Apple’s iPhone 8 might look a lot like this

Apple’s radically redesigned iPhone 8 is many months away, but the web is filled with rumors, speculations, and concepts. That’s right, many designers out there think they know how the iPhone 8 will look like, although not all of the iPhone 8 concepts out there are always exciting. The following images, meanwhile, show a concept iPhone 8 that might be very close to what Apple will actually launch this year.

Designer Moe Slah’s iPhone 8 is heavily anchored in existing rumors. His phone is just as big as the iPhone 7 Plus, but packs a bigger 5.8-inch OLED display. That’s possible as there’s no home button on the front side, which eliminates the lower bezel almost entirely. The top bezel is also very minimal, including only the front-facing camera and sensors.

It’s unclear from these renders whether the phone has a wraparound curved display or not. That’s not to say the edges aren’t curved, they’re not just as curved as what you’d see on a Galaxy S6 or S7.

The fingerprint sensor is embedded in the display in Slah’s concept, matching existing rumors. But Apple might go even further than eliminating just the home physical button. Curved screen edges might let it replace the physical volume and mute buttons with virtual solutions. Slah’s iPhone 8 still has physical buttons on the sides.

The designer envisioned other user interface changes dictated by the new design, which affects both the locked and unlocked screen, as seen in these images. There’s a new the home screen look, new notifications, and a revamped Control Center. The image above shows how the Music app would look like on a bigger display. Check out Slah’s iPhone 8 concept over at Behance.

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Resident Evil 7: PS4 may offer the “complete package,” but it’s “generally excellent” on all platforms

According to Digital Foundry, the visual experience for Resident Evil 7 is “generally excellent across all platforms,” but there will always be one version which stands out from the rest – whether that be PC, PS4 or Xbox One.

When testing the game on PlayStation 4, Digital Foundry found it ran “in native 1080p with a solid 60fps,” and the PS4 Pro sku offered a “minor resolution boost and tweaks in lighting.” 

The Xbox One release seems to have taken “a small hit to image quality,” and the frame-rates tended to “fall short of sustaining a locked 60fp.” Still, Digital Foundry said the Xbox One version of Resident Evil 7 is still “excellent overall,” and console owners should still pick the game up. 

PC players will find this version of the game is the “most technically accomplished release,” as it offers higher resolutions with “the most refined presentation available.” This is due in part to added motion blur effects and quality anti-aliasing. 

However, when PSVR support is taken into consideration, right now, the PS4 version “offers the complete package.” At least until other VR models are supported for PC users. 

Sounds like you can’t go wrong no matter which platform you choose. That’s good news for everyone. 

You can get a full analysis of how Resident Evil 7 fares on PC, PS4 and Xbox One in the video above and through the link to the full report on Eurogamer. 

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This is the first image of the Samsung Galaxy S8

Samsung’s Galaxy S8 will be unveiled on March 29th, according to a new report from Venture Beat that also includes the first photo we’ve seen of the coming flagship. The back of the device is very similar to last year’s Galaxy S7 (with the exception being a relocated fingerprint sensor), but the front marks a fairly radical departure from Samsung’s typical design. Gone are the physical home button and touch-sensitive navigation buttons; instead, a large, curved display that seemingly runs edge to edge dominates the Galaxy S8. Samsung is said to be planning a worldwide April 21st release for the device. 

Venture Beat’s report closely aligns with a recent scoop by The Guardian that revealed some of Samsung’s key plans for the Galaxy S8. The company is planning two screen sizes (5.8- and 6.2-inches) for the S8, its first flagship smartphone to follow last year’s Note 7 debacle. The big “infinity display” screens — larger than even the Note’s 5.7-inch display — have an unconventional aspect ratio of 18.5:9, according to the reports. That design decision should help the devices feel fairly similar to last year’s Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge in the hand. According to both reports, the hardware specs of Samsung’s upcoming phone break down like this:

• Display: 5.8-inch or 6.2-inch QHD AMOLED display
• Cameras: 12-megapixel f/1.7 rear camera, 8-megapixel f/1.7 front
• Processor: Snapdragon 835 or Samsung Exynos (varies by market) 
• Storage: 64GB with microSD expansion
• Memory: 4GB
• Battery: 3000mAh (5.8-inch model) or 3500mAh (6.2-inch model)
• Other: Headphone jack, USB Type-C, water resistance

Samsung is planning a feature resembling Windows Continuum that will give the Galaxy S8 desktop PC-like functionality when plugged into an optional HDMI dock, the report says. And the phone will have a dedicated button to activate Samsung’s own take on the personal assistant, reportedly called Bixby, a new feature made possible by the company’s acquisition of Viv Labs in 2016. Venture Beat claims Bixby is “said to be able to handle more complex commands than its competitors” like Apple’s Siri and Google Assistant. New to the S8 is a USB-C jack, and Samsung is indeed keeping the headphone jack around.

The cameras will reportedly go largely unchanged from last year’s models, but will gain new software features; the iris scanner first seen in the recalled Note 7 will also be carried over to Samsung’s latest smartphone. The device might be priced higher than the S7 that it’s succeeding; we should know more about that when Samsung holds its yet-to-be-announced Unpacked event in New York City in March. You can bet the company will spend plenty of time discussing precautions it has taken with the S8 to avoid another battery disaster. 

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NHTSA closes Tesla Autopilot death investigation, won't pursue recall

Last year, Joshua Brown died when his Autopilot-enabled Tesla Model S collided with a tractor-trailer. After a lengthy investigation, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has finally reached a conclusion.

At a press briefing today, NHTSA said a defect in either Autopilot or the specific autonomous emergency braking system was not to blame in Brown's death. The agency will not require a safety recall for Autopilot-equipped Tesla models.

"At Tesla, the safety of our customers comes first, and we appreciate the thoroughness of NHTSA's report and its conclusion," said a Tesla spokesperson via an emailed statement

Autopilot is the name for a suite of semi-autonomous driving aids meant to reduce some of the tedium of the daily commute. In some circumstances, it is capable of bringing the car to a stop, but it's not meant to replace a vigilant driver. 

In Brown's case, neither he nor the Autopilot applied the brakes when a truck crossed the car's path. However, NHTSA's findings concluded that the system performed as designed. You can read NHTSA's full closing statement here. 

NHTSA spokesman Bryan Thomas said during the briefing that the driver had approximately 7 seconds to respond to the truck ahead. 7.0 seconds at 74 mph (the vehicle's speed at the time of the crash) covers approximately 759 feet. Removing 1.5 seconds, the mean driver response time to a surprise situation per a University of Helsinki study, puts the total distance to brake at 596.9 feet. Car and Driver tested a base Model S 60 and found its stopping distance from 70 mph to be 174 feet. Even assuming a whole extra second to respond, Thomas had plenty of time to come to a stop.

In October, Tesla said all cars produced thereafter would come equipped with a suite of sensors and other hardware that will eventually enable Level 5 (no driver required) autonomous driving. 

The new Autopilot system leaves the assembly plant disabled. Tesla plans to slowly release various Autopilot features via over-the-air updates. It's starting with the systems that will bring the new Autopilot cars to parity with the old ones, so systems like adaptive cruise control and forward collision warning will be among the first enabled.

Autopilot has many fans, but it also has many concerned over a potential overstatement of its abilities. With the phrase "self-driving car" being thrown about, and with a public that might not fully understand the various SAE levels of vehicle autonomy, it's not difficult to see how some people might assume too much of Autopilot. 

Tesla has addressed those concerns with Autopilot updates that increase warnings to the driver when human intervention is required, and it can even block out a driver who doesn't respond to repeated requests to take the wheel. 

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Nokia P1 Android Phone With Snapdragon 835 Tipped to Launch at MWC 2017

After the launch of company's first Android smartphone earlier this month, Nokia has now been tipped to launch its Android-based P1 smartphone at MWC 2017. Further, it has been suggested that the smartphone will be based on Sharp Aquos Xx3 (seen alongside) smartphone, which was launched last year in Japan.

The Nokia P1 smartphone's price is expected to start around $800 (roughly Rs. 54,500) for the 128GB model and around $950 (roughly Rs. 64,700) for the 256GB variant, as per a report by Russian publication Worket (via PhoneArena). The phone has been tipped to run Android Nougat out-of-the-box and sport a 5.3-inch display, covered in Gorilla Glass 5, with either full-HD or QHD screen resolution. The Nokia P1 is expected to pack Snapdragon 835 SoC coupled with 6GB of RAM.

In terms of optics, the smartphone is expected to feature a Zeiss-certified 22.6-megapixel rear camera, as per the report. In terms of water and dust resistance, phone is expected to be IP57-certified. The phone has been tipped to feature a 3500mAh battery with support for quick charging. There is a fingerprint scanner on the right of the device as well, as per the report.

HMD Global, which currently holds the licence to manufacture and distribute Nokia phones, has already sent out invites for its MWC 2017 event on February 26 where the company is expected to launch more Nokia smartphones. So far, the company has launched the Nokia 6 smartphone in China, with no plans to bring it outside the country.

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Sony Xperia XA successor leaks

Smartphone business doesn't mean just high-tier products for Sony Mobile. The Japanese company has a pretty solid mid-range Xperia lineup as well, and new ones are expected to be unveiled as early as February.

Although Sony Mobile was present at CES trade fair early this month, it did not introduce any new smartphones. It looks like the handset maker is saving all the announcements for MWC 2017, which is set to take place in late February.

One of the phones that could be unveiled next month is the Xperia XA's successor. This isn't the first time we hear about the phone, as some of you probably read our previous report that mentioned the first leaked render of the device.

Today, a new set of renders of the alleged Xperia XA successor leaked, but this time there are a couple of things pretty visible such as the USB Type-C port, 3.5mm audio jack, and the popular strap hole, which makes a comeback.

Design-wise little has changed, as the phone shown in these images feature the same “unified design concept” introduced last year at Mobile World Congress.

Unfortunately, we can't tell for sure whether or not this is indeed the Xperia XA successor, but it does look like a new Xperia smartphone that hasn't been announced yet.

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FIFA 17 update 4 for Xbox One and PS4 is now live: FUT changes detailed

The latest update for FIFA 17 is now live on Xbox One and PlayStation 4.

It hit the PC version of the game last week, and brought with it a number of changes.

Just boot up your console, start FIFA 17, and the update should apply automagically. It’s just under 1GB in size. Be patient if the download is slow, everyone is jumping on it.

Here’s what you’ll find has changed in the FIFA 17 update for Xbox One and PS4.

Addressed the following in FIFA Ultimate team:

• Displaying correct kit on the player in the kit select screen.
• Players will no longer be able to set custom player positions in Team Management during gameplay.
• An issue in Squad Building Challenges where switching a higher rated player with a lower rated player resulted in the overall squad rating going up.
• Removed Est. Date, Crest and Squad Name from the FUT Champions matchup screen.
• Changed the latency bar graphic to give more detail on connection quality.

Addressed the following in Career Mode:

• An issue where the current weekly wages from the budget tab do not properly reflect the actual weekly wages.

Visual / Presentation changes:

• Improved camera selection for slow motion goal replays.
• Addressed EATV buffering.
• Addressed audio balance of French commentators.
• Gameplay commentator language for The Journey now defaults to language selected in Game Settings.

Addressed the following in gameplay:

• Adjusted the defensive line position for low pressure tactics.
• Addressed an issue where a pass was made without a button press.

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