Germany scales back its spying while other nations want more
The UK and other countries might be pushing for greater spying powers than they’ve ever had before, but don’t tell that to Germany — it’s doing just the opposite. The country hopes to ban its intelligence agency, the BND, from indiscriminately spying on European Union citizens or organizations. Effectively, it’ll give the EU the same privacy rights as it would offer people within its own borders. The proposed law will limit digital snooping and wiretaps to extreme situations, such as when there are suspicions of terrorism, organized crime or broken arms embargoes. It also explicitly forbids spying on allies’ institutions (ahem, NSA) and economic espionage.
Via: Ars Technica
Source: Inforadio (translated)
T-Mobile adds Music Unlimited, Data Maximizer features to MetroPCS plans
T-Mobile has kicked the week off by giving its MetroPCS prepaid brand a handful of new features. Much like it does for its tier-one services, the MetroPCS arm will give customers the ability to stream music without impacting the data plans.
Starting Thursday, November 19, the Music Unlimited feature will let subscribers stream all the music like from any of 33 music streaming services without touching the data pool. Among the services are Pandora, Spotify, Google Play Music, iHeartRadio and Apple Music.
Moreover, the Data Maximizer options lets users watch considerably more video (up to three times as much) without worrying about data. Similar to the recently announced BingeOn stuff for T-Mobile, this is a proprietary system that optimizes video to run at 480p (DVD quality).
In addition to gaining new goodies, the MetroPCS rate plans are getting a shakeup, too. Family plans of two or more lines will have the following options:
- $25 / month – Unlimited talk, text & data with 1GB of 4G LTE data for each line, with Data Maximizer
- $35 / month – Unlimited talk, text & data with 3GB of 4G LTE data for each line (up from 2GB), now with Music Unlimited, Data Maximizer
- $45 / month – Unlimited talk, text & data with 5GB of 4G LTE data for each line (up from 4GB), now with Music Unlimited, Data Maximizer
- $55 / month – Unlimited talk, text and 4G LTE data on your smartphone + 8GB of Mobile Hotspot tethering for each line (up from 6GB), now with Music Unlimited, Data Maximizer
Single line plans will be nearly identical to the above, however they’ll run $5 more per month.
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LG’s Lucky LG16 smartphone costs less than $10 at Walmart
What would you regard as a cheap smartphone? It all depends on your circumstances, some would consider the Moto G 2015 to be a cheap handset, whilst others would be looking at a price in double figures as a good start. What about under $10? You may think its crazy, but LG’s TracFone Lucky LG16 costs just $9.82 from Walmart. Really. And if that isn’t enough of a bargain for you, shipping is included free of charge.
For under ten bucks, you aren’t going to get a whole load of bells and whistles, but you do get full access to Google’s Play Store. Let’s take a look at what the TracFone Lucky LG16 brings to the table.
Specifications:
- Android 4.4 KitKat
- 3.8-Inch TFT display (320 x 480 resolution)
- Qualcomm Snapdragon 200 Dual-core processor @ 1.2GHz
- 512MB RAM
- 4GB Internal storage
- MicroSD card support (up to 32GB)
- 3MP Rear camera
- 3G network
- Bluetooth 4.0 / WiFi
- 1,540mAh battery
It’s just $9.82 off-contract, which includes shipping. As a throwaway or emergency backup handset, it’s going to be tough finding something as cheap and with as much functionality as the TracFone Lucky LG16. It’s sold out for the moment, but you can sign up for stock alerts on the Walmart website.
Source: Walmart
Via: MotherBoard
Come comment on this article: LG’s Lucky LG16 smartphone costs less than $10 at Walmart
Tim Cook Says Apple Won’t Create ‘Converged’ Mac and iPad
While the iPad Pro further bridges the gap between iOS and OS X, and notebooks and tablets as a whole, Apple CEO Tim Cook recently told the Irish Independent that Apple is not interested in creating a “converged Mac and iPad.”
“We feel strongly that customers are not really looking for a converged Mac and iPad,” said Cook. “Because what that would wind up doing, or what we’re worried would happen, is that neither experience would be as good as the customer wants. So we want to make the best tablet in the world and the best Mac in the world. And putting those two together would not achieve either. You’d begin to compromise in different ways.”
Instead, Cook said Apple wants to create the best possible Mac and iPad, suggesting that both products have a strong future. The chief executive is “bullish” about the reverse of declining iPad sales in recent quarters.
“It’s true that the difference between the X86 [personal computer] and the A-series [Apple iPad architecture] is much less than it’s ever been,” says Cook. “That said, what we’ve tried to do is to recognize that people use both iOS and Mac devices. So we’ve taken certain features and made them more seamless across the devices. So with things like Handoff we just made it really simple to work on one of our products and pick it up and work on the next product.”
Last week, Cook rhetorically questioned why anyone would buy a PC anymore — excluding the Mac, which he says is not the “same” — and said the iPad Pro will serve as a replacement for a notebook or desktop computer for “many, many people.”
“I think if you’re looking at a PC, why would you buy a PC anymore? No really, why would you buy one?” […]
“Yes, the iPad Pro is a replacement for a notebook or a desktop for many, many people. They will start using it and conclude they no longer need to use anything else, other than their phones.”
Many early iPad Pro reviews described the tablet as a powerful creative canvas, but not quite a true PC replacement. Benchmarks found the iPad Pro delivers MacBook Air-class CPU performance and MacBook Pro-class GPU performance.
MacStories editor Federico Viticci, as someone who uses iOS as his main computing platform, felt otherwise. “I don’t see myself using a Mac as my primary computer ever again,” he wrote in his iPad Pro review.
Cook also provided a non-comment about Apple’s rumored electric vehicle plans, emphasizing “a need for a focus on user interface.”
“I don’t have anything to announce about our plans,” he says. “But I think there’s some significant changes in the automobile industry over the next several years with electrification and autonomous driving. And there’s a need for a focus on user interface. And so I think there’s a lot of changes that will go on there.”
Follow our iPad Pro and Apple Car roundups for the latest news about each topic.
Tags: Tim Cook, Mac
Buyer’s Guide: iPad Pro (Buy Now)
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Withings Adds to Activity Tracker Lineup With New Activité Steel
Adding to its lineup of Activité-branded watch-style activity trackers, Withings today announced the Activité Steel. The Activité Steel is designed to fit in between the expensive original Activité and the more affordable Activité Pop.
Like the other Activité activity trackers, the Activité Steel is designed to look more like a traditional wrist watch than a fitness device. It features a stainless steel case, chrome hands, and a sub-dial that was inspired by a tachymeter. According to Withings, the Activité Steel was designed to have a “distinctive masculine feel.”
“While the tracker market is booming we see growing demand from health conscious people who are not willing to compromise their style,” says Cédric Hutchings, CEO of Withings. “Steel is the perfect Christmas gift for those demanding trendsetters.”
The Activité Steel keeps track of steps taken, showing progress towards a daily goal on the small sub-dial on the watch face. It is also able to automatically detect several activities, including running and swimming, and at night, it’s able to monitor sleep length and quality.
There’s a standard watch battery inside so there’s no need to charge the Activité Steel, but the battery will need to be replaced approximately every eight months. As it does not charge, the Activité Steel is water-resistant up to 50 meters like the other two Activité watches.
All of the information gathered by the Activité Steel can be viewed in the accompanying Withings Health Mate application, which lets users insert activity goals, keep track of food consumed, and interact with friends to reach fitness goals.
The Activité Steel, initially available in classic black, can be ordered from the Withings website for $169.95.
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New 4-Inch iPhone Again Predicted to Launch in 2016
IHS Technology research director Kevin Wang, who previously said a new 4-inch iPhone would launch by the end of 2015, has now changed his prediction to mid 2016 on Chinese microblogging service Sina Weibo (via GforGames), corroborating information shared by reliable KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.
Wang did not provide any new details about Apple’s oft-rumored 4-inch iPhone, beyond confirming the smaller screen size, but Kuo recently said the device will “resemble an upgraded iPhone 5s,” including a metal design with an A9 processor, and launch in the first quarter of 2016.
As there is still demand for a 4-inch iPhone, we believe Apple will upgrade this product line. Because the iPhone 5s is more popular than the iPhone 5c, we think Apple is likely to launch an upgraded iPhone 5s. We predict Apple will mass-produce this new 4-inch iPhone in 1H16 with metal casings. In order to make the current iOS 9 or next-generation iOS 10 run smoothly, Apple may adopt an A9 chip for this new phone.
Kuo believes the so-called “iPhone 6c” will not feature 3D Touch to differentiate it from Apple’s flagship iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus. Foxconn is expected to be the primary manufacturer of the 4-inch smartphone, with 20-30 million shipments projected through the end of 2016.
Given his recent track record, Wang’s new prediction should be treated with a proverbial grain of salt, but it does corroborate multiple rumors suggesting Apple will release a new 4-inch smartphone in 2016. The so-called “iPhone 6c” was originally rumored to launch in 2015, but those plans were reportedly scrapped.
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OnePlus One and OnePlus 2 will get Marshmallow in Q1 2015
OnePlus announced on its forums a rough timeline for the Marshmallow update for its three smartphones.
The original OnePlus One will receive its serving of Marshmallows sometime in Q1 2016, via Cyanogen Inc. Despite the public breakup between OnePlus and Cyanogen, Steve Kondik’s company continues to support the OnePlus One with updates, as per its original commitment.
Kondik recently revealed that Cyanogen targets a release for CyanogenMod 13 (based on Android 6.0) by Christmas. However, this tentative ETA refers to CyanogenMod, the community project, while the commercial Cyanogen OS 13 will only follow suit in 2016.
Concerning its semi-official Oxygen OS build for the OnePlus One, OnePlus said it will offer an update “when the time allows.”
See also: Android 6.0 Marshmallow updates roundup – November 12, 2015
Moving on to this year’s devices, founder Carl Pei said that the OnePlus 2 will get a Marshmallow-based build of Oxygen OS in Q1 2016. Pei specified that the update won’t bring a custom fingerprint API, as some users have requested; instead, the firmware will make use of Google’s standard fingerprint sensor API, which is built into Marshmallow.
As for the new OnePlus X, OnePlus is not ready to offer any information at this point.
OnePlus – like other Android OEMs – found itself in an embarrassing situation early this year, when it failed to deliver on its promise to bring Lollipop to the OnePlus One within 90 days of its official launch. This time around, Carl Pei and the team seem to be taking a cautious approach, which can’t hurt the young company, by Pei’s own admission.
US customers can pay 20 times more for their data plans than those in the EU
It’s no secret that some US customers spend a small fortune on mobile call and data plans, and with a new world of digital music and video content out there, big data bundles are becoming a way of life. However, the difference in price between the US and the EU turns out to be quite staggering. According to data collected by the International Telecommunications Union, the difference can be up to twenty times more expensive.
In the UK, France, and Sweden, unlimited data packages can be found for as little as £27 ($41), which is quite reasonable. The US has seen some price cuts, with unlimited call and data packages dropping from $180 to $80 a month at one operator, but that is at the very least double the price. At its most extreme, around 50 gigabytes of data, unlimited texts and international calls can be found in France for as little as €20 (€21.50) per month, while an equivalent plan the US can cost as much as $390.
See also: No more roaming fees in Europe from mid-2017
The reason for the huge gap is said to quite simply be one of competition. The cheapest and most diverse mobile markets in the EU each have at least four major carriers and quite often a number of smaller networks buying up lines from wholesale. Although the US has a number of major players, coverage is more hit and miss across different regions, meaning that there may only be two major carriers and a smaller local option to choose from in some places. Less competition usually leads to higher prices.
“Of course where you have less choice you are going to have higher prices” – Steven Hartley, Telecoms and IT consultancy Ovum
Although the EU market may appear highly competitive from the consumer’s point of view, the European Commission has been heavily regulating parts of the industry and imposing mandatory downwards pressure on prices. The Parliament also recently announced a price cap on roaming charges for 2017, limiting the costs to the same as domestic charges.
While European consumers may be feeling the benefit of these low charges, the competitive nature of many markets has its own drawbacks when it comes to market stability. Carriers are in hot competition to cover the number of subscribers needed just to survive, particularly in France. This can become an issue when it comes to future upgrades and investments in infrastructure, where moving over to new technologies, such as 5G, carries a considerable cost. The UK, for example, was notably slower at rolling out 4G compared to the US.
“the EU has gone out of its way to encourage more competition and to regulate prices, and to regulate them down”,
Of course, not everyone buys this as a legitimate excuse to hike up prices or to impose expensive penalty charges on consumers for breaching allowances, something which is far more common in the US than in the EU.
Read on: T-Mobile will let its customers stream Netflix, Hulu and more for free
There is clearly a major price difference between the two regions, but the US market has seen its share of increased competition lately, with a number of carriers shaking up their mobile plans. T-Mobile is now allowing customers to stream from popular video services without eating into their data allowance, while Verizon has just been given the all clear to bring WiFi calling to its network.
Do you think that your monthly mobile allowance and bill offers good value for money?
Researchers use satellite launch blunder to test relativity
Pop quiz, hotshot. You’ve just launched a pair of GPS satellites into the wrong orbit, rendering them useless for navigation. What do you do? If you’re the European Space Agency (ESA), you re-purpose them to do the most precise test ever of Albert Einstein’s theory that clocks slow down near heavy objects. The Galileo satellites were placed in elliptical, rather than circular orbits by Russian Soyuz rockets, meaning they pass closer to Earth at certain points. Since our planet bends the fabric of space-time, the super-precise atomic clocks on-board will theoretically slow during those times, then speed up again when the craft move away.
Via: Gizmodo
Source: European Space Agency
Lowe’s updated connected home system is built for your phone
While most connected home devices on the market were introduced as mobile-first solutions, the Lowe’s Iris system on the other hand, required new users to set it up via a browser. After set up — while the mobile app was able to share status information and access features like turning items on and off — it was still a desktop-heavy setup. Today the hardware store-turned developer is fixing that with a new platform built from the ground up with a mobile-first strategy and updated devices.
Source: Lowes
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