Tory Burch branches out into Wear OS smartwatches with the $395 Gigi

Smartwatches made by designers that understand women’s fashion are becoming more prevalent, with Kate Spade’s Scallop making a particular impression at the beginning of the year. Fashion lifestyle brand Tory Burch is the latest to release a full Wear OS touchscreen smartwatch. Inspired by one of the brand’s best-selling styles, the ToryTrack Gigi looks superb — modern, classy, and free from unpleasant sparkle and glitz that can sometimes (negatively) single out a wearable made for women.

Made from stainless steel, the body measures 40mm by 48mm, and we’re waiting for confirmation of the screen size and resolution. It comes in three different finishes: An attractive black stainless steel, and a pair of polished versions in gold or steel. A metal band comes fitted, adding extra style, but the straps can be swapped out, and you can choose from a leather, rubber or grosgrain Tory Burch-designed versions.

Naturally, there are different Tory Burch watch faces, with eight in total, along with various different colors for each one. There are the traditional watch faces you see in the images here, along with some more stylised designs, including a Tory Burch logo. It’s not stated with certainty, but it appears the ToryTrack Gigi comes with the latest, updated version of Google’s Wear OS software.

This means more comprehensive fitness tracking, which will work well with the watch’s heart rate sensor, GPS, and swim-proof body that’s water resistant to 30 meters. There’s NFC for Google Pay, Google Assistant to help out with daily tasks and reminders, plus music control, a Bluetooth connection for headphones, and it works with both Android and iOS smartphones.

Inside is the Qualcomm Snapdragon 2100 processor. If you’re eagerly awaiting the updated Snapdragon 3100 chip, you’ll have to wait until next year when watches with the new processor will arrive. While we don’t know the capacity of the battery inside the ToryTrack Gigi, we’d expect it to last at the most a day or so, based on experience with other watches of its type.

The ToryTrack Gigi is available from Tory Burch boutiques beginning October 25. It costs $395, which puts it at the higher end of Wear OS watch prices, and crucially $100 more than the Kate Spade Scallop, and $50 more than the Michael Kors Access Runway with a stainless steel band.

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Alienware’s sleek new M15 offers the power without the extra padding

Dell’s making good on its promise to deliver a slimmer power-packed laptop to gamers, and the company’s redesigned Alienware M15 notebook will be available beginning today at a starting price of $1,379. By relying on Nvidia’s Max-Q design, Dell was able to shave a bit of thickness and heft off of its 15-inch Alienware-branded gaming notebook. The new Alienware M15 clocks in at just 0.83-inches thick and 4.8 pounds, making it 0.17 inches thinner and just shy of three pounds lighter than the same model from a year ago. In fact, Dell claims that the new Alienware is its thinnest gaming notebook to date.

In order to shrink the laptop down to size while keeping the same 15-inch screen size, Dell invested in reducing the bezel areas around the display and flattening the lid. Dell claims that the 15-inch model is the first Alienware notebook to come with this narrow bezel display. The overall effect of redesigning the Alienware is that the laptop now comes with a more angular aesthetics, and this places the 2018 Alienware M15 within measurements of rival Razer’s new and slim Blade 15. Unlike Razer’s use of aluminum for the Blade’s construction, Dell’s opting for magnesium alloy on the Alienware M15’s lid, which the company claims as the lightest structural metal. It’s unclear if the work in redesigning the Alienware this year has resulted in extra costs, but the $1,379 starting price through Dell is $79 more expensive than Dell’s target price when it announced the notebook earlier this month.

Despite its more svelte form factor, the Alienware doesn’t skimp on performance or power and gamers will likely appreciate Dell’s quoted up to 17 hours of battery life when the Alienware is paired with an optional 90Whr battery on idle. All configurations ship with Dell’s AlienFX lighting controls and an RGB-lit keyboard with 1.4mm key travel. The laptop will be available in a number of configurations, and gamers will be able to choose from Intel’s eighth-generation quad-core Core i5 or six-core Core i9 processors. Graphics top out with an Nvidia GeForce GTX 1070 Max-Q GPU, but less demanding gamers can save some money with the base GTX 1060 configuration. The Alienware M15 can be configured with up to 32GB DDR4 memory and dual-drive setups for storage.

Like the Blade 15, the Alienware M15 will also have an option for a fast 144Hz refresh panel. The base 1080p full HD display will come with a 60Hz refresh rate. More demanding users can configure the Alienware with a 1080p resolution panel and 144Hz refresh rate or go for a high-resolution 4K UHD panel with 60Hz refresh rate. Given that the Alienware M15 is purpose-built for gamers, it will come with a generous assortment of ports, including a Thunderbolt 3 over USB-C port, three USB-A ports, HDMI, Mini DisplayPort, Ethernet, and Alienware’s proprietary docking port to connect an eGPU.

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The GrayKey password cracker can no longer break into iOS 12 iPhones

Brenda Stolyar/Digital Trends

Is GrayKey finally dead? It seems to be at least for now. According to various sources, Apple’s iOS 12 operating system has killed off the device’s ability to break into iPhones.

If you’re not familiar with the password-cracking device, GrayKey launched earlier this year, and was aimed at providing law enforcement agencies an easy way to break into a suspect’s iPhone and gather information that might possibly be related to a crime. However, Apple has been assertively going to bat for its customers’ data security — as evidenced by its struggle against the FBI — and has been involved in a long cat-and-mouse game with the security device.

After various failed attempts to curb the effectiveness of the GrayKey cracker — including the USB Restricted Mode that could be thwarted by a $39 accessory — it seems that Apple has finally cracked the cracker, with the result that GrayKey is now unable to fully break open an iPhone running iOS 12. While GrayKey can still perform a “partial extraction,” pulling unencrypted files and metadata like file sizes and folder structures, it can no longer use its previous methods that involved brute force to open passcodes and bypass Apple’s protections against repeated guesses.

Worst of all for security services, no-one’s quite sure how Apple has managed it. While older methods like USB Restricted were fully understood shortly after being made public, Apple’s new method of locking out GrayKey hasn’t been figured out at all yet. “No idea,” said Vladimir Katalov, chief of forensic tech provider Elcomsoft. “It could be everything from better kernel protection to stronger configuration-profile installation restrictions.”

So while this is great news for iPhone users worried about their device’s security, it’s not such good news for law enforcement, who may have been relying on the GrayKey to gather essential information. With a single GrayKey unit starting at $15,000 and prices rising to $30,000 for a device that can be used on multiple internet networks, it’s also a bad day for the coffers of such forces that have invested in the GrayKey.

It’s still likely the device isn’t fully dead yet. Someone may well figure out a way of circumventing iOS 12’s advanced security, restarting the game of data keep-away all over again. If you’re still worried about your iOS device’s security, we’ve put together an iOS security guide so you can ensure it’s locked down.

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Google Lens’ Images feature recognizes objects you might want to buy

Google’s artificial intelligence is getting better and better. The company first announced Google Lens, and artificial intelligence system for images and video, at Google I/O in 2017, but since then it has brought the tech to the Google Pixel camera, Google Assistant, and more. Now, Google Lens is being integrated into another Google service: Google Images.

This year has already been a big one for Google Images. Earlier, Google announced a redesign of Google Images, which aimed to use a new ranking algorithm to help users more easily find what they were looking for. Now, with Lens integration, Images is set to get even more helpful.

Similar to how Lens works in other Google services, the system will now be able to identify objects within images. With that knowledge, you will be able to “draw” around something you’re interested in or click on the dots related to an object in an image, after which Images will surface information about that object from around the web.

Lens in Images is also aimed at helping users more easily find things they’re interested in buying. The example Google gives is that you might find an image of a couch you like, but not know exactly what model it is or where to buy it from. You could then draw around the couch or click on the dot in the image, and then visit sites to learn more about the couch and potentially even buy it.

Google Lens in Images is now live on mobile in the U.S. in English but Google says it will soon roll out to other countries, languages, and platforms. In other words, expect it to show up on desktop at some point, even if it takes a few months.

Lens is likely to continue being integrated into other Google products. The service is already available in Google Assistant, which allows users to point Assistant at an object or location in real time, after which Assistant will surface information about the object or location. On top of that, you can find Lens in Google Photos, and in the Camera app on Google Pixel smartphones. It’s available on iOS, too, so if you’re an iPhone user, you can try Lens for yourself in the Google Assistant app.

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Check out these stores if you want to buy an original PlayStation system

It can be difficult finding retro consoles in good condition, but there are more reputable marketplaces to do so than others.

An original PlayStation console offers benefits that the mini PlayStation Classic just can’t compete with. It can be difficult knowing where to look to purchase an older system like this, but luckily you have a few different options that are worth your time to check out.

Where should I buy an original PlayStation One console?

GameStop

While GameStop traditionally did not accept trade-ins of decades-old systems, the retail chain introduced a program several years ago to do just that and try to wrangle in retro console enthusiasts. If you’re looking to purchase an old PlayStation One, this may be the best place to do so as GameStop guarantees that every pre-owned system sold is tested and works well. Not only that, but you have a 7-day money back guarantee as well.

Because it may be difficult to find one of these bad boys in stores near you, GameStop allows you to purchase them online.

$40 at GameStop

Amazon

Amazon is another reputable website where you can purchase one of these consoles. Though the retailer is only a storefront for other third-party sellers in this matter, the current seller, Sosa Games, has received thousands of great reviews. The PlayStation consoles in question are marked as being in “very good” condition despite being used, and include cords, a memory card, and a third-party controller.

If you happen to be unsatisfied with your purchase, Amazon has an extensive return and refund policy that will likely cover you in the event that there is something wrong with your order.

$48 at Amazon

What are my other options?

If you know of a local used game store near, it might be worth checking out to see what they have in-stock. One such location near me, Oogie Games, is an established local business and happens to have an online storefront and ships worldwide.

Oogie Games’ return policy covers you for a full refund within 30-days if the item is defective and you have the original receipt.

$25 at Oogie Games

Where should I avoid?

I’d try to avoid marketplaces like eBay, Craigslist, or fleamarkets as they tend to cause more issues and hassle. Your mileage will certainly vary, but you could easily find yourself scammed and out of luck.

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Treat yourself today with 10% off almost everything at eBay

No minimum purchase required.

For a limited time today, eBay is running a sitewide sale that saves you 10% on your purchase when you use the coupon code PICKUPTEN during checkout. We have shared a few of these sales over the last year or so, but this is the first one that did not have a minimum purchase requirement. The coupon can only be used once per account and has a maximum savings of $100. The sale starts at 8 a.m. Eastern today, Oct. 25, and ends at 8 a.m. Eastern tomorrow.

It’s not limited to specific sellers like other coupons are, but there are a few exceptions on product categories, including warranties, Coins & Paper Money, Gift Cards & Coupons, and Real Estate. If there are a few things that you’ve been eyeing at eBay, this is your chance to pick them up for less.

These sales are the perfect time to pull the trigger on that pricey gadget you’ve been second-guessing. Whether you’re looking for a Nintendo Switch console or an Xbox One X with the newest Call of Duty game, a Philips Hue Starter Kit, Ring Video Doorbell 2, or some nice Bose headphones today is your big day. You’ll be able to find some great retailer-specific sales from big box stores like Best Buy and Newegg, along with others like Dyson and BuyDig.

Like we said, there is no minimum purchase with this sale. That’s not something eBay has done recently, and you should take advantage of it. Need a new phone case or a simple costume for your dog? Check out eBay’s Under $10 section. Fill your cart up and use the code to take 10% off the entire thing (up to $100 in savings).

Here’s a few other items you might look at:

• Sonos Beam smart soundbar – $359.10 (Was $400)
• Bose Quiet Comfort 35 II headphones – $314.10 (Was $349)
• Dyson Refurb V6 Motorhead – $143.99 (Was $160)
• Xbox Live 12-month Subscription – $44.55 (Was $50)
• Marshall Stockwell portable Bluetooth speaker – $152.99 (Was $170)
• Samsung Evo 128GB microSD card – $35.99 (Was $40)
• Microsoft Surface Go – $494.10 (Was $549)

Remember this sale is site-wide, so be sure to browse to your heart’s content and then buy everything at once. The exact same promotion is also live at eBay CA for shoppers above the border!

See at eBay

How to block and report players on PlayStation 4

Don’t let your fun be ruined by other players.

Companies are continually pushing the boundaries of our gaming experiences to be more social than ever, but this can cause an influx of people who abuse the system and attempt to ruin the fun for others. When this happens, Sony can step in to take appropriate measures, but only if you send them a report first. Here’s how to do it on PlayStation 4

What can be reported

PlayStation provides a very clear list of what you should not do on your account. If you find anyone breaking these conditions, you may report them.

Do Not:

• Stalk, bully, discriminate against or abuse other users.
• Post anything that is defamatory (making an untrue statement that may be damaging to the person concerned) or racially, ethnically, religiously or sexually offensive.
• Be disruptive or threatening.
• Send spam messages or forward recommendations / offers to your contacts without their permission.
  -Share other users’ and your own personal and account information. Similarly, do not ask other people to give you their personal or account information.
• Use or share codes, software or devices to cheat and do not attempt to hack, damage or exploit any bugs in PlayStation Network to gain an unfair advantage.
• Use PlayStation Network for profit or for commercial purposes, infringe on copyright owned by anybody or break the law in any other way.
• Give false information including making false complaints, giving us a false date of birth or impersonating another person.

What reporting does

When a player faces a violation of the above rules and a report is sent to Sony, the company will take a look at the report in question and determine what, if any, punishment there should be. Aside from removing the offending material, your results will vary on a case-by-case basis. Sony does not detail exactly the process through which they determine what has or has not violated their rules.

For a serious offense, Sony may either suspend or ban your account. If your account is suspended, you will see an error code when attempting to log-in on your console. You will then receive an email at the address associated with your account within 24 hours as to why and how long the temporary suspension will last. A ban, on the other hand, is permanent, and you will not be able to access a banned account at any point in the future.

How to report content and messages

Should you see a specific message or piece of content that you feel violates Sony’s code of conduct, you can report it by following these steps.

Highlight the piece of content in question, whether it be a message, video, or screenshot.
Hit Options on your controller.

Select Report.

To report a user completely instead of a specific message, just visit their profile and hit the Options button on your controller.

How to block players

If you want to outright block a player who has been harassing you or ruining your enjoyment of a game, you can do so as well. This will block them from sending you messages and being able to communicate with you.

From the home menu, select Friends.
Search for the User ID you would like to block.
Alternatively, scroll through your Players Met list.
Select their profile.
Select the ellipses menu icon on the top right to expand your options.

Select Block.

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The best tempered glass screen protectors for the Pixel 2

Tempered glass screen protectors are the best option for protecting the Pixel 2’s display from drop damage and general wear and tear — although because of the curved bevel in the display’s design, you won’t get true edge-to-edge protection but you will be able to double up protection with a case. We’ve rounded up great options from the Power Support Tempered Glass from Google, to a budget-friendly amFilm Pixel 2 Tempered Glass Screen Protector.

Direct from Google

Power Support Tempered Glass Film

Google sells the Power Support as an official accessory alongside the Pixel 2 on the Google Store. It’s a bit pricey but for that money, you can be sure that it’s a quality product and designed precisely for your Pixel 2. It has a black border at the top and bottom to help with lining it up during installation and also has cutouts around the front-facing speakers.

$40 at Google

A ‘case friendly’ option

InvisibleShield Glass+ Tempered Glass Screen Protector

The InvisibleShield Glass+ has been critiqued leaving too glass exposed, but that’s because of the Pixel 3’s curved bevel. You’ll get a reliable screen protector that adheres properly and is backed by a limited lifetime warranty in which Zagg will replace the screen protector if it gets worn or damaged for as long as you own the phone — you only pay shipping and handling costs.

$40 at Amazon

Thinnest Option

IntelliGLASS 3D Tempered Glass Screen Protector

The IntelliGLASS screen protector is incredibly thin and features the ever-important oleophobic coating to prevent oils and dirt from sticking to your screen. It’s a great option that is super thin and lightweight but tough when it counts.

$20 at IntelliARMOR

Border on a budget

amFilm Pixel 2 Tempered Glass Screen Protector

This black bordered tempered glass screen protector from amFilm is designed to work with cases, so you’ll want to line up the camera and speaker cutouts to properly align this product during installation. Your best bet on a budget.

$7 at Amazon

Best value

Supershieldz Tempered Glass Screen Protector [2-pack]

If you like screen protectors with a border around the screen (which helps with installation), you should check out this affordable offering from Supershieldz. This two-pack of tempered glass screen protectors includes all the features you’d expect, such as hydrophobic and oleophobic coatings to keep your screen clean.

$8 at Amazon

For your best value, you can’t go wrong for Supershieldz Tempered Glass 2-for-1 for just $7. Meanwhile, the InvisibleShield Glass+ Tempered Glass Screen Protector is a bit more but you get the peace of mind of a lifetime warranty for as long as you own your phone.

Shot on iPhone XR: Real-World Photos and Portraits With Depth Control From New York City

Apple invited MacRumors to New York City this week to pick up an iPhone XR review unit. While there, we spent the day testing its camera and Portrait Mode with Depth Control with help from some volunteer New Yorkers.

The photos below were shot with the iPhone XR’s default Camera app on iOS 12, and are unedited beyond being resized for this gallery. For some photos, we took advantage of standard features of the Camera app, such as Depth Control and manually adjusting the exposure of photos by tapping on a focus point.

While the iPhone XR does not have a telephoto lens like the iPhone XS and XS Max, the single wide-angle lens captures an impressive amount of detail. And with Depth Control, Apple has taken Portrait Mode to a whole new level, resulting in photos of people that are comparable to those shot with a DSLR camera.

We’ll have more impressions about the iPhone XR cameras in the days to come, but after one day of testing, we can safely say that most people should be more than happy with the quality of photos shot on this device.

iPhone XR launches tomorrow, Friday, October 26. Stay tuned to MacRumors for continued coverage of the device.

Related Roundup: iPhone XRTag: Shot on iPhoneBuyer’s Guide: iPhone XR (Buy Now)
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Human Curation Sets Apple News Apart From Algorithm-Focused News Sources Like Google and Facebook

In a new report by The New York Times today, Apple let a reporter take a glimpse inside the human curation process of its Apple News service. The article looks into Apple’s news strategy (which is focusing less on algorithm-led news curation like its rivals), the service’s future integration with Texture magazine subscriptions, and its issues with ad revenue.

Providing context, the NYT explains how the rise of Google and Facebook came with news delivery that was driven in part by algorithms. While this enabled the companies to point users towards millions of articles, boosting clicks and shares and driving traffic to various sites, the process ended up sometimes emphasizing articles that were sensational, misleading, highly partisan, or simply false. Although both Facebook and Google have now highlighted methods to fight back against “fake news,” some view it as too little too late, and now Apple is taking a different approach.

Apple News editor in chief Lauren Kern via NYT
With Apple News, users can select the publishers they like the most, as well as interests like tech or entertainment, and Apple will surface relevant articles every day. The human curation aspect of Apple News comes on the app’s main screen: every top article you see is hand selected every day by the company’s editors. According to Apple News editor in chief Lauren Kern, “There is this deep understanding that a thriving free press is critical for an informed public, and an informed public is critical for a functioning democracy, and that Apple News can play a part in that.”

Following the events of the 2016 presidential election and revelations about Russian spies using algorithm-focused news curation sites to spread misinformation, Apple “remained convinced of the benefits of people.”

“We are responsible for what’s in there,” Roger Rosner, Apple’s chief of apps and Ms. Kern’s boss, said about Apple News. “We’re not just going to let it be a total crazy land.”

Kern joined Apple from New York Magazine, and now leads around 30 journalists located across Sydney, London, New York, and Silicon Valley. Among hundreds of pitches from various publishers, the team picks five stories that sit atop Apple News every day, the top two of which also appear in the Apple News widget.

In the interview, Kern explains that there are just some stories that don’t pass “the smell test,” which has led Apple to avoid covering certain events that were heavily shared across Google News, Facebook, and Twitter. In one example, Apple News did not run a story posted by ABC News concerning the Robert Mueller investigation. As an explanation, Kern explained that the Apple News team’s methods can’t be “baked into an algorithm.”

The main concern brought up in regards to human editors are their potential bias toward certain political coverage. In response, Kern says that bias can be baked into an algorithm’s code, and that humans offer far more subtly in the decision making process of sharing the news.

Ms. Kern criticized the argument that algorithms are the sole way to avoid prejudice because bias can be baked into the algorithm’s code, such as whether it labels news organizations liberal or conservative. She argued that humans — with all their biases — are the only way to avoid bias.

“We’re so much more subtly following the news cycle and what’s important,” she said. “That’s really the only legitimate way to do it at this point.”

Some publishers remain concerned with Apple News’ future, particularly because of Apple’s ad revenue policies. For one, readers on Apple News stay inside of Apple’s app for the most part, curbing ad revenue for the publisher of the article and limiting data from direct clicks to the sites. While publishers can sell ads on their stories in Apple News, most say the process is complicated and that advertiser interest was low because of the lack of consumer data.

Some were optimistic that Apple could be a better partner than other tech giants, but were leery of making the company the portal to their readers. “What Apple giveth, Apple can taketh away,” said Bill Grueskin, a Columbia University journalism professor and a former editor at The Journal, Bloomberg and other publications. Once readers are trained to get their news from Apple, he said, news organizations will realize: “You’re at the mercy of Apple.”

Looking to the future, Apple next plans to integrate a magazine subscription service — acquired through Texture — into Apple News. When asked about Apple potentially reporting the news itself and not just curating it, Apple’s chief of apps Roger Rosner said, “We don’t talk about future plans, but that’s certainly not what we set out to do.” Asked for further clarification, Rosner responded, “Who knows?”

While concerns over ad revenue and the app’s future remain, many publishers were positive about Apple News when asked about their opinion of the service. New York Magazine chief product officer Daniel Hallac noted that traffic from Apple News had doubled since last December, as Facebook dropped and Google remained the dominant source of the site’s traffic. Looking at the growth, Hallac said that he’s “optimistic about Apple News.”

To read the full story, head over to The New York Times: “Apple’s Radical Approach to News: Humans Over Machines”

Tag: Apple News
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