ICYMI: Birds the magical flying machines

Today on In Case You Missed It: There are three main theories of flight and it turns out, Stanford has poked holes in them by simply training a mini parrot to wear tiny safety goggles, then fly through a laser sheet. The video is more adorable than you could probably imagine so feel free to get your fix here. Meanwhile, NASA’s new jet engine could make waves in both increased fuel efficiency and plane design since it relies on slower-moving air currents.

The Arctic Sea Ice video is here, but the must-watch in this scenario is the Weather Channel take-down of Breitbart News. The video of the lawn picture maker is here. As always, please share any interesting tech or science videos you find by using the #ICYMI hashtag on Twitter for @mskerryd.

Audi’s new traffic-light countdown is the first step to smarter cities

As I get closer to the intersection, a countdown starts on the dashboard. The light is currently green, but the new Audi I’m driving tells me it’ll be 147 seconds before I make it through the junction. Sure enough, the light turns yellow, then red, and I come to a stop as the numbers tick off in reverse. Once it hits four, the timer disappears, and within a few seconds the light turns green. It seems like a trivial feature, a timer telling you when a traffic signal is about to change. But in practice, it’s quite useful. More important, it’s currently available in Las Vegas, a baby step toward a future where cars and cities talk to one another to reduce gridlock.

Audi is showing off its new Vehicle to Infrastructure framework (V2I) in Las Vegas, a town known more for gambling and debauchery than cutting-edge technology. The truth is that Sin City is the perfect place to launch Audi’s new technology, thanks to the Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada (RTC). The government agency actually oversees all of the city and surrounding area’s transit infrastructure. From buses to traffic signals to new roads, it’s all handled by a single entity, which allows it to move quickly to make changes to its system and partner with companies like Audi.

The result is a car that knows when a light is about to turn green, thanks to the city sharing data with the vehicle through Audi’s partner Traffic Technology Services (TTS). At the server level the technology is a bit complex, with algorithms and data vetting. But as far as drivers are concerned, they don’t have to do anything but drive.

Here’s how it works: When a car enters an area or city that supports V2I, it logs onto the infrastructure’s cloud with a onetime-use token. As it’s driving around, its GPS location and heading determine which traffic signal is coming up. The TTS serves up information about that light, and the car determines if you’ll make it through the intersection (in which case nothing happens) or if you’ll be caught by the red light. In that scenario, the countdown begins until the green light appears.

During my lap of Vegas I found the countdown (which appears on the dash and in the HUD) quite helpful in determining how much time I had before I had to start driving again. In real life, a red light is an opportunity to switch a song or artist on a smartphone, check on your kids in the back seat or take a quick sip of coffee. The problem in all of those situations is you’re not sure how much time you have to complete those tasks. With the countdown clock, you’d know.

It’s also slightly comforting to be reminded that the light will eventually turn green again. There have been plenty of times during my life as a driver when I’ve encountered a red light that didn’t seem to acknowledge my car. I’d back up and pull forward, making sure the sensor detected my vehicle. This feature would tell me that, yes, the light will turn green again, and this is when it’ll happen. And while Audi has been working on the technology behind this feature for years, it wouldn’t be possible without the forward-thinking transit commission.

RTC general manager Tina Quigley said the commission wants to set a precedent to help determine what automakers need and to figure out how it can budget these types of partnerships. “No one has done a cost/benefits analysis of the smart infrastructure benefits,” Quigley said. After the presentation, she was headed to Washington, DC, to talk about what Las Vegas is doing and how it’s accomplishing it.

Meanwhile Audi is talking to other metropolitan areas about rolling out its V2I service beyond Las Vegas. But since most city’s transportation systems are fragmented across multiple commissions, its unlikely they’ll come online as quickly as Vegas did.

While the automaker tries to hammer out deals, it’s also exploring the next series of features for V2I. Think giving the driver an optimal speed to hit as many green lights in a row as possible or tying the start/stop feature of the car into the countdown so that the car doesn’t turn off when there are only a few seconds before the signal changes.

Audi also said that in the future it will share data with municipalities in real time. Currently it sends batches of stats with the city of Las Vegas. Once real-time information sharing goes live, a city like Vegas could adjust how traffic flows in real time and reduce gridlock by redirecting cars and adjusting signal timing. It’s a conversation that ends with an easier commute.

When cars and infrastructure talk to one another, it’ll not only change the way vehicles move through a city but also how that metropolitan builds out future roads and services. But for right now, if you own a brand new Audi (A4, Q7 or A4 Allroad) and you happen to be in Vegas, you’ll know exactly how much time you have to eat that burrito before you continue your trek to other side of the strip.

Goodbye (and maybe good riddance) to Pebble

Before Android Wear and the Apple Watch, there was Pebble. The original Pebble smartwatch was, in many ways, a trailblazer. It was one of the first to play nice with the iPhone, it had downloadable watchfaces so you could switch up the look anytime you wanted, and it was the first gadget to bring in millions of dollars via Kickstarter, putting the crowdsourcing site on the map. Pebble’s luster faded over the years as more sophisticated, feature-rich wearables came on the market.

Still, the company kept going, thanks to a loyal fanbase, making Pebble something of a cult favorite. Now, thanks to this week’s Fitbit acquisition, Pebble is going away, living on only in the form of patents and software code. As it turns out, Engadget editors have been harboring strong feelings about the underdog company. Join us as we say goodbye — or, in one case, good riddance.

Mat Smith
Senior Editor

I got in on the ground floor, buying the first Pebble watch through its debut Kickstarter campaign. It was the “Founder Edition,” which meant I got it ahead of some other people, and it bore some not-that-fancy embossed lettering on the back of the case. Pebble was the poster child for both the initial smartwatch boom as well as crowdfunded electronics in general.

It was hugely popular. Several times. Personally, I was excited by the prospect of the first Pebble and wore it for several months, with updates adding tiny nuggets of extra functionality. But it was never quite enough. And my zeal for smartwatches blinded me to the fact it looked lumpy and felt cheap. (In its defense, I only paid $125 on Kickstarter.)

My initial enthusiasm soon died out, exacerbated by the fact that the rubbery strap was uncomfortable to wear during the summer — which was when my early model eventually arrived in the UK. The Pebble wasn’t perfect or even great, but it was the start of smartwatches as we know them. It was only a matter of time before the big tech players jumped on the bandwagon. We dear consumers had already bought into our smartphones; this was the value-add second gadget that the likes of Samsung, Sony and Apple wanted us to want. The jury is still out on smartwatches being the next big thing, but Pebble was a plucky startup brave enough to test the waters — and I have to respect it for that.

Cherlynn Low
Reviews Editor

Farewell, Pebble. You made the only smartwatch that ever fit under the snug sleeve of my favorite winter coat. You made me defend the advantages of having an e-paper screen that wasn’t even touch-sensitive. You made me learn how to operate a whole new smartwatch OS just so I could wear the Pebble Time Round every day.

I rejoiced when you added voice-dictation features, no matter how limited they were. I was excited to try out the new generation of the Pebble Time Round (although I never got to), and I was psyched to take the Pebble Core out for one of my extremely rare runs through Central Park.

Alas, I probably won’t ever get to do that. I won’t be able to see what it’s like to order an Uber from a tiny black box that doesn’t even have a graphic user interface. I won’t get the chance to brag about your low prices and comprehensive features to my friends. And saddest of all: I won’t have any new Pebble products to look forward to reviewing in the future. Goodbye.

Devindra Hardawar
Senior Editor

It seems only fitting that, as interest around smartwatches cools, Pebble ends up dying. It was one of the first truly successfully Kickstarter campaigns, and the hype around it made it seem as if smartwatches were the next big thing. As it turns out, that’s not true.

Though the Apple Watch represents one of the best attempts at making a compelling wearable, it’s mostly been a disappointment. And despite many solid Android Wear devices on the market, none of them have taken off. Even though Pebble had a head start on those platforms, it failed by not finding much of an audience beyond the geek faithful, as well as by not innovating much beyond its initial release. It’s a shame to see the company go down, but I’m hoping that Fitbit finds some way to integrate its best aspects in its fitness wearables, which have proved much more useful than stand-alone smartwatches.

Nicole Lee
Senior Editor

Even though Pebble has faced stiff competition in recent years from fancier smartwatches that boast a lot more features, I’ve always had a place in my heart for the plucky e-paper wearable. While its rivals piled on the bling, Pebble opted to be sensible, with a design that prioritized long battery life and an always-on display above silly widgets few people would actually use. If all you needed in a smartwatch were notifications and the ability to tell time, the Pebble was more than enough, for a far more affordable price than most of its rivals.

Further, while some might denigrate Pebble’s design, I was a big fan: I liked the look of the Time Steel, and I was over the moon with the design of the Time Round. I maintain that to this day, the Time Round’s slender strap, ultrathin chassis and circular face make it one of the most stylish smartwatches ever made.

Aaron Souppouris
Senior Editor

I owned a first-generation Pebble, and it put me off smartwatches for years. it was slow to respond, it felt tacky on my skin, and, most damningly, it was ugly as sin.

When the Pebble Steel came, my boss at the time heralded its improved looks. I wasn’t sure if we were looking at the same watch. An awkward mix of a rounded square body, sharp triangular lugs and a dollar-store steel strap, it was atrocious to look at and not particularly nice to wear.

Pebble’s design never improved. The Time attempted to ape Swatch’s famously fun design language but failed. Actually, due to a weird two-step bezel, some poor lug design and Pebble’s always awkward side buttons, it might have been the ugliest of the lot.

Strangely, I was somewhat taken with the Watch 2, which at least addressed the awkwardness of the off-black display bezels by adding a splash of color. I mean, I’d never wear one, but I sort of got it.

We all owe Pebble a debt of gratitude for sparking interest in smartwatches. I won’t deny that. But that’s where my fondness for the company ends.

Danish Court Rules Apple Must Replace Man’s iPhone With New Rather Than Refurbished Model

A court in Denmark today ruled Apple must replace a Danish man’s iPhone with a new model rather than a refurbished model in accordance with local law.

(Image: The Sydney Morning Herald)
A trio of judges found Apple was not entitled to replace David Lysgaard’s iPhone 4 with a refurbished model since it may contain recycled parts, which could result in a lower resale value and went against his “legitimate expectation” of receiving a brand new iPhone equivalent to his original purchase.

By providing Lysgaard with a refurbished iPhone, rather than an equivalent new model, the court found Apple to have violated the Danish Sale of Goods Act. The judges upheld an earlier decision reached by Denmark’s Consumer Complaints Board, which also said the replacement should be a new, not refurbished, model.

Apple disagreed with the Consumer Complaints Board’s decision in 2014 and sued Lysgaard, arguing that refurbished iPhones are produced and tested in the same way as new iPhones. Apple also said refurbished iPhones undergo rigorous tests and strict quality control. Apple can now appeal the judgment with a higher court.

If the ruling is upheld, it could set a major precedent in Denmark that could see Apple forced to replace iPhones with new models rather than refurbished models in the future. Earlier this year, a Dutch court similarly ordered Apple to replace a woman’s iPhone 6 Plus with a new model, not a refurbished one.

Tag: lawsuit
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Best Buy Discounts iPad Pro by $125, Macs by Up to $200 in Two-Day Sale

Best Buy is having a weekend holiday sale which will see it discounting a wide range of Apple products, from iPads and iPhones to various Mac models.

All Best Buy iPad models are on sale. The 9.7-inch iPad Pro is available for $125 off, which drops the price on the entry-level 32GB model from $599.99 to $474.99. All 12.9-inch iPad Pro models are available at a $100 discount, dropping the price on the entry-level 32GB model from $799.99 to $699.99.

The iPad mini 2 is also discounted by $50, which means the WiFi-only 32GB model is priced at $219.99 instead of $269.99.

MacBook Pro models with Touch Bar aren’t on sale, but Best Buy is discounting the 2016 13-inch MacBook Pro without a Touch Bar by $100, making it available for $1,399.99, down from $1,499.99.

Select older MacBook Pro models are available at a $200 discount, as are select iMac models, and all MacBook Air machines are also discounted by $200.

Previous-generation Apple Watch models are available for up to $500 off, and some Apple Watch accessories are discounted by 50 percent.

When purchasing an iPhone 7 with an installment billing agreement, Best Buy is offering a $100 Best Buy gift card with purchase for upgrades, and $200 for new activations. Best Buy is also discounting the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus, offering them for as little as $14.99 or $19.99 per month, respectively.

Accessories such as the new Apple TV, AirPort Express, iPods, and Beats headphone and speakers are also on sale.

Best Buy’s deals will be available on Friday, December 9 and Saturday, December 10.

MacRumors is an affiliate partner of Best Buy.

Tag: Best Buy
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Wall Street Firm Says Apple Remains One of the World’s Most Unappreciated Stocks

Wall Street brokerage firm Drexel Hamilton today informed its clients it continues to believe Apple is “one of the most underappreciated stocks in the world,” according to a research note seen by MacRumors.

Apple analyst Brian White retained his “buy” rating for AAPL and $185 price target. Apple shares are currently trading at around $114, their highest level since late October, after rising over 1% in intraday trading.

White said Apple continues to face a never-ending waterfall of “gloom and doom” media reports, just months after launching the new MacBook Pro and iPhone 7.

Nevertheless, he looks forward to 2017, when he believes Apple will have a “more durable iPhone cycle” that can return the company to more consistent sales growth after three consecutive quarterly declines.

Given this weak stock performance over the past couple of years, and our expectation of a more durable iPhone cycle that can return the company to more consistent sales growth, we look forward to 2017. In the near-term, we look for Tim Cook to make Apple grow again in [the first quarter of the 2017 fiscal year] on the back of the iPhone 7 and a happy holiday season, while we look forward increased cash distribution in 2017 [and] the launch of iPhone 8 and more color on future innovations.

Drexel Hamilton said Apple’s stock has risen by 7% this year, trailing the 10% overall increase in stocks among the S&P 500 Index.

Tags: Brian White, AAPL
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Brood with Hollywood’s finest in VR film noir

As part of a magazine celebrating this year’s best actors, the New York Times has put together a murky, monochromatic set of film noir vignettes. The kicker? They were all shot in 360 degrees, giving you complete freedom over the camera angle. You’re also a participant of sorts — a mute character, watching as Hollywood’s brightest stars talk to you in flowery, cryptic tones. (The conversations are rather one-sided, of course.) In each video, you take on a different role — a bartender, a reporter, or a cheating husband, for instance — and get just a couple of minutes to piece together what’s been happening. They’re all short, but powerful scenes.

You can watch all nine videos online or in virtual reality using the New York Times “NYT VR” app. They’re definitely worth checking out, especially if you’re a fan of the newspaper’s chosen actors. Over the course of the series you’ll pour a drink for Don Cheadle, be dumped by Natalie Portman and take a bullet from Ruth Negga. My favorite scene, however, is a tense shootout between Kristen Stewart and some police officers. She bursts through the bar door like Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, while you’re left on the floor, watching the scene play out helplessly. Gripping stuff.

If you like the project, I also recommend watching this behind the scenes video. It delves deeper into the set and thought process behind each piece.

Source: Great Performers (NYT)

Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 is finally picking up the Android 6.0 Marshmallow update in India

Latest MIUI 8 build brings Marshmallow.

Xiaomi sold over 2.5 million units of the Redmi Note 3 in India, and the manufacturer is finally starting to roll out the Android 6.0 Marshmallow update to the phone, albeit in beta form. The phone was updated to MIUI 8 — the latest iteration of Xiaomi’s custom ROM — earlier this year, but the base kernel was still Android 5.1.1 Lollipop.

The 1.3GB MIUI V8.1.1.0 MHOMIDI nightly build is now rolling out to select users, and following a successful beta test, Xiaomi will push the update to the stable channel. If you’re feeling adventurous, you can flash the OTA file to get an early look at Marshmallow on the phone.