News

Honor 10 offers the best of Huawei minus the premium price

Gives up only a few features

Published

April 20, 2018

Marvin Velasco

Huawei has done it once again, releasing a more affordable alternative to its latest flagship smartphone lineup and placing it under the more budget-friendly Honor brand. This time, we’re looking at the newly launched Honor 10.

Make no mistake about it, the Honor 10 is a feature-packed device. A lot of the high-end specifications found on the Huawei P20 series — such as the top-of-the-line Kirin 970 processor, glass and metal body, and latest EMUI 8.1 software (based on Android 8.1 Oreo) — are mostly here.

And yes, there’s a notch on top. It fits inside the 5.84-inch 1080p LCD with a 19:9 screen ratio. Underneath the display is the front-mounted fingerprint sensor, although Huawei’s usual facial recognition feature is available if you prefer that for unlocking your phone.

This being a Huawei device, you can expect the cameras to be great. In this case, there’s a 16- and 24-megapixel combo on the back, with the latter having a monochrome image sensor for sharper photos. Not to be outdone, the selfie shooter is of the 24-megapixel kind, as well. Unfortunately, there’s no Leica branding in sight, which explains why this phone can be sold cheaper, but you do get artificial intelligence in the cameras for smarter scene recognition.

Memory and storage configurations are excellent, with 6GB for the former and a choice between 64GB and 128GB for the latter. And because this is a big phone, a 3400mAh battery is found inside, just like on the P20. What’s extra special is the inclusion of a 3.5mm audio port, something Huawei flagships have given up on since the Mate 10 series.

Pricing starts at CNY 2,599 (US$ 412) for the 6GB memory with 64GB storage variant, and CNY 2,999 (US$ 477) for the model with 128GB of storage (neither of which can be expanded using a microSD card). There’s some difficulty in translating the exact color names to English, but rest assured there are four to choose from: black, gray, purple, and blue.

Enterprise

Huawei pledges $2 billion to secure cybersecurity of hardware

It starts in Britain for now

Published

December 8, 2018

Luigi Leonardo

Throughout the past few weeks, Sinophobia has reached an all-time high. Various countries have started banning Chinese telecommunications companies from taking over their technology market. Huawei and ZTE have faced tremendous adversity while expanding their 5G operations. Of note, the US, the UK, and Australia have stopped Huawei’s 5G plans before they could start.

It was only a matter of time before Huawei responds. Now, the company has finally promised to solve these crucial cybersecurity issues. In Britain, Huawei has met with government officials regarding their ban. Like the rest of the Western world, Britain criticized Huawei’s technology as potential backdoors for Chinese espionage.

Both parties have agreed to a compromise. To alleviate Britain’s fears, Huawei will pledge US$ 2 billion for cybersecurity. The company will then attempt to solve whatever Britain found in cybersecurity investigations.

While the United Kingdom is more forgiving, other countries are still very wary. After the initial lineup of banning countries, Japan has joined the conversation. The country is working to ban both Huawei and ZTE from 5G development as well. With that, Japan will be the first Asian country to ban both companies. Western fears are now invading the East.

At the other end of the world, Huawei is also facing another crisis. The company’s chief finance officer, Meng Wanzhou, was recently arrested for allegedly violating embargo regulations. According to Huawei, their retaliation plans in Britain were made before the arrest. Thus, the arrest is another separate battle that awaits the company after issues of cybersecurity.

Huawei is in a world of pain. Despite offering amazing products, the company can’t find any traction in hardware development. Geopolitical fears have and will continue to bog down the company throughout the rise of 5G networking.

Gaming

Crash Team Racing remaster announced for multiple consoles

Move over, Mario Kart. There’s a new racing game in town!

Published

December 7, 2018

Gab Orlina

Yes, you read that right! PlayStation’s lovable bandicoot returns to the race track for another hard-hitting, kart-smashing racing game! Announced earlier during The Game Awards 2018, Sony Interactive and Activision will release a remaster of Crash Team Racing (CTR) for major consoles next year.

Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled will feature the same elements and gameplay from the 1999 original, worked from the ground up. Beenox, the studio behind Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 spearheaded the HD remaster, retaining the core game modes the original CTR provided. The game will feature the main cast of Crash and Coco Bandicoot, Dr. Neo Cortex, Tiny Tiger, N. Gin, Dingodile, Polar, and Pura. Not only that, but the remastered CTR will also feature both offline and online play, something that deviates from the original.

The announcement came from a segment during The Game Awards 2018 in Los Angeles. A Crash Bandicoot mascot unveiled the trailer by presenting a crate that contained a trophy inside that you can find in the original CTR. This confirmed rumors from earlier this week.

Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled will come out on June 21, 2019 for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch. Next year marks Crash Team Racing‘s 20th anniversary, and what a way to celebrate it through the remaster.

Accessories

Apple now sells 18W USB-C fast charger and clear iPhone XR case

More expensive than the ordinary, of course

Published

December 7, 2018

Daniel Morial

Apple has a couple of interesting new items available for iPhone owners out there.

After the month-long delay, the iPhone XR finally gets an official case. For the first time ever, Apple now offers a clear protective case. Instead of leather or silicone, you can protect your colorful iPhone XR with an optically clear polycarbonate and flexible TPU case.

It’ll be probably one of the most expensive TPU cases you’ll ever purchase for US$ 39. With its expensive price tag, hopefully, it won’t turn yellow over time like other cheap third-party clear cases.

18W USB-C Power Adapter | Image credit: Apple

Those who have been wanting a fast charger for their iPhones can finally get one without spending too much. The early solution wasn’t specifically designed for iPhones and it’s not cheap either.

Thankfully, Apple is now selling an 18W USB-C Power Adapter. Although, you’ll still have to purchase a USB-C to Lightning cable separately. The new iPhone fast charger is priced at US$ 29, while the USB-C cable is an additional US$ 19.

It’ll cost you US$ 48 to charge an iPhone faster, which should come out of the box like with flagship Android phones. Keep in mind that you should be using an iPhone 8 or later model.

The new 18W fast charger and clear case for the iPhone XR are now listed on Apple’s online store.