IntellectBeat

Introducing its new warrior to the smartphone battlefield, Huawei recently announced the launch of the Honor 5X smartphone in India. The company claims the phone offers a desired combination of good looks, great camera, and a powerful engine - all at an affordable price, but does it get through the real world tests that come its way and make it to our recommendation list? Read on to know. The first thing to notice about the Honor 5X is that it is slimmer and lighter than its predecessor 4X. At 158g including the battery, and the slightly rounded edges make the phone a light and comfortable hold despite the 5.5-inch display size. The phone is unibody and what adds to its appeal is the metallic rear that also houses a fingerprint sensor. The lock/power and volume control buttons are to the right of the phone, while The SIM and memory card trays sit neat on the left of the device. The phone comes with a 5.5-inch 1080p display that offers comfortable viewing with narrow side bezels. Com...

Be it in the field of security or improved studies of land and atmosphere, drones have proved their mettle in every way, and with advancement in technology now they can be pitted against one another in a race. "There has been a growing excitement around the prospect of a new sporting league where competitors race that very futuristic sounding vehicle -- a drone," a report in The Verge said on Saturday. A drone is a remote-controlled, incredibly agile, little flying machine that can move at speeds of over 160 km an hour, and unlike most racing sports -- cars, horses, dog sleds -- would have no human on board. The "pilots" stand with goggles on and control the drone based on a live video feed from a camera on the drone's nose. This is called first person view racing. But what is so different about it? Besides the fact that drone-racing poses no risk to humans, the developers do a mix of first and third person views to grab eyeballs. "This means that som...

Thanks to scum-of-the-internet 4chan, we’ve all been hearing lately about a particular iOS bug that will brick modern iPhones, if you set the date back to 1/1/1970. Why does that happen? YouTuber Tom Scott explains. Scott gives a quick lesson in Unix time to explain why he thinks the bricking happens: for your iPhone, time is displayed as one single integer, representing the number of seconds since 1970. If you set the time back to Jan 1st, 1970, that value becomes 0—not a problem in and of itself, but if the phone tries to display a time before that, say a text you received a few hours ago, it will generate a negative number, which causes a crash. This is only a theory—Apple hasn’t confirmed what causes the bug, and probably never will. Even so, Scott’s video is worth watching, both as a lesson in how computers intrepret time, and a cautionary tale for programmers everywhere. If you’ve bricked your phone, the good news is it isn’t gone for...

At the upcoming Mobile World Congress, 2016 in Barcelona, Spain, smartphone maker LG is going to take the wraps off its new X series of smartphones. The first two models from the series- X cam and X screen- will be unveiled on February 22 and boast of premium features including great camera and advanced display. The LG X cam features a 5.2-inch FHD display and at its core is a 1.14GHz Octa-Core processor coupled with 2GB of RAM. It further includes 16 GB of internal storage and is powered by a 2,520mAh battery. The phone is LTE compatible and will run the latest Android 6.0 Marshmallow. It will be available in colour choices of Titan Silver, White, Gold, and Pink Gold. LG-Xcam-01 Highlight of the phone is it camera. It features dual cameras at its rear- 13 megapixel and 5 megapixel- along with the 8 megapixel front snapper. The phone has been crafted with LG’s 3D Bending Glass that gives it a curved finish without making it feel heavier. The LG X screen on the other hand fea...

The question is at the forefront again after a French court ruled Friday that a French art teacher can sue the social media service after it suspended his Facebook account. Although Facebook hasn't given a reason, the account suspension came after he posted an image of a classical painting featuring a female nude. Facebook's rules on nudity have evolved over time. The latest community-standards policy, from March 2015, says Facebook restricts photos of genitals or fully exposed buttocks, as well as some images of breasts if they include the nipple. But Facebook says it allows photos of women actively engaged in breastfeeding or showing breasts with post-mastectomy scarring. "We restrict the display of nudity because some audiences within our global community may be sensitive to this type of content — particularly because of their cultural background or age," the policy states. Here's what that means in practice: BREASTFEEDING — Breastfeeding pictures were the ...

Next week, for the first time, the non-profit organization known simply as TED , which promotes transformative ideas through talks, is presenting the opening night of its annual conference in cinemas worldwide. Until now, videos of TED conferences were only available for streaming a month after taking place. This year, for TED 2016: Dream, taking place in Vancouver, Canada February 15-19, the first day's talks will debut live in North American movie theaters on February 15 and be shown in the rest of the world on February 16. What is TED? TED is a non-profit devoted to promoting ideas through global conferences. With the slogan "ideas worth spreading,” its aim is to provide thinkers and visionaries with a platform to get their ideas out around the world. TED began in 1984 as a one-time conference covering Technology, Entertainment and Design (TED). What's discussed? Today conferences and talks address almost any topic and take place throughout the year. Speakers are u...

AT&T announced plans to begin testing a superfast fifth generation, or 5G , mobile network with speeds up to 100 times faster than the most rapid existing connections. The US telecom group said it would begin the field tests later this year in collaboration with US semiconductor giant Intel and Swedish networking group Ericsson. Global telecom operators are readying for 5G deployment in 2020 but some carriers appear to be moving ahead of schedule. The new 5G networks could open up a range of services by delivering data at much faster speeds, enabling services such as remote surgery or driverless cars and allowing customers to experience video and virtual reality with ease. "New experiences like virtual reality, self-driving cars, robotics, smart cities and more are about to test networks like never before," said AT&T chief strategy officer John Donovan. "These technologies will be immersive, pervasive and responsive to customers. 5G will help make them a re...

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the rapper, producer, headphones company co-founder and actor could be coming to the small screen very soon in a show called "Vital Signs" The six-part show will reportedly cast Dre at its center in a "semi-autobiographical" role. And, rather than air on a traditional TV channel or on a service like Netflix or Hulu, it will be released via Apple's own premium, subscription-based Apple Music streaming service. Paul Hunter is directing the show and, according to the Hollywood Reporter "Vital Signs" will also star Sam Rockwell and Mo McCrae.

Headed by former competitor swimmer and IT engineer, David Jamet, the French start-up Swimbot has developed a new connected device that helps users swim better by correcting and improving technique directly in the pool. The Swimbot can be used to train and perfect technique at all levels, from beginners to elite competitors. French Olympic swimmer Alain Bernard has lent his support to the project, helping to develop the first version of this Android-based connected swimming coach. The device has even been tested by the French national swimming team. Before hitting the pool, swimmers can watch 3D tutorials and familiarize themselves with ideal stroke patterns and swimming techniques. It's also a good idea to get used to the sophisticated sounds the system uses to give real-time feedback. Then, simply slip the device into the back of a swim cap and position the in-ear headphones before taking the plunge. Nine sensors analyze technique Once in the pool, the device acts like a pers...

Samsung first introduced connected home appliances to its consumer range in 2014, with the Crystal Blue washing machine. At the firm's European Forum, held in Monaco, the South Korean manufacturer displayed its newest line of smart appliances, including washing machines, vacuum cleaners and fridges. Elen Corvoisier, marketing director for Samsung appliances, outlined the brand's aim to bring connectivity to products in a beneficial way, improving user comfort and facilitating new uses. "All of these products are easy to use, connect and set up. They need to be able to blend into the décor," she went on. Here's a look at some of Samsung's connected appliances on show at the European Forum. AddWash washing machines Samsung-smart-washing-machine Samsung's new line of smart washing machines still uses the firm's Eco Bubble technology, which injects a small amount of air into the water and detergent to make a fine, soapy foam that's gentle on laund...