BlackBerry Priv isn’t being upgraded to Android Nougat

BlackBerry’s first Android phone isn’t getting updated past Marshmallow.

Plenty of praise was lavished on BlackBerry’s first Android phone, the Priv, when it debuted in late 2015. In fact, in his review, Russell Holly called it one of the best phones of that year:

This is absolutely one of the best phones to be released this year, and while BlackBerry still has to demonstrate it can keep its promises when it comes to software updates this is already an exceptional experience. It’s only going to get better from here.

That other part about how BlackBerry still has to prove it can follow through with software updates? Yeah, that’s why we’re here today.

In a podcast with UTB Blogs lat week, BlackBerry GM Alex Thurber mentioned that the Priv wouldn’t be upgraded from Marshmallow to Nougat.

The phone debuted with Android 5.1.1 Lollipop in November 2015, and was upgraded to Marshmallow the following April, but that is where it will stay. Many people, given BlackBerry’s exceptional record in keeping the Priv and its other Android-based phones updated with security patches, thought Nougat was an inevitability for the Priv, but that’s not the case.

According to Thurber, it’s very difficult getting all the vendors on board for such a big update; Qualcomm has famously made it difficult for the Snapdragon 808 and 810 series to receive updates past Marshmallow (the Priv runs on a Snapdragon 808).

Thurber also cast doubt on whether the DTEK50 and DTEK60 would receive updates past Marshmallow, too, saying they were reference products by TCL to test the waters for what would inevitably be the KEYone, which will be upgraded to Oreo after launching with Nougat earlier this year.

Priv owners will obviously be disappointed with this news, but it’s not surprising; it likely doesn’t have the install base needed to really incentivize such a huge engineering effort, and BlackBerry has since moved on from its hardware ambitions. At the same time, given that the Priv is such a security-focused handset, and there were plenty of improvements to the OS with Nougat, it’s going to be difficult to recommend the phone, despite the continuation of security updates for the foreseeable future.

What are your thoughts on the Priv’s final stand? Anyone still happily using the device, or have you since upgraded to the KEYone?

More: BlackBerry KEYone review

Best Racing Games for VR

What are the best racing games for VR?

If you’ve invested in a VR setup and haven’t yet tried a racing game, you owe it to yourself to at least experience it once. The speed, combined with the feeling of actually sitting in the driver’s seat, delivers an unmatched experience. Here are the best racing games you can grab right now.

Read more at VRHeads!

We’re listening to: ‘You Must Remember This’ and Brand New

Welcome back to IRL, our series dedicated to the things that Engadget writers play, use, watch and listen to. This week, we’re focusing on music and podcasts, with new albums from Queens of the Stone Age and Brand New. Sandwiched between the nostalgia-filled music is a… nostalgia-filled podcast about old Hollywood.

Queens of the Stone Age

Timothy J. Seppala
Associate Editor

When I heard Queens of the Stone Age were releasing a new album this year, I was cagey. I’ve been a fan since 2000’s Rated R, but each album following 2002’s perfect Songs for the Deaf got progressively less interesting. Like Clockwork from 2013 was a step in the right direction, but its bleak take on Queens’ brand of guitar rock didn’t do much to reignite my once-rabid fandom. I’m not sure what ringleader Josh Homme was going through at the time, but it stripped away one of my favorite things about the band’s music: the sense that everyone was having fun while making it.

So I was cautiously optimistic as singles “The Way You used to Do” and “The Evil Has Landed” arrived ahead of Villains‘ release. They made me reflexively tap my foot, but I wasn’t sure how they’d fit into the rest of the album. Rather than streaming it the other Friday during work, I waited to grab the deluxe vinyl from my local record store that night so I could give it my full attention versus just having it on as background noise (like I’m doing as I write this). Hashtag best decision.

I could go on about the album’s sonics and how good the vinyl sounds, what with its clarity and massive amounts of dynamic range, but at the risk of being “that guy,” I’ll just say it the mixing and mastering are awesome and move on. The $35 deluxe edition comes with 14 12×12-inch prints featuring killer artwork by Boneface. The band could’ve easily charged $20 each for these, but instead they’re an awesome value-add and will soon be framed and hanging on my office walls.

Like Clockwork, the album itself feels incredibly focused, and the lack of guest spots (a staple of past records) drives the point home further. Every song sounds distinct from the one that came before it, and just as important, that sense of “fun” is everywhere, starting with album opener “Feet Don’t Fail Me” and never letting up. Even slower songs like the synth-heavy, experimental “Fortress” feel like the band was enjoying taking a left turn from its usual style. If there’s anything to take away from Villains, it’s that Queens of the Stone Age want to make you boogie again.

You Must Remember This

Aaron Souppouris
Features Editor

Much has been written about You Must Remember This, Karina Longworth’s podcast about the golden age of Hollywood, but for years I resisted giving it a listen. The show started with single episodes focused on a particular star, functioning almost like a gossip column for a bygone era, but it quickly evolved into something much more. The first episode that truly grabbed me focused on Frances Farmer, an pre-war actor who is better known by my generation as the subject of a Nirvana track. As it turns out, the story Kurt Cobain believed, of a “bad girl” who was given a forced lobotomy, was completely fabricated by a biographer, and the true story is even more fascinating.

I’m around 80 episodes in now, and truly hooked. Longworth branched out from short, self-contained stories into larger tales, including a breathtaking 12-part profile of “Charles Manson’s Hollywood,” and most-recently — at least in terms of what I’ve listened to — a multi-episodic look back at the actors and directors labelled as communists and placed on the Hollywood Blacklist.

I’m really glad I finally listened to the recommendations and gave You Must Remember This a chance. Very few of the topics Longworth explores seem remotely interesting to me on paper, but each episode is gripping, informative and, often, moving.

Brand New

Jamie Rigg
Reviews Editor, Engadget UK

It’s not a bad time to be getting old. Bands like Jimmy Eat World, Taking Back Sunday, Blink-182, American Football, Dashboard Confessional and many more have all released new music in the past 18 months or so. They share another common thread in that they all had a heyday of sorts around the turn of the century, during the formative years of many millennials. Brand New is another of these bands, known primarily for the legendary 2003 album Deja Entendu.

Last month, Brand New released Science Fiction, their first new album in some time, spoiling those of us that never ‘grew out’ of their emo/pop-punk/alt/whatever phase. Over the past few weeks, I’ve listened to the album several times, and it’s not at all what I expected. Brand New actually released a lone, suitably rocking single last year titled “I Am A Nightmare.” In contrast, Science Fiction is slow and considered.

It’s not so much melancholic or heavy, but just generally ‘dark.’ The album opens with what sounds like a grainy recording of an old therapy session, and there are similar, nigh creepy interludes throughout. From start to finish, Science Fiction is heavily produced, from the guitar effects of opener Lit Me Up to the dreamy, several-minute-long outro of the final track, “Batter Up.”

There are no real anthems or mosh drops, and aside from a little screaming on “Same Logic/Teeth” and the repetitive riff of “Out Of Mana,” the album seems to skirt on the fringes of alt rock, emo and even country at times. I’m not sure that I like it, as such, since it’s quite the departure from classics like “The Quiet Things That No One Ever Knows,” but it’s an intriguing record all the same — the Brand New equivalent of ‘easy listening.’

Regardless of personal opinion, many Brand New fans already regard Science Fiction in a romantic, nostalgic light. Last year, the band all but revealed they’re calling it quits in 2018, though there’s still an air of mystery around that ‘announcement.’ There is speculation, then, that Science Fiction could be the band’s last studio album, or perhaps there are stranger things afoot.

Brand New (again)

Billy Steele
Senior News Editor

When discussing the discography of Brand New, the comparisons to Taking Back Sunday make for easy fodder given the history between the two bands. Taking Back Sunday had its high points in an on-going and prolific indie rock career, but the last two albums haven’t been very good. Brand New on the other hand, continues its rise with its latest album Science Fiction.

This collection of songs feels like a logical progression from the tracks on 2009’s Daisy, soaring and loud is some spots while more tame and brooding in others. Science Fiction serves as more evidence that Brand New’s music has always been more interesting than Taking Back Sunday’s dual vocalist approach to chorus hooks. You won’t find catchy pop tunes so much with much of Brand New’s song library, and Science Fiction continues that tendency.

Don’t get me wrong, that’s definitely not a bad thing. This is a very well done rock album. In fact, I think it’s one of the best of the year thus far. I love how songs like “Waste” and “Same Logic/Teeth” start rather tame before building to a louder climax. Jesse Lacey’s range of vocal talent is on display in both of those tracks in particular. Then there’s “Could Never Be Heaven” which is much more like a soft ballad than a typical rock song with its finger-picked acoustic guitar. And yet, there’s still plenty of Brand New’s grungy guitars on display throughout.

If you’re unfamiliar with the band, you may want to start with Deja Entendu to get a real sense of the progression Brand New’s albums exhibit. However, you could also begin with The Devil and God Are Raging Inside of Me and still get a feel for how the current state of affairs came about. That said, Science Fiction isn’t a bad first date either, mostly because it’s a complete rock album with highs and lows, quiet verses and rumbling choruses. It’s a shame that this could be the band’s last, because I’m certainly interested to see what would come next.

Mercedes-Benz plans electric versions of all its models by 2022

We’ve seen quite a few car companies commit (and recommit) to electic vehicles recently, and now Mercedes-Benz has joined them. At Daimler’s investor day today, the company’s chief executive Dieter Zetsche said that Mercedes will offer electric versions of every single car it makes by 2022. Mercedes-Benz is also planning on turning its popular city SmartCar into a fully electric line by 2020.

As Mercedes quietly works on its EQ badge, which it will put on its best electric cars, they have to plan for a change in their financial landscape as EVs begin to replace traditional cars on the road. As EVs increase in popularity, Mercedes’ profits will take a hit, even as they’re selling more and more electric cars. This is because electric cars can be up to half as profitable as traditional combustion engine vehicles due to higher production costs (mainly the battery). As a result, Zetsche announced at the same conference that the company plans on saving 4 billion euros by 2025 to offset that potential hit to profit.

This news comes of the heels of a torrent of news on car makers going all-in on electric. Volvo has already announced that all its cars will be either electric or hybrid within two years. Jaguar is planning on putting electric drivetrains in every car by the end of 2020. Even countries are embracing EVs: France has plans to ban the sale of fossil fuel-powered cars by 2040. Even more surprisingly, China is also on board with this sort of ban (though the timeline isn’t clear). Electric cars aren’t just a trend; they’re here to stay, for the long term.

Source: Reuters, CNBC

Apple TV 4K will have as much power as the iPad Pro

Apple just can’t seem to keep leaks from outing all of its new hardware. After a few new iPhone details dropped over the weekend, now we’re hearing about the Apple TV 4K, the next version of its streaming video box. It’ll be powered by the three-core A10X Fusion CPU — the same chip at the heart of the most recent iPad Pros — as well as 3GB of RAM, according to developer Steve Stroughton-Smith. The details come from a leaked version of the iOS 11 GM release, which makes it fairly trustworthy.

So what will the new Apple TV do with all of that power? Obviously, it’ll be able to play 4K video — but Stroughton-Smith notes that it’ll also be able to handle that resolution up to 60 frames per second. That makes sense, since the next iPhones are expected to record 4K/60FPS. While most 4K content is either 24 FPS or 30 FPS (for film and TV, respectively), the higher frame rate could become more important over the next few years. It’ll be particularly useful for nature documentaries, but we’re already seeing films like Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk available in 4K/60FPS.

Stroughton-Smith also noted over the weekend that the Apple TV 4K will support HDR10 and Dolby Vision, but that’s not a huge surprise either. With 4K content, HDR often makes a bigger visual impact than the additional pixels. Apple could unveil the new set-top box at its big iPhone event tomorrow, but I also wouldn’t be surprised if it waits a few weeks to devote an entire event to the Apple TV 4K.

Via: Apple insider

Source: Steve Stroughton-Smith

Tesla plans to add more Superchargers in big cities

If you own a Tesla and plan on driving it reasonable distances, then you probably know exactly where your nearest superchargers are. After all, these devices charge up your car in less than an hour. But if you look at a map of an urban area — let’s say, Philadelphia, which is about 20 minutes from where I live — you’ll notice something frustrating. The city, along with many other urban areas, is somewhat of a Supercharging desert. Tesla acknowledges that this is a problem and is expanding their Supercharging network into urban areas, starting with Chicago and Boston.

The bottom line is that for Teslas to fully take off, charging them has to be as convenient as pulling into a gas station to refuel. Right now, that’s just not the case, and the company is well aware of it. The bulk of Superchargers are currently along major highways at hotels and restaurants. Tesla plans on expanding into urban grocery store parking lots, shopping centers, and downtown districts.

They’ve redesigned the Supercharger to give it a more compact footprint for urban areas. Additionally, they’ve increased efficiency so that Superchargers will provide a steady amount of electric charging power to each car, regardless of how many are plugged into it. At 72 kilowatts an hour, this means that a typical Tesla will be charged in about 45 to 50 minutes.

With the release of the long-awaited Model 3, with a base price of $35,000, Teslas are becoming more practical for people interested in EVs. But as long as they’re inconvenient to recharge, adoption rates will be slow. We’ll see if Tesla’s urban Superchargers push is successful in helping to increase sales in cities.

Via: TechCrunch

Source: Tesla

32-Bit Apps Represented Less Than 1% of Apple’s App Store Revenue Last Quarter

Apple began permitting developers to submit 64-bit applications to the iOS App Store back in 2013, allowing for improved app performance and reliability on 64-bit iOS devices. Then in June of 2015, Apple began enforcing that all apps and app updates released on the App Store must use the 64-bit architecture, meaning apps that are still 32-bit have not been updated in well over two years. With the upcoming launch of iOS 11, 32-bit apps won’t be supported at all moving forward.

Trying to open a 32-bit app on iOS 11 will present users with this message
Recently, SensorTower decided to take a look at the remaining 32-bit apps on the App Store, which amounts to more than 180,000 worldwide. Looking at the last quarter, revenue from 32-bit apps amounted to “less than 1 percent” of Apple’s total portion of App Store revenue. The older apps made approximately $37.5 million worldwide in the last quarter, and Apple’s cut from that was about $11.3 million — or “a mere 0.41 percent of its total revenue” from in-app purchases and paid apps on the App Store.

While unsurprising, it’s interesting to see the last few apps from the old era of the App Store clinging to life ahead of iOS 11. SensorTower pointed out that the two remaining highest-grossing 32-bit-only apps are “The Amazing Spider-Man” by Gameloft and “Trigger Fist” by Lake Effect, which in August made $45,000 and $36,000 worldwide, respectively. Without updates, these games and any like them will be defunct on any iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch running iOS 11, but Apple won’t be losing much profit from the apps’ incompatibility with the new software.

As the chart above illustrates, the share of revenue generated by the more than 180,000 remaining 32-bit apps on the App Store worldwide has been steadily decreasing since Apple required all new app updates to be 64-bit in June of 2015. In the third quarter of that year, we estimate that they represented about 1.13 percent of worldwide gross App Store revenue, or approximately $53.5 million. By 3Q16, that amount declined to about $43.6 million, or approximately 0.61 percent of all revenue.

Anyone on iOS 10 can check to see if they have 32-bit apps on their device by navigating to the Settings app > General > About > Applications > “App Compatibility.” Here users will be able to see a list of any outdated apps that won’t be supported on iOS 11. All iOS devices with a 64-bit chip will support iOS 11, including the iPhone 5s and newer, the fifth-generation iPad, the iPad Air, the iPad Air 2, all iPad Pro models, the iPad mini 2 and later, and the 6th generation iPod touch.

Tag: App Store
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Ming-Chi Kuo: iPhone X Production Currently Just <10K Units Per Day, Blush Gold Color May Launch Later

KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo issued a research note to investors today in which he said Apple’s current iPhone X production totals less than just 10,000 units per day. For this reason, Kuo anticipates the iPhone X will remain in “severe short supply for a while” following its expected launch later this month.

Kuo also anticipates that the so-called “Blush Gold” colored iPhone X will encounter some production problems and will initially be available only in “extremely low volume.” He said there is even a chance that the gold version will go on sale at a later date than the other colorways, which are rumored to be silver and black.

Here’s the excerpt from Kuo’s research note obtained by MacRumors:

Due to component supply constraints, we estimate current production of the OLED iPhone at less than 10k units per day, which means the model will remain in severe short supply for a while. Furthermore, we estimate that the gold version of the OLED iPhone will encounter some production problems and will initially be available only in extremely low volume. There is even a chance that the gold version will go on sale at a later date than the other versions. However, we believe these shipment delays will have a limited impact on the shares of Apple and its supply chain members.

Apple is expected to unveil the iPhone X, a new Apple TV with 4K video, and Apple Watch Series 3 models with LTE at its first-ever event at Steve Jobs Theater tomorrow. Join us at 10:00 a.m. Pacific Time for complete coverage.

Related Roundup: iPhone X
Tags: KGI Securities, Ming-Chi Kuo
Discuss this article in our forums

PewDiePie in trouble once again for racist outburst

Felix “PewDiePie” Kjellberg is back in the headlines for, once again, expressing racist sentiment in one of his YouTube videos. During a stream of PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds, the world’s most popular YouTuber said the n-word during an expletive-filled rant.

This is not the first time that Kjellberg has been caught expressing slurs related to people of other races and religions. Earlier this year, the star paid men — using the service Fiverr — to hold up banners bearing the phrase “Death to all Jews.”

PewDiePie, the biggest YouTuber, on his livestream: ‘What a fucking n-word’. pic.twitter.com/mISevBEn4T

— THE POP HUB 👄 (@ThePopHub) September 10, 2017

Kjellberg’s relationship with race, and racially-charged language, has earned him a measure of censure in the past. In that earlier incident, Disney’s Maker Studios cancelled a lucrative deal to produce TV, apps and merchandise under the PewDiePie brand.

At the time, PewDiePie said that he commissioned the stunt as a way of exposing “how crazy the modern world is.” That wasn’t enough for YouTube to cancel his YouTube Red series, Scare PewDiePie, although he remains on the site.

We’re filing a DMCA takedown of PewDiePie’s Firewatch content and any future Campo Santo games.

— Sean Vanaman (@vanaman) September 10, 2017

This time around, Kjellberg has caused the game developer Campo Santo, which made Firewatch, to distance itself from him. Studio co-founder Sean Vanaman said that Campo Santo would use DMCA takedowns to remove PewDiePie videos that feature Firewatch.

On Twitter, Vanaman added that he was “sick of this child getting more chances to make money off of what we make.” He went on to say that the association of his games with PewDiePie stands as “endorsement” of a “propagator of despicable garbage.”

He’s worse than a closeted racist: he’s a propagator of despicable garbage that does real damage to the culture around this industry.

— Sean Vanaman (@vanaman) September 10, 2017

As Kotaku points out, no matter how right Vanaman may be, he also stands on some pretty shaky ground regarding YouTube and game videos. It’s plausible that Campo Santo sent PewDiePie a review code of Firewatch, and so tacitly endorsed his playing of the title for the advertising.

In addition, YouTube playthrough videos are either monetized by the studio, or they turn a blind eye to it in the hope of raising a game’s profile. Then there are the YouTubers themselves, who believe that, so long as they are offering commentary or criticism, they are protected under fair use.

Just told my wife I love her during a heated gaming moment

— rob delaney (@robdelaney) September 11, 2017

As of publication, the video in question is unavailable, and we can expect both sides of the debate to litigate in the court of public opinion. Which will distract everyone from the real issue here. which is how badly someone can behave so long as they’re still a good revenue generator.

Source: Kotaku, TechCrunch

Follow our iPhone liveblog tomorrow at 10AM PT / 1PM ET!

Welcome to one of the busiest weeks in a tech journalist’s year. Tomorrow Apple unveils the new iPhone (and Watch, even) and Engadget is ready. Senior editor and smartphone expert Chris Velazco will be on the ground at Apple’s new spaceship of a campus, making this the first time the company has hosted an event there. Meanwhile, the rest of the Engadget team will stop what it’s doing to keep an eye on the news and get it out to you, our readers. Chris and I will be liveblogging the keynote and then, once that’s done, we’ll continue doing what we do best: get hands-on with all the new devices. Bookmark our liveblog link here and make sure to tune back in at 10AM PT (1PM ET) tomorrow when the event starts. We’ll see you there.