Apple Seeds Second macOS Sierra 10.12.2 Beta to Developers
Apple today seeded the second beta of the upcoming macOS Sierra update 10.12.2 to developers, one week after releasing the first 10.12.2 beta and two weeks after the public release of macOS 10.12.1.
macOS Sierra 10.12.2 beta 2 is available for download through the Apple Developer Center and through the software update mechanism in the Mac App Store. A public beta will likely be available for public beta testers later this week.
macOS Sierra 10.12.2 includes new emoji introducing Unicode 9 characters like clown face, drooling face, selfie, face palm, fox face, owl, shark, butterfly, avocado, pancakes, croissant, and more, plus many profession emoji available in both male and female genders.
Apple has also updated the artwork on many existing emoji, adding detail and making them look less cartoonish and more realistic.
The update will also focus on bug fixes and performance enhancements to address issues that have popped up since the release of macOS Sierra 10.12.1.
Available since September, macOS Sierra is the latest Mac operating system. It includes Siri support, Apple Pay for the web, Universal Clipboard, Apple Watch auto unlocking, improved iCloud Drive integration, Picture-in-Picture multitasking, and dozens of smaller features that can be found in our macOS Sierra roundup.
Related Roundup: macOS Sierra
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How to buy a new PC for your parents – CNET
If you’re lucky enough to have parents in their 60s, 70s, 80s or beyond, you’ve probably encountered certain, let’s say, challenges with regard to their computer skills.
See if any of this sounds familiar:
“The computer takes 10 minutes to start up.”
“The printer won’t print”
“I think I have a virus.”
“How do I look at the photos you sent me?”
“I can’t find the file I downloaded.”
Speaking from personal experience, questions and problems like these can be difficult to resolve, especially for parents who live far away. And when you’re in charge of tech support, you might think the easiest answer is a new PC. After all, that will at least solve the performance problems and virus infections, right?
Meanwhile, set-in-their-ways parents might be clinging to seriously old and/or outdated hardware that just plain needs replacing. Whatever the situation, you may find yourself wondering what’s the best PC to buy for aging parents, or to recommend they buy for themselves. I have a suggestion, and it requires some explaining.
The best PC for older parents: something other than a PC?
My advice: Forget the traditional Windows-powered desktop or laptop. It’s overkill, especially considering the relatively modest needs of older users, and modern PCs are still fraught with the kinds of issues identified above.
Consider what most retirees need or want from a computer. Email. Web access. Facebook and YouTube. Maybe a simple word processor.
You know what they don’t need? Drivers. Viruses and malware. Blue Screens of Death. And all the little idiosyncrasies that plague Windows users, novice and expert alike. (Examples? The sign-in screen. File associations. Windows updates. And don’t get me started on Settings vs. Control Panel.)
OK, boot times tend to be shorter, especially if the system has a solid-state drive instead of a hard drive, but Windows always gets slower over time. Always.
All this adds up to my recommendation: Instead of steering your parents to a new PC, steer them to a Chromebook or a tablet and keyboard.
The Chromebook option
Just as Chromebooks make great PCs for students, so do they work well for seniors. (Not school seniors, mind you, but the elder kind.) These are the advantages:
- They boot quickly.
- They’re effectively impervious to viruses (though not phishing, so make sure Mom and Dad know to watch for).
- Generally speaking, they’re very inexpensive — usually anywhere from $200-400 depending on size and features.
- Voice commands: You can say “OK, Google” from the launcher to invoke Google’s voice-powered assistant.
- Tight integration with everything Google: Gmail, Drive, Calendar and so on. That means any document created in, say, Google Docs is automatically archived to Drive. It’s like full-time, automatic backup for nearly everything the user does.
Now for the downsides:
- There’s a bit of a learning curve, especially if Mom and Dad are already accustomed to Windows.
- Printing can be a challenge. Chrome OS doesn’t allow for USB connections, but it does support wireless printing — provided your printer supports Google Cloud Print. And even if it does, setup isn’t always easy. Here’s how to print from a Chromebook.
- Gmail is really a terrible mail client, at least when accessed via the Web (which is how it’s done on a Chromebook). It’s ugly and non-intuitive, and likely to cause confusion. But if your folks already use, say, Outlook or Yahoo, it’s a simple matter to connect to those services.
The tablet option
My favorite choice for parents: an iPad and a keyboard. Could be a keyboard case or, arguably better, a full-size Bluetooth keyboard that just lives on the desk. Here’s what I love about this solution:
- Zero boot time. Press a button, it’s on.
- Likewise, almost zero load time for apps. Modern tablets are extremely fast.
- Effectively impervious to viruses (but same warning as above regarding phishing).
- iOS is really, really easy to learn and use. Tap Mail, you’ve got mail. Tap Facebook, you’ve got Facebook.
- Speaking of email, I’d argue that Apple’s Mail app on an iPad is arguably the single best email client, period. It’s clean, super-easy to navigate and formats attached photos beautifully.
- Word processing is freely available via Apple Pages and even Word for iPad.
And the disadvantages:
- iPads are expensive, especially if you opt for a 12.9-inch iPad Pro. (I’d argue that the 9.7-inch model is more than sufficient for everything except extensive word processing.)
- Keyboard not included.
- Same as above regarding printing: You basically need an AirPrint-compatible printer. But assuming both iPad and printer are on the same Wi-Fi network, there’s no setup required; you just tap Print and you’re good to go.
Why not an Android tablet and keyboard? Absolutely, that’s an option as well. You can pick up something like a Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 for around $300, or a Lenovo Tab 2 A10 for just $150. I do think the Android learning curve is a bit steeper, the OS a little less elegant — and there’s still the risk of viruses, though much less than with Windows. Plus, printing can still be a challenge.
Why not a Windows tablet like the Surface? Because that’s still essentially a Windows laptop, with all the same Windows issues to deal with. I’m not saying it’s a bad product, merely that the senior-friendly advantages of a tablet lie in an Android model or iPad.
And that’s my take. If you have a better way to resolve the PC-for-parents conundrum, share it in the comments!
How to pack beer and wine that won’t break in your luggage – CNET
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Taylor Martin/CNET
Whether you’re taking a bottle of wine or beer with you on vacation or bringing one back, you don’t want the bottle to break on the way.
Baggage handlers are lousy with luggage and deal with thousands of bags each day. Your bag is not special and will get tossed and beaten, just like all the others.
Use these tips to make sure your beverage survives the trip.
For the last-minute packer
To cushion a bottle, slide it into a high sock (or two), and wrap the neck of the bottle with a shirt. Next, wrap everything with another shirt or sweatshirt, and place this at the center of your bag. Do this with each bottle you’re carrying.
It’s not a fool-proof method, but it should work in a pinch. The risk, though, is soaking and staining the contents of your luggage.
For extra security, pack around the bottle, sandwiching it in the very center of everything. Clothing and the other soft items in your luggage will make a nice cushion that should protect the bottle from any small drops and bumps.
Get a travel bottle protector
If you have the option to plan ahead and know you’re taking or bringing back a nice bottle of beer, liquor or wine, consider picking up some bottle protectors before your trip.
Bottle protectors, like the Jet Bag, are reusable, resealable zip-top bags that are lined with an absorbent padding. They work much like the above makeshift bottle protector, but don’t run the risk of staining and ruining everything in your luggage. Instead, the plastic outer layer should remain intact if the bottle were to break. The zip-top should keep all the liquid inside the sealed pouch, and the padding will absorb the liquid.
Bottle protectors are pretty affordable, too. They typically come in 3- or 6-packs for between $20 (£16.12 or AU$25.92) to $30 (£24.18 or AU$38.88) — definitely cheaper than replacing or dry-cleaning an entire suitcase of clothing.
Shipping isn’t always easier
If you thought you could avoid the checked baggage route altogether and ship your bottle home, it’s possible. Maybe.
While USPS strictly prohibits shipping alcohol, some companies, like FedEx and UPS, will allow you to ship alcoholic beverages, so long as someone over 21 is signing for it and it’s properly packaged (“Completely covered in something soft to prevent glass breakage; Can absorb liquid if the bottle happens to break.”) But the laws vary by state and country, and volume is also heavily and understandably restricted.
None of this even takes into consideration the price of shipping. Assuming the weight of a bottle of wine or liquor is around 3.5 pounds (1.6 kilograms), shipping within the states could cost upward of $35 (£28.21 or AU$45.35) for FedEx Express Saver or $14 (£11.29 or AU$18.14) for FedEx Ground.
With all the regulations, your best bet is usually to pack the bottle in your luggage and hope for the best. But if you would rather ship the bottle home to yourself, call or ask the nearest FedEx or UPS for assistance. They will know what can and cannot be shipped from your current location to your destination.
Boozers: Upgrade your luggage
Baggage handlers are not easy on equipment. You’re lucky if you make it through more than a couple flights without your luggage being severely damaged. You can also wrap and pack a bottle however you want, but quality luggage will might make all the difference.
Dropping a canvas or leather bag will have a greater impact on the contents of the suitcase than the same drop with a hard shell suitcase. The outer shell of a hard-side suitcase will absorb more of the impact, keeping the contents inside more protected from shock.
Canadians can now sign up to use Samsung Pay with CIBC cards
Samsung and CIBC are teaming up to offer Samsung Pay to Canadians with “select” CIBC credit cards, as we previously reported.
Now, Samsung Canada has put up a landing page allowing users to sign up to receive an email to receive a link to download Samsung Pay on a compatible Galaxy device. Seems fairly convoluted, but there we go.
Says Samsung, (via SamMobile):
As a valued customer, we are excited to present you with early access to Samsung Pay. Samsung has partnered with CIBC so that our customers can make payments using a Samsung Galaxy device with select CIBC credit cards. Samsung Pay works with the latest Samsung Galaxy devices almost anywhere you can tap or swipe your card3, so you can enjoy all the convenience you need on one Samsung device.
There are a couple caveats: CIBC users can only sign up Visa cards at this point, so MasterCard fans are out of luck; and there is no compatibility with US Dollar or prepaid Visa cards.
Still interested? Already signed up? Let us know in the comments!
Play Catan for cheap with the latest Humble Mobile Bundle
I used to love writing about new Humble Mobile Bundles, the Android equivalent of HB’s excellent pay-what-you-want software packages that benefit charities, and great indie developers. Sadly, those days don’t come as often anymore, but this latest one — board game-themed — is worth mentioning.
Carcassonne: fine. Scotland Yard: meh. Great games, I’m sure — but you’re really here for Catan, one of the greatest trading strategy board games ever conceived.
Catan, along with Splendor and THE aMAZEing Labyrinth, are unlocked when you spend more than $3 on the bundle (remember, it’s pay-what-you-want); Ticket to Ride, San Juan, and Galaxy Trucker are also part of the deal.
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Sorry, the OnePlus Australia website is fake
We know you want to see OnePlus sales in Australia, but this isn’t going to help.
OnePlus has yet to bring its phones to Australia, and it still doesn’t have any public plans to do so despite the appearance of a new oneplus.com.au website. Going to that URL sure looks legit, closely mimicking the main OnePlus website design and saying “We’re Bringing OnePlus to Australia” — but as Ausdroid found, the website actually has no affiliation with OnePlus at all.
Once you dig a tad, you’ll now see the message in the website’s “About” section:
We’re not affiliated with OnePlus, but we are determined to bring them down under, and that’s why we’ve set up this site. The more interest we have here, the better chance we’ll have convincing the folks at OnePlus that Australia is a market they want to enter.
Well, they didn’t do a great job making that clear from the start, and the website is extremely misleading in order to try and collect email addresses. OnePlus co-founder Carl Pei has indicated that a “cease and desist” order will be headed to the OnePlus fan’s copycat website.
@JM77 C&D coming up
— Carl Pei (@getpeid) November 8, 2016
Usually a website like this wouldn’t get too much traction, but when someone is able to snag an otherwise-legitimate URL like that it makes it a bit more believable. OnePlus is known for having extremely passionate and engaged fans, but this is definitely not the best way to go about convincing the company to expand to new countries.
Soylent blames product recalls on algae
It’s been a tough few weeks for Soylent. After recalling its new food bars for giving customers vomiting and diarrhea, the startup ended up pulling its famous meal-substitute powder from shelves as well. The company said a handful of powder customers were reporting similar gastrointestinal issues to those causes by the bars. The problem was affecting less than 0.1 percent of all customers, but the complaints were obviously severe enough to halt all sales of two of the company’s four product lines.
At the time, Soylent noted that its tests came back negative for food pathogens, toxins or outside contamination, and also said that it only affected the most recent iteration of its powder. “This possible connection allows us to narrow the field considerably given there are only a few ingredients that are specific to only our bars and Powder 1.6,” it said. Well, the culprit has been found: algae.
Soylent co-founder Rob Rhinehart told Bloomberg that the company’s new powder and bars “will no longer contain algal flour.” Use of the algae-derived powder, in this case supplied by biotech company TerraVia, has grown in recent years as an alternative to animal-derived proteins.
TerraVia, for its part, says that its algal flour “has been used in more than 20 million servings of products, and we are aware of very few adverse reactions. In no cases was algal flour identified as the cause.” However, Bloomberg reports to have seen a letter between TerraVia and a distributor warning that it received a “modest number of reports” showing that algal protein can cause gastrointestinal distress.
Whatever the case, Silicon Valley’s favorite shake should be returning early next year.
Source: Bloomberg
Tesla buys an engineering firm to meet Model 3 production goals
Tesla is going to need to make a lot of cars if it’s going to fulfill all those Model 3 pre-orders… 500,000 per year by 2018, to be exact. And it’s making a big purchase to help it reach that lofty goal. The company is acquiring Grohmann Engineering, a German firm specializing in automated manufacturing. The buyout (which creates Tesla Grohmann Automation) should give Elon Musk and crew more of the expertise and systems they need for high-volume production not only at the Gigafactory, but elsewhere in the world. Grohmann will serve as the base for Tesla’s Advanced Automation Germany facility, with more locations coming.
If regulators greenlight the deal, it should close sometime in early 2017. As you might guess, Tesla is painting this as a positive for the German economy: it plans to add more than 1,000 “advanced engineering and skilled technician jobs” in the country over the next 2 years.
The move isn’t coming out of the blue. Tesla had already been partnering with Grohmann on manufacturing upgrades for months, and the two sides found themselves making such major strides that they felt they could do better together. As it stands, Tesla has its work cut out for it beyond just the Model 3. Between new Powerwalls and Powerpacks, promises of full self-driving capabilities and everything that will come from buying SolarCity, it’ll have to understand how to manufacture a wider range of products in short order.
Via: TechCrunch
Source: Tesla
Steam’s updated front page shows real screenshots from games
Valve has made it much easier to see what you’re actually buying on Steam before paying up. The company has unleashed the Steam front page refresh it promised, which gives the store an upgraded facade that focuses on surfacing titles and updates relevant to your interests. Discovery Update 2.0, as the distributor calls it, adds screenshots to game listings. Since Valve now requires developers to post real screenshots instead of augmented images, you’ll get a good idea of what a game actually looks like.
Steam’s overhauled front page also gives you a quick way to edit your preferences, adds direct links to common destinations in the store, lists your friends’ activities and includes a highlights section that shows titles based on the kinds of games you play and ones your friends recommend. It has a section for featured special offers, as well as a clickable preview of curators’ recommendations and big blue buttons to help you get around easily.
Valve has provided a preview of Steam’s new and upgraded features if you want to see what’s changed before you click around the actual store. As for how effective the redesign actually is in helping you discover games, we’ll let your wallet be the judge of that.
Source: Steam
Scientists built a chip without semiconductors
Remember when you saw those old-timey photos of room-sized vacuum-tube-powered computers, and laughed and laughed? That tech might be making a comeback, thanks to work from scientists from UC San Diego. They’ve built the first semiconductor-free, laser-controlled microelectronics device using free electrons in air, much like how vacuum tubes work. The research could result in better solar panels and faster microelectronic devices that can carry more power.
Semiconductors based on silicon and other materials are great, obviously, having helped us squeeze billions of transistors into a few square inches. But they have some issues: Electron velocity is limited by the resistance of semiconductor materials, and a boost of energy is required to just to get them flowing through the “band gap” caused by the insulating properties of semiconductors like silicon.
Vacuum tubes don’t have those problems, since they use free electrons in the air to carry (or not) a current. Getting free electrons at nanoscale sizes is problematic, however — you need either high voltages (over 100 volts), high temperatures or a powerful laser to knock them loose. The UC San Diego team solved that problem by building gold “mushroom” nanostructures with adjacent parallel gold strips (above). By combining a relatively low amount of power (10 volts) with a low-powered laser, they were able to dislodge electrons from the gold metal.
The result was a tenfold (1000 percent) increase in conductivity in the system, a change sufficient “to realize on and off states, that is, the structure performs as an optical switch,” according to the paper in Nature. The device can thus act as a transistors, power amplifier or photodetector, much as semiconductors do. However, it can theoretically work with less resistance and handle higher amounts of power.
So far, the research is just a proof-of-concept, but it’s very promising. “Next, we need to understand how far these devices can be scaled and the limits of their performance,” says author Dan Sievenpiper. The team aims to explore applications not just in electronics, but photovoltaics, environmental applications and, possibly, weaponry — the research was funded, after all, by DARPA.
Source: UC San Diego
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