Best Mesh Wi-Fi Router Kits

What are the best mesh network kits?

Mesh Wi-Fi kits are becoming popular for people who are sick of dead spots in their network coverage. Whether you have a large home or a small place with thick walls, grabbing one of these kits can alleviate a poor signal. The idea is simple — connect a few satellite Wi-Fi points to the main point and spread out the signal evenly around your house.

Why not just grab an extender or a powerful router? You certainly can, but extenders don’t usually work in unison, and powerful routers can be just as expensive as one of these mesh kits.

If you’re interested in setting up a mesh network, here are the standouts of the current mesh network kits on offer.

NETGEAR Orbi

Unlike the other mesh network kits that use a mobile app for configuration, Orbi takes advantage of the same solid method that the NETGEAR Nighthawk routers use — you don’t need an internet connection to get inside your Orbi and change a wide variety of settings, nor must you rely on an Android or iPhone app.

Awarded an Editors’ Choice by PCMag and chosen as the top overall unit by The Wirecutter, the latter site had this to say:

Thanks to a dedicated high-bandwidth Wi-Fi connection between the base and the satellite, the Orbi kit had the best throughput and range of the kits we tested, even with only two units to the other kits’ three.

You get tri-band Wi-Fi, MU-MIMO connectivity, and a ton of Ethernet ports on each unit. Each Orbi Wi-Fi point is good for up to about 2,000 square feet, meaning the two-pack at about $350 is good for a pretty large space.

Note: The NETGEAR Orbi is not a true mesh Wi-Fi system. Instead of each satellite being able to talk to each other and bounce your data over to the main router, each satellite can only talk to the main router. Still, the Orbi has great throughput but isn’t quite as scalable due to the lack of satellite communication.

See at Amazon

Google Wifi

Google Wifi is simple to set up and does exactly what is advertised. Just grab the app on your Android or iPhone, plug the Wi-Fi point in, and you’re pretty much good to go. You can see all devices connected to the network, you can prioritize certain devices — gamers love this — and you can even block access to others. Google Wifi will automatically select the clearest channel and will take the fastest band depending on each individual device. MU-MIMO connectivity included? You bet.

CNET gave Google Wifi a stellar rating in their review, and PCMag, in their review, stated:

If you’re looking for a super-simple way to get Wi-Fi to every corner of your home, Google Wifi could be the answer. Delivering seamless wireless connectivity on a single network, the system is easy to install and configure, looks great, and delivers solid throughput.

A single Wi-Fi point costs about $115 and covers about 1,500 square feet, while the three-pack costs about $270 and covers 4,500 square feet. If you need to cover a larger area, you can always add more Wi-Fi points to your setup.

See at Amazon

eero

The co-founder of eero was sick of troubleshooting his family’s Wi-Fi, and so this mesh networking kit was born. Plug one small, flat Wi-Fi point into the network with an Ethernet cable, then simply give the other two points power from a wall outlet. Grab the app on your Android or iPhone and keep track of which devices are connected and how fast their connections really are.

The second generation eero now has tri-band Wi-Fi and 2 x 2 MU-MIMO, making it almost twice as fast as the first generation, which CNET warmly reviewed. The Wirecutter also chose this as their runner-up choice to the NETGEAR Orbi, claiming:

It’s not quite as fast or easy to set up as Orbi, but it blanketed our test environment in usable Wi-Fi and has improved much since we originally tested it in late 2016. Eero nodes are typically available in a three-unit kit, with each physically identical, inoffensively styled, low-profile node designed to sit flat on a shelf or desk.

A three-pack costs about $360 and covers about 3,000 square feet. Love using Alexa? This mesh kit is now compatible with Alexa Skills.

See at Amazon

Plume

Plume has taken the minimalist approach with their Wi-Fi points, offering their small, sleek pods in three colors: champagne, silver, or onyx. These pods plug straight into your outlet and remain there (sort of like an air freshener), but only take up one outlet because of their size.

The Wirecutter chose the Plume kit as the best for small spaces thanks to the lower price (about $180 for a three-pack), going on to say:

Plume doesn’t offer Orbi’s overwhelming signal strength, and its throughput isn’t the fastest at short range, but it is consistent throughout an entire house, and its impressively low network latency is noticeable in day-to-day use. Plume also doesn’t have as many advanced networking features as Orbi does, but many people don’t need those.

While these pods don’t send out as strong of a signal, the sheer number of them makes up for the lack of range. Settings things up and tweaking configurations currently requires an Android or iPhone app. Grab these if you don’t need advanced features and don’t feel like spending quite as much.

See at Plume

Linksys Velop

The Linksys Velop (about $500 for a three-pack) features tri-band Wi-Fi that has a range up to about 6,000 feet, so if you’re in a large area, this might be your first choice. It’s also quite fast, thanks to being enabled with 2 x 2 MU-MIMO.

PCMag awarded the Velop an Editors’ Choice award, stating in their review:

The Linksys Velop provides Wi-Fi coverage for your entire home and seamless roaming over a single network. It’s stylish, easy to install, and delivers fast single-user and MU-MIMO throughput speeds, making it our top pick for Wi-Fi systems.

To set things up, just plug in your individual units, grab the iOS or Android app, and go through the setup. If you don’t mind paying top dollar, this is a great choice if you have an oversized area to cover with Wi-Fi.

See at Amazon

Amped Wireless Ally

The Amped Wireless Ally kit (about $260) is marketed at both novice and advanced users. You can plug it in and let it deliver Wi-Fi, or, if you wish, you can tweak a ton of settings to your heart’s content. Amped claims to cover up to 15,000 square feet, but think realistically more like 4,000 square feet.

Chosen by PCGamer as best mesh router kit for gaming, and highly rated by CNET and PCMag, CNET had this to say:

As a single router, it’s the fastest among any of the Wi-Fi systems I’ve tested, registering more than 600Mbps and almost 270Mbps at close range (15 feet) and long range (75 feet), respectively. This is not a surprise since it has the higher Wi-Fi tier than all other systems I’ve tested.

With MU-MIMO functionality and AC1900 Wi-Fi, this is a great choice for larger areas if you don’t want to spend top dollar.

Note: The Amped Wireless Ally isn’t a true mesh Wi-Fi system due to its satellites not being able to communicate with each other. Instead, each satellite must communicate with the main router. Still, this offering from Amped delivers great coverage and speeds that gamers will love.

See at Amazon

How to send messages with WhatsApp for Android

Using WhatsApp to send messages over Wi-Fi while at home or travelling can save you money on your phone bill!

You’re backpacking through Europe and have a mobile signal everywhere you go, but texting while roaming can make for an astronomical phone bill at the end of the month. That’s where WhatsApp comes in!

Send messages between WhatsApp users for free and save that extra money for waffles in Belgium or something. Just switched from your usual messaging app and have no idea how to send or receive messages? Relax. We’ve got you covered.

• How to create a new WhatsApp conversation
• How to send WhatsApp text messages
• How to forward messages and media using WhatsApp
• How to create a group chat in WhatsApp

How to create a new WhatsApp conversation

WhatsApp lets you send and forward text messages to single contacts and within group chats with instant ease. For free. No wonder almost a billion people are onboard. Here’s how to get your thoughts out there!

There are two easy ways you can send text messages using WhatsApp.

How to send WhatsApp messages from your Contacts screen

Launch WhatsApp from your Home screen or the app drawer. It’s the icon that looks like a green speech bubble with a white telephone inside.
Tap Contacts or swipe left to view your contacts.

Tap the contact to whom you’d like to send a message.

How to send WhatsApp messages from the Chats screen

Launch WhatsApp from your Home screen or the app drawer. It’s the icon that looks like a green speech bubble with a white telephone inside.
Tap the chat icon on the top right of your screen. It looks like a little speech bubble.

Choose the contact or contacts to whom you’d like to send a message.

• Tap New Group if you’d like to start a new group chat. If you don’t know how to use group chats, check out “How to use group chat in Whatsapp” below.

• Tap the single contact with whom you’d like to chat.

  

How to send WhatsApp text messages

Having opened or created a new WhatsApp chat, type your message in the message field.
To send an emoji, tap the smiley face on the left of the message field. To switch back to your keyboard, simply tap the mini keyboard icon that has replaced the smiley face.
Tap the emoji you want to send from one of the six categories.

Tap the send icon on the right of the message field. It’s the green circle with a white paper airplane inside.

Boom, you’re sending WhatsApp text messaging without paying for text messaging, in real time.

How to forward messages and media using WhatsApp

Tap and hold the message or media you want to forward. It will turn blue. You can tap other messages or media and send to send more than one.
Tap the forward icon on the top right of your screen. It’s the white arrow.

Choose the recipient.

• Tap the recent chats icon to forward a message to someone you were chatting with recently. It’s the clock icon on the top left.
• Tap the group icon to send to a group chat. It’s the three heads in the top middle of your screen.

• Tap the contact icon to send to a specific contact. It’s the single head on the top right of the screen.

  

You may also choose to copy and paste the message or media into a new chat. Here’s how:

Tap and hold the message or media you want to forward. You can tap other messages or media and send to send more than one.
Tap the copy icon on the top right of your screen. It looks like two sheets of paper.

Go to an existing chat or create a new chat, as described in the steps above.

Tap and hold in the message field.
Tap Paste.

Tap the send icon on the right of the message field.

How to create a group chat in WhatsApp

Messaging one person with WhatsApp is great because it’s a private chat and you can have all the inside jokes you want, without anyone feeling left out. Sometimes, however, you need the whole squad on board. That’s where group chat comes in. Let’s get started.

Launch WhatsApp from you Home screen or from the app drawer.

Tap the menu icon on the top right of the screen. It’s the three vertical dots.

Tap New group.
Type a group subject in the “Type group subject here…” field. Tap the smiley face on the righthand side to add emojis if you like.

Tap Next on the top right of the screen.

Add contacts to the group.

Type a contact’s name into the field.
Tap a contact to add them to the group.
Repeat steps 1 and 2 to add more contacts.

Tap Create on the top right of your screen to create your group chat.

OR

Tap the add icon, which looks like a plus sign, to open your contacts list.

Tap the contact you’d like to add to the group. You can add multiple contacts to your group simply tapping the box next to their names.

Tap Done.

Tap Create to enter your group chat.

Now you’ll be able to send all the texts your friends can handle, and you’ll be able to do it for free, so long as you’re connected to the internet. Receiving messages in WhatsApp is the same as receiving regular texts. Just don’t forget that if you’re using WhatsApp without a Wi-Fi connection, you could be racking up data charges.

How to share photos, videos, and more with WhatsApp for Android

Use WhatsApp to send photos, videos, and more to your contacts!

Texting is nice. Reading is nice. But, come on, watching and listening is a little more fun (at least for most us). WhatsApp lets you share photos, videos, audio, locations, and contacts with your contacts.

Got a great photo from your trip to share? Do it! Want to share a song with a friend? Do it! Better yet, do it for free!

• How to send photos with WhatsApp on Android
• How to send video with WhatsApp on Android
• How to send audio with WhatsApp on Android
• How to send contacts with WhatsApp on Android

How to send photos with WhatsApp on Android

There are two ways to send photo messages with WhatsApp. If you like to live in the moment and don’t care how your hair looks, you can take a photo and immediately share it. If you like to go back through your Gallery and find a photo of yourself from your good side, you can do that too!

How to take and send a photo with WhatsApp on Android

Tap the camera button on the right of the message field.

Tap the blue button to take your photo.

Add a caption or use the crop and rotate tools to personalize it.

Tap the check mark to send your photo.

How to send a photo from your Gallery in WhatsApp on Android

Tap the attach button. It’s the paperclip on the top right of your screen.

Tap Gallery.

Tap the category that holds the photo you’d like to send.

Choose the photo that you’d like to send.

Add a caption if you’d like.

Tap Send.

How to send video with WhatsApp on Android

Sending video via WhatsApp is easy! You can shoot video to send or you can grab video out of your gallery.

How to record and send video with WhatsApp on Android

Tap the attach button. It’s the paperclip on the top left of your screen.
Tap Video. This will open your phone’s camera.

Tap the record button to start recording. It’s a silver video camera.

Tap pause to pause your recording if you need to.

Tap record to start it again.

Tap stop when you are finished recording.

Tap OK if you’re satisfied with your video or tap Retry to try again.

Add a caption if you’d like.

Tap Send.

How to send video from your gallery with WhatsApp on Android

Tap the attach button. It’s the paperclip at the top right of your screen.
Tap Gallery.

Tap Videos.

Choose a category from one of the categories.

Tap the video you’d like to send.

Add a caption if you’d like.

Tap Send to send your video. Caption that movie gold if the mood strikes you.

Now you can not only share photos of your food, but you can send video so that your friends can literally see the steam rising off your cheeseburger and fries. What a time to be alive.

How to send audio with WhatsApp on Android

WhatsApp allows you to share audio tracks from your device or record anything you’d like to send along to one of your contacts.

How to send audio from tracks on your phone with WhatsApp on Android

Tap the attach button.

Tap Audio.

Tap Choose music track.

Tap the song you’d like to send.

Tap send.

How to record and send an audio message with WhatsApp on Android

Tap the attach button.

Tap Audio.

Tap Record with WhatsApp.

Tap Record to start recording.

Tap Stop to end the recording.

Tap Send.

How to send contacts with WhatsApp on Android

Got a buddy that knows a pal and they want each other’s info? You can send contacts via WhatsApp too! Enough fiddling around and trying to remember and then type in phone numbers and email addresses! Send it all at once!

Tap the attach button.

Tap Contact.

Tap the contact you want to share.

Tap Send.

How to send a location with WhatsApp on Android

Now all your friends want to meet at your place, but nobody knows how to get there. Share your location with WhatsApp!

Tap the attach button. It’s the paperclip on the top right of your screen.
Tap Location.

Tap OK if you are prompted, to show your location settings. You’ll be taken to your Settings where you can turn your location services on. Jump to step 5 if you’re not prompted to turn on your location.

Relaunch WhatsApp from your home screen or the app drawer. You’ll be taken back to where you left off.

Choose a location to send.

• To send your current location, tap Send your current location.

  

• To search for and send a location, tap the search button on the top right of your screen.

• Type in the location you’d like to send.

• Tap the location to send it.

  

Now you can send all the original messages you want and start spamming every WhatsApp contact you have!

Disney Movies Anywhere drops Microsoft as a partner

Disney has recently sent out emails to its Movies Anywhere users telling them that the service no longer supports Microsoft’s Movies and TV store. The Movies Anywhere app gives you a way to stream all the Disney movies you’ve purchased, so long as you bought them from partner outlets like Amazon and iTunes. And by “Disney movies,” we’re not only talking about the House of Mouse’s princess flicks — they also include Pixar and Marvel films. Unfortunately, if you enjoy having access to all your Disney flicks in one place, you’ll need to skip Microsoft when deciding on the store to buy from.

Here’s a sample email from the company, though you might have already read it if you’ve synced your Microsoft account with the service.

[Image credit: Windows Central]

Disney didn’t give a reason for dropping Microsoft as a partner. As you can see though, while you can’t access your future purchases on the app anymore, you can still stream all your previous ones. Considering you’ve got several other choices, Microsoft’s exit probably won’t have a huge effect on how you use Disney’s Movies Anywhere service. You know what might change your Movies Anywhere habit, though? The House of Mouse’s upcoming streaming service. Disney will pull its titles, including Marvel and Star Wars films, from other services like Netflix to put them all in its own streaming platform slated to launch in 2019.

Source: Windows Central

Engadget Podcast Ep 41: High Hopes

This week senior editor Chris Velazco and I meant to recap Chris’s review of the Galaxy Note 8, but this quickly devolved into speculation about next week’s Apple event and opining about the crowded smartphone space in general. Also, we made some diversions into Apple Watch etiquette and the apps we’ve considered getting rid of. (For the record, I do think there’s a polite way to glance at your watch.) All that and more in a short 30-minute-ish episode. Enjoy!

Relevant links:

• Samsung Galaxy Note 8 review: Excellent, but still a tough sell
• LG V30 hands-on: The phone the G6 should’ve been
• The LG V30 is better for video recording than photography
• Apple will unveil the new iPhone on September 12th at its new campus

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Subscribe on iTunes

Subscribe on Stitcher

Subscribe on Pocket Casts

Uber is under federal investigation for spying on Lyft drivers

Uber’s been in the headlines for the worst of reasons this year, and the bad news keeps on coming. Now, it looks like Uber is involved in yet another federal investigation. Authorities from the FBI’s New York office are looking into whether Uber’s Hell software illegally interfered with the operations of its competitor, Lyft.

We’ve previously covered the computer program, which Uber secretly ran for two years. It used a vulnerability in Lyft’s systems to spy on the company’s drivers from 2014 to early 2016. They used the data to figure out which of their own drivers “double apped,” meaning drove for both Lyft and Uber, and then tried to entice those drivers to work only for Uber. The key for investigators is whether the Hell software program actually consisted of unauthorized access to a computer. An Uber spokesman told The Wall Street Journal that the company is cooperating with the investigation.

It’s hard to fully describe the laundry list of woes Uber has faced over the past year, many of which were the result of the company’s own toxic culture. They’re currently the subject of multiple federal investigations, including an accusation of foreign bribery, not to mention lawsuits, including one over self-driving tech with Alphabet, Google’s parent company. At the end of August, Uber finally announced Dara Khosrowshahi as its replacement for embattled former CEO Travis Kalanick; he clearly has his work cut out for him.

Source: The Wall Street Journal

YouTubers avoid fine over Valve ‘CS:GO’ gambling scam

A pair of YouTubers have avoided fines after the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) charged them with steering viewers to a CS:GO gambling site without disclosing that they owned it. Despite misleading viewers (including teenagers) and paying other YouTube personalities to do the same, Trevor “TmarTN” Martin and Thomas “Syndicate” Cassell don’t even need to admit guilt, the commission ruled. “The goal of the FTC isn’t to be a punitive or draconian agency,” the FTC’s Mitchell J. Katz told Rolling Stone. “We are here to educate consumers about new markets.”

The site run by the pair, CSGO Lotto, allowed players to bet gun “skins” from the game Counter-Strike: Global Offensive that alter the look, but not the function, of weapons. Such skins can essentially be used as gambling chips, since they can exchanged at Valve’s Steam Marketplace for real cash, with Valve taking a 15 percent cut.

Martin and Cassell ran YouTube segments showing themselves “winning” skins at CSGO Lotto, when in fact they owned the site. They also reportedly paid YouTube personalities up to $55,000 for faked-up videos also showing them winning valuable loot.

Explaining why there was no penalty, the FTC said it normally can’t fine defendants for a first offense. However, it did said that the pair could face amends of more than $40,000 per violation if they fail to “clearly and conspicuously disclose” any future activity.

Trevor “TmarTN” Martin (Instagram)

The commission has updated its guidelines to make clear that social media influencers must disclose any financial or other connections to sites they endorse. It also sent warning letters to 21 social media personalities about their Instagram posts. “Consumers need to know when social media influencers are being paid or have any other material connection to the brands endorsed in their posts,” Chairman Maureen Ohlhausen said in a statement.

So far, the pair have essentially escaped punishment, and the FTC’s decision is likely to anger parents of minors that lost hundreds of dollars or more. Valve and CSGO Lotto (and other gambling sites) have both faced lawsuits, but so far, the cases have been dismissed, bounced around different courts, and moved to arbitration.

Last year, Valve sent cease-and-desist orders to 23 gambling sites after news of the CSGO Lotto scandal broke. It was later ordered by Washington State’s gambling commission to stop gun skin transfer activities, but vehemently denied any culpability, saying it does not engage in, promote or facilitate gambling. “If there is a specific criminal statute or regulation you believe Valve is violating, please provide a citation. We are not aware of any such law that Steam or its games are violating,” company counsel Liam Lavery said.

Via: Eurogamer

Source: FTC

What to expect from Apple’s iPhone event on September 12th

Another September, another iPhone event, right? Well, not exactly. Apple celebrated the iPhone’s 10th anniversary earlier this year, and all of the rumors have pointed to a radically new and potentially very expensive smartphone to celebrate that milestone. It’s all but certain we’ll see this new phone, but that’s hardly all that we expect Apple to reveal next Tuesday, at the first event in the company’s brand-new headquarters. We could see two additional iPhones, Apple Watch updates, an upgraded Apple TV, details on the forthcoming HomePod speaker and possibly more. Apple often likes to surprise us, after all. Here’s what we think Tim Cook and company will bring to the table on Tuesday.

iPhone 10th anniversary edition

For years, Apple was on a “tick-tock” iPhone upgrade cycle. One year would bring a new design, while the following year would introduce under-the-hood upgrades to otherwise identical hardware. That changed last year, as the iPhone 7 was physically very similar to the 6 and 6S.

That, along with the iPhone’s 10th anniversary, has set the stage for the line’s most radical redesign yet. As reported by both Bloomberg’s reliable Mark Gurman and KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo (via 9to5Mac), the tenth-anniversary iPhone (which might be called the iPhone 8, iPhone edition, iPhone X or something else entirely) will feature a nearly bezel-less front display. It’s a feature that has rapidly become the standard on flagship handsets including Samsung’s Galaxy S8, S8 Plus and Galaxy Note 8 as well as LG’s V30 and G6. This means the display will likely be the same size (or bigger) than the 5.5-inch screen on the iPhone 7 Plus, but it’ll come in a form factor not much larger than the iPhone 7, which has a 4.7-inch panel.

The other big change from a display perspective is the technology powering the screen. The iPhone 8 should have an OLED panel — a departure from the LCDs that have been used in every previous iPhone. If the rumors are accurate, this will will only be the second product in Apple’s lineup with such a screen, with the first having been the Apple Watch. OLED screens have brighter colors, greater contrast and much deeper blacks thanks to the lack of a backlight. OLED panels are also thinner than LEDs, which is crucial for phones — the less room the screen takes up, the more room there is for battery.

If this screen seems like the most radical change in the new iPhone, the removal of the home button will be almost as big a deal. For 10 years, it has been a hallmark of the iPhone’s design language, but it seems Apple is finally ready to say goodbye. Instead, the iPhone is rumored to have a “virtual” area at the bottom of the screen that responds to different taps or gestures which let you navigate iOS. Exactly how it’ll work remains to be seen, but recent reports indicate that it might be similar to multitouch gestures on the iPad that let you jump home or enter the multitasking menu without using the home button.

Losing the home button also means that Touch ID will likely be going away. In its place will be a 3D facial recognition system built into the front-facing camera. Bloomberg believes this will be used to both unlock your phone and make payments with Apple Pay. Past facial recognition systems have been proven to be easily duped, so we’ll see what tricks Apple has to keep your credit cards and phone data safe.

Another bit of iPad inspiration is the rumored app dock that may appear on the iPhone 8. Just as the iPad will get a new app dock and multitasking view as part of iOS 11, it sounds like the new iPhone will follow suit. It does sound a bit strange to bring this feature to only the new iPhone, as Apple has typically kept software features in iOS consistent across devices for as long as it feasibly can. On the other hand, it does make sense for Apple to unify the way iOS looks and acts across as many Apple products as it can.

Charging will get a revamp this year, as well. For the first time, it sounds like Apple will grace iPhone users with wireless, inductive charging. Of course, that’ll require a charging pad — and if I had to guess, Apple will sell that separately rather than include it with the phone. To make this work, the iPhone 8 is expected to have a glass back, reminiscent of the iPhone 4 and 4S.

Finally, it’s no surprise that the iPhone 8 will have a new camera system. The battle for “best smartphone camera” is hotly contested, and Samsung’s latest devices up the ante yet again. Apple will surely put updated cameras in the iPhone 8, probably a dual-camera setup like the iPhone 7 Plus has, but word on the street is that it’ll also be better-suited to working with augmented reality apps. AR is a big priority for Apple, as we saw back at WWDC in June when the company released the ARKit system for app developers. I expect Apple to show off some new AR apps made with ARKit that take advantage of the new cameras when it demos the iPhone 8 next week.

Unfortunately for those excited by this new iPhone, it sounds like it’s going to be in short supply and very expensive. A number of sources have pegged the price in the $1,000 range, though some have claimed it could cost even more. Currently, the most expensive iPhone is the 256GB 7 Plus, which retails for $969, so it wouldn’t be surprising to see this new phone exceed that.

The good news is that most customers (at least in the US) will buy their next phone on an installment plan, so you likely won’t have to shell out $1,000 all at once. Still, getting an iPhone 8 could easily end up costing you $50 or so per month — in addition to your existing cell phone plan. The 256GB 7 Plus costs $45.75 per month, with AppleCare+ included, while it’s a little over $40 if you buy from Verizon or AT&T (with no AppleCare). If you want to get the iPhone 8 on an installment plan, be ready to skip a few lattes each month.

iPhone 7S and 7S Plus

If you’re not ready for the bleeding edge the iPhone 8 promises, Apple is also expected to provide more modest updates to the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus. KGI Securities believes that it’ll have more changes to its design than the “S” phones usually get, namely it’ll have a glass back to allow for inductive wireless charging, just like the iPhone 8.

In typical “S” upgrade fashion, the 7S will likely be otherwise identical physically to the existing iPhone 7. That means it’ll keep the home button and larger bezels above and below the screens; the displays are expected to be the same as on the existing phones as well. There haven’t been many rumors about what new features these phones will bring to the table, but Apple has introduced plenty of notable features in the “S” phones in the past, like Touch ID on the 5S and Live Photos on the 6S. That’s not to mention improved cameras and processors; the 7S is rumored to have the same A11 processor that will be in the iPhone 8.

Ultimately, these phones will be overshadowed by the iPhone 8, but the lower price will ensure that Apple still sells plenty. And that’s without even mentioning the fact that the 7S will initially be much easier to find than the 8. Plenty of radically redesigned Apple products have also suffered from first-generation bugs, so if you want to pick up a new iPhone without breaking the bank or worrying about when you’ll be able to get it, the 7S and 7S Plus will be worth keeping an eye on.

Apple Watch

It’s only been a year since the Apple Watch was updated, but Gurman, Scott Moritiz and Ian King at Bloomberg believe another refresh is on deck. It would be a biggie, too: The next Apple Watch might have LTE on board, a feature that would greatly expand its capabilities when not connected to an iPhone. Being able to stream music, use maps or send messages and make quick calls without a phone would be pretty killer indeed. CNBC’s sources backed up Bloomberg’s report a few weeks later, so there’s a lot of smoke around this particular rumor.

Bloomberg says that Apple wants to launch these watches by the end of the year, but they could slip into 2018 — that’d be a blow to holiday season sales, a high point for the Apple Watch thus far. Whenever it does go on sale, though, all of the major US carriers should support it.

It remains to be seen what else will be new in this “Series 3” Apple Watch, but it looks like Apple will stick with the same form factor it introduced almost three years ago. KGI’s Kuo said that the next watch would stick with the 38mm and 42mm case sizes that have been standard throughout the product’s lifespan. Apple is also expected to release models without LTE as well. It’s not clear what else will be different in Series 3 watches, but it’s safe to guess that processors and battery life will be places of focus.

Apple TV

4K TV sets are getting increasingly cheaper, so it’s probably past time for the Apple TV to support this higher resolution. Once again, Bloomberg’s sources indicate that a 4K- and HDR-ready Apple TV set-top box will be revealed next week. Additionally, there have been indications that the iTunes Store has been getting ready for 4K movies for a while now, though Apple is apparently battling with the movie studios about pricing.

HomePod

At WWDC, Apple gave a pretty thorough overview of HomePod, its Siri-powered music speaker and virtual assistant, including its $350 price and a planned December launch. But next week, we’ll hopefully find out if Apple will meet that deadline and get some info about when pre-orders and deliveries will happen. Given that the speaker will only be available in the US, UK and Australia for starters, we’re thinking supply will be pretty tight; it might be an AirPods situation where stores get a handful of speakers every day and online orders will take weeks to be fulfilled. But if there’s any hope of getting one in time for the holidays, we should find out next week.

iOS 11 / macOS High Sierra / WatchOS 4 release dates

One thing we’re just about sure of is that we’ll find out when iOS 11, macOS High Sierra and WatchOS 4 will launch. If history is any indication, iOS should arrive the Wednesday before the launch of the next iPhones. WatchOS should come shortly after, while macOS may not show up until October. But all these dates should be confirmed during Apple’s event.

One more thing?

WWDC this past June was one of the most packed Apple events we’ve ever seen, and it seems like next week’s iPhone showcase could rival it. We’d be pretty shocked if Apple has time for “one more thing” after all of this. But Apple did say the iMac Pro would be available in December, so it’s possible we’ll hear a word on that. The whole point of “one more thing” is to be a surprise — but in practice it’s often not. Either way, we’ll have to wait just a few more days to find out for sure.

Spotify Web Player No Longer Compatible With Apple’s Safari Browser

Spotify users on the service’s Web Player have noticed that they can no longer listen to music in Apple’s Safari browser, taking to Spotify’s Community web page to discuss the incompatibility between Safari and Spotify’s Web Player (via Mac Generation).

In a post published about the topic yesterday by user riegelstamm, it was pointed out that Spotify’s system requirements page listed Safari 6 or higher as a supported browser for the Web Player. As of today, that same page has been updated and any mention of Safari has been removed, now only including Chrome 45+, Firefox 47+, Edge 14+, and Opera 32+.

When users visit the Spotify Web Player on Safari, they receive the message, “This browser doesn’t support Spotify Web Player. Switch browsers or download Spotify for your desktop.”

The same poster contacted Spotify customer support, which responded with a confirmation of Safari’s removal from the Web Player’s supported browser list.

“After taking a look backstage, we can confirm that after recent updates Safari is no longer a supported browser for Web Player. We’re always testing things by adding or removing features to make Spotify better overall. We’re sorry that this means you’re not able to use the Web Player like you could before. We can’t say if or when any specific features will be back. But as soon as we’ve got anything to announce, we’ll let everyone know via the Spotify Community. Sorry again for any inconvenience caused, and please let us know if there is anything else we can do for you.

Best wishes,
Rollie
Spotify Customer Support”

Riegelstamm further dug into the details of the Web Player, discovering that the discontinuing of Safari support might have something to do with Google’s Widevine media optimizer plugin, which Spotify requires for music streaming on the web and Apple opposes due to potential security issues.

Instead, Spotify encourages users to download the compatible Mac app, or switch over to a supported browser. Although the lack of Safari support in the Web Player might be temporary, Spotify customer support told users that it “can’t say if or when any specific features will be back.”

Tag: Spotify
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RED reveals more about its holographic smartphone display

When RED Camera first announced its crazy $1,200 Hydrogen smartphone with a “holographic display,” a lot of folks wondered how that would actually work. Now, CEO Jim Jannard has revealed that RED is creating the screen in partnership with a company called Leia Inc. (yes, like that Leia). A spin-off from Hewlett-Packard labs, it calls itself “the leading provider of light field holographic display solutions for mobile,” and the key words “light field” gives us a pretty good idea as to how it works

Light field displays use multiple layers of LCDs with a “directional backlight,” letting you see two different views of the same object with each eye, producing a 3D effect. In practice, when you rotate a display, objects like buildings would appear to project from the screen, as shown in the video below. The effect shows a lot of promise for virtual and augmented reality headsets, but for external displays, viewing angles have been limited so far.

Leia says it “leverages recent breakthroughs in nano-photonic design and manufacturing to provide a complete lightfield ‘holographic’ display solution for mobile devices.” It says the tech can create a holograph-like effect, “while preserving the normal operation of the display.” In other words, if you turn off the 4D part, it’ll work like a regular smartphone screen. RED hasn’t showed the tech to many folks yet, but MKBHD’s Marcus Brownlee did see it, and said he was “pretty impressed,” adding that it wasn’t perfect because of issues like light bleeding and stuttering for 4D gaming.

To produce content for the screen in the form of .h4v files, Jannard has told Redusers that “you can generate .h4v (holographic 4-View) by shooting 4 cameras (we are building solutions from consumer to professional), or by converting 3D to .h4v (very easy), or converting 2D to 3D (very hard) and then to .h4v.”

RED has formed a “strategic partnership” with Leia and made an unnamed investment in the company, and Jannard will join its board of directors. It says the smartphone will arrive in the first half of 2018, and functional prototypes are supposed to be ready in the coming months.

Source: Reduser.net