Verizon is releasing its own Android Wear 2.0 smartwatch

Carriers are no stranger to selling smartwatches, but offering one of their own? That’s rare, but Verizon is giving it a shot. The carrier (and Engadget corporate overlord) has unveiled the Wear24, a network-exclusive Android Wear 2.0 watch that will sell alongside the LG Watch Sport. It hasn’t revealed full specs at this point, but the initial indications are that it’s on the higher end. On top of the expected LTE data, you’re looking at Android Pay support, a 450mAh battery (slightly larger than LG’s 430mAh pack), IP67 water resistance and a 1.39-inch AMOLED screen. We’ve asked about the presence of a heart rate monitor.

The Wear24 isn’t arriving until March, so you’ll have to ‘settle’ for the LG model if you want an Android Wear device from Big Red as soon as possible. However, you will save a little bit of cash if you’re willing to wait. Verizon’s own device will sell for $300 with a 2-year activation, or $30 less than its LG counterpart. Given the feature parity, it might be the better choice if you absolutely want cellular access. And if you don’t, there will be other Android Wear 2.0 options on the market before long.

Via: Android Headlines

In love and lures: ‘Pokémon Go’ brings players together for Valentine’s Day

Why it matters to you

Pokémon Go creatures will be easier to catch and a doubling of candies makes leveling up and evolving much faster.

Do you play Pokémon Go with your significant other? Could you find love with someone else who loves the walking-encouraging title? That is what developer Niantic is hoping will transpire with its Valentine’s Day event in Pokémon Go, which begins on Wednesday and runs until February 15.

Niantic’s new event isn’t designed to actually match people together romantically, but it will bring them together and make group play more profitable. That is because in this update, lures, the in-game items that attract Pokémon to Pokéstops, will last a whole six hours — 12 times longer than they usually do.

That should mean a lot more loitering around particular hotspots, which will lead to you meeting more players than usual when you go out hunting for new pocket monsters to crush up into candies.

More: ‘Pokémon Go’ sprints to $1 billion milestone ahead of generation 2 update

Of course, you’ll be hoping that the people you bump into on your hunt are on the same team as you. Even if competitive elements in Pokémon Go are relatively light, they are still there.

But in reality, everyone, whatever team they belong to and whether playing together or alone, will be able to benefit from the longer lure times, as it should mean they catch more Pokémon. That goes doubly so for pink Pokémon. Niantic has also made monsters like Clefable, Clefairy and Chansey all more common and Cleffa, Igglybuff, and Smoochum will be more commonly hatched from eggs.

Better yet, every Pokémon transfer, catch or hatch, will earn double candies, meaning you can evolve and level up your little monsters much quicker than usual.

The Valentine’s Day event will run from 11 a.m. (PT) on Wednesday to 11:00 a.m. (PT) on February 15. That is plenty of time to catch a good number of them, if not “em all,” but will you be able to find love along the way?

Kickstarter project sells world’s first ink made out of air pollution

Why it matters to you

While air pollution remains an ever-present problem, there is at least a new way to make use of it.

Let’s be honest: Unless you’re the heir to the Parker Pen Company fortune, there is nothing overly exciting about the way that ink is made.

Unless you ask the folks behind Graviky Labs, that is. They found a way to recycle air pollution — which causes more than 7.2 million deaths each year — by using a proprietary method to transform it into something you can write with. The fluid ounce of ink needed to fill a pen can be gathered from 45 minutes of car emissions, courtesy of Graviky’s smart process, developed while the founders were studying at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

More: Social media posts can help predict pollution in some of the world’s biggest cities

“We started as a small DIY experiment while at MIT Media Lab 3.5 years ago,” Anirudh Sharma told Digital Trends.

The research involved repurposing the soot particles produced by almost all air pollution sources. In the original iteration of the project, a soot-catching pump was connected to an HP C6602 inkjet cartridge and Arduino to become a 96dpi print platform.

“Since then we’ve taken our system through numerous iterations and eventually made something that’s deployable,” Sharma continued. “In 2016, we partnered with Tiger Beer to do an art campaign, which received further positive feedback. [Following that,] thousands of artists, environmentalists, and nature lovers have written to us to bring these inks to them.”

The result is a new Air-Ink Kickstarter campaign, which offers the innovative ink to customers for the first time. Five different grades of Air-Ink have been produced for the project, with the product being applicable to everything from fabric and outdoor paints, to screen printer, oil painting, and markers.

It functions as both a neat science exercise and a provocative statement on pollution. As Sharma notes as part of the campaign, “Each stroke made with Air-Ink arrests particulate matter, which would have otherwise ended up in the lungs of common people. Scaling this is saving lives.”

If you’re interested in finding out more, you can pre-order a bottle of Air-Ink for $25, with higher price points also including entire printing sets. Shipping is set to take place in June.

Don’t sweat it: New Denon sport in-ears can handle any workout you choose

Why it matters to you

Denon’s latest wireless in-ears can handle any workout without breaking a sweat while delivering the audio quality the company is known for.

Denon is renowned for its audio gear — particularly its home audio products. And while the company has offered headphones for quite a while, it has been ramping up its efforts aimed at more active users of late. The latest example are the company’s AH-C160W wireless sport in-ears, which are launching this month.

The AH-C160W in-ears are designed to be tough, with a sturdy mechanical structure and IPX5/7 certification, which means they are resistant to all sorts of moisture, including sweat. The electronics inside the headphones are protected by Nanofics liquid protection, and the included Comply foam ear tips are treated with SweatGuard to keep them clean. Over-the-ear hooks keep the headphones safely where they should be — on your head.

More: Denon’s newest wired in-ear headphones are designed for audiophiles on the go

Using 11.5mm drivers and the company’s own digital signal processing, the AH-C160W aren’t just meant to be tough — Denon is aiming for fantastic sound as well. While one of the main goals is great-sounding music, the company has also made taking and making calls a priority, with Clear Voice Capture noise reduction, which helps make communicating while in noisy environments easier.

For connectivity, the headphones use high-power Bluetooth Class 1, which helps maintain a steady connection better than many other Bluetooth headphones. To make using the headphones easier, multilingual voice prompts are included to help you get connected. These prompts can also clue you in on battery life, meaning you should never have to worry about running out of juice while in the middle of a run or while you’re on your way home from work.

More: With its latest reference headphones, Denon aims for great sound — and looks

The Denon AH-C160W sport headphones come with one set of Comply foam ear tips, four pairs of silicon tips, four types of foam rings, a USB charging cable, and a carrying case. The headphones will sell for $150, and are available in black, blue, and white. You can’t buy them just yet, but Denon says they will be available sometime this month. For more information on the AH-C160W, see the company’s website.

Intel’s Core i7-7700K CPU reached 7.3GHz using liquid nitrogen and liquid helium

Why it matters to you

This test shows how far Intel’s new seventh-generation desktop processors can go, but only in extreme cooling conditions.

Prior to Intel’s reveal of its seventh-generation Kaby Lake desktop processors in early January, Asus held an Absolute Zero event challenging attendees to push the limits of those new Intel chips. German overclocker “der8auer” accepted the challenge and pushed the new Intel Core i7-7700K CPU to a clock speed of 7.3GHz (7,328MHz). That is rather high considering the chip has a max turbo speed of 4.5GHz right out of the box.

But don’t get excited and think your liquid-cooled system will enable the Core i7-7700K to break the 7.0GHz ceiling. Der8auer and his team used liquid nitrogen and liquid helium to set that new overclocking record. Typically, they use 79 to 132 gallons of liquid nitrogen per day during overclocking events, which costs around 30 to 40 cents per quart. By comparison, 26 gallons of liquid helium costs around $4,200, which lasts for only 15 minutes.

More: Intel responds to AMD’s Ryzen onslaught with some Core i7 and i5 updates

“If you work constantly with [liquid helium], it lasts 15 minutes,” he said. “That’s quite funny if you calculate it. Liquid helium reacts different from liquid nitrogen because it’s lighter. The nitrogen we put into thermos flasks and fill it into the cooler, which is not working with helium. We have to fill the liquid helium with a lance directly from the original flask into the cooler where it shoots into the cooler and cools it down.”

Liquid helium is around 70 degrees Celsius lower in temperature than liquid nitrogen. However, it evaporates quickly, with one quart lasting around 10 seconds before it is gone. He said that once the lance is opened, they are spending $4.71 worth of liquid helium per second.

Of course, the expense came out of Asus’ pocket, but that is still rather expensive considering it is only being used to overclock a desktop processor. Thus, to make sure all those dollars weren’t for waste, the team had to make sure their plan was 100 percent perfect before deploying the expensive coolant.

Unfortunately, the achievement wasn’t accomplished without a few tragic losses along the way. Several processors lost their lives during the experiments because the team didn’t know how far they could increase the voltages. The chips’ sacrifice for the overclocking cause brought on their ultimate destruction due to the unknown effects of certain voltages.

The team initially overclocked the chip to 7.2GHz using liquid nitrogen with all four cores and eight threads online. He said they had the option to disable some of the cores and threads to reach a higher initial overclock speed, but he wanted to see the chip’s full potential. After saving the validation file, the team then introduced the liquid helium aspect into the overclocking setup.

“We cooled down the CPU to negative-248 degrees Celsius, which allowed me to overclock the CPU to 7,328MHz at four cores and eight threads,” he said. “This is the highest value ever reached by a four core Intel CPU. That was, of course, I would like to say, a milestone for me personally.”

Android user? Good luck getting a date with someone using an iPhone

Why it matters to you

Technology is playing an increasingly important role in dating — not only do apps like Tinder help us find dates, but apparently, gadget preferences may also end them.

It turns out that politics and religion aren’t the only indicators of compatibility — smartphone preferences are as well. Apparently, when it comes to finding love, one person having an iPhone while the other has an Android can be a deal breaker. As per a recent survey of more than 5,500 American singles aged 18 and over conducted by dating site Match.com, Apple users are particularly picky when it comes to finding their mates, especially if that potential mate is swiping on an Android device.

In fact, iPhone owners were found to be 21 times more likely to pass negative judgment on someone for having an Android than having an iOS device. But this is a two way street — Android users were 15 times more likely to scoff at an iPhone owner. And worse yet, if you’re slow on the uptake when it comes to updates, you might have trouble finding love with either Android or iOS users — as per the survey data, owners of older smartphone models are 56 percent less likely to get a date than those with the latest technology.

More: Goodbye static backgrounds: Our favorite free live wallpapers for Android

 “We look for so many other ways in which we’re compatible with potential partners, why shouldn’t phones be on the list?” Abby Rodman, a psychotherapist in Boston, told MarketWatch. “Where a person lives, what car they drive, and what they do for a living are all things we weigh before embarking on a relationship. That may be pitiful commentary, but we’re also looking for compatibility in the non-materialistic: political viewpoints, religious convictions, and fundamental ethical values.”

Among those non-materialistic judgments include a date’s proficiency in grammar (the inability to tell “your” from “you’re” is a no-no for 39 percent of single folks) and surprisingly enough, dependency upon social media. It turns out that 58 percent of those surveyed said they were turned off by people who complained on Facebook, and 50 percent would rather not date someone who spent “too much time” on social media (though “too much” seems like a subjective measure).

“If you’re living every breath of your life out loud on social media, you may be perceived as not being reliable enough to honor the sanctity of another’s confidence or of a romantic relationship,” Rodman noted. “Complaining in cyberspace may be perceived as childish. You’re not really doing anything except spouting to no one in particular about your crappy boss or bad hair day.”

In any case, one thing is clear — technology is having an ever-increasing impact on our dating life.

Video calling is coming soon to encrypted messaging app Signal

Why it matters to you

Soon Signal users will be able to video chat as users of other popular communication apps already do — only more securely.

Video calling is a must for any messaging app that looking to stay relevant in the battle for users. Signal, a chat service known for its commitment to privacy, is now testing the feature in the beta version of its Android app.

The Signal beta is available to users via the Google Play store, provided they opt in first. Video calling is experimental and must be enabled from the “Advanced” submenu located inside the app’s settings. Users who would like to attempt a video call both need to have the beta installed, and video calling turned on. The notes for the latest release mention the functionality is on its way to the next beta for iPhone as well.

More: Become a WhatsApp expert with these top 10 tips and tricks

Enabling video calls also reportedly switches on Signal’s next-generation voice calling feature. Voice calling already exists within the standard Signal app available to the public. However, the scant information provided by the changelog doesn’t detail what enhancements have been made to the feature in the beta.

Signal made a name for itself through the end-to-end encryption of its text messages, though the app’s developer, Open Whisper Systems, has had to add more mainstream features like GIF search and stickers to retain users. Signal faces increasing competition from the likes of Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, and Google’s suite of communication services, all of which feature video calling.

WhatsApp previously worked with Open Whisper Systems to develop its own form of end-to-end encryption, which it rolled out last year. Facebook-owned WhatsApp boasts exponentially more users than Signal, likely because it retains an emphasis on social features like location sharing. Signal’s privacy-first ambitions are somewhat at odds with many of the features mainstream users expect and want out of a communications platform, presenting a bit of a catch-22 for the service. Still, the introduction of video calling could go a long way toward keeping and attracting users — especially if Open Whisper has figured out a more secure way to do it than anyone else has.

New EU policy may allow French Netflix subscribers to stream movies in Germany

Why it matters to you

If the European Commission’s rules pass as proposed, customers in one EU territory would be able to stream content in another.

One of the most annoying things about traveling abroad are the artificial blocks on content. Services like Netflix, Hulu, and HBO Now implement geoblocks — systems used to restrict access based on your location — to prevent TV shows and movies from being streaming in territories where they haven’t been licensed. The problem is especially acute in the European Union, where said shows and movies are often available in one member country but not another. But EU regulators are proposing an alternative.

It’s called the Digital Single Market, and its implications stretch far beyond services like Netflix and Hulu. If adopted as proposed by the EU’s executive European Commission, European Parliament, and the EU’s Council of Ministers, it would allow subscribers to access online subscriptions to films, sporting events, video games, ebooks, and music services when traveling within the European Union.

More: Roaming charge to end in EU, but Brexit confusion may dampen celebrations

In practical terms, a user who subscribes Netflix in France will be able to access the same library of TV shows, movies, and series while on holiday in Germany, or on a business trip in Spain.

On-demand services like Amazon Prime and Netflix; online TV services like Sky’s Now TV, and Viasat’s Viaplay; music streaming services such as Spotify and Google Play Music; and online game marketplaces like Steam and Origin will have to comply. They’ll have nine months to implement the new rules, which will take effect the beginning of 2018.

Non-EU citizens won’t be affected by the rules, meaning Americans who frequent Europe won’t be able to take advantage. But Andrus Ansip, European Commission vice president, called Wednesday’s news an “important step” in breaking down barriers to the EU’s Digital Single Market vision.

“Agreements are now needed on our other proposals to modernize EU copyright rules and ensure a wider access to creative content across borders,” he said in a statement. “I count on the European Parliament and member states to make it happen.”

More: How to dodge roaming fees and still stay connected abroad

Not everyone’s pleased with the latest developments. Europa Distribution, an organization that represents 160 distributors, argued that intercountry access to content had to be framed by guidelines on “duration” in order to prevent users from accessing content or “extended periods.” And SACD, the French society of authors, composers, and directors, criticized the policy for its “opaqueness.”

But Thursday’s proposal appears to be final.

The change in copyright law is part of a broader EU push to end the bloc’s longstanding migratory pain points. Last year, the European Commission announced the finalization of an agreement that will allow European travelers to use their phones throughout the EU, without additional charges, from June 15, 2017. The services cell phone customers use while roaming will be charged at the same rate they pay when on their home network.

It joins a previous rule that required carriers to let customers use their included minutes and data abroad.

Gel-based male contraception may lead to fully reversible vasectomies

Why it matters to you

A new male contraceptive method involving injectable gel could lead to reversible vasectomies. Well, that’s the plan at least!

Vasectomies are a great thing, but while people may be sure that they’re the right decision to take at the time, it’s difficult to know exactly what the future will hold.

True, there are vasectomy reversal operations, but these have a decreasing chance of leading to a successful pregnancy the longer they are left after the operation. Ten years after a vasectomy is carried out, a reversed operation will lead to pregnancy only around 30 percent of the time.

Things may be looking up, however, thanks to a new vasectomy alternative recently described in the journal Basic and Clinical Andrology. It involves a substance called Vasalgel, which doesn’t impair the manufacture or swimming of sperm, but instead stops it from reaching its, erm, point of release.

“In a regular vasectomy, an incision is made on each side of the scrotum and surgeons then severe the vas deferens, referring to the long tube which winds around from the testicle to the penis, carrying sperm to where it enters the semen,” Professor Catherine VandeVoort, one of the co-authors on the paper, told Digital Trends. “There are various approaches to a vasectomy, but they involve destroying the integrity of the vas: either removing a piece, crushing it with a clamp mechanism, or cutting and cauterizing it.”

More: This little ‘vasectomy switch’ could change contraception forever

In the new alternative method, instead of crushing or cauterizing the vas, the Vasalgel is injected under anesthetic, which then acts as a barrier, preventing the sperm from going any further.

“The advantage to this is that the integrity of the vas can be maintained, which means that at a later date you could potentially go back and flush this gel out without problem,” VandeVoort continued.

So far, the injection part of the procedure has been tested by University of California researchers on a group of 16 adult male monkeys, with more than half the group already being fathers. The monkeys were observed for a week following the injection, after which they were allowed to rejoin the fertile females from their group. Despite mating taking place, none of the female monkeys became impregnated.

According to VandeVoort, a clinical trial with (human) males is planned as a future step, although even if this is successful, it is likely that a publicly-available product would take several years to roll out. It’s also worth noting, of course, that — despite being a potential alternative to condoms — the approach wouldn’t protect against sexually transmitted diseases.

Okay, you can uncross your legs now!

Facebook Lite sees more than 200 million people using the app every month

Why it matters to you

As tech companies attempt to find ways to break into developing markets, they might take a page from Facebook’s book.

Facebook Lite isn’t so light in users. On Wednesday, the social media giant announced that more than 200 million people are now using the stripped-down version of its app every month, representing a 100 percent increase from last March. First launched in June 2015, the Android-only app has come a long way in a short period of time and suggests that Mark Zuckerberg’s focus on developing markets just may be a strategic one.

In order to further capitalize on this growth, Facebook says it has plans to further expand the app’s availability. By including South Korea, the United Arab Emirates, Italy, and Israel on the growing list of countries in which Facebook Lite is available, Facebook hopes that a greater number of users who may have inexpensive phones and limited internet access will still be able to reap the benefits of connectivity — at least as far as Facebook is concerned.

More: Facebook Lite sees some heavy growth one year after launch

Once the newest countries are added, Facebook Lite will be available in more than 100 different nations. Furthermore, the app has been updated with more features from the standard Facebook mobile experience, so users can now like, comment, and share posts. Mashable reports that users will also see performance improvements with the new version of Facebook Lite.

Still, the app weighs in at less than 1MB in size, making it ideal for limited data plans, 2G networks, and places with unstable internet connections. In developing markets like India (which represent an enormous opportunity for Facebook and tech companies in general), more than 95 percent of mobile phone users have older, more basic Android phones, which makes Facebook Lite an ideal app to have. The application can be run on any device that supports Android 2.3 and above.

Of course, Facebook boasts nearly 2 billion monthly users, so 200 million on Lite is really just a drop in the bucket. But as the social network continues to expand its presence in areas of the world where it has not yet saturated the market, this figure could continue to grow.