Tech giants band together to fight terrorist content online
Some of the biggest names in tech have concocted a plan to combat the spread of terrorist content online together. Facebook, Microsoft, Twitter and Alphabet-owned YouTube are creating a shared database of “hashes” for any terror-related content they remove from their services. Hashes are unique code identifiers associated with each photo and video that computers can use for identification. For instance, if Facebook spots a new recruitment or (heaven forbid) beheading video on its website, the social network will give it a hash before and upload it to the database. The websites won’t automatically purge photos and videos in the database, though — each service will still review and remove them on their own.
According to The Wall Street Journal, this partnership was a direct result of the companies’ regular meetings with European Union officials. European authorities have been putting the pressure on internet companies to do something to curb the spread of terrorist propaganda, since extremists have been using their platforms to spread their message. Twitter, for one, had to shut down hundreds of thousands of accounts associated with ISIS and other extremist groups this past year.
The other companies are pretty experienced in fighting off terror content, as well. Microsoft started auto-purging them from Xbox Live, Outlook Docs and its other services in May this year. In June, Reuters reported that YouTube and Facebook, among other internet companies, were using automated systems to find and remove terror-related images and videos. They reportedly uploaded their finds to a shared database, as well, though it’s unclear whether that earlier experimental effort is associated with this collaboration. WSJ says the four companies will begin sharing their hashes next year and are open to welcoming new additions to the group in the future.
Source: Twitter, Facebook
‘Pizzagate’ and the real danger of fake news
The internet has always had its fair share of fake news and hoaxes, but it wasn’t until recently that it’s become an issue of national importance. One of the more vexing questions is whether or not fake news could have influenced the outcome of the election — would a false story about the Pope endorsing Trump be enough to sway voters, for example. While fake news leading to a misinformed voter is certainly of concern, it can also lead to dangerous and potentially violent situations.
That’s what happened last Sunday when Edgar Maddison Welch went into a Comet Ping Pong, a pizzeria in Washington D.C. with an AR-15 assault rifle and fired one or more shots. In his words, he was there to “self-investigate” Pizzagate, a conspiracy theory which alleges that Hillary Clinton and campaign manager John Podesta were leaders of a child sex trafficking ring run from the restaurant’s basement.
It’s a pretty crazy story, but it gained traction quickly. Initially spun out of 4chan, the news spread to Reddit and then to fake news sites. The story grew larger and more convoluted; people started to accuse the Democratic Party of running an even larger international child trafficking ring, and that Podesta’s emails to Clinton contained “code” words that had hidden meaning pertaining to the alleged trafficking.
What’s worse is that the conspiracy theory received major traction by right-wing outlets like InfoWars and Alex Jones. Another apparent Pizzagate believer is Michael G. Flynn, who happens to be the son of General Michael Flynn, Trump’s choice as his National Security Advisor. When CNN anchor Jake Tapper questioned his Pizzagate beliefs, stating that there is no evidence of it, Flynn instead demanded evidence of it not being true, which is far harder. The burden of proof here lies with the accuser.
Even the General himself retweeted a fake news site that alleged Clinton and her aides were responsible for “child exploitation” and “sex crimes.” Many Trump supporters fell for it too.
Before long, the news was shared and spread on Facebook and Twitter many times over, and thousands appear to have fallen for it. The pizzeria started receiving death threats via phone and social media. Examples include: “I will kill you personally.”
Obviously fake news is bad because it results in an ill-informed public. But it’s a whole other thing when someone believes in falsehoods so fervently that they’re willing to take dangerous and potentially violent actions because of it, just like Welch had done.
This is especially disconcerting when you consider fake news that peddles not just in misinformation, but also hate. There was a series of false stories in Myanmar that aimed to malign Muslims by claiming they had attacked Buddhist sites. Though discredited by the police, the news spread nonetheless, fueling anti-Muslim sentiment, leading to more attacks against the country’s minority Rohingya Muslim population.
Even if Zuckerberg is right in saying that only 1 percent of Facebook has fake news, that’s one percent too many if it leads down this dangerous path of distrust and violence.
Android Security Bulletin: Everything you need to know
Fixing the latest bugs and exploits in Android every month.
Google has detailed the latest Android Security Bulletin and released the fixes for Nexus and Pixel devices.
These are exploits and other security concerns that affect Android as a whole. Issues with the operating system, kernel patches, and driver updates may not affect any particular device, but these need to be fixed in the Android base by the folks maintaining the operating system code. That means Google, and they’ve detailed the things they have improved for this month.
Updated factory images for Pixel and Nexus devices that are supported are available, and over-the-air updates are rolling out to users. If you don’t want to wait you can download and flash the factory image or OTA update file manually, and here are some handy instructions to get you started.
How to manually update your Nexus or Pixel
The company who made your phone uses these patches to send an update out to you.
These changes have been released to the people making Android phones for at least 30 days, but Google can’t force anyone to deliver them to you. If you’re using a phone from Samsung, LG or anyone besides Google, you’ll need to wait for them to send an update and shouldn’t try to flash any of the above files.
Of course, Google has safety checks in place to prevent any problems on your phone because of any security exploits. Verify Apps and SafetyNet are at work anytime you add an app to your phone, and seamless updates to Google Play Services will keep them up to date regardless of any hold up from a manufacturer or carrier. Details and incident numbers can be found in the yearly Android Security Review (.pdf file).
Highlights for December 2016
December 2016’s update comes with two patch dates: 12/01/2016 and 12/05/2016.
- Fixes in the 12/01 update cover Android in general, and address issues with the Android operating system itself. The most serious exploit addressed was in the CURL library (software used to transfer data that covers most transfer protocols and security certificates), where a man-in-the-middle attack could be performed by someone with a spoofed security certificate. Other patches for Smart Lock, the telephony system, and comm stack are also included.
- The 12/05 patch date covers issues with the kernel or drivers. These aren’t part of Android, but Google is the central maintainer and assembles updated code and resources from the folks making the hardware components. This time we see fixes for serious exploits from Qualcomm, MediaTek, and NVIDIA — so chances are your phone needs these. Samsung’s Exynos chips are covered outside of the Android Security Bulletin and are patched by Samsung themselves.
If you get an update with a patch date of 12/05 you also have every issue addressed by the 12/01 update in place.
What is Amazon Go and how does it work?
Tech companies are constantly exploring new ways to sell us their goods, and Amazon’s latest example has plenty of people scratching their heads.
The online retailer has announced it is opening a brick-and-mortar physical store in Seattle, Washington, so that you can start buying your goods from Amazon in person rather than through Amazon.com. But the most unique thing about this store, which is called Amazon Go, is that it doesn’t have any registers. You simply walk in, pick out what you want, and walk out. Amazon is calling this a “Just Walk Out” shopping experience.
Here’s everything you need to know about Amazon Go.
What is Amazon Go?
Amazon has described Amazon Go as “a new kind of store with no checkout required”. That means, when you shop at Amazon Go, you’ll never have to wait in line. The store works with the new Amazon Go app. With that app, you can enter Amazon Go, take the products you want, and go. The first Amazon Go store is basically a grocery store with roughly 1,800 square feet of retail space.
Amazon said it began working on the store concept four years ago, with the idea that it wanted to “push the boundaries of computer vision and machine learning to create a store where customers could simply take what they want and go”. Amazon Go therefore uses the same types of technologies found in self-driving cars, such as computer vision, sensor fusion, and deep learning.
This technology can detect when products are taken or returned to the shelves and keeps track of them in your virtual cart. When you leave the store with your goods, Amazon will charge your Amazon account (presumably the default payment option tied to the account), and send you a receipt.
What can you buy at Amazon Go?
Amazon
Here’s what Amazon is selling in its first Amazon Go store:
“We offer delicious ready-to-eat breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snack options made fresh every day by our on-site chefs and favorite local kitchens and bakeries. Our selection of grocery essentials ranges from staples like bread and milk to artisan cheeses and locally made chocolates. You’ll find well-known brands we love, plus special finds we’re excited to introduce to customers. For a quick home-cooked dinner, pick up one of our chef-designed Amazon Meal Kits, with all the ingredients you need to make a meal for two in about 30 minutes.”
How does Amazon Go work?
Amazon Go app
Amazon
To get started with Amazon Go, you need an Amazon account, a supported smartphone, and the free Amazon Go app. Amazon hasn’t announced which smartphones it’ll support, but we’re assuming the latest Android and iOS phones, based on its advert above. The video shows customers opening the Amazon Go app on their phones, then holding it to a scanning device, which works like a subway turnstile, and entering the store.
Customers then put away their phones and began shopping. Some people had Amazon Go-branded orange recycling bags, while others simply had their own totes or nothing at all. Customers picked up items, mulled purchasing them, and sometimes put items back on the shelf. But once they had everything they wanted, they could just go. The video shows people leaving the store — sometimes while even drinking or eating what they bought.
At least one woman in the video pulled out her phone to see her receipt. From that screen, we could see most of the Amazon Go app. It had a navigation bar at the bottom with tabs for four screens: “Key”, “Receipts”, “About”, and “More”. The Key screen seems to bring up the QR code that the store’s turnstiles scan to let you in, while the Receipts screen serves up what you bought after you’ve left.
Just Walk Out technology
Amazon
Amazon said it is using a combination of artificial intelligence, computer vision, and data pulled from multiple sensors to allow customers to only be charged for the stuff they picked up. The computer vision aspect seems to indicate that there are cameras being used to track you in the store. It’ll be interesting to see whether Amazon can successfully prevent stopping theft and fraud.
A patent application filed by Amazon in early 2015 first revealed details about a new kind of retail store that would allow Amazon customers to pick items and leave without stopping at a cashier register or kiosk. The patent described a store that would work using a system of cameras, sensors, or RFID readers to identify shoppers and the items they’ve chosen. Here’s an excerpt:
“[W]hen the customer passes through the exit (transition area) of the retail location, the items picked by the user may be automatically transitioned from the materials handling facility to the user and the user may be charged a fee for the items. … For example, if the user is purchasing items from a retail location, rather than the user having to stop and ‘check out’ with a cashier, teller or automated check station, because the picked items are already known and identified on an item identifier list associated with the user, the user may simply exit the retail location with the items. The exit of the user will be detected and, as the user passes through the exit (transition area), the user, without having to stop or otherwise be delayed, will automatically be charged a fee for the items (the items are transitioned to the user).”
So, according to this Amazon patent application, which could be describing Amazon’s new Just Walk Out technology, when a person exits the Amazon Go store, the store’s system triggers a receipt that is sent to the shopper indicating the items sold and the purchase price. As to how Amazon would be able to connect a product with a specific shopper, the application describes the use of cameras that would take photos.
They would take photos when a person entered the store, removed something from a shelf, and left with an item in their hands. There is also a mention of “facial recognition” and user information, which may include, but is not limited to, images of the user, height of the user, weight of the user, a username and password, user biometrics, user purchase history, etc.
Needless to say, Amazon is being pretty vague right now, and we’re not entirely sure if this patent application accurately describes the current iteration of Just Walk Out technology. However, if it is a camera-tracking system that also uses AI in the form of facial recognition or user biometrics, as well as sensors, such as something in the label of products, we could see the technology stoking some privacy concerns.
Where is Amazon Go located?
Amazon
The first Amazon Go store is located at 2131 7th Ave, Seattle, Washington. It’s on the corner of 7th Avenue and Blanchard Street.
When will Amazon Go be available?
Amazon Go is currently open to Amazon employees in beta. Amazon said it will make the store open to the public in early 2017.
Go here to get notified when the store opens.
What’s next for Amazon Go?
Amazon hasn’t said if it is planning more stores, nor has it really detailed what’s next, but we could see Amazon using its first Amazon Go storefront to better develop the Just Walk Out technology. It could then license the tech to other stores and make money from it. If the tech gets good enough, it could ideally put an end to retail theft, because when you try to walk out of a store with a stolen item, you’d still be charged.
But all that’s just speculation.
Want to know more?
Check out Pocket-lint’s Amazon hub for related news.
Demand for wearable tech is growing (but not for smartwatches)
If you were hoping the smartwatch market would bounce back from its recent slump when a slew of new models hit the market, you’re about to be disappointed. IDC estimates that wearable device shipments grew ever so slightly (3.1 percent) in the third quarter of 2016, but that fitness trackers were almost exclusively responsible for the increase. Fitbit, Garmin and other activity band makers improved their shipments by the double digits, while the smartwatch world actually shrank.
Apple still leads the smartwatch sphere in these estimates, with 1.1 million Apple Watches shipped over the summer. However, that’s a steep drop of roughly 70 percent year-over-year — Apple was moving 3.9 million in the third quarter of 2015. Samsung was a rare star in this field with shipments doubling, although IDC cautions that the numbers are artificially inflated thanks to Galaxy Note 7 buyers who got to keep their free Gear Fit 2 and Gear IconX extras despite having to return the phone. A significant chunk of its shipments came from cellular-equipped Gear S2 watches sold through carriers.
It’s hard to say how much of a decline the smartwatch market is facing, assuming it faces one at all. Apple Watch Series 2 only started shipping two weeks before the quarter ended, and Samsung’s Gear S3 didn’t arrive until mid-November. A recovery was unlikely during the summer — if it happens, it’ll be thanks to holiday shoppers picking up new models. No matter what, it’s clear that smartwatches aren’t as red-hot as companies initially thought they would be.
Via: 9to5Mac
Source: IDC
What’s on TV: ‘Mad Max’ Black & Chrome Edition, ‘The Last Guardian’
After a long wait, Team Ico’s next release is finally upon us. The Last Guardian arrives on PS4 this week, while Xbox One and PC gamers can experience Dead Rising 4, as well as the game preview release of new MOBA Gigantic. For movie fans, it’s time to pick up one of the selections from our gift guide, as the Mad Max: High Octane Collection hits the streets, including a special “Black & Chrome” (B&W) release of Fury Road. On streaming, Amazon has the latest season of its Mozart series, while Netflix drops off season two of Fuller House, season one of the true crime kidnapping series Captive, and its Mythbusters-like series White Rabbit Project. Look after the break to check out each day’s highlights, including trailers and let us know what you think (or what we missed).
Blu-ray & Games & Streaming
- Mad Max: Fury Road (Black & Chrome Edition (4K)
- The Secret Life of Pets (4K)
- Jason Bourne (4K)
- 2016 World Champions: Chicago Cubs
- The Town (4K)
- Argo (4K)
- The Bourne Identity (4K)
- The Bourne Supremacy (4K)
- The Bourne Ultimatum (4K)
- The Bourne Legacy (4K)
- GoodFellas (4K)
- Howard’s End
- I Am Legend (4K)
- Attack on Titan: The Movie – Part 2
- Dead Rising 4 (Xbox One, PC)
- The Last Guardian (PS4)
- Zen Pinball 2: Bethesda Pinball (PS4, Xbox One)
- Star Wars Battlefront: X-Wing VR Mission (PSVR)
- Gigantic (Xbox One / PC – Game Preview 12/8)
Monday
- Monday Night Football: Colts/Jets, ESPN, 8:15PM
- The Trans List, HBO, 8PM
- Showtime at the Apollo, Fox, 8PM
- The Great Christmas Light Fight (season premiere), ABC, 8PM
- The Voice, NBC, 8PM
- Kevin Can Wait, CBS, 8PM
- WWE Raw, USA, 8PM
- X Factor UK, Axs, 8PM
- American Dad, TBS, 8:30PM
- Man with a Plan, CBS, 8:30PM
- The 1980s: The Deadliest Decade, Investigation Discovery, 9PM
- Mars, National Geographic Channel, 9PM
- 2 Broke Girls, CBS, 9PM
- People of Earth, TBS, 9PM
- The Odd Couple, CBS, 9:30PM
- The Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show, CBS, 10PM
- Explorer, National Geographic Channel, 10PM
- Timeless, NBC, 10PM
- Conviction (fall finale), ABC, 10PM
- Desus & Mero, Viceland, 11PM
- StarTalk, National Geographic Channel, 11PM
Tuesday
- Reggie Watts: Spatial, Netflix, 3AM
- WWE Smackdown, USA, 8PM
- Tackle My Ride, NFL Network, 8PM
- The Flash (fall finale), CW, 8PM
- Brooklyn Nine-nine, Fox, 8PM
- The Voice, NBC, 8PM
- WWE Smackdown, USA, 8PM
- New Girl, Fox, 8:30PM
- American Housewife, ABC, 8:30PM
- Bull, CBS, 9PM
- Good Behavior, TNT, 9PM
- Teen Wolf, MTV, 9PM
- No Tomorrow, CW, 9PM
- Inside the NFL, Showtime 9PM
- This is Us (fall finale), NBC, 9PM
- Scream Queens, Fox, 9PM
- The Gary Owen Show, BET, 9:30PM
- Chicago Fire (fall finale), NBC, 10PM
- Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (fall finale), ABC, 10PM
- NCIS: NO, CBS, 10PM
- Shooter, USA, 10PM
- Sweet/Vicious, MTV, 10PM
- Aftermath, Syfy, 10PM
- The Letter, Freeform, 10PM
- Cyberwar, Viceland, 10:30PM
- Desus & Mero, Viceland, 11PM
Wednesday
- Chance, Hulu, 3AM
- Hairspray Live!, NBC, 8PM
- Arrow (fall finale), CW, 8PM
- Lethal Weapon (fall finale), Fox, 8PM
- The Goldbergs, ABC, 8PM
- Survivor, CBS, 8PM
- Unsung: Bobby Bland (season finale), TV One, 8PM
- The Timeline, NFL Network, 8PM
- Speechless, ABC, 8:30PM
- Criminal Minds (fall finale), CBS,9PM
- Empire, Fox, 9PM
- NFL Turning Point, NBC Sports Network, 9PM
- Frequency, CW, 9PM
- Vikings, History, 9PM
- Black-ish, ABC, 9:30PM
- Incorporated, Syfy, 10PM
- The Real World, MTV, 10PM
- Code Black, CBS, 10PM
- Designated Survivor, ABC, 10PM
- South Park (season finale), Comedy Central, 10PM
- Hamilton’s Pharmacopeia (season finale), Viceland, 10PM
- Rectify, Sundance, 10PM
- Impastor (season finale), TV Land, 10:30PM
- Legends of Chamberlain Heights (season finale), Comedy Central, 10:30PM
- Desus & Mero, Viceland, 11PM
Thursday
- The Grand Tour, Amazon Prime, 7PM
- Raiders/Chiefs football, NBC, 8:25PM
- DC’s Legends of Tomorrow (fall finale), CW, 8PM
- Taraji’s White Hot Holidays, Fox, 8PM
- The Great Indoors, CBS, 8:30PM
- Nightwatch, A&E, 9PM
- The Great American Baking Show, ABC, 9PM
- Supernatural (fall finale), CW, 9PM
- Alone (season premiere), History, 9PM
- Pitch (season finale), Fox, 9PM
- Mom, CBS, 9PM
- Life in Pieces, CBS, 9:30PM
- Great Moments from Soundbreaking, PBS, 9:30PM
- Notorious (season finale), ABC, 10PM
- Falling Water, USA, 10PM
- Pure Genius, CBS, 10PM
- Desus & Mero, Viceland, 11PM
- This is Not Happening, Comedy Central, 12:30AM
Friday
- Captive (S1), Netflix, 3AM
- White Rabbit Project (S1), Netflix, 3AM
- Fuller House (S2), Netflix, 3AM
- Medici: Masters of Florence (S1), Netflix, 3AM
- Mozart in the Jungle (S3), Amazon Prime, 3AM
- Club de Cuervos, Netflix, 3AM
- Last Man Standing, ABC, 8PM
- The Vampire Diaries, CW, 8PM
- Tom Papa: Human Mule, Epix, 8PM
- Macgyver, CBS, 8PM
- Dr. Ken, ABC, 8:30PM
- Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, CW, 9PM
- A Football Life: Charles Woodson, NFL Network, 9PM
- Madonna: Rebel Heart Tour, Showtime, 9PM
- Hawaii Five-0, CBS, 9PM
- Z Nation, Syfy, 9PM
- Van Helsing (season finale), Syfy, 10PM
- Blue Bloods (fall finale), CBS, 10PM
Saturday
- 30 for 30: Catholics vs. Convicts, ESPN, 9PM
- Doctor Who: The Power of the Daleks (season finale), BBC America, 8:25PM
- Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency, BBC America, 9PM
- Saturday Night Live: John Cena / Maren Morris, NBC, 11:30PM
Sunday
- Cowboys/Giants Sunday Night Football, NBC, 8:20PM
- 60 Minutes, CBS, 7PM
- The Librarians, TNT, 8PM
- The 22nd Annual Critics’ Choice Awards, A&E, 8PM
- Ash vs. Evil Dead (season finale), Starz, 8PM
- The Simpsons, Fox, 8PM
- Son of Zorn, Fox, 8:30PM
- Blunt Talk (season finale), Starz, 9PM
- The Walking Dead (fall finale), AMC, 9PM
- Alaska: The Last Frontier, Discovery, 9PM
- Poldark, PBS, 9PM
- Madam Secretary, CBS, 9PM
- Shameless, Showtime, 9PM
- Berlin Station, Epix, 9PM
- The Last Man on Earth (fall finale), Fox, 9:30PM
- The Affair, Showtime, 10PM
- Elementary, CBS, 10PM
- Eyewitness, USA, 10PM
- Graves, Epix, 10PM
- Divorce (season finale), HBO, 10:30PM
- Talking Dead (fall finale), AMC, 10PM
Oakley Radar Pace review – CNET
The Good The Oakley Radar Pace is lightweight and comfortable to wear. It can provide real-time coaching and feedback while running or biking, and doubles as a pair of Bluetooth headphones.
The Bad It’s expensive. Your phone is required to workout. Battery life could be better. There were occasional software hiccups and missed voice commands.
The Bottom Line The Radar Pace delivers real-time fitness coaching via a voice-activated pair of headphone-enabled sunglasses, and does it better than anything else.
I had coaches for most of my running career, six over the course of 11 years to be exact. From junior high and through to college, I had someone creating weekly running plans for me and coaching me to become a faster and stronger runner. That’s a luxury not available to everyone, but to me, it matters.
In recent years, I’ve relied on basic training plans available on the web, but nothing satisfied my needs. While most of these programs would provide a weekly workout schedule, few offered actual coaching.
That’s why I was intrigued when I heard about Oakley’s new workout sunglasses. The Oakley Radar Pace offers real-time coaching and feedback during your runs and bike rides, via audio cues over embedded Bluetooth headphones. The software can even create a weekly training plan that is tailored to you and your athletic ability. This isn’t something that will replace your Fitbit. There’s no step tracking and you wouldn’t wear them throughout the day. These are used specifically to track running and cycling. And I really liked what it offered.
There are still some kinks that Oakley needs to work out, but the Radar Pace is still one of the most impressive devices I’ve tested in recent memory, and, at least for now, they’re the best fitness-coaching wearable device I’ve ever used.
Just keep in mind the Radar Pace costs $450, £400 or AU$640, which is more than double the price of Oakley’s normal, nonsmart Radar sunglasses. And it’s a very different proposition than your average fitness-tracking running watch.
How do they work?
First of all, these aren’t smart glasses, because they don’t have any display in them. Alternative gadgets like the Recon Jet and Garmin Varia Vision can display workout info in real time through a head-up-display, but the Radar Pace is all about audio. It relies on a voice assistant (like Siri or Amazon’s Alexa) to answer questions and provide coaching.
View full gallery Sarah Tew/CNET
They’re also excellent athletic sunglasses. They’re lightweight, comfortable to wear and didn’t bounce on my face during workouts. The frame is a little thicker than a normal pair of Oakleys, but that’s due to extra sensors for measuring movement and elevation. These glasses have an accelerometer, gyroscope, barometer and humidity and proximity sensors, along with Bluetooth and ANT+ for pairing a heart rate strap, footpod, cycling power meter and speed or cadence sensors. But there’s no GPS built-in, so you still have to workout with your phone.
On each side of the frame are Micro-USB ports. This is how you charge the Radar Pace and they’re also used to attach the included earphone pieces, which allow you to hear your “coach” and listen to music streamed from your phone. The headphones can’t be used without the glasses, but the glasses can be used without the headphones.
View full gallery Sarah Tew/CNET
A touchpad on the left side of the frame changes songs, adjusts the volume and accepts calls. You can even long-press it to activate Siri or Google Now, but Oakley’s voice assistant was more than adequate for all my midworkout questions.
Training with the Radar Pace
It’s time to go for a run.
I turn the sunglasses on, put them on my face and then say, “OK, Radar.” A small chime acknowledges that the Radar Pace is now listening. I ask, “What’s my workout for today?” A female voice responds, “We are going 4.5 miles and climbing 190 feet.” As my landlord watches me, I awkwardly respond, “OK, let’s go.”
View full gallery Sarah Tew/CNET
It didn’t take long for the feedback to come in. The music I was listening to softened, and the Radar Pace chimed in, “Your stride rate is low.” I was hitting about 78 steps per minute, but the glasses let me know I should get to 88 steps for optimal performance. “Smaller, quicker steps,” the voice told me. On another run, the glasses informed me that my pace was too fast and I should slow down since it was a recovery day.
Apple iPhone 8 Release Date, Price and Specs – CNET
The iPhone 7 is easily one of the best phones of 2016. It delivers peppy performance, more storage capacity than its predecessors, water resistance, a resilient battery, exceptional cameras (especially the iPhone 7 Plus model) and a host of other terrific features. But despite CEO Tim Cook’s prerelease promise that it would provide “things we can’t live without,” Apple’s iPhone 7 is an incremental upgrade. The 2016 phone is more of an evolutionary step rather than a revolutionary leap. In fact, with the omission of a headphone jack, one could argue that the iPhone 7 lacks a thing some of us can’t live without.
Still, this is just small fries compared to the early rumors that point to next year’s iPhone — the one marking the 10th anniversary of the very first iPhone ever — as the revolutionary, no-holds-barred model that will once again push the boundaries of what your phone can do for you. Expect the big reveal in the fall of 2017 (early September, if Apple sticks to its usual cycle). Until then, we’ll keep track of the rumor frenzy below.
Announcement and release dates
For years, Apple stuck to a pretty regular schedule, reserving major design changes for even-numbered years and leaving lesser “S phone” refreshes for odd-numbered years. So we were due for a total redesign in 2016 but instead we got the iPhone SE — a minor, midcycle update with particularly modest refinements on the iPhone 5S design — and the iPhone 7 — a meaty update under the hood, but with no real redesign.
The iPhone 7.
James Martin/CNET
Except for the missing headphone jack, it looks identical to an iPhone 6 and 6S. All of this has fueled widespread expectation that Apple will forgo the midcycle “S” refresh in 2017, and offer up a major update — the “iPhone 8,” presumably — in September 2017.
What’s in store
After a series of new iPhone devices featuring only minor external tweaks, it’s reasonable to wonder if Apple’s designers have hit a wall. Have we reached the boundaries of smartphone design, with future innovations confined to bumps in processor speed and battery efficiency? Or do the designers in Cupertino have a dramatic redesign up their collective sleeve for the iPhone 8?
Other companies have taken their phones in some novel directions. Apple’s archrival, Samsung, which builds its phones around Google’s Android mobile software, has started using curved glass in its designs, giving users an “Edge” where they can read quick notifications. Motorola’s Moto Z and Moto Z Force phones have magnetic connections for attachable back plates, cases and modules. LG has toyed with a modular phone concept; its G5 features add-on modules that boost audio and extend battery life.
Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge and LG G5: A head-to-head…
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Chassis
Business Insider has reported that Apple is already developing hardware for the iPhone 8 at an office in Israel, with the focus on a design that’s “different.”
Since the run-up to the introduction of the iPhone 7, there have been rumors about the possibility of an edge-to-edge display. And in November 2016, The Wall Street Journal reported that the next generation could include a curved OLED screen — a possibility raised by many others as well.
The WSJ also reported that Apple is considering multiple variations of the next model, so anything is possible. Case in point: there have been murmurs about a ceramic body, already seen on the premium Apple Watch Series 2, which the company says is four times tougher than stainless steel.
Apple’s ceramic Watch Series 2.
Home button
Apple is already making changes to its signature home button. On the iPhone 7, that meant a new, solid-state button that you don’t click down. Instead, you rest your finger on top and the phone shivers with haptic feedback to let you know the button’s working. (If it stops working, iOS 10 surfaces a temporary on-screen Home button.)
Apple could very well experiment with this in future devices. There are rumors (like by Japanese Mac blog Macotakara) that its new iPad tablets could ditch the home button and become almost bezel-less when they hit, possibly in early 2017.
Maybe it’ll even become invisible. In 2015, Apple filed a patent for a transparent fingerprint sensor embedded into a smartphone display. Maybe that’s something we’ll see in 2017. With the iPhone 7’s new solid-state button, that pressure-sensitive screen and more Siri skills, Apple could decide we just don’t need a physical home button anymore. Removing it would also let Apple slim down the top and bottom bezels as well as squeeze a larger screen into the same size body — so long as it could integrate that Touch ID sensor.
Apple iPhone 7 Plus makes a good thing even…
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Wireless charging?
Samsung does it, and Apple is starting to, too. The wireless AirPods headphones may have been just the beginning. Next year’s iPhone could do away with the last physical wire: the Lightning cable needed for charging. Earlier this year, Barclays analyst Mark Moskowitz predicted that Apple would reserve this innovation for the iPhone 8; The Verge reported that Apple has been staffing up on wireless-charging experts; and in November, Nikkei Asian Review reported that Foxconn, one of Apple’s main manufacturing partners, is making wireless charging modules for the 2017 iPhone. Most recently, veteran Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has suggested that the forthcoming 4.7-inch iPhone will come equipped with wireless charging.
The Apple Watch already uses a form of wireless charging. And the Qi standard, embraced by the likes of Samsung, already drives wireless charging stations in thousands of public spaces and 50 models of cars. Those stations are just waiting for an iPhone.
Samsung has made phones with slightly curved faces before, but we haven’t seen anything like the Samsung Galaxy Round, which bends the actual AMOLED display technology lengthwise beneath the glass.
Sarah Tew/CNET
Cameras
Dual-lens cameras like the one found in the iPhone 7 Plus and other phones aren’t just for zoom photos. Two cameras mean depth sensing, 3D and a lot more — like enabling cool things with augmented reality.
Apple CEO Tim Cook keeps talking up the feature, which can place virtual things in your real-world view, saying it’s more important than virtual reality, which immerses you completely in a digital world. It’s possible that the next iPhone (or maybe an “iPhone 8 Plus”) might have a dual-lens camera that could scan the world and overlay 3D objects onto it with high accuracy.
Display
For a long time, rumors suggested that Apple would give the iPhone a sapphire display, which would offer a higher degree of scratch- and shatter-resistance than the current models’ Gorilla Glass. Makes sense, since Apple already uses the material on the higher-end Apple Watch. Sapphire is expensive, though, and Apple won’t want to tremendously raise prices in its base model phone. There’s definitely a question mark hanging over this one.
It’s also being said that the iPhone will become curved. Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo at KGI Securities has predicted that Apple will introduce a new curved AMOLED display in 2017. That’d be a big change from the LCD screens in today’s iPhones — AMOLED is thinner, lighter, more flexible, and more power efficient. And in November, Sharp President Tai Jeng-wu mentioned that the next iPhone would have this OLED screen; of course, Apple hasn’t confirmed it.
With months to go before an official announcement, we’ll keep an eye on how the iPhone 7’s static “button,” dual-lens Plus camera and absent headphone jack may have set the stage for even bigger changes ahead.
Scroll down for a reverse-chronological look at the latest rumors.
November 28, 2016
Rumor: New iPads may finally ditch the home button
Apple is rumored to release new iPad tablets in the spring, and a Japanese report claims they will be nearly bezel-less.
November 28, 2016
Is an iPhone with a curved OLED screen on the way?
Reports say the tech giant is asking its Asia-based suppliers for increased production of OLED screens.
November 2, 2016
The iPhone 8 could have wireless charging
Apple manufacturing partner Foxconn is reportedly testing wireless charging for the next iPhone.
September 28, 2016
Apple ‘iPhone 8’ already in the works, report says
The next iPhone is being developed at offices in Israel and will feature a “radical redesign,” reports Business Insider.
September 17, 2016
iPhone Next: How iPhone 7 hints at next year’s breakthrough
Apple has shown that a series of little upgrades over time adds up to big changes in the future. So what’s on tap for the iPhone’s 10th anniversary?
Android is not iOS, December 2016 edition
Marshmallow rises while KitKat slowly melts.
December’s Android distribution numbers are out, and they’re boring. Android is still not iOS, and things don’t change in large increments, so haters will still hate and defenders will still hate.
Impressively, Android 6.0 Marshmallow now holds the single version crown with 26.3% share. That takes over Android 4.4 KitKat, the previous leader, which dropped 1.2% to 24% even. Lollipop cumulatively holds the lead with 34%, divided between versions 5.0 and 5.1.
Android distribution numbers, December 2016
Nougat rose a modest 0.1% in the month to 0.4% total, which seems small but with the total Android install base is actually quite a big number. That should increase more quickly when devices like the Galaxy S6, Note 5, and Galaxy S7 begin receiving Nougat en masse in 2017.
Meanwhile versions under KitKat — Jelly Bean, Ice Cream Sandwich, Gingerbread and Froyo — still comprise a ridiculous 15.3% of the install base, and that number is ever-so-slowly dropping as people upgrade their phones and tablets.
Here at AC, the user traffic numbers are very different, with the vast majority of people on either Android 6.0 Marshmallow or 7.0 Nougat. Very few people hold anything below Lollipop.
What version of Android is your phone or tablet running?
Android Nougat
- Android 7.0 Nougat: Everything you need to know
- Will my phone get Android Nougat?
- Google Pixel + Pixel XL review
- All Android Nougat news
- How to manually update your Nexus or Pixel
- Join the Discussion
36 geeky wrapping papers to use on Christmas gifts this year
Part of the joy behind the gift-giving experience is finding an awesome present that’s tailored to one person. But did you realise wrapping paper can further bring that present to a whole new (and geekier) level?
Surprising a person with a Christmas gift doesn’t have to be all about the gift. From the moment they see the present, you can make their face light up. Just wrap the gift in a unique wrapping paper. There are tonnes of styles available.
In fact, Pocket-lint found 36 of the coolest wrapping papers you can buy online. But they’re not just any type of wrapping paper. We found geeky styles perfect for cloaking gadgets and delighting tech-savvy loved ones, friends, and family. Whether you’re interested in binary code or video game characters, you should be able find the exact paper you need.
And if not, you can always try Wrap.me. It lets you upload photos and create custom paper (starting at £4.99 a roll).
READ: Best geek Christmas jumpers: Star Wars, Sonic, Game of Thrones, and more
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