Coachella 2016 Announces Apple Pay and Square Support, Exclusive Prize Deliveries With iBeacons

The Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival recently announced a partnership with contactless payment company Square, letting attendees at the outdoor event pay for merchandise and food with the help of Square’s new NFC and chip card reader (via AppleInsider).

Launched late last year, the compact device lets any small business — or any vendor at Coachella — adopt contactless payments with support for services like Apple Pay, Android Pay, and Samsung Pay, and even accept payments through chip-enabled credit cards.

According to Square’s blog, the company will be supplying “every vendor” with the Square Reader, allowing for simpler payments of food, drinks, and festival memorabilia, or easing the pain of anyone who might forget their wallet.

With just a tap of your phone or Apple Watch, you can pay for everything from pizza to beer to festival merch. An added plus: contactless payments like Apple Pay, Android Pay, and Samsung Pay are way faster than credit card payments (not to mention cash), so you can check out quickly and get back to the music or your beer.

Apple has always been a proponent of Square’s payment accessories, and began selling the NFC reader within Apple Stores earlier in February.

Coachella is also continuing support for iBeacons during the festival, which it began implementing in 2014. The location-targeting technology was first used to send push notifications when attendees were in certain areas of the festival and give them info on artists and vendors. This year, iBeacons will send out “Surprise and Delight” rewards to those who sync an American Express card with the Coachella iOS app. [Direct Link]

Varying on where they are at the festival, prizes will be given out including backstage passes, artist meet-ups, free Ferris Wheel rides, VIP upgrades, and tickets for Coachella 2017. The Square partnership announcement comes a little over a week before the start of Coachella, which kicks off on April 15, and runs for two weekends, in Indio, California.

Tags: iBeacons, Square
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Huawei P9 vs Huawei P9 Plus: What’s the difference?

Huawei has announced two new flagship smartphones – the heavily rumoured P9 and its bigger, badder brother, the P9 Plus. 

The two devices are almost identical but there are a couple of differences between them and that’s what this feature is all about. How does the Huawei P9 compare to the Huawei P9 Plus? Read on to find out.

Huawei P9 vs Huawei P9 Plus: Design

The Huawei P9 and P9 Plus both offer full metal bodies, constructed from one piece of metal. There is a fingerprint sensor on the rear, along with a dual camera setup.

The P9 is a little smaller and lighter than the P9 Plus, as you would expect, measuring 145 x 70.9 x 6.95mm and hitting the scales at 144g. The P9 Plus measures 152.3 x 75.3 x 6.98mm and weighs 162g, meaning it is almost identical in slimness but a little larger elsewhere. It also offers stereo speakers.

The P9 comes in four colours comprising Rose Gold, Prestige Gold, Titanium Grey and Mystic Silver, with a P9 Deluxe model available in Haze Gold and Ceramic White. The P9 Plus comes in four colours, comprising Haze Gold, Quartz Grey, Rose Gold and Ceramic White.

Huawei P9 vs Huawei P9 Plus: Display

The Huawei P9 comes with a 5.2-inch Full HD LCD display that delivers a pixel density of 424ppi. It offers a 96 per cent colour saturation and 500nits brightness, along with a 1.7mm bezel.

The Huawei P9 Plus ups the size slightly to 5.5-inches, but it sticks with a Full HD resolution for a pixel density of 401ppi meaning images should be crisper on the smaller handset. Huawei opted for a Super AMOLED display for the P9 Plus however which should mean colours are richer and more vibrant.

The P9 Plus’s display is also a Press Touch display like the top-of-the-range Mate S. It will offer two levels of pressure sensitivity and there will be 18 native apps supporting the feature, along with a pop-up shortcut menu.

Huawei P9 vs Huawei P9 Plus: Camera

The Huawei P9 and Huawei P9 Plus both offer the same camera capabilities with the exception of one extra feature on the P9 Plus.

Both have dual rear cameras comprising two 12-megapixel sensors, one of which is RGB and the other monochrome. They also both come with laser-assisted AF on the rear, Leica technology including standard, vivid and smooth film modes, as well as full manual control.

The front snappers on both is an 8-megapixel sensor, but the P9 Plus offers laser autofocus for selfies too, while the P9 doesn’t.

Huawei P9 vs Huawei P9 Plus: Hardware

The Huawei P9 and the Huawei P9 Plus both come with the octa-core 64-bit Kirin 955 chipset. The company claims this processor is 100 per cent faster than the P8 and offers a 125 per cent improvement on 3D graphics.

The P9 is available in two models, one of which has 32GB of internal storage with 3GB of RAM, while the other has 64GB of internal memory and 4GB of RAM. Both come with microSD support, USB Type-C and a 3000mAh battery.

The P9 Plus on the other hand only comes in one model, which offers 64GB of internal storage and 4GB of RAM. MicroSD and USB Type-C are both on board again, but the P9 Plus has a slightly larger battery at 3400mAh.

Huawei P9 vs Huawei P9 Plus: Software

The software experience on the P9 and P9 Plus will be largely the same in that they both launch on Android 6.0 Marshmallow with Huawei’s EMUI 4.1 skin over the top.

There will of course be a few extra features on the P9 Plus thanks to those that come with the pressure-sensitive display but on the whole, these two devices will offer a very similar experience in terms of interface.

Huawei P9 vs Huawei P9 Plus: Conclusion

As we said at the beginning of this feature, the P9 and the P9 Plus are almost identical aside from a couple of differences. The P9 is smaller, lighter and has a sharper display but it has less RAM and storage in its standard model and a smaller battery.

The P9 Plus offers a larger screen with pressure sensors, a bigger battery, more RAM as standard and it offers AF on its front facing camera, as well as stereo speakers.

The P9 is cheaper though, starting at €599, while the P9 Plus will set you back €749.

Nike Free trainers sport new tech to deliver a more natural run

Nike has announced its new Nike Free running shoe range for 2016, ditching the Free 3, 4 and 5 models for a more universal approach that should appeal to a wider audience of runners.

While the range now looks to offer separate features for different runners and athletes, core to the new flagship trainer in the line is a new sole that, according to Nike, makes huge advancements over previous shoes that the company has released over the last 12 years.

While the sole still works around being as flexible as possible, it now takes a similar approach to how sports compression gear works.

Nike, being Nike, call this technology “progressive geometric auxetic”. Put simply, it is the ability for the sole to stretch in all directions rather than just one.

The midsole is now designed to enable an athlete’s natural motion and develop strength, whether they are running or training.

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The reason, says Nike, is because studies have revealed that the foot expands and contracts upon impact with – and lift off from – the ground. Trying to either take advantage of this or combat it (we aren’t sure), the now splaying, auxetic midsole mimics how the body and foot react to force.

Nike adds that the tech “absorbs shock while accounting for the dual-plane expansion in foot size (approximately one size in length and two sizes in width) that occurs throughout an athlete’s foot strike”. It claims that the resulting flexibility puts the foot, rather than the shoe, in control.

We got a chance to try the tech in practice, during a 7.5km test run with Nike around Victoria in London.

The Nike Free RN Flyknit shoes certainly feel very natural. They give a good balance of cushioning and feeling the ground you are running on, without being overly “spongy”.

It is not a soft run by any means, and we aren’t wouldn’t feel comfortable running more than 10km in them for fear of our calves and an overal lack of ankle support, but there was plenty of spring to cope with bursts of acceleration. A balancing exercise on one leg proved fairly difficult. 

Sitting in the middle of the range, the RN Flykint is probably most akin to the Nike Free 4.0 from 2015. It features a lightweight Flyknit upper, this time in blue, that delivers a sock-like fit with a classic silhouette that moulds to the foot.

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The midsole features the same expansive auxetic technology, but with IU foam for additional underfoot comfort compared to the Nike Free RN Motion Flyknit that ops for a 3D ribbing sole from the forefoot to heel.

Those not taken with the Nike Flyknit approach can go for a more traditional upper made with mesh.

There is also a low-profile training shoe featuring a 5/8-height Flyknit upper designed to promote a feeling of support, while Flywire locks down the foot during lateral cuts and an integrated heel counter ensures stability during hard cuts. It’s called the Nike Free Train Force Flyknit.

The new trainers are now available, with the RN Motion coming in May.

Google puts money into cementing green energy standards in Asia

Plenty of big tech companies are looking to source green energy whenever they can for their substantial energy needs, and Google is the same. But it looks like it’s hard to find the renewable energy you’re looking for in Asia — specifically China, which is why the company says it’s offering seed funding to the Center for Resource Solutions. The non-profit is going to bring its experience in setting up and running renewable energy certification programs to Asia, starting in Taiwan. That’s good, because that’s right where Google needs green power for its data center.
While its parent company tries all kinds of things to chase renewable energy, its Google itself that is coaxing certification and standardization along here. However, it’s not stating outright how much cash it’s putting down: “The system for getting proper credentials for renewable energy sources is virtually nonexistent on the continent.”

Via: Recode

Source: Google Asia Pacific

US Navy’s solar drone flies from and lands on water

Unlike most quadcopters, the Aqua-Quad doesn’t take off from solid ground. Dr. Kevin Jones and his team from the Naval Postgraduate School developed it to fly straight up from the ocean or any body of water. And it can land back on water after it has fulfilled its mission, staying on or under the surface until it’s deployed again. According to New Scientist, the Aqua-Quad (PDF) could be used to replace sonobuoys to search for submarines, especially enemy subs that might be lurking in the depths of the country’s oceans.

They’re even better than the actual expendable sonar systems, because they’re not constrained by battery life: the drone’s rotors are covered in solar cells and can generate power after a little time under the sun. In addition, it can hunt for subs in flocks in case the Navy wants to scour a big area more quickly. Jones told the publication that as a sonobuoy replacement, the drone “[will] be on the water 23 hours a day, and flying maybe one hour a day.” It was designed as a “launch and forget” system with a water-tight enclosure, though, so we’re guessing it’s tough enough to endure the ocean’s harsh conditions.

Speaking of drones that can take off from water, researchers from the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory created a similar machine called CRACUNS. It can stay hundreds of feet underwater for months at a time until its operator sends it out to do his bidding.

Via: New Scientist

Source: Naval Postgraduate School (PDF)

HP Claims Innovation Over Apple With ‘World’s Thinnest Laptop’

Amid rumors that Apple is working on ultra-thin 13 and 15-inch “MacBooks”, HP yesterday announced the “world’s thinnest laptop” in the form of the Core-i powered 13.3-inch Spectre, with a design that the company said offered proof that it is driving innovation faster than Apple.

Created with a focus on “luxury and artisanal craftsmanship”, the HP Spectre is 10.4mm thick and weighs in at 2.45lbs, sporting a twin-tone aluminum and carbon fiber chassis with an edge-to-edge Corning Gorilla Glass IPS 1080p display. Apple’s 12-inch Retina MacBook is 13.1mm thick and weighs 2.03lbs by comparison.

The copper and dark gray body has contrast bronze edging and a full-size, recessed backlit keyboard with 1.3 mm travel, and includes a pair of arcing piston hinges that fold flush for a “nearly hingeless look” when the laptop is closed. HP says the design is inspired by high-end furniture details.

The laptop is powered by an Intel Core i5 or i7 Skylake processor, rather than the significantly slower ultra low-voltage Core M CPU specifically designed for ultra-thin notebooks and found in the 12-inch MacBook.

HP claims this is made possible by the Spectre’s integration of Intel’s “breakthrough hyperbaric cooling system”, which features two ultra-thin fans, a heat-pipe and a copper radiator, allowing the system to not only extract heat but also draw in cool air and direct it over the processor.

HP used two differently sized polymer batteries in the Spectre, making up four cells in total for a claimed battery life of up to 9.5 hours. HP also used a new variant of its logo on the rear of the display to set apart the laptop from its other ranges.

Other specifications include a glass trackpad, three USB-C ports (two of which support Thunderbolt 3), up to 512GB PCIe SSD storage, a maximum of 8GB RAM, dual speakers part-designed by Bang & Olufsen, and Intel HD Graphics 520. Early indications are that the SSD and memory are soldered onto the mainboard, suggesting HP sacrificed repairability for thinness.

HP says the Spectre will be be available for pre-order on April 25 and begin shipping sometime in May. Prices will start at $1,170. In addition, a Bluetooth mouse, carry bag and leather sleeve that match the design of the Spectre notebook will be sold as accessories.

Speaking ahead of the Spectre’s unveiling at the New York Times’ International Luxury Conference in Paris, the company’s PC chief Ron Coughlin said that the laptop is an example of HP’s determination to lead the way in the PC industry. “For years, Apple has been seen as the innovator and the driver of innovation [but now] HP is really taking over that mantle,” Coughlin said.

HP has had to defend its laptops in the past over perceived design similarities with Apple’s notebooks, but the company is clearly attempting to push its latest “luxury” model as a trendsetter in the premium PC laptop market. At the CES in January, HP unveiled its more business-focused Elitebook Folio, measuring less than half an inch in thickness.

A recent DigiTimes report claimed that Apple’s upcoming “ultra-thin” MacBooks will “share a design similar to the existing 12-inch MacBook” and be “thinner than [the] existing MacBook Air,” but failed to specify which MacBook lineup the new design is destined for.

New Macs could feasibly be introduced by WWDC 2016, which will likely take place between June 13-17 based on scheduling information available from the Moscone Center.

Apple’s refreshed Mac lineup is expected to feature Intel’s faster Skylake processors and Thunderbolt 3 with USB-C, while the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro are also deserving candidates for an overall redesign.

Related Roundup: Retina MacBook
Tag: HP
Buyer’s Guide: MacBook (Don’t Buy)
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Apple Watch Hermès Bands to be Sold Separately, New Colors Coming April 19

Apple revealed an expansion to its collection of Hermès Apple Watch bands today, with four additional colors becoming available to buy separately later this month.

Apple’s refreshed collaboration with the French fashion house brings sapphire blue, peacock blue, white and orange to the existing collection of Fauve (deer brown), Etain, Capucine, and Bleu Jean.

In the past, Hermès leather bands were only available if customers bought the watch and band at the same time, meaning Hermès bands will become available individually for the first time.

Availability varies with model size, so not all colors are available for both models of Apple Watch. Prices for the new bands will be $340 for the Single Tour (38mm and 42mm). The 42mm model will be available in sapphire blue, deer brown, fire orange and black, while the 38mm version can also be had in white and peacock blue.

The Double Tour is only available for 38mm Apple Watch models and sells for $490 in both regular and long strap lengths. Regular length will be available in white, peacock blue, sapphire blue, tin gray, deer brown and fire orange, while the longer length band comes in deer brown. The Cuff will sell for $690 and is limited to the 42mm size in deer brown.

The new editions will be available at Apple Stores and Hermès outlets from April 19. Apple has updated its website to reflect the change.

Apple and Hermès began offering the special edition Apple Watch Hermès via their online storefronts on January 22. Prior to that, the Apple Watch Hermès collection was only available for purchase in select boutique and Apple retail locations in major cities like Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York, Toronto, Milan, Paris, London, Tokyo, and Beijing.

(via A Blog To Watch.)

Related Roundups: Apple Watch, watchOS 2
Buyer’s Guide: Apple Watch (Buy Now)
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HTC responds to Huawei P9 best camera claims with HTC 10 teaser of its own

HTC will finally unveil the HTC 10 flagship smartphone on 12 April at its “#Powerof10” events around the globe, which is just around the corner. But that hasn’t stopped it teasing the device’s capabilities on the build up.

The latest is in the form of a short video that trails the phone’s camera abilities. It’s also cunningly timed considering a major rival launched its own flagship device yesterday. The Huawei P9’s most-talked about new feature is also camera-related, so we could soon see a major face-off on which device can provide the best photographic results.

Certainly HTC’s boast in the video clip posted on its Twitter feed sets things up for an interesting scrap: “We’re obsessed with providing you with the best ever smartphone for shooting photos and videos.”

We’re obsessed with perfecting every image and video experience. You’ll see it. 4/12. #powerof10https://t.co/P2fWmNHatX

— HTC (@htc) April 6, 2016

With Huawei partnering with Leica and providing two different sensors inside its latest device, HTC will have to go some.

Rumours have it that the HTC 10 will have laser autofocus, much like the P9, and a 12-megapixel sensor with 1.55µm pixels. And while that might be true, according to a hint in the video, HTC will continue with the UltraPixel naming convention. It will also definitely have optical image stabilisation and the ability to shoot 4K video – but then, most phones do these days.

You can be sure that the moment we get our hands on one, we’ll be testing the camera against the Huawei P9 (and other rivals) to find out which really is the “best ever smartphone for shooting photos and videos”.

READ: HTC 10/M10/Perfume: Release date, rumours and everything you need to know

Is Dyson about to blow away the beauty world with its quiet hair dryer? Hairblade?

Dyson, the master of creating suction and blowing products, has announced it is about to enter the world of beauty with its latest technology. Is the quiet Dyson hair dryer going to arrive at last?

Back in 2013 we reported on Dyson patents for its own hair dryer, which we fancied as the Dyson Hairblade. This product aimed to offer a low-noise unit that was near vibration free yet produced plenty of power.

Now members of the press have been sent a small fan-like component with a note declaring Dyson’s intentions to enter the beauty world. It’s pretty likely this will be the reveal for its first hair dryer.

In the Dyson patents the hair dryer was described as featuring a zig-zagged path for air flow, to aid in silencing.

Dyson’s words on the patent were: “The provision of a hairdryer in which the fan assembly only processes part of the flow is advantageous for a number of reasons. As less fluid is drawn in, the motor of the fan assembly can be smaller and lighter in weight, the noise produced by the fan assembly can be reduced as there is less flow thorough the fan, this can result in a smaller and or more compact hairdryer which uses less power.”

The inclusion of a tiny rotary part in the recent tease does seem to line up with these design descriptions. Here’s hoping Dyson’s hair dryer is as revolutionary as its vacuum cleaners and hand driers have proved to be.

READ: Dyson working on a silent hairdryer? Hairblade?

Porsche 911 Turbo S (2017) first drive: Ready to launch

In a world of McLarens, Ferraris and Porsche’s own 918 supercar, it’s easy to forget about the shock and awe that the Porsche 911 Turbo was once capable of inducing. The original, usable supercar was once considered to be almost antisocially fast. Is it wrong to assume that it’s been left behind in a power war that continues to be fought between German, British, Italian and Swedish supercars?

Well, yes. Wrong because, in new and improved Turbo S form it now offers 580 horsepower, has four-wheel drive, a super-fast shifting 7-speed PDK gearbox and weighs only 1,600kg. And to help visualise how that all feels when you really need to get a move-on, we’re sat at the bottom of the acceleration straight on Porsche’s dedicated track that’s part of its Silverstone Experience centre. We’re about to “launch” the Turbo S.

To try and get it off the line as fast as is possible – which can be a tricky experience in many cars, where you’re managing clutch bite point, wheel spin and trying not to bog down – in the new Turbo S with launch control it’s disturbingly easy.

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We roll up to the line, twist the (new for this generation) drive mode wheel on the steering wheel round to “S+”, then turn PSM (the stability and traction control systems) off, followed by doing the only unusual thing in the entire process: planting our left foot hard on the brake (for those of you wondering, that’s the foot you don’t normally use for the brake). Foot firmly pressed, now it’s time to floor the accelerator with our right foot. The revs jump to between 5-6,000rpm and the display in the instrument cluster lights up “launch control ready”.

What happens next, even if you’re used to driving fast cars, our brain kind of struggles to process. In a good way. With the revs blaring away at 6,000rpm, and launch control flashing, we move our left foot off the brake as sharply as possible. And despite knowing what’s coming, we’re never quite prepared for the violence of the jolt up the backside the new 911 exerts as it immediately seems to hook-up all four wheels, and hurls itself down the race track.

We tend to avoid clichés on Pocket-Lint, but for once, lets use one — it feels like you’ve just been shunted from behind by a fast-moving express train. Literally holding on to the steering wheel trying to keep the thing in a straight line, as the PDK gearbox smashes its way through the gears and rips through the 62mph standard acceleration test in 2.8-seconds. About a second later, the number on the speed reads 95mph as we cross the white line on the race track and realise we’re now worryingly close to the cones that mark the end of the acceleration straight. Steve from Porsche who has been sat alongside us the whole time (and is clearly amused at the slow stream of expletives coming from our mouth), yells “brake!”.

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Putting all the force we can into the middle pedal, we trigger that familiar pulse of the ABS system, as the 911 Turbo S’s carbon ceramic brakes haul us back to zero in a way that’s literally more breath-taking than the acceleration we’ve just experienced. As we come to a half, we’re literally suspended in mid-air, the seat-belt holding us in like we’re on some kind of space simulator guinea pig. Cartoon-like, we come to a halt, hang in the air for what must be a millisecond, before physics catches up and we rebound into the seat.

A look in the rear view mirrors, and the line we crossed at 95mph looks just a few dozen feet away. A piece of potentially useless advice? If you’re following a 911 with carbon brakes and it decides to do an emergency stop, we suggest you’ll be in trouble — because it can probably stop quicker than the car you’re driving. The things laughs in the face of highway code stopping distances.

The joy of the Turbo S is that all of this would be of little use if the car felt fragile. But unlike some supercar brands we could name that explicitly told us not to launch-control test its cars for fear of them breaking, we repeat this experience four times in a row in the Turbo S. Then drive it round the track for several laps, going as fast as we dare.

Nor would it be much use if the Turbo S was an uncontrolled monster out on the public road. But later on in the day, a 45-minute solo strop on the roads around Silverstone reveals the Turbo S excels for the reasons people have always liked 911 Turbos. It’s happy to potter along at 30mph, it’s comfortable and reasonably quiet at a 70mph cruise, and as long as you don’t get one in “speed yellow” most other road users won’t look at you twice. And thanks to the four-wheel drive system, come rain (and even snow) the Turbo S is not going to try and throw you in a ditch.

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There are two problems though.

The first is resisting the urge to dip into that obviously huge reserve of power out on the road. As our acceleration test showed, a two or three second stab of full throttle is enough to have your license taken away. Best to make do with the insane overtaking capability, aided and abetted by the Sport Response function – simply hit the button in the centre of the steering wheel mounted drive mode selector and the Turbo S grants you 20-seconds of optimum power functionality, selecting the lowest gear possible and flicking all the systems into sport plus for immediate, ultra response.

The second issue, which is nit-picking, is that at times the Turbo S feels like it’s doing all the work. It’s true to say this isn’t the most involving 911 as far as driver experience goes. For that, you might want to try a GT3. But the Turbo has perhaps never been the purist’s 911, and given the choice the 911 range provides, we think it’s well judged. Plus, you could hardly call it boring.

On board, a new infotainment system – including a capacitive touchscreen, new mapping technologies which include Google Earth and Streetview, and a new suite of connected services, including Porsche Apps – is something we’ll cover in greater depth in the future 911 review. But it’s responsive and easy-to-use, and certainly brings the Turbo S up on par with other supercars as far as on-board technology is concerned.

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At £145,773 you’d probably argue that it well should, too. But while the price in isolation seems steep, compared to the supercar competition to which it must be compared, the Turbo S is competitively priced. For nearly £20k less, £126,925 buys you the standard Turbo – which is hardly short on poke, with 540bhp and hitting 0-62 in 3-seconds dead. But it’s not quite as rabid as the Turbo S – and given our launch control experience, if you’re after the ultimate, usable, fastest car in the real-world supercar, then we’d take the full-fat Turbo S 911 experience every time.