AT&T is making an Android-powered DirecTV streaming hub

AT&T might not rely solely on other companies’ devices to pipe DirecTV Now and other forms of internet-only video into your home. Variety has unearthed a new FCC filing for an Android TV-powered set-top box dubbed the “AT&T/DirecTV Wireless 4K OTT Client.” Just rolls off the tongue, doesn’t it? The hardware isn’t much to look at, but the manual talks about a voice-guided remote with touchpad as well as full access to Google Play. In other words, this is really a general-purpose Android media player that happens to be focused on services like DirecTV. You could just as easily use it to watch Hulu or Netflix, if that’s your inclination. And no, there’s no connectors to plug into DirecTV’s satellite services.

Filings like this don’t reveal release dates or other launch details, but the appearance of external photos and a manual usually means that a debut isn’t too far off. Variety’s suggestion of a CES 2018 launch is plausible, if just because TV giants regularly use the January event to talk about set-top boxes. Either way, it’s entirely logical that AT&T would get into the media hub market. It’s no stranger to offering self-branded devices that showcase its services, and its current approach makes it somewhat beholden to other companies. The Apple TV isn’t going to ship with DirecTV Now pre-installed any time soon. This gives AT&T more independence when offering internet-only video in the living room, and helps it prepare for a day when many of its customers aren’t watching conventional TV.

Via: Variety

Source: FCC ID

Amazon takes aim at Staples with two-day shipping on office supplies

Free shipping is a big reason many of us are Amazon Prime members. Now, businesses looking to save on shipping costs for office supplies will be able to do the same. The company just announced the launch of its new Business Prime Shipping service in the US and Germany. In the US, multiple users from a registered Amazon Business account can take advantage of free two-day shipping. There’s a 30-day free trial if you want to try it out, too.

Amazon has been looking for new ways to operate, like expanding its retail footprint to real-life businesses like Kohl’s and Whole Foods. This new free shipping option for business members makes a lot of sense; it puts Amazon squarely up against office supply retailers like Office Depot and Staples, as well as big box stores like Sam’s Club and Costco.

The new membership scales according to the size of your business, with annual memberships coming in at $500 for up to 10 users, $1300 for up to 100 users and $10,100 for more than that. Once you’ve chosen a tier, everyone on your business account will be notified of the new free shipping options, and any new users will be added automatically. “Business Prime Shipping enables businesses with multiple users to further simplify their procurement procedures and increasingly rely on Amazon Business to deliver,” said Amazon VP Prentis Wilson in a statement. “Customers can now get unlimited fast delivery across their organization on a vast selection of products while maintaining increased visibility on their business purchases.”

Via: TechCrunch

Source: Amazon

Apple Acquires Wireless Charging Company PowerbyProxi

Apple recently purchased PowerbyProxi, a company that designs wireless power solutions, reports New Zealand website Stuff. Apple’s senior vice president of hardware engineering Dan Riccio told Stuff that the PowerbyProxi team will be a “great addition as Apple works to create a wireless future.”

“We want to bring truly effortless charging to more places and more customers around the world,” Riccio added.

PowerbyProxi was founded in 2007 to develop wireless charging technology that lets people charge smartphones and other devices without requiring a cord. PowerbyProxi has developed the Proxi-Module, a modular wireless power system that can adapt and integrate into a wide variety of products and situations, delivering up to 100 watts of power to devices like drones and robots.

The Proxi-Module, which features a modular, waterproof design that lets it adapt to a range of use cases, is said to offer the highest power density of any solution on the market with an end to end efficiency of 91 percent, offering “unprecedented performance” with reduced power and heat losses.

PowerbyProxi has also been working on the development of the Wireless Power Consortium’s future Qi wireless charging standard and has received accolades and funding for its work. Apple is also a member of the Wireless Power Consortium as of February 2017.

In a statement, PowerbyProxi founder Fady Mishriki said his team is “thrilled” to be joining Apple.

“The team and I are thrilled to join Apple. There is tremendous alignment with our values, and we are excited to continue our growth in Auckland and contribute to the great innovation in wireless charging coming out of New Zealand.”

Apple in September unveiled the iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, and iPhone X, and all three new devices are equipped with Qi-based wireless charging capabilities that allow them to charge from Qi-certified wireless chargers.

Apple is already developing its own wireless charging mat that can charge the iPhone, the Apple Watch, and the AirPods at the same time, and with the addition of PowerbyProxi, Apple could expand into a range of other charging accessories for both home and retail use.

It’s not clear how much Apple paid to purchase PowerbyProxi, nor did Dan Riccio elaborate on how the PowerbyProxi technology will be used by Apple in the future.

Tags: wireless charging, Apple acquisition, Qi, Wireless Power Consortium
Discuss this article in our forums

Sam Smith Documentary ‘On the Record’ Coming to Apple Music on November 3

Apple Music is getting another exclusive documentary, this time starring Sam Smith. “On The Record,” Smith’s documentary, will be released on November 3 on Apple Music alongside Smith’s newest album, “The Thrill of It All.”

According to Variety, the documentary focuses on the success of Smith’s debut album “On the Lonely Hour” and how it impacted his life, his work, and his newest album. The film will include performances and interviews with producers Timbaland, Poo Bear, and Smith’s cowriter Jimmy Napes.

Smith also plans to host a special event for fans in London in partnership with Apple Music on November 3 to celebrate the launch of the album and the documentary.

We’re going behind the scenes with @samsmithworld to celebrate #TheThrillOfItAll with a special film.
Watch 11/3, only on Apple Music. pic.twitter.com/MAzmdt7i6k

— Apple Music (@AppleMusic) October 24, 2017

The location of the show has not yet been announced, but Apple is accepting applications for tickets for the event. Apple also plans to live stream the November 3 show so Sam Smith fans around the world can watch it.

Tag: Apple Music
Discuss this article in our forums

iOS 11 Bug: Typing 1+2+3 Quickly in the Calculator App Won’t Get You 6

A bug in the built-in Calculator app in iOS 11 is getting some major attention this week, despite the fact that it’s been around since iOS 11 was in beta testing.

At issue is a calculator animation that causes some symbols to be ignored when calculations are entered in rapid succession. You can try it for yourself: Type 1+2+3 and then the equals sign into the Calculator app quickly.

Due to animation lag introduced when adding two or more numbers together, your result is more likely to be 24 than 6.

The same goes for many other calculations — the Calculator ignores some inputs unless you’re entering numbers slowly enough to account for the light-up button animations that highlight the keys that are being pressed. Symbols do not register when tapped while a number button is still highlighted, resulting in incorrect calculations if you’re inputting numbers quickly. Reddit user cplr describes the problem:

Any iOS developers will see what is wrong here: the bug is that the animation that lights up the button is blocking touch events until the animation completes. This is the default behavior for animations, but to make an app feel responsive it’s best to find a way around that (it can be a one line fix, but sometimes it is complicated).

There are hundreds of complaints about the problem on reddit this week, but it’s an issue that’s been discussed on the MacRumors forums since the iOS 11 beta testing period. Throughout the beta testing process, the animation lag was not addressed, nor has it been fixed in any of the iOS 11 updates released so far. It’s also still present in iOS 11.1.

Some users have experienced similar issues when using older versions of iOS, but the animation lag is noticeable enough in iOS 11 to make the Calculator nearly unusable when attempting to make rapid calculations.

Apple seem to be aware of the issue, because as The Loop points out, Apple employee Chris Espinoza says more than 70 people have filed a Radar report on the bug, alerting Apple to the problem. With it receiving so much attention, we could potentially see a Calculator fix in the next iOS 11 update.

In case you’re tempted to write a Radar on this, 70+ people have beaten you to it. https://t.co/xrMwJHqHiH

— Chris Espinosa (@cdespinosa) October 24, 2017

In the meantime, iOS users who need a reliable alternative can use third-party apps like Calcbot and PCalc.

Related Roundup: iOS 11
Discuss this article in our forums

Mophie vs. RavPower vs. Belkin: Who has the best wireless charging pad?

Sure, wireless charging has been around for years, but Apple only added the technology to its very newest devices. By incorporating a glass back into the design of the iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, and iPhone X, users can now ditch the Lightning cable in exchange for the clear convenience of a charging pad.

With the introduction of wireless charging for iPhones comes the influx of a slew of wireless chargers. It can be difficult to figure out which one actually works to the best of its ability. To help make it easier, we tested out three top wireless charging pads with the iPhone 8.

Wireless charging with the iPhone 8

For each charger, we used the respective wall adapter and a wall outlet as our power source. All three have a 7.5-watt output and support the Qi standard … but the iPhone 8 currently accepts only 5 watts of power from wireless charging. You’ll see manufacturers touting the higher value, but at present, using a charging pad capable of pushing 7.5 watts doesn’t mean your iPhone will charge any quicker than it would with a standard power cable.

Regardless, Apple does plan on releasing the ability for its iPhones to charge at 7.5 watts in an upcoming iOS update — so it’s worth planning for the future and figuring out which wireless charger you’d like to go with.

Of all three of the wireless charging pads mentioned below, both Mophie and Belkin have worked closely with Apple — but Mophie says it has the most efficient charger. Let’s see which one came out on top.

Specs and performance test

Mophie Wireless Charging Base
RavPower Alpha Series Fast Charge Wireless Charging Pad

Belkin BoostUp Wireless Charging Pad

Dimensions
0.45 × 3.82 × 3.82 inches
 3.5 × 3.5 × 0.6 inches
 7.5 × 1.75 × 5.5 inches
Weight
4.37g (124g)
N/A
N/A
Max Power Output
 7.5W
 10W (for Android devices)
 7.5W
Standard
 Qi
 Qi
 Qi
Cable included?
 Yes
 Yes
 Yes
AC Adapter included?
 Yes
Yes
 Yes
Thermal protection sensor?
Yes
Yes
Yes
Foreign-object-detection sensor?
Yes
Yes
Yes
Reached 50 percent at:
1 hour and 27 minutes
 1 hour and 15 minutes
 1 hour and 51 minutes
Total time to 100 percent:
3 hours and 12 minutes
2 hours and 36 minutes
3 hours and 53 minutes

Mophie Wireless Charging Base ($60)

On the outside, the Mophie is a sleek-looking puck-shaped charger with a rubberized finish. A thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) coating covers it entirely, which allows you to drop your iPhone on the charger without having to worry about scratching or damaging the glass back. On the bottom, there’s an LED light to indicate the device is charging. Measuring in at 0.45 × 3.82 × 3.82 inches and weighing 4.37 ounces, it’s small enough to throw in your bag or backpack for use on-the-go.

The iPhone 8 began charging at 2 PM, and after three minutes it powered up at four percent. By 3 PM, it was halfway charged at 50 percent. By 5 PM, the device was at 100 percent — which means it took about three hours to fully charge the device. The rubber coating did keep the device from sliding around, and we didn’t feel like the charger itself was going to slide off the desk.

When using a wireless charger, it’s important to pay attention to how you place your phone down. Even though one of the pros to the Mophie is that it’s small and easy to carry around, this also means there’s more room for the iPhone to hang off and not line up on the charger correctly. We didn’t have any issues placing it down, but because the LED light is placed at the bottom of the device it’s not as easy to see that it’s charging at a glance.

Fail-safe circuitry recognizes when your phone is fully charged to prevent it from overcharging, Mophie claims. This also means it controls temperature to prevent your iPhone from overheating. You can charge your iPhone with a case on, which is nice, as long as it’s no thicker than 3 millimeters — otherwise it might not work. But it is compatible with any of Mophie’s wireless charging cases.

RAVPower Alpha Series Fast Charge Wireless Charging Pad ($42)

The RavPower Wireless Fast Charging Pad is the smallest of all three wireless chargers we tried, measuring in at 3.5 × 3.5 × 0.6 inches. Along the perimeter, there’s a silicone anti-skid design to make sure your phone doesn’t slide. On the front, there’s a multi-purpose smart indicator that lights up. Depending on the color, it will alert you of your current battery status — which will then automatically shut off after turning solid for a few seconds once your phone is fully charged.

With the iPhone 8, RavPower took the least amount of time to charge completely. We started at 1:30 PM with a drained battery and were at 50 percent by 2:40 PM. By 4 PM the device was at 100 percent which — only two and a half hours overall. Although it’s a small detail, we also noticed it took only two minutes for the iPhone to power up after connecting to the charging pad where the Mophie and Belkin took four minutes.

Since it’s extremely small, you’ll have to pay extra attention to lining up your phone in the middle of the pad. And beware, the silicone material is definitely a magnet for dust, and you might find yourself cleaning it often. But it took up the least room on our desk and was light enough that it didn’t feel heavy in our bag. We especially liked the rugged feel to the USB to Micro USB cable, which felt like it would last much longer than standard cables. The RavPower also includes over-current, over-temperature, and over-voltage protection.

Belkin BoostUp Wireless Charging Pad ($60)

When it comes to design, the BoostUp is larger than the other two chargers we tested — coming in at 7.5 × 1.75 × 5.5 — but is still capable of fitting inside your bag. While the charger itself has a sleek and circular design, the wall adapter is bulky and not very comfortable to carry around. But it’s still removable for easier storage. Similar to the Mophie, the Belkin BoostUp has a non-slip surface on both the top and the bottom, with plastic surrounding the outer sides of it.

When we charged our iPhone 8 with the BoostUp, we started at 11:00 AM from zero percent and reached 50 percent by 1 PM. Once it hit 3 PM, the phone was completely charged at 100 percent. Overall, the Belkin took about four hours to charge our device fully. We did like the larger space to be able to drop our phone down, knowing there was extra room to line up correctly and charge. The LED indicator is also in a spot on the front that’s easy to see without having to lift up the charger or move it.

While it’s not too large, it’s still much bigger than the RavPower and Mophie, which makes it more suitable to keep at home. Plus it has an extremely sleek look that looks more aesthetically pleasing. As with the previous two chargers we tested, the Belkin has foreign-object detection and a thermal protection sensor to keep your device safe.  But in comparison to the Mophie and RavPower chargers, not only did it take longer to charge, but it’s on the pricier side at $60. With it also being bulkier — both the charging pad and AC adapter — it’s a lot to carry at once if you’re looking for one that’s more portable.

Winner: RAVPower Alpha Series Fast Charge Wireless Charging Pad

Of all three wireless chargers, the RavPower wireless charging pad was our favorite. It includes all of the same features as the Mophie and Belkin with a non-slip coating, LED light indicator, and fail-safe circuitry to protect the device. But it also charges the quickest, is the easiest to transport, and has an unbeatable price at $42. The Ravpower’s 10 watt max power output appears to tap into Apple’s promised faster charging speeds. We have reached out to Apple and RAVpower for more info and will update this post if we learn more.

In the meantime, if it charges this quickly with the iPhone 8’s 5-watt intake, the Ravpower unit could only be quicker when Apple rolls out its update. You can purchase the RavPower wireless charging pad on Amazon.

We will update this review when Apple releases its iOS update with 7.5-watt charging capabilities.

Editor’s Recommendations

• iPhone 8 Plus vs. Google Pixel XL: How do the two flagship phablets differ?
• iPhone 8 Plus vs. iPhone 7 Plus: Should you upgrade?
• iPhone 8 vs. iPhone 7: Time for an upgrade?
• iPhone X vs. iPhone 8 vs. iPhone 8 Plus: What are the differences?
• Apple finally embraces wireless charging with new iPhones, AirPower charging mat

Samsung patent filing reveals interest in a dual wireless charging mat

Why it matters to you

Looking for a way to more easily charge your devices? Samsung may be working on its own dual wireless charging pad.

Apple made some pretty big headlines a few months ago when it announced that the iPhone would adopt wireless charging and that it was developing a charging pad that could charge multiple devices, to be called AirPower, but it’s not the only company working on wireless charging tech — Samsung may be working on developing the tech, too.

That’s according to a patent leak which was picked up by Patently Mobile, and that describes a “Dual Wireless Charging Pad” that will presumably work much like the AirPower charging pad — offering the ability to charge multiple devices at a time. That’s different from today’s wireless charging technology, which only allows for one device to be charged at a time.

According to the patent, the charging pad will make use of both inductive and resonate wireless charging — both of which work with the Qi standard of wireless charging. Not only that, but the pad could use inductive charging for one device and resonate charging for another, according to the patent filing. What that means is that the charging pad could be used to charge any Qi-compatible device — not just Samsung’s devices. That’s good news for those looking for a decent charging pad for more than one device.

By the looks of it, the charging pad will feature a puck-shaped design similar to its previous charging pads, only boasting enough room to charge two phones or to charge a phone and a watch.

We don’t yet know when Samsung plans on launching the wireless charging pad, and because we only have a patent it’s entirely possible that it won’t ever be released. Still, if we had to speculate, it would make sense for Samsung to launch it in an effort to compete with Apple, and it would make sense for it to launch alongside the Samsung Galaxy S9.

Many expect wireless charging to become much more prominent in mobile technology over the next few years, and while Android manufacturers have been taking advantage of it for some time now, nothing puts a technology into consumer consciousness like adoption by Apple. Of course, we’re still hoping that wireless charging tech gets better, such as what we’ve seen from companies like Energous.

Editor’s Recommendations

• Tablet maker Gamevice sues Nintendo, alleges Switch design violates patent
• Apple vs. Qualcomm: Everything you need to know
• Apple and Samsung are entering another round in their patent battle
• Amazon delivery drones may dock on trains and ships, patent shows
• Blackberry settles all lawsuits with Blu, reaches a patent licensing deal

Of course the world needs this noise-canceling fork that masks noodle slurping

Why it matters to you

A noise cancelling fork is the latest smart home product you didn’t know you needed, drowning out slurping noises when eating ramen.

We’ve all been annoyed by a someone slurping their soup or ramen before, but chances are you’ve never thought someone would create a product that serves as a solution for this vile sound. Well, we’re happy to announce that a Japanese instant-noodle titan Nissin has stepped up and created a noise-canceling fork designed to drown out the sounds from slurping ramen and other noodles.

 The Otohiko, as it’s called, is a ramen utensil that’s designed to create a bridge between the “cultural friction” that exists among cultures that allow slurping and cultures that don’t.

To illustrate this friction, Nissin rolled out a video that features three Japanese people sitting across from a group of Westerners at a table. One of the Japanese men — a businessman wearing a suit — offers a cup of ramen to the Westerners.

The Westerners start eating the ramen quietly, enjoying their treat. The Japanese then start eating their own ramen, making slurping noises while consuming them. The Westerners find the sound off-putting — which kicks off a series of events that ultimately lead to the creation of the Otohiko fork.

Nissin says it collected vast amounts of data by recording slurping noises while people ate ramen noodles. The company then mined the data from the recordings to identify the key elements of the slurping sound.

Then came Otohiko: a fork that looks vaguely like an electric toothbrush, and is equipped with a highly directional microphone that recognizes the slurping noise. A signal is sent to the device, which immediately emits a loud, electronic noise that sounds like waves washing ashore combined with futuristic space sounds.

Nissin has started a crowdfunding campaign for the Otohiko fork in which the company will start manufacturing the product if more than 5,000 people pre-order the noise-cancelling ramen fork. It will retail for 14,800 JPY (US$130) per fork.

Although many of us in the Western world do not understand the slurping of ramen noodles, the Japanese argue that slurping is the right way to consume them as you can draw out more of the flavors in the noodles. In fact, slurping is encouraged in Japanese restaurants as it is considered the polite way of consuming noodles. Burping, however, is discouraged.

Editor’s Recommendations

• Bowers and Wilkins PX hands-on review
• ASTI LectroFan Kinder sings soothing sounds that serenade you to sleep
• The new Bose QC 35 II shut the world out to let Google’s Assistant in
• The Beats Studio3 Wireless will drown out the world for days
• Sony’s parade of IFA audio gear includes noise-canceling true wireless earbuds

Instagram now lets you livestream with a friend

Instagram is continuously adding more and more features to its app to make sharing your moments as fun and easy as possible, and while it can feel bloated at times, some of the updates are actually pretty neat. Instagram is now rolling out version 20 of its official application, and the big new feature this time around is the ability to livestream with a friend.

When hosting a livestream on Instagram, you’ll now see a new “Add” icon near the bottom right. Tapping on this will bring up a menu of people you can choose to go live with (people that are watching your livestream), and once you select the person you’d like to join you, they’ll receive an invite to livestream right along with you.

Once your friend joins, your screen will split in two to show your stream on one half and your friend’s on the other. Your friend can leave whenever they’d like, and you also have the option to remove them and invite someone else. Also, if someone that you follow goes live and someone else joins their stream, you’ll see both of their profile photos next to each other so you can see exactly who’s livestreaming with who.

Instagram first started testing this feature back in August of this year, so while it isn’t a big surprise, it’s still one we’re happy to see. I personally haven’t jumped on the livestream bandwagon yet, but I imagine people that have will be ecstatic to play around with something like this.

Instagram taking new steps to reduce offensive and spammy comments using machine learning

Vimeo and Livestream reveal their new Mevo Plus live event camera

Following Vimeo’s acquisition of live video streaming platform Livestream earlier this month, the two are joining forces to debut the Mevo Plus — a smartphone-controlled live event camera that’s small enough to fit in your pocket.

The acquisition was announced in September and was finalized just last week, and its clear the companies didn’t want to wait long to unveil their first post-integration product, Mevo Plus. Mevo Plus is the newest iteration of Livestream’s Mevo, and is a pocket-sized camera meant for recording live events and streaming them directly to Vimeo Live, Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and Periscope.

While the new version includes all recent Mevo software updates (such as electronic image stabilization, Full HD 1080p streaming, and 4K recording), Mevo Plus is also said to feature the following:

• Stronger Wi-Fi performance: Mevo Plus is equipped with a powerful new 802.11ac Wi-Fi chip as well as Bluetooth 4.1, giving users optimal wireless connectivity so they can broadcast seamlessly.
• Faster transmission, increased range of use and less interference: Mevo Plus’ 2×2 MIMO antennas allow for faster data transmission speeds, strengthened connectivity in noisy environments and increased connection range.

Users operate Mevo Plus using the Mevo app on their smartphone, giving them full television studio-like control over what they capture. The app offers users a wide array of editing options, allowing them to cut, pan, and zoom between multiple live shots. Thanks to face detection technology and advanced scene analysis power, users can also choose to utilize Mevo’s autopilot mode, which will choose the most interesting shot and edit the footage for them.

Vimeo CEO Anjali Sud sang the praises of the new Mevo in a statement:

Mevo Plus is a remarkable tool that puts the power of a TV studio in your pocket, and is the first camera that integrates directly with the Vimeo platform. We are excited to launch deeper integrations in the coming months that will make live event production infinitely easier.”

Mevo Plus is priced at $499.99 for the camera alone (or $799.96 in a bundle with a Mevo Boost, case and tripod) and is currently available for purchase on the Mevo site. You can also get the first generation Memo camera while supplies last for $299.99.

See at Amazon