AT&T seeks to delay Google Fiber in Louisville, Kentucky with lawsuit

Louisville, Kentucky, which is one of the cities that is currently under consideration to get the Google Fiber 1Gbps Internet service, is now facing a lawsuit from a competitor, AT&T. The company claims that Louisville’s city government exceeded its authority in changing laws that could make it easier for Google Fiber to be deployed.

The Louisville Metro Council passed an ordinance earlier in February that cut down the process of a competitive Internet service wanting access to the city’s utility poles from six months to just 30 days. It also gave those competitors the right to move the equipment operated by other carriers, but made the moving party libel for any damages.

40 percent of Louisville’s utility poles are actually owned by AT&T, and in their lawsuit that was filed on Thursday, the company said the city didn’t have the rights to make decisions on who can use their poles. Louisville Business First received a statement from an AT&T spokesperson:

“Louisville Metro Council’s recently passed ‘One Touch Make Ready’ Ordinance is invalid, as the city has no jurisdiction under federal or state law to regulate pole attachments. We have filed an action to challenge the ordinance as unlawful. Google can attach to AT&T’s poles once it enters into AT&T’s standard Commercial Licensing Agreement, as it has in other cities. This lawsuit is not about Google. It’s about the Louisville Metro Council exceeding its authority.”

This move will more than likely delay, or perhaps even cancel, any plans Google might have had for deploying Google Fiber in Louisville.

Source: Louisville Business First; Via: DSLReports

Samsung wins appeal in $120 million patent dispute with Apple

The $120 million ruling in Apple’s favor has been overturned by the U.S. appeals court, as Samsung was found to have not infringed upon the patents. Samsung was accused of infringing on Apple’s “quick links” patent and two other patents, and the initial ruling went in Apple’s favor. Reuters reports:

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit in Washington, D.C., said Samsung Electronics Co Ltd did not infringe Apple’s “quick links” patent, and that two other patents covering the iPhone’s slide-to-unlock and auto-correct features were invalid.

The court also noted that Apple actually was liable for infringing upon one of Samsung’s patents, though no specifics are known on that at this time.

Samsung Galaxy S7 preview: Premium for the traditionalists

When Samsung introduced a second device to its annual flagship Galaxy S refresh, in the form of the Galaxy S6 edge, we wondered why anybody would choose the more traditional Galaxy S6 over the swanky, newly designed edition.

However, plenty of people did. After all, bar the curved screen there were few differences between the two phones.

This year, things are more distinct. The Samsung Galaxy S7 is similar to its direct predecessor in that it has a 5.1-inch, flat Quad HD display, while the S7 edge has adopted a bigger, 5.5-inch screen. It makes the two devices look and feel very different in the hand, and therefore the decision on which to buy will be easier.

Sadly, we feel that fewer will be opting for the Samsung Galaxy S7. That’s not to say it isn’t a well-spec’ed phone in its own right – more than capable when pitched against direct competitors.

Indeed, bar size and form factor, much of the same technology and feature set found on the Galaxy S7 edge can be found here too.

READ: Samsung Galaxy S7 edge preview: The best smartphone Samsung has ever made?

Samsung Galaxy S7 design

The Galaxy S7 has water and dust proofing to a high standard. It is IP68 rated so can be submerged down to a depth of 1.5 metres for up to 30 minutes. It also has a SIM tray that also doubles as a microSD slot for up to 128GB cards. The tray has spaces for both a SIM and microSD card.

The return of microSD expansion will be well received by fans, giving more choices when it comes to storage. Sadly, it looks like Samsung isn’t using Android Marshmallow’s flex/adoptable storage, because it believes that people will want to hot swap cards and use it to add and remove content, rather than being able to use it for added app and data storage: of course, that also means that Samsung can push you towards buying a device with higher capacity storage.

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It also has the always-on screen function also found on the larger sibling. This means that you can set the phone to permanently display certain data or details, such as the time, date, a calendar or personalise it with a funky pattern or picture.

Those worried about battery drain will be pleased to note that this feature only uses at maximum 1 per cent of battery power per hour, so in an average day you’ll barely notice the effect. It can also be turned off completely though, if it’s not your cup of tea.

Samsung Galaxy S7 camera

The camera has been improved over last year’s model, even though the amount of megapixels on the sensor have actually dropped. It is now a 12-megapixel sensor, but that’s because the pixels themselves are now larger (1.4um over 1.2um) and can therefore capture more light, even in low light conditions. A larger aperture of f1.7 also helps.

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That’s Samsung’s main selling point this year – better low light performance – and from the demo we saw at the London prebrief ahead of the MWC unveiling in Barcelona, it works very well in comparison to the SGS6.

When taking a picture or video in very low light, the SGS6 could only capture a fuzzy, noisy image while the SGS7 was much sharper and less murky. Samsung has also added the sort of dual pixel technology that is found on DSLR camera sensors, so autofocus is much quicker too.

What’s more, while the camera lens this year still protrudes from the rear, the lump is less distinct.

Samsung Galaxy S7 specs: Qualcomm and Exynos

Samsung has, as in some previous models, mixed its hardware in the SGS7. It will be using both Exynos and Qualcomm chipsets. Some regions will get the new Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 chipset and others will get the Exynos 8 Octo.

Qualcomm has seen a lot of support for its powerful Snapdragon 820, which is a 64-bit quad-core processor, with a boosted GPU, making it a lot more powerful than the last generation of chipset, along with a faster X12 modem for LTE speeds up to 600Mbps. We believe that the US will be getting the Qualcomm powered device.

The Exynos version of the SGS7 has an octo-core processor. Again it offers those fast LTE speeds and boasts about being faster and more power efficient than before. Unfortunately we don’t know which handset will be the more powerful – or if you’ll ever get a choice of which hardware you’ll get – we believe that most of Europe will be getting the Exynos version.

Samsung confirmed that as well as better power management, the CPU is 30 per cent faster than the one in the SGS6 and the GPU is 64 per cent faster, although at the time this information was given to us, it wasn’t clear which version was being referred to. The latter is certainly important for one of the major elements Samsung dwelled on in our demo: gaming. The manufacturer is clearly targeting gamers this year, more than any other. To begin with, it has a dedicated hub in the new, less cluttered user experience.

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Game Launcher not only serves as a home for your Android games, but you can change plenty of the options for how you’d like your gaming sessions to progress. You can change the frame rate of any game from 30fps to 60fps and vice versa depending on how much stress you want to put on your battery charge.

There are also tools you can use in game, that appear as an overlay. These allow you to record gameplay with your own face and audio appearing as picture in picture, take screengrabs simply, and other in-game tweaks.

The last aspect of the Galaxy S7 series this year is that both phones come with a tiny water cooler built-in to ensure overheating doesn’t become an issue during the more graphically intensive gaming bouts.

We’d need to test the phone for more than 15 minutes to find out what effect this really has, but it’s an interesting inclusion.

Samsung Galaxy S7 battery

Because of the smaller screen size, the standard Galaxy S7 has a smaller battery than the edge model – at 3,000mAh. Again, we’d have to give the phone a thorough work out to see what that equates to in the real world.

Samsung Knox security comes as standard on the phone, as will Samsung Pay when it launches in the UK later this year.

First Impressions

There’s no doubting that the Samsung Galaxy S7 is a very good phone. It is super fast in operation, has an excellent, vibrant Super AMOLED screen, and plenty of other bells and whistles to make it a distinct improvement over last year’s model even though it’s not a complete overhaul.

However, when directly compared to the Galaxy S7 edge we found ourselves wondering who exactly would prefer the smaller, almost retro of the two?

It is roughly the same in thickness but feels a lot chunkier in the hand even with a similarly styled rear casing. Dare we say it, it even feels more like a mid-range handset when faced with the more modern, sexier S7 edge. The edge just felt more premium, even though much of the spec and abilities of the two phones are identical.

We suspect it will come down to price. If there is a distinct difference between the two handsets in affordability, like there is between the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus, there will be a market for the Galaxy S7 for sure.

Once we’ve had one in the Pocket-lint test labs for an in-depth review, we’ll be better placed to make a final judgement.

Panasonic Lumix TZ100 review: Imaging liberation meet lens limitation

The Panasonic Lumix TZ100 (known as ZS100 in the US) joins an increasing raft of cameras built around a 1-inch sensor size, promising upgraded image quality over what you would normally expect from a standard compact.

Most prominent camera companies are playing the pocketable 1-inch sensor camera game right now: we’ve seen the likes of Sony with its RX100 series, Canon with its PowerShot G5 X, and new to the stable is Nikon with its trio of DL models. But the TZ100 takes a different angle thanks to its 10x optical zoom lens – it’s more the casual consumer snapper; a TZ80 on sensor steroids, if you will.

Indeed, the TZ100 keeps very much within that “travel compact” camp in terms of physical size, avoiding enlarging both its scale and price by using a lens that, while fast at the wide-angle, doesn’t maintain that fast aperture throughout its extended zoom range. As such it should be seen as the evolution of technology trickling into more accessible products, not a ultra-high-end compact as per some of its peers.

We’ve been using the TZ100 for a week to see whether that lens decision compromises what is otherwise a quality premium travel compact. Is it the 1-inch wonder to pocket?

Panasonic Lumix ZS100 review: A new breed

In its simple black finish the TZ100 doesn’t look particularly different or distinguished compared to many compact cameras. But we don’t have the simple black finish; nope, we have the gunmetal grey with flash red cut-out line surrounding the up-top on-body controls. It’s kind of kitsch, kind of cool, and certainly stand-out. Not that we suspect many will buy this flashier looking trim model.

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Anyway, we digress. The point really being that Panasonic has maintained discretion: the TZ100 remains pocketable – it’s 44.3mm thick – despite its 10x optical zoom and large sensor size. That ensures it’s still very much a compact, not a chunkier wedge like, say, the Canon G5 X. However, the Panasonic is larger than any Sony RX100 model, thus sitting it somewhere in the middle of its main competition.

That’s an interesting position to be in as a new breed, but a slightly confusing one because most 1-inch sensor cameras pair the highest ability with the sensor. Although it’s got the “TZ” name, we feel as though the TZ100 ought to be the current TZ80 model in a sense, rather than its bigger-sensor brother. Without the lens ability to keep up with its near competitors, there’s an immediate lacking in this Panasonic’s ability, which is the same issue we found with the also slender but all-touchscreen Canon PowerShot G9 X.

Panasonic Lumix TZ100 review: Lens limitations

The lens is a critical part of the TZ100’s make-up. With a 25-250mm f/2.8-5.9 (equivalent) on offer in this Lumix, the extended zoom isn’t particularly well designed for a number of scenarios. As the maximum available aperture dips as the zoom extends, so therefore does the ability to allow lots of light in, which has a knock-on effect to maximum shutter speed availability, ISO sensitivity required to expose and, therefore, overall image quality as a result.

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If you’re interested in the maximum aperture at standard focal lengths then here’s what you’ll get: f/4.1 at 50mm; f/4.6 at 75mm; f/5.2 at 100mm; f/5.8 at 150mm; and f/5.9 at anything beyond 157mm.

Indeed we’ve found the camera will often plump for higher ISO settings than you might otherwise want to use. Even when shooting outside in daylight at the full 250mm (equivalent) extension auto-selecting ISO 640 isn’t unusual; indoors in daylight and ISO 1600 has frequently been the choice – which is the soft default ceiling to Auto ISO, and often not paired with a sufficient shutter speed to match. The ISO sensitivity can be pushed higher manually, but in ISO Auto the camera is fairly reluctant – a 1/4 second exposure considered ISO 1600 to be sufficient, for example, when that shutter speed is clearly too slow.

On the upside this lens does incorporate optical image stabilisation to help keep things steady, which goes some way to negating that limited maximum aperture. When the camera thinks the shutter speed is a little too low you’ll be presented with a red “shaky camera” symbol in the display. It’s decent stabilisation that you’ll feel and see in action, given the way it smoothes out movements.

So that’s the compromise with the TZ100: you’ll get more zoom than any other pocketable 1-inch model, but it’s not an especially proficient zoom. It feels akin to the first-generation Sony RX100 in a way, which over its successive releases has cut back on the zoom in favour of a wider aperture lens and pop-up electronic viewfinder – but that also escalated its cost (to over £800), which is one way the £529 TZ100 claws back some points.

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Panasonic Lumix ZS100 review: Autofocus ace

In use the TZ100 performs well, though, much like the TZ80 with some added in that respect. So while shooting in low-light conditions might prove tricky to get a steady hand-held shot – and the screen preview does stutter somewhat due to lower frame-rate on account of light limitations (it can’t always achieve its maximum 60fps) – it doesn’t cause major issues with the TZ100’s rather accomplished autofocus system. The camera seems adept at locking onto subjects and confirming focus in a variety of situations, as it’s functional to -4EV, which makes it particularly snappy at the widest-angle settings.

We’ve stuck with the 1-area autofocus option for the majority of this test, as is typical of our Panasonic camera setup, with the ability to reposition it across the touchscreen via a quick tap is great. The top thumbwheel can be used to the resize this point through eight different sizes from small to large too.

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Panasonic Lumix TZ100 review – sample image at ISO 640 – 100 per cent crop

In the TZ100 there’s also the inclusion of Pinpoint autofocus, a setting that’s typically reserved for the interchangeable lens Lumix line-up. We’re especially fond of this AF option, which only Panasonic offers: it displays a cross-hair target, which then magnifies the in-focus area to 100 per cent scale in a small on-screen window to confirm precision focus. It’s not as immediate as the 1-point AF option, but it’s great for assuring, well, pinpoint accuracy – we see where the name came from.

There is also a 49-area auto mode, which is fine, but this decides the subject and area of interest for you – which you may or may not want as the focal point. Choose Custom Multi instead and a 13-point diamond arrangement can be positioned across the 49-point grid, which is a nice touch. Face detection and Tracking options are also fine enough, but the tracking mode isn’t especially speedy at keeping up with moving subjects (single/continuous autofocus is actually a separate option, but tracking will always work on a continuous principle).

Close-up focus needs to be manually engaged (when in a manual shooting mode) by hitting the left d-pad direction and toggling between standard AF and AF Macro, the latter allowing for 0.05cm close-up focus at the 25mm equivalent. That drops to 20cm at the 100mm equivalent, 50cm by the 150mm equivalent, at 70cm from 188mm and beyond. Still not bad, though, and we’ve been able to shoot some shallow depth of field “macro” shots with the zoom fully extended.

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Panasonic Lumix TZ100 review: Feature rich

In terms of features the TZ100 (ZS100) is typical of Panasonic’s current TZ line-up. That trim body incorporates a built-in electronic viewfinder, tucked to the top left corner. It’s a subtle incorporation, and while the panel isn’t super-high resolution – it’s the same 0.2-inch 1,166k-dot panel as found in the TZ80 – it’s a useful addition. Even if you don’t use it often, it’s tucked out of the way sufficiently and can even be deactivated using the Fn4/LVF button next to it if you want to prevent auto eye-level disruptions.

The main LCD screen on the back of the camera is fixed to the body, rather than mounted on a vari-angle bracket, which is a feature we’ve got so used to in other cameras that we rather missed it in the TZ100. Its inclusion would bulk-out the camera, we suppose, so can see why it’s absent. But it’s still on our wish list.

Other features include a lens control ring to the front, which glides smoothly upon rotation – no click-stop motion available here (and such dual functionality would have been great, alas) – for quick adjustment of priority controls, such as aperture value. There’s a second rotational dial to the rear top that can also do the job.

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Panasonic Lumix ZS100 review: Function, 4K & Post Focus

There are four function (Fn) buttons arranged across the rear of the TZ100, although they’re pre-defined for this camera: Fn4 looks after finder/LCD activation; Fn3 brings up the Quick Menu (which can be touch-controlled and even customised with available settings); while Fn 2 and Fn1 handle what’s known as Post Focus and 4K Photo.

Those last two are Panasonic’s attempt to further stand out from the crowd. The 4K Photo modes – available on a quick access function button – allow for a rapid burst of shots (extracted from a movie file, essentially), the best of which can be selected as an individual 8-megapixel frame after shooting. It’s even possible to shoot a single second’s worth of footage before even firing the shutter to help catch that perfect moment. It’s very clever, but we’re unconvinced by the 4K Photo namesake and whether people will immediately get this mode. One additional take-away, of course, is that the TZ100 can capture 4K video too.

The newer mode of the two, Post Focus, does what it says on the tin: you can focus the shot after taking it. However, if you’re hoping to shoot hand-held like you would with a Lytro, then you’ll be disappointed; the Panasonic mode needs a tripod for steadying the frame while it grabs a movie file at multiple focal depths. It’s a nice idea though, even if it’s not immediately apparent how it functions after clicking the dedicated Fn2 button – it’s as though there needs to be more education there rather than just being thrown into the deep end and thinking “what does this do?”.

Panasonic Lumix TZ100 review: Image quality

As with any camera worth its salt, a significant reason to buy a compact rather than just using a smartphone comes down to the resulting image quality. The TZ100 certainly steps up beyond a standard compact camera in this department, but as we touched upon the ISO sensitivity is frequently pushed high as a result of that lens.

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Panasonic Lumix TZ100 review – sample image at ISO 1600

However, even through to ISO 1600 that’s not a massive issue. A shot of a statue, painted in mid-grey, reveals only slight colour noise in the deeper areas, but the image processing otherwise smoothes everything out without entirely losing detail – sure, there could be some more precision in the eyelashes in this example, but they’ve not been entirely muted.

Given the sensor’s 1-inch scale, the 20-megapixels arranged over its surface are each roughly two and a half times larger than the TZ80 model. So even at this high resolution the light gathering properties are sufficient for a solid signal and decent results. The same ISO 1600 shot on the TZ80 would be nowhere nearly as clean, which is what you’re paying for in the TZ100.

And if there’s enough light to keep the sensitivity low then the results are decent. At ISO 125, shots of brightly coloured flowers taken in the Portuguese sun show crisp detail. However there is some “mottling” to larger areas, while edges could be more defined – something that even more apparent in, say, an ISO 640 shot of an olive hanging from a branch.

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Panasonic Lumix TZ100 review – sample image at ISO 125

The other obvious benefit of a 1-inch sensor is the associated depth of field, meaning a more shallow, softly blurred background than a smaller sensor would be able to produce (at the same equivalent settings). Want that melty backdrop? The TZ100 should do a much better job than a smaller compact – and even f/5.9 at the full zoom extension gives a good lick of background softness. It’s a good look.

It’s hard not to come full circle to the comment about the lens though: with the maximum aperture dipping to just f/5.9 at the 250mm equivalent focal length there’s a lot less light available to use, which pushes the ISO sensitivity up. And while manual shots of a stuffed toy lion taken at ISO 6400 are fine, this sensitivity shows a lack of biting sharpness, while image noise is more apparent throughout. It’s not to the point of oblivion, though, again the sensor size showing its strengths.

Verdict

In a sense the TZ100’s maximum aperture lens limitations are, in part, counteracted by its 1-inch sensor quality – finding a happy medium somewhere in the middle. And yet that leaves this camera feeling like a “TZ80 Plus” in a sense (minus the 30x zoom, of course), less the kind of high-end high-flier associated with most 1-inch sensor compact cameras.

That’s the TZ100 in a nutshell really: it’s no Sony RX100 IV, but then it is more affordable than that and has a more significant maximum zoom to reflect its different market position; it’s a new breed with some commendable new ideas. We certainly can’t call it out on autofocus ability or overall feature set, but that lens is going to divide whether it’s the pocketable model for you or not.

Overall the Lumix TZ100 reflects where compact cameras are headed: it’s all about larger sensors and more touch-based controls, which will become the norm in the near future – we said the very same of the Canon G9 X (although the Panasonic would be our preference if faced with the choice of buying between those two models) – but, right now, the lens is as much a limitation as the sensor is a liberation.

No code necessary: Create and customise your website with SnapPages (93 per cent off)

Building and operating a website without a background in coding was an abstract fantasy just a few short years ago, but convenience is king in today’s day & age, and the times are definitely a-changin’.

If you’re looking to establish a simple but professional-quality website that you can completely update and maintain with no hassle, SnapPages is the answer – and a lifetime subscription is currently 93 per cent off at Pocket-lint Deals.

Fusing simplicity and power, SnapPages is a truly unique website creation tool with robust features honed in on the tools that people actually want. Choose one of their professional themes, and customise it to fit your taste quickly and easily with drag & drop functionality. You can change colors and fonts, or modify advanced settings like typography and dimensions.

In today’s mobile-heavy world, mobile adaptability is key. That’s why SnapPages allows you to automatically create a mobile website that’s optimized for smaller screens, with all of your content updated in sync so you don’t have to edit both versions separately. Additionally, your new site will load at fantastic speeds thanks to the Rackspace cloud network.

There’s no point in having a website if nobody can find it. SEO is key to the survival of a website – that’s why SnapPages ensures all of their websites are optimized for search engines. They’ve also made it easy to integrate your website with some of the top ECommerce solutions available, while built-in social network plugins make promotional outreach simple.

Whether you have just a few products to sell or you need a full blown online store, SnapPages has you covered. Get a lifetime subscription today for just £34.13 ($49) on Pocket-lint Deals.

Indie horror ‘Neverending Nightmares’ comes to PS4 and Vita

Neverending Nightmares will be tip-toeing its way onto PS4 and Vita before the second half of 2016, bringing its unusual brand of horror and psychological exploration in tow. The game was originally launched on PC, Mac, Linux and Ouya in 2014, following a successful Kickstarter campaign that raised just over $100,000 for developer Infinitap. Players take on the role of Thomas, a young man that wakes up from a horrific nightmare in his home. Or has he woken up? A cycle of dreams begin to form, unravelling dark emotions and memories that continue to haunt him.

Although the game is now two years old, it should still be effective given its use of (mostly) monochromatic and 2D visuals. For PlayStation owners, the developer says it’s improved “plenty of rough edges,” making it easier to reach and recognise the points where the narrative branches in different directions. “This makes a huge difference in the experience,” Infinitap creative director Matt Gilgebach says. The updated version will also run at a “targeted” 1080p and 60 frames per second with antialiasing, which should make the environments and character models a little sharper.

Finally, the PlayStation titles will support cross buy and cross save at launch — so if you own both pieces of hardware, you can switch between the two at any time and continue playing, no questions asked. Just have a pair of headphones ready when you switch to the Vita version, because the spooky soundtrack thoroughly deserves a decent set of cans.

Source: PlayStation Blog

Scientists plot sea levels using GPS satellites

Accurate sea level measurements are more critical than ever, but there are a limited number of radar satellites designed for that purpose. However, a team from the UK’s National Oceanography Centre (NOC), University of Michigan and NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory have discovered a new way to do so using much cheaper and more plentiful GPS satellites. The technique is called GNSS-R, and involves bouncing low-powered signals from GPS satellites off of the ocean’s surface and measuring the reflected signal with a GNSS-R receiver. That lets the sat-nav contellation act as a type of distance-measuring radar without disrupting its regular job — guiding cars and airplanes.

The team used a research satellite launched last year as a GNSS-R receiver, but it will be able to tap a new constellation of receivers that NASA is launching this year as part of CYGNSS (below). That mission will make accurate measurements of surface winds using GPS satellites, but NOC scientists will be able to use them to measure ocean levels, too, yielding a thirty-fold increase in such data. By mapping small changes in sea levels, “we should be able to map currents from space by detecting even smaller variations in sea surface height,” according to NOC researcher Dr. Paolo Cipollini. That data would be valuable on many levels, making both the CYGNSS mission and GPS constellation far more useful.

Source: National Oceanography Center

‘Pokémon Sun’ and ‘Moon’ hit the Nintendo 3DS this holiday

Pokémon Sun and Pokémon Moon are indeed real games and they’re heading to Nintendo’s 3DS this holiday season worldwide. Nintendo’s announcement was short and sweet, but we know the games will feature nine language options with the addition of both simplified and traditional Chinese.

In other juicy Pokémon news, the classic installments Red Version, Blue Version and Yellow Version will all be available to download in the Nintendo eShop tomorrow, February 27th. These games will also take advantage of the Pokémon Bank, allowing players to transfer their Pokémon to the Sun and Moon games once those launch.

While there weren’t many details on the Sun and Moon front, we grabbed some screenshots of Nintendo’s concept art from its announcement video. Check those out below.

#PokemonSunMoon are coming to the Nintendo 3DS family of systems in late 2016!https://t.co/uF3yUWkgjS

— Pokémon (@Pokemon) February 26, 2016

Source: Nintendo

Apple Pay Could See Slow Rollout in France Later This Year

A new report from French newspaper Les Echos (via iPhon.fr) [Google Translate] states that Apple Pay will be making its way to France by the end of the year. The introduction of Apple’s mobile payment solution will be a gradual rollout, with “a small handful of major French banks” supporting the service in a pilot program period of three to five months.

No specific date was given for the start of the rollout, but the pilot program is rumored to launch by September. The current state of negotiations between Apple and French banks is said to be paused at the issue of the transaction amount for each time a user pays with Apple Pay. A traditional payment with a debit card generates 9 cents for the partnering financial institution, with Apple’s current deal taking 5 cents per transaction, “more than half of the average income.” Some of the French banks see hope for an agreement to be reached by pointing to Apple’s agreement with banks in China.

But ” the agreement that the Chinese domestic network Union Pay happened is auspicious because it shows that Apple may make concessions ,” said one informed observer. According to the Chinese press, the group based in Cupertino would touch nothing for two years and he then held 0.07% of the transaction amount, which represents about a third of the current Banking Commission.

Last week rumors about Apple Pay’s expansion to France began with reports pointing to an official announcement by the company in the first half of 2016. Shortly thereafter, the service launched in China through a partnership with Union Pay. Including China, Apple Pay is currently available in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia, with Hong Kong, Singapore, and Spain expected to launch by the end of 2016.

Related Roundup: Apple Pay
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ICYMI: 3D-printed vertebrae FTW, YouTube blur and more

Today on In Case You Missed It: An Australian neurologist successfully used 3D printed replacements for vertebrae to save a man who would have died from cancer otherwise. YouTube has updated its editing tools to include a custom blurring option. Another new device for the problem of not having wireless service in the boonies is available, you just have to keep it on you… and whoever you’re trying to contact.

We also wanted you to see the latest Guinness Record for a robot solving a Rubik’s Cube. It’s less than a second and of course, incredible.

As always, please share any interesting science or tech videos, anytime! Just tweet us with the #ICYMI hashtag to @mskerryd.