Is Sony preparing the launch of a Xperia XZ1 Compact successor at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2018? Well, to be honest, we don’t know for sure. But based on a recently teased render on the company’s official Twitter handle, it looks like the widely-anticipated Xperia XZ2 could very well be on the card.

The Tweet from the Japanese tech giant was accompanied by a mysterious short video clip with the invite line: “Join us.” That leaves little doubt over the fact that the company is definitely hinting at something BIG at the MWC 2018, scheduled to kick off on Feb 26 in Barcelona, Spain.

Tweet: https://twitter.com/sonyxperia/status/965511954935803904

Rumor

Apparently, it was a Xperia blog reader who tipped off the online rumor mill about a possible XZ2 Compact launch at the MWC. The reader left a comment on the latest teaser, pointing out that it includes an image showing what appears to be a Xperia XZ2 Compact prototype.

As you can see in the image above, the device shown in the teaser is visible only on one side — presumably, the right side carrying what appears to be the power/lock button, a volume rocker, and a camera shutter button. It’s also clear from the image that whichever model it is, the device comes with a curved back.

The reader further underlined that while the image doesn’t reveal any further features, it is extremely likely that the final build of the Xperia XZ2 Compact will come equipped with a rear-facing fingerprint sensor and an audio jack.

Similarly, some rumor mills are claiming that the commercial version of the XZ2 Compact will come with more or less the same design as the alleged prototype, albeit with a thinner top bezel.

Meanwhile, some Xperia blog readers added to the speculations by pointing out that the build of the alleged XZ2 Compact prototype is quite similar to the plate + human design concept that was doing circles in the tech headlines way back in 2015.

Sony Xperia XZ2 Compact specs and features

Word on the street is that the Sony Xperia XZ2 Compact will bring along a 5-inch display with 18:9 aspect ratio. Overall, there are no solid assurances that the next-generation handset will bring along any radical transformation in terms of design, structure, and general look.

The device will most likely be powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 845 SoC, backed by 4GB of RAM, a 3,000 mAh battery, and 64GB internal storage. Powered by Android Oreo out of the box, the Xperia XZ1 Compact successor is also rumored to be featuring an 8 MP and 19 MP dual-camera setup.

Sony is also expected to introduce the Xperia XZ2 flagship, along with the Xperia XZ1 Plus, Xperia XZ1 Premium, and Xperia XZ1S at MWC 2018.

The New Amazon FBA Fees

Continuing the annual practice of recalibrating the fulfillment by Amazon fees, the Seattle, Washington-based e-commerce giant is implementing a new FBA fees structure in the United States starting later this month.

FBA, which stands for Fulfilment By Amazon, is a service Amazon provides to merchants that want to store their products at an Amazon warehouse but have their orders fulfilled by Amazon. By merchants using the Amazon network, it ensures smooth and timely delivery of goods and excellent customer service, thus making a product “Prime”. Simply put, FBA operates like this: You sell a product, then Amazon ships it for you in exchange for a cut.

The re-adjusted Amazon FBA fees for 2018 will come into effect on Feb 22nd and incorporates two key changes.

FBA Fees

The first key change is the readjusted Amazon fulfillment fee, applicable to most product size tiers and weights. The company also stated that the changes will remain in effect throughout the year, meaning it has abandoned the strategy of introducing separate pricing for Q4 that runs from Oct through Dec.

The other change is in the way Amazon calculates the dimensional weight of a product.

“We are adjusting the way we calculate dimensional weight to align with current industry standards. Currently, dimensional weight is calculated as the unit volume (based on length x width x height in inches) divided by 166. Effective February 22, 2018, we will calculate dimensional weight as the unit volume (based on length x width x height in inches) divided by 139 (instead of 166),” the company stated in an earlier announcement.

It also clarified that the changes in the measurement technique of dimensional weight will affect only “large standard-size items weighing more than 1 lb. and all small, medium, and large oversize items.”

Amazon Fee Calculator

Merchants can calculate the new Amazon FBA fees by using the official Amazon fee calculator. You can check the details of the changes here.

In the screenshot above, you can now compare the old fees to the new fees in the Amazon fee calculator. This is helpful when trying to determine the increase you, the merchant, will be seeing. On a personal note, I utilize the fba calc almost everyday as an FBA seller. I have found that it is very accurate, if you enter the proper ASIN at the beginning of your calculations.

It is worth noting that the rates for the Inventory Placement Service and Multi-Channel Fulfillment program won’t be directly affected by these changes.

But having stated that, because the way dimensional weight is calculated for both Inventory Placement Service and Multi-Channel Fulfillment, subscribers of these services should be prepared for some recalibration of the final price.

Also, the new Amazon FBA fees will be applicable to all those orders placed prior to Feb 22, but shipped on or after the changes come into effect.

Performance Management In Apple’s iOS 11.3 Beta Is Manipulative And A Half-Baked Attempt At Damage Control

iOS 11.3 Update

Just when you thought Apple was serious about refraining from the much frowned upon practice of slowing down some older iPhone models without user consent, a new report has come out raising questions about the giant’s commitment to rectifying its past misdeed.

We might as well say that Cupertino drew no lesson from what was essentially a PR disaster, accompanied by a number of class action lawsuits and a government investigation. The company defended its action by saying that it secretly throttled older iPhone models with aging batteries just to improve stability and prevent abrupt shutdowns.

Apple issued an apology and later enabled iPhone performance management with the iOS 11.3 beta release. The company promised that with the new performance management feature, the user was back in control to determine whether to prioritize performance or stability as their iPhone’s battery ages.

Turns out that promise was, at best, a half-truth that doesn’t paint the whole picture.

iOS 11.3 Beta Fix

The folks over at ZDNet investigated the new feature, only to find out that unlike what Apple said, users still do not get much of a say. Apparently, after the iOS 11.3 beta update, when a user chooses performance over Apple’s default of stability by navigating to the new battery section (Settings > Battery), they are just exercising a temporary amendment to the default settings.

The user-preferred settings flip back to the default Stability Mode every time the device restarts — be it a manual restart or in the aftermath of a crash.

This essentially implies that Apple is still unable to grasp the consequences of its control-freak attitude toward decision making. If they come to think about it, the whole fiasco was never about the selection of the right or wrong power mode. People got angry with the company because it was unilaterally enforcing negative performance changes without even bothering to inform users, let alone asking for their consent.

Even though iOS 11.3 Beta claims to put the user in the driver’s seat with regard to so-called performance management, it actually seems like more of a half-baked attempt at damage control. The company is missing the point that if a user chooses performance over stability, it is entirely their choice and the company should not try to secretly manipulate the settings.

Perhaps it would make much more sense if Apple pushed a simple notification asking something along the line: “Your device has crashed/restarted: Would you like to remain in Performance Mode? – Yes/No”. Simple as that!

Which Drone Is Best For You? DJI Mavic Air vs DJI Mavic Pro

There’s a reason why DJI is often called the “Apple of Drones”. The Shenzhen-based firm has earned that flattering moniker by consistently pushing the outer limits of drone technology. What’s even better is that it does so without digging a hole in the average consumer’s pocket! So today, we will compare two highly affordable drones, the DJI Mavic Air vs DJI Mavic Pro.

The latest addition to DJI’s famed Mavic lineup, the Mavic Air drone, is one prime example of the company’s prowess when it comes to making affordable, practical, and feature-rich retail drones.

DJI unveiled the Mavic Air in January 2018. For the uninitiated, it’s more like a lighter, smaller, and smarter variant of the iconic Mavic Pro. On a casual observation, both drones look almost indistinguishable. But which one packs more punch than the other?

DJI Mavic Air vs DJI Mavic Pro Specifications

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Both the Mavic Pro and Mavic Air are industry leading. In fact, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration if you called them two of the best drones on the market. But having said that, if you are a first-time buyer with little or no prior experience of handling a drone, you would probably be better off purchasing the Mavic Air.  

The Mavic Air

The primary reason why the Mavic Air is more suitable for novice drone pilots is that it comes equipped with an enhanced obstacle avoidance system. Just as the moniker suggests, it’s a feature that can automatically detect obstacles in the Mavic Air’s path and takes necessary precautions without requiring any human intervention. Needless to say, this is an important feature that allows users to fly the drone with more confidence.

We are not saying that the Mavic Pro has an unruly navigation system that’s too tough to handle. However, its larger form and a less-sophisticated avoidance system certainly makes the job tougher for novice pilots.

Other factors that can make the Mavic Air a more attractive choice for many first time buyers include a lighter body, a smaller foldable design that enables you to store the drone in a smaller space, 4K recording, and relative affordability (at $799, the Mavic Air is $200 cheaper than the bigger Mavic Pro).

The Mavic Pro

We do need to point out that the DJI Mavic Pro does take cinematic quality 4K video (4096 x 2160) @ 24, so this could be an important factor if you plan to make high quality videos. The camera on the Mavic Pro does bring more sharpness, clarity and color to photos and video, meaning less time editing footage after the shoot.

So what’s your take on this Mavic Pro vs Mavic Air debate? Which of these two amazing drones would you personally prefer? Let us know in the comments below. If you asked me, I would purchase the DJI Mavic Air for its smaller size and cost-effectiveness. 

You may also like:

• UpAir One Plus 4K Quadcopter Review – A Quality GPS Drone
• The 11 Best Drones for Under $400 in 2018
• The Eachine E013 Micro FPV “Small Pepper” Drone: Big Features, Small Price
• Xiaomi Mi Drone 4K Review

News has just rolled in that Intel has unveiled a major refresh of its famed Xeon D System-on-a-Chip processors. In case the name doesn’t ring a bell, Xeon D is a line up of high-end processors built for high-density servers. The newest addition to the lineup is the Xeon D-2100.

The Xeon D is the go-to chip for many data centers that want to bring their power as close to end-user devices and sensors as possible in order to keep TCO and application latency under check.

The original Xeon D processors started out with just eight cores before being upgraded to 16 cores in the follow-up Xeon D 1500 series. And now, the latest product line refresh has pushed things up a notch by equipping the brand new Xeon D-2100 series with 18 cores and 36 threads.

Here are some of the key specs from the new lineup:

• 14nm process technology
• Up to 18 cores, 36 threads
• Up to 512 GB DD4-2666 ECC
• Up to four channels memory support
• Intel Mesh Architecture
• Rebalanced Intel smart cache hierarchy
• Intel Hyper-Threading Technology (Intel HT Technology)
• Intel Virtualization Technology (Intel VT Technology)
• Intel Ethernet, up to four 10 GbE adapters
• Up to 3.0 GHz with single-core Intel Turbo Boost Technology 2.0
• Up to 32 PCI Express 3.0 lanes
• Up to 20 lanes of configurable Flexible High Speed I/O
• Intel AVX-512 acceleration with up to 1 FMA
• Intel QuickAssist Technology with up to 100 Gpbs of crypto, encrypt, and decrypt accelerated processing offload

Needless to say, it’s a big leap forward for the Xeon family in terms of TDPs and overall capabilities. Among other things, these upgraded specs have brought Xeon D processors closer to the Xeon E5, Xeon E3 v5, and the new Xeon Scalable families.

If you are operating a data center with limited space and power, the Xeon D 2100 series will most likely grow on you. Granted, these new chips fall short of the per-core clock speeds of the “proper” Xeon processors, but they bring many more cores than the E3 family, whereas the price and the TDP are much less compared to the E5 lineup.

How does it affect the performance of your server infrastructure?

Well, among other benefits, the lower power cores with less clock speed are surprisingly efficient with burstable tasks like serving up web pages where the system can generate many threads simultaneously and maintain them over a prolonged period without requiring a high amount of processing power. As soon as the server gets requests for new pages, the cores can automatically turbo boost to competently meet that demand.

There are 15 processors in the Xeon D-2100 family, ranging from the 8-core D-2145NT that costs $502 to the 18-core Xeon D-2191 with a retail price of around $2,400.