Snapchat and BMW team up to bring augmented reality ads to life

Despite the app’s popularity, Snapchat isn’t doing too well from a business perspective. Last quarter saw Snap Inc.’s stock fall as revenues fell $30 million short of projections. In an attempt to turn things around, the company is turning to augmented reality advertisements. The first of these AR ads will come courtesy of BMW.

Building off of Snapchat’s World Lens ads, these AR Trial ads will allow users to interact with various products and see them in the real world. In the case of BMW’s new X2, the app will project an image of the car into the world around you. Users will be able to walk around the car and tap it to change its paint job.

BMW hopes these ads will allow the carmaker to more organically reach new audiences, especially among the younger generations.

“We wanted to insert ourselves in an organic way into the Snapchat environment and its users’ world,” said BMW’s Jörg Poggenpohl. “That is the most meaningful way to address our fans in a style that fits the channel and the target group.”

BMW is the first company to experiment with Snapchat’s AR ads, but we expect other advertisers will be watching closely. The problem with previous Snapchat ads is the same issue that Twitter has dealt with. The banner ads are small and non-intrusive, which is a good thing for users, since it is easy to ignore them. Advertisers were not convinced of the platform’s benefits, however.

The hope is that even if users do not share these ads with their friends, they’ll still take time to play around with the AR and build an association with the brand. Being able to interact with BMW’s X2 will likely hold people’s interest more than a YouTube video that we skip after five seconds.

From Snapchat’s angle, the goal is to derive more money from its existing customer base, since it is having trouble reaching new users. It remains to be seen rather or not this system will be effective in the long-term, but you can expect that the sheer novelty of the approach will attract users in the beginning.

You could buy a MacBook. Or you could buy this laptop — and 137 lattes

We all waste our money on lattes, and we all feel bad about it. But what if you shopped smarter for your next laptop, and opened up $550 for your latte budget? You can do it — with the Asus Zenbook UX330UA.

We know what you’re thinking. If the product sounds more like a serial number than a name, stay clear. Yet the Zenbook UX330UA really is the everyman computer you should consider when buying a new laptop. It checks off most the boxes for what you’d want in a modern Windows laptop, including a thin profile and a snappy keyboard.

We don’t mean to say it’s a perfect laptop. The design won’t make you stand up and cheer — nor will some slip-ups in the details, like the lack of precision in the touchpad or the slight flex in the keyboard.

But for $750 — less than the cost of a new iPhone 8 Plus — you get a laptop that competes with laptops and 2-in-1s that double its price. The UX330UA comes with an 8th generation Core i5-8250U processor, the same one featured in the $1,100 HP Spectre 13, the $1,196 Lenovo Yoga 920, and even the $1,500 Surface Book 2.

While we haven’t tested the i5 versions of all those laptops, we have tested the Core i7 versions (which are even more expensive), seen in the results below.

You’re probably as impressed as we were — the UX330UA holds up against these more expensive laptops surprisingly well. So well, in fact, that you may wonder why you’d ever need to spend more. 

Again, this is a $750 laptop. It’s not the best laptop ever built by human hands. When it comes to performance, though, the Zenbook UX330UA offers great value for what you get. You may want to think twice before dropping that stack of cash for a Microsoft Surface Book 2 or Apple MacBook Pro.

Will.i.am releases augmented reality app to go with his graphic novel

Rapper, producer, and philanthropist will.i.am does a lot more than just make music, with one of those endeavors being comic books. His graphic novel, Black Eyed Peas Present: Masters of the Sun ― The Zombie Chronicles, debuted earlier this summer. But that’s not all. On Friday, the Black Eyed Peas frontman released an augmented reality app that brings the pages of the graphic novel to life. It’s certainly not the entrepreneur’s first foray into the tech world.

When using the new app, you simply hold your phone over the pages of the comic and the illustrations are imbued with animation, complete with a voice cast and amazing music. The project was able to attract such great talent because it was so fresh and new.

“That’s the benefit of working the way we work. There is no freakin’ hound, there is no freakin’ limitation on what we can do and how we should go about doing it. It’s like ‘let’s figure it out,’” will.i.am recently told TechCrunch. “You better push the boundaries or do not come out at all.”

Masters of the Sun: The Zombie Chronicles, published by Marvel Comics, is about a hip-hop group from East Los Angeles who decide to take on an ancient, alien god who transforms drug dealers and gangsters into zombies. The story mixes Egyptology and L.A. gang culture, and the first issue was released back in August, co-written by Benjamin Jackendoff and illustrated by Damion Scott.

“We did the book first for the traditionalists, and will expand upon it with augmented reality and then virtual reality,” will.i.am said while speaking with Business Insider.

The voice talent features the likes of Jaden Smith, Snoop Dogg, Slick Rick, Flavor Flav, Rakim, KRS One, Queen Latifah, Rosario Dawson, and Jamie Foxx. The legendary former Marvel Comics editor-in-chief Stan Lee provides his own narration as well. The music is done by Academy-award-winning composer Hans Zimmer, who certainly is no stranger to the comic book/superhero world, having recently provided the score for Batman  v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Man of Steel, and Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy.

The augmented reality app is currently available on iOS and Android and goes for $2, and you need to own the graphic novel in order to use it.

Google Pixel Buds review: You (and Google) can do better

When Google revealed its new Pixels earlier this year, it made a tacit statement: the age of headphone jacks on smartphones is over. So, what’s a diehard Google phone fan to do? Buy Google’s new wireless earbuds — in theory, at least. Several leaks ensured we knew they were coming, but the Pixel Buds were still a surprise because they emphasized functionality over convenience. Obviously, you can listen to music with them, but you can also sift through notifications and translate languages on the fly. Still, despite lots of potential, Google’s Pixel Buds just don’t live up to the hype.

Getting started

Chris Velazco/Engadget

Assuming you’ve got an Android device running Nougat or newer, the setup process couldn’t be easier: Open the case next to a compatible phone, and you’ll get a pop-up that walks you through the process. Keep in mind, though, that this dead-simple pairing only works with the first phone you set it up with; otherwise, you have to press and hold a button inside the case to put the Pixel Buds into pairing mode. From there, you pop into the Bluetooth settings and pair them the old-fashioned way. This is also the setup process you’ll use if you want to use the Pixel Buds with an iPhone. It would’ve been nice if the Pixel Buds paired as seamlessly with the second or third device as they do with the first, but really, that’s the least of the problems here.

Design

Chris Velazco/Engadget

Each Pixel Bud has two distinct sections: the part that sticks in your ear and the tiny bulb that sits outside it. Because of the way these two parts are connected, the Pixel Buds ultimately rest right on the edges of your ears — it took me a few days before I could plop the Buds into the sweet spot without any extra fiddling. The bulbs are admittedly a little odd-looking, but they’re still more subtle than, say, Apple’s AirPods.

The Buds are connected by a nylon cord. I know, I’m not a fan either. While a fully wireless design might have looked better, the cord dangles around your neck unobtrusively and makes the buds harder to lose. (Unless you’re me — I once draped them around my neck and forgot they were there for an entire day.) Chances are you’ll barely notice the cord while you’re wearing these.

You’ll definitely notice it when it’s time to charge the Buds in their cloth-covered case. Google’s preferred method involves popping the Buds into their respective nooks, wrapping the length of the cord around an inner column and shoving the remainder into the space where the Buds sit. I joked on Twitter last week that I’d never remember how to do it, but it’s much easier than my glibness let on.

That doesn’t mean it’s not annoying. If the cord isn’t snugly wrapped, it could prevent the case from closing properly. That doesn’t keep the Buds from charging, but it does mean the case is prone to pop open accidentally — that already happened in my backpack once, and by the time I got where I was going, the Buds had worked their way free of the case entirely. You’re also meant to make tiny loops by pulling the nylon cord near the buds to make sure they anchor sturdily in your ears. I did, but they ultimately made no difference — the Pixel Buds stayed put in my ears during runs regardless of whether I made those loops. Your mileage will vary though: I’ve let a few other people try the Buds, and the loops didn’t prevent them from falling out of place.

In use

Chris Velazco/Engadget

Personally, I prefer in-ears that sit snugly in the ear canal. They just sound better. That said, I was pleasantly surprised with Google’s first-generation earbuds. You’ll notice more definition with wired in-ears, but the Pixel Buds produced loud, clear audio with more oomph than Apple’s AirPods. My test tracks ran the gamut from EDM to Jazz to lots of weird Japanese stuff, and just about all of it came through with a surprising sense of substance. If you like a lot of bass in your music, though, the Pixel Buds will probably leave you wanting. For people who really care about audio quality, there are much better ways to spend $160. Still, for a set of nearly wireless earbuds, the Buds sound pretty good.

Unfortunately, You’re going to hear a whole lot more than just your music. Since the Pixels Buds sit right on the edge of your ear, you’re going to notice a lot of ambient sound leaking in unless you have the volume cranked up. That’s not necessarily a bad thing. If you’re a city dweller who often has to navigate busy streets and intersections, the Pixel Buds still allow you to hear oncoming traffic. Of course, if you’re toiling away in a noisy office, the Pixel Buds do nothing to block out the sound of raucous conversations around you. If you’re like me and need to shut out the world to get work done, the Pixel Buds will disappoint.

When it’s time to actually interact with the Pixel Buds, you’ll need to reach for your right ear. A quick tap on the touch-sensitive right bud plays or pauses whatever you’re listening to, and swipes forward and back along the surface raise and lower the volume, respectively. Compared to the limited controls on Apple’s AirPods, the Pixel Buds’ are considerably more nuanced — the AirPods can play/pause and skip tracks with a double-tap, but not both. You have to jump into settings to change what that action does. The Pixel Buds let you do it all, and with surprising competence; since each gesture is so different, I never accidentally turned up the volume when I meant to listen to my notifications or pause a song.

Chris Velazco/Engadget

The problem is, the touch surface is easy to activate by accident, especially when the Buds are dangling around your neck. I burned through the Pixel Buds’ batteries twice because my neck had un-paused Spotify without me noticing, leaving my screwed for the commutes home. The fact that this happened twice is surprising if only because of the Buds’ battery life — in general, they last between four to five hours on a charge,

Of course, the Pixel Buds mainly exist as a vessel for Google’s Assistant. You access it by saying — what else? — “OK, Google” or by holding your finger against the right earbud, but the tell-tale Assistant bloop only happens when you do the former. It should really happen when you press the earbud, too, if only to make absolutely clear when the Assistant has actually started listening for a command.

Once you get the hang of things, the experience of talking to Google Assistant through the buds is mostly identical to using it on your phone or through a Google Home. That’s often a good thing, but I wish Google had done a little more to tune Assistant for wearable use. When I ask it to play a certain song, for instance, Assistant only does so after telling me the name, the artist and the service it’s playing on. Uh, maybe just play the damn track, Google.

Sometimes, Google Assistant appears to listen to what I’m saying and then fails to do anything about it. These weren’t arcane commands, either — I asked the Assistant to play a song or playlist I had requested multiple times before, and it just hung. This was such a pervasive issue that I sent my first review unit back to Google on the suspicion that it was defective. The replacements I received didn’t exhibit the same problem quite as often, but it still happened once or twice. My network connection was strong, and I make it a point to speak extra clearly to virtual assistants, so I can’t really explain what’s causing these failures.

Chris Velazco/Engadget

You can use the Pixel Buds as in-ear translators, too — a use case Google specifically highlighted at its most recent launch event, last month. The idea of having an in-ear translator (like an inorganic Babel fish) is a compelling one, but in practice we’re still a ways off from seamless, cross-language conversations. To get started, Google suggests you say things like “I need a [language] translator” to launch the Google Translate app in the correct mode. Fair enough, but on a few occasions, the buds just spit a snippet of a foreign language into my ears when given that command. Weird.

When Translate does launch normally, you lay a finger on the right bud and start talking. Your words then get rendered into one of forty target languages, and the native speaker listening holds down a button on the Pixel to start responding. The translation process itself typically happened in mere moments, but this really boils down to the strength of your network connection. When I tried using the feature where AT&T coverage was sort of lousy, it took a few extra seconds to get the spoken translation. Responses rendered in your language get routed right into your ears, but for such exchanges to work best, you’d have to hand over your phone so the other person can hold down the button and respond when appropriate. Depending on where you are, that might not be such a great idea.

And, of course, since Google Translate is doing the cross-cultural heavy lifting, expect a few misfires here and there. Engadget’s video producer Brian Oh is a native Korean speaker, and for every mostly accurate translation I ran by him, there was one that just made him roll his eyes. Ditto for the handful of Vietnamese friends I tested the feature with. As always, Google Translate is super literal about what you say so the idioms that pepper our daily conversations rarely make sense when rendered in another language. If you were planning to rely the Pixel Buds in some far-flung locale, it’s probably best to keep your utterances succinct.

Wrap-up

Chris Velazco/Engadget

I’m not entirely sure why Google released the Pixel Buds in their current form. At best, they’re decent. At worst, they feel unfinished. The concept certainly has promise, and I appreciate that Google wanted the Pixel Buds to be feature-rich compared to its most notable rival. Ultimately though, it feels like Google was more concerned with getting these things out the door (and maybe making a few bucks over the holidays) than giving them the polish necessary to be truly valuable. It’s possible that Google will iron out some of these issues over time with software updates, and if that’s the case, we’ll update this review. Until then, though, you can do better.

Uber gets the go-ahead for its Russian merger

Uber’s merger with Yandex’s taxi service is effectively a done deal. Russian antitrust regulators have approved the union between the two ride-hailing companies, clearing the way for its expected completion in January 2018. The deal gives Yandex majority control (59.3 percent), but prevents the newly united companies from blocking drivers, partners or passengers from getting involved with rival services.

When the merger does finalize, Uber and Yandex will be interchangeable: either company’s app will let you book rides, and drivers can accept either service’s ride requests.

The alliance represents Uber’s second withdrawal from direct competition in as many years, following its Chinese division’s merger with Didi Chuxing in 2016. And in both cases, there were similar reasons to bow out: Uber struggled against both an incumbent and its own troubles (whether finances, regulation or protests) in the area. A merger with the local heavyweight lifts some of that burden for Uber while maintaining a stake it wouldn’t have if it exited the market.

Via: Bloomberg

Source: Federal Antimonopoly Service

Your phone probably has an FM radio — so why can’t you use it?

We’re going to let you in on a little secret: Your smartphone has an FM radio built right into it. Why wouldn’t you know that? Turns out that on many phones, despite having the radio built in, companies disable them or simply neglect to enable them — meaning that while the hardware is technically there to let you listen to the radio, you can’t actually take advantage of it.

The National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) has been asking mobile manufacturers to change this for years, NPR reported in 2015, and while tides do seem to be finally changing, there’s still a long way to go. It’s a serious issue: Apart from the simple fact that it’s nice to listen to music for free without using up data, FM radio can save lives, the advocacy group told Digital Trends.

“It makes sense from a public safety aspect alone.”

“From a public safety aspect alone, it makes sense to enable radio on smartphones. Broadcast radio plays an important role as ‘first informers’ in local communities, providing up-to-the-minute information when disaster strikes,” said Dennis Wharton, an executive vice president with the NAB. “By equipping mobile devices with radio capability, wireless carriers allow Americans to tap into that valuable public resource.”

So why aren’t there any laws about enabling the radio? Digital Trends reached out to the Federal Communications Commission, which promptly pointed us to a speech chairman Ajit Pai gave in February at a North American Broadcasters Association event. At the event, Pai largely agreed with the NAB’s position, noting how important the radio could be in emergencies. “You could make a case for activating chips on public safety grounds alone.”

“Most consumers would love to access some of their favorite content over-the-air, while using one-sixth of the battery life and less data,” continued Pai. Unfortunately, that’s exactly where the problem lies — less data. Carriers make more money from customers who use more data. After all, if you’re paying by the GB it’s pretty easy to use up a good portion of your data through music-streaming services.

The carrier

You could argue that carriers should pressure manufacturers to enable the FM radios in their phones. You could, but carriers wouldn’t.

“The long and short of it is that this is totally controlled by device manufacturers, through both hardware and software. If our customers want to use FM radio on their phone and the device manufacturer has enabled it, we say rock out,” T-Mobile wrote in an emailed statement to Digital Trends.

This is a pretty big change from five years ago. It’s only in recent years that carriers have backed away from their stance against FM radios, likely related to the rise of unlimited data. After all, in the past, the more data customers used the more they paid the carrier. Now, if a customer has unlimited data, it doesn’t really matter whether they stream music or use the radio.

At least some carriers will still care about you not using the FM radio.

That’s assuming the carrier doesn’t have a stake in a streaming service, however. At the beginning of this year, news broke that Sprint had taken a whopping 33 percent stake in Tidal, a music streaming service founded by Jay-Z that’s aimed at providing subscribers with high-resolution music. More recently, news leaked that Verizon was mulling investing in Pandora. The deal ultimately fell through, yet some argue it’s only a matter of time before Big Red makes a similar investment in another platform.

The fact is that even after the era of limited data is over, at least some carriers will still care about you not using the FM radio. While some may be more concerned about it now than others, it’s likely that will change — especially since carriers clearly aim to offer their own content. (and that goes beyond just music: You’ve heard of Verizon’s streaming TV plans, right?)

But the carriers ultimately only have sway — it’s the manufacturers that really make the decision to enabled that FM radio chip.

The manufacturer

Manufacturers have made some moves to include FM radio of late. LG recently sealed a deal with NextRadio that will see radio enabled on the majority of its phones.

But it’s important to note the difference between having FM radios disabled and simply not having an app. The Next Radio website actually has a good list of FM radio-capable phones, which shows that most Samsung phones, many HTC phones, Motorola phones, and more have a radio ready to go — if you download the NextRadio app.

But that leaves one pretty strong holdout — Apple. And Apple’s not going to change its mind anytime soon. Recently, the company was urged to enable the FM radio on the iPhone after a horrific hurricane and fire season. Turns out, the newest iPhones don’t even have an FM radio chip. The iPhone 7 and iPhone 8 are both chip-free when it comes to the FM radio, and we assume future models will continue that trend.

Again, things boil down to why Apple may not want consumers to use the radio, and again, a possible culprit is music streaming. Apple Music has become popular, and the company may not want to jeopardize subscriptions with free radio.

The tides seem to be changing. More manufacturers are adopting FM radio, and some carriers even encourage it. But there are holdouts — Apple being the biggest. And with the chip missing from the iPhone altogether, that’s unlikely to change in the near future. In other words, if you want an FM radio, you may need to make the switch to Android. As far as disasters are concerned, it certainly can’t hurt to have a battery-powered radio in your arsenal.

Macy’s suffers a technical glitch at the worst possible time — Black Friday

Black Friday is reliably chaotic, what with its status as the busiest shopping day in the U.S. But on Black Friday 2017, things were even more hectic than normal at Macy’s. The retail giant, hoping to bring in customers with low prices, certainly managed to attract business, but perhaps more than its credit card machines were able to handle. Apparently, Macy’s had significant trouble processing credit cards and gift cards, leading to frustrated customers and some lost revenue.

Buyers across the U.S. lit up the Twitterverse on Friday to voice their grievances with Macy’s, as the issue apparently affected both in-store credit card machines as well as online accounts. One Twitter user and would-be Macy’s shopper noted, “… just left $300 of items on counter because your credit card machines are down at State St Chicago. Can’t even look up Macy’s account. What. A. Joke.”

Another user noted that this wasn’t a localized problem, and that Macy’s stores across the country were suffering the same outages. Even customer service representatives attempting to help folks over the phone were unable to provide any assistance as a result of technical issues.

“We have added additional associates to the floor (and) are working to resolve the issue as quickly as possible,” Macy’s spokeswoman Radina Russell told Reuters in an emailed statement, though for anxious shoppers, it’s likely it wasn’t quickly enough.

Ironically enough, the issue arose just a few hours after Macy’s CEO Jeff Gennette told CNBC that the company was faring better in 2017 than it had in 2016, noting “robust online demand” and being “in a good place for holiday promotions.” Alas, Gennette may have spoken just a bit too soon.

The issues were finally fully resolved, but only after hours of slowdowns (the outages began around 12 pm ET). “We have fully resolved today’s system issues,” a Macy’s spokesperson noted in the early evening on Friday. “We highly value our customers and sincerely apologize for any inconvenience today’s system slowdown may have caused during their shopping experience. The delays we experienced this afternoon were due to a capacity-related issue that caused some transactions to take longer to process. We do not anticipate any additional delays.”

Hopefully, this won’t be a situation that repeats itself next Black Friday.

Check out this Black Friday deal on this Qi Wireless Charging Pad from Neva Tech!

More phones than ever support wireless charging these days as the tech industry does its best to reduce the number of wires and cords we need to connect to our phones. But wireless charging pads can also be a bit expensive, especially if you’re looking to keep one at work and maybe a couple conveniently located in your home for the entire family.

That’s where this slick deal from Android Central Digital Offers comes in! You can get a Qi Wireless Charging Pad by NevaTech for just $11. But, to celebrate Black Friday you can save an additional 20% with the coupon code BFRIDAY20 at checkout!

Unlike other wireless charging pads you may have seen before, this one is ultra-thin with a surface big enough to accommodate nearly any phone. They also come with specs you’d expect from any quality charging accessory including built-in charging sensors to prevent your devices from overheating or shorting out, and each comes with a wall charger and USB cable.

Typically these charging pads would cost you at least $22 but you’ll save 50% with this deal. So what are you waiting for? If you’ve got a Qi-compatible phone and have been waiting for a good deal on a wireless charging pad the time is now!

See at Android Central Digital Offers

Android Oreo beta is now available for OnePlus 5

Fancy giving Oreo a spin on your OnePlus 5?

If you’ve been waiting for an Android Oreo update on the OnePlus 5 you’re in luck — as long as you’re OK with installing beta software.

The OxygenOS team put together their latest update and made it available today as part of their Open Beta Program for everyone who wants to try it out before it gets a release tag. You’ll need to be able to manually download a full update and copy it to your phone’s file storage if you want to use the beta, but the instructions are simple and well documented on the OnePlus 5 Beta page.

Here’s what to expect:

• Updated to Android O (8.0) with November security patch
• Added Picture in Picture
• Added Auto-fill
• Added Smart text selection
• New Quick Settings design
• Added Parallel Apps
• Added notification dots
• New app folder design
• Now able to upload photos directly to Shot on OnePlus

Remember, this is beta software. OnePlus stresses that “These builds are sometimes NOT as stable as our official OTAs generally are. By installing this update, you accept the potential risks of data loss.” If you’re going to try out the new Oreo build, be sure to back up everything important and be ready for anything.

Are any OnePlus 5 owners out there going to give this a shot?

OnePlus 5T and OnePlus 5

• OnePlus 5T review: Come for the value, not the excitement
• OnePlus 5T specs
• Should you upgrade from the OnePlus 3T?
• OnePlus 5T vs. Galaxy S8: Beast mode
• All of the latest OnePlus 5T news
• Join the discussion in the forums

OnePlus
Amazon

Control everything you own with these $20 Wemo mini smart plugs

These are the only smart plugs I use. They’re incredibly simple.

The Wemo mini smart plug is down to $20 on Amazon. This is the lowest direct price drop on Amazon for the Wemo plug ever. We’ve shared deals that saw it drop to $30 and $25 before, but $20 is an all new low. Linksys usually doesn’t go this low even with refurbished units.

The Wemo Mini Smart Plug fits into any electrical outlet without obstructing others, allowing for two smart plugs to be placed into the same socket. The smart plug can be scheduled to turn on or off via the free WeMo app, allowing you to automate anything you plug into the device.

The WeMo app also features an “Away Mode” which will turn the lights on and off at random to give the illusion of someone still being home. No matter where you are, as long as you have access to the app, you can control your home’s appliances and electronics straight from your phone. You’ll never have to worry again about whether you left the iron on or not.

Definitely add an Echo Dot to your setup if you haven’t already. They’re only $30 right now and paired with one of these smart plugs, lets you do stuff like say “Alexa, turn off the bedroom” so you don’t have to get out of bed once you’re already under the covers.

See at Amazon