This new tech gives any smartphone better 3D Touch than the iPhone 6S

Force Touch launched on the iPhone 6S and iPhone 6S Plus last year and although some Android manufacturers have also tried the technology - like Huawei with the Mate S - it's still a feature mostly reserved for the top rung of iPhones.

But now a way to bring similar technology to any smartphone has been found. Researchers at the University of Michigan have found a way to add pressure-sensitivity functionality using ultrasonic waves.

It means you can apply extra pressure to the screen, but it's not exclusive to the display - if you squeeze the body of the phone that will also be picked up.

The speaker on the phone pushes out an ultrasound covering the 18-24 kHz range - the human ear can't pick this up, although your dog may react - and the microphone will detect changes in the sound.

The phone can then sense how much pressure is being applied and where, and work out what you'd like the phone to do.

Easy squeezy

Yu-Chih Tung, one of the creators of Force Phone, said: "I think we're offering a natural interface, like how you turn a knob.

"It's the next step forward from a basic touch interface, and it can complement other gestured communication channels and voice."

One of Force Phone's creators refers to the tech as extra vocabulary between you and your phone.

Exactly what functionality the technology can enable isn't clear yet - but you may, for example, be able to open your messaging app by squeezing the phone hard around the edges.

Force Phone means a brand new technology won't be exclusive to high-end and expensive smartphones - and the functionality could be opened up to those with cheaper Androids.

Don't expect it to be available just yet though. The research is set to be presented to a conference at the end of June, and there's no word of a commercial release date.

The iPhone 5s has apparently been discontinued

Looks like Apple has stopped selling the iPhone 5s as the device is no longer listed on the Cupertino-based company's official website. A quick looks reveals that the phone has been replaced by the newly-launched iPhone SE.

While we are yet to hear an official confirmation on this, the discontinuation shouldn't really come as a big surprise given that the iPhone SE not only looks almost exactly like the 5s, it is of course comparatively more powerful as well.

Released back in 2013, the iPhone 5s was powered by the Apple A7 chipset and sported a 4.0 inch (640 x 1136 pixel resolution display). It featured 8MP rear and 1.2MP front unit, and was available in 1GB RAM and 16/32/64 GB internal memory configuration.

Third party retailer such as Amazon are, however, still selling it.

iPhone SE: 2GB of RAM, old TouchID and selfie cam

So, the new Apple iPhone SE went official yesterday and it's very much an iPhone 6s internals in a 5s body. Well, almost...

As you've probably heard, the SE will not support Force Touch, but on the upside, AnTuTu detected 2GB of RAM - as much as the 6s has and double what the 6 and those before it had.


AnTuTu shows 2GB of RAM on the iPhone SE

For one, the Touch ID sensor is the slower first-generation, unlike the 6s models (first-gen was also used on the iPhone 6).

Another change is the selfie camera - it's back to 1.2MP with f/2.4. That means it's the iPhone 5 selfie camera, the 5s went to f/2.2 and the 6s upped the resolution to 5MP. Retina flash is available, though (yay?).

The iPhone SE uses the M9 motion co-processor but lacks a barometer. This was used for activity tracking as a power-efficient way to estimate how much you've climbed (going up the stairs, for example, before that the GPS was used).

Here's how much the iPhone SE and iPad Pro 9.7 will cost in Europe

oday Apple has finally made both the iPhone SE and the 9.7-inch iPad Pro official, as you may know, after weeks upon weeks of rumors regarding these devices. The company will start taking pre-orders for them on March 24, which is this Thursday, and they will both become available on March 31, one week later.

In case either one interests you but you're in Europe, here's what you are going to have to shell out for the iPhone SE and the new iPad Pro. A word of warning, though: the prices are quite different from the ones announced for the USA.

The 16GB iPhone SE, priced at $399 in the US, will cost you €489 (which translates into $550) if you're in a Eurozone country or £359 ($516) if you're in the UK. The 64GB iPhone SE goes for €589 ($662) in the Eurozone and £439 ($631) in the UK, in both cases much more than the $499 you'll pay in the US.



The iPad Pro 9.7 starts at $599 in the US, with 32GB of storage and Wi-Fi. That same model is priced at €689 ($775) or £499 ($718) across the pond. Move on to 128GB of storage and you'll pay €869 ($977) or £619 ($891) in the EU compared to $749 in the States. The 256GB Wi-Fi iPad Pro 9.7 is priced at $899 stateside, €1,049 ($1,179) in the Eurozone, and £739 ($1,063) in the UK.

The differences are staggering, but do keep in mind that EU prices include VAT and US prices don't include sales tax. That said, the amount of that tax varies from state to state, and yet it's generally much lower than VAT rates are in the EU. Furthermore, depending on what state you live in and where you purchase from, you might not even have to pay sales tax at all.

Exchange rates may have something to do with this too, Apple officials would surely point out if asked, but for Europeans it is probably going to be hard to get over the sheer shock of these numbers. On the other hand, such price differences have become more and more the norm in the mobile world recently, so maybe they've gotten used to the situation.

Apple iPhone SE official with 4" display and A9 chip

Apple just announced the iPhone SE with a 4" display. The phone features a body almost identical to the iPhone 5 and 5s, but features the latest gen Apple A9 chip with a dual-core 1.85 GHz Twister processor, PowerVR GT7600 six-core graphics and M9 motion coprocessor.



The 4" display rocks a resolution of 1136x640 pixels, resulting in a pixel density of 326 ppi. The iPhone SE also features Retina Flash, which momentarily makes the screen three times brighter when you take a selfie. The 3D Touch feature from the larger current gen iPhones hasn't made its way to the SE though.

The Apple iPhone SE features the same 12MP iSight camera as its iPhone 6s and 6s Plus siblings. Video recording also gets a boost with 4K 30fps, 1080p 60fps, and slow motion 1080p 120fps and 720p 240fps support. The front-facing camera is still the 1.2MP from the 5s, and is complemented with the Retina Flash feature. The SE can also record Live Photos like the 6s.

The iPhone SE includes Apple Pay support thanks to the built-in NFC. The Touch ID fingerprint sensor is carried over from the 5s, however, and is not the faster unit seen on the iPhone 6s.



iPhone SE's design is virtually the same as the iPhone 5s', except for a matte finish on the chamfered edges as opposed to mirror finish on the 5s. As far as measurements go, they're also the same as the iPhone 5s with a weight of 113 grams.

The iPhone SE also includes faster connectivity, with support for up to 19 LTE bands and 150Mbps speed along with VoLTE support. Wi-Fi is also faster with 802.11ac support with 433Mbps speed and Wi-Fi calling support.

The best part about the iPhone SE is its price - it starts at $399 for 16GB of storage, while $499 nets you the 64GB version. The smartphone will be available for free with a two-year contract in the US as well as in $17 monthly installments.



Pre-orders commence on March 24, with sales starting on March 31. The phone will be available in four color versions, including the trendy new Rose Gold.

Recreating the iPhones from rumors: the iPhone 7, SE and Pro

Martin Hajek is back with great looking reconstructions of the upcoming Apple phone lineup, based on the partial glimpses we have gotten from the many leaks.

The images cover the new trio - from the small iPhone SE, through the iPhone 7 to the phablet-sized iPhone Pro (aka 7 Plus).

     
Apple iPhone 7

Martin has incorporated all the rumored "knowledge" about the three, including the redesigned antenna lines on the iPhone 7 (the SE will use the 6s design) and the duo camera on the iPhone Pro.

     
Apple iPhone Pro

Even the details we hope are wrong can be seen in the 3D models - no audio jack on the iPhone 7 and Pro, but it's still there on the iPhone SE.

     
Apple iPhone SE

As you probably already know, the iPhone SE is coming on Monday. Apple may announce a new iPad along with it too.

4" iPhone to be called iPhone SE, to come with 16GB storage

You've seen Apple's upcoming 4" iPhone labeled as either 5se or just "SE," but an alleged photo of its retail box suggests the Apple-preferred name is "iPhone SE" (yes, with capital letters, despite going lower case with the iPhone 5s).

The box is also marked 16GB, suggesting that this remains the base storage option. Better than the 8GB iPhone 5c, we guess, and supposedly there will be a 64GB option (again, no 32GB middle ground).



The other kind of memory, RAM, will likely go back to 1GB after growing to 2GB with the 6s generation. The iPhone SE will still use the Apple A9 chipset, though, at least that's what we hear.

It goes without saying, but we'll say it anyway - these boxes are easy to fake. For 100% true info, tune in on Monday when Apple reveals the new 4-incher.

Thanks, Guido, for sending this in!