Apple Purchases iCloud.Net Domain, Shuts Down ‘iCloud Social Network’ Site

Apple recently purchased the iCloud.net domain, one of the last major iCloud-related web addresses that wasn’t in its possession, reports TechCrunch.

The iCloud.net domain, which now appears to be registered to Apple, was the home of the “iCloud Social Network,” a dubious-looking social networking platform designed to allow people to share activities, pictures, music, videos, and other content.

It’s not clear how many users iCloud.net had before Apple purchased the domain, but the site now states that the iCloud.net services will be shut down at the end of February 2017, and data will be destroyed in March. It has apparently existed since 2011, and in a blog post, the site’s owner said “iCloud.net finished his mission, it is time for him to retire.”

MacRumors received a tip suggesting Apple had purchased the domain for $1.5 million, but we have been unable to verify the information. The price Apple paid for iCloud.net is unknown and the company declined to comment on the purchase when contacted by TechCrunch.

Back in 2011, ahead of the launch of the iCloud service, Apple purchased the iCloud.com domain name from Swedish company Xcerion, shelling out approximately $5.2 million. Apple also possesses upwards of 100 iCloud domains, ranging from iCloud.us and iCloud.eu to iCloudApps.com and iCloudAds.com.

It’s not clear why Apple waited more than five years to acquire the iCloud.net domain, and it likely was just done as a measure to make sure the company owned all of the iCloud-related domains, but TechCrunch speculates that the purchase may have been made due to ongoing work on a social networking app that Apple is rumored to have in development.

While the rumored app may not use iCloud branding, the existence of an Apple social network could have been confused with an iCloud.net social network, an ambiguity Apple may have wanted to resolve with the purchase of the iCloud.net domain.

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Sound science: Ecologists use drones to document songbirds in tough terrain

Why it matters to you

Cataloging bird songs is one way to monitor changing avian ecosystems. Here is how drones can help.

From making possible cutting-edge aerial photography to the promise of being our future mailmen, drones are pretty darn versatile things.

But ecologists at Pennsylvania’s Gettysburg College are exploring a new use-case we’ve not personally come across before: The use of drones as bio-acoustic recording devices for helping survey bird populations. In a proof-of- concept demonstration, they utilized hanging recording equipment suspended 26 feet below drones to count birds at 51 different locations and compared the results with those of traditional, pre-drone methods for the same task.

In almost all cases, the drone performed as well as deploying trained ornithologists to do the surveying.

“The main impetus for this work is that counting birds by their calls and songs is a standard way of monitoring bird populations, which in turn are really important environmental indicators,” study co-author Andrew Wilson told Digital Trends. “It’s often really difficult or time-consuming to get everywhere we’d like to get to survey bird populations. The middle of dense forests, steep hillsides, rivers, large wetlands are all tough to navigate on foot, and yet are really important habitats for many species. We propose that accessing these areas using a drone would be much more efficient, and rather using the ornithologists ears to document bird song, we can take a recording and analyze it later.”

More: Like Shazam for songbirds, this app identifies birds by their tweet

The solution isn’t perfect in every instance, though. In addition to the perennial drone issue of battery life, in one case the researchers found that the sound of one particular bird species was drowned out by the drone. It’s also unknown whether birds subtly change their behavior in response to UAVs.

“We worry that drone noise might spook birds,” Wilson continued. “We know that it didn’t have a big effect on bird behavior, but we’ll be conducting more experiments to investigate that further. We think, and hope, that there’s enough of a demand for quieter drones that the technology will eventually get improved. We already know there are some startups who are looking at technological ways to reduce noise.”

Ultimately, until the technology improves, this may turn out to be more an “added extra” to complement trained ornithologists. But, hey, it’s another piece of evidence proving how versatile drone technology can be.

iPhone users spent double on entertainment apps in 2016 due to in-app purchases

Why it matters to you

In-app purchases and subscriptions have become a dependable revenue source for publishers, so don’t expect them to disappear from your favorite entertainment apps.

The App Store revenue numbers from 2016 are in, and while spending grew quite predictably for iPhone users in the United States, the latest information does boast some surprising developments according to analytics firm Sensor Tower. Notably, while games continue to account for more than 80 percent of app sales and sales of in-app purchases, the Entertainment category observed a year-over-year increase of 130 percent.

More: Apple made a record-smashing $240M from the App Store on New Year’s Day alone

To gather the data, Sensor Tower surveyed 132 million active iPhones. Entertainment apps, which comprise the likes of Netflix, Hulu, and HBO Now, saw users spend an average $2.30 in 2016, up from $1 in 2015. While this may seem like small potatoes compared to the $27 dropped on games last year, it does demonstrate that publishers are finding success with in-app purchases. Sensor Tower notes that since Netflix began taking payment through the App Store in 2015, the revenue the streaming giant has generated via Apple’s storefront has risen from roughly $7.9 million in that first year to more than $58 million.

Sensor Tower

Entertainment’s growth was mirrored in just about every other category, though not quite to the same extent. Games’ $27 average was an increase from $25, Music rose to $3.60 from $3.40, Social Networking jumped from $1.80 to $2 and Photo and Video apps saw a 40-cent bump to $ 70 cents. In total, iPhone users spent an extra $5 on apps last year compared to 2015, for an average of $40, mostly due to in-app subscriptions from prominent apps like YouTube and Tinder.

Interestingly, while revenues climbed across the board, installs actually slid slightly. Sensor Tower says Social Networking apps were the hardest hit, as they received 2.3 installs on average last year, compared to 3.3 in 2015. Sensor Tower speculates in its report that some categories, such as Social Networking, see the majority of use coming from a few well-established apps, which in turn leaves little room for new contenders to break in. In other words, once iPhone owners already have the likes of Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat on their devices, they’re not seeking out more social media platforms.

Apple’s new MacBook Pro has an ultrathin keyboard that’s giving some users fits

Why it matters to you

If your MacBook Pro keyboard isn’t acting as expected, you’re not alone — and it might take you a few days to get yours fixed.

When Apple designed the 2016 MacBook Pro, it made the new machines thinner than ever. In fact, the company made them 17 percent thinner, creating a svelte and light frame that fits better in the hand and the backpack.

At the same time, the reduction in thickness forced some compromises, most notably in terms of smaller batteries, fewer ports with no legacy support, and the use of a second-generation version of the ultrathin keyboard first introduced with the diminutive MacBook. Apparently, the new keyboard is causing some real problems for users, and not only in terms of what it feels like when typing, as MacRumors reports.

More: Apple’s MacBook Pro is too thin, and HP can prove it

Judging by some recent accounts, the decision to do away with the old-school and highly regarded MacBook Pro keyboard, with its superior travel ability and arguably better overall experience, has resulted in some reliability issues as well. It appears that the new key mechanism, with its second-gen butterfly design, has some issues, including keys that don’t work, high-pitched noises, and a lack of uniformity.

These accounts are showing up in Apple’s Support community, as well as MacRumors’ own site. The following video provides an example of how some keys cause an unintentional high-pitched clicking noise that seems to occur when the MacBook Pro is running a bit warm.

According to one MacRumors user, monstermac77, “Within a few hours of using my Late 2016 MacBook Pro 15 with Touch Bar, I noticed some of my keys made a very high-pitched click on-key-up (when I lifted my finger from the pressed down key). The affected keys: Caps Lock, left Option, and very occasionally: Delete, ‘H,’ and ‘C.’”

From inconsistent spring between keys, to keys that don’t respond or that generate multiple inputs per key press, the problems appear to be widespread and varied. They also seem to be occurring more on the 15-inch MacBook Pro but have been reported on all versions.

Taking an affected machine to an Apple authorized service provider is the natural response, but MacRumors reminds everyone that replacing the keyboards in the new, thin machines can take a few days and is not as simple a process as it once was. Therefore, if you have a 2016 MacBook Pro that needs a new keyboard, make sure you can manage without it for a bit before you take it in for service.

BenQ America’s 27-inch desktop monitor is built for video post-production work

Why it matters to you

Here is a great desktop monitor for photographers and video editors who want precise color correction certified by Technicolor.

On Tuesday, BenQ America released a new 27-inch display targeting photographers and video editors. Dubbed the BenQ PV270, this new panel comes with a hood and a native resolution of 2,560 x 1,440 for a reliable editing experience. It’s also Technicolor Color Certified, meaning the desktop monitor meets the strict standards imposed on Hollywood for consistent, accurate colors.

Here are the hardware specs of BenQ’s new display:

Size:
27 inches
Panel type:
IPS
Max resolution:
2,560 x 1,440
Aspect ratio:
16:9
Pixel pitch:
0.233mm
Brightness:
250 nits
Native contrast ratio:
1,000:1
Viewing angles:
178 degrees (H) / 178 degrees (V)
Response time:
5ms gray to gray
Color amount:
1.07 billion
Supported color spaces:
100 percent Rec. 709/sRGB
99 percent AdobeRGB
96 percent DCI-P3
Color bit:
10 bits
Ports:
1x SD card reader
1x DVI
3x USB 3.0 (2x down, 1x up)
1x HDMI 1.4
1x DisplayPort 1.2
1x Ethernet

Ideal for video post-production, BenQ’s new panel includes a “brightness uniformity” feature that relies on what the company labels as a “high-precision apparatus” that fine-tunes hundreds of sub-sections embedded in the screen. It also includes a backlight sensor that adjusts the brightness level according to the environment, and hardware-based color calibration so users can change the built-in image processing chip’s settings without having to swap out graphics cards in the PC.

“With the 14-bit 3D Look Up Table (LUT), monitors can display the most accurate color mixture,” the product page states. “14-bit 3D LUT improves RGB color blending accuracy, resulting in impeccable color and gray tone reproduction.”

More: BenQ introduces another monitor aimed at creative professionals

Other features crammed into the PV270 consist of GamutDuo for viewing multiple videos side-by-side simultaneously that use different color spaces, and a built-in color sensor that automatically adjusts the colors to match the current ambient lighting, complementing the automatic brightness feature. The panel is even capable of 24p video content playback at 72Hz, which is a video format with progressive scanning operating at 24 frames per second.

As for the panel type listed in the specs, IPS is short for In-Plane Switching. It’s newer technology than the previous highly used Twisted Nematic (TN) tech, offering richer colors and wide viewing angles than the older panel tech. TN-based displays are ideal for gamers because of their high brightness and fast response times. Thus, because BenQ is targeting photographers and video content with the PV270 display, naturally the company chose the color-rich tech while throwing in a cover to block out the surrounding ambient light in the process.

Here are several other features packed into the new display:

• Touch Control Key
• Eye Protect Sensor
• Eco Sensor
• Black Level Adjustment
• ZeroFlicker Technology
• HDCP 1.4 support
• Picture in Picture support
• Nine Preset Modes

BenQ’s PV270 desktop monitor for Windows and MacOS PCs can be purchased for $900 through BenQ and participating retailers and distributors.

Patch Tuesday may have been delayed, but Windows still has an update for you

Why it matters to you

Patch Tuesday may have been delayed for a month, but Windows still released a security update for Flash that users will want to take advantage of.

Microsoft’s Patch Tuesday, which is when the company issues its security and bug fix updates for Windows machines, has historically been the second Tuesday of the month. That’s slowly changing with Windows 10, but for now, Patch Tuesday remains pretty entrenched.

That’s why Microsoft’s decision to skip February 2017’s Patch Tuesday and delay its updates for an entire month was particularly striking. It’s definitely an unusual occurrence, but it now appears that the company isn’t completely withholding all Windows updates, as Betanews reports.

More: Stop refreshing Windows Update! Microsoft’s February 2017 Patch Tuesday is canceled

Starting Tuesday, Microsoft is going to release some security updates aimed at patching some issues with Adobe Flash Player. The information comes from an email that the company sent to its largest enterprise customers, which read:

“Microsoft is planning to release security updates for Adobe Flash Player. These updates will be offered to the following operating systems: Windows 8.1, Windows Server 2012, Windows Server 2012 R2, Windows RT 8.1, Windows 10, and Windows Server 2016. No other security updates are scheduled for release until the next scheduled monthly update release on March 14, 2017.”

It’s unknown precisely what Microsoft is fixing in the Flash updates, or why it chose to release these bug fixes and not some of the others included in the February 2017 Patch Tuesday package. At least one issue, an SMB crashing bug, was considered a priority by many users, and an unresolved security problem was recently publicized by Google as part of its Project Zero, which publishes zero-day bugs 90 days after Google lets a developer know the bug exists.

Don’t be surprised, then, if you check for updates on your Windows machine and find one waiting for you. You’ll still be waiting until March for the complete Patch Tuesday fix, but in the meantime, you should go ahead and run the update to make sure that your Adobe Flash Player software is secure.

This camera that sees in real time could mean safer driverless cars and drones

Why it matters to you

This faster camera doesn’t mean better pictures — it means driverless cars and drones with better reaction times.

Driverless cars, drones, and other unmanned vehicles can only react to potential hazards if they “see” them fast enough. A team from Nanyang Technological University in Singapore recently developed a camera called Celex with enough of a speed boost to see in real time.

Conventional video cameras record as many as a few hundred images per second, strung together to create a video. While cameras are getting faster, current options are limited based on how quickly the computer can make sense of all that data and process that many large files. Essentially, the camera sees the information, but the computer inside cannot process it fast enough.

More: Backup cameras are so 2015 — cars of the future will sport at least three cameras

The research group from NTU developed a camera that records those changes in light in nanoseconds, instead of traditional frames, allowing the system to adjust to light changes faster than a typical camera. Instead of taking a large number of photos per second to create a video feed, Celex instead doesn’t concentrate on an entire image, but only reads the changes between the previous view at each pixel. Since the camera is only processing changes instead of an entire image, the speed of the camera is dramatically increased.

The camera also uses a built-in computer to analyze what is in the foreground, or what is close to the camera, and what is in the background. This optical flow computation helps the system determine what is part of the moving scenery and what is actually moving on its own toward a potential collision path.

The research team, led by assistant professor Chen Shoushun, says the camera system is also better than traditional options for night driving, as well as driving in bad weather, because of the onboard circuit that processes all the data. “Our new camera can be a great safety tool for autonomous vehicles, since it can see very far ahead like optical cameras but without the time lag needed to analyze and process the video feed,” Shoushun said. “With its continuous tracking feature and instant analysis of a scene, it complements existing optical and laser cameras and can help self-driving vehicles and drones avoid unexpected collisions that usually happen within seconds.”

Of course, since the camera focuses only on changes to keep file sizes small, the technology isn’t something that will eventually wind up in consumer cameras. But the enhanced speed could help increase safety in applications where the camera serves as a pair of eyes and not as an artistic tool, like in driverless cars and drones.

Work on Celex started in 2009 and the group launched a startup based on the technology. According to the researchers, the system, now in its final prototype stage, could hit the market before the end of 2017.

Never lose your phone or wallet again with the Tile Slim 4-pack ($78 on Amazon)

Do you have trouble keeping track of your stuff? While misplacing an item can be an annoyance, as well as a significant expense if you can’t find the item, a lost wallet or device can ruin much more than just your day if your personal information ends up in the wrong hands. If you’re looking for a way to ensure that your valuables stay within reach, then Tile has you covered with its line of low-profile Bluetooth trackers. For a short time, you can get a Tile Slim 4-pack of item finders for just $78 on Amazon.

The Tile Slim is as thin as two stacked credit cards, and can easily slip into your wallet, phone case, or bag. Using the available adhesives, you can stick the Tile directly to the surface of your device. When it’s within range of your smartphone, you can use the phone to find the Tile by remotely activating one of four preset ringtones, or pressing a button on the Tile to make your smartphone ring so you can locate it even when it’s in silent mode.

More: Need a new computer? Acer Aspire E5-575-33BM laptop just $350 on Amazon

The free Tile app for iOS and Android keeps track of your devices by remembering the last location and time that your Slim was detected, so that if something goes missing, you know right where to start looking. If the object is not where it was, then the large network of Tile users can help you track your stuff down. Once an item is marked as lost, every other Tile user’s tracker is automatically enlisted to search for your missing property, and will notify you immediately when it is located.

A single Tile Slim costs $25-30, while a four pack typically goes for $100 at most retailers, but for a short time you can score a Tile Slim 4-pack for just $78 on Amazon. For just $5 more, you can get a Tile Slim 4-pack with included adhesives if you want to attach the trackers directly to your devices.

$78 on Amazon

This sea snake bot looks like it escaped from a sci-fi nightmare, but it’s actually here to help

Why it matters to you

This slightly terrifying underwater snake robot will one day repair vital pipelines and oil rigs.

The tagline to 1978’s Jaws 2 is, “Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water!”

It’s a strapline that could equally be adopted by the makers of Eelume, a snake-like robot designed to live underwater and repair undersea infrastructure, such as pipelines and oil rigs. And, no doubt, to terrify the occasional diver, too!

Having last year released footage of the Eelume robot avoiding obstacles in a testing tank, its creators have now unleashed new footage showing it being put through its paces in its first ocean trials in Trondheimsfjorden, Norway’s third-longest fjord, stretching a massive 130 kilometers.

More: This creepy snake-like robot is designed to fix equipment on the ocean floor

“This video shows the world’s first underwater snake-like robot,” Arne Kjørsvik, CEO of Eelume AS, told Digital Trends. “We have demonstrated the robot down as far as 150 meters below water here in Trondheimsfjorden in Norway, in a test facility close to our headquarters. In the video, you can see how easily this vehicle maneuvers around structures and enters constrained areas.”

Currently Eelume is remote-controlled, although Kjørsvik said that the plan is next to implement autonomous capabilities so that it can essentially look after itself. To charge itself, the robot will use an underwater base station that it can return to between missions. “Eelume will ensure that that no surface vessel will be needed to do inspection, maintenance and repair tasks in the oil and gas industry,” Kjørsvik continued.

It’s not quite ready for prime time just yet, though.

“Our robot is at development stage at the moment, and it is not currently on the market,” Kjørsvik said. “Stay tuned to our website for more information about our current development status as we continue our development.”

In other words, you’ve got a few more months before the sea starts to get filled up with autonomous deep sea snake robots. Enjoy your beach time while you can!

Crazy new color-changing hair dye responds to shifts in temperature

Why it matters to you

Ever dreamed of having hair that can change color according to whether you’re in the outdoors or not? ‘Nuff said.

Remember Ramona Flowers from Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, and her constantly changing hair color?

How cool would it be to have hair that could also change from black to red to blue to blonde — only instead of requiring hours in the bathroom with industrial quantities of hair dye, your hair could transition from one color to another based on environmental factors?

That is what U.K.-based chemist Lauren Bowker created with her firm The Unseen’s “reactive fashion.” Bowker created various examples of color-change tech, but her latest hair dye concept — named Fire– really gets to the roots of the issue, so to speak.

More: High-tech shirts change their pattern and color in response to pollution or radiation

“Internally we have begun longevity testing to create a permanent dye alongside our semi permanent one and have coloured a number of successful samples both on and off the body, in various colours for various seasons and bodily temperatures,” Bowker said. “For examples, blue outdoors and blonde indoors, and a black to red dye which changes colour as the user warms up to highlight emotion or blushing through the hair.”

According to Bowker, the changes in color are triggered by alterations in temperature, which can be fine-tuned by the dye’s creators to minute fluctuations or longer, more gradual transitions.

In essence, the active part of the dye system is a complex-carbon based molecule which undergoes a reversible reaction with itself. Above a certain temperature, one of the molecule forms is more stable than the other, thereby producing a molecule with a slightly different absorption of light, and thereby a different color.

Enough with the chemistry, though — is it dangerous?

“Because of how we’ve formulated the dye, we’re confident there will be no damage to the scalp, and no significant effect on the hair fibers themselves,” Bowker said, describing the damage to hair as about the same as typical semi-permanent dyes. “That said, we still have work to do in optimizing the recipe, and assessing its toxicology before we commercialize.”