‘Theater Mode’ Coming to Apple Watch

Apple hasn’t released the first watchOS 3.2 beta to developers as of yet, but the company has shared release notes highlighting the new features that will be introduced in the update.

The most important new feature is a “Theater Mode” that’s designed to let customers quickly mute the screen on their Apple Watch and disable raise to wake, preventing the screen from lighting up with arm movement.

With Theater Mode enabled, customers will still receive haptic feedback for each incoming notification, and information can be viewed by tapping the screen or pressing down on the Digital Crown.

According to Apple, Theater Mode was included in watchOS 3.1.3, but it does not yet appear to be available to consumers as an option, suggesting it will be activated when watchOS 3.2 is installed.

Rumors originally suggested a theater mode would be included in iOS 10.3, but it appears the mode was actually designed for the Apple Watch, where it arguably makes a lot more sense. That rumor said theater mode would be activated through a popcorn-shaped icon, so we may see that icon on the Apple Watch.

watchOS 3.2 also brings SiriKit to the Apple Watch, allowing customers to ask Siri to do things like send messages, send payments, book a ride, log a workout, make a call, or search through photos. SiriKit has been available on iOS devices since the release of iOS 10, but is new to the Apple Watch.

WatchKit Framework Enhancements and the AVAudioPlayer API are other new features being added in watchOS 3.2. Given iOS 10.3, tvOS 10.2, and macOS Sierra 10.12.4 were released today, we could see a watchOS 3.2 beta soon, but Apple has given no indication of when it will launch.

Related Roundups: Apple Watch Series 2, watchOS 3
Buyer’s Guide: Apple Watch (Neutral)
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Apple Forecasted to Report Record Earnings Next Week, but Will iPhone 8 Keep Driving Growth?

Barclays estimates that Apple will report a record-breaking $76.6 billion in revenue when it announces its earnings results for the first quarter of fiscal 2017 on January 31. Apple reported revenue of $75.9 billion in the year-ago quarter, and offers guidance of $76 billion to $78 billion for this quarter.

UBS estimates Apple will report revenue of $77.8 billion next week, which falls on the higher end of Apple’s guidance. UBS analyst Steven Milunovich maintained a “buy” rating for Apple stock with a target price of $127—compared to $120 currently—in a research noted issued to investors today.

Meanwhile, Barclays analyst Mark Moskowitz lowered his price target for Apple’s stock from $119 to $117 in a research note issued to investors today.

Moskowitz does not expect “meaningful upside potential” for Apple in 2017. He believes customers increasingly “mixing down” by opting for the iPhone 6s in favor of the iPhone 7 could weigh on Apple, while he is also concerned about China and India failing to emerge as growth catalysts in the next 12 months.

He said the so-called “iPhone 8” will potentially have “no must-have advanced features,” making him skeptical of a meaningful growth rebound for Apple in the second half of this year. He added that smartphones have become “more than good enough” to serve the needs of most users over multiple years or until the device breaks.

While not likely to have a similar replacement cycle of PCs (i.e., 5-7 years), we think the smartphone market and thereby the iPhone franchise stand to face incremental headwinds this year and next, as the smartphone useful life extends to 3 to 4 years from 2 to 3 years previously. As a result, the prospect of revolutionary technology incorporated into the next iPhone (iPhone 8) is not likely to counter the expanding useful life of smartphones in general.

Specifically, he said OLED display options, bezel or bezel-less designs, an embedded Home button, and wireless charging are commonly mentioned in its discussions with industry participants about the next iPhone, but that the new features might not be able to reassert that “must have” element for customers.

Wireless charging in particular may be limited by the need to be close to a charging base. Moskowitz does not expect wireless charging over greater distances to develop until 2018-2019 at the earliest. He acknowledges that Apple could be making strides in this space by partnering with firms like Energous, but he maintains his view.

Nevertheless, he said Apple has a “sticky ecosystem” and a large cash balance that provide decent support for long-term investors.

Barclays predicted Apple has long-term growth opportunities related to India, its growing services category, the enterprise market, artificial intelligence, and possibly the cloud, but it does not expect those potential “what’s next?” opportunities to emerge as “major needle movers” for the company over the next 12 months.

Tags: earnings, Barclays, Mark Moskowitz, AAPL, UBS, Steven Milunovich
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Stereotypo – Life is all about stereotypes and associations (App Review)

A smartphone, a set of keys, and a wallet. What do all these things have in common? They are all the things I take with me when I leave the house. If you could figure that out then Stereotypo, a picture/word puzzle game from imbaLab, would be right up your alley. In the sea of puzzle games that are available on the mobile marketplace, what really makes this one stand out?

Pictures, associations, coins, and cats.
Check. Let’s take a look.

Developer: imbaLab
Price: Free/IAP
Download: Google Play/iOS

Which of these things belong in a park? Well, a lion would certainly make any trip unforgettable.

Graphics & Sounds

The entire game is beautifully illustrated. There are hundreds and hundreds of illustrations all throughout the game that all have a similar, minimalist design. There hasn’t been a time when I was looking at the board of pictures and was left wondering what something was. The whole game has a crisp and clean look to it.

The music throughout the game is fun and groovy. Yes, groovy. The bass line is steady and with each different page you go to, different instruments and sounds are added. There are great sound effects that pop-up every once in a while, from crowds cheering when you solve a puzzle, to the little cats that pop-up when you need a hint. Everything sounds clear and isn’t over-the-top.

Gameplay

The game is broken up into broad categories and in each category are around 20 puzzles to solve. The puzzles start off easy, with only 3 or 4 pictures to choose from. All you need to do is tap the pictures to highlight them. Once everything is highlighted that fits the category, tap the button at the bottom to check your work. If everything is good, you get rewarded with a cool picture based on the puzzle and move on to the next puzzle. The puzzles get harder quick, having well over 20 pictures to choose from for just one puzzle.

If you get stuck there are a bunch of different hints to choose from, such as removing a wrong picture, showing a right picture, or additional text clues. You have to buy these with the coins that you earn from solving puzzles or watching ads. You also have the typical system of buying coins using real money.

Ah, it’s great to be rewarded.

Longevity

At the time of this writing, there are 10 categories available, each with at least 20 puzzles to solve. You can blow through the first category pretty quick, but the ones after that will leave you scratching your head, analyzing and overanalyzing every picture, and asking your friends what you could possibly be missing. When you finally figure out that one puzzle that’s been holding you back, it’s a very satisfying feeling. When you do get stuck, you have a great number of hint options to get you through. You don’t earn coins all that fast, however, so if you really get stuck and aren’t able to figure out a puzzle or two, you might find yourself stuck coinless and looking to in-app purchases to solve your problems.

Conclusion

Stereotypo is a really fun game loaded with great graphics, easy gameplay, and lots of challenging puzzles. If you are good at figuring out what images all fall under certain categories, then you’ll be great at this game. The only downside is how slowly you earn coins and how pricey the hints are if you do get stuck, but apart from that, this game will keep you playing for a long, long time.

Video: Latest Samsung Galaxy S8 leaks + rumors

A new Samsung flagship is inevitably one of the biggest Android launches of the year — and that’s especially true this year, as Samsung looks to move on from the Galaxy Note 7 debacle with an all-new flagship. Although we’re not expecting the Galaxy S8 to hit until some time after Mobile World Congress, there’s already plenty of unconfirmed info floating around online, including valuable clues about what the GS8 will look like and the technology lurking within.

Check out our video feature for a primer on what we know about the Samsung Galaxy S8 (and S8 Plus!) so far.

• Samsung Galaxy S8 rumor roundup
• Android Central on YouTube
• Latest LG G6 rumors!

Adobe is optimizing its most popular Android apps for Chromebooks

Some Android apps take to Chrome OS just fine, but others need a little extra help.

Adobe is making sure its suite of extremely popular apps have a smooth transition to Chromebooks with an announcement today that it’s optimizing many for the laptop form factor. Updates to the Android apps will come in the next few weeks with various under-the-hood optimizations for use on Chromebooks that will make the apps run smooth just like on any phone or tablet.

The apps included in this optimization effort are Photoshop Mix, Lightroom Mobile, Illustrator Draw, Photoshop Sketch, Comp CC and Creative Cloud Mobile — just about all of the Adobe apps you’d want to use at this point. Adobe isn’t explaining exactly what’s being improved on the back end to make these apps run better on Chromebooks, but we won’t turn down any acknowledgement from a big company that native apps on Chromebooks are important.

Adobe is rolling out these changes and illustrating their importance in the education market, but of course anyone can use these apps on their Chromebook to help further their creative efforts. You can install the various Adobe apps from the links above, and when the updates arrive they’ll be loaded up on your Chromebook and ready to go.

Chromebooks

• The best Chromebooks
• Should you buy a Chromebook?
• Google Play is coming to Chromebooks
• Acer Chromebook 14 review
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Save 25% on select Anker accessories for a limited time only!

Anker is currently offering 25% off a variety of its products for a short period of time. The 48-hour sale can save you on charging cables, portable batteries, and even a Bluetooth speaker. Anker makes a number of different types of products, most of which have great reviews on Amazon, so you are looking at high-quality accessories here. Whether you are looking for a gift for yourself or something for a friend, you won’t want to miss out on the savings here.

The deals include:

• Astro E3 portable charger – $19 with coupon 7CJ0QVJJ
• PowerPort+ 6 charging hub – $29 with coupon CHDOTM77
• PowerLine+ USB-C cable – $10 with coupon NY586VQA
• Dashboard magnetic car mount – $10 with coupon CVN9832T
• Bluetooth stereo speaker – $44 with coupon OX6ESK2U

These deals are only good through January 25, so you’ll want to act quickly if you are interested in any of these items. Be sure to check them all out, and use the corresponding coupon codes to get the full savings on the items you want!

How to change the Amazon Echo ‘wake word’ using Alexa app

How can I address my Echo as “Computer”? Just follow these steps!

There’s a new way to address your Amazon Echo, and it’s about as fun as wearing Combadge — only with fewer stares in public. Amazon has updated the Echo and Echo Dot to respond to the wake word “Computer,” instead “Alexa” or “Echo,” and it’s easy to change. Here’s how to do it!

See at Amazon

How to change your wake word on Amazon Echo

Open the Alexa app on your Android device.
Tap the three-dot menu “hamburger” button in the top left corner.
Tap on Settings.
Select your Amazon Echo from the list.

Scroll down and tap on Wake Word.

Tap on Change your wake word.
Select “Computer” (or any other wake word you want).
Wait until the Echo accepts the changes and tap Close.

That’s it! Now you can live your Star Wars Trek dreams through your Echo!

Amazon Echo

• Amazon Echo review
• Echo Dot review
• Top Echo Tips & Tricks
• Tap, Echo or Dot: The ultimate Alexa question
• Amazon Echo vs. Google Home
• Get the latest Alexa news

Amazon

Vertu’s new Constellation has modern specs, stunning materials … and Marshmallow

You can have a phone that’s made of exquisite materials but also has high-end specs.

Vertu is a name we often like to poke fun at for offering ridiculously overpriced phones that are more about luxury than practicality, but its latest phone, Constellation, actually aims to come closer to offering both. Vertu calls the Constellation “The Luxury Performance Smartphone,” and to that end it actually has a set of high-end specs you’d expect to find on a modern phone: 5.5-inch QHD display, 12MP camera (with 1.55-micron pixels), Snapdragon 820, 4GB of RAM, 128GB storage, 3220 mAh battery, USB-C charging, stereo speakers, wireless charging and a fingerprint sensor.

And then, of course, you get that unmistakable Vertu design. The Constellation has all of Vertu’s typical calling cards, being handmade in England with a polished sapphire display, fine leathers (just look at that blue one) and metal placed together with hand-turned screws on the back. A ruby key on the side connects you to a 24-hour concierge service to help you with anything you’d like.

The Constellation is also running Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow, as you would expect considering its software customizations, big focus on hardware and customer base that frankly probably doesn’t care all that much.

You can “register your interest” in the Constellation Collection over on Vertu’s site, which you’ll have to do in order to find out how much this thing is going to set you back eventually. Vertu says it’ll be on sale in boutiques from mid-February where you’ll actually be able to see one in person, if you’re so inclined.

Pokémon Duel brings your favorite characters to a strategy-based board game

Finally, a new Pokémon game that doesn’t require walking.

Riding the incredible success of Pokémon Go, The Pokémon Company has released a new game for Android and iOS called Pokemon Duel — and it’s available today. The game isn’t in any way like Pokémon Go, and is instead a strategy-style battle game inspired by board games.

You can get a pretty good sense of how the game works by watching the trailer above and reading the Pokémon Duel website, but the basic mechanics settle around creating a deck of Pokémon figurines to do battle against the opposing team and take over their side of the board. You go head-to-head against other figurines throughout the game, and can play multiplayer online games as well.

As expected the game is free to download but includes in-app purchases ranging from $1 to $79 for gems and various items. The game is sure to turn heads for those who just can’t get enough of the Pokémon franchise, and will certainly appeal to those who found the activity of walking around with Pokémon Go tedious months later. You can download it in the Play Store already.

Pokémon Go

• Join our Pokémon Go forums!
• How to deal with GPS errors in-game
• Which team should you choose?
• How to play without killing your battery
• The Ultimate Pokémon Go Game Guide!
• Listen to the Pokémon Go podcast!

FTC finds ‘Shark Tank’ connected breathalyzers are inaccurate

Accuracy is a big issue with wearables and all sorts of connected devices. Despite marketing claims of “government-lab grade testing,” the Federal Trade Commission found that Breathometer’s app-connected breathalyzers weren’t as accurate as the company promised. Government regulators said the company didn’t have the scientific evidence to back the claims it was pitching to consumers who were looking for a way to stay safe after drinking.

In addition to the lack of testing, the FTC explained Breathometer was aware that its second version, the Bluetooth-enabled Breeze, regularly understated the users blood-alcohol level, but failed to notify customers. The company sold two different devices, starting with a $50 namesake model that plugged into your phone’s headphone jack. The wireless version followed for $100 and both used an app to display a BAC reading within a few seconds of blowing into either device.

“People relied on the defendant’s products to decide whether it was safe to get behind the wheel,” said the director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection Jessica Rich. “Overstating the accuracy of the devices was deceptive — and dangerous.”

Breathometer received funding for its breathalyzer products by pitching its ideas on the TV show Shark Tank. According to the FTC’s complaint, the company’s sales of both models totaled $5.1 million, but the original or the Breeze are no longer available for purchase on Breathometer’s website. The company is now selling Mint, a device that looks similar to the Breeze that monitors oral health.

As part of its settlement with the government, Breathometer has to notify customers of the issue and offer full refunds to anyone who purchased one of the products. It’s also prohibited from making accuracy claims for a breathalyzer product in the future unless it has sufficient lab testing to back them up.

Via: Palm Beach Post

Source: FTC, Breathometer