US Senator questions Apple about slowing older iPhones

Senator John Thune, chair of the Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, has sent Apple CEO Tim Cook a letter with questions about the company’s decision to slow older models of iPhones, Reuters reports. In December, Apple admitted to slowing older iPhones in order to prevent spontaneous shutdowns and later reduced its battery replacement price to $29 as way of apology for its lack of transparency.

According to Reuters, Thune’s letter asked if the company had considered the possibility of free battery replacements or rebates for those who had replaced them prior to when the reduced cost was put into place. He also asked if Apple had notified customers of the slowdowns and if there had been similar strategies used with older iPhones.

Apple has faced quite a bit of backlash over the slowdowns. French officials opened an investigation into the practice this week and dozens of class-action complaints have been filed against the company in the US. In his letter, Thune said, “Even if Apple’s actions were indeed only intended to avoid unexpected shutdowns on older phones, the large volume of consumer criticism leveled against the company in light of its admission suggests that there should have been better transparency with respect to these practices.”

The senator wants a response from Apple by January 23rd.

Via: TechCrunch

Amazon opens up virtual Dash Buttons to third-party developers

If you’re a regular Amazon shopper, you’re probably aware of the virtual Dash buttons on the site’s homepage. The site will auto-generate buttons that allow you to re-buy your most recently purchased items with one click. You can also create your own Dash buttons. Today, Amazon announced the Virtual Dash Button Service (VDBS), a developer kit that will allow third parties to create Dash buttons and display them inside their own devices with screens.

Amazon also announced that new companies have joined Dash Replenishment. The program measures the supply and use of consumables; when you’re running out, it will automatically reorder more of whatever it is you’re using. HP is now developing printers that automatically reorder ink, while 3M is working on air filters that can order their own replacements. Kenmore’s new line of appliances will automatically reorder supplies, such as air filters and laundry detergent, while illy’s new coffee maker (that is now available for purchase) will reorder capsules.

It might be a little weird, having an appliance or gadget that automatically re-orders its own supplies, but it’s hard to deny the convenience. If you’re a Prime member and have already signed over your life to Amazon, then this is just the next step in what you need arriving at your door when you need it.

Source: Amazon

Let just the right amount of light in with Halio smart-tinting glass

Smart homes, once a fantastical element of sci-fi stories, are quickly becoming the new normal, as ever more “smart” appliances hit the market. With the growing popularity of digital assistants like Alexa (a 2017 study by the Consumer Technology Association predicted that 44 percent of adults in the United States plan to buy a smart speaker in 2018) consumers automate many of the daily tasks that clog up home life, from big things like keeping your home secure to less pressing details, like combining the weather report with breakfast. Kinestral, maker of the Halio smart-tinting window, wants to do away with pesky blinds, offering a window that can darken to dim incoming sunlight.

The Halio “came out of the need to solve one of the oldest problems in buildings,” vice president of marketing Craig Henricksen told Digital Trends, “which is as soon as you put glass or a window in, suddenly there’s all this light coming in, which we love, we love the views, until that point where it’s too much; too much glare, you can’t do your work.”

Like the thermostat wars, the battle over whether to leave the shades open or closed can be a contentious topic in offices. Some people want to let the sunshine in, others hate the overbearing glare of the sun on their computer screen. Unfortunately, blinds and shutters are generally a binary solution. Halio offers a more nuanced approach, allowing users to adjust the exact amount of light that comes through the glass.

How does it work? Henricksen described the process. “There’s two special chemicals on a piece of glass, separated by a conductive layer. And when you apply a voltage, it moves ions from one side to the other, and depending on which side you push it to, it either blocks light, or lets it through.”

The Halio can connect to digital assistants like Alexa, and users can fine-tune the tinting with remarkable precision. There are two models: The Halio, which can block up to 70 percent of light, and the Halio Black, which can block up to 99.9 percent of light, perfect for those who hate to be awoken by morning light.

You’ll likely see Halio in your office before your bedroom. Henricksen said that the company is planning to launch Halio for commercial buildings around mid-2018, with residential sales closer to the end of the year. Although the price is not yet set, Henricksen estimated the price will be around four to five times that of a traditional window.

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Join us as we kick off Day 2 of CES 2018 with details of our live coverage

It’s Day Two of CES 2018 and we have another full day of live video coverage ahead. A number of guests will be swinging by the Digital Trends CES booth, including a few of the biggest companies out there.

One industry that we don’t often see at CES is the weed industry. Sure, Marijuana is only recreationally legal in some U.S. states, and still illegal in many, but the weed industry is rapidly growing and one ripe for innovative technology. We will be speaking with one company, Cloudious 9, which is reinventing vaporizer and liquid filtration tech.

Anker, best known for creating handy mobile accessories like phone cases and USB power packs, will also be stopping by. Word is the company is planning on restructuring and promises to have big announcements for 2018.

We also have interviews lined up with two of the biggest tech companies there are, Google and Comcast. Those are sure to be interesting chats and we look forward to getting their thoughts on CES 2018 and the current state of tech.

You may not know, but CES is a lot bigger than just the main convention. While the main hall is huge — spanning 54 football field-lengths of space to fill — there are also smaller, satellite events taking place around Las Vegas throughout the week. We talk a bit about one such event, ShowStoppers, which is a smaller, more intimate event that is focused on the inventors and creators themselves. Not only does that give attendees immediate access to the creators themselves, it also gives the creators the ability to get their products and ideas out in the open. We will be airing some videos about what we saw there, and what got us excited, later in the day.

All of this and more can be found at our CES coverage page, or live on our on Facebook and YouTube pages.

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Join us as we kick off Day 2 of CES 2018 with details of our live coverage

It’s Day Two of CES 2018 and we have another full day of live video coverage ahead. A number of guests will be swinging by the Digital Trends CES booth, including a few of the biggest companies out there.

One industry that we don’t often see at CES is the weed industry. Sure, Marijuana is only recreationally legal in some U.S. states, and still illegal in many, but the weed industry is rapidly growing and one ripe for innovative technology. We will be speaking with one company, Cloudious 9, which is reinventing vaporizer and liquid filtration tech.

Anker, best known for creating handy mobile accessories like phone cases and USB power packs, will also be stopping by. Word is the company is planning on restructuring and promises to have big announcements for 2018.

We also have interviews lined up with two of the biggest tech companies there are, Google and Comcast. Those are sure to be interesting chats and we look forward to getting their thoughts on CES 2018 and the current state of tech.

You may not know, but CES is a lot bigger than just the main convention. While the main hall is huge — spanning 54 football field-lengths of space to fill — there are also smaller, satellite events taking place around Las Vegas throughout the week. We talk a bit about one such event, ShowStoppers, which is a smaller, more intimate event that is focused on the inventors and creators themselves. Not only does that give attendees immediate access to the creators themselves, it also gives the creators the ability to get their products and ideas out in the open. We will be airing some videos about what we saw there, and what got us excited, later in the day.

All of this and more can be found at our CES coverage page, or live on our on Facebook and YouTube pages.

Editors’ Recommendations

• CES Day 2: 5D Printing and the race for smart home supremacy
• The first day of CES 2018 saw racing mechs, futuristic skateboards, more
• Digital Trends’ CES 2018 live-stream provides up-to-the-minute coverage
• A cyclist is riding from NYC to Vegas on a bike with an Electron Wheel for CES
• Heatworks shows off Tetra smart dishwasher and a new water heater, too

Join us as we kick off Day 2 of CES 2018 with details of our live coverage

It’s Day Two of CES 2018 and we have another full day of live video coverage ahead. A number of guests will be swinging by the Digital Trends CES booth, including a few of the biggest companies out there.

One industry that we don’t often see at CES is the weed industry. Sure, Marijuana is only recreationally legal in some U.S. states, and still illegal in many, but the weed industry is rapidly growing and one ripe for innovative technology. We will be speaking with one company, Cloudious 9, which is reinventing vaporizer and liquid filtration tech.

Anker, best known for creating handy mobile accessories like phone cases and USB power packs, will also be stopping by. Word is the company is planning on restructuring and promises to have big announcements for 2018.

We also have interviews lined up with two of the biggest tech companies there are, Google and Comcast. Those are sure to be interesting chats and we look forward to getting their thoughts on CES 2018 and the current state of tech.

You may not know, but CES is a lot bigger than just the main convention. While the main hall is huge — spanning 54 football field-lengths of space to fill — there are also smaller, satellite events taking place around Las Vegas throughout the week. We talk a bit about one such event, ShowStoppers, which is a smaller, more intimate event that is focused on the inventors and creators themselves. Not only does that give attendees immediate access to the creators themselves, it also gives the creators the ability to get their products and ideas out in the open. We will be airing some videos about what we saw there, and what got us excited, later in the day.

All of this and more can be found at our CES coverage page, or live on our on Facebook and YouTube pages.

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• Heatworks shows off Tetra smart dishwasher and a new water heater, too

Anker Innovations’ Eric Villines fills us in on the restructured company

If you’re familiar with the Anker name, chances are fairly good that you know the company for its accessories for computers and mobile devices, especially chargers. Over the years, the company has been steadily growing, and to reflect that change it recently announced a restructuring that sees it breaking out into five sub-brands under the umbrella of a new name, Anker Innovations. Eric Villines, the new company’s head of global communications, sat down with Digital Trends to discuss what this will mean moving forward.

The new company still keeps Anker as its heritage brand, with four others — Eufy, Roav, Nebula, and Zolo — each having its own specific focus. While these brands focus on a variety of different products, from audio, to in-car, to smart home, Villines says that many of these products and product lines will still incorporate the charging capabilities that the Anker name is known for.

“Anker is still a big part of our DNA,” Villines told Digital Trends. “While I’ve been here at CES, it’s been amazing when people come up to you every day and they pull [Anker products] out of their bag and they say ‘this is amazing, this is a lifesaver,’ and it’s this sort of perfunctory product that we all carry along, and you think, ‘Man, how do you create a brand around something that is ubiquitous?’”

In starting the new product lines, Anker’s CEO felt that the different brand names would allow the teams to innovate faster without the pressure of a name immediately familiar to customers for a certain type of product. “I think the name was just an opportunity that they could come in and have a sense of identity that was their own,” Villines sais.

While Anker products were previously typically only found at online retailers, particularly Amazon, Anker Innovations products will now be found in retailers like Walmart as well. For a look at some of the new products the company introduced at CES 2018, make sure to check out the video above, and for more details on the new brands and the types of products each sells, see the company’s website.

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Squeezing into a phone case, the Selfly is a drone fit for everyday carrying

Drones are among the coolest ways to do photography, but they’re hardly convenient. Professional camera drones are hefty, not to mention expensive. Even our favorite drone for taking selfies, the DJI Spark, runs about $500. If you want a more convenient way to take pictures from the sky, AEE may have a solution: The Selfly, a smartphone case that also functions as a camera drone.

“What is the best camera to always have?” AEE Chief Marketing Officer Mike Kahn asked. “The best camera is the camera you always have with you. The camera you always have with you is your smartphone!” It’s a good point. Often, people want to take photos spontaneously and probably aren’t keen to lug a drone with them everywhere they go.

Smartphones are a popular way to take pictures, and people tend to carry them at all times anyway, but they have limitations. “If I’m out, and I’m having a picnic with friends and family, and I’m trying to get that perfect selfie with 20 of my best friends, my arm is just not long enough,” Kahn said. With the Selfly, however, users can simply pull out their phone, remove the drone from the case, pop out the propellers, and then take sweeping photos from on high.

The Selfly can also record video, and its battery life lasts up to four minutes (the case comes with two lithium-ion batteries, for a total life of eight minutes.) Picture and video quality should be good, too, as the case sports a 13-megapixel camera and records 1080p video at 60fps.

Users control the case via the Selfly’s associated smartphone app, available for both Android and iOS. The Selfly comes in a variety of form factors, with models designed to fit recent iPhones and Samsung Galaxy phones, as well as a “universal” case, built to fit any Android phone between four and six inches.

The Selfy costs $130 for the base version, but users can pay an additional $30 for a case with a built-in phone bank for extra juice. For those who need, or simply want, the picture-taking capabilities of a drone without the annoyance of having to haul one, the Selfly is a nifty gadget that likely fits into your everyday carrying bag.

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The Pimax 8K VR headset isn’t actually 8K, but it’s still pretty cool

Sometimes it feels like CES is all about big numbers — whoever plants their flag in the biggest, most impressive spec, wins. Pimax is a Chinese startup company which made waves in 2017 with its virtual reality headset that it claimed was the first 8K VR headset. The promise of the highest-resolution VR experiences won over nearly 6,000 backers invested more than $4.2 million into the Kickstarter campaign.

Here at CES 2018, we got to try out the newest iteration of the company’s VR headset. It still promises an 8K resolution, but now includes head-tracking technology this time around, which was missing in previous models.

Before we move any further, it is important to point out the marketing trick being used surrounding the phrase “8K VR headset.” The actual resolution of the headset is a pair of 3,840 x 2,160 LCD displays. Now if you add those up, you might get 8K — but as we all know, that’s not how 8K or virtual reality works! So while the marketing might be a little suspect, the experience of VR in the two 4K displays is certainly still something special.

We tried out the popular VR app TheBlu, which puts you into a deep sea environment. What we noticed right away was just how incredibly crisp the images were. It was most noticeable when something like a massive jellyfish floated right by our vision. The amount of detail you can make out in VR really is stunning. But the resolution isn’t actually the most exciting thing about Pimax’s VR headset: It’s the field of view.

At 200 degrees, it’s got the widest field of view of any VR headset we ever used. Compared to other premium headsets, the wider view makes it feel like you’re much more present in the scene, and less like your looking through a black box. The human eyes’ natural field of view is 220 degrees, so the Pimax headset gets closer to that experience. The result is quite impressive.

The closest competitor in terms of pure specs was also announced this year at CES: The Vive Pro. On its high-end Vive, HTC bumped the resolution to 2,880 x 1,600, which still doesn’t quite hit 4K. Furthermore, its field of view is only 110 degrees.

All that said, it should be noted that the Pimax still very much feels like a prototype. The head strap is a made of a stretchy rubber, which was probably a cheap way to make sure it fits heads of most sizes. The trade-off, of course, is comfort. Compared to something like the Vive Pro, the Pimax headset is definitely not the kind of thing you want to have on your face for long periods of time.

Pricing and shipping details for the Pimax 8K headset have not been announced, but shipments for the Kickstarter backers are currently set for May.

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BrainTap’s headset promises mindful meditation in as little as 20 minutes

When life really starts to get busy, it can be difficult to step away from it all and just relax. That’s where BrainTap Technologies comes in. For those people who don’t want to learn or train themselves to meditate, the new BrainTap headset is restful meditation done for you. Using a series of sounds and pulsing lights to distract your brain, BrainTap promises to be a shortcut to deep relaxation.

“If you get home and you’ve got a lot of noise around the house, you can’t really focus,” BrainTap Technologies’ Michael Porter told Digital Trends at CES 2018. “We can shut all that down … and you can get back about your life.”

The Bluetooth-enabled headset is equipped with an LED visor and headphones that help shut out the rest of the world. To use the device, simply load an audio file using the BrainTap app (or download one from their website), place the headset and visor over your head, and close your eyes.

Ten guided visualization sessions are included with the headset via the BrainTap app, and more than 700 audio sessions in 43 categories can be accessed via the on-demand library. Some of the programs are created to specifically help with stress relief, insomnia, and pain management.

Before long you will begin to feel more relaxed, which can lead to healthier sleeping habits and a better quality of life. The BrainTap Headset is available for purchase on BrainTap’s website for $547.

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