Dude, you’re getting a call from Dell
Right or wrong, Dell once had a reputation for some terrible customer service. But to its credit, the company seems to be showing some self-awareness. After making some recent improvements to its support for business customers, Dell is extending some of the same privileges to consumers as well. With a new support plan, appropriately named Premium Support, people can install a “SupportAssist” app that detects any problems with their PC. Then, Dell will call or email you, if you don’t get to them first. All told, Dell says it should take the support team no more than two hours to get in touch. If you’re feeling impatient, though, you can still call yourself, in which case you have access to a dedicated technical support line (you know, separate from what the plebes use). Either way, the service includes support not just hardware problems, but third-party software too, which not all PC warranties cover.
Premium Support is available in US and Canada for now, and starts at $39 a year for Dell’s entry-level Inspiron PCs. And it applies not just to new machines, but systems you already bought. It’s important to note, though, that prices will vary for the company’s XPS, Alienware, Venue and Chromebook lines. Dell’s logic: higher-end machines like XPS and Alienware will be pricier to repair. Fair enough?
The first products that support Apple’s HomeKit have arrived
A year after Apple first announced HomeKit, you can finally buy products based on the standard from Lutron and Insteon. Other manufacturers have also revealed new products coming soon: Elgato has sensors that can detect inputs like air pressure and energy consumption, Ecobee launched a smart thermostat and iHome unveiled a smart power outlet. Apple originally promised that HomeKit devices would be able talk to each other, and of course, you can control the whole works via your iPhone, iPad or Watch. Voice control, meanwhile, is done via Siri.
Lutron’s Caséta Wireless Smart Bridge will let users control lights, shades and other devices in specific rooms by barking commands at Siri or using a Watch or an iOS app. You can also set up geofencing so that lights flick on in a room as soon as you enter it, control them remotely (or program them) to come on while you’re away to discourage thieves. The Wireless Lighting Starter Kit is available today for $230, and you can add remote dimmer kits for $60.
Insteon is offering a bit broader solution with a full-on smart home hub that can control its current family of products (pricing is yet to come). Those include cameras, alarms, smart bulbs and other products that work across WiFi and RF standards. Elgato, meanwhile, brings its range of Eve sensors (above) that can detect temperature, humidity, energy use, motion and even weather quality. If you’re looking for a smart thermostat, Ecobee has you covered there with its $249 Ecobee3 model that’s coming in July.
It’s a modest start, and new as the products are, it remains to be seen if everything works as smoothly as Apple promised. It’s also likely we’ll hear more news soon (and possibly see more products), as it’s rumored that Apple will be revealing more HomeKit news during its WWDC developer’s conference next week.
Filed under: Home Entertainment, Household, Apple
Source: Lutron
Nintendo’s next console won’t run Android after all
Aside from its codename, we know little about Nintendo’s in-development “NX” console. Yesterday, however, Japanese publication Nikkei claimed to have hit upon a particularly juicy detail about the next-gen gaming system, with its sources stating the NX will run some form of Google’s Android OS. The rumor wasn’t exactly far-fetched, given Nintendo’s plans to get into mobile games this year; but alas, it appears to have been a blast of hot air. Today, a Nintendo spokesperson’s commented on the hearsay — or rather, shot it down in flames — declaring “There is no truth to the report saying that we are planning to adopt Android for NX.” Denials don’t get much clearer than that, but hopefully whatever platform Nintendo’s outfitting the NX with will be less Wii U, more 200cc.
Filed under: Gaming, Software, HD, Google
Source: Wall Street Journal
Diving into M: Android M will let devs use dark icons on a light status bar
As we all dive into Android M, we’re learning about new features all the time and a post over on Google+ suggests that we could see icons in the status bar flip from white to dark depending on the app and the color of the app’s status bar.
As noted by Droid-Life, a developer can turn on “android:windowLightStatusBar” in the theme of their app and the system will switch to a dark foreground. On certain devices and in certain apps, we’ve already seen that white status bar icons barely show up on a light background and as long as app developers enable this feature, it could solve this ongoing problem.
At present, the preview of Android M has a bug which means that this will only change the status icons to dark, leaving notifications in white but this is likely due to the preview nature of Android M and should be fixed before the release of the platform later this year.
Android M in video:
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For more on Google’s latest OS, head over to our Diving Into M section, check out our first look at Android M and look at the links below:
- Watch the full Google I/O keynote
- A look at the new Google Photos app
- Announcement roundup: all the big news in one place
- Android M developers preview images
- Android M: everything you need to know
Let us know your thoughts!
Disconnect.Me files antitrust case against Google for banned app
Google is already facing a legal battle in Europe to determine if it has been abusing its dominant market position, and now Disconnect Inc. is piling on the pressure with its own a case against the technology giant, claiming that the company abused its position when it banned its app.
The Disconnect Android app aimed to block ads and third party tracking software, along with any potential injections of malware. It was banned from the Google Play Store for breaching Google’s terms and conditions.
“Disconnect charges Google with abusing its dominant market position by banning Disconnect’s app, a revolutionary technology that protects users from invisible tracking and malvertising, malware served through advertisements,” – Disconnect.Me
Specifically, Google points to clause 4.4 of its Google Play policy, which prohibits apps on the store from interfering with other apps, either by altering their functionality or by removing their way of making money. By removing ads, Disconnect could be used to deprive developers of revenue. Given that the freemium app segment continues to grow at a strong pace, Google and app developers are clearly interested in preserving their revenue streams.
“Our Google Play policies (specifically clause 4.4) have long prohibited apps that interfere with other apps. We apply this policy uniformly — and Android developers strongly support it. All apps must comply with these policies and there’s over 200 privacy apps available in Google Play that do.” – Google
The case becomes a little more complicated though, as Disconnect claims that it’s not trying to disable all ads, but is offering users the option to protect themselves from invisible tracking and malware, stating that advertising doesn’t have to violate user privacy and security to be successful. The company has referenced several article on the subject of privacy and ads in the past, but clearly hasn’t persuaded Google of the case.
Google had previously blocked the app two times in the past year, leaving the developers to offer the app as a side-loadable apk. The company has filed the lawsuit with Google in pursuit of “equal treatment” so that all Android users can access its app. It is also not clear exactly what compensation the company is after as well, if anyway.
The choice to file a complaint in Europe, rather than say in the US, is most likely to capitalize on the growing legal hostility towards the tech giant in Europe. Disconnect’s case could also be merged with other anti-trust complains on the continent.
Where do you stand on the issue of privacy and ads?
Microsoft buys another popular Android app, Wunderlist – report
Microsoft looks set to continue its quest to own your productivity change with the acquisition of 6Wunderkinder, the developers behind the very popular Wunderlist to-do application. According to the Wall Street Journal, the deal is worth between $100 and $200 million and would increase Microsoft’s standing in the mobile productivity world.
The real question is what Microsoft intends to do with its new acquisition, which has between 5 and 10 million installs on Google Play and a rating of 4.4 out of 5 from over 180,000 ratings. The company could take the approach it did with its acquisition of Acompli, which was rebranded to Outlook for Android and iOS and released as part of the free Microsoft Office suite.
Another of Microsoft’s recent acquisitions – the New York-based startup behind the Sunrise mobile calendar application – has not yet been integrated with the company’s mobile apps and the WSJ state a person familiar to the deal suggests that the three acquisitions will become part of an integration of Microsoft’s productivity tools, with an emphasis on mobile applications.
The acquisition of Wunderlist – along with Acompli and Sunrise – suggests that Microsoft’s future is very much in mobile applications. The question remains however, whether Microsoft plan to bring the Wunderlist features to its desktop suite of applications as part of Windows 10 at a later date.
Microsoft WiFi could be another reason to get Office 365
Although Microsoft already offers millions of WiFi access points around the world through Skype, it appears the company has bigger plans for its wireless internet service. If a new (barebones) website is to be believed, the Skype branding could be dropped in favor of a new platform called Microsoft WiFi. According to the site, the service will increase the number of hotspots from around 2 million to 10 million and make them available to Office 365 Enterprise subscribers and those who have bought a Surface 2 or Microsoft’s Work & Play Bundle.
Although the website has yet to officially launch, Microsoft has already provided an interactive map detailing where million of its access points are located. Boingo, Xfinity WiFi and Gowex hotspots are prominent in the US, while access points from BT and The Cloud are available in the UK. There’s no word on how you pay for Microsoft WiFi, or whether you need to given that Skype minutes are already included in other Office 365 packages, but the company is continuing to take a multi-platform approach with its apps. It’ll support Windows, Mac, Android and iOS, automatically connecting you to a pre-vetted WiFi hotspot when you’re in range, regardless of who operates it.
Filed under: Internet, Software, Microsoft
Source: Microsoft WiFi
These smart earbuds are volume knobs for the real world
Your choices for filtering the sounds around you are typically quite limited: you either have to drown it out (such as through earplugs or headphones) or let all the annoyances in. Doppler Labs might soon have a way to be more selective, though. Its crowdfunded Here Active Listening earbuds are meant solely to control what you hear in the real world. You not only decide how much gets through, but how it gets through. There’s an equalizer if you want to tweak certain sound frequencies (toning down the bass at a badly-mixed concert, for example), and there are preset filters designed to tune out common noises or add effects. Want to silence the background hum of your office without completely shutting out your coworkers? You probably can.
This kind of control won’t come cheap or quickly. Doppler is asking for at least a $179 pledge (normally $199) to get a pair of Here buds, and you’ll have to wait until December to wear it. And don’t forget that these earbuds aren’t meant for your own music — you’ll need to switch to more conventional audio gear if you’re up for some private listening. If you’ve ever had to endure a screaming baby on a long-haul flight, however, that potential for peace and quiet might justify the cost.
Filed under: Wearables
Source: Kickstarter
Next for Qualcomm: faster Wi-Fi and a gateway to cheap tablets
Computex is the perfect sort of tech convention for a chip giant like Qualcomm. It’s all about companies showing off their wares so that other companies will actually want to buy them. And this year, Qualcomm made two major announcements that should intrigue plenty of potential customers: Advancements in MU-MIMO (multi-user multiple input/multiple output) technology, which aims to make our 802.11ac Wi-Fi speeds more efficient and ultimately faster, as well as a partnership with AllWinner, a Chinese firm that designs low-cost mobile chips.
MU-MIMO and you
As much as we all rely on Wi-Fi these days, even fairly modern wireless tech can be absurdly inefficient, especially when you’ve got multiple devices using a single access point. That’s something the wireless industry aims to solve with MU-MIMO, an upgraded version of the MIMO standard (which brought us faster Wi-Fi speeds years ago). As we move towards bandwidth-heavy applications like 4K video streaming, it’ll be particularly important to make sure your network is making the most of its bandwidth.
Qualcomm was the first company to launch products using MU-MIMO over a year ago, but those were mainly focused on commercial access points. Now the company is broadening support for consumer routers with its new QCA9984 chip, as well as enterprise access points with the QCA9994. Both offer four simultaneous wireless streams (think of them as adding more lanes to your router’s highway of Wi-Fi traffic), up from just three streams from last year’s parts. They can also hop between wireless channels to take advantage of all the wireless spectrum in your home, and they support wider 160MHz 802.11ac channels (even if they’re not right next to each other).
If you don’t care about the nitty gritty of how MU-MIMO works, you just need to understand this: Your Wi-Fi is about to get a lot better – and just in the knick of time. Qualcomm’s been seeding the technology in its Wi-Fi chips for the past year. If you’ve got a new Android phone or PC running a Qualcomm chipset, you’ll be ready to take advantage of all MU-MIMO has to offer when you upgrade to an 802.11ac router using Qualcomm’s tech. The company expects to have customers using its new MU-MIMO chips in products by the end of the year.
“We’re now in a kind of ramp-up place, we’ve delivered and are shipping [MU-MIMO] products,” Todd Antes, vice president of product management at Qualcomm Atheros, told us. “Now we’re in the phase of seeing OEMS launch products. We’re hoping by 2016 this becomes a standard feature in 802.11ac clients and access points.”
AllWinner for the win
You’ve probably never heard of AllWinner, but it’s quickly earned a name for itself in China with its inexpensive chip designs, which helped to kick off the rush of white-label tablets. Those are tablets that get licensed by other companies and sold for cheap all over the world (you can find a few Walmart). But while they’re not the sexiest devices around, the white-label tablet market is growing fast and it likely won’t slow down anytime soon. So it makes perfect sense for Qualcomm to team up with AllWinner and take advantage of their access with that market.
“I think both of us bring a very unique capability to the partnership,” said Seshu Madhavapeddy, vice president of mobile product management at Qualcomm. “You can basically credit [AllWinner] for creating the white-label tablet market in China, and we bring capability in connected chipsets, whether it’s 3G or 4G. We brainstormed with AllWinner and figured the best way to bring our technology to bear in that market is to partner with them.”
The partnership will see AllWinner offer Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 410 and 210 chip designs to customers building LTE-enabled tablets. While AllWinner has chip designs of its own, it doesn’t have any that integrate LTE radios, which is basically Qualcomm’s specialty. Qualcomm was quick to point out it’s not investing in AllWinner, rather the two companies will simply benefit from each other’s strengths. The partnership is similar to the one Intel recently struck with RockChip to get into China’s cheap tablet market. So, in a sense, Qualcomm also had to find a partner or risk losing out.
One potential problem for Qualcomm is that the white-label tablet market isn’t exactly known for well-made wares. But the company thinks it can help fix that. “I think that the white-label market in China is making huge strides in improving quality, as well as in their engineering innovation capability,” Madhavapeddy said. “So what might have been true last year is not going to be true this year. And we think as Qualcomm we’ll bring a high level of innovation to this market.”
Intel Announces Thunderbolt 3 With USB-C, Single-Cable Support for Dual 4K Displays at 60Hz
Intel today at Computex 2015 unveiled Thunderbolt 3 with a USB Type-C connector, instead of Mini DisplayPort, and support for USB 3.1, DisplayPort 1.2, PCI Express 3.0, as outlined by Ars Technica. The new spec’s Thunderbolt transport layer provides up to 40Gbps throughput, double the max bandwidth of Thunderbolt 2, alongside an optional 100 watts of power for charging devices in accordance with the USB Power Delivery spec, or 15 watts of power without USB PD.
“Thunderbolt 3 is backed by Intel’s new Alpine Ridge controller. USB 3.1 support is provided by integrating a USB 3.1 host controller into Alpine Ridge. There will be two flavours of the controller, one that uses four PCIe 3.0 lanes to drive two Thunderbolt ports, and another version that only uses two PCIe lanes connected to a single Thunderbolt port.”
Thunderbolt 3 is capable of driving up to two 4K external displays at 60Hz or a single 5K display at 60Hz running off a single cable. Dell and other manufacturers currently use a dual-cable solution for most 4K and 5K external displays, since the current DisplayPort/Thunderbolt spec does not provide enough bandwidth to drive the high-resolution monitors. Thunderbolt 3 also supports more protocols than any other I/O controller, making it compatible with virtually any dock, device or display.
Intel expects initial products with Thunderbolt 3 to start shipping before the end of this year, and ramp up in 2016. Thunderbolt 3 is rumored to launch alongside Intel’s next-generation Skylake chips, succeeding the Broadwell line, later this year, and the new spec could theoretically be included in a Skylake-based MacBook Pro released in late 2015.
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