Nest’s outdoor Cam IQ brings facial recognition to your backyard

Nest’s latest media event could be big news if you’re interested in spotting burglars before they break into your home. It’s introducing the Nest Cam IQ outdoor, a rugged take on the regular IQ that’s designed to watch over your yard. As you might guess, it applies the same facial recognition technology to a weather-resistant (IP66-rated) and tamper-resistant body that’s always plugged in. In theory, it won’t raise an alert if it sees your kids playing in the back, or a locked-out spouse frantically looking for a way in. The camera can automatically zoom in and follow people as well. And the speaker is 15 times louder than on the indoor model, so you can shout at trespassers if you catch them in the act.

You’re paying a slight premium over the already fairly expensive IQ: the outdoor variant will cost $350 when it ships in November. That may be a tough sell given how imperfect Nest’s face detection has been, but few outdoor cameras offer facial recognition in the first place. It might be worth a shot just to produce fewer false alarms.

Also, we’d add that Nest is sweetening the pot a bit: its cameras will have Google Assistant integration, giving you sophisticated voice control over your security setup. You’ll get it as a free update to your camera sometime in the winter. This won’t necessarily settle your buying decision, but it’s arguably overdue given Nest’s parent company.

Source: Nest Blog

Nest takes on home defense with its Secure alarm system

Nest wants to manage every aspect of your home’s security — not just its thermostats and cameras. The company has announced a slew of products designed to keep an eye on your home while you’re away, under the Nest Secure banner. That includes a Google-Home-looking Guard control system, Detect sensors (placed in rooms, near windows and doors) and a Tag keychain that arms and disarms the security hub. The starter bundle will cost $499, with extra Detect sensors running $59. Need an additional Tag for your roommates or kids? Those will set you back $25 each. A bundle with the newly announced IQ facial-recognition camera will be available at Best Buy for $599.

Meet Nest Guard. Alarm, keypad, motion sensor and the brains of the system. #NestSecurity #NestEvent pic.twitter.com/b07l6p4uoF

— Nest (@nest) September 20, 2017

Nest also promises a 24/7 monitoring system and integration with other smart home devices like Philips Hue bulbs and its just-announced Hello video doorbell. Oh, and naturally, this will all be controllable via the Nest app. With today’s announcements, one thing is clear: Nest wants to completely own the smart home security space, sidelining established companies like ADT.

‘Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite’ already lands its own eSports contest

The game Marvel vs. Capcom — Infinite was released on on September 19th, and it appears as though Capcom is going all out to promote it. They’re hosting an eSports tournament called Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite — Battle of the Stones, and they’re inviting you to participate.

The tournament, which will be held in Anaheim on December 8th through 10th, will feature 16 players. Seven of the players will be former Evo Marvel vs. Capcom champions. Six players will be from the winners of the qualifying tournaments, while three additional players will come from online competition.

As the name of the tournament suggests, the six in-person qualifying tournaments, which will take place around the world, will involve playing Marvel vs. Capcom — Infinite and be centered on Marvel’s Infinity Stones. In addition for qualifying for the final tournament, winners of each of these competitions will receive an Infinity Stone that will give them unique powers that they can activate during the Battle of the Stones. It’s not clear what these powers are, though the release does say they “can be used outside of the typical ‘in-game” competition.” We reached out to Capcom for more information and were told that they’d only reveal specifics of each Infinity Stone at the stone’s respective tournament.

It’s certainly interesting that Capcom is promoting this new game with such a large eSports push. Clearly they believe in the game and want to do something spectacular to encourage people to pick it up, especially considering the Infinity Stones in the Collector’s Edition of the game were a bit of a letdown.

Source: Capcom

How to Record Your iPhone or iPad Screen in iOS 11

iOS 11 comes with a handy new Control Center function that allows you to record what you’re doing on your screen. It’s great if you want to capture gameplay, walk someone through a tutorial in an app, demonstrate a bug, and more, and it’s available on iPhones and iPads running iOS 11.

Enabling Screen Recording

If you don’t have the screen recording icon in Control Center, you can add it in the Settings app.

Open the Settings app.
Choose Control Center.
Select “Customize Controls.”
Tap the + button next to “Screen Recording” to add it to the “Include” section.

Starting a Recording

Bring up the Control Center.
Tap the icon for screen recording. It’s two nested circles.
Your iPhone or iPad will start recording video of your screen automatically following a three second countdown.
While screen recording is turned on, a red bar is plastered across the top of the display so it’s clear when you’re recording and when you’re not.

Ending a Recording

Open Control Center again.
Tap the screen recording icon.or
Tap the red bar at the top of the screen.
Confirm that you want to end recording.The video you made is then saved to the Photos app.

Accessing Screen Recording Options

There are a few options that are available when making a screen recording, which can be accessed directly in the Control Center. To bring up these options, simply 3D Touch on the screen recording icon.

From this menu, you can start a screen recording and toggle microphone audio on or off. These are the only options that are available for the feature — it’s fairly basic.

Related Roundup: iOS 11
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PSA: Snapchat Still Notifies You When Someone Screen Records Privately Messaged Snaps on iOS 11

One new feature in iOS 11 lets you easily record the screen of your iPhone as you navigate around the user interface, which can be useful when trying to help someone remotely troubleshoot an iOS problem or when making videos to share online. Since iOS 11 officially launched to the public yesterday, many users on Twitter and other sites have begun to worry that people will be able to screen record their Snapchats and Instagram Direct messages without notifications warning them of such activities taking place.

While it appears that such is the case for Instagram Direct, Snapchat will still let you know when someone is screen recording your privately messaged snaps. Thanks to a tipster who emailed us this morning, we decided to test out sending both still images and videos through the two previously mentioned apps, and discovered that Snapchat treats iOS 11’s screen recording feature just as it does for taking a screenshot.

After using screen recording, the sender (left) is shown in-app screenshot icons and the receiver (right) gets notified
If your iPhone is locked, you’ll get a push notification saying someone “took a screenshot!” of either your photo or video, and if you’re within the app then Snapchat will still display the double-crossed arrows and let you know that the receiver took a “screenshot just now.” So, while Snapchat isn’t able to directly tell you that it’s a screen recording on iOS 11, you’ll still know that your DMs are being saved. Stories, on the other hand, appear to be less abiding to the screen recording/screenshot notification system, at least for now.

Instagram Direct doesn’t yet appear to have such a feature for iOS 11 screen recording warnings. Similar to Snapchat, Instagram Direct lets you send disappearing photos and videos to other users, and includes a screenshot notification whenever the recipient captures the content you sent privately.

In tests on iOS 11, neither photos nor videos captured via screen recording in Instagram Direct told the sender that such an action had taken place. If screen recording becomes a bigger issue for these private messaging apps, and others like them, it’s likely that developers will begin to implement more direct warning systems for users to look out for.

Take a look at our guide for iOS 11 screen recording to learn more about the new feature, and then check out our complete iOS 11 Roundup for all of the major — and minor — additions that were introduced in the new software update.

Thanks, Joshua!

Tags: Instagram, Snapchat
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Bluetooth and Wi-Fi Aren’t Fully Disabled When Toggled Off in Control Center on iOS 11

Apple has confirmed that Bluetooth and Wi-Fi are not fully disabled when toggled off in Control Center on iOS 11.

Even when toggled off in Control Center on an iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch running iOS 11 and later, a new support document says Bluetooth and Wi-Fi will continue to be available for AirDrop, AirPlay, Apple Pencil, Apple Watch, Location Services, and Continuity features like Handoff and Instant Hotspot.

Toggling off Bluetooth or Wi-Fi in Control Center only disconnects accessories now, rather than disabling connectivity entirely.

If Bluetooth is turned off, the iOS device can’t be connected to any Bluetooth accessories until one of these conditions is met:

You turn on Bluetooth in Control Center.
You connect to a Bluetooth accessory in Settings > Bluetooth.
It’s 5 a.m. local time.
You restart your device.

While Wi-Fi is disabled, auto-join for any nearby Wi-Fi networks will also be disabled until one of these conditions is met:

You turn on Wi-Fi in Control Center.
You connect to a Wi-Fi network in Settings > Wi-Fi.
You walk or drive to a new location.
It’s 5 a.m. local time.
You restart your device.

Apple made this change in the iOS 11 beta, and it gained more attention after the software was publicly released yesterday.

iOS 11 users can still completely disable Wi-Fi and Bluetooth for all networks and devices by toggling them off in the Settings app.

Apple says users should try to keep Wi-Fi and Bluetooth turned on for the best experience on an iOS device.

(Thanks, FlunkedFlank!)

Related Roundup: iOS 11
Tags: Control Center, Bluetooth
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iOS 11 Installed on 10% of Devices 24 Hours After Launch

Apple’s newest operating system, iOS 11, is seeing slower adoption rates than iOS 10 saw during the same adoption period last year, according to data collected by analytics company Mixpanel. As of 10:00 a.m. Pacific Time, 24 hours after iOS 11 was released, the OS is installed on 10.01 percent of devices.

24 hours after iOS 10 was released last year, it was installed on 14.45 percent of devices. iOS 9, after its release in 2015, was installed on 12.60 percent of devices 24 hours after launch, and iOS 8 saw similar adoption rates in 2014.

iOS 11 was not affected by installation issues or other problems like iOS 10 was, but past issues with new iOS releases may be keeping some users from upgrading right away. The iOS 11 update also disables all 32-bit apps, another factor that could be holding some users back.

Adoption rates often spike up a bit over the weekend when people have more free time to make major software updates to their devices, so iOS 11 could catch up to iOS 10 at that point.

As people begin adopting iOS 11, iOS 10 adoption is trending downward. iOS 10 is now installed on 84.55 percent of devices, while 5.44 percent of users continue to run an older version of iOS.

iOS 11 is a free download that’s available for download on the iPhone 5s and later, iPad mini 2 and later, and the 6th generation iPod touch. There are dozens of new features in iOS 11 and several overhauled interface elements, so it’s worth an upgrade if you haven’t already. For full details on what’s new iOS 11, make sure to check out our iOS 11 roundup.

Related Roundup: iOS 11
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Enjoy all of your new TV’s benefits with our LG C7 OLED setup and unboxing guide

These days, televisions are absolutely loaded with fun, unique features and useful accessories to make your viewing experience simpler and more enjoyable. That said, it’s not always a straightforward process when trying to properly set up a new TV. If you opted for the 4K HD LG C7 OLED TV, though — one of LG’s nicest models — you’re in luck. We’ve put together an LG C7 OLED setup and unboxing guide to ensure that your honeymoon phase (with the TV, that is) is full of love, not stress.

What’s in the box?

In addition to the TV, the C7 comes with:

• Product literature
• LG MagicMotion remote with batteries
• A/V breakout cable
• Pre-assembled base for the TV, plus the necessary attachement screws
• Cover plate for the TV’s rear.
• Cable management clip.

All of these accessories are neatly housed in a separate box from the television itself.

Several items are not included with the TV. You will need to buy HDMI cables to connect your TV to other devices. The easiest way to ensure you have HDMI cables is to buy the AmazonBasics High-Speed HDMI cables at the same time you buy your TV. If you do not buy the AmazonBasics HDMI cable, make sure that the HDMI cables are rated as “high speed” cables so they can accommodate the large amount of data 4K HDR content requires.

Additionally, the TV does not come with any wall mounting hardware. For information about wall mounting check out our wall mounting guide video.

Hardware setup

To connect the base, angle the LG logo toward the front of the TV (with the panel face down on a flat surface — protect the screen with something soft!), and slide the vertical portion of the stand into the recess on the back of the TV. Insert and secure all four screws, then pop the cover plate over the recess and affix the cable clip to the cover plate.

The hardwired power cable is located on the left side of the TV’s rear panel, while most the ports and jacks are in a small alcove on the right side (the rest are next to the alcove, angled toward the edge of the TV). In total, there are four HDMI inputs (one ARC) and three USB inputs, along with a coaxial jack and ports for optical, ethernet, and the aforementioned breakout cable.

Features and design

The television itself is gorgeous, featuring a glossy black display with basically zero bezels to speak of. The base — trapezoidal, in brushed silver — is conveniently just 23 inches wide, meaning you can fit the TV on a smaller stand or entertainment center.

The Magic Remote, meanwhile, allows you to navigate using an on-screen cursor, much like the Nintendo Wii’s. It’s a cool feature that makes it much faster to find things you want to watch, and combined with the built-in voice control, it’s pretty powerful.

Software setup

Once everything is connected properly, go ahead and use the remote to power on the TV. It will walk you through a setup wizard that will help you connect to your Wi-Fi network. It’s a good idea to label the inputs manually, though that could prove frustrating if you constantly switch devices in and out. To do so, select “All Inputs,” then pick the input you want to name, and choose “edit icon.” It will give you a list of options to choose from.

We also recommend choosing the “Expert (bright room)” or “Expert (dark room)” picture presets, depending on the lighting in your TV area. Unless you are particularly picky about your screen settings, these are well-balanced choices that we think work great.

Best iOS app deals of the day! 6 paid iPhone apps for free for a limited time

Everyone likes Apple apps, but sometimes the best ones are a bit expensive. Now and then, developers put paid apps on sale for free for a limited time, but you have to snatch them up while you have the chance. Here are the latest and greatest iOS app deals available from the iOS App Store.

These apps normally cost money and this sale lasts for a limited time only. If you go to the App Store and it says the app costs money, that means the deal has expired and you will be charged. 

Yomiwa

Yomiwa is a fast and complete offline Japanese dictionary, encompassing all the modern features. Yomiwa also comes with powerful character recognition technology (OCR) which lets you translate Japanese into many target languages with your camera.

Available on:

iOS

Thunderspace

During the day, Thunderspace won’t let you focus on all the noise around you. And at night it will make you very sleepy. Do not use while operating a machine, vehicle, or star destroyer.

Available on:

iOS

Cheerleader

Get the positivity flowing! Procrastination begone. We all need that little boost to get through our day. With Cheerleader, you will have your own cheerful miniature promoter.

Available on:

iOS

RadOnc Reference

This is the first comprehensive iPhone reference application for Radiation Oncologists. This project is intended to be a collaborative effort. Feedback and suggestions from the RadOnc community will directly inform new development efforts.

Available on:

iOS

Orderly

Orderly is designed based on how the human mind visualizes to-do lists. It is an incredibly easy-to-use to-do list app that features a user-friendly interface, seamless cloud sync, and location-based reminders.

Available on:

iOS

InstaWeb

InstaWeb is a powerful tool for iPhone and iPad to convert any website to PDF very quickly and easily. InstaWeb also features a clutter remover to create clean and ready-to-read PDFs.

Available on:

iOS

iPhone 8 vs. iPhone 7: Time for an upgrade?

Apple’s annual iPhone update always generates some excitement, but this year the iPhone X stole the show. It’s sure to be popular, but not everyone will want one. Maybe a $1,000 phone is a bit much, or you prefer the more manageable size of the iPhone 8. At first glance, the iPhone 8 doesn’t look any different than the iPhone 7, but if you dig in beneath the Retina display, you’ll find some important distinctions. If you already have the iPhone 7, however, the question remains: Is it worth upgrading? Let’s find out how the two devices measure up.

Specs

Apple iPhone 8

Apple iPhone 7

Size
5.45 x 2.65 x 0.29 inches (138.4 x 67.3 x 7.3 mm)
 5.44 × 2.64 × 0.28 inches (138.3 × 67.1 × 7.1 mm)
Weight
5.22 ounces (148 grams)
4.87 ounces (138 grams)
Screen
4.7-inch Retina HD IPS LCD
4.7-inch Retina HD LED-backlit widescreen
Resolution
1,334 × 750 pixels
1,334 × 750 pixels
OS
iOS 11
iOS 10 (Upgradable to iOS 11)
Storage
64/256GB
32/128/256GB
MicroSD Card Slot
No
No
NFC support
Yes (Apple Pay only)
Yes (Apple Pay only)
Processor
A11 Bionic chip with 64-bit architecture, M11 motion coprocessor
Apple A10 Fusion with 64-bit architecture, M10 motion coprocessor
RAM
2GB
2GB
Connectivity
4G LTE, GSM, CDMA, HSPA+, 802.11ac/b/g/n/ac Wi-Fi
4G LTE, GSM, CDMA, HSPA+, 802.11ac/b/g/n/ac Wi-Fi
Camera
12MP rear with OIS, 7MP front
12MP rear with OIS, 7MP front
Video
4K at 60fps, 1080p at 240fps,
4K at 30fps, 1080p at 30 or 60fps, 720p at 240fps
Bluetooth
Yes, version 5
Yes, version 4.2
Fingerprint sensor
Yes
Yes
Other sensors
Barometer, gyro, accelerometer, proximity sensor, compass, ambient light sensor
Barometer, 3-axis gyro, accelerometer, proximity sensor, ambient light sensor
Water Resistant
Yes, IP67
Yes, IP67
Battery
1,821mAh
1,960mAh
Charger
Lightning
Lightning
Quick Charging
Yes
No
Wireless Charging
Yes
No
Marketplace
Apple App Store
Apple App Store
Color offerings
Gold, Silver, Space Grey
Rose Gold, Gold, Silver, Black, Jet Black
Availability

AT&T, Verizon, Sprint, T-Mobile

AT&T, Verizon, Sprint, T-Mobile

Price
$700
$550
DT Review
Hands-on
3.5 out of 5 stars

The biggest upgrade in the iPhone 8 is the new A11 Bionic chip. It offers a 30-percent efficiency boost and a 50-percent performance boost, at least when compared to the iPhone 7’s A10 chip according to Apple. That’s a significant upgrade, though we’re unsure how often you’ll feel the difference, because we’ve never found the iPhone 7 lacking in terms of processing power. It should be discernibly faster, but it may be a case of future-proofing for some of the more demanding apps and games to come (especially with augmented reality apps).

In terms of RAM, Apple rarely lists it as a spec, and we assume the two phones both pack 2GB, which is adequate for running iOS. There’s still a debate about how much RAM a smartphone needs, but it’s certainly not a differentiator here.

One welcome improvement for the base model of the iPhone 8 is the storage capacity. It comes in 64GB and 256GB configurations. The iPhone 7 comes with 32GB, 128GB, or 256GB.

Winner: iPhone 8

Design, display, and durability

You’re going to have to look very closely to see any differences in the design of these two phones. The most obvious change is that Apple has switched to a glass back for the iPhone 8. It is also 10 grams heavier and fractionally bigger in all directions, but the dimensions are close enough that iPhone 7 cases will still fit the iPhone 8.

At 4.7-inches, the displays in the iPhone 7 and 8 are among the smallest around, but we’re still a little disappointed that Apple has stuck with a 1,334 × 750-pixel resolution. Both phones support 3D Touch and a wide color gamut, the only change with the iPhone 8 is that it has a True Tone display, which will adjust to your environment for the ideal color tone.

When it comes to durability, both phones are IP67-rated, so they can take a dunk in up to a meter of water for 30 minutes and emerge unscathed. Apple says the glass backing on the iPhone 8 is durable, but we’d imagine it will still be more likely to break than the metal back found on the iPhone 7.

The classier look of the glass back and the slight display improvement are enough for the iPhone 8 to claim a slim win here.

Winner: iPhone 8

Battery life and charging

It’s just as well that the newest A11 chip is supposed to be 30-percent more power efficient than its predecessor, because Apple has reduced the battery size in the iPhone 8. It sports a 1,821mAh battery, compared to the 1,960mAh battery in the iPhone 7. Apple claims that it should last just about as long as the battery found in the iPhone 7, but we’ll have to test it to be sure.

There are a couple of notable improvement here, though. First, the iPhone 8 supports fast-charging, meaning you can charge the battery up 50 percent in just 30 minutes. That’s a major boost over the iPhone 7. The iPhone 8 also supports wireless charging and will work with any wireless charging pad that supports the Qi standard. This is the double benefit of having a glass back.

Winner: iPhone 8

Camera

On paper, there’s little difference between the cameras on the iPhone 8 and the cameras on the iPhone 7. We’re still talking about a 12-megapixel main shooter, and a 7-megapixel front-facing camera. The main cameras here are overshadowed by the dual-lens offerings in the 7 Plus, 8 Plus, and iPhone X.

Apple says the iPhone 8 camera is slightly better than the iPhone 7 camera, given it sports a larger and faster sensor, one that’s capable of capturing more light. The iPhone 8 is also able to shoot 4K video at 60 frames per second, while the iPhone 7 is limited to 30 fps. It wins in slow-motion as well, as you can now capture video at 240 fps in crisp 1080p.

Winner: iPhone 8

Software

The iPhone 8 ships with iOS 11, but iPhone 7 owners can upgrade to Apple’s latest platform and receive all the same benefits. There isn’t really anything to divide these two phones in the software department. Check out our iOS 11 tips and tricks to find out what it can do.

Winner: Tie

Price and availability

The 64GB version of the iPhone 8 costs $700, and the 256GB model will run you $850. You can also currently buy it on-contract through each of the major carriers in the U.S. — check out our iPhone 8 buying guide for all the details.

Apple always drops the price of older iPhones when a new one comes along, and such is the case with the introduction of the iPhone 8. The 32GB version of the iPhone 7 now starts at $550, and you can get the 128GB version for $650. Once again, it’s available through all the major U.S. carriers on contract deals. You can also buy both phones from Apple SIM-free and unlocked.

If you’re looking to save a few bucks, the iPhone 7 looks like a good deal and even the 128GB version, which touts double the storage capacity, is cheaper than the base model of the iPhone 8.

Winner: iPhone 7

Overall winner: iPhone 8

We know that all you iPhone 7 owners don’t want to hear this, but the iPhone 8 really isn’t enough of a jump to make it a worthwhile upgrade. The most notable improvement is the processor, but, honestly, we think it will be a while before you’ll feel the benefit of that. The rest of the improvements are simply too minor to merit the extra expense.

If you’re currently shopping for a new iPhone and it boils down to these two, then we would certainly pick the iPhone 8, partly to future-proof and partly to get the speedier charging and support for wireless charging. If you want to experience the best Apple can do, however, you should be looking at the iPhone X or the iPhone 8 Plus.