Google Earth iOS App Updated With Flyover-Like 3D Views and 64-Bit Support

Google Earth for iOS today received a major update that brings a collection of new features to the interactive mapping app, as well as introducing 64-bit app support so it can run on iOS 11 devices. Apple reminded developers over the summer that once iOS 11 launches to the public, it will cease support of 32-bit apps altogether and only allow 64-bit apps and app updates to be submitted to the App Store.

In its announcement, Google positioned the updated app as a way for users to discover new travel destinations. With the new add-ons, users will now be able to explore locations around the world with a 3D button that refocuses Google Maps and begins circling around a city chosen by the user, similar to Flyover in Apple Maps. All of the updates coming to iOS previously debuted on Android in April.

Summer is one of my favorite seasons. It’s a time to travel with my family, for discovering new places and creating new memories. Google Earth is where I turn to for travel ideas. Just last month I was exploring Canada’s National Parks. Inspired by the beautiful outdoor imagery, I’m planning to hit the road with my wife and kids in a couple weeks, up the coast to Hoh Rain Forest in Washington, and then onward to beautiful Victoria, Canada, home of the Pacific Rim National Park Reserve.

And starting today, if you’re an iOS user, you can download Google Earth and discover your next travel destination, too.

There’s also a new feature called “Voyager” that brings up interactive stories from places around the world with information like the best museums, parks, and landmarks broken down in categories including editor’s picks, travel, nature, culture, history, and education.

To discover a random new destination on the planet, there’s a new dice rolling button that surfaces a new location for users to read up on each time it’s pressed. Google also added an in-app screenshot, or “Postcard,” feature that lets users take pictures of the locations they explore with the new 3D mode.

Google Earth is available to download from the iOS App Store for free. [Direct Link]

Tags: Google, Google Earth
Discuss this article in our forums

Apple’s Stock Opened at Record of Nearly $160 Per Share With $830 Billion Valuation

Following its June quarter earnings results, which beat Wall Street expectations for both revenue and iPhone sales, Apple’s stock opened at an all-time high of $159.52 today. Apple also opened with a market cap of nearly $830 billion, moving it closer to becoming a trillion dollar company.

Investors and analysts alike remain optimistic about the so-called iPhone 8 expected later this year. Drexel Hamilton analyst Brian White today said his Wall Street firm continues to believe Apple remains among the most underappreciated stocks in the world, and maintained his lofty $202 price target.

MacRumors obtained the latest research notes from several Apple analysts with updated AAPL price targets and ratings.

MacRumors has also published a complete transcript of Apple’s post-earnings conference call with CEO Tim Cook and CFO Luca Maestri.

AAPL is currently trading in the $156 to $157 range after falling back a few dollars since the opening bell, but it’s still up over 4 percent.

Tag: AAPL
Discuss this article in our forums

Plex pushes Live TV broadcasts to Apple TV, Android

It hasn’t been that long since Plex launched live TV and DVR support, but now it’s officially out of beta testing. While it’s still a premium feature tied to the Plex Pass subscription ($5 per month, $40 per year or $120 lifetime), it’s available on a few more platforms via the Plex app. Already out for iOS and Android TV devices, now Apple TV Plex users can tune into live TV, while on Android they can do that plus create a DIY DVR to record shows just by connecting a TV tuner. Roku, Fire TV, Smart TVs, and the Plex Web App are now on deck for live TV features, and at this pace we’d expect to see them join the fold rather quickly.

Source: Plex Blog

Twitter hides daily user numbers to avoid Facebook comparisons

While Facebook is happy to wax lyrical about its user metrics, Twitter is keeping schtum on the number of its daily visitors — even after the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has gotten involved. Instead, Twitter wants everyone to focus on monthly numbers and the percentage growth of people who use it daily. But they’re vague about that, too. The company has only disclosed that the number of monthly active users has stood at 328 million for the last two quarters, and the percentage growth of daily active users (DAUs) has increased more than 10 percent in each of the last three quarters.

In a letter written in May, the SEC asked Twitter to justify its decision to withhold its figures, and to “tell us how the percentage change information provides an investor with a clear understanding of user engagement on your platform”. Twitter responded that revealing the number of its DAUs would invite an “unfair comparison” to Facebook, which has six times as many monthly users. The fact that more than a million American users have left the site in the last three months might also have something to do with it.

Yet, as two of the world’s most prominent social media sites it’s inevitable that comparisons will be drawn between the two. But they are very different beasts. Facebook offers a huge range of features — events, photo albums, games, groups, etc — while Twitter’s offering is more limited, simply by virtue of the kind of service it offers. Reducing the platform to metrics, which are likely considerably lower than Facebook’s, would inevitably undermine the service. So Twitter’s argument — which was accepted by the SEC — does seem to be a fair one.

Via: Bloomberg

Facebook Hiring Apple Veterans to Build ‘Siri-Style’ Voice Assistant for Two Home Speaker Devices

Last week, a source in the Taiwanese supply chain reported that Facebook has entered into small production on a smart home speaker with a touchscreen, preparing to compete with companies like Apple and Amazon in the smart speaker market. A report by Bloomberg this week has continued that rumor, and added onto it by claiming the company is in fact working on two separate speaker devices to release to the public, and that it’s hiring from Apple to get a “Siri-style” AI voice assistant up and running for the devices’ launch.

Coming out of Facebook’s Building 8 lab, today’s report confirmed many of the features already discussed regarding the touchscreen-enabled speaker. Facebook plans to launch it with a screen size between 13 and 15 inches, a wide-angle lens, and microphones and speakers all powered by artificial intelligence. The screen rests on a thin, vertical stand and Facebook is now deciding whether the UI will run on a version of Android or if it will build its own OS, according to people familiar with the plans.

A few possible Siri commands on HomePod
Although the touchscreen speaker is only in the prototype stage, Facebook has begun testing it in employee homes.

Featuring a laptop-sized touchscreen, the device represents a new product category and could be announced as soon as next spring’s F8 developer conference, according to people familiar with the matter. They say the large screen and smart camera technology could help farflung people feel like they’re in the same room, which aligns with Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg’s mission of bringing Facebook users closer together. The device is in the prototype phase but is already being tested in people’s homes.

The advanced smart speaker will be aimed at video calling and connecting friends and family members across long distances, with Facebook testing a way for its camera to automatically scan a user in its range, lock onto them, and track their movements to keep them in shot during a video call. A 360-degree camera was a possibility at one point during the touchscreen device’s development, but now it’s “unlikely” to be ready in time for Facebook’s rumored launch of early 2018, likely ahead of or around the company’s annual F8 conference in the spring.

In addition, Facebook is working on “at least one other product,” representing a more basic and “standalone” smart speaker that would be aimed at competing with the Amazon Echo and Google Home. It’s rumored that the standalone speaker would be priced “in the low $100 range,” coming in under the flagship Echo ($180) and Google Home ($130). On the higher end, the touchscreen speaker made by Facebook would be priced at “a few hundred dollars.”

In order to get a helpful AI assistant on both devices, Facebook is looking at hiring some “Apple Inc. veterans” to work at Building 8 and help create the social network company’s own version of assistants like Siri and Alexa. The exact Apple veterans that Facebook is hiring were not specified in the report.

The social media giant is working on at least one other product — a standalone smart speaker that would compete with the Amazon Echo and Google Home, said the people, who asked not be named discussing unannounced products. Facebook is hiring Apple Inc. veterans to help it create a Siri-style voice assistant that would run on both devices, they said.

Last week’s supply chain sources claimed that Facebook’s smart speaker would be mostly controlled through the touchscreen and lack voice controls, but now Bloomberg’s sources suggest the company is in fact working to include such voice-activated features. People close to the plans also mentioned that Facebook is prepared to abandon the cheaper, more basic speaker and pivot to prioritizing the touchscreen-enabled speaker instead, due to potentially intense competition in the standalone smart speaker market.

Apple will finally enter the same space later this year with the HomePod, which the company is billing as primarily a high-quality music playback device that also has helpful smart features that can be controlled by Siri. HomePod will sell for $350 when it launches this December.

Tags: Siri, Facebook
Discuss this article in our forums

Huawei Closing in Fast on Apple in Smartphone Sales According to Latest Estimate

Chinese smartphone maker Huawei aims to become the world’s largest smartphone maker by 2021, ahead of both Apple and Samsung, and the latest market share data suggests it continues to make progress towards that goal.

Huawei P10
Huawei shipped an estimated 38.4 million smartphones in the June quarter, a 20 percent increase over a year ago, according to research firm Strategy Analytics. By comparison, Apple reported it sold 41 million iPhones in the same period, up nearly 2 percent from 40.4 million iPhones in the year-ago quarter.

Huawei’s market share rose to an estimated 10.7 percent in the quarter, putting the Chinese company well within striking distance of Apple’s estimated 11.4 percent market share in the quarter. Samsung continued to lead the market with a 22.1 percent share of shipments, according to Strategy Analytics.

“Huawei is now closing in fast on Apple and Apple will be looking nervously over its shoulder in the next few quarters,” said Woody Oh, Director at Strategy Analytics. “Huawei is outperforming across Asia, Europe and Africa with popular Android models such as the P10 and Mate 9.”

Beyond the iPhone sales numbers, officially reported by Apple, it is important to acknowledge that these are estimated figures, and shipments within distribution channels do not necessarily reflect sales to customers. Apple also captures the vast majority of profits in the smartphone industry.

Third Place

Since 2011, the worldwide smartphone market has been dominated by Apple and Samsung. The elusive third-best spot, meanwhile, has failed to be held down by one vendor for an extended period of time, changing hands between Nokia, BlackBerry, Xiaomi, and Huawei over the past six years.

In 2014, it looked like low-priced Chinese vendor Xiaomi had firmly cemented its position as the world’s third-largest smartphone maker, but due to a limited retail presence and declining popularity, Huawei is now firmly in the driver’s seat.

Huawei has been making an aggressive push into several European markets, and it’s even testing the North American market after launching its smartphones in Canada in June. Huawei isn’t well known in the United States, however, largely because it lacks agreements with Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile, and Sprint.

American customers have to resort to retailers such as Best Buy or Walmart, or Huawei’s direct sales website, to purchase one of their unlocked smartphones, reducing the brand’s visibility in a country where Apple and Samsung reign supreme.

If Huawei can find success in Canada, then perhaps it will consider tackling the much larger market south of the border next.

Apple’s Struggles in China

Apple reported revenue of $8 billion in Greater China in the June quarter, a 10 percent decrease compared to the year-ago quarter, and some analysts believe that’s partly due to the iPhone’s declining popularity in the country.

iPhone market share in China fell to 9 percent in the first six months of 2017, from a peak of 14 percent in 2015, according to Counterpoint Research. iPhone was only the fifth best selling smartphone in China during the June quarter, behind other Chinese rivals like Oppo and Xiaomi, research firm Canalys said.

Apple CEO Tim Cook didn’t have much to say on iPhone in China during its post-earnings conference call on Tuesday, but he did comment on the growing popularity of messaging app WeChat, developed by Tencent, in the country.

“In terms of WeChat, the way I look at this is, because iOS share is not nearly a majority of the market in China, the fact that a lot of people use that… it makes the switching opportunity even greater,” said Cook. “I think that’s more the case than the risk that a lot of folks have pointed out.”

“I see Tencent as one of our biggest and best developers,” added Cook, who remains optimistic about China. “They have done a great job of implementing iOS features into their apps, and we are looking forward to working with then even more to build even greater experiences for our mutual users in China.”

The focus now shifts to the fall, when both Apple and Huawei are expected to unveil new flagship smartphones. Huawei reportedly said its upcoming Mate 10 handset will be able to compete better than ever with the so-called iPhone 8.

Tags: Strategy Analytics, Huawei
Discuss this article in our forums

You might need to stop using your glittery iPhone case right now

Why it matters to you

The risk of injury seems small but real, and if you have one of these cases then follow the maker’s instructions for a full refund.

If you drop your smartphone, you’ll be darn keen for its case to do exactly what it’s supposed to do and protect your handset from the impact. Suffering a burn when you go to pick it up will be the last thing you expect. But this is precisely what’s been happening to a number of unlucky people using an iPhone case made by tech accessories outfit MixBin, which is now recalling hundreds of thousands of them over safety fears.

The case, designed for the iPhone 6, 6S, and 7, has liquid glitter built into the plastic which floats around when you move it. MixBin said on Tuesday that it’s recalling the product following 24 reports globally — including 19 in the U.S. — of skin irritation and burns after some of the liquid leaked out. More than 260,000 of the cases have been bought by iPhone owners around the world.

“Consumers should immediately stop using the recalled cases and contact MixBin Electronics for a full refund,” the U.S. Product Safety Commission (USPSC) said in a statement, noting that the recall was launched voluntarily by the company.

The commission said the cases pose a “risk of skin irritation, blisters, or burns if the liquid contained in the phone case leaks and comes into contact with the skin due to breakage or cracking of the case.”

“Permanent scarring”

It said that one consumer had reported “permanent scarring from a chemical burn” while another one reported “chemical burns and swelling to her leg, face, neck, chest, upper body and hands.”

MixBin said that the affected cases, which come in a range of styles and colors, were bought on Amazon, GetMixBin.com, Henri Bendel stores, and online at henribendel.com. They were also available from Nordstrom Rack stores, Tory Burch stores, and at Victoria’s Secret stores in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico, as well as online at victoriassecret.com.

MixBin said owners of the case will need to send a picture of it to complete the online registration form. But rather than return the case to the company, MixBin said that once a claim is approved, it’ll give the owner instructions on how to safely dispose of it.

You can see images of the affected cases here. For more information on the matter, contact MixBin toll-free at 855-215-4935 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. ET Monday through Friday.

Need help selecting a replacement? Then check out Digital Trends’ picks of the best cases for the iPhone 7 and iPhone 6.

Bitcoin Cash splits from Bitcoin to become cryptocurrency of the people

Why it matters to you

Bitcoin Cash may offer an alternative way of paying with cryptocurrency for those struggling to deal with Bitcoin’s delays and transaction fees.

The first hard-fork in Bitcoin’s history has taken place, creating a secondary cryptocurrency with larger block sizes, potentially making it easier to use for everyday people. Called Bitcoin Cash, its value is currently far lower than its older brother, but it has strong support from a core of cryptocurrency users and could well become a force for change in the industry.

If you’ve traded Bitcoin recently, you’ll be well aware of the problem that has been gradually looming its head over the past couple of years. No, we’re not just talking about graphics card prices — it’s getting expensive to send Bitcoin in a timely manner. This has been the result of the “blocks” that make up the Bitcoin “blockchain” reaching capacity and when that happens, transactions take longer, or you need to pay more to be bumped up the queue.

To many, that goes against the very reason for using Bitcoin in the first place and it’s lead to different ideas about how to fix it. The one that has taken hold recently however, resulted in the hard split and the creation of Bitcoin Cash. It offers blocks eight times the size of traditional Bitcoin’s, potentially giving it much greater headroom for increased user capacity in the future.

This wasn’t the original plan, as Motherboard points out. Bitcoin was instead originally slated to “soft-fork” into a new iteration which would have given it slightly increased block capacity. Without unanimous support though, the plan fell through and the harder alternative was driven through by Chinese Bitcoin firm, Bitmain, bringing Bitcoin Cash into existence.

The value of Bitcoin Cash has been rather volatile since its unveiling. It began life with a near $600 valuation, which tumbled to close to $200 in prelaunch trading, but has since steadily recovered to $473 per Bitcoin Cash at the time of writing. Bitcoin too saw a wobble at the introduction of the new cryptocurrency, but is now steadily rising again and sits at $2,742.

It’s not clear yet how successful Bitcoin Cash could be, but it certainly has the potential to become a more widely used cryptocurrency among everyday users who aren’t able to afford the heftier fees which are becoming more commonplace in Bitcoin transactions.

New OnePlus 5 color teased, hopefully not just another shade of black

Why it matters to you

Variety is the spice of life, and if the black versions of the OnePlus 5 haven’t attracted you, OnePlus has another color coming soon.

You can currently buy a OnePlus 5 in any color as long as it’s a shade of black; but a teaser posted to the company’s Weibo social networking profile hints we’re about to get another color option for the OnePlus 5. Here’s hoping it’s not another variation on black. The post shows the two OnePlus 5 phones in the current colors, alongside a transparent outline of a third phone, with the words, “Who is coming?” above it.

Nothing has been shared on OnePlus’s Facebook or Twitter accounts yet, which may mean whatever new color is added may be exclusive to China, or may see a wider release later on. It wouldn’t be the first time OnePlus has produced a limited edition smartphone. It added a midnight black version of the OnePlus 3T just before it came to the end of its life this year, and at the beginning of 2017, released a limited run soft gold model, too.

These limited colors may hint at what OnePlus has planned for the new OnePlus 5. It won’t be midnight black, which is the standard color for the 8GB/128GB version of the phone. It’s also extremely similar to the slate grey model, the only available color for the 6GB/64GB OnePlus 5. The teaser doesn’t give us any clue if the new color will be restricted to one particular version of the phone either.

There’s a possibility OnePlus will go for another shade of gold for the new model. When the OnePlus 5 passed through TENAA’s hands — that’s the regulatory board in China — it was certified in three colors: a gray, a black, and a mint gold. We have yet to be introduced to the mint gold color, making it possible this is the special version coming soon. Mint gold would be an interesting choice, as its name suggests a combination of green and gold, which would be a color we’ve never seen on a smartphone before. Huawei released a green version of the Huawei P10, a hue that split opinion.

OnePlus hasn’t said when it will reveal the splendid new OnePlus 5 color, but we will keep you updated right here. In the meantime, get prepared for the new device by reading our complete review of the OnePlus 5.

New OnePlus 5 color teased in China

Gold OnePlus 5 could be inbound in the company’s home market.

The OnePlus 5’s decidedly muted palette may be about to gain a new, colorful addition. The company has teased a new OnePlus 5 color option on Chinese social platform Weibo, showing the existing black and grey variants alongside the outline of a new, unknown hue.

A caption invites fans to guess “who is coming.”

One likely candidate is “soft gold” (or “mint gold”) — this option was already revealed in the OnePlus 5’s listing at Chinese certification body TENAA. Of course both the OnePlus 3 and 3T were available in gold for a time.

Gold was one of four colors teased in the run up to the OnePlus 5’s launch, alongside dark grey, red, and an unusual multicolored rainbow hue.

So most of the evidence thus far points to a gold OnePlus 5 arriving soon in China. We’ll have to wait and see whether a Western release is also on the cards.

OnePlus 5

• Complete OnePlus 5 review
• OnePlus 5 specs
• Which OnePlus 5 model should you buy?
• Camera comparison: OnePlus 5 vs. Galaxy S8
• The latest OnePlus 5 news
• Join the discussion in the forums

OnePlus