Nearly 4,000 show up for Pokémon Go launch event in Toronto

Close to 4,000 people attended an event in Toronto on Monday to celebrate the Canadian launch of Pokémon Go, formalizing a practice that had been going on unofficially, and on a much smaller scale, since the game launched in the U.S. on July 6.

In the intervening two weeks, it’s believed that nearly 6% of Canadian Android owners downloaded the game, though that number has certainly spiked since its official launch on Sunday.

Great view showcasing the turnout for today’s meeting. Go Toronto! Pokemon GO a major success pic.twitter.com/b8BcspBMA5

— Logic Gate Studios (@LogicGateStudio) July 19, 2016

Monday’s launch event was organized over Facebook by eSports events company Legacy Gamers. Held at the CN Tower, a well-known Toronto landmark, players rushed to the venue after 8pm in search of friends, enemies, and rare Pokémon.

As we’ve told you in our many guides, Pokémon Go is at its most exciting and dynamic the more people congregate in a single area. That dynamism is heightened by the presence of Gyms and PokéStops, the reason for the CN Tower’s selection, since there are several of both nearby.

There was even a real Pikachu in the crowd.

Some companies were taking advantage of the hoards of people to promote their wares, like this gaming store offering free ice cream to those on Team Valor (go red!).

#TeamValor gets delicious Ice Cream in #toronto today! Just swing by the shop. #PokemonGoToronto pic.twitter.com/lccnmigJb0

— FaceToFaceGames TO (@F2FToronto) July 18, 2016

Despite the crowds there were no security-related issues (the area was cordoned off and protected by police) and everyone seemed to have a good time — the result we want to see after a fortnight of robberies, accidents and negative press.

Thanks to friend of the site @gilbertp23 for the on-site photos.

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Watch Georgia Dow and Russell Holly discuss the Pokémon craze on Tech News Today

Our very own Georgia Dow and Russell Holly were on Tech News Today on TWiT to join host Megan Morrone in discussing the latest tech headlines, as well as some Pokémon for good measure. News stories covered in episode 1557 of the show include the purchase of ARM Holdings by Softbank, Microsoft’s Xbox One S and the CBS Star Trek series coming to Netflix.

Be sure to check out the episode by hitting the link below, or by searching for TWiT on supported platforms.

• Watch Tech News Today episode 1557

Apple iPhone 7 vs iPhone 6S vs iPhone 6: What’s the rumoured difference?

Apple’s next generation of iPhones are expected to launch some time in September. Assuming the company follows its traditional release cycle and naming, it is thought we can expect to see an iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus appear.

Plenty of rumours have been doing the rounds over the last few months, all claiming to know what the new iPhones will feature. In light of this, we have put them all up against the iPhone 6S and the iPhone 6 to see what the differences could be, based on the speculation.

Apple iPhone 7 vs iPhone 6S vs iPhone 6: Design

The Apple iPhone 7 has been rumoured to be coming with a similar design to the iPhone 6S and iPhone 6, despite it being a redesign year. It is thought the antenna strips on the rear will see a move to the top for a cleaner look, while other rumours suggest the headphone jack will be removed altogether in favour of Lightning only and an extra speaker.

Other rumours claim the iPhone 7 will offer waterproofing, while the home button will be switched to a capacitive button with Force Touch capabilities.

The iPhone 6S measures 138.3 x 67.1 x 7.1mm and weighs 143g, while the iPhone 6 measures 138.1 x 67 x 6.9mm and weighs slightly less at 129g.

Both look the same in terms of physical design but the iPhone 6S adds the rose gold colour option and it is made from a different aluminium. Neither are officially waterproof and they both have a physical Home button sporting Touch ID.

Apple iPhone 7 vs iPhone 6S vs iPhone 6: Display

The iPhone 7 is rumoured to be coming with a AMOLED display featuring a Quad HD resolution and 3D Touch.

If Apple does increase the resolution and stick with the same 4.7-inch size, the iPhone 7 could see a pixel density of 624ppi, which is pretty high for a device of this size. It might be more plausible to suggest the iPhone 7 could up its resolution to Full HD instead however, which would deliver a pixel density of 468ppi.

Both the iPhone 6S and the iPhone 6 offer a 4.7-inch LED-backlit display with a resolution of 1334 x 750 pixels. That puts both of their pixel densities at 326ppi, meaning the iPhone 7 would be significantly sharper if a higher resolution is adopted.

The iPhone 6S features 3D Touch, while the iPhone 6 doesn’t so more features are available on the iPhone 6S and will be on the iPhone 7 too, if it includes the force touch display technology.

Apple iPhone 7 vs iPhone 6S vs iPhone 6: Cameras

Rumours surrounding the iPhone 7’s camera are a little up in the air at the moment. There has been talk of a dual-lens setup, although some say this will only appear on the larger Plus device.

Other claims say the iPhone 7 will have a normal 12-megapixel sensor, but that it will sit flush with the phone and perform better in low-light conditions, perhaps suggesting a wider aperture.

The iPhone 6S features a 12-megapixel rear camera, coupled with a 5-megapixel front-facing camera, both offering an f/2.2 aperture. Apple introduced a Retina Flash to the front, along with a feature called Live Photos to the rear, both of which we wouldn’t be surprised to see on the iPhone 7. It is also capable of 4K video recording.

The iPhone 6 has an 8-megapixel rear camera, along with a 1.2-megapixel front facing camera, again both with an aperture of f/2.2. The older iPhone doesn’t feature a front flash, nor is it capable of Live Photos or 4K video recording.

Apple iPhone 7 vs iPhone 6S vs iPhone 6: Hardware

The Apple iPhone 7 will come with a new processor, which will more than likely be named the A10. Rumour has it the new chip will focus on improving battery life and it is said to feature six cores.

Other hardware rumours claim the iPhone 7 will offer 2GB or 3GB of RAM and start at 32GB of storage, which would see the 16GB model ditched. There have been no rumours relating to the battery capacity within the iPhone 7 but some claims have suggested wireless charging might appear – although how that works with a metal body, we can’t say.

The iPhone 6S features the A9 processor and an embedded M9 motion co-processor, along with 2GB of RAM. It is available in storage options of 16GB, 64GB and 128GB, and it has a 14-hour battery life.

The iPhone 6 has the A8 processor with a separate M8 motion co-processor, along with 1GB of RAM. Storage options available now are 16GB and 64GB, while the battery capacity sits at 14-hours again.

Apple iPhone 7 vs iPhone 6S vs iPhone 6: Software

The Apple iPhone 7 will debut with iOS 10, which was announced at WWDC in June. Apple presented a few of the new features that will come with the software, including a revamp of messages.

It has been suggested the iPhone 7 might also introduce a gesture-based passcode system too.

The iPhone 6S and the iPhone 6 will both see an update to iOS 10 when it launches with the new device so the bulk of the user experience will be the same. There will probably be a few things the iPhone 7 will be capable of that the iPhone 6S and iPhone 6 won’t, but most of the user experience between these three devices will be identical.

Apple iPhone 7 vs iPhone 6S vs iPhone 6: Conclusion

As with all succeeding smartphones, the iPhone 7 will no doubt improve on its predecessors in several areas.

Based on the rumours, it looks like the iPhone 7 will look similar to the iPhone 6S and the iPhone 6 with perhaps a couple of changes. Hardware will improve and we wouldn’t be surprised to see camera and battery enhancements too.

For now, this is all speculation, with no confirmed details expected for the next couple of months. We will update this feature, as well as our iPhone 7 rumour round up feature as more leaks appear over the coming weeks so keep your eyes peeled.

Huawei MateBook review: 5-hours of friendship

One glance at the Huawei MateBook and it’s clear the Chinese company is hankering for a slice of the laptop-replacement market. This slim-build Windows 10 tablet is really well made, not a cheap knock-off competitor to the likes of the Microsoft Surface Pro 4.

But a glance is one thing; actually living with the device is a whole other. And over the last couple of weeks using the MateBook we’ve come to conclude a couple of things: one, it’s more a Samsung TabPro S competitor than it is Surface Pro; two, it has some exemplary features, such as a fingerprint scanner and wide-viewing-angle LCD screen, but is let down by poor battery life and sloppy keyboard/cover implementation.

Can standout features such as that fingerprint scanner rebalance the scales and make it the slender Windows 10 device to go for?

Huawei MateBook review: Design

At just 6.9mm thick the MateBook is as thin as the slimmest of mainstream smartphones; it’s also the same thickness as the iPad Pro, and slimmer than the 8.4mm of the Samsung TabPro S. Add its keyboard-meets-cover wrap-around – which, just like the Surface Pro, is sold separately, but is a must buy really – and the Huawei becomes slightly chunkier, so between those three devices you’ll not notice a substantial difference.

Pocket-lint

The main difference lies in how those keyboards sit. The MateBook’s looks a lot more like that paired with the Surface Pro 4 than the squat, tighter pads of the TabPro S or iPad Pro. As Huawei doesn’t include one the MateBook is essentially just a tablet straight out of the box, despite its name. We’d rather one was included to make the device more of a laptop-replacement prospect straight out of the box.

Well, it would be such a device if the keyboard and kickstand combination was anywhere nearly as good as that of the Surface Pro. Sadly, the Huawei implementation is fussy; it’s tricky to use on the lap, while its two-position fold-up stand (which is part of the keyboard) is impractical compared to that of the Surface Pro. Equally, however, the Samsung TabPro S is just as fussy, so manufacturers are clearly feeling around how to implement such designs.

Pocket-lint

Get the MateBook on a flat, hard surface, however, and the typing experience is great. There’s enough give from the plastic keys, while the trackpad is an ample size and responsive. That’s more than we can say for some of the competition, especially in the trackpad department.

Huawei MateBook review: Performance

The MateBook’s slender frame is owed to the Intel Core M architecture inside, meaning no fan is required for cooling. Core M doesn’t have the hardened speeds of beefier chipsets – here it’s an m3-6Y30 CPU, at 0.9Ghz to 1.51Ghz, paired with 4GB RAM – so the MateBook can’t flex as much muscle as the Surface Pro in this department. It’s more than ample for on-the-go use, though: we’ve been word processing, browsing and doing all those day-to-day tasks quite happily.

Pocket-lint

With Windows 10 on board – in full desktop and tablet modes, as auto-activated when pairing the tablet to the keyboard via its magnetic connector – there are effectively no limitations to application installs. This isn’t an Android tablet, so works a treat for both typing and touchscreen use.

There’s even an optional stylus called the MatePen which not only has a frickin’ laser beam pointer, but is just as good as you’ll find from the competition, including the Surface Pro 4. Why, however, it uses microUSB to charge when the rest of the MateBook system is USB Type-C we really don’t know though.

Pocket-lint

One of the more exciting things about the MateBook is that it offers a fingerprint scanner, ideal for quick sign-ins. As we’ve said of Huawei phones or late, such as the P9, the sensitivity and response of this scanner is second to none. Register a fingerprint once signed up to Windows Hello and it’ll fire you from lock screen to desktop almost immediately. There’s the potential to use this for other secure features too, some of which might be implemented in the future – PayPal, for example (which is currently linked to some Samsung smartphones) is one such option.

Huawei MateBook review: Battery life

With Intel Core M on board we had anticipated its lighter-weight processing power would mean a solid battery performance. But that’s not the case and it’s here the MateBook falls flat – flatter than its slender build.

Pocket-lint

We’ve been achieving around 5-hours of use per charge, which is less than the not-so-great Surface Pro 4, and a long way behind the Samsung TabPro S and Apple iPad Pro. A real shame, as this one point is what will hold some customers back from buying into the Huawei.

Recharging utilises the USB Type-C port, positioned to the lower right-hand side of the device. From flat it takes around 2-hours and 20-minutes to fully recharge the device. Problem being that, given the Type-C port is the only active port the device offers (there’s also a 3.5mm headphone socket, but that’s it), you can’t do a great deal else with accessories during recharging. We would much rather have a secondary port, even if it was a dedicated charging connector (a la Surface Pro 4).

Pocket-lint

There is a work-around, as with so many of these kinds of devices, in the form of the Huawei MateDock, a twin USB, Ethernet, HDMI and VGA output dock, which connects via a dedicated USB Type-C wire (charging with this dock attached is possible, thanks to a USB Type-C port dedicated to power).

Huawei MateBook review: Screen

With a 12-inch screen, the MateBook is a touch smaller than the 12.3-inch Surface Pro 4 in all dimensions, with a black bezel surrounding the screen in equal portions throughout. This scale is ideal for a portable laptop-replacement in our view – and notably smaller than the MacBook Air 13-inch we’re used to using for work.

Pocket-lint

Now Huawei hasn’t opted for the hyper-colour AMOLED panel as found in the Samsung TabPro S, but the selected LCD panel does have an impressive 2,160 x 1,400 pixels for better-than HD resolution and, therefore, crisp visuals.

There’s ample colour, too, while the IPS designation assures that viewing angles are really wide-angle with little falloff in colour or contrast. There’s a subtle gloss finish, so catch light and you won’t get the best experience for outdoor use, yet there’s still enough brightness to cut through and compensate.

The choice for this resolution does have us wondering about the relationship to battery life, though, as a lower resolution might have meant the MateBook could hold out for longer periods of time per charge. And yet a lower resolution might not have helped to sell the device compared to its nearest rivals.

Verdict

At first glance the Huawei MateBook gets lots right as 2-in1s go: it’s slim, well made, has a decent size keyboard and trackpad (if you buy it anyway), plus a built-in fingerprint scanner that helps stand it out from the crowd. It’s not as powerful as the Surface Pro 4, but we never expected it to be – this is a different proposition.

Indeed the MateBook would be a winner if it wasn’t for the limited battery life and ill-conceived stand position offered by the keyboard. An enhanced battery capacity (we’d even be happy with a slightly thicker build for that sake) and integrated kickstand would, in our view, put Huawei in the runnings against the Samsung TabPro S. Well, if that keyboard was included in the box anyway.

So if you’re looking for a laptop-replacement to use around the house then the MateBook is a decent option. But as an on-the-go device it’s those fundamental battery and stand underpinnings that hold it back from greatness.

The glance will lure you in, but it’s the living with that will leave you wishing the MateBook gave just that bit more. Round two, anyone?

MPs tell BT to get its ‘house in order’ or face Openreach split

In the latest development in the BT/Openreach saga, a panel of cross-party MPs has called for the provider to be split from its broadband division if it doesn’t invest significantly more in UK infrastructure. In a report, the Culture, Media and Sport Committee argues that Openreach could be spending “hundreds of millions of pounds a year,” but BT’s current approach is “sacrificing shareholder value and public benefits.”

If you feel like you’ve heard these words before, well, you have. In February, UK communications watchdog Ofcom told BT that it would be spared from an Openreach split, but only if it opened telegraph poles and underground ducts, gives its broadband arm more say over investments, speeds up line repairs and improves the wait time for the installation of new connections. In a preemptive release, BT said yesterday that it’s making “strong progress” on improving customer service, which includes fixing 84 percent of faults within two working days — up from 67 percent in 2014 — and cutting the average appointment time down from 11 to seven days.

Lawmakers say that Ofcom must now determine “the financial effect of BT’s failure to invest in Openreach at its true cost of capital.” Ofcom, which will soon deliver its plan for BT and Openreach in its every-ten-year “Strategic Review of Digital Communications,” hasn’t escaped criticism either. The Committee says that the regulator didn’t “place enough emphasis in the past on improving Openreach’s quality of service” and should enforce tougher penalties on the company in order to “encourage” voluntary investment. That, of course, includes forcing BT and Openreach to separate.

In response to today’s report, BT said: “We are disappointed to be criticised for having invested more than £1 billion a year in infrastructure when the UK was emerging from recession and rival companies invested little.”

“We are in discussions with Ofcom about increasing the autonomy of Openreach and are hopeful that a settlement is possible that will meet the concerns of the committee. Separating Openreach from BT would lead to less investment, not more, and would fatally undermine the aims of the committee. “

However, BT’s rivals are already piling in. TalkTalk says that “after years of suffering, customers deserve nothing less” than an independent Openreach: “This report puts beyond doubt the need for radical reform of Openreach. MPs have concluded that Openreach is not fit for purpose and is letting Britain down. As Ofcom considers how to improve Britain’s broadband, it should feel emboldened to know it has cross-party political support to be radical.”

“BT’s broken promises risk creating a two-tier digital Britain, with millions of homes and businesses denied fast, reliable broadband. Britain needs an independent Openreach, freed from the shackles of BT and able to invest in world-class technology for the whole country, not just parts of it.”

Source: Culture, Media and Sport Committee (PDF)

Seagate unveils a 10TB hard drive for your home PC

It’s no longer far-fetched to buy a 10TB hard drive if you’re running a server, but what if you need gobs of space for your games and 4K videos at home? Seagate has your back after today, as it’s releasing a trio of 10TB drives (mainly focused at networked and surveillance storage) that include one designed for your desktop. The new Barracuda Pro doesn’t do anything remarkable beyond its capacity (it’s a standard 3.5-inch, 7,200RPM disk), but that still means getting a massive amount of room in a drive that’s meant for a run-of-the-mill PC. Just brace yourself for the cost. Seagate pegs the 10TB Barracuda Pro’s price at $535 — it’ll be tempting to settle for ‘just’ an 8TB disk unless you know you need as much storage as possible in a single drive bay.

Source: Seagate

Iran iPhone Ban Looms Unless Apple Registers With Anti-Smuggling Scheme

Apple has been warned by the Iranian government that it faces having its products banned in the country unless it officially registers with Iran’s anti-smuggling office.

“If Apple will not register an official representative in Iran within the next few days, all iPhones will be collected from the market,” said the director of Iran’s anti-smuggling project on Sunday.

The ultimatum was reported by Tasnim News Agency and translated today by The Japan Times. According to the report, more than 40 million Iranians use smartphones, including millions of iPhone users whose devices are often imported into the country by smugglers.

To stop the flow of smuggled phones, Iran’s presidential office will initiate a scheme later this week that requires all mobile phones to be registered with Iran’s telecommunications user database. Phones not registered will not be able to be used in the country. According to the office, former users of iPhones and other smuggled phones are excluded from the scheme.

Despite the cooperation of mobile operators, customs, and the union of mobile phone sellers, IT activists in the country have criticized the state’s decision to potentially ban iPhones.

“Collecting this huge number of iPhones will not be easy,” the head of the Tehran IT union told Tasnim News, and expressed concerns that the telecommunications database could be susceptible to hacking attempts.

Note: Due to the political nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Politics, Religion, Social Issues forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.

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Microsoft Overhauls ‘Groove’ Music Streaming App for iOS

Microsoft announced an overhaul of its Groove Music app for iOS yesterday, featuring a redesigned interface and a handful of new features for the subscription-based service, home to over 38 million tracks.

The 3.5.6 update promises a much faster sign-in for mobile users of the music streaming platform and introduces a new Explore view to the UI where users can discover popular songs and new releases from top artists.

The update also offers significant improvements to playback reliability, as well as faster download of songs and albums for offline playing. Lossless OneDrive support and new sorting options when viewing music collections have also been implemented.

In addition, the update includes fixes to the sync process that requires users’ music collections to be rebuilt from scratch, which Microsoft promises is a one-time procedure, as well as optimizations to screen resolution to support larger mobile displays.

The app still needs to be in the foreground to download music, although Microsoft promises a background download feature coming in a future update. 

Microsoft Groove is a free download for iPhone and iPad available from the App Store. [Direct Link]

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