Apple’s AirPower Wireless Charging Mat: Everything we know

The launch of Apple’s AirPower wireless charging mat was expected months ago, but it seems we’ll finally get it in few weeks. Here is everything we know about the product.

The general belief in tech circles is that the mat would be launched alongside the iPhone XS in September 2018, but it was not to be so. We also waited till October when the Mac Mini, iPad Pro, MacBook Air were launched, but no such thing happened.

Let’s take a look at what the AirPower mat is, and what might have actually caused the delay in its launch.

What is the Apple AirPower mat?

Simply put, this is a wireless charging mat. You plug it in the wall socket and it’s electric charge flows into the devices that are compatible with it through contact alone. Just place your compatible device on it and the mat starts charging it. See our article, How wireless charging works.

The AirPower mat is more or less like other existing wireless charging  products. The only catch is that it will also charge the Apple Watch alongside other compatible devices. It is even big enough to charge your Apple Watch, iPhone and AirPods at the same time.

Release date and price of Apple AirPower Mat

A report from ChargerLAB claims that they had a conversation with an individual who is one of Apple’s suppliers. The person revealed to ChargerLAB that the Apple has commenced the production of the AirPower.

ChargerLAB also laid emphasis on Luxshare Precision being the manufacturing company, and this company is actually the manufacturers of AirPods. There was also a report in January 2019 saying that the hardware for AirPower will be manufactured by Lite-On Semiconductor.

The only place on Apple.com with a mention of the AirPower Wireless Charging Mat is where it mentioned the forthcoming wireless charging case for the AirPods. The other references have been removed from the website.

What about the price?

As for the price, Chongdiantou (a Chinese blog) backed up by MySmartPrice believes that the price of the Apple AirPower will be around $150. Chongdiantou also says that TV advertisements for the new wireless charging mat are currently being filmed by Apple. This shows that the launch will take place very soon.

Why has AirPower Wireless Charging Mat been delayed?

MySmartPrice quotes a source which says that the wireless charging mat will be a little bit thicker than it was expected to be. A report also claims that some extra software-enabled bits are being developed by Apple for the product. These software parts will be enabled in iOS 13.

A 2018 report from Bloomberg mentions technicalities with the internal circuitry of the of the mat. According to Chongdiantou, 22 charging coils (that’s a lot) will be present in the mat and that’s the reason it will be that expensive and also why there’s been quite a delay in its launch.

But why does it have so many coils? Well, we believe it’s because it will charge your device anywhere you out it on the mat, it doesn’t have to be a precise placement.

A statement from a well-known Apple blogger, John Gruber, says that one of the reason of the delay in the launch is because the “multi-coil design getting too hot — way too hot”.

Additionally, Sonny Dickson said that “the mechanism being used for multi-device charging… is proving extremely difficult to build or refine, and has been resulting in a significant amount of interference…which reduces the efficiency of the charging mat, and contributes to the heat issues that engineers are facing.”

Dickson also said that the mat is also facing some software issues, such as it failing to feedback Apple Watch and AirPod charging information to iPhone. Apple’s initial concept displayed real-time charge levels on the iPhone (similar to the one you now get for Apple Watch and AirPod in the iOS battery widget)

What devices will work with the AirPower mat?

The Apple AirPower mat will charge Apple Watches, the new AirPods, 2017 and 2018 iPhones and beyond, as well as Apple Watches. Because it is based on Qi charging technology, it will charge other Qi-compatible smartphones as well.

Note that the AirPower Wireless Charging Mat will only charge AirPods if they are in a wireless charging case. Lastly, it is compatible with Apple’s iPhone XS smart battery case.

This wireless charging mat is big enough to charge your Apple Watch, iPhone and AirPods all at the same time.

Cancellation

AirPower never made it to the market. It was officially cancelled in late March 2019.

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Does Samsung S9 Plus perform better with Android Pie?

 do not remember what I was doing this morning that triggered the desire to see what my Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus will score in terms of benchmark performance now that it has Android 9 Pie installed. But something did.

I already had scores for Android Oreo from last year when I reviewed it.

Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus Android Pie Performance Benchmarks

Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus Android  Oreo Performance

• Geekbench 4 Single-Core Score: 3656
• Geekbench Multi-Core Score: 9007

The above were the scores I got when the phone was on Android 8 Oreo.

To  see if any differences exist now that it has Android Pie, I downloaded Geekbench again and ran the CPU benchmark test.

Let’s see what came out .

Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus Android Pie Performance

• Geekbench 4 Single-Core Score: 3723
• Geekbench Multi-Core Score: 9137

So, we have a marginal increase in the Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus Android Pie performance on Geekbench performance. In reality, I doubt you would feel the difference in use. I certainly don’t in my everyday use of the S9 plus. The phone feels just as snappy as it did before the update.

For reference purposes, my unit is the EXYNOS 8910 variant clocked at 2.7 GHz and with 6 GB RAM.

By the way, I remember now why it occurred to me to do this. I was looking at the performance benchmark scores for Soda S2, a phone that I am currently reviewing. The review will soon be ready and published. I have most of it ready. I just need to go shoot some outdoor photographs to add to the article.

In the meantime, the Soda S2 specifications are available for you to look at.

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Why Modern E-commerce Sites are Mobile First

Take a moment and think of how you search for things online. When you are at home relaxing on your couch or bed, what device do you use the most? If you answered a mobile device, you are one of more than 2 billion people who do the same.

In 2018, 52.2% of the world’s Internet traffic came through mobile users. In 2017, 65.1% of Internet traffic from Asia and 59.5% of traffic from Africa came through mobile devices. By contrast, about 40% of American Internet users browsed the Internet on mobile.

North America, Europe, and Asia make up the largest group of online buyers, making up to 70% of all online buyers. With nearly half of the group shopping online these days, it’s not surprising that e-commerce stores are taking mobile responsiveness serious. Below are more reasons.

#1: Consumers Love Apps

Customers love shopping websites that run efficiently on their mobile devices. But even more, they love responsive apps that load fast. The average smartphone owner has ten or more apps they downloaded on play stores.

Mobile apps are 1.5 times faster than mobile sites especially if they store their data locally on your device. They can also be easy to use if they are properly designed. As an ecommerce store, your job is to make purchasing on your store as convenient as possible for the customers.

If you don’t have a mobile app, it’s probably time you got one. They are easy to make and aren’t expensive to make. That doesn’t mean you should hire just about anyone to build an ecommerce for you.

Mobile apps deal with the same security issues websites have. Customers also don’t think twice about deleting apps that don’t run efficiently. If you have to get an app, invest in a good app and in its maintenance.

#2: Increasing Number of Mobile users

Less than ten years ago, very few people used their mobile devices to shop online. The numbers began to skyrocket between 2012 and 2017 and ecommerce stores started building responsive sites. While less than 50% of users in the US buy products online, those numbers are slated to continue increasing.

Last December, nearly 70% of Americans who shopped on Amazon used their mobile devices. Walmart had near-similar statistics during thanksgiving day of 2017. Elsewhere around the world, the number of mobile users is increasing at record numbers.

In select African countries like Kenya, the percentage of people who shop using their mobile devices is as high as 83%. The increasing number of mobile shoppers correspond with an increase in the overall rise of smartphone ownership.

#3: Users can Access the Commerce Stores Remotely

One of the biggest benefits of smartphones is that they are mobile. You can travel with your iPhone anywhere around the world. And if you are in a place with good Internet connections, you can access all your favorite websites and order any items you need.

While laptops are also portable, people don’t travel with them everywhere. Smartphones are objectively more mobile. As an ecommerce store, having a mobile responsive site or app ensures your customers buy from you no matter where they travel.

If you haven’t built your store yet, make it mobile responsive from the word go. Work with the top ecommerce site builders to get nothing less of what you would want.  Ensure you also develop an app to give your customers more choices when they need to shop from you.

#4: Quick Updates with Push Notifications

Mobile devices provide your business with the opportunity to promote new offers to customers without being intrusive. Push notifications also work on desktop computers but they don’t have the impact made by mobile phones.

Your customers are always with their phones. They view your updates immediately they connect to the Internet. If your offers are good, they’ll probably also make orders immediately. You can still send promotional offers to customers’ email addresses if they decline push notifications. Because they spend more time on their phones, they get to view the emails as soon as you send them.

#5: One Account, Multiple Devices

As the costs of smart devices continue to go down, consumers are increasingly buying multiple devices. It’s not a surprise to find someone with a smartphone, tablet, and laptop at the same time. In a family unit, everyone in the house could two or more devices.

Since most of these devices are mobile, you have a higher chance of increasing your sales if your store can be accessed across multiple platforms. Using a single account, the buyers can view items while at work on their desktops. They can view their dream dresses and gaming products on their iPads after work and make orders on their smartphones later on.

#6: Allows your Business to Promote its Brand

Ever seen Amazon’s apps? Whether it’s the eBook reader or the audio reader, their apps are unified by the brand’s logo. The Coca Cola mobile website takes the famous red and white colors. You don’t have to be as big as Amazon or Coca-Cola to build a brand out of your store.

Decide on colors for your stores, a logo and features unique to your brand. If the features appear on your site; apps, mobile sites and on packages, customers will soon be able to identify you. Branding also goes beyond what can be seen.

Building a brand out of good customer services and timely deliveries will earn you more customers than fancy colors. Once your brand is established, your expenses on advertising and marketing will reduce. Your customers will no longer need to be reminded of how great your services are. They already know. They can identify your apps and re-order items because they believe in your brand.

To Conclude

Modern e-commerce stores are quickly learning the value of mobile responsiveness. Consumers are increasingly relying on mobile devices for online shopping. They spend more times on apps than websites on their computer screens. Any business that wants to survive in the industry today has to be mobile first. They also must learn the needs of mobile users and fulfill them effectively.

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OPPO to license VOOC flash charge technology to other manufacturers

OPPO Mobile is set to license VOOC flash charge technology to other brands for use on their devices.

As of today, OPPO’s  is the fastest fast charging system on smartphones, and the company wants to leverage on that. In other words, OPPO wants to build an ecosystem around the technology.

The announcement was made at OPPO Mobile’s SuperVOOC Flash Charge Open Day in Shanghai, China. OPPO says it has also signed patent license agreements with six smart chip and device manufacturers.

VOOC Flash Charge was launched in 2014 and has been in use solely in OPPO smartphones. Well, not exactly. It uses the same technology that that OnePlus uses and brands as Dash Charge. Both OPPO and OnePlus belong to the same parent company, BBK Electronics, so both brands sharing underlying technology is understandable.

However, OPPO has taken the technology a step further by developing and introducing SuperVOOC, which was introduced at Mobile World Congress 2016.

How fast is SuperVOOC Flash charge?

In a nutshell, it is mindbogglingly fast. The latest iteration is found in the Automobili Lamborghini Edition of the Oppo Find X. , and it charges the phone from zero to full charge in 35 minutes flat. Yes; that is 0-100% in 35 minutes.

The closest any other phone has to that should be 0 to 100% in one hour. SuperVOOC is super fast. With technology so far ahead of the competition like that, OPPO has earned the right to license to others. We sure will like to have that kind of super power in our smartphones.

The technology requires a Super VOOC charger though. The Find X Automobili Lamborghini Edition has one bundled.

OPPO says that it has applied for more than 1,000 core patents for VOOC flash Charge worldwide and has obtained safety certifications for VOOC Flash Charge by international safety authorities.

It looks like OPPO is on a roll, baring competing brands catching up with the current capabilities of SuperVOOC.

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How to remap Bixby button to take photos or other action

The hardware Bixby button on my Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus is the most redundant feature ever. I used Bixby for a period and haven’t found it as useful as I’d like. And even if I were to find Bixby useful, there are other actions I would prefer to map the button to.

But Samsung has been adamant about it and made it next to impossible to reconfigure the button for other uses besides launching Bixby.

For example, the button would probably make for a good hardware camera shutter. Another cool use would be for taking quick screenshots, launching the browser, or launching any other app of your preference.

Table of Contents

Using 3rd Party Apps To Remap Bixby Button

There have been a number of attempts by developers to create an app that lets you remap Bixby button. Those efforts have been mostly futile, as Samsung has consistently frustrated those developers. Yes; Samsung has been a big bully with regards this matter.

Is it by force to use Bixby or to use the button for Bixby? Which is why there has been a lot of clamour by S8 and S9 users for the ability to remap Bixby button.

You Can Now Make Bixby Button Your Own

There is good news though. Samsung has announced that the option to customize the button for use as a shortcut to other apps and actions is on the way. Here is the official statement from Samsung:

Bixby Key Customization is compatible with the Galaxy S10, and will be available via a software update on previously released Bixby-enabled flagship smartphones running Android Pie OS.

The new customization feature is already available on Galaxy S10 devices and will filter down to Note9, S9, and S8 devices soon. You will be able to remap Bixby button to execute some other action or launch your favourite apps.

What Samsung has done is not totally let you get rid of Bixby on the key. Instead, you will be able to customize the button to launch Bixby with either a single or double press, and then map the other option to the activity or app of your choice. Fair enough.

Being able to use the key for other actions is great news indeed. Our phones, our usage patterns. That is what makes a smartphone really smart – the ability to adapt to the user, and not the other way around.

To get this new feature and be able to remap Bixby button, make sure that your device is running Android Pie. Samsung is already rolling out the remap feature as an app update to Bixby. After the app update is installed, open the phone Settings -> Advanced features -> Bixby key. Customize it as you wish.

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The 2020 Peugeot 208 Electric car is a hatchback with style

The Peugeot 208 Electric (or e-208) looks as cool as any hatchback in the market. Actually, it reminds us of the Volkswagen Polo. But in place of a petrol engine, it is powered by a 100kW electric motor and a 50kW battery.

A fast charging system lets it charge the battery up to 80% in 30 minutes. These cars are beginning to behave like our smartphones now; aren’t they? Without a fast charger, topping it up fully will take 5 to 10 hours.

How fast can the 2020 Peugeot 208 electric go? In Sport mode, it will take you from zero to 100 kmph in 8.1 seconds. Not bad at all. The car has a range of 340 kilometres.

But you are not going to need the Sport mode every day, so you can drive around in normal or eco modes, which are slower but also less battery-intensive.

If you want to go old school, the Peugeot 208 electric has fossil fuel engine twins, the Peugeot 208 GT Line, that will meet your needs. Both petrol and diesel engine options are available. You can’t tell the difference from the outside though, as they are very identical.

Photos of the 2020 Peugeot 208 Electric (same as the 208 GT Line)

Whether you go for the petrol engine, diesel engine, or the Peugeot 208 electric engine model, you will be getting a taste of a smooth, stylish hatchback for your daily commute.

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OPPO foldable phone looks like an improvement on Samsung Galaxy Fold

Everybody is showcasing a device with a flexible display these days and OPPO has joined in. The OPPO foldable phone may be an improvement on Samsung’s Galaxy Fold.

The foldable phone frenzy recently hit the global smartphone market and industry giants OPPO have a folding device to display too, just like Samsung and Huawei. The Vice President of OPPO showed the folding smartphone in a series of photos online, even though OPPO did not officially showcase the device at the 2019 MWC in Barcelona.

One interesting take-home from OPPO’s folding smartphone is the fact that it appears to be an improvement on the Samsung Galaxy Fold. OPPO’s folding phone has a much better screen-to-body ratio, unlike the Samsung Galaxy Fold, which looks like a small screen tab with very large bezels. OPPO’s folding smartphone folds perfectly and cleanly, an area the Samsung Galaxy Fold falls short yet again; its hinge is a little too obvious.

Images Of The OPPO Foldable Phone

Here are images of the first device by OPPO:

OPPO Foldable Phone Release Date And Price

We are still waiting on what OPPO’s folding phone to be named and released commercially before we can compare extensively with the Samsung Galaxy Fold and Huawei Mate X but from all indicators, it appears OPPO will be focusing more on consumer experience and might be priced around $1,500. Time will tell.

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