Is this a sign Apple will launch new MacBook Pro laptops at WWDC 2017?

Want more proof that Apple might launch new MacBook Pros in June?

Well, if you check out Apple’s online store, the free shipping times for the 15-inch MacBook Pro are now estimated for between 6 June to 8 June in the US, rather than the usual same-day shipping. Keep in mind Apple’s WWDC 2017 keynote is scheduled for 5 June.

Apple typically uses its mostly-annual developers conference to announce new software updates to existing products, giving developers a chance to become acquainted with the changes and maybe get their third-party integrations, tie-ins, services, and apps ready. However, this year, Apple may announce hardware updates, according to Bloomberg, which has said we can expect new laptops at WWDC.

Apple is reportedly planning three new laptops: the MacBook Pro will get a faster Kaby Lake processor from Intel, a new version of the 12-inch MacBook with a faster Intel chip, and the 13-inch MacBook Air will get a new processor. Apple likely wants to keep its MacBook laptop line fresh for customers, especially due to recent hardware pushes from rivals, such as Microsoft, as well as declining iPad sales.

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

The new delivery estimates on Apple’s site seems to give more weight to Bloomberg’s report about Apple planning to announce new MacBook Pro and 12-inch MacBook models on 5 June at WWDC. However, the 13-inch MacBook Pro models remain in stock for delivery as early as tomorrow. It’s not clear whether that’s due to more supply available, or maybe Apple has no planned updates for that model.

The updated MacBook Laptops will apparently still look the same; they’re only getting different internal architecture. In other words, none of the updates are major changes. The MacBook and MacBook Air are definitely due for an update, considering they were last updated in 2016 and 2015, respectively. Check out Pocket-lint’s WWDC round-up to see what else Apple may announce at its 5 June keynote.

• Which MacBook is best for you? MacBook, MacBook Air or MacBook Pro?

New batch of Asus laptops includes one packed with AMD’s new Ryzen CPUs

Why it matters to you

As we saw with Acer, laptop makers are providing super-thin solutions packing Nvidia’s hefty GeForce GTX 1080 graphics chip. Asus isn’t forgetting AMD’s fans, however.

During the Computex tech convention in Taipei, Taiwan, Asus held a press conference to reveal a batch of new products hitting the Computex floor and heading to stores soon. What we’re covering here is the gaming laptop portion of the company’s Computex rollout, including a super-thin solution packing the beefy GeForce GTX 1080 graphics chip. Asus has an AMD Ryzen-based laptop in the works, too.

Asus ROG Zephyrus GX501

For starters, this laptop measures just 0.66 inches thick despite having Nvidia’s GeForce GTX 1080 graphics chip inside. That’s likely due to Nvidia’s new “Max-Q” optimization of the chip’s architecture, which allows it to run better than before while maintaining minimal power usage. The result is maximum performance with less heat generated by the chip, which allows it to reside within a super-slim form factor.

Cooling the GTX 1080 and the Intel Core i7-7700HQ processor is the laptop’s Active Aerodynamic System (AAS). It consists of a dedicated heatpipe, radiator, and AeroAccelerator blower fan for each chip — the GTX 1080 has an additional radiator that kicks in when gaming. Two more heatpipes are shared between the two chips, and another heatpipe is used to pull heat away from the power circuitry.

Rather than having the keyboard and touchpad placed above or below one another, they both share the same space at the front of the input area. According to Asus, this is to provide better cooling of the major components underneath, and to reduce the amount of heat felt when typing. The keyboard itself provides per-key RGB illumination, and owners can even customize the WASD and QWER key groups with special effects.

Screen size:
15.6 inches
Screen resolution:
1,920 x 1,080 @ 120Hz
Nvidia G-Sync support
Screen type:
IPS
Processor:
Intel Core i7-7700HQ
Graphics:
Nvidia GeForce GTX 1080
Memory:
Up to 24GB DDR4 @ 2,400MHz
Storage:
4x M.2 PCI Express SSD slots
256GB / 5122GB / 1TB
Connectivity:
Wireless AC
Bluetooth
Camera:
HD camera and array microphone
Ports:
1x USB 3.1 Gen2 Type-C with Thunderbolt 3
4x USB 3.1 Gen1 Type-A
1x HDMI 2.0 (4K @ 60Hz)
1x headphone/microphone combo jack
1x SD card reader
Keyboard:
Sits at the front of the laptop
Aura RGB lighting
Pre-key illumination
Supports 30 simultaneous presses
Customizable WASD and QWER keys
Touchpad:
To the right of the keyboard
10-key function
Battery:
4-cell 50 Watt hour
Size (inches):
14.95 x 10.31 (D) x 0.66 (H)
Weight:
4.85 pounds with battery
Operating system:
Windows 10 Home
Windows 10 Pro
Availability:
Soon
Starting price:
Unknown

New batch of Asus laptops includes one packed with AMD’s new Ryzen CPUs

Why it matters to you

As we saw with Acer, laptop makers are providing super-thin solutions packing Nvidia’s hefty GeForce GTX 1080 graphics chip. Asus isn’t forgetting AMD’s fans, however.

During the Computex tech convention in Taipei, Taiwan, Asus held a press conference to reveal a batch of new products hitting the Computex floor and heading to stores soon. What we’re covering here is the gaming laptop portion of the company’s Computex rollout, including a super-thin solution packing the beefy GeForce GTX 1080 graphics chip. Asus has an AMD Ryzen-based laptop in the works, too.

Asus ROG Zephyrus GX501

For starters, this laptop measures just 0.66 inches thick despite having Nvidia’s GeForce GTX 1080 graphics chip inside. That’s likely due to Nvidia’s new “Max-Q” optimization of the chip’s architecture, which allows it to run better than before while maintaining minimal power usage. The result is maximum performance with less heat generated by the chip, which allows it to reside within a super-slim form factor.

Cooling the GTX 1080 and the Intel Core i7-7700HQ processor is the laptop’s Active Aerodynamic System (AAS). It consists of a dedicated heatpipe, radiator, and AeroAccelerator blower fan for each chip — the GTX 1080 has an additional radiator that kicks in when gaming. Two more heatpipes are shared between the two chips, and another heatpipe is used to pull heat away from the power circuitry.

Rather than having the keyboard and touchpad placed above or below one another, they both share the same space at the front of the input area. According to Asus, this is to provide better cooling of the major components underneath, and to reduce the amount of heat felt when typing. The keyboard itself provides per-key RGB illumination, and owners can even customize the WASD and QWER key groups with special effects.

Screen size:
15.6 inches
Screen resolution:
1,920 x 1,080 @ 120Hz
Nvidia G-Sync support
Screen type:
IPS
Processor:
Intel Core i7-7700HQ
Graphics:
Nvidia GeForce GTX 1080
Memory:
Up to 24GB DDR4 @ 2,400MHz
Storage:
4x M.2 PCI Express SSD slots
256GB / 5122GB / 1TB
Connectivity:
Wireless AC
Bluetooth
Camera:
HD camera and array microphone
Ports:
1x USB 3.1 Gen2 Type-C with Thunderbolt 3
4x USB 3.1 Gen1 Type-A
1x HDMI 2.0 (4K @ 60Hz)
1x headphone/microphone combo jack
1x SD card reader
Keyboard:
Sits at the front of the laptop
Aura RGB lighting
Pre-key illumination
Supports 30 simultaneous presses
Customizable WASD and QWER keys
Touchpad:
To the right of the keyboard
10-key function
Battery:
4-cell 50 Watt hour
Size (inches):
14.95 x 10.31 (D) x 0.66 (H)
Weight:
4.85 pounds with battery
Operating system:
Windows 10 Home
Windows 10 Pro
Availability:
Soon
Starting price:
Unknown

Russian internet giant Yandex shows off its self-driving car

When Russia’s Yandex revealed that it, too, was working on self-driving cars, it was hard not to be a bit skeptical. Wouldn’t it be well behind American counterparts with a years-long head start, like Waymo? Clearly, it’s making up for lost time: Yandex (or specifically, its on-demand service Yandex.Taxi) has unveiled a prototype self-driving car. The heavily modified Toyota Prius V touts loads of sensors, AI and “proprietary computing algorithms” that can help it navigate around traffic and tricky obstacles. The demo video below doesn’t show any mind-blowing concepts, but that’s really the point — Yandex is showing that it already has a functional machine.

The experimental car is limited to closed-circuit driving right now, but public tests are expected in 2018.

It’s not shocking that Yandex would rush into the autonomous vehicle game. Russia is more than a little eager to reduce its dependence on foreign technology, and that’s bound to include self-driving cars. The question is whether or not Yandex can move quickly after this. It doesn’t need to offer a full-fledged transportation service at the same time as rivals like Waymo, but it also doesn’t want to risk seeming perpetually behind. Still, this is good news — it shows that driverless cars are rapidly gathering support around the globe. Don’t be surprised if you’re hailing a robotic ride if you visit Moscow in the coming years.

Source: Yandex

Waze tells beta testers long-awaited Android Auto support is getting closer

Why it matters to you

Many drivers love Waze’s social approach to traffic reporting, and the upcoming Android Auto version should make the app easier and safer to use than ever before.

Waze is a popular navigation app for many drivers, thanks to its crowdsourced traffic updates. You would think, then, that having been owned by Google for the past several years, the app would be a perfect fit for Android Auto. Somehow, that version has not released yet — though drivers may not have to wait much longer.

After hinting at a beta release almost two months ago, it seems Waze is finally ready to begin testing its Android Auto app. According to a report from 9to5Google, the developer is sending users instructions to get started running Waze through their car’s infotainment system. “Beta testing for Waze on Android Auto is getting closer,” the email reads.

The instructions make a couple of things clear. First, not surprisingly the beta will be distributed and conducted through the Play Store Beta Channel. Second, it will only support devices running at least Android 5.0 Lollipop. And third, the app has been optimized for Android Auto such that some features have been “intentionally excluded,” according to the email.

Hopefully, this development means the beta will kick off soon, which would be a major step toward the public release.

In April, Android Police reported Waze began sending invites to its beta users to test drive the app on Android Auto. The email said at the time the beta would go live soon but did not specify a date. It linked to a Google Docs signup page, where those interested could register. If you haven’t joined the beta community, you can still do so here.

Some of Waze’s data, like traffic updates, are already featured in Google Maps, which Android Auto uses for navigation by default. However, Google Maps doesn’t offer drivers the ability to report incidents themselves while on the road. When Waze debuts on Android Auto, it should make that process much easier, with the help of hands-free voice commands and your car’s infotainment display.

News of the long-awaited Android Auto release comes at a pivotal time for Waze, which in February announced it was expanding its Carpool service to multiple cities around the United States after testing in San Francisco and Tel Aviv, Israel. With about 80 million active users, the app has a strong install base to go toe-to-toe with ride-sharing alternatives like Uber and Lyft — though adoption has been slow in the initial test markets.

Additionally, in March the company announced a partnership with Spotify to integrate playback controls conveniently within the navigation interface. Waze has worked with other developers as well and began sharing its routing and guidance data through its Transport software development kit last year. The SDK has been used by Lyft alongside emergency dispatch, parking, and food delivery services worldwide.

Article originally published on 04-04-2017. Updated on 05-30-2017: Added report that instructions have been distributed to beta testers. 

New technique could triple LED display resolution with a mere software update

Why it matters to you

Color-changing subpixels could have a big impact on resolutions, particularly for VR headsets.

Interested in the possibility of tripling the potential resolution on your home LCD TV? Of course you are — and researchers at the University of Central Florida want to help.

In a new piece of research, published in the journal Nature Communications, they describe a method for tuning the individual subpixels on a display using differing amounts of voltage, allowing it to express multiple colors as a result.

At present, the pixels on an LCD display contains three subpixels, each of which is responsible for displaying either red, green, or blue. Different colors are shown by shining a white light through the pixels and a special shutter controlling which subpixel — or combination of subpixels — is on display.

“This is the first demonstration of a color display based on a single pixel,” Debashis Chanda, lead author of the study, told Digital Trends. “One pixel can tune from red to green to blue, unlike other displays where three pixels are needed, resulting in an unprecedented 200 percent improvement in display resolution. This is accomplished through a surface morphology-induced, polarization-dependent plasmonic resonance, and a combination of bulk and surface liquid crystal effects that manifest at different applied voltages.”

The reason for the massive display resolution increase is because, rather than every subpixel doing just one-third of the job of presenting a full color spectrum, they can each show a full range of colors. The results could be used for everything from television sets to computer displays to, perhaps most significantly, virtual reality headsets — where the pixels are just inches from your eye.

“We showed in [our] Nature Communications paper that we can use standard electronics to make this display work,” Chanda continued. This means that the technology could be incorporated into regular existing LCD devices, as opposed to requiring entirely new hardware.

At present, the researchers are further developing the technology for a potential commercial venture.

New technique could triple LED display resolution with a mere software update

Why it matters to you

Color-changing subpixels could have a big impact on resolutions, particularly for VR headsets.

Interested in the possibility of tripling the potential resolution on your home LCD TV? Of course you are — and researchers at the University of Central Florida want to help.

In a new piece of research, published in the journal Nature Communications, they describe a method for tuning the individual subpixels on a display using differing amounts of voltage, allowing it to express multiple colors as a result.

At present, the pixels on an LCD display contains three subpixels, each of which is responsible for displaying either red, green, or blue. Different colors are shown by shining a white light through the pixels and a special shutter controlling which subpixel — or combination of subpixels — is on display.

“This is the first demonstration of a color display based on a single pixel,” Debashis Chanda, lead author of the study, told Digital Trends. “One pixel can tune from red to green to blue, unlike other displays where three pixels are needed, resulting in an unprecedented 200 percent improvement in display resolution. This is accomplished through a surface morphology-induced, polarization-dependent plasmonic resonance, and a combination of bulk and surface liquid crystal effects that manifest at different applied voltages.”

The reason for the massive display resolution increase is because, rather than every subpixel doing just one-third of the job of presenting a full color spectrum, they can each show a full range of colors. The results could be used for everything from television sets to computer displays to, perhaps most significantly, virtual reality headsets — where the pixels are just inches from your eye.

“We showed in [our] Nature Communications paper that we can use standard electronics to make this display work,” Chanda continued. This means that the technology could be incorporated into regular existing LCD devices, as opposed to requiring entirely new hardware.

At present, the researchers are further developing the technology for a potential commercial venture.

Amazon has begun issuing refunds for kids’ in-app purchases, FTC says

Why it matters to you

If your kids made in-app purchases on the Amazon app store between 2011 and 2016, you could be in for a payout.

There was a time, not so long ago, when kids could pretty easily rack up a hefty bill with unauthorized in-app purchases on their parents’ mobile devices, Mom and Dad only learning about it when they saw their credit card bill. Indeed, the ease with which such transactions could be made ended up getting several tech giants into big trouble with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).

While Apple and Google agreed to reimburse parents to the tune of millions of dollars several years ago, Amazon resisted the FTC’s demands to cough up — until last April.

Amazon finally agreed weeks ago to refund customers for unauthorized purchases made through its App Store between November 2011 and May 2016. Now, the FTC has announced the online retailer has begun compensating those affected.

If you’re one such customer, Amazon should have reached out to you by now. If you haven’t been contacted, you can visit this link to view your in-app purchase history to determine if you’re eligible. The refund process takes place entirely online and customers have until May 28, 2018 to submit claims. The FTC instructs those with questions to call Amazon at 866-216-1072.

The refund program is reportedly worth a colossal $70 million. Last year, a judge rejected Amazon’s request to refund the purchases in the form of gift cards or online credits, so customers can expect to receive payments direct to their credit or debit card.

“This case demonstrates what should be a bedrock principle for all companies — you must get customers’ consent before you charge them,” Thomas B. Pahl, acting director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection, said in a release. “Consumers affected by Amazon’s practices can now be compensated for charges they didn’t expect or authorize.”

This story began six years ago when Amazon started allowing in-app purchases, with 30 percent of each transaction going straight to the company.

In the early days there were no protections in place so that children, or anyone for that matter, could easily make in-app purchases without the permission of the account holder.

The FTC eventually went after Amazon — as well as Apple and Google — in an effort to get it to offer refunds to customers for any unauthorized purchases.

“Amazon’s in-app system allowed children to incur unlimited charges on their parents’ accounts without permission,” the FTC said in 2014, adding that “even Amazon’s own employees recognized the serious problem its process created.” However, the company insisted it was making refunds in relevant cases and was also rolling out safeguards to improve the operation of its app store.

In April 2016, the court examining the case agreed with the commission, describing Amazon’s system for informing customers about in-app charges as insufficient.

Whereas Amazon has until recently been appealing against orders to refund customers, other tech giants settled some time ago. Apple agreed to refund more than $32 million to users of its App Store in 2014, while in the same year Google started paying back $19 million to affected Play Store customers.

All three companies have since overhauled their respective stores to make it much harder for unauthorized in-app purchases to take place.

Article originally published by Trevor Mogg on 04-05-2017. Updated on 05-30-2017 by Adam Ismail: Added news that Amazon has begun the refund process.

HTC to bundle ‘Star Trek: Bridge Crew’ with its Vive VR headset through June

Why it matters to you

If you were thinking about purchasing the HTC Vive virtual reality headset, the company just provided an awesome incentive for Star Trek fans.

Star Trek: Bridge Crew is probably one of the most highly anticipated games for virtual reality to date, and it finally hit Steam on Tuesday for $50. HTC is using the new game to lure new customers into the virtual version of Gene Roddenberry’s final frontier by bundling the game with the purchase of a HTC Vive virtual reality headset for PC. The promotion starts now, and will run until the end of June.

In addition to serving as a bundled game with the stand-alone HTC Vive package, HTC also teamed up with MSI to create a special bundle sold through Amazon, Newegg, Fry’s Electronics, and Micro Center. It will consist of the HTC Vive kit, the Star Trek: Bridge Crew game, and Radeon RX 580 cards manufactured by MSI.

In another bundle deal, HTC teamed up with CyberPower PC to provide the HTC Vive kit and Star Trek: Bridge crew when customers configure a PC with the following required components:

Processor:
Intel Core i7-6800K
Intel Core i7-6850K, i7-6900K
Intel Core i7-6950X Extreme Edition
Graphics:
AMD RX 580 and above
Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 and above
Accessory:
HTC Vive

Red Storm Entertainment (Far Cry 4, Tom Clancy’s The Division) developed Star Trek: Bridge Crew specifically for virtual reality. Players serve as officers of the Federation on board a new starship called the U.S.S. Aegis. The game provides a single-player experience along with an online four-player co-op multiplayer option. Star Trek: Bridge Crew also supports local multiplayer gaming using just one set of Lighthouse base stations.

The mission of the U.S.S. Aegis and its crew is to explore an uncharted portion of space called the Trench. The Federation is looking for a place to plant the rest of the Vulcan population after the destruction of their home world in 2258. The game takes place in the alternate timeline set forth by the 2009 film Star Trek, an era when the Klingon Empire isn’t exactly keen with humans and the Federation itself.

Star Trek: Bridge Crew includes full-body avatars, hand tracking, and real-time lip sync. Players take the role as Captain, Helm, Tactical, or Engineer, and combine their knowledge and tactical skills to complete each mission while exploring The Trench. According to publisher Ubisoft, “communication, trust, and close crew coordination are the keys to victory.”

Star Trek: Bridge Crew offers dynamic missions along with an “Ongoing Missions” mode. This mode provides procedurally generated missions for both single play and co-op multiplayer Star Trek experiences.

“Ubisoft and Red Storm have made a huge commitment to bring AAA gaming to virtual reality and the Vive,” said Daniel O’Brien, general manager, U.S., for the HTC Vive. “We couldn’t be more excited to bundle copies of Star Trek: Bridge Crew with Vive purchases to celebrate the launch, and at the same time offer different PC bundles to bring more people into the experience.”

The game is also available now on the Oculus Rift and PlayStation VR headsets.

Simplified, affordable AR headset wants to do what Google Cardboard did for VR

Why it matters to you

This new Kickstarter campaign wants to make augmented reality headsets accessible to the masses.

With its easily affordable $20 DIY headset, Google Cardboard set out to make virtual reality accessible to everyone.

Now a new Kickstarter campaign by the startup Aryzon wants to do for augmented reality (AR) what Cardboard did for VR.

Thanks to a set of lenses, cardboard, and a smartphone camera, its headset is able to place virtual content projected from users’ smartphone screens within their own environment. The result promises to provide stunning AR for quite literally 1 percent the cost of the $3,000 Microsoft Hololens. And it all comes flatpacked in a DIY kit that’s thin enough to fit through your front door mail slot!

“What makes this exciting is that it allows everyone to experience augmented reality,” Maarten Slaa, founder and CEO of Aryzon, told Digital Trends. “We have designed the Aryzon to be as easy to use as possible. It comes as a DIY package, and if you’ve finished arts-and-crafts [class] you will be able to build it. Using the Aryzon is just as easy: just open the app, slide in your phone, and [we] will guide you through the possibilities of AR.”

By superimposing computer graphics over real-world images, augmented reality offers a massive range of possible applications. These could be anything from frivolous use cases like cute AR puppies which play on your real desk while you’re working to useful tools that could, for instance, help a physiotherapist explain to a patient why their knee is hurting.

The Aryzon headset itself will be fully accessible to developers of current 2D augmented reality apps for smartphones, but Slaa says that the headset will ship with the company’s own app to offer a taste of what’s to come.

“The Aryzon comes with a free app that functions as an introduction to AR, and allows you to view and interact with your own 3D models,” Slaa said. “We are constantly expanding the functionality of our own app, and support developers who want to develop for the Aryzon and build their own applications. This way we hope AR becomes a more mainstream technology.”

The interest from users certainly seems to be there. Within its first 24 hours, after going live on Kickstarter, Aryzon already reached its funding goal. If you want to get involved, you can pre-order a headset for $30. Shipping is set to take place in September.