Pokemon Go: Best Pokemon gifts for players who want to be the very best
The world has suddenly gone crazy for all things Pokemon.
Millions of Pokemon Go players from across the world are not only doing their very best to catch ’em all, they’re also showcasing their love for the Pokemon franchise and its Japanese animated characters by spending tonnes of money on merchandise items. Pokemon-related merchandise sales have risen 91 per cent in the last month, according to Adobe Digital Insights, which analyses sales of the top 500 US ecommerce websites.
USA Today also said that Pokemon-related searches on Walmart’s website have doubled, and Target has seen an uptick in interest in Pokemon products as well. Even GameStop has had a 50-per cent increase in Pokemon sales. From Pikachu backpacks to Pokemon boxers, there are hundreds of items available to buy online. Homemade trinkets and vintage games are hot commodities too.
CaveGamers, an online seller of games on eBay and Amazon, is apparently running really low on stock for Pokemon games – and a remake of the first Pokemon game, called Pokemon FireRed, is now selling at double the price it was last month on Amazon. Pokemon Go has officially revived the Pokemon craze, including interest in Pokemon gear and games.
And chances are – if you’re reading this – you’re one of the many who can’t get enough of Pokemon. So, to help you scratch that itch, we’ve compiled a gallery full of Pokemon merchandise worth buying either for yourself or for someone else who just wants to be the very best.
- Pokemon Go: How to play and other tips and tricks
- Help! Pokemon Go isn’t working: How to fix common Pokemon Go problems
- Can’t get Pokemon Go in your country yet? Here’s how to download it now
- What is Pokemon Go and why is everyone talking about it?
- Pokemon Go: Best, worst and craziest places people have found Pokemon
- London through the eyes of Pokemon Go
- Pokemon Go top tips: Master the Pokemon mayhem
Justice Department sued for old computers slowing FOIA requests
A researcher who specializes in the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) is suing the Justice Department for using really, really old computers to fulfil requests for information.
Ryan Shapiro says that the use of “decades old” computers constitutes “failure by design”, and that it refuses to use a far more capable $425 million system that could speed up the process, The Guardian reports.
Under FOIA rules, requests have to be handled in a timely manner and the DOJ must make “reasonable efforts” to actually find the information, rather than just say they’ve looked for it and couldn’t find it, which Shapiro says has been an all-too frequent occurrence.
An earlier case brought by Shapiro found that the FBI had unlawfully restricted access to information, and that when FOIA requests are made, documents aren’t even subject to a full-text search, which would likely explain the inability to find the files. In its defense, the FBI said that non-disclosure of documents that provide details about previously unknown law enforcement techniques was allowed under an exemption to FOIA. It seems the judge disagreed in that instance.
Source: The Guardian
‘Pokémon Go’ helps Nintendo break major stock market record
Nintendo continues to make headlines, all thanks to Pokémon Go. Now the video game giant had the biggest daily turnover of any company on the Tokyo stock market this past Friday, July 15th.
Nintendo traded 476 billion yen in one day ( $4.5 billion), according to Bloomberg, breaking the record previously held by energy company Tokyo Electric.
While this wasn’t the largest volume of Nintendo stock traded on the market (which happened on July 11th, a day after Pokémon Go’s first weekend), it was the highest value. Also, at $33 Nintendo’s stock price is still below the $70 high it hit in 2007 during its Wii days.
Pokémon Go has already added billions to Nintendo’s market value since its release. Though with all the success the game has been enjoying, there have been a few problems. Developer Niantic had to delay its international launch due to server issues caused by unexpected high demand. There have been a few security concerns as well involving Google accounts, and a Holocaust Museum in Washington DC wants to see the craze come to an end.
Source: Bloomberg
ZTE Zmax Pro comes with a fingerprint sensor for just $99
Even though it has a higher-end series with the Axon line, ZTE continues to focus on the budget phone market with its ZMax brand. Available for pre-orders today on MetroPCS for just $99 (after an instant rebate), the ZMax Pro is a 6-inch phablet with a fingerprint sensor that ZTE says is unique for this price range. We snagged some quick hands-on time with the ZMax Pro, which promises some compelling features for the price.
For that jaw-dropping price, you’ll get a sturdy body with a nice soft-touch rear, octa-core Snapdragon 617 CPU with 2GB of RAM and 32GB of storage. The camera and fingerprint sensor on the rear have pretty copper accents on the otherwise blue back cover, which is a uniquely pleasant aesthetic.
I really like the color combination and finish on the phone’s back, as well as its vibrant display. The quick pic I snapped with the 13-megapixel rear camera wasn’t the most brightly colored or sharpest, but my subject and environment were also not the most exciting. The 5-MP front camera also looked par for the course.
The Zmax Pro also offers dual-SIM card slots, one of which doubles as a microSD holder for those with just one SIM card. It also packs a generous 3400 mAh battery that supports Quick Charge, a USB Type-C charing port and will run Android Marshmallow.
That price trumps Huawei’s Honor 5X, which also bundles a solid metal body, good camera and fingerprint sensor for just $199. Moto’s G4 also starts at $200 But the Honor and Moto’s screens are a smaller 5.5 inches, and have less-capacious batteries.
“Affordability is part of our DNA,” said ZTE’s CEO Lixin Cheng. He said the high-end phone market is shrinking, and that making more affordable devices is the company’s mission.
The company says it has more than 30 million active users of ZTE devices, and sold 15 million handsets in 2015. As one of the few affordable phablets in the market, the Zmax Pro stands a good chance of owning this niche segment of the smartphone market.
Volkswagen to compensate dealerships after diesel scandal
As part of a settlement after its previous diesel scandal, Volkswagen is working to ensure franchise dealership owners that they will indeed receive compensation.
The reparations for Volkswagen’s Dieselgate actions will come after vehicle owners receive part of the nearly $15 billion in compensation that’s said to be distributed amongst 500,000 different TDI owners. While there isn’t an exact number on what dealers can expect to receive, it’s confirmed that the plan will absolutely be a concrete part of Volkswagen’s further plans to make things right with consumers and others involved in the scandal.
The Wall Street Journal also reports that the car maker has additional plans in store for both repair and buyback programs for dealers. If there’s an affirmative decision from the courts, consumers will have the choice of receiving repairs for their affected vehicles or they’ll be able to sell their cars back to the company.
The program is set to run through the end of 2018, though we can likely expect to see more information rolling out about compensation and other plans from Volkswagen emerging before then.
Via: Autoblog
Zuckerberg foundation aims to help with SF’s housing crisis
The influx of engineers, employees and entrepreneurs into Silicon Valley has caused area housing prices to skyrocket, pushing out locals and earning the industry some deserved ill-will. Now the nascent Chan Zuckerberg Initiative has turned its attention to the problem, spending the last few weeks meeting with experts. But the endeavor is still heavily in the research phase, so don’t expect it to find a solution to the complex housing crisis soon.
Representatives from the philanthropic group met with housing experts affiliated with local governments, real estate groups and academia, according to The Information. For now, that’s all we know about the initiative’s plans, but at least meeting with multiple groups suggests that this process could serve up a more comprehensive solution than throwing money at the problem. Case in point: as part of its proposal submitted last Friday to buy land for office space adjacent to its Menlo Park complex, Facebook offered to spend $7.8 million on affordable housing in the area. Of course, if the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative wanted to just buy housing, it could buy quite a lot with the approximately $50 million in Facebook shares that make up its funding.
Source: The Information
Netflix’s growth slows as its delayed price hike sets in
Our first real peek at the reaction to Netflix’s “ungrandfathered” pricing is here, as it releases numbers for the second quarter. What they show is much slower subscriber growth compared to the last couple of years, failing to meet the company’s own projections both in the US and around the world. Netflix predicted it would grow by 2.5 million customers in the quarter (500,000 in the US, 2 million internationally) and ended up adding a net 1.68 million customers, up only 160,000 in the US. In a letter to shareholders (PDF), execs noted media coverage of the delayed price hikes was “coincident” with customers leaving, but said the new prices “will provide us with more revenue to invest in our content to satisfy members.”
In case you’ve forgotten how it worked, Netflix actually raised prices twice, in 2014 and 2015, but delayed their impact for existing subscribers until this summer. Now, those delays are wearing off and customers are slowly being notified that their subscription is going up from $8 or $9 per month (for an HD subscription) to $10 per month for the standard package ($8 for SD, $12 for 4K / four simultaneous stream).
Developing…
Source: Netflix Q2 2016 Earnings (PDF)
iPhone 7 Mockups Revive Rumors of ‘Plus’ and ‘Pro’ 5.5-Inch Models
Two months before the prospective launch date of the iPhone 7 and the iPhone 7 Plus, there are dozens of images of the two devices floating around on the internet. Some of those images are likely showcasing real parts, while others are dummy models used by case makers to get a head start on designing accessories for the new devices.
Dummy units are often accurate representations of what we can expect to see in new iPhones, but because they’re constructed based on rumors, early leaks, and other third-party information, they can’t always be trusted. That’s the case with a new set of images shared by French site Nowhereelse.Fr, depicting front and back of an “iPhone 7 Pro” dummy model alongside iPhone 7 Plus and an iPhone 7 dummies.
The iPhone 7 Pro features a dual-lens camera and a Smart Connector, while the iPhone 7 Plus and the iPhone 7 feature single-lens cameras and no Smart Connector. Early rumors did indeed suggest Apple was working on two versions of the 5.5-inch iPhone for release in 2016, but those rumors were later retracted and information has solidified around a single 5.5-inch iPhone 7 Plus with a dual-lens camera.
It is not clear why those rumors were circulating in the first place, but Apple may have been working on two separate prototypes with a single-lens version of the iPhone 7 Plus on the sidelines in case of production or supply issues with the dual-lens camera.
In any case, it seems the iPhone dummies in the images above are based on outdated specifications and we do not believe them to be entirely representative of what Apple will release in the fall. This assumption is based both on the inclusion of two 5.5-inch iPhone models and the curious “S” designation on the back of each dummy.
We do not expect to see a 5.5-inch iPhone with a single-lens camera, but a 5.5-inch iPhone 7 Plus with a dual-lens camera and a 4.7-inch iPhone 7 with a larger single-lens camera are in the works, so the dummies are not entirely inaccurate. When it comes to design, the three dummies do match up with rumors pointing towards relocated antenna bands, prominent camera bumps, and a look that’s similar to the iPhone 6s, but one design element – the Smart Connector – is still in question.
We’ve seen several iPhone 7 Plus dummy models with a Smart Connector, but it continues to be unclear as to whether this is a feature we’ll see in the finished device. Details surrounding the iPhone 7 and the iPhone 7 Plus will become clearer as we start seeing actual shell leaks – iPhone 7 shells have been spotted, but we still have yet to come across an actual iPhone 7 Plus shell.
Apple plans to release the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus this fall. Aside from the aforementioned design changes, the two devices are also expected to feature no headphone jack, an A10 processor, and improved water resistance.
Related Roundup: iPhone 7
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Apple Seeds Third Beta of macOS Sierra to Developers
Apple today seeded the third beta of macOS Sierra, the newest operating system designed for the Mac, to developers. macOS Sierra beta 3 comes two weeks after the release of the second beta and more than a month after the software was first unveiled at Apple’s 2016 Worldwide Developers Conference.
The update can be downloaded through the software update mechanism in the Mac App Store or through the Apple Developer Center.
macOS Sierra is a major update that brings Siri to the Mac for the first time, allowing users to conduct voice searches to quickly find files, look up information, and more. New Continuity features offer an “Auto Unlock” option for unlocking a Mac with an Apple Watch, which became available in beta 2, and a Universal Clipboard for copying something on one Apple device and pasting it on another.
Deeper iCloud integration makes files stored on the desktop or the Documents folder of a Mac available on all of a user’s devices, and Photos features new deep learning algorithms for facial, object, and scene recognition. There’s a new Memories feature for displaying photo collections, and Messages has features like rich links, bigger emoji, and “Tapback” response options.
Apple Pay is coming to the web in macOS Sierra, with payments authenticated through an iPhone or Apple Watch, and new features like multiple tabs, Picture in Picture multitasking, and optimized storage are available.
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During the beta testing period, Apple will tweak and refine the features introduced in macOS Sierra. Any changes found in the third beta release will be listed below.
macOS Sierra is currently available to developers and public beta testers, and it will see a wider public release this fall. For full details on all of the new features included in macOS Sierra, make sure to check out our macOS Sierra roundup.
Related Roundup: macOS Sierra
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Slither.io: Brings back memories of early mobile games (Review)
I remember my first phone. It was 1999, I was 17 and it was the Nokia 3210. It was pretty sweet at the time. It had a heck of a battery life, an excellent signal, and the original phone game…Snake. My friends and I competed constantly to see who could get the highest score. It was really the Pong of mobile gaming; the game that got it all started.
Fast forward to 2016, and we have Slither.io. If these were Terminator models, Snake would be the T600 while Slither.io would be the T3000. All movie references aside, it may not be from the same makers, but the inspiration is there and it’s a hit.
Developer: Lowtech Studios
Cost: Free (Remove ads for $3.99)
Gameplay
Slither.io has the same feel as Agar.io in respect to the end goal. Playing against others from around the world to grow the biggest snake on the board. Well, Agar.io uses circles, but you get the gist. You accomplish this by collecting dots from the play area.
Now this is where Slither.io and Agar.io part ways. In Slither.io, the size of your snake doesn’t matter when killing your opponents. Just trap your opponent by making them run into you and they die. Then you can enjoy feeding on their shiny carcass, which is the other way you can grow your snake. But if you hit them, then you will turn into shiny dots on which the rest of the Slither.io world will feed.
The dots you consume are all worth various points and grow your snake to those appropriate amount of points. The bigger the dots, the higher the points. The higher the points, the longer your snake will become. The longer your snake, the higher on the leader board you are.
You have three different control modes to choose from that include Joystick, Arrow, and Classic. Joystick mode gives you a virtual joystick to control your snake in the bottom left corner of the screen. The Arrow mode lets you control your snake by sliding your finger in the direction you want to go in and having it follow you like an eager puppy looking to play.
Both Joystick and Arrow modes have a boost button that allows you to use up the points you have gained to temporarily go faster. The length of the boost depends on how many points you have. The longer you use it, the more points you lose. The end result being your snake also gets shorter. If you use all your points, you will be at zero and your snake will be back to starting size, so use the boost wisely.
In classic mode, you must double tap boost and you control your snake by tapping the screen in the direction you want your snake to go in. That’s it for classic, short and sweet.
Slither.io gives you two types of gameplay, online and versus the A.I. Both are self-explanatory so no real need to dive into that too much. However, there is one thing I noticed on the play online tab. There is a “WiFi recommended” label on it, which leads me to believe it uses a lot of data in that mode. So be aware of that when not on WiFi.
Review
When first playing this game, it did give me the warm fuzzies. I have a special place in my heart for Snake if you couldn’t tell from the intro. I have seen a few copy cats of the original, and you would think that would be good enough. Not so much. This felt like someone cared enough to take a classic and bring it back to life in a new way.
Now I have no way of knowing if that was the inspiration, but in my head, I’m going to think it was. In any case, this is a fun little game that can keep you occupied for a while. The graphics are done well, and the animations are smooth.
I’m a little torn when it comes to the financial portion of this game. On the one hand, they give you tons of skins to change the look of your snake, and that’s a good thing. It would be easy to charge $.99 for skin packs and people would pay, but as far as I can tell they don’t.
On the other hand, the ads that pop up after gameplay are extremely annoying as it takes a bit to go away. I know they have to make money, but the ads could be integrated better. If you find the adds a bit too annoying, you can just pay to have them removed, but that’s going to cost you $3.99, which I think is a bit pricey.
Summary
At the end of the day, people love to play games and a little bit of nostalgia helps. If you’re young enough, then Snake probably has no real meaning to you, but you can still appreciate this game. If you are old enough to remember the classic Snake, then you will enjoy this even more. It should also be noted that this game can also be played on your computer as well at Slither.io.
Download Slither.io in the Play Store
AIVAnet 