AT&T will be the exclusive U.S. wireless seller of Magic Leap AR headsets

This is part of a “strategic” partnership between the two companies.

Magic Leap — the Google-funded company creating a powerful new AR platform — is partnering with AT&T to help get its products in as many hands as possible when its ready for a consumer release.

In a press release that AT&T issued on Wednesday, July 11, CEO John Donovan said:

“AT&T is excited to pair our pioneering technologies, unmatched network, content platform, and vast customer ecosystem with Magic Leap’s efforts to build the next generation of computing.

With this agreement, AT&T will be the “exclusive wireless distributor” of Magic Leap products in the United States once they’re ready to be for an official launch.

In late-December last year, Magic Leap announced its first piece of hardware as the Magic Leap One — consisting of a headset, wireless controller, and a mini computer that powers the experience. Magic Leap One is currently being offered to developers and creators, and while a consumer version has yet to be announced, this partnership with AT&T shows that Magic Leap is getting everything set in place for when that day comes around.

Magic Leap unveils first AR headset that’ll launch in 2018

Command & Conquer: Rivals: Everything you need to know

Command your troops and conquer your enemies!

One of the most contentious games announced at this year’s E3 was EA revealing that a new Command & Conquer game was coming our way. Yes, the cherished real-time strategy franchise would be back in 2018 with Command & Conquer: Rivals — a brand new game designed for mobile. All you need to do is check the reactions on the official reveal trailer on YouTube (2.3K thumbs up to 55K thumbs down) to get a pretty good sense of the immediate reaction to this title.

As a gamer who grew up playing C&C: Red Alert throughout the 90s, I’ll admit I was a little apprehensive about how the C&C formula would be translated to mobile. I have a fountain of fond memories attached to this RTS franchise, so it was important to me that the mobile release retain much of the same look and feel as the games I remember.

Having played C&C Rivals for about a month in pre-alpha, I must say I’ve been pleasantly surprised by the game and think it has potential to be a really great mobile title. In spite of the criticism EA has rightly faced for some exploitive mobile releases in the past, the development for Rivals is shaping up nicely and should live up to even the most ornery fan’s expectations.

Pre-register for Command & Conquer: Rivals

Note: Command & Conquer Rivals is currently in pre-alpha testing, which means we’re still very early into the game’s development. As such, aspects of the game discussed here might change by the time the game is officially released.

The factions are at war again

C&C Rivals once again pits the Global Defense Initiative (GDI) against the Brotherhood of Nod in a battle to control nuclear launch sites. Unlike the previous PC games in the franchise that featured single-player campaigns for both factions, Rivals is a purely PvP gaming experience for mobile.

Each match has you battling on a smaller map where you must fight to control the majority of three contested areas on the map that control the launch of a nuclear missile. Control the areas for long enough and you’ll launch a nuclear strike at your enemy’s mobile HQ. It takes two nukes to take down your enemy’s base, however, you’re also able to deal damage with your troops if you can sneak them past your opponent’s defenses.

Troops are spawned onto the battlefield by spending Tiberium, an extraterrestrial green crystal that you generate at a standard rate automatically and can be doubled by deploying a Harvester. The game is heavy on the strategy, so you’re going to need to manage both how you spend your Tiberium on HQ upgrades and troops, along with sending the right troops in to defend or attack.

Great PvP action

In spite of the limited player base due to the game still being in pre-alpha release status, there’s always been players available to play against and the action is always varied, balanced, and challenging. There’s a learning curve for figuring out the best ways to deploy your troops, and you quickly learn the strengths and weaknesses of each troop type as you play. For example, the most basic ground group is best for countering rocket launcher troops, which are best at countering vehicles, with most vehicles being strong against other vehicles and aerial units.

The tap controls for controlling troops works really well, and often matches will come down to which player does a better job of positioning and managing their troops. While the map is always the same size, the placement of rocks and Tiberium fields can drastically change the layout of the battlefield and will absolutely have an impact on your strategy.

Daily missions also throw a bit of a wrench into your strategies, as occasionally you’ll forgo actually winning to the match to complete some goals. For example, you might be tasked with taking out your opponent’s Harvester, which may require you to send a tank on a bee-line straight to your opponent’s base.

Familiar mobile gaming trappings

In spite of all the good here, this is still a free-to-play mobile game from a major publisher so you should already know there’s going to be some timed crates, card collecting, and a bit of a grind involved for upgrading your troops.

You need coins to upgrade your troops and cards to level them up — both of which are found in your daily crate drops. Diamonds are the other in-app currency deployed here and are predominately used for buying bulk coins and rushing crate deliveries. Cards, crates, and coins can be bought in the shop, but at this point of early development, there are no micro-transactions although the interface is there.

The crate system is pretty basic at this point and designed to have you checking in every four to eight hours. Given the reliable state of gameplay and EA’s masterful ability to use micro-transactions for monetization, you can be sure that this will be a popular money sink for many RTS fans.

Are you GDI or Nod?

One interesting decision at this point is the separation of the GDI and Nod factions. You start out playing as GDI and unlock the NOD after leveling up to Level 4. Rather than offering the same troops with a different color palette, there are unique troop sets for both the GDI and Nod. The troop types are still mirrored, but the stats and abilities of equal GDI and Nod troops are appropriately different.

Currently, there is no cross-play between factions: when you play GDI, you are matched against another GDI commander and likewise when playing as Nod. Overall, I’ve found the gameplay to be varied and rewarding at its best moments, and frustrating and glitchy at times which is to be expected for an app in development. Given the vastly different strategies I’ve seen employed for both factions in the game, and the variety of strengths and weaknesses across the growing assortment of troops to choose from, I continue to remain cautiously optimistic about this game.

Have you checked out the game?

The game is currently in pre-alpha, but you can help test the game by pre-registering for the game on Google Play. If you’re in the U.S. or Canada, you may be invited to test the pre-alpha version of the game and will also receive a special early bird bundle when the game launches.

Download Command & Conquer: Rivals (free, pre-alpha)

Android Gaming

• Best Android games
• Best free Android games
• Best games with no in-app purchases
• Best action games for Android
• Best RPGs for Android
• All the Android gaming news!

Early access for HTC’s Exodus blockchain phone opens in Q3 2018

HTC is partnering with Cryptokitties, Animoca, and Bitmark to help create Exodus.

This past May, HTC confirmed it was working on a new phone by the name of “Exodus.” Rather than release another typical Android handset, Exodus is a smartphone that’s powered by blockchain. Today, July 11, HTC announced it’s opening up early access for Exodus during Q3 this year.

Per an HTC press release:

Context and meaning are being destroyed by copyright and privacy laws that were written for a bygone era. Join the Exodus of people who will take back control of the value that exists in their personal identity and data. HTC, the leading innovator in smart phone devices, is spearheading a movement and it starts in the third quarter with the launch of early access to the world’s first major blockchain phone – the Exodus.

To help make Exodus a reality, HTC is partnering with Cryptokitties, Animoca, and Bitmark. HTC says its partnership with Cryptokitties “is the beginning of a nonfungible, collectible marketplace and crypto gaming app store.”

By working with Animoca (the distributor of Cryptokitties) and Bitmark (“the crypto-based digital ownership project”), HTC will be able to further its advancements into the crypto world.

As someone who’s not very invested in blockchain, none of this means that much to me. However, if this is a niche you find yourself getting excited about, are you interested in what HTC’s trying to do with its Exodus project? Do you plan on signing up for the early access program? Sound off in the comments below.

HTC U12+ review: Buttonless blunder

These are all the phones Sony is launching in 2018

Here’s a look at Sony’s smartphone lineup for 2018.

Sony has an…interesting…position in the Android smartphone space. Sony produced some darn good phones in 2017, such as the Xperia XZ Premium and XZ1, but when compared to handsets like the Galaxy S8, Pixel 2, and even the OnePlus 5T, Sony’s offerings fell flat in one area or another.

We’ve seen Sony’s hand for 2018, and while this year’s phones still won’t keep everyone from jumping on the Samsung and Google bandwagons, they are compelling handsets that are at least worth checking out.

The phones that are still coming

Sony Xperia XZ2 Premium

In mid-April, Sony announced the Xperia XZ2 Premium. This is a bigger, badder, more expensive version of the regular XZ2 that’s already been released, and while there’s no denying its power, it’s going to set you back a very pretty penny.

One of the main draws to the XZ2 Premium is its 5.8-inch 4K HDR display. That’s the same resolution found on most premium TVs these days, and Sony says it’s 30% brighter than the previous Xperia XZ Premium.

You’ll also find dual 19MP + 12MP rear cameras, the Snapdragon 845, 6GB RAM, and a 3,540 mAh battery.

The Xperia XZ2 Premium costs $999.99, and pre-orders are open now at Amazon and Best Buy with shipments expected to start going out on July 30. Buying the phone from Amazon will let you get a free pair of Sony’s Xperia Ear Duo earbuds that retail for $280, but even then, only die-hard Sony fans will likely give any serious thought to the phone with a price that big.

See at Amazon

Sony Xperia R2/R2 Plus

Sony Xperia R1 and R1 Plus.

Last October saw the release of the Xperia R1 and R1 Plus — two budget phones that offered rock-solid specs at seriously affordable price points.

The rumor mill on successors to these two phones is pretty quiet at the moment, but there’s no reason to believe Sony won’t kick out an R2 and R2 Plus before 2018 is over.

India was the target market for the R1 series, and assuming the we get an R2, that’ll likely remain the same.

Mid-range Sony Xperia R1 and R1 Plus now available in India

The phones that have already been released

Sony Xperia XA2 Plus

In January of this year, Sony announced the Xperia XA2 and XA2 Ultra as its two midrange handsets for 2018. Fast forward to July, and we now have the Xperia XA2 Plus.

As the name suggests, the XA2 Plus is very similar to the other XA2 phones we already have. There’s the Snapdragon 630 processor, an aluminum unibody design, the XA2 Ultra’s 3,580 mAh battery, and Android Oreo.

Perhaps the biggest change with the XA2 Plus lies with its display. While the XA2 and XA2 Ultra use the older 16:9 aspect ratio, the XA2 Plus steps up to an 18:9 6-inch Full HD+ panel. There’s also a single 8MP front-facing camera which is a step down from the XA2 Ultra’s dual front-facing cameras. Lastly, the XA2 Plus will offer much better audio thanks to support for Sony’s High-Resolution Audio platform.

The Xperia XA2 Plus goes on sale in late August with an unspecified price.

Sony Xperia XZ2

Sony’s big flagship this year is the Xperia XZ2. The XZ2 is a successor to last year’s XZ1 and features a completely new design language compared to other Xperia phones of the last few years. The glass back is super reflective with elegant curves, the fingerprint sensor is smack dab in the middle below the rear camera, and there’s an 18:9 screen with slim bezels.

Under the hood, the XZ2 is packing all of the latest specs — including the Snapdragon 845, 4GB RAM, 19MP/5MP rear/front cameras, IP68 dust/water resistance, and Android 8.0 Oreo. The phone costs $800 and is on sale now.

Sony Xperia XZ2 preview: Slimmer bezels, wider appeal

Sony Xperia XZ2 Compact

There’s no denying that the XZ2 is a powerful phone, but what if you want all that horsepower in a phone that’s considerably smaller and a bit cheaper? For you, Sony’s got the Xperia XZ2 Compact.

The XZ2 Compact is mostly the same phone as the regular XZ2, save for a smaller battery, 5-inch screen, and a plastic back. Everything else, such as processor and cameras, are exactly the same.

It’s not necessarily cheap at $649, but it’s one of the few truly small phones that offers a no-compromises flagship experience.

Sony Xperia XZ2 Compact review: The new standard for small

Sony Xperia XA2/XA2 Ultra

During this past CES, Sony officially took the wraps off of the Xperia XA2 and XA2 Ultra. Both phones are mid-rangers in Sony’s lineup for the year, and while there’s nothing particularly exciting about them, they do the basics really, really well while keeping costs low.

The XA2 offers a refreshingly small 5.2-inch display, and for those of you that prefer big phones, the XA2 Ultra should serve you just fne with a 6-inch screen size. Both come equipped with an LCD panel and resolution of 1920 x 1080, and for the first time ever, these two Sony phones have working fingerprint sensors in the United States 👏.

Each phone also shares NFC, Android 8.0 Oreo out of the box, USB-C for charging, and a 3.5mm headphone jack. Aside from the screen size, the only other big difference lies with the XA2’s 3,300 mAh battery and the XA2 Ultra’s 3,580 mAh unit.

The XA2 sells for a fair $349, and stepping up to the XA2 Ultra will cost you $449.

See at Best Buy

Sony Xperia L2

If you like what the XA2 and XA2 Ultra bring to the table but want to spend even less, Sony’s Xperia L2 is for you.

The Xperia L2 has a 5.5-inch display with a resolution of 1280 x 720, MediaTek processor, 3GB of RAM, and a 3,300 mAh battery. As for the cameras, you’ll find a 13MP sensor on the back and an 8MP one up front.

There’s a working fingerprint sensor on the L2 and support for NFC just like on the XA2 and XA2 Ultra, but unlike those phones, the L2 ships with the older Android 7.1.1 Nougat.

You can buy the Xperia L2 in black, gold, and pink, and its price of $250 is more than manageable.

See at Best Buy

Updated July 11, 2018: Added the Xperia XA2 Plus to the list.

Apple Seeds Revised Third Developer Beta of macOS Mojave With Feedback Assistant Crash Fix

One week after Apple seeded the third beta of an upcoming macOS Mojave update to developers, Apple last night released a revised update for the software, fixing an issue where Feedback Assistant would unexpectedly quit for some users.

Apple appears to already have fixed the issue ahead of the second public beta release for macOS Mojave, which hit last Friday, and is now issuing the fix to developers newly downloading the update. Apple does not appear to be offering the revised version to developers who previously installed the original third beta version of macOS Mojave.

The Feedback Assistant app comes built-in with iOS and macOS beta programs, and allows public testers and developers to submit bugs and other problems with Apple’s pre-release software in an effort to help ensure such issues don’t affect public launches later in the year.

Apple announced macOS Mojave during WWDC this year, and the desktop software will see the introduction of a systemwide Dark Mode, Dynamic Desktops, Stacks, and a collection of ported iOS apps that will be available on Mac for the first time: Apple News, Stocks, Home, and Voice Memos.

Related Roundup: macOS Mojave
Discuss this article in our forums

Sonos Adds AirPlay 2 Support to Latest Speakers, Enabling Siri Control and Multi-Room Audio

Sonos today announced that its One, Beam, Playbase, and second-generation Play:5 speakers now support AirPlay 2, as promised.

This marks the first time Sonos speakers have supported AirPlay in general, enabling users to easily stream audio from iTunes on Mac, and virtually any app for iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch, including Apple Music, YouTube, Spotify, Hulu, Pandora, and Netflix, to compatible Sonos speakers over Wi-Fi.

AirPlay 2 in particular allows for Siri to control Apple Music or Podcasts playback on Sonos speakers via iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, HomePod, and Apple TV. For example, one could say “Hey Siri, play Beats 1 Radio in the bedroom,” after the speaker is added to the Home app and assigned to that room.

AirPlay 2 also enables multi-room audio playback for Sonos speakers paired with other Sonos speakers, HomePod, or Apple TVs. Sonos speakers appear in the AirPlay Picker within apps and Control Center on iOS devices.

Sonos said its older speakers do not support AirPlay 2 on their own due to processor limitations, but in the Sonos app, they can be paired with any of the aforementioned speakers to enable support for Apple’s new protocol. An older Playbar paired with a Playbase, for example, works with AirPlay 2.

Sonos initially held out on adding AirPlay compatibility to its speakers due to minor latency issues addressed by AirPlay 2.

Apple first enabled AirPlay 2 in iOS 11.4, released in late May. Sonos is the first third-party speaker maker to support the protocol, to be followed by Beoplay, Bang & Olufsen, Denon, Libratone, Marantz, Naim, and others.

AirPlay 2 support is available through a free software update via the Sonos Controller companion app on the App Store.

Tags: Sonos, AirPlay 2
Discuss this article in our forums

Apple Pay Expected to Launch in Austria in ‘Coming Months’

Apple Pay will launch in Austria in the “coming months,” according to well-known Austrian newspaper Der Standard. The report cites two unnamed sources and says Bank Austria could be one of the participating issuers.

Apple Pay first debuted in the United States in October 2014, and its availability has since expanded to over 20 countries and territories around the world, most recently including Norway, Poland, and the Ukraine:

• United States
• United Kingdom
• Australia
• Canada
• Singapore
• Switzerland
• Hong Kong
• France
• Russia
• China
• Japan
• New Zealand
• Spain
• Taiwan
• Ireland

• Guernsey
• Isle of Man
• Jersey
• Italy
• San Marino
• Vatican City
• Denmark
• Finland
• Sweden
• United Arab Emirates
• Brazil
• Ukraine
• Poland
• Norway

Apple Pay enables users to add a debit or credit card from participating banks to the Wallet app and pay with a compatible iPhone or Apple Watch at stores that accept contactless payments, or in apps and on the web.

(Thanks, Michael and Rudolf!)

Related Roundup: Apple PayTag: Austria
Discuss this article in our forums

Graphic Design App ‘Affinity Designer’ Launches for iPad With Apple Pencil Support

App developer Serif today launched Affinity Designer for iPad [Direct Link], a precise vector graphic design tool that aims to help users create marketing materials, websites, icons, user interface designs, concept art, and more, all without needing to be tied to a desktop computer.

The new app is based off the similarly titled Affinity Designer software available for Mac, and now optimized for iPad with Metal enhancements, full Apple Pencil support for drawing with pressure, tilt, and angle, and iCloud Drive integration for file storage and sharing.

When creating a design, Serif notes that panning and zooming is always live at 120 frames per second, and there are live gradients, transforms, effects, and adjustments available during the creation process. The app supports a split screen mode, wireframe view, and live pixel and retina view of vector artwork.

In terms of color and output features, Affinity Designer for iPad supports the professional CMYK, LAB, RGB, and Grayscale color models, as well as full 16-bit per channel editing and end-to-end ICC color management. Check out more of the app’s features below:

– Seamless switching between tools and editing modes for frustration-free design.
– Advanced Lanczos 3 image resampling plus Bicubic, Bilinear and Nearest Neighbor methods.
– Live effects, blend modes, image adjustments, and raster and vector masks for any part of your design.
– Use the strengths of vector and raster behaviours for the best of both worlds.
– The best pen tool, pencil tool, corner tool, curve editing, geometry operations, and smart shape tools available.
– High quality raster tools for texturing, masking and finishing artwork. Create your own brushes too.
– Artboards, symbols, constraints and stored assets give the ultimate flexibility for UI and graphic design.

In February, Serif updated its Affinity Photo iPad app with a suite of powerful features, including the ability to shoot in RAW or HDR video directly within the app. At the end of last year, Apple awarded Affinity Photo as iPad App of the Year for 2017.

Affinity Designer is available for iPad Pro, iPad Air 2, and iPad (early 2017 and newer) for $13.99 [Direct Link], and requires iOS 11 or later.

Tag: Affinity Designer
Discuss this article in our forums

Toyota picks Hawaii for its first app-controlled ridesharing effort

Toyota

Toyota is getting into the ridesharing game.

The automaker is launching its first service in Honolulu, Hawaii. Called Hui, it will offer customers 50 vehicles at 25 stations spread throughout the city.

It’s operated by Servco — Toyota’s distributor in Hawaii — and works with an app (iOS and Android) that reserves the vehicles and manages accounts.

You can choose from a decent range of cars, too, among them the Toyota Prius, Prius Prime, and Camry XSE, as well as the Lexus RX 350 and RX F Sport. The rental vehicles are parked in marked, reserved stalls for easy pick-up and drop-off, the company said in a message posted on Tuesday. Vehicles need to be returned to the same spot where they were picked up.

Hui vehicles utilize Toyota’s Smart Key Box, which generates a digital key that lets the driver lock and unlock the car via their smartphone, as well as start it up. Rates start at $10 an hour or $80 per day, and top out at $20/$160, depending on the vehicle. Prices include insurance, maintenance, and gas. A provided universal gas card can be used to top up the tank, and drivers are asked to return the car with at least a quarter-full tank so the next driver doesn’t have to waste time searching for a gas station the moment they begin their rental.

Toyota says it’s also considering offering a pay-as-you-go membership plan with higher per-hour and daily rates instead of monthly fees.

Local competition offering similar systems to Hui includes the likes of Zipcar and Enterprise.

Sharing different modes of transportation, whether bicycles, scooters, or cars, is becoming big business across the U.S. and beyond. And now Toyota wants a piece of the pie.

Zack Hicks, CEO and president of Toyota North America, described Hui as “a game-changing way to offer car sharing.”

Hicks added: “The program is simple to use and more convenient than a traditional car rental service, plus typical add-ons like gas and insurance are included in the reservation cost.”

Servco CEO Mark Fukunaga said Hui provides “a new option for Honolulu residents and visitors looking for vehicle access while complementing other existing mobility services such as bike share, ride share, and public transportation, and we are excited for consumers to utilize the technology.”

Editors’ Recommendations

• GM’s Maven car-sharing service is convenient, but we’re not giving up our keys
• Who pays for autonomous driving fatalities?
• Car-sharing service Car2go tootles into Chicago with an advantage over rivals
• Uber vs. Lyft: Which ridesharing app goes the distance?
• 2019 Honda Insight first drive review

iBeat Heart Watch detects when you go into cardiac arrest, is now available

While many wearables and health trackers on the market are capable of tracking heart rate, devices that can detect when there’s an emergency are extremely rare. With the iBeat Heart Watch, which is now available for purchase, users can wear it to not only monitor for cardiac emergencies but to alert first responders when there’s something wrong.

Think of the iBeat Heart Watch as an alternative to Life Alert that’s far better-looking and capable of more. Under the hood of the watch are optical sensors that continuously track a users’ heart rate, along with pulse strength, blood flow, and changes in oxygen — which alerts users when their heart or blood circulation begins to slow down or abruptly stops.

With those sensors, the Heart Watch can recognize when someone has gone into cardiac arrest.  If a user is unconscious or unresponsive for more than 10 seconds, iBeat’s 24-hour dispatch team is notified, along with first responders and emergency contacts that the user lists. Thanks to built-in GPS and cellular LTE, both responders and contacts are notified of the user’s exact location.

The companion app features a user dashboard that works in real time to track overall health, activity levels, and a history of any incidents via the watch. You can also input information about any medication you’re on, allergies you have, and any other conditions, which paramedics will already be informed of upon arriving at the scene. This is also where you can set up emergency contacts, who will be alerted via a text message and provided with your current location whenever there’s a cardiac emergency.

You’ll also have access to the Heart Hero Network, which is an app that anyone can download to learn CPR. Once someone goes through its vigorous training, they’ll then be alerted via a push notification if you’re ever in need of assistance while waiting for first responders to arrive. A second person in your area will also receive a notification and will be directed to pick up a defibrillator nearby.

If the issue isn’t as dire, there’s also an Emergency Help Button on the device that can be pressed to get help from emergency services or family and friends. This will prompt the question “Are you OK?” If a user replies “No,” they can choose from several responses including “I’m in danger,” “I’m hurt,” or “I’m bleeding.”

In a demo with iBeat, we got to see the watch in person and thought it looked rather sleek. While the case itself was a bit thick, it fit comfortably on our wrists and felt rather light. It’s also versatile enough that it doesn’t look odd wearing it to the gym or even an evening out. We like that the emergency button is tucked away enough that it’s not an eyesore while also being easily accessible when needed. There’s a variety of watch faces to tailor the watch to your outfit or look. We found the display to be extremely responsive when swiping between menus.

When it comes to battery, the iBeat Heart Watch will last about four days and comes with a charging dock to put the device on when it runs out of juice. But since the device is designed to protect you at all times, there’s also a small battery pack that can be clipped to the watch that holds up to two full charges. Regardless of whether you charge it using the dock or the clip, both will take only an hour to bring the watch back up to 100 percent.

If you’re interested in purchasing the iBeat Heart Watch, it’s available via iBeat’s site. The device will cost you $249, while the app costs $17 per month.

Editors’ Recommendations

• The best fitness trackers with a heart rate monitor
• Polar M430 review
• Asus shows off VivoWatch BP with blood pressure monitoring, GPS, and more
• The Garmin Vivoactive 3 Music adds rockin’ tunes to your favorite workout
• Mobvoi Ticwatch E review