Apple CEO Tim Cook Attributes a ‘Pause’ in iPhone Purchases to 2017 iPhone Rumors

During today’s second quarter earnings call, Apple CEO Tim Cook said Apple was seeing a “pause” in purchases of the iPhone, which he attributed to “earlier and much more frequent reports about future iPhones.”

The comment came in response to a question about a 451 research survey, which mentioned a nine year low in iPhone purchase intent. Cook said he hadn’t read the survey in depth, but explained Apple was seeing slower iPhone sales.

iPhone 8 concept based on alleged leaked design renderings

I only glanced at it and so I haven’t had time to study it, but in general, what we are seeing… we’re seeing what we believe to be a pause in purchases on iPhone, which we believe are due to the earlier and much more frequent reports about future iPhones. And so that part is clearly going on, and it could be what’s behind the data. I don’t know, but we are seeing that, in full transparency.

Rumors about the iPhone 8, coming in 2017, started before the iPhone 7 and the iPhone 7 Plus were even released, despite Apple’s ever-increasing focus on secrecy. Major changes are rumored to be in the works for the 2017 iPhone, and those changes have been difficult for Apple to keep quiet.

The device is expected to feature the biggest overhaul to the iPhone in a number of years, with an edge-to-edge OLED display with no Home button, a glass body with stainless steel frame, Touch ID embedded under the screen, new biometric features, a revamped camera, and more.

With the number of rumors circulating about improvements coming to the iPhone, it should come as no surprise that customers are holding off on an iPhone purchase until 2017, when the entirely revamped iPhone debuts.

Related Roundups: iPhone 7, iPhone 8 (2017)
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Facebook Messenger’s Instant Games Now Rolling Out Worldwide, New Features Added

Facebook’s Instant Games feature, first introduced in November, is now available worldwide. Along with expanding Instant Games worldwide, Facebook is also introducing new functionality first announced at its F8 conference, including turn-based gameplay and additional games.

Turn-based gameplay has been a highly requested Instant Games feature. Prior to today, games were single player, with Facebook relying on challenges to engage a user’s friends and family, but now, two people can play games like Words With Friends with each other. Leaderboards, tournaments, and more engaging game messages delivered by game bots have also been bundled into the update.

Rich gameplay features such as turn-based games (our most requested feature) can also weave in leaderboards and tournaments, and offer more visually engaging and customizable game messages during play. Game bots help re-engage players by calling out new game options and encouraging competition with updates on the leaderboards.

Facebook Messenger now features 50 Instant Games to play (depending on location), including EverWing, Words With Friends, Solitaire, Pac-Man, Bingo, Snake, and more.

According to Facebook, Instant Games for Messenger will roll out over the next few weeks worldwide for both iOS and Android.

Facebook Messenger can be downloaded from the App Store for free. [Direct Link]

Tag: Facebook
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Friday Labs Debuts New HomeKit-Enabled ‘Friday Lock’

Friday Labs today announced the long-awaited launch of its Friday Lock, which was originally introduced in 2015 as part of an Indiegogo campaign for the “world’s most advanced smart lock.”

When the lock was first conceived, HomeKit-compatibility wasn’t mentioned as a feature, but the release version of the device supports Apple’s smart home system.

According to Friday Labs, the Friday Lock is the world’s “smallest and most stylish” retrofit lock, and the only lock to offer Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and HomeKit in a single product.

The Friday Lock is slender, unassuming, and available in a range of finishes to match different decors, including brass, bronze, copper, gun metal, nickel satin, porcelain, and silver. According to the lock’s creators, it was designed not to shout “I’m a very intelligent object on your door,” so it doesn’t feature a screen, lights, or other features that would make it stand out.

“We’re delighted to announce Friday Lock’s availability today. Friday Labs is a design-driven company – our goal is to provide users with secure, connected products that encompass functional design and feel good to use, said Marcus Tempte, CEO of Friday Labs. He continued, “We’ve created a beautiful lock with changeable shells made from die cast metal with gorgeous finishes to make doors fit naturally in with the rest of the house or any room.”

Siri commands or an iPhone with the Home app can be used to control the Friday Lock, thanks to its HomeKit integration. There’s a remote key system that allows one-time entry to let in guests, using a text message for activation. For family members, there’s also an option for unlimited access, and a geofencing system detects when an iPhone is near, automatically unlocking the door.

A Friday Universal Baseplate is used to mount the Friday Lock to any door, with no locksmith required for installation, and there’s also a Door Adapter Plate to ensure a solid fit even on doors that need longer tailpieces. A rechargeable battery is included, which lasts approximately three months before needing to be recharged via an included USB charger.

The Friday Lock can be pre-ordered from the Friday Labs website in the United States, Canada, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, and Finland starting today. The lock is priced at $249 and pre-orders will ship out in three to four weeks.

Tag: HomeKit
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Marshall Monitor Bluetooth Headphones review, the best money can buy?

Marshall is a name that you’ve more than likely heard before. It’s been well regarded for the better part of the 55 years the company has existed for the quality of it’s products. The English outfit has been best known for amplifiers and speaker cabinets but recently made a strong push into the personal Bluetooth headphone space.

We recently took a look at the Marshall Mid On-Ear Bluetooth Headphones and came away extremely impressed with the quality of not only the build but the sound too. Today we’re taking a look at its sibling, the Monitor Over-the-Ear Bluetooth Headphones. We’ve got high hopes for this pair of headphones based on Marshall’s reputation and how much we loved the on-ear headphones.

Build and Fit

If you’ve ever seen a Marshall amp, you’ll agree that the Monitor Bluetooth headphones are unmistakably Marshall. The hard, almost cracked, black vinyl that Marshall places on the outside of its equipment is prominent on these headphones too. Both the outside of the ear cups and the headband feature the vinyl and it looks absolutely fabulous. In a world where soft leather or hard plastic are the norms, the vinyl stands out in the crowd.

The ear cups are connected by a strong metal band that has stood up to some abuse since I’ve had it. Each side has 13 separate satisfying clicks to extend or retract to find the perfect size for your head.

When the headphones are just sitting by themselves, they look very small and I was initially worried about them fitting comfortably on my decently-sized (okay, big) head. The fit was a bit tight for the first few hours but the headphones have since broken in a bit and now I find the pressure very comfortable. That small size, in addition to the earcups folding up, make for a small package during transport. If you’re pressed for space in your bag or purse, these are a nice option for a full feature set of headphones that don’t take up a ton of space.

What I don’t necessarily find comfortable is how the cups fit around my ears. Marshall did well by selecting a nice soft leather for the ear cups, but they’re just a bit small. I don’t have big ears at all, but my ear lobe routinely gets pressed down by the cups and forces me to wiggle them around until my ear fully fits into the cup. If the cups were just a little bit bigger or a little more rounded instead of the oval that they are, this could be avoided.

I do love the finishes on these headphones, even if they aren’t the most comfortable in the world. The headband is vinyl on top, but a nice soft leather on the bottom which makes for a comfortable fit and the stitching that binds the two looks great. You’ll find brass accents on the inside of the headband indicating the left and right side of the headset as well as a brass button on the left earcup for power, volume, and the ability to skip tracks.

All-in-all, the Marshall Monitor Bluetooth Headphones are extremely well made and mostly comfortable. I like a lot of the design choices Marshall made and I believe that due to using materials like vinyl and metal it’ll stand up better to abuse and last longer than other headphones that have gone with plastics and cheap leather substitutes instead.

Function and Audio

These headphones are simple. You get one button and that’s all you really need. The brass button that sits on the left earcup is responsible for all of the functionality of the headset. Pressing it in will turn on the headset (indicated by a white light) and a long press from an off state puts it into pairing mode (blue light). And yep, you guessed it, holding the button while the headphones are on turns it off too (red light).

While the headset is on, you can raise and lower the volume by moving the knob up and down. Skipping tracks is as easy as moving the knob front toward your face (skip backward) or back toward your head (skip forward). A quick press down will pause or play your track while a double press will open up Google Assistant. If you’re using the headset while you get a call, a press down of the button answers and ends the call. The microphone in the headset sounds pretty good too, according to those I spoke to while testing the headset.

I like how Marshall set up the headset with a single button, my only complaint is that it can be a bit mushy to press and you don’t quite know when you’ve pressed it far enough. It’s a minor complaint, but it still could be improved upon in the next hardware revision.

Running low on battery? You can use them wired too.

As for the audio quality, you’re going to get top-notch performance here. The “Monitor” in the name of the headset indicates that it’s tuned to give you the most accurate representation of the audio you’re listening to possible.

All headsets have their own signature, the two most popular probably being Beats’ bass heavy signature and Sennheiser’s balanced signature. Marshall has done an excellent job staying true to the “monitor” signature here and I couldn’t be any more impressed with the sound I’m getting out of these Bluetooth headphones.

Bluetooth headphones generally don’t fair as well as wired headphones but these Marshall cans are just simply awesome. Bass isn’t lacking at all, but it’s not emphasized. If you’re a basshead, maybe pick another pair that will artificially enhance your bass. The mids and highs are well represented and make classical and vocal driven tracks sound fabulous. Spoken word is another standout with high-quality podcasts sounding excellent.

I’m not an audiophile. I do, however, love high-quality audio. Music is my escape and it takes me to places that I’ll never be able to visit in person. The fields of Woodstock in 1969, the recording studio at Abbey Road, the front row at Wembley watching Freddy Mercury transfix 150,000 people, or Sun Studios in Memphis where Johnny Cash got his start…

Music is the most powerful thing on earth and I feel like I’m a part of it with the Marshall Monitor Bluetooth Headphones on.

If you’re interested in picking up a pair, you can find them at Marshall’s website, Amazon B&H Photo, and Jet.com.

Garmin vívosmart 3 review

Fitbit has been dominating the mid-range fitness tracker market for some time now. The Charge 2, Alta HR, and Flex 2 are all great devices, but what about the competition? If you’re looking to spend under $150 for a well-rounded wearable to track your activity, there are a few other devices you might want to consider first.

One of those devices is the Garmin vívosmart 3. This is an interesting fitness tracker that offers some unique features that you won’t find on other devices in the same price range, and Garmin deserves major props for innovating in an industry that has grown somewhat stale lately. For the right user, there is an awful lot to like here… but are you that user?

Here is our Garmin vívosmart 3 review.

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Best fitness trackers

3 weeks ago

Design

When I first removed the vívosmart 3 from its packaging, I did not have terribly high hopes for it. That is to say that the first impression isn’t an entirely positive one. It might just be my personal taste, but the vívosmart 3 feels a little on the cheap side and is very light and rubbery – even the screen. This also makes it very prone to picking up hairs and dust and it lacks a certain sheen present on other devices. There is a faint diamond pattern around one half of the band which is nice enough, but this certainly feels like a case of function over form.

Related Articles 

Fitbit Alta HR review

6 days ago 

Fitbit Charge 2 review

November 3, 2016

The screen is black and white and has a lot of light bleed, which further adds to the less-than-perfect aesthetic. It is an actual touchscreen though that will register swipes and precise jabs, which is a nice step up from the tap-only displays that you get on Fitbit’s latest devices.

I’m not saying it’s terrible – it’s small and light enough that the looks aren’t terribly important, and it’s nice and comfortable to wear, too. It’s just not quite as appealing as a Fitbit or even Gear Fit 2, and for me this is something of a trend when it comes to Garmin’s devices. I remember being similarly disappointed with the vívoactive HR with its light plasticky frame, bulky shape and dim screen.

Something that is nice about the physical design of the vívosmart 3 though, is that it is waterproof up to 50 meters. That means you can take it in the pool with you or wear it in the shower without worrying about it. There’s no specific swim tracking to speak of, but it’s always nice to know you’re safe from splashes. Battery life is 5 days on paper and about 4 days in practice, which is middling but fine.

Health tracking

While the design is a little mixed, the performance is where the vívosmart 3 gets a little more interesting.

As you would expect, the vívosmart 3 can track your steps, heart rate, calorie burn, distance travelled, active minutes, and sleep, just like most other trackers. All of this works well for the most part; step counts seem to be on par with what my other devices estimate and the sleep tracking kicks in fairly reliably and lines up with what I know to be true. Sleep is split into three distinct categories – deep, light, and awake – which is a little less impressive than the Fitbit Alta HR, but still fairly useful.

The sleep tracking is behind Fitbit right now but is still better than average

Like some other Garmin devices, the vívosmart 3 also allows you to count the number of flights of stairs you ascend using a barometric altimeter. I’ve always found this to be a bit of a strange/arbitrary target to set: I don’t see climbing flights of stairs as a particularly worthwhile goal and it seems odd to me that you could do 30,000 steps in a day and find yourself still falling short of one of your goals… Still, it’s nice to have and it’s always pleasing when you do reach that target.

MyFitnessPal integration is a powerful feature for those that want to lose weight

Again, as we have come to expect from these kinds of devices you also have the option to synchronize the app with the likes of MyFitnessPal as a way to track calories on their way in and on their way out. This is a powerful feature for those that want to lose weight. While there are other factors involved, maintaining a ‘caloric deficit’ is still one of the most reliable methods for body recomposition. There are movement reminders as is par for the course and social elements, though these are a long way behind Fitbit’s offerings.

The vívosmart 3 also supports stress tracking

So far so standard, but what is a little less common is the inclusion of a ‘stress’ data field. This reportedly relies on heart rate variability, which means that it is measuring the variation in the intervals between your heart beats as you breathe. A healthy heart rate should not be entirely consistent but should alter slightly depending on whether we’re breathing in or out. If your parasympathetic nervous system (rest and digest) is dominant, then you will have greater heart rate variance and this is a sign of low stress. Conversely, if your sympathetic nervous system is dominant (fight or flight), then your heart rate variability will be low and this is a sign of stress or of poor recovery from training.

Stag parties = very stressful!

I have no way of testing just how accurate the stress function on the vívosmart 3 is, but it’s still a fun and potentially useful metric to have. And what I can tell you is that it largely does seem to correlate with how I’m feeling at any given time. I first started testing the device on a stag party in Berlin and my stress was recorded as low most of the first day. Then I was shown the ‘hot rod’ (a souped up go-kart) that I would be driving on the road later and my stress levels went right up! It’s a fun feature to have either way and all throughout the trip my friends were asking ‘how stressed are you now Adam?’.

Checking my stress levels in the hot rod! (The screen sometimes appears broken in shots which is to do with shutter speed – in reality it looks fine.)

If you find your stress is a little too high, then you can always try using the Relax Timer

If you find your stress is a little too high, then you can always try using the Relax Timer which will guide you through breathing exercises to try and get your chill back. This is a nice idea, but I feel that the full potential has been a little squandered here. The timer really does nothing more than get you to breathe in and out with consistent timings, and you could accomplish the same thing with a stop watch. Theoretically, more consistent breathing should help to improve heart rate variability, but I found it was uncomfortable holding my breath at times (though you can change the settings in the app) and I didn’t feel any better for it. This is something I’d love to see Garmin expand on in future though. Imagine a meditation app that would monitor your heart rate variability and BPM while providing useful instruction. Hopefully that’s something we’ll see in a future device!

Fitness tracking

As with other fitness trackers, you can also tell the vívosmart 3 that you’re about to begin a workout and track a walk, run, cardio exercise, weight training or ‘other’. During a workout, the device will track your heart rate more consistently as well as other relevant data. At the end you can see how you performed through the Garmin Connect app or compare your data over time. A simple run yields an impressive amount of information, such as average speed, pace, calories, and more. The option to manually start new workouts already puts this ahead of something like the Fitbit Flex or Alta HR, but auto-detection is there too if you want it.

How does the auto-detection algorithm (called ‘Move IQ’) perform? Pretty well actually. Something that is a very welcome addition is the fact that you can actually receive alerts once the activity starts being recorded. This sure beats going for a long walk and just hoping that your device is picking it up – as is your only option with many Fitbits.

See also:

Fitbit Flex 2 review

December 12, 2016

On the downside though, the tracking will only kick in after you’ve been walking for 5, 10 or 15 minutes (depending on your preference) and begins from zero rather than adding that initial 5 minutes to your total. This means that I often find myself walking to the shop only for the vívosmart 3 to tell me it is starting to track a walk just as I get back to the front door. It would have been nice to record the short walk but as it will only have measured the last 30 seconds, I’m better off just discarding the activity. It’s not a big deal though, just something to note if that’s how you plan on using the device.

During training, the vívosmart 3 goes above and beyond other trackers in its price bracket. Being able to look at custom-selected data fields as you train is very handy, and the ‘Garmin Elevate’ heart rate monitoring is far more accurate than Fitbit’s PurePulse during exercise.

See also:

Garmin fenix 5 review

4 days ago

The inclusion of rep counting for weightlifting is really impressive

What really impresses here though is the inclusion of rep counting for weightlifting. This is something that is missing from most other fitness trackers, let alone trackers that are this affordable. In fact, even the vívoactive HR lacks this feature, which is somewhat irksome considering that it has all the necessary sensors and it would be a simple matter for Garmin to add it via a software update. Many fitness trackers completely ignore weightlifting, while those that don’t will usually only monitor your heart rate. Seeing as I know far more people who lift weights than who run, this is a welcome change.

Now a weightlifting session is rewarded with a detailed breakdown of which exercises were performed, how many reps were completed, and more. What’s really impressive is that the vívosmart 3 not only counts repetitions automatically but also identifies the exercise you are doing. During your workouts, all you need to do is to tell the vívosmart 3 when you are starting or ending a set (there is an option to let it auto-detect sets but this is in beta and it doesn’t work very well right now). Theoretically anyway…

What is important to make clear, is that this feature is far from perfect. The vívosmart 3 will often miss-count my repetitions and is equally likely to incorrectly identify exercises. For example, I did a chest press which was registered as a squat and chin ups weren’t counted at all. Weirdly, it actually did pretty well with press ups! Of course nothing that only involves the legs will register (such as leg press or leg extension) and the same goes for unilateral (one armed) exercises. In my training, I like to do elaborate drop sets and supersets and this all gets a little confusing for the vívosmart 3.

The vívosmart 3 will often miss-count my repetitions and is equally likely to incorrectly identify exercises

But this is still a great extra feature to have and one that you won’t find on a lot of other trackers. You can manually edit your workouts to add the weights and fix the exercises/repetitions and this should still be quicker than starting from scratch. I hope this feature will improve over time, as it’s something I think a lot of people could benefit from. At the very least, having your rest periods timed is great for motivation and seeing how long you spent resting at the end of a workout is rather interesting – if a little disheartening in my case here!

Another more advanced feature is the VO2 Max score, which is a rare and welcome inclusion that I haven’t personally seen since the Microsoft Band 2. This is a score that represents your ability to utilize oxygen, which correlates with cardio performance and physical fitness. The vívosmart 3 will use some algorithms to calculate your VO2 Max throughout your regular training and activity, or you can begin a ‘test’ to actively give yourself a score. This also gives you a ‘fitness age’, which is a fairly nonsense bit of fun.

What’s missing from the vívosmart 3 is any form of GPS. This is to be expected for a device this cheap but what’s a real shame is that there is no way to use the GPS from a connected phone to track routes. This is a feature that is present in most other ‘basic’ trackers and it’s a big blow to anyone who might want to use the device for running. Again, it’s annoying because Garmin could easily have added this feature and likely opted not to so as to avoid cannibalizing sales of their other products. The same thing goes for swimming: it’s waterproof and has an accelerometer, so why can’t it track swimming?

It might seem unfair to lambast the vívosmart 3 for missing features when it’s already brimming with things that are lacking in similar trackers. But the point here is that it came so close to having a near-perfect feature set. And the only reason it doesn’t seems to be related to cynical business decisions… The lack of any way to track your route on a run is also a particularly unfortunate omission and one that will make this device a complete no-go for some users.

Software

Navigating through the UI is a real headache and certainly not intuitive

Unfortunately, the somewhat lacking design does seem to carry over to the software. Navigating through the UI is a real headache and certainly not intuitive. You bring the device to life by either double tapping the screen or bringing it up to your face. Double tapping works 99% of the time, while bringing the screen up works about 80% of the time. From here, you can then swipe up and down through widgets, swipe right (or tap) to access more information (such as yesterday’s data), or long-press in order to start an activity or perform a range of other functions.

While this works fine once you’re used to it, you’ll find yourself searching around a whole lot to begin with and a lot of the layout just doesn’t make any sense. Why, for example, are there two separate ‘settings’ menus? The spanner option is found inside the cog option and hides even more settings which surely could have been kept in the same menu. Likewise, why is sleep in the long-press menu whereas stress is one of the top widgets?

On more than one occasion I’ve accidentally cancelled a workout or discarded the data when I had no intention to

The screen is also a little too small for precise swiping and jabbing and this is actually one of my biggest gripes with the vívosmart 3: on more than one occasion I have accidentally cancelled a workout or discarded the data when I had no intention to. As you can imagine, this is pretty frustrating – especially when you’re dying from a cold but you need to record at least one run for your review and you lose the first attempt!

Again, this comes as no surprise from Garmin. This is the same company responsible for the Garmin Connect app, which is where you’ll be looking up all of your data and workouts. Garmin Connect is rather famous for being comprehensive and powerful but an absolute nightmare to navigate. You’ll likely spend a lot of time in the Connect app, so be ready to get lost a lot and to have to dig for the data you want. There’s tons here, it just could be arranged a lot better.

It’s not all bad though. The amount of options, data and features that Garmin manages to pack onto such a small device is undoubtedly impressive and the customization options are also very welcome. You can choose from a selection of watch faces which helps make the device a little more personal. Likewise, you also have the option to remove widgets that you don’t use from the home screen and to select which data fields you want to see during each workout. It’s impressive really, it just takes some getting used to.

The vívosmart 3 lets you choose from numerous watch faces

The vívosmart 3 is not a smartwatch and you certainly shouldn’t invest in it if that’s what you’re looking for. However, what it can do is show you any notification that comes through from your phone. You’ll also get weather updates, music controls, a timer, a stopwatch, and even remote controls for the Virb Action Camera; if you happen to have one of those. It’s basic, but still a good selection compared with similar devices.

Conclusion

The vívosmart 3 is now available for $139.99 from Garmin’s website and Amazon. This puts it in the Fitbit Charge 2/Alta HR price range, which begs the question – should you buy this over a Fitbit?

This has become a very long review and that’s a testament to just how much there is to say about the Garmin vívosmart 3. Not all of it is good, but the fact that there is so much to talk at all about is worthy of praise. While a lot of fitness trackers are rather samey and unimaginative, the vívosmart 3 tries to do a lot and has some relatively unique features.

It’s a shame that it isn’t all packaged a little better. The unintuitive UI and rubbery feel mar the experience somewhat and there are a couple of features that don’t quite work as they should. The lack of GPS synchronization through the mobile app also hurts the device rather. Otherwise, this would have been the ideal ‘cheap option’ for consumers that are more serious about their training.

I would recommend this tracker to active individuals who train mostly in the gym

As it is, I would recommend this tracker to active individuals who train mostly in the gym. If you are more likely to be found running on a treadmill or lifting weights as opposed to running around the local neighborhood, then you should find the slew of features here to be very useful at this price point. Alternatively, the vívosmart 3 could work well as a secondary device. I personally intend to use this as my daily fitness tracker now and wear it to the gym but will switch to the vívoactive HR when I’m heading out for a run. Unless you have a similar option though, serious runners should look for something that has a built-in GPS or at least lets you use your phone.

Meanwhile, those that just want something to passively monitor their health and don’t want to fiddle around with the UI will likely do better with a Fitbit. In many ways, this is superior to the Fitbit Alta HR (perhaps the closest comparison) and it certainly packs in a lot more features. I personally prefer it. But as an overall package, it lacks a little sheen and misses a key feature – which prevents me from making this my number one recommendation for the average consumer.

So the vívosmart 3 will appeal to quite a specific niche, but then it is such a mixed-bag of features that I think this was always inevitable. The vívosmart 3 is a very interesting, capable and likeable device, but it’s also a little awkward and… weird. I like it!

What are your thoughts on the vívosmart 3? Are you thinking of picking one up anytime soon? Let us know what you think in the comments!

Next: The best GPS running watches

Dubai is the first city to design its own Microsoft font

It’s not as flashy as having the world’s tallest building, but the city of Dubai can now claim a new achievement — it’s the first to create its own Microsoft font. The Dubai Font, which combines Latin and Arabic texts, can be accessed globally through Microsoft Office 365.

Dubai’s crown prince, Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, oversaw the project and is now ordering government agencies to use the new font in their official correspondence. Prince Hamdan also shared a video on Twitter touting the Dubai Font as a tool for self-expression. “Expression knows no boundaries or limits. Expression is strength and freedom. It defines who you are,” the video states. The prince concludes his tweet with the hashtag #ExpressYou.

I am pleased to present #DubaiFont to the world, a new digital way to #ExpressYou pic.twitter.com/lQcfnBnl7O

— Hamdan bin Mohammed (@HamdanMohammed) April 30, 2017

But, as The New York Times points out, there are boundaries and limits for expression in Dubai, and in the rest of the United Arab Emirates as a whole. The government restricts freedom of speech and freedom of the press. Even a YouTube sketch comedy video can land you in a maximum-security prison for nine months. “What’s missing from Dubai’s new motto is a little asterisk with fine print, ‘Except that anyone who says something the emirs don’t like goes to jail,’” Sarah Leah Whitson, the executive director of the Middle East and North Africa division of Human Rights Watch, tells The New York Times.

At least the Dubai Font has decent kerning, which is more than can be said for other internet fonts.

Via: The New York Times

Source: Dubai Font

App Store Revenue Up 40% Year-Over-Year, Sets New Quarterly Record

During today’s earnings call for the second fiscal quarter of 2017 (first calendar quarter), Apple announced that its App Store revenue was up 40 percent year-over-year, setting a new all-time quarterly record.

Overall, services brought in $7 billion during the quarter, up from $6 billion in the year-ago quarter. Apple’s “Services” category includes the App Store, Apple Music, Apple Pay, iTunes, and iCloud.

According to Apple CEO Tim Cook, Apple’s services category is “well on the way” to being the size of a Fortune 500 company. Apple saw a “deep level of customer engagement” across all services, with Apple Music and iCloud Storage also experiencing double digit revenue growth.

Cook says Apple saw strong growth in both its own subscription services and the services offered through the App Store during the quarter, with 8 subscriptions now exceeding 165 million.

Apple Pay also saw strong growth, with transaction volume up 460 percent in the last twelve months. Apple Pay is now live in 15 markets, with more than 20 million locations accepting Apple Pay worldwide. 4.5 million contactless-ready locations are available in the United States alone.

During the quarter, Apple posted revenue of $52.9 billion, with net quarterly profit of $11 billion or $2.10 per diluted share. While services did well, iPhone and iPad sales were both down, with Apple selling 50.8 million iPhones and 8.92 million iPads.

Tag: App Store
Discuss this article in our forums

VR rehab could help prisoners learn the valuable life skills they need

Why it matters to you

Virtual Rehab is introducing virtual reality tech to prisons to help inmates navigate the world outside upon release.

When you think of the most important components of a functional prison, virtual reality headsets probably aren’t the first thing that comes to mind.

However, a new initiative called Virtual Rehab wants to change that by introducing the technology to correctional institutions as a way of helping teach inmates the skills they may rely on after their sentences are completed.

“We develop real life scenarios that an offender or an addict will encounter upon their release,” Dr. Raji Wahidy, founder and CEO of Virtual Rehab, told Digital Trends. “These scenarios will measure the action and reaction of the offender or the addict. It is through these scenarios and curriculums that we will measure and teach offenders and addicts ways of making the right decisions that will help them avoid reoffending and relapsing. The scenarios are fully immersive and will challenge the students accordingly. We are also working on programs that will assist correctional officers in dealing with difficult situations, as well as empathizing with inmates.”

It’s certainly an innovative idea — and something that could hopefully help lower the massive number of prisoners behind bars in the United States. That number currently stands at 2.2 million, and last year cost the federal government a total of $9 billion.

Virtual Rehab involves a varied number of scenarios that inmates can try out, presented in a way that’s engaging and practical — without putting members of the general public at risk in the process. For example, it allows for vocational job training skills such as learning car mechanics, plumbing, welding, or carpentry. Other scenarios take more of a psychological rehabilitation tact, with the goal of helping treat emotional disorders, or perhaps navigating through a scene involving dealing with family violence or alcoholism.

Given that VR is still a relatively new tool, the jury’s still out on what kind of difference it can make in a person’s life. However, Wahidy is confident it has a valuable role to play.

“VR has proven to be even more effective than some of this existing traditional ways of educating and rehabilitating,” he said. “For example, back in 1994, [integrated managed care consortium] Kaiser Permanente were one of the first [groups] to use VR to treat patients with acrophobia symptoms. The results of these studies were that over 90 percent of patients no longer showed these acrophobia symptoms. Further studies were conducted on military combat personnel who returned from Iraq and Afghanistan with PTSD symptoms. Yet again, the results of these studies were that over 75 percent did not show these symptoms following the use of VR.”

Virtual Rehab soft-launched back in December, and the team has just released a Virtual Rehab Trial Version this week. Let’s hope it can live up to its promise.

Hey, if it’s a success maybe they can even get Morgan Freeman to reprise his Shawshank Redemption narrator role for a future upgrade!

Thanks to esports, gaming PCs see increased sales in North America

Why it matters to you

Increased sales means a bigger push to create quality gaming PC components and possible higher prices in the near future.

Regardless of whether gamers prefer a PC or console experience, there is no doubt that PCs can offer the best graphics and performance. Still, consoles have largely controlled the market due to their affordable, mainstream nature. Despite claims that the PC market is declining, it actually looks to be on the rise in North America.

According to Kevin Jones, vice president of the U.S.-based electronic chain Micro Center, overall sales of gaming PCs have increased 25 to 30 percent in 2016. Even at Micro Center, sales have grown 200 to 300 percent from one year ago.

While speaking with Digitimes, Jones attributes the increasing gaming PC sales to esports. Just five years ago, he referred to PC gaming as a niche market. Now, with esports’ rapid growth in popularity, the market has become more mainstream. Mid-range prices have also lowered the entry price for those looking to get their toes wet.

Even though analyst firm Gartner reported declining PC sales for eight quarters in a row, gaming laptops and desktops tell a much different story. Gaming PC sales are expected to rise from 2015’s 6 million units. By 2020, they should reach 8.7 million units and account for 13 percent of consumer PC shipments.

In North America, retail has been going through a metamorphosis. Many small PC retailers have closed due to the competition. Yet, thanks to its partnerships with brand vendors, Micro Center has thrived with its 25 stores across 16 states. With new customers, sales have reached $60 million per year.

One threat that lies on the horizon are the PC component shortages plaguing the industry right now. While they have yet to affect prices in any major way, Jones believes prices will begin rising in the near future. Anyone looking to build a new PC might want to move up their timeline to avoid a more expensive market.

When wilderness bites back, Mountain Medics offers on-site emergency care

Why it matters to you

The California-based Mountain Medics offers on-site medical clinics in the event an adventure or weekend away goes awry.

Have you ever sat for hours in an ER waiting area, commiserating with a crew of antsy patients in various states of despair while the itchy rash that landed you there glowers with crimson fury, thinking there must be another way? Contrary to how spot-on this example seems, the practice of telemedicine does, in fact, provide a better alternative.

An application of telecommunications technology used to evaluate, diagnose, and treat patients remotely, telemedicine has steadily increased in popularity as consumer demand for quick and convenient health care grows. This novel technique — utilized by companies such as Teladoc, Spruce Health, and Doctor on Demand — has spread to backcountry medicine, where getting to an emergency room might require a very expensive transport via helicopter.

Northern California alone boasts over half a million acres of primitive wilderness, including mountains, lakes, rivers, and tons of opportunities to hurt yourself while located hours from the nearest paved road. This is where you find Mountain Medics, a team of medical professionals including EMTs, paramedics, nurses, and doctors who use smartphones to treat minor illnesses and injuries in remote locations.

Mountain Medics

“Most diagnoses are made by listening to the patient’s history and visually examining them,” Mountain Medics told Digital Trends. “It’s a popular misconception that physicians rely heavily on direct patient contact through a physical exam, or on laboratory tests and imaging. While those things can be useful, many patients do not need more involved testing or examination to make a reliable diagnosis.”

With widespread wildfires lighting up dry forests every summer, it’s not surprising that most of the patients Mountain Medics work with are firefighters. In fact, it shared in an interview that the incentive for starting the company in 2014 was brought on by witnessing a steady stream of firefighters flow through the emergency room of the hospital they worked at, while a fire raged over an hour away.

They saw this as horribly inefficient. Emergency transport is very expensive, especially if it arrives by means of a helicopter. On top of that, the time spent getting to and receiving treatment at the hospital comprise critical minutes a firefighter is out of the field and taken away from work. Furthermore, this also affects people who don’t work on fire crews, as those wasted resources add up to hefty dollar amounts, leaving taxpayers to foot the bill.

“Telemedicine is a more direct and cheaper way to deliver healthcare than the traditional model, where someone pulled away from their job and sent to the emergency department for an often unnecessary bundle of tests and X-rays results in a large amount of wasted time and expenses,” said Mountain Medics. “When you’re in a rural setting and there aren’t many physicians around, telemedicine is the most logical venue for healthcare delivery.”

Mountain Medics

Mountain Medics use mobile treatment clinics stocked with standard medical equipment including heart monitors, defibrillators, EKG machines, medications, and other supplies. Just because you’re in the middle of the woods doesn’t mean you need to waste a perfectly good tent pole or Crazy Creek chair to make a splint. Some of the most common ailments it treats include dehydration, heat-related injuries, minor trauma, skin infections, and contact dermatitis (i.e. Skin rashes). In addition to saving money, telemedicine allows patients in the field to receive treatment much faster than the traditional method, which reduces the agony of a burn or sprain and even spares a life.

“Delays in care often lead to higher morbidity and mortality in patients who have been injured,” Mountain Medics said. “If we can recognize that a patient is injured in the field and rapidly remove them to definitive medical care, we have fulfilled our mission by giving that patient the best possible chance of a good outcome.”

They also operate as a backcountry ambulance service and claim to be the only company in the U.S. that provides 4×4 ambulance standby services with wilderness qualified personnel. Mountain Medics is based out of Dunsmuir, California, near the base of Mt. Shasta. So far, they’ve worked in California and Oregon but dream of taking their rugged mobile medical service overseas in the future.