Sony’s $400 PSVR bundle finally includes the required camera

Much of Sony’s advantage with the PSVR was that it was the cheapest way to get (non-cardboard) virtual reality into your home. Now that Oculus has dropped the price of its bundle, that advantage is evaporating. In response, Sony has added the required PlayStation Camera to its core bundle and kept the $399 price tag. But for the full experience, you’ll need a pair of Move motion controller wands. Sony has a bundle for that as well, but it’ll set you back $449 starting September 1st. And if you want the best PSVR experience, you’ll need to pony up for a $400 PlayStation 4 Pro.

On the other hand, now you can get an Oculus Rift headset with Touch motion controllers for $399. The minimum specs have dropped as well, so a $500 computer with an NVIDIA 960 graphics card will suffice. That’s to say nothing of the amount of stuff there is to play on Rift versus PSVR and that, well, you’re getting a computer versus a game console.

As time continues its perpetual march forward, PSVR’s biggest strength (lower price of entry versus the competition) is starting to slip away. It’s still the headset with the best fit and finish and is the easiest to put on and take off — especially if you wear glasses — but that advantage isn’t set in stone.

Source: PlayStation Blog

Facebook will block ads from Pages that spread fake news

In its latest attempt to fix its fake news problem, Facebook will now block Pages that spread fake news from advertising on the site. “If Pages repeatedly share stories marked as false, these repeat offenders will no longer be allowed to advertise on Facebook,” it said in a statement.

Earlier this year, Facebook began flagging fake news posts and promoting more legitimate content over sketchy articles. It also began deprioritizing content shared by individuals who post over 50 times per day when research showed that in those cases, the shared posts often included misinformation and sensationalism. In a more direct challenge of fake news, the site recently began publishing fact checkers’ takes on articles labeled as potentially fake and making it easier to get to different articles related to any given post.

The company has already banned fake news websites from generating ad revenue on Facebook and blocked ads that link to fake news stories. It says its latest update is to take the fight against fake news a step further. “Today’s update helps to disrupt the economic incentives and curb the spread of false news, which is another step towards building a more informed community on Facebook,” it said.

Source: Facebook

NYPD is already replacing its Windows phones with iPhones

The NYPD is learning a hard lesson about the dangers of buying a declining smartphone platform in bulk. The New York Post understands that the police force is replacing all 36,000 of its officers’ Windows phones with iPhones just two years after the rollout began. It’s not exactly clear as to why, but Microsoft recently ended support for Windows Phone 8.1 — the standard-issue Lumia 830 and 640 XL devices won’t get any help if something goes wrong. The switch to iPhones also suggests that the NYPD doesn’t see a long-term value in upgrading to Windows 10 Mobile.

According to a source talking to the Post, the ill-fated Windows handset purchase was largely (if not exclusively) the decision of deputy IT commissioner Jessica Tisch. She “insisted” on the platform because the NYPD was using Microsoft software for a video surveillance program at the Lower Manhattan Security Initiative Command Center. In other words: the force apparently bought phones without consultation on the mere belief that they might work more effectively with program infrastructure.

The devices have made officers’ lives easier, to be clear. They can receive alerts, search databases and file reports while in the field. It’s just that the devices themselves may have a limited lifespan.

The force says it won’t comment on story until after Tisch’s return from vacation on August 28th (today, if you’re reading this in time). If the scoop is at all accurate, however, it already illustrates the dangers when an organization bets on a platform with an uncertain future. It doesn’t matter how well software works in the short term if its long term fate looks grim — outfits have to think about whether or not they’ll have support years later.

Via: 9to5Mac

Source: New York Post

LG’s V30 offers customizable high-quality audio

Along with a nearly bezel-less display, a great camera and face and voice unlocking, the LG V30 will also have impeccable audio. LG announced a handful of features today that will put its latest V series model well above other phones on the market when it comes to sound quality.

Like its predecessor, the V30 will have LG’s Hi-Fi Quad DAC, but this time around, it comes with digital filters and users will have more options when it comes to customizing the phone’s sound. The V30 will have four pre-programmed sound settings — enhanced, detailed, live and bass — that users can select based on their preferences. In a statement LG said, “Even with ordinary equipment, LG V30 users can experience much of the high-quality audio enjoyed by listeners using expensive headsets.”

Other features include MQA audio file decoding, a microphone that can record everything from “a whisper to a thunderstorm, without distortion,” and an audio distortion rate below 0.0002 percent. The V30 will also come with B&O Play earphones.

The phone launches this Thursday at the IFA technology trade show in Berlin.

Source: LG

Sonos Rumored to Be Planning Voice-Controlled Smart Speaker Similar to HomePod and Echo

Sonos is gearing up to launch an all-new smart speaker that includes voice control functionality fueled by far-field microphones, picking up on user commands from anywhere in a room. The information was discovered in a filing with the FCC (via Zatz Not Funny), and hints that Sonos could be yet another company planning to enter the smart speaker market, following Amazon, Google, and Apple this December with HomePod.

The Sonos speaker will support “multiple voice platforms and music services,” but the filing didn’t specify which assistants and services that might be. Sonos has recently been gearing up for a wide integration with Amazon Echo, so Alexa could be a possibility. Sonos products are sold at Apple’s retail and online stores, but that’s not exactly an indication that a new Sonos voice-enabled speaker would include Siri support, especially since such a high-end music speaker would be a direct competitor to HomePod come December.

HomePod’s various Apple Music commands
Zatz Not Funny theorized that the FCC filing hints at a “refresh of their [Sonos’s] entire speaker line,” as well as a touch surface or button of some kind to activate the voice assistant. Otherwise, the report is heavily redacted, leaving details sparse. The snippet referencing the new Sonos speaker reads as follows:

The EUT is 802.11 a/b/g/n (HT20) Client Device. Product model S13 is a high-performance all-in-one wireless smart speaker and part of Sonos’ home sound system. S13 adds integrated voice control functionality with far field microphones. Moreover, the device will support multiple voice platforms and music services, allowing customers to effortlessly control their music on Sonos.

A Variety report earlier in August suggested a similar product might be launching from Sonos soon, with changes to the company’s privacy policy appearing to lay the groundwork for an internet-connected, voice assistant speaker of some kind. A private beta test is currently underway for users to test controlling Sonos speakers through Amazon Echo devices, but a Sonos spokesperson confirmed to Variety that its privacy policy now covers “future voice experiences” on its own unreleased products that will have “integrated microphones.”

An image of the Sonos voice speaker’s control panel, including a microphone icon
According to this policy, the unannounced Sonos speaker will continuously monitor the ambient noise of a home for command terminology spoken by the user, “without retaining or transmitting any voice recordings.” The device will notify the user that it is recording thanks to a “visual indicator such as a light on the Product.”

If Sonos does enter the smart speaker market, it’ll be at a busy time for new voice-controlled home speakers. Amazon is rumored to be working on an Echo successor that would more directly compete with Apple’s HomePod. Because Apple billed the HomePod as a high-quality music playback device first and foremost, sources close to Amazon’s product development have mentioned that the company is focusing on significantly improving the Echo’s sound quality, as well as enhancing its far-field voice technology.

Tag: Sonos
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Former Apple Employee Thinks Touch Bar Shouldn’t Be Forced on Users Who Want Highest-End MacBook Pro

Chuq Von Rospach, a writer and former Apple employee, has penned a blog post in which he opines that customers shouldn’t be forced to pay extra for the Touch Bar in order to have the highest-end MacBook Pro currently available.

The current [MacBook Pro] line forces users to pay for the Touch Bar on the higher end devices whether they want it or not, and that’s a cost users shouldn’t need to pay for a niche technology without a future. So Apple needs to either roll the Touch Bar out to the entire line and convince us we want it, or roll it back and offer more laptop options without it.

In other words, Rospach believes Apple should sell a 15-inch MacBook Pro configuration without a Touch Bar, and he isn’t the only one with that opinion. A quick check of Twitter reveals dozens of users who believe the Touch Bar is a gimmick.

After purchasing a new 5K iMac and migrating away from his late 2016 MacBook Pro, Rospach said he didn’t miss the Touch Bar at all and missed the Touch ID fingerprint sensor only “a little bit,” but “a lot less” than he expected to.

Much as I love the Touch ID sensor, what keeps me from missing it much is 1Password. It’s marginally more work for me to type in my password to open 1Password than use my fingerprint, but not much. My Apple Watch unlocks the Mac, and so I don’t need the Touch ID sensor for that, and when I use Apple Pay on the iMac, the Watch makes that quite painless, too.

Rospach thinks Apple needs to either expand Touch Bar and Touch ID to its entire Mac lineup with a new standalone keyboard, which would be compatible with iMac, Mac Pro, and Mac mini desktops, or expand its notebook lineup to include more models without the Touch Bar going forward.

So what’s the future of the Touch Bar? I don’t know. I’m not sure Apple does, either. I was fascinated that when Apple released the iMacs earlier this year not one word was mentioned about the Touch Bar or Touch ID and support for them via an updated keyboard or trackpad was nowhere to be found. I’m taking that as an indication that after the lackluster response to this with the laptop releases, they’ve gone back to the drawing board a bit before rolling it out further.

Beyond old models, the lowest-end 13-inch model is currently the only MacBook Pro with a standard row of function keys. It starts at $1,299.

Via: The Loop and Techmeme

Tag: Touch Bar
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Apple Seeds Eighth Beta of iOS 11 to Developers

Apple today seeded the eighth beta of iOS 11 to developers for testing purposes, one week after releasing the seventh beta and more than two months after introducing the new update at the Worldwide Developers Conference.

Registered developers can download the new iOS 11 beta from the Apple Developer Center or over-the-air once the proper configuration profile has been installed.

iOS 11 brings quite a few design changes, including a customizable Control Center and a new Lock screen that’s been merged with the Notification Center. Peer-to-peer Apple Pay payments are coming in the Messages app, which is also gaining a new App Drawer, and there’s a Do Not Disturb While Driving feature that’s meant to help drivers stay focused on the road. Siri, Photos, the Camera app, and more are also gaining new features and refinements.

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ARKit for developers will bring a range of new augmented reality apps and games to iOS devices, and a new Core ML SDK will let developers build smarter apps. iOS 11 is also the biggest update ever for the iPad, with a new Dock that introduces much improved multitasking, a Files app for better managing files, improved Apple Pencil support, a revamped App Switcher, and a system-wide drag and drop feature.

iOS 11 is available for both registered developers and public beta testers and be released to the public in September alongside new iPhones. We are getting closer to the end of the beta testing process and should see a golden master release candidate in approximately a week.

For complete details on all of the new features included in iOS 11, make sure to check out our extensive iOS 11 roundup.

Related Roundup: iOS 11
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Apple Seeds Eighth Beta of New watchOS 4 Operating System to Developers

Apple today seeded the eighth beta of an upcoming watchOS 4 update to developers, one week after seeding the seventh beta and more than two months after introducing the watchOS 4 update at its 2017 Worldwide Developers Conference.

Once the proper configuration profile has been installed from the Apple Developer Center, the new watchOS 4 beta can be downloaded through the dedicated Apple Watch app on the iPhone by going to General –> Software update.

To install the update, the Apple Watch needs to have at least 50 percent battery, it must be placed on the charger, and it has to be in range of the iPhone.

watchOS 4 introduces three new watch faces, including a dedicated Siri watch face that displays dynamic information unique to each individual and is perhaps the most significant new feature in the update. There are also new complications for Now Playing and Apple News, and an enhanced Workout app that supports High Intensity Interval Training and new swimming options.

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GymKit, a new technology platform, will let the Apple Watch interface with gym equipment for workout data sharing purposes, and the Activity app will offer up intelligent coaching and tailored workout encouragement along with new monthly activity challenges.

Many other small tweaks and changes have been introduced, all of which are outlined in our dedicated watchOS 4 roundup.

watchOS 4 is only available to developers and will not be provided to public beta testers, so non-developers need to wait until the software sees an official release in the fall to try it out. With September approaching, we are nearing the end of the beta testing period.

Related Roundups: Apple Watch, watchOS 3, watchOS 4
Buyer’s Guide: Apple Watch (Caution)
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Apple Seeds Eighth Beta of Upcoming tvOS 11 Update to Developers

Apple today seeded the eighth beta of an upcoming tvOS 11 update designed for the fourth-generation TV, one week after seeding the seventh beta and more than two months after releasing the first beta during the 2017 Worldwide Developers Conference.

Registered developers can download the tvOS 11 update by connecting the Apple TV to a computer with a USB-C cable and installing the beta software using iTunes.

tvOS 11 didn’t receive a lot of attention at the Worldwide Developers Conference because it’s a modest update, but according to Apple’s release notes, it does introduce a few new features to the operating system.

tvOS 11 brings automatic switching between light/dark mode based on local time, Home screen syncing options that keep multiple Apple TVs in a household in sync, new background modes and notification support, Focus API improvements, custom sound support, network-based pairing and development support, improvements to Mobile Device Management, and more.

The eighth beta of tvOS 11 most likely focuses primarily on bug fixes and other small refinements, as the first seven betas did. Apple’s new tvOS 11 update is available for both registered developers and public beta testers. It will see a public release later this year.

Related Roundups: Apple TV, tvOS 10
Buyer’s Guide: Apple TV (Don’t Buy)
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ZTE Blade Z MAX – a potential game-changer in the budget smartphone scene (Review)

As I touched on when I went hands on with Metro’s ZTE Blade Z Max a couple weeks back, this phone has a ton of potential to redefine the concept of a budget smartphone. Typically when we think of budget phones, we look to low-end phones from big-name manufacturers such as LG and Samsung; poor products with awful specifications that still sell units because they have the big-brand name slapped on them.

But ZTE strives for more, bringing as many of the popular features from its higher-end Axon line as possible and cramming them into a $130 phone that pretty much anyone can afford. With that pricepoint in mind – and not comparing it to flagship phones – what follows is my honest and largely-uncensored thoughts on the ZTE Blade Z Max, from Metro.

Build

While unibody aluminum chassis(es) are en vogue right now, and glass bodies are making something of an ill-advised comeback, not every phone – and certainly sub-$200 phones – can afford such a luxury. And that’s definitely the case with the Blade Z Max, which is a combination of plastic siding and a textured, softer-plastic backing. The phone has solid heft for its 6″ frame, but is rather remarkably thin considering the battery it’s packing. The fingerprint sensor, which is quick and accurate, is located on the back of the phone, like other ZTE products. While the screen does not utilize the industry standard Gorilla Glass, it does feature something called DragonTrail Glass, which has been described to me as such:

 “Dragontrail glass is an alkali-aluminosilicate sheet glass engineered for a combination of thinness, lightness and damage-resistance, similar to Corning’s Gorilla Glass. The material’s primary properties are its strength, allowing thin glass without fragility,  high scratch resistance and hardness.”

In my time with the Blade Z Max, the screen has accumulated no scratches despite being used without a screen protector, and even a couple minor falls show no dings or scratches on the frame. Overall, the Blade Z Max feels much more premium than its price tag would suggest, and it has thus far proven to be every bit as resilient as any modern smartphone – which, admittedly, is not a high bar to reach.

Screen

Here’s the skinny on the display – it’s not world-shaking or revolutionary. It’s just okay. But okay, in this price range, is pretty damned good. It’s a 6″ IPS LCD screen with a 1080p resolution, with a bezel bringing it to a 70% screen-to-body ratio. The color and clarity of the screen are as described above – just okay. There’s no frills or gimmicks here, just a phablet-sized display with an adequate resolution and industry-average panel technology.

Internals

You knew there was a catch, right? There’s no way this phone can possibly be as good as described at the price listed without some serious drawbacks…right?

You’re right, dear Android Guys. The internals on the Blade Z Max are not anything great, or even good, really. It runs a Snapdragon 435 processor, clocked at 1.4GHz, which is about par for the course for budget smartphones these days. It won’t run high-end games, but hey – it ran Star Wars: Galaxy of Heroes just fine for me, and combined with that battery (detailed below) it can run it for hours without breaking a sweat. With just 2GB of RAM (but 32GB of expandable internal storage), the Blade Z Max is definitely on the low end of the “usable” meter, but it’s remarkably memory-efficient, given that it doesn’t need to use any additional resources on a custom UI or ROM.

As with every aspect of this phone, the modest specs need to be taken in context – keep your eyes on that price tag when taking it all in.

Features

Aside from the battery, the list of internal features is, perhaps, what most surprised me when I was using the Blade Z Max. Featuring Bluetooth 4.2 (not quite modern), WiFi 802.11n (not quite the newest standard), Type-C USB charging (only 2.0, but still the most modern connector), a rear-mounted fingerprint sensor, Dolby sound, and a dual-lens camera, this sub-$150 phone packs a pretty slick set of components – much better quality than you’d expect at that price-point.

Battery Life

4080mAh. 31 Hours of talk time. A processor that sips juice even at max usage. You should get at least two days usage out of this baby even with heavy use – and I routinely have in my time with it. It’s a beast, if nothing else. Truly great for both older and younger audiences, and for those that don’t use their phones for heavy applications.

Camera

My daily driver is a OnePlus 3T. It’s got a decent shooter – 16MP, great detail even at full zoom, and solid performance at most light levels. But this new fad of having a dual-lens on the rear camera of a phone appears to be here to stay, and for good reason. After using the 16/2MP dual sensor on the Blade Z Max, I never want to go back to taking pictures with my 3T. There are simply more options, with better software. With on-the-fly exposure adjustments, panorama/manual/multi-exposure/time-lapse modes with the 16MP lens and a plethora of options using both lenses (including the obligatory Bokeh and Portrait modes, as well as a very entertaining Mono-Color mode), the sheer number of options in ZTE’s camera app and hardware makes it an easy favorite.

Software

I’m an Android purist. I hate that LG and Samsung feel compelled to slap  a coat of shiny paint on all their devices in order to stand out from one another. Imagine my absolute joy when I discovered that not only does the Blade Z Max run Nougat 7.1.1, the most up-to-date version of Android released, but it runs it in a largely uncorrupted state. While ZTE has modified a couple AOSP apps to suit its needs (and the needs of Metro), and the aforementioned Camera app is totally custom, the interface remains pure Nougat-y goodness.

Value

I feel like it’s utterly redundant of me to say that this phone is an amazing value if you’re on the Metro network, or if you can buy it at retail and unlock it for use on T-Mobile or AT&T. At $130, that’s certainly an option. The Blade Z Max, as mentioned above, is a tremendous value phone for people that don’t need a workhorse phone.