Moto G4 Plus is finally picking up the Nougat update in the U.S.

Moto G4 Plus finally picks up Nougat update in the U.S.

Republic Wireless kicked off a Nougat soak test for the Moto G4 Plus a few weeks ago, and it now looks like Motorola is rolling out the update to unlocked G4 Plus (XT1644) units in the country.

The update comes in at 741MB, and includes all the feature new in Nougat, such as inline notification replies, multi-window mode, improvements to Doze, and a new one-handed mode. The OTA update is now rolling out, so if you’re rocking the G4 Plus in the U.S., it’s time to head into your phone’s settings to see if the update is available for your handset.

Already rocking the Nougat update? How are you liking the changes?

Thanks Travis!

T-Mobile ONEsie turns you into a human hotspot

Get ‘unlimited coverage’ with the T-Mobile ONEsie .

Felt you could get away from the April Fool’s Day madness this year just because it was on a Saturday? Think again. Brands are taking things into their own hands by rolling out gags a day in advance. T-Mobile is never one to shy away from a chance to poke fun at its rivals, and the carrier is kicking things off with the T-Mobile ONEsie, “the world’s first full-body wearable.”

According to T-Mobile’s CEO and “lead fashion designer” John Legere, the T-Mobile ONEsie is a “quantum leap forward for wearables, for wireless networks and for fashion” that embodies the “very meaning of unlimited coverage.”

If you like what you see, you’ll actually be able to pick up the T-Mobile ONEsie for $40. Not convinced yet? Here’s the making-of video, and T-Mobile’s press statement.

Introducing the Revolutionary T-Mobile ONEsie. A New Definition of Unlimited Coverage.

T-Mobile ONEsie is the world’s first full body wearable—and the most complete fitness tracker ever created.

Plus, it delivers full-bars coverage—even for those stuck on lame networks like Verizon or AT&T.

And it’s all available at absolutely no extra cost with T-Mobile ONE, all in—monthly taxes and fees included.

Bellevue, Washington — March 31, 2017 — T-Mobile just took it to a whole new level, making its most daring and disruptive move to date with the introduction of the all-new, all-in T-Mobile ONEsie. This shocking-new entry into the consumer wearable category combines patent-pending mobile technology with cutting-edge fashion design. Powered by your T-Mobile smartphone, T-Mobile ONEsie isn’t just a fitness tracker – it’s a full-body fitness tracker on steroids, monitoring your vital signs, sleeping, waking, breathing, movement, body position and much, much more from head to toe. On top of that, T-Mobile ONEsie does double duty to deliver full-bars coverage absolutely everywhere T-Mobile has spectrum for both the wearer and anyone nearby.

“T-Mobile ONEsie is a quantum leap forward for wearables, for wireless networks and for fashion,” said John Legere, president, CEO and lead fashion designer at T-Mobile. “What I’m most excited about is combining my drive to disrupt the wireless industry AND my passion for magenta fashion. The result is easily the most innovative—and certainly the most comfortable—product in wearable technology today. Now anyone can slip into a T-Mobile ONEsie and go “all in” with truly unlimited coverage!”

To get started with T-Mobile ONEsie, simply dock your smartphone in the internal pocket. When you hear the familiar T-Mobile ringtone, you’ll know your T-Mobile ONEsie is powered up and ready to go. T-Mobile ONEsie includes a breakthrough new ‘Thermanetic’ charging system, which harnesses energy generated by both your body heat and your movement to keep your smartphone and T-Mobile ONEsie continuously charged. It’s a groundbreaking way to stay connected and powered up all day and all night long.

World’s First Full-Body Fitness Tracker
Wrapping every inch of your body in cutting-edge connectivity and comfort, T-Mobile ONEsie stands in stark contrast to a sea of conventional wearables that wrap only your wrist, offering ridiculously limited skin contact. And yet those wearables claim to accurately monitor your body’s complex and varied activities and biometrics. How is that even possible? The T-Mobile ONEsie eliminates those old limits through constant contact with—and micro-monitoring of—your body’s every feature and function … head to toe.

T-Mobile ONEsie’s full-body coverage gives you the most comprehensive and in-depth real-time health data and monitoring available anywhere. Detailed readouts provide real-time details of everything from your systolic and diastolic blood pressure, to lung efficiency and oxygen flow, to bladder level – and so much more. Of course, T-Mobile ONEsie is fully Bluetooth-enabled and GPS-equipped for full geo-location services and tracking of even your smallest movements.

Up top, T-Mobile ONEsie’s hoodie is equipped with proprietary HoodiePhones™, so you can listen to your tunes anytime with unlimited music streaming. And, remember, with ongoing updates, the possibilities for future features and functionality are truly endless.

Revolutionary 4G LTE Nano-Fibers Turn You into a Human Hotspot

T-Mobile ONEsie features revolutionary new 4G LTE nano-fiber technology, which is literally woven into the fabric of each T-Mobile ONEsie. These nano-fibers combine to light up T-Mobile’s spectrum, generating a perfect – and perfectly safe – 4G LTE signal everywhere you go.

And, not only will you have full-bars coverage, but by activating “Human Hotspot” mode on your T-Mobile ONEsie, you can share that perfect 4G LTE coverage with nearby friends and family. Even those on less-wearable networks from Verizon or AT&T can experience T-Mobile’s blazing-fast, super-advanced LTE network, thanks to T-Mobile ONEsie.

“To be honest, when John first showed me his sketches, I thought he was joking. But, when I realized he was serious, we found incredible synergies between his breakthrough vision and our most advanced research – the result is T-Mobile ONEsie, and it’s a total game-changer,” said Neville Ray, Chief Technology Officer at T-Mobile. “T-Mobile ONEsie is the product of years of research, development and design, and let me tell you – we’ve created a real game-changer that radically re-envisions the future of fashion, wearables and the very meaning of unlimited coverage.”

T-Mobile ONEsie also introduces ONEdev, providing new tools and APIs for developers to create unique experiences designed for the whole body. Developers can create fully native apps for T-Mobile ONEsie apps starting later next year.

Fashion Forward

Most wearables leave fashion on the cutting room floor – generic black bands, garish color clip-ons. Not T-Mobile ONEsie! Designed by magenta fashion icon and trend-setter, John Legere, T-Mobile ONEsie brings Legere’s vision to life. T-Mobile ONEsie is as fashion forward as it is technically advanced, and of course, it celebrates the hottest color of the season.

“What excites me most is the sheer disruptive nature of John’s VISION for future fashion,” said Edna Moda, Fashion-Forward Designer. “It’s gigabyte meets Gucci. It’s virtual meets Versace. I haven’t been this excited about a collection since Tom Ford 2001. It’s just so darned daring … it fogs my glasses!”

The T-Mobile ONEsie comes in a number of super-functional and highly-fashionable styles, including:
– T-Mobile ONEsie —great for everyday wear, going casual at the office, or for a weekend outing
– ONEsie Sport—for serious athletes and weekend warriors, features wicking fabric and advanced bio-feedback
– ONEsie Comfort—just right for night wear or those laid back evenings in
– ONEsie @Work—features wool-blend, wrinkle-resistant fabric that effortlessly transitions from office to evening out

And, of course, just like T-Mobile ONE, the Un-carrier doesn’t make you guess which size you need. While Verizon makes everything fit into pre-fabricated S, M, L, XL buckets, the Un-carrier doesn’t roll that way. That’s right – one size fits all! Just wear it and the T-Mobile ONEsie automatically adjusts to its wearer after a couple wearings, for a comfortable, easy fit that’s as flattering as it is fun.

None of this would be possible without America’s fastest, most advanced 4G LTE network. Independent third party studies by OpenSignal, Speedtest.net and the FCC show nothing’s faster than T-Mobile’s network. In the most recent study by OpenSignal, T-Mobile won or tied for first in ALL of the speed rankings. In addition to T-Mobile’s speed, the study showed T-Mobile customers and their Verizon counterparts get an LTE signal about the same percentage of the time. In fact, T-Mobile’s LTE network now covers 314 million people—more than 99% as many people as Verizon.

SpaceX recovers Falcon 9’s nose cone for the first time

SpaceX just made history by launching the world’s first reflight of an orbital rocket and landing its first stage on a barge again. The booster wasn’t the only part of the rocket the company recovered from the SES-10 mission, though: it also managed to land Falcon 9’s $6 million nose cone for the first time ever. A rocket’s nose cone, found at its very tip, protects its payload and makes sure it offers minimum aerodynamic resistance. Musk has announced its recovery during the post-launch press conference, calling it “the cherry on the cake.”

The SpaceX chief has revealed that the company used thrusters and steerable parachutes to guide two halves of the 16-foot-diameter cone back home. Musk and his team are hoping reusable rockets can make spaceflight a lot more affordable, so the more parts that can be reused, the better. Now that they’ve proven Falcon 9’s first stage is reusable, they’ve set their sights on another goal: to relaunch a rocket within 24 hours of its last flight.

Incredibly proud of the SpaceX team for achieving this milestone in space! Next goal is reflight within 24 hours.

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 30, 2017

Wondering what happened to SES-10 since everybody keeps talking about SpaceX’s rocket landing? It has successfully made its way to its new home in geostationary orbit.

Successful deployment of SES-10 to geostationary transfer orbit confirmed. pic.twitter.com/FkVoUYSsmq

— SpaceX (@SpaceX) March 30, 2017

Source: Popular Science

Don’t wake the baby! How to connect any headphones to a TV

For all the numerous features packed into modern TVs — from HDR and 4K resolution to local dimming and quantum dots —  most newer models are devoid of one simple feature: a headphone jack.

This isn’t an immediate issue for most users. After all, if you’ve got an awesome audio setup, why would you need to connect a pair of headphones? However, those looking to keep the noise down for the kids or other family members sleeping in the next room know that a good pair of headphones can be a serious boon to those late night streaming marathons and movie catchups. As such, it’s important to have a simple (and convenient) way to connect your cans to your TV.

More: The best headphones you can buy

Whether you’ve got wired headphones, wireless headphones, or a gaming headset, here are the best solutions to getting your TV time on the sly.

Wired connection

If your setup is conducive to a wired pair of headphones — meaning you’ll be sitting close enough to the TV or other device to conveniently span the distance — there are a handful of options for easily wiring into your TV.

Adapters

Connecting via an adapter first requires identifying what kind of audio output your specific TV has. On the back or side of your TV — usually wherever your inputs are — there should be some form of audio output connection. In older TVs there may be a 3.5mm (standard headphone) output, which makes it simple to plug and play. However, more common on older models are Left/Right RCA audio outputs, which will require an RCA-to-3.5mm adapter, like this one from Amazon. These are simple to set up, and better yet, they’re dirt cheap.

An example of audio out formats., including 5.1 out, RCA (2-audio), and Optical (digital).

Vladimir Logutenko/123RF

Newer TVs will be a bit trickier. Many TV manufacturers dropped analog outputs a while back for a digital Optical output. The output looks like a tiny, square-shaped door, often outlined in bright red light (or fitted with a rubber cap such as the one shown above). For this configuration, you’ll need a digital audio to analog audio adapter. This will not only allow you to plug in a 3.5mm headphone jack, but it also converts the audio output to the correct format to play back in your headphones.

In either of these cases, you may also need a headphone extension cable such as this one, which lets you stretch back as far as 50 feet.

Connecting to a streaming device’s remote control

Another option is to plug into the remote control of a set-top streaming device. If you’ve been thinking about getting a set-top box anyway, this is the perfect time to jump in. Streamers such as the Roku 3 and Roku 4 and Nvidia’s Shield TV have remote controls with a headphone jack built right in. In addition, the Amazon Fire TV’s gaming controller also has a 3.5mm headphone jack (but not its standard remote), so you’ll have to buy the gaming bundle to utilize it.

The only potential drawback here is that you will only be able to listen to the device you’re plugged into. If you’re watching TV mostly from a cable box, this won’t be the best solution.

Connecting through external audio devices

Devices like audio receivers or even external speakers will usually have an accessible spot to plug in a pair of headphones, as well. This is especially handy if you happen to have multiple source devices (e.g., a cable box or antenna, a streaming device, etc.). You’ll need to give your hardware a look over to see if there is in fact a headphone output, or you could alternatively use one of the output-adapter setups we mentioned above (such as the RCA or digital Optical). Most A/V receivers will have a quarter-inch headphone jack in the front, which requires nothing more than a simple adapter.

SpaceX enters history books with successful launch, landing of used rocket

Why it matters to you

Thursday’s success takes Elon Musk one step closer to his ultimate dream of one day launching crewed missions to Mars.

It was one giant leap for SpaceX on Thursday evening when it successfully completed the first reflight — and landing — of an orbital class rocket.

Elon Musk and his team have completed numerous rocket launches and landings over the last 16 months, but bringing a Falcon 9 rocket back home for a second time takes the development of its reusable system to the next level as it continues in its quest to drastically reduce the cost of space travel.

Following the historic landing, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk tweeted that he was “incredibly proud of the SpaceX team for achieving this milestone in space,” adding, “Next goal is reflight within 24 hours.”

Incredibly proud of the SpaceX team for achieving this milestone in space! Next goal is reflight within 24 hours.

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 30, 2017

Did you get that? The private space company’s next aim is to land a rocket and have it firing on all cylinders again within the space of a day.

The used Falcon 9 launched from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 6:27 p.m. ET on Thursday, returning to an ocean-based barge off the coast of Florida a short while later after successfully deploying a commercial communications satellite for Luxembourg-based firm SES.

Speaking soon after the rocket touched down, Musk said it “did its mission perfectly” before landing “right on the bullseye” of the barge. He added, “This is going to be a huge revolution in space travel. It’s the difference between … if you threw away an airplane after every flight versus you could reuse them multiple times.”

More: Elon Musk wants to populate Mars with one million people to save humanity

In April last year, the same rocket delivered an unmanned Dragon cargo ship to space destined for the International Space Station before returning to the barge for a smooth touchdown. The same rocket could now be used for a third mission.

SpaceX has now made nine successful rocket landings — six at sea and three on land —as it continues to perfect its technology ahead of its first crewed tests, possibly next year.

This week’s achievement will be a huge boost for the SpaceX team following a difficult period toward the end of 2016 when one of its rockets exploded on the launchpad. The company returned to flight in January this year, while Thursday’s effort shifts SpaceX’s ambitious project forward significantly as it looks toward launching missions into deep space and one day sending people to Mars

Now Twitch streamers can choose both 1080p and 60fps

After chasing Steam and expanding into direct game sales, Twitch is ready to give its core product a framerate boost and fresh set of troubleshooting tools. The Amazon-owned streaming platform just announced new support for 1080p video at 60 frames per second as well as a new Twitch Inspector setup and monitoring app.

All those pixels and frames require a lot of bandwidth, of course, so Twitch is no longer limiting streams to 3.5 megabits of incoming bitrate. Instead, they’re now officially recommending a 3-6 megabits for most streamers. Anyone hoping to push a full HD experience should obviously err on the higher end of that scale, but for everyone in the middle Twitch is also rolling out new transcoding quality options to all channels over the next few weeks.

While Twitch is a little bit behind the curve here — YouTube has had 4K livestreaming since November — Twitch Inspector should be a helpful tool for anyone who just wants to get their games streaming to the web or ensure that their system can push 60 fps during heavy gameplay. For users who are unsure what their setup can support, Twitch Inspector will run those diagnostics for you, predict the best quality for your hardware and connection and even run test streams before going live. Inspector can also monitor your stream stability and help fix any issues that do come up. And finally, Twitch has helpfully rebuilt their setup and streaming guide from the ground up at stream.twitch.tv.

Source: Twitch

Whoops! Google delays Android Wear 2.0 update due to software bug

Have you been anxiously checking our list of when Android Wear 2.0 will arrive for your device?

Well, we have some bad news: Google just confirmed the availability of its second iteration of Android Wear has been delayed, thanks to a tricky software bug that it is scrambling to fix. Currently, only the company’s LG Watch Sport and Watch Style, as well as a few other third-party models, have received the update. All other eligible devices have now been put on hold for an unspecified amount of time.

In a statement to 9to5Google, Google explained:

“We have started rolling out the Android Wear 2.0 update to Fossil Q Founder, Casio Smart Outdoor Watch WSD-F10, and Tag Heuer Connected. For other devices, the update is currently being delayed due to a bug found in final testing. We will push the update to the remaining devices as soon as the issue is resolved.”

We’ll keep you posted when we learn more about this software bug and when it’ll be fixed by Google. In the mean time, keep your eyes on our Android Wear 2.0 update guide.

Get your internet off-contract with Comcast’s prepaid Xfinity service

Following hot on the heels of Verizon’s new prepaid FiOS plan, Comcast announced on Thursday that the company will offer a prepaid version of its own Xfinity internet.

The new plan, ingeniously named the Xfinity Prepaid Internet Service, will allow customers to sign up for internet service without a credit check or annual contract. Users will be able to renew the service in intervals ranging from a week (which will cost $15) up to a full month for $45. The initial $80 starter kit includes a gateway and 30 days of service. It’s available from both the Comcast website and Boost Mobile stores — currently it’s only 800 Boost Mobile stores in Pennsylvania, Michigan and Texas though they’ll be in all 4,000 of the company’s retail locations by the end of the year. What’s more, if you’re also a Boost Mobile subscriber, you’ll get a $5 discount when you purchase more time.

Source: Business Wire

Scientists search 3 million publications to unlock sea change secret

Sometimes facts from the ancient world aren’t hidden in fossils or subterranean rock — they’re found across a massive range of ordinary data. Scientists started a project to discover when a unique type of rock formation, stromatolites, stopped forming in the ancient world. But to finish, they developed tools that let them parse through three million scientific publications, lowering the bar for research projects in the future.

Stromatolites are layers of sediment made by microbes which started disappearing, paleontologists had believed, about 560 million years ago once those tiny organisms started getting eaten up en masse by newly-evolving multi-celled creatures. But after deploying their new tool, researchers found a greater correlation with seawater chemistry — specifically, whether there was an abundance of the sediment dolomite. They started looking not just for where stromatolites showed up in rocks across history, but where they could have appeared and didn’t.

The researchers built two systems to collect and parse through the colossal range of data. First was GeoDeepDive, a digital library that could rapidly read millions of papers and pluck out particular nuggets. The massive computing it requires is generated by UW-Madison’s Center for High Throughput Computing and HTCondor systems. The second, Macrostat, is a database that tracks the geological properties of North America’s upper crust at different depths and across time.

The undertaking started when one of the study’s authors fresh out of undergrad at Princeton, Julia Wilcots, took it on as a project in summer 2015. By the end, it pioneered a new way to parse through a massive volume of academic publications and pick out particular references.

“Doing this study without GeoDeepDive would be all but impossible,” The study’s first author Shanen Peters told UW-Madison’s newsroom. “Reading thousands of papers to pick out references to stromatolites, and then linking them to a certain rock unit and geologic period, would take an entire career, even with Google Scholar. Here we got started with a talented undergrad working on a summer project. GeoDeepDive has greatly lowered the barrier to compiling literature data in order to answer many questions.”

Via: Phys.org

Source: University of Wisconsin-Madison

Australian Regulators Prevent Banks From Collectively Bargaining With Apple Over Apple Pay

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) today issued a determination that again denies authorization for the major banks in the country to work together to negotiate with Apple to gain access to the NFC chip within iOS devices.

Commonwealth Bank of Australia, Westpac Banking Corporation, National Australia Bank, and Bendigo and Adelaide bank had asked for permission to collectively bargain with Apple and boycott Apple Pay. According to the ACCC, the request was denied because the potential benefits do not outweigh the detriments, and there were concerns that the collective bargaining could reduce or distort competition in a number of markets.

The Australian banks have been aiming to get access to the NFC chip in the iPhone, which would allow their own payments services to work on iOS devices alongside Apple Pay. Apple does not allow third-party access to the NFC chip because of security concerns, leading Apple to urge the ACCC to deny the request.

The banks argued that access to the NFC chip in the iPhone would allow them to offer competing wallets, which would lead to increased competition and consumer choice in digital wallets and increased innovation and investment in digital wallets.

“This is currently a finely balanced decision. The ACCC is not currently satisfied that the likely benefits from the proposed conduct outweigh the likely detriments,” ACCC Chairman Rod Sims said.

With the request for collective negotiations shut down, Australian banks that are holding out against Apple Pay will each need to negotiate individually with Apple. Following the ACCC’s statement, the banks released a joint statement calling the decision disappointing.

Thus far, the banks involved in the dispute have resisted implementing Apple Pay, and it’s not clear if today’s decision will result in a meaningful change. While Apple Pay has been available in Australia for quite some time through partnerships with American Express and ANZ, the many Australians who bank with the three major banks involved in the dispute do not have access to Apple Pay.

Related Roundup: Apple Pay
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