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Samsung unveils a 43-inch version of its versatile Smart Monitor
Samsung has expanded its all-in-one Smart Monitor range with two new models.
Lenovo's fall lineup includes an all-in-one inspired by a tree
Lenovo has unveiled its latest product lineup ahead of consumer electronics show IFA, and there's a lot going on. The range, which includes laptops, monitors, tablets and an all-in-one desktop, has been designed for mainstream shoppers with reasonable budgets looking for decent tech this holiday season, with everything touting smart, adaptive features and an accessible price tag.
HTC brings the One M9's software tricks to its older devices
Chances are you haven't even gotten your HTC One M9 yet, but that doesn't mean you can't get a feel for its new bits. HTC just updated its Blinkfeed app with some of the thoughtful software tricks that shipped on its brand new flagship, and gave it a new name for good measure. Say hello to HTC Sense Home.
The TUAW Daily Update Podcast for June 5, 2014
It's the TUAW Daily Update, your source for Apple news in a convenient audio format. You'll get some the top Apple stories of the day in three to five minutes for a quick review of what's happening in the Apple world. You can listen to today's Apple stories by clicking the player at the top of the page. The Daily Update has been moved to a new podcast host in the past few days. Current listeners should delete the old podcast subscription and subscribe to the new feed in the iTunes Store here.
How would you change the HTC One (M7)?
Wouldn't it have been great if we'd covered last year's HTC One just before the replacement arrived? Clearly. Since the calendar didn't work out like that, however, let's instead take this moment to commence a post-mortem on one of the most critically acclaimed handsets of 2013. Garnering a 92 point Engadget store, a fantastic low-light camera and that amazing body, let's face it -- everyone was envious of this hardware. But has your experience been as flawless as that of our reviewer? Join the forums and share your feelings on the subject.
Breeze by RunKeeper steps up your activity level
RunKeeper is a great app, and I've been using it for years to capture my walks during those times that I'm actually getting off my butt and exercising. I've found that I'm much more apt to really get moving if I can just track the number of steps I take every day and try to reach or exceed a goal. Today RunKeeper is shipping a free iPhone 5s-only app called Breeze to track all of the steps you take during a day. I had an opportunity to use Breeze for a few days prior to its release, and wanted to compare it to other methods of capturing step information. For that purpose, I formerly used a Fitibt Force -- until it was recalled -- and then started using the Moves ($2.99) app. For iPhone 5s owners, Moves can take advantage of the M7 motion coprocessor built into the top-of-the-line smartphone to capture your steps without needing to use GPS information. In that respect, Breeze is quite similar to Moves. RunKeeper notes that their self-named app is focused on workouts, while Breeze is designed to capture the rest of your day and motivate you to move more. I'm a crappy dancer, so I won't be following in the footsteps of the star of that video. But I do enjoy seeing just how many -- or how few -- steps I take every day. Like Moves, Breeze is a background app that is constantly running. RunKeeper decided to make Breeze specific to the iPhone 5s and future phones that use the M7 coprocessor to keep it from being too much of a drain on your iPhone's battery. The app has a clean interface that's a snap to figure out. The first time you launch Breeze on your iPhone, it pulls your activity data for the past seven days from the M7 and then creates a daily movement goal for you -- automatically. Breeze gives you reminders throughout the day, nudging you to get out and walk more when you have time to get those steps in before heading to bed. Every morning, the app provides a recap of your steps the previous day, hopefully providing an incentive for you to move a bit more each day. Whenever you pull up a completed day, you're greeted with a beautiful photograph in the background. The RunKeeper folks have really made Breeze an app you'll be glad to look at. One other nice touch -- the app assigns you a "spirit animal" based on your activity level. Me? I'm a regimented lion that is active in midday, moves in short bursts, and is mostly active on the weekend. I found the little notifications delivered during the day to be a surprisingly good motivator to get me up from behind the desk and at least moving around the house. Compared to Moves, I think Breeze will make better use of the iPhone's battery as it doesn't use Location Services to determine where you're doing your walks -- it just knows that you're moving. The app is already quite impressive, but the RunKeeper team promises that they'll provide integration with the RunKeeper app so all of your activity is captured -- workouts and normal movement.
The first HTC One will get Sense 6 in US and Canada by the end of May
Sorry, HTC, we're still not going to call it the "Sixth Sense." That's the phone maker's name for Sense 6, the latest version of its Android user interface. For the uninitiated, this is the update that comes preloaded on the new HTC One (M8) but is still in the works for older devices as well. Jason Mackenzie, the President of HTC America, announced today that we can expect Sense 6 to show up on the original One by the end of May.
Moves is taking M7 motion data to the next level with latest update
Perhaps the best thing about the iPhone 5s is its M7 motion coprocessor. It's the little chip that lives inside the 5s that constantly tracks all your motion data, whether you are walking, running or on some kind of mechanical transport (like a car or a train). While the M7 does its job, users need third-party apps to view the results. Moves is one of those apps, and its set to take the capabilities of the M7 to the limits with the latest update... and your help. I've written about Moves a few times. It presents the M7's location data as colored dots for each activity along with a storyline of your movements throughout the day. Previously, Moves was limited to tracking walking, running, cycling and motorized transportation. With the Move 2.5 update, released today, Moves tracks more than 60 activity types using the M7, including rollerblading, skiing, kayaking, gym training, yoga, swimming and more. To start with, Moves will not be able to differentiate automatically between what activity you are doing based solely on the M7 data. In the latest version of the app, you'll need to tell it what you're doing. But after Moves collects enough data from users, the company's algorithms will eventually be able to tell you exactly what you're doing, how long you're doing it for and how many calories you are burning automatically without you tapping a setting. The more Moves users that take part, the faster the company can churn out those algorithms. Moves is a wonderful app that is set to get even better thanks to the activity of its user base. With the latest update, it's also perhaps the best app in the App Store that takes advantage of the M7. Moves is US$2.99.
Daily App: Pedometer++ is a step logger for people who prefer things simple
Pedometer++ from Cross Forward is a solid fitness tracker that pulls its data from the M7. The app started off as a basic pedometer app that tracked your daily steps, but a recent update has transformed it into a simple step-tracking fitness log. Pedometer++ has one of the easiest-to-use interfaces I have seen in a fitness app. The weekly step data is clearly presented in a bar chart with a line for your daily step target. You can quickly see which days you met your goal and which days you didn't. It also keeps track of your cumulative steps for the past seven days and tells you how close in percentage you are to meeting that weekly goal of X number of steps each. Daily steps are displayed on the main screen in big letters at the top. They can also be appended to the badge in an optional setting. You can share a screenshot of your steps via email, messaging, Facebook and Twitter. A useful export setting will send your data to you via email in plain text and a CSV file. Pedometer++ displays all the helpful step-counting data without the extra fluff. It's perfect for folks who like to track their activity level, but don't need a weight log, food log or any other log. Pedometer++ answers the question: Did I move or didn't I today? Pedometer++ also stores the data locally on your phone and does not send the data to a backend server. Consequently, there are no accounts or logins with which to fuss. Pedometer++ is available for free from the iOS App Store. There are no ads, and a few in-app purchases allow you to tip the developer. It requires iOS 7.0 and an iPhone 5s with the M7 motion coprocessor. Though the iPad Air has an M7 chip, it does not report step counts and is not compatible with Pedometer++ and other M7-enabled apps.
Daily App: Gross motivates you to move by breaking down your motion data
Gross from Forest Giant is one of a growing number of apps that take advantage of the M7 motion co-processor in the iPhone 5s. The app sets itself apart by breaking down your movement into categories and displaying it in a simple and clear way that is easy to understand. Gross uses a text-based interface to present your motion data to you. The main screen of the app is a list of the days of the week. Under each day is blue line that represents your overall motion. At the bottom is your gross movement that summarizes your movement for the past seven days. The app focuses on the here and now, so there is no fitness history, just your performance over the past week. Tapping on a day of the week brings up the motion data recorded for that day and breaks it down into degree of activity. In a quick glance, you can see how much time you have spent walking, running or cruising. You can also see your gross stats for the day. On the right side of the detailed view, there is a column that shows your activity throughout the course of a day and allows you to quickly determine the hours of the day that you are most active. Gross' strength is its simplicity -- you don't have to wade through charts and analysis to get to your core motion data. It's a basic tracker that displays your movement in an easy-to-access and straightforward way. It's perfect for those who don' t need the extra fluff and just want to see how much they move during any given day of the week. Gross is available for free from the iOS App Store.
Here's what the iPhone reveals about suburbanites vs. city dwellers
I grew up in the suburbs. The first 20 years of my life, I was stuck, dumb and happy, in the Midwestern suburbs. I thought the 'burbs had everything I needed: Targets, Applebee's, corporate chain restaurants and car dealership after car dealership. When I moved to Chicago for my junior year of college, I realized how closed-minded my existence had been. Cities, I found, offered everything the burbs did not: art, culture, neighborhood family-run restaurants, diversity, hope for a job that wasn't based in an office park. I loved the city so much, I lived in Chicago for eight years before moving to London, where I've lived for the past five years. This Christmas, I returned home to the 'burbs for the first time in two years. And thanks to the iPhone 5s' M7 motion coprocessor, which allows me to capture and quantify my movement data, I made a startling discovery that further drove a wedge between city life and suburban life: Compared to city dwellers, suburbanites are just lazy. Below is a screenshot from the Pedometer++ app I use on my iPhone 5s to view my motion data. That app is set to make sure I hit 10,000 steps a day. Days in green are where I have met or exceeded that goal. Days in orange are where I've hit it about halfway, and days in red are where I wasn't even close. Take a look at it and then scroll down. At the very bottom of the image, from Monday, December 16 to Sunday, December 22 is a normal day/week for me in London. That's me going about my normal activity in the UK's capital: walking to the train, walking to the grocery store, walking to the café. Then look what happened on December 23rd. Most of the morning I was in London, but then I hopped on a 12 hour flight back to St. Louis where I was met with something almost everyone in the suburbs have: a car. Now look at December 24 to January 2. That's me, back in the American suburbs, with a car. I'd drive everywhere I'd normally walk to in London. Seeing friends, going out to eat, running to the grocery store. I was never under the pretense that people in the 'burbs walked more than people in the city, but I had assumed they walked at least about 75 percent as much as city dwellers do. But thanks to the iPhone's M7 motion coprocessor, I could see for the first time ever -- with indisputable quantified data -- just how wrong I was. To be fair to all my suburban friends, calling them "lazy" is a bit much. The American suburbs, after all, are designed with cars in mind, which has led to a mindset that it's completely normal to drive everywhere -- even if you could walk there in 20 minutes. Matter of fact, one day I decided to walk to the grocery store from my mom's house and when I got to the major road in town and crossed it drivers in passing cars cast glances at me like they were sure I had gotten a DUI since I was walking somewhere. At the very top of the screenshot from January 3 on up -- back in the green -- is me, back in London where I first looked at Pedometer++'s data since I had left. Looking at the data, I was shocked at what I found, but it also made me hopeful. In today's world, it's ever-harder to live healthy, but thanks to advanced sensors that now live in our phones, we at least have the tools to help us better keep track of our lifestyles -- and maybe help us make choices based on that data to lead healthier lives. PS: The iPhone 5s' M7 motion coprocessor also has an added benefit: It shows just how ridiculous United Airlines' scheduling is. The screenshot below is from the Moves app, which takes advantage of the M7 to show how much you run, walk, cycle and use transport in a day. On December 23, the busiest traveling day of the year, United decided that international fliers arriving at Washington Dulles only needed a 45-minute window to disembark, get through US customs, claim their bags, recheck their bags and then make their connecting flight (when the flight was originally booked it was a 95-minute window--something United decided to change three months after the tickets had been bought...a discretionary change at the airline's whim that is legal under US aviation laws). Thanks to the M7 coprocessor in my iPhone, I can view my experience of getting off my plane from London, walking (in green) to US customs and immigration, where I was greeted with a three-hour wait and 600 fliers in front of me. That white blip is the five minutes it took me to decide to cut in front of those 600 now screaming people, run through customs, and then (in pink) sprint two miles like a bearded madman through the airport (after abandoning my bags, no less) to make my connecting flight home to see my family for the first time in two years (United wanted to bump me to a new flight on the day after Christmas). Thanks, Apple, for the M7 and the data it shows you -- and a big "no-thanks" to ever flying on United again.
How the iPhone 5s measures up as a fitness tracker
For the past month, I've been conducting an experiment to see how the iPhone 5s with its M7 motion coprocessor functions as a fitness tracker. I've been in the enviable position of being able to compare the 5s to two of the latest-generation hardware fitness trackers -- a Jawbone Up24 and a Fitbit Force. For a month, I used the iPhone 5s along with these fitness trackers when I was exercising, going about my daily routine and sleeping. As a secondary test, I've also removed all the fitness trackers from my wrist to see how the iPhone would perform alone as my sole fitness tracker. Walking, Running and Other Exercises I have to admit that going into the experiment I expected the iPhone 5s to be sub-par when it came to motion tracking. How could this phone, which is designed to do so many things, be able to compete with a device dedicated to tracking your movement? I'm happy to say that I was pleasantly surprised at how accurately the iPhone tracked my motion. Whether I was walking, running or hiking, the iPhone 5s in an arm band or in my pocket was on par with the Jawbone Up24 and the Fitbit Force. Step counts and calculated mileage on the iPhone 5s were surprisingly close to the fitness trackers. You can see how well the iPhone 5s performed in the tables below. These values are the averages taken from a month of logged exercise sessions. On average, I walk four to five days a week at a treadmill desk and run three to four days a week on a treadmill. When assessing these devices, I have to admit that I'm not a mileage junkie that needs my fitness tracker to be accurate down to a tenth of a mile. I was not upset if my trackers measured 2.8 miles when I actually ran 3.0 miles. I prefer ballpark figures so I can get a general overview of my activity level, I don't need my mileage to be exact. Across the board, all two trackers and the iPhone 5s were great for these ballpark figures, not so great it you wanted accurate measurements. If you want reliable and accurate measurements, especially when you are running outside, you should use a GPS solution like Runkeeper or manually enter in your activities into your fitness app of choice. Daily Routine Whether it's doing yard work, sweeping the floors or getting the laundry in the basement, you'd be surprised at how much activity you perform during your daily routine. Because the fitness trackers are always strapped to your wrist, they do an excellent job of capturing the motion that contributes to your activity level, but is not dedicated exercise. It's in this area that the iPhone 5s is lacking. Even though it will track this "around the house" motion, you have to remember to strap on your iPhone all the time. Though I remember to place my iPhone in an arm band when I run, I don't always remember to drop it in my pocket when I go downstairs to grab a load of laundry from the dryer. The same applies to housework or yard work -- when I am mopping the floors or raking the leaves, my iPhone is often at my desk sitting idly (and thinking that I am idle, too) while I work. Because I wasn't wearing my iPhone 24/7, my daily step counts on the 5s were significantly less than those recorded by the Jawbone or the Fitbit. These values are the average daily miles and step counts from a month of wearing a Fitbit Force and a Jawbone UP on my wrists 24/7 and using my iPhone 5s for exercise session and as usual when I was not running or walking. If you want to capture all the activity you do throughout the day, you either have to cough up the cash for a fitness tracker or find a way to attach your iPhone to your waist or your arm for most of your waking hours. Sleep Tracking One thing fitness trackers add to the mix is sleep monitoring. These little devices on your wrist track your movement while you sleep and give you an overview of the quality of your sleep. You can achieve the same level of tracking on the iPhone 5s using an app like MotionX 24/7. MotionX tracks your movement and records your snoring so you can listen to sleep sounds and possibly pick up on the signs of sleep apnea. Though the Jawbone and Fitbit data was easier to interpret, I preferred the MotionX for its recording feature and its sensitivity, which pick up the slightest disturbances to your sleep. I don't talk or snore in my sleep, but my two-year-old sneaks into our bed every night. MotionX picks up his arrival, allowing me some insight into his sleep patterns as well. The biggest drawback to using the iPhone 5s for sleep is that you have to use a separate app. MotionX does track your walking, but it's not nearly as polished as an app like Runkeeper. Unlike the Fitbit app or the Up app that serves as a repository for everything fitness-related, you may find yourself using multiple apps to accomplish the same thing on the iPhone 5s. [Many users swear by the $1.99 Sleep Cycle alarm clock app. –Ed.] Using the iPhone 5s alone Though the iPhone 5s holds its own as a fitness tracker from a step counting point of view, I find that it misses the mark in the motivation department. When you have a fitness tracker slapped on your wrist, you are constantly reminded of your need to move. Just a glance at the Fitbit Force, and I am tapping on the button to check my step count for the day. If I see that I am below my goal, then I will take the time to hop on the treadmill for a quick run. This experience does not carry over well to the iPhone 5s. When I look at my iPhone, I don't think "What's my step count?," I think "Gotta check my email." Even with excellent apps like Moves and Nike Move+, I still find that the fitness tracking gets lost among all the other things that I do on my phone. I respond to a few emails, check my calendar, send out a tweet, read a few posts on Facebook and then stick my phone back in my pocket. Step count, what's that? In the two weeks that I've used only my iPhone 5s as a tracker, I've noticed that my activity level has gone down and my overall interest in tracking my steps is waning. Though the iPhone can keep pace with the Up24 and Force, I'm going back to my Fitbit as I prefer the "no effort" tracking offered by a device that always stays on your wrist. I can't wait to put on the Fitbit Force and get back on the exercising bandwagon. Conclusion If you are like me and need some extra motivation or want to track all your activity, then grab a fitness tracker like the Fitbit Force (which we reviewed) or the UP24, or the many other entries in this up and coming category of wearable devices. You won't be disappointed by their all-in-one approach to tracking your activity, sleep and food. If you are disciplined enough to keep your iPhone with you or are already accustomed to tracking your exercise using your iPhone, then the iPhone 5s with its M7 motion coprocessor is a wonderful replacement for a fitness tracker. You stand to lose some of the non-exercise movement like housework, but when exercising, step counts and mileage are as accurate as a dedicated fitness tracker. Using the iPhone 5s is a no-brainer if you already use an app like Runkeeper. The latest version of Runkeeper allows you to track your activities via GPS and will pull in the M7 data when you are walking. Walk briskly enough while shopping in the mall and you will get some extra mileage in the app. The combination of GPS when you need it and the M7 when you don't is wonderful. It's also easy on the battery. Through all my testing of the M7, I never noticed any difference in battery consumption on the 5s.
Daily iPhone App: Moves is the fitness app of the future
I've long said that the best feature of the iPhone 5s is the M7 motion coprocessor. It's this small processor that records and stores all your motion data -- and can even determine if you are walking, running or on moving transport (like in a car or on a train). However, by default, while the M7 is always recording and storing your motion data, iOS 7 actually has no way to show you this data. It's up to third-party app developers to write apps that can take advantage of the M7's data. And the best of these apps is Moves, which is our Daily iPhone App. I've put Moves through its paces for the last few weeks and it has quickly replaced my previous favorite fitness-tracking app on iOS (because that app hasn't offered support for the M7 yet). Moves has a simple enough UI: The home screen shows a dot that increasingly grows in size as you move throughout the day. Tapping this dot will cycle through the number of steps you've taken, the number of calories burned, the number of miles walked and the amount of time spent moving. Below the dot, you'll find the Storyline, which is a timeline of your day's activities. Locations are shown in a white pill-shaped icon that lengthens according to the amount of time you've spent there. Location names can be set, like "Home" or "Work," and you can also look up location names thanks to Move's Foursquare integration. When you leave a location, a colored line starts to grow. A pink line means you're running; a green line means you're walking; a blue line means you're cycling; and a gray line means you're on some form of motorized transport. Tapping any of these lines will take you to the map view where you can see the exact route you took plotted out. The best part of Moves is that you don't have to do a single thing to activate it. Since the M7 is tracking your movement all the time -- and Moves accesses that data -- there is no need to open the app to tell it you are about to begin a journey. This ensures that you'll get accurate movement data all day long. Moves is the fitness app of the future, thanks in large part to all the motion data collection being handled on Apple's M7 end. What Moves does is give that data a beautiful UI to turn it into readable information by the human eye. That's not to say Moves is perfect. One annoying thing with it is it can take several seconds to update the movement data each time you launch the app. Other M7-compatible apps I've used don't seem to suffer from this lag. Also, I frequently go on many late-night walks, often spanning the hour just before and just after midnight. Right now, Moves has no way to set when you want a day to end, so my movement stats during that midnight change are actually split across two different days. It would be nice if Moves could give me the option of setting a day to end at, for example, 1 AM, when I know my movement will be done for that day before I go to bed (I keep late hours). But besides the minor drawbacks, Moves is a great app and shows the power of Apple's new M7 chip. Moves is US$2.99 in the App Store.
Fitness-tracking app Moves now supports the iPhone 5s' M7 chip, offers battery-saving mode on iOS 7
Thanks to an update released today, the always-on fitness app Moves will now work with the iPhone 5s' M7 motion-sensing chip. The activity tracker utilizes Apple's "motion co-processor" to track your steps taken, distance ran and more stats -- in the absence of the M7, Moves will monitor this activity via software running in the background. Version 2.0 of the activity tracker for iOS 7 also addresses one of users' biggest complaints about the app: it includes a battery-saving mode to minimize the drain of your handset's juice. It's available to download now for $1.99, though the price will jump to $2.99 at the end of November. If you already own the previously free app, though, you won't be required to pay for the upgrade.
RunKeeper adds that iPhone 5s special sauce to its running app
If you thought that Nike+ Moves was the only fitness app to quickly latch on to Apple's new M7 co-processor, think again. RunKeeper has announced that the latest update to its iOS app will now automatically track periods of activity lasting longer than 15 minutes and will also track your cadence -- letting you analyze that statistic with the same level of obsessive detail as you do your pace and elevation. If you own an iPhone that isn't a 5s, the company is throwing a bone your way too, letting you prove how grueling your morning run is by sharing route details to other users over AirDrop -- as if those incredible calf muscles weren't evidence enough.
Nike+ Move app now available in the iOS App Store
Last month, Nike announced its new Fuelband SE fitness tracker and an M7-enabled app for the iPhone 5s. You'll have to wait a few days to get your hands on the Fuelband SE as it is slated to start shipping on November 6, but you can download the Nike+ Move app now. The Nike+ Move app is designed for the iPhone 5s and its M7 motion coprocessor. The app uses your daily motion and translates it into NikeFuel. The app takes a few minutes to setup -- just download, authorize access to the motion data and setup a Nike+ account. Once those three steps are done you are ready to start tracking your steps. As noted in the app's description, features in the app include: Win the day by beating your NikeFuel average and watch your goal ring change from Red to Green. See when you are most active throughout the day and how you're doing compared to yesterday. Move more often and win as many hours as you can throughout the day. See how you moved through the day with a breakdown of running, walking, and other movement. See where you're moving and where you move the most each day. Check out how you compare against your Game Center friends or other Nike+ Move users near you. The Nike+ Move app is available for free from the iOS App Store.
Daily iPhone App: Argus fitness app uses the M7 to track your steps
The iPhone 5s and its M7 motion coprocessor are opening the doors to a new wave of fitness apps that take advantage of the low-power motion processing available with the motion chip. One of the first apps to use the data from the M7 is the Argus - Motion and Fitness Tracker from Azumio. The big draw of Argus for many people will be the step tracking, which is pulled from the M7 on the iPhone 5s and from GPS with older devices. I've tested the Argus step data on the iPhone 5s, and it compares favorably with the data from the Fitbit Flex -- with one caveat. For the step tracking on the iPhone to be accurate, you have to always have your phone on your person, which can be a big problem for some folks. Besides steps, Argus also tracks your weight, workouts, water consumption, coffee consumption, sleep and more. If there is a parameter that is now shown, you can search for it and add it to your profile. I do a lot of kayaking, so it was very convenient to find that rowing was included in the database, even if it wasn't on the main screen. The app is designed to automate your data collection by tying into your Withings scale and other apps that monitor your sleep, heart rate and so on. You can also enter in your data manually, As you enter data, you can view all your stats at once in a timeline view that has a honeycomb layout. There is also a "Trends" option in the settings that allow you to view any two items that you track. You can compare your steps with your weight or your cups of coffee with your sleep duration, for example. You can also view the history of an individual item by tapping on it in the Timeline view. Argus manages to pack a lot of information into the app, but you have to get accustomed to the UI before you can take advantage of the data that is being stored. I am used to the Jawbone Up and the Fitbit Flex and prefer those apps to Argus. If you've never used a fitness tracker, though, you may be able to jump right into Argus without a second thought. Regardless, it's worth a look for iPhone 5s owners who want to use the M7 to track their steps and overall fitness. Argus is available from the iOS App store for free.
Strava Run fitness app is first app to use iPhone 5s' M7 motion coprocessor
The first app to take advantage of Apple's new M7 motion coprocessor has been released, and it's Strava Run. The app, like many other fitness running apps, allows you to track your distance, speed and numerous other variables of your run. What makes it unique for now, however, is the fact that it pulls data from the M7 in addition to GPS. From its version 3.5.3 release notes: We've taken advantage of the M7 coprocessor in the iPhone 5S to make some big improvements for runners: • Auto-pause: Get better accuracy in your pace and feedback. Your run will now automatically be paused when you stop moving. • Run longer: Reduced battery consumption means you can spend more time on the roads and trails. Updated for iOS 7. The M7 chip is a companion chip to the A7 found in the iPhone 5s. It allows much of the motion data work from the accelerometer, gyroscope and compass to be offloaded from the A7 to the M7, resulting in better battery performance. It's also much better adapted to measuring types of movement, such as whether you are walking, running, on a bicycle or in a car. Strava Run is a free download.
Chipworks analysis of iPhone 5s A7 and M7 chips highlights Apple's design evolution
iFixit tore down the iPhone 5s last week and gave us a peek at the innards of Apple's new phone. Chipworks has taken that analysis a step further with a detailed look at the chips that power the device. Starting with the A7, Chipworks has confirmed that the A7 is manufactured by Samsung using the same 28nm High-K Metal Gate (HKMG) process the Korean company uses for its new Exynos 5410 processor. It's slightly smaller than the A6 (77 percent the size), but provides the equivalent functionality of the previous-generation chip. The M7 turns out to be an interesting component with a three-axis accelerometer, a three-axis gyroscope and a three-axis electronic compass IC. It's manufactured by NXP and sports a Cortex-M3 microcontroller. The part number for the component (LPC18A1) didn't match any on NXP's website, which leads Chipworks to believe the M7 is likely a custom chip built by NXP to Apple's specifications. Other hardware includes a WiFi module with IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0 + HS and an integrated FM radio receiver. Rather than go with a newer Broadcom chip that offers 802.11ac, Apple opted use a WiFi module that is similar to the one in the iPhone 5. There's also a Qualcomm 4G LTE modem with a Samsung LTE baseband processor and some Samsung DRAM to store the carrier information. The eight-megapixel camera module has been tentatively identified as a Sony Exmor-RS sensor, but the exact details are not yet known. [Via Electronista and MacRumors]
Apple iPhone 5s's A7 SoC built by Samsung, M7 processor comes from NXP
Rumors swirled ahead of the iPhone 5s' launch that the silicon inside it would come from a source other than Samsung. Despite signing a deal with TSMC to manufacture future SoC's, Chipworks has confirmed that the A7 powering the new flagship iPhone comes from a familiar place: Samsung's fabrication facilities. Yet, while Apple couldn't cut the tie that binds it to its greatest rival for the main brain of the phone, it did manage to source the secondary M7 chip from NXP. Again, Chipworks discovered the M7's origin, and while we'd love to send you straight there for the nitty gritty now, it appears the site is currently down -- so, iFixit's secondary reporting of Chipworks' work will have to do... for now.
