Apple’s AirPods aren’t a must-buy — yet
The iPhone 7 goes on sale in a few days, and with it comes another nail in the headphone jack’s proverbial coffin. Included in the box you’ll find a pair of Lightning-tipped EarPods and a Lightning-to-3.5mm adapter for your analog headphones, but to hear Apple tell it, the future of music is wireless. That’s where the $159 AirPods come in: the company’s totally cordless earbuds are slated for an October launch, and they promise elegance, ease of use and great sound. They deliver … some of that, but after about a week of testing, they often felt as confusing as they did cool.
Getting started
When you open the packaging for the first time, you’re met with a rounded white mass that looks similar to a container of dental floss. That’s the charging case, and it’s where the AirPods are going to spend most of their time. It’s almost completely nondescript, save for a chrome-accented hinge, a Lightning port on the bottom and a small button on the back — you’ll need that to pair the AirPods for the first time. Side note: You don’t need to be an iOS devotee to use these things. They paired just fine with a Galaxy S7 Edge, but all of the fun stuff basically evaporated; all you can do is listen to music and take calls.
Speaking of pairing, it’s a cinch if you’re using the AirPods with iPhones running iOS 10, though you’ll get an error if you try connecting them to a phone still on iOS 9. (The AirPods are also compatible with Apple Watches running watchOS 3 and Macs on macOS Sierra, but I didn’t have anything like that lying around.) Just open the charging case near the phone, et voilà: A window will pop up on the screen prompting you to connect the AirPods. Hold down the button and that’s it — you’re ready to let the tunes flow. Granted, it was never all that hard to get things connected via Bluetooth, but this simplicity is one of the best parts of using AirPods. They just work.
Design
Naturally, ease of use doesn’t mean a thing if you’re not comfortable having these in your ears. In brief, if you hated the way Apple’s wired EarPods looked or felt in your ears, these aren’t going to do anything for you. I never minded them myself — they were fine for when I went on runs, and I never had problems with them falling out of my ears. That streak continued nicely with the AirPods, but I know a ton of people for whom EarPods just never fit. Still others could get EarPods in their ears but couldn’t use them for long because they’d just fall out. Sound familiar? You probably shouldn’t take a chance on these.
They also just look sort of awkward, as though you popped in some EarPods and immediately snipped the cords off. My colleague Andy might have said it best: When I strolled into our San Francisco office wearing them, he said I looked like I had broken Q-Tips off in my ears. He had a point. In fairness, I’m stunned Apple squeezed as much tech into the AirPods as they did; there’s a pair of batteries to keep everything working, plus accelerometers and an optical sensor to determine whether the AirPods are in your ears.
Powering all that is a tiny chip called the W1 that manages the connection between the AirPods and the device they’re connected to. Apple has said this silicon will wind up in Beats wireless headphones soon too, though I’ll bite my tongue and not make jokes about Beats’ audio quality until I actually get a chance to try them. Oh, here’s a quick (and probably obvious) pro tip. The AirPods are prone to the same absentminded goofs that could spell doom for other completely wireless earbuds. In fact, just before I sat down to write this sentence, I rushed to my laundry room to fish the AirPods out of a pair of jeans I had just thrown in the hamper. Don’t be like me, people. Always put them back in the case.
In use
After popping in the ‘Pods and hearing the instrumental confirmation sound, things are ready to happen. Now we’re getting to the meaty part: How do these things actually sound? Not bad, but ultimately not much better than the EarPods we know and love. That’s not to say there aren’t any improvements. In general, the AirPods gave mids a little more meat than EarPods did, and drum fills felt crisper and more precise. My test tracks — which these days include a lot of jazz and EDM — came across warmer than I would have expected, which was a pleasant surprise.
That said, the all-too-familiar design means the AirPods inherit my biggest pet peeve with the EarPods — how airy they make my music sound. Songs that go heavy on the highs and lows tend to sound a little toothless, which, again, is natural for this design. I’m just frustrated that Apple couldn’t have tweaked it to achieve a little more oomph.
I also wish we had the option to customize the AirPods’ controls more. By default, double-tapping one of the buds wakes Siri up, and she can do all the things you’d expect. You can change these controls so that a double tap pauses and plays the current track, but that’s really about it. (You can also just remove an earbud to pause your music, which seems like the more natural way to go anyway.) The thing is, if you want to change tracks or tweak the volume, you have to either ask Siri to do it or reach for your phone. That’s it. Years of using Apple’s white earbuds have ingrained in me the double click to skip a song and a triple click to go back. It seems odd that there’s no way to program these common controls.
Lest you think I’m being needlessly picky, know that the AirPods actually work really well for voice calls. The stems that point down from the buds house the antenna and microphone, and no one I spoke to over the course of the week had any complaints about audio quality. The battery life has generally been impressive too, with the AirPods typically lasting a little over the five hours Apple said to expect. Frequent trips to the charging case help in a pinch too, since it can extend the Pods’ runtime by up to three hours with a 15-minute charge. I’ve plugged in the whole pod-and-case package just once since I received these things a week ago and the case is still sitting pretty with 33 percent battery life. Not bad at all.
Wrap-up
When I first encountered the AirPods, I said I didn’t think they’d be a must-have. One week later, that’s still where my head is: The Pods are smart, and their integration with iOS 10 is first-rate, but they fall short in some important ways — sound quality could have been better, and I wish the controls had some more nuance. That said, I’m intrigued by the possibilities they present. If Apple had made the software and controls a little more flexible, this review might have taken a very different turn. If you’re reading this, Apple, this was a solid first attempt. Don’t give up on the concept, because I believe future AirPods could be great.
Samsung loses $26 billion of market value after Note 7 recall
Samsung was having a great year, thanks to the S7 and S7 Edge, enticing investors to toss their money into the pool. Unfortunately, the rest of 2016 hasn’t been going according to Samsung’s forecast. The Korean chaebol has lost a whopping $26 billion (with a B) of its market value since it announced the Galaxy Note 7 recall, according to financial data provider Factset. Its shares apparently dropped 6.9 percent between the Korean Exchange’s close on Friday (September 9th) and Monday, and its stock is currently priced at a bit above $1,300. That’s the lowest it’s been in months, although as you can see in the graph below the fold, the company has recovered a bit since yesterday.
Since around 2.5 million devices were shipped before the recall started, it might have alarmed investors and made them question Samsung’s future in the mobile business. Perhaps in an effort to assuage their fears, the company announced on Monday that Vice Chairman Jay Y. Lee will officially take over his father’s role as the company’s chief.
Samsung expected to maintain its high-end smartphone sales in the second half of 2016 with the Note 7’s release. And it probably would have succeeded — we called the latest in the series the “best phone Samsung has ever made.” However, the corporation had to issue a recall after reports came out that some units’ batteries were faulty, making them prone to overheating and exploding.
There are now over 70 reported cases of Note 7 devices overheating in the US alone. The government even stepped in and asked people to stop using their phones until they get safe replacements scheduled to come out on September 19th. Ordinary consumers have become so wary of the device, tech analyst Rod Enderle told Inquisitr that the company might have to announce the Note 7’s successor ahead of time in order to bounce back.
Source: Quartz
Shell may launch a UK EV charging network in 2017
Charger availability has long been a point of concern for aspiring EV owners in the UK. An electric car with stellar range will certainly mitigate the problem, but the fact remains: more chargers make its easier to drive a Tesla or Nissan Leaf around the country. Thanks to Shell, it could soon be a little easier to find an EV-friendly pump. In a statement to the Guardian, the company confirmed that it’s “examining the potential” of putting chargers “across some parts of our UK retail network” from early 2017.
The comments follow a slew of emails, retrieved by DeSmogBlog through a Freedom of Information request, between Shell and the British government. During these exchanges, the company asks about range anxiety and its relationship with the UK’s charging infrastructure. In one email, an employee mentions: “I have been asked whether Shell will need an electricity supply license if we are to provide a service to customers to charge their electric cars.” Which would, of course, seem to indicate that the company is quite interested in offering its own EV chargers.
EV adoption is a chicken and egg problem. Without drivers, it’s difficult to make money from a UK charging network. Similarly, without chargers, it’s hard to persuade people to choose an electric car over a traditional gas guzzler. Tesla has its own Supercharger network which, while useful and growing, still covers a relatively small part of the island nation. A few other companies, such as Ecotricity and Chargemaster, are working to fill the gaps and drivers can, of course, plug in whenever they get home. If Shell garages were to offer EV charging, however, it would boost the viability of electric car ownership massively. Fingers crossed it actually happens.
Source: the Guardian
RBS, NatWest and Santander now support Android Pay
Google’s contactless payment platform has been given a big boost in the UK after three big banks today enabled Android Pay support. In an announcement, the company confirmed that Royal Bank of Scotland, NatWest, Santander and Ulster Bank customers can begin adding cards to their Android smartphone to enable NFC and web purchases. While Google confirmed earlier this month that TSB customers would enjoy support in the “coming weeks,” the bank isn’t quite ready for primetime but is on course to launch before October.
Android Pay, like Apple Pay, lets you use your phone to pay for items like you would with a contactless card. Businesses can also embed Android Pay functionality into apps and websites (via Chrome), ensuring that you don’t have to manually type in their card details. Signing up to Android Pay also grants you access to Android Pay Day, which offers discounts every month on the Tuesday before your next pay slip. Starbucks and Deliveroo have both offered deals, but there hasn’t been much activity since its launch in June.
Deleted Amazon Tweet Leaks ‘All New’ $50 Echo Dot Smart Speaker
Amazon appears to be readying a cheaper version of its popular Echo Dot speaker, if a tweet that showed up briefly on the company’s Twitter account this morning is anything to go by.
The voice-controlled smart speaker that houses Amazon’s personal assistant Alexa was announced back in March, costing $89.99, and is a smaller, palm-sized expansion to the company’s flagship Echo product that lets users expand the capabilities of the latter device to different rooms of their house.
Now it seems Amazon is almost set to offer a cheaper “all-new” version of the Dot at $49.99. The tweet, which was quickly deleted from the company’s Twitter account but picked up by some users, linked to Amazon’s existing page for the Echo Dot, which is currently sold out.
Apparently not? @amazonecho: Introducing the all-new Echo Dot. Add Alexa to any room – now for just $49.99. https://t.co/AQkwY5xbHh/s/Z-sj
— Darrin (@Indypodcaster) September 12, 2016
Recode queried the deleted tweet with Amazon spokespeople but they declined to comment, suggesting the pre-emptive tweet was a genuine accident.
It’s not the first social media announcement blunder we’ve seen this month. Last week, during Apple’s “See You on the 7th” event in San Francisco, Apple’s re-animated Twitter account began posting video clips of the new iPhone 7 complete with pre-order links, before the phone had even been mentioned on stage.
Tag: Amazon Echo
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iPhone 7 Reviews: ‘Terrific Phones’ That Offer a ‘Foundation’ for the Future, But Not an Essential Upgrade
The official launch of the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus is still three days away on September 16, but the first reviews of the new smartphones have started showing up online this morning. Some of the sites have been quietly testing out the new handsets for around a week, and general impressions have been positive, despite the lack of a radical design overhaul compared to last year’s iPhone 6s and 6s Plus.
The Verge offered perhaps the most balanced perspective on the iPhone 7 series, which it called “terrific phones” but also “incomplete”, given that the wider color gamut, and the real potential of the Taptic Engine and the iPhone 7 Plus’s dual-lens camera – which rely on software updates – won’t be realized at launch.
The Verge said non-adopters “won’t actually be missing out on much” if they don’t get an iPhone 7, which it described as a “transitional step to a vision of the future” and a “foundation” for how the next generation of iPhones will integrate into our lives.
The entire time I was using the iPhone 7, I felt like I had a prototype of next year’s rumored drastic iPhone redesign disguised as an iPhone 6. All those bold bets on the future are legitimately exciting, but here in the present using the iPhone 7 in a case feels a lot like using a iPhone 6S with a weirder home button and more adapters.
Meanwhile, Mashable offered a more enthusiastic line of thinking for early adopters, calling both devices “worthwhile upgrades” that “inch us ever-closer to the completely sealed, moving-parts-free ideal of a smartphone slab”. The review notes that both phones are “fast” and the stereo speakers “really shine” when it comes to gaming, while battery life was impressive, with the larger handset closing in on two days with moderate use.
It also put the phones through some underwater ordeals, the result of which was “pretty awesome” and offered peace of mind for those prone to dropping their phones in the toilet, but it didn’t recommend going for a swim with the devices.
I had a good time placing the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus under running water and dropping them into water-filled containers and sinks. Not only did they hold up, but both phones continued to function in the drink.
Each time I tried this, the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus were unharmed. I fished them out of the water and dried them with a cloth and then continue using them. One thing you cannot do right after submerging your phone, though, is charge it. Apple recommends letting the Lightning port dry out for five hours before attempting to charge either device again.
TechCrunch got hold of a glossy black iPhone 7 and remarked that it definitely showed scratches and abrasions after a weeks’ use. It also mentioned that the home button’s Taptic Engine feedback makes it feel as if the whole bottom half of the phone is clicking, yet it called the implementation a “flawless transition” from the physical home button that prepares users for when the button disappears entirely. It said Apple’s new flagship devices are “fast, capable, and functional” and “probably the best portable cameras ever made”.
This is quite simply the most sophisticated camera and image processor pairing ever seen in a smartphone or any camera period. There have been a couple of other applications of dual camera setups in phones, but the execution is crude by comparison.
The optical zoom works great, and the 56mm lens naturally adds that nice compression of facial features and slight blurring of background that a standard lens gives, especially up close.
It won’t be long before Apple customers begin to receive the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus handsets themselves, as the September 16 launch date approaches. Images have emerged online of iPhone 7 shipment batches ready to leave factories in Zhengzhou, China, while some customers have already received shipping confirmation.
Other reviews: Business Insider, BuzzFeed, The Wall Street Journal, Daring Fireball, Wired, Ars Technica, The Loop.
Related Roundup: iPhone 7
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HTC Desire 10: Release date, specs and everything you need to know
HTC is teasing the launch of its latest handset. Having been rather quiet following the launch of the HTC 10 and focusing on the HTC Vive VR launch, it now seems that there are Desire handsets in the works.
The Desire family is HTC’s mid-range, with a few exceptions. Generally speaking, Desire is more affordable and uses plastics rather than the metals that the One devices were known for.
We’ve also seen some gems from the Desire line, including the likes of the Desire Eye, so it potentially offers up a few treats too. The rumours have it that HTC is preparing to launch the HTC Desire 10, with mention of this handset first appearing in early-July.
Here’s everything that we know, and everything that you need to know, about HTC’s forthcoming handset.
Two HTC Desire 10 models?
There’s talk of two Desire models lining up to be launched, known as the HTC Desire 10 Pro and the HTC Desire 10 Lifestyle, according to Evan Blass writing on VentureBeat.
Reporting the details from a source familiar with HTC’s plans, the two handsets are thought to be launching in tandem, but only details on the HTC Desire 10 Lifestyle were detailed, likely to be the low-spec device of the pair.
HTC Desire 10 design
HTC is teasing its forthcoming device with a Twitter #hashtag of #beedgier, an emphasis that’s highlighted in HTC’s announcement of the live broadcast for the launch, as well as in some of the teaser videos.
It looks as though HTC is going to be contrasting the edges against the rest of the body. This appears to follow the design of previous Desire devices, a little like the plastic contrast of the Desire 830, for example. For the Desire 10 it’s difficult to discern whether this is metal edging a plastic body, or just plastic trim on a plastic body, but it’s a distinct gold trim. Nowhereelse.fr says it is a metal build, which will please many if the price is right.
It’s coming. 09.20 #BeEdgier pic.twitter.com/sh605tYYe4
— HTC (@htc) August 31, 2016
HTC’s own teasers go some way to revealing a range of details, all of which happen to match what looks like an official product photo from Evan Blass, @evleaks, who spills the beans on most forthcoming devices.
This reveals what looks like a slight curve to the rear, but most noticeably, a rear fingerprint sensor. HTC placed one on the front for the HTC 10. The location of the fingerprint scanner is confirmed by HTC itself in yet another teaser video.
It’s coming. 09.20 https://t.co/qJ9XDwNqEU #BeEdgier pic.twitter.com/aDgB1NOl9t
— HTC (@htc) September 12, 2016
With leaks and official sources corroborating, there’s little left to the imagination when it comes to design.
HTC Desire 10 display
The VentureBeat source suggests a 5.5-inch display, meaning that the HTC Desire 10 Lifestyle is likely to be a large device – larger than the 5.2-inches of the HTC 10. That’s not uncommon: the Desire family has produced a number of larger devices with lower prices and plastic builds, and the Desire 10 might fit into that programme – again, the Desire 830 springs to mind, also a 5.5-inch device.
The resolution is suggested as 1280 x 720 pixels. As this is suggested for the Lifestyle, there’s a chance that the Desire 10 Pro would offer 1920 x 1080, like the Desire 830, giving a point of differentiation between the two models.
HTC Desire 10 specs
Sitting in the mid-range, it’s mid-range hardware that we’d expect to see. VentureBeat pins it down to a Qualcomm Snapdragon chipset, but there’s no details on which model it might be – there’s chatter that it could be a Snapdragon 400 series, which will set it at a lower tier than some of the recent mid-range launches, although that might see it offered at a very competitive price. With MediaTek hardware in the One A9s that’s just been announced, that’s another avenue for HTC’s power.
RAM is given as dependent on territory. This is a common move, offering 2GB/16GB storage or 3GB/32GB storage based on what the market will probably want and be able to sell. Support for microSD card is likely, based on HTC’s track record.
HTC Desire 10 BoomSound: Audio power
One of HTC’s signature moves is BoomSound. This has evolved recently from offering stereo front-firing speakers that were class leading, into BoomSound Hi-Fi, which still uses two speakers, but pairs it up with higher quality 24-bit audio processing for headphones, and a premium pair of headphones in the box.
According to VentureBeat’s details, the HTC Desire 10 is going to hit hard in the audio department and follow the HTC 10.
HTC Desire 10 software
On the software front things are more predictable. HTC hasn’t made any indication of being close to rolling out a Nougat build, so we’d expect Android Marshmallow with HTC Sense at launch.
As per HTC’s other recent launches, we’d expect this to mostly stick to Google’s native offering, but changing a few areas where HTC thinks it can make improvements. We liked this experience on the HTC 10, so we’d expect a fairly fuss-free software experience on the Desire 10 models.
HTC Desire 10 cameras
HTC’s track record with cameras hasn’t been great recently, although the HTC 10 is better than it’s been before.
We’re expecting to see a 13-megapixel rear camera and a 5-megapixel front camera. They are likely to be of the same origin as those in the HTC 10 and offer many of the same tricks, but perhaps with some step-down measures, like restricting 4K video capture. There’s mention from Nowhereelse.fr that both cameras will offer stabilisation.
What we can see from the leaked photo, however, is a dual LED flash and the laser autofocus sensor, confirming those technologies.
HTC
HTC Desire 10 release date and price
The HTC Desire 10 is likely to be launching on 20 September. That’s the date given in HTC’s teaser videos and social media, with an event to be hosted on htc.com/launch, from 8am BST on 20 September.
Although we won’t know prices until launch day, there’s been the suggestion from known HTC leaker @LlabTooFeR that it will fall into the $150-200 price range.
Google’s new museum tours bring dinosaurs to life
With Google’s help, museums and cultural institutions all over the world have been able to open up their archives to millions of people who wouldn’t otherwise get the opportunity to visit. The Art and Culture app combines the best Street View, VR and Photos collections from 1,000 museums, whether they’re focusing on famous art pieces or creatures that walked the Earth millions of years ago. Today, the search giant has expanded its collection to include thousands of natural history exhibits, letting you walk (and swim) with dinosaurs and learn more about the worlds that time forgot.
Google has teamed up with over 50 of the world’s most notable natural history institutions to add more than 150 interactive stories, 300,000 new photos and videos and over 30 virtual tours. At London’s Natural History Museum, the Rhomaleosaurus — a giant ferocious predator known as the “T-Rex of the ocean” — can be explored in 360 degrees, as can Berlin’s 13-meter tall Giraffatitan.
Also available are virtual tours that explain the history of evolution, starting with the origins of the solar system and taking you through the “rise and the fall of prehistoric worlds.” Berlin’s Museum für Naturkunde is also home to a four meter by twelve meter “Biodiversity Wall,” which hosts 3,000 animals and explains why peacocks have such vibrant feathers, but aren’t really able to fly, and how zebras got their stripes.
All you need is a computer or an iOS or Android smartphone, although Google Cardboard would certainly help you fully immerse yourself in the exhibits.
Via: Google Blog
Source: Google’s Natural History
Health Canada working with Samsung over Note 7 recall; finds 70 reported failures in the U.S.
When Samsung kicked off the global recall for the Note 7, the company said that it found over 35 reported instances of battery malfunctions around the globe. That number has increased to more than 70 in the U.S., according to a new report published by the Canadian government.
Samsung asked customers in the U.S. to voluntarily turn in their Note 7 earlier this month, and the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission is now getting involved in issuing a complete recall of the phone. Over the course of the last week, we’ve seen several cases involving the Note 7, including a 6-year-old boy in Brooklyn that suffered burns when the phone exploded in his hands.
The FAA and other aviation authorities from around the world have chimed in, asking travelers to power down their Note 7s and not use them in-flight.
Meanwhile, the Canadian government’s Health Canada website has detailed information on the recall, including affected SKUs and model codes. The agency is coordinating with Samsung over a mandatory recall of the 21,953 Note 7 units sold in the country, and is advising customers to immediately power off their phones. The agency also found a single instance of the Note 7 overheating in the country, with no injuries reported.
All Note 7 customers in Canada are eligible to receive a new unit once it becomes available, or opt for a Galaxy S7 or S7 edge. There’s a dedicated page for customers looking to get their Note 7 exchanged, as well as a toll-free number for further assistance: 1-800-517-3507.
Samsung Galaxy Note 7
- Galaxy Note 7 recall: Everything you need to know
- Samsung Galaxy Note 7 review
- The latest Galaxy Note 7 news!
- Here are all four Note 7 colors
- Complete Galaxy Note 7 specs
- Join the Note 7 discussion in the forums!
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New Samsung site tells you if your Galaxy Note 7 is safe
Online IMEI checker now available.
As promised a few days back, Samsung has launched a new online tool to let Galaxy Note 7 owners check if their phone is affected by the battery issue causing some units to catch fire or explode. The process is as simple as plugging your IMEI number into Samsung’s form and pressing a button; you’ll then be told if your Note needs to be replaced or not. The IMEI number is unique to your phone, and so provides an easy way to see whether it’s from a batch affected by battery issues.
To find your IMEI, open the dialer and enter *#06#. Alternative you can also find it printed on your Note 7’s box.
As we reported last week, Samsung is also marking the boxes of “safe” Galaxy Note 7s to make these easier to spot. However the IMEI lookup is a foolproof way to tell either way.
To confirm that your Galaxy Note 7 is safe, hit up Samsung’s Galaxy Note 7 Checking site.
Samsung Galaxy Note 7
- Galaxy Note 7 recall: Everything you need to know
- Samsung Galaxy Note 7 review
- The latest Galaxy Note 7 news!
- Here are all four Note 7 colors
- Complete Galaxy Note 7 specs
- Join the Note 7 discussion in the forums!
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AT&T
T-Mobile
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AIVAnet 