Apple regulatory filings point to new iPad and MacBook Pro models

Why it matters to you

Apple may be preparing to refresh its line of iPads, MacBooks, and peripherals.

Apple’s annual World Wide Developer Conference (WWDC) kicks off during the first week in June, and while it’s impossible to predict just what the Cupertino, California-based company will announce during the conference’s Monday, June 5 keynote, leaks are helping to paint a clearer picture. On Wednesday, May 30, a filing published at the Eurasian Economic Commission, the Russian regulatory body that certifies encrypted devices, appears to show previously unannounced Apple products including a wireless keyboard and multiple iPad models.

The filings, which were spotted by Consomac, show at least four new iOS 10-touting iPads with model numbers A1670, A1671, A1701, and A1709. 9to5Mac speculates that two of the iPads are Wi-Fi models (A1670, A1701); that two are equipped with cellular radios (A1671, A1709); and that the A1701 and 1709 are new 10.5-inch iPad Pros.

Another number referenced in the filing, A1843, might be a revised version of Apple’s Magic Keyboard. The timing is right — it’s been two years since Apple released the last Magic Keyboard, which added an internal rechargable battery and a Lightning connector.

Alushta, Russia – November 21, 2014: Man holding a iPhone 6 Space Gray with social networking service Twitter on the screen. iPhone 6 was created and developed by the Apple inc.

The documents also make mention of Apple’s Mac lineup, but potentially in error — the model numbers are linked to the company’s current-generation Mac Pro, iMac, and Mac mini.

That’s not to suggest Apple won’t announce new MacBook Pro models at WWDC, though. MacRumors notes that the firm last refreshed the MacBook in October 2016, after it went a whopping 527 days without an update. (In contrast, only 220 days will have passed if Apple launches new MacBook Pro models on June 5 — below the average timeframe of 320 days between any two MacBook Pro generations.) And earlier this week, MacRumors reported that Apple Store delivery estimates for MacBook Pro orders had slipped to the second week in June, suggesting new notebooks are imminent.

Alongside new iPads, peripherals, and MacBooks, Apple is likely to talk about major software updates — namely iOS 11 and MacOS 10.13 — at WWDC. And it might take the wraps off a new Apple TV with 4K support — potentially one that supports Vudu and Amazon Video.

Apple’s current-gen Magic Keyboard.

But those aren’t the only new products Apple’s expected to announce.

According to Bloomberg, company engineers have been testing a Siri-powered smart home speaker that will compete with Google’s eponymous Google Home and Amazon’s Echo. It’s rumored to support Apple’s wireless AirPlay standard, and reportedly sports Beats technology, a touchscreen, support for HomeKit, and a modified variant of Apple’s iOS operating system.

Luckily, we won’t have to wait long to find out. Apple’s WWDC keynote takes place June 5 at 10 a.m. PT.

Apple regulatory filings point to new iPad and MacBook Pro models

Why it matters to you

Apple may be preparing to refresh its line of iPads, MacBooks, and peripherals.

Apple’s annual World Wide Developer Conference (WWDC) kicks off during the first week in June, and while it’s impossible to predict just what the Cupertino, California-based company will announce during the conference’s Monday, June 5 keynote, leaks are helping to paint a clearer picture. On Wednesday, May 30, a filing published at the Eurasian Economic Commission, the Russian regulatory body that certifies encrypted devices, appears to show previously unannounced Apple products including a wireless keyboard and multiple iPad models.

The filings, which were spotted by Consomac, show at least four new iOS 10-touting iPads with model numbers A1670, A1671, A1701, and A1709. 9to5Mac speculates that two of the iPads are Wi-Fi models (A1670, A1701); that two are equipped with cellular radios (A1671, A1709); and that the A1701 and 1709 are new 10.5-inch iPad Pros.

Another number referenced in the filing, A1843, might be a revised version of Apple’s Magic Keyboard. The timing is right — it’s been two years since Apple released the last Magic Keyboard, which added an internal rechargable battery and a Lightning connector.

Alushta, Russia – November 21, 2014: Man holding a iPhone 6 Space Gray with social networking service Twitter on the screen. iPhone 6 was created and developed by the Apple inc.

The documents also make mention of Apple’s Mac lineup, but potentially in error — the model numbers are linked to the company’s current-generation Mac Pro, iMac, and Mac mini.

That’s not to suggest Apple won’t announce new MacBook Pro models at WWDC, though. MacRumors notes that the firm last refreshed the MacBook in October 2016, after it went a whopping 527 days without an update. (In contrast, only 220 days will have passed if Apple launches new MacBook Pro models on June 5 — below the average timeframe of 320 days between any two MacBook Pro generations.) And earlier this week, MacRumors reported that Apple Store delivery estimates for MacBook Pro orders had slipped to the second week in June, suggesting new notebooks are imminent.

Alongside new iPads, peripherals, and MacBooks, Apple is likely to talk about major software updates — namely iOS 11 and MacOS 10.13 — at WWDC. And it might take the wraps off a new Apple TV with 4K support — potentially one that supports Vudu and Amazon Video.

Apple’s current-gen Magic Keyboard.

But those aren’t the only new products Apple’s expected to announce.

According to Bloomberg, company engineers have been testing a Siri-powered smart home speaker that will compete with Google’s eponymous Google Home and Amazon’s Echo. It’s rumored to support Apple’s wireless AirPlay standard, and reportedly sports Beats technology, a touchscreen, support for HomeKit, and a modified variant of Apple’s iOS operating system.

Luckily, we won’t have to wait long to find out. Apple’s WWDC keynote takes place June 5 at 10 a.m. PT.

Low-cost Windows 10 S machines we’ve been expecting pop up at Computex

Why it matters to you

If you are a student, then these are the kinds of Windows 10 S machines you can expect to be using in your classrooms.

Microsoft introduced Windows 10 S at its recent education event on the decidedly high-end Surface Laptop. Windows 10 S is a more limited version of Windows 10 that limits what apps can be installed and imposes some other restrictions on users. For the most part, it is anticipated that Windows 10 S will arrive on lower-priced notebooks to compete with Google’s Chromebook platform.

Computex 2017 is the first major event since Windows 10 S’s unveiling, and so far it looks like PC makers are following the low-cost direction as anticipated. A number of new machines running the restricted OS were introduced at the event, and they are mostly entry-level affairs, Liliputing reports.

For example, a few systems were spotted by tech blogger Roland Quandt that utilize Intel’s low-end Celeron 3350 and Pentium N4200 processors. The Asus Vivobook E201NA is one, offering up to 8GB of RAM, up to 128GB of eMMC storage, and a relatively low-resolution 11.6-inch display at 1,366 x 768 resolution. The HP Probook x360 11 G1 Education Edition is another, representing a 360-degree convertible option with 4GB of RAM but adding in pen and touch support. Dell demonstrated yet another with its Latitude 3189 running a Pentium N4200 with 4GB of RAM, and Acer was also on board.

Windows 10 S – the real deal – HP ProBook x360 11 G1 EE pic.twitter.com/Tf11GfkHI3

— Roland Quandt (@rquandt) May 31, 2017

Fujitsu appears to be taking something of a higher road with its Lifebook P727, which offers significantly more performance with an Intel Core i3-7100U processor, although RAM is limited to 4GB. A fingerprint reader offers Windows Hello support, a plus for the educational market.

Windows 10 S – the real deal – HP ProBook x360 11 G1 EE pic.twitter.com/Tf11GfkHI3

— Roland Quandt (@rquandt) May 31, 2017

Microsoft’s Surface Laptop starts at $1,000 and ramps all the way up to $2,200, meaning that it is not exactly focused for the classroom. We have our own theory as to why Microsoft introduced the Surface Laptop with Windows 10 S, and it has little to do with competing with Google Chromebook. It is not at all surprising, however, to see Microsoft’s original equipment manufacturing partners aiming systems at one market that is probably the best fit for Windows 10 S today.

There is no word on when these systems will ship or how they will be priced. But we expect them to be at or around the $200 mark — or, at least, they will need to be if they hope to stave off the Chromebook’s growing popularity in the education market.

Nvidia bundle makes your first game with a new graphics card rocket powered

Why it matters to you

If you still haven’t played a game of Rocket League and need a new graphics card, too, this bundle is the perfect storm.

Ahead of the Rocket League World Championships in June, Nvidia and Psyonix have announced a partnership to give away the rocket-powered sporting title with select GTX Pascal graphics cards. If you aren’t quite convinced of its worthiness yet though, tune in to the championships and then make your decision, as this bundle will be available until July 31.

Rocket League is a game that offers a simple, but sublime premise: You drive a car with a rocket engine attached to its rear and use that melding of aerodynamic explosions to propel a ball into an oversized soccer goal. On the surface it’s a rather basic game, but the nuances in car control and teamwork are what makes it so exciting to play and watch.

All sorts of high flying action will be on show at this year’s Rocket League World Championships in Los Angeles and if it inspires you to have a play yourself, treating yourself to a new graphics card at the same time wouldn’t be a terrible idea. The game runs fantastic on midtier hardware, so a GTX 1060 will easily play the game at 4K resolution, making the Unreal Engine 3 game look fantastic.

However, you needn’t spend quite that much to get the game for free. As Anandtech points out, the game is available with GTX 1060, 1050 Ti, and 1050 graphics cards, as well as prebuilt desktops and laptops with those chips inside, too. Of course though, remember that you must buy them from Nvidia’s partners.

To see the full list of retailers, system builders and platform partners this promotion applies to, the full promo page has all the details. It runs from May 30 through July 31.

Nvidia isn’t the only company partnering with Psyonix for Rocket League co-promotion lately. It recently teamed up with the WWE to use its monumental platform to help increase exposure for the hit indie title. It also recently partnered with Hot Wheels for a new DLC package and real-world model cars.

Dragonflies are being genetically engineered into cybernetic drones

Why it matters to you

Cybernetic insects could aid in pollination and rescue missions, keeping humans out of harms way.

Update: Draper just released a new video of DragonflEye in action — we’ve posted it below. 

Cybernetic insects may sound like something out of dystopian fiction, but they’re being developed in labs around the world. And their uses may be more beneficial than you’d expect. Some researchers have proposed remote-controlled insects for surveillance, while others think they can help sniff out explosives and aid in search and rescue missions.

Up until now, these insects have mainly been controlled by firing electrical impulses through electrodes plugged into the little invertebrate — a technique that’s been effective but clunky and energy hungry.

Now engineers at Draper and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) at Janelia Farm have begun work on DragonflEye, a project to develop a more sophisticated technique that may usher in an evolution for cybernetic insects.

“Previous attempts to guide insect flight used larger organisms like beetles and locusts so that they could lift relatively large electronics systems that weighed up to 1.3 grams,” senior biomedical engineer at Draper, Jesse J. Wheeler, told IEEE Spectrum. “These systems did not include navigation systems and required wireless commands to guide flight.”

Rather than hardwire electrodes into the muscles or nervous system, Draper is experimenting with optogenetics, an approach that uses genetic modifications to tweak organisms so they respond to light. This technique would allow for smaller electronics systems, meaning they could be fit onto smaller and more agile insects, such as bees and dragonflies.

With optogenetic stimulation, the insect will be equipped with a specially designed DragonflEye backpack that can collect energy from the sun via mini solar panels and allow the insect to navigate autonomously. Rather than forcing the insects to respond by firing electrodes, Draper researchers will use optrodes to engage specific neurons that control the insects steerings. This method will enable more reliable control, according to Wheeler, while wirelessly transmitting environmental data to an external server.

After a year of research, Wheeler and his team are prepared to test their dragonflies with the DragonflEye backpacks and monitor their movement with hi-speed cameras. “This will allow us to develop precise onboard tracking algorithms for autonomous navigation,” he said. They will then focus on controlling the dragonflies through optical stimulation coming from the backpack, while developing the better, lighter DragonflEye 2.0.

AMD’s first Vega-powered graphics card arrives June 27, but not for PC gamers

Why it matters to you

PC gamers anxiously awaiting AMD’s next-gen graphics cards will have to keep waiting to find out what the Radeon RX Vega family has in store.

During this week’s Computex technology convention in Taipei, Taiwain, AMD held a press conference to talk about its processor, APU, and graphics chip plans for 2017. AMD CEO Dr. Lisa Su conducted the press conference, at which she confirmed that AMD’s first graphics card based on its new “Vega” chip architecture will arrive on June 27, fulfilling the company’s promise of delivering its next-generation graphics cards during the first half of 2017.

But don’t get too excited just yet. Called the Radeon Vega Frontier Edition, this card will target the professional workstation market as an upgrade to the Radeon Pro Duo, Radeon Pro WX 7100, and competing graphics card solutions. The Vega Frontier Edition will consist of 4,096 stream processors (aka 64 compute units), 16GB of HBM2 dedicated video memory, and around 25 teraflops of compute performance.

But what about AMD’s PC gaming audience? When will the Radeon RX Vega cards hit the market? Towards the end of the press conference, Su said details regarding the launch would be provided during SIGGRAPH 2017, which starts on July 30 and ends on August 3. Sponsored by the Association for Computing Machinery, this conference focuses on professional computer graphics and “interactive techniques.”

“We chose SIGGRAPH because we believe that for high performance graphics and all the content creation capability there, that this is the perfect place to showcase the Vega product line,” Su said.

However, that didn’t stop Su from teasing the Radeon RX Vega in a demo featuring Prey. This demo actually relied on two Radeon RX Vega cards in CrossFire mode, and the game set on Ultra High settings and a 3840 x 2160 resolution. The demo also showcased an upcoming Ryzen Threadripper processor that’s coming this summer, featuring up to 16 cores, 32 threads, and support for up to a massive 64 PCI Express 3.0 lanes. That said, the Prey demo looked really, really good.

In other Vega-related news, Su said AMD will talk more about the upcoming Radeon Instinct MI25 graphics card on June 20. This card will head straight into the data center to accelerate machine intelligence, as it’s designed for deep learning training. June 20 will also serve as the launch date for AMD’s return to the data center with its new lineup of Epyc processors for servers (aka Naples). However, the Vega-powered Radeon Instinct MI25 card won’t be launched at that time.

That said, there’s a possibility AMD may not make a hard launch of its PC gaming Radeon RX Vega solutions during the SIGGRAPH 2017 convention in late July. Instead, AMD may introduce the card lineup, their prices, and availability during the show with a hard launch shortly thereafter. Hopefully, we’re completely wrong and AMD floods the market with Radeon RX Vega cards at the end of July.

Star Trek: Bridge Crew – Our favorite cheats and tricks

The Federation is counting on you, so it’s ok to break the rules a little.

As long as you and your crewmates communicate well and execute on your combined strategies, most of Star Trek: Bridge Crew is a breeze. Where you’ll run into the most trouble is if your ship isn’t ready to spring into action when you need it to, or if your plan turns out to have some serious flaws. Not to worry, we’ve been playing for a while and found some clever tricks and cheats to help get you where you need to go.

Read more at VR Heads!

The U.S. unlocked HTC U11 doesn’t support Verizon’s CDMA network, and that’s okay

Sometimes you just have to trust that the company selling you a phone has done its homework.

The U11 is arguably the best flagship phone HTC has ever made, and it properly competes with the other great phones released in the first half of 2017. But in coinciding with HTC’s general decline in the U.S. market, its partnerships to put phones in carrier stores have dwindled, leaving us with a single carrier “partner” here: Sprint.

That means if you want to use the HTC U11 on any other carrier, you’ll have to buy it unlocked — both Amazon and HTC will sell it to you directly without any carrier shackles for $649. That’s great for discerning consumers, but it has also led to questions — primarily, does the phone support our favorite giant carrier, Verizon? Well, yes, it does — HTC says so on its website. Confusion has set in, though, as we all dig through the specs and realize it doesn’t have a CDMA radio.

Not having CDMA isn’t the end of the world, nor does it preclude HTC from legitimately stating that the U11 is compatible with the Verizon network — let me explain.

Verizon’s upcoming CDMA sunset

Verizon doesn’t want to use its CDMA network anymore. It has confirmed that it hopes to effectively shut down the old network by the end of 2019. Once it does so, the remaining spectrum and towers currently in use for CDMA (which have been dramatically scaled back in recent years already) can be repurposed for other uses as Verizon turns LTE into its baseline network and moves on to 5G deployment.

Verizon doesn’t want people using its CDMA network anymore, and you probably already don’t.

For most people using Verizon today, CDMA might as well not exist. Its LTE network covers 98% of the country. As of Q1 2016, 92% of its network traffic was traveling over LTE — and remember that includes some legacy devices that only use CDMA. So there’s a dramatically small (and decreasing) number of places without LTE coverage, and surprisingly close to 100% of network traffic by LTE-capable devices is running on the modern network.

Even if your phone has a CDMA radio, chances are you don’t actually use it anymore. When your phone has an LTE connection available, it will use it for both data and calls across Verizon’s network — other times, you may be using Wi-Fi calling. In 2017, CDMA offers a suboptimal experience — only to be relied upon when there is no other option. Yes those places where CDMA is the only option do still exist, but Verizon clearly doesn’t think they’ll be around much longer.

Reason says that it won’t be long, then, before Verizon itself stops selling smartphones that have CDMA radios in them. Including the old technology for a network that won’t exist in the reasonable lifespan of the phone (roughly two years from sale) doesn’t make sense from multiple perspectives. Having a CDMA radio requires extra licenses and technology (read: money spent) in smartphones, and just continues to sustain a user base of people who will have a device capable of using a network that will soon no longer be available.

HTC did the necessary work

HTC isn’t hiding the fact that the U11 doesn’t support Verizon’s CDMA network. Every radio, band and network the U.S. unlocked U11 supports is listed right on HTC’s website — including LTE band 2, 4, 5 and 13 for Verizon. But this is still confusing to some because HTC says it supports Verizon while also not having CDMA — and for some people, that doesn’t mean “full” support.

Here’s the thing: HTC lists the U11 as being compatible with Verizon because it truly means it. The U11 will work just fine on Verizon’s network, without any unreasonable hang-ups. Considering nearly all of your data and voice traffic is already going over LTE on your current Verizon phone, you won’t likely notice a difference on the U11.

More important than simply having a CDMA radio inside, HTC has gone through the process with Verizon to certify the U11 for use on its network — and that’s why it’s confident enough to list Verizon compatibility. It has done the same sort of testing for AT&T and T-Mobile as well; there are no guessing games here, the unlocked U11 does what HTC says it will do. That means your U.S. unlocked U11 will support VoLTE (aka HD Voice), Wi-Fi calling and Carrier Aggregation on the four major U.S. networks. HTC even goes on to list popular prepaid carriers like Cricket, MetroPCS, NET 10, Straight Talk and WalMart Family Mobile as fully compatible.

Read: Our complete HTC U11 review

Not having CDMA is no longer a problem, folks.

Some people just won’t buy a phone for use on Verizon that doesn’t have a CDMA radio in it — there’s no convincing them otherwise, even though the information on the impending death of CDMA is clear. But this is where we’re headed, and at a rapid pace. There’s a good chance the HTC U11 won’t be the only phone released this year — and certainly not in the next 12 months — certified for use on Verizon without a CDMA radio. At some point, we’re going to have to let this go as a requirement for buying a phone to use on Verizon.

For the average person who wants an HTC U11 and has Verizon as their carrier, they will buy the phone, pop in their SIM and use it fully without knowing the details — and they shouldn’t have to. This is the future we’ve wanted for so long and continually complained about in relation to using phones on Verizon. Now that it’s finally here, let’s enjoy it.

HTC U11

• HTC U11 review
• HTC U11 specs
• Manufacturing the U11: Behind the scenes
• Join our U11 forums
• HTC U11 vs Galaxy S8
• HTC U11 vs LG G6

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These are the best free apps for PlayStation VR

There aren’t many out there, but the free apps on Playstation VR are nothing to scoff at.

Sony launched PlayStation VR with a bang, including a ton of amazing games from nearly every genre. If you haven’t spent any time lurking through the PlayStation store since setting up your PlayStation VR, then you might not realize that there are a handful of free apps available for download right now. At the moment, the pickings are a bit slim, but that’s to be expected since we’re only a few short days past launch day. Well, don’t worry about searching through the PlayStation store because we’ve got the details on the best free apps on PlayStation VR.

Read more at VR Heads

Does your PlayStation VR need extra cooling fans to avoid overheating?

Heat is part of the deal when you’re playing PlayStation 4.

PlayStation 4 delivers tons of great content — from VR experiences to Netflix and Hulu, to its massive library of great games for you to dive into. You might be worried about how hot your system gets when it’s in use though, and whether you need to bite the bullet and pick up an additional fan for cooling. While this is a fairly normal reaction, it shouldn’t be necessary! We’ve got the details for you here!

Heat is normal when using PlayStation 4

When you notice heat coming off of your console, it’s easy to get pretty worried. After all, many gamers still remember not being able to play certain consoles for more than two or three hours before they started to heat up and affect gameplay. Here’s the thing though — when it comes to playing your PlayStation 4, a certain amount of heat is pretty normal.

We mean it’s going to be warm, bordering on hot, when you touch it. This is especially true if you’re touching around the back of the console where the main exhaust fan is housed. Don’t panic, though. So long as your system has adequate room to vent, that heat isn’t anything to worry about. Just hot air.

This is a good time to remind that you do want to ensure there’s adequate space around your console. Rather than putting it in a cupboard inside of your entertainment center, we suggest leaving it open to the air so that the exhaust fan can do its job properly. The fan in your system is fairly beefy and was designed to ensure that you wouldn’t need any additional cooling options, so as long as it is working properly adding additional fans ought to be unnecessary.

How to cut down on excess heat

Now if your system is getting some serious heat, there are a few things you might want to take a look at before you start thinking about ordering an aftermarket fan. Namely, you’ll want to consider how long the system has been running, as well as how dusty it’s become.

PlayStation 4 is basically covered in vents on the side and back of the console and if these vents get choked up with dust they aren’t able to do their job properly. To this end, if you notice your console getting particularly hot then a solid call is to ensure that no vents are obscured by dust.

Clearing out dust or debris from your PS4’s vents will help keep things cool.

You can clean them out in about 10 seconds, provided you have a canister of compressed air on hand. All you need to do is use short, controlled bursts with the nozzle pointed towards the vents. This ought to clear out any dust or debris and allow the console to properly vent heat.

If you still notice more heat than usual then you might want to consider how long you’ve been running your console for. While PlayStation 4 is a pretty hardy console, it still has its limits. If you’ve been running the console for more than 6-8 hours then you might want to give it a break for an hour or so to return to a normal temperature.

Have you considered an external fan?

While your PlayStation 4 system is going to heat up after you’ve been playing for a clip, this isn’t something that ought to worry you much. So long as the exhaust fan is running, there is no dust blocking the vents, and you’ve ensured that there is room for the heat to vent off, then you should be in excellent shape. Have you considered picking up an additional fan for your PlayStation 4 console? Let us know about it in the comments below!