Asus ZenWatch 3 is round, likely to launch at IFA 2016
An FCC filing from Asus reveals that the next ZenWatch, called the ZenWatch 3, is going to be a round device, moving away from the company’s history of releasing square Android Wear watches.
For those unaware, devices that use radio communications of any kind need to be passed through the FCC before they can go on sale in the States. More often than not, these listings reveal little in terms of specification or design and are made up of dozens of charts showing how tests on the various radio frequencies were performed, as well as results from those tests.
Listings also usually contain pictures of the FCC label, and show (vaguely) where on the device it is likely to feature. In the case of this ZenWatch 3, the FCC information will be placed on the underside of the casing, around the edges, which look distinctly round. This as good as confirms the next ZenWatch name, as well as its shape.
FCC
Very little else is revealed about the ZenWatch 3 in the FCC listing, at least when it comes to design or hardware specifications. However, it is revealed that we’ll see a watch equipped with Bluetooth 4.2, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n (2.4GHz) and a stainless steel back which ships with a 5V 2A (10 watt) charger in the box.
The change from square to round is interesting, from a perspective of narrative, since Android Wear began as a platform for square screens. That was before the first Moto 360 was released. Once round became the more popular option, every other Android Wear device maker seemed to follow suit. In fact, except for the recently announced Polar M600 sports watch, every big-name Android Wear watch has had a circular screen.
While the shape may be changing, one thing we’re hoping stays the same is Asus’ focus on value for money. The ZenWatch, in years gone by, has been one of the most affordable ways to get an Android Wear watch.
It seems likely that we’ll see an announcement from Asus regarding the ZenWatch 3 in Germany next month. The IFA trade show in Berlin is often used by tech companies to reveal new products, and is taking place in just a couple of weeks’ time.
Three’s Feel At Home inclusive roaming expands to 24 more countries
Starting in September, new free roaming countries for Three UK customers include Germany, Greece, Belgium, Netherlands, Malta and Iceland.
One of the most attractive perks for Three UK customers has been its “Feel At Home” program — the ability to roam at no extra cost in a selection of countries — mainly territories where Three already has a local mobile network. From September that list will be expanding significantly to cover 24 new territories, including major European destinations like Germany, Greece, Belgium, the Netherlands and Malta, as well as the Isle of Man and Channel Islands.
Here’s a complete breakdown of the new “Feel At Home” countries, which expands the service’s area to cover most of the European continent.
- Germany
- Greece
- Portugal
- Croatia
- Poland
- Belgium
- Netherlands
- Cyprus
- Czech Republic
- Bulgaria
- Hungary
- Romania
- Malta
- Lithuania
- Slovakia
- Estonia
- Latvia
- Iceland
- Slovenia
- Luxembourg
- Liechtenstein
- Gibraltar
- Isle of Man
- Channel Islands (Guernsey and Jersey)
That’s in addition to the 18 existing Feel At Home countries, which covers many destinations in Asia, and the United States:
- Spain
- France
- Switzerland
- Israel
- Findland
- Norway
- USA
- Indonesia
- Sri Lanka
- Macau
- Australia
- New Zealand
- Italy
- Austria
- Hong Kong
- Sweden
- Denmark
- Republic of Ireland
The fact that the new list kicks in from September means holidaymakers traveling this month will miss out on free roaming in these countries. Nevertheless, bringing most of Europe into the “Feel At Home” zone makes sense ahead of the looming abolition of roaming charges within the EU, set to kick in from June 15, 2017.
By getting out nine months or so ahead of the mandatory date for the end of EU roaming charges, Three scores a nice PR win. However as we’ve discussed before, the future of EU roaming after the recent Brexit vote remains up in the air.
MORE: The future of EU roaming, post-Brexit
Galaxy Note 7 launched in India for ₹59,900, available from Sep. 2
At a media event in New Delhi, Samsung launched the Galaxy Note 7 in the Indian market for ₹59,900. The phone will be available in three color variants: Black Onyx, Silver Titanium, and Gold Platinum. No Coral Blue for us folks.
The highlights include a design that’s similar to what we’ve seen on the Galaxy S7 and the S7 edge. Previous offerings in the Galaxy Note line were popular for being productivity workhouses, and while that is still true on the Note 7, the phone doesn’t stand out from the Galaxy S line. That’s especially true on the hardware front, with notable differences being 64GB internal storage and a new iris scanner:
| Operating System | Android 6.0 Marshmallow |
| Display | 5.7-inch 2560x1440Super AMOLEDDual edge screenGorilla Glass 5 |
| Processor | Octa-core Exynos 8890 |
| Storage | 64GB |
| Expandable | microSD up to 256GB |
| RAM | 4GB |
| Rear Camera | 12MP f/1.71.4-micron pixels, OIS |
| Front Camera | 5MP f/1.7 |
| Charging | USB-C, Fast ChargingQi, Powermat wireless |
| Input | S Pen stylus4096 pts of pressure sensitivity |
| Battery | 3500 mAh |
| Water resistance | IP68 rating |
| Security | One-touch fingerprint sensorIris scannerSamsung KNOX |
| Dimensions | 153.5 x 73.9 x 7.9 mm169 g |
The Galaxy Note 7 also marks the debut of USB-C charging. The phone should be more resilient to tumbles thanks to Gorilla Glass 5 at the front and back, and the new S Pen is just 0.7mm thick.
The phone will retail for ₹59,900 starting September 2. Those pre-booking the handset between August 22-30 will receive the new Gear VR for free. Who’s looking to pick up the Note 7 in India?
Samsung Galaxy Note 7
- Samsung Galaxy Note 7 hands-on preview
- The latest Galaxy Note 7 news!
- Here are all four Note 7 colors
- Complete Galaxy Note 7 specs
- The Galaxy Note 7 uses USB-C
- Join the Note 7 discussion in the forums!
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Logitech Pop is a smarthome switch that can quite literally get the party started
Logitech has announced the Pop, a smart home switch that looks to cross the smarthome divide and control multiple devices with the press of a button.
The switch links into your Wi-Fi, scanning for compatible smarthome devices – such as Sonos, Philips Hue, Insteon, Lutron, SmartThings, WeMo and Harmony remotes – and letting you create recipes of commands.
That will, for example, let you programme the Pop, so that it will set the scene for watching movies, starting up your home entertainment system, closing the blinds, dimming the lights and so on.
The idea is to make smarthome control simpler, by giving you a physical button, rather than having to rely on using multiple apps on your smartphone. That also means that anyone can walk into a room, hit the button and get a result.
Logitech
The Logitech Pop is a wireless button, so it can be mounted wherever you might need it, and it is controlled via an iOS or Android app. It comes in a range of colours, costing $39.99 for an individual switch, or $99.99 for a starter pack which includes two switches and the plug-in bridge you’ll need to get it connected.
To expand the range of functions, there are three different button pressing actions: single, double and long presses. This will mean that one switch could offer a range of different actions, for example a long press could turn everything off for the night.
Inclusion of Sonos in the list in interesting, because although Sonos offers a range of connected speakers, it often sits outside of wider smarthome integration. With the Logitech Pop, you could quite literally press the button to get the party started.
The Logitech Pop will be available in the US from August, no word on wider release.
Three’s Feel at Home roaming will soon cover most of Europe
Three’s Feel at Home perk lets subscribers use their regular minute, text and data allowances abroad at no extra cost. The inclusive roaming feature even covers several far-flung destinations including the USA, Australia and Hong Kong, but after adding Spain and New Zealand to the roster early last year, the list of 18 regions hasn’t grown any longer. From this September, however, Three is expanding Feel at Home to an additional 24 countries across Europe (for a new total of 42).
Feel at Home was already available in France, Spain, Italy and throughout Scandinavia, but from next month, pretty much the entirety of Europe will be covered. Roaming charges are due to be abolished across the EU next summer, you may recall, so Three is just kinda jumping the gun in that respect. Though whether Brits will still be able to take advantage of that when the UK eventually leaves the EU remains to be seen.
For now, though, any Three subscriber planning a late summer getaway in Europe should be chuffed with the expansion. Unless they didn’t consult their crystal ball and opted to save a few quid by taking out one of Three’s new, perkless Essential plans, that is.
New Feel at Home destinations: Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Germany, Gibraltar, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Isle of Man, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia and the Channel Islands, Guernsey and Jersey.
Logitech’s Pop button controls your entire smart home
As slick as smart home technology may be, you lose some ease of use. With certain exceptions, you can’t just flick a switch to set everything in motion. Logitech thinks it can change that. It’s introducing the Pop Home Switch, a button (yes, the name is a bit misleading) that can control multiple devices at once. It not only talks to typical smart home tech like lighting (including Philips Hue bulbs) and door locks, but also Logitech’s own Harmony hubs. If your remote can control it, the switch can too. It’ll even access Sonos playlists (in case you need some relaxing music to go with your mood lighting), and you can assign up to three actions per switch thanks to single, double and long button presses.
The Pop Home Switch arrives in the US later in August, with prices varying depending on how much you like the idea of hardware control. A Starter Pack bundle with everything you need to get going will cost $100, while an add-on switch will set you back $40. That’s not trivial when some smart home devices can cost about as much, but the cost may be easy to justify if you’re tired of wading through smartphone apps to perform simple tasks.
Source: Logitech (1), (2)
LG’s V20 will sound great… with wired headphones
Some portions of the technology industry would like you to think that smartphones without headphone jacks are the future. LG feels differently, and has teamed up with high-end audio firm ESS to bake in a 32-bit HiFi Quad Digital-To-Analog converter into the forthcoming V20. Unlike standard DACs, this model is promised to cut ambient noise in half and make your tunes sound as if you’re listening on some high-end separates. The bit that’s worth noting, however, is that this new-fangled audio prowess will only work if you’re rocking a set of cabled headphones.
If you’re unfamiliar, a DAC takes the music that’s been stored digitally and (wait for it) converts it into analog audio for piping into your ears. That’s reasonably easy for a smartphone because there’s some space and power to install a hardware DAC in the body for use with headphones. But Bluetooth audio gear has to process the digital signal locally, which means it has to carry its own DAC. That means that it’s got to be smaller, cheaper and less power-hungry than its smartphone counterpart. By making a big deal out of the V20’s wired audio capabilities, LG’s drawing a very public line in the sand against firms like Motorola and what Apple is presumed to be doing next month.
Logitech’s ‘Pop Home Switch’ Aims to Simplify Smart Device Control
Logitech today announced a new single-button device called the Pop Home Switch, designed to simplify the control of multiple smart home products.
The interactive accessory company says the idea behind the Pop is to free up control of smart devices so that anyone in the home can operate them regardless of whether they have a smartphone and the associated app for each device.
The palm-sized, wall-mounted switch connects wirelessly to a Bluetooth hub that plugs into a power outlet, and enables users to activate up to three pre-programmed moods with a single, double, or triple press.
A companion mobile app scans local Wi-Fi networks for compatible devices and allows users to create a recipe for each. For example, a recipe called “morning” could be programmed to open the drapes and begin a particular music playlist with a single click of the button.
The Pop supports a range of smart home devices, like Phillips Hue lights, Sonos speakers, LIFX connected bulbs, August locks, and Lutron smart drapes.
Logitech’s Starter Pack comes with two wall-mounted buttons and a single hub, and additional Pops can be bought to increase the flexibility of the system.
The Pop Home Switch Starter Pack costs $99.99 and additional switches cost $39.99. The device works with both iOS and Android; pre-orders begin today and the product will start shipping later this month.
Tag: Logitech
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Judge tosses lawsuit filed against Twitter over ISIS activity
A district judge has tossed out a lawsuit accusing Twitter of playing a role in the terrorist-related deaths of two Americans by allowing ISIS activity on the website. The class-action lawsuit names the widows of Lloyd “Cark” Fields Jr. and James Damon Creach as plaintiffs. Fields Jr. and Creach were both American contractors who were shot to death in a shooting spree in Jordan last year. According to AP and The Wall Street Journal, the plaintiffs failed to convince Judge William H. Orrick from San Francisco that Twitter “knowingly provide[d] material support or resources to a foreign terrorist organization.”
“As horrific as these deaths were,” he wrote, “Twitter cannot be treated as a publisher or speaker of Isis’ hateful rhetoric and is not liable under the facts alleged.” He explained that under the Communications Decency Act, online content providers like social networks cannot be held liable for tweets, status updates or anything else published by a third party.
While there’s undoubtedly quite a lot of Twitter accounts disseminating pro-ISIS propaganda, the company has been trying to fight them off. An intelligence report said it routinely deletes accounts related to the terrorist organization faster than ISIS can make them. The White House is also a fan, announcing that the group’s Twitter activity dropped 45 percent in the past two years.
Source: The Wall Street Journal, AP
Tor promises not to build backdoors into its services
Tor has published what it calls a “Social Contract” comprised of promises to users and the principles the team believes in. It has been around for over a decade, so publishing a set of goals and behaviors at this point in time is rather curious. Maybe its developers wanted to show the world that they didn’t lose their focus after Jacob Appelbaum, one of Tor’s most prominent devs, stepped down in the midst of sexual harassment allegations. Maybe it’s because of something else. Whatever the reason is, its social contract contains one interesting pledge: “We will never implement front doors or back doors into our projects,” the team wrote.
Tor’s ability to keep users anonymous made it the go-to browser of people looking for drugs, illegal firearms, hitmen, child porn and other things you won’t find on eBay or YouTube. If there’s a browser law enforcement agencies would want to backdoor to, it’s Tor, especially since its main source of funding is the US government. That’s right — the famous anonymizing network gets most of its money from a government known for conducting mass surveillance on a global scale.
Loudly proclaiming that it will never build a backdoor into its services might not even matter, though. The government already proved once that it’s capable of infiltrating the dark web. If you’ll recall, the FBI identified 1,500 users of a child porn website called “Playpen” by deploying a Tor hacking tool. It led to numerous court battles that opened up the discussion on the validity of evidence obtained without warrant through malware.
Via: TechCrunch
Source: Tor Project
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