Apple’s Decision to Delay Some New Features and Focus on Software Quality Extends to Mac
Apple’s reported plans to delay some features planned for iOS 12 until next year will similarly extend to the Mac, although to a lesser degree, according to Mark Gurman, reporting for Bloomberg News.
Gurman’s sources corroborate an earlier report from Ina Fried at Axios, which claimed that Apple’s software engineering chief Craig Federighi disclosed the revised plans during a meeting with employees earlier this month.
While the shift in strategy appears to extend to macOS, it reportedly will not affect the development cycles of watchOS or tvOS.
The company told its software engineering groups about the change this month, one of the people said. The shift will also affect this year’s update to Mac computer software, but to a lesser degree, the person said, adding that planned upgrades to Apple Watch and Apple TV software won’t be affected.
Apple’s plans to focus on the quality of its current software platforms will presumably result in a greater emphasis on bug fixes, performance improvements, and the general stability of its operating systems.
The shift in strategy follows a few embarrassing mishaps for Apple in recent months, including a major security vulnerability that enabled access to the root superuser account with a blank password on macOS High Sierra version 10.13.1. Apple promptly fixed the critical bug in a security update.
Just weeks later, MacRumors was alerted to a security flaw in macOS High Sierra version 10.13.2 that allowed the App Store menu in System Preferences to be unlocked with any password. While this bug was much less serious, it was still system behavior that obviously shouldn’t have been possible.
Apple had a similar shift in strategy in 2015 with the release of iOS 9, and with some other macOS updates in recent years, according to the report, so this isn’t Apple’s first time doubling down on the polish of its software.
The report also corroborates that Apple was planning a redesigned grid of app icons on the home screen in iOS 12, but that change is now delayed until 2019 along with expanded photo management capabilities. There’s also word of a multiplayer mode for augmented reality games, but it’s unclear when it’ll be ready.
Gurman still expects some smaller improvements to the Photos app to roll out in 2018, while the original report by Fried mentioned enhancements to the Health app and parental controls are still planned for release this year.
Related Roundups: iOS 11, macOS High SierraTag: bloomberg.com
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Apple Expected to Report Highest Revenue in Single Quarter in Company’s History
Apple is set to report its earnings results for the first quarter of its 2018 fiscal year at 1:30 p.m. Pacific Time on Thursday.
The fiscal quarter reflects Apple’s sales between October 1 and December 30 of 2017.
Apple provided the following guidance for its fourth quarter back on November 2:
• revenue between $84 billion and $87 billion
• gross margin between 38 and 38.5 percent
• operating expenses between $7.65 billion and $7.75 billion
• other income/expense of $600 million
• tax rate of 25.5 percent
Apple’s guidance suggests the company will easily beat its current all-time quarterly revenue record of $78.4 billion set a year ago.
Wall Street analysts forecast that Apple will report $87.06 billion revenue and earnings per share of $3.83, according to 29 estimates averaged by Yahoo Finance.
A quarter-by-quarter look at Apple’s revenue since the 2009 fiscal year:Apple’s FY Q1 Rev.
• 2014: $57.6B
• 2015: $74.6B
• 2016: $75.9B
• 2017: $78.4B
• 2018: $84B+
MacRumors has compiled fiscal first quarter estimates from several financial institutions and analysts tracking Apple’s financial results and stock. The figures are listed below, ranked from highest to lowest in revenue.
Key Takeaways and What to Look For
• Was the iPhone X a hit? Apple began taking iPhone X orders on October 27, roughly four weeks after the quarter began, so investors will be closely examining Apple’s total number of iPhones sold to see if the flagship smartphone had a measurable impact. Apple doesn’t reveal iPhone sales on a model-by-model basis, however, so its total will include sales of the iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, and older models in its smartphone lineup. Apple’s mark to beat is 78.3 million iPhones sold in the year-ago quarter.
As noted by Apple analyst Neil Cybart in his earnings preview for Above Avalon, Apple’s average selling price for iPhones will also be an important metric. With the iPhone X starting at $999 in the United States, investors will undoubtedly be looking for a sizeable increase in the iPhone lineup’s ASP.
• Will the HomePod delay have any affect? Apple originally said that its HomePod speaker would launch in December, which would have been within the final month of the quarter. Instead, orders began last week, after the quarter, and this could have a marginal impact on Apple’s forecasted revenue.
• How strong will Apple’s second quarter guidance be? Apple’s forecasted revenue for the second quarter of its 2018 fiscal year, reflecting the January-March period, should prove whether iPhone X demand has significantly declined as suggested by The Wall Street Journal and Japan’s Nikkei Asian Review. Apple CEO Tim Cook has dismissed these types of reports in the past, noting that the company’s supply chain is very complex and that any singular data point is not a great proxy for what’s going on.
Tim Cook in January 2013: pic.twitter.com/OwoprY8N3U
— Joe Rossignol (@rsgnl) January 29, 2018
• Will there be services growth? Apple said it reached over $30 billion revenue in its 2017 fiscal year for services, such as the App Store, Apple Music, iCloud, and iTunes, making this part of its business the size of a Fortune 100 company. Investors will be looking for continued growth in this category. The mark to beat is $7.1 billion in the year-ago quarter.
• iMac Pro orders began on December 14, roughly two weeks before the end of the quarter, which could give a small boost to Mac sales.
Cook and Apple’s financial chief Luca Maestri will discuss the company’s earnings results on a conference call at 2:00 p.m. Pacific Time on Thursday. MacRumors will transcribe the call as best as possible for those unable to listen.
Tags: earnings, AAPL
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Honor View 10 review: a OnePlus 5T challenger emerges
The flagship space is saturated with contenders on all sides and typically they come at a high price. Companies like OnePlus have been trying to shake things up by making their flagships at least somewhat affordable, and users have been clamoring for more offerings that tick more boxes than most mid-range devices, while still maintaining their mid-range price point. Honor has been trying to find that balance, from its Honor 7X — an impressive offering for under $200 — to its latest flagship offering, the Honor View 10 (aka V10).
The Honor View 10 rivals that of the OnePlus 5T in its spec sheet and design, while bringing some Eastern flair to the software — and all for less than $500. This is the Honor View 10 review.
Design
Called the V10 in other markets, the View 10 looks quite nice. Our unit has a dark blue metallic tint which shines brightly on the front around the screen and has a more softly reflective matte finish on the back. The corners and sides are rather rounded and the phone is just thick enough to allow room for the headphone jack on the bottom.
Other colors are available but this dark blue is great: understated on first glance and then striking. The spartan backing, with just the Honor logo in the middle and dual camera setup in the corner, where both lenses individually pop out, is especially nice. Yes, that might mean the lens is in danger of scrapes and scratches, but it certainly gives the Honor View 10 a distinct look.
Despite having a 5.99-inch screen, the phone’s handling is helped by its taller 18:9 aspect ratio. The result is a phone with a low screen-to-body ratio and a great looking front broken up by only a couple of features. Up top are the usual sensors and so on, but beneath the screen is a capacitive home button with an embedded fingerprint reader. That capacitive button can have multiple functions via gesture controls.
The capacitive fingerprint reader lets you navigate via gesture controls
A navigation setting allows for taps and swipes to trigger what would otherwise be the soft keys — back, home, and recent apps. This frees up the screen for more work and play. After getting used to the trigger for Google Assistant — swipe up from anywhere underneath the screen — this One Button mode became second nature. Even if it adds to the overall footprint of the phone, the single capacitive key is very useful.
Display
Editor’s Pick
OnePlus 5T review: it’s all about that screen
Buy now from OnePlus
With the OnePlus 3T, we got virtually the same body as the OnePlus 3, but packed with a new processor, more RAM, and a bigger battery. This year though, there isn’t a …
18:9 aspect ratios are hardly unique anymore, but it is nice to see Univisium coming to more phones than just high-end flagships. Much like the OnePlus 5T, this screen is kept at Full HD+ resolution. It’s an IPS panel which does get bright enough for outdoor viewing, though I do wish it got just a little bit brighter. Colors are also where they should be, with Honor’s tuning providing saturation on par with other high-performing IPS panels, though it does not reach the same levels of OLED vividness.
Text and media all look fine on this screen, but I had to go into the settings and shrink down the rendering sizes. Elements provided by EMUI seem created for a 1080p screen, but not necessarily one this big. This is more of a software peeve than a knock against the screen. It was easily fixed — bringing down the setting by one notch made everything look proper and not bloated.
If there is one thing missing here, it is an always-on display. Plenty of manufacturers have been including this to make seeing one’s notifications easier and I wish the View 10 had it too. It’s got an LCD panel, meaning it would consume more battery than on an OLED screen, but the feature still would have been useful.
Performance
Honor spared little expense making sure this phone has top-notch performance. Though it’s only just starting to happen in the West, it’s pretty normal in Asian markets to have over 4 GB of RAM and a high amount of storage. The View 10 comes with 128 GB of storage and 6 GB of RAM. No matter how you cut it, that is great to have on a phone at this price.
Honor spared little expense making sure this phone has top-notch performance: the View 10 comes with 128 GB of storage, 6 GB of RAM and the Kirin 970
See also
What is the Kirin 970’s NPU? – Gary explains
Neural Networks(NN) and Machine Learning (ML) were two of the year’s biggest buzzwords in mobile processoring. Huawei’s HiSilicon Kirin 970, the image processing unit (IPU) inside the Google Pixel 2, and Apple’s A11 Bionic, all feature dedicated hardware solutions …
Honor takes the specs sheet a step further by putting in the latest Huawei HiSilicon processor, the Kirin 970. Yes, the one with the Neural Processing Unit (NPU). The true benefits of neural processing are yet to be proven — this is the first time consumers are seeing this kind of chipset, after all, and its applications are still rather limited — but this is a feature which should be better utilized over time.
For now, the NPU works in the camera for automatically finding the right scene mode and for optimizing memory handling based on your usage habits, but there is little else differentiating this phone’s performance from other flagship devices. To that end, the Kirin 970 still does its core job well in providing reliable, smooth, and fast performance.
Hardware
The View 10’s feature set reflects its design and also sticks to the basics. A microSD card slot can increase the already high amount of built-in storage, and all the connections you’d expect are available. It even has NFC for contactless payment platforms. There is no IP certification on this phone, however, so users will have to be a bit more careful to keep everything dust-free and dry.
Though calls were just fine on the T-Mobile network, using this European version of the phone kept me on HSPA+ and Wi-Fi most of the time. That means my battery experience wasn’t quite indicative of what users might get on mostly LTE connectivity.
The 3,750 mAh battery got me through a day start to finish without any problems
Nonetheless, the phone’s 3,750 mAh battery got me through a day start to finish without any problems. Screen-on time, in particular, got up to six hours while I was mainly on Wi-Fi playing mobile games and watching YouTube. With fast charging solutions, it doesn’t take long for the phone to get back to 50 percent, either. You will be relying on a USB Type-C charger, however, as wireless charging is not included in this metal-clad device.
Speaking of YouTube, I have to give a nod to the onboard speaker. It is easy to scoff at a bottom-facing mono speaker unit, but I was surprised to hear some decently loud and rich audio. Being able to put a pair of headphones in easily, thanks to the headphone jack, was also appreciated.
Camera
On an affordable flagship phone, cameras tend to be the make-or-break feature on an otherwise great package. The camera of the View 10 puts its best foot forward with a dual lens system much like the one found on the OnePlus 5T. The phone’s rear features a 16 MP f/1.8 aperture shooter, with a monochrome 20 MP f/1.8 secondary sensor for adding detail to color photos or taking crisp B&W shots. Together with the potential power of the NPU, this combined camera package can yield some sharp and enjoyable photos, except when using the 13 MP front-facing camera.
I hesitate to say the front-facing camera is all that bad, because it is really just down to Honor’s tuning of the software. The View 10 clearly takes a lot of cues from its original Chinese market, where most front-facing cameras focus on beauty modes and tend to be very soft. The camera tends to overexpose for a brighter photo and still yields an overly soft selfie even when all the modes are off.
The beautification mode is also available with background bokeh effects — turn them on and things get even softer than before, and my freckles simply disappear. If you want to keep your facial features intact but maintain a soft background, the Wide Aperture mode allows for similar effects but the results can be spotty. This beauty mode might be great for someone who appreciates the airbrushed look, but that person is not me. The best I can say is that the front-facing camera is certainly capable of good photos, but what that actually means to each individual user could differ.
Portrait mode and wide aperture modes are available for the rear cameras as well, and when used with some extra care, the photos coming out of the phone can be pretty great. Sharpness is where it should be — essentially the opposite of the front-facing camera — and colors are mostly accurate. The camera tends to overexpose when tapping darker areas, but a bit of work on the compensation slider will make the photo look more accurately exposed. As I said, with a little bit of extra attention to detail, the View 10’s cameras do their job pretty well.
There are plenty of other modes included in this camera package, like HDR, which is a mode rather than a toggle (a personal pet peeve). There are also pro modes and more artsy modes if you want to get fancy. I also like that the video mode has the ability to use the Wide Aperture setting while recording. It can lead to some interesting — albeit very artificial — depth of field footage. However, the camera is already pretty wide at f/1.8, so bokeh is not hard to come by.
Unfortunately, you will need very steady hands because there is no OIS on the View 10. This is a problem immediately apparent in video recordings, but it also hinders the phone’s low light performance. A prompt for the user to “hold hands still” while sharpening the image reflects a long shutter due to the lack of lighting. During that time basically any movement will make the photo blurry. OIS would have been a great addition to an otherwise quite capable dual lens setup, but affordability often creates that kind of give-and-take situation.
You will need very steady hands because there is no OIS on the View 10 camera
Software
The software experience differs from many established UIs in the West. Honor is a company from the East, after all, and it brings with it some of the common tropes found in Chinese spins on Android. It lacks an app drawer by default, but you can change the “Home Style” in the settings or just get a new launcher altogether.
Unlike some phones released in Asia that we’ve imported for review, this Honor View 10 is made for Europe, so all the textual elements fit properly in the interface.
Dive deeper into the settings menu and you’ll find a ton of different ways to customize the experience too. We already mentioned the navigation dock earlier, where the one capacitive key can be used for anything that the soft keys would otherwise do. Aside from that are some app-centric abilities, like putting access to some apps behind a lock or making more than one instance of, for example, a social media application.
Speaking of social media, a nice feature in the gallery app allows for one-click sharing of photos straight to Snapchat. This is more useful for people who are on that network, but it can be handy and it eliminates having to use the often shoddy built-in Snapchat camera.
Finally there is Face Unlock, which is basically what it sounds like — after recognizing the user’s face, the phone will unlock and go straight into the home screen quickly. It works about as good as similar features found on other phones, but Honor added a couple other functions into the mix. One ability shows sensitive information in notifications on the lock screen only when recognition is achieved. The phone can also wake when raised, which makes for a fast unlocking experience when coupled with Face Unlock.
Overall, there are some good features added to this version of Android and launching with Android 8.0 Oreo is a big plus, too. EMUI has its fans but it also has some detractors, so if you’ve had contact with any other Huawei or Honor phones recently, you’ll already know how you feel about it.
Specs
| Display | 5.99-inch IPS 1080 x 2160 resolution 403 ppi 18:9 aspect ratio ~78% screen-to-body |
| Processor | HiSilicon Kirin 970 |
| GPU | Mali-G72 MP12 |
| RAM | 4/6 GB |
| Storage | 64/128 GB microSD card expansion up to 256 GB |
| Cameras | Rear cameras Main sensor: 16 MP RGB, f/1.8 aperture Secondary sensor: 20 MP monochrome, f/1.8 aperture Front camera: 13 MP, f/2.0 aperture |
| Audio | Bottom-facing speaker |
| Sensors | Fingerprint Hall Accelerometer G-sensor Electronic compass Gyroscope Proximity Ambient light |
| Battery | 3,750 mAh |
| Material | Metal unibody |
| IP rating | None |
| Networks | GSM, HSPA, LTE |
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi: 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct, hotspot Bluetooth 4.2 with aptX HD GPS NFC Infrared |
| Ports | USB Type-C 3.5 mm audio jack |
| SIM | Dual Nano-SIM |
| Software | Android 8.0 Oreo EMUI |
| Colors | Navy Blue, Midnight Black, Beach Gold, Aurora Blue, Charm Red |
| Dimensions and weight | 157 x 75 x 7 mm 172 g |
Gallery
Pricing and final thoughts
The Honor View 10 price tells a good story. Any phone with features like this that comes in under $500 is going to pique our interest. Though there are even cheaper phones available and certainly higher-powered phones (at higher prices too), this phone’s market segment includes pretty much just the OnePlus 5T.
We will do a comparison between the two soon, but the bottom line is this: Honor has done a great job delivering a high-end experience at a mid-range price, and with potential improvements to the Kirin 970’s NPU still to come, the View 10 could maintain relevance longer than even some big ticket flagships. The Honor View 10 is done very well, and at this price point the whole package puts up a very convincing argument for anyone in the market for a OnePlus 5T.
Don’t get burned! How to back crowdfunding projects the smart way
In the world of crowdfunding, there’s no such thing as a sure thing.
Kickstarter and Indiegogo may look and feel like online stores, but there’s no guarantee that you’ll get something in return for the money you pledge to a campaign. Most crowdfunding platforms only require that creators make a “good faith effort” to deliver on their promises. That means they face no consequences (aside from angry backers and some bad press) if the project misses its delivery date — or even fails entirely.
To make matters worse, there are a million things that can go wrong between the successful funding of a campaign, and the delivery of the final product to your doorstep. The creator could underestimate the amount of funding they need to finish the project. Manufacturing issues could cause long delays. Hell, sometimes projects fail because creators get too much funding, and don’t know how to scale their production processes and fulfill an unexpectedly large volume of orders. Oftentimes, it’s not that the creator was intentionally trying to scam everyone — it’s just that despite their best efforts, something went wrong.
For these reasons, backing a crowdfunding project always involves some level of risk. If you understand the common causes of crowdfunding failures and delays, however, you can make smarter choices about the projects you pledge to support — and still get an awesome deal on that self-balancing electric scooter with laser headlights.
How to avoid getting burned
Over the years, I’ve backed dozens of different Kickstarter projects; only one has failed to deliver (don’t worry, I got a refund). I attribute this long history of not getting screwed over to two things: a dash of luck and a heaping helping of careful consideration. Before I pledge support to a project, I look at a range of different things to determine if the project is likely to be successful. To help you out, I’ve arranged those tips into a handy checklist that you can easily remember with the mnemonic “CRACK.”
While there’s still no guarantee that you won’t get burned, the CRACK method will help you spot red flags and decrease your chances of getting left empty-handed (and empty-pocketed).
C: Consider complexity
Some ideas are easier to bring to life than others. A machined titanium bottle opener, for example, requires only a simple CAD design and enough money to cover materials cost, machining, and shipping. Any issues with the design or manufacturing process could likely be resolved in a couple days, and wouldn’t require large sums of money to fix.
Keep an eye out for real photos of the actual product. If all you see are renderings, that’s a red flag.
A robot that plays fetch with your dog, however, is much more complex to create. In addition to sophisticated hardware, such a robot would also require custom software, which the creators have to write, test, and debug before they can ship the product. Furthermore, this hypothetical robot would likely have lots of custom parts. If the creators encounter manufacturing problems with any of these parts, the whole project will likely be delayed.
Simply put, the more complex the project, the higher the possibility of failure. The only problem with this strategy, of course, is that more complex crowdfunding projects are often the most enticing. If you absolutely must consider backing a project that combines hardware, software, and other components that are tricky to manufacture, make sure that the creator has developed a functional prototype. If the project is merely at the conceptual stage, there’s a high likelihood that it will take a long time to see through to completion. Keep an eye out for real photographs of the actual product. If all you see are renderings, that should be a red flag.
R: Research the creators
This should go without saying, but if you’re going to give someone money, you should know who you’re supporting. Click on their profile. Google their name. Look for their accounts on LinkedIn and Facebook, and try to find professional profiles on their personal or corporate websites. If you can’t find any information about them online, and they don’t link to personal or company profiles on the campaign page, then you should be wary of forking over your hard-earned cash to them.
The MummyPod
This is important for two reasons. First of all, a creator’s presence or lack of transparency says a lot. If a person (or group) isn’t willing to show their face and expose their identity to potential backers, the project is — as a rule — sketchy. If the creator remains anonymous, their reputation isn’t at stake if the project fails to deliver, and they could screw backers over without suffering any repercussions. Conversely, if the creator provides personal information and an existing public image, it shows that they’re confident enough in their idea to put their reputation on the line. That’s a good sign.
Second, knowing the creator’s background will help you judge their competency and gauge their fitness to complete the project. Let’s say you’re considering pledging money to a Kickstarter campaign that’s promising an amazing new sleeping bag. If the creator is a burgeoning outdoor gear company that’s independently funded, the project probably has a good chance of delivering. If it’s a random dude who sewed together a prototype in his garage, you might want to think twice about pledging — or at the very least, dial back your delivery date expectations.
You don’t need to stalk the person, but taking 10 minutes to look into their background, experience, and areas of expertise should always be on your pre-pledge checklist. Which brings us to our next step:
A: Analyze their background
After you’ve examined the creator specifically, you should turn your attention to their past achievements. Again, this will help you determine not only if the creator is capable of completing the project, but also how likely they are to complete it on time.
If the creator doesn’t have a track record of product development and delivery, approach with caution.
If the creator has product development experience, and has successfully manufactured something before, there’s a higher likelihood they’ll be able to deliver on a new project. They get bonus points if they’ve built something similar to what they’re promising in return for your pledge. Add extra bonus points if they’ve produced large volumes of said products, and have experience manufacturing at scale.
If the creator doesn’t have a track record of successful product development and delivery, approach with caution. We’re not saying you shouldn’t back the project (giving young startups/inventors/entrepreneurs a chance to prove themselves is a fundamental part of crowdfunding!), but if you do, be prepared for potential delays. If a creator hasn’t completed a similar project before, chances are good that they’ll run into hiccups somewhere along the line. Nothing ever goes perfectly.
For these reasons, second-generation projects are usually no-brainers to back — i.e., projects in which the creator successfully delivered a product to backers, and has returned to Kickstarter to raise funds for the production of a new-and-improved version. It generally means that the creator has already ironed out all the first generation’s design problems, and knows exactly what needs to happen for a successful manufacturing run. These are the projects you can toss money at with confidence — but that doesn’t mean you should pledge support and then never check back.
C: Check the comments
Most crowdfunding platforms provide some sort of comments section where backers can chime in with questions and get direct feedback from the project’s creators — often on a public forum that everyone can see. If you’re thinking of backing a project, these comment threads are a great resource that can provide tons of insight.
Charles Eshelman/Getty Images
For starters, the comment section can help you gauge how responsive the creators are. If there are tons of questions on the page and the creator hasn’t answered any, that’s a bad sign. If, however, the creator responds to most questions within a couple days, and doesn’t provide evasive answers, then they’re probably not out to scam everyone.
On top of that, commenters often spot potential issues that you yourself never would have thought to inquire about. I’ve encountered numerous campaigns that make sensational (and extremely enticing) claims about a product — and then find those claims have been thoroughly debunked in the comments section by somebody who spent hours researching the project independently.
Sure, sometimes the comments are uninformed, inarticulate, and totally alarmist (there’s almost always a guy who type-screams “FRAUD!” and threatens class-action lawsuits after the shipping date gets pushed back two months), but those are the exception, not the rule.
Don’t just check once, either. A campaign’s comments are a resource that’s available throughout the entire lifecycle of a crowdfunding project. Which brings us to the final point on our checklist:
K: Keep an eye on it
Pledging your money is only the beginning. Your journey doesn’t stop there, and you definitely shouldn’t just sit back, relax, and do nothing until a package arrives at your door (or doesn’t). Any problems that the creator might encounter will most likely pop up during tooling, manufacturing, or delivery — all of which generally happen after the campaign meets its funding goal and gets a “successful” badge slapped on it. As such, it behooves you to keep an eye on the project’s progress throughout the entire process.
You definitely shouldn’t just sit back, relax, and do nothing until a package arrives at your door (or doesn’t).
Luckily, most creators are relatively active when it comes to issuing updates and sending out newsletters about their progress. After all, backers have given them the means to chase their dream, so the majority are very good about communication. If they aren’t, however, you should be proactive about checking up on things periodically. Visit the campaign page, check for updates, and take another peek at the comments.
If the creators have gone silent, reach out to them and politely ask for a status update. No response? Hope for the best and prepare for the worst. At best, they’re having trouble and there will be delays. At worst, the project has suffered a critical setback and is spiraling toward failure. If at any point you feel like the project you backed is headed in that direction, get in touch and ask for a refund. There’s no guarantee you’ll get one, but in any case, it’s best to ask before the creator burns through all the pledge money completely.
That’s not to say you should only check up on a project if you get the impression it’s floundering. Even if the project appears to be headed in the right direction, you should still keep an eye on it. More specifically, it’s usually a good idea to circle back and check out the comments section after shipping has commenced and the product has been delivered to the earliest backers (assuming you backed a project that offers a tangible reward). If the final product is substandard or significantly different than what the creators promised, then other backers will usually sound off in the comments section. If you’re diligent, you might be able to request a refund before your package ships.
Editors’ Recommendations
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- Awesome tech you can’t buy yet: A clip for your dip and a toilet for your cat
Every app gives me recommendations, but none of them are any good
Everything is going to suck until it gets better, but the wait is making me want to uninstall a whole bunch of apps.
The future is contextual computing, right? We keep being told that is the bright, shiny thing to look forward to. Wake up in the morning, and all the apps on my phone know what I want. My music app has the perfect playlist to start my day, my news app has information from sources I find reliable, and my social networks have a few suggestions for some information I may have missed overnight that could be cool. When I get home from work, my video apps know what I want to watch and can point me towards some new things in the event that I don’t have anything new to watch that night.
It’s a cool idea for a future, but right now none of my apps are anywhere close to delivering on that promise. And if I’m being honest, this horrible in-between stage is making my phone a lot less fun.
As is often the case with my phone, this all started with Google. I had a friend from out of town who wanted to get food somewhere new, and so I fired up Maps to grab a list of local eats. I got ratings for a few decent places, we picked one, and all jumped in the same car to go grab a bite. On the five-minute drive to the pub, we passed three restaurants that weren’t anywhere in Google’s list. Each looked like solid options for exactly the thing we were looking to do, but were nowhere to be found in Google’s suggestions. The reason, as near as I could find, was because these restaurants didn’t participate in Google’s partnership program for listings on Maps. I could find these restaurants if I searched for them individually, complete with links to menus, but these listings didn’t appear in Google’s recommendation engine no matter what I did.
Hulu was the next thing that day to totally miss the mark. The new UI for Hulu is supposed to be built to suggest things to me I want to watch, and one would assume that engine is at least somehow based on things I have watched. But when season three of The Path hit Hulu, the app did absolutely nothing to tell me it was available to watch. In fact, by the time I had found it on my own, I was several episodes behind. This sort of thing should be a slam dunk for Hulu, to tell me the next season of a Hulu Original show I have already started watching is available to watch. Instead Hulu wants to suggest that I start watching Bob’s Burgers, a show I have already watched in its entirety on Hulu, from Episode One.
Most of this is, in one way or another, a form of growing pains.
After both of these apps managed to fail me so spectacularly on the same day, I went looking for a recommendation system on any app on my phone that worked the way I wanted it to. Google Play Music suggested three of its radio stations, each filled with songs that have nothing to do with the original artist suggested to me. Amazon’s suggestion system for things I like isn’t even close. The Play Store suggests games to me I would never play. Twitter is constantly suggesting I follow politicians and celebrities and other people that have nothing to do with any of my normal activity on that site. Facebook has started sorting my notifications by what it thinks I want to see, which has making it an even bigger dumpster fire. Basically, everything with some sort of machine learning thing and the promise of a better way to show me what I might want sucks. The only app I found with any kind of accuracy was Netflix, and that’s almost not fair because my family watches basically everything Netflix makes these days.
Most of this is, in one way or another, a form of growing pains. None of these recommendation systems were ever going to work perfectly overnight, but most of these seem to fail in really obvious ways right now. And to be honest, Google needs to be scrutinized more heavily that most here. With the announcement of Google I/O 2018 recently dropped, it’s important to keep in mind we’re almost a year into Google’s promise to devote its machine learning and AI empire to creating a personalized Google just for you. Outside of watching Google Now die on the vine so Assistant can rise, it’s not entirely obvious to me how Google has gotten any closer to delivering on this promise after a year, and that’s from the perspective of someone who uses Google for almost everything day in and day out.
If Google is supposed to be a leader in this space, the example for every other company to follow, it’s hardly surprising so many of these services aren’t able to deliver what has been promised.
What display color setting are you using on the Pixel 2?
Natural vs. Boosted vs. Saturated.
The Pixel 2 XL launched with a pretty underwhelming display, and while it’s still not the best the market has to offer, it’s since gotten a lot better thanks to customizable color profiles that you can change on the fly.
Users have three of these to choose from, including Natural, Boosted, and Saturated. I was personally rocking Saturated on my baby Pixel 2 for a while, but I’ve since moved to Boosted as I’ve come to appreciate the more life-like colors.
One of our forum users popped the question to our community to find out what profile they’re using on the phone, and these are a few of the responses.
BruceLeeX
01-28-2018 11:20 AM“
I’ve stuck with Boosted and have appreciated the more natural colors than in saturated mode.
Reply
whiteshadow001
01-28-2018 05:28 PM“
I prefer natural because I hate the oversaturated colors. I like natural because when taking pictures it’s more true to what the naked eye sees. And none of them help keep burn in down over the rest.
Reply
NMCynthia
01-28-2018 05:35 PM“
I’ve used both Natural and Boosted, and am currently staying on Natural. I find Saturated to be too intense, bordering on fake looking.
Reply
01-28-2018 07:12 PM“
Natural or Boosted. Mostly Natural but depends on what Icon pack I am using.
Reply
What about you – What display setting are you rocking on your Pixel 2/2 XL?
Join the conversation in the forums!
Google Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL
- Pixel 2 FAQ: Everything you need to know!
- Google Pixel 2 and 2 XL review: The new standard
- Google Pixel 2 specs
- Google Pixel 2 vs. Pixel 2 XL: What’s the difference?
- Join our Pixel 2 forums
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LG G6 launching in Moroccan Blue, Lavender Violet, and Raspberry Rose
The LG Q6 is also getting new Moroccan Blue and Lavender Violet options.
We’re expecting LG to unveil the G7 (or whatever it’s 2018 flagship is called) this coming March, and while it should be a darn nice phone, there’s still a lot to like about the G6. The G6 continues to be one of the most underrated Android phones around, but LG is hoping that’ll change at least a little by making it available in a few new colors.
The G6 was previously available in Astro Black, Ice Platinum, Mystic White, Terra Gold, and Marine Blue, but it’s now gaining Moroccan Blue, Lavender Violet, and Raspberry Rose. These are all colors that were previously limited to just the V30, and yes, that’s the same Raspberry Rose that stole our hearts at CES in early January.
In addition to the G6, LG is also making the more affordable Q6 available in Moroccan Blue and Lanedner Violet.
LG says these new colors will be launching first in its home country of Korea this coming February and that’ll they’ll come to “key markets”afterward.
Moroccan Blue and Raspberry Red are the two options that catch my eye the most, and I certainly hope this is an indicator that LG will continue to experiment with new colors with the G7 and V40 this year.
What about you? Which of the above styles catches your fancy?
LG G6
- LG G6 review!
- LG G6 specs
- LG G6 vs. Google Pixel: The two best cameras right now
- Everything you need to know about the G6’s cameras
- LG forums
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T-Mobile
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Top 5 reasons why Rootless Pixel Launcher is better than Nova and Action Launcher
Rootless Pixel Launcher is the best option available for turning your phone into a Pixel 2.
In the Android launcher space, Nova and Action Launcher reign supreme as two of the best options available. This is a point that I have no problem agreeing with, but even so, it’s important to admit when a formidable (and potentially better) alternative comes around.
There are a few different launchers that try to mimic the look and feel of the Pixel 2’s interface, and while a lot of these come really close to being the real deal, few are as well-polished and feature-rich as Rootless Pixel Launcher. Rootless Pixel Launcher was recently updated to version 3.0, and if you’ve been wanting to spruce up the look and feel of your non-Pixel phone, it definitely deserves a place on your shortlist. Here’s why.
Google Feed is enabled by default
The Google Feed hasn’t aged gracefully since the introduction of Google Assistant, but even so, it’s something I find myself checking multiple times each day on my Pixel 2. Apps like Nova and Action Launcher allow you to use the Google Feed on your left-most home screen after installing a separate APK file, but with Rootless Pixel Launcher, this is enabled by default.
As soon as you download and install the launcher, you can immediately access the Google Feed and everything it has to offer, including news stories you’re interested in, customizations for the feed, and a tab for viewing more contextual cards. The Feed works just like it does on the Pixel 2, and the fact that it does so without the need for an additional app is pretty awesome.
The At a Glance widget is here
Although it’s hated by some, I absolutely love the At a Glance widget that Google introduced last fall. Having a consistent showcase for the time and date really is quite helpful, and when upcoming calendar appointments pop up, I fall even more in love with the thing.
My personal feelings aside, At a Glance works wonderfully on Rootless Pixel Launcher. As long as your Google app is up to date, it should work without a hitch. Tapping on the weather icon will open Google Weather, tapping on the date will take you to Google Calendar, and just like on the Pixel 2, you can adjust your preferences to choose whether or not you want it to display traffic and flight information.
Notification dots are free
Both Nova and Action Launcher have been updated to support adaptive notification dots, and while this is great, you’re required to pay for their respective premium versions in order to use them. On the other hand, this is something that Rootless Pixel Launcher gives you for free.
You don’t have any customization over the appearance of the dots like you do with Nova and Action, but the fact that they work without having to hand over any cash is a big plus.
When you get a notification, the app that it came from will show a small dot next to it so you can quickly see which apps have notifications that need tending to. It’s an admittedly small feature, but if you want to have the full Pixel 2 experience, they’re an essential component.
Support for icon packs
As much as I love the Pixel Launcher on my Pixel 2, one of the things I desperately wish it had was support for icon packs. I highly doubt this is something Google will ever add to the official version, but that really doesn’t matter since Rootless Pixel Launcher already allows you to do this.
Once you install the icon pack you’d like, hold down on your home screen and go to Home Settings -> Icon Pack. Choose the one that fits your mood/style for the day, and you’ll have a Pixel 2-style launcher that’s even more personal than what you’ll find on the real deal. Yes, yes, I know this is something you can do on Action and Nova launcher, too, but hear me out for one last pont.
This is the Pixel 2 launcher
For all intents and purposes, Rootless Pixel Launcher is the Pixel Launcher that’s on the Pixel 2. Developer Amir Zaidi based the launcher on the official one that ships with the Pixel 2, and as such, you get all of the little touches here and there you’d expect from the real deal.
The app drawer has a little bounce when swiping all the way to the top or bottom, the Google search bar at the bottom follows the app drawer as you swipe up, and Google logo in the search widget and app drawer background will change colors based on the wallpaper you have set. Like I said, this is the Pixel 2 launcher.
What do you think?
Now that I’ve stepped off my soapbox, what do you think? Is the Rootless Pixel Launcher something you’d consider using over Nova or Action Launcher? Let me know in the comments below!
Rootless Pixel Launcher 3.0 is basically the Pixel 2 launcher on steroids
Google Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL
- Pixel 2 FAQ: Everything you need to know!
- Google Pixel 2 and 2 XL review: The new standard
- Google Pixel 2 specs
- Google Pixel 2 vs. Pixel 2 XL: What’s the difference?
- Join our Pixel 2 forums
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Verizon won’t sell the Mate 10 Pro or any other Huawei phones
The final nail in the coffin.
What the heck happened to the Huawei Mate 10 Pro? It was supposed to be the first Huawei device that’d be available through a U.S. carrier, but these plans were quickly shut down when AT&T officially stepped away from the deal. A report came out shortly after this indicating that Verizon would do something similar, and now it appears that’s exactly what happened.
According to sources that spoke with Bloomberg, Verizon Wireless has officially decided to not sell the Huawei Mate 10 Pro like it originally intended to. In fact, Verizon won’t be carrying any other Huawei phones for the foreseeable future.
Just like what happened with AT&T, this decision is a result of pressure Verizon faced from the United States government claiming that Huawei devices would pose a security threat if sold on a wireless carrier in the country. In addition to the disadvantage this puts consumers at for less choice in the market, this also prevents Verizon from working with Huawei on developing 5G technologies – something AT&T’s commercial operations have also been faced with.
All of this recent backlash makes Huawei’s plans for ever releasing a phone on a U.S. carrier look pretty bleak, and considering how awesome of a device the Mate 10 Pro is, that’s a bummer.
I know that this can be a controversial topic, but what do you think about the U.S. government pressuring carriers to end relationships with Huawei? Let me know in those comments below.
Huawei Mate 10
- Huawei Mate 10 Pro review
- Huawei Mate 10 series specs
- Huawei Mate 10 Pro U.S. review: Close to greatness
- Join the discussion in the forums
- More on 2016’s Mate 9
Best Android apps for taxes and getting money back in 2018
“In this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes.”
Benjamin Franklin was right, and considering the former has not reached us yet, you can bet your sweet refund check the later has rolled around yet again. Nobody really likes filing their taxes, but it’s that time of year. These apps will help you to get the job done with as little muss and fuss as possible. They can also help you to stay on top of things during the off-season so that you are ready for next year!
So grab your 1040 and let’s go get that refund! Maybe.
- TurboTax Tax Refund App
- Quickbooks Self-Employed
- Mint
- Google Drive
- H&R Block Tax Prep and File
- IRS2GO
TurboTax Tax Refund App
We’ve recommended this app before, with plenty of good reason, TurboTax’s Tax Refund app can sync with your TurboTax account so that you can fill out the question-by-question tax preparation throughout your busy day. It’s also helpful if you need to go spelunking for more forms in the black hole formerly known as the family office. You may not fill out your entire return here, but at least you can keep going even if you get dragged away from the computer.
Download: TurboTax Tax Preparation (Free, in-app purchases)
Quickbooks Self-Employed
We’re living in a world where being a freelancer or owning your own small business is more common than ever. When you aren’t dealing with a traditional W2 to file, and especially if you have multiple sources of income, this is a great way to keep track of everything you have going on. You can store your receipts, get help with tracking mileage, and even get quarterly updates on your taxes so you know what to expect in April, and it will sync up with Turbo Tax because it’s by the same company.
Honestly, it’s a little late for this to really help you on this tax return, but if you install it this year, next year’s taxes should be much easier.
Quickbook Self-Employed (Free, in-app purchases)
Mint
If you haven’t been using a personal finance app all year, it’s too late for this return, but maybe the sting from this year will be enough to actually get you into the habit of using an app like Mint. Mint is made by the same company as TurboTax and it’s a simple way to both keep an eye on your budget and maintain a trail of where you spent money over the year for things like — you guessed it — your tax return. Whether you’re saving your way towards that down payment on your first home or you’re just trying to make sure you’ve got enough left over for whatever new phone/tablet/game/toy you’ll be dying to buy on launch day, Mint can help you make it happen.
Mint (Free)
Google Drive
If you think you’re more likely to face an audit, or even if you’re just looking to get all these documents somewhere easier to sort and access, then think about scanning your documents to a folder in Google Drive for this year’s tax return. This way, you can click it, save it, and move on. Drive can also prove useful as you can make lists of deductions you did and didn’t take and keep it in that same folder.
Google Drive (Free, in-app purchases)
H&R Tax Prep and File
H&R Block Tax Prep and File is the app for one of the most popular non-Turbo Tax tax services in the country, and their app can help you get your tax return done as painlessly as possible, and can even get you your refund “instantly” in the form of an easily-spendible Amazon gift card, for those of us who intend to use that refund on a new toy — I mean, lifestyle investment. They even have a bunch of handy frames for your #TaxesWon selfie, if you’re into that kind of thing…
H&R Block Tax Prep and File (Free, in-app purchases)
IRS2Go
The IRS is who you’re sending your tax return to, so it might help if you saw the tips they give out to help maximize your refund, streamline the process, and get you done with your taxes so they can get done with them, too. The IRS2Go app can also help you track your refund once it’s submitted, so you’ll know when it should be landing in your direct deposit account.
If your taxes are getting to be too much for you, the IRS2Go app also provides a handy directory of local tax prep offices that you can turn to for help, especially if you qualify for free tax prep. It can also help you to set up a payment plan if it looks like you owe more in taxes than you can afford to pay right now.
Download: IRS2Go (Free)
Are you using these apps?
Taxes are pretty much always a stressful process, no matter how used to them you actually are. Thankfully the days of having to do everything on paper are past us, and these apps can help you to streamline that process. Whether that means using them to track your expenses so you avoid surprised, or just to keep track of when your refund hits, they can be a serious help in reducing your stress levels.
Are you using any of these apps? Is there a good one that we failed to mention? Be sure to drop us a line in the comments and let us know about it!
Updated January 2018: The tax apps have been refreshed for the 2018 tax season, and so has our article!
AIVAnet 