What is HDMI 2.1? Everything You Need to Know about It

HDMI 2.1 brings us closer to 8K and brings better HDR video

Today we have news about the HDMI 2.1, which we have spoken on other occasions because of the new possibilities that it offers, and that will be available from today for all manufacturers. HDMI 2.1 is the standard that the industry needed to start heating up in the face of the emergence of the 8K. The good news is that it will also improve the HDR and the smoothness of the games thanks to the variable refresh rate.

The most striking feature of HDMI 2.1, and why it has been most known so far, is its ability to support resolutions of up to 10K. A real barbarity if we take into account that the market is still standardizing the 4K, and that in fact the content available for this resolution, although it is increasingly abundant, is not yet so broad.

However HDMI 2.1 will feature other features perhaps less striking but that can provide significant improvements. In addition to the fact that both the ports and the new cable required will be retrocompatible with the previous HDMI standards. The 4K resolution is practically standardized in the market thanks to the fact that for a few years, TVs with that resolution have coped from the mid-range to the top.

In addition, releases of consoles with 4K or video recording of smartphones encourage their purchase, so the era that leaves behind Full HD is approaching. However, in preparation for what is coming in the next few years, the HDMI Forum has introduced HDMI 2.1, which brings support to 8K video, dynamic HDR and variable refresh rate. The ability to support 4K resolutions at 120 Hz is one of them, or features such as support for dynamic HDR, lower latency or frame-tearing, which make it ideal for use in video games.

What is most surprising is the resolution, since the general public is far away not only from wanting to visualize content in 8K, but also from being able to produce it or having means to reproduce it. HDMI 2.1 is not something that arrives early and badly, but quite the opposite. Thanks to a bandwidth of 48 Gbps, it can support 8K at 60 Hz, unlike when the arrival of the 4K, in which the standard available (HDMI 1.4) was limited to 30 Hz.

In addition, it supports 4K to 120 Hz. Its bandwidth will be 48 GB / s of transfer, and to take advantage of it we will need a new HDMI 48G cable. There is still time ahead for us to start seeing it work on the first devices, which will not arrive until next year. But it is good to know that manufacturers already have it and can begin to make the first tests to take advantage of this new technology.

Apple Buys Music Recognition App Shazam

Apple has struck a deal and acquired Shazam for $400 million. Apple’s digital assistant Siri has been using this app in the past for enabling its users to recognize the songs being played on their iPhones. Shazam has got a massive user base. It is estimated that the app has been downloaded over 1 billion times. Shazam has over 120 million active users who use the app more than 20 million times a day. The users are loyal and this could lead to more paying customers for Apple Music.

Shazam is a free app for iOS and Android users that can identify songs that are played close at hand as well as provide other features.

Apple Music together with Shazam promises to provide its users a great music experience.

While the users are waiting for the song or audio clip to be identified, Shazam shows ads. They also display ads on the page where the identity of the song is revealed.

Shazam is an app that allows users to identify songs, movies, TV shows and advertisements from short audio clips being played and using a microphone on the device.

It will help you identify any music playing around you. Through Shazam, the user can follow any of the artists and even listen to what they are discovering. You can also listen to the latest trends in music and the most popular songs in the world.

Besides identifying the songs and matching it with its central database, Shazam has been enhancing its AR (augmented Reality) features. This technology can be used where graphics more than virtual reality comes into play.

History

In 2012, TV users in the US could identify the music being played, the cast of the shows and all the other show information online and engage in social networking.

In Dec 2013, Shazam was among the top ten apps in the world.

In 2014, there were more than a 100 million monthly active users of Shazam. By using Shazam, the users were able to identify 15 billion songs.

In 2016, the mobile apps of Shazam were downloaded more than 1 billion times.

In Dec 2017, Apple Inc. purchased Shazam for $400 million.

Working Principle

Just a short audio clip is required to create an acoustic fingerprint. By using the microphone in a smartphone or a computer, Shazam compares it with a central database to find a match. All the information based on the audio clip, such as the artist’s name, the lyrics, song title and the album will be sent to the user.

Shazam can also identify prerecorded music that is being broadcasted from a television, radio or any music playing in a cinema or club, provided there is not much background noise.

Compatability with OS

Shazam is an app that is compatable for Mac, a desktop application as well as those that have Android, iOS, Windows and Blackberry systems.

In the case of the desktop, when the app is enabled, any song that is playing on or close to the computer will be picked up by the app. Shazam can also pick up any of the of the songs on the Youtube videos or TV shows which the user may be viewing.

Why A Little Prevention Can Go A Long Way: Taking A Look At Apple’s Newest Security Glitch

Security issues are always problematic, nerve wracking, and potentially dangerous. While we might expect that non-tech savvy people have unsecured operating systems, even tech companies with a long history and respectable reputation aren’t immune when it comes to making a mistake regarding security.

In late November, when the news of a security breach spread quickly, Apple had little time to find a way to fix the potentially dangerous problem on the Mac OS High Sierra. Just in case you were offline or disconnected from the major comings and goings of the tech world, here’s a brief synopsis of what happened.

A Major Scare on Mac OS High Sierra

Gaining full access to a computer system should never be easy. Unfortunately, when a glitch occurred in High Sierra’s security, virtually any user could replace a username and password with “root” whenever prompted to enter in secure information.

What is “root” and why is it a big deal? According to Apple, the user account named “root” is a superuser (or a Mac administrator) who has reading and writing privileges to other parts of the computer, which includes files in other Mac OS user accounts.

Normally, the “root” user is disabled and you can enable certain functions after following a long sequence of steps. When any High Sierra user had access as a Mac Administrator, this made systems extremely vulnerable (especially on computers where there were multiple users).

While many users weren’t interested in admin privileges or didn’t feel threatened because they are the only one who uses the computer, it was a big security scare that needed a fast fix. Apple was able to remedy the issue, with little criticism, and for now, High Sierra is operating as normal, which is a huge relief for Apple and its users, alike.

What Do We Learn From This Security Scare? 

Not only do we learn that even professional, knowledgeable, and reputable companies make mistakes, but having extra security on your computer, such as programs like Total Av, can save you from spending money on fixing the issue or worrying about if any of your personal information is in someone else’s hands.

Many tech companies offer good security and have automatic updates for all of their users, but there’s nothing wrong with taking the initiative to make your computer as secure as possible.

While Apple may have learned its lesson to tighten up its security, there’s always a chance that another security scare, much like the High Sierra debacle, can arise at any moment and make millions of computer users at risk of a security breach.

If you add a little extra security to your computer your computer and your information will stay safe is all other security measures fail. Worried that you may be “too protected?” When it comes to securing your computer, and all the information on it, there’s no such thing as being too protected.

Qualcomm's iPhone X Still Outpaces Intel's

Qualcomm’s Modem beats Intel’s Modem in IPhone X

Cellular Insights recently tested modem strengths in both modems, that is of Intel and Qualcomm in the IPhone X models. The tests proved that Qualcomm was able to give consistently higher speeds that Intel’s modem in the IPhone X.

Since IPhone’s 4s to 6s, Apple has always made use of Qualcomm’s models. But as of the IPhone 7, Apple has begun to split its modems between Intel and Qualcomm. This has resulted in IPhone 7 models with very different signal speeds.
 

Two models of IPhone X tested:

 

Cellular Insights used two IPhone X’s two test LTE signal speeds. The A1865 model, which is a Qualcomm modem phone and the A1901 which is an Intel powered modem phone was picked for testing. The A1865 model is sold by Sprint, Verizon in the U.S. and it is also sold in India, China and Australia. The A1901 Intel modem Phone is sold by U.S. carriers AT&T and T-Mobile.

There is a third model of IPhone X too, but it is only sold in Japan and was not a subject of this testing.

The testing was conducted on a common band which is used by all major carriers in the US.
 

How was the testing between Qualcomm and Intel modems tested?

 
Cellular Insights tested signal strengths and the speed of downloads, in a range of- very good signal strength to very bad signal strength. That is from -85dBm to whenever the IPhones would quit getting a signal.

On a 20MHz band, both IPhone models started out with a speed of 195Mbs but after that the difference became more apparent. The Intel modem download speeds dropped to 169Mbs at a signal strength of -87dbm while its competitor took another fall of -6dBm in signal strength to reach download speeds of 169 Mbs.

Where every drop in signal strength can be felt by customers, Cellular insights took to testing the Intel and Qualcomm modems to the last when both phones got no signal. At signal strengths of -120dBm which is a very poor signal strength, the Qualcomm modem still outperformed the Intel modem by a whopping 67%.

The point when both modems finally lost signal was -129dBm for the Intel modem and -130dBm for the Qualcomm model, which is not a whole lot of difference.

Cellular Insights used the very best in testing both modems including CMWFlexx solutions and they also used the same technique as they had previously used for testing signal strengths in phones.

Since the last testing, Cellular Insights has found out that Qualcomm has always outperformed Intel modems but today the difference between both modems is becoming narrower. This maybe a deliberate action rather than a drop in performance by Qualcomm modems.
 

Is it the end of the road for Qualcomm?

 
Apple and Qualcomm have found themselves in a web of lawsuits that has mostly to do with Apple refusing to pay Qualcomm license fees. So the IPhone X may be Qualcomm’s last stint at Apple.

Apple has previously stuck to Qualcomm modems because of its good performance and also because only the Qualcomm modems could run on Verizon and Sprint CDMA networks. Now Intel is going to change all that with its XMM7560 modem which will hit markets next year.

Apple iOS 11.2 Release: Should You Upgrade?

Apple has just released a new iOS update, version iOS 11.2. You should download it as soon as possible to fix important operating system failures.

A more discreet detail that opens with iOS 11.2 is a small line under the Wi-Fi signal and battery indicators of the iPhone X. It only appears on the lock screen, indicating that from there you can slide your finger down to invoke the center of control.

Apple has in the past few days rigged what is probably the largest collection of 'software' failures in the company's recent history. And several of them have been serious. The most compromising was found in macOS, which allowed anyone with physical access to your Mac to enter as a computer administrator without even typing a password. The thing did not end there. Very recently, millions of iPhones in half the world restarted alone due to a problem with the operating system. The matter caused so much commotion that Apple has been forced to launch an update of iOS 11.2 to solve it. Luckily, it comes with other interesting developments.

Apple has just released an update of its operating system. iOS 11.2 arrives Replaces the previous version that you most likely have now on your iPhone, 11.1.2. The reason for launching it now is in the failure that millions of users experienced last Saturday, December 2, when their phones began to restart alone once the clock struck at 00:15. The problem had to do with third-party applications that sent notifications repeatedly.

After the initial alarm, a solution to the problem was to deactivate the notifications or adjust the date to a day before December 2. It was a temporary patch. Apple has just released version iOS 11.2 of the system that solves the problem. It is not the only novelty. Another of the most anticipated is the availability of Apple Pay Cash, the function to send, request or receive money between friends and family through iMessage or through Siri. The downside is that at the moment it is only available in the US, but it should not take long to reach some European countries as well.

How does it work? You can see here a demo video. In some parts of Europe Apple Pay already works with Banco Santander, Openbank and Caixabank, so it is expected that, at the beginning, to use Apple Pay Cash you also need to have an account in one of these entities.

Other news that we can access, when downloading iOS 11.2 is the fastest wireless charging if you have an iPhone 8, 8 Plus or iPhone X. The update includes support for wireless charging at a speed of 7.5 watts, so these should be much faster, although Apple does not specify exactly how much more.

What are the other novelties? You will see new wallpapers for the iPhone X, more stabilization of the video camera, the problem is solved by which the Music controls could not appear on the locked screen and also other failures such as the calculator showing incorrect operations when typing the numbers too fast. You can see here all the news of the update. A version iOS 11.2 with which Apple hopes to forget its worst week in a long time.