News

An iPhone X allegedly exploded after installing iOS 12.1

In Washington, USA

Published

November 15, 2018

Luigi Leonardo

Goodbyes are always difficult. Some can go graceful; some, however, lash out in weird directions. As the 2018 iPhones go on their successful world tour, the iPhone X tries to get one more stab at the spotlight. However, the headline is far from positive. One might even call it fiery.

Reported in Washington, an iPhone X supposedly exploded in a user’s home. Rahel Mohamad, the user, posted about the incident on Twitter. According to Mohamed, the iPhone was in the process of installing the iOS 12.1 update.

In an interview with Gadgets 360, Mohamed was using and charging the phone normally. Amid installing the recent update, he plugged the phone into Apple’s original charger and cable. (Of note, Redditors have countered that Mohamed used an iPad charger, instead of an iPhone one.) Shortly after, the phone started heating up, spewing out gray smoke. After the update’s completion, it caught fire and exploded.

Since then, Apple has responded to Mohamed’s original tweet. “That’s definitely not expected behavior,” @AppleSupport replied. According to Mohamed, Apple has invited him to mail the destroyed model for an official investigation. The company has not issued an official statement regarding the explosion yet.

Curiously, this isn’t the first Apple explosion this year. Back in January, a Chinese customer bit into an iPhone’s battery, causing it to explode in his face. In August, an iPad exploded inside an Apple store in Amsterdam, injuring several employees.

To Apple’s luck, none of the three incidents has incited enough controversy to turn into another Samsung Galaxy Note 7 disaster. At the moment, Apple’s explosions are isolated incidents. We can only hope that the iPhone XS, XS Max, and XR don’t suffer the same fate.

News

Xiaomi partners up with Alita: Battle Angel for a transparent Mi 9

This used to be the ‘Pro’ variant

Published

February 18, 2019

Daniel Morial

Image credit: Xiaomi

The launch of the Mi 9 from Xiaomi is around the corner, but that doesn’t mean we’ll just wait for the official announcement. We’ve heard rumors about a Mi 9 model with a transparent back like the Mi 8 Pro from last year. Well, the rumors are true and it’s more special than before.

An official teaser for the special edition Mi 9 appeared online today and it brings the blockbuster film Alita: Battle Angel to the picture. Xiaomi partnered up with the film to present the Mi 9: Battle Angel.

Check out the action-packed promotional video below:

The teaser shows the main features of the transparent Mi 9: triple rear cameras, a Snapdragon processor (which is already confirmed), and wireless charging.

Since the Mi 9: Battle Angel will have a transparent back like the Mi 8 Pro’s, it also has a window to its awesome-looking circuit board, but it’s likely not the actual thing. What’s more interesting is the visible wireless charging coil right in the middle of the battery.

The phone will be launched alongside the other Mi 9 variants on February 20. Essentially, the Mi 9: Battle Angel model will be a marketing ploy in China since the movie will hit the theaters in the region two days after the launch.

Price-wise, the phone is rumored to cost CNY 5,999 or roughly US$ 885.

Gaming

TNC Predator, Afreeca Freecs Fatal win Predator League APAC 2019

For Dota 2 and PUBG, respectively

Published

February 17, 2019

Marvin Velasco

After three long days of battle in Bangkok, Thailand from February 15 to 17, two champions have emerged from the two featured games of the Predator League in Asia Pacific 2019.

For Dota 2, it’s TNC Predator from the Philippines; and for PUBG, the champ is none other than Afreeca Freecs Fatal from South Korea.

TNC Predator wins the #DOTA2 championship of the #PredatorLeague 🏆🏆🏆 #PredatorGaming #GadgetMatchLIVE @predatorph pic.twitter.com/gaf3O1lAaI

— Marvin Velasco (@labacnotan) February 17, 2019

Their winnings come from a prize pool worth US$ 250,000. Each champion receives US$ 75,000 for their efforts, while the runners-up split the remaining pot.

Congrats Afreeca Freecs Fatal for winning the #PUBG finals of the #PredatorLeague 🏆 #PredatorGaming #GadgetMatchLIVE @predatorph pic.twitter.com/wSBuYLC2lC

— Marvin Velasco (@labacnotan) February 17, 2019

The grand event concluded after over 3,500 competing teams from 16 countries were eventually reduced to only 26 groups in Bangkok for the finals.

This was the Predator League’s second event in the APAC region. In 2018, it was held in Indonesia. Next year’s event will take place in the Philippines.

Cameras

Fujifilm X-T30 is a lightweight 4K mirrorless camera

Cheaper version of the X-T3

Published

February 17, 2019

Daniel Morial

Image credit: Fujifilm

After Canon‘s announcement of the new EOS RP, it’s now Fujifilm‘s turn to present their latest offering: the X-T30. Fuji’s new mirrorless interchangeable camera is the successor to 2017’s X-T20.

The X-T30 is positioned to be a cheaper variant of the flagship X-T3 camera, but they actually share many common features and specs. It’s got a compact and lightweight body at just 383g which looks similar to the premium model, but with some minor changes at the back. It’s got a focus joystick instead of a d-pad, but retains the touchscreen.

Speaking of, it’s a 2-way tilting LCD panel with 1.04 million dots. The EVF, on the other hand, is a 2.36-million-dot OLED color viewfinder with a near 100 percent coverage area.

Image credit: Fujifilm

Inside the camera is a 26.1-megapixel APS-C X-Trans CMOS sensor with an ISO range of 160 to 12800, which is expandable up to 51200, and backed by an X-Processor 4. With this, the X-T30 can shoot 30fps at 1.25x crop and 20fps without a crop using the electronic shutter. If you wish to use the mechanical shutter, the speed will be reduced to 8fps.

It has a hybrid AF system with 100 percent phase-detect AF, face detection, and eye tracking. Autofocus is also improved even in low-light. Focusing can be selected either through the touchscreen or joystick.

When it comes to video, the camera can shoot 4K at 30fps and up to 120fps when downscaled to 1080p. It’s capable of 10-bit recording and 4:2:2 DCI 4K video through the HDMI port. Fujifilm’s Film Simulation modes are also available.

The Fujifilm X-T30 will be available in March starting at US$ 899 for the body only. It’ll go up to US$ 999 when bundled with an XC 15-45mm f/3.5-5.6 OIS lens, or US$ 1,299 when bundled with an 18-55mm f/2.8-4 lens.