Apple Watch Nike+ Orders Now Shipping as Run Club App Updated With Series 2 GPS Support
A few users who pre-ordered the Apple Watch Nike+ have begun sharing that their devices are shipping, although with the Apple storefront now offline customers can’t check the specific status of their orders. Shipping mentions began earlier in the week, with more email updates being reported this morning, one day ahead of tomorrow’s official launch of the Apple Watch Nike+. Orders appear to be hitting the first wave of the device’s opening weekend launch countries, including users in Canada.
Additionally, the companion iOS Nike+ Run Club app has been updated with a collection of features aimed at enhancing the connection between the app, Apple Watch Series 2, and watchOS 3. The app now supports the onboard GPS function of the Apple Watch, so when users go for a run without an iPhone and use the Nike+ Run Club watch app, GPS will still track the path, which will be viewable on both Apple Watch and iPhone following the workout.
New features for Apple Watch watchOS 3 users also include:
- Bold display of your running metrics at a glance
- Hear audio readouts right from your watch
- Smart invitations to run, personalized for you
- Schedule run reminders to keep you motivated
- Start, Pause, Resume and End your run with Siri
Integration with Apple Music in the 5.1.0 update means that users will be able to stream their favorite playlists and artists from Apple’s service directly from within Nike+ Run Club. Nike also offers up a selection of “custom playlists” that it curates in the app.
Nike+ Run Club is available to download for free from the App Store [Direct Link], and the company notes that iOS 10 is required for the new update, while watchOS 3.1 is recommended for best results when running with the Apple Watch.
Tag: Apple Watch Nike+ Edition
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Live Coverage of Apple’s ‘Hello Again’ Mac Event
Apple’s “Hello Again” event kicks off at 10:00 AM Pacific Time today, with Apple expected to make several Mac-related announcements headlined by a revamped MacBook Pro with an OLED “Magic Toolbar” or “Touch Bar” and Touch ID support.
We’re also expecting to see new MacBook Air models with USB-C ports, and perhaps some other new Macs as well. On a separate note, Apple is also said to be introducing a new “guide” app for Apple TV and iOS devices to help recommend TV shows to users across content providers.
Apple is providing a live video stream on its website and via Apple TV.
Photo via Dieter Bohn
In addition to Apple’s video stream, we will be updating this article with live blog coverage and issuing Twitter updates through our @MacRumorsLive account as the event unfolds. Highlights from the event and separate news stories regarding today’s announcements will go out through our @MacRumors account.
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Apple’s online stores around the world are currently down in advance of the event.
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Tag: October 2016 event
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Twitter Shutting Down Vine
Twitter today announced plans to shut down Vine, the video sharing service it acquired in 2012. Twitter plans to discontinue the mobile app “in the coming months,” but did not give a specific timeline.
Introduced in early 2013, Vine allows users to capture and share looping video clips that are six seconds in length, sharing them on various social networks like Facebook and Twitter.
Thank you. Thank you. To all the creators out there – thank you for taking a chance on this app back in the day. To the many team members over the years who made this what it was – thank you for your contributions. And of course, thank you to all of those who came to watch and laugh every day.
Twitter plans to leave the Vine website intact, so Vines will continue to be available to watch and download. Twitter promises to notify users well in advance of any changes to the app or website.
The shuttering of Vine comes amid massive layoffs at Twitter. Twitter is letting go of approximately nine percent of its staff, or 350 people, as it works on cutting down on costs and restructures its priorities.
Tags: Twitter, Vine
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Apple Launches New Website to Promote Accessibility Features
At the beginning of its “Hello Again” Town Hall event today Apple CEO Tim Cook announced that the company is launching a new accessibility website to help promote the accessibility features in its products.
Image via The Verge
It’s all about the accessibility features that we’ve designed and built into our products. We believe that technology should be accessible to everyone, and we hope this website becomes a great resource that people can use all around the world.
Cook says that Apple believes that if people have access to its product they can help push humanity forward and “change the world in the process.” Before Cook came to the stage, Apple played a short video showcasing customers using the available accessibility features.
Apple’s accessibility website should go live once the event is complete. Currently, Apple’s older accessibility website is still live.
Apple’s October 2016 Special Event is ongoing.
Tag: October 2016 event
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Minecraft is Coming to Apple TV by the End of the Year
During its “Hello Again” event today Apple revealed that the popular crafting video game Minecraft is heading to the fourth-generation Apple TV sometime by the end of 2016.
During the presentation, Apple CEO Tim Cook said that users will even be able to play with friends who are on an iPhone or iPad. “You can build new worlds on your Apple TV, and play with your friends using iPhones and iPads.”
Related Roundups: Apple TV, tvOS 10
Tag: October 2016 event
Buyer’s Guide: Apple TV (Caution)
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Alexa, how can I keep track of the election? – CNET
We’re now less than two weeks away from election day. Whether you’re still undecided or just want to keep track of the candidates as events unfold, Alexa is here to help you with all things election-related until November 8.
Here’s how you can use Alexa to gather information on the candidates, stay on top of the latest news, and follow the results in real time.
Current events
A lot could happen in the next two weeks. The presidential candidates are making their final rounds, campaigning in all the battleground states as a last-ditch effort to swing the odds in their favor.
To keep up with the daily happenings as the official election day draws near, you can ask Alexa a few different questions:
- “Alexa, what’s the latest with the election?”
- “Alexa, what’s the latest on Hillary Clinton?”
- “Alexa, what’s the latest with Donald Trump?”
- “Alexa, who is leading in the presidential polls?”
- “Alexa, who won the debate?”
You can’t get too crazy with your questions, unfortunately. And you can’t ask about the candidates’ stances on different topics. There is a skill available called Share The Facts, but without knowing exactly what questions to ask, the results seem a tad random and not very helpful.
Here’s everything the Amazon Echo can do
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“Alexa, who are you voting for?”
If this entire election has got you feeling down or confused, don’t worry. You’re not alone. But Alexa can help make light of the situation. Just ask her to tell you a joke about one of the candidates, or ask her who she’s voting for. Say something like:
- “Alexa, tell me a joke about Hillary Clinton.”
- “Alexa, tell me a joke about Donald Trump.”
- “Alexa, who are you voting for?”
Election day
When election day finally comes around, Alexa will be able to keep you up to date on everything as it happens. You can ask who is winning the election, how many electoral votes a candidate has, who’s leading the popular vote, and much more.
Here are some commands that will be available on November 8:
- “Alexa, which states has Trump won?”
- “Alexa, which states are Clinton projected to win?”
- “Alexa, how many electoral votes does Trump have?”
- “Alexa, what percent of the popular votes does Hillary have?”
- “Alexa, who won [state]?”
- “Alexa, who is winning in [state]?”
- “Alexa, what are the election results?”
- “Alexa, what are the election results for [district name]?”
Search engine Shodan knows where your toaster lives – CNET
Enlarge Image
Friday’s internet outage left a mark.
On Friday, many internet users in the US couldn’t reach Twitter, but that was just the beginning.
Eventually we learned this was because hackers compromised thousands of cameras and DVRs that were connected to the internet, creating a vast botnet of tiny computers that would do the hackers’ bidding. The attackers used the devices to send overwhelming amounts of page requests to a company called Dyn that managed web traffic for Twitter and a host of other popular websites like Netflix, Reddit and Etsy.
Buried in this stranger-than-fiction saga is an eye-catching detail: the fact that hackers can look up any device connected to the internet with a few keystrokes.
One site in particular, called Shodan, bills itself as “the search engine for the internet of things,” giving anyone who looks access to information on any internet-connected device.
How does this work? And more importantly, why does this kind of service exist, and what could it possibly be good for? Read on to learn more about Shodan and the searchable internet of things.
If you connect it, they will search
To look up security cameras (or Wi-Fi baby monitors or smart TVs or routers), all hackers have to do is go to Shodan.
The hackable, searchable internet of things
- Internet-connected homes open the door to hackers
- A hacker’s next target is just a Web search away
- Playtime is over: Can smart toys ever be safe?
Google and Bing also let searchers look up anything connected to the internet and discover the IP address of the gadget. If bad guys know how to compromise a certain kind of device, they can look for those devices specifically with the intention of hacking them en masse.
It sounds scary, but the fact is, anyone with the skills can make a tool to search for internet-connected devices, whether they’re good guys or bad guys.
That’s because each of these devices has an IP address, a string of numbers that identifies it and serves as its specific address on the net. IP addresses are public information, which anyone can index on a search engine, not just Shodan, Google or Bing.
“Connectivity is reachability,” says Srinivas Mukkamala, chief executive of cybersecurity company RiskSense. “If it’s reachable, it will be indexed.”
Enabling security research
The creators of Shodan and similar search tools say their goal is to help good-guy researchers, often called white hats, like the protagonists of old-school Westerns.
In fact, researchers are major users of Shodan, the company’s chief executive, John Matherly, told CNET in March.
More about the internet outage
- Internet outage swoops across the US
- That massive internet outage, explained
- Why it was so easy to hack the cameras that took down the web
While it’s possible hackers used Shodan, Google or Bing to locate the cameras and DVRs they compromised for Friday’s attack, they also could have done it with tools available in shady hacker circles.
But without these legit, legal search tools, white hat researchers would have a harder time finding vulnerable systems connected to the internet. That could keep cybersecurity workers in a company’s IT department from checking which of its devices are leaking sensitive data onto the internet, for example, or have a known vulnerability that could let hackers in.
Even though sites like Shodan might leave you feeling exposed, security experts say the good guys need to be able to see as much as the bad guys can in order to be effective.
“Think about this as a reconnaissance tool,” Mukkamala says.
Today’s Apple MacBook event: Live stream, start time and what to expect – CNET
Sarah Tew/CNET
Apple is holding an event at its Cupertino headquarters in just a few hours. The iPhone-maker is expected to announce new Macintosh computers, including a new MacBook Pro with an OLED touch bar. We may also see an updated MacBook Air, a 13-inch MacBook and updated iMac all-in-one.
Here’s everything you need to know:
Tuning in
- When: Thursday, October 27
- What time: San Francisco: 10 a.m.; New York: 1 p.m.; London: 6 p.m.; Beijing: 1 a.m. (October 28); Sydney: 4 a.m (October 28)
- Preshow: The CNET preshow starts at 9 a.m. PT with Brian Tong, Lexy Savvides and Vanessa Hand Orellana. Click here to tune in.
- Live blog: CNET’s Shara Tibken and Dan Ackerman will be on location to cover the news as it breaks. Click here to follow the CNET live blog.
- Live stream: Apple will be live-streaming the event for iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV and Windows 10 users. On Safari or Microsoft Edge browsers (Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox aren’t supported), click this link to tune in. Owners of second-, third- or fourth-generation Apple TV set-top boxes can watch the keynote from the Apple Events channel.
Apple’s all about the MacBook on October 27
CNET’s Shara Tibken gives us the inside scoop on what to expect from the new MacBook ahead of the October 27 event, and what Apple’s quarterly earnings report may say about iPhone sales.
by Lexy Savvides
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What to expect
- A new MacBook Pro, a possible 13-inch MacBook, and maybe an iMac or a Thunderbolt display could be on deck. But don’t look for iPads. Click here to find out more.
Analysis
- 5 things we just learned from the MacBook Pro leak
- What will you sacrifice to make way for the new USB?
Bluboo Maya Max: Massive potential but massive disappointment (phone review)
Before we get into the review, I want to start out with a bit of an explanation. I’ve had the Bluboo Maya Max for around two months. The journey with this device has certainly been an interesting one and is the central case of why people are afraid to buy products from companies they don’t know.
I’ve had two review units and neither have worked correctly. The software on the first device was not final and frankly broken. Working with Bluboo’s support saw them ask me to download an application onto my computer that was in Chinese to apply an update and I could not get to work even with assistance.
The second review unit seemed to have faulty hardware. The battery discharged down to nothing and then refused to turn back on after charging. To me, this says faulty hardware but Bluboo told me they’d have another software patch for me to flash before no longer responding to emails.
I will conduct as much of this review as I can because I believe that these issues are important to consider when purchasing a phone intended for other markets. Companies that have no infrastructure in the United States tend to be a risky proposition due to the lack of support and updates. This is the prime example of what can go wrong. Now, on with the rest of the review.
Introduction
The rise in popularity of importing devices is on the rise. We’ve seen excellent offerings from companies like Huawei, Xiaomi, Oppo, Gionee, and ZTE that don’t have great infrastructure in the US and importing them from third-party marketplaces like Gearbest tends to be the only way to get them. Popular in these devices has been rising because customers see them as a fun and cost-effective alternative to any old Galaxy or iPhone.
Bluboo is a Chinese company that is stuffing amazing specs in a phone for a low, low price. Normally priced at $179, the Maya Max features has some excellent specs.
- Processor: MediaTek MT6750 1.5GHz octa-core
- RAM: 3GB
- Storage: 32GB
- Display: 6.0″ 1080P with Gorilla Glass 4
- Camera: 13MP Main, 8 MP front
- Battery: 4200mAh with Quick Charge
- Software: Android 6.0
- Connectivity: USB type-C
Build
As you can see, the Maya Max is spec’ed like a flagship but with a budget price. The phone also includes features like 6000 series aluminum, a fingerprint scanner on the back, a mute switch, VoLTE, and a dual-sim card slot. Beyond the specs, the phone feels really nice in the hand and looks like a show-stopper. On paper, it’s one of the better phones for the price available right now and in person, it’s very impressive.
The Maya Max has an impressive 85% screen to body ratio. The phone is only slightly larger than my Pixel XL but fits an extra .5″ of display in there. While the size difference does feel significant the phone is still pretty easy to handle due to good weight distribution and even better ergonomics. The back of the phone is very slightly curved so it sits in the hand nicely. Add in the fact that it’s relatively light for its size and it turns out that the Maya Max is easier to handle than some smaller phones.
One thing that really can make or break the experience of a device for me is volume and power buttons. Crappy, mushy buttons show a true lack of attention to detail or the company cheaping out on an important component. Luckily, Bluboo stuck true to its design principals with high quality and well functioning buttons. There is a mute switch that sits directly below the sim tray on the right side of the device that reminds me why I miss my iPhone sometimes. The switch puts the phone into silence, rather than vibrate mode, but it’s a convenient solution none the less.
The phone utilizes on-screen buttons so the chin is bare, while the top of the phone is dotted with a camera and sensors around the speaker. If it’s one thing that Bluboo nailed with the Maya Max it’s the bezels. The bezels on the side of the device are almost nonexistent and the chin and top of the device are just big enough to get the required components in. I love the design of the Maya Max.
The top of the device houses the headphone jack (thankfully) and the bottom houses two drilled grills. A speaker sits behind the right grill and a microphone behind the left. Around back we find a fingerprint scanner that reminds us of the Nexus 6P and a raised, round camera hump with a dual-tone flash in-between.
I really couldn’t have been more pleased with the physical design of the Maya Max. It really screams “premium” and goes toe-to-toe with any other device on the market in terms of quality, in my opinion. While you may prefer others for their size or materials, you’ll be forced to admit that the Maya Max is a beautiful device.
Software
This, unfortunately, is where things fell apart for me. My first unit shipped with broken software that saw constant app crashes and the phone locking up for long periods of time. I was informed that the phone couldn’t accept an over-the-air (OTA) update and I would have to update the phone by plugging it into my computer and downloading Bluboo’s software. As I mentioned at the beginning of this review, it never happened due to the software being in Chinese. I do hope that Bluboo gets the software finalized and in good working order because a beautifully built device is being held back by broken software.
I believe a lot of these Chinese or Korean companies will not have success in the US market due to their software. These companies tend to strip out a lot of what makes Android great (stop taking away my app drawer!) and replaces it with bright, obnoxious colors and the duplication of apps that are already on the device. Samsung seems to have gotten the message with its recent iterations of TouchWiz. Hopefully, companies like Bluboo follow suit because even when the software was working, I didn’t enjoy the experience.
Yes, the app drawer is noticeably absent on the Maya Max. I also found it odd that on a 6.0″ device, Bluboo limited you to four icons across. There is obviously room here to add more icons comfortably and it’s needed since all of your icons will be showing. Folders are for whatever reason incredibly hard to create due to the fact that the touch sensitivity and accuracy isn’t excellent.
Several themes come with the device and you can download more through a theme store. I didn’t find any of the included ones very appealing and they honestly don’t alter the appearance that much. It’s nice that they included this feature, but it’s certainly not going to sell any devices.
The Play Store is installed, but that’s about it for Google’s apps. I downloaded a few apps here and there but it’s mostly filled up with Bluboo’s apps like Hitap Keyboard, SIM toolkit, FM Radio, and Theme Store.
The software is pretty spartan. If stock Android bothers you for its lack of features, the Bluboo Maya Max isn’t going to be your cup of tea either. Bluboo just isn’t consistent in its software enough. Some Google apps are skinned, some are replaced, some are completely untouched. Add in the weird quirks like not being able to reset the device to factory settings (yes, seriously) and you have a difficult to use contradiction on your hands.
Battery
Unfortunately due to the software issues we had with the Maya Max we cannot provide a reliable review of the battery life. However, we can give you some of the facts about the device and that will play into what battery life you may get.
The Maya Max has a 6″ 1080P display and a 4200mAh battery. Those are both pretty big numbers and the battery capacity being on the high end of anything on the market today. Bluboo made a choice to go with a 1080P display (probably due to cost) and it really should benefit you in battery life. Pushing all the extra pixels of a QHD display not only takes processing power but battery power too.
One thing that will negatively affect your battery life is the lack of supported bands in the United States. I tested the Maya Max with a T-Mobile sim and was disappointed to find that I only picked up Edge coverage. The device supports the following bands:
- 2G: GSM 850/900/1800/1900MHz
- 3G: WCDMA 850/2100MHz
- 4G: FDD-LTE 800/1800/2100/2600MHz
If you’re using AT&T you will be able to pick up 3G on the 850 frequency, but no LTE for you either. With the constant searching for a better signal (especially indoors), the battery life could take a hit.
Reference guide to US carrier bands and networks
Conclusion
If you’re afraid of buying a Chinese phone from a site like Gearbest, this review is not going to do you any favors. This is pretty much the worst case scenario. Luckily for me, Bluboo supplied the review units so I’m not out any money, but I could easily see that happening to someone. There are a lot of great companies making wonderful devices that haven’t hit the shores of the US yet and I would encourage you to do you research to see how they deal with their customers when you’re making a purchase. Don’t let this one case scare you off.
As for the Maya Max… if I could load stock Android onto it, it might be an amazing device. Unfortunately, it’s held back by broken software and puzzling design choices. If Bluboo gets the software figured out, I’d love to give the phone another review because I think there’s a ton of potential here. It has one of the best-built phones out there with some excellent features and a comfortable design.
How to install the Android SDK on Windows, Mac and Linux
Everything you need to get started with the Android SDK, and everything you need to know about installing it.
Installing the Android SDK is far easier than it used to be, thanks to a new package from Google. One download gives you most everything you need to communicate with your phone via the USB port, using tools like adb and fastboot.
If you plan to use the SDK to build Android apps or just see how they are made (a great decision) you’ll probably want to download Android Studio instead. It’s even easier to install (Java is self-contained and there is no PATH to set up) and you’ll find full directions at the Android Studio website.
If you’re just using the SDK and have no need fro the tools to develop for Android, follow along and we’ll get you set up.
This post was last updated in October 2016.
Getting started with the Android SDK
I told you this was pretty easy, and that there was just one file to download. Here it is. Download the SDK direct from Google by clicking here. Scroll down a bit and find the section marked “SDK Tools Only” and save it somewhere easy to get to, like your desktop. We’ll be extracting it to a better location in the next step.
The file you downloaded is compressed. You’ll need to be familiar with compressed files — and how to extract them — to go any further. If you’re not, stop here and spend the time to learn about them.
Extract your compressed file into the following location:
- Windows: The root of your C: drive
- OS X: Your home folder
- Linux: Your home folder
Rename the extracted folder to “Android”. This will make the rest of this guide, and your time with the SDK, much easier.
Prerequisites
You’ll need a working version of Java to run the SDK components. For most things you’ll be doing with the SDK both Open Java and Sun Java from Oracle (yes, that Oracle) will work.
On a Mac, it’s pretty easy because you’ll already have it installed unless you uninstalled it. If you did, install it again — you should know how.
On Windows, head to the Oracle website and download the correct version (32- or 64-bit) for your computer. Again, if this gives you any trouble stop what you’re doing and learn a bit more about your computer. If you can’t install Java, maybe you’re not yet ready to use the Android SDK.
On a Linux computer, you’ll also need to install Java. You can find x86 and x64 binaries for Sun Java from Oracle at their website. OpenJDK also works for most things you’ll need to do with the SDK.(OpenJDK is now bundled with Android Studio which includes the SDK as well as a development environment) and you’ll find complete instructions to get it installed at the OpenJDK website. If you need more assistance or want to use a package manager to install Sun Java, you’ll need to refer to the documentation for your particular distro.
Linux users will also have to make sure they have some 32-bit libraries installed if they are running a 64-bit version of the operating system. If you’re using Ubuntu or another Debian variant, install ncurses5 and stdc++6 through your terminal:
sudo apt-get install lib32ncurses5 lib32stdc++6
Packages for other distros, like Slackware or Fedora, should be available as well. See the documentation for your particular distro.
Setting your PATH
The PATH variable in your computer’s operating system tells it where to look when you want to run a command from a terminal or the command line. For example, to run the adb command you either need to type and provide the complete path — ie the folder adb is actually in, inside the SDK folder — or have the location set in the PATH variable itself. It’s a bit confusing, but the good news is that doing it is easier than explaining it.
For these directions to work as written, you will have to have extracted and renamed the SDK download folder as mentioned above, and to the correct location for this tutorial.
On Windows
Unless you’re still using an older version of Windows, you no longer can set the PATH in the autoexec.bat file or autoexec.nt file. You’ll need to update the system Environment Variable settings instead. Here’s how it’s done on a Windows 8 machine:
- Hit the Start key on your Keyboard.
- Start typing the words Environment Variables.
- As you type, you’ll see the choice to Edit the system environment variables. Choose it.
- In the Environment Variables window, select the PATH line item in the Systems Variables section, then click the Edit button.
Add the full path to the Android SDK tools and Android SDK platform-tools folders in the edit box, separated by a semi-colon. It should look something like this:
C:Androidtools;C:Androidplatform-tools
For older versions of Windows, refer to the documentation that came with your computer for assistance on setting the PATH. And, again: If you’ve installed your SDK somewhere other than Android, you’ll need to adjust accordingly.
On OS X
You can set your PATH variable on a machine running OS X in your bash profile. Doing so is easy, and is all done in one file.
In your Home folder is a file named .bash_profile. Open it with any text editor.
You may see a blank file, or it may be full of other information. All we need to do is add a couple lines to the top of the file:
export PATH=”$HOME/Android/tools:$PATH”
export PATH=”$HOME/Android/platform-tools:$PATH”
(Did we mention that if your SDK is in another location, you’ll need to adjust things accordingly? Good.)
Save the file, and reboot your computer so the new PATH is sourced properly.
On Linux
Setting the PATH on a Linux computer is almost the same as on a Mac, you just edit a different file.
Using your favorite text editor, open the ~/.bashrc file. It will probably exist and have multiple entries. If you get an error that the file does not exist, simply create a new file and save it as ~/.bashrc when finished.
You’ll want to add the following two lines to the END of the .bashrc file:
export PATH=”$HOME/Android/tools:$PATH”
export PATH=”$HOME/Android/platform-tools:$PATH”
Save the file, and close the terminal window. Open a new instance of the terminal and type this command:
source ~/.bashrc
Your session will not reference the changes you made and the SDK will be in your PATH.
Wrapping it up
If you made it this far, you have successfully installed the Android SDK and can now use tools like adb and fastboot. Pat yourself on the back and have a frosty beverage. We’re going to talk a lot more about how to use these tools in future articles, as well as making sure your phone is ready to go and connected.
If you can’t wait to learn about drivers, and development tools, head into the Android Central forums to talk to some gurus and get a jump start.
Your Android is your oyster, and you’ll need no sword to open it.
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