Bixby, where are you?

There’s plenty to love about the Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus, Samsung’s latest mobile darlings. The near edge-to-edge displays and luscious design give them a fit and finish few other flagships can match. And the performance and battery-life are nothing to sneeze at either. Yet, nearly three months after their initial launch, the phones are still missing a key feature: Bixby.

Samsung’s AI-powered voice assistant is nowhere to be seen. Seeing as the company is keen on making Bixby the center of its consumer universe, the missing voice assistant is more than just a mystery; it’s also a liability.

When Samsung showed off Bixby at the S8 launch event in March, it wowed the audience, and frankly, us. The company claimed that the voice interface was so intuitive that you could control the phones as effectively as you could with the touchscreen. That’s a lofty goal, and would make it even more powerful and more capable than Siri, Cortana and Google Assistant.

Bixby, it seems, can do more than just launch an app or check the weather. Bixby also promises to be contextually aware, potentially adding appointments and reminders without you having to do so manually. Plus, it wants to do all of it with natural language processing, so you don’t have to give perfect directions in order for it to work well.

If that all sounds too good to be true, well, maybe that’s because it is. When the phone launched, it was without Bixby Voice on board (though it still had Bixby Home, a home screen alternative to Google Home, and Bixby Vision, an augmented reality camera that can identify objects it captures). Instead, the company said that the voice assistant would arrive later than the actual hardware. From a company that usually has no problem churning out products, this seemed a little odd.

As the calendar flipped from April to May, Bixby still wasn’t ready. Apparently stymied by the complexities of the English language, Samsung just couldn’t get Bixby up to snuff. (It did, however, manage to get the Korean language version out the door in May). “Bixby Voice benefits from time to further enhance natural language understanding,” said a Samsung spokesperson to the Wall Street Journal at the time. Later in June, the company opened up an “early preview test” of Bixby so that it could give some users a taste of how it works, and also get a wider data sample.

Now it’s July, and it still doesn’t seem like Bixby is anywhere near done. As the Korea Herald puts it, Samsung just doesn’t have the “big data” necessary to have the AI up and running in languages other than Korean. The paper says that this is potentially due to geographical and linguistic barriers between Samsung’s Korean headquarters and the AI researchers in California. Considering Bixby’s lofty ambitions coupled with how difficult natural language processing is in the first place, those difficulties are not entirely surprising.

Yet, it’s a problem that Samsung should have foreseen. After all, this is a company that’s known for its innovation — it’s produced slim-yet-waterproof smartphones, next-gen smart watches and phone-powered VR headsets at a rapid pace, in many of those cases setting the stage for the rest of the industry. It’s not like the company has no experience ushering in technological wonders. Yes, it would be a newcomer to the AI space, but Samsung should have the resources available to tackle the issue head on.

Which is what makes the whole Bixby delay a little fishy. Something must have gone wrong somewhere. It seems as if Samsung bit off a little more than it could chew and just didn’t think an AI voice assistant would take as long as it did. This doesn’t just paint the S8 and the S8 Plus in a bad light, it also puts a serious damper on Samsung’s other products like the rumored smart speaker and the new Note coming up in September and any other smart-products — given Bixby will likely be the thread that ties them all together.

Considering the S8 was supposed to be Samsung’s redemption after last year’s Note debacle, overpromising and underdelivering is the wrong way to win customers back. If it ships Bixby in the next month or so, it could limit the damage. If it doesn’t, Samsung will need to really blow us away with the Note and its upcoming 2018 lineup while it figures Bixby out. The company delayed the S8 launch to deal with the Note’s battery issues and that appears to have panned out, so Samsung still has a chance to pull it out of the bag. But consumers only have so much patience left.

Scientists want to use satellites to predict landslides

Small satellites have countless uses, including when it comes to monitoring the planet for natural disasters. Now, scientists think they’ve made a breakthrough on this front: They’re using satellite data to map the Earth’s movement. Their end goal is to develop an early warning system for communities before landslides.

Last week, a massive landslide occurred in Sichuan Province in China, affecting Xinmo village. Three days later, a second landslide struck the same area and a third landslide hit a village about 20 km (12.5 miles) away. Using images from ESA’s Sentinel-1, the team was able to look at before and after pictures of the region, as they detailed in a presentation at the Dragon-4 symposium in Copenhagen.

It’s incredibly difficult to detect landslides using traditional methods. But by using satellite data, the team was able to map the landslide, identify its source and look at its extent. Professor Zehnghong Li of Newcastle University, who worked on the project, explains, “In fact, while we were monitoring the Maoxian landslides we managed to identify over 10 other active landslides in the same region and forwarded this information to the relevant agencies.”

The real value of this data? The team was able to identify that the land had been sliding approximately six months before last week’s events. This suggests that an early warning system for landslides using current satellite technology would be achievable and effective.

Source: EurekAlert

Review: ElevationLab’s ‘BatteryPro’ iPhone and Apple Watch Charger is Expensive, but Offers Useful Features

ElevationLab’s latest product is the BatteryPro, an Apple Watch and iPhone charger that’s got some clever design elements and a built-in Apple Watch charging puck for convenience. Priced at $99, the BatteryPro isn’t cheap, but if you value ease of use over cost, it’s worth checking out.

At first glance, the BatteryPro doesn’t look like much. It’s similar in design to many external battery packs, constructed from plain but durable black plastic and designed with a rectangular shape that matches up well with the iPhone. It’s meant to fit in a back pocket while charging the iPhone, and it does. Walking around with the BatteryPro in a back pocket isn’t exactly comfortable because it’s almost an inch thick and weighty, but it’s functional in a pinch.

Though it uses a simple design, the BatteryPro features a built-in Apple Watch charging puck and a unique elastic “StowStrap” that’s designed to hold the Apple Watch in place while it’s charging, so you can toss it in a backpack while on the go. When not in use, the strap sits flush in a groove that’s been added to the Battery Pro, but when you need to charge, you unhook it from the back, place the Apple Watch on the charger, wrap the strap over it, and secure it in a second slot on the back of the device.

With this setup, the Apple Watch is held firmly in place on the charger and it’s protected from scratches and other damage while it’s charging. This is ideal for charging the Apple Watch in a purse or a backpack, but it’s also handy on a nightstand because there’s no way to knock the watch off.

Along with the strap and the Apple Watch charging puck, there’s a micro-USB slot at the top of the BatteryPro that’s used for charging and a USB-A slot that accommodates a Lightning to USB cable for charging an iPhone (or any other kind of device). While a micro-USB cable is included, you will need to supply your own Lightning cable.

The top of the BatteryPro also features a red button that’s used to initiate charging when an Apple Watch or iPhone is connected, and on the front of the device next to the Apple Watch charging puck, there are four LEDs that display the approximate charge level whenever the red button is pressed.

There’s an 8,000 mAh battery in the BatteryPro, which is good for a week or two of Apple Watch charges. There’s not quite as much battery life when used with the iPhone, but with my 7 Plus, which has a 2,900 mAh battery, I got nearly two charges from it. On the first charge, my iPhone 7 Plus went from dead to full, and on the second charge, it had enough juice left to get it from dead to 84 percent. With the iPhone 7 (1,960 mAh) and other devices with less battery capacity, the BatteryPro will offer up to three charges.

ElevationLab says the BatteryPro features “smart high-speed USB out,” and it took a little over two hours to charge my iPhone 7 Plus from dead to full. Charging the BatteryPro itself from dead to full also takes just a couple of hours.

Bottom Line

You can get a 10,000 mAh Anker external battery pack on Amazon for a fourth of the price of the BatteryPro, and there are even cheaper off-brand options available. While cheap, those vanilla battery packs don’t come with the features that are packed into the BatteryPro, including a built-in Apple Watch charging puck and the strap that holds the Apple Watch in place.

I travel often and find it to be a hassle to carry around a lot of charging cables, so I much prefer built-in Apple Watch charging solutions like the BatteryPro, and being able to secure the band to the charger with the elastic strap was useful when I needed a little extra juice to get through the day. I do wish a short Lightning cable was offered with the BatteryPro, though, especially at the $99 price point.

If you don’t mind carrying around both an Apple Watch charging puck and a Lightning cable, the cheap battery pack is always going to be a better buy, but if you would rather shell out some extra cash for the sake of convenience, the BatteryPro is a solid iPhone and Apple Watch accessory that’s worth a look.

How to Buy

The BatteryPro can be purchased from the ElevationLab website for $99.

Tags: ElevationLab, BatteryPro
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Apple Seeds Fifth Beta of tvOS 10.2.2 to Developers

Apple today seeded the fifth beta of an upcoming tvOS 10.2.2 update to developers for testing purposes, two weeks after seeding the fourth beta of tvOS 10.2.2 and over a month after releasing tvOS 10.2.1, a minor bug fix update.

tvOS 10.2.2 is only available for the fourth-generation Apple TV. Registered developers can download the update by connecting the Apple TV to a computer with a USB-C cable and installing the beta software using iTunes. Once a beta profile is installed, new updates will be received over-the-air.

No major feature changes or bug fixes were discovered in the first four betas of tvOS 10.2.2, so it appears the update focuses on minor under-the-hood improvements and security enhancements.

tvOS 10.2.2 will be one of the last updates to the tvOS 10 operating system as Apple is already working on the next-generation version of tvOS, tvOS 11. tvOS 11 is currently available for developers and public beta testers.

Related Roundups: Apple TV, tvOS 10
Buyer’s Guide: Apple TV (Don’t Buy)
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Security Researchers Don’t Think Apple Pays Enough for Bug Bounties

Apple’s bug bounty program has been available to select security researchers for almost a year now, but according to a new report from Motherboard, most researchers prefer not to share bugs with Apple due to low payouts. More money can be obtained from third-party sources for bugs in Apple software.

“People can get more cash if they sell their bugs to others,” said Nikias Bassen, a security researcher for the company Zimperium, and who joined Apple’s program last year. “If you’re just doing it for the money, you’re not going to give [bugs] to Apple directly.”

Motherboard spoke to several members of Apple’s bug bounty program with the condition of anonymity. Every single one said they had yet to report a bug to Apple and did not know anyone who had. iOS bugs are “too valuable to report to Apple,” according to Patrick Wardle, a Synack researcher and former NSA hacker who was invited to the bug bounty program last year.

Apple first introduced its bug bounty program in August of 2016 at the Black Hat Conference, an annual global InfoSec event. Apple offers bounties of up to $200,000 depending on the vulnerability. Secure boot firmware components earn $200,000 at the high end, while smaller vulnerabilities, like access from a sandboxed process to user data outside of the sandbox, will earn $25,000.

Tags: Apple security, bug bounty
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Popular photo app Enlight is now free, adds desktop-class editing features

Why it matters to you

Enlight Photofox is a new freemium mobile photo app that introduces desktop-class editing, including layers.

Desktop photo editors use layers to make a number of different effects possible, but now a free iOS photo app is bringing the capability to mobile devices. On July 7, Lightricks announced Enlight Photofox, a free, second-generation version of the popular Enlight photo editor that was named Apple’s App of the Year in several countries and ranked as the 11th top-selling paid iOS app in 2016.

While the original Enlight app costs $4 on the App Store, Enlight Photofox comes with a freemium model and the option to subscribe to unlock extra in-app features. Despite the change in pricing, the new app brings several features from the original version as well as adding several new ones. The developers say the second generation strikes a balance between function and usability.

The new version brings layers to the mobile app, allowing users to put multiple images into a single file. Blending modes allow for different effects such as creating a double exposure. Each layer can be edited individually with the suite of photo tools as well, the developer says, making it akin to a desktop photo editor.

Enlight Photofox also includes an “app-within-an-app” in the form of Darkroom, a panel of controls for adjusting tone, contrast, and the details inside an image. The app is also pre-loaded with a number of extras for photo editing, including fonts, graphics, and presets.

“Enlight was a huge step forward in empowering creativity on mobile, and this new version will push the boundaries even further,” said Zeev Farbman, the co-founder and CEO of Lightricks. “Our users are making amazing artwork on mobile and they’re increasingly looking to unleash their creativity with powerful yet simple mobile tools that can carry out even the most complex creative tasks, and Enlight Photofox is built to support just that.”

Lightricks is the same company behind Facetune, a portrait retouching app. Combined, the original Enlight and Facetune apps generated 11 million downloads. The second version, Facetune 2, recently added the ability to turn selfies into emojis, and, like the second generation of Enlight, also switched to a subscription model.

Enlight Photofox is available for iOS from the App Store.

Galaxy S8 Mini: News and rumors

Why it matters to you

The Galaxy S8 is a great phone, but a little too large for some. The upcoming Galaxy S8 Mini could shrink the S8’s innovative design and top-tier performance down to a smaller, more manageable form.

Small phones are rare these days, and good small phones are even harder to come by. In previous years, Samsung has offered a more compact version of its flagship Galaxy S that lacks quite the same power, performance, and features of the larger variant. The last “Mini” model actually was released alongside the Galaxy S5, all the way back in 2014. Now, it’s looking like Samsung might be ready to bring back the Galaxy S Mini with an all-new model based on this year’s S8. Here’s everything we think we know about the upcoming Galaxy S8 Mini.

Galaxy S8 Mini specs

IT Home

The first report regarding the Galaxy S8 Mini comes from Chinese site IT Home by way of Phandroid. The rumor is that Samsung is currently working on the device, which will sport a 5.3-inch screen instead of the standard model’s 5.8-inch one. Given the S8’s lack of bezels, the idea is that even with such a large screen, the Mini would feel more like a 4.7 inch phone in the hand — like the iPhone 7. The bezels won’t be quite as narrow above and below the screen as on the other S8 models, IT Home reports.

In terms of silicon, the article says Samsung may opt to go with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 821 system on a chip in place of the 835 found in some versions of the S8 and S8 Plus. The 821 was the same chipset LG put in its G6. While it is older and not quite as powerful as the 835, it is considerably more high-end than the processors found in most small Android phones. Using it could also allow Samsung to keep costs down and sell the Mini at a lower price point than the larger model.

IT Home says the device could come with 4GB of RAM on board, as well as 32GB of internal storage. The RAM figure is impressive, in that it’s on par with the versions of the Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus sold outside of Asia. The storage allotment may seem small, but Samsung included a MicroSD slot in the S8 and typically does with most of its devices, so it appears that can be increased.

Release date

There’s no word of a release date yet for the S8 Mini, though we can look to the past to make an informed guess.

Galaxy S Mini devices previously tended to be released several months after the spring unveiling of the mainline phone. For example, the S5 Mini launched in June, and the S4 Mini before it landed on shelves in July.

Given that this is the first piece of news we’ve heard regarding the S8 Mini, we may not see the device until August at the earliest. Nevertheless, if Samsung is looking to stay consistent with a summer release window, there’s still time.

Much could and likely will change between now and release. Check back here for updates in the coming weeks.

Google Earth is broadcasting live footage of brown bears hunting salmon

Why it matters to you

Google Earth’s new live video features offer up a live nature documentary that unfolds before your very eyes.

When Google Earth launched back in 2005, it was an undeniably impressive resource — a vivid online atlas unlike anything most users had seen before. We’ve perhaps become desensitized to just how amazing the software is, but recently Google has been hard at work on new features that should restore its wow factor.

An update that was released in April 2017 introduced the Voyager tab to Google Earth, a curated section of the program that whisks users away to see a particular sight. Now, this part of the software has been updated to support live video feeds, according to a report from The Next Web.

The first addition to this strand of Voyager content takes viewers to Katmai National Park and Preserve in King Salmon, Alaska. In association with Explore.org’s Pearls of the Planet program, Google Earth is offering up live video feeds of brown bears catching salmon in the wild.

There are five different video feeds to choose from, with three focusing on different spots around the river where brown bears go to hunt. There’s even an underwater camera that shows off the creatures’ propensity for swimming, and a camera perched high atop Dumpling Mountain that gives a broader view of the surrounding area.

It’s not difficult to catch a glimpse of some brown bears doing what they do best, but there is alternative content in place to ensure that the stream doesn’t get boring when the animals are at rest. Feeds switch to highlights when there’s nothing interesting going on at that particular moment.

Last month, Google Earth partnered with National Geographic to launch new content as part of the Voyager program. Google also supplied schools with Cardboard viewers and other hardware to allow students to take part in Expeditions, tailored VR “field trips” that take learners away to exotic locations.

Google Earth is a really amazing project, and it’s great to see Google putting so much effort in recent months into using it to its full potential. Whether it’s exposing Americans to the important role of the country’s national parks, or giving students a taste of the wider world, this piece of software has the capacity to do a great deal of good.

Google Earth is broadcasting live footage of brown bears hunting salmon

Why it matters to you

Google Earth’s new live video features offer up a live nature documentary that unfolds before your very eyes.

When Google Earth launched back in 2005, it was an undeniably impressive resource — a vivid online atlas unlike anything most users had seen before. We’ve perhaps become desensitized to just how amazing the software is, but recently Google has been hard at work on new features that should restore its wow factor.

An update that was released in April 2017 introduced the Voyager tab to Google Earth, a curated section of the program that whisks users away to see a particular sight. Now, this part of the software has been updated to support live video feeds, according to a report from The Next Web.

The first addition to this strand of Voyager content takes viewers to Katmai National Park and Preserve in King Salmon, Alaska. In association with Explore.org’s Pearls of the Planet program, Google Earth is offering up live video feeds of brown bears catching salmon in the wild.

There are five different video feeds to choose from, with three focusing on different spots around the river where brown bears go to hunt. There’s even an underwater camera that shows off the creatures’ propensity for swimming, and a camera perched high atop Dumpling Mountain that gives a broader view of the surrounding area.

It’s not difficult to catch a glimpse of some brown bears doing what they do best, but there is alternative content in place to ensure that the stream doesn’t get boring when the animals are at rest. Feeds switch to highlights when there’s nothing interesting going on at that particular moment.

Last month, Google Earth partnered with National Geographic to launch new content as part of the Voyager program. Google also supplied schools with Cardboard viewers and other hardware to allow students to take part in Expeditions, tailored VR “field trips” that take learners away to exotic locations.

Google Earth is a really amazing project, and it’s great to see Google putting so much effort in recent months into using it to its full potential. Whether it’s exposing Americans to the important role of the country’s national parks, or giving students a taste of the wider world, this piece of software has the capacity to do a great deal of good.

Apple iPhone 7S and 7S Plus: Rumors and news leaks

The iPhone 7S and 7S Plus might feature some of Apple’s most intriguing designs in years. If you want to know everything about them, here’s all the information we’ve got. If you want to read about the rumored high-end OLED iPhone with a curved screen and other game-changing tech, check out our iPhone 8 news post, or our iPhone 7 review if you’re wondering how Apple’s latest headset stacks up against the competition.

Here’s everything we know so far about the new iPhone 7S and 7S Plus models, likely coming in September.

Design

iPhone 7

Nikkei Asia, citing “two industry sources,” reports that Apple is planning to use advanced OLED displays in iPhone models from the second half of 2018. But it says that the iPhone maker’s suppliers might not be able to meet demand if Apple opts to use the new displays across its new iPhone lineup. (Taipei-based Yuanta Investment Consulting said shipments of new iPhone models in the second half of 2017 will reach 90 million, half of which will be OLED handsets.)

Original device manufacturer and Apple partner Wistron recently revealed some details about the iPhone 7S Plus, saying it will receive wireless charging and waterproofing. Apple’s current phablet, the iPhone 7 Plus, is already rated IP67 water resistant — making the mention a bit peculiar. Perhaps the company is looking to improve water resistance on the upcoming models.

Wireless charging, however, is a new feature that has been previously linked to the upcoming flagship iPhone X, but not so much the refreshed 7S line. The system would work similarly to conventional devices that charge wirelessly, through contact on a pad. Earlier in June, it was rumored that the iPhone 7S would receive an aluminum unibody like its predecessor, which would put wireless charging out of the question.

The iPhone 7 was the first device in the iPhone family that could be submerged up to a meter underwater for 30 minutes. But Apple’s could take it a step further with the next iPhones, ramping up the IP rating from IP67 to IP68 and putting it on par with the Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge. That rumor comes from the Korea Herald, which cites “multiple sources.” Most people will hardly notice a difference. The IP68-rating allows submersion up to about 5 feet for 30 minutes, a minor improvement over the 3.3 feet depth against which IP67-certified devices are protected.

The iPhone 7S models may feature a familiar design. According to Cowen and Company analyst Timothy Arcuri, the mid-range iPhones will serve as upgrades to the existing iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus. They’ll likely sport LCD screens instead of the OLED technology rumored for the iPhone X, Arcuri says, and eschew the high-end iPhone’s “wraparound” design in favor of the current crop’s familiar flat display.

The iPhone 7S and iPhone 7S Plus may ship in a new color. The jet black iPhone was a huge hit for the iPhone 7 despite the $100 premium, and according to recent rumors, Apple may well do the same thing with the iPhone 7S models. According to the Japanese Apple blog Macotakara, the new color’s red. Since this rumor spread, Apple has released a special Product (Red) edition of the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus, in partnership with the HIV/AIDS charity, making another Product (Red) edition of the new models likely.

Specs

Every year, Apple upgrades the processor in its new iPhone. The iPhone 7S and 7S Plus will likely get the new A11 chip, which DigiTimes reports will use a 10nm manufacturing process. The chip should be even faster than the A10 Fusion processor. It’s safe to assume that we’ll see 32GB, 128GB, and 256GB storage options for the iPhone 7S and 7S Plus.

Analyst Timothy Arcuri from Cowen and Company speculates the iPhone 7S, the iPhone 7S Plus, and the mysterious iPhone X will all feature 3GB of RAM. The iPhone 7 Plus is the only iPhone model at the moment with this amount of RAM, meaning the smaller model may get a bump to match the performance level of its larger sister phone. However, a previous report from TrendForce disagrees, saying the iPhone 7S will retain the current 2GB of RAM configuration.

Release date

In late February, a Wall Street Journal report corroborated rumors that Apple would launch updated versions of the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus in 2017; but their precise release date remains a mystery.

We’ve long expected the iPhone 7S to show up at Apple’s normal mid-to-late September event, however, some reports suggest that perhaps we’ll see the device a little earlier. According to a research note from BlueFin that was picked up by Barron’s, Apple is ramping up production of the next iPhone, and reportedly scheduling it for June. The report notes this doesn’t mean Apple will release the phone sooner.

Camera

A new rumor suggests the next iPhones will feature dual-lens, vertically mounted cameras, likely with functionality similar to the cameras on the existing iPhone 7 Plus. Japanese blog Mac Otakara, citing an unnamed Taiwanese supplier, suggests dual cameras will be a part of the upcoming iPhone lineup. They’re rumored to be arranged in a vertical configuration as opposed to the current horizontal layout on the 7 Plus.

According to a report from The Korea Economic Daily, Apple is collaborating with LG to create a dual-camera module that will take 3D photographs. This would certainly make sense, as LG is already the company behind the iPhone 7 Plus camera. While Apple previously patented 3D-object and gesture recognition, it’s unclear whether the upcoming iPhone will bring these patents to life.

Screen size

After some initial confusion, it seems Apple will announce an iPhone 7S, an iPhone 7S Plus, and a special iPhone X (often referred to as the iPhone 8) model in 2017. Rumors indicate the iPhone 7S will have a 4.7-inch screen, and the iPhone 7S Plus a 5.5-inch screen. The mystery iPhone X is different, and may be a more elaborate 10th anniversary device, and have a 5.8-inch curved screen. None of these phones are officially confirmed yet. You can read all about the iPhone X here.

Noted KGI Securities Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo agrees with many of the rumors. He writes that Apple’s iPhone 7S lineup will feature iPhones with screens measuring 4.7 inches and 5.5 inches diagonally. He also suggests that Apple may experiment with either glass, ceramic, or plastic backs on the iPhone 7S.

In his latest report, Kuo suggested that the 4.7-inch iPhone 7S will serve as a mid-range or perhaps even low-end iPhone. And he said that the iPhone 7S models could account for between 30 and 35 percent of new iPhone shipments in 2017.

Update: We’ve added in new predictions for the iPhone X by Nikkei Asia, which reports that all models will boast high-contrast OLED displays.