European Commission Made ‘Fundamental Errors’ in Irish Tax Ruling, Says Apple

Apple has claimed that the European Commission made “fundamental errors” when it ruled last year that the company owed Ireland 13 billion euros ($13.7 billion) in unpaid taxes plus interest.

Apple appealed the commission’s decision in December, but on Monday the company published a piece in the Official Journal of the European Union detailing 14 pleas in law to support its action, according to The Irish Times.

The European Commission argues that Irish revenue commissioners gave Apple unfair advantage between 1991 and 2007 by allowing the company to move income from the European market through two “non-resident” head office subsidiaries based in Ireland.

Apple and the Irish government, which has also appealed the commission’s decision, argue that the bulk of those profits are due in the U.S.

“The Commission made fundamental errors by failing to recognize that the applicants’ profit-driving activities, in particular the development and commercialization of the intellectual property (Apple IP), were controlled and managed in the United States,” Apple said, according to the Official Journal. “The profits from those activities are attributable to the United States, not Ireland.”

Apple maintained that the commission had “failed to recognize that the Irish branches carried out only routine functions and were not involved in the development and commercialization of Apple IP, which drove profits”.

Cupertino also said that the commission failed to conduct a diligent and impartial investigation, and “exceeded its competence” as it relates to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, by “attempting to redesign Ireland’s corporate tax system”.

Apple CEO Tim Cook has called the EC’s ruling “total political crap” and described the lower end 0.005% tax rate Apple is accused of paying as a “false number”. The Apple CEO believes that the decision will be reversed.

Appeals by Apple and the Irish government have been made to the European Union’s General Court, where proceedings may take up to two years to complete, after which the case is likely to go all the way to the European Court of Justice.

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: corporate tax, European Commission, Europe, Ireland
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Overcast 3 Update Brings Redesigned UI to Podcast Player App

Popular podcast player Overcast has reached its long-awaited third iteration on the iOS App Store, with improvements to episode management and a slew of other UI enhancements.

Designed by Instapaper developer Marco Arment, Overcast 3’s most obvious change is that it adopts the design language of iOS 10, such as the use of stacked views which Apple introduced in Apple Music, so screens including Now Playing, settings, downloads, and recommendations, now appear as stacks that slide up from the bottom of the interface. There’s also a redesigned Now Playing view, in which users swipe right to adjust audio settings, and swipe left to view episode information.

A new episode action tray features in the app, grouping actions that were previously hidden behind swipe gestures or other menus. Tapping an episode in a list now displays buttons to share, star, play, add to queue, and delete the selected podcast episode.

Elsewhere, Peek and Pop 3D Touch gestures are now supported in episode list screens, allowing users to quickly preview episode contents and access play and delete shortcuts in the by sliding up the Peek card. An Overcast 3 widget for the home screen has also been developed, which allows users to see what’s playing, resume playback, and see upcoming episodes in their Up Next queue.

Also included in Overcast 3 is a redesign of its Apple Watch component, with the ability to view upcoming episodes from the wrist.

Overcast 3 is available as a free ad-supported app, while an optional $9.99 in-app purchase gets users a premium ad-free version. Overcast 3 is available for iPhone and iPad from the App Store. [Direct Link]
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Upcoming OLED iPhone Will Include ‘Revolutionary’ Front Camera With 3D Sensing Abilities

The upcoming OLED model of the 2017 iPhone 8 will gain a “revolutionary” front-facing camera system that consists of three modules and have fully-featured 3D sensing capabilities, according to new predictions shared by KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. The upgraded camera system will be fueled by PrimeSense algorithms, which Apple acquired in 2013.

The three modules include an existing front camera module of current iPhone models, an infrared transmitting module, and an infrared receiving module. Using these advancements, the camera will be able to find the location and depth of objects placed in front of it, “with potential applications including facial and iris recognition.”

The camera will function by merging the depth information captured by the IR transmitting and receiving modules with the traditional 2D images captured by the front camera. This not only could be used for the iPhone 8’s long-rumored iris recognition feature, but even in some gaming applications — and future AR/VR experiences — where users could place their own 3D-scanned face in the game using a quick selfie.

Related Roundup: iPhone 8 (2017)
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Real-life Moto G5 photos confirm metal back and Android 7.0 Nougat

Just a day after official promotional listings for the Motorola Moto G5 and G5 Plus leaked online, we’ve now been given our first proper look at what the incoming mid-ranger will look like. We’ve already seen alleged real life photos of the G5 Plus, so now it’s the turn of its smaller sibling. DuduRochaTec.com has been obtained exlusive photos of the Moto G5 from a source that has already got their hands on one.

• Motorola Moto G5 and G5 Plus: Release date, specs and rumour

Dudu Rocha

The photos show the G5 with a metal backplate, which has been confirmed to be removable, as well as the battery, and the rumours of a 5in screen appear to be true too. The front of the phone shows the Moto G5 will get a fingerprint scanner, a feature previously reserved for the more premium G4 Plus, along with virtual buttons to the left and right of the sensor to perform back and multitasking functions.  

• Mobile World Congress 2017: Nokia, Sony, Huawei, smartphones and more

A screenshot also shows the Moto G5 will come running Android 7.0 Nougat. Motorola has already started rolling out Android Nougat to the Moto G4 and G4 Plus.

Dudu Rocha

Motorola will officially unveil the new G5 and G5 Plus smartphones at Mobile World Congress this weekend on the 26 February. The G5 Plus should receive enhanced specs over the G5, including a 5.2-inch display, 2GHz Snapdragon 625 processor compared to a 1.4GHz Snapdragon 430 on the G5. The G5 Plus should also get a 12-megapixel camera with dual autofocus pixels while the G5 will get a 13MP camera with a phase-detect autofocus sensor.

This Disney-designed room will start charging your phone as soon as you enter

Why it matters to you

Disney Research takes us another step toward the day when we’ll no longer have to think about charging our devices. It’ll just happen.

While talk of Apple developing wireless technology that’ll charge your iPhone as it sits in your pocket is merely rumor at this stage, Disney Research has just unveiled the real deal in the form of an entire room capable of charging every compatible gadget that happens to be inside it.

As the team points out, current solutions are limited to resting a mobile device on a charging pad and so fail to provide the physical freedom for the kind of charging we’d all like to have.

“What we really want is a three-dimensional charging experience where you walk into your living room or office and your cell phone is charged simply by walking in,” said Alanson Sample, one of the researchers who worked on the system.

Its ubiquitous wireless power delivery can, in the team’s own words, “enable purpose-built structures, such as cabinets, rooms, and warehouses, to generate quasistatic magnetic fields that safely deliver kilowatts of power to mobile receivers contained nearly anywhere within.”

The team’s approach, laid out in detail here, enables the delivery of 1900 watts of energy throughout the room, with an efficiency of 40 to 95 percent depending on the location of the chargeable device.

The main hitch, however, is that the actual room in which the technology is housed is currently an integral part of the design. In other words, in the tech’s current form, you’d have to build a room according to a specific design to make it work.

So the walls, floor, and ceiling comprise aluminum panels, while in the center you’ll find a floor-to-ceiling copper pipe that resembles an exercise pole.

Inside the pipe, about halfway down, are 15 capacitors that set the electromagentic frequency of the structure and confine the electric fields. The setup also uses a signal generator, a power amplifier, and a drive coil that couples power to the room.

“The current travels through the pole, ceiling, walls, and floor, which generates a magnetic field, circulating around the pole. By coupling a coil receiver to the magnetic field, power can be provided nearly anywhere in the room,” the team explains in the video above, adding that the “inclusion of doors, windows, and furniture does not significantly impact power transfer.”

But would such a system adversely affect human health? Disney Research’s Matt Chabalko said its technology meets federal safety guidelines, which means “it’s completely safe for people to occupy the space for any amount of time.”

More: 15 great wireless chargers to free yourself from cables

The technology is currently a proof-of-concept, so there’s no telling when we might see Disney’s technology taken to the next level. However, the team is currently working to refine the system with the aim of doing away with specially made rooms and improving its efficiency.

With electrical pioneer Nikola Tesla achieving groundbreaking work in the field of wireless power more than 100 years ago, progress has seemingly been slow. That’s why Disney Research hopes it can be the one to finally deliver free-roaming wireless charging to the masses.

This Disney-designed room will start charging your phone as soon as you enter

Why it matters to you

Disney Research takes us another step toward the day when we’ll no longer have to think about charging our devices. It’ll just happen.

While talk of Apple developing wireless technology that’ll charge your iPhone as it sits in your pocket is merely rumor at this stage, Disney Research has just unveiled the real deal in the form of an entire room capable of charging every compatible gadget that happens to be inside it.

As the team points out, current solutions are limited to resting a mobile device on a charging pad and so fail to provide the physical freedom for the kind of charging we’d all like to have.

“What we really want is a three-dimensional charging experience where you walk into your living room or office and your cell phone is charged simply by walking in,” said Alanson Sample, one of the researchers who worked on the system.

Its ubiquitous wireless power delivery can, in the team’s own words, “enable purpose-built structures, such as cabinets, rooms, and warehouses, to generate quasistatic magnetic fields that safely deliver kilowatts of power to mobile receivers contained nearly anywhere within.”

The team’s approach, laid out in detail here, enables the delivery of 1900 watts of energy throughout the room, with an efficiency of 40 to 95 percent depending on the location of the chargeable device.

The main hitch, however, is that the actual room in which the technology is housed is currently an integral part of the design. In other words, in the tech’s current form, you’d have to build a room according to a specific design to make it work.

So the walls, floor, and ceiling comprise aluminum panels, while in the center you’ll find a floor-to-ceiling copper pipe that resembles an exercise pole.

Inside the pipe, about halfway down, are 15 capacitors that set the electromagentic frequency of the structure and confine the electric fields. The setup also uses a signal generator, a power amplifier, and a drive coil that couples power to the room.

“The current travels through the pole, ceiling, walls, and floor, which generates a magnetic field, circulating around the pole. By coupling a coil receiver to the magnetic field, power can be provided nearly anywhere in the room,” the team explains in the video above, adding that the “inclusion of doors, windows, and furniture does not significantly impact power transfer.”

But would such a system adversely affect human health? Disney Research’s Matt Chabalko said its technology meets federal safety guidelines, which means “it’s completely safe for people to occupy the space for any amount of time.”

More: 15 great wireless chargers to free yourself from cables

The technology is currently a proof-of-concept, so there’s no telling when we might see Disney’s technology taken to the next level. However, the team is currently working to refine the system with the aim of doing away with specially made rooms and improving its efficiency.

With electrical pioneer Nikola Tesla achieving groundbreaking work in the field of wireless power more than 100 years ago, progress has seemingly been slow. That’s why Disney Research hopes it can be the one to finally deliver free-roaming wireless charging to the masses.

Facebook Messenger gets international money transfers via TransferWise bot

Facebook now lets you transfer money overseas directly from within Messenger. The feature comes courtesy of a new chatbot developed by London-based startup TransferWise.

At present the bot permits TransferWise customers to send money to and from the United States, Britain, Europe, Canada, and Australia, reports Reuters. Facebook introduced domestic transfers via Messenger in 2015, but the TransferWise international option is a first for the popular messaging platform, according to the company.

More: Send money without ever leaving your chat with PayPal’s new Slack bot

As is the norm for chatbots, the TransferWise system provides its services in a conversational manner, which adapts to your input — for example, if you get stuck, it will offer assistance. Users can also set up exchange rate alerts for as many currencies as they wish: the bot will then send you an update every morning and evening. Messenger users can access the bot by searching for it via the app.

“Our mission at TransferWise is to bring faster, cheaper, and more convenient international money transfers to everyone in the world. Building the TransferWise bot for Messenger is a great step in that direction,” said Scott Miller, head of global partnerships, TransferWise.

Launched in 2011, TransferWise promises lower fees than banks and traditional services on overseas transfers due to its novel process. Its approach does not actually involve transferring money internationally — instead it pairs you up with an identical payment from the country you’re in. Therefore, your money never actually goes abroad, it’s just redirected to someone who’s being transferred a similar amount by someone overseas.

The company now includes customers in more than 50 countries that send almost $1 billion through its service every month. It also counts two Facebook board members — PayPal co-founder Peter Thiel and venture capitalist Marc Andreessen — among its investors, along with Virgin Group founder Sir Richard Branson.

The TransferWise Messenger chatbot was built using the company’s application programming interface (API). TransferWise is hoping to eventually bring the feature to more messaging apps, and to add more countries to its money transfers list for Messenger.

“[The bot is] also a powerful example of how our API can be used to seamlessly integrate TransferWise into almost any messaging, bank, or business payment system,” added Miller.

Refurbished Galaxy Note 7 could be heading to India and Vietnam

Samsung isn’t done with the Galaxy Note 7 just yet.

Samsung announced the findings of its Galaxy Note 7 investigation last month, detailing that two separate battery issues were to blame for the device catching on fire. With Samsung now recovering most of the Note 7 units sold worldwide, it looked like the device’s troubled tale has reached its conclusion.

However, a new report out of Korea suggests that Samsung is looking to sell refurbished units of the Galaxy Note 7 in India and Vietnam as a way to recoup some of its losses. Samsung has recovered 98% of Note 7 devices sold globally, and used 200,000 devices to conduct battery tests, leaving the company with 2.5 million units in its inventory. Instead of disposing the devices, Samsung will fit smaller batteries in the range of 3000mAh to 3200mAh, and sell them in emerging markets.

The Hankyung report states that Samsung will finish refurbishing the devices by May, with sales set to kick off by June. The company will reuse the core components, but is said to be designing a new case for the device. By reintroducing the Galaxy Note 7 in select markets, Samsung will also be looking to work around the environmental issues involved in the disposal of 2.5 million handsets.

It is unlikely that Samsung will be able to bring the Note 7 back to the U.S. or European markets following its ban, but the device wasn’t officially sold in India, and as such the company will have an easier time marketing the device in the country. A June timeframe also means that the device would compete with the Galaxy S8 in these markets, although Samsung will undoubtedly introduce the Note 7 at a lower price point.

Although Samsung is looking to recover some of its losses, a move to re-introduce the device may not be the wisest of decisions considering the Note 7 name is caustic at this point. That said, it is likely Samsung would rebrand the device in these markets. What do you guys think of the decision? Would you be interested in buying a refurbished Galaxy Note 7?

Samsung Galaxy Note 7

• Galaxy Note 7 fires, recall and cancellation: Everything you need to know
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• Join the Note 7 discussion in the forums!

All-new Amazon Fire TV Stick with Alexa Voice Remote now on pre-order for £40

Amazon is bringing the refreshed Fire TV Stick to the UK and it is available for pre-order from Amazon.co.uk now.

Launched in the US at the tail end of last year, the new version of the Stick has a quad-core processor, so is lightning quick in operation. It also has more stable, stronger 802.11ac Wi-Fi, the new Fire TV user interface and comes bundled with an Alexa Voice Remote.

The remote not only enables you to search using speech, it will also add full Alexa functionality from launch. Tap the microphone button, speak into the remote and you can do almost everything an Amazon Echo can do through your TV.

• You can pre-order the all-new Amazon Fire TV Stick with Alexa Voice Remote for £39.99 on Amazon.co.uk here
• US customers can buy the new Amazon Fore TV Stick for $39.99 from Amazon.com here

Amazon told Pocket-lint that the same functionality will be coming to the existing 4K Fire TV too.

The new Fire TV Stick looks similar to the last, with a HDMI jack at one end and a small USB power socket. It plugs into a spare HDMI port on the back of a TV and can be hidden from view as the remote does not require line of sight.

• Amazon Fire TV Stick (2017) preview: Alexa on TV for £40

It offers thousands of apps, including Netflix, BBC iPlayer, ITV Hub, All 4 and Demand 5, as well as all of Amazon’s own streamed video content. It is 1080p only, not 4K – for that you’ll need the set-top-box – and will ship from 6 April.

Sonos Playbase listing leaks online, expected in March for $699

A listing for a Sonos Playbase has appeared on American retail site B&H Photo, saying it’s coming soon and will cost $699. Twitter user Jon Maddox has also shared some alleged images of the new Sonos product.

New Sonos Playbase pic.twitter.com/udu18n03lx

— Jon Maddox (@maddox) 20 February 2017

The Playbase is expected to function in a similar way to the Playbar. Given it’s name, it will be a soundbase, which is something that your TV sits on if space is a premium. It will then perform like a soundbar by improving your TV’s sound.

And of course, being a Sonos product, it will no doubt be able to connect to other Sonos speakers you may have around your home as part of a multi-room music system.

The Sonos Playbase has listings for both black and white colour finishes, and a deleted Sonos forum post asks whether the Playbar will eventually be released in white as well. Some official FCC listings also refer to a new Sonos product with model numbers ZPS11/RM011/S11. While the listings don’t refer to the PlayBase exactly, they do at least confirm a new Sonos product is on the way.

Jon Maddox

The PlayBase will likely feature the same connections as the PlayBar: ethernet and optical, but no HDMI.

• Alexa voice control coming to all existing Sonos speakers, soon
• Massive Sonos Brexit price hike coming: Buy you Playbar, Sub and speakers before it arrives 

It’s also thought the Playbase will support Alexa voice integration, most likely via a software update later in the year. Sonos has recently announced it will be adding Alexa compatibility to all existing Sonos speakers provided you have an Echo or Echo Dot as well. The company has said Alexa won’t require you to say “on Sonos” at the end of each command by the time the software update rolls out.