These Nike iPhone cases are styled like the bottom of your shoes

If you own an iPhone 7 and like sportswear brand Nike you are in for a real treat. Not only can you get cases for your phone featuring the trademark swoosh, you can now get hard shell protection style like the bottom of your sneakers. No, really.

The Nike Roshe and Nike Air Force 1 iPhone 7 cases are modelled like the outsole patterns of the Roshe and AF1 trainers respectively.

The Roshe version comes in red (Team Crimson) or light green (Green Glow) and is available in the US on Nike.com for $35 (£27).

Nike

The Air Force 1 case is “coming soon” on Nike’s website. It’ll be available in black or blue, also priced at $35.

Of course, Nike isn’t the only sports brand with its own iPhone cases. Adidas has an extensive collection as part of its Adidas Originals brand.

We particularly like the Adidas Originals three-stripe Moulded Case in brown suede-effect, available on the UK website for £21.95. It reminds us of kicking around tin cans wearing Gazelles back in the 80s.

If you’re looking for something else though, you can always check out our round-up of some of the best iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus cases around: Best iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus cases: Protect your new Apple device

We’ve also got you covered if you the previous generation Apple phones: Best iPhone 6S and iPhone 6S Plus cases: Treat your new Apple devices

Apple Siri speaker and 10.5-inch iPad Pro all but confirmed for WWDC

Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference starts on 5 June and while the event is usually reserved for software updates, and we will hear news about iOS 11 and macOS 10.13, it can be used for hardware as well.

• Apple WWDC 2017: When is it, where to watch, and what to expect?

Apple is expected to launch a Siri-powered speaker to rival the Amazon Echo and Google Home, and we’ve already heard reports to say it will be unveiled at WWDC. Noted KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, backs up these claims, saying there is more than a 50 per cent chance of the Siri speaker showing up at the conference.

Kuo’s comments add a lot more weight to the rumours as he’s been pretty much spot on on many predictions in the past. He adds that the speaker will be announced alongside software development details for home AI, and it will be boast premium audio quality and will have a higher price tag than the Amazon Echo. We’re not too surprised by that second comment, this is Apple after all.

Kuo also expects the Siri speaker – no official name has been suggested yet – will have a touch panel. However it’s not clear if this will just be a touch sensitive panel of buttons, or a proper touchscreen like the one found on the recently announced Amazon Echo Show.

• Apple’s Siri speaker: What’s the story so far?
• iPad Pro 10.5-inch could be launched in June following case leak

Kuo also says there is more than a 70 per cent chance of Apple unveiling a new 10.5-inch iPad Pro at WWDC. He says the new iPad will have the same, or similar footprint as the 9.7-inch model, but will have a larger screen thanks to narrower bezels. Kuo reckons Apple will sell 6 million 10.5-inch iPad Pros before the end of 2017.

Google I/O 2017: When is it, where to watch, and what to expect

Google’s chief, Sundar Pichai announced way back in January that Google I/O 2017 will be taking place in May, and now that month is upon us. New Googley things will be unveiled this week. 

Google holds an annual conference for developers, engineers, executives, and the media — so that it can discuss all-things Google and Android-related. Developers and engineers use information from this show to get their apps and products up to date with Google’s latest innovation, while the rest of us drool and look forward to what’s coming in the months ahead. 

Now that the dates have been confirmed, we’re updating this guide to keep you informed of all the latest news, announcements, and rumours.

When is Google I/O 2017?

Google I/O 2017 will take place between 17 May 2017 and 19 May 2017 at the Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountain View, California. Of course, to most of us, it’s the opening keynote that will be most interesting. The company normally uses this to show off all the developments we’ll get on our devices later in the year. That will take place on Wednesday, 17 May at 10am Pacific Time (6pm British Summer Time). 

• Google I/O 2017 developer event will be held on 17-19 May

Yep, it’s true: I/O’17 will be at Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountain View, CA on May 17-19. See you in 110 days 🙂 #io17 pic.twitter.com/vVlvx1N5mJ

— sundarpichai (@sundarpichai) January 26, 2017

Where can you stream Google I/O 2017?

Google live-streamed last year’s keynote, which you can playback here, so we expect it do the same for this year’s I/O keynote. We will update this page with a link to the live stream if and when it becomes available. For now, it’s a safe bet to bookmark the Google Developers’ YouTube channel page, we expect the keynote (and other developer sessions) to be hosted there as usual. 

What can you expect from Google I/O 2017?

Google’s I/O webpage has been updated with a countdown clock and a full schedule. This agenda, plus previous announcements give us something of an idea that we should be expecting the following updates:

Android O

Pocket-lint

Google usually uses Google I/O to tease improvements to Android. Last year, it talked about the split-screen mode, ability to reply to texts from notifications, and an update to the Doze batter saver. This year, the company has pre-announced Android O, the next version of its mobile platform, and has released the first “alpha” Developer Preview already. 

• Android O: What’s the story so far?

Among the new features mentioned on the developer pages include new ways for notifications to behave – including grouping types of notification together – as well as adaptive icons, autofill and picture-in-picture. We’ll have to wait until the keynote to get a proper glimpse as to what this means for consumers.

Google is also working on something called Project Treble, which is essentially re-engineering Android to make it far easier and cheaper for manufacturers to test and push out software updates. That means your phones in future will be updated more frequently and promptly with the latest versions of the operating system. 

There’s also a mystery mobile operating system called Fuchsia OS, which isn’t Android. It’s built from the ground up by Google, and is vastly different to Android. Its homescreen is a long scrolling list of running apps, and you can drag windows/apps on top of each other like a desktop computer. We’re not sure Google will spend much time – if any – showing it off, but it’s being developed in the background. 

Android Wear

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Google unveiled Android Wear 2.0 last year, which subsequently only rolled out to user devices over the past couple of months. Of course, it launched on two LG-made watches, the LG Watch Sport and LG Watch Style, which are both pretty hard to get hold of in the real world and still haven’t been physically released in the UK. 

• When is Android Wear 2.0 coming to my smartwatch?

With that said, it is available on some older model watches, like the Fossil Q range, the new Huawei Watch 2 and the New Balance RunIQ sport-focussed smartwatch. 

Daydream VR

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At Google I/O 2016, Google showed us it was interested in going beyond Google Cardboard by introducing a new mobile, approachable to virtual reality in the form of Google Daydream. Since then, we’ve seen Google introduce a Daydream VR headset, Pixel phones with Daydream support, and other manufacturers add support for Daydream. We’re hoping to see more hardware and software announcements.

Oh, keep in mind Google is rumoured to be developing a high-end VR headset along the lines of HTC Vive and Oculus Rift. Unlike the Daydream View, it would be an all-in-one experience that doesn’t require a phone. Also, on 26 January, HTC’s design lead announced that he joined the Google Daydream platform. Claude Zellweger, according to his Twitter, is the maker of the HTC Vive VR headset and HTC 10. 

Add all this to the fact that Google has included a handful of Daydream-focussed sessions in to its I/O agenda – including “What’s new on Daydream”, and it would seem that the company is planning an update. 

Chrome OS

Pocket-lint

Chrome OS now works with full Android apps. And, recently, a few new Chromebooks have been announced. Other than that, the Chrome OS space has been pretty quiet. Google has of course denied the rumours of a full OS merger between Chrome and Android, but maybe Google will use Google I/O 2017 to announce new features coming to the operating system or new Chromebooks and Chrome OS devices in the pipeline. Android Auto

Android Auto is Google’s attempt at getting Android into vehicles. We will likely see more manufacturers announce new car models compatible with Google’s system, but it would be nice to see Google executives discuss new innovations for the platform as well. In 2015, Waze (which is part of Alphabet) executives suggested the intelligent navigation system could be added to Android Auto. Maybe we’ll hear more on that? Pretty please?

Google Assistant

Pocket-lint

Last year, Sundar Pichai, Google’s CEO, talked a lot about machine-learning advances and artificial intelligence, as well as how they benefit its new Google Assistant. The service is an extension of Google Now. With it, you can ask conversational questions using the “OK Google” command. In the past 12 months, it has been added to the Google Home speaker, Allo chat app, and Pixel flagships – as well as a few other Android phones. 

• Google Assistant tips and tricks: Master your Android assistant
• What is Google Assistant, how does it work, and which devices offer it?

Browsing the I/O agenda it’s clear there’s something happening with Assistant this year. The first two sessions “Building apps for the Google Assistant” and “Bringing the Google Assistant to any device” clearly shows the company wants to help manufacturers and developers get its smart assistant used in as many places, in as many ways as humanly as possible. 

Google Home

Pocket-lint

Speaking of Google Home, Google unveiled the voice-activated speaker at Google I/O 2016, but it’s only been available for a few months now – and only landed on UK soil very recently. It lets you manage everyday tasks, ask questions, control select connected devices, and more. We’re not expecting Google Home 2.0 to debut at this year’s show, but maybe Google will announce new features and integrations. It might even copy Amazon and do a Dot-like version.

Google Allo

Pocket-lint

Google unveiled its Allo messenger app at Google I/O 2016, though it hasn’t done much with it since. The app is able to create smart replies you can use, and it can decipher information from photos to help provide a relevant response, and it even includes a limited version of Google Assistant. It’d be interesting to see the app offer a full-fledged version of Assistant, or at least add more cool tricks.

Google Allo’s latest updates include integration with Google Duo for built-in video and voice calls, you can generate your own stickers using selfies, and join groups using a QR code. 

Google Duo

Pocket-lint

Google also unveiled about Duo at I/O 2016. It’s a one-to-one video calling app that works on both Android and iOS. Like Allo, it hasn’t made a big impact since launch. Google might use this year’s conference to discuss the latest on the app, and perhaps address its confusing approach to messaging/calling. So far, it offers Duo, Allo, Hangouts, and Google Voice. Google could try to combine Duo with Hangouts.

Project Tango

Lenovo

Augmented reality was hot last summer, and it’s expected to continue being popular. Keep in mind Google has long been working on Project Tango tech, which uses motion-tracking and depth sensing to build a 3D world onto physical surroundings, and at CES 2017, many manufacturers made announcements about AR devices, apps, and accessories. We will hear more about Project Tango, with sessions planned dedicated to helping devlopers discover how to build for the new features. 

Project Fi

Google

Google’s cross-carrier network, Project Fi, which automatically switches carriers in order to provide more reliable access to mobile data, is now available for Pixel, Nexus, and a few other devices. At Google I/O 2017, Google may announce more compatible devices.

Is that it?

Yep. Google’s self-driving car project as been spun into a standalone business known as Waymo. At Google I/O 2017, we could learn some more details about what’s next, but we wouldn’t count on it. Also, Google has reportedly suspended all plans to launch a Project Ara modular smartphone. The interchangeable phone concept has been shelved to streamline the company’s hardware strategy, it is claimed. 

Motorola’s smartphone strategy for 2017 revealed, Moto X returns

Motorola’s smartphone plans for the year ahead have been leaked in a presentation slide on Evan Blass’ Twitter account, and it appears there are five phone ranges on their way, including a Moto X. Blass has also tweeted an image showing Moto X4, which all but confirms the official name of the new phone.

The presentation slide shows two Moto Z flagship phones: Moto Z Play and Moto Z Force, a solo Moto X model, the two Moto G phones: G5 and G5 Plus, a Moto E and Moto E Plus and an entry-level C-series comprising a Moto C and Moto C Plus.

The Moto X is the interesting model, as it fits into a very narrow gap between the Moto G mid-range series and Moto Z flagships. We’ve heard rumours surrounding a Moto X handset before, dating back to December 2016, but these turned out to be the Moto G mid0range series instead.

The slide only gives away a few details about the Moto X, but it will come with a 5.2-inch full HD display, 3D Glass and Smartcam. The faint picture appears to show a shiny, metallic finish.

A second presentation slide has been leaked in a video, and picked up by Slash Gear, that gives away a few more details. It mentions an IP68 rating which means it can be submerged in up to 1.5-metres of water for 30 minutes, and it’s protected against dust, dirt and sand.

It will also run on a Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 processor, have 4GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage. It will also benefit from a fingerprint sensor and “AI integration”. The Moto X4 won’t have attachable modules, they’re reserved for the Moto Z series, but it will get a large, 3,800mAh battery.

Engadget Podcast Ep 39: Rip Off

On this episode hosts Dana Wollman and Terrence O’Brien talk about the massive WannaCry ransomware attack spreading across the globe and Caddyshack. Edgar Alvarez stops by to fill everyone in on all the drama around Fyre Festival, Instagram influencers and the FTC. Then Cherlynn Low and Devindra Hardawar check in from Build to give us the low down on Microsoft’s plans for the future.

Relevant links:

• NHS hospitals in England hit by a widespread cyberattack
• ‘WannaCry’ ransomware attack spreads worldwide
• ‘WannaCry’ ransomware evolves despite attempts to kill it
• Instagram influencers fanned the flames of Fyre Festival hype
• Live from Microsoft’s Build 2017 product keynote
• Microsoft revealed its plans for world domination at Build
• By the numbers: Microsoft Build 2017

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Toyota wants flying cars in time for the 2020 Olympics

Toyota has joined the flying car craze by backing a group working on a drone-like vehicle that would soar 10 meters (33 feet) above the ground at speeds up to 100 km/h (62 mph). The “Skydrive” is being developed by Cartivator, a startup with around 30 young volunteers working with drone expert Masafumi Miwa from Tokushima University. The aim is to get the car flying by next year and have it commercialized in time to light the 2020 Tokyo Olympic games torch.

The 2.9 meter (9.5 foot) long SkyDrive would be the “world’s smallest” flying EV, though it’s worth noting that as of today, there are exactly no commercial flying cars. Cartivator’s model would be able to take off from any public road and be “intuitive” and easy to control, according to its Zenmono crowdfunding page.

Toyota chipped in around 40 million yen ($353,000) and offered the expertise of its mechanical engineers. The group has also received help from Taizo Sun, the founder of Japanese web game developer GungHo Online Entertainment, and about 2.5 million yen ($22,000) in crowdfunding pledges.

A lot of companies, including Uber, Larry Page’s Kitty Hawk startup and Chinese firm Ehang are working on flying cars, making them the tech world’s fanciful product du jour. However, testing and certifying aircraft in the US requires millions of dollars and the cooperation of federal regulators, so building one isn’t as easy as some pundits are making it seem. The HondaJet, for instance, was certified by the FAA in 2015, 12 years after the original proof-of-concept craft made its first flight.

Flying cars have fired the public’s imagination for decades, and the technology seems to be finally falling into place to make it happen. However, even if someone did build a cheap, safe and efficient sky car, officials would have to figure out how to license them, train pilots and work them into the air traffic control system, among numerous other hurdles.

However, Toyota has become keen on new technology, and announced plans last week to invest around 1.05 trillion yen ($9.3 billion) on new technology, even if it may seem outlandish now. “Things will not progress if you wait and provide money only when the technology is ready,” Toyota Chairman Takeshi Ichiyamada told Nikkei Asian Revew.

Via: Nikkei

Source: Cartivator (Japanese)

Nintendo Planning to Launch Smartphone Version of ‘The Legend of Zelda’

Following the release of mobile games Miitomo, Super Mario Run, Fire Emblem Heroes, and the upcoming Animal Crossing iPhone app, Nintendo’s next big franchise coming to smartphones will be The Legend of Zelda, according to sources speaking with The Wall Street Journal. The sources said that Animal Crossing will hit mobile devices sometime “in the latter half of 2017,” and a smartphone version of The Legend of Zelda would launch afterwards.

That would make The Legend of Zelda the fifth game Nintendo develops for iOS and Android devices in partnership with developer DeNA. Originally, all five games were supposed to launch before March 2017, but only Miitomo, Super Mario Run, and Fire Emblem Heroes made that deadline. Around the release of Fire Emblem Heroes, Nintendo said that it plans to launch two to three smartphone games every year from now on.

It isn’t yet clear if The Legend of Zelda will see a 2017 or 2018 launch, or how much Nintendo will charge players for the game. Recently, a Nintendo senior official described Fire Emblem Heroes’ freemium model an “outlier,” saying that the company prefers the pay-once price tag of Super Mario Run, suggesting The Legend of Zelda might follow in the latter game’s footsteps.

Nintendo Co. plans to bring its videogame franchise “The Legend of Zelda” to smartphones, people familiar with the matter said, the latest step by the Kyoto company to expand its mobile-games lineup.

The people familiar with the matter said the “Animal Crossing” smartphone app is likely to be released in the latter half of 2017, and “The Legend of Zelda” would follow that, although they cautioned that the timing and order of the releases could be changed. Nintendo is developing the games with Tokyo-based DeNA Co.

The decision by Nintendo to focus on The Legend of Zelda next follows the recent launch of the Nintendo Switch and success of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. If the company is to continue the pattern it has set by Super Mario Run and Fire Emblem Heroes, the iPhone version of The Legend of Zelda is likely to see a simplified, mobile-friendly iteration of the gameplay and mechanics from the franchise, and could potentially communicate with the console version like Animal Crossing is expected to do.

The Wall Street Journal also commented on a new game coming from Nintendo-owned The Pokémon Company, which is described only as a “new card-game app.” The sources declined to further comment on The Pokémon Company’s plans, but a new iPhone game centered around the popular real-life trading cards that the franchise is known for appears to be a likely explanation for the upcoming game. It’s almost been a year since Pokémon Go launched in the New Zealand, Australia, and the United States, and became a hit soon after around the world.

Tag: Nintendo
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Apple Announces New Piazza Liberty Store in Milan, Italy Opening Soon

Apple today announced that it will soon open a new retail store at Piazza Liberty, or Liberty Square, in Milan, Italy.

As revealed in city planning documents earlier this year, the store will be located entirely below the outdoor amphitheater. The sales floor will be accessible by walking down a staircase situated between two waterfalls that form part of the larger fountain. There will also be an elevator available.

Apple is developing the store in partnership with architecture firm Foster and Partners, who have helped design many of the company’s most significant retail spaces around the world and its new Apple Park headquarters.

Apple’s retail chief Angela Ahrendts wants Apple Stores to be more of community gathering places, rather than just a place to buy the latest iPhone or iPad. As part of those plans, Apple Piazza Liberty will be an open space for all to “have a break, be with friends, and discover new interests.”

The store will feature Apple’s next-generation retail design with indoor trees and a large screen for “Today at Apple” sessions and other events.

(Thanks, setteBIT!)

Related Roundup: Apple Stores
Tag: Italy
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The MP3 Format Used on Original iPod is Officially ‘Terminated’

MP3, the digital audio coding format that Apple used for music downloads on the original iPod, is officially dead. The announcement comes from The Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Circuits (via NPR).

The Fraunhofer Institute owns the patent rights related to selling encoders and decoders of the format to developers, and recently announced that its “mp3 licensing program for certain mp3 related patents and software of Technicolor and Fraunhofer IIS has been terminated.”

According to the Germany-based Fraunhofer Institute, this is because more modern digital audio coding formats have emerged, namely “Advanced Audio Coding,” or AAC.

In an email to NPR, Fraunhofer director Bernhard Grill said that AAC is now the “de facto standard for music download and videos on mobile phones,” because it’s “more efficient than MP3 and offers a lot more functionality.”

We thank all of our licensees for their great support in making mp3 the defacto audio codec in the world, during the past two decades.

The development of mp3 started in the late 80s at Fraunhofer IIS, based on previous development results at the University Erlangen-Nuremberg. Although there are more efficient audio codecs with advanced features available today, mp3 is still very popular amongst consumers. However, most state-of-the-art media services such as streaming or TV and radio broadcasting use modern ISO-MPEG codecs such as the AAC family or in the future MPEG-H. Those can deliver more features and a higher audio quality at much lower bitrates compared to mp3.

Today AAC is the format that Apple uses for music downloading on both iOS and macOS devices, after originally helping popularize the MP3 format with the first-generation iPod in 2001, which could store up to 1,000 songs that were encoded using MP3. Although no new MP3-based products will be licensed from now on, the Fraunhofer Institute noted that it is “still very popular amongst consumers” and is expected to stick around on legacy devices for a few more years.
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Rooted your Android phone? The Netflix app may not work anymore

Why it matters to you

Netflix is worried about piracy, and its related actions may stop the app from working on your smartphone entirely.

The latest version of the Netflix app may not work if you have rooted or otherwise altered the Android operating system on your smartphone. Netflix has adopted Google’s Widevine Digital Rights Management protocol in version 5.0 of its app, which trips when it encounters non-Google certified devices, or those which have been rooted, therefore stopping the app from operating normally or even being available to download from the Play Store.

Why? Just like all DRM, it’s in the name of avoiding piracy. Android phones which have been rooted — a term that means you have modified the operating system to gain complete and unrestricted access to the file structure and inner workings — may make it easier for people to pirate shows and movies downloaded from Netflix. The company has recently introduced mobile downloads through its app, making this more of a concern.

However, rooting an Android phone is popular among those who like to change the look of the software, change the ROM itself, uninstall pesky apps forced on you by carriers, and play around with the device’s performance. Developers also often have phones with root access to test apps. It takes some effort to root a phone, so if you’re not sure if your phone is rooted, then it probably isn’t.

There are exceptions. Some phones, particularly imported models, often have custom ROMs installed by the importers, and are therefore rooted when you buy them. If you own a Xiaomi, Meizu, Oppo, or any number of other popular import-only Chinese phones, this may include your device. For example, the official Netflix app doesn’t show up at all in the Google Play Store on our imported Xiaomi Redmi Note 4X, although we haven’t changed the software ourselves.

What’s the solution? We’ve contacted Netflix for confirmation of the situation, and asked if it has any advice for subscribers who may be affected by the app update. In the meantime, if this has you worried that you’ll miss the impending return of House of Cards, it’s possible to unroot a mobile device, a process we explain here, and that should get the app working again. This won’t be applicable to everyone, though, ensuring that despite advances, DRM has lost none of its ability to frustrate.