Get ready for modular fashion in 2016

Quite recently, nobody even thought of smart modular technology. However, the progress cannot be stopped; soon our life will be added by various electronic modular devices, a new subtype of mobile electronics:  modular smartphones and tablets, modular watches, smart bracelets, “intelligent” belts, and other accessories.

It is worth noting that not only new companies enter the market with their startup projects on modular smartphones, tablets, and smart modular watches but also big corporations, the sharks of the consumer industry. The following modular electronics projects are worth the mention.

Modular Smartphones

Puzzlephone: The Finns. Finnish development engineers from Circular Devices have stretched their claws to reach modular smartphones users in a relatively new segment. These guys managed to create a prototype of the modular smartphone consisting of three components: brain, heart and skeleton. According to the development engineers’ concept, the brain is a processor; the heart is a power supply and battery; and the skeleton is a combination of the device’s frame and display.

Puzzlephone

Phonebloks: The Dutchmen. The project is a kind of electronic Lego transformer – smart phone made of electronic devices – modules – easily replaceable by its owner in case of damage, upgrade or for some other reasons. This idea belongs to Dave Hakkens – a Dutch designer. This concept inspires manufacturers of electronic smart phones because they see a huge potential for extra customization of the already produced component electronic base with minimum business expenses.

Magic Cube: The Chinese. The project from the Chinese manufacturer Xiaomi with the code name Magic Cube was announced on the Internet and by mass media. It has tiny block design, namely: framework, processor unit, battery and photo/video camera. All the Magic Cube modules are supposed to be made of different colors. However, nothing more is known of this phantom project because no other information leaked to the press yet.

                                                                  ZTE Eco-Mobius

ZTE Eco-Mobius: Another Chinese company that has aspired to keep abreast of the modular smartphone industry in the future, has announced a modular smartphone which, apart from the slide frame, includes a display, processor core with the built-in camera module on magnet clips, and built-in power supply represented by the battery. Nothing more is known except that this exhibit was presented at CES 2014, albeit under the glass.

HTC failed to lock down fingerprints captured by one of its phones, leaving prints exposed to any app that knew to go looking for them, according to a report from security firm FireEye Labs. The firm found that the HTC One Max, a nearly two-year-old phone with a fingerprint reader, kept the fingerprints that it scanned in an unencrypted, world-readable file; what that translates to is a file that any app on the device can read or access to get a look at stored fingerprints — something that could be a real issue if a malicious app was aware of the flaw. HTC fixed the vulnerability after being alerted of it, FireEye says

The One Max had been storing fingerprint data in a specialized bitmap file, which FireEye was able to reconstruct into a proper scan of the print (shown right, cropped by FireEye for anonymity). The One Max even updated its fingerprint image every time it received a new scan, so an attacker could have grabbed multiple images.

FireEye's report suggests that other phones with fingerprint readers may have similar problems, though it only names the One Max. The report also notes that certain phones failed to fully secure their fingerprint sensor, potentially allowing apps to step in and read them as a scan was happening. This flaw was present on the One Max, Samsung's Galaxy S5, and others that FireEye leaves unnamed; all phones with the flaw were fixed after their manufacturer was alerted of the issue. HTC and Samsung did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The One Max was never a particularly popular or successful phone, and it isn't known whether any of these flaws was ever used maliciously. But there's still good reason to be concerned about this vulnerability's existence. As FireEye notes in its report, you can't change your fingerprints like you can change a leaked password: "once leaked," it writes, "they are leaked for the rest of your life."

These days, very few smartphone launches excite people enough to queue up for hours in the street. Apple's iPhones are pretty much the exception to the rule.

Yet on a warm, sticky day in central London, more than 200 people snaked around the streets outside the SwiftKey offices near London Bridge just to get a glimpse at the OnePlus 2, a smartphone few have even heard of.

Key Features

• 5.5in display (1920 x 1080)
• Snapdragon 810/ 4GB RAM
• 9.85mm/175g
• USB-C port
• OxygenOS (based on Android 5.1)
• 13MP/5MP cameras
• Dual SIM
• Fingerprint sensor
• Price: £239
• Release date: 11 August (with invite)

The long queue – and the one million-plus people who have registered interest in the OnePlus 2 online – is testament to the hype the company generated on the back of the surprising success of the OnePlus One, which launched 15 months ago and sold 1.5 million units.

OnePlus 2 is selling its second smartphone (as it did its first) as a "flagship killer", and not only the flagship models from Apple and Samsung out now but the ones coming in 2016 too.

OnePlus 2: Design

Bulky and heavy were my initial thoughts when I saw the specs announced for the OnePlus 2. At 9.5mm and 175g, is it heavier and thicker than the iPhone 6 Plus and Galaxy S6. But holding it, the first thing that came to mind was how solid it felt.

OnePlus has added a touch of premium-build quality with a metal frame around the edge, but the rear cover remains plastic – though there are alternative covers you can get with various finishes such as wood and sandstone, which is a bit like a fine sandpaper.

The phone has a large 5.5in screen but it is significantly shorter than the cumbersome iPhone 6 Plus as well as being narrower, which makes it much easier to use one-handed, though it is still a pretty big phone.

Android and Windows Phone users can now join in the time-lapse fun with Microsoft Hyperlapse

Android and Windows phone users tired of waiting for Instagram to release Hyperlapse on their platform of choice, have reason to celebrate today. Hyperlapse is now available on both platforms, though it comes courtesy of Microsoft, not Instagram. It’s a bit confusing, I know, but bear with me.

Announced last year, Microsoft Hyperlapse lets users create exceptionally smooth time-lapses from even the most shaky footage—and, yes, it shares the same name as the Instagram app.

Despite the name overlap and the fact that they perform the same function, there are several differences between the two programs. The first, and most significant, is that Microsoft’s solution does not use data from a phone’s gyroscope and accelerometer to create a stabilized time-lapse; instead, it uses an algorithmic approach. There are several advantage to this approach. The main one is that Microsoft Hyperlapse can work on almost any device, given that it has the processing power to accommodate the algorithm’s needs, and can work with footage that wasn’t shot with a smartphone; in fact, one of the main use cases the company envisioned for Hyperlapse was GoPro owners taking their old footage and running it through the program.

Additionally, Microsoft Hyperlapse doesn’t reduce the resolution of a video to stabilize it, which Hyperlapse from Instagram does.

However, the downside is that Microsoft’s approach can be extremely processor intensive. Certain hardware won’t be able to handle the program. This is most evident with the Android release, which only supports a small selection of devices. For the sake of comparison, Hyperlapse from Instagram supports the iPhone 4, which is about to turn five this June.

Microsoft Hyperlapse is available on Android and Windows Phone. There’s also aPro version for enthusiasts and professionals.

According to an interview a Microsoft spokesperson did with The Verge, the company is deciding whether it wants to build an iOS version of the app. They’re somewhat reticent given that Hyperlapse from Instagram exists.

iPhone 7

When is the iPhone 7 coming out, and what new features can we expect in the next iPhone? We round up all the iPhone 7 release date rumours, clues to design changes, and some beautiful images of what the iPhone 7 could look like. Here's everything we know (or can guess) about Apple's iPhone 7, including the latest (terrifying) iPhone 7

In a nutshell: Macworld's verdict on the iPhone 7

In our iPhone 7 rumour roundup we cover a lot of ground: you'd be amazed by the clues, hints and general speculation about the iPhone 7 that people have managed to dig up. But for those who don't want all the detail, the following section sums up our verdict on the whole thing. Consider it a sort of TL;DR for the article as a whole.

In a nutshell, then, we reckon:

1) Apple will launch a couple of iPhones - probably two, maybe three - in September 2015, much as it does every year.

2) We think this will be a 4.7-inch phone called the iPhone 7, and a 5.5-inch iPhone 7 Plus. If Apple does make another 4-inch iPhone (which, thanks to the success of the larger iPhones, is by no means a certainty) then we think it'll be called something like the iPhone 7 Mini.

3) But this is Apple we're talking about, and consistent naming conventions aren't its strong suit. It could be called the New iPhone Max for all I know.

4) The iPhone 7 won't be a fat phone, but we can't see that the iPhone 6 series phones need to be significantly thinner. At all. We expect roughly the same dimensions as the current generation. Tim Cook will probably be able to boast that it's "the slimmest and lightest iPhone ever", but the minor reduction in thickness will be exaggerated by favourable lighting.

5) Battery life may be a little better, but it won't be a lot better. Jony Ive's comments have made it plain that Apple doesn't consider a higher battery life to be worth significant sacrifices in other areas. (And we suspect that, if they're honest, most smartphone buyers would agree.)

6) Higher screen resolution is a possibility - Apple exploded the 'Retina is as sharp as your eyes can see' myth with the iPhone 6 Plus, and the company is playing catchup against many of its rivals in this department. Apple may well apply the pixel density of the iPhone 6 Plus to all the models in the next generation; it could go even higher. And a harder screen material would play well, whether Apple manages to resurrect the sapphire situation or goes with Corning's new Project Phire.

7) We find the rumours of a dual-lens camera offering 'DSLR-like' picture quality wholly convincing. The camera is a key area for every new iPhone and would be something Tim Cook could build a launch presentation around. The effects of the LinX acquisition probably won't be felt for another generation of iPhone, but the company's 3D camera sensors should make an appearance in future iPhones.

8) The iPhone 7 could get a USB-C port, like the new 12-inch MacBook, but we think this is unlikely. The change from 30-pin to Lightning is recent enough (and was painful enough for many users) that to switch again now would be highly controversial.

9) And as for the other out-there rumours? 3D screen: no. Curved display: almost certainly not. Curved or flexible iPhone: nope. Edge-to-edge screen: yes, quite possibly. Spring-out gaming joystick in the Home button: definitely not. Wireless charging: maybe, but probably not yet.