NapBot for Apple Watch now provides Sleep Apnea analysis in new update
The powerful third-party sleep tracking app for Apple Watch, NapBot, is releasing a major update today. It now supports Sleep Apnea analysis, which is a sleep disorder in which pauses in breathing or period of shallow breathing during sleep occur more often than usual.
According to the developer of NapBot, it picks Apple Watch respiratory rate measurement when Sleep Focus is enabled and uses this data to understand and analyze users’ Sleep Apnea.
By calculating users’ breaths per minute as they slumber — also known as the sleeping respiratory rate — Apple Watch gives a greater insight into their overall wellness.
Identifying sleep apnea is important because the disorder disrupts normal sleep. In addition, those affected may experience sleepiness or feel tired during the day.
NapBot is already one of the most complete sleep tracking apps for the Apple Watch and the iPhone. In addition to this new Sleep Apnea analysis, it also offers:
Detailed Sleep Analysis by calculating deep and light sleep phases;
Environmental Sound Exposure to understand how it affects your sleep quality;
Sleep Heart Rate summary chart based on your HR zones.
For Pro users, NapBot also offers sleep history and sleep trends.
NapBot is available on the App Store as a free download. A NapBot Pro subscription is available with a 7-day free trial and is $1 per month or $10 per year afterward.
Apple begins testing folding panels for iPhone and iPad
Apple is developing a new folding OLED screen that should eventually make its way in a folding iPhone or iPad according to South Korea’s TheElec. The big breakthrough is the lack of a polarizer layer on the panel which is currently being used in some conventional folding displays. The same polarizer-less display technology is used by Samsung in its Galaxy Z Fold3 and its Eco²OLED display. Apple is considering a similar approach for its own folding device.
Schematics from an Apple patent on foldable phone design
The removal of the polarizer layer allows for thinner folding displays though at the cost of visibility and peak brightness. Makers are forced to increase the display’s power consumption in a bid to crank up the brightness as a result which has a negative impact on the longevity of folding panels so it will be interesting to see how Apple tackles these issues. Apple’s folding phone is still years away at this point and we should not expect it before 2025 according to renowned Apple expert Ming-Chi Kuo.
Concept LG Display appears like a scroll, looks great in matte finish
Concept displays will continue to be designed and introduced as technology advances. In the past few years, we have seen flexible displays implemented on smartphones. The rise of foldable phones has started years ago, and soon, we may see bigger projects with rollable or flexible screens like a door, cabinet, or a window.
The recent OLEDsGo competition is about to conclude. Several groups have shared their designs, including the Totem Rollable OLED Display. Another project presented by Studio Booboon is the Scroll, but it’s an old design. This one is a transparent OLED television that can fit most homes. It’s not exactly a flexible display but the shelf shows a curved design.
The Scroll transforms into a shelf when not in use. Once it is turned off, it becomes a shelf that can carry your stuff. The Scroll appears like a scroll with its curved portion at the bottom of the screen. The display device’s shelf is made of weighted metal pipe don’t put anything too heavy on top.
It’s mainly a TV, but it looks nothing like a boring TV. It features an elegant and clean look in different color options: Gray, White, and Pink. It seems more like a furniture item than a gadget. It can match most interiors with its minimalist style.
The project Scroll was awarded first place in the OLEDsGo! Competition 2021. It showed an almost bezel-less curving display. It may remind you of an iMac with its smooth finish and super slim display. It doesn’t have any speakers, unlike the LG Totem with Soundbar. The TV can be placed on the wall or the floor as it can stand on its own.
The name Scroll is obviously after a scroll that curves and scrolls out. The shelf portion is one end of the scroll that offers high-resolution images. It can also work as a digital photo frame or a digital painting. Just share your photos and view them on the TV or simply watch your favorite TV series or movie.
The concept LG Display is expected to also offer an enhanced viewing display experience like the Totem Rollable OLED Display. It could have been better with a soundbar but it’s already a great design on its own. The design team has also previously come up with other interesting designs like the Sombrero Table Light which looks like a hat and functions as either ambient light or focused light.
Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment’s new Batman Arkham spinoff, Gotham Knights, is coming to PlayStation 5, Windows PC, and Xbox Series X this October — and only those platforms. The game is no longer slated for release on last-generation consoles, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, Warner Bros. announced Tuesday.
In a news release announcing a new gameplay trailer for Gotham Knights, WBIE said “to provide players with the best possible gameplay experience, the game will release on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S and PC and will not be available for PlayStation 4 or Xbox One consoles.” When WBIE and developer WB Games Montreal announced Gotham Knights back in August 2020, it was a cross-generation game, but it appears the ongoing, delayed development of the cooperative action-adventure has shifted it to current-generation platforms only.
Gotham Knights is slated for release on Oct. 25, after being delayed out of 2021 last year. The open-world action game is set in Gotham City, which no longer has its famous protector, Batman. In the game, Bruce Wayne has supposedly perished in a massive explosion, but in a message to his surviving comrades (Robin, Nightwing, Red Hood, and Batgirl), he tells them how to carry on in his absence. The game’s antagonists will be the Court of Owls, a generations-long secret society made up of Gotham’s wealthiest families.
Developer WB Games Montreal, responsible for Batman: Arkham Origins, is behind Gotham Knights. Batman: Arkham developer Rocksteady Studios is currently working on a new Suicide Squad game titled Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, which is scheduled for 2023.
DJI Mini 3 Pro review: This 249g pocket drone plays with the big boys
DJI is at it again, bringing technology from its bigger, more expensive products down to its diminutive sub-250-gram drone, which means you don’t need a license to fly it in the US and other jurisdictions. That makes it a great high-end first drone for people who are just getting into the sport or for people who want an ultraportable drone that can do tricks that the much bigger drones could do.
DJI Mini 3 Pro – Features from bigger drones in 249g package
Until now, you’ve needed bigger drones like the $999 Air 2S and $2,000 Mavic 3 to get some of the features launching with the DJI Mini 3.
FocusTrack Suite: o Spotlight 2.0 Keeps the subject in frame while you fly manually. o Point of Interest 3.0 Circles the subject in a set flight radius and speed. o ActiveTrack 4.0 Follows the subject in two selectable ways. ▪ Trace: The aircraft tracks the subject at a constant distance. ▪ Parallel: The aircraft tracks the subject while flying beside it at a constant angle and distance.
QuickShots o Dronie: Aircraft flies back and up with the camera locked on the subject. o Helix: Aircraft flies up and spirals around the subject. o Rocket: Aircraft flies up with the camera facing down. o Circle: Aircraft circles around the subject. o Boomerang: Aircraft flies around the subject in an oval path, ascending as it flies away and descending as it returns. o Asteroid: Aircraft creates a shot that begins as a sphere panorama high above the subject and ends with a normal shot hovering near the subject.
● MasterShots: Keeps the subject in the center of the frame while executing different maneuvers in sequence to generate a short cinematic video. ● Hyperlapse: Creates a dynamic timelapse where the aircraft flies on set paths during capture.
Here’s an example of the Mini 3 flying alongside and around the Rivian R1T using Active Track 4.0
Active Track 4.0 works in certain conditions, but it isn’t as robust as the Mavic 3’s Active Track 5. You can see above that the drone loses the pickup in various conditions. The complicated backgrounds and speed of the vehicle lose the drone on multiple occasions where the bigger, more expensive Mavic 3 or Skydio 2 drone would have been able to follow the subject longer.
More importantly, the Mini 3 doesn’t have sideways obstacle avoidance (which I learned the hard way). So if you are flying parallel with the subject, make sure there are no objects of any sort along the flight path because the Mini 3 can only avoid obstacles at are in front of or behind it.
That goes for any of the Master shots. If the Mini 3 is flying sideways, it is naked in terms of obstacle avoidance. Coming from bigger DJI drones, this will be a problem for pilots that are used to fully functioning obstacle avoidance.
DJI Mini 3 flight time extended
If you need to stay under that 249g limit, the standard battery for the Mini 3 will keep the drone aloft for over a half hour (34 mins officially).
DJI also offers an extended range battery which will keep the drone aloft for 47 minutes (!!)
In my testing, I got incredible flight times with the 34-minute battery, even doing follow stunts and recording 4K video that seems to confirm DJI’s 34-minute flight time. It is genuinely hard to believe how long these little batteries keep this thing aloft.
DJI Mini 3 camera system
Probably the biggest step up on the Mini 3 Pro is the camera that now plays with the big boys, featuring 4K 60fps (30fps in HDR) and up to 48mp stills. In my limited experience here, the imagery coming out of the camera was worlds better than the Mini and Mini 2, but still not anywhere near the more expensive Mavic 3. The image quality is approaching the DJI Air 2S however, which might be a dilemma in DJI’s product strategy (why buy an Air 2S when the Mini 3 is cheaper and more portable?)
DJI describes the camera system thusly:
DJI Mini 3 Pro also brings a completely enhanced imaging system. A 1/1.3-inch CMOS camera sensor has dual native ISO, a capturing technology previously only available on cinema and some micro single cameras. It also has an aperture of f/1.7 and shoots images at up to 48MP and video at up to 4K/60fps. To help capture high-quality easy-to-upload content, the camera rotates 90 degrees for True Vertical Shooting, creating incredible photos and videos in portrait orientation without quality-cutting image zooming and cropping. For the most vivid detail, HDR video recording is available at frame rates up to 30fps. A Normal color profile is available for quick in-app editing, while D-Cinelike allows for more post-editing possibilities. Digital video zoom at up to 2x is available in 4K, 3x in 2.7K, and 4x in Full HD. Among the key pieces of user feedback we’ve applied, DJI Mini 3 Pro also has improved image performance with 2.4μm pixels that capture more image detail, which is especially helpful in low lighting and night.
DJI RC
While most 9to5Mac readers will be using their smartphone or iPad Minis for controlling their DJI drones, DJI also has a new, low-cost, and lightweight RC controller with a 5.5-inch built-in touchscreen. In my experience, it was much easier to fly than rigging a phone to a controller and using the app. On the flip side, it is more work to get the images and videos off the drone and to social media or other publishing places where a phone shines. I think many drone pilots will prefer to have a fully functioning smartphone or tablet as their control device for this reason. Still, the RC is a great “set it and forget it” tool, and it is priced right.
Price and availability
DJI Mini 3 Pro is available for pre-order today from store.dji.com and most authorized retail partners in several configurations. DJI Mini 3 Pro (no remote controller) retails for $669 USD and includes DJI Mini 3 Pro, and excludes any remote controller for those who already have a compatible model to control the drone. DJI Mini 3 Pro retails for $759 USD and includes DJI RC-N1. DJI Mini 3 Pro (DJI RC) retails for $909 USD and includes DJI RC.
In addition, accessory kits made for DJI Mini 3 Pro are available for pre-order today.
The DJI Mini 3 Pro Fly More Kit retails for $189 USD and includes two Intelligent Flight Batteries, one two-way charging hub, two sets of propellers, and one shoulder bag. The DJI Mini 3 Pro Fly More Kit Plus retails for $249 USD and includes two Intelligent Flight Batteries Plus, one two-way charging hub, two sets of propellers, and one shoulder bag. All other accessories will be sold separately.
Gotham Knights’ new gameplay trailer features Nightwing and Red Hood
As the first modern Batman game meant to be played with others, Gotham Knights is already the friendliest Batman game we’ve seen in a while. But that doesn’t mean it won’t have an edge, as this new trailer shows.
WB Games Montreal, and director Geoff Ellenor, released a 13-minute breakdown of gameplay with Nightwing and the Red Hood, two of the four playable Bat-family characters Gotham Knights will feature when it launches Oct. 25.
The video highlights both characters’ unique combat styles — from Nightwing’s acrobatic melee attacks to Red Hood’s dual-wield firearms and powerful leaping. There’s also a look at the game’s investigative component, as the two heroes pick up clues leading to the Court of Owls conspiracy of Gotham’s oldest and most elite families. Created by Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo in their acclaimed 2011 Batman run, the Court of Owls is one of the most popular recent additions to the Batman canon.
Set after the apparent death of Batman, Gotham Knights will also star Batgirl and Robin as playable characters. Gotham Knights is the second Batman-related title developed by WB Games Montreal, which previously worked on 2013’s Batman: Arkham Origins. That game served as the prequel to Rocksteady Studios’ acclaimed Arkham trilogy of Batman games, which concluded with 2015’s Batman: Arkham Knight. Rocksteady is also working on a DC Comics game — Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, recently delayed to 2023.
Gotham Knights was originally expected to launch in 2021; WBIE delayed the game on March 19, 2021, saying developers needed “more time to deliver the best possible experience for players.” The game is now set to arrive on Oct. 25. for PlayStation 5, Windows PC, and Xbox Series X.
However, that means the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One versions are cancelled. A statement from Warner Bros. Games said those two versions were scrapped, again, “to provide players with the best possible gameplay experience.”
Entry-level Honor Play 30 arrives with Snapdragon 480+ 5G
A new phone was announced in China today – say hello to the Honor Play 30 with a Snapdragon 480+ 5G chipset. Its other noteworthy features are the big battery and easy storage expansion.
The front of the phone has a 6.5” LCD with 720p resolution and a waterdrop notch for the 5MP selfie camera. The design on the back reminds us of certain Apple phones, much like the last Play series phone launched – the Play6T Pro.
However, here we have only two circles on the square camera island – one for the 13MP shooter, the other for the LED flash.
The Qualcomm chipset is coupled with 4GB or 8GB RAM and storage is 128GB. You also get a microSD slot for up to 512GB more. Honor is shipping the Play 30 with Magic UI 5.0 on top of Android 11.
The battery capacity is 5,000 mAh, but it only charges at 10W through the USB-C port. Other connectivity options include 3.5mm audio jack, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, and Bluetooth 5.1.
Honor Play 30
The Honor Play 30 is already listed for pre-reservations, which is essentially just a sign-up sheet to receive an email when the sale begins. We do not know what the price of the phone will be but we can confirm the four colors – Blue, Gold, Black, and White.
Apple’s virtual paper patent could see us return to a skeuomorphic world in the Apple headset
Apple has today been granted a patent for a graphical display concept it calls virtual paper, and two things struck me about it – one about its origins, the other about what it may tell us about future Apple design language.
The patent is for a visual representation of paper in three-dimensional form, which is, of course, the type of user interface most applicable to the upcoming Apple mixed-reality headset …
Virtual paper patent
As Patently Apple spotted, the Cupertino company has today been granted a patent that takes the concept of folding paper from a 2D world to a 3D one.
Today the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office officially granted Apple a patent that relates to the future use of Virtual Paper on devices that will be able to crumple, flip, fold, bend while keeping the graphics intact in varying positions as the virtual paper changes angles and perspectives. Virtual paper could include mixed reality content in 2D, 3D and animation where the image could be constantly shifting depending on a particular state that it’s in. This is pretty cool stuff that’s now in-the-works.
Apple’s patent language is, as usual, much denser.
While the 3D virtual content is displayed such that the 3D virtual content is bounded within the perimeter of the virtual paper, the 3D virtual content is able to protrude out from a first side of the virtual paper, and the display of the 3D virtual content is based on the second set of world coordinates. The 2D virtual content, on the other hand, is displayed as conforming to the surface of the virtual paper based on the first set of world coordinates. In some embodiments, a second side of the virtual paper, which is the opposite of the first side of the virtual paper (e.g., the backside), is displayed with a rasterized conforming representation of the 3D virtual content, e.g., a blur effect or shadow of the 3D virtual content, along with a rasterized conforming representation of the 2D virtual content.
Two things struck me about this.
It’s the latest iteration of a 1983 concept
First, that is effectively the latest iteration of a concept first seen in the LISA way back in 1983!
For anyone who’s never used a personal computer before the Mac and Windows, it’s difficult to comprehend just what a revolutionary change Apple introduced.
Prior to the LISA, computers just showed a list of file and folder names, in text form. What Apple gave a few people in 1983, and many more with the Macintosh launch in 1984, was a graphical representation of an office desktop. Directories were now shown as folders, like the paper ones in common use at the time. Documents were shown as virtual pieces of paper, with an indication of their contents, using different icons for written documents, spreadsheets, and graphics.
Really the only change since then is that icons are now a tiny thumbnail of the first page of the actual content, which is a pretty small change over the course of 39 years! That 1983 concept has certainly endured the test of time.
It would see a return to a more skeuomorphic UI
One of the biggest changes seen to Apple’s design language over the years was, of course, the shift from the skeuomorphic world pioneered by Scott Forstall, to the flat design introduced when then hardware design head Jony Ive took control of software design too.
Forstall, and Steve Jobs for that matter, were known for having a taste for so-called skeuomorphic design. Real world materials like leather and paper would appear in software design especially on the iPad where the Contacts app looked like a real address book and the Calendar app was bound by leather.
Following Forstall’s firing, Jony Ive took over software design which led to iOS 7 and beyond to what we have today.
Apple’s patent suggests that the Apple headset could see the company return to a more skeuomorphic world as it transitions from 2D to 3D.
We’re expecting Apple’s mixed-reality headset to be launched late this year, or early next.
Nintendo Switch and PS5 sales held back by chip shortages
Sony and Nintendo, reporting their financial results for the fiscal year ending March 2022, have both blamed shortages in semiconductor components for sales shortfalls in their flagship consoles.
Sony said it shipped 11.5 million PlayStation 5 consoles in the course of the financial year. This brought the total number of PS5s sold to 19.3 million, but it is still more than 3 million short of the most recent target the company set.
Meanwhile, Nintendo reported that combined sales of all three Switch consoles — Switch, Switch Lite and the new OLED model — were down 20% year-over-year. “Sales this fiscal year were affected by shortages of semiconductor components and other parts,” Nintendo said in its statement, although it also noted that “the March 2020 release of Animal Crossing: New Horizons was a major driver of hardware sales last fiscal year” — a reference to the huge sales boost that game received during the early stages of the coronavirus pandemic.
The two companies gave rather different outlooks for the year ahead, however. Sony is optimistic, telling investors on the earnings call (as reported by VGC) that it felt “very comfortable” it could ramp up PS5 shipments to 18 million in the fiscal year ending March 2023, a considerable increase on this year’s performance. Certainly, consumer appetite to buy the consoles is there, if Sony can manage to build them.
Nintendo, however, said it expected sales and operating profits to be slightly down over the next 12-month period. Its statement to investors didn’t give an explicit reason for this. Reading between the lines, a slightly thin software line-up (featuring Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, but not the delayed sequel to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild) would seem to be the reason.
Switch’s age may be a factor, too. PS5 is still at the start of its journey, while Nintendo’s handheld hybrid is, realistically, past the midpoint of its lifespan, at the very least. If its extraordinary success story has peaked — sales of the console now stand at over 107 million — then we have reached the point at which Nintendo investors will start to ask what’s next.
No one will be in too much of a hurry to leave Switch behind, however. Nintendo noted in its report that Switch just had the biggest year ever for software sales on one of its platforms, in terms of units sold. And while it may not have had a hit the size of New Horizons, both Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl and Pokémon Legends: Arceus did very well, selling a combined 14.65 million and 12.64 million units respectively.
Sony reported strong game sales too, with sales in the last quarter almost doubling year-on-year, thanks to the releases of Horizon: Forbidden West and Gran Turismo 7. PlayStation Plus subscribers and overall active users were down slightly as pandemic lockdowns eased across the world.
Samsung US sale: Galaxy S22 Ultra gets a $250 discount, Z Fold3 up to $1,100 trade-in credit
Memorial Day is coming up in the US and Samsung usually does a holiday sale. This year is no exception and while there are discounts on things like The Frame and Neo QLED TVs (up to $500 off), we’re going to focus on the phones and wearables.
The Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra – normally $1,200 – is available with a $250 instant discount and up to $640 of trade-in credit (limited time offer) or up to $465 if you’re sending in a device with a cracked screen. You can trade up to 2 old devices if just one doesn’t hit the maximum. This means that the S22 Ultra flagship (128 GB) can be yours for $310.
You can get a Galaxy Z Flip3 5G for less than that. The phone has an MSRP of $1,000, but Samsung US will give you up to $875 of enhanced trade-in credit (again, a limited time offer) or up to $695 for devices with a cracked screen.
Whichever way you go, you can send in up to 2 devices and if you hit the maximum trade-in credit, the Z Flip3 (128 GB) drops to $125 (the upgrade to 256 GB storage is just $50). Note that you will also receive $50 to spend on accessories (say, a protective case) and another $50 for the Google Play Store.
The Galaxy Z Fold3 5G gets a better deal – the phone is the most expensive in Samsung’s lineup, starting at $1,800, but you can get up to $1,100 of enhanced trade-in credit (for a limited time) or up to $820 for devices with a cracked screen. Again, you can send in up to two devices.
The maximum discount brings the price of the Z Fold3 down to $700 for a 256 GB unit. With your purchase you will get $200 to spend on Samsung accessories and $100 for the Google Play Store.
Samsung.com is no longer selling new units from the S21 series, but you can get a certified renewed Galaxy S21 phone with up to $675 of enhanced trade-in credit. Note that the site shows a $450 maximum, but that updates once you hit the ‘Agree’ button for the Terms & Conditions. Considering that the price of a refurbished Galaxy S21 is $675, the end cost can drop to $0 if you send in something valuable enough.
Additionally, there is a $50 discount on various accessories like the Galaxy Buds Pro and Galaxy Buds Live (down to $150 and $100, respectively) as well as the Galaxy Watch4 and Watch4 Classic (down to $200 and $300, respectively). The Buds2 have a $40 discount or you can have them for free if you’re buying one of the Galaxy Tab S8 slates.
