Delta phone app automatically checks you in for your flight

Modern air travel is full of hassles, but one of the most arbitrary is the check-in. Why do I have to manually confirm that I’m flying when I’ve already paid for tickets and chosen seats? A few airlines around the world have eliminated that drudgery, but now it’s coming to a major American airline. Delta has updated its iOS app (there’s no update for its Android equivalent yet) with automatic check-in — you’ll get your boarding passes 24 hours before takeoff. In theory, the days of frantic last-minute check-ins are over.

There are some questions, though. What happens if you want to change seats, or you realize you don’t need to check bags after all? We’ve asked Delta for answers, but there is a chance that this could create problems for travelers who need to make last-minute changes. Even so, it’s easy to see this feature spreading. This makes traveling a bit less painful if you’re just confirming your original flight choices, and airline staff can breathe easier knowing they’ll see fewer people scrambling to check in at the airport.

Ooh, nicely done, @Delta! This is the future! Cc @ZachHonig @JTGenter @RenesPoints pic.twitter.com/2Ix5ACVW2T

— Flight Wonk (@FlightWonk) October 12, 2017

Via: The Verge, The Points Guy, Time

Source: App Store

EA rebuffs ‘pay to win’ loot criticism of ‘SW Battlefront 2’

A day after the beta for the extended Star Wars Battlefront 2 beta ended, Electronic Arts thanked the “millions” of fans who participated and asked them to keep sending feedback as developer DICE tinkers with the game before its release on November 17th. But it seems they’ve already got a few changes in mind that the giant studio listed in a blog post — along with an extensive clarification of how the contentious loot crate system will work in the final version of the game.

The publisher noted that they’re considering changing the small-team Strike mode to best-of-three matches, toning down the Specialist’s close-quarters Infiltration ability and tuning up the First Order Flametrooper’s ‘firepower.’ While the beta had rewarded players that stuck together with bonus points, EA is also thinking about adding further rewards users in a spawn wave.

The randomized loot crates, of course, were another sticky issue, and EA carefully explained how they’ll differ in the full version of the game:

• There are many things you can earn in the game, including weapons, attachments, credits, Star Cards, Emotes, Outfits and Victory Poses.
• As a balance goal, we’re working towards having the most powerful items in the game only earnable via in-game achievements.
• Crates will include a mix of of Star Cards, Outfits, Emotes or Victory Poses.
• Players earn crates by completing challenges and other gameplay milestones, or by purchasing them with in-game credits or Crystals, our premium currency.
• If you get a duplicate Star Card in a crate, you will get crafting parts which you can then use to help upgrade the Star Card of your choice.
• And lastly, you have to earn the right to be able to upgrade Star Cards and unlock most Weapons. You can only upgrade or unlock them if you have reached a high enough rank, which is determined by playing the game.

EA also promised a deeper progression system than that found in the public beta. Perhaps more importantly, they stated in the post that the game won’t have Season Passes — all extra content will be free, with an “evolving, event-driven live service” for future releases. While that’s a bit unclear, opening content up for everyone (and presumably relying on microtransactions for sustainment revenue) instead of gating off the playerbase between DLC purchases certainly keeps a game’s community together.

Via: Windows Central

Source: Electronic Arts

Apple Maps Transit Directions Now Available in Taiwan

Apple recently updated its Maps app to add transit directions and data for Taiwan, one of the locations where hints of transit support surfaced months ago.

Maps users in Taiwan can now select public transportation routes when navigating across the country, with transit options available in Taipei, Kaohsiung, and other cities.

Support is available for the Taiwan Railway and Taiwan High Speed Rail, as well as for city-specific transit options like the Kaohsiung Mass Rapid Transit and Taipei Metro.

Transit directions were first added to Apple Maps in 2015 as part of iOS 9. At launch, transit information was only available in a handful of cities, but Apple has been working hard to expand the feature to additional locations. Transit information is now live in dozens of cities and countries around the world, with a full list available on Apple’s iOS 11 Feature Availability website.

(Thanks, Benjamén!)

Tags: Apple Maps, transit, Taiwan
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Fender Monterey review

We’re celebrating ten years of AndroidGuys with a ton of giveaways!

As one of the first Bluetooth speakers to come from Fender, the Monterey is the larger counterpart to the Newport (Read our review of the Fender Newport). Like its brethren, it looks every bit like a guitar amp with a design that looks right at home on stage. You’d expect to see something like this at a rock concert, but it’s designed for personal use at home.

It’s big and heavy; don’t look for an easy way to lug this one around. There’s no carrying handle on the speaker, something we figured we’d miss. But, once in place, with a record player, we found its permanent home. This is a set it and forget it kind of experience.

While it does have a traditional guitar amplifier design, it is also feels entirely new and modern. It is actually unlike anything else on the market. The cloth grille and faux leather stand out and fit nicely with today’s other speakers.

There are three modes of audio input: RCA, Bluetooth, and 3.5mm auxiliary. The power cord is the big standard AC plug that you might see with a computer or monitor. There are no USB ports for charging up; this does not have an internal battery. The Fender Newport, for its part, offers the ability to charge a phone on the go.

Features

• 120-watt Bluetooth® speaker
• Quad-driver system: two woofers, two tweeters
• 33-foot+ Bluetooth range; mic with echo cancellation
• 3.5mm auxiliary input jack
• RCA connectors for preamp-equipped turntables

The Fender Monterey is a fun speaker to touch and run your fingers over, adjusting volume, bass, and treble channels our wannabe rock star. The power light, and its switch, are a very cool touch that aren’t necessary at all, however we loved them.

Turn the speaker on and you are greeted with guitar noises and notifications. They’re gentle and “country” like and alert you much like any other Bluetooth speaker. Toggling modes is as simple as pressing one of two tiny square buttons. The other button is used for pairing over Bluetooth.

This speaker wants to be looked at just as much as it wants to be heard. If you want a conversation piece or something that changes up a room’s decor, start here. And why not? it truly does resemble a 1968 amplifier.

As for sound, well, we were equally impressed. We found that in an office suite environment we didn’t want to push it beyond a level 3 of 10. In down time, and when others have left for the day, we enjoyed getting into 6 or 7 but never felt the need to go louder.

We also like being able to adjust the bass and treble levels. Using the familiar mushroom cap knobs, it’s a matter of dialing in from 1-10. It’s also worth noting that there’s a toggle on the back that enables and disables these equalizer settings. Should you have an audio source with its own settings, you can turn the Fender’s off and on based on your inputs.

Were the speaker more portable we could very well see us taking it to parties or setting it up for a day in the back yard. And, even though there’s no handle, we will likely do that when the weather breaks again. Overall, given the lengthy RCA inputs and 3.5mm cord, this is the sort of setup that you’ll want to keep pretty permanent.

The wooden speaker enclosure gives your music an excellent, warm, sound. Whether it was rock, electronic, or spoken word, the Monterey delivers a natural sound, both with and without equalizer settings.

Conclusion

At $350 the Fender Monterey prices itself out of range for casual users or those who looking for a decent Bluetooth experience. There are plenty of less expensive models that deliver a similar sound and which might also offer internal batteries or water resistance. But, music aficionados, or Fender brand enthusiasts will love the speaker.

For the money you get a speaker that has a great level of attention and love put into it. The Monterey is solid all the way through, with fine craftsmanship that results in a superior sound.

We love the multiple inputs and have come to set up our office around the speaker. The turntable has been moved to a more central location and we’re only too happy to bring the vinyl to work. We’ve come to listen to a wide variety of music, from an also wide selection of sources.

Is it worth the full $350 price? For most people this will be a hard one to say yes. Get it close to $300 and it’s a totally different ballgame. We have recommended this one to everyone we’ve encountered and left the decision up to them. But, even in cases where we know that they’ll turn up their nose at the cost, we’re still eager to let them listen — and drool.

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Sony Xperia XZ1 review: same ol’ Sony

While other companies have adopted Quad HD displays, dual cameras, and close to bezel-less designs, Sony is sticking to its guns and continues to create smartphones the way it sees fit. Can Sony’s latest, the Xperia XZ1, compete with other flagships while sticking to its tried and tested smartphone formula? Let’s find out in the Sony XZ1 review.

Design

The Xperia XZ1 looks and feels very familiar. It features the same overall boxy, rectangular design Sony has used for years. The XZ1’s design is a slight update, featuring the infinite loop design Sony implemented last year which rounds out the sides for a slightly more rounded look. This loop design now extends to the top and bottom portions of the phone. As a result, the phone can no longer stand vertically on a flat surface on its own.

Sony is definitely trying to update the phone’s look, but the design is starting to get stale. That problem is further exacerbated by the exciting phone designs that we’re currently seeing from the likes of LG, Samsung, Xiaomi, and Apple. Next to the competition, the XZ1 just doesn’t look like a 2017 flagship.

Sony is definitely trying to update the phone’s look, but the design is starting to get stale.

The bezels on the XZ1 are quite thick all around, but especially so along the top and bottom. Sony makes good use of these by including front facing stereo speakers, but the Pixel 2 has proven you don’t need huge bezels for front-facing speakers. All utility aside, they just don’t look very good either.

The build quality on the XZ1 is undoubtedly top-notch, though. The all-metal design feels sturdy, durable, and it doesn’t attract fingerprints, though it isn’t the most comfortable phone to hold.

Display

The XZ1’s display is considerably smaller than most 2017 flagships, thought that could be a positive for some. It’s got a 5.2-inch IPS LCD display with a resolution of 1,920 x 1,080 and Sony’s TRILUMINOS technology. It’s not the biggest or highest resolution screen on the market, but Sony’s smartphone panels have never disappointed and the XZ1 is no exception. The black levels may not compare to an AMOLED panel but the overall quality of the display is quite good.

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Although it’s just becoming more common in smartphone displays, HDR has been a buzzword in the TV industry for several years. But actual TVs — with screen sizes of 65 inches or more practically being …

Color reproduction is pleasant and vibrant. Outdoor visibility even under harsh sunlight was surprisingly very good. Sony’s software also allows for tweaking of the screen’s white balance and there are three different color modes with professional, standard, and super-vivid that will alter the screen’s color gamut and contrast.

Professional mode uses the standard sRGB color gamut and will provide the most realistic colors possible, but it may not be the most eye-catching color mode for everyday use as the colors do appear very flat. Standard mode is the default setting for the display and this ups the vibrancy for a more vivid look and uses Sony’s TRILUMINOS color gamut instead. Super-vivid mode will give the display even more vibrancy but this was my least favorite of the three as the colors feel overly saturated and the heavy amount of contrast made content either look unnatural or overly dark.

The display is also HDR10 certified. This means you’ll be able to enjoy content with better color, clarity, and contrast by services such as Netflix. In fact, the XZ1 was recently added to Netflix’s short list of supported HDR devices.

Performance

Inside, the specs thankfully don’t deviate from most other flagships that we’re seeing in 2017. The XZ1 is being powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 835 processor and the usual 4 GB of RAM. The phone’s got top tier specifications and it shows, performing very well in all aspects. Apps are fast to launch. Swiping and scrolling is smooth and pleasant. Touch responsiveness is great.

The XZ1’s top tier specs perform very well in all aspects.

Heavier tasks such as multitasking and playing graphically demanding games such as Need For Speed: No Limits or Marvel’s Contest of Champions were no problem for the XZ1. They ran very smoothly without any choppiness or dropped frames.

We’ll get more into the software later in the review but Sony always does a great job by keeping the experience lightweight which helps a lot with the phone’s overall smooth performance.

Hardware

In terms of hardware the XZ1 has a lot to offer. For starters the phone comes with 64 GB of internal storage and supports microSD expansion up to an additional 256 GB. Like many Sony phones in years past, the XZ1 is IP68 certified which means the phone can survive submersion in water, the occasional spill, or usage in the rain.

Audiophiles will certainly love what the Xperia XZ1 can do.

Audiophiles will certainly love what the XZ1 can do. The phone has a headphone jack, so you won’t need any adapters for your favorite pair of wired headphones. The XZ1’s dual front-facing stereo speakers are a feature that has somewhat faded away in the current smartphone landscape, but they’re great to see here.

This time around Sony has implemented a “SmartAmp” that supposedly provides 50 percent more sound pressure and less speaker degradation over time. The speakers sound extremely good with excellent clarity and no signs of distortion even at max volume, but they only sound marginally louder over previous Sony flagships. Even the aging Nexus 6P sounds considerably louder.

Thankfully, Sony makes up for this by offering a more impressive headphone experience. If you’re coming from previous Sony phones you’ll already be accustomed to many of the audio features that come on the XZ1, which supports a variety of Hi-Res audio codecs such as LPCM, FLAC, ALAC, and DSD.

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What you need to know about Sony’s LDAC

We’ve been talking a fair bit about Bluetooth audio lately, mostly because consumers and high-end audio companies are making more noise about it than ever before. Be it wireless headsets, hands-free ear pieces, automotive, or …

These options mean you won’t be stuck with the more lossy audio formats used by Spotify, Google Play Music, and Apple Music. However, even if you prefer to stream your music, which many of us do, the XZ1 supports Sony’s DSEE HX technology, which will upscale your lossy audio formats and give you something a little closer to Hi-Res sound. The LDAC codec Sony gifted to Google for Android Oreo is also supported.

Other features that can be found onboard the XZ1 are support for AptX HD audio and Bluetooth 5. One feature you will still not find in the XZ1 (at least if you’re in the U.S.) is a fingerprint sensor, which is pretty disappointing.

Battery

On paper the XZ1’s battery seems equally disappointing. It’s got a 2,700 mAh battery, relatively small compared to other competing flagships with 3,000+ mAh cells. Nevertheless, it still holds up rather well for typical usage. I managed to get 4+ hours of screen-on time when usage is kept to more average tasks such as checking emails, social media, texting, and light web browsing or YouTube.

Heavy gaming or using the 3D Creator app can dramatically reduce the phone’s battery life.

Heavy amounts of gaming or using Sony’s new 3D Creator application can dramatically reduce the phone’s battery life. Using the 3D Creator for extended periods can really heat the phone up, too. Charging the XZ1 at least once in the middle of the day could be necessary for some power users. The XZ1 features fast charging with Qualcomm’s Quick Charge 3.0, so it’s not too much of a hinderance at least.

Camera

The Xperia XZ1 seems to have skipped this year’s dual camera craze. It doesn’t offer dual camera bokeh modes or any fancy video recording tricks, but it is doing a couple of very interesting things that we haven’t seen before in other smartphones. The camera itself is a 19 MP Exmor RS sensor with 5-axis image stabilization, 4K video recording, and slow motion video at 960 frames per second that was first introduced earlier this year with the Xperia XZs.

Sony is dubbing this camera “Motion Eye” because it has predictive capture capabilities that help with capturing unexpected motion. This all happens automatically when the camera senses motion during the picture taking process, such as a car moving or a person running. If the camera detects this it will take three photos before the actual photo is taken, giving you four photos in total (the fourth one being the one you took). You can then review them all and pick which one looks best (or just keep them all). It can also capture unexpected emotions such as a baby randomly smiling but this wasn’t something I was able to test.

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DxOMark scores shouldn’t be your definitive camera rating system

Over the last few years flagship devices have pushed the boundaries of what a mobile camera can offer. Every year sensors have improved and the addition elements like better image stabilization and dual cameras added new shooting …

As gimmicky as this could be, the predictive motion capture capabilities work quite well. I was very impressed with the results and when you pair it with the camera’s predictive hybrid autofocus capabilities you can capture moving subjects rather easily with little to no motion blur.

The biggest standout feature to the XZ1’s camera is the new 3D Creator app that let’s you create 3D scans of people’s faces, food, and other random objects. Not everyone will find this feature useful but having 3D-scanning capabilities on a mobile phone is undeniably impressive. Sony is working hard to give this technology a variety of use cases beyond creating your own 3D GIFs and stickers.

The new 3D Creator app let’s you create 3D scans of people’s faces, food, and other random objects.

Creating a 3D scan is rather simple. You first select whether you want to scan a face, a head, food, or perform a free form scan if the object doesn’t fall into any of those categories. The scanning process is dead simple, but you’ll want to stick to well lit areas for best results. Low light scans often came out looking deformed in my testing.

Once you’ve completed your scan(s) you can back them up so you never lose them, or you can use the scans as a live wallpaper and print them off if you have a 3D printer. If you don’t have a 3D printer you can order a print of your 3D scan through Shapeways and Sculpteo, with whom Sony has partnered. These 3D scans can also be shared on social media and eventually you’ll be able to use 3D scans of yourself as a gaming avatar or insert yourself into a game when those partnerships become available.

Eventually you’ll be able to use 3D scans of yourself as a gaming avatar or insert yourself into a game.

While these new camera tricks are great, ultimately what we care about most is how well the camera takes photos. In well-lit scenarios color reproduction is pleasant without being overly vibrant. There is plenty of sharpness to be had but the camera struggles with dynamic range. Shadows are crushed in virtually every situation causing a lot of detail to be lost and it only gets worse in low light.

Without optical image stabilization, photos don’t always come out with tack sharp focus either. White balance was an issue, as many of my photos came out overly warm or too yellow. The camera also doesn’t do well with highlights as they are typically overexposed with a lot of flaring and streaking effects. Sony’s image processing appears to overly process images in low light which only accentuates the noise and creates artifacts.

If you’re into taking selfies you’ll be much happier with the results as the front facing camera is a 13 MP shooter with f/2.0 aperture. This allows for some high resolution selfies and it’s a wide angle lens so fitting more of the background or other people into the frame isn’t an issue.

Software

Sony’s biggest advantage right now with the XZ1 is with its software. It’s the first Android phone to ship with Android 8.0 Oreo out of the box. This of course means you get all of the improvements of the Oreo update such as new visual tweaks, notification dots, a revamped settings menu, native picture-in-picture, adaptive icons, new auto-fill APIs, and much more.

The XZ1 is the first phone to ship with Android 8.0 Oreo out of the box.

While Sony’s skin on top of Android is very light and doesn’t change much of the aesthetic, it feels very outdated. The skin hasn’t changed in a few versions and, like the XZ1’s external design, it could use a refresh to feel a bit more current.

Otherwise, the software doesn’t offer too much outside of the usual Sony Playstation integration. It’s a relatively bloatware-free experience. If you want Android Oreo on a flagship phone right now, this is currently the only option until the new Pixel phones hit shelves.

Pricing & Final Thoughts

The Xperia XZ1 isn’t available on any U.S. carrier, meaning you’ll have to shell out $700 for it unlocked. It’s also only compatible with GSM networks like T-Mobile and AT&T in the United States. It’s available now through online retailers such as Amazon, BestBuy, and Sony’s own online store. While $700 is a lot of money for an unlocked phone, it’s still easier to stomach than many of the phones approaching the $1,000 mark.

It’s not the cheapest flagship phone, but it’s certainly not the most expensive, either. It offers some nice features like the 3D Creator that differentiate it from other smartphones, but we can’t shake the feeling that this is just more of the same from Sony. While most manufacturers are now going with more forward looking designs, incorporating elements like bezel-less screens and dual cameras, Sony has stuck with the same smartphone formula they’ve used for awhile. It’s getting old.

The addition of Android Oreo out of the box is great but it’s a short term selling point. Sony hasn’t done enough to make the Xperia XZ1 stand out from the pack and only the most diehard of Sony fans will find the XZ1 appealing. For the rest of us, there’s simply better options that offer better value at an equal or lesser cost.

Wirecutter’s best deals: Nikon’s Coolpix B700 Superzoom drops to $350

This post was done in partnership with Wirecutter, reviews for the real world. When readers choose to buy Wirecutter’s independently chosen editorial picks, it may earn affiliate commissions that support its work. Read their continuously updated list of deals here.

You may have already seen Engadget posting reviews from our friends at Wirecutter. Now, from time to time, we’ll also be publishing their recommended deals on some of their top picks. Read on, and strike while the iron is hot — some of these sales could expire mighty soon.

Eufy HomeVac Duo Stick Vacuum

Street price: $100; Deal price: $80

This is a new low price on a vacuum we like in our best stick vacuum guide. The Eufy HomeVac Duo has a pop-out hand vacuum module, thus the Duo name. Usually between $100 and $110, at $80 for the red model, this deal beats the lowest price we’d previously seen by about $5 dollars. Looking for black or white instead? Both are also discounted at $83, a few dollars below the previous low. Shipping is free with Prime.

The Eufy HomeVac Duo is our versatile and affordable pick in our guide to the best stick vacuums. Liam McCabe wrote, “If you want a budget cordless vacuum with more battery life or the ability to pull double duty as a hand vacuum, check out the Eufy HomeVac Duo (formerly known as the Anker HomeVac Duo). Like the Hoover Linx, the Eufy HomeVac Duo can’t compete with the Dyson V6 in cleaning power, but it’s useful for tidying up.”

Nikon Coolpix B700 Superzoom Camera

Street price: $450; Deal price: $350

If you’re looking specifically for a superzoom camera, this is a very solid drop on the Nikon Coolpix B700, our top pick. Usually well over $400, at $350 this is one of the lowest prices we’ve seen for it new and it’s roughly equivalent in price to where we usually see it sold in refurbished condition by a trusted retailer, so grab one while you can. Shipping is free.

The Nikon Coolpix B700 is our top pick in our guide to the best superzoom camera. Ben Keough wrote, “Although none of the models we tested ticked all of the boxes on our checklist, the Nikon Coolpix B700 includes the most important features you could want in a superzoom. In particular, its eye sensor makes switching between the rear screen and the electronic viewfinder a breeze, the articulating rear LCD enables easy off-angle shooting, the raw capture is a great feature for anyone who owns image-processing software, and the impressive lens zooms in to an incredible 1440mm-equivalent focal length, long enough to fill the frame with a building located a mile away. You can find some of the B700’s individual attributes in other superzooms, but no competitors combine them all in a reasonably sized camera body. Ken McMahon of Camera Labs agrees, writing that “there’s very little that compares with the B700 at this price point.”

Aukey USB-C to USB 3.0 Adapter 2-pack

Street price: $10; Deal price: $7 w/ code AUKEYAA1

If you have a computer or peripherals with legacy ports you plan to hold on to, now’s the time to start stocking up on adapters as USB-C is rapidly becoming ubiquitous. Right now, thankfully, you can save on a 2-pack of our recommended nub adapters when you use code AUKEYAA1. The code is valid for a 2-pack in the black or white colors and lowers the price from $10 to $7, matching the previous low we’ve seen. Shipping is free with Prime or a qualifying $25 purchase.

The Aukey USB-C to USB 3.0 Adapter is our top nub adapter pick in our guide to the best USB-C adapters, cables, and hubs. Nick Guy wrote, “Of the models we tested, our favorite nub-style adapter is Aukey’s CB-A1-2, available in a two-pack for less than $10. (If you want just one, there’s also the CB-A1, but having a handful of these around is useful.) The plastic-bodied dongle is a little over an inch from end to end (including its own USB-C plug), about half an inch wide, and barely thicker than the USB plug that you’ll connect to, so you can use two of the adapters side-by-side on a 2016 MacBook Pro, though it’s a tight fit. The CB-A1 is nothing fancy, but it works well, and it’s cheap enough that you could buy a few packs and just leave the adapters attached to the cables and plugs of your legacy peripherals.”

Refurbished DJI Phantom 3 Standard

Street price: $400; Deal price: $314

We’ve been fans of DJI drone refurbs for some time due to the generous warranty, the same offered for DJI drones when purchased new. This refurbished DJI Phantom 3 standard, sold via the Newegg DJI storefront, is available for $314, about as low as we’ve seen the Phantom 3 on sale without a coupon code. While we’ve seen this $314 price a few times, for a beginner, it’s an affordable price for a very capable drone. Shipping is free.

The DJI Phantom Standard is our budget pick in our guide to the best drones. Mike Perlman wrote, “If all you want is something to capture aerial footage on occasion for personal use and social-media sharing, and you don’t need advanced flight features or collision-avoidance technology, you can save several hundred dollars by getting the DJI Phantom 3 Standard. It has all the important core features you need from a video drone, including high-resolution 2.7K video recording, excellent image and flight stabilization, and limited smart-flight modes like Follow Me (tracks and follows a subject) and Point of Interest (encircles a subject while capturing photos and videos). But it doesn’t fold up, it comes with an outdated controller, and it’s limited to a half-mile operating range.”

Because great deals don’t just happen on Thursday, sign up for our daily deals email and we’ll send you the best deals we find every weekday. Also, deals change all the time, and some of these may have expired. To see an updated list of current deals, please go to thewirecutter.com.

Heat and drought led to the largest recorded spike in carbon levels

In 2015 and 2016, NASA’s Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) satellite recorded spikes in the levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration. These were 50 percent larger than expected increases. Now, a series of new studies set to publish tomorrow in Science can tell us why. Eighty percent of the spike, or the equivalent of 2.5 gigatons of carbon, occurred because of natural processes due to drought and high temperatures in South America, Africa and Indonesia.

Specifically, the increase in carbon dioxide was due to the El Nino weather phenomenon, which scientists have long suspected. But they weren’t able to pinpoint the precise mechanisms that led to the carbon dioxide increase until now. A team at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) led by Junjie Liu compared the 2015 data to readings taken in 2011 — a year with a “normal” increase — by the Japanese Greenhouse Gases Observing Satellite to figure it out.

The team found that the temperature and rainfall conditions brought about by El Nino dramatically affected these three regions. In South America, there was severe drought and hotter than normal temperatures because of the weather phenomenon. These conditions led to a lower level of photosynthesis, as trees and plants absorbed less carbon.

During that same time, in Africa, rainfall was normal but temperatures were higher than usual. This led to a higher decomposition rate for trees and plants, which resulted in an increase in carbon emissions. Indonesia also saw a dry year; its carbon spike was due to both peat and forest fires.

Annmarie Eldering, who is the OCO-2 deputy project scientist at JPL, said, “The team’s findings imply that if future climate brings more or longer droughts, as the last El Nino did, more carbon dioxide may remain in the atmosphere, leading to a tendency to further warm Earth.” Understanding how our planet’s tropical areas will react to a warmer planet is crucial. We must be able to predict how the Earth will behave in the face of climate change, and this study is an important part of that research.

Source: NASA

The Windowed app allows Instagram users to post photos from their desktop

Why it matters to you

Windowed makes it easier to post a photo to Instagram from a desktop computer.

Instagram stays true to the “insta” by only allowing uploads from the mobile app or a mobile browser, an often frustrating hurdle for DSLR photographers. But a photographer and engineering student has developed a workaround that tricks the system — Windowed is a free, open-source software that allows for uploads to Instagram from desktop computers.

The idea behind Windowed isn’t entirely new. Since Instagram allows uploads from mobile web browsers, a bit of coding can trick the platform into thinking that a desktop browser is, in fact, a mobile one, effectively disguising the upload (a similar trick can be used to save Instagram photos). Windowed is based on the same concept — it is actually a web browser with mobile code, so sites like Instagram think you are using a smartphone.

Windowed was created by Felix Sun, a photographer that was frustrated with the process of getting photos from a computer to a smartphone to upload. He used his experience as an engineering student to develop a workaround, then decided to share the tool with other photographers.

Windowed is a mobile web browser for desktops — that means, according to the developer, that Windowed does not collect your Instagram information and does not have access to your account. The platform also isn’t affiliated with Instagram in any way, which also means there is no guarantee that Instagram won’t develop a way to block Windowed from uploading.

Instagram’s mobile website doesn’t have all the same functions as the app, though the mobile browser version is closer than before thanks to an update launched earlier in 2017. The feature to view and post Stories is also expanding the mobile browser options.

Instagram is growing at a fast pace — and if the growth continues, the platform will have users in the billions next year. Instagram is focused on instant sharing, which means the platform has traditionally made it difficult to schedule posts, features available for Facebook Pages and even Twitter through third-party apps like Hootsuite, as well as limiting uploads to mobile devices. While getting a photo that was not shot from a smartphone is possible through a camera’s built-in Wi-Fi, AirDrop and file-sharing tools or emailing it to yourself, the workaround means non-smartphone photos are even less instant.

Windowed is a free, open-source download for both Mac and PC.

Target teams up with Google Assistant for voice-powered shopping

Why it matters to you

It’s now easier than ever to order paper towels from Target, thanks to the Google Assistant.

It turns out that the Google Assistant, Google’s artificial intelligence, is good for more than just queuing up podcasts, spitting out weather reports, and pre-heating your Wi-Fi-enabled smart oven. It’s also a personal shopper. On Thursday, October 12, Target announced an expanded partnership with Google that lets U.S.-based Assistant users search, reserve, and buy products from the retailer’s expansive catalog.

Now customers can add Target items to a shopping cart in Google Express, Google’s same-day delivery service, with a voice command. The feature is available nationally, following an expansion to California and New York City markets earlier this year. And it’s tied into Target’s REDcard, a specialty credit card the retailer launched last year.

Here’s how it works: Shouting something like, “OK Google, re-order paper towels from Target” to a Google Home speaker, a supported Android device, or the Google Assistant on Android TV starts a cart in Google Express. From there, you can opt for Google Express’s free delivery option (if their total exceeds $35, or $25 for REDCard holders) or pay a small fee.

Google says that in the coming months, customers be able to specify pickup at a local store (within two hours) with voice and that REDcard customers will get a five percent discount on purchases and free shipping.

But Assistant support is just the start of Target and Google’s collaboration. In the coming months, Target will work with Google to design “digital experience[s]” for voice shoppers based on customers’ purchase histories. It might recommend shirts in your size, for example, or movies in your favorite genre.

“When it comes to technology and things like natural language processing, Google [leads] the way,” Mike McNamara, Target’s chief information and digital officer, told TechCrunch. “I’d love to have all of Google’s capability around these deep engineering things […] Our world is more about making sure we have the right products in the right stores at the right time.”

The Target partnership comes on the heels of new Walmart Assistant integration, which saw Google team up with the retail behemoth for voice-powered shopping on Google Home and Android devices. And it marks an expansion of Google Express, which acts as a delivery middleman between retail chains and customers. Google previously levied $10 a month or $95 a year on Express deliveries but eliminated membership fees earlier this year.

It signals, too, Target’s digital commerce ambitions. In August, the brick-and-mortar retailer acquired a software company that manages local and same-day deliveries and recently started offering curbside pickup of delivers in some cities.

Robot hand is dexterous enough to screw in a lightbulb, turn a screwdriver

Why it matters to you

New soft robot gripper is not only incredibly dexterous, it can also recognize objects based on touch alone.

How many robots does it take to screw in a light bulb? If you’re talking about a new soft robotic gripper developed by engineers at the University of California, San Diego, the answer is just one. The soft robot gripper in question is able to pick up and manipulate objects based on touch alone, meaning that it can do so regardless of lighting conditions.

“In this work, we developed a soft gripper that uses tactile sensing to model the objects it’s interacting with,” Michael Tolley, a roboticist at UC San Diego, told Digital Trends. “By rotating the object around in-hand, similar to what you would do when you reach into your pocket and feel for your keys, the gripper can map out a point cloud representing the object. Our gripper is unique in its ability to twist, sense, and model objects, allowing the gripper to operate in low light, low visibility, and uncertain conditions.”

The robot hand has three soft flexible fingers, which are powered pneumatically using air pressure. Sensors in the robot’s “skin” allow it to work out what it’s holding, and transmit this data to a control board, which creates a three-dimensional model of the object for reference.

When the gripper hand was attached to an industrial Fetch Robotics robot arm for testing, the researchers demonstrated that it was able to carry out a range of fine precision tasks, such as the aforementioned screwing in of lightbulbs — along with turning screwdrivers and holding individual sheets of paper.

“[As the next stage of research,] we are interested in incorporating techniques from machine learning to allow the gripper to semantically identify the objects it’s manipulating,” Tolley said. “We are also prototyping a 3D-printed version of the gripper for more consistent fabrication. We would [additionally] like to test with a wider variety of objects that also contain uncertainty in their positioning and orientation.”

In the real world, Tolley says he hopes a robot gripper such as this might be useful for tasks like fruit picking, or potentially working as an assistive robot in the home. To reach this point, it will need to be further put through its paces with a more extensive set of real-world objects.