LG’s G7 packs a dedicated Google Assistant button

LG is expected to unveil its next flagship smartphone, the G7 ThinQ, at a New York event on May 2nd. Aside from the ThinQ artificial intelligence, the phone will get another new feature: A dedicated button for Google Assistant. According to a CNET report, it’s located on the left side of the phone opposite a power button on the right, with the fingerprint reader staying on the back. Like the recent AI-equipped V30S, the G7 ThinQ will supposedly get custom LG commands to ask Google Assistant.

It’s not the first Android to get a button devoted to a voice assistant. Starting with the S8, Samsung’s smartphone line got a dedicated button for Bixby — but at least you can shut that one off, preventing you from accidentally summoning your assistant while fumbling around. It isn’t clear if the G7 ThinQ will allow you to disable its own button; To be fair, Samsung wasn’t keen on that before its phone launched, either.

Source: CNET

New iPhone SE Could Launch in May With Touch ID and A10 Fusion, Without 3.5mm Headphone Jack

Apple will release an updated iPhone SE in May, according to case makers who spoke with Japanese website Mac Otakara at the Global Sources Mobile Electronics trade show in Hong Kong this week.

The case makers said the second-generation model will retain the same physical size as the current iPhone SE, and Touch ID is expected to remain, suggesting the device will continue to have a four-inch display sandwiched between top and bottom bezels for the home button, camera, and earpiece.

Following in the footsteps of the iPhone 7 and beyond, the case makers do not expect the new iPhone SE to have a 3.5mm headphone jack. If accurate, and with the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus likely to be discontinued in September, Apple would no longer sell any iPhone model with a headphone jack.

Also like the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus, the new iPhone SE will supposedly be powered by Apple’s last-generation A10 Fusion chip, up to 40 percent faster than the A9 processor in the current iPhone SE. The chip will likely enable support for the HEIF image format and HEVC video compression standard.

The report speculates that the new iPhone SE may have a glass back with wireless charging capabilities, like the iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, and iPhone X, but evidence is said to be inconclusive at this time.

It’s unclear how and where the case makers obtained this information, but they are likely compelled to dig up details from the supply chain in order to be first to the market with properly fitting cases and accessories.

Earlier this week, Apple filed several unreleased iPhone models with the Eurasian Economic Commission, as legally required, and this action has often foreshadowed product launches. Apple submitted a new tablet to the database in February, for example, and the new 9.7-inch iPad debuted in March.

If history repeats itself, the regulatory filings in April do lend credence to a new iPhone SE debuting next month. DigiTimes also predicted May or June. Apple has only debuted new products in May twice in the past five years, including the fifth-generation iPod touch in 2013 and a refreshed 15-inch MacBook Pro in 2015.

WWDC 2018 in June could also provide Apple with stage time to introduce the new iPhone SE, but that hasn’t happened since the iPhone 4 in 2010. A press release in May could be more fitting if the update is insignificant.

iPhone SE rumors have been all over the map in recent months. A sketchy report from Chinese website QQ.com, for example, claimed the second-generation model will have a larger 4.2-inch display, Touch ID, A10 Fusion chip, 2GB of RAM, and metal back and frame, available with 32GB or 128GB of storage.

Apple is likely most focused on making under-the-hood improvements to the iPhone SE, as the device is now outdated by a few years. At its $349 price point, its new design is unlikely to resemble the iPhone X.

KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who relays information from Apple’s supply chain in Asia, recently cast some doubt on rumors about a second-generation iPhone SE launching in the second quarter of 2018.

If there really is a so-called iPhone SE 2 on Apple’s roadmap, Kuo expects it will have few outward-facing changes. He predicts the device would likely have a faster processor and a lower price, rather than iPhone X-like features like a nearly full screen design, 3D sensing for Face ID, or wireless charging.

The current iPhone SE looks much like the iPhone 5s, including its smaller four-inch display preferred by a subset of customers. The device is powered by Apple’s A9 chip, like the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus, and it has 2GB of RAM, a 12-megapixel rear camera, a 3.5mm headphone jack, and Touch ID.

Apple hasn’t fully refreshed the iPhone SE since it launched in March 2016, but it did double its available storage capacities to 64GB and 128GB in March 2017. It also dropped the device’s starting price to $349 last September.

Related Roundup: iPhone SETag: macotakara.jpBuyer’s Guide: iPhone SE (Don’t Buy)
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Visa, Mastercard, Amex, and Discover Plan Combo Checkout Button to Compete With PayPal

Visa, Mastercard, American Express, and Discover are planning to combine their online payment options into “a single button,” hoping to make customers’ shopping easier and reduce friction in the checkout process. The button will be a major competitor to PayPal, and combat what’s called “the Nascar effect,” where multiple payment logos and options dot the purchasing interface on online marketplaces “like the side of a race car” (via Bloomberg).

The new project is being headed by Visa and Mastercard, which announced during an industry conference that they will integrate the Visa Checkout and Masterpass payment options into the button. Afterwards, spokespeople for American Express and Discover announced they are joining the project as well. With all of these platforms located behind one button, users who already have payment options saved in each will be able to checkout “with a few clicks.”

Still, the project is in early stages, with a name and the visual design of the button still undecided. Visa and Mastercard hope to start moving customers enrolled in Visa Checkout and Masterpass to the new program by the end of this year, and expanded checkout support is expected in 2019.

With all of the major credit and debit card companies joining forces, the new button is believed to be a direct competitor to PayPal, which amalgamates a customer’s credit cards, debit cards, and bank accounts into one place for easier checkouts.

The aim, according to the card networks, is to make online shopping simple, letting people finish with a few clicks — an experience pioneered by PayPal Holdings Inc. Yet some analysts say the coordinated effort may ratchet up competition between cards and PayPal, something long seen as a potential risk to that company’s meteoric growth.

“This is always kind of a looming threat to PayPal,” said Thomas McCrohan, an analyst at Mizuho Americas after the first announcements this week.

In a recent survey, 58 percent of merchants said they accepted PayPal in 2017, followed by Apple Pay at 48 percent, Visa Checkout at 26 percent, Masterpass at 16 percent, and AmEx Express Checkout at 9 percent. By providing a less splintered landscape for online shopping, the credit card companies hope to increase visibility among the “one-button concept” marketplace, where people currently “think of PayPal and Amazon Pay,” analyst Raymond Pucci said. “People don’t really say, ‘Oh yeah, Visa and Mastercard.’”

PayPal has been facing increased pressure from rival payments processors recently, with eBay in February detailing plans to phase out its 15-year-long partnership with PayPal to integrate Adyen as its primary payments platform.

PayPal and eBay have an operating agreement to stay partners through mid-2020, so the Adyen alliance will begin slowly by educating buyers and sellers about the new processor in late 2018 and throughout 2019. By 2021, eBay wants to have “transitioned a majority” of its marketplace customers to Adyen, at which time PayPal will be relegated to a secondary checkout option.

Mastercard, Discover, American Express, and Visa also plan to make checkouts simpler in physical stores, this month eliminating the signature requirement for purchases.

Tags: American Express, Visa, Discover, PayPal, MasterCard
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AT&T CEO reveals a $15 streaming TV package is coming soon

On Thursday AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson took the stand to testify in defense of his company’s proposed Time Warner acquisition against antitrust claims. The Justice Department’s case is that the combined company could hurt consumers and drive up cable bills, a charge Stephenson called “absurd.” However, while on the stand Stephenson Washington Post writer Brian Fung tweets that he did reveal a future product plan for AT&T, a so-called “skinny bundle” that could be the cheapest TV package we’ve seen at just $15 per month.

Called AT&T Watch, it would ditch sports to keep the price low, and be available for free to the company’s wireless subscribers. There’s no word on exactly what channels would be included but it’s apparently going to launch in the next few weeks. At that price it would be cheaper than AT&T’s lowest-price DirecTV Now package ($35 for 60+ channels) and Sling TV’s cheapest lineup ($20 for 25+ channels). The only problem, of course, is that these days you can also compare it to choices like Netflix, Amazon Prime and Hulu which can be even cheaper, albeit without live TV options at those prices.

Okay. We have confirmation from AT&T about AT&T Watch. The new product comes WITHOUT sports. It is not a sports-only bundle. #USvATT https://t.co/0PqKUuY0u9

— Brian Fung (@b_fung) April 19, 2018

At merger trial,AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson said company will soon launch $15 skinny bundle of TV programming without live sports.

— Eriq Gardner (@eriqgardner) April 19, 2018

Source: Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg, New York Times, Multichannel News, Brian Fung (Twitter)

German court says ad-blocking is legal

Germany’s supreme court has dismissed a landmark case brought by a publisher looking to destroy ad-blocking services in the country. European behemoth Axel Springer was defeated in its years-long battle with Eyeo, the firm that owns AdBlock Plus. Springer argued that blocking adverts was in violation of competition law, while AdBlock’s whitelist strategy was legally dubious.

The court found that the software, and its businesses practices, were legal and overturned a previous decision claiming otherwise. That will likely enrage publishers who feel that AdBlock Plus is little more than a modern-day protection racket for the publishing industry. Since advertisers can pay to have their adverts shown to ABP users, there’s always been the whiff of something a little grimy about the practice.

Back in 2015, however, the company’s Ben Williams refuted such accusations, saying that the majority of ABP’s clients don’t pay to be whitelisted. At they time, he told BBC News that if he was a racketeer, he was a “terrible” one. The company has also pointed out that only un-intrusive ads that don’t violate the user’s privacy are suitable for whitelisting.

Springer, who stands to lose a chunk of its revenue from ad blockers, will take the fight to the country’s constitutional court. AdBlock Plus decided to celebrate its current success with a well-chosen GIF.

pic.twitter.com/8hgsrT3Uem

— Adblock Plus (@AdblockPlus) April 19, 2018

Source: Reuters

AT&T switches on its pseudo-5G in over 100 locations

AT&T will launch real mobile 5G in 12 cities by the end of 2018, but before that can happen, it says it has to lay “the 5G network foundation” first. Since it’s upgrading cell towers to prepare for real 5G anyway, the carrier has rolled out its pseudo (fixed-in-place) 5G network called “5G Evolution” to parts of 117 new markets, bringing the total to 141. It’s also launching LTE-LAA, a faster type of LTE connection that uses an unlicensed spectrum, in parts of Boston, Sacramento and McAllen, Texas.

Andre Fuetsch, the company’s CTO, explained in a blog post that “these technologies serve as the runway to 5G by boosting the existing LTE network and priming it for the future of connectivity.” In other words, AT&T is enabling faster speeds to take advantage of its beefed up infrastructure with the intention of upgrading to the next generation wireless network when it’s ready. For instance, Waco, Atlanta and Dallas, which are three of the locations that’ll get access to real 5G by the end of 2018, already have access to 5G Evolution.

According to AT&T, 5G Evolution can deliver theoretical peak speeds up to 400 Mbps, while LTE-LAA can deliver speeds up to 1 Gbps. You’ll need to have devices capable of connecting to them if you want to see if they’re truly faster than your current mobile internet, though. Those devices include Samsung’s Galaxy S8, S8 Plus, S9, S9 Plus, Note8 and S8 Active, as well as the LG V30 and the Moto Z2 Force Edition. You can see the carrier’s list of new Evolution markets on its website.

Source: AT&T

Samsung May Remain Exclusive Supplier of OLED Displays in 2018 iPhones Due to LG’s Reported Production Issues

LG Display is widely considered to be ramping up its OLED display production capabilities in hopes of securing orders for Apple’s next-generation iPhone lineup, expected to be released later this year, but mass production challenges have caused the company to fall behind schedule, according to The Wall Street Journal.

The report, citing people familiar with the matter, claims that Apple recently subjected LG to a third round of prototype production for the OLED displays, described as an extra step that most suppliers don’t go through for many components.

As a result, opinions within Apple are divided on whether LG Display will complement Samsung as a second source of OLED displays for the upcoming iPhones, according to the report. However, analysts at investment firm Susquehanna estimate that Apple will supply as much as 20 percent of OLED displays for the 2018 lineup.

By securing orders from both Samsung and LG for OLED displays, Apple could benefit from more competitive prices and increased supply. Samsung is also one of Apple’s largest rivals, so it’s easy to see why Apple is aiming for diversification.

Should LG not be in a position to supply Apple with OLED displays for the next iPhones, it’s unlikely that customers will notice much of an impact. If anything, availability of Apple’s second-generation iPhone X and rumored iPhone X Plus could be slightly tighter, but supplies are typically limited at launch regardless.

Related Roundup: 2018 iPhonesTags: LG, LG Display
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AT&T Reveals $15/Month Streaming Service Without Sports, Launching ‘in the Next Few Weeks’

AT&T is planning to add a new streaming service to its lineup called “AT&T Watch,” priced at a low cost of $15 per month with the removal of all sports channels. The service will be one of the cheapest streaming bundles available on the market, and will even be free for AT&T wireless subscribers on unlimited plans (via The Wall Street Journal and Variety).

As of now not much else is known about AT&T Watch, including exactly what channels will be on offer, what platforms it will launch on, or even a specific launch date besides “in the next few weeks.” When it does debut, the service will undercut Sling TV’s cheapest $20/month streaming tier, and be more of a competitor to Philo’s $16/month option, which predominantly advertises itself as the over-the-top bundle for people who don’t watch sports.

The upcoming skinny bundle was announced yesterday by AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson, during his time on the witness stand where he defended his company’s intent to acquire Time Warner. Stephenson mentioned AT&T Watch after the Justice Department argued that AT&T continuously raises prices for traditional DirecTV subscribers, reportedly “emphasizing” the new service and DirecTV Now’s entry level $35/month tier, “while acknowledging price increases for traditional DirecTV subscribers.”

Often speaking directly to the judge, Stephenson testified on the origins and rationale for the merger, but his examination also veered into other topics, like an email exchange he had with Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg following last year’s Allen & Co. Sun Valley conference. He even revealed a new product offering, AT&T Watch, a $15-per-month bundle of channels, countering the Justice Department’s point that AT&T is still raising prices on its traditional DirecTV satellite service.

AT&T’s other streaming service, DirecTV Now, extends beyond the entry level $35/month for 60+ channels to $50/month for 80+ channels, $60/month for 100+ channels, and $70/month for 120+ channels. Additionally, the service includes an Apple TV 4K offer that’s been ongoing since November 2017, providing the device to new subscribers at no extra cost when they pre-pay for anywhere between three to four months of service.

Tag: AT&T
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A proper ‘Serious Sam’ sequel is in the works

There’s a new Serious Sam game on the horizon. A fresh instalment of the bombastic shooter franchise was teased in 2014 but never came to fruition. Instead, developer Croteam released The Talos Principle, a critically acclaimed puzzler about androids and AI. Now, though, we have a teaser trailer for Serious Sam 4: Planet Badass, which shows the titular hero driving through the (French? Italian?) countryside on a classic motorcycle. Of course, he’s soon attacked by a “headless kamikaze,” which Sam dispatches with a casual shotgun blast. The camera then pans back to reveal a horde of gruesome enemies and the message: See you at E3 2018.

Croteam released the first Serious Sam game in 2001. A sequel, The Second Encounter, arrived a year later followed by the PC and Xbox exclusive Serious Sam 2 in 2005. The first two games were remade in 2009 and 2010 respectively before Serious Sam 3: BFE dropped in 2011. The latter received some favourable, but relatively underwhelming reviews (the game has a 72 rating on Metacritic) which put the series to bed until 2017. Last year, Croteam and indie game publisher Devolver released The First and Second Encounter, Serious Sam 3, and a new campaign called The Last Hope in VR.

Based on the new trailer, Serious Sam 4: Planet Badass will be another silly and utterly exhilarating shooter. The video description promises “full-throttle gameplay, massive hordes of enemies, and [an] explosive array of weapons,” which should please longtime fans. Some will question, however, the interest and relevance of the Serious Sam franchise in 2018. Duke Nukem’s Forever revival in 2011, for instance, was utterly panned by critics and players alike. If Croteam can replicate Bethesda’s outstanding Doom reboot, however — focusing on quick movement and gunplay — it’s possible that fans will take Serious Sam, well, seriously once again.

Via: RockPaperShotgun

Source: Croteam

The Morning After: Bad news for MoviePass

Hey, good morning! You look fabulous.

To all those celebrating a holiday, we salute you and offer a few recommendations. For everyone, we’ve got some very expected news about Google and messaging, along with a possible end to Silicon Valley’s scooter infestation.

We’re upgrading Engadget’s daily newsletter and want to hear from you.

Tell us exactly what you think by emailing us at themorningafter(at)engadget.com.

Allo must die so that RCS-powered texting can live.Google will plug ‘Chat’ into Android to compete with iMessage

Stop us if you’ve heard this one before: Google is planning another mobile messaging push. According to The Verge, it’s preparing to push “Chat,” which isn’t an app but is a brand name for the RCS technology that’s almost ready to replace SMS for carrier messaging. It will live in the Android Messaging app (or other texting apps built into your phone), ready to enhance your missives with iMessage-like extra features as long as the person you’re talking to has a compatible carrier/device.

Happy Earth Day.Nest Power Project will give away smart thermostats to low-income families

This Earth Day, Nest Labs, Inc. will launch a new initiative called The Power Project that will help get Nest E thermostats in the hands of one million lower- and middle-income Americans. If you’d like to help, it will also match donations to participating organizations in your area.

The champ is here.Motorola aims to keep the cheap phone crown with the G6 and G6 Play

Once again, Motorola has refreshed its value-priced G line. While the G6 Plus isn’t coming to the US this time around, the standard $250 G6 holds the line with its 18:9 5.7-inch display, 1.8GHz octa-core CPU, dual-lens rear camera and 32GB or 64GB versions. The $200 G6 Play brings a larger battery, lower-res screen and slower CPU that emphasizes efficiency over power.

Too good to last?MoviePass’s finances don’t paint a pretty picture

Another shocker here: MoviePass’ plan to buy tickets at full price for subscribers that pay $9.95 per month to watch unlimited flicks has left an outside auditor with “substantial doubt” about the company’s health.

Just add a flat surface.Play ‘Star Wars’ holochess in augmented reality on your iPhone

With an ARKit-powered update to the Star Wars: Jedi Challenges app on iOS, you’ll be able to play iconic holochess on any flat surface — now without a headset — and still enjoy the holographic visual trickery that wowed audiences of the original movie back in 1977.

But wait, there’s more…

• The Moto E5 Plus is Motorola’s biggest budget phone yet
• Bill Gates, SoftBank and Airbus back EarthNow live stream satellite plan
• Silicon Valley’s scooter scourge is coming to an end
• Now Apple Watch can unlock August smart locks
• Google’s Grasshopper app teaches you how to code in Javascript
• Qualcomm will lay off 1,500 workers to cut expenses
• Meet Apple’s newest iPhone recycling robot, ‘Daisy’

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