Sprint and SoftBank start informal talks over T-Mobile merger

Sprint’s parent company starts mulling a merger with T-Mobile.

Executives from SoftBank — Sprint’s largest shareholder — have started “preliminary conversations” about an eventual merger with Deutsche Telekom, which owns 65% of T-Mobile, according to Bloomberg. Sprint tried acquiring T-Mobile back in 2014, but the deal fell through over regulatory hurdles. Specifically, the Federal Communications Commission barred any mergers as it was conducting an $19.8 billion wireless spectrum auction. That ended on April 27, opening up the door for potential mergers.

With the current administration more amenable to mergers in the telecom industry, it looks like Sprint and SoftBank will take another look at possible options for a merger. Over the last two years, T-Mobile’s evaluation has soared to $55 billion, or $23 billion more than Sprint’s. A merger would give both entities a better chance against the top two carriers in the country, AT&T and Verizon.

SoftBank chairman Masayoshi Son and Deutsche Telekom CEO Tim Hoettges both expressed interest in a merger last week, but as of now, there’s no official word on the state of the discussions. A report from February stated that SoftBank would be willing to give up control of Sprint in order to bring T-Mobile to the table, but we’ll have to wait and see how the talks progress.

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.

The Morning After: Monday, May 15th 2017

Good morning. It’s 2017, and Redbox is setting up more DVD rental kiosks. It’s 2017 and we’re discussing a new Windows XP patch that’s battling a very invasive cyberattack. Meanwhile, Clippy is inspiring Microsoft’s Story Remix video-editing app. Oh, Clippy.

1,500 more machines despite the whole online video thing.
Redbox bets DVD rental kiosks are making a comeback

Redbox CEO Galen Smith has revealed that company plans to add a total of 1,500 new DVD kiosks across the US, and will add even more of them in 2018. Redbox is aware of the existence of the internet, but this is apparently a smarter use of resources. Redbox has pulled thousands of kiosks in the past four years, but those were all “underperforming” machines. The new hardware is supposedly going to locations where they’re more likely to turn a profit.

It likens ‘WannaCry’ to someone stealing Tomahawk missiles.
Microsoft blasts spy agencies for hoarding security exploits

As Microsoft attempts to get a handle on “WannaCry” (aka “WannaCrypt”) ransomware wreaking havoc on computers worldwide, President Brad Smith has posted a response to the attack that roasts the NSA, CIA and other intelligence agencies for hogging security vulnerabilities instead of disclosing them so they could be fixed. There’s an “emerging pattern” of these stockpiles leaking out, he says, and they cause “widespread damage” when that happens. Users worldwide, including the UK’s National Health Service, suffered a hit from the ransomware, which is already evolving as researchers try to squash it.

Ready for a new tablet?A redesigned iPad may arrive next month at WWDC

While Apple’s WWDC has surprises beyond developer-centric updates and tools, this year those could include a refashioned 10.5-inch iPad. Analyst sources and rumors focus on the screen, which may feature much slender bezels — much like what we’re hearing when it comes to the next iPhone.

It’s not just Uber that’s into autonomous ridesharing.
Lyft and Alphabet’s Waymo team-up on self-driving cars

Waymo, the Alphabet-owned autonomous driving company, and Lyft have forged a deal to work together on self-driving cars, both in development and for test projects. The exact terms aren’t clear, but Waymo tells the New York Times that it’s about helping autonomous tech “reach more people, in more places.” For Lyft, meanwhile, it’s about getting access to the “best self-driving technology.”

But wait, there’s more…

• How Microsoft’s Story Remix does what Clippy couldn’t
• Amazon Echo gets its own ‘Saturday Night Live’ skit
• Sprint and T-Mobile are talking about a merger again
• Intel ends its dreams of replacing the x86 chip in your PC

Nevada pushes for tighter online privacy protection

Nevada’s senate is pushing a bill that will offer consumers tighter privacy protections when they conduct their lives online. Senate Bill 538, co-sponsored by Aaron D. Ford and Jason Frierson, requires websites to notify users when their personal data is being collected. If the bill becomes law, then the Attorney General will be able to bring actions against online services that violate the rules.

The republican-led government has been working overtime to roll back and curtail laws providing a fair, open internet with protections for people’s private data. One lawmaker who voted to enable ISPs to sell people’s private data, Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner, told a crowd that “nobody’s got to use the internet.” In response, several states, including Seattle, have taken it upon themselves to pass privacy protections on their own.

Source: Nevada Democrats

Lib Dems vow to roll back UK surveillance powers if elected

The Liberal Democrats will roll back “Orwellian” surveillance powers should they be elected in June. As the Guardian reports, the UK political party thinks the newly introduced Investigatory Powers Act (IP Act) goes too far and represents a “full frontal assault” on British citizens’ rights. “It is [the] pre-internet equivalent of hiring a private investigator to follow every person in the UK and record their movements, on the grounds that it may be useful at some point in the next year,” the party said in a statement.

The party takes issue with “internet connection records,” a breakdown of your internet activity (top-level domains, such as wikipedia.org, but not individual pages) that can be requested by the authorities. Internet service providers which receive a notice must gather and store this information for 12 months, and hand it over in a readable format should it be needed for an investigation. The Liberal Democrats are also against the bulk collection of “communications data,” which refers to the context of a conversation (when, how, where, etc.) but not the “content,” or what was actually said.

“A Conservative landslide would give Theresa May a blank cheque to implement these draconian spying powers and Labour have shown they are incapable of opposing them,” Liberal Democrat MP Alistair Carmichael said. “A strong Liberal Democrat opposition is crucial to challenge this government, stand up for people’s civil liberties and change Britain’s future.”

Concerns over the IP Act have heightened since a draft “technical capability” document was leaked by The Register. It says ISPs and mobile network operators, after being served a warrant, should be able to deliver communications and “secondary data” in “near real-time.” The companies also need, “where practicable,” the ability to remove electronic protection, such as encryption. Quite how this would work in practice remains unclear, however. Encryption was a huge topic of debate while the IP Act was being drafted and it still isn’t clear what, if anything the government can do to overcome end-to-end encryption — a form of protection that stops anyone, including the company that offers the messaging app, from looking inside.

The Liberal Democrats position isn’t new. The party voted against the IP Act while it was passing through Commons and has publicly criticised its most far-reaching powers. It is, however, unlikely that leader Tim Farron will be elected next month. The party sits in a distant third, well behind the Conservatives and Labour in the most recent public polls. While polls are no guarantee of voter sentiment, it seems unlikely the Liberal Democrats will manage even a coalition like it did under David Cameron’s first term. Still, it’s a promise that will appeal to privacy enthusiasts and shows the party is consistent on an issue that is only growing in importance.

Source: The Guardian

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.

Conservatives plan to let UK Facebook users nuke their teenage posts

British internet users would be allowed to erase social media messages posted before they were 18 if the Conservatives win the upcoming General Election. In a statement, Prime Minister Theresa May pledged to introduce new powers that would give users more access to data services like Facebook and Twitter hold on them, but also fine companies if they fail to adequately protect it.

“The internet has brought a wealth of opportunity but also significant new risks which have evolved faster than society’s response to them,” May said. “We want social media companies to do more to help redress the balance and will take action to make sure they do.”

Home Secretary Amber Rudd has already had “early conversations” Facebook and Twitter, BBC News reports. The party wants to position itself as a champion for young people by punishing internet companies that don’t actively monitor and remove illegal content or “direct users unintentionally to hate speech, pornography or other sources of harm.”

Labour has blasted the plans, noting that they pressed the Conservative government to introduce tougher penalties in the newly-passed Digital Economy Act. “The Home Office were crystal clear they did not want to legislate and that they believed the voluntary framework was sufficient,” said Labour digital economy spokesman Louise Haigh.

“Now only three weeks on from those discussions, they’re cynically trotting out tough talk that we know will be ultimately meaningless. The fact is that in government the Tories have been too afraid to stand up to the social media giants and keep the public safe from illegal and extremist content.”

The announcement came shortly after various NHS trusts around the UK confirmed they were wrestling with major cyberattack. The malware, known as “WannaCrypt”, uses a flaw first utilised by the NSA to take over and encrypt unpatched Windows XP computers and ransom their contents for a fee that rises if the user takes longer to pay. Microsoft has blasted spy agencies for stockpiling exploits, likening it to the US military having “some of its Tomahawk missiles stolen.”

By introducing a new deletion system, the Conservatives hope to make it easier for users to remove controversial or embarrassing messages and photos posted while they were in their teens. It’s been suggested that it’s too difficult for users to go back through their history to erase such content, which is why a nuclear option is now being tabled.

Via: BBC News

Google Maps taps Street View for better turn-by-turn navigation

Why it matters to you

The ability to pull up Street View images in connection with Google Maps’ directions just made the mobile app even more useful.

Google Maps recently rolled out a handy update designed to make it even easier to find your destination when using its turn-by-turn navigation feature.

Currently available for the Android version of Maps, the latest update means that when you’re using the app for directions in the usual way, you’ll also see images pulled from Street View showing the precise place where you need to make a turn.

Seeing a photographic representation of the spot, coupled with spoken and on-screen directions, leaves you with little excuse for missing a turn — as long as major construction work hasn’t taken place since Google’s camera-laden car last rolled by.

The handy feature, viewable when you tap on the time and distance information that appears at the bottom of Maps after you request directions, could prove useful for prepping a journey, and should also save you or your passengers having to squint for street names when approaching a tricky or hard-to-locate turn.

Indeed, it’ll be safer if the driver leaves the Street View imagery to any available passengers. This is because the pictures appear on the navigation screen as thumbnails, so you’ll have to tap on the image to make it bigger. In other words, unless you pull over, it could start getting fiddly when you have a car to drive and a road to watch.

When you tap on the thumbnail, the orientation of the enlarged image helpfully matches your direction of travel, according to Android Police, which first spotted the unannounced feature. The site also notes how the feature has been included with the web version of Maps for many years, so it’s good news that the developers have finally seen fit to incorporate it into the mobile alternative.

But as we said, it currently only works on Android devices, though hopefully iPhone users won’t have to wait too long to get the same functionality. We’ll keep you posted.

Toyota has its eye on the sky as it backs ambitious flying car project

Why it matters to you

With another big hitter showing an interest in flying cars, serious developments in the sector could be on the way.

Early flying car projects consisted of sticking a pair of wings on a regular car, flooring the gas and hoping for the best, as evidenced by this ropey-looking effort cobbled together by a Russian fella a few years back.

Now, startups, carmakers and aircraft manufacturers are pouring money into a multitude of ambitious projects aimed at creating a viable flying automobile that could one day utterly transform the way we move across town.

Following in the footsteps of the likes of Uber and Airbus, as well as lesser known outfits such as AeroMobil, Terrafugia, PAL-V, and SkyRunner, auto giant Toyota has just demonstrated that it, too, fancies the idea of a car you can fly to the office.

The Japanese company has just provided funding worth 40 million yen (about $350,000) to Cartivator, a local group of enthusiastic volunteers — some of them Toyota employees — who’ve spent the last few years developing their flying vehicle.

“We’d already [approached] Toyota several times, so we were very happy that we finally made it,” Cartivator’s Ryutaro Mori told Digital Trends on Monday, adding that the car company’s cash will mainly go toward the purchase of parts and components for their three-wheel flying vehicle, dubbed the Skydrive.

The final version is expected to measure about 9.5 feet (2.9 m) by 4.3 feet (1.3 m) and carry one passenger at a time. Mori describes it as “the world’s smallest flying car that will help people take off and land anywhere,” with the 30-strong team planning to carry out the first manned test flight as early as next year.

The vertical take-off and landing vehicle, which uses drone technology to get off the ground, has a projected flight-speed maximum of 62 mph (100 kmh) and is likely to travel at about 10 meters above terra firma when it’s not tootling along a road.

Up to now, Cartivator has been relying mainly on crowdfunding efforts to drive its project forward, but Toyota’s interest is a major boost for the team as it seeks to commercialize a flying car within three years. The goal? Using it to light the Olympic flame at the opening of the Tokyo Games in 2020, a feat surely worthy of a gold medal if they manage to pull it off.