AirPods Wireless Charging Case Rumored for December Launch at $69

During Tuesday’s event, Apple revealed that the rumored new version of its AirPods headphones were not in fact the “AirPods 2,” but simply a new inductive wireless charging case that users will be able to purchase as a replacement for their current charging cases. No release date or price was mentioned, but information reportedly sourced from Apple Switzerland (via MacPrime) [Google Translate] suggests a December launch date for the new AirPods wireless charging case, which will cost $69.

Apple’s out-of-warranty fee to repair or replace the AirPods charging case is $69, so a similar price point for the wireless charging version does make some sense. The only design change made to the new charging case is the placement of the LED battery indicator light, which has migrated from the inside of the case to the outside on the front.

This way, when users place the case down on a Qi-compatible charging pad, they’ll be able to see the battery level of the AirPods’ case without needing to open the top. Apple will be launching its own Qi charging station — called the AirPower mat — sometime in 2018, but until then owners of the iPhone 8, iPhone X, and AirPods will need to purchase third-party charging pads.

In regards to the new AirPods wireless charging case, it’s still unclear if Apple will offer a version that also includes the AirPods themselves at the typical $159 price tag. The original AirPods launched in December of 2016.

Tag: AirPods
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Apple Now Selling Refurbished 2017 MacBooks With Kaby Lake Processors

Apple has added its latest 12-inch MacBook, originally released in June 2017, to its refurbished store for the first time. All models feature Intel’s seventh-generation Kaby Lake processors and faster graphics options.

A refurbished base model with a 1.2GHz dual-core Intel Core m3 processor, 256GB flash storage, 8GB of RAM, and Intel HD Graphics 615 is available for $1,099 in the United States, reflecting savings of $200 off Apple’s regular price of $1,299. Available colors include Gold, Rose Gold, Silver, and Space Gray.

The base model with a faster 1.3GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 processor, 256GB flash storage, 8GB of RAM, and Intel HD Graphics 615 is available for $1,189 in the United States, reflecting savings of $210 off Apple’s regular price of $1,399. Available colors include Gold, Rose Gold, and Space Gray.

The base model is also available with an upgraded 16GB of RAM for $1,269, or $230 off Apple’s regular price of $1,499.

A refurbished higher-end model with a 1.3GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 processor, 512GB flash storage, 8GB of RAM, and Intel HD Graphics 615 is available for $1,359 in the United States, reflecting savings of $240 off Apple’s regular price of $1,599. Available colors include Gold, Rose Gold, Silver, and Space Gray.

The higher-end model is also available with an upgraded 16GB of RAM for $1,529, or $270 off Apple’s regular price of $1,799.

Other built-to-order configurations are available for between $1,099 and $1,659 in the United States, including models with up to a 1.4GHz dual-core Intel Core i7 processor, 512GB flash storage, 16GB of RAM, and Intel HD Graphics 615.

Apple says refurbished MacBook models are thoroughly inspected, tested, cleaned, and repackaged, including the manuals and cables included in the box. The notebooks are each given a new serial number and undergo a final quality assurance inspection prior to being added to Apple’s refurbished store.

A refurbished MacBook comes with Apple’s standard one-year warranty effective on the date the notebook is delivered. The warranty can be extended to three years from the original purchase date with AppleCare+ for Mac, which costs $249 for the the 12-inch MacBook in the United States.

Apple has also added refurbished 2017 MacBooks to its Canadian store, with prices ranging between $1,459 and $2,069.

Related: Guide to Buying Refurbished Apple Products

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Tag: refurbished
Buyer’s Guide: MacBook (Buy Now)
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Google’s next Pixel smartphones arrive October 4th

The next-gen Pixel smartphones will be launched on October 4th, just a day before rumors predicted, according a new Google YouTube video (below). The search giant hasn’t, naturally, revealed any details about it yet, but has made some pretty bold promises. It implies that the new models (reportedly a Pixel and Pixel XL, according to @evleaks) will have a better battery, more storage and a better camera than other models. It has even suggested that it will “understand you,” no doubt a reference to Google Assistant.

Google implied all this in a cryptic video (below) showing a search with a user asking “what’s wrong with my phone’s battery?” “why is my phone always out of storage?”, “why does my phone take so many blurry photos?” and others. The imaginary searcher also asked why his device is so “slow, hot, fragile, annoying, broken, cruel, impersonal and … dumb,” so Google is implying that it plans to fix all those things with the new Pixel phones.

According various reports from Android Police, Evan Blass, HTC itself (via the FCC) and others, the phones will pack either a shiny new Snapdragon 836 or 835 processor (XDA Developers cast the idea of a supposed Snapdragon 836 in doubt), squeeze controls, a 1,440P screen, 4GB RAM and 128GB storage. HTC will supposedly build the smaller Pixel model, while LG will build the 6-inch AMOLED XL variant. Judging by the photos above, if real, the latter models isn’t exactly an exercise in fancy design, but it’s by no means ugly, either. Supposedly, the models won’t have a headphone jack.

One thing Google should definitely fix is the lack of supply with the last Pixel. Not only was it never available in markets like France (ahem), but even where you could buy one, they were darn near impossible to find. As mentioned, the event will take place on October 4th, but we’re not sure exactly when or where yet.

Source: Google (YouTube)

MoviePass is struggling to keep up with all its new members

Despite the sluggish summer box office, it seems plenty of people are still interested in going to the movies. As long as it comes cheap, that is. Last month, MoviePass launched a $9.95 no contract, unlimited subscription that allows customers access to a standard film (no 3D or IMAX) per day in theaters, without blackouts. The offer was bound to attract a lot of attention. But, no one was prepared for the resulting frenzy (especially not MoviePass). The subscription service claims its website was overwhelmed by the ensuing volume of traffic from interested patrons. And, it’s still struggling with the load. Although its site looks like it’s running smoothly, it’s the card logistics that are causing issues now. That’s a big problem. You see, in the absence of a card, you’ll have to rely on e-tickets, which are only available at select locations.

MoviePass claims customers are currently facing a two to three week delay in card deliveries. As if that wasn’t enough, it also adds that it sent out some of the cards in the wrong order. The company is blaming the error on a “manufacturing queue” reshuffle, which has led to recent sign-ups receiving their cards before earlier sign-ups. To deal with the issues, MoviePass is increasing its manpower. CEO (and Netflix co-founder) Mitch Lowe told Bloomberg his company is boosting its team to 35, up from its starting tally of just nine people.

In the wake of its original announcement, Fox Film CEO Stacy Snider criticized MoviePass’ “wacky” business model. AMC Theaters even resisted the move by reportedly blocking users from purchasing e-tickets at locations in Boston and Denver. The largest theater chain in the country also threatened legal roadblocks.

Has MoviePass proved the skeptics right? Lowe says the service will be “up to speed in a month.” In the meantime, card-less members can grab e-tickets from Goodrich Quality Theaters, Studio Movie Grill, and MJR Theaters.

Source: MoviePass

‘Adventure Time’ role-playing battles come to your smartphone

There are more than a few Adventure Time mobile games out there, but deep games? Not as many. However, YouGnome and Cartoon Network want to improve this state of affairs. They’ve just launched Champions and Challengers, a tactical game for Android and iOS that has you gathering and outfitting a team from over 70 heroes (including Finn, Jake, Fionna, Cake and Princess Bubblegum) and pitting them against rivals in Final Fantasy-style, turn-based role-playing battles. There are over 120 battles in the solo game, where you take on the Dice Lord, but you can also square off against other players online.

This is a free-to-play game, so don’t be surprised there’s a hard sell on in-app purchases. With that said, it looks like there’s a fair amount of depth here — you’ll hopefully have a lot to do without having to fork over some cash. If nothing else, this is the kind of experience you’d expect with an Adventure Time game — you’re actually, you know, adventuring.

Source: App Store, Google Play

Dell’s $350 Windows Mixed Reality ‘Visor’ is now up for pre-order

Dell is finally ready to show you Microsoft’s mixed reality vision. The electronics maker has started taking pre-orders for its $350 Windows Mixed Reality headset called Visor, which it showcased at IFA this year. Visor is one of the fruits of Redmond’s partnerships with several manufacturers, including Acer and Asus, in an effort to release AR-and-VR devices much, much more affordable than its $3,000 HoloLens. It boasts 1,440 x 1,440 in resolution per 2.89-inch LCD panel for each eye, a 110 degrees field of view, a 360 panoramic view and a 90Hz refresh rate. The headset also flips upwards for convenient transitions from reality to mixed reality — just lower it down when you want to use it.

Dell says you don’t need to set up a lot of equipment to use the device, because it has the ability to scan your surroundings and adjust AR and VR experiences as needed. And yes, you’ll be able to access Steam VR on it. Take note that like all the other Windows Mixed Reality headsets, you’ll need a compatible Windows PC: Dell’s Inspiron 15 7000 gaming laptops and Inspiron gaming desktops will work with the devices, if you’re in the market for one.

That $350 price tag will get you a standalone Visor, while a pair of its accompanying controllers will cost you an additional $100. You can also buy a kit to get both, but it doesn’t come at a lower price: it’ll still set you back $450. To place a pre-order, visit Dell’s Visor page in the US and PC World in the UK. The headset and its controllers will start shipping on October 17th and will also be sold by Microsoft’s and Best Buy’s stores and websites, as well as by various retailers, at the same time.

Source: Dell, Dell Visor, PC World UK

UK publishes first draft of new, stricter data protection laws

The UK’s Data Protection Act 1998 is staring retirement in the face, as the government has now published the first draft of the new Data Protection Bill designed to replace it. We actually know quite a bit about the bill already. It was first mentioned in the Queen’s Speech in June, with many of the finer details revealed last month. Among the headline provisions is a new power for the public to request social networks delete anything they posted before the age of 18, informally known as “the right to innocence.”

This is in addition to expanded “right to be forgotten” rules. You’ll be able to ask Google, for example, to remove search results on the basis the information is outdated or irrelevant. Currently, you can only make a case to have your past erased if search results surface info that causes significant distress — something you did as kid that doesn’t reflect you as an adult but is still haunting you, for instance.

The bill also intends to create an environment where you can expect more control of your data and a higher level of protection as standard. As part of the “privacy by default and design” concept, services like social networks will have to set you up with the strictest privacy settings rather than assuming you’ll opt-out of anything you’re uncomfortable with later. They will also have to seek the explicit consent of parents and guardians before allowing anyone under the age of 13 to register.

One of the proposals that’s still not particularly well understood is an onus on companies to allow for “data portability.” In practice, this should let you take all your data from one service and move it to a competitor’s platform — swapping email provider and taking your inbox and contacts with you, for example. The bill also introduces tougher penalties for poor data handling, as well as a requirement for businesses to alert the UK’s Information Commissioner’s Office of any breaches within 72 hours.

Broadly speaking, the bill will write the EU’s freshly stamped General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) into British law. Interestingly, though, the government said today it has “successfully negotiated” several exemptions from the GDPR. These don’t appear to be at odds with the general tone of European regulations, however. The exemptions basically give extra protection to or eliminate confusion around the processing of data of journalists, scientific and historical research organisations, sports bodies investigating doping and financial institutions looking for evidence of money laundering and other illegal activity.

The Data Protection Bill has now begun the standard process of being scrutinised by the House of Lords and House of Commons before eventually becoming an Act of Parliament. Just a few weeks ago, the government published a related set of proposals outlining the best-case scenario for how it can keep data flowing between the UK and EU post-Brexit. MPs hope that data sharing can continue uninhibited, on account of the Data Protection Bill reflecting the strictness of the EU GDPR.

The reality of the post-Brexit relationship could be a very different, though, as once we lose our seat at the round table, the EU might take issue with the UK’s digital surveillance powers. Particularly those in the Investigatory Powers Act, some of which take a certain disregard for data privacy when it’s deemed “necessary and proportionate” to aid certain intelligence investigations.

Source: Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport (1), (2), UK Parliament

‘Overwatch’ player toxicity is delaying game updates

As with many other popular multiplayer videogames, toxicity is a real issue. Some players make it their sole mission to grief teammates, while others threaten to throw the game if they don’t get to play their chosen character. It’s particularly prevalent in Blizzard’s team-based first-person shooter Overwatch, so much so that the game’s director, Jeff Kaplan, has said that the development of new maps and features are continually being pushed back in order to “make people behave better.”

Traditionally, Kaplan uses Blizzard’s Overwatch Developer Update videos to discuss the introduction of new characters or maps, as well as announcing changes to the existing roster of heroes. In this week’s bulletin, however, Kaplan spends the majority of his time talking about how the game’s reporting controls are faring, ending with a message to players stating that if things stay as they are, the rollout of shiny new features will slow down as developers focus more on introducing more measures to battle toxicity.

“We want to make new maps, we want to make new heroes, we want to make animated shorts,” Kaplan said. “But we’ve been put in this weird position where we’re spending a tremendous amount of time and resources punishing people and trying to make people behave better.”

Kaplan noted that while some are skeptical of the in-game reporting system, which has been available on PC for some time but only recently come to consoles, of the 480,000 players who received disciplinary action, 340,000 of those did so because someone reported them.

“I wish we could take the time we put into having reporting on console and have put that toward a match history system or a replay system instead,” Kaplan added. “It was the exact same people that had to work on both, who got re-routed to work on the other. The bad behavior is not just ruining the experience for one another, but the bad behavior’s also making the game progress — in terms of development — at a much slower rate.”

Overwatch is different to a lot of other online shooters. Matches require six players, often randomly matched, to pick a balanced selection of heroes that can act as a tank and absorb damage, lay down their own damage and support or heal the rest of the team.

In Competitive mode, players are often accused of insta-locking damage-heavy heroes and ignoring the needs of the wider team, causing other players to “tilt” or threaten to throw the game. Others simply create alternative or “smurf” accounts and don’t care if they’re being toxic because it won’t affect their overall rank if they’re punished.

This isn’t news to Blizzard, but the directness of this week’s Developer Update does suggest that the company is surprised by the behavior of its 30+ million players. Kaplan was also careful to say that he was “not trying to lay a guilt trip on everybody” and admitted that he may also be part of the problem.

“The community needs to take a deep look inward,” he said. “Think about all the times somebody’s said something negative to you in the game and imagine now if somebody had said something positive to you instead. There’s a way to spread positivity that I don’t think is really prevalent right now.”

Via: Kotaku

Hyperloop One is closer to deciding its first planned route

One of the ways that Hyperloop One is working out which routes it wants to build is through its “Global Challenge” program. It is, essentially, an X-Factor style competition in which candidate cities and states can audition for the prize of getting to buy their own high-speed travel systems. Now, the company has announced which regions are in the running to be the first to get their own Hyperloop route.

There are ten winners across five countries, and each proposal was judged by a panel of experts in infrastructure, transport and technology. Now, each one will be examined in extreme detail as Hyperloop One works out the best place to break ground on its first full-bodied line. Factors to be taken into consideration include the economic benefits, regulatory environment and proposed routes.

Notable routes include a line connecting Chicago, Columbus and Pittsburgh, joining up a population of nearly 14 million people. The Texas Triangle, meanwhile, would bring Dallas, Laredo and Houston within mere minutes of each other for harried business commuters. But it’s not just the US that is getting the love from the Hyperloop One team, in the UK, routes joining up London and Edinburgh, as well as Glasgow and Liverpool, are under serious consideration.

India, meanwhile, has two routes, the relatively short Bengaluru – Chennai line, covering 208 miles, and the Mumbai – Chennai journey, which spans 685 miles. Mexico and Canada round out the list, with proposed lines connecting Mexico City to Guadalajara and Toronto to Montreal.

Of course, none of these routes are going to be built unless Shervin Pishevar and Rob Lloyd can catch lightning in a bottle. Because the company will need to get local governments, investors and the public all singing from the same hymn sheet. Not to mention all of the people who may be annoyed that the view from their back garden will be interrupted by a vacuum tube shooting people around at near-supersonic speed.

In addition, the company is also announcing a deal with the state of Colorado (and AECOM) to begin investigating the possibility of bringing Hyperloop to the Centennial state. This partnership is still pretty nebulous, but also shows how serious some places are taking this potential new form of mass transit.

Route
Length (km)
Length (miles)
Urban Centers
Population
US Chicago-Columbus-Pittsburgh

Team: Midwest Connect
785
488
3
13,800,000
US Dallas-Laredo-Houston

Team: Texas Triangle
1030
640
5
18,771,000
US Cheyenne-Denver-Pueblo

Team: Rocky Mountain Hyperloop
580
360
10
4,831,000
US Miami-Orlando

Team: Miami/Orlando Hyperloop
414
257
2
8,500,000
India Bengaluru-Chennai

Team: AECOM India
334
208
6
17,710,000
India Mumbai-Chennai

Team: Hyperloop India
1102
685
10
43,190,000
UK Edinburgh-London

Team: HypED
666
414
4
19,151,514
UK Glasgow-Liverpool
545
339
6
9,715,488
Mexico Mexico City-Guadalajara

Team: Mexloop
532
330
4
33,530,000
Canada Toronto-Montreal

Team: HyperCan
640
400
3
13,326,000

Spotify Introduces iMessage App With Search Function for Sharing Music With Friends

Spotify has introduced an iMessage application in its latest update this week. As spotted by iGeneration, Spotify in Apple’s Messages app allows you to search the entire music streaming service for a specific song and send it to a friend. When they receive it, they’ll be able to listen to a 30-second clip, and then tap a button to jump into Spotify to check out the whole track.

This differs slightly from the Apple Music iMessage app, which lacks a search function completely. If you want to share a specific Apple Music song with a friend, it has to be in your recently listened track list, meaning you’ll have to jump to the Apple Music app, search for it, play it, and then navigate back to Messages to find it in the app drawer. Apple Music’s big advantage is that you can listen to the full track right in Messages.

The design is also different, with Spotify’s iMessage app displaying a larger image for the song’s album artwork, while Apple Music’s remains thin and more horizontally-aligned with a play button directly in the iMessage.

In recent Spotify news, the company’s Web Player is now incompatible with Apple’s Safari browser, reportedly due to Google’s Widevine media optimizer plugin, which Spotify requires for music streaming on the web and Apple opposes due to potential security issues. Spotify will also debut an official Apple Watch app in the future, although news of that release now dates back to April 2017 and there’s since been no other word from Spotify or the app’s developer Andrew Chang, besides a few mentions on Reddit over the summer.

Tag: Spotify
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