Japan’s ‘fishing net’ plan to clear junk from space has hit a snag

Why it matters to you

To ensure the safe operation of satellites orbiting Earth, as well as the safety of future space missions, it’s vital that the issue of space junk is dealt with soon.

Well, no one ever said it was going to be easy.

Japan’s high-tech space junk collector appears to have fallen at the first hurdle after the country’s space agency, JAXA, admitted on Tuesday that efforts to deploy the vital “fishing net” component had so far failed.

The unmanned Kounotori 6 spacecraft departed from the International Space Station (ISS) over the weekend and on Tuesday was supposed to begin its first trial run to clear up some of the trash orbiting Earth.

If it’d successfully deployed, the net – essentially a 700-meter-long electrodynamic tether comprising thin wires of stainless steel and aluminum – would’ve created a magnetic force strong enough to affect the movement of targeted trash, slowing it down and causing its orbit to decay. The idea is that the junk would burn up as it entered Earth’s atmosphere.

But despite JAXA’s best efforts, the all-important tether has so far failed to extend.

The agency promised it would carry on trying to get its experimental technology up and running, though it only has until the weekend as the spacecraft is set to disintegrate when it re-enters Earth’s atmosphere on Monday.

More: This company wants to combat space junk with a fleet of satellite repair vehicles

Space junk left behind during five decades of space exploration is becoming a serious issue. Old orbiters, pieces of disused rockets, and a large number of fragments created by collisions are all orbiting our planet, creating a dangerous hazard for the ISS inhabitants and satellites, as well as future space missions.

NASA says “many millions” of pieces of space debris are currently orbiting Earth, with around 20,000 fragments larger than a softball.

“They travel at speeds up to 17,500 mph, fast enough for a relatively small piece of orbital debris to damage a satellite or a spacecraft,” the U.S. space agency reports on its website.

Other proposed solutions for clearing up space junk include  laser systems, solar-sail “parachutes,” trash-eating spacecraft, and targeted air puffs designed, like JAXA’s experimental system, to force the junk to de-orbit and burn up in Earth’s atmosphere.

But as things stand, all that space garbage looks like it could be circling our planet for some time to come.

Acer Spin 5 review: An affordable all-rounder

Tech is getting more expensive. Apple, Tesla, Nescafe and just about every other company out there has either already put up prices in the UK, or is planning to do so.

That makes laptops like the Acer Spin 5 all the more important. Normal folk who were on the cusp of buying a MacBook last year are being priced out like Brixton flat buyers, so more affordable laptops such as this are there to take care of the wounded.

The Spin 5 is flexible, has a great screen, is powerful enough and has the price we’re after. But it’s not built like a MacBook. Does that matter for the money?

Acer Spin 5 review: Design

• Plastic body, metal lid
• 19.7 x 329 x 229mm; 1.62kgs

Dealing with the worst bit first: the Acer Spin 5 doesn’t feel expensive, or all that tough.

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Everything but the lid is plastic, and even that one bit of metal doesn’t instantly look like the stuff because it uses a cross-hatched pattern finish. There’s a reason why Asus and HP haven’t nicked this idea. Plain anodised or lightly brushed metal looks better.

This cross-hatched style is used on the plastic bottom too, but the plastic inside, around the keyboard, is faux brushed metal.

Polarising mixed finishes aside, the Acer Spin 5 is actually a very neutral-looking laptop. All-black, you only really notice the textures when you get up close.

Using plastic rather than metal might lead to you assume the Spin 5 is going to be light, but at 1.62kgs it’s actually only just light enough to fit in the slim and light category.

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However, at the price the big rival is the HP Pavilion x360, which is only fractionally thinner and lighter. If you want something truly slim and light, look for a laptop with a standard hinge or prepare to pay more. 

The one Acer Spin 5 build element that continued to annoy us after the first five minutes is the flex-happy keyboard surround. Where, for example, most mid-price HP laptops feel built to withstand being punched, this one bends when you press moderately hard around the trackpad or keyboard.

It does seem to only be this one panel of plastic that’s a bit weak, though. The lid isn’t too bendy and the underside plastic seems much tougher too. You don’t need to worry about the Acer Spin 5 falling apart in your rucksack, it’s just a pity the weakest part of the laptop is the one you touch most often.

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Acer’s own Swift 3 has a much more impressive build for slightly less cash. What that laptop doesn’t have is the Spin 5’s flexible hinge. Like a Lenovo Yoga 11 710, the hinge flips all the way around to meet the keyboard’s backside. It’s the most homely of hybrids, ready to sit on your kitchen worktop and act as a digital cookbook, or sit on your paunch to let you watch Netflix when you’re in bed, feeling literally too lazy to move.

Acer Spin 5 review: Screen and connectivity

• 13.3-inch, 1920 x 1080 resolution screen (800:1 contrast)
• 1x USB 3.0, 2x USB 2.0, Ethernet, HDMI, microSD card ports

Given the hinge makes this a modern kind of laptop, we’re a little surprised to see Acer leave out a USB Type-C port, fast becoming the norm for all but the cheapest of laptops. You get one USB 3.0, two USB 2.0, an HDMI and a microSD slot (why it’s not a standard SD we have no idea).

Pocket-lint

The Spin 5’s screen is fairly tablet-like; it has a touchscreen, a glossy finish and decent-if-not-remarkable 1080p resolution.

It’s a very good screen for the price, with contrast better than some much more expensive laptops (at 800:1) and colour performance on-par with many of them too. Sure, a new MacBook, Razer Blade Stealth or an OLED laptop is going to make colours pop a lot more, but if you’re after a normal colour laptop rather than a super-saturated wide gamut one, the Spin 5 fits the bill.

The screen is fairly bright too. We tried using it at a sun-soaked end of a pub (we don’t work outside when the temperature hovers around 1C) and didn’t have to use full brightness to see what was going on.

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For the nerds out there, its max brightness is 303cd/m. That’s pretty bright, if not supernova enough for Acer to claim it as a key feature.

Acer Spin 5 review: Keyboard and trackpad

• Shallow press keys
• Built-in backlight
• Plastic trackpad

As long as you’re not too bothered by the plastic feel, the Acer Spin 5 makes a good roving worker laptop. The keyboard is good, with the same high-quality feel we’ve seen in Acer’s other recent mid-range laptops. Keys have a soft action and are typical of the classic ultrabook design in their shallow style, but are comfortable to type on for hours.

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There’s a backlight too, making it easier to work in the dark. That’s something you don’t even get on the top-end Acer Swift 7.

Other Acer laptops like the cheaper Acer Swift 3 feel better still, though, because you don’t have to deal with the slight flexing of the plastic plate in which the keyboard is mounted. It makes a keyboard feel that bit less well-defined.

The trackpad is solid aside from the issue that we’ve already raised what feels like a dozen times already elsewhere: it’s plastic. This means when you glide your finger back and forth, it won’t feel as smooth as a high-end glass pad. Most laptops around this price use plastic, though.

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After using the Acer Spin 5 for a couple of days, the only part of the pad that continues to grate is the button layout. This is a pad with integrated buttons, but still gives the left and right a 50-50 split of the pad’s width. We find relegating the R button to the bottom-right works better. It’s a tactic HP uses in its similarly-priced Envy laptops.

Acer Spin 5 review: Performance

• Intel Core i5-7200U (2.5GHz dual-core)
• Built-in Intel HD 620graphics
• 8GB RAM; 256GB SSD

Pay more and you can get a nicer frame and fancier trackpad, sure, but the Spin 5 has almost exactly the same power as many more expensive ultraportable laptops. Our particular model uses an Intel Core i5-7200U, a fairly recent CPU for January 2017.

If you already have a last-gen laptop with a Core i5, the improvements are nothing to get too excited about, but the Acer Spin 5 does have enough power to make Windows 10 sing. As the laptop uses a 256GB SSD there’s no hard drive to slow things down either.

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The 8GB RAM gives you room to open up a bunch of programs without the system slowing to a crawl. Right now that’s the amount we recommend to any laptop-buyer on a budget.

Unless you’re a hardcore gamer/video editor/power user, you’ll have no problems with the Spin 5’s performance. It’s not laggy, and in general use feels close enough to as fast as Windows machines get. For the basics, anyway.

Like almost every slim and light laptop, the Spin 5 does not have a dedicated GPU, relying on the Intel HD 620 baked into Kaby Lake processors. These integrated graphics chipsets aren’t completely useless, but by the standards of the PC gaming elite, they are. You can play The Elder Scrolls: Skyrim just fine (1080p, low/mid settings), but you probably shouldn’t even bother approaching The Witcher 3 as you’ll get sub-15fps, and not even at 1080p either.

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This stands for every slim laptop bar the Microsoft Surface Book, though, which has a bit more going on under its magnesium surface. Under pressure the Acer Spin 5’s fans do make a bit of noise, but as it’s not a high-pitch whine we don’t mind too much.

Acer Spin 5 review: Battery life & sound

• Around 10-hours battery per charge

Battery life is great too. When using the default power management software, working on the laptop for an hour with the brightness at around 65 per cent, typing away as we usually do, ate just 10 per cent of the battery.

Feed the Spin 5 an easy task and you’ll get around the 10-hours of use. There’s definitely a good chunk of performance management going on, though, because Skyrim runs much slower away from the power adapter using the standard battery saver plan. It doesn’t ruin Windows 10’s feel, mind.

Pocket-lint

The last of the Acer Spin 5’s little compromises is speaker quality. They don’t sound bad, aren’t harsh or paper-thin, but also don’t have the sheer volume or middy bulk of the best mid-range laptops.

Treat the Spin 5 as a portable laptop and the positioning can be an issue too. The driver grilles sit on the flat underside of the bottom rather than at the curve of the edges, meaning you tend to partially block them when using the laptop on your knees. Even in other positions thanks to the hinge they’re not ideally placed.

Verdict

If you’re in the US, you can grab the Acer Spin 5 at a great price right now: at $499 for the entry-level model it’s highly competitive for this sort of laptop; at the time of writing you’ll even find the 256GB SSD version for that price. It’s a bargain.

In the UK you’ll pay £629 for the 256GB version though. It’s the old awkward US-to-UK price problem magnified thanks to the diminished pound. However, even with this considered the Acer Spin 5 is a good-value buy – as long as you don’t mind living with the less-than-impressive build.

In context the Spin 5 is £250 cheaper than the Asus ZenBook Flip and £20 less than the HP Pavilion x360. It can’t quite outsmart the Lenovo Yoga 11 710 in terms of price though and while the 2016 version of the HP is more solid, the Acer has a much better screen and a more neutral look. All that makes it a solid, affordable contender.

Acer Spin 5: The alternatives to consider

Lenovo Yoga 11 710

Pocket-lint

• £549

If power isn’t the be-all and end-all of your purchase then the silent and fan-free Core M processor inside this flexible and affordable Yoga might be the perfect purchase.

HP Envy x360

Pocket-lint

• £779

A little pricier than the Pavilion x360 option, the Envy ups the build quality compared to the Acer. If that’s important then this is a viable alternative.

Samsung sends out invite for product launch on 26 February, Galaxy Tab S3 expected

Samsung has laid all rumours to rest about its presence at MWC by sending out an official invitation for a press conference on 26 February 2017. It’s a day before Mobile World Congress officially begins, and is the same day that LG will be unveiling the G6 smartphone. LG’s event actually takes place earlier in the day at 12, while Samsung’s is scheduled for 7PM CET.

• Samsung Galaxy Tab S3 “confirmed” for MWC reveal, Samsung’s iPad rival less than a month away

There’s an image to accompany the invite which looks like a device, which are much deliberation, we believe to be the lower bezel of the tablet with the home button and fingerprint scanner in the centre. As for why Samsung wants to give the home button particular focus in the invite remains to be seen.

• Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 review: A genuine iPad rival?
• Mobile World Congress 2017: Nokia, Sony, Huawei smartphones and more

The Galaxy Tab S3 is expected to come with the same 9.7in 2048 x 1536 display as the Galaxy Tab S2, but get a bump in processor speed, with Samsung said to be using a Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 with 4GB RAM. There should be two versions of the tablet: Wi-Fi only and Wi-Fi with LTE with prices expected to start at around 700,000 Won (£485, $608), but as ever pricing is just speculation for now. Pocket-lint will of course be attending MWC at the end of February, so we’ll bring you all the latest news and hands-on when we can.

Samsung Galaxy MWC 2017 press conference: Here’s how to watch it and what will be launched

Samsung has announced that it will be holding a press conference on the eve of Mobile World Congress in Barcelona at the end of February.

For those hoping to see a new flagship smartphone, in the guise of the Samsung Galaxy S8, we’re sorry to say we think you’ll be disappointed. That’s more likely to be launched at a dedicated event in a month or so.

However, Samsung has revealed it will be unveiling “new products” on its news site, so here are some of our thoughts on what will be announced (based on current rumours) and how to watch the event yourself.

Samsung Galaxy MWC 2017 press conference: What time does it start?

The Samsung press conference starts at 7pm (CET) on Sunday 26 February, the day before MWC 2017 begins in earnest. That means it’ll be livestreamed from 6pm GMT, 1pm ET and 10am PT.

We suspect it’ll run for an hour.

Samsung Galaxy MWC 2017 press conference: Where can I watch it?

Samsung will be streaming the event online as it happens. We’re hoping to host it here on Pocket-lint with details available closer the time.

It will also be available to watch online at http://www.samsung.com/galaxy and on the Samsung Newsroom website.

Samsung

Samsung Galaxy MWC 2017 press conference: Why not “Unpacked”?

Samsung usually calls its Mobile World Congress press events Unpacked, but has opted to buck the trend this time.

We believe that’s because the Unpacked events are specifically held to launch new smartphones, be they Galaxy S or Note devices.

If anything, the lack of Unpacked on the invite suggests that the much-rumoured Galaxy S8 will not be the focus. We might see something on it at the very end though, as a tease.

It is thought that Samsung will hold a dedicated Unpacked event in March instead, with rumours currently pointing to a New York location.

Samsung Galaxy MWC 2017 press conference: What will be launched?

With Samsung saying the “new products” will be announced – plural – here are our thoughts on what will and won’t be at the event:

Samsung Galaxy S8

As we’ve written above, this event will not be used to officially announce the Samsung Galaxy S8. That is more likely to have its own dedicated event a month or so later.

There might be a little tease at the end of the press conference though – Samsung has done similar with other products in the past. So make sure you watch it through.

• Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus: What’s the story so far?
• Samsung Galaxy S8 vs Galaxy S7: What’s the rumoured difference?
• Samsung Galaxy S8 vs LG G6: What’s the rumoured difference?

Samsung Galaxy Tab S3

This is surely a banker. A recent rumour heavily suggested that the Samsung Galaxy Tab S3 tablet would be unveiled at Mobile World Congress, backed up by a quote from a Samsung spokesman. And you only need look at the full invite to see part of a device that looks similar to the bottom of the Tab S2.

We believe, therefore, the Galaxy Tab S3 will be the star of the show.

Samsung Galaxy A5 and A3

Already formerly announced, during CES in Las Vegas in January, the Samsung Galaxy A5 and Galaxy A3 smartphones are now on pre-order in Europe. We’d be surprised if there wasn’t a mention about the rollout across the region during MWC.

It isn’t bringing the Galaxy A7 over here.

New Samsung Gear smartwatch

With the Samsung Gear S3 Classic and Frontier smartwatches still relatively new it is unlikely that we’ll see a replacement at this year’s Mobile World Congress, even though it is traditionally a launch ground for wearables.

Instead, we might see a new collaboration version, with a designer or two.

We’ll add to this list as more rumours emerge on the build up to the Samsung MWC 2017 press conference, do check back.

NASA’s new satellite radiator is a work of art

Satellite radiators are typically huge and heavy — not at all ideal for tiny spacefarers like CubeSats. To address small satellites’ need, NASA Goddard technologist Vivek Dwivedi has teamed up with Brigham Young University scientists to develop a “smart” radiator inspired by origami. The three-dimensional structure made out of temperature-sensitive materials like shape-memory alloys can fold and unfold to preserve and shed heat, respectively. It also folds when it wants to soak up heat from the sun or the Earth, because the team found that the deeper the cavities, the greater the absorption.

The Brigham Young scientists are still working to enhance the radiator’s design, though you can see the prototype’s structure in the image above. Dwivedi, on the other hand, is focusing on developing a vanadium oxide coating that can enhance its heat-retaining and shedding capabilities. The material begins as a semi-conductor and transitions into a metal state when it reaches 154 degrees Fahrenheit. Since its ability to radiate heat increases when it switches to metal state and temperatures fluctuate wildly in space, Dwivedi is trying to find a way to lower its transition temperature. He plans to do so by applying very thin layers of of silver and titanium to the vanadium oxide.

The researchers aren’t quite done developing the radiator yet. But when they’re finished, it can be attached to any part of a small satellite’s surface.

Source: NASA

TalkTalk chief Dido Harding is stepping down

After weathering the worst of a major customer hack in October 2015, TalkTalk CEO Dido Harding is stepping down after seven years in charge. In a regulatory announcement today, the provider confirmed that Harding will stay with the company until May, when Tristia Harrison — who is currently the Managing Director of TalkTalk’s Consumer division — will replace her. To assist with the transition, TalkTalk founder Charles Dunstone will scale back his role at Dixons Carphone and serve as Executive Chairman.

Unsurprisingly, the bulletin doesn’t acknowledge the difficult circumstances that the company has faced over the past 15 months. With clearer operating strategies and a recent rebrand behind her, Harding says she will leave TalkTalk having “laid the foundations for long term growth,” to concentrate on her career in public service. She is a non-executive member of the Court of the Bank of England, a member of the House of Lords and a trustee of Doteveryone.

Since the hack in 2015, which affected around 170,000 customers, TalkTalk has worked hard to rebuild its reputation. Free upgrades were offered to customers to stop them leaving, but that didn’t stop 100,000 subscribers from jumping ship. In December, a teenage hacker that played a key role in the breach was sentenced to a 12-month youth rehabilitation order, after pleading guilty to seven charges under the Computer Misuse Act.

In a separate announcement, TalkTalk said that revenue had fallen on the previous year, caused by a high number of customers renewing contracts or accepting new price deals. Just yesterday, the company introduced a number of short-term price cuts, as well as price freezes until 2019. “Between now and May, we will work together on a handover that maintains focus on this years’ performance and enables the new team to prepare for the next financial year and beyond,” Harding said.

Source: TalkTalk

‘Donkey Kong 64’ player finds rare collectible 17 years later

The 3D platformer Donkey Kong 64 was lauded for its expansive worlds and multitude of well-hidden collectibles when it launched on the Nintendo 64 in 1999. Like many games of the era, it has enjoyed a peculiar afterlife as speedrunners blitz through it in record time under various conditions, like picking up each of the 976 banana coins found within. Unfortunately, all those completionist runs now seem to be invalid: 17 years after the game came out, streamer Isotarge has found a 977th coin.

Turns out the collectible was hidden underground in the game’s fifth level, Fungi Forest, but the telltale patch of dirt indicating buried treasure in the game was hidden by a patch of tall grass. Isotarge was examining save data for that stage and discovered that the information for a particular pickup, rainbow coins, was incomplete. Using analysis tools, they pinpointed its location and unearthed it. While Isotarge is no stranger to using glitches to find out-of-bounds items likely leftover by developers, this particular coin is in fair territory and can be plucked from the ground using an ordinary character move.

@Znernicus yes, times have been removed in All Collectables, 949 banana coins (now 974), Fungi coins, DK coins, All Rainbow Coins

— Bismuth 🐌 (@Bismuthi) January 28, 2017

As noted above, this means the leaderboards for complete runs of Donkey Kong 64 will likely have to be reset. But as Kotaku points out, this new factor could shift player strategy in the game’s highly competitive speedrunning community. Discoveries like this are what revitalize even the most well-worn titles.

“Many runs were invalidated because of this discovery,” Isotage told Kotaku. “It’s one way to keep the community active. I’m looking forward to seeing speedrunners claim back those records”

Source: Kotaku

OnePlus 3 vs. OnePlus 3T: Which phone should you buy in India?

Unable to decide between the OnePlus 3 and the newer OnePlus 3T? We’re here to help.

OnePlus moved away from its usual summer release window last year by unveiling the OnePlus 3T in November — five months after the launch of the OnePlus 3. The OnePlus 3T is a mid-cycle refresh, offering a slightly faster SoC, 128GB storage option, larger battery, and a new front camera, accompanied by a minor price bump to the tune of $40.

OnePlus has since discontinued the older OnePlus 3 in most markets, and is now selling just the 3T. However, that isn’t the case in India, where both the OnePlus 3 and 3T are up for sale on Amazon, OnePlus’ exclusive sales partner in the country.

The OnePlus 3 is available for its launch price of ₹27,999 ($410), with the newer OnePlus 3T debuting for ₹29,999 ($440). The OnePlus 3 is sold in Graphite and Soft Gold color options, and the OnePlus 3T is available in a Gunmetal variant along with the Soft Gold option. Below are the major differences.

Newer hardware, same software

Visually, the OnePlus 3T is identical to the OnePlus 3. The OnePlus 3 didn’t break new ground with its minimalist aluminum design, but it set the bar for other mid-range phones thanks to its execution.

The craftsmanship and premium design made the OnePlus 3 stand out in this segment, and the same holds true for the OnePlus 3T. If anything, the gunmetal color option makes the phone look even more gorgeous.

Along with hardware similarities, both phones are on the same update cadence, and run the same version of OxygenOS. Both devices have picked up the Nougat update, and the user interface is clean and devoid of any bloat.

You do get a lot of customizability in the form of gestures, a system-wide dark mode, and other additions, but for the most part, OxygenOS is uncluttered and a lot of fun to use.

Similar camera, larger battery

The back camera is the same on both the OnePlus 3 and 3T, but it’s the front camera where you’ll notice a difference between the two devices. The OnePlus 3T has a 16MP sensor up front, an upgrade from the 8MP unit on the OnePlus 3. Photos from the rear camera are identical on both devices, and although the front camera is of a higher resolution on the OnePlus 3T, it doesn’t lead to better photos.

OnePlus 3 on the left, OnePlus 3T on the right.

The 3400mAh battery on the OnePlus 3T is 13% larger than the 3000mAh unit on the OnePlus 3, and it makes a difference in day-to-day usage. There were times when the battery life on the OnePlus 3 was flaky, but the OnePlus 3T lasted a day consistently without fail.

In situations where you need to top up the phone quickly, you can turn to Dash Charge. OnePlus’s proprietary charging tech is amazing, offering ridiculously-fast charging times. The only drawback is that you need to carry the OnePlus charger to use it.

Dash Charge offloads a bulk of the charging circuitry to the charger, and as a result you won’t get lightning-quick charging speeds without it. That said, you can it to rejuvenate your other devices around the house, since it’s backwards compatible with regular USB charging standards.

Which should you buy? OnePlus 3T

If you’re looking to buy a OnePlus phone, it’s an easy choice: just get the OnePlus 3T. The OnePlus 3 turned out to be one of the best mid-range phones of 2016, and the updates to the OnePlus 3T make it an even more compelling device.

For under ₹30,000, there isn’t a handset available today that offers as much as the OnePlus 3T. The 128GB variant is costlier at ₹34,999, and if you’re one to store a lot of media locally, the higher-storage variant is a better option considering the phone doesn’t have a microSD slot. Either way, you’re buying the best mid-range phone available in the market today.

See at Amazon

OnePlus 3T and OnePlus 3

• OnePlus 3T review: Rekindling a love story
• OnePlus 3T vs. OnePlus 3: What’s the difference?
• OnePlus 3T specs
• Latest OnePlus 3 news
• Discuss OnePlus 3T and 3 in the forums

OnePlus
Amazon

NYPD will equip all officers with body cameras by late 2019

New York City started trying police body cameras years ago, but it hasn’t had a formal agreement to roll them out across the entire force. It’s not for lack of trying, though — the city and the officers’ union have been locked in contract negotiations for ages. An agreement is finally in place, however. As part of a new contract, the NYPD will equip every officer with a body camera by the end of 2019. When there are over 34,000 officers patrolling the streets, this could easily be one of the most ambitious body camera projects to date.

As elsewhere, the move should theoretically improve police accountability by showing what really happened. Of course, theory and practice are two different things. Police in other cities have been accused of deleting or editing footage to cover up excessive uses of force, and the NYPD itself hasn’t been above manipulating articles to downplay brutality incidents. Body cameras will only be truly effective if the department makes sure that those cameras stay in use regardless of what happens in the line of duty.

Commissioner O’Neill and I are announcing that by the end of calendar year 2019, all NYPD patrol officers will be wearing body-worn cameras. pic.twitter.com/1jk8W30Uk5

— Bill de Blasio (@NYCMayor) January 31, 2017

Source: Bill de Blasio (Twitter)

Apple Considering Legal Options Against Immigration Executive Order

Apple is considering legal action to pressure the Trump administration into rescinding its executive order on immigration, Tim Cook told The Wall Street Journal in a new interview. The news comes days after Microsoft, Amazon and other companies pledged declarations of support for Washington state’s legal fight against the executive order.

The order, signed last Friday, suspends entry of all refugees to the United States for 120 days, bans Syrian refugees for an indefinite amount of time and blocks citizens of 7 countries from entering the U.S. for 90 days. On Saturday, Cook sent an email to all Apple employees saying that the order “is not a policy we support,” and that Apple’s HR, Legal and Security teams were contacting employees who were affected.

Cook says hundreds of employees have been affected by the order and that he’s been contacting “very, very senior people in the White House” to tell them that rescinding the order is not only important for Apple, but because the U.S.’ strength comes from its immigrant background.

“More than any country in the world, this country is strong because of our immigrant background and our capacity and ability as people to welcome people from all kinds of backgrounds. That’s what makes us special,” said Mr. Cook. “We ought to pause and really think deeply through that.”

Numerous Apple employees have contacted Cook with “heart-wrenching stories” about how the ban will affect them, he says. One employee, according to the WSJ, is expecting a child and is afraid the future grandparents, which have Canadian and Iranian citizenship, wouldn’t be able to meet their grandchild.

Apple is still considering its legal options and Cook declined to elaborate on the possibilities, but did note the company wants to be both “productive” and “constructive” in its response. Opposing the order, Cook says, was a simple decision since Apple selling its devices in more than 180 countries makes it important for it to “look like the world.” Finally, Cook says that part of the reason Apple opposes the order is because it would not exist if the Syrian immigrant father of Steve Jobs did not have the opportunity to come to the U.S.

Last week, Cook spent a week in Washington, where he met with Utah senator Orrin Hatch to discuss the economy and tech industry and had dinner with Ivanka Trump and her husband Jared Kushner, one of President Trump’s closest advisers.

Outside of legal action, Apple employees have been increasing their donations to refugee relief funds, with Apple matching donations 2-to-1. The move comes as other tech companies find alternative methods to opposing the order, including Airbnb providing free housing to immigrants displaced by the order and more than 2,000 Google employees around the world staging a walkout.

Note: Due to the political nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Politics, Religion, Social Issues forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.

Tags: Tim Cook, Immigration
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