TP-Link settles with the FCC over risky WiFi router power levels
When the FCC said it was cracking down on WiFi routers that can operate at power levels that might cause interference, it wasn’t kidding around. TP-Link has agreed to a settlement with the FCC that will have the company both keep its router power levels in check and shell out a relatively small $200,000 fine. As with Linksys, though, it’s not asking TP-Link to block unofficial firmware that could break the rules. Just the opposite, in fact — TP-Link has agreed to talk to both open source teams (think OpenWrt) and wireless chipset makers to enable third-party firmware that abides by FCC guidelines. While this isn’t exactly a back-breaking penalty for TP-Link, it could serve as a warning to other router makers that might veer from the straight and narrow.
Source: FCC (PDF 1), (2)
New York Governor bans sex offenders from ‘Pokémon Go’
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has forbidden registered sex offenders in his state from downloading and playing Pokémon Go and similar augmented reality games. According to a statement released Monday morning, the Department of Corrections and Community Supervision will apply the governor’s directive to “nearly 3,000 Level 1, 2 and 3 sex offenders currently on parole” in the state of New York.
Governor Cuomo’s plan comes after a report from New York Senators Jeffrey D. Klein and Diane Savino found dozens of Pokémon, Pokéstops and Pokémon gyms within half a block of 100 different registered sex offenders in New York City. In an open letter to Niantic CEO John Hanke, Cuomo offered to send the state’s sex offender registry data so the company could block those users from its immensely popular game. The Governor’s office has also reached out to Apple and Google to inform them of the same concerns.
“Protecting New York’s children is priority number one and, as technology evolves, we must ensure these advances don’t become new avenues for dangerous predators to prey on new victims,” Governor Cuomo wrote. “These actions will provide safeguards for the players of these augmented reality games and help take one more tool away from those seeking to do harm to our children.”
While sex offender registries have become controversial in some states, Governor Cuomo has a history of tracking sex offenders’ online activity in New York. As Attorney General, he introduced legislation that required sex offenders to register all their current email addresses, screen names and other internet aliases with the state. According to the Governor’s office, that legislation has banned over 18,000 register sex offenders from 40 different social media sites or tech services.
Multitouch is about to get more advanced thanks to Qeexo
Multitouch input, as we know it, is mostly for scrolling, rotating plus zooming with two fingers, and you can use more to toggle various actions on supported trackpads. But if you ask Mountain View-based Qeexo, we’ve only scratched the surface of this technology. Over the past couple of years, this company had been working on a software solution dubbed TouchTools, which can let you bring up virtual tools such as a pen, an eraser, a camera, a tape measure, a ruler, a magnifying glass or even a mouse using intuitive multitouch gestures. Many of these resemble the way you’d hold the real thing which is where the challenge lies, yet TouchTools works on all existing hardware that use a standard multitouch screen controller, which should appeal to device manufacturers.
Without giving away his secret sauce, Qeexo CEO Sang Won Lee explained that TouchTools uses just multitouch data plus machine learning to tell the pose of one’s hands. “It’s not just the number of fingers on the screen; just those data will not be enough to decide which tool to use. We need to understand the orientation [of fingers] and size [of fingertips].” After going through multiple stages of evaluations earlier, the result is a lightweight software engine that claims to accommodate 99 percent of users right out of the box, and it’s now available to OEMs plus app developers.
TouchTools isn’t limited to just smartphones and tablets. Lee reckons his software will be particularly handy for large interactive whiteboards, as it’ll save users from having to stretch all the way to a virtual toolbar or fiddle with a stylus. Similarly, it can be applied to digital signage for some fun advertisements. The exec also expects car makers to implement TouchTools on the dashboard touchscreen to let the driver control, say, the temperature or audio volume using knob rotation gestures — they could be differentiated with the size of the spread. As for app developers, Qeexo is offering integration into downloadable apps as well, so you don’t have to be a manufacturer to take advantage of this software.
Even though you may not be familiar with Qeexo, you may have already used its other solutions without you realizing it. For instance, the company’s more famous product, FingerSense, is already implemented on Huawei’s P9 series, Mate 8, Mate S, P8 series, Honor V8 and Honor 7. Here it’s branded as “Knuckle Sense” and lets you take a screenshot by knocking on the screen twice (I’m a big fan of this feature on my P9 Plus), or launch an app by using your knuckle to draw a designated letter, or toggle split screen mode by using your knuckle to draw a line across the screen. Again, this is achieved by using existing hardware — just data from the touchscreen controller plus the accelerometer — in order to distinguish between a fingertip input and a knuckle input. FingerSense has been working well for me all this time, which should be a reassuring sign for the upcoming TouchTools.
Source: Qeexo
BMW’s First CarPlay Vehicles Now Available
BMW this week became the latest CarPlay partner, introducing the iPhone-based software system as a $300 upgrade option in its 2 Series vehicles.
- 230i Coupe
- 230i Convertible
- 230i xDrive Coupe
- 230i xDrive Convertible
- M240i Coupe
- M240i Convertible
- M240i xDrive Coupe
- M240i xDrive Convertible
Leaked price listings in June confirmed BMW’s plans to offer CarPlay in select vehicles in North America and Europe this year, with 2017 M3, M4, X5 M, and X6 M models expected to follow later this month.
BMW joins a long list of automakers that offer CarPlay, including Acura, Audi, Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, Citroën, DS Automobiles, Ferrari, Ford, GMC, Honda, Hyundai, Kia, Lamborghini, Lincoln, Mercedes-Benz, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Opel, Porsche, Peugeot, Seat, Škoda, Subaru, Suzuki, Volkswagen, Volvo, and others.
Related Roundup: CarPlay
Tag: BMW
Discuss this article in our forums
New Website Offers Comprehensive List of Siri Commands
Users looking to get the most out of Siri may want to check out Hey-Siri.io, a new website that launched in July. Hey-Siri.io features a comprehensive list of many of the different Siri commands that are available, giving iOS and Mac users a quick way to discover all of the different things Siri can do.
Organized into categories like Apps & App Store, HomeKit, Notifications, Conversion, Messaging, Calendar, Translation, and more. Each section, which can be scrolled through on a single page, includes a range of different Siri commands relevant to each category.
When using Siri, Apple includes a list of sample commands in a “Some things you can ask me” popup, but it only scrolls through a handful of messages and isn’t as comprehensive or useful as the Hey-Siri.io website. Hundreds of commands are included on the site, including some of Siri’s more humorous responses to questions like “Knock, Knock” or “Why did the chicken cross the road?”
While Siri is only available on iOS devices at the current time, starting this fall, Siri will also be available on Macs through macOS Sierra. Hey-Siri.io includes both iOS and Mac commands, and switching between them can be done using the Settings button on the site.
Tag: Siri
Discuss this article in our forums
Galaxy Note 7 liveblog: Live from Samsung Unpacked NYC at 11 a.m. ET Aug 2!
What will we see in the latest Galaxy Note from Samsung?
Samsung has already stepped over the rumor mill to announce the official Galaxy Note 7 name, but aside from that we don’t yet know all of the details of the company’s latest big handset. For all of that, we’ll be in New York City to witness the Samsung Unpacked event — and since we’re there, we’ll be covering it with a complete liveblog.
The whole thing kicks off on August 2, at 11 a.m. ET — that’s 8 a.m. in Los Angeles and 4 p.m. in London — and we’ll be coming at you with all of the news and analysis at the event. Bookmark this page and join us here when it all goes down!
Samsung Galaxy Note 7
- The latest Galaxy Note 7 rumors!
- Galaxy Note 7: Imagining the next Note
- Expected Note 7 colors surface
- Join the Note 7 discussion in the forums!
Galaxy Note 4 and Note Edge now receiving July 1 security patch from T-Mobile
T-Mobile is currently rolling out the July 1 security patches for its versions of the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 and Note Edge.
The update was reported earlier this morning on our Android Central forums. T-Mobile’s support site has also updated its Galaxy Note 4 and Note Edge pages with the new software versions. Depending on which Note 4 model a person has, they will either see a 309.9MB download to version N910TUVU2EPG2, or a 281.27MB update to version N910T3UVU2EPG2. Note Edge owners will see a 328MB download to version N915TUVU2DPG2. As with all OTA updates, it may take a few day for it to circulate to all owners of those phones.
Thanks again to Android Central’s forum members for the tip!
Android will tell you when new devices access your Google account
If you have a Google account, few things are more disconcerting than getting a notice that an unfamiliar device just got access… especially when you only got the notice while checking your email considerably later. You might not miss that vital heads-up after today, though. Google is introducing native Android notifications that pop up whenever a new device accesses your account, giving you a chance to change your password before an intruder goes on a shopping spree using your credentials. If you’re ever suspicious, it takes one tap to review what happened.
The feature is rolling out gradually, and Google notes that it make take over two weeks for some people to see the change. Whenever it does arrive, it should provide a useful safeguard against data breaches and the surprise bills that frequently follow.
Source: Google Apps Updates
Apple Seeds Fourth Beta of iOS 10 to Developers
Apple today seeded the fourth beta of iOS 10 to developers for testing purposes, two weeks after seeding the third beta and almost two months after first unveiling the new operating system at its 2016 Worldwide Developers Conference.
The iOS 10 beta 4 update is available as an over-the-air download to those who installed the first three betas or the beta configuration profile and it’s available for direct download through the Apple Developer Center.
iOS 10 is a major iOS update with ton of new features and design tweaks, including a new Lock screen experience with 3D Touch-enabled notifications, a more easily accessible camera, a redesigned Control Center, and a new widgets screen. According to Apple, iOS 10 is the company’s biggest ever iOS update.
Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos.
The Messages app has been entirely overhauled with features that include background animations, bubble effects, Digital Touch, handwritten notes, Tapback replies, predictive emoji, and a dedicated App Store, and Photos has gained new facial and object recognition capabilities along with a Memories feature for rediscovering forgotten moments.
Over the beta testing period, Apple is tweaking the features introduced in iOS 10 to refine them ahead of the public release of the operating system. In iOS 10 beta 3, Apple introduced a new locking sound and haptic feedback when pressing the power button, an iOS 9 style Touch ID accessibility option, a new keyboard sound, an option to send Health data to Apple, and more. We’ll list any new changes found in beta 4 below.
iOS 10 is currently available to developers and public beta testers, with a full public release planned for the fall. For full details on iOS 10, make sure to check out our iOS 10 roundup
What’s new in iOS 10 beta 4:
Emoji – There are new emoji designed to promote gender equality. Many professions and activity emoji are now available in both male or female options. Emoji have a new texture and many emoji have seen slight design tweaks.
Control Center – There’s an intro screen when opening Control Center for the first time that instructs people to swipe left to access the different Control Center cards.
Haptic feedback – In iOS beta 3, Apple added haptic feedback when pressing the power button on the iPhone to lock it. In beta 4, this feature has been removed. There’s no longer a haptic feedback buzz when locking an iPhone.
Notification Center – The widgets screen, accessible by swiping to the right in the Notification Center, now displays the date. In previous versions of iOS 10, the date was not available.
Home – In the Control Center, the Home app icons have been tweaked again.
Keyboard sounds – Keyboard sounds have been slightly tweaked. Backspace now has a distinctive sounds unique from other key press sounds, and there’s a new sound for space, return, shift, and number/emoji shift.
Wallpaper – Some older wallpaper options have been removed and the mountain wallpaper with stars from an earlier version of iOS has been re-added.
Related Roundup: iOS 10
Discuss this article in our forums
Apple Releases iTunes 12.4.3 With Playlist Syncing Fix
Apple today released iTunes 12.4.3, a minor update that fixes a bug that could cause playlist changes made on iPhones or iPads to not appear in iTunes. Following the update, syncing should function as intended, with playlist changes showing up across all devices.
This update resolves an issue where playlist changes made on other devices may not appear in iTunes.
The new 12.4.3 update can be downloaded through the Software Update mechanism in the Mac App Store.
Today’s iTunes update comes two weeks after an iTunes 12.4.2 update that fixed an issue causing playback issues when listening to Apple Music tracks shorter than 60 seconds.
Tag: iTunes
Discuss this article in our forums
