How to get older programs to scale on HiDPI displays in Windows 10

One of the most annoying things about high pixel density displays on Windows is how tiny some user interface elements can be when you load older programs that were designed for the standard 72 pixels per inch pixel density that most displays have used for many decades. When Apple started using high-DPI (HiDPI) displays with many more smaller pixels crammed into the same area, they implemented a work-around in the operating system that would automatically pixel-double old programs that were not updated to adjust themselves automatically to the higher pixel density. That works pretty well except of course some interface elements might look pixelated or jaggy, but at least you can see them and understand what they are.

First Marshmallow updates for Samsung phones reportedly ‘delayed’ for February

Samsung has rarely led the way in software support and bumps to the newest Android iterations for even its best smartphones, but it’s never been as late as this year either. Marshmallows are yet to officially roll out to a single Galaxy “star”, unlike LG, Motorola or HTC devices.

Several upgrade timelines were rumored for handhelds as diverse as the Note 5, S6, Note 4, S5, A3 or J5, with the latest flagships initially expected to score 6.0 goodies as early as December, then January, and now February.

Sony owns up to absent Xperia Z5 fingerprint scanners for US release, offers non-explanation

A couple weeks back we got what sounded like good – if not just a few months later than we’d like – news: Sony was just about to bring some of its latest flagship hardware to the US as it prepared to start sales of the Xperia Z5 and Xperia Z5 Compact. Better late than never, though, right? Well, if these were the same Z5 and Z5 Compact as we’d seen elsewhere, perhaps we could learn to be happy that we were getting them at all, but it wasn’t long before a new wrinkle developed in this tale, as we got word that Sony had altered the construction of its phones and removed one of their most interesting features: the side-mounted fingerprint scanners integrated into the phones’ power buttons. Now Sony’s provided a statement to us where it confirms that news, while offering a explanation for its decision that’s a lot less than satisfactory.

OnePlus X picks up manual camera mode in latest OxygenOS update

It’s been just over a month now since we first saw OnePlus begin making available OxygenOS 2.2.0, initially releasing the system software as an update for the OnePlus 2. There the release delivered the company’s latest bugfixes and tweaks, expanding access to removable USB storage, and correcting some issues with dual-SIM settings. It was all well and good, but what about the OnePlus 2’s little brother, the super-affordable OnePlus X? It’s taken some time to prepare 2.2.0 for the five-incher, and we’re only just now about to see it head out, as OnePlus lets us know that the incremental rollout of OxygenOS 2.2.0 for the OnePlus X starts today.

What’s new? Well, just like with the 2.2.0 update for the OnePlus 2, we’ve got plenty of bugfixes and performance optimizations, as well as the latest security updates. But beyond all that, we do see some actual new features, and the most notable ones there concern camera operation.

Latest iPhone 5se hardware rumors paint the picture of a much more capable handset

It finally feels like the home stretch is nearly upon us, and all the rumors we’ve been hearing about Apple’s interest in releasing a new iPhone that looks back to the smaller sizes of older handsets may finally be coming to fruition. Lately, they’ve settled in on the name iPhone 5se, while describing hardware that might look like the iPhone 5, while performing like the iPhone 6, getting that model’s A8/M8 chip pair. But while that older silicon could be sufficient for some users, apparently Apple’s not so sure it wants to bank on a new phone with yesterday’s chips, and now a new iPhone 5se rumor claims that Apple’s also been testing the phone with an A9/M9 setup – and this could be the model we’re more likely to see commercially released.

Galaxy S7 leak finally gives us a look at the smartphone in the flesh?

Over the past several weeks and months, we’ve heard no shortage about what to expect from Samsung’s upcoming Galaxy S7: how many different models to look forward to, what sizes we’re likely to get – all that jazz. And while we’ve seen plenty of schematics, and even some case pics, we’ve been coming up short in the leak department when it comes to the good stuff: imagery of actual phone hardware. Apparently all of our patience is finally starting to pay off, and today we get to check out what might just be the first real pic we’ve seen of the Galaxy S7 in the flesh.

Google job postings, new hires point to serious interest in VR hardware

There’s a fair chance that you may be starting to get sick hearing about VR-this and VR-that all the time, but you’ve just got to open your mind a little. After all, while it was easy to talk big about VR in years past, in 2016 we’re finally seeing things go commercial in a really big way, connecting the dots between stuff like basic Google Cardboard viewers and the really immersive 3D worlds that once only seemed possible in sci-fi fantasies. As such, it’s only logical that Google appears to be paying more and more attention to the burgeoning market, as we saw earlier this month when we got word that the company was creating a new VP position focused solely on VR. Now the full scope of Google’s VR ambitions continues to come into focus, as we learn a little more about its hardware plans thanks to a job posting, and see it recruit even more big talent for VR development.

Possible Apple iPad Air 3 schematic takes cues from the iPad Pro

Last year came and went without bringing us a new standard-sized iPad option. Sure we got the new iPad Pro, as well as a refreshed iPad mini 4, but nothing new in the 9.7-inch space. But while the presumed iPad Air 3’s remained elusive, we have managed to hear a little about what we might expect from the tablet when it finally does launch, including maybe a big resolution bump, or a ton of extra RAM – even if we don’t get 3D Touch. With multiple sources pointing to an H1 2016 launch, this new iPad Air could be right around the corner – so when are we going to get some more definitive intel on the tablet? Well, we’re not yet sure how much faith we should be placing in this new find, but a recently published schematic may reveal at least a few changes Apple’s working on for the hardware.

LG G5 case design supports growing body of evidence in favor of side-mounted volume buttons

Can you remember an LG G-series phone that didn’t use the company’s iconic rear-volume-button design? We have it on the G4, we had it with the G3, and we even had it with the G2, all the way back in 2013; really, if you want a G-series flagship with traditional side-edge volume buttons, you have to look back to the old Optimus G, before we had this new naming scheme at all. But now for the upcoming G5, it looks like LG is breaking from habit and going back to the old way of doing things – despite some early signs suggesting that the G5’s rear-button scheme would continue with the pattern, subsequent leaks have provided a growing body of evidence in favor of LG dropping those rear volume buttons and keeping only the single power button (now with fingerprint scanner). The latest piece of the puzzle only adds more support to this no-more-rear-volume theory, showing a G5 that matches the most recent leaks from other sources.

Apple continues to tweak Night Shift mode in new iOS 9.3 beta 2

Two weeks back, Apple gave developers their first look at the upcoming 9.3 release of iOS, and maybe most notable among the new features it delivered was a mode for adjusting screen color temperature in the hopes of offering more comfortable late-night usage: Night Shift. Apple’s been continuing to refine things behind the scenes since that early release, and today we see the company see its second iOS 9.3 beta to devs, further refining the Night Shift experience while making a few other tweaks around the operating system.

With iOS 9.3 beta 2, users will notice a new Night Shift interface for the iOS Control Center, giving users quick access for either toggling on Night Shift temporarily, or setting it to remain engaged until morning.

Samsung said to be taking its app ecosystem to iOS

Apple hasn’t jumped platforms very well. But everyone else has — which only serves to reinforce the idea that the iPhone is the phone to have forever and ever everywhere. Microsoft and Google have come to play, now there’s word that Apple’s largest competitor in the mobile space will bring its software over to the App Store.

Samsung may be planning on bringing its S Health, Gear Fit Manager and Gear Manager apps to iOS. This would open up the company’s Gear wearables to iPhone compatibility.

Microsoft Word Flow keyboard on iOS has arced, one-handed config

It’s been more than three years in the making and only now is it getting out to the public. Microsoft has been researching how to craft an entire on-screen smartphone keyboard fit for one-thumb use. The company sent out invitations for beta testers to try out the Word Flow keyboard on iOS just last week.

We now have snaps of what’s going on with that refined setup. Windows 10 Mobile and select Android OEM skins feature keyboards with compacted keys biased to one side of the screen, but this takes things to a natural level of thumb arcing. Word suggestions follow that arc, too.

Android peeps will eventually also get the Word Flow keyboard.

HTC takes 30 percent off $650 purchases, 20 percent off $500 today only

HTC’s already customary Hot Deals are back with a vengeance this Tuesday, allowing you to buy essentially anything your heart desires from the Taiwanese manufacturer’s US e-store at a nice, discounted price.

The only requirement is to exceed a $650 value on the total bill for a 30 percent markdown, $500 if you’ll settle for a 20 percent deduction, or a measly $150 that takes 15 percent off.

Say you want the Android 6.0 Marshmallow-powered One A9 smartphone and Re Camera. Separately and outside this promotion, the two devices cost $499 and $199 respectively. Bundled together, they’re roughly 700 bucks, which HTC will knock off to just $490 through 11:59 PT on January 26.

HTC One M10 ‘Perfume’ is apparently on its way to AT&T with A9-similar design

It was only a few days ago that mobile tipster extraordinaire @evleaks casually tweeted the purported ETA of the HTC One Watch, aka “Halfbeak”, in response to queries for One M10 intel, and already, new information on the flagship smartphone codenamed Perfume is out.

Nothing too juicy or exciting, just written confirmation said handheld is headed for AT&T (among other carriers, we presume), and a cryptic phrase possibly suggesting the M10 will highly resemble the One A9.

In what way, you ask? Well, it could be software, hardware, exterior design or any combination of the three, or it could merely be aesthetics, as HTC decides to once again put off that long overdue and badly needed major high-end redesign.

OPPO breaks into top ten smartphone brands, with 50 million unit sales in 2015

Several former household names of the mobile phone business, including BlackBerry, HTC and Sony, have slipped out of the “major league” in the past couple of years, with Nokia (temporarily) gone from the industry, and Microsoft incapable of leaving a mark.

Naturally, a number of device manufacturers previously deemed a part of the smartphone landscape’s second tier used the free fall of the above listed giants to their advantage, improving their global brand awareness and sales figures primarily with an emphasis on reasonable quality-price ratios.

Huawei impressively managed to exceed 100 million unit shipments for the first time in 2015, Xiaomi continued its (slow) rise to the peak despite falling short of ambitious objectives, while OPPO reportedly climbed over Vivo, ZTE, plus Sony, Microsoft, HTC and BlackBerry to make the worldwide top ten.

LG bets on two 2016 flagship phones after ‘challenging’ 2015 and 60M sales

Following a phenomenal half a decade or so for many smartphone manufacturers, market saturation caused by lack of innovation and too few upgrade incentives made it much trickier for even Apple and Samsung to turn a profit and post sales growth in 2015.

Of course, there was also your occasional overperformer based in China that knew how to cater to increasingly cash-strapped audiences, while companies like Xiaomi or LG reported bright spots and not-so-bright ones in their end-of-year financial records.

Ultra-low-cost Huawei Honor 5X launches in multiple European markets on February 4

When Huawei announced plans for the US expansion of the budget-focused Honor sub-brand, it wasn’t immediately clear if certain North America-only phones would be designed, or if the love would be spread to the old continent as well.

But at least the Honor 5X is headed for Europe in addition to the United States, at an as-yet undisclosed price. It can’t be more than €250 and £250, though, and there’s reason to hope for a tag as low as €/£200.

Second-gen Apple Watch now said to enter mass production in Q2

It’s hard to say what the ideal release cycle might be for smartwatches these early days in their evolution, but apparently, Apple aims to follow its traditional 12-month upgrade window after all.

According to notoriously fickle “sources from the upstream supply chain” quoted by Digitimes, the “second-generation” Apple Watch should only enter mass production in the year’s second quarter, thus having no chance to see daylight as soon as March. Unless, of course, we’re talking a March announcement and subsequent commercial launch in April or May.

NETGEAR NIGHTHAWK X8 REVIEW

The router is an oft-overlooked part of a home computing setup. A slow network has the power to bring even the highest-end PC to a crawl, and troubleshooting a wireless network is a vague and frustrating process.
Sure, there are routers like Google’s OnHub that make the process easy, and provide excellent coverage, but in particular for gaming, there’s a thin line between optimum performance and crushing defeat. Netgear’s Nighthawk line has always gone above and beyond in network performance, and the new X8 is no exception.

Uber reaches deal with NY attorney general to cap surge pricing during snowstorm

The snowstorm that’s going by the moniker “Winter Storm Jonas” is going strong in the northeast U.S. this morning, which means residents are facing limited travel options. In New York City, where more than a foot of snow could accumulate when all is said and done, Uber is making things slightly easier by capping surge pricing from Saturday 8 a.m. EST until Mayor Bill de Blasio declares the end of the city’s snow emergency.

BELTRONICS GT-7 RADAR DETECTOR REVIEW

Take a car made prior to the ’90s up past 55 MPH, and you would half expect the wheels to fall off and the whole car to shake apart. But today, even base-level economy vehicles are peaceful enough for a passenger to needlepoint while cruising upwards of 80 MPH, provided the law doesn’t mind.
Thankfully, Beltronics has packed the GT-7 with the latest radar detection to help keep you alert to any red-light cameras, speed traps, or highway patrol headed your way. Because an expensive ticket is a quick way to ruin your long family trip — and could certainly spoil your needlepointing.