Apple and Tim Cook Honor Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Apple today has honored Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. with a full-page tribute on its website. A photo of Dr. King is accompanied by a quote of his: “Commit yourself to the noble struggle for equal rights. You will make a greater person of yourself, a greater nation of your country, and a finer world to live in.”

Apple CEO Tim Cook also tweeted a photo of Dr. King and said “we honor [him] by working to help achieve justice and equality.”

We honor #MLK by working to help achieve justice and equality. “We may have all come on different ships, but we’re in the same boat now.” pic.twitter.com/dVQfg3CTSd

— Tim Cook (@tim_cook) January 16, 2017

Today is Martin Luther King Jr. Day in the United States to commemorate Dr. King around his birthday. The iconic Civil Rights Movement leader would have turned 88 years old on Sunday.

Tags: Tim Cook, Martin Luther King Jr
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Samsung heir could be put behind bars in South Korean bribery scandal

The heir to Samsung’s empire is embroiled in a bribery scandal.

South Korea’s prosecutor is seeking a warrant to arrest Samsung Group’s Jay Y. Lee over bribery and embezzlement allegations. The 48-year-old executive is poised to take over control of Samsung’s business empire from his father, Lee Kun-hee. Jay Y. Lee is accused of bribing Choi Soon-sil, an aide to South Korean president Park Geun-hye, in order to secure political backing for the $8 billion merger of Samsung C&T Corp and Cheil Industries Inc.

The exec is said to have paid up to $36.4 million (43 billion won) in bribes, with the prosecutor stating that the profits were split between Choi and president Park. As news of the political involvement broke last year, the South Korean parliament moved to impeach the president. The country’s special prosecutor is now going after Samsung’s heir, and with the company accounting for 17% of Korea’s economy, the move will have far-reaching consequences:

The special prosecutors’ office, in making this decision to seek an arrest warrant, determined that while the country’s economic conditions are important, upholding justice takes precedence.

In a statement to Reuters, Samsung denied any wrongdoing:

It is difficult to understand the special prosecutors’ decision. It is especially hard to accept the special prosecutor’s assertion that there was improper request for a favor related to the merger or succession of control.

Lee is expected to appear for a hearing at the Seoul central district court on Wednesday, which is when the court will decide whether to approve the warrant for his arrest.

How to disable “power-intensive app found” notification on the Huawei Mate 9

How do I turn off that annoying “power-intensive apps” notification on EMUI 5.0?

One of the Huawei Mate 9’s charms is its 4000mAh battery, which allows the phone to last more than one day on a charge. But the reason for the phone’s long uptime isn’t all due to the battery size itself; Huawei has optimized EMUI 5.0, based on Android 7.0 Nougat, to notify the user (you) of apps that use an excessive amount of battery in the background.

In theory, that’s a good thing, but the benefit comes with a downside: an annoying notification that reappears several times a day warning of “power-intensive” apps that should be closed.

If you’re like me and would prefer Android itself to deal with these issues on its own (that’s what it was designed for), here’s how to turn off that nasty notification.

Swipe down on the notification shade from the home screen.
Tap on the Settings (cog) icon.

Scroll down and tap on Battery.

In the top-right corner, tap on the Settings (cog) icon.
Uncheck Power-intensive prompt.

That’s it! Now you won’t be notified when apps are using what the OS believes is too much energy. You can still close apps manually, and Android will perform its proper RAM- and battery-saving optimizations behind the scenes — you just won’t be subjected to any notifications.

Huawei Mate 9

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Google Pixel goes up for sale on India’s Snapdeal, gets a minor discount

The Pixel sees its first price cut as retailers incentivize cashback schemes.

If you’re looking to purchase the Google Pixel online in India, you now have more options. The phone is now up for sale on Snapdeal, with the 32GB variant available for ₹54,199, a minor 5% discount from its ₹57,999 retail price.

Snapdeal is only discounting the 32GB model, with the 128GB Pixel and the 32GB Pixel XL available for their launch price of ₹66,000 and ₹67,000. However, if you’re a Yes Bank customer, you will receive an instant cashback of ₹10,000, and all orders will also come with a ₹10,000 e-cash from Yatra and a mobile protection plan from Allianz worth ₹5,999.

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The Pixel and Pixel XL are still up for sale on Flipkart as well, and the retailer is offering ₹8,000 in cashback to those that buy either phone with an ICICI credit card. If you have an Axis Bank Buzz credit card, you’ll get 5% off.

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5 Nintendo Switch games to pre-order first, and one well worth the wait

The Nintendo Switch has been revealed in full. We know the price, release date and the accessories to expect at launch and throughout the year. You can even pre-order the new console yourself.

But what about the games? There’s a healthy list of titles we now know about, but are any of them good? And which ones will you want to buy first?

We played several of them at a dedicated Nintendo Switch event in London to find out. And if these are anything to go by, the future of the Switch is looking rosy.

• Nintendo Switch preview: Return of the king?
• All the Nintendo Switch games: Launch titles and every game for 2017 revealed
• Nintendo Switch: Release date, price, specs and everything you need to know

Nintendo Switch games to pre-order first: Splatoon 2

• Release date: Summer 2017
• Pre-order Splatoon 2 for Nintendo Switch here

We loved the original Wii U Splatoon in 2015 and are over the moon about its return for Switch.

The demo we played at the Nintendo Switch event though was a little limited, so we couldn’t quite see exactly how different and improved it’ll be over the original. Bar a new weapon, the Splat Duelies – two pistol-like blasters – the game played similar to before. It was a couple of levels of four versus four multiplayer where we had to cover as much ground in our own ink as possible.

We did, however, play using the Switch in handheld mode, which was similar to the experience of playing it on a Wii U GamePad. It uses motion controls to move the visual plane. Others used the new Pro Controllers though, so it can also be played conventionally too.

The graphics are a touch sharper, and while we didn’t see much, we saw enough to know that it’ll be every bit as popular as the original.

Nintendo Switch games to pre-order first: Mario Kart 8 Deluxe

• Release date: 28 April 2017
• Pre-order Mario Kart 8 Deluxe for Nintendo Switch here

Mario Kart 8 was arguably the best game on the Nintendo Wii U so it comes as no surprise that there will be a Switch version within the console’s launch window.

It was available to play in several ways at the console’s hands-on event we attended. You could use a Joy-Con inside a tiny steering wheel accessory, play a two-player version with a Pro Controller or take part in an eight-player race using the Switch in handheld mode.

We chose the latter and were glad we did. It was a fairly standard-style race, surprisingly without motion controls – using the clipped on Joy-Con thumbsticks and buttons instead. But when presented in 720p and at 60 frames per second, it looked superb on the portable screen.

Major changes for this version include the ability to collect and store two weapons at once, and the character roster has been expanded to add several new faces. The Inkling Boy and Inkling Girl from Splatoon are just two.

Nintendo Switch games to pre-order first: Super Bomberman R

• Release date: 3 March 2017
• Read more: Super Bomberman R preview
• Pre-order Super Bomberman R for Nintendo Switch here

Although it has more than enough tweaks to bring the series bang up to date, Super Bomberman R feels every bit the game we fell in love with on the SNES back in the 90s.

Multiplayer is huge fun, with four players running around top-down maps trying to take each other out with well-placed explosives. There is verticality now, with different floor heights on levels, but for intents and purposes the silliness and belly-laughs remain.

A campaign mode will be added on the release version too, with boss battles punctuating scrollable levels to progress through. And in many ways, even though it’s a Konami rather than first-party Nintendo game, this could well be one of the launch titles most sought after.

Nintendo Switch games to pre-order first: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

• Released date: 3 March 2017
• Read more: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild preview
• Pre-order The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild for Nintendo Switch here

The latest Zelda is the one game for the Nintendo Switch we’ve known about for ages. That’s because it was announced last year that the Switch edition would be released alongside the much-delayed Wii U version. And there is no doubt about it, this is the jewel in the Nintendo launch line-up.

It is identical to the Wii U version in gameplay, but the graphics are sharper and draw distances in the huge open world setting are further. Indeed, we could tell this specifically because the Switch event demo was identical to the one we played on the Wii U at E3 last June.

This time though, we used the Pro Controller to manoeuvre Link around the landscape and fight several denizens of a decaying Hyrule.

To be honest, Nintendo could have stuck a Link hat on a stick figure and had us play Pong and we’d still be queuing to buy it. It’s Zelda, innit?

Nintendo Switch games to pre-order first: Lego City Undercover

• Release date: Spring 2017
• Read more: Lego City Undercover confirmed for Nintendo Switch
• Pre-order Lego City Undercover for Nintendo Switch here

Originally released as a Wii U launch title, back in 2013, Lego City Undercover is a largely forgotten gem.

That’s why Warner Bros has brought it out of hiding, given it a new, shiny coat of paint and is about to set it free again. It’ll be available on Nintendo Switch, as well as PC, PS4 and Xbox One, and if you like the humour that underpins all of the Lego platform games, you’ll love this one.

It benefits greatly from featuring an original story – one that’s not tied into a movie licence – and in many ways the open-world nature of the game, coupled with vehicles to drive, makes it almost a Lego answer to the Grand Theft Auto series.

We’re thrilled it’s getting a new lease of life and think you will be too.

And one worth waiting for…

Nintendo Switch games to pre-order first: Super Mario Odyssey

• Release date: Holiday 2017
• Pre-order Super Mario Odyssey for Nintendo Switch here

There’s no point in holding your breath for the major Mario release on Nintendo Switch as it is far from a launch window title. Instead, it will be the major driver for the console come Christmas as it is currently listed as being released in the “holiday season”.

It does look good though. It looks very good indeed.

The 3D platformer takes in all-manner of surroundings, including the “real world”, in what is being called a sandbox-style Mario game in the same mould as Super Mario 64 and Super Mario Sunshine. And that’s good company to be in.

We don’t really know an awful lot about the game right now, with only the same trailer running at the Nintendo Switch hands-on event rather than playable code, but we expect to find out more at E3 this summer.

We cannot wait.

Smart body armor could gauge brain damage from explosions

Explosions are insidious. Even if a blast doesn’t deliver a conspicuous injury, it can inflict brain trauma that might not be evident until much later. The US Navy’s Office of Naval Research doesn’t want medics to wait, though. It’s developing Blast Load Assessment Sense and Test (conveniently, BLAST), a sensor system that could determine whether or not an explosion’s shockwave is likely to have injured your brain. Tiny sensors in your helmet and body armor would record the blast pressure and share it with a scanner. When combined with a palm-sized neurological assessment tool (which stimulates your fingers to gauge your responses), the data would let medical teams quickly decide whether or not you’re able to fight.

That’s particularly important given US military guidelines. Soldiers relatively close to an explosion (about 165 feet) are supposed to stand down for a full day and get a medical checkup. That’s not enough time to properly assess brain trauma, and it’s not very practical in a densely packed field base. Why take half of your troops out of the action if just a handful of them are at risk? BLAST could limit the stand-down order to soldiers that are actually affected, and spare those who were behind cover or otherwise untouched.

The system is still in the lab right now, but its first field tests should start within a year and a half. Ultimately, ONR would like to put this in the hands of acquisition teams within 3 to 5 years. The office is mainly focused on the Navy and Marine Corps, but this invention could easily be vital to just about any soldier in a combat zone — it could make the difference between a trip to the field hospital and staying on the front line.

Via: MilitaryTimes

Source: Office of Naval Research

The Morning After: Monday, January 16th 2017

Welcome to Monday morning. Over the weekend, we toured Dyson’s UK HQ (featuring mannequins, jet engines and more), how China wants increased security for its app stores and our prediction that the best unused Nintendo Switch feature of 2017 will be its ‘high definition’ vibration tech.

Featuring 1,600 kilometers of real human hair.
Touring Dyson’s ideas factory

Most of Dyson’s big ideas (including its recent hair dryer) originated from its UK HQ, hidden away in the quiet English countryside. Richard Lai went to visit its New Product Innovation team, which has also worked on the company’s 360 Eye vacuum bot — and plenty of things we haven’t heard of yet. Dyson spends a little more than $6 million per week on research and development: Here’s where that money goes.

The company’s latest wireless headphone efforts are a huge improvement.
Master & Dynamic’s wireless MW50 headphones aren’t perfect, but they sound great

At $449, M&D’s MW50 headphones are currently the least expensive wireless option in Master & Dynamic’s lineup, but that’s still a lot for a pair of headphones. Chris Velazco says their blend of performance and style might be worth it for some of you. If you’re looking for a phenomenal bit of road-warrior gear, or a perfect frequent travel companion, the MW50s fall short. But if you’re mostly interested in hearing great music wirelessly and don’t otherwise need many frills, your search should start here.

Combined security measure and stricter censorship.
China says app stores must register with the government

China sees mobile app stores as an untamed frontier with too much free expression and rampant malware, and it’s determined to put a stop to both. As of January 16th, the Cyberspace Administration of China will require that all app stores register with the government, ostensibly in a bid to improve security. This could have a positive effect for Chinese smartphone owners, since they don’t have official access to Google Play and its tighter security screening. Stores that frequently permit frauds and viruses could find themselves in hot water pretty quickly. However, it’s bad news for anyone hoping to offer apps that normally won’t make it past the censors.

Flame wars.
A visual history of gadgets that have burst into flames

Samsung isn’t the only company that’s struggled recently with faulty batteries. We’ve seen similar issues with hoverboards, a Tesla Model S and plenty of electric skateboards. Let’s hope those non-exploding lithium-ion batteries get here soon.

But wait, there’s more…

• Nintendo’s HD Rumble will be the best unused Switch feature of 2017
• Facebook tests fake news filtering outside of the US
• Samsung leader faces arrest in South Korea
• Sony’s new PlayStation headset is premium in name alone

New York driver groups push for a ban on autonomous cars

It’s no secret that ridesharing companies like Uber and Lyft dream of a day when they can depend solely on self-driving cars, and that’s making driver organizations more than a little nervous. New York’s Upstate Transportation Association and Independent Drivers Guild are both pressing for bans on autonomous vehicles in the state out of concern that they’ll ultimately cost thousands of transportation jobs. The IDG believes that it only needs to preserve existing laws to guarantee a ban, but the UTA is considerably more aggressive — it wants a 50-year ban on self-driving cars. Yes, there’s a real chance you wouldn’t even be alive to see the day when driverless rides hit New York roads.

These are just group policies, and the state doesn’t have to listen to them. Governor Cuomo certainly doesn’t appear fazed so far: he just announced a desire to make ridesharing available across the state, not just in New York City. However, this vocal opposition sets the stage for future battles over autonomy. Just as taxi companies have fought ridesharing at every step, you can expect driver organizations worldwide to fight automation tooth and nail… even if it means holding back the safety and convenience benefits that self-driving tech will hopefully offer.

Via: Digital Trends

Source: CNN

Samsung’s Official Note7 Investigation Concludes Battery Was the Cause of Fires

Samsung’s investigation into what caused some Galaxy Note7 smartphones to catch fire has concluded that the battery was the main reason, according to sources who spoke to Reuters on Monday.

Rumors had suggested Samsung pushed suppliers to meet tighter deadlines for an earlier launch in order to beat the iPhone 7, leading to critical oversights that led to some batteries catching fire. A person familiar with the matter told the news outlet today that Samsung was able to replicate the fires during its investigation and that the cause could not be explained by hardware design or software-related matters.

The source said that the official results of the investigation will be announced on January 23, one day before the company announces its Q4 earnings. Samsung is also expected to announce new measures it is taking to prevent similar problems in future devices, the person said. Samsung declined to comment.

Samsung issued a Galaxy Note7 recall in September, and permanently discontinued the smartphone in October after some replacement devices also caught fire. Samsung urged customers to return their Note7’s at once, and in December began seeding a software update to prevent unreturned devices from charging. The phone remains banned on all U.S. flights as a precaution.

Concept for the Galaxy S8 (Image: Steel Drake/Behance)
Following the debacle – said to have cost the company $5.2 billion – Samsung must now regain consumer trust, starting with the launch of its flagship Galaxy S8 in the Spring. The phone is rumored to include a 4K Super AMOLED edge-to-edge display, a home button embedded in the display, and a digital AI assistant called “Bixby”.

Tag: Galaxy Note 7
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Jimmy Iovine Says Apple Music Will Be ‘An Entire Pop Cultural Experience’ With New TV Shows

After a report by The Wall Street Journal stated that Apple is planning a push into original television series production for 2017, Apple Music executive Jimmy Iovine spoke to reporters over the weekend and explained why the company is looking to add TV to its streaming music service (via The Hollywood Reporter).

Iovine said that the company’s main concern is enticing users into choosing Apple Music over competitors like Spotify and Pandora, which offer free, ad-supported tiers for users. Ultimately, Iovine and other Apple Music executives believed that another basic streaming music service with on-demand access to music at $10 a month would not be enough to keep it alive. He called the move into TV Apple’s attempt to build “an entire pop cultural experience.”

“At Apple Music, what we’re trying to create is an entire cultural, pop cultural experience, and that happens to include audio and video,” he told reporters Saturday at the Television Critics Association’s winter press tour.

“If South Park walks into my office, I am not going to say you’re not musicians, you know?” Iovine continued when pressed about the report. “We’re going to do whatever hits popular culture smack on the nose. We’re going to try.”

The Hollywood Reporter suggests that the Dr. Dre-starring Vital Signs could be among the first of Apple’s scripted television series to launch this year, with six episodes rolling out all at once, following the Netflix strategy. Despite all of the information known about Vital Signs since its announcement nearly a year ago last February, it’s still unclear whether or not users will be able to stream the new Apple Music TV shows on an Apple TV, or just on iOS.

Besides Vital Signs, Apple is said to be working on a reality competition series called Planet of the Apps as well as an updated version of Carpool Karaoke. For its new push into television, the company plans to create original shows comparable to HBO’s Westworld and Netflix’s Stranger Things.

Tags: Jimmy Iovine, Apple Music
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