WhatsApp wants to take over your Windows 10 or OS X desktop

WhatsApp is heavily rumoured to be developing a native application for Windows 10 and OS X.

It is possible to connect to your WhatsApp profile and display messages through a browser, but that only works through your phone. WhatsApp Web simply syncs through your phone and displays communications as a standard web page.

A desktop app would potentially work alone, so you won’t need your phone to hand. It would be a much more elegant solution.

Screengrabs posted by Twitter user @WABetaInfo allegedly show translation requests from the WhatsApp development team suggesting that Windows PC and Mac versions are in the pipeline. Their timing, if genuine, also hint that the applications could appear soon.

You can see these screenshots. #WhatsApp #Mac #Windows #NativeClient #iOS #Android #WP #Blackberry #Symbian #Nokia pic.twitter.com/AKja58zf5C

— WABetaInfo (@WABetaInfo) April 29, 2016

Recent leaks have also suggested that WhatsApp will be rolling out voicemail capabilities too, positioning the mobile versions of the app directly against Microsoft’s Skype and other VoIP services.

With a dedicated desktop version of WhatsApp, it looks like it could seriously rival Slack too.

READ: WhatsApp tips and tricks: Amazing features you never knew about

The rise of the alternative messaging service has clearly given the Facebook-owned WhatsApp food for thought.

We expect to hear more on this in the next few weeks. Keep ’em peeled.

New TomTom Start satnavs go beyond phones, offer average speed camera help

Splashing out on a satnav these days needs to have justification, thanks to plenty of free mobile alternatives. That’s why the new TomTom Start range of satnavs are offering more than ever before.

The TomTom Start 42, 52 and 62 all come with free lifetime maps, meaning no paying for updates – but you’d expect that now with Google Maps offering so much for free. It’s the average speed camera smarts that really appeal.

Thanks to the TomTom database, the UK’s 325 average speed zones can be navigated more safely. The TomTom Start satnavs will measure your average speed while within those zones so you know if you can go a little faster or need to slow down over the distance of that area. These areas are increasing each year so a method to help deal with them is a welcome addition to the TomTom range.

There is a new mount also included that’s reversible to allow for either dash or window mounting options.

The TomTom Smart 42 is 4.3-inch, the 52 is 5-inch and the 62 is 6-inch. They will start at £110 and are available to buy from today in the case of the 42 and 52, but the 62 will be on sale from July.

READ: Range Rover Evoque Convertible first drive: Top down, revs up

iPhone 7 may work with your headphones after all, 3.5mm jack part leaks

Just when we were almost certain Apple was going to shake things up with its iPhone 7 by removing the headphone port, a leak suggests otherwise.

Many rumours and leaks have suggested the iPhone 7 will not feature a headphone jack but will come with Lightning connected EarPods. Now a part, claimed to be for the iPhone 7, has leaked on Chinese site Weibo. This part features space for a headphone jack.

There is also rumour of Apple’s own Bluetooth headphones that charge via the phone’s Lighting port.

Chinese firm LeEco recently unveiled its LeEco phone with no headphone jack and a whopping 6GB of RAM, claiming two world firsts. It was thought that Apple might be the first to offer a wireless phone in the iPhone 7.

This leaked part is very similar to that found in the iPhone 6S and, in fact, could simply be a claim using just that part. So we’re taking it with a pinch of salt.

Getting rid of the headphone port would stimulate sales of new headphones made specifically for iPhone which use the Lighting port. It would also help to push Bluetooth headphones, a good thing for Apple’s accessory partners.

Apple is expected to announce the iPhone 7 at its annual event in September.

READ: Apple iPhone 7: What’s the story so far?

Weibo

AdBlock Plus wants to help you pay the sites you visit most

With hundreds of millions of internet users choosing to block ads, publishers are being forced to adopt new strategies to survive. Paywalls are one option, but they often put off readers who wish to visit a website just to read one article. As companies scramble to provide a middle ground between subscriptions and pay-per-story services, an unlikely new challenger has emerged: AdBlock Plus. Known for its browser apps and extensions, the service has teamed up with micro-transaction specialist Flattr to let people pay the publishers they visit most regularly.

TechCrunch reports that the new service is called Flattr Plus and comes after Eyeo, the company behind AdBlock Plus, made a small investment in its partner. The payment platform will operate as a browser extension that automatically tracks browsing activity and donates an amount based on the length and regularity of a person’s visits. Users decide how much they want to pay publishers each month — whether it’s a media organization, YouTuber or podcaster — and the system allocates royalties on their behalf.

It’s a different approach for AdBlock Plus, which currently makes money from user donations and its controversial Acceptable Ads program. It invites larger publishers — including Google, Amazon and Microsoft — to pay a licensing fee to whitelist their services. With Flattr Plus, AdBlock Plus and Flattr will take 10 percent of monthly subscriptions and pay publishers only when they sign up. Any money donated before that happens will put aside for them.

Given that AdBlock Plus has helped to strip websites, regardless of their size, of advertising revenue, getting publishers on board could be a big ask. However, the service does differ from aggregated news services like Blendle by taking away the transaction model and awarding royalties based on engagement (just like Spotify does with music streams). Right now, the product is beta, allowing both companies to work out an acceptable way to reward that engagement. If it works out, we could see a full launch later this year.

Via: TechCrunch

Source: Flattr Plus

Dish gets into… the iPhone repair business?

Now this is interesting. Today, satellite TV provider Dish introduced a new service for iPhone repairs in the US. It’s an intriguing business decision, considering the company hasn’t done anything similar in the past — unless you take into account fixing its own antennas and set-top boxes. Still, Dish’s Executive VP of Operations, John Swieringa, says his team of technicians is “uniquely positioned with the technical know-how” to fix people’s broken screens and batteries.

Smart Phone Repair, which isn’t limited to Dish customers, will require a one-time $35 fee to get a technician to your home or office. After that, you’ll have to pay anywhere between $40 and $190 depending on what kind of iPhone you have and what’s wrong with it. That’s a lot less compared to what Apple charges for accidental damages, particularly if you aren’t covered by Apple Care or Apple Care+.

At launch, the service is only going to be for Apple’s iPhone, 5, 5c, 6, 6 Plus, 6s and 6s Plus, but Dish said in a press release that it plans to support other devices “in the coming months.”

Detailed pricing for Dish’s Smart Phone Repair service.

Source: Dish

Erato is the next company trying ‘truly wireless’ earbuds

Cast your mind back to 2014. Now imagine a pair of wireless headphones from that time. Most likely, you thought of an “over the head” pair of cans, like the SMS Sync, or a pair of tethered earbuds like Powerbeats. These days, the definition of “wireless” is being taken to its logical conclusion: buds not joined to each other in any way. The concept first came to many people’s attention via Bragi Dash or Earin. The idea is catching on, though, with more headsets — including known brands — getting in on the action. Is this the future of wireless earbuds? Newcomer Erato, with its Apollo 7 set, seems to think so, and — like Bragi and Earin — it’s hoping you’ll be excited enough to fund it on Kickstarter. I got to try an early set for myself, and see if truly wireless really is the way to go.

The first question you might be asking is: What does the Apollo 7 offer that existing products don’t? We’ve already mentioned the main rivals (Bragi Dash and Earin), but to recap, the Dash costs $300 a pair and comes with a mic, fitness-tracking features, a slick app, touch controls, an onboard media player and a host of sensors. The Earin is just headphones (no mic, so it can’t be used for calls). Earin is also a lot smaller than the Dash and, at $250, more affordable. The Apollo 7 buds look similar to Earin, and will also cost $250 a pair — but only for early birds on Kickstarter. The retail price will be $299, putting them on par with the more feature-rich Bragi.

Price aside, Apollo 7’s really going after Earin’s lunch, if design is anything to go by. In particular, the winning feature here is a microphone for handling calls. Basically, then, Erato took the one key function Earin doesn’t have and made an otherwise very similar product. In my opinion, the Apollo 7 has a decent second advantage as well. Each bud has a small button so you can control tracks, change volume and answer calls. With Earin, you control music playback via the media player (and there are no calls to answer, obviously). But for the price, there aren’t many reasons to choose these over the Bragi, unless you really prefer the smaller bud.

But what are they like to use? Those little buttons actually work surprisingly well, given the lack of available real estate. A long press will switch each bud on or off and activate Bluetooth pairing. A single press answers calls or pauses music. A double press, meanwhile, will increase or lower volume depending on the side (press the left ear for volume down, right for up) or activate Siri/Google Voice. The buttons aren’t as fancy as the Dash’s swipe/touch controls but are less prone to flaking out (as is sometimes the case with Bragi’s headset).

One other benefit with Erato’s design is that you pair each bud individually (they then connect with each other). This is different to how Bragi’s Dash works, which uses a technology that requires both buds be close to each other to function. With the Apollo 7, two people could listen to the same track with one bud each. You could also just use one as a hands-free headset, and swap it for the other when the battery goes. Which it will: a common feature of all these headphones is short battery life. Apollo 7 is no worse than the others, but you’re still looking at about three hours on one charge. (The battery in the case can charge them two full times before you need to find an outlet.)

The first thing I noticed when wearing the Apollo 7 is that they stick out a bit. My wife told me I looked like Frankenstein’s monster. It’s not that bad, but they are a little on the pokey-outey side. Otherwise, they’re comfortable to wear, and never felt like they were going to fall out, even during runs. While most of the Apollo 7 sits in your ear where no one sees it, there are four colors to choose from, which eerily/un-coincidentally match the colorways of the iPhone (dark gray, light gray, metallic pink and gold). The buds are so small that there’s not really a lot to judge them on, looks-wise, but they’re not ugly.

Far more important than looks, of course, is sound. I’ll admit that at first I found the Apollo 7 a little harsh. Mid-frequencies had a bite to them that I didn’t take to at first, while lower tones were better (and not overpowering). After extended wearing, I did find them to be less harsh, but it’s not clear whether I adapted to them, or there was some of that fabled “burn-in” going on. In summary, the Apollo 7 sounds adequate, but you might be used to a superior sound if you’re accustomed to paying the same price for wired headphones.

There’s a bigger problem than metallic midtones, though. Much like Earin, the Apollo 7s frequently lose connection with each other. This usually results in one, but sometimes both, ear buds going silent for a second or two while they reestablish connection. It’s a pain, and makes for a generally frustrating experience. It’s not a deal-breaker, as they do seem to settle after a few minutes and then the connection holds for good, but your threshold for minor annoyances may vary.

The far bigger problem, and this is true for all three headsets mentioned, is that they can struggle to maintain a connection to your audio source/phone when you’re outside. If you walk along holding your device in your hand, or your chest pocket or backpack, there’s no problem. But should you slide your phone in your front trouser pocket, it’s pretty much game over. The distance between the headphones and the handset is just enough for the signal to keep dropping in and out. If this is going to your primary use scenario, then stick with conventional Bluetooth headphones, or a wired set.

This really is the theme across all these “truly wireless” headphones I’ve tried so far. The absence of any cables seems to mean contending with flaky connections and tolerating short battery life. I’d suggest, for many, that an untethered experience might not be worth it.

This is a real shame, because the Apollo 7 does sometimes offer a good experience. I used them all week while at my desk, and even wandering around the office (some distance), and the connection held up. It’s just the great outdoors that seems to flummox small Bluetooth devices, and wireless earbuds are definitely that. Again, this appears to be a limitation of the form factor and Bluetooth, not this specific product, but that’s likely little consolation if you’re hoping to enjoy these in the sunshine.

So is it time to join the truly wireless club? I’d say hold off for now. All three products I’ve tried have their merits. They also have some pretty big drawbacks. When they work well, they’re great. When they bug out, it’s no fun at all. What’s more, if companies like Intel and Apple have their way, the 3.5mm jack will be a thing of the past, and you’ll want to consider wireless headphones even if right now you’re not interested. Should that happen, let’s hope companies like Erato will have ironed out these kinks. If you’re not fazed by the above, and are ready to cut that last cable, you can put your money where your ears are over on Kickstarter.

Source: Kickstarter

TalkTalk to simplify broadband prices by including line rental

Line rental is one of the things you have to consider when taking out a broadband contract, since they almost always come hand in hand. But with these two separate monthly fees, one-off setup charges and introductory discounts, you need ten minutes and a calculator to figure out exactly what you’re being asked to pay. TalkTalk has pledged today, however, that this autumn it’s going to make everything that bit simpler, by bundling line rental and broadband costs into one, transparent monthly price for all of its packages.

TalkTalk has dabbled with “all-in pricing” before — last year’s Black Friday offers used this model, for instance — but expects to be the first major provider to implement it fully. If others don’t beat TalkTalk to the punch, though, you can be sure they won’t be far behind.

After all, the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) told ISPs earlier this year that they must do away with confusing and convoluted pricing. Its recommendations included bundling all monthly costs into one figure, though without any strict guidelines published just yet, the new rules probably won’t come into force at the end of May as previously expected.

Source: TalkTalk

ICYMI: AI in a USB stick, electric bike wheel and more

Today on In Case You Missed It: Chip maker Movidius created an advanced neural networks USB stick to put AI into any device; the GeoOrbital wheel turns any dumb bike into a 20 miles per hour powerhouse; and Samsung has a pilot program to put a mother’s heartbeat into her premature baby’s incubator.

An open source robot used for research is also really good at yoga. As always, please share any great tech or science videos you find by using the #ICYMI hashtag on Twitter for @mskerryd.

Xiaomi Mi Max, Mi Band 2 leak ahead of official unveil

Xiaomi’s all set to unveil the Mi Max phablet and the Mi Band 2 in Beijing on May 10. Ahead of the official launch, live images of the phone and smartwatch have surfaced, giving us a look at what’s on offer from Xiaomi’s upcoming products.

From the image above (via CNMO), we can see that the Mi Max will feature a metal frame, with capacitive buttons at the front. Early leaks hinted at a fingerrint sensor, which may be included at the back. As for what’s on offer with the Mi Max, the latest rumors suggest a 6.4-inch FUll HD display, Snapdragon 650 SoC, 3GB of RAM and 32GB storage, 16MP camera, and a 5MP front camera.

As for the Mi Band 2 leak (via FoneArena), it looks like the fitness tracker will be similar to its predecessor, featuring a detachable sensor unit. The device will also offer a display that shows battery status and time, along with daily steps, BPM, and more, with a physical button allowing you to toggle between various modes.

Both products are set to be officially announced on May 10. Xiaomi is also slated to roll out MIUI 8, and may announce its custom Rifle CPU cores at the event.

Oppo R7s gets a near-stock Android experience with Project Spectrum beta

Oppo announced the company has made available a new Marshmallow-based ROM for the R7s. Called Project Spectrum, this beta test is ready for download and will be available for the R7 Plus on May 13. Project Spectrum is an alternative option for those with supported OPPO hardware who do not wish to use ColorOS. What makes this particular option worth considering is the near-stock Android experience.

The team at OPPO have fused together some of the best features of Android 6.0 Marshmallow and ColorOS. Not only will you see Doze Mode and more from Google, but also OPPO customizations like screen gestures like double-tap to wake, VOOC Flash Charge support and more. You can head to the OPPO website for more details and download links.

Press Release

Shenzhen, May 3, 2016 – Continuing efforts to bring greater choice to a wide range of users, OPPO has released a Marshmallow-based Project Spectrum beta for the R7s, with an R7 Plus release planned for May 13.

Project Spectrum is an official alternative to OPPO’s ColorOS, offering a near-stock Android experience while preserving some of the best-loved features of ColorOS.

Project Spectrum for the R7s combines all the advantages of Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow, including the battery-saving Doze Mode and Google Now on Tap, with some of ColorOS’ signature enhancements: customizable screen-off gestures (double tap to toggle wake/sleep modes, draw a circle to start the camera app, etc.), support for VOOC Flash Charge, OPPO’s phenomenal camera app, and more.

Previous devices to receive the Project Spectrum treatment include the Find 7, R5 and the R7g (available in Taiwan, Australia and Singapore). Meanwhile, a Marshmallow-based beta for the R7 Plus is set to be released on Friday, May 13.

To install the new Project Spectrum release, R7s users need only visit the OPPO Community website to find the download and instructions.

Warranties for devices sold over oppostyle.com or Amazon in Europe, which mostly serve Western customers, will not be affected if users choose to switch to Project Spectrum. Customers who bought their phones anywhere else, such as offline stores in Asia, Africa or Latin America, should consult their local resellers for detailed information about warranty policies.

The OPPO R7s is the latest device to receive Project Spectrum.

For users who prefer a superb, hassle-free experience straight out of the box, ColorOS will continue to be supported as the default system for all OPPO phones.