The Morning After: Friday, February 10 2017

Welcome to the end of the week. Read how the new FCC chairman is already making moves when it comes to net neutrality and cable TV reform, Samsung’s new (expensive) 4K TVs and how hundreds of thousands of artworks are free online, courtesy of the Met. Oh and the secret to dancing is that it’s all in the hips. Science says so.

Net neutrality, you in danger girl
A summary of Ajit Pai’s first two weeks as head of the FCC

The new FCC chairman has been quite busy. He’s allocated $170 million in federal funding to cable companies to build out broadband infrastructure in New York State, suppressed a project to reform the cable box market and decided to let mobile carriers keep “zero-rating” certain content.

CirrostratusThe future of STEM education is cloudy under Betsy DeVos

Senator Al Franken says that our newly-confirmed secretary of education “has a long history of dangerously anti-science views and has deep connections with anti-science organizations.” That background, plus a lack of experience, has many people concerned about the future of science education in the US.

Fakers gonna fake fake fake.
LG wins $168 million lawsuit against knockoff headphone makers

Last year LG filed a $200 million lawsuit against companies producing counterfeit versions of its wraparound Tone headsets. Now, the presiding judge has spoken. While the amount the company was awarded wasn’t as high as it asked for, $168 million for damages plus court costs and interest isn’t anything to sneeze at. LG says it will continue to pursue “those who choose to make and peddle counterfeits, knockoffs and look-alikes.”

Big, new 4K TVs don’t come cheap.
Samsung’s QLED 4K TVs will start at $2,500

Samsung is now taking pre-orders for its Q7 and Q8 sets, starting at $2,500 for thee 55-inch, non-curved model. In case that’s not big enough, you could shell out $6,000 for a 75-inch Q7 or $4,500 for the curved Q8. What’s missing from this list is the flagship Q9 panels, which Samsung still hasn’t revealed pricing for. Expect it to be more expensive.

So much high-res artwork.
Use 375,000 images from the Met however you want, for free

The Met has put up 375,000 public-domain artwork images online for free, unrestricted use. The new “Open Access” policy, based on Creative Commons Zero (CC0), means bloggers, schools and businesses alike can use them without even the need for attribution. “Increasing access to the Museum’s collection and scholarship serves the interests and needs of our 21st-century audiences,” said Met CEO Thomas P. Campbell

Buh-bye boxy wagons
Volvo melds technology and luxury in its XC90 T8 hybrid

You might buy a Volvo because you were practical and possibly a bit paranoid about other drivers slamming into you. But the Swedish automaker has been working hard to make its cars not only safe but also stylish and high-tech. That work has culminated in its hybrid XC90 T8 luxury SUV. Roberto Baldwin says it combines style, technology and safety into a package that you would have never expected from the Swedish automaker a few decades ago.

But wait, there’s more…

• Comcast told not to claim it has ‘America’s fastest internet’
• Science confirms what we already know: It’s all in the hips
• Head back to Liberty City: Xbox 360 ‘GTA IV’ is now playable on the Xbox One
• DeepMind is using games to test AI aggression and cooperation
• Appeals court denies Trump’s attempt to revive the travel ban

Sony’s $300 Ultra HD Blu-ray player will arrive in March

Last month we got our first look at 2017’s best electronics, in the next few months some of them will start hitting shelves, and in between, we’re getting pricing information. Sony’s taken the wraps off of details for much of its XBR TV lineup (with the exception of that high-end A1E OLED model), which all pack Android TV and Google Assistant for control of other smart home devices and multiroom audio. They’re also ready for all kinds of HDR, with support for HDR-10 out of the box, plus Hybrid Log-Gamma (HLG) and Dolby Vision coming later in the year.

The XBR-X930E and XBR-X940E are at the top of the line, with a slim backlighting system that Sony claims can provide 10x the contrast of most LED-lit TVs and a more powerful processor that’s supposed to adjust the contrast on each individual object in a picture. In the middle are the XBR-900E with full array local dimming and a step-down processor, followed by the XBR-800E/XBR-X850E that drops the local dimming.

In terms of price, they go from a 43-inch XBR-43X800E that’s $1,000, to the top of the line 75-inch XBR-75X940E with a $7,500 pricetag. There’s no exact release date, but Best Buy is taking preorders, and they should arrive in March.

Whether you have one of these TVs or now, Sony is also getting ready to deliver its Ultra HD Blu-ray player (since there isn’t one in the PS4 Pro), the UBP-X800. It will also ship in March, with a price of $300, and is open for preorder from Amazon and Best Buy. Still, it’s a little harder to recommend, when there are other options like the similarly-priced Xbox One S, or Oppo’s $550 UDP-203 that adds support for future Dolby Vision HDR discs.

• XBR-75X940E, 75″ class (74.5″ diagonal), $7,499.99 MSRP
• XBR-65X930E, 65″ class (64.5″ diagonal), $3,999.99 MSRP
• XBR-55X930E, 55″ class (54.6″ diagonal), $3,299.99 MSRP
• XBR-75X900E, 75″ class (74.5″ diagonal), $5,999.99 MSRP
• XBR-65X900E, 65″ class (64.5″ diagonal), $3,299.99 MSRP
• XBR-55X900E, 55″ class (48.5″ diagonal), $2,399.99 MSRP
• XBR-49X900E, 49″ class (48.5″ diagonal), $1,699.99 MSRP
• XBR-75X850E, 75″ class (74.5″ diagonal), $4,999.99 MSRP
• XBR-65X850E, 65″ class (64.5″ diagonal), $2,499.99 MSRP
• XBR-55X800E, 55″ class (54.6″ diagonal), $1,899.99 MSRP
• XBR-49X800E, 49″ class (48.5″ diagonal), $1,099.99 MSRP
• XBR-43X800E, 43″ class (42.5″ diagonal), $999.99 MSRP

Source: Sony (TVs), Sony (UHD Blu-ray Player)

WhatsApp Rolling Out Two-Step Verification Security Feature to All Users

WhatsApp is in the process of rolling out a two-step verification feature for the messaging platform from today. The security option has been in testing for several months, but is finally going live for all users of the app.

With the optional feature, WhatsApp users will be able to securely verify their number with a custom-generated six-digit passcode whenever they install the app on a new device. To activate the security feature, users should open the app and tap through to Settings -> Account -> Two-step verification -> Enable.

Upon enabling the feature, users are asked if they want to enter their email address. This is used by WhatsApp to send a link via email to disable two-step verification in case the six-digit passcode is forgotten, and also to help safeguard the account.

To help users remember their passcode, WhatsApp will periodically ask them for it. There is no option to disable this without disabling the two-step verification feature.

WhatsApp is available as a free download on the App Store for iPhone. [Direct Link]

Tag: WhatsApp
Discuss this article in our forums

Win a littleBits Gadgets and Gizmos Kit

Pocket-lint has teamed up with littleBits to offer you the chance to win one of two Gadgets and Gizmo Kits, designed specifically to help children learn how to invent new things.

The Gadgets and Gizmos Kit can be used to create a bubble blower, remote control car and a new take on a classic pinball machine, along with nine other projects. Each one has its own detailed set of instructions to keep your young budding inventor engaged for hours.

To be in with a chance of winning one of two sets, simply answer the question below before midnight on the 17 February 2017 (GMT). We will announce the winner shortly after.

Good luck!

Usual Pocket-lint T&Cs apply

How many projects can you create with the littleBits Gadgets and Gizmos Kit?

• 5
• 9
• 12

First name

Last name

Email *

Address line 1

Address line 2

City/Town

Postcode/Zipcode

CountryAfghanistanÅland IslandsAlbaniaAlgeriaAmerican SamoaAndorraAngolaAnguillaAntarcticaAntigua & BarbudaArgentinaArmeniaArubaAscension IslandAustraliaAustriaAzerbaijanBahamasBahrainBangladeshBarbadosBelarusBelgiumBelizeBeninBermudaBhutanBoliviaBosnia & HerzegovinaBotswanaBrazilBritish Indian Ocean TerritoryBritish Virgin IslandsBruneiBulgariaBurkina FasoBurundiCambodiaCameroonCanadaCanary IslandsCape VerdeCaribbean NetherlandsCayman IslandsCentral African RepublicCeuta & MelillaChadChileChinaChristmas IslandCocos (Keeling) IslandsColombiaComorosCongo – BrazzavilleCongo – KinshasaCook IslandsCosta RicaCôte d’IvoireCroatiaCubaCuraçaoCyprusCzech RepublicDenmarkDiego GarciaDjiboutiDominicaDominican RepublicEcuadorEgyptEl SalvadorEquatorial GuineaEritreaEstoniaEthiopiaFalkland IslandsFaroe IslandsFijiFinlandFranceFrench GuianaFrench PolynesiaFrench Southern TerritoriesGabonGambiaGeorgiaGermanyGhanaGibraltarGreeceGreenlandGrenadaGuadeloupeGuamGuatemalaGuernseyGuineaGuinea-BissauGuyanaHaitiHondurasHong Kong SAR ChinaHungaryIcelandIndiaIndonesiaIranIraqIrelandIsle of ManIsraelItalyJamaicaJapanJerseyJordanKazakhstanKenyaKiribatiKosovoKuwaitKyrgyzstanLaosLatviaLebanonLesothoLiberiaLibyaLiechtensteinLithuaniaLuxembourgMacau SAR ChinaMacedoniaMadagascarMalawiMalaysiaMaldivesMaliMaltaMarshall IslandsMartiniqueMauritaniaMauritiusMayotteMexicoMicronesiaMoldovaMonacoMongoliaMontenegroMontserratMoroccoMozambiqueMyanmar (Burma)NamibiaNauruNepalNetherlandsNew CaledoniaNew ZealandNicaraguaNigerNigeriaNiueNorfolk IslandNorth KoreaNorthern Mariana IslandsNorwayOmanPakistanPalauPalestinian TerritoriesPanamaPapua New GuineaParaguayPeruPhilippinesPitcairn IslandsPolandPortugalPuerto RicoQatarRéunionRomaniaRussiaRwandaSamoaSan MarinoSão Tomé & PríncipeSaudi ArabiaSenegalSerbiaSeychellesSierra LeoneSingaporeSint MaartenSlovakiaSloveniaSolomon IslandsSomaliaSouth AfricaSouth Georgia & South Sandwich IslandsSouth KoreaSouth SudanSpainSri LankaSt. BarthélemySt. HelenaSt. Kitts & NevisSt. LuciaSt. MartinSt. Pierre & MiquelonSt. Vincent & GrenadinesSudanSurinameSvalbard & Jan MayenSwazilandSwedenSwitzerlandSyriaTaiwanTajikistanTanzaniaThailandTimor-LesteTogoTokelauTongaTrinidad & TobagoTristan da CunhaTunisiaTurkeyTurkmenistanTurks & Caicos IslandsTuvaluU.S. Outlying IslandsU.S. Virgin IslandsUgandaUkraineUnited Arab EmiratesUnited KingdomUnited StatesUruguayUzbekistanVanuatuVatican CityVenezuelaVietnamWallis & FutunaWestern SaharaYemenZambiaZimbabwe

Home telephone

Mobile telephone

What’s your Date of Birth?
Day12345678910111213141516171819202122232425262728293031MonthJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecYear1927192819291930193119321933193419351936193719381939194019411942194319441945194619471948194919501951195219531954195519561957195819591960196119621963196419651966196719681969197019711972197319741975197619771978197919801981198219831984198519861987198819891990199119921993199419951996199719981999200020012002200320042005200620072008200920102011201220132014201520162017

Pocket-lint would like to keep you informed of any new promotions, services or products which we think might interest you. Please tick the box if you wish to be kept informed.

Enter this competition

Sony prices up its latest Extra Bass headphones and speakers

Back at CES, Sony announced a slew of new on-ear and in-ear headphones for its ‘Extra Bass’ range. The only problem? No pricing. Thankfully, Sony has now released this rather crucial information, so let’s get cracking with a quick spec sheet update. At the top of the pile is the $249.99 MDR-XB950N1, a pair of wireless headphones with noise cancelling capabilities. The cans connect over Bluetooth and support NFC for quick pairing. They also leverage the AptX and AAC codecs to stop your connection from dropping on the go. Sony says they’re good for 22 hours of continuous music playback, which should be enough for any brutal long-haul flight.

Next on the list is the MRT-XB950B1, a slightly cheaper model with a smaller battery (18 hours) and no noise cancelling. You’re saving $50 (so $199.99 instead), so you’ll need to weigh up whether the trade-offs are worth it. Both headphones come with a companion app which let you adjust the bass levels and imitate specific listening environments, such as a club, concert hall or music festival. If you want to save some cash and don’t mind a dangling cable, there’s the $59.99 MDR-XB550AP. Aimed at the lower end of the market, these on-ear headphones have an in-line remote and come in five different colors: black, red, blue, green and white.

For sporty types, Sony has the in-ear MDR-XB510AS headphones. They’re IPX5/7 waterproof and sweat resistant, meaning you can take them out for a rainy run no problem. Like the XB550AP, they’ll set you back $59.99, however they also come with a clip, arc supporter and cord adjuster. All the important bits to ensure they don’t get in your way during workouts.

Finally, there are the light-up wireless speakers. They come in three sizes: the $99.99 SRS-XB20, the $149.99 XB30 and $249.99 XB40. Obviously, the higher you go, the larger and more powerful the speaker becomes. They can all be chained together, however, so you might find a couple of XB20s are handier than a single XB40 tucked in the corner of your living room. All of them have some kind of integrated light, which can strobe and shine different colors in time with the song you’re playing. It’s a neat little party trick that can be managed using the SongPal app on your smartphone.

All of these devices have now been upgraded from a “Spring” to “March 2017” release date. A day would have been nice, but that tends to be Sony’s style — better bookmark the company’s online store if you’re interested.

Source: Sony

BeatsX Earphones Launch on Apple Store for $150

Apple today officially launched the much-anticipated BeatsX Earphones on its online store for $149.95, after initially delaying the earphones from Fall 2016 and into February 2017. With the delay of BeatsX, Apple focused on the December launch of the AirPods, which have subsequently become hard to come by for those interested in Apple’s own Bluetooth headphones.

Apple’s website states shipping times of 1 business day for the White and Black color options, and 7-10 business days for Blue and Gray. Some Amazon orders for BeatsX suggested the earphones might arrive in late January, but those dates were inaccurately estimated for customers.

BeatsX are different from the AirPods in a few small ways, including the fact that the earphones are tethered together by a flex-form cable instead of completely wireless like the AirPods. Thanks to the cable, however, BeatsX includes in-line remote control media playback, as well as more ease of mind for those afraid of losing the earphones thanks to the cable’s security when resting on the user’s neck. Further preventing loss is a magnet in each BeatsX earphone that clicks the earphones together when resting against the user’s chest.

The BeatsX Earphones also include a W1 chip for easy pairing with any iOS device, as well as a charging system that supports Lightning cables, continuing to deepen the ease-of-use of the Beats brand in Apple’s ecosystem. To provide as secure fit as possible, the earphones ship with four interchangeable eartip sizes, as well as removable secure-fit wingtips for when users plan on being highly active with BeatsX.

The new earphones provide up to eight hours of music playback with a full charge, and users can get a full two hours of battery life on five minutes of charge with its “Fast Fuel” charging feature. “Authentic, clear acoustics” provide high-quality sound playback on BeatsX, with optimized noise isolation to give users an “immersive listening experience.”

BeatsX were one of the W1-enabled earphones that Apple announced during its September 7 iPhone event, also including the AirPods, Powerbeats3, and Beats Solo3. The AirPods launched on December 13 and availability remains scarce, while the Beats Solo3 have been out since September, and the Powerbeats3 were available to order in October. Now, those interested can pick up BeatsX on Apple.com for $149.95 in both white and black.

Tag: BeatsX
Discuss this article in our forums

Secret agents may yet get their self-destructing phone

Why it matters to you

If you happen to hold highly sensitive data on your phone, this kind of self-destruct technology may be just the ticket.

Self-destructing gadgets needn’t be the preserve of secret agents in spy flicks and Galaxy Note 7 owners, at least, that’s the message from a team of researchers in Saudi Arabia.

In a serious effort to build something that could prove useful for governments or businesses handling highly sensitive information, researchers at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) have built a tiny prototype component that, when fixed inside a smartphone or similar gadget and activated, can destroy its vital innards in a matter of seconds.

The device comprises a polymer layer that rapidly expands to up to seven times its original size when heated to anything above 80 degrees C. The heat is generated by a number of electrodes that draw their power from the gadget’s battery. As the polymer layer expands, it crushes and destroys nearby parts, rendering them useless.

While it’s possible to wipe a phone remotely, physically mashing up its internals in the event of losing highly sensitive data may be a preferable course of action for those dealing with such content.

“The first customers would be the ones who need data protection: Intelligence communities, corporations, banks, hedge funds, social security administrations, collectors who handle massive data,” Muhammad Mustafa Hussain, an electrical engineer at KAUST, told Spectrum.

The team also tried out different methods to set off the mechanism remotely, as if in a real-life situation. One involved fitting a pressure sensor inside the gadget that caused it to self-destruct if someone forced the cover off, while another linked it to a smartphone app that required a password to activate the wrecking mechanism remotely. A third experiment used GPS technology to activate the self-destruct process if the gadget was moved beyond the boundary of a designated area.

More: Here’s how to “completely wipe” you Android device

There’s still much work to be done before government operatives and secret agents have any hope of using this particular bit of kit. For example, the team wants to refine its technology and enhance it so it can destroy additional important components inside the mobile device or computer in which its been installed.

At this early stage, the work appears to show real promise and is particularly notable for its low cost. The team says it may cost as little as $15 per device and could even be easily retrofitted to larger devices such as laptops.

There have been other attempts to create self-destructing components for mobile devices, including this exploding glass chip from DARPA, but, as far as we know, a cheap and effective design is yet to make it to market.

Secret agents may yet get their self-destructing phone

Why it matters to you

If you happen to hold highly sensitive data on your phone, this kind of self-destruct technology may be just the ticket.

Self-destructing gadgets needn’t be the preserve of secret agents in spy flicks and Galaxy Note 7 owners, at least, that’s the message from a team of researchers in Saudi Arabia.

In a serious effort to build something that could prove useful for governments or businesses handling highly sensitive information, researchers at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) have built a tiny prototype component that, when fixed inside a smartphone or similar gadget and activated, can destroy its vital innards in a matter of seconds.

The device comprises a polymer layer that rapidly expands to up to seven times its original size when heated to anything above 80 degrees C. The heat is generated by a number of electrodes that draw their power from the gadget’s battery. As the polymer layer expands, it crushes and destroys nearby parts, rendering them useless.

While it’s possible to wipe a phone remotely, physically mashing up its internals in the event of losing highly sensitive data may be a preferable course of action for those dealing with such content.

“The first customers would be the ones who need data protection: Intelligence communities, corporations, banks, hedge funds, social security administrations, collectors who handle massive data,” Muhammad Mustafa Hussain, an electrical engineer at KAUST, told Spectrum.

The team also tried out different methods to set off the mechanism remotely, as if in a real-life situation. One involved fitting a pressure sensor inside the gadget that caused it to self-destruct if someone forced the cover off, while another linked it to a smartphone app that required a password to activate the wrecking mechanism remotely. A third experiment used GPS technology to activate the self-destruct process if the gadget was moved beyond the boundary of a designated area.

More: Here’s how to “completely wipe” you Android device

There’s still much work to be done before government operatives and secret agents have any hope of using this particular bit of kit. For example, the team wants to refine its technology and enhance it so it can destroy additional important components inside the mobile device or computer in which its been installed.

At this early stage, the work appears to show real promise and is particularly notable for its low cost. The team says it may cost as little as $15 per device and could even be easily retrofitted to larger devices such as laptops.

There have been other attempts to create self-destructing components for mobile devices, including this exploding glass chip from DARPA, but, as far as we know, a cheap and effective design is yet to make it to market.

Hyperloop One co-founder has just launched a rival startup

Why it matters to you

If one of these companies can nail the technology, it’ll transform ground-based transportation and the entire travel industry.

There’s another hyperloop team in town, and it’s fair to say it knows a thing or two about the ultra-fast transportation technology.

How do we know that? Because it’s headed up by one Brogan BamBrogan, a key figure in the fledgling industry who departed Hyperloop One under a cloud last year.

BamBrogan co-founded Hyperloop One – or Hyperloop Technologies as it was called then – in 2014 and worked as its chief technology officer. But last year he sued the company, accusing it of an array of underhand activities. The two sides have since settled the dispute, allowing BamBrogan to focus on more pressing matters, namely developing a super-zippy transportation system just like the one he was working on before.

More: Everything you need to know about the hyperloop

The new outfit, launched on Thursday, is called Arrivo, and, in the company’s own words, aims to develop “technology based on the hyperloop architecture that will deliver a truly 21st century seamless experience for passengers and freight.”

That’s right, Arrivo is talking about a new kind of transportation system that could see people seated inside comfy capsules hurtling along vacuum tubes at speeds of up to 760 mph. That means a journey time of just 30 minutes between San Francisco and Los Angeles. Which beats crawling along in a car for six hours.

Speaking of Los Angeles, that’s where Arrivo’s base happens to be, and get this – it’s located less than a mile from Hyperloop One’s own headquarters. That means the two teams could probably give each other a friendly wave if they look out of the window. No, we don’t think that’s going to happen either.

Arrivo’s launch crew, which comprises a mix of engineers and executives, includes three of the guys who walked out of the Hyperloop One door alongside BamBrogan last summer, and three additional members, plus, of course, BamBrogan himself. It’s aiming for a team of 30 by June, expanding to at least 80 by the end of the year, according to a release sent to Digital Trends.

More: Pod racers – SpaceX’s hyperloop competition pits concepts head-to-head

The company is set to unveil details of its hyperloop project in the coming months, a presentation that’ll be of great interest to not only Hyperloop One, but also Hyperloop Transportation Technologies, which, as its name helpfully suggests, is also working on similar technology. Having a new team on the playing field should certainly push all three to the limit in their respective bids to build the first fully operational hyperloop system.

But the challenges remain huge on a multitude of levels, causing many observers to wonder if the proposed technology will ever fulfill the grand vision of its creators. With Arrivo’s arrival, there’s one more chance that it will.

Daydream VR is coming to a Chrome browser near you

Google has announced it has begun rolling out an update for its Chrome web browser on Daydream-ready Android smartphones, that will let you access WebVR-formatted web pages with a Daydream View VR headset.

• What is Google Daydream and what devices support it? Google’s Android VR platform explained

WebVR was developed by Google to be specifically used within a web browser for virtual reality experiences. When viewing a WebVR page, the web page and the smartphone’s sensors with in unison, with the page moving around and sound changing perspective depending on which way the headset is facing.

While the newly updated Chrome web browser currently only works with a Daydream View VR headset, Google has confirmed it will be bringing support to more headsets in the future, including Google Cardboard. If you don’t have a headset at all, you can still access the WebVR pages, on either mobile or desktop, and interact with them using your finger or mouse.

There’s already a bundle of specifically developed web-based virtual reality content, including Matterport VR, which lets you tour in excess of 300,000 celebrity homes, museums, canyons and iconic architecture, along wth WebVR Lab which lets you get creative, building various projects with the Daydream Controller. Full details of the experiences available can be found on Google’s blog.

• Google Daydream review: A pixel perfect VR experience?
• This is Huawei’s Daydream VR headset
• HTC Vive’s VR headset designer is now working on Google Daydream

The update for the Chrome browser should be available now, so be sure to check the Play Store in case your Daydream-ready phone is ready to download.