Free EU roaming is safe, says UK government, even if no-deal Brexit goes ahead

The government minister in charge of overseeing the U.K. leaving the European Union has said that even in the event of a “no-deal” Brexit, the recently introduced free data roaming and reduced charging plans will stay in place. Dominic Raab, Brexit secretary, has said several carriers have already agreed not to re-introduce charges, and the government wants to force other operators to do the same.

Expensive roaming charges were scrapped in June last year, but at the time there was confusion over what would happen after Brexit, and concern that networks would back out of the scheme. Currently, all EU citizens — which includes people living in the U.K. — pay the same amount for calls and messages made abroad as they do at home. Additionally, all mobile plans in the U.K. include the ability to use included data and minutes throughout the European Union. These are EU laws, and therefore will not be part of U.K. law after March 29, 2019.

At first glance this is good news, however, it wouldn’t be Brexit if there wasn’t confusion. Speaking to BBC Radio 4’s Today program, Raab said the government would, “legislate for a limit on roaming charges to make sure in a no-deal scenario we would protect British consumers.” While this is promising, the wording doesn’t clearly state there will be no change to the current structure, and could be taken to mean new U.K.-specific limits will be introduced.

The response from U.K. carriers is more encouraging. An EE spokesperson told Digital Trends:

“EE customers enjoy great value products and controls offering inclusive roaming in Europe and beyond, and we don’t have any plans to change these offers. We are working closely with government on this and hope they will put consumers at the top of their agenda in the Brexit negotiations to help ensure that UK operators can continue to offer low prices to our customers.”

According to the BBC, Vodafone and Three have agreed not to alter roaming prices, and Sky News adds O2 to the list. The Independent quotes O2 as saying it has no plans to change roaming charges, and is in discussion with the government regarding the situation, mirroring EE’s statement.

Raab’s comments come ahead of the U.K. government publishing 28 technical documents related to Brexit, and its impact on aspects of daily and business life, on September 13. These documents will include official statements on the continuation of EU roaming, and may provide more information than currently available.

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How to measure calories or kilojoules burned in Google Fit

Don’t just workout for the sake of working out. Use Google Fit to track how much energy you’re burning!

Google Fit is a great app to use to keep track of everything fitness-related, from your workouts to your long-term fitness goals. A common goal is burning more calories or kilojoules, and Google Fit can help with these as well.

Here’s how to measures your calories or kilojoules burned in Google Fit!

Products Used In This Guide

• Any Android smartphone
• Google Play Store: Google Fit (Free)
• Amazon: TicWatch Pro ($250)

How to measure calories or kilojoules burned from your phone

Open the Google Fit app on your Android phone.
The calories burned will be displayed near the middle of the screen.

Tap NUMBER Cal/kJ. This will show how many calories or kilojoules you’ve burned so far that day.

Tap Week to display how many calories or kilojoules you’ve burned this week.

Tap Month to display how many calories or kilojoules you’ve burned this month.

Scroll down to show of breakdown of how many calories or kilojoules you’ve burned in each week of this month.
Tap the arrows next to the month to view your calories or kilojoules burned in previous months.

That’s it! Just keep working out and let Google Fit record your progress. When you’re ready to look back at how hard you’ve worked, everything’s right there in the app.

Our top equipment picks

If you’re all in on Google Fit, it’s worth getting a Wear OS watch to track your workouts right from your wrist.

The best watch for Google Fit

Mobvoi TicWatch Pro

$250 at Amazon

The best Wear OS watch is also the best for tracking your workouts.

The Ticwatch Pro features a GPS tracker, heart-rate monitor, and NFC payments.

The Ticwatch Pro is a genuinely good watch even if you don’t care about fitness tracking. If you do, it’s even better. There’s a GPS chip to better track your jogs, a heart-rate monitor for keeping your beats in check, and an NFC chip so you can leave your phone at home and still use Google Pay.

Save up to 60% on TP-Link smart plugs, routers, and more today only

Here today, gone tomorrow!

Amazon is currently hosting a one-day sale on a variety of TP-Link’s popular products, which discounts them by up to 60%. Whether you’re looking for a wireless router, range extender, ethernet switch, smart plug, or even a smart bulb, this sale has you covered. TP-Link has been around for a while and is a company that many know and trust, and most of its products are well-reviewed at Amazon, so you won’t want to miss out on these prices.

Some of our favorite deals on the networking gear include:

• N450 Wi-Fi Router – $21.89 (Was $50)
• N300 Wireless Portable Nano Travel Router – $23.99 (Was $30)
• AC1750 Smart Wi-Fi Router – $59.99 (Was $80)
• AC3150 Smart Wireless Gaming Router – $129.99 (Was $220)
• Smart Hub & Whole Home Mesh Wi-Fi System – $249.99 (Was $300)
• Archer C1900 Wi-Fi Cable Modem – $119.99 (Was $200)

You’ll also find a bunch of great smart home related deals, including:

• Dimmable A19 LED Bulb – $19.99 (Was $30)
• Kasa Smart Plug Mini (2-pack) – $34.99 (Was $60)
• Kasa Smart Wi-Fi Light Switch (2-pack) – $44.99 (Was $70)
• Multicolor BR30 Smart LED Bulb – $32.99 (Was $50)

This is just a small sample of what’s available in today’s one-day sale, so be sure to shop the whole thing before the day ends.

See at Amazon

Add Ring’s 1080p Video Doorbell 2 to your home for only $110 today

Knock, knock. Who’s there?!

Right now you can pick up Ring’s Video Doorbell 2 for just $110.36, which is only $10 more than the original doorbell sells for right now. It normally sells for around $200, and previous deals were only dropping it to around $160. This is easily the best price we’ve ever seen on it, and we can’t imagine it will last for long.

It has a rechargeable battery so you can install it anywhere and it has the ability to be hardwired so you don’t need the battery, and it captures 1080p video. The money you save here can be used towards your first year of cloud storage so you can always access your videos.

See at Amazon

The Galaxy Watch doesn’t change much — and that’s okay

Change for the sake of change doesn’t equal progress.

There’s been a lot of talk about Samsung’s new Galaxy Watch lately — well, at least as much talk as there can be about a smartwatch in 2018. Reviews are mostly positive, and despite its lackluster third-party app support (as is typical for Tizen watches), it seems to be a great overall smartwatch with sleek hardware, polished software, and multi-day battery life.

The biggest criticism it’s faced from tech pundits and enthusiasts alike is that it just doesn’t change much coming from the previous Gear S3 range of devices. It’s visually hard to distinguish from the older devices, and the software doesn’t seem to add much to the experience either — but with the Gear S3 already being one of the best smartwatches around, is that really such a bad thing?

Nobody makes smartwatch hardware like Samsung. That isn’t to say that Samsung has some untouchably great level of build quality or anything of the sort; it’s more that Samsung has its own unique design that directly affects how you navigate through its watches. Like the Gear S3, the Galaxy Watch features a clicky, fully rotating bezel that lets you scroll through the Tizen software with ease — no need to block your view and smudge the screen with your finger. This has long been my favorite way to interface with a smartwatch.

Samsung’s rotating bezel remains my favorite way to navigate through a smartwatch.

The software is more or less the same as on the Gear S3 too, simply stepping up from Tizen 2.3 to version 4, but unless you need specific third-party apps that are only available on WearOS, that’s not such a bad thing either. Tizen is far more customizable than WearOS, and it’s simple and even enjoyable to operate, thanks in part to the aforementioned rotating bezel and the speedy interface.

The similarities don’t stop there, and that’s because the Gear S3 was already a full-featured smartwatch that still holds up today, nearly two years after its initial release. It wasn’t perfect, nor is the Galaxy Watch today; battery life on the Galaxy Watch is severely reduced when you enable the always-on display, and Bixby is … well, if you’ve seen the end of Andrew Martonik’s review video, you know what to expect with a wearable Bixby.

It’s hard to get too excited about a smartwatch these days, as the majority of manufacturers have seemingly given up on the form factor. Hopefully that’ll start to change with newly announced Snapdragon Wear 3100, but in the meantime, the Galaxy Watch remains one of the best options around, just as the Gear S3 was before it. It isn’t perfect, but don’t write it off just because it doesn’t make changes for the sake of change.

Spotify Increases Offline Downloads Limit to 10,000 Tracks Per Device

Spotify has increased the maximum number of offline downloads a subscriber is allowed as well as the number of phones and computers they can be stored across at any one time.

According to Rolling Stone, it was Spotify users who initially discovered that the limit on downloaded tracks has been raised to 10,000 songs per device, up from the previous cap of 3,333 per device.

Additionally, offline downloads can now be stored on up to five devices. Previously, users were able to download tracks for offline listening on up to three devices, which meant you could have a maximum of 9,999 offline tracks per account. With five devices now allowed each containing up to 10,000 songs, that ceiling rises to 50,000 tracks. The Swedish streaming giant subsequently confirmed the changes to Rolling Stone:

“At Spotify, we’re always working on improving the experience for our users. We can now confirm that we have increased the number of offline tracks per device — from 3,333 on three devices to 10,000 tracks per device for up to five devices,” a Spotify spokesperson said.

The new limits should please a large section of users who have long aired their grievances about the seemingly arbitrary cap on offline downloads. That said, Spotify could likely please even more subscribers by increasing the 10,000 track limit on personal libraries, which strangely remains in place.

(Via The Verge.)

Tag: Spotify
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Moment Launches MFi-Approved Battery Photo Case for iPhone X and iPhone XS

Smartphone lens maker Moment has begun shipping the first MFi-approved Battery Photo Case compatible with iPhone X and the new iPhone XS.

The battery case first drew interest earlier this year as a Kickstarter campaign highlighting several notable features, some of which are clearly aimed at photographers.

The case has a 3,100mAh built-in battery for charging your iPhone on the go, and it’s wireless-charging compatible, so it can be placed on any Qi-compatible charging pad.

The case also features an integrated Lightning port to charge an iPhone X/XS, rather than the typical micro-USB found on charging accessories, while a wrist/neck strap can be easily attached for safety.

In addition, there’s a two-stage shutter button on the case for taking pictures, so pressing the button halfway focuses the lens and a full press takes the picture.

The Battery Case is compatible with the Moment lens lineup, which includes telephoto, wide, super fish, macro, and a soon-to-be-released Anamorphic lens.

The case costs $99 and can be ordered today on the Moment website, which will offer upgraded versions for iPhone XS Max and iPhone XR come November.

Tags: MFi Program, photography
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iPhone XR Could Account for Over Half of New iPhone Sales in Second Half of 2018

Global shipments of Apple’s new iPhone lineup should exceed 85 million units in the second half of the year, according to research conducted by DigiTimes, with the more budget-friendly iPhone XR expected to account for over half of all sales.

Shipments of the LCD-based 6.1-inch iPhone XR are expected to account for over 50 percent of combined shipments of the new three models being released, although the availability of the iPhone XR will come on October 26 compared to September 21 for iPhone Xs and Xs Max.

Total iPhone shipments – including older-generation models – are expected to top 127 million units in the second half of 2018, representing “modest growth” for the tech giant’s mobile business.

Meanwhile, Apple’s total smartphone revenue is likely to reach nearly $100 billion in the second half of the year, which is a 10 percent increase compared to the previous year.

The estimates for the new iPhone XS, XS Max and XR are said to be based on supply chain information, combined with Apple’s annual sales and the average selling prices over previous years.

Apple’s lower-spec iPhone XR features an edge-to-edge “Liquid Retina” LCD display with wide color and True Tone support, and the same all-screen design as the iPhone Xs and Xs Max, but with an aluminum frame instead of stainless steel.

It comes in White, Black, Blue, Coral, Yellow, and (PRODUCT)Red colors, and will be available in 64GB, 128GB and 256GB models. Pre-orders for Apple’s new smartphones begin on Friday, September 14, ahead of an official launch a week later on Friday, September 21 in over 30 countries and territories.

Related Roundups: iPhone XR, iPhone XSTag: digitimes.com
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Reddit and Wikipedia criticize EU’s controversial copyright law

The European Parliament has voted overwhelmingly in favor of an amended version of the Copyright Directive that was originally rejected by Members of the European Parliament this summer. After Articles 11 and 13 — the link tax and piracy filter requirements– were revised, the lawmakers passed the copyright law 438 to 226 on September 12. The passage of the law generated harsh criticism from Reddit and the Wikimedia Foundation, the parent organization of Wikipedia.

“Today’s vote dealt a significant blow to the open internet, and to smaller companies like Reddit,” a Reddit representative told The Verge. “It is disappointing to see the Parliament disregard the concerns of those constituents and experts who know the internet best– including its very architects. We’re evaluating what this means for Reddit, and we will continue to keep our community informed.”

The law was designed to give publishers a way to monetize when companies link to their content. It also requires platforms like YouTube to implement filters to prevent users from sharing unlicensed materials. Critics have argued in the past that monitoring the internet would create an undue burden for smaller platforms, and that filtering could lead to censorship. In passing the legislation, parliament essentially is reversing an earlier ruling by the EU court in Luxembourg. In that decision, the court argued that sites should not be compelled to install filters to check for privacy.

In its initial opposition of the proposed legislation, the Electronic Frontier Foundation penned an open letter arguing that “Article 13 takes an unprecedented step toward the transformation of the internet from an open platform for sharing and innovation, into a tool for the automated surveillance and control of its users.” Essentially, even content like GIFs and memes are at stake.

The revised articles included exemptions for Wikipedia and Github, and the link tax would not be exercised for sharing of hyperlinks. This amendment would preserve the 2016 EU court ruling stating that simply linking to copyrighted material does not constitute infringement. Yet, despite being excluded from the law, Wikimedia remains steadfast in its opposition.

“Today, the European Parliament voted to adopt new rules that entrench outdated copyright policies and impose even greater barriers to access to knowledge online,” the foundation said in a statement to The Verge. “Despite an outpouring of support from European citizens, including the Wikimedia community of volunteers, Parliament passed amendments that would require pre-filtering of uploads to internet platforms and failed to institute freedom of panorama protections across the European Union. We are disappointed by this outcome and the missed opportunity to modernize copyright for the digital age. Wikimedia remains firmly committed and will continue to advocate for an open, balanced vision for copyright which enables everyone to learn and create online.”

Google has been more restrained in its reaction, noting that it is committed to working with legislatures to give people “access to quality news and creative content online.” Twitter and Microsoft did not provide comment. The legislation will face a final vote in January 2019, The Verge said, and if it passes, individual EU member states will have to interpret how to enforce the directive.

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Google is done with its Inbox email app and will shut it down in March 2019

Launching as an invite-only app in 2014, Google’s Inbox set out to create a more efficient email experience for users.

Four years and multiple updates later, the web company announced this week it’s going to retire Inbox in March 2019 and instead concentrate on improving Gmail.

Product manager Matthew Izatt said in a blog post the Inbox app had been “a great place to experiment with new ideas like snoozing emails to later, as well as try the latest AI-powered experiences like smart reply, nudges, and high-priority notifications to help you stay productive.” Indeed, many of the app’s more popular features have ended up in Gmail.

But Izatt said the company had recently decided to take “a more focused approach” with its email-based efforts to help it bring “the best email experience” to all of its users.

A major Gmail redesign arrived in April this year — its biggest overhaul in seven years — bringing with it some popular Inbox features to Google’s core web-based email service, which launched back in 2004.

Izatt said that with Inbox it had “learned a lot about how to make email better.”

Using Gmail

Google has created a transition guide for any Inbox users concerned about switching from the soon-to-be-retired app to Gmail, though it should only be a case of  familiarizing yourself with the Gmail interface, if you haven’t checked in for a while.

“All your conversations are already waiting for you in Gmail,” Izatt said, reminding everyone that Inbox and Gmail work with the same email address and share all the same data.

When Inbox launched in October 2014, Google CEO Sundar Pichai — then senior president for Android, Chrome, and apps — said the software had been “years in the making,” adding that it was aimed at those for whom “dealing with email has become a daily chore that distracts from what we really need to do, rather than helping us get those things done.”

For Google developers, Inbox was a neat way to test new features to improve Gmail, but it seems the usefulness of the app has run its course for the company as it pools resources and throws its weight behind improving its better known email service instead.

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