How to raise patio furniture patio furniture set up idea how to set up patio furniture design your own backyard patio how to improve your backyard yard upgrades on a budget apply for backyard builds how to upgrade your backyard upgrade your auto upgrade yourself aer lingus
Upgrade Your Backyard With Patio Furniture, Gas Grills and More During Home Depot's Memorial Day Sale
Upgrade Your Backyard With Patio Furniture, Gas Grills and More During Home Depot's Memorial Day Sale
With summer almost starting, now is the best time to prep your backyard (or living space) for entertaining family and friends. Starting today, Home Depot's Feels Like Memorial Day sale is offering dozens of deals to help you improve the inside and outside of your home through May 30.
So, what can you get at this sale? If you need a gas burner, Nexgrill's 4-Burner gas grill is on sale for $300 (a savings of $50). Gardeners can pick up essentials such as Miracle-Gro fertilizer in a 4-for-$10 deal, while Smart Patch seed fertilizer is $20 off. You can even save $30 on Ryobi's soil cultivator, which is currently $159.
There are also outdoor furniture sets. Get a $100 discount on this $600 Hampton Bay Riverbrook espresso brown 5-piece steel outdoor patio set and the Hampton Bay Laurel Oaks 7-piece patio dining set for $799. The Riverbrook has four chairs and a circular table, while the Laurel Oaks set includes two motion chairs, four stationary chairs with cushions and a rectangular table.
As for other items in this sale, you can grab power tools, paint, ceiling fans and more -- everything you need to redesign, upgrade and make your space ready for summer. If you want to see the full deal, head over to Home Depot.
Can in an instant pot getting started with instant pot tried tested and true instant pot recipes tried tested and true instant pot cooking i tried this tried that tried everything i have tried to i tried so hard song
I Tried the Instant Pot With Built-In Air Fryer Lid. Here's What I Thought
I Tried the Instant Pot With Built-In Air Fryer Lid. Here's What I Thought
Air fryers and multicookers are two of the most popular small kitchen appliances of late. If you're low on kitchen space, you might be deciding if you should opt for one over the other, but the new Instant Pot Dup Crisp with Ultimate Air-Frying lid combines the best of both and could save you from having to decide.
The Instant brand (famous for the Instant Pot) has been making air fryers for a few years now but only recently added an air-frying feature to the popular multicooker. The latest Instant Pot release, the Instant Pot Duo Crisp with Ultimate Lid, sports built-in convection and air fryer lid along with a slim pressure cooker insert so you can use it as you would a traditional multicooker: Slow cook, pressure cook, steam, sauté and more.
Instant Pot
As a habitual user of the multicooker and air fryer, and a bona fide lover of anything space-saving, I wrangled the new 6.5-quart Instant Pot model with Ultimate Lid to see if it could do the work of both popular small appliances. While it wasn't a total flop, the pricey $230 model proved bulkier than a standard Instant Pot and didn't quite have the pop of its air fryer lid predecessor. It was also tough to clean and needed preheat time to air fry, unlike most air fryers.
At this bloated price, I wouldn't recommend it over the first-generation Duo Crisp, which is roughly $100 cheaper. Here's what I thought of the hybrid air fryer and multicooker.
The convection and air fryer mechanism is built into the lid. The detachable lid for pressure cooking and slow cooking (right of Instant Pot) is light, thin and easy to store.
David Watsky/CNET
What the Duo Crisp with Ultimate Lid does
Unlike any Instant Pot before it, the Duo Crisp with Ultimate Lid has air fryer functionality built into the main lid. Because of this convection cooking element, you can air fry, broil, bake and roast -- all cooking methods that most Instant Pots don't offer. It also has most of the functionality of your basic Instant Pot multicooker including pressure cook, slow cook, steam and sauté.
While you won't have to screw on (or find storage for) a bulky conical air fryer lid attachment as you do for the original Duo Crisp, you will have to slide in the pressure cooker lid when you want to pressure or slow cook. However, that lid is very light and thin measuring no more than 2 inches high; it shouldn't be hard to find space for one.
I found the dials and controls simple to use, but I'm not used to air fryers that require preheat time.
David Watsky/CNET
How it performs as an air fryer
I cooked several of my favorite air fryer foods with the Duo Crisp and its Ultimate Lid. The air fryer was plenty proficient once it got heated. Speaking of which, this is one of the only air fryers I've used that needed an official preheat time. For an air frying session at 400 degrees Fahrenheit, it took about five minutes to preheat plus the actual cook time. I'm used to air fryers that don't need preheating, so it took getting used to.
I made a few air fryer favorites with the Duo Crisp
Fried chicken thighs: One air fryer recipe I've become fond of is simple fried chicken thighs. I take two or three thighs, dip them in egg and dredge them in flour. I made them with my standard recipe in both the Duo Crisp and my solo Magic Bullet air fryer. I cooked for 18 minutes and flipped them at the midway point. The results were remarkably similar, but the Instant Pot needed an extra five minutes to preheat.
Sweet potato fries: Fried potatoes are another classic air fryer food. They generally come out crispy and much less oily than with deep frying. I split a sweet potato in half and made a batch of fries in my solo air fryer and the Duo Crisp. Both batches emerged from 12 minutes of cooking with about the same amount of caramelization and browning.
The Duo Crisp with Ultimate Lid turned out equally browned sweet potato fries as my solo air fryer in the same amount of time.
David Watsky/CNET
I also made basic chicken cutlets from scratch in the Duo Crisp. These took a few minutes longer than they would have in a typical solo air fryer but came out looking great with a crispy crust and juicy insides.
The Duo Crisp with Ultimate lid turned out picture-perfect chicken cutlets.
David Watsky/CNET
Roasted broccoli: I roasted broccoli florets (tossed in olive oil) in the Duo Crisp for 12 minutes at 375 degrees F. While they came out great, there was only enough capacity to cook two servings. I'd probably generally opt to use my oven for something like this.
Larger air frying capacity than the original Duo Crisp
The biggest draw of this model over the brand's initial hybrid air fryer model is more cooking capacity. With the air fryer rack in place, you can fit three medium chicken breasts and four chicken thighs in the cooking chamber (probably five in a pinch). The original model required a separate, smaller basket insert that had enough for only three chicken thighs or two medium breasts.
The air-frying rack easily holds two large chicken breasts (shown here) or three medium ones.
David Watsky/CNET
Harder to clean than most air fryers
One major setback of this model for me is how difficult the air frying rack was to clean. When I finished cooking the chicken thighs with dredged flour and egg coating, the fine mesh wire rack was inundated with gunk. While trying to flip them midway through cooking, much of the coating and skin also stuck to the rack.
The wire air frying rack was no fun to clean.
David Watsky/CNET
Most air fryer baskets have a nonstick coating and take seconds to clean after use. For the Duo Crisp with Ultimate Lid, I had to give it a good 10-minute soak to get it clean, but it did all eventually come off with a scrubber, soap and elbow grease. I found it much more difficult to clean than the original Duo Crisp's nonstick basket and rack, which is completely flat with larger holes that don't trap as much food.
Other foods including sweet potatoes and frozen snacks didn't stick to the wire rack. If you're planning on cooking mostly those foods versus battered foods, you may not have the same issues I did.
The original Duo Crisp requires a separate basket insert for air frying which diminishes the overall capacity. On the upside, it was far easier to clean.
Instant Pot
How it performs as a pressure cooker
I also made one of my go-to pressure cooker recipes: pulled pork shoulder. I followed a recipe I've used several times in other Instant Pots: dredging the 3-pound pork shoulder in flour and spices, searing in the Instant Pot and pressure cooking for 45 minutes. The Duo Crisp turned out a near mirror image of the fork-tender pork shoulders I've made before in the same amount of time.
The first pressure cooker lid broke, rendering it unusable
During one of my first sessions using the Duo Crisp with Ultimate Lid, an essential piece of the pressure cooker lid that helps fasten it to the main lid snapped off, rendering it unusable as a pressure cooker or slow cooker. I can't say for sure how it happened though the first few times I attached the pressure lid, I had to muscle it a bit to get it on.
A small and seemingly unimportant plastic bit will render your Instant Pot's pressure cooker lid useless if it snaps off, as mine did.
David Watsky/CNET
In the replacement lid that I was sent, the small plastic protuberance that snapped off didn't seem particularly shoddy. That said, I'd caution anyone with this model to be gentler than I was in trying to secure and remove the lid.
Who should buy the Duo Crisp with Ultimate Lid?
The Duo Crisp with Ultimate Lid is a good choice for someone who uses a multicooker often but also wants to air fry on occasion. I stress often because if you tend to use an air fryer far more than an Instant Pot, pressure cooker or multicooker, this model is far bulkier and heavier than most solo air fryers.
I personally air fry far more than I use a multicooker so I'm happy with my small and light 2.6-quart Magic Bullet air fryer and its nonstick basket. I leave it on my counter most times, whereas my multicooker is stored in a closet until I'm ready to use it.
The Instant Pot Duo Crisp with Ultimate Lid is bulkier than most air fryers and it also requires more cleanup after an air frying session than I'm used to. It also takes about five minutes to preheat, while most other air fryers don't need preheat time at all. That said, once it was ready to cook, this machine air-fried, broiled and roasted with the best of 'em.
I liked the new Duo Crisp fine, but the originalDuo Crisp without the built-in air fryer lid can be had for about $130. For my money, that's the better pick if you're looking for a machine that does it all. If you already have a 6-quart Instant Pot you like, grab the air frying lid for $70 or on sale for $55 at Crate & Barrel.
Lenovo x1 fold hands on a first step toward the next big idea lenovo x1 fold hands on a first step toward the next big penny lenovo x1 fold hands on a first step toward the next big bitcoin lenovo x1 fold hands on a first step toward loving lenovo x1 fold hands which thumb lenovo x1 fold hands boardmaker lenovo x1 fold youtube lenovo x1 folding laptop lenovo x1 fold
Lenovo X1 Fold hands-on: A first step toward the next big thing in PCs
Lenovo X1 Fold hands-on: A first step toward the next big thing in PCs
"This is the most innovative thing I've seen all year." That was what my wife said when I demoed the Lenovo X1 Fold and all its tricks and extras. She's a former tech and games journalist, so she's seen a thing or two. She's not one to be taken in by hype.
But that reaction is warranted, especially in a year when most of the big product releases were slight upgrades to existing lines, or in the case of Apple's new Macs, a purely internal chip upgrade deliberately designed to be nearly invisible to the user. This, on the other hand, is a real step in a new direction, combining a kitchen sink full of ideas into a new take on the traditional Windows PC.
The Lenovo X1 Fold feels like an updated version of the laptop-tablet two-in-one hybrid.
Dan Ackerman/CNET
Like the Samsung Galaxy Fold or Motorola Razr, the X1's screen is made of a flexible material that can fold in half. Unlike those phones, the big benefit here is not necessarily access to a larger screen, but the ability to set up and use the X1 Fold in a variety of different ways. It's more like an updated version of the classic laptop-tablet two-in-one hybrid than a Windows version of a folding-screen phone.
I actually saw the X1 Fold for the first time back in May 2019, as an early prototype. Even then, it worked well enough, although in the wake of the original Samsung Fold launch debacle, there was a lot of concern about the longevity of folding-screen devices. I saw it again at CES 2020 in January, along with several other interesting new laptop and PC prototypes. But of those, the X1 Fold is the first to actually go on sale, starting at a hefty $2,499 (or five PS5 consoles).
The Lenovo X1 Fold starts at $2,499.
Dan Ackerman/CNET
Having spent a couple of days with the final retail version of the X1 Fold, I can definitively say a few things about it. It is indeed one of the most interesting new tech products of the year. It's also a first-gen product that only the bravest early adopters will want to buy, especially at that price. The accessories (it's an extra $300 to get the stylus pen and Bluetooth keyboard) are a must-have, especially the keyboard, which -- as with the Microsoft Surface Pro -- is the cleverest part of the whole package.
The system has four basic setups that it can jump between. It starts as a 13-inch OLED-screen Windows tablet, powered by a low-power Intel Core i5-L16G7 CPU. It's limited to 8GB of RAM with either 256GB or 512GB storage options.
The outer shell has a leather cover with a built-in kickstand. Turn the tablet to landscape mode, fold out the kickstand and sit the Bluetooth keyboard in front of it, and you've got a mini desktop PC with a 13-inch screen. It feels like using an iPad with a keyboard, especially now that iPadOS supports touchpads.
Lenovo has added a software overlay to control what happens when the system detects you folding the screen.
Dan Ackerman/CNET
But it's when you fold the screen that things start to get interesting. As Windows has no native support for folding-screen devices, Lenovo had to add a software overlay to control what happens when the system detects you folding the screen. A small pop-up menu asks how you'd like the open windows arranged -- split into the top and bottom halves, or full-screen, taking up the whole display. If you choose to send your active window to the top half of the folded screen, you can now pull up the Windows on-screen keyboard on the bottom half and use it to type. Is typing on an on-screen keyboard ever a fantastic experience? No, and that doesn't change here, but I loved the feel of turning a slate-style tablet into a mini laptop.
But wait a minute. Wasn't there a Bluetooth keyboard involved? Can't I use that instead of the on-screen keyboard? Yes, and that's my favorite part of the X1 Fold so far. The thin keyboard is the perfect size to fit over the bottom half of the screen when it's folded into a clamshell shape. In fact, the keyboard attaches via magnets and inductively charges itself when sitting on top of the screen.
The Bluetooth keyboard is my favorite part of the X1 Fold so far.
Dan Ackerman/CNET
No, it's not like typing on a MacBook Air, but it's a big step up from the on-screen keyboard. It even has a small, finicky touchpad built in. Even better, when you fold the screen all the way down, as if closing the lid of a laptop, the keyboard fits perfectly inside, allowing you to carry it easily.
It's all these little clever touches and engineering feats that make this feel more like a promising first-gen product instead of a not-fully-baked prototype.
Here are a few areas where the X1 Fold feels like it still needs some work:
The stylus has nowhere to live except in an elastic strap on the side of the keyboard.
The keyboard's compact design means a lot of layout compromises. Good luck hitting the semicolon, em dash or question mark without hunting.
Like all folding-screen devices, there's a distinct crease in the middle. It's barely visible when the screen is bright, but you can definitely feel it.
The overall design makes a few compromises, with a thick screen bezel and awkward webcam placement.
In slate mode, I was able to fold it like a half-open book and use the Kindle reader app to get one page on each side of the screen but it required messing around in the app settings and still felt awkward as an ebook reader.
I'm currently benchmarking the Lenovo X1 Fold and will report the results soon in an expanded review. In the meantime, I'm enjoying it as a fun end-of-the-year surprise, and it reminds me of what I used to call a "CEO laptop." Something clever and new, but not entirely practical, that your status-obsessed CEO would see and say, "Somebody get me one of those things!"
Boeing starliner test flight to iss pushed back tooth boeing starliner test flight to iss pushed back boeing starliner test flight to iss pushed meaning boeing starliner test flight to iss menzies boeing starliner test flight delayed boeing starliner test flight boeing starliner test flight
Boeing Starliner test flight to ISS pushed back to 2022
Boeing Starliner test flight to ISS pushed back to 2022
Boeing's Starliner spacecraft continues to have trouble making it to the International Space Station, with its uncrewed Orbital Flight Test-2 to the ISS now getting pushed into next year. The test is part of NASA's Commercial Crew Program, which sees the space agency working with private companies like Boeing and SpaceX to shuttle astronauts to the station.
NASA said Friday that the team behind OFT-2 "is working toward launch opportunities in the first half of 2022." That follows a scrubbed launch this past August. In December 2019, the first major Starliner flight test didn't go as planned, with the uncrewed spacecraft launching but experiencing a timing glitch and failing to reach the ISS. It did, however, safely return to Earth.
The issue now, with OGT-2, has to do with an "oxidizer isolation valve issue on the Starliner service module propulsion system," NASA said Friday in a blog post.
"This is a complex issue involving hazardous commodities and intricate areas of the spacecraft that are not easily accessed. It has taken a methodical approach and sound engineering to effectively examine," Steve Stich, manager of the Commercial Crew Program at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, said in the post.
In addition to trying to achieve NASA's goal of "safe, reliable and cost-effective access to and from the International Space Station and low-Earth orbit," the Commercial Crew Program ties in with the space agency's Artemis and moon to Mars plans. Artemis calls for putting the first woman and next man on the moon sometime soon and eventually setting up sustainable exploration there. Knowledge gained from Artemis will be put to use in getting ready to send astronauts to the red planet.
So far, SpaceX and its Crew Dragon spacecraft have had better luck than Boeing when it comes to the Commercial Crew Program. After some delays of its own, the Elon Musk-founded company completed its Demo-1 uncrewed test mission in 2019 and has since shuttled astronauts to the ISS several times. Earlier this week, NASA said it was reassigning a pair of astronauts from Boeing missions to an upcoming SpaceX mission. In April, NASA announced it had selected SpaceX to provide the human landing system for the Artemis program.
There's a space-tourism angle for SpaceX as well. In June, the company signed a deal to send space tourists to the ISS starting next year (at a reported $55 million price tag per seat). And last month SpaceX took a step in that direction when its Inspiration4 mission sent a crew composed of private citizens orbiting around the Earth.
It's not clear when, exactly, Boeing's Orbital Flight Test-2 will happen.
"Potential launch windows for OFT-2 continue to be assessed by NASA, Boeing, United Launch Alliance, and the Eastern Range," NASA said in its post. "The team currently is working toward opportunities in the first half of 2022 pending hardware readiness, the rocket manifest, and space station availability."
Lil nas x headlines tiktok s new collection of nfts monkey lil nas x headlines tiktok s new collection of nfts crypto lil nas x headlines tiktok s new collection of handbag lil nas x headlines tiktok s new collection of universal furniture lil nas x headlines tiktok shop lil nas x headlines tiktok studio lil nas x headlines tiktok share lil nas x headlines tiktok saver lil nas x headlines tiktok for pc lil nas x headlines salon lil nas x boyfriend lil nas x industry baby
Lil Nas X headlines TikTok's new collection of NFTs
Lil Nas X headlines TikTok's new collection of NFTs
TikTok is jumping into the world of NFTs, with a new collection of biddable moments inspired by the trending videos produced by top artists on the platform, including Lil Nas X, the company said on Thursday.
"Building on our commitment to helping creators achieve their goals in the growing creator economy, TikTok NFTs provide a way for creators to be recognized and rewarded for their content, and for fans to own a culturally-significant moment on TikTok," the ByteDance-owned company said in a statement.
TikTok
Short for nonfungible tokens, NFTs offer a blockchain-created certificate of authenticity for a digital asset or piece of art. After recently bursting onto the scene, NFTs for everything from video clips to tweets to pieces of music to memes have triggered bidding wars, and they've attracted attention from corporate entities, too, including Visa and Nike. Now TikTok wants in.
The video-sharing app, which now says it has more than 1 billion users each month, adds that proceeds from the NFT sales will "largely go directly to the creators and NFT artists involved."
Along with Lil Nas X, other artists offering NFTs at launch include Rudy Willingham, Bella Poarch, Curtis Roach, Brittany Broski, FNMeka, Jess Marciante and Gary Vaynerchuk. The first NFT auction goes live Oct. 6, with additional weekly releases planned through the end of the month.
Huawei mate 30 pro review huawei mate 30 pro amazon huawei mate 30 pro specs huawei mate 30 pro photography huawei mate 30 huawei mate 30 pro huawei mate 30 pro 5g
Huawei Mate 30 Pro review: Sublime camera, disastrous software
Huawei Mate 30 Pro review: Sublime camera, disastrous software
Huawei started 2019 strong with the excellent P30 Pro phone, but things went downhill from there. Due to concerns that its equipment could be used to spy on the US and other companies, the Chinese tech giant has been banned from using technology from US companies. As a result, it can't license Google Mobile Services. The Mate 30 Pro, its latest flagship, has no Google Play Store, and no apps like Google Maps, Gmail and YouTube.
It has the striking appearance of a futuristic slab of aluminum and glass, but I knew I was in for a rough ride just moments after booting up the Mate 30 Pro. Entering the AppGallery, Huawei's version of the Google Play Store, I was encouraged to download some of its most popular apps: Weibo, WeChat and the China Drama Channel. It quickly became clear that Huawei doesn't have much to offer its non-Chinese customers.
One question has enshrouded the Mate 30 Pro since Huawei's tech ban: Can Huawei, a huge, powerful company with deep resources, find a way to neutralize the loss of Google?
The answer, unfortunately, is no.
The Mate 30 Pro is an exceptional piece of hardware. Its quad-camera setup shoots outstanding photos (sometimes better than the iPhone 11 Pro) a dazzling 6.53-inch waterfall display is the centerpiece of an inspired design, and its 4,500-mAh battery goes and goes and goes. But the fiasco that is Android without full Google support makes it impossible to recommend.
Even more galling is the Mate 30 Pro's price. The phone starts at AU$1,599 in Australia, which converts to $1,100 or £830. (No availability has been announced for either the US or UK.) Yes, it's a premium phone and premium parts ain't cheap. But as a proposition to you, the buyer, that much money for a partially functioning phone is preposterous.
Huawei tries Android without all of Google
Since Android 10 itself is open-source, the Mate 30 Pro still runs Google's most recent operating system fine. But since Google Mobile Services requires a license, Huawei has no access to the Google Play Store or any of Google's apps.
Instead, you'll use Huawei's AppGallery, which the company says has over 45,000 apps. That sounds like a lot, but I could count the useful apps in the AppGallery on one hand.
There's no Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, Netflix, Disney Plus or Reddit. You won't find Google apps, like Gmail, Maps or YouTube. (You can log into Gmail through Huawei's native email app, though.) Even if you do install Google apps by downloading their APKs -- the Android equivalent of Windows' .exe files -- they won't work without authentication from Google Mobile Services. Uber doesn't work either, since the ride-sharing app runs Google Maps. Losing Google's suite of apps is devastating; losing almost every useful app in the Google Play Store is debilitating.
Huawei's AppGallery has over 45,000 apps. You'll find few of them useful.
Ian Knighton/CNET
Of all the apps I download onto every new phone, only one was available: Spotify. When I tried to find Spotify in the AppGallery a week later, however, it appeared to have been pulled. TikTok (which is owned by Chinese company Bytedance) was available at first, then disappeared and then appeared again.
To get around the software obstructions I downloaded APKs from assorted websites. It was a dodgy process, and worked inconsistently. Some apps ran fine, others crashed after a few moments and others still didn't work at all.
It was a total mess.
Huawei Mate 30 Pro's camera credentials
If Huawei phones have been known for one thing, it's cameras. Huawei beat competitors to the punch with dual-lens cameras (P9), a dedicated Night Mode (P20 Pro) and 5x optical zoom (P30 Pro). Photography is undoubtedly the Mate 30 Pro's greatest strength.
The phone has a fantastic quad-camera setup. The main shooter has 40 megapixels. Then there's an 8-megapixel telephoto lens, which has a 3x optical zoom and 30x digital zoom; a 40-megapixel ultrawide-angle lens; and there's a 3D "time-of-flight" sensor that helps with depth perception.
The Mate 30 Pro has less zoom capability than Huawei's current flagship the P30 Pro, which has 5x optical and 50x digital. But it has a bigger, better ultrawide-angle sensor over the P30 Pro. This is a worthwhile trade, because I find ultrawide-angle capability much more useful than better zoom functionality.
Some Portrait shots give the subject brushed, lightened skin.
Daniel Van Boom/CNET
Others work better.
Daniel Van Boom/CNET
The Mate 30 Pro's quad-camera setup generally captures crisp, vibrant shots.
Daniel Van Boom/CNET
See that fountain all the way in the back?
Daniel Van Boom/CNET
Here it is, shot with 30x zoom.
Daniel Van Boom/CNET
Photography isn't perfect. Thanks to heavy software processing, skin can look artificially brushed in Portrait shots. This processing also makes Night Mode superfluous: Low-light shots capture an impressive amount of light, and toggling on Night Mode often results in overkill. I didn't have the option to shoot a dark photo even when I wanted to because the scene is brightened with software by default.
But despite these issues, the Mate 30 Pro has one of the best camera setups on any Android phone. Photos generally look spectacular, with rich color and crisp detail.
And Huawei packed in another innovative trick, but this time for the video camera. The Mate 30 Pro features stupefying slow-motion capabilities. There are four options: 4x, 8x, 32x, 64x and an astonishing 256x. That 256x option uses AI software to slow things down to 7,680 frames per second.
Slow-motion cameras need more light, so you'll need a reasonably bright environment to take advantage of ultra-slow-mo. And since 256x slow motion makes 25 seconds out of one-tenth of a second, you'll need good timing to shoot the split second you want in slow-mo. But I found the feature super fun to play around with. It makes something as little as a water splash look spectacular.
Good parts, bad phone
In regards to hardware, the Mate 30 Pro is luxurious in every aspect.
Its 6.53-inch, 2,400x1,176x-pixel screen is beautiful, bright and crisp. Its OLED screen is a waterfall display, meaning it wraps around the side of the phone all the way to the aluminum back. Videos and browsing were a joy, and the glass body felt more luxe to hold than aluminum. The downside is that there are no volume buttons, so I had to tap the side of the display to activate an on-screen volume slider instead. This generally works OK, but makes quick volume changes more cumbersome than they need be.
Powered by Huawei's own Kirin 990 processor and 8GB of RAM, the Android heavyweight felt silky smooth to use. But where the Mate 30 Pro really shines is battery life. Running it through CNET's battery test -- turning the phone on Airplane mode and looping an HD video -- it lasted 24 hours, 12 minutes. That's crazy.
The best phone you shouldn't buy.
Ian Knighton/CNET
I wish I could say that the Kirin 990 CPU also scored well on Geekbench 5, a benchmark we run to test a processor's efficiency. Saying it performed well would be a safe bet but, after downloading the APK for Geekbench 5 from four different sites, the app never worked. I could try searching for more Geekbench APKs, but I think this anecdote is an apt encapsulation of the Huawei Mate 30 Pro.
It's a beautiful device with powerful parts and a sublime camera. But its software situation is a disaster. Don't buy this phone.
Originally published Dec. 17. Update, Dec. 28: Adds video review, comparison to iPhone 11 Pro camera.
Huawei Mate 30 Pro
Huawei Mate 30 Pro
Google Pixel 4 XL
Samsung Galaxy Note 10
OnePlus 7T
iPhone 11 Pro
Display size, resolution
6.53-inch OLED
6.3-inch OLED
6.3-inch AMOLED; 2,280x1,080 pixels
6.55-inch AMOLED; 2,400x1,080-pixels
5.8-inch OLED Super Retina XDR; 2,436x1,125 pixels
India s ratan tata takes slice of phone maker xiaomi cloud india s ratan tata takes slice of phone maker xiaomi poco india s ratan tata takes slice pizza india s ratan tata age india s ratan tata donation india s ratan tata india s ratanga india sweets and spices
India's Ratan Tata takes slice of phone maker Xiaomi
India's Ratan Tata takes slice of phone maker Xiaomi
Xiaomi CEO says the investment from Ratan Tata (above) "is an affirmation of the strategy we have undertaken in India so far." Harold Cunningham/Getty Images
One of the most prominent businesspeople in India now owns a small stake in one of the hottest smartphone makers in the world.
Ratan Tata, chairman emeritus of Tata Sons, the holding company for India-based conglomerate Tata Group, has made an investment in Xiaomi, the China-based handset maker announced Monday. Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but Xiaomi closed a $1.1 billion funding round in December at a $45 billion valuation. Given the valuation, it's unlikely that Tata's investment was sizable enough to give him a large equity stake in the company.
"Xiaomi is one of the fastest-growing companies in the world," Ratan Tata said in a statement. "It has brought its innovative business model and high-quality products to India with huge success."
His investment could be more important from a public relations perspective than from a cash perspective. Indeed, Xiaomi founder and CEO Lei Jun eschewed all mention of what the company would do with the cash, saying instead that Tata's investment "is an affirmation of the strategy we have undertaken in India so far."
Last week, Xiaomi unveiled a flagship smartphone for India, called the Mi 4i. The device, which comes with a 5-inch screen and octa-core processor, is widely viewed as a key first step in Xiaomi's self-professed plan to become the most dominant smartphone maker in the emerging India market. At the end of the fourth quarter, Xiaomi was ranked the fifth-largest smartphone maker in India. Samsung was tops.
The Tata name carries significant weight in India, and having Ratan Tata on Xiaomi's side could help the company and its smartphone gain more traction in the country.
Tata Group, which had $103.3 billion in revenue last year, is a massive conglomerate. The company, which has over 581,000 employees, competes in a range of industries, including communications, technology, engineering, steel and chemicals. It's one of the most well-known companies in India and a prominent player in several industries globally.
India is a crucial country for nearly all handset makers. It has a fast-growing middle class and is adopting technology at a rapid rate. With the potential to target hundreds of millions of people, India represents a massive opportunity for all companies, including those like Xiaomi that have been successful in emerging markets where there is an appetite for higher-end devices priced at a level that budget-conscious shoppers would find appealing.
Even before the Tata announcement was made, Xiaomi attracted customers to its Mi 4i. Xiaomi said in a statement Monday that over 225,000 India customers have registered to buy the Mi 4i. The device launched last week, but due to excessive demand for its products, Xiaomi often uses a registration model to provide customers products on a first-come, first-serve basis.
Whatever the company is doing, it's working. Xiaomi said in January that its pre-tax sales in 2014 topped 74.3 billion yuan ($12.1 billion), up 135 percent from 2013. Xiaomi sold 61 million handsets in 2014, an increase of 227 percent compared to the prior year. Xiaomi is now the third-largest smartphone maker in the world behind Apple and Samsung, despite only selling to a relatively small number of markets, including China, Indonesia and India.
