Audio, sim racing gear, desks, chairs... Consider this home base for your entire setup or workplace interests. Look around and discover more about what you love.
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Audio, sim racing gear, desks, chairs... Consider this home base for your entire setup or workplace interests. Look around and discover more about what you love.
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Many technology enthusiasts were thrilled when it looked like the world's first-ever foldable phone had been actualized. It seems like Microsoft is determined to launch both a foldable and dual-screen device. Will this be a success?
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Once just a rumor, now it's real. #Microsoft revealed its new phone named the Surface Duo. It runs on Android and works with Google Apps, so all your favorites are there. This is a pretty unique #smartphone that will come out near the holidays during 2020, which means it's a little early to crank up the hype machine. #MicrosoftSurfaceDuo #phone #mobilephone #Android
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I'm looking for a new #mirrorless #camera and the #CanonEOSRP is in the lead at the moment. It's a full-frame digital camera with a touchscreen and it's light and easy to carry. The only negative is the transfer speeds and I'm not sure how tolerable that will be. #photography #picoftheday #Instagram #photograph #Canon #digitalcamera #mirorlesscamera #shoot
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#Razer's #streaming #mic adds a whole lot of personality and fun to the mix. Why have a mic that adds nothing of entertainment value when you can have one with programmable #emoticons? I think it's a little silly, but a lot of fun too. What do you think about Razer's, first of its kind mic? #stream #podcast #podcasting #livestream #livestreaming #audio #tech #entertainment
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Getting fined $5 million is not something most companies would want to imagine, but like the proverbial cat with nine lives, Facebook remains afloat. Isn't it equally surprising that the company recorded 'better-than-expected' second-quarter results?
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Having a larger screen is always better for working. It’s more effective for organising my tasks. A larger and a wider screen is just what everyone would like to have.
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Let the leaks begin! New images of the upcoming 2020 iPhone have been released. The phone is described as "iPhone 4 meets the iPhone 11." It looks much like you'd expect all iPhones to look, which is a good thing, I think. There isn't much info on the hardware, but it's still early. I'm excited for further information to be released in the near future.
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I used to own Skullcandy earphones over 10 years ago but they broke pretty fast. After that I kind of thought of them as more of a trendy product rather than technically sound. But it seems like I've been sleeping on them? And can we talk about that red color? Wow!
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Microsoft’s current Surface devices started as a pet project for their device chief, Panos Panay. Before he came into the picture, the Surface line was nothing more than a high-end POS system. But, with his guidance, Surface devices became the face of the modern Windows PC in all its forms.
They weren't the first to design a tablet/laptop hybrid. They weren’t even nowhere near the top PC manufacturers out there when they started with their hardware. But they were the first to make the concept at least fathomable to the average user. Their first foray into the scene was met with decent reception. That was all it took to get the ball rolling. That, it seems, was all that was required for Microsoft to go all-in on developing their hardware. From then on, Microsoft was no longer just a software company, it’s become a hardware manufacturer as well.
Eventually, the built-in hinge of the Surface Pro, the powerful detachable tablet form-factor of the Surface Book, and the overall design of the Surface Laptop have become industry hardware templates. They're copied by veteran computer makers such as Lenovo, Dell, and HP. More than anything, they’ve become a vision of what Windows can do.
Now, with its seventh-generation mere days away from being announced, fans eagerly await the Surface Pro 7. The rumours swirling around it might just shake up the tech world yet again. This includes ARM-based Surface 7, Thunderbolt 3 USB-C, and modernized bezel design
Rich Options for Processors
The Surface Pro 6 came in just two processor options – the i5 and i7. Both are from Intel’s 8th generation chipsets that introduced quad-core chips for laptops. The resulting outcome from those new chips improved battery life and increased processing capabilities at the same time. It’s a significant improvement from the Surface Pro 5 to the Surface Pro 6 at the time.
Surface Pro 7 should get a processor upgrade to Intel’s 10th generation processors. Intel revealed specs for these processing units earlier in the year. Based on their reveal, the trend for more powerful yet more efficient chips should continue with the Surface Pro 7. The only difference this generation is that they’re reportedly going to offer an i3 unit this year.
If these rumours are true, then we could be in for a price reduction for the base model. This could spell a huge boost in sales for down-market fans.
However, there's an even more exciting tidbit of news for people looking for an inexpensive way to own a Surface. People who don't need much processing power but requires the versatility of the Surface form-factor has another option. Some rumours state that an ARM-based Surface 7 is also in the works. These devices should be less expensive than the Pros. If this is true, you've got an even lower barrier to entry for Surface devices this year.
This confirms earlier rumours that state that Microsoft is in bed with Qualcomm for new hardware. The computer chip company is famous for producing Snapdragon-branded processing units. The Surface 7 should, therefore, be in line with the recently unveiled marketing push by Microsoft on Always-On PCs. While the chipsets aren’t as powerful as the Intel processors, they should be more than enough for regular tasks. Web browsing, document creation, and basic video editing should be a cinch for this device. It also adds the benefit of having 4G or maybe even 5G connectivity built into the device. All of these while also potentially doubling the current battery capacity.
In a way, the Surface 7 would probably be more like a tablet-first device like the iPad Pro versus the laptop-first experience of the Surface Pro. Overall, the expectation of a more than 10-hours of battery life on a single charge, the built-in LTE radio, and the portability of this new Windows machine looks to be the main selling points of the Surface 7.
USB-C, Finally
Since the Surface Pro 4, rumours have swirled about USB-C. It’s the inescapable future of computing. Even Apple, infamous for being slow to adopt new tech, has beaten Microsoft to the punch by using it as the iPad Pro’s primary power delivery system. The Redmond giant is adamant in keeping its proprietary Surface Connect.
Again, the USB-C rumours are getting fans hyped for the new device. Will people finally get what they want? Leaks say yes. But, as in the years before, it’s probably best to temper expectations to avoid disappointment like with past Surface Pros.
If there is some truth to the rumours, I expect the Surface to keep the Surface Connect. The USB-C would most likely be utilized mainly as a port for peripherals more than anything else. If you remember the Asus Transformer 3 Pro from way back 2016, you’d know how awesome it is to game on a tablet with an eGPU hooked up to it via Thunderbolt 3 port.
The Bezels are Going Away
One of the things that kept some people from going for the new Surface Pro 5 and 6 are the huge bezels. They're just no longer in vogue. Pundits believe that the bezels were merely kept because removing it would diminish the tablet experience. And they’re probably right. You need to be able to hold the device properly without accidentally triggering the touchscreen if you're using it in tablet mode.
The bezels, at least on the Surface Pro, looks like it’s on its way out. This should be a more workable upgrade this iteration. Microsoft looks like they’re moving away from their tablet dreams. While we still expect it to be a touchscreen device, Microsoft might finally throw in the towel on the tablet experience. The Surface Pros have always been outstanding laptops but middling, at best, as tablets.
Whether the Surface 7 is going to debut with the same design is still a coin toss. It would make sense if Microsoft sticks with the bezels on the device that’s more likely to be used as a tablet rather than a laptop.
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It can be confusing to talk about the last few and probably coming OnePlus T phones. For one thing, it’s phonetically weird. For example, the excellent OnePlus 6T phone from last year makes you sound like you’re saying 60. The newly announced OnePlus 7T is no different. It sounds like you’re saying 70 instead of 7T. But make no mistake about it, the OnePlus 7T is going to be one of the most distinct smartphones out there for years to come.
The confusion surrounding this new phone is even more compounded by a slight reshuffle of their devices. For most of its existence, these T versions served as iterative upgrades to their base models. This automatically makes them the company’s flagship upon release.
Not this year though.
Just a few months ago, they released the OnePlus 7 Pro. It’s most certainly OnePlus’ undisputed flagship for 2019. It’s got all the bells and whistles that the company can offer its customers. The OnePlus 7T, however, has got things up its sleeves that make it a compelling option without cannibalizing potential sales of its bigger brother.
So, right now, it sits all by its lonesome in a category that’s quite not in the league of the OnePlus 7 Pro but not quite your average midrange either.
If you’re a smartphone nut, you’re not going to be confused with the OnePlus 7T. It’s just so unique in its execution in terms of features.
But to give you a better view into what the 7T is capable of, it’s probably best to just dive right into the review.
90Hz + HDR 10 Goodness
On the surface, especially if you’re only looking at it from the front, there’s almost no difference with this year’s base OnePlus 7. They’re both almost fully free of bezels except for a tiny teardrop notch at the top for the selfie shooter. It’s quite literally just below that glass surface where the magic happens. You see, the OnePlus 7T comes with a 90Hz screen.
It doesn’t seem like a huge feature on paper. Even on video reviews, it probably doesn’t look like much too. But in person, the high-refresh rate makes staring at the screen for long periods such a breeze. It doesn’t matter if you’re looking at moving objects in a game or just reading on your phone, this feature just makes it so much easier on the eyes. These days, both work and play has starting to migrate from PC screens to our smartphone screens. Having a screen that doesn't give you headache after a couple of hours of use is a feature that we would want.
Another bleeding-edge screen tech that the OnePlus 7T is going to ship with is its HDR 10+ compatibility. While HDR displays have been around for a long time now, smartphone companies have been slow to adopt the technology. HDR content just wasn’t abundant enough to justify buying hardware for it.
Things have turned around though. Amazon Prime and Netflix, for example, have started to roll out HDR videos onto their platforms. This means more content at its best possible video quality to consume on your OnePlus 7T.
Don’t think that OnePlus is screwing with people who already own the 7 Pro, though. Despite all the bleeding edge tech embedded in the screen, it’s still got a lesser panel. It has a slight color-shifting going if you view it just a little off-axis. But, it’s nothing to be alarmed about. It does not take much away from the user experience. HDR content is still very nice to look at.
There’s another polarizing screen feature that might point you towards the 7T instead of the Pro. In the 7T, OnePlus decided not to bend the display over to the side of the device.
This omission may be a downgrade for some people, but for many, this is a huge plus. For them, the Samsung-style curved edges were nothing more than a gimmick. Sometimes it was a gimmick that intruded with their experience due to accidental touches.
Slightly Improved Hardware
While it loses out on the OnePlus 7 Pro’s screen design, the OnePlus 7T takes after the Pro in a lot of other ways in term so hardware. In some respects, it may even outclass the more expensive phone.
One of the more important upgrades of the 7T versus the Pro is that it has a oh so slightly better processor. While the Pro is equipped with the beefy Snapdragon 855, the 7T has an 855 Plus. It’s an iterative upgrade, yes, but it’s an upgrade all the same.
This processor, aside from the slight speed bump, enables the phone to charge faster. They call this feature the Warp Charge 30T.
In other aspects, both the 7T and the Pro are similar. It’s going to have 128GB or 256GB 3.0 UFS storage paired with 8GB on both versions.
All of these paired with a near-stock Android 10 experience with the Oxygen OS makes this one of the most buttery-smooth smartphones you can use. It should crush whatever task you put up to it.
Camera Tech
If you look at the camera spec sheet, you’d think that OnePlus merely copy pasted the page from the OnePlus 7 Pro to the OnePlus 7T. From the surface, the only difference between the two would be the layout. The Pro has them arranged vertically while the 7T has lines them up horizontally.
But upon closer inspection, you’d quickly realize that the 7T has a significantly improved macro mode. This enables you to bring the camera up to 2.5 cm from the subject and keep focus perfectly. This allows you to take interesting perspectives that not a lot of smartphone cameras can take.
It’s important to consider that OnePlus phones has never been known have top-notch camera quality. You can expect this reputation to follow it into this new phone again. The images should be decent but not on par with the Google Pixel 3s of the world. At a base price of $600, though, you it would be unfair to expect that they would go toe-to-toe on this respect.
In general, the OnePlus 7T has got a lot going for it. The cutting-edge display can be huge draw for general smartphone users. It’s not a niche feature. Which makes one think, is OnePlus still a fringe brand? It’s starting to look like one of the best and most popular Android smartphones out there. This new OnePlus 7T might just cement its place in the pantheon of great Android smartphone manufacturers and its piece of the pie in the global smartphone market.