Beats ‘Decade Collection’ Headphones Appear on Best Buy Website Ahead of WWDC

A special “Decade Collection” range of Beats Headphones are currently being promoted by online retail merchants ahead of scheduled availability on June 4, suggesting Apple will officially announce the collection during its keynote at the Worldwide Developers Conference.

A new Beats “Decade Collection” page on the Best Buy website spotted by AppleInsider provides a thorough breakdown of the Beats By Dre 10th anniversary limited edition range, which has yet to appear in Apple’s online product listings. Details about the new Beats models also went live on the website of New Zealand-based retailer Smiths City.

Beats was launched so people could hear music the way the artist intended. A decade later they’re still changing the game. Styled in Defiant Black-Red in tribute to their bold beginnings and music’s dynamic emotion, the Beats Decade Collection celebrates their first 10 years of innovation.

The collection showcases a “Defiant Black-Red” color scheme to existing products in the Beats lineup, including Studio3 Wireless, Solo3 Wireless, Powerbeats3 Wireless, BeatsX Wireless, and urBeats3. All the headphones are available to pre-order at the same price as their more typically styled equivalents.

A report last week claimed that Apple’s rumored “low-priced” version of the HomePod will be placed under the Beats by Dre brand instead of the expected Apple branding – although it seems unlikely that Apple would combine the two brands into one product.

Apple is also rumored to be working on a set of high-end over-ear headphones that, like the company’s HomePod and AirPods, will be Apple branded rather than Beats branded.

Tags: Beats, WWDC 2018
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How to Add an AirDrop Shortcut to Your Mac’s Dock

Apple’s AirDrop feature lets you wirelessly send and receive files between nearby Macs as well as to and from local iOS devices. It’s usually accessed from the sidebar of an open Finder Window (or using the Command + Shift + R keyboard shortcut within Finder), but here we’re going to share with you a trick that enables you to launch AirDrop straight from your Mac’s Dock.

Having the AirDrop shortcut in your Dock will allow you to access it from any screen, regardless of the application you’re using, and without having to open a Finder window first. Regular AirDrop users in particular should appreciate the convenience it provides.

How to Add AirDrop to Your Mac’s Dock

Open a Finder window or click the Desktop.
In the Finder menu bar, select Go -> Go to Folder.

Paste the following directory path into the dialog and press Enter: /System/Library/CoreServices/Finder.app/Contents/Applications/

The Contents/Applications folder within the Finder.app package will appear. Using your mouse, drag the AirDrop app to the desired location in your Dock.

Close the Finder window.Next time you want to open the AirDrop window to share something, simply click the app icon in your Mac’s Dock. Note that you can also drag the iCloud Drive app from the Finder package in the same way, for quick one-click access to the files and folders in your cloud storage.

Related Roundup: macOS High SierraTag: AirDrop
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Apple ‘pleased’ that Samsung is paying it $539M ‘for copying our products’

It’s a case that’s been bouncing around the courts like a ball in a pinball machine, but it looks like it could finally be over.

We’re talking about the seven-year patent battle involving Apple and Samsung where the former accused the latter of taking ideas from its iPhone for its own smartphone designs.

On Thursday, May 24, a unanimous decision by a jury in the U.S. District Court in San Jose, California, means that Samsung must pay Apple $539 million for infringing five patents affecting a number of Android handsets that the Korean tech firm sold in 2010 and 2011.

In a statement issued shortly after the decision was handed down, the iPhone maker said the case had always been about protecting hard work and innovation.

“We believe deeply in the value of design, and our teams work tirelessly to create innovative products that delight our customers,” the Cupertino, California-based company said.

It added, “This case has always been about more than money. Apple ignited the smartphone revolution with iPhone and it is a fact that Samsung blatantly copied our design. It is important that we continue to protect the hard work and innovation of so many people at Apple.”

The tech giant closed by thanking the jury and saying it was “pleased” that they agreed that Samsung “should pay for copying our products.”

Samsung said Thursday’s decision “flies in the face” of an earlier Supreme Court ruling “in favor of Samsung on the scope of design patent damages,” adding that it was now considering “all options to obtain an outcome that does not hinder creativity and fair competition for all companies and consumers.”

While the courts had already ruled that Samsung had infringed patents belonging to its rival, this latest legal tussle was all about determining how much Samsung should hand over. The battle revolved around the definition of the “article of manufacture,” in other words, whether the damages should relate to the entire phone or the individual components linked to the infringed patents. Apple sought damages related to profits made by the infringing phones, a figure it put at more than $1 billion, whereas Samsung wanted the final figure linked to the individual components and features, which it said amounted to $28 million.

In the end, following arguments from legal representatives on both sides, the court arrived at $539 million.

Most of the financial penalty — $533,316,606 to be precise — has been awarded for Samsung’s infringement of three Apple design patents, while the rest — $5,325,050 — is for the infringement of two of Apple’s utility patents that relate to the phones’ functionality.

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Google Home vs. Amazon Echo: Which should you buy in India?

Google Assistant and Alexa have plenty to offer in India, but which platform is right for you?

Amazon launched the Echo family of devices in India last November, and Google introduced the Google Home in the country in April. The entry-level options — the Google Home Mini and the Echo Dot — cost ₹4,999 in the country, with the larger Google Home and Amazon Echo coming in at ₹9,999. The larger Echo Plus, meanwhile, is available for ₹14,999.

If you’re looking to pick up a smart speaker but haven’t made up your mind yet, here’s what you need to know about using the Google Home and Amazon Echo in India.

What the Google Home does better

One area where the Google Home wins out over the Echo is integrating with Google services. You’ll be able to get your calendar alerts, get real-time traffic alerts, route estimates for work, and more.

Google Home offers six routines — a set of customizable actions that are triggered by a phrase. Just say “Good morning,” and the Assistant will give you updates on the weather, take your phone off silent mode, deliver your news briefing, read your calendar entries for the day, your reminders, and traffic updates for your commute.

If you have Hue lights linked up to Assistant, you’ll also be able to control them with routines. It’s a great new addition and makes the Google Home that much more usable.

The Google Home also casts media to any Chromecast devices or Android TVs in your house. You can get it to play a particular show on Netflix on your Cast-enabled device by issuing a command as well. Then there’s a shopping list feature, which lets you add items to a list.

Google Home is great if you’re already invested in Google’s ecosystem.

The feature I use the most is “ring my phone:” You can just ask Assistant to ring your phone, and it will do so even if your device is on silent. I also like the fact that Google Home offers custom profiles, so when my wife asks Assistant to find her phone, it recognizes her voice and ring her device.

Another advantage is the fact that you can use any language for Assistant (ranging from English to France, Mandarin, German, and Italian), and it will work just fine. This isn’t possible with Alexa: you’ll only be able to use English (India).

You’ll also be able to listen to podcasts, and as the Play Store now sells audiobooks, you’ll be able to ask Assistant to play a particular audiobook in your library. Assistant is also better at answering search queries, and it is able to pick up on contextual cues.

All Google Home purchases in India come with a six-month subscription to Play Music All Access, and Assistant also has Saavn and Gaana integration if you want to play tunes from either streaming service.

As for music playback itself, I prefer the Google Home to the standard Amazon Echo. The Google Home offers a more natural sound, and at full volume it can easily fill a medium-sized room.

What the Amazon Echo does better

Amazon has invested significant resources in customizing Amazon Echo for the Indian market, and that’s clearly evident from the moment you start using Alexa. You’ll be able to link your Uber/Ola account and book a cab, get restaurant recommendations from Zomato, get cricket updates from CricInfo, and so much more.

You’ll even get Bollywood and cricket-themed jokes from Alexa, and the ability to add a host of Indian publications for daily news updates, unlimited music streaming with Amazon Music, and the list goes on.

Right now, Alexa has Google Home beat when it comes to value.

Oh, and you can also buy products from Amazon by just using your voice. Alexa will look through your Amazon purchase history to see if you’ve purchased a similar product in the past, and if not, it will surface the three top links on Amazon for that particular item.

Amazon also has an Alexa-to-Alexa calling feature, so if your friend or family members also have an Alexa device, you’ll be able to call them for free.

You’ll be able to hook up your Kindle account with Alexa and have the assistant read books to you. It isn’t the same as an audiobook — as Audible isn’t available in India yet — but it is a start.

If you’re looking to pick up the Echo Plus, know that it has a built-in Zigbee hub for your smart home products. So if you’re looking to connect Hue lights, for instance, you don’t need to buy a dedicated bridge anymore. In general, Alexa is much better when it comes to controlling your smart home gear, and that’s because Amazon has enabled hundreds of local skills from the likes of Syske, Oakter, Picostone, and the like.

Amazon Echo, Echo Dot, or Echo Plus: Which should you buy in India?

I recently got the Picostone Basic to control my living room downlights, and the system works with Alexa out of the box. It doesn’t work with the Google Assistant just yet, but that’s slated for the coming months.

That’s a common theme when talking about the Google Home — as I mentioned earlier this year, it still feels like the speaker is a work in progress in India. And that’s frustrating, because you’d expect that it would offer integration with services like Zomato, Uber, Ola, and others.

While I had no issues with either assistant recognizing and understanding my accent, Alexa has an edge on this front. It understands local names, nouns, and colloquial terms much better than Assistant.

Which should you buy? Amazon Echo

This is a tough one, because both the Google Home and Amazon Echo have plenty to offer in India. The main downside with Google Home is that it has zero customization for the Indian market, so you’re missing out on basic features like the ability to call a cab on Uber or Ola, or view nearby restaurants with Zomato.

Then there are other features — like hands-free calling — that aren’t live yet in India. Google says it is working to bring added functionality to Google Home in India, but right now there’s not a lot of support for third-party services on the platform. That said, Google Home handles search queries better, and it’s generally better for music playback.

While the smart home speaker market is still nascent in India, whoever comes up with Hindi support will automatically take the lead. The ability to interact with a voice assistant in Hindi will be a game-changer, as it will open up the market to a much wider audience. Both Google and Amazon have mentioned that they are working on enabling Hindi integration, and I figured Google would have that feature out of the box considering Assistant picked up Hindi support back in March. However, that wasn’t to be.

As much as I like the Google Home, I cannot recommend it for the Indian market, at least in its current state. It’s infuriating to know that Google made little to no effort integrating local services into Assistant, and it has a long way to go before it achieves feature parity with Alexa in the country. I’m also annoyed that the Google Home launch in India broke Spotify integration, as the service isn’t officially available in the country yet.

If you’re looking for a more localized smart speaker that offers better integration with services you’ll end up using daily, Amazon Echo is a much better purchase.

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Moto G6 and G6 Play are launching in India on June 4

No news yet on the Moto G6 Plus, but the Moto G6 and G6 Play are heading to India next week.

Motorola India teased the launch of the Moto G6 series earlier this month, and we now have official confirmation. The Moto G6 and Moto G6 Play will make their debut in India on June 4, with the former exclusive to Amazon and the latter set to go on sale exclusively at Flipkart. Right now, there’s no information on when the Moto G6 Plus will launch in the country.

Motorola unveiled the Moto G6 series last month in Brazil, and there are several changes from last year’s offerings. First up, all three models feature an 18:9 form factor, and they also come with a glass back design that’s reminiscent of the Moto X4. The Moto G6 features a 5.7-inch FHD+ display, and is powered by the Snapdragon 450. It’ll be available with 3GB or 4GB of RAM, and 32GB or 64GB of storage, but it’s likely we’ll see the 4GB/64GB option as the standard model for India.

There’s a microSD card slot, a dual 12MP + 5MP camera at the back, 8MP front shooter, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.2, USB-C, and a 3000mAh battery.

The Moto G6 Play, meanwhile, comes with a 5.7-inch 720p panel (1440 x 720), Snapdragon 427, 2GB/3GB of RAM, 16GB/32GB of storage, microSD slot, 13MP rear camera, 8MP front camera, and a massive 4000mAh battery. The large battery allows the Moto G6 Play to stand out, but the rest of the hardware isn’t all that enticing when you consider the likes of Xiaomi offer beefier hardware at the same price point.

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Both phones come with a nano-coating that makes them resistant to the occasional splash of water, and they’re also running Android 8.0 Oreo out of the box.

We’ll have to wait until next week to know how much either model will cost in the country, but Motorola has stiff competition in this category. The Nokia 6.1 costs about the same as the Moto G6, and offers better hardware in the form of a Snapdragon 630, and HMD has done a fantastic job when it comes to updates.

It’ll be interesting to see how much the Moto G6 will end up retailing for in India, as that will ultimately decide if the device will sell in any meaningful quantities.

As sale rumors swirl, Essential claims it’s focusing on ‘game-changing’ products

Julian Chokkattu/Digital Trends

After its first product launch saw dismal sales and immediate price cuts, Essential, the company created by Android co-founder Andy Rubin, is considering selling itself, according to sources speaking to Bloomberg. That is a quick turnaround, considering the Essential Phone (PH-1) launched late in 2017.

Essential was the first to introduce the “notch” design — a cutout at the top of the phone housing the camera — that beat the iPhone X to the punch. It also distinguished itself with its titanium and ceramic design, and also by running a stock version of Android with zero bloatware, offering swift Android updates when Google rolled them out. Sadly, it wasn’t enough. Reviews, including ours, dinged the phone for its poor camera, though Essential has spent the past few months improving it through software updates.

When Essential launched its first smartphone, the company announced — perhaps prematurely — its road map for the coming year. The plan was to create modular components for its flagship phone every quarter, and then launch a smart home product called Essential Home, running a proprietary operating system called Ambient OS. To date, the company has only launched one module — a 360-degree camera — and a few different color variants of the original Essential Phone. The device’s price also dropped fairly quickly from $700 to below $500.

Now, the Bloomberg report states the company is considering selling its patent portfolio, the original Essential Phone as well as the 360-degree camera, its engineers, and its smart home product. Oh, and it has ceased development of an upcoming phone, presumably the Essential Phone (PH-2). A final decision hasn’t been made yet.

“We always have multiple products in development at the same time and we embrace canceling some in favor of the ones we think will be bigger hits,’ an Essential spokesperson told Digital Trends. “We are putting all of our efforts toward our future, game-changing products, which include mobile and home products.”

Rubin also tweeted out the same exact response.

We always have multiple products in development at the same time and we embrace canceling some in favor of the ones we think will be bigger hits. We are putting all of our efforts towards our future, game-changing products, which include mobile and home products.

— Andy Rubin (@Arubin) May 24, 2018

It sounds as though development of the Essential Phone 2 has been canceled. Only 150,000 Essential Phones have been sold to date, which is why the company may be gearing up to exit the smartphone business. Bloomberg states there is a chance it could re-enter the market, as Essential has explored using a different manufacturer other than Foxconn.

The Essential Home is reportedly still in the works and it’s expected to launch next year, according to Bloomberg’s sources.

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It sounds crazy, but jet thrusters on a motorbike may actually make it safer

When you hear the words “motorbike” and “jet thruster” together, your next thought probably isn’t, “Wow, that sure sounds like a recipe for safety.” In this case, however, you may well be wrong. Researchers at the German engineering and electronics company Bosch have developed jet thrusters for motorbikes which actually make the experience of riding a bike safer.

The technology is an effort to reduce what are referred to as “low-side” crashes. That is the type of crash which occurs when a bike is leaning to one side while cornering, with the result being either the front or rear wheel sliding out from under the driver. This can be the result of too much braking on the part of the driver, too much acceleration, or slippery road conditions, such as when you’re driving on wet roads or gravel surfaces. Whatever the cause, though, the results are rarely good.

It is these type of crashes Bosch wants to reduce. Their technology works out when wheel slip is happening and, where necessary, uses thrusters to right the bike before its impending doom.

Bosch

“It’s like a magic hand that keeps the motorcycle on track and considerably reduces the risk of a fall,” Fevzi Yildirim, regional business unit leader for Bosch Two-Wheeler and Powersports, told Digital Trends. “A sensor detects sideways wheel slip. If a certain value is exceeded, gas is released from a gas accumulator of the type used in passenger-car airbags. The gas flows into the tank adapter and is vented in a certain direction through a nozzle. This reverse thrust keeps the motorcycle on track.”

The technology isn’t on the market yet, but it could help improve safety for motorcyclists who, compared with car drivers, are far more exposed and unprotected on the road, and therefore face greater risks. Hopefully, we’ll see technology such as this incorporated into future motorbikes, although Yildirim notes that it is still a research and development initiative.

“Sliding mitigation is an advanced research project aimed at overcoming differences in surface friction,” Yildirim said. “There are still a few open technical challenges to be solved. Nonetheless, it shows all our efforts to realize our vision of accident-free riding in the future. We have proved that such a system can work.”

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The sound of silent snoring: QuietOn Sleep earbuds aim to cancel out the noise

Do you have a spouse or significant other who snores? If you’re not willing to call it quits on your relationship in the name of a good night’s sleep, you may want to consider shelling out for a pair of futuristic earbuds, developed by a team of ex-Nokia engineers. Like supercharged ear plugs, the QuietOn Sleep earbuds use cutting-edge noise-canceling technology to block out low-frequency sounds.

The earbuds trace back to the early 2010s, when company founder Janne Kyllöne became interested in noise-canceling technology after enduring countless business flights. In 2015, Kyllöne and fellow Nokia engineer Matti Nisula manufactured the first prototypes and had them tested and validated. This lead to a 2016 Indiegogo campaign, which raised $1.3 million. The first-generation earbuds were successfully delivered to backers and, by last year, more than 15,000 units had been shipped to 120 countries around the world. Now the team is back with a follow-up, improving on the original earbuds in a few key ways.

“After one year being on the market, we’ve learned from the market and realized how big the demand is,” Kyllöne told Digital Trends. “People crave a device that can help them improve their wellbeing, whether for their snoring spouses, or sleeping in hotels while traveling for business, or dealing with noisy neighbors.”

The new earbuds are 40 percent smaller and 50 percent lighter than their predecessors and boast improved snore-blocking technology. They are designed to fit snugly in your ears and from there, they then emit a special phase-shifted sound that is designed to block out any low-frequency noise below 500 Hz. Carrying 20 hours of battery life, they are mainly advertised as being useful for blocking out snoring, although they should do equally well at masking sounds like the hum of a subway train or airplane cabin.

The Indiegogo campaign to fund the new earbuds has finished now, but you can still pledge money to hopefully secure a pair for yourself. As ever, we recommend that would-be customers familiarize themselves with the risks of crowdfunding campaigns. However, if you’re nonetheless happy to go ahead, a pair of QuietOn Sleep earbuds will set you back $159. Shipping is set to take place in October.

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Memorial Day discounts have begun and here are our favorite laptop picks

If you’re shopping for a new notebook, now is the time to invest. Manufacturers are slashing prices for Memorial Day including big blowouts by Dell, HP, Microsoft, and Lenovo. We pulled out our five favorite notebook discounts so you aren’t digging through all the hardware. 

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon ($380 off) 

Bill Roberson/Digital Trends

While a discounted price of $1,139 isn’t exactly dirt cheap, knocking $380 off the original bill makes this laptop a bit more affordable. It’s based on an eighth-generation Core i5-8250U processor powering a 14-inch IPS screen with a 1,920 x 1,080 resolution. Don’t let the listing’s “6th Gen” listing fool you: Lenovo is referring to the model, not the actual processor. 

Of course, that price tag is your starting point. Sold in black or silver finishes, the base configuration includes 8GB of system memory (LPDDR3 at 2,133MHz), 256GB of storage on an M.2 SSD, integrated graphics, Wireless AC and Bluetooth 4.1 connectivity, and a 57 watt-hour battery. It includes a fingerprint reader and a 720p camera with a built-in cover too.

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Microsoft Surface Laptop ($200 off) 

Adam Balkin/Digital Trends

This deal only applies to select models with the Core i5 processor, so essentially the cheapest Core i5 configuration costs $799 after the discount featuring 4GB of system memory, 128GB of storage, and a locked Platinum exterior. Increase the memory to 8GB and the storage to 256GB, and the price jumps up to a palatable $1,099 no matter what color you choose. 

Outside of the CPU/memory/storage aspects, the Surface Laptop sports a 13.5-inch screen with a 2,256 x 1,504 resolution, integrated graphics, a 720p webcam and Windows Hello sign-in camera, Wireless AC and Bluetooth 4.0 LE connectivity, and more. 

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HP Spectre x360 13t ($200 off) 

With a $200 holiday discount, this convertible laptop will set you back for a starting price of $989. The base configuration relies on an eighth-generation Core i5-8250U processor, 8GB of system memory (LPDDR3 at 2,133MHz), and 360GB of storage on an M.2 SSD. You can upgrade these components for an added cost. 

Of course, if you find the natural silver finish rather boring, HP serves up two other choices for an added $10 each: Dark ash silver and pale rose gold. The IPS screen measures 13.3 inches and supports touch-based input, but you will have two resolution options: The default 1,920 x 1,080 or the more expensive 3,840 x 2,160 screen. Powering this laptop is a 60 watt-hour battery.

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Dell XPS 15 2-in-1 ($150 off) 

Bill Roberson/Digital Trends

This laptop isn’t configurable: Dell’s Memorial Day deal ships “as is” for a discounted price of $2,049. That is not exactly cheap, but it’s one of the first laptops to sport the new processor “module” cooked up by Intel and AMD. This module, aka the Core i7-8705G, plays host to three separate components: four Intel “Coffee Lake” CPU cores and integrated graphics, AMD’s discrete Radeon RX Vega M GL graphics cores, and 4GB of HBM2 memory dedicated to graphics. 

Outside the new module, Dell’s 2-in-1 features a 15.6-inch screen with touch support and a 3,840 x 2,160 resolution, 16GB of system memory (DDR4 at 2,400MHz), 256GB of storage on an M.2 SSD, Killer Wireless AC and Bluetooth connectivity, and a 75 watt-hour battery. Two one-watt speakers and a Widescreen 720p camera round out the package.

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HP Omen 15t Gaming Laptop ($170 off) 

Bill Roberson/Digital Trends

Although Dell’s notebook could be used for gaming, here is our only notebook on the list actually dedicated to gamers. The discounted $799 price is your starting point consisting of a seventh-generation Core i7-7700HQ processor, 8GB of system memory (DDR4 at 2,400MHz), a 1TB hard drive, and a discrete GeForce GTX 1050 graphics chip. 

HP’s gaming laptop sports a 15.6-inch IPS screen with a 1,920 x 1,080 resolution. Other ingredients include an HP Wide Vision HD webcam, Wireless AC and Bluetooth 4.2 connectivity, a backlit keyboard, and a 63.3 watt-hour battery. The graphics chip, system memory, and storage can be configured with better components and capacities for an added cost. 

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We strive to help our readers find the best deals on quality products and services, and choose what we cover carefully and independently. If you find a better price for a product listed here, or want to suggest one of your own, email us at dealsteam@digitaltrends.com.Digital Trends may earn commission on products purchased through our links, which supports the work we do for our readers.

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Apple wins $539 million in damages from Samsung in design patent infringement retrial

This could be the end … well, no, probably not.

In what feels like a never-ending technology patent spat, Apple has just been awarded a hefty amount of damages from Samsung related to design patent infringement. In a retrial of the ongoing lawsuit from Apple that alleged Samsung took its patented designs for its own products several generations of phones ago, the court awarded Apple just shy of $539 million in damages. Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman is listing the damages as a $533.3 million award, plus some additional concessions for another $5.3 million.

Apple’s statement is clear and doesn’t sugarcoat things:

Apple statement on Samsung trial verdict: “it is a fact that Samsung blatantly copied our design” … “We’re grateful to the jury for their service and pleased they agree that Samsung should pay for copying our products.”

— Mark Gurman (@markgurman) May 24, 2018

This particular case over design patents has been dragging on since 2011. Some may forget that it was actually already determined by the courts that Samsung infringed on Apple’s patents, but the two companies have since been continuously battling over how much Samsung would pay in damages. Apple initially asserted that it was owed as much as $1 billion from Samsung, but several counter-lawsuits, appeals, retrials and arguments ensued to reduce that award. It was previously set that Samsung owed roughly $400 million for infringing some specific patents, and now Apple can set the $539 million number in stone.

Apple was eventually awarded $120 million in damages from Samsung in a separate lawsuit back in November 2017 related to Samsung’s use of slide-to-unlock on its phones — that trial also took several rounds of back-and-forth with appeals before it finally concluded. There’s no way this is the last we’ll hear of the Apple-Samsung patent lawsuits, be it over old products or new ones. So long as these are the leaders in the smartphone business with an incredible amount of money available to tie things up in the courts, we’ll see patent battles.

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