Snapchat’s Spectacles won’t make you look like a Glasshole
You would have thought that after the spectacular failure of Google Glass and the virulent public rejection its users experienced, other companies would be wary of developing and marketing camera glasses. But 2016 has been that kind of year. Earlier this week, Snapchat, they of the wildly popular messaging app, began rolling out its first wearable, Spectacles, through a series of pop-up vending machines. The $130 glasses are already a hot commodity, fetching upward of $900 on eBay. I managed to get my hands on a pair (don’t ask how) and have some thoughts on the matter.
The Spectacles are sunglasses first and foremost, and they function well in that role. The plastic frames are lightweight with circular lenses and come in a variety of increasingly loud colors: black, aqua and fire-engine red. I personally prefer a nice wayfarer or aviator shape, but the Spectacles still performed an admirable job of shielding my eyes from the sun’s damaging UV rays.
The camera itself is mounted on the tip of the left temple arm, where it meets the eye wire. The camera unit is entirely self-contained and runs on a rechargeable lithium-ion battery. And, like Apple’s wireless AirPods, the Spectacle’s case doubles as a charging station that can fully fill a dead battery in about 90 minutes. The camera, while not nearly as powerful as what you’d find on an iPhone 7 or Android Pixel, is good enough for what most people use Snapchat for.
And what they lack in image quality they make up for in ease of use. By not requiring you to have your phone in hand, the Spectacles can be used in a much wider range of situations. Suddenly, all of those action sports shots for which you previously had to break out the GoPro can be done in 10-second increments. Really, any two-handed activity would benefit from using these glasses. Take note, however: The glasses are not waterproof and are also susceptible to temperature extremes, so be sure to leave them back at the ski lodge this winter.
Pairing the Spectacles to the Snapchat app is super-simple. You simply put on the Spectacles, look at your snapcode and tap the “record” button on the glasses. Downloading data from the specs is straightforward, too. Just navigate to the Memories screen, pick the Specs tab from the top bar and select the correct Snap from the list. We’re not sure if there’s an upper limit to how many Snaps you can record on the device before syncing with the app, but we got north of 10.
I noticed that the app routinely failed to properly download video from the glasses to the phone, but usually did so on the second try. It’s a bit of a hassle, but an easily remedied one. Aside from being unable to actively monitor what I’m recording or reframe a shot, using Spectacles wasn’t all that different from using my phone. At least with the Specs, I never had to worry about my thumb covering the lens. Plus, if the worst happens, I’d rather drop a pair of $130 novelty camera-glasses than my $600 smartphone.
Now, whether I, as a 35-year-old attention-averse adult, would ever be caught dead wearing them in public is an entirely different question. See, I remember the dark days of the Google Glasshole. Even in techtopias like San Francisco, Glass wearers were publicly mocked. One lady was even physically assaulted at a bar in the Lower Haight. Many fine drinking establishments throughout the city still ban them outright. Granted, the Spectacles can capture only 10 seconds of video at a time, but I’d be very hesitant to show up to a place like Molotov’s or the Lucky 13 with these on my face.
Another question is: Where do you actually use them? They’re clearly geared for people who are out and about in the daylight hours (hence the sunglasses the camera’s built into). But what of Snaps taken indoors or at night? The camera is subtle enough that you won’t attract attention, but the bright-ring LED that flickers on to indicate that you’re recording — not to mention that you’re wearing electric-blue sunglasses in a bar at 11PM — is likely enough to draw quizzical looks from other patrons and questions from management.
Overall, though, these are a clever, relatively inexpensive wearable. They’re a tenth of the price of Google Glass, they actually function beyond serving as a way to strap a camera to your face and, depending on your age bracket, they could even be considered stylish. Getting your hands on a pair is going to be a challenge in the immediate future, but for those of us with active Snapchat followings, these Specs will prove invaluable.
Engadget giveaway: Win an Honor 8 smartphone courtesy of Huawei!
There’s something personal about a smartphone. It stays with you day-to-day or, heck, even moment-to-moment, so it helps to have a sleek design and quality camera on board to capture the moments you experience. Huawei’s recently released Honor 8 fits the bill, offering a premium exterior and the increasingly popular dual camera setup.
On the outside, the 5.2-inch Honor 8 is sheathed in subtly curved 2.5D glass with an aircraft-grade aluminum trim and the ability to catch light in artistic ways. The 12-megapixel dual camera gives you the tools to capture scenes in full splendor and the 8-megapixel front-facing cam will make your selfies shine. Huawei’s own EMUI 4.0 OS is laid upon an Android 6.0 foundation and its fast-charging battery will help you keep your life moving. With all these flourishes, the $400 price makes it a great option for your next pocketable life partner. This week, Huawei has provided us with one of its Honor 8 smartphones for a lucky reader to enjoy in time for the holidays. All you need to do is head to the Rafflecopter widget below for up to three chances at winning!
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. One (1) winner will receive one (1) Huawei Honor 8 smartphone ($399 value).
- 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 Nov. 18th at 11:59PM ET. Good luck!
Privacy-Enabled Web Browser ‘Firefox Focus’ Launches on App Store With Automatic Ad Blocking
Mozilla today launched a new app called “Firefox Focus,” which automatically blocks advertisements as well as online trackers. The company said that due to the new app’s removal of heavy ads and tracking software by other companies, “web pages may require less data and load faster.”
The privacy-focused web browser also comes with an easily accessible “Erase” button at the top of the app, which users can tap and erase all browsing history, searches, cookies, and passwords instantly.
Firefox Focus also offers extensive customizable browsing options, with the ability to disable a website’s custom font, and users can choose to load a page in another browser — Firefox or Safari — if they’re willing to leave the security of Firefox Focus.
Browse like no one’s watching. The new Firefox Focus automatically blocks a wide range of online trackers — from the moment you launch it to the second you leave it. Easily erase your history, passwords and cookies, so you won’t get followed by things like unwanted ads.
“Private browsing” on most browsers isn’t comprehensive or easy to use. Focus is next-level privacy that’s free, always on and always on your side — because it’s backed by Mozilla, the non-profit that fights for your rights on the Web.
The app is otherwise simplified, with a single search bar greeting users when they open it, and only one tab available to view at a time. The settings of the app also include an additional layer of security to block other content trackers, but Mozilla warns that toggling it on “may break some videos and web pages.”
Firefox Focus is available to download from the App Store for free. [Direct Link]
Tags: Mozilla, Firefox
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Next Year’s Dual-Camera iPhones Will Have Dual Optical Image Stabilization
While the iPhone 7 Plus has a dual-lens camera, only the wide-angle lens supports optical image stabilization. However, that could change next year.
In a research note obtained by MacRumors, KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo maintains his belief new dual-camera iPhone models in 2017 will support dual optical image stabilization. Kuo believes Apple will redesign the telephoto lens to support the feature in addition to existing auto focus functionality.
We believe Apple will add OIS function to the telephoto CCM in order to enhance the selling points of next year’s new iPhone. We think photo quality and optical zoom range may both improve as a result. We expect the telephoto lens will be redesigned to support OIS in the telephoto CCM, with challenges likely coming from: (1) the need to increase the image circle of the telephoto lens, which will lead to longer calibration time and a more complex assembly processes; and (2) a redesign of the telephoto lens, as an increased image circle will result in degraded photo quality around the corners.
Kuo said Apple’s rumored 5.1″-5.2″ OLED iPhone and a new 5.5-inch iPhone with a traditional LCD display will feature dual cameras with dual optical image stabilization, while a new 4.7-inch model with an LCD display is expected to retain a single-lens camera, also with optical image stabilization.
Kuo expects Apple supplier Largan Precision to remain the exclusive provider of 6P and telephoto lens for the trio of new iPhones.
Related Roundup: iPhone 8 (2017)
Tags: KGI Securities, Ming-Chi Kuo, dual camera
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Apple Stores to Host Free ‘Hour of Code’ Workshops in Early December
Apple today announced it is opening registration for free one-hour “Hour of Code” workshops between December 5 and December 11 at all 487 of its retail stores worldwide. This year’s workshops will include an introduction to Apple’s new educational Swift Playgrounds coding app for iPad.
“Hour of Code embodies our vision for Apple stores as a place for the community to gather, learn and be entertained,” said Angela Ahrendts, Apple’s senior vice president of Retail. “We’re proud to introduce the Swift Playgrounds app into the workshops and honored to again work side-by-side with Code.org on this incredibly important initiative. Hour of Code is one of the absolute highlights of the year for both our teams and the families that visit our stores.”
Since 2013, Apple has hosted Hour of Code workshops during Computer Science Education Week to teach kids and students the basics of computer science using non-profit website Code.org’s programming tutorials. There are also typically larger featured events at select Apple retail stores.
Apple said it has developed new tools to extend the Hour of Code initiative into schools and community centers, including a free facilitator guide offering lesson ideas, group activities, and more. Apple will also provide resources to assist ConnectED schools in the U.S. with hosting their own Hour of Code workshops.
Those interested can register through Apple’s Hour of Code page, although it does not appear to have been updated for this year just yet.
Tags: Apple retail, Hour of Code, Swift Playgrounds
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Chrysler’s hybrid minivan electrifies grocery getting
The hybrid market is dominated by sedans and compacts. Well, unless you can afford a luxury SUV like the Tesla Model X or Audi Q5 hybrid. For big families that want to lower their carbon footprint or just save a few bucks on gas, Chrysler has your back with its new Pacifica hybrid.
The combination gas and electric vehicle announced at the Detroit Auto Show and unveiled at the LA Auto Show can travel 30 miles in pure electric mode. That means there’s a good chance you won’t even have to fire up the gas engine while dropping the kids off at school, picking up groceries and hitting up the hardware store for that weekend project. But even if you go beyond the 30-mile mark, it’s still a great on-the-road value.
Chrysler says the Pacifica will get 80 miles per gallon equivalent (MPGe) in the city and total range of 530 miles between charges and fill ups. An impressive feat that’ll reduce road trip pit stops and potentially decrease the amount of the times you’ll hear “are we there yet?” from the back seat.
The minivan won’t just keep you on the road longer; it also has hybrid-exclusive tech features likes a companion app that helps you check and schedule charging and will locate charging stations while you’re on the road. It also has adaptive cruise control, parking assist and a 360-degree surround-view camera.
That whole package will set you back about $42,000. But once you add the $7,500 federal tax credit, it hits $35,500. For a large vehicle that’ll save you gas money while dragging the whole family around town, it’s a pretty good deal.
Source: Chrysler
Firefox Focus brings easy private browsing to your iPhone
Many modern smartphone web browsers have private modes. They’re rarely turned on by default, however, and you may have to wade through settings just to make sure you’re a ghost online. Mozilla wants to try something different: it’s launching a browser for iOS that revolves around privacy. Firefox Focus isn’t very sophisticated (you don’t even get multiple tabs), but it blocks ad, analytics and social trackers by default, with simple sliders used to turn tracking on and off. Also, see that conspicuous “erase” button up top? Hit that and it immediately wipes your current browser history — all the evidence of your gift shopping goes away in a moment.
You can take your browsing to extremes if you want. There’s an option to block more content trackers if you’re not worried about breaking site compatibility, and you can disable sites’ custom web fonts if they’re bogging you down. You still have the option of jumping into standard Firefox or Safari if you want to load a page in a more conventional browser.
There’s no question that Firefox Focus is a one-trick pony, and it’s not completely necessary when Mozilla’s content blocker for Safari (confusingly named Focus by Firefox) is still around. However, that single-minded strategy might be Mozilla’s ace in the hole. Firefox faces an uphill battle gaining share on iOS when Safari is the default, and Chrome is easily the most popular alternative. How is it supposed to stand out? Well, Firefox Focus does — it could be your go-to option when you’re determined to remain invisible.
As for other platforms? Mozilla tells us that it will “consider building a similar product” for Android if the iOS version proves successful. In the meantime, anti-tracking measures are already available in both the desktop and mobile editions of Firefox.
Source: App Store
The UK’s far-reaching surveillance bill is now all but law
A sweeping new surveillance regime is to be enshrined in UK law in the coming weeks, after the Investigatory Powers Bill passed through the House of Lords yesterday. All that’s now required for the bill to become the Investigatory Powers Act is the Queen’s approval, a formality known as royal assent. The controversial bill was first put forward this time last year, when primary author and now Prime Minister Theresa May was Home Secretary. The legislation consolidates various existing powers and introduces several fresh and far-reaching ones to become the UK government’s new guide to lawful mass surveillance.
One of the headline powers included in the IP Bill is the requirement for communications service providers — think ISPs and mobile carriers — to collect and store Internet Connection Records (ICRs) for 12 months. And provide government agencies access to them, of course. Simply put, ICRs are data related to your online activity, but not the specifics. These include top-level domains, but not the individual pages you visited (so, engadget.com, but not the articles that you read). ICRs also cover the who, when, where and how of online communications, logging all the data relevant to, say, a WhatsApp session, but not the content of that conversation itself. That would be a hard ask anyway, since WhatsApp (like many other messaging services) is end-to-end encrypted.
ICR retention will affect everyone, and it’s one of the key intrusive powers included in the IP Bill. It could be some time before your ISP is physically capable of capturing and storing your browsing history and other online activity, though. Various communications providers warned the government early on that creating the systems to make this happen would be both technically challenging and extremely expensive.
There are many, many more Orwellian powers afforded to the government under the IP Bill, such as untargeted bulk surveillance, including the interception of communications (aka the content). Some of these surveillance tactics have been in use for, well, we don’t really know how long. For example, the UK government’s first admission of engaging in state-sponsored hacking, known in legislese as equipment interference, came with the publication of the IP Bill. In the post-Snowden era, the IP Bill is the government’s way of legitimising and being transparent about the surveillance it undertakes, while detailing the safeguards in place that are intended to stop the abuse of such powers.
The legislation has been divisive since it was first published. Many interested parties, from communications service providers to tech companies and members of sensitive professions have spoken negatively of a number of proposals. The bill has also been debated at length by various committees, the House of Commons and most recently, the House of Lords. Organisations like Big Brother Watch and Privacy International have been in staunch opposition of the bill, arguing that the whole process has focused on ironing out the finer details of the bill, and that the fundamental breaches of privacy contained within have been largely ignored.
Not that it matters all that much now, as the Investigatory Powers Bill will almost certainly receive royal assent and become law before the end of the year. Just in time, too — as far as the government’s concerned, anyway — since the Data Retention and Investigatory Powers Act currently in force will expire at the end of the year, after being ruled unlawful by the UK’s High Court last summer.
Via: The Inquirer
ICYMI: Virtually globetrot in Google Earth
Today on In Case You Missed It: Google Earth just released an update that supports virtual reality, letting users teleport all around the globe, easily. So far it’s free in Steam so anyone with an HTC Vive: Get going. Meanwhile Urban Aeronautics took its first pre-routed flight with a autonomous flying machine meant to be the air taxi first foretold in The Fifth Element.
The ‘ticking a GoPro on things’ video from Sam and Niko is here, ‘Quick, Draw!’ is here (and God have mercy on your self-esteem if you ever play it). As always, please share any interesting tech or science videos you find by using the #ICYMI hashtag on Twitter for @mskerryd.
Rumored 5.8″ OLED iPhone Said to Have 5.1″ to 5.2″ Active Display Area
Apple is widely rumored to release its first iPhone with an OLED display next year, but reports have been conflicting about its potential screen size.
KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo previously said Apple will launch a 5.8-inch iPhone with a curved OLED display and glass casing next year, while Barclays analysts recently called for a 5-inch iPhone with a curved, bezel-free OLED display. Japanese website Nikkei also expects a new glass-backed 5-inch iPhone.
Now, in a new research note, Kuo said the much-rumored premium iPhone model will indeed have a 5.8-inch OLED panel, but with a smaller actual active display area of between 5.1 and 5.2 inches. Kuo said this is for “specific design purposes,” which likely points towards a wraparound or flexible display of some sort.
We predict OLED iPhone will be 5.1-5.2”, despite various market speculation. In terms of the display size of the OLED iPhone, current information from the upstream points to 5.8”, while that from the downstream points to 5”, which does not conflict, in our view. We predict OLED iPhone will adopt a 5.7-5.8” flexible OLED panel (with Samsung (KR) as the exclusive supplier). Nonetheless, for ‘specific design purposes’, the actual active area may be around 5.1-5.2”. Other than the OLED model, we expect Apple to launch new 4.7” and 5.5” TFT-LCD iPhone models.
Kuo reiterated the all-new OLED-based iPhone will be accompanied by new 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch iPhones with traditional LCD displays.
Related Roundup: iPhone 8 (2017)
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