There’s a secret, celebrity-only version of Tinder

Celebrities have the same needs that the rest of us, they’re just wealthier, better-looking and demand more privacy. It’s why Tinder quietly set up a special members-only version of its app, called Tinder Select, to keep elite bloodlines in the elite. As the name implies, it’s a secret dating world where only the beautiful and the wealthy can connect. Unfortunately, the great unwashed don’t have a chance of getting in unless you’re invited by a core group of members.

An anonymous source told TechCrunch that the platform was designed for “celebrities and people who do really well on Tinder.” We can only assume that those folks who get an excessive number of right-swipes are considered to join the rich and famous in the backstage area. That same report explains that while certain users have the power to nominate friends for inclusion, numbers are kept strictly limited in order to preserve Tinder Select’s cachet.

It’s believed that the service has existed for around six months, with the company apparently happy to keep its existence a secret. Given that the point of the service is to keep the elite from mixing with the rest of us, that’s not much of a surprise. It’s also not the first time that Tinder has tried to accommodate the more famous echelon of its clientele having previously instituted Twitter-style verification. But rest assured, we here at Engadget will now dedicate our lives to becoming famous enough to get onto Tinder Select to share its secrets.

Source: TechCrunch

Firefox Browser 52 Announced With ‘Game Changing’ Support For Complex Web Apps

Mozilla has heralded the release of a new version of Firefox that it says enables resource-intensive web content like games, apps, and image-editors to run in a browser window at previously unachievable native speeds.

To accomplish the feat, Firefox 52 supports Web Assembly, a new standard developed by Mozilla, which it calls “a game changer for the web”.

WebAssembly allows complex apps, like games, to run faster than ever before in a web browser. We expect that WebAssembly will enable applications that have historically been too complex to run fast in browsers – like immersive 3D video games, computer-aided design, video and image editing, and scientific visualization. We also expect that developers will use WebAssembly to speed up many existing web apps.

Mozilla has posted a video, embedded below, that shows the WebAssembly standard and WebGL 2 in action, with the help of a 3D environment demo rendered in real-time using the Unreal 4 Engine.

In addition to Web Assembly, the update adds automatic detection of “captive portals” often used by hotel wifi networks that require the user to log in before they can access the web.

Mozilla has also built contextual alerts into input fields to warn users when they’re prompted to enter username and password information on a page that isn’t encrypted with HTTPS.

Other additions to this version of Firefox include CSS Grid, a Grid Inspector developer tool, and automatic disabling of plugins that use the Netscape Plugin API (NPAPI) besides Flash.

Firefox 52 is a free download for the Mac.

Tags: Mozilla, Firefox
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Apple UK Online Store Promoting Limited Time 0% Interest Offer, Minimum Spend £399

Apple is promoting a limited time financing offer on its UK online store that allows customers to buy an Apple product and pay it back over 12 months without being charged any interest.

A minimum spend of £399 is required to qualify for the deal, which covers most products including MacBooks, iPads, and iPhones, although some Apple Watch 2 models are not eligible.

As an example, customers can pick up a new 13-inch MacBook Pro sans Touch Bar and pay back the cost at £120.75 per month, while a 32GB iPhone 7 Plus can be had for £59.92 per month.

Customers must choose “Financing” at the online checkout, where finance options include PayPal Credit and Barclays, although the offer is subject to status and is not guaranteed to be accepted. The offer ends on March 14, 2017.

Apple’s Australian online store is offering a similar 0% finance deal on purchases between AU$150 and AU$299 (paid over 6 months) or over AU$300 (12 months), made before March 31.

Tag: deals
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Nest Reportedly Working on Cheaper ‘Learning Thermostat’ to Sell for Under $200

Nest is in the process of making a cheaper edition of its Nest Learning Thermostat as well as a new line of home security products, according to someone familiar with the company’s plans speaking with Bloomberg. Nest is said to be “seeking a bigger share of the connected home market” in its move to make a cheaper version of its flagship thermostat device.

The cheaper Nest Learning Thermostat would sell for under $200, while the current edition of the device is priced at $249 on the Nest Store. The cheaper model is believed to keep the same temperature learning functionality of the thermostat, but be manufactured with less expensive components and potentially do away with the current version’s metal edges.

Nest is also said to be developing sensors that will act as expansions to existing thermostat systems, and allow users to control the temperature of specific rooms instead of just the entire home. The cheaper thermostat is predicted to launch by next year.

The company is working on a version of its “learning thermostat,” which adjusts the temperature based on usage patterns, that would sell for under $200, the person said. The current version sells for $249. The cheaper model would include less expensive components and at least one internal prototype lacks the flagship model’s metal edges, the person said.

A home-security alarm system, a digital doorbell and an updated indoor security camera are also in the works, representing potential good news for a company that has struggled to release many new products.

An all-new home security alarm system, digital doorbell, and updated indoor camera “are also in the works.” The home security system will have a central hub with a keypad that connects to a collection of alarm sensors that users place on windows and doors.

After being set up, it will act like a normal security system and ring when the home is entered until the right code is entered on the keypad hub. A keyring fob accessory can also be used to initiate and disable the alarm in lieu of typing in a code. Like all of Nest’s products, a connected iOS app will allow home owners to disengage the alarm to let specific people into a home when they are away.

An update to the Nest Indoor Cam could see a way for the camera to identify specific people within its range, according to the person familiar with Nest’s plans, who also detailed the company’s intention to launch a digital doorbell system with a video camera and face-to-face communication via the mobile app. The home security system is believed to arrive this year, the updated Nest Indoor Cam could launch as soon as this fall, and the digital doorbell is estimated to see a debut sometime in 2018.

Tags: Nest, bloomberg.com
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Got the Nintendo Switch dead pixel issue? Here are your consumer rights

There’s no denying that the Nintendo Switch has been a success so far; it is the fastest-selling console in Nintendo’s history, has one of, if not the best launch game in Zelda: Breath of the Wild, and both are getting critical acclaim more each day.

However, it is not without its issues. Nintendo itself admits to a wireless connectivity problem with the left Joy-Con that could drop out if confronted with rivalling signals. And now there are numerous reports of dead pixels on users’ screens.

As with every handheld console that sports an LCD screen, the launch has been met with complaints on Reddit and Twitter that some Switch consoles have deal pixels. The bad news is that Nintendo itself says on its support site that these are a “characteristic of LCD screens” and not “considered a defect”, so not a cause for replacement.

• Nintendo Switch: Price, specs and everything you need to know
• All the Nintendo Switch games: Launch titles and every game for 2017 revealed
• Nintendo Switch vs Wii U: What’s the difference?

You might have some rights for a refund though. If you do have a dead pixel issue, here are the things you can do.

Nintendo Switch problems: What are dead pixels?

@kythlyn (Twitter)

A dead pixel occurs on an LCD screen where the pixel itself fails and therefore appears as a tiny white or black dot on a screen (whether it allows the backlight to shine through or not). Sometimes these appear in clusters and form a larger, defective area.

It is not possible to fix a dead pixel and they are invariably a fault in the manufacture of the LCD panel. They can also occur sometime later in a product’s lifespan. Mobile phones, TVs and other devices that use LCD displays have reportedly also suffered from dead pixels.

Nintendo Switch problems: Nintendo support

Nintendo support for the issue suggests that you cannot get a replacement Switch console if you are suffering from dead pixels:

“Small numbers of stuck or dead pixels are a characteristic of LCD screens. These are normal and should not be considered a defect,” it states on the official Nintendo support pages.

It also classifies dead pixels as “dark or light patches on the screen”.

Nintendo Switch problems: Your UK consumer rights

Unfortunately, if you bought the Switch in a UK high street store, you might face problems returning it. UK shops do not legally have to give you a replacement or refund unless a product is faulty, and as Nintendo does not deem the issue to be a defect, many shops are likely to take the same stand. Some might though, so it’s worth asking.

If you bought your Nintendo Switch online you actually have a better chance. According to Which?, the Consumer Contracts Regulations have further protection for purchases made online, giving you up to 14 days to return the product for a full refund.

It essentially protects online purchases because sellers need to provide a full description of the goods, and if the description did not include the possibility of dead pixels on the screen, you have a decent chance of getting a refund.

Nintendo Switch problems: Will Nintendo change its mind?

This has happened with a Nintendo product before. There were reported cases of Nintendo DS consoles having dead pixels from the box and the company took a similar stance on replacements. However, it eventually changed its mind and stance on dead pixels and replaced newly classified defective devices.

Circle with Disney launches Alexa and rewards apps integration

Circle with Disney, a device that gives you control over your kids’ internet activities by connecting to your WiFi network, now has a “smart family” platform. It’s called Circle Connection, and it gives you a way to connect the device’s accompanying application with various apps you can use to reward your kids. Some of those apps, for instance, give your kids more time to use their gadgets, depending on the chores they finish or the activity their Misfit logged for the day. It also connects the device with Amazon’s Alexa, so you can ask the voice assistant about your kids’ screen time usage. At the same time, your kids can ask Alexa how much time they have left to use their gadgets.

The platform also enables the device to connect with RAKKOON, a service that can monitor content in apps like Facebook, Twitter and Messages. It links smart home apps and devices to Circle through IFTTT, as well. Finally, you’ll be able to restrict access to distracting applications if a phone or a tablet determines that it’s inside a moving vehicle through an app called Automatic. It’ll likely be hard convincing a teen of driving age to use a closely monitored device, though. You might just end up using it to prevent a fellow adult from being distracted by work calls and emails while on their way.

Source: Circle

Check out Hyperloop One’s first full-scale test track in the Nevada desert

Why it matters to you

With this latest unveiling, Hyperloop One wants everyone to know it’s as determined as ever to realize its dream of creating an ultra-fast, ground-based transportation system.

Hyperloop One’s plan for an ultra-fast transportation system capable of speeds of up to 760 mph have moved off the drawing board and into the Nevada desert.

The tech company this week posted images of its first-ever full-scale test track that could one day form the basis of the final design that sends regular folks hurtling between cities through low-pressure tubes just a few meters off the ground.

Hyperloop One’s test track, called DevLoop, is 500 meters long and 3.3 meters in diameter. While a photo of a long tube may be hard to get excited about, the work at least gives fans hope that the ambitious project is moving forward and now approaching a crucial stage of development.

The company says it aims to perform a public trial using the tube in the next four months.

“Our team of more than 150 engineers, technicians and fabricators have been transforming what was, just over five months ago, a barren stretch of desert, into a hive of activity and now home to the world’s first full-scale hyperloop test site,” Josh Giegel, Hyperloop One co-founder and president of engineering, said at a recent event touting the project. “We have come so far in such a short space of time, and our team of over 240 employees are working tirelessly to eliminate the barriers of distance and time and reinvent transportation.”

LA-based Hyperloop One showed off its proposed propulsion technology for the super-fast transportation system at a special event last summer, sending a sled zooming along an open-air track in front of a crowd of invited journalists. You can check out DT’s experience of the event here.

While many nations have expressed an interest in the hyperloop technology, Dubai in the UAE seems especially keen and has already had talks with Hyperloop One about building what could become the first operational system. The company has already signed an agreement with DP World – the third-largest port and terminals operator in the world – aimed at constructing a hyperloop track for Dubai’s enormous Jebel Ali port, using it to transport freight from the port to destinations inland. It’s hoped the system could be up and running within the next four years.

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

Hyperloop One is competing with another U.S. firm, Hyperloop Transportation Technologies, to build the first fully functioning system. And don’t forget Brogan BamBrogan. He co-founded Hyperloop One – or Hyperloop Technologies as it was called then – in 2014, before leaving under a cloud last year. The flamboyant BamBrogan recently launched his own rival project, with at least 80 engineers expected to be working on competing technology by the end of 2017.

‘Voodoo Vince Remastered’ brings the bayou to Xbox April 18th

Cult classic Voodoo Vince is getting a second chance at life (death?) next month. Come April 18th, the quirky platformer from Microsoft’s first game console will launch as a Play Anywhere title on Windows 10 and Xbox One in the form of Voodoo Vince Remastered. As a post on Xbox Wire tells it, the game will run you $14.99. Want to meet with its developer, Clayton Kauzlaric? If you’re in Boston this weekend for PAX East you can talk to him at the show and get your hands on Xbox chief Phil Spencer’s favorite game before anyone else.

Source: Xbox Wire

Unity sponsors 50 developers affected by Trump’s travel ban

On top of all the other obstacles they face, many game developers from nations like Iran, Iraq and Syria couldn’t make it to GDC in San Francisco because of the Trump administration’s immigration order. Unity is trying to make it up to them in a small way with a new program called Unity Without Borders. It’s inviting 50 developers from the restricted countries (Iraq is now off that list) to its Unite 2017 conference in Amsterdam.

The company will help them through Europe’s Schengen visa process and pay for a round-trip ticket to Amsterdam, four nights of hotel accommodation, a per idem for meals and expenses and a ticket to the conference. The purpose of the events, held throughout the year in Asia, Europe, Australia and the US, is to help participants learn more about the Unity engine, brainstorm with experts and developers and see future Unity features.

Game developers like Insomniac and iNK Stories strongly criticized the first “Muslim ban,” which forced developers like Navid Khonsari, creator of 1979 Revolution: Black Friday to put their travel plans on hold. “The impact is not one of strength, it’s one of breaking down the possibilities of what we can achieve as a cohesive group collaborating together,” he told Engadget last month.

The aim of the Unity Without Borders program is counteract that by including developers from Trump’s banned countries. “Unity believes in democratizing game development, solving hard problems, and enabling success no matter where you’re from,” the company said. If you’re a developer that’s affected by the travel ban or know someone who is, you can apply to attend the Unite conference in Amsterdam here.

Supplier Ibiden Commits to 100 Percent Renewable Energy For Apple Manufacturing

Apple has announced that component supplier Ibiden has become the first company in Japan to guarantee all of its Apple manufacturing will be powered by 100 percent renewable energy.

Ibiden is planning to invest in more than 20 new renewable energy facilities, including one of the largest floating solar photovoltaic systems in the country.

“We’re proud to partner with suppliers like Ibiden who recognize that renewable energy investments are good for the environment and good for business,” said Lisa Jackson, Apple’s vice president for Environment, Policy and Social Initiatives. “As we continue our push to power our global operations with 100 percent renewable energy, it is more important than ever that we help our manufacturing partners make the same transition to cleaner sources, and set an example for other companies to follow.”

The renewable energy projects set up by Ibiden, which manufactures printed circuit boards and integrated circuit packaging used in Apple devices, will reportedly produce over 12 MW of solar power and support Japan’s efforts to limit its carbon emissions.

Apple and its suppliers are aiming to generate over 2.5 billion kilowatt hours per year of clean energy for the manufacturing of Apple products by the end of 2018, which Apple claims is equal to taking over 400,000 cars off the road for a year.

More than 93 percent of Apple’s worldwide operations are said to be powered by renewable energy. In August last year, Apple announced that Chinese supplier Lens Technology had committed to power all of its glass production for Apple with 100 percent renewable energy by 2018.

Outside of manufacturing, Apple’s new headquarters in California will be powered by one of the largest onsite corporate solar energy installations in the world. All of the company’s data centers are similarly powered by 100 percent renewable energy, as are 145 of its U.S. retail stores, and the large majority of its corporate facilities.

Tags: Japan, Apple environment
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