Fake ‘iPhone 6 SE’ Packaging Surfaces Online
A handful of photos claimed to show packaging for a device called the “iPhone 6 SE” have surfaced online today, presumably countering rumors that the next iPhone will be called the iPhone 7, but the photos have quite clearly been digitally altered.
The photos have circulated on a number of sites with varying amounts of redaction, but the highest quality, least edited versions we’ve found were shared by frequent Weibo leaker “KK”, who notes he collected them from other users and doesn’t believe Apple will use the “iPhone 6 SE” name.
On the rear of the box shown in the photos, multiple lines of text have been Photoshopped, including both mentions of the name “iPhone6 SE,” placing the six on the tail end of “iPhone” with none of Apple’s traditional spacing. There are also font and background color discrepancies in the areas of the crucial text, telltale signs of manipulation.
In addition to the iPhone 6 SE name, other text lines appearing to be Photoshopped include a 2016 copyright date at the very bottom and an A1758 model number halfway through the large block of text at the top.
The other angles of the package have slightly skewed typography for the iPhone 6 SE title, further confirming the name’s blend of text and logos from the iPhone 6 and iPhone SE packaging, which would be easily obtained online and used to edit a photo of an older model box.
The front of the box is also curiously omitted from the images shared today. Although the front-facing part of the iPhone 7 is expected to be largely similar to the iPhone 6 and 6s, subtle clues like glimpses of the rearranged antenna bands or a potentially flush Home Button could be harder to pull off in Photoshop. In addition, Apple will undoubtedly use a different wallpaper presentation for the new phone to differentiate the box from prior models.
As a whole, the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus are believed to be modest updates to last year’s iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus. Visual overhauls will be kept to a minimum and should include reduced antenna bands, a potential flush Home button, and a larger camera bump, while the most notable and controversial change may be the omission of a 3.5 mm headphone jack.
Leaks and rumors of varying quality will no doubt continue in the lead-up to Apple’s rumored September 7 media event, which is now just two weeks away. Following the event, pre-orders are expected to begin on September 9 with a potential launch on September 16 or September 23.
Related Roundup: iPhone 7
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Comcast’s Watchable streaming app adds new exclusive series
Even cable giant Comcast has to pay attention to internet viewers, and last year it launched an interesting YouTube-like site called Watchable. Packed with content from creators including Buzzfeed and Vice it took aim directly at the very millennials that might not have cable at all, and now Comcast is trying harder to attract those viewers by offering several free new shows that are exclusive to Watchable. Oddly, probably because the site is not called “embeddable,” we’ll have to show you the trailers for its original programming on YouTube.
The first three series include Cholos Try, Ballin’ on a Budget and How to Human, while six others are coming later this year. To attract talent and partners, Comcast reportedly promised a bigger split of revenue, but it’s hard to have revenue without the number of viewers one can get on YouTube, Facebook or pretty much anywhere else, and the only way to get people to try Watchable is to offer something you can’t get elsewhere. You’ve probably already accessed the videos via Android, iOS or Comcast’s X1 platform while taking a selfie, moving across the country for a new job and ordering a custom-designed participation trophy, but if not,
Via: TechCrunch
Source: Watchable Exclusives, Comcast
YouTube’s app for the big screen is being updated today
YouTube may have originated on the desktop (more than a decade ago!), but now mobile and the living room are two of its most important platforms. The latter is receiving an update today: Game consoles, streaming devices like Roku, smart TVs and of course the Chromecast will all get a small but important change. Now, when you load up YouTube, you’ll be presented with a variety of different content tabs right at the top of the interface. It’s now much easier to flip through topics like sports, news, comedy, music, entertainment and so forth.
Google previously had similar categories hidden in the left-side menu bar, but the company thinks that moving them front and center will help users find content faster and keep them watching longer. The categories themselves have also been refined a bit, with some new additions and subtractions getting to the 14 total you’ll find now. It’s something YouTube has been working on ever since it started designing its own consistent interface across the big screen in 2013. Previously, YouTube had an open API that device makers could tap into and make their apps, but that led to inconsistent experiences and new features being left behind.
Below those high-level categories are a bunch of sub-genres and categorizations to help users drill in to what they may want to watch. Each section typically has a “top stories” area first that surfaces trending and popular videos. YouTube head of living room products Sarah Ali tells Engadget that the company spent a lot of time working to get the algorithms right so that it surfaces not only new videos, but older content that might be relevant to a topic that’s trending.
Beyond the top stories area are sub-categories meant to show off popular topics within a broader group. In gaming, for example, you might see Pokémon Go, Minecraft and Overwatch. Once you scroll through about 10 of these groupings you’ll get to a handful of suggested topics and channels. And once you start watching in any of these groups, the next video in the sequence will play automatically.
YouTube also added a new live streams section. There’s a top “live” area that shows you a variety of streams happening right at the moment you’re looking, and (in some cases) you can find live streams specific to the top-level categories when you start drilling down.
This update is rolling out today to basically every device that displays YouTube on your big TV. The only notable exception to that is the Apple TV, which has its own YouTube app that integrates with Siri and that Google maintains separately. Ali was quick to point out that it is feature complete, so Apple TV users aren’t missing out on anything at the moment. But if you’re watching YouTube on pretty much any other device (provided it was made in the last four years or so), the new interface should show up soon.
However, just note that only users in the US will see this change, at least for now. Ali said all of the recommendations need to be localized to get the right mix of content in that’s relevant to a particular country. It sounds like eventually other regions will get this update, but for the time being it’s restricted to the US.
These are the Sony devices that will be updated to Android 7.0 Nougat
Tough luck Xperia Z3 owners.
Sony has published the list of devices that will be updated to Android 7.0 Nougat, and right off the bat there’s a glaring omission. There’s no mention of phones in the Xperia C, Xperia M, or Xperia E lineups, which means that it is unlikely these devices will ever see the Nougat update. The Xperia Z3, which made its debut in September 2014, will also not be updated to the latest version of Android.
These are the devices that are slated to pick up the Nougat update:
- Xperia Z3+
- Xperia Z4 Tablet
- Xperia Z5
- Xperia Z5 Compact
- Xperia Z5 Premium
- Xperia X
- Xperia XA
- Xperia X Performance
- Xperia XA Ultra
Sony’s problem is one of its own making. With the vendor continuing to roll out a new high-end device every six months, we’ve seen three new flagships since the Xperia Z3 debuted nearly two years ago, and Sony is slated to launch a new phone next month at IFA. Xperia Z3 will undoubtedly feel left out, considering the phone was selected as the handset of choice for testing Nougat preview builds.
Furthermore, there’s no mention of when we’ll see updates roll out to the devices mentioned in the list, with Sony stating that it will be a “phased process,” and that the timing will vary by “market and/or operator.”
Elsewhere, HTC has mentioned that the HTC 10, HTC One A9, and the One M9 will receive the Nougat update, while Samsung is assuring updates for the Galaxy Note 7, S7, S7 edge, and last year’s Galaxy Note 5, S6, S6 edge, and S6 edge+ among other models.
Will my phone get updated to Android 7.0 Nougat?
How to format the microSD card in the Galaxy Note 7
The SD card slot is back with the Galaxy Note 7 — now here’s how you get started when you first pop it in.
microSD cards are hardly new to Samsung phones, but after the feature was removed in Note 5 we wouldn’t blame you if you’d forgotten the basics of using one in your phone. But Samsung has changed the software a bit in the Galaxy Note 7 as well, hiding a few basic features — chief among them being the ability to format the SD card after you insert it.
Want to know how to get it done? We have the steps right here.
How to format your Note 7’s SD card
Open your phone’s Settings.
Tap on Device maintenance.
Tap on Storage at the bottom of the screen.
Tap the Menu button in the top-right corner.
Tap Storage settings.
Tap on SD card in the middle of the screen.
Tap Format and confirm by tapping Format again.
Formatting your SD card is important if you’ve ever used the card in a different device for an extended period, as it cleans out the card and makes sure that the Note 7 is starting with a clean slate. It can also be useful if you’ve filled up your SD card and would like to start fresh — just remember that there isn’t going to be an automatic backup or recovery mechanism, so if you format your SD card, consider all of its data to be lost.
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- Here are all four Note 7 colors
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What would you change about Android Auto?
Android Auto is a much better experience than most in-car infotainment systems — but could it be made better?
With Android Auto, Google was able to safely bring your favorite Android experiences into the car, but it came with a number of sacrifices. From weird compatibility issues to limited voice navigation while driving, using Android Auto can be equally as frustrating as it is awesome. Google has done a great job of bringing Android’s core interface tenets to the dash, but there are some areas that could be changed.
So here’s the big question: Is there anything that annoys you daily, or something that you wish the system would do a bit better?
Here’s our list:
- Get rid of the touch limits
- Allow some customization of the “home screen”, with the ability to add widgets
- Fix weird compatibility issues that prevent some phones from working
- More navigation options, like Waze, for those who don’t rely only on Google Maps
- More third-party head unit options
- Ability to connect wirelessly
- Multi-window view, so you can have maps and a music player or app of choice open at the same time
Since its release, Android Auto has not changed very much, but Google could do some innovative things here to take it to the next level. We’ve seen more app developers take advantage of the platform and make their apps compatible with it, and hopefully that continues. What are some of the things that you wish you could change about Android Auto? Let us know what you think in the comments.
More: Participate in the Android Auto forums
All About Android Auto
- Getting started with Android Auto
- List of compatible phones and cars
- Android Auto news
- Apps that work with Android Auto
- Join the Android Auto discussion!
PowerEgg is a £1290 drone offering gesture controls
PowerVision has officially launched PowerEgg, a rethinking of consumer drones, offering a dramatically different design, along with some innovative features.
The PowerEgg itself has a design that explains the name, with the legs and arms folding to the egg-shaped form for storage, giving a refreshing alternative to the squared design that’s so common.
However PowerVision isn’t only showing off a clever design, it’s also aiming to deliver a consumer-friendly experience, offering gesture control.
The idea is to allow one-handed control to position the drone, allowing up, down, left, right and near and far movements. The PowerEgg has an optical positioning system allowing for indoor flight, using ultrasonic sensors to detect the ground.
Flight time is said to be 23 minutes.
There’s a stabilised 4K camera included, on a three-axis gimbal, allowing photo and video, with support for live video streaming up to 5km.
There are a range of flight modes to aid capture of the photos and video you want, so you can have the drone follow you, take selfies, orbit and so on.
The PowerVision PowerEgg is now on pre-order over at https://store.powervision.me, with delivery expected in October 2016.
PlayStation Now comes to Windows PC, with wireless DualShock adapter in support
PlayStation Now, the service that will let you play PS3 games on other devices, has made a big move to Windows PC, meaning you can play games like Uncharted and The Last of Us on your computer.
PlayStation Now offers over 400 titles to subscribers for a price of £12.99/$19.99 a month, with unlimited playtime on other older titles. The new Windows PC app makes it possible to play these PlayStation exclusives.
Supporting the move to PC, you can now buy a DualShock 4 wireless adapter to give you a link to your computer (you can use a USB cable if you prefer). That means you’ll be able to get all those PlayStation controls on your PC.
The adapter will also work with Mac, so you can use the DualShock controller for PS4 Remote Play and it will cost you $24.99.
The recommended minimum specs for PS Now on your PC are as follows: Windows 7 or higher, 3.5GHz Intel Core i3, 3.8GHz AMD A10 or faster, 300MB storage, 2GB RAM, sound card and USB connection.
The minimum recommended 5Mbps broadband connection remains the same as it was before.
The PS Now app for Windows PC launches in UK, Belgium and the Netherlands on 24 August, followed by North America soon after.
LG V20 design possibly revealed by case manufacturer
The timeline of a device leak follows a predictable path. In the case of LG, it’s no secret that the V20 is coming: there have been invites to a launch event, a few early details about the sound quality and the fact it will run Android Nougat.
When it come to design though, we’re often at the mercy of either leaks, or case manufacturers. Some device designers release details of their devices to accessory manufacturers so that the accessories can be designed and made, and, most likely, leaked through an online store.
It’s perhaps in the accessory manufacturers interest to leak such things, as it garners attention from the wider media, exposing the brand as enthusiast fish for details on new devices.
That brings us back to the LG V20. These cases from Petra purport to show the forthcoming V20 and the rendered device within the company’s cases bear a passing resemblance to that revealed by @OnLeaks and Android Authority.
It might be that they come from the same source, it could easily be that this case company has used the details revealed in that previous render to give an idea of what the phone will look like.
There are two apertures on the front of the handset.: this could be two front-facing cameras as found on the V10. There are also two cameras on the rear, and we suspect a pairing like the G5.
There’s also a question over modularity on the V20. Will it follow the design of the G5 and offer connections to modular accessories? There’s button on the lower right-hand side that could do that: equally, it could be dedicated camera button.
We’ll know more on 6 September, when the LG V20 is due to launch at a New York event.
- Want to follow the full story of the LG V20? We’ve been tracking the rumours, leaks and all the official announcements right here.
- LG V20 is the first confirmed Android 7.0 Nougat phone, coming in September
Explore indie puzzler ‘The Witness’ on Xbox One in September
“Ideally we want the game to be in as many places as we can get it, but since we are a small developer and it’s a complicated game, we can only do so much at once.” That’s The Witness developer Jonathan Blow describing to us his desire for the indie puzzler to be available on more than just PlayStation 4. All the way back in February 2013. Now those dreams are coming to fruition as The Witness will make its way to Xbox One on September 13th — two and a half years after that interview with my coworker Jessica Conditt and six months after its debut on PS4 and PC. In a post on Xbox Wire, Blow lays out what new players should do when they get their hands on it.
Basically, if you get stuck on a puzzle, don’t look up solutions on YouTube or from a text-based walk through. Instead, explore another part of the island and you might find the solution while you’re at it. If you’ve avoided the game’s spoilers since January, it shouldn’t be too hard to resist the urge for a few more weeks, should it?
Source: Xbox Wire
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