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The Pixel is not just Google’s first built-from-scratch Android phone, but it’s also one of the best phones released this year. It’s beautiful, fast, and has some features that truly separate it from the pack: flawless performance, an awesome camera, and Google Assistant.
When you’re finished the video, read our epic review for a more nuanced take on the “Google phones” and see how the two devices stack up against one another.
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Android Central 311: Google Pixel review roundtable
The Google Pixel is here, and Daniel, Andrew, and Alex dive deep on the Google Phone. From the resemblance to the iPhone (overstated), to the camera (totally amazing) to battery life (good on the Pixel, great on the Pixel XL), there’s a lot to discuss, so join us!
More: Read our Google Pixel review!
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‘Football Manager 2017’ will simulate the effects of Brexit
With Football Manager, developer Sports Interactive has always tried to make the most authentic manager simulator possible. Juggling transfers, training and match tactics — it’s a deep, addictive blend of strategy, statistics and luck. For the latest version, Football Manager 2017, the team is going one step further by including the British EU referendum. The UK will trigger Article 50 by the end of March 2017, beginning its separation with the EU. It could have financial and legal repercussions for the football industry too, which Sports Interactive is keen to emulate. The problem is that until it happens, predicting the exact consequences is tricky.
The UK will, after all, need to negotiate the terms of its new relationship with Europe. Miles Jacobson, director of Football Manager, told the Telegraph that multiple scenarios have been modelled out. As you play the game, you’ll be notified two to 10 years in that trade negotiations are now underway. Later, you’ll be told that the UK has come to one of three possible agreements; “soft Brexit,” allowing free movement of workers, “hard Brexit,” which would categorise EU players (currently outside the UK) in the same way as players based outside the EU; an exemption of footballers as “entertainers,” making work permits simple to obtain.
As an example of how it can work – this is what happened in my current game last night. pic.twitter.com/x1DhFYN1IJ
— Miles Jacobson (@milesSI) October 18, 2016
The hard Brexit option will have the biggest impact on aspiring managers. Players living outside the UK would need to apply for a points-based work permit, regardless of whether they’re inside the European Union. That could make some transfers difficult, and force virtual Mourinho’s to consider British alternatives. “If we already had these rules in place, players such as N’Golo Kante and Dimitri Payet would not have been able to gain work permits to move to the Premier League,” says Jacobson.
Football Manager is all about the details. The game’s player database is so good, for instance, that clubs now use it as a real-life scouting tool. That authenticity is what drives football fans back to the game, even when they’re struggling to pull together a couple of wins. The inclusion of Brexit is just another way Sports Interactive is trying to make the game feel more realistic — a small touch, perhaps, but one that fans should appreciate.
Source: Telegraph
London’s Uber drivers must now pass an English exam
After many months of proposals and legal challenges, Transport for London (TfL) has finally imposed a new rule requiring private hire drivers, including those from Uber, to meet an English-language requirement before they can hit the city’s streets. On October 14th, the authority confirmed that any driver seeking to renew or apply for their private hire licence will need to hold an English qualification. If they don’t, they’ll need to pass a two-hour £200 exam to earn one.
While the changes affect all of London’s private hire firms, Uber has been very vocal in its opposition. TfL originally mooted the idea of capping the number of private hire vehicles and enforcing a Knowledge-like test (like drivers of London’s iconic black cabs must pass) to improve driver understanding of the city, but those plans were scrapped in favour of an English language test and a push for better customer support and vehicle insurance.
Uber took the English requirement to the High Court, arguing that a test would reduce the number of drivers on the road, ramp up prices and was in some ways more difficult than the exam required to gain British citizenship.
It wasn’t able to block its introduction, but Uber was able to convince the court that asking drivers from predominantly non-English speaking countries for proof was discriminatory. This means that London’s 110,000 private hire drivers will one day need to supply the necessary documentation regardless of their nationality.
British drivers will be able to use an A-G GSCE qualification as proof, but non-English drivers need to pass a test that meets European Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) guidelines. The B1 exam is said to be on par with tests taken by nine and 11-year-old secondary school pupils.
“It is essential for public safety that all licensed drivers can communicate in English at an appropriate level. Drivers must be able to communicate with passengers to discuss a route, or fare, as well as reading and understanding important regulatory, safety and travel information,” says Helen Chapman, TfL’s General Manager for Taxi and Private Hire. “We are clear that this is crucial to a driver’s role in transporting the public.”
To ease fears of a driver shortage, TfL says that any driver applying after the October 14th deadline have until March 31st, 2017 to prove their English skills. Those who have already got a TfL licence only need to supply documentation when they come to renew their accreditation, which must be done every three years. It also means TfL won’t have to sift through 110,000 English language certifications all at once.
Uber, which recently cried foul over London Mayor Sadiq Khan’s plan to boost London’s black cab trade, believes a written English exam is unnecessary:
“It’s disappointing that, to try and dig themselves out of a legal hole, TfL is now insisting every private hire driver in London must have essay writing skills. We’ve always supported spoken English skills, but passing a written English exam has nothing to do with communicating with passengers or getting them safely from A to B.”
“Thousands of drivers who’ve spent years providing a great service to Londoners will now have to fork out £200 and pass a writing exam, try to find an old GCSE certificate or lose their licence and their livelihood. Transport for London should think again and scrap these unnecessary new rules.”
Via: Bloomberg
Engadget giveaway: Win a DIY Lego drone kit courtesy of Flybrix!
One of the caveats for buying a drone is that you may only enjoy a few minutes of flight before ham-handedly smashing it into a constellation of bits and pieces. Usually, those fragments mean the end of your amateur pilot career, but with a Flybrix drone, it’s a momentary setback. Just head back to the drawing board, snap a few Lego bricks together and you’ll be back in business. There’s a pre-programmed, Arduino capable control board for brains, along with an assortment of Lego bricks and components that should take less then 15 minutes to assemble. Download the flight control app for iOS or Android and the sky’s the limit. The Lego framework also makes it easy for you your kids to mess around with customized designs. This week, three lucky readers will take home their own kit to assemble, while others can take advantage of special $20 off launch deal for basic and deluxe kits. Just head to the Rafflecopter widget below for up to three chances at winning this Flybrix drone kit.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
- Entries are handled through the Rafflecopter widget above. Comments are no longer accepted as valid methods of entry. You may enter without any obligation to social media accounts, though we may offer them as opportunities for extra entries. Your email address is required so we can get in touch with you if you win, but it will not be given to third parties.
- Contest is open to all residents of the 50 States, the District of Columbia, and Canada (excluding Quebec), 18 or older! Sorry, we don’t make this rule (we hate excluding anyone), so direct your anger at our lawyers and contest laws if you have to be mad.
- Winners will be chosen randomly. Three (3) winners will each receive a Flybrix DIY LEGO drone kit (Basic version).
- If you are chosen, you will be notified by email. Winners must respond within three days of being contacted. If you do not respond within that period, another winner will be chosen. Make sure that the account you use to enter the contest includes your real name and a contact email. We do not track any of this information for marketing or third-party purposes.
- This unit is purely for promotional giveaway. Engadget and AOL are not held liable to honor warranties, exchanges or customer service.
- The full list of rules, in all its legalese glory, can be found here.
- Entries can be submitted until Oct. 19th at 11:59PM ET. Good luck!
Tim Cook Was Named to Hillary Clinton’s List of Vice Presidential Candidates
WikiLeaks has leaked yet another email from Hillary Clinton presidential campaign chairman John Podesta that reveals Apple CEO Tim Cook was among a list of candidates for Vice President of the United States, alongside Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg, former Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders, and dozens of others.
In August, Cook hosted a fundraising event for the Hillary Victory Fund, a committee that contributes to the Clinton campaign, the Democratic National Committee, and 38 state parties. Cook, along with Apple environmental chief Lisa Jackson, acted as private citizens, not as representatives of Apple. Cook has demonstrated support for both Democrats and Republicans.
Note: Due to the political nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Politics, Religion, Social Issues forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.
Tags: Tim Cook, Hillary Clinton
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Facebook’s Snapchat Clone ‘Messenger Day’ Expanding Slowly Across the Globe
Following the launch of “Instagram Stories” in August, Facebook is now preparing to ape Snapchat in its own Messenger app, with a feature called “Messenger Day.” Originally launched to users in Poland, Messenger Day is now expanding and gaining attention with Facebook users in Australia (via Mashable).
With the new feature in the Facebook Messenger iOS and Android apps, Messenger Day lets users post ephemeral updates to their friends, which last 24 hours before expiring, with the ability to doodle and add stickers to posts. Friend updates can be found atop the normal Facebook Messenger home page, and the interface is visually similar to the layout of Instagram Stories with a horizontal row of reverse-chronological updates.
“We know that people come to Messenger to share everyday moments with friends and family. In Poland we are running a small test of new ways for people to share those updates visually,” a Messenger spokesperson told Mashable at the time.
For those who have used Messenger Day, the user interface and features have yet to impress, with one user mentioning that “(The user interface) is really poor, on every level — nothing like Instagram Stories.” Most of the criticism so far seems to be focused on the simple fact that as companies introduce more of the same features into their mobile apps, it leaves users to choose only one service, which is still Snapchat for most, and ignore the rest.
Snapchat’s growing popularity has resulted in other social networks (namely Facebook, which owns Instagram) attempting to combat its 24-hour posts with similar features. Although it’s yet to introduce a time-locked post feature, Twitter has faced troubles recently as more and more younger users opt to check in with Snapchat and Instagram over Twitter.
Tags: Facebook, Facebook Messenger
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Sprint Now Offers Unlimited Data on Tablets For $20 Per Month
Sprint has introduced a new unlimited data plan for tablets for $20 per month, but with some caveats to consider.
The fine print: video is optimized to 480p resolution, music streams at up to 500kbps, and online gaming streams are limited to up to 2Mbps. Data deprioritization also applies during times of network congestion.
iPad and other tablet users can choose to add HD video streaming at up to 1080p+ and HD music streaming at up to 1.5Mbps, and online gaming at up to 8Mbps for an additional $20/line/month.
To be eligible, customers must enroll in AutoPay automatic billing and have at least one active phone line on their account. The plan is available without an existing phone line for an additional $50/line/month.
The tablet must be purchased from Sprint’s selection of available tablets, which includes the iPad lineup.
Tag: Sprint
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‘Candy Crush’ Headed to CBS as a Live Action Game Show
CBS has ordered mobile gaming app Candy Crush Saga to series as a one-hour, live action game show from executive producer Matt Kunitz, who’s also been behind shows like Wipeout and Fear Factor. Images or an official debut for the show have yet to be announced by CBS or Candy Crush Saga developer King.
A few details hint that the game at the center of the adaptation will feature teams of two individuals who must use mental strategy and physicality “to compete on enormous, interactive game boards featuring next generation technology.” The winning teams will “be crowned as champions,” but prizes — monetary or otherwise — have also yet to be divulged.
“We are huge fans of Candy Crush and, like so many others, we know the ‘rush’ of advancing to the next level of the game,” said Glenn Geller, President, CBS Entertainment. “We’re excited to work with Lionsgate and King to adapt one of the world’s most popular and entertaining game franchises for television and make it available to its massive, passionate fan base who can watch and play along at home.”
Kunitz mentioned that the Candy Crush franchise “lends itself perfectly to the kind of larger-than-life, physical game shows that I love to produce.” CBS and King are working closely with the interactive team at Lionsgate to oversee the transition of the Candy Crush IP from mobile game to television show, which Lionsgate Interactive Ventures and Games President Peter Levin calls “an exciting, visual switcher game with great characters” that should translate nicely into CBS’s unscripted television division.
Although Pokémon Go recently bested Candy Crush Saga’s daily active user records, King’s game is now back at the top of the United States App Store top grossing charts. As of September 2016, 18 billion rounds of the game are played every month around the world. For the new game show, CBS said that more information, including who will host the series, is coming “at a later date.”
Tag: Candy Crush Saga
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Apache is Hunter Fan’s Latest Ceiling Fan With HomeKit Support
Hunter Fan Company has introduced a new Wi-Fi-connected and HomeKit-enabled ceiling fan called Apache, available now for $429 on its website. The 54-inch ceiling fan features curved propeller-like plastic blades with a bronze and oak finish.
The fan has what Hunter Fan calls a WhisperWind motor, which it says provides powerful air movement with whisper-quiet performance. The motor is reversible, allowing homeowners to change the direction of the fan from downdraft mode during the summer to updraft mode during the winter.
Apache has an integrated LED light, covered with Clear Holophane glass, eliminating the need for bulb replacement. A remote control is included for controlling the fan and light, including dimming the bulbs.
Like its two other HomeKit-enabled fans, the Signal and Symphony, iPhone users can control Apache with voice commands or the Home app on iOS 10.
A three-position mounting system allows for standard, angled, or low ceiling mounting, and a 5-inch downrod is included to ensure proper distance from the ceiling and optimized air movement.
Hunter Fan said the Symphony, a cheaper version of its Signal with white blades, will launch in late November for $329. Signal is available now for $379.
Tags: HomeKit, Hunter Fan Company
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