The next MacBook Pro may have a fingerprint-reading power button
That widely rumored MacBook Pro update may have more than just an OLED touch strip to draw you in. A 9to5Mac source (who has reportedly supplied “reliable” info in the past) claims that Apple will give the Pro a fingerprint-reading Touch ID power button, much like what you find on recent iPads and iPhones. Just how it would work isn’t clear, but it’s reasonable to imagine logging in without your usual password or taking advantage of macOS Sierra’s Apple Pay support when shopping online.
While you’ll supposedly have to wait until the fall to see whether or not the rumors are true, there is evidence to suggest that this isn’t just daydreaming. Code in MacOS Sierra references both the OLED bar and Touch ID, for example. And when you combine this with reports of Thunderbolt 3-capable USB-C ports and it sounds like the MacBook Pro is getting a major (if long, long overdue) upgrade.
Source: 9to5Mac
NBC will produce original content for Snapchat
If Snapchat’s feeling an existential crisis (what with Instagram ripping off its product and all) then it’s not showing it. The company has sealed a deal with NBCUniversal that’ll see the broadcaster produce “original content” for the messaging service. The shows will feature original material that’s been spun out of popular NBC franchises like SNL, The Voice and Fallon. The first will be a scaled-down version of the singing competition, in which user-submitted auditions will be judged by whichever The Voice coach has some free time.
It’s not the first time that Snapchat and NBC have teamed up together, with the latter using the former to broadcast content from the 2016 Olympics. These clips are being shared via a dedicated channel in the app, showing behind the scenes clips and highlights from the events themselves.
In an interview with the Wall Street Journal, NBCU’s Ron Lamprecht says that a YouTube-like system of rehashing existing material wouldn’t work with Snapchat. Perhaps unsurprisingly, that’s because the app’s vertical video layout makes cropping widescreen TV shows a near-impossibility, so everything has to be made fresh. He added that none of the clips that NBC produces for Snapchat will be exclusive to that service, giving other apps the opportunity to make a similar content deal.
It also helps to address the issue that young people — millennials — aren’t watching as much TV as previous generations. The hope, clearly, is to lure them back toward the living room (where NBC and others can make money from ad sales) by reminding them that fusty old TV is down with the kids. The network also pledged to cut two sets of ad breaks from the next season of Saturday Night Live — after all, YouTube and Netflix are working very hard to eliminate the concept of the “commercial break.”
Source: WSJ
Adidas Creator Studio lets you design kits for soccer teams
Ever wish you could have a hand in creating team kits for your favorite soccer (read: football) team? Adidas wants to make that possible with its upcoming Creator Studio project.
The Creator Studio allows players the unique opportunity to design the third shirts that may be worn by real players at Real Madrid, Manchester United, Juventus and more. You can head over to the Creator Studio yourself right now and get to work designing a specialized kit that strikes your fancy.
When you’re done you can submit your design, and then you’ll be given a special image that can aid you in amassing votes from your community. In the end, the kits with the most votes will be added to a list for each club from which they’ll choose their favorites.
This is an interesting way to get close to footballers in a way that’s not yet been dabbled with, and the creator looks simple enough to use. Give it a look here and see what you can come up with.
The best tech for students who like to party
That’s all students, right? Right? While not everyone will be headed to toga parties on frat row (we applaud your decision there), all of you are going to need some gear to keep you amused when class isn’t in session. In addition to some of the more predictable stuff, like speakers and a Chromecast, we have some more off-kilter recommendations, including an electronic dartboard, a USB turntable, a “music festival survival kit” and even a vaporizer, if that’s your idea of a good time. Check out the gallery below for all our party gear picks, and make sure to peruse our full back-to-school guide right here.
Source: Engadget’s 2016 Back-to-School Guide
‘Rocket League’ update brings grappling hooks and giant boots
Psyonix still isn’t done finding ways to inject new life into Rocket League more than a year after it first hit the scene. It’s introducing a Rumble mode that adds some welcome chaos to the vehicular sport through random power-ups. You can use a giant boot to kick players out of the way, a magnet to lure the ball to your car, or a grappling hook to draw yourself to the ball. There’s even a tornado that will sweep up everything into a raging funnel cloud. Rumble will be free when it arrives in an update this fall, so it’ll be easy to try if you find that your exhibition matches are becoming a little too predictable.
Via: Rock Paper Shotgun
Source: Psyonix
Watching Olympics coverage in VR is fun, but TV is still better
Many people complained about the tape delay and excessive ads for NBC’s Rio 2016 Olympics opening ceremony coverage, but there was another option. If you had a Samsung Gear VR headset and were willing to wait a day, you could watch it in 360-degree video as if you were at Rio’s Maracanã Stadium. That’s what I did, and it was indeed pretty cool: You’re immersed in the event and can look at whatever grabs your eye. The execution and technology are still lacking, unfortunately, which degraded the experience, but it’s easy to see how it could one day be a spectacular way to view live events.
The setup was a bit difficult, given that I’m located in Paris and NBC’s sports app only works in the US. But thanks to a VPN and some cooperation from NBC’s PR team (being a tech journalist has its perks), I was able to get the app installed, authenticated and working with the Gear VR’s Oculus software. The 24-hour delay for the VR broadcast seems excessive, but it’s easy to understand why NBC did it. The Rio games are a big test for the feasibility of VR tech, so the broadcaster probably wanted to ensure that it worked perfectly before unleashing it on the public.
Another good reason to delay the VR broadcast is that it’s still pretty tricky to watch a live event on a VR headset. There are lot of things that can go wrong (app installation, et cetera), and it can take a lot of menu futzing to get it playing, so you’d hate to miss anything because of that. In other words, VR isn’t just complicated from the broadcaster’s side — it’s also tricky from the consumer end.
So how was it? First, the good. NBC had a handful of 360-degree cameras around the stadium, with several good views from a spectator perspective. There were also cameras on the floor, letting you scope the dancers, performers and athletes up close. You could also watch NBC’s regular TV feed by looking down at a virtual “screen.” But a lot of the fun is choosing where to look, whether at the dancers, fireworks or crowd. The audio quality was good, and with many shots, especially closeups, I felt immersed.
The downside was the technology. The video quality was so poor, especially on wide shots, that I felt at times that I was watching a bad copy of a VHS tape. I’ve seen lots of 360-degree videos on the Gear VR, so I know it’s possible to do better. It wasn’t likely a streaming issue, as I had at least 100Mbps speeds, even with the VPN. The limited number of camera positions was also a negative; it would’ve been great to have athletes carry cameras, for instance.
I did watch the opening ceremonies live on French TV, and saw a replay of NBC’s broadcast on its sports app. For now, that’s clearly the superior medium. Crisp, high-def or 4K video, lots of closeups, live commentary and slick production.
Here’s what would make VR a superior experience to a regular broadcast for me. I’d like lots of 360 cameras from fixed and mobile positions, being carried by dedicated camera operators and even athletes. After all, why not take advantage of the relatively portable 360 camera gear made by Samsung, GoPro and others? I also want a better video feed, in order to max out the resolution of the Gear VR. It’d be nice to have more, well-chosen cuts from a dedicated VR director, or even the ability to choose my own camera angle, and I’d like the option to turn commentary from the regular broadcast on and off.
The next time, NBC should support all or most VR headsets on the market, especially the Vive and Rift, even if they do have a sponsor relationship with Samsung. And, while we’re dreaming, how about a higher-resolution smartphone? If Samsung or other smartphone makers (Sony, maybe?) could do 4K, that would help solve the quality issues. (Yes, I now regret saying that 4K smartphones were useless, by the way.)
All of this would require quite a commitment from a broadcaster like NBC, along with very fast internet speeds, high-resolution headsets and 360-degree cameras that don’t even exist yet. When can we expect that? Maybe in a few years. Once all of these pieces fall into place, though, viewers will get a unique hybrid of a live event and broadcast. The only drawback is being alone inside your headset — until they can virtually connect folks together, it’s always more fun to watch big events with others.
AT&T ordered to pay $7.75 million for bogus directory assistance tools
US telecom providers have a pretty bad rap, and today we’re finding out that some AT&T customers ended up paying money they shouldn’t have thanks to some scammers. The FCC just released a statement noting that it reached a settlement with AT&T in which the carrier will pay $7.75 million after it accidentally allowed scammers to charge $9 a month to unsuspecting wireline customers for a “sham” directory assistance service. Adding insult to injury, it seems this service was set up as a tool to help launder money; the scam was originally uncovered by the DEA.
AT&T said in a statement that “two companies that engaged in a sophisticated fraud scheme were apparently able to circumvent those protections and submit unauthorized third-party charges that were billed by AT&T.”
According to the FCC, AT&T received a fee each time this fraudulent service appeared on a customer’s bill, but the so-called service provider never actually provided anything to these customers, most of which were small businesses. Out of the $7.75 million AT&T is paying up, $6.8 million will go towards refunds and a paltry $950,000 will go to the US treasury as a fine. Given that AT&T pulled in $40.5 billion in revenue in its most recent quarter, it’s a stretch to call that fine even a slap on the wrist.
This is hardly the first time US telecom providers have gotten in trouble for such shady practices — in 2014, AT&T itself paid a much larger $105 million settlement for cramming false charges onto its customers’ bills. T-Mobile also paid $90 million in a 2014 settlement, while Verizon and Sprint paid $90 million and $68 million, respectively, last winter. We’re hoping the FCC continues to pay close attention to these shady practices.
AT&T’s full statement is below:
“Consistent with industry practices, AT&T wireline telephone customers have been able to purchase certain telecommunications services from third parties and have charges for those services billed on their telephone bill. We have implemented strict requirements on third parties submitting charges for AT&T bills to ensure that all charges are authorized by our customers; indeed, those requirements go beyond the requirements of FCC rules and impose safeguards that the FCC proposed but never adopted. Nonetheless, unbeknownst to us, two companies that engaged in a sophisticated fraud scheme were apparently able to circumvent those protections and submit unauthorized third-party charges that were billed by AT&T.”
“Today, we reached a settlement with the FCC to resolve all claims associated with these companies and the related charges. Pursuant to the settlement, we will provide refunds for all charges on behalf of these two companies going back to January 1, 2012. Affected former and current AT&T wireline telephone customers will receive these refunds via check within 90 days. We stopped billing for these entities as of June 2015 and will also cease wireline third-party billing for other third parties, with limited exceptions.”
Source: FCC
Lyft app now supports multi-stop routes
Next time you share a Lyft with a friend or have to use the service to run errands, you don’t need to manually adjust your destination anymore. The ridesharing app now supports multi-stop routes — you just need to click “Add Destination” whenever you want to program more than one. Lyft says hundreds of thousands of passengers every month, usually on a Friday or a Saturday night, would manually change their stop when they need to go somewhere first. This feature would eliminate the need to do that and could help drivers plan more efficient routes. We believe that’s what’s called a win-win. While we’re sure you won’t have trouble figuring it out on your own, you can check out a short GIF of the process below the fold.
Big-I is a smart home robot that will stalk your family
Siri, Alexa and Cortana are helpful around the house, but can their respective tech follow you around the house like something out of a science fiction movie? Big-I, the personal robot, can do just that.
The robot resembles a cuddly trash can, standing at waist length with one large “eye” where the trash can’s lid would be. It’s actually sort of cute, when you think about it. Big-I can see, hear, move and respond to voice commands you program it with, including IFTTT-like instructions. The robot is seen in its promotional clip reminding a father to send jackets with children if the temperature is below a certain threshold. It’s told to play music when the father raises his hand a specific way.
The robot’s open API and unique operating system mean there’s room for customization as well, in addition to integration with your smart home appliances like lights and thermostat systems. It can also be educated, meaning you could potentially train your own little personal housekeeper. Just make sure Roomba doesn’t see it and get jealous.
Big-I is slated to come in several colors, but it’s not quiet ready yet for purchase. If you’re interested in possibly grabbing one in the future, you can sign up for updates now to get $50 off a unit as well as access to the developer version when it makes its debut.
Source: NXRobo
Fully Functional iPhone 7 Lightning EarPods Shown Off in New Video
Over the past few weeks, images have claimed to show Apple’s upcoming Lightning-enabled EarPods, but most were found to be fake as the design language of the headphones largely deviated from Apple’s usual aesthetic, especially in regards to not having a thin, rectangular Lightning plug. Today, MobileFun posted a video of a working pair of Lightning EarPods, and the overall look of the accessory appears more in line with Apple’s design than any of the previous leaks.
As is expected, the headphone part of the new EarPods is structured the same as the EarPods currently being sold by Apple, with a clean, white design, right and left markers on each earpiece, and in-line volume and play/pause controls. Interestingly, the in-line controls are placed farther down on the EarPods, directly below the right/left split in the cable design. If real, this would mark a design change from the current generation, which places the volume rocker along the right cable, above the bifurcation in the cord.
The most notable part is, of course, the long-rumored addition of the Lightning plug onto the EarPods, adapted to take advantage of the removal of the 3.5 mm headphone jack from the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus. The plug on the Lightning-enabled EarPods appears slightly bigger than Apple’s traditional Lightning adapters thanks to the inclusion of a digital-to-analog converter needed for music playback and not just straightforward charging.
In the video, the EarPods are proven to be completely functional through the playing of a few songs as well as using the in-line controls to play, pause, and skip some tracks. MobileFun concluded to its viewers, “as you can see, these are fully working, they aren’t just a mock-up of what you might receive,” believing that the working headphones will be what Apple sells alongside the new generation of iPhone in September.
Multiple solutions for the removal of the 3.5 mm headphone jack have sprouted up over the past few weeks, with one of the most prevailing alternatives centering around a Lightning to 3.5 mm dongle that the company could potentially bundle into the box of the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus to cushion the transition for customers. More recently, it was reported that Apple could be working on completely wireless “AirPods” as an option for iPhone users, allowing simultaneous iPhone charging and headphone music playback, which is one of the most commonly occurring grievances surrounding the loss of the 3.5 mm headphone jack.
Previous Coverage: Lightning Headphones: Are They Better or Just an Inconvenience?
Related Roundup: iPhone 7
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