Here’s how to watch Apple’s WWDC 2017, and what to expect
Apple’s storied Worldwide Developer Conference, a week-long convention showcasing the world’s most valuable technology company’s latest innovations, is reliably chock-full of news. It’s where the company demoed the Power Mac G5 back in 2003, the iTunes App Store in 2008, and Apple Music in 2015, and it’ll be no less newsworthy this year.
We’re expecting to hear about Apple’s rumored smart home speaker, the latest version of iOS (the iPhone’s operating system), MacOS (Apple’s PC OS), WatchOS (the Apple Watch’s OS), and tvOS (the Apple TV’s OS). But we wouldn’t be surprised to see new hardware, too — potentially new MacBook Pro models, a 4K-capable Apple TV, and the iPad Pro 2.
How to watch WWDC
Apple will livestream the WWDC keynote address from the McEnery Convention Center in San Jose, California on June 1 at 10 a.m. PT/1 a.m. ET. You’ll need to meet certain prerequisites in order to watch it, though.
If you’re watching on a Mac, you’ll need Safari 6.0.5 or newer and Mac OS X v10.8.5 or later. On a PC, you’ll need Windows 10 and Microsoft’s Edge browser.
If you’d prefer to watch the keynote on an Apple TV, instead, good news: Apple’s providing a dedicated stream that’ll pop up automatically on tvOS 6.2 or later.
What to expect
iOS 11
Sam Beckett
Historically, Apple has used WWDC as an opportunity to preview upcoming versions of iOS, the mobile operating system that powers the iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch. Assuming the company keeps with tradition, we’re expecting an overview of iOS 11 highlights, and the start date of the new iOS’s public beta program.
Most of iOS 11’s changes are incremental, rumor has it. It’ll reportedly introduce group FaceTime calling, a Skype-like feature that’ll handle conferences between three or more parties, and make FaceTime Audio the default method of calling between iPhone users. That’ll result in clearer, crisper calls as Facetime Audio uses LTE to deliver higher-quality audio than a typical voice call.
Apple Pay, Apple’s digital payments platform, is expected to support peer-to-peer payments. Like Google Wallet or Venmo, iOS 11 will reportedly let you send money to friends, or use an Apple Pay iMessage extension to transfer cash to chat partners asynchronously.
Low Power Mode, iOS’s battery-saving feature, is reportedly due for an upgrade. iOS 11 will intelligently monitor your usage habits, location, and connectivity, disabling sensors and background apps to save power as needed. It might learn to conserve battery when you’re home Wi-Fi network’s out of range, for example, or when your iPhone’s battery falls below 20 percent charge.
iOS 11 could ship with an improved keyboard. In November, Apple was granted a patent for “dynamic keyboard positioning” that automatically positions home-row keys under your fingers, reducing the need to look down when you’re typing.
Other potential iOS 11 enhancements include a power-saving Dark Mode, a beefed-up version of Apple’s social Clips app, a sleep-tracking app, and a messaging menu that’ll tie in conversations from email, SMS, and social networking apps. The iOS 11 developer beta will likely debut this month, with a public beta to follow later this summer.
MacOS 10.13
Apple
MacOS 10.13 — the unrevealed version of the operating system on Apple’s MacBook notebooks, the Mac Pro, and the Mac Mini — remains a mystery. But WWDC is where we could learn its official name. A report on Pike’s Universum suggests it’ll start with the letter “M.”
Performance might be the focus this time around. MacOS 10.13 will ship with Apple’s new file system, APFS (Apple File System), which optimizes Flash/SSD storage and includes features like strong encryption, space sharing, copy-on write metadata, cloning for files and directories, and snapshots.
Tighter integration with iOS seems likely, too. MacOS 10.13 might support iOS’s rumored group FaceTime Audio calls.
Apple might give iTunes, its ballooning digital marketplace, a makeover as well. Rumblings ahead of last year’s WWDC suggested that Apple would introduce a redesigned client that put Apple Music, the company’s music streaming service, front and center. That never materialized, but Apple might take the opportunity to roll it out this time around.
If history is any indication, we’re expecting Apple to make the first MacOS 10.13 beta available in June, following the keynote.
10.5-inch iPad Pro
The iPad Pro, Apple’s flagship tablet, could get a major upgrade at WWDC.
The successor to the iPad Pro — the iPad Pro 2 — could ship in as many as three sizes: 9.7 inches, 12.9 inches, and a new 10.5-inch model. The 10.5-inch iPad Pro is said to be slightly thicker than Apple’s current-gen models, but with smaller bezels — the screen reportedly fits into a chassis that’s the same size as the 9.7-inch iPad Pro.
The iPad Pro 2 might feature a home button and camera that’s built into the screen. Some reports suggest that tablet’s top bezel will house a front camera and other sensors, and that Touch ID — the fingerprint-reading technology built into Apple’s newest iPads and iPhones — will be squeezed into the space behind the screen.
The iPad Pro 2 may debut alongside a new Apple Pencil, the stylus that currently only works on the 12.9-inch iPad Pro. The improved Pencil reportedly has a built-in magnet that can stick to the iPad’s side, and new annotation features that work across Apple’s Mail, Messages, and Safari apps.
MacBooks and Mac peripherals
Apple doesn’t typically announce new MacBook laptops and desktops at WWDC, but it has before. In 2013, it took the wraps off the infamous trashcan-shaped Mac Pro. And according to a report from Bloomberg, Apple’s considering all three MacBook lines — including the long-neglected MacBook Air — for updates at WWDC.
Apple’s expected to roll out new versions of the 12-inch MacBook and MacBook Pro, both packing Intel’s faster, more power-efficient Kaby Lake processors.
The new MacBooks may also ship a brand-new Apple chip — a power regulator designed to manage Power Nap, a MacOS feature which keeps iCloud and other software up to date while your Mac’s asleep. Currently, some Power Nap features require the Mac to be charging, but the new chip could do away with that requirement.
Peripherals like Apple’s Magic Keyboard might see a refresh. An Apple filing published with the Eurasian Economic Commission in June references the keyboard’s model number. Rumors hint that the keyboard might gain an OLED Touch Bar, as found on the latest MacBook Pro.
Siri-powered smart speaker
Apple’s reportedly prepping an artificially intelligent, voice-equipped speaker to take on Google Home and Amazon’s Echo series — and it might take the wraps off it at WWDC. According to Bloomberg, the Cupertino company’s engineers recently started testing a Siri-powered assistant that supports Apple’s wireless AirPlay standard and offers “deep integration” with the company’s product lineup.
Apple’s Siri-powered speaker is said to match the competition’s feature set blow-for-blow. It reportedly supports HomeKit, Apple’s home automation platform, and AirPlay, a wireless standard that beams audio and videos from one device to another. Bloomberg reports that it’ll let third-party services build integrations for the speaker, much like the Echo’s “skills.”
But the Apple speaker’s real differentiator is said to be its Beats-branded audio technology. According to Bloomberg, it’ll offer “virtual surround sound technology” and sound reproduction that’s “louder” and “crisper” than the Echo and Google Home. Apple’s also considering including sensors that automatically measure a room’s acoustics and automatically adjust audio levels during use.
watchOS 4
Julian Chokkattu/Digital Trends
Apple’s expected to preview watchOS 4, its smartwatch operating system, at WWDC.
It’ll likely ship on the upcoming Apple Watch. The company’s next wearable is said to have a glucose-monitoring sensor that that can measure the level of insulin in your bloodstream — a feature Apple CEO Tim Cook’s reportedly testing personally.
Rumor has it WatchOS 4 will support “smart bands” — new interchangeable watch bands said to add different functions to the Apple Watch — and cellular connectivity.
Other potential WatchOS 4 features include call support for Apple’s wireless AirPod earbuds and battery life optimizations.
tvOS 11
The Apple TV, Apple’s all-in-one entertainment console, might be in line for a WWDC refresh. Rumblings suggest Apple will launch a set-top box with support high dynamic range (HDR), a high-contrast color standard, and resolutions up to 4K (3,840 x 2,160 pixels).
New video-on-demand services are reportedly in tow with tvOS 11, the newest version of Apple’s entertainment-centric operating system. According to Buzzfeed, Apple will announce that Vudu, the Walmart-backed movie and TV service, and Prime Video, Amazon’s streaming platform, will be available on tvOS this summer.
Siri
WWDC 2017 might mark the debut of an enhanced Siri. According to Business Insider, Apple has assigned a large number of the engineers from VocalIQ, a voice recognition startup it acquired in 2015, to “make Siri talk more naturally.” The next-gen Siri can reportedly handle complex commands like, “Find a nearby Chinese restaurant with open parking and Wi-Fi that’s kid-friendly,” and is said to be better at filtering out ambient noise and adapting to challenging accents.
iMessage
Andy Boxall/DigitalTrends.com
Apple’s longtime messaging platform, iMessage, has remained exclusive to the iPad, iPod Touch, iPhone and MacBook computers since its debut. But that might change at WWDC. According to Daring Fireball’s John Gruber, Apple engineers have passed around “detailed mockups” of iMessage apps for Android.
Mockups don’t necessarily mean that an iMessage client for Android will ever see the light of day, but reports ahead of last year’s WWDC suggested that a release was imminent. If the rumors are true, Apple could finally take the wraps off at this year’s conference.
Here’s how to watch Apple’s WWDC 2017, and what to expect
Apple’s storied Worldwide Developer Conference, a week-long convention showcasing the world’s most valuable technology company’s latest innovations, is reliably chock-full of news. It’s where the company demoed the Power Mac G5 back in 2003, the iTunes App Store in 2008, and Apple Music in 2015, and it’ll be no less newsworthy this year.
We’re expecting to hear about Apple’s rumored smart home speaker, the latest version of iOS (the iPhone’s operating system), MacOS (Apple’s PC OS), WatchOS (the Apple Watch’s OS), and tvOS (the Apple TV’s OS). But we wouldn’t be surprised to see new hardware, too — potentially new MacBook Pro models, a 4K-capable Apple TV, and the iPad Pro 2.
How to watch WWDC
Apple will livestream the WWDC keynote address from the McEnery Convention Center in San Jose, California on June 1 at 10 a.m. PT/1 a.m. ET. You’ll need to meet certain prerequisites in order to watch it, though.
If you’re watching on a Mac, you’ll need Safari 6.0.5 or newer and Mac OS X v10.8.5 or later. On a PC, you’ll need Windows 10 and Microsoft’s Edge browser.
If you’d prefer to watch the keynote on an Apple TV, instead, good news: Apple’s providing a dedicated stream that’ll pop up automatically on tvOS 6.2 or later.
What to expect
iOS 11
Sam Beckett
Historically, Apple has used WWDC as an opportunity to preview upcoming versions of iOS, the mobile operating system that powers the iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch. Assuming the company keeps with tradition, we’re expecting an overview of iOS 11 highlights, and the start date of the new iOS’s public beta program.
Most of iOS 11’s changes are incremental, rumor has it. It’ll reportedly introduce group FaceTime calling, a Skype-like feature that’ll handle conferences between three or more parties, and make FaceTime Audio the default method of calling between iPhone users. That’ll result in clearer, crisper calls as Facetime Audio uses LTE to deliver higher-quality audio than a typical voice call.
Apple Pay, Apple’s digital payments platform, is expected to support peer-to-peer payments. Like Google Wallet or Venmo, iOS 11 will reportedly let you send money to friends, or use an Apple Pay iMessage extension to transfer cash to chat partners asynchronously.
Low Power Mode, iOS’s battery-saving feature, is reportedly due for an upgrade. iOS 11 will intelligently monitor your usage habits, location, and connectivity, disabling sensors and background apps to save power as needed. It might learn to conserve battery when you’re home Wi-Fi network’s out of range, for example, or when your iPhone’s battery falls below 20 percent charge.
iOS 11 could ship with an improved keyboard. In November, Apple was granted a patent for “dynamic keyboard positioning” that automatically positions home-row keys under your fingers, reducing the need to look down when you’re typing.
Other potential iOS 11 enhancements include a power-saving Dark Mode, a beefed-up version of Apple’s social Clips app, a sleep-tracking app, and a messaging menu that’ll tie in conversations from email, SMS, and social networking apps. The iOS 11 developer beta will likely debut this month, with a public beta to follow later this summer.
MacOS 10.13
Apple
MacOS 10.13 — the unrevealed version of the operating system on Apple’s MacBook notebooks, the Mac Pro, and the Mac Mini — remains a mystery. But WWDC is where we could learn its official name. A report on Pike’s Universum suggests it’ll start with the letter “M.”
Performance might be the focus this time around. MacOS 10.13 will ship with Apple’s new file system, APFS (Apple File System), which optimizes Flash/SSD storage and includes features like strong encryption, space sharing, copy-on write metadata, cloning for files and directories, and snapshots.
Tighter integration with iOS seems likely, too. MacOS 10.13 might support iOS’s rumored group FaceTime Audio calls.
Apple might give iTunes, its ballooning digital marketplace, a makeover as well. Rumblings ahead of last year’s WWDC suggested that Apple would introduce a redesigned client that put Apple Music, the company’s music streaming service, front and center. That never materialized, but Apple might take the opportunity to roll it out this time around.
If history is any indication, we’re expecting Apple to make the first MacOS 10.13 beta available in June, following the keynote.
10.5-inch iPad Pro
The iPad Pro, Apple’s flagship tablet, could get a major upgrade at WWDC.
The successor to the iPad Pro — the iPad Pro 2 — could ship in as many as three sizes: 9.7 inches, 12.9 inches, and a new 10.5-inch model. The 10.5-inch iPad Pro is said to be slightly thicker than Apple’s current-gen models, but with smaller bezels — the screen reportedly fits into a chassis that’s the same size as the 9.7-inch iPad Pro.
The iPad Pro 2 might feature a home button and camera that’s built into the screen. Some reports suggest that tablet’s top bezel will house a front camera and other sensors, and that Touch ID — the fingerprint-reading technology built into Apple’s newest iPads and iPhones — will be squeezed into the space behind the screen.
The iPad Pro 2 may debut alongside a new Apple Pencil, the stylus that currently only works on the 12.9-inch iPad Pro. The improved Pencil reportedly has a built-in magnet that can stick to the iPad’s side, and new annotation features that work across Apple’s Mail, Messages, and Safari apps.
MacBooks and Mac peripherals
Apple doesn’t typically announce new MacBook laptops and desktops at WWDC, but it has before. In 2013, it took the wraps off the infamous trashcan-shaped Mac Pro. And according to a report from Bloomberg, Apple’s considering all three MacBook lines — including the long-neglected MacBook Air — for updates at WWDC.
Apple’s expected to roll out new versions of the 12-inch MacBook and MacBook Pro, both packing Intel’s faster, more power-efficient Kaby Lake processors.
The new MacBooks may also ship a brand-new Apple chip — a power regulator designed to manage Power Nap, a MacOS feature which keeps iCloud and other software up to date while your Mac’s asleep. Currently, some Power Nap features require the Mac to be charging, but the new chip could do away with that requirement.
Peripherals like Apple’s Magic Keyboard might see a refresh. An Apple filing published with the Eurasian Economic Commission in June references the keyboard’s model number. Rumors hint that the keyboard might gain an OLED Touch Bar, as found on the latest MacBook Pro.
Siri-powered smart speaker
Apple’s reportedly prepping an artificially intelligent, voice-equipped speaker to take on Google Home and Amazon’s Echo series — and it might take the wraps off it at WWDC. According to Bloomberg, the Cupertino company’s engineers recently started testing a Siri-powered assistant that supports Apple’s wireless AirPlay standard and offers “deep integration” with the company’s product lineup.
Apple’s Siri-powered speaker is said to match the competition’s feature set blow-for-blow. It reportedly supports HomeKit, Apple’s home automation platform, and AirPlay, a wireless standard that beams audio and videos from one device to another. Bloomberg reports that it’ll let third-party services build integrations for the speaker, much like the Echo’s “skills.”
But the Apple speaker’s real differentiator is said to be its Beats-branded audio technology. According to Bloomberg, it’ll offer “virtual surround sound technology” and sound reproduction that’s “louder” and “crisper” than the Echo and Google Home. Apple’s also considering including sensors that automatically measure a room’s acoustics and automatically adjust audio levels during use.
watchOS 4
Julian Chokkattu/Digital Trends
Apple’s expected to preview watchOS 4, its smartwatch operating system, at WWDC.
It’ll likely ship on the upcoming Apple Watch. The company’s next wearable is said to have a glucose-monitoring sensor that that can measure the level of insulin in your bloodstream — a feature Apple CEO Tim Cook’s reportedly testing personally.
Rumor has it WatchOS 4 will support “smart bands” — new interchangeable watch bands said to add different functions to the Apple Watch — and cellular connectivity.
Other potential WatchOS 4 features include call support for Apple’s wireless AirPod earbuds and battery life optimizations.
tvOS 11
The Apple TV, Apple’s all-in-one entertainment console, might be in line for a WWDC refresh. Rumblings suggest Apple will launch a set-top box with support high dynamic range (HDR), a high-contrast color standard, and resolutions up to 4K (3,840 x 2,160 pixels).
New video-on-demand services are reportedly in tow with tvOS 11, the newest version of Apple’s entertainment-centric operating system. According to Buzzfeed, Apple will announce that Vudu, the Walmart-backed movie and TV service, and Prime Video, Amazon’s streaming platform, will be available on tvOS this summer.
Siri
WWDC 2017 might mark the debut of an enhanced Siri. According to Business Insider, Apple has assigned a large number of the engineers from VocalIQ, a voice recognition startup it acquired in 2015, to “make Siri talk more naturally.” The next-gen Siri can reportedly handle complex commands like, “Find a nearby Chinese restaurant with open parking and Wi-Fi that’s kid-friendly,” and is said to be better at filtering out ambient noise and adapting to challenging accents.
iMessage
Andy Boxall/DigitalTrends.com
Apple’s longtime messaging platform, iMessage, has remained exclusive to the iPad, iPod Touch, iPhone and MacBook computers since its debut. But that might change at WWDC. According to Daring Fireball’s John Gruber, Apple engineers have passed around “detailed mockups” of iMessage apps for Android.
Mockups don’t necessarily mean that an iMessage client for Android will ever see the light of day, but reports ahead of last year’s WWDC suggested that a release was imminent. If the rumors are true, Apple could finally take the wraps off at this year’s conference.
Which Verizon plan is best for you? We check out family, individual, and prepaid
We’ve updated the section on Verizon’s prepaid plans to reflect reduced pricing and video throttling.
Verizon often brags about having the most reliable network, and if tests are correct, the company isn’t wrong. The carrier offers the best service in rural areas where T-Mobile and Sprint users just can’t get a signal. Verizon even recently revamped its plan to make it more simple and understandable.
But the biggest news recently though might be Verizon’s acquiescence to customer demands for unlimited data. The nation’s largest carrier was the last to bring back unlimited data, but it’s nice to see. Don’t fret though: Unlike the other three, the capped Small, Medium, and Large plans remain, just in case you don’t want to pay for data that you won’t use.
Not everybody needs unlimited data — so for these folks Verizon is going to be your best bet. If you’re just a light mobile web user and don’t need to stream, Small’s 2GB limit should be fine. If you want a little more flexibility, step up to Medium’s 4GB. If you’re a once-in-a-while video or audio streamer, and use the mobile web quite a bit, you’re likely going to need the 8GB that Large allows. Any heavier users really should consider the new unlimited plan.
Verizon Plan
People
Line cost
4G LTE data
Total
1
$20
$35 w/2GB
$50 w/4GB
$70 w/8GB
$60 w/Unlimited
$55
$70
$90
$80
2
$20 x 2
$35 w/2GB
$50 w/4GB
$70 w/8GB
$100 w/Unlimited
$75
$90
$110
$140
3
$20 x 3
$35 w/2GB
$50 w/4GB
$70 w/8GB
$100 w/Unlimited
$95
$110
$130
$160
4
$20 x 4
$35 w/2GB
$50 w/4GB
$70 w/8GB
$100 w/Unlimited
$115
$130
$150
$180
5
$20 x 5
$35 w/2GB
$50 w/4GB
$70 w/8GB
$100 w/Unlimited
$135
$150
$170
$200
A quick note on the unlimited pricing shown: the prices listed include a $5 discount for single-line plans and $10 on multi-line plans as long as you sign up for autopay and paperless billing. If you don’t, you’ll need to add these amounts back in to get your price before taxes and fees.
You’ll pay $20 per person plus the amount of your data package and the cost of any phones you buy on Verizon’s installment plans. Only the cost of talk, text, and data are listed in the chart above. We get into phone payments in a later section. Tablet and hotspot lines cost $10 to connect, and wearables cost $5 to connect.
With everyone going to unlimited data, Verizon’s plans, while attractive, are on the expensive side. They’re not the most expensive though: That distinction currently belongs to AT&T. The bottom line with Verizon is that if you need reliable service just about anywhere, Verizon’s premium to Sprint and T-Mobile might be worth it. In some areas, Verizon is one of the only carriers with decent service (if any), so in some cases you might not have much of a choice.
Recommendations:
- Stay away from the 2GB plan unless you’re sure you won’t use much data. App-heavy users will exceed this allotment quite easily.
- Families should really consider the 8GB or Unlimited plans, with our preference being the unlimited plan.
The perks of the Verizon Plan:
- Strong service in rural areas
- A big phone selection
- Decent prices for individuals
The downsides of the Verizon Plan:
- Verizon charges overages when you exceed your data limit, unless you have data limit or overage protection, which costs $5 a month.
- Pricier plans than T-Mobile or Sprint.
- International service costs more.
- Its network is CDMA, which makes buying unlocked phones that work on the network difficult.
Verizon’s prepaid plan
Verizon also offers a prepaid plan for those of you who want to save some money. Its prepaid plans are a bit pricier than the competition, but if you want Verizon service, they are cheaper. Here’s what you can get with your smartphone:
Talk & Text
High Speed Data
Cost
Voice:
Unlimited in U.S.Text:
Unlimited in U.S. and 200 countries
3 GB with Carryover Data
$40
Voice:
Unlimited in U.S.Text:
Unlimited in U.S. and 200 countries
7 GB with Carryover Data
$50
Voice:
Unlimited in U.S., Mexico and CanadaText:
Unlimited in U.S. and 200 countries
10 GB with Carryover Data
$60
Voice:
Unlimited in U.S., Mexico and CanadaText:
Unlimited in U.S. and 200 countries
Unlimited
$80
You can also add 1,000 minutes of calling to Mexico and Canada for an extra $10 a month on both the $40 and $50 plans.
Streaming video is throttled to standard definition (480p) resolution across the board. And while there are no data overages, your speed goes down after you run out of 4G LTE data to 128kbps.
There’s no way to purchase additional high-speed data either, which is unfortunate. Carryover data allows you to keep any unused data into the next month, but it expires at the end of the following month.
The company also offers a “feature phone” plan, which offers non smartphone users unlimited talk, text, and mobile web access. That plan is $30 a month.
Data device plans
If you’re just looking for a plan for a tablet or other internet-connected device, Verizon’s prepaid plans have you covered there, too. Here’s the breakdown. Keep in mind these data buckets do not carry over, so it’s “use it or lose it.”
Cost
$15
$20
$35
$60
$100
Data
500MB
1GB
2GB
5GB
10GB
Time period
7 days
30 days
60 days
60 days
60 days
Recommendations:
- The $50 plan with unlimited talk and text and 5GB of data is ideal for individuals.
- Families should look elsewhere for cheap prepaid plans.
The perks of the Verizon’s prepaid plan:
- Great rural coverage
- Lots of phone options
- Cheaper than the Verizon Plan
- Pay week to week or month to month
- Carryover data lets you save data you don’t use.
- No overages
The downsides of the Verizon’s prepaid plan:
- Still pricey for prepaid plans
- International service is extra (except Mexico and Canada on some plans).
- Its network is CDMA, which makes buying unlocked phones that work on the network difficult.
- There’s no way to purchase additional high-speed data if you run out.
More: Free yourself! How to unlock your phone from the icy hands of your wireless carrier
Top phones at Verizon
Phones
Down payment
Price/month x 24
iPhone 7 (32GB)
iPhone 7 Plus (32GB)
iPhone SE (16GB)
$0
$27.08 x 24 = $650
$32.08 x 24 = $770
$16.66 x 24 = $400
Samsung Galaxy S8
Samsung Galaxy S8 Plus
$0
$30 x 24 = $720
$35 x 24 = $840
LG G6
LG V20
$0
$28 x 24 = $672
$24 x 24 = $576
Google Pixel
Google Pixel XL
$0
$27.08 x 24 = $650
$32.08 x24 = $770
HTC 10
$0
$27 x 24 = $648
Verizon has a great selection of phones, but you will have to pay the full price now that two-year contracts and subsidies are gone. High-end phones range from $650 to $1,000, so monthly payments run somewhere between $20 and $30 a month for 24 months. Cheaper phones cost as little as $5 a month.
Article originally published 04-05-2017. Updated on 04-25-2017: Added pricing and info of Verizon’s unlimited prepaid plan.
Startup uses Amazon Dash tech to enable customized one-touch tasks
Why it matters to you
Amazon Dash buttons are great for easy reordering of commonly purchased items, but have a ton of potential for other uses.
Amazon Dash buttons offer customers of the online retailer an easy way to order frequently purchased items with a push of a button. You might not know that Amazon also offers the technology to developers to expand the use of the web-connected buttons beyond e-commerce. That’s what Maryland-based startup Visybl is trying to do.
The company partnered with Amazon in March to develop the Dash button technologies under its own cloud infrastructure, and to expand the button’s capabilities. Visybl says the possibilities are endless: for example you could use a button to call for help, notify a shipper that a package is ready for shipment, or even notify the office that coffee is ready in the break room.
“Imagine how many repetitive, or complex tasks can be replaced with a single click of a button within an office, hospital, hotel, restaurant, retail store, or a warehouse,” Visybl’s co-founder and chief technical officer Arun Nedun said of the project in March.
To launch development of the IoT button, the company launched a Kickstarter to fund development. For as little as $29, backers would be able to get one of the first “Help” or “OK” buttons Visybl produces. Higher levels would allow for customized buttons, as well as multiples, including a special 50-pack aimed at small businesses.
Buttons are programmed through a companion app, and like the traditional Dash buttons, it only needs access to a Wi-Fi network in order to operate. Users can set limits to the amount of times a button can be activated in a certain period, and the buttons themselves should last for approximately 2,000 clicks.
Visybl says that the buttons will work with several popular services out of the box including Mailchimp, Slack, Google Sheets, Office 365, and Salesforce. IFTTT integration is also planned, as well as compatibility with Samsung’s SmartThings connected home platform.
“We just can’t wait to see what type of repetitive tasks will be replaced by a click of a button,” Nedun says.
Shipment of the first buttons will start in September, with all backer orders expected to be fulfilled by the end of the year. Visybl did not immediately specify what its future plans for wider-scale availability might be, although it appears at least at first its Dash-like buttons are intended more for business use.
Watch a giant, star-spangled mech destroy a Prius, because ‘Murica
Why it matters to you
Watching a robot punch a Prius to death finally reveals how a giant mech trains for combat.
Remember that iconic scene in Rocky, where everyone’s favorite Italian Stallion prepares for his big title fight by punching meat? Well, substitute “Italian Stallion” for “giant mech” and “meat” for Prius, and you described the training methods being used by Californian robotics company Megabots’ Mark III robot, ahead of its summer battle with Japanese rival Suidobashi.
“There are two explanations for the car,” Gui Cavalcanti, CEO and co-founder of Megabots told Digital Trends. “First off, we wanted to show off the size and weight of our new combat robot by using something appropriate as a punching bag, and a car was just the right size. Cars dent and show damage nicely, and everyone knows how big a car is. Secondly, a large part of the Mark III was funded through a Kickstarter campaign — in which one of the higher backer levels was getting to strap into the robot to punch a Prius! So all of our backers got to do that at Maker Faire.”
For those unfamiliar with it, Megabots’ Mark III tips the scales at 12 tons, measures 16 feet tall, and boasts $800,000 worth of off-the-shelves and custom parts. The long-awaited robot duel between it and its Japanese opponent is set to take place sometime in August. Until then, however, there is still plenty of work to be done to get it battle-ready, Cavalcanti said.
“The next big step for us is going to be increasing the speed of the robot from 25 percent throttle to 100 percent throttle,” he continued. “We didn’t have time to tune the robot to top speed, and we were worried about the safety of the audience and the robot during these early punches in the robot’s lifecycle, so we tuned it down. Now it’s time to get it up to combat speed!”
There is no word on exactly how many more environmentally friendly cars will have to suffer as Megabots’ engineers work to achieve that.
Legendary Pokémon, player-vs.-player combat coming to ‘Pokémon Go’
Why it matters to you
Legendary Pokémon and player-versus-player battles are highly requested Pokémon Go features and they will likely arrive in July.
To the delight of investors, Pokémon Go has become a huge, revenue-generating hit for Nintendo, Niantic, and the Pokémon Company. Launched on Android and iOS on July 6, 2016, the game increased The Pokémon Company’s profits by nearly 2,600 percent and generated $1 billion in revenue by February. The monster hit does not show any signs of slowing either, as Niantic is apparently cooking up new features for the game’s first anniversary next month.
In a recent interview, Niantic’s Vice President of Strategic Partnerships Mathieu de Fayet confirmed that Pokémon Go will soon support player-versus-player (PvP) battles. It is a feature many players have requested since the beginning and will finally arrive this summer for Pokémon trainers located in the northern hemisphere. He also said that the update will bring more value “to the choice of the teams.”
He also confirmed that legendary Pokémon are coming to the game as well. He did not elaborate on the info but there are at least seven generations of legendary Pokémon to date, including the seven that reside in Alola via Pokémon Sun and Moon: Cosmog, Cosmoem, Solgaleo, Lunala, Necrozma, Magearna, and Marshadow.
In the same breath, de Fayet also briefly mentioned the social aspects of Pokémon Go. “One thing we learned with Ingress was that the game can sustain itself if we are able to create social interactions amongst players, and we are working on that,” he said.
Niantic is currently working with organizations and cities to conduct sponsored, public “block parties” where the Pokémon Go community can locally come together and chase down virtual pocket monsters. This includes closing city streets so that trainers and drivers alike are not running into each other. The first of these events took place in Charlotte, North Carolina, in early May consisting of 16 PokéStops and two gyms along a 2.5-mile stretch.
Since Pokémon Go’s first appearance on Google Play and Apple’s App Store, players have downloaded the game 650 million times and it currently enjoys 65 million active users. De Fayet indicated that PvP and legendary Pokémon were on the table long ago, but due to the game’s success rate, the studio was forced to delay several “planned innovations.”
“We could never have expected it would become such a huge success. Our best engineers were unable to foresee the server capacity to support the players’ demand. Our biggest prediction was 50 times lower than what actually happened,” he said.
The addition of legendary Pokémon this summer should come as no surprise. An Ohio woman caught an Articuno last summer, a rare legendary bird-type Pokémon that chills the air when flapping its wings. It is one of five first-generation legendary Pokémon and was supposedly distributed to a number of players in error.
Still, accidental or not, the appearance of a legendary Pokémon indicated that the game would eventually support the highly requested beasts. That will finally happen in July.
Best Chromebook for Students
Update, June 2017: Our pick for best Chromebook for students remains the budget-friendly and portable Chromebook Flip, but Samsung’s Chromebook Pro is the pick for anyone who wants the very best.
- Best overall
- Best big screen
- Best high-end
Best overall
ASUS Chromebook Flip (C100)
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If you are a student in the market for a Chromebook or if you’re buying for someone who is, the ASUS Chromebook Flip is our top pick. While not the most powerful available, it still has plenty enough where it counts so it can do everything a student or graduate needs in the perfect form factor for someone on the go.
We’ve seen several new Chromebooks and expect more to arrive, but the value and small size mean the Chromebook Flip is still our top pick.
The bottom line: Small and portable, the Chromebook Flip is great for a busy student. The excellent app support means you’ll be able to use it to get things done and be able to play games or watch a video during the downtime.
Why the ASUS Chromebook Flip is the best
The 10.1-inch ASUS Chromebook Flip convertible — the screen folds back to provide a tablet experience — has a 1280×800 touch screen, great battery life, and can run apps from the Chrome Web Store and Google Play. Whether it’s Google Docs, Wikipedia or Facebook, the Chromebook Flip will serve you or the student in your life well. The best part is that you’ll find one under $300.
The MediaTek processor and 2GB or 4GB of onboard RAM (we recommend the 4GB version) do a fine job of surfing the web, watching full-screen videos, or playing some of your favorite Android games from Google Play. Of course, Google Docs and Microsoft’s Office apps for Chrome or Android also run very well so the schoolwork can get done, too. The small size and long battery life mean you’ll be able to take it with you from class to class or to a coffee shop for lunch or quiet time.
The budget-friendly and super-portable Chromebook Flip just ticks all the boxes for anyone in school.
Best big screen
Acer Chromebook R13
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The Chromebook R13 offers a lot for its higher-than-average price. It has a solid metal build and nice-looking screen, with a solid (but quite standard) keyboard and trackpad. It isn’t particularly light, but much of that is because of its large battery. The only real concern here is performance and configuration options, as you’re getting a MediaTek ARM processor and can only choose to get 16, 32 or 64GB of storage — there’s no choice to get a higher-end processor or more RAM.
The addition of Android apps and a full touchscreen just add to the list of reasons why this is the right Chromebook for any student who needs something bigger.
Bottom line: If you’re happy with the base configuration and don’t need something that’s hyper-portable, this is going to be a great choice for a student who wants something a little larger than the ASUS Chromebook Flip.
Best high end
Samsung Chromebook Pro
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Samsung and Google have built the best Chromebook you can buy with the Samsung Chromebook Pro. It’s incredibly well built, has one of the best displays of any laptop and has the horsepower to handle anything you throw at it. And handle it well. That makes it perfect for the student who needs the very best.
The bottom line: For anyone who wants to use a Chromebook on a regular basis, and values getting extra performance and hardware quality at an added price, Samsung has made the Chromebook for you.
One more thing: There’s also a Samsung Chromebook Plus, built with a slightly slower ARM processor and available for a bit less money.
Conclusion
A Chromebook is a great — and familiar — experience for anybody in school. The ASUS Chromebook Flip seems like it was specially built for a busy student, but there are also great options with a bigger screen or the ultimate high-end experience. We think these three are your top picks for 2017.
Best overall
ASUS Chromebook Flip (C100)
See at Amazon
If you are a student in the market for a Chromebook or if you’re buying for someone who is, the ASUS Chromebook Flip is our top pick. While not the most powerful available, it still has plenty enough where it counts so it can do everything a student or graduate needs in the perfect form factor for someone on the go.
The bottom line: Small and portable, the Chromebook Flip is great for a busy student. The excellent app support means you’ll be able to use it to get things done and be able to play games or watch a video during the downtime.
Chromebooks
- The best Chromebooks
- Should you buy a Chromebook?
- Google Play is coming to Chromebooks
- Acer Chromebook 14 review
- Join our Chromebook forums
Samsung has released a ‘Pirates of the Carribean’ themed Galaxy S8 in China
If you want one of your own, you’ll need to set sail for the South China Sea.
Ahoy Matey! Samsung has partnered with Disney for an interesting cross-promotion for the latest film in the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, offering a Pirates-themed version of the Galaxy S8. As reported by Business Insider, the special-edition phone will be exclusively offered in China and will retail for around $900.
Each phone comes packaged in treasure chest packaging styled after the new film, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales. The loot contained inside includes a Galaxy S8, a special-edition case as well as a collectible ring.
The phone itself is just a standard Galaxy S8 phone, with all the special edition content accessed via the smart clip-on case. Putting the case on the phone changes the phone’s UI to a Pirates-themed layout complete with a new background featuring Jack Sparrow and custom app icons.
If you’re kind of scratching your head at this cross-promotional offer, consider that China is a huge emerging market for big American blockbusters, which have historically done very well in China. Surprisingly, Dead Men Tell No Tales is the only Pirates film currently on the list of China’s top 50 highest-grossing films. With the film currently in theaters, expect it to keep creeping up the list — especially with Disney focusing it’s marketing powers and partnering with brands like Samsung.
Meanwhile, for those of us on this side of the ocean who might be interested in this special-edition phone, the package is only being offered through JD.com, so you’ll either need to travel over to China to get one or learn how to custom theme your phone without the special edition case.
Best hard drive for upgrading your PlayStation 4 storage
Get all the space you need with an external hard drive.
While your PlayStation 4 might initially seem like it has all the space in the world for games, apps, and movies, eventually you’re going to run out of room. Instead of deleting old saves or removing games from your system entirely, you can upgrade your space with an external hard drive. We’ve got the details on how to pick the right one here!
- Why you’ll want to upgrade
- Toshiba Canvio Basics 1TB
- Seagate Backup Plus Slim 2TB Portable
- WD 4TB My Book Desktop
Why you’ll want to upgrade
Depending on the size of your PlayStation 4 hard drive, it may be months or even a year or two before you start to really run out of room. In the past when this happened, you’d have to delete games and try to wiggle enough room to install the new shooter you just picked up.
However that all changed back in March when PlayStation added external hard drive support to its consoles. This means that all you need to do to upgrade your storage space is go ahead and plug in your preferred external hard drive and format it to your PlayStation 4. After that, you’ll be good to go!
There are a few things to remember when trying to pick out an external hard drive. First, be sure that it is USB 3.0, because your console is compatible with USB 3.0. You’ll also want to consider what storage size you want to pick up for your external drive; while a 1TB drive might be sufficient for some folks, others may want to err on the side of caution for more storage space. Lastly, it’s worth mentioning that while you might be tempted to pick up an SSD external drive, it isn’t going to make much of a difference when you are playing.
Toshiba Canvio Basics 1TB
The Toshiba Canvio Basics is your run-of-the-mill 1TB hard drive. It comes in three different colors, has USB 3.0, and has no required software to update or install.
With 1TB of storage space, you’ve got enough room for about 25 games, not including updates and save files. That means that 1TB might not be quite enough space for every gamer, and that’s fine. For the ones who only need some extra space, this is a great external hard drive to check out.
See at Amazon
Seagate Backup Plus Slim 2TB Portable
If you want a slightly beefier external hard drive, then a 2TB might be more up your alley. Seagate delivers a great portable hard drive with enough room for 50 full games.
It’s fully compatible with PlayStation 4 after the firmware update to 4.5 and comes in 4 different colors. It’s also available for just $10 more than many 1TB models. That means that getting twice the space is more affordable than ever, which leads to having plenty of space for all the games you haven’t discovered yet.
See at Amazon
WD 4TB My Book Desktop
If you don’t really care about portability, and you’re really just concerned with making sure you have as much room as is physically possible, then it’s time to consider a desktop external drive. They may be a bit bulkier, but once you’ve got it set up, you’ll never need to move it again, which can be handy.
This 4TB external hard drive from Western Digital has enough space to keep you downloading all of your favorite games, movies, and apps without any thought as to how much space they take up. It’s even available in larger sizes if you really want every bit of space you can possibly get.
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Have you considered upgrading your storage?
Have you picked up an external hard drive for your PS4? Which one? Let us know about it in the comments below!
Robotic shorts can shave minutes off a marathon time
In marathons, milliseconds matter. A split-second can be the difference between victory and defeat; between setting a record and coming in second. So, it’s a big deal when a team of Harvard engineers reveal a pair of shorts that reduce an average marathon time from 9:14 minutes/mile to 8:49 minutes/mile.
The shorts are part of a larger exosuit system researchers have in mind. But, for now, the shorts are tethered to an actuation unit that supports the muscles along the hip and leg. The suit adds strength and tension to these muscles as they’re activated, reducing the overall metabolic cost of a run by 5.4 percent.
Researchers at Harvard referenced a previous exosuit study out of Stanford to calibrate their running shorts — instead of applying force as the hip fully extends during a run, they shifted that force to slightly later in the stride. This technique doubled the shorts’ effectiveness.
“Our finding supports a paradigm shift toward the concept that mimicking our current understanding of biology is not necessarily always optimal,” the paper reads.
Engineers plan to continue testing various actuation profiles as their research continues. This particular study was funded by the DARPA Warrior Web program, the National Science Foundation, Samsung, The Wyss Institute and the Harvard engineering school.
“Our goal is to develop a portable system with a high power-to-weight ratio so that the benefit of using the suit greatly offsets the cost of wearing it,” researchers said. “We believe this technology could augment the performance of recreational athletes and/or help with recovery after injury.”
Source: Harvard, Science Robotics
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