the S20 Ultra having an ultra-hefty 5,000 mAh. By comparison, the Note 10 Plus only has a 4,300 mAh one. Without that 120Hz screen or 5G, that would be more than enough for a full day with power left in the tank. Turning the 120Hz mode on knocks three hours off the runtime as tested by Tom’s Guide.

Does anyone need 5G yet?

One word here: No. Between slow roll-outs, expensive data plans, and the price premium on handsets, it’ll be a long time before most of the U.S. is ready for 5G, even if the infrastructure was ready for them.

Final verdict: Ultra waste of cash

Ultimately Samsung’s Galaxy S20 Ultra is a halo product. You don’t need it, it’s too expensive, it doesn’t always work, but damn if they haven’t done a good job of making you want it. If you really want a Galaxy this year, get the S20 or wait for this year’s Note.

Have any thoughts on this? Let us know down below in the comments or carry the discussion over to our Twitter or Facebook.

Editors’ Recommendations:

• Samsung accidentally leaked your customer data
• Samsung Galaxy S20 preorders are now live – here’s how to get one
• Samsung made some critical changes to Android – Google says it made it less secure
• Samsung will charge you $119 for a Galaxy Z Flip screen replacement

The post Review Roundup: Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra appeared first on KnowTechie.

So, is it any good? I mean on paper it looks like most other flagship handsets for this year. It’s powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 chipset, rocks 8 GB of RAM, mmWave and sub-6GHz 5G, multiple cameras, and 8K video recording. Oh, and a massive 5,000 mAh battery.

What’s going to separate this handset from the pack is the optional second-screen accessory. Now, if LG gets some of the UI magic that Microsoft is putting in the new Surface Duo phone, I could see this accessory taking off. Foldable screens are great in theory until they get bent. Splitting the screen up fixes the fragility issues, although it does leave a gap. Wonder which solution the market will prefer. LG is even bundling the second screen with the V60 for some time after launch.

As with all LG handsets, the V60 has got a 3.5mm headphone jack. Hurray! That jack is also connected to LG’s superb Quad DAC, so it should sound pretty darn good with your fav headphones. Oh, and LG also likes to include microSD slots, in case the 128 GB of internal storage isn’t enough.

We’ll know pricing at some point later this spring, for now, all we know is that LG has said it will be “less than $999.” Presumably, you can expect a much lower price than that soon after launch, so it might be worth waiting if you’re interested.

Have any thoughts on this? Let us know down below in the comments or carry the discussion over to our Twitter or Facebook.

Editors’ Recommendations:

• Some random tweet is blowing up because it was apparently sent from an LG smart fridge
• LG’s 2019 Smart TVs is getting Alexa support later this month
• The LG G8 smartphone takes palm readings to the next level
• Sam’s Club will give you a 0 gift card with purchase and activation of several popular phone models

The post LG’s new V60 ThinkQ is a massive smartphone with a removable second screen appeared first on KnowTechie.

As you prepare your own home, remember that your smartphone can be a major help. Access to the internet and all that smartphones have to offer will be a game-changer in how you prepare for the storms to come, if you know how to use it.

Read on to learn how to use your phone for disaster preparation. You can use these tips in any future emergency situation, so you’ll be safer even after Hurricane Dorian passes through.

Update your contacts list

Before you do anything, make a list of everyone you’ll want to keep in contact with during the storm. Close family members and friends may not have access to a phone line if the power goes out and their phone dies, but you’ll want to at least be sure that you have a number to call them on.

Catch up with whoever should be on your emergency contact list and double-check that their phone number is up to date. You can also save information like where they’re riding out the storm, in case you should need to provide that information to emergency responders.

Bookmark sites you’ll need

During the storm, you’ll be monitoring weather maps and any incoming news you can read, but there are also a few government sites to be aware of. By bookmarking these sites, you can get the information you need straight from the source, instead of depending on news stations to publish it for you.

The National Weather Service has a mobile website where you can get weather information specific to your address, city or zip code. There’s also the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), which has a website where you can find disaster assistance and updates regarding transportation services.

Don’t wait and then try to remember these sites when you find that you need them. Bookmark them now for easy access to important resources later on.

Turn on emergency alerts

Thanks to the widespread usage of smartphones, the US government can issue nationwide alerts straight to your phone. You may have already experienced this in the past with things like AMBER alerts, which many people decide to turn off.

In non-emergency situations, these alerts are extremely loud and even unwanted. Check to see if you’ve turned them off, and if you have, make sure to turn them back on.

Wireless emergency alerts could save you from nearby tornados or other severe weather that’s a result of a hurricane. They could wake you up so you don’t sleep through a dangerous event, keeping you safe 24/7. Improving communication is one of the ways you can prepare for hurricanes, which includes leaving your ringer on for emergency alerts.

Download helpful apps

People like to joke about being addicted to apps like games or social media, but downloading the right apps could be what saves your life in an emergency situation.

Before Hurricane Dorian (or any other hurricane) makes landfall where you live, download apps that are meant for emergencies. Zello transforms your phone into a walkie-talkie and police scanner. You can join a radio frequency through your data or WiFi connection to connect with first responders.

There’s also FireChat, which connects people without needing the internet. People in apartment complexes or nearby homes can keep up with each other throughout the storm, as long as they’re within 200 feet of each other.

Another useful app is GasBuddy. Gas stations can quickly run dry as people prepare for hurricanes, so don’t waste time traveling around town to find one with gas at the right price. GasBuddy lists all the gas stations in your area and the price of their gas, so you don’t have to go for days or even weeks without access to gas.

Charge an external battery

Your smartphone can help in so many ways during a major hurricane. It’s what will help you connect with first responders and the people you care about, along with functioning as an alert station.

Be sure to charge an external battery so your phone can stay charged even if the power goes out. With a smartphone in hand, you’ll have extra help to wait out any storm, especially something as major as a hurricane.

What do you think? Do you have any additional tips for people that are going through natural disasters? Let us know down below in the comments or carry the discussion over to our Twitter or Facebook.

Editors’ Recommendations:

• Hurricane survival tech you need to order right now before the shit hits the fan
• Google Photos is partnering with CVS and Walmart so you can get one-day prints
• The Panic Room: Terminator is literally happening before our eyes
• Oh no, Facebook’s official dating app is now live

The post Hurricane Safety: How to use your phone for disaster preparation appeared first on KnowTechie.

When BlackBerry brought back the physical keyboard on its devices, I was super happy. Don’t get me wrong, I love touchscreens but I’m a keyboard geek. I loved the BlackBerry Key2 when we reviewed that last year, but one thing jumped out. The price. At $650 unlocked for essentially a mid-range device, the only thing it had going for it was that sweet capacitative keyboard.

BlackBerry must have been listening, following up with the less-expensive Key2 LE. I can only assume that LE stands for Less Expensive, cause it’s almost two notes lower in price. So how did BlackBerry trim the fat? Is the Key2 LE still as capable as the more expensive version?

So how is the Key2 LE different to the more expensive Key2?

There’s both a simple answer and a longer one for this question. The simple one is: not much in practice. It’s still the same form factor, it’s got a slightly-tweaked keyboard (for the better) and it still has all the same BlackBerry Enterprise-focused apps and tools. The performance isn’t much different either, and if you don’t have a Key2 on hand to compare the two, the LE feels very similar to use.

The longer is a bit more complex. With the Key2 LE, there are minor changes that could sway your decision. I’ve noticed better WiFi signal strength on the Key2 LE, possibly pointing at a redesign of the antenna. The speaker on the Key2 LE is louder, although the sound quality is similar. Haptic feedback is better on the more expensive Key2, and so is the battery life (but only barely, both devices sip power).

The screen is slightly different on the Key2 LE as well, probably with a different panel due to cost considerations. It’s not bad though, just a little colder color temperature. The rubber on the back of the Key2 LE is much grippier in the hand. Couple that with the different weight balance, and the Key 2 LE is easier to hold in normal use.

Specs-wise, the differences are marginal. The lower-powered chipset in the Key2 LE doesn’t make that much difference, it’s only really noticeable when opening the BlackBerry Hub app, and again, without the Key2 to compare it to you’d probably not notice the slight lag difference. The nifty capacitative keyboard scroll is gone and that’s not the only keyboard change. The keys feel slightly tighter to press, which is definitely different from the more mushy feel of the more expensive version.

The change of the camera modules to a 13 megapixel and 5-megapixel combo instead of two 12 megapixel ones likely shaved some money off the sticker price. It didn’t do much to the image quality, which is still fairly good – as long as you’ve got lots of light. Both phones struggle with low-light picture taking so if that’s a consideration for you, look elsewhere. Both are fine for things like Dropbox scan-to-pdf or the usual other business tasks.

• Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 vs 636
• RAM: 6GB vs 4GB
• Keyboard: Key2 LE does not support the ability to scroll on the keyboard, keys feel tighter to press
• Frame: Aluminum vs polycarbonate
• Cameras: Dual rear 12-megapixel cameras vs 13 and 5-megapixel variants on the Key2 LE
• Battery: Key2 has 500 mAh higher capacity
• Colors: Key2 limited to black and silver, Key2 LE comes in Black, Champagne, and that beautiful Red
• Weight: Key2 LE is 8 grams lighter

Daily use and apps

Before I pile into this, I’d just like to pause to pour one out for BlackBerry Messenger. The enterprise version might live on, but the dozens of us that still used the consumer version mourn for its passing.

The Key2 LE is on the Android Enterprise Recommended device list. That means it comes with a host of enterprise-focused tools and apps, that most consumers could live without. Dual-account support is one of those, which lets you clone apps to keep personal and professional accounts separate. It’s great if you need it, but most users don’t.

The DTEK security software is pretty good, helping you keep your device secure. Ditto for the pre-installed Firefox Focus secure browser and the BlackBerry Hub is great.

There’s a reason that non-BlackBerry users will pay a subscription fee for that last app. The one-stop-shop for your inboxes, social accounts and calendar is just a joy to use. Plus it’s got an Android Wear app, just in case you have an Android smartwatch.

Performance isn’t much to write home about, but that’s not the point. Productivity is, with the Key2 LE being a productivity powerhouse. The lower RAM amount doesn’t affect multitasking that much, and the keyboard makes dealing with emails so much easier.

So should I buy one?

At around the $400 mark, the BlackBerry Key2 LE is a tough sell – unless you need that keyboard. That might have been different a month or so ago, but with the Pixel 3a taking names in the midrange bracket, any other mobile phone has turned into an also-ran. If you’re still deep in the BlackBerry ecosystem, maybe the Key2 LE is a good upgrade from any prior BlackBerry, but only just.

I’m still going to score it higher than the Key2, but only just. The cost-saving far outweighs what you lose in specifications.

A sample unit was provided for the purpose of this review.

Editors’ Recommendations:

• BlackBerry is pulling the plug on BlackBerry OS devices, rendering them useless in 2022
• Review: Cat S60 smartphone – Heat vision is cool
• Review: Skullcandy Push Earbuds – delivering an empowered year of ’12 moods’
• Amazon is making a home robot – Repeat, Amazon is making a home robot
• The consumer version of BlackBerry Messenger is shutting down in May

The post Review: BlackBerry Key2 LE – how does it compare to the more expensive Key2? appeared first on KnowTechie.

This then makes you very sad and becoming disheartened you start cursing yourself leading you to delete those photos. Now, what if I say that there is nothing to worry about and that your photos can still be saved just the way you want?

Surprised? Well, there is a process called deblurring by which you can quickly fix the distorted pictures and then cherish the beautiful moments they store. Again, you may be asking, how to deblur? Rest assured, to answer this is what this article is all about. Proceed further, and you will come across the diverse ways on how to fix your photos easily by deblurring.

Before we start, one must know what causes the photos to get blur. There are many reasons for this:

1. Shaky camera- This happens if you accidentally shake the camera a bit while capturing the photo or if your hand shakes.
2. Wrong focus- Sometimes it may happen that you didn’t focus the camera correctly or if the autofocus fails in its process.
3. Low Resolution- If the image resolution is too low, and you try to upscale the photograph, blurriness can occur. Realspace3d has written an article to help explain image resolution here.

This causes the click to get blurred.  So, now that you know the reason make sure the next time you click you keep these points in check. Let’s move further to know what we are here for.  

Read More: How to deblur a photo online in 5 simple steps

There are a lot of free software, websites, and apps which can help you in this process. Their software makes use of different programs, sophisticated algorithms and numerous ways to provide you with the best result. Some of the tools to deblur photos online are listed below. 

1. Enhance Photo: Available for both Windows and Android this helps you efficiently in fixing your pictures and sharpen them. The website is quite attractive, easy to use & straightforward. Also, you can also edit your photos further and get what you desire.
2. Fotor Photo Blur: One of the best tool available online for this work fotor helps you fix your indistinct, blurry photos. Its user-friendly site attracts many users. Further, you can also make a collage, sharpen your photo and even add effects to your photo.
3. Blurity: Fix Blurry Pictures: Available only for Windows user and still not for Mac. This tool helps you in removing blurs in your photos enhance them by further sharpening and tuning thereby making your photos beautiful.
4. Focus Magic: Focus magic uses a very user-friendly interface and thus favored by many. The other hand uses advanced forensic strength deconvolution technology to fix blur images especially motion blur and gives you the best result possible. It is available on both windows and mac.
5. Focus It: This app is available for devices working on iOS. It efficiently helps you in taking a picture clear by deblurring the pictures.
6. Perfectly Clear: Another app for iOS devices but it is not free. It helps in enhancing the photos, sharpening and adding different effects to your photos.
7. After Focus: Another app for Android devices which is rated high on Google play store. The app helps in highlighting the area you want to focus on and blurring the rest thereby helping you get the photo you desire.
8. Picasa: This is another popular software which helps you in this process sharpens and removed blurs in the pictures. It’s easy to use and can be utilized both as an app and on Windows. Using the tools mentioned above you can achieve the best photos and can easily remove the slight blurs which your photo contains without much labor. It is when you have many types of blur in your photos that it becomes more complicated to solve than you need to have some prior knowledge editing and thereby to fix those pictures.

In addition to the 11 tools mentioned, there are many others available waiting for you to use them and get your photos set. Now that you know about how to remove the blurs in your pictures and to fix the distorted images, so now I hope that you will go and click photos without any worries and you must also remember that not everyone knows photography and that is why we have these softwares and many others to help us out. 

The post How to deblur photos online with ease appeared first on KnowTechie.

While these are still early prototypes, the technology looks promising – as long as a way to get the same image quality as uncovered cameras can be found.

Do we really need to hide the selfie camera?

With mobile phone manufacturers on the quest for true edge-to-edge screens, finding a space to fit the all-important selfie camera can be tricky. First, there was the notch, which had the unintended effect of giving your smartphone horns. Pop-up cameras of various types have also been tried, and other through-screen options.

Oppo-sition?

Hiding the camera underneath the screen is a new development, and just look at how magnificent it is on this model from Oppo:

While there are scant details, Oppo’s VP Brian Shen also cautioned to not get overexcited: “At this stage, it’s difficult for under-display cameras to match the same results as normal cameras, there’s bound to be some loss in optical quality.”

Xiaomi’s turn

And here, from Xiaomi, where the camera module appears to have been placed underneath the OLED panel of the handset.

It seems that Xiaomi has figured out a way for the OLED panel of the screen to allow light to pass through. Back in November of last year, the company patented a similar system. Does that mean that Xiaomi’s under-screen camera is ready for the market?

Whenever the new under-screen tech makes it to market, it’ll be great to have an option that doesn’t either have an unsightly notch or use moving parts that introduce more potential failures.

What do you think? Interested in this under-OLED camera technology? Let us know down below in the comments or carry the discussion over to our Twitter or Facebook.

Editors’ Recommendations:

• Apple’s WWDC 2019 Keynote is only a few hours away – here’s how to watch it
• Dragon Quest is getting its own Pokémon Go-style mobile game
• Google Maps now adds the most popular dishes to restaurant listings
• Ad trackers are constantly uploading your data – here’s how to block them on iPhones

The post Both Oppo and Xiaomi just demoed under-screen selfie cameras appeared first on KnowTechie.